Here we go again-Ukraine once again [Archive] - Page 39

Skybird

01-30-23, 06:08 PM

Production in Russia is cheaper then here. And furtherl - even if they only reactivate every fifth tank, thats 2000 - 2500 additional tanks, and then plus units from other parts of their country. They are from from running out of reserves! ;)

And while we talk, type and discuss, and senda handful of our tanks, their troops in the East and in Crimea dug themselves in deeper and deeper.

There is a too optimistic perception in the West of how the war is going. Its not hopeless for the Ukraine, but very, very difficult, it will get so much more destroyed and it will take more than just this year 2023. Already months back I said that it will pay for any victory with catastrophic damage to its economy and infrastructure, andntghats whyt the Rsusians currently make sure does happen in extremis. And the Ukrainian own losses in lives also will be horrendous.

Our media sugar-coat it all a bit. Our aid currently is enough to extend the war - but its not enough to decide the war. And if we leave it to these low levels in small doses over long periods of time, then i fear Ukraine will lose in two or three years, and will end being obliterated. Maybe even earlier.

I do not talk the way for negotiating with Russia or to stopp supporting Ukraine, far from it. But I say we must get far more realistic. What we currently manage to raise in support, is not even close to what is needed to decide the war by a win. We must do much more. MUCH more. By factors. The way we do it now we likely will lose and Russia will win.

And Russia - it has always been doctrine of Sovjet forces to make up for inferior technology by overwhelming masses and accepting high own losses, thats their drill since WW2. They are absolutely used to this kind of attritous war fighting. They made a science of it. Lets face it, the Ukrainian offensive after Charkiv has been stopped by them - and I said that already weeks ago. At Soledar and Bachmut, they make slow advance, and the ukrainians had to fall back under heavy own losses. Not only the Russians take a beating there: the Ukrainians suffer high losses, too. Slowly the Russian become more successful again, slowly they learn, slowly they adapt, slowly they bring their overwhelming numbers to bear. The Ukraine is caught in a war of attrition currently - and this they cannot win. They must regain the initiative, start another offensive, start manouvering again, must secure momentum. An for that what they get from us is not enough.

Time to drop more of those red lines in Washington and Europe.

I will never understand how the Russians managed to get most of their forces in cherson out and over the river in a sorted, cohesive manner, it should not have been possible, those forces should have been lost for them. There must have been a deal in the background. Some say Washington negotiated such a deal.

Mobilization in Russia now works better than initially. Mobilization in the Ukraine works worse with every wave. No time left anymore for more Western scholzing.

mapuc

01-30-23, 06:09 PM

We have seen the might of Russia (it is gone fertilizer on Ukraine soil), it is now on plan 4 or 5 and can not win this with numbers we have not seen since WWII Putin can declare war, but that is only for Russia has no purpose in this invasion operation or war are only words meant for the Russian elite does he have the guts to send elite boys in to this slaughter a gamble he does not dare yet.

When thinking about it and what happened when Ukraine went offensive in Northeast Donetsk Oblast the Russian fled and let a huge amount of weapon and ammo be left as a gift.

The same happened When Ukraine went offensive against Russia in Kherson Oblast-The Russian fled over the river.

With these in memory-I think you are right.

Where the next Offensive will be I don't know and what area they are going to invade/retake I don't know.

Markus

Skybird

01-30-23, 07:30 PM

Bubble-Olaf gets told in Brazil that Brazil will not deliver the hoped-for 300,000 rounds of ammo for the Gepard the German was asking for.

-----------------------------------
Biden says that he will not deliver F-16 to Ukraine.

-----------------------------------
Macron did not rule out jets, but said they would come at cionditons, if ever. Namely that their wepaons should not touch Russian soil and shall not be used escalating. Whiöle the first can be interporeted geograohcially, it is unclear to me what he is meaning to be the meaning of the latter. Not "escalating"...? Serious now...? After 11 months of Russian invasion the Ukrainians may "escalate" something?
------------------------------------
France and Australia will deliver the urgently needed ammo of 155mm callibre.

------------------------------------
Scholz calls demands for jets "strange".

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 05:42 AM

Russian company offers £60k reward for first soldier to ‘destroy or capture’ a Western tank

A Russian company has offered a cash reward for each Western-made tank that is destroyed in Ukraine.

Energy firm Fores announced in a statement that it would pay five million roubles (£60,000) to the first Russian serviceman to “destroy or capture a German Leopard 2 battle tank or an American Abrams.”

The company is also willing to pay 500,000 roubles for every destroyed or captured tank thereafter.

In the event of modern fighter jets being sent to Ukraine, Fores has offered a reward of 15 million roubles for the first F-15 or F-16 aircraft.

The statement justified the offer in language that echoed the Kremlin, which attacked Western companies for crossing a “red line” by supplying battle tanks.

“We are witnessing a process of permanent escalation of the conflict and unlimited pumping of the enemy with weapons,” Fores stated.

“The decision to transfer western tanks to Kyiv indicates that Nato does not adhere to the concept of supplying Ukraine with only defensive weapons, which means the need to consolidate and support our army.”

Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin announced last week on social media that “representatives of a large Russian business have authorised me to announce that they are assigning a bonus of 10 million roubles for each Abrams,” without specifying the business.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously warned that Western tanks would “burn” on the battlefield.

The UK, US, Germany and several other European countries are preparing to supply Kyiv with dozens of advanced tanks over the next few months ahead of an antiicpated Russian offensive.

The tanks have not yet been dispatched and operators will require extensive training to transition from Soviet-era equipment to Nato hardware.

Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the UK on Monday to learn how to use British Challenger 2 tanks, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
https://inews.co.uk/news/world/russian-company-60k-reward-soldier-destroy-capture-western-tank-2115815

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 05:46 AM

Putin crisis as Ukraine says waves of Russian troops being 'crushed' in latest assault

Vladimir Putin is facing a fresh crisis after a Ukrainian colonel claimed Russian troops are being "crushed" during a fresh assault on a strategically critical town. Ukrainian military analyst Mykola Salamakha said Russian troops were mounting a series of attacks on Vuhledar as Russia looks to gain a foothold in the war but he claimed Moscow's assault on the coal-mining town in Donetsk was coming at a huge cost for Putin's men.

The Ukrainian colonel told Ukrainian Radio NV: "This is a repetition of the situation in Bakhmut - one wave of Russian troops after another crushed by the Ukrainian armed forces."

He also added that an "extremely strong defensive hub" had been created there.

Earlier today, Ukraine's General Staff said ina statement Ukrainian forces had fought off an attack from Russia in Bakhmut.

The city has been the focus of Russia's offensive in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as in several other cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Denis Pushilin, the administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk, also said today is forces had gained a foothold in Vuhledar, southwest of Bakhmut, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

Russia's Defence Ministry had insisted troops had taken up "more advantageous positions" in Vuhledar and inflicted losses on Ukrainian forces.

During his regular video address late last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his country was facing a difficult situation in the eastern Donetsk province.

He once again appealed for faster weapons supplies and new types of weaponry, just days after Western allies agreed to provide Kyiv with dozens of heavy battle tanks.

Mr Zelensky said in his late night video address: "The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region - there are constant Russian attacks."

"Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon. We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine."

Last week, Ukraine was handed a massive boost after Germany finally said it will send Leopard 2 tanks to the war-torn country in the fight against Russia.

It also means Western and NATO allies can now send squadrons of the German-made vehicles following weeks of anger and frustration over Berlin hesitating on the issue.

The latest developments come after Putin was warned he faces a "very bleak future" if he fails to score a "significant victory" in the next major offensives with Ukraine.

The Russian President has seen his army suffer a series of devastating blows in the conflict, with tens of thousands of troops being killed on the battlefield.

The first anniversary of the war is just a few weeks away on February 24, and there has been speculation Putin could announce a huge mobilisation of half-a-million troops in a desperate bid to boost his ailing plan.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer who served for nearly 30 years, claimed both Russia and Ukraine were gearing up for "major offensives" but warned this could be Putin's "last roll of the dice".

He told Express.co.uk: "The Ukrainians have taken a huge hit, but of course so has Putin.

"We all know things didn't work out how we expected or how he conditioned the Russian people to expect, so he has to have a significant victory in the early part of this year if he can achieve it.

"If he can't achieve that, it could be a very bleak future for him with the possibility of some kind of coo in Russia against him. He will be very mindful of that possibility.

"Putin is in a very strong position and still has huge popularity within Russia, despite this war. But we have also seen rumblings from some of the elites within Russia.

"The prospects of a popular Russian uprising against Putin are pretty low but the prospect of someone of significance in Moscow or a significant number of people deciding to move against him is possible."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/putin-crisis-as-ukraine-says-waves-of-russian-troops-being-crushed-in-latest-assault/ar-AA16UUj2?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=3a0f2a6b83f84fbead257ed996b2dde4

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 06:02 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klHTmE_K69k

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 06:17 AM

Poland boosts defence spending over war in Ukraine

Poland has announced a sharp increase in defence spending, saying the change is needed because of the Ukraine war.

It is the latest European country to say it is increasing military spending as a result of the conflict.

Poland has a military budget of just less than 2.5% of its GDP, but the prime minister says he wants to increase the figure to 4% this year.

Last week, Mateusz Morawiecki urged Germany to allow his country to export Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

"The war in Ukraine makes us arm ourselves even faster. That is why this year we will make an unprecedented effort: 4% of GDP for the Polish army," Mr Morawiecki said.

Raising defence spending to 4% "might mean that this will be the highest percentage... among all Nato countries," he added.

Poland, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has previously said it was buying 116 Abrams tanks from the US with the first deliveries to start this spring.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led many Western countries to review their military spending - and in many cases, increase it significantly.

Members of the Nato Western military alliance have agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP, a measure of a country's economic output, on defence from 2024. The figure of 2% has been a long-standing target for the alliance.

Recently, France outlined plans for a major boost to its armed forces in part due to the war in Ukraine, saying the next seven-year budget would increase to €413bn (£360bn) from 2024-30, up from €295bn.

Sweden and Finland have announced steep increases in their military budgets as part of their bid to join Nato.

Days after the invasion in February 2022, Germany pledged an extra €100bn of the budget to the armed forces.

And in June, the UK promised under former prime minister Boris Johnson to increase spending to 2.5% of GDP.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64457401

Skybird

01-31-23, 07:27 AM

Abbas Gallyamov, the former speechwriter for Russian President Vladimir Putin, believes a military coup in Russia is increasingly likely given the serious Russian losses. Russians would be looking for someone to blame given the sluggish economy and tens of thousands of dead soldiers in Ukraine, Gallyamov told "CNN."

"The Russian economy is deteriorating. The war is lost," he told the U.S. news network. "There are more and more deaths, (...) and Russians will try to find an explanation for this, (...) and will be able to give themselves the answer: 'Well, this is because our country is ruled by an old tyrant, an old dictator,'" Gallyamov said, referring to Putin.

He thinks a military coup is possible in the next twelve months. Then a "hated, unpopular president" would be at the head of the country. "Without a victory over Ukraine, he will have trouble with the Russians," he continues. That is why Gallyamov also expects that Putin could cancel the presidential elections scheduled for March 2024.

-FOCUS-

I fear with the man coming after Puitin it will all become worse. There are several bulls in the ring already, all the time trying to improve their position in their rivalry for power. And none of them is a nice guy, none. Whoever succeeds Putin most likely will gear up the war in a bid to actually stay in power. Else his stay in the top seat will be a short one.

Rockstar

01-31-23, 08:01 AM

Skybird

01-31-23, 08:23 AM

A Russian civil war is nothing I care too much for - but only as long as their nukies are safe and secure. Else we may end up drinking more Nuka Cola than is healthy for us. If these weapons get compromised, we may see ourselves in essential need to intervene directly in said civil war, which would be most unpleasant and nothing we can seriously wish for.

Lets hope it gets not this bad. Its only a question of time until some Russian wannabe big man will try to blackmail and intimidate us with right this scenario. It would be good if then we have an answer ready, and must not spend time to think on one.

Commander Wallace

01-31-23, 08:50 AM

Skybird

01-31-23, 09:59 AM

^ I thought I expressed right that!? :hmmm:

Commander Wallace

01-31-23, 10:09 AM

^ I thought I expressed right that!? :hmmm:

Pretty much but it's a horrifying thought, nonetheless. As you pointed out, a crazy with nuclear weapons. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Skybird

01-31-23, 10:33 AM

Make madness your best buddy and you will never feel alone in this world again. :yeah:

Skybird

01-31-23, 11:47 AM

I hate to be Kassandra once again, but - well: its bitter: this is the first time that I read one of the German mainstream media so openly and unsparingly describing the situation: the ukraine is loosing, and its loss is pretty much inevitable, becauue the West fails to deliver what actually is needed in quantity of help. And this article says exactly the same things I posted yesterday. Exactly the same. It's just not enough what the West is doing, not even close to it, and the West is scaring itself off, letting Putin intimidate it. What we do, has not the heavy punch and not the long breath needed. It is not enough.

Die Welt writes:
----------------------------------

Why it is almost impossible that Ukraine will still win

As bitter as it is, a Ukrainian victory is becoming less likely every day. Kiev's army is running out of men and material, the enemy is adjusting better and has huge supplies at its disposal. No wonder Western diplomats are now increasingly talking about ceasefires.

At the beginning of the year, Ukraine was spreading optimism in the terrible war that has been imposed on the country by Russian aggression for almost a year now. This year, declared the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, would bring "joy and victory." But how realistic is a Ukrainian victory?

It is almost impossible that Ukraine will emerge victorious from this war. According to the definition of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, a victory means the reconquest of all occupied territories, including Crimea. But that is impossible from today's perspective and under the given circumstances - by which is meant, above all, the lack of support from the West. Russia currently occupies about 18 percent of Ukrainian territory. This figure is likely to rise rather than fall in the future. Unfortunately.

What are the reasons for Russia's foreseeable success?

First, it has become definitively clear in the debates of recent weeks that the U.S., Germany and other NATO allies are more afraid of the war spreading to NATO territory than they are of the threat to Western security posed by Russia's territorial conquests in Ukraine. The logic of Western decision-makers is that the more combat-ready, lethal, and precise weapons deliveries become, the greater the risk of a "spillover" effect. The West suffers from a kind of self-deterrence and therefore supports Ukraine only in such a way that it does not have to capitulate immediately.

Second, Russia has so far destroyed 60 to 70 percent of the critical infrastructure in Ukraine. It is not foreseeable that Kiev will receive sufficient air defense systems such as Iris-T, Nasams and Patriots from the West to stop the Russian orgy of destruction. On the contrary, the puny deliveries from the West so far are a carte blanche for the Russian armed forces, which, according to Norwegian Chief of General Staff Eirik Kristoffersen, still also have huge arsenals of missiles and drones.

However, Ukraine will be less and less able to repair the destroyed infrastructure - the material for this is becoming increasingly scarce and would have to be supplied from Russia. Without sufficient energy, however, it will become increasingly difficult to supply the people. In addition, the Ukrainian defense industry urgently needs electricity.

Mobilization potential: 30 million

Third, Russia's military is trying to counter Western precision weapons with mass and can draw on sufficient resources to do so. This is especially true in the tank sector. According to the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Russia should soon have more than 4,000 deployable tanks at its disposal - a crushing mass that not only poses a major risk to the Western Leopard tanks, but also puts Russia in a position to go on the offensive at any time.

Fourth, Ukraine is running out of soldiers as the war drags on. It is already - depending on how you look at it - in at least the eighth wave of mobilization, with men over the age of 60 now being sent to the front. Russia, on the other hand, will soon call up 200,000 fresh forces, and reportedly as many as 500,000 more soldiers could follow in the summer. Moscow has a mobilization potential of about 30 million.

Fifth, Russia is likely to emerge from this war not only as a military victor with territorial gains for the reasons mentioned above, but also as a political victor: Ukraine's economic recovery will be significantly more difficult than the "National Council for the Reconstruction of Ukraine" predicts, according to the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW). Membership in NATO is likely to be ruled out for the foreseeable future following a ceasefire or peace negotiations, and Ukraine's EU accession will - in the best case scenario - take much longer than Kiev is currently demanding.

And what is the current situation in the theater of war? While the West - well observable in the person of Chancellor Olaf Scholz - is incessantly squirming and dithering to keep its own promise to "do everything in our power for Ukraine," Kiev is losing time to finally get out of its positional warfare and go on the offensive.

Russian troops are using this time to dig in, lay minefields, expand positions, and bring in fresh reserve forces and new war materiel to be better equipped to attack and defend in the spring. With the promised deliveries of battle tanks - Ukraine had asked for 300 and is getting only about 130 - Ukraine is unlikely to be able to launch successful counteroffensives at Kreminna and especially Zaporizhzhya to cut off supplies to Russian troops in Crimea.

This is all the more true because for a successful tank attack toward Crimea, Ukraine also needed shorter-range missiles (ATACMS), more armored personnel carriers (100 promised, 500-600 demanded by Kiev), more artillery systems (70 promised, 500 demanded), and fighter jets (zero promised, 180 F16 jets demanded).

Kiev is just running out of time - and the West is watching. Fearful of crossing "red lines" set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Europe and the U.S. are also doing nothing to disrupt Russian satellite communications, which would massively impair Moscow's offensive capabilities.

The international community is doing a great deal to support Ukraine. But it is still far too little to allow Kiev to assert its legitimate claim to territorial integrity. One can only suspect calculation behind this. Anyone who talks to Western diplomats increasingly hears about fear of escalation, worries about war fatigue in democratic societies, and hopes for an early cease-fire.

And it is precisely this quick cease-fire that the West's involvement now amounts to - tacitly, of course. The result will be an amputated Ukraine.

------------------------------------

That Putin nevertheless is vulnerable now inside his regime and likely will not hold himself forever anymore, offers no solace.

The "amputated Ukraine" will havce lost much of it sheacy industry reigopn in the East, and quite some of its ressources and agricultural lands as well, adding to the damage of those economic potentials the Russiands have bombe dinto oblivion. Even if the Ukraine would "win" the war, it would be in ruins.

And a brutal thing to say, is this: the Ukraine is no NATO member, de facto. Nobody has so far dared ot raise this part of the debate: can a nation not being member of NATO nevertheless demand to enjoy the benefit of article 5 support from NATO? Of course, if treaties and law and order should have any meaning, it cannot. This is brutal to say this clearly, but we may think we have a moral obligation to help (trhen why dont we do it not sufficnetly and only as an alibi...), but a legal obligaiton we certainly have not.

Shall nobody think I like to write this and post this. But its the grim truth. Those few tanks we are sending - will kill many russian tanks and troops, yes. But it will not be relevant in the greater scheme of things. Its to few tanks. Too few of evertyhing.

This all sucks. It sucks to be this weak as we learn currently we are. It makes me sick that Bubble-Olaf already promised the german industry some weeks ago that after the war they can hope that most things will return to business as usual again.

And still I do not see that Eurpeans have started to wake uop in full and start to arm up - for the nextg Russian attacks afetr they are done with Ukraine. Moldavia. Baltic states. It will take them some years, but it will come. The only ones who have understood it and learned from the challenge, are the Poles: they try to arm up like crazy. But they will need many, many, many years.

Germany? So far, total failure again. Our defence budget btw is being reduced this year. REDUCED.

We thought we were playing a round of Golf. We were wrong. Again.

This would not have happened if we would have started earlier with feminist foreign policy. :88)

Rockstar

01-31-23, 12:26 PM

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 12:55 PM

White House announced new package of military aid to Ukraine, - CNN

The White House announced that the US will soon announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine.

This was reported by the representative of the Biden administration, Olivia Dalton, in a conversation with journalists on "Board Number One", Censor.NET informs with reference to LIGA.

According to Dalton, Washington will soon announce additional military aid to Ukraine. When asked about the possible dispatch of F-16 fighter jets, she repeated Biden's statement that the US does not yet plan to supply the aircraft.

The representative of the Biden administration emphasized that the United States maintains regular contact with Ukraine regarding its military needs and provides multibillion-dollar aid to Ukrainians. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396906

Biden and Zelensky will discuss Ukraine’s request for weapons

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said that he plans to discuss with the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky requests regarding weapons.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to France 24.

"We're going to talk (with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - ed.) about Ukraine's latest requests for weapons to defend against Russian aggression," Biden told reporters, speaking the next morning after he answered a resounding "no" to a question about whether he is for sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

It will be recalled that Biden previously hinted that the USA would not transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

On January 30, Poland officially announced its readiness to transfer F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, but there are certain conditions for this.

At the same time, French leader Macron allows the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine, stressing that there is nothing prohibited in this. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396890

Zelensky and Trudeau discussed Ukraine’s needs in armored vehicles, artillery and aviation

Today, January 31, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As Censor.NET informs about this with reference to Zelensky's message.

President Zelensky informed Trudeau in detail about the state of affairs on the front line and Ukraine's defense needs in armored vehicles, artillery, and aviation.

The leaders of Ukraine and Canada also agreed on joint diplomatic steps, in particular regarding the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396880

France will hand over 12 more self-propelled guns "Caesar" to Ukraine, - Minister of Defense Lecornu

France will transfer 12 additional Caesar self-propelled guns to Ukraine.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to BFMTV this was announced by the Minister of Defense of France, Sébastien Lecornu.

Also, according to him, the country will send 150 of its soldiers to Poland to train Ukrainian defenders.

By the summer, 2,000 Ukrainian military personnel will undergo training.

The minister specified that the supply of self-propelled guns will be financed within the support fund of 200 million euros, which was opened by the parliament. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3396864

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 01:04 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMOvPi2BEw

tonschk

01-31-23, 01:22 PM

The zelensky Authoritarian Dictatorship regime is throwing in last teenagers troops to face certain death defending Bakhmut and the Russian Army is currently Crushing the mercenaries Terrorists Criminals from NATO which are Actually terrorists Criminals, from eyewitness testimony here .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts-BVW6ujT8

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 01:33 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8y63_92xt8

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 01:40 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI8AVEE13Og

Jimbuna

01-31-23, 01:55 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izP7Xx_CUP4

Catfish

01-31-23, 02:25 PM

The zelensky Authoritarian Dictatorship regime .... blah
You are cursed and you know it. Hellfire is getting closer.

Exocet25fr

01-31-23, 02:57 PM

Sorry, but I did'nt find an English translation of the following Videos (natürlich!?)

They are in German and French only!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYA6FBqI_So

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLOEmP-PM64

Skybird

01-31-23, 03:02 PM

No doubt a Russian civil war could get a little dicey. Those Panstsir missile systems Russians placed on top buildings not too long probably had more to with concerns over internal threats than it did Ukraine.
No, they are a motivation aid to influence the population. "Look how serious it is, we are being threatened by the West."

Exocet25fr

01-31-23, 03:02 PM

Now the Zelensky clown wants Submarines !??? :up:

https://switzerlandtimes.ch/world/now-ukraine-also-wants-fighter-jets-and-submarines/

Skybird

01-31-23, 03:14 PM

Sorry, but I did'nt find an English translation of the following Videos (natürlich!?)

They are in German and French only!

2 YOUTUBE LINKS

A prominent and known AfD man. The AfD is an ally of the Kremlin (so is the SED).

mapuc

01-31-23, 03:17 PM

^^ Zelenskyy isn't a clown.

He is a President who try to save his country from an invasion.

He has every right to ask for military stuff, so even U-boats, Fighter Jet or heavy MBT.

And our leaders has every right to approve or disapprove these request.

Markus

August

01-31-23, 03:29 PM

Skybird

01-31-23, 03:36 PM

Catfish

01-31-23, 04:01 PM

"Und morgen kommt der große Ar§ch und schei$$t alles zu" :D

I do not think Ukraine will lose in the end. The west cannot afford to let them.
Yes, this means boots on the ground, NATO, and risking a nuclear war. And?
Russia will go on to threaten the world while blackmailing them, and all bow before Putin's threats? Punch him in the face. Kill him. Destroy his armies. Make Moscow bleed. They already know they are wrong and hell awaits. Give it to them.
Otherwise with this strategy Russia can conquer the whole world – if the rest of the world makes a kowtow like Germany, and is as dumb like this joke of a chancellor, Scholz.

Meanwhile

https://youtu.be/f-Wn64ShZzo

tonschk

01-31-23, 04:07 PM

Yes zelensky is actually a Real Terrorist and a Criminal Clown and a Buffoon

Now the Zelensky clown wants Submarines !??? :up:

https://switzerlandtimes.ch/world/now-ukraine-also-wants-fighter-jets-and-submarines/

Dargo

01-31-23, 04:07 PM

This is a map of the "land"connection and the many water bodies between mainland Ukraine and Crimea. Note the distance scale in the bottom left corner.

https://i.postimg.cc/1tzwyTNr/Inked-Krim-LI.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Trying to break through there while being clearly outnumbered? :doh: Have fun.Think the Crimea is not an option to retake if you see what they have to retake lost after the invasion they say it is Ukraine is for the Ukrainian public. Today's map update of Russian field fortifications includes new trenches in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and additional defenses in the Russian regions that border northeastern Ukraine.

Check out the interactive map which links each point to satellite imagery: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1rRKs40IEbGRsV0Fhky25l5OkPJ_vUvQ&ll=48.90677081913808%2C35.235204999999986&z=6 Ukraine will have his hands full to retake the oblasts lost after 24/2/22

Skybird

01-31-23, 04:36 PM

Catfish

01-31-23, 04:57 PM

Yes zelensky is actually a Real Terrorist and a Criminal Clown and a Buffoon
It is about your own terrorism.
I heard soldiers’ mothers in Russia have long memories. Guess you’ll always be looking over your shoulder.

mapuc

01-31-23, 05:04 PM

Partner countries of Ukraine issued a statement on the creation of a special international tribunal for Putin.

https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1620533347977142272

Markus

Dargo

01-31-23, 05:23 PM

Also, since many years I see the Crimea as a tripwire to nuclear weapon use. Since years I say that Russia will NEVER give up Crimea. Not Putin, not the man after him.

Nevertheless Zelensky lists reconquest of Crimea as one of his conditions to define "victory".To get his "victory" he needs the supply from the west. Crimea is not won this year and not next year, by then the mayor supporter could have another head of power who sees it totally different and urges starting talks with Russia.

Dargo

01-31-23, 05:27 PM

Russia struggling to replace its losses in Ukraine ahead of possible spring offensive, Western officials say
Russia is unlikely to see strategic success in any potential offensive in Ukraine this spring due to limited support on force ratios, equipment and logistics, according to Western officials speaking to media on background. These limitations might not prevent Russia “from trying to launch an offensive,” but their “ability to change the course of the conflict at the moment is constrained,” the officials said. Moscow is struggling to replace its losses, the officials added. "There are severe constraints to their ability to really backfill the losses that they have suffered in Ukraine, which is why you see them reach out to international partners to try to fill the gap," they said.

Russia and Ukraine were fundamentally in "a race" as to "who can maintain the supply of weapons,” they said. Moscow's current offensive is more about “the existing manpower and equipment being deployed and redeployed locally. You're seeing people kind of taking offensive action, but I don't think you're seeing the beginning of the offensive in big strategic terms. It's unlikely that hundreds of thousands of mobilized reservists have been formed into cohesive formations capable of major offensive, maneuver operations,” the officials explained.

Meanwhile, the officials expressed doubt in Russia using its neighboring ally Belarus to launch an offensive in the coming months. “Belarus is providing a useful training ground for Russian forces where they can outsource for training and then siphon them back round into the front line in Ukraine,” the officials said. “We do see Russian forces in Belarus. We don't see them deployed to the border, and at the moment, they don't have the kind of capability in the logistics to project and threaten Kyiv.” But the Russian troops presence does prompt Ukraine from stationing its troops in that direction to "offset that potential risk," the officials said, even though they stressed that it is "hugely unlikely" that Belarus "will be an axis of advance in the next several months.”
https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-1-31-23/h_655ccbb557ff9267d0ac79e6d5438868

ET2SN

01-31-23, 05:46 PM

Now the Zelensky clown wants Submarines !??? :up:

https://switzerlandtimes.ch/world/now-ukraine-also-wants-fighter-jets-and-submarines/

Tough talk on the WWW is easy. :yep:
Try wearing a uniform that was issued to you and I'll find you more believable.

:03:

tonschk

01-31-23, 08:09 PM

RUSSIA’S victory is unavoidable. Russian Troops Pushing Forward In Ukraine and crushing the NATO mercenaries
https://wrp.org.uk/features/russian-troops-pushing-forward-in-ukraine/

August

01-31-23, 08:12 PM

Russian Troops Pushing Forward In Ukraine and crushing the NATO mercenaries https://wrp.org.uk/features/russian-troops-pushing-forward-in-ukraine/

Sure thing Comrade. :roll:

tonschk

01-31-23, 08:51 PM

Douglas Macgregor: Russia Is Forcing Ukraine To Stare Annihilation In The Face!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oak664IDLZA

Reece

01-31-23, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Exocet25fr https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/smartdark/viewpost.gif (https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2850552#post2850552)
Now the Zelensky clown wants Submarines !??? :up:

https://switzerlandtimes.ch/world/no...nd-submarines/ (https://switzerlandtimes.ch/world/now-ukraine-also-wants-fighter-jets-and-submarines/)
Originally Posted by ET2SN https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/smartdark/viewpost.gif (https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2850599#post2850599)
Tough talk on the WWW is easy. :yep:
Try wearing a uniform that was issued to you and I'll find you more believable.

