War In Ukraine

[Contrarian]

French president Emmanuel Macron faced strong criticism from Kyiv and in Baltic nations after he suggested Russia would need to be given security guarantees as part of future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The comments, made in an interview with French television channel TF1, came after Macron held talks with US president Joe Biden during a state visit to Washington, in which they discussed Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and how they can continue to support Ukraine.

Macron said the two leaders had talked about the need for the US and Europe to prepare a “security architecture for tomorrow” for the region. “This means that one of the essential points we must address — as [Russian] president [Vladimir] Putin has always said — is the fear that Nato comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia,” Macron said.

“That topic will be part of the topics for peace, so we need to prepare what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states, and how to give guarantees to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table.” The comments drew strong criticism in Kyiv and in Baltic nations as of this morning. 

https://www.ft.com/content/d170a8f9-2392-49f8-a59c-14a7dba18c68

This is an older documentary about a Russian regiment, directly related to the war on the ground: 

Russia’s 331st Guards Parachute Regiment is considered "the best of the best", but BBC Newsnight has been tracing the casualties as the unit battles through Ukraine.

The regiment's commanding officer - Col Sergei Sukharev - died in mid-March. His chief of staff and numerous other officers have also fallen.

The regiment previously served in the Balkans, Chechnya and the 2014 Russia invasion in the Donbas.

Tracking the unit through Ukraine, Newsnight’s diplomatic and defence editor Mark Urban looks at the outpouring of grief and anger from Russia in response to the devastating losses. What went wrong for the once-elite regiment? And what does its fate tell us about Russia's invasion of Ukraine?

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

The Russian airbase “Engels-2” has been hit. The base is located 400 km Southeast from Moscow. It hosts strategic bombers of Tu-95.

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A high number of Russian missile have been launched against Ukrainian cities over the last hour.

Missile strikes reported from Kyiv, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Cherkasy, Odesa and other cities, via Eastern European sources. 

Reports also of parts of Moldova being out of power as missiles have hit Odessa which supplies the neighbouring country: 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

- MP Lesia Vasylenko says the city of Odesa is paralyzed by the Russian missile attack. The port city in southern Ukraine has been left without water, electricity and public transport is disrupted.

- Vladimir Putin personally visited the Crimean bridge on Monday after it was reopened to road traffic , the video images distributed by the Russian state media surprising the Kremlin leader at the wheel of a Mercedes Benz car.

- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz draws attention to a new cold war by dividing the world into ideological blocs and urges new partnerships, according to Reuters.

- A Russian Ka-52 helicopter was shot down yesterday. Video below, most likely operated by a group of PMG Wagner paramilitary. 

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

?!

Spanish police intercepted three more envelopes containing animal eyes, addressed to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid and its consulates in Barcelona and Malaga, said police sources close to the investigation, reports The Guardian.

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The White House said that the latest Russian strikes against Ukraine are a reminder of the brutality of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

--> John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, also told reporters that an oil price cap would have no long-term impact on global oil prices, according to Reuters.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

On 12/1/2022 at 12:33 PM, Contrarian said:

On the frontline of Ukraine's artillery war: 

 

Inside Ukraine's 'drone school' battling Russia from the sky.

via British Channel 4 News

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

via WarLeaks

An intense helmet cam video shows a unit of foreign fighters from the Ukrainian International Legion in a heavy firefight with Russian forces backed by a T-90 tank in the woods north east of Bakhmut.

From the operator who filmed this video and shared it with us: "North east Bahkmut. Got sent on a op to push back the Russian line and so the Ukrainian could go back in and take it, we had to find a trench system with what we got told had 5-10 Russian troops in also which we knew roughly but didn't know the exact position. So we patrolled up to the road which we knew it was near and the point man looked to see if he could see anything and we got contacted. The point said he see roughly 20-30 guys in a heavily fortified trench system also they had a t-90 tank as back up so we had to retreat.We had a team of Ukrainian forces with us also."

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

- Smoke can be seen rising from what appears to be a Russian Airbase near the Western City of Kursk.

- Canadian-made parts have been found in Iranian "kamikaze" drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine, according to a report. An investigative project by the NGO Statewatch found components from 30 European and American companies, concluding that the antenna parts came from Tallysman Wireless, a Canadian manufacturer. Iranian-made Shahed 136 drones were used by Russia in attacks against Ukraine. Trudeau shared his worries with reporters in Ingersoll, Ont., after the Globe and Mail reported the discovery by a non-profit organization, Statewatch. Its “Trap Aggressor” investigation detailed last month that an antenna manufactured by an Ottawa-based Tallysman Wireless was featured in the Iranian Shahed-136 attack drone.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9326159/canada-iran-drone-ukraine-trudeau-report/

- Israeli satellite imaging company ImageSat International has shared images on Twitter that it says show burn marks and objects near a Tu-22M aircraft at Diaguilevo Air Base, southeast of Moscow, according to Le Monde.

