Ukraine 3

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@Maj. Bill Martin

And THAT,my friend,is a win-win in the book of anyone who isn't a dedicated socialist/communist.

With any luck at all,those who are may even become suicidal. Win/win.

Some people have lost the ability to distinguish between domestic and international politics.  They've got this weird idea in their heads that because more nationalism and less globalism is good for the United States, more nationalism in Russia is somehow good for the United States as well.  Because that makes the Russians "anti-globalist" as well, and therefore the natural allies of anti-globalist Americans as well.

But that's not how it works at all. Different countries have different national interests, so just because two countries are both nationalistic doesn't mean their interests actually align.  That's particularly true in the case of Russia and China, who actually favor globalization as long as they're the ones running things.  And whereas our version of nationalism means greater independence and less involvement in the affairs of other nations, their version of nationalism is expansionistic/hegemonistic.

But to a weird subset - not all - of Trump supporters, Russia is actually the good guy in all this because they're anti-Klaus Schwaub/anti-WEF.  But the Russian position isn't based on a belief in greater national sovereignty for every nation - it's based upon their belief that they should be the ones in charge.

[sneakypete]

Some people have lost the ability to distinguish between domestic and international politics.  They've got this weird idea in their heads that because more nationalism and less globalism is good for the United States, more nationalism in Russia is somehow good for the United States as well.  Because that makes the Russians "anti-globalist" as well, and therefore the natural allies of anti-globalist Americans as well.

But that's not how it works at all. Different countries have different national interests, so just because two countries are both nationalistic doesn't mean their interests actually align.  That's particularly true in the case of Russia and China, who actually favor globalization as long as they're the ones running things.  And whereas our version of nationalism means greater independence and less involvement in the affairs of other nations, their version of nationalism is expansionistic/hegemonistic.

But to a weird subset - not all - of Trump supporters, Russia is actually the good guy in all this because they're anti-Klaus Schwaub/anti-WEF.  But the Russian position isn't based on a belief in greater national sovereignty for every nation - it's based upon their belief that they should be the ones in charge.

@Maj. Bill Martin

NOT trying to start an argument, but that accusation is new to me.
 

[Timber Rattler]

@Maj. Bill Martin

NOT trying to start an argument, but that accusation is new to me.

yeah, Bill's right.  TOS is eat up with that weird idea.

[Smokin Joe]

Some people have lost the ability to distinguish between domestic and international politics.  They've got this weird idea in their heads that because more nationalism and less globalism is good for the United States, more nationalism in Russia is somehow good for the United States as well.  Because that makes the Russians "anti-globalist" as well, and therefore the natural allies of anti-globalist Americans as well.

But that's not how it works at all. Different countries have different national interests, so just because two countries are both nationalistic doesn't mean their interests actually align.  That's particularly true in the case of Russia and China, who actually favor globalization as long as they're the ones running things.  And whereas our version of nationalism means greater independence and less involvement in the affairs of other nations, their version of nationalism is expansionistic/hegemonistic.

But to a weird subset - not all - of Trump supporters, Russia is actually the good guy in all this because they're anti-Klaus Schwaub/anti-WEF.  But the Russian position isn't based on a belief in greater national sovereignty for every nation - it's based upon their belief that they should be the ones in charge.

I think you have nailed it.
Russia and China, either one, will oppose globalization if they thought for a second they would not be the ones on top of the heap on the top of the heap and running it.

I agree that their nationalism is motivated by them no more wanting to be run by the WEF than the average American who is paying attention.

The only advantage for them of globalization is that it has so far weakened the other sovereign powers on the planet who are buying in, enhancing the Russian position because Russia refuses to join in, at least until they have an advantage.

Yes, we've seen people, even here, who have perhaps mistaken Putin's anti WEF/Globalist stance for upholding all national sovereignty against the globalists, but Putin's actions in Ukraine belie that concept. While he wants Russia to remain sovereign, he does not respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, and given the chance would expand that even beyond the Moldovan problems or the puppets in Belarus.
The enemy of my enemy is sometimes just the enemy of my enemy, and not a friend.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@Maj. Bill Martin

NOT trying to start an argument, but that accusation is new to me.

Absolutely not implying it is true of anyone here.  But there most definitely are a fair group of those.over at TOS.

