No Excuse For Evil

[Khandro]

'There can be no excuse for Russian evil' - Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised a "retaliation" against Russia in response to the strike on a cathedral in Odesa that killed one and injured 19.

"All those who suffered from this latest terrorist attack are being provided with assistance," he said on Twitter.

"I am grateful to everyone who is helping people and to everyone who is with Odessa in their thoughts and emotions.

"We will get through this. We will restore peace. And for this, we must defeat the Russian evil."

...........

Odessa Cathedral bombed last night, why?

https://ibb.co/4sY1wPP

[ichkeria]

The Transfiguration Cathedral was a landmark of Odesa. Rebuilt after it was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the 1930s
Not the worst crime Russia has committed by any means but the first time they have hit a cathedral,
One day the unspeakable crimes of Mariupol will shock the world: tens of thousands of civilians deliberately slaughtered. Survivors picking their way through dead babies in a maternity hospital, and much more.
When will the Biden administration cast off the kid gloves? Long range missiles now. And the slowing of the F16 training was outrageous.

[Khandro]

Why did the "Bolsheviks" destroy it, ichi ? or are you using that as a derogatory term for communists?

[Old_Geezer]

It'll be good if they can just keep the American public on board. Americans seem to need quick scores/results, regularly, not continued slower progress. The conflict is at an interesting stage.

[ichkeria]

Ukraine’s military victory is pretty much assured but there is no need for it to be dragged out. The cost of foot dragging before resulted in kilometres-deep minefields being laid by the Russians. Slowly but surely those are being cleared despite a shortage of mine detectors (of which the US has more than enough to spare btw)

Yes Soviet authorities not Bolsheviks.
FWIW the death did not occur in the Cathedral but in one of the other attacks on the city centre, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

[Khandro]

Actually, whether they are called Bolsheviks or Communists doesn't matter, I have a seething detestation for all of them.

I've not the slightest wish to minimise the holocaust, but Communism under Stalin and Mao Zedong was respüonsible for at least 50 million civilian deaths and barely believable hardship for millions of others.

And yet there are still 'useful idiots' supporting the communist cause today.

[Untitled]

the bolsheviks renamed themselves communists because the origins of their original name are very obscure and they wanted a more "international" name for the world revolution they believed would soon come

stalin and his cronies were quite keen on demolishing churches for obvious reasons... i don't get what russia is trying to achieve with this attack at all... only possible motive would appear to be to terrorise

[ichkeria]

Drones hit Moscow centre again overnight.

And Crimea continues to be targeted by Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles. Sarah Aston-Cirillo (US national in Ukr army) on Twitter claims the UK only gave Ukraine permission to hit Crimea following the Odessa attacks. I very much hope she is wrong about that.
It also seems Ukrainian forces have re-entered Bakhmut. Previously there were thought only to be a few snipers hiding out in buildings.
Overall, the offensive advances painfully slowly, and the Russian offensive in the north east (Kupiansk direction) has made a few minor advances. But the Russians it seems are no longer capable of mounting mobile assaults (ie using lots of tanks and IFVs).
Take their air advantage away and they would be in deep trouble.
As it is, their artillery and logistics are being hammered daily.

[ichkeria]

Last night the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Izmail were targeted by drones. What with that and the attacks on the sea ports of Odesa, Mikolaiv and Chornomorsk, it’s plain what Russia is about: economic terrorism

[ichkeria]

Those ports are a matter of metres from Romanian territory …

[Khandro]

'After declaring the end of the grain deal earlier this week, Russia has now turned on Odesa with some of the most furious attacks it has launched since the start of its invasion. Last night, 19 missiles were fired at the city; only nine were destroyed before they hit because Ukraine is running out of air defences. Odesa’s city centre is a World Heritage site protected by Unesco, but the architectural destruction is far from the only concern about what is unfolding.

The image of the attack on the cathedral [see above link]– which is the city’s largest Orthodox church is striking but a tiny part of what’s now at stake

Russia hopes its missiles will ensure Odesa’s infrastructure is so badly damaged that it can never be resumed. Ukraine said that damage in the port of Chornomorsk has destroyed 60,000 tons of grains which was supposed to be loaded on a large-tonnage ship and sent through the grain corridor two months ago. Moscow has a list of demands:

That Rosselkhozbank, a Russian agricultural bank, is reconnected to the SWIFT interbank system
Agricultural machinery, spare parts and services are removed from the sanctions
Lift restrictions on insurance and reinsurance of ships with Russian grain
Lift the ban on access of such ships to ports
Reopen the Tolyatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline (the world’s longest)
Unblock the foreign assets and accounts of Russian agricultural companies
The wilful destruction of some of the world’s greatest cultural icons – such as Odesa’s cathedral – makes for compelling and haunting photographs. But it is harder to picture the consequences threatened by eliminating, from the world market, such a big supply of grain. What’s more, if Ukraine can’t export the grain it will be devastating for Ukraine’s economy and thousands of farmers.

Ukraine is struggling as it lacks air defence systems to close the sky over the whole country, and Putin exploits this vulnerability. Now he wants to see if he can bomb the West back to the negotiating table.'

Svitlana Morenets in The Spectator

[Khandro]

I should have removed "last night 19 missiles........."

[ichkeria]

Putin's speech last night was the deranged rant of a lunatic

He actually appears to think that by trying to terrorise Ukraine he will force the people to turn against Zelensky. That is insane. Yesterday the people of Odesa, all ages, were out en masse clearing up the wreckage. And the anti-Russian venom in the air was palpable. This in a Russian-speaking city which was less overtly Ukrainian.
This will be Putin's legacy.
The fact he is now attacking the Danube river southern ports as well as the sea ports, show he is attempting to stop any grain leaving Ukraine by any means, as a lot was going by that route anyway.

[ichkeria]

Odesa is Ukraine's third city and it is a bit of an oversight that it is not better protected by now.

Meanwhile the drones keep hitting Moscow: the Russians claim they shot them down, but it doesn't look like it to judge from the damage they caused. What their air defence doing even letting them get that close?

[Khandro]

I have read somewhere this morning that the drones attacking Moscow are believed to have been launched within Russia itself. Something for mad Vlad to think about.

[ichkeria]

You’d think that would be more likely.
BBC Ukrainian claims to have a source claiming it was a present from the Security Service of Ukraine