Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Thanks again. Alot more "interesting" than Ireland I'm sure, in an apocryphal Chinese proverb kind of way. I only got the tail end of it as well, but I feel the Cold war mostly passed Ireland by (think we had some wealthy people from the continent coming to remote areas here to get back to nature, or in hope of escaping the nuclear fallout if the wind was blowing the correct way!).

No I don't blame Germans at all for winding down their military (but possibly it would be nice if they still had alot of the vast amounts of materiel from all those divisions mothballed + in good nick rather than scrapped/sold off etc!). They were right to reap that peace dividend IMO, its probably the decisions around energy/energy security where blame can be attributed. However there is an awful lot of hindsight and post-fact wisdom going around since this invasion and as I've posted before, the rubbish about Germany as somehow being this friend of Putin/Russia, or sanguine about a Putin "win" here, once things quickly go back to a pre-war "normal" annoys me.

It's offensive, and as well as that it is kind of stupid (when you think about what a clear win out of this for Putin, even at a great cost, is going to mean for Germany & for all of us in Europe), which makes me suspect motives of some people pushing it.

They can’t afford to send it

I've heard a theory that Putin supporters in the West are often conspiracy theorists, which makes them very susceptible to Kremlin propaganda ("We're not getting the real story here, only what the Western media wants you to believe" etc).

Did you know they actually almost managed to sink it in the drydock!!!

They had diesel generator pumps to pump sea water out of the floating drydock and following the example of those higher up the command chain in Russia the manager of the drydock sold (stole) the diesel. Happened in 2018.

We are selfish we think of ourselves and when our pockets are been squeezed worse than ever that hits home harder than anything. There is a podcast on the spotify, the gaurdian do about daily updates in Ukraine, its a worth a listen if anyone feels like they are falling out of touch with this war. Its going to be a long protracted war provided the west keep pumping in the weapons.

Speaking of artillery though -

Multiple media reports that 7 German PzH-2000 self-propelled howitzers have arrived in Ukraine. There is no clear consensus whether or not they're on the front lines already, but at least they're in country.

PzH-2000 (PzH=Panzerhaubitze, literally armored howitzer) is a modified and vastly improved version of the M-109 self-propelled howitzer which is already deployed in Ukraine. That should be a rude wake-up call for some Russian soldiers.

In other Germany-related news, the Federal Government has just published a list of all the equipment that has been delivered or is still scheduled to be delivered. I haven't found an English version of the list, so if your browser has an integrated translator, I recommend using that:

Militärische Unterstützungsleistungen für die Ukraine | Bundesregierung

The first part of the list, up until the "Spare parts for MiG-29" item, shows the equipment and supplies that have been delivered. Anything below that lists the equipment that is still being prepared for shipping, including the IRIS-T SAM system, 3 MARS MLRS launchers and other stuff. All items marked with an asterisk* are either newly-built equipment straight from the factory or are currently undergoing refurbishment.

Stand-outs for me are the sheer level of logistical support that is coming from Germany. Transport vehicles, fuel, medical supplies, all of that is just as crucial as weapons. And in my opinion, the 78 Toyota Pickups, 178 lorries, minibuses and SUVs 360000 field rations and 500 large scale ration packs are likely to be just as crucial as the weapons systems. The same goes for the supply of diesel and gasoline, which is listed as "continuous". Doesn't sound like the Ukrainian armed forces are going to run out of fuel anytime soon.

EDIT: Actually, there is one more item underneath the MiG-29 spares before we get to the future deliveries. "Sondergeschützte Fahrzeuge" translates as "specially prodected vehicles" and likely refers to MRAPs or other similar armored utility vehicles.

A lot of the Trump supporters in the US would probably fall under this umbrella too (i.e. their total willingness to believe the election was 'stolen', despite not a shred of evidence to back it up). I guess these guys are prime targets for Kremlin propaganda.

You'd like to ask these people why they start with the fundamental belief that their news sources are any more predisposed to telling the truth than the ones they reject? Is their source (edgynews.com to give it a generic placeholder) any less interested in cultivating an audience and making money than any 'mainstream media' outlet?

The advantage of fortifying an island in artillery and missile range of your enemy: It can't be sunk

The disadvantage: It can't evade. Then again, neither could Moskva despite being a lot more mobile 😇

The blundering and meandering from Scholz has not been helpful and played into the hands of Putin.

Europe needs a united approach to fcuk these Nazi cnuts out of Ukraine and back to the sh1t hole they came from

I think both sides are valid here. On one hand, Germany is definitely trying to help and whilst it may not be providing the "sexy" stuff like helicopters or tanks, it is providing crucial logistical support which could very well be one of the deciding factors.

On the other hand, there's no denying that Scholz's vacillating, bureaucratic inertia, some rather shady characters and some less than helpful politicians have done their level best to make sure that Germany has repeatedly shot itself in the foot with a 155mm howitzer!

Should Germany do more? Absolutely, and I believe Germany has the capability to do more than it currently is, particularly when it comes to utilizing its defense industry. The CEO of one of Germany's old defence behemoths, I think Kraus-Maffei Wegmann, who also build the Leopard II, but don't quote me on that, recently said, that once the funding was there, they could have their old Cold War era production facilities up and running within weeks. However, there's a lot more to the German response than just delays and screwups and that deserves pointing out as well.

Some chatter on Russian mobilisation and rumours about Putin's health.