Author: John Hanno

Daily Mail

Russian troops enter Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv and fierce fighting breaks out after Putin was said to be ‘raging’ at stalled invasion: Ukrainians obliterate Chechen special forces column of 56 tanks outside Kyiv and kills top general

By Jimmy McCloskey, Daily Mail, James Robinson, dailymail.com and Will Stewart in Moscow – February 26, 2022 

• The group – likely to number in the hundreds – was blown to smithereens on their second day in the country
• Those killed include Chechen general Magomed Tushaev – one of the regime’s most highly-decorated soldiers
• Vladimir Putin had green-lighted their deployment, with each fighter given a deck of cards to help them recognize Ukrainian leaders they were encouraged to capture and kill
• But Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky is still reported to be alive – and is fast becoming a global hero – while Putin has faced scorn over his huge army’s slow progress to capture the country 
• On Sunday morning, Ukrainian government ministers confirmed they’d managed to keep control of the capital city of Kyiv for the third night running 
• But Russian forces entered Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second-largest city – around the same time, with street battles reported to be taking place  
• Russia has struck the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine in Kyiv, which stores nuclear waste
• The facility’s radiation detector was also destroyed – although a preliminary inspection suggests there is no immediate danger to locals 
• First confirmed death toll has also emerged – UN says at least 240 Ukrainian citizens have been killed 
• Woman was killed in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, after Russian artillery shell struck nine-story residential apartment building  
• Two blasts went off in the south west of the Ukrainian capital shortly after midnight local time
• A fuel depot in the city of Vasylkiv was targeted by Russian ballistic missiles, its mayor said 
• Russia also blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, which sits close to the Russian border  
• Vladimir Putin is said to be furious at his troops’ apparent lack of progress, and is reportedly fuming in his heavily-guarded Russian mountain lair 
• An eerie orange glow filled the sky, CNN reports that a fuel depot may have been hit
• Blast took place close to one of Kyiv’s two airports – Boryspil International Airport, whose capture is vital to Russian takeover ambitions  

Ukraine war latest, at a glance  

• Russia failed to capture Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv during fighting on Saturday night and Sunday morning 
• But Russian forces entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Sunday morning
• Street battles were reported to be taking place, while pictures appear to show one Russian military vehicle on fire
• Oleh Sinehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said Ukrainian forces are fighting Russian troops in the city and asked civilians not to leave their homes 
• Russian forces have reportedly blocked Kherson and Berdyansk and delivered another missile strike on Ukraine’s military infrastructure, the Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says
• UN reports that at least 240 Ukrainian civilians have been killed 
• At least 200,000 people have fled Ukraine to three countries, with 150,000 said to have crossed into Poland alone
• Unconfirmed reports that a cancer hospital for children in Kyiv had been shelled by Russians forces meanwhile have also been debunked
• It has been reported by Ukrainian news site TSN that the boy was killed when a children’s hospital in the city 
• According to the Kyiv Independent, at least two children and two adults were wounded during an incident at Okhmadyt children’s cancer hospital
• However the New York Times debunked the claims, saying that while gunfire was heard near to the hospital it had not been shelled by artillery
• Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko says their airforce shot down a missile aimed at the capital Kyiv, by a plane that flew in from Russian ally Belarus 
• Ukraine’s defence ministry today appealed for foreigners to come forward to join its armed forces and fight back Putin’s army, with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine urging people to contact his department.  
• According to UK intelligence, fighting in Kyiv last night was at a ‘lower intensity’ than the previous evening
• The MoD said there had been an ‘intensive’ exchange of rocket artillery in Kharkiv, followed by ‘heavy fighting’ between Ukrainian and Russian forces
• As the fighting raged on, Russia claimed it was engaging in peace talks with the Ukrainian government in Belarus 
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats. ‘The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,’ he said. 
• However, while Zelensky said that while said the Ukraine was ready for peace talks, he said they would not be taking place in Belarus – which was a staging ground for Russia troops prior to the invasion
• In a televised address, Zelensky, standing beside a Ukrainian flag dressed in an army green t-shirt and jumper, said: ‘If there had been no aggressive action from your territory, we could talk in Minsk… other cities can be used as the venue for talks.
• Meanwhile, Ukraine has obliterated a 56 tank convoy of feared Chechen fighters
• Among those killed was one of Chechnya’s top generals, Magomed Tushaev  
• At least two blasts have rocked the country in the early hours of Sunday local time
• Vasylkiv, which sits southwest of Ukraine, saw its air base’s fuel depot attacked by Russian ballistic missiles
• Subsequent blaze cast an eerie orange glow over Kyiv, around 40 kilometers north east 
• Gas pipeline was blown up near Kharkiv, sending huge mushroom cloud billowing into the sky
• Woman was killed in Kharkiv after Russian shell hit apartment block 
• Elon Musk agreed to turn his Starlink satellite network on over Ukraine
• Officials want to ensure locals can still access the internet if Russia destroys telecoms network
• Keen to push back against Russian propaganda, and expose the violence being meted out by Putin’s army
• Russian premier said to be furious at slower-than-expected efforts to conquer Ukraine 
• UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, writing in The Telegraph, warned Putin’s days ‘will surely be numbered’ if he fails in his ambition to take Kyiv 
• Mr Heappey, a former major in the Rifles, said if Putin failed and the Russian people could be shown ‘how little he cares for them… Putin’s days as president will surely be numbered and so too will those of the kleptocratic elite that surround him. He’ll lose power and he won’t get to choose his successor.’
• However there are fears that delays in Russia’s invasion plan could lead Putin to become more desperate in his attempts to crush Ukrainian resolve.
• A Russian thermobaric rocket launcher was spotted by a US film crew south of Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border.
• The weapons, which contain a highly explosive fuel and chemical mix and send out supersonic blast waves that can rip buildings and bodies apart, can reduce cities to rubble and would cause huge loss of life. 
• Millions of citizens are sheltering underground
• But others have taken to the streets armed with guns and Molotov cocktails, to try and fight back
• US and EU have agreed to curtail Russia’s use of SWIFT messaging system, which is vital to for global financial transactions
• Donald Trump condemned the invasion Saturday
• He said: ‘The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling, it’s an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur. It never would have occurred. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all.’
• China’s ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong shared a video scotching claims he’d fled Kyiv 
• Urged other Chinese nationals in Ukraine to shelter 
• Comes as China tries to condemn attack while keeping ally Vladimir Putin on side

