Russia carried out a "massive" missile attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, according to local authorities, in the biggest aerial onslaught by Russian forces for weeks.
It's really sad to see Russia devolve into such a neighbor-raping state.
Its always been a neighbor raping state. See Georgia (gdb.rferl.org)
The destruction in this case, was "delayed" because of Ukrainian air defense systems.
Now that its capacity is eroded, expect more of this devastation from Putin, its how Russia rolls.
@#8 ... It's not like Ukraine didn't have a choice. ...
So, your current alias seems to be saying that Ukraine asked Pres Putin to invade them?
And, when Ukraine had a choice, they did not choose Russia...
Revolution of Dignity
en.wikipedia.org
... The Revolution of Dignity (Ukrainian: , romanized: Revoliutsiia hidnosti), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,[2] took place in Ukraine in February 2014[2][1] at the end of the Euromaidan protests,[1] when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of elected President Viktor Yanukovych, the return to the 2004 Constitution of Ukraine, and the outbreak of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War.[1][2]
In November 2013, a wave of large-scale protests known as "Euromaidan" began in response to President Yanukovych's decision not to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia.
Earlier that year the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) had overwhelmingly approved finalizing the agreement;[26] Russia had pressured Ukraine to reject it.[27]
The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government.[28] ...
@#20 ... in eastern Ukraine ...
The other aspect of your current alias' attempted rationalization is that Pres Putin has said tht Ukraine (all of Ukraine, not just eastern Ukraine) should not exist.
So, maybe Pres Putin has backed off his original goals of taking over all of Ukraine?
Russians Planned a Victory Parade in Kyiv"but Dumped Their Formal Attire as They Fled (2022)
www.thedailybeast.com
... Russian forces that unsuccessfully tried to take Kyiv were so confident they would win they brought along outfits to hold a parade in the capital, a Ukrainian military official said Thursday. But they wound up dumping their parade attire when they were forced to retreat, according to Oleksandr Gruzevich, deputy chief of staff of Ukraine's ground forces.
At a briefing early Thursday, Gruzevich said Russian troops had left behind formal military attire in the Kyiv region. "If any of you have been in the liberated cities"Irpen, Bucha, Ivankov, Makarov ... you saw how much equipment the enemy left, how much of it was destroyed and how much of it was stupidly abandoned.
Along with that we are finding parade uniforms that they left, meaning the enemy planned to enter Kyiv in two days and then march through," Gruzevich told reporters. "For today we can say that those plans were disrupted and disrupted by the heroic efforts of Ukrainian armed forces and other defense units of Kyiv."
He went on to warn, however, that the capital city still isn't in the clear, as "it is likely the enemy has not given up the goal of a second attack on Kyiv -- there is such a threat." ...
@#29 ... Read Aljazeera excerpts from his address to the Russian people just before the invasion. ...
Good to see your current alias admit that Pres Putin's wanderings into the sovereign country of Ukraine is an invasion. That's likely a first.
That aside.
The rest of your comment is ... well..
...I'm kinda backward on some stuff. ...
Probably more stuff than your current alias may realize or want to admit to, in it's parroting of the talking points it seems to be issued.
And, if your current alias is interested...
From 2020. Yeah, this invasion is not A New Thing.
"There is no Ukraine": Fact-Checking the Kremlin's Version of Ukrainian History (2020)
blogs.lse.ac.uk
... Conclusion
The frontlines of the frozen conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists are criss-crossing the plains of the Donets Basin, but they are also running right through the region's past. Russia's incursions into Ukraine have enjoyed tremendous support at home and, in some quarters, abroad.
Many have been slow to denounce them " or quick to embrace them " out of a conviction that the Kremlin has history on its side; that Ukraine has never been a real' country in its own right and that its south-eastern territories in particular are primordial Russian lands. Russia's political top brass, including Vladimir Putin himself, appear to subscribe to this belief as well, and by all appearances it has directly informed their policy towards Ukraine.
But as much as these assumptions may resonate with ordinary Russians, as well as some foreign leaders, a glance into Ukrainian history reveals that they are based on a dangerously distorted reading of the past. Ultimately, by redrawing borders and rewriting history the Kremlin is unlikely to have done itself a favour.
Through its intervention in Ukraine it has galvanised most Ukrainians in their aversion to Russia and has thereby done a great deal to demarcate the perceived differences between Ukrainians and Russians more clearly than ever before. ...
@#32 ... My point being the US has No Credibility as a Moral or Legal example. ...
Article by Vladimir Putin "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians"
en.kremlin.ru
... During the recent Direct Line, when I was asked about Russian-Ukrainian relations, I said that Russians and Ukrainians were one people " a single whole.
These words were not driven by some short-term considerations or prompted by the current political context. It is what I have said on numerous occasions and what I firmly believe. I therefore feel it necessary to explain my position in detail and share my assessments of today's situation. ...
I'll start with...
Ukraine's Nazi problem is real, even if Putin's 'denazification' claim isn't (2022)
www.nbcnews.com
... Of the many distortions manufactured by Russian President Vladimir Putin to justify Russia's assault on Ukraine, perhaps the most bizarre is his claim that the action was taken to "denazify" the country and its leadership. In making his case for entering his neighbor's territory with armored tanks and fighter jets, Putin has stated that the move was undertaken "to protect people" who have been "subjected to bullying and genocide," and that Russia "will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine."
On its face, Putin's smear is absurd, not least because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and has said that members of his family were killed during World War II. There is also no evidence of recent mass killings or ethnic purges taking place in Ukraine. Moreover, labeling enemies Nazis is a common political ploy in Russia, especially from a leader who favors disinformation campaigns and wants to stir up feelings of national vengeance against a WWII foe to justify conquest. ...
A sidebar of that article...
... Putin's destructive actions -- among them the devastation of Jewish communities -- make clear that he's lying when he says his goal is to ensure anyone's welfare. ...
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