Millions of us might be **** if we ignore the Russian-Ukraine war

[boing]

And, just like the Kerch Bridge, the Ukrainians will wait until the last nut and bolt is in place and then blast it to scrap.

.

[prospector]

And if that ever happens, the retaliation will be?? Probably aimed at the suppliers of the munitions capable of such a task.

[Pontius Navigator]

And if that ever happens, the retaliation will be?? Probably aimed at the suppliers of the munitions capable of such a task.

Another red line.

[OneHungLow]

I see that Igor Girkin has been arrested.

Igor Girkin.JPG (91.03 KiB) Viewed 720 times

[4mastacker]

How long before he falls to his death from a basement window??

[prospector]

Criticism of those in power would appear to be a no-no in many circles.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/21/euro ... index.html

[Boac]

It looks as if we are off - from The Telegraph:
"Ukrainian forces have launched the main thrust of their counter-offensive through the southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to multiple reports.

Russian sources said Kyiv’s had deployed three battalions reinforced with tanks and armoured vehicles to make a “massive” assault on the first of Moscow’s main defensive lines near the village of Robotyne."

[prospector]

https://www.rt.com/russia/580352-russia ... dium=Email&

"" Russian troops have stopped an “intensive” effort by the Ukrainian military to break their defensive lines near the village of Orekhov in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region. The village and its surroundings have been the scene of fierce fighting for weeks, as Ukraine’s floundering counteroffensive drags on.

Kiev’s forces “resumed intensive offensive operations” just south of Orekhov on Wednesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that evening. Despite the Ukrainian army launching a “massive” assault with three battalions backed by tanks, Russia’s 810th Marine Brigade, and 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division held their positions and repelled the Ukrainian advance, the ministry said.

During the battle, Ukraine lost 22 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, and more than 100 men, according to the ministry.""

Which propaganda does one believe? is it propaganda? or just the different way people see fact?

[Boac]

Indeed - "The fog of war". The RT quote could well be propaganda, the Telegraph was probably not.

Time will tell how it goes.

[OneHungLow]

What has happened to our man at the forefront of the news in the Ukraine, namely Fox3. Has been kidnapped by a task force of the Spetsnaz, sent to sow doubt and confusion midst the Western masses?

[Boac]

Last heard he was off on his hols somewhere.

[PHXPhlyer]

Last heard he was off on his hols somewhere.

He said he was going to the West Coast.
Didn't specify what country.

PP

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Still around.
Still unable to add useful info beyond the rubbish you can get in the media, and the slightly more useful stuff from the links I posted a while back.
Twitter is the main source of frontline info, and that's now hors de combat for non-members thanks to the AI companies using it for training.

Militaryland.net and ISW are kinda/sorta OK for general trends, but impossible to use for predicting where things may go next.

[OneHungLow]

Still around.
Still unable to add useful info beyond the rubbish you can get in the media, and the slightly more useful stuff from the links I posted a while back.
Twitter is the main source of frontline info, and that's now hors de combat for non-members thanks to the AI companies using it for training.

Militaryland.net and ISW are kinda/sorta OK for general trends, but impossible to use for predicting where things may go next.

Thank God you are back...

[PHXPhlyer]

Thank God you are back...

God and Air Canada?
Or in spite of?

PP

[OneHungLow]

I mean without sensible folks like Fox3, you would be stuck with maniacs like me, who seriously thought about garroting that useless pile of ***** called Farage, as he sat perfectly, for either a carotid cut, or immediate wire strangulation on a flight back from Johannesburg.

I didn't kill him, for shame. Maybe the useless grifter, will attempt to sue for same.

Over to Fox3.

[prospector]

Why was it that Ukraine was not accepted into the European Union?? It would appear nothing has changed.

https://www.rt.com/news/580426-ukraine- ... =Email&utm

""The US is struggling to keep track of billions of dollars it has sent to Kiev since February 2022, the effectiveness of which may be reduced by government and private corruption in Ukraine. This was the most recent finding of the US State Department’s Office of the Inspector General.""

