View Full Version : Here we go again-Ukraine once again
Now the West's cowardly treatment of aggressive Turkey - which, by the way, is about to launch a new attack in Syria while seeking escalation with Greece - is taking its revenge. The Frankfurter Rundschau writes:
NATO accession countries Sweden and Finland: Hangover in the North
Erdogan's threatening gestures are having an effect on NATO applicants Sweden and Finland, and are causing problems away from NATO's yes or no vote.
Brussels - After the hastily decided Nato membership applications, hangover is spreading in Sweden and Finland. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is even intensifying his blockade policy against the admission of the two alleged "guest houses" for Kurdish terrorists shortly before the Madrid NATO summit, is responsible for this with ever new attacks. The certain expectation of a quick decision at the summit in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has given way to disillusionment, uncertainty and also remorse.
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö, a supporter of NATO membership even before he took office ten years ago, told the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat: "If Helsinki had received signals from Brussels about possible resistance, the membership application would not have been sent to NATO headquarters. But everyone from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. President Joe Biden to Erdogan himself had personally assured him that Finland and Sweden were very welcome here and now.
In Stockholm, the newspaper "Svenska Dagbladet," which has also been promoting membership in the military alliance for a long time, ran the following headline on its editorial page: "Sweden should withdraw its NATO application. For one should not grovel before an authoritarian regime and under no circumstances restrict the freedoms of the active exiled Kurdish community in Sweden to please those who trample on freedoms, it said. "What we are left with is a manifestation of self-respect," writes author Lena Andersson.
In a very different tone, government leader Magdalena Andersson proclaims, "We take Turkish concerns extremely seriously." The Social Democrat adds that Sweden has only recently tightened its terror legislation and eased the ban on arms exports to Turkey, which has also been criticized by Erdogan. Standing next to her, Stoltenberg explained that Turkey is a highly important NATO partner with "legitimate concerns." Now, he says, the accession process will probably take longer. Unfortunately, he does not know how long it will take.
However, the governments in Helsinki and Stockholm wanted to avoid temporal uncertainty at all costs, precisely because they were worried about aggressive reactions from Moscow, when they decreed that their countries would leave the alliance almost immediately. Finland has a land border of 1340 kilometers with Russia, while Sweden sees itself in the Kremlin's crosshairs primarily because of the strategically important island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea (NATO jargon: "unsinkable aircraft carrier").
The unpredictable Erdogan makes the accession candidates the pawns of geopolitical conflicts over whose resolution they have not the slightest influence. It is a foregone conclusion that the Turkish head of state, who is suffering from domestic political problems, is using his veto against NATO expansion primarily as a bargaining chip against Biden in order to break the U.S. blockade of Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Neither the Finnish nor the Swedish government leaders are allowed to say that so clearly. One could only irritate Erdogan even more. Three months before the next elections, the Swedish head of government, Andersson, will have to make a complete verbal effort, because the survival of her weak minority government depends on the factionless Amineh Kakabaveh, of all people. The ex-leftist, who came to Sweden as the child of Kurdish refugees, keeps demanding new guarantees for her vote for exactly what Erdogan cites as the reason for his veto against NATO membership.
Ahead of this week's budget vote in the Riksdag, Social Democratic members of the government are sounding as coy about Kakabaveh's demands as they are about Erdogan's. They seem to prefer not to be heard at all when they declare: No, no new concessions have been made to her. But they stand by the old ones, of course.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (http://www.DeepL.com/Translator) (free version)
It would be a further kick in the balls for Europe if the Scandinavians withdraw their request and NATO remains seated with its beloved war-monger Erdoghan.
Formally, a NATO member cannot be expelled, only voluntarily leave, and Erdoghan will never do that. But one can end all military, economic and diplomatic cooperation under endless pretextual reasons and not give a damn about the other. Which would be practically the same thing like membership cancellation.
But that will forever be too much to ask of sentimental Europeans.
I hope Biden does not get soft on banning Turkey from US weapons deals for having bought the S400 and its radar.
The Scandinavians should preserve their pride.
The loss for NATO would be very big.
Erdoghan presents Putin a present on the silver plate.
Yes, the S government is weak and are direct depending on left and have been so almost 7 years, the main thing here is that Anderson follow the mainstream and not have own control what rly happen outside her door. All things considered is basically about what "other" think not strong enough to carry on in a adekvat way. (Side note) Look to "Swedistan" to day is more like war-zone itself. However the election in September will be a last call for S....
Russia warned NATO member Lithuania that unless the transit of goods to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea was swiftly restored then Moscow would take undisclosed measures to defend its national interests (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-warns-nato-member-lithuania-over-kaliningrad-transit-2022-06-20/
Words again or do they dare ?
Markus
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 12:05 PM
Only Vlad can answer that.
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 12:08 PM
Russia has become China's biggest supplier of oil as the country sold discounted crude to Beijing amid sanctions over the Ukraine war.
Imports of Russian oil rose by 55% from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as China's biggest provider.
China has ramped up purchases of Russian oil despite demand dampened by Covid curbs and a slowing economy.
In February, China and Russia declared their friendship had "no limits".
And Chinese companies, including state refining giant Sinopec and state-run Zhenhua Oil, have increased their purchases of Russian crude in recent months after being offered heavy discounts as buyers in Europe and the US shunned Russian energy in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
The imports into China, which include supplies pumped through the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and shipments by sea, totalled nearly 8.42m tonnes last month, according to data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs.
That pushed Saudi Arabia - formerly China's biggest source of crude oil - into second place with 7.82m tonnes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61861849
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 12:18 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi0X0D_S2DU
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 12:21 PM
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called Africa "a hostage" of Russia's war during an address to the African Union (AU) on Monday.
Russia's invasion, and its blockade of Ukraine's grain exports, has sparked grain and fertiliser shortages and put millions of people at risk of hunger.
AU's chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat called for the "urgent need for dialogue" to restore global stability.
Western countries have urged Russia to release Ukraine's vast grain stores.
The blockade has sparked warnings that tens of millions of people are at risk of famine and it has sent food prices soaring.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russia's blockade a "real war crime".
"Africa is actually a hostage... of those who unleashed war against our state", Mr Zelensky said during an address to the African Union.
He said his government was engaged in "complex negotiations" to unblock grain reserves trapped in Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
"This war may seem very distant to you and your countries. But the food prices that are catastrophically rising have already brought [the war] to the homes of millions of African families," Mr Zelensky added.
Following Mr Zelensky's address, Mr Mahamat said: "We reiterated the AU position of the urgent need for dialogue to end the conflict to allow peace to return to the region and to restore global stability."
Is Russia exporting grain from Ukraine?
Ukraine calls for safe passage for grain exports
Ukraine war: WTO boss warns of global food crisis
Mr Borrell met with EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss the crisis.
Ahead of the meeting in Luxembourg, Mr Borrell said: "This is a real war crime, so I cannot imagine that this will last much longer."
In a news conference, Mr Borrell said Russia's blockade of Ukrainian grain exports was "a deliberate attempt to create hunger in the world".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61864049
< ^ Now isn't that just wonderful. Read some minutes ago about a warning for a supply crisis this coming winter.
Russia cut oil and gas to Europe and sell it instead to China-It's going well with our sanctions.
Markus
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 12:34 PM
China as per usual will screw everyone else if it means benefitting themselves.
Jimbuna
06-20-22, 01:15 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRzUNdf6_ao
Rockstar
06-20-22, 03:25 PM
Some hard thoughts about post Ukraine
June 19, 2022 by Graham E. Fuller • Uncategorized • Tags: China Belt and Road Initiative US hegemony, Eurasia, Russia, Ukraine •
by Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller. com)
18 June 2022
https://grahamefuller.com/some-hard-thoughts-about-post-ukraine/
The war in Ukraine has dragged on long enough now to reveal certain clear trajectories. First, two fundamental realities:
Putin is to be condemned for launching this war– as is virtually any leader who launches any war. Putin can be termed a war criminal–in good company with George W. Bush who has killed vastly greater numbers than Putin.
2) secondary condemnation belongs to the US (NATO) in deliberately provoking a war with Russia by implacably pushing its hostile military organization, despite Moscow’s repeated notifications about crossing red lines, right up to the gates of Russia. This war did not have to be if Ukranian neutrality, á la Finland and Austria, had been accepted. Instead Washington has called for clear Russian defeat.
As the war grinds to a close, where will things go?
Contrary to Washington’s triumphalist pronouncements, Russia is winning the war, Ukraine has lost the war. Any longer-term damage to Russia is open to debate.
American sanctions against Russia have turned out to be far more devastating to Europe than to Russia. The global economy has slowed and many developing nations face serious food shortages and risk of broad starvation.
There are already deep cracks in the European façade of so-called “NATO unity.” Western Europe will increasingly rue the day that it blindly followed the American Pied Piper to war against Russia. Indeed, this is not a Ukrainian-Russian war but an American-Russian war fought by proxy to the last Ukrainian.
Contrary to optimistic declarations, NATO may in fact ultimately emerge weakened. Western Europeans will think long and hard about the wisdom and deep costs of provoking deeper long term confrontations with Russia or other “competitors”of the US.
Europe will sooner or later return to the purchase of inexpensive Russian energy. Russia lies on the doorstep and a natural economic relationship with Russia will possess overwhelming logic in the end.
Europe already perceives the US as a declining power with an erratic and hypocritical foreign policy “vision” premised upon the desperate need to preserve “American leadership” in the world. America’s willingness to go to war to this end is increasingly dangerous to others.
Washington has also made it clear that Europe must sign on to an “ideological” struggle against China as well in some kind of protean struggle of “democracy against authoritarianism”. Yet, if anything this is a classic struggle for power across the globe. And Europe can even less afford to blunder into confrontation with China–a “threat” perceived primarily by Washington yet unconvincing to many European states and much of the world.
China’s Belt and Road initiative is perhaps the most ambitious economic and geopolitical project in world history. It is already linking China with Europe by rail and sea. European exclusion from the Belt and Road project will cost it dearly. Note that the Belt and Road runs right through Russia. It is impossible for Europe to close its doors to Russia while maintaining access to this Eurasian mega project. Thus a Europe that perceives the US already in decline has a little incentive to join the bandwagon against China. The end of the Ukraine war will bring serious reconsideration in Europe about the benefits of propping up Washington’s desperate bid to maintain its global hegemony.
Europe will undergo increasing identity crisis in determining its future global role. Western Europeans will tire of subservience to the 75 year American domination of European foreign policy. Right now NATO is European foreign policy and Europe remains inexplicably timid in asserting any independent voice.How long will that prevail?
We now see how massive US sanctions against Russia, including confiscation of Russian funds in western banks, is causing most of the world to reconsider the wisdom of banking entirely on the US dollar into the future. Diversification of international economic instruments is already in the cards and willl only act to weaken Washington’s once dominant economic position and its unilateral weaponisation of the dollar.
One of the most disturbing features of this US-Russian struggle in Ukraine has been the utter corruption of independent media. Indeed Washington has won the information and propaganda war hands down, orchestrating all Western media to sing from the same hymnbook in characterizing the Ukraine war. The West has never before witnessed such a blanket imposition by one country’s ideologically-driven geopolitical perspective at home. Nor, of course, is the Russian press to be trusted either. In the midst of a virulent anti-Russian propaganda barrage whose likes I have never seen during my Cold Warrior days, serious analysts must dig deep these days to gain some objective understanding of what is actually taking place in Ukraine.
Would that this American media dominance that denies nearly all alternative voices were merely a blip occasioned by Ukraine events. But European elites are perhaps slowly coming to the realization that they have been stampeded into this position of total “unanimity”; cracks are already beginning to appear in the façade of “EU and NATO unity.” But the more dangerous implication is that as we head into future global crises, a genuine independent free press is largely disappearing, falling into the hands of corporate-dominated media close to policy circles , and now bolstered by electronic social media, all manipulating the narrative to its own ends. As we move into a predictably greater and more dangerous crises of instability through global warming, refugee flows, natural disasters, and likely new pandemics, rigorous state and corporate domination of the western media becomes very dangerous indeed to the future of democracy. We no longer hear alternative voices on Ukraine today.
Finally, Russia’s geopolitical character has very likely now decisively tilted towards Eurasia. Russians have sought for centuries to be accepted within Europe but have been consistently held at arms length. The West will not discuss a new strategic and security architecture. Ukraine has simply intensified this trend. Russian elites now no longer possess an alternative to accepting that its economic future lies in the Pacific where Vladivostok lies only one or two hours away by air from the vast economies of Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul. China and Russia have now been decisively pushed ever more closely together specifically out of common concern to block unfettered US freedom of unilateral military and economic intervention around the world. That the US can split US-induced Russian and Chinese cooperation is a fantasy. Russia has scientific brilliance, abundant energy, rich rare minerals and metals, while global warming will increase the agricultural potential of Siberia. China has the capital, the markets, and the manpower to contribute to what becomes a natural partnership across Eurasia.
Sadly for Washington, nearly every single one of its expectations about this war are turning out to be incorrect. Indeed the West may come to look back at this moment as the final argument against following Washington’s quest for global dominance into ever newer and more dangerous and damaging confrontations with Eurasia. And most of the rest of the world–Latin America, India, the Middle East and Africa– find few national interests in this fundamentally American war against Russia.
==================
Graham E. Fuller is a former Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council at CIA with responsibility for global intelligence estimates.
Turkey is unlikely to make a decision on the possible accession of Finland and Sweden at the NATO summit in Madrid next week. Turkey does not see the summit as a deadline, says a spokesman for Turkish President Erdoğan. Talks between the three countries will continue.
There is no question of a blockade of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and the EU say. Kaliningrad is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is normally supplied by rail by Belarus and Lithuania. Last weekend, Lithuania decided that certain Russian goods could no longer be transported via the rail route. The background to the Lithuanian decision is the sanctions list agreed upon in the EU context. According to Lithuania, the decision is a consequence of implementing those sanctions.
Soon, other goods will be added to the list of goods banned from the Lithuanian railroad. In July, the transport of concrete and alcohol will end, in August it will be the turn of coal, and from December on, oil. According to the governor of the region, this is about 50 percent of the goods that Kaliningrad normally receives by rail. Russia reacted furiously, speaking of a blockade. Kremlin spokesman Peskov revealed that Russia "reserves the right to take action to defend its national interests." It is unclear exactly what Peskov is referring to. As a member of NATO, Lithuania knows itself protected by Article 5 should Russia decide to enter Lithuanian territory.
The Russian exclave is home to over 400,000 people. Strategically, the region is of great importance. Russia has stationed missiles there that can be equipped with nuclear warheads, and Kaliningrad is the home port of the Baltic fleet. By sea, the exclave can simply be supplied by Russia. That is also why EU foreign coordinator Josep Borrell rejects any comparison with the blockade of Ukrainian ports: "The rest of the world is not affected by what happens in Kaliningrad, but it is affected by what happens in Ukraine."
Catfish
06-20-22, 03:46 PM
:salute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nehco1hfYk0
Skybird
06-20-22, 03:52 PM
On the article by Graham Fuller,
Some agreement, some disagreement from me. Probably more agreement than disagreement.
The dollar goes strong against the Euro, btw. And Putin does not need to be triggered by NATO expansion to go to war. If he was serious about that "Russia is where Russians are", then it plays not that big role than was assumed until before the war.
The two biggest loosers in all this indeed are first: the Ukraine, obviously, and second: Europe. I also agree that the Ukraine already has lost, i just said it yesterday or the day before. The economic damages and the destruction, the split, the prevailing tension with Russia that will live beyond any possible future seize fire (if the ukriane even survives as a state), all this will not help the Ukraine to succeed. The promise for future EU membership is useless, it does nothing, is cheap, and will never be more than a promise. Even if Russia looses all field battles from now on (and they don't anymore...), Ukraine has lost nevertheless. Washington I think is most interested now in doing as much damage to Russian military as possible.
Europe's long fall into economic weakness and political irrelevance has begun already before this. They do not want to see it, but I see it since many years. In principle it is a late consequences of WWII. The decades of wealth and prosperity where biought on tick, the pollticla rleervance and military might was already gone, the Us had been the successor. But since two decades or three, also a massive cultural erosion and self-destruction has begun. I know that the term has a negative bias due to the use of it by the Nazis, but I use it anyway: Europe degenerates. The US too, but it has more power to keep paddling and keep the head over water.
The EEC was no bad project/idea, but with the end of the cold war it choosed terribly wrong for what direction to go; and what it wanted to become since then, is a road into self-destruction and desaster. Europe is doing away with itself, unforced, voluntarily. Its not war and foreign aggression destroying it: but choice. One could be romantic or prosaic and call it an almost Greek tragedy. I prefer to be angry and furious. There is no beauty and no gallantry in fall. Stupidity is no compliment.
Russia warned NATO member Lithuania that unless the transit of goods to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea was swiftly restored then Moscow would take undisclosed measures to defend its national interests (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-warns-nato-member-lithuania-over-kaliningrad-transit-2022-06-20/
Words again or do they dare ?
MarkusRussia can only be the bully, all losers are bullies
Skybird
06-20-22, 04:13 PM
Lithuania knows itself protected by Article 5 should Russia decide to enter Lithuanian territory.
Call it a hope, not knowledge. The lead of NATO'S reinforcement forces in Lithuania is in the hands of - Germany. And high ranking NATO militaries repeatedly voiced doubts that they could defend the three small Baltic states against a serious Russian attack. Its a again a question of numbers. Better NATO forces: but too few of them.
Such an attack would nto come out of the blue, but would need preparation that NATO would take note of, giving it time to - hecitcally - beef up its own defences. Air power by the US I assume would play the deciding role. There was a not much taken note of battle in Syria where 30 US soldiers that just at the end got reinforced, were attacked by 500 Russian Wagner mercenaries and regime-loyal fighters. The battle ended with the Americans calling in heavy air support and the death of over 300 regime fighters and Wagner mercs. I red that some time ago.
I think the focus regarding Kaliningrad will shift to naval supply actions and possible sabre rattling on the seas.
Kaliningrad is heavily armed up by the Russians. Including ballistic missiles and nuclear ammunition.
I recommend googling "Suwalki gap".
Strategically, NATO must take Kaliningrad anyway. Its Europe's Cuba missile crisis. And it is a big danger to NATO.
Call it a hope, not knowledge. The lead of NATO'S reinforcement forces in Lithuania is in the hands of - Germany. And high ranking NATO militaries repeatedly voiced doubts that they could defend the three small Baltic states against a serious Russian attack. Its a again a question of numbers. Better NATO forces: but too few of them.
Such an attack would nto come out of the blue, but would need preparation that NATO would take note of, giving it time to - hecitcally - beef up its own defences. Air power by the US I assume would play the deciding role. There was a not much taken note of battle in Syria where 30 US soldiers that just at the end got reinforced, were attacked by 500 Russian Wagner mercenaries and regime-loyal fighters. The battle ended with the Americans calling in heavy air support and the death of over 300 regime fighters and Wagner mercs. I red that some time ago.
I think the focus regarding Kaliningrad will shift to naval supply actions and possible sabre rattling on the seas.
Kaliningrad is heavily armed up by the Russians. Including ballistic missiles and nuclear ammunition.
I recommend googling "Suwalki gap".
Strategically, NATO must take Kaliningrad anyway. Its Europe's Cuba missile crisis. And it is a big danger to NATO.And those Wagner mercenaries and regime-loyal fighters cried for mom over the radio they **** their pants :D
Call it a hope, not knowledge. The lead of NATO'S reinforcement forces in Lithuania is in the hands of - Germany. And high ranking NATO militaries repeatedly voiced doubts that they could defend the three small Baltic states against a serious Russian attack. Its a again a question of numbers. Better NATO forces: but too few of them.
Such an attack would nto come out of the blue, but would need preparation that NATO would take note of, giving it time to - hecitcally - beef up its own defences. Air power by the US I assume would play the deciding role. There was a not much taken note of battle in Syria where 30 US soldiers that just at the end got reinforced, were attacked by 500 Russian Wagner mercenaries and regime-loyal fighters. The battle ended with the Americans calling in heavy air support and the death of over 300 regime fighters and Wagner mercs. I red that some time ago.
I think the focus regarding Kaliningrad will shift to naval supply actions and possible sabre rattling on the seas.
Kaliningrad is heavily armed up by the Russians. Including ballistic missiles and nuclear ammunition.
I recommend googling "Suwalki gap".
Strategically, NATO must take Kaliningrad anyway. Its Europe's Cuba missile crisis. And it is a big danger to NATO.
Edit
Danish soldiers were sent to Latvia with great haste to deter Putin: 'We lack everything from ammunition to underpants'
It was with quite a few days' notice that 350 Danish combat soldiers were sent to Latvia at the beginning of May. The mission was clear: Putin must be deterred. And if the Russian president attacks Latvia, the Danish soldiers must help defend the country.
End edit
Markus
Skybird
06-20-22, 04:38 PM
Turkey is unlikely to make a decision on the possible accession of Finland and Sweden at the NATO summit in Madrid next week. Turkey does not see the summit as a deadline, says a spokesman for Turkish President Erdoğan. Talks between the three countries will continue.
These talks are pointless. They could exclude the Scandinavians and must include the Americans. Turkey wants US military tech that Washington blocks it from. It also wants to force Washington to see it on same eye level. Washington must find thgre ats to intimidate them sufficnetly to play balls. That Turkey now gets F-35s again, is unacceptable. Modernised F-16s might be acceptable - but only in small quantity.
The other NATO states should act as if Turkey does not exist, should ignore it, and act towards the Scandinavians as if they are members.
Turkey prepares a new offensive in syria. It bullies Greece. I bullies Israel and the West over ressource fields at Cyprus. Its the state where more journalists are imprisoned than in any other country in the world (including Russia and China), at least it was like that two years ago. When will Europe finally put off the gloves and build a wall against Turkey? Let them do their thing all alone - and run into confrontation with Iran. That will keep them busy, and distracted.
And it asked to get into NATO back then because it was worried by Russia. We must demand from it to give like it was given.
Skybird
06-20-22, 06:13 PM
Russia has completely compensated losses from oil boycott by now having become China's biggest active oil suplier, even before Saudi Arabia. Trade volume for oil has gone up by 55%.
Europe is left with all the damages from sanctions.
Same for coal: Russia has completely compensated the boycott already.
From gas sales, they earn even mor emoney netto now than before the sdanctions, due to the high gas porice. They sell less gas, still, but earn bigger profits.
EU - Russia 0 : 3
Funny part is they said in recent years that if Russia does not sell these things to Europe anymore due to the EU's decarbonisation suicide policy, it would take Russia many, many years to adapt and to arrange replacement deals and build the needed infrastructure to Asia and pipelines and who knows what else. That was all just wishful thinking.
Also, the tanker market is emptied because all the tankers are leased by Russia.
Germany wanted to buy coal from Columbia. With the election result there that is i n dohbtk, the new president absolutely possiobly will oput eocnlog ybefore eocnoym and stop sellijgn ressources. Germany now has stopped to use gas for producing electricity (that took us so long...???), still absolutely rejects to frack gas from its own soil although apparently having significant reserves, still absolutely rejects to consider extending the running time of the remaining three nuclear powerplants that go off the grid end of tbnis yera, and claims that would not be possibole due to maintewnance itnevals and unavailability of nuclear fuel. :haha: Instead the minsiter for eocnomcis and save the planet grandessa wants to by frakcign gas form tohe rcoutnries at jhigher coasts, wants to buy coal, widens the mining of brown coal in germany, and totally rejects to give up his parties ideological fetish that says that all nuclear power is satanic and must be banned no matter what. He seriously recommends people to now buy water-sdaving showers and to shower and do washing less often. Says a federal minister, you have to imagine that? How more infantile will it get?
The winter will become very, very, VERY interesting. :har: We are still on oil in my house, but we must - needleslsy, for formality - replace the heating until 2025. My parents are on district heating, for them it could become bad if they realsie the threats in Berlin to reduce gas wamring in houses to 18, soem even demand 16 degrees. For old people and ill peope, this can beocme somethign that reduces their life expectancy. From certain age on, environment temperature and mortality strongly correlate, and old people often NEED higher temperature.
