LIVE: Biden Rules Out No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine, Will Include Russia in SOTU
“A vacuum bomb uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive.”
I know it seems like the same thing every day but we cannot take our eyes off of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin is a mad man with nuclear weapons and not a care in the world.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants a no-fly zone, but the West is rightfully hesitant. Russia has a long convoy on the way to Kyiv as troops bombard Kharkiv.
I keep trying to find decent livestreams on YouTube. Livestream:
ExxonMobil Leaving a Key Russia Oilfield
This could be the way to make Russia stop:
ExxonMobil has just announced a phased withdrawal from a key Russian oil field.
Russian oil trade was in disarray on Tuesday as producers postponed sales, importers rejected Russian ships and buyers worldwide searched elsewhere for needed crude after a raft of sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Kamala Harris Knows All About Ukraine
Our vice president!
OH… MY… GOD
Q: “What’s going on in Ukraine?”
Kamala: “Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine so basically that’s wrong.”
pic.twitter.com/gDJDJQVsWb— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 1, 2022
Biden Will Include Russia in SOTU
My question is why didn’t you guys do anything in 2014? But he must boast:
Excerpts from President Biden’s State of the Union Address take direct aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing the Russian leader was “wrong” to invade his neighbor in the face of united western resistance.
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising,” Biden will say.
“That’s why the NATO Alliance was created to secure peace and stability in Europe after World War 2. The United States is a member along with 29 other nations.
It matters. American diplomacy matters.
Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home.
Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
Release Help for East Ukraine!
Deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk: “We expected more support from the Red Cross, the UN and the OSCE”
The OSCE staff cannot perform their duties "sitting in Lviv".
There is now a humanitarian catastrophe in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk regns: there is no water, electricity and food pic.twitter.com/eFivi0rtCh— Denis Kazakiewicz (@Den_2042) March 1, 2022
Kharkiv Before and After
Beautiful Kharkiv before and during Russian invasion #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/oAfj2oUVnI
— Mariana Betsa (@Mariana_Betsa) March 1, 2022
Biden Rules Out No-Fly Zone
The Biden White House said they will not establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine:
A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News that President Biden has ruled out setting up a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
The current stance holds that a no-fly zone would mean the U.S. had entered the conflict, which Biden has said is not on the table.
“The President had been clear that US troops, US forces will not be used inside Ukraine,” the official said.
But the official added that the Russian convoy has made “no appreciable movement” towards Kyiv, and soldiers are running out of food. The official said there is “no reason to doubt” reports that Russian soldiers are also punching holes in their own fuel tanks to stop their vehicles advancing.
It seems the Russians are running out of gas and food on their way to Kyiv.
But again, a no-fly zone is dangerous.
Can’t help but think that Putin is deliberately baiting the West into a no-fly zone. May god help us. There are enough imbeciles around to make his plans reality.
— Girolamo Carlo Casio (@INArteCarloDoss) March 1, 2022
Five Killed at Kyiv Tower Location
To the world: what is the point of saying «never again» for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2022
EU Special Admission
The EU said it started to work on Ukraine’s application:
The EU has accepted Ukraine’s application and has commenced a special admission procedure to integrate the country, Eastern European media has reported.
The EU will also look to switch Ukraine over to its power grid in the coming weeks, further integrating the country into the European structure.
Russia Trying to Blow up Kyiv’s TV Tower
Oh boy.
The second explosion at the #Kyiv TV tower#Ukraine #UkraineWar #Russia #UkraineInvasion #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/lTyZbuZFBI
— Ukraine War SitRep 🇺🇦 (@UKRWarSitRep) March 1, 2022
Blasts heard in #Kyiv in the neighborhoods of Borshchahivka and Dorohozhychi. Reverberations reached other districts too.
The Kyiv TV tower was hit. pic.twitter.com/UVEC5bEynK
— SUSPILNE NEWS 📰 (@suspilne_news) March 1, 2022
Russia Taking on Kyiv?
