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

[PHXPhlyer]

JET FIREBALL Dramatic moment Putin’s £32m Su-27 fighter jet plunges in flames into Black Sea after ‘friendly fire strike’ off Crimea
The pilot was found 600ft offshore after ejecting during the plane's descent

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/26986299/ ... lames-sea/

See link for pics.

THIS is the dramatic moment Vladimir Putin's £32 million Su-27 fighter jet plunges into flames in the Black Sea.

Footage shows the pilot ejecting from the burning aircraft and launching his parachute before it explodes into a fireball inferno.

The plane could be seen hurtling through the sky as onlookers watched on with horror from below.

The aircraft eventually smashed into the sea off annexed Sevastopol in Crimea, but not before the pilot managed to escape within an inch of his life.

Reports claim that he was eventually picked up alive some 600ft offshore.

But questions remain over how the plane was left in flames before its dramatic descent.

One theory is that the supersonic fighter was shot down by friendly fire.

If confirmed, it would be another major humiliation for Putin, having already suffered countless blows to his multi-million pound aviation armoury.

In December, a Russian fighter pilot barely escaped death after a rocket launcher fired into the sky as an Su-25 warplane flew overhead.

Extraordinary footage captured the hair-raising moment the Putin fighter flew at a low altitude and was nearly struck - by his own side.

The plane downed in today's attack was initially thought to be a £67 million super-manoeuvrable Su-35 fighter.

But the Putin-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, indicated it was a £32 million Su-27.

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D​ramatic moment burning Russian warplane plunges from the sky and explodes ‘in Ukrainian missile strike’
Confirming the status of the pilot following the crash, he said: “The pilot ejected.

“He was picked up by rescuers from the Sevastopol Rescue Service at a distance of 200 metres [660ft] from the shore.

“His life is not in danger.”

The pro-war FighterBomber Telegram channel also said it was an Su-27.

“It looks like it's been shot down,” said the channel’s report, which also said the pilot had been “lifted” from the sea.

Military Informant Telegram channel said: “According to one version, the plane was shot down by air defence fire during an air raid alarm.

“According to another, there was a technical malfunction of the engine.”

WarGonzo channel said: “The plane, presumably a Su-27 fighter, crashed into the sea.

“The causes of the crash are being established.”

In January, an SU-34 fighter jet worth £27m was destroyed by Ukraine in a top secret mission.

Ukraine claimed they set the Russian warplane on fire 1,400miles inside enemy territory, leaving it a burning wreck in an airfield.

But the latest incident comes after Ukraine claims to have damaged four warships in three days with missile strikes in Sevastopol this week.

Confirmation is still awaited on the extent of the damage to three large landing ships - the Yamal, Azov and Konstantin Olshansky - and £80 million 312ft-long Ivan Khurs.

Dramatic footage showed the moment military bases in the annexed peninsula were blitzed in an overnight barrage, with the Yamal and Azov warships confirmed hits.

Both damaged vessels are Ropucha-class landing ships, 370ft long, 4,000 ton behemoths designed for D-Day-style amphibious assaults.

Ukraine has attacked this type of ship before - sinking their sister ships Tsezar Kunikov and Novocherkassk.

Putin has since ramped up his nuclear threats against Nato as he warned any F-16 jets supplied by the West will be blown out of the sky.

The dictator vowed attacks on Nato airfields if Ukraine used them to launch the game-changing supersonic fighters against Russia.

During a visit to a military training facility in Torzhok, Putin told airforce pilots that F-16s are "carriers of nuclear weapons" - and Russian forces would completely destroy them just like any other military equipment.

PP

[Dushan]

Headline in Pravda says it was intentional as it was trying to land on one of the underwater aircraft carriers at the bottom of Black Sea.

[Pinky the pilot]

Seemed to be in an inverted flat spin.

[probes]

There were reports on 3 more SUs lost, but I didn't find anything to confirm. Didn't have time to search very thoroughly, that is.

