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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/04/11/ukraine-russian-offensive-donbas/

Today at 7:43 p.m. EDT

Ukraine braces for new offensive as Russia reinforces military in east

U.S. intelligence has observed a massive Russian military convoy making its way south toward Izyum, a strategically important town in northeast Ukraine that Russia seized earlier this month and may use now as a staging point to carry out assaults on larger cities to the south, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

The expectation, Kirby added, is that the “same brutal tactics, that same disregard for civilian life and civilian infrastructure, will probably continue” as Russian military commanders concentrate on the Donbas.

 

The bleak U.S. assessment came amid renewed concerns about the potential for a chemical weapons attack, and as Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, became the first Western leader to meet face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the incursion began in late February.

Nehammer’s trip, according to officials in Vienna, was intended to convey to the Russian leader that, morally, Putin had already lost the war.

 
 

“This is not a friendly visit,” the chancellor said in a statement. “I have just come from Ukraine and have seen with my own eyes the immeasurable suffering caused by the Russian war of aggression.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/11/world/europe/bucha-terror.html

April 11, 2022

Bucha’s Month of Terror

BUCHA, Ukraine — A mother killed by a sniper while walking with her family to fetch a thermos of tea. A woman held as a sex slave, naked except for a fur coat and locked in a potato cellar before being executed. Two sisters dead in their home, their bodies left slumped on the floor for weeks.

 

The abuse of the woman was one case of many, said Ukraine’s official ombudswoman for human rights, Lyudmyla Denisova.

She said she had recorded horrific cases of sexual violence by Russian troops in Bucha and other places, including one in which a group of women and girls were kept in a basement of a house for 25 days. Nine of them are now pregnant, she said.

 

The city had been without electricity, running water, gas or internet since early March, and thousands of residents, still in their homes, were living in freezing temperatures, sleeping in their clothes, under layers of blankets.

Six people in a home for seniors perished from hunger, cemetery workers who collected the bodies in early April said. The lobby was icy cold, and four of the dead had congregated in a sunroom across the garden. At the house next door, the same workers had cut down a woman who had hung herself from a branch.

 

In the last week of March, Ukrainian forces mounted a counterattack to retake the northwestern suburbs of Kyiv. Fighting intensified sharply in Bucha, and Russian units began preparing to pull out.

In accounts corroborated by a local military commander, residents described how a Ukrainian ambush that blew up the armored vehicle and supply truck led to a flurry of Russian violence targeting civilians.

The following day, a Russian armored personnel carrier drove down a street, firing randomly into homes with a heavy machine gun, said Serhiy Petrovsky, the head of a local unit of civilian volunteer soldiers. He doesn’t know how many people were wounded or killed, but said that after the Russians departed, he collected 20 bodies in and around the village, from this episode and others.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/12/russia-ukraine-war-news-live-updates/#link-ICJKLQTEGJC5TERF4LDSP6N5JQ

By Annabelle Timsit and Annabelle C. Chapman 7:24 a.m.
 
Luhansk governor says heavy rain could impede Russia’s moves in east
 
As Russia moves to reinforce and resupply its forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region — which Ukrainian and Western officials have warned could become the next focal point of the war — a local official said he expects poor weather will slow down the new offensive.
 
An eight-mile convoy of what are believed to be Russian military vehicles carrying weapons and troops has maneuvered north of the city of Izyum from the Russian border, in the latest sign that Moscow is shifting the line of battle toward eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/12/russia-ukraine-war-news-live-updates/#link-ICJKLQTEGJC5TERF4LDSP6N5JQ

By David L. Stern and Adela Suliman 7:42 a.m.
 
Delegation of world religious leaders visiting Ukraine
 

A high-level delegation of religious leaders from across the world is visiting Ukraine on Tuesday to speak to refugees and show solidarity with those caught in the war, they said.

Leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist faiths are scheduled to tour sites in the western Chernivtsi region to “show friendship, offer comfort, and share experiences of maintaining spiritual well-being under distressing circumstances,” the group said in a statement.

 

Earlier this week, Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace.

He will not be part of Tuesday’s trip but has not ruled out visiting Ukraine.

