Adeevka is key and the Ukrainians are fleeing even before the commander-in-chief gives the order
The occupation of Avdeevka, the most heavily fortified area in Europe, opens the way for the Russians to advance westward. Looks like a major inflection point in the war.
The occupation of Avdeevka, the most heavily fortified area in Europe, opens the way for the Russians to advance westward. Looks like a major inflection point in the war. The fact that the Ukrainians left peacefully indicates they know it’s over.
(Your daily air strike update is just below this article)
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2024/02/18/vsu-pobezhali-iz-avdeevki-za-sutki-do-prikaza-syrskogo-video
The Armed Forces of Ukraine fled from Avdeevka a day before Syrsky’s order - video
Feb 18, 2024
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are fleeing Avdeevka before the order of the commander-in-chief. Russian Ministry of Defense
Video link: https://t.me/mod_russia/35759
The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video showing that the troops of the Kyiv regime began to flee Avdeevka a day before the order of Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky to leave the city. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The video was posted on the department’s telegram channel.
“The footage shows how groups of fleeing Ukrainian military personnel are moving along roads under constant fire control of the Russian army even before the order of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The order of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to abandon the city was issued only a day after the uncontrolled flight of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka began. Under the continuous fire impact of Russian troops, only a few scattered formations of Ukrainian militants managed to hastily leave Avdiivka, abandoning their weapons and military equipment,” says the commentary to the video.
As EADaily reported, the Kyiv regime troops remaining at the Avdeevka coke plant are not offering much resistance. This was stated by adviser to the head of the DPR Igor Kimakovsky.
“Currently there is an intensive clearing of Ukrainian troops from the territory of the Avdeevka coking plant [The situation at this plant is analogous to the situation at Azovstal at Mariupol, but this time, the Ukies know they must leave to save their lives]. In this case, the armed formations of Ukraine, taught by the Mariupol events, do not offer much resistance,” said Kimakovsky, quoted by TASS.
Militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to him, prefer to surrender and leave the territory of the enterprise alive.
As the Ukrainian TC “Resident” reports, citing its own sources, Zelensky’s office instructed the SBU to deal harshly with the commanders from Avdiivka, who agreed with the enemy so that the military and wounded would surrender safely. Bankova considers this a bad signal, which has a bad effect on the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and may become a general trend in the future, when commanders, instead of fighting to the death, will negotiate for captivity.
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Here’s your air strike update for Feb 18, 2024
Missile attacks on Ukraine on the night of February 18, 2024: where the explosions occurred
Author: Evgeny Poddubny
09:56, 18 February 2024
The Russian Aerospace Forces launched powerful attacks on the military infrastructure of Ukraine. Residents of several oblasts reported explosions, and judging by the comments and the power of the explosions, military goals were achieved.
Explosions in Ukraine on the night of February 18: details
From information received from Ukrainian sources, it is known that missile attacks were carried out on infrastructure facilities in the Kharkov, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk regions of Ukraine.
The main targets of these attacks were military facilities, including ammunition depots and multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) installations of the Ukrainian army, located in the northern part of the Kharkov oblast, including in the settlements of Liptsy, Russkie Tishki and Volchansk.
There is evidence that it was from these territories that attacks were regularly carried out on the border areas of the Belgorod region of Russia.
In addition, strong explosions were reported in the Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk regions, including the city of Krivoy Rog. It is also known that attacks were carried out on military targets in Kherson and Zaporozhye controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the Kyiv oblast, as well as in some other territories controlled by Kiev, an alarm was declared warning of a possible missile attack.
It is important to note that the Russian army uses precision weapons exclusively for military purposes, including the destruction of ammunition depots, accumulations of military equipment and places of concentration of Ukrainian military personnel and foreign mercenaries.
Explosions in the Poltava oblast of Ukraine, today February 18
In the Telegram channel, the head of the military administration of the Poltava oblast of Ukraine, Philip Pronin, officially announced damage to an infrastructure facility in the oblast after a series of explosions.
Pronin clarified that the incident occurred on the territory of the Poltava oblast and led to a fire, which was successfully extinguished.
On the night of February 17-18, the Ukrainian TV channel “Public” reported several explosions in the Poltava oblast during an air raid.
Explosions in the Ukrainian Dnieper
The internet publication Strana.ua reports on its Telegram channel about powerful explosions in the city of Dnepr (formerly known as Dnepropetrovsk) in southeastern Ukraine.
“Eyewitnesses report an explosion in Dniepr,” the message reads. Details are not specified.
According to the interactive map of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, an air raid alert has been declared in the oblasts of Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkov oblasts.
