• =?UTF-8?Q?Moscow_says_Finland=2c_Sweden_will_be_=e2=80=98new_oppone?= =

    From a425couple@21:1/5 to All on Thu Apr 14 08:28:01 2022
    XPost: alt.war.vietnam

    I remember 1980s, big new Russian ships like the
    Moskva were a serious threat to the Free World's
    ocean shipping.
    Now, seems like it is seriously 'degraded' !

    What has happened to intelligent opponents?
    Russia has enough serious problems, without going
    out to create more enemies.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

    Moscow says Finland, Sweden will be ‘new opponents’ if they join NATO; Russian warship seriously damaged
    Natasha Turak
    This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine.
    See below for the latest updates.

    Finland and Sweden will become enemies of Russia if they join NATO,
    Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has said.
    “There can be no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic -
    the balance must be restored,” he wrote on Telegram.

    Meanwhile, Russia’s Moskva, a flagship missile cruiser from the Black
    Sea fleet, was set aflame and evacuated after being hit in a Ukrainian
    missile attack, according to Ukrainian authorities. The Russian Ministry
    of Defense confirmed the ship caught fire and was “seriously damaged.”

    20 MIN AGO
    White House now focused on enforcing Russia sanctions, national security adviser says

    National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan participates in a conversation
    with David Rubenstein, Chairman of the Economic Club, at the JW Marriott
    Hotel in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2022.
    Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
    National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration is focused on ensuring global sanctions for its war in Ukraine.

    “What we have done is unprecedented in terms of a major economy to take
    this set of steps across financial sanctions, investment bans, the
    export controls,” Sullivan said during a discussion with The Economic
    Club of Washington, D.C., adding “our focus will be in the course of the coming days is on evasion.”

    In the weeks since Russia’s invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor,
    Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions
    vaulting Russia past Iran and North Korea as the world’s most-sanctioned country.

    — Amanda Macias and Thomas Franck

    44 MIN AGO
    U.S. reportedly weighing high level official visit to Ukraine
    U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed
    Services Committee during a hearing on "Department of Defense's Budget
    Requests for FY2023", on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 7, 2022.
    U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed
    Services Committee during a hearing on “Department of Defense’s Budget Requests for FY2023”, on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 7, 2022.
    Sarah Silbiger | Reuters
    Senior U.S. officials are weighing whether to send a top Cabinet level
    official to Kyiv as a high profile representative in a show of
    solidarity with Ukraine, a source familiar with the situation said.

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken or Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd
    are potential candidates to pay a surprise visit to Kyiv, the source said.

    President Joe Biden is unlikely to make the trip, the source said. No
    final decision has been made on sending an official, the source said.
    The discussions were first reported by Politico.

    Other Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
    and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have made trips
    to Ukraine in show of support following Russia’s invasion in February.

    — Reuters

    1 HOUR AGO
    U.S. cannot confirm if Russian warship was damaged by missile strike
    The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea
    Fleet is seen anchored in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, on Sept. 11,
    2008.

    AP
    National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the U.S. cannot
    independently confirm Ukrainian claims that the Russian warship, the
    Moskva, stationed in the Black Sea was damaged by a missile strike.

    Sullivan said that the U.S. and its allies were monitoring reports out
    of Ukraine but were unable to provide an assessment at this time.

    Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC on “Morning Joe” that the
    vessel was operating about 60 miles south of Odesa when it suffered an explosion.

    “We don’t know what caused that explosion,” Kirby said. “We’ve seen the
    social media reports that this one, maybe a Ukrainian coastal defense
    missile hit it. We can’t rule that out, we just don’t have enough information right now,” Kirby added.

    — Amanda Macias

    2 HOURS AGO
    IMF says Russia’s war in Ukraine contributing to downgrades of 143
    economies, 86% of GDP
    Russia’s war in Ukraine is leading the International Monetary Fund to downgrade its growth outlooks for 143 economies comprising 86% of global economic output, managing director Kristalina Georgieva said. Global
    growth estimates for both 2022 and 2023 are being cut as higher food and
    energy prices hit economies around the world.

    “To put it simply, we are facing a crisis on top of a crisis,” Georgieva said in a speech in Washington ahead of the IMF and World Bank meetings
    next week, describing the Russian invasion as “sending shockwaves
    throughout the globe” and hampering countries’ recoveries following the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Smallholders use pitch forks to collect hay during a summer wheat
    harvest in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. Ukraine's
    wheat harvest reached 19.1m tons as of Aug. 1, local Agriculture
    Ministry said in an emailed statement. Photographer: Vincent
    Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    Global prices for some grains have spiked since the Russia-Ukraine war
    started, with both countries contributing a significant percentage of
    the world’s supply for some of those commodities such as wheat.
    Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images
    “The outlook has deteriorated substantially, largely because of the war
    and its repercussions,” Georgieva said, adding that food insecurity is a “grave concern” given the hit to grain and fertilizer exports from
    Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, which are the top suppliers to much of the developing world.

    — Natasha Turak

    2 HOURS AGO
    More than 31,500 Ukrainian refugees registered in Switzerland since war
    began
    People fleeing from Ukraine due to ongoing Russian attacks, take a free
    bus to the Swiss city Sorula offering humanitarian aid, in Krakow,
    Poland on April 01, 2022.

