Sanctions against Russia

[willedoo]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the funnies section. In a report by Pravda.Ru, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has denied rumours that Putin is ill and in a coma. He said he'd spoken recently to Putin and that Putin has a cheerful voice of command and is ready to complete the special operation without harming both the Ukrainian people and the state as much as possible.

Edited June 16, 2022 by willedoo

[Jerry_Atrick]

I wonder if the Chechen president is feeling well, himeself?

[facthunter]

If you are near Pootler and concerned with your good health you say things like that. (Piss in his pocket).. He's going for Moldova next.. Nev

[onetrack]

I got an article today revealing that Russia has recommenced manufacturing Lada cars (after buying the entire operation from Renault for 1 Rouble) - but because they can't get any Western electronic components, the cars are being produced with no radios, no airbags, and missing a heap of other electronic wizardry, such as ABS. But the Russians are bragging it's the most affordable Lada ever! 

 

https://www.drive.com.au/news/lada-production-resumes-with-no-airbags-or-radio/

[Marty_d]

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

If you are near Pootler and concerned with your good health you say things like that. (Piss in his pocket).. He's going for Moldova next.. Nev

He better not, they're always brilliant in Eurovision.

[kgwilson]

It is like going back to the 60s. The new model actually has a heater. Why would the previous model not have a heater in a place where the Winters are some of the coldest on Earth. The Russians have certainly learned western spin. It has 4 speakers but no audio system or screen & they are touting this as "Multimedia Ready". Hilarious.

 

Meanwhile Putins "scorched earth" policy has seen Siervierodonetsk turn into another Mariopol. This time though they are dug in under a Chemical factory and are getting supplies despite the Russians blowing up all the bridges. Hopefully the supply of new western weapons will get there soon to push them back.

Edited June 16, 2022 by kgwilson

[willedoo]

The Ukrainians have been been doing a lot of innovating with weaponry. They have B-8M1 80mm rocket pods mounted on trailers and towed by utes. These are the rocket pods you normally see on aircraft, particularly helicopters and Su-25's. Photo is a small size screengrab. Other photo shows a normal aircraft mounted pod.

Edited June 18, 2022 by willedoo

[willedoo]

The Russians are claiming that their naval launched Kalibr cruise missiles have destroyed a Ukrainian command centre, killing over 50 generals and other officers. Taking into account that this particular news outlet hasn't uttered a word of truth since the war began, I hope it is just propaganda.

[Marty_d]

I'm having trouble imagining 50 generals in one spot.

[willedoo]

4 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

I'm having trouble imagining 50 generals in one spot.

I think they mean 50 officers including generals and not 50 generals plus other officers.

[willedoo]

Photos of some of the 20 U.S. supplied Mil Mi-17V-5 helicopters being loaded onto C-17's for transport to Ukraine. These are the ones the U.S. bought for the Afghan Army, which weren't delivered because of the Taliban takeover. Russia's arms sales coming back to bite them on the bum.

 

The Mi-17V-5 is designed to transport goods and machinery up to 4 tonnes, and is equipped with a ramp instead of clam shell rear doors. They can also be equipped with optional rocket and cannon armament. If they don't have the arms, I'm sure the Ukrainians will improvise something.

Edited June 19, 2022 by willedoo

[willedoo]

A mass madness seems to have descended on the Kremlin. There's no doubt Putler has flipped his lid, but a lot of the sycophants that hang off his coat tails have gone crackers as well, in a show of solidarity no doubt. A couple of them haven't changed. Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is still the rabid, ankle biting terrier that she always was. Likewise, Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov is still the twit that he always was. A twit is a twit whether there's a war or not.

 

I'd always considered Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to be one of the saner ones in the Kremlin. He's always been a very professional diplomat, one of the more capable ones on the world stage. But no more; he's obviously been drinking the same water as Putin lately. His public statements are becoming increasingly warlike, obnoxious and aggressive; not diplomatic in the slightest sense of the word. 99% of what's coming out of his mouth now, is just drivel. Lavrov was always the level headed one, so if he's caught the disease, that means the whole place is now just one big nut house.