:03:

What about his clown uniform? :hmmm:

Skybird

02-01-23, 05:11 AM

A grandiose failure. One wonders whether the whole affair is not just a way of pretending to the outraged people of the West that they are acting decisively, something that is actually lacking.
The same can be said about military aid. Enough not to capitulate immediately, not enough to win or prevent long-term defeat. Baerbock's "morally guided foreign policy? For the very bottom of the barrel. Wordy. Muzzies.
The FOCUS writes:
-------------------------------

The West wants to bring Putin to his knees economically - and fails grandly

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the West has slapped sanctions on its longtime trading partner Russia. But these apparently hit the Russian economy far less hard than expected. According to the IMF, Russia will actually grow faster than Germany for the foreseeable future.

The strongest force in capitalism, as Adam Smith described it, does not emanate from the intentions of market participants, but from the fact that supply and demand mysteriously find each other. The "invisible hand" was his metaphor for the elemental force at work here.

We do not know whether Vladimir Putin studied the works of the British moral philosopher. But we can say with certainty that the invisible hand provides him with valuable services. Western supply and Russian demand find each other even in times of sanctions regimes. Russia is consuming, not collapsing, just as, conversely, Russian raw materials are finding their way to customers along tortuous paths.

Here are the five disturbing facts that should not even exist according to Western trade barriers:

1. Russian financial system has not collapsed.

The Russian financial system, which was cut off from the SWIFT international payments system shortly after the war began, did not collapse. In fact, the dollar weakened against the ruble during the war - the Russian currency is currently trading about 9.6 percent above its pre-war level.

The reason for this stability is that Russia's current account is rising and in surplus despite the imposed cut-off - exports exceed imports, something the U.S. cannot claim. This is also due to energy prices, which the West has sent sky-high through its boycott decisions.

2. Russian economy will grow again

The Russian economy, like the West, experienced a dip last year and will grow again in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast. The IMF predicts growth of 0.3 percent. In 2024, Russian growth is expected to significantly outpace German growth, the IMF says. The attempt to bring the country to its knees economically has thus failed. Janis Kluge, Russia expert and economist at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin, can't help but chillingly sum up:
"The Russian economy has survived 2022."

Sergei Alexashenko, former deputy finance minister of the Russian Federation, said at an event this month that 2023 will be "a difficult year" for the Russian economy, but, "Not a disaster, not a collapse."

3. Chinese manufacturers push into Russian market.

Apple and Samsung may have pulled out of the Russian market at the start of the war, but Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Realme and Honor are now filling the gap. Turkey and especially China are also moving up the ranks in other goods such as washing machines and industrial goods: Overall, Chinese exports to Russia hit a record high in December, helping to offset a sharp decline in trade with Europe.

Apple and Samsung products are now also finding their way back to Russia via the new trade routes. A study on the sanctions impact by U.S. think tank Silverado Policy Accelerator says, "Smartphones from companies like Apple and Samsung continue to be shipped to Russia by third parties. These products are shipped from their production sites in Asia - sometimes through Europe, Hong Kong or other countries - to Armenia and Kazakhstan. From there, they are exported to Russia."

The New York Times wonders, "A strange thing happened with smartphones in Armenia last summer."

4. European companies still active in Russia

By no means do all companies share the political will to decouple from Russia. The primacy of politics is accepted rhetorically and disregarded in day-to-day business. A study by Simon Evenett and Niccolò Pisani at the University of St. Gallen claims that not even nine percent of EU and G7 corporations have dissolved their subsidiaries in Russia.

The authors analyzed 1,404 corporations that operated a total of 2,405 subsidiaries in Russia before the war. According to the study, only 120 companies have completely written off and sold at least one local subsidiary. 20 percent of the companies that are still active in Russia according to these criteria come from Germany.

The authors' smug conclusion: "Maybe Western politicians and business leaders don't agree on the merits of decoupling."

5. Russia exports oil and gas

Business is also humming on the Russian export side. The world remains interested in the Russian raw materials that lie so richly dormant in the permafrost there. As soon as the West stopped buying oil and gas, new customers jumped in. This is also confirmed by research conducted by Bloomberg . According to the news portal, around 2.5 million barrels of oil per day flow to Turkey, China, India and many African states.

Despite the sanctions, Europe cannot do without Russian gas either. Countries such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain still receive Russian LNG, according to the lobby association "Zukunft Gas". Via this detour, Germany also continues to be supplied with Russian LNG - albeit at a reduced dose.

Conclusion: The invisible hand of the market cannot be tied down, as we see from the example of Russia and know from the criminal activities of human traffickers, drug barons and arms dealers anyway. "Sanctions are a low cost policy," writes Agathe Demarais in her just published book Backfire.

The fact is that governments print their trade bans on official paper and are unable or unwilling to monitor enforcement in detail. Sanctions regimes are designed to impress - the voter, not Putin.

--------------------------------------

They form the 10th - the 10th...!! - sanction package in Brussel currently. this alone tells volumes of how terribly flawed the European approach to this conflict so far has been. Just one package should have been enough to dleiver the blow, if one were meaning it really serious. A real one. Questionable if that coul,d ever have been done with a country like Russia, which is practically autark in all it needs to maintian basic operaiton and supply for the people to surive.

That's not going to work. The fact that Russia has weakened itself demographically in the long run is no consolation. If Ukraine cannot reclaim the lost territories, Russia will receive rich mineral resources, the industrial center in the east (which the mutilated Ukraine would sorely miss), and lush agricultural land, and it has permanently trimmed Ukraine as an economic rival. Not bad at all, when one gives only brown stuff for one's own population anyway.

Meanwhile, the murmurings about negotiated solutions are becoming unmistakably louder and louder, and the rest of the world is slowly beginning to take a stand against the official position of the West. The reluctance of China and India and South Africa to go along with the Western reading was clear from the start, now Bubble-Olaf has picked up a clap or two in Brazil as well, China accused the U.S. of being to blame for the war a few days ago. And I have already said at the beginning of the war that the greatest danger is that the West gets tired of the war and only formally resists.

And Russia, for all its difficulties, has been buying gold like crazy for the last year. How can they do that when we are hitting them so hard?

Terribly flawed strategy by the West, from beginning on.

Things are not moving well for Ukraine.

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 06:11 AM

Russian threat growing, front line troops fear

Ukrainian troops on the front lines in the Donbas have told the BBC that Russian forces are "learning every day and changing their strategy" as they continue to gain ground around the heavily contested town of Bakhmut. But the soldiers also insisted that morale remains high, despite growing exhaustion after almost a year of war.

The two Ukrainian soldiers swept into the room, still visibly flushed with adrenalin, having just driven straight from the furiously active front lines along the rolling, snow-covered hills further south. Peering over a giant map at their brigade's temporary headquarters, they jabbed at the spots where Russian forces were inching forwards towards a key road.

"They were about 400 metres [437 yards] from us, across the field just here. We're holding on, but it's getting harder," said Sgt Denys Kalchuk from the all-volunteer Dnipro-1 Battalion, going on to describe how Russian infantry, fighter jets and artillery units appeared to be operating with growing co-ordination and effectiveness around Bakhmut.

"The planes are the worst. You can't hear them until it's too late. It's the same with the tanks. Artillery is easier - at least you might have a second or two [to dive for cover] after you hear them coming," said Sgt Kalchuk.

Assessing the overall state of the conflict across the Donbas is extremely difficult. Access is challenging and dangerous, and dozens of different Ukrainian battalions and brigades are working on separate tasks, amid some secrecy, spread out along hundreds of miles of often fast-changing front lines.

But after several weeks travelling across the region, and more than a dozen on-the-record interviews and frank off-the-record discussions with a broad range of Ukrainian soldiers, I have seen various themes emerging.

For weeks, Russia's notorious mercenary group Wagner has led much of the fighting around Bakhmut, sustaining catastrophic numbers of casualties by launching near-suicidal mass infantry attacks on smaller towns like Soledar. But in recent days, according to some Ukrainian soldiers, Russia's regular army has resumed a more prominent role, with noticeable effect.

"It is very hard for us now. We understand that Russia is learning every day and changing their strategy. And I think we need to learn faster," said Dmytro Podvorchanskyi, who heads a reconnaissance unit in Dnipro-1.

He and others spoke of the way well-equipped regular Russian forces were now hiding and dispersing their ammunition stores far better and targeting Ukrainian logistics routes more effectively. As a result, they are continuing to gain ground around Bakhmut and threatening another potentially significant town, Vuhledar, further south.

But there is no indication, as yet, that Russian forces are poised to make a strategically significant breakthrough. One senior commander said Western supplies had now brought a balance to what had been a deeply uneven artillery war, and that Western tanks could soon tip the overall balance in Ukraine's favour.

While it is no surprise that many Ukrainian troops are suffering from exhaustion after months of conflict, morale, in general, appears to be holding.

"There have been cases of [Ukrainian] units who don't seem willing to fight, and disagreements [over tactics]," one Ukrainian soldier acknowledged, speaking off the record.

Others talked about the trauma of seeing their friends die, of units that had sustained overwhelming numbers of casualties and of the psychological impact of fighting amidst the corpses of so many uncollected Russian soldiers. One soldier, citing fears of a new Russian mobilisation and the huge size of the enemy's population, spoke of his fear that "Russia will grind us down". But most troops we met waved away such doubts, blaming them on exhaustion and - in general - praising their commanders for giving them time to rest.

One increasingly common excuse offered for Ukraine's struggles around Bakhmut is the theory that relatively weak and inexperienced units are now being left to hold the line here, while the army's strongest forces are being moved elsewhere ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counterattack, or counterattacks.

The location of any such potential offensives remains the subject of much speculation among Ukrainian troops. Some anticipate a push further north, into Luhansk province, while others wonder about an attack south towards Melitopol, in order to isolate and threaten Russian forces in and around the Crimean peninsula.

One experienced officer said he believed Russia was looking to straighten its frontline, take a few more chunks of the Donbas, and then declare "mission accomplished" and push for peace negotiations. He said he was sure Ukraine would never agree to that but warned that the military would need Western fighter jets to break through all of Russia's new defences, particularly in the south of the country.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64455123

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 06:13 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB4_WK-quDo

tonschk

02-01-23, 06:22 AM

Yes God is with Mother Russia and with the Russian People, the Russian Army is Crushing currently the Lame Bastards and Terrorist criminals NATO Psychopath mercenaries wich is what really actually the Psychopath Terrorist NATO criminals are

Meanwhile, the murmurings about negotiated solutions are becoming unmistakably louder and louder, and the rest of the world is slowly beginning to take a stand against the official position of the West. The reluctance of China and India and South Africa to go along with the Western reading was clear from the start, now Bubble-Olaf has picked up a clap or two in Brazil as well, China accused the U.S. of being to blame for the war a few days ago. And I have already said at the beginning of the war that the greatest danger is that the West gets tired of the war and only formally resists.

And Russia, for all its difficulties, has been buying gold like crazy for the last year. How can they do that when we are hitting them so hard?

Terribly flawed strategy by the West, from beginning on.

Things are not moving well for Ukraine.

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 06:32 AM

Putin accused of violating nuclear treaty as relations with US deteriorate over 'toxicity'

Vladimir Putin has been accused of violating a key nuclear arms treaty with the US, which was designed to limit the nuclear capacity of each country. The Russian President has reportedly refused to allow inspection of its facilities, leading to relations deteriorating even further between the West and East.

The New Start Treaty was signed by the US and Russia in 2011 and in 2021 it was extended for five more years.

The aim of the treaty was to cap the amount of strategic nuclear warheads that each country can deploy, as well as the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them.

Together, Moscow and Washington are still in control of 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads.

Last August the Kremlin stopped co-operating with inspections, blaming travel restrictions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A US state department spokesperson said: "Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of US-Russian nuclear arms control."

They added there was a "clear path" for Russia to resume allowing inspections and that Washington remained committed to the agreement.

They said: "The New Start treaty remains in the national security interests of the United States."

Talks between the two governments were due to take place in November in Egypt with a view to resuming co-operation, however Putin postponed them.

He accused the US of "toxicity and animosity", with no new date being set.

There are fears that once the treaty lapses in 2026 no new agreement will be reached, with deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov telling the RIA state new agency: "This is quite a possible scenario".

A top Ukrainian security official told Sky News that Kyiv was preparing for "maximum escalation" from Russia in the next few weeks.

There have been concerns that Moscow is planning to launch a huge new offensive, as the one year anniversary of the invasion approaches.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, told Sky News: "We do understand everything is on the table... I can say that we are not excluding any scenario in the next two to three weeks."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/putin-accused-of-violating-nuclear-treaty-as-relations-with-us-deteriorate-over-toxicity/ar-AA16Ykg3?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=ddaaa8500e2c4f73b08e1a2efdf8c319

mapuc

02-01-23, 06:36 AM

Yes God is with Mother Russia and with the Russian People, the Russian Army is Crushing currently the Lame Bastards and Terrorist criminals NATO Psychopath mercenaries wich is what really actually the Psychopath Terrorist NATO criminals are

Sadly but no-It's the Devil who are with us. Our loving God would not let us fight each others. On the other hand the Devil feast on the hate to each other

If people hear a voice saying kill, harm or do other evil thing against their next of kind-then they suffer from psychological sickness or been brainwashed by some leader-Nor is it God or the Devil.

Markus

Skybird

02-01-23, 08:13 AM

Heaven and hell are states of mind. Evolution is the transformation from the one to the other.

But sometimes it gets stuck. Then big guns and rifles are mistaken for the truth.

A warrior named Nobushige once sought out Zen Master Hakuin and asked him, "Do heaven and hell really exist?"

"Who are you?" wanted to know Hakuin.

"I am a samurai!" barked Nobushige.

"You and a warrior?" exclaimed Hakuin then.

"Which ruler do you think would make you his bodyguard? You look like a runaway beggar!"

At these words Nobushige became so angry that he instantly reached for his sword.

But calmly, Master Hakuin continued:

"So, you have a sword too? It's probably so blunt that you couldn't even cut off my head with it."

As Nobushige then unsheathed his sword, Hakuin said calmly and slowly:

"And here the gates of hell open."

Immediately the samurai grasped and sensed Hakuin's incredible spiritual power, put his sword back into its scabbard, and bowed deeply.

And Hakuin spoke:

"And here the gates of heaven open."

Skybird

02-01-23, 08:19 AM

The US mulls a new military aid package that contains missiles with a range of 150km. Thats more than 80km - and yet not that decisive a range yet. It will hurt and delay the Russian logistics - but not stop them. This mapI drew illustrates the meaning of such a msisile if set up halfway between Novoolenivka and Zorya, that is pretty much the center of that Ukrianian-held area in the Donmbass: you draw vertical line northwards from Mariupol and a horiozontal line eastwards from Dnipro, and where both lines meet, there is the marked point. This is for illustrating the range only, whether it makes sense to place a high value asset like a HIMARS in there (and their small numbers and lethal precision make them HVAs, imo), I do not evaluate here. Its only an illustration. The circle has a radius of 150km.

https://i.postimg.cc/SsyYMn9b/1.png (https://postimg.cc/McFGkKt9)

If you move that circle to Cherson, it still would cover only a small part of Crimea. And only a tiny fraction if setting the missile up more safely in the area of Mykolayev north-west of Cherson.

Lets imagine they would get missiles for HIMARS with the range of 300km, and agreed with the US to set them up only in certain regions. The American say that so far any mandatory limitations the Americans demanded for target selection for the so far delivered systems so far were honoured and obeyed by the Ukrainians, so it should be possible to have such an agreement. So lets assume they would have missiles with a range of 300km and set them up in the area near Saporishja. That would look like this. Shift the circle a bit south- or eastward as you pleases and see where it then can reach.

https://i.postimg.cc/fyvVTDyT/2.png (https://postimg.cc/m1tLmx70)

It makes no sense to fight a war if you refuse to seriously disrupt the enemy'S logistic network and reserve stockpiles. But we insist on the Ukraine to use our - few - weapons with one hand bound on their backs. Then we take a photo of them and send it to the Kremlin with a letter that says: "Dear Vladimir, you see, we make sure that what we give them cannot seriously disrupt your plans and intentions, so no reason to be too angry. Friends again? "

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 09:12 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd_sOn2b-Mk

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 09:17 AM

Japan will allocate 170 million US dollars for reconstruction of Ukraine, - Ministry of Infrastructure

The Japanese government allocates 170 million dollars for Ukraine. The funds will be directed to the implementation of emergency recovery projects, in particular, the reconstruction of critical infrastructure.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.

"The undoubted priority at this stage of reconstruction is the restoration of critical infrastructure necessary to ensure the basic needs of citizens. This is a necessary step for returning Ukrainians to their homes and supporting economic development in the regions," said Minister of Infrastructure Oleksi Kubrakov.

The assistance will involve the provision by Japanese partners of goods and services necessary for recovery. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397014

With supply of aircraft, we can go too far and become party of war, - Vice Chancellor of Germany Habek

The Minister of Economy and Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Robert Habeck, opposed the provision of combat aircraft to Ukraine not only today, but also in the future.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Euro Integration.

"I don't think much about the current debate about submarines or planes. This is not what we are talking about now," he said, adding that it is now important to deliver the promised Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine as soon as possible.

"I'm saying that I don't think it's right to supply fighter jets now. And not only now, but in general," he added.

According to him, from the beginning of the war there was a balancing act with a view to "providing maximum support to Ukraine without involving Germany, Europe or the whole world in this war." It is not entirely clear where the balance line lies.

In the case of the delivery of fighter jets, Khabek noted, they should be serviced by the supplier countries. Therefore, Habek fears that "we can go too far and become a party to the war." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397043

Netanyahu on possibility of transferring "Iron Dome" to Ukraine: I am certainly considering it

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu does not rule out the possibility of transferring the Iron Dome anti-missile complex to Ukraine.

He noted this in an interview with CNN, Censor.NET informs with reference to RBC-Ukraine.

A journalist of an American publication asked Netanyahu in an interview whether Israel can help Ukraine, in particular, hand over the "Iron Dome". The Prime Minister did not deny such a possibility but noted that he was studying this issue.

"Well, I'm certainly considering it," he said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397065

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 10:10 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41u6rgwjj5s

les green01

02-01-23, 10:15 AM

Yes God is with Mother Russia and with the Russian People, the Russian Army is Crushing currently the Lame Bastards and Terrorist criminals NATO Psychopath mercenaries wich is what really actually the Psychopath Terrorist NATO criminals are

you need to leave the good stuff alone it is frying your brain Russia crushing i guess they are still on day 2 of the 3 day operation and honest only lame bastards and terrorist i see is russia and they been that way since i been alive.

Exocet25fr

02-01-23, 12:19 PM

https://news.sky.com/story/us-general-warns-british-army-no-longer-top-level-fighting-force-defence-sources-reveal-12798365 :yep:

Skybird

02-01-23, 02:02 PM

Olaf Scholz and great strategist? "Des Kanzler's Panzer-Coup gegen Amerika?" Don't make me laugh.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung has this revelation, and it is no compliment for the German(s).

----------------------------

Olaf Scholz sold his tank turnaround as a well-considered decision - but in fact he was probably caught off guard

Some inconsistencies lead to the conclusion that the U.S. government cornered the German chancellor. His decision to send Leopard 2s to Ukraine appears to have been made frantically and without the necessary consultation with coalition partners.

The day after his decision to send battle tanks to Ukraine, Olaf Scholz presented himself as a shrewd strategist. He had not hesitated and dithered, as the short-sighted and ignorant opponents of his course repeatedly accused him of doing, he explained. Rather, he said, everything had followed a long-term plan on which he had consulted Washington and Paris and his partners in the Berlin coalition in a spirit of trust. His message to the people: Trust me, I have everything under control.

Now, three pieces of evidence allow the conclusion that this account does not have much to do with reality. They indicate that Olaf Scholz was willing right up to the end not to deliver Leopard 2s and maneuvered himself into a predicament. Most importantly, they cast strong doubts on the German chancellor's credibility in the tank debate.

One of the pieces of evidence is a confidential conversation between the NZZ and two influential foreign policy experts, one from the governing coalition, the other from the opposition. Both insist on anonymity because what they say independently is explosive. According to them, U.S. President Joe Biden sent CIA chief William J. Burns on a secret mission to Kiev and Moscow in mid-January. Burns, they say, was to sound out the willingness of both sides to negotiate.

The offer to Kiev was peace for land, the offer to Moscow was land for peace. The "land" was said to be about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory. That is about the size of the Donbass. Both sides, the two politicians report, refused. The Ukrainians because they are not prepared to divide their territory, the Russians because they assume that they will win the war in the long run anyway.

These statements are explosive, for one thing, because they reveal the thinking that prevailed in the White House at the time of Burns' trip. Biden obviously wanted to avoid a protracted war in Ukraine and was willing to sacrifice parts of the country. He is not alone in Washington in taking this position. A new study by the Rand Corporation ("Avoiding a long war"), a renowned American think tank, concludes that "avoiding a long war is a higher priority" for the United States than allowing Ukraine "to control all of its territory."
Moscow, the two German foreign policy experts say, now knows how far the Americans are willing to go.

The statements are also explosive because they show the split in the U.S. government over the Ukraine issue. On one side are National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA chief Burns. They want to end the war quickly so they can focus on China, which they see as the much bigger threat to the United States. On the other side are Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. They do not want to let Russia get away with destroying the rules-based peace order and advocate massive military support for Ukraine.

After Burns failed with his diplomatic mission to Kiev and Moscow, according to the two German foreign policy experts, President Biden sided with Blinken and Austin. According to the report, he decided to give in to the German chancellor's urging and approved the delivery of Abrams main battle tanks. Originally, Biden wanted to leave it at a three-digit number of infantry fighting vehicles and other weapons. The main battle tanks were to be supplied by the Europeans. With his decision, however, he now knocked the argument out of Scholz's hand that Germany would only agree to the delivery of Leopard 2s if the Americans sent Abrams for their part.

Scholz obviously did not expect this, which brings document number two into play. Late in the afternoon of Jan. 25, the day of the German chancellor's tank decision, the Foreign Office in Berlin sent out an official language directive for diplomats to all foreign missions. Under the heading "Lines to take: delivery of Leopard tanks for the UKR," the ministry told Green Party politician Annalena Baerbock that "the German government has not yet taken a decision on the issue of the delivery of battle tanks from Germany." "Within the international coalition of supporters for Ukraine, there is still a need for talks on the question of the possible delivery of Leopard 2s." The paper is classified and is available to the NZZ.

At that point, the U.S. government had long since leaked that it wanted to supply Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. Olaf Scholz must also have made his decision by then, as the timing of the first announcement suggests. An hour and a half after the Foreign Office had informed its embassies and consulates, "Der Spiegel" reported at around 6:30 p.m. on the chancellor's decision to send Leopard 2s to Ukraine. As a result, Baerbock's ministry had to quickly retract the language.

The event allows two conclusions to be drawn. First, Baerbock knew nothing about the decision in the Chancellor's Office. Scholz made it without informing the most important representatives of his coalition partners in time. This in turn is, secondly, an indication that Scholz was surprised by the events in Washington. He apparently assumed until the very end that Biden would follow the line taken by CIA chief Burns and security adviser Sullivan.

Accordingly, the German chancellor hoped to avoid a delivery of battle tanks at the price of Ukraine losing part of its territory. When Biden then changed his mind, Scholz had to change his stance within a very short time. It is thus clear that his narrative of a long-term plan coordinated with Washington and Paris cannot be true. American media reported that until the very end, Biden believed that Germany and other Europeans should supply battle tanks, while the U.S. should send infantry fighting vehicles.

The two weapons systems together were supposed to give the Ukrainians a powerful tool against the expected spring offensive by the Russians. Only the failure of CIA chief Burns' diplomatic mission ensured that the Americans would put an end to the German chancellor's dithering.

Finally, there is a third piece of evidence that casts doubt on the Berlin Chancellery's reading of Olaf Scholz's great diplomatic sophistication. It was initiated by Christian Democrat MP Nicholas Zippelius and supplied by Siemtje Möller, Social Democrat State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense. Zippelius had asked Möller whether the German government had checked the availability of tanks for possible deliveries to Ukraine last year. This had been preceded by the statement of the new Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, on the fringes of a meeting of Ukraine supporters in Ramstein on January 20, that he did not currently know how many tanks were even ready for deployment.

Möller's answer seemed to have surprised even the CDU/CSU in the German Bundestag. There had been "no comprehensive and detailed examination of the availability of the Bundeswehr's stocks of battle tanks as well as infantry fighting vehicles in the context of possible deliveries to Ukraine," the state secretary admitted. She justified this statement by saying that there had been "no common positioning among Ukraine's supporting states for a possible delivery of the weapon systems mentioned."

Eleven months after the start of the war, the German Ministry of Defense wants to have determined its inventory of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for the first time? That is implausible. The "clear level" of the main weapons systems in the Bundeswehr is regularly determined and reported to the Defense Ministry. Union politicians express the suspicion that the Chancellery has forbidden the Defense Ministry to even plan a delivery of tanks to Ukraine.

"Scholz did not want to deliver until the very end because he firmly assumed that the Americans would not send any battle tanks either," they say. This caused damage to Germany's image from which it could have been saved by a strategic culture of foresight and partnership on the part of the German government.

The entire process not only makes Germany's chancellor look untrustworthy, but also as a failed strategist who has been duped by the United States. It is not just that Scholz's tank decision seemed very rushed. It is also the case that he felt pressured by the decision in Washington to deliver the Leopard 2A6, one of the most modern main battle tanks in the Bundeswehr inventory, within the next two months. This will open up another gap in Germany's defense capability.

The Americans, meanwhile, did not announce what exactly they intend to deliver until after the German decision. It will be 31 Abrams, not from the active force, but from depots. It will take about a year, he said, for these tanks to be overhauled and ready for deployment. That's a lot of time in a war. By then, it could be that some of the Leopard tanks in Ukraine have already been destroyed.
------------------------

It also shows how big the interest to help Ukraine winning the war really is. Not at all as big as is always claimed.

mapuc

02-01-23, 02:08 PM

It also shows how big the interest to help Ukraine winning the war really is. Not at all as big as is always claimed.

For me it shows that NATO/EU play different tune.

Markus

August

02-01-23, 02:39 PM

https://news.sky.com/story/us-general-warns-british-army-no-longer-top-level-fighting-force-defence-sources-reveal-12798365 :yep:

Which US General said this and to whom?

Dargo

02-01-23, 03:16 PM

#9552 (https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2850702&postcount=9552) Map of land that Ukraine will be able to reach using the GLSDB that they can’t reach now with GMLRS

GLSDB has a max range of 150 km and can hit 31% of Crimea and 82% of all occupied land
GMLRS has a max range of 92 km and can hit 2% of Crimea and 62% of all occupied land

https://i.postimg.cc/wMjQNsb1/GLSDBvs-GMLRS.jpg

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 03:27 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR_gr7-MfU0

Jimbuna

02-01-23, 03:29 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQusM3xALbE

Catfish

02-01-23, 03:59 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pig7kkK8NPk

Skybird

02-01-23, 05:35 PM

Die Welt writes:
-----------------------
In battle for this city, Putin tests new brute tactics

Fierce fighting has broken out around the small town of Wuhledar in Ukraine's Donetsk oblast. Russian troops are pushing forward with a new, merciless tactic. Whether they are successful with it in this small town will have major implications for the course of the war.

It has been months since anyone could get to Wuhledar on the normal connecting road. The only reasonably safe route has been over dirt roads into which the winter frost has imprinted deep tire tracks of military vehicles. Now this longer and more time-consuming route is suddenly more dangerous than ever. That's because three days ago, the Russian army launched probing attacks on the small coal-mining town in the Donbas, located about 50 kilometers southwest of Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Advance attacks have evolved into a "concerted assault," British intelligence wrote Tuesday in an update on the situation in Ukraine. According to the report, hundreds of artillery shells and recurrent so-called vacuum bombs are raining down on the geometrically aligned residential neighborhoods of Wuhledar.

So far, Russian troops have only advanced to the southern outskirts of the city - with enormous losses in some cases. Meadows and fields near the Kashlahach River, which marked the front line for several months, are littered with explosion craters and the bodies of Russian soldiers. The army leadership in Moscow continues to rely on "human wave attacks," as the American Institute for Study of War (ISW) calls it. This involves infantry advancing on enemy lines in small units, which is tantamount to a suicide mission, especially in open terrain.

The capture of the small town of Soledar by Wagner's mercenary force in mid-January was based on this merciless tactic. The Kremlin was taken in. After all, over the course of the previous six months, its troops had suffered one bitter defeat after another. Soledar was finally a notable success again. This could be the reason why this brute fighting tactic is also being used in Wuhledar, 160 kilometers to the south.

According to the think tank ISW, the new Russian military operations at the front have a system at any rate. "The Russian General Staff wants to prevent Ukraine from regaining the initiative," it says, which should certainly not happen "before the planned decisive Russian offensive in the Donbas."

The Ukrainian army still had the advantage in the fall, when it recaptured extensive territory from Russia in Kharkiv and Kherson. But the advance stalled after Moscow used tens of thousands of mobilized troops to make up for heavy losses. The Russian General Staff has now apparently begun conducting "shaping operations," as it is called in military jargon.

Terrain and the big battle are to be prepared with targeted, tactical maneuvers. In the process, Russia is targeting strategically important points on the front, which is 1200 kilometers long in total. The activities extend from the northeast to the south near Zaporizhzhya, with the fiercest fighting still taking place in the region around Soledar, Bakhmut and, for the past few days, precisely in Wuhledar.

"The situation in Vuhledar, Bachmut and the other affected areas is tough," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyy lamented on Sunday. "There are constant attempts to break through our defenses," head of state said in his daily video address. "The enemy does not count its people and maintains a high intensity of attack despite numerous losses."