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Ukraine war: Russian military column seen heading towards Donbas

142K views · 6 hours ago

The Telegraph
2.81M subscribers

A video shared to social media on Monday shows a large column of Russian military vehicles near Matveev Kurgan, a settlement in Russia’s Rostov region. The vehicles are seen facing north-west, in the direction of the Donbas region.

 

Vladimir Putin has vowed that Russia will achieve what he described as the "clear and noble" aims of its invasion of Ukraine, in his first trip outside Moscow since the war began. Speaking at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far east of Russia, Putin said he had no doubts that Russia would achieve all of its objectives in Ukraine.

 

"Its goals are absolutely clear and noble," he said of his country’s military campaign. "It's clear that we didn't have a choice. It was the right decision.

"On the one hand, we are helping and saving people, and on the other, we are simply taking measures to ensure the security of Russia itself."

 

Russia is believed to be trying to connect occupied Crimea with the Moscow-backed separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk in the Donbas region, and has laid siege to the strategically located city of Mariupol.

 

 

 

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https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3456487-presidents-of-baltic-states-and-poland-arrive-in-kyiv.html

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

Presidents of Baltic states and Poland arrive in Kyiv

President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Estonia Alar Karis, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and President of Latvia Egils Levits have arrived in Kyiv.

“President of Estonia Alar Karis together with his colleagues – President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and President of Latvia Egils Levits – arrived to Kyiv,” the Embassy of Estonia in Ukraine posted on Twitter.

As noted, the meetings with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials are scheduled.

In his address to the Parliament of Estonia, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that such visits to the Ukrainian capital are especially important today as they show that all European defenders of freedom will continue to stand united in the struggle without any political or economic “bows” to the Russian Federation.

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https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3456550-council-of-eu-ramps-up-military-aid-to-ukraine-to-15b.html

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

Council of EU ramps up military aid to Ukraine to €1.5B

The Council of the EU adopted the decision to increase military aid to Ukraine by EUR 500 million, thus bringing the total amount allocated for Ukraine's defense needs under the European Peace Facility to EUR 1.5 billion.

As noted, the agreed measures will finance both the provision of equipment and supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by EU Member States, including personal protective equipment, first aid kits and fuel, as well as military equipment designed to deliver lethal force for defensive purposes.

The duration of the assistance measures is also extended by 24 months.

___________________________________________

 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/military-spending-by-country

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Military Expenditures (2020):

4.  Russia — $61.7 billion

 

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https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3456348-russians-use-13-mobile-crematoriums-to-burn-civilian-bodies-in-mariupol-intelligence.html

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

Russians use 13 mobile crematoriums to burn civilian bodies in Mariupol – intelligence

Russia’s leadership has ordered its troops to remove any evidence of crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, and now they are using 13 mobile crematoriums to burn civilian bodies in the city of Mariupol.

The relevant statement was made by the Main Intelligence Department of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

 

“After the genocide of the Ukrainian people in Bucha, Kyiv Region, was widely covered in the international mass media, Russian troops began to use mobile crematoriums in Ukraine. In particular, a total of 13 mobile crematoriums were detected in Mariupol to remove the bodies of civilians from the streets. Russia occupiers are attempting to identify those who have witnessed the atrocities via filtration camps and eliminate them,” the report states.

 

According to the Main Intelligence Department, the military intelligence repeatedly reported on the use of enemy mobile crematoriums in Chernihiv Region. In addition, such crematoriums were detected in Novoaidar, Luhansk Region.

 

The Russian military are also using mobile crematoriums to burn the bodies of Russian soldiers to conceal the actual number of those who have been killed since the Russian invasion started and not to pay compensation to the families of the soldiers killed.

_____________________________________________

 

Chilling footage shows mobile crematorium which could be used for Russia soldiers

1,171,156 views
Feb 24, 2022
AKedOLRp-zPL1qoEGH869hHY1Lc-qliKefFKZXf8
2.81M subscribers
 

 

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/13/nato-finland-sweden/

Yesterday at 5:10 a.m. EDT| Updated today at 10:30 a.m. EDT

 

Finland debates joining NATO, possibly expanding alliance Putin hates

BRUSSELS — Finland will launch an immediate debate on joining NATO, Finnish officials said on Wednesday, as the country reconsiders its longtime stance outside the Western military alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that a decision would be made in coming weeks.

