Aren't you expecting pragmatism or logic? Zelensky is currently a begging bowl. If Biden can't oblige.Sweden, Canada and Japan who can. Elections are due. Ordinary people are fatigued. Bbc have been running down Putin, by any means necessary. Now if only Navalny could serve a higher purpose, to galvanize .......

Set against that background, if the ultimate did happen to Navalny.........

I just finished watching this yesterday before it expired. He glossed over a lot of the important details.

He made it sound as if the West was either a panacea or an extremely soft touch. Giving money and "freedom" to the former eastern European countries. He never addressed why after the Warsaw pact folded, why didn't it's supposed counterpart Nato, also call it a day?

As for Stepan Bandera, his name wasn't even mentioned, nor the $5 billion Victoria Nuland spent on behalf of the Obama government!

The Bendera problem was overcome by simply stating all counties had pro Nazi volunteers, sympathisers, and to underline the point a photo of Oswald Mosley was shown on screen.

With so many omissions - he's irresponsibly helping to get civilians killed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f32zxs

Pictures from...Ukraine - Part Two

In March 2022, with Russian tanks still surrounding Kyiv, veteran photojournalist David Pratt travels to Ukraine along with documentary maker Robbie Fraser. Their intention: to bear witness to the biggest unfolding crisis in Europe since World War Two.

In part one, after crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border against a tide of refugees, David travels to the western city of Lviv. The city is tense but relatively peaceful. Buildings and monuments are covered up against attack.

In an archive section, David tells the story of the first three weeks of the war, and of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Lviv train station is jammed with refugees. Outside the station we meet Alina, a refugee from Melitopol who has fled with a young baby. As David is walking outside the station an air raid siren sounds. David reflects on the conflict, and the fact that scenes like this have not been seen in Europe since the Balkan Wars.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f330gm

Pictures from...Ukraine - Part Two

In this episode, David returns to Ukraine in late summer. He crosses the border from Poland before taking the night train to Kyiv. He tells the story of what has happened since April, checking off key events such as the Russian withdrawal from around Kyiv, the capture of Mariupol and the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva.

David describes the international situation and how Russia has attempted to use the energy supply to the west, the occupation of a Ukrainian nuclear plan and the control of grain shipments, to isolate Ukraine and blackmail the international community into backing down. He visits Borodyanka, a town to the north of Kyiv that contains areas which were devastated by Russian strikes. There, he meets Natalya, a woman from the town who has lost her husband in the fighting.

In the village of Moschun, David meets local man Vadym, who describes how the villagers assisted the Ukrainian army in their defence of the village by giving the positions of Russian troops by mobile phone and helping Ukrainian soldiers navigate the forests.

David then travels to Bucha, where he meets three gravediggers who assisted with the recovery of bodies following the murder of hundreds of civilians by Russian troops. He also speaks to Alena Grom, a photographer from Donetsk who has turned from street art and portraiture to war photography. They talk about the impact of the war and how photographers cover conflict.

Back in Kyiv, David comes across dozens of destroyed or captured Russian armoured vehicles that have been placed on the main street off Maidan Square. It is a dark satirical gesture of defiance by Zelenskiy, a parody of the victory parade which Putin expected to be holding. He then speaks to Valentyn, a volunteer Ukrainian soldier who fought in Donbas in 2014 and took up arms again in 2022. Valentyn describes how he is fighting for his family and future.

David ends his journey where it began, in Kyiv, January 2023, as the war continues on.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240220-sweden-boosts-military-aid-ukraine-682-million-armament-package

Sweden boosts military aid to Ukraine with $682 million armament package

Sweden said Tuesday it would give 7.1 billion kronor ($682 million) worth of military equipment to Ukraine, in a boost for the country as it struggles to fight off Russia's invasion.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/canada-to-send-hundreds-of-drones-to-ukraine-as-2nd-anniversary-of-invasion-nears/ar-BB1iy3tJ?ocid=AMZN

Canada to send hundreds of drones to Ukraine as 2nd anniversary of invasion nears

Monday's announcement is meant to provide Ukraine with the "drones it needs" to detect and identify Russian targets, he said, adding, "Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

It comes less than a week after Canada announced a new contribution of $45 million to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Air Force Capability Coalition, which has been set up to help Ukraine establish a sustainable F-16 fighter aircraft capability.

The donated drones are produced by Teledyne FLIR in Waterloo, Ontario, and are funded by the $370 million in military assistance for Ukraine announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to Kyiv in June 2023.

Zapped. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/19/russian-helicopter-pilot-defected-found-dead-spain-says-ukraine-security-agency

Russian pilot who defected found dead in Spain, says Ukraine security agency

Maksim Kuzminov, who changed sides in secret operation, killed after allegedly moving to Alicante, reports suggest

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/18/biden-tells-zelenskyy-hes-confident-us-will-renew-aid-to-ukraine?traffic_source=rss Biden says he told Zelenskyy he’s ‘confident’ US will renew aid to Ukraine

US president warns of further losses of Ukrainian territory if Congress does not renew military aid.

Biden is strapped for cash. For Zelensky, only option is onwards.

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240219-ukraine-seeks-japan-s-support-for-post-war-reconstruction

Ukraine seeks Japan's support for post-war reconstruction

Ukraine's prime minister urged Japan's government and private sector on Monday to step up support for the country's reconstruction, promising an "economic miracle" once the almost two-year-old war with Russia ends.

The BBC's been busy. Endorsing Navalny's narrative. Putin targets him for holding him to account!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0016txs/storyville-navalny?ftag=MSF0951a18

This Oscar-winning documentary follows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as he and his team unravel a plot to poison him with deadly nerve agent novichok.

In August 2020, a plane travelling from Siberia to Moscow made an emergency landing. Alexei Navalny was deathly ill. He was taken to a local Siberian hospital and eventually evacuated to Berlin. Doctors there confirmed that he had been poisoned with novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. President Vladimir Putin immediately cast doubt on the findings and denied any involvement.

While Navalny is recovering, he and his team uncover the plot against him, finding evidence of the Kremlin’s involvement, and prepare to go public with their findings.

Duration 93 mins. First shown 9 pm 25 Apr 2022. Available 28 days.

They even did a three part docu-drama said to be based on true events.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08dqns1/episodes/guide

In March 2018, Salisbury becomes the site of an unprecedented national emergency.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68326718

"If you are killed, if this does happen, what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?"

This is the first question posed to Alexei Navalny by Canadian director Daniel Roher in the 2022 Oscar-winning documentary Navalny.

"Come on Daniel, no," Navalny responds, smiling.

"No way. It's like you're making a movie for the case of my death."

Those words have now taken on a new poignancy with the news that the 47-year-old Russian political activist died in an Arctic Circle jail on Friday.

Russian prison authorities said that the Kremlin critic had become unwell following a walk. Navalny's team says his body is purposely being withheld by the Russian authorities so they can "cover traces".