Ukraine, with each passing day, reminds me of a crack addict who is dependent on his local drug slinger to feed his habit, which is slowly killing him. Ukraine no longer has the ability to produce its own weapons, conduct mass troop training on its own territory, keep electricity flowing to the major cities and maintain a viable economy.
The true horror of what Ukraine is experiencing can be seen in the following brief video:
Along with the growing mountain of corpses, the lines of communication with front line troops is straining to keep soldiers supplied with food and ammunition. I cannot vouch that the following video is an accurate translation (and will happily stand corrected if there are any Ukrainian speakers reading this blog), but it clearly indicates there are some food issues:
Beyond shortages of food, the United States and NATO are not able to supply the weapons they have promised to send to Ukraine. Joe Biden, in a rare moment of clarity in California, admitted that a chip shortage is preventing his Administration from delivering promised shipments of Javelin missiles to Ukraine:
“Earlier this year, I was at the Lockheed Martin plant in Alabama, where they make Javelin missiles.
Guess what?
We had problems with the supply of Javelin missiles to Ukraine, because … they did not have computer chips, ”TASS reports him.
Biden stressed that the active production of semiconductors is a matter of national security.
On October 27, it became known that in the near future Kyiv may face a shortage of American weapons.
https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2022-11-04-biden–the-united-states-had-problems-with-the-supply-of-javelin-missiles-to-kyiv-due-to-a-lack-of-chips.BkZPhGbmHo.html
Wait! There is more unwelcome news. Not only is Ukraine’s military short on beans and bullets (and begging insistently for more cowbell), its communications system is not functioning.
Ukraine’s fears that its troops may lose access to Elon Musk’s crucial Starlink internet service deepened in the past week after 1,300 of the military’s satellite units went offline, according to two sources familiar with the outage.
The small, easy-to-use satellite dishes made by Musk’s private rocket company SpaceX have been universally hailed as a game-changing source of communication for Ukraine’s military, allowing it to fight and stay online even as cellular phone and internet networks have been destroyed in its war with Russia.
But concerns have risen recently over the dependability of SpaceX after discussions about funding were revealed and outages were reported near the frontlines.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/politics/spacex-ukraine-elon-musk-starlink-internet-outage/index.html
If aid from the West is disrupted or cut off then Ukraine will no longer be able to continue to battle the Russians. The United States and the United Kingdom continue to insist stridently that they are reliable allies of Kiev and will keep the aid flowing. But those promises become more hollow with each passing day as domestic political and economic problems mount in Washington and London. The Ukrainians, like the Vietnamese and the Afghanis, are likely to learn in the near future that a Western promise to “have your back” is empty.
“The Ukrainians, like the Vietnamese and the Afghanis, are likely to learn in the near future that a Western promise to “have your back” is empty.”
Yes .. “a dog barked .. and the caravan moved on”
It’s always the grandsons that get slaughtered. It’s always the bankers who get rich. It’s always the bankers/politicians/high court judges and billionaire sons that get the Draft Deferment Gig. University and anal arousal studies…….or what ever they do today.
Eat canned dog food if you want a break from eating insects and be happy.
The world turns and the billionaire aristocracy always come out softer and richer.
Ukraine has 30 million people. They are good for 2 million dead and wounded, the war can be dragged out for years, okay doky.
Donate dog food! There is always 5 more wars to start in the next 7 years.
(It all to much for the human unit, l’m over the sanction folks.)
Amen
I second that.
And like the Vietnamese and the Afghans they are likely to learn they can kick the crap out of russia like they did the US.
Donbass to Odessa are majority ethnic Russian separatist areas – so very different to Vietnam or Afghanistan – they want yo join Russia..so who would kick Russias ass? The rump state left that Russia won’t even bother to take but will demilitarise?
Nonsense. You’ve been gifted by Russian propaganda.
another incoming wave of trolls …
Have you found Hunters missing Crack pipe or merely trolling again?
And let’s not forget how much equipment the Russians are
donating”.
You’re reading too much Ukrainian wishful thinking…
Wishfull thinking’s usually free. In Ukraine’s case though, it comes at a high cost.
Well covered excellent post update. Thanks Larry… appreciate it.
The pattern larger than NATO vs BRIC, is a cultural-anthropoligical change to a new phase, beyond the “re-set” or “humanity 2.0”, to a new level above the capitalism-communism diarchy, called Technocracy, based neither on usury nor central planning, but using energy credits as the new regulatory mechanism–hence the clinate change pseudoscience. The 2,800 billionaires who congregate at Davos are overreaching in trying to bring Russia & China to heel. Their downfall is called, at a smaller level, blowback, but at the highest level, the cunning of reason (die list der vernunft), as God uses rogue nations to punish those once favored. Once it was all run by Morgans, then Rockefellers, now it’s the Larry Finks (BlackRock-Vanguard-StateSt-BerkshireHathaway), the George Soroses, the Bill Gateses, the Warren Buffets. They believe they can live forever. “God isn’t dead, He isn’t even tired.
Problem with all these amoral reprobates, that you’ve mentioned, is that when they acquire unimaginable wealth, they achieve the ability to purchase anything….and almost anyone and they begin to believe they’ve become invincible. Their ego and their rotting brains have them thinking they can play God with the rest of humanity, hence their de-population agenda and their satanic WEF. The creator, whatever nomenclature you choose to call him, has certainly other ideas. He’s the ultimate boss…. as these morons will undoubtedly discover as a time of his choosing.
