Analysts had been monitoring a long convoy threatening the capital that for weeks appeared stalled. But Maxar, a satellite firm, now reports that the column has now "largely dispersed and redeployed," leading to fears the forces will advance in some other form on Kyiv. Given the fierce Ukrainian resistance to date, it isn’t clear whether such a move would succeed. But U.S. intelligence has believed for some time that the huge numbers of Russian forces, once resupplied, are capable of encircling Kyiv, with a brutal battle to take the city extending for four or even six weeks, according to an official.
Meanwhile, the highest-level talks between Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers to date yielded no progress so far toward stopping the fighting.
The Russian attack on a Mariupol maternity hospital that killed three people and wounded 17 brought condemnation down on Moscow, with western officials concurring with Ukraine that it comprised a war crime.
The more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees often become witnesses to what were apparent war crime attacks even while they fled. Ihor Diekov, who crossed the Irpin river outside Kyiv via a makeshift bridge, said he heard gunshots and saw dead bodies along the road. “The Russians promised to provide a corridor which they did not comply with. They were shooting civilians,” he said. “That’s absolutely true. I witnessed it. People were scared.”
Vice President Harris, in remarks during her visit to Poland, said that Russia should "absolutely" be investigated for war crimes in Ukraine. "I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities."
The Russian disinformation campaign is also now in full swing. A new conspiracy theory has become popular among online QAnon communities while simultaneously being promoted by the Kremlin as justification for its invasion. The false claim is that the United States is developing bioweapons in Ukraine and that Putin stepped in to destroy the weapons. There are US-funded biolabs in Ukraine, but they are not building bioweapons. Rather, as Russia knows, it's the opposite: They we’re built to secure and dispose of old weapons left behind in the former Soviet republics.
The U.S. called the claims, which are also often repeated by outlets such as Fox News and Chinese state propaganda, as 'laughable.’ The U.S. suggested Moscow instead may be laying the groundwork to use a chemical or biological weapon of its own—a grim development that echoes the use of chemical weapons in Syria by Russian-backed President Assad against his own civilians. The U.N. Security Council will convene, at Russia's request, to discuss Moscow's claims, presented without evidence, of U.S. 'biological activities' in Ukraine—a move Washington described as gaslighting.
The New York Times explored in depth four big lies that the Russian disinformation machine pushed out earlier to its citizens and enablers around the world:
1. After Russian shellings killed Ukrainian civilians, Russia blamed ‘neo-Nazis.’
2. After a nuclear facility caught fire, Russians claimed they were protecting it.
3. After Russia shelled a residential neighborhood, Russians claimed Ukrainians did it.
4. After attacks bloodied civilians, Russians called injured Ukrainians “crisis actors.”
As condemnation from the world and protests within Russia grow, these lies are likely to be amplified, expanded upon, and used generally to sow confusion and doubt.
China appears to be wavering in its full support of Russia, even if its public statements remain very pro-Russian. It has now reportedly declined to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, according to an official at Russia's aviation authority, Valery Kudinov, who is head of the Airworthiness Maintenance Department of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia). He made the point during a conference on aircraft maintenance.
Some financial firms have announced they are pulling out of Russia. Goldman Sachs was the first big institute to make the call but was quickly followed by JPMorgan Chase, which said it focus on managing or closing out pre-existing obligations in the market and "ensuring the well-being of its people."
Putin endorsed a plan to nationalize foreign-owned businesses that shut down or flee the country, reflecting his advisors’ alarm over job losses and the impact from the exodus of companies. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki warned, “Any lawless decision by Russia to seize the assets of these companies will ultimately result in even more economic pain for Russia. It will compound the clear message to the global business community that Russia is not a safe place to invest and do business.”
“Even a prominent Russian business leader with ties to President Putin has recognized this fact,” she continued, “saying it would ‘take us back to 1917’ and that ‘the consequences of such a move—global distrust of Russia on the part of investors—we will experience for many decades.’”
The Senate has now passed a $1.5 trillion government funding bill that includes $13.6 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine. The vote was 68-31. The legislation will now head to President Biden for his signature.
Putin declared that Russia would ultimately emerge stronger and more independent after overcoming the difficulties caused by the West's “illegitimate sanctions.” Putin argued there had been no alternative to its “special military operation” in Ukraine and that Russia was not a country that would compromise its sovereignty for short-term economic gain.
A determined President Zelenskyy in a video address thanked the people of Ukraine who “persevered” and fought back against the forces that have bombarded the country. “Thanks to our military, the national guard, the border guards, the police, the Territorial Defense Forces and everyone who joined the defense of the state, we did not become slaves, and we never will,” he said. “Because this is our spirit, this is our destiny.”
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-airstrikes-west-kyiv-biden-economic-pressure-putin-rcna19633
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bf2bcfb3a499d688e3075f2d4cf54989
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-poland-crime-war-crimes-29178de14c7e444cf907d192614f1ddb
https://nyti.ms/3CzVzUI
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/09/media/biolab-ukraine-russia-qanon-false-conspiracy-theory/index.html
https://reut.rs/3MFu54r
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/technology/disinformation-russia-ukraine.html
https://reut.rs/3vXVYyI
https://t.co/ePGb9KUVlL
https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/russia-ukraine/?id=83184729#83381157
https://www.axios.com/goldman-sachs-existing-russian-operations-8b91ed27-08ec-42d5-81fd-cd60cce93d21.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-warns-west-russia-will-emerge-stronger-2022-03-10/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/10/zelensky-ukraine-russia-slaves-invasion-putin/
How is Russia still permitted to be on the UN Security Council? This is all just madness, and weirdly familiar. Russia and Republicans really do echo the same bullshit talking points. Shame on their supporters who believe them. It's really remarkable how quickly some of the Putin fans in Congress backpedaled their support as soon as they discovered it wasn't polling as well as they thought it would. Unfortunately, they didn't change their opinion of Putin or this invasion of Ukraine, just their words. If they get control in November, we're screwed.
Thanks Jay, a bit of clarity goes a very long way.