Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Scottyboi]

This is good.

 

[JASR]

They are literally building islands in the South China sea and surrounding sparsely populated islands of other nations with their Navy (so they don't get supplies and have to leave) with the aim of completely controlling all the trade that goes through there.

The early warning signs are there.

Their navy is increasing at an incredible rate. The equivalent of the entire UK navy per year iirc…

and as well as the aforementioned pacific islands (spratleys and paracells)

there’s also Tibet

and numerous firefights and small wars with India.

and Nepal (iirc) isn’t happy

 

[mackenzie]

They've agreed where the conference table will sit.

Bet John Terry is sat there as they walk in...

 

[domalino]

 

[Ribble73]

Citizenship is hardly a “technicality”!

Show up at the border with a passport from anywhere else and only a **** looks down their nose at someone returning home to escape the Russi
Maybe if I told him who paid for his uniform and weapons, he MIGHT let me pass through the border without calling me “A traitor to the cause”???

You have missed the point entirely -which was about what the attitude of the Ukrainian Guards is -to seeing all these fighting age men fleeing. If I was one and being lectured by the said Refugee as to who paid for his kit etc I’d make damn sure he didn’t get anywhere near the Border.

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

It's a dictatorship with worse press freedoms than north korea.

Compulsory conscription of all males into the military, a secret police force and religious persecution of Christians.

 

[AlgarveBlu]

East of Gotland island apparently - couldn’t work out how it got there but keep forgetting about that weird Kaliningrad place they have near there

 

[MCFC1993]

Accident or warning for Sweden if they join NATO?

 

[Ribble73]

Interesting thread on how aviation in Russia might soon grind to a shuddering halt.
People planning wars probably don’t appreciate quite how integrated things are and the consequences that has.

Good News

 

[Blue Maverick]

I just get a feeling Putin in desperation to pull nato into the war so he can go full on his west rhetoric will sacrifice his troops/planes into a NATO country to get us to retaliate

 

[Ribble73]

Their navy is increasing at an incredible rate. The equivalent of the entire UK navy per year iirc…

and as well as the aforementioned pacific islands (spratleys and paracells)

there’s also Tibet

and numerous firefights and small wars with India.

and Nepal (iirc) isn’t happy

Be in no doubt that the next Big Bully Operation will be China in the South China Sea -maybe 10 years from now

 

[Blue Maverick]

Interesting thread on how aviation in Russia might soon grind to a shuddering halt.
People planning wars probably don’t appreciate quite how integrated things are and the consequences that has.

Also means less of the arrogant bastards on holiday as well

 

[hello]

The UN vote today. What practically does that mean in terms of immediate action

Sweet FA, it’s like a oh you are a naughty twat Mr P, you really shouldn’t do that.

 

[Ribble73]

I just get a feeling Putin in desperation to pull nato into the war so he can go full on his west rhetoric will sacrifice his troops/planes into a NATO country to get us to retaliate

I just get a feeling Putin in desperation to pull nato into the war so he can go full on his west rhetoric will sacrifice his troops/planes into a NATO country to get us to retaliate

Even in peacetime as we can now call it the Russian Air Force pulled this kind of stunt -so we can’t read too much into this

 

[west didsblue]

I just get a feeling Putin in desperation to pull nato into the war so he can go full on his west rhetoric will sacrifice his troops/planes into a NATO country to get us to retaliate

Sweden’s not in NATO

 

[KS55]

It is, there's a section of the left so obsessed with western imperialism it sees everything through that prism.

Including Monbiot until now. He generally talks a lot of nonsense outside environmental issues.

 

[shemnel]

Including Monbiot until now. He generally talks a lot of nonsense outside environmental issues.

As an environmentalist, I can tell you his record on that subject is scatter gun as well

 

[Gabriel]

Also means less of the arrogant bastards on holiday as well

Certainly be fewer of them in Europe.

 

[shemnel]

Again, you can't believe all the quotes and who knows what will really transpire, but this article claims the rouble may stabilise for a little while as the central bank in Russia forces gazprom and the like to sell off currency.

I wonder who the mysterious other backers of the rouble are? Oligarch back channels?

Russia hikes rates, introduces capital controls as sanctions bite

Russia's central bank more than doubled its key policy rate on Monday and introduced some capital controls as the country faced deepening economic isolation, but its governor said sanctions had stopped it selling foreign currency to prop up the rouble.

www.reuters.com

the article last night seemed to call it well, the rouble has bounced back some today - 30% down on the dollar to 20% down this morning - after a combination of raised interest rates by the Russian central bank (9.5% to 20%, to curb inflation worries) and hopes on negotiations.

the thing is now, is the article going to be right that oligarch and gazprom sales will stabilise the Russian currency for a couple of weeks, in which time the war will have progressed a lot. I think if this is true, coupled with huge military increases in Ukraine, we could now be seeing a bad turn. I hope not.

Euro falls to lowest since June 2020 as Russia's invasion of Ukraine picks up

The euro hit its lowest level against the U.S. dollar since June 2020 on Tuesday and the Russian rouble was down in volatile trading as Russia's invasion into Ukraine intensified and oil prices surged.

www.reuters.com

Seems the rouble is beginning to show signs of leveling off, which would give credence to the rumours above that gazprom and other parties are being forced into propping up the currency. I guess Putin's hope is that he will batter Ukraine into negotiations in time for the economy not to be ranked. Maybe. Sanctions will continue to bite Russia for some days and weeks yet.

 

[KS55]

As an environmentalist, I can tell you his record on that subject is scatter gun as well

Yes, I thought that but I don't have much knowledge on that subject so did not comment.