The Ukrainians Are Having None of This Nonsense
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Perhaps no one has better exemplified the spirit and resolve of the Ukrainian people as a woman in Henychesk, Kherson region, who simply walked up to a heavily armed Russian soldier to ask him what exactly he was doing on the streets of her town.
"We have exercises here," he explained. "Please go away."
"What kind of exercises? Are you Russian?" When he conceded that he was in fact Russian, she let him have it.
"So what the fuck are you doing here? You're occupants, you're fascists." She then held out a handful of sunflower seeds. "Take these and put them in your pockets so that at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here. You came to my land. Do you understand? You are occupiers. You are enemies."
As Russian forces continue to move in on Kyiv in the north, Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson, they are finding the going has been tougher than anticipated, the pace has slowed in the face of fierce resistance. It seems that Russian intelligence regarding the Ukrainian air defense wasn't up to snuff, and the Russians don't appear adept at operating a night.
Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Ukrainians--almost all women and children--have poured across the borders of neighboring countries to seek refuge, and people in the UK have started calling for their government to offer asylum to those displaced by the Russian invasion and skylines around the world have lit up with support of the Ukrainian people.
The White House has announced its intention to level sanctions directly at Putin and his inner circle, though they are like to be more light than heat, as Putin's wealth is so vast and the bulk of it is presumably well hidden.
On Friday, Putin claimed that Ukrainian president Zelensky had rejected the offer of peace talks, but Zelensky took to Facebook to dispute the claim. The Russian news agency Tass has since reported that negotiations for the negotiations are underway. Hungary has offered to host.
And that was the least of Putin's provocations as the Russian strongman threatened Finland and Sweden, encouraged a military coup of "this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis, who occupied Kyiv and took the entire Ukrainian people hostage," and hinted at nuclear war. Oh, and Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, warned that sanctions against Russia could send the International Space Station plummeting into the United States or Europe.
Tales of Defiance Fuel Ukraine’s Fighting Spirit - Times of London
Russian invasion of Ukraine: the Latest in Pictures
"I am an adult woman, I am healthy, and it's my responsibility," says a Ukrainian civilian, as she joins a group of volunteer fighters armed with assault rifles patrolling central Kyiv on Friday.
Ukrainian President Zelensky and his crew tell the world, they are not going anywhere.
Ukrainian ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya tells the Russian ambassador where he will be going
“Jews Fleeing DeNazification”
Writers write:
"Ukraine Now. Taiwan Next?" Andrew Sullivan, Substack
"Shaming Russia will do nothing to help Ukraine. It's a new (old) world order now." Jon Gabriel, AZ Central
"The Problem with Basically Every Tweet About Ukraine." Ben Dreyfuss, Substack
"The 24 hours leading up to Vladimir Putin’s invasion were disquieting in their combination of surrealism and tedium. The population of Kyiv was clearly deeply anxious, either engaging in seemingly over-the-top preparations for war (every cable news network reported on some little babushka learning to shoot an automatic rifle) or else ignoring it completely. Ukrainians in the capital were oblivious and stoic in the effortlessly graceful manner of men and women who have authentically embraced fatalism.
"Along with my fellow Ukraine hand Nolan Peterson—a tall, avuncular, strapping, former combat pilot who is a real life version of Captain America— I wound up spending the eve of the war with the American actor Sean Penn over whiskey, vodka, and cigarettes. Penn was in good form and told us a story about meeting a young President Putin along with Jack Nicholson in a dacha near Moscow. I can confirm that hanging out with Sean Penn was also the last thing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did before the invasion began."
"My Last 24 Hours in Kyiv," by Vladislav Davidzon, Tablet
Keep punching:
Russian individuals, banks, and corporations being sanctioned - at a glance The Guardian
Airlines tackle Russia risks as Ukraine fallout widens Reuters
White House fact sheet on sanctions The White House
If you are going to sign up for just one new Twitter follow on the ground in Kyiv, we suggest Illia Ponomarenko, @IAPonomarenko
Twitter and IG follows:
Ukraine Live 2022, @UkraineLive2022
Mark Galeotti, @markgaleotti
Max Seddon, @maxseddon
Simon Shuster, @shustry