Sanctions against Russia

[willedoo]

The threat of secondary sanctions at work. Turkey has stopped servicing and refueling Russian Boeing and Airbus airliners flying into Turkey. The restrictions apply to seven Russian airlines: Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Utair, AZUR Air, Pegas Fly, Russia and Yamal. Refueling and related services are prohibited for private, cargo, commercial and charter aircraft, as well as for aircraft that are made in any country and consist of at least 25% of components made in the United States. Now Russian aircraft flying out of Turkey are forced to refuel in Sochi.

[red750]

New report reveals Putin’s only tank factory can’t replace his losses

 

See slideshow report here.

[onetrack]

I can't wait for a major fire, or even a drone bombing attack, in the Russian tank manufacturing facility.

[red750]

The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Putin

 

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes involving accusations that Russia has forcibly taken 16,000 Ukrainian children.

 

The ICC also issued a warrant for Putin's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

 

The court said in a news release Friday the two are "allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

 

Read more here.

[red750]

More on Putin's war crimes.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I reckon its great! Sure, it will be dismissed as "fake news" but I still reckon its great.

[Old Koreelah]

Good to see, but I’d have much more respect for the ICC if they’d applied equal zeal to investigating war crimes by the US and its allies.

[facthunter]

Look what countries do to People who expose their dark deeds.? Assange as an example with UK US & Sweden involved..  Bugging the East Timor Gov't by asio.  . There's other whistle blowers here being treated badly still. Nev

[willedoo]

The ICC is a bit of a toothless tiger, but at least it's a symbolic move if nothing else. It would prevent putin from traveling to any countries that recognise the ICC, but he probably intends to stay bunkered down in Russia regardless. One positive effect might be the international stigma attached to a person with an arrest warrant for war crimes. No doubt some of the countries closest to him will not change, as they also don't recognise the ICC, but the fence sitters will be wary of associating with him.

 

It could mean the closing of the door on any fantasies of negotiating a peace with him. Appeasers like Macron and Scholz would not be too comfortable about talking deals on the phone with an indicted war criminal. It's about time they woke up to the fact that you can't deal with him.

[willedoo]

I wish the Olympic committee would get with it and ban Russian and Belorussian athletes from the Paris games. It seems ridiculous that they will be competing at a time when several Ukrainian Olympic athletes have been killed by Russians on the battlefield. In answer to any arguments that sport and politics should be kept separate, therefore Russians should compete, well the two are not separated in Russia. There's plenty of photos and video footage of Russia's athletes proudly appearing with putin at his rallies, all wearing the Z symbol on their athletic uniforms. The fact is that a big percentage of the Russian athletes competing at Paris are fully supportive of the killing of Ukrainians and the theft of their land. The IOC should hang it's head in shame.

[Old Koreelah]

After their systematic State-supported doping program, why are the ever allowed back?

[willedoo]

It would be interesting to know how far putin's tentacles reach among the powerful and elite in Europe. It could help explain why so many were sitting on their hands in the first half of the Ukraine war, and many still are.

 

Here's just one example of putin's friends in Europe. This lady in question is Karin Kneissl, former Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs. These photos are of her and her invited guest putler at her wedding in 2018 when she was the serving Foreign Minister. The following year, she resigned after a no confidence motion, and went on to write op-eds for the Kremlin funded media outlet, Russia Today.

 

In 2021, she landed a $500,000 p.a. job on the board of the Russian state gas company, Rosneft. Her fellow board members included Swiss banker Hans-Joerg Rudloff and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. They resigned their positions three months after the invasion of Ukraine. Her Russian involvement continued after that, and in September of last year, she was a guest at Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

 

I sometimes wonder about the loyalty of the current German Chancellor, and whether a leopard can change it's spots. He's a former Marxist who was once described by the USSR as an important ally in the fight against NATO. He now heads one of the most important countries in NATO, so it's quite a turn-around from his younger days.

 

[willedoo]

Germany had it's Siegfried Line, but now they are calling putler's defence line in Ukraine the Toblerone Line.

