@TheValeyard Update on this.
And @thomil - Re Rafale fighters
Supporting this flight along the Romanian coast, a French Air Force Airbus A330MRTT (reg. F-UJCP) refueled two French Navy Rafale fighters (f/n FNY5811/2) which took off from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, yesterday departed from the base in Toulon.
The fighters were refueled first west of Corsica and then again over eastern Romania. The exact whereabouts of the Rafale jets are uncertain due to strong jamming, although a plot appeared south of Crimea.
However, the area’s jamming interference makes it difficult to confirm if the track was not an “echo” of another position.
Ensuring air control of the area was a French Air Force Boeing E-3F (reg. 702), which took off from Avord Air Base in central France.
Some evening deranged Russian listening for ye:
One Comment to that tweet :D
The Russians versus the Mexican drug cartels ... now there is a fight I'd pay to see.
There'll be an element of that, but, I think the simplest answer is, it's a defensive measure… like they're doing at all major installations.
Jamming horizon is around 420km for aircraft at 32,000ft + … Russia are just about doing 300km at all sites max.
It doesn't take too much power to jam GPS, if they wanted to max it, they could easily and annoy even more countries.
”So, like, Prigozhin marching on Moscow, it's gonna look something like that. And like when Prigozhin marches on Moscow and he lands in a city and everybody welcomes him and like, then goes to the store and buys stuff like nothing happened. It's gonna be like that. It's gonna be uncanny. It's gonna look weird from the outside, but it's gonna feel normal to Russians.”
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/04/21/timothy_snyder_the_west_needs_to_accept_that_regime_change_in_russia_will_look_odd_and_scary_but_we_cant_control_it.html
Thought that was an interesting read of what the coming collapse of last European empire fighting its last colonial war will look like from history professor Timothy Snider
Some very interesting points:
"Our conceit is the notion that, well, something that we could do might make Russia normal, which is like the great fantasy of the 1990s, right? Like there are things we could have done better in the 90s and things we could have done better since… I think that's a lesson that we should learn, that whether Russia invaded Ukraine was not up to us, and what happens in the aftermath is also not up to us, not just in a moral sense, but also in a practical sense. It's unlikely that we're going to be able to affect it very much."
McConnell's one redeeming feature is that he's not on the pro-Russian wing of the Republican party
Ah Tucker, looks like it's not an act and he really is batsh!t insane.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/tucker-carlson-ufo-evolution-joe-rogan/
Very interesting this .. well worth the read - one tweet:
An American dope changed citizenship to have a Russian passport. Went to Donetsk to fight alongside the nazis. Because he believed in the nazis. 10 years later the nazis called him a spy and kidnapped, tortured and killed him. Russel Bentley had the callsign "Texas". Forever remembered as a dope.
Must have drank the funny tea with Putin.
18d6 rends on 6's
All that is left is Biden’s signature and the world’s best logistics machinery kicks into gear.
There is an article in Der Spiegel about a German AfD representative who was being monitored by he Czech security authorities as part of their investigation into Voice of Europe, a vatnik propaganda outlet operating in Prague.
It seems he was caught on tape complaining that his kgb handlers had paid him in €200 notes and that he wasn't able to conveniently "launder" such large denominations in shops and petrol stations.
I'm absolutely delighted for him.
I'm also holding out further in the hope that some Irish names will emerge out of this affair.
Somewhere in an Irish wing of eu parliament offices one could hear sounds of cups breaking and the following being exclaimed
“Wait Vanya?! getting paid was an option?”
IMHO our lot would betray the people of this country and EU citizens they are meant to represent for free
Ukraine: US doubles down, Russia is cool M. K. BHADRAKUMAR
That is to say, in effect, the direct military assistance to Ukraine will actually amount to about $13.8 billion till end-2024. The Russian experts estimate that this allocation rules out another Ukrainian “counteroffensive.” But that is small comfort, since the increased flow of US weaponry will beef up the Ukrainian military capability to withstand the Russian offensive, which cannot but impact the present balance of forces at the front. <snip> From a military angle, in immediate terms, the cutting edge of the aid bill lies in the fact that it opens the gateway for the transfer to Ukraine of tactical missile systems [ATACMS] capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 km, which brings Crimea within its range. Reportedly, French troops are already on the ground in Odessa numbering 1000 and another contingent is expected shortly. This was of course forecast a few weeks ago by the Russian foreign intelligence but Paris had flatly denied it. (here and here)The bottom line here is that the aid package aims on the one hand to avoid a catastrophic military situation arising at the front in the coming months, which could be politically damaging for Biden’s re-election bid, while on the other hand, the bulk of funds actually goes to the US arms manufacturers in some key “swing states” and gratifies the influential military-industrial complex and the Deep State. source
That is to say, in effect, the direct military assistance to Ukraine will actually amount to about $13.8 billion till end-2024. The Russian experts estimate that this allocation rules out another Ukrainian “counteroffensive.” But that is small comfort, since the increased flow of US weaponry will beef up the Ukrainian military capability to withstand the Russian offensive, which cannot but impact the present balance of forces at the front. <snip> From a military angle, in immediate terms, the cutting edge of the aid bill lies in the fact that it opens the gateway for the transfer to Ukraine of tactical missile systems [ATACMS] capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 km, which brings Crimea within its range. Reportedly, French troops are already on the ground in Odessa numbering 1000 and another contingent is expected shortly. This was of course forecast a few weeks ago by the Russian foreign intelligence but Paris had flatly denied it. (here and here)
The bottom line here is that the aid package aims on the one hand to avoid a catastrophic military situation arising at the front in the coming months, which could be politically damaging for Biden’s re-election bid, while on the other hand, the bulk of funds actually goes to the US arms manufacturers in some key “swing states” and gratifies the influential military-industrial complex and the Deep State. source
A view from Douglas MacGregor written in the American conservative: Is It Game, Set, Match to Moscow? Douglas Macgregor and in Foreign policy magazine the US establishment is asking out loud that the EU needs to send it's men in.Europe—but Not NATO—Should Send Troops to Ukraine Alex Crowther, Jahara Matisek, and Phillips P. O’Brien
To Halt Russia’s Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground A taboo has broken in Europe. Only a few months ago, it would have been inconceivable for European leaders to propose sending European troops to Ukraine. But on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said the deployment of European forces to Ukraine could not be “ruled out.” Since then, other European officials have joined the chorus; the Finnish defense minister and Polish foreign minister have both suggested that their countries’ forces could end up in Ukraine. These comments, combined with preexisting support for such measures in the Baltic states, show that there is a growing bloc of countries open to direct European intervention in the war. source
meanwhile, Two years of war have impoverished many Ukrainians and the defense lines of the Ukrainian army are in the process of breaking down. No doubt there will be many contributors on this thread anxious to prevent that and are as we speak on their way to the Eastern front to provide their services. We have a rather ugly situation where the funds are just to keep the conflict going so neither side in the US can be blamed for a collapse pre-election while the EU populations are being slow walked into battle. It's obvious since the start of the year that all those retired military men coming out and saying their armies are not ready, implies that politicians across the EU are figuring the same, the Ukranian army cannot push the Russians out, and with so many elections underway they also do not want a sudden collapse impacting elections.
