... The Moskva attracted headlines at the outbreak of the war for an exchange with Ukrainian border guards on Zmynyii, or Snake, Island as the ship asked them to evacuate.
The resulting conversation — in which the guards told the ship to "go fuck yourself," went viral and became a rallying cry for Ukraine's war effort.
If it wasn't Ukrainian missiles it looks like it was a Ukrainian curse.
Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine makes it hard to remember — or even imagine — that in the early years of his presidency, two decades ago, Vladimir Putin was on a charm offensive with the West. He sought respect from other world leaders, especially in Europe and the U.S., while offering hope of a new openness for Russians at home.
One notable moment in the Putin charm campaign came in November 2001 in rural Crawford, Texas, a tiny town in the center of the state with a population back then of 705 residents. Count President George W. Bush among them. He owned a ranch just outside of town — he'd named the property Prairie Chapel — and he and first lady Laura Bush had invited the Russian leader and his wife Lyudmila to spend the night.
There was work for the two leaders — recall that this was just two months after the terror attacks of 9/11 — with discussion of global threats and how the United States and Russia could work together to fight terrorism.
But there was also time for socializing, for good food and entertainment. The next morning the two presidents paid a visit to nearby Crawford High School.
Personally, I have always supported the ICC, but for Lindsey or any other US pol to selectively endorse it is disgusting hypocrisy.
Video Transcript
LINDSEY GRAHAM: ... There've been 161 individuals indicted and convicted ranging from common soldiers to prime ministers and generals. The United States is not a member. We've had some problems with the court in the past. When the court tries to go after Israel or Rumsfeld here in the United States, I think that's off base....
Back in the early 2000s when the US was being particularly hostile towards the ICC I visited a series of sandbag "bunkers" that Dutch activists had built on the Rotterdam beach to "defend" the ICC from American attack. Great visual action....
... "To me, there is staggering evidence that Putin and Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. I believe we should fully support an investigation into those crimes, and the best way to do that is to support the body that will carry out that investigation, the International Criminal Court," Omar said in a statement to Insider.
"It would be staggeringly hypocritical to support an ICC investigation into Russia, while opposing the court's very existence as a non-member," she continued.
Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, introduced a resolution on Thursday calling for the US to become a member of the ICC, an international body based in The Hague, Netherlands, that investigates genocides, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The resolution came after President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal and called for a war crimes trial against him after reports of atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The New York Times reported earlier this week the Biden administration was debating how involved the US should be in an ICC investigation into Russia.
Maybe Joe's worried about his complicity in Iraq and Afghan war crimes.
They tackled the ICC in an episode called War Crimes and pretty thoughtfully making an argument for a non participation standpoint. IIRC, Leo could be charged with crimes as he unknowingly bombed civilians in Vietnam as he was following ordered to hit a bridge that he was told was a military target.
Well, perhaps O Really can lend an expert opine here.
However off the top of my head, if it can be proved that the order was given that the target was military instead of civilian, then it wouldn't necessarily be a war crime.
Saying "all wars are crimes" is a bit of a cop-out. It's a bit like saying a boxer can sue his opponent for hitting him in the face a breaking his nose. But if the other boxer were to break the nose of one of the refs or attendants, then that would be against the "rules".
Do wars have rules? In a sense, yes. But with each advancement in weaponry the rules change. And of course the "rules of war" is an oxymoron. Whoever wins the war sets the rules for the next conflict. Nobody should ever claim humans are logical or fair.
Awww. , Useless. So much for "Ignored". You fail again. Plus, Useless, you've been busted too many times for anyone to believe you're not reading my posts, anyhow. It's just your excuse for cowering. Awww.
They tackled the ICC in an episode called War Crimes and pretty thoughtfully making an argument for a non participation standpoint. IIRC, Leo could be charged with crimes as he unknowingly bombed civilians in Vietnam as he was following ordered to hit a bridge that he was told was a military target.
Irl it's extremely rare for any people below generals and presidents to be prosecuted for war crimes, other than by their own country like Lt Calley was. Then, it's nearly impossible to imagine that the ICC would ever bother going after a pilot that was given erroneous targeting info, or one that made an honest mistake. I'll bet that the ICC has never once done so in its 20 years.
