ALERT RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread

jward

passin' thru
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv



JUST IN - NATO to increase the number of rapid reaction forces on high readiness from 40,000 to 300,000, says Stoltenberg.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
NewsWorldEurope

Nato puts 300,000 ground troops on 'high alert' as tensions with Russia mount
'We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years,' Nato secretary-general says

Gabriel Samuels
Monday 07 November 2016 11:00
Comments




Tensions between Russia and Nato have escalated in recent months

Tensions between Russia and Nato have escalated in recent months
(Getty)

Up to 300,000 Nato troops have been put on alert amid rising tensions between Russia and the Baltic states.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato, said the alliance hoped to speed up the response time of thousands of its troops to allow it to react to a combat situation more effectively.

In October, it was reported Nato was preparing to station 4,000 troops on the Russian border with the Baltic states in its biggest military build-up since the Cold War. The troops will be summoned from nations across the alliance, including the UK.

“We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways,” Mr Stoltenberg told The Times.
“We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years – tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours.
“We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.”

Russia conducts military drill
Mr Stoltenberg refused to be drawn on the specific number of troops being put on alert, but Britain’s outgoing Nato representative Sir Adam Thomson said it was likely to be around 300,000.
Sir Adam said the aim was to find a way to mobilise the troops within two months, instead of the typical time of around six months.
The proposition was discussed by Nato defence ministers at a conference in October. “There are a large number of people in the armed forces of Nato allies, we are looking into how more of them can be ready at shorter notice,” Mr Stoltenberg added.


Nato is also responding to an increase in espionage, hybrid warfare and cyberattacks by Russia and other non-Nato states, according to Sir Adam.

The alliance’s response is in part a result of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as a bid to reassure ex-Soviet states, like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all Nato members, who fear Moscow could try a similar tactic again.
A US think-tank has said it believes Russia could overrun Nato’s current military force in the Baltic states in a matter of hours, if a conflict began.
Nearly half of Russians fear Moscow's intervention in the Syrian conflict could lead to World War III, a recent poll found.

Last week, it was reported Russian troops were planning to conduct military training exercises in Serbia involving 150 paratroopers, while Nato holds an emergency exercise drill in neighbouring Montenegro.

More about
NatoRussiaCold WarBalticJens Stoltenberg

Please see source for additional video and photos
posted for fair use

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pre summit Press conference in it's entirety:
Pre-Summit press conference
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

  • 27 Jun. 2022 -
  • |
  • Last updated: 27 Jun. 2022 16:12

 
Last edited:

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv



JUST IN - NATO to increase the number of rapid reaction forces on high readiness from 40,000 to 300,000, says Stoltenberg.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
NewsWorldEurope

Nato puts 300,000 ground troops on 'high alert' as tensions with Russia mount
'We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years,' Nato secretary-general says

Gabriel Samuels
Monday 07 November 2016 11:00
Comments




Tensions between Russia and Nato have escalated in recent months

Tensions between Russia and Nato have escalated in recent months
(Getty)

Up to 300,000 Nato troops have been put on alert amid rising tensions between Russia and the Baltic states.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato, said the alliance hoped to speed up the response time of thousands of its troops to allow it to react to a combat situation more effectively.

In October, it was reported Nato was preparing to station 4,000 troops on the Russian border with the Baltic states in its biggest military build-up since the Cold War. The troops will be summoned from nations across the alliance, including the UK.

“We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways,” Mr Stoltenberg told The Times.
“We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years – tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours.
“We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.”

Russia conducts military drill
Mr Stoltenberg refused to be drawn on the specific number of troops being put on alert, but Britain’s outgoing Nato representative Sir Adam Thomson said it was likely to be around 300,000.
Sir Adam said the aim was to find a way to mobilise the troops within two months, instead of the typical time of around six months.
The proposition was discussed by Nato defence ministers at a conference in October. “There are a large number of people in the armed forces of Nato allies, we are looking into how more of them can be ready at shorter notice,” Mr Stoltenberg added.