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by willedoo

[willedoo]

China's President Xi is off to Russia next week to visit his mate putin. He will be discussing his 12 point peace plan to end the Ukraine war. Having read through it, I recon it's a mix of feel-good waffle and hot air, contradictions and weasel words.

 

Here's point #1:

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected. 

 

ok then, fair enough. International law recognises the 1991 boundaries of Ukraine, so by default, Xi is saying Russia should vacate all occupied territories, including Crimea.

 

Then there's point 4:

4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard. 

 

So he says peace talks should start toward the goal of a political settlement. Just what does he mean by a political settlement? That conjures up visions of Ukraine ceding territory or agreeing to power sharing arrangements. If point #1 is to be respected, Russia will just pack up and leave. I think the only valid settlement would be one of restitution, compensation and bringing war criminals to justice.

 

I call bullshite on the  peace plan; Xi is no Pollyanna. It looks like it's created for a western audience to try to make China look good. Xi could have saved a bit of ink and made it a one point plan: 1. Comply with international law and leave Ukraine.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202302/t20230224_11030713.html

[rgmwa]

Any negotiation now would be with an indicted war criminal, albeit one who doesn’t recognise the ICC. That could throw a spanner in the works of any thoughts of a negotiated settlement.

[facthunter]

When has he stuck to his word? Nev

[willedoo]

It will be interesting to see how far putin strays from Russia this year. The G20 is in India this year but India is not a signatory to the ICC. In August South Africa hosts the BRICS summit and they are a signatory. South Africa has a duty to arrest him according to the statute rules, but they went against the rules in 2015 by failing to arrest Sudan's president who was wanted for war crimes. They are very unlikely to arrest one of their fellow BRICS members. putin might just send one of his lackeys.

[kgwilson]

He'll send that human amoeba Lavrov as he did to the last G20. Then, Lavrov got such a roasting from the other delegates he snuck out to the garden for a cigarette, left, never came back & flew out the next morning.

Edited March 19, 2023 by kgwilson

[rgmwa]

Putin would probably go himself just to show his contempt for the ICC. If the South Africans didn’t arrest the Sudanese president they wouldn’t risk an international incident by trying to arrest Putin, especially given the number of major countries that aren’t signatories.

Edited March 19, 2023 by rgmwa

[red750]

1. Putin.      Putin has just made an unannounced visit to Crimea. Video , but not much deail.on the news.

 

2. Xi.           He should practice what he preaches.

                    

1 hour ago, willedoo said:

International law recognises the 1991 boundaries of Ukraine, so by default, Xi is saying Russia should vacate all occupied territories, including Crimea.

Then what about Taiwan?

 

 

 

[facthunter]

South Africa is pretty warm towards Russia.. Nev

[Old Koreelah]

38 minutes ago, red750 said:

Xi.           He should practice what he preaches.

                    

Then what about Taiwan?

…and the islands and sandbars in the South China Sea that he has militarised. Plus the fishing boats from his neighbours which have been bullied out of their traditional fishing grounds. 
 

 China’s assertiveness has driven most of its neighbours (even Vietnam) into the arms of America. 

[facthunter]

Even the Philippines?  Nev

[willedoo]

3 hours ago, red750 said:

Then what about Taiwan?

Taiwan is not internationally recognised like Ukraine is. The only countries that do recognise Taiwan are Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland and Tuvalu. Since 1972, Australia has recognised the Government of the PRC as China’s sole legal government and acknowledged the position of the PRC that Taiwan was a province of the PRC. I think the countries that recognise Taiwan have traded their recognition for aid.

[Jerry_Atrick]

While there's no formal recognition of Taiwan, I am sure that if China did decide to invade, assuming that would change very quickly. Biden has come out and said they would defend Taiwan, which indicates there is a recognition of Taiwan as a soverign state. I wonder whether  Crimea was recognised as Russian or Ukrainian after 2014 and before the SMO?