Ukraine War discussion - Threat to Public Health

[sharon sanders]

Refugees fleeing Ukraine (since 24 February 2022)*JSON
3,725,806
Last updated 24 Mar 2022
Data is updated daily by 12:00 CET.

*Arrival statistics are compiled from a variety of sources, mainly data provided by authorities from official border crossing points. While every effort has been made to ensure that all statistical information is verified, figures on some arrivals represent an estimate. Triangulation of information and sources is performed on a continuous basis. Therefore, amendments in figures may occur, including retroactively. Notably, the right to move freely within the Schengen area means there are very few border controls within the European Union. The data of arrivals in Schengen countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) bordering Ukraine therefore only represents border crossings into that country, but we estimate that a large number of people have moved onwards to other countries. In addition, UNHCR does not count individuals from bordering countries leaving Ukraine to return home.

An additional 113,000 people moved to the Russian Federation from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions between 21 and 23 February.

https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine

 

[Pathfinder]

India tries diplomatic dance on Ukraine, but Russia is an awkward partner

Issued on:03/22/2022 - 18:11

Text by:
Leela JACINTO
...
Over the past few weeks, India has abstained five times from condemning the invasion at the UN, including a UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution demanding an independent inquiry on Russian violations in Ukraine.
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During the height of the Cold War, India was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of primarily postcolonial nations that refused to be officially aligned with either the US or the USSR.
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Of the 35 countries that abstained in a March 3 UN General Assembly vote calling for an immediate end to the Ukraine invasion, all the countries – except China – are NAM members.

“We're looking at one of the most serious cases of aggression committed by any country since the end of World War II,” noted Michael Kugelman from the Washington DC-based Wilson Center in an interview with FRANCE 24. “Why did 30- odd countries refuse to condemn the aggression? The answer is simple: because it was not in their interest to vote in favor of the resolution. At the end of the day, it's interests, not morality, that drive foreign policy decisions.”
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Earlier this month, as international sanctions started to bite and with Western Europe moving to reduce Russian oil imports, Moscow offered to sell India 3 million barrels of Russian oil at a heavy discount, according to media reports .

India is not as energy dependent on Russia as Germany, but the discounted price saw Indian officials revisiting a Cold War-era arrangement called the rupee-rouble trade to bypass financial sanctions.
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Some analysts believe the Russian invasion could provide a diplomatic opportunity for India. “I think India is well positioned to play the role of third-party negotiator. None of the other countries that have offered to mediate – Israel, France or Turkey – have the kind of deep relations that New Delhi has with Moscow,” said Kugelman. “India is sensitive to criticisms that it punches below its weight on the world stage. If India agrees to mediate, and could help end the war, it would showcase its ability to do big and meaningful things in the world.”
...

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pac...wkward-partner

 

[sharon sanders]

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[sharon sanders]

Glenn Greenwald

@ggreenwald
·
22h
A Russian president threatened by NATO expansion and driven by "legacy," on the other side of a US president with a long record of hawkishness, now hobbled by the carelessness and infirmities of old age, is a volatile combination. Each day, getting worse.

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Ukraine ready to discuss adopting neutral status in Russia peace deal, Zelenskiy says - March 27, 2022

https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...lenskiy-tells-russian-journalists-2022-03-27/

 

[Pathfinder]

Putin's Bombers Could Devastate Ukraine But He's Holding Back. Here's Why

BY WILLIAM M. ARKIN ON 3/22/22 AT 12:47 PM EDT
01:08

As destructive as the Ukraine war is, Russia is causing less damage and killing fewer civilians than it could, U.S. intelligence experts say.
...
"I'm frustrated by the current narrative—that Russia is intentionally targeting civilians, that it is demolishing cities, and that Putin doesn't care. Such a distorted view stands in the way of finding an end before true disaster hits or the war spreads to the rest of Europe," the second U.S. Air Force officer says.

Heartbreaking images make it easy for the news to focus on the war's damage to buildings and lives. But in proportion to the intensity of the fighting (or Russia's capacity), things could indeed be much worse.

"I know that the news keeps repeating that Putin is targeting civilians, but there is no evidence that Russia is intentionally doing so," says the DIA analyst. "In fact, I'd say that Russian could be killing thousands more civilians if it wanted to."

