Birău Cătălin

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

We prefer science to conspiracy theories, rule of law to rule of force, dialogue to threats.

Nous préférons la science au complotisme, l’État de droit à la loi du plus fort, le dialogue aux menaces.

[President Biden Archived @POTUS46Archive]

I’ve long said that ordinary Americans can do the most extraordinary things.

And there’s no better example of that in the entire world than right here, where Rangers from every part of America came to a country many of them had never seen, for a people they had never met.

But they fulfilled their mission.
They did their duty.

They were part of something bigger than themselves.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

The unity that defines history. Today in France, alongside our allies, we honored the bravery of the Allied forces who landed in Normandy 80 years ago. We remember. We thank them. We uphold the values of the defenders of life.

[Anti-Spootnik @Anti_Spootnik]

"Români deportați în ghețurile Siberiei". Supraviețuitoarea Alexandra Băncilă (în fotografie în anii '90), deportată de ruși din Basarabia în Pihtovka:

„Mergeau pe stradă şi, din nişte desagi pe care îi țineau în mâini, aruncau aşa, unde se nimerea, bomboane, ciocolată şi dulciuri de tot felul. Copiii nu mai apucau să le adune pe toate, atât de multe erau, aşa că pe drum aproape călcai în picioare
bomboanele mentolate şi nugaua împachetată în ţiplă. Şi acum, după atâția ani, mi-aduc aminte ziua aceea. Şi în timp ce împărțeau ei aşa fel de fel de lucruri strigau în gura mare: «Voi rămâneți că noi ne-om duce. Nu stăm noi cu bolşevicii».

Aceştia erau negustorii care aveau prăvălii la noi în orăşel. Își strânseseră toate lucrurile și plecau spre România în grabă. Mărfurile ce nu mai puteau să le mai ia cu ei le împrăştiau pe uliţe. Dar nu numai ei au plecat atunci în 1940. Ci şi oameni cu carte, cei mai mulți, dar şi alţii. Noi îi priveam cam curios. Nu știam de ce se tem atât de mult că vin ruşii. Părinții mei spuneau că aşa cum s-a trăit şi înainte de 1918 cu ruşii aşa o să se trăiască şi de acum încolo. De ce să fugim în România? Ehe, dar după aceea am văzut noi cine sunt ruşii cu adevărat!

Când au venit, unii le-au ieşit în cale cu pâine și sare. Aceştia erau mai mult tot de-ai lor, comunişti, care până atunci tăcuseră chitic. Dar cei mai mulți oameni nici nu s-au bucurat, nici nu s-au întristat. Cum-necum, i-au întâmpinat bine, că aşa le era firea. Ruşii însă nu au venit cu gânduri bune. [...]

,,Lângă casa noastră (din Siberia) a trăit o familie tot de moldoveni. O mamă fusese ridicată cu 13 copii. De foame au murit 12 dintre ei. A rămas în viață doar un singur copil... Şi sora mea cea mică tot de foame s-a prăpădit. În brațele mele. S-a sculat în toiul nopții şi a început să strige: «Vreau să mănânc».

Am căutat prin tot satul şi abia la amiază s-au îndurat nişte oameni și ne-au dat nişte coji de cartofi. Le-am fiert și i le-am dat. Dar ea deja nu mai putea. Doar striga întruna că ea vrea să mănânce. Pe seară a venit de la muncă Antonia și i-a adus o bucățică de pâine. Fetița nu mai avea glas, doar gemea stins. Și când a luat pâinea aceea în gură n-a mai putut să mestece. A murit aşa cu ea între buze. În brațele mele..."

[Jay in Kyiv @JayinKyiv]

Putin may have captured Georgia but he hasnt captured the Georgians.

[Jay in Kyiv @JayinKyiv]

A week after Putin's fake election he gets a "terror attack" in Moscow.

If you dont know how Putin's brain works, just Google "1999 apartment bombings" to see how he blew up huge alartnrnt blocks, killing hundreds, then blamed on Chechnya to then invade.

This will be blamed on Ukraine to mobilize 500,000.

[Radu Hossu 🇹🇩🇺🇦 @RaduHossu]

The images from Moscow are horrible. At least 50 dead and over 100 injured as I write. The number will be rising.

