Ukraine Watch...

[UndercoverElephant]

This might seem simplistic, but can't they just print them?

Germany print roubles and use them to buy Russian gas? Somehow I don't think that's going to work.

You'll have to forgive me, my areas of expertise exist outside of economics. Why are the Russians asking for payment in Roubles then? Surely gold or silver would make more sense.

Germany can't print roubles because roubles are the currency of Russia.

Russia is asking for payment in roubles because that forces its customers to get hold of roubles. People from outside buying roubles supports the rouble as a currency. They are in fact doing what the US has been doing since 1971 - in most cases, if people want to buy oil and gas on the international market, they need to buy it in US dollars. This gives the US a massive economic advantage, because everybody needs dollars. Thus the system (which is dying, and Putin wants to help kill off) is known as the Petrodollar: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/petrodollars.asp

Why not gold? Because gold can't be electronically traded, and because Russia prefers to make a point by creating a Petrorouble system.

[adam2]

Payment in Roubles was stated to be required from midnight, now some hours past.
Has anything happened ?

Payment in roubles arranged ?
Payment still accepted in dollars or Euros ?
Gas turned off ?

[adam2]

Mines on urban road in Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-60947770

Video shows cars avoiding the mines.
Presuming that the report is accurate, this may be a more sensible tactic than it appears at first sight.
Cars, cycles and pedestrians may avoid the mines.
A tank almost certainly can not avoid the mines as larger and not very maneuverable. The tank crew would have to stop and move the mines by hand, whilst so doing they are vulnerable to sniper fire, petrol bombs and even to children throwing rocks. There is some risk of a mine exploding whilst being handled. After a few conscripts have been killed moving mines, their comrades may not be keen on doing this.
In darkness, smoke, or fog , the tank crew might not see the mines in time.

The mines might even be fakes or inert practice munitions, but few would care to find out.

[Catweazle]

Putin could accept the Yuan, that would be useful to him in trade with China.

[Stumuz2]

Payment in Roubles was stated to be required from midnight, now some hours past.
Has anything happened ?

Payment in roubles arranged ?
Payment still accepted in dollars or Euros ?
Gas turned off ?

This fella précis' well.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/via-clev ... rgy-demand

[Stumuz2]

Always watch what the EU does. Not what it says.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1 ... TT9vMpAAAA

[kenneal - lagger]

There are reports of a successful Ukrainian helicopter attack on a fuel depot inside Russia.

This must be a false flag attack because the Russians have control of the air over Russia. Don't they???

[PS_RalphW]

Ukraine denies having done the strike on the Russian oil depot.

Apart from the obvious propaganda value of taking the fight to Russia, I don't think Ukraine wants to give Russia any excuse to escalate on the basis that they are now under attack for defending the "independent territories to the east of Ukraine" .

Also Ukraine won't want to worry NATO nations that they are going on the offensive and so might trigger wider war.

I have no idea which side did the attack, but it is an obvious military target for Ukraine.

[kenneal - lagger]

Ukraine denies having done the strike on the Russian oil depot.
............

Russia denies that they are at war!! Who to believe?

The in-valid troll has gone quiet.

[kenneal - lagger]

.............
This fella précis' well.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/via-clev ... rgy-demand

So much for EU support for Ukraine. They'll support anybody as long as it doesn't inconvenience them. And they talk of Perfidious Albion!!

[kenneal - lagger]

I managed to get about half way through this piece from The Consciousness of Sheep on whether or not tptb have acknowledged that we have now got through the earth's resources and they now want to blow us all up as they can't continue to lord it over us before I skipped to the end to see what the conclusion was. The conclusion is what I ended the last sentence with.

I disagree that there is a general desire to blow us all up in a nuclear conflagration. There might be a growing desire in the addled brain of one man to end it all and take the rest of us with him because he has just overstepped himself in Ukraine but I doubt that everyone would take that attitude and I sincerely hope that there are very many at the top of Russia's institutions who would not follow orders to send off their nukes. There seems to be a few at the bottom who have decided that their superior's orders shouldn't be obeyed and hopefully that meme will move upwards through the ranks. Hopefully it get to the top of the military before the addled brain of The One realises that he is about to be usurped and he reaches for the red button.

The reason why we have nuclear weapons which can destroy the earth, and institutions like NATO, is so that if the other side is being run by a deranged psychopath, someone akin to Hitler, we know that there are people alongside him who know that if he orders the button to be pressed that they will be assured of destruction also. Hopefully they will love life more than a "Glorious Death" - I mean where is the glory if there is no one left who can glory? - and will prevent it happening. that can be our only hope and it will hopefully be one that endures.

[PS_RalphW]

As far as paying for NG in Roubles, Russia says supplies will continue until payment is due, in not less than 2 weeks. Also, an arrangement is being made where Europe pays gazprombank in Euros, the bank which is not sanctioned buys Roubles, and then uses the Roubles to pay Gazprom and other companies for the NG.

Net result is very little change except Gazprombank gets richer. Who owns the bank?

[Default0ptions]

Well it seems to have worked to get the Rouble back up to pre-invasion levels, but I still haven’t quite got my head around what is actually going on with this.

The good news for now is that the gas tap isn’t about to be turned off - which would be a pretty serious problem very quickly.

[kenneal - lagger]

Apparently Russia is running out of missiles because the parts are made in Ukraine! What are the odds that they're made in part of Ukraine that Russia is trying to take over?

[Catweazle]

Apparently Russia is running out of missiles because the parts are made in Ukraine! What are the odds that they're made in part of Ukraine that Russia is trying to take over?

As good as the odds that the factory will be gutted if it looks like Russians are getting near it.