You nailed it. These people have enough wealth. There is FAR more wealth to be created for all of us, yet they prevent it out of what, petty jealousy? Envy?
God’s judgement can’t come soon enough. God have mercy on us!
What is the solution. Cutting off ability to generate wealth at a certain level or regulating monopolies and political and other activities of billionaires for undue influence or corruption risk or other.
Psychopathy. Legislation exists for the purpose of reducing industry concentration – anti trust legislation in the US is supposed protect consumers from predatory business practices and ensure fair competition. It is hardly used as the political class has been brought.
Ash: The second one. Given that these monopolies are inevitable, you might as well nationalize them.
Just imagine, a federal government 1/4th its current size 100% funded by oil and gas (and later, refined seawater when fusion comes online). No more income taxes!
Get rid of the central bank and replace it with a national investment bank, along the lines of Hamilton’s American system. We need more big infrastructure projects.
Then follow China’s example with BRI in the rest of the world. Westerners by and large don’t want immigrants from poor countries moving here, but the dirty little secret is that they don’t want to move here either. Well if you look at kWh per capita per year per country you’ll see they have no choice. Build these places up and this problem goes away.
The bible tells us that when God brings judgement upon the evil ones, it will come upon them as their “worst fear”, and hell is worst than the most frightening horror movie that the sick minds of Hollywood ever concocted. And the most frightening thing about it is that it goes on forever and eternity without recourse for forgiveness ! Once you’re there, there is no work-around or do-over.
The THING in the WH and its Administration from hell is causing this misery worldwide! There will be a day of reckoning for The THING!
wasn’t it Kissinger who said, “to be an enemy of the united states is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal”
Larry, I am very disappointed with Russia’s flat footed response to US’s provocations.
What have they not done? Overthrew the government in Ukraine. Was Russia not supposed to be mindful of this catastrophe? What if tomorrow, US overthrows the government in Belarus?
If Russia considers itself a great power, should it not invest sufficient capital into ensuring the political stability of it’s border countries?
Look at Haiti. The people there are waving Russian flags. Predictably, the US is preparing a possible military intervention to quell the rebellion. Not that the chinese or the russians are behind Haiti’s protests, but still the US is ready to act in order to prevent Haiti from becoming too close to its’ geopolitical rivals.
Despite the immoral nature of American leadership, they atleast are mindful of what is going on in their backyard, unlike Russia.
Have you explained Russia’s failings to Putin or Shoigu? Would you like to take over the SMO? Pls send resumé and recent photo…or STFU
Putin’s and other’s “failairs have been dutifully noted on CNN and the other mainstream media platforms. This platform is to shed light on the other’s failures to make it fair and balanced. No need to send any your “resumé and recent photo” You’re Fired” so you can STFU 😉
Missed the point, common. Amateur commenters might venture into “tactics” but not strategy. First Putin doesn’t run the SMO, his generals do: “The emperor states his goals; the generals achieve them”, SunTzu. Second the SMO is more about deconstructing the West than pacifying Ukraine – strategy. Putin has bigger fish to fry than Zelensky. As a lonely Sub.Lt (SIGINT) in 1968, I read Kutzov’s victory over Napoleon’s Grande Armé. Stalemated at Borodino, the old Russian withdrew, and gave Moscow to the French, who sat around *until winter* while Kutuzov gather ed his forces. Get the picture? On the long trek back to France through the snow the French did indeed eat ” horse meat”. Kutuzov marched into Paris, Napoleon fled ruined. Have Putin, Shoigu, Garismov read this history? Did Shoigu give villages for time? Is Russia waiting till the impassable fields harden before the push? I don’t know, only a junior officer when I told my CO that JFK’s factfinder Polk, sent to assess Vietnam in 1962 about US forces, reported “defeat”, and in 1967 Westmoreland asked Polk how to get out. Like you my CO told me to STFU. It dragged on for 8 more yrs. I lost 3 school chums in the first month. I’m still here. This not a Hollywood movie script or video game. Consider…
Look at Haiti, the people there can’t even form a functioning government. That after a decade of the UN, IMF, World Bank, WEF and Clinton Global Initiative efforts to create a ‘rules-based order’ kind of government. You might ask yourself who cares what kind of flag a rent-a-crowd in the poorest nation in the Caribbean are waving, but apparently it means something in international affairs.
It’s not just Haiti. Russian flags all over West Africa and other places.
Increasingly the Russian flag is becoming a symbol of resistance to oppression. A symbol of hope and defiance.
It’s difficult for people in the West to perhaps understand how desperate much of the world is to be free of their suffocating influence.
What America, Britain and France have done, is make Russia the number one symbol for freedom and resistance in the world today. Do not estimate how powerful that is.
Don’t be too concerned about Russia’s response to US provocations, Russia has everything angle covered and the US know it. As usual the US is using the repellion in Haiti not for benevolent “intervention” as you euphemistically call it but for invasion and theft……just another one in a long list worldwide! Haiti has vast resources of natural gas and minerals long coveted by the US and the dogs in the street know the well beaten modus operandi. They don’t fool anyone …anymore.
After fall of Soviet Union, RU was so much behind West that they were buying time and preparing for confrontation.
West media was just waiting for anything they do to demonize them, so they couldn’t really interfere much before they were ready for the confrontation since otherwise they would be pulled in the conflict earlier when they just were not ready enough.
