Sanctions against Russia

[willedoo]

On 05/05/2022 at 11:52 PM, onetrack said:

The bloke running the site below, seems to think the Russians are BS-ing about capturing Cadieu. He makes a lot of sense with his arguments that there's no proof Cadieu has been captured, and it's extremely unlikely he got into Mariupol earlier, because the city has been under siege since 17th March, and Cadieu did not retire until April 5th.

 

https://www.techarp.com/internet/russia-general-cadieu-azovstal/

 

Hard to tell from the photo, but he does have a nose and mouth like Cadieu. It could be just a bloke who looks like him and used for propaganda. His real name might be Boris. Also you would think Ukraine would make better use of someone with Cadieu's background rather than send him to Mariupol to fight.

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by willedoo

[onetrack]

If the Russians really had Cadieu, they'd be parading him publically, as they did with the other two "foreign mercenaries". A senior officer is a prize of great value, just look at how the Allies gloated on the capture of Nazi senior officers during WW2.

[willedoo]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

If the Russians really had Cadieu, they'd be parading him publically, as they did with the other two "foreign mercenaries". A senior officer is a prize of great value, just look at how the Allies gloated on the capture of Nazi senior officers during WW2.

I'm no graphics expert, but something didn't look right about his nose. Cadieu has a very distinctive nose, and it looks to me like they've shopped the end of his nose onto some random bloke with a similar build. If so, it's a bit amateurish; it's not hard to match tones a bit better than that. My apologies to Cadieu and his nose if it really is him.

 

Edited May 7, 2022 by willedoo

[willedoo]

There's a lot of politics being played by either side. Ukraine seems to have won that side of it hands down. They are at the stage where they are the current darling of the West and can do no wrong. All they need to do is stay on track, keep doing what they've been doing, and they'll have a good chance of winning this thing.

 

 Russia, on the other hand, by lying to the world about intention to invade Ukraine, are in the position that nobody anywhere believes them. Even if Ukraine were to do something bad, and Russia told the truth, nobody will believe them. Their credibility is gone. Ukraine has won the media and political war; all they need to do now is win the physical war.

 

The politics coming from the Kremlin is amusing. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that Western supplies of arms won’t change the outcome of the conflict, but only prolong it and inflict more damage and suffering on the Ukrainian people. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said “Our military is well aware that the US, the UK, and NATO as a whole are continuously transmitting intelligence and other parameters to the Ukrainian armed forces. Combined with the flow of weapons that these countries and the alliance are sending to Ukraine, these actions do not contribute to a quick resolution of the operation.”

 

What that really means is that Russia knows that the longer it drags on, the higher the chance that Russia will lose. They desperately want some small win in the Donbass so they can do a peace deal, keep some territory, and claim a victory to justify their massive loss of blood and treasure. Russia's management don't give a hoot about inflicting more damage and suffering on the Ukrainian people. All that concerns them is the prospect of their total defeat.

Edited May 7, 2022 by willedoo

[willedoo]

No new news today on whether there is any truth in claims the Russian missile frigate Admiral Makarov was hit. Since the sinking of the flagship Moskva, it appears that the Black Sea Fleet has only three large surface ships operational in the Black Sea, the Admiral Makarov being one of them. The others are either in dock for maintenance and repairs, or stationed in the Mediterranean.

 

I was reading where the drones that took out the Russian air defences on Snake Island then flew on to hit the two patrol boats. The article made the point that without the frigates for cover, the smaller craft are sitting ducks. The frigates are staying a good distance off shore because they now don't have the Moskva to protect them in turn. If the Admiral Makarov is or does get taken out of action, they are down to two surface ships which in turn, then become more vulnerable.

 

It sounds like the Black Sea Fleet is close to being stuffed as a fighting force. If the Black Sea submarines run out of long range missiles soon, the Russian Navy is largely out of the equation.

[Jerry_Atrick]

This is a really interesting interview of a Russian Officer (presumablyh relatively junior):

 

 

One thing - a penny dropped during this interview. In all of their interviews, they call the parents of the soldiers. The parents often deny Russia has done anything wrong, but the mother of this soldier was fare more deft in her responses. She didn't blame Ukraine, or call them Nazis. She remained more or less on the fence, saying she didn't follow politics or the military. I think this was really smart - she was  saying, well, if I tell you who it was, it is likely that I will be rounded up.. but I don't want to say it was Ukraine, so I will sit on the fence.. I don't agree with what the camera-man said, that she thinks it was Zelensky.. ("their president")..

 

I think these are genuine interviews - the way the officer rebuked some of the assertions made by the journo sort of leads me to think that..

 

[willedoo]

It will be interesting to watch the Kremlin's Victory Day parade later today. Defence Minister Shoigu normally does the limousine drive around the troops, then gets out of the car, walks up on to the stage, salutes Putler, then delivers his report loudly. I think this year he will be whispering in Vladimir's ear that they need to wrap the parade up quickly so they can get their last remaining tanks on the train to Ukraine. That's assuming Shoigu is up to it, considering he's already died twice on Twitter.