"I'm no com-symp," the analyst says. "Russia is dead wrong, and Putin needs to be punished. But in terms of concluding the war in a way that both sides can accept and where we don't see Armageddon, the air and missile war provides positive signs."
...
"I know it's thin consolation that it could be a lot worse," the DIA analyst says, "but to understand how that is the case should really change people's perspectives, even inside the U.S. government, as to how to end this."

https://www.newsweek.com/putins-bombers-could-devastate-ukraine-hes-holding-back-heres-why-1690494

 

[Emily]

https://www.ncregister.com/cna/pope-francis-on-ukraine-invasion-enough-end-war-before-it-ends-us
Pope Francis on Ukraine Invasion: ‘Enough!’ End War Before It Ends Us

The war in Ukraine has displaced some ten million people from their homes, 3.6 million of whom have left for neighboring countries, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has said.

Kevin J. Jones/CNA Vatican March 27, 2022

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has again lamented the war in Ukraine and appealed for peace more than a month after Russia’s invasion.
“Enough. Stop it. Silence the weapons. Move seriously toward peace,” Pope Francis said again in remarks after the Sunday Angelus March 27.
Speaking to a crowd of some 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope said more than a month had passed since “the beginning of this cruel and senseless war that, like every war, represents a defeat for everyone, for every one of us.”

“We need to reject war, a place of death where fathers and mothers bury their children, where men kill their brothers and sisters without even having seen them, where the powerful decide and the poor die."​

The Pope noted reports that half of all children in Ukraine have been displaced due to the invasion.

“This means destroying the future, causing dramatic trauma in the smallest and most innocent among us,” he said. “This is the bestiality of war – a barbarous and sacrilegious act!”..

 

[Pathfinder]

March 29, 2022
10:47 AM CST
Last Updated 3 min ago

Russia promises to scale down operations near Kyiv and north Ukraine

By Jonathan Spicer and Gleb Garanich
...
ISTANBUL/KYIV OUTSKIRTS/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, March 29 (Reuters) - Russia promised on Tuesday to scale down military operations around Ukraine's capital and north, while Kyiv proposed adopting neutral status, in confidence-building steps that were the first signs of progress towards negotiating peace.
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PEACE IN SIGHT?

Ukrainian negotiators said that under their proposals, Kyiv would agree not to join alliances or host bases of foreign troops, but would have security guaranteed in terms similar to "Article 5", the collective defence clause of the transatlantic NATO military alliance.

They named Israel and NATO members Canada, Poland and Turkey as countries that may give such guarantees. Russia, the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy could also be involved.

The proposals, which would require a referendum in Ukraine, mentioned a 15-year consultation period on the status of Russian-annexed Crimea. The fate of the southeastern Donbas region, which Russia demands Ukraine cede to separatists, would be discussed by the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

Kyiv's proposals also included one that Moscow would not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union, Russia's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said. Russia has previously opposed Ukrainian membership of the EU and especially of NATO.

Medinsky said Russia's delegation would study and present the proposals to President Vladimir Putin.

To prepare a peace agreement, Medinsky later told the TASS news agency, "we still have a long way to go".
...
https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...-talks-breakthrough-looks-distant-2022-03-29/

 

[sharon sanders]

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[Emily]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...can-students-speak-out-from-russia/ar-AAVAJfx

'We're so anguished': Worried Latin American students speak out from Russia
Albinson Linares, Noticias Telemundo - Monday

Vanesa Rincón said she has barely slept since Feb. 24, when the thunderous sound and vibrations of the shock waves from the bombs tore her from sleep. Dark circles crown her dark eyes as she talks about the terror she experiences daily in Belgorod, a Russian city bordering Ukraine, where she studies international law.

“One wants to get away from the war and the bombs,” the Colombian student said. “We're so anguished that I never want to hear that noise again. I want to return to Bogotá as soon as I can.”

Rincón said that during the first week of the conflict, she was on night duty with her fellow students in case something happened. Belgorod is about 25 miles from the war zone, so Rincón is counting the days to be able to leave.

“It’s not normal, it’s not pretty, and you’re scared all the time. It doesn’t matter who’s good or bad; all you want is to run away,” she said.
...

Alex Lastra, 24, is a programming student from Ecuador who lives in Taganrog, a port city about 31 miles from the border with Ukraine.