Just to try to show you how badly stacked everything was against them, here are some short examples:
– West had total control of “global opinion” – through global media, social media, etc
– West had world reserve currency, so they could just print money indefinitely and sponsor all color revolutions, uprisings, and even military campaigns just by printing money that whole world was working for
– West had RU almost surrounded geographically which means that they could provoke local conflict around them easily, and pay them with freshly printed money, or prevent them from receiving things they need (for example, if they need food, they could not import it because they could close almost all entry points for it)
– West had high financial and economic pressure leverages that they could use against RU, both inside and outside of the country
– West had control of internet, so they could just turn it off for RU
– West had control of all “international” organizations, exactly because they were paying and bribing them with freshly printed money
You can now ask – what have changed?
Well first, West was so completely overusing printing machine for decades, but especially during Covid, which made all the other countries in the world (especially countries like China and India that produce real stuff, and not print on paper) realize that reserve currencies are so over-abused, that they would literally become slaves if they stay on the west side, because they would be working hard and spending their natural resources just to get freshly printed paper in return.
Second thing is that RU was preparing by creating everything separate – separate internet, separate swift, pipelines and links to non West countries, focusing on all the essentials internally (especially food production)
Third, West was completely over-abusing their allies like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc for almost a decade, the best example was when they persuaded Saudi Arabia to decrease oil prices to choke RU (fuel price war), which resulted in Saudi Arabia burning through their foreign reserves from about 900 bil usd to about 100 bil usd after which they had to increase price of oil and taxes in their country (very unpopular measures), while RU foreign reserves stayed stable and even increased
So in general, RU was playing patiently and buying time, and that is the reason why they couldn’t react too much till now.
Now, they also try not to be too aggressive because they want West to choke itself (for example, if you cannot import RU energy because of your own sanctions, it is not RU’s fault for your troubles, and in this way they attempt to divide their opponents between themselves and not unite them as would direct turn off do). If RU would be more agressive and for example turn off their supplies by themselves, then it would be seen as a direct agression and West population could easily be united against an opponent that is openly agressive towards them
They are also trying not provoke real confrontation and nuclear war, and for that reason I don’t think they’ll get anywhere near NATO borders before UKR is completely crushed (especially militarily), because they are aware that in that case West could easily lob more provocations, especially over border, like shelling and similar while waiting for response
I agree. The key to Russia’s strength is biding its time. Although it has turned a corner and finds itself in a steadily improving position, it is not yet so clearly dominant that it can brashly lash out. They know the US has put a lot of effort into development of irregulars/paramilitary recruiting and networking. If they get stretched out, US will play it’s advantage at recruiting insurgents. That is expensive to fight.
Well “WhoKnows” . . . . obviously YOU know !! Excellent summary Sir & well worthy of an article in n& of itself
Cheers
Excellent analysis – thank you for taking the time to share it.
They intervened in Georgia, Turkey and Khakhistan to stop political manouvers. To name a few. They worked with Iran
and Armenia. They made friends in Africa snd South America.
They have cultivated the most important neighbor, China and created the SCO, BRICS and a whole host of organisations to try to counter US influence. Belarus is with them and there is a huge Russian military presence building there plus potential reunification. Hungary and Serbia are allies.
The China-Russia axis, particularly if India joins is really all you need. A strong core of Russia -China will pull in Eurasia. If India joins fully, basically game over.
In the case of the US their backyard is full of broken bodies. If the Russia-China axis develops sufficiently everyone from Caribbean to Canada will move East. Mexico already neutral. Most of South America snubbing US events.
Cuba with Russia. Haiti with Russia. Mexico neutral.
Venezuela with Russia. Canada relatively quiet. Where is the support for America in its own sphere?
You can change leaders like underwear but if people hate a leader or resent the US that is instability on 5. It’s not as easy as switching the top. If it was Iraq and Afghanistan would be US successes.
Had ‘US influence’ been fair and balanced, Russia would’ve been on their bandwagon to this very day.
Alas, t’was not to be. Such is how the world churns.
It would serve no one’s interest if Russia turned into another US. We should stop measuring Russian behaviour and achievements by past US regime change one’s.
I think the goal is not quick victory in Ukraine, but the slow grinding down of US hegemony, creating breathing room for the Global South, and space for a multipolar world to emerge. In Putin’s own words this will take 10-20 years. The Hegemonic Beast cannot be slain with a sword; it has to be starved and suffocated. China, Iran, North Korea, the BRICS+, the SCO, BRI all are pieces on this great chessboard.
It may well be that the Russian plan is to turn Ukraine into NATO’s graveyard by pulling them in further and further by their own delusion of “Russia almost defeated”.
thanks Larry – a very good article – with two interesting if horrible videos
It matters not to this sham, Illegitimate Administration that Russia had enough of seeing the Russian speaking people of the Donbass brutally murdered by the Nazi Zelensky Regime since Victoria Nuland’s coup in 2014!
https://www.rt.com/news/565979-jake-sullivan-visit-kiev/
“Biden stressed that the active production of semiconductors is a matter of national security.” There is always washing machines and air conditioners that have chips. Works great for Russia apparently, according to old ursula von der clown. Just saying.
Russia was first to market and vacuumed all the washed mahcines off the shelves, leaving the world without their Major chips source.
Would westerner think tanks think a Steal aheadx they would not mock us but rather would hoard on dishwashers and other essential chips sources before we bought them off.
Washing machine chips are not the same type of chips they use in military weaponry lol
Aw, you’re ruining a perfectly good main stream media revelation.
There is always washing machines and air conditioners that have chips.
I had not thought of it before but there should be a good business opportunity for US entrepreneurs to get into recycling in a big way.