We know the convoy spans about 40 miles. Russia is also amping up its rhetoric against the capital city.
The drastic step-up in Russia’s violence against Ukraine that we have been warning about for days is about to begin.
Someone in Moscow appears to be frustrated by Ukraine’s failure to surrender https://t.co/dAKOOF2rzP
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) March 1, 2022
Russia has Been in Ukraine for a Long Time
Vasylkiv's mayor said Russian agents had been active for a “minimum [of] one year,” blending into the community & posing as contributing members of society while compiling information on residents & “preparing maps” of strategic targets. https://t.co/rsCn8o7kKh via @BuzzFeedNews
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 1, 2022
No NATO Planes
Once again, NATO says it will not send planes into Ukraine airspace:
Speaking at the Lask air base in Poland, Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, said: “Nato is not going to send troops or move planes into Ukrainian airspace.”
He added: “President Putin has shattered peace in Europe. Allies condemn the unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine.”
“The Russian assault is totally unacceptable and enabled by Belarus.”
His intervention comes after an apparent offer for European fighter jets to Ukraine by Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign diplomat.
Polish president Andrzej Duda also ruled out his country’s air force being used to help police the skies over Ukraine.
“We are not sending any jets to Ukraine because that would open a military interference in the Ukrainian conflict,” he said.
Vacuum Bombs
Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., claims Russia used vacuum bombs:
“They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention,” she said.
“The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.”
A vacuum bomb uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive.
She said Ukraine was working actively with US President Joe Biden’s administration and Congress to obtain more weapons and tougher sanctions.
“They should pay, they should pay a heavy price,” the ambassador said.
The White House reacted coolly to a proposal by Volodymyr Zelensky for a no-fly zone for Russian flights over Ukraine, saying US participation in such a move would be tantamount to a direct conflict with Moscow.
No-Fly Zone: Ukraine Says Yes, U.S. Says No
Zelensky keeps pressing for one:
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said it was time to consider imposing a no-fly zone for Russian missiles, planes and helicopters in response to Russian shelling of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
In a video address, Mr Zelensky did not specify how and by whom a no-fly zone would be enforced. He said Russia had launched 56 rocket strikes and fired 113 cruise missiles against Ukraine in the past five days.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
When told of the vacuum bomb, Biden perked up. He thought someone had showered Ukraine with Roombas.
He sent Hoover to investigate. When Hoover got the call, he was Dyson veggies for a salad.
No doubt when the remaining bombs are discovered, there will be cries of, “Eureka!”
And after the war is over, Putin needs to be tried and electroluxed.
You’d didn’t answer the burning question: Did Hoover make a clean sweep of things?
I’m not sure. Let me see if my friend Kirby can answer that. A really upright fellow is Kirby…
I feel there is an innate tendency to pick sides when two others are fighting. In the case of Ukraine and Russia I don’t think it’s cut and dries as to who is the one to back. George Soros has ties to Ukraine and Putin seems to have an affinity for Klaus Schwab and the WEF. It looks like a battle between and among Globalists. As far as I am concerned if both camps lose then it’s no harm, no foul. There is something off about this.
Let me put this as succinctly as possible: Anyone who is even entertaining the notion that it might be possible to ‘back’ Putin is a moron.
Regardless of what Russia is doing, this situation was avoidable if Clinton, Obama, Biden and Soros had kept their hands out of the Ukraine piggy bank
Did I say anything g about backing Putin? It should be clear I do t think EITHER side should be backed.
How far west is that rock you’re living under? Cut and dried answers only.
How so? Because I am not rooting for your team?
Hotty Toddy!!
GO BAYLOR!!
George Soros can raid his US democrat funding account and send it to Ukraine.
“Putin is a mad man with nuclear weapons and not a care in the world.”
Is he? What if he is a tough but rational crime boss? Perhaps the official narrative is not quite true (that has happened before)?