“The truth is, I’ve seen a lot of people arrive with suitcases and bags, especially women and children,” he said about the people who have left Ukraine and crossed into Russia. “One would think they would be discriminated against, but it's none of that. They have been received well and with the appropriate personnel.”...

No matter who did this, the war could escalate.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-kyiv-says-talks-may-064949506.html

Ukraine Update: Russia Says Kyiv Makes Rare Cross-Border Strike

Bloomberg News
Fri, April 1, 2022, 2:12 AM

(Bloomberg) -- Russia said two Ukrainian military helicopters made a rare strike across the border, hitting an oil tank facility in the city of Belgorod. There was no immediate confirmation from Kyiv. In Ukraine, Kyiv said its forces retook several villages in the Kherson region to the south, and that talks between the two sides are set to resume by video conference on Friday. There’s still no verification of that from Moscow...

 

[sharon sanders]

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[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Austrian chancellor says he had 'direct and harsh' exchange with Putin

Radio Canada
6:19 a.m.| Update at 12:41 p.m.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he had a "tough" exchange with Vladimir Putin on Monday in Moscow. He was the first European leader to meet the Russian president one-on-one since the invasion of Ukraine.

At a press conference in Moscow, the Chancellor said he was rather pessimistic after his 75-minute interview with Vladimir Putin, who, according to him, is in a logic of war and wants to record military success in Ukraine.

“ In general, I cannot give you an optimistic impression of this conversation with President Putin. A massive offensive is obviously being prepared in eastern Ukraine. »
— A quote from Karl Nehammer, Chancellor of Austria

According to the Chancellor, it is important to tell Vladimir Putin personally that the countries of the world do not support his actions and that the longer the war lasts, the more severe the Western sanctions will be.

[Telling him] once won't be enough. Ten times won't be enough either. It may have to be done 100 times, but I think it is necessary to do everything so that peace returns and Ukrainians can live in safety , Nehammer said.

It was not a friendly interview , also declared Karl Nehammer, this time in a statement released by his services, in which he recalled having gone to Russia to not miss any chance of ending the war.

The discussion with President Putin was very direct, open and tough , insisted the Chancellor, whose country is not a member of theNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO .

Earlier Monday, his foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, had conceded that no one expected miracles following this meeting. But we must seize every opportunity to put an end to the humanitarian hell in Ukraine , he had justified, just before a meeting with his counterparts from the European Union in Luxembourg .

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, for his part, indicated on Monday morning that his country had no intention of halting its military offensive until the next round of negotiations with Ukraine, for which no date has been set. has been announced.

He also said he saw no reason to continue talks with kyiv.

A "personal initiative"

Chancellor Karl Nehammer, whose country imports 80% of its natural gas from Russia, is the first European leader to meet Vladimir Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.

Mr. Nehammer does not have a European mandate . His trip to Moscow is a personal initiative decided after talks in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and after discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as the heads of European institutions Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, said the head of Austrian diplomacy.

“ Any voice that makes President Putin understand the nature of reality outside the Kremlin walls is not a lost voice. »
— A quote from Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria

However, the Chancellor's meeting with Vladimir Putin was criticized by some, notably the Greens with whom Mr. Nehammer governs Austria in coalition. They fear that the Russian president will use the arrival of the Austrian chancellor to serve his propaganda .

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1875604/guerre-ukraine-autriche-rencontre-russie-moscou

 

[sharon sanders]

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[Pathfinder]

Nuclear Preparedness PSA (with captions)
375,990 views11 Jul 2022

NYC Emergency Management
...
NYC Emergency Management shares important steps for New Yorkers to follow if a nuclear attack occurs.

For more information on how to be prepared for emergencies, visit NYC.gov/emergencymanagement or call 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115).


https://www1.nyc.gov/site/em/index.page

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-5d7V4Sbqk

 

[Emily]

Strange. That is not the first narrative I've seen misinforming us about the effects of nuclear war and the risks of the Ukraine situation going in that direction. This would be the reality:

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/07/14/dozm-j14.html
"A 2015 article published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists noted that Russia at the time had an estimated 700 strategic nuclear warheads each with an explosive power of 800,000 tons of TNT that, if fired, could hit the US within less than half an hour. If such a warhead exploded over midtown Manhattan, it would create a gigantic fireball which would “vaporize the structures directly below it and produce an immense blast wave and high-speed winds, crushing even heavily built concrete structures within a couple miles of ground zero. …Within tens of minutes, everything within approximately five to seven miles of Midtown Manhattan would be engulfed by a gigantic firestorm.”

