By David L. Stern and Paulina Villegas
Mukachevo, Ukraine — The commander of Ukrainian forces’ (click here) last stronghold in the southern port city of Mariupol, surrounded by Russians and subjected to a constant barrage of fire, said Tuesday that his soldiers will not surrender....
...Speaking over a crackling connection made possible by satellite, he said his forces would not repeat the mistake made by others of trusting Russian guarantees of safe passage, only to see the Russians break their word and open fire....
We have seen the slaughter of innocent people, what is there to trust?
Ivan Monastyrskyi cruel death in Bucha can only be due to profound hatred. He never did anything to deserve the worst treatment and humiliation a man could receive. He was mocked for his faith in God and slowly drained of his life. I will never forget the severe death of this man. This was an act of barbarism. There is no civilized world in Russia anymore. Russia is propagating hatred in it's citizens and the military is a reflection of it.
The people in Mariupol need assistance in leaving. It isn't as though the soldiers are stubborn and holding on for the sake of holding on, the people of Ukraine no longer trust Russia and Ivan Monastryskyi is a clear demonstration of hatred and barbarism that resides in every Russian heart.
The men of the Ukrainian military need to be able to evacuate the people in the steel plant. They cannot do that because of the unrelenting bombardment of Mariupol. Why is the rest of the world finding it disabling to come up with a plan to assist these people? They are human beings that want to leave and live for the day they can return to Ukraine. They are basically refugees without a safe passage.
I find this war more and more intolerable everyday. Their requests for help should never go unheard or unaddressed. Mariupol is on a sea. There must be some way to relieve these people of their suffering.
The sanctions and pressures are causing problems within Russia, but, so far it hasn't translated into thwarting their killing machine. The Russians must be stopped.
...Arestovich (Ukrainian advisor) laid out three possible outcomes of the renewed fighting: "The first is that the Russians, having exhausted all of their operational reserves, will conduct tactical actions in order to hold onto the territory they currently occupy. The second is that they can leave our territory. And the third is that they can return to peace talks."...
Three reasonable options for the Russians. Why aren't they taking them? I think Putin's military is so far gone down the line of attempted annihilation of Ukrainians there is simply no solution at all. While Mr. Arestovich is seeking a solution to this chronic crisis, there are none. Putin is committed to one outcome and that is to destroy every Ukrainian life he can. Any other possibility put forward by Russia is a ruse.
There is no solution. There never was. This Russian military is a brutal regime with absolutely no reason to end the killing. They could not care less about life. They kill within their own ranks without a second thought. Some of the youngest soldiers kill their own. There are many reasons for that, but, they are overwhelmed with their own tasks.
I see no end point.
Everyone warned against this. The Secretary of State, President Biden, any USA military person that would speak to it; they saw massive death and destruction if Russia moved forward with a war against Ukraine. They were right. But, that is little solace in realizing there is no end to this. I guess the only answer is to isolate Russia and hope that is enough to stop this ridiculous war that began without any provocation except the Ukrainian people were alive.
I never thought I would ever see this level of hatred in my life. I thought the world was over disasterous wars and hideous reasons to kill.
By Mike Yeo
Melbourne, Australia — A satellite photo(click here) has revealed that China has built a new long-range, early-warning radar that can be used to detect ballistic missiles from thousands of miles away, likely giving it coverage of all of Japan.
The image, taken on February 2022 by commercial satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies and published on Google Earth, show that a new Large Phased Array Radar, or LPAR, has been built at an existing mountaintop site in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province, some 70 miles southeast of the provincial capital Jinan.
The new array is pointed in a northeasterly direction and was built sometime after November 2019. Its completion can potentially give China early warning of ballistic missile launches from North and South Korea, most of Japan and even parts of Russia’s Far East....
Communism breeds paranoia. This is so ridiculous. North Korea maybe, but, all the other countries? Come on already. Where is world order when there is this level of paranoia and fear or each other?
Even space is not safe.
April 18, 2022
By Aamer Madhani
Washington - The Biden administration (click here) says it is barring anti-satellite missile testing by the United States, a move that White House officials say is meant to underscore its hopes of establishing new norms for military action in space.
The U.S. has sharply criticized Russia and China for conducting anti-satellite missile tests, although it also used an interceptor missile fired from a U.S. Navy warship more than 14 years ago to destroy a malfunctioning spy satellite....
End the Five Year Plans!
Believe me, Wall Street has no five year plan. This is really antiquated thinking that does not relate to the real world.
Putin woke up one morning while the Russian military was running war games, realized it was February 24th, the anniversary of the end of the Revolution of Dignity in the Euromaidan, looked at the five year plan and said, "This is the day we invade Ukraine," and did.
April 19, 2022
...Moreover, (click here) its latest Five Year Plan for the energy sector, made public in late March, makes it clear that coal will be a mainstay of the country’s electricity mix for a while....
Communists have a profound problem with their Five Year Plans. The world simply doesn't work that way anymore. Economics is based in opportunity and not a plan. This mess it creates is old world. If China and Russia and North Korea can't figure out why they are not in step with everyone else, there is a reason.
China cannot continue to use coal like this. It is out of the question.
