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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Moscow says Ukraine hit a fuel depot inside Russia
2022-04-01
April 1 (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an air strike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday, an incident the Kremlin said set an unfavourable tone for peace talks with Kyiv.

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny reports of Ukrainian involvement in the strike as he did not have military information. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the general staff did not respond to requests for comment.

Video footage of the purported attack -- the first accusation of a Ukrainian air strike on Russian soil since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 -- showed what looked like several missiles being fired from low altitude, followed by an explosion. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
Posted by:Besoeker

#77  Foreign Minister Lavrov was in China yesterday, today is in India for meetings with Modi. In recent weeks the foreign ministers of the U.K., Austria, Mexico and other nations traveled to India. The only foreign Minister whom Modi would meet is Russia's.

India and China are siding with Russia against the West.
Posted by: Jineper Brown5408    2022-04-01 23:54  

#76  Clearly the Russian strategy is focused on cutting off Ukrainian access to the Black Sea -- in effect making Ukraine landlocked. Similar to the Israeli strategy against the Palestinians: shatter the nation and render it incapable of seriously threatening Israel.

Same for Russia vs Ukraine: make Ukraine into a kind of E European version of the Palestinian Territories, with no value to NATO.
Posted by: Jineper Brown5408   2022-04-01 23:47  

#75  #40 There are 40-60,000 Ukrainian troops trapped in the Donbas cauldron. Those are / were the best equipped / trained Ukrainian forces. Having ground them down for 30 days of minimal sleep / resupply it’s time to transition. The casualty rates will increase on both sides but there are insufficient trained, equipped Ukrainians to reinforce the pocket.

This is correct. The bulk of the Ukrainian Army -- most estimates are closer to 60,000 troops -- is encircled in the East, in the Donbas. The Russians are slowly and steadily tightening the noose. If the Ukrainians lose this force, they are finished.

Russia is concentrating on the Azov region, not Kiev.
Posted by: Jineper Brown5408   2022-04-01 23:43  

#74  The important bit for the Russians is Russian security.

And Putin's ego.

Mostly Putin's ego.

If he cared about Russia's security, he'd have made sure they had an army that wasn't just a slush fund for his buddies.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-04-01 22:31  

#73  I like Frank G better today than I did yesterday.
Keep up the good work.
Posted by: The Walking Unvaxed   2022-04-01 22:08  

#72  negotiate seriously with Putin.

Yeah tell him to get the fuck out of Moscow, it's now Ukrainian territory.
Posted by: Slappy   2022-04-01 22:01  

#71  Hey, Boss, are you guys deliberately mocking Herb by systematically mimicking his problems with pronouns and the imperative? Cuz that would be pretty uncivil.
Posted by: Big Sproing5677   2022-04-01 21:45  

#70  No, factually, and I don't.
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 21:39  

#69  So it is a civil war, plus NATO sticking its nose into Russia's back yard and affecting Russian security. Makes you have more sympathy for Russia.
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 21:24  

#68  Hi! I'm Frank G!
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 21:09  

#67  Hi, meet Frank. He's a hall monitor. That's why he has the hat. And a stick.

There are a couple overlapping things going on here: one is the Donbas breakaway republics thing which is pretty much a Ukrainian civil war. The other is Russian security vs NATO.

The important bit for the Russians is Russian security. The Donbas is kind of a side-quest. But success there does mean a much fatter corridor to Crimea.
Posted by: SteveS   2022-04-01 21:02  

#66   Who the fuck appointed you as hall monitor?

Mr. Pruitt, the site owner, invited Frank G to be a moderator. The list of moderators and their particular highlight colours for in-line comments can be seen in the right margin of the main pages, to help you know who you’re dealing with. I’m the periwinkle one.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-04-01 20:53  

#65  Who the fuck appointed you as hall monitor?