Russian forces have entered Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv after failing in their overnight efforts to seize control of the capital city of Kyiv – as Ukraine’s president today said his country were ready for peace talks.

Footage shared on social media Sunday morning showed Putin’s army trucks rolling through the city of 1.41 million people, which sits in Eastern Ukraine close to the border with Russia.

Soldiers were also seen marching through Kharkiv on foot, with a very dramatic clip showing Russians slowly advancing along a road before running and firing their guns as Ukrainians opened fire on them.

Another clip shared online shows an army vehicle said to belong to the Russians ablaze, with locals saying it had been torched by Ukrainians seeking to defend their city. 

Oleh Sinehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said Ukrainian forces are fighting Russian troops in the city and asked civilians not to leave their homes.  

Meanwhile, the UK’s Ministry of Defence released its  latest intelligence update, saying there had been an ‘intensive’ exchange of rocket artillery in the city, followed by ‘heavy fighting’ between Ukrainian and Russian forces. It said fighting in the capital Kyiv had been ‘less intense’ than previous nights.

The breach of Ukraine’s defenses came hours after Russia was dealt a significant blow when a column of Chechen special forces sent to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were blown up by locals just two days into their mission. 

The armed group – famed for their barbaric violence and human rights abuses – are said to have been obliterated after their convoy of 56 tanks was blown to smithereens near Hostomel, just northeast of Kyiv, by Ukrainian missile fire on the second day of the Chechens’ deployment. It is unclear how many died – but the number is likely to run into the hundreds. 

Their deaths were reported by The Kyiv Independent news outlet as officials in Kyiv revealed that they’d managed to maintain control of Ukraine’s capital city throughout combat on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

First Deputy Chairman of Kyiv City State Administration Mykola Povoroznyk said: ‘The situation in Kyiv is calm, the capital is fully controlled by the Ukrainian army and the terror defense. At night there were several clashes with sabotage group.’ 

But Russian forces were seen entering Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on Sunday morning. Footage shared on social media showed Russian tanks and trucks rolling through the city, which sits in eastern Ukraine, close to the Russian border, with gunshots also heard ringing out.

Other videos shared online showed Russian troops walking in to the city of 1.419 million people on foot, as well as an army truck said to be Russian consumed by flames. 

Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko, meanwhile, said their airforce had shot down a missile aimed at the capital Kyiv, by a plane that flew in from Russian ally Belarus.

But while fighting raged in the north, Russian forces said they had successfully blocked Kherson and Berdyansk in the south, effectively opening up a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula – which it annexed in 2014.

Among the Chechens said to have been wiped out was general Magomed Tushaev. He was commander of the 141th motorized national guard brigade – Chechen head of state Ramzan Kadyrov’s elite force.

Tushaev had also been pictured with Kadyrov, in a measure of his importance to the Chechen regime, which shot to notoriety in the west for hunting down, torturing and killing gay men. 

Kadyrov is even believed to have visited his doomed squadron in a Ukrainian forest before their alleged deaths. 

The terror squadron’s reported killings are a crushing psychological blow for Vladimir Putin’s stalled efforts to conquer Ukraine. The Russian premiere had dispatched the group to capture or kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, knowing full well that the fighters’ brutal reputation would strike further fear into the hearts of besieged Ukrainians. 

