[lenaitch]

Digital warriors come to Ukraine’s aid, declare cyber war against Russia​

Within a day of tanks crossing the border and missiles striking targets, hacker collective Anonymous declared 'cyber war against the Russian government.'​

From link.

While I think it is hilarious what Anonymous et al have been able to do, it it a cautionary tale how vulnerable many systems are to a skilled and dedicated hacker. CSE should be offering them jobs. Pension and benefits!

 

[W. K. Lis]

Switzerland Drops Neutrality In Rare Move To Freeze Russian Assets​

From link.

Switzerland announced Monday it will be freezing Russian assets due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, breaking a longstanding tradition of neutrality in foreign conflicts.

President Ignazio Cassis said Putin’s assets, along with those of Russia’s prime minister, foreign minister and 367 more individuals sanctioned by the European Union, would be frozen immediately, according to The New York Times. Cassis met with the Swiss Federal Council and determined that action was necessary due to the “unprecedented” aggression displayed by Russia in invading a sovereign European state.

Switzerland further joined the rest of the E.U. in shutting down its airspace to Russian aircraft, but said it will decide whether to join further European sanctionson a case-by-case basis.

The flight ban will prevent Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from making a planned speech Tuesday to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. As of 2020, Russian companies and citizens owned more than $11 billion in assets in Swiss banks, according to the NYT.

Switzerland has historically maintained a neutral stance in global conflicts, in part due to its role as a global financial hub. Cassis said he was concerned that following along with all European sanctions could threaten the country’s reputation, but that some action was necessary.

 

[afransen]

Maybe the miscalculation was allowing Putin to snatch Crimea. It lead to him perhaps underestimating the resolve of the west to defend Ukraine's sovereignty. I think awakening Germany from its post-war pacifist state is the most hopeful thing to come out of this situation so far.

 

[Bjays92]

Yes an no. So-called tactical or 'battlefield nuclear weapons are relatively short range and lower yield.

I wasn't just referring to nukes, missiles such as ICBMs and hypersonic missiles can carry nuclear warheads but they don't have to.

In theory, were a large scale global war to break out, you could see tactical strikes on certain western based assets. I'm not saying this would happen and hopefully our missile defense systems would be able to handle such attacks with relative ease. Hypersonic missles (a threat that is primarily posed by China) certainly are advanced and have significant evasive capabilities.

The only point I was really trying to make is that we're not a sheltered as we used to be.

On another note, glad to see Canada stepping up and banning Russian oil.

 

[DSC]

The fact that the freeze on Russian banks would affect how Moscovites can use their Metro had not occurred to me. See https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60558731 That's the kind of everyday thing that will certainly piss off many 'regular Russians' - if only their feelings had any effect on Mr Putin.

 

[W. K. Lis]

There should be a "Putin" thread for this article...

Photos: Putin keeps his distance during meetings​

From link.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held two meetings with advisers and Cabinet members that yielded more extraordinary images of the lengths he has gone to in recent weeks to socially distance himself from others.

With the ruble tumbling 30 percent on Monday as nations around the world unified to sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Putin met at the Kremlin with economic advisers, all of whom were gathered at one end of a long table while Putin sat alone at the other.

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a meeting on economic issues in Moscow on Monday. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

A second socially distant meeting on Monday included Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Again, Putin is seen at the head of the table, separated from his guests by several yards.

Putin with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, second from left, and Valery Gerasimov, head of the general staff of the armed forces, in Moscow on Sunday. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has, by most accounts, not gone according to plan. Rallied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's military and civilian defense forces have mounted an unexpectedly robust defense of cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, galvanizing world opinion against Putin and Russia in the process.

Putin toasts with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev after talks in the Kremlin on Feb. 22. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

During a Feb. 22 meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, pool photographers captured the two leaders toasting one another from across the room.

