I'd just like to point out that us "commie tankies" are the only left of center space that still has a megathread about this conflict every day. Even /r/politics gave up a while back

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN—With the final casualty figures still being determined, encouraging reports confirmed that multiple devastating explosions outside a large public school in western Kabul Wednesday had not killed any Ukrainian civilians. “We can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that while the dead are still being counted, zero Ukrainian residents appear to have been harmed in these fatal bombings,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding that the Pentagon would continue to keep a close watch on the scene of the attacks, in which hospital staff indicated 15 had died and 49 had been wounded, and in which none of the victims had any known ties to the people or culture of Ukraine. “We asked our sources in Afghanistan to assign bodies recovered from the rubble to one of two categories—‘Ukrainian’ or ‘not Ukrainian’—and so far all of the dead and maimed individuals have thankfully fallen into the latter category. We have also issued a formal diplomatic statement requesting that rescue workers prioritize any cries for help spoken in a Slavic language.” Blinken went on to say it was still too early to determine whether this gruesome series of attacks in Afghanistan’s capital was a Russian attempt to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

( https://www.theonion.com/encouraging-reports-confirm-explosions-near-afghan-scho-1848813111 )

/r/Ukraine popped up on my frontpage with a video fo an Azov guy shooting a rocket at a Russian armored vehicle.

How is it that despite Azov being a tiny fraction of the total Ukraine armed forces they always seem to be in front of the camera, even when it's the /r/Ukraine subreddit? Is /r/Ukraine just really, really fashy?

US doesn't know exactly where weapons sent by Washington to Kiev end up - CNN

The US Department of Defense fears the risk that in the long term some of the weapons "may end up in the hands of other armed forces and militias that the US did not intend to arm."

Big if true :soviet-hmm:

where has the common idea among liberals that the war is a "genocide" or even worse, a "holocaust" come from? it really pisses me off, like i am not walking around with a Z on my car or anything but it's fucking offensive to compare this to the worst crime in history. decades of atrocity propaganda against china, the soviet union, and russia makes libs think that nothing can be bad without being the worst thing that's ever happened.

New favorite conspiracy theory, courtesy of the last few minutes of DPA's latest comment response video:

Zelensky wants the Ukrainian eastern army destroyed.

He was voted in on a platform of implementing the Minsk II agreement and bringing about peace in the east of Ukraine. But he almost immediately found out that the Ukrainian army on the Donbass frontlines were largely far-right extremists who'd sooner turn their guns on the Ukrainian government than give up the Donbass/Crimea. So he's realized that the only way he's going to be able to bring peace to Ukraine is to get all of the militarized far-right in Ukraine killed fighting Russia, and once that's completed, he's going to immediately change his tone and start seriously pursuing peace with Russia.

(I'm not gonna pretend like I actually believe this, but it'd be incredibly funny if it actually turned out to true)

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Economically:

Russia/Belarus/Ukraine:

• Toshiba leaves Russia.

Europe:

• Latvia has announced that they are in an energy crisis, with oil reserves for only 90 days. It is now strictly prohibited to export petroleum products. If only there was some way to avoid this outcome.
• German employers and unions unite to oppose EU Russian gas boycott.
• German software company SAP will suspend all business in Russia
• UK set for slowest growth in G7 as Ukraine war hits global economy

Global:

• China launches a new freight train service from Xi'an to Mannheim in Germany, with a total route length of 11,000 kilometers, using both rail and sea across its journey through Central Asia.
• India doubles purchases of Russian crude oil.
• India apparently only has 8 days left of coal stocks.
• IMF projects India's growth of 8.2% in 2022, making it world's fastest-growing major economy
• Pakistan only has 18 days of diesel left, and is cutting electricity to households and industry and directing its oil refineries to boost production, but these are also having issues.
• 87% of IMF Loans Forcing Austerity on Crisis-Ravaged Nations: Analysis
• Nakedcapitalism: Sri Lanka Economic Crisis Inflicted by Self-Serving Elite
• Mexico's lithium reserves are now nationalized
• Kazakhstan Imposes Quota on Wheat Exports
• It's planting season in Ukraine, and that means problems for global food supply. "The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Lebanon's economy minister announced the country of 6.8 million people had enough wheat reserves to last just one month."

