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Think it's more about preserving the bridgehead in kursk, which I'm not sure will have the leverage needed to get the settlement they want. whilst embarrassing for Putin it has a shelf life. How long can Ukraine sustain that bargaining chip? I hope they've got another ace up their sleeve.
Apparently Biden has given go ahead for long range weapon use in Kursk, maybe beyond.
I cant help but wonder if thats just a parting gift for Trump to deal with the fallout(pun) of.
Hopefully yes, Trump left Biden to deal with Afghanistan.
I cant help but wonder if thats just a parting gift for Trump to deal with the fallout(pun) of.
It's a response to Russian escalation. I think that we forget that Russia has been doing the escalation AND controlling the narrative:
Illegal occupation of Crimea
Illegal invasion of Donbas
Illegal invasion of the rest of Ukraine
Threats of nuclear weapons (several times)
War crimes, including destroying civilian infrastructure, targeting civilian population, use of chemical weapons, execution/maltreatment of PoWs, kidnapping children, etc.
Recruiting an army from a third country (N.Korea)
It's time that this was stopped
Fingers crossed this well let Ukraine do something about the air strips Russia's been launching those damn glide bombs from.
Those have been bedevilling Ukraine for the last year and are a huge part of why they've been losing ground as they were air launched from deep inside Russia and there was no way of countering them.
Included in war crimes but let’s not forget
Torture
the deliberate destruction of that massive dam and subsequent flooding
targeting of hospitals, inc a children’s hospital
This isn’t an escalation. Ukraine should have had this capability all along, the fact that they’ve had to wait so long is on Biden. His Ukraine policy has been totally inadequate.
And still Sholtz won't release Taurus.
the fact that they’ve had to wait so long is on Biden. His Ukraine policy has been totally inadequate.
And yet, it'll soon be seen as some kind of lost golden period once Trump's cronies and Putin apologists get into office next year.
Various sources I read about why the Germans aren't sending Taurus:
lack of trust that it could be used to strike sensitive places
want to keep them to protect Germany
like before they want another country/US to provide something similar first so it's not them doing the escalating
A chap on the Newsagents has just said that they are only for use against the North Koreans in Kursk at the moment.
Biden knows that soon he will no longer be able to comprehend or to enjoy his own existence so what better way then to have entourage to accompany him into the afterlife whatever that is. All he needs to do now is simply to agree to the request by Ukraine and sit back to see his entourage appearing. Biden will definitely have the the last laugh when the whole place burns, because where he will be is hot hot hot.
Russia murdered several people over the weekend and repeated their winter war crime by targeting power plants. If Ukraine can stop the source of these weapons - good on them.
chewkw
Free Member
Biden knows that soon he will no longer be able to comprehend or to enjoy his own existence so what better way then to have entourage to accompany him into the afterlife whatever that is. All he needs to do now is simply to agree to the request by Ukraine and sit back to see his entourage appearing. Biden will definitely have the the last laugh when the whole place burns, because where he will be is hot hot hot.
Considering how Biden has dragged his feet at every stage and even now, is only allowing the missiles use in Kursk... I'm not sure your point is valid. It's also the best time for Biden to escalate anyway.
Putin knows he only needs to hold out till trump is in office. I don't see him blowing his own and everybody else's arse up, as he can't wait a few weeks...
Also, wouldn't you say Putin is escalating just a tad by having a foreign, nuclear power put 50 thousands boots on the ground against Ukraine?
(Also Biden is not not a Pharaoh.)
You might want to add cutting fibre lines again and more people jumping out of windows. ballet star no less who was very vocal and anti war.
I'm not sure how far people will let Putin test the water in the EU but cutting fibre spines is sailing close to an act of aggression to the owners the pipe.
As for the economy I've seen footage of butter being under lock and key and reports that the death payments to Russian shoulder has been cut.
Putin is throwing his last roll of the dice and it's all on either trump or China going after Taiwan. The latter I don't think will happen China is not ready for it until they get more aircraft carriers built added to the fact it will be a disaster for them.
Interesting you should say that because it’s what I’ve wondered about Putin.
Western domination is at the turning point in history, whether Putin is around or not is irrelevant as the push back has began.
It’s also the best time for Biden to escalate anyway.
Biden (more likely he and the deep state) is trying to sabotage the next presidency, but I have a feeling that the deep state will hide deep when the next presidency period begins.
