Russia - threadbanned users in OP

There's an awful lot of what you describe there that's still pretty normal in rural France. Most people I know kill their own chickens, ducks and rabbits, milk their own goat and trawl the hedgerows for berries, nuts and mushrooms. As for the obsession with (indoor) toilets - from our rural continental perspective, that's a weird, outmoded behaviour that the Russians share with other primitive people like the Irish, the Brits and the Americans. :-) When you pay for every litre of water, and you're subject to drought restrictions ten months of the year, dry/compost toilets make good financial and ecological sense.

So while it might sound to pampered city-dwelling Westerners that life is unbearably tough in these kinds of places, it's remains a choice of lifestyle for a good number of former pampered city-dwelling Westerners (like me) - and being able to pick up a destroyed hamlet for a knock down price, complete with plenty of raw materials already onsite for (re)construction will appeal to people beyond those who have no emotional connection to the place.

"and being able to pick up a destroyed hamlet for a knock down price, complete with plenty of raw materials already onsite for (re)construction will appeal to people beyond those who have no emotional connection to the place"

That sounds pretty cynical to me.Realist perhaps but much better unsaid.

It's not cynical - it's what'll drive Ukraine's post-war recovery. For every house that needs to be rebuilt and every square metre of land that needs to be de-mined, there'll be a demand for materials and innovation that'll serve Ukraine's wider interest. We've already seen how quickly they've taken their autonomous vehicle industry from "meh" to magnificient. Once the Russians have been ... persuaded ... to leave them in long-term peace, that's an industry that'll be in high demand from other countries with a desire to have an airforce or a navy but not enough budget to pay for it. We'll see the same in respect of mine clearance: once the Ukrainians have the opportunity to apply the full force of their innovation to the problem of unexploded ordnance, I'm pretty sure they'll be called on to clear territories elsewhere in the world that have been neglected for decades.

The biggest difference between the Ukrainian mentality (as I see it) and that of the Russians, is that the Ukrainians do what needs to be done, and do it well; the Russians do stuff just for show, like their crappy rebuilding of apartments in Mariupol, and everyone knows it, so no-one will be lining up to give contracts to the post-war Russian companies (especially as the Chinese will be taking full advantage of their weakness in the immediate and medium-term future).

Seems to be a change of policy from the US. Obviously nothing to do with Crimea as the US has always acknowledged it as being part of Ukraine.

I'd say this winter Ukraines AA will be in a far better position to take protect its core energy infrastructure.

Also, I'd expect UAF drone teams to get the Intel to locate these stockpiles and eliminate them.

Any rumours about what happened here?I know was mentioned I believe back on the thread a few days ago but seems very strange.

Not so easy maybe as these missiles launched from quite a distance. Undoubtedly too the Russians will be more careful with dispersing their storage sites now. Maybe targeting factories or munitions in transit if possible would be effective?

According to the control map , Ukraine appear to have punched a hole in the first main line of defence -

But progress has remained haltingly slow, unfortunately, or at least this is how it looks on the front. Were the Russians able to fall back so that the AFU couldn't roll this line up, or was this not even the objective of the AFU in the first place? Are they currently happy to lob ordinance at targets behind the front line and erode Russia's defensive capabilities until the F-16s arrive? Is there any chance that the AFU can significantly move the line before the rain comes and the ground softens?

Wouldn't be official until it's announced on Tiktok

Makes sense as there have been very few cruise missile attacks lately. I'm going to be so pissed off when they start hitting Ukrainian power plants during winter and killing civilians and the West announces more air defence in reaction. Just send everything possible now and limit the damage.

Have we not being hearing these stories since a few weeks after the invasion started. I sincerely hope its true but won't hold my breath still think he can keep this going .I just hope the Ukrainians can keep plugging away and they can get the supplies needed to make a serious break through and kick Putin back and out .

We've been hearing them for over a year now. A lot of it is wishful thinking. Hey look it it makes people feel better then what's the harm?

Spot on, plus as the article I linked above mentions, concealed transactions are fertile ground for theft (even the scrupulously honest Russians might be tempted).

If the sanctions are not working, why are they the central demand of Lavrov whenever he is discussing any kind of agreement / threat etc. The sanctions are working, and working very well and need to be increased, with any Country found to be helping Russia evade them, also sanctioned. The Russian war economy with anything even remotely connected to the military arms etc needs to be throttled to death.