Your junkie analogy is a good one: HIMARS will be seen to have been the gateway drug to Ukraine’s ultimate overdose death.
At least the dogs aren’t Nazis
Oh the Germans were so horrible that’s why so many immigrated to Russia after the war and it’s why both Russians and Americans gave their left nut to get ahold of their clearly superior scientists etc
https://vaticancatholic.com/deep-state-prepping-america-for-a-pre-planned-contested-election-or-delayed-election-results-video/
Of the video. Being Russian-speaking i am probably oblivious to some jargon or specifics of Ukrainian dialiects/creole.
And i am reserved if Ukrainian language as some coalescent whole does exist and if what we hear above is that Ukrainian. To me it either sounds Ruso-Ukrainian creole (суржик) not langiage, or it is one of many Ukrainian languages, some of continuum of those.
However i see some small details missed, they do not change much, just details.
0:02 …giving canned boiled meat *for human consumption* to dogs.
0:07 …Bomba is out of his mind today. (more specific than ambivalent “not himself”)
0:10. …this is where i take issues. It is translated the meal was “for volunteers”. While technically possible interpretation i think it is wrong, and the correct TL would be “BY” or “FROM” volunteers. The literal translation would be “volunteers’ meal”.
Later: “…for us to eat”, literally said was “people/humans collected this food for people/humans to it, and you give it to dogs”. This was the persistent juxtapposition humans/pets repeated in this argument. There was no claim the very people in the video were supposed to consume all that meal. It was added by the translator, erroneously or intentionally.
This stretch is perhaps why i am writing this, the rest is minor and would not be worth it.
0:27 – cameraman’s short snarking missed. Not sure, but i think it was “did you check commas?” (помiлкi i guess, i don’t know the word, but sounded like that), thus openly mocking this report as something equally unimportanr as beginners school language tests.
Like i said, this is a miss, it adds nuance, but adds nothing new/essential.
0:35 – i can’t recognize what he says for “emergency ration”, probably some Ukraine-specific jargon. So, TL might be true here, or not, dunno.
0:48 “extremist”, actually a rather specific Russian word is used, denoting a totally unhinged criminal recoggnizing no any limits, neither criminals unwrutten laws, not “human being” inner ethycs, nothing at all, беспредельщик
Again, this adds nuance but nothing more than that.
And definitely it would be nigh i possible to fit it into subtitles. So, “extremist” is okay.
However did this fastsubbing probably could not waste hours deliberating on small details.
0:52 – missed “…swimming/flowing/sailing in fat” and generic “you are crazy” is not perfect here.
The cameraman is accused not of being generally stupid, but about being too wasteful, too greedy, too entitled, etc.
I am not sure which specific phrase in english would fit here. The accusation – and the counter-accusation – are rather specific there, not generic.
0:57. …beacon and sosage WITHOUT BREAD…
This detail is typical for USSR and probably stems from pre-Soviet peasants Russia.
It shows the person was easting not to satisfy his hunger (then he would eat bread, as a nutricious if dull base food, and would “Spice” it with some added beacon) but merely to enjoy the taste (the joy the dull taste of bread would’ve blunted).
Based on your description of extremist at 0.48 I think the english word would be psychopath
This perhaps does not convey “off all the scales” idea
Regular criminals are already beyond normies’ moral and reason. They are “moderate psychopaths”, but they stay within what is normal and reasonable within criminals world.
Outoflimiter is totally unhinged, he can nit ve “somewhat” or “moderate”, he crossed the no return line
For “extremist” perhaps “Hooligan”, “thug” or “vandal”.
Thank you for the translation correction at 0:10. It’s an important distinction. Your translation agrees with what I read below in an interview with an animal rescuer. We are being told that the US government is providing hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is the only aid I support. Either the US government is lying, or Ukraine’s government is diverting funds.
https://keypennews.org/stories/local-animal-rescuer-is-home-from-the-war-for-now,5944?
““The Ukrainian government is not spending any money on anything but weapons,” Bates said. “There’s no humanitarian aid, they don’t buy dog food for their K-9 units, everybody is dependent on international aid.””
That’s not what Boris said here yesterday!
Its just one big “self elected” Charity Case…. but it doesn’t want us to know what it does to its kids locked in the basement.. of The greater Donbas
But that’s how they’ll win the war, said Poroshenko.
So, I guess the corollary is destined to be how they lost the war, with their kids shivering in dark, winter basements under Russian fire.
The other day I floated the possibility of a Syrian scenario in western Ukraine (USA/coalition of willing takes Lviv and surroundings), de-escalation experience exists from Syria.
I firmly believe leaving Kharkiv region was Putin’s offer of an off-ramp for USA. Ukraine could have declared a huge victory, USA would have been victor by association and negotiations could take place. USA declined. Next offer by Putin is much worse – USA comes in and takes over western Ukraine and becomes financially responsible for a rump state, effectively adding a new state to the union, a state of millions of unemployed people in a ruined economy where most of the GDP is in the Russian controlled area.
Every off-ramp offered by Putin is progressively worse of the west. The fact that there was a phone call between Shoigu and Austin and that there are now USA boots on the ground in western Ukraine points (in my mind) that the Syrian scenario is more likely.
Alex Mercouris, oddly, floated the same/similar idea today in the Duran chat with Christoforou.
Nope. Won’t happen. Russia’s very existence is at stake. Wasn’t the case in Syria.
I agree. If the Russian leadership let this happen there would be regime change in Russia.
