Tourista04: February 2022

Monday, February 28, 2022

Heroes Of Ukraine: 11

Heroes of Ukraine:

(A couple embraces prior to the woman boarding a train leaving for western Ukraine at the railway station in Kramatorsk, on February 27, 2022.)

(People donate blood for the army at the Blood Service Center in the western-Ukrainian city of Lviv on February 25, 2022.)

(Locals gather at Rocket Park in Dnipro, Ukraine, to prepare Molotov cocktails on the fourth day since start of large-scale Russian attacks in the country, on February 27, 2022.)

Heroes Of Ukraine: 10

Heroes of Ukraine:

(Young patients in the hallway of a children's hospital in Kyiv on Monday.)

(A mother tends to her baby, who is under medical treatment, in the bomb shelter of the pediatric ward of a Kyiv hospital on Sunday.)

Current Map

^ The current situation in Ukraine (as of February 28, 2022.) The red areas are Russian Occupied Parts of Ukraine. The Yellow dots are the Ukrainian Cities being attacked or bombed by Russia. ^

I have two hundred animals from the street! I will not give up on them! Never ! among them there are many disabled people, there are blind, spinal cord, with epilepsy, without a paw, without two! i will stand with them ! I won't go anywhere and I will never betray!

but now I'm asking the whole world! to all the good people! help us in this terrible large-scale grief! i need to go grocery shopping and meds while it lasts, i really hope maybe. We have endless queues at grocery stores and pharmacies in the morning.

I beg you ! don't leave us alone! I am absolutely alone with them and I can only count on you, friends!

thank you very much! 🙏🐶

Savingsbank 5167 8031 0301 4259

poltavabank 4029 0111 5013 0645

Yumani wallet (Yandex) 410014332230787

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lira.i.ralf/

Heroes Of Ukraine: 7

Swiss Not Neutral

From VOA:

“'A new Europe' united against Russia — even neutral Switzerland”

A continent that has spent most of the past millennium at war with itself has united against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Germany reversing its historic policy against sending weapons to conflict zones and even famously neutral Switzerland joining the rest of Europe against Moscow. “It’s the rebirth of a new Europe,” said Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia. “I’m absolutely shocked, I want to tell you honestly. It’s a historic shift. I think this will have major consequences moving forward for the future of Europe, for the future of the transatlantic alliance, for the future of NATO — just when all of those things were fraying.”

The European Union, for the first time ever, agreed Sunday to directly finance the purchase and delivery of arms, with plans to send more than half a billion dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine as it battles Russian forces in what the president of the European Commission called a “watershed moment.” Virtually all of European airspace is now closed to Russian aircraft, including private jets. The E.U. also banned Kremlin-backed media outlets and took steps to freeze Russian assets and cut off the country’s access to the global financial system. French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne said on MSNBC Monday that the united front was nothing less than “a turning point in the history of our continent.” Sweden, which is not part of NATO and has maintained a policy of neutrality through both World Wars and the Cold War, announced Monday it will send 5,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. The Swedish government said it is the first time the Scandinavian country has sent arms to a country at war since 1939, when it aided its neighbor Finland against a Soviet invasion.

Even Switzerland joined the fray. Neutrality has been a survival tactic for Switzerland that kept the alpine nation independent since Napoleon. It is not part of the European Union nor NATO. But bowing to public pressure from its citizens and every party in its parliament but the far-right, the Swiss government announced Monday it will join the EU’s sanction against Russia, bar entry to some high-level Russians with Swiss connections and close Swiss airspace to Russian flights. The move is significant not only symbolically, but because Switzerland’s infamously secretive banks are a favorite of Russian oligarchs. “We are in an extraordinary situation where extraordinary measures could be decided,” Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said at a press conference Monday, though he noted that Swiss neutrality remains intact since the country is not sending military aid or getting involved in the fight itself.

Experts say the most significant action, though, may be Germany’s. The most powerful country in continental Europe has for years pursued friendlier relations with Moscow and refused to sell weapons to countries involved in armed conflicts as part of a post-World War II doctrine of pacifism. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. “It threatens our entire post-war order. In this situation, it is our duty to do our utmost to support Ukraine in defending itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army.” Thanks to economic necessity and a sense of historic obligation to atone for the crimes committed by the Nazis, Berlin sought engagement instead of confrontation with Russia. “There’s an exaggerated perception in German public opinion, I would say a misperception, that engaging with Russia during the Cold War led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Germany did more business with the USSR than other European countries,” said Charles Lichfield, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. “That has informed German behavior.” As recently as last week, Germany not only refused to send its weapons to Ukraine, but it blocked other countries like the Netherlands from sending their own German-made weapons to Kyiv. But Berlin dramatically reversed course over the weekend, announcing plans to send at least 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defense systems to Ukraine, paving the way for virtually the entire continent to join the fight. “There was a drive towards unity and Germany was an obstacle,” said Lichfield. “It is striking that once the German obstacle was lifted, the EU got in.”