    Stringer | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
    Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, 31,553 Ukrainian refugees
    have been registered in Switzerland, the country’s Secretariat for
    Migration said in a Twitter post. Of those, 27,093 have been granted
    protective S status, which means they will receive a one-year temporary residence permit that is renewable for as long as the war continues.

    In the space of one day, 1,114 additional people coming from Ukraine
    were registered as refugees in Switzerland. In the last 24 hours, close
    to 60,000 people have fled Ukraine, according to data from UNHCR, the
    UN’s refugee agency.

    Nearly 4.7 million people have left Ukraine as refugees as of April 12, according to the UN.

    — Natasha Turak

    3 HOURS AGO
    UN says 1,964 civilians killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine
    Graves of civilians killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict are seen next
    to apartment buildings in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine
    April 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

    Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
    The United Nations has confirmed 1,964 civilian deaths and 2,613
    injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

    Of those killed, the U.N. has identified at least 34 girls and 55 boys
    as well as 72 children whose sex is unknown.

    The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights adds that the
    death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, citing delayed reporting due to
    the armed conflict.

    The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded
    were caused by the use of explosive weapons, including shelling from
    heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles
    and airstrikes.

    — Amanda Macias

    4 HOURS AGO
    Kharkiv governor says civilians killed and wounded during Russian shelling Firefighters try to contain a fire at a plant following Russian
    shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine,
    April 11, 2022.
    Firefighters try to contain a fire at a plant following Russian
    shelling, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine,
    April 11, 2022.
    Alkis Konstantinidis | Reuters
    Oleh Synyegubov, regional governor of Kharkiv, said four civilians had
    been killed and 10 wounded during Russian shelling Kharkiv, Ukraine’s
    second largest city. NBC could not immediately verify the numbers.

    Synyegubov in a statement also urged residents of some of the region’s
    towns to evacuate ahead of expected fighting, as Russian bombardments
    intensify in the country’s east.

    Kharkiv, in the northeast of Ukraine, has already sustained heavy
    attacks, with Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov saying there has not been a
    single day without strikes since the invasion began on Feb. 24.

    — Natasha Turak

    5 HOURS AGO
    Ukraine is investigating almost 6,500 alleged war crimes by Russia

    Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova visits a mass grave in
    Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on April 13, 2022.
    Fadel Senna | AFP | Getty Images
    Ukraine is investigating almost 6,500 alleged war crimes committed by
    Russia since its full-scale invasion of the country.

    In a tweet Thursday, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it had registered 6,492 alleged crimes of aggression and war crimes.


    — Katrina Bishop

    6 HOURS AGO
    Russia’s Medvedev calls Finland and Sweden new ‘opponents’ if they join NATO
    Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson walks with Finland's Prime
    Minister Sanna Marin prior to a meeting, amid Russia's invasion of
    Ukraine, in Stockholm, Sweden, April 13, 2022. Paul Wennerholm/TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A
    THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN.

    Paul Wennerholm| TT News Agency | Reuters
    Finland and Sweden will become enemies of Russia if they join NATO,
    Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has said.

    The change would give Moscow “more officially registered opponents,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

    “In this case, it will no longer be possible to talk about any
    nuclear–free status of the Baltic - the balance must be restored,” he
    said. “Until today, Russia has not taken such measures and was not going to.”

    He also claimed that NATO was planning to admit the two Nordic states —
    who until now have been partners with the 30-member military alliance
    but remained neutral — with “minimal bureaucratic procedures.”

    Russia’s response should be taken with “no emotion, with a cold head,”
    he added.

    The comments come a day after Finland and Sweden’s leaders said their decision on whether to apply for NATO membership would come within a
    matter of weeks, saying their security assessments had dramatically
    changed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    — Natasha Turak

    8 HOURS AGO
    Russia will seek peace or leave the international arena forever: Zelenskyy

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked European nations to stop buying Russian oil. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | via Reuters
    In his latest nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted that the Russian leadership will either seek peace, or would
    leave the international arena forever.

    He also called again for an oil embargo from his European counterparts.
    “The European Union must stop sponsoring Russia’s military machine,” he said in the speech.

    -Matt Clinch

    8 HOURS AGO
    Czech Republic reopens embassy in Kyiv
    Messages of support for Ukraine outside the Russian Embassy in Prague,
    Czech Republic, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. The Czech Republic reopened
    its embassy in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, nearly 2 months after its
    closure on 24 February following Russia's invasion of the country.
    Messages of support for Ukraine outside the Russian Embassy in Prague,
    Czech Republic, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. The Czech Republic reopened
    its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, nearly 2 months after its
    closure on 24 February following Russia’s invasion of the country.
    Milan Jaros | Bloomberg | Getty Images
    The Czech Republic has reopened its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, nearly two months after it closed on Feb. 24 when Russia’s invasion began.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet its diplomats are back
    in Ukraine and the Czech flag is once again flying above the embassy.


    “This is one of the many steps we are taking to show our support for
    Ukraine. Czechia will always stand with Ukraine,” the ministry said.