---

Diplomatically and Politically:

In/between Ukraine/Russia:

• Russia and Armenia sign an agreement on co-operation in information security. They pledge to not give territories to third countries to create biological laboratories against each other's interests. Russia will restore railways in Armenia. They have agreed to establish a commission on demilitarization and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Russia and Armenia will work together to overcome the challenges due to sanctions. They advocated the creation of an internal market without restrictions and an increase in the share of settlements in national currencies.
• Romania plans to transfer military equipment to Ukraine - such as MiG-21 Lancer fighters. To be immediately shot down, but I guess that's the point if you want to get some fresh US planes.

Global:

• The US Deputy Secretary of State has been visiting Central Asian countries and inviting them to economic agreements and technical co-operation, presumably to isolate Russia.
• Arbitrary freezing of foreign currency reserves is a violation of the sovereignty of states, said China's permanent representative to the UN.
• Will the US and Germany Turn Mongolia into a Biological Warfare Testing Grounds against Russia and China?
• The Looming New World Order Challenges United States Power
• Pakistan makes offer to India: The country’s new PM, Shehbaz Sharif, calls for the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute to be finally settled
• Sri Lanka crisis: One killed after police fire live bullets at protesters. The zone is getting very cool nowadays.
• Solomon Islands: China deal in Pacific stokes Australian fears
• Pyongyang considers the events in Bucha a provocation by the West aimed at denigrating the Russian Federation and its isolation

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Militarily:

Ukraine in general:

• US will deliver over half a dozen flights worth of security assistance to Ukraine in the next 24 hours, as part of the Biden administration’s recent $800 million package.
• Also, yet another big package of similar size to this latest $800 million one. Apparently more artillery and more shells.
• Ukraine receives aircraft parts from US allies
• The German Armed Forces spoke out against the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. The Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr said that Berlin itself needs such weapons in order to manage the armed forces, as well as train new military personnel.
• Germany explains how it can send more arms to Ukraine: The Bundeswehr has no weapons to spare, but Berlin will pay defense industry to arm Ukraine, says Chancellor Scholz
• Overnight, Russia hits 73 military facilities, as well as six fuel depots, 910 strong points and areas of concentration of enemy manpower, and 106 artillery positions.
• Czech companies will repair damaged Ukrainian equipment, presumably due to the destruction of Ukrainian repair factories.
• Forbes: The Ukrainian Air Force Just Got Bigger. Yeah, bigger than zero. Then a few hours later, kaboom, back down to zero.

Eastern Ukraine:

• Intense fighting continues. Non-stop artillery strikes. Russia advances towards Slavyansk.
• LPR announces the total control of the city of Kreminna.
• DPR announces the capture of Ravnopol, Novoselka, Makarovka and Storozhevoe.

Southern Ukraine:

• 35 soldiers from Azovstal surrendered yesterday.
• Explosions in Mykolaiv and Kharkiv.

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Also:

• The Communist Party of Russia submitted a bill to the State Duma proposing to establish the flag of the USSR as the flag of Russia.
• Drought is causing starvation in the Horn of Africa, with 16 million people needing immediate food assistance.
• President Luis Arce Rated Best Politician in Bolivia
• Lula Likely to Win Next Election in Brazil

---

Dipshittery and Cope:

