₦airaland Forum

The death toll – an incredible tally for a war that the Kremlin believed would be over within days – was published by a pro-government website, but quickly taken down.

There was speculation that it was uploaded by a pro-Ukrainian employee. Russia had previously admitted to 498 deaths – but that was on March 2.

The news came as satellite photos showed further evidence that Putin's forces were going on the defensive and digging in ahead of a 'long war'.

Last night's figures said 9,861 soldiers had died in Ukraine, with 16,153 injured. About 15,000 Soviet troops died in Afghanistan after the 1979 invasion – but that was over ten years.

Ukraine has put the Russian dead at 15,000 – but the latest figures are higher than US estimate of 7,000.

The death toll was part of an update from Moscow's defence ministry – and, while they were quickly removed from the website of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a pro-government tabloid, they remained on the archive last night.

Though the figures offer an insight into Ukraine's military successes, there were signs last night that the war was turning Russia's way.



A UK intelligence report – seen by the Daily Mail – said Moscow's forces are making significant breakthroughs.

They have more effectively used drones to strike Ukrainian targets on the ground.

Russian forces have also destroyed a number of Turkish-made TB2 drones, which have proved highly effective against its troops and equipment.

Ukrainian ground-to-air defence systems may also have been destroyed, the report suggests, as increasing numbers of missiles have been finding their targets.

Russian rockets have struck a training base for foreign fighters – killing 35 and wounding 134 troops – an aircraft repair facility and underground silos storing Kyiv's stockpile of Western weapons.

The report explains how Russia, after replenishing its artillery supplies, has 'steadily increased its bombardment of various cities, particularly Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv'.

UK defence analysts have also expressed concern that Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic missile can bypass anti-missile defence systems.

Analysts also questioned previous Western assessments that Ukrainian air defences remained effective.

The intelligence report says Russia intends its 'total destruction' of Mariupol to 'serve as a warning to other cities'.


It said: 'The pattern of destruction of food and water supplies, targeting of civilians, indiscriminate use of firepower to advance, is already being repeated elsewhere. This is based on effective lessons learned [by the Russians] in Syria.'


In another alarming assessment, Kyiv fears there is a 'high likelihood' of Belarus joining Russia's invasion.

Its armoured forces are expected to head south, 'likely towards Lviv', in western Ukraine.

On a visit to London, Ukraine's defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said: 'Several small cities have simply been wiped off the face of the earth.

'Moscow is afraid of our army so they are fighting civilians.'

The Kremlin's forces appeared to be digging in a strong defensive position around Kyiv as satellite imagery released on Friday appeared to show Russian mines planted northwest of the capital.

An American think-tank remarked that 'Russian forces did not make any major advances on March 21' and did not 'conduct major offensive operations', continuing to push on with 'low-quality reserves' and riddled with logistics issues.

On Sunday the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Russia is preparing its people 'for a long war' as the 'occupation forces have lost their offensive potential'.

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On Friday Denys Monastyrsky told The Associated Press that Ukraine will need Western assistance to cope with the massive task of defusing explosives once the war is over.

He said: 'A huge number of shells and mines have been fired at Ukraine and a large part haven't exploded, they remain under the rubble and pose a real threat.


'It will take years, not months, to defuse them.'

Ukrainian troops have also have planted land mines at bridges, airports and other key infrastructure to prevent Russians from using them.

'We won't be able to remove the mines from all that territory, so I asked our international partners and colleagues from the European Union and the United States to prepare groups of experts to demine the areas of combat and facilities that came under shelling,' Monastyrsky added.

According to The Times, a military source told the paper that planting mines was a part of Russia's new 'defensive posture' and 'indicates they are in it for the long haul'.

On Sunday Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces also said in a Facebook post: 'The opponent continues to bear losses, has significant problems with the composition of units and parts of the personal composition, logistics.

'At the same time, Russian propagandists started preparing the population of the Russian Federation for a long war.

'Official communication channels are spreading propaganda about alleged success in conducting the so-called 'special military operation', public measures are being carried out to support the war in Ukraine.'

Patron: The 'star' sniffer dog rewarded with fresh cheese for tracking down landmines
An adorable sniffer dog has earned his reputation as a 'top land mine tracker'

A two-year-old Jack Russell called Patron has become the mascot of the Ukrainian Cherinhiv bomb disposal squad, and his finds are rewarded with tasty fresh cheese at the end of the working day.

The squad said the pup, trained to track down explosive devices, is the 'star' of their operation.




Zelensky says any peace deal with Russia would have to pass a referendum in Ukraine as Boris Johnson discusses crisis with Joe Biden and EU leaders

Any deal agreed in peace negotiations with Russia will be submitted to a referendum in Ukraine to let the people 'weigh in', President Volodymyr Zelensky has today said.

Speaking to Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, the country's leader said: 'I explained it to all the negotiating groups: when you speak of all these changes (in a future accord) and they can be historic... we will come back to a referendum.'