He is a site moderator.
Posted by: badanov   2022-04-01 20:50  

#64  Who the fuck appointed you as hall monitor?
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 20:42  

#63  It's NOT a civil war - they are sovereign countries. Yes the US Border is a mess. Don't deliberately confuse the two. Trolling
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 20:40  

#62  It's a civil war

If that's true - I have no way of knowing, but if it is true, we should FFS stay out of it and not prolong it.

Defend our own border from millions of invaders. Yeah, millions. They're expecting up to 18,000 every DAY now. Take care of the homeland. Let the Russians and Ukrainians sort out their problems while we sort out ours
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 20:23  

#61  Frank, they're just bent out of shape because Putin's blaming the FSB for this colosssal screw-up. And Putin's in his bunker moving around little flags and saying "Steiner Kommt!"
Posted by: Matt   2022-04-01 20:22  

#60  gold chains and bad cologne optional
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 20:19  

#59  I smell sweaty guys with anonymous nyms in track suits a LOT lately
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 20:17  

#58  Except it's not.
You're so ignorant... The war in the Donbas has been going on for eight years! 14,000 people have died in this civil war!

It's a civil war between one side that's loyal to Kiev and that wants to join the West and another, Russian-speaking, that's loyal to Moscow. Only the ignorance of so many in the West can explain the unbelievable denial of basic facts
Posted by: Tiny Big Foot6828   2022-04-01 20:11  

#57  "Holodomor"
That's rich. It's Biden and the West's SANCTIONS that are going to cause 8-10 million people around the world to starve... and you have the gall to accuse Russia of causing starvation. Fuck you
Posted by: Tiny Big Foot6828   2022-04-01 20:01  

#56  And the second line is "it's a civil war"?

Except it's not. Why are the Putinists compelled to tell such clumsy lies?
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-04-01 20:00  

#55  Kiev was not a feint but a small side bet

So the Putinist line is now "we meant to do that"?

And really the intention all along was another Holodomor?

We always knew that. If Putin wanted to keep the Russian colonists safe, he'd have repatriated them.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-04-01 19:58  

#54  After 1865 the American South was wrecked. Didn't recover economically for another 90 years.
Posted by: Tiny Big Foot6828   2022-04-01 19:57  

#53  the sentimental talk about Ukrainians and Russians being one people, about Kiev being the heart of the Rus — all that was always meaningless?

Nonsense. We and the Confederates were / are one people. That didn't stop Sherman from burning starving and slaughtering his way through Georgia.

This is a war. War is hell. That doesn't diminish or detract from the reality the two sides are one people. It is in essence a civil war.
Posted by: Tiny Big Foot6828   2022-04-01 19:55  

#52  the Ukrainians objected
... and will suffer the consequences, as the Palestinians have.

Israel does not take chances with its security; neither does Russia. Why would anyone expect otherwise?
Posted by: Tiny Big Foot6828   2022-04-01 19:51  

#51   After Ukraine is wrecked it will become another Gaza, a basket case ward of the Western liberal nations, the shattered rump of a nation supported by the West which fights on hopelessly against its ruthless, dominant neighbor.

So all the sentimental talk about Ukrainians and Russians being one people, about Kiev being the heart of the Rus — all that was always meaningless? And really the intention all along was another Holodomor?

Wow. No wonder the Ukrainians objected.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-04-01 19:44  

#50  the Kiev thrust was a tangential gambit There was maybe a 10% chance of the Ukies folding, capturing key leadership, etc. and wrapping things up quickly. Didn’t happen but it was worth a shot. More importantly was securing the Chernobyl site after the Ukrainian comments about going nuclear..

