##Summary of News, 11 March 2022, 07:00 GMT +1

– 10 March [UK Defence Update](https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1502003531112501249) – The ministry intelligence claims that Russian forces now are trying to encircle cities, and that cities controlled by Russia have seen protests by local Ukrainians, with at least 400 Ukrainians being detained in Kherson oblast.
– The U.N Security Council will meet after [Russia’s claim](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-nations-jen-psaki-moscow-europe-2bdbc57e596327f2d159993d1107f93b) that the United States is funding biological labs in Ukraine. Allegedly, this could justify the use of biological and chemical weapons by the Russian army against Ukraine.
– This is followed by a conspiracy theory being pushed by Russia and China propagandists, that claims that [the United States funds biolabs in Ukraine for military purposes](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/10/bioweapons-ukraine-russia-disinformation/). Justin Ling, the journalist reporting this, has also [made a Twitter thread with more details](https://twitter.com/Justin_Ling/status/1499436084249473024).

###Status of Fighting

– [Mariupol is still being bombarded by Russian forces](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bf2bcfb3a499d688e3075f2d4cf54989). The city has been besieged for more than 2 weeks.
– On the previous day, a [maternity hospital was hit by a Russian missile](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60675599), and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the attack as a ‘war crime’.
– The “Russian Convoy” at Kyiv is reportedly being [redeployed](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bf2bcfb3a499d688e3075f2d4cf54989). AP News reports that armored units were spotted near Antonov Airport, [which is already controlled by the Russians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antonov_Airport), and some other units have been seen in the forests.

###Diplomacy

– US, the European Union and the G7 countries [are going to revoke “most favored nation” trade status with Russia](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-favored-trade-status-white-house-us-companies-assets/), which may allow for even more economic sanctions against the country.

###Business and Economics

– [President Putin has recognized the impact of the economic sanctions](https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-says-russia-will-solve-its-problems-calls-sanctions-illegitimate-2022-03-10/), called the sanctions illegitimate and said that Russia would ‘calmly solve the problems arising from them’.
– Russia [retaliates by banning exports](https://www.reuters.com/business/russia-suspends-exports-tech-telecoms-medical-auto-agricultural-equipment-until-2022-03-10/), including countries that are part of the Eurasian Economic Union, and warns that they plan to seize and nationalize assets of foreign firms.

###News and Feature stories of interest for r/europe users

– (In French) [After Ukraine, we need a new recovery plan”, a conversation with Pascal Lamy](https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2022/03/06/un-plan-de-resilience-pour-leurope-apres-linvasion-de-lukraine-une-conversation-avec-pascal-lamy/). *From The Grand Continent*, thanks u/NilFhiosAige for the suggestion.

– [Putin’s Road to War: Julia Ioffe (interview)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSNo2FPQDQw). *From PBS*. [link to r/europe post](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/tbf8be/julia_ioffe_being_interviewed_about_putin_and/).

### Other links of interest

– You can follow up-to-date information and news from the [r/worldnews live thread](https://www.reddit.com/live/18hnzysb1elcs)
– [Wikipedia: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)
– [Wikipedia: Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)
– [Reuters Graphics special with all the military equipment spotted in the war by Ukraine and Russia](https://graphics.reuters.com/UKRAINE-CRISIS/WEAPONS/lbvgnzdnlpq/)
– [#UkraineFacts: a international coalition of journalists fact-checking media surrounding the war in Ukraine](https://ukrainefacts.org/)
– DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH “War of Fakes”. [Deutsche Welle (DW) has reported it as being a source of fake news](https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-war-how-a-fact-checking-website-is-spreading-russian-propaganda/a-61062940), and the Russian Defense Ministry has linked this site in their tweets before.

—

## **Background and current situation**

*For a full background about the events that happened before the Russian-Ukrainian War, check [this post on r/OutOFTheLoop](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/sqhno0/megathread_whats_going_on_with_ukraine_and_russia/).

