politicnewsbusterinsiderpostreview: Russia presses invasion toward Kyiv

Friday 25 February 2022

Russia presses invasion toward Kyiv

Falling missiles light up night sky in Ukraine.

By Liza Hearon

Friday, Feb. 25

RUSSIA PRESSES INVASION TOWARD KYIV Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital Friday after unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides in an attack that could rewrite the global post-Cold War security order. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian saboteurs had entered Kyiv and that intelligence found "the enemy has identified me as the number one target." [AP]

BIDEN PROMISES TO PUNISH PUTIN President Joe Biden unveiled new sanctions against Russia and condemned President Vladimir Putin, saying, "Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences." Biden said the U.S. and its partners would cut off vital imports for Russia; make it much harder for the country to operate in American dollars and a range of other currencies; and sanction powerful Russians close to Putin. [HuffPost]

UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS KILLED AFTER TELLING RUSSIAN WARSHIP TO 'GO F**K YOURSELF' An entire garrison of 13 Ukrainian border guards was killed in the first day of fighting on the nation's Snake Island after the soldiers refused to surrender to invading Russian forces, Zelenskyy said. Audio released by Ukraine's interior ministry documented the soldiers' defiance as the warship approaches. [HuffPost]

RUSSIA ARRESTS NEARLY 2,000 ANTI-WAR PROTESTERS Anti-war demonstrations broke out in major cities across Russia, including Moscow, where videos show a significant security force deployed to quell dissent, as well as Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained Thursday, at least 957 of them in Moscow. [HuffPost]

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EX-OFFICERS CONVICTED OF CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN GEORGE FLOYD KILLING Three former Minneapolis police officers were convicted Thursday of violating George Floyd's civil rights. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck on May 25, 2020. Thao and Lane were also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin. [AP]

FLORIDA HOUSE PASSES 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL DESPITE OUTCRY The controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill that would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identify in some classrooms will move on to Florida's Republican-controlled state Senate and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Democrats vehemently oppose the bill, which would allow parents to sue school districts they believe are breaking the law. Biden earlier this month called the proposal a "hateful" attack on LGBTQ Americans. [HuffPost]

'CONSERVATIVE' CONFAB HIGHLIGHTS PRO-PUTIN VOICES Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's appearance during what was once a coveted speaking slot for ambitious Republicans is just one example of the new Putin-friendly stance of modern conservatism on display at the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference. The most powerful pro-Putin voice at CPAC will again be that of former President Donald Trump. [HuffPost]

JAN. 6 GROUPS ARE NOW ORGANIZING TRUCKER CONVOYS It's not clear that pro-"freedom" convoys of U.S. truckers will be nearly as disruptive as their Canadian brethren were, but there is reason for concern: Many of the same far-right groups that fomented the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol are now activated around these convoys. They may be easy to laugh at, but there is deep support for them among far-right activists and media. [HuffPost]

RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE COULD ACTUALLY DELAY SHIFT AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS While one Harvard economist dismissed Russia as "basically a big gas station," Russia is actually a big player in the global energy supply chain. Russia is a major source of key metals that batteries and clean electricity depend on. Weaning the global economy off fossil fuels is a mammoth task, but icing Russia out may be even harder. [HuffPost]