Today's News: An indominable spirit

The Ukraine spirit is indominable - here's a photo by Marcus Yam, LA Times, of a soldier saluting his fellows near Kyiv.

So, talking to people in various parts of Ukraine today, the mood is— we have to win in 3 weeks so planting season is not delayed.

— Kateryna Yushchenko 🌻 🇺🇦 (@KatyaYushchenko) March 18, 2022

Sumy comedians held a stand-up show in a bomb shelter.

Three comedians performed for about 100 viewers in one of the bomb shelters in Sumy, a regional capital in northern Ukraine, on March 19, according to local media outlet Cukr.

Photo: Lena Lion pic.twitter.com/Rdii3NmREM

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 19, 2022

Here's a fascinating BBC interview with a Canadian soldier about the kind of fighting the Ukraine army has been trained for -"what shines through is the will and determination and strength" of the Ukraine soldier:

They trained to defend.
They know their land.
They know freedom.

If you thought it would be quick, you don’t know Ukrainians.#StandWithUkraine🇺🇦
pic.twitter.com/DLW0p5KSht

— Canadian Forces in 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS) March 19, 2022

I'm happy to see this mother and baby safe now at a hospital in Kyiv, though her haunted eyes get to me:

Motherhood.
Ukraine, Europe, 2022 pic.twitter.com/LGyG6pIbBM

— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) March 19, 2022:

I was looking up posts on the Mariupol Theatre tragedy today, and I found some bizarre "Mariupol-denial" stories floating around. 

I guess Russia's deliberate targeting of a marked shelter full of women and children was too much for even the most devoted Putin-supporter to stomach. So now there is a determined effort to deny it happened, to deflect it on to Ukraine, to turn the destruction into a lie, to claim the theatre was maybe blown up by retreating Ukraine soldiers or maybe didn't have any victims inside at all, that it was all crisis actors -- I'm not going to insert any of these tweets here, but I imagine we're going to be seeing lots more of these types of disgusting denial stories as Russian war crimes in Ukraine keep on happening.

Something I've noticed over the past week or so here: almost every Ukrainian I spoke to has made it clear that they blame not only Putin, but the average Russian as much (or more) for this war. The view is: we overthrew our corrupt government, and they accept their murderous one.

— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) March 19, 2022

By the way, here is something I have noticed:  while I am just as interested in what is happening in the Russia Ukraine War as I ever was, Twitter is moving on. 

The updates and news from Ukraine are getting more difficult to find as other events get tweeted about more often. So I have started my own list, My Russia Ukraine War List as a shorter reference of people whose tweets about the war I find to be the most useful or on point. I also follow other lists too: The Hoarse Whisperer's list Ukraine Coverage, and Josh Marshall's lists 2202 Ukraine Crisis and Ukraine Military Analysts. So these may be useful if you are also wanting more coverage.

I also follow Markos' posts at Daily Kos. Here's what he reports this afternoon:

We know that Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Mykolaiv in Southern Ukraine, and halted any hope Russia has of capturing the grand city of Odesa anytime soon. We also have seen confirmed that they’ve pushed out to Posad-Pokrovske, half the distance from Mykolaiv to Kherson, the largest Ukrainian city currently under Russian control. And that’s where things get murky. Because either Ukraine has pushed east and has opened up a 2-prong approach into Kherson, or all they’ve managed to do is create a little breathing room around Mykolaiv.

I get the impression it will take some time, maybe several more days, before anyone can determine whether Ukraine is actually "winning" this war, or just "not losing", and where this is happening. Rob Lee's thread today:

Mikolaiv is significant because Russia needs to take it if its forces are to seriously threaten Odesa, which appears to be a goal. However, the city continues to hold, and Russia has taken losses in the fighting. An amphibious landing would also be risky without further gains. 2/

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 18, 2022

If Russia can't take Mariupol or achieve serious successes around Kyiv and the JFO over the next two weeks, it will be increasingly unlikely that Russia will end this conflict with significant concessions from Kyiv (not just declaring no NATO membership). 13/

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 18, 2022

If Russia doesn't achieve serious successes over the next 2 weeks, I think this conflict will stagnate as attrition will limit both sides' ability to conduct offensive operations. Without further advances, Russia won't be able to negotiate from a sufficient position of strength.

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 18, 2022

Here's some other news:

New: Russia has failed to gain air control over Ukraine and is largely depending on stand-off weapons, “launched from the relative safety of Russian airspace,” says UK MOD, “UKR Air Force and Air Defense are continuing to effectively defend Ukrainian airspace.”

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) March 20, 2022

Here's something else I have noticed too: the vast difference between what the New York Times is reporting about this war, and what everyone else is reporting. If you read only the New York Times, it sounds like Russia is winning. But just about nobody else thinks so. Here's an interesting discussion about this:

"Shape of earth: views differ" - Josh Marshall discusses why the New York Times says Russia is winning, while TPM & Kos & many others say Ukraine is winning. https://t.co/X3GBTlIaK1 via @TPM

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) March 20, 2022

And back on this side of the pond: Bob Rae is doing Canada proud at the United Nations. Today he writes:

#PutinsWar was started by him, against every rule in the book of law and morality. He must be stopped. His “war aims” are not limited, neither are his methods of cruelty and destruction. “#Justice without force is powerless. Force without justice is tyranny” (Pascal)./2

— Bob Rae (@BobRae48) March 19, 2022

It cannot go unresisted, undeterred, and unpunished. Unless we stop him, #PutinsWar will make a desert of #Ukraine and call it “victory” and “peace”. We cannot let him succeed.

— Bob Rae (@BobRae48) March 19, 2022

Every time Republicans worry that President Biden is getting positive press, here comes Hunter's laptop.

Such bullshit.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) March 18, 2022

Like an ancient dinosaur rising from a swamp, Newt Gingrich is trying to rear his ugly head again:

You don't get to be on Team Putin and criticize the one US administration that has ever truly stood up to Putin, the one that has mounted the toughest ever response to his abuses, the one that has led the strongest ever modern effort among our allies. Sit down, Newt.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 19, 2022

Propaganda is powerful. We in the US are very familiar. pic.twitter.com/Hq13jaak91

— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@NickKnudsenUS) March 19, 2022

And finally, we've all seen way too much of the instant geopolitical experts gracing us with their opinions, so I found this thread hilarious -- check it out:

I once had Russian Dressing on a sandwich, here's how I see Putin's endgame, (1/27)

— Kerthorok 🇺🇦 (@Kerthorok) March 17, 2022