Nato is also responding to an increase in espionage, hybrid warfare and cyberattacks by Russia and other non-Nato states, according to Sir Adam.

The alliance’s response is in part a result of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as a bid to reassure ex-Soviet states, like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all Nato members, who fear Moscow could try a similar tactic again.
A US think-tank has said it believes Russia could overrun Nato’s current military force in the Baltic states in a matter of hours, if a conflict began.
Nearly half of Russians fear Moscow's intervention in the Syrian conflict could lead to World War III, a recent poll found.

Last week, it was reported Russian troops were planning to conduct military training exercises in Serbia involving 150 paratroopers, while Nato holds an emergency exercise drill in neighbouring Montenegro.

More about
NatoRussiaCold WarBalticJens Stoltenberg

Please see source for additional video and photos
posted for fair use

Why's the date on this from November 2016?
 

jward

passin' thru




Oliver Carroll
@olliecarroll


Presidential advisor Kyrylo Tymoshenko says 2 people already confirmed dead in Kremenchuk Russian missile attack, with 20 injured, 9 serious. Those numbers are likely to head upwards.


hmm...so much for the gentle touch, if true

Russian missiles just hit a crowded shopping center in Kremenchuk, while over a 1,000 civilians were inside. The possible number of casualties is unimaginable
View: https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1541430640591228930?s=20&t=yuGoMaOQF5PQPA0ZniqU8Q
 

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
Runtime 1:07
Civilian films narrow escape from shopping centre hit by Russian missile in Kremenchuk

View: https://youtu.be/wxyc9yerfLY


Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that over 1,000 people were inside a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk when it was hit by a Russian missile strike.

At least two people have been killed and 20 wounded in the Russian missile strike on the building, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office said.

Sharing a video of the fire on Instagram, Mr Zelensky said: "The mall is on fire, rescuers are fighting the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine.

Read the updates here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new...
 

northern watch

TB Fanatic
EXTRAORDINARY- Global developments: New financial system & currency announced by China - Debt repayments in dollars stop! – WarNews247 confirmation
Torpedo in dollar and Euro
27/06/2022 - 21:33
War News 24 / 7

This is the new powerful Russia-China synthetic currency: Digital & connected to goods – Which countries are abandoning the dollar

Global developments are marked by the announcement of the new Eurasian financial system by China as announced a long time ago by WarNews247. We had already said on 19/4 that there would be official announcements. This started today. And now developments are moving at a rapid pace.
China announced the creation of the "IMF Eurasia". As many countries as they wish will join the IMF, not just the BRICS. In fact, the accession countries will have no reason to repay the debts they have incurred in dollars or euros!

Therefore, a large torpedo in dollar and euro comes. V.Putin added that the new currency is being prepared.

The IMF Eurasia

The People's Bank of China creates a yuan reserve with five other states in cooperation with the Bank for International Settlements to compete with the dollar and support other economies facing instability
This is the IMF of Eurasia, in the first instance with the participation of countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Chile, which will each contribute 15 billion yuan (about $ 2.2 billion) in order to have access to borrowing, in case they need it.


The announcement was made by the Central Bank of China – and followed the publication last week of the Sino-Russian plan by Vladimir Putin himself to create the "anti-dollar" for international transactions, involving countries such as Brazil, India and South Africa.

"When they need liquidity, participating central banks will not only be able to draw on their contributions, but will also have access to additional funding through a secured liquidity window," the bank said.

According to the report, the funds will be stored in the Bank for International Settlements.
Meanwhile, last month, China's foreign exchange reserves — the largest in the world — rose for the first time in 2022, state data show. The country's reserves rose by $ 80.6 billion to $ 3.13 trillion.

New currency – Statements by V. Putin

According to the Russian president, specialists are currently working on the creation of a reliable system of international payments. The countries of the organization can connect with the Russian financial messaging system, which, together with the further distribution of the Mir card, will help strengthen the financial base of the BRICS.