The Russian General Staff has good reason to attack Wuhledar. The place is an important logistics hub. By capturing it, Russia would cut off the Ukrainians from supplies and itself strengthen its own logistics. Indeed, a railroad line leads from Wuhledar to southern Ukraine and the occupied regions there, and Wuhledar would also be a key point for new attacks on Ukrainian territories.

The new Russian attacks put Kiev on the spot, as the military needs to strengthen its defenses. A Russian breakthrough in the Donbas could have fatal consequences. Ukrainian troop displacements, however, are exactly what Moscow wants to encourage, as the Washington-based ISW think tank notes, "The local attacks are likely aimed at dispersing Ukrainian forces and setting the stage for a decisive Russian offensive in the western Luhansk oblast," the experts write. The Russian concept appears to be working, at least for now, as Ukraine is doing everything it can to hold its defensive lines.

The Kremlin seems ready to make any sacrifice for the success of its "shaping operations." Russian losses are disproportionately high and cannot really be justified by any cost-benefit calculation. Russia relies on mass. According to estimates, the Russian army now fires far fewer munitions, but still five to six times as much as Ukraine. Quantitative superiority in personnel and weapons is said to be the key to success. Otherwise, it is hard to explain why the Kremlin continues to recklessly send thousands of soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield.

The Russian ruling elite and the General Staff have had time and opportunity to change course. After all, over the past two months there have been numerous meetings in Moscow of those in charge of the military situation of the so-called "special operation" in Ukraine. In the end, President Vladimir Putin swore the nation in for a long war and committed the defense industry to increase production.

No one can assess at this point whether the Russian army is actually capable of a large-scale offensive. Western military and strategic experts have grave doubts about it. After all, in the course of the Ukraine war, serious deficiencies were revealed in the armed forces - from the command structure to the logistics.

Added to this are the enormous losses of soldiers and equipment. These are all problems that could not be solved from one day to the next. "The Russians' ability to conduct large-scale, multi-axis rapid offensives this winter and spring is therefore highly questionable," ISW summed up in its Jan. 28 assessment.

Is Russia about to plunge blindly into military GAU? One can assume that the Russian military command staff and also President Putin are of a completely different opinion. The new "shaping operations" at the front are the first signs that they want to wage a tactically different war. In other words, they no longer want to conquer the country with miles-long armored columns, which failed miserably at the beginning of the invasion.

What is significant about the current attacks on Wuhledar and Bachmut is that the general staff is now increasingly deploying regular Marines units there. Until now, the fight in this area was left to the Wagner mercenaries, the troops of the so-called Donetsk Democratic Republic, and Ramzan Kadyrov's Chechen contingents. Now there seems to be more of an alliance of forces.

Nevertheless, the offensive has stalled. As a result, between 3,000 and 4,000 troops are expected to come from Mariupol for reinforcement. At least, that's what Petro Andriushchenko, the adviser to the city's mayor, reported on Telegram. In addition, more "units of the invaders" would be equipped to fight north of Mariupol in the Luhansk region. Numerous military vehicles and weapon systems are to be ready for an offensive, Andriushchenko wrote.
---------------------------

Skybird

02-01-23, 07:15 PM

Like the Nazis in the Third Reich did. Of course, no surprise here.

FOCUS writes:
----------------------
Secret paper shows how super-rich wanted to loot Ukraine

https://p6.focus.de/img/fotos/id_184531125/oligarcheninderukraine.png?im=Resize%3D%28630%2C44 1%29&hash=6b8ccb5637ab09288166f8d06dba99b76828894ab03a6 c8a17859ac9db7f395f
This image from the oligarchs' presentation shows which territories the super-rich wanted to loot

Vladimir Putin says he wants to free Ukraine from the Nazis. That this is a fairy tale has long been clear anyway. Now a secret presentation shows that Russia's super-rich are primarily concerned with one thing in this war: profit.

Russia's super-rich oligarchs have a plan for how to divide Ukraine among themselves once Putin conquers large parts of the country. That's according to a secret presentation by investment mogul Konstantin Malofeyev, which a Russian Telegram channel has now published. British military historian Chris Owen has summarized the content.

According to it, shortly after the war began, oligarchs assumed that Ukraine would be split. According to this, Russia was to conquer the entire Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions. That would have left Ukraine without access to sea routes. And Ukraine would have lost most of its heavy industry, hydroelectric resources, and minerals. Owen writes for this case, "Ukraine would be an economically devastated landlocked country."

Oligarch Malofeyev outlines his dream of an empire in Ukraine in the presentation. The ultra-conservative Putin intimate describes how a "DMZ corporation" could annex large parts of Ukrainian industry. That group already exists. The Donetsk Metallurgical Plant operates mines and factories in the Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region.

Malofeyev talks about market opportunities and consolidation. What he means is that he wants to grab the Ukrainian silverware. And he lists it quite unabashedly. Under the heading "Companies in the liberated territories that are candidates for integration" are, among others, some of Europe's largest mining and raw materials processing companies.
No pipe dream - there was already a concrete three-step plan in place

Owen writes that a slide suggests he was not talking about loose musings here. The lawyers had already drawn up agreements. There was a concrete three-step plan that would be followed through from 2022 to 2027. This included that the conquered companies should increasingly trade with Russia-friendly countries in the Middle East, is East Asia and Africa. For this purpose, the port of Odessa was also to be connected to the DMZ group.

Thus, the turnover should be increased from 70 trillion rubles (just under a billion euros) to 220 trillion rubles (more than 3 billion euros) by 2024. According to the presentation, this would lead to the "formation of a large-scale enterprise in the interests of the Russian Federation."

Owen concludes, "Of course, the Ukrainian business owners would not have gotten any money for the takeovers. Malofeyev planned nothing here but the biggest heist in history. But this seems to have been fortunately averted." Russia has so far not been able to conquer even a fraction of the targeted territory.
--------------------------------

Otto Harkaman

02-02-23, 02:03 AM

https://youtu.be/yaeybreKumI

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 06:21 AM

UK to get more than 148 of world's most advanced tanks, says Wallace

Military chiefs say Britain will have the world's most advanced tanks amid fears the Army does not have enough fire power and is falling behind other major militaries. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the Daily Express that talks were under way to provide more than 148 Challenger 3 tanks.

Mr Wallace spoke as he and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly watched Australian troops train Ukrainian forces at a UK location. The Ministry of Defence is planning to phase out 79 of the 229 Challenger 2 tanks. The remaining 148 will receive new guns and armour.

Defence chiefs believe the upgraded fighting machines will be the most advanced in the world. Concern is growing that Britain does not have enough firepower after giving 14 tanks and scores of artillery rocket systems to Kyiv.

The war in Ukraine has reinforced the importance of armoured vehicles and artillery systems that can hit targets dozens - and in some cases hundreds - of miles away.

Mr Wallace said: "We've gifted 14, I will replace those. I'll also increase the number of Challenger 3s, subject to negotiations with contractors.

"I'll see to increase the number of Challenger 3 upgrades as well."

Around 40,000 Ukrainians will undergo training in Britain for five weeks this year, before they go back to the front line.

Mr Wallace previously told MPs the Ministry of Defence was reviewing its fleet of tanks as fears grew the British Army already had too few.

The Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, held talks with their Australian counterparts, Richard Miles and Penny Wong, on the AUKUS submarine deal and support for Ukrainian troops.

Mr Wallace, speaking on a visit with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, refused to be drawn on whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was right to say his successor Rishi Sunak was wrong not to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

He told the Daily Express: "The reality is fighter jets are another step change. Everything we do in this conflict is linked to the needs of the Ukrainians in the moment.

"Tanks took a few weeks, but we got their tanks. What's important on the battlefield right now and what they urgently needed before that was air defence to protect the critical infrastructure. The reality is not about right or wrong.

"The reality is, what is needed on the battlefield right now. What is needed right now is tanks, combined arms manoeuvre , more munitions and more personnel who are well trained. I've learned over the last year, never rule anything in and never rule anything out."

Mr Wallace said there is "a bit of evidence" Moscow is planning another mass conscription of young men, but added: "The Russians are running out of equipment to give these people".

And he admitted he is "surprised" by Russian forces digging trenches in eastern Ukraine.

He says this shows how poorly trained and corrupt Moscow's forces are - despite the bluster. But Mr Wallace said Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK are being taught how to attack Russian trench systems which have been replicated on training bases here.

They are also shown how to disable boobytraps and move through minefields while under artillery fire. Military chiefs want to make it "as realistic as possible" during the five-week infantry training.

Only one in ten trainees have had previous combat experience. The oldest recruit was over 70, the Daily Express heard.

Mr Wallace told the Daily Express: "For all the boasting of the Russian forces, the Russians have gone back to the Soviet, almost second world war type human wave mentality, massive amounts of artillery and then just chuck people against machine guns.

"I am surprised to see that. The Russian so-called military Gerasimov leadership has produced a hollow, corrupt armed forces with poor training and poor equipment.

"You have got one massive power that doesn't care about its own people and just shoves them into a Russian meat grinder. If you're a leadership that doesn't simply give a damn about how many people you're killing, at one level you can try and wear out the other country. A slow, long drawn out conflict would suit a man who doesn't care about his own people. The Ukrainians aren't going to make that mistake and nor is the West.

"What you've seen in the last year is Ukraine fighting exactly the way we've designed NATO to fight because we have known for decades that you cannot fight Russian mass in that same way. So we invented and developed a different way of fighting and it has shown it has worked.

"The lesson of history is that human waves do not actually work in the end. In the end, you lose a huge amount of people."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/uk-to-get-more-than-148-of-world-s-most-advanced-tanks-says-wallace/ar-AA170u6j?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=3125d01ef84e44489648d4c918eea2f5

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 06:25 AM

Russia dealt with huge trade blow by key ally as Putin plots new Ukraine assault

Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies, will close its trade representation in Russia, the Prime Minister has declared. Announcing the news, the country's Ministry of Trade said the offices will be closed down by order of Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov.

The trade representation of Kazakhstan in Russia has the organisational and legal form of a state institution. It is engaged in providing free assistance to domestic exporters and distributors, as well as attracting foreign investment to Kazakhstan.

It is not the first time the Russian President is faced with such a blow from one of his ex-Soviet counterparts.

He has been trying to secure his alliance in a series of summits since the start of his invasion of Ukraine.

In November, Putin travelled to Armenia for a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

The Moscow-led group of ex-Soviet states, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, met in Armenia's capital Yerevan.

Vladimir Putin was expected to project Russia's power at the meeting but it looked as if Moscow's recent lack of interest in his partners caused some cracks in the alliance.

At the end of the summit, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan clashed with the Russian leader over Putin's reluctance to come to his aid in a conflict against Azerbaijan.

Tensions rose in September between Armenia and Azerbaijan and two sides say more than 200 soldiers died in the conflict.

Mr Pashinyan told his counterparts at the summit: "It is depressing that Armenia's membership in the CSTO did not deter Azerbaijan from aggressive actions.

"Right up to today we have not managed to reach a decision on a CSTO response to Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia. These facts do grave harm to the image of the CSTO both inside our country and outside its borders, and I consider this the main failure of Armenia's chairmanship of the CSTO."

Russia is mustering its military might in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, local officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv suspects is preparation for an offensive in the eastern area in coming weeks as the anniversary of Moscow's invasion approaches.

Also Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky's government continued its crackdown on alleged corruption, reportedly targeting the head of the Kyiv tax service, customs officials, a former government minister and an oligarch.

Zelensky was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow.

On the battlefront, the Kremlin's forces are expelling local residents from their homes near the Russian-held parts of the front line so that they can't provide information about Russian troop deployments to Ukrainian artillery, Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai said.

"There is an active transfer of (Russian troops) to the region and they are definitely preparing for something on the eastern front in February," Haidai said.

Military analysts anticipate a new push soon by Moscow's forces, with the Institute for the Study of War saying in an assessment late Tuesday that "an imminent Russian offensive in the coming months is the most likely course of action."

A new offensive might also coincide with the invasion anniversary on February 24.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported Wednesday that Russia is also concentrating its efforts in neighbouring Donetsk province, especially in its bid to capture the key city of Bakhmut.

Donetsk and Luhansk provinces make up the Donbas, an industrial region bordering Russia that President Vladimir Putin identified as a goal from the war's outset and where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian authorities since 2014.

The regional governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, posted images of the aftermath of the shelling in Bakhmut, showing huge black holes in residential buildings in the embattled city.

He said that Russia is "actively deploying new military personnel to the region."

Donetsk was one of four provinces that Russia illegally annexed in the fall, but it controls only about half of it. To take the remaining half, Russian forces have no choice but to go through Bakhmut, which offers the only approach to bigger Ukrainian-held cities.

Russian forces have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut. Moscow-installed authorities in Donetsk claimed Russian troops are "closing the ring" around the city.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-dealt-with-huge-trade-blow-by-key-ally-as-putin-plots-new-ukraine-assault/ar-AA16ZVWh?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=5422e7c95db0421ba8669755aa5cb6e7

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 06:36 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFRQpfOjEyk

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 06:51 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ4i6ywk0JA

Skybird

02-02-23, 06:53 AM

https://youtu.be/yaeybreKumI
^ Pretty much sums it up, I see it much the same way. ^

The onyl trhing that will make those few MBTs surviving is their networking capability that outclasses evertyhign the Russians so far have. Every single tank's crew sees and knows exactly the same what all others see and know.

However, thse tanks dleivered will suffer casulaties, we must be realistic here. Its too few, even when combinign them with those Bradleys. And when the British and European tanks have been thinned out a bit, the American tanks come next winter or so, and again will only be a drop on the hot stone.

Europe, this way it will not work. Too small numbers of evertyhing, too much time wasted. Damn the Germans, especially them, They are like a Russian brake that got stuck while it was on. Imagine that 18 months ago or so Europe would have started to move a tenth or 15% of its MBT fleet in Europe to Ukraine. That would have been 200-350 Leopard-2s. And that does not count in mothballed reserves, and Leopard-1s. Also, the US has hiuge stockpiles of mothballed M-60s and early M1s. Imagine it had begun preparing them for action 18 motnhs ago! The biggest IFV forc eion Europe, by model, is enitgehr the Warrior nor the CV-90s nor the Marders - its the Bradley, AFAIK. A huge forc eof ckmbioned arms, 300 MBTs, 400-500 IFVs, all digitally networkign and interlinked int heri units. Russia would have thought twice before attacking, you can bet on that. Now the good stuff comes - too late I fear, in way too small numbers, and drop by drop, allowing to wipe it off the map drop by drop as well. It seems that the politicians are determined to screw this thing up as much as humanly possible and conceivable.
--------------------
Russia sens more ATGMs and a first batch of war robots with AT wepaoins into9 the war zone. The latter are only few and they are experimental, their military value is not really clear. but a small groudn drone on tracks, with a low mprofile, and one of those potent Russian ifnantry ATGMs can be a reald danger for those Western tanks.

If Ukraine is clever, it does not throw these precious tnaks to the front, but keeps them in the rear, as scanning platforms and observers mostly. Or as the vidoe above pouts it: it is u nlkikely that there will be many tnak-on-tank duels, I wrote soem days agao that tnak-on-tank over logn dsistance in the open plain alreraey now happens almost not at all iont eh war, and trhat the MBTs fall victim to closeest range combats and shots from a,mbsuh int heir flanks, drones, and artillery roudns finding them, also RPGs. At these combat distances the Western tanks loose most of their advantages and are as vulnerable as the T-72s. And they are too few anyway, way too few. Scholz must be dancing in his office. Maybe he gets a Russian order of merit once the war is over: for always being too late, always delaying to the max, always doing too little, always not acting until pressure becomes unbearable, andf then only doing what looks impressive and costs lots of money - but cannot be of decisive relevance for the going of the war. I read the Poles now have a name for this kind of underhanded behaviour, they call it "scholzing". I know exactly what they mean by that. :yep:
---------------

Most of the warships in the Blacksea have returned to bases. According to Ukraine thius is what they do when they prepare a new major attack: the fuel up and arm up with long range missiles. Russian artillery is trying to force Ukrainian forces into certain fixed positions where they are where the Russians want them in an upcoming offensive. Currently the Russian artillery fires 5-6 times as many shells as the Ukrainian artillery. That is remarkable, considering that weeks ago it was predicted that by now the Russians should aleady be low on artillery ammo. Obviosuly they are not. And their offensive has not even begun.

Its alarming what seems to be ahead later this month.

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 07:04 AM

Russian tank commander accidentally kills five of his own men in humiliation for Putin

Five Russian soldiers have accidentally been killed by one of their commanders, and the Ukrainian defence ministry has shared the footage of the shocking incident. The clip shows the Russian tank swerve past another vehicle that looks to be on fire.

It then moves past another tank, which is surrounded by troops. The turret of the moving vehicle accidentally sweeps five soldiers from where they are sitting.

Some manages to escape unharmed, but other Russian soldiers were not so lucky.

The Ukrainian defence ministry posted the video on Twitter with the caption: "The biggest threat to mobilised Russian infantry are mobilised Russian tankmen."

The video has been viewed more than 1.5million times.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-tank-commander-accidentally-kills-five-of-his-own-men-in-humiliation-for-putin/ar-AA170fAS?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=8929a58cabf848b9abc9dbcef5b29571

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 07:30 AM

Macron faces wrath of Putin after he fails to rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine

Emmanuel Macron has infuriated Russia over his reluctance to rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine. The French President said France does not exclude sending fighter jets but set out conditions before such a step is taken, including not leading to an escalation of tensions or using the aircraft "to touch Russian soil," and not resulting in weakening "the capacities of the French army."

The comments sparked fury in Moscow where Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said: "Forgive me, but this is absurd.

"Is the president of France really certain that if arms, heavy weapons and aircraft are supplied to the Kyiv regime to conduct combat operations, this will not lead to an escalation of the situation?"

Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ms Zakharova added: "Such statements only increase the already irrepressible appetite of the Zelensky regime."

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, speaking with Reznikov, also said there are "no taboos" on sending fighter jets. He also confirmed France is sending 12 more Caesar cannons in the coming weeks.

Ukraine won support on Tuesday from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets, but there were no signs that larger nations like the US and Britain have changed their stance of refusing to provide warplanes to Kyiv after almost a year of battling Russia's invading forces.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in the Latvian capital of Riga at a news conference with his Baltic and Polish colleagues: "Ukraine needs fighter jets ... missiles, tanks. We need to act."

Those countries, which lie on NATO's eastern flank, feel especially threatened by Russia and have been the leading advocates for providing military aid.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov held talks with his French counterpart, saying they did not discuss specific fighter jets, but they did talk about aviation "platforms" to help Ukraine's ground-to-air defence.

Reznikov spoke about Kyiv's requests for fighter jets, saying: "I don't know how quick it will be, this response from Western allies.

"I'm optimistic and I think it will be as soon as possible."

He also listed weapons Ukraine has sought in the past year, starting with Stingers, and said the first response was always, "impossible," adding that eventually "it became possible."

Reznikov's trip came a week after Western nations pledged to send Kyiv sophisticated modern tanks.

Several Western leaders have expressed concern that providing warplanes could escalate the conflict and draw them in deeper.

The UK government, among Kyiv's staunchest supporters and military suppliers, said sending its fighter jets is "not practical."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman, Max Blain, said Tuesday that "the UK's Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly," although he didn't say London was opposed to other nations sending planes.

Asked on Monday if his administration was considering sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, US President Joe Biden responded simply by saying: "No."

On Tuesday, Reznikov was asked if Biden's ''no" to F-16s was the final word.

He said: "All types of help first passed through the 'no' stage.

"Which only means 'no' at today's given moment. The second stage is, 'Let's talk and study technical possibilities.' The third stage is, 'Let's get your personnel trained.' And the fourth stage is the transfer (of equipment)."

Kyiv has repeatedly urged allies to send jets, calling them essential to challenging Russia's air superiority and to ensure the success of future counteroffensives spearheaded by Western tanks.

The West also has ruled out providing Kyiv with long-range missiles able to hit Russian territory, citing potential escalation.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/macron-faces-wrath-of-putin-after-he-fails-to-rule-out-sending-fighter-jets-to-ukraine/ar-AA171F1z?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=77fa959d005346ce8d0c2f7416713be3

Skybird

02-02-23, 07:31 AM

Russian tank commander accidentally kills five of his own men in humiliation for Putin

Probably a retaliation for two German Puma IFVs colliding at high speed two days ago in an exercise, leaving 12 injured, some seriously.

:O:

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 07:39 AM

Russian army officer admits: 'Our troops tortured Ukrainians'

Allegations of brutal interrogations, where Ukrainian men were shot and threatened with rape, have been made by a former Russian military officer.

Konstantin Yefremov, the most senior officer to speak openly, told the BBC in an exclusive interview Russia now sees him as a traitor and defector.

At one site in southern Ukraine, he said "the interrogations, the torture, continued for about a week".

"Every day, at night, sometimes twice a day."

Mr Yefremov tried to resign from the army numerous times - but he ended up being dismissed for refusing to return to Ukraine. He has now fled Russia.

Using photographs and military documents supplied by Mr Yefremov, the BBC has verified he was in Ukraine early in the war - in the Zaporizhzhia region, including the city of Melitopol.

This article contains graphic descriptions of torture.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64470092

tonschk

02-02-23, 08:48 AM

NAZIS TERRORISTS CRIMINALS AZOV PSYCHOPATS are NAZIS CRIMINAL TERRORISTS and PSYCHOPATS NAZIS

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302021916450340.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302021916450340.png)

Rockstar

02-02-23, 08:49 AM

The soft chimes of a song Ukraine doesn’t want to hear

Whether the West wants or expects Ukraine to recapture Crimea — or win the war militarily — appears up for debate in Washington.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/02/01/the-soft-chimes-of-a-song-ukraine-doesnt-want-to-hear/

Written by Ted Snider
1 Feb 2023

Though not being spoken loudly nor amplified by the media, a quiet and tentative consensus may be emerging on some key issues regarding ending the war in Ukraine.

On January 21, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that “for this year, it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all — every inch — of . . . Russian-occupied Ukraine.”

Milley’s surprisingly public assessment that Ukraine was unlikely to recapture all of its territory, including Crimea, was echoed more quietly by anonymous U.S. officials. Toward the bottom of a lengthy New York Times article on the Biden administration’s increasing openness to providing Ukraine with “the power to strike” Crimea, the newspaper of record conceded that “the Biden administration does not think that Ukraine can take Crimea militarily.”

And that may not just be the assessment of the U.S. military; it may be a perspective shared by Ukraine as well. On January 24, David Ignatius reported in The Washington Post that “There is a widespread view in Washington and Kyiv that regaining Crimea by military force may be impossible.”

That assessment is also reflected in a just-published paper written for the RAND corporation by Samuel Charap and Miranda Priebe. The paper, entitled “Avoiding a Long War: U.S. Policy and the Trajectory of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict,” makes the point a number of times.

It begins by critiquing analysts who suggest that Russia could be “forced out of Ukraine” and that it would “leave its neighbor in peace.” Such an “optimistic scenario,” the RAND paper suggests, “is improbable.” “An end to the war that leaves Ukraine in full control over all of its internationally recognized territory,” according to the authors, “remains a highly unlikely outcome.”

Later in the paper, they repeat that Ukraine retaking “all of its territory, including Crimea . . . seems equally improbable at the present stage of the conflict.” It even notes that “continued conflict also leaves open the possibility that Russia will reverse Ukrainian battlefield gains made in fall 2022.”

But retaking Crimea is not only unnecessary, it may also be detrimental for three reasons. First, as “Kyiv has retaken more territory since September, Russia has imposed far greater economic costs on the country as a whole through its strikes on critical infrastructure.” Second, Russia “perceives this war to be near existential,” and “Ukraine has long been in a category of its own in Russian foreign policy priorities.”

It should be added that, if Russia prioritizes Ukraine, Crimea — which most Russians and Crimeans see as part of Russia — is the highest priority in Ukraine. If Ukraine attempts to retake the region, “the risks of escalation—either nuclear use” or the war expanding to NATO — “will spike.”

Finally, “given the slowing pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensives,” combined with Russia’s “substantial defensive fortifications along the line of control, and its military mobilization. . . restoring the pre-February 2022 line of control— let alone the pre-2014 territorial status quo — will take months and perhaps years to achieve.”

Attempting to retake Crimea would lengthen the war, and a longer war will lead to greater Ukrainian loss-of-life, the possibility of greater Russian territorial gains, greater devastation of Ukrainian infrastructure, and more disruption of the global economy. It will also prevent the U.S. from focusing on “other global priorities.”

The authors of the RAND report say that attempting the recapture of Crimea would increase the duration of the war and that “duration is the most important” dimension for the U.S. to consider after the risks of nuclear weapons use, and a Russia-NATO conflict. They also say that longer duration increases both of those risks.

So, despite the January 18 New York Times report quoting U.S. officials saying the Biden Administration was warming to the idea that Ukraine should strike Crimea, there may be a quietly emerging consensus encouraging the opposite. And there may be other signals of restraint if one reads the tea leaves a certain way.

On January 19, The Washington Post reported that CIA Director William Burns secretly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Though the Post headline frames the meeting as an opportunity for Burns to share intelligence, “top of mind for Zelensky and his senior intelligence officials during the meeting was how long Ukraine could expect U.S. and Western assistance to continue.”

Burns reportedly hinted that there was a limit. “People familiar with the meeting” told the Post that “(Burns) acknowledged that at some point assistance would be harder to come by.” Zelensky left the meeting “with the impression that the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv remains strong and the $45 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine passed by Congress in December would last at least through July or August.” But he “is less certain about the prospects of Congress passing another multibillion-dollar supplemental assistance package as it did last spring.”

The RAND report offers similar hints. As the war goes on, “The intensity of the military assistance effort could become unsustainable.” It points out that some European and U.S. stocks of weapons “are reportedly running low.”

The report even suggests that Ukraine’s “belief that Western aid will continue indefinitely” may be discouraging negotiations and prolonging the war. The report entertains the idea of “conditioning future military aid on a Ukrainian commitment to negotiations.”

And then there is this from Washington’s foreign policy elite: In that aforementioned Washington Post column, Ignatius says that the Biden administration “has begun planning for an eventual postwar military balance that will help Kyiv deter any repetition of Russia’s brutal invasion.” But he adds that the Biden administration has moved away from the earlier idea of “security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5.” Instead, “U.S. officials increasingly believe the key is to give Ukraine the tools it needs to defend itself. Security will be ensured by potent weapons systems.” Ignatius says one interesting formula would be for the now well-equipped Ukraine to effect “a demilitarized status.”

The RAND report hints at the same change. Ukraine’s proposal of a security commitment by the U.S. and other countries to use military force if Ukraine was attacked was met by “lukewarm” reaction “at best” in the West, according to the report. It then suggests that the U.S. could “promise more aid for the postwar period to address Ukraine’s fears about the durability of peace.” It also recalls that the “tentatively agreed” upon settlement negotiated in Istanbul in April 2022 that balanced security guarantees with a commitment not to seek NATO membership, a point also noted by Ignatius.

On all of these issues there may be a very quiet, but emerging, shape of a consensus that Crimea cannot be recaptured militarily, that there may be a time limit on the West supplying weapons, and that a peace could be maintained after a negotiated end to the war without Ukraine entering NATO. Day-to-day developments could, of course, change the trajectory at any moment. As of this writing, the Ukrainians are asking for assistance beyond the tanks that were pledged last week. It is yet to be seen if Kyiv’s ambitions, and the West’s commitments to a long war, diverge in the months to come.

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 09:02 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7FDo7e9l0

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 09:06 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiO3DPDCceY

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 09:07 AM

OOPS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqlDtdyAo3M

tonschk

02-02-23, 09:29 AM

Putin winning another Ukraine battle, Russian army gains foothold in Donetsk's Ugledar

NATO MERCENARIES TERRORISTS NATO are CRIMINAL NAZIS PSYCHOPATS TERRORISTS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FVAogT-N1w

Skybird

02-02-23, 09:38 AM

NATO MERCENARIES TERRORISTS NATO are CRIMINAL NAZIS PSYCHOPATS TERRORISTS

The doctor subscribes ye a triple dose of understanding this:

LINK 1 (https://www.choosingtherapy.com/projection/)

LINK (https://www.britannica.com/topic/defense-mechanism)2

tonschk

02-02-23, 10:08 AM

NATO NAZIS TERRORISTS CRIMINALS AZOV PSYCHOPATS are NAZIS CRIMINAL TERRORISTS and PSYCHOPATS NAZIS

Russia-Belarus military drills spook Ukraine; DICTATOR zelensky tells troops to 'be ready'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQU1FHrIpAI

Catfish

02-02-23, 10:36 AM

Tonsch is right, even Lavrov says "Russian soldiers are "securing the interests of Russian culture"" :rotfl2:

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1621100969227587584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1621100969227587584%7Ctwgr% 5E66d2ce2daeb423aaa7e506f93dfb4a0f180c803b%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwi tter.min.html1621100969227587584

As usual the comments are golden :haha:

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 10:46 AM

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 10:57 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c-rra7wGFg

August

02-02-23, 11:03 AM

True, if by “Russian culture” one means wanton rape, torture, murder and destruction against innocent men, women and children.

Bigger murderers than even the nazis.

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 11:11 AM

Bigger murderers than even the nazis.

Yeah and setting back east/west relations by years if not decades.

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 11:15 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK4S51TvGqM

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 01:48 PM

Britain on F-16 for Ukraine: Fastest training program for pilot is 35 months

The British government does not plan to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters. According to current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it could take years to fully train pilots.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to LIGA.

