Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I mean Russia will still be there after the war ends; and it will still have a relatively large (but hopefully much diminished) nuclear equipped army. We all need to figure out how to deal with that fact; and it has been clear from the beginning that Macron is intent on keeping diplomatic channels open with Putin and Russia.

Sounds more like an apologist charter for allowing Russia to continue doing whats it's tyring to do to other countries.

Russia is now a rogue nation, with no diplomatic channels, at least none that make a blind bit of difference to a failed communist state being ruled by a defacto dictator who is looking increasingly mentally unstable.

Russia may very well go down the North Korea route. And as it does it faces complete and total isolation from most of the rest of the world. Whether its people are as subservient to Putin as the North Koreans are to Kim Jong time will tell. But unlike N. Korea Russia is a country with a very long tradition of revolution. Lets just hope the Russian people see sone sense before their great leader takes the nuclear option.

This was the satellite image from yesterday in the south.

Closer up of the terrain from Google maps.

Most recent drone footage uploaded on YouTube from a few hours ago.

Looks similar anyway. But there were fires yesterday on the Eastern side and those were in the similar terrain too as that yt footage. Tanks are hugging for cover anyway and those look like guided munitions.

Yer military man on Sky News said Russian losses are about twice Ukr losses.

Are they trying to repair their yesterday damage?

You shoot and then get annihilated

This must be messing with a soldiers sense of relative safety.

When I was in the army there were no drones and you had a good sense of where the (assumed) danger would come from, we trained for various scenarios and we could dig in. But now there is no hiding, It will mess you up that every move you make is potentially noticed and you will be targeted.

The view is that at least one key European leader has to be somewhat "on side" with Putin, otherwise any negotiations would fall to other countries, e.g. Turkey/China. Putin has nuclear weapons, he can't be "cornered" like Hitler, there must be some leeway for potential future settlement, no matter how unpalatable. In terms of optics it will always look bad, but Macron has just been reelected, so I guess he can take the "hit". His talks with Putin before were also used to gauge Putin's mental health and views.

Holy crap - I know he's preaching to his own support - but that's a hell of a stretch - he's not even living in the last century he's living 2 centuries back - but still wanting eu funding - .

And as shown by recent election results it works for him and his party ...

I think it is the silliest thing Bono\U2 have done since he wrote that awful Ronnie Drew tribute song. Well intentioned. but awful.

Now he is singing with soldiers and allowing himself to be used a propaganda tool. It does not sit right with me. I am all for helping refugees and so on. But for a world famous musician (from a neutral country) to allow himself to be used as a propaganda tool, seems really off.

Also if that is not bad enough the soldier singing with Bono thanked 'the people of the United Kingdom for their support' @13:02! Does he think that includes Ireland? Because the UK has taken in much less refugees than Ireland at the time of writing.

Do you not think it is embarrassing? Being used as a propaganda tool? And the Russian soldier thanking the people of the UK soon after along with Boris! You can't make it up. And Boris using Ukraine to distract from his political problems. Not helping really. Meanwhile the Irish people get no mention!

It is not the first time Bono has let himself be used as a propaganda tool. Dubious African leaders etc.

And now he is going off to Ukraine - Making a cringeworthy change to the 'stand by me' lyrics changed to 'stand by Ukraine'. An embarrassment on many levels. Great singer but the fella can be an embarrassment.

I remember Elton John changed the lyrics to candle in the wind in tribute to Princess Diana and it was received quite well.

I will happily see Boris elected again if it means less Ukrainians murderered and raped.

Feeling is embarrassed is quite the luxury when there is a genocide going on.

All the Ukrainians are loving Britain and Johnson because of the sheer volume of weaponry, the best of it, that Britain have given.

The Anti tank weapons they delivered just before the war look like they enabled the Ukraine to stall the Russian invasion.

It was a game changer at the start.

There are wars on in the world all the time. By your logic I should never feel embarrassed ever. Or is it only the wars you are aware about that you suddenly care about?

Wars did not just start when Putin invaded. What Elton John did was cringeworthy as well. But at least he knew the woman.

Boris has no sincerity and Bono is naive. Remember Boris wants to send refugees to Rwanda and only let in ones from Ukraine that have family connections to the UK.

If you buy into that Bono is helping the Ukraine you have fallen for it. It is superficial silliness at best and propaganda at worst.

From Business Insider/Politico

"Russian soldiers killed a Ukrainian army volunteer on the outskirts of Kyiv and left his dead body in his car trunk fitted with a mine that later exploded when Ukrainian forces attempted to move him, according to Politico.

Lyudmyla Kyrpach, the soldier's widow, told Politico that she and her husband Oleksandr "did everything together."

Kyrpach told the outlet that the day after the invasion began in late February, Oleksandr, a mechanic, organized volunteer fighters in his village of Kalynivka, near Kyiv.

By March 1, days after Russian troops had encroached on their village, Oleksandr's friends set out driving to see if they could source more intel about Russian troop movements up close. She told Politico's Christopher Miller that after they failed to return, he set out to find them.

"He said he would be right back," Lyudmyla told Politico. Oleksandr never returned, and unable to sleep, Lyudmyla set out the following day with her friends to find him.

She noticed his sedan on the road, with the keys in the ignition but no passengers in the car, she told Politico.

Lyudmyla's friend noticed that the trunk was riddled with bullets, per the report, and they opened the trunk to find Oleksandr's dead body. Her friend pulled her away from the car in fear that the trunk could be booby-trapped, she explained to the outlet.

By March 4 they returned to the scene with Ukrainian soldiers.

According to the report, the soldiers tied ropes to his limbs and moved far from the car to pull slowly and see if the car was rigged. As soon as they pulled, the "car exploded in a ball of flames." Russian soldiers had placed weight-triggered mine under Oleksandr, Lyudmyla told Politico.

"Lyudmyla picked up the pieces of the man she had spent decades with and placed them in a box," Politico reported. Later, she buried him in the garden where they used to plant vegetables together."