Vladimir Putin has told Russian soldiers they are “fighting for the same thing their fathers and grandfathers did” as he used his Victory Day speech to tie the war in Ukraine to the memory of the second world war and justify his invasion.
[…]
Speaking at the 77th annual celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Russian president launched a defence of his war in Ukraine, pivoting from a recognition of Russia’s “greatest generation” ….
[…]
The Russian president also addressed troop losses in the war, saying he had signed a new order that would give additional aid to the families of those killed and wounded. The Kremlin has been accused of seeking to cover up losses. After the sinking of the Moskva cruiser in the Black Sea, a number of families went public with claims the Russian military was trying to avoid confirming deaths onboard the ship.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has brought shame on Russia and the sacrifices its people made to defeat Nazi Germany in the second world war, leaders of the G7 group of leading western economies have said in a statement marking the 77th anniversary of the end of the global conflict.
[…]
The G7 statement said: “Through its invasion of and actions in Ukraine since 2014, Russia has violated the international rules-based order, particularly the UN charter, conceived after the second world war to spare successive generations from the scourge of war.
“President Putin and his regime now chose to invade Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country. His actions bring shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people.”
The leaders also accused him of “an attack on feeding the world” if he did not comply with international law and end the blockade on Ukrainian food exports.
[…]
In a clarification of war aims, the G7 statement said: “Ukraine’s ultimate aim is to ensure full withdrawal of Russia’s military forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and to secure its ability to protect itself in the future.”
john oliver has his say about last week’s bomb blast on this side of the pond
John Oliver discusses the leaked draft opinion that looks set to overturn Roe v. Wade, how we got to this point, and where we may be headed.
Mark Esper: The president is ranting at– at the room. He’s using a lot of, you know– foul language. You know, “You– y– you all are f-in’ losers,” right? And then he says it to the vice president, Mike Pence. He– he’s usin’ the same language and he’s lookin’ at Pence.
Norah O’Donnell: He called Mike Pence–
Mark Esper: H– he di–
Norah O’Donnell: –an f-in’ loser?
Mark Esper: –he didn’t– he didn’t call him directly, but he was looking at him when he was saying it. And it really caught my attention, and I thought, that– we’re at a different spot now. He’s gonna finally give a direct order to deploy paratroopers into the streets of Washington, D.C. And I’m thinking with weapons and bayonets. This would be horrible.
Norah O’Donnell: What specifically was he suggesting that the U.S. military should do to these protesters?
Mark Esper: He says, “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something.” And he’s suggesting that that’s what we should do, that we should bring in the troops and shoot the protesters.
Norah O’Donnell: The commander in chief was suggesting that the U.S. military shoot protesters? American protesters.
Mark Esper: Yes, in the streets–
Norah O’Donnell: American protesters.
Mark Esper: –of our nation’s capital. That’s right. Shocking.
Norah O’Donnell: We have seen in other countries a government use their military to shoot protesters.
Mark Esper: Right.
Norah O’Donnell: What kinda governments are those?
Mark Esper: Oh, those are banana republics, right? Or– authoritarian regimes. We all remember Tiananmen Square, right, in China
Regarding whether he suggested shooting protesters, in his statement, former President Trump said, “this is a complete lie, and 10 witnesses can back it up. Mark Esper was weak and totally ineffective, and because of it, i had to run the military.”
Esper told us he wanted to avoid the president invoking the Insurrection Act, which would have allowed Mr. Trump to deploy active-duty troops. Instead, Esper says he helped mobilize 5,000 members of the national guard whose mission includes responding to civil unrest.
And to placate Mr. Trump, Esper writes he also ordered part of the 82nd Airborne up from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to a base just outside Washington.
Reports from the parade are interesting. The biggest is the fly over was cancelled. In the past the fly over was a go unless the clouds were on the deck. The weather this year was cloudy. Maybe the generals were nervous because of the fires around russia, and the losses of aircraft in Ukraine. Yeah, a lot of helicopters, UAV, and aircraft are no more in the Ukraine theater. Lots of things shoot or kill those and it would not look good on Red Square if one or more landed the hard way.