Great Britain is focused on providing assistance that Ukraine can use in the short term, Sunak emphasized.

The official spokesman of the British Prime Minister noted: "We will continue to listen to Ukrainians and think about what is right in the long term. But it's worth understanding the situation: the fastest training program for a new F-16 pilot is about 35 months. The UK's current jet training program lasts five years."

In December 2022, Sunak stated that "British fighters are extremely complex and take months to learn to fly.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that no "firm decision" had been made on the matter, although he said he did not think now was the right time to provide the planes to Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397330

Ukraine will become member of European Union, - von der Leyen

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union.

She stated this on Thursday during a joint meeting of the European Commission and the Government of Ukraine in Kyiv, Censor.NET reports with reference to European Pravda.

Von der Leyen believes that the movement of Ukraine helps not only Ukraine itself, but also the European Union. "The day Ukraine became a candidate was a new beginning for Ukraine, and it was also a new beginning for the EU," von der Leyen assured.

The President of the European Commission is also convinced that the European Commission will help Ukraine get closer to accession, "until the day when the Ukrainian flag will be raised where it should be - in front of the Berlaymont building in Brussels." This is the building where the European Commission is located, in front of it are the flags of the full members of the EU.

Ursula von der Leyen also emphasized that she is in favor of strengthening business cooperation. "Our meeting is a signal to European investors," she explained. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397350

Skybird

02-02-23, 01:57 PM

The f16 is, even new models, an old plane that does stuff in principle not better than a let's say su27 or mig29 - as long as it is not used in the digital integration network where us and some nato forces shine. To open a new complex logistics chain just for a non-networking viper and this during war, sounds not smart. Smart it would be to find and give them stuff that they know and have spare parts for aplenty: mig29s.

It's like with the tanks. The digital networking is what makes good stuff that is vulnerable, truly outstanding stuff.

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 02:05 PM

Poland is ready to build "iron curtain" with Russia, even to clouds, - Duda

Russia started a war with Ukraine, trying to rebuild the ancient tsarist empire. In Poland, they are ready to restore the iron curtain "even to the clouds" with an aggressive neighbor who wants to kill neighboring peoples.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform, Polish President Andrzej Duda stated this.

According to the Polish leader, now there is a revival of the imperial complex in Russia, the result of which is aggression towards the countries of Eastern Europe. He emphasized that Putin and his entourage desire to restore the influence that Russia had in the era of the tsarist empire.

Duda emphasized that Poland and other countries in the region do not want a war and will do everything possible to prevent it from gaining a regional dimension. Therefore, Poland is building a deterrent force and increasing the military budget in 2023 to 4% of the country's GDP.

The President of Poland assured that if it is necessary to isolate an aggressive neighbor, it will be necessary to restore the iron curtain that existed during the Cold War.

"I am ready for the Iron Curtain to be rebuilt if I have to deal with an aggressive state on the other side of the eastern border that wants to kill its neighbors, that wants to take their land, that wants to take their freedom.
I am the one who is ready to build an iron curtain to the clouds to keep them away from us," the Polish leader emphasized.

Duda noted that Poland does not want to see "Russian peace" in itself.

"Let Russia keep its "Russian measure" if it likes it. We don't like it," he said.

Drawing attention to the reasons for Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, Duda noted that there are two opposing views on this issue in expert circles. One of them says that Putin dared to attack Ukraine because Russia was facing a crisis caused by the depletion of deposits and the infrastructure necessary for their exploitation, as well as the deepening of the demographic crisis in the Russian Federation. The second concept suggests that Russia's attack was the empire's "natural reaction" to NATO's approach to Russia's borders.

"It is difficult to find something more outrageous when someone in a democratic country writes that Russia has the right to defend its sphere of influence. Excuse me, do we believe in democracy or not? Because if we believe in democracy, then I, as a Pole, have the right to say who I want to be friends with and what kind of system to have," Duda emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397354

Despite support of EU and USA, Ukraine still has budget deficit for this year in amount of $10 billion, - Marchenko

Successful implementation of the Monitoring Program with the International Monetary Fund will enable Ukraine to receive a full-fledged financing program from the IMF.

Minister of Finance Serhii Marchenko said this at a joint meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"We hope that the successful implementation of the Monitoring Program with the IMF will allow us to receive a full-fledged financing program from the IMF, and we will conduct negotiations on this starting from the second quarter of the current year," said Marchenko.

He reminded that last year Ukraine received 32 billion dollars from international partners, part of which came in the form of grants.

"At the first meeting (of the Supervisory Board of the Interdepartmental Donor Coordination Platform of Ukraine - ed.), several key provisions were outlined. In particular, it is essential to ensure predictable and rhythmic support for Ukraine.
Because we still have a budget deficit of $10 billion for 2023, even though we have the support of the European Commission and the US, we still have a pre-deficit. I hope that the platform will help to join forces and find the necessary funds for financing," said Marchenko.

He added that the next meeting of the platform will be in March. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397376

Ukraine needs to strengthen ground forces, - Wallace

Currently, Ukraine needs to strengthen its ground forces to push Russian troops out of Ukrainian territory.

This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Great Britain, Ben Wallace, Censor.NET informs, with reference to The Guardian.

"What the Ukrainians need is the ability to form military formations on the ground to use the maneuver of the combined Armed Forces to push back the Russian troops. This is how you can defeat the "manpower" attacks that the Russians are now forced to resort to... they are resorting to World War I-level attacks with corresponding losses," he said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397393

Jimbuna

02-02-23, 02:16 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ8i6Jix5uw

Skybird

02-02-23, 07:27 PM

German media report the German government mulls the permission of delivery of dozens of mothballed Leopard-1 from industry stocks to Ukraine. Aquiring ammunition for these however is said to be a problem. The tanks must be refurbished first, whch will take time.

I would expect that then other countries with mothballed Leopard-1s will be allowed to give their tanks away.

---------------

The US will deliver GLSDB with a range of 150km from spring on.

---------------

Germany was told by Rheinmetall that if it places orders for Leopard-2A7 tanks now that replace the ones going to Ukraine, production could start not before in two years, that full their books are. It got rpeorted that then it will take anothe rhalf ayear, becassue the Germn capcity ot prouce this tank is just one tank per two weeks.

Again, because it makes such a cozy feeling when reading it: one tank in two weeks.

Maybe the Poles had more than just the so far known reasons to order their tanks in Korea. :D

---------------

A renewed debate has begun in Germany about reactivating compulsory military service.

Skybird

02-03-23, 07:49 AM

Its official, Germany will deliver 29 Leopard-1A5 tanks that are already in a state of advanced refurbishment. I think in the long run more can follow, but their refurbishment will take many months. I would expect that othe rnatiopsn and private owners will try to activate their tanks as well, the first as donations, the latter for a profit. Ammunition however is a big problem, apparently a very big one. - And the Gepards in the Ukraine already have burnt through more than one half of their ammo supplies for which still no replacmenment was delivered or found. Both brazil and Switzerland say No to any delivering of Leo-1 or Gepard ammunition. Germayn now tries to buy back Gepard tanks and 16.000 rounds of ammo that they had sold to Qatar for the football championship.

More and more media over here report on Ukraine in a tone that indicates a darkening of the mood, so to speak. The optimism to bring this war to a successful end soon, is no more to be noticed. Politicians, namely during the EU centrla committee visit to Kyiv, try to give an opposite impression, but they fail.

Estimations when the Russian offensive will begin, range from "tomorrow" to "February 25th". As I see it, if really half a million Russian troops start moving, as seems to be possible, the Ukrainians will get serious problems. Mind you, the war was started with 110-150 thousand troops only, and without the learning effects since then.

---------

Norway has placed an order for 56 new Leopard-2 tanks, hoping for delivery from 2026 on.

Rockstar

02-03-23, 08:19 AM

Skybird

02-03-23, 09:23 AM

War demographics - damn, I missed something. I have repeatedly said that the war would be detrimental to Russia's demographics in the long run, and that's true. But I missed that the demographics in Ukraine are much more disadvantageous. And that recruiting primarily Islamic ethnicities into Russia allows the Kremlin to kill two birds with one stone: spare the Russian urban middle class, and thin out the rebellious Islamic-majority provinces' "personnel" who might challenge the Russian order.
The Achse des Guten writes (and it could be by Gunnar Heinsohn, but this time it is not):
--------------------------

The War Demographic Situation in the Ukraine War.

Russia can afford a long, losing war, especially if it draws on its large reservoir of young Muslim men. Ukraine, on the other hand, is running out of time. For demographic reasons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj put the Russian army's losses in the Ukrainian war at about 100,000 soldiers at the end of 2022. Since Selenskyj has no discernible interest in counting down Russian losses, it is safe to assume that the figure of 100,000 Russian casualties is an upper limit.

In November 2022, the Chief of the United States Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Marc Milley, put the number of fallen soldiers on both sides at about 100,000 each. Milley had no reason to play up the number of Ukrainian fallen, so it is safe to assume that Ukraine had lost at least as many soldiers as the Russians to date. So both sides are paying an enormous blood toll. However, these losses weigh differently in terms of the chances of military victory. This is because in an "exchange" of soldier for soldier, the army that can muster a larger number of troops wins.

This fact, that the simple exchange of soldier against soldier can mean certain victory for one side and certain defeat for the other, was already described by Leo Tolstoy in his monumental work "War and Peace" about Napoleon's Russian campaign. When two armies of different sizes clash and the losses on both sides are equal, the smaller army loses. For example, if an army of 90,000 meets an army of 60,000, the ratio is 3 to 2. Now, if both sides lose 30,000 men, the ratio is no longer 3 to 2, but 2 to 1. If both sides lose 60,000 men, the stronger army still has 30,000 men, but the other army has ceased to exist. That is, a larger army can afford to drive up the blood toll without having terrain gains in mind. It is enough for them to win if the losses on both sides are equal.

Demographic implosion of Ukraine

At the beginning of the war, this was mainly at the expense of the Russians. The latter tried to win the war as a "special operation" with limited forces and to take Kiev as quickly as possible. These limited forces were opposed by the Ukrainian army with a large number of reservists. Russian losses weighed more heavily than Ukrainian losses because on the Ukrainian side the entire nation was fighting, while on the Russian side only a subunit of their forces was fighting. The gamechanger was the Russian leadership's decision to partially mobilize, which is now to be followed by a larger mobilization in January.

In a total mobilization of both sides, pitting population against population, Russia has an obvious advantage. Ukraine has 43 million inhabitants and Russia has 143 million. So the Russians' recruiting pool is much larger than the Ukrainians'. If the losses are equal on both sides, the Russians win.

The problem for Ukraine is exacerbated by the fact that its birth rate plummeted with the collapse of the Soviet Union. By 2000, Ukraine had reached a demographic low of only one child per woman. These are especially the cohorts to which the soldiers who are now fighting and dying for Ukraine belong. Ukraine's demographic implosion is leading to the stark demographic disparity. In the total Ukrainian population of 43 million, there are only about 100,000 twenty-year-olds. Therefore, Ukraine is forced to draw the cohorts of those over fifty already because the pool of young men is so limited. These figures demonstrate how dramatic the losses of about 100,000 men so far are for Ukraine, given its particular demographic situation. That is why the analogy that Ukraine will become Russia's second Afghanistan was skewed from the start. Afghanistan is a country with one of the highest birth rates in the world and an almost inexhaustible reservoir of young men capable of fighting. Ukraine is an aging society with few young people.

Russia's demographic development paralleled that of Ukraine, but with one major difference. Russia is a multiethnic country. Only 71 percent of the Russian population are ethnic Russians. In addition, there are 193 ethnic minorities whose demographic profile is quite different from that of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians. Of particular importance in the context of Russian mobilization is the recruitment of Muslim soldiers. The Muslim population in Russia is estimated at 15-20 million people.

Mobilization mainly in regions with Muslim minorities

Not only since Thilo Sarrazin's book "Deutschland schafft sich ab" (Germany is abolishing itself) has word spread that the decisive factor in analyzing the demographic strength of a population group is less the absolute number than the distribution of this number among the various age cohorts.

There are no direct figures on the population development of Muslims in Russia, because religion is not surveyed in this context. However, the Muslim part of the population is made up of many small ethnic groups, about which demographic data are again collected.

The demographic profile of these minorities does not usually take the form of the mushroom cloud so typical of European societies, with a large number of old people and a narrow tribe of young people, but rather has the shape of pyramids and bells, i.e., a small proportion of older people and a broad base of young people. Conclusions about the birth rate of Muslims in Russia can also be drawn from the data of neighboring Muslim countries. In Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the birth rate was between 5 and 3.5 children per woman throughout the 1990s. That is, four to five times higher than in Ukraine during the same period. This means that if the Muslim minority in Russia were its own state, it alone could go into battle with as many men of military age as Ukraine.

Gunnar Heinsohn had put forward the thesis that wars presuppose a "youth surplus." Since Russia as a whole does not have such a surplus, it is obvious from the Kremlin's point of view to fall back on the youth surplus in rural regions with a Muslim majority. Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov stated that he had statistics showing that Russian mobilization recruits mainly in Muslim-majority regions where there are still "families with many children."

This assumption is supported by the fact that of the 1.2 million soldiers currently mobilized by the Kremlin, only a few thousand are being drawn in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The political logic behind this is immediately apparent: the Kremlin is sparing the urban population and the Russian middle class. In this way, it prevents political unrest. At the same time, the Russian leadership is sending to war those parts of the population it considers combat-ready and expendable.

Russian army will create many Verduns

The Russian elite has considered the growing influence of Islam in Russia a problem for some time. In 2019, Sheik Ravil Gainutdin, the Grand Mufti of Russia, predicted that Muslims will make up thirty percent of the Russian Federation's population by 2034. Given the unease of the Russian elite about this demographic trend, it is reasonable to assume that high losses of these populations in the Ukrainian war will not give the Kremlin sleepless nights. The fact that both the demographic and the ethno-religious factors are largely ignored in Western debates inevitably leads to unrealistic assumptions. The rebellion of a Russian civil society is a chimera. The wish is the father of the thought here. The only thing that could stop Russia's mobilization would be an uprising of Muslims and the looming threat of an ethno-religious civil war.

Russia, in accordance with the Tolstoy Doctrine, does not need to achieve a breakthrough or any victory at all in the coming offensive. The Russian army, on the other hand, will try to create many "Verduns", i.e. attack points that the Ukrainians cannot give up for strategic reasons or do not want to give up for symbolic reasons. This will force them to throw their reserves into battle to defend or recapture these points. For the Russians, it is not crucial that they actually succeed in capturing or holding these points. They will try to drive up Ukraine's losses as much as possible, even if that means accepting immense losses of their own. [Skybird: Now since how long havew I hammered home this message, eh?] Even major terrain gains by Ukraine would be a Pyrrhic victory for them if these gains are accompanied by a high number of fallen soldiers. For they would not be able to replace the fallen soldiers for demographic reasons.

Ukraine is in danger of bleeding out demographically in a long war with large material battles. Not only will it lose a large number of young men, of whom it has very few, in the loss-filled battles, but it also faces a demographic bloodletting from the loss of young and middle-aged women. Projections saw the Ukrainian population shrinking to 33 million by 2050 even without the war. Meanwhile, nearly eight million people have fled Ukraine, about one million of them to Germany. According to the German Interior Ministry, 74 percent of Ukrainian refugees are women. Eight percent are elderly people over 64.

Demographically, much will depend for Ukraine on how quickly these women can return to Ukraine. The longer the war lasts, the greater will be their tendency to settle down permanently in the host countries, to commit themselves or even to start families. Thus, Ukraine will lose another generation. Russia can afford a long war with heavy losses, Ukraine cannot. For demographic reasons, it is running out of time.
------------------------------

The majority of men Ukraine calls up for military service now, are 50 years old and older, I red some days ago. Go figure.

Now, add the pathetic ammount of material support given by the West. It is enough to extend the conflict and to prevent Ukraine needing to capitulate immediately - but it is not even close to how much would be needed to enable it to acchieve a victory.

The bitter grim truth is: it does not look good for Ukraine. It looses, Russia wins. And Russia wins on several levels. What stands at the end is not a just mutilated Ukraine, but a Ukraine that more and more looks like being unable to ever survive by its own economic means again.

30 years of "civilizational superiority" of Europe and the US led to policies towards Russia that end in this. Be proud, dear West, and celebrate yourself for what you achieved. Weakness and cowardice never are virtues, never indicate civilizational superiority. They are just weakness and cowardice. NATO members must be worried now over the conclusions from how the West acted on this crisis, and what it indicates for its future.

And its another military engagement by the West that he fails to win, though just a proxy war. Nevertehless: it all looks to turn into another major strategic defeat.

mapuc

02-03-23, 12:15 PM

Interesting read about these two countries demographic.

I know by reading all the news here and there that the West/NATO will NOT allow Russia to win this war.

So what are they gonna do ? Increase the shipment of military stuff to Ukraine ?

It's only you here on this forum who have said there will not be any boots on the ground.

I do not doubt you're right.

Then NATO has to accept that Ukraine may in the end lose the war, despite all their effort to help Ukraine.

It could also be another one of these expert who's statement is wrong or it will turn out to be wrong in the end.

Markus

tonschk

02-03-23, 02:51 PM

Scott Ritter: The West Is Using Ukrainians As Cannon Fodder! YOU MUST KNOW THE TRUTH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHHWoCJVL9Q

Catfish

02-03-23, 03:11 PM

re Skybird , mapuc and demographics: In the end all this means boots on the ground in Ukraine by NATO against a fascist megalomaniac aggressor.
Putin started this mess. He should end it, or someone has to end end him.

A lot of friends have decided to train in the military again changing their reservist status, it seems Putin's invasion did have some effect. I never thought that just of all our "greens" would publicly call to arm up again and support the military.
It maybe too late as it also becomes obvious we have neglected defense for too long, but this waking-up does have some.. beneficial consequences.

Jimbuna

02-03-23, 03:22 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=froAaNbOAEU

Jimbuna

02-03-23, 03:24 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62ptb9ssRs

tonschk

02-03-23, 03:25 PM

Douglas Macgregor: Ukraine Is Being Utterly Demolished By Massive Russian Offensives!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt8v-p2LaEU

Jimbuna

02-03-23, 03:26 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7HBrULVHFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqC2_70ELAI

tonschk

02-03-23, 03:34 PM

Russian self-propelled guns destroy Ukrainian equipment in HUGE explosion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZnZmPxvh_s

Ukrainian forces blow up Russian infantry in huge explosions in Donetsk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giC7K5dOe6k

Catfish

02-03-23, 03:40 PM

Russian self-propelled guns destroy Ukrainian equipment in HUGE explosion
[...]
Ukrainian forces blow up Russian infantry in huge explosions in Donetsk
So what.

Catfish

02-03-23, 03:59 PM

Seems Russia's puppet in Chechenia (Kadyrov) is having second thoughts about Russia dictating the nation's destiny.
Much more probably he just wants to save his a$$ (sorry) when Russia falls. After all his own people will go for him sooner or later.

"Ramzan Kadyrov has been the Head of the Chechen Republic since 2007. For the first time, he thinks about the independence of the state, but looks back at consequences, as far as freedom in Russia is always limited by the Kremlin will"

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1621483885270913024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1621483885270913024%7Ctwgr% 5Ef489db550903f93dd3d3360b0e3395cd06e9c2f0%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwi tter.min.html1621483885270913024

Skybird

02-03-23, 04:27 PM

re Skybird , mapuc and demographics: In the end all this means boots on the ground in Ukraine by NATO against a fascist megalomaniac aggressor.Maybe it should be done, but it will not be done. Last but not least because mostly it would be an American burden only. None of the European armies is capable to wage such a huge war on the ground anymore. Not even the British. Not even the French. Not the Germans. Not the - anyway unwilling - Italians, certainly not the Greek and their best friends, the Turks. And for Poland alone it is a bit too big a bite. And lets have no illusions about Biden. He will not start this war with a war with China looming. And why should he even do it? Its our backyard, not so much theirs. The US does not necessarily want that much a victorious Ukraine, but a dramatically weakened, bleeding Russia.

They will all express regret and talk about a better future, while they simply watch from the sidelines as Russia shoots Ukraine to pieces and steals and grabs everything it wants in the East. Of course, Russia will be condemned many times - after all, you don't have to put up with everything!

The strong do what they want. The weak suffer what they must. States have no friends - states have interests. In such a world, hope is no strategy. - That are three of my favourite quotes in just one paragraph.

Otto Harkaman

02-04-23, 01:19 AM

https://youtu.be/NVM_hRj5Jpo

https://youtu.be/6R5KlSVym24

Jimbuna

02-04-23, 06:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2OVts28orQ

Jimbuna

02-04-23, 06:50 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB_n0iHj_n4

Jimbuna

02-04-23, 07:19 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 130,590 people (+720 per day), 3,218 tanks, 2,220 artillery systems, 6,394 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 4, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers are approximately 130,590 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24/02/22 to 04/02/23 are approximately:

personnel - about 130,590 (+720) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3218 (+3) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6394 (+6) units,
artillery systems - 2220 (+5) units,
MLRS - 460 (+0) units,
air defense equipment - 225 (+3) units,
aircraft - 294 (+0) units,
helicopters - 284 (+0) units,
Operational-tactical UAV - 1956 (+4),
cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
warships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5081 (+13) units,
special equipment - 203 (+1). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397692

Skybird

02-04-23, 07:39 AM

I cant believe this. :-?

Die Welt writes:
--------------------
Panzer-Kanzler Olaf Scholz is currently having to put pressure on his German partners because they refuse to make firm commitments for a delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine. This is reported by "Der Spiegel." According to the report, there is rather reluctance among the allies. Not a single European country except Germany has promised a delivery so far, it is said.

Germany and its Western partners actually want to send two battalions of 44 Leopard 2 tanks each to Ukraine. But: "The compilation of the battalions turns out to be a feat of strength," "Der Spiegel" quotes from a response by the German government. Scholz had launched a "diplomatic initiative" to get the missing tanks together. Germany wants to supply 14 of the 88 main battle tanks needed.

Scholz, his defense minister Boris Pistorius and the German Foreign Office had recently tried to forge a supply coalition. So far, however, without success, according to "Der Spiegel." Even countries like the Netherlands, which have already publicly announced a delivery, do not want to commit themselves now, it is said.
----------------------

There is an impication in this mess. It holds volumes of lessons for the reliability of article 5 NATO treaty. Which is anyway as full of holes as a swiss cheese.

Catfish

02-04-23, 02:50 PM

^ Well the case of a Nato member being directly and militarily attacked has not yet happened.

"The fall of Russia" by the Montaigne institute, a french think tank.
Not a pleasant read. The mafia is everywhere, while the middle class and brains have left Russia. Putin is being passed on the right by the very devils he woke.
There will be no going back to normal with a Wagner style government, but a permanent state of war with and within Russia.
But read yourself, there is no solution for ordinary russians, and not for us.

https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/analysis/fall-russia

Catfish

02-04-23, 03:04 PM

Sinking the Moskva: previously undisclosed details.
How the Ukrainian Neptune destroyed the flagship of the Russian fleet

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/articles/2022/12/13/7380452/

mapuc

02-04-23, 03:08 PM

There is an impication in this mess. It holds volumes of lessons for the reliability of article 5 NATO treaty. Which is anyway as full of holes as a swiss cheese.

Funny you mention it..Every time one of my fb-friends says remember article 5 in the NATO thing. I always response with
Have you ever read it ??

Markus

Catfish

02-04-23, 03:11 PM

Ramzan Kaydyrov at it again.

"Putin’s Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov appears to be auditioning for a particularly cheesy straight-to-video 1980s action movie in this bizarre new promo video. Is he being advised by Steven Seagal?"

https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1603345291129884672

Lmao.

Jimbuna

02-04-23, 03:13 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZyRbDlxRJs

Jimbuna

02-04-23, 03:19 PM

It is vitally important that international partners speed up their assistance to Ukraine, - Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has assured President Volodymyr Zelensky that he is focused on ensuring that British military equipment is delivered to the front line as soon as possible.

This was announced by the Prime Minister's office, Censor.NET reports with reference to LigaBusinessInform.

"The Prime Minister said he is focused on getting UK defense military equipment to the front line as soon as possible," Sunak's office said in a statement.

Sunak's press service also reported that the two leaders agreed that it was "vitally important" for international partners to accelerate their assistance to Ukraine to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine take advantage of the opportunity to repel Russian troops. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397778

Sullivan discussed security assistance to Ukraine and full implementation of sanctions against Russia with colleagues from Poland and Baltic States

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed with his counterparts from Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia the continuation of security assistance to Ukraine and pressure on Russia.

The relevant meeting was held in Washington, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.

"National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with his counterparts from NATO Allies Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. They exchanged views on European security, reaffirming their unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression," the statement said.

The participants of the meeting "welcomed the continuation of security assistance to Ukraine and discussed the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia, including through the full implementation of sanctions."

Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed the American commitment to the security of Allies on the eastern flank. They also discussed preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius and further strengthening NATO's posture, readiness and interoperability," the statement said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397787

Canada sends first Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine. VIDEO

Canada has shipped its first Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine. It was loaded onto a C-17 military transport aircraft.

This is stated by Censor.NЕТ with reference to Twitter of Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand.

"Combat tanks are on their way to help Ukraine," the statement reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397795

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 06:01 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bysvdbeKYao

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 06:07 AM

Top Putin ally Medvedev threatens nuclear strikes as 500k on standby

Dmitry Medvedev, who is a high-ranking official in Russia and an ally of President Vladimir Putin, has issued a warning that if Kyiv uses long-range missiles to attack Russia, then all of Ukraine will face a destructive response.

He made this threat of nuclear strikes on a TV channel that is owned by the Russian military.

Medvedev said: "There will be no negotiations in this case, only retaliatory strikes,

"The whole of Ukraine remaining under Kyiv's rule will burn... Our response may be anything."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ukraine-live-top-putin-ally-medvedev-threatens-nuclear-strikes-as-500k-on-standby/ar-AA177tn8?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=c13d0273377a427dbf577f76175d73ff

Russia building up forces prior to ‘likely' new military offensive in eastern Ukraine

Russia is building up its forces in eastern Ukraine in advance of a "likely" new military offensive, defence experts have warned. However, open-source intelligence has downplayed the possibility of Vladimir Putin launching a push to coincide with the first anniversary of his country's invasion, suggesting if he does it would be unlikely to succeed.

Putin sent troops into Ukraine, in what he insists on describing as a "special operation" rather than a war, on February 24, 2022.

However, since then they have encountered fierce resistance, notably when Ukraine recaptured the key strategic city of Kherson in November.

Speculation has been building that Putin will green-light a fresh offensive this spring, possibly timing it to coincide with the anniversary,

A Janes OSINT Force Monitoring analyst said: "Janes in the last few days has seen evidence of a new concentration of forces in the rear area of Svatove, which appears to be part of a larger buildup of Russian capabilities in northern Luhansk over the last two weeks.

"The buildup in forces includes fire support, manoeuvre, and enabling assets."

However, Janes has not yet observed an increase in Russian "shaping activity," which would be expected ahead of any large offensive land operation, they pointed out.

The analyst added: "Therefore, while Janes assesses that an escalation in Russian offensive operations is likely in short to medium term, it is not imminent in the next few days.

"Any new large-scale offensive is highly likely to be preceded by such shaping operations (for example increased artillery attacks) or it would be unlikely to achieve any sort of breakthrough.

"Meanwhile, small offensive actions are ongoing in this region and should not be seen as presaging any large offensive."

They continued: "Janes assesses that these smaller tactical actions are intended to prevent Ukrainian forces from putting the P-66/T-312 under fire control in the north while also expanding Russia's security buffer around Kreminna in the south."

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's Defence Minister, yesterday claimed Putin was eyeing February 24 as a possible date to "try something".

Such a move would also mark Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day the day before, which celebrates the army, he pointed out.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/russia-building-up-forces-prior-to-likely-new-military-offensive-in-eastern-ukraine/ar-AA177vsy?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=cbf5c44cf69f4420b8c4b66c00bb19ac

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 06:19 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxD3b9dKWs

Skybird

02-05-23, 06:55 AM

One Canadian Leopard is on its way to Ukraine, via airlift.
Portugal finally said it agrees to send a few Leopards, but refuses to say how many, and when. It is said that over the half of their Leopards are not operational.

No other Leopard-owner beside Poland (14) and Germany (14+x) and Canada (4) has made any binding committments to the call for Leopards so far. All the loud heroic voices before the German agreement have fallen silent. Times goes by. Ukraine waits and cannot afford to wait. More time passes. The silence continues.

And 31 Abarams are 8-12 or more months away.

The brightest outlook on the tanks: the Brits say the Ukrainian crews for the Callengers they train are over-motivated and learn much faster than was anticipated.

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 06:57 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 131,290 people (+700 per day), 3,220 tanks, 2,226 artillery systems, 6,405 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 5, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers are approximately 131,290 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 02.05.23 are approximately:

personnel - about 131,290 (+700) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3220 (+2) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6405 (+11) units,
artillery systems - 2226 (+6) units,
MLRS - 460 (+0) units,
air defense equipment - 227 (+2) units,
aircraft - 294 (+0) units,
helicopters - 284 (+0) units,
Operational-tactical UAV - 1958 (+2),
cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
warships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5091 (+10) units,
special equipment - 203 (+0). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397830

Skybird

02-05-23, 09:10 AM

Its being reported that Bakhmut is almost encircled and the Ukrianian defenders are almost isolated. The only two remaining road corridors are now under constant Russian shelling.

Its also reported that the Russians advance on Lyman again.

Sounds like kind of a corroding effect of the Ukrainian defence line.