Exactly. Kiev was not a feint but a small side bet
Posted by: Glusoger Thens7593   2022-04-01 18:56  

#49  #43 IMHO the Kiev thrust was a tangential gambit. There was maybe a 10% chance of the Ukies folding, capturing key leadership, etc. and wrapping things up quickly. Didn’t happen but it was worth a shot. More importantly was securing the Chernobyl site after the Ukrainian comments about going nuclear. A dirty bomb is nobody’s friend. Operationally that thrust tied down significant numbers of the Ukrainian forces defending Kiev - who could not then reinforce the other vectors of attack. Estimate it’ll take until the end of April to complete mop up activities in the cauldron. That’s a LONG time in todays arena. Presume both sides (US and Russia) will be planning the subsequent actions in the interim. “Firer’s, watch your lane.”
Posted by: Betty Glusotch7517   2022-04-01 18:49  

#48  #46 If that is an accurate summary of Putin's thinking, then Putin is quite insane.
Posted by: Matt   2022-04-01 18:27  

#47  ...split Ukraine in two. Finally, the the third leg of the stool was to as Mearsheimer says, "wreck" Ukraine

Similar to the Union strategy in the West during the Civil War. Grant split the South in two with the victory at Vicksburg, then Sherman wrecked the heart of the south with his March to the Sea.

They called Grant a bloody butcher of his own men and Sherman today would be called a war criminal, but they won the war. In the end, that's all that matters.
Posted by: Varmint Prince of the Giants4871   2022-04-01 17:52  

#46  Kiev was never central to Russian objectives. Their two goals were 1) to eliminate Ukraine as a potential NATO bulwark and 2) to protect the Russian speaker's in the Donbas.

The tactical means of achieving goal #2 involved beating down the Azov Battalion and other fascist paras.

The strategy for achieving goal #1 had three elements. The most important by far was to secure a lasting land bridge across the Azov Sea coast all the way to Crimea so that Russia's crown jewel, the naval base at Sevastopol, will never be threatened by NATO. Next in importance is to split Ukraine in two. Finally, the the third leg of the stool was to as Mearsheimer says, "wreck" Ukraine.

After Ukraine is wrecked it will become another Gaza, a basket case ward of the Western liberal nations, the shattered rump of a nation supported by the West which fights on hopelessly against its ruthless, dominant neighbor.
Posted by: Chunky Smith7935   2022-04-01 17:10  

#45  Could be evolving into a very costly punitive action, culminated with a scorched earth, face saving tactical withdrawal.

That was one of the options. Russia is conducting a punitive action coupled with the liberation of the breakaway republics.

If they catch the approx. ten Ukrainian combat brigades in a pocket, it will be just icing on the cake for the Russians.

Ukrainians have a history of strnading their combat formations in cauldrons.
Posted by: badanov   2022-04-01 16:59  

#44  Could be evolving into a very costly punitive action, culminated with a scorched earth, face saving tactical withdrawal.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-04-01 16:44  

#43  (Replying to 40 above).
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2022-04-01 16:37  

#42  So you're basically saying they wasted all those lives/equipment on a feint towards Kiev, which wasn't important to Russia?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2022-04-01 16:36  

#41  Slavyansk and Gorlovka both are impediments standing in the way of closing the lid.

Both are likely heavily mined and reinforced.

My guess is that the Ukrainians are hoping to grind down the Russians in those areas before they withdraw west.
Posted by: badanov   2022-04-01 16:13  

#40  Phase one over, phase two starting. For those with military experience there’s a step called “reorganize and consolidate.” So far this has been a war of maneuver - more like naval warfare than traditional US ground doctrine. There are 40-60,000 Ukrainian troops trapped in the Donbas cauldron. Those are / were the best equipped / trained Ukrainian forces. Having ground them down for 30 days of minimal sleep / resupply it’s time to transition. The casualty rates will increase on both sides but there are insufficient trained, equipped Ukrainians to reinforce the pocket. Reductions using stand off weapons will be the preferred mode. Remember most Ukrainians speak / understand Russian. Calls to surrender will at some point be heeded. When the fixed Ukrainian force is no longer combat effective the remaining Russian forces committed will be able to transition to their next phase. Please keep in mind that the Ukraine is simply where the most visible portion of this war is being fought.
Posted by: Slenter Panda4300   2022-04-01 16:00  

#39  Our country is being invaded. 8,000 illegals on Wednesday. They're swarming us, 200 at a time. And you guys are all excited about a pointless war 9,000 mikes away from our border. A war that has nothing to do with us.

