Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

[Catfish]

^^^ Hungary's Orban is blocking the help for Ukraine, this is possible since EU laws demand an unanimous vote.
Orban does it because he wants to remain friend with Putin, but also to blackmail the EU, which has denied financial help for Orban due to Hungary's violations on human rights.
Maybe change the EU laws for a majority vote for such decisions. Or get him out of the EU.

[Skybird]

Be careful what you wish for. Unanimous vote has saved us several times from getting led by the nose into a continental superstate where democratic legitimations at the national parliamentary level has not even remains of a role anymore, and where the net takers plow under the net payers. And the ewU parlimaent ha sno democratic legitimation since the candidates do not candidate on the whole continent, a Spaniard cannot vote for an Irishman (whom he would not know anyway), and the EU parliament thankfully has no further powers. Just that occasionally they say something that sounds smart does not make them smart in general. Mostly they are just noisy, and insane, very opportunistic, woke and climate-extreme.

[Catfish]

I know, i also want to see Moscow burn.

[Skybird]

Sort of an excursion: the Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes:
-----------------------------------------------

Rheinmetall questions Switzerland as a production location

¨ The tightened War Material Act prevents subsequent deliveries of ammunition in the event of war. Germany, as the largest customer, doubts the reliability of the Swiss arms industry. The German Rheinmetall Group is now taking action.

Countering threats from the air is one of the most important capabilities of modern armies. It is about protecting their own population and critical infrastructures from cruise missiles, rockets or drones. Ukraine will survive the winter politically and militarily only thanks to a strong ground-based air defense.

An industrial center in the development of advanced defense systems in this field is Rheinmetall Air Defence, formerly Oerlikon-Bührle. The group conducts research and production in Switzerland - and it continues to set standards in all elements. From sensor technology, i.e. target recognition, to digital networking of the fire control system, to the actual hardware: the guns and the ammunition that goes with them.

Actually, the German parent company Rheinmetall, headquartered in Düsseldorf, had wanted to expand the Swiss site. There was talk of up to 60 additional jobs. But this plan has now been halted, as two independent sources confirmed to the NZZ. Even more, Rheinmetall is starting to move production lines from Switzerland to other countries. This was reported yesterday by Radio SRF in its "Echo der Zeit" program, also based on solid sources.

No export in case of war

Rheinmetall itself remains silent: "Please understand that in view of the security policy implications, we cannot comment on the subject at present," writes media spokesman Oliver Hoffmann to the NZZ in response to a corresponding inquiry. In fact, the topic is highly explosive. For Rheinmetall's corporate management is apparently putting a thick question mark behind the reliability of Swiss operations, as well as politics.

More is at stake than the 12,400 rounds of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which have caused rancor between Bern and Berlin in recent weeks. The political spectacle surrounding the question of whether Germany should be allowed to continue supplying Ukraine with a small residual stock of 35mm bullets has flushed the real problem to the surface: foreign customers have realized that the Swiss arms industry would no longer be able to deliver supplies, especially ammunition, in the event of war.

This is what the Swiss War Material Act, which was tightened up just over a year ago, wants. The majority in parliament clearly stipulated in Article 22 that foreign transactions will not be approved "if the country of destination is involved in an internal or international armed conflict." In concrete terms, this means that if a country is at war, the Federal Council can no longer supply ammunition. In the event of an emergency, supplies from Switzerland would dry up.

Ammunition as the largest export item

The NATO states would also be affected if Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty were to be used to declare an alliance emergency: If a country is attacked, it can count on the support of its partner states. After a major incident in the Baltic States or in Poland, Switzerland's neighboring countries - with the exception of Austria - could find themselves at war with Russia within a very short time.

This primarily alarms Germany, which has cut back its defense capability in recent years. The Bundeswehr's ammunition depots are yawning empty. According to German media reports, supplies will not last more than one to three days. That is why representatives of industry and politics met last weekend to negotiate liabilities.

For certain armaments, however, there are dependencies on production in Switzerland. The reverse is also true: Germany is the largest buyer of ammunition from Switzerland. This is confirmed by the latest figures from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) in Bern: from January 1 to September 30 of this year, Swiss industry delivered almost 27 million francs worth of bullets to Germany. It is the largest export item in the current statistics.

