Russian lawmakers authorize Putin to use military force outside the country, Part II

[Labster]

A couple updates worth mentioning here:

First, Kyiv monastery set on fire in night of Russian attacks across Ukraine - Dormition Cathedral at Unesco world heritage site struck along with residential buildings across capital.  Russians bombed Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, who honestly knows if it was on purpose. Their bombs are not that accurate, and have shitty Soviet-era gyroscopes.  This is basically the site commemorating the ancient conversion of the Slavs to Christianity, but is anything sacred to these guys.

You get the usual people saying that they should retaliate by bombing St. Basil's in Red Square, but this is stupid.  Strategic bombing of civilians doesn't work, it just hardens opinions of people.  Bombing an ancient building is much better than shooting a single person.  Thankfully Kyiv is now disciplined in this.

And they found a great new target: the giant oil refinery outside Moscow.  Video here, it's fantastic!  C'mon, don't flip your lid!  Note you can see that rocket flying in -- that's not a Ukrainian drone, that's Russian air defense trying to shoot an Ukrainian drone, and hitting an oil tank instead.  Finally, we have an answer to "what air defense doing?", it's "Russian oil tank fucked itself."  This is 10 miles from Red Square, of course.  Russian media tends to be concentrated on how they need to catch the people sharing video of that explosion, as if people didn't notice the explosion, or the oil rain, or the deep black clouds, or the hours-long lines outside the petrol stations.''

Trump seems to have been brought back to a perspective that Ukraine can win. Which probably won't mean any more aid from the U.S., but less getting in the way of people who will aid Ukraine.

Petrol shortages have gotten pretty severe in Crimea, leaving locals competing with military for fuel.  When the air defense officers cut the queue, everyone starts hurling abuse at them for stealing 'our' fuel.