You're like a guy who drives across town to watch a bar fight while criminals are invading his home and setting it on fire
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 15:36  

#38  I don't care one way or the other. It's a civil war. None of our business. I want our government to stop butting into other people's affairs and start fixing our own problems. Biden is making a bad situation infinitely worse. Carlson is right: he's just making us a lot poorer. FJB
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 15:15  

#37  Touched a nerve, eh? Looks like the Russian army is leaving western Ukraine with its tail between its legs, and the Ukrainians are resupplying with the tanks they abandoned. How the price of gasoline in Belgorod today?
Posted by: Nero   2022-04-01 14:37  

#36  get your asses to Donbas Western Ukraine where you can get turned into charcoal like the poor conscripts "Volunteer Fighters"

If you love this war so much, then you go for it. Tell us how it turns out for you
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 14:22  

#35  Q: "What's Russian for chickensh**?"
A: Nero
Posted by: Cretle B. Hayes4092   2022-04-01 14:18  

#34  Hey, trolls, if you care so much put down your keyboards, stop collecting the Chekist's rubles, and get your asses to Donbas where you can get turned into charcoal like the poor conscripts.

What's Russian for chickensh**?
Posted by: Nero   2022-04-01 14:02  

#33  Jewish neocons
It's not just them, it's all the neocon bastards like Lindsey Graham and Rubio, plus the open borders globo-liberal shits
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 13:47  

#32  ^ And now we've got to pay for millions of Ukrainian migrants. Brexit was all about stopping this shit. Ho hum. They just ignore us and do whatever they bloody well please
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 13:43  

#31  #16 Yep, right there.
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2022-04-01 13:39  

#30  We should mind our own business and look after our own for once

Yep...look after our own border, for chrissake. 209,000 illegals in March, and we're supposed to just ignore this and support Biden's warmongering in f**king Ukraine. Hell no... fix the goddamn border
Posted by: Boss Poodle5407   2022-04-01 13:32  

#29  No more Iraq War cockups, thank you. We should mind our own business and look after our own for once
Amen. From your lips to God's ears
Posted by: Waldemar Threreting8998   2022-04-01 13:01  

#28  #26 Skidmark Hate the trolls
Ha. Love the Daily Mail. Where fuckwits get their fake news and retarded military-political analysis
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 12:58  

#27  those cunts Victoria Nuland and Anne Applebaum are the worst.

Anne Applebaum has gone berserk. She used to be an ok historian but she recently wrote a piece for The Atlantic in which she all but called for World War III. The mad little cow's probably on the payroll of the Polish government
Posted by: Waldemar Threreting8998   2022-04-01 12:54  

#26  I would hate to waste a bunch of hate hating people for the wrong reasons.

Hate the trolls.
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-04-01 12:53  

#25  I hate them because they are neocons. No offence to my Jewish friends. It's just bloody annoying to be dragged into wars that don't benefit us. No more Iraq War cockups, thank you. We should mind our own business and look after our own for once
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 12:49  

#24  it's a special military operation, not a war.

Supposedly a special military operation to de-nazify Ukraine. How many nazis has Russia handed over to the Hague so far?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-04-01 12:47  

#23  #19 "Russia and Ukraine are at war..."

Excuse me, but it's a special military operation, not a war.
Posted by: Matt   2022-04-01 12:42  

#22  ^ This coupon cannot be redeemed in combination with other coupons on same time purchase.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-04-01 12:36  

#21  just another Jewish neocon fantasy

Can we get a ruling from the judges here? Do we hate these guys because they are Juice or do we hate them because they are neocons? I would hate to waste a bunch of hate hating people for the wrong reasons.
Posted by: SteveS   2022-04-01 12:34  

#20  Feminine neocons of a globalist persuasion then
Hehe.. Globocons. Or «p'tits cons», as would say Macron
Posted by: Slasing Glomong5110   2022-04-01 12:22  

#19  Russia is our enemy.
Really? Who is "us"? When did Russia declare war on any western nation? Russia and Ukraine are at war, not Russia and the EU or France or the USA