Each fighter had been given a deck of cards complete with photos of Ukrainian officials they’d been told to target. 

But Zelensky remains standing, and has become a global hero for his brave dispatches from the front line – while his would-be assassins’ reported killings have brought huge disgrace and widespread grief to Chechnya. 

Putin is said to be growing increasingly angry by his stalled efforts to conquer Ukraine. His fire and manpower vastly outnumbers that of Ukraine, and it is widely believed that Russia will eventually conquer its neighbor.

But the surprisingly effective defense being mounted by the smaller nation has badly tarnished Russian military prestige, with the Kremlin still a way-off their objective of seizing the capital of Kyiv and installing its own government. 

Today, as Russia marked special forces day, he thanked soldiers for ‘heroically fulfilling their military duty’ in Ukraine. But he remained insistent that his armies were providing assistance to the ‘people’s republics of Donbas’ – referring to two rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine that Russia recognized as independent states ahead of its invasion – despite conflicts taking place in cities outside the region such as Kyiv and Kharkiv.

‘I want to thank the command, the personnel of the special operations forces, veterans of the special forces units for their loyalty to the oath, for their impeccable service in the name of the people of Russia and our great motherland,’ he said. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defence ministry today appealed for foreigners to come forward to join its armed forces and fight back Putin’s army, with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine urging people to contact his department. ‘Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin too,’ he said in a Twitter post this morning.

Today, as the fighting continued, The Kremlin announced that a Russian delegation had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats.

‘The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,’ he said.

However, while Zelensky said that while said the Ukraine was ready for peace talks, he said they would not be taking place in Belarus – which was a staging ground for Russia troops prior to the invasion. 

In a televised address, Zelensky, standing beside a Ukrainian flag dressed in an army green t-shirt and jumper, said: ‘If there had been no aggressive action from your territory, we could talk in Minsk… other cities can be used as the venue for talks.

‘Of course we want peace, we want to meet, we want the war to end. Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku – we’ve offered them to the Russians.

‘Any other city would suit us, too – in a country, from whose territory missiles are not launched at us. This is the only way negotiations can be honest and can really end the war.’

With Ukraine’s military putting up a staunch defence, Putin’s forces are also reportedly being bogged down by poor planning and ineffective coordination. Many units are reportedly operating without the protection of air cover.  

With Russia’s invasion stalling three days in, UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, writing in The Telegraph, warned Putin’s days ‘will surely be numbered’ if he fails in his ambition to take Kyiv. 

‘Progress to Kyiv has been much slower than they’d expected, they were unable to take key cities early and now must try to bypass them,’ he wrote.

‘This leaves pockets of well-armed and well-trained Ukrainians to the rear of the Russian front line, exposing a vulnerable logistics tail – an omen for what awaits Putin.’ 

Mr Heappey, a former major in the Rifles, said if Putin failed and the Russian people could be shown ‘how little he cares for them… Putin’s days as president will surely be numbered and so too will those of the kleptocratic elite that surround him. He’ll lose power and he won’t get to choose his successor.’ 

However there are fears that delays in Russia’s invasion plan could lead Putin to become more desperate in his attempts to crush Ukrainian resolve.

A Russian thermobaric rocket launcher was spotted by a US film crew south of Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border.

The weapons, which contain a highly explosive fuel and chemical mix and send out supersonic blast waves that can rip buildings and bodies apart, can reduce cities to rubble and would cause huge loss of life. 

Business Insider

Germany to send anti-tank weapons and missiles to Ukraine, in major reversal of restrictive arms export policy that ‘marks a turning point’ for the country

Bethany Biron – February 26, 2022

• Germany is sending 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine.
• The announcement marks a reversal of restrictive policies in Germany that prohibited sending arms to conflict areas.
• “The Russian attack marks a turning point,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday.

Germany is planning to send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine, according to a statement made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday.

“The Russian attack marks a turning point,” Scholz wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. “It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin. That’s why we’re supplying 1000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine.”

The announcement marks a significant shift of Germany’s restrictive arms export policy. The country has previously said it held “historical responsibilities” that prevented it from sending weapons and arms to conflict areas, often citing guilt for crimes committed against the Soviet Union during World War II.

As part of the new stance, Germany is also lifting restrictions it previously held among NATO allies that prohibited sending German-based arms to conflict areas. This will allow countries like the Netherlands to ship 400 rocket-propelled grenades to Ukraine, Axios reported.

Ukranian officials and leaders in allied countries banned from sending arms expressed frustration over the strict policies in recent weeks, heading into Russia’s attack against Ukraine on Thursday. The reversal comes as Russian forces continue their advance into the Ukranian capital of Kyiv, where the mayor announced a strict curfew on Friday.

The decision could also foster wider support from the European Union, particularly given Germany’s vast economic power and stature. The country also holds a large percentage of the continent’s arms and ammunition, according to Politico.

