Ukraine 2

[sneakypete]

I may be wrong, but I don't recall @sneakypete every saying that.  I think you have him confused with someone else.

@Hoodat @240B

True dat. I would rather cut my nose off than vote for a Dim.


 

[sneakypete]

Everything I'm seeing indicates that Putin has a lot of support in Russia. They have been indoctrinated with the propaganda that Nazi's are a threat and NATO wants to destroy Russia. I think the people around Putin are to weak to put an end to the war just as a majority of Russians won't rise up and say the invasion should end.

@bilo

I am not doubting your word,or even the info you passed on,but I will say this is the first time I have ever seen that.

Keeping in mind that Propaganda is a VERY useful tool of war/politics,all I have seen are posts showing protesters in Russia protesting the Russian invasion. One guy was even a prominent reporter on their tv news,who lost his job because of it,and for all I know,was arrested.

Let's face it,Russia doesn't have a good reputation when it comes to the ways they deal with protesters.

The truth is there is no way for any of us to REALLY know what is going on inside Russia,but since almost all of their "rifle toters" are draftees and THEY are the ones being captured or killed,I pretty much have to believe their relatives back in Russia are not real happy about this.

After all,this is not the 1950's. Even though the authorities there are still able to lock down local news reports,there is no practical way to keep western news reports away from the subjects in this day of computers and instant communications. Yes,the authorities CAN pretty much control the spread of this news because they control all local communications and have the power to arrest anyone they want at any time,but people will still talk with relatives and friends they trust,who will in turn talk to friends THEY trust.

And let's face it,Putin and the communists took back control of Russia and have been trying to return to Communism ever since he entered office,and we all know of Putin's career as an officer in the Soviet Military Intelligence apparatus. When it comes right down to it,I seriously doubt he ever actually won an election.

[sneakypete]

Everything the Brandon admn. does is wrong. Thankfully in the case of Ukraine other leaders have stepped up and dragged the Brandon admn. into doing the right thing.

I think the worse thing to do is end the war before Russia's capability to fight a conventional war is destroyed. After that let Russia deal with all their neighbors who no longer want their boot on their throat.

@bilo

Sure can't argue with THAT paragraph!

The truth is that Russia is now on the ropes,and the Communist geezers in the Politburo that stole back control flat don't know what to do,other than the kneejerk reaction to protect themselves and their wealth at all possible costs.

The world will be a much safer place once they all die off,and since the ones still in their 70's are considered to be "youngsters",it shouldn't take more than  another 10 years at the most. The trick will be to try to keep them from setting the world on fire before they die.

Surrendering to them and letting them have their way is NOT the way to go about getting the changes the world needs to be a safer place. All that would do would be to encourage their children to take their places,instead of fleeing to Switzerland or somewhere else for safe haven,along with their stolen and hidden wealth.

BTW,ANYBODY that seriously thinks the old Soviets actually lived in their official income isn't smart enough to be called stupid. There are VERY good reasons why the authorities in the old USSR required Soviet citizens to apply for official permission to visit another city,and then required them to either take a train or a bus that followed a specific route.

These SOB's had daschas outside of Moscow that would be the envy of the typical Hollywood movie producer. So big you could see them from the air when flying to the airport outside of Moscow. Hell,the swimming pools were so big you could see them from the minimum altitude required to circle the airport.

These people lived like the Princes in medieval Russia.

[sneakypete]

I do think Sen. Paul has a good idea in having an inspector general overseeing where the money is going.

@bilo

This is the first I have heard of that,but I think it is an EXCELLENT idea. I also suspect it has outraged the American politicians,who had dreams of skimming most of it away before it even got there.



 

[Right_in_Virginia]

@bilo

And let's face it,Putin and the communists took back control of Russia and have been trying to return to Communism ever since he entered office...

Putin's hero is Peter the Great, not Stalin      @sneakypete

Beginning in 1682, Peter the Great modernized Russia—and transformed it into a major power. Through his reforms, Russia made incredible progress in the development of its economy and trade, education, science and culture, and foreign policy.

