TUESDAY 29 MARCH 2022

Another day of horror in Ukraine. 

The Mayor of Mariupol: “The task was to wipe the city off the face of the earth along with its inhabitants.”

MSNBC

• Ukraine wants an agreement that NATO countries will agree to defend Ukraine in the event of other aggressions.
• There has been no agreement on territory.
• Alcindor: Biden wants to defend Ukraine without getting into a military confrontation with Russia.  HOW?  (Note: Why doesn’t anybody question this absurd notion? Yamiche Alcindor never says anything but simply repeats the Biden press release.  She first got noticed by asking Bernie Sanders if he didn’t think it was sexist to run against Hilary Clinton.)
• (Note: There have been reports of other Ukrainian negotiators being poisoned.)
• “Neutrality” seems to imply that Ukraine won’t seek to join NATO.  (Note: I find this shameful.)
• “How can security be guaranteed?” MSNBC anchor.  (Note: How, indeed.)  Reporter doesn’t answer question, but launches into a prepared discourse, walking toward the camera, playing a clip of a man saying he’s going to stay in Kyiv.  This sort of coverage, repeating over and over individual stories is useless.
• Former adviser to Zelensky in Kyiv: Russia is trying to buy some time, pretending to negotiate.  “I don’t think we are near the end of this conflict.”  What is being talked about is something like NATO’s article 5.  The war could be over in two weeks if they are given all the weapons they need.  (Note: Why, why in hell are the not being given the weapons they need?).
• There is some Russian troop movement away from Kyiv. 

TWITTER

• 5,000 people have died in Mariupol, at least 210 children.  170,000 still remain in the besieged city.  An estimated 30,000 were deported to Russia or Russian-occupied parts of Donbas.
• Kyiv Post: Russian assault on Ukraine is similar to its actions in the Syrian war, says Amnesty International. These are “deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure,” a representative of AI says, turning humanitarian corridors into “death traps.”
• Hanna Notte: Russia also declared a new phase in the Syrian war, establishing de-escalation zones in Western parts which freed up regime resources to take more territory in the east.
• Dominic Dyer: Thousands are dying in Ukraine and western media leads with Will Smith.
• HuffPost: Zelensky accuses the west of cowardice as his country fights to stave off the Russians.  The West is engaging in “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets.”  “If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1% of their courage (the residents of Mariupol).

EUROMAIDAN PRESS

• Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia just finished in Istanbul.

NEW YORK TIMES

• The Mayor of Mariupol: “The task was to wipe the city off the face of the earth along with its inhabitants.”