Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Lukashenko practice more stupid than Putin do not worry... https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/25/7354646/

As I said I do not take this serious.

This is only a thought-Could Lukashenko feel that he has a great chance against the little country Lithuania ?

I am convinced Belarus will be part of the war-If it's in Ukraine or against Lithuania or Poland I don't know.

It has nothing to do with they does not have enough manpower or material.
Lukashenko will act-and I still don't take it serious.

Markus

[Skybird]

Russia modernized nuclear bunkers in Kaliningrad from 2016 to 2018. Afterwards theys stationed Iskanders there, and with very, very high probability nuclear warheads for them as well.

Russia also has established very strong long range air defences there. The purpose is not only to protect the Russian headquarters of the Baltic fleet, but to deny NATO aerial access to the Baltic states and much of Poland. The SAM shieold is said to reach almost one third of Poland.

If there is a prime target on which to test how effective F-35s really are, then here.

The US has reactivated a nuclear unit from the cold war and sent it back to Germany. It was reported some months ago over here that this unit already has also gotten nuclear weapons again, in Germany.

Belarus may not be ab le to decide a war in its faovurl, but it certainly cna be an annoyanc, forcing the West or the Ukraine to divert forces to have an eye on it.

Two fascist old men who feel life dripping out of their scaled venes and realise death's cold breath right in their face. Oh man.





Iskanders are not the only tactical missile threat from Kaliningrad. There is also a (nuclear) cruise missile named 9M729 Novator stationed in Kasliningrad, which the US is sure of violating the INF treaty that prohibits landbased nuclear wepaons in the range segment from 500-5500 km . The presence of these weapons is known since 2019.

Practically all of Europe is in Russia's nuclear crosshairs.


https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/kaliningrad-exclave/

[Jimbuna]

Dozens of Russian missiles have struck targets across Ukraine, with the capital Kyiv enduring the heaviest barrage in months.

A Kyiv apartment block was destroyed, killing at least one and wounding six others including a seven-year-old girl.

Ukraine says 14 missiles were fired at the Kyiv region on Sunday, but the strikes extended far beyond the city.

Other areas included the central city of Cherkasy, where one person died, and the north-eastern Kharkiv region.

The strikes came as leaders of the G7 group of the world's richest nations began a three-day summit in Bavaria, southern Germany, with the war in Ukraine top of the agenda. They are expected to promise further military support for Kyiv and impose more sanctions on Moscow.

"We have to stay together," US President Joe Biden told Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz just before the summit at Schloss Elmau.

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been counting on it from the beginning, that somehow Nato would, and the G7 would splinter and... but we haven't, and we're not going to.

"So, we can't let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it," President Biden said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61943252

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson has said leaders must be honest about rising costs due to the Ukraine war, but said the price of Russia succeeding was "far higher".

He said world leaders understand they must remain united with Kyiv despite fears of war fatigue.

Allies were "making the sacrifice" over rising food and energy costs because "the price of freedom is worth paying," he said.

The PM is at the G7 summit as he faces pressure over his leadership at home.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61938351

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

LONDON (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week, Russian state television reported on Sunday, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and led to severe financial sanctions from the West, which Putin says are a reason to build stronger trade ties with other powers such as China, India and Iran.

Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow.

Pavel Zarubin, the Kremlin correspondent of the Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow.

In Dushanbe, Putin will meet Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon, a close Russian ally and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. In Ashgabat, he will attend a summit of Caspian nations including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan, Zarubin said.

Putin's last known trip outside Russia was a visit to the Beijing in early February, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a "no limits" friendship treaty hours before both attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games.

Russia says it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 to degrade its neighbour's military capabilities, keep it from being used by the West to threaten Russia, root out nationalists and defend Russian-speakers in eastern regions. Ukraine calls the invasion an imperial-style land grab.

[Catfish]

The news "approach" via Tucker Carlson and others

[Jimbuna]

Russia is poised to default on its debt for the first time since 1998, further alienating the country from the global financial system after sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine.

The country missed a deadline of Sunday night to meet a 30-day grace period on interest payments of $100m (£81.2m) on two eurobonds due originally on 27 May, Bloomberg reported on Monday morning.