In this context, the Russian leader stressed that Russia's trade turnover with the "five-pack" countries in the first quarter of 2022 increased by more than a third, reaching 45 billion euros. dollars.

President Vladimir Putin showed that the new reserve currency will be based on a basket of currencies from the members of the BRICS group: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"The issue of creating the international reserve currency based on the basket of our countries' currencies is under consideration," Putin told the BRICS Business Forum.

"We stand ready to work openly with all fair partners."

"This is a move to counter the perceived IMF hegemony by the US,"
ING's chief purchasing officer Chris Turner said in a note. "It will allow the BRICS to build their own sphere of influence and monetary unit within this sphere."

Russia's move comes after Western sanctions were imposed over Ukraine's war, in addition to removing the country from the global financial system, restricting access to its dollars and putting pressure on its economy.

"The speed with which Western nations and their allies imposed sanctions on Russian FX stockpiles (freezing about half) undoubtedly shocked the Russian authorities," ING's Turner said.

"The Central Bank of Russia essentially admitted so much, and undoubtedly some BRICS nations – especially China – noticed the speed and secrecy with which the US Treasury department moved," he added.

These sanctions likely encouraged Moscow and Beijing to work for an alternative to the IMF's international reserve, Turner said.

One possibility is that the brics basket coin could attract the reserves not only of the members of the group, but also of the countries that are already in the range of their influence, he suggested. These include nations in South Asia and the Middle East.

What will be the main features of the new currency

We recall what we have said:

-The new currency-financial system has been planned since 2016, when N. Trump's tariff war began. It is a synthetic currency that plays the role of the anti-dollar and cancels all known enforcement systems (IMF, SWIFT, etc.) and creates other equivalents.

-The new currency divides the world into East and West. It will include Russia-China, the countries of Eurasia, the countries of the BRICS, India, Iran, Turkey as founding members while the aim is to integrate all the countries of the South.

-The new global currency will be digital and will move outside the bank. So it has several features in common with so-called "cryptocurrencies" but that's not exactly what it's like. These are "stablecoins".

-The countries that will join the new system will have no reason to repay the debts they made in dollars or euros! Therefore, all the countries of the South will rush to join the new zone, to nationalise their energy reserves without sanctions from the IMF, etc. This will lead the rival zone, namely the dollar and the West, into conditions of banking and economic collapse, or even a contraction.

-The value of the new currency will come from the composition of the values of the coins and from the market capitalization of goods: Such as hydrocarbons, wheat, sugar, coffee, soybeans, water (!), other natural resources and 15 other commodities, mainly metals. Simulations show that this composition makes it more resistant to Leman Brothers-type economic crises. Here's why they collected wheat in Russia and China (despite the fact that it consumes rice).

Here is the whole interview that Sergey Glazyev gave to Pepe Escobar, and thecradle.co is one of the most important Russian economists and one of the most important in the world, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For the past three years he has directed Moscow's strategic portfolio as Minister of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

EXTRAORDINARY- Global developments: New financial system & currency announced by China - Debt repayments in dollars stop! - WarNews247 confirmation - WarNews247
 
hmm...so much for the gentle touch, if true




Anastasiia Lapatina
@lapatina_



Russian missiles just hit a crowded shopping center in Kremenchuk, while over a 1,000 civilians were inside. The possible number of casualties is unimaginable
View: https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1541430640591228930?s=20&t=yuGoMaOQF5PQPA0ZniqU8Q
Yea interesting. Has not been their modus operandi thus far. Wonder what's up? Somebody piss in Vlad's cheerios?
 

Doomer Doug

TB Fanatic
NATO has been shipping in vast amounts of weaponry and technical advisors. NATO has sealed rail traffic to kalingrad. NATO has oprnly murdered Russian soldiers with shared intel.
Now that Russia has. conquered Eastern Ukraine it will pour west and south to moldovia and the dniepper river.
All the sneer at Russia crowd is going to find out what Russia is really capable of.