Insider

Ex-Trump aide says Michelle Obama would put Republicans in ‘a very difficult position’ if she ran for president in 2024

John L. Dorman – February 26, 2022

• Monica Crowley said that a Michelle Obama presidential bid would put the GOP in “a very difficult position.”
• The former Treasury spokesperson made the comments during the 2022 CPAC conference in Florida.
• While Obama’s name is often floated as a candidate, she has expressed little desire to run for office.

The conservative commentator Monica Crowley, a former Trump administration aide, on Saturday said that a presidential run by former first lady Michelle Obama would put Republicans in “a very difficult position.”

“If they [Democrats] were to run Michelle Obama, that would put us in a very difficult position because they’d reach for a candidate who is completely plausible, very popular, and immune to criticism,” she said. “Also, when you think about her positioning, she spoke as a DNC [Democratic National Convention] keynote speaker in 2020, she wrote her autobiography and did a 50-city tour, she has massive Netflix and Spotify deals, and she’s got a voting-rights group alongside Stacey Abrams.”

Crowley made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida featuring her alongside Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, conservative activist Jack Posobiec, and attorney Kurt Schlichter. She also spoke of the complications that Democrats might face in 2024 if President Joe Biden chooses not to run for reelection. (He has so far committed to running for a second term.)

Pointing to Vice President Kamala Harris and some of her first-year stumbles in office, Crowley argued that Democrats nonetheless would be hard-pressed to deny her a presidential nomination for fear of alienating Black women, who have been the most loyal segment of the party for years.

Crowley, who served as an assistant secretary for public affairs for ex-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, then said that Democrats might seek another scenario that would thrill the party − the candidacy of former first lady Michelle Obama.

Obama, who was the first lady while her husband — former President Barack Obama – served president from 2009 to 2017, has long expressed her distaste for politics. She has also enjoyed moderate to high favorability among the general public in various polls.

But, the former first lady has continually stated that she does not foresee her name being on a presidential ballot. Many Democrats, though, cannot help but envision her running for a White House bid given her status as a highly-regarded first lady with universal name recognition and an appeal that can cut across demographic and political lines.

Although conservatives are eager to regain the White House after former President Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential loss, Crowley, during the forum, refused to underestimate Obama’s potential appeal as a candidate.

“For all of these people who say, ‘Michelle Obama isn’t political’ [and] ‘They’re making too much money now,’ keep a very close eye on her because her trajectory is exactly what Barack Obama did before he ran for president and what Bill and Hillary Clinton both did,” she said. “I think if she were to run, that would be a very difficult situation for us.”

The former first lady has never held elective office, but some of her major speeches — beginning at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver to her deeply personal video at the DNC in support of Biden during the 2020 presidential race — have been praised by many voters from across the political spectrum.

However, during the 2018 Simmons Leadership Conference in Boston, she threw cold water on the idea of a presidential run, as she has often done when asked since leaving the White House.

“The reason why I don’t want to run for president — and I can’t speak for Oprah [Winfrey] — but my sense is that, first of all, you have to want the job,” she said at the time, referencing calls for media mogul to run for office.

She continued: “And you can’t just say, ‘Well, you’re a woman, run.’ We just can’t find the women we like and ask them to do it, because there are millions of women who are inclined and do have the passion for politics.”

Insider

Estonia and Romania ban Russian airlines from their airspace, after the UK, Poland, Moldova and the Czech Republic

Taylor Ardrey – February 26, 2022

• Estonia and Romania have barred Russia from their airspace, officials announced Saturday.
• The move comes after other countries, including the UK and Poland, did the same this week.
• The US State Department said it’s in ‘regular dialogue with our Ukrainian partners’ regarding a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Estonia and Romania on Saturday banned Russian airlines from their airspace after the U.K., Poland, Moldova, and the Czech Republic did the same.

Romania’s foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu tweeted Saturday morning that the country “just joined other EU member states in banning (Russian) airlines from our airspace.” Aurescu went on to say Romania encourages all partners and allies “to take such action, as we stay resolute in our support for #UkraineUnderAttack.”

Kaja Kallas, Estonian Foreign Minister, echoed similar sentiments, stating there’s”no place for planes of the aggressor state in democratic skies.”

After Russia attacked Ukraine on Thursday, United Kingdom officials issued a ban restricting Russian-owned airlines from the country’s airspace.

“This means that Aeroflot will not be permitted to operate flights to or from the United Kingdom until further notice,” the UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a Feb. 24 announcement.

In response, Russian officials decided to bar any aircraft owned, leased, or operated by individuals associated with the UK from its airspace, as Insider reported.

Additionally, as Aljazeera reported, Russia also placed the ban on other European countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, aviation officials said Saturday.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger has called on the US to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to aid in their fight against Russia, according to Yahoo News.

