₦airaland Forum

MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Russia’s military special operation to liberate the city of Mariupol is nearing its end, however, there are still problems remaining with mopping up industrial sites, Deputy Head of the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic Eduard Basurin said on Friday.
"On the whole, the operation to mop out this city [Mariupol] is nearing its completion, but there are some problems remaining in regard to industrial sites, but they would be eventually solved," Basurin said in an interview with Russia’s Channel One television channel.
"We are moving towards the north," Basurin continued. "Our troops currently mop up the areas of the Maryinka location and proceed further between the locations of Avdeyevka and Gorlovka."
Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov announced earlier in the day that the city of Mariupol in Donbass was 98% liberated, and the Ukrainian side was retaining only separate strongholds.
Kadyrov wrote in his Telegram that "The Banderites are retaining only separate fortified facilities, including the Azovstal factory, which the Nazis have turned into a true fortress."
"I communicated with our brothers via a video link-up, introduced my proposals into the plan of action and wished the fighters luck and success," Kadyrov stated on his Telegram account earlier in the day.
Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics, he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."
The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories and the operation was aimed at demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine.
When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population

But some people are saying Russian weapons are not accurate and Ukraine is Winning?


10-04-2022

Russian rockets destroy airport in Ukrainian city of Dnipro
Reports say the airport in the central Ukrainian city has been completely destroyed in the Russian attack.
Smoke rises on Sunday from the airport in Dnipro city, Ukraine [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP]
Russian missiles destroyed an airport in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and five emergency workers were injured in the attack.
“There has been another attack on Dnipro airport. There is nothing left of it,” Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Sunday.
“The airport itself and the infrastructure around it has been destroyed. Rockets keep flying and flying,” Reznichenko said on Telegram.
A missile also hit a building in the city’s Pavlohrad district, and emergency workers were combing through an infrastructure facility that was hit in the town of Zvonetsky.
Reznichenko said attacks on Dnipro city, which lies on the banks of the Dnieper River, intensified on Sunday.
The industrial city of one million people has been targeted by Russian forces since the invasion, but has so far been spared major destruction.
Separately, the head of the Dnipro region council, Mykola Lukashuk, says five staffers of the state emergency service had been wounded by the strike on the airport.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that missiles fired overnight had destroyed a Ukrainian military base in Zvonetsky that had recently “received reinforcements from foreign mercenaries”.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that he had discussed possible additional sanctions on Russia in a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Zelenskyy has called for an embargo on imported gas and oil from Russia, but Germany so far resisted pressure to declare an embargo.
Scholz said on Friday that Germany could end Russian oil imports this year, but stopping gas imports would be tougher because the country would need to build infrastructure to import gas from alternative sources.
Russian oil accounts for 25 percent of German imports, down from 35 percent before the February 24 invasion. Gas imports to Germany from Russia have been cut to 40 percent from 55 percent, and hard coal imports to 25 percent from 50 percent.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

10-04-2022

4h ago 07:25
Russia claims missile strikes in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions
The Russian ministry of defence said on Sunday that its forces had carried out missile strikes in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.
Defense ministry spokesman Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said in a statement:
During the night in the village of Zvonetske - Dnipropetrovsk region - high-precision sea-based missiles destroyed the headquarters and base of the Dnipro nationalist battalion, where reinforcements from foreign mercenaries arrived the other day.
High-precision air-launched missiles in the area of the settlement of Stara Bohdanivka, Mykolaiv region and at the Chuhuiv military airfield [in Kharkiv region] destroyed launchers of Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems identified by reconnaissance.
The Guardian could not immediately verify those claims. The Russian military has repeatedly claimed it is targeting “foreign mercenaries” and “nationalist” formations in Ukraine and denies targeting civilian infrastructure, despite evidence to the contrary.
Earlier on Sunday Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration in east-central Ukraine, said there had been a series of strikes around the region over the past 24 hours.
He said:
There were sirens almost every hour and, unfortunately, there are incoming shells in different areas.
He added that a Russian strike on the regional capital of Dnipro had destroyed infrastructure, leaving one person injured, with rescuers working for hours to extinguish a fire.
Reznichenko said a rocket hit an industrial facility in the Pavlohrad district, to the east of Dnipro, destroying the premises and causing a fire while a farming building was burned down in the Dnipo district. No casualties were reported in either incident, he said.
Updated at 07.51 EDT

Also

4h ago 07:03
In Germany Bild is reporting that 15 German “Marder” light tanks could be ready to deliver to Ukraine in four months, with 35 delivered by the end of the year. But as Politico Europe reporter Hans von der Burchard asks: will this be too late?
Germany’s Rheinmeta

How I wish this war ends soon rather than some insisting that it must on the battlefield to deter Russia at Ukrainian Human cost..

MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. As many as 160 settlements have been liberated in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) by today, DPR’s leader, Denis Pushilin, said on Friday.
"We understand it perfectly well that they (Ukrainian troops - TASS) will only leave scorched land. We have seen it even in small settlements we liberate. As of today, as many as 160 settlements have already been liberated [in the DPR]," he said on journalist Anton Krasovsky’s YouTube channel.
"Quite a lot of big cities are yet to be liberated. Along with Kramatorsk, they are Krasnoarmeisk, Artemovsk, Druzhkovka, Slavyansk, Konstantinovka. So, our forces have a lot of work to do," Pushilin said.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. The Russian troops have destroyed 436 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 232 multiple launch rocket systems and 2,052 tanks and armored vehicles since the beginning of their special military operation in Ukraine, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.
"Overall, 127 aircraft, 98 helicopters, 234 surface-to-air missile systems, 436 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,052 tanks and other combat armored vehicles, 232 multiple launch rocket systems, 894 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 1,975 special military motor vehicles, have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation," the spokesman said.