Russian losses are high but it seems they can afford them. Ukrainian military slowly bleeds out. It cannot sustain these losses as well.

Thats the meaning of "war of attrition".

Ukraine is loosing this sort of warfare, as I see it. They need to change. This way now means no way for them. Or in short: the Russians have longer breath than the Ukrainians.

Western deliveries need to drastically speed up, urgently. Ammo for anti air and artillery is low. Maybe still enough to hold defensive positions, but certainly not enough to prepare an own offensive.

I read the US recommended Kyiv already weeks ago to not waste precious troops and ressoruces on Bakhmut. It seems its now an ego thing between Putin and Zelensky directly, like Hitler and Stalin over Stalingrad.

Catfish

02-05-23, 09:58 AM

Very good, but only in german. @Skybird this is worth hearing -

https://youtu.be/2dxp-rXrAus

Skybird

02-05-23, 10:40 AM

I know him, Cat, I recommended his lectures before, and repeatedly. So do a number of youtube war bloggers. One could say by now he is of a certain fame.

Over two hours, thats a hefty chunk. :)

Skybird

02-05-23, 11:04 AM

2 hours, but worthy every minute. Reisner just is correct. His analysis is sobering, I feel absolutely confirmed by his remarks.

The West plays a double game with Ukraine. And the Ukraine, being abused from both sides now, has no other choice than to smile.

The colonel at around 53. minutes asks the audience who would be willing to enter th eqwar, send his son, go himself? He continues by comparing to walking on the street and seeing a woman getting raped, and you throw here a pepper spray and tell her "Now, try something poor thing, but dont struggle too hard, else he may go after me, too."

Thats how the West is handling this mess. And I stick to it. This way the Ukraine will and must loose - with the West complying with the Russians' wishes. Or to say it clearer: the West wants Ukraine to loose as much as the Russians want it. The whole mumbo-jumbo the West does is only for the aftergame: to not get accused to not even having tried, and having not done anything. We do not want history to point fingers at us for our wrongdoing, but the wrongdoing of ours - its wanted. We want doing it wrong.

A western community of values? Our morals are fake. An alibi.

I mentioned it before, the ukriane also would mean a massive shift of the power balance inside the EU, if it would join, due to its military experience, its heavy industry its huge agricultural sectore, its big size and population. France and Germany would loose, Poland and the Slavic block, the Baltic states would gain influence.

Teh costs for this mess will be Europe, because the Russians will mutilate Ukraine and rip her economic heart out. The remaning torso will be heavily crippled and probably not independently survivable, needing to be kept alive by endless massive financial transfusions from the EU. We shoot us in our own foot here. In both, and repeatedly, to be sure.

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 12:16 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AFrYNj9xD8

Jimbuna

02-05-23, 12:39 PM

Putin did not threaten me or Germany, - Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin had never threatened Germany or him personally, as he did with then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He said this in an interview with Bild, Censor.NET reports with reference to Euro Integration.

"No, Putin did not threaten me or Germany. In our phone conversations, our very different points of view on the war in Ukraine are very clearly visible," Scholz said.

"I made it very clear to Putin that Russia bears full responsibility for the war. For no reason at all, Russia invaded its neighbor to take parts of Ukraine or the whole country. We cannot simply accept this because it fundamentally violates the European peace order. It is therefore, we support Ukraine financially, humanitarianly, as well as with weapons," the chancellor added.

It will be recalled that earlier the former Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson told the BBC that Putin threatened him with a missile strike on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin denied this. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397882

France will transfer modern Ground Master 200 radars to Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers will receive another French weapon - modern Ground Master 200 radars.

This was announced by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov during a press conference, Censor.NET informs with reference to ArmiyaInform.

"We have positive developments. In Paris, a contract was concluded with a French company for the supply of a modern Ground Master 200 radar, which can see fast forces at any height," he said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397878

In March, Poland will start building electronic fence on border with Russia

Construction of an electronic fence on the border with the Kaliningrad region. Poland plans to start construction in March.

This is reported by Polskie Radio, Censor.NET informs.

"The electronic system on the section from the Kaliningrad region should cover approximately 200 km of the land border. The contractor has already received the project, which is being submitted to the border service for approval," the message says.

It is noted that, thanks to the system of sensors and cameras, the monitoring of the border will be carried out around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. At the same time, it is not necessary to be directly on the borderline. Algorithms are designed so that the border guard can only respond to real attempts by people to cross the border.

Last year, Polish border guards recorded 11 cases of illegal crossings with Russia. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3397867

tonschk

02-05-23, 05:14 PM

zelensky Terrorist Regime complaining about receiving few German Leopard 2 Tanks and very few M1 Abrams Tanks, very few and too late

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UffW0NuR3iU

mapuc

02-05-23, 05:14 PM

Are watching Sky News and in the bottom I can read.

Sky News understands British army unable to fight for more than a few days unless weapons given to Ukraine are replaced.

Same story was told to us some month ago here in Denmark.

We should send a thank you to our former government in the 90's and in the 00's their eager to cut down on the military thing is now showing it's failure.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 06:18 AM

Kremlin insiders warn pro-war 'ultra-patriots' could overthrow 'weak and tired' Putin

Aleading Russian MP has warned Vladimir Putin's days at the head of the Kremlin could be numbered as "ultra-patriots" are more likely to topple him amid the army's repeated losses in Ukraine. The Russian leader has so far run the Federation with an iron fist by jailing all opponents, including Alexei Navalny, or having them exiled. But his inability to make any significant gains in eastern Ukraine where fighting has been raging on has reportedly angered members of the State Duma who could try to topple the Russian leader. Oleg Matveychev, a member of the pro-Putin United Russia Party, believes the biggest challenge to Putin's power comes from fervent supporters of the conflict in Ukraine.

In an online interview with The Times, Matveychev said: "The situation is not so critical yet but 2023 will be very dangerous.

"We will not be pushed out [onto the streets] of Maidan," he added, in reference to the Maidan Revolution, a wave of large-scale protests which culminated in the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2014.

Given "liberals" and opposition have either fled or been imprisoned, Matveychev said the only danger Putin faces now is what he called "turbo" or "ultra patriots".

Some well-known nationalist and "patriotic" personalities have become enraged due to a disorganised mobilisation of reserves, bad tactics, and setbacks on the front line. One of them is Igor Girkin, a 52-year-old former commander of rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, who has asked for the resignation of Sergey Shoigu, the defence minister, and accused him of "criminal negligence."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, the entrepreneur who oversees the Wagner mercenary company, is still a supporter of Putin but has criticised other Kremlin-aligned oligarchs for their lack of commitment to the war effort. He is also rumoured to be preparing to launch a new conservative political movement.

Matveychev predicts that the "ultra-patriots" will field a candidate in next year's presidential elections when Putin is expected to run for a fifth term. That candidate would complain about tainted election results and "follow the Maidan scenario," he said.

In 2013, deadly clashes broke out in Ukraine after former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the EU and instead chose closer ties to Russia.

Protesters were outraged by widespread government corruption and abuse of power, oligarchic influence, police brutality, and human rights violations. Repressive anti-protest legislation fuelled even more rage, with protesters clashing with police force in Kyiv.

Months of protests led the Ukrainian Parliament to vote to topple Mr Yanukovych who had already fled the country and claimed the vote was illegal. Russia condemned the move as "coup".

In response, pro-Russian, counterrevolutionary demonstrations broke out in the east and south of Ukraine. While armed pro-Russian rebels took control of government facilities and declared Donetsk and Luhansk separate states, Russia invaded and eventually annexed Crimea, setting off the Donbas War.

Almost a decade after the war started, Ukrainians and Russian forces are engaged in fierce fighting in the same Eastern region of Donbas - each side trying to cling to pieces of territory.

It has given rise to conflicting statements about troops' advances in the cities of Bakhmut Vuhledar and Lyman, with Russia and Ukraine claiming control over the strategic city.

Ukraine's outgoing Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said his country is anticipating a new wave of Russian offensives later this month, which officials fear could come from the south, east and northwest.

In a speech celebrating the 80th anniversary of Russia's victory over Germany at Stalingrad - now known as Volgograd, Putin warned the Russian Federation has the military capacity to respond.

He said: "Those who hope to defeat Russia on the battlefield do not understand, it seems, that a modern war with Russia will be very different for them. We are not sending our tanks to their borders, but we have the means to respond. It won't be limited to the use of armoured hardware. Everyone must understand this."

According to the Telegram channel General SVR, which claims to be fed information by a Kremlin insider, Putin has been visited by doctors after becoming "weak and tired" at his speech in Volgograd.

Putin "did not have fun" while attending meetings and making public appearances while in the country, according to General SVR. "By evening, Putin was very tired and felt weak, doctors were invited to see him," it reported.

"After the next course of therapy, the president has not yet come into shape, and it is not yet clear whether he will come at all."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/kremlin-insiders-warn-pro-war-ultra-patriots-could-overthrow-weak-and-tired-putin/ar-AA179huw?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=0175640dfe2140b6a9ff9912f9dae687

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 06:41 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAQEBseB2i4

Skybird

02-06-23, 07:07 AM

Putin, a KGB-man, after the Yeltzin years has driven the FSB's fangs and claws deep into the military apparatus again, like it was with the KGB and the Red Army. The army feared the KGB. It is not different today. Whoever succeeds Putin, most likely will and must be an FSB man or somebody who is good friends with the FSB' establishment. I cannot imagine that somebdy will gain control at the state'S top against the FSB. Thats why I di do not have Prigoshin or Kadyrow on my list of likely candidates.

tonschk

02-06-23, 10:36 AM

Ukraine Military is a Defeated Army

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkMzE1YR4ts

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 11:55 AM

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 12:06 PM

"Wagner" recruiters began to come to Russian colonies in second round, - Russian media

From the end of 2022, the recruiters of "Wagner’s Communist Party" began to visit Russian colonies for the second time, from where they had already recruited prisoners to participate in the war in the spring and autumn.

As reported by Censor.NET, the Russian publication "Mediazona" writes about this.

Convicts told the publication that now recruitment takes place in a less solemn atmosphere: the entire colony no longer lines up on the square, and Prigozhin does not fly in by helicopter.

So, in December, prisoners went to a meeting with a recruiter in the Bashkir VK-16 of their own accord.

"When he began to tell that now yours are being released and they need a replacement, a discussion began between him and the inmates. And one particular one, as they say in prison, hit him in the eyes and asked: "How many percent of ours are left alive, who went?" At this he began to be puzzled, could not answer anything and ended his speech altogether," says the interlocutor. According to him, if the first time more than a thousand people left the entire region, then the second time - only 340.

In VK-4 in Plavsk near Tula, the second recruitment of volunteers took place in November, another convict said. According to his assessment, the first time about 300 people signed up for the war, and the second time - half as many.

Human rights defender and former political prisoner Ivan Astashin wrote that recruiters are again coming to the camps in Mordovia: "For the second time, representatives of the "Wagner" PMC visited VK-10 of the special regime, where this time about 60 convicts enrolled in the ranks of Prigozhin's army."

"Last time (at the end of last year), a person who is near Bakhmut contacted me. He said that he regretted going there. He said that 20% of those who left here are alive," says one of the interlocutors of "Mediazona".

Against this background, the media associated with Prigozhin began to talk about prisoners who survived in Ukraine and returned to freedom. In some colonies, recruiters promised to bring inmates for agitation. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398042

Government of Norway proposes to allocate 6.5 billion euros for aid to Ukraine within 5 years

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Haar Stre wants the Storting (parliament) to allocate 75 billion Norwegian kroner (6.5 billion euros) to Ukraine as part of the anti-crisis package over five years.

As reported by Censor.NET with a reference to Euro Integration, this was reported by NRK.

Storting leaders meet on Monday to discuss the aid package. Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre and Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum will present the package to the leaders of the parliament.

It includes both monetary aid and arms aid to Ukraine, as well as aid to other countries affected by the consequences of the war. The package is the result of a budget agreement between the ruling parties - the Labor Party and the Center Party and SV - last autumn. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398035

Germany will hand over Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine as soon as possible - government of Germany

Germany will fulfill its promise regarding the tanks and hand them over as soon as possible.

This was stated by the Deputy Spokesman of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, Wolfgang Buchner, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"The federal government is assuming that the promised Leopard tanks will be delivered quickly," he said.

Buchner added that this will be regardless of when the other partners do it. Germany will fulfill its promise, but at the same time hopes that it will be possible to do it together with other countries.

He confirmed that "intense negotiations" with other countries that plan to transfer tanks of this type are ongoing, but did not disclose details. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398077

Due to Western sanctions, Russian army receives weapons of reduced quality and accuracy, - Danilov

The Russian army began to receive weapons of reduced quality and accuracy - this is the result of Western sanctions against the aggressor country.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, wrote about this on Twitter, Censor.NET reports.

"As a result of Western sanctions, the Russian army began to receive weapons of reduced quality and accuracy, trying to maintain quantitative indicators. Ukraine's strategy is to bet on the quality of advanced technologies, not on the mass of mobilized ones," he said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398126

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 02:20 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USZmkJQ1qOw

Jimbuna

02-06-23, 02:24 PM

Turnaround in relations with Russia will be possible only after Putin, - Morawiecki

Russia will not pose a threat to peace and security in Europe only when Vladimir Putin leaves and democratic elections are held there.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said this in an interview with El Mundo, Censor.NET reports with reference to LigaBusinessInform.

"The solution is to democratize Russia and put an end to Putin's authoritarian rule. This should be decided by the Russian people in democratic elections," he said.

Moravetsky believes that democratization is Russia's only chance to restore and end the rule of the special services.

"In Europe, we must completely get rid of any Russian influence and become completely independent from Russia. Then and only then will there be a chance for a new turnaround in relations with a completely different Russia. But this is a matter of years, not months," he said Morawiecki. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398142

Pope Francis is unequivocally on side of Ukraine, - Ambassador Yurash

Ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican Andriy Yurash is sure that the position of Pope Francis regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war is unambiguous - he is on the side of Ukraine.

Yurash said this in an interview with Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.

"The Pope is unequivocally on the side of Ukraine, and even his models and ways of self-expression, which are not fully understood by the Ukrainian community, are dictated by his love for Ukraine and the desire to help. We can debate whether these models suit us, but the fact that his motivation is positive, there can be no doubt," Yurash said.

He reminded that the Pope is not only the head of the Catholic Church, but also the head of the Vatican State, which Ukraine previously considered as a possible platform for negotiations with Russia.

And the Vatican wants to preserve opportunities for communication to become such a platform if necessary.

"Somewhere at the intersection of such intentions, the Pope's position is modeled," Yuras said.

He reminded that last year, because of the war, the Pope canceled the already scheduled meeting with the Russian party archbishop Kirill (Gundyaev). According to Yuras, this was a very serious gesture.

"The Pope is the head of the church, for him a meeting with, relatively speaking, an equal spiritual representative from Russia was very important. The first meeting between Patriarch Kirill and the Pope was in Havana in 2016. And there was a desire from the Russian side to develop these relations. The Pope demolished this site , he said that there is no reason for the meeting," the ambassador said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398148

Skybird

02-06-23, 08:51 PM

For the first time, Moscow sold foreign exchange reserves and gold stocks to make up for budget deficits during the war. This may be annoying from the Kremlin's point of view, but one should not read too much into this economic malaise - especially not that the Russian economy is now "collapsing" just because they are selling some gold: just over half a percent of their stock. So far Russia has been buying gold during the war and despite the sanctions.
FOCUS writes:
----------------------

To cover gaps in the state budget, Moscow resorted to its gold and foreign currency reserves in Chinese yuan in January. A total of 2.27 billion yuan (about 309 million euros) and 3.6 tons of gold were sold, the Russian Finance Ministry said Monday, according to state news agency Tass. "The funds thus obtained were transferred to the state budget account to cover the deficit," it said in a statement. The January hole in the state budget was put at 1.76 trillion rubles (23 billion euros).

A total of 3.1 trillion rubles (about 40 billion euros) had been spent, up 59 percent from January of last year, it said. The ministry did not give reasons for the extra spending. Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine since February 2022. The West has imposed heavy economic and also financial sanctions on Moscow because of it.

The state budget's oil and gas revenues have fallen 46 percent compared to January 2022, it said. Russia currently has reserves of 10.4 billion euros, 307.4 billion yuan and 551.2 tons of gold, according to the Finance Ministry.
-----------------
My guess is that the extra spending is due to direct investment in new weapons purchases in friendly foreign countries. Apart from that, please no one should believe that the officially published figures on Russian annual military expenditures were ever even close to the truth, yes? You don't maintain armed forces with such huge numbers and the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with an official defense budget that 2021 was a little bit bigger than that of France and slightly smaller than that of Great Britain, even if Russia produces cheaper.

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 04:57 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkvAw7oltKw

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 12:03 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k9EJCvqTmI

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 12:13 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUPTuaxHcmg

Dargo

02-07-23, 12:23 PM

The Netherlands, together with Germany and Denmark, will buy and deliver around 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. These are reconditioned type A5s, which are still in stock at the German defense industry. The three countries will also supply them with spare parts and ammunition. Defense minister Ollongren told the House of Representatives. "The war in Ukraine is in a crucial phase. Russia continues to mobilize and there are signs that Russia is preparing a new offensive. That is why supplying battle tanks is important," she said.

The top executive of arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, the maker of the tanks, informed that 20 to 25 tanks could probably be overhauled and delivered to Ukraine this year, and the rest only next year. Despite their age, the tanks are still "very suitable to be deployed on the battlefield", according to Ollongren. They are copies of the last version that came on the market in 1987. "They can still be very useful for Ukraine, and they are better than many Russian-made tanks that the Russians are fighting with."

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 12:33 PM

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denies plans to build factory for production of drones in Russia

Iran called the information about the possible construction of a factory for the production of drones on the territory of Russia fake news.

As reported by Censor.NET, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Nasser Kanani, informed the Mehr agency about this.

"Unfortunately, the countries that are the largest exporters of weapons and military equipment to one of the sides of the war (in Ukraine. - Ed.) want to mislead world public opinion by spreading fake news," he said.

According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Iran's approach is to push the parties to a political solution, as well as to encourage the international community to help shape a political solution to end the war.

It will be recalled that earlier The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia and Iran approved plans to build a factory for the production of drones. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398318

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 12:39 PM

"Gazprom" is creating its own private military company, - intelligence. DOCUMENT

Gazprom Nafta is creating its own private military company. The relevant order was signed by the head of the government of the Russian Federation Mykhailo Mishustin.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the Defense Intelligence.

"The document establishes that the founders of the organization will be PJSC Gazprom Nafta with a 70% stake in the authorized capital of the organization and the private security organization Staff Center with a 30% stake.

When creating the "organization", the government of the Russian Federation refers to the law "On the safety of objects of the fuel and energy complex", which states that the enterprises of the industry "may be given the right to establish a private security organization". The size of the share of such an enterprise in the charter capital of the newly created "organization" cannot be less than 50%," the message reads.

According to the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, the "arms race" continues in the Russian Federation among political players who are actively creating private armies following the example of the "Wagner" PMC. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398322

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 01:04 PM

Death is only prospect we can offer occupiers. We have to join forces and return territories, - Maliuk

The newly appointed head of the SSU, Vasyl Maliuk, is aware of the level of threats that faced our country during a full-scale war, and his own responsibility as the head of the special service.

He noted this during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Censor.NET informs with reference to the SSU press center.

"The first and most important thing is to carry out the president's order and change the approach to work. We are not just deterring the enemy, but acting in advance. We are building a new and modern model of state security - taking into account the experience of the war," Maliuk emphasized.

According to him, among the priority tasks are the cleaning of the Service, the fight against collaborators, henchmen of the enemy, and traitors of all levels. This requires a comprehensive approach from the special services - when each area of activity develops equally qualitatively and evenly.

The child also told what has already been done in these areas over the past six months. In particular, the reformatting of counter-intelligence and military counter-intelligence, extremely complex tasks performed by the fighters of the Special Operations Center "A", the results of the work of investigators and cyber specialists.

"Today I cannot reveal the details of all serious special operations in which our fighters are involved, but they are present in the hottest points of the war. In less than a year, 6 of them were awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine". 4, unfortunately, posthumously... We have more than 500 state awards. Most among them are the "For Courage" and "Bohdan Khmelnytsky" orders. These people perform extremely difficult and extremely important tasks," the head of the SSU emphasized.

In addition, he spoke about his own combat experience: from 2014 in Donbas, and from the first day of the full-scale invasion - in Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk regions and in the south of the country.

"We showed the whole world what the Ukrainian character is. Now we have to join forces and return our territories! And as the Head of the SSU, I will do everything for Victory," Maliuk emphasized.

"Death is the only prospect we can offer the occupiers!" he added.

It will be reminded, on February 7, the Council appointed Malyuk as the head of the SSU. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398339

mapuc

02-07-23, 01:10 PM

Jimbuna

02-07-23, 01:19 PM

German government approved supply of 178 "Leopard-1" tanks to Ukraine, - Der Spiegel

Germany’s Federal Security Council has approved the supply of 178 "Leopard-1" tanks from industrial stocks to Ukraine.

As Censor.NET reports, Spiegel writes about it.

The decision allows the export of Leopard-1 tanks from the Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) groups.

According to the publication, the first tanks should be delivered to Ukraine in the summer, but most of them will not be before next year. The government will officially announce the decision on Tuesday evening.

Read more: Ukraine expects from Germany not only Leopard, but also spare parts for them, - Ministry of Defense

Last week, the German government granted a license to export "Leopard-1" tanks to Ukraine.

The Leopard-1 is the first main battle tank built for the German Army after World War II. It was produced from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. The 14 Leopard 2 tanks promised earlier by Berlin are much more modern. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398361

Lithuania handed Ukraine dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition

Lithuania handed over dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition to Ukraine and conducted training for Ukrainian instructors on handling these weapons.

As Censor.NET informs, this was announced on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania.

"The last (in time - ed) Lithuanian military support for Ukraine is dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft vehicles with ammunition. For the last two weeks, Ukrainian instructors in Lithuania have been participating in training on how to operate these guns. They will train even more Ukrainian operators when they return to the country", the message says.

It is also noted that, in general, Lithuania plans to train about 1,600 Ukrainian soldiers this year. This will help Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.

"Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine by all possible means as long as necessary," the country's defense department notes. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398348

Skybird

02-07-23, 03:14 PM

How much better than T-72 are these Leopard 1A5 ?

Does this mean that around summertime Ukraine will have MBT from USA, UK, EU And here I'm thinking Abrams, Challenges, Leopard 1 & 2 and some other ?

Markus
The Leopard-1 dominated the T-55 and T-62. It was faster (forward and reverse), more agile, offered better optics and better situational awareness, it was designed to fit into the principle of German "Beweglichkeit" (mobility, agility), it outclassed the M-60, to, which was much slower. The German tank drove circles at will around the other tanks of its time.

The Sovjets build the T-72 to kill the Leopard-1. The western reaction to the T-72 was first shock, then developing the Leopard-2 and Abrams. The two latter stem from a shared joint venture between the US and Germany for a joint battle tank that later collapsed. Thats why both tanks are very comparable in protection and firepower. The American tank is more complicated to use and maintain, because the German built their tank for a conscript army where it was expected soldiers would have less time to learn and collect experience with maintaining and operating the tank. Thats why servicing the Leopard-2 is easier and is done faster than on the Abrams, its indeed easier toi handle. In earlier versions of both tanks, the German tanks also had better optics, and more of them, plus additional optics for the commander that the Abrams of that time did not have. The German tank cannon however proved to be superior to both the American and British designs, so both the later Challengers and Abrams all got equipped with the tank gun by Rheinmetall. The Abrams does some things slightly better than the Leopard-2, some things worse. The German tank usually is described as the best balanced general all-around design. Tank design is always a compromise between firepower, armour, and agility - balancing these three did not lead to best-of-class marks in any any of these for the Leopard-2, but to the best compromise between all three. That is what is meant when they say the Leopard-2 is the "best tank in the world". It means its the best compromise in balancing these three factors. The one thing where the Leopard-2 probably really leads them all, is ergonomics. The Leclerc may be even better in this regard, but it is said to be an electronic primadonna which is prone to system malfunctions and breakdowns. It seesm to be not as reliable as one would want to have it in war.

The Leopard-1 was the most agile tank of its time, and offered also probably the best optics and situational awareness of tanks of its time (compared to it, T-72 of that era were blind and deaf). Agility was seen as paramount, because ATGMs still played no big role, so agility was rated higher than armour. The Leopard-1 by today'S standard would be not more than a "medium" tank, it is indeed quite lightly armoured now, by today's standards.

Head on, tank-on-tank, the Leopard looses against the T-72. The T-72 has much more Boom! in its cannon. Worse, many of the T-72 in the Russian inventory are upgraded B3 versions, which does not make them great tanks but significantly better tanks than the original ones from 30, 40 years ago, some fo them also have replaced optics, and modern French thermals, new fire control systems. The basic design flaw however - the all-turrets-fly-high (tm) ammo storage - remain. I would not bet that a Leopard-1 can easily defeat the armour of these new T-72, however.

But tank-on-tank does not happen often in the ukraine war so far, most tanks got killed by ambushes in the urban areas, by flank shots with RPG/PZF style weapons, ATGMs, and - most importantly - at very short combat distances. The latter nullifies any tactical advantage of thick armour against kionetic ammunitoon like KE (German), SABOT (US). And I am quite certain the Leo-1 will not be used as tank hunter, like not the French AMX-10, which also has a small callibre cannon also and is lightly armoured. those armies who operated Leopard-1s until the end often used them for recce. The Ukranians will also use them as mobile artillery moving embedded in the infantry, I assume. They must avoid to confront T-72s directly. Leopard-1s and Leopard-2s are lightyears apart in firepower and protection level.

mapuc

02-07-23, 03:34 PM

Thank you Skybird.

Around 30 minutes after I had posted my comment I got the idea to search for info about these two tanks head to head.

So I made search T-72 Vs Leopard 1A5 and found this page

https://armedforces.eu/compare/tanks_Leopard_1_vs_T-72

When it comes to firepower and caliber T-72 win
When it comes to moveable(speed) Leopard win

Markus

August

02-07-23, 03:43 PM

Skybird

02-07-23, 03:45 PM

When it comes to firepower and caliber T-72 win
When it comes to moveable(speed) Leopard win

Markus
That is correct, but its not covering other factors that also play a role. Namely optics, may it be the gunner'S sights., may it be the commander's sights. Plus thermals. Old T-72 have no thermals, but - almost useless - IR lamps. Steel Beasts Pro does a nice job for illustration of how useful these were. Well, you reliable find the way to your own funeral with them, that was my impression. Renewed versions of the T-72 have no IR but thermal vision.

The best weapon of the Leopard-1 if running into T-72s, is reverse and get out of sight ASAP (it can drive reverse almost as fast as in forward; the T-72 crawls in reverse, I think around 5 km/h: pedestrian's speed). I read the Leopard-1 can outrun in reverse a T-72 that rolls in forward. The Leopard-1's armour was quite useless against the rounds of the T-72 back then, both kinetic and explosive ammunition - how much less useful will it be against modern T-72 rounds...? Best would be avoiding to meet T-72 alltogether.

Skybird

02-07-23, 04:01 PM

Reasonable remarks on both tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxNFXIur5Co

Edit:
added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZfvi0Ab78

Rockstar

02-07-23, 05:43 PM

A crew of 3 in the Lep vs the T-72 of 4 probably means an autoloading gun and therefore it can likely get shots off quicker.

and assuming the Leopard 1A5 is the critter being sent to Ukraine. One of the things that makes it the ‘a5’ is the turret design which is able to mount the same 120 mm gun the Leopard 2 uses. Since it’s going to take some time to get those tanks ready to ship maybe they will upgrade those barrels too. :hmmm:

<edit> Thinking about it I thought the t72 has an auto loader too. The major draw back to the T72 is that all the ammo is on carousel inside the turret, which is notorious for cooking off when hit killing everyone inside and sending the turret into orbit. The Germans wised up and moved the Leo 1 ammo from its storage situated left of the driver to a storage bin in the back of the ‘a5’ turret. Offering the crew a better chance of surviving.

T-72, Leopard A5, they’re both pretty old tanks designed for a totally different type of war.

If they get anything earlier than the a5 they may as well just keep using those t-72s. What I think may make some waves are those Bradleys IFV and their optics coupled with its BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) heavy anti-tank missile. Damn near twice the effective range of any tank currently on the field.

mapuc

02-07-23, 06:09 PM

Huge explosion in Kharkiv around 23 local time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PeMBgxHSt0&ab_channel=WorldLivestream

Markus

August

02-07-23, 06:26 PM

Thinking about it I thought the t72 has an auto loader too.

I wonder what the extra crewman is for then? :hmmm: Assistant driver maybe?

Skybird

02-07-23, 08:09 PM

Thinking about it I thought the t72 has an auto loader too.
"too"...?

Since when has the Leo-1 an auto-loader like the T-72? It has a crew of 4 for sure, like the Abrams. Commander, gunner, driver, loader.

I think the Italians or the Spanish once build one single prototype with an autoloader. if it is not a myth.

The mothballed Leopard-1 in Germany all seem to be 1A5s. 178 tanks is the possible maximum, whether these all translate into tanks refurbished and developed until - so the plan - summer next year, is somehign different. Its possible that the total number is reduced due to the need to cannibalise some tanks for the sake of reactivating others. Possible that in the end it will only be around 100 or so.

I doubt, seriously, they will invest the money and time for developing a solution to fit in a 120mm. I would almost rule that out. You would need to take the whole turret apart. It costs time, it needs to be bug-hunted. It needs much money. And factory capacity - by the Leopard producers in German currently cannot produce more than 1 Leopard-2 in two weeks. Go figure. No workers. No factory capacity. No ressources.