Keep your eyes on kgrad and what putin is planning there.
 

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
Michael Bond @HelloMrBond​
Killnet hacking threat against Lithuania: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killnet
“We greet you, the Lithuanian Government. Now you need to listen to our appeals, because you have no chance to confront us. But you have 48 hours to unblock transit to Kaliningrad. If this does not happen…more than 500 companies in your country will find themselves in terrible conditions on Monday. We are waiting for an immediate response. We are already ready to deliver a pinpoint blow to the heart of your system…” “Don't bet the welfare of your citizens. Solve this issue by yourself, or we will solve it for you”​
View: https://twitter.com/HelloMrBond/status/1541145928765214723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
View: https://twitter.com/HelloMrBond/status/1541145933395771392
View: https://twitter.com/HelloMrBond/status/1541145938336571392
VIDEO AT LINK

(fair use applies)

Killnet hits Lithuania over EU sanctions affecting Kaliningrad
by Vilius Petkauskas
27 June 2022

Russia-affiliated hacker group Killnet took down several Lithuanian government websites in response to the Baltic country following EU sanctions.

Threat actors loyal to the Kremlin, the Killnet collective, launched distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against Lithuanian government institutions and private businesses in an attempt to muscle the nation into dropping EU-level sanctions against Russia.

Killnet released a video message on the group's Telegram account demanding Lithuania allow the transit of goods to Kaliningrad or the Baltic nation will be continuously attacked.

Jonas Skardinskas, the head of cybersecurity at the Lithuania's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) warned that the disruptions might continue for several days with transport, energy and finance sectors feeling the brunt of the attacks.

STI-website-down

The website of Lithuania's State Tax Inspectorate.

At the time of publishing this article, the website of Lithuania's State Tax Inspectorate (STI) was displaying a failure notice. One of the nation's largest accounting service providers, B1.lt, was also down. Local media reported that STI has put internal IT systems on hold for 'security concerns.'

The NCSC said that threat actors are targeting country's Secure public data transmission network with 'intensive DDoS attacks.' Authorities are working with affected businesses to mitigate the disruptions and restore services. Authorities also expect an increase in ransomware attacks.

Under attack

Killnet boasted of attacking Lithuania's e-government services and the website of the country's police. However, both were fully functional at the time of publishing. The group also said its attacks disrupted several websites that provide accounting services in the country. Taking down accounting services and STI's page for declaring tax duty can become an inconvenience for businesses that need to pay their taxes at the end of the month.

Russian hackers have continued attacking Lithuanian website's throughout Monday. Users with IP addresses outside Lithuania experienced issues with Lithuanian airport websites while some could not connect to websites of financial service providers. Killnet boasted attacking over a thousand Lithuanian websites, repeating the demands drop EU sanctions against Russia.

Websites of major telecommunication services providers were also affected by the DDoS attack with some loading unusually slow and other not loading at all. The group also targeted a platform for purchasing cross country bus tickets as well as website of the Supreme Court of Lithuania.

Lithuania's cyber watchdog noted an increase in DDoS attacks against the country last Friday, saying that threat actors targeted government agencies, transport, and finance sectors.

Attackers disrupted the website of the Lithuanian Railways, preventing passengers from purchasing train tickets online. It's not clear whether the attacks NCSC announced are related to Killnet.

Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, borders Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave wedged between Lithuania and Poland. Freight transport from the Russian mainland reaches Kaliningrad via Lithuanian territory. This route has been made difficult to complete for some good amidst EU sanctioning Russia for starting a war against Ukraine.

While Russian officials threatened Lithuania, the nation's leaders responded that the sanctions are imposed by the EU, not by Lithuania alone.

Crooks turned crusaders

The attack against Lithuania is hardly the first one Killnet has performed. The group has unsuccessfully tried to disrupt the Eurovision song contest, from which Russia was banned over the war in Ukraine.

