Ukraine

[SpacedX]

2 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

not sure what he can do about Kaliningrad though ! 

Invade Lithuania. 

[st albans fox]

1 minute ago, Line-X said:

Invade Lithuania. 

I think he will think long and hard on that one now!

 

you know I wonder if securing the whole Black Sea coastal regions of ukraine and establishing a secure bridgehead to transnistria is the goal of this invasion.  His huge convoy in the north is perplexing but it takes a lot of attention from Ukraine’s army because they have to defend Kiev - maybe putin isn’t interested in Kiev ??  Misinformation is at the heart of Russian military tactics after all …….. 

[WigstonWanderer]

1 minute ago, st albans fox said:

I think he will think long and hard on that one now!

 

you know I wonder if securing the whole Black Sea coastal regions of ukraine and establishing a secure bridgehead to transnistria is the goal of this invasion.  His huge convoy in the north is perplexing but it takes a lot of attention from Ukraine’s army because they have to defend Kiev - maybe putin isn’t interested in Kiev ??  Misinformation is at the heart of Russian military tactics after all …….. 

Probably needs to capture Kyiv to install a puppet government.

[st albans fox]

6 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Probably needs to capture Kyiv to install a puppet government.

Depends what’s most important to him and priorities at the moment 

 

 

[SpacedX]

4 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I think he will think long and hard on that one now!

 

you know I wonder if securing the whole Black Sea coastal regions of ukraine and establishing a secure bridgehead to transnistria is the goal of this invasion.  His huge convoy in the north is perplexing but it takes a lot of attention from Ukraine’s army because they have to defend Kiev - maybe putin isn’t interested in Kiev ??  Misinformation is at the heart of Russian military tactics after all …….. 

He most definitely is intent on bringing down the government in Kyiv and installing Russian rule.

 

Regarding Transnistria, I agree. Moldova has struggled with to assume its post-Soviet identity and in severing ties from Russian influence. Formerly being part of the Soviet Union is so ingrained in the Moldovan society that their population remains divided between those who support the West and those who stand by Russia - and it is precisely these divides that the Kremlin seeks to exploit and can become the pretext for what we are seeing now. Transnistria is a direct result of this divide and with its own currency and capital also has Russian as its official language. Since it formed its own breakaway separatist governing body it has developed a strong dependency on Russia and would be natural progression towards the occupation of Moldova itself. 

[SecretPro]

Imagine choosing to belive the state over your own Children.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60600487

[Zear0]

More "critical thinking" in action.

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

not sure what he can do about Kaliningrad though

 

Given how strongly he feels about respecting traditional territories I naturally assume he intends to cede it back to Germany as part of the negotiations. 

[st albans fox]

55 minutes ago, Line-X said:

He most definitely is intent on bringing down the government in Kyiv and installing Russian rule.

 

Regarding Transnistria, I agree. Moldova has struggled with to assume its post-Soviet identity and in severing ties from Russian influence. Formerly being part of the Soviet Union is so ingrained in the Moldovan society that their population remains divided between those who support the West and those who stand by Russia - and it is precisely these divides that the Kremlin seeks to exploit and can become the pretext for what we are seeing now. Transnistria is a direct result of this divide and with its own currency and capital also has Russian as its official language. Since it formed its own breakaway separatist governing body it has developed a strong dependency on Russia and would be natural progression towards the occupation of Moldova itself. 

I’m not convinced that he may decide to change his aims given what’s actually happening on the ground - whilst Ukraine and the west are fixated on protecting the capital city, he may follow a more practical route.  Of course his initial aim was to establish a puppet govt but he didn’t expect the resistance he’s faced, both from Ukraine and the wider global community. 

[st albans fox]

won’t just be the obvious issues with price increases due to fuel ….
 

and this doesn’t take into account the enormous volumes of wheat etc that Ukraine produces each summer 

 

 

 

The boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies has said the war in Ukraine will deliver a shock to the global supply and cost of food.

Svein Tore Holsether, the boss of Yara International, said fertiliser prices, which were already high before the Russian invasion due to skyrocketing gas prices, could continue to soar. 

Yara, which operates in more than 60 countries, buys considerable amounts of essential raw materials from Russia.

"We were already in a difficult situation before the war," Holsether told the BBC. "Now it's additional disruption to the supply chains and we're getting close to the most important part of this season for the Northern hemisphere, where a lot of fertiliser needs to move on and that will quite likely be impacted."

Russia produces enormous amounts of nutrients, like potash and phosphate - key ingredients in fertilisers, which enable plants and crops to grow.

"For me, it's not whether we are moving into a global food crisis - it's how large the crisis will be," Holsether added.

if this continues

The boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies has said the war in Ukraine will deliver a shock to the global supply and cost of food.