Gen Syrskyi interview is interesting, stating the strategic plans and indicating they've been successful in destroying the Black Sea fleet (=not done yet, but will be) and that the amount of ruz mil technology destroyed has started to affect their ability to go on with large-scale attacks. Has started.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on Kharkiv 'offensive', frontline, mobilization, rotation

ruz patriarch whoever declared the 'special military operation' is an "existential and civilisational holy war" and condemned UKR independent Orthodox church (that separated from them ... last year? well, lately).

"At the opening of the Security Forum former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed Johnson:
“The world is watching you. And you’re a devout Christian, Mr. Speaker, so God is watching you, too.”"
CNN

[probes]

UK intelligence posts images showing consequences of Ukraine's 24 March attack on Sevastopol, Crimea

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

What I said back when the US asked Ukraine to stop the refinery attacks.

Biden has to come up with the goods or have the gas price rise before the election.

President Zelenskyi delivered a stark message to US Congress as Russian missiles were pounding southern Ukraine: Give us the weapons to stop the Russian attacks, or Ukraine will escalate its counterattacks on Russia’s airfields, energy facilities and other strategic targets.

https://mstdn.social/@noelreports/112180902305931692

[probes]

We need to shoot at the shooters, not the arrows:


makes sense in my mind.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Russia has just vetoed the annual extension of the panel which has been monitoring UN sanctions against Yung Fat Wun since 2009. China abstained.
Both have been pushing for a sunset clause on Nork sanctions in general.

It's about time the Western leaders realised that neither Russia nor China see concessions or attempts at deescalation - anywhere, on anything - as anything other than weakness.

[probes]

Russia has just vetoed the annual extension of the panel which has been monitoring UN sanctions against Yung Fat Wun since 2009. China abstained.

Isn't it like 'involving' the murderer in deciding the sentence for their own crime?
I don't understand. Maybe I'm old.
Nor do I understand what kind of democracy allows a speaker of a body, not even a President of a country, to stop all activites on what his boss does not want to go on? I mean, not even to allow voting, which is supposed to be a tool of democracy??

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

"Representative" democracies are, functionally, elected dictatorships.
And the political class treat them as such.
Only the Swiss democracy, which has citizen-generated referenda, has some semblance of a genuine democracy (as the Ancient Greeks ran it).

In practice, all governments gain their stability from a balance of power between several elements within the country. As you are aware, in Russia this is between the secret police (currently FSB), the Army, and the Leader (putin).
putin does a lot of shuffling round of military senior officers to prevent any clique gaining enough power for long enough to enable a successful coup. That's not to say they would, just that putin (as the ex-head of the KGB) doesn't wish to give them the opportunity.
In America, the Federal balance is between Congress's two houses, the President, and the judiciary. The two houses have too many members to hold any power by consensus, so the roles of House leaders have evolved to have a lot of power concentrated in them.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

[Dushan]

Nor do I understand what kind of democracy allows a speaker of a body, not even a President of a country, to stop all activites on what his boss does not want to go on? I mean, not even to allow voting, which is supposed to be a tool of democracy??

Who are you refering to when you say "his boss". The boss of the Speaker of the House are "The People". Think of him as a Prime Minister in a parliamentary system of government. A Republic is not a democracy.

[probes]

Who are you refering to when you say "his boss". The boss of the Speaker of the House are "The People". Think of him as a Prime Minister in a parliamentary system of government. A Republic is not a democracy.

Ok, bad choice of words. I meant that just one person, the Speaker, is preventing the whole House of expressing their opinion, of voting. I assume it's because he does not want to risk a vote that might give a result he does not want?


URK downed a Shahed undestroyed, which indicates a system is being developed.
ruz is doing the same (=developing).
So, if and when effective means of grounding or diverting drones have been developed, will it be back to tanks and troops, then and again?
Right now the UKR advantage is said to be the numerous and various models. several DIY, they are using (ruz drone 'fleet' reacts to the same frequency, being mass produced).