“The fate of #Ukraine is being decided tonight, but also the fate of the west. Declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine at the invitation of their sovereign govt,” Kinzinger tweeted Friday. “Disrupt Russia’s air ops to give the heroic Ukrainians a fair fight. It’s now, or later.”

When asked Saturday if the US has given any consideration to Ukraine’s call for a no-fly zone, spokesperson for the US Department of State Ned Price responded, “We are in regular dialogue with our Ukrainian partners. We are looking at a range of ways we can continue to support them.”

The Week

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger calls for U.S.-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine

Grayson Quay, Weekend editor – February 26, 2022

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called for the U.S. to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine to give the country’s military a “fair fight” against invading Russian forces.

“The fate of #Ukraine is being decided tonight, but also the fate of the west. Declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine at the invitation of their sovereign govt,” Kinzinger tweeted on Friday.

In addition to serving in Congress, Kinzinger is a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.

According to Politico, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked NATO to “close the skies,” but as of Friday the alliance remained unwilling to take the risk.

Critics were quick to point out that Kinzinger’s proposed no-fly zone would likely require the U.S. to fire on Russian aircraft, which could lead to a war between Russia and NATO.

“No. This is insane,” tweeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who is known for his non-interventionist views on foreign policy.

Buzz Patterson, a former U.S. Air Force pilot who ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican in 2019, wrote that a no-fly zone would force American pilots “to shoot down Russian aircraft” and called the proposal “the dumbest s–t I’ve ever heard [Kinzinger] say … And that’s a pretty high bar.

In an Feb. 13 appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation, Kinzinger accused Republicans who disagreed with his hawkish stance of “naivety” and “affection for authoritarianism.”

Insider

Trump took documents to Mar-a-Lago that are so sensitive they may not be described in public, report says

Alia Shoaib – February 26, 2022

• Trump took documents of the “very highest levels of classification” to Mar-a-Lago, per The Washington Post.
• Some of the documents are so sensitive that they may not be described in upcoming inventory reports.
• The details emerge as a congressional committee intensifies its investigation into Trump’s handling of White House records.

Former President Donald Trump took documents to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that are “so sensitive” they might not be able to be described in public, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing two unnamed sources.

After leaving office in January 2021, Trump took 15 boxes of documents to his Florida resort, which National Archives officials said contained some classified information.

Some of the documents were of the “very highest levels of classification,” two sources told The Post, and therefore might not be able to be described in upcoming inventory reports in an unclassified manner.

One source informed The Post that there are records “that only a very few have clearances” to review.

The details have emerged as a congressional committee ramps up its investigation into Trump’s handling of White House records.

On Friday, Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the National Archives and Records Administration to request a “detailed description” of the contents of the recovered boxes.

The National Archives had previously set Friday as a deadline to provide an inventory of the contents, which are expected to offer more information on the volume and scope of classified documents, according to The Post.

Maloney also requested details about all presidential records that Trump “had torn up, destroyed, mutilated, or attempted to tear up, destroy or mutilate.”

“I am deeply concerned that former President Trump may have violated the law through his intentional efforts to remove and destroy records that belong to the American people,” she wrote in a letter. “This Committee plans to get to the bottom of what happened and assess whether further action is needed to prevent the destruction of additional presidential records and recover those records that are still missing.”

Maloney also asked for details about any probes conducted by other federal agencies into the contents of the boxes, along with communications between the Trump administration and NARA linked to the Presidential Records Act.

The congresswoman also called for the prioritization of records from former White House chiefs of staff Reince Priebus, John Kelly, and Mark Meadows; along with those from former White House counsel Don McGahn; former deputy White House counsel Stefan Passantino; and ex-aides Nicholas Luna, Derek Lyons, Robert Porter, and Madeleine Westerhout.

In the Thursday letter to the National Archives, Maloney described Trump’s handling of records as “what appears to be the largest-scale violations of the Presidential Records Act since its enactment.”

The Presidential Records Act requires presidents and White House staff to preserve official documents and communications, and turn those items over to the National Archives at the end of a president’s term.

EcoWatch

8 Places With Awesome and Innovative Public Transportation

Linnea Harris – February 26, 2022

Cable cars of the Metrocable, a gondola lift system that links the city with the neighborhoods and suburbs in Medellin, Colombia. EyesWideOpen / Getty Images

In cities across the globe, urbanites rely on public transportation to get around. More than 55% of the global population lives in urban areas, a number that is expected to increase to nearly 70% by 2050, according to the UN. As our cities grow, so must public transportation capacity, while also addressing the mounting impacts of climate change and the role of our fossil fuel powered transportation system. 

A few cities and countries are already accommodating the needs of their occupants and our climate by building innovative systems of transport.

Luxembourg

If you’re planning a journey to Luxembourg, scratch “book rental car” off of your to-do list. In March 2020, this small European country became the first to offer free public transportation to its citizens and visitors.