[sneakypete]

Absolutely not implying it is true of anyone here.  But there most definitely are a fair group of those.over at TOS.

Maj.Bill Martin

Makes me even happier I am no longer there.

[Cyber Liberty]

Maj.Bill Martin

Makes me even happier I am no longer there.

Same...

[Kamaji]

Who WERE the yacht-sailing Nord Stream saboteurs? A 'Ukrainian commando' and 'government-trained divers' are suspected of blowing up Putin's gas pipeline in secret mission from tiny boat, says CHRIS PLEASANCE

By MAIL ONLINE REPORTER
20 March 2023

On September 26 last year, one of the most brazen and sophisticated attacks of the entire Ukraine war took place with the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

New intelligence leaks from the US and Germany reveal that suspicions have now fallen on a pro-Ukraine sabotage group - allegedly including a 'Ukrainian Commando' and 'government-trained divers.

A flurry of reports last week said investigators have identified six saboteurs - five men and a woman - who could have planted explosives on the pipelines sometime in early September.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11872667/Who-Nord-Stream-saboteurs.html

[Kamaji]

Is Putin planning to NEUTRALISE Wagner mercenary group and its leader? Murky claims emerge that Yevgeny Prigozhin has exposed Kremlin plot

Prigozhin claims he was told of plot spearheaded by Putin to 'neutralise' Wagner
But experts have cast doubt on Prigozhin's claims and say they are fabricated

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE
17 March 2023

Wagner warlord Vevgeny Prigozhin has claimed he has been told of a plot spearheaded by Vladimir Putin to undermine and 'neutralise' the feared Russian mercenary group.

Prigozhin claimed he received a series of questions from Russian newspaper Nezivisimaya Gazeta that apparently exposed the plot to 'neutralise' Wagner and the warlord in particular.

Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Security Council, is said to have told Putin that he believes after the Ukraine war, Prigozhin will try to unite his mercenaries and send them to Russia to 'seize power' in the regions bordering Ukraine before potentially advancing inland.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11871509/Russia-Ukraine-war-Putin-planning-NEUTRALISE-Wagner-mercenary-group-leader.html

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Who WERE the yacht-sailing Nord Stream saboteurs? A 'Ukrainian commando' and 'government-trained divers' are suspected of blowing up Putin's gas pipeline in secret mission from tiny boat, says CHRIS PLEASANCE

By MAIL ONLINE REPORTER
20 March 2023

On September 26 last year, one of the most brazen and sophisticated attacks of the entire Ukraine war took place with the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

New intelligence leaks from the US and Germany reveal that suspicions have now fallen on a pro-Ukraine sabotage group - allegedly including a 'Ukrainian Commando' and 'government-trained divers.

A flurry of reports last week said investigators have identified six saboteurs - five men and a woman - who could have planted explosives on the pipelines sometime in early September.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11872667/Who-Nord-Stream-saboteurs.html

This is always been the kind of explanation that makes the most logical sense.  And I would not be the least bit shocked if there was some cooperation by certain elements in Poland or some of the Baltic states.  Not government sanctioned, but then, it wouldn't need to be.

Oh, and go to them for doing it, too.

[Kamaji]

This is always been the kind of explanation that makes the most logical sense.  And I would not be the least bit shocked if there was some cooperation by certain elements in Poland or some of the Baltic states.  Not government sanctioned, but then, it wouldn't need to be.

Oh, and go to them for doing it, too.

[Smokin Joe]

This is always been the kind of explanation that makes the most logical sense.  And I would not be the least bit shocked if there was some cooperation by certain elements in Poland or some of the Baltic states.  Not government sanctioned, but then, it wouldn't need to be.

Oh, and go to them for doing it, too.

The depth of the water where the explosions took place is easily within the envelope of technical rebreather equipment, (record 290+ meters), so a small team dropped off could operate for 6 hours or so without leaving so much a a bubble. If the drop was accurate, that's plenty of time.

[Kamaji]

EU gives Ukraine €2bn of ammunition after shell plea

By James Gregory
BBC
March 20, 2023

More than a dozen European Union member states have agreed to supply Ukraine with at least one million artillery shells over the next year.

The plan, worth €2bn in total, was agreed in Brussels on Monday.