But the West said Ukraine is winning and has killed up to 20,000 Russian soldiers

Posted by Al Jazeera

SOURCE: AP 10 Apr 2022

Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks peace despite expected Russian attacks
Ukrainian leader says he is still committed to pressing for peace, renewed his plea for more weapons.
Zelenskyy said he is confident Ukrainians would accept peace despite the horrors they have witnessed in the war [Reuters]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians and he renewed his plea for more weapons ahead of an expected surge in fighting in the country’s east.
Zelenskyy made the comments a day after at least 52 people were killed in an attack on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, and as evidence of civilian killings came to light after Russian troops failed to seize the capital Kyiv where he has hunkered down.
“No one wants to negotiate with a person or people who tortured this nation. It’s all understandable. And as a man, as a father, I understand this very well,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We don’t want to lose opportunities, if we have them, for a diplomatic solution.”
Wearing the olive drab that has marked his transformation into a wartime leader, he looked visibly exhausted yet animated by a drive to persevere.
He spoke from inside the presidential office complex, where windows and hallways are protected by towers of sandbags and heavily armed soldiers.
“We have to fight, but fight for life. You can’t fight for dust when there is nothing and no people. That’s why it is important to stop this war,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian troops that withdrew from northern Ukraine are now regrouping for what is expected to be an intensified push to retake the eastern Donbas region, including the besieged port city of Mariupol that Ukrainian fighters are striving to defend.
The president said those defenders are tying up “a big part of the enemy forces”, characterising the battle to hold Mariupol as “the heart of the war” right now.
Zelenskyy said he is confident Ukrainians would accept peace despite the horrors they have witnessed in the more than six-week-long war.
Those included gruesome images of bodies of civilians found in yards, parks and city squares and buried in mass graves in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after Russian troops withdrew.
Ukrainian and Western leaders have accused Moscow of war crimes.
Russia has claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged. It also put the blame on Ukraine for the train station attack in Kramatorsk as thousands of people rushed to flee ahead of an expected Russian offensive.
Despite hopes for peace, Zelenskyy acknowledged that he must be “realistic” about the prospects for a swift resolution given that negotiations have so far been limited to low-level talks that do not include Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy showed a palpable resignation and frustration when asked whether the supplies of weapons and other equipment his country has received from the United States and other Western nations were enough to turn the tide of the war.
“Not yet,” he said, switching to English for emphasis. “Of course it’s not enough.”
Still, he noted that there has been increased support from Europe and said deliveries of US weapons have been accelerating.
Just this week, neighbouring Slovakia, a European Union member, donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defence system to Ukraine in response to Zelenskyy’s appeal to help “close the skies” to Russian warplanes and missiles.
Some of that support has come through visits by European leaders.
After meeting Zelenskyy in Kyiv earlier on Saturday, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he expects more EU sanctions against Russia even as he defended his country’s opposition to cutting off deliveries of Russian natural gas.
The US, EU and UK responded to the images from Bucha with more sanctions, including ones targeting Putin’s adult daughters.
While the EU went after the Russian energy sector for the first time by banning coal, it has so far failed to agree on cutting off the much more lucrative oil and natural gas that is funding Putin’s war chest.
Europe relies on those supplies to generate electricity, fill fuel tanks and keep industry churning.
British PM Boris Johnson also made an
unannounced visit to meet Zelenskyy, with his office saying they discussed Britain’s “long-term support”.
In Kyiv on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented Ukraine’s leader with a questionnaire marking the first step for applying for EU membership.
The head of the bloc’s executive arm said the process for completing the questionnaire could take weeks – an unusually fast turnaround – though securing membership would take far longer.
SOURCE: AP 10 Apr 2022

Half truth is still better than non With all the Western propagandas

War in Ukraine: British US Marine Corps veteran training Kyiv special forces
newsfinale.comApr 9, 2022 4:45 PM

A former US Special Forces commander who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in the UK is training Ukrainian forces to battle Russians.

Andrew Milburn, who joined the US Marine Corps as a private but retired 31 years later as a Colonel established the military training centre in Ukraine, dubbed the Mozart Group, to pass on special forces skills to Kyiv.

According to Forces.net, several British Army veterans have joined the Mozart Group to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Former US Marine Colonel Andrew Milburn, centre, is in Ukraine training local special forces with a group of former British Army personnel
Former US Marine Colonel Andrew Milburn, centre, is in Ukraine training local special forces with a group of former British Army personnel
Colonel Milburn, who was born in Hong Kong, but grew up in London spent 31 years in the Marine Corps. He is now teaching Ukrainians how to spot IEDs and tactical awareness which will improve their chances on the front line
Colonel Milburn, who was born in Hong Kong, but grew up in London spent 31 years in the Marine Corps. He is now teaching Ukrainians how to spot IEDs and tactical awareness which will improve their chances on the front line
Colonel Milburn, pictured, said Ukrainian authorities should screen potential foreign recruits to determine if they have enough experience to allow onto the front line
Colonel Milburn, pictured, said Ukrainian authorities should screen potential foreign recruits to determine if they have enough experience to allow onto the front line
Colonel Milburn commanded the first Marines to take the fight directly against ISIS
Colonel Milburn commanded the first Marines to take the fight directly against ISIS


An estimated 5,000 people have volunteered to fight for Ukraine, though a surprising number of them have lacked basic military training.

Colonel Milburn said some of the non-military volunteers, including Britons and Americans have been shooting themselves to get sent back from the front lines.

He said better streaming of volunteers was necessary to determine if they have the required skills and temperament to fight on the front line.

Commenting on his programme, Colonel Milburn said: ‘We work through contacts in Ukraine’s special operations command and came up with a programme where guys are rotating out of the front line and we give them badly needed training, to make sure they at least “zero” their weapons right, they get medical training, EOD training and situational awareness training about spotting IEDs. The Russians have laid in plenty as they withdraw.’

The UK trainers, according to Colonel Milburn, ‘will not get their gun on and go on the front line and kill Russians’.

He said: ‘There are times, inadvertently or by design that we have to go on the front line to talk to units.



‘It’s a mitigated risk. We are not a reckless group of Angola-style mercenaries. We are building capability.’

