War in Ukraine: A hellish situation for civilians

RallyPoint Shared Content — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:11:29 -0400

As Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine continued into March, the world has watched an epic humanitarian crisis unfold across the Eastern European nation of 44 million, affecting nearly one of every two people in the country.

“The impact of the war in Ukraine on civilians is reaching terrifying proportions,” United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said on March 14, in pledging more lives aving aid to the country and calling for hostilities to cease.

With most of the focus understandably on Ukraine, it’s harder to gauge the impact of the war and international economic sanctions on civilians in Russia, given the country’s crackdown on almost all nonstate news, social media and antiwar political protest. How much Russians know of the war and how they’re experiencing the sanctions are a growing media curiosity.

To be sure, the war is hell on civilians, and more so right now for Ukrainians under threat of bombardment or of being driven from their homes. However, many Russians could face increasingly grave dangers politically, economically and socially.

Here’s some of what we know is happening to noncombatants in Ukraine, Russia and the region, according to reports by governmental, humanitarian and media organizations:

Killed and injured civilians. The official count of Ukrainian casualties as of March 11 is 1,546, including 564 killed and 982 injured, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), although the UN refugee agency said the real count is likely much higher. Most civilians are targeted in “inexcusable and intolerable” strikes by Russian heavy artillery, multilaunch rocket systems and air attacks, said UN Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo on March 11.

Flight across borders. As of March 14, 2022, more than 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine, the majority (an estimated 1.72 million people) into neighboring Poland, according to a UNHCR data portal. If the conflict continued, the agency said the number of people leaving Ukraine could top 4 million. Meantime, UNHCR assists Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and other governments sheltering Ukrainians and third-country nationals with coordinated protection and humanitarian support from the UN, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other partners. (The U.S. Congress passed a bill March 11 that includes $13.6 billion in humanitarian, military and economic assistance to Ukraine.)

Some number of mostly middle-class Russians have fled Russia, many into Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, according to a March 14 report in RadioFree Europe, but it’s hard to confirm exactly how many have left (https://www.rferl.org/a/russians-flee-fearing-war-fallout/31752961.html). Another report in Meduza, one of the last remaining independent Russian news websites still covering the war in Ukraine, recently published first-person accounts from Russian readers on why they remained (https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/03/14/we-re-on-the-titanic-and-it-s-just-hit-the-iceberg).

Details: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine and https://meduza.io/en.

Destruction-driven internal displacement. Another at least 2 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, as shelling inside the country has damaged or destroyed more than 1,500 residential buildings. At least 210 schools and 34 hospitals have been hit by missiles in what the government said are violations of humanitarian law, according to the UN’s Protection Cluster Ukraine fact sheet dated March 6-9. The World Health Organization has verified 26 attacks on health facilities, health workers and ambulances, including a bombing of a maternity ward on March 9, DiCarlo said. The displacement of children, including unaccompanied minors at risk of human trafficking, is a concern, the fact sheet said.

Details: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/http://www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/2022_protection_cluster_snapshot_6-9_march_eng.pdf

Crackdown on war reporting and dissent. As noted, civilians in Russia are cut off from almost all independent information about the war in Ukraine and can receive more than a decade in prison for voicing dissent about the conflict. On March 4, Russia passed two laws criminalizing independent war reporting — banning the mere description of the conflict as a “war” or “an invasion” — and war protest, according to a March 7 statement by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Those found guilty under either law can be thrown into prison for up to 15 years.

The human rights group said the fear is that Russian law enforcement will impose these laws retroactively, as has been done before, to further intimidate activists wherever they are now.

“If the authorities apply the same approach to the new laws, Russian opposition politicians, activists, and journalists who have already publicly called to end the war, protested, publicized alleged violations by Russian armed forces, or called for sanctions on Russian targets, could be at risk of prosecution,” according to HRW. “Those outside Russia could also be subject to potential extradition attempts.”

Details: https://rly.pt/3IhDHin

Spread of propaganda and/or false information. Civilians around the world are being subjected to propaganda and false information from Russia and, to some degree, Ukraine. In March, the White House said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was spreading misinformation about Ukraine using bioweapons against Russia to justify a chemical weapons attack. The Defense Department said in a statement on March 10 that no evidence exists of Ukraine using such weapons. On March 11, President Joe Biden added: “Russia would pay a severe price if they used chemical weapons.”

Ukraine has also acted in morally dubious ways in trying to sway public opinion against Russia, said Isabelle Khurshudyan, a Moscow correspondent for The Washington Post, in an online question-and-answer session with readers on March 14. “Ukraine has been trotting out Russian prisoners of war in ethically and legally questionable news conferences,” Khurshudyan said, adding that “we can’t fully trust what they say because we don’t know the potential duress that led them to make those statements.”