Peter's cause was to make Russia a European great power, capable of matching the likes of Austria, Britain, Prussia and France in both military might and the economic and bureaucratic foundations on which it is based.  History proves Peter achieved this.

If anything, it is the Tsarist Russian Empire Putin is attempting to bring back, not the communist Soviet Union.

[sneakypete]

Putin's hero is Peter the Great, not Stalin      @sneakypete

@Right_in_Virginia

I fail  to see the difference,other that Peter the Great was an actual warrior.

Beginning in 1682, Peter the Great modernized Russia—and transformed it into a major power. Through his reforms, Russia made incredible progress in the development of its economy and trade, education, science and culture, and foreign policy.

Peter's cause was to make Russia a European great power, capable of matching the likes of Austria, Britain, Prussia and France in both military might and the economic and bureaucratic foundations on which it is based.  History proves Peter achieved this.

If anything, it is the Tsarist Russian Empire Putin is attempting to bring back, not the communist Soviet Union.

I agree with everything you wrote except for the last sentence.

[240B]

[Cyber Liberty]

I don't get it.....

[Hoodat]

Dead Russian soldiers being stored in refrigerated train as Moscow 'loses' battle for key city

Ukraine has said Russian forces are pulling back from Kharkiv and focusing on guarding supply routes while launching mortar, artillery, and air strikes on the eastern Donetsk region. An American think tank has explained the move indicates Ukraine has won the battle for the city.

Jess Sharp  |  14 May 2022 13:32, UK

Ukraine has collected hundreds of dead Russian soldiers and is storing their bodies inside a refrigerated train in order to send them back to their families.

The soldiers have been brought from across the Kyiv region, the northern city of Chernihiv, and a number of other areas to a rail yard just outside Ukraine's capital, the country's chief civil-military liaison officer, Volodymyr Lyamzin said.

While there have been no reliable estimates of the number of Russian troops killed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed 27,000 soldiers have died since the war began.  .  .

.  .  .  Ukraine's internal affairs minister Anton Garashenko said there are more than 250 dead soldiers piled in the cars and claimed Russia "is still not picking up the bodies".

It comes as Ukraine claimed Russian troops have started withdrawing from its second-largest city after weeks of heavy bombardment.  .  .

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-dead-russian-soldiers-being-stored-in-refrigerated-train-as-moscow-loses-battle-for-key-city-12612654

[Hoodat]

Bloody river battle was third in three days - Ukraine official

Sophie Williams & Olga Pona - BBC, Lviv  |  1 day ago



A failed river crossing where a Russian battalion lost almost all its armoured vehicles was the third such attack in three days, a Ukrainian army official has told the BBC.

Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said Russia was trying hard to cross the Siversky Donets in order to encircle a strategic east Ukrainian city.

But he claimed that in days of intense battles, local forces had destroyed speed boats and helicopters and "ruined Russian boat bridges three times".

Images from the scene show dozens of burnt-out armoured vehicles on the banks of the river.

Ukrainian information service, InformNapalm, said that Russia began its crossing attempt on 8 May.

But as soon as they crossed, Ukrainian forces destroyed the pontoon bridge in the water, and Russian troops "fell into the trap", it said.  .  .

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61399440


This map gives a better understanding of the strategy.  Russia attempted to set up bridgehead for cutting off troops on west side of river.

[mystery-ak]

 Zelensky asks US to designate Russia a ‘terrorist state’ after McConnell visit
By Eileen AJ Connelly and
Mary Kay Linge   
May 14, 2022 5:00pm

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took three Republican senators along on a surprise trip to Kyiv Saturday for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — where he called on the US to designate Russia as a “terrorist state.”

“I believe that this visit once again demonstrates … the strength of ties between the Ukrainian and American nations,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address, even as a bipartisan bill to send $40 billion in additional aid remained stalled in Congress — while both Finland and Sweden inched closer to joining NATO.

