Ukraine Watch...

[kenneal - lagger]

What did you make of the Jeffrey Sachs interview, Ken?

Firstly, the interviewer, Johan Allers, definitely had an agenda which Sachs agreed with, which was definitely anti American and entirely uncritical of Putin, hence the interview.

Yes, absolutely, that was the point of it. They were challenging what they saw as the one sided, entirely uncritical of the west, narrative we get from the western media.

It was the complete lack of criticism of Putin that annoyed me.

[clv101]

It was the complete lack of criticism of Putin that annoyed me.

Welcome to my world! This is how I feel reading UK/US media for the last ~10 months. The complete lack of criticism of Western foreign policy annoys me.

[Vortex2]

It was the complete lack of criticism of Putin that annoyed me.

Welcome to my world! This is how I feel reading UK/US media for the last ~10 months. The complete lack of criticism of Western foreign policy annoys me.

Same here. I felt that I was being conned .. 100% pro-Ukraine coverage isn't possible.

Accordingly, I started looking into the conflict : sure enough, the background to the whole thing was conveniently swept under the carpet by the media.

Like most wars it has murky origins and neither side is godly.

[BritDownUnder]

I see that an American basketball player has been swapped for a Russian arms dealer.

One can expect the basketballer to be going on about Black Lives Mattering once in the US and the Arms Dealer to disappear once back in Russia or die a gallant heroes death in heavy fighting in Ukraine.

[Vortex2]

I see that an American basketball player has been swapped for a Russian arms dealer.

One can expect the basketballer to be going on about Black Lives Mattering once in the US and the Arms Dealer to disappear once back in Russia or die a gallant heroes death in heavy fighting in Ukraine.

The US govt in fact is the world'biggest arms dealer.

The Russian dealer is just one of many independent arms dealers .. the world is full of them.

For example, Sam Cummings was a US national and one of the biggest freelance dealers the world has seen.

[PS_RalphW]

I see that an American basketball player has been swapped for a Russian arms dealer.

One can expect the basketballer to be going on about Black Lives Mattering once in the US and the Arms Dealer to disappear once back in Russia or die a gallant heroes death in heavy fighting in Ukraine.

I don’t think Putin would waste a good hostage just to snuff a guy he didn’t like who was already in a us prison.

[Mark]

The Russian dealer is just one of many independent arms dealers .. the world is full of them.

For example, Sam Cummings was a US national and one of the biggest freelance dealers the world has seen.

Reminded me of when Mark Thomas (a comedian) set himself up as a real-life arms dealer to find out how easy it was to obtain weapons to export to oppressive regimes, despite government bans....
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/ ... on_Mandela

Brave man to investigate that murky world....

[Vortex2]

Brave man to investigate that murky world....

It's a very closed & private world ... but it's not murky

It's also a very big world, with massive government & corporate involvement.

As an indication, the bottom deck of the Royal Yacht is a mobile sales showroom of British armaments.

[PS_RalphW]

Reports that a barracks of the Wagner group in Melutapil has been hit with significant Casualties. May have been an officers barracks.

UK assessment is that Russia is unlikely to make much headway on the front line this side of spring

[Vortex2]

The recent attacks on Odessa are interesting.

I would guess that it's on Russia's shopping list for places to secure.

[Vortex2]

Here is a link to various combat photos from the conflict ...

https://labs.openai.com/sc/PZh5HXHOPvB7618FuBj1k2ET

Note: These all all fake, created by AI, in a couple of minutes.
Don't trust anybody or any photo!

[Vortex2]

An obvious word of warning : don't trust any text describing a war video from Ukraine.

I have seen several videos of, say, a burning tank, where both sides claim that they hit an enemy tank.

For all we know, the original video may have been filmed in, say, the Yugoslav war.

[BritDownUnder]

I liked the ones from the start of the war best. That helicopter being hit by a missile then performing a perfect ballistic arc to crash in flames was my favourite.

Or the drone dropping what looked like mortar rounds on hapless troops. That could be in a Keystone cops comedy.

On the progress of the war things seem to be settling down for the winter. Let's hope Russian conscripts keep getting fed into the mincer.

[Vortex2]

Let's hope Russian conscripts keep getting fed into the mincer.

You are very brave, sitting in your warm country, miles from danger.

[BritDownUnder]

Let's hope Russian conscripts keep getting fed into the mincer.

You are very brave, sitting in your warm country, miles from danger.

I chose to come here for that very reason, being far away with ample energy resources unlike the UK which has given most of its away cheaply. I said to someone when I lived in NZ that I was buying myself 30 years time over what would happen in the UK - terrorism, energy crisis, food issues and collapse - but it will come here eventually. Russia in spite of its own ample land and energy resources chose to invade Ukraine to gain more under false premise that 'fellow' Russians were being persecuted. The Russian soldiers chose to loot and murder the people they came to protect. One prominent pro-Russian Ukrainian politician was in fact murdered by Russian looters in his home in Bucha. The Russian conscripts should revolt if they don't want to go. Otherwise they become live targets for NATO weapons. No Nuremburg defence anymore. As General Patton said the only way you win a war is making the other poor son of a bitch die for his country. I think Russia will give in when about 500,000 of their soldiers are dead and probably a similar number of Ukrainians too. It is Russian soldiers choice, if they go to Ukraine to kill and loot they are complicit with Putin's policy and will face the consequences.

I certainly would not go to fight. Way too old now and looking forward to a peaceful retirement in the sun with abundant energy reserves and doing the gardening. However I don't mind if my taxes go to killing Russians. After all, in my time and places I have lived they have gone to killing Irish, Argentinians, Serbs, Iraqis, Afghans and no doubt a dozen other nationalities who need to be taught a lesson in manners.