• Forbes: Here's Why Mariupol Is Such A Prized Target For Russia. I love this line: "Russia has cited the controversial white supremacist history of the right-wing Azov Batallion, a Ukrainian military unit defending Mariupol, with Putin defending the invasion as an effort to “denazify” Ukraine. But the unit claims to have shed its more extreme elements." And Zelensky has said “The Russians completely destroyed Mariupol and burned it to ashes,” but it's also still being defended by Ukraine and the factory is still intact?
• CNN: Opinion: Why the world fails on the 'Never again' pledge. This article spends hundreds of words describing crises, mass killings, and wars that the US either caused or played a role in causing, and then just says "Well, that's just life isn't it? Countries have their own interests, people aren't interested in helping countries far away. There are simply no easy solutions here. What a tragedy it is. We have a chance to redeem ourselves and that's by piping all our weaponry into Ukraine to prolong the misery and thousands of Ukrainian soldiers dying". Absolutely fucking disgusting. Re-education isn't enough for these journalists.

them's the media cycle

In Denmark the government has decided that students will no longer be able to receive monthly government stipends while studying abroad in Russia and Belarus.

Preventing your own citizens from learning about Russia will surely bring Putin to his knees!

The Summary So Far; or "yo, what the fuck, why isn't Russia around Kiev anymore? what happened?"

TLDR: Russia is winning pretty hard, Ukraine is losing pretty hard, this is (and always has been) a West-Russia proxy war, and the west is content to sacrifice every last Ukrainian for no particular gain other than to their military-industrial complexes. Russia may take control (annexation or otherwise) of potentially a third of Ukraine but have expressed no specific desire to do so yet. Extremely difficult times ahead for the world economically, even in western nations, but also a genuine chance to be finally rid of US hegemony over the coming decades. We will almost certainly see an increase in self-sufficiency in many countries but the road there is rocky for many developing nations.

There's been a lot of action over the last month or so, way too much to mention every single troop movement and village taken. There are/were, I would say, 4 distinct fronts in this war: the Kiev + Chernigov front (now withdrawn); the Kharkiv + Donbass front; the Kherson + Mykolaiv front; and the Mariupol "front".

First things first: the Kiev + Chernigov front. The motivations of the Russians here have been a subject of controversy in the megathreads. Did Russia intend to capture Kiev? Was that going to be via urban fighting or a slow siege after complete encirclement until surrender? As they didn't, is that a failure on the Russian's part, either due to poor logistics or extreme Ukrainian resistance? Or was the intention never to capture Kiev? All these points and more, we have argued about. I think there is a general but probably not overwhelming consensus that there were multiple purposes of the Kiev offensive. There may have been an element of seeing if they could snag Kiev without too much fighting if the Ukrainian forces were unable to mobilize in time, but when that didn't occur, the purpose of the Kiev front switched to a feint attack designed to hold the Ukrainian forces in place. This conflict is about the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, and Russia engaged (among other reasons) to free them from Ukraine after 8 years of fighting there that killed 14,000 people on both sides. Therefore, to aid the fighters of those republics, Russia attacked towards Kiev to force Ukraine to defend it instead of being able to freely move and reinforce the Donbass. A similar action may have occurred towards Mykolaiv on the southern side of Ukraine.

If you say "well, this is clearly cope, obviously Russia tried and failed to take the city and then decided to make it seem like that was their plan all along" then I only really have five counterarguments: a) taking Kiev would not instantly end the war - the government of Ukraine could shift to Lviv in the west, and taking capitals does not grant you a Domination Victory in real life; b) if the plan hinged on Kiev being taken, then Russia would have used more of its military and airforce (which we know that they have because they're using them literally as I'm typing this out); c) Russia did not do anything to hold on to the villages and towns surrounding Kiev, unlike in the south (as I'll mention later); d) Russia was able to do a full, organized retreat without much fuss at all, which would be impossible if the ferocious Ukrainian resistance was hounding them all the way to the border, and e) it's impossible to truly tell the difference unless Russia decides to reveal its war plans from the first week of the invasion, so it's not worth fixating on.

