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As Ukrainians resist Russia’s invasion of their nation, their government said Saturday it is planning to remove road signs in hopes of confusing Russian troops — and encouraging citizens to help.

Ukravtodor, the government agency responsible for Ukraine’s national road system, announced the move on social media while sharing a fake photo of a road sign echoing the sentiments many hold toward Russian troops.

The photo of the blue road sign was altered to state, “Go f--- yourselves,” in three different ways.

“Let’s help them get straight to hell,” the agency wrote on Facebook. “Ukravtodor calls on all road organizations, territorial communities, local governments to immediately begin dismantling nearby road signs.”

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Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
A little welcome bravado in the face of the hell inflicted upon them by Russia. To view it you'll have to agree with the twitter "warning" about "sensitive content." A lot of swearing in Ukrainian, plus dead Russian soldiers and burnt out Russian equipment.


Ukrainian's warning to Russian "boys"

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Why Vladimir Putin has already lost this war
Yuval Noah Harari

The Russians may yet conquer Ukraine. But Ukrainians have shown in the past few days that they will not let them hold it

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Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union.

Switzerland said it was departing from its usual policy of neutrality because of “the unprecedented military attack by Russia on a sovereign European state,” but expressed a willingness to help mediate in the conflict. It also joined European neighbors in closing its airspace to Russian aircraft, except for humanitarian or diplomatic purposes. But said it would evaluate whether to join in subsequent E.U. sanctions on a case-by-case basis.

Mr. Lavrov, who was scheduled to be in Geneva on Tuesday to address the United Nations Human Rights Council, will no longer make the trip because of the flight ban, Russia’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva said on Twitter.

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The sight of tanks rolling into Ukraine has given new meaning to the alliance [NATO]. Sweden and Finland joined its emergency summit last week, leading to speculation that they might even end the policy of military neutrality they adopted after World War II and seek to join.

Moscow’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, met the idea with a warning of “military consequences.”

Russia is pushing Finland "closer than ever before" to joining NATO, former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb wrote on Twitter. "At this rate we have no other option but to join. Finland’s accession would strengthen the Alliance and help keep Northern Europe stable."

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Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

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As markets opened in a panic on Monday, many Russians rushed to local cashpoints in Moscow to retrieve their savings before the damage got any worse.

“It said they had dollars so I came here immediately,” said Alexei Presnyakov, 32, pointing to an app for Russia’s Tinkoff Bank, indicating he could withdraw hard currency. About 20 people were queued in line. “Yesterday [the rate] was 80 [to the dollar]. Today it’s 100. Or 150.”

People stand in line to withdraw money from a cash machine in St Petersburg, Russia
Russia’s central bank doubles interest rates and closes stock market as rouble plunges
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“I just made a spontaneous decision today that I would ask [out of work] and go around until I took out all my money,” he said. “Before it was worth zero.”

Within minutes, however, the word traveled down the queue: the dollars were gone.

Nearly half the queue walked off. “Who needs roubles?” one woman said sarcastically as she walked away.

From shopping malls to corporate boardrooms, Russians were trying to find their footing on Monday in what the Kremlin described as the “altered economic reality” that the country was now facing following sanctions on Russia’s Central Bank and other key financial institutions. There were signs that something extraordinary was taking place: the Moscow Exchange, Russia’s largest stock market, has halted trading until 5 March.

With its reserves frozen, the Central Bank announced it would more than double its main interest rates to 20%, the highest this century, and force major exporting companies, including large energy producers like Gazprom and Rosneft, to sell 80% of their foreign currency revenues, effectively buying roubles to prop up the currency rate.