Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech delivered early Thursday morning, Moscow time, that Russia would undertake a “special military operation” in Ukraine for the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.
Die, Vova, and may the Russian Orthodox devil take you, you murdering bastard. You have money and power but what you needed was more brains and maybe a little bit of a heart. Die.
Just waiting for CPAC to announce that Putin will be their keynote speaker…
Good Lord. He’s certainly been reading his Orwell and Goebbels, hasn’t he? And been drinking heavily from some umber horror of a Tsarist vintage. This will be horrendous.
What I don’t expect to see, but would love to, is for NATO to declare a No Fly Zone over Ukraine, and enforce it. That would at least give the Ukrainians a chance to organize and implement a guerrilla insurgency against the tanks. Hopefully we’ve already provided them with enough Javelin missiles to neuter the tanks, and enough Stinger missiles to do the same to the Russian air force should there be no No Fly Zone. But I have no real expectations of any of this.
Attacks on Kyiv
Putin says he 'wants to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” Ukraine’
More from Putin’s address:
CNN and BBC saying there are explosions in Kyiv, no details yet.
The Ukrainian people have been getting ready for battle. Many of us would be doing the same in their shoes.
Most Ukrainians – boys and girls – learn how to shoot at school. About 400,000 people are estimated to have combat experience, following Vladimir Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the Moscow-supported armed uprising in the east.
But the threat in recent days of a possible attack on Kyiv has caused an unprecedented rush to buy arms. Gun shops have sold out of some weapons, such as AR-10 and AR-15 assault rifles, with business now exceptionally busy.
“Of course I’m worried about the situation,” Dariia Olexandrivna said, speaking in the basement Praporshyk gun store, in central Kyiv’s Pushkin street. “I’m hoping for the best but preparing for everything.”
Olexandrivna said she and her husband began taking shooting lessons six months ago, when tensions with Moscow grew. They owned two handguns. She had come to buy 400 rubber bullets. “I saw Putin’s speech on Monday. I think he’s stupid enough to do it. He hates Ukrainian people,” she said.
Two weeks ago she packed the car with clothes, medicines, food, water and extra shoes. “My two children speak only Ukrainian. They don’t speak any Russian. If it’s no longer safe for us we will leave,” she said. Where would she go? “The west of the country, somewhere,” she replied.
Don’t know about you folks but I sure am glad Joe is in the White House.
If His Ass-Holeyness was still in the Oval Office I would not be surprised that he would not only side with Putin but assist him in destroying Ukraine.
Dumbest thing Putin has yet done is start a war. I hope I see tomorrow.
Bin Laden launched a war in 2001 and now this asshole follows up 20 years later.
Folks, I’ve been trying to research NGOs that might be able to help the Ukrainian people on the ground. I can’t vouch for these people, but it did emerge right away, a U.S.-based organization called Leleka—it means “stork,” a national symbol—that works to provide first aid and other medical assistance. There’s also Medecins sans Frontieres. No idea how active they may be. Will pass along other information I get. I’ve asked TPM to tell us what they may know. In the meantime, best wishes to a brave people.
Well … … c’mon sanctions.
Good work, and pass along anything you find that looks solid for aid donations. The International Committee of the Red Cross is based in Geneva, I don’t know if they enter active war zones but it might be worth looking into.
I really hoped, back in those heady 90s days, that Boris Yeltsin had turned the Russian state away from being a danger to its neighbors, put it on a foundation to become somewhat of a normal state. How wrong I was. I really hope that those Russians who turned out for street protests during this last decade will gather in every major city and make their displeasure with this war manifest. I would so love to see them do a Ceausescu on this vicious little creep…
Large explosions outside of Kharkiv.
"…Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history,”
These words do not seem to be those of a a person in control of their emotions.
Is it even profitable to speculate on Putin’s mental stability?
I can’t believe it hasn’t happened. And where are our special forces to make it happen … for the greater good?
President Biden has denounced Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
Lawrence O’Donnell has read the White House’s statement, but a copy is not yet available on-line.
And award him a “Medal of Freedom;”