Russian invasion of Ukraine imminent, BBC reports

[sene5hos]

Finland, Sweden Move Closer To Joining NATO Amid Russian Aggression

Finland and Sweden have moved closer to joining NATO, ending decades of neutrality, amid growing concern at home over Russia’s military aggression.

www.rferl.org

Sweden has repeatedly accused Russia of violating its airspace over the years.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and has remained militarily nonaligned for 75 years.

But political and public opinion within Finland swung dramatically in favor of membership after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Putin's actions have raised fears among his neighbors that he may seek to further redraw Europe's borders.
Moscow invaded Finland in 1939, seizing part of its territory.

 

[sene5hos]

McDonald's to leave Russia for good after 30 years

The chain opened in Moscow in 1990 as the Soviet Union was opening its economy to Western brands.

www.bbc.com

McDonald's has said it will permanently leave Russia after more than 30 years and has started to sell its restaurants.

The move comes after it temporarily closed its 850 outlets in March.

+ 60,000 employees.

The fast food giant said it made the decision because of the "humanitarian crisis" and "unpredictable operating environment" caused by the Ukraine war.

The opening of McDonald's first restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions.

A year later, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia opened up its economy to companies from the West. More than three decades later, however, it is one of a growing number of corporations pulling out.

"This is a complicated issue that's without precedent and with profound consequences," said McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski in a message to staff and suppliers.

 

[sene5hos]

McDonald's to leave Russia for good after 30 years

The chain opened in Moscow in 1990 as the Soviet Union was opening its economy to Western brands.

www.bbc.com

McDonald's has said it will permanently leave Russia after more than 30 years and has started to sell its restaurants.

The move comes after it temporarily closed its 850 outlets in March.

+ 60,000 employees.

The fast food giant said it made the decision because of the "humanitarian crisis" and "unpredictable operating environment" caused by the Ukraine war.

The opening of McDonald's first restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions.

A year later, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia opened up its economy to companies from the West. More than three decades later, however, it is one of a growing number of corporations pulling out.

"This is a complicated issue that's without precedent and with profound consequences," said McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski in a message to staff and suppliers.

It's an economic tragedy

 

[gaby]

oui.....et c'est le peuple qui en paye le prix....au moins si de telles fermetures pouvaient leur ouvrir les yeux..MAIS sont tellement endoctrinés...sauf que peut-être qu'avec le temps la population va exiger qu'on lui rende des comptes....wishful thinking????...
probablement que oui.

 

[wetnose]

Intercepted audio from Russian sympathizing regions - when a grandmother learns of the true face of Russia occupation

"Where should I hide Sonya, when these men come to houses to rape and do what they want???"

"Now, who should I hate?"

 

[sene5hos]

Ed Arnold, former British Army Officer and Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute has more on the situation in Ukraine.

He said the battle is "effectively over" in Kharkiv, and that Ukraine has won the fight in the city.

The UK Ministry of Defence has said that Russia has "lost a third of their forces deployed in Ukraine" and is "unlikely to accelerate their rate of advance in the next 30 days."

Their latest statement came as Russia's offensive in Donbas "lost momentum" and has "fallen significantly behind schedule."

 

[EagerBeaver]

Erdogan Says Turkey Will Not Accept Sweden and Finland Into NATO, Claims They Harbor Kurdish "Terrorists"

Turkish president says he will not approve Sweden and Finland's NATO membership if they sanction Turkey

As fighting continues in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, Ukrainian forces say they are making headway in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland may soon be applying to join NATO. Follow here for live news updates.

www.cnn.com

 

[sene5hos]

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-17/russias-lavrov-says-finland-sweden-joining-nato-makes-no-big-difference

(Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Finland and Sweden joining NATO would probably make "not much difference" as the two countries had long participated in the alliance's military drills.

"Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in NATO military exercises for many years," Lavrov said.

 

[minutemenX]

Russian tanks are evolving into a species of Salmon. They spend their lives growing up in the plains of Russia and then migrate to Ukraine to meet their fate in the region ruled by St. Stugna, St. Javelin and St. NLAW. They meet their fate by ejecting their turrets while mating (borrowed)

 

[sene5hos]

Sweden, Finland submit applications to join NATO

Military alliance boss Jens Stoltenberg ‘warmly’ welcomes the Nordic countries’ membership requests.

www.politico.eu

Sweden and Finland on Wednesday formally applied to join NATO at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave a short address alongside the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors to NATO, Axel Wernhoff and Klaus Korhonen.