The article continues to describe the apocalyptic scenario as follows: “Those who tried to escape through the streets would have been incinerated by the hurricane-force winds filled with firebrands and flames. Even those able to find shelter in the lower-level sub-basements of massive buildings would likely suffocate from fire-generated gases or be cooked alive as their shelters heated to oven-like conditions. The fire would extinguish all life and destroy almost everything else. Tens of miles downwind of the area of immediate destruction, radioactive fallout would begin to arrive within a few hours of the detonation.”"

 

[Emily]

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/iusburjh/article/view/29500
"Let Me Die in My Footsteps": South Bend and the Fallout Shelter Problem

• Vol. 7 (2017): Undergraduate Research Journal of History

Chelsea Ray-Dye

Abstract

American folk singer Bob Dylan's 1962 song, Let Me Die in My Footsteps declared a bold stance against the building of fallout shelters as a means of protection against atomic weapons at a time in history when the horrors of nuclear war were a constant concern for the country. This constant, nerve-wracking fear of atomic bombs permeated American society in various ways through news outlets such as The New York Time and entertainment outlets such as The Twilight Zone years before Dylan released this song in which he strongly questioned the morality of fallout shelters. And, just as Dylan proclaimed that he would "die in his footsteps" and carry on living, before he would ever "carry himself down to die", a great number of Americans would also question the morality of fallout shelters during the 1960s despite their fears of nuclear war. Although these shelters had the potential to save their lives, should a nuclear attack occur on American soil -would having in a fallout shelter be a way to live at all? And, what sort of life would be left after the devastation caused by atomic weapons? In the words of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, "The living will envy the dead." Thus, the paranoia and fear that would erupt after the invention of nuclear weapons would be so great that death would begin to seem like the better option

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiPP1Nu_QgE
Bob Dylan - Let Me Die In My Footsteps (Studio Outtake - 1962 - Official Audio)

I will not go down under the ground
`Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' round
And I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground
There's been rumors of the war and wars that have been
The meaning of life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkln' that the end is close by
Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground

 

[Pathfinder]

Situation in Ukraine on July 19 - © Ministry of the Armed Forces

https://www.defense.gouv.fr/ukraine-point-situation

The purple area represents the zone controlled by Russian forces.

 

[Emily]

Except for a couple of unstable areas of Russia with crime threats, Russia as a whole did not have a travel advisory until a couple of days ago. I think this is related to US escalation of involvement in the war. The only public information I know of is regarding some longer range weapons the US is providing Ukraine followed by some talk from Ukraine about 'liberating' Crimea.
Maybe something worse is being planned.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ederation.html
Russian Federation

Travel Advisory
July 19, 2022
Russia - Level 4: Do Not Travel

 

[alert]

I have seen several reports that anti-Russian Chechen forces might be planning something to try to take advantage of the fact that Russia's military attention is focused on Ukraine. That probably increases the risk (to everyone) of terrorism anywhere in Russia.

 

[Emily]

It could be fear about that, Alert, but something big is brewing in Ukraine.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...bring-war-to-bloodiest-phase-yet-say-analysts
Peter Beaumont in Mykolaiv
Fri 22 Jul 2022 09.29 EDT
Russian forces dig in as bloody Ukrainian counterattack anticipated in south

Strikes indicate ‘huge battle’ may be on way that will be a key test of Kyiv troops’ ability to push Russia back

 

[Pathfinder]

Putin announces partial mobilisation and threatens nuclear retaliation in escalation of Ukraine war

Russian president threatens west with nuclear retaliation, saying ‘we will use all the means at our disposal’

Wed 21 Sep 2022 05.15 EDT

Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilisation in Russia in a significant escalation that places the country’s people and economy on a wartime footing.

The president also threatened nuclear retaliation, saying that Russia had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.

In a highly anticipated televised address, Putin said the “partial mobilisation” was a direct response to the dangers posed by the west, which “wants to destroy our country”, and claimed the west had tried to “turn Ukraine’s people into cannon fodder”.

...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...sation-in-russia-in-escalation-of-ukraine-war