Except he was universally known as "Birne" (pear) on account of the shape of his head!
Apparently Truss is a direct translation of lettuce
Although to be fair I'm fairly sure the ex German chancellor lasted longer than a cabbage
Except he was universally known as “Birne” (pear) on account of the shape of his head!
Bernie Cabbage! Who wouldn't vote for him?!
i mean Putin always sounded like putain
so who knows what militias have risen uo and taken southern districts from the SAA
https://bsky.app/profile/tendar.bsky.social/post/3lco4u7hvck2m
and Russia is moving heavy equipment to Tartus, no idea how they'll get it out from there though
https://bsky.app/profile/tendar.bsky.social/post/3lcnt3k6nc224
It's like Game of Thrones with sand. Not sure who my favourite is at the moment.
How far is tartus from Ukraine?
We’re ignoring 100years of history, maybe because of some colonial-thing. Turkiye is the correct spoiling, but I don’t bother with the accents on the “U” and “I” ?
Just did a search, nothing like that, also for the benefit of Ernie the country came first then the bird (because guinea fowl were traded from there).
It's an anglicisation, it goes as far back as middle English so it's not something I'm gonna be kept up with white guilt about. It's like Germans calling my country Schottland, that works in their language so whatever.
Anyway, seems I did miss the memo so I learned something today. Türkiye it is.
How far is tartus from Ukraine?
about 100km as the Bayaktar flies (via Turkey/ Türkiye) As the bosphorus is closed to russian warships they can't get that stuff back to russia very easily , even if they were willing to move the ships back to port and risk drone attack.
It’s like Game of Thrones with sand. Not sure who my favourite is at the moment.
Needs more:
a) Dragons
b) Shagging
How far is tartus from Ukraine?
several thousand miles by boat!
A video that fails to mention Turkeys influence
about 100km as the Bayaktar flies
100km ? Dont you mean a 1000km, as its pretty much the width of Turkey then some more
yes sorry 1000km!
looks like SAA sre making s fight of it and digging in around Homs with russians bombing rebel positions around the city
meanwhile rebels in the south are sweeping up and just a few km from central Damascus!
https://bsky.app/profile/chadbourn.bsky.social/post/3lcpsaxc24k2z
those regimes that Russia's Africa Corps are currently propping up; Mali, Niger, CAR, Burkina Faso etc all suddenly wondering how reliable they are and a lot of insurgents wondering how to test that
good summary of why syria has collapsed so quickly
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/05/syria-assad-regime-collapsing-quickly/
summary; economy & living standards have collapsed, government & military are corrupt narco enterprises & HTS have trained and equipped its own elite units, especially drone brigade.
what I'm not seeing anywhere is who funds/equips HTS?
Turkey I thought?
I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse.
Of course it will. Give it a couple of years and it will be like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.
Then the US will go in and 'save the people', and thus the US has the base it so wanted with its ports in the eastern Med with close access to the black sea.
Turkey I thought?
i don't think so, they've actually fought with turkey and their proxy the SNA
Then the US will go in and ‘save the people’, and thus the US has the base it so wanted with its ports in the eastern Med with close access to the black sea.
not sure there's much appetite in America for that, and trump couldn't care less about the med
Of course it will. Give it a couple of years and it will be like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.
On this subject - was life better for ordinary Afghans when the Russians were in charge than they are today? My impression is that they were, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time.
The U.S. Sixth Fleet is already based in Italy, with close access to the Black Sea. Turkey is a NATO member and controls access between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Syria makes zero difference to U.S. access to the Black Sea. It is a major blow to Russia's claim to be a world power, however, Putin must be utterly raging at the humiliation.
BBC News has just shown footage of them toppling statues inside Damascus and reporting Assad’s troops are abandoning their positions and leaving their tanks and armour behind, which the rebels have now captured and turned on them
They then repeated a statement from the regime saying that Assad is still at his desk in Damascus and personally coordinating the fight against the rebels.
Really?
On this subject – was life better for ordinary Afghans when the Russians were in charge than they are today?
Dont know, but with 1 to 3 million civilian deaths it was still a **** show.
I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse.
While I’ll be glad to see Assad go, the history of revolutions doesn’t paint a hopeful picture for at least the next few years.
The U.S. Sixth Fleet is already based in Italy, with close access to the Black Sea. Turkey is a NATO member and controls access between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Syria makes zero difference to U.S. access to the Black Sea.
Oh come on, they've only got 40 naval bases, I'm sure they'd be happy with one more.
Empires need these things.
Wikipedia only lists Turkey as supporting HTS, since 2017.
Strong rumours that Russian naval forces have been given the order to abandon Tartus (for realsies this time) and a private plane has left Damascus airport with unknown occupants heading for the UAE.
Obviously huge 'fog of war' caveats apply but this really could be it.
Dang that was fast!
https://bsky.app/profile/chadbourn.bsky.social/post/3lcqczdbru22n
I guess it's looking like take a deep breath and hoping against hopewhat is next, isnt worse.
