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Russia Says Injured Pregnant Woman Is a Crisis Actor. She’s Actually a Pregnant Blogger.

When Russian forces bombed a maternity clinic in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, they first insisted the facility was a Ukrainian military outpost and, as such, a fair target in the two-week-old, senseless war.

But on Thursday, the Russian Embassy in the U.K. sought to take things one step further, tweeting out a photo of woman who has become the poster person of the atrocity—a young, blonde, heavily pregnant woman in maternity pajamas, wrapped in a dirty blanket with blood dripping down her face.

The embassy tried to insinuate that the woman—who has been identified as blogger Marianna Podgurskaya, according to one of the many photographers who took her photo crawling out of the rubble, and whose open Instagram account @gixie_beauty has chronicled her pregnancy—was a crisis actor.

“She actually played roles of both pregnant women on the photos,” the Russian embassy tweeted, going on to say the first photo was taken by Evgeniy Maloletka, a freelance photographer and filmmaker who has been risking his life to chronicle the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the beginning—and whom Russia considers a provocateur. (Read more from “Russia Says Injured Pregnant Woman Is a Crisis Actor. She’s Actually a Pregnant Blogger.” HERE)

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Facebook And Instagram Will Allow Calls For Violence — As Long As They’re Against Russians

Facebook and Instagram have relaxed their community standards in one very specific arena — in some countries, the platforms will allow posts that call for violence against Russia, Russian soldiers, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Reuters reported Thursday that the Meta platforms would relax their hate speech restrictions in some instances while Russia continued to invade Ukraine.

“Meta Platforms (FB.O) will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion, according to internal emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a temporary change to its hate speech policy,” Reuters reported. . .

According to the report, the temporary changes applied to the nearby former Soviet bloc nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. (Read more from “Facebook and Instagram Will Allow Calls for Violence — As Long as They’re Against Russians” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Ukrainians Develop Drone That Drops Molotov Cocktails

. . .Ukraine’s army developed a drone to drop Molotov cocktails on its enemies, and one of the beer bottle-turned-weapons was unleashed Thursday.

The small flying drone was developed by the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces and appears to have four blades. Its center console has a spot to hold the Molotov cocktail horizontally before it is remotely deployed.

Photos on Thursday captured the drone dropping a bottle of Chernihivske beer in Kyiv. (Read more from “Ukrainians Develop Drone That Drops Molotov Cocktails” HERE)

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Russia, Silent on Wuhan, Claims American Labs Were Making Biological Weapons in Ukraine; White House: ‘Be on Lookout’ for Russia to Use Chemical, Bioweapons in Ukraine

By Breitbart. The Foreign Ministry of Russia claimed on Tuesday that the nation’s military had “confirmed” the existence of American-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine used for developing “biological weapons.”

Russian troops reportedly found “documentation” showing Ukrainian scientists destroying evidence of “plague, anthrax, rabbit-fever, cholera and other lethal diseases” studied in the country’s laboratories on February 24, according to a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova, as part of their ongoing assault on the country. Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February that he claimed was necessary to “de-Nazify” the country. Russia initially invaded Ukraine in 2014 and has been illegally occupying its Crimean Peninsula since.

The government of communist China rapidly began publicizing the alleged Russian findings, demanding that Washington reveal all classified information on its biological military research. The official stance of the Chinese government is that the Chinese coronavirus pandemic – which began in Wuhan, China, in 2019, was triggered by a laboratory leak in Maryland and covered up using cases of e-cigarette injuries. Beijing has yet to explain how the virus began spreading in Wuhan before it spread in the United States if this theory is accurate, or how non-contagious injuries could secretly be cases of highly infectious Chinese coronavirus transmission.

