Sanctions against Russia

[red750]

There is some speculation that the missile which hit Poland was a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile which missed its target. They are saying Russia wouldn't waste a $20mil missile on a farm house.  Trump said the war would not have happened if he had been President.

 

On the other subject Ivanka has said she will not take part in the campaign for her fathers re-election. Writing o  the wall?

[facthunter]

Democrats aren't LIBs in the US. According to Trump Dems are the cause of ALL of the US's worries and should be considered as the enemy of America., Libs aren't LIBERAL in Australia they are neocon Conservatives here who believe most of what Trump advocates.. Nev

Edited November 16, 2022 by facthunter

[Marty_d]

I'm glad Trump's running.  If he wasn't, it'd just be that other freak Di Santos running virtually unopposed.  At least this way there's a good chance of splitting the vote at the primaries, and if Trump happened to lose there, hopefully his rusted-on moronic followers will stay home on voting day.

[kgwilson]

The US right wing press is not impressed. Even Murdochs New York Press had a bottom line on the front page stating "Florida man makes announcement"  referring to the article on page 26. Murdoch knows nothing infuriates Trump more than not having his name mentioned. 

Just glance at some headlines in the conservative press.: “Trump Shocks the World by Nearly Putting Us to Sleep,” said the RedState blog. “Old Mar-a-Lago Man Yells at Cloud,” said the American Conservative. “Donnie, Time to Go Away,” said Blue State Conservative. “Trump 3.0 is a Changed Man. He's a Loser,” said the Washington Examiner.

“No,” simply read the National Review headline.

In the meantime Lavrov left the G20 after one day & Putin remains silent since before the Kherson withdrawl. I guess he is busy 100% of the time watching his back as his physical and mental state continues to deteriorate. Deja vu Adolph.

 

[nomadpete]

Maybe the "Florida man" in the red hat has bitten the hand that fed him?

It isn't like merdok to turn on one of his best mates without (a $) reason.

[Old Koreelah]

2 hours ago, nomadpete said:

Maybe the "Florida man" in the red hat has bitten the hand that fed him?

It isn't like merdok to turn on one of his best mates without (a $) reason.

Merdok doesn’t have mates; just useful idiots.

[facthunter]

Merde OK. Likes to back  winners if he can't create and control them. Nev

[willedoo]

This photo is a good reminder that the bulk of main stream media coverage on Ukraine has it's origins on Twitter and Telegram channels. These days, almost everyone on the spot has a phone camera and ability to upload to the net in a very short time frame. News is fast on social media, but a lot of hard work sorting the wheat from the chaff. The other option is to wait a couple of days to see it on the TV once the MSM have attempted to do some verification.

 

Social media has a very strong open source intelligence (OSINT) community. A lot of them are very good, but there's the odd dimwit who claims to be an expert but in reality just talks endless shite and misinformation. This war is certainly the most publicly shared war to date.

 

[nomadpete]

Lets hope the Ukrainians show integrity and issue an explanation añd an apology.

The world and their supporters are watching. Any BS and support will weaken.

 

[facthunter]

It was a defensive action against a Russian attack gone astray most likely. IF they weren't being attacked by Missiles there would not have been an issue.. The instigation is the attack on Ukraine People and infrastructure. That's the Germán view.. Nev

[kgwilson]

It does seem like a defensive action gone wrong. It will certainly be in Zelenskys favour if it is proven correct that he publicly apologises while reiterating nothing would have happened if Russia wasn't sending missiles into his patch. Ukraine has to defend itself and in all conflicts there is always collateral damage to some degree. NATO has already blamed Russia in any case as it would never have happened if Russia hadn't attacked Ukraine in the first place.

[willedoo]

A short clip of howitzers being howitzers. Ukrainian M777's firing at a steep AOA; looks like maximum elevation which is around 70 degrees.

 

https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status/1593128826003128320

[Old Koreelah]

Target must have been nearby. I know nothing of the aiming sytems of those field guns but the blokes up ahead expect absolute precision. I presume after each shot, which moves the whole gun around, the crew re-check the sights.

 

There was a story about how most British guns during The Great War were fitted with optical sights made by Carl Zeiss and traded to the Allies via the Swiss.

[Yenn]

The missile that hit Poland could have been fired by Russia, or by Ukraine.

If fired by Russia, then it immediately brings NATO into the frame.

If fired by Ukraine, then NATO can sit by and say it was really caused by Russias attack of Ukraine. Then they can sit back and just tut tut as the UN does.

Zelensky says Ukraine didn't fire the missile.

My take on it is that I believe Zelensky and NATO don't want to get involved, so they say too bad it was just a missile gone astray. More appeasement to Putin.

We hear lots of people saying that the British PM appeased Hitler back in the mid thirties, but what people forget is that at the time Britain was too weak to stand up to Hitler and needed breathing space to arm the country. Eventually Britain did re arm and declared war on Germany as they said they would. A pity that our leaders now are too gutless to stand up to Putin.

[willedoo]

Poland agreed to let a Ukrainian team of experts examine the site and they are there now. All the talk so far is that it was a S-300 missile which is used by both Ukraine and Russia. They are a surface to air defence missile, but Russia has been launching against ground targets for a while now due to low stocks of cruise missiles.