Tobias Vestner, head of the security and law program at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said the Swiss have long prided themselves on being a safe space for international organizations and dialog, like the summit it hosted last year between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Swiss citizens are beginning to rethink their role in an increasingly globalized world, Vestner said, especially after a pandemic that did not respect international borders. “This is something we’ve never seen before,” he said. “So I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a change in the way neutrality is interpreted and applied.”

^ Switzerland has been neutral since 1815 (207 years) and because of Putin and Russia have now ended that neutrality - even Hitler couldn't do that. That speaks volumes. ^

https://www.aol.com/europe-united-against-russia-even-220000763.html

Heroes Of Ukraine: 6

Heroes Of Ukraine:

Anastasiia Lenna, Former Miss Ukraine, preparing to help defend Ukraine against the Russian Invaders.

#Anonymous

Heroes For Ukraine:

#Anonymous claims invasion of over 300 Russian cyber targets in 48 hours, including gas control system.

Loving Dictators

^ Draw me like one of your French Models Vladimir. ^

Heroes Of Ukraine: 5

Heroes of Ukraine:

(During a funeral Monday in the separatist-controlled town of Horlivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region, women carry portraits of school teachers Yelena Ivanova and Yelena Kudrik, who were killed by shelling.)

(Civilian volunteers check their guns at a Territorial Defense registration office on February 26, 2022, in Kyiv.)

(Here, Kyiv residents and volunteers stand on top of an armoured personnel carrier while they prepare a rear post with trenches in Kyiv on Monday.)

(Ukraine's youngest Parliament member, 26-year-old Sviatoslav Yurash, is seen in a street carrying his weapon to defend Kyiv on February 27, 2022.)

Israeli Help

Heroes For Ukraine:

Лікарі Ізраїлю в дорозі до України . Слава Україні!

Israeli Doctors on their way to Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!

Molotov Fighting

^ To my Ukrainian Friends (Men, Women and Children): Here is where you should throw your Molotov Cocktails to do the most damage to the different Russian Military Vehicles now inside your country. Glory to Ukraine! Defend your Country, your Cities, your homes, your Families and yourself! ^

Shows Of Support

Everyone around the world: Please E-Mail, Call and send Regular Letters to the Russian Embassies and Consulates where you live.

Here are where the Russians have either an Embassy or Consulate in your Country:

Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal), United States (Washington DC, Houston, New York), Israel (Tel Aviv, Haifa), Kazakhstan (Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Oral), Armenia (Yerevan, Gyumri), Cyprus (Nicosia), Azerbaijan (Baku), Georgia (Tbilisi), Belgium (Brussels, Antwerp), Bulgaria (Sofia, Rousse, Varna), Czech Republic (Prague, Brno, Karlovy Vary), Estonia (Tallinn, Narva, Tartu), France (Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg), Germany (Berlin, Bonn, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich), Latvia (Riga, Daugavpils, Liepaja), Lithuania (Vilnius, Klaipeda), The Netherlands (The Hague), Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow, Poznan), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), The United Kingdom (London, Edinburgh), Australia (Canberra, Sydney), New Zealand (Wellington) Ukraine (Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa.)

You don't even have to say anything political in them. Just sending them lots and lots of Communications to let them know the World sees their crimes in Ukraine is enough.

Everyone around the world: Please send flowers and messages to the Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates where you live.

Here are where the Ukrainians have either an Embassy or a Consulate in your Country:

Canada (Ottawa, Edmonton, Toronto), Armenia (Yerevan), Australia (Canberra), Azerbaijan (Baku), Belgium (Brussels), Bulgaria (Sofia), Czech Republic (Prague), Cyprus (Nicosia), Estonia (Tallinn), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg), Israel (Tel Aviv), Italy (Rome, Milan, Naples), Kazakhstan (Almaty), Latvia (Riga), Lithuania (Vilnius), The Netherlands (The Hague), Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow, Lublin), Russia (Moscow, Rostov on the Don, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg), Spain (Madrid), The United Kingdom (London, Edinburg), The United States (Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, New York),

That will let them know the world hasn’t forgotten them.

Americans Support

From News Nation:

“Americans support deeper US role in Ukraine crisis, NewsNation poll finds”

A new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll reveals concerns about Russia’s threat to the United States have surged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — more so than even China, which until last month vastly outpaced all other perceived diplomatic threats.

A majority of Americans support the United States stepping in to aid Ukraine, according to the poll. Forty-five percent of respondents say they support an expanded U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine crisis compared to 37 percent who don’t, according to the poll. Eighteen percent of respondents weren’t sure how the nation should help Ukraine. The definition of an expanded role was not clarified in the polling. “Given where we are in the news cycle, I can’t say I’m surprised but it is the biggest movement (of sentiment),” said Scott Tranter, a Decision Desk HQ adviser.

NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ asked more than 1,000 registered voters about their thoughts about President Joe Biden, the biggest concerns facing the country and their worries about the COVID-19 pandemic. Most poll questions had a margin of error of about 3 percent, and the data was compiled on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Recent developments in Ukraine weren’t a factor in this poll.

More than 1,000 registered voters were asked which countries they considered to be America’s greatest adversary and 38 percent said Russia, a 23-point increase from January. Meanwhile, only 30 percent said China, a 15-point drop. An ABC-Washington Post poll released Friday indicates Americans’ negative views about Russia have risen to levels last seen during the Cold War.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has stretched into day five, but Biden has made it clear the U.S. would go after Russia financially, not militarily. “Our forces are not and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine,” Biden said. Comparatively, respondents were less likely to favor intervening and defending Taiwan compared to Ukraine; likely indicating that tensions between China and Taiwan are less important to the average American in the current political and media landscape. China has refused to either condemn or endorse Russia’s actions, despite its insistence on upholding national sovereignty above all. Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rubin said the similarities between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping form the foundation of the relationship. “Birds of a feather flock together, as they say, and they do seem to have a lot of alignment in how they’re going about their business in their regions,” Rubin said on “Morning in America.” last week “We see Vladimir Putin dismembering Ukraine right now and threatening Europe. And then we see Jinping on the other side, threatening Taiwan on a weekly basis and really making Asia very nervous about where he’s going in terms of expanding China.” Taiwan continues to be the main irritant in U.S.-China relations, particularly as successive U.S. administrations have approved arms sales to the island and increased high-level contacts with the democratically elected government in Taipei.

The U.S. announced stiffer restrictions for Russia on Monday, prohibiting transactions with the Russian Central Bank and National Wealth Fund in dollars, meaning those banks won’t be able to access hundreds of billions of assets in the United States or in dollars. Over the weekend, the U.S., EU, U.K. and Canada imposed harsher sanctions on Russia, even personally sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister. Other sanctions include cutting key Russian banks out of the SWIFT financial messaging system, which daily moves countless billions of dollars between more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions around the world.

The latest NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll was conducted on Feb. 23 and 24, early in the days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The poll was conducted partially as Russia was advancing on Ukraine and then, on Thursday, after it had invaded. As a result, views may have evolved as the situation in Europe did. Tranter says the developing situation will swing voter sentiment on a daily basis. “If we had taken (the poll) today or tomorrow and Russia decides to use thermobaric weapons inside cities, then we may say ‘Hey, people think (the threat) is worse,’” Tranter said. “Or if they actually have peace talks tomorrow and Putin apologizes, it all moves around.” NewsNation poll results also revealed voters’ dwindling confidence in President Joe Biden with 57% of respondents at least somewhat disapproving of his performance as president.

^ The US can and should do more (along with every other country.) ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/russia-at-war/americans-support-role-ukraine-russia/

Saving 400 Animals

From Itay24News:

“War in Ukraine, Andrea Cisternino: ‘I don’t abandon my dogs, my animals. I can also die here with them’”

Andrea Cisternino in 2012 founded an animal shelter of 20 thousand square meters 45 minutes from Kiev. Since the war in Ukraine began, he has decided not to leave or even to return to Italy, the country where he was born. «For years I have been taking care of 400 animals, which I have saved from mistreatment and breeding – said Andrea Cisternino yesterday, in connection with“ La vita live ”- and I decided to stay, not to abandon them.

“Building this refuge cost a lot of effort, I’m not leaving. ” He said these few sentences live on Rai 1 while inside his refuge “Italia Kj2” he was in the dark, after an alarm that had recently gone off in the area. Until yesterday he updated his Facebook page with the story of what is happening, and in his last post he wrote: “Here I am, we are all in all fine even if they shoot”. The previous day he had filmed Russian military helicopters flying over the shelter. «This morning the sky around the shelter was red – he said – continuous artillery shots even during the night, you can’t sleep. 15 minutes ago I saw an artillery shell fall far from the shelter but I could smell the smell of gunpowder very well, I could hear military columns moving in the distance, planes went by. May God help us and curse those who wanted to start all this ».

Cisternino, a former fashion and costume photographer, initially moved to Ukraine together with his wife Vlada Shalutko to report and fight the killings of stray dogs, including shootings, poisonings and mass graves. Then he opened his refuge, welcoming and saving animals that would die or face a cruel fate. In his refuge there are dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, geese and chickens, and lately he has said that he has stocked up on food for all of them and for his family.