The second is only two of three of the biggest, badest, newest tanks were in the parade. Number three was obvious for not being there but shown on the official parade order. Maybe could not start or it is behind a tractor on the way to Ukraine.
It seems KGB agent Puttie did not go where he was expected to go, that is talk about expanding operations in Ukraine. This is probably the most significant. He did not want to say things that might not happen.
Not mentioned yet in the intelligence community is Northern Europe, Estonia, Finland, Sweden or Norway. The Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 is one of those things skipped or lied about as a success, not brought up during May 9 celebrations of millions of Soviets killed.
Which came first, the club or the spear?
the stone and the throwable rock, maybe a handful of feces before that
and before those, primal snarling and bared teeth
presidential medal to a brave ukrainian valiantly serving his country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has honored a little dog named Patron. The country’s little fighter has helped sniff out Russian mines and explosives in the northeastern city of Chernihiv and acts as a mascot of the country’s State Emergency Service.
zelenskyy’s daily message from yesterday. here’s the 1st part where he refers to trudeau and the dog:
Ukrainians!
Our defenders.
Today is an important day, very important. For us. For our people. For our freedom. It was here, at the Mariyinsky Palace, that I held talks today with my friend, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.
I am grateful to Justin for visiting our country. Exactly now, exactly on this day. A powerful sign of support and faith in the future of our people.
The Ukrainian and Canadian delegations held bilateral talks. We agreed to expand economic and defense cooperation. We have an extremely important decision by Canada to remove all barriers to trade for one year. Thank you, Canada. This agreement was reached in negotiations with Mr. Trudeau and will work in the interests of both the Ukrainian and Canadian people.
Among other things, Canada has a strong potential in mine clearance. We expect that this potential will be used in Ukraine – where the Russian occupiers left thousands of mines, tripwire mines, shells.
In the presence of Mr. Prime Minister, I awarded our sappers today. In particular, a small but very famous sapper – Patron. A dog who helps clean our land from the traces of the occupiers. And who also helps teach children mine safety. Due to the Russian invaders, this is now one of the most urgent tasks – to teach children to recognize and avoid explosive objects. This is the “liberation” from a safe life for Ukrainian children that Russia has brought to Ukraine.
[continues]
Great people of great Ukraine!
On August 24, 2021, the whole country celebrated the 30th anniversary of our independence! Our soldiers, our defenders, our equipment were moving along the Khreshchatyk, our “Mriya” was flying in the sky!
“There is nothing more dangerous than an insidious enemy, but there is nothing more poisonous than a feigned friend.” These are the words of the great Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda. On February 24, we realized this truth when a feigned friend started a war against Ukraine.
This is not a war of two armies. This is a war of two worldviews. The war waged by barbarians who shell the Skovoroda Museum and believe that their missiles can destroy our philosophy. It annoys them. It is unfamiliar to them. It scares them. Its essence is that we are free people who have their own path. Today we are waging war on this path and we will not give anyone a single piece of our land.
Today we celebrate the Day of Victory over Nazism. And we will not give anyone a single piece of our history. We are proud of our ancestors who, together with other nations in the anti-Hitler coalition, defeated Nazism. And we will not allow anyone to annex this victory, we will not allow it to be appropriated.
Our enemy dreamed that we would refuse to celebrate May 9 and the victory over Nazism. So that the word “denazification” gets a chance. Millions of Ukrainians fought Nazism and went through a difficult and long journey. The Nazis were expelled from Luhansk, the Nazis were expelled from Donetsk, and Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk were liberated from the occupiers.
The Nazis were expelled from Yalta, Simferopol, Kerch and the entire Crimea. Mariupol was liberated from the Nazis. They expelled the Nazis from all over Ukraine, but the cities I named are especially inspiring us today. They give us faith that we will drive the occupiers out of our own land for sure.
On the Day of Victory over Nazism, we are fighting for a new victory. The road to it is difficult, but we have no doubt that we will win. What is our advantage over the enemy? We are smarter by one book. This is a textbook on the history of Ukraine. We would not know grief if all our enemies could read and draw the right conclusions.