Wuhan is home to one of China’s top biological facilities, the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which itself has been the subject of much speculation as it had reportedly been studying bat coronaviruses shortly before the pandemic began. World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus demanded further investigation into the WIV last year after an official W.H.O. study declared a laboratory leak as highly unlikely to have caused the pandemic. Tedros described his own agency’s report as not “extensive enough.” (Read more from “Russia, Silent on Wuhan, Claims American Labs Were Making Biological Weapons in Ukraine” HERE)

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White House: ‘Be on Lookout’ for Russia to Use Chemical, Bioweapons in Ukraine

By New York Post. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops may be preparing to use chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine.

Psaki said in a statement that Russia’s “false claims” that the US conducted WMD research in Ukraine could be a deliberate smokescreen to deploy the dreaded weapons.

“Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine,” Psaki said.

“This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine.”

Psaki added: “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It’s a clear pattern.” (Read more from “White House: ‘Be on Lookout’ for Russia to Use Chemical, Bioweapons in Ukraine” HERE)

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The U.S. And NATO Have No Strategy to Aid Ukraine and Defeat Russia

A remarkable exchange took place earlier this week between the United States and Poland, which shares a long border with Ukraine and likely would be first to get hit by Russian forces if the war expands beyond Ukrainian territory. The exchange was not only embarrassing, highlighting the U.S. State Department’s incompetence, but it underscores what can only be described as a complete absence of strategy among the NATO allies, which appear to have no end-game and no off-ramps in mind for Ukraine and Russia.

Here’s what happened. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday that Poland has a “green light” to provide fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force, adding that the U.S. was working with Poland to find a way to replace MiG-29 jets (which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly and fight) that might be sent to Ukraine with American F-16s. . .

But it wasn’t true — not quite. Poland, acutely aware of what Moscow’s likely response would be if dozens of Polish warplanes flown by Ukrainian pilots crossed from Poland into Ukraine and started hitting Russian targets, issued a curious statement on Tuesday. The Polish Foreign Ministry said it was ready to deploy, free of charge, all their MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, “and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.” . . .

What can we conclude from this bizarre back-and-forth? First, that Blinken’s “green light” comment Sunday was made without consulting Poland or our other NATO allies. Second, that Poland’s statement Tuesday was a not-too-subtle attempt to shift the responsibility for the entire scheme to the United States. Essentially, Poland was saying that if the U.S. government wants to aide Ukraine by giving it warplanes, Poland would not be the one to transfer or even facilitate the transfer of those aircraft onto the battlefield. They would have to come from a U.S. air base, not Poland.

Lastly, the U.S. response reveals that despite Blinken’s reckless comment, the U.S. has not thought seriously about how any of this would work, and what might or might not give Moscow a casus belli to attack Polish or NATO targets in Eastern Europe. (Read more from “The U.S. And NATO Have No Strategy to Aid Ukraine and Defeat Russia” HERE)

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US Denies Claims of Bioweapon Labs in Ukraine

The Biden administration is forcefully pushing back on Russian claims that the United States is running bioweapons labs in Ukraine, with the Pentagon calling it “Russian propaganda” and “a bunch of malarkey.”

The Russian government and media outlets have ramped up claims in recent days that the U.S. was operating bioweapon research facilities in Ukraine, with Chinese diplomats and propaganda outlets also amplifying the claims. The allegations from Russia have stretched back years. The U.S. has consistently denied the claims, and Russia has never provided any proof.

“The Russian accusations are absurd, they are laughable, and, you know, in the words of my Irish Catholic grandfather, a bunch of malarkey. There’s nothing to it. It’s classic Russian propaganda,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. “We are not developing biological or chemical weapons inside Ukraine. It’s not happening.”

At a Senate Foreign Relations Commission on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida asked Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland if Ukraine has chemical or biological weapons.

“Ukraine has biological research facilities, which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops and Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of,” Nuland replied. “So we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.” (Read more from “US Denies Claims of Bioweapon Labs in Ukraine” HERE)

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Putin Sinks to a New Low: Outrage as Maternity Hospital Is Bombed

A maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been decimated in a ‘direct hit’ by Russian rockets leaving children buried in the rubble, President Zelensky has said, in what he described as an ‘atrocity’ and ‘the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians.’