    Other countries that have announced the return of their diplomats to
    Kyiv include Slovenia, Estonia and Turkey.

    — Chelsea Ong

    8 HOURS AGO
    ‘Sapiens’ author says Ukraine war could mark most dangerous moment since Cuban missile crisis
    Israeli author, historian and professor Yuval Noah Harari has spoken out frequently against President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, adding
    that it has had the unintended consequence of forging greater unity
    between Europe and the U.S.

    Kristof Van Accom | AFP | Getty Images
    Israeli historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari has told CNBC
    said the growing risk that Russia may turn to nuclear weapons or other
    forms of chemical or biological warfare to advance its onslaught posed
    an existential threat to humanity.

    While acknowledging the current threat of nuclear war is “not very
    likely,” Harari said that everybody — governments and individuals — should be “very concerned.”

    “It’s a possibility, a real possibility that we need to consider. And that’s terrible news for the whole human race,” he said.

    Read the full story here.

    -Karen Gilchrist

    12 HOURS AGO
    Details revealed on $800 million U.S. weapons package for Ukraine
    Ukrainian servicemen load a truck with the FGM-148 Javelin, American man-portable anti-tank missile provided by US to Ukraine.
    Ukraine was already stocking up on U.S.-made Javelins before Russia
    invaded. Here a group of Ukrainian servicemen take a shipment of
    Javelins in early February, as Russia positioned troops on Ukraine’s border. Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
    U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday night revealed
    details about the latest military aid package the United States will
    send to Ukraine, which includes 300 armored vehicles, artillery and anti-chemical protective equipment.

    A post on his official Twitter account listed 200 M113 armored personnel carriers and 100 other armored, wheeled vehicles. The M113 is an older,
    tracked vehicle that the United States began using before the Vietnam War.

    Among the newer weapons in the package are 500 Javelin missiles and 300 Switchblade attack drones. Ukrainian defenders have used the Javelin and
    other shoulder-launched weapons to devastating effect against Russian
    tanks and other vehicles.

    Eight howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds are also part of the newest
    U.S. arms shipment.

    The list includes “protective equipment” against chemical, biological
    and radiological attacks, as well as 30,000 sets of body armor and helmets.

    Military observers and others have voiced fears that Vladimir Putin may
    use weapons of mass destruction against Ukrainian troops and civilians
    as Russia continues to suffer defeats on the battlefield.

    “We continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” Austin said. “To that end, this latest support package
    contains many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already
    provided along with critical new capabilities.”

    — Ted Kemp

    14 HOURS AGO
    Ukraine claims it has damaged a Russian warship in the Black Sea
    The Russian missile cruiser Moskva patrols in the Mediterranean Sea, off
    the coast of Syria, on December 17, 2015. Russia began its air war in
    Syria on September 30, conducting air strikes against a range of
    anti-regime armed groups including US-backed rebels and jihadist groups.
    Moscow has said it is fighting and other "terrorist groups," but its
    campaign has come under fire by Western officials who accuse the Kremlin
    of seeking to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. / AFP / Max
    DELANY (Photo credit

    The Russian missile cruiser Moskva was set afire and evacuated after a Ukrainian attack on the ship. Here the Moskva is shown off the coast of
    Syria in 2015.
    Max Delany | AFP | Getty Images
    Ukraine claimed it has damaged a Russian warship, the Moskva, stationed
    in the Black Sea after striking it with Neptune missiles.

    “It has been confirmed that today the missile cruiser ‘Moscow’ went exactly where it was sent to by our border guards on Zmiinyi Island!
    Neptune missiles which are guarding the Black Sea caused very serious
    damage to the Russian ship,” Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the Odesa region, said in a Telegram post.

    Russian State Media service TASS, quoting the Russian Ministry of
    Defense, confirmed the ship caught fire after being “seriously damaged”
    and that the entire crew had been evacuated.

    According to the Russian ministry, the fire started after ammunition was detonated onboard the warship. “As a result of a fire, ammunition
    detonated on the Moskva missile cruiser. The ship was seriously damaged.
    The crew was completely evacuated,” TASS quoted the Russian the ministry
    as saying.

    Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Oleksiy Arestovych claimed that 510
    Russian crew members were on board the ship during a television
    interview. During the interview, Arestovych sarcastically said two
    sailors must have caused the fire by smoking in the wrong place, or
    maybe they were just unlucky.

    Arestovych also said the Moskva was the same warship that asked
    Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island (a Ukrainian island on the Black Sea)
    to surrender at the start of the conflict, with the Ukrainian troops
    telling the marines on the ship to “go f--- yourself.” Audio recordings
    of this incident went viral back in February.

    Unlike the Russian logistics vessel Orsk which Ukraine destroyed last
    month, the guided missile cruiser Moskva is an offensive warship
    designed to attack targets from a distance. Moscow used the ship off the
    coast of Syria in 2015.

    —NBC News, Riya Bhattacharjee, Ted Kemp

    9 HOURS AGO
    Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here:
    Russian sailors evacuate warship in the Black Sea after Ukraine attack;
    U.S. will send another $800 million in weapons to Ukraine

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