War in Ukraine

Russia is burning through an average of $29 billion a year in its wealth fund. And the financial screws on Russian exports have been tightened significantly since the start of the war, so the burn rate has likely accelerated to compensate for that. They may run out of money in 4-5 months, it sounds like.

Looks like Europe is on the verge of a great victory. (An excellent job by Zelenskyy of keeping his country together and opposing the Russian invasion. Maybe they will invite Joe Biden to the celebration for his significant contributions to the win.) Maybe Putin will invite Trump to the loser's after-party, where they can take turns dressing up as the Pope and Star Wars characters.

 

Zelenskyy asks Trump to join peace talks in Istanbul. This war is nearing its end.

 

Never heard this take before. Interesting.

 

All for a War it started with the expectation it would end in a month.

 

I wonder how much each missile is compared to the price of the drone it is shooting down.

 

testing grounds extraordinaire. One day, we will realize how much value we got out of weapons testing, advanced warfare tactics with drones, etc fromt his conflict. That and the degradation of the russian forces is worth 10x what we have contributed, especially if you write down real costs of ordinances scheduled for disposal and disposal costs.

 

as these special forces move out of Moscow, one wonders if that gives others ideas as to Putin's security

Russia struggling on key Ukraine battleground as desperate Putin deploys special forces

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched an elite military team to help take over a key strategic town in the border region of Donetsk Oblast.

Russia's elite FSB Presidential Regiment, also known as the Kremlin Regiment, was sent to the Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar on Sunday amid a month-long battle to take over the town, according to Suspilne media, a Ukrainian broadcaster.
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A Ukrainian military spokesperson told Ukrainian media that the deployment of the elite forces signals that Moscow is struggling and desperate to complete the operation. "These are top-level specialists. Now we have to face very intense fighting, and very accurate and precise work," said Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for Ukraine's 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties as well."

 

It's what happened in their last war, over in Afghanistan. The Russian economy collapsed, and the troops went home.

 

if true, this could snowball. good time to keep hitting those refineries

Russia's new crisis: Fuel supply plummets, Kremlin holds emergency talks

Russia has found itself on the brink of an energy crisis due to the decline in profitability of oil refineries (ORs), sanctions, and logistical difficulties. The Kremlin is urgently convening a meeting to avoid a fuel shortage, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

It is noted that the Kremlin is urgently convening a meeting because of the alarming decline in the volume of transportation of oil products within the country. The government of the Russian Federation is concerned about a possible fuel shortage in the domestic market. This situation is especially worrisome during the critical period of the sowing campaign for the agricultural sector.

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The reduction in fuel supplies, according to intelligence, is a clear signal of systemic destabilization of the Russian economy.

The industrial sector, farmers, and logistics may find themselves in conditions of fuel famine, which in turn will lead to an inflationary surge and social discontent. If the current dynamics continue, Moscow may face the most serious systemic challenge to the energy system since the collapse of the USSR, the intelligence notes.

 

The Soviet economy. Which had to carry the burden of over a dozen states. So that's actually not what happened in Afghanistan. Stick to football.

 

late to the party but welcome in?

Path for chaos: UN Secretary-General issues stern warning about war in Ukraine

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the lack of a just peace in Ukraine could have catastrophic consequences, Sky News reports.

"It is extremely important in a moment like this that international law prevails... Otherwise, we are paving the way for chaos around the world," he said.

 

Russian tanks worth millions obliterated after Ukrainian drone attack

Ukrainian forces have destroyed multiple Russian tanks in a drone strike, according to a statement released Monday by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.

The ministry reported that a hangar—whose exact location remains undisclosed—was targeted in a precision strike carried out by Ukrainian-made drones. A video of the attack was also shared publicly.

According to the statement, Ukraine’s 225th battalion successfully tracked a Russian tank as it took cover inside the hangar. The strike reportedly destroyed armored assets worth approximately $4 million, including a T-72 battle tank and a BMD-2 infantry fighting vehicle.

 

germany to ramp up military spending to 5%

Germany makes bombshell NATO spending announcement following pressure from US president

 

Call it the Kremlin economy if you want. Same autocratic government, different leader. What evidence do you have that the dozen states were a major burden causing the USSR to collapse economically? The vassal states were a minor burden in that some of them (like Poland) were in nearly open revolt. In previous years, the vassal states were a significant source of income for the USSR, as they could take whatever natural resources they wanted. The real problem was that the Soviet economy could not keep up with the U.S. economy AND maintain a cutting edge to their military weaponry, including competing with the U.S. "Star Wars" program. The loss of prestige (and money) as they lost the war in Afghanistan was one more nail in the coffin. It is very expensive to conduct a major war off in a dangerous corner of the world, especially when the other superpower is feeding weapons to your enemy. Stick to lacrosse.

 

They can’t beat the Ukrainian army even with N Korean and Chinese troops so they resort to killing civilians.

What a bunch of pathetic cowards.

 

Which makes it especially disgusting when Americans carry water for them.