Russian Stock Market to Reopen Thursday After Unprecedented Pause

"Russia’s main stock market will resume trading Thursday for the first time in four weeks, the
Central Bank announced Wednesday." MoscowTimes

Putin's Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff Have Vanished

 "Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a Putin crony, has not been seen in person since
March 11. Another face awaiting its own personal milk carton is that of Chief for the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Like Shoigu, Gerasimov has not been seen in public since March 11.

 For the time being, Shoigu and Gerasimov dropping out of sight are mere data points. They could very well reappear in the future with reasonable explanations for their absences. However, if they have been removed from their posts, we are dealing with a different scenario." RS

Russia ‘looted’ Chernobyl lab with ‘highly active’ radioactive samples

"Russian troops “looted and destroyed” a specialist laboratory containing “highly active”
radioactive samples from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials claimed Wednesday.

Invading forces had made the now-decommissioned main plant — site of the world’s worst nuclear meltdown in 1986 — an early target, storming and taking control of it on the first day of the war last month." NYP

Russian Mercenary Wagner Group "Active" Inside Ukraine

"Pentagon official told reporters on Tuesday that Russia's Wagner Group, which is the most
well known private military firm with links to Putin, is "active" inside Ukraine - following allegations out of Kiev officials that they are tasked with assassinating President Zelensky." ZeroHedge

Russia Sees First High Level Official Resign & Exit Country Over Putin's War

"Russia has its first high level dissenter who has stepped down from his government post and fled the country in protest over Putin's war in Ukraine.

"Russian climate envoy Anatoly Chubais has stepped down and left the country, citing his opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the situation, becoming the highest-level official to break with the Kremlin over the invasion," confirms Bloomberg.

The 66-year old Chubais had been named by Putin as envoy for sustainable development in December 2020, and crucially in the 1990's as one of the key architects of Russia's privatization era he had a hand in Putin's rise to power." ZeroHedge

Ukraine Confirms 9 Humanitarian Corridors Agreed To As Zelensky Says Mariupol "Like Armageddon"

"In what's looking to be among the most substantial positive agreements to come out of  Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks of the last days, the Ukrainian side announced Wednesday that an agreement has been reached to establish nine "humanitarian corridors" across various towns and cities.

"Agreement has been reached to try to evacuate civilians trapped in Ukrainian towns and cities through nine 'humanitarian corridors' on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said," Reuters writes of the safe passage deal.

However, it might not reach into the center of beseiged Mariupol, critics say as an estimated up to 100,000 are still said to be trapped. "Signalling no agreement had been reached with Russia to establish a safe corridor from the heart of Mariupol, she said people wishing to leave the besieged port city would find transport in nearby Berdyansk," the report cites Vereshchuk further. And President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an address to Italian parliament that it was "just ruins like Armageddon". ZH

President Zelenskyy invites Pope Francis to visit Ukraine during second phone call

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he had spoken to Pope Francis on the phone, telling the Pope that he would welcome Vatican mediation to end the suffering in his country.

The Ukrainian president also said that “the mediating role of the Holy See in ending human suffering would be appreciated” and thanked the Pope “for the prayers for Ukraine and peace.”

According to Yurash, Zelenskyy repeated his invitation to Francis to visit Ukraine." CNS

US says Russian troops have been taken out by FROSTBITE

"Russian troops in Ukraine lack proper cold weather clothing and some have been taken out of
the fight by frostbite, a senior U.S. defense official revealed on Tuesday.

The official cited it as another example of how Moscow had failed to adequately prepare for the invasion of Ukraine, along with continuing fuel, ammunition and food shortages." DM

Belarus Rail Lines Carrying Trains With Supplies for the Russian Army Are Being Hit by Sabotage Attacks

"The General Prosecutor of Belarus opened a criminal case into what it called an act of
terrorism carried out by an organized group against infrastructure of the Belarusian Railway, according to TASS.

The general prosecutor added that signaling facilities and other transport equipment were rendered “unusable.”

The BYPOL group, which consists of former security officers who support the opposition in Belarus, said on Tuesday that a series of sabotage actions had targeted the railway system in Belarus, disrupting the movement of military trains in the country." JP

Ukraine retakes key Kyiv suburb as battle for Mariupol rages

"Ukraine said it retook a strategically important suburb of Kyiv on Tuesday, as Russian forces
squeezed other areas near the capital and pressed their attack on the embattled southern port of Mariupol.

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv, and black smoke rose from a spot in the north. Intensified artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several suburban areas of the capital, a crucial target.

Residents sheltered at home or underground under a 35-hour curfew imposed by city authorities that runs to Wednesday morning.

Russian forces also continued their siege of Mariupol after the southern port city’s defenders refused demands to surrender, with fleeing civilians describing relentless bombardments and corpses lying in the streets." NYP

'We Are on the Brink of Survival,' Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Tells Italian Parliament

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Italian parliament on Tuesday that his
country was on the brink of surviving its war with Russian forces that he warned wanted to break through to the rest of Europe.

"For Russian troops, Ukraine is the gates of Europe, where they want to break in, but barbarism must not be allowed to pass," he said." Newsmax

Rogan Exposes How West Has Done A Complete 180 On ‘Corrupt’ Ukraine

"Joe Rogan noted on his podcast that the Western narrative on Ukraine has flipped 180
degrees in a few weeks from the country having a horrible corrupt government to being heroic allies against the Russian scourge.

“I have this screenshot that someone sent me,” Rogan stated, “about the way the people on the left were talking about the Ukraine situation before the war.”

He continued, “This is one of the things that’s so weird is that they were very disparaging of Ukraine, and they were talking about the massive corruption of Ukraine, and how horrible it was over there.”

“And now, all of a sudden, they’re looking at it like they’re heroes. The same exact people. This is what’s confusing,” the host added.

Rogan then read out points from the screenshot he referenced wherein Ukraine was labeled “the most corrupt nation in Europe” with an “increasingly corrupt and authoritarian” leader.

“We’re supposed to just veer away from the narrative that was being pushed just a couple years ago,” Rogan asserted.

Rogan also went on to point out how insane it is that Facebook and other social media platforms are officially sanctioning violent rhetoric against Russians." IW

Russian Shoppers Are Literally Fighting Each Other for Sugar

"Videos of Russian shoppers fighting over sugar in supermarkets have gone viral, showing just how scarce the staple food has become in the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine." Vice

U.S. Unexpectedly Sanctions China Officials Hours After Demanding Beijing Condemn Russia

"Monday afternoon Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced more visa restrictions on
Chinese officials related to prior charges that state authorities are overseeing the ethnic cleansing of Uighurs. It's certainly interesting timing in terms of pulling out the the human rights card, given that throughout last week the admin's China criticisms seemed exclusively focused on its "fence-sitting" over Ukraine." ZH

Terrifying moment Russia launches vacuum bombs on besieged Mariupol as brave civilians refuse to surrender

"Shocking footage shared by Russia today shows a TOS-1A weapon system firing a salvo of rockets towards the city.

Russia's destructive thermobaric weapons which are capable of exploding a victim's lungs have been reportedly used in Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that the TOS-1A weapon system has been deployed.

The catastrophic weapons are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed." Sun