Svein Tore Holsether, the boss of Yara International, said fertiliser prices, which were already high before the Russian invasion due to skyrocketing gas prices, could continue to soar. 

Yara, which operates in more than 60 countries, buys considerable amounts of essential raw materials from Russia.

"We were already in a difficult situation before the war," Holsether told the BBC. "Now it's additional disruption to the supply chains and we're getting close to the most important part of this season for the Northern hemisphere, where a lot of fertiliser needs to move on and that will quite likely be impacted."

Russia produces enormous amounts of nutrients, like potash and phosphate - key ingredients in fertilisers, which enable plants and crops to grow.

"For me, it's not whether we are moving into a global food crisis - it's how large the crisis will be," Holsether added.

 

[SpacedX]

15 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I’m not convinced that he may decide to change his aims given what’s actually happening on the ground - whilst Ukraine and the west are fixated on protecting the capital city, he may follow a more practical route.  Of course his initial aim was to establish a puppet govt but he didn’t expect the resistance he’s faced, both from Ukraine and the wider global community. 

Years of resistance and insurgency will mean that governing Ukraine is a major thorn in the side of the Kremlin and a huge drain upon Russia as a whole. 

[nnfox]

So humanitarian corridors are going to be opened and managed by the Russians, in order to evacuate Ukrainian civilians to Russia or Belarus.  

 

Doesn't sound like a great choice.

[ClaphamFox]

This thread is really interesting. It purportedly shows a analysis of the situation in Ukraine from an insider at the FSB. I can't verify its authenticity, but it rings true - and seems to show an astonishing level of chaos and disorganisation behind the scenes in Moscow, where the focus of those around Putin is to tell what he wants to hear rather than the truth...

 

 

 

Edited 7 March 2022 by ClaphamFox

[Spiritwalker]

12 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

This thread is really interesting. It purportedly shows a analysis of the situation in Ukraine from an insider at the FSB. I can't verify its authenticity, but it rings true - and seems to show an astonishing level of chaos and disorganisation behind the scenes in Moscow, where the focus of those around Putin is to tell what he wants to hear rather than the truth...

 

 

That’s a very interesting read.

 

[Jattdogg]

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/07/shocking-behaviour-russian-gymnast-shows-z-symbol-on-podium-next-to-ukrainian-winner

 

Stay classy.

 

 

Tosser.

[urban.spaceman]

Knew our game against Zorya Luhansk was moved because of the situation there last year but couldn't remember where to - it was the same city as the NPP that was under attack last week. The actual stadium we played at is being currently being used for other purposes. 

 

 

 

[SpacedX]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

won’t just be the obvious issues with price increases due to fuel ….
 

and this doesn’t take into account the enormous volumes of wheat etc that Ukraine produces each summer 

 

 

Chernozem - such black mollisols are the most fertile on the planet. 

 

The once "breadbasket of Europe" has a basket case intent upon destroying it. 

[weller54]

9 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/07/shocking-behaviour-russian-gymnast-shows-z-symbol-on-podium-next-to-ukrainian-winner

 

Stay classy.

 

 

Tosser.

What a cvnt!..

Exactly why these vermin shouldn't be allowed to compete anywhere in the world!

[SpacedX]

1 hour ago, nnfox said:

So humanitarian corridors are going to be opened and managed by the Russians, in order to evacuate Ukrainian civilians to Russia or Belarus.  

 

Doesn't sound like a great choice.

It's propaganda designed to show that they are offering humanitarian aid to a refugee crisis that they have created. You couldn't make it up...although as we know, the Kremlin is rather good at that. 

[SpacedX]

2 minutes ago, weller54 said:

What a cvnt!..

Exactly why these vermin shouldn't be allowed to compete anywhere in the world!

Steady with the Russophobia. You don't know what he has been lead to believe or influences his belief, and may be perpetuating one based upon the liberation of the country from tyrants and oppressors as opposed to some arrogant nationalistic or provocative statement. The Kremlin is responsible for these atrocities, not the majority of the Russian people. 

[String fellow]

10 minutes ago, Line-X said:

It's propaganda designed to show that they are offering humanitarian aid to a refugee crisis that they have created. You couldn't make it up...although as we know, the Kremlin is rather good at that. 

It's just one more example of Putin the control freak. He wishes to control everything within what he regards as the Russian sphere of influence and that includes controlling, where possible, the refugee crisis that his own regime has created. As with Hitler, another massive control freak, what Putin can't control, he'll do his best to destroy. 

[Finnegan]

32 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/07/shocking-behaviour-russian-gymnast-shows-z-symbol-on-podium-next-to-ukrainian-winner

 

Stay classy.