Some Taiwanese holders of Russian eurobonds said on Monday that they had not received interest payments due, two sources told Reuters.

Official confirmation of the default was expected to come from international ratings agencies.

Russia’s efforts to avoid the default hit a insurmountable roadblock in late May when the US treasury department’s office of foreign assets control (OFAC) effectively blocked Moscow from making payments.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...out&li=BBoPWjQ

[Jimbuna]

Tracking where Russia is taking Ukraine's stolen grain

Russian forces have been repeatedly accused of stealing grain from Ukrainian farmers in occupied areas as well as other crops such as sunflower seeds, along with fertiliser and agricultural equipment. The BBC has spoken to farmers, analysed satellite images and followed tracking data to look for evidence of where stolen grain is going.
https://www.bbc.com/news/61790625

[Jimbuna]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is dominating proceedings so far on the second day of the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants the war to be over before winter and urged G7 leaders to keep the pressure on Russia; he also appealed for more heavy weapons, anti-aircraft defence systems and further sanctions, in an address to leaders
In a joint statement, G7 leaders have pledged to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and leaders have told Russia it must allow free passage of food from Ukraine
Speaking from the summit, UK PM Boris Johnson has told the BBC "the price of freedom is worth paying" in supporting Ukraine, and that help must continue to be offered to rebuild its economy, export grain and protect its citizens
The US has said the G7 group will issue a statement of support for Ukraine, including new sanctions commitments, with gold, oil and tariffs likely to be a focus
It comes as civilians have been told to leave the eastern city of Lysychansk, the last major city still held by Ukrainian troops in the Luhansk province
Meanwhile, Russia's says its reported debt default is not "its problem" as it says the payment has been made, but not passed on to creditors, because of Western sanctions

[Catfish]

‘Comrade Hitler’ and Other Russian Fantasies

"For over a decade, Russian society has been bombarded with hardcore, revanchist propaganda. The West did not take note.
A typical Russian soldier who is fighting now in Ukraine is about 20 years old. He was born under Vladimir Putin, went to school under Vladimir Putin, was conscripted, and died, or lost his limbs, under Vladimir Putin."

https://cepa.org/comrade-hitler-and-...ian-fantasies/

[Skybird]

There is a big difference between Russia "defaulting", and defaulting ciandate sin the past, say Argentine. Argentine back then was bancrupt. Russia is anything but bancrupt: is has a national debt rate of only 20% (swallow that, Europe, US...), has big reserves in gold., and finds many willing parezner sint he world despite the West's urgent effort to isolate it. But it isn't isolated. And it doe sbusiness - by its terms and conditions, in roubels. The ro9uble was brought under ocntorl, but having had a spike of inetrest rates up to 20% to bring inflaiton unde rcontrol, and then it was dripped again. So fra trh eRussian centrla bansk has had a good and effective return and answer to anything the West threw at it.

So the "defualting"now hardly is a defaulting at all.The west is just getting more and more clueless on what else it could do to mount pressure on Russia. while the sanctions had so far do more damage to Europe than they do to Russia, apparently.

Thats the problem with sanctionising someobdy, in order of that working, that somebody must be dependent. Sanckjtons must be dishe dout not form a posiiton of mutual dpeendency aor equality, but from a position of unilateral strength. This is not the case regarding the EU and Russia. Russia is not dependanet, in its key areas of selfmaintenance, it is autark. To do damage by sanctions against such a tough rock you need to either go All in and have utmost maximum sanctions from day one on and without any compromise (and even then you are not sure to get what you want if you are not stronger than the other) - or you must not even care to get started. The half-baked compromises and long delays in Western sanctions do more pain to us then to them!

In other words: we messed it up once again.

Either you do it right and fully determined, or you do not even need to get started. Russia has adapted - and now can outsit us for the duration of this war.

It seems India sells now oil it bought cheap from Russia, to Europe, at much higher price. First they tried to dismiss this as a fake news over here, but apparently its true.