On February 24, Russia launched an offensive. Treading on the same rake. Every occupier who comes to our land treads on it. We have been through different wars. But they all had the same final.
Our land was sown with bullets and shells, but no enemy was able to take root here. Enemy chariots and tanks drove through our fields, but it did not bear fruit. Enemy arrows and missiles flew in our skies, but no one will be able to overshadow our blue sky.
There are no shackles that can bind our free spirit. There is no occupier who can take root in our free land. There is no invader who can rule over our free people. Sooner or later we win. Despite the horde, despite Nazism, despite the mixture of the first and the second, which is the current enemy, we win, because this is our land.
[continues]
yeah Putie’s parade and speech a dud
Sounds like Putin gave up
Queen hands over to Charles for State Opening of Parliament
Putin hosting a tractor pull in Red Square. Conjures up quite an image.
*for those not familiar with this old saying, here’s one version from an online commenter: “In the days of transportation by horse and cart, the horse would be hitched to a post to keep it from moving. “Giddy-up” was a phrase the cart driver would use to get the horse to start moving. So a hitch in your giddy-up, is something that is preventing you from moving forward.”
Sure seems like we got us a Queen funeral coming soon. I’m no monarch fan but this one deserves a fine send-off.
We are at war against Russia. Let’s just get it done.
We need to quit playing coy and destroy Russian invasion of Ukraine ourselves right now, not waste gazillions more on a proxy war that never ends.
Craig – I kid my mother about being happy she is not the Queen. Seems like that is about to be tossed out the window. My mother is 94. The picture is when she was about forty-five.
not waste gazillions more
Wars are unpredictable, leave this one to the pros
The head of the Russian space program said they could wipe out NATO in 30 mins.
True , but our Boomers are in the Black Sea , hiding under that crazy layer cake of salt water that is the Black Sea.
Someone needs to send him , his targeting info., and ask him if he’s ever heard of a New York, Minute
No, play it smart, Russia is weak, expand the war to other areas where they have ethnic problems. The Taliban have a bunch of crazies they need to get rid of. Hey point out what Castro did to Che’. Send them somewhere they will get their ass shot off and they won’t bother you any more. Offer money if they will go play in Russian controlled central Asia.
Time to be creative, Russia is weak, arm their many enemies.
Jack
Could Russia destroy the world? Yeah, if their bombs work better than their army. Wanna bet one of those mega yachts wasn’t bought with money that was to go for maintenance on the nuclear forces.
And as Bob pointed out, there is the suicide problem.
Jack
I’m of the two minds here. Yes to the impulse to kill the Russian Army .
But I read the “Guns of August” many moons ago . And one of the drivers in War is the blunders the people running them make.
That Esper interview was a water shed moment for me . Hopefully it will spur others to grow a spine.
I mean calling up the 82nd Airborne to shoot Americans in the streets of DC ?
Jack –
PBS ran an old show yesterday about Ukraine from when Stalin took all their grain , and made the famine to the long road through the War, and after . Lots of old Kraines in the report telling their stories.
The Ukrainians are not Russians. At first they welcomed the German Army.
Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe, and it sits between the hammer and the anvil.
The head of the Russian space program said they could wipe out NATO in 30 mins. … And Russia could conquer Ukraine in a week. Bluster’s fine, but it’s bluster.
As for expanding the War, and this one is the first one I ever supported . If I was 22 I’d be there with my laptop , my drone , and my Barret 50 cal .
Shooting Russian 2nd Luies right in the fucking .
forehead.
So I under stand the impulse .
But we, and they are in the Russians heads. And in this war , that ain’t a bad place to be .
Sunday “Z” met with the most beautiful man in Canada , and he was sending more arms , then they awarded a medal to a Jack Russel Terrier that has over 100 unexploded munitions on his nose.
Putin lives a world that has been gone for over 40 years.
Goose stepping in Red Square ? Oh please.
And it is dawning on him.
One other idea about this war , remember the cyber attacks ?
Crash our grid ?
That dog has not barked.
I think we took them down , long before the first shot.
This history will never be read by us. But the lights are on in Poland.
The much feared Russian cyber army is all hat and no cattle.