“I warmly welcome requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” Stoltenberg said. “You are our closest partners, and your membership in NATO will increase our shared security.”

 

[gaby]

La TURQUIE pourrait opposer son véto à ces adhésions....et comme elle est la 2ème puissance militaire de l'OTAN....cela pourrait compliquer les choses......cependant les ETATS-UNIS sont militairement très présent en TURQUIE....cela pourrait très bien servir
à des négos favorables...MAIS ERDOGAN est un drôle de numéro/imprévisible....pas du tout easy to deal with....à suivre.

 

[sene5hos]

Russian soldier pleads guilty in first trial for war crimes in Ukraine

A 21-year-old Russian soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, has pleaded guilty to deliberately killing a civilian who was riding a bicycle. The hearing, due to begin on Wednesday in the Ukrainian capital, is a testament to the judicial frenzy that has gripped the country.

www.lemonde.fr

A 21-year-old Russian soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, has pleaded guilty to deliberately killing a civilian who was riding a bicycle.
The hearing, due to begin on Wednesday in the Ukrainian capital, is a testament to the judicial frenzy that has gripped the country.

War crimes now have a face in Ukraine: that of a thin-featured, almost beardless kid.

He's Russian Sergeant Vadim Chichimarine, 21. With a burst of his AK-74 fire, he killed a shopkeeper pushing his bicycle in a Ukrainian village near Soumy, in the northeast of the country. The man was unarmed and died a few meters from his home.

He was 62 years old, according to Iryna Venediktova, the prosecutor general. Sergeant Chichimarine was arrested while trying to escape with four other military personnel. It was February 28, 2022. The war was in its fourth day.

Less than three months after the start of the invasion, the complex Chichimarin case was finalized. The first war crime trial is being held this Wednesday, May 18, in a Kyiv district court, as Ukraine does not have a special court.

 

[sene5hos]

While Mr. Shishimarin pleaded guilty, this is only the beginning of a long process: the General Prosecutor's Office claims to have already identified more than 12,000 alleged cases of war crimes.

Trying ordinary military personnel – even before prosecuting high-ranking officers, for such crimes is rare in the international arena.
It's even more exceptional when the fighting is still raging in the country.

 

[STAEDTLER]

La TURQUIE pourrait opposer son véto à ces adhésions....et comme elle est la 2ème puissance militaire de l'OTAN....cela pourrait compliquer les choses......cependant les ETATS-UNIS sont militairement très présent en TURQUIE....cela pourrait très bien servir
à des négos favorables...MAIS ERDOGAN est un drôle de numéro/imprévisible....pas du tout easy to deal with....à suivre.

Semblerait que l'opposition d'Ankara serait au fait que les deux nouveau candidats s'opposeraient à l'extradition de supposés membres du PKK..., finalement beaucoup de flou comme dans tout ce qui touche un membre de l'OTAN qui opère des batteries de S-400 russes...

 

[sene5hos]

Russia says that a total of 959 Ukrainian fighters, including 80 wounded, had surrendered from the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks since Monday.

 

[sene5hos]

Sam Kiley travels to the front lines in Bilohorivka, Ukraine, where Russian forces suffered a major defeat after Ukrainian forces stopped their advance.

My deep condolences to all Ukrainian people, soldiers and family.

Hope you win this war and make your country peace again.

 

[cloudsurf]

Captured Russian soldiers are complaining that their commanders are killing wounded Russian soldiers who can`t walk because of their injuries.

 

[gaby]

Russia says that a total of 959 Ukrainian fighters, including 80 wounded, had surrendered from the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks since Monday.

On peut se douter que ce qui les attend sera bien pire que ce qu'ils ont vécu en captivité/Azovstal......à moins qu'ils servent de monnaie d'échange pour des prisonniers Russes.

 

[sene5hos]

19 mai 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has fired more than 2,000 missiles at his country since the war began.

Zelensky also said most of the missiles had hit civilian infrastructure and brought no strategic benefit to the Russians.

Meanwhile, Russian forces have intensified artillery fire on Ukrainian border settlements around the city of Sumy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also vowed to take back territories occupied by the Russians.

 

[sene5hos]

Russia has claimed to have used some of its secret weapons in Ukraine including the new generation of powerful lasers.

According to Russia's Deputy PM, the new laser weapons are capable of inflicting both physical and thermal damage to the target.

Reports say that Russia’s powerful lasers can blind satellites in the Earth’s orbit as well as burn up drones mid-air. Kremlin’s secret weapons are reportedly aimed at countering the flood of Western arms being sent to Ukraine.