I would favour to have the financial situation of Russia over that of France Italy, Greece and some others every time I get asked.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

There is a big difference between Russia "defaulting", and defaulting ciandate sin the past, say Argentine. Argentine back then was bancrupt. Russia is anything but bancrupt: is has a national debt rate of only 20% (swallow that, Europe, US...), has big reserves in gold., and finds many willing parezner sint he world despite the West's urgent effort to isolate it. But it isn't isolated. And it doe sbusiness - by its terms and conditions, in roubels. The ro9uble was brought under ocntorl, but having had a spike of inetrest rates up to 20% to bring inflaiton unde rcontrol, and then it was dripped again. So fra trh eRussian centrla bansk has had a good and effective return and answer to anything the West threw at it.

So the "defualting"now hardly is a defaulting at all.The west is just getting more and more clueless on what else it could do to mount pressure on Russia. while the sanctions had so far do more damage to Europe than they do to Russia, apparently.

Thats the problem with sanctionising someobdy, in order of that working, that somebody must be dependent. Sanckjtons must be dishe dout not form a posiiton of mutual dpeendency aor equality, but from a position of unilateral strength. This is not the case regarding the EU and Russia. Russia is not dependanet, in its key areas of selfmaintenance, it is autark. To do damage by sanctions against such a tough rock you need to either go All in and have utmost maximum sanctions from day one on and without any compromise (and even then you are not sure to get what you want if you are not stronger than the other) - or you must not even care to get started. The half-baked compromises and long delays in Western sanctions do more pain to us then to them!

In other words: we messed it up once again.

Either you do it right and fully determined, or you do not even need to get started. Russia has adapted - and now can outsit us for the duration of this war.

It seems India sells now oil it bought cheap from Russia, to Europe, at much higher price. First they tried to dismiss this as a fake news over here, but apparently its true.

I would favor to have the financial situation of Russia over that of France Italy, Greece and some others every time I get asked.

Russia's failure to pay this interest now may also affect the other debts Russia has, On some of them there is a condition of early repayment if there is a default on another debt then you get a kind of snowball effect. In the longer term, this will make it harder and more expensive for Russia to borrow money. If Russia does not pay the interest, you think ten times before you lend money to Russia, and you only want to do that if you get a very high interest rate for it. And if borrowing becomes more expensive again that will also push up prices in the country further sanctions never work in the short term, it always takes time. This default does happen as a result of the sanctions. It is now becoming increasingly difficult for Putin to move in the financial markets. Ultimately, it becomes more likely that Russia will fall into a deep recession Russia will continue to function, but at a lower rate.

[Dargo]

'Fall of Sievierodonetsk is symbolic setback'; attack on Sunday of Kiev because of G7 summit.
Last weekend's missile attacks on Kiev were probably meant to send a signal to the G7 countries meeting in Germany yesterday. "The Russian method" every time there are international events, there is an escalation. Militarily, it makes no sense for the Russians to attack Kiev. Apartment complexes and kindergartens were hit, that has no meaning militarily. It's not like the positions at that summit will change because the Russians are bombing Kiev.

Russians no longer have an offensive capability to attack areas outside the Donbas region. Much of the Donbas is already in Russian hands. Taking Sievierodonetsk, in the Lugansk region, is primarily a symbolic setback for Ukraine rather than a military-strategic gain for the Russians. The Russians mainly use a lot of long-range artillery to gain ground. They do this with very small steps per day. For Ukrainians there was nothing left but to retreat, it is that or be totally destroyed. The only tactic the Russians have left because they have virtually no infantry left. They fall back on old tactics like they had in Grozny in Chechnya: shoot everything down from a long distance. It is therefore important to Ukraine that long-range weapons from the West be delivered quickly. Because if you can take away that advantage from the Russians, they are vulnerable, they can then no longer move forward with a huge fire roll step by step.

The expectation now is that the Russians will target Lysychansk, which lies opposite Sievierodonetsk on the Donetsk River. It is the last city in the region, if they control it, they will have the whole region of Lugansk. Lysychansk hasn't been conquered just yet, because they have trouble crossing the river. They go all the way around the city, just to avoid crossing the river, this is quite a task for the army. This is not to say that the entire Donbas will be taken soon. The center of gravity is now in Lugansk, the Russians cannot easily put their heavy weapons anywhere else. That would require a difficult logistical operation, and the Russians know they would be vulnerable. Cities such as Kramatorsk and Slovyansk would also have to be conquered, and we are a long way from that point.