Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Usual disclaimer, pinch of salt, but apparently Ukrainians are engineering drones to carry RPG-7 munitions, with some success. Hopefully they can start to mass manufacture these things, along with receiving more Bayraktar and other drones from abroad.

Russia says it is a "special military operation" and "denazification".

Fedorov the mayor of Melitopol has been elected to his position by his people. He works for the people. Why should he be apprehended in a "special military operation" or "denazification" process. Also it seems another activist Olha Haysumova has also been kidnapped.

The illegal Russian cleansing has started.

Normal Russians have an obligation to bring their government to heel. At the very least Russians abroad need to explain to people in Russia that atrocities are occurring in Ukraine caused by their own army. Normal Russians should be allowed to protest freely. They also should be allowed to vote in fair elections. The Russian public enable and allow cronyism and widespread corruption.

There seems to be little contact between Putin and the Russian public. They seem to be light years apart.

The CCTV footage of fake ballots being stuffed into ballot boxes foretold at such a scenario as we have now was going to happen.

Speaking of Marianna, she gave birth to a baby girl, but everyone in Mariupol is freezing cold.

Why do you think it will go 'lightning quick', Kermit? I know you like to hype any significant diaster to the max, but that's pretty bad, even by your usual standards.

A shipment of big tractors, I hope.

There's nothing lightning about the current Ru military, they've struggled to take more than one key city. Kyiv is like a fortress and Russian progress has been slow. Sadly, they are likely to start doing what they are doing to all other cities, encircle, and start to shell the city, hoping to panic inhabitants, create a larger refugee crisis and close in on supply lines. Starve it out. 21st century and we're seeing medieval style siege warfare on European cities. Very surreal.

Three groups itching for the betrayal of the Ukrainians, the ‘hard left’, the ‘hard right’ and the ‘hard luck!’.

Brilliant.

Belarus government has said it will send five battalion tactical groups to the border with Ukraine to replace the troops currently stationed there. It denies that this is part of preparations for entry into the war

I seriously hope that "Western" contingency plans exist to bolster the Ukrainian defence of their capital, perhaps in the firm of hitherto unused hi-tech equipment or "unbadged entities". To a certain extent I'm wondering if the "West" are feigning weakness.

I'm not entirely sure that the Russians would have the wherewithal to quickly identify the source of timely assistance - " perhaps it was the Nazis, comrade "

At a certain point, it it comes, I think President Zelensky definitely should retreat to a safe place. This is because he is invaluable to the Ukrainian people, so much so that martyrdom would not raise his figurehead status any further, and he's an exceptional individual.

Slava Ukraini

He's walking a very fine line. He has to denounce what Russia is doing in Ukraine in the strongest terms and make sure Putin knows America will ride to the rescue if any NATO country is invaded

WHILE

making it crystal clear that NATO will not under any circumstances launch a nuclear first strike on Russia. No room for loose talk about 'fire and fury' in this standoff.

TBH I'd prefer if he erred on the latter side