Russian Invasion of Ukraine[In Progress]

[af_newbie]

I'm sorry, but maybe my family and I will die tomorrow if the world does nothing, so
Ban Russia from SWIFT! Protect Ukrainian Sky! Send NATO to Ukraine! #BanRussiafromSwift #CloseTheSky #SendNatoToUkraine
 you can ban me if you think it's necessary!!!

You can thank Germany for blocking the removal of Russia from the SWIFT payment system

Removing Russia from SWIFT will hurt Europe more than Russia. And US and its Allies are scared that Russia might seek alternative payment system from China which would make the US loose its position as the leader of International Interbank Transaction.

BS.  There will be virtually no impact on Europe.

They should stop buying oil and gas from the Soviet regime anyway.

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[Ultegra134]

I'm sorry, but maybe my family and I will die tomorrow if the world does nothing, so
Ban Russia from SWIFT! Protect Ukrainian Sky! Send NATO to Ukraine! #BanRussiafromSwift #CloseTheSky #SendNatoToUkraine
 you can ban me if you think it's necessary!!!

You can thank Germany for blocking the removal of Russia from the SWIFT payment system

Removing Russia from SWIFT will hurt Europe more than Russia. And US and its Allies are scared that Russia might seek alternative payment system from China which would make the US loose its position as the leader of International Interbank Transaction.

BS.  There will be virtually no impact on Europe.

They should stop buying oil and gas from the Soviet regime anyway.

Won't that cause an increase in oil prices in Europe though? Russia is one of the largest exporters of CNG, while Europe also imports oil, at a decent percentage. The war itself already skyrocketed oil and gas prices, however, wouldn't these sanctions lead to a further increase in prices, in the near future?

Talking about the financial repercussions is the least important thing when people are literally dying, however, it was a question I wanted to ask, since Russia is one of the largest exporters in that industry.

[julian071]

I'm sorry, but maybe my family and I will die tomorrow if the world does nothing, so
Ban Russia from SWIFT! Protect Ukrainian Sky! Send NATO to Ukraine! #BanRussiafromSwift #CloseTheSky #SendNatoToUkraine
 you can ban me if you think it's necessary!!!

You can thank Germany for blocking the removal of Russia from the SWIFT payment system

Removing Russia from SWIFT will hurt Europe more than Russia. And US and its Allies are scared that Russia might seek alternative payment system from China which would make the US loose its position as the leader of International Interbank Transaction.

BS.  There will be virtually no impact on Europe.

They should stop buying oil and gas from the Soviet regime anyway.

Won't that cause an increase in oil prices in Europe though? Russia is one of the largest exporters of CNG, while Europe also imports oil, at a decent percentage. The war itself already skyrocketed oil and gas prices, however, wouldn't these sanctions lead to a further increase in prices, in the near future?

Talking about the financial repercussions is the least important thing when people are literally dying, however, it was a question I wanted to ask, since Russia is one of the largest exporters in that industry.

Yes that will be a big problem. Particularly for countries like Poland who get 70% of their gas from Russia. Without SWIFT the gas cannot be paid (unless Russia starts accepting BTC of course).

However that is a pain that everyone will have to deal with. Poland already said they will support cutting Russia from SWIFT. My home country The Netherlands is contemplating upping the gas production again. Measures will have to be taken in the whole of Europe to keep energy prices for civilians and companies in check.

Also. interesting article highlighting both sides of the story, about 'de-nazification' of Ukrain. Might be hulpful to quote when confronted with Russian propaganda: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/vladimir-putin-ukraine-attack-antisemitism-denazify

[TheCoinGrabber]

This was posted 6 hours ago showing basically gunfight is happening right in Kyiv https://youtu.be/4Tj_R8e0SiQ Zelenskyy had a speech uploaded an hour ago saying they are still in control of Kyiv https://youtu.be/k7FZ-gX6YEU but I doubt they can hold on to the capital for long if they don't get reinforcements. Which lets face it, is probably not going to come.