These days he says to pay attention to every noise, because “we live with anguish but we try to be positive”. Reached by the journalist Maria Paola Battista Cisternino he says: «We go on day by day hoping that everything will be resolved and that we all get out of it well, including animals. Life in the Refuge goes on normally, at least we try to make it look like this, we do the daily work for the Refuge and the animals. I hope nothing happens to me as I hope for collaborators and animals then … someone will decide ».

And when asked what message he has for the West he replies: «The message is that this is madness, all this is madness in 2022. To help us we can do very little or tell Putin to stop. You can think of us and if someone wants to help us with donations he can go to the site: www.rifugioitaliakj2.org ».

Andrea Cisternino, born in Rome, despite his fear has therefore decided to continue his life and his project, to continue to protect his oasis at all costs until it is possible. “I have decided that I can also die here – he wrote on Facebook on February 24 – for my animals”.

^ I cannot imagine how hard he worked before all of this and how dangerous and even more work he has with the Russian Invasion. I hope he is safe. I hope his animals are safe. He is doing great work that not many people would do in peace – much less in war. ^

https://www.italy24news.com/News/378871.html

Different Running

Ordinary Russians are running to their Banks (a Bankrun) today because of the strict International Sanctions that just came into force - including most major Russian Banks not being allowed in Swift.

While my Russian Friends run to their banks and cry about the fall if the Ruble to the Euro and the Dollar my Ukrainian Friends are running to Bomb Shelters or towards Russian Soldiers who are bombing them and shooting bullets at them.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Heroes Of Ukraine: 4

The Heroes of Ukraine!

^ In Ukraine, Women constitute 17% of the Army and that doesn’t include the Civilian Volunteers now fighting to defend their homes from the Russians. Don't be surprised to see them on the front line. ^

Horse Transport Estonia

From Horse Transport Estonia’s Facebook:

Horse Transport Estonia is offering transport for the horses fleeing Ukraine 🇺🇦. Pickup Poland-Ukraine border, destination Estonia (Perila Stable is also offering stabling)

Contact: Aarne Leppikus +37258473009 (Eng+Rus)

Kerttu Tammik +3725096670 & Katriin Laurson +37253359506 (Eng)

#SlavaUkraini

https://www.facebook.com/HorseTransportEstonia

Projekt Ptasia Edukacja

From Projekt Ptasia Edukacja’s Facebook:

Dear Friends, I am a creator of Projekt Ptasia Edukacja, Polish educational platform focused on everything avian. I'm also an exotic vet nurse and avian zoopsychologist with a diploma. If anyone in Ukraine needs any help with transferring surviving parrots to safety and patching them up if needed, let me know. I volunteer to either come to the border or even cross the border and take them either to Polish zoos that offer shelter or to temporary homes (I have a base of volunteers). I will provide a contract/agreement to sign so nobody has to worry about the credibility. Слава!

Ola Borowiec, avian vet nurse, zoopsychologist and behavior consultant, Projekt Ptasia Edukacja

^ Poland, like many other countries, has really stepped-up to help both Ukrainian Men, Women and Children as well as Ukrainian Animals.^

https://www.facebook.com/projektptasiaedukacja

Andrea Cisternino

From Ukraine Animal Rescue Information’s Facebook:

For those who don't know, this is Andrea Cisternino... he is Italian and lives in Ukraine. He is staying with his 400 rescue dogs and has stated he would rather die with them than leave them and is continuing to help those dogs that have been left behind.

https://www.facebook.com/andrea.cisternino.37

Pomoc dla zwierząt w Ukrainie

From: Pomoc dla zwierząt w Ukrainie || Допомога домашнім тваринам в Україні (Help for Pets in Ukraine)’s Facebook:

^ This is a site for Poles helping Ukrainians with Pets. ^

https://www.facebook.com/groups/976873776134238/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=978647362623546

KSAR: Ukraine Rescue

From Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s Facebook:

We've made a Facebook "Group" because it's an easy way to upload files--also I'm a technological failure!

Ukraine Animal Rescue Information should be fully public, not require membership, allow all to post and comment, and allow files to be uploaded to share information. I've added a PDF and Word document of the information we've had shared with us so far, so please check there.

^ This site has a lot of good information on the Ukrainian Shelters that are staying open and need support, on Ukrainian Pet Owners fleeing the fighting, on different European Organizations helping Ukrainians outside of Ukraine. ^

https://www.facebook.com/groups/317825230407855/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=317845020405876

Ukrainian Heroes: 3

Ukrainian Heroes: Both Ordinary Men and Women and Volunteers. Died Protecting Ukraine – RIP:

(Couple Dmytro and Iryna died yesterday when they defended Kyiv from Russians.)

(Iryna Tsvila, incredibly brave and kind person. Went through the Donbas War as a Volunteer. Joined Territorial Defense now. Helped write the book: “Voices of War. Stories of Veterans")