The Ukraine needs no perfect super-wonder-miracle solutions. It needs bigger numbers, and quick.

Thats 24 Leopard-2s per year. I was shocked when i heard that number, totally shocked. But its no rumour, its fact.

In Russia they have moved towards full war production. All their tank-capable factories produce tanks day in, day out, 24/7, mostly refurbishing mothballed ones currently, since that is faster.

Now we know why the Polish bought 900+ new MBTs - in S-Korea. The germans have no profitabel production capacities anymore. And as this Austrian colonel Reisner so very correctly remarked, this should be an alarm signal of the highest order to Europe. The Polish decision shows that they do not think there is a future for a European arms industry anymore. At the same time the Swedish find it incredibly difficult to sell their new Gripen-E - the plane that would be perfect for ukraine, since its can be maintained easily on the meadow, in the forest, it needs no hangars, is extremely maintenance- and repair-friendly , and needs only short runways. Exactly what the ukrainians need. But Sweden could not produce them in the needed time, its industry - Saab in this case - has shrunk to too low size. So the German, the French, the British.

Europe becoming a sovereign self-supplying military power? We are beyonds that. This idea now is nothing but a still birth, it will not happen, arms sales will more and more go to the US, and Asia. With a result that capacities in Europe and the knowhow will shrink further.

The Russians do what was to be expected, they cannot compete wiht tehcnology, so they make big nubmers count. Very big numbers. Its their doctrin since - since before WW2 already. If it takes - just a guess - 4 old tanks to make one working one, by their reserves they will soon have 2000-2500 additonal ones. Additional to those they already have, in the Ukraine, and in other regions fo their territory.

Catfish linked that 2 hour video from that conference in Auzsdtria. Try to use it with english subtitles, bot-translated. Its should serve as an eye opener for many. That man has done his homework, and he is mercilessly beyond any illusions. The colonel holds a lecture first, that already sets some exclamation marks, than there is a very good lecture by a former defence minister with solid pltical strategic insight, and then Q&A, again with Colonel Reisner answering a lot. He is brutally open. And he is right. Compared to him, what we hear from our politicians and media is simply blatant bullsh!t. If we continue like we do now, the Russians will not just win - they will triumph. Boiling the frog - will not work. The rus sians learn. They adapt. They do already now better than our media want to let us know. I am warning of this since weeks and weeks. Fightign and winning wars with extremely high own casualties - IS PART OF THEIR DAMN DOCTRINE. Always was.

Those new 150 km missiles will command them to re-adapt again. But this again comes at more losses to the Ukraine inflicited. And the Ukraine, different to Russia, cannot as easily compensate thes e losses anymore, even more so since it does not get the replacements in numbers as it needs them. Resiner and as well the Neue Zürcher Zeitung recebtly voiced: the Russians will create many little Verduns. They must not win any of them, they must no drive hueg affeenive and get victories. All that counts is that they make the Ukrainians spending their ammo, and make them bleeding. By this, Russia will win the war.

Skybird

02-08-23, 05:13 AM

Die Welt writes:
------------------
The astonishing ambiguities in the Leopard delivery

Germany, together with allies, is supplying "two battalions" of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. This was announced a fortnight ago. But it is still unclear which country will participate and how. However, something is already becoming apparent: The number of tanks to be delivered will probably be much lower than expected.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda visibly enjoyed the bath in the crowd. He shook hands and waved to the cheering passers-by in Lviv, Ukraine. Duda had announced on this 11 January that his country wanted to deliver 14 Leopard battle tanks to Kiev.

It was a move that put Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) under enormous pressure. Until then, Germany had refused to supply battle tanks or to give permission for other countries to export them. It took two weeks after that for Scholz to make a radical change of course.

On 25 January, he promised to deliver 14 German Leopard tanks. At the same time, he promised to form a European alliance that would supply Ukraine with "two battalions". Germany had given in to the pressure, which came mainly from the USA and Poland. But now, after almost a month of feverish tank diplomacy, it turns out that there were many loose commitments from smaller allied states. But no one - neither Poland nor the US nor Germany - had collected reliable pledges for an international coalition.

As a result, it is still unclear who will contribute how many tanks - and how many Leopards Ukraine will actually receive. At present, it appears that in the end there will be fewer tanks than expected. The Chancellor had promised "two tank battalions". In the Bundeswehr, one battalion comprises 44 tanks.

Experts therefore reckoned with 88 Leopards after the German announcement, the German media reported "about 90 tanks" without contradiction. However, as a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry has now said in response to an enquiry from WELT, the exact number is currently unclear. "We are orienting ourselves to Ukrainian requirements," the spokesperson said.

As WELT learned from Ukrainian government circles, it is also not known in Kiev how many tanks will be delivered. At present, it is assumed that 31 per battalion will be delivered. So it could amount to the delivery of about 60 battle tanks. In addition to the 14 German Leopards, 14 from Poland and four from Canada have been promised, making a total of 32. It is completely unclear how the other countries will participate.

A spokesman for Scholz had said on Monday that the tank delivery with European partners would come about "quickly". "The German commitment stands. He said that they were in consultation with the partner states. He could not, however, give any details about the commitments of other governments. As Spain's Ministry of Defence informed WELT, two meetings on Leopard coordination took place last Friday, one under German and one under Polish-Ukrainian leadership.

However, according to a survey by WELT among the most important members of the coalition, still no clear burden sharing has been decided. The governments of Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal confirmed that they were still prepared to supply. At the same time, they stated that it was unclear exactly how many tanks they would deliver. This is still being discussed among the allies.
Spain stated that it was already repairing Leopard tanks, but that it was unclear how many would be delivered. The newspaper "El Pais", referring to government circles, had recently reported that four to six of the vehicles were to be delivered. The Netherlands, for its part, has 18 in its possession, leased from Germany. "We have leased them, which means we can buy them, which means we can donate them," Prime Minister Mark Rutte recently told the "FAZ".

When asked by WELT whether this was a binding commitment, the Dutch government now said it was ready to "participate" in the coalition. "We are exploring several possibilities to buy and or deliver tanks".

Firmer is the commitment from Portugal. The Portuguese Defence Ministry referred to statements made by the head of government, Antonio Costa, on Saturday. He had promised a "firm" delivery. It is also clear exactly how many tanks his country will provide, but this has not yet been communicated.

The Finnish government confirmed that it had decided to be part of the "multinational" Leopard cooperation. "The operational form and content of this support is still an ongoing process," it said. The wording leaves open the option that Finland might not supply tanks itself, but participate in other ways, with training, for example.

The Norwegian government confirmed that Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store had spoken with Scholz on Friday about the Leopard tanks. Oslo stands by its commitment to deliver tanks. "The number and details of the delivery are still being worked out," a spokesman said.

Party friends of Chancellor Scholz had recently articulated their frustration about the fact that there are still so few binding commitments. "In recent weeks, one had the impression that the whole world wanted to deliver, but not Germany," SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert said on ZDF on Sunday. "Now we make a concrete commitment and suddenly it has become very quiet."

One thing is certain: In the four weeks of wrangling in Europe and America over the delivery, there were many promises and advances. On 20 January, there had even been a meeting of all Ukraine's allies at the US airbase in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, to discuss arms deliveries.

But apparently there was no coordination, not even from Poland or the USA, which put Germany under pressure. This must now be made up for by the German government - which had also remained inactive for months. So time is likely to be lost again until the tanks arrive in Ukraine.

And the delivery of the older Leopard 1 models is also likely to take some time. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has approved the export of up to 178 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine, as the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Defence jointly announced in Berlin on Tuesday. "How many Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks will actually be delivered to Ukraine depends on the necessary maintenance work," the statement added, however.
During his surprise visit to Kiev on Tuesday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at least three battalions from the West should be equipped with such tanks by the first or second quarter of 2024. Pistorius did not say from which European countries besides Germany the Leopard 1 tanks should come.

During his visit to Kiev, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told WELT that he was impressed by the Ukrainian soldiers he met. The top priority for Ukraine, he said, was air defence.

The minister explained that the tanks would be delivered in stages. By the summer, 20 to 25 tanks were to be delivered, and by the end of the year up to 80. The goal was to reach more than 100 in the course of the first or second quarter of 2024.
--------------------------

Well. This way means no way.

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 06:29 AM

UK hammers Putin with sanctions to cripple 'war machine' as Zelensky jets in

The UK will announce additional sanctions against Russia, as well as "expand training" of Ukraine Armed Force personnel to "marines and fighter jet pilots", Downing Street has announced. No 10 will look to cripple the "Kremlin's war machine" by targeting companies and individuals that helped Vladimir Putin "build his personal wealth machine" and continued to profit from the invasion, they said.

It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky has touched down in the UK for a secret visit, marking only the second time he is known to have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion last February.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/ukraine-live-uk-hammers-putin-with-sanctions-to-cripple-war-machine-as-zelensky-jets-in/ar-AA17ew7D?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=cc0242cddb0f4396b7bba489a847647a

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 06:34 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYIRwlubkfE

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 06:38 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrNY_lEg0bA

Skybird

02-08-23, 07:40 AM

UK hammers Putin with sanctions to cripple 'war machine' as Zelensky jets in

Will work as well as the previous ones: morla alibi-creation for the West, essential functionality: almost nill.

But the verbal thunder! The grim faces! Fists slammed on the table, metaphorically! The European Theatre Company on tour again.

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2851781&postcount=282

We damaged ourselves more than Putin so far. Some time ago India defended that they buy Russian cheap gas, saying that they will not stop selling this Russian gas to us - for three times the price. We still buy Russian gas via this "mediator" - and we pay three times as much. This superior cleverness to break the Russian economy is beyond my intelligence level. Most Western companies, the overwhelming majority still do business in Russia and refuse to stop it. You can still buy practically evertyhing in Russian metropoles. Just ever more of what until here has not worked, will not make it working.

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 09:05 AM

Putin 'supplied' MH17 missile - investigators

There are strong indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to supply the missile that downed flight MH17 in 2014, international investigators say.

The aircraft was hit by a Russian-made missile over Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people.

Prosecutors said there is evidence that Mr Putin decided to provide the missile to Moscow-backed separatists.

There is no suggestion that Mr Putin ordered the aircraft be shot down.

In November, a Dutch court found three men - two Russians and a Ukrainian - guilty of murder in absentia for their part in the downing of MH17.

The prosecutors said on Wednesday that they had exhausted all leads and could not continue with any more criminal proceedings.

The Boeing 777 was flying from the Dutch capital to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile in July 2014 during a conflict between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

Of the 298 passengers and crew, 196 were Dutch while many of the other passengers came from Malaysia, Australia, the UK, Belgium and other countries.

In a statement, the Joint Investigation Team said the court ruled that Moscow had "overall control" over the Donetsk People's Republic, which controlled the area in July 2014.

It cited recorded telephone conversations where Russian officials said that the decision to provide military support "rests with the President".

"There is concrete information that the separatists' request was presented to the president, and that this request was granted," it said.

But it adds that is not known whether the request "explicitly mentions" the system used to shoot down MH17.

"Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached," investigators said.

"Furthermore, the President enjoys immunity in his position as Head of State."

The Joint Investigation Team is made up of members from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine - the countries worst affected by the shooting down of MH17.

The team wanted to prove the identities of the missile's crew members, and who was in the chain of command, but admitted that was not possible for now.

Russia denies all involvement and dismissed last year's Dutch verdict as "scandalous" and politically motivated.

Piet Ploeg lost his brother, his brother's wife, and nephew on MH17. He said he was glad prosecutors had laid out their evidence for Mr Putin's involvement.

"We can't do a lot with it, Putin can't be prosecuted," he told Reuters. "We wanted to know who was ultimately responsible and that's clear."

In January, the European Court of Human Rights confirmed it would hear a separate Dutch case against Russia over the downing of MH17.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64566297

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 09:14 AM

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is addressing a joint session of the UK Parliament shortly after making a surprise trip to the UK
"Freedom will win - we know Russia will lose," he says.

He makes a plea for fighter jets from the West, presenting the helmet of one of his most successful pilots with a message reading: "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it"

He thanks Rishi Sunak for providing tanks but also singles out Boris Johnson, who was PM when the invasion began.

Hundreds of MPs and peers are packed into Westminster Hall to hear him speak - he received a long and rapturous applause as he arrived.

It is Zelensky's first visit to the UK since Russia invaded his country, and his second international trip since the war began.

Rishi Sunak told MPs earlier that his government wanted to see Ukraine achieve a "decisive military victory" this year.

It comes after it was announced that the UK would now begin to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines.

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 09:57 AM

Zelensky met with Sunak in London: he emphasized importance of obtaining necessary weapons. PHOTOS

As part of his visit to Great Britain, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the President's Office.

As noted, the head of state expressed his gratitude to the British people and personally to Rishi Sunak for the comprehensive support of Ukraine in countering Russian aggression. He emphasized that the United Kingdom is our reliable partner and friend, which has become one of the world leaders in helping the Ukrainian state.

"Thank you for the efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, for the humanitarian and financial aid provided after the start of full-scale aggression, for the support of Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes due to the Russian war," Zelensky said.

The President informed the Prime Minister of Great Britain about the situation at the front and the key needs of the Armed Forces in weapons and military equipment. He emphasized the importance of Ukraine receiving the necessary weapons from its allies in order to stop the Russian offensive and liberate all temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

During the meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky and Rishi Sunak discussed defense cooperation and the entire set of issues on the bilateral agenda: implementation of the peace formula, Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, future support from Great Britain, the possibility of involving the British side in the post-war reconstruction of our country, as well as a number of other promising projects.

"The issue of not allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was discussed separately," the message reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/p3398556

Russia will lose and victory over it will change world, - Zelensky during speech in Parliament of Great Britain

President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a speech in the Parliament of Great Britain, said that Russia will lose the war and this will change the world.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Euro Integration.

"We will always choose the mountain over the evil. This is the basis of our traditions and yours. But as soon as the old evil is defeated, a new one tries to raise its head...But we know: freedom will win, we know that Russia will lose," Zelensky said, and the hall began to applaud at these words.

He added that victory will change the world and these will be changes that the world needed for a long time.

"Britain is going with us to the biggest victory in our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of war. After the victory, any aggressor - big or small - will know what awaits him in the event of an attack on the international order," the president added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398564

Zelensky will be in Brussels tomorrow and will speak in European Parliament, - Jozvyak

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, will address the meeting of the European Parliament tomorrow, February 9. He will also hold a number of meetings with European leaders.

This was reported by Radio Liberty correspondent Richard Jozvyak, Censor.NET informs.

According to him, Zelensky will address the European Parliament in the morning, and then attend the EU summit.

"The President of Ukraine is to speak at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels tomorrow before noon in a short 1-hour session, then visit the EU summit after that," the journalist noted. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398541

Skybird

02-08-23, 02:50 PM

Exocet25fr

02-08-23, 02:56 PM

Of course about nord-stream, I'm not astonished....

Zelensky arrives in Paris in a half hour tonight for a meeting with Macron.

August

02-08-23, 02:58 PM

Rockstar

02-08-23, 03:08 PM

This is potentially explosive for trans-atlantic relations. Seymour Hersh writes that it were the US that blew up the Nordstream pipelines.

https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream

Hey those Brit’s are notorious for their spooks and covert ops too ya know. I’m sure they don’t mind letting the U.S. take the blame.:O:

Let’s not forget those Danes either.

Hell it could have been anyone that has new energy contracts to supply the E.U.

mapuc

02-08-23, 03:12 PM

It all about what you standpoint is...Either you believe all or most of it.
Or
You reject all or most of it.

I haven't taken any standpoint on this story I lack knowledge to do so.

I know Seymour Hersh He wrote an interesting book about KAL 007
Which I have read. I also have read a book about the Vietnam war.

Markus

mapuc

02-08-23, 03:14 PM

Hey those Brit’s are notorious for their spooks and covert ops too ya know. I’m sure they don’t mind letting the U.S. take the blame.:O:

Let’s not forget those Danes either.

If he could see the future- Lars Wilderäng then Russia will accuse Sweden for it and attack Sweden.

Markus

Catfish

02-08-23, 03:32 PM

If he could see the future- Lars Wilderäng then Russia will accuse Sweden for it and attack Sweden.
:har:

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 03:33 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it0YCo1z8WU

August

02-08-23, 03:37 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9xQf8LQgCU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj9HD8MdAFs

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 03:37 PM

Sunak instructed Ministry of Defense to determine which aircraft Britain can provide to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak instructed the Ministry of Defense to investigate which combat aircraft the country could potentially provide to Ukraine.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.

"The Prime Minister has instructed the Defense Secretary to investigate what jets we could provide, but to be clear, this is a long-term solution, not the short-term capabilities that Ukraine needs most now," a British government spokesman said.

He emphasized that the decision on the supply of British aircraft to Ukraine has not yet been made, but this issue is being "actively" considered by the head of the Ministry of Defense, Ben Wallace.

"We have not yet made a decision on whether we will send fighter jets to Great Britain. Obviously, there is a discussion among other countries about transferring their own fighter jets, some of which are more similar to what Ukrainian pilots are used to," the spokesman added.

According to him, Britain hopes to receive the first Ukrainian pilots in the spring for training, adding that "obviously, we want it to start as soon as possible."

"We think it's right to give Ukraine equipment in the short term, like Challenger tanks, additional guns, longer-range weapons that can help win the war now, but we're also looking at the medium term to ensure that Ukraine has all the capabilities that it needs." needs," said the spokesman of the British government. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398624

Zelenskyi and Sunak visit Ukrainian military training to drive Challenger 2 tanks. PHOTOS

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited a training ground where Ukrainian military are being taught to operate Challenger 2 tanks.

"The British military base Bovington Camp, where Ukrainian soldiers are trained. Saw how Ukrainian crews are trained on the British Challenger main battle tank and other armored vehicles.

Our military are in a hurry to acquire new skills as soon as possible in order to return home and use everything they have learned to liberate our territory," wrote Zelenskyi in Facebook.

The President of Ukraine awarded tankers, paratroopers and mechanics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree, and For Courage, III degree, as well as medals "For Military Service to Ukraine". Source: https://censor.net/en/p3398637

Catfish

02-08-23, 03:37 PM

This is potentially explosive for trans-atlantic relations. Seymour Hersh writes that it were the US that blew up the Nordstream pipelines. [...]
Oh i like it.
Both statements, that is :O:

Catfish

02-08-23, 03:41 PM

Very informative and long interview with Israels's former prime minister Naftali Bennett.
he speaks about Putin, how they met, what they talked about, what their "deal" was about Syriah, and what to think and expect of Putin.
All interesting but very long, the part about Ukraine begins at ~ 2:19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK9tLDeWBzs

One thing is true, if you want to speak tacheles with Russians you have to drink with them. They want to know the real man behind the words. Bennett probably failed at this ;)

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 03:43 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmYDkEMgNzk

Ostfriese

02-08-23, 03:43 PM

This is potentially explosive for trans-atlantic relations. Seymour Hersh writes that it were the US that blew up the Nordstream pipelines.

https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream

He cites a single, very dubious source. As long as he doesn't come up with substantial evidence this is nothing but a conspiracy theory.

Jimbuna

02-08-23, 03:45 PM

He cites a single, very dubious source. As long as he doesn't come up with substantial evidence this is nothing but a conspiracy theory.

Yep, most likely :yep:

mapuc

02-08-23, 03:51 PM

:har:

I'm not joking-In 2000 he wrote a book called Midvinter mörker-Midwinter darkness and the main story is the Russian attack on Sweden and the occupation of Gotland. In the start of the book Russia demands Sweden to send the terrorist who's behind the destruction of Nord Stream. Furthermore the Russian claim that these terrorist has their nest on Gotland.

The attack on Sweden, start with a massive sea and air exercise.

Markus

August

02-08-23, 03:56 PM

I bet his single source was a Russian GRU agent.

After all as a friend of mine put it:

"This story makes no sense. All of the purported advantages that the US stood to gain by blowing the pipeline up would have been achieved anyway.
The US and Norway were already making record LNG sales to Russia when this thing blew up.
Russia had already completely screwed up it's position in the European energy market by invading Ukraine.
Germany was already weaning itself from Russian energy at significant cost to it's economy.
The potential political fallout from making a move like this would have been spectacular - epoch forming, even so why the heck would you risk that for no foreseeable gain?"

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 06:38 AM

Russia blow after losing half its tanks as troops struggle to meet Putin's demands

Oryx, an open source intelligence website, revealed that Russia could have lost up to half of all its operational tank fleet since the beginning of the war on Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin, the website claims, is now short of up to 1,000 tanks.

They added that a further 544 Russian tanks have been tanks by Ukrainian forces, 79 have been damaged and 65 have been abandoned by Russian troops.

A military analyst writing for the website, Jakub Janovsky, said: "Russia started the war with around 3,000 operational tanks ... so there is a good chance that Russia has lost one half of (its) usable tanks."

Speaking to CNN in September, Janovsky said that Russia would find difficulties in replacing tanks,

He said: "Due to sanctions they might have to replace sensors and electronics with inferior alternatives - and the amount they can produce in the near term is a fraction of what they are losing. Those material losses ... are not sustainable."

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky on Thursday addressed the European Parliament as he seeks more military aid, saying Ukraine and the European Union are fighting together against Russia - in his words "the most anti-European force" in the world.

Zelensky received standing ovations before, during and after his speech to European lawmakers. He held up an EU flag after his address and the entire legislature stood in somber silence as the Ukrainian national anthem and then European anthem "Ode to Joy" were played.

"Europe will always be, and remain Europe as long as we are together and as long as we take care of our Europe, as we take care of the European way of life," he said.

Zelensky added that Russia wants to destroy the European way of life, but "we will not allow that."

Before Zelensky spoke, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said allies should consider "quickly, as a next step, providing long range systems" and fighter jets to Ukraine. Metsola said the response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine "must be proportional to the threat, and the threat is existential."

Zelensky's high-profile pursuit of more Western military aid came as evidence mounted that Russia's anticipated offensive around the anniversary of the invasion is starting to take shape.

The Kremlin's forces "have regained the initiative in Ukraine and have begun their next major offensive" in the eastern Luhansk region, most of which is occupied by Russia, the Institute for the Study of War, said in its latest assessment.

They added: "Russian forces are gradually beginning an offensive, but its success is not inherent or predetermined."

Zelensky will be using the dais of the European Parliament to make his point in a plenary session, hoping to match Wednesday's speech to Britain's legislature when he thanked the nation for its unrelenting support.

That same support has come from the EU. The bloc and its member states have already backed Kyiv with some 50 billion euros in aid, provided military hardware and imposed nine packages of sanctions on the Kremlin.

After the solemn words at parliament, Zelensky will move to the urn-shaped Europa building for a working session with the 27 leaders.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-blow-after-losing-half-its-tanks-as-troops-struggle-to-meet-putin-s-demands/ar-AA17hDLH?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=a19949a345494504bb26b89f437d58ca

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 06:43 AM

Russians fighting for Ukraine tell Putin's soldiers: 'All your enemies are in the Kremlin'

Defiant Russians fighting for Ukraine against Vladimir Putin's forces have vowed to fight tooth and nail to repel his invading hordes - and warned their countrymen: "All of your enemies are sitting in the Kremlin". The Free Russia Legion was formed in March 2022, with Ukrainian insiders suggested its founding members were Russian soldiers who defected shortly after Putin ordered his invasion on February 24 - almost 12 months ago.

Their manifesto describes them as "free citizens of Russia who take responsibility for themselves and are beginning to fight for a New Russia" - and for the last year they have been locked in a bloody battle with their own compatriots.

Many are based in Bakhmut, currently held by Ukrainian forces and the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the entire war.

Two of them, who go by the call signs of Tsezar (Caesar in English) and Tikhy (which translates as "quiet") told Radio Free Europe about their reasons for joining.

Tsezar said the situation had got more intense since Putin ordered his military mobilisation in September, as well as the move by mercenary army the Wagner Group to begin recruiting convicts from Russian jails.

He explained: "We can feel the difference since mobilisation.

"Now you can just shoot without aiming and you'll definitely hit someone. Earlier we had to search for targets to corner Russian groups. Now, there are a lot of them - in every hole."

He continued: "They have been able to advance a bit, but at the cost of enormous losses.

"I feel sorry for the poor guys. I would like to be able to tell them: 'You have no enemies in Ukraine. There are no enemies in Paris or New York.

"All of your enemies are sitting in the Kremlin."

The precise number of Free Russia Legion troops is a closely guarded secret - but estimates suggest there are roughly 4,000 of them.

"February 24 came as a shock. My children were looking at me with tears and asking: 'Papa, how can this be? How could Russia attack Ukraine?'

"I told them not to worry because Ukraine would win in the end."I couldn't just stand by. I tried to volunteer for the international legion, but they weren't taking Russians then. When Free Russia was formed, I applied, went through some background checks, and ended up here."

While Tzezar was confident Ukraine would ultimately prevail, with Volodymyr Zelensky using today's visit to London to try to persuade Rishi Sunak to supply him with fighter jets, he agreed victory would be hastened by Western weapons.

He explained: "You saw how 20 or 30 HIMARS units changed the course of the war.

"And the West has hundreds more. And thousands of tanks. I won't even mention aircraft.

"If Ukraine had even a tiny fraction of these weapons, Tikhy and I would be celebrating our victory somewhere on a beach in Crimea."

Tikhy hails from the city of Tolyatti on the Volga river.

The former construction worker said he was in Kyiv in February when it came under attack.

He explained: "At first, I simply couldn't believe it. Only after the third rocket flew by did I understand what was happening. I gathered up my family and we hid in the basement."

Explaining his reasons for signing up, he added: "I'm done with Russia. I don't even want to hear about it after what they did in the Kyiv region and elsewhere."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russians-fighting-for-ukraine-tell-putin-s-soldiers-all-your-enemies-are-in-the-kremlin/ar-AA17gjO6?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=3b0c72472a0c443eac8f9fd48a28cfa6

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 07:10 AM

Igor Mangushev: Russian who waved Ukrainian skull on stage dies days after being shot

ARussian ultranationalist who once held the skull of what he purported was a dead Ukrainian soldier has died in hospital after being shot in the head.

Igor Mangushev, 36, who also claimed to have invented the Z symbol used as a symbol of support for Russian forces, was shot in a close-range attack, doctors told his wife.

He died in hospital four days later at 6am on Wednesday.

His wife hit out at Russian authorities for failing to investigate the killing seen as a warning to one of Putin’s closest allies, head of Wagner private army Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In August Mangueshev achieved infamy after horrifying footage showed him taking to the stage of a metal concert holding the reported skull of a downed Azov fighter.

He told the cheering crowd: “We’re alive and this guy is already dead.

“Let him burn in hell. He wasn’t lucky. We’ll make a goblet out of his skull.”

Mangushev’s wife Tatiana Azarevich posted a video claiming he had been executed at close range miles away from the frontline.

She claimed that life-saving care was withheld and that the Russian authorities hadn’t adequately investigated the killing.

Doctors had told her “the shot was made at close range, at a 45 degree angle to the back of the head, from top to bottom”.

“I think we can safely describe this as a hit,” tweeted Mark Galeotti, a London-based political scientist and expert in Russian security affairs. “Was this about him or a proxy attack on Prigozhin? Obviously at this stage, impossible to say.”

In a thread analysing the situation, Galeotti concluded that “his could be a warning, or taking a pawn off the board, or a sign that Prigozhin’s more thuggish rivals feel he is weakened enough that they can move.”

Gruesome images appeared to show a bandaged and bloodied Mangushev lying in a hospital bed after they were shared on Telegram by a friend and colleague, Boris Rozhkin.

His reported death came as Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed to Buckingham Palace by King Charles on his visit to the UK.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/igor-mangushev-russian-who-waved-ukrainian-skull-on-stage-dies-days-after-being-shot/ar-AA17giLw?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=b80c6d0bd7d64cc6a13e070e5de5441f

Skybird

02-09-23, 07:24 AM

Russia blow after losing half its tanks as troops struggle to meet Putin's demands

Oryx, an open source intelligence website, revealed that Russia could have lost up to half of all its operational tank fleet since the beginning

(...)

move to the urn-shaped Europa building for a working session with the 27 leaders.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-blow-after-losing-half-its-tanks-as-troops-struggle-to-meet-putin-s-demands/ar-AA17hDLH?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=a19949a345494504bb26b89f437d58ca
https://img.aquamagazine.com/files/base/abmedia/all/image/2017/04/aqua.AQ417-Sherwood-saltshutterstock_590177648_feat.png?auto=format%2C compress&fit=max&q=70&w=1200
Here is your daily dose of good ol' NaCl.

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 07:42 AM

^ One can only live in hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOXaOd_h2hA

Skybird

02-09-23, 09:23 AM

Der Tagesspiegel:
---------------------------

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj sees the relationship with Germany in a "difficult phase" because of the debate on the delivery of battle tanks. "I have to force him to help Ukraine and constantly convince him that this aid is not for us, but for the Europeans," Selenskyj said in an interview with Der Spiegel and French newspaper Le Figaro (Thursday), referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

At the same time, Selenskyj thanked Germany for supplying the Iris-T air defense system. This, he said, had "saved a lot of lives." Ukraine's relationship with Germany is "undulating, it's up and down," he said.

Selenskyj also criticized European leaders, saying he had asked them "every day" for weapons and sanctions. "If everyone knew about Putin invading our country, why didn't they impose sanctions? It's absolutely ridiculous when you all publicly stand up for us and yet you're happy to circumvent sanctions or withhold weapons," he said.