 

The only reason the madhouse hasn't crumbled is that like all successful dictatorships, any competition or alternatives have long been sidelined.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I think the sane ones realise that they can become insane, and as long as they don't order anything or partake in anything, they are unlikely to be tried as war criminals. Yet, their bread is well buttered, and while they toe the line, they will not strangely disappear or commit suicide with 5 bullets to the head. The more embattled Putin becomes, the more embattled his entourage become... to try and stay alive. 

 

It's a bit like the mob - don't join them if you think later you may want to leave to live a quiet peaceful life. It will never happen (or rarely). Just ask Litvenchenko.  

[Jerry_Atrick]

Stress is getting to a journo, I would say.. But she has some good (argumentative) points:

 

 

[nomadpete]

Meanwhile. In that other big warlike country (the one with the world's biggest arms industry), did anyone notice that US congress chucked out a proposal to catalogue all military 'donations' to Ukraine?

Such a database would enable the donors to track all weaponry and munitions - just in case any of it somehow got mysteriously traded off to other countries. After all, in the past, Ukraine arms dealings haven't always been squeaky clean.

 

Now why would the US want to turn a blind eye to where their military donations end up?

[old man emu]

 

[onetrack]

When you purchase any military-surplus item off the U.S., it is obligatory to sign an "end-user agreement" that specifies the item must not be resold or passed on to a long list of "U.S.-adversary countries".

Incredibly, this requirement applies to even common everyday civilian-use items, such as tools and engines and a multitude of parts and components. 

I purchased an ex-U.S. Navy Caterpillar 7 tonne forklift out of Sagamihara Japan in 1999, and you'd think I was purchasing a fully operational F16, such was the hoops that the US DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office) put me through as part of the purchase paperwork. They treated me like I was an underground arms dealer.

 

The U.S. export control system has been in place since about WW1, from what I can recall - but as a system, it is completely useless to attain its desired objectives - and it's never stopped Americas enemies from acquiring what they need to wage war or terrorism on the U.S., or on territories or nations that the U.S. "enemies" desire to own and control.

 

https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/u.s.-export-control-reform-impacts-and-implications/

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by onetrack

[Marty_d]

30 minutes ago, onetrack said:

When you purchase any military-surplus item off the U.S., it is obligatory to sign an "end-user agreement" that specifies the item must not be resold or passed on to a long list of "U.S.-adversary countries".

Incredibly, this requirement applies to even common everyday civilian-use items, such as tools and engines and a multitude of parts and components. 

I purchased an ex-U.S. Navy Caterpillar 7 tonne forklift out of Sagamihara Japan in 1999, and you'd think I was purchasing a fully operational F16, such was the hoops that the US DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office) put me through as part of the purchase paperwork. They treated me like I was an underground arms dealer.

 

The U.S. export control system has been in place since about WW1, from what I can recall - but as a system, it is completely useless to attain its desired objectives - and it's never stopped Americas enemies from acquiring what they need to wage war or terrorism on the U.S., or on territories or nations that the U.S. "enemies" desire to own and control.

 

https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/u.s.-export-control-reform-impacts-and-implications/

 

What sort of paperwork did they get from the Taliban?  Or is equipment that's given away different from equipment that's sold...

[willedoo]

Our local air museum has an F-111, which like the others in museums, is on permanent loan and still belongs to the RAAF. It would be nice to have an engine on display beside it, but the U.S. regulations wouldn't allow any engines. The F-111 has the same P & W engine as the Iranian F-14A Tomcats, so the sanctions come into play. The museum at the Amberley Air Base has a sectioned cut-away engine on display beside their F-111. It has sections cut away to be able to view the internals - compressor, turbine, burners etc.. I guess it's allowed because it's still in possession of the RAAF, but as far as I know, no civilian museums were able to obtain an engine.

 

They're tough. I know of a case where an American lent a Soviet/Russian partial pressure suit to a European museum. On the way out, the U.S. customs de-miled it by cutting large holes in it due to their interpretation of the ITAR rules. The suit must have been linked to a particular pilot, otherwise the European museum could have just bought one cheap on eBay where they're very common.

