Christ, I'd say that takes courage. I presume he doesn't get a golden handshake and happy retirement. It's a propaganda nightmare for Russia. Hope he gets out OK.
More Sabre Rattling -
Trouble is the wheat grown tends to be not suitable for use in bread products. We import nearly all that type of wheat. The wheat we do grown goes mainlyv for other. As you said the fertiliser issue could cause issues with turning more land to arable.
I imagine he thinks it will end like this: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians killed, millions of refugees if they can escape, cities flattened, cultural artefacts ruined, and all for what? A few monuments in some other country dedicated to their bravery while Russia takes over anyway?
Yes it's heroic and brave but is it worth it? Look at Syria, the unspeakable suffering, and what did it achieve? Nothing. Assad is still there, his grip on power possibly even stronger than before.
Putin has spent the last 5 years supporting but also learning from Assad and I for one can't see the benefits of Ukraine turning into a European Syria, which is the way it's quickly going.
If Ukraine had real military support it could do this, but right now it has no hope and is just sinking into the abyss.
That's a very generous to the Russians . Look at a map and you will see that they have very little conquered.
Ukraine's air force and air defense is far from destroyed. I don't know why people keep saying otherwise.
https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-still-has-significant-majority-its-military-aircraft-us-official-2022-03-04/
Irelands agriculture pre conquest was largely based on livestock especially cattle. Crops grown tended to be small acerages and were mainly oats and barley as these were more suited to our soils and climate. Around the time of the Napoleonic wars there was a big increase in grain production. When the price of grain fell in subsequent years many landlords returned to livestock farming with tenant farmers being increasingly forced to rely on potatoes with a pig or similar to pay the rent. That obviously went pear shaped around the time potato blight hit Ireland and the main foodstuff was virtually wiped out in a couple of months.
Currently we have mainly a mix of farming types with Ireland ranked as the most food secure nation in the world.
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/159325/global-food-security-index/
And whilst a diet solely based on foodstuffs produced here might be somewhat limited - no one will starve.
"Their air force is already destroyed" - Source for this?
"I don't think any of the numbers coming out of the region are accurate" - Where are you getting your information from?
ARe main crop is grass. our climate is most suited to grass production
The only way that fundamental change of outlook happens is if the entire world somehow starts to get along with each other.
I'm no expert in much of anything but I can't even begin to imagine what such a world might look like; let alone how we might actually get there.
Would you stop peddling this nonsense. No-one, literally no-one, has said or is saying Ukraine can win a conventional war. The dogs in the street know this.
The Ukrainian plan is to hold fast and inflict crippling losses on Russia until they withdraw due to attrition, inability to continue logistically/financially, and crippling of their economy with escalating sanctions.
They're obviously not going to be launching big ground operations and grand counter-strokes and essentially throwing away resources when there's zero prospect of victory via that method.
The Russian invasion has gone as bad as it possibly could have, and worse than anyone would have predicted.
They also don't have anywhere near enough men to conquer Ukraine or to occupy big cities, let alone get involved into a meat grinder battle for those cities in the first place.
I don't know what their end-game is but it's not working. They can cut Ukraine "in half" on a map but they have nowhere near enough resources in the country to achieve anything meaningful on the ground.
Isn't Australia under the American nuclear umbrella via defence treaties in any case? Similar to Japan?
Excuses to give Vlad what whatever he wants, brough to you by the sneaking regard fellow travel agency:
Reason No 45 in a never ending series: So he might stop killing civilians
A rifle in the hands of someone who hasn't had extensive military training has questionable value.
There is more aspects to combat and defense than having a gun.
The Russians aren't attacking with bows and arrows, despite what many here are alluding to.
But no major cities, so not much control of anything. They can't even supply what they have captured so if they extend to half they'll really struggle to keep it and be at risk of being driven back. Don't forget how big the place is, Kharkiv-Lviv is over 1,000 km and even Kyiv-Lviv is 500km.
Ham(meat), cheese(dairy), Pastry(wheat), all reliant on dirt cheap grain.. it will go up too. Oatmeal, ryebread, barley loaves are the way to go(with a game filling). Reminds me, the world is too reliant on the big staple crops such as rice, wheat, maize (over 2/3rds of world rely on these). There are well over 80 regional stable crops for carbohydrate, think lentils, tapioca, cassava,sorghum, plantain, potato. This wiki sums it up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_food
We yield some of the highest in the world- sure the rainfall adds fungal diseases (you get different ones in drier climates too) and pressures from insects we wouldn’t have but it also makes us less vulnerable to droughts.
Barley and oats can be grown more widespread but we are definitely not in a bad place overall for grain production if it needs to increased- but fertiliser and input costs/availabity are going to be a big constraint
1/4 of Ukraine is in Russian hands already. In 10 days half?
A ratio is of little value because the Ukrainians are not using vehicles in any great quantity. Their air force is already destroyed, all their mobile SAMs etc are destroyed. They possess armor but are not bringing it anywhere near the Russians currently.
They are engaging Russian vehicles with man-portable weapons - and indeed having success with them. But the ratio of kills will thus tend towards infinity because you destroy a vehicle with a javelin and there is no vehicle for the Russians to shot back at, only a man. That's not to say they are not having success, just that the ratio is not meaningful.
I don't think any of the numbers coming out of the region are accurate, neither the Ukrainian nor Russian. The claims of Russians running out of fuel "in the next few days" etc are dubious also. Regardless of whatever logistical problems they are having, they can resupply at a higher rate than Ukraine. Look at the length border that they control and all the potential supply routes it gives.
So escalation is your theory/wish?
God, if this is true then the it seems that the writing on the wall, with regards to the Kremlin’s endgame…
And by now, its an illegal organization in it self, AFAIK.
Unfortunately, if things escalate and the west gets involved, it doesn't end very well for anyone.
They don't need to win anything for now. The Russians are the invaders and are barely doing anything at all with that invasion.
I'm not at all sure about the 'inevitable' part. By all accounts, the two armies are evenly matched at the moment and the Ukrainians have the advantage of having something to defend. It's far from a given that the Russians can take Kyiv.
There needs to be a fundamental change of outlook. I'm not sure who Australia would be pointing their nukes at.
Just idiotic to be relying on large levels of good imports to feed your population and population growth.
As for possible migrants, there won’t be any mood to take them in in Europe particularly with all our own resource issues. Europe’s borders are going to be a lot more fortress like after this
Moving forward is momentum. Ukraine have not won 1 inch of land in 10 days. In another 10 days if Russia keep up the push they will have cut Ukraine in half. All forces directed west. What can Ukraine do about that. They are winning the media war but losing the important one.
I hope the civilians get to evacuate these area's before that happens.
Russia doesn't export much grain to the West (Ukraine is still currently exporting despite the conflict)
Russia is very reliant on revenue from exports, it wouldn't make much sense to stop exporting in normal circumstance, let alone in a war under severe sanctions.
Regardless of all this, prices are going to rise due to the war, etc.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/efd3dd9d0bb9a4718dd25ad32419f424.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wd.vanillicon.com/v2/dcbc16ebc222633fce50824c4b8e3c07.svg)