He is no friend of the WEF team. But, EU, NATO, and the US government are. HRC claims Putin is our enemy. If he is her enemy, he is not my enemy. WEF is my enemy. Did not Biden and his handlers place bioweapon labs in Ukraine? What if Putin did me a favor by destroying those labs?
There is something wrong with the official picture that is being fed to us by corrupt people. What do we really know as facts? I do not know. I look for patterns. So, anything said by the US government or the EU or HRC other WEF graduates should be considered a lie. Actions reveal motives.
Schwab is a dangerous psychopath. His enemies just might be my friends.
Indeed. The way media universally portrays “Russia = bad, Ukraine = good”…it’s almost like they get a 4 a.m. memo or something…two minutes of hate….
Not to mention all the fakery being passed off as current photos/videos of the conflict…it’s disturbing how easily people are swayed.
There is definitely more to this situation than meets the eye, and more than what we’re being told.
Not everything is a deep state conspiracy. George Soros didn’t pay Putin to invade a sovereign country, bombing civilian population centers as he does it.
This is. This was avoidable.
Actions do reveal motives and Putin’s actions are wholly irrational.
There’s nothing ‘rational’ about encircling Kiev and other major cities west of the Dnieper. If Putin wanted to consolidate his control and leverage over the Black Sea, he could have easily stopped short of the Dnieper and while there would have been some significant push-back from the international community, that would have been short-lived. He could have walked away with little damage to his standing in the world and added those ‘break-away’ republics as client states without spending much blood & treasure.
But, he didn’t do that. He did not do the rational thing that a ‘crime boss’ would do. Instead, he leaned HEAVILY into this revisionist map of the Russian Empire that he’s embracing, a map that is in fact not rooted in history in a any way. He’s not acting like the head of a crime syndicate. Instead, he’s acting like a tyrant on a land-grab mission.
I disagree that Putin’s “map of empire” is not rooted in history. The history of the Ukraine is of a region constantly in flux, and a large (for certain short-sighted historical values of ‘large’) chunk of modern history it has been part of, rebelling against, or at war with Russia. The Cossacks have alternatively been allied with the Poles, at war with the Poles, allied with the Turks, at war with the Turks, and allied with and at war with Russia. Heck, the current “Russians” basically stole their name (at one point the Ukrainians were named “Rus”).
Various peoples (partial list) who have occupied some portion of Ukraine: Amazons, Cuman/Kipchak, Cossack, Russians, Turks, Vikings, Mongols
Right, parts of Ukraine – like parts of so many other European countries – have had very fluid borders and a variety of ‘landlords’ through the centuries. Putin certainly could have made some kind of intellectual case for putting the two breakaway Republics under the Russian umbrella. But, much of the rest of the country – the part he’s currently shelling – doesn’t have much connection to Russia beyond the Soviet in the 20th century. lviv, for example, is has deep Polish and German roots and even the architecture reflects that looking something more akin to Hamburg than Moscow.
It appears now that, quite unbelievably, Putin doesn’t want to just reasborb the Russian parts of Ukraine – or at least the parts of Ukraine that are home to a majority of ethnic Russians – and instead, wants to assimilate the entire thing into his 21st Century Russian empire. That’s…..unhinged.
Yet, this is what he said just a week or two ago when many in the West was convinced he was bluffing. Ominously, in those same speeches, he also laid claim to Poland and the Baltic States.
I think Putin’s behavior has noticeably shifted the last couple years transitioning from his crime boss persona, one that saw him increase his personal wealth exponentially, to something far more dangerous. I think it’s pretty clear he now sees himself as the Czar of his newly created empire. Poland and the Batlics should be concerned.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Russia is suffering far higher casualties than they expected and not only in personnel. The American Javelin is a game changer. Fire and forget. Almost certain kill from fairly safe distance. And Ukraine has plenty of them.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/javelin-wrecking-putins-army-heres-how-anti-tank-weapon-works
You have to believe that this is being factored into China’s plans for Taiwan where they are already anticipating massive casualties during the beach landings. Now they have to factor in what will happen to their troops after they land and move in to occupy.