Ukraine had told the EU it needed 350,000 shells a month to hold back advancing Russian troops and launch a counter-offensive this year.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the "game-changing decision" from the EU.

"Exactly what is needed," he wrote on Twitter. "Urgent delivery and sustainable joint procurement."

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65018434

[Maj. Bill Martin]

EU gives Ukraine €2bn of ammunition after shell plea

By James Gregory
BBC
March 20, 2023

More than a dozen European Union member states have agreed to supply Ukraine with at least one million artillery shells over the next year.

The plan, worth €2bn in total, was agreed in Brussels on Monday.

Ukraine had told the EU it needed 350,000 shells a month to hold back advancing Russian troops and launch a counter-offensive this year.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the "game-changing decision" from the EU.

"Exactly what is needed," he wrote on Twitter. "Urgent delivery and sustainable joint procurement."

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65018434

Ivan is not happy.

[Kamaji]

Wagner warns Russia military chief of imminent Ukraine attack

Prigozhin says ‘large-scale’ offensive aims to cut off his fighters from regular Russian forces in an unusual open letter to Russian Defence Minister Shoigu.

21 Mar 2023

The owner of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has warned Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu that the Ukrainian army is planning an imminent offensive aimed at cutting off his forces from the main body of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said the “large-scale attack” was planned for late March or the start of April in a letter published by his press service on Monday.

“I ask you to take all necessary measures to prevent the Wagner private military company being cut off from the main forces of the Russian army, which will lead to negative consequences for the special military operation,” Prigozhin said, employing the term that Moscow uses for its invasion of Ukraine.

It was the first time Prigozhin published such correspondence with the defence minister, whom he has frequently criticised over the conduct of the war.

The unusual move appeared to have two possible aims: to wrongfoot Ukraine commanders and to seek to pin blame on Shoigu, not Prigozhin, if the purported Ukrainian manoeuvre proved successful.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/21/wagner-boss-warns-russia-military-of-imminent-ukraine-attack

[catfish1957]

Absolutely not implying it is true of anyone here.  But there most definitely are a fair group of those.over at TOS.

Wish I could find the web site, but I do know a few years ago, that when you checked nationality of web traffic, the largest non-U.S visitor to TOS was Russia.  Could be a coincidence, or randomness, but......

[Kamaji]

Wish I could find the web site, but I do know a few years ago, that when you checked nationality of web traffic, the largest non-U.S visitor to TOS was Russia.  Could be a coincidence, or randomness, but......

The only thing I could find on a quick search:  https://www.similarweb.com/website/freerepublic.com/#geography


For comparison, TBR:  https://www.similarweb.com/website/gopbriefingroom.com/#geography

[catfish1957]

The only thing I could find on a quick search:  https://www.similarweb.com/website/freerepublic.com/#geography


For comparison, TBR:  https://www.similarweb.com/website/gopbriefingroom.com/#geography

Good find.  Got to remember now that apparently Russians are blocked to any kind of external web use.  I like to play online play money poker, and back before the Ukraine war, I'd bet Russians made up at least 5% of the players. I've haven't seen a Russian player there since the start of the war.

lol...  Didn't know @mystery-ak  had 11-50 employees and $10-$50M in revenues. I bet she goes to Olive Garden all the time.   

[mystery-ak]

Good find.  Got to remember now that apparently Russians are blocked to any kind of external web use.  I like to play online play money poker, and back before the Ukraine war, I'd bet Russians made up at least 5% of the players. I've haven't seen a Russian player there since the start of the war.

lol...  Didn't know @mystery-ak  had 11-50 employees and $10-$50M in revenues. I bet she goes to Olive Garden all the time.   

 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I think you have nailed it.
Russia and China, either one, will oppose globalization if they thought for a second they would not be the ones on top of the heap on the top of the heap and running it.

I agree that their nationalism is motivated by them no more wanting to be run by the WEF than the average American who is paying attention.

The only advantage for them of globalization is that it has so far weakened the other sovereign powers on the planet who are buying in, enhancing the Russian position because Russia refuses to join in, at least until they have an advantage.

Yes, we've seen people, even here, who have perhaps mistaken Putin's anti WEF/Globalist stance for upholding all national sovereignty against the globalists, but Putin's actions in Ukraine belie that concept. While he wants Russia to remain sovereign, he does not respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, and given the chance would expand that even beyond the Moldovan problems or the puppets in Belarus.
The enemy of my enemy is sometimes just the enemy of my enemy, and not a friend.