The free access to buses, trains, and trams for all 630,000 Luxembourgers makes it possible to explore the entire Rhode-Island-sized country without a car. Bike paths and hiking trails stretch between the stations, and riders can travel to neighboring countries at a reduced price. 

Luxembourg – a country with many job opportunities and a high GDP – is infamous for congestion issues, with 681 cars per 1,000 people. Dany Frank of the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works cites environmental benefits and reduced traffic as major motivations for the change, reports CNN. 

Switzerland

Home to the Alps and the Jura Mountains, Switzerland boasts stunning alpine views and picture-perfect destinations – if you can get to them. Its windy mountain passes are often difficult to traverse by car, especially in adverse weather conditions.

For decades, the Swiss have avoided this conundrum with their iconic car trains. Personal vehicles and buses alike can drive right onto one of six trains (two of which travel to Italy) and enjoy the ride from the comfort of their car or a passenger sitting area as they travel through tunnels and mountain passes. During busy hours, some trains run as often as every 15 minutes, making this form of transport a viable option for travel while cutting down on emissions and overall transportation time. 

Shanghai, China

While standing on the train platform in Shanghai, you won’t hear the deafening racket expected of most trains; the levitating Maglev train arrives quickly and quietly.

Maglev trains – whose name is an abbreviation of “magnetic levitation” – employ magnetic technology to levitate the frictionless, wheel-less trains over the tracks. The trains utilize the concept of electromagnetic propulsion, by which superconducting magnets repel one another and suspend the train over the guideway. 

Powered entirely with electricity, these trains are both environmentally friendly and extremely fast. In 2015, one Maglev train broke the all-time speed record for trail vehicles, hitting 603 kph (375 mph). The Shanghai line running between the Longyang Road Station and Pudong International Airport stretches 19 miles (30 km), and the trip takes only seven and a half minutes from end to end. If Maglev technology were used to build high-speed trains in the U.S., travelers leaving New York City could expect to reach Los Angeles in seven hours. 

The network of Maglev lines in China is still small, but spreading. A line connecting Shanghai and Hangzhou is under construction, reports CNN, with another between Chengdu and Chongqing. Maglev trains also run in Japan and South Korea, and a new line is expected to link Tokyo and Nagoya by the year 2027 with a total travel time of only forty minutes.

Hamburg, Germany

Hochban – the transit authority that runs much of the public transportation in Hamburg – is replacing its entire fleet of 1,100 diesel buses with zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The e-buses create 75% fewer emissions than their diesel counterparts, and a total fleet-wide conversion would reduce CO2 emissions by 65,000 tonnes every year (the equivalent of 32500 gasoline-powered cars driving for one year). 

The transition to carbon-neutral transportation is made possible in part by the recharging stations for buses located in the city. The interoperability of the system is the real innovation, and allows buses – regardless of their manufacturer – to pull into a charging station and refuel in only six minutes: enough for an entire day on their route. This means the city can source buses from different suppliers moving forward and still function with their existing charging technology.  

Trondheim, Norway

While not exactly a large-scale public transportation system, this Norwegian city is transforming bicycle commutes for its citizens. 

Trondheim is famous for the Trampe Bicycle Lift, invented and installed by Jarle Wanwik in 1993, who was tired of biking up a huge hill every morning on his way to work. The lift is, basically, an escalator for all self-propelled vehicles, like scooters, strollers, skateboards, and, of course, bikes. Rides place one foot on a small, moving platform that travels up the track, pulling the cyclist up with it. 

Since its original installation, the Trampe has been upgraded by the French company SKIRAIL, and can carry five people up the hill at once. 

Adelaide, Australia

Adelaide – the capital city of South Australia – is the fifth most populous in the country at 1.3 million inhabitants, and home to the brilliant green, solar-powered Tindo buses. 

Tindo – the Aboriginal word for “sun” – doesn’t have a combustion engine, and is the first 100% solar-powered electric bus in the world. Unlike other solar-fueled vehicles that sport solar panels on their bodies, these buses are charged with solar power at bus stations and can travel up to 200 kilometers between charges. These buses were commissioned from New Zealand’s Designline International, and are run by the city council as a part of the Adelaide Connector Bus service. 

They produce no emissions, can transport up to 40 people, and cost nothing for the traveler. The buses are also cheaper for the city, and cost 50% less per kilometer to operate than diesel vehicles. They also employ a regenerative braking system, which reduces energy consumption by 30%. 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

You’ve seen self-driving cars, but what about a self-driving boat?

The Roboat (pun intended) was designed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. Two full-scale Roboats were launched in 2021 to traverse the 100 kilometers of waterways in Amsterdam, capable of transporting up to five people, carrying goods, and collecting waste. These totally autonomous, wirelessly-charged boats are powered by propellers and thrusters, and are monitored on shore from a central location that can oversee dozens of boats at once. 