In early 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaiden protests, unmarked Russian troops invaded Crimea, which was officially annexed by Russia after holding a referendum that is considered invalid by the global community due to voter intimidation, irregularities during the voting process, vote manipulation and other issues. To this day, the annexation of Crimea has not been recognized internationally. Following the annexation, Western powers have implemented sanctions against various sectors of the Russian economy, which were met by Russian counter-sanctions against western goods. More or less simultaneously, pro-Russian separatists, which are assumed to be backed by Russia, started an uprising in the Donbass region . Ever since, the separatists have been engaged in a civil war with the regular Ukrainian forces, aided by a steady supply of Russian equipment, mercenaries and official Russian troops. During the conflict, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK M1 missile over the conflict area which resulted in the death of 298 civilians. In 2014 and 2015, there were diplomatic attempts to curb the violence in the region through the ceasefire agreements in the protocol of Minsk and Minsk II, negotiated by Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in the so-called “Normandy Format”. In early 2021, Russia amassed roughly 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, which were withdrawn after a while and ongoing diplomatic criticism by other countries. Since the end of 2021, Russia has started deploying troops to the Ukrainian border again. Western military experts estimate that Russia would need roughly 150,000 Troops to overwhelm the Ukrainian army and successfully annex most of Ukraine, including Kyiv. After a few days of uncertainty, Russia decided to recognize the independence of the two breakaway regions and moved troops into the area, and on 24 February, declared a war against Ukraine.

[‘Dark day for Europe’: World leaders condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/leaders-of-us-uk-eu-and-canada-condemn-russian-invasion-on-ukraine.html)

Since the war began, Ukraine has maintained control of the Northern front, where Kyiv is located, and the Eastern front, where Kharkiv and Sumy are located. However, Ukraine’s army have suffered losses in the Southern front, with Odessa being a likely target for the Russian army in the upcoming days. It is also in the southern front where the “Battle of Zaporizhzhia” is ongoing, and where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is located. Authorities from US and Russia have confirmed that no substantial damage was caused to the nuclear plant. Mariupol, located in the Donetsk oblast, is currently besieged by Russian forces.

The war has also caused a [refugee crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_refugee_crisis). By March 4, 2022, according to the UN, 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees left the country.

—

# **Rule changes effective immediately:**

Since we expect a Russian disinformation campaign to go along with this invasion, we have decided to implement a set of rules to combat the spread of misinformation as part of a hybrid warfare campaign.

* No unverified reports of any kind in the comments or in submissions on r/europe. We will remove videos of any kind unless they are verified by reputable outlets. This also affects videos published by Ukrainian and Russian government sources.
* Absolutely no justification of this invasion.
* No gore
* No calls for violence against *anyone*. Calling for the killing of invading troops or leaders is allowed. The limits of international law apply.
* No hatred against any group, including the populations of the combatants

—

# **Current Posting Rules:**

Given that the initial wave of posts about the issue is over, we have decided to relax the rules on allowing posts on the situation a bit.

Instead of fixing which kind of posts will be allowed, we will now move to a list of posts that are not allowed:

* We have temporarily disabled direct submissions of videos and images on r/europe
* Self-Posts (text posts)
* Status reports about the war unless they have major implications (e.g. “City X still holding would” would not be allowed, “Russia takes major city” would be allowed. “Major attack on Kyiv repelled” would also be allowed.)
* The mere announcement of a diplomatic stance by a country (e.g. “Country changes its mind on SWIFT sanctions” would not be allowed, “SWIFT sanctions enacted” would be allowed)
* ru domains, that is, links from Russian sites, are banned site wide. This includes Russia Today and Sputnik, among other state-sponsored sites by Russia. We can’t reapprove those links even if we wanted.

If you have any questions, [click here to contact the mods of r/europe](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/europe).

—

**Donations:**

If you want to donate to Ukraine, check [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/t03lml/want_to_support_ukraine_heres_a_list_of_charities/) or [this fundraising account by the Ukrainian national bank](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/wiki/ukrainewar#wiki_donations).

—

**Fleeing Ukraine**

We have set up a wiki page with the available information about the border situation for Ukraine [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/wiki/ukrainewar)

—

# Please obey the request of the Ukrainian government to [refrain from sharing info about Ukrainian troop movements](https://i.redd.it/5atggucaurj81.jpg)

29 comments

  1. Bit confused about the syrians fighting for russia, would they be syrian army troops or would it be rebels

  3. >President Biden announces over 12,000 U.S. troops have been mobilized along the Russian border to defend NATO countries:

    >“Granted, if we respond, it is World War III, but we have a sacred obligation on NATO territory.”

