Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

Thanks to Trump's actions and threats, the 'NATO' pre-emptive defence is turning into more of a noose around its members necks. In other words, do we really think Trump would send in the cavalry if Russia expanded operations into a little bit of Poland etc? I'd be doubtful. While Putin can rest assured that the Europeans won't step foot into Ukraine because of the risk of triggering Article 5 and 'escalations'. The the NATO thing is actually working backwards at the moment thanks to Trump's positioning.

Alternatively the fact that Trump has undermined NATO makes moving European troops and weapons into Ukraine a non NATO move, bolstering Ukraine against Putin without crossing his NATO red line.

Agree. I think it needs to be a From the People type assassination, otherwise there's the real risk of creating a martyr out of him which the next in line will use to his own advantage in doubling down on the corruption, suppression and hoarding of wealth.

Europe dropped the ball big time. We should have been much closer to equalling the US in military spending. Putin would have thunk twice.

It not that easy though - 27 countries in the EU all of which generally have to agree on stuff. Defence spending is always going to be divisive - even now. Russia is much bigger threat to Poland or Latvia than it is to Spain or Portugal.

Long-range drones will be Ukraine's strategic export product, as they are a deterrent weapon, and their number will be around 30,000 this year. "We already have dozens of such manufacturers," says the official, who also provides some details about the project of this type of drone:

"By the spring of 2023, we had a prototype. The first series was launched in August 2023, the first app started in the fall, and the first successful hit was at the end of 2023.

The attacks on the Russian oil system are the biggest losses for the Russian economy. The name of this project is "Hit the Oil" (Їбаш нєфть).

The goal of 30,000 long-range drones this year will be achieved. Have you seen how accurate the calculations are when, for example, these drones come nicely close to the oil refinery in Ryazan and hit the same point, the same tower twice? This is our strength," explains Oleksandr Kamyshin.

The Ukrainian arms industry has started to move and will probably be one of the engines of Europe's rearmament after the war in Ukraine stops. Today, the Ukrainian defense industry consists of more than 300,000 people and is capable of producing a volume of weaponry like no other country in the West.

Ukraine has been able to accelerate its production of 155mm self-propelled artillery, a NATO standard caliber, and is producing these weapons at a rate higher than all NATO countries combined.

"Slowly, slowly, we have reached the point where today we produce more 155 mm self-propelled artillery pieces than all NATO countries combined," Kamysin reveals.

"We have expanded our production to millions of projectiles. I'll just give a few numbers. In 2022, we produced less than 50,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. In 2023, one million. In 2024 - 2.4 million. We are ready to produce the entire line: both Soviet calibers and new NATO calibers, even 155mm,"

Ukraine seems some way from being on the ropes. Unfortunately it seems you have to actually have your neighbours die from an enemy strike and significant chunks of your infrastructure destroyed to Provide the necessary motivation to bypass asinine politics and just get shyte done.

Yeah, not easy, but at the same time I think that was used a bit as an excuse for sitting on our hands. Its amazing how easy things become when there's a threat on the horizon… bottom line is we could and should have been better future-proofed. Sure we're here sitting in our neutral island with a navy that can't put to see and an air force that doesn't have a jet. What's our air defence system like? If the Govt. and previous Govts were being honest they'd admit that our defence policy, behind which 'neutrality' hides, is "ah, sure the Brits will rescue us".

Its one of the reasons Marine Le Pen has been nailed to the wall for her crimes, and Georgescu was banned from standing in Romania itself.

The fascist infestation in many parts of Europe, nurtured by Russia, is nothing less than a cancer and must be cut out accordingly.

Democratic Europe may have been perceived as soft and weak, but the long memory of 1920 to 1945 endures, and it is clear that it hangs like a shadow over this belated galvanisation of countermeasures on this continent.

But there is hope. We know nobody else is coming to save us. Germany has thrown off its fiscal and defensive conservatism in favour of a much more aggressive stance. Finland and Sweden we know about.

Norway has abandoned its policy of banning sovereign investment in the defence industry and, more importantly, is evaluating a new and accelerated application for EU membership.

In Russia, the sanctions of 3 years ago and the overt international push to end its oil and gas exports are finally biting. The economy there is in free fall, and inflation now exceeds 20%. Putin cannot whack-a-mole opposition to him when it begins to come from all sides in Russian society. An off-duty armoured limousine from the presidential fleet blew up in Lubyanka, Moscow a few nights ago, a short distance from FSB headquarters. A sign of things to come perhaps?

So, now is the time in Europe to re-double our efforts, to exert our financial heft, to paint fascism in all its forms under a harsh spotlight, and break off the switch.

….

Imagine the sweet sound of cracking ice as you read.

The russian state is likely confronting an increasingly significant shortage of police. In March 2025 Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev reportedly stated there to be 172,000 vacancies in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an increase of 33,000 in the last year. Some russian civilians have been reported as forming armed self-defense units as a result, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.

Decreased police sign-up and retention rates have likely been caused by a combination of: the relatively low salaries on offer; higher salaries and notable sign-up bonuses in the military and related industries; and concerns that joining the police may result in being sent to Ukraine, where russia has likely sustained more than 900,000 casualties.

Were I an Orcling, I would not be joining a self-defence grouping when they are forcing cripples to crawl and use crutches in order to reach their deaths. Looking fit to fight?… uh, uh.

That submarine in Egypt where 6 Orcs died had 45 of them on board.

That happens every 6 months. 160,000 is higher than normal but the event itself isn't unusual.

Hurghada is infested with Orcs, they have also bought up loads of property there & I'll bet many of them are there nowadays draft dodging whilst still claiming to be Russian patriots.

They are not liked by the locals either, many are loud drunken alcoholics who can't behave in public, whilst others ignore traditional Islamic dress codes & walk around on public streets in a state of undress.

We have friends who live there who have Egyptian familes.