[Gyfts]

I cannot verify this source so take it with a grain of salt - https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1497425201969123328

Read reports hat Russian troops were planning on capturing Kyiv within last 24 hours, but the source above states no captures of any Ukrainian cities were reported over the previous day. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Putin is retreating so early, so this only tells me prolonged occupation of Russian troops in or around major Ukrainian cities if Putin decides not to capture to put troops on the ground in Kyiv. This is being celebrated as if the Ukrainians are winning. I would remind those that celebrate such a minor victory that these events can last years. If not Kyiv today, then tomorrow.

[af_newbie]

I cannot verify this source so take it with a grain of salt - https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1497425201969123328

Read reports hat Russian troops were planning on capturing Kyiv within last 24 hours, but the source above states no captures of any Ukrainian cities were reported over the previous day. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Putin is retreating so early, so this only tells me prolonged occupation of Russian troops in or around major Ukrainian cities if Putin decides not to capture to put troops on the ground in Kyiv. This is being celebrated as if the Ukrainians are winning. I would remind those that celebrate such a minor victory that these events can last years. If not Kyiv today, then tomorrow.

I don't think the real assault has started yet.

Putin just sent special forces, reconnaissance units, and ad-hoc gangs of insurgents with the aim to destabilize the current government.

The real bombing has not started yet.

It is important Ukrainians destroy all major roads, bridges, airports, etc. to make it harder to carry out a full invasion.

[DaRude]

I cannot verify this source so take it with a grain of salt - https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1497425201969123328

Read reports hat Russian troops were planning on capturing Kyiv within last 24 hours, but the source above states no captures of any Ukrainian cities were reported over the previous day. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Putin is retreating so early, so this only tells me prolonged occupation of Russian troops in or around major Ukrainian cities if Putin decides not to capture to put troops on the ground in Kyiv. This is being celebrated as if the Ukrainians are winning. I would remind those that celebrate such a minor victory that these events can last years. If not Kyiv today, then tomorrow.

I don't think the real assault has started yet.

Putin just sent special forces, reconnaissance units, and ad-hoc gangs of insurgents with the aim to destabilize the current government.

The real bombing has not started yet.

It is important Ukrainians destroy all major roads, bridges, airports, etc. to make it harder to carry out a full invasion.

To fan out some of the fog of war, some cities were already captured, and almost half of the assembled Russian forces are still idling outside of Ukraine. I don't believe underestimating Russian muscle is a benefit
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-26-22/h_0bb4d4e4b3cd77cbddbe1230246e6a09

[Ultegra134]

I cannot verify this source so take it with a grain of salt - https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1497425201969123328

Read reports hat Russian troops were planning on capturing Kyiv within last 24 hours, but the source above states no captures of any Ukrainian cities were reported over the previous day. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Putin is retreating so early, so this only tells me prolonged occupation of Russian troops in or around major Ukrainian cities if Putin decides not to capture to put troops on the ground in Kyiv. This is being celebrated as if the Ukrainians are winning. I would remind those that celebrate such a minor victory that these events can last years. If not Kyiv today, then tomorrow.

I don't think the real assault has started yet.

Putin just sent special forces, reconnaissance units, and ad-hoc gangs of insurgents with the aim to destabilize the current government.

The real bombing has not started yet.

It is important Ukrainians destroy all major roads, bridges, airports, etc. to make it harder to carry out a full invasion.

Putin hasn't showed his full potential yet, I highly doubt that he's even using 1/4 of his army capacity. His real motives are still unknown, if he truly wanted to capture Kyiv, wouldn't he be more aggressive? Is he performing a show, till the real attack occurs?

It's definitely not over yet, while Putin seems to not care about any financial repercussions, he's certain that the NATO and the EU won't interfere militarily.