- Whether or not they were Putin supporters, at least 6 people I counted, were killed from a distance of no more than 10 meters away from the attackers. Civilians. Horrible.

- The US through John Kirby says there are no indications that Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack.

- The concert hall where the attack took place has caught fire, there are apparently people trapped inside and there is a high risk of the roof collapsing.

----
It's premature for anyone to comment on the situation or the culprits, but there are some definite guesses:

1. Ukraine is most likely not involved. I say this for several reasons: it would have lost the moral high ground and thus international support. Another reason I am convinced it is not Ukraine is because it would have given Russia reasons for even more attacks against civilian infrastructure.

2. False Flag Operation. This would be a repeat of 1999, when following terrorist attacks in Russian blocks, Putin, then Prime Minister of Russia under Yeltsin, started the 2nd war against Chechnya, which destroyed Chechnya (especially the capital Grozny).

The similarities are quite interesting: the 1999 attacks were implemented shortly after Putin was appointed prime minister. Now he has been "elected" president again and needs internal military action and legitimacy for it.

In 1999 they started a war. Today just hours ago Peskov (the spokesman) announced that because of the west Russia is at war with Ukraine. So basically from today Russia is at war with Ukraine. Now Putin needs to swallow the demands about mobilization (which I will write about tonight).

The 1999 attacks have not been proven to be Chechen. Moreover, it has been shown (though not proven) that the bombs were manipulated by FSB agents. It didn't matter to Putin and Yeltsin, they destroyed Chechnya.

[Radu Hossu 🇹🇩🇺🇦 @RaduHossu]

Earlier, Emmanuel Macron's 180-degree turn on Ukraine was sealed.

If he was putting Putin to sleep with his evening phone calls in 2022, a few minutes ago on TF1 and France 2, the President of France said some important things:

- "All options are on the table" [...] "we are not at that moment now" - about sending troops to Ukraine;

- "In order to have peace in Europe and in Ukraine, Russia must not win" - a correct statement, perfectly rounded off with the following, perhaps the most important statement of the evening:

- We have negotiated as much as we can, but there is nothing more to discuss with Putin. Ukraine must win. There will be no red lines for France. I am the President of France and I decide"

----
There will be a lot to analyze following these statements, in short however I think it is relatively easy to understand that Macron at this point is not only positioning himself domestically in the French elections but is speculating on US and German blunders and seeking to position France as the spearhead in Europe.

Even though he himself admits that the French industry would not now be ready for an intense war, he is playing a long-term political game, most likely part of his strategy to let a strong France inherit Europe.

But for the things he wants to happen, he needs to keep his word, otherwise, Germany, Italy, or even the UK will tax these statements. At the same time, these statements may also have a perverse effect, forcing the US to come out with a moderate, softer stance, which would be detrimental to Ukraine. We will see in the coming days how the other Chancelleries will position themselves, but it is clear that France wants the support of Eastern Europe, and Eastern Europe is looking forward to someone from the West taking the steering wheel.

Let's not forget that France is a nuclear power, Putin has nowhere near the same "leverage" in declarations as he has in declarative battles with Poland, Romania, or the Baltics.

As I think you may have realized from reading this, the situation is complex, statements will not necessarily translate into action, but I sincerely believe that we will see clear action in the coming weeks in support of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Leaving analysis aside and taking statements at face value, we can only be glad that a powerful, important state is beginning to steer the public space to a place we all want:

Ukraine must win!

Vive la France! Slava Ukraini!

[Visegrád 24 @visegrad24]

Macron calls on Europe to finally get its act together about Ukraine.

He asks important questions:

- Who started this war?
- Who is threatening with nukes?
- Is this OUR WAR too?

He urges Europe to give up its fear of escalation and limitations.

🇫🇷🇺🇦

[Visegrád 24 @visegrad24]

BREAKING:

Macron mocks Scholz for not sending
Taurus missiles to Ukraine:

“Many of those saying ‘never’ today are the same people who said ‘never, tanks, never, never planes’ 2 years ago”

“2 years ago, many around this table said: ‘We”ll offer sleeping bags & helmets”

🇫🇷🇩🇪

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

Alongside Ukraine, with our partners, we will stand resolutely, for as long as necessary and whatever it takes.