 

[willedoo]

Another issue with today's parade is that a lot of the units who normally march will be away fighting. Some units would march normally in a company strength, so it's anybody's guess what units they will use to replace the regular marchers. The women who march are mostly police units, so no problem finding numbers there.

 

One irritating aspect is this Z thing. I heard that the aircraft flyby will be in a Z pattern this year. In the cities, it's painted on shop fronts, idiots are getting it tattooed on their arms, Easter cakes were being sold with Z pattern icing, and sporting teams are pushing it as well. Gullible people who can't see that Putin's got his Z up his arse. Z for Zelensky might be their downfall.

[willedoo]

RT live news is reporting that the number of vehicles and armour taking part in the parade will be downsized this year. That tells us one thing - that they don't have enough men and machinery available to have their normal parade numbers. I'm sure Putin would have a full parade for propaganda purposes if he could. Reduced parade numbers shows their weakened state.

 

For anyone interested, it's normally broadcast live on RT.com and found with the 'live' link at the top of the page. It should be on around 5.00pm AEST.

Edited May 9, 2022 by willedoo

[facthunter]

I'll be relying on your services Mr Doo.. I think many people all around the World will be interested in how Poutler Puts it. Your window on Moscow. Nev

[facthunter]

Moscow is GMT + 3. Ie 7 hours behind eastern s time.  Nev

[willedoo]

It looks like they'll broadcast the whole parade after it's over. At present the news is showing live snippets and commentary, but the internet connection doesn't handle it very well. At least the delayed broadcast will stream smoothly. DM Shoigu is there not looking too bad for a bloke who was supposed to have had a heart attack.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I wonder if they will stream it after the even gives them time to edit the parade to look bigger than it actually is?

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, willedoo said:

Reduced parade numbers shows their weakened state.

Come off it! Everyone knows that numbers are down due to the effects of COVID and social distancing.

[willedoo]

One thing I noticed was a lack of usual fresh faced youth among the marchers. A lot of older faces; I'd say they've pulled staff NCO's out from behind their desks to make up numbers.

 

Some of the cross overs to commentators were amusing. The journos were asking them Dorothy Dixers about how effective all the showcased gear was, and in particular the types in use in Ukraine. The responses were the expected combination of denial and delusion. They heaped a lot of praise on the gear, saying how great it was. If it's that good, how come in seventy six days, all the Russians have achieved is 90% control of a small, destroyed, coastal city and a thin strip of land that they will probably end up losing. Not much to show for their massive losses.

[willedoo]

1 hour ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

I wonder if they will stream it after the even gives them time to edit the parade to look bigger than it actually is?

That could be right. I know Putin's head looks bigger than it actually is.

[willedoo]

Famous Ukrainian sapper dog Patron and his handler have been awarded a medal for their UXO detection work, and for educating children how to avoid them.

 

[willedoo]

The May 9 wreath laying ceremony didn't go too well for Russia's ambassador to Poland. Copping the old red paint treatment:

 

https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1523610095812513794

Edited May 9, 2022 by willedoo

[old man emu]

Damn and Blast those bloody Russians! Their actions have affected me, and I don't like it.

 

When I get a chance, I like to make plastic scale models. One kit manufacturer that produces rare examples - like WWII Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycles in 1/35 scale is a mob called Miniart. Their address is 144 B Kharkivske Highway, 02091 Kiev, Ukraine. 

 

After COVID and the disruption to international commerce through the lack of shipping, now the Ruskies have diverted the nice people from Miniart from what is really important to the task of saving their homeland. When will the new kits arrive?

[willedoo]

4 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Damn and Blast those bloody Russians! Their actions have affected me, and I don't like it.

 

When I get a chance, I like to make plastic scale models. One kit manufacturer that produces rare examples - like WWII Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycles in 1/35 scale is a mob called Miniart. Their address is 144 B Kharkivske Highway, 02091 Kiev, Ukraine. 

 

After COVID and the disruption to international commerce through the lack of shipping, now the Ruskies have diverted the nice people from Miniart from what is really important to the task of saving their homeland. When will the new kits arrive?

No air freight, that's for sure. I think the post is all going by road to Poland and on from there. One bloke I deal with posted a parcel to me from Kharkiv on February 23rd. and the next day they were at war with closed airspace. I doubted I'd ever see that package, but it showed up a week ago.

[willedoo]

Another interesting take on today's Victory Day parade in Red Square (needs sound turned on):

 

https://twitter.com/Kiborgzzz/status/1523581885418405889

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Very good..

Also heard the state TV station was hacked televising the parade..

 

https://inews.co.uk/news/russia-tv-hacked-ukraine-blood-hands-vladimir-putin-victory-day-1618514

[Jerry_Atrick]

 

 

 

[old man emu]

Zelensky has delivered one of the great speeches of History. A speech that reminds us of the terrifying massacre of Europe caused by megalomania - delusion about one's own power or importance (typically as a symptom of manic or paranoid disorder). 

 

What he says; how he has included his neighbours who also suffered under cruel occupation, and described the aggressor's modus operandi must makes us give deeper thought to those words which seem now to simply repeat by rote: LEST WE GORGET FORGET.

[pmccarthy]

OME, what possible harm can come from a gorget? 😁