[Old Koreelah]

2 hours ago, onetrack said:

The U.S. export control system has been in place since about WW1, from what I can recall - but as a system, it is completely useless to attain its desired objectives - and it's never stopped Americas enemies from acquiring what they need…

 

We often see ads for sophisicated military-style drones. I’m sure the bad guys can easily get them. Every second Trump supporter seems to be wearing military grade body armour, so I guess the other team can easily get that stuff.

 

2 hours ago, willedoo said:

Our local air museum has an F-111, which like the others in museums, is on permanent loan and still belongs to the RAAF. It would be nice to have an engine on display beside it, but the U.S. regulations wouldn't allow any engines..

Some claim the F-111 was so awesome it would still be an assett today, if we’d kept them in the air. Those in the know say we lacked the technology. Sounds more like we lacked the will to develop it! This is how most of them ended up:

 

[nomadpete]

By now, we all know that rules are made for the honest people. Rules don't apply to everybody equally.

 

Way back when our Warplanes Museum got hold of a Mig17, somebody decided that it should be possible to get it airworthy. But it wouldn't be allowed to fly unless it had full maintenance logbooks - it's the law!.  So a request for its maintenance history was sent to the Polish airforce.  And they were most helpful.

"Of course we can firnish maintenance history of that aircraft! What would you like it to say?"

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by nomadpete

[Jerry_Atrick]

"One lady owner, only flown on Sundays"

[willedoo]

3 hours ago, nomadpete said:

By now, we all know that rules are made for the honest people. Rules don't apply to everybody equally.

 

Way back when our Warplanes Museum got hold of a Mig17, somebody decided that it should be possible to get it airworthy. But it wouldn't be allowed to fly unless it had full maintenance logbooks - it's the law!.  So a request for its maintenance history was sent to the Polish airforce.  And they were most helpful.

"Of course we can firnish maintenance history of that aircraft! What would you like it to say?"

 

I'm not sure if it's still there, but there was a MiG-17 at Caboolture.

 

The Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra has an ex Polish Air Force SB Lim-2, which is the Polish license built UTI MiG-15 two seat trainer. It's an interesting aircraft, having existed in several different forms. It started life as a Lim-1 single seat fighter (MiG-15 equivalent). The Lim-2 was a single seater with the more powerful engine and the equivalent of the MiG-15 Bis. The one now at Caloundra, 636 Red, at one stage was converted to dual cockpits as a trainer and became a SB Lim-1. The Polish two seaters were all converted from single seaters, except for a handful of original two seaters that came from Czechoslovakia and the U.S.S.R..

 

The next change was when it was upgraded by having the rear end and engine from a Lim-2 grafted on to it, thus becoming a SB Lim-2. That's where the museum's history on it ends and they currently name it as a SB Lim-2. According to my sources, after that it was one of the aircraft converted to artillery spotter/reconnaissance configuration as a SB Lim-2A. This entailed the rear cockpit losing flight controls and being replaced with recon and camera gear. Also an extra external camera pod was fitted to the lower fuselage.

 

There are four known SB Lim-2A's that were re-converted back to trainer configuration, with 636 Red being one of them according to the sources. The designation for these was SB Lim-2M. So my theory is that 636 Red has existed as a Lim-1, SB Lim-1, SB Lim-2, SB Lim-2A, and finally a SB Lim-2M. The trainers only had a single 23mm cannon on the port side, whereas the single seat fighter had 2x23mm cannon on the port side and one 37mm cannon on the starboard side.

 

The two seat MiG-15 was around for a long time as there were no two seat MiG-17 or Mig-19 versions built. The UTI MiG-15 was the primary fast jet trainer until the MiG-21 came out with a two seat trainer variant.

[willedoo]

[Bruce Tuncks]

The Russian communists were making a comeback when the population realized how badly they were going to fare under the new system which no longer cared about the proletariat, even in theory. The oligarchs got together and used the press ( which they "owned" ) and scared the voters away from the old communists.

What is going on now is a trial to see if  a dictatorship is stronger than a democracy. So far, I reckon the dictatorship is coming second. They have no defense if their main guy loses it mentally. Mind you, they don't waste time on decision-making.

The other, less obvious thing, is how an uneven distribution of wealth weakens a society. Most countries have increasing inequality but nothing as bad as Russia has.