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

Shared conviction with our partners tonight: Russia cannot and must not win in Ukraine.

[Jay in Kyiv @JayinKyiv]

The reason Russian troll factories fill your comments with garbage isn't what you think.

[Radu Hossu 🇹🇩🇺🇦 @RaduHossu]

We have entered the third year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On February 24, 2022 at 03:59 a.m. an image from surveillance cameras at a crossing point between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine captures a Ukrainian border guard running away from the invaders. Within 20 minutes, on 3 different axes Ukraine was overrun by huge columns of tanks, armour, artillery, logistics, radar etc.

The world's second army was invading a peaceful country and was about to provoke the most destructive war in Europe after World War II.

Remember what you were doing 2 years ago? How did you wake up? It was a Thursday.

I remember reading every news item with a hunger for information and already the idea was taking shape that Ukraine would succumb in a few dozen hours. That is until the first Russian column coming from Belarus was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery. Around 2pm a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter was shot down in the Kyiv area. And I was beginning to hope.

Then other columns were beginning to be destroyed. The Ukrainians were not standing down. In the face of the most monstrous, the most horrible war machine in the world, the Ukrainians said "we do not surrender!".

Then President Zelensky goes down in history forever when President Biden's offer to be extracted from Ukraine with the help of the United States is answered by President Zelensky: "I don't need a ride. I need ammo!". As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians rush to recruitment centres to defend their country.

The heroes of Snake Island reply to the Moskva, which threatens them with death if they don't surrender: "Russian ship, go fuck yourself!" And eventually, it did.

Europe opened its gates to refugees and along with the US imposed sanctions on Russia and at the same time started sending more and more offensive military aid.

Russia responded with the massacres of Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka. With the Mariupol genocide. With the destruction of millions of civilian lives in Ukraine. The Evil was obvious. So was the Good.

It's been two years since everyone's lives changed. Most of you here have been directly involved in supporting a nation in the process of extermination. Most here continue to do so.

Exactly two years ago Russia was changing up the lives of tens, maybe hundreds of millions of people. Most have shown immense evidence of empathy, solidarity, tolerance, action and courage.

Now Ukraine, Ukrainians are in a major problem. The lack of ammunition due to slow support over the last half year, the fatigue of those fighting (for yes, only they are allowed to be tired) is being felt and costing many Ukrainian lives. Now, perhaps more than ever, Ukraine needs our help!

This evening in Bucharest at the photo exhibition of the great Vadim Ghirdă I met a man from the Republic of Moldova who follows me here on social media and who told me almost with tears in his eyes: "when you go there again, please tell the brave Ukrainian fighters that we support them. Please tell them that they are not alone, that we are with them!"

I think now of those I met there who are still alive. Some are in the trenches right now. It's night and they are probably listening to Cervona Kalyna or other Ukrainian songs right now to cheer them up in the cold and horror they are sitting in, not sure if they are still alive in an hour and thinking of their family back home.

I think of them and the fact that they are the ones who have inspired me and us all to be braver. Let's not stop when it's hard, because neither do they. Let's fight the "impossible".

I invite you to leave a message of support. Or retweet this because that's how these texts reach the fighters out there. It is extremely hard for them now and yet they don't give up. They go on.

They are an inspiration. We have to be nothing but supportive.

Glory to the heroes who have been on the side of good for two years! Glory to those who support them!

Slava Ukraini!

[Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 @GLandsbergis]

Today we, the Baltic States 🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 and Czechia 🇨🇿 come to this Council to address the entire international community with a very simple message:

For all our sakes, wake up. 🧵

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

So you remember?

[Andrzej Duda @AndrzejDuda]

Two years ago to date, in the evening of 23 February, I was leaving Kyiv. I was there to support Ukraine. Nothing has changed in this respect. Poland supported, is supporting and will continue to support the fight for Ukraine’s freedom.🇵🇱🤝🇺🇦

[Corby Zone @MissionArtist]

We need to stop the Russians by arming Ukraine FAR more than we have been so they can win the war faster