Russian lawmakers authorize Putin to use military force outside the country

[Labster]

Day 70 of the war:

-- Ecumenical Patriarch denounces Patriarch of Moscow's blessing on Russia's war.
-- Macron had a 2 hour call with Putin.  It wasn't about Ukraine, it just took that long to get Putin to cancel his cable TV service
-- Angelina Jolie did something
-- Russian conscripts bitching in the clear about how all of the Russian special forces went back home to Russia and refuse to come back to Ukraine
-- Maybe they're getting drunk with the air force, which seems to have vanished.
-- Foreign Minister Lavrov states Russia's position that Hitler was Jewish, and it was affirmed by the government.  Israel reacts predictably badly.
-- Castle Azovstal still held by Ukranian forces, along with the Azov Batallion.  Civilians are being slowly evacuated.  For some reason they're not considering surrender.
-- Ukrainian soldier found dead days after surrender to Russian forces.
-- Fighting in the east continues.  Stuff is happening.  I'm more concerned about logistics so I don't really know.
-- Another Russian general killed
-- In the west, Russia is using missiles to attack Ukrainian rail.  These are valid targets, but they always seem to choose the targets with civilians.
-- The US Congress authorized $3B of the American arms stockpile be sent to Russia.  As of yesterday, only a few hundred thousand dollars worth has not been sent.
-- Europe inching towards an oil embargo on Russia (but the gas must flow!)
-- Hacking season declared against Russia.  Everything being hacked.
-- Russian book publisher warehouses catch on fire after being told to remove "Ukraine" from history books.
-- Coal power plant, only 5 years old, burning down in Sakhalin.  You know, a place that used to be part of Japan.
-- Russia surprisingly flammable these days
-- Japan signs defense treaty with Thailand
-- North Korea launches more missile tests in desparate bid for attention
-- A bit of an aside but Russia's weakness is a strategic problem for China.  If their only large ally can get completely sidetracked by a ragtag band of citizens with tractors it leaves them rather alone in the world.
-- China has stayed out of the war, and none of the companies want to risk global sanctions to help a small customer like Russia
-- Russian Navy getting their ass kicked in a land war against a country without a navy. Russia so worried it pulled the ships from Crimea to the east end of the Black Sea. 
-- Belarus holding large military drills.  I'm sure they'll get involved in the war soonish.
-- Four "filtration" camps in Mariupol filtering out Ukranian soldiers and attractive women for further "processing"
-- 17 year old Maria Vdovychenko from Mariupol: "I will never forget two soldiers talking: 'What did you do to people who didn't pass filtration?'
'I shot 10, and then lost interest in counting.'"


And in the future:
-- On Victory Day, May 9, Russia will either declare war on Ukraine to do a full war mobilization, or trigger a law that allows a partial mobilization in the event of a threat to Russia.  Either way the special operation will be less special.
-- The Pope told the press Orbán told him that Putin told Orbán that Russia would end the war and declare MISSION ACCOMPLISHED on May 9.
-- If you remember history in the long long ago of February, Orbán was sure there would be no attack on Ukraine because Putin told him so.
-- Those who repeat Putin are doomed to history.
-- Either way there will be a massive parade, along with all of the tanks that didn't go to Ukraine.  All of the working fighter jets will be here, not somewhere risky like a war zone.
-- On May 12, Finland will vote to join NATO.
-- On May 13, Sweden's armed forces will give a report recommending they join NATO
-- In the next week or so, Sweden's Social Democrats will officially change their policy on joining NATO.
-- Around this time, Russia will accept Luhansk and Donetsk's requests to join the Russian Federation.
-- On May 22, Sweden will apply to join NATO.
-- Accession to NATO requires ratification by 30 different countries, which will take some time.  They would like some security assurance in the meantime, which I am sure the US and UK will grant, and that is enough.
-- Russia says they will move nukes into the Baltic region now.  This is a lie; the nukes were already there.