The notion that we should kill ourselves over this shitty little country is deranged. We are not at war with Russia, it's just the stupid globalists who think so
Posted by: Slasing Glomong5110   2022-04-01 12:07  

#18  Ha, right then - not just Jews. It's a fantasy of all the neocons in Washington. But those cunts Victoria Nuland and Anne Applebaum are the worst. Feminine neocons of a globalist persuasion then
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 12:02  

#17  Lovely. That's like saying "Let's you n him fight!"
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984

Uhmmm, exactly. Russia is our enemy. They would and have done it to us.
I case you haven't noticed, that's exactly what the west is doing now in the Ukraine.
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735   2022-04-01 12:00  

#16  just another Jewish neocon fantasy

The mask always drops sooner or later
Posted by: Frank G   2022-04-01 11:55  

#15  They'll level the country, wipe out all Ukraine's oil depots.

True. Ukraine is going be totally destroyed. Macron will then tell us we have to pay the bill for reconstruction... €100 billions, for the next thirty years. While he impose rationing on us lol
Posted by: Slasing Glomong5110   2022-04-01 11:54  

#14  Of course compromise. Great power nations always compromise with each other. What do you think US policy toward Taiwan is?

The goal is to end the war and save lives. Regime change ain't gonna happen. That's just another Jewish neocon fantasy. We're not dealing with Iraq or Libya here
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 11:49  

#13  #9 Why is the US and NATO supporting Ukraine if not to see events in Russia like this? It's all about making Russia hurt.

Lovely. That's like saying "Let's you n him fight!"
You think Russia's not going to hit back at Ukraine ten times harder? They'll level the country, wipe out all Ukraine's oil depots. Brilliant strategy, that
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 11:45  

#12  just compromise and end this thing before it gets out of control

"Comprimise" with an invader who wants to turn your nation into his puppet?

And I love the idea that Ukrainian counter-strikes prompt the shrieking over things "getting out of control". No, Putin's invasion is the problem. He could withdraw his troops and start negotiating on how much to pay for the damage.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-04-01 11:44  

#11  ^-- well at least's it's not CNN or MSNBC. :)

And remember it was the National Enquirer of BatBoy fame which broke the 'John Edwards was Banging a Bimbo while his wife was suffering from cancer.' story which the 'respectable' networks refused to cover.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2022-04-01 11:42  

#10  #7 Skidmark
Oy. So your idea of reliable open source is a gutter tabloid aimed at illiterate twats then?
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 11:37  

#9  Why is the US and NATO supporting Ukraine if not to see events in Russia like this? It's all about making Russia hurt.
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735   2022-04-01 11:35  

#8  Ukraine has hit inside Russia a few times. Knocking out strategic targets hurts and can't be hidden from the public.
Posted by: DarthVader   2022-04-01 11:16  

#7   negotiate seriously with Putin

Putin 'is constantly followed by thyroid cancer doctor': Specialist has 'spent 282 days' with Russian President amid claims he is seriously ill and suffering 'steroid rage' from treatment
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-04-01 11:13  

#6  FUCK
Enough of this bullshit. It's time to stop arseing around and negotiate seriously with Putin.

FFS, just compromise and end this thing before it gets out of control
Posted by: Gretch Forkbeard4984   2022-04-01 11:08  

#5  Yeah... an air strike endangers peace talks, but multiple divisions surrounding multiple cities in the invaded nation are not a problem?

I thought the "whiny bully" phase of Russian foreign policy ended with the Soviets, but I guess it's more a cultural thing than a communist thing.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-04-01 11:08  

#4  All is fair in love and war.
Posted by: Chris   2022-04-01 11:07  

#3  Another report
Posted by: Bobby   2022-04-01 11:00  

#2  So Russia can come in, bomb,strafe and shell indiscriminately, but if Ukraine goes ahead and does even a little bit of the same, it's horrible?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2022-04-01 10:55  

#1  If this reporting is accurate, all bets could be off.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-04-01 10:38  

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