Anyway, Russia retreats from Kiev and Chernigov, as I say, without much fuss. Ukraine and the neo-Nazi battalions advances very quickly and "retakes" towns (there was nobody to advance against or fight to retake towns) and spends a couple days making fun of Russia and posting images of Russian-free towns. Then, and only then, once there had been a few days of silence, do the allegations of massive Russian human rights abuses and killings of civilians start filtering through to the western media, with the main case being in Bucha. The media goes berserk at this news. Then, there are inconsistencies: why did they wait days to report these killings? Why do the civilians killed have white armbands that signify they are pro-Russian? Why are there videos of Ukrainian soldiers asking if they can shoot civilians and being given the affirmative? Very strange. Russia denies all involvement, Belarus calls it a British operation, China and other nations call for patience, and an actual investigation first. Meanwhile, one Ukrainian authority calls for the slaughter of all Russians around the world. A little later, a railway station in Ukraine is hit by a missile, killing tens of refugees. The remains of the missile are clearly Ukrainian. It makes significantly more sense that the neo-Nazis would be doing this than Russia. Testimonies of civilians in warzones attest to this - that Azov shells their homes despite there being no Russians around, and use them as human shields. If Russia didn't care about civilian losses, they would have carpet-bombed Kiev to rubble.

Meanwhile, on the Donbass front in the east. The key thing to understand about the Donbass front is that it's seen fighting for 8 years. There are massive trench systems there, and the anti-tank weaponry means that if you're Russia, you can't just blast through it with vehicles. It's a very slow moving front that has many Ukrainians on it - I've seen estimates from 40,000 to 100,000. Even so, the LPR has about 90% of its claimed territory, with the city of Severodonetsk being the last major stronghold for them to take. Meanwhile, the DPR has about 50%. They didn't take all that during this invasion - most of it they already had. But the LPR and DPR have been consistently taking territory from Ukraine. Russia has very recently massively stepped up its efforts to directly help the LPR and DPR, and is now shelling and bombing across the entire front. Russian forces are also advancing southwards from Izyum, which would allow them to eventually completely encircle the Ukrainian troops there and force them to surrender or die of starvation.

Kharkiv, northwest from Donbass, has been a hotspot for most of the war. Tons of bombing there, and a lot of destruction. There isn't a lot to say about it that doesn't get needlessly granular for this summary. Ukraine has recently attempted an offensive outwards from the city to take advantage of the Russian focus elsewhere, but it is unlikely to achieve much in the end. There has also been Ukrainian shelling into Belgorod in Russia, but it's largely hitting small border villages. There was an incident a while ago when two Ukrainian helicopters blew up a Russian fuel depot but these are infrequent events for now.

Next, the Kherson front. The forces from Crimea splayed outwards and took basically everything up to the Dnipro river, which includes Kherson on the north side. The river is extremely defensible, with only a few (and I mean literally 3 or so) crossing points across hundreds of kilometers. Ukraine has recently tried to blow up one of them, but the missiles were shot down. The front between Mykolaiv and Kherson has been confusing because there hasn't been a lot of information. Russia has a strong emplacement near Mykolaiv that they're using to shell it sometimes, but has not encircled it nor seemed to have attempted to in weeks. There have been claims of Ukrainian counteroffensive that seem plausible, although they once suggested they're near Kherson and would retake it over a weekend which was pretty ridiculous.

I think the bigger news with Kherson and the area between it and Crimea is that there hasn't been much fighting really, and that life has returned to some degree of normalcy for the people there. This is partially because Russia has introduced the ruble there as a currency to replace Ukraine's currency, and is now reteaching the teachers there to educate in the Russian style rather than the Ukrainian style, which, as I said, didn't happen near Kiev. So I think Russia may intend to hold this territory for a long time, and perhaps never let go of it. Russia always wants more coasts I suppose.