- The Kremlin has responded to the US comments, saying that a fair and long-term peace is needed, but that there is "no chance" of talks at the moment, Sky News reports. The Russians via Shoigu went even further and accused Ukrainians of so called "nuclear terrorism" at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.Russian shelling was reported overnight in this region and Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said on Telegram via CNN. Critical infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged by the strikes in the suburbs of Zaporizhzhia city, said Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration. No one was injured, according to preliminary information. 

- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Russia could seek a phony off-ramp to the Ukraine war that would not produce a durable peace, and would only allow Russian troops to re-group and attack Ukraine again.

"One of the things that you can imagine is the Russians trying to find an off-ramp that would be a phony off-ramp by which I mean, let's have a ceasefire, let's just freeze things in place, get a frozen conflict, never negotiate about the territory that they have seized, and continue to hold. Rest, refit, regroup, re-attack," Blinken said at a Wall Street Journal event.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Contrarian

[Boges]

Been seeing a lot of theories that if Ukraine can retake the Land bridge to Crimea, the stupid bridge won't be enough to supply Crimea and taking the Peninsula will be easy pickings next year as the people living there will be starved of supplies and water. 

Also the EU deals a blow to Russian oil as they refuse to pay more that $60 USD for Russian Oil, effectively keeping the price low. If they had banned Russian oil that would have caused the prices to rise. 

Smart. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Boges

[Nationalist]

15 minutes ago, Boges said:

Been seeing a lot of theories that if Ukraine can retake the Land bridge to Crimea, the stupid won't be enough to supply Crimea and taking the Peninsula will be easy pickings next year as the people living there will be starved of supplies and water. 

Also the EU deals a blow to Russian oil as they refuse to pay more that $60 USD for Russian Oil, effectively keeping the price low. If they had banned Russian oil that would have caused the prices to rise. 

Smart. 

Are you seriously saying the EU is "smart"?

[Boges]

4 minutes ago, Nationalist said:

Are you seriously saying the EU is "smart"?

Yes. It seems like this "cap" is a smart solution to their Russian oil problem. 

Even gas prices in Canada have dropped to a year-long low. 

[Nationalist]

Just now, Boges said:

Yes. It seems like this "cap" is a smart solution to their Russian oil problem. 

Even gas prices in Canada have dropped to a year-long low. 

Let's just get through this winter and see just how "smart" the EU really is.

Heating and power are still a rather pressing issue in much of Europe.

[Contrarian]

The first footage of a German-supplied Flakpanzer Gepard SPAAG in use with Ukrainian forces appeared today, seen shooting down an incoming Russian cruise missile using its two 35mm autocannons.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Contrarian

[Boges]

3 minutes ago, Nationalist said:

Let's just get through this winter and see just how "smart" the EU really is.

Heating and power are still a rather pressing issue in much of Europe.

I've already noted in this thread, I believe, that the EU had planned ahead and all their stockpiles of oil and LNG are full. They can't import much more. 

This price cap is dropping the global price of oil. 

[Aristides]

Why do people hate the EU? One of it’s purposes was to make Europe so interdependent future wars between members would be impossible. So far it has worked with the longest period of peace in Western European history.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Aristides

[Boges]

41 minutes ago, Aristides said:

Why do people hate the EU? One of it’s purposes was to make Europe so interdependent future wars between members would be impossible. So far it has worked with the longest period of peace in Western European history.

I think member Nationalist has made his distain clear for any Western Alliances. You know, like Putin. 

Trump has implanted isolationism into the psyche of Conservatism. 

[BeaverFever]

On 12/1/2022 at 5:46 PM, Nationalist said:

And what makes you think things are going well for Ukraine?

I mean...evidently comic-boy and his buddies are cleaning up. But the Ukrainian people? Not so much.

No electricity...no heating...a lot of nothing. 'OH but Kiev is still there!' Pfft...Kiev...home of whiskey with a hot pepper floating in it.

I predict a very uncomfortable winter for the poor Ukrainians caught in this mess.

This BS needs to end now, instead of the protracted suffering too many vampires want.

This BS started with an unjustified Russian invasion and will most quickly end with an unconditional Russian withdrawal. FULL STOP

 

The suffering of the Ukrainian people which you CLAIM to care about is the result of Russian attacks  FULL STOP

 

If you really care about ending the conflict and suffering you would demand an immediate and unconditional Russian withdrawal. FULL STOP

Edited December 6, 2022 by BeaverFever

[Boges]

1 minute ago, BeaverFever said:

This BS started with an unjustified Russian invasion and will most quickly end with an unconditional Russian withdrawal. FULL STOP

 

The suffering of the Ukrainian people which CLAIM to care about os the result of Russian attacks  FULL STOP

 

If you really care about ending the conflict and suffering you would remain an immediate and unconditional Russian withdrawal. FULL STOP

A "Special Military Operation" to "De-Nazify" Ukraine has turned into a savage Terror campaign against Ukrainian Civilians. 