""According to the report, the US Congress has appropriated more than $113.4 billion for Ukraine since the hostilities with Russia escalated last year. The State Department has been responsible for about $31 billion, of which $22.9 billion was marked “direct budget support” for the Ukrainian government. The OIG review focused on just these funds, administered by the Office of the Coordinator of US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (EUR/ACE), and not the tens of billions in military aid that went through the Pentagon.""

And no one can claim this problem is not supported in the highest places

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/euro ... tion-probe


KYIV – The Ukrainian anti-graft authorities said on Monday that they were investigating large-scale corruption in the country’s Supreme Court system and shared a photograph of piles of banknotes neatly lined up on a sofa.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Nabu) did not name anyone accused of corruption, but two local media organisations reported that Supreme Court Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniaziev had been detained on suspicion of receiving a US$3 million (S$4 million) bribe.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

[tango15]

My correspondent in Ukraine tells me that corruption is rife in the country, most especially in the government, at all levels. Should you wish to leave the country, for example, you will have to pay a significant bribe to the border guards. Many people have bought second passports under different names, so that they will not be stopped by border security if there are unpaid taxes or misdemeanors. Apparently, the going rate for a second passport is about $500
What is going on at higher levels can only be imagined.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Despite Air Canada (motto: 'We're not happy until you're not happy'). Only time I've ever had a flight cancelled, and they did it twice!
Mind you, I'm not much of an air traveller - I still have more hours in the front of mil aircraft than the back of civvy ones.

Prigozhin was glad-handing his way round putin's Africa Summit in St P. yesterday. I think this confirms that the media's purported 'coup' was in fact just the power struggle between Prigozhin and Shoigu that I thought it was.

Wheat prices are bouncing around at about 20% higher than they were before the grain deal ended. Russia's attacks on Odesa indicate that this blockade is likely now permanent till the end of the war. This, I think, considerably increases the medium term effect of the war on the world situation, and likely solidifies US support for Ukraine. The Russian propaganda machine is again pushing the 'war is never-ending' theme, but if this were so they wouldn't be bombing grain facilities. The Ukrainians appear to be sticking with grinding out small advances on the southern front, with a slightly bigger push E of Robotyne indicating that the main target is Tokmak.
So, either the Ukrainians and the Russians think that Ukraine is slowly winning the logistical war - leading to a Russian collapse at some point - or the Ukrainians are incapable of generating a breakthrough and are hoping for more international support. The US is clearly delaying F-16s and blocking partners from sending other modern fighters. ATACMS is also off the table. I'm still unsure why.

The World grain situation is not good this year. Rice prices are bouncing around new highs, and the US drought has shifted from the wheat belt to the corn belt. This will really hit the Third World this winter. Pretty much all western economies look like being stuck in stagflation to me, and there are signs that aid to the Third World is dropping.

I have no idea of the likelihood of a breakup of the Russian Empire after they lose. putin has of course eliminated all competition for a strong leader, so the splitting up into independent republics roughly around the SSR boundaries would seem to be a possible long term result. This probably suits China, which will likely be aiming to turn the mineral-rich eastern republics into client states one by one. China plays the long game, and no one now gives a sh!t about the genocide in Tibet.

Ukraine was only 4 places above Russia on the World Corruption Index before the war started, as I have been pointing out since the start. It's probably why support for Ukraine has been limited - give them any more and they'll steal it. This is a possible factor in the US blocking mentioned above. Victory for Ukraine now depends on them eliminating a lot of corruption. On the plus side, they do appear to be doing something about this, judging from the charges against the Head of Recruitment announced yesterday.

[tango15]

A very accurate summation of the present situation, I would say, F3. I notice that since the Prigozhin business, Putin has been relatively quiet in his pronunciations.

My one and only experience with Air Canada was less than stellar. Many years ago, I went to Canadair in Montreal for a job interview. The outward journey was unremarkable, but the return flight was cancelled because the aircraft, a clapped-out 767, went tech. We were herded into a one-star hotel somewhere near the airport and told to be ready to leave at 0600 the next day. The buses duly departed at about 0630 from the hotel. The aircraft departed at about 1330 from the gate...