To assist with some of the information coming directly from Russia and Ukraine this translation of Cyrillic Script to Western Script may help those interested. Surprising how quickly you can pick it up. You will see some letters are the same and others changed. They also have the addition of sounds like "ch" and "sh" in their alphabet. The little letter at the end of a word that looks like a small "b" says the vowel is pronounced soft - in English we put "e" on the end of a word to indicate a soft vowel like mad and made or pin and pine.

Lang wrote:

Dima

I understand your frustration with not getting direct assistance from Red Cross but to be of any use they must remain completely neutral. There are many other NGO's working in Ukraine to help and Red Cross also has a very big presence.

The boss of Red Cross did not have to visit Ukraine as his country director already has full co-operation from the Ukrainian Government. He had to go to Russia to convince them that Red Cross should have access to the possibly forced refugee camps (and probably Prisoner of War camps as well). These have the potential to be very embarrassing for the Russians and you would expect them to try to hide them. The boss of the Red Cross convinced them to go against their normal policy of secrecy and false news and allow a neutral party in to report to the world and protect Ukraine citizens in the camps.

Opening corridors through fighting fronts, negotiating military truces and making sure the path is secure is the job of the fighting forces and governments involved. Red Cross can not order a cease fire or go past a point blocked by a fighting force of either side. Once the corridor is open the Red Cross can get involved in receiving people and making sure they are accommodated, fed and identified.

Nobody but the Red Cross and military ambulances and hospitals can use the red cross insignia. The laws about the protection of the cross (or crescent) are very strict and agreed upon by almost every country in the world. The busses you refer to were private vehicles driven by volunteers, the Red Cross did not organise them and had no control over them. The busses were in convoy and easily identified, both sides knew their purpose.

If one bus was found to be carrying weapons or military supplies, someone on board (even one individual idiot doing it by himself with no official orders to spy) was taking photos or reporting enemy positions as they drove through the lines the entire wrath of the enemy would be turned upon this treacherous action. Before long the battlefield would become an animal fight with each side accusing the other of false use of the Red Cross. Ambulances and hospitals would just become another target.

Millions of lives have been saved because even the most cruel armies have generally recognised the Red Cross sign. Of course there are accidents and unintentional targeting of medics, ambulances and hospitals. These after all are situated on battlefields in the vicinity of genuine targets but deliberate widespread targeting is almost unheard of. Naturally if a hospital is hit the propaganda is that it was deliberately targeted.

As I said, I understand how frustrated you are with them but they can not be seen to be involved in a conflict, supporting one side or even leaning one way. To do the job that everyone wants of them they must remain totally impartial, their sign must be used only by those allowed by international agreement and not a general "safe" insignia to be used by anyone. They can not judge or comment. they are there without fear or favour to help the victims of war be they military or civilian from any side.

I believe they are trying very hard with millions of dollars and hundreds of personnel being sent to help the millions of Ukrainians, mainly women and children, find a safe place to go to in Europe and seeing they are fed, sheltered and recorded for their relatives to find them.

Lang

My friend. Thank you for your informative reply. Maybe at another time I could have agreed with some of your arguments. But I am a big boy now, and I no longer believe in slogans and words, I believe in actions. Our civilians are being forced by russian fascists into depressed areas of russia where the greatest value is drinking vodka. Tell me how the Red Cross will monitor and protect Ukrainian women and children in the vast expanses of fascist russia. You think they will be safe there. And secondly, I don't believe in the cunning plan of the president of the red cross, who in the interests of peaceful Ukrainians wants to be able to organize their safety - in fascist russia. You probably don't know russians well, and my people have been at war with them for centuries, and we know that most russians are barbarians, imperialists and liars. I suggest that we return to your arguments on defending the red cross after the war and preferably with the facts of their positive work.

Critical Assessment March 30

www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian...-assessment-march-30

For those with more time this is the overview of the past couple of weeks with future predictions.

www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/ukraine-invasion-update-20

The thirty-sixth day of Ukraine's heroic resistance to the occupation of Nazi russia. The Deputy Minister of Defense of russia, after a meeting of Ukrainian and russian delegations in Istanbul, asked to adhere to the Geneva Convention for the humane treatment of Nazi prisoners of war. Russian lying journalists and media hysterically talk about the inhumane treatment of captive Russian soldiers, but they do not say a word about the hundreds of Ukrainian children and thousands of civilians that these soldiers killed. Russian liars claim that russian POWs are tortured and tormented. This is all a lie, russians do not need to be tortured, they voluntarily tell everything after being captured, because they are cowards who can kill children, rape women and loot homes. The russian army is an army of barbarians, which has nothing to do with the civilized world, it deserves complete destruction. Help us with weapons and we will destroy most of the russian army, and then Russia will stop terrorizing the whole world for many years to come.
And these are the losses of the russian fascists as of March 31st!
Glory to Ukraine!

Critical Assessment March 31

www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian...-assessment-march-31

no comment...

Imagine a mother burying her little daughter "somewhere under the fifth oak tree in the third alley in the park" and crawling to the basement to the sound of explosions on the smashed paving stones, because her younger son with severe injuries is waiting there... And there won't be a daughter anymore. Never again. The russians took her life.

Imagine a young widow watching the closure of the coffin lid over her beloved one, with whom they celebrated their wedding just a month ago and then he went to defend his native land. She still feels the warmth of his hands, she still dreams of waking up from a terrible dream, but it is not a dream. Her beloved will be gone, never again. His life was taken by the russians.