 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

There has been a decided lack of recent articles regarding the impending Russian encirclement and capture of Bakhmut.  Even from those in Western media who have been pro-Russian.  The predictions that the Ukrainian army is being smashed and about to disintegrate are more or less gone.  Now, the narrative coming from those same sources seems to be that the Ukrainians are being unfairly and temporarily boosted by western support.

It's important to remember that the Russians, and their western supporters such as Colonel MacGregor, were predicting the imminent and circlement and destruction of the Bakhmut defenders back in July. Actually, MacGregor predicted on March 4 that it would be encircled and annihilated by March 14.  Of last year.  This has literally been the Russians main objective for the last 9 months, and they seem to have failed despite throwing huge amounts of bodies into that sector.

When the usual bluster stops coming from the Russians, they know that things might be about to get a lot worse for them.

[Kamaji]

There has been a decided lack of recent articles regarding the impending Russian encirclement and capture of Bakhmut.  Even from those in Western media who have been pro-Russian.  The predictions that the Ukrainian army is being smashed and about to disintegrate are more or less gone.  Now, the narrative coming from those same sources seems to be that the Ukrainians are being unfairly and temporarily boosted by western support.

It's important to remember that the Russians, and their western supporters such as Colonel MacGregor, or predicting the imminent and circlement and destruction of the Bakhmut defenders back in July.  This has literally been their main objective for the last 9 months, and they seem to have failed despite throwing huge amounts of bodies into that sector.

When the usual bluster stops coming from the Russians, they know that things might be about to get a lot worse for them.

Add to that the very public noises coming from the Wagner group that (a) the Bakhmut offensive would be in trouble if Russia ceases to provide armaments to Wagner, and (b) Ukraine is planning an imminent offensive.

Whether either point is completely true, the noise coming from Wagner indicates a significant rift in the Russian forces trying to take Bakhmut.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Pretty big differences in expectations from "Bakhmut will fall any day" to "you're trying to kill us by sending us into Bakhmut without arms and ammo."

The Russian attack pretty clearly has stalled.

[Kamaji]

Russian cruise missiles destroyed in Crimea blast, Ukraine says

By Isabel Keane
March 21, 2023

Russian “Kalibr” cruise missiles were destroyed in an explosion as they were being transported by train to Russia’s Black Sea fleet in annexed Crimea, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Monday evening.

Ukrainian authorities stopped short of taking responsibility for the attack but said the strike should prompt Russia to leave the Black Sea peninsula it illegally stole from Ukraine in 2014.

“Right now, the way ahead (for Russian forces in Crimea) is clear — they need to make their way out by rail already,” said Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern operational command.

Missiles carried by rail were destroyed by an explosion in Dzhankoi, a key railroad junction in the Crimea peninsula, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said late Monday.

The agency implied that Kyiv was behind the attack, saying the action furthers “the process of Russia’s demilitarization, and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation.”

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/03/21/russian-cruise-missiles-destroyed-in-crimea-blast-ukraine/

[Timber Rattler]

There has been a decided lack of recent articles regarding the impending Russian encirclement and capture of Bakhmut.  Even from those in Western media who have been pro-Russian.  The predictions that the Ukrainian army is being smashed and about to disintegrate are more or less gone.  Now, the narrative coming from those same sources seems to be that the Ukrainians are being unfairly and temporarily boosted by western support.

It's important to remember that the Russians, and their western supporters such as Colonel MacGregor, or predicting the imminent and circlement and destruction of the Bakhmut defenders back in July.  This has literally been their main objective for the last 9 months, and they seem to have failed despite throwing huge amounts of bodies into that sector.

When the usual bluster stops coming from the Russians, they know that things might be about to get a lot worse for them.

Yeah, the tune of the TOS appeaseniks has suddenly changed too over the past few days.  Now they're claiming that the Russians have stopped advancing or completing the encirclement because they want the Ukrainians to supposedly keep feeding their troops into the cul de sac, which doesn't make much sense.  I think that the Russians in general, and Wagner in particular, have run out of steam there and just can't do it, or else they got word of a trap.