Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Dargo

According to Russian propaganda “interviews”, 53 Ukrainian POWs were killed by Zelenskyy’s order. This Russian propagandist campaign is aimed to discredit the Ukrainian authorities in the eyes of Western partners and to suspend deliveries of heavy weapons.

and...

Backfired, there is already talk on more deliveries.

Today's HIMARS o'clock is dedicated to fallen soldiers of Azovstal. Ukraine has reportedly destroyed a number of Russian ammunition supply bases this evening in occupied southern Ukraine. As the Russian army's logistical position continues to worsen, the Kremlin escalates its campaign of war crimes against prisoners of war and civilian targets. Something just went BOOM in Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Not on this scale. Nobody mentioned before that Ruassia could bite back. Also nobody predicted the coutnerintuitive currency and exchange effects. And they based their rpedictipons of gas securit yon that Putin would nto cut gas, for "that would damage Russia".



Maybe you expected this, and certainly I expected to Russia not sit sitll and just take the beating. But official politics did not told these results in advance, and I think for most they indeed came as an enwelcomed surprise.Thats is the contiunation of a long establiushed pöattern: that is to expoect that Russia balks, but not bites, that Putin means not seriopsu what he says, and that one could trump Russia with ones own superior morla posture to which it then will comply.



Now Germany is subject of a brutla reality chekc. And it fails completely. In all regards. As a commentor yesterday wrote somewhere: The authority to set guidelines for German political action does not lie in the chancellor's office (and certainly not there, since the chancellor is not even the head of his own party, and the other two are dancing on his nose), but in Moscow. The post of German chancellor is still vacant. Baerbocks many visits produced no reuslts, she stands there with empty hands. Habeck'S record is mixed, some claims he made were simply wrong, and some advances he claimed simply are lies.



Two lead figures of the Greens, the vice presient of the parliament and the ministress for something, in the recent 36 hours have categorically ruled out again an extension of nuclear power, not to mention reactivating the other three.



I hope that the Europeans simply refuse to deliver any gas aide to Germany as long as these six nuclear powerplants are not running in Germany again. We still use gas for producing eletricla popwer. In a record quantity this May. Record quantity!



"Lights off", "cold showers", "tempo limit". Populistic BS. Nothing of this nonsense is relevant for a solution of this crisis. Nothing. Pure populism and mass propaganda. The Nazis had their torchlight marches and processions, the SED had its flags and mass marches, and the scum today has these things now to activate the masses and switch off its brains. "Every kW-hour counts, says" Habecks and looks sadly into the camera like a pissed poodle. Populistic Idiot. And that we should switch off the ready-mode of the TV set, that has 1.5 Watts over here. Yeah, I do it, see how important I am, how much I do for the climate!



They run around like chickens that have had their heads cut off, clucking and wagging their wings before they make the exit.

Then it is only Germany I see no other country reacting like Germany.

[mapuc]

When science take a political standpoint

https://www.iflscience.com/hackers-m...-message-62799

They put it under technology... I still see it as ifl-science has taken a political standpoint.

This is how I see it.

Markus

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Then it is only Germany I see no other country reacting like Germany.

I am a native German. Nevertheless, there are reasons why I despise my "compatriots" so much and get upset about them. Living in Germany, I live as a stranger in a strange world. I am inevitably very isolated, there is hardly anything that still connects me with the thinking of the Germans.

Beautiful landscapes. Terribly beautiful and terribly terrible history and culture. Terribly narrow-minded people. If I had moved away, I would miss the land and nature, and much so. But not the people and society, not one bit.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Russian army made crossing instead of damaged Antoniv bridge, - British intelligence

This is stated in the intelligence report of Great Britain, Censor.NET informs.

"In the Kherson area, Russian forces likely installed two pontoon bridges and a ferry system to compensate for the fact that nearby bridges were damaged by recent strikes," the report said.

Scouts also report that Ukraine successfully repelled small-scale Russian attacks from the long-established front line in the Donetsk region.

It is also noted that in the occupied territories of southern Ukraine, the occupation administration is under pressure from Moscow to strengthen its control over the region and prepare for a "referendum" on joining Russia at the end of this year.