‘We have had a series of incidents of guys wounding themselves purposefully to get out of combat. Westerners, Brits and Americans. There is not one nationality that are especially heinous.

‘There needs to be an assessment part, a screening point on the border before they get in country. Within a few minutes someone like myself or my guys, or veterans can tell if someone has been in the military.’

Colonel Milburn said he has been watching some commentary on Twitter with ‘armchair critics’ claiming the Russians are being pushed back or are being defeated.

Colonel Milburn said some volunteers who headed to the warzone - even from Britain and the United States - have lied about their military experience. Some, having got scared by the intense fighting have shot themselves to get away from the front lines
Colonel Milburn said some volunteers who headed to the warzone – even from Britain and the United States – have lied about their military experience. Some, having got scared by the intense fighting have shot themselves to get away from the front lines
He said: ‘The Russians are best in the defence and they have been inept in the offence, but they have reams of mines and they have got no shortage of artillery for shells. The barrages they bring down very quickly have to be seen to be believed.’

Colonel Milburn said he had planned to become a barrister in London having completed a law degree. Instead he deferred his entrance into Lincoln Inns for five years having enlisted into the US Marine Corps.

However, after his first enlistment he decided to continue with the US Marines, rising to the rank of Colonel.

Source: Daily Mail

See the below update.( If US and Nato are as powerful as they want the world to believe and Ukraine is winning as they claim, why disturbing Russian Military commanders with Phone calls? )

Pentagon says Russian military won’t pick up the phone — Analysis

massnews.com

Apr 7, 2022 11:02 PM



The US and Russia continue to have little communication.

US military leaders have had no communication with their counterparts in Moscow since the beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “and I myself have frequently reached out to our counterparts in Russia to try to ensure that we maintain a dialogue. That’s in the last – since mid-February,” Austin told the senators.

“That’s not been very successful because the Russians have not responded,” He concluded.

The Pentagon Chief claimed that he was “disappointed”This, he said, was the best way to go. “It doesn’t mean we’ll stop reaching out to engage them. I think we have to have the ability to talk to the leadership.”

Austin had been summoned to the Senate to answer questions about the Pentagon’s requested 2023 budget, the largest in US history. 

Pentagon spokeswoman John Kirby, March 30, admitted that there was “no conversations to speak to” with the Russian military, but professed a “willingness to have those discussions,” after a reporter asked whether Washington had been “in touch” with Russia’s military leadership. 

“But it’s a two-way street. The Russians have to be willing to pick up the phone and thus far they have not been willing to do that,” Kirby added.

snookcg:
I am not a nuclear scientist o... But see ehn.... Russia firing several nukes to different locations at once means all involved must reply before the nukes land. Bros, nothing will be spared... The earth foundation fit collapse self.

Russia have the most powerful nuclear weapons in the history of the world which just 1 , 2 or at most 3 will destroy UK, France, Poland and several other Nato countries.

There was a declassified info on USSR several years ago which was a surprise to United States and her allies! Russia have underground bunker cities that have all the facilities and food storage required for millions of Russians to live underground for up to 10years. ( They're nuclear weapons resistant bunkers! )

The US started theirs after the discovery as they were shocked.

Russia believe they can win a nuclear war and the west know they can but millions of their people will also die

See the below update.( If US and Nato are as powerful as they want the world to believe and Ukraine is winning as they claim, why disturbing Russian Military commanders with Phone calls? )

Pentagon says Russian military won’t pick up the phone — Analysis

massnews.com

Apr 7, 2022 11:02 PM



The US and Russia continue to have little communication.

US military leaders have had no communication with their counterparts in Moscow since the beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “and I myself have frequently reached out to our counterparts in Russia to try to ensure that we maintain a dialogue. That’s in the last – since mid-February,” Austin told the senators.

“That’s not been very successful because the Russians have not responded,” He concluded.

The Pentagon Chief claimed that he was “disappointed”This, he said, was the best way to go. “It doesn’t mean we’ll stop reaching out to engage them. I think we have to have the ability to talk to the leadership.”

Austin had been summoned to the Senate to answer questions about the Pentagon’s requested 2023 budget, the largest in US history. 

Pentagon spokeswoman John Kirby, March 30, admitted that there was “no conversations to speak to” with the Russian military, but professed a “willingness to have those discussions,” after a reporter asked whether Washington had been “in touch” with Russia’s military leadership. 

“But it’s a two-way street. The Russians have to be willing to pick up the phone and thus far they have not been willing to do that,” Kirby added.

snookcg:
See ehen... The real reason the west are not getting involved yet is that Ukraine na Still Russia brother. If he set, Russia is not almighty.. everybody go collect.

Us and Nato are not also Almighty, invincible or untouchable that's why they formed Nato to counter USSR.

Forget what the west want you to believe.

Russia still have allies in the world and a Nato war with Russia will drag more countries who are Russian allies and those who hate Nato to also attack Us and Nato with any other country that supports them.

The war will simply go nuclear quickly and most Nato countries will be wiped off the face of the earth.

Russia have the largest land mass in the world and would definitely have people that will survive it but Uk, France, Poland, Japan, south Korea etc won't survive it.

Us will be there first target as it is Nato backbone.

Get United States and Nato is finish.

snookcg:
See ehen... The real reason the west are not getting involved yet is that Ukraine na Still Russia brother. If he set, Russia is not almighty.. everybody go collect.

Us and Nato are not also Almighty, invincible or untouchable that's why they formed Nato to counter USSR.

Forget what the west want you to believe.

Russia still have allies in the world and a Nato war with Russia will drag more countries who are Russian allies and those who hate Nato to also attack Us and Nato with any other country that supports them.

The war will simply go nuclear quickly and most Nato countries will be wiped off the face of the earth.

Russia have the largest land mass in the world and would definitely have people that will survive it but Uk, France, Poland, Japan, south Korea etc won't survive it.

snookcg:
NATO from hence will grow stronger. They will start putting measures in place to protect themselves from hence should in case an American president like Trump decides to pull out leaving them hopeless. Germany nor get hin own military o since Hitler make Una not forget.