On allies' support in the early days of Russia's attack on his country, Selensky said, "I'm not saying it went ideally." He said he would give an honest answer to the question of whether he was satisfied when the war was over.
-----------------------

However, he conveniently forgets to mention that he did not believe in a Russian attack himself despite increasingly urgent calls by Washington to take the threat and their warnings serious. He ordered the mobilization many days too late and not until the Russian attack was almost already sitting on his nose. That the Ukraine lost over 80% of its static air defences in the first 18 hours of the war, is attributed by some voices to this failure of him.

Skybird

02-09-23, 10:05 AM

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64579267

SpaceX has limited Ukraine's ability to use its satellite internet service for military purposes - after reports that Kyiv has used it to control drones.

Early in the war, Ukraine was given thousands of SpaceX Starlink dishes - which connect to satellites and help people stay connected to the internet.

But it is also said to have used the tech to target Russian positions - breaking policies set out by SpaceX.
------------------------

At the same time, Western media report that large quantities of Western computer chips are still found in destroyed Russian equipment of recent production dates, while German companies are considered to be one of the main players in undermining the sanctions - although not the only ones. Businesses in other countries also refuse to comply with the sanctions.
There were times when this would have been considered treason and punished accordingly.

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 11:19 AM

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited Brussels, after a tour of European capitals to push for more weapons to repel Russia's invasion.

Addressing the European Parliament to standing ovations, he told EU leaders that his country's fight is not just to defend Ukraine, but Europe's way of life.

Speaking to the media in Brussels Zelensky said the visit to London "achieved results" relating to the supply of long-range missiles and the training of pilots.

However the UK's defence secretary has told reporters there will be no immediate transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ben Wallace says it is “more realistic and more productive” to think about planes as a long-term aim.

Meanwhile, Dutch PM Mark Rutte has told the BBC the West has to make sure it is not risking "an Article 5 direct confrontation between Nato and Russia" over the delivery of jets.

Skybird

02-09-23, 12:35 PM

Comment by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on the shifting tides of assessing the war's going:
--------------------------------
The Nervous Fever Curve of the Ukraine War - Wish and Reality Mix in the Reporting

"Can Ukraine win the war?" the media ask, permanently changing their assessment. This is due to the dynamics of the fighting. But it's also due to the journalists and experts: they shape the perception of the war, and they help shape it.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, and former German Brigadier General Erich Vad ranked the situation on television. "Putin will win this war because the Russian armed forces are modern, well-equipped, because they have multiple superiority, because they have a strategic base against which it is impossible to defend," Vad told us. Militarily, he said, the issue is over. If Putin leaves western Ukraine alone, which he assumes he will, the war will last "a few days and no more."

The German ex-general Vad had gone very far out on a limb, and in retrospect his analysis turns out to be completely useless. At the time, however, it was not that unusual. A year ago, many experts assumed that Ukrainian soldiers would not stand the slightest chance against the Russian invaders. The media showed satellite images of a 64-kilometer-long Russian military convoy heading toward Kiev. The capture of the city seemed to be a matter of short time. However, the convoy never arrived. Instead, the newspapers were soon full of pictures of Russian military junk.

The army of the clueless

The Russian army, with its seemingly endless resources of men and materiel, had been overestimated, at least in the West. "Everything that is big in Russia is half stolen and half decoration. It has little to do with reality," Ukrainian author Andrei Kurkov commented on the Russian army. Military equipment proved outdated, as did command structures. The generals seemed to lead an army of the clueless. Many soldiers did not even know what they were doing in Ukraine. They were poorly instructed or not instructed at all, and combat morale was correspondingly low.

The injustice inflicted on the Ukrainians triggered collective feelings of solidarity in Europe and the heroic national defense of the Ukrainians triggered a media euphoria. Although millions of Ukrainians fled to the West, European admission policy has never since come under pressure to justify itself. Public interest remained high, which was not to be expected considering how passively the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 was still accepted. At that time, Ukraine seemed far away for the European public, it was a more or less unknown post-Soviet problem space - accordingly, the German government thoughtlessly deepened its energy policy ties with Moscow.

Early May: "Putin's Disaster

The roles in this war are - for the great public - clearly distributed from the very beginning: The aggressor is Russia. When the pictures of the corpses of Butscha became public, documenting a massacre of Ukrainian civilians, the public could only feel encouraged. Since then, only incorrigible Putinists - of whom there are not a few - have been ranting about how the Russians are defending their supposedly legitimate security interests against the West in this war.

At the beginning of May, "Der Spiegel" ran the headline: "Putin's disaster". His power has been overestimated, his army is much weaker than expected. Moreover, the sanctions were beginning to take effect. The American defense secretary and the NATO secretary general were convinced that Ukraine could win the war.

End of May: "Ukraine is losing

By the end of May, however, the situation seemed to darken again. The Russians captured the port city of Mariupol and brought it under their control. "Ukraine is about to lose the war," historian Herfried Münkler said in Die Welt. "It's going for Putin. From there, there is no incentive to engage in negotiations," said political scientist Carlo Masala.

In September, the situation seemed to change again. The Ukrainian advance in the Kharkiv region was judged by military experts to be "a strategic masterstroke that will keep military scholars busy for decades" (Phillips O'Brien, historian St. Andrews University) and "one of the best counteroffensives since World War II" (Ed Arnold, of the British think tank Rusi). Again, everything seemed possible for the Ukrainians.

The dream of the U.S. ex-General

Ben Hodges, a former U.S. three-star general, declared, "I am confident that before the end of the year, Ukrainian forces will push Russian forces back to their pre-war February borders." That was in October. In November, Ukraine made its last major recapture: Kherson. The American ex-general's dream proved as worthless as that of his German counterpart at the start of the war. A year after the start of the Russian invasion, the Russians occupied nearly twenty percent of Ukraine's territory. With a ruthless attrition of men, many of them former prisoners lured to the front with impunity, the Russians slowly advanced in Bachmut. In Wuhledar and Kreminna, Ukrainian troops are also coming under pressure.

"I fear that Ukraine may not be able to regain all of its territory in this war," Christoph Heusgen, head of the Munich Security Conference, tells "Stern." The "Welt" headlines: "Why it is almost impossible that Ukraine will still win".

An offensive is followed by a counteroffensive

Reporting on the war in Ukraine resembles a nervous fever curve. This is due to the nature of war, a more or less dynamic process. An offensive is followed by a counteroffensive, rearmament by counterrearmament. Allies, the home front, the weather, morale - various factors affect events; so does the willingness of the warring parties to escalate the situation.

Strategic actions often make themselves felt only after a delay. For example, Putin's partial mobilization in September was still an immediately inconsequential announcement that made little impression on the media in the face of the storming Ukrainians. Now it seems to be having its first effect: While Russia started the invasion with 150,000 soldiers, according to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, more than 300,000 soldiers are now deployed and up to 200,000 are in reserve. Western military aid to Ukraine pledged in February - infantry fighting vehicles, battle tanks and long-range artillery ammunition - is again not expected to make itself felt until spring.

Experts know they know nothing

But the nervousness of the reporting is not only due to the unpredictability of the war's course, but also to the media themselves. They shape perceptions of the war, and to some extent they help shape it. Depending on their attitude toward arming Ukraine with ammunition, tanks and fighter jets, they motivate their governments to help or to be passive.

The war experts who have their say in the media are in some respects reminiscent of the virologists who accompanied us through the Corona pandemic during two years. The expertise is often there, but that does not mean that these experts deliver precise and accurate situation analyses. Some of them interpret the situation too temperamentally, like to stage themselves with steep theses, have their personal sympathies for the Russians or Ukrainians, exaggerate individual immediate events; and they are guided by wishful scenarios. The latter undoubtedly also applies to the media: they see what they want to see, and thus sometimes create caricatures of warring parties and distortions of war situations. The Ukrainians suddenly seem invincible, the Russians like an army of tin soldiers. People wish for Ukraine's victory and therefore seem to think it likely.

So is expert knowledge completely worthless? No, as long as the experts know that they know almost nothing - and certainly not in war.

At the end of January, the Germans decided to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. "Der Spiegel" ran the headline, "Can Ukraine win now?" Ultimately, the reporting has been circling around this question for a year. The very fact that the question is constantly asked is evidence of the hopes associated with it, and also of the doubts. Otherwise, it would not have to be updated again and again.

Doubts about diplomacy

The German Otto Brenner Foundation examined media coverage of the Ukraine war in German leading media (including "Süddeutsche Zeitung," "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," and "Bild") in the period between February 24 and May 31. Unsurprisingly, it was found that Putin and Russia were almost without exception negatively evaluated in contrast to Selenski and Ukraine. The German chancellor had positive coverage immediately after his turn-of-the-century speech. However, given his reluctance to provide weapons to Ukraine and to visit Selensky in Kiev, coverage cooled again.

In 93 percent of the reports, Russia appears to be solely responsible for the war. Only in four percent of the reports is the West seen as partly responsible, in 2 percent Ukraine is held responsible. Military support for Ukraine is portrayed positively in 74 percent, and the supply of weapons is still seen as mostly worthy of support in 66 percent. Diplomatic negotiations, on the other hand, were seen as worthwhile in less than half of the contributions.

In light of the war against Ukraine, which is against international law, the results are not surprising, but they clearly show where the leading media stand and in which direction they try to push governments: priority is given to arms deliveries, diplomacy is secondary. In this way, the media not only directly affect politics, but also indirectly by shaping broader public opinion.

The war in real time

Perhaps the fluctuating assessments of the situation are also surprising because the public can follow developments in this war in real time, so to speak. The media try to depict the reality of the war with interactive maps. Satellite images, expert reports, analyses and sources on Twitter, Telegram and Youtube all flow into the evaluation. One seems to be closer than ever before. It is all the more disappointing that so much remains in the dark. For example, the exact number of victims. The Russians keep the numbers to themselves in order to conceal the desolate war campaign. The Ukrainians keep them to themselves to keep up the morale of their battered population. In total, the death toll is probably already in the hundreds of thousands.

We know a lot about this war. But there is also a lot we do not know. And it is certain that in the case of Ukraine, too, some certainties will vanish into thin air. Who would have thought that the Taliban fighters would drive the nuclear power America out of Afghanistan and rule in Kabul ever since? In 2014, the G-7 announced, "There is no future for Asad in Syria." Was it the formulation of a wish or a condition? Bashar al-Asad remains president of Syria, propped up by Russia and Iran. The German foreign minister said in Kiev in May 2022 that Germany would reduce its dependence on Russian energy to zero - "and forever." Let's wait and see. In any case, this apodictic announcement seemed somewhat strange for the foreign minister of a country to which the community of nations has once again reached out its hand after the rupture of civilization.

At present, it seems that Western military aid is not sufficient for the Ukrainians to reclaim their territory, including Crimea, which is the Ukrainians' declared goal. Russia's wartime objective remains obscure. Pressure to begin negotiations is likely to increase this year. But this is only a snapshot. And as the evolution of the war shows, it may be meaningless in the very next moment.
--------------------------------

Skybird

02-09-23, 12:37 PM

There is one established correlation, I think, between the chances of the Ukraine, and the ammount of weapons the West delivers, and over what time. Hardly anyone can seriously put this link in doubt.

The Ukraine lives and fights on the drip of such deliveries. If it does not get sufficient stuff, it cannot continue the fight. If it does not get sufficiently more than just "sufficient", it cannot win the war. If it neither can win nor continue the war, it looses - the war, and then much more.

Either we do and send what is needed, or we don't. Both these two options are reliable indicators for who wins and who looses this war.

Actually, its not as complex as the auth of the NZZ opinion piece suggests. Actually its indeed quite simple. And with how we do things right now, with these ammounts of weapons only, and these endlessly delayed time tables, these many limitations to weapon's ranges, I cannot see how the Ukriane can win this war. Or even survive it. At the time of writing this, three quarters of its critical infrastructures have been bombed into oblivion already. And I commented already on the demographic dimension.

We must finally be honest about what we want and how far we are willing to go. If we claim that we are doing everything that is necessary, while we are not doing exactly that, then we are only showing that we will never do what would ensure the victory of Ukraine, because such an act and support would inevitably be seen by Putin as a provocation and as crossing the red line. If what we are doing now were decisive for war - the Russians would have gone to the extreme long time ago. The fact that they are not doing it shows that our attitude and actions are not decisive for them. We anger them, biut we do not decisovely hurt them. Same with our sanctions.

Washington talks about "boiling the frog." The USA is not so much interested in Ukraine, but in causing the greatest possible damage to the Russians, so that they will not be able to terrorize again for years and decades to come. This would be legitimate, if the costs, which arise from it, the blood toll, also would be paid by the Americans. But it will not be, it is the Ukrainians who have to bleed for America's cooking arts. Just ask yourself why in Kherson 30,000 Russian soldiers, who were encircled and had no possibility to retreat and were in chaos and were broken, did not end up in captivity or graves, but one night, after a American visited Moscow, in spite of the circumstances, more or less orderly, over three almost completely destroyed bridges, began and completed their retreat, without the Ukrainians firing on them. Think about it. The answer is obvious. Such a catastrophic defeat might have shortened the war, so continuing to boil the frog would not have been possible. So Washington stopped it. Not at the expense of American lives - but at the expense of Ukrainians. The American help is massive, but not if comparing it to the sheer scale of the confpict and disputed frontline and sioze of terriories - then it simply is by far not enough. Its never sufficient to bring about a decision. First missiles with 70 km, now soon missiles with 150 km. Why not 300 km? The Ukrtaine woudl not need a small handful of SAM batteries, but by factors more of these. The USA has three hundred of HIMARS systems, but delivers only 30 - why? Instead of the demanded 300 MBTs not even 100 will be sent in the end, I predict for this year. Instead of 600-700 IFVs only 40 Bradleys and 40 Marder. Instead of 500 artillery pieces, only a fraction of that. Why? The material is there, there are more Bradleys in Europe than there are European infantry fighting vehicles in Europe.

The war should not end this soon. The frog should not jump out of the pot yet. That's why the cooking water's heat is increased very slowly only, so that the friog does not realise it. But this is not American cooking water that is being cooked with. It's Ukrainian blood.

"America first." It was so with Obama, it was so with Trump, and it is so with Biden. It's about time that Europe finally learns that. Biden never was as harmless as Republican critics or European hopefuls depict him. We have seen this toughness already in his no-matter-what cutting of Afghanistan.

States have no friends. States have interests. - deGaulle

The state is the coldest of all cold monsters. - Nietzsche

mapuc

02-09-23, 12:54 PM

If Russia would be lucky and take the entire country Ukraine-The Ukrainian army will change strategic and start guerilla warfare against the occupier.

As someone said on a YT clip-Today we fight them at the front, behind the front and on their soil.

This is if we stop sending weapons and other military stuff or our effort to support Ukraine isn't sufficient enough.

As someone said here-The time is on the Russian side.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 01:13 PM

Ukraine is Europe, and your future is in EU, - President of European Parliament Metsola

The future of the Ukrainian people lies in the European Union.

This was stated by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, Censor.NET reports.

"I am proud to say that this house of European democracy, its members, our European Union, has always stood with you. We understand that you fight not only for your values, but also for ours, for those ideas that make us all Europeans. Therefore that Ukraine is Europe, and the future of your people is in the European Union," she emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398752

Italian Prime Minister Meloni called Zelensky’s invitation to France "inappropriate"

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to Paris "inappropriate."

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to The Telegraph."I think our strength is community and unity ... but there are times when the bias of internal public opinion risks harming the cause, and I think this is one of those cases," she said.

Earlier, the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that Meloni will meet with Zelensky in Brussels on the sidelines of the meeting of the leaders of the European Union.

It will be recalled that on February 8, after a visit to Great Britain, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris, where he met with French leader Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398767

mapuc

02-09-23, 01:22 PM

A friend and former politician in the Danish Parliament wrote following on his wall.

President Zelensky of Ukraine in London - not Brussels!
Zelensky's first visit was to the US. On his second trip abroad since the war began, he is visiting Britain.
My sources in the country (think-tank kolleager) tell me that the EU bureaucrats in Brussels have boasted that the Ukrainian president would of course choose the EU or an EU country after his visit to the US.
Instead, President Zelensky chose Britain, Rishi Sunak and King Charles III.
The British must be proud. With good reason. As President Zelensky said when he landed: "Britain was one of the first countries to come to Ukraine's aid. And today I am in London to personally thank the British people for their support and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his leadership."
President Zelensky's visit proves that Britain may have left the EU, but they remain the most important country in Europe.
Germany is to no avail. And France is selfish.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Markus

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 01:38 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot0Y2EAmrxk

Jimbuna

02-09-23, 01:48 PM

Currently, more than 300 thousand Russian invaders are fighting on territory of Ukraine, - intelligence

The Russian army deployed on the territory of Ukraine consists of more than 300,000 occupiers. The mobilized Russians are a danger, despite their poor training.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, announced this on the air of the national telethon, Censor.NET reports with reference to Liga.

According to him, mobilization continues in Russia, contrary to the statement of the Kremlin's propaganda about its termination, since the decree on conscription has not been canceled.

Yusov noted that more than 300,000 invaders are currently on the territory of Ukraine, some of them are undergoing training and education, and there are more.

According to intelligence, the best-prepared units of the Russian army have already been destroyed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but even poorly prepared troops of the occupiers pose a serious danger.

"The bodies of the mobilized will be strewn on Ukrainian land, and the defense forces will destroy them," he summarized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398790

Ukraine’s intelligence intercepted plans of Russian Federation to seize power in Moldova, - Zelensky

Ukrainian intelligence intercepted the Kremlin’s plans to take control of Moldova, and President Zelensky immediately passed all the information to his colleague, President Maia Sandu.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Euro Integration.

"Recently, I spoke with the President of Moldova, Mrs. Sandu, and informed her about what our intelligence managed to intercept: a detailed Russian plan to destroy the political situation in Moldova. A Russian document that shows who, when and as a result of which actions are going to break Moldova, the democratic order of this country and establish control over it," the head of state said at the EU summit in Brussels.

He noted that he did not hesitate for a single moment to warn Moldova about these threats in order to protect it.

"We don't know if Moscow was ordered to act according to this plan against Moldova. But we saw what they were going to do. We recognized in this exactly what they were already trying to do against Ukraine, against other states, in particular in Europe. Nothing new," the president said.

According to Zelensky, the Russian regime has only one desire - to destroy the freedom of Europe. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398795

Dargo

02-09-23, 03:34 PM

A New Russian offensive in Ukraine appears to have begun: 'They are pushing on all fronts'

Fighting in eastern Ukraine is intensifying. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, reported today that the long-awaited Russian offensive has begun and the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk is also talking about a full-scale attack. The offensive has secretly already begun, a week or two ago. The Russians are pushing on all fronts, but the real heavy fighting is yet to come. There are all sorts of signs that the fighting is intensifying and that the Russians are scaling up, the intensification indicating that "something is afoot".

What the Russians are doing on the northern front still looks most like an offensive. In the province of Lugansk, the Russian army has taken over the initiative; there the Ukrainians were on the attack, now the Russians. But the Ukrainians manage to prevent the Russians from making territorial gains. Probably, the Russian offensive there is not yet fully up to speed. The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhi Hajdaj is also talking about a large-scale offensive. He said on Ukrainian television today that Russian troops are trying to break through defenses near the town of Kreminna.

Russian troops are trying to make their way westward through snow and forests towards Ukrainian positions, Hajdaj said. "There is constant firing. We see attacks almost every day now. Small groups of Russians trying to advance with the support of armored fighting vehicles and tanks." According to the governor, they have so far failed to break through the Ukrainian defenses. The Russians are doing two things, they are fatiguing the Ukrainians and at the same time looking for the weak spots in the defenses.

When the Russians can force a breakthrough, it is hard to predict the chances of that happening are greatest if the town of Bakhmut falls. After a possible fall, Russian troops will be freed up and can then be deployed in other places. The Ukrainians are turning Bakhmut into a kind of Mariupol. They have also maintained that for months. It has a lot of symbolic meaning for the Russians. There are two main reasons why the Russians are stepping up the pressure now, towards a main offensive. President Putin has given a message to the commander of the Russian army that the entire Donbas must be in Russian hands by March at the latest. Furthermore, now "the frost is still in the ground" so tanks can be driven. When spring starts, they will run aground. Nevertheless, tanks are not deployed for major attacks now.

Supreme Commander Gerasimov still has a lot of work to do. Up to the administrative border of Bugansk province is only a strip. There, the Russians are furthest advanced. But of Donetsk province, a fairly large area remains to be taken. The Russians are not capable of much more than this on the southern front near Zaporizhzhia perhaps two more diversions, but no more. An attack from all directions on Ukraine, as on 24 February 2022, is no longer in the cards. The Russians' preliminary main target is now the two towns of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, in Donetsk province. That would be a big loss for the Ukrainians, according to analysts. They assume that a Russian offensive will eventually "culminate" in a Ukrainian offensive, if the advancing Russians reach the end of their forces, "as they did in August". How long the battlefield may undulate back and forth in this way, the analysts do not dare to predict.

Catfish

02-09-23, 04:17 PM

Skybird

02-09-23, 04:29 PM

Air photography shows that the Russians are active in all their tank depots with mothballed tanks to reactivate as many vehicles there as they can, not a single mothball-depot is being spared. Quantity beats quality, these tanks are old and need refurbishing of any kind, some more, some less, but the process will produce a constant outpour of reactivated old tanks moving to Ukraine. And the number of mothballed tanks they have was counted to be some say 10500, others say close to 12 thousand. Even if only a fraction can be reactivated and the others must be cannibalised, this still means: thousands of tanks. 3 tanks for 1 active tank? That makes 2500 to 3000 new tanks.

A third mobilization wave is assumed by observers since weeks to be secretly running already.

Russia is reported ot have fired 7 million artillery shells so far. From a stockpiled reserve of 18 million such shells before the war. Newly produced ammunition for artillery is not being counted, but what is known is that they produce these ammunitions with their industrial maximum capacity possible.

Everything that happened in Brussles with Zelensky at the EU, in my book ranks in the category of cheap "Wortgedöhns". Note that the EU promised nothing substantial at all, just cheap candy-sweet words. Aplenty, sicne words are so cheap to have, everybody can afford to throw them with both hands left and right, and it will cost him nothing.

Western fighters? Makes only sense if these come embedded within the full context inside which they are operated in NATO: AWAYS, digital networking, maintenance capacity, full interconnection with supporting industry on the ground and in the Ukraine. Without these supportive factors, they are worth just half of their combat value, and sooner or later will be picked apart by Russian counter efforts (let nobody be so foolish to now underestimate Russian air defences). Waste of Western money, that means. Better send more air defences. MANY MORE air defences, and ASAP. Also, ammunition of all sorts, namely artillery and tank ammunition. AT weapons also will help, obviously. And missiles. LONG RANGE missiles.

August

02-09-23, 04:43 PM

I read (though this may be wrong) Russia has now 300,000 "mobiks" fighting in
Putin's 3-days "special operation to take Kyyiv", going into the second year now. Masterminds at the helm.

But i agree that the western help is not aimed in really helping Ukaine, it is about slowly boiling the frog; no one really cares about Ukraine and the people.
There is either a strong signal needed punching Putin directly: meaning putting all in including boots on the ground, or spare this useless "fight" with Ukrainians dying and their country being destroyed for decades.

If the US do not want them to win, they should say it.
Olaf Scholz will happily chime in, while the rest of Germany and the world will go on doing business with anyone as long as there's money in it.
Disgusting.

That's bull Catfish. They are trying to avoid turning it into a nuclear war. I'm willing to risk it by putting NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine because I think Russia is a nuclear paper tiger like the rest of their military, but I can certainly understand the administrations trepidation at triggering one.

Have you any idea what it means to "spare this useless "fight"" as you put it? It means that Ukraine will get treatment that is very similar to what your country got from the Soviets at the end of WW2. Are you really willing to sit by and watch it happen? Willing to ignore their increasingly desperate pleas for guns, ammunition, anything to defend their homes as they are overrun by that cruel wave of evil?

nikimcbee

02-09-23, 04:50 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot0Y2EAmrxk

You could donate the Buna collection?

mapuc

02-09-23, 05:39 PM

tonschk

02-09-23, 06:04 PM

Terrorist Psychopat zelensky regime is About to be ANNIHILATED,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKQK2eIodvQ

Terrorist Psychopat zelensky regime is About to be ANNIHILATED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnut-E_eEM0

Rockstar

02-09-23, 09:55 PM

Jimbuna

02-10-23, 05:43 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 135,740 people (+730 per day), 3,258 tanks, 2,251 artillery systems, 6,471 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 10, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers are approximately 135,740 people.

This was reported in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Censor.NET informs.

The total combat losses of the enemy from 02.24.22 to 02.10.23 are approximately:

personnel - about 135,740 (+730) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3258 (+3) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6471 (+3) units,
artillery systems - 2251 (+7) units,
MLRS - 463 (+0) units,
air defense equipment - 233 (+1) units,
aircraft - 295 (+0) units,
helicopters - 286 (+1) units,
Operational-tactical UAV - 1970 (+3),
cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
warships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5126 (+5) units,
special equipment - 211 (+0). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3398921

Jimbuna

02-10-23, 05:47 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqY-ADhEl10

Skybird

02-10-23, 07:04 AM

Scott Ritter? Putin is slowly and surely destroying what’s left of the Russian Federation, even before his ‘three day’ operation Russia’s population was already in severe decline, from pollution, low birth rates, birth defects, drug abuse, and now Putins sends 100’s of thousands more to an early death. And for what?

Go back a couple of days when I linked to a text on the war demographics. Most soldiers dying are ethnic minorities that are not "Russian", and of these minorities most are Islamic. Recruiting them and sending them into the meat grinder allows the Kremlin to shoot two birds with one shot, since the ethnic Russians' birth rate is below 0.8, and that of these minorities between around 3.5 and 5.3, something in that range. The Islamisation in parts of Russia ais seen as a problem since long time in Moscow. The unwanted Islamic minorities get thinned out a bit, their young males that are the trouble makers (Gunnar Heinsohn, youthbulge theory). The native Russians in the big metropoles get saved, the draw does not catch them as much as those living in the rural abandoned places that nobody has ever heard of.
~70% of the population in Russia is native Russian, declining, ~30% are ~130 ethnic minorities, a relative majority of these are Islamic, and their birth rates explode. A little bloodshed amongst the latter is very welcomed, from a Russian perspective. States are the coldest of all cold monsters. Stalinism in action again.

The longterm demographic perspectives over the next decades are not relevant in this war.

Skybird

02-10-23, 08:37 AM

A subjective opinion piece by German blogger Roger Letsch, trying to make sense of the Hersh article on the Nordstream detionation:
--------------------------
Northstream: Explosives in every respect

Did the U.S. Army blow up the Northstream pipelines with the help of Norway? Seymour Hersh, veteran journalistic investigator, makes this thesis in a detailed account. The case is making waves. A preliminary assessment.

Seymor Hersh's story, available to everyone on the "Substack" platform, has been making waves since yesterday and prompted the US government to issue a prompt denial. White House spokeswoman Adrienne Watson let it be known: "This is false and completely made up."

The quick reaction to a blog entry is surely due in part to the fact that Seymour Hersh is not just anyone in the United States. Seymour Hersh established his reputation as an investigative reporter with his Pulitzer Prize-winning expose of the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. He has won five George Polk Awards, two National Magazine Awards for Public Interest, and the National Book Critics Circle Award in the U.S. for his numerous political expose stories. "The story you're going to read today is the truth I worked on for three months," Hersh says. To which it must be added: Hersh, too, was sometimes off the mark in his stories.

According to his account, which is ultimately based only on an unnamed source, the Biden administration's plan to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines dates back to 2021. The command center chosen to attack the pipelines, he said, was the U.S. Navy's Diving and Salvage Center in Panama City, Florida. "Last June, Navy divers operated under the guise of a NATO midsummer exercise known as BALTOPS 22," he writes. The attached explosive charges were detonated three months later, he said. This would also be consistent with Joe Biden's announcement at a press conference on Olaf Scholz's visit to the U.S.: "If Russia invades... there will be no more Nord Stream 2."

Perplexity among German media

Hersh's article proves first of all, and this is a good thing, that the so-called mainstream media are no longer able to select or inhibit the dissemination of information. Right now and as I write, neither ZEIT, nor BILD, Spiegel or SZ are reporting. Even the taz, to which any "good" news about the "bad" Americans comes as a surprise, is apparently at a loss.

But the debate has long since arisen. The WELT takes up the matter. The Tagesschau writes: "Hersh's version raises many questions." The FAZ focuses on the denial: "USA rejects accusations about Nord Stream leak". Bayerischer Rundfunk "clarifies" that the U.S. "did not blow up Nord Stream pipelines." Deutschlandfunk chooses the "shooting the messenger" method and places Hersh in the vicinity of conspiracy theorists. On t-online, the counter-argument is that Russian propaganda channel Russia Today was one of the first media outlets to pick up the story, which is not necessarily a viable argument.

Of course, we don't know if Hersh is ultimately on the right track, but he is more likely not a Relotius [Skybird: Relotius was a liar working as a reporter for Der Spiegel who invented stories and made up facts that were no facts, but inventions]. On the other hand, of course, the evidence Hersh cites is one of those things, since he produces no documents, his eyewitnesses remain unnamed, and no one has yet jumped out of the bushes in exasperation to shout "Arrest me, I did it!"