The GOP visit, the latest in a string of high-level US trips to the war-torn nation as the Russian invasion grinds on, was “a strong signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine from the United States Congress and the American people,” Zelensky wrote on his official Instagram account.

“Thank you for your leadership in helping us fight not only for our country, but also for democratic values and freedoms,” the president added. “We really appreciate it.”

McConnell, along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), made the trip just two days after their fellow Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, forced a temporary halt to the massive military and humanitarian aid bill.

A top Zelensky aide wrote that the visit signaled an imminent end to the impasse in Congress.

more
https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/mitch-mcconnell-republicans-visit-kyiv-as-russia-threatens-nato/#

[sneakypete]

McConnell, along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), made the trip just two days after their fellow Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, forced a temporary halt to the massive military and humanitarian aid bill.

@mystery-ak

I never thought I would ever post anything like this,but WTF is wrong with Ron Paul? Is he such an attention junkie now that he is willing to cut off his own nose to spite his face?

Does this idiot NOT understand the money spent now to weaken Russia militarily will be repaid back many times over in future defense budgets?

Once and IF Russia is forced to be less aggressive military and sane people take over control there,the only nation left that is a legitimate threat to world peace is China?

Even THEY won't be a threat to world peace much longer if we continue to ship all our factories and technology there in order to cut expenses and make stock holders even richer. NOT a plan I am in favor of,though. After all,what good does it do America to make China a civilized nation if we destroy our own economy and put workers out of work to do so?

BTW,is it time yet to start making public the addresses and names of the board members of major corporations like GM that are sending our jobs and technology to China in order to increase profits?

Anyone else thing it is time to start doing this?

[sneakypete]

Zelensky asks US to designate Russia a ‘terrorist state’ after McConnell visit

BTW,the US would be foolish to do anything that freaking stupid.

The idea IS,or SHOULD be,to help Ukraine  continue to weaken the Russian military while staying "One Step Removed" from the hostilities. That was we,and others,can help broker a possible peace agreement to the two that will leave Ukraine free,and Russia weakened militarily as well as MUCH less aggressive.

Push their backs against the wall and get in their faces,and all you will accomplish is to make them even more belligerent.

The IDEA is to make them LESS aggressive. Let Ukraine,with the help of western nations providing arms,ammunition,medical supplies,etc,etc,etc,force Russian forces back into Russia,and then let the Russian people and the MUCH younger second tier leadership force the militant communist geezers out of power.

The result would be a MUCH safer world,and quite possibly a LOT less money spend by western nations on offensive weapons and related expenses. Money that can then be spent paying off debts and reducing taxes.

Win/win for everbody,including Russia.

Well,not so much of a win for defense contractors,but they will just have to find other areas to make money than war.

[Hoodat]

[240B]

@mystery-ak
I never thought I would ever post anything like this,but WTF is wrong with Ron Paul? Is he such an attention junkie now that he is willing to cut off his own nose to spite his face?

Does this idiot NOT understand the money spent now to weaken Russia militarily will be repaid back many times over in future defense budgets?

My opinion, only one tenth of this money will actually make it to Ukraine.
Only one tenth of the money which actually makes it to Ukraine, will end up being spent on "weakening Russia".
This is pie-in-the-sky thinking where everyone does what they say they will do, and everything is as it appears.

[sneakypete]

My opinion, only one tenth of this money will actually make it to Ukraine.
Only one tenth of the money which actually makes it to Ukraine, will end up being spent on "weakening Russia".
This is pie-in-the-sky thinking where everyone does what they say they will do, and everything is as it appears.

@240B

So what? Isn't this pretty much standard these days?

Besides,10 percent is better than nothing,and it is up to "We,the voters" to elect people that will do their best to stop the graft,and I find it impossible to believe these days that the pols can hide it well enough it can't be found.

OUR job,as voters,is to vote for people who will work to end the graft. THEIR job as politicians is to follow the will of the people. This has nothing to do with Ukraine or the Russians,and everything to do with America.