Putin knows he only needs to hold out till trump is in office. I don’t see him blowing his own and everybody else’s arse up, as he can’t wait a few weeks…
Also, wouldn’t you say Putin is escalating just a tad by having a foreign, nuclear power put 50 thousands boots on the ground against Ukraine?
It is irrelevant who is in power in the West as the world is slowing changing. Not sure what is the relevancy of foreign troops in Ukraine because both sides do that anyway.
(Also Biden is not not a Pharaoh.)
LOL! He should build a solid gold sarcophagus to be remembered.
Putin is throwing his last roll of the dice and it’s all on either trump or China going after Taiwan. The latter I don’t think will happen China is not ready for it until they get more aircraft carriers built added to the fact it will be a disaster for them.
Trump is Trump and he knows that it is better to trade (trade war) then to shoot bullets. Unlike all the previous Presidents, Trump loves trade wars because he knows how damaging it can be financially and it is also not that popular to put people in financial hardship. Trump's priority is to return manufacturing and work etc back to US, not expanding wars.
The Western understanding of Chinese people is really limited. There will be No major war between Taiwan and China, but there might some skirmishes for shows but no major bombing like the carpet bombing of the civilians.
As I said we are seeing the dawn of new world system. Time has changed.
The danger to US is not foreign powers but the deep state. Trump has more troubles with the deep state than the rest of the world.
deep state
It may be confirmation bias. However.
deep state
Really. Can you explain what you think that is exactly?
Really. Can you explain what you think that is exactly?
Well there is the rigged supreme court and those state officials who make voting in certain areas as hard as possible.
Since those are Trumpists though its difficult too see why it would be problematic for him.
I took the link about undersea cables and read around the subject a bit. The russian survey vessel "Yantar" was implicated in Baltic cable issues and escorted out of the Irish sea...
Its been messing around with undersea cables since 2015...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_research_vessel_Yantar
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42543712
and at the bottom of the article there was speculation in 2018 it could knock out the cables....
The russian survey vessel “Yantar” was implicated in Baltic cable issues and escorted out of the Irish sea…
Supposedly it has been surveying / spying / marking all sorts for years in the Baltic and north Norway coastline, as well as transatlantic cables. There is a genuine vulnerability to Russia deciding to mess with all the undersea infrastructure from comms, oil, gas and power...
They snipped the cables going to one of the isles up north last year.
It would be a shame if Yantar had a loss of floatation type event.
Well there is the rigged supreme court and those state officials who make voting in certain areas as hard as possible.
Corruption, political meddling, bipartisanship etc. are as old as the hills. I don't think that is evidence of a sinister, shadowy, extra governmental cabal coordinating and controlling everything from behind the scenes. Which is what I think people mean by "deep state"? Yes there are non politicians like Musk exerting influence they don't merit, but there's nothing "deep" or hidden about it, it's blatant
Where is George Soros when you need him...
So...
After confirmation that missiles can now hit targets in Kursk:
Russia: "We have nukes and we absolutely will nuke you all (and us) from orbit, you just wait and see! We really, really mean it this time! Honest!"
The reality: They use their EDC Swiss Army Knife (made in China) to snip an internet cable going between Germany and Finland.
😀
I mean, Europe needs to be prepared for this sort of hybrid shit from Putin but it's not exactly time to stock up on potassium iodide tablets and baked beans!
It would be a shame if Yantar had a loss of floatation type event.
It would be a mystery, but any boat near exploding gas pipelines and undersea cable demolition has to take that risk on the chin.
chewkw
more likely he and the deep state
It's so frustrating chew as you make valid points sometimes but then utterly ruin it with statements like the above.
RustyNissanPrairie
Full Member
It would be a shame if Yantar had a loss of floatation type event.
Yes, utterly tragic.
Let's hope they've banned cigarettes onboard!
deep state
There was a Judge Ronald MacDonald who has a law degree from Harvard, is Canadian and served on the ECHR as Lichtenstein's nomination.
After the Atomic Wars he had a feud with Judge Dredd, now that's deep state!
The second paragraph might not be true though 😉
Considering everyone blatantly knows what that russian ship is designed for I can't understand why it doesn't have a permanent escort shadowing it everywhere it goes in international waters. Just close enough to make the point that if a cable was to suddenly get cut it would be completely crystal clear who did it. And if they still did it, under the watchful eyes of an escort recording their every move from short range rather than a satellite then I'd say its fair game to be impounded.
As for the other stuff up there, all I'll add is odd.