And we cut their cojones
Jack -Tax them
Your idea of attack by a thousand cuts in far away places is spot on. In a way they are the Romans , a huge empire with a shitty army, and a rotten command.
Their are hundreds of thousands of Russians , who are not Russian , that hate the Russians.
OM – I think you might be right. I am watching the attacks diminish rapidly from what they were early in the invasion of Ukraine. They peaked when their boat became a submarine, but dropped rapidly. Now it the attacks are as low as when President Obama kicked the spies out of Maryland. I am sure almost all the Russian attacks came from the GRU, military group, and only a few from the FSB, KGB. The Chinese show up every now and then, but mainly trying to figure out why the Russians are interested in me.
By the way Siberia is off to a hellish fire season.
This looks like New Mexico ……..
High heat , no rain , and big winds.
Fires in Siberia kill at least 10 as ‘violent winds’ fan flames
On this site’s ‘captcha’, it’s always a capital letter “O” and never a number “zero”; tip of the day
I just encountered a zero in the captcha login. Followed your advice Bink, but it wanted a zero. If I told you once I told you a million times, never speak in absolutes.
Aaron Blake’s WaPo column on next restrictions following whatever the Roe knockdown opinion ends up looking like is pretty sobering. Proposals out there against telemedicine, contraception, traveling to get an abortion, etc. Moscow even hints at legislation for a nationwide ban on abortion. I recommend it (the article, not the ban).
Our finely tuned world of “Free Trade” is dead as b\\oot.
Our buy more world is gagging on the 21 st Cen.
This war is one more blow.
We are going to turn the lights off , and the water to 40 million people.
That is a fact folks,
Get out your protractors , and plan for that.
I just encountered a zero
i just refreshed the login until it gave me a circular character, inputted a letter “O” and here i am… 🤷♂️
it has never been “zero” for me, i’ll assert that much
The Court , and Russia have stepped into some very deep shit.
And none of us will come out clean.
We can shoot black’s in the streets, but white guys wearing cow horns in the Capital that’s off ; limits.
Every body get a bead on where we are ?
One thing about life ,
No Matter were you go , there you are.
Every body joins the geology.
Then they sell off your sailing shoes at a garage sale for 50 cents.
Wait till Dell does this one –
And this one-
This big Blue Grass idea has a lot of low hanging fruit.
The WSM broadcast is all white tooth paste. Like hip hop.
Decades of tooth paste.
I have high hopes for Big Blue Grass.
This is country music –
The beauty about Big Blue Grass you can arrange anything –
Big Blue Grass, I hope they find it.
The wall of sound with mandolins , at lease three. 4 banjos . two basses, six guitars , 8 fiddles . Everyone singing .
A wall of sound.
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wants very badly to be Senate majority leader again after the coming midterm elections – so it was a bit surprising to hear him suggest to USA Today that Republicans could enact a nationwide abortion ban.”
“Democrats are warning that overturning Roe could threaten access to contraception in some states.”
Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are no help, as usual.
“Collins is both for codifying Roe v. Wade (her own proposal) and yet will vote against codifying it into law (Democrats’ proposal).”
the photo, the parade and the propaganda of WWII for the proletariat
the guardian:
also in the guardian:
john oliver has his say about last week’s bomb blast on this side of the pond
John Oliver discusses the leaked draft opinion that looks set to overturn Roe v. Wade, how we got to this point, and where we may be headed.
This week: Senate heads toward failed abortion vote amid fury | The Hill
in case you missed 60 minutes last night, here’s an excerpt from the esper interview:
Former defense secretary Mark Esper: President Trump suggested shooting protesters, missile strikes in Mexico – 60 Minutes – CBS News
Reports from the parade are interesting. The biggest is the fly over was cancelled. In the past the fly over was a go unless the clouds were on the deck. The weather this year was cloudy. Maybe the generals were nervous because of the fires around russia, and the losses of aircraft in Ukraine. Yeah, a lot of helicopters, UAV, and aircraft are no more in the Ukraine theater. Lots of things shoot or kill those and it would not look good on Red Square if one or more landed the hard way.