Footage has emerged of badly wounded patients and nurses being evacuated from decimated buildings, while pregnant women were carried out on stretchers into a courtyard covered in rubble and littered with huge craters. At least 17 people, including women in labour, were injured in the attack, officials said.

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

‘Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,’ the President tweeted, before announcing on his Telegram channel that the hospital strike ‘is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians’.

‘Europeans, you can’t say you didn’t see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can’t continue their savage war,’ he said. (Read more from “Putin Sinks to a New Low: Outrage as Maternity Hospital Is Bombed” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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How Much Oil Does US Import From Russia? Here’s What Biden’s Ban Actually Means; West Hits Russia With Oil Bans

By New York Post. The US has banned imports of Russian oil and natural gas in retaliation for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine – a move that will further complicate the Biden administration’s effort to tamp down energy costs for American households.

President Biden announced the ban following days of bipartisan pressure to take action against Russia’s energy sector, which went largely untouched in previous rounds of sanctions. Europe remains heavily reliant on Russian oil, even as it attempts to isolate the Kremlin in response to the invasion.

Biden and other proponents say the ban is necessary to limit Russia’s sources of income – though the president acknowledged US motorists will be paying even more at the pump. . .

While far less reliant on Russian oil and gas than its European counterparts, the US did import some supply prior to the ban. The US imported about 672,000 barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia in 2021, according to data from the Energy Information Agency. That total accounted for roughly 8% of all US imports.

Most of the oil and related products the US imports come from Canada, which supplies more than 51%. Mexico and Saudi Arabia are also key suppliers. (Read more from “How Much Oil Does US Import From Russia? Here’s What Biden’s Ban Actually Means” HERE)

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War in Ukraine: West Hits Russia With Oil Bans and Gas Curbs

By BBC. The US and UK are banning Russian oil and the EU is ending its reliance on Russian gas, stepping up the economic response to the invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said the move targeted “the main artery of Russia’s economy”.

Energy exports are a vital source of revenue for Russia but the move is also likely to impact Western consumers.

Major brands have meanwhile continued to pull out of Russia, with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola the latest to leave.

Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on energy. It is the world’s third-biggest oil producer, behind Saudi Arabia and the US. (Read more from “War in Ukraine: West Hits Russia With Oil Bans and Gas Curbs” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Biden Sells Alaska Back to Russia So We Can Start Drilling for Oil There Again

Editor’s note: Satire.

The deliberate and premeditated invasion of Ukraine by brutal dictator Vladimir Putin has forced the US to reassess the importance of energy independence. With this new resolve, the Biden Administration has taken its first step toward increasing oil production for Americans by selling Alaska back to Russia so we can start drilling for oil there again.

“Folks, nobody wants to ruin America’s beautiful Alaskan wilderness with oil trucks and drilling rigs, come on!” said President Biden in response to questions he thought were coming from a house plant in the West Wing. “But I’ve never had a problem getting oil from Russia, so there you go, go get him.” (Read more from “Biden Sells Alaska Back to Russia So We Can Start Drilling for Oil There Again” HERE)

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Russian Ship That Fired on ‘F–k Yourself’ Ukrainians Destroyed: Report

A Russian warship that fired on a group of Ukrainian border guards after being told to “go f–k yourself” was destroyed in battle, according to a report Tuesday.

“We f–king hit them,” a man is heard saying on a recording of the conflict, the Times of London said.

Another man reportedly echoed the famous words of the Ukrainian soldier who defiantly resisted a Russian order to surrender a military outpost on Snake Island in the Black Sea during Day One of the invasion. . .

The Vasily Bykov was then hit during an exchange of rockets early Monday, possibly by a missile fired by land-based Ukrainian forces defending the port city of Odessa, which for days has been bracing for a Russian attack, the Times said.

“Ship was destroyed, it is confirmed,” a Ukrainian military source told the British paper. (Read more from “Russian Ship That Fired on ‘F–k Yourself’ Ukrainians Destroyed: Report” HERE)

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