The bluesky link via the guardian looks very much like it's over for the regime
Intrigued as to how Russia retrieves equipment without Ukraine putting it on the bottom of the med or black sea
worry is that Russia had been selling (stolen Ukrainian) grain too Syria, if by they stop now will add to Syrias problems
where do russian ships go? black sea still blocked to them by Turkeys , so sail all the way round Scandinavia?
can they go any where else in Africa?
if they're abandoning tartus that also means airbase at Latakia which is as big loss of airpower for Russia across the med and Africa
On this subject – was life better for ordinary Afghans when the Russians were in charge than they are today?
Yes, life was better for women when Russians were "in charged", but now women are just for child bearing purposes. However, life is generally "peaceful" with only men on the streets. Taliban has taken a "softer" stance with other nations that want to trade with them and a formula they perceive to be working. People are still surviving as far as I know from their street food scenes.
Damascus is falling, and the dominos are beginning to tumble for Russia.Putin remains a master strategist
Russian outposts fall due to close proximity with Israel and a NATO member (Turkey), but that is just how things are in middle east since Arab Spring. i.e. someone is stirring the pot.
Introducing western "democracy" to that region in the name of peace etc (true aim is to sow chaos to make it easier to manage) is actually moving a step closer to creating the khilafah for the entire region. The West think they can control the fragmented groups and the impression is that they can, but this is merely a temporary state of truce as the fighters are all merely complying while recuperating from decades of wars. The vacuum will be slowly filled with religious based movement again, and one that is very conservative. Those middle eastern nations with Western ties will slowly disappear in future. IMO, Lebanon and Jordan are on the shaky grounds in the long run, and will be the next targets if the religious based groups can stabilise (agree amongst) themselves. Ultimately, No matter how friendly they are with the West, they ALL want Israel gone. I suspect within this 50 years or perhaps earlier, Israel will be part of the Khaliafah. Although Turkey always want to be seen as the leader of the Khilafah, they are not and will be the last to fall.
Iran allegedly withdrawing at least some of its military from Syria
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/world/middleeast/iran-syria-evacuation.html
Iran allegedly withdrawing at least some of its military from Syria
I suspect they don't want to have more people dying. Not a good idea too to fight amongst the people with similar belief.
Although Shite and Sunni may look different or fight amongst themselves, they will eventually reconcile their differences to deal with their one main enemy in the region. i.e. to kick their main enemy out for 3rd and the last time forever.
Part of the reason that the locals have risen up so rapidly against the regime (well that and all the corruption, trashed economy and Syrian military running a huge amphetamine dealing business!) is that they resent the flood of shiites from Hezbollah and Iran who have moved to Damascus and southern Syria in their 1000s over the last few years.
I reckon that right about now Russia is desperately trying to negotiate safe use of Tartus amd Khmeimim airbase, because without them they will struggle to support their troops propping up juntas in subsaharan Africa, sudan etc , the Russians tried to play both sides in Libiya so thats unlikely.
without it Russia suffers a big humiliation.
on the one hand Russia is getting a lot of money from their Africa operations, on the other, thet are stretched very thin in Ukraine and who knows what else will pop up in Georgia etc
HTS can probably demand a high price to let Russia keep those bases
HTS can probably demand a high price to let Russia keep those bases
What will Russia pay then with? Not dollars or euros or anything useful.
grain
Part of the reason that the locals have risen up so rapidly against the regime (well that and all the corruption, trashed economy and Syrian military running a huge amphetamine dealing business!) is that they resent the flood of shiites from Hezbollah and Iran who have moved to Damascus and southern Syria in their 1000s over the last few years.
Because their leaders (most in that region) were in no man's land trying to mix western democracy with religious based population. Never going to work. The population generally see their leaders as corrupted "capitalists". For many generations most of the leaders in that region deluded themselves as the rightful leaders, but their religious foundation has always been weak. The people just went with the flow but after many generations, things got worst for them and the only fall back they have is to embrace their belief again; and leaders that are not providing the stability are rejected.
I reckon that right about now Russia is desperately trying to negotiate safe use of Tartus amd Khmeimim airbase, because without them they will struggle to support their troops propping up juntas in subsaharan Africa, sudan etc , the Russians tried to play both sides in Libiya so thats unlikely.
They don't have to. All they need to do is let them loose by supplying them with basic weapons and they will do the job for themselves or Russia etc. Remember Russia has already resume diplomatic ties with Taliban. Most of the fighters have already seen the success of the Taliban and will follow their approach.
without it Russia suffers a big humiliation.
No, just different tactics. The only humiliation is NATO winning in Ukraine but that will never happen.
on the one hand Russia is getting a lot of money from their Africa operations, on the other, thet are stretched very thin in Ukraine and who knows what else will pop up in Georgia etc
Not sure how important the Africa operations is and will be better to let that be a problem for someone else.
HTS can probably demand a high price to let Russia keep those bases
Or simply cooperate in exchange for weapons so they can march south.
Yes, life was better for women when Russians were “in charged”
The Russians were brutal, especially in the rural areas with a campaign of 'depopulation' to remove the support to the insurgency.
One thing we noticed when we first deployed in 06/07 was how when flying over compounds the women would grab the kids and run. We spoke to our partner force liaison and he told us it was a learned behaviour from when the Russians invaded and would fire into compounds targeting anyone they saw.
So no, I'd argue they didn't have it better under the Russians.
Russian convoy being escorted to Turkey by Kurds driving American vehicles. Utter humiliation for Russia.
https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1865428057453908276
