Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Well I'm including the West London luvvies as well. In fact all the posh nob areas of London, but I didn't want to type out every single one, clever dick.

That's what you get when you have a greedy geriatric smurf as a chancellor and Dolores Umbridge as minister for defense! Seriously, Christine Lambrecht is turning out to be the worst minister of defense in a long while in Germany, which is quite an achievement when the competition includes Ursula von der Leyen. From what I'm getting from German news reports, it appears as if she is extremely territorial, vindictive and stubborn and does not want any scrutiny of her ministry. There are indications that she is holding back deliveries simply as payback for criticism.

Having said that, even with that recalcitrant gremlin, there's quite a bit that Germany is doing nonetheless, beyond the thorny issue of sanctions, both with logistics and with direct military deployments.

• The German Navy's "Fleet Service Vessel" Alster has been deployed to the Baltic west of Kaliningrad. Fleet Service Vessel is a euphemism for electronic intelligence gathering ship. Here's her sister ship FGS Oker in Cork back in 2017: Who watches the watchers? - German intelligence gathering vessel visits Cork (thomil-english.blogspot.com)
• Alster is being escorted by the guided missile corvette FGS Erfurt.
• I presume FGS Alster is the source for the German intelligence intercepts that have recently made headlines.
• German Navy P-3 Orion sub-hunters regularly search the waters off Kaliningrad.
• 15.000 Soldiers are being stood up for NATO's new Response Force. The German component on that force is operating on a war footing already.
• German Air Force Eurofighter deployments to the Baltic states & Romania.
• Military traffic is being given priority on all German motorways, railways at airports and ports. This means prioritizing trains with military equipment, blocking off lanes on motorways especially for convoys, etc. This priority is also being given to transit traffic from other countries.
• Previously documented weapons systems deliveries:
  • 500 x FIM 92 Stinger (MANPADS)
  • 2000 x Panzerfaust 3 (Anti Tank Weapon)
  • 2000 x 9K32 Strela (MANPADS, these 2000 have been tested by now and are working & safe to use)
  • 1000 Anti Tank mines
  • 100 MG-3 machine guns
  • 13 million rounds of ammunition, multiple calibers
  • Patriot SAM batteries deployed to Slovakia, freeing their S-300 system to be deployed to Ukraine. Deployment confirmed by Slovak PM via Social Media this morning
  • 1 x Field hospital
  • Financing & Delivery assistance for 5100 Matador RGW-90 anti tank weapons ("Panzerknacker")
  • 14 Armoured Vehicles (unspecified type, source Süddeutsche Zeitung)
  • Source: German news channel n-tv Nachrichten

Now, I'm German myself and I'm personally disgusted at the way leading politicians such as president Steinmeier, chancellor Scholz or ministers Lambrecht & Lindner are acting. However, given how run-down Germany's military still is in many parts, there's not really that much to give, especially now that Germany has stood up it's component to the NATO Response Force. Having said that, Scholz really needs to swallow his pride, cut the gas deliveries, and become much more proactive in addressing the needs of Ukraine.

If this is true, they're getting closer to Kherson. If they do manage to retake the city (the largest city the Russians have managed to take so far) I don't think they'll be getting across the Dnipro.

Yes, would agree with you. Made the post after reading some earlier I think which were suggesting this happening might end the war quickly (usual stuff blaming Germany for everything).

Sorry, I carried on working on that post after I hit "Post Comment" (a bad habit) and edited it a good bit after you quoted me.

Of course they're not. It is all a deep fake and Putin is in the Bahamas playing Ludo with Lukashenko.

Carmakers scrambling for supplies of Palladium in South Africa. Price up 8% today

One russian Rocket cost millions, Killing fleeing children in a bombing in a railway station in order to blame your enemy is worth millions in propaganda, to write 'for the children' on a clearly Russian bomb not knowing it would survive the blast priceless

Someone here did say at the start of this that these sanctions were a bit rushed and not thought through very well. I mean who would believe countries would actually sanction a country that it's whole economy depends on 🤦‍♂️

Now just on the exchange rate Europe will be paying 20%+ for commodities once they pay in Roubles.

In theory it has, it's actions leave that as unclarified.

People go on about Pro Putin people being elected, for 20 years Germany has been radically pro Putin and his invasion in 2014 seemed to Only spur the German establishment and leadership on in that regard.

I suspect that there will never again be a leader as Pro Putin as Merkel, no matter the country or the turbulence that leads to their election.

Trump, Orban and Berlusconi say hello.

And if you think Merkel was 'pro-Putin', you're off your head. She is well documented as detesting him.

And apparent translation

From what I understood from the few posts, those missiles with cluster bombs don't hit something and go "boom". The casing opens and scatters all the bomblets all over the place. It might open with a small explosion, but it isn't the case that you'd expect it to blow to smithereens.