So why has the US administration been hesitant to fully back Ukraine’s claims of Russia guilt over the issue?
Seems pretty obvious to me, they’d have to respond, sucking them further into the war and direct confrontation with Putin.
Seems to me the west are getting cold feet as a result of the massive economic damage it’s causing them and they’re looking for a way out. Zelenskyy is about to be sold down the river.
So why has the US administration been hesitant to fully back Ukraine’s claims of Russia guilt over the issue?
Because there isn't any evidence that it was a decision by the Russian state?
I'm tending to think that it was a bad decision locally by a Russian commander. As I've said (on the other thread, I think) destroying the dam is a one-shot deal and there's little logic to it at this point
Because there isn’t any evidence that it was a decision by the Russian state?
It's actually quite likely that NATO have signals intelligence about the attack but don't want to reveal how much they know. That's been a fairly consistent pattern for the last couple of years
I am just pointing out that the sanctions are causing more damage to the the US and Europe than it is to Russia.
https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1667544167705092097
I’m tending to think that it was a bad decision locally by a Russian commander. As I’ve said (on the other thread, I think) destroying the dam is a one-shot deal and there’s little logic to it at this point
That would be my guess as well
Gathering evidence from inside a blown up dam which is underwater and in enemy hands might be a bit tricky. I cant see how this looks odd to anyone with a grasp on reality.
My SWAG is pretty much the same as other posters. The Russian's mined the dam JIC and either detonated it by accident, or Wagner and the local troops had an argument, and it was set off by them for reasons unknown. I get this impression either way that it wasn't planned.
Polygon Media has interviewed a number of people working for the Russian defence industry.
I am not sure how an how an American entertainment website managed to interview a number of people working for the Russian defence industry, it suggests very poor Russian security, but I don't think it undermines the IMF's prediction that the Russian economy is expected to grow 0.07% in 2023.
Or that it proves that the Eurozone, including the fourth largest economy in the world, going into recession has nothing to do with the EU's sanctions against Russia.
Gathering evidence from inside a blown up dam which is underwater and in enemy hands might be a bit tricky.
If that is the reason for the United States's government failure to fully back Ukraine's claims then I find that rather encouraging.
'Evidence based' conclusions are not always automatically inevitable. Including here on stw! 😉
but I don’t think it undermines the IMF’s prediction that the Russian economy is expected to grow 0.07% in 2023.
You know that the same organisation has said that had the invasion has cost Russia 7-10% in growth? It's also worth noting that the cost to individuals is probably understated. Given the shock to the UK economy of Brexit is around 4-5% annually, (and is a sort of self applied sanctions regime, so they are comparable) doubling that probably makes life hard for the very poorest Russians right now. It's hard to believe that the cost of Brexit will be more than the cost of sanctions to the Russian economy, in fact i'd imagine the cost of sanctions will be much harder to bear. Some organisations are suggesting that Russian citizens can expect somewhere between a 25-50% loss of income value.
Okay I don't totally agree with your analysis Nick but let's leave it there before someone else gets in a strop because we have moved off topic.
Spending time getting angry on social media seems like a waste of a lovely sunny Sunday. Besides, I'm off on a bike ride 😎
Cool,yeah, I'm going as well, Have a great ride!
Well you two, mind and bring plenty of water.
Reports that those pesky Russians have blown up a dam on the Mokri Yaly river in Donetsk. These reports coincide with a number of other reports about the UA making good progress on the front around Vuhledar.
Perhaps the thread title should be amended to read Nova Kakhovka Dam blown up by Russians 🧐
Grim:
This is quite staggering imo :
The Battle of the Dnieper took place in 1943 and was one of the largest operations of World War II.
It involved almost four million troops and at one point stretched over an 870-mile front.
I have no idea how a helmet managed to stay on a skull after being washed up, unless someone placed it on the skull for the photo.
Seems to have gone quiet regarding the damage, any recent updatesurvey?