Swiss security policy takes center stage

Despite the importance of production, Swiss politics is giving the issue a wide berth. Although a specific proposal by the FDP to relax re-export regulations is pending, no one likes to address the core of the debate: The War Material Act threatens the existence of domestic arms manufacturers. However, there is currently no majority in parliament to amend the law, and there is even the threat of a blocking majority: the left is stubbornly sticking to its pre-war ideological course, and the SVP is now getting in the way of its own neutrality initiative.

This situation does not strengthen the confidence of trading partners in Swiss suppliers. The fact that Rheinmetall now apparently wants to review Switzerland as a production location is a direct consequence of this. The Group is not merely responding to the sensitivities of German politicians, who like to point the finger at Switzerland to justify their own reluctance to support Ukraine. Pressure is now apparently also being exerted by the Netherlands and Denmark, which until now have only been able to order certain types of ammunition from Rheinmetall Switzerland.

Although the defence industry is not a mainstay of the Swiss export economy, it remains central to security policy: on the one hand for the transfer of know-how with partners, and on the other for equipping the Swiss army. If domestic competition is lacking, prices for new procurements from abroad could skyrocket. It is therefore not only a question of Switzerland's foreign policy positioning, but also of elementary security issues.
-----------------------------------------

Of course it is not acceptable to demand Switzerland to break its laws. But the Swiss must ask themselves whether that law of theirs really is that legit and wise.

And customers rightfully ask themselves whether it is wise if they become customers of the Swiss. In the end they may find themselves in he situation that while they are in a need to fight a war - Russia attacks NATO for example - the Swiss claim the right to not deliver them the ammo for the weapons they sold. That is absurd.

I wrote weeks ago that the Germans only talk of the Gepard ammo so they must not talk about Leopard tanks. I seem to have been on the wrong track there, now that I learn that other nations also have issues with the Swiss, also the private industry in signficant parts, independent from poltical calls from Berlin. At least it is not just a typical German government showact running there.

The Germans now check whether they can buy some Spanish company capable to be prepared to manufacture Gepard ammo. And the Gepard is on good use in Ukraione, they love it, they say. Germany plans to deliver 30 more. And as I predicted back then: the Gepard also is used in ground combat, apparently. Some of you did not want to believe that to be clever. I have snapped up random news repeatedly now, indicating that the Gepards are also used against infantry and APCs.



Stupid that the politicians ordered the Bundeswehr to sort them out. Simply stupid.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Sort of an excursion: the Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes:
-----------------------------------------------


Rheinmetall questions Switzerland as a production location

¨ The tightened War Material Act prevents subsequent deliveries of ammunition in the event of war. Germany, as the largest customer, doubts the reliability of the Swiss arms industry. The German Rheinmetall Group is now taking action.

Countering threats from the air is one of the most important capabilities of modern armies. It is about protecting their own population and critical infrastructures from cruise missiles, rockets or drones. Ukraine will survive the winter politically and militarily only thanks to a strong ground-based air defense.

An industrial center in the development of advanced defense systems in this field is Rheinmetall Air Defence, formerly Oerlikon-Bührle. The group conducts research and production in Switzerland - and it continues to set standards in all elements. From sensor technology, i.e. target recognition, to digital networking of the fire control system, to the actual hardware: the guns and the ammunition that goes with them.

Actually, the German parent company Rheinmetall, headquartered in Düsseldorf, had wanted to expand the Swiss site. There was talk of up to 60 additional jobs. But this plan has now been halted, as two independent sources confirmed to the NZZ. Even more, Rheinmetall is starting to move production lines from Switzerland to other countries. This was reported yesterday by Radio SRF in its "Echo der Zeit" program, also based on solid sources.

No export in case of war

Rheinmetall itself remains silent: "Please understand that in view of the security policy implications, we cannot comment on the subject at present," writes media spokesman Oliver Hoffmann to the NZZ in response to a corresponding inquiry. In fact, the topic is highly explosive. For Rheinmetall's corporate management is apparently putting a thick question mark behind the reliability of Swiss operations, as well as politics.