A partition seems plausible if the costs to both sides of pushing further become too high. In reality, Russia has little interest in the western regions of the Ukraine, historically, culturally, economically or strategically.
Pushing NATO back to 1997 lines is Russia’s ideal outcome. If that’s not possible without undue cost, I imagine the Russia government could sell a recovery of culturally Russian regions to its people in return for a cessation of fighting.
But it would need at least an advance to the Dnieper and Odessa to make it not a clear defeat.
In the longer run, they would expect the economic costs to Europe to do the work of loosening the US grip on central and western parts of Europe, while Russia focusses on trading with the rest of the world.
I personally think this is why the advance contingent of US forces is in western Ukraine. It is not to prepare the path for the coalition of the willing, at least not in the sense that this coalition is going to stop the Russians at Odessa. The point of the coalition will be to be a peace keeping force to implement a Syrian scenario. I think the west has already negotiated the loss of Odessa top the Russians, it’s just that the Ukrainians don’t know it yet. Yes, the Syrian model assumes that Russia can take everything to Dnieper and Odessa as well. But, this doesn’t mean this territory will be given to them by the collective West – they will have to fight for it.
At the end, Putin wants to do business with the western world, I think much more than with the rest. The west is (was?) rich, it pays on time, it allows for interchange of technologies and ideas and best of all, Putin knows that world. Now that it has taken it down a peg or two (in economic terms but also in demonstrating military prowess and also geo-political clout in the global south and Asia) – he has no need to actually destroy the west (and he really cannot nor should he – the west may be doing that job well all by itself anyway).
The Russian public is like the American public or any other public, they would rather be able to travel to Paris, London etc. unfettered, have western brands and have a good time – than die in some Ukrainian steppe. While Russia straddles two continents and has a sizable “Chinese-like” population, it is also a traditionally European country. In Putin’s mind and ideally, they do business with everybody and they can – culturally and in every other way they are positioned to do so.
Oddo,
Do you think that in the eyes of western public taking part of Ukraine could be presented as a victory given the loss of money and devastation of economies? Syria, Americans have no clue what their government is doing there. On Ukraine they are engaged. If American soldiers come back in bags, boy, serious engagement.
Politicians could never win on ‘look we lost 50% more of Ukraine and spent billions while you suffered, some of our boys died but we kept this whining, broke, economically finished rump free, so that’s a good deal right? So vote for me!’
The loss of half of Ukraine would neuter America in the eyes of the world. If Russia takes Donbass let alone Odessa the West has lost geopolitically.
Maybe they can keep half of Taiwan free too.
Oddo,
“I think the west has already negotiated the loss of Odessa top the Russians, it’s just that the Ukrainians don’t know it yet”
And that is why Russia mobilized.
You know sometimes, there are no wheels within wheels.
Or are you proposing that the US is going to write a 300 billion dollar check to Russia as its negotiating position?
Why would anyone (Russia – yourself) want to do business with a sleaze ball that steals your money and your gas and oil?
Larry, America’s and EU’s very existence is at stake here too, don’t forget.
Here is what I think: Putin is interested in doing business with the west. It was never his goal to destroy the west fully, just to take USA/UK/EU down a peg or two to the point where they pay him their respects and treat him as an equal – after that he is happy to do business with them. If you read his speeches, he says himself that culturally Russia and the West are close and I personally think his alliance with China is a “needs must” and that he doesn’t trust them (which he should not).
A year into a war, no matter how prepared you are and no matter how many new markets you have opened in the east, Putin is exchanging one dependency for another – his economy was geared towards powering the west and now he is powering the east and the global south (which is poor). I think ideally he would like to power everyone.
A year into the war, the war gets old. It is much better for Russia to find a wealthy “donor” to keep Ukraine alive (even if on paper) than to have to always have a rump terrorist state around Lviv that is going to keep Russia in a perpetual state of low-grade war.
Hence, if a proper peace agreement cannot be achieved, the Syrian model offers a working solution until such a time that USA/EU gets tired of financing a failed project in western Ukraine. At that point, either a new war happens (with a significantly weakened Lviv centered rump state) or the west pulls out fully and the rump state is on its own – kind of like Moldova, e.g.
As for public opinion, it only matters in the West. Eastern cultures are a bit different. Putin can always sell his story to the people by explaining what I just did – that there is no point in dying for years over an unproductive piece of territory and that it is much better to have no sanctions and be able to fly again to London or Berlin than to fight a perpetual war where the only option for the Russian tourist is to visit Peking or Mogadishu and the only things you can buy in the “Beryozka” are Turkish or Chinese made.
please ollow me to pontificate.fast forward 1 year,the defeated people of Ukraine will not remember the weapons the training the intel donated by the degenerate west.they will be overjoyed with the food the water,the medicine provided by russia and china because the west will be too concerned with feeding and housing their own people and will not help the post war crises.add to that there is no profit in it.
I doubt that will happen. The only scenario along those lines I see materializing is the Ukrainians continuing to hate the Russians but end up hating the West more, for finally throwing in the towel once the looming black hole appears before the West’s eyes and no longer wished away. I think the West understands that very well, ergo their knee-jerk habit of doubling down, then anteing up and doubling down again and going for broke. If it does actually end in or approach gambler’s ruin then that’s what I suspect is in store for Ukraine.
That Ukraine has some sudden epiphany of self-reflection about their role in all of it, I doubt very much.
Might happen. I could envision Lviv turned into a Ukrainian Idlib, although it’d be pretty jam-packed in there, like a NYC subway during morning rush hour.
