Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

That order strongly implies they need a lot more medics than they prepared for. Lines up with things not going according to plan.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Hannibal]

If you've seen enough clips of Russian politics you've probably seen Dmitry Peskov. He's Putin's longtime press secretary. His daughter (who i think lives outside Russia) posted an anti-war message on her Instagram earlier today. Within an hour deleted it.

Despite Putin's best attempts, this is not popular and that's while doing an almost complete media blackout of any negative news. I think too many Russians know people who live in Ukraine that they can call and hear how they're down in a subway tunnel while the city gets bombed. Meanwhile Russian tv keeps saying that fighting has been restricted solely to the Donbas.

Has Putin managed to cut off access to youtube?

[Tom W]

Those are better than Ladas, but the Soviet, er Russian, tanks are still more powerful, better armed and more heavily armored.

[Hannibal]

How credible are the opinion polls that come out of Russia right now?

[Obi-Jon]

Are we air dropping Stingers and Javelins yet?



EU now sanctioning Putin directly. I'd be stunned if he wasn't shielded somehow.

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/eu-says-sanctions-target-70-russian-banking-market-2022-02-25/

Russia has been laundering billions by investing in UK real estate. Seize and announce their forfeiture to pay for the Stingers, Javelins. and upkeep of refugees. Have an Interpol Red Notice warrant issued so if Adolf Putin sets foot out of Russia, he can be detained.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Three cargo ships in the Black Sea have been hit by Russian missiles since yesterday. Luckily no one killed

Two more ships hit in the Black Sea - Splash247

[Jeff Buchanan]

Reportedly, Zelenski asked Israel to host and mediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Israel has unique relations with both Ukraine and Russia and considers itself to be neutral in the Russia/Ukraine imbroglio. Apparently, Zelenski said Het to RUssian suggestion negotiations take place in Belarus. Riiiiight!

Israel is not talking about this except to make it public that Ukraine has inquired. Not surprising.

Based on the world's markets response today, I'd say there is some factual underpinnings to the news that the two sides want to talk. As I said earlier, the "dick-dance" over this will be long and drawn out. Slavic culture has a lot in common with Arab culture in terms of what we consider dicking around. That is actually how they negotiate.... I think that color is turquise, no it's green, wait it's a hybrid chartreuse. Crazy.

I remember reading about how hard it was to nail anything down between waring sides (and there were many "sides") during the cluster-fuck that was the Balkan Wars and the ensuing break-up of Yugoslavia late 80s to 90. Nobody was telling the truth, would find ways to weasel out of what they had agreed at the round, square or oblong table (table shape always an issue in these types of negotiations) and after agreed upon cease fires continued to kill each other at alarming rates - both civilians and military. A lot of enmity still exists.

Besides that cultural framework that will be present during any meetings of Zelenski, his people and Putin and his, Putin is a fucking brutal liar that will negotiate with a gun to Zelenski's head. I'm not sure Zelenski is a pure as the driven snow or are the people advising him the most trustworthy bunch. Whatever. It's a start but if the two sides actually do meet, don't expect a speedy resolution. Putin doesn't care about dead soldiers, shot down aircraft or blown up APCs and tanks. He'll continue to encircle and squeeze Kiev, pouring in tanks and troops making it unsafe for people to re-open businesses, schools, return to their homes and resume even semi-normalcy. It's going to drag on like this until Putin gets what he wants and as long as oil is $100pb and he can sell it. I'm hoping at some point in the dick-dance, the West's leadership will continue to hammer Russia economically and do some of the stuff talked about here that will hurt including denying Russian businesses access to SWIFT. That will suck for the World's economy becasue Russia is an important part of it but the longer we wait to stuff this guy the longer the pain, mostly humanitarian, will continue.

[Obi-Jon]

Here's who Russia exports to.

Capture.JPG




Chicom bastards are intentionally propping up Putin.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...5461645720897/

[Obi-Jon]

Time to squeeze Putin from within. Tell him if Russia does not begin the immediate and rapid withdrawal of troops from Ukraine, the western nations will pay a $300M bounty to the individual(s) that remove Putin from power. Let him fear his generals.

That's a small PowerBall jackpot in the US and a whole lot of dough in Russia.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Take him down from the inside!

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm not a big fan of the UN but this what the US UN ambassador just told the security council in the lead-up to a vote condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine:.

"This is a simple vote today. Vote yes if you believe in upholding the U.N. charter. Vote yes if you respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vote yes if Russia should be held to account to its action. Vote no or abstain if you do not believe in the U.N. charter. Vote no and align yourself with the unprovoked actions of Russia. Just as Russia had a choice, so do you."

Talk is cheap and anything the UN does is mostly symbolic but the world of international relations is historically full of symbolism. Of course the Russians will veto the resolution and the Chinese will abstain (shocker if the vote to concur). The point is however, when you've got a strategic advantage like the West and all free countries hold over Putin's misstep, you drive the nail deeper. It may n ot help but it can't hurt.

The Russians hitting ships in the Black Sea I suppose might be intended to keep Ukraine from getting oil and gas supplies - or threatening to further engage these ships and disrupt Ukraine ability to conduct sea trade - both ways. But it does not seem to make a lot of sense for Putin to do that. I read a couple of articles at the link that DSL provided on the ship hits. Russia is highly dependent on sea trade arriving and departing from Black Sea Ports. Hitting the 3 ships that have been struck by the Russians have caused two things I would have thought would habve been anticipated: (1) shipping rates skyrocketed on February 24th with a one day rise in the metric used to measure this the biggest on record. (2) Dozens of ships have left the Black Sea ports completely and laying low off shore beyond some sort of demarcation line where they are in international waters.

In a related matter Ukraine requested Turkey to block the movement of Russian ships from the Agean Sea through the Straights of Bosporus (Dardanelles) - the transit area to Russia's and Ukraine's Black Sea ports, Odessa being the largest and currently not operating due to hostilities. They are considering an action involving stopping only military vessels from traversing the Dardanelles outbound but nothing else. Turkey is a NATO member and is straddling a fine line on issues like this.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down an IL-76 transport plane just south of Kyiv. Russia either lost a lot of paratroopers or a lot of equipment.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Jeff, in the end China, India, and the UAE voted to abstain. Russia only vote no.

India's Ambassador put out a mealy-mouthed statement afterwards that seemed to sympathize with Ukraine quite a bit so I don't understand their vote.

I am not sure Putin has the enthusiastic support of China on this.

EDIT: The AP article below says the US softened the language a bit to get China to flip from voting No alongside Russia to Abstain

https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-vetoes-un-security-action-ukraine-china-abstains-2022-02-25/

[Dr. Strangelove]

Here's Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN insulting his Russian counterpart to his face. Says his words are worthless because he has no clue what Putin wants or thinks.