More is at stake than the 12,400 rounds of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which have caused rancor between Bern and Berlin in recent weeks. The political spectacle surrounding the question of whether Germany should be allowed to continue supplying Ukraine with a small residual stock of 35mm bullets has flushed the real problem to the surface: foreign customers have realized that the Swiss arms industry would no longer be able to deliver supplies, especially ammunition, in the event of war.

This is what the Swiss War Material Act, which was tightened up just over a year ago, wants. The majority in parliament clearly stipulated in Article 22 that foreign transactions will not be approved "if the country of destination is involved in an internal or international armed conflict." In concrete terms, this means that if a country is at war, the Federal Council can no longer supply ammunition. In the event of an emergency, supplies from Switzerland would dry up.

Ammunition as the largest export item

The NATO states would also be affected if Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty were to be used to declare an alliance emergency: If a country is attacked, it can count on the support of its partner states. After a major incident in the Baltic States or in Poland, Switzerland's neighboring countries - with the exception of Austria - could find themselves at war with Russia within a very short time.

This primarily alarms Germany, which has cut back its defense capability in recent years. The Bundeswehr's ammunition depots are yawning empty. According to German media reports, supplies will not last more than one to three days. That is why representatives of industry and politics met last weekend to negotiate liabilities.

For certain armaments, however, there are dependencies on production in Switzerland. The reverse is also true: Germany is the largest buyer of ammunition from Switzerland. This is confirmed by the latest figures from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) in Bern: from January 1 to September 30 of this year, Swiss industry delivered almost 27 million francs worth of bullets to Germany. It is the largest export item in the current statistics.

Swiss security policy takes center stage

Despite the importance of production, Swiss politics is giving the issue a wide berth. Although a specific proposal by the FDP to relax re-export regulations is pending, no one likes to address the core of the debate: The War Material Act threatens the existence of domestic arms manufacturers. However, there is currently no majority in parliament to amend the law, and there is even the threat of a blocking majority: the left is stubbornly sticking to its pre-war ideological course, and the SVP is now getting in the way of its own neutrality initiative.

This situation does not strengthen the confidence of trading partners in Swiss suppliers. The fact that Rheinmetall now apparently wants to review Switzerland as a production location is a direct consequence of this. The Group is not merely responding to the sensitivities of German politicians, who like to point the finger at Switzerland to justify their own reluctance to support Ukraine. Pressure is now apparently also being exerted by the Netherlands and Denmark, which until now have only been able to order certain types of ammunition from Rheinmetall Switzerland.

Although the defence industry is not a mainstay of the Swiss export economy, it remains central to security policy: on the one hand for the transfer of know-how with partners, and on the other for equipping the Swiss army. If domestic competition is lacking, prices for new procurements from abroad could skyrocket. It is therefore not only a question of Switzerland's foreign policy positioning, but also of elementary security issues.
-----------------------------------------

Deutschland will keine Schweizer Munition mehr kaufen: Bern ist aus Berliner Sicht kein verlässlicher Rüstungslieferant mehr. Der Streit um den Flugabwehrpanzer Gepard hat Folgen – weit über den Gepard hinaus. Meine Recherche. (€)

Germany no longer wants to buy Swiss ammunition: From Berlin's point of view, Bern is no longer a reliable armament's supplier. The dispute over the anti-aircraft tank Gepard has consequences - far beyond the Gepard. my research ( € ) https://twitter.com/eigenmannberlin/...59840577581056

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Germany no longer wants to buy Swiss ammunition: From Berlin's point of view, Bern is no longer a reliable armament's supplier. The dispute over the anti-aircraft tank Gepard has consequences - far beyond the Gepard. my research

The Germans nevertheless are hypocrites, because they behave the same way regarding tanks and IFVs they have sold to other NATO states and that thes estates weanted to give to the ukraine. Germany prohibited that.

Many members of Babble-Olaf's SPD are still russophile allies-in-mind of their red buddies in Russia - or those the yimagine to be that - , and a significant part of them also are radical "pacifists" who even accept the victim being abused before giving it the right to defend itself against the attacker.