  5. Probably a dumb question but is there anything Russia can do within Ukraine that would cause NATO to step in further? As in using chemical or bio warfare? I don’t believe nukes will be used but curious to know if there is any line outside of attacking NATO nations that could cause them to step in more

  7. [EU to ban export of luxury goods to Russia](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/03/11/ftse-100-markets-live-news-sanctions-russia-oil-gas/)

    >Brussels will ban the export of luxury goods to Russia amid growing efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
    >
    >EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has said: “We will ban the export of any EU luxury goods from our countries to Russia, as a direct blow to the Russian elite.
    >
    >”Those who sustain Putin’s war machine should no longer be able to enjoy their lavish lifestyle while bombs fall on innocent people in Ukraine.”
    >
    >Von der Leyen unveiled a series of new measures, including banning the import of key goods in the iron and steel sector from the Russian Federation as well as prohibiting new European investments across Russia’s energy sector.
    >
    >**She also said the EU will “make sure that the Russian state and its elites cannot use crypto assets, to circumvent the sanctions”.**

  8. https://www.ft.com/content/503fb110-f91e-4bed-b6dc-0d09582dd007

    **Inside Putin’s circle — the real Russian elite**

    —
    ^Paywall:

    In describing Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, I have often thought of a remark by John Maynard Keynes about Georges Clemenceau, French prime minister during the first world war: that he was an utterly disillusioned individual who “had one illusion — France”.

    Something similar could be said of Russia’s governing elite, and helps to explain the appallingly risky collective gamble they have taken by invading Ukraine. Ruthless, greedy and cynical they may be — but they are not cynical about the idea of Russian greatness.

    The western media employ the term “oligarch” to describe super-wealthy Russians in general, including those now wholly or largely resident in the west. The term gained traction in the 1990s, and has long been seriously misused. In the time of President Boris Yeltsin, a small group of wealthy businessmen did indeed dominate the state, which they plundered in collaboration with senior officials. This group was, however, broken by Putin during his first years in power.

    Three of the top seven “oligarchs” tried to defy Putin politically. Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky were driven abroad, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky was jailed and then exiled. The others, and their numerous lesser equivalents, were allowed to keep their businesses within Russia in return for unconditional public subservience to Putin. When Putin met (by video link) leading Russian businessmen after launching the invasion of Ukraine, there was no question of who was giving the orders.

    The force that broke the oligarchs was the former KGB, reorganised in its various successor services. Putin himself, of course, came from the KGB, and a large majority of the top elite under Putin are from the KGB or associated state backgrounds (though not the armed forces).

    This group have remained remarkably stable and homogenous under Putin, and are (or used to be) close to him personally. Under his leadership, they have plundered their country (though unlike the previous oligarchs, they have kept most of their wealth within Russia) and have participated or acquiesced in his crimes, including the greatest of them all, the invasion of Ukraine. They have echoed both Putin’s vicious propaganda against Ukraine and his denunciations of western decadence.

    As Russia plunges deeper into a military quagmire and economic crisis, a central question is whether — if the war is not ended quickly by a peace settlement — Putin can be removed (or persuaded to step down) by the Russian elites themselves, in order to try to extricate Russia and themselves from the pit he has dug for them. To assess the chances of this requires an understanding of the nature of the contemporary Russian elites, and above all of Putin’s inner core.

    By way of illustrating the depth of the Russian catastrophe of the 1990s and identifying with all those who suffered from it, Putin has said that at one stage he was reduced — while still a serving lieutenant colonel of the KGB — to moonlighting as a freelance taxi driver in order to supplement his income. This is plausible enough. In 1994, while I was working as a journalist for The Times in Russia and the former USSR, my driver in the North Caucasus was an ex-major in the KGB. “We thought we were the backbone of the Soviet Union,” he said to me bitterly. “Now look at us. Real Chekists!”

    “Real Chekist” (*nastoyashchy chekist*) was a Soviet propaganda phrase referring to the qualities of ruthless discipline, courage, ideological commitment and honesty supposedly characteristic of the Cheka, the first Soviet secret police formed by Lenin and his associates. It became the subject of many Soviet jokes, but there is little doubt that Putin and his top elite continue to see themselves in this light, as the backbone of Russia — though Putin, who is anything but a revolutionary, appears to identify much more strongly with the security elites of imperial Russia.

    An interesting illustration of this comes from *Union of Salvation (Soyuz Spaseniya, 2019)*, a film about the radical Decembrist revolt of 1825, made with the support of the Russian state. To the considerable shock of older Russian friends of mine who were brought up to revere the Decembrists, the heroes of this film are Tsar Nicholas I and the loyal imperial generals and bureaucrats who fought to preserve government and order against the rebels.

    Although they have amassed immense power and wealth, Putin and his immediate circle remain intensely resentful of the way in which the Soviet Union, Russia and their own service collapsed in the 1990s — and great power mixed with great resentment is one of the most dangerous mixtures in both domestic and international politics.

    As Putin’s autocratic tendencies have grown, real power (as opposed to wealth) within the system has come to depend more and more on continual personal access to the president; and the number of those with such access has narrowed — especially since the Covid pandemic led to Putin’s drastic physical isolation — to a handful of close associates.