“There are different perspectives to apply (for) NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyze these very carefully,” she said at a news conference in Stockholm, according to Reuters. “But I think our process will be quite fast.”

Marin spoke alongside Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who said Sweden was also re-examining its position outside NATO, after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine offensive plunged Europe into its most serious security crisis since World War II.

 
 

The ministers spoke as the Finnish government released an official assessment Wednesday of how Russia’s invasion has changed its security environment, beginning a process that has been expected to culminate in a request to join NATO.

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https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3456892-ukrainian-military-hits-russian-cruiser-by-neptune-missiles.html

13.04.2022

Ukrainian military hits Russian cruiser by Neptune missiles.

 

The Ukrainian military has hit the Russian cruiser Moskva by Neptune missiles, causing serious damage to the warship.

 

Maksym Marchenko, the head of the Odesa regional military administration, announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

 

"It has been confirmed that the missile cruiser Moskva went today exactly where it was sent by our border guards on Snake Island. The Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship," Marchenko said.

 

The cruiser Moskva is part of the 30th Surface Ship Division of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

 

image.png.a71f142cd279fcbe4c050e0cbfc77719.png

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/13/russia-ukraine-war-news-live-updates/#link-XPHXAM2PGBARFPAV7Q4T7ZVJPQ

By Reis Thebault 8:31 p.m.

Russia acknowledges damage to key missile cruiser.

 

The Russian Ministry of Defense on Wednesday acknowledged that a key missile cruiser in its Black Sea Fleet had suffered significant damage but said little about what caused it as Ukrainian authorities claimed credit for immobilizing the ship.

 

The Moskva, named after the Russian capital, is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet and was the vessel at the center of the widely reported attack on Snake Island, when Ukrainian border guards went viral for insulting the Kremlin’s forces during the early days of the invasion.

 

Russia’s state-run media, citing the Defense Ministry, reported Wednesday that “ammunition detonated as a result of a fire on the Moskva missile cruiser.”

 

The ship, the ministry said, “was seriously damaged” and the “entire crew was evacuated.”

 

The ministry said it was investigating the cause of the fire and did not release further details.

But Moscow’s acknowledgment of the significant setback came hours after the governor of Odessa claimed responsibility for the strike in a post to Telegram. He wrote that anti-ship Neptune missiles had caused the cruiser “very serious damage,” adding: “Glory to Ukraine!”

 

The Washington Post has not been able to independently verify that Ukrainian forces hit the ship.

 

The Russian Navy's guided missile cruiser Moskva last year. (Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters)

image.png.aec789b53408b8294e535206faa17448.png

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/04/13/the-ukrainians-claim-they-damaged-a-russian-cruiser-be-skeptical/amp/

One Of Russia’s Biggest Cruisers Just Sank Near Ukraine

David Axe

Forbes Staff

I write about ships, planes, tanks, drones, missiles and satellites.

Apr 13, 2022,04:46pm EDT

 

Moskva reportedly later sank.

It’s possible Moscow is trying to muddy the waters, so to speak, in order to rob Kyiv of an information victory. It’s equally possible Ukraine just landed a devastating blow against Russia.

 

In commission for 40 years, Moskva is not a new ship. But she’s heavily armed with 16 fixed launchers for P-1000 anti-ship missiles, vertical tubes for 64 S-300 air-defense missiles and rail launchers for 40 Osa missiles for aerial self-defense, plus a bevy of guns. Torpedo tubes and a helicopter round out her capabilities.

 

A veritable floating missile-battery, Moskva is—or maybe was—the Black Sea Fleet’s best defense against Ukrainian attack. With her, the fleet still is vulnerable. Without her, it would be even more exposed to missiles, rockets and drones.

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The most important thing that Finns need to understand is that Finland is no longer neutral. As members of the EU, they have an obligation to go along with the sanctions imposed on Russia. Finland has already chosen a side, whether they like it or not.

