Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

Avatar in the Post · 22-12-2025 04:31AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088220#Comment_124088220

Such concern, Bravo!

orangerhyme · 22-12-2025 04:31AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088181#Comment_124088181

So much nonsense to unpack here.

Loads of cheap EVs like Renault, Citroen, Dacia, Hyundai that aren't Chinese.

America's not getting out of EV game. Look at EV sales in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado.

EVs are taking over but a bit slower in US.

They'll be cheaper than ICEs by 2027. By 2030 they'll be the majority of new car sales globally. Maybe sooner.

America has the best universities in the world.

AIs not a bubble but definitely not every promise will come true. Some tech companies will fail, some will succeed. Fortunes will be made and lost.

America might have anti immigrant sentiment under Trump but half of Silicon valley is ran by immigrants.

Space has become much cheaper and we're entering a new era.

Ozymandius2011 · 22-12-2025 04:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088223#Comment_124088223

Ukraine has released a video (6.52 below) showing them fighting in Chasiv Yar. Russia has claimed since last June to have taken it.

Map of where Chasiv Yar is compared to Kostianyantivka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oruF1oqLRCM

Regarding the area between Slovyansk and Siversk, its very hilly. Below shows the hilly areas. Ukraine holding onto the hilly area at the bottom of the map. The Green Squares show where Russia has made some advances in the other ones. High ground is a natural barrier. The flat land between Avdiivka and Pokrovsk is why Russia was able to get to Pokrovsk.

In reality Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Kostanyantinivka are a conurbation so effectively Russia will be trying to take them all in one go, which could be more challenging.

Trump cancelled the EV mandates. Musk reportedly very annoyed about that at the time.

The hope some had that Musk would be a voice for renewables in the Trump administration, has been dashed with him no longer being in the administration. On the other hand, its hard to see him supporting the Democrats given his disagreements with them on certain cultural issues like trans.

He still has some leverage though as a donor.

Reports Lyman being prepared for an "active defence".

dePeatrick · 22-12-2025 04:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124087722#Comment_124087722

I like what you are saying any reading I can do on it?

Ozymandius2011 · 22-12-2025 04:55AM

Situation in the Shakove Pocket. The origin of this pocket was when Russia launched a failed thrust towards Dobropilia, but gained lots of territory while doing so. Ukraine has been retaking this territory for months but now, the Shakove pocket itself, where the Russians were surrounded, is now contested.

I.am.Putins.raging.bile.duct · 22-12-2025 06:08AM

Giorgi Navana (Cyberwolf) 4 December 2025

Ozymandius2011 · 22-12-2025 06:11AM

Reports that the US ban on oil tankers getting to Venezuela is starting to affect sanctioned Russian ships.

Venezuela helps Russia mask the origin of its oil by mixing it with Venezuelan oil.

https://www.rfunews.com/articles/us-navy-forces-all-russian-shadow-fleet-ships-to-make-a-u-turn-and-retreat-from-atlantic-routes

Pacific Investment Management Co. and Witkoff Group, the real estate developer founded by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, are in default on a $400 million-plus loan tied to a luxury apartment complex in Santa Monica, California, according to a notice filed with Los Angeles County.

The loan is linked to The Park Santa Monica, a 249-unit development at 500 Broadway in the heart of the beach city’s downtown, according to a website for the property.
The firms obtained a $324 million loan for the property from affiliates of Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies in 2021, according to the notice.
The debt was then increased to $405 million in November of last year.”

Report on CNN from Finland, where Russians that used to be paid by the state to hunt wolves are instead fighting in Ukraine. This is resulting in Finnish reindeer being under threat from Russian wolves.

threeball · 22-12-2025 07:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088225#Comment_124088225

Just look up the digital Euro, Europe Inc, have a look at the metals markets, whos hoarding, the paper vs physical market, the requirement for the US to start printing high volume again, the exit of Japan and others from US treasures and the circular deals being done in AI inflating the share price and masquerading as sales. I can't really point to a single thing which is moving in the US favour at the moment.

I.am.Putins.raging.bile.duct · 22-12-2025 07:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088239#Comment_124088239

I'm no oil expert but isn't russian and venezuelan oil some of the worst quailty in the world as in it's dirty and hard to refine with less product?

At todays prices it would hardly be worth confusing the two for the sake of russia getting a few roubles.

Igotadose · 22-12-2025 08:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088150#Comment_124088150

'

'They've an unsolvable housing and construction crisis.'

90% of people in China own their own residence. We in Ireland should have such an unsolvable housing crisis. Based on a recent trip there, the amount of construction going on is, well, staggering and the amount accomplished in the last 25 or so years practically mind-boggling.

Plus, their people are educated. China is very scary.

Ozymandius2011 · 22-12-2025 08:24AM

The housing crisis in China is more an excess of housing they cannot sell to their own people. They are known as "ghost cities".

https://boda.su/en/posts/id2561-china-s-ghost-cities-why-new-districts-stay-so-empty

mike_cork · 22-12-2025 09:10AM

2 Russian fighter planes got a free BBQ last night

Screenshot_2025-12-22-08-02-57-973_com.android.chrome-edit.jpg

And another general had an accident in Moscow

Screenshot_2025-12-22-08-04-35-222_com.android.chrome-edit.jpg

TheValeyard · 22-12-2025 09:44AM

Lol, time for the meme

vswr · 22-12-2025 10:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124086157#Comment_124086157

The best part was when he said to Robinson "go back to where you came from"

Rawr · 22-12-2025 10:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088271#Comment_124088271

I’ve lived there Dose, don’t take the construction in China at face value. There are no construction or safety standards for those buildings and the quality of the concrete involved is shockingly below par.