Germany have it own military, likewise Japan but they are purely defensive in nature not meant to attack.

As per Nato, the organization may grow but they will be more careful with Russia next Time due to it not being afraid of the threats from the 30 Nation organization but still went ahead to attack Ukraine.

What most people don't know is that Us and Nato countries has been training and arming Ukraine with weapons since 2014 despite it denial.

secondly, Ukraine manufactures it's own weapons from Land, sea to air weapons ( Remember that it was formally part of USSR and the 2nd largest and strongest in the Soviet union)

Let me say that despite propaganda and the fear of Us sanctions which has swayed many countries towards Ukraine and the weapons pumped into Ukraine which makes it more powerful than most Nato countries, Ukraine has lost several times more military men and equipment than Russia.

Facts will be out before or after the War.

However, UK and several Nato countries have given their military strict orders not to engage Russian pilots aggressively if they intrude Nato borders so as not to start a war with Russia which will lead to WW3.

US and Nato with Ukraine know that they're losing more in men and equipment but can't come out and say so. ( They will lose credibility if they do so and Russia will be more aggressive ).


Germany became a NATO member on 6 May 1955. This was the result of several years of deliberations among western leaders and Germany,

Nigeria neutral in UN vote despite Russia’s abstention threat
Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council would be viewed as an "unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties.
Chiamaka Okafor
— April 7, 2022

(0) Nigeria abstained from Thursday’s vote to suspend Russia from the United Nations‘ human rights council over allegations of gross human rights violations in Ukraine, brushing aside Moscow’s warning that it would view such a decision as an unfriendly act.
Russia had warned countries at the UN that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Russia’s mission to the UN urged countries to “speak out against the anti-Russian resolution”, according to Reuters.
“It is worth mentioning that not only support for such an initiative, but also an equidistant position in the vote (abstention or non-participation) will be considered as an unfriendly gesture,” the note read. “In addition, the position of each country will be taken into account both in the development of bilateral relations and in the work on the issues important for it within the framework of the U.N.”
Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, urged UNGA members to “press the ‘yes’ button and to save the Human Rights Council and many lives around the world and in Ukraine.”
“On the other hand, pressing ‘no’ means pulling a trigger and means a red dot on the screen – red as the blood of the innocent lives lost,” Mr Kyslytsya was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying during a special session on Ukraine.
The vote went through on Thursday and Russia became the first permanent member of the UN Security Council to ever have its membership revoked, albeit temporarily, from any United Nations body. The resolution achieved the two-thirds majority of UNGA voting members required to pass, with 93 votes cast in favour and 24 against. A total of 58 countries abstained, but their votes did not count towards the final tally.
Nigeria abstained from the voting alongside most African countries.
Nigeria previously voted in favour of the demand that Russia stop its offensive and immediately withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
African countries that abstained on Thursday are: Algeria, Central Africa Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali, Zimbabwe voted against while, Senegal, Botswana, Angola, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Egypt, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Jide Osuntokun, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, told PREMIUM TIMES that Nigeria’s decision to abstain is a wise policy decision.
Mr Osuntokun said the decision could have to do with the trade ties Nigeria has with Russia.
“I think abstaining, when you put it side by side with previous condemnation, I think it is a policy in the right direction, do not forget that we have quite reasonable economic ties with Russia, we import wheat from them,” he said.
“Both Russia and Ukraine were helping us with the Ajaokuta steel company and the Ikot Abasi aluminium complex, whereas the serious economic ties we used to have with the United States where they bought a lot of our oil, now they hardly buy anything from us. In terms of economic ties with the U.S., it is almost zero.”
He added that the UN’s suspension of Russia from the human rights council may have gone too far, advocating that the issues between Russia and Ukraine be resolved carefully.
“You know whatever anybody may say, Russia is a world power, personally, I think the way this war is going on may not end well for the whole world because it is better to resolve the matter carefully… by abstaining, we are not backing Russia nor are we supporting it,” Mr Osuntokun.
Owei Lakemfa former secretary general organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) said, “Nigeria has no business supporting one group or the other.”
“…We are even in danger when it comes to NATO, we do not have any business going to support one country against the other. If any NATO member has a problem with an African country, NATO comes and bombs that country like they did in Libya,” Mr Lakemfa said.
He added that the sensible thing for Ukraine to do is to reach a ceasefire agreement and start a negotiation process with Russia.
“Those who are now motivational speakers to Ukraine (U.S. and co), there is nothing happening in its territory. Ukraine has an economy to run, children to go to school and all these things are being destroyed.
“All NATO wants is a victory and it does not matter where the victory comes from; both territories are expendable to NATO. What sensible people should do is to find a way of ensuring a ceasefire in that country and there is a negotiated settlement so the country can move back to some form of normalcy,” Mr Lakemfa said.
According to him, NATO will get tired of Ukraine in a few months, take a back seat and move on to other things that will come up.
“NATO is a military alliance and has nothing to do with development or peace in the world.”

Nigeria neutral in UN vote despite Russia’s abstention threat
Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council would be viewed as an "unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties.
Chiamaka Okafor
— April 7, 2022