Anyone else find it hilarious that the best response that the Human Amplifiers of Russian Propaganda (HARPies?) can come up with to events of this week is faked concern for Ukraine, which however mysteriously doesn’t extend as far as the blindingly obvious solution in which the Russians go home (and remain alive)
Do you think 1000 French troops are on the ground in Odessa?
I cannot stress enough how big a deal this would be for China to get these sanctions, these could very well prove to be one of the key moves of all the sanctions packages we've seen to date as China cares, more than anything else, about China and it's been dancing over a precarious economic position for a number of years now. If this is enacted, it could very well start a chain reaction in China and it could self-implode. Obviously they know this themselves, so even if they do keep up trade with Russia, I have to imagine the additional levels of stealth needed to do so to avoid this sanction is going to make it even more expensive for the russians. I'm actually kind of impressed US decided to move on this
Not sure what you were trying to say but when I see a post quote Douglas MacGregor I just think TSDR. Too stupid didn't read. Apologies if you had an actual point.
That's not a new talking point. It may go dormant for a bit, but it comes up again and again.
"YesyesyessomethingsomethingRussiabadbuchaetc, but the WEST….omg NATO."
You know how in TV and movies when two mafiosos walk into a neighbourhood shop and say to the owner, "Look, we're nice guys. Give us 50 percent and we'll stay nice. We don't want no trouble, here."? Well, by the trollish line of argument, it's actually the owner who's the arsehole if they resist. He won't give them 50 percent. He hates peace.
Let us all take this line of reasoning forward in our lives. If someone ever tries to steal from you, let them have what they want without complaint. Why you got to make trouble?
This aged like a head of lettuce 🥬 left on a window cell in full sunlight ☀️
Russia will have to be changed by Russians, but that change will be shaped by external events.
Sort of related
Russia is not a country, its one large piece of real estate run by a gangland consortium .. the gangland boss being Putin. Its been ever thus, right from the early days on the streets of St Petersburg
Russia's deputy defence minister has been charged amid accusation of large-scale bribery.
Mr Ivanov, who had been in his role for eight years, was in charge of large construction projects rebuilding the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was taken by Russia after heavy bombardment.
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-war-latest-putin-live-updates-sky-news-blog-12541713?postid=7577396#liveblog-body
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-deputy-defence-minister-detained-bribe-allegations-officials-say-2024-04-23/
Comment on de twitter about this:
In Russia, you can accept bribes, but not "on a particularly large scale", unless you share part of the profit with your superior. He should know that.
Timothy Snider does make this point in article with a line that’s something like
“If Ukraine wins a democratic Russia is possible, If Putin wins a democratic Russia is highly unlikely”
IMHO there won’t be anyone but Russians themselves marching onto Kremlin for a multitude of reasons, tho that won’t stop Russians blaming the “west” for all their problems like they do about the 90s when it was Russian criminals fleecing the country and not the “west”
@zerosquared "that won’t stop Russians blaming the “west” for all their problems like they do about the 90s when it was Russian criminals fleecing the country and not the “west”
If you have not read this .. i highly recommend ANYONE HERE to buy it and read this book. Its on Kindle, less than a fiver
Follows Putin and Co from the mean streets of St Petersburg, his time in the stasi in east Germany, the wall falling, the 90s, through to Yeltsin and then Putin getting into power. All the oligarc "deaths" in Londinistan and so on. Also goes into the silvicki - Putins inner circle. far far more than that too. Just an excellent read if you want to find out the background to all these people and put stories on the names of all running Russia at the mo.
Russia already tried openness and democracy in the 1990s and sort of reverted to type once Putin was elected. They're more than welcome to try it again some time, but they'd probably need some significant alterations from the ground up in order to really make it stick.
@briany See the post above yours re a recommended read - Putins People. They never really left a type to revert from :D .. Its before Putin also - the Yeltsin 8 years. The amount of carry on in the background even without Yeltsins knowledge was stunning. Hoarding away billion in Italian ( Lugano ) and Swiss banks etc .. the scale of the corruption was unreal. Reading about it at mo in that book
The corruption is partly what I'm talking about. Without some degree of sense of civic duty and accountability, attempts at liberal democracy will lapse into whatever you want to call Russia's system of government.
Good news from Chasiy Yar
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