Imo it's inexcusable that the US is not a party to the ICC and I agree with Rep. Ilhan Omar that it would be 'staggeringly hypocritical' for the US to support a war crimes investigation into Putin without joining the International Criminal Court. Leave that to nations that are courageous and ethical enough to accept the consequences for their own war crimes.
They tackled the ICC in an episode called War Crimes and pretty thoughtfully making an argument for a non participation standpoint. IIRC, Leo could be charged with crimes as he unknowingly bombed civilians in Vietnam as he was following ordered to hit a bridge that he was told was a military target.
Irl it's extremely rare for any people below generals and presidents to be prosecuted for war crimes, other than by their own country like Lt Calley was. Then, it's nearly impossible to imagine that the ICC would ever bother going after a pilot that was given erroneous targeting info, or one that made an honest mistake. I'll bet that the ICC has never once done so in its 20 years.
Imo it's inexcusable that the US is not a party to the ICC and I agree with Rep. Ilhan Omar that it would be 'staggeringly hypocritical' for the US to support a war crimes investigation into Putin without joining the International Criminal Court. Leave that to nations that are courageous and ethical enough to accept the consequences for their own war crimes.
American Exceptionalism at its finest.
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”
Funny how often that's synonymous with American criminality and/or American imperialism.
The British were the imperials - the sun never sets and all that crap
They are the model, but I would argue that since WW2 the US replaced naked colonialism with economic, political and cultural imperialism, often enforced by military interventions.
The Moskva weighed 12,000 tons and was more than 600 feet long, with a crew of 500. The sinking of the warship named for the Russian capital is a huge blow to Russian morale, and is unlikely to be easily explained away by Russian officials to their population.
It didn't occur to me that Moskva means Moscow. Irony. A metaphor?
Russia's defense ministry claimed on April 14 that all crew members had been evacuated from the ship, and the Pentagon saw Russian sailors leaving the damaged ship in lifeboats, according to the Washington Post. But the mother of one surviving sailor told the Novaya Gazeta Europe that about 40 people had died during the incident and many were wounded and missing, the Post reported.
"There are dead, there are wounded, there are missing. My son called me when they were given phones. They left their documents and [their personal] phones on the [ship]. He calls me and cries from what he saw. It was scary. It is clear that not everyone survived," the anonymous mother said.
Yeah, missiles or just a fire I never believed that there were zero casualties. We may never know the full tally.
Funny how often that's synonymous with American criminality and/or American imperialism.
The British were the imperials - the sun never sets and all that crap
It's also a sort of 19th century thing. I think the Brits sort of reformed after two world wars. Perhaps they realized that going global isn't all they thought it would be.
... "It is our assessment that approximately 15,000 Russian personnel have been killed during their offensive," Ben Wallace, UK's Secretary of State for Defense said in a statement released by the British embassy in Washington on Monday....
Grain of salt, but still . . .
The Soviet War in Afghanistan lasted from 1979 to 1989. Many scholars partially attributed the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse to the military failure in the war. About 14,500 Soviet soldiers died then — along with 90,000 Mujahideen soldiers, 18,000 Afghan soldiers, and approximately one million civilians, The Atlantic reported in 2014.
Wallace similarly pointed to a "failure of the Russian Ministry of Defence command and control at all levels."
... "Russia has so far failed in nearly every one of its objectives," he added.
Since Vladimir Putin waged war on Ukraine on February 24, at least 2,665 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Monday, which says the actual number is likely much higher.
The UK Secretary of State for Defence also estimated that more than 2,000 Russian armored vehicles were totaled or seized, including "at least 530 tanks, 530 Armoured Personnel Carriers and 560 Infantry Fighting Vehicles." They estimate that the country has also lost at least 60 helicopters and fighter jets.
Wallace said Ukraine has "endured indiscriminate bombardment, war crimes, and overwhelming military aggression."
"But they have stood firm, galvanized the international community, and beaten back the army of Russia in the North and the North-East," he added.
, Useless. So much for "Ignored". You fail again. Plus, Useless, you've been busted too many times for anyone to believe you're not reading my posts, anyhow. It's just your excuse for cowering. Awww.
No wonder they're flopping in Ukraine.
Easier to spot a tank or APC than a guy with a rocket? I read how some of the anti-tank missiles can be left camouflaged and fired remotely.
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