(0) Nigeria abstained from Thursday’s vote to suspend Russia from the United Nations‘ human rights council over allegations of gross human rights violations in Ukraine, brushing aside Moscow’s warning that it would view such a decision as an unfriendly act.
Russia had warned countries at the UN that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Russia’s mission to the UN urged countries to “speak out against the anti-Russian resolution”, according to Reuters.
“It is worth mentioning that not only support for such an initiative, but also an equidistant position in the vote (abstention or non-participation) will be considered as an unfriendly gesture,” the note read. “In addition, the position of each country will be taken into account both in the development of bilateral relations and in the work on the issues important for it within the framework of the U.N.”
Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, urged UNGA members to “press the ‘yes’ button and to save the Human Rights Council and many lives around the world and in Ukraine.”
“On the other hand, pressing ‘no’ means pulling a trigger and means a red dot on the screen – red as the blood of the innocent lives lost,” Mr Kyslytsya was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying during a special session on Ukraine.
The vote went through on Thursday and Russia became the first permanent member of the UN Security Council to ever have its membership revoked, albeit temporarily, from any United Nations body. The resolution achieved the two-thirds majority of UNGA voting members required to pass, with 93 votes cast in favour and 24 against. A total of 58 countries abstained, but their votes did not count towards the final tally.
Nigeria abstained from the voting alongside most African countries.
Nigeria previously voted in favour of the demand that Russia stop its offensive and immediately withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
African countries that abstained on Thursday are: Algeria, Central Africa Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali, Zimbabwe voted against while, Senegal, Botswana, Angola, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Egypt, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Jide Osuntokun, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, told PREMIUM TIMES that Nigeria’s decision to abstain is a wise policy decision.
Mr Osuntokun said the decision could have to do with the trade ties Nigeria has with Russia.
“I think abstaining, when you put it side by side with previous condemnation, I think it is a policy in the right direction, do not forget that we have quite reasonable economic ties with Russia, we import wheat from them,” he said.
“Both Russia and Ukraine were helping us with the Ajaokuta steel company and the Ikot Abasi aluminium complex, whereas the serious economic ties we used to have with the United States where they bought a lot of our oil, now they hardly buy anything from us. In terms of economic ties with the U.S., it is almost zero.”
He added that the UN’s suspension of Russia from the human rights council may have gone too far, advocating that the issues between Russia and Ukraine be resolved carefully.
“You know whatever anybody may say, Russia is a world power, personally, I think the way this war is going on may not end well for the whole world because it is better to resolve the matter carefully… by abstaining, we are not backing Russia nor are we supporting it,” Mr Osuntokun.
Owei Lakemfa former secretary general organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) said, “Nigeria has no business supporting one group or the other.”
“…We are even in danger when it comes to NATO, we do not have any business going to support one country against the other. If any NATO member has a problem with an African country, NATO comes and bombs that country like they did in Libya,” Mr Lakemfa said.
He added that the sensible thing for Ukraine to do is to reach a ceasefire agreement and start a negotiation process with Russia.
“Those who are now motivational speakers to Ukraine (U.S. and co), there is nothing happening in its territory. Ukraine has an economy to run, children to go to school and all these things are being destroyed.
“All NATO wants is a victory and it does not matter where the victory comes from; both territories are expendable to NATO. What sensible people should do is to find a way of ensuring a ceasefire in that country and there is a negotiated settlement so the country can move back to some form of normalcy,” Mr Lakemfa said.
According to him, NATO will get tired of Ukraine in a few months, take a back seat and move on to other things that will come up.
“NATO is a military alliance and has nothing to do with development or peace in the world.”

Nigeria neutral in UN vote despite Russia’s abstention threat
Russia had warned countries that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council would be viewed as an "unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties.
Chiamaka Okafor
— April 7, 2022

(0) Nigeria abstained from Thursday’s vote to suspend Russia from the United Nations‘ human rights council over allegations of gross human rights violations in Ukraine, brushing aside Moscow’s warning that it would view such a decision as an unfriendly act.
Russia had warned countries at the UN that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push to suspend the country from the Human Rights Council will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Russia’s mission to the UN urged countries to “speak out against the anti-Russian resolution”, according to Reuters.
“It is worth mentioning that not only support for such an initiative, but also an equidistant position in the vote (abstention or non-participation) will be considered as an unfriendly gesture,” the note read. “In addition, the position of each country will be taken into account both in the development of bilateral relations and in the work on the issues important for it within the framework of the U.N.”
Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, urged UNGA members to “press the ‘yes’ button and to save the Human Rights Council and many lives around the world and in Ukraine.”
“On the other hand, pressing ‘no’ means pulling a trigger and means a red dot on the screen – red as the blood of the innocent lives lost,” Mr Kyslytsya was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying during a special session on Ukraine.
The vote went through on Thursday and Russia became the first permanent member of the UN Security Council to ever have its membership revoked, albeit temporarily, from any United Nations body. The resolution achieved the two-thirds majority of UNGA voting members required to pass, with 93 votes cast in favour and 24 against. A total of 58 countries abstained, but their votes did not count towards the final tally.
Nigeria abstained from the voting alongside most African countries.
Nigeria previously voted in favour of the demand that Russia stop its offensive and immediately withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
African countries that abstained on Thursday are: Algeria, Central Africa Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali, Zimbabwe voted against while, Senegal, Botswana, Angola, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Egypt, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Jide Osuntokun, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, told PREMIUM TIMES that Nigeria’s decision to abstain is a wise policy decision.
Mr Osuntokun said the decision could have to do with the trade ties Nigeria has with Russia.
“I think abstaining, when you put it side by side with previous condemnation, I think it is a policy in the right direction, do not forget that we have quite reasonable economic ties with Russia, we import wheat from them,” he said.
“Both Russia and Ukraine were helping us with the Ajaokuta steel company and the Ikot Abasi aluminium complex, whereas the serious economic ties we used to have with the United States where they bought a lot of our oil, now they hardly buy anything from us. In terms of economic ties with the U.S., it is almost zero.”
He added that the UN’s suspension of Russia from the human rights council may have gone too far, advocating that the issues between Russia and Ukraine be resolved carefully.
“You know whatever anybody may say, Russia is a world power, personally, I think the way this war is going on may not end well for the whole world because it is better to resolve the matter carefully… by abstaining, we are not backing Russia nor are we supporting it,” Mr Osuntokun.
Owei Lakemfa former secretary general organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) said, “Nigeria has no business supporting one group or the other.”
“…We are even in danger when it comes to NATO, we do not have any business going to support one country against the other. If any NATO member has a problem with an African country, NATO comes and bombs that country like they did in Libya,” Mr Lakemfa said.
He added that the sensible thing for Ukraine to do is to reach a ceasefire agreement and start a negotiation process with Russia.
“Those who are now motivational speakers to Ukraine (U.S. and co), there is nothing happening in its territory. Ukraine has an economy to run, children to go to school and all these things are being destroyed.
“All NATO wants is a victory and it does not matter where the victory comes from; both territories are expendable to NATO. What sensible people should do is to find a way of ensuring a ceasefire in that country and there is a negotiated settlement so the country can move back to some form of normalcy,” Mr Lakemfa said.
According to him, NATO will get tired of Ukraine in a few months, take a back seat and move on to other things that will come up.
“NATO is a military alliance and has nothing to do with development or peace in the world.”