Now, Mariupol, on the south of Ukraine on the Sea of Azov, which is where the urban combat has been happening for the last few weeks. As best as I can tell, about 8000-9000 Ukrainian soldiers and lots of Azov neo-Nazis were encircled there and have been slowly being killed (or surrendering) by the DPR and the Chechens. Kadyrov, the head of the Chechens, has visited there a few times and given updates. After a period of apartment-to-apartment fighting, the Ukrainian forces were beaten back to the industrial zones, and now they only inhabit the Azovstal factory, which is currently being blown to fucking smithereens with them trapped inside. In all, about 1500 Ukrainians surrendered there. The civilians are deeply unhappy with Ukraine and Zelensky and their neo-Nazi occupiers and generally grateful to Russia - as much as you can be to the technically invading force, anyway. Lots of evacuations and humanitarian aid by Russian, and that evacuation has been called "forced deportations" and even "genocide" by some in the media.

Continued below.

deleted by creator

The hunting down and assassination of a guy called Coach Redpill by Ukrainian Special Forces is the funniest thing of the war

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-kishida-sends-offering-controversial-shrine-war-dead-2022-04-21/

Abe told reporters that visiting the shrine had special resonance this year given Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"In Ukraine, many brave people are currently fighting and risking their lives to protect their country," he said, adding that he wanted to pay his respects to those who had given their lives for Japan.

:what-the-hell:

https://i.imgur.com/z6cJ2Eq.gifv :kitty-cri:

If you’re confused as to what’s going on and want a summary of the war so far, click here.

Fun fact: the collective word count of all the update posts has today surpassed 30,000.

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Economically:

Europe:

• Europe bends the knee: European Commission allows payment for Russian gas in rubles, but under certain conditions.

EU companies may be able to work around Russia’s demand to receive gas payments in rubles without breaching sanctions, if they pay in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency

That’s… that’s literally what Russia said the plan was!

• UK waives sanctions on Gazprombank so that it can get gas.
• The European Union currently has no plans of introducing a collective ban on Russian oil supplies because several EU members threatened to veto it.
• Ukraine claims the conflict with Russia has caused $550 billion in damages, demands $7 billion a month from the West.
• UK ministers expect first trade deals with individual US states to be secured ‘within weeks’
• UK consumer confidence even lower than in 2008 financial crisis
• UK Risks ‘Worst of All Worlds’ on Inflation, IMF Official Says
• Boris Johnson vows to stop UK exports to India ending up in Russia
• Advertisments in Poland for abandoning personal transport and instead choosing public transport or a bicycle, explicitly framed against Putin.
• EU asks people to use less air conditioning, drive slower, and work from home to help reduce reliance on Russian energy
• Bundesbank warns Russian gas embargo would cost Germany 5 per cent in lost output
• Russia unveils plans for digital ruble, domestic payment system

Asia and Oceania:

• The West froze Russia’s foreign reserves. Should Asia—with its even larger dollar hoard—be worried?

In any future conflict, will the region be forced to take sides? If tensions between the U.S. and China really accelerate, what will Asia do—and will it be ready to incur the wrath of either the U.S. or China in the process?

• India’s Coal Supply Shock Causes Major Power Outages

India relies on coal for approximately 70% of its electricity generation and often struggles with power outages and even blackouts; however, this summer experts are expecting a more severe crisis in what is shaping up to be the hottest March in a century.

Africa:

• Will Algeria Increase Gas Supplies to Europe?

Algerian economic expert Hussein Boukara said that the PDRA could not replace energy from Russia on the grounds that domestic production was insufficient to cover the entire supply. “Russian pipelines supplying gas to Europe have a large throughput capacity. In addition, production rates in Russian fields are much higher than in Algeria,”

America:

• Biden announces a ban on Russian ships entering US ports.
• ExxonMobil is considering a complete withdrawal from Russia by June 24
• Cuts to unemployment benefits didn’t spur jobs, says report
• The US Forces Its Flawed Food System on the World

South America:

• Uruguay and Ecuador discuss possible bilateral trade agreement
• US Oil Companies Seek To Restart Crude Extraction In Venezuela

U.S. oil companies Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford International, whose operations in Venezuela were frozen by economic sanctions, appealed to the U.S. Treasury Department to authorize them to re-start oil drilling in this South American country.

