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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Silence from Kyiv as Russia claims more than 1,700 surrender in Mariupol |
| 2022-05-20 |
| [Irish Times] Moscow said on Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Mariupol over three days, including 771 in the past 24 hours, claiming a surrender on a far bigger scale than Kyiv has acknowledged since ordering its garrison to stand down. The ultimate outcome of Europe’s bloodiest battle for decades remained publicly unresolved, with no confirmation of the fate of the hundreds of Ukrainian troops who had held out in a vast steelworks at the end of a near three-month siege. Ukraine, which says it aims to secure a prisoner swap, has declined to say how many were inside the plant or comment on the fate of the rest, since confirming that just over 250 had surrendered in the initial hours after it ordered them to yield. The leader of Russian-backed separatists in control of the area said nearly half of the fighters remained inside the steelworks, where underground bunkers and tunnels had protected them from weeks of Russian bombardment. "More than a half have already left — more than half have laid down their arms," Denis Pushilin told the Solovyov Live internet television channel. "Let them surrender, let them live, let them honestly face the charges for all their crimes." The wounded had been given medical treatment while those who were fit had been taken to a penal colony and were being treated well, he said. Ukrainian officials say they cannot comment publicly on the fate of the fighters, as negotiations are under way behind the scenes to rescue them. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 perhaps Biden's actual plan is to let Ukraine's position become so desperate that he then orders a US intervention to attack Russia. Scary thought. This crew is crazy enough, they just might do it. Probably in the Black Sea. |
| Posted by: Patrocles 2022-05-20 22:10 |
| #6 |
| Posted by: Rantburg is British propaganda 2022-05-20 21:32 |
| #5 Luhansk's governor just said that Russians now "control 90 percent" of the province. NBC, MSN, all the major outlets are reporting Russia's breakthroughs today -- except The NY Times. We are hearing so much bullshit from the Times now -- it's like living in the USSR. |
| Posted by: Patrocles 2022-05-20 20:54 |
| #4 The longer we wait, the stronger Russia's negotiating position will be. They're advancing now, they're rolling in money, the Euros have caved on the issue of buying Russian gas on Russia's terms, and the Russian population is solidly behind the war. Then again, perhaps Biden's actual plan is to let Ukraine's position become so desperate that he then orders a US intervention to attack Russia. There are already rumors about the USN attacking the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Anything is possible with this madman. |
| Posted by: Billy Budd 2022-05-20 20:28 |
| #3 Wrong. The Russians are already advancing in the east. Mariupol's fall, additional troops freed up to move north plus redoubled shelling and missile attacks are enabling them to push back the Ukrainians. Zelensky admitted this in his address tonight. In the last 24 hours the Russians have broken through the Ukrainian defenses in Luhansk and are now encircling the Ukrainians in Severodonetsk. They're advancing and bombing the hell out of the Ukrainian positions.. |
| Posted by: Billy Budd 2022-05-20 20:21 |
| #2 Translation: Russia realizes it's not going to get any further, and wants to take its winnings to the bank instead of wait for Ukrainian counterattacks. Good luck with that. |
| Posted by: Nero 2022-05-20 19:38 |
| #1 Time to come back to the negotiating table. This is a game changer. If Biden had any brains he'd push for the best deal he can get now. Hunter's friends can keep their loot, Lockheed and the others can book their sales. But Russia has achieved what it set out to achieve, and now's the time to strike a deal. |
| Posted by: Billy Budd 2022-05-20 19:33 |