Sadly that wouldn't surprise me in Putin's Russia. One faction arranging a prisoner swap while another plots an assassination.
Major NAVALNY News ...
With any luck this unlocks the SAAB Gripens for Ukraine. Sweden has said they're considering it but wouldn't be able to until they join NATO.
Finally ...
It is a bit rich that lecture to others being published in the Torygraph though.
A little thing, but the paper's own contribution to said "European security" over last decade or so has not been stellar.
I suppose calling them a bunch of greedy useful idiots would be the kindest way to put it.
Words, nice words but still only words. Spoken in one of the most useless, ineffective institutions in existence. Even Russian and North Korean political institutions have some use, no matter how nefarious their actual motives (rather than stated) but the UN is just a gravy train for waffling and picking up a big fat cheque.
Colonel Richard Kemp wrote this article, which was also published in the Irish Independent. Here is a summary of his points:
Germany hasn't reached the NATO minimum of 2% of GDP. Poland, one of the few exceptions, is increasing defence spending to 4% of GDP.
The EU has delivered less than half of the million artillery shells that it promised a year ago to Ukraine by next month. Even now, some Europeans think the US will ride to their rescue - no longer a safe bet. Successive presidents have complained about US subsidising of European under-spending, and none more so than Trump.
There's an even greater threat to European defence dependency - China. If Xi invades or blockades Taiwan, the US would likely be heavily invested in supporting Taiwan. There's every reason to think that would be the time for Putin to move against an eastern European NATO member, calculating that the US would be overstretched and unable to deploy rapid reinforcements.
Iran is on the cusp of gaining nuclear capability and is able to co-ordinate its proxies to tie down US forces.
China, Russia and Iran form a deadly axis that, if acting in concert, could present the US and its allies with a terrible dilemma. If that happens during the next few years, European countries may have to stand on their own feet. Would Western European countries send their young men and women to fight and die to defend an eastern European NATO member, even if they managed to build the combat power to do so?
Compromise and vacillation is the only language Europe seems to understand - that serves only to provoke opponents such as Russia, China and Iran who have no compunction about exploiting such weaknesses.
The problem is that part of Moldova is ruled by pro-Russia separatists who are supported by Russian 'peacekeepers'. NATO doesn't accept countries that have ongoing territorial disputes, e.g. Cyprus.
Putin seems to view NATO as a paper tiger and if a baltic country is attacked he thinks that NATO will do nothing. Maybe NATO needs to show its teeth by expediting Moldova into the alliance, stationing troops and armour there and daring Putin to do anything, the small russian force could do nothing except leave. Then Putin would know that he can't do anything about it and it would prove how weak he really is and put to bed any notion of attacking a baltic country
No more than the keyboard patriots here, "funny" how bullish those safe from ever seeing a frontline, or privation, can be.
And now Leningrad is being mentioned for inspiration.
Heartbreaking and frustrating for the Navalny family. Explains the timing of his murder anyway.
I still donate to them, but I agree they are (almost) useless in this situation. In fairness, what can they do with Russia now? Russia have pulled the rip-cord and jumped out of the plane as regards these kinds of multilateral/global institutions.
I think they don't give a shít about their obligations under any treaties they have signed (right up to level of most serious ones where breaches may threaten future of humanity - nuclear weapons, biolgical weapons etc.).
They only stay in these bodies to use them to attack their "enemies" as they see it; e.g. they way I think they used their permanent seat on the UN security council to haul Ukraine up every now and again.
Red Cross visits are strictly controlled, by in this case, the Russian Government, who as sure as hell are not going to let an organization like the Red Cross into their POW camps, and when you see the condition of the exchanged Ukrainian prisoners, and hear what they have to say about their ill-treatment you can understand why the RC don't have access, Geneva Conventions or not. BTW, its the RC who handle most if not all POW exchanges.
Whatever about flying Aeroflot a few years ago, before the war, when at least the planes (Boeings) they were flying were reliable, not a hope of a snowball in hell would I fly anything now in Russia, and especially not Boeings, when they are having to cannibalize them for parts to keep them flying.!!! Not even with all the free Vodka I can drink Nyet Spassibo!!!😕
I don't think it will matter a jot to them
🤣🤣🤣
If that's not enough to topple a party nothing is
Ah now, I'm not talking about a deadly virus, just one that renders the mickey sore, swollen and weeping. I tell ye, with a contagious mickey virus knocking about there'd be none of that covid-denying nonsense. Everyone would be masked up to the nines and the airports closed straight away. Ye wouldn't even touch a vodka with a 10ft bargepole. Ye'd be reading Chekov with your legs crossed.
Well that flu went on to kill 50 million and we now have five times the population. Disease doesn't respect borders as we saw with covid.
No surprise here
They still killed him by putting his health in danger for years. Blood clots can happen if you are locked in solitary confinement without sufficient exercise.
And I was sure it was the "classic KGB one punch"
That's a fair point. I suppose it goes back to the question of - "well, if the entire of Europe is essentially under attack from Putin, we should be less precious about taking economic hits". Not suggesting we should torpedo our own economies, but, maybe we've been a bit too precious about slapping on the sanctions?
Anyway, better late than never and hopefully the pain kicks in soon.
And no, I'm not sure I'll ever fly Aeroflot again 🤣
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