And those who don't think NATO should support Ukraine cackle with glee. 

[BeaverFever]

4 minutes ago, Boges said:

A "Special Military Operation" to "De-Nazify" Ukraine has turned into a savage Terror campaign against Ukrainian Civilians. 

And those who don't think NATO should support Ukraine cackle with glee. 

They must think we should have let Hitler overrun Europe until the “auditors ” accounted for all the military aid we provided the allies.

According @Nationalistthe Battle of Britain was just a scam for Churchill to get rich I suppose.Why else would anyone want to defend their country from invasion by a tyrannical dictator?

[Boges]

4 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

They must think we should have let Hitler overrun Europe until the “auditors ” accounted for all the military aid we provided the allies.

According @Nationalistthe Battle of Britain was just a scam for Churchill to get rich I suppose.Why else would anyone want to defend their country from invasion by a tyrannical dictator?

Lend Lease was a travesty 😏

 

[Luz P.]

[Luz P.]

Everybody knew that trying to rope Ukraine into NATO was crossing Russia’s red line, but now people would like to hold up Russia as a villain. After having done everything to teeter on the redline. And this happened only AFTER Biden came to power.

 

https://prnigeria.com/2022/03/05/how-western-strategic-thinkers/

[Boges]

3 minutes ago, Luz P. said:

Everybody knew that trying to rope Ukraine into NATO was crossing Russia’s red line, but now people would like to hold up Russia as a villain. After having done everything to teeter on the redline. And this happened only AFTER Biden came to power.

https://prnigeria.com/2022/03/05/how-western-strategic-thinkers/

Some in this thread will say that Ukraine has always been an NATO reject. 

The instability due to Russian influence made them a poor choice to join NATO. 

However this invasion looks to have moved Finland and Sweden into NATO's sphere. 

[BeaverFever]

2 hours ago, Aristides said:

Why do people hate the EU? One of it’s purposes was to make Europe so interdependent future wars between members would be impossible. So far it has worked with the longest period of peace in Western European history.

Putin has been grooming the right with anti-EU propaganda for over a decade   They found common cause with western conservatives, fossil fuel companies, climate deniers, and the general global corporate business lobby who chaffed at EU regulation of things like pesticides, GMO foods pharmaceutical prices and so on.  For example, recently the EU completed a study and mandated that there are too many incompatible types of phone chargers for no good reason,  and so to reduce waste and the cost and inconvenience to consumers, going forward all phones and chargers must be USB-C….that kind of stuff is typical EU regulation and is sand in the asscrack of conservatives and corporations the world over who are fundamentally offended that any government would dare to direct “the free market” in such a manner. 
 

Russian government troll farms would put out all kinds of content under the disguise of American or European business advocates or libertarians.  I remember on another forum I used to frequent, an American Republican woul post these diatribes criticizing the structural details of EU parliament the power efficiency requirements for EU vacuum cleaners and I would say “why do you care, you live in California why are you so enraged and passionate about European vacuum cleaners and parliamentary procedure?”  but you know he was just regurgitating what was being fed to him by the Russia-Corporate industrial complex that existed at that time. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by BeaverFever

[Contrarian]

2 hours ago, Aristides said:

Why do people?

Aside from what @BeaverFever said which I agree with, there is also the emerging rivalry between United States and some important countries in Western Europe. Right now this brotherly dispute is somewhat on hold due to the war. 

and I can understand the Romanian or Croatian people. What did Germany, France, Britain really do in those areas for the people? They just left them to the communists. 

With the arrival of the Americans after the 2000s, the society started changing, the justice mechanism started working freely -> arresting former KGB officers that were disguised as capitalists, intellectuals were allowed to breathe, competition was fair and the most qualified and hard worker was given conditions not stop signs to succeed.

This is what the US brought to Eastern Europe, the EU western powers should understand this in my view, the Americans showed with actions how loyalty is earned. They did not at the same level -> just came along for the trip collecting the fruits of labour that US thinkers planted. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Contrarian

[Contrarian]

via The Sun, who says I am not inclusive in my options, even with populists for who knows The Sun's reputation: 

Ukraine Su-25 fighter jets fly in action in skies above Donetsk

Russian Kamikaze drone crashes into Ukrainian radar stations

Edited December 6, 2022 by Contrarian