Details: https://rly.pt/3JhWBHt and https://rly.pt/3JmNGo0

Learn more

State Department Ukraine page: https://www.state.gov/latest-ukraine-updates

UNHCR: https://www.unhcr.org/en-us

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RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 16 at 2022 1:17 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:17:32 -0400

Russia doesn't and never has given a rip about civilians RallyPoint Shared Content

Response by SSG John Oliver made Mar 16 at 2022 2:58 PM

SSG John Oliver — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 14:58:20 -0400

I know there's 1SGs and SGTMAJs foaming at the mouth seeing those roled sleeves and covers hahaha

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Mar 18 at 2022 1:07 AM

SPC Erich Guenther — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 01:07:37 -0400

H-h-h-h-m-m-m-m, now I wonder why RP would tag Office of POTUS for this topic....lol.

Response by Cpl Benjamin Long made Mar 21 at 2022 12:18 PM

Cpl Benjamin Long — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 12:18:59 -0400

Well I guess they're going to have to do something about that....

Response by LTC Ray Buenteo made Mar 21 at 2022 2:18 PM

LTC Ray Buenteo — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 14:18:26 -0400

Putin is from the old Soviet Union and he expects the russian people to accept any hardship imposed as a result of his pursuit of reestablishing the old Soviet Union. Putin is an old school “For mother Russia,” soviet KGB schooled dictator. He will continue his aggression in the Ukraine and he will escalate to bio/chem and right into tact nuclear. If he cannot occupy and dominate the Ukrainians he will destroy Ukraine. When you negotiate with Putin he takes that as a weakness he can exploit. Biden has given Putin the green light by stating to the world what he will not do In response to putins aggression.

Response by SrA Ronald Moore made Mar 23 at 2022 5:17 AM

SrA Ronald Moore — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 05:17:37 -0400

Keep us posted

Response by CPL Sheila Lewis made Mar 24 at 2022 3:08 PM

CPL Sheila Lewis — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:08:23 -0400

A nation will fight for its right of sovereignty and Ukraine is no different.

Response by SGT Charles Whited made Mar 24 at 2022 11:54 PM

SGT Charles Whited — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 23:54:46 -0400

Putin should really think how he wants history to remember him.

Response by SSG Robert Vernon made Mar 26 at 2022 8:45 PM

SSG Robert Vernon — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 20:45:31 -0400

Its' just showing the Putin has a major death wish for Russia in general which is sad for the Russian Civilians - I met several,several Russian Civilians while on Active Duty and stationed in Bremen up near to Berlin (The wall was just being torn down) - and I was the Generals Driver for the General of the Northern Posts at that time and we took several trips up to the Wall and into USSR at that time, and the Civilians was so kind to us, even though I was under strict orders to stay in or near the vehicle all types of Civilians would smile and wave, And being under a Cruel dictator / monster with only 1 goal in life and that's to destroy everyone in Ukraine and his people, I can only hope and pray for the best for the Ukrainian people as well as the volunteer's who are from abroad to do their best to put an end to this monster and save lives.

Response by PO3 Steven Taylor made Apr 7 at 2022 10:30 PM

PO3 Steven Taylor — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 22:30:37 -0400

We exposed the Soviets as a third rate military in the 70's. The only thing they gave is nukes, and half of them won't fire. Their ships were rusted to the pier with lower decks flooded and the crews long gone. This invasion has showed their command and control structure is none existent, their logistics are none existent and moral is so low they're fragging their officers in the field. Same as it ever was.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Apr 21 at 2022 7:30 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:30:23 -0400

Thanks for sharing.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Apr 21 at 2022 7:31 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:31:04 -0400

Thanks for sharing.

Response by Capt Rich Buckley made May 31 at 2022 2:59 PM

Capt Rich Buckley — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:59:38 -0400

MAJOR UKRAINIAN ROUT APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
8:00 AM PST MAY 31, 2022

Ukraine Update by Bamboozled Again
https://rumble.com/v16oqp3-gonzalo-lira-ukraine-coup-incoming.html

I find these reports of Gonzalo Lira very prescient on what then follows.

I checked late last night the liveuamap.com stronghold depicting Ukrainian biased, map coverage of who controls what land. At 8:00 pm PST Sievierodonetsk was shown as falling. This morning Russia has taken about double what was shown last night. This Gonzalo report indicates the entire town has now fallen as of 8:00 am PST, which is not yet shown on the map.

This is significant because it adds validity to Gonzalo’s comments of shifting blame over to US handlers of Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, bypassing Zelenskyy. A major Ukrainian route appears to be taking place right now. Zelenskyy’s situation in these last moments may mean his life or death.

https://www.buckleyrealty.com/us-on-wrong-side-of-this-war-march-2022

Gonzalo Lira: Ukraine Coup Incoming?

