Centrist Centralizing in Central Ohio

[Centrist Centralizing in Central Ohio @EndTax]

Back to the Future - Thread #22
The More things Change...

Original Research! Old Newspapers! Internet Corners!
Masks during the #SpanishFlu the #Grippe of 1918-1920.

Post your own in the comments! (Try not to duplicate).

[Kira Rudik @kiraincongress]

russians are whining about strikes on their storage facilities the way they never did when their missiles were killing Ukrainian children.

[WarMonitor🇺🇦🇬🇧 @WarMonitor3]

Reports of a massive Ukrainian attack on Russia today with drones and missiles...

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

There is nothing more pathetic or contemptible than watching Russians launch what they thought would be a short splendid war to crush Ukraine in a matter of days, only to fail spectacularly in their blitzkrieg.

They wiped entire Ukrainian cities and regions off the face of the earth, committed an unimaginable number of war crimes, plunged Ukraine into darkness and freezing cold during the harshest winter on record, spent years bringing down apartment buildings with sleeping families inside night after night, destroyed supermarkets, children’s hospitals, theaters, and libraries, historic monuments, churches, and cathedrals, murdered people, beheaded and castrated prisoners of war on camera, executed and burned civilians, tortured them, and left mass graves behind.

And now they are hysterically wringing their hands and crying to the heavens because Ukraine is burning down warehouses full of Chinese junk meant for online sales.

“Why is this happening to us? How can there ever be peace with this Ukraine? They hate us!”

Fucking disgusting and pathetic.

[Oleksandra Matviichuk @avalaina]

How interesting. Even pro-Kremlin pollsters are being forced to acknowledge a sharp drop in Putin’s approval ratings.

Most Russians remained silent and supported Putin when he launched a bloody war against Ukraine. They went about their lives as usual, paying no heed to the mass killings in Bucha, the famine in the occupied town of Oleshky, the flooding of towns following the blowing-up of the Kakhovka dam, the suffering of tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Russian torture chambers, the drone ‘safaris’ targeting civilians in Kherson, the missile terror in Sumy, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odesa, the abduction of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in winter at minus - 25 degrees °C.

They were perfectly happy with all of it. They gladly travelled to the occupied Ukrainian territories to move into the flats of the Ukrainian families they had killed.

But when, in the 12th year of the war, Ukrainian drones began striking military targets in Russia – leading to a massive fuel crisis and everyday hardships – suddenly the war no longer suited them.

One former Ukrainian oligarch, who is now behind bars, liked to say that life is like a supermarket: you can take whatever you want, but remember that the checkout is waiting for you at the end.

This is a good explanation of the principle of accountability for Russians who think solely with their stomachs – those who are now shouting, ‘But why?’.

I always say that Russians are the sort of people who will calmly tolerate a war criminal at the head of their state. But they will not support a loser who is a war criminal.

That is why the only tactic that works is to make the cost of war for Putin higher than the cost of peace. Putin simply couldn’t care less about any peace talks.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today, our long-range sanctions worked across three areas on Russian territory, as well as on our temporarily occupied land and at sea. In particular, in response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit – in the Moscow and Tambov regions, more than 500 and nearly 700 kilometers from the front line. The aggressor used them to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment. An oil facility was also struck. In addition, Ukrainian mid-range strikes engaged targets in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and in our temporarily occupied Crimea.

I thank the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Special Operations Forces, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine – every unit of Ukraine's Defense Forces – for their precise and coordinated execution of these missions. Glory to Ukraine!

[(((Tendar))) @Tendar]

The burning Wildberries logistics hub in Elektrostal, Moscow region, in Russia from above. It looks like all three main halls have been compromised, and it looks like a total loss.

[Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 @maria_drutska]

Russian fuel stations are being put up for sale en masse due to huge financial losses.

The Moscow Stock Exchange has fallen 18 straight weeks, the most since the 1990s.

A half trillion rubles were withdrawn from banks in 2 weeks by panicked Russians.

