Today's News: Ukraine update

I will be travelling over the next few days so I may not be able to put up more posts this week

Tonight, I am trying to figure out the latest from Ukraine. 

They likely will have a few more weeks of decent weather until winter strikes, so I hope they can liberate Kherson and more of the Donbas soon. Meantime, Russia continues to try to frighten the world into withdrawing support from Ukraine. 

I hope it won't work. Here is some discussion about Russia's overall goals:

“Russia’s aim is not to expand its borders, but to forestall the competitive threat posed by free, prosperous countries beyond them. For that reason, Ukraine as a sovereign country must be destroyed.” @edwardlucas https://t.co/i3VU3U4F21

— CEPA (@cepa) October 23, 2022

Right now, Russia is trying to scare the world with talk about "dirty bombs" -- first, it needs to be understood that there actually is no such thing, not really -- it is a "speculative" weapon, in the words of Wikipedia. It might be possible to build a bomb that combines conventional and nuclear explosives, but it isn't clear whether anyone has actually done so. 

But whenever the media mentions "dirty bomb" it sends people into a panic (it reminds me of the police fentanyl panic myth) and this is what Russia is counting on.

False flag? Russia says Ukraine plans to detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ https://t.co/3ahPffnQ72

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 23, 2022

2. to leave a whole army of machinery that will enhance Ukraine’s forces in ways even NATO could not match. So Putin thinks his only leverage is to threaten nuclear war but nobody’s flinching. And Putin’s army is still stuck.

— Tim Hogan 浩勤 (@TimInHonolulu) October 24, 2022

The US, Britain and France aren't having it:

France, Britain and the U.S. issued a rare joint statement that rejected Russia’s allegation that Ukraine is preparing to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory, calling it a pretext Russia has concocted for escalating the war. https://t.co/QzShIESaaM

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 24, 2022

Russia is also looking for useful idiots like Elon Musk to promote Russian goals.

I invite anyone to defend this. https://t.co/dKyq7mYijE

— Cal Deobald (@calmudge0n) October 21, 2022

In other Ukraine news:

Worth noting that some Russian sources are talking about the Ukrainians pushing again near Svatove. That always worth watching. https://t.co/GS5AWBU90z

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) October 23, 2022

Finally tonight, some funnier stuff:

#オレの好きなGIF pic.twitter.com/tRvfLkbaXK

— オレの好きなGIF (@OrenosukinaGIF) October 24, 2022

Regularly rotate your password by using the name of the current UK Prime Minister.

— Robert Smallshire (@robsmallshire) October 20, 2022

Americans weighing in on Canada’s gun laws is like a meth addict telling you to floss. Shhhhhhh. #uspoli #cdnpoli

— Steve V 🍁 IAMCANADIAN 🍁 (@FarAndWide) October 24, 2022

Related; lecturing to a class about human variation and described the epicanthic fold as an “extra” flap of skin. Asian kid raised his hand saying, “Aren’t white people just eyelid deficient.” Kid nailed it! A+

— Ken Feder (@fiftysitesbook) October 19, 2022