Which in my book is no pacifism, but barbaric and cold-hearted cynism.

[Skybird]

The U.S. secretly modified the advanced Himars rocket launchers it gave Ukraine so they can’t be used to fire long-range missiles into Russia, U.S. officials said, a precaution the Biden administration says is necessary to reduce the risk of a wider war with Moscow.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-alt...ia-11670214338

---------------------

Poland is set to accept the Patriot air defense systems offered by Germany to defend its airspace after all. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that work was underway to station the Patriots on Polish territory and place them under Polish command.

However, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) had already insisted that the German air defense systems are part of NATO's integrated air defense. There had initially been no talk of placing the weapons systems under Polish command.

Maybe Poland would consider to rename into Provokeland...? And just in: since they are at it again, they have raised their demands for German reparations. They now want 1.3 trillion. I am sure they know the meaning of that certain phrase that begins with F.

----------------------

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

So, some of you Cold War gamers might recognize Saratov.

It also has the NATO designation of Engals-2 and its the home base of Russian Strategic bombers. The large aircraft like Tu-95 Bears and what's left of the Tu-160s are based there.
This would be like hitting Barksdale AFB today if Barksdale sat next to Offut AFB in Nebraska.

This strike took some serious ##lls to pull off, however they did it.

[August]

[Jimbuna]

Vladimir Putin plans ‘necessary' measures after second Ukraine drone hits Russia

On Tuesday morning, reports came in that an oil storage tank had exploded near Kursk city in the Bryansk region of Russia. Roman Starovoyt, the Governor of Kursk, had blamed the attack on a Ukrainian drone, but Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the strike.

The Russian news outlet Baza reported that two drones "fell and exploded three meters from diesel fuel tanks."

The media organisation said: "At this point, the five-ton tanks were empty and a serious fire was avoided."

However, the explosion of the oil storage rank near an airbase did cause some fire, as video footage published on social media showed the area covered in thick black smoke.

Kursk's Governor, Mr Starovoyt, said there were no casualties but that fighters had been tackling a 500 square-meter blaze.

On Mr Starovoyton's Telegram channel, said: "The fire is localised. All emergency services working at the site."

On Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had met with his Security Council to ensure discuss Russia's "domestic security" after the drone strike.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's official spokesman, said, officials were taking "necessary" measures to protect Russia from Ukrainian attacks.

When asked how the drone strikes by reporters, Mr Peskov said: "Of course, the line openly declared by the Ukrainian regime to continue such terrorist acts is a danger factor."

The drone strike on Tuesday is the second drone attack in Russia this week, as Russia's Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked two airbases on Monday.

Russia's Defense Ministry also reported that the drone strikes killed three servicemen while wounding four other men in south-central Russia.

The drone strikes are significant as they would be the farthest into Russian territory Ukraine has managed to attack since the war began.

The attacks took place at the Engels-2 and Dyagilevo airbases in Saratov and Ryazan, which caused two aircrafts to be damaged

Ukraine has also not claimed responsibility for the attack, however, a senior Ukrainian official spoke to the New York Times and said the drone attack had been launched from Ukraine's territory.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...f7c5c25b45fc07

[Jimbuna]

U.S. approves potential sale $3.75 billion of M1A1 Abrams tanks to Poland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of 116 General Dynamics made M1A1 Abrams tanks, other vehicles and munitions to Poland in a deal valued at up to $3.75 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The sale comes just months after Poland was authorized to buy 250 M1A2 tanks by the same maker. With this new option, Poland could elect to buy a mix of the two tank versions as it seeks to modernize its military and adjust to new geopolitical realities following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The package would include vehicles to recover disabled tanks, eight assault bridges and other vehicles. It would also provide thousands of rounds of advanced munitions including armor-piercing rounds, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.

Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

(Reporting by Mike Stone and Paul Grant; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Lisa Shumaker)
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...8c001ccdbc4720

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Rumors of possible invasion of AFU are spreading in Kursk region of Russian Federation, - General Staff

Rumors are spreading in Russia about an alleged possible invasion of Ukrainian troops into the territory of the Kursk region, and fortifications are being built in the border areas.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the data of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The enemy continues to suffer losses. The number of dead occupiers among the mobilized Kursk region is increasing, as evidenced by the local mass media. In addition, due to information about human losses, the younger generation of Russians is less and less supporting the war in Ukraine," the department said.

Also in the Ukrainian General Staff, in the Russian city of Kursk and the region, rumors about a possible invasion of the AFU are spreading.

"In connection with this, the fortification equipment of defensive positions in the border areas with Ukraine is in progress," the message says. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3385410

US approved defense budget with record aid to Ukraine: giving more than Biden wanted

The Senate of the US Congress approved a record defense budget of 847.3 billion dollars, including 800 million dollars for military aid to Ukraine.

This is stated in the draft law, Censor.NET reports with reference to Liga.net.

This assistance to Ukraine is billed as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). It has been held annually since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2014.

US lawmakers agreed to approve $45 billion more in total military spending than President Joe Biden had requested and to allocate $500 million more to Ukraine than the White House requested.

The total US defense budget for the 2023 fiscal year will thus amount to $857.9 billion, of which $816.7 billion will go specifically to the Pentagon, and $30.3 billion will go to Pentagon-led national security programs.

This amount includes:

ensuring strategic competition with China and Russia;
breakthrough technologies (hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, 5G, and quantum computing);
modernization of ships, planes, and vehicles;
raising the standard of living of servicemen and their families.
Lawmakers adopted a decision on periodic reports "on the plans of the Ministry of Defense to assist Ukraine in the short and medium term".

The document authorizes the temporary lifting of certain contract restrictions on munitions to support Ukraine or to increase Pentagon stockpiles and provides expanded authority to use NATO's rear support arrangements and provides for multi-year purchases of certain munitions.

The document emphasizes the "unwavering commitment of the United States to NATO," as well as the "importance of maintaining a unified response to Russia's unjust war against Ukraine and other common security challenges."

The bill "expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to assist Ukraine in combating an unjust and unprovoked attack by Russia," and transparency/audit of such assistance "is necessary to ensure effective and sustainable support."

It is assumed that the vote on the bill will take place in the House of Representatives by the end of the week. The bill will take effect immediately after President Biden signs it. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3385426

[Jimbuna]

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 92,740 people, 2,935 tanks, 1,923 artillery systems, 5,909 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

The Russian occupiers, who invaded the territory of Ukraine, continue to suffer losses. As of the morning of December 7, the loss of enemy personnel are approximately 92,740 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff.

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24/02 to 07/12 are approximately:

personnel ‒ about 92,740 (+540) people were liquidated,
tanks ‒ 2935 (+6) units,
armored fighting vehicles ‒ 5909 (+4) units,
artillery systems - 1,923 (+8) units,
MLRS – 395 (+0) units,
anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 211 (+0) units,
aircraft – 281 (+0) units,
helicopters - 264 (+0) units,
UAVs of the operational-tactical level - 1601 (+14),
cruise missiles ‒ 592 (+0),
Warships/boats ‒ 16 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 4526 (+21) units,
special equipment - 163 (+0).
"The data is being verified," the General Staff added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3385427

Russia does not want negotiations, but "freezing" of war for new attack in spring, - Stoltenberg

There are currently no conditions for a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to FT, this was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

According to him, although the conflict will likely enter a calmer phase in the winter, both sides will seek to regroup and rearm their forces, and therefore NATO countries should continue to provide support to Ukraine.

"There are no conditions (for a diplomatic settlement. - Ed.) now," Stoltenberg said and added that Russia has not shown any signs of wanting a peaceful end to the war.

"The more we want a peaceful solution, the more urgently we provide military support to Ukraine," the NATO Secretary General stressed.

Stoltenberg believes that Russia is trying to "freeze" the conflict before "the start of a bigger offensive in the spring."

"Now Ukraine has momentum," he said, adding that NATO countries are constantly considering which systems (weapons. - Ed.) to supply to Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3385454