And,truth to tell,with the idiots in office now it should be easier than ever to track down and indict the people stealing the money via kickbacks and various other schemes. Hell,the Biden family practically brags about it.

[240B]

All Rand Paul is proposing, which turned Washington D.C. on its head, is that a senior general accountant be assigned to the money to monitor and document where it goes and where it is spent. This very normal small caveat was enough to send all the politicians supporting it into frenzied wails of consternation while wearing sack clothes and dumping ashes on their heads.

The united political opposition to any kind of oversight on $40, 000, 000, 000 U.S. Dollars going to God-knows-where should show anyone what the politicians have in mind. They intend to steal it through kickbacks and laundering. And Zelinsky the Great has always been their go-to guy for just this sort of thing.

This 40 billion U.S. dollars has much more to do with the people pushing for it than it does with 'helping Ukraine' or 'weakening Russia'. Those are just the passwords the thieves are using to get the money released to the ethereal international economic 'cloud' where they can pick it off and skim it at will.

If the money is released on a Monday, and Putin dies and the war ends on Tuesday, not one single penny of this money will ever make it back to America. It will all just mysteriously vanish in a puff of smoke, with no record of where it went or who got paid. That's how this stuff always works.

No need to rob the bank, when the criminals own and run the bank to start with.

[sneakypete]

All Rand Paul is proposing, which turned Washington D.C. on its head, is that a senior general accountant be assigned to the money to monitor and document where it goes and where it is spent. 

@240B

The ONLY people who can complain about that are the people who were planning on stealing it.

They may see it as "getting my cut",but it's stealing. The problem is we,the people,have been letting them get away with this for so many decades now that they see skimming cash from spending bills of all types as a right of office.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald

If the US continues to spend at this rate for war in Ukraine, that projected $554b will be far more than any nation spends for its *entire military*.

Excerpts from NYT article headlined: "House Passes $40 Billion More, **With Few Questions Asked**"

Total amount US has allocated to war in Ukraine **after 10 weeks**: $54 billion.

- Average *annual* amount US spent for its war in Afghanistan: $46b.

- Total Russian military budget for the entire year: $69b.

- Projected US expenditure on war in Ukraine for one year: $554b.



More:  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/us/politics/congress-ukraine-aid-questions.html

2:21 PM · May 14, 2022   Twitter Web App

[240B]

The guy is either hyper-optimistic, or he really is deranged.
Finish what is on your plate first ... then worry about what's for dessert.

[DB]

Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald

If the US continues to spend at this rate for war in Ukraine, that projected $554b will be far more than any nation spends for its *entire military*.

Excerpts from NYT article headlined: "House Passes $40 Billion More, **With Few Questions Asked**"

Total amount US has allocated to war in Ukraine **after 10 weeks**: $54 billion.

- Average *annual* amount US spent for its war in Afghanistan: $46b.

- Total Russian military budget for the entire year: $69b.

- Projected US expenditure on war in Ukraine for one year: $554b.



More:  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/us/politics/congress-ukraine-aid-questions.html

2:21 PM · May 14, 2022   Twitter Web App

Projected?

Whatever these people "project" is useless.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Where is the $56 billion 'to Ukraine' actually going?
The Dossier, May 13, 2022, Jordan Schachtel

Wherever your opinion resides on this proxy war/inter-slavic spat 5,000 miles away on the Russia-Ukraine border region, reality cannot be denied.

The $56 billion and counting in “aid for Ukraine” that’s passing through the American legislature primarily serves the purpose of greasing the skids of the D.C. Beltway ruling class. And you’re paying for it.

If you think the people of Ukraine are going to see one dime of this money, think again. Not even the “humanitarian aid” portions of the assistance will reach the Ukrainian people, as it will be absorbed by a variety of DC lawyers, lobbyists, NGOs, and other well connected middle men. See: Afghanistan.