Worse is yet to come.🍿🍿

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

For all the hyperbole, Graham's invisible bill would still require Trump to enact its provisions. That's truly a fitting legacy for the former staunch neocon who always knew Trump was a scammer but became his sycophant anyway.

[Carl Bildt @carlbildt]

I think Putin 🇷🇺 would be wise accepting a ceasefire with 🇺🇦 now. He might still believe that his situation will improve, but even people around are beginning to see that things will go downhill. No major progress along the frontlines, continued 🇺🇦 strikes on refineries and increasing problems supplying Crimea. But - sorry to say - Putin is unlikely to yield. Yet.

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

🙄 Nobody believes this crap anymore. It’s all been a sham, especially after Anchorage. Trump and Putin are on the same side, against Ukraine and the free world, seeking personal advantages only, and that’s all they ever talk about.

[Anders Åslund @anders_aslund]

It appears as if the Armed Forces of Ukraine are making Crimea unlivable by cutting off all supply lines.
Time for all Russians to leave.
But that means that Ukraine has won a major victory.

[Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ @RepDonBacon]

Tonight, the House faced a Churchill vs. Chamberlain moment. Stand on the side of freedom and democracy, or show weakness to an invading thug who wants to restore Russian domination over a free people.

Tonight, we chose Churchill.

[Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @AdamKinzinger]

I’m glad there were 18 republicans. Should have been more. But thank you Don. History will record your name well in this

Who was the dem no vote?

[Joni Askola @joni_askola]

When Russia finally cracks and offers to negotiate, expect a flood of Western politicians to pressure Ukraine into a bad deal.

We need to call out this political cowardice before it ruins a historic chance to defeat Russian imperialism.

The structural foundations of the Russian war machine are cracking under immense pressure. Russia's overall situation is deteriorating, and while the endgame might take a while, Moscow will eventually be forced to look for a diplomatic way out. They will try to look reasonable by offering small compromises.

This is where the danger peaks. Our Western governments are heavily populated by leaders who will panic and see this as an opportunity to wash their hands of the conflict. Out of sheer cowardice, they will try to bully Ukraine into accepting whatever deal Russia puts on the table.

We must state clearly that Ukraine cannot accept this betrayal. The power to decide when to make a deal belongs strictly to the Ukrainian people, not to anxious Western politicians. The few brave governments in our alliance must stand up to the cowards and ensure Ukraine has the backing to stay the course.

The ultimate goal cannot be a temporary ceasefire. Russian imperialism will remain a direct threat to the entire continent for as long as we tolerate its existence. To make Europe safe, we must use this exact opportunity to defeat it completely. This is a time for strength, not capitulation

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

NEW!!! Six Republicans just joined Democrats on to push through a vote on military aid for Ukraine.

House moves forward on Ukraine Support Act!!!

[Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ @RepDonBacon]

🚨 The House just voted 218-204 to move forward on the discharge petition to provide military aid to Ukraine and impose tough sanctions on Russia. The House will vote on final passage tomorrow. This is our Churchill moment and we must pass the test.

[WarMonitor🇺🇦🇬🇧 @WarMonitor3]

Russian forces in Crimea are experiencing huge fuel shortages due to severe damage on the Crimean land bridge meaning large loads are unable to cross and the fact tankers are not able to dock due to constant Ukrainian naval drone threat.

[Kate from Kharkiv @BohuslavskaKate]

BOLTON: Ukraine now has the best army in Europe, enormous combat experience, drone technology that we should use. Ukrainians brought Russians to a halt. ​I don't think Trump sees any of that.

​It's a shame we didn't do more earlier to help Ukrainians. War might be over by now.

[Phillips P. OBrien @PhillipsPOBrien]

The Ukrainian decision to double down on drone warfare, from the battlefield, to mid range and long range strike, and not to draft all of its young men to make infantry, will be seen by historians as one of the most important decisions in 19th-21st century warfare.