 

 

Tosser.

 

What a little edgelord.

[leicsmac]

4 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

The thing with all of this "what if he fires the nukes!" panic is surely similar to the "omg Trump in charge of the nukes!" rhetoric. 

 

Maybe I've watched too many political thrillers but surely no one individual, even in a dictatorship, is truly in charge of firing the missiles? 

 

@Line-X seems to be our resident Russia expert (or the closest we have) so perhaps he can chime in here but surely even Vladimir Putin has to be surrounded by a certain amount of willing, complicit allies to be able to actually push the big red button.

 

Even if Putin has given up on living and wants his "legacy" to be the man who dropped the bomb, if the rest of the oligarchy want to keep on living and making money (and that's generally how those people work) then there's a limit to how much of their endorsement he can get? And a limit to how much even he can do without their support? 

Well, as far as it is known publicly, in the US the President does indeed have sole nuclear launch authority - the "second person" can only verify that the order is legit and has been issued by the President, not countermand it or disagree because they think the President has lost it. And that's a (ostensibly) fully functional constitutional republic, not a dictatorship. Russia, from what can be ascertained, has an identical system, so yes - Putin does have sole control of the red button, as it were. He wants to see the birds fly, he can open the briefcase and it will happen. The system is set up that way for the purpose of expedience - there's not that much time for a town hall debate when you have mere minutes before a first strike hits your bunker. Of course, in situations like this one sees the rather obvious flaws in the concept. But that is the way the systems work, at the present time.

 

Whether or not someone around him, if it came to it, would have the ability and the inclination to give their career and life to stop him from doing something very, very stupid...well, that's another discussion entirely.

 

2 hours ago, st albans fox said:

won’t just be the obvious issues with price increases due to fuel ….
 

and this doesn’t take into account the enormous volumes of wheat etc that Ukraine produces each summer 

 

 

 

The boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies has said the war in Ukraine will deliver a shock to the global supply and cost of food.

Svein Tore Holsether, the boss of Yara International, said fertiliser prices, which were already high before the Russian invasion due to skyrocketing gas prices, could continue to soar. 

Yara, which operates in more than 60 countries, buys considerable amounts of essential raw materials from Russia.

"We were already in a difficult situation before the war," Holsether told the BBC. "Now it's additional disruption to the supply chains and we're getting close to the most important part of this season for the Northern hemisphere, where a lot of fertiliser needs to move on and that will quite likely be impacted."

Russia produces enormous amounts of nutrients, like potash and phosphate - key ingredients in fertilisers, which enable plants and crops to grow.

"For me, it's not whether we are moving into a global food crisis - it's how large the crisis will be," Holsether added.

if this continues

The boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies has said the war in Ukraine will deliver a shock to the global supply and cost of food.

Svein Tore Holsether, the boss of Yara International, said fertiliser prices, which were already high before the Russian invasion due to skyrocketing gas prices, could continue to soar. 

Yara, which operates in more than 60 countries, buys considerable amounts of essential raw materials from Russia.

"We were already in a difficult situation before the war," Holsether told the BBC. "Now it's additional disruption to the supply chains and we're getting close to the most important part of this season for the Northern hemisphere, where a lot of fertiliser needs to move on and that will quite likely be impacted."

Russia produces enormous amounts of nutrients, like potash and phosphate - key ingredients in fertilisers, which enable plants and crops to grow.

"For me, it's not whether we are moving into a global food crisis - it's how large the crisis will be," Holsether added.

 

The mechanics of civilisation are complex and as such have few big redundancies - it's simply not possible. This is just one example of how a dip in the supply of one resource in one place at one time can result in serious consequences.

 

Now imagine what's in store further down the line, through various causes.

 

27 minutes ago, Line-X said:

Steady with the Russophobia. You don't know what he has been lead to believe or influences his belief, and may be perpetuating one based upon the liberation of the country from tyrants and oppressors as opposed to some arrogant nationalistic or provocative statement. The Kremlin is responsible for these atrocities, not the majority of the Russian people. 

The first step to any atrocity is viewing the "other", as a people or group, as less than human.

Edited 7 March 2022 by leicsmac

[String fellow]

46 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/07/shocking-behaviour-russian-gymnast-shows-z-symbol-on-podium-next-to-ukrainian-winner

 

Stay classy.

 

 

Tosser.

Apparently, the Z symbol stands for 'Za pobedy', meaning 'For victory'. It's also the middle letter of 'Nazis', which is precisely what they are.

[Zear0]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/07/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-jets-chinese

 

Nobel Peace Prize winning solution put forward by Biden's predecessor.