Dying for a cause! :up: Solves parts of the Corona problem, too! :yeah:
Catfish
06-21-22, 04:41 AM
"1. Ukraine says they need longer-range artillery and missiles because Russia's have more range than them. They've lost thousands.
2. The west won't give these to them because they would be used to attack Russia's mainland, which gets Buckingham palace nuked or something
3. If one side has longer range artillery than the other side, they can blow up the other side's artillery safely
4. If one side has artillery support and the other side doesn't, the side that doesn't is cannon fodder.
5. Western military must understand something as simple as this?"
So some say that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia alright, and all the US wants and does is making Russia deplete it's military resources.
As the war goes on all sides are becoming tired, understandably, Ukraine for sure, maybe even Russia.
So what if Russia wins, and takes all of Ukraine?
Does anybody think Putin will stop there, after what was said about Kaliningrad, Europe, and Germany? Russian charts showing strategic and tactical goals in Europe and Germany should worry a bit more than just thinking of a-bit-uncomfortable energy shortages next winter.
Charts showing russian positions, first one with terrain conquered in the last days:
https://i.imgur.com/ffltKxil.jpg
Chart showing russian mrls around the moving border
https://i.imgur.com/MgJomaNl.jpg
Chart showing ukrainian territory conquered by Russia in four months, compared to Germany
(there are real attack charts showing where Russia would like to get is hands on)
https://i.imgur.com/BHQPS6Zl.png
The "fact" that Ukraine cannot win and that the three baltic states cannot really be defended by NATO "in case" of a russian attack seems to imply that we should just bury our heads in the sand and better not think about it?
Even if there will be no european-wide war this year, it will come when Ukraine is willfully "allowed to lose". Ukraine is already defending Europe, it is essentially already fighting a european war, but nobody wants to accept what that means in the (not so long) run :shifty:
Russia will try to conquer what it wants, not what some optimistic western people think it will.
Catfish
06-21-22, 05:17 AM
This was posted by some Russia-loving man from Australia, and no i do not like it.
https://i.imgur.com/pg3b7OJl.gif
Next goal for the russian army:
https://i.imgur.com/qgtjXxwl.jpg
">The implementation of the union programs for the integration of the Russian Federation and Belarus has reached the finish line
>This was announced by the State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev."
https://i.imgur.com/t2EtPSGl.gif
Nice, also posted by Russia
https://i.imgur.com/drSz3eql.png
Skybird
06-21-22, 06:02 AM
The point is, including the US, the NATO forces ARE superior to Russia, I have no real doubt on thta. It sjust that they are scattered all aorudn the golobe and all across Europe, mosty of them placed far away from the potential future frontline.
The ammo stocks and supply stocks I consider to be estimated to optimistical. They always are, in every war.
Then we have too many foul apples and venomous vipers in our basket. Turkey. Hungary. Nobody knows how Greece would position itself in a article 5 scneario. There are quite some shaky candidates. How will France? The UK, now, after Brexit? What will come of Sweden, Finland, with Sultanistan blocking them?
German-French joint tank venture uncertain, not creating results before 2050. Joint FCAS fighter delayed to at least 2050 as well. :har: Debts stellar. Euro currency collapsing. Risk of hyperinflation, high and lasting inflation already a certainty. Dependency on products and materials from China and Russia, still. Mounting distribution conflicts in the world. Sweet water crisis.
"He who tries to defend everything, will lose everything." We are way too overstretched, and overambitious. We must - finally - start setting tight priorities. We cannot do everything that we want to do anymore. We already couldn't in the past.
Sense of realism desperately wanted!
Skybird
06-21-22, 06:09 AM
So, das tut jetzt Not, sonst platz ich noch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFlIjuv5IWk
Jimbuna
06-21-22, 06:11 AM
Russian occupiers shell Kharkiv. In some parts of the city there are power outages, water and communications.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Suspilne.
"Kharkiv is under Russian shelling. The correspondent of the Public reports a fire in an industrial zone in the east of Kharkiv, in some areas after the explosions there were interruptions with light, water, communications," - said in a statement. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3349260
Jimbuna
06-21-22, 06:16 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuHKFcZhmLo
Jimbuna
06-21-22, 06:17 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtbFN2icrI4
Skybird
06-21-22, 07:05 AM
Germany has finally released an official list of what it already has delivered and what it plans/intends to deliver. Everybody can make of that list what he wants, my opinion is underwhelmed.
List: What Germany has supplied so far according to the German government
3000 "Panzerfaust 3" cartridges plus 900 grips
14,900 anti-tank mines
500 anti-aircraft missiles STINGER
2700 STRELA anti-aircraft missiles
16 million rounds of handgun ammunition
50 bunker busters
100 MG 3 machine guns with 500 spare tubes and breechblocks
100,000 hand grenades
5300 explosive charges
100,000 meters of detonating cord and 100,000 detonators
350.000 detonators
23.000 combat helmets
15 pallets of clothing
178 motor vehicles (trucks, minibuses, off-road vehicles)
100 tents
12 generators
6 pallets of material for explosive ordnance disposal
125 double telescopes
1200 hospital beds
18 pallets of medical supplies, 60 surgical lights
Protective clothing, surgical masks
10,000 sleeping bags
600 shooting glasses
1 radio frequency system
3,000 field telephones with 5,000 rolls of field cable and carrying equipment
1 field hospital (joint project with Estonia)
353 night vision goggles
4 electronic drone defense devices
165 binoculars
Medical supplies (including backpacks, first-aid kits)
38 laser rangefinders
Diesel and gasoline fuel (current supply)
10 tons of AdBlue
500 pieces of wound dressings for hemostasis
500 pieces of food rations
Food: 2025 pallets (68 truckloads) with 360,000 rations single-person packs (EPa)
MiG-29 spare parts
30 special protected vehicles
List: What the federal government still wants to deliver
10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition
53,000 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition
5.8 million rounds of handgun ammunition
7 self-propelled howitzers 2000 (artillery pieces)
5000 combat helmets
40 reconnaissance drones
10 protected vehicles
4 remote controlled minesweepers
65 refrigerators for medical supplies
54 armored troop carriers with armament
30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks including about 6000 rounds of ammunition
1 Iris-T SLM air defense system
1 Cobra artillery tracking radar [delayed to Decembre, Skybird]
80 Toyota pick-up vehicles
3 multiple rocket launchers with ammunition [one less than announced, apparently delayed to the end of the year due to needed software ugrades, Skybird]
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (http://www.DeepL.com/Translator) (free version)
The industry has doezsof Marders readied now for imemdoate dleiover to whoemeber. Not reaciton fromt eh chancelor'S office. The industr yhas already readied an unknown number sof Leopard-1s. No reaction from the chancellor'S office.
It must also eb said that dseverla Wetsenr system delivered, for exmaple UZS switxchblade drones, are not ebig sued by the Ukrianains, because they do not feel familiarized enough with them. Training time needed is a valid argument in delivery of complex systems. No excuse there is that Germany delays and delays negotiations with NATO partners about delivery of Sovjet tanks and vehicles by these countries and these being replaced by Germany with German material ("Ringtausch"). The Czechs or Slovenias are angry. The Poles are angry. The Greeks are angry, every time because of Germany delaying and delaying more.
Skybird
06-21-22, 09:55 AM
German PZH2000 howitzers arrived in Ukraine, Kyiv says.
Putin does what he alway does: escalating. A Russian helicopter violated the airspace of Estonia, intentionally.
Tensions rise over Kaliningrad.
Catfish
06-21-22, 10:54 AM
... Putin does what he alway does: escalating. A Russian helicopter violated the airspace of Estonia, intentionally.
Tensions rise over Kaliningrad.
Hey Comrade Putin, you want war anyway, so bring it on with a second front and Nato, better now than when Russia is prepared again in five years.
Jimbuna
06-21-22, 01:25 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3xueTHm-2U
Jimbuna
06-22-22, 06:44 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EypHjKzBOq0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvwLNBdRWC4
Markus
Jimbuna
06-22-22, 06:48 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsofLduhfog
Jimbuna
06-22-22, 06:58 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M31QT9aGcKI
Jimbuna
06-22-22, 07:02 AM
Russian and Russian-backed separatist forces in the Donetsk region of Ukraine have suffered heavy casualties, according to UK intelligence officials.
They estimate the Donetsk militia alone has lost 55% of its original force.
Russian forces are focused on conquering all of neighbouring Luhansk, aiming to encircle the city of Lysychansk, say Ukrainian leaders.
Regional chief Serhiy Haidai said there had been "colossal destruction" in the city.
He said the situation in its sister city of Severodonetsk was "hell", and quoted the mayor as saying some 7,000-8,000 civilians remained there.
UK military intelligence said Russia was very likely aiming to deploy a large number of reserve units to Ukraine's eastern Donbas, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk.
It drew attention to the "extraordinary attrition" suffered by Russian and Russian proxy forces in Donbas. While Russia has for months avoided detailing its casualties, the human rights ombudsman in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic said last week that 2,128 of its forces had been killed and 8,897 wounded. A further 654 civilians had been killed, said Daria Morozova,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his late-night address on Tuesday that while Luhansk was currently the toughest area, the invading army was also "putting serious pressure on the Donetsk direction".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61891462
Jimbuna
06-22-22, 10:17 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAohTGMpqe0
Come in and join the discussion about the war
It's a livestream from Ukraine-For me it's mostly the thing that I also can discuss it with others than here in our forum. The others in the stream has become my friends.
The video(Livestream) can only be seen on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yplR2F7nwDQ
Edit
You have to subscribe to the channel and wait 10 minutes before you can start to chat.
End edit
Markus
Catfish
06-22-22, 02:43 PM
Successful strike on Russian munitions in Khurstalnyi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I89wMnRc0Ck
Skybird
06-23-22, 06:19 AM
Former German general: "I learned in one week to drive the Leopard, to shoot with it, and to hit targets with it."
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/video239524865/Krieg-in-der-Ukraine-Ex-General-Wittmann-zu-deutschen-Waffenlieferungen.html
Former German general: "I learned in one week to drive the Leopard, to shoot with it, and to hit targets with it."
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/video239524865/Krieg-in-der-Ukraine-Ex-General-Wittmann-zu-deutschen-Waffenlieferungen.html
Of course that's because the controls were marked in German.
Adidas has finally won the sports apparel war?
"NIKE has made the decision to leave the Russian marketplace. Our priority is to ensure we are fully supporting our employees while we responsibly scale down our operations over the coming months," the firm said in an emailed statement, according to Reuters.
In May, the Vedomosti daily reported that the head of the Inventive Retail Group (IRG) (https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/retail) – which operates Nike stores in Russia through its subsidiary Up And Run – said the company would no longer supply goods there.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/nike-fully-exit-russia
Jimbuna
06-23-22, 09:21 AM
A key adviser to Ukraine's president has said the battle for the eastern cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk has reached a "fearsome climax".
Oleksiy Arestovych said Russian forces could soon encircle the twin cities and cut them off from Ukrainian territory.
"The threat of a tactical Russian victory is there, but they haven't done it yet," he said.
It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of trying to "destroy" the Donbas region.
"There were massive air and artillery strikes in Donbas. The occupier's goal here is unchanged, they want to destroy the entire Donbas step-by-step," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
He also repeated his calls for Western leaders to speed up the delivery of heavy artillery to his troops.
"We again and again emphasise the acceleration of arms deliveries to Ukraine. What is quickly needed is parity on the battlefield in order to halt this diabolical armada and push it beyond Ukraine's borders." he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61906509
Jimbuna
06-23-22, 09:24 AM
A British man sentenced to death by a Russian proxy court for fighting in Ukraine has been told the execution will be carried out, his family say.
Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced by a court which is not internationally recognised, in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Mr Aslin told his family his captors said there had been no attempt by UK officials to negotiate on his behalf.
The foreign secretary discussed his case with Ukraine earlier in June.
Liz Truss said she and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba had spoken about "efforts to secure the release of prisoners of war held by Russian proxies" and has called the death sentences a "sham judgement with absolutely no legitimacy".
The Foreign Office is known to be actively investigating cases of British nationals who have been detained in Ukraine, and is providing support to the families of Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61900291
Jimbuna
06-23-22, 09:26 AM
Ukraine is set to be approved as an EU candidate at a Brussels summit on Thursday, after the European Commission gave the green light.
Ukraine applied days after the Russian invasion in February, and the process has since moved at a record speed.
Its ambassador to the EU told the BBC it would be a psychological boost for Ukrainians.
But Vsevolod Chentsov admitted "real integration" could only start when the war was over.
Candidate status is the first official step towards EU membership and France said this week there was "total consensus" on Ukraine. But it can take many years to join and there's no guarantee of success.
The Western Balkan countries of Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have been candidate countries for years; in some cases for over a decade. Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for candidacy in 2016 but has still not succeeded.
As he arrived for an EU summit with Western Balkan leaders, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said it was a good thing that Ukraine was getting candidate status, but Kyiv should be under no illusions: "North Macedonia is a candidate [for] 17 years if I have not lost count, Albania eight, so welcome to Ukraine."
Some members states are pushing for Bosnia to be given candidate status, although that is not expected to happen.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61891467
Jimbuna
06-23-22, 09:31 AM
Germany has taken a step closer to gas rationing after a drop in supplies from Russia.
The country has triggered the "alarm" stage of an emergency gas plan to deal with shortages, Germany's economy ministry said.
It is the latest part of a standoff between the European Union and Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
German economy minister Robert Habeck said Russia was using gas "as a weapon" in response to EU sanctions.
"We must not fool ourselves. The cut in gas supplies is an economic attack on us by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Mr Habeck said, adding Germans would have to reduce consumption.
Mr Habeck said there would "hopefully never" be a need to ration gas for German industry, but he added: "Of course, I can't rule it out."
Russia has already cut gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland over their refusal to comply with a new payment scheme.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61908998
les green01
06-23-22, 12:13 PM
I have read Ukraine release couple of Russians saying Ukraine closing in on all sides scare they going get incircle anyone know anything about that
I have read Ukraine release couple of Russians saying Ukraine closing in on all sides scare they going get incircle anyone know anything about that
According to this article it looks like it's the other way around
Russia appears to have dealt Ukraine a significant setback in the battle for the country’s east, breaking through the defenses around a key city and opening the possibility that Kyiv’s troops in the area could be surrounded.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-advances-lysychansk-ukraine-donbas-setback-rcna34695
Then we have this
https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1539995535402323968?s=20&t=J8kMeHAnCPUbYnN1IoF1xA
Markus
I have read Ukraine release couple of Russians saying Ukraine closing in on all sides scare they going get incircle anyone know anything about thatLysychansk Sievierodonetsk front have already drawn Russia to use its reserves this battle result in street house to house battles where loses will/are massive on other parts on the front in Ukraine the Ukraine army advances with success Russia hardy gains ground on the rest of the fronts will not be long till it will stop both sides are exhausted and low on material maybe new western supplies can turn the tide for Ukraine so that they can recover.
European Union leaders have agreed to Ukraine's candidate membership. Moldova will also become a candidate member, it was decided in Brussels at a summit of government leaders. The decision was unanimous.
Lysychansk Sievierodonetsk front have already drawn Russia to use its reserves this battle result in street house to house battles where loses will/are massive on other parts on the front in Ukraine the Ukraine army advances with success Russia hardy gains ground on the rest of the fronts will not be long till it will stop both sides are exhausted and low on material maybe new western supplies can turn the tide for Ukraine so that they can recover.
Do you have a source to this ?
Markus
Do you have a source to this ?
MarkusI get some from people in Ukraine and from global news reports. The encirclement of Lysychansk Sievierodonetsk will happen, only will it take weeks or days is hard to say. Ukrainian defenders stopped an offensive in the direction of the southern outskirts of Lysychans'k, inflicted losses on the enemy and forced them to retreat. Russian forces want it done by Sunday(capture of Sievierodonetsk), but... today they are out of luck.
I get some from people in Ukraine and from global news reports. The encirclement of Lysychansk Sievierodonetsk will happen, only will it take weeks or days is hard to say. Ukrainian defenders stopped an offensive in the direction of the southern outskirts of Lysychans'k, inflicted losses on the enemy and forced them to retreat. Russian forces want it done by Sunday(capture of Sievierodonetsk), but... today they are out of luck.
Thank you.
Markus
Thank you.
Markus2,450 km is the length of the frontline in Ukraine. In terms of a distance, it would be the equivalent of a front stretching from the East of Poland all the way to the North of Spain, all across Europe and Russia only advances a couple km's on a very good day tells a lot.
The White House is set to announce it will send an additional four HIMARS medium-range rocket launchers to Ukraine, according to a U.S. official. Official confirms the weapons are part of a new $450M package of aid.
Skybird
06-23-22, 03:29 PM
Germany has taken a step closer to gas rationing after a drop in supplies from Russia.
The country has triggered the "alarm" stage of an emergency gas plan to deal with shortages, Germany's economy ministry said.
Actually it already is the second of a three stages-alarm plan. If the third stage gets called, prices for houseohglds and consumers could in short time explosed by severla hundred percent, up to 600% within short time. In July, Norstream-1 will be shut down completely for normal reuglar maintence, for two weeks. This is common practice and certain intervals, and normal. But nobody can say that after the 2 weeks inspection and maintenance Russia will care to refill the pipeline again.
If I were the Russians, I wouldn't. Why would I, if I were them?
And the Germans still have not perceived the full scale of follow-on dramas. Costs for materials. Chinese monopoles. Broken global logistic chains. Too few workers. Too few bureaucratic planners. Too few of evertyhign and everyone, everywhere. Their plans to speed up energy revolution - it cannot work because we do not have enough of what it takes to go at that pace. It simply is not possible.
And all this in galloping inflation that is at the risk of tunrign into a hyperinflation by the end of this year or firts half next year.
They still do not overlook the full scope of problems completely, I think. Or they are so scared of what they see that they lie over it due to being in shock, beign paralysed.
I have bought and stored full 200l of petroleum now for my old parents. Their big appartment complex is on ga sheating. With 200l, they can heat 950-1000 hours. When hetaign for ten hours per day, they can last for around 3 months , say Decembre, January, February.
Accoding ovens are almost impossible to buy in germany currently. Petroleum also has become a scare ressource now.
My own house is still on oil. How good that feels. It may become expensive, but oil is easier available on global markets.
les green01
06-23-22, 06:23 PM
Thanks for the info guys being on the phone I been kinda iffy on the getting on the info skybird I'm all electric at my house so I can feel the pain worse in the winter time I went and found other options a wood stove and old white gas tent heater I'm sure your right going have to fight few months of this war we sent more money than we spent last few years in Afghanistan
Skybird
06-24-22, 09:19 AM
Neue Zürcher Zeitung:
The U.S. is Europe's guardian angel - Europeans should curb their disdain. But with their hesitation, Berlin and Paris are strengthening isolationist forces in Washington that would rather leave the old continent to its uncertain fate.
"The Americans are the best Europeans," Germany's first chancellor Konrad Adenauer is reported to have said to U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. This is now proving true again in Ukraine. Without help from Washington, the Russian flag would probably have been flying for a long time in Lviv in western Ukraine and in the southern port city of Odessa. Millions more refugees would have had to flee to neighboring European countries from the looting, raping, and torturing Russian soldiers.
The appetite of the Russian bear would hardly be satisfied. After the big Ukraine he would probably like to eat the small Moldova, the Baltic states, Georgia or the north of Kazakhstan for dessert. After a short digestive break, even Poland or Finland would no longer be safe. For aggression is the lifeblood of the Putin regime. It needs war against the West in order to survive. Any cease-fire serves only to plan the next conquest and, in the meantime, to further destabilize Western democracies - for example, by supporting illiberal parties and targeted disinformation.
The United States and its President Joe Biden recognized the full dimension of this conflict early on and acted accordingly. U.S. intelligence agencies warned of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine as early as November, and later provided Kiev with key details about Moscow's attack plans. While Germany and France - the European continental powers - dithered, the United States quickly let the Ukrainians have the necessary anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles to stop the Russian forces. This short-term aid, in turn, was only effective because the Americans had trained some 23,000 Ukrainian soldiers over the years following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and prepared them for a larger war.
French and German policies toward Russia have failed grandly with Putin's brutal war of annihilation against Ukraine. But neither Paris nor Berlin seems to want to fully admit this, even if the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kiev speaks for a slow rethinking.
Instead of pulling together with Washington and the Eastern European states with all their might from the outset, they are under the illusion that they can balance between the United States and Russia as mediating powers. France and Germany still seem to stubbornly believe that they can freeze the conflict as they did in 2014 and then negotiate a compromise with Moscow on the status of Ukraine. It has long been clear that a middle course is out of the question for Putin. He does not want a neutral Ukraine, he does not want Ukraine at all. The spectre of NATO's eastward expansion serves the Kremlin chief only as a cover for his unrestrained imperialism.
From the U.S. perspective, the hard-to-understand ambiguity of the two leading democratic powers in Europe is frightening and disappointing. France and Germany support Ukraine. Unlike Berlin, Paris has after all already delivered some heavy weapons to Kiev in May - six mobile Caesar howitzers. This week, the German government finally handed over seven self-propelled howitzers 2000 to Ukraine, with an air defense system and three multiple rocket launchers to follow. But after four months of war, it is clear that Paris and Berlin could and should have done much more. After all, European security is primarily in their interest and not in that of the USA.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Washington gave Ukraine $24 billion in military aid in the first three months of the war. Only 1.4 billion euros came from Germany, while Poland, for example, with an economy one-sixth the size, provided Ukraine with 1.5 billion euros in military support. France keeps its exact deliveries secret because it does not want to provoke Russia with them. But French arms aid is also "modest," writes "Le Monde."
The misguided Russia policy in Berlin and Paris seems to be based not only on a misjudgment of the Putin regime, but also on a disdain for the United States and an anti-Americanism that paints a distorted picture of an ignorant, egoistic, and imperialistic superpower. Emblematic of this is the reaction of the German delegation in 2018 to a speech by Donald Trump before the UN General Assembly: "Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not change its course immediately," the American president said at the time. But Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his staff reacted only with shaking heads and sneering smiles. Instead of taking the years of warnings from Washington seriously, the narrative prevailed in Germany that the U.S. was only against the Baltic Sea pipeline because it wanted to sell its own natural gas.
The depth of the mental rift between France and America is illustrated by a speech Macron gave at an ambassadors' conference in August 2019, in which he accuses the U.S. of placing the value of freedom above all else and, in contrast to French humanism, neglecting climate change or the issue of social equality, for example. Macron declares humanism to be the basis of an independent "European civilization." In order to realize this project, however, an understanding with Russia is needed: "We won't be safe if we don't relax and clarify our relations with Russia." France, he said, must therefore act as a "balancing power." Otherwise, he said, Europe risks becoming an arena for a strategic battle between the United States and Russia.
It is perplexing how difficult it is for the French president to clearly side with the U.S. in the confrontation with an inhuman, authoritarian state like Russia, and how he blames Washington between the lines for the conflict with Moscow. Without naming America, Macron opined in his 2019 speech, "Some will push us to impose more sanctions on Russia because it's in their interest. Even though they are our friends. But it's certainly not in our interest."
It is absurd to view the United States and Russia as quasi-equal superpowers to mediate between. Unlike Moscow, Washington has never used force to exert its influence in Eastern Europe. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was these countries themselves that placed themselves under the protection of the American hegemon because they recognized in him a guarantor of security, freedom and prosperity. The Americans have accepted this responsibility, but they are having a hard time with it. They would be downright relieved if Europe could finally defend its values itself.
Washington's foreign policy vacillates between isolationism and interventionism. This is also evident in the American president's actions in Ukraine. Biden has done a lot for Kiev, but even he could have done more to deter Russia from invading. For example, by delivering heavier weapons ahead of time or even stationing its own soldiers. Instead, Biden tried to involve all allies and make them share the responsibility. In this way, he also wants to prove to his skeptical home audience the benefits of multilateral alliances for the United States.
