Stumuz2 wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 08:56
Todays test will be if Russia is kicked out of Swift.
50-50 at the mo'
Looks like it won't happen. Germany won't even commit to stopping buying Russian gas.
Agree.
Appreciate that the UK buys a lot less Russian oil/gas than Germany, but we buy some.
Apologies if I'm mistaken, but I've not seen anywhere that UK will stop purchasing it ?
We should concentrate on getting our own dirty house in order first, before criticising others ?
Mark wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 17:18
Appreciate that the UK buys a lot less Russian oil/gas than Germany, but we buy some.
Apologies if I'm mistaken, but I've not seen anywhere that UK will stop purchasing it ?
We should concentrate on getting our own dirty house in order first, before criticising others ?
I agree.
But doubt that it will happen.
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
Russia says it wants "neutral space between it and NATO but it seems to be intent on taking its troops to the border with NATO. In doing so it is going to make a lot more countries want to join NATO for the perceived safety net it offers.
There is a further reason for Russian controlling Ukraine and that could be from a global warming perspective. With food growing becoming more uncertain having the benefit of control of Ukraine's bread basket could be the difference between hunger and eating for many in Russia. And they wouldn't even have to pay for it; just take it as payment for security services provided.
Ukraine is seen by Putin, our modern day Hitler, as Russia's Lebensraum it would seem and if they have to kill off a few of their "Ukrainian brothers", as they were called a few weeks ago, all well and good: more room for Russians to be moved in.
Looks like it won't happen. Germany won't even commit to stopping buying Russian gas.
Agree.
Appreciate that the UK buys a lot less Russian oil/gas than Germany, but we buy some.
Apologies if I'm mistaken, but I've not seen anywhere that UK will stop purchasing it ?
We should concentrate on getting our own dirty house in order first, before criticising others ?
3% ?
At least we have not built a pipeline to beggar thy neighbour. Spectrum and all that.
How that will stop a psychopath like Putin who has already invaded a few countries and has had a number of people poisoned using nerve poisons and radio activity they do not explain. The peacenik nutters strike again!!
If only declaring peace worked the world would be a much better place.
Stumuz2 wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 19:15
Looks like Biden has let it slip that he wanted to kick out Russia from swift, but Europe will not agree.
Indeed, also cagey about China and India. The west and RoW are far from aligned currently.
Telegraph;
"Europe has vetoed expulsion of Russia from the SWIFT nexus of global payments for fear of the systemic blowback into its own banks, and because it would have made it hard to pay for Putin’s oil, gas, metals, and grains – leaving aside the risk that Russia might go all the way up the retaliation ladder. "
kenneal - lagger wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 18:43
Russia says it wants "neutral space between it and NATO but it seems to be intent on taking its troops to the border with NATO. In doing so it is going to make a lot more countries want to join NATO for the perceived safety net it offers.
Finland won't join NATO. I guess Sweden might. Apart from that there aren't any more countries in that space.
Ukraine is seen by Putin, our modern day Hitler, as Russia's Lebensraum it would seem and if they have to kill off a few of their "Ukrainian brothers", as they were called a few weeks ago, all well and good: more room for Russians to be moved in.
Putin wants the Ukrainian people as much as their land. He has a "demographic crisis".
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
I can't imagine Putin having a go at Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia. I wouldn't place bets against him trying his luck in Kazakhstan - they've got a load of oil and minerals.
I am certain we won't hear accurate reporting on the progress of the invasion. I cannot believe that Ukraine has only lost 50 dead when confronted with an invasion force of 150,000.
All modern wars start with a fight for air superiority which on paper should be a Russian walkover, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine is getting hands off support from the US in the form of signal jamming, satellite surveillance, and maybe even undocumented 'mercinaries'. I also expect counter cyber attacks on Russian military control. I am sure Isreali intelligence will be helping out.
I do not expect significant land invasion until the Russians have absolute control of the skies.
PS_RalphW wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 22:29
I am certain we won't hear accurate reporting on the progress of the invasion. I cannot believe that Ukraine has only lost 50 dead when confronted with an invasion force of 150,000.
All modern wars start with a fight for air superiority which on paper should be a Russian walkover, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine is getting hands off support from the US in the form of signal jamming, satellite surveillance, and maybe even undocumented 'mercinaries'. I also expect counter cyber attacks on Russian military control. I am sure Isreali intelligence will be helping out.
I do not expect significant land invasion until the Russians have absolute control of the skies.
It may take a few days
I've been following developments very closely today, the MSM and official statements but mostly the open source stuff on social networks. I've come to the conclusion the Russian activities are really quite limited today and a bit odd. They haven't started with a US style 'shock and awe' campaign from the air. The cruse missiles and airstrikes have been quite limited compared to potential capability. They haven't committed anything like 100k+ troops into Ukraine today, in fact it's strange that any tanks have rolled into harms way - and been destroyed. Why weren't these areas bombarded with artillery for several days before putting tanks and APCs in? Likewise no dramatic cyber attacks - the lights are still on. It's almost as if today was more of a probing exercise, to measure the west's response.
The mess at the Kyiv Antonov airport is weird, aerial special forces capture the airport - only to lose it again a few hours later. Why weren't much larger numbers of solders dropped in behind the paratroopers within minutes of securing it in order to hold it?
clv101 wrote: ↑24 Feb 2022, 23:31
....... Why weren't much larger numbers of solders dropped in behind the paratroopers within minutes of securing it in order to hold it?