Currently, Russia classifies the captured territories as those under temporary "military-civilian administration." The local government forces the population to disclose personal data for the compilation of voter lists.

[mapuc]

What would be the most likely outcome when Europe goes into blackout due to lack of Gas and Oil ?

1. The west drop Ukraine-Meaning lifting all sanction and embargoes on Russia?

2. To shorten the war-put boots on the ground ?

These question came into my mind when I read Skybirds article about France in our crazy economy news thread.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Well I'd discount no 1 immediately and especially the dropping of sanctions bit.

[Jimbuna]

Pentagon buys NASAMS air defense system for Ukraine

The Pentagon is currently in the process of purchasing Norwegian NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems for Ukraine.

This was stated by a representative of the Pentagon, Censor.NET reports with reference to TSN.

According to him, the process of procurement of air defense systems is currently underway.

"I do not have detailed information about the specifics of the contract conclusion process, but we are already in the process of purchasing the system," he said.

The representative of the Pentagon clarified that the USA took up the issue of purchasing NASAMS complexes for Ukraine after the announcement of the Security Promotion Initiative.

As a reminder, Ukraine will receive two batteries of NASAMS air defense systems. It is about batteries, and not two systems, as previously reported by the media. It is not yet possible to name the exact number of anti-aircraft missile systems that Ukraine will receive.

[Jimbuna]

Russian energy giant Gazprom says it has suspended gas supplies to Latvia - the latest EU country to experience such action amid tensions over Ukraine.

Gazprom accused Latvia of violating conditions of purchase but gave no details of that alleged violation.

Latvia relies on neighbouring Russia for natural gas imports, but gas forms only 26% of its energy consumption.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62359890

[Jimbuna]

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Boris Kagarlitsky knows he is a rusky and I talk with several people in Russia, they feel the pain of the sanctions. Russian economy has a couple of months to collapse, we in the west can go on for decades as shown in the Cold War, and we will help Ukraine buildup their economy in the meantime.

By all indications, Russia's economy is purring along, no doubt the sanctions are having some effect, but Oil and Gas revenues which fund the Russian Govt and the War are higher than before the war. There is no indication the Russian economy will collapse in the short term.

OTOH, western capacity to absorb economic shocks is very low. The Biden White House is freaking out over high gas prices, even though they are still low by world standards. EU countries are already turning on each other to negotiate who can buy and keep Russian Gas.

This is a game of chicken and it is pretty obvious western governments will blink first.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

The Biden White House is freaking out over high gas prices,

Not, its freaking out over enraged American consumers not willing to pay these prices. Thats not exactly the same.



And ther eis little Biden can do about it.



Solution: build a time machine, go back by 50 years and shoot those who installed the new paper money system after Bretton Woods,

and then stand guard against everybody trying to do later on.



Putin and Corona accelerated the processes around the FIAT currency and inflation, but they did not cause the problems. The system itself is the problem. Without the war and the pandemic, these problems would have come anyway, just later on, delayed.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Europe has already become an open playing field for other LNG producers such as Qatar, the United States and Australia which can come in
and fill the void at great national profit, and they will essentially be guaranteed a stable place in the European market, as long as gas remains a bridge fuel in the European energy transition. Given the recent decision of the European Commission to label gas and nuclear (under some preconditions) as sustainable energy sources, the other players in the LNG market are set to benefit handsomely from Russia’s self-inflicted destruction of its export-oriented gas sector.

Not really, there are technical roadblocks. To import LNG, you need specialized LNG terminals and there are not enough in Europe to supply all the EU needs. The EU has known about this vulnerability for years, but every new LNG terminal project gets held up for years by environmentalists. Even if the EU went on a crash program, it would take at least 3-5 years or more likely 5-10 years to build enough LNG terminals. Until then, the EU needs Russian gas and Russia can use this as a bargaining chip.

As far as Russia is concerned, for the past 10 years, it has been busy building pipelines to export its natural gas to China. China will buy all the gas that Russia can produce and will replace Europe as its main customer.