If they gave the bill a more accurate title, it would be called the “Money For Raytheon And Friends” bill, as the majority of the funds from the latest $40 billion behemoth will be used to supply weapons purchase orders, and resupply weapons that were already sent to Ukraine, which arrived with a seeming back room deal to add to the deep pockets of the weapons manufacturers back home.

Those who have become consumed by corporate press and government war propaganda are being used as useful marks for this agenda

Since the beginning of this conflict, our corporate press and government propagandists (yes, one in the same) have been labeling the war with a nonsensical good vs evil narrative, which has helped to demand consensus in D.C. Notably, not a single Democrat voted against the bill. Republicans largely support it, and the Uniparty is outraged that Rand Paul decided to hold up its “emergency” passage.


More:  https://dossier.substack.com/p/where-is-the-56-billion-to-ukraine?r=ovl6s&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

[Right_in_Virginia]

Projected?

Whatever these people "project" is useless.

It's most likey too low.

[Smokin Joe]

All Rand Paul is proposing, which turned Washington D.C. on its head, is that a senior general accountant be assigned to the money to monitor and document where it goes and where it is spent. This very normal small caveat was enough to send all the politicians supporting it into frenzied wails of consternation while wearing sack clothes and dumping ashes on their heads.

The united political opposition to any kind of oversight on $40, 000, 000, 000, 000 U.S. Dollars going to God-knows-where should show anyone what the politicians have in mind. They intend to steal it through kickbacks and laundering. And Zelinsky the Great has always been their go-to guy for just this sort of thing.

This 40 billion U.S. dollars has much more to do with the people pushing for it than it does with 'helping Ukraine' or 'weakening Russia'. Those are just the passwords the thieves are using to get the money released to the ethereal international economic 'cloud' where they can pick it off and skim it at will.

If the money is released on a Monday, and Putin dies and the war ends on Tuesday, not one single penny of this money will ever make it back to America. It will all just mysteriously vanish in a puff of smoke, with no record of where it went or who got paid. That's how this stuff always works.

No need to rob the bank, when the criminals own and run the bank to start with.

I think you have three extra zeroes in there.

[Smokin Joe]

Where is the $56 billion 'to Ukraine' actually going?
The Dossier, May 13, 2022, Jordan Schachtel

Wherever your opinion resides on this proxy war/inter-slavic spat 5,000 miles away on the Russia-Ukraine border region, reality cannot be denied.

The $56 billion and counting in “aid for Ukraine” that’s passing through the American legislature primarily serves the purpose of greasing the skids of the D.C. Beltway ruling class. And you’re paying for it.

If you think the people of Ukraine are going to see one dime of this money, think again. Not even the “humanitarian aid” portions of the assistance will reach the Ukrainian people, as it will be absorbed by a variety of DC lawyers, lobbyists, NGOs, and other well connected middle men. See: Afghanistan.

If they gave the bill a more accurate title, it would be called the “Money For Raytheon And Friends” bill, as the majority of the funds from the latest $40 billion behemoth will be used to supply weapons purchase orders, and resupply weapons that were already sent to Ukraine, which arrived with a seeming back room deal to add to the deep pockets of the weapons manufacturers back home.

Those who have become consumed by corporate press and government war propaganda are being used as useful marks for this agenda

Since the beginning of this conflict, our corporate press and government propagandists (yes, one in the same) have been labeling the war with a nonsensical good vs evil narrative, which has helped to demand consensus in D.C. Notably, not a single Democrat voted against the bill. Republicans largely support it, and the Uniparty is outraged that Rand Paul decided to hold up its “emergency” passage.


More:  https://dossier.substack.com/p/where-is-the-56-billion-to-ukraine?r=ovl6s&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

No one is debating that the "big guy" is getting a rake, and likely a lot is being skimmed or diverted along the way. The biggest crooks are on this side of the pond.
As for Zelenskyy, maybe he is skimming maybe not, but what the Ukraine is actually getting is likely a small fraction of the amounts claimed, just as when Poland was willing to send MiGs over and the US sat on them. If anything, that pointer out where the supply chain problems actually are, just like other supply chain issues this administration has created.