Before Russia attacked Finland in the Cold War, there was a valid peace treaty between these countries, which Russia violated. As we know, Russia has also violated many other agreements and treaties. In the Cold War, Swedish and Estonian soldiers came to help Finland, at the same time others watched and analyzed the situation.

As Finland has already chosen a side and they need a proper help if the situation gets hairy, the only way is to join NATO.

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Ah?? I am repeatedly amazed at the technological advantages Ukraine has over Russia. Was the missile that good of the ships warning and defense system that bad? 

Neptune is a Ukrainian anti-ship cruise missile developed by Luch Design Bureau. Neptune's design is based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile, with substantially improved range and electronics. The system is designed to defeat surface warships and transport vessels with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons, either in convoys or moving individually.

 

Edited by RockyTop
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All that great Russian army and what not seems are all fairy tales. All bark no bite. It just keeps showing over and over. "Such amazing over powered army" can't take over such "small" country as Ukraine.. Makes me laugh. Russia is weak and that's that. And now it's the weakest it's ever been. Would not amaze me, if putin would "kill" Russia at the end. As he already has shot himself (Russia) in foot.. Last day's at his power trip.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-flagship-black-sea-fleet-badly-damaged-by-blast-2022-04-14/

April 15, 2022 

6:37 AM GMT+10Last Updated 4 min ago

Russian warship sinks in Black Sea after explosion, Russian defence ministry says.

 

YIV/LVIV, Ukraine, April 14 (Reuters) - Russia's lead warship in the Black Sea sank on Thursday, Russia's defence ministry announced, after what Ukraine said was a missile strike and Russia described as an explosion of ammunition on board.

The loss of the Moskva, the flagship in Russia's Black Sea fleet, occurred as it was being towed to port in stormy weather, Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying. The sinking was a fresh blow to Moscow's military campaign as it readied for new assaults in east and south Ukraine that were likely to define the conflict's outcome.

 

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/14/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-live-updates/#link-2XRWKH5PDFF7DDY54AI4ME63IY

April 14, 2012

Earlier Thursday, a Pentagon official said the explosion occurred as the ship was about 70 to 75 miles from the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon.

______________

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-360_Neptune

 

Specifications
Mass 870 kg (1,920 lb)[1]

Operational
range
300 km (190 mi)[1]
Maximum speed Subsonic[1]
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2 hours ago, Funky said:

All that great Russian army and what not seems are all fairy tales. All bark no bite. It just keeps showing over and over. "Such amazing over powered army" can't take over such "small" country as Ukraine.. Makes me laugh. Russia is weak and that's that. And now it's the weakest it's ever been. Would not amaze me, if putin would "kill" Russia at the end. As he already has shot himself (Russia) in foot.. Last day's at his power trip.

While I agree with you, I would also like to point out that killing civilians and committing mass genocide (and there is now copious evidence that the Russians meet than definition) is well within the capacity of the Russian Army.

It's amazing what brave men and women armed extravagantly with the latest high-tech weapons can do. Every irregular seems to be carrying one or two guided rockets. The Polish ambassador to the US recently said to NPR that he believes there is only a military outcome, and that all this talk of diplomacy is quite pointless.

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52 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

While I agree with you, I would also like to point out that killing civilians and committing mass genocide (and there is now copious evidence that the Russians meet than definition) is well within the capacity of the Russian Army.

It's amazing what brave men and women armed extravagantly with the latest high-tech weapons can do. Every irregular seems to be carrying one or two guided rockets. The Polish ambassador to the US recently said to NPR that he believes there is only a military outcome, and that all this talk of diplomacy is quite pointless.

Any dumbass with gun can commit "mass genocide" 1 v 50 unarmed people and what not.(Multiply that number as many you like.) 1 nuke can do that even better. putin has committed "war crimes" there's no mistakes. Talks are talks, at the end they mean shit. What people do, that's what counts. Actions speak louder than words. 

There was no point having this war.