France and Germany should do everything in their power to support Biden in this demonstration. For it is by no means certain that the Americans will continue to be the better Europeans in the future. Donald Trump has questioned the usefulness of NATO and placed no value on defending freedom and democracy in the world. Trump was voted out of office, but the isolationist, nationalist and illiberal wing has become the dominant force in the Republican Party.
Conservatives are expected to win the midterm congressional elections in November. And even Trump's return to the White House cannot be ruled out. Biden therefore cannot afford a failure in Ukraine. If the major European powers let the American president down, they risk security and freedom on their own continent.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Danish Ekstra Bladet wrote:
Germany: Could end in collapse
Russian President Putin is likely to continue cutting gas supplies to Europe, Germany's government says. That could have fatal consequences
A collapse of energy markets on the same scale as financial markets during the 2008 financial crisis.
That is the scenario if Russia continues to reduce the supply of natural gas to Europe, Germany's economy minister Robert Habeck estimated at a press conference on Thursday, writes Finans.
- We must assume that Putin is prepared to reduce gas supplies further. Already we see a growing deficit of natural gas in the stocks. If this deficit becomes so large that the market can no longer cope with demand pressures, it could end in a collapse that would have the same effect on the energy market as Lehman Brothers' had on the financial world, the minister said.
The bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers set off the huge snowball effect that rolled across financial markets in 2008 and sent the world economy into a very serious crisis.
Shutting down
Already there are worrying trends in Europe and the US, with extremely high inflation and sharp interest rate rises. Russia has recently been cutting off gas supplies to countries where companies have refused Putin's demand to pay for gas with the Russian currency, the rouble.
This recently led to Danish company Ørsted being told it would no longer receive gas from Russia's Gazprom. Several other countries, including the Netherlands and Poland, have also had their gas cut off.
Here, there was initially a hope that Russia might simply sell the gas to other companies that have agreed to pay for it in roubles. However, this is not the case and it has cut about a third of the gas supply from Russia to Europe. But even though companies in Germany and Italy have agreed to pay for the gas in roubles, Russia has cut gas supplies to Germany by a further third in recent days.
According to the Russians, the reduction is due to problems getting spare parts from Germany's Siemens for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. However, this explanation has been rejected by the German government, while German Siemens has actually confirmed that there are indeed challenges in getting turbines from Canada for Nord Stream 1. However, experts tell Politiken that the problems in getting the turbines should not cause such a big reduction in gas supply as is the case.
Level 2
Germany on Thursday raised its gas alert level to level 2 out of a possible three, while the Danish Energy Agency has warned of level 1. The fact that Russia has now cut gas supplies further means Europeans have less chance of replenishing gas stocks, which are currently not very healthy.
- We are better stocked this year than we were last year. But from a historical perspective, gas stocks are still on the low side. So we are not in a robust situation as far as that is concerned, and therefore the winter will be extremely crucial. There is a big difference in natural gas consumption if you have a cold or mild winter, says Jens Nærvig Pedersen, chief analyst focusing on commodities at Danske Bank, to Ekstra Bladet.
Kristian Rune Poulsen, energy analyst at Green Power Denmark, recently estimated that a cold winter will be very severe for Europe.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Markus
Skybird
06-24-22, 10:11 AM
Who knows, maybe it would be for the good of Germany in the longer run if things get worse. Maybe it would teach Germans a sense of realism again, and they rediscover the deeper wisdom in "first things first". Too much "mindf###ing" (Fritz Perls) over here, and since too long. All that hyper-intellectual weeds must finally be weeded out again. Suffering and pain can be formidable teachers. A stalling paymaster also means the EU must dramatically rethink its so far mostly stupid priorities.
It seems real pain and agony are the only things left that may hold at least the chance to make Brussels and Berlin actually think again.
--------------
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galuschenko has offered to supply nuclear power to Germany. Since March 16, Ukraine has synchronized its energy grid with the Association of European Transmission System Operators; "thus, Ukraine can become an outsourcer of electricity for Germany," Galuschenko wrote in a guest article for "Wirtschaftwoche." This would create "a kind of insurance cushion in times of weather-related declining generation from solar and wind power plants."
Germany and Ukraine could benefit from the different time and climate zones. The time difference between Kiev and Berlin is one hour, which means that the electricity consumption peaks of the two countries also differ by one hour, Galuschenko wrote further. This, he said, would allow Germany to "buy Ukrainian electricity more cheaply when demand for it declines or there is a significant surplus of green generation." Ukraine, in turn, could buy German wind power in times of surplus.
Moving away from Russian energy is "a gigantic challenge" for Germany and it is "becoming more and more urgent," the minister further wrote in Wirtschaftswoche. "But Ukraine can support Germany in this Herculean task." Nuclear energy, according to the minister, makes up more than 50 percent of Ukraine's central
----------------------------
The German government wants to provide Ukraine with additional self-propelled howitzers to defend against the Russian attack. To this end, talks are underway with the Netherlands as well as another European partner, as Deutsche Presse-Agentur learned Friday from defense ministry circles in Berlin.
Ukraine has so far received seven pieces of the howitzer 2000 tank from Germany and five of the weapon systems from the Netherlands. Kiev had stated that a total of 18 howitzers - six more models - could be used to equip a complete Ukrainian artillery battalion. In Berlin, there is a firm will to fulfill the request if partners also deliver, so that Germany would deliver three or only two more weapon systems, dpa was told.
In our news we have this scrolling at the bottom of the screen going from right to left and there I could read.
Kremlin planning terrorist attack on Mozyr to draw Belarus into the war.
(This information came from UA intelligence)
This made me think-Well If there's one country who's expert on False flag operation then it is Russia.
Edit
Found the English article
Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) is planning to conduct a series of artillery and missile strikes on the Mozyr Oil Refinery, as well as civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. The attacks will be accompanied by explosions in residential buildings, hospitals and schools."
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/24/7354451/
End edit
Markus
In our news we have this scrolling at the bottom of the screen going from right to left and there I could read.
Kremlin planning terrorist attack on Mozyr to draw Belarus into the war.
(This information came from UA intelligence)
This made me think-Well If there's one country who's expert on False flag operation then it is Russia.
Edit
Found the English article
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/24/7354451/
End edit
Markus
Saw this "Kremlin planning a terrorist attack on ... to draw Belarus into the war." so many times will never happen there is no need for false flags Belarus is one of the axis that played their role in this invasion of Ukraine Belarus is Russian controlled by a Kremlin puppet. Why Belarus is not in Ukraine yet is that they cannot because their army is not capable for invasions.
Skybird
06-24-22, 11:20 AM
Putin does not care for troops being capable or not. He also does not care for his own troops, or that they are being lied to and lured into the slaughterhouse, or contracts given on a basis of lies. He wants Belarus to throw troops into the fire, Basta!, even if the Ukrainiasn would slaughter them, the Ukrainians still would need to dipatch troops for that - troops hat they cannot send elsehwhere. Also, Putin wants Lukashenko to finally pay his bloody debts to Putin.
Numbers, towarischtsch, numbers!
Putin does not care for troops being capable or not. He also does not care for his own troops, or that they are being lied to and lured into the slaughterhouse, or contracts given on a basis of lies. He wants Belarus to throw troops into the fire, Basta!, even if the Ukrainiasn would slaughter them, the Ukrainians still would need to dipatch troops for that - troops hat they cannot send elsehwhere. Also, Putin wants Lukashenko to finally pay his bloody debts to Putin.
Numbers, towarischtsch, numbers!
As with any anticipation of “false flags” etc. I would want to see evidence that any actual planning or preparation for this took place before giving it credence. Even with the Russian numbers, they hardly advance Ukraine fight this like they fought their revolution, they are prepared to sacrifice their lives for freedom. Russian soldiers are only there for the money, most are from the poorest parts of the federation.
As with any anticipation of “false flags” etc. I would want to see evidence that any actual planning or preparation for this took place before giving it credence. Even with the Russian numbers, they hardly advance Ukraine fight this like they fought their revolution, they are prepared to sacrifice their lives for freedom. Russian soldiers are only there for the money, most are from the poorest parts of the federation.
I would say you are both right.
Before and during the war there have been some rumours about false flag operations(seem to remember a few)How many of these has been real-I don't know.
Belarus does not need to have hundred of thousands of soldier-20-40000 is enough to draw Ukrainian soldiers from the 2450 km long front in south and southeast Ukraine -Soldiers who is needed there.
Markus
Catfish
06-24-22, 12:23 PM
I do not quite believe this, but .. we will see.
IF it happens i hope no one will believe it.
I would say you are both right.
Before and during the war there have been some rumours about false flag operations(seem to remember a few)How many of these has been real-I don't know.
Belarus does not need to have hundred of thousands of soldier-20-40000 is enough to draw Ukrainian soldiers from the 2450 km long front in south and southeast Ukraine -Soldiers who is needed there.
MarkusSee, hear of no buildup by Belarus also do not think they got those numbers ready for active service. Most soldiers are conscripts, serving for a period of 18 months if there is a mobilization we would know the Belarus resistance would notice that, and we saw Russia try it certain Belarus will make same mistakes probable worse.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko likely cannot afford the domestic consequences of involving his limited military assets in a costly foreign war. Unsupported Belarusian forces are additionally highly unlikely to be effective, and Russia lacks the reserves necessary to conduct another offensive toward Kyiv. These exercises are undoubtedly intended to posture and threaten Ukrainian border areas, but are unlikely to preempt actual involvement in hostilities. ( https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-23 )
I do not quite believe this, but .. we will see.
IF it happens i hope no one will believe it.We do not need to believe it, it is for the belarus public opinion to believe it BWaahhh Belarus people do not believe anything this dictator tells them.
You may spit out your coffee when you read this: "Russia is firing more than 60,000 shells per day — 10 times more than the Ukrainians."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/24/ukraine-ammunition-russian-sabotage-artillery/
A Jewish, Russian-speaking Ukrainian and a son of Kharkov. This is how he describes himself; 'Tor', commander of the 226th battalion of the territorial defense of the second city of Ukraine. Retired soldier 'Tor' has been fighting since the first day of the war without a single day's break. "As long as the war goes on, we have no leave," he says in a trench in the second line of defense near Kharkov, where he has taken us. A kilometer or two or three away, Russian artillery shells explode.
"They use the same tactics and strategy as in 1943," Tor explains. First heavy artillery shelling to destroy the fortifications. And when everything is broken or damaged, they send infantry. According to him, the Russians do not use modern war tactics. "They enter Ukraine like flies to the ****. There is very good soil here. They have problems with their agriculture. That's why they want our land." He fervently hopes for a quick victory. Not only for his country, certainly for personal reasons: "I want to see my grandchildren. They live abroad, and I can't leave the country. So we have to win, and then I can see them."
10 percent of the men in his unit of "a few hundred" men have now been killed or wounded. And yet he has no shortage of men. "The recruitment of new people is going fine. There are numerous residents of Kharkov who want to defend their city." 'Tor' then takes us to Saltivka, a high-rise neighborhood on the outskirts of Kharkov. The neighborhood has been hit hard by everything the Russian military can shoot with; plane bombs, cluster munitions, artillery shells and cruise missiles. Several times, he sighs deeply to hold back tears. "This hurts," he says softly. "This is my native soil. My ex-wife is from there. My children were born there. This is my place." A little way down the road, he even points to a grove where he had sex for the first time.
The almost total destruction of his neighborhood is a major motivation for his actions as a soldier. "What is victory?" he finally asks himself. "You destroy your enemy and recapture territory. That's one side of victory. The other side is the moral side. For example, when my 5-year-old grandson says he is Ukrainian." Commander Tor fights with his 226th battalion against the Russians near Kharkov, the city where he grew up. A report by David Jan Godfroid from the trenches.
Ammunition is being taken out of Belarus to Russia. The Community of Railway workers of Belarus reports that loading of ammunition into 100 boxcars for the transportation of explosive materials (Class 1) began in Belarus. The boxcars were rented from the Belarusian Railways by the Department of Military Communications of Belarus and the Central Department of Military Communications of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to the Community of Railway workers of Belarus, these boxcars will be used for the transportation of ammunition from Belarus to Russia.
It is reported that at the moment the loading is being held at many large artillery bases of weapons and ammunition. For example, loading operations are held at the military base 67878 (the 46th arsenal of missiles and ammunition) in the village of Bronnaya Hara.
“The amount of ammunition is so large that they can’t organize loading by themselves and send servicemen from other units to help,” the Community says. After the loading, groups of boxcars (6-10 cars each) are sent to stations of the Minsk railway junction, and there they are “hitched” to usual freight trains. Then they’re sent to destination stations in Russia along the route Minsk - Orsha - junction Krasnoye - Smolensk.
https://twitter.com/MotolkoHelp/status/1540354447163146240
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the first time revealed the names of the commanders of the troops in Ukraine.
https://i.postimg.cc/j2zqwWVf/FWCY0gc-Xo-AEw-OFM.jpg
The southern group of the Russian troops, which fought in Zolote and Hirske, is commanded by the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Space Forces of the Russian Federation, Serhii Surovikin. And the group "Center" is led by Colonel General Oleksandr Lapin (this group is also known by the tactical letter "O" and advanced on the Luhansk region and Lyman from the north).
Another massive bombardment outside Sloviansk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjOtfUlD-B4
Markus
Skybird
06-25-22, 06:01 AM
The NZZ describes the sober reality of Ukrainian fighters. Grim. Exhausting. If it continues like this, they will lose. Russian artillery firepower simply is too overwhelming and superior.
[ On a sidenote, NATO wants its members to hold ammunition reserves for 30 days. Laughable, isn't it when you see this war. And Germany's reserves are practically emptied. I bet it only is a bit better in some other European NATO member states. ]
----------------
For months, Ukrainian troops in the Donbass have been fighting against a materially superior enemy. Faced with high casualties and a lack of weapons, the situation is becoming increasingly precarious for the soldiers. This is also having an impact on morale.
"We only have our Kalashnikovs and a few anti-tank weapons, nothing else," says Volodimir Babenkо. The captain of the National Guard already fought in 2014. But it has never been as tough as it is now. "We lost so many men," he says. Babenkо's unit has been stationed in Severodonetsk, the hardest-fought town on the entire front line, in recent days. In this dreary industrial town in the Donbass, Russians and Ukrainians are firing shells and rockets at each other at point-blank range.
It's hell there, says Babenkо, who has retreated with his men to the neighboring town of Lisichansk for a few days. Now the soldiers sit on the grass in the shade of a prefabricated building and smoke cigarettes. On the ammunition box in front of them are empty cans of food. The men look battered. Almost all of them wear bandages, their faces are dirty and their looks tired and empty. One can only guess what they went through in Severodonezk.
"For every shell of ours, the Russians shoot down ten," Babenkо says. His troops, he says, are completely outnumbered and outgunned. "Without help, we can pack up and retreat all the way to Lviv right now," one of the soldiers interjects.
Indeed, the pressure from the Russians on the other bank of the Donets River is enormous. The rumble of artillery can be heard again and again across the river, and the bridges between the two cities have long since been destroyed. You can only cross by boat or by swimming, says Babenkо. And that, too, only with enormous losses.
In Lisitschansk, meanwhile, the calm before the storm prevails. The city is deserted, the few civilians are hibernating in cellars, and the streets are littered with rubble and burned-out cars. Soldiers are everywhere. If Severodonetsk falls, this will be the next place to fight. Already troops are preparing, digging trenches and bringing supplies into the city as far as they can.
But to hold it, the Ukrainians need heavy weapons: Artillery, drones, more ammunition and armored personnel carriers. Because four months after the Russian invasion, the front line in the Donbass lacks everything. His army is losing up to 200 soldiers a day, Ukrainian President Selenski said recently.
Many observers estimate the loss figures to be even higher. Like a steamroller, the barrage of Russian artillery is overrunning the Ukrainians. After their troops successfully repelled the Russians in front of Kiev and Kharkiv, Moscow's superiority now threatens to suffocate them in the Donbass.
"We have almost only soldiers lying here," says Vitaly Yaroslavovich, who works as a military surgeon at the civilian hospital in Kramatorsk, just twenty kilometers behind the front lines. "The men are brought in terribly battered, with shrapnel wounds, shattered limbs and severe head injuries."
But it's not just the serious cases that are in the clinic; there are also patients like Serhi, who broke his arm when he had to change positions during the night. "We've been on the front lines for weeks, constantly being shot at and hardly ever sleeping," says the 36-year-old. "In such a state, you're broken, overtired, and something like this can happen."
Serhi, who is actually from western Ukraine, fought as a tank destroyer. In the process, he repeatedly witnessed his comrades reaching their limits. "Especially the young, freshly recruited soldiers are worn down by the constant shelling," he says. Some are so shocked that they have to be withdrawn immediately. "We are therefore literally bleeding to death."
In addition to the heavy personnel losses, there are also material losses. Thousands of vehicles have been lost, and volunteers have long since been buying up the market for used off-road vehicles throughout Europe in order to procure cars for the front. There is even a shortage of ammunition, as most of the weapons factories in the country have been destroyed, and it is almost impossible to find suitable bullets abroad for the Soviet-era weapons.
Western weapons, on the other hand, are still arriving in far too small numbers. This is not only noticeable in the Donbass, but also on the other sections of the front. North of Mariupol, for example, where the line runs through lovely villages and fields, Ihor's anti-aircraft unit is struggling. It no longer has a single missile. "A few days ago, we shot down a Russian helicopter with our last Igla," the 41-year-old says proudly. "Now we are waiting for supplies."
But this one does not come. Instead, the men have to improvise. They drive to the front in their own car, a rickety Lada from 1984, and they also put together their own uniforms and helmets. Normally, a three-man team like Ihor's should cover no more than a kilometer of front. "Here, we are now responsible for four," he says.
The situation is similarly grim for the mortar troops, who have taken shelter in an abandoned homestead and are running low on Bulgarian shells. "Not only do we need new mortars to be able to fire at longer ranges, but we also need the appropriate optics systems," says the 29-year-old, tree-length commander of the battery. "All too often, one arrives without the other."
Fortunately, the Russians are keeping quiet in this section at the moment. There is an eerie silence in the shattered villages immediately adjacent to the front lines. Pigs live in the abandoned houses. Everywhere there is a bestial stench, and in one of the front gardens lies the decomposing corpse of a Russian soldier. "Most of our fighters here come from areas occupied by the Russians," says one of the officers in charge. "They are actually eager to attack, because the opportunity would be good. But they can't because of the lack of heavy weapons."
Morale is not still so intact everywhere. After months of hard fighting and an enormously high blood toll, some soldiers are no longer willing to simply accept the precarious supply situation. In recent weeks, for example, videos of entire units announcing that they would not continue to fight if the situation did not change soon have repeatedly appeared on the Internet.
"I wouldn't go that far," says Andri, who serves as an infantryman with the Territorial Defense and is also stationed in Donbass. "Still, I'm angry with our government. Our army was broken for years and not properly equipped. We were simply not well prepared for this war. Now we have to take the rap for it."
Andri's unit is north of Slowyansk. Here, too, the Russians are pushing toward the Ukrainian lines, and here, too, everything is lacking. But there is another problem: "Many of the locals here don't like us. They see us as strangers and blame us for the war," Andri says.
In fact, the old women in the prefab neighborhood where the troops have taken up short-term residence eye the soldiers with suspicion. "They should all go away," says one of them. "We want this to finally be over."
Most residents of the Donbass speak Russian. That doesn't make them supporters of Moscow. Still, among those who have not fled, there are those who sympathize with Russia. "They're just waiting for us to get out of here," Andri says. Some would even tell the enemy the positions of Ukrainian troops. "I don't understand it," says another soldier who also guards a checkpoint near Slovyansk. "If they don't like it here, let them just go to Russia."
The soldiers look suitably fatigued and jaded. When they're not fighting, they're glancing at their cell phones or listening to music. Many no longer want to talk about the war. Instead, they often just say monosyllables like, "It's okay," or "that's just the way war is." The whole country, it seems, has now settled in for a long fight. The trains that leave the East for the West at night are full of soldiers on furlough.
Many act tough, wearing tattoos and sunglasses. But for just as many, the war is wreaking havoc. "There are no psychologists in our army to take care of this," says Oleh Ladnyuk. "That's why this is left to us." A Catholic priest, he serves as a chaplain in the army.
Since the start of the war, he has been in the front lines almost all the time, ministering to both civilians and soldiers. "Some ask me to pray for them," he says. "Even if they don't want to talk about it, I can feel that they are afraid. I try to comfort them as much as I can."
Military chaplain Oleh Ladnyuk also deals with soldiers' traumas.
In addition, he said, many soldiers are angry and full of hatred. He has talked to them about this again and again, Ladnyuk says. "I tell them that killing is part of war. But also that they should show mercy and treat the wounded or captured Russians well." That doesn't always go over well, he said. He was all the more relieved, he said, when a unit he spoke to actually took it to heart. "I told them you can be a good Christian even in these dark times."
Babenkо and his men in Lisichansk, on the other hand, have completely different problems for the time being. They have to return to the front line shortly and need artillery fire support to do so. But one of the so urgently needed self-propelled howitzers has not arrived. The vehicle is stuck on a country road a few kilometers behind the front.
"The steering doesn't work anymore, the damn thing just goes straight," says one of the men who were supposed to drive the fifty-year-old Soviet 2S1 howitzer into battle. Later, he is joined by the battery's commander, a broad-legged guy in sunglasses and a baseball cap turned backwards. Hard, Ukrainian hip-hop comes out of his Toyota Land Cruiser.
Of the 18 self-propelled howitzers formerly in his unit, only 5 are still combat-ready. "Tell your people in Switzerland we need Paladin howitzers, M777 guns and ammunition, and fast," he says, before giving the order to tow the broken unit away for repairs.
Babenkоs unit can't wait that long. The men return to Severodonetsk shortly thereafter. A few days later, when they finally withdraw, four more of them are dead. They could not stop the breakthrough of the Russians.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (http://www.DeepL.com/Translator) (free version)
From liveuamap
50°27′N 30°31′E
Ukrainian Military intelligence: 6 Russian Tu-22M3 launched 12 Kh-22 cruise missiles from Belarusian airspace from near Petrykov town near Mozyr in a provocation to drag Belarus in to the war
Markus
Jimbuna
06-25-22, 07:50 AM
Ukrainian forces have been ordered to withdraw from Severodonetsk, according to the top regional official.
The eastern city has endured weeks of bombardment, as Russian forces try to take complete control of the region.
A Ukrainian retreat would be significant because it would leave all of Luhansk under Russian control, except for the city of Lysychansk.
Luhansk, a mainly Russian-speaking region in east Ukraine, is a key priority for President Vladimir Putin.
Together with the Donetsk region it makes up what is collectively known as the Donbas - a large, industrial area which has been the focus of a Russian-backed separatist movement since 2014.
Jimbuna
06-25-22, 07:54 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXYnv6J5ozQ
Jimbuna
06-25-22, 08:13 AM
At the NATO summit in Madrid, Poland will advocate for an increase in the Alliance's presence in the country against the background of Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, this was announced by the Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak in an interview with polskatimes.pl.
"We are looking for more troops and we want to increase the readiness of allied forces in the event of a threat. I confirm that we are trying to deploy a brigade group in Poland within NATO structures. For several years now, we have been accepting American soldiers on Polish soil, their number is increasing, and maintaining this permanent presence is one of my priorities, "said the Deputy Prime Minister.
He added that each NATO summit identifies priorities and directions for developing the Alliance's capabilities in the coming years. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3350165
Ukrainian army must give up Severodonetsk, what does this mean?
