The reality of this may yet persuade bordering nations to get more actively involved and provide air cover/ implement a no fly zone etc. As part of a calculation of what is in their best long term interests and at what cost.
The Swiss Intelligence Service has 'credible information' that Zelensky plans to politically eliminate his closest rival ahead of the next years elections.
Ukraine need to be presenting as positive a picture as possible to the West, due the possibility of waning support and war fatigue. Stuff like this doesn't help. It seems like he's gotten a bit fond of being President, meeting celebrities, appearing on magazines etc.
...
There are no "next years elections" as long as martial law is in effect which seems like a pretty relevant bit of information.
This what was suggested before the invasion an international coalition/Nato to impose a no fly zone over ukraine to prevent Russian aircraft and helicopters having access to ukraine,but this was denied, Nato Said no this will drag us into the conflict directly,
We need a separate coalition led by the eu or EU states who can send aircraft carrier to patrol the skies over ukraine,but even at that they won't likey engage Russian forces on the ground.
I think the reason it failed was because Prigozhin thought he would be joined by many soldiers who were unhappy with the situation in Ukraine but these guys did not show up. They cheered Prigozhin on but didn't have the bottle to join him.
There is elections due in October by all accounts ,
Parliamentary? The presidential election is supposed to be next spring, but I thought it was postponed (which caused plenty of furore when it was announced).
Didn't get to finish my last post,
They are due in October and presidential later,they can suspend the elections under Marshal laws ,they may need to do something to keep their international backers happy, especially while demanding accession to both Nato and the EU ,if this turns into 5 year war as suggested by some they can't suspend democracy indefinitely,but demanding they be let into the eu and Nato skipping all of the normal processes involved in both
The Swiss are nothing but money launderers for criminals especially the russians
According to the Ukrainian constitution there can't be any elections as long as martial law is in place.
"Article 19 of Ukraine’s martial law legislation specifically forbids conducting national elections. Thus, for Ukraine to conduct elections while under martial law would be a violation of legal norms that predate Zelensky and the full-scale Russian invasion."
They'd have to engage some Russian forces on the ground - namely the ones firing AA at the planes.
Ben Wallace is some kind of a ratbag
"UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says "people want to see gratitude" from Ukraine, in relation to Western aid"
Ben Wallace is an arsehole. Possibly the least arsehole-ish of the current crop but that is a low, low bar.
If Prigozhin were to run it again, would it succeed? For sure, it has definitely left a deeply weakened Putin, But on the other hand, an awfully deeply suspicious and paranoid Putin, who will see mutiny every where he looks. if it does happen again, it will be a fully 100% committed mutiny with no hostages taken. And Putin will be the prime target.
Only if the engaged the aircraft
I think the UBS rescue merger with Credit Suisse was quite telling in that it did happen relatively quickly under the guise of the greater good. Many would hold the view that it was done, with the support of the state, to keep the books in-house and the world's eyes away from just how much it was awash with Russian cash & assets.
Seems like that would be a natural consequence if the Russian aircraft in the sky couldn't deal with the extra planes in the sky, and the Russian MoD would want its airforce, such as it is, in the air as an added means of attempting to halt Ukrainian advances. It's difficult to see how a separate coalition could compartmentalise it as just going to establish a no-fly zone. That's certainly not to say that it wouldn't be correct to attempt, but it is to say that any hypothetical would have to do it while being prepared to become more deeply engaged in the conflict.
For the avoidance of doubt, everything NATO is doing and saying is tantamount to 'We need Ukraine to WIN'.
Ukraine are now NATO members in all but name. The West aren't engaging Russia, yet with Patriot and Storm Shadow and Taurus, they really are.
Its all of Putin's bluffs being called, systematically, deliberately and as we all thought he has absolutely no lead in his pencil.
Ukraine will be whole again by year end, thats basically what Petr Pavel is being sent out to say to one and all.
But he's not saying that neither are Nato saying they are members in all but name
Neither is ben Wallace
That's definitively not what he's saying. Pavel has always been cautious about the counteroffensive, and believed that some were too optimistic about potential levels of progress. He's saying what he believes; namely that the window of opportunity for Ukraine to retake ground will start to close by the end of the year and that they need more support now.
German leopard tanks won't be getting repaired in Poland after the poles apparently wanted too much money....
That's really not what Petr Pavel is saying.
Not that surprising. Poland have angered the Germans in recent years with presistent absurd demands for WW2 reparations, an issue long since closed.
The same can be said for Russia in fairness. It looks as if Russia is taking serious hits on the front lines and rear in a very attritional stage of the war. How long can the hold out for given the current loses and depletion of machines, ammo and people?
But then again they have spent billion's on defense this year alone and have done a hell of a lot with the effort for ukraine,I'm sure they are thinking we are entitled to make some money back
With regards to Bakhmut, is that what they are doing? According to reports, Ukraine has made gains to the North and South of Bakhmut, taking the high ground, where they essentially can target the roads leading into Bakhmut and the city itself.
Poland were looking for €100k per tank for initial diagnostics. It's €10k in Germany. Taking the piss.
Then it ends up in a scaled down ongoing war of attrition, less extreme than the last year and a half but more extreme than the previous eight years, each side hanging in there in the hope of some miraculous game changer (assassination/coup/Trump return). Which is basically what some of us have been predicting as a likely scenario since last summer.
And yet we have been repeatedly told that they're financially destroyed ,they have no men or equipment to fight with they are totally demoralized,
And yet they are still doing a lot a damage to the Ukrainan military and preventing Ukraine from making any gains over the last month
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