NATO countries took part in designing new weapons for Ukraine — Russian top brass
Western-made weapons were discovered on the territory of the Izyum instrument-making enterprise, Russia’s Defense Ministry also informed
MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. The documentation discovered on the premises of the Izyum instrument-making enterprise shows that NATO countries participated in developing assemblies and parts for the designing of new weapons and military hardware of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
The Izyum instrument-making enterprise produced optical devices for the Ukraine-made armor (BTR-4E armored personnel carriers) that were developed under NATO standards, it said.
"Also, documentation, drawings and journals were discovered on the premises of the factory, which evidenced the complicity of NATO countries in joint projects for developing assemblies and parts in the process of designing new armaments and military hardware of the Ukrainian armed forces," the ministry said.
The air mobile forces and militants of the Ukrainian nationalist battalions turned the factory’s territory into a stronghold and set up their defenses there. Several days ago, the enemy was pushed out of these strongholds by Russian troops.
"Western-made weapons were discovered on the territory of the enterprise, which were abandoned upon the retreat of the Kiev regime’s formations: Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems, various anti-tank systems and also Ukraine-made weapons and ammunition," the ministry said.

This War is not going the way western media want us to believe.

War: Russia wants to wipe us off earth’s surface – Ukrainian commander cries out NEWS
Published on April 7, 2022

: A Ukrainian military commander, Serhiy Volyna, has warned that Russian military forces are trying to wipe the southern city of Mariupol “off the face of the Earth.”
The commander, who is currently in Mariupol, told CNN that Russian forces have encircled them in Mariupol for more than 40 days now.
He described the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe, adding that the Ukrainian forces involved in active hostilities in the region are completely surrounded.
The general said that the supply of water, food, medication and general supply has been seriously affected by the situation.
Serhiy Volyna is the deputy commander of the Marine Battalion in Mariupol and has been fighting in the region since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
“We have been encircled in Mariupol for more than 40 days. The enemy outnumbers us and in terms of weaponry, their artillery, they have sea-based artillery, tanks, armored vehicles and of course mortars. It is difficult for us,” Volyna said.
“It’s just air bombardment… They are just wiping the city off the face of the Earth and wherever any reinforcements they are also using their tanks to crush that,” he continued.

War is not what one should pray for.

This War is not going the way western media want us to believe.

War: Russia wants to wipe us off earth’s surface – Ukrainian commander cries out NEWS
Published on April 7, 2022

A Ukrainian military commander, Serhiy Volyna, has warned that Russian military forces are trying to wipe the southern city of Mariupol “off the face of the Earth.”
The commander, who is currently in Mariupol, told CNN that Russian forces have encircled them in Mariupol for more than 40 days now.
He described the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe, adding that the Ukrainian forces involved in active hostilities in the region are completely surrounded.
The general said that the supply of water, food, medication and general supply has been seriously affected by the situation.
Serhiy Volyna is the deputy commander of the Marine Battalion in Mariupol and has been fighting in the region since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
“We have been encircled in Mariupol for more than 40 days. The enemy outnumbers us and in terms of weaponry, their artillery, they have sea-based artillery, tanks, armored vehicles and of course mortars. It is difficult for us,” Volyna said.
“It’s just air bombardment… They are just wiping the city off the face of the Earth and wherever any reinforcements they are also using their tanks to crush that,” he continued.

edosignature:
The western media will never show all these because they are cowards & forever they'll be.

They will loss respect if they do.

This Ukraine Vrs Russia war ain't going to end soon if compromise is not made.

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. The strategic aviation of Russia’s Aerospace Forces has struck 14 Ukrainian military targets overnight, including two command centers and two Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told journalists on Monday.
"During the night, the strategic aviation of Russia’s Aerospace Forces has struck 14 Ukrainian military targets. They include two command centers, two launch platforms of Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile systems in the vicinity of Krasnogorka and Verkhnetoretskoye, one artillery cluster, two depots of missile and artillery armaments and munitions and three fuel depots, as well as six defended posts and areas of concentration of the combat equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces," he said.
According to him, Russian air defense systems also shot down six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) "in the vicinity of the populated localities of Nikolaev, Kherson, Kurakhovka, Industrialnoye, Velikaya Novoselka."

Gloccz:
Forget that one Na lie

When iroko fmr ibaka die
Wetin eiye do? The war end with speed

From what I heard, Eiye retaliated and killed Aye number 2 man( Obasa by name) and one or 2 other Ayes and the war quickly ended.

The above was the reality.

Cultism is evil and several people will cover the truth to make their Cult group look invincible and attractive to prospective members.

Let say No to Cultism as it's wasting lives.

LVIV, Ukraine: Rescuers were searching for survivors among the debris on Friday after two missiles hit a Ukrainian military unit on the outskirts of the city of Dnipro, causing “serious destruction,” regional governor Valentyn Reznychenko said on social media.
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Update

LVIV, Ukraine: Rescuers were searching for survivors among the debris on Friday after two missiles hit a Ukrainian military unit on the outskirts of the city of Dnipro, causing “serious destruction,” regional governor Valentyn Reznychenko said on social media.
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Russia Captures Izyum Town In Ukraine.

The spokesman of Russian Defence Ministry (Igor Konashenkov) has claimed that the country’s armed forces have taken full control of the city of Izyum in Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine.

However Ukraine says it's not true.

We'll know how true in the coming days.

Russia Captures Izyum Town In Ukraine.