The Russian capture of Severodonetsk will be a major setback for Kyiv, but whether it is a decisive turnaround in the war over the Donbas remains to be seen. After weeks of fighting over one of the main targets in the Donbas, the governor of the Luhansk region said Friday that a withdrawal was imminent. The Ukrainian military that still controls the area in the industrial zone has been ordered to take up new positions elsewhere, according to Governor Serhi Hajdaj. Where the soldiers will go is still unclear. 'There is no point in continuing to take positions that have been shattered for months, just to stay there,' Hajdaj said in a resigned tone. If Severodonetsk falls into the hands of the Russian army, Kyiv will have lost almost all of Luhansk. The Russians, backed by Ukrainian separatists, still have to capture nearby Lysychansk. But even the fall of this city seems to be only a matter of time. The Ukrainian army has had to watch in recent days as the Russians steadily advance towards Lysychansk from the south. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the Russian army is said to have approached the southern part of this city to within 5 kilometers. There are also reports that in the southern suburbs there is already fighting with the Ukrainian army, but this has not yet been confirmed by independent sources.
Momentum in Luhansk
The advance comes after the Russian army gained strong momentum this week. After weeks of fighting, the Russians managed to make crucial moves to finally take the last vestige of Luhansk. This included capturing village after village in the vicinity of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Artillery shelling was also stepped up. The noose around the neck of Severodonetsk in particular was thus tightened even more. If Severodonetsk falls, President Volodymyr Zelenky and the Ukrainian army leadership will be faced with the choice of whether to defend Lysychansk to the end as well. Hajdaj's words may indicate that a tactical withdrawal may also be chosen here so that the Ukrainian army can concentrate on defending the other part of the Donbas, the Donetsk region. Indeed, since the Russians will also pulverize Lysychansk with their artillery, the battle in this city is in danger of turning out the same way as in Severodonetsk and Mariupol in the south. With the outcome: a Russian victory.
'War not lost'
The big question is whether the fall of both cities will be the beginning of the end for the Donetsk region as well, and thus for the entire Donbas. Since the Ukrainian army still holds half of Donetsk, it will not be easy for the Russians to conquer this region quickly. 'Putin wanted to occupy the Donbas by May 9,' according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Koeleba. 'It is now June 24, and we are still fighting. Withdrawing from a few battles, does not mean you are losing the war altogether.' Zelensky and his generals hope that time will work in their favor. The longer they can hold off the Russians, the more time the Ukrainians have to get all the heavy Western weapons onto the battlefield. For example, this week, the Ukrainian military received the four U.S. Himars missile systems that can destroy Russian artillery up to 70 kilometers. The US decided on Thursday to send four more. The twelve advanced Dutch and German howitzers have also arrived. 'It will be a hot summer for the occupiers,' tweeted Defense Minister Oleksi Reznikov.
The Russians, for their part, want to take Donetsk as soon as possible to avoid suffering even greater losses. The U.S. military think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW (https://www.understandingwar.org/)) has been pointing out for weeks that the Russians have deployed huge amounts of military personnel and equipment in the offensive in the Donbas. And despite Russian supremacy, according to the think tank, the Ukrainians have managed to slow down and weaken the Russians. 'The battle of Severodonetsk will not prove to be a decisive Russian victory' according to the U.S. experts.
Skybird
06-25-22, 10:24 AM
That Severodonezk was lost, was clear since quite some time now. But the defenders delayed the victory for the attackers, and pushed the price upward, which was probably the purpose of the stubborness to not admit defeat earlier. Its more a tactical withdrawel, imo: pull back now so that they can continue to fight on another day.
We now need to give the HIMARS and PZH2000 some time, to see whether they indeed can make the difference that everybody seems to attribute to these systems despite their small quantities. Russian artillery superiority is overwhelming.
That Severodonezk was lost, was clear since quite some time now. But the defenders delayed the victory for the attackers, and pushed the price upward, which was probably the purpose of the stubborness to not admit defeat earlier. Its more a tactical withdrawel, imo: pull back now so that they can continue to fight on another day.
We now need to give the HIMARS and PZH2000 some time, to see whether they indeed can make the difference that everybody seems to attribute to these systems despite their small quantities. Russian artillery superiority is overwhelming.Russian artillery superiority is overwhelming, but it did not cause quick results that the Russians wanted/thought the tactical withdrawal is to the next city to defend to cause more loses for the Russians all giving Ukraine army time to send new material to the front with the new kind of weapons Ukraine can cause more damage to the Russians.
Jimbuna
06-25-22, 10:41 AM
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that the government should immediately start consultations with the European Commission on the implementation of sanctions on Kaliningrad transit.
According to Censor.NET with reference to "European Truth", Nauseda wrote about it on his Facebook page, returning from Brussels.
"The government must immediately start consultations with the European Commission so that the imposed sanctions do not harm either Lithuania's interests or international agreements. Only by working together will we make the sanctions against the aggressor country painful," Nauseda said.
He stressed that on Thursday he discussed the issue of transit with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and noted that Lithuania will not make concessions to Russia. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3350192
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk says the city is completely in the hands of the Russians. This is what the fledging mayor Stryuk says on Ukrainian television. According to the mayor, people who are still in Severodonetsk cannot just leave. They can only go to areas under the control of Russia. It is believed that about 10,000 people are still in the city, which previously had a population of 100,000.
Ukraine will do the same as Croatia did just after the civil war
Markus
Major Крот Владимир Николаевич (Krot Vladimir Nikolaevich) 59 year, Su-25 pilot, died in the air crash on June 21 near Mankovo-Kalitvenskoe, Rostov. In 1998, he finished his flying career. After the start of the war, he decided to return to active service. https://vk.com/wall-146757891_22577
https://i.postimg.cc/t4YZq0pH/FWGc-Ie-WQAEg-Fm-Z.jpg
That Severodonezk was lost, was clear since quite some time now. But the defenders delayed the victory for the attackers, and pushed the price upward, which was probably the purpose of the stubborness to not admit defeat earlier. Its more a tactical withdrawel, imo: pull back now so that they can continue to fight on another day.
We now need to give the HIMARS and PZH2000 some time, to see whether they indeed can make the difference that everybody seems to attribute to these systems despite their small quantities. Russian artillery superiority is overwhelming.Ukrainian forces have reportedly struck and destroyed another Russian ammunition depot in occupied Luhansk. Successful attacks far behind the front lines have become increasingly common as Ukraine has acquired more long-range artillery from the country’s international partners
The Russian ambassador agreed when Khalilzad said “we need an agreement” to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. When discussing the prospect of a peace deal, Antonov asked Khalilzad, “What would [the U.S.] like us to give up?” Khalilzad suggested that Antonov have dinner with the Ukrainian ambassador. In an apparent reference to Russia’s false claims that neo-Nazis are running Ukraine, Antonov asked Khalilzad: “You have a lot of Jewish guys in the United States. Why are they so tolerant of what’s happening in Kyiv?” https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/russian-ambassador-ukraine-lunch-00042228
51°58′N 29°9′E
Air Forces command: Over 50 missiles were launched last night into Ukraine, including Iskander missiles launched from Belarus
Markus
In the diplomatic power play between NATO aspirants Sweden and Finland on one side and Turkey on the other, the Kurds are at the center. Sweden in particular, according to Turkish President Erdoğan, is a hiding place for supporters of the PKK, which Sweden, the EU and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization. Stockholm's attempts to reassure Ankara are leading to growing unrest among the Kurdish community in Sweden. Some fear being extradited to Turkey.
"Am I also on Turkish President Erdoğan's extradition list?" Writer Kurdo Baksi is often called with this question since the conflict with Turkey. He has lived in Sweden for over 40 years and is seen as a mouthpiece for the Kurds in the country. "There are two lists going around here in Sweden and that makes it confusing," he says. The lists, which are shared within the Kurdish community but have not been officially released, include several names, but only one has been confirmed to be people Turkey wants to be extradited. "I try to reassure Kurds by telling them that they cannot just be deported if they have been granted asylum here, because the Swedish government is not in charge of asylum applications, but the immigration service." Baksi gets calls from both Kurdish refugees who have lived in Sweden for some time and Erdoğan-critical Turks who fled to Sweden after the failed coup in 2016. "These are often journalists and publishers, who have a temporary residence permit here," he says.
"You know for sure that you are on the list when the Swedish security service Säpo contacts you," says Turkish investigative journalist Levent Kenez, who fled in 2016 and was granted asylum in Sweden. The service visited Kenez, telling him that Turkey is demanding his extradition. But the Swedish Supreme Court declared that extradition invalid in December last year. He therefore does not fear extradition, even though he only has a temporary residence permit. Violence from fanatical Erdoğan supporters in Sweden, he and his colleagues, see as a greater risk. For example, a colleague, Turkish journalist Ahmet Dönmez, was severely beaten in a Stockholm suburb in March this year in front of his 6-year-old daughter.
Sweden and Finland are still hoping for a quick and smooth NATO process, which should see both countries officially welcomed at the summit next week in Madrid. But the chances of that happening have become uncertain because of Turkey's demands. According to Erdoğan, Sweden offers asylum to refugees with ties to the Kurdish PKK. Swedish Prime Minister Andersson emphasizes time and again that Sweden considers the PKK a terrorist organization and that this is not a new policy. For example, in 1984 Sweden was the first country, after Turkey, to put the PKK on the terror list. The European Union followed suit in 2002. At the same time, Kurdish demonstrations are allowed in Sweden. These are a thorn in Turkey's side. The conflict also revolves around Swedish ties with Kurdish groups in northern Syria, including the Kurdish militia YPG. This is seen by Turkey as an extension of the PKK. But Sweden, like the United States, supports the group in its fight against terrorist organization Islamic State. In addition, the group guards prisons where Swedish IS fighters are held.
Independent parliamentarian Amineh Kakabaveh, of Iranian-Kurdish descent, even had the Swedish government put it in black and white late last year that ties with Kurdish groups in Syria are being strengthened. Finally, Erdoğan is demanding that Finland and Sweden drop the arms embargo against Turkey. That ban was imposed by the two countries after Turkey began military action against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in 2019. Sweden is struggling with Ankara's stance. The government is trying to emphasize that it understands Turkish concerns, but at the same time does not want to affect the principles of the Swedish rule of law. In addition, it is a political balancing act for the Andersson government. The Social Democratic Party enjoys great support among the Kurdish community. Bending along in exchange for Turkish support could therefore affect the parliamentary elections in September. "Many Kurds in Sweden are worried about what consequences this Swedish strategy will have" according to Besir Kavak, who works for Kurdish Radio in Stockholm. "According to some Kurds here, the Swedish government is no longer able to criticize Turkey and raise human rights violations as it used to."
51°58′N 29°9′E
Air Forces command: Over 50 missiles were launched last night into Ukraine, including Iskander missiles launched from Belarus
MarkusAt a meeting with Lukashenko, Putin promised to transfer Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus "In next few months we will transfer Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus which can use both ballistic and cruise missiles and both in ordinary and nuclear versions," said Putin.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russia-review-december-1-2021-%E2%80%93-january-11-2022
https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Ukraine%20Invasion%20Forecast%20Series%20Part%201% 20ISW%20CT%20December%202021.pdf
These are ballistic missiles fired from a truck can cover distances of up to 500 kilometers and be equipped with a conventional or nuclear warhead. Each truck can carry two. President Putin made the promise at a televised meeting with Belarusian President Lukashenko. Lukashenko said his country feels threatened by Poland and Lithuania. "They are bent on a confrontation. You can feel that, especially in Ukraine. We know that most of the mercenaries there are from Poland." He also pointed to Lithuania's blocking of goods destined for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. "That is something like a declaration of war. It is unacceptable." Lukashenko asked Putin if Russia wants to make Belarusian fighter jets nuclear-capable. Putin said he sees no reason for that, but that the Belarusian Su-25s could be updated in Russia if necessary.
Will never happen or not in the next couple of years.
Someone said he had seen in the news that Ukrainian fighter pilot want fighter jet from the West F-15 and/or F-16.
Can't remember which one of you who wrote-Flying a MIG is one thing taking the step to F-15/16 is huge and will take years to learn.
Secondly I think it would mean crossing some line.
Markus
Will never happen or not in the next couple of years.
Someone said he had seen in the news that Ukrainian fighter pilot want fighter jet from the West F-15 and/or F-16.
Can't remember which one of you who wrote-Flying a MIG is one thing taking the step to F-15/16 is huge and will take years to learn.
Secondly I think it would mean crossing some line.
MarkusIt is not that Russia has air superiority, they avoid Ukraine air force and fear AA systems would take too long to train NATO jets better give them more long range artillery systems those are more useful in this stage of the battle.
Who is Who?
https://i.postimg.cc/gjc220n4/FWGDj-CLXk-AEs-L3-K.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/W4MNmZZX/tsar-nicholas-ii.jpg
What comes next? Putin reappearing like Peter the Great?
So this man Lukashenko has said Lithuania has declared Russia war due to this blockade.
No I do not take this serious in any way.
Edit
Did not see Dargo mention it before I wrote this ^ comment.
I have never seen so many flares during one evening in the war over Sloviansk-They keep on coming
End edit
Markus
So this man Lukashenko has said Lithuania has declared Russia war due to this blockade.
No I do not take this serious in any way.
Edit
Did not see Dargo mention it before I wrote this ^ comment.
I have never seen so many flares during one evening in the war over Sloviansk-They keep on coming
End edit
MarkusLukashenko practice more stupid than Putin do not worry... https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/25/7354646/
Lukashenko practice more stupid than Putin do not worry... https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/25/7354646/
As I said I do not take this serious.
This is only a thought-Could Lukashenko feel that he has a great chance against the little country Lithuania ?
I am convinced Belarus will be part of the war-If it's in Ukraine or against Lithuania or Poland I don't know.
It has nothing to do with they does not have enough manpower or material.
Lukashenko will act-and I still don't take it serious.
Markus
Skybird
06-25-22, 07:02 PM
Russia modernized nuclear bunkers in Kaliningrad from 2016 to 2018. Afterwards theys stationed Iskanders there, and with very, very high probability nuclear warheads for them as well.
Russia also has established very strong long range air defences there. The purpose is not only to protect the Russian headquarters of the Baltic fleet, but to deny NATO aerial access to the Baltic states and much of Poland. The SAM shieold is said to reach almost one third of Poland.
If there is a prime target on which to test how effective F-35s really are, then here.
The US has reactivated a nuclear unit from the cold war and sent it back to Germany. It was reported some months ago over here that this unit already has also gotten nuclear weapons again, in Germany.
Belarus may not be ab le to decide a war in its faovurl, but it certainly cna be an annoyanc, forcing the West or the Ukraine to divert forces to have an eye on it.
Two fascist old men who feel life dripping out of their scaled venes and realise death's cold breath right in their face. Oh man.
https://img.welt.de/img/politik/ausland/mobile237188597/5612501467-ci102l-w1024/DWO-AP-Raketen-Reichweite-Kaliningrad-sk-01-01.jpg
Iskanders are not the only tactical missile threat from Kaliningrad. There is also a (nuclear) cruise missile named 9M729 Novator stationed in Kasliningrad, which the US is sure of violating the INF treaty that prohibits landbased nuclear wepaons in the range segment from 500-5500 km . The presence of these weapons is known since 2019.
Practically all of Europe is in Russia's nuclear crosshairs.
https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/kaliningrad-exclave/
Jimbuna
06-26-22, 01:16 PM
Dozens of Russian missiles have struck targets across Ukraine, with the capital Kyiv enduring the heaviest barrage in months.
A Kyiv apartment block was destroyed, killing at least one and wounding six others including a seven-year-old girl.
Ukraine says 14 missiles were fired at the Kyiv region on Sunday, but the strikes extended far beyond the city.
Other areas included the central city of Cherkasy, where one person died, and the north-eastern Kharkiv region.
The strikes came as leaders of the G7 group of the world's richest nations began a three-day summit in Bavaria, southern Germany, with the war in Ukraine top of the agenda. They are expected to promise further military support for Kyiv and impose more sanctions on Moscow.
"We have to stay together," US President Joe Biden told Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz just before the summit at Schloss Elmau.
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been counting on it from the beginning, that somehow Nato would, and the G7 would splinter and... but we haven't, and we're not going to.
"So, we can't let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it," President Biden said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61943252
Jimbuna
06-26-22, 01:18 PM
Boris Johnson has said leaders must be honest about rising costs due to the Ukraine war, but said the price of Russia succeeding was "far higher".
He said world leaders understand they must remain united with Kyiv despite fears of war fatigue.
Allies were "making the sacrifice" over rising food and energy costs because "the price of freedom is worth paying," he said.
The PM is at the G7 summit as he faces pressure over his leadership at home.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61938351
Jimbuna
06-26-22, 01:32 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WphpzpN2Dzo
Jimbuna
06-26-22, 01:33 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsLyRElQ1qs
Jimbuna
06-26-22, 01:49 PM
LONDON (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week, Russian state television reported on Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's Feb. 24 invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and led to severe financial sanctions from the West, which Putin says are a reason to build stronger trade ties with other powers such as China, India and Iran.
Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow.
Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow.
In Dushanbe, Putin will meet Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon, a close Russian ally and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. In Ashgabat, he will attend a summit of Caspian nations including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan, Zarubin said.
Putin's last known trip outside Russia was a visit to the Beijing in early February, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a "no limits" friendship treaty hours before both attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.
Russia says it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 to degrade its neighbour's military capabilities, keep it from being used by the West to threaten Russia, root out nationalists and defend Russian-speakers in eastern regions. Ukraine calls the invasion an imperial-style land grab.
Catfish
06-26-22, 03:05 PM
The news "approach" via Tucker Carlson and others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x0O_oObJBU
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 06:33 AM
Russia is poised to default on its debt for the first time since 1998, further alienating the country from the global financial system after sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine.
The country missed a deadline of Sunday night to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments of $100m (£81.2m) on two eurobonds due originally on 27 May, Bloomberg reported on Monday morning.
Some Taiwanese holders of Russian eurobonds said on Monday that they had not received interest payments due, two sources told Reuters.
Official confirmation of the default was expected to come from international ratings agencies.
Russia’s efforts to avoid the default hit a insurmountable roadblock in late May when the US treasury department’s office of foreign assets control (OFAC) effectively blocked Moscow from making payments.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/russia-defaults-on-debt-for-first-time-since-1998-%e2%80%93-reports/ar-AAYUof9?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBoPWjQ
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 06:51 AM
Tracking where Russia is taking Ukraine's stolen grain
Russian forces have been repeatedly accused of stealing grain from Ukrainian farmers in occupied areas as well as other crops such as sunflower seeds, along with fertiliser and agricultural equipment. The BBC has spoken to farmers, analysed satellite images and followed tracking data to look for evidence of where stolen grain is going.
https://www.bbc.com/news/61790625
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 06:54 AM
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is dominating proceedings so far on the second day of the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants the war to be over before winter and urged G7 leaders to keep the pressure on Russia; he also appealed for more heavy weapons, anti-aircraft defence systems and further sanctions, in an address to leaders
In a joint statement, G7 leaders have pledged to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and leaders have told Russia it must allow free passage of food from Ukraine
Speaking from the summit, UK PM Boris Johnson has told the BBC "the price of freedom is worth paying" in supporting Ukraine, and that help must continue to be offered to rebuild its economy, export grain and protect its citizens
The US has said the G7 group will issue a statement of support for Ukraine, including new sanctions commitments, with gold, oil and tariffs likely to be a focus
It comes as civilians have been told to leave the eastern city of Lysychansk, the last major city still held by Ukrainian troops in the Luhansk province
Meanwhile, Russia's says its reported debt default is not "its problem" as it says the payment has been made, but not passed on to creditors, because of Western sanctions
Catfish
06-27-22, 08:47 AM
‘Comrade Hitler’ and Other Russian Fantasies
"For over a decade, Russian society has been bombarded with hardcore, revanchist propaganda. The West did not take note.
A typical Russian soldier who is fighting now in Ukraine is about 20 years old. He was born under Vladimir Putin, went to school under Vladimir Putin, was conscripted, and died, or lost his limbs, under Vladimir Putin."
https://cepa.org/comrade-hitler-and-other-russian-fantasies/
Skybird
06-27-22, 09:23 AM
There is a big difference between Russia "defaulting", and defaulting ciandate sin the past, say Argentine. Argentine back then was bancrupt. Russia is anything but bancrupt: is has a national debt rate of only 20% (swallow that, Europe, US...), has big reserves in gold., and finds many willing parezner sint he world despite the West's urgent effort to isolate it. But it isn't isolated. And it doe sbusiness - by its terms and conditions, in roubels. The ro9uble was brought under ocntorl, but having had a spike of inetrest rates up to 20% to bring inflaiton unde rcontrol, and then it was dripped again. So fra trh eRussian centrla bansk has had a good and effective return and answer to anything the West threw at it.
So the "defualting"now hardly is a defaulting at all.The west is just getting more and more clueless on what else it could do to mount pressure on Russia. while the sanctions had so far do more damage to Europe than they do to Russia, apparently.
Thats the problem with sanctionising someobdy, in order of that working, that somebody must be dependent. Sanckjtons must be dishe dout not form a posiiton of mutual dpeendency aor equality, but from a position of unilateral strength. This is not the case regarding the EU and Russia. Russia is not dependanet, in its key areas of selfmaintenance, it is autark. To do damage by sanctions against such a tough rock you need to either go All in and have utmost maximum sanctions from day one on and without any compromise (and even then you are not sure to get what you want if you are not stronger than the other) - or you must not even care to get started. The half-baked compromises and long delays in Western sanctions do more pain to us then to them!
In other words: we messed it up once again.
Either you do it right and fully determined, or you do not even need to get started. Russia has adapted - and now can outsit us for the duration of this war.
It seems India sells now oil it bought cheap from Russia, to Europe, at much higher price. First they tried to dismiss this as a fake news over here, but apparently its true. :haha:
I would favour to have the financial situation of Russia over that of France Italy, Greece and some others every time I get asked.
There is a big difference between Russia "defaulting", and defaulting ciandate sin the past, say Argentine. Argentine back then was bancrupt. Russia is anything but bancrupt: is has a national debt rate of only 20% (swallow that, Europe, US...), has big reserves in gold., and finds many willing parezner sint he world despite the West's urgent effort to isolate it. But it isn't isolated. And it doe sbusiness - by its terms and conditions, in roubels. The ro9uble was brought under ocntorl, but having had a spike of inetrest rates up to 20% to bring inflaiton unde rcontrol, and then it was dripped again. So fra trh eRussian centrla bansk has had a good and effective return and answer to anything the West threw at it.
So the "defualting"now hardly is a defaulting at all.The west is just getting more and more clueless on what else it could do to mount pressure on Russia. while the sanctions had so far do more damage to Europe than they do to Russia, apparently.
Thats the problem with sanctionising someobdy, in order of that working, that somebody must be dependent. Sanckjtons must be dishe dout not form a posiiton of mutual dpeendency aor equality, but from a position of unilateral strength. This is not the case regarding the EU and Russia. Russia is not dependanet, in its key areas of selfmaintenance, it is autark. To do damage by sanctions against such a tough rock you need to either go All in and have utmost maximum sanctions from day one on and without any compromise (and even then you are not sure to get what you want if you are not stronger than the other) - or you must not even care to get started. The half-baked compromises and long delays in Western sanctions do more pain to us then to them!
In other words: we messed it up once again.
Either you do it right and fully determined, or you do not even need to get started. Russia has adapted - and now can outsit us for the duration of this war.
It seems India sells now oil it bought cheap from Russia, to Europe, at much higher price. First they tried to dismiss this as a fake news over here, but apparently its true. :haha:
I would favor to have the financial situation of Russia over that of France Italy, Greece and some others every time I get asked.Russia's failure to pay this interest now may also affect the other debts Russia has, On some of them there is a condition of early repayment if there is a default on another debt then you get a kind of snowball effect. In the longer term, this will make it harder and more expensive for Russia to borrow money. If Russia does not pay the interest, you think ten times before you lend money to Russia, and you only want to do that if you get a very high interest rate for it. And if borrowing becomes more expensive again that will also push up prices in the country further sanctions never work in the short term, it always takes time. This default does happen as a result of the sanctions. It is now becoming increasingly difficult for Putin to move in the financial markets. Ultimately, it becomes more likely that Russia will fall into a deep recession Russia will continue to function, but at a lower rate.