Imagine yourself in the place of a child who has been under the rubble of his native home for three days next to his no longer living parents who have covered him with their bodies... his parents will be gone, never again. Their lives were taken by the russians.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of an elderly couple who have spent their lives building a house drop by drop, and today are standing over its ruins, crying in pain because their children, granddaughter and cat are left under the rubble forever... They will be gone, never again. Their lives were taken by the russians.

Imagine a woman who was mocked for two days by a Russian degenerate, before sending her husband into another world before her eyes. Her husband will never exist again. His life was taken by the Russians. And she will never be the same as she was. Her part was also stolen by the russians.

Imagine a girl who is nine months pregnant, with incompatible injuries, perhaps still aware that the baby in her belly will never come into the world again, will never move, will never have a toothless smile and rays in her eyes. There would be nothing more. The russians took both their lives.

Multiply all this by thousands and thousands, close your eyes and imagine!

We will never forget! Never forgive...
ibilingua.com/uyavit-sebe-na-mistsi-mate...womJ6k-XIvEVkjeq9wts

And these are the losses of russian bastards as of the first of April!

Dima Ukraine wrote:

no comment...

Imagine a mother burying her little daughter "somewhere under the fifth oak tree in the third alley in the park" and crawling to the basement to the sound of explosions on the smashed paving stones, because her younger son with severe injuries is waiting there... And there won't be a daughter anymore. Never again. The russians took her life.

Imagine a young widow watching the closure of the coffin lid over her beloved one, with whom they celebrated their wedding just a month ago and then he went to defend his native land. She still feels the warmth of his hands, she still dreams of waking up from a terrible dream, but it is not a dream. Her beloved will be gone, never again. His life was taken by the russians.

Imagine yourself in the place of a child who has been under the rubble of his native home for three days next to his no longer living parents who have covered him with their bodies... his parents will be gone, never again. Their lives were taken by the russians.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of an elderly couple who have spent their lives building a house drop by drop, and today are standing over its ruins, crying in pain because their children, granddaughter and cat are left under the rubble forever... They will be gone, never again. Their lives were taken by the russians.

Imagine a woman who was mocked for two days by a Russian degenerate, before sending her husband into another world before her eyes. Her husband will never exist again. His life was taken by the Russians. And she will never be the same as she was. Her part was also stolen by the russians.

Imagine a girl who is nine months pregnant, with incompatible injuries, perhaps still aware that the baby in her belly will never come into the world again, will never move, will never have a toothless smile and rays in her eyes. There would be nothing more. The russians took both their lives.

Multiply all this by thousands and thousands, close your eyes and imagine!

We will never forget! Never forgive...
ibilingua.com/uyavit-sebe-na-mistsi-mate...womJ6k-XIvEVkjeq9wts

Dima, When I spoke of sharing your fear in my last reply to you, the fear I spoke of was not fear on the battle field, but a fear of what you have just described above. Brave Ukraine is fighting for all of us and there is very little I can do to help, I will never buy anything from Russia again and also as China could stop this war in a instant, I will never buy from China which has been on my private black list for a couple of years now, and I live for the day when I can shake your hand in thanks.

From Yesterday.

Red Cross is directly organising civilian rescue efforts now unlike earlier efforts not organised by them.

Further reports indicate the fighting on the escape route continued - from both sides. The Red Cross could not drive through a firefight.

Red Cross plans fresh attempt at Mariupol evacuation
A Red Cross team will make a fresh attempt on Saturday to help evacuate thousands of civilians from the port city of Mariupol, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement.

An earlier attempt to help people flee the besieged city failed on Friday after "conditions made it impossible to proceed," the Red Cross said in a tweet and statement on their website.

The international aid organization appealed for all sides to provide security guarantees so that the evacuation mission can proceed.

"For the operation to succeed, it is critical that the parties respect the agreements and provide the necessary conditions and security guarantees," the Red Cross urged.

The initial plan on Friday was for the Red Cross to escort dozens of cars and buses carrying thousands of civilians out of Mariupol and bring them safely to another Ukrainian city. While Russian and Ukrainian officials have agreed to a humanitarian corridor, it was unclear whether the message has been received by troops on the ground.

Current Red Cross action. 27 March 22

This is International Red Cross. Each country has its own branch and their individual combined efforts working with IRC more than double the results below.

The International Red Cross appeals for approximately HKD 2.1 billion (CHF 250 million, $US270 million)) to assist at least 2 million people inside Ukraine and people reaching neighboring countries. Immediate operation will focus on providing shelter, and facilitating access to safe water, food, necessities, supporting medical supplies to health facilities, in the same time providing other sanitation and hygiene services. The Red Cross will also scale up the response on reuniting separated families.

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society has mobilized over 10,000 staff and volunteers to provide humanitarian aid across the country, including distributed 1,000 tons of food, water, relief and hygiene items to around 300,000 people; supported the evacuation of more than 58,000 people and provided first aid to over 42,000 people

Red Cross National Societies in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia have now mobilized thousands of volunteers and staff, in particular at border crossings and train stations, to support the humanitarian services. Temporary accommodation has been set up along the borders to offer shelter or respite for the night. Staff and volunteers are distributing food items, water, basic necessities, hygiene products, bedding, clothes and SIM cards, etc to people arriving from Ukraine. The teams also provide medical care and psychosocial support for those in need.

Critical Assessment April 01

www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian...n-assessment-april-1