[Connemara]

What is currently happening in Ukraine is beyond description. If you are willing and able to help, I am pasting below a list of verified, confirmed, verified fundraising. If you are unable to help by donating, PLEASE SHARE. One fundraiser to help Ukraine accepts donations in cryptocurrencies, the other in FIATs.
* https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/
* https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi
* https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282 (potwierdzone przez założyciela Ethereum)
#ukraine #war #help

[DaRude]

I cannot verify this source so take it with a grain of salt - https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesUkr/status/1497425201969123328

Read reports hat Russian troops were planning on capturing Kyiv within last 24 hours, but the source above states no captures of any Ukrainian cities were reported over the previous day. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Putin is retreating so early, so this only tells me prolonged occupation of Russian troops in or around major Ukrainian cities if Putin decides not to capture to put troops on the ground in Kyiv. This is being celebrated as if the Ukrainians are winning. I would remind those that celebrate such a minor victory that these events can last years. If not Kyiv today, then tomorrow.

I don't think the real assault has started yet.

Putin just sent special forces, reconnaissance units, and ad-hoc gangs of insurgents with the aim to destabilize the current government.

The real bombing has not started yet.

It is important Ukrainians destroy all major roads, bridges, airports, etc. to make it harder to carry out a full invasion.

Putin hasn't showed his full potential yet, I highly doubt that he's even using 1/4 of his army capacity. His real motives are still unknown, if he truly wanted to capture Kyiv, wouldn't he be more aggressive? Is he performing a show, till the real attack occurs?

It's definitely not over yet, while Putin seems to not care about any financial repercussions, he's certain that the NATO and the EU won't interfere militarily.

Yeah Blitzkrieg doesn't seem to be the plan. Which is odd as time usually plays again the aggressor, dissent grows proportionally to the length of conflict . See reports of attacks around Odesa and Mariupol' perhaps the plan is to take away Ukraine access to the Black sea, make it a landlocked country, and hand it back to EU for support.

[decodx]

What is currently happening in Ukraine is beyond description. If you are willing and able to help, I am pasting below a list of verified, confirmed, verified fundraising. If you are unable to help by donating, PLEASE SHARE. One fundraiser to help Ukraine accepts donations in cryptocurrencies, the other in FIATs.
* https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/
* https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi
* https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282 (potwierdzone przez założyciela Ethereum)
#ukraine #war #help

A group of activists also created UkraineDAO to raise funds for Ukrainian residents affected by Russia's invasion of the country.

https://twitter.com/Ukraine_DAO

• Russian protest band Pussy Riot is collaborating with PleasrDAO, Trippy Labs, and others to organize a DAO for Ukrainian war relief efforts.
• The effort aims to buy NFTs of the Ukraine flag and donate the proceeds to charities aiding Ukraine residents.
• NFT minting is expected to begin on Saturday, Feb. 26 with prices beginning at just over 0.08 ETH ($220).

Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/ukrainedao-organized-for-war-relief-efforts/

[MCVXYZ]

This Russian Inavsion of Ukraine and the forth coming war about it is getting out of hand and really serious. I don't know what is really the cause but, attacking a nation unprovoked is seriously out of place and the threat form Russia is so real. Not only limited to Ukraine but also, to other nations that dares to assist in some ways. It feels like a propaganda to see how far they could go in tempting the world power and at most, Putin isn't blinking on the threats from international communities. Do we hope to see any resolution in this, rather than a war...!

As We see no resolution can stop this war against peaceful Ukraine yet. why? - ,,Russian artillery fire has struck Kyiv's children's cancer hospital Okhmadyt, killing one child and wounding two, along with two adults.'' TSN reported
As of now the best we can do is to donate to civilians who have suffered too much damage from this devastating war.

[xandry]

So what's left?