'Fall of Sievierodonetsk is symbolic setback'; attack on Sunday of Kiev because of G7 summit.
Last weekend's missile attacks on Kiev were probably meant to send a signal to the G7 countries meeting in Germany yesterday. "The Russian method" every time there are international events, there is an escalation. Militarily, it makes no sense for the Russians to attack Kiev. Apartment complexes and kindergartens were hit, that has no meaning militarily. It's not like the positions at that summit will change because the Russians are bombing Kiev.
Russians no longer have an offensive capability to attack areas outside the Donbas region. Much of the Donbas is already in Russian hands. Taking Sievierodonetsk, in the Lugansk region, is primarily a symbolic setback for Ukraine rather than a military-strategic gain for the Russians. The Russians mainly use a lot of long-range artillery to gain ground. They do this with very small steps per day. For Ukrainians there was nothing left but to retreat, it is that or be totally destroyed. The only tactic the Russians have left because they have virtually no infantry left. They fall back on old tactics like they had in Grozny in Chechnya: shoot everything down from a long distance. It is therefore important to Ukraine that long-range weapons from the West be delivered quickly. Because if you can take away that advantage from the Russians, they are vulnerable, they can then no longer move forward with a huge fire roll step by step.
The expectation now is that the Russians will target Lysychansk, which lies opposite Sievierodonetsk on the Donetsk River. It is the last city in the region, if they control it, they will have the whole region of Lugansk. Lysychansk hasn't been conquered just yet, because they have trouble crossing the river. They go all the way around the city, just to avoid crossing the river, this is quite a task for the army. This is not to say that the entire Donbas will be taken soon. The center of gravity is now in Lugansk, the Russians cannot easily put their heavy weapons anywhere else. That would require a difficult logistical operation, and the Russians know they would be vulnerable. Cities such as Kramatorsk and Slovyansk would also have to be conquered, and we are a long way from that point.
NATO is going to significantly increase its rapid reaction force. This will increase from approximately 40,000 to more than 300,000 men, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said before the NATO Summit that starts tomorrow in Madrid. The troops must be able to respond in a short period of time, for example, to repel an attack on NATO territory. Stoltenberg said Russia poses a direct threat to the security of NATO countries. Protecting the eastern flank is the top priority within the alliance, which currently has 30 member states, Stoltenberg said. NATO will also henceforth stop referring to Russia as a "strategic partner," as was agreed 12 years ago
The U.S. is likely to report this week that it has purchased an advanced anti-aircraft system for Ukraine. This is reported by Reuters news agency and CNN based on sources. The Ukrainians had previously requested the so-called NASAMS system developed by Norway. This gives the country more resources to defend its own airspace against missiles and aircraft. It is possible that the U.S. will also announce other new military aid this week, such as extra ammunition for artillery, artillery and radar systems that can locate enemy artillery.
Rinat Achmetov, owner of the Azov steel factory in Mariupol, among others, has sued Russia at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Ukraine's richest man wants compensation for the damage the Russian military inflicted on his businesses. Achmetov calls the weeks of bombing of his factory in Mariupol a "gross violation" of his rights as an owner. He also wants the Strasbourg court to rule on the "plunder of grain and iron by Russian troops." A Kremlin spokesman let it be known that Russia is outside the jurisdiction of the ECHR.
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 11:08 AM
The latest in an ever growing list of war crimes...
A shopping centre in east Ukraine with more than 1,000 people inside has been hit by a Russian missile strike, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.
At least two people have been confirmed dead and 20 injured according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the office of the president.
But it's feared the number of victims could increase.
Footage from the site, in the central-eastern city of Kremenchuk, shows the building ablaze, and fire crews struggling to contain the flames.
This is General Pavel, pulled out of retirement to command Russo-terrorist Special Operations Forces in the east of Ukraine. So many senior commanders have been killed and incapacitated in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that it’s down to scrape the bottom of the barrel. :D
https://i.postimg.cc/qRY9NQ1g/FWNCYGh-Xw-AIKJS0.jpg
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 11:25 AM
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on the occupiers' missile strike on Kremenchuk in the Poltava region.
He reported about it on Telegram, informs Censor.NET.
"The occupiers fired rockets at the shopping center, where there were more than a thousand civilians. The mall is on fire, rescuers are fighting the fire, and the number of victims is impossible to imagine.
No danger to the Russian army. No strategic value. Only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers.
Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens. It is useless to hope for adequacy and humanity on its part, "the statement reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3350554
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldnXCbQ6wdY
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 11:29 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixEn7fD71QE
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on the occupiers' missile strike on Kremenchuk in the Poltava region.
He reported about it on Telegram, informs Censor.NET.
"The occupiers fired rockets at the shopping center, where there were more than a thousand civilians. The mall is on fire, rescuers are fighting the fire, and the number of victims is impossible to imagine.
No danger to the Russian army. No strategic value. Only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers.
Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens. It is useless to hope for adequacy and humanity on its part, "the statement reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3350554
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldnXCbQ6wdYAs of now, there are 10 dead and more than 40 injured in the Russian attack on Kremenchuk's shopping mall, many seriously these numbers will rise.
Jimbuna
06-27-22, 11:54 AM
Most definitely :yep:
Most definitely :yep:Russia's increase in terror attacks on civilian centers may be Putin's reaction to Ukraine pounding Russia's forces, getting from the M31 GMLRS missiles the US has provided with the M270/HIMARS.
We are discussing this attack on the mall-it's a terror attack.
Can we touch Putin-Meaning arrest him and accuse him ?
No so most likely there will be a court where Putin is in absentia.
Where the only person related to Putin is his lawyer.
Markus
We are discussing this attack on the mall-it's a terror attack.
Can we touch Putin-Meaning arrest him and accuse him ?
No so most likely there will be a court where Putin is in absentia.
Where the only person related to Putin is his lawyer.
MarkusPutin will never be in a court international, even when he is gone from political life, Russia will never extradite him.
FUBAR295
06-27-22, 02:15 PM
This is General Pavel, pulled out of retirement to command Russo-terrorist Special Operations Forces in the east of Ukraine. So many senior commanders have been killed and incapacitated in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that it’s down to scrape the bottom of the barrel. :D
https://i.postimg.cc/qRY9NQ1g/FWNCYGh-Xw-AIKJS0.jpg
AKA Baron Vladimir Harkonne from Dune.
Skybird
06-27-22, 02:30 PM
Russia's failure to pay this interest now may also affect the other debts Russia has, On some of them there is a condition of early repayment if there is a default on another debt then you get a kind of snowball effect. In the longer term, this will make it harder and more expensive for Russia to borrow money. If Russia does not pay the interest, you think ten times before you lend money to Russia, and you only want to do that if you get a very high interest rate for it. And if borrowing becomes more expensive again that will also push up prices in the country further sanctions never work in the short term, it always takes time. This default does happen as a result of the sanctions. It is now becoming increasingly difficult for Putin to move in the financial markets. Ultimately, it becomes more likely that Russia will fall into a deep recession Russia will continue to function, but at a lower rate.
You are too optimistic there, because everybody knows that Russia is not bancrupt, but that only formalities hinder it to repay debts. And that they can repay them anytime if the receiver accepts Roubles. And sometimes, often, the recieier is left with Rouble payments anyway, no matter whether he likes it or not.
It does not compare to a state like Greece, Argentinew, Italy, France defaulting. These states indeed are bancrupt if they default. and then could not pay out their debtors even if they want.
Thats why the ECB wants ti introduce a new scheme, that bonds that reach the end of their term automatrically gets reinvested into new bonds, not paid back. The Euro and the Western state finance are classical snowball sytems, and hopelessly destroyed. The emperor is naked. So dont tell me how marvellous he looks in his new clothes!
The Russian central bank so far has always found a return to every Western attempt to put it under pressure. Responsible forthis is this woman:
https://www.subsim.com/images/elvira-nabiullina/28412396/3-format2020.jpg
https://www.subsim.com/images/elvira-nabiullina/28412396/3-format2020.jpg
https://image.capital.de/31815440/t/79/v2/w1440/r1/-/elwira-nabiullina.jpg
https://www.subsim.com/images/elvira-nabiullina/28412396/3-format2020.jpg
Elvira Nabiullina. Unfortunately we must admit that she is an extremely clever and determined bitch. Putin can feel lucky to have her. He is so happy with her that he forced her into a third term although she did not want after the war broke out and the Rouble fell by 30%. She then quickly raised interests to 20% and pushed the rouble to its highest level since long time, practically neutralising the effects from the sanctions completely, and making wins. The interests normalised again, and the rouble fell again and to a lower level than before the war - but FAR from the levels of the early sanction package, and where it is now, there is no threat from the rouble for the Russian economy. The sanctions failed so far to harm it seriously.
The ECB and FED could take lessons from her. Nabiullina was declared the worlds best central bank head of 2018. About the Western financial war she said: "After all, I studied economics, not fecal cleaning."
Yopu are too optjksitic there, becasue wevrybody knbows that Russia is not bancrupt, but that only formnoaitie shinder it to repay debts. And that they cna repay them anytime if the re3ceiver accepts Roubles. And sometimes, often, the reciever is left with Ruble poayments anyway, no matter whether he like sit or not.
It doe snot compoaqre to a state like Greeec,e Argentinew, Italy, france defualting. These states indeed are bancrupt fi they default. and then could not pay out their debotrs even if they want.
The Russian central bank so far has always found a return to every Western attempt to put it under pressure. Responsible for
this is this woman:
https://www.subsim.com/images/elvira-nabiullina/28412396/3-format2020.jpg
Elvira Nabiullina. Unfortunately we must admit that she is an extremely clever and determined bitch. Putin can feel lucky to have her. He is so hapopoy with her that he forced her into a third term althoguh she did not want after the war broke out and the rouble fel by 30%. She then quiockjj7umpoe dinterests to 20% and piushe dht erouble to it shighest level since long time, pratcially neutrlaising the effects formtbeh sancitons compeltely, and making wins. The interests normalised again, and the ouble fell again and to a lower levelk thna before the war - but FAR from the levels of the early sanction package, and where it is now, there is no threat form the rouble for the Russian eocnomy.
The ECB and FED could take lessons from her. Nabiullina was declared the worlds best central bank head of 2018. About the Western financial war she said: "After all, I studied economics, not fecal cleaning."I know States can not go bankrupt, but this all has an effect on Russian economy what was not so great the latest years the Russian people will get affected by this and the opinion on Putin gone change because of this.
Skybird
06-27-22, 04:40 PM
I know States can not go bankrupt, but this all has an effect on Russian economy what was not so great the latest years the Russian people will get affected by this and the opinion on Putin gone change because of this.
"So what...?"
The economy (productivity and product attractiveness) of Russia never was great. The people always lived in low standards, and get treated by the state like dirt. Putin does not care what the West thinks about him. And in case he gets replaced, it will be another dirtbag taking his seat and plundering the country and raping his neighbouring countries.
Nothing new in the Russian theatre. Everything normal and as it always has been.
The Kremlin-loyal elites - they will know how to nevertheless live in luxury, sanctions yes or no.
All what you say, affects the ordinary people. And the ordinary people do not count in Russia. Never did.
A lot of war crime has been committed today-Where many civilians in Ukraine has lost their life-And there's nothing we can do about it.
We may be lucky catching a couple of the Russians officer after the war.
Markus
"So what...?"
The economy (productivity and product attractiveness) of Russia never was great. The people always lived in low standards, and get treated by the state like dirt. Putin does not care what the West thinks about him. And in case he gets replaced, it will be another dirtbag taking his seat and plundering the country and raping his neighbouring countries.
Nothing new in the Russian theatre. Everything normal and as it always has been.
The Kremlin-loyal elites - they will know how to nevertheless live in luxury, sanctions yes or no.
All what you say, affects the ordinary people. And the ordinary people do not count in Russia. Never did.Ordinary people in Russia caused the breakdown of the USSR.
Skybird
06-27-22, 05:43 PM
Ordinary people in Russia caused the breakdown of the USSR.
No. It was the state of an economy that even by the queer Russian standards over decades had been degenerated and got overloaded by the costs of the arms race during the cold war, so that it collapsed. Or as some in the US say: Reagan arms-raced them to death.
The Russia today I see far from being that vulnerable to inner collapse. The Russian state fonds grew last month by additonal 40 bn more from oil and gas deals to a total of over 200 bn. Give and take some, thats a rise by one quarter in one month.
I currently do not see signs of Russia "economically collapsing". They have overcompensated losses from gas and oil trade suspended by the West. The sell to others, faster than the Western analysts expected they could, at lower prices than before - but in bigger quantities that overcompensate for the lower price.
The central bank buys more gold than in the months before the war.
I bet they even find weasel ways around West-delivered industrial and traffic equipment being threatened by sanctions to become unmaintainable. They will find alternatives. Either for suppliers of the needed items, or by replace the Western technology.
The sanction bomb, as the West hoped it would become one, to me more and more looks like a monumental DUD. If ot goes off, than not during this war, but afterwards. Sanctions will not do anything to shorten the war. Heck, even the US is watering them down at will if they see it in their national interest (Russian tankers still can be insured despite sanctions so that they can fight high gasoline prices in the US by still delivering some more oil.) And Biden wants to prhibit the buying of Russian gold? Well, currently the Russian central bank buys all gold that it can get. :03: And different to Dollars and Euros, that is real money. Add that advantage to the low debt rate in Russia. Compare to that in the US...
Defaulting or not, Russia will stay able to do business deals it needs - last but not least because the Western position on the ukraine is a minority position. The time when the G7 represented the lions share of the global economy, are over. Today its below 30% and is closer to around just one quarter - declining further from year to year.
As much as we have overestimated Ruissia' military capability, we sitll underestimate its economic-financial resilience.
India I predict to stay opportunistic, it will not allow to get misappropriated (? =vereinnahmt) by the West. Chiona turned pro-Russia again, after hopes it would drop Putin. Apparently it does not. And the BRICS states' ties have not eroded, as was hoped, but strengthend since the founding. What is not yet, can still become. But I'm not exactly waiting for it.
I found some deep thinking for you all to enjoy. :)
My one disclaimer is that its from a US-centric think tank. Its good info, IMO, but you should understand where its coming from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzbsPOaCrLw
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 06:23 AM
AKA Baron Vladimir Harkonne from Dune.
My exact initial thoughts :)
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 06:26 AM
World leaders vow to make Russia pay for its invasion of Ukraine at the end of the G7 summit in Germany.
"We will continue to keep up and drive up the economic and political costs of this war," Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz says.
The G7 leaders agree to work on a price cap for Russian oil, push for a ban on gold imports and call on countries not to stockpile food.
As the G7 wraps up, world leaders will travel to Madrid later for a Nato summit. They are expected to approve plans to increase the number of troops on high alert.
Ukraine’s president has denounced a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping centre as one of the "most brazen terrorist acts in European history"
Around 1,000 people were in the building in Kremenchuk on Monday when the attack happened, Volodymyr Zelensky says.
At least 18 are dead, 25 in hospital, with dozens more missing and fears the number of victims could rise.
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 06:48 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpNimldd0jg
Bilge_Rat
06-28-22, 07:41 AM
Russia's failure to pay this interest now may also affect the other debts Russia has, On some of them there is a condition of early repayment if there is a default on another debt then you get a kind of snowball effect. In the longer term, this will make it harder and more expensive for Russia to borrow money. If Russia does not pay the interest, you think ten times before you lend money to Russia, and you only want to do that if you get a very high interest rate for it. And if borrowing becomes more expensive again that will also push up prices in the country further sanctions never work in the short term, it always takes time. This default does happen as a result of the sanctions. It is now becoming increasingly difficult for Putin to move in the financial markets. Ultimately, it becomes more likely that Russia will fall into a deep recession Russia will continue to function, but at a lower rate.
well no, it is a technical default. This is not a case where Russia is unable to pay its debts. Russia has enough foreign currency reserves and income to pay all of its debts. They even tried to pay their current debts, it is the U.S. which is preventing the payments so they can say Russia is in default. This will have no long term effect on the Russian economy.
US/EU is becoming increasingly desparate since it is now obvious Ukraine is about to collapse economically/militarily unless it gets massive financial/military support which the US/EU s not willing to give, so instead they are just putting on a PR operation where they can can release "good news" to give the impression Ukraine can still win.
A good example of that is the news that Ukraine is now a EU candidate. Everyone knows that means nothing, since it would require 5-10 years and massive political/judicial/anti-corruption/economic reforms before Ukraine could besome part of the EU.
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 08:11 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I45ltQdmwo
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 12:22 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvZaA1arnzE
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 12:28 PM
Jens Stoltenberg says sanctions against Russia are the price worth paying for freedom, as Western leaders gather for a Nato summit in Madrid.
The Nato chief acknowledges many in the West are paying higher energy prices as a result.
But he warns the world will be more insecure if Russia wins in Ukraine.
World leaders at the summit are expected to approve plans to increase the number of troops on high alert.
It comes after G7 leaders set out fresh measures against Russia during a separate summit in Germany.
They agreed to work on a price cap for Russian oil, push for a ban on gold imports and they called on countries not to stockpile food.
Leaders have also been condemning Russia for a missile strike on a busy shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk that killed at least 18 people.
Bulgaria has expelled 70 from the Russian Embassy.
Russia claim they hit a weapon store and not a mall.
Markus
Jimbuna
06-28-22, 12:49 PM
Russia did not invade a sovereign country and are not at war ja ja ja
Russia did not invade a sovereign country and are not at war ja ja ja
Found an English article
-Russia on Tuesday denied hitting a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk with missiles, saying that it had struck a nearby depot of U.S. and European arms triggering an explosion which ignited a fire in the mall.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-06-28/russia-says-hit-on-weapons-depot-in-kremenchuk-caused-fire-at-shopping-center
Markus
Turkey agrees to the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. This is what Finnish President Niinistö said during the NATO summit in Spain. A source within the military alliance confirms this now that Turkey has agreed, it paves the way for the two countries to join. It seems that the Turks have been satisfied by receiving commitments in the area of counterterrorism. It also seems that Sweden and Finland are lifting their arms export bans to Turkey. These were key demands of Turkey to counter. The statement by Finland's president says that "as a NATO member, Finland will commit fully to the counterterrorism documents and policies of NATO."
Skybird
06-28-22, 02:26 PM
Finland and Sweden in. VERY good news. :Kaleun_Applaud: :Kaleun_Salute: That are really contributors of strength to NATO, the alliance really becomes stronger by this.
Finland and Sweden in. VERY good news. :Kaleun_Applaud: :Kaleun_Salute: That are really contributors of strength to NATO, the alliance really becomes stronger by this.
As I said to some friend online.
Sweden and Finland are now officially member of Nato-These two country has so to say been member unofficially.
The last decade Sweden's military has made some changes so Nato equipment/weapon can be carried by Swedish weapon system.
Markus
As I said to some friend online.
Sweden and Finland are now officially member of Nato-These two country has so to say been member unofficially.
The last decade Sweden's military has made some changes so Nato equipment/weapon can be carried by Swedish weapon system.
MarkusRussian comments in a meltdown over Turkey supporting Sweden and Finland joining NATO - "Erdoğan sold himself!", "no more tourists for Turkey!". :D
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 09:20 AM
Found an English article
Russia on Tuesday denied hitting a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk with missiles, saying that it had struck a nearby depot of U.S. and European arms triggering an explosion which ignited a fire in the mall.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-06-28/russia-says-hit-on-weapons-depot-in-kremenchuk-caused-fire-at-shopping-center
Markus
Similarly Moskva was not hit by missiles but rather a fire onboard ignited her ammunition stocks :nope:
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 09:24 AM
World leaders from the Nato defence alliance declare Russia a "direct threat" to their security at a summit in Madrid.
Allies will provide Ukraine with military and financial help and modern equipment, Nato's secretary-general says.
Jens Stoltenberg adds Ukraine can count on the alliance "for as long as it takes"
He also confirmed Nato would formally invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after Turkey dropped its opposition.
Meanwhile, at least three people have died in a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
And Ukraine's president has called on the UN to recognise Russia as a terrorist state after Monday's strike on a shopping centre in Kremenchuk killed 20
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 09:31 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOIDrX_hBDA
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 09:34 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pfv65fUlJo
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 10:38 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRs5iyYGJiU
Rockstar
06-29-22, 11:15 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pfv65fUlJo
I'm a bit hesitant to call the destruction of a supposedly abandoned shopping mall an act of terrorism. Especially considering the factory buildings next to it were probably the real target based on reports of what they may have contained.
who knows its a full on propaganda war now
Skybird
06-29-22, 11:24 AM
The Russians intentionally kill - even fleeing - civilians all the time, so such subtle sentiments maybe are a bit misplaced. Even more so since the already have bombed shopping mall, shops, bakeries and so forth, as well as schools, theatres, you name it. With people close to them and inside them.
They bomb quite a bit randomly, to spread the feeling of that nobody is never safe nowhere. A discrmination between military and non-military targets seem to not exist in their planning. In the meaning of: they do not care.
Not one bit.
But often they aim at killing civilians. Evidence enough of that we have.
Jimbuna
06-29-22, 11:25 AM
I tend to agree but admit it with a hefty slice of bias against Russia.
Rockstar
06-29-22, 01:15 PM
This isn’t an act of terrorism this is war, an invasion of a sovereign country by another. Personally I’m for sending in weapon systems that can target the source of these attacks. Will it escalate things? Hell yes it will, bring it!
Skybird
06-29-22, 11:56 PM
Thats what I thknk, too. It makes no sense to help devastating the country of the victim but leaving that of the agressor save. The war should be pushed onto the agressors soil. Its his place that should burn, not the victims. The escalating of things is completely on the invaders, from beginning on.
Bilge_Rat
06-30-22, 06:32 AM
well accusations of "terrorism" and "war crimes" are now standard in this war. It is all part of the ongoing propaganda offensive by Ukraine to try to keep the support of the public in EU/USA. However, much like the boy who cried wolf, when you claim everything is a "war crime", people just tune it out as is now increasingly happening.
Now whether the strike on the shopping centre is a "war crime" depends on the facts. If the Russians were deliberately targeting the structure to kill civilians, it is a "war crime". If the Russians were targeting a military target and accidentally hit the building, as the Russians are claiming, it is a justifiable strike and civilian casualties are just collateral damage. The truth can only be determined by an independent investigation that has access to all the relevant evidence which of course, will not happen while the war is ongoing.
Jimbuna
06-30-22, 08:38 AM
Russia says its forces have relinquished control of Snake Island in the north-western Black Sea, which has been battled over since the start of the war.
Moscow says its withdrawal is a "goodwill gesture" to facilitate grain exports - but Ukraine celebrates a victory.
UK PM Boris Johnson commits to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade.
Nato's chief says members have agreed a significant increase in funding for the alliance, on the second day of its Madrid summit.
Jens Stoltenberg says Sweden and Finland will sign the protocol to join Nato on Tuesday, though member states will then need to ratify it.
Ukraine's military has welcomed fresh Nato pledges but officials say shells are continuing to rain down in eastern Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin meanwhile accuses Nato of having imperial ambitions.
Jimbuna
06-30-22, 08:44 AM
The US will increase its military presence across Europe as Nato agreed a "fundamental shift" in its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A permanent army headquarters will be created in Poland, while new US warships will go to Spain, fighter jets to the UK and ground troops to Romania.
Mr Biden said Nato was "needed now more than it has ever been".
The alliance is having its biggest overhaul since the Cold War, Nato head Jens Stoltenberg said.
The new plan in response to Russia's invasion will mean more than 300,000 troops at high readiness next year, up from the current level of 40,000.
Mr Biden told a summit in Madrid that Nato would be "strengthened in all directions across every domain - land, air and sea".
The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has also said it is significantly increasing the availability of forces to Nato's collective defence, with more warships, fighter jets and land forces on standby - although the MoD said it would not give details on numbers as they are "militarily sensitive".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61983555
Vladimir Putin meanwhile accuses Nato of having imperial ambitions.