The second is only two of three of the biggest, badest, newest tanks were in the parade. Number three was obvious for not being there but shown on the official parade order. Maybe could not start or it is behind a tractor on the way to Ukraine.
It seems KGB agent Puttie did not go where he was expected to go, that is talk about expanding operations in Ukraine. This is probably the most significant. He did not want to say things that might not happen.
Not mentioned yet in the intelligence community is Northern Europe, Estonia, Finland, Sweden or Norway. The Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 is one of those things skipped or lied about as a success, not brought up during May 9 celebrations of millions of Soviets killed.
Which came first, the club or the spear?
the stone and the throwable rock, maybe a handful of feces before that
and before those, primal snarling and bared teeth
presidential medal to a brave ukrainian valiantly serving his country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has honored a little dog named Patron. The country’s little fighter has helped sniff out Russian mines and explosives in the northeastern city of Chernihiv and acts as a mascot of the country’s State Emergency Service.
zelenskyy’s daily message from yesterday. here’s the 1st part where he refers to trudeau and the dog:
part of today’s message
Address by the President of Ukraine on the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II — Official website of the President of Ukraine
yeah Putie’s parade and speech a dud
Sounds like Putin gave up
Queen hands over to Charles for State Opening of Parliament
Putin hosting a tractor pull in Red Square. Conjures up quite an image.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/09/politics/white-house-100-million-covid-infections-projection-what-matters/index.html
Too soon for a second booster if a variant-specific booster is close.
Buckingham cites “episodic mobility problems”. What’s that?
craig, it means she has a hitch in her giddy-up*
*for those not familiar with this old saying, here’s one version from an online commenter: “In the days of transportation by horse and cart, the horse would be hitched to a post to keep it from moving. “Giddy-up” was a phrase the cart driver would use to get the horse to start moving. So a hitch in your giddy-up, is something that is preventing you from moving forward.”
Sure seems like we got us a Queen funeral coming soon. I’m no monarch fan but this one deserves a fine send-off.
We are at war against Russia. Let’s just get it done.
We need to quit playing coy and destroy Russian invasion of Ukraine ourselves right now, not waste gazillions more on a proxy war that never ends.
Craig – I kid my mother about being happy she is not the Queen. Seems like that is about to be tossed out the window. My mother is 94. The picture is when she was about forty-five.
Wars are unpredictable, leave this one to the pros
The head of the Russian space program said they could wipe out NATO in 30 mins.
True , but our Boomers are in the Black Sea , hiding under that crazy layer cake of salt water that is the Black Sea.
Someone needs to send him , his targeting info., and ask him if he’s ever heard of a New York, Minute
No, play it smart, Russia is weak, expand the war to other areas where they have ethnic problems. The Taliban have a bunch of crazies they need to get rid of. Hey point out what Castro did to Che’. Send them somewhere they will get their ass shot off and they won’t bother you any more. Offer money if they will go play in Russian controlled central Asia.
Time to be creative, Russia is weak, arm their many enemies.
Jack
Could Russia destroy the world? Yeah, if their bombs work better than their army. Wanna bet one of those mega yachts wasn’t bought with money that was to go for maintenance on the nuclear forces.
And as Bob pointed out, there is the suicide problem.
Jack
I’m of the two minds here. Yes to the impulse to kill the Russian Army .
But I read the “Guns of August” many moons ago . And one of the drivers in War is the blunders the people running them make.
That Esper interview was a water shed moment for me . Hopefully it will spur others to grow a spine.
I mean calling up the 82nd Airborne to shoot Americans in the streets of DC ?
Jack –
PBS ran an old show yesterday about Ukraine from when Stalin took all their grain , and made the famine to the long road through the War, and after . Lots of old Kraines in the report telling their stories.
The Ukrainians are not Russians. At first they welcomed the German Army.
Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe, and it sits between the hammer and the anvil.
The head of the Russian space program said they could wipe out NATO in 30 mins. … And Russia could conquer Ukraine in a week. Bluster’s fine, but it’s bluster.
As for expanding the War, and this one is the first one I ever supported . If I was 22 I’d be there with my laptop , my drone , and my Barret 50 cal .