'The people will have to weigh in on certain kinds of compromise.'


President Zelensky added that a part of the talks will discuss what the compromises cover and spoke at length about whether Ukraine should join NATO.

He said Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO because its member states 'are afraid of Russia' as 'we have all already understood'.



President Zelensky also said: 'There are NATO countries that want to provide security guarantees...who are ready to do what the alliance would do if we were members,' the Ukrainian leader said.

'And I think this is a normal compromise.'

On Sunday in an interview with Fareed Zakaria for CNN's GPS, Zelensky said he is thankful to NATO members for supporting Ukraine 'economically or militarily' but added that the war 'wouldn't have started' had Ukraine been a part of it.

'So now I'd like to receive security guarantees for my people,' the Ukrainian leader said.

In the interview Mr Zelensky, who has a 17-year-old daughter called Oleksandra, and a nine-year-old son, Kyrylo, also opened up about his children's reactions to the conflict.

He said: 'My children know, for sure, what is happening. And I don't know whether it's good or bad. I have not explained anything to my children.

'They have said to me that war is raging in Ukraine, and at our home we have the same freedom of speech as we have in our country.

'And they know what we are fighting for. They understand all of that.

'I think that my children should not be prohibited from seeing any kinds of videos of what Russia has made.

'My son has to be aware of it, because while my son is alive, that means that some Ukrainian Army member is giving up his own life for that - for this.'

Moscow insists on a guarantee that Ukraine never be admitted to NATO, an organisation created to protect Europe from the threat of the Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has expanded to include countries on Russia's borders.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10637425/Russia-loses-10-000-men-just-four-weeks-toll-Ukraine-invasion-revealed.html

Do you have any kind of back injury, does it extend to your legs or toes?

Scam boku

Hello,

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theInterpreter:
We all know that a large chunk of Igbos in Nigeria live outside the SE and they trade and make a whole lot of money from outside. Especially Lagos and Kano. But why is it that the stay at home order is only enforced in the SE?
is this not hypocrisy?
Why can't they stay at home in Lagos?
or Kano?
and see what will happen?
most of the nairaland IPOB live outside the SE yet they support the madness IPOB is doing to innocent poor traders in Igboland
is this not wickedness?
I live in Ogun State, Ota precisely they are many here
they come out and sell
I can't really say about Kano but I'm sure they didn't comply
why can't they stay at home in Lagos but support the madness in the SE?

They don't think.

Jobless, bad belle IPOB agitators will disenfranchise thousands of Igbo children living in South East. If you believe our children wrote NECO Mathematics, you are misguided.

If they continue their stupidity, more children will be impacted and become miscreants like them.

Nigeria is hard enough, don't add more problems to these innocent children

EzeAnambra:
Lol. Thread for unity beggers. You guys don't know that the streets is Biafra...I'm sure does kids you claimed missed Neco exam are tired of the zoo.
Who Neco exam help?

Hardcore Biafrans are not on nairaland.You all should go to the street and convince them to drop the agitation,stop wasting your time on nairaland. Even the Governor's gave Up since the creation of ESN

Another misguided, brainwashed and lost youth

FreeStuffsNG:
So sad.

Some years ago when Gani Adams just came to the limelight and creating problems with his militant arm of APC , I recall Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, explaining on Tv why leadership of struggle for power should remain in the hands of intellectuals and not in the hands of people without an elitist education. He predicted that the international community will have more roles to play in the use of terror for power struggle and it takes an educated leadership to develop and execute strategies within the international rules of engagement. He declared emphatically that Gani Adams can never lead the Yoruba struggle unless he goes to school. Gani Adams eventually enrolled in LASU and the rest is history as he is today the Aare Onakankanfo.


The IPOB terrorists are not educated folks, they will bring more problems and unfortunately, it's the innocent who are already the victims who will bear the brunt . It's time the communities create their own JTF to protect their own people if the police can't do the work effectively.

Nobody from your community will kill you for not supporting IPOB, it will take someone else from another community to come into your own to kill you for not supporting IPOB. This is why FG was right in declaring the terrorists group IPOB as terrorists. The ordinary folks they kill or burn their businesses or stop from writing NECO deserve justice. They will get justice because there will be a Judicial panel some day to try each of those terrorists even afterwards. May God bless Nigeria.

You are very right. From day one, myself and most of my educated friends never supported Kanu because of his hate rhetorics. It has borne fruit finally

Our mumu never do. Yesterday, a boy I paid for his examination missed Mathematics exam yesterday due to activities of IPOB

Any Igbo person that still supports these hoodlums and terrorists needs his head checked.

I know many of my friends who can't speak up against IPOB in fear of reprisal attack. What kind of Biafra do you want Where there is no freedom of speech? North Korea would be better off.

People's head has been cut off, houses and cars burnt because they voiced their non-spport of IPOB modus operandi. This is real, these guys whoever they are, are bent on destroying Igbo land. What does sitting at home every Monday do for Nnamdi Kanu except plunging Igbos to poverty?