Dozens wounded in shelling of Kharkiv, as Russia strikes buildings with suspected cluster munitions
Source: Washington Post
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine Ukrainian officials say at least 11 people were killed and more wounded in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Monday morning after Russia launched rocket strikes, targeting Ukraines second-largest city with some of the heaviest shelling and street fighting since the invasion began Thursday. Suspected cluster munitions struck buildings in the city.
Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, said Monday that dozens are dying and that at least 11 people were confirmed dead. He called the attacks, in three areas of the predominantly Russian-speaking city that had been considered more friendly to Russia, a war crime. The Russian enemy is shelling entire residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the Russians could aim at, he said in a message on Telegram.
As the shelling began, many Kharkiv residents were lining up at grocery stores and other shops to replenish supplies after being shut in for several days. Mark Hiznay, associate director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch, told The Washington Post that Russian forces had used smerch cluster munition rockets, which disperse submunitions or bomblets, in the attack, according to footage he reviewed. This attack clearly illustrates the inherently indiscriminate nature of cluster munitions and should be unequivocally condemned, he said.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and open-source group Bellingcat have identified the use of cluster munitions in other Russian attacks in Ukraine over the past couple of days in what analysts say is a worrying sign that Russia may be turning to even more deadly military tactics. 'As Putins special operation plan to quickly demoralize the Ukrainian army and occupy large cities unopposed appears to have failed, we may see a return to area bombings, which caused so much harm to Chechen and Syrian civilians, Moscow-based Conflict Intelligence Team, an open-source intelligence group that monitors Russias military, said in a tweet Monday.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/kharkiv-rockets-shelling-russia-ukraine-war/
Here is the tweet linked to in the WaPo article -
Link to tweet
@CITeam_en
·
Feb 28, 2022
Replying to @CITeam_en
Earlier today, footage emerged of Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers flying towards Kharkiv, followed by footage of large smoke plumes, one of them geolocated in the North Saltivka residential area, next to Druzhby Narodiv (Friendship of Nations) street.
ToasterIntel
@ToasterIntel
Replying to @antiputler_news
This was taken here: 50.031454° 36.359348°. Camera is pointing north.
@Cen4infoRes @bellingcat
Image
CIT (en)
@CITeam_en
As Putin's "special operation" plan to quickly demoralize the Ukrainian army and occupy large cities unopposed appears to have failed, we may see a return to area bombings, which caused so much harm to Chechen and Syrian civilians.
We will be monitoring this situation closely.
8:14 AM · Feb 28, 2022
Response to BumRushDaShow (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
BumRushDaShow
(162,518 posts)Right now he is like a caged and cornered animal.
Response to BumRushDaShow (Reply #2)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
C_U_L8R
(48,393 posts)I know, its crossing a big line. But if we dont stand up for humanity, we lose it.
BumRushDaShow
(162,518 posts)What you are seeing is his panicked "reaction" to what the world "is doing" (bankrupting the country).
You want WWIII where fighter jets fly in and start bombing Moscow (although Russia would lose at this point but then night actually do a nuke)?
C_U_L8R
(48,393 posts)but what does the world do when civilians are being carpet bombed? Again, I know physically protecting people is a big escalation, but it's heart-wrenching to see this horror.
BumRushDaShow
(162,518 posts)and it has been discussed right here on DU.
Iraq, Syria, and most recently, Saudi has been doing the same the past couple years in Yemen - yes Saudi Arabia has been CARPET BOMBING in Yemen.
Ukraine has a military that has been holding its own and the NATO countries have been getting weapons through to them as best as they can through the bordering NATO countries like Poland (and possibly Turkey).
getagrip_already
(17,786 posts)Those were deployed in syria with devastating results.
This is going to get much uglier.
Lonestarblue
(13,060 posts)Putin cannot save face now without basically leveling the cities of Ukraine and killing many thousands of civilians. The world cannot stand by and allow him to do this. I dont know the answer, but NATO needs to help stop a willful slaughter of the Ukrainian people, all because Putin is not getting his way and is having a tantrum.
BumRushDaShow
(162,518 posts)the world is not "standing by". What you see happening with this escalation, is in response to what the world IS DOING.
You seem to now want a "hot war" - akin to WWIII?
Lonestarblue
(13,060 posts)Putin is escalating his attacks, and he has no real way to save face now. Will sanctions be enough to cause a madman to give in? Doubtful. Will the Russian mikitary or his oligarchs act against him? Doubtful. So is the answer to wait weeks for sanctions to hurt Russia enough that forces inside Russia finally force a stop, after the Russian army has destroyed half of Ukraine? The humanitarian aim should be to stop Putin as quickly as possible, not to wait until hundreds of thousands die. I dont have the answers, but leaving a madman to kill when you have the military power to stop him seems inhumane.
BumRushDaShow
(162,518 posts)It's not a matter of "waiting" for Russia to be "hurt". They had to close their stock market today, the ruble is toast, nations around the world are now cutting off air travel to/from there and over their airspace, and a huge shipping company is looking at cutting shipments from their company, destined to go there - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142879272
If you think the supply chain backups are an issue, well that will make it infinitely worse for them.
The main face-saving "exit strategy" lies in what goes on with the "negotiations" whenever they resume, and how some kind of "agreement" can be forged with wording that will at least initiate a cease-fire.
The U.N. is currently meeting in an extraordinary session - https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017716011
I expect many other countries will initiate their own sanctions but because they are not "Europe", they won't get much press.