In fact, there is already an answer to this question. It was given on Twitter by Georgy Alburov (an employee of the anti-corruption fund - an organization that is equated to a terrorist organization in Russia): https://twitter.com/alburov/status/1497295164892581891
These guys know a lot about how corruption works in Russia and understand what can really hurt Putin. All of Putin's best friends became billionaires when he became president, so sanctions should be directed not against ordinary Russians, but against the business of Putin's friends and government employees. I am sure that Putin does not care about the problems of ordinary Russians, and many of the sanctions imposed by European countries are just an excuse to say, "look, this is confirmation that these countries were at the same time against us, which was required to be proved." Putin is not afraid of the isolation of the country, he and his friends are rich enough to live in isolation for centuries and feel comfortable at the same time. The dude from the anti-corruption fund proposes to ban the supply of elite furniture for Putin's palace in Gelendzhik. They know which European companies are doing this, so EU just need to consult with Alexei Navalny's supporters about the sanctions.

[Bollexz1]

I was somehow, somehow in support of Putin because I believe he's not only fighting for himself, rather the citizens and also the world. But invading another sovereign state is totally out of it. A breach of agreements and illegal attack to be precise and such act should never be condoned.

[paxmao]

Just responding to a number of posts:

- SWIFT system - withdrawing Russia from it hurts everyone. In the short term, Russia get a strong impact from it, long term they banks will adapt, join or develop other systems,...

- NATO intervention - NATO cannot send troops, however as NATO countries are official "Neutral Powers" they are free to sell (even if it is a dollar a rocket) weapons to any of the sides. e.g. it would be legal for the UK to send 10.000 tank blasters to Ukraine (at a dollar per unit if they wish). Ukraine is not short on soldiers.

- Putin cannot withdraw without experiencing severe issues at home. However, a multi-year war is very costly and cannot be maintained. If Ukraine holds for a year, there is a good chance of Putin having made the biggest error of his career as a despot.

[theymos]

As some others have said already, banning Russia from SWIFT isn't very useful, and may in fact be counterproductive long-term. Banning them from SWIFT is like this: Imagine that most of Russia's exports were sent to the outside world via UPS, and you ban Russia from using UPS. It's very disruptive short-term (for both sides of the trade), but they're just going to switch to Fedex or whatever. Banning Russia from SWIFT is like that: it's short-term very disruptive, but it's not that hard for Russia to find an alternative, and long-term the ban weakens SWIFT. Banning Russia from SWIFT sounds like you're banning sending money to Russia by any means, but it's not. The West could ban sending money to Russia by any means, but Europe is highly dependent on Russian imports, so they're just going to pretend to "completely cut off Russia" by banning them from SWIFT.

The most damaging thing the West could do without putting boots on the ground would probably be to confiscate Russia's central bank reserves like the US did with Afghanistan's central bank.

If you wanted to get rid of Putin ASAP, I think the most effective thing that could be done would be to put a $1 billion bounty on Putin's head, plus a promise of immunity for any past misdeeds. You have to imagine that many of Putin's close associates would rather this nutcase be dead. The West was more-or-less fine with Russia's internal authoritarianism, and Russia's oligarchs had a good thing going, but now Putin has screwed it all up for them. All of these sanctions are clearly designed to eventually make Russians angry enough to get Putin toppled, but a bounty+immunity would be a lot more effective. (I think that issuing this sort of bounty would be considered an act of war, though.)


I was surprised that Kyiv didn't fall last night, and I keep hoping that the Russians are somehow fought off, but it's almost unimaginable that Kyiv isn't going to fall eventually. The force differential is just too large. If Zelenskyy is dedicated to the idea of Ukraine fighting a protracted resistance in the same vein as Afghanistan or Vietnam, he should record a really good speech to broadcast after he is inevitably killed by the Russians, so that he can become an ideal martyr.

[paxmao]

... It's very disruptive short-term (for both sides of the trade)...

I was surprised that Kyiv didn't fall last night, and I keep hoping that the Russians are somehow fought off, but it's almost unimaginable that Kyiv isn't going to fall eventually...

Something that works short-term may be just good enough for the case. One year of campaign is extremely costly, so Ukraine can just fight and delay, cause as much human costs (sorry for the term) for the Russian Army  and, even if formally loosing territory, making this "business" too expensive for VP.