I wonder what other toys are being created say… in Area 51 that the Russians and Chinese should be worrying about. Maybe we’ll get a sneak peak in Ukraine?
It is very possible that Putin may be removed as Russian leader in the near future, especially if his army gets obliterated in Ukraine of all places. The mouse that roared. That is what worries us about the nukes. That is likely also one of the reasons the no-fly zone is not necessary.
Ukraine wants to WIN and has a great shot at it.
Beyond Russia vs Ukraine, there are other consequences beginning to play out already:
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wests-financial-blitzkrieg-working
When reading this, keep in mind that we have our own kleptocracy running things right at home, politicians and Masters of the Universe that sold out to Russia and China and “the big reset”. Is it too much to hope that this doesn’t end with our own oligarchs and crooks running the entire show? That part is up to us. Ukrainians are inspiring the world with their fortitude and sheer guts. Are we willing to pay the price for freedom? I have my doubts. Too many feelings will be hurt. Besides, we can trust the government to save us from ourselves… right?
“Nato is not going to send troops or move planes into Ukrainian airspace.”
Well, you don’t actually have to. Use standoff weapons from orbits just to the west of Ukraine. (Yes, it’s actually a little far for most of the country. But you could do it to some extent.)
A vacuum bomb uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive.
Ummmm, do they mean a hyperbaric bomb? Or a fuel-air munition?
Germany, Austria and a few others are now dependent on Russia for energy and food. But Zelensky’s inspiring speech also rallied the German people and especially, people in countries who were former Soviet states. So for now, to palliate their own people, these government must be seen to be sided with Ukraine. But their solution is for Russia to consolidate their gains quickly and restore the Russian/Europe balance that Putin upended.
THAT is the problem with the US too. We should be furiously pumping oil to help Europeans out of their trap but instead, Brandon and his Marxist buddies are tightening the squeeze on US domestic oil production. They are treating this as a major transformative opportunity to transition into the green economy. But it’s not working. There are struggles going on here in the backrooms of America just as everywhere else. Hopefully, we will figure out in time to act.
Here is a must-read by Victor Davis Hanson that puts everything in proper perspective:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/victor-davis-hanson-crowded-road-kyiv
The proper historical narrative matters right now. Everything is fluid and the globalists are standing on very unstable footing. We should be thinking about seizing our own victory in the turmoil. Of course, that means we have the vision and courage to do it. Ukraine does. Do we? (Hey! Enough honking! I’m trying to watch my soaps! And those mean tweets! Very uncool!) I have my doubts. We are all talk.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Germans were enthralled by someone who made “inspiring” speeches.
Absolutely no to US military involvement in Ukraine. Frankly I’m a little concerned about Turkey being pressured to conduct maritime interdiction. That’s as bad an idea as a no fly zone. One error and a NATO member, Turkey, is in a knife fight with the Russian Navy. That is a recipe for disaster. This sort of thing reveals the problem with what Washington described and warned against as ‘entangling alliances’.
I would much prefer an end to NATO and replacing it with a series of bilateral agreements with the individual Nations who are actually important to our Strategic interests and who provide value. NATO has 30 members with more clamoring to join; it’s bloated and past it’s day.
CC, I have a serious question for you. If PutPut ordered the use of a tactical nuclear device, do you believe his generals would follow through?
And if yes, what would follow from that? I’m trying to get a sense of the limit of carnage Russia could visit on Ukranians beyond which the West would be forced to engage Russia militarily.
That’s unanswerable. I have no specific knowledge other than open source material about Russia in general or the inner workings of Putin’s thought process. Both NATO and Soviet did have a playbook for use of tactical nukes thirty plus years ago, but I really don’t think that’s relevant today.
