Ukraine War

[JohnDe]

It is easy to forget the lessons of history.

Easy to not see the parrels of the past.

Convenient to ignore the evidence.

Putin with Russia and one of the largest armies in Europe and a nuclear arsenal to back it up, marched into the Ukraine.

Zelenskyy a first term president, guiding Ukraine's hope to enter the EU by fully democratising his country and clearing corruption, is thrown into the role of a war president, by Russia's invasion.

Both countries have proven issues with corruption, freedom and democracy. Neither are angels, but then which country is?

One has attempted proven reforms, uses a political system similar to our western system.

The other controls information and uses propaganda, lies to its people.

What other country and its leader tried to substantiate the invasion of its neighbours?

 

[farmerge]

Intersting to see that Twiggy is hoping to help out in the Ukraine to the tune of half a billion dollars. obviously this gift of enterprise will reap massive benefits for his foundation by serious percentages, and if Russia is made to pay then the sky will be the limit.

 

[mullokintyre]

Nah, doesn't wash with me.....boom boom!

Nothing personal like, but I probably wouldn't want to wash with you either.
Mick

 

[bux2000]

Ukraine quietly abolishes corruption oversight rule

Zelensky’s move to cut financial monitoring of public officials breaks Ukraine’s pledge to the EU, anti-corruption activists in Kiev said

www.rt.com

Just saying

bux

 

[IFocus]

Ukraine quietly abolishes corruption oversight rule

Zelensky’s move to cut financial monitoring of public officials breaks Ukraine’s pledge to the EU, anti-corruption activists in Kiev said

www.rt.com

Just saying

bux

Quoting Russian news ?

 

[basilio]

This is a day in the life of Joseph Stalin in 1938. Well worth remembering the recent history of Russian dictators.
Outstanding story. Brings together so many elements of the Man of Steel.

 

[DB008]

Biden admin scrambles to track $20B in Ukraine aid as​

House Republicans warn of audits​

​

Biden's admin reportedly inspected just 10% of weapons going to Ukraine​

between February and November​

President Biden's administration is scrambling to track the nearly $20 billion in military aid it has sent to Ukraine as Republicans warn of impending audits when they take control of the House in January.​

​

Likely future House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his party will not be giving Ukraine a "blank check" to fend off Russia's invasion. A potential audit would determine how much, if any, of the U.S. aid is ending up in the wrong hands. The Biden administration's previous tracking efforts have inspected only a fraction of the aid provided to the country.​

​

The Republican push to ramp up oversight enjoys some bipartisan support in Congress. Some staunch Ukraine allies fear the party will cut off aid to the country entirely, however.​

​

Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has vowed to "hold our government accountable" for Ukraine spending, and some of her colleagues across the aisle are echoing the message.​

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bi...20b-ukraine-aid-house-republicans-warn-audits



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[Sean K]

This could push Putin further into a corner.

 

[sptrawler]

You show me yours, i'll show you mine.

US Air Force unveils first new bomber in more than three decades

Almost every aspect of the B-21 Raider program is classified, as the Pentagon gives the public its first look at the stealth aircraft.

www.abc.net.au

 

[sptrawler]

U.S unveils new unmanned stealth bomber.

Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider

America's newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon's answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Smurf1976]

This could push Putin further into a corner

My guess is that whatever happens here, it won't involve Russia selling oil on the open market at US $60.

Either the oil goes to some country that isn't part of the arrangement or the oil isn't physically supplied at all is my expectation.

Either way Russian oil is gone from Western markets.

 

[Sean K]

U.S unveils new unmanned stealth bomber.

Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider

America's newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon's answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China.

www.cnbc.com

I don't think it's unmanned, maybe it will be able to do both in the future. It may be mentioned in in our DSR released in March that we should consider buying a few in X years.

Marles hints RAAF could buy B-21 Raider bomber

It comes days after US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall surprisingly hinted his country would be willing to sell its most prized in-development aircraft to Australia.

australianaviation.com.au

 

[Sean K]

My guess is that whatever happens here, it won't involve Russia selling oil on the open market at US $60.

Either the oil goes to some country that isn't part of the arrangement or the oil isn't physically supplied at all is my expectation.

Either way Russian oil is gone from Western markets.

Europe can't do without it can they? Where's the alternate supply come from? Can the Gulf States ramp up enough to replace it?

 

[Sean K]

My guess is that whatever happens here, it won't involve Russia selling oil on the open market at US $60.

Either the oil goes to some country that isn't part of the arrangement or the oil isn't physically supplied at all is my expectation.

Either way Russian oil is gone from Western markets.

Must remember some of the reasons why Japan invaded Manchuria and China and then attacked Pearl Harbour.

 

[qldfrog]

Must remember some of the reasons why Japan invaded Manchuria and China and then attacked Pearl Harbour.

View attachment 150078

We tend to forget that but a visit to the Tokyo war museum quickly puts back that side of history as it is nowadays taight to Japanese as the reason wwIi started for them.
We were strangled and had to..
A bit different here IMHO:
Europe is strangling itself, and russia will find plenty of buyers for its oil.
BTW, is ukraine still one of the few European country still using russian gas.
Was not so long ago, while germany was already cut and was wondering if this is still going on.
I would think russia would have cut them when they started power plant strikes

 

[mullokintyre]

In a not unsurprising development, there are suggestions that foreign supplied weapons are filtering across borders to other theatres of war and insurgence.
From the Finnish news agency

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) says their preliminary intelligence suggests some weapons sent to Ukraine might have fallen into criminal hands in Finland.
"Weapons shipped [by various countries] to Ukraine have also been found in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands," NBI Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren told Yle.

