Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

Meanwhile on a different note, Russian problem solutions, talk about ingenuity and the solution aptly fitting the problem, Russian style.

https://x.com/i/status/1931956886527701231

https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraines-f-16-destroys-russian-su-35-in-first-air-battle-backed-by-swedish-awacs-8983

More on this from the other day

Very impressive (not just because of the kill) but for the first time it now puts Russian aircraft dropping FABs potentially in range of Ukranian aircraft. Also, as an added bonus the use of Swedish AWACS means that the F16 doesn't need to turn on it's radar to make the kill.

The sensor link gives Ukraine an interesting advantage. The weapons system can fire and not use radar until a few hundred meters to target.

Receive info, turn, fire, leave.

Could be a game changer

And more than a few Russian wives are only too delighted to not only get rid of an abusive husband, but as a bonus on top, they collect a sizable financial bonus to boot! It has become a trend now for single Russian women to marry new conscripts that had signed military contracts. First there was the signup bonus, and down the line, the possibility of a death bonus, 1,5 Million Rubles payout (subject to conditions, that there's verification by way of a body, No Body, no payout :-

https://x.com/i/status/1886753910787805451

On the other hand, there was the case where one conscript wife, on hearing of the death of her husband, went on a buying spree…..new car, different apartment, new clothes etc, probably new boyfriend as well, only to receive a phone call from her very much alive (and angry) husband.

If this site had a decent search function, I'd point you to one candidate date ! Some time ago - about when they started burning refineries on a regular basis - I theorised that it was part of a strategy to make it easier to cripple Russian logisitics.

Letting the Russians creep forward (into villages they'd already turned to ruins) meant longer supply routes ; and bombing the bejayziz out of local depots and hubs meant the Russians had no choice but to move everything further back. That in itself meant that the routes to the front line would be both more predictable and easier to target.

I think that's what we're seeing now. The Russians might be able to send drug-addicts and convicts on hopeless assualts with no food or drink, but when they eventually capture another 5 square metres, they have to get bullets, mortars, drones and whatever to the frontline if they want to hold it, and that all has to come further and further from Mother Russia under the ever watchful eyes of Ukrainian drone pilots.

Something else that doesn't get talked about very often is "what next for the Russian army?" Right now, Putin can count on a combination of carrots and sticks (mostly sticks … ) to get men signed up for death or disability on the frontline, and their stories can be conveniently buried.

But sooner or later the war will come to an end, and anyone still alive will remember how they were robbed and tortured and left to die by their own commanders. Whatever the women might think, are those men going to tell their sons that signing up for the army is a great career choice?

There's every likelihood that recruitment for the post-war Russian army will be damn near impossible in the short-to-medium term, which will create all kinds of new "security concerns" for Putin's successor.

the mongol horde never died it's in their blood, they're born of rape, pillage and destruction. Nothing will stop them except brute force and annihilation

Has it not always been so with the Russian armed forces??

Ok, we'll agree to differ on the merits of discussing the broader issue here because I've zero interest in doing it and when you get to the bottom line we're probably in agreement (nobody is suggesting they are guilt-free). But again, my point was not about culpability of 'ordinary' Russians for what has taken place since day 1 of the invasion - my point was simply that there was no clamour for war - nobody was on the streets of Moscow demanding that Putin marches on Kyiv. If life had just continued on as it was for the 'ordinary' Russian, they would have been perfectly content. This is a war dreamt up and initiated by one man and his small pool of troglodytes. The guilt of the Russian nation for not stopping them is a whole other discussion.

Lots of videos like this showing up recently

That news story yesterday confused me as well. How on the one hand can they report on a third of Russia's bomber fleet being destroyed by an impoverished army fighting with one hand tied behind its back and Russia's economy tanking while its military hardware is being turned to ashes, and then claim they'll be capable of attacking NATO/ Europe in 5 years??

It comes down largely to how much oil Modi and similar moral failures will buy from Russia. Putin is willing to burn Russia to the ground if necessary. Just like Hitler did with Germany. It also depends on who is willing to join Russia.

The taking on NATO is purely for the home audience….they have to keep pushing the winning narrative. How many Russians actually believe that at this stage is debatable. ( especially when denying it can get you fast tracked to Donbass, so you can see for yourself.}

Modi and India aren't the only ones, unfortunately.

New research shared exclusively with the New Statesman has found that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than £200bn in Russian fossil fuel exports have been shipped using UK-based maritime services. A single UK-based firm has carried almost a quarter of Russia’s exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the war began. While our government seeks to increase its defence budget, Britain’s active role in the Russian fossil fuel trade helps to maintain the military spending of a nuclear power currently at war with a close European ally.

The study, which has been conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), finds that the value of Russian crude oil, oil products and LNG shipped under British ownership or insurance since the war began has now reached £205.8bn. Three quarters of Russian LNG carriers were covered by UK insurance.

…

Europe continues to buy Russian LNG directly, and in 2024 imported more LNG from Russia than ever before. Much of this is shipped, entirely legally, by a single British company: Seapeak, which is headquartered in Glasgow and which owns seven specialist LNG carriers, which can power through ice two metres thick. This is not subject to a ban and there is no suggestion that Seapeak has broken any laws. Seapeak was mentioned in an Early Day Motion on Russian LNG, which was signed by 34 cross-party MPs in January. CREA says that Seapeak alone has carried Russian LNG worth £13bn since the war began.

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/06/britains-gift-to-putin

Were I a director of Seapeak, I wouldn't be comfortable knowing I was very instrumental in providing the means funding all the horrors in Ukraine, like the killing of 631 children.