Russia promised to make NATO roll back to 1997 line with all their weapons that matter.
Settling on anything significantly less than that would have to have a VERY good explanation. In a sense, Kremlin took a big loan from public opinions year ago. In the coming years thus debt has to be paid out.
Hypothetically Poland or USA could put some lightly armored tripwire force there, while *at the same time* retracting all the NATO heavy gear westward back to 1997. Russia could perhaps be content with it. But… How can this be in reality?
Does Poland want Katyn Forest 2.0? Because this is how you get it.
I read that in Poland there seem to be discussions about doing some kind of merger with western Ukraine.
if this really should happen, they will have much fun with Ukrainian nationalism
Brussels has enough trouble getting just the Poles to march to its life-style orders. Imagine a Polish-Ukrainian Commonwealth stealing all of Brussels’ wealth 😉
If that were ever to happen, I think we’d begin seeing EU MPs jumping off the HQ’s roof.
Here in Finland the government is also convinced that the US/UK/NATO has their back. I pray to God we never get to that point.
They might have your ass, but not your back. Don’t bend over.
If you look at the government and who’s in it, and what’s their geopolitical experience, it’s obvious that they are being lead on by the US. And because the Finns overwhelmingly trust their authorities and media, they go along with this without any public debate.
By the way, the prime minister lied about “no NATO bases or nukes” in the spring, when the membership process was started. Just recently, it was revealed that those are indeed a possibility for Finland after all.
It’s the boiling frog scenario:
1. For decades, Finland remains neutral because of all those rational reasons (and treaties with USSR)
2. In the 90’s, Finland moves towards the west, joins EU and becomes a peacetime partner with NATO
3. This year, Finland destroys the peaceful relationship with Russia and applies for NATO, but supposedly “only for protection” and doesn’t allow nukes or NATO bases (as told to people in spring 2022)
4. Then, Finland becomes belligerent and actually allows bases and nukes if NATO membership is ratified (as revealed in the autumn just recently)
5. Who knows? But let’s consider what happened to another Russia’s border country that became openly hostile to Russia, desired for nukes and NATO membership, and built up its armed forces. It seems that nobody in the country is publicly able to connect the dots.
Do the Finns undestand that their hosting nukes is probably not such a big deal to the Russians (whereas in the batshit crazy Ukraine, it is) but that to counter the move, it would likely issue a warning that the nanosecond it detects a missile launch from Finnish territory, Helsinki (at a minimum) will disappear in two nanoseconds, and of course, with the de rigueur ‘We’re not bluffing’?
Word to the hopefully wise: Careful who you make your bed with and who you pull into bed after you. I might dream of an attractive Finnish blond but end up with the Finn-American Eileen Warner. Risk assessment says, I think I’ll pass on the offer. I have better options.
Is the apparently naive Finnish leader to blame for what seems like nation suicide to join NATO? Maybe the Turks are doing you a favour after their own experience fending of a US coup from its “friends”.
They may have Finland’s back but it’s the front facing Russia they should worry about. One false move and poof, there goes Helsinki’s magic dragon.
All those graves are very disheartening.
Senseless waste. Pure evil to support and perpetuate.
I agree and they will hate Russia even more, but Russia is in the right. They should have been smarter than that. It’s very sad.
I’m not leadership material. Righteous cause or not (mostly not), I could never put my people in a position like this where I send them out to die.
Totally! The neocons are evil incarnated. Their only interest is in protecting Israel and to hell with the rest of us.
The “neocons” are not conservative and never have been.
They have no interest in the US and its people except as a tool to be used so serve their own agenda.
Staggering to think this loss of life means nothing to those in power.
Those who are attracted to power are the last ones who should have it.
Ain’t that the truth.
In the video the two guys quarreling in Ukrainian because one fed canned meat from the humanitarian aid to the dogs when many Ukrainians don’t have enough food.
Is it Ukrainian or Surzhyk?
Surzhyk
I’d have more sympathy for the Ukrainians if they didn’t get in bed with the Democrat Party, neocons, neolibs and RINO’s like John McCain, and didn’t send out their minions to help topple Trump.
You made your beds.
You have no problem with Stepan Bandera and related stuff?
Honest, I really just thought he was a folk hero, like Paul Bunyan.
This confused me at first, but then I checked the username. Everyone should watch that interview.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/stephen-king-appears-to-be-pranked-by-fake-zelensky-praises-nazi-collaborator-as-e2-80-98great-man-e2-80-99/ar-AAZKWu9
Western Ukraine is doomed. Not that it was ever a real country. Western “support” will vanish at some point, especially if (as is likely) the Republicans take the House. The Ukraine is a DNP war. In any case, Russian mobilization is timed to supply a few hundred thousand more men to Ukraine just in time for frozen ground in the South and extensive degradation of the WU’s power and communications grid. NATO troops now being supplied to “monitor” Western supplied weapons do so at their own risk since this is a war zone. Again, the GOP can blame the DNP. Putin, in the meantime, is rollin’ on — on all fronts – not just Ukraine as I write here:
https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/russia-rollin-rollin-the-update (crediting Larry in this article).
Larry, sorry for not commenting about the current topic but just to let you know how the Economic War is about to take a big step, no many people seems to notice right now but the Oil price is running very strong this week and looks it’ll reach at least U$ 120.00 – 140.00 sometime during this month while the Dollar several months rally seems to be over just today (from here the dollar is going all the way down) and the stock market S&P500 just started another downfall this week, panic selling is very likely next week.