Putin and Aliyev during a news conference at the Kremlin on Feb. 22. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin's meeting with Aliyev came one day before the Russian leader gave the order for his troops to begin their offensive in Ukraine. Russia has been one of Azerbaijan's main suppliers of military hardware, and at the Feb. 22 meeting, Putin and Aliyev signed a declaration that Azerbaijan's leader said "brings our relations to the level of an alliance" in that it strengthened the ties between the two nations.

Putin and Aliyev during their meeting in the Kremlin on Feb. 22. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

But with world sentiment mounting against Putin over the Russian invasion, Aliyev seemed to have second thoughts. On Saturday, Zelensky said in a video message that Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had offered to help broker peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin chairs a security council meeting at the Kremlin on Feb. 21, days before the invasion of Ukraine. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In an extraordinary meeting with his security council on Feb. 21, Putin again kept his distance from those he was speaking to, sitting several yards away in a columned hall in the Kremlin. Asking the security council members to offer their views on his plan to officially recognize the independence of two Ukrainian separatist regions, Putin berated Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the Russian spy service, over what he perceived as insufficient answers.

"To what degree is he now just acting all by himself? Because I actually can't imagine for an instant that his decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine was supported by a majority of his own top officials," Catherine Belton, a Reuters journalist and former Moscow-based correspondent for the Financial Times, told the Yahoo News "Skullduggery" podcast. "And you could see that on their faces when he held that security council meeting on Monday. You could see the fear in their eyes and that, really, they didn't want to be there. They all looked deeply uncomfortable."

Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during talks in the Kremlin on Feb. 15. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Days before Putin declared the two separatist regions independent and announced he was sending in the Russian army to act as peacekeepers, he met at a comically large table opposite German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz would announce harsh sanctions on Putin's government, cancel the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and approve new arms shipments to Ukraine.

Putin meets at a distance with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 14. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 7. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File

Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán toast after talks in the Kremlin on Feb. 1. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

 

[W. K. Lis]

Maksim Chmerkovskiy on a train to Warsaw following arrest as he attempts to flee Ukraine​

From link.

"Dancing with the Stars" alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy revealed he was arrested as he tried to flee Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Chmerkovskiy ensured fans that he is "all good" following his arrest in an almost five-minute video shared to his 1.1 million followers. Later Monday the choreographer revealed he made it onto a train, which he says, is hopefully heading to Warsaw, Poland. According to Chmerkovskiy, a train to Lviv was not possible for him.

"The situation at the train station is insane. AT first it feels manageable, but it gets A LOT worse when it comes time to actually board the train. Long story but all I can say now is that I'm a big man with nothing but a backpack it's TRAUMATIZING," he said.

Chmerkovskiy described the capacity of the train "wagon" as being 30 people normally, but claimed they were told the "wagon" would need to fit 135 people.

"Walkways are packed," he revealed. "People everywhere. It's sweaty and claustrophobic."

Chmerkovskiy has kept his social media followers updated during his time in Ukraine.

"[There’s] a lot of fighting everywhere," Chmerkovskiy said in a video update earlier Monday. "Streets are crazy. At one point I got arrested. … But all good, promise."

"That was probably the least traumatizing moment in this whole thing as far as Ukraine is concerned, but for me, it was a reality check."

Chmerkovskiy also revealed his plans to attempt to leave Ukraine.

"I have options. My options are better than most people’s, unfortunately," he explained. "I’m a little nervous to be honest with you, but I think it’s going to be all right. Well, I know it’s going to be OK."

The choreographer has continuously shared updates from Ukraine, where he lives part of the year. Chmerkovskiy has been splitting his time between Ukraine and Los Angeles for the past six months as he films "World of Dance UA."

Most recently, the professional dancer called for a revolution in Russia.

"Russia needs a revolution!!! Russian people are being lied to!!" he wrote. "Russians! Wake up! It will take you generations to get over this and generations of people around the world will never forgive you!!!"

His wife and fellow "Dancing with the Stars" pro Peta Murgatroyd called on her social media followers to pray for Chmerkovskiy's safe return as she provides updates on the dancer.