Actual imperialist accuses others of imperialism. :roll:
Jimbuna
06-30-22, 08:49 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is76HWa6x9o
The Russians intentionally kill - even fleeing - civilians all the time, so such subtle sentiments maybe are a bit misplaced. Even more so since the already have bombed shopping mall, shops, bakeries and so forth, as well as schools, theatres, you name it. With people close to them and inside them.
They bomb quite a bit randomly, to spread the feeling of that nobody is never safe nowhere. A discrmination between military and non-military targets seem to not exist in their planning. In the meaning of: they do not care.
Not one bit.
But often they aim at killing civilians. Evidence enough of that we have.Among the estimated 130 missiles fired since the weekend, according to Ukrainian army chief Valeri Zaluzhny, Kyiv and London in particular included many Kh-22 missiles. This is piquant because this missile developed in the 1960s is not at all intended to destroy military targets on land. With the Kh-22, the Soviet army wanted to attack the American fleet, in particular the aircraft carriers, among other things. The almost twelve-meter-long anti-ship missile has an estimated range of six hundred kilometers and flies at a speed of five times the speed of sound towards a target. After video first surfaced in May of a Toepolev firing two of these ancient missiles, London confirmed the deployment of the Kh-22 early this month. Dozens have reportedly been used since April. On top of this now come the missiles used in recent days.
'These 5,500-kilogram missiles were primarily intended to destroy aircraft carriers with a nuclear warhead,' according to the British Ministry of Defense two weeks ago. 'When deployed for ground-based attacks, with a conventional payload, they are highly inaccurate and can therefore cause significant collateral damage and civilian casualties. According to London, attacks with the Kh-22 will continue, especially as the number of high-tech weapons decreases. 'Russian military planners are most likely prepared to accept a great deal of collateral damage if they feel an attack is militarily necessary' according to the ministry.
The Turkish president can sell the agreement with Sweden and Finland as a victory at home. Have Sweden and Finland made significant concessions? 'Turkey got what it asked for,' writes the newspaper Milliyet. The Sabah newspaper talks about President Erdoğan's 'Victory in Madrid'. This already indicates that the supposed success radiates mainly to the president himself. He can use it well. He hopes to be re-elected next June, but his AK Party is in a bad way in the polls. The ailing economy does not exactly please the Turkish electorate. With his leading role in Madrid, he can present himself as the statesman who stands up for the interests of Turkey and who is taken into account on the international stage.
The text of the agreement is cleverly and carefully worded, in such a way that the parties involved can still do anything with it. The Turks can therefore give it their glorious twist, but in a concrete sense the result is especially convenient for the Swedes and Finns. After all, Ankara demanded concessions from them, measures that in part could even be in conflict with their own legislation and with the European human rights treaty. There will be no more of that now. For example, the two countries promise to process Turkish requests for the extradition of terror suspects 'quickly and thoroughly', but that in itself is an open door: of course the judiciary takes its work seriously. No promises have been made about the actual deportation of specific individuals. The same goes for "taking seriously Turkey's concerns" about terrorism. Also, an open door. The Kurdish PKK was already on the list of terrorist organizations in the European Union. The Kurdish-Syrian militia YPG is not explicitly labelled as terrorist in the text. Sweden and Finland do promise not to support the YPG, but they did not do so anyway, at least not militarily. The most concrete concession is to lift the arms embargo against Turkey, but that was largely symbolic.
Turkey is mostly about perception. They have received black-on-white international recognition of their concerns about what they sincerely see as their most important security issue, the PKK. That should not be underestimated. In addition, like so much in Turkey, it is also about the person Erdoğan. He felt disrespected by Joe Biden, who had not contacted him about NATO expansion. Now he did call, and in Madrid the two men spoke. 'Erdoğan wants a personal relationship with leaders,' says Jenny White of Stockholm University's Institute for Turkey Studies. 'The meeting with Biden is a big blow he's landed. And TV images of Erdoğan surrounded by journalists: that's exactly what he wants. A rock star.' Turkey probably didn't want to be seen as the ones who had defeated NATO expansion. They were also hoping, according to White, to get the green light from Russia for a military operation against the Kurds in northern Syria. But Moscow didn't give that, so there was no more to be gained there either. Of the Kurds in Turkey, a large proportion, sometimes almost half, have always voted for Erdoğan's AK Party. These Kurds hate the PKK, so they will have no problem with the agreement. The PKK as an armed movement is dying in Turkey, there will be no change in that either.
What the agreement means for the Kurds in northern Syria is the question. Until now, they have received political and humanitarian support, particularly from Stockholm. Swedish ministers spoke several times with leaders of the YPG and its political branch, the PYD. Such a thing will be difficult from now on. Other European countries may also want to be extra careful in their contacts with the PYD. The consequences for Kurds in Sweden and Finland are also uncertain. The agreement refers to "organizations affiliated with the PKK. These are especially active in Sweden, often under a "cultural" label. Their meetings often feature PKK flags and portraits of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. It is possible that the Swedish and Finnish authorities will exercise stricter control, but the agreement with Turkey does not explicitly mention this.
Can't remember which one of you who wrote on how the West has made some huge mistake when it comes to these sanctions against Russia.
Yet vast amounts of money continue to flow into Russian coffers, even with the sanctions slapped on Putin’s regime. He continues to use his leverage on gas to cause trouble well beyond Ukraine’s borders.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-06-30/the-money-game-is-still-going-putin-s-way
Markus
Can't remember which one of you who wrote on how the West has made some huge mistake when it comes to these sanctions against Russia.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-06-30/the-money-game-is-still-going-putin-s-way
MarkusNot since the 1930s has an economy the size of Russia’s been placed under such a wide array of commercial restrictions as those imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. But in contrast to Italy and Japan in the 1930s, Russia today is a major exporter of oil, grain, and other key commodities, and the global economy is far more integrated. As a result, today’s sanctions have global economic effects far greater than anything seen before. Their magnitude should prompt reconsideration of sanctions as a powerful policy instrument with major global economic implications.
Sanctions are not the only source of turmoil in the global economy. Energy prices have been rising since last year as the economic recovery from the pandemic encountered overburdened supply chains. Global food prices rose 28 percent in 2020 and 23 percent in 2021, and they surged 17 percent this year between February and March alone. The war has also harmed Ukraine directly, as fighting has closed the country’s Black Sea ports, blocking its exports of wheat, corn, sunflower oil, and other goods.
The effects of the loss of Ukrainian supply have been amplified by two even larger shocks: the sanctions imposed on Russia by 38 North American, European, and Asian governments and the responses to those measures by global firms and banks. This barrage of legal, commercial, financial, and technological restrictions has drastically impeded Russia’s access to the world economy. It has also vastly increased the range of commodities from both countries that are no longer finding their way onto world markets. Sweeping sanctions against Russia have combined with the worldwide supply chain crisis and the wartime disruption of Ukrainian trade to deliver a uniquely powerful economic shock. Additional sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports would magnify these effects further... https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2022/06/the-sanctions-weapon-mulder
There are so many views on this matter, we also must consider what corona has globally damaged world transport and producing we still see its effect with china in lockdowns and sanctions are no wonder weapon not have effect in months you must look in years to take effect economy is not a Holy Writ.
Skybird
06-30-22, 11:52 AM
Not since the 1930s has an economy the size of Russia’s been placed under such a wide array of commercial restrictions as those imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. But in contrast to Italy and Japan in the 1930s, Russia today is a major exporter of oil, grain, and other key commodities, and the global economy is far more integrated. As a result, today’s sanctions have global economic effects far greater than anything seen before. Their magnitude should prompt reconsideration of sanctions as a powerful policy instrument with major global economic implications.
Sanctions are not the only source of turmoil in the global economy. Energy prices have been rising since last year as the economic recovery from the pandemic encountered overburdened supply chains. Global food prices rose 28 percent in 2020 and 23 percent in 2021, and they surged 17 percent this year between February and March alone. The war has also harmed Ukraine directly, as fighting has closed the country’s Black Sea ports, blocking its exports of wheat, corn, sunflower oil, and other goods.
The effects of the loss of Ukrainian supply have been amplified by two even larger shocks: the sanctions imposed on Russia by 38 North American, European, and Asian governments and the responses to those measures by global firms and banks. This barrage of legal, commercial, financial, and technological restrictions has drastically impeded Russia’s access to the world economy. It has also vastly increased the range of commodities from both countries that are no longer finding their way onto world markets. Sweeping sanctions against Russia have combined with the worldwide supply chain crisis and the wartime disruption of Ukrainian trade to deliver a uniquely powerful economic shock. Additional sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports would magnify these effects further... https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2022/06/the-sanctions-weapon-mulder
There are so many views on this matter, we also must consider what corona has globally damaged world transport and producing we still see its effect with china in lockdowns and sanctions are no wonder weapon not have effect in months you must look in years to take effect economy is not a Holy Writ.
See the seven ingredients for the perfect storm:
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2816140&postcount=193
My favourite suspects for the desaster unfolding, are the central banks, and the govenrments. "Debt-ageddon". Inflating the circulating currencies of Euros and Dollars etc like crazy. The ECB's total assets (=Bilanzsumme) have been inflated by a factor of 8+ by the very ECB in the years since 2007-212, and national debt levels are much higher than they were before 2007-2012. The government-to-GDP ratio (=Staatsquote) is now a devastating 53%, and rising fast. There was already a high number of uncompetitive companies in the Eurozone before Corona, values of 17-22% were last cited before Corona. No one has yet calculated precisely what the ratio is today, after two Corona years, but it is likely to be 30% or higher. Typically, 20% is cited as the critical mark beyond which the zombies begin to take the rest of the economy down with them.
Sorry to spoil the part,y but one thing is clear: the world will not get off this ride intact. There's going to be destruction with plenty of small wood hacked - at matchstick length. Its called stagflation, and currency reform. It means massive, wide social decline, and state-driven mass expropriation of private savings and private property.
Of course such a step would not be welcomed by the Ukrainian
"Go to hell": the Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany Melnyk on a letter from "German intellectuals" calling for an end to support for Ukraine
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/30/7355653/
There are also people here who want Nato to stop sending weapon to Ukraine.
Markus
Skybird
06-30-22, 12:44 PM
Precht. Yogeshwar.
Vollpfosten.
But very full of themselves. True love, you know.
Skybird
06-30-22, 01:25 PM
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung:
Despite the announcement of a "new era," Germany's defense policy is not making any headway. Berlin is still concerned first with domestic sensitivities and hesitates when foreign policy accents might meet with resistance at home.
This is the case not only with the - faltering - arms deliveries to Ukraine or gas imports from Russia, but also with Germany's commitment to NATO. Despite grandiose announcements, Germany's attitude remains too hesitant.
On the surface, Germany is participating in strengthening NATO's eastern flank: 3,500 additional Bundeswehr soldiers will soon be available for Lithuania. However, these soldiers will not be stationed in Lithuania, but will remain at home in Germany. In the event of defense, they are to be deployed quickly.
At the NATO summit in Madrid, Germany prevailed with this position. Most of the additional troops for the eastern flank will remain in their home countries and will only be moved to the NATO eastern border for exercises.
This shows: Germany's defense policy, after four months of war, has still not arrived at the age of the new confrontation with Russia. The German government is not taking the decisive steps to the end.
So far, NATO has relied on deterrence by punishment in the Baltic region. Should Russia attack on its eastern flank, the few NATO troops stationed there would merely act as a tripwire. The Russian army would occupy territory, and NATO would recapture these areas by means of contingents quickly deployed there.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, however, there is a legitimate fear in the Baltics that this strategy will not work.
First, the Balts argue that every day under Russian occupation is one day too many. The war crimes in Butscha and Irpin prove them right: Russian territorial gains must be prevented in advance.
Second, the Ukrainian war has shown how recklessly Putin poses the nuclear threat - and how quickly it serves its purpose, especially in Germany. It is questionable whether the Western partners will really send reinforcements to the Baltics immediately if they risk a nuclear war by doing so.
For these reasons, NATO will now increase its rapid deployment force from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The Eastern Europeans, however, demanded that additional soldiers be permanently stationed on NATO's eastern border.
The military alliance should switch to deterrence by denial so that Putin does not even consider an attack. This would require Western partners to establish permanent military bases on the eastern flank, something Germany is not prepared to do. Once again, Berlin is perceived as a ditherer in the face of existential threats to its partners.
Military bases abroad are expensive. They place a heavy burden on the country's own soldiers. Their families have to live in another country for a long time, and the Bundeswehr would have to pay for housing and schools for the soldiers.
But if Germany takes the "turn of the times" seriously and wants to make a substantial contribution to the defense of the NATO area, it must not hesitate as soon as the military commitment becomes somewhat costly or uncomfortable.
Just as West Berlin was protected in the Cold War not by troops in North Carolina but in Germany, Vilnius will not be defended from the Lüneburg Heath. In other words: If you want to deter Russia, you can't stay at home.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
https://i.postimg.cc/zDTQFY4N/FWf1glz-Xk-AAvo-VT.jpg
Skybird
06-30-22, 02:31 PM
This map - LINK (https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/auf-dem-wasser-wie-russisches-erdoel-immer-noch-seine-kunden-findet-ld.1688145)- shows that Russian oil tankers from the Baltic reach Taiwan after a 40 days travel. The oil is sold so cheap by Russia that the long travel charter still pays off for the customer.
At the same time the loans and wages for gas and oil workers in Russia have dived by 60-75% in short time, I read yesterday.
This graph shows that the Russian oil, currently costing 30% less than Brent, may havew ost WEurope as customer - but that the losses have been overcompensated by the Asian market. India for exmaple has increased its oil imports form Russia by factor 7. Russia currebtly easly earns profits with selling its oil. It sells less in quantity, but the price is so high that it still makes a fat profit - with less oil sales.
https://i.postimg.cc/pr0gYM6B/Unbenannt.png (https://postimages.org/)
Has Turkey the right to do so ??
Stopping and seize three Russian ships who's carrying wheat. Read that Ukraine have asked Turkey to stop and seize them.
But can they ?
Markus
Has Turkey the right to do so ??
Stopping and seize three Russian ships who's carrying wheat. Read that Ukraine have asked Turkey to stop and seize them.
But can they ?
MarkusIf the wheat is from Ukraine, think they can but do not think Turkey does that because of the role they want to play in this crisis Erdoğan is not trustworthy he now threatens the joining of Sweden and Finland into NATO he wants those countries to first extradite 73 people before he let it go to his parliament.
If the wheat is from Ukraine, think they can but do not think Turkey does that because of the role they want to play in this crisis Erdoğan is not trustworthy he now threatens the joining of Sweden and Finland into NATO he wants those countries to first extradite 73 people before he let it go to his parliament.
Sweden may face a political crisis.
One of the free politician is a Kurd and she has said she would vote against the Prime minister if she expel these 73 Kurds.
If she and all the parties on the right vote against her- the Prime minister lose
So the Prime minister is in a kind of dilemma- She want Sweden be part of EU, but she want to stay in power until autumn where there's election to the Swedish Riksdag.
I could have missed something-I haven't been focusing on the Swedish news lately.
Markus
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 04:36 AM
Putin issues horror deadline to Bulgaria as Russia intensifies threats to Europe
The news comes as Bulgaria has declared 70 Russian officials as "persona non grata" on allegations of espionage incompatible with their diplomatic missions. Justifying the move, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said: "This is what happens when foreign governments try to interfere in Bulgaria's internal affairs."
The decision had been taken based on information gathered by the Bulgarian secret services, refusing to comment further.
Yet Putin has reacted angrily, giving Bulgaria until 12:00 noon today to reverse the decision or risk the notion of severing diplomatic ties between Moscow and Sofia.
Speaking of the move, the Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova made it clear that Russia could recall all its 114 diplomats and close the embassy and the Russian consulates altogether.
She said: "Russia is considering severing diplomatic relations with Bulgaria over the scandal with the expelled 70 Russian diplomats."
The top official said Bulgaria's actions were being seen by Moscow as "unprecedented".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/putin-issues-horror-deadline-to-bulgaria-as-russia-intensifies-threats-to-europe/ar-AAZ4dOG?cvid=c6d84de0af224a6e80d323b22269cc5f
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 04:41 AM
Elite Russian regiment fights for public support
One of Russia's elite fighting forces, the 331st Guards Parachute regiment, is back in Ukraine after suffering heavy losses at the start of the war.
State media tells a story of the unit's great heroism, but back in the regiment's hometown support for the fighters looks less certain.
Glimpsed on the official Rossiya channel earlier in June, an armoured vehicle races up to a field hospital carrying several badly-injured men in the Donbas battleground.
"The [Ukrainian] tank was firing at us," one of the Russian paratroopers explains, as his wounds are dressed, "...first near us, then straight at us."
These flashes of the bloody reality of this war are rare, but acknowledgements of the price being paid by the army are becoming less so.
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 04:43 AM
Ukraine demands seizure of Russian-flagged grain ship
There is mounting evidence that Russian forces in occupied areas of Ukraine are systematically stealing grain and other produce from local farmers, contributing to a grain shortage and a global food crisis.
Ukraine claims that some of the stolen grain has been transported in a ship from a Russian-occupied part of the country, and has called for the ship to be seized.
The BBC's Reality Check team has monitored the Russian-flagged ship, the Zhibek Zholy, on its route from the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk to the Turkish port of Karasu.
It is not clear where its cargo came from or how it was obtained, but Russia has been accused of stealing grain from areas of Ukraine it controls.
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 04:46 AM
Snake Island: Why Russia couldn't hold on to strategic Black Sea outcrop
This tiny, rocky outcrop in the north-west of the Black Sea was seized by Russia on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine, and it has played an outsized role in the war ever since.
After more than four months of repeated Ukrainian bombardment, Russian forces have abandoned Snake or Zmiinyi Island, as it is known in Ukraine.
Russia says it has withdrawn its garrison as a "gesture of goodwill" to prove it was not obstructing grain exports, but Ukraine dismissed that claim, as Moscow continued to shell its grain stores.
The island is exposed to attacks from all directions from air and sea, and the small garrison tasked with defending it - first Ukrainians and later Russians - has been described as "sitting ducks" by military experts.
Seized by the Russians on 24 February, Snake Island is located just 35km (22 miles) off Ukraine's coast - well within the range of missile, artillery and drone strikes from the shore.
And Ukraine's armed forces have done exactly that, claiming a series of devastating attacks on the island itself and any vessel bringing troop deployments and heavy weaponry.
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 04:49 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1R0xx69-rk
Jimbuna
07-02-22, 05:53 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRbkhFEfFs
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to take charge of the Sakhalin-2 project.
The move could force Shell and Japan's Mitsui and Mitsubishi to abandon their investments as the economic fallout of the Ukraine war spreads.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62008413
Markus
From Kyiv Independent
Lviv defenses to be strengthened due to threat of attack from Belarus. According to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, defense headquarters to be established in each city district,
and additional training will be conducted for the local Territorial Defense units. "The situation is changing, so our defense strategies need to be changed and updated as well,” Sadovyi said.
Markus
Ukrainian forces withdraw from the city Lysychansk to avoid a large encirclement very few reports of fighting in the city, backed up by the fact that Russian media personnel appear to have entered very quickly the Chechen's are parading around, so that basically confirms there wasn’t any heavy fighting in the city.
"The Kremlin is likely setting conditions for crypto-mobilization of the Russian economy in preparation for a protracted war in Ukraine. The Kremlin proposed an amendment to federal laws on Russian Armed Forces supply matters to the Russian State Duma on June 30, that would introduce “special measures in the economic sphere” obliging Russian businesses (regardless of ownership) to supply Russian special military and counterterrorist operations.[1] The amendment would prohibit Russian businesses from refusing to accept state orders for special military operations and allow the Kremlin to change employee contracts and work conditions, such as forcing workers to work during the night or federal holidays. The Kremlin noted in the amendment’s description that the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine exposed supply shortages, specifically materials needed to repair military equipment, and stated that Russian officials need to “concentrate their efforts in certain sectors of the economy." Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely mobilizing the Russian economy and industry to sustain the ongoing war effort, but has not yet taken parallel measures to mobilize Russian manpower on a large scale." https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-1
Back to Bolshevik rule, this is how good the Russian economy is that they need communist measures to fund the invasion, only thing communism is at its best war economics.
Rockstar
07-02-22, 06:08 PM
I recently came across this new source, from Belarus.
https://youtu.be/o2CPyLQV4u0
I recently came across this new source, from Belarus.
https://youtu.be/o2CPyLQV4u0Belarusian journalist Franak Vyachorka said on https://global.espreso.tv/ that the military of Belarus is not preparing for offensive operations. They are very scared and afraid that they will be forced to cross the border into Ukraine. And even the middle officers are also not ready for combat.
In Belarus, a group of senior military officers in a Special Forces unit, in the ranks from captain to colonel, reportedly signed an open letter to the de facto ruler Lukashenko, openly speaking against potential Belarusian participation in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
"
Open letter from servicemen
of the 5th special operations brigade
of the Belarus Republic Armed Forces
Dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich!
Personnel of the 5th special operation's brigade of the Armed Forces, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Belarus, is carrying out tasks of ensuring security and the armed defence of the Republic of Belarus, its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and constitutional order. Without exception, all servicemen of the brigade are ready to defend the borders of our motherland till the last drop of blood, despite any difficulties and hardships of the service.
At the moment, officers of the 5th special operations brigade are observing gross violations of the 1st article of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus by the highest political authorities of the Russian Federation. According to this article, “the Republic of Belarus possesses dominance and full powers in its own territory, independently carries out internal and external politics”.
Occupation by the Russian Federation of internationally recognised territories of the friendly to us state of Ukraine, attempts of the president of the RF V. V. Putin to pull the Republic of Belarus into an unprovoked war against a sovereign state is nothing but a destruction of the sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus. As a result of the military aggression, the Russian Federation already ended up in an international economical and political isolation, which in essence rapidly destroys the economy of the country.
The Republic of Belarus is a democratic, social and legal state. According to the 2nd article of the Constitution, individual is a supreme value and a goal of the state, as well as individual’s rights, freedoms and guarantees of their implementation. Support of the RF president Vladimir Putin in his aggression against Ukraine will lead to massive human casualties among military and civilians. Entering a war against Ukraine as well as European countries and the USA who support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders will remove the Republic of Belarus from the community of civilised states, will make our state an outcast for years to come.
Entering the war on Russia’s side will be a suicide for the Republic of Belarus. The political isolation and international economic sanctions, which will inevitably follow the aggression towards Ukraine, will be devastating for our country, which unlike the RF does not have the same safety measures in the form of natural resources.
Taking the above into account, the personnel of the 5th special operations brigade appeals to you, dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich, with a call to not sacrifice the people of Belarus, the future of our children, sovereignty of the state you are leading to please the imperial ambitions of the President of the Russian Federation, which are alien to all citizens of Belarus without exceptions.
By choosing the military profession we are all ready to give our lives to defend our motherland from aggression. At the same time, by joining an expansionist war against a friendly state, we will lose the right to be called officers in the eyes of our children, and turn into invaders and war criminals.
Officers of the 5th special operations brigade of the Armed Forces.