I’m going to hazard a guess that you were inside one of the main cities. China is pretty good at maintaining a polished facade there…but once get far enough away 2025 suddenly starts to feel like a shabby version of 1955.

Also Chinese people don’t really «own» their own home, they get a multi decade lease from the government who ultimately own all of the land. There has been a property boom over the past few decades there, but it has the making of truly devastating financial bubble. People had been expending all of their savings on down payments for properties that they had wanted to use as a nestegg investment, but then everyone did that and we end up with abandoned Ghost City developments. So you now have a lot of people overpaying into mortgages that will likely never pay off.

It is true that education is well done, be it very brutally. Chinese kids have one hell of an ordeal to get as far as college, and thereafter in many cases there is no guarantee of work afterwards. There is an unemployment problem in China that has little signs of going away.

I had a lot of hope for the place when I lived there, and loved the people, but what I learned most over time there was that the appearance of ability mattered more to the powers there than the actual ability it itself. That attitude permeates nearly everything in the country.

That’s not to say that China lack ability, but I would warn anyone swayed by their branding to pause for a minute and consider if what they are seeing is even real. Fairly often, it isn’t.

vswr · 22-12-2025 10:10AM

I love this question by Rosenberg, turns into a rant by Putin, as usual. But at 4:36, after Putin says:

"Are we really going to attack Europe, what a load of rubbish…"

It then pans to Peskov, who's probably mid tweet of another nuclear strike threat :-D

I asked Vladimir Putin: "What future are you planning for Russia?" - YouTube

zv2 · 22-12-2025 10:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088185#Comment_124088185

Any assessment should include all factors, not just military and politics - global warming, pollution, soil erosion, diminishing oil returns, peak metal, population explosion, demographics, health issues, etc etc etc…

zv2 · 22-12-2025 10:50AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088271#Comment_124088271

China is scary but at great cost. They have decimated their share of the natural world, the country is poisoned and full of cancer and air pollution etc. etc… This is a very interesting read

When a Billion Chinese Jump: Voices from the Frontline of Climate Change: Amazon.co.uk: Watts, Jonathan: 9780571239825: Books

Igotadose · 22-12-2025 10:50AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088392#Comment_124088392

True, was a tour. Yet, I saw a photo of Shanghai where the skyscrapers are from 25 years ago - 1. Now, packed.

The train stations were sparkling clean, huge and for damn the trains ran on time - you usually had about 2 minutes to board.

Bullet trains at 300(?) km, smooth as silk, also clean.

Was in Paris, too. Can't say the same about the trains, the overall cleanliness and reliability. Good food though and nice museums.

I still think you should tell young people to learn Mandarin. It's the language of the future.

EltonJohn69 · 22-12-2025 10:57AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088466#Comment_124088466

they are the world leaders in EV and solar panels ?
interesting discussion on China though, I’m not sure what to believe, I saw a documentary that they paint some of their landscapes/mountians green to cover up the fact that many areas are just post mining destroyed ruins.

Igotadose · 22-12-2025 11:06AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088483#Comment_124088483

And as mentioned above, they've pulled out the stops on fabricating AI chips.

(https://www.reuters.com/world/china/how-china-built-its-manhattan-project-rival-west-ai-chips-2025-12-17/)

Jelle1880 · 22-12-2025 11:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088185#Comment_124088185

What makes the US immune to something that has happened to literally every empire throughout history ?

They're actively sabotaging themselves, it has all the hallmarks of the late Roman Empire for example. Relying on democracy won't be enough I feel, if a Democrat gets back into power at any point they will have their work cut out to try and combat MAGA and it's idiocy.

zv2 · 22-12-2025 11:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088483#Comment_124088483

Their rivers are different colours depending on what is polluting them - green, purple, yellow…people who live by these rivers are dying of cancer. Watts' book is a catalogue of Chinese disasters.

threeball · 22-12-2025 12:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088256#Comment_124088256

The US need this oil as the oil they are extracting is very thin watery stuff but their refineries are set up to process the thick crude that Canada provided and the stuff that was drilled in the gulf. Venezuela, Russia and Canada are the 3 main providers of this thick crude.

Bitcoin · 22-12-2025 12:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088222#Comment_124088222

In the real world, his boys were completely routed by the Ukrainians in Kupiansk 😁 Maybe he'd be better showing concern for all the orcs that putler has led to their deaths.

threeball · 22-12-2025 12:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088508#Comment_124088508

The fall of empires generally comes down to them over extending themselves financially. Too many wars, too much debt, not enough domestic production. The US has all the hallmarks and the length of the life cycle is similar to other large empires.

Bitcoin · 22-12-2025 12:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124088227#Comment_124088227

Interesting that the Orwell Road fan club quite confidently assured us that places like Pokrovsk and Kupiansk months ago. The reality is that Ukrainian fought back and conducted tasty cauldrons on their own, expertly encircling ruzzian forces and destroying the pockets.