The spokesman of Russian Defence Ministry (Igor Konashenkov) has claimed that the country’s armed forces have taken full control of the city of Izyum in Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine.

However Ukraine says it's not true.

We will know who's in control in the coming days.

Make believe everywhere! Why ban Russian news media from reporting on the conflict if not for flooding the whole place with propaganda?

Anyway let them both continue since they're not ready for peace.( At the end of the conflict the world will truly know how many died on each side)

The world will fill impact of this war for years to come.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: List of key events from day 27
As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 27th day, we take a look at the main developments.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows burning oil storage tanks in an industrial area in Chernihiv on Monday [AP]
These are the key events so far on Tuesday, March 22. Get the latest updates here .
Fighting
The focal point is Mariupol, a strategically important southern port that has suffered some of the heaviest bombardment since Russia invaded . Many of its 400,000 residents remain trapped as fighting rages around them.
Russian artillery continues to pound the eastern cities of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv.
A Ukrainian news outlet is reporting air raid sirens “in almost every region” of the country.
The Pentagon says Russia is boosting air and sea military operations in Ukraine, flying more than 300 missions in the past 24 hours.
Refugees
Nearly 3.5 million people have left Ukraine while 6.5 million people have been displaced internally, the United Nations says. More than 8,000 people were evacuated on Monday.
Sanctions
The European Union cannot agree on whether or how to impose sanctions on Russia’s lucrative energy sector. Germany says the bloc is too dependent on Russian oil for that.
Diplomacy
Peace talks have resumed but there is no sign of significant progress to end the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready for talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “in any format”.
US-Russia ties are on the brink of collapse, Russia’s foreign ministry says, summoning the US ambassador after Biden called Putin a “war criminal”.
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote again this week on a motion criticising Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Facebook, Instagram ban
A Russian court has banned Facebook and Instagram as “extremist”, part of the Kremlin’s sweeping efforts to censor news about the war.
You can read key moments from Day 26 here
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Ukraine war exposes cracks in US ties to Middle East allies
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are pursuing their own interests, analysts say, as the US urges a united front against Russia’s Putin.
Media reports suggest Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has rejected calls from Biden [File: Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo]
By Ali Harb
Washington, DC – With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominating discussions around the world, the Biden administration has been promoting global unity against what it calls Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war of choice”.
But despite those efforts, the conflict has highlighted cracks in some of the United States’ most prominent alliances in the Middle East, notably with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
The latest manifestation of this apparent rift came last week when the UAE hosted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite repeated warnings from Washington against normalising ties with the government in Damascus. It was al-Assad’s first visit to an Arab country since the Syrian war broke out in 2011, and it came weeks after the Syrian president expressed full support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Al-Assad coming to the UAE, shortly after the Gulf Arab country voted to abstain from a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, tells us that the Emiratis are very serious about asserting their autonomy from the United States,” said Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, a Washington, DC-based geopolitical risk consultancy.
Abu Dhabi’s abstention last month from the US-backed United Nations Security Council proposal on Ukraine was followed by anonymously-sourced media reports alleging that Saudi and Emirati leaders rebuffed calls from US President Joe Biden. And last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia is in talks with China to ditch the US dollar in favour of the yuan to conduct oil transactions with Beijing.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia appear to be sending a message to the US, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, told Al Jazeera: “‘We’re going to act upon our interests and not what you think our interests are.'”
Mounting tensions
The Wall Street Journal reported this month that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – as well as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – had rejected calls from Biden. But the White House dismissed that report as “inaccurate” while the US has repeatedly stressed the importance of its relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Cafiero noted that the UAE is not walking away from its relationship with the US, as Washington remains Abu Dhabi’s “security guarantor”. He added that the UAE enjoys a “very strong position in Washington”, especially after leading a push by Arab states to normalise ties with Israel via the so-called “ Abraham Accords “.
“The leadership in Abu Dhabi is very confident that it can take steps that upset Washington, such as welcoming Bashar al-Assad to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, without having to pay a big price in terms of its relationship with the US,” Cafiero told Al Jazeera.
Washington issued rare public criticism of Abu Dhabi over al-Assad’s visit, however. US Department of State Spokesman Ned Price told the Reuters news agency on the weekend that the US was “profoundly disappointed”, calling the Syrian president’s trip an “apparent attempt to legitimise” his government.
Abu Dhabi’s push to normalise ties with al-Assad has been going on for years despite Washington’s protests. But the UAE’s main grievances with the US appear to be over Yemen, not Syria.
Missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the UAE and Saudi Arabia intensified in January and February – and the Wall Street Journal, in its article on the allegedly rebuffed calls, reported that the Gulf nations had concerns about what they view as a “restrained US response”.
The US sent fighter jets and a guided-missile destroyer to help bolster Emirati defences in the aftermath of the attacks, while US forces in the UAE also said they helped intercept Houthi missiles aimed at an airbase where they are stationed in the country.
But the Emirati leadership has pushed the Biden administration to designate the Houthis as a “terrorist” group, a move that rights organisations have
warned would worsen the country’s humanitarian crisis. A Saudi-led, US-backed coalition that included the UAE intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels, who had taken over large swathes of territory, including the capital, Sanaa.
Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a US think-tank, said that despite the purported frustration from the Gulf countries, the Biden administration has backed Riyadh and Abu Dhabi against the Houthis, both in rhetoric and practice.
“From my perspective, this notion that the US isn’t doing enough to support what the Saudis and Emiratis are doing in Yemen just seems somewhat absurd,” she told Al Jazeera last week. “But I know that in particular, the UAE wants the US to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation.”
Global oil supplies
Despite these contentious issues, the Biden administration has said it intends to maintain and improve ties with its Gulf partners. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted on March 10
that Biden spoke to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in February and said “the president’s focus is really on our relationship moving forward”.
The Biden administration is almost entirely focused on the crisis in Ukraine, as the US and its allies have unleashed a flood of sanctions against the Russian economy, including the country’s energy sector. On March 8, Biden
announced a ban on oil and gas imports from Russia, and several European countries have pledged to decrease their dependence on Russian energy supplies. The turmoil has sent petrol prices soaring across the US and the world.
The US has been calling for increased oil production to lower prices since last year – a push that became more urgent after Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24. But the OPEC+ oil cartel, which includes Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, said in early March that it would stick to its current production plans, touting a “well-balanced market” experiencing “volatility” due to “current geopolitical developments”.
On March 9, Abu Dhabi’s embassy in Washington expressed support for pumping more oil, but hours later the UAE’s energy minister wrote on Twitter that the country would abide by the existing OPEC+ agreement.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on March 18 [WAM/Handout via Reuters]
Ulrichsen said the UAE and Saudi Arabia appear to be acting as though they have leverage over Biden, given the domestic political implications of rising petrol prices in the US. He added that the US president’s troubled tenure so far – marred by low approval ratings, the chaotic exit from Afghanistan and an inability to pass major legislation – could be hardening the posture of Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
“They may sense weakness,” said Ulrichsen. “And they may think that playing hard could get them more concessions. That could be part of the calculation.”
Cafiero said Biden is trying to avoid a hostile confrontation with Gulf partners as he prioritises uniting the US’s allies against Russia.
“The US is trying to bring more Arab states against Putin, and the US is trying to cooperate with oil-producing countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as the US and other Western countries deal with the impact of the war in Ukraine on energy markets ,” he said. “Within this context, the Biden administration is not wanting a fight with either Abu Dhabi or Riyadh right now.”
Human rights
Beyond oil production and the crisis in Ukraine, the Biden administration, which pledged to put human rights at the centre of US foreign policy when it came into office in January 2021, has faced calls to pressure Saudi Arabia and the UAE to improve their rights record and end the Yemen war.
Democrats in Washington had been increasingly critical of ties with Riyadh, especially following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
But last Wednesday, Price, the US State Department spokesperson, declined to condemn the mass execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia in a single day. Instead, he said repeatedly that the administration is “continuing to raise concerns about fair trial guarantees” with the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the UAE’s bin Zayed held a phone call with Putin last week. According to a Kremlin readout of the call, conveyed by Russian media , the Emirati leader “reaffirmed that Russia has a right to ensure national security”. In a separate statement, the UAE said bin Zayed told Putin his country would continue to coordinate with “concerned parties” to “help find a sustainable political solution to the ongoing crisis” in Ukraine.
Ultimately, the war in Ukraine has highlighted the fact that Washington’s Gulf allies are pursuing their own interests in a world where the US is no longer the sole superpower, said Sheline of the Quincy Institute.
“It makes rational sense for other countries to not rely so much on the US anymore,” she told Al Jazeera. “But then it’s irrational for the US to sort of unconditionally support these countries, especially when at crucial UN Security Council votes, they vote against what the US is trying to do.”
For his part, Cafiero said the US does not want to see its Gulf partners turn to Russia and China for support. “In a world that is becoming increasingly multipolar, these Gulf Arab countries have much potential to turn to other powers such as China and Russia to gain greater autonomy from the United States,” he said.
“Officials in Washington realise that trying to put too much pressure on some of these GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries could result in them finding their partnerships with Beijing or Moscow to be more appealing.”

