This is spot on.
I did suggest a while back that any Russian solder caught in Ukraine should be tried through Ukrainian criminal courts as they are not under decleration of war, so are breaking Ukrainian law, not rules of war.
If Russia wants them back, then they need to declare it as war, or admit to trying to destablise a sovereign countries elected government
Jessica Parker
Reporting from Brussels
The EUās beleaguered oil sanctions ban wasnāt even officially up for discussion at this weekās summit of leaders. But, as the elephant in the room, itās now marched its way onto the agenda.
A senior official said the European Council would now try to reach a āpolitical agreementā on the issue.
The hope will be that such an agreement can hand ambassadors ā who deal with the nitty, gritty detail ā enough momentum to get over the remaining technical hurdles.
All eyes will now be on Hungary. Budapest has been vocally resisting the embargo for weeks and its Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, made it plain he doesnāt think the issue should be discussed at todayās summit.
This package, which does contain other measures, has been watered down. But officials are keen to point out that targeting seaborne supplies first (while leaving pipeline oil until later) still accounts for around two thirds of Russian oil imports.
Nevertheless, this last minute bid to get a political agreement from leaders may be seen as an attempt to save a summit that was being completely overshadowed by weeks of wrangling over the EUās elusive sixth package of sanctions.
Severodonetsk firmly in Russiaās sights
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Kyiv
Russian forces have entered the city of Severodonetsk as they continue their attempts to capture the eastern Donbas region.
A governor in the region has said the bombardment of the industrial centre is so intense that they have given up counting the casualties. It comes as President Zelensky visited Kharkiv to see the damage done to Ukraineās second city.
Severodonetsk is now firmly in Russiaās sights.
If Russian forces take the city, they will almost have completed their conquest of the Luhansk Region ā a major strategic aim. Maybe thatās why the Ukrainians are trying to hold their ground, despite fierce artillery barrages.
According to the regional governor, Russian troops are pushing toward the centre of the city. Serhiy Haidai said 60% of buildings in this once busy community were damaged beyond repair.
Like the battle for Mariupol before it, the fight for Severodonetsk is not simply a question of who holds the city when the guns have stopped, but what price they have paid for their victory.
This map shows the extent to which Russia controls the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine
Weāre in a defining moment here. It feels as if Russia is throwing a lot at this and they need to make significant gains. If Ukraine can only resist this could break Russiaās ability to sustain ongoing offences. Ukraine needs urgent supplies of heavy weaponry and other assets.
Yes they do, and just seen a report where the US has declined to send longer ranging MLRS. Ukraine wouldnāt have held out without the immense support it has been given so far but I fear that support from some quarters is also reaching a āmehā point which is frustrating because as you say, weāre at a tipping point here where holding Russia off now severely undermines their capacity to continue offensive operations or the opposite happens. Iām sure purely military advisors are pulling their hair out right now.
Yeh. Itās why my tone in this thread has become increasingly annoyed at the sheer inaction from many countries who can and ought to be doing more. I also want us to be doing a lot more to allow for the attacking of the Black Sea fleet, itās crucial for opening up grain transits as well as depleting Russiaās ability to launch missiles.
FFSā¦this is a pinch point.
Iāve been there since the first few weeks. Men playing war games with peopleās lives, for money and power. Sickening. Vlad should do the world a favor and just fucking die already. Heās replaced Justin Trudeau as my most hated politician and thatās saying something.
This makes me want to puke. Fuck off ErdoÄan
20:43
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that he sees āvalueā in helping to create āa secure sea route for exporting Ukrainian agricultural productsā, Reuters has reported his office as saying.
Erdoganās office has also said it welcomes in principle the idea of making Istanbul a headquarters for āobservationā between Moscow, Kyiv and the UN.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is ready to facilitate the unhindered export of grain from Ukrainian ports in co-ordination with Turkey, Reuters reported.
Ukraine has been unable to export millions of tonnes of grain because of a Russian blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Your wolrd was very small before this wasnāt it? 
haha. honestly, I tend to absorb too much external stresses especially when Iām cooped up indoors for too long. jades my view of the world and those in it. I miss traveling because I actually get to experience the kindness thatās in 99% of the people out there and it really does repair my faith in humanity.
Expel Turkey from NATO?
It certainly should be considered given that Turkey has done nothing but try and leverage the shit out of the whole situation.
Bastards are too strategically important. Isolating them and pushing them into Russiaās sphere all but guarantees the Black Sea becoming a no go area. Turkey can close the Bosphorus completely and hold everyone to ransom even more so than they already do. Even major military action against them is no guarantee that the strait will be opened; just a couple of wrecked hulks in the navigable area locks it in, not to even mention a minefield. Then there is the whole gateway to Asia/religious angle.
Isolating Turkey would be a bad idea, unfortunately. Yet another country taken over by a scarcely concealed despot and it makes me sick.
On the bright side, keeping the Russian Black Sea fleet from entering the Med is no longer the concern it once was.
The hard question is what would Turkey do in an Article 5 situation. A growing number of people in NATO capitals donāt believe Erdogan would join NATO mobilization. At which point, what is the point of including them inside the tent? In the case of Russian aggression directed at Turkey, they will be turning to NATO sure enough. Why let them mess around with the decision-making process for all other cases?
However, the Chamberlain-esque response of Macron and Scholz has probably mitigated against any major NATO restructuring at this time.