You can read for yourself what Hersh wrote at the link above. So here's just a brief summary: Victoria Nuland, Anthony Blinken and Jake Sullivan - all high-ranking government officials in the Biden administration - had recruited the personnel for the action with the help of the CIA at a Navy diving school in Panama City, FL, who were prepared for the action with the help of Norwegian specialists in Norway, according to his story.

However, he said, they didn't want to put a special forces unit in charge of the operation because it would have required congressional authorization, which, of course, would have made secrecy even more difficult. Under cover of the NATO maneuver BALTROPS22, the explosive charges were set in June 2022, which, at Biden's request, were not to be detonated immediately a few days later, but at a later time and by remote detonation.

According to Hersh's account, it was the Norwegians who dropped the sonar buoy that ultimately gave the signal to start the timed detonators. In both Sweden and Denmark, Hersh says, high-ranking military/intelligence officials were briefed at least to the point where they could break the chains of communication if the two littoral states somehow got wind of the actions.

One can wonder what our Olaf Scholz knew

One can think that all this is humbug. Maybe for Russian propaganda or a perfidious plan of the Republicans, although their senator Ted Cruz was not exactly unhappy about the end of the pipeline either. One can wonder what, in case it's true, our Olaf Scholz knew, if he cares to remember, or Habeck, who is currently begging for gas in the US. And one should definitely ask oneself whether, in view of our foreign policy of recent years, which has been characterized by arrogance and self-denial, anyone cares at all about what our interests might be.

And, of course, one must lament the fact that it was ultimately the damnable energy transition that allowed us to build the pipeline in the first place, against the opposition of all our allies and neighbors. One can also wonder - if one follows the circumstantial evidence in Hersh's article - who is really running the United States, Joe Biden or his apparatus. And you can ask yourself whether Donald Trump was really the worst thing imaginable to look at us from there.

But one can and must also ask why the Swedish investigating authorities are still so taciturn after four months and why we still do not have a comparably fluent and eloquent explanation that would make other authors of the blast plausible.

On the other hand, one is on quite safe ground with the prognosis: If there is a blackout or a gas cut-off in Germany because of the home-made energy transition ideology, the blame has so far been assigned to Vladimir Putin. That was very convenient. From now on, the Americans are to blame. That's even more practical.
------------------------------

Exocet25fr

02-10-23, 10:35 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IM9MtFJyhE

tonschk

02-10-23, 11:26 AM

You have no idea how much Utterly Completely Entirely and Fully I HATE the NATO Terrorists NATO Psychopats

August

02-10-23, 11:34 AM

You have no idea how much Utterly Completely Entirely and Fully I HATE the NATO Terrorists NATO Psychopats

So?

les green01

02-10-23, 11:35 AM

You have no idea how much Utterly Completely Entirely Fully I HATE the NATO Terrorists NATO Psychopats

ah you going make us cry but then what you want us to do bake you a cake,clap our hands and say congrads

mapuc

02-10-23, 11:51 AM

Was about to post a reply-Then I came to remember what Catfish wrote some weeks ago.

Do not feed the trolls.

Markus

August

02-10-23, 11:57 AM

Was about to post a reply-Then I came to remember what Catfish wrote some weeks ago.

Do not feed the trolls.

Markus

Yeah but it's ok to heap scorn upon them.

Rockstar

02-10-23, 01:12 PM

You have no idea how much Utterly Completely Entirely and Fully I HATE the NATO Terrorists NATO Psychopats

Then I’ll ask again, why? Hell, even Roger Waters said the Russian invasion was wrong and illegal. Though he did go on to call for a cease fire and for peace negotiations begin immediately. But if you listen to Russian media that’s not exactly what they have in mind as asshats like Sergei Mardan declare on Russian airwaves, "There's only one peace formula for Ukraine. The liquidation of Ukraine as a state!"

Btw you also stated earlier you will do everything possible to support Putin. Well here you go buddy, Prigozhin doesn’t have anymore convicts to chose from and just recently publicly stated he is now looking for foreign volunteers to fill the Wagner ranks. Go get’em tiger , show us what ya got!

Rockstar

02-10-23, 01:27 PM

Was about to post a reply-Then I came to remember what Catfish wrote some weeks ago.

Do not feed the trolls.

Markus

That’s the cowards way out :D. Just teasing.

Catfish

02-10-23, 02:05 PM

You have no idea how much Utterly Completely Entirely and Fully I HATE the NATO Terrorists NATO Psychopats

Hellfire is getting closer.

August

02-10-23, 02:56 PM

What I don't get is why he thinks anyone here cares what he thinks. Does anyone believe that his rage is real? I mean, if so with that extreme degree of hatred maybe he is planning some terrorist act against a NATO base or something and we should report him.

Jimbuna

02-10-23, 03:28 PM

Ukraine is working with US Congress on recognition of Russia as a terrorist state - Markarova

Ukrainian side is working with U.S. administration and Congress to define Russia’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism or a terrorist state, which would reflect its real nature and strengthen its isolation.

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Ambassador of Ukraine to Washington Oksana Markarova, informs Censor.NЕТ.

"We are actively discussing this. We are asking our partners, colleagues, and friends to do everything possible, and we are trying to convince them and give examples of why this should be done," the diplomat said.

As she clarified, there are two parts to the status of a state sponsor of terrorism.

"Part number one is to directly name the country for what it is. And here, of course, we also understand that Russia is not a sponsor of terrorism, it is a true terrorist. And the second is what sanctions and restrictions go along with this name," Markarova explained.

She noted that it is not a matter of principle whether Russia will be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism, a terrorist, or an aggressor: "We are actively working with the Congress on different wording options, as well as with the administration."

In addition, according to her, Ukraine is moving towards bringing Russia to justice, including in terms of establishing a tribunal for the crime of aggression.

"We are working on all the tasks we are facing. Our goal is complete isolation and full sanctioning of Russia until they not only stop this war and get out of Ukraine, but also until they are held accountable for what they are doing," the ambassador said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399133

Jimbuna

02-10-23, 03:30 PM

Slovakia starts negotiations on MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine, - PM Heger

At a summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially asked Slovakia with a request for MiG-29 fighter jets. Slovakia will now begin negotiations with European Commission to reimburse this military aid.

This was stated to journalists by Prime Minister Eduard Heger, informs Censor.NЕТ referring to UNIAN.

According to him, substantive negotiations are ahead on how the transfer of the planes can take place. The talks will be held jointly with Ukraine, the European Commission, and the responsible Slovakian agencies, which will determine the legal procedure.

Heger noted that these fighters have not been in use for a long time, Slovakia has no spare parts for them, and their repair was previously carried out by Russian specialists.

"Ukraine is not attacking anyone, it is defending itself. Slovakia wants to help and will continue to help Ukraine as long as I am prime minister," Heger said.

Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď, in turn, added that Ukraine desperately needs these aircraft.

"We can no longer use these machines, so let's deploy them where they can save lives. And we will still return some of the money. But the decision has not yet been made," the minister said.

Nad' also said that the Slovak government is considering the possibility of transferring heavy ground equipment to Ukraine.

It should be reminded that the Slovak authorities announced their intention to transfer Soviet MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine last year. However, the matter has not progressed beyond words. In August 2022, these aircraft were finally removed from combat duty and once again declared their desire to transfer them to Ukraine. In return, Slovakia wants to receive money from the European Union or military equipment from NATO. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399135

Skybird

02-10-23, 04:25 PM

This is Colonel Reisner again. Just a few seconds he needs in his reply to hit the nail on the head.

Activate subtitles and activate autotranslate English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIfI2TX7ZzA

And this is a "short", it seems translating is not possible. One minute of truths about America that the Europeans do not want to hear. At no cost want to hear.

https://youtu.be/9OlEolpMNas

Catfish

02-10-23, 04:27 PM

What I don't get is why he thinks anyone here cares what he thinks. Does anyone believe that his rage is real?
I do not really care, should not have answered the bait.
Maybe real, maybe a troll. Who cares. If this entity is a real fan it will soon meet its fate in Ukraine. Cursed regardless.
I mean, if so with that extreme degree of hatred maybe he is planning some terrorist act against a NATO base or something and we should report him.
I guess he's in Russia at the moment. You can easily get misinformed there. If he still lives in a decade he will probbably think different.

Catfish

02-10-23, 05:00 PM

This is Colonel Reisner again. Just a few seconds he needs in his reply to hit the nail on the head. [...]]
Yes he does since his early analyses.
Posted the whole video a few days ago, glad there are english subtitles now.
(Still no english subtitles?)

Could not say it better.

Catfish

02-10-23, 05:16 PM

How 2022 Wiped Out a Decade of Progress in Russian Science

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/02/08/how-2022-wiped-out-a-decade-of-progress-in-russian-science-a80167

Catfish

02-10-23, 05:21 PM

Catfish

02-10-23, 05:37 PM

https://i.imgur.com/kbfAqYFl.jpg

Reece

02-10-23, 05:47 PM

:har::har:

Skybird

02-10-23, 05:48 PM

August

02-10-23, 06:01 PM

I guess he's in Russia at the moment. You can easily get misinformed there. If he still lives in a decade he will probbably think different.

His profile says he is in London.

Reece

02-10-23, 06:10 PM

. . . and I say he is insane!! :yep:

Jimbuna

02-11-23, 04:11 AM

UK-Norway gas pipelines face threat as Russia vows 'punishment' for Nord Stream leaks

Britain's critical energy supplies could be under threat, as Russia has threatened retaliation against the West over the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline leaks. Last year, a number of leaks were discovered in both Nord Stream 1 and 2, both of which could transport massive quantities of natural gas from Russia to Germany through undersea pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Experts believe that the leaks were most likely sabotage, with the US and Russia both blaming each other for the act. Now, Kremlin, officials have said that the world should "know the truth" about the sabotage.

They noted that those who were found responsible for the leaks should be "punished" after an investigative journalist accused US Navy divers of blowing up the pipelines with explosives.

In a blog post, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh cited an unidentified source, which was dismissed by the White House as "utterly false and complete fiction".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Mr Hersh's post, saying the story deserved more attention.

He told reporters: "The world must find out the truth about who carried out this act of sabotage. This is a very dangerous precedent: if someone did it once, they can do it again anywhere in the world."

The Russian mouthpiece called for "an open international investigation of this unprecedented attack on international critical infrastructure", adding: "It is impossible to leave this without uncovering those responsible and punishing them."

Russia has repeatedly accused the West of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, as last October, Moscow's Ministry of Defence accused Royal Navy personnel of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, an assertion that London said was false.

Following this accusation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia is considering what "further steps" should be taken, raising fears that the UK's energy could now be at risk.

Given these threats, experts fear that Russia could use "retaliate" by targeting Western undersea pipelines and cables, which could be devastating for the UK's energy security, the country relies on exports from Norway for 60 percent of its gas.

Senior military and intelligence sources previously warned that Putin could try to sabotage the Langeled pipeline, which provides one-fifth of the country's gas demand.

A NATO source said: "Sabotage is the next step if they want to escalate by attacking Britain's critical energy infrastructure because we are so fragile. And it's no coincidence that Britain has been one of Ukraine's biggest backers."

Another NATO official who works directly on threats to critical infrastructure warned that the 725-mile-long Langeled pipeline is an "obvious target" for the Russians because of the vital role Norway has played in helping Europe wean itself off Russian gas.

Attacking European energy pipelines and cables would not be out of character for the Kremlin, as over the past year, Putin has manipulated gas flows into the EU as retaliation to Western sanctions.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Simon Cran-McGreehin noted that if Putin were to target the UK's energy infrastructure, this could cause enough disruption to force the Government to trigger Programme Yarrow.

Programme Yarrow, which is a blueprint for how the UK could deal with a week-long national power outage. As fears of energy supply grew this winter, the Government had been war-gaming such a scenario.

He said: "Yes. If our supplies from Norway and the continent were disrupted in some way, then it would have a significant impact on our gas supplies.

"We also import significant amounts from LNG ships, they come directly to ports. But nevertheless, if any of our energy infrastructures were to be compromised, then absolutely we'd see the sort of major interruption that the Government is planning for now."

He added that while he doesn't know whether Russian sabotage would be factored into the UK's plans, "I think that the Government will be very concerned about the rumours and suggestions that Russia has been allegedly interfering with energy infrastructure."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/uk-norway-gas-pipelines-face-threat-as-russia-vows-punishment-for-nord-stream-leaks/ar-AA17mqkY?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=5d048e5c1d224380848a4827eda2831e

Catfish

02-11-23, 07:18 AM

Interesting, about voluntary service in the Ukraine forces, how to do it, some political bias like "why does Fox news support Russia" (obviusly the same as with the extreme right and left in Germany)
Whatever, this was good to see for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqchqmit-ZU

Catfish

02-11-23, 07:38 AM

New "Vuhledar massacre" film
Translated video with the comments of the Ukrainian military during the battle

https://twitter.com/Boba12340769066/status/1623852008930267136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1623852008930267136%7Ctwgr% 5E3eca73fc6859747c7cc51b6e6b2dd6d43eded7f2%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwi tter.min.html1623852008930267136

Skybird

02-11-23, 08:11 AM

Despite Hersh's claims, it is not clear to us, the public, who blew up Nordstream. Back then I said the US has a clear motive, in fact a whole set of motives, but that I would expect them to not doing it due to the high polticla cost to them if that coup would ever be revealed. The Russian motive is clear, too, so is the interest of Ukraine and Poland to see that pipeline go.

I still think dominantly that it was Russia. But I cannot and never have ruled out the US either.

Anyway, if Russia blows up Nordstream which it has build itself, then this is one thing. If they blow up a pipeline between Norway and the UK, this is a direct attack against two NATO states infrasttructure. Its as if NATO blows up an oilfield or a big powerplant in Russia.

Not only an open declaration of war. But also a reason why then we must enter the war.

We must get ready.

----------------

The "Zeitenwende" for the Germna Budneswehr more and more becomes a running joke (and I told you so last spring, that it is not meant serious and that it would not be meant serious at all). 13-15 billion of the special budget already have been eaten up - for interest payments, more buying power of that budget gets killed for nothing, just due to inflation and the money not beign spent. They have ordered some F-35s now, okay, fine - but that is all so far. No ammo. No replacements for what has been given to the Ukraine. Nothing.

Instead there a bitter inside-party fight amongst the Green and the SPD parties to not stick to the proclaimed 2% of GDP goal that Babble Olaf announced, in fact the regular defence budget is SHRINKING again this year. :doh: Baerbock wants at all cost get the command over a new security policy gremium to be created in Germany (comparable to the American security council advising the president) so that she can enforce at the Greens' will that development aid is counted as defence spendings and that defence moneys get channelled to development aid funds. By doing so the Greens want to increase (unconditional) development aid and being allowed to claim at the same time that they boost the defence budget by doing so.

A raise of German military potency is not really wanted.

The special budget already is so short again that they already have started to CUT ideas and plans for what to do with themoney. Plans and ideas with a financial volume of 13-15 billion, to be precise. Replacing the 14+5 Leopards going to Ukraine will cost around 200 million. Nobody knows where the money should come from. It will take many, many years until repalcmeent is there. The tank batallion "spenign" these tnaks, has 34 tanks. 10 ate in Lithuania, 14 go to Uktraine, 5 are kept in reserve for Ukraione. Of the rest (5!), almost all tanks are non-operational.What that means even for training, you can figure out yourself. 5 tanks, mostly non-operational.

I want to tatoo Bonhoeffer's letter about the nature of human stupidity on the forehead of every green idiot I come across so that he must read it whenever he looks into a mirror.

Dargo

02-11-23, 08:45 AM

The Russian losses are not that interesting, we know the Russian way of waging this war now.
The Ukrainian losses and especially their ammo situation is what would be interesting to know. Because to influence both these in Russian favour is why the Russians do what they are doing.

Zelensky's advisor is reported to have begged Western allies desperately for sending ammo, saying that "we are practically blank".The Russian losses are not that interesting, yet the incapability to archive its military goals are key for the Russians that define its failure to win this war. For Ukraine, it is to learn combined arms warfare best compared to an orchestra only when the different parts of an orchestra work together and coordinate everything, you get the best sound. But this mode of warfare requires endless practice, units have to get used to each other, they have to adapt to each other. Every day that the Russian troop build-up progresses, the urgency of US training becomes even more apparent. Apart from the high-tech tanks, from the Leopard and Challenger to the Abrams, the Ukrainian army also gets other heavy armored equipment: 109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored cars. These US vehicles allow infantrymen to quickly advance to the front and join the attack with the tanks.

Tanks are not blissful, tanks alone are not going to make the difference in the coming months, you cannot go into battle with tanks alone. Infantry and tanks always act together in some mix. The success of the Ukrainian army will depend on whether it can properly implement this joint action. You have to fight the Russians in an integrated way. They struggle with that because they have a different way of waging war. The big question is whether the Ukrainians still have enough time to master the Western method of fighting. If the Russians strike in spring, as is expected, only a few thousand soldiers will have been trained in Grafenwöhr. Nor will all the tanks already be on the battlefield. The West must then hope that the available numbers are sufficient. And that the Ukrainians are as inventive as they were last year.

Dargo

02-11-23, 08:59 AM

Skybird

02-11-23, 09:03 AM

Article 5 has holes like a Swiss cheese. I was not about that, but I was about something far more fundamental.

tonschk

02-11-23, 09:32 AM

Harnwell: “Western leaders want to be extricated from Ukraine without visibly abandoning Zelensky” :yeah::up::salute:

https://rumble.com/v2913i6-ben-harnwell-reports.html

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302112001510309.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302112001510309.png)

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302111952390301.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302111952390301.png)

Dargo

02-11-23, 09:46 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uEZXUcmnZo

https://youtu.be/cXDNIKiYgXg?t=159

What the hell do they think they are doing there?

"Russia's in the wrong century actually, just take a look at the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church. As a matter of fact it's hard to see what they're fighting or even dying for, maybe that's why they're mostly told what they're fighting against.

Because what the hell is Russia the last bastion of? Hypocritical religious orthodoxy combined with oligarchic despotism, corruption and general backwardness? Sure, give me such a noble cause to sacrifice myself for, please!"Ukraine gives Russia know historical for this kind of defense a dose of its own medicine. :D Ukraine should not be tempted, once all Western tanks are on the ground and confidence has grown as a result, to be the first to launch an offensive. Then they have to break through the Russian positions, they have been trying that for three months now at Kreminna in the Luhansk region, and it is going very slowly. The Ukrainians should try to get the Russians out of their positions if that happens, they can deploy the tanks and Bradley's to take out the Russian units. The Russian defenses will be weakened by then because they have consumed a lot of ammunition, soldiers and equipment. In the event of a counterattack, the Ukrainian army can then try, while their artillery and air force bombard the Russians' positions, to break through the Russian positions at some point. After the breakthrough, the pursuit should continue for as long as possible. The tanks in front, if it is open terrain, followed by the infantry. This interplay, this orchestra, determines who will win or lose.

Russian failure in Vuhledar shows poor training of the newly mobilized. According to the Institute for the Study of War, recent footage shows that Russian forces fighting near Vuhledar engage in "highly dysfunctional tactics," indicative of the soldiers' poor training. Now let's get to grinding our meat doctrine will show same failure as now let's start our artillery steamroller doctrine Ukraine will be able to absorb the Russian attacks.

Dargo

02-11-23, 09:55 AM

Harnwell: “Western leaders want to be extricated from Ukraine without visibly abandoning Zelensky” :yeah::up::salute:

[SNIP]

History provides us with no shortage of clowns and buffoons who were in politics. Clowns, while they sometimes use humor strategically, are buoyed by the fact that their clown persona is the draw. Their very existence thumbs a nose at the status quo. The clown is “one of us” against the people who keep us down. And as Napoleon said, “In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.” In fact, it is precisely the absurdity of the clown prince that sets him (they have thus far all been men) apart. Jokes can be deadly serious, and even today’s clown princes have a point to make. But clowns best serve us while on the outside looking in. Once in office, these clown princes cease to be funny. They have also been failures at governing. When the court jester becomes the king, when buffoons are taken seriously, when clowns rule, is the end far behind? Of course, we’ve weathered worse storms before. At least with this one, we may die laughing.

Dargo

02-11-23, 10:23 AM

To all the trolls, this is the best: Head of Russia's Wagner terrorist group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said it could take 2 years for Russia to fully control Ukraine's eastern Donetsk & Luhansk regions. And yet, Putin says his "special operation" is going according to plan. :D
https://i.postimg.cc/gkr61ppk/Yevgeny-Prigozhin.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/tTXskQDb/Putin1.jpg

Skybird

02-11-23, 12:13 PM

The Russian losses are not that interesting, yet the incapability to archive its military goals are key for the Russians that define its failure to win this war. For Ukraine, it is to learn combined arms warfare best compared to an orchestra only when the different parts of an orchestra work together and coordinate everything, you get the best sound. But this mode of warfare requires endless practice, units have to get used to each other, they have to adapt to each other. Every day that the Russian troop build-up progresses, the urgency of US training becomes even more apparent. Apart from the high-tech tanks, from the Leopard and Challenger to the Abrams, the Ukrainian army also gets other heavy armored equipment: 109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 90 Stryker armored cars. These US vehicles allow infantrymen to quickly advance to the front and join the attack with the tanks.

Tanks are not blissful, tanks alone are not going to make the difference in the coming months, you cannot go into battle with tanks alone. Infantry and tanks always act together in some mix. The success of the Ukrainian army will depend on whether it can properly implement this joint action. You have to fight the Russians in an integrated way. They struggle with that because they have a different way of waging war. The big question is whether the Ukrainians still have enough time to master the Western method of fighting. If the Russians strike in spring, as is expected, only a few thousand soldiers will have been trained in Grafenwöhr. Nor will all the tanks already be on the battlefield. The West must then hope that the available numbers are sufficient. And that the Ukrainians are as inventive as they were last year.

Their chief of staff was assigned just short of the war, in the yera before, and he has pushed that the arm ylearns right these things. To a adegree that evens urporised Wetsenr excoerts the Ukrainians alrerady were caoabvle to integrate their own operaitons ninto the standards of NATO operaitons. They have much lesser problems to learn these "new" things than you maybe assume. I wepould even think that regarding intgerate darms and manouver warfare they are the best experienced experts in the world currently. Nobody else in trhwe world has waged such high interest ybattles - and not nonyl survived, though under heavy losse,s but even won them. Not even the Israeli of the past few decades. Not the Americans.

What they need is - MATERIAL: They run threateningly low on it, and now. And integrated arms with mechnaized formations means: IFV's PLUS TANKS. They get too few of them, in too small portions, and too late. They hoped to get 150 MBT, they needed 300, they probably will not evcen get 100, and most of these just later on. When those arirve, the Loepards probabaly will already have suffered first casualties.

Too little. Too late. Their top commander says he needs 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs, 500+ artillery to move the forces from positional warfare back to mobile warfare and into an offensive. He will get - over the coming 12+ months! - 100 MBTs, 150 IFVs or so, 50-100 artillery.

The Russians are plundering their mothballed tank reserves. In the sam etime they will throw toegther formt hese 11000-12000 mothbvalled tnaks a number of 2000+ tanks. In artillery they are dominant in numbers anyway. They have no air superiority, but they command it and they have area denial capability. And their economy is in war production mode. They work around. They find solutions to economic hinderances.

Tehcnolgy can comeonsate for infeiror number sonly to a certain degree, a certain ratio. Beyond this treshhold number, the bigger numbers decide the war.

Time is against Ukraine. Western public is getting tired, more and more obviously it is tried to force Ukrainians to "negotiate". Biden has send his enovy to Putin and Zelensky, asking for negotiations, both said No, of course, and that was when Biden then agreed to the Germans' alibi demand to send Abarams tanks. around the end of the year or even in 2024. And that sudden change was what caught Scholz on the wrong foot, he went to the summit expetcing the Americans would not move and he could continue to refuse sendign tanks. Biden'S decision for him was a desaster, not a sign of his strategic superiority which he claims for himself. Washington has completekly outmanouvered him. Over here in Germany he sells it as his success, all media parrot that and most bvelieve it. People are idiots.

Note that even Washington gives ukraine not what it needs, onyl enough to keep the war running. Too little to win, too much to die. That is intentional. Boiling the frog. In the end, Washingotn ahs no interest in Ukraine, only in maximising damages and negatuve coinsequences for Russia. Washington is about Russia, not about Ukraine. Europeans seem to not get this. It favours American interests, not European interests. And both interests are really not the same. Is that a surprise? No, it is not.

States have no friends. States have interests.

Skybird

02-11-23, 12:23 PM

NZZ: Moscow, Red Plaza

https://img.nzz.ch/2023/01/14/f6caec2d-72f2-4c3e-88ef-1c565a6b230d.jpeg?width=1211&height=899&fit=crop&quality=75&auto=webp

Catfish

02-11-23, 01:17 PM

To all the trolls, this is the best: Head of Russia's Wagner terrorist group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said it could take 2 years for Russia to fully control Ukraine's eastern Donetsk & Luhansk regions. [...]

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1624090188849741824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1624090188849741824%7Ctwgr% 5E38e6d10cdbc9990a11eef9a07b0b8f5d22f163b0%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwi tter.min.html1624090188849741824

Dargo

02-11-23, 01:46 PM

Their chief of staff was assigned just short of the war, in the yera before, and he has pushed that the arm ylearns right these things. To a adegree that evens urporised Wetsenr excoerts the Ukrainians alrerady were caoabvle to integrate their own operaitons ninto the standards of NATO operaitons. They have much lesser problems to learn these "new" things than you maybe assume. I wepould even think that regarding intgerate darms and manouver warfare they are the best experienced experts in the world currently. Nobody else in trhwe world has waged such high interest ybattles - and not nonyl survived, though under heavy losse,s but even won them. Not even the Israeli of the past few decades. Not the Americans.

What they need is - MATERIAL: They run threateningly low on it, and now. And integrated arms with mechnaized formations means: IFV's PLUS TANKS. They get too few of them, in too small portions, and too late. They hoped to get 150 MBT, they needed 300, they probably will not evcen get 100, and most of these just later on. When those arirve, the Loepards probabaly will already have suffered first casualties.

Too little. Too late. Their top commander says he needs 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs, 500+ artillery to move the forces from positional warfare back to mobile warfare and into an offensive. He will get - over the coming 12+ months! - 100 MBTs, 150 IFVs or so, 50-100 artillery.

The Russians are plundering their mothballed tank reserves. In the sam etime they will throw toegther formt hese 11000-12000 mothbvalled tnaks a number of 2000+ tanks. In artillery they are dominant in numbers anyway. They have no air superiority, but they command it and they have area denial capability. And their economy is in war production mode. They work around. They find solutions to economic hinderances.

Tehcnolgy can comeonsate for infeiror number sonly to a certain degree, a certain ratio. Beyond this treshhold number, the bigger numbers decide the war.

Time is against Ukraine. Western public is getting tired, more and more obviously it is tried to force Ukrainians to "negotiate". Biden has send his enovy to Putin and Zelensky, asking for negotiations, both said No, of course, and that was when Biden then agreed to the Germans' alibi demand to send Abarams tanks. around the end of the year or even in 2024. And that sudden change was what caught Scholz on the wrong foot, he went to the summit expetcing the Americans would not move and he could continue to refuse sendign tanks. Biden'S decision for him was a desaster, not a sign of his strategic superiority which he claims for himself. Washington has completekly outmanouvered him. Over here in Germany he sells it as his success, all media parrot that and most bvelieve it. People are idiots.

Note that even Washington gives ukraine not what it needs, onyl enough to keep the war running. Too little to win, too much to die. That is intentional. Boiling the frog. In the end, Washingotn ahs no interest in Ukraine, only in maximising damages and negatuve coinsequences for Russia. Washington is about Russia, not about Ukraine. Europeans seem to not get this. It favours American interests, not European interests. And both interests are really not the same. Is that a surprise? No, it is not.

States have no friends. States have interests. More happening In the UK, Ukrainian recruits are being hastily trained, including for urban combat. Some 20,000 infantrymen are to be prepared for war this year as part of Operation Interflex, notably also by Dutch marines. Last year there were about 10,000. Another important training takes place in Germany, at the US Army's vast training and firing range near the Bavarian town of Grafenwöhr. Every month, some 500 Ukrainian soldiers are trained here by the US to soon go on a joint and coordinated attack with new Western weapons.

On this training, it will partly depend on whether Ukraine can stop the major Russian offensive and mount a successful counterattack. For Kiev may be happy that it now gets state-of-the-art Western tanks, but without the help of combat soldiers and their armored vehicles (infantry), decent firepower (artillery) and preferably airborne support, the Russian positions cannot be stormed. 'Together' is therefore the magic word at Grafenwöhr.

"We hope we can get this done soon," America's top military chief of staff Mark Milley said last month about converting enough Ukrainian military personnel into soldiers to fight together. "Even before the first rains of spring hit. That would be ideal." The rapid maneuvers preached by the Americans at Grafenwöhr, in which the enemy is completely surprised and overpowered, has been the strategy of the US military and European allies such as the Netherlands for decades. The US put this combined arms warfare into practice during the two Gulf wars against the Iraqi army. Ukrainian soldiers were trained by US and NATO instructors from 2014 until the invasion began. Thereafter, they knew how to put that Western training to good use; for example, they proved remarkably inventive and decisive in fighting the Russians last year. Lower-level commanders made grateful use of the space they were given to make decisions independently. This is unthinkable in the Russian army, which is highly hierarchical.

The Russians are already having big problems with this "offensive" it is going according to the plan even Wagner knows now the Russian army are backstabbers and will not help them in times of need this will biggly boost the Russian moral in the coming months when weather will change into wet season, so their advance will be even worse than it already is who is this genius who though to start an offensive month before bad weather.