I read articles about how the Economic War and or events like this might happen one day and although I agree, the time that takes makes me wonder if that could happen during my lifetime.
Mr. Medveded said by july oil could reach U$ 300 – 400. I wouldn’t be surprised seeing oil reaching U$ 200 between jan-feb 2023.
Interesting. Would the price be 300$ or so due to USD falling in value and impact of other currency pricing or because real prices pegged to similar exchange rates would rise.
Ie. Would oil bought in yuan.or rubles see a similar rise or just Dollar pegs.
For me its most likely the second reason: oil traded in other currencies than dollars. However oil multiyear trend is strongly up together with dollar multiyear trend down combined give the perfect storm. And I almost forgot the elephant in the room: war.
“reliable allies of Kiev ”
When did the US sign a treaty of alliance with Ukraine?
When it sold its soul once too many times.
When was US reliable?
The armchair generals don’t see the “big picture”. Study Kutuzov & Napoleon after Borodino. He “gave” the little guy Moscow, then marched into Paris and destroyed Napoleon’s empire. Putin’s giving NATO/UAF a few villages, waiting for the final push (to Kiev?), meanwhile Ukro troops starve, EU collapses, US in chaos. IMO, the SMO is going very well, but then I was only Sub.Lt. SIGINT, in 1968 (you know where).
The fallacy with your line of thinking is the assumption that Putin is interested in the total destruction of USA/EU. He is not. He wants to do business with them on equal footing and be respected/acknowledged as a key world player. Hence, he is offering the West all sorts of off-ramps. I am of the opinion that he was surprised (but not unprepared) for the level of hate the collective west directed at Russia. He even came close to acknowledging in one of this Q&As that he was surprised that the Russian economy responded so well to the sanctions. However, perpetual war is never good for an economy in the long run and the sanctions, while worse for EU/USA, are still bad for Russia. Also, humiliating the USA is not what he is after because, well, he knows he would not allow the humiliation of Russia (at any cost) so it is logical to assume the same for the USA. I think he is hoping that at some point the costs to the western economies/lifestyles outweigh their Russofobia and interest in Ukraine and that at that point in time, an honorable settlement can be negotiated and business can be resumed.
What does SMO stand for? I tried to find the meaning and found https://www.acronymfinder.com/Military-and-Government/SMO.html.
Did you ever meet Col. Moore? And I ask the question respectfully and not disrespectfully as in the movie The Hunt for Red October: https://youtu.be/PUvS_htXD34
https://rebelarmy.com/audio/RFM-2010-08-04-HalMoore.mp3
After that interview I would end a lot of my broadcasts with the rhetorical question, “Are we done here?” And respond, “Yes sir, Col. Moore we are done.”
I interviewed Col. Moore once before also and the interview lasted over one hour but I lost it because of a technical error on my part. Can you imagine speaking with such a man twice as I did? I’ve got a big ego because of it. 🙂 I was lucky to have missed being drafted. I always remember my sixth grade teacher’s son getting drafted into the Vietnam War.
I also interviewed Joseph Galloway:
https://rebelarmy.com/audio/RFM-2008-07-23-JosephGalloway.mp3
And I refer to General Moore as Col. Moore because I like Colonels better than Generals.
P.S. If Larry had a forum, I would post a poll and ask lots of questions! 🙂 For example, Do you predict a Red Wave or a Blue Steal on Tuesday?
Special Military Operation
There are ramifications inside Russia if it is referred to as a war.
Thank you for your responses. Much appreciated. Most people are dumb like me and they don’t know anything. I do good to eek out a living as a beekeeper let alone understand such complex issues as are going on around the world. I think I have real talent though when it comes to never speaking over someone’s head. IOW, I am forever asking questions that are very well understood by the pros but completely unknown or misunderstood by the masses.
KISS may in fact find its origins in the military. I don’t know but I like to keep things simple because I am stupid.
What are the ramifications inside Russia if it is referred to as a war?
P.S. Larry, the best way to grow your audience is with a forum. 🙂 But you may be uninterested in educating the masses focusing instead on a more elite group.
Typically, what we in the West call an R2P Operation.
I am not sure what the exact ramifications are but I have heard them mentioned by YouTubers or other commenters before. I believe the primary thing is that if they declare they are at war with Ukraine they have to mobilize much more troops than they have. And before they did recently mobilize 300,000 more, people in the Russian side were calling for Russia to drop the SMO characterization and declare war so they could get more troops. But somehow they did it while maintaining the same SMO characterization. But I think there are other adjustments – or cutbacks – that take place due to “we are at war” that the Russian people don’t want to experience.
With regards SpaceX no longer be able to support Ukraine. This appears not to be the case. Jimmy Dore discussed an article by Alan MacLeod on his YouTube channel that the Pentagon are in fact paying for services via USAID to keep the UF online. I think it’s widely known that SpaceX is in fact a contractor to the US gov as it provides surveillance and intelligence worldwide, so why not Ukraine. $$$!
Those that suffer the tragic consequences of these horrible conflicts should realise that the US/EU/UK do not have their backs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w14RzNErdE
I think that’s a BS cover story. The Russians have the capability to shut down Starlink:
https://tass.com/society/1521015
According to https://www.deagel.com/Tactical%20Vehicles/1L269/a003129, the damage may be permanent.
Assuming that’s true – and fair enough it’s a big assumption – given their orbits, any satellites fried over Ukraine are providing coverage to many other parts of the planet too.
So the question is, at 59 Starlink satellites per launch, can SpaceX launch enough to replace the ones getting fried? They have about 5 years left to get the entire system in orbit or they lose their license.
