Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

USA is developing plan in case Russia uses nuclear weapons, - Brink

The US administration is discussing a response plan to radical actions by the Russian Federation, such as the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

This was reported by the US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink in an interview with Ukrainian Truth, Censor.NET informs.

"President Biden has made it clear that any use of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable and would have serious consequences... We are working on this in the US as well, and we are discussing with our partners how we might respond to those actions that would be absolutely unacceptable. And the president made that very clear," said Brink.

The USA also agrees that the situation around the ZNPP is dangerous. The country's leadership supports Ukraine in the need to create a demilitarized zone and return the station to its full control. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3368096

[Jimbuna]

[August]

Very interesting take on the situation by a friend of mine:

Russia is the biggest loser here, followed by Ukraine. This is a foreign policy catastrophe on China's part - they banked on a grand alliance that could pressure the US on multiple fronts, and what they got was a united West and a US that can militarily focus exclusively on China. EU comes out ahead in security, but they'll foot most of the bill both in the cost of rebuilding and repaying Ukraine's debts, and in paying higher prices for US LNG exports to replace Russian energy.

US spent some chump change and sent some old weapons, and is going to reap far outsized strategic gains. The Russian military is shattered with no US deaths. We're going to be selling LNG, which we produce basically for free, to most of Russia's former market. The Russian arms industry will be crippled by sanctions, and they'd be an unreliable partner selling gear that's been shown to underperform even if that wasn't the case. US arms manufacturers are going to find lots of new markets (think India, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc). Russia's influence in the Middle East will wane, Iran will be weakened without a major partner, and the US backed Israel/Saudi alliance against Iran will be strengthened. China backed a loser, and showed their hand as an aspiring threat to the west. The EU won't need any more arm twisting to shy away from Huawei and to consider China a serious military threat. And as I mentioned before, they now get to face an undistracted US military in the Pacific.

This is the largest strategic win for the US since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Hard to argue with all this but I am sure someone here will!

[Jimbuna]

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by August

Very interesting take on the situation by a friend of mine:





Hard to argue with all this but I am sure someone here will!

I don’t think there was a Chinese foreign policy catastrophe. I think China is content to watch Russia weaken or die off, as it would open many opportunities to exploit nearby resources, reclaim lands taken by Russia in the late 1800’s, and offer a huge amount of leverage to set terms with what’s left of Russia in East Asia.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Rockstar]

Another source of opposition information.

https://theins.ru/en

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by August

Very interesting take on the situation by a friend of mine: [some good content]
Hard to argue with all this but I am sure someone here will!

I won't, in this case i agree

[August]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

I don’t think there was a Chinese foreign policy catastrophe. I think China is content to watch Russia weaken or die off, as it would open many opportunities to exploit nearby resources, reclaim lands taken by Russia in the late 1800’s, and offer a huge amount of leverage to set terms with what’s left of Russia in East Asia.

Maybe catastrophe is too strong but definitely a negative outcome (so far) I'd say.

[mapuc]

It has been a lot of talk about Russia may use WMD in the war.

They can do so-Only response from us will be tuffer sanctions and embargo.
Despite Bidens Threat

Markus

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by mapuc

It has been a lot of talk about Russia may use WMD in the war.

They can do so-Only response from us will be tuffer sanctions and embargo.
Despite Bidens Threat

Markus

Article 5.

An attack on a NATO member is an attack on all of NATO.

Can you call "Fallout" a WMD?

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

Article 5.

An attack on a NATO member is an attack on all of NATO.

Can you call "Fallout" a WMD?

I wouldn't put all my money on this Article 5.

member state is to assist by taking "such action as [the member state] deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

Deems necessary- Key words.

More on this Article 5

It permits each NATO member to decide for itself what action should be taken to address an armed attack on a NATO ally. It does not require any member to respond with military force, although it permits such responses as a matter of international law. A member may decide that instead of responding with force, it will send military equipment to NATO allies or impose sanctions on the aggressor.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-wo...ions-explained

Fallout is also a kind of WMD.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Slovenia Is Giving Ukraine Some Very Old Tanks. But Age Can Be Deceiving.

Slovenia has announced it’s sending to Ukraine some very old tanks. As in, 70 years old, if you’re simply dating the original design.

But age might be deceiving in this case. The soon-to-be-ex-Slovenian tanks aren’t half-bad—especially compared to some of the museum pieces the Kremlin has sent to its own forces in Ukraine.

The tank is the M-55S. It’s a 1950s-vintage Soviet T-55 with upgrades. Lots of upgrades. Slovenian prime minister Robert Golob in a telephone conversation with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday hammered out a deal whereby Germany would give Slovenia 40 military transport vehicles—and Slovenia in turn would supply 28 M-55Ss to Ukraine.

The M-55S is not the Slovenian army’s main tank. That would be the much newer M-84. The M-55Ss are in reserve.

On paper, a T-55—any T-55—is a hopelessly obsolete tank. While still popular in the developing world, the T-55 long ago disappeared from front-line units in reasonably modern armies.

But it’s a cheap and reliable platform. And a solid foundation for ambitious upgrades—few more ambitious than the M-55S. In the late 1990s, the Slovenian army paid Israeli firm Elbit and STO RAVNE in Slovenia to modify 30 T-55s. The companies delivered the last example in 1999.

The M-55S has a stabilized, British-made L7 105-millimeter main gun in place of the original Soviet 100-millimeter gun. The British gun is compatible with a wide range of modern ammunition, including armor-piercing sabot rounds that can penetrate the armor of a modern-ish T-72.

To point the gun, Elbit installed a new fire-control computer that allows the M-55S to shoot while moving. A T-55 normally stops before firing.

A T-55 has four crew—a commander, gunner, loader and driver. Only the gunner can aim the gun. The M-55S adds an independent sight for the commander so they can aim the gun, too.

For protection, the M-55S adds a laser-warning system that alerts the crew and deploys smoke grenades when an anti-tank missile is incoming. The Slovenian tank also has a new armor mix—explosive reactive blocks on top of passive armor.

Finally, a new engine with 600 horsepower, giving the 36-ton tank roughly the same mobility as a T-72. All that is to say, the M-55S isn’t really a T-55. It’s the bones of a T-55 with a new brain, new muscles and new skin.

And it should be a match for many of the Russian tanks in Ukraine—especially older T-72s as well as the T-62s the Kremlin pulled out of storage this summer to try to make good some of its losses.

Twenty-eight M-55Ss are enough for one battalion. It’s unclear when the ex-Slovenian tanks might arrive in Ukraine, and how quickly Ukrainian crews can train on their new-old tanks.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/news...129bad866ed648

[Jimbuna]

Putin warned military coup 'most likely' to overthrow twisted regime

A military coup is the most likely way that Vladimir Putin's regime would be overthrown an analyst of Russian politics has said.

Vladimir Juškin said that there are only two possible ways things in Russia could change, but Russian generals are more likely to overthrow Putin than a popular uprising.

Mr Juškin said that Russian generals are already voicing their displeasure at being made scapegoats for Russia's military failures.

However, he added that the current administration's idea of the Russkiy Mir (Russian world) that it uses to justify its imperial ambitions could remain for decades.

He said: "As long as Putin and his closest allies live, it will not be going anywhere. It is the only idea that ties them all together. Because the disappearance of the Russkiy Mir and the imperial consciousness would mean an end to those people and the regime. That is why it is not going anywhere. It could try and hide, change its appearance, but it is the only thing propping up the imperial sentiment."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...b44022ec89370a