The self-driving technology uses a GPS and sensors referred to as “perception kits,” which can detect unknown objects and categorize them for future encounters. While not yet used for transporting the public, these innovative boats are making cleaner, water-based urban travel a greater possibility for Netherlanders and the world. 

Medellín, Colombia

This city of two and a half million stretches up the slopes of the Andes, along which floating gondolas travel up and down. 

Instead of bringing people up and down ski slopes, the Metrocable connects isolated areas of the city, allowing people who live in the informal dwellings on the hillsides to reach the city center. Buses were once the only way to reach the city below, requiring multiple fees and nearly two hours, while the cable cars take as little as 30 minutes on one of four lines. 

Medellín was once the world’s most dangerous city, but these gondolas are credited with the massive transformation of the area, giving its citizens greater access to work, education, and health care. City tour guide Pablo Alvarez Correa calls the cable cars “an innovative solution to the problems of geographic and economic exclusion,” reports Business Insider. 

Associated Press

West unleashes SWIFT bans, more crushing penalties on Russia

Zeke Miller – February 26, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and European nations agreed Saturday to impose the most potentially crippling financial penalties yet on Russia over its unrelenting invasion of Ukraine, going after the central bank reserves that underpin the Russian economy and severing some Russian banks from a vital global financial network.

The decision, announced as Ukrainian forces battled Saturday to hold Russian forces back from Ukraine’s capital and residents sheltered in subway tunnels, basements and underground garages, has potential to spread the pain of Western retaliation for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion to ordinary Russians far more than previous rounds of penalties.

“Putin embarked on a path aiming to destroy Ukraine, but what he is also doing, in fact, is destroying the future of his own country,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The European Union, United States, United Kingdom and other allies have steadily stepped up the intensity of their sanctions since Russia launched the invasion late last week.

While U.S. and European officials made clear they still were working out the mechanics of how to implement the latest measures, and intend to spare Russia’s oil and natural gas exports, the sanctions in total potentially could amount to some of the toughest levied on a nation in modern times. If fully carried out as planned, the measures will severely damage the Russian economy and markedly constrain its ability to import and export goods.

The U.S. and European allies announced the moves in a joint statement as part of a new round of financial sanctions meant to “hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”

The central bank restrictions target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal, and are meant to block Russia’s ability to support the ruble as it plunges in value amid tightening Western sanctions.

The ruble and Russia’s stock market both declined sharply immediately after Russia launched military action in Ukraine on Thursday. The ruble recovered slightly but is still down more than 6 percent from before Putin’s announcement, trading at nearly 84 rubles to the dollar.

U.S. officials said Saturday’s steps were framed to send the ruble into “free fall” and promote soaring inflation in the Russian economy.

The decline of the ruble would likely send inflation soaring, which would hurt everyday Russians and not just the Russian elites who were the targets of the original sanctions. The resulting economic disruption, if Saturday’s measures are as harsh as described, could leave Putin facing political unrest at home.

Analysts predicted intensifying runs on banks by Russians, and falling government reserves as Russians scrambled to sell their targeted currency for safer assets.

The U.S. officials noted that previously announced sanctions have already had an impact on Russia, bringing its currency to its lowest level against the dollar in history and giving its stock market the worst week on record.

Saturday’s move also includes cutting key Russian banks out of the SWIFT financial messaging system, which daily moves countless billions of dollars around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions around the world.

The fine print of the sanctions was still being ironed out over the weekend, officials said, as they work to limit the impact of the restrictions on other economies and European purchases of Russian energy.

Allies on both sides of the Atlantic also considered the SWIFT option in 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia declared then that kicking it out of SWIFT would be equivalent to a declaration of war. The allies — criticized ever after for responding too weakly to Russia’s 2014 aggression — shelved the idea back then. Russia since then has tried to develop its own financial transfer system, with limited success.

The U.S. has succeeded before in persuading the Belgium-based SWIFT system to kick out a country — Iran, over its nuclear program. But kicking Russia out of SWIFT could also hurt other economies, including those of the U.S. and key ally Germany.

Only rarely has the West and its allies fired a full salvo of its available financial weapons on a country. Iran and North Korea, two previous targets, had far smaller roles in the world economy, while Russia, with its enormous petroleum reserves, plays a much bigger role in global trade, and parts of Europe depend on its natural gas.

The disconnection from SWIFT announced by the West on Saturday is partial, leaving Europe and the United States room to escalate penalties later. Officials said they had not fully settled on which banks would be cut off.

Announcing the measures in Brussels, the EU Commission president, von der Leyen, said she would push the bloc to “paralyze the assets of Russia’s Central bank” so that its transactions would be frozen. Cutting several commercial banks from SWIFT “will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally,” she added.

“Cutting banks off will stop them from conducting most of their financial transactions worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports,” she added.