"Watching him from so far away is breaking me," she wrote while sharing one of Chmerkovskiy's update videos on her Instagram Story. "I love you and there are thousands of people rooting for you…I KNOW YOU'RE COMING HOME!!!!"

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From Politico:

‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes

Putin is trying to take down the entire world order, the veteran Russia watcher said in an interview. But there are ways even ordinary Americans can fight back.

www.politico.com

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I wasn't just referring to nukes, missiles such as ICBMs and hypersonic missiles can carry nuclear warheads but they don't have to.

In theory, were a large scale global war to break out, you could see tactical strikes on certain western based assets. I'm not saying this would happen and hopefully our missile defense systems would be able to handle such attacks with relative ease. Hypersonic missles (a threat that is primarily posed by China) certainly are advanced and have significant evasive capabilities.

The only point I was really trying to make is that we're not a sheltered as we used to be.

On another note, glad to see Canada stepping up and banning Russian oil.

They could, but Russia isn't so strong as to be able to sustain a conventional war against the litany of forces aligned against it now (especially if it had that much trouble taking on Ukraine now - being gentle or otherwise). Hit anyone in NATO militarily directly with *anything* (and I doubt they have enough conventional missiles for it to really make a difference) - and he'd be facing the full fledged war declarations left right and centre.

There is chatter online about the Balkans getting involved again (guessing as a flank to pressure certain members of the alliance?)

AoD

 

[gabe]

Things will likely get extremely ugly in Kyiv. New satellite images show a massive Russian military convoy that has reached the outskirts of Kyiv and it is more than 40 miles long.

Russian military convoy north of Kyiv stretches for 40 miles -Maxar

Satellite images taken on Monday show a Russian military convoy north of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that stretches for about 40 miles (64 km), substantially longer than the 17 miles (27 km) reported earlier in the day, a U.S. private company said.

www.reuters.com

 

[Admiral Beez]

Things will likely get extremely ugly in Kyiv. New satellite images show a massive Russian military convoy that has reached the outskirts of Kyiv and it is more than 40 miles long.

Russian military convoy north of Kyiv stretches for 40 miles -Maxar

Satellite images taken on Monday show a Russian military convoy north of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that stretches for about 40 miles (64 km), substantially longer than the 17 miles (27 km) reported earlier in the day, a U.S. private company said.

www.reuters.com

Given the hundreds of MANPATS given to the Ukrainians I’m hopeful that the convoy is being allowed to approach into a trap.

 

[lenaitch]

I wasn't just referring to nukes, missiles such as ICBMs and hypersonic missiles can carry nuclear warheads but they don't have to.

In theory, were a large scale global war to break out, you could see tactical strikes on certain western based assets. I'm not saying this would happen and hopefully our missile defense systems would be able to handle such attacks with relative ease. Hypersonic missles (a threat that is primarily posed by China) certainly are advanced and have significant evasive capabilities.

The only point I was really trying to make is that we're not a sheltered as we used to be.

On another note, glad to see Canada stepping up and banning Russian oil.

Assuming by "our" you mean US, since we - Canada - has none of that. Even the US system, by all accounts, is still under development and currently limited in deployment.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Assuming by "our" you mean US, since we - Canada - has none of that. Even the US system, by all accounts, is still under development and currently limited in deployment.

Even if it wasn't, there are real questions about its' effectiveness against even regular ICBMs.

Funnily enough, I've read an old sci-fi novel (which I am trying to track down, to zero success) of a fictional scenario where Canada had covertly buried nukes under the Rockies attached to shafts filled with debris - and detonated them on the eve of nuclear war. The propulsive force launched all that junk into orbit and in essence sealed space with an incredible amount of what are basically dumb kinetic impactors - serving as an unavoidable, party-agnostic missile defense shield.

AoD

 

[W. K. Lis]

 

[W. K. Lis]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1498522433833381888