Response by SSG James Knopp made Jun 21 at 2022 12:04 AM

SSG James Knopp — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:04:12 -0400

This is one war NATO and the US cannot afford to loose.
Putin cannot continue this insane war and unless we unleash the “Kraken” on him he will continue to obliterate Ukraine and its cities. NATO needs to stand toe to toe with this madman and hold him accountable for the carnage he is has and will continue to create.
He uses the threat of nuclear war if we intervene, but enough is enough. The Russian people do not want to see the world in a nuclear confrontation, I believe, anymore then the US and it’s NATO allies.
Seeing how well Ukrainians are taking the fight to Russia I’m sure “Putin the Punk” realizes now he stepped on a yellow jacket nest.
That being said and seeing how unprepared the Russia war machine is, the US would of opened up a can of woop ass on Putin and his war machine.

Response by PFC Ronald Rozewski made Jun 25 at 2022 12:26 AM

PFC Ronald Rozewski — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:26:42 -0400

Despite what serves as "coverage" of the Ukraine situation, I feel that I remain in the dark…
Perhaps since I don't have a TV and am missing the coverage?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 3 at 2023 6:14 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 18:14:14 -0400

I have worked in the US National Disaster Planning field and am compelled to advise the Ukrainian Government. National disasters can be natural or man-made. The war and the prosecution of it by the Russians has created conditions for an immense man-made disaster which impacts shelter, food and water, heating, electricity, medical capacity, and other essential services. The US National Disaster Plan is called the National Response Framework (NRF). I firmly believe the NRF will be of utmost importance especially as winter is rolling in. In a nutshell it delves into creating a Task Force, communicating, planning, coordinating, and execution of plans. These are the pivotal tenets of the NRF:

a. It specifies leadership roles and a chain of command of a Task Force dedicated in the immense endeavor to support people across Ukraine.
b. It specifies the creation of a Task Force and enumerates relevant organizations from disparate agencies of the government, NGOs, and regional authorities to better support first responders and entities who have direct contact with people in need of support.
c. It creates an atmosphere of vertical and horizontal communication to establish the commonality of the larger picture by communicating the roles and responsibilities of the disparate entities. It is a great forum for agencies and entities to expound on their institutional knowledge and recommendations to include facilitating rapid communications from the experts. The NFR definitely espouses a holistic and comprehensive approach to national disaster planning.
The forum streamlines the process of communicating the many needs of the regional authorities and first responders to the Task Force and government for resourcing. This is often done by Liaison Officers who are embedded at various levels.

The Task Force facilitates continuous effective, flexible, and fluid decision making. For example, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans there existed a need for transportation capacity to move victims out of the city which became an issue. If the Task Force was established, then the New Orleans city authorities would have communicated the hundreds of city buses in their possession to alleviate the problem.

Response by CW3 Richard McManus made Jun 7 at 2023 1:43 AM

CW3 Richard McManus — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 01:43:59 -0400

Ukraine the most corrupt nation governed by a Nazi oligarch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlKYN5SPdcs

Putin had no other options regarding invading Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzRtyqyIUk&t=7s

The US had help conduct a coup which outed the elected president of Ukraine.
The US had been supplying weapons and US Army trainers to improve the Ukrainian Army and peace talks were used to delay this building up of Ukraine's Army. The US deployed missiles that could hit Moscow giving Putin little time to react. Since 2014 the Nazi Ukrainian Army had been attacking the Dunbas (easter Ukraine) where most of the people speak Russian and have the same religion and culture as Russians living in Russia. Most Ukrainians hate Russians. This sounds crazy to Americans. They blame Russians for all their bad luck in life.

The Biden administration will never admit they made a terrible mistake. It now appears that 350,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and three times as many wounded/disabled. The depleted uranium weapons sent to Ukraine from the UK was destroyed by a Russian attack and as a result some 50 square miles of farmland will be unusable for the next 15 years until the radiation decays.
The radiation threat came from the Khmelnitsky region, where an Iranian manufactured, loitering drone on 13 May destroyed the 649th aircraft depot 160 miles east of the Poland border inside Ukraine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV_V73dr9Xo

Biden has lied to us. Russia is winning.
Biden, Sec/State Blinken and et al have been lying to Americans by telling us that with just a few more billions of dollars and just a few more tanks to be given to the corrupt Nazi government of Ukraine, they will win this war.

But Russia has killed some 350,000 Ukrainian soldiers and three times as many wounded/disabled. Russia has destroyed ALL of the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses. Ukraine is kidnapping teenagers forcing them to the front lines. Russia kills 10 to 14 Ukrainian soldiers for every Russian who gets killed.

Biden has the duty to be honest and it is un-Constitutional to make war without a declaration of war.

FOR HUMANITY’S SAKE, UKRAINE WAR MUST END
https://mewe.com/group/637adedf9381221c16822aed

Richard McManus
Chief Warrant Officer-3/counterintelligence special agent (more like an FBI agent than CIA officer), US Army retired, combat paramedic South Vietnam, BS psychology and nursing, Everett, WA,

Ukraine Has Collapsed & Is Failed State

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