Supposedly it has been surveying / spying / marking all sorts for years in the Baltic and north Norway coastline, as well as transatlantic cables. There is a genuine vulnerability to Russia deciding to mess with all the undersea infrastructure from comms, oil, gas and power…
This is interesting , I remember reading in the 80s I think that Russian lorries had driven all over Europe photographing and filming everything - bridges, interchanges, flyovers and railways. They just looked like regular lorries. All good data for an advancing red army, should it ever arise, or for terrorist type activity.
Different focus now on communication cables but the principle is the same. There know where everything is and what it looks like
This is interesting , I remember reading in the 80s I think that Russian lorries had driven all over Europe photographing and filming everything – bridges, interchanges, flyovers and railways. They just looked like regular lorries. All good data for an advancing red army, should it ever arise, or for terrorist type activity.
As a young squaddie in Germany in the 1980s, we were all issued with, and had to carry at all times a SOXMIS card. SOXMIS was the Soviet military mission. These were Russians who were allowed to drive around in West Germany, with distinctive plates on their vehicles. They were supposedly there as part of reassurance measures to detect a significant troop build up or possible NATO moves towards crossing the inner German border. There were however quite strict rules about where they could go, and what they could do, which they of course broke all the time. Trying to break into barracks, recruiting locally employed civilians as humint sources etc. Hence the cards, if we spotted them, there was an RMP/Int Corps 'hotline' number to ring. There was also a BRIXMIS operating on the other side of the IGB. I have a mate who served in it, and he has some absolutely epic tales to tell of run-ins with the Stasi and the shenanigans they got up to!
On the undersea cables stuff - it's the obvious way they are carrying out these surveillance operations/sabotage prep, as a kind of visible warning. A bit like their nuclear deterrence shouting/threatening style; it's not the substance of what they are saying that is the key message, but the manner they are doing it. It actually shows their limitations and desperation. NATO and nuclear countries just need to knowingly tap their sword to remind Russia of the nuclear deterrent and military capability on the other side. Likewise, sub-sea cables going to Russia and critical infrastructure across the whole of Russia: i'd fully expect we have them all mapped, monitored, photographed, the full shebang. Not to mention the role of US in targeting on behalf of Ukraine (as a condition of some weapons delivery). Russia know this, and the NATO allies don't need to show this with a dodgy pirate ship that is 100% being monitored and shadowed - it's also testing responses much like airspace incursions and the like.
Following the coverage of the ATACMS strikes is interesting, as it places the onus of escalation on the US/West, whereas Russia has been using exactly those kind of weapons in big numbers, from day 1 in 2022. It's taken 1000 days for a vaguely like-for-like response.
BBC breaking suggesting Atacms has been used.
And Russia are claiming to have shot down five of the six fired, with the sixth one partially damaged. I thought they were meant to be very difficult to intercept?
I thought they were meant to be very difficult to intercept?
I thought people would be a bit more sceptical about claimed Russian (and to be fair, Ukrainian) air defence successes? When ATACMs was first deployed, the Russians claimed to have destroyed about three times the number of launchers that were actually delivered to Ukraine, within a few days of first use. Ukraine will have fired loads of lower tech weapons, including indigenously developed UAVs, as well as ATACMS, to decoy and overwhelm Russian AD. I don't doubt the Russians have brought down some incoming stuff, but I'm very sceptical of a claim that they have hit every single ATACMS missile launched.
^^ An analyst was on TV earlier. He said Russia would have been lucky to even shoot one down due to their speed and relatively small size.
So yep, Russia is fibbing.
Hell, if they were shot down this easily why are Russia issuing all the threats as per usual?
I thought people would be a bit more sceptical about claimed Russian (and to be fair, Ukrainian) air defence successes?
Well, yes. I didn't *believe* what was said, but surely there would have been significant damage if six Attack 'ems had been fired. So, were they Attack 'ems? Did they actually fire six?
So, were they Attack ’ems? Did they actually fire six?
I don't think we know. The figure of 6 comes from Russia. I'm not aware (I may be wrong) that Ukraine has released any details of what has been fired. I suspect the various OSINT sites will be pouring all over satellite imagery to look for damage, so maybe more credible info will come out over the next few days.
I remember reading in the 80s I think that Russian lorries had driven all over Europe photographing and filming everything
Google have photographed my house about 5 times since 2014. Nowadays you can just google it - unless some country has specifically prevented it.