Key update


House to house fighting now going on in Marioupol.( No more kind gloves )


neighborhoods as fighting goes street-to-street, officials say
By Loveday Morris and Anastacia Galouchka 12:08 p.m.
DNIPRO, Ukraine — Russian forces are present in all civilian neighborhoods of Mariupol, as the battle for control of the strategic port city descends into house-to-house guerrilla warfare, Ukrainian military and city officials said Sunday.
“They are in the center, in the periphery, they are everywhere,” Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said in an interview with The Washington Post. He said that over the past four days, the war has shifted into intense street fighting.
“Our boys are fighting back,” he said. “But it’s hard.”
Russian gunships have also been targeting the city for several days, Boychenko said. With communications cut, information from the city has been scant, but those fleeing have painted a picture of a city where Ukrainian forces are losing their grip.
Lt. Col. Sergiy Bachynskyj, a spokesman for the military hospital in Dnipro, a city nearly 200 miles northwest of Mariupol, said dozens of workers from the military hospital in Mariupol have evacuated in recent days. About 40 essential employees have remained, he said.
“They are in all the civilian quarters right now,” he said of the Russian forces.
Industrial areas linked to the city’s steel industry, meanwhile, are still in Ukrainian control. “It’s the main zone of fighting,” he said. “I’m not saying that there are no Ukrainian soldiers in other parts of the city, they just don’t control that territory.”
Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor’s office, said that, overall, there is “no complete control on either side.”
“Who can talk about controlling, when one building is Russian-occupied, and one is Ukrainian military,” he said.
“It was, is and always will be a Ukrainian city,” he added. “The Russian army can bomb everything in Mariupol, but that doesn’t mean Mariupol isn’t Ukrainian. That’s why they are bombing it completely.”

Points to note.

United States, almost all 30 Nato members countries have been training and arming Ukraine since 2014( 8 years) to fight the Russians even apart from Ukraine which produces a lot of her own weapons.

( Ukraine inherited lots of technology from former Soviet union) but Russia is still eating their Land bit by bit.( at least 1/5 of Ukraine is completely under Russian control while fighting are going on over some while some areas in the west are yet to see war because they are not part of the take over plan).

Malawian:
For those who don't understand physics, if they shoot that missile in sokoto, it will reach Lagos under 2 minutes. I am not even sure you will have enough time to get out of the way before you are toasted "extra crispy".

Very correct.

it too fast for almost all present day anti missiles reaction time and only Russia S550 can try to stop Hypersonic missiles but it very few in Russian inventory.( one or two battalions available)

Russia is not even selling S500 not to talk of S550 to any country..

The missile can also carry Nuclear war heads and multiple decoys. It's a nasty missile and very accurate.

Russia build her modern missiles and upgraded some older ones to be re targeted in flights.