Names:
Colonel – D. N. Osipchuk
Lt. Colonel – V. G. Tolok
Lt. Colonel – V. M. Markevich
Major – M. G. Grazhdiyeru
Major – D. V. Chernabay
Major – A. A. Tsimbalyuk
Major – P. P. Butrim
Major – A. A. Vyazhevich
Major – M. P. Bobrovskyi
Major – E. V. Kraynyk
Captain – V. V. Misyukevich
Captain – E. A. Gorbachenko
Captain – A. G. Dergachyov
Captain – A. V. Gaydorov
"
https://wartranslated.com/belarus-officers-of-the-5th-special-operations-brigade-address-to-lukashenka/
Ukrainian forces likely conducted a deliberate withdrawal from Lysychansk, resulting in the Russian seizure of the city on July 2. Geolocated footage showed Russian forces casually walking around northern and southeastern neighborhoods in Lysychansk in a way that suggests that there are few or no remaining Ukrainian forces in the city as of July 2.[1] Ukrainian military officials did not publicly announce a troop withdrawal but neither did they report on defensive battles around Lysychansk. Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Vadym Denysenko vaguely noted that Russian forces have a “high probability” of capturing Lysychansk but that they will have a difficult time advancing in Donetsk Oblast past Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.[2] Ukrainian National Guard Spokesperson Ruslan Muzychuk rejected reports of Russian forces seizing and encircling Lysychansk, but these denials are likely outdated or erroneous.[3] The Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Ambassador to Russia, Rodion Miroshnik, had previously claimed that Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from Lysychansk on June 28.[4] ISW will continue to monitor the situation... https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-2
The Russians say they control the strategically located city of Lysychansk and with it the entire province of Lugansk. "The occupiers are gaining a foothold," Governor Serhi Hajdaj said on Telegram this morning. Russia's defense minister told President Putin that the Russian army had "liberated" all of Lugansk with the capture of the latter city. An adviser to the Ukrainian defense minister tells Reuters news agency that he cannot confirm that Ukrainian soldiers have left Lysychansk and that the city is now in Russian hands.
The capture of Lysychansk would be a boost for the Russians, although it is a city about the size of the city of 83.45 km². "Lysychansk, like Sievierodonetsk, is primarily of symbolic value," says former Commander of the Royal Dutch Army Mart de Kruif. "You notice very well that Ukrainians do not want to fight themselves to death for these two cities." The American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assumes that Ukrainian troops probably "intentionally withdrew" from Lysychansk, after which the Russians were able to take the city. De Kruif says that the cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk province are particularly important, and that the Ukrainians gained time with the fighting in Lysychansk. "A delaying battle, therefore, for the Russians who are going to come." Indeed, those two other cities form a crossroads of roads and railroads between Kharkov and Donetsk, and they are also larger. "Because of the terrain with a lot of rivers and waterways, these cities are well defendable. But the question is whether the Ukrainians will be able to take out artillery and missiles at long range."
"Around Kharkov, little is happening on the ground; there is a military standstill there," says De Kruif. "And around Kherson, Ukrainian troops are advancing very slowly, there their sabotage activities are increasing." On Saturday evening, President Zelensky said that the Russians have now occupied 2,600 sites, and that the Ukrainian army has liberated over 1,000.
The price Russia must pay for victory in Lysychansk is high. American historian Philips O'Brien of the University of St Andrews in Scotland points out on social media that it took Russia nearly two and a half months to conquer an area the size of the London region, with Russia suffering "heavy losses.https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1543491060684492800?s=20&t=rwRjqQjO727jPmsOTFWRXw " Lack of discipline, outdated weapons, problems in bringing in recruits and the many changes of guard (enforced by Putin) within the army leadership are said to have led to victory being achieved only after 77 days. The battle for the Donbas is already "one of the longest lasting battles of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries," according to O'Brien. It remains to be seen whether the Russians can hold their conquered territory. The Ukrainian army is fighting back fiercely and new, heavier weapons are expected from Western allies in the near future. A Ukrainian army spokesman showed wariness on Sunday, citing those supplies. According to him, "the game in the Donbas was far from over." "For Ukrainians, life is the top priority. So sometimes we withdraw from certain areas, only to retake them later.
Update: The last Ukrainian troops from the eastern city of Lysychansk have left there, the Ukrainian military says. According to the army leadership, continuing to defend the city would have "fatal consequences." "In order to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops, we have decided to withdraw," the army leadership reported in a statement.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey says Turkish customs have stopped a Russian cargo ship carrying stolen grain from Ukraine. "We have full cooperation. The ship is currently at the entrance to the port, it has been stopped by the customs of Turkey," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said on Ukrainian television.
According to Bodnar, what will happen to the ship will be determined tomorrow. Last Friday, he wrote on https://twitter.com/VasylBodnar/status/1542882081486815233 that the ship Zhibek Zholy that had left from the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdjansk had entered the port of Turkish Karasu. He also wrote that he was confident that Turkey would make decisions to "prevent attempts to violate Ukrainian territorial integrity." Turkey maintains good ties with both Russia and Ukraine, and previously signaled its willingness to play a mediating role.
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 11:27 AM
Russia says it is now in full control of the eastern city of Lysychansk - a claim not confirmed by Ukraine.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Putin that his forces now completely held the Luhansk region.
Earlier, the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published video apparently showing Chechen fighters in the centre of Lysychansk.
Further west, the Ukrainian-held city of Slovyansk came under heavy shelling, with at least six people killed.
It is in Donetsk region, which with Luhansk forms the industrial Donbas.
Just before he launched the war, President Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent of Ukraine. Russian proxy forces began an insurgency there in 2014.
Just over a week ago Russian troops captured Severodonetsk, a city reduced to ruins by weeks of Russian bombardment.
Ukraine's defence ministry insists that Lysychansk - the last major city it controlled in Luhansk region - is "not under the full control" of Russian forces. But there is plenty of video on social media confirming that they have now entered the city. Some also appears to show a handful of locals who stayed behind greeting the Russian forces as "liberators". There's always been a strong element of pro-Russian sentiment there.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62030051
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 11:32 AM
Russia has accused Ukraine over explosions which reportedly killed three people in the city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine.
The regional governor said the blasts hit dozens of residential buildings and air defences had been activated.
The Kremlin said that Sunday's attack had been a deliberate attempt by Ukrainian forces to target civilians.
Ukraine dismissed the claim, saying the Russians had lied about similar incidents in the past.
Belgorod - a city of 370,000 that lies just north of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv - has been attacked on several occasions since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February.
The latest incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said air defences had destroyed three Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles with cluster warheads, but fragments of one of them fell on a block of flats.
"This missile attack was intentionally planned and launched at the civilian population," he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62025541
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 11:34 AM
Russia says it has salvaged a large landing ship scuttled by its crew after a Ukrainian missile strike damaged it in the port of Berdyansk on 24 March.
A Telegram post by a Russian-appointed official in southern Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, says Tochka-U ballistic missiles had targeted the Russian-held port.
The crew sank the ship "to prevent detonation of the on-board munitions by the fire that had started", he said.
At the time Ukraine said it had hit the ship. Only now has Russia confirmed it.
Russian reports do not give details of the ship's damage, but say it will be towed to Kerch in Crimea. The Black Sea peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014.
The Ukrainian military's report on the missile strike on 24 March named the landing ship as the Orsk - but the ship salvaged by Russia is the Saratov. The Orsk is another of the six large landing ships in Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
The fleet's website kchf.ru confirms that the Saratov was damaged and sank in port on 24 March - but does not mention the Ukrainian missile attack.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62022476
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 11:41 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQYwVvSw0Lg
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 11:43 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ButqH28YRU
Aktungbby
07-03-22, 11:59 AM
Now that Vlad the Bastard is "shifting his focus in Ukraine", ie Plan A has failed and there really are a lot of babushkas with dead sons for nothing, Putin must answer for his actions befor the Hague's ICC as an absolute precondition of restoring Russia's global standing. One overriding aspect of NATO and the West's current cohesive bonding is the Nazi '40s lesson 1: appeasement is fatal against Hitleresque megalomaniacs and must not happen...moreover like the famous quote after the Iraq war by a Russian general on Russian military hardware's failure against American equipment: "We have nothing to sell." The Neo-Soviet Iron Curtain 'special military operation' has shown itself to be a murderous land-grab krieg with no blitz , 7 dead generals and 40,000+ casualties simply to gain Russian Lebensraum by rape, pillage, and devastation by a corruption riddled conscript army. They should be removed from the UN Security Council at the minimum. My attention is still focused on the four military cargo'd vessels, recently departed from Vladivostak currently enroute to a destination in Europe...with the Dardanelles closed to such traffic by Turkey? Putin has also ordered more submarines into the Atlantic...!!:hmmm:
The battle for the Donbas is already "one of the longest lasting battles of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries," according to O'Brien. It remains to be seen whether the Russians can hold their conquered territory. The Ukrainian army is fighting back fiercely and new, heavier weapons are expected from Western allies in the near future. A Ukrainian army spokesman showed wariness on Sunday, citing those supplies. According to him, "the game in the Donbas was far from over." "For Ukrainians, life is the top priority. So sometimes we withdraw from certain areas, only to retake them later.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey says Turkish customs have stopped a Russian cargo ship carrying stolen grain from Ukraine. "We have full cooperation. The ship is currently at the entrance to the port, it has been stopped by the customs of Turkey," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said on Ukrainian television.
According to Bodnar, what will happen to the ship will be determined tomorrow. Last Friday, he wrote on https://twitter.com/VasylBodnar/status/1542882081486815233 that the ship Zhibek Zholy that had left from the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdjansk had entered the port of Turkish Karasu. He also wrote that he was confident that Turkey would make decisions to "prevent attempts to violate Ukrainian territorial integrity." Turkey maintains good ties with both Russia and Ukraine, and previously signaled its willingness to play a mediating role. It would be interesting to know where the grain was headed. Currently, we are in fortuitous circumstances: President Erdogan is not wavering on his control of shipping in the Bosphorus; he has lifted his objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO and even Putin has recanted his sabre-rattling saying they are "free to do what they want"...which may provide some reassurance to the 3 former Soviet Baltic states...particularly Lithuania. It also solidifies the northern flank of the European EU wall. As 'proxy' wars go, and this war being a direct descendant of Germany's WWI efforts on the Eastern front followed by Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, NATO's 'feeding the fight' to "neo-nazi" Ukraine with superior weapons et al currently contains neo"Peter the Grate's" snatch-and-grab tactics which went unanswered in Crimea in 2014. All this serves to give pause to 'limitless friend' Premier Xi's Taiwan ambitions after the snatch and grab in Tibet which went unanswered in 1959...:hmmm: and that " other shoe" will drop eventually in Russian-Sino war against a 'unipolar' 'Merican globe. America does poorly in wrongful 'little brown people' wars, ie 'Nam and Afghanistan, and is handier at caucasian-based European conflicts... thus we deal in our own post-WWII nostalgia; even as Putin attempts to restore Stalin's stalwart ol' Iron Curtain...let's hope the protagonist dreamers don't go nuclear and die shortly of stress and old age!:ping::ping: ...and where are those 4 ships from Vladivostak gotten to anyway?
Jimbuna
07-03-22, 01:30 PM
Ukraine's military has confirmed that the eastern city of Lysychansk has fallen to Russian forces.
"After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defence forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines," the army general staff said.
Earlier Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of Luhansk region.
Ukraine's troops were outgunned there.
Its general staff said that "in order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw".
It said the Russians had multiple advantages in artillery, aircraft, manpower and other forces.
Earlier, the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published video apparently showing Chechen fighters in the centre of Lysychansk.
Further west, the Ukrainian-held city of Slovyansk came under heavy shelling, with at least six people killed.
It is in Donetsk region, which with Luhansk forms the industrial Donbas.
Just before he launched the war, President Vladimir Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent of Ukraine. Russian proxy forces began an insurgency there in 2014.
Just over a week ago Russian troops captured Severodonetsk, a city reduced to ruins by weeks of Russian bombardment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62030051
Is the West really prepared to pay the price of defeating Putin?
For Ukraine to win against Russia, western powers still have to answer painful questions of themselves... https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ff157a9a-f984-11ec-9dc9-dea4f592180c?shareToken=b8373a22ab88ca8bee67c05bfe 2fcd32
Jimbuna
07-04-22, 06:25 AM
Russia to shift focus to capturing Donetsk region
Russia will shift the main focus of its war in Ukraine to trying to seize all of the Donetsk region after capturing neighbouring Luhansk, the Luhansk region's governor said on Monday.
Governor Serhiy Gaidai said that he expected the city of Sloviansk and the town of Bakhmut in particular to come under attack as Russia tries to take full control of what is known as the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says it has established full control over the Luhansk region following a withdrawal by Ukrainian forces from the bombed-out city of Lysychansk.
On the loss of Lysychansk, Mr Gaidai said: "It hurts a lot, but it's not losing the war."
In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, vowed to regain control over the area with the help of long-range Western weapons.
Jimbuna
07-04-22, 06:47 AM
Ukraine sends Independence Day wishes to US, but Russia declines
Today is, of course, 4 July - Independence Day in the US.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent his best wishes to the people of America and their President, Joe Biden.
"Happy Independence Day to the people of the USA and @POTUS! I wish the friendly people of the USA peace and prosperity. I appreciate the leadership assistance of the United States in Ukraine's defending of common values - Freedom, Democracy and Independence," Zelensky tweeted.
The US has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia began the invasion of its neighbour on 24 February, providing Kyiv's armed forces with millions of dollars of weapons, while Washington has also targeted Moscow's economy and elites with financial sanctions.
For its part, Moscow has declined to send best wishes to the US on 4 July.
The AFP news agency reported Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters: "Congratulations this year can hardly be considered appropriate. The United States' unfriendly policies are the reason."
Jimbuna
07-04-22, 06:52 AM
Putin thanks troops for 'liberating' Luhansk region
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Russian troops on "liberating" the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, in Donbas.
In a televised meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin says the troops involved in the operation should rest, but other military units should continue fighting.
Putin has also awarded the title of "Hero of Russia" to two generals following the capture of the region.
Russia announced on Sunday that it now controls the whole of the Luhansk region after it captured the strategically important city of Lysychansk.
Moscow has said that its "special military operation" - as it calls the invasion of Ukraine - is intended to "liberate" eastern Ukraine from "nationalists". The eastern region has been the focus of its military action after initial attempts to take control of the capital Kyiv failed.
Jimbuna
07-04-22, 07:21 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJDc35a7P4M
The cost of rebuilding Ukraine could reach $750 billion (€719 million), according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. According to him, Russia should pay for the costs once the war ends. He suggests using the confiscated money from the Russian government and Russian oligarchs to repair the devastation. Shmyhal estimates that a total of some $300 billion to $500 billion in Russian money has been seized.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also said today that Russia should pay for the reconstruction. "We are looking at options for the deployment of Russian resources," she said at a conference in the Swiss city of Lugano.
Ukraine's prime minister said the reconstruction plan for his country is divided into three phases. First comes the restoration of facilities that people acutely need such as running water. After that, schools and hospitals must be repaired and temporary housing must be provided. The final phase of reconstruction focuses on the longer term.
Catfish
07-04-22, 01:38 PM
^ all good and well, but is the war supposed to be stopped anytime soon?
As some poster wrote:
"Its becoming quite clear Ukraine is not getting the weapons it needs, in the quantities it needs to stop and even push Russia back because western leaders don't want them to get them. [...]
Its time to call bull**** on the western elite. Yes it takes years to train and develop a really effective first line soldier, but still 6 weeks of intensive training can still go a long way with highly motivated recruits.
Over and over again we hear how pathetic the Russian armed forces are. Over and over again we hear, "Ha, Ha, Ha, the Russian soldiers don't want to fight" "Ha, ha, ha, virtually all the Russian infantry have been killed and they didn't have anywhere near enough infantry to begin with." "Ha, ha, Ha, the Russians are running out of ammunition." "Ha, ha, ha the Russians are having to resort to bringing 1960s vehicles out of storage." "Ha, Ha, Ha the Russian Navy are pathetic." "Ha, ha, ha, the Russian airforce is pathetic." "Ha, ha, ha the Russian generals are pathetically incompetent." "Ha, ha, ha, the Russian army hasn't got any proper NCOs"
Well my words to the western leaders are if the Russians are so pathetic, what does that make you? Why have you failed to stop Russia, let alone push it back?"
Not only Scholz makes me vomit.
^ all good and well, but is the war supposed to be stopped anytime soon?
As some poster wrote:
"Its becoming quite clear Ukraine is not getting the weapons it needs, in the quantities it needs to stop and even push Russia back because western leaders don't want them to get them. [...]
Its time to call bull**** on the western elite. Yes it takes years to train and develop a really effective first line soldier, but still 6 weeks of intensive training can still go a long way with highly motivated recruits.
Over and over again we hear how pathetic the Russian armed forces are. Over and over again we hear, "Ha, Ha, Ha, the Russian soldiers don't want to fight" "Ha, ha, ha, virtually all the Russian infantry have been killed and they didn't have anywhere near enough infantry to begin with." "Ha, ha, Ha, the Russians are running out of ammunition." "Ha, ha, ha the Russians are having to resort to bringing 1960s vehicles out of storage." "Ha, Ha, Ha the Russian Navy are pathetic." "Ha, ha, ha, the Russian airforce is pathetic." "Ha, ha, ha the Russian generals are pathetically incompetent." "Ha, ha, ha, the Russian army hasn't got any proper NCOs"
Well my words to the western leaders are if the Russians are so pathetic, what does that make you? Why have you failed to stop Russia, let alone push it back?"
Not only Scholz makes me vomit.
Is the West really prepared to pay the price of defeating Putin?
For Ukraine to win against Russia, western powers still have to answer painful questions of themselves... https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ff157a9a-f984-11ec-9dc9-dea4f592180c?shareToken=b8373a22ab88ca8bee67c05bfe 2fcd32
NATO is not truly united. It is precisely to avoid making this obvious that it has hung back from making any clear statement on the shape of victory... https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ff157a9a-f984-11ec-9dc9-dea4f592180c?shareToken=b8373a22ab88ca8bee67c05bfe 2fcd32
Catfish
07-04-22, 03:58 PM
NATO is not truly united. It is precisely to avoid making this obvious that it has hung back from making any clear statement on the shape of victory.
And this is why Ukraine will probably lose.
The only countries who is helping Ukraine wholehearted is USA and some eastern countries like, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway does send help mostly money and some military stuff.
Markus
You forgot England and us here in Australia as much as we can, we are not a wealthy nation and the flood damage bills have been bad!! :oops:
Jimbuna
07-05-22, 08:03 AM
The only countries who is helping Ukraine wholehearted is USA and some eastern countries like, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway does send help mostly money and some military stuff.
Markus
Are you sure about that?
You forgot England and us here in Australia as much as we can, we are not a wealthy nation and the flood damage bills have been bad!! :oops:
Precisely :yep:
In military terms.
https://i.postimg.cc/pr4v7M17/125704484-64fa2222-6588-47a9-bf86-cae44c7867b9-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/V0q2rpwB)
In financial terms.
https://www.devex.com/news/funding-tracker-who-s-sending-aid-to-ukraine-102887
Jimbuna
07-05-22, 12:02 PM
The cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk came under shelling overnight in the eastern Donetsk region, its governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian TV. At least two people were killed and seven more were wounded after a market was struck in Sloviansk, local police said.
Russian-backed separatists have seized two foreign-flagged ships in the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, saying they are now "state property", in the first such moves against commercial shipping, letters seen by Reuters showed.
An official from Russia's powerful FSB security services has taken over the government of the Moscow-occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Kremlin-installed authorities said.
Arbitrary detention of civilians has become "widespread" in parts of Ukraine held by Russia's military and affiliated armed groups, the UN human rights chief said.
Sweden has left the door open to alleged terror suspects being extradited to Turkey in order to secure its support for a bid to join Nato.
Religion is "collateral damage" in Russia's invasion of Ukraine as she also called out the persecution of religious minorities in China and Afghanistan, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
Russia claimed that some of the weapons the West is sending to Ukraine are spreading across the Middle East and ending up on the black market.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that conscripts are not being sent to Ukraine to fight in Russia's "special military operation", the Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Jimbuna
07-05-22, 12:08 PM
Russian parliament passes first vote on war economy measures
LONDON (Reuters) -Russian lawmakers on Tuesday gave the first stamp of approval to two bills that would authorise the government to oblige businesses to supply the military with goods and their employees to work overtime to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told parliament the moves were driven by the need to support the military at a time when Russia's economy was under "colossal sanctions pressure" from the West, more than four months into what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
"The load on the defence industry has increased significantly. In order to guarantee the supply of weapons and ammunition, it is necessary to optimize the work of the military-industrial complex and enterprises that are part of cooperation chains," he said.
One of the bills -- approved in a first reading by the State Duma, the lower house of parliament -- said the state could impose "special economic measures" during military operations, requiring firms to supply goods and services to the military at the demand of the Russian government.
An explanatory note attached to the bill said the military needed new materials and weapons repairs to pursue its Ukraine campaign.
"The need to promptly meet these requirements, especially in the context of sanctions against Russia and Russian legal entities, will require us to temporarily focus our efforts on certain sectors of the economy (...) and organise the supply of resources through state defence procurement," the note said.
A second bill, also adopted in its first reading, would amend the labour code to grant the government the right to regulate working hours and determine off-days at given companies.
This could mean the government could compel employees of businesses providing goods to the military to work at night, on weekends and holidays, and without annual leave.
Both bills were introduced to the State Duma by the Russian government. They still need to undergo second and third readings, be reviewed by the upper house of parliament and be signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.
Are you sure about that?
Precisely :yep:
In military terms.
https://i.postimg.cc/pr4v7M17/125704484-64fa2222-6588-47a9-bf86-cae44c7867b9-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/V0q2rpwB)
In financial terms.
https://www.devex.com/news/funding-tracker-who-s-sending-aid-to-ukraine-102887
I stand corrected-But which of these countries send most military stuff and not just economical support.
Markus
Jimbuna
07-05-22, 12:32 PM
The picture above is with regards to military and the link below that is the financial details.
The picture above is with regards to military and the link below that is the financial details.
I may be in need of glasses :oops::oops:
Markus
Jimbuna
07-05-22, 12:41 PM
No problem Markus but I was beginning to wonder what was confusing :)
Jimbuna
07-06-22, 10:36 AM
Civilians flee frontline city as Russians advance
Residents have been told to leave Ukraine's eastern city of Slovyansk, a day after two people were killed in a Russian attack on a market.
Civilians boarded minibuses on Wednesday morning as Russian forces advanced from the north and east.
UK defence intelligence said there was a "realistic possibility" the battle for Slovyansk would be the next key contest in the struggle for the Donbas.
Russian forces were likely to be 16km (10 miles) north of the city, it said.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the Russians had turned the entire Donetsk region into a hotspot where it was dangerous for a civilian to remain. "I call on everyone to evacuate, evacuation saves lives," he said on his social media feed.
Russia switched its focus to Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in March, after a failed bid to capture the capital Kyiv. It has taken control of Luhansk region, to the north and east of Slovyansk, and has now pushed on to the rest of Donetsk. The industrial Donbas embraces Donetsk and Luhansk.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62061695
Jimbuna
07-06-22, 10:42 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJXFJJt8cXc
Jimbuna
07-06-22, 11:11 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LtNcBmEV3k
^ Here is what happened
(from an article the day after)
A Russian corvette violated Danish territory twice during the night on Bornholm, where this year's People's Assembly is taking place.
At 02:30 last night, a Russian corvette violated Danish territory north of Christiansø, off Bornholm. A few hours later, the same corvette again crossed the border into Danish territory - again off Christiansø.
This is stated in a press release.
The Russian ship left Danish territorial waters after a call on civilian VHF radio from the Naval Maritime Operations Unit.
It happens just at the same time as the political Denmark is gathered on Bornholm for Peoples meetings.
Foreign Minister: - Completely unacceptable
Denmark's Foreign Minister, Jeppe Kofod (S), calls it a gross and completely unacceptable Russian provocation and bullying method in the middle of the Danish People's Meeting.
And the fact that it happened while the Danes are gathered for a democracy demonstration adds extra pressure to the provocation, says Kofod.
- With the invasion of Ukraine, Putin is democracy's enemy number one, and he illustrates that in the finest way here, he says to TV 2 and adds:
- It says everything about Russia, but also everything about the fact that we as a strong democracy do not allow ourselves to be provoked.
He says the Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Not in any situation did Denmark or Russia fire shots against the other.
Don't know why this exaggeration
Markus
Jimbuna
07-06-22, 11:27 AM
That's the reason I take most stories with a grain of salt and seriously rate a very small number.