I don’t think the Russians need to employ tactical nukes nor are they going to. Once they bring up substantial artillery in range they will likely begin a bombardment of the cities until/unless these cities surrender or are abandoned. Frankly the Russians have, until yesterday, been very conscious of the impact of civilian deaths. They realize that images of dead kids will galvanize world opinion against them even more. We didn’t see any images of that until yesterday.
What’s happening in Kharkiv, 2nd largest city, located in the east, artillery bombardment is being done as a warning to Kiev. IMO, that was likely the topic of the meeting in Belarus; that Russian forces have finally gotten into position around Kharkiv and if not surrendered a bombardment will follow. Same for Kiev when the artillery is close enough.
Again this is just my opinion but the Russians are about to stop being worried about damage to infrastructure and civilian deaths. They will seize their objectives to secure the best deal post conflict they can. The gloves are off IOW and we are likely to see far more destruction and death.
Excellent synopsis.
Well, the whole affair just makes me sick, and even if he refrains from using his nuclear
cannons, the West must, it just must, have a triggering limit.
White folks killing white folks. Damn, if PutPut were hammering whatever the Belgian Congo is now, BLM would be leveling Detroit. Black folks curing black folks.
Down cause I don’t know where somebody buried Idi Amin? I mean I do not. And I still don’t know the name of the country formerly known as the Belgian Congo. It is probably some principate.
Black folks are killing black folks in Detroit. White folks are killing white folks in the Ukraine.
I suspect downvoted because you’re trying to make this a racial issue.
It’s not. Stop being silly.
I get the concern about Turkey. But, it’s not like this would be outside the scope of long-standing diplomatic agreements, The Montreux Convention is clear here and so long as Turkey allows Russian ships to transit the straights to be able to return to homeport (and they’ve said they will), they’re not doing anything Russia shouldn’t have expected.
Ultimately, it’s not going to make any difference to Russia (for now) because all the naval assets they need are likely already in the Black Sea. A year from now, that might be a different story.
That’s true as far it goes. When tensions rise and people get nervous about the intentions of their counterparts though …all it takes is some hothead doing something unanticipated and the other party reacts in fear/anger….
VDH and Prof. Kagan of Yale both say that the longer the war, the more likely the atrocities, the more likely the dehumanization, the castration, the rape, the “others” in pits for live cremation, the “others” raped and burned and more dehumanized in a devolving cycle of dehumanization and general castration.
It takes time, but if Ukraine survives, the Russians will get there. So will the Ukrainians. They will revert, rape, castrate, adopt the same means, the same methods, adopting methods what becomes terror, terror against terror.
What, Russians rape? There likely exists some geriatric Russian soldier, Putin’s grandaddy?, who raped women … Poles, Germans, the women opened and confined some female legs somewhere in Eastern Europe,
There likely exists at this very moment some rapists hunting to force those openings, and the women will not be able to resist, and the families, the people will never forget
I hope when PutPut visits the cremains of the Ukraine, he’s buggered.
What a pluperfect, nasty word.
2 no fly zones for 13 +/- years worked out so well for us in iraq…..
Well, in factual reality the no fly zone was a huge success….for 13+ years. That’s not an endorsement of a new no-fly zone over Ukraine because the larger point of your post is correct; it would only escalate NATO involvement to an intolerable degree from Russia’s perspective and that would likely lead to calamity.
But, the fact of the matter is the no-fly zone was working very well and that it did, it actually undercut the Bush doctrine that prompted the invasion. We didn’t need to invade Iraq because the existing sanctions on Iraq, including the no-fly zone, were working very capably even if Hussein occasionally challenged the no-fly zone (unsuccessfully every time).
With Biden, Harris, and
MillieMilley in charge, direct U.S. involvement in this business would be an epic disaster; there are also ample reasons not to risk American lives for Ukraine even under ideal leadership circumstances.That said, if Ukraine wants into NATO and the EU, Russia doesn’t get a veto on that just because it used to be a province of Russia’s empire. The past tense makes a difference.
