..
I'm guessing the extra flatbed cargo carriage of the front is for Mines etc? to take the blast before the main engine?
Good to see anyway the trains and transport is open
So you are saying that civil war will not break out in Russia. What do you think happened in Russia during the Yeltsin Gorbochov period with high food prices , a severe shortage of even basic food items , a requirement for a fairer ‘political ‘ system. You don’t think that the Russians Could rise up again - given a reason? . The number of body bags returning, the number of injured,the deepening effects of the sanctions might give rise to protests and we have loads of examples of where that might end
What compromise? Why should Russia be rewarded at the expense of another country?
This is the biggest threat.
Russia can bring Ukraine to its knees if it keeps targeting its energy infrastructure.
You can’t sustain a war without energy infrastructure.
How is ukraines ecomony doing? Are they able to finance their own government spending or is the US & EU supporting them. I can't imagine the cost to rebuild the country.
Don't be lazy. Go and look into this yourself, form an opinion and post here about it, then deal with the discussion. What you 'can't imagine' is irrelevant.
That's why any deal has to involve a cast-iron western-backed security guarantee that would effectively make it impossible, or at least ruinously costly, for Russia to invade again. Once Putin signals his willingness to accept such a guarantee, the Ukranians will know he is serious about a deal.
Sunak extending the support from Boris.
Ukraine not giving up Crimea.
Time to go all in and give them the proper weapons and defence systems.
It's going to happen sooner or later anyway.
Anything that's destroyed that cannot be rebuilt or fixed quickly has lost Russia any leverage.
If Russia destroyed all of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, well what would Ukraine surrendering to Russia accomplish? Their powerplants won't magically appear the following day.
Same argument goes for the high price of energy in Europe and food worldwide. Even if Russia withdrew overnight, Nordstream 1 would still be damaged, Ukraine crops would still not be sowed for next year, destroyed crops would still be destroyed etc...
Here's an article explaining how the investment in Ukraine from the US is such good value for money for them and keeping Ukraine fighting to destroy russian military resources is money well spent.
Full reconstruction of Ukraine will cost a lot and I don't see any reason all russian assets internationally that have been frozen should not be given directly to Ukraine to help compensate them for the destruction caused by the invasion of their territory from russia. I've seen a multi billion dollar figure put on these but would expect russia should also make additional payments of compensation on top of these if it ever wants to return to trade with the rest of the world.
Russia is digging in defensive position in Ukraine as it no longer has the capacity for offensive operations and a call for any pause to the war to help them conscript more troops for their invasion and genocide operation in Ukraine is correctly recognised as a ploy to regroup by Ukraine. This article references Zelenskyy explaining this and they know to delay the destruction of the russian military machine will just prolong the terror that the russians have demonstrated is their normal means of operation. They may be justifiably calling out the damage russia is doing to their electrical grid as the war crime it is with the specific targeting of civilians but I don't think this will convince them that their efforts to free their country should stop with the evidence in so many areas that have been liberated showing the cost of allowing russia to continue to occupy their country.
Trouble is, you can't believe anything he says, or does. Now, a decent number of NATO or US military bases along the border at key junctions, plus the latest incarnation of Iron Dome, and Putin turned over to the Hague, maybe that's a start.
It seems their rhetoric has turned to “compromise” over night
It's very clear what NATO & allies should do and that is to anounce a defensive no fly zone over Ukrainian territory and make it clear they will enforce it against any Russian aircraft, missiles or drones entering this space. See what the Russians do then. The ball will be in their court.
No need for that.
Ukrainians are more than capable, they have been shooting down cruise missiles with shoulder fired anti tank missiles. Just give them the proper kit.
It will be over by late summer.
The West need to be focusing on the aftermath of the collapse of Russia, not getting directly involved, no point at this stage.
Again, you have a massive raged filled experienced military at your disposal, just give them tools.
NATO and the EU have two major problems. For both it's Hungary, and for NATO, there's Turkey. These two have to be kicked out of both organisations in order to be able to talk about anything in relation to Ukraine. Putin has sucessfully infiltrated both via these miscreants and they both need to own up to this and pull the plugon them.
Ukraine would be a far better participant and partner in both than the current Putin owned spoilers.
But despite this, some missiles are clearly still getting through and the amount of damage is substantial to civilian infrastructure. As reported elsewhere, theory is that Russia is trying to drain Ukraine of anti aircraft munitions by launching these regular concentrated attacks. How quickly can they be resupplied and what will be the ongoing toll. An army also needs a civil society to function behind them.
Russia will more focus on assets it has, primarily in the EU and German politics.
Putin probably regrets not invading when he had Merkel in office.
It still has a lot of friends and people in power.
NATO won't introduce a no fly zone because they will have to attack Russian SAM sites within Russia and what ever way you see it, that's a serious escalation.
That's a flawed theory, Russia trying to deplete Ukraine AA. You don't use a $10mil+ cruise missile to make Ukraine use up a 400k sidewinder (of which there's over 100,000 produced)
Are you sure you didn't read that theory wrong? Maybe the west is trying to drain Russia of cruise missiles?
Ukraine will need a naval harbour when all is said and done.
Yes you can Military hardware is designed to run stand alone for power so generators for example. Or you would just hit a cities power station and take out all the AA...
That is not clear at all.
Speaking of no fly zones:
Ukrainian recently acquired Norwegian NASAM just downed an Su-35s near Bakhmut. Pilot ejected but fortunately didn't make it.
Would expect they would just say such a request is an insult/poor behaviour from their "hosts" and refuse to answer all that?!
Of course Ireland would need to be tracking what all of them do & what their role at the embassy is, to find the ones who just spend most of their time spying or otherwise really up to no good, but I would wonder has anyone in the Garda or Army actually done this work since the Cold war ended?
Hence suggestion that if not, there's probably others (most likely UK or US) who keep a weather eye on what the denizens of our wonderful Russian embassy get up to!
Unfortunately that's an old video from back in March.
Report of a problem with russian gas infrastructure in Saint Petersberg.
I hope it's nothing trivial
I'm also very worried at how easy it might be to visit remote Russian infrastructure (water, power, road, rail, bulk storage facilities, reservoirs, comms, data, etc.) and create a bit of inconvenience
I , for one, am not bored. My interest in the abonomination is based on morals, fairness, peace , being left alone to run one’s country , etc, etc, etc, etc.
Scholz-
That's my point, give them the kit, they are more than capable.
NATO getting involved now would be utterly pointless.
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