Siege of Kyiv is about to start

Yes, I support the Geneva Conventions.

There are plenty of allegations against the Russians for damage to hospitals and other civilian targets. Key questions are whether reported damage to hospitals really came from a Russian attack and whether the intent of the attack was to damage the hospital.

The US has a long history of aerial bombing against cities. To my knowledge no US military officer has ever stood trial as a result of US bombs hitting civilian targets.

So to be clear, you think it’s possible that Ukrainians are attacking their own hospitals? And you believe this?

Collateral damage is rampant. Friendly fire happens as well. False flags are not unheard of either.

I don’t trust much of the news coming out Ukraine. If the news fits the narratives supported by the government reporting it, my assumption is that it most likely a lie or misinformation until proven otherwise.

Realize that the US government claimed that they killed Afghan terrorists in a drone attack. They really killed a family of civilians. Oops, mistakes happen . . .

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And yet you wholeheartedly push the Russian state media stories. Even when they make no sense.

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Please provide a specific example and we can discuss.

Well this week you were pushing Russian state opinion polls on Putin’s popularity.

Yes. I quoted a British paper for the poll numbers. Is that Russian popaganda?

Earlier I posted video about a young you-tuber saying that he and his friends are opposed to the war, and it is dangerous to protest openly. He also commented on how western sanctions are making life difficult for average Russians.

The Russian sanctions are intended to target average Russians so that Putin’s popularity will drop to the point that there will be regime change in Russia. Here is an example of a US leader saying that directly:

“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out,” tweeted Graham (R-SC). “You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.”

“The only people who can fix this are the Russian people,” Graham added in a second post. “Easy to say, hard to do. Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate.”

The problem is that outside pressure tends to make people rally to the defense of their own country, which could increase Putin’s popularity. The polls appear to support that idea.

Do I trust that the Russian polls are correct? No, but I can’t prove that they are wrong either.

The Russians tried the blitzkrieg, but that failed. Now they are going into siege warfare. Also the attack near poland signaled Putin will be attacking convoys bringing weapons into Ukraine. That’s the slippery slope to ww3.

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I would like to think Russia has some supply issues of its own.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges is most likely stating the party line from the US State Department and defense contractors:

Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges holds the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

https://cepa.org/our-people/ben-hodges/

Here is a list of the contributors to CEPA;

BAE Systems plc
Bell Textron, Inc.
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Daimler AG
General Atomics
General Dynamics European Land Systems GmbH
Google LLC
Government of Estonia
Hirsch Family Foundation
Improbable Worlds Limited
Larry Hirsch
Leonardo US Holdings, Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
National Endowment for Democracy
Poses Family Foundation
Robert S. Gelbard
Russia Strategic Initiative, US European Command
Smith Richardson Foundation
Thomas Firestone
US State Department
Victor Ashe
Victor Pinchuk Foundation
Our Supporters - CEPA

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And so it begins.

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I see the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a supporter. Pinchuk is a Ukrainian billionaire.

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Quote it.

Is that the best you can do? Seriously?

Additional Protocol I
Article 52(1) of the 1977 Additional Protocol I provides: “Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack.”
Protocol III to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Article 2(1) of the 1980 Protocol III to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons states: “It is prohibited in all circumstances to make … civilian objects the object of attack by incendiary weapons.”
Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Article 3(7) of the 1996 Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons provides: “It is prohibited in all circumstances to direct [mines, booby-traps and other devices], either in offence, defence or by way of reprisals, against … civilian objects

If you read that, it doesn’t say what you claimed.

I’m not a big fan of the loophole we can bomb hospital because the rebel are using them to hide defence.

Glad we could agree.

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no matter how many times you claim it, its just not true.

ukraine had no way of being admitted to nato and putin not only knew it, but controlled it. his nato propaganda excuse is just that.

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Yes, Kyiv is likely to face a long pounding by Russian artillery before Russian troops enter the city center.

That has been a preferred Russian approach to urban warfare going back to the Second World War.

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