Government websites in Italy, Romania, Germany, as well as websites in Czechia, Latvia, and elsewhere were under Killnet's cyber fire. The pro-Russian group has declared war against NATO and countries that support Ukraine.

When it debuted at the beginning of the year, Killnet was not even the name of an outfit – rather it was the moniker given to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) tool offered at a price to other threat actors.

The group tried to rent botnets that had a capacity of 500GB per second for $1,350 per month. After Russia invaded Ukraine and hackers from around the world flocked to help the country defend against Moscow's invasion, Killnet refocused and started hacktivism in support of Russia.

Competing hacker groups launched numerous attacks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Anonymous, Ukraine's IT Army, Hacker Forces, and many other hacktivist groups started targeting Russia's state-owned enterprises and businesses.

According to the United Nations, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created the 'fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.' Over 12 million people were displaced due to the conflict in a nation with 44 million residents.

Witness testimonies from Ukrainian towns Russian forces have occupied for close to a month point to severe human rights violations and targeted lethal attacks against civilians. Reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" got Russia suspended from the UN Human Rights Council.
 

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
The Intel Crab Retweeted
Nolan Peterson
@nolanwpeterson

·
1h

Ukrainian Air Force reported that the Kremenchuk shopping center was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile launched from a Tu-22M3 bomber flying in the Kursk region.

The Kh-22 is a Mach-4 missile with a 2,000 pound warhead. The TU-22M3 is a supersonic strategic bomber.

Why use these types of weapons to attack some Ukies buying Gummi-Bears and Scotch Tape at the local shopping mall?
 

Squid

Veteran Member
NATO has been shipping in vast amounts of weaponry and technical advisors. NATO has sealed rail traffic to kalingrad. NATO has oprnly murdered Russian soldiers with shared intel.
Now that Russia has. conquered Eastern Ukraine it will pour west and south to moldovia and the dniepper river.
All the sneer at Russia crowd is going to find out what Russia is really capable of.

Keep your eyes on kgrad and what putin is planning there.
You imho make some exaggerated statements; Russia has control over 1/4 of Ukraine around 1/2 of Eastern Ukraine and while they may get control of Eastern Ukraine they are not even close. We constantly hear of the just around the corner run through the ‘Fulda Gap’ but this invasion looks more like brute force Russian plodding as opposed to the German Wermacht race to the coast. France with the Maginot line and some say superior weapons was over-run in something like 6 weeks.

I don’t sneer at the Russian army but I don’t see any indication they have the modern army capable of going toe to toe against Nato. Sure they can knock around individually much weaker Baltic countries but they are bleeding their army just to get 1/4 of Ukraine. The amount of additional damage that would be needed to get to the Dneiper river to their army let alone to try to hold that much territory will certainly weaken the Russian military even more. His only shot for a meaningful play at Kaliningrad would be Belarus to supply the manpower for that invasion. This would be an article 5 and would put Belarus against Nato.

If Belarus would not invade Ukraine why would they now invade Lithuania a Nato member?

Putin is playing his weakened hand against some morons currently running Europe and US foreign and defense policy but Putin is not Napoleon reborn and with the recent attack against the mall this could bring additional explosions and fires onto Russia.
 

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment

jward

passin' thru
Britain and allies face '1937 moment' following Ukraine war, head of army to warn
General Sir Patrick Sanders is expected to say deterring Russia "means more of the army ready more of the time" and that he expects "all ranks to get ready, train hard and engage."


Deborah Haynes
Security and Defence Editor @haynesdeborah


Monday 27 June 2022 23:32, UK



Soldiers line up in ranks and perform a 'Right Dress' as British army personnel take part in a rehearsal for a homecoming parade on September 17th in the garrison city of Paderborn, Germany.




Britain and its allies face their "1937 moment" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and must do everything possible to avert another world war, the new head of the Army is set to say.
The warning emerged as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce an uplift in UK defence spending this week, in line with growing security challenges.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, is set to say Russian President Vladimir Putin and his "expansionist ambitions" pose the greatest threat to sovereignty, democracy and the freedom to live without violence that he has ever known.