For what other wars have taught us, in urban warfare the weapon , means and communications superiority is less relevant versus the will to resist and the morale of the troops. Ukraine cannot fight but in the cities, as the air superiority makes anything else impossible. Unfortunately, this means that the destruction will be extreme.

[af_newbie]

As some others have said already, banning Russia from SWIFT isn't very useful, and may in fact be counterproductive long-term. Banning them from SWIFT is like this: Imagine that most of Russia's exports were sent to the outside world via UPS, and you ban Russia from using UPS. It's very disruptive short-term (for both sides of the trade), but they're just going to switch to Fedex or whatever. Banning Russia from SWIFT is like that: it's short-term very disruptive, but it's not that hard for Russia to find an alternative, and long-term the ban weakens SWIFT. Banning Russia from SWIFT sounds like you're banning sending money to Russia by any means, but it's not. The West could ban sending money to Russia by any means, but Europe is highly dependent on Russian imports, so they're just going to pretend to "completely cut off Russia" by banning them from SWIFT.

The most damaging thing the West could do without putting boots on the ground would probably be to confiscate Russia's central bank reserves like the US did with Afghanistan's central bank.

If you wanted to get rid of Putin ASAP, I think the most effective thing that could be done would be to put a $1 billion bounty on Putin's head, plus a promise of immunity for any past misdeeds. You have to imagine that many of Putin's close associates would rather this nutcase be dead. The West was more-or-less fine with Russia's internal authoritarianism, and Russia's oligarchs had a good thing going, but now Putin has screwed it all up for them. All of these sanctions are clearly designed to eventually make Russians angry enough to get Putin toppled, but a bounty+immunity would be a lot more effective. (I think that issuing this sort of bounty would be considered an act of war, though.)


I was surprised that Kyiv didn't fall last night, and I keep hoping that the Russians are somehow fought off, but it's almost unimaginable that Kyiv isn't going to fall eventually. The force differential is just too large. If Zelenskyy is dedicated to the idea of Ukraine fighting a protracted resistance in the same vein as Afghanistan or Vietnam, he should record a really good speech to broadcast after he is inevitably killed by the Russians, so that he can become an ideal martyr.

Kyiv did not fall because of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14gVDF2b1vA

If you know Russian, you will be pissing your pants.  I did.  Hilarious clip.

Looks like Russians are not very well prepared. Lack of communication.  They don't know where they are going, or what the current situation is.

Russian POWs said that some troops are dumping fuel from their tanks not to advance into Ukrainian territory, to avoid being killed.

Putin must be furious.

[xandry]

Looks like Russians are not very well prepared. Lack of communication.  They don't know where they are going, or what the current situation is.

In fact, there are already several proofs that this is exactly the case. Captured Russian soldiers say that they were not warned that they would be sent to war in Ukraine. They were told that they were being taken to the exercises. The father of one of the prisoners of war said the same thing. His son was called up to serve in the army just six months ago. That is, most of them may be untrained young guys who are used as cannon fodder. I am sure that if they had been warned in advance, many of them would rather be arrested for refusing to serve in the army than be killed and kill the inhabitants of Ukraine.

https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4451228-poiavylos-vydeo-doprosa-sdavshykhsia-desantnykov-rf
https://www.unian.net/war/otec-zahvachennogo-v-plen-rossiyskogo-voennogo-razoblachil-lozh-okkupantov-novosti-donbassa-11719567.html

[LTU_btc]

Ukraine government started accepting Bitcoin, Ehtereum and USDT donations. If you want to help, here is information:
https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282
I'm also proud that people in my country donated over €4 million just in few days to Blue-Yellow organisation which supply aid to Ukraine:
https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en/
I know it's spot in the sea, but I think it's biggest donation campaign in my country history.

The most damaging thing the West could do without putting boots on the ground would probably be to confiscate Russia's central bank reserves like the US did with Afghanistan's central bank.