In Germany, the Social Democratic Party is under attack for its weakness towards Moscow
Criticized within his coalition, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also accused by several historians of 'denying reality' concerning the threat posed by Russia.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The Russian Orthodox Church has declared Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a Holy War.
Lots of commentary on this, e.g.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgr ... tes-tenets

The big question, for me, is why putin feels the need to do this now having steadfastly avoided calling the Ukraine SMO a 'war' for two years. Indeed, officially his lackeys are still calling it an SMO.
I think he is now seriously worried that his forces and/or economy cannot last out until the political/economic situation in the West changes and support for Ukraine decreases.

Have the losses to the Black Sea Fleet and the Mainstays triggered this?
Are the AFV losses now above the sustainable rate of replacement from the factories?
Are the front line troops starting to disobey orders on a bigger scale?
Is he concerned that Ukraine will increase attacks directly across the Russian border, which he cannot defend?
Does he think Syrskyi will come up with a winning strategy for the summer?

Is the refinery campaign affecting the Russian economy significantly?
Are the trade sanctions about to bite hard? e.g. rail rolling stock bearings, locomotives https://www.kyivpost.com/post/27740
Is the manpower required for the front affecting domestic production significantly?

Does putin now think the Western economies are collapsing at a slower rate?
Does he think the Western elections over the next year or so will not go his way?

Lots of questions, some clues, no answers.

But I sure think he's now quite worried about something.

If I had to put money on something, I would guess at the railways.

[GrumpyPilot]

So odd that the Russian Orthodox Church would declare the invasion of a country which is 80% Orthodox a “Holy War”.

What a strange turn of events.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Ah, well, there's Moscow Orthodox and Ukraine Orthodox.
Think Sunni and Shia - they hate each other too.

[GrumpyPilot]

It’s definitely not the same as the Sunni and Shia divide.

The different Eastern Orthodox branches consider themselves separate but equal. Theologically they are pretty much in step with one another, whereas the Sunni /Shia divide is caused by major theological differences (the main one being, I believe, who the rightful successor was to Mohammed)

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (I.e. the Orthodox Christian Pope) is considered to be first among equals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenica ... tantinople

[tango15]

So odd that the Russian Orthodox Church would declare the invasion of a country which is 80% Orthodox a “Holy War”.

What a strange turn of events.

Since the end of the Soviet Union, I have watched the Orthodox Church in Russia become more and more powerful. One of Yesltsin's first acts was to build a huge cathedral in Moscow, the likes of which had never been seen before. After that, one saw the sitting Patriarch's opinions become more prevalent throughout the country. I think Putin has tapped into this as a means of keeping his popularity at (an apparently) high level. He is certainly (but surprisingly, given his background) close to Patriarch Kirill. I was surprised at how quickly and reverently people returned to the church after perestroika.

Moscow_July_2011-7a.jpg (202.08 KiB) Viewed 346 times

.

[tango15]

https://news.sky.com/story/russia-ukrai ... c-12541713

More fodder into the meat grinder - if they don't escape to another country first! A mate of mine, just back from Thailand, tells me that the place is infested with them. Even restaurant menus are now in Thai, English and Cyrillic.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I agree it's not the same as Sunni/Shia from the theological point of view. However, the differences in support of their regimes do exist, and they do hate each other.
The basic problem is that the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate are pro-putin and Russia.
The ROC-MP, since 2018, have rejected the Constantinople Patriarchate's influence, in direct consequence of Constantinople's effective declaration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from Moscow.
More here on that schism:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Mosc ... ple_schism

[GrumpyPilot]

Interesting.
Tango and Fox thanks for the tutorial.
I wonder if the ROC-MP is trying to become the leader of all the Eastern Orthodoxy by consolidating its power, uniting the autocephalous churches under one umbrella, in order for Moscow to become the official headquarters of Orthodox Christianity?