    In his first years in power, Putin (who was a relatively junior KGB officer) could be regarded as “first among equals” in a top elite of friends and colleagues. No longer. Increasingly, even the siloviki have been publicly reduced to servants of the autocrat — as was graphically illustrated by Putin’s humiliation of his foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, at the televised meeting of the National Security Council on the eve of war. Such contemptuous behaviour towards his immediate followers could come back to bite Putin, as it has so many past autocrats.

    The inner core includes defence minister Sergei Shoigu (former emergencies minister and not a professional soldier); Nikolai Patrushev, former head of domestic intelligence and now secretary of Russia’s National Security Council; Naryshkin; and Igor Sechin, the former deputy prime minister appointed by Putin to run the Rosneft oil company. Insofar as top economic officials with “patriotic liberal” leanings were ever part of this inner core, they have long since been excluded.

    These men are known in Russia as the *“siloviki”* — “men of force”, or perhaps even, in the Irish phrase, “hard men”. A clear line should be drawn between the siloviki and the wider Russian elites — large and very disparate and disunited congeries of top businessmen, senior officials outside the inner circle, leading media figures, top generals, patriotic intellectuals and the motley crew of local notables, placemen and fixers who make up the leadership of Putin’s United Russia party.

    Among some of the wider Russian elites, unease at the invasion of Ukraine and its consequences is already apparent. Naturally enough, this has begun with the economic elites, given their deep stakes in business with the west and their understanding of the catastrophic impact of western sanctions on the Russian economy. Roman Abramovich, his discomfort clear enough as he sought buyers for Chelsea Football Club, found the sale halted this week when his UK assets were frozen. Mikhail Fridman, chairman of Alfa Group (already severely hit by western sanctions) and one of the surviving former “oligarchs” from the 1990s, has called for an early end to the war, as has aluminium magnate Oleg Deripaska.

    If there is no peace agreement and the war drags on into a bloody stalemate, the economy declines precipitously and the Russian people see a steep fall in their living standards, then public unrest, state repression and state attempts to dragoon and exploit business will all inevitably increase radically, and so will the unhappiness of the wider elites.

    These, however, lack the collective institutions and, perhaps more importantly, the collective identities that would allow them to combine easily to unseat Putin. The Duma, or lower house of Russia’s parliament, was succinctly described to me by a Russian friend as “a compost heap full of assorted rotten vegetables”. This is a bit too unkind — the Duma does contain some decent people — but it would be futile to look to it for any kind of political leadership.

    The army, which elsewhere in the world would be the usual institution behind a coup, has been determinedly depoliticised, first by the Soviet state and now by Putin’s, in return for huge state funding. It is also now committed to military victory in Ukraine, or at least something that can be presented as victory.

    On the other hand, Putin’s ruthless purging of the upper ranks of the military, along with the apparent incompetence with which the high command has steered the invasion of Ukraine, could lead to considerable future discontent in the army, including lower-rank generals. This means that while the military will not itself move against Putin, it is also very unlikely to move to save him.

  14. Would Russia really risk using nukes and if so why is China acting so cool about the situation? The idea of MAD comes to mind here and if Russia gets nuked, that will definitely affect China. That’s something that doesnt add up for me

  17. How you guys feel about NATO’s capabilities after a USSR drone from 1970 flew over 4 NATO countries undetected and hit one’s capital?

    Russian military clearly sucks but after this I don’t know how much better Europe is doing.

  18. Biden 79 years old VS Putin 69 years old …. people at the end of their lives, why do we allow old people to decide the fate of 6+ billions people by threatening nukes… both sides ?!

    WTF is wrong with us humans ?

  20. It’s funny, the whole day in this thread has been basically empty from Putin shills, all of a sudden they seem to float in.

    Is the majority in US time zones?

  22. > If tomorrow Bolshevism is replaced with a different form of Russian imperialism, then it also will first and foremost turn all its power against the independence of Ukraine, in order to subjugate it. The Russian people will bear the same imperialism as before and do everything to keep Ukraine enslaved.

    Guys, what do you think?

  25. [Erdogan: West could have stopped Russia in 2014. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the insufficient response from the West to the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 led to Russia’s current full-scale war.](https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1502384889089429507)

    Broken clock and all that.

    Europe should really have put down the foot hard as soon the little green men appeared in Crimea and Russia aided the separtists in the Donbas.

  27. Considering Kyiv was basically turned into a fortress, and that capturing it will take a very long time even if encircled, is it likely that Russia will change tactics? Or will trying to capture Kyiv remain one of the main goals?

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