Shooting Russian 2nd Luies right in the fucking .
forehead.
So I under stand the impulse .
But we, and they are in the Russians heads. And in this war , that ain’t a bad place to be .
Sunday “Z” met with the most beautiful man in Canada , and he was sending more arms , then they awarded a medal to a Jack Russel Terrier that has over 100 unexploded munitions on his nose.
Putin lives a world that has been gone for over 40 years.
Goose stepping in Red Square ? Oh please.
And it is dawning on him.
One other idea about this war , remember the cyber attacks ?
Crash our grid ?
That dog has not barked.
I think we took them down , long before the first shot.
This history will never be read by us. But the lights are on in Poland.
The much feared Russian cyber army is all hat and no cattle.
And we cut their cojones
Jack -Tax them
Your idea of attack by a thousand cuts in far away places is spot on. In a way they are the Romans , a huge empire with a shitty army, and a rotten command.
Their are hundreds of thousands of Russians , who are not Russian , that hate the Russians.
OM – I think you might be right. I am watching the attacks diminish rapidly from what they were early in the invasion of Ukraine. They peaked when their boat became a submarine, but dropped rapidly. Now it the attacks are as low as when President Obama kicked the spies out of Maryland. I am sure almost all the Russian attacks came from the GRU, military group, and only a few from the FSB, KGB. The Chinese show up every now and then, but mainly trying to figure out why the Russians are interested in me.
By the way Siberia is off to a hellish fire season.
This looks like New Mexico ……..
High heat , no rain , and big winds.
Fires in Siberia kill at least 10 as ‘violent winds’ fan flames
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/7/fires-in-siberia-kill-at-least-8-as-violent-winds-fan-flames
I just encountered a zero in the captcha login. Followed your advice Bink, but it wanted a zero. If I told you once I told you a million times, never speak in absolutes.
Aaron Blake’s WaPo column on next restrictions following whatever the Roe knockdown opinion ends up looking like is pretty sobering. Proposals out there against telemedicine, contraception, traveling to get an abortion, etc. Moscow even hints at legislation for a nationwide ban on abortion. I recommend it (the article, not the ban).
Our finely tuned world of “Free Trade” is dead as b\\oot.
Our buy more world is gagging on the 21 st Cen.
This war is one more blow.
We are going to turn the lights off , and the water to 40 million people.
That is a fact folks,
Get out your protractors , and plan for that.
i just refreshed the login until it gave me a circular character, inputted a letter “O” and here i am… 🤷♂️
it has never been “zero” for me, i’ll assert that much
The Court , and Russia have stepped into some very deep shit.
And none of us will come out clean.
We can shoot black’s in the streets, but white guys wearing cow horns in the Capital that’s off ; limits.
Every body get a bead on where we are ?
One thing about life ,
No Matter were you go , there you are.
Every body joins the geology.
Then they sell off your sailing shoes at a garage sale for 50 cents.
Wait till Dell does this one –
And this one-
This big Blue Grass idea has a lot of low hanging fruit.
The WSM broadcast is all white tooth paste. Like hip hop.
Decades of tooth paste.
I have high hopes for Big Blue Grass.
This is country music –
The beauty about Big Blue Grass you can arrange anything –
Big Blue Grass, I hope they find it.
The wall of sound with mandolins , at lease three. 4 banjos . two basses, six guitars , 8 fiddles . Everyone singing .
A wall of sound.
Playing anything they want.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/09/politics/mitch-mcconnell-national-abortion-ban-impossible-what-matters/index.html
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wants very badly to be Senate majority leader again after the coming midterm elections – so it was a bit surprising to hear him suggest to USA Today that Republicans could enact a nationwide abortion ban.”
“Democrats are warning that overturning Roe could threaten access to contraception in some states.”
Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are no help, as usual.
“Collins is both for codifying Roe v. Wade (her own proposal) and yet will vote against codifying it into law (Democrats’ proposal).”
https://youtu.be/Q–8bwv-YT8
What it’s really about: Misogyny. Control. Racism.
NEW THREAD
Yeah, let the pros handle the boom boom……..I trust these ones, they’re doing pretty damn good.