International media outlets have reported that the European law enforcement agency Europol has anticipated criminal gangs stashing weapons in border areas. This past summer Europol issued a statement(siirryt toiseen palveluun) warning that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms.

"We've seen signs of these weapons already finding their way to Finland," Ahlgren said.

The NBI has not released more details about weapons trafficked to Finland, saying that investigations are ongoing.

The routes and contacts for trafficking illegal weapons from Ukraine to Finland are, however, already in place, according to Ahlgren.

And now the Nigerian president has chimed in as well. From Zero hedge

The Nigerian government says that foreign-supplied weapons transferred from the West to the Ukrainian government have begun to proliferate in the west African region. The illegal arms have begun to "filter" to the region, Nigeria's president said.
An urgent warning was recently issued by President Muhammadu Buhari himself. An official statement posted to the website of the Nigerian presidency's office said that Buhari "urged more vigilance and tightening of security around borders, drawing attention to the increased number of arms, ammunition, and other weapons from the Russia and Ukraine war in the Lake Chad Basin."
President Buhari said, "Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the Lake Chad Region. A substantial proportion of the arms and ammunition procured to execute the war in Libya continues to find its way to the Lake Chad Region and other parts of the Sahel."

He continued, "Weapons being used for the war in Ukraine and Russia are equally beginning to filter to the region."

"This illegal movement of arms into the region has heightened the proliferation of small arms and light weapons which continues to threaten our collective peace and security in the region. There is, therefore, the urgent need for expedited collaborative actions by our border control agencies and other security services to stop the circulation of all illegal weapons in the region," Buhari noted.

Critics of the massive US weapons pipeline to Ukraine have long pointed out there's no accountability or appropriate tracking once those arms enter the country, presenting ripe opportunities for criminals, terrorists, or lucrative black market arms sellers to take advantage.

Of course no evidence is provided that these weapons have been traded, but given the yanks left a lot of stuff in Afghanistan, and still don't really (or admit) what the value was , it would not surprise to see of that weaponry being traded by the Taliban to the brothers.
Mick

 

[sptrawler]

I don't think it's unmanned, maybe it will be able to do both in the future. It may be mentioned in in our DSR released in March that we should consider buying a few in X years.

Marles hints RAAF could buy B-21 Raider bomber

It comes days after US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall surprisingly hinted his country would be willing to sell its most prized in-development aircraft to Australia.

australianaviation.com.au

Hi Sean, they are saying it can fly with or without crew. I guess if it is unmanned destroying it, rather than allowing it to be captured is an option. I wonder if it has supersonic ability.

US Air Force unveils first new bomber in more than three decades

Almost every aspect of the B-21 Raider program is classified, as the Pentagon gives the public its first look at the stealth aircraft.

www.abc.net.au

From the article:

Key points:​

• The US Air Force plans to build 100 B-21 Raiders, able to deploy nuclear weapons or conventional bombs with or without humans on board
• The total cost of the bombers remains unknown
• The Raider was unveiled beneath a hangar to prevent satellite imaging and overhead cameras seeing it

While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once inside, the similarities stopped, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp, which will build the bombers.
"The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21," Ms Warden said.

Other changes include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, Mr Austin said.

"Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft," Mr Austin said.

"Even the most sophisticated air defence systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky."
Other advances likely include new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defence analysts said.

"It is incredibly low observability," Ms Warden said. "You'll hear it, but you really won't see it."

 

[Smurf1976]

Europe can't do without it can they? Where's the alternate supply come from? Can the Gulf States ramp up enough to replace it?

Details aside I’m thinking that Russia and friends are going to fill their oil storage to the brim and choke off supply to the West.

That’s speculation on my part but I’m expecting some strategy of that nature. A physical oil supply crisis for the West meanwhile Russia and others willing to go along with it build a physical oil stockpile for either their own use or future sale at high prices.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see things like, for example, Saudi importing Russian oil simply to store it.

 

[Sean K]

Details aside I’m thinking that Russia and friends are going to fill their oil storage to the brim and choke off supply to the West.

That’s speculation on my part but I’m expecting some strategy of that nature. A physical oil supply crisis for the West meanwhile Russia and others willing to go along with it build a physical oil stockpile for either their own use or future sale at high prices.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see things like, for example, Saudi importing Russian oil simply to store it.

Sounds like a likely strategic plan.

Are you suggesting Saudis import and store for potential Western use, or just to purchase of Russia to fund them? I wonder where India and China sit in this.

 

[Sean K]

Hi Sean, they are saying it can fly with or without crew. I guess if it is unmanned destroying it, rather than allowing it to be captured is an option. I wonder if it has supersonic ability.

Yeah, just not sure if the first batch will be all unmanned. The beauty about the current UAVs is that they're cheaper and if shot down you don't lose the crew. However, these things are going to cost billions each so losing a pilot who can take control if the remote control fails might not be as big a loss. Probably close to the same speed as the B2 which is around Mach 1. I think we're derailing the war thread. ?