If you wanted to get rid of Putin ASAP, I think the most effective thing that could be done would be to put a $1 billion bounty on Putin's head, plus a promise of immunity for any past misdeeds. You have to imagine that many of Putin's close associates would rather this nutcase be dead. The West was more-or-less fine with Russia's internal authoritarianism, and Russia's oligarchs had a good thing going, but now Putin has screwed it all up for them. All of these sanctions are clearly designed to eventually make Russians angry enough to get Putin toppled, but a bounty+immunity would be a lot more effective. (I think that issuing this sort of bounty would be considered an act of war, though.)

Well, actually, it's happening. US is considering to freeze reserves of Central Bank of Russia - over $643 billion:
https://gazettengr.com/u-s-considers-freezing-650-billion-reserve-of-russian-central-bank/
It's easy to tell ask for Putin's head. But c'mon, this guy have nuclear weapon button and considering from his recent actions, he completely lost his mind. Nobody is going to risk that much.

Won't that cause an increase in oil prices in Europe though? Russia is one of the largest exporters of CNG, while Europe also imports oil, at a decent percentage. The war itself already skyrocketed oil and gas prices, however, wouldn't these sanctions lead to a further increase in prices, in the near future?

Talking about the financial repercussions is the least important thing when people are literally dying, however, it was a question I wanted to ask, since Russia is one of the largest exporters in that industry.

No doubts that it will increase oil and gas price in Europe. But I think it's simply not acceptable to feed country which literally started war. Sanctions against Russia will hurt Europe too, but every decision have it's price and priorities should be chosen.

As some others have said already, banning Russia from SWIFT isn't very useful, and may in fact be counterproductive long-term. Banning them from SWIFT is like this: Imagine that most of Russia's exports were sent to the outside world via UPS, and you ban Russia from using UPS. It's very disruptive short-term (for both sides of the trade), but they're just going to switch to Fedex or whatever. Banning Russia from SWIFT is like that: it's short-term very disruptive, but it's not that hard for Russia to find an alternative, and long-term the ban weakens SWIFT. Banning Russia from SWIFT sounds like you're banning sending money to Russia by any means, but it's not. The West could ban sending money to Russia by any means, but Europe is highly dependent on Russian imports, so they're just going to pretend to "completely cut off Russia" by banning them from SWIFT.

The most damaging thing the West could do without putting boots on the ground would probably be to confiscate Russia's central bank reserves like the US did with Afghanistan's central bank.

If you wanted to get rid of Putin ASAP, I think the most effective thing that could be done would be to put a $1 billion bounty on Putin's head, plus a promise of immunity for any past misdeeds. You have to imagine that many of Putin's close associates would rather this nutcase be dead. The West was more-or-less fine with Russia's internal authoritarianism, and Russia's oligarchs had a good thing going, but now Putin has screwed it all up for them. All of these sanctions are clearly designed to eventually make Russians angry enough to get Putin toppled, but a bounty+immunity would be a lot more effective. (I think that issuing this sort of bounty would be considered an act of war, though.)


I was surprised that Kyiv didn't fall last night, and I keep hoping that the Russians are somehow fought off, but it's almost unimaginable that Kyiv isn't going to fall eventually. The force differential is just too large. If Zelenskyy is dedicated to the idea of Ukraine fighting a protracted resistance in the same vein as Afghanistan or Vietnam, he should record a really good speech to broadcast after he is inevitably killed by the Russians, so that he can become an ideal martyr.

Kyiv did not fall because of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14gVDF2b1vA

If you know Russian, you will be pissing your pants.  I did.  Hilarious clip.

Looks like Russians are not very well prepared. Lack of communication.  They don't know where they are going, or what the current situation is.

Russian POWs said that some troops are dumping fuel from their tanks not to advance into Ukrainian territory, to avoid being killed.

Putin must be furious.

It's simply hilarious. But I'm very surprised that Russian army is so poorly prepared. From what I read, they never had so many victims in such short time in any other war since WW2. But I have bad feeling that they don't show their real potential.