Global:

• Has The War In Ukraine Changed Oil Markets Forever?
• Nakedcapitalism: The Energy Transition Has A Major Metals Problem
• Long-term container rates plummet on key US to Far East routes

“This is a very interesting shift,” notes Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund. “I think it’s fair to say that the comparative weakness of US exports versus US imports from the Far East is taking effect.

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Diplomatically and Politically:

In/between Ukraine or Russia:

• Russia announces that they’ve stopped an ISIS terrorist attack on a railway in Crimea.
• Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces in Russia catches fire, killing 7 people; Russia says cause is apparently a ‘short circuit failure’.
• Head of the temporary civil administration of Russian-occupied Kharkiv:

The possibility of holding a referendum on the further political status of the Kharkiv region is not ruled out, but the residents have not yet taken the appropriate initiative

• New Mass Grave Site Spotted Outside Mariupol. Russia might, potentially, based on satellite imagery, be burying civilians in a fucking graveyard. What despicable monsters could do such an unholy act?

The mass grave site is located next to an existing cemetery on the edge of Manhush, a small town about 12 miles west of Mariupol.

• Russia will be involved in the signing of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
• Russia establishes a new government in Oleshki, Kherson region.
• Russian telegram claims that Russian TV will be broadcasted soon to Mariupol and some parts of Zaporozhye region.
• State Duma deputy Dmitry Belik:

The Crimean Federal District may be formed after a special operation in Ukraine, citizens of the liberated territories will become its residents

• Putin will receive UN Secretary General Guterres, who will arrive in Moscow on April 26

Asia and Oceania:

• China reveals new 'Global Security Initiative'

[Xi] underlined that international security is “indivisible” and therefore respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, non-interference in each other's internal affairs and cooperation for the sake of common peace and security should form the basis of the international security framework.

• For the first time since 2003, Japan has designated the southern Kuriles as "illegally occupied" by Russia.
• European Commission President to visit India next week in order to restart negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement.
• Sri Lanka President Calls in Army Ahead of Protester’s Funeral

Africa:

• Central African Republic is interested in increasing the number of its Russian instructors:

What Russian instructors have done for our country in a year is what the Western military, the Americans or the French, could not do in ten years.

North America:

• The US is launching a program for accepting refugees from Ukraine.

South America:

• Protests sweeping Peru strand tourists and close copper mines.

Thousands of Peruvians joined a two-day strike in the Cusco region on Monday and Tuesday over the soaring cost of fuel, fertiliser and food, caused in part by the war in Ukraine.

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Militarily:

General News

• Romania and Slovakia donate 40 T-72 tanks to Ukraine each.
• The US will supply Ukraine with drones designed specifically for the country. Not sure what that means.
• Three more Russian battalion tactical groups arrived in Ukraine today, and 20 in the last week, for a total of 85.
• Deputy Commander of the Central Military District:

During the second phase of the special operation, the Russian army plans to establish full control over the Donbass and southern Ukraine Russian rocket troops and artillery completed 1,285 fire missions during the night.

• Boris Johnson admits 'realistic possibility' that Russia could win the war in Ukraine, and that it may last until the end of 2023

Northern Ukraine:

• Ukrainian tanks attempt to break into Russia through the Nekhoteevka checkpoint near Kharkov. Most were destroyed, the rest turned back. Still, this represents a fairly substantial push by Ukraine outwards from Kharkov while Russia is busy in Donbass.

Eastern Ukraine:

• Powerful explosion in a fortified Ukrainain position near Kharkov.
• Three missile strikes on railway infrastructure near Dnipro. These may have been on a train transporting Ukrainian soldiers, according to Russian telegram.
• Russia captures massive Ukrainian arsenal in Balakliya, near Kharkov, which contains thousands of tons of ammunition.

Southern Ukraine:

• One missile strike on a railway bridge in Zaporozhye.
• Explosions in Mykolaiv.
• Ukraine once again rejects Russia's offer of surrender to the Azovstal Nazis. Fascists really seem to have an affinity for dying in bunkers.