Ukrainian grain going via port on border with Romania
Germany sets out a time schedule
And Russia refusing to return leased planes, which means even if war stops no one will allow Russian airlines to fly (nvm giving them new ones)
Hopefully you're right.
Do you think he might try to capture the rest of the Donbas first though as a face saving exercise?
I wouldn’t know. I would never have such a conversation. But I am comfortable enough with his views on that.
he was reporting on the mood in Moscow, which is very much to support the objective while turning a blind eye to the methods
I would disagree. I’d be very surprised if there is not a dialogue between the US, key European nations and zelensky about what an acceptable ceasefire would look like
Wouldn't it be ironic if he were blown from the sky by a BUK just like he did to those poor souls on the Malaysian airline flight.
I doubt if any ceasefire talk is on the agenda.
More likely a plea to Iran not to sell cut price oil and in return, we'll buy some military equipment from you.
That Irish Times article is a disgrace.
Moscow spent years trying to implement the so-called Minsk Accord under which rebel Donbas would be reintegrated into Ukraine, providing there were guarantees of regional autonomy. These negotiations failed because Kyiv feared that Minsk’s implementation would preclude Ukrainian membership of Nato.
And then he writes:
there will be no peace, or even a ceasefire, if Ukraine does not agree to demilitarise and to eschew any ambition to join Nato.
So how does this Russian mouthpiece think Ukraine can have this: "Crucial to any peace deal would be guarantees of Ukraine’s future security"
Without NATO?
Russia has already violated Budapest and its security guarantees were shown to be worthless.
Russia did not implement Minsk, and has shown by its actions why Ukraine wanted NATO protection.
Article is a pack of lies dressed up in clever words.
My guess is Iran might be offering this Shahed 129 drone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahed_129
Apparently the best Iran have got, but also heavily based on cloned US & Israeli technology and suffers from limited range. The Russians would have to set up their control station pretty close to the front line if they want a wide range of targets for these. I get the feeling that Iran might end up laughing to the bank, while the Russians a stuck with piss-poor Predator-Drone look-alikes.
And what's your Russian colleagues opinion of the raping, torturing and slaughtering of Ukranian civilians by his compatriots? Does he condemn that.?
To-day Geoffrey Roberts (emeritus prof of history UCC) has a piece in the Irish Times advocating a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, which he says is unwinnable by Ukraine. A lot of what Roberts writes is quite shocking in my view. Read it here: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2022/07/13/ukraine-must-grasp-peace-from-jaws-of-unwinnable-war/
Roberts recently published a book on Stalin's library. Some of the reviews were quite critical. One, in the Guardian, has the following: "Roberts is startlingly forgiving towards Stalin, noting: “Given the scale of his misdeeds as Soviet ruler, it is natural to imagine him as a monster, to see him in the mind’s eye furiously denouncing opponents.” Instead he concludes that Stalin was “a dedicated idealist”, “no psychopath but an emotionally intelligent and feeling intellectual”. See: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/16/stalins-library-by-geoffrey-roberts-review-the-marks-of-a-leader
I wonder does Roberts have a similarly forgiving attitude to Putin?
Yeah the vaunted Russian Military Complex as some rvial to the US one is definitely taking some beatings with this war.
If you were a 3rd party in the market for new military gear, you'd probably be very much backing away from Russian weaponry.
Also, I'd wonder what's Erdogans reaction to the failure of the S-400 system against Himars, which on paper is meant to be a beast (and to an extent it is) all the arguments of Turkey buying Russian gear with probably be a non issue soon enough.
S400 manufacturer previously boasted that one of the capabilities of system is defence against HIMARS missiles
and that turned out to be a lie
Good article here making a point that something must have been said to Russians as the daily nuclear rattling has stopped
Death toll in Chasiv Yar increased to 46
Regarding the antique tanks from Laos, seems like they've been in Russia since 2019, as part of a swap for more modern T72's.
Can't imagine they'd hold up long versus the weaponry currently in use in Ukraine, though.
Laos remains one of the 4 official Communist regimes in the world and is often overlooked. Cuba, PRC, NK, and Laos are it.
Putin is meeting Erdogan the President of Turkey in Iran as well. I do not think meeting the President of Iran is the main function of the visit.
This may be an attempt to establish a cease-fire. As well Turkey has impounded at least one grain ship heading for Syria.
Obviously he could not be seen to travel to Turkey if he was negotiating. A visit to Iran has not got the same significance. I somehow think the pressure is building within Russia for an exit from this war.
So we have ammo from Belarus, 60 year old T6x tanks from storage, prisoners from prison, and now drones from Iran
Yep sounds like something a great power would do to a claw a few more kilometres in its Three Day War against Europes poorest country
🤡
edit: yup
Iran are going to supply Russia with 100s of drones so Russia can find the HIMARS causing all the damage behind the lines.
They've had chances recently before. I think he visited a couple of the "'stans" for a summit. It's not impossible, but they need to get in gear and actually take one of these chances to ditch him.
Looks like Putin be leaving Russia, hopefully someone makes a move while he’s out
What? Sounds like you're asking me to empathise with someone who can't shut up about how scary and bad the EU are?
Well, I can't.
Respect.
Interesting to see the locals' responses, from the enlightened to the ignorant to the reprehensible.
Funnily enough, I reckon anyone protesting the Iraq war in the USA in 2003 would have encountered similar reactions.
Saltpeter is potassium nitrate. It's an oxidiser and one of the constituents of old school gunpowder, which would be very basically a mix of charcoal, sulphur(fuel) and potassium nitrate(oxidiser).
No *ar !!
Protesting against the war in Smolensk.
*Smolensk is on the main route from Moscow to the Belarusian capital and just about on the border between Russia and Belarus.
I predicted this some time ago.
(But only in jest...bloody hell!)
Update: OK now I get it 😀
Guy Fawkes eat your heart out
LOL, that's the Russian way of dealing with trouble.
Is Saltpeter still a thing?
It's carbon dust/charcoal mixed with sulphur isn't it?
Popular I believe from bishops pee..
Says you from your armchair. So if you were in his situation what then would you say and do?
Hah! Love that the guy walking alongside the tank doesn’t skip a beat. Not the first time he has witnessed Russian incompetence.
If nothing else, this conflict is proving an excellent test environment for systems. I wonder if the US will reexamine adopting a mobile gun platform. Is the German one based on the cancelled FCS from the early 2000s?
Who would buy Russian tech after this showing?
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w0.vanillicon.com/v2/07abd39dc4f0afde3c391afc78cc920e.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/eedacf599b4135dfd56d6fdbddcbd867.svg)