Mariupol residents 'forced to hunt pigeons' to eat - live updates
His comments, at an annual army conference on Tuesday in London, will be made as Mr Johnson and fellow leaders of the 30-member NATO alliance prepare to meet later in the day in Madrid for a landmark summit, dominated by the West's response to Russia's war.

General Sanders, who took over as chief of the army last month, is expected to say his sole focus is "mobilising the army to help prevent [the spread of] war in Europe by being ready to fight and win alongside our NATO allies and partners".
His warnings will be echoed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who is also expected to speak at the army conference before he travels to attend the NATO summit.


The defence secretary is set to indicate a desire for greater spending on the UK's armed forces from 2025, following what has already been a multi-billion-pound boost to defence spending this parliament.
"The defence secretary is expected to emphasise that now that the threat has changed, governments must be prepared to invest to keep us safe," a defence source said.
Another defence source said: "We do not comment on alleged leaks. The defence secretary and the prime minister have always said that the government will respond to any changes in threat, which is why in 2020 the Ministry of Defence received a record defence settlement."




With Russia's invasion changing the security landscape in Europe, the head of the NATO alliance has already revealed that allies will significantly increase the size of a high readiness force to more than 300,000 personnel up from around 40,000.
General Sanders is expected to offer his view on the threat posed by Russia and how his army is adapting, with a greater focus on urban combat and rebuilding costly stockpiles of weapons - allowed to be hollowed out to save money since the end of the Cold War.
It is a move that will require all ranks from general to lance corporal to "get ready, train hard and engage", he is expected to say.
"This is our 1937 moment," the army chief will say, according to excerpts of the speech that were released in advance. He is referring to the crucial period leading up to World War Two.

"We are not at war - but must act rapidly so that we aren't drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion… I will do everything in my power to ensure that the British Army plays its part in averting war."
The challenge means the army must modernise, embracing new technologies such as cyber warfare and long-range missiles, but also retain traditional soldiering skills.
General Sanders is expected to say if a battle came "standoff air, maritime or cyber fires are unlikely to dominate on their own - land will still be the decisive to domain", adding that "you can't cyber your way across a river."




He is set to say that the army's mobilisation is "not the rush to war at the speed of the railway timetables of 1914" but is an "acceleration of the most important parts of Future Soldier's bold modernisation agenda… an increased focus on readiness and combined arms training."
Future Soldier is the name given to the army's plans for its capabilities.
This will mean more training on combining the different domains of warfare - land, sea, air, cyber and space as well as rebuilding stockpiles.
General Sanders is also expected to say the army will "review the deployability of our vehicle fleet".
This could be a signal of a decision to be made about a multi-billion-pound programme to develop a mini-tank called Ajax that has been beset with problems and has yet delivered.
The top officer is expected to say deterring Russia "means more of the army ready more of the time" and that he expects "all ranks to get ready, train hard and engage."
 

mistaken1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yea interesting. Has not been their modus operandi thus far. Wonder what's up? Somebody piss in Vlad's cheerios?

Anything from incompetence to accident/failure to false flag to CIA using human shields.

The russians said they would hit decision centers, perhaps this was one or at least the russians believed it was one.

What is to gain by giving the west an easy propaganda victory?
 

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
Because they were hiding something else there and using civvies as cover. Just like the hajis do.
That was my first thought, hiding something surrounded by innocent people.

Regarding war crimes, just how are they sorted out, especially in a situation where military assets are hidden within a shopping mall, if in fact that is the real case here?
 
Anything from incompetence to accident/failure to false flag to CIA using human shields.

The russians said they would hit decision centers, perhaps this was one or at least the russians believed it was one.

What is to gain by giving the west an easy propaganda victory?
Yes. Nothing to gain from this. More to this than meets the MSM eye.
 

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
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