Getting the EU on board for sanctioning Russia through SWIFT had been a tough process since EU trade with Russia amounted to 80 billion euros, about 10 times as much as the United States, which had been an early proponent of such measures.

Germany specifically had balked at the measure since it could hit them hard. But Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement that “after Russia’s shameless attack … we are working hard on limiting the collateral damage of decoupling (Russia) from SWIFT so that it hits the right people. What we need is a targeted, functional restrictions of SWIFT.”

As another measure, the allies announced a commitment “to taking measures to limit the sale of citizenship — so-called golden passports — that let wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems.”

The group also announced the formation this week of a trans-Atlantic task force to ensure that these and other sanctions on Russia are implemented effectively through information sharing and asset freezes.

“These new sanctions, which include removing several Russian banks from SWIFT and sanctioning Russia’s central bank, are likely to cause serious damage to the Russian economy and its banking system,” said Clay Lowery, executive vice president of the Institute of International Finance. “While details on how the new sanctions affect energy are still emerging, we do know that sanctions on its central bank will make it more difficult for Russia to export energy and other commodities.”

Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said that even without a complete SWIFT ban, “these measures will still be painful to Russia’s economy. They reinforce the measures already taken earlier this week by making transactions more complicated and difficult.”

Ziemba says how much pain the sanctions render on the Russian economy will depend on which banks are restricted and which measures are taken to restrict the ability of the Central Bank to operate.

“Regardless, these sort of escalating sanctions, removing banks from SWIFT, restricting the Central Bank, this will all make it more difficult to get commodities from Russia and will increase the pressure on the financial market.”

Meantime, the U.S. Embassy in Russia is warning Americans of multiple reports of non-Russian credit and debit cards being declined in Russia. In a tweet Saturday night, the American Embassy said the problem appears to be related to recent sanctions, imposed on Russian banks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The embassy says U.S. citizens in Russia should be prepared with alternate means of payment should cards be declined. It also reminded U.S. citizens that the State Department advises against travel to Russia.

___

Casert reported from Brussels and Sweet from New York. Associated Press writers Frank Jordan, Fatima Hussein and Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Insider

Wealthy Russians who parked money in Florida’s ‘Little Moscow’ worry they’ll be blacklisted from buying luxury real estate

Hillary Hoffower – February 25, 2022

• Sunny Isles, Florida, is known as “Little Moscow” because of the many Russian elites who live there.
• They’re worried sanctions could prevent them from buying real estate.
• Experts say it’s likely they won’t be severely affected.

Sunny Isles, Florida, has long been an escape for Russia’s wealthy and elite, who have purchased so much luxury property in the area that it’s become known as “Little Moscow” and “Moscow by the Sea.”

“They love to be here, and they like to spend their money and enjoy their life,” Lana Bell, a Russian real-estate agent, told the News Nation correspondent Brian Entin on Monday.

President Joe Biden issued sanctions this week that target Russia’s elite and their families and restrict the Kremlin’s ability to access Western financial institutions. Though people in Little Moscow have been worried the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict will threaten their lifestyle and blacklist them from buying American real estate, Entin reported, Bell said it hadn’t been a problem. Experts told the Miami Herald’s Michael Wilner the sanctions in place were unlikely to have a strong effect in South Florida. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday showed the tensions were far from over.

“We are extending the reach of US sanctions to prevent the elites close to Putin from using their kids to hide assets, evade costs, and squander the resources of the Russian people,” a National Security Council official told the Miami Herald. “This is a new approach.”

Anders Åslund, a Swedish economist and the author of “Russia’s Crony Capitalism: The Path from Market Economy to Kleptocracy,” doesn’t think this will affect the Russian rich in the greater Miami region that Little Moscow is in. He told Wilner that the Miami Russians weren’t powerful enough to feel the sanction burn.

“These are comfortable people, rather than the top people,” he said.

Florida’s Russian rich

In Sunny Isles, condos can cost as much as $35 million. The most expensive home in the area listed on Sotheby’s is $13.9 million. It’s an area where the Trump brand is dominant, which The Washington Post reported was part of the appeal among Russian investors looking to move their money in the post-Soviet economy.

Jose Lima, a salesperson for the company that developed the region’s Trump towers, told The Post in 2016 that Russian speakers bought about one-third of the 500 units he sold.

But Russian influence stretches beyond Sunny Isles. From Hollywood to Fisher Island, Russians have spent years snapping up properties along Florida’s southeastern coast. Experts told Wilner that illicit financing had helped fuel the trend, though it’s not all related to dirty money. They estimated that Russia’s elite had more than $1 trillion in offshore accounts, which they said was disproportionally held in South Florida property.

So far, Russia’s richest billionaires have been affected by the rising conflict the most. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the richest 22 of them lost $39 billion in one day.

While many of the Little Moscow Russians didn’t want to be identified when talking to News Nation’s Entin, they did tell him off camera that they supported Russian President Vladimir Putin.