The idiot simply woke up one day and chose war. (I don't care about sharing boarders with NATO.. If Ukraine joined them. I don't care that Russia would need to empower their defenses.) < All that bull crap is only important to putin and their government. For us regular people it's two shits. What kind of moron would chose to start a war with another country, in this day and age. We are past that! All our country's are connected.. Russia is now "locked down".. Because of his idiotic actions.

Edited by Funky
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From the video posted by member Wolverine, seems Finland might not need to join NATO.

Neutrality, status quo, no provocation, no escalation of tensions.

Ukraine is not a NATO member, but Europe, USA, UK and West has overwhelmingly come to their aid.

The current support for Ukraine might be enough to deter Putin from contemplating an invasion of Finland, or any other country.

Especially the Baltic states who are members of NATO.

Edited by Paul A
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-purges-150-fsb-agents-in-response-to-russias-botched-war-with-ukraine-lf9k6tn6g

Monday April 11 2022

 

Putin ‘purges’ 150 FSB agents in response to Russia’s botched war with Ukraine

A “Stalinist” mass purge of Russian secret intelligence is under way after more than 100 agents were removed from their jobs and the head of the department responsible for Ukraine was sent to prison.

In a sign of President Putin’s fury over the failures of the invasion, about 150 Federal Security Bureau (FSB) officers have been dismissed, including some who have been arrested.

 

All of those ousted were employees of the Fifth Service, a division set up in 1998, when Putin was director of the FSB to carry out operations in the countries of the former Soviet Union with the aim of keeping them within Russia’s orbit.

_______________________________________________

 

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-times-of-london/

The Times UK and The Sunday Times

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: United Kingdom
Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY

 

 

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https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-purges-fsb-over-ukraine-failures-bellingcat-expert-2022-4

Apr 12, 2022

Putin purged large numbers of FSB agents in retribution for poor Ukraine intelligence, Russia expert says

Large numbers of officers in Russia's secret service have been "purged" in the wake of the country's military failures in Ukraine, a top investigative journalist said. 

Christo Grozev, the lead Russia journalist for investigative outlet Bellingcat, spoke in an interview about officers in the Fifth Service, the branch of security agency FSB that is concerned with former Soviet territories such as Ukraine.

YouTube channel Popular Politics conducted the interview in Russian and published it on Monday.

Grozev said that many of the unit's roughly 150 officers have been arrested or "certainly no longer work for the FSB," Grozev said.  

 

The head of the Fifth Service, Sergey Beseda, was put under house arrest in early March, according to Russia expert Andrei Soldatov, something that the Kremlin has not officially confirmed.

Beseda has since been transported to Lefortovo Prison, according to Soldatov.

It has a brutal reputation as the site of interrogation and torture during the Stalinist purges.

Grozev said that the news of Beseda's arrest had been covered up in Russian media.

He said that compliant outlets reported the "leak" was false, and had been planted in order to identify a leaker.

This would appear to concur with earlier suggestions that Putin was combing the unit for moles.

However, the arrest indeed took place, Grozev said, without naming sources. 

 

As of the time of Grozev's interview with Popular Politics, Beseda's phone had been switched off for two weeks, Grozev said.

Asked what has happened to those who worked under Beseda, Grozev said: "I can say that a significant number of them — if not definitely arrested — certainly no longer work for the FSB. So the 'purge' has definitely taken place."

 

It appears to be the latest example of Vladimir Putin's fury at his stalled invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted him to lash out at his inner circle, NBC News reported in early March. 

Analysts have said that Russia's failures are in part down to miscalculations about Ukraine's political attitude and readiness to defend itself, an area that was under the purview of Beseda and the Fifth Service. 

___________________________________________

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingcat

Bellingcat

Bellingcat (stylised as bell¿ngcat) is a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specialises in fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT).

Bellingcat began as an investigation into the use of weapons in the Syrian Civil War. Its reports on the War in Donbas (including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17), the El Junquito raid, the Yemeni Civil War, the Skripal poisoning, and the killing of civilians by the Cameroon Armed Forces have attracted international attention.

 

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/bellingcat/

Bellingcat

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL
Country: United Kingdom
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY

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