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Black church urges end to US support for Israel
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The Ukraine war runs on lies
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-ukraine-war-runs-on-lies/
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According to international lawyer Christopher Black, war propaganda is illegal
https://donhank.substack.com/p/most-western-msm-journos-who-write
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Translation from the Arabic with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
Sunday, February 18, 2024 11:42
American occupation forces control Syrian wheat and oil
American intervention in Syria - the suffering of the Syrian people
Why are American forces still stationed in Syria? How did the American presence affect the suffering of the Syrian people? This is what is discussed in an article by the Responsible Statecraft Institute, translated by the “Trenches” website, in which the writer points out the link between the Syrian suffering and the American military intervention and presence in Syria, its responsibility for the deteriorating economic situation, and the feasibility of this presence at the present time. The writer also criticizes an article in the New York Times by Kenneth McKenzie and refutes his unrealistic claims and hypotheses about the necessity of continuing American intervention in Syria.
Translated text of the article [from English to Arabic]
Last month, Foreign Policy published a report that sparked controversy about US policy in the Middle East. She claimed that "the Biden administration is reconsidering its priorities" in Syria and may conduct a "complete withdrawal of US forces." Now, the media is discussing the future of US intervention in Syria. Missing from this discussion is the suffering caused by this involvement.
Retired General Kenneth McKenzie, writing for the New York Times, warns that "it is not time for our forces to leave Syria." He argues that mere talk of withdrawal (let alone actual withdrawal) "seriously harms American interests." It "gives hope to Tehran" that it will compete with American influence in the Middle East, which is a bad thing. It is not clear why Iran has less influence over its region than with forces thousands of miles away.
McKenzie also argues that if US forces should stay "to secure the prisons holding ISIS fighters," militants may escape and the Islamist group can "rejuvenate." McKenzie does not believe that the Syrian government can prevent the escape of prisoners on its own, or even with Russian and Iranian support.
This argument is highly speculative. If the Americans leave, imprisoned ISIS fighters may escape. If so, they may rebuild their organization into a force too formidable for Syrian forces to handle. Improbable emergencies must occur to warrant taking this logic seriously.
But MacKenzie's claim suffers from a more fundamental problem. Everyone from Noam Chomsky to Rand Paul knows that American intervention created the conditions that allowed ISIS to grow. Bombing Arab countries, overthrowing their leaders, and starving governments through sanctions have created a power vacuum. Which prevented countries like Syria from maintaining their territorial integrity and establishing self-government mechanisms.
After nearly 13 years of ongoing civil war, Syria is in dire straits. Once a middle-income country with respectable standards of living, it is now the poorest country on Earth. More than 90% of Syrians live below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day. Their salaries are worthless, as the Syrian pound has lost almost all of its relative value since the war began.
Not everything is America's fault. There is no doubt that the Syrian government bears great responsibility for the humanitarian crisis. [IF the Syrian government bore a “great responsibility for the humanitarian crisis,” as the US author disingenuously affirms, then he, if he wants to be a responsible reporter, should have provided an example of this.] But US sanctions are an obstacle to improving matters. The notorious Caesar Act targets anyone “engaged in a significant transaction” with the Syrian government. This outrageous policy, which Donald Trump signed into law, [as a good little slave of Israe] effectively prevents the international community from helping Syria rebuild.
But there is more. Years ago, with American blessing, Turkish-backed militias stole more than 1,000 factories in the city of Aleppo alone. This attack left the economy of the Syrian industrial productive forces in tatters. But that's not all the United States and its allies stole. US occupation forces routinely control [no, the STEAL] Syrian wheat and oil. Trump admitted this, saying that the soldiers "were staying in Syria to secure oil resources."
Mackenzie doesn't seem to care much about this enormous suffering. Why would he do that? His job as a general was to project American military power, whatever the costs, a position he apparently continues as a guest writer for The New York Times.
Source: responsible statecraft institute
Writer: Elias Khoury
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Emmanuel Todd: The Defeat of the West
https://ednews.net/en/news/world/641606-emmanuel-todd-are-witnessing-the
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There is no need to surrender: the new commander-in-chief Syrsky and the “Azovites” let Zelensky down
Feb 18, 2024
The office of the President of Ukraine ordered an investigation due to the fact that the 3rd separate assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the successor to Azov*, refused to carry out the order and take positions in Avdiivka.
“Our source in the OP said that the president’s office instructed the General Staff and the SBU to conduct an investigation into the 3rd brigade, which refused to carry out] the order and enter Avdiivka positions. On Bankova [name of the street on which Zelensky has his office] they are very angry with Syrsky – commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. - EADaily), who promised to hold the city while Zelensky (head of the Kiev regime Vladimir Zelensky. - EADaily) was on a tour of the EU, but had to urgently leave the most fortified positions that had been created for ten years in Avdeevka", writes TK.
As EADaily reported, the order of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, to abandon Avdiivka was issued only a day after the uncontrolled flight of Ukrainian troops from the city began. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.