And invading the country and attacking civilians cancels out a lot of whatever moral justification Putin might have been able to claim. The ordinary people of Ukraine aren’t Soros-bots even if the oligarchs are.
Again this is just my opinion but the Russians are about to stop being worried about damage to infrastructure and civilian deaths. They will seize their objectives to secure the best deal post conflict they can. The gloves are off IOW and we are likely to see far more destruction and death.
____________________________________________________________________
concur–however, the “surround & shell” scenario may backfire spectacularly–don’t think putin is particularly concerned for russian casualties so far(and, in truth, the toll on civilians so far either)but if the russians commence an artillery barrage in earnest, he (and the russian regulars) will be facing civillian casualties in the thousands to be sure–don’t think the ukranians will surrender(why would they, especially the civilian irregulars?)what outcome could they personally expect from surrender? so vlad would be forced to shoot in order to prevail–just don’t see that happening–his support within his own country, let alone any in the rest of the world, is crumbling–would be difficult to sell/disguise a full-on bombardment as anything less than a deliberate attack on civilians
Go look at what the US did in Fallujah, Samarra, Ramadi….among others in Iraq. I can speak from first hand knowledge of those events and lots of ‘civilians’ were wounded and killed. Of course that depends upon what the definition of a ‘civilian’ is and more importantly who gets choose that definition….
All three were very unrestrained operations in major population centers. We dropped leaflets and broadcast messages to civilians population to evacuate from certain sectors of these cities in advance of our operations. Russia is doing the same thing, telling civilians to evac.
Once someone picks up a weapon they are not a non combatant; doesn’t matter if that weapon is a rifle, creating a Molotov cocktail, running a backhoe to create tank ditches, delivery of war fitting equipment…. all those are the actions of lawful combatants.
Did we kill over 100,000 civilians when we invaded and occupied Iraq?
If we say that a ‘civilian’ are those not Soldiers and define Soldiers as those in the uniform of the military of a recognized nation state, then practically everyone coalition forces killed after May of 2003 was a ‘civilian’.
Of course that’s a horribly inaccurate definition on one hand and absolutely correct on the other depending upon when it’s applied. The reality is combatant and non combatant are much better terms that more accurately describe warfare since the Boer Wars.
When the media begins throwing around the phrase ‘civilian’ casualties they have an obligation to ensure that the people they are describing are actually non combatants, IMO. Otherwise they render the term meaningless and the reporting risks becoming mere propaganda and not journalism.
The Russians need to be made to bleed. However the danger in that is if they bleed too much they then go full Chechnia on the Ukranians and then that is when things will get truly ugly.
On top of that I think the worst thing that could have happened is the Russians winning a lightning campaign as that would have highlighted just how toothless the US and Europe is at stopping bad guys doing bad guys shit.
So the longer this drags on and the more the US and Europe does to hurt Russia will make China think twice about touching Taiwan. So that is good. Taiwan can breath a slightly easier for the time being.
chief
understand what you’re saying but our actions in iraq, though perhaps tactically similar, were galactically different in purpose/mission–we also had a significant group of allies either with or behind us
no question that putin is the aggressor here and he is not attacking a known group of terrorists/jihadists but rather a group of ordinary folks who were compelled to take up arms to defend themselves/their families as a result of putin’s actions
I am glad you do understand and I’m not equating the morality of the two but the media and those on the left do. As they almost always do with Israel and as they do with the US from time to time.
Putin is obviously the aggressor and despite any provocation he made the decision to use force. He is opposed by a forces of Ukrainian Army, Ukrainian territorial militia and volunteers. It’s important that we remember that all of those are combatants whether they shoulder a rifle or dig an anti-tank ditch. By all means hold him to account for deliberate and indiscriminate civilian deaths after those events are investigated by a neutral party (I suppose the Swiss are out) and are verified as an actual crime and not heat of the moment media grandstanding cum propaganda.