Nothing wrong with their confidence
State Duma of the Russian Federation hints to USA about the return of Alaska
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/07/6/7356694/
Markus
Jimbuna
07-07-22, 05:35 AM
Ukraine says it is investigating more than 21,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russia since the start of its invasion.
Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova told the BBC she was receiving reports of between 200 to 300 war crimes a day.
She admitted that many trials would be held in absentia, but stressed that it was "a question of justice" to continue with the prosecutions.
In May, Ms Venediktova said that about 600 suspects had already been identified and 80 prosecutions had begun.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62073669
Jimbuna
07-09-22, 05:18 AM
A Moscow councillor has been jailed for seven years for speaking out against Russia's war in Ukraine - in what is said to be the first full jail term under new laws targeting dissent.
Alexei Gorinov, 60, was arrested in April after he was filmed criticising the invasion in a city council meeting.
Under the post-invasion law, anyone who spreads "fake news" about the military faces up to 15 years in jail.
Russians are banned from using the word war to describe the invasion.
President Vladimir Putin has instead coined the phrase "special military operation", although he spoke of the "war in the Donbas" in remarks to parliamentary leaders on Thursday.
Human rights activist Pavel Chikov said Gorinov's sentence was the first jail term under the new law. Until now judges have only handed down a fine or a suspended sentence.
Judge Olesya Mendeleyeva ruled he had carried out his crime "based on political hatred" and had misled Russians, prompting them to "feel anxiety and fear" about the military campaign.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62092196
Jimbuna
07-09-22, 05:27 AM
Russia transfers reserve forces from all over country and collects 1950s equipment for offensive in Ukraine, - British intelligence Source: https://censor.net/en/n3353041
Russia is transferring reserve forces from all over the country and pulling them up to Ukraine for future offensive operations. Most of the new infantry units are deployed with MT-LB armored vehicles, removed from long-term storage, as the main transport.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain on Twitter. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3353041
The German government has signed a contract with a Norwegian manufacturer for the supply of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns promised to Ukraine. Multi reports of Russian depots hit because of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) this will slow down the Russian artillery steamroller doctrine. New variations of Missiles given to HIMARS will allow Ukraine to hit any Russian position well out of range of hunter drones or counter battery fire.
I know that our army is led by a bunch of untrained morons. Stupidly vile, miserable, vindictive, petty, thieving, herdish, getting together as big “army mafias”, bringing “tithe” from their incomes to the very top. Simply dumb and stupid thieves. Just as the civilian authority. No, much difference. And the morons themselves start figuring it out. The fact that they are morons. And of course that they were after all stealing from themselves. Stealing own future... https://wartranslated.com/lpr-blogger-murz-on-stakhanov-ammunitions-depot-explosions/
Rockstar
07-09-22, 07:03 PM
I know that our army is led by a bunch of untrained morons. Stupidly vile, miserable, vindictive, petty, thieving, herdish, getting together as big “army mafias”, bringing “tithe” from their incomes to the very top. Simply dumb and stupid thieves. Just as the civilian authority. No, much difference. And the morons themselves start figuring it out. The fact that they are morons. And of course that they were after all stealing from themselves. Stealing own future... https://wartranslated.com/lpr-blogger-murz-on-stakhanov-ammunitions-depot-explosions/
Excellent.
The only that really concerns me is this can escalate pretty quick. As I think both sides are beyond the point of no return.
Excellent.
The only that really concerns me is this can escalate pretty quick. As I think both sides are beyond the point of no return.Escalate to what?
Rockstar
07-09-22, 08:22 PM
Use your imagination :D
Use your imagination :DMy imagination would be a second Russian Revolution bet that is not yours :D
Rockstar
07-09-22, 08:47 PM
My imagination would be a second Russian Revolution bet that is not yours :D
Maybe China will invade to protect all the Chinese speakers in the Russian Far East. All they have to do is think like a Russian/Victim, point out some historical or present day wrongs and then send in their troops, tanks and arty. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. :yeah:
Key Historical Sources of Chinese Mistrust of Russia
https://chinapower.csis.org/china-russia-relationship-weaknesses-mistrust/
Treaty of Kulja (1851) Russia gained access to trade with areas in Xinjiang.
Treaty of Aigun (1858) China forfeited over 600,000 square kilometers of land to Russia.
Treaty of Tientsin (1858) Russia gained the right to trade with treaty ports by sea, as well as expanded extraterritoriality in treaty ports. Russia also established a legation in Beijing.
Treaty of Peking (1860) China ceded large swaths of its northeastern territory to Russia.
Treaty of St. Petersburg (1881) China paid Russia 9 million silver rubles. Russia expanded its consular network in Western China and Russian traders were allowed duty-free trade in Xinjiang and Mongolia.
Li-Lobanov Treaty (1896) Russian warships gained access to Chinese ports. Russia was permitted to build a railway through Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces and station troops to protect it. China reduced tariff rates on Russian goods.
Convention for the Lease of the Liaotung Peninsula (1898) Russia was granted the lease to Port Arthur (in modern day Dalian) and Russian railways were permitted to extend to the port.
Boxer Protocol (1900) China was forced to pay 450 million taels of silver to 8 powers, with the lion’s share (29 percent) going to Russia.
Sino-Soviet Border Conflicts (1968-1969) China and Russia engaged in multiple border skirmishes, including at Zhenbao Island, where 72 killed were killed and 68 wounded on the Chinese side.
Maybe China will invade to protect all the Chinese speakers in the Russian Far East. All they have to do is think like a Russian/Victim, point out some historical or present day wrongs and then send in their troops, tanks and arty. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. :yeah:
Key Historical Sources of Chinese Mistrust of Russia
https://chinapower.csis.org/china-russia-relationship-weaknesses-mistrust/
Treaty of Kulja (1851) Russia gained access to trade with areas in Xinjiang.
Treaty of Aigun (1858) China forfeited over 600,000 square kilometers of land to Russia.
Treaty of Tientsin (1858) Russia gained the right to trade with treaty ports by sea, as well as expanded extraterritoriality in treaty ports. Russia also established a legation in Beijing.
Treaty of Peking (1860) China ceded large swaths of its northeastern territory to Russia.
Treaty of St. Petersburg (1881) China paid Russia 9 million silver rubles. Russia expanded its consular network in Western China and Russian traders were allowed duty-free trade in Xinjiang and Mongolia.
Li-Lobanov Treaty (1896) Russian warships gained access to Chinese ports. Russia was permitted to build a railway through Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces and station troops to protect it. China reduced tariff rates on Russian goods.
Convention for the Lease of the Liaotung Peninsula (1898) Russia was granted the lease to Port Arthur (in modern day Dalian) and Russian railways were permitted to extend to the port.
Boxer Protocol (1900) China was forced to pay 450 million taels of silver to 8 powers, with the lion’s share (29 percent) going to Russia.
Sino-Soviet Border Conflicts (1968-1969) China and Russia engaged in multiple border skirmishes, including at Zhenbao Island, where 72 killed were killed and 68 wounded on the Chinese side.Sure, china is not pleased with Putin can they be pursued to drop Russia they got a lot of anti US sentiment
Skybird
07-10-22, 05:09 AM
Sure, china is not pleased with Putin can they be pursued to drop Russia they got a lot of anti US sentimentWishful thinking. We currently see the forming of the strongest anti-Western block ever. BRICS and 60% if not more of the global population. Plenty of emerging markets, economic prime power, ressources control, authoritarianism.
Public support for Ukraine is waning over here. The energy crisis now is an existential threat for the social and communal structure of Germany's society. The economy and industry, also haunted by the long term consequences of Covid that now make themselves felt, havew gone into a dive that only can be described as a rceession and the loans-price spiral is touring up, opening the way for stagflation. The prices for gas on average have gone up by 400% nation-wide, and püromise to explode even steeper int he forseeable future. Many private household cannot cope with such cost explosions, they simply cannot. Housing and tenants associations alike warn of ADDITIONAL gas costs of up tpo 5000 Euros. Mind you - in the West, Germany is the champion when it comes to the shares of low wage worker on the labour market.
The sanctions are worse than a boomerang. They seem to do more damage to Europe's economy than they do to Russia's. The Euro weakens, the Rouble gets stronger. Inflation gallops in the West, in Russia it is shrinking. The losses in sales to the west Russia was able to compensate by selling to thankful customers in China, India, the third world. India sells cheap Russian oil for high costs to Europe. Russia now makes more profit from its lesser sales than it did before with higher sales - that great our sanctions work!
That and the fear for crisis in winter is what lets support for Ukraine wane. Goobally, the majority of humans and nations do not line up with the West, and accuse the West, not Russia, for food crisis. Stomach goes before morals. Can we really point finger at them? No.
All this is running not good neither for the Ukraine, nor for the West. OPur eocnomy is seriously in troubles, and I think we will not get off that train that is out of control.
The moralisation of politics as Baerbock tries, does not work. Moral without strength is meaningless.
Nothing is to be expected from Bubble-Olaf. He once said "Who demands leadership form mme will get served leadership". Revcently he soudned very different, and said that he cannot make politics and leadership against what the people want. What this means, is clear: he weill not prioivde leadership, but he wants to get led. Populisim, they call it: check what people demand so that the ylove you, and that is what yoz do then to get loved. Merkel did this for 16 years, with the now known results. Bubble-Olaf is like her: mercilessly opportunistic, and populistic. He has no plan. He has only an unlimited supply of smoke grenades.
For the Ukraine, all this is no good news. Russian-made destruction burns itself into the ukraine and its industry like rust into a metal plate. High Russian losses can be compensated by Russia: Ukrainian military's losses count much more precious. Something tells me the few heavy weapons sent to Ukriane will not really make a decisive difference for the final outcome of the war - the Russians will simply press on, no matter what. Even old cannons and guns and old ammunition kills and destroys. I think the Western assessments of how the war is going show plenty of wishful thinking. The Ukraine bleeds out, slowly bleeds to death - I think that is the simple truth here.
All this what I said, describes a dilemma. The dilemma we are in is home-made, we ctreated it ourselves. And there is no solution. None I could imagine, at least. It seems we are doomed to let the inflammation run on until it dies out by itself - or brings them and us down.
Skybird
07-10-22, 06:48 AM
Constantly updated tracker on support for the ukraine.
Especially the US, the EU alltogether, the UK and Germany show huge discrepancies between the promises they made, and aid indeed paid (committed vs. disbursed). Different to that, the baltic and eastern european states and others put their deeds where their mouths were, and fulfilled their promises.
https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/
Language switch EN/DE in the top right corner.
Had an interesting discussion with some friends yesterday on FB.
I was the only one who is supporting Ukraine in their fight for survival.
- They can not win this war-Russia is way, way stronger.
Here I answered- Yes when it comes to men they are-but they lack modern weapons or does not have that many.
We are bombarded with misinformation about the war.
- No doubt we are, but I have decided to stand up for Ukraine and thereby believe some of what they tell theirs and/or ours journalist/reporters.
Ukraine commit war crime.
Of course they are and they have to stand trial after the war, as the Russians shall. but I think that Ukraine is aiming at the Russian military while Russia on purpose aim for civilian targets.
Markus
Skybird
07-10-22, 07:51 AM
For every artillery round the Ukrainians fire, they have to swallow ten in return.
All of Ukraine is battleground, gets bombared. Of Russian territories with supply networks, only a fraction, near the border, and rarely.
Do the math. If you have inflict double your losses on the enemy, he may loose twice as many, but if he is numerically superior by severla factors, you nevertheless lose in the end.
The Russians have adapted and learned from their early failings. They now focus, and amass, and advance lsowly and stay comitted to their objectives instead of hopping around like aircav rodeo riders. Unfortunate, but thats how it is. Technological advantages can compensate numerical inferiority only to a certain degree - and not beyond.
I think the US only is focussed on doing as much damage to the Russians as possible, they are not realyl that much c omitted to the Ukiraine. And why w/should they be. The enemy of the US is China, and the US wants a settled and stable situation in its back when it turns westward to China. Means: a Russia not capable to launch a second war front against Europe while China and America battle it out. The priority is China, not Russia.
Germany still delivers items of militzary relevanbce to Chinese navy, army and air force. So do many other Europeans. Very clever. Its so good to see that one is quick to learn the lessons from the Russian debacle.
Skybird wrote
"For every artillery round the Ukrainians fire, they have to swallow ten in return."
How many of these ten are fired on purpose against civilian targets and how many is fired upon the Ukrainian forces ?
Of course none of us know-I seem to recall someone wrote here in my thread that Russia warfare was to bomb civilians as main target and then the Ukrainian army.
Could have remembered wrong though
Markus
The West’s Ukraine strategy is in danger of failing
There’s a famous saying that no military plan survives its first contact with the enemy. The greatest theorist on war, Carl von Clausewitz, often explained that strategy must be dynamic, constantly changing and rejuvenating itself.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/07/west-allies-ukraine-strategy-failing/
Markus
The West’s Ukraine strategy is in danger of failing
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/07/west-allies-ukraine-strategy-failing/
MarkusThere are many theorists on war, the Washington Post picks one and thinks the west or Ukraine uses him for their strategy only and throws a Game of Thrones "winter is coming" to make their doom credible. Ppfff The Art of War is no holy write!
Wishful thinking. We currently see the forming of the strongest anti-Western block ever. BRICS and 60% if not more of the global population. Plenty of emerging markets, economic prime power, ressources control, authoritarianism.
Public support for Ukraine is waning over here. The energy crisis now is an existential threat for the social and communal structure of Germany's society. The economy and industry, also haunted by the long term consequences of Covid that now make themselves felt, havew gone into a dive that only can be described as a rceession and the loans-price spiral is touring up, opening the way for stagflation. The prices for gas on average have gone up by 400% nation-wide, and püromise to explode even steeper int he forseeable future. Many private household cannot cope with such cost explosions, they simply cannot. Housing and tenants associations alike warn of ADDITIONAL gas costs of up tpo 5000 Euros. Mind you - in the West, Germany is the champion when it comes to the shares of low wage worker on the labour market.
The sanctions are worse than a boomerang. They seem to do more damage to Europe's economy than they do to Russia's. The Euro weakens, the Rouble gets stronger. Inflation gallops in the West, in Russia it is shrinking. The losses in sales to the west Russia was able to compensate by selling to thankful customers in China, India, the third world. India sells cheap Russian oil for high costs to Europe. Russia now makes more profit from its lesser sales than it did before with higher sales - that great our sanctions work!
That and the fear for crisis in winter is what lets support for Ukraine wane. Goobally, the majority of humans and nations do not line up with the West, and accuse the West, not Russia, for food crisis. Stomach goes before morals. Can we really point finger at them? No.
All this is running not good neither for the Ukraine, nor for the West. OPur eocnomy is seriously in troubles, and I think we will not get off that train that is out of control.
The moralisation of politics as Baerbock tries, does not work. Moral without strength is meaningless.
Nothing is to be expected from Bubble-Olaf. He once said "Who demands leadership form mme will get served leadership". Revcently he soudned very different, and said that he cannot make politics and leadership against what the people want. What this means, is clear: he weill not prioivde leadership, but he wants to get led. Populisim, they call it: check what people demand so that the ylove you, and that is what yoz do then to get loved. Merkel did this for 16 years, with the now known results. Bubble-Olaf is like her: mercilessly opportunistic, and populistic. He has no plan. He has only an unlimited supply of smoke grenades.
For the Ukraine, all this is no good news. Russian-made destruction burns itself into the ukraine and its industry like rust into a metal plate. High Russian losses can be compensated by Russia: Ukrainian military's losses count much more precious. Something tells me the few heavy weapons sent to Ukriane will not really make a decisive difference for the final outcome of the war - the Russians will simply press on, no matter what. Even old cannons and guns and old ammunition kills and destroys. I think the Western assessments of how the war is going show plenty of wishful thinking. The Ukraine bleeds out, slowly bleeds to death - I think that is the simple truth here.
All this what I said, describes a dilemma. The dilemma we are in is home-made, we ctreated it ourselves. And there is no solution. None I could imagine, at least. It seems we are doomed to let the inflammation run on until it dies out by itself - or brings them and us down.It was a question nothing more or less, do not understand we are going to hell the world faced worse periods and survived one or other way the world will survive this if not it is all ok we plunder destroy our environment maybe it is our karma to disappear.
Rockstar
07-10-22, 12:24 PM
I look at the chart differently so I might be wrong. There does seem to be a difference between what has been pledged and actually delivered. But I think it’s in the best interests of every state to regulate the disbursement of monies, and material rather than sending just one big pile of money and weapons at once. To deliver and store all the himars and other kewl things that go boom in Ukraine before personnel are trained wouldn’t be the brightest move on our part. Same with money, it’s MY money we pledged. I admire the soldiers and civilians fighting for Ukraine. But the government of Ukraine is a post Soviet era state which still has remnants of corrupt ways of conducting business and getting things done. It makes sense to me we make damn sure MY money is spent for reasons we intended.
Rockstar
07-10-22, 12:32 PM
Speaking of not wanting to flush money down the toilet. Norwegians put together a report in 2005 detailing why a nation with a 66 billion budget to modernize its army isn’t doing very well against a nation that has only a .5.5 billion budget for defense.
https://www.ffi.no/en/publications-archive/russian-military-corruption-scale-and-causes
Tor Bukkvoll
This report discusses the scale of and the causes for the high level of military corruption in Russia. While it for obvious reasons is difficult to find hard data for the true scale of this phenomenon, it is still possible to make calculations based on publicly available data. The sources used here are mainly figures released by the Russian Military Procuracy, and estimates made by independent Russian experts and journalists as reported in the Russian press. The causes of military corruption in Russia are discussed on three levels: the individual, the institutional and the political level. At the individual level the attention is on rational cost-benefit analysis. The main question is if Russian officers are most often faced by “low-risk, high profit” or “high risk, low-profit” calculus when they decide on whether or not to engage in corrupt activities. At the institutional level the focus is on the web of informal rules, constraints and habits that exist within the Russian officer corps with regard to corrupt activities. Finally, at the political level the relationship between the Armed Forces, the controlling and prosecuting agencies, and the political leadership is discussed.
Video version
https://youtu.be/8F0kSDV9U_E
Jimbuna
07-10-22, 01:07 PM
At least 15 people have been killed and about 20 more are feared buried under rubble after Russian rockets struck an apartment block in Chasiv Yar, a town in eastern Ukraine, officials say.
Five victims have been brought out alive. The death toll was given by a Ukrainian emergency services official.
One side of the five-storey building was ripped apart, leaving a mountain of rubble. Chasiv Yar is near the city of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region.
Donetsk is the focus of a Russian push.
The region's governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the destruction was caused by Russian Uragan rockets.
In the south, Ukrainian forces fired missiles on Sunday at the Russian-occupied city of Kherson. Reports from both sides are contradictory: a Ukrainian official said a Russian military base was hit, while Russian reports say a hospital was damaged and a house destroyed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62113185
Jimbuna
07-10-22, 01:11 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuL1O4x0KVI
Jimbuna
07-10-22, 01:12 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFbfvEWDuQ
Jimbuna
07-10-22, 01:15 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC3HZV_xW8o
Jimbuna
07-10-22, 01:47 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMEpxX7rS5I
What do we ordinary people know ? Do we know what's going on in Ukraine and behind the closed doors in NATO member states Parliament ?
No we do not. It's our standpoint who decide what we believe or disbelieve.
Are Ukrainian news more reliable than the Russians ?
I want to believe it is..
Just my 5 cent of thoughts on what we see, hear and read in the news.
Markus
Skybird
07-11-22, 01:55 AM
Two weeks old, a general overview. It confirms my muted impression. Russia may or may not do long term damage to itself that makes itself felt in the future, but that does mean no relief for Ukraine today.
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/06/30/does-a-protracted-conflict-favour-russia-or-ukraine
Jimbuna
07-11-22, 05:59 AM
Wives of Russian soldiers appeal for them to be returned home
Wives of Russian soldiers are appealing to them to be returned home, according to a video highlighted by British defence chiefs on Monday.
Troops of the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade, part of the Eastern Military District in Russia, were said to be “mentally and physically” exhausted from their role in the invasion of Ukraine which started nearly five months ago.
The British military chiefs stressed that the lack of “scheduled breaks” from intense fighting for Russian forces was a major issue facing Vladimir Putin’s army.
However, they did not comment on the difficulties facing Ukrainian troops which have suffered a series of defeats in the Luhansk province of the eastern Donbas region where the Russian president is focusing his military campaign.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “In late June, a Russian-language media agency based in Russia’s far eastern Lake Baikal region uploaded a video in which the wives of soldiers from the Eastern Military District’s (EMD’s) 36th Combined Arms Army directly appealed to a local politician for their husbands to be returned home from service in Ukraine.
“One woman claimed that personnel of EMD’s 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade are ‘mentally and physically’ exhausted,’ because they have been on active combat duty since the launch of the ‘special military operaton’ on 24 February 2022.
“The lack of scheduled breaks from intense combat conditions is highly likely one of the most damaging of the many personnel issues the Russian MoD is struggling to rectify amongs the deployed forces.”
The briefing added: “As of Sunday 10 July, artillery bombardments continued in the northern Donbas sector, but probably without any major territorial advances.
“Ukrainian forces continued to apply localised pressure to the Russian defensive line in North East Kherson oblast (province), also probably without achieving territorial gains.”
The US-based military think tank, the Institute for The Study of War (ISW) said that Russian forces are in the middle of a theatre-wide operational pause in Ukraine.
It added: “This operational pause has been largely characterized by Russian troops regrouping to rest, refit, and reconstitute; heavy artillery fire in critical areas to set conditions for future ground advances; and limited probing attacks to identify Ukrainian weakness and structure appropriate tactical responses.
“As ISW has previously noted, an operational pause does not mean a complete cessation of hostilities, rather that ongoing hostilities are more preparative in nature.”
Defence chiefs in Britain, the US and other allied countries are fighting an information war against Russia, which is a key part of the conflict in Ukraine, so their claims need to be treated in that context.
However, Russian claims need to be treated with huge caution given that the Kremlin does not even accept that there is a war going on in Ukraine and its denials of war crimes and killing thousands of civilians are at odds with widespread reports from the conflict zone.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/wives-of-russian-soldiers-appeal-for-them-to-be-returned-home/ar-AAZrdXn?ocid=mailsignout&li=AAnZ9Ug
Jimbuna
07-11-22, 06:31 AM
Ukraine aims to amass 'million-strong army' to recapture south, says defence minister
Ukraine plans a "million-strong army" equipped with Nato weapons to retake the south of the country from occupying Russians, the defence minister says.
Retaking the areas around the Black Sea coast was vital to the country's economy, Oleksii Reznikov said.
However, the comments are more of a rallying cry than a concrete plan, says the BBC's Joe Inwood in Kyiv.
The defence minister's remarks come as Russia makes progress in taking territory in the eastern Donbas region.
An attack on a block of flats on Sunday killed at least 22 people - with more than 20 feared buried under the rubble.
Rescuers are still looking for survivors at the site of the five-storey building in Chasiv Yar, near the city of Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region which has been the focus of a Russian push.
In his interview with The Times newspaper, Mr Reznikov praised the UK for being "key" in the transition from providing Ukraine with Soviet-era weapons to Nato-standard air defence systems and ammunition.
He said weapons deliveries needed to be sped up.
"We need more, quickly, to save the lives of our soldiers. Each day we're waiting for howitzers, we can lose a hundred soldiers," he said.
"We have approximately 700,000 in the armed forces and when you add the national guard, police, border guard, we are around a million-strong," the defence minister said.
However, Dr Jack Watling, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, cautioned against the figure.
"It's not a million-strong force that will be conducting a counter-attack," Mr Watling told the BBC.
"Normally you would want operational surprise when you launch a counter-attack, so announcing it publicly is partly about forcing the Russians to have to commit resources more widely to guard against this threat."
The comments come as three people were killed and 28 wounded after residential areas in the eastern city of Kharkiv were struck by Russian shells, the regional governor said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62118953
Jimbuna
07-11-22, 06:45 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzk2pGsTAJ8
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