 

It should be fairly easy for them to figure it out. First step is determine if it is a S-300, then try to determine the trajectory from the blast damage and debris. As it has to be ground launched, the other issue is whether it has the range to strike the site from Belorussian territory. I think they have around 200klm range in some variants, less in others.

 

Zelensky is saying he trusts his military commanders, so is believing them. Quite rightly, he's agreeing to participate in the investigation but says he wants real facts and evidence. So far, all the wording from Poland and NATO  has been the usual terminology - 'we believe, most probably, we think, most likely' etc.. I don't blame him for wanting the others to come up with hard evidence.

[Jerry_Atrick]

While I agree that the facts have to come out, at this stage, given the tepid direct response to Russia, I am thinking along the lines of Yenn. No-one wants WWIII, and even a Polish general has come out and daid "we don't start wars over a tractor". Meanwhile there are more and more stories of war crimes against civilians, Russian missiles still rain on Ukraine, and there are reports aroudn 10m people are without power.

 

Why not arm Ukraine with long-range missiles and allow Russians experience attacks on its soil. When something happens in Russia or what they claim to be Russian territory, the Russians decry it as a crime and strike back with disproprotionate force. Innocent people are dying and there is no guarantee that Putin won't grow more crazy and escalate. I guess NATO could be buying time, and no doubt, with the donations/supply of arms to Ukraine, some stocks need replenishment. But, we are entering 9 months into a illegal war waged on an ally and our initial response was probably correct, but as Putin escalates, we do the same thing. Do the Ukrainians deserve a war of attrition?

 

I just wonder if there are losses experienced on Russian soil, how Russian sentiment will change? Will they direct their anger at thge Ukraines and support Putin, or will they start demanding an cessation to the war, and Putin's head? Yes, there is a risk of nuclear weapons being used, but that can't be ruled out, anyway.

[rgmwa]

If the Ukrainians start attacking Russia directly it will just allow Putin to say that Nato and its Ukrainian puppet have finally shown their true colours and left Russia with no choice but to retaliate with its nuclear weapons for this unprovoked aggression. Most Russians would believe him. Even those who are aware of what's going on and currently have some sympathy towards the Ukrainian people would probably fall into line.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Maybe the Russians would fall into line, but with having to escalate the war, suppressing dissent amongst his people won;t be so easy, and maybe those who aree quiet today, would not be so quiet.

 

Of course, I was thinking targeting military or remote areas as a warhing shot across the bow

[willedoo]

In Russia's Belgorod region adjacent to Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the Russians have been building barrier defences in the form of trenches and rows of concrete dragon teeth. There's two possible reasons for it. Either the Russians really are that dumb that they think Ukraine will invade Russia with ground troops, or it's all for political purposes to make the public believe the authorities are doing something. It would also reinforce the BS narrative coming from the Kremlin. Fooling the Russian public is essential to the survival of the Kremlin regime.

 

I recon if Ukraine had a decent supply of long range missiles, there would be enough targets in Crimea and the occupied territories to end the war. The west could supply the gear to finish it if they had the will to do so.

[willedoo]

This is a propaganda video of Russian Scooby Doo vans heading for the front. You almost feel embarrassed for them. My guess is someone has overdubbed the music.

 

If the war drags on, the Russians might have to import Tuk Tuks from Thailand.

 

https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1590710795423612930

 

[Old Koreelah]

5 hours ago, rgmwa said:

If the Ukrainians start attacking Russia directly it will just allow Putin to say that Nato and its Ukrainian puppet have finally shown their true colours and left Russia with no choice but to retaliate with its nuclear weapons for this unprovoked aggression. Most Russians would believe him. Even those who are aware of what's going on and currently have some sympathy towards the Ukrainian people would probably fall into line.

Don’t forget what happened 80 years ago; despite suffering enormously under Stalin’s chaotic and genocidal regime, they fought for it against the Nazi  invader.

[rgmwa]

Apparently the Russians have said that their latest missile and drone attacks were launched because the Ukrainians are refusing to negotiate to find a solution. Putin must be getting very frustrated that the SMO isn’t going to plan.

[willedoo]

43 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

Apparently the Russians have said that their latest missile and drone attacks were launched because the Ukrainians are refusing to negotiate to find a solution. Putin must be getting very frustrated that the SMO isn’t going to plan.

They act like spoilt kids when they don't get their own way.

[pmccarthy]

Doesn't anyone see the parallel with Viet Nam? USA did all the evil thins that Russia is now doing, and worse. They claimed to be defending one group, the south, against an evil regime.

[red750]

Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to be in an increasingly desperate situation as Ukraine's momentum continues. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's President, saw his troops take back the city of Kherson last week - just the latest boost for the Ukrainians. They have made good progress in their counteroffensive, also advancing in the east and near the city of Kharkiv in recent months.

 

Now, former British army officer, Sir Simon Mayall, has painted a bleak picture of the Russian military's prospects in the war. He says it is "falling apart", but cautions that Ukraine still has a long way to go before it can claim victory.

 

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: "There are quite a lot of Ukrainian troops to the east of the Dnieper river, but there is quite a lot of Russian firepower. Zelensky has been quite good at managing expectations throughout the war, I think he can see at a tactical and operational level that the momentum is in Ukraine's favour.

 

"Things are falling apart very badly for the Russians. But we should not get too optimistic. We might get lucky, there might be a complete collapse of morale in the Russian forces, but we just need to manage expectations."