The CNN headline was misleading. The potential loss of the Starlink internet service had nothing to do with the satellites. It was about the Starlink terminals used by the Ukrainian military. Those terminals are enabled or disabled by software (geolocation).
No satellites are getting fried. The current constellation has just over 3000 satellites orbiting the earth. If 1300 of them got fried there would be Starlink outages all over the world.
I haven’t heard about any disruption of the Starlink service.
Randolorian,
I had read that Russia created a local ionospheric storm that interfered with Starlink signals over Ukraine, but did not fry the satellites.
Of course this could be a cover story for a successful hacking attack. There are reports Russia has been working at developing cyberweapons against starlink. Perhaps they found a backdoor (probably inserted by one of the alphabet agencies)?
I have no doubt that they could fry all the satellites as they overfly Russian territory – but frying a few wouldn’t affect much
See the satellite pattern.
https://heavens-above.com/Starlink.aspx
I digress only slightly from the subject when I write the following. We must remember that this is a world war. The U.S. empire is fighting to maintain its world domination not only in Ukraine. It has to actively deploy resources across the planet in this war. This classically leads to the overstretching of its power. Temporary phyrric victories do not change this.
I don’t know what Moscow’s plans are for Western Ukraine. I also don’t know if the USA would have advantages if Europe is contaminated by radioactivity and completely destroyed.
This article deals with the problem of Central Asia.
👉
https://www.worldandwe.com/ru/page/novyy_front_ssha_protiv_kitaya_i_rossii_v_sredney_azii.html
But also West Asia, Africa and Latin America are just waiting for a chance to free themselves from the domination/exploitation of the USA.
The greater the need in Europe becomes, the more powerful the fluctuation forces also in Europe. Europe is riddled with the 5th column of the USA like with metastases of cancer. If it really comes to the collapse in Europe, then a new “Hitler regime” would have to be installed there, in order to be able to control the rage of the populations. What would be the half-life of such a system? If the USA lose Europe, then they lose Eurasia for good.
No matter how you spin it, there is no winning perspective for the US. Why the hell do the 0.1% of the USA need world domination? Why can’t they accept to cooperate with humanity fairly and peacefully? Win-Win. Anyway, they are financially and economically global. But they are destroying that themselves right now.
In Ukraine, time is working for Russia. It makes no sense to produce unnecessary destruction and massacres. What remains of the Nazi country, that must be too expensive for a “US missile base” for the USA.
Interesting article also here:
👉
https://www.worldandwe.com/ru/page/istoriya_predatelstva_ukrainy_kollektivnyy_mazepa.html
The largest most valuable trade in the world more than oil, is weapons. US is the leading weapons seller. 16mn people in US rely on big 4 weapons manufacturing firms, pension funds are invested, stock markets reliant, policy backed up, population managed, allies bound, valuable resources stolen, votes influenced, punishment for international crimes avoided, due to these weapons. How do you calculate that value? Weapons are the lifeblood of the American economy. To replace it is like replacing gold. Silver does not buy the same.
Good comments but the two articles you reference are in Russian which I cannot read.
Rumble is now unreachable here in France. The censorship of the Macron regime is tightening and I even doubt that I will be able to get access to your blog in a few months (without a VPN at least). News are not good on this side of the Atlantic: extreme economic hardship ahead, a Parisian bourgeoisie buying all the MSM crap, a political class more obsessed by keeping the control of the narrative than solving the country ‘s issues. We share with the US the same problems and the same hopes. Thanks for your great work Larry!
Just to let you know, Rumble is no longer available in France, here the message:
NOTICE TO USERS IN FRANCE
Because of French government demands to remove creators from our platform, Rumble is currently unavailable in France. We are challenging these government demands and hope to restore access soon.
That’s censorship.
Follow the money. Ink & rag paper fake money ‘magic money’ is loaned to cover MIC spending. Interest on the loan (sovereign debt) is the goal. After a 100 years of theis Grift, what is the yearly interest? $1.4 trillion.
How does ‘Green Economy’ fit? We see it now, peasants can’t afford it, they are subsidized, that means more sovereign debt. This is the sovereign debt Grift. Recessions / depressions mean more interest on the Sovereign Debt.
And who are the Grifters? Not Governments, Banksters (Federal Reserve is Privately owned).
So Ukraine is just a tool just as ‘Green Economy’ & ‘Climate Change’. It is the sovereign debt Grift. Politicians just eat the crumbs that fall off the plate.
It is so monstrous, blatant, in your face, how can people not see it? Dead bodies in shallow graves is just the crust of the slavery & worse.
But there is a problem, Putin, Xi, Modi, & other country rogue leaders have eyes. Russia has low sovereign debt (not China), so Russia is the enemy of the Big Grift.
That said, I cannot see Russia being able to stop in the middle of Ukraine & leave the Grift controlled counties an expendable beach head. Russia did a partial mobilization IMO to not alarm the Grift managers, to give them the idea that they will still have a platform to wage war until they bankrupt Russia. So, Russia has to go border to border without triggering a panic in the Grift managers.
In my naivete, I wonder if Russia might be able to assuage the Poles with a ‘Land for Peace’ deal, solving the problem of Russia hating rump Ukraine, & calming the Poles? But it is fantastical imagining on my part.
European countries Sovereign Debt was bought with Federal Reserve ink & rag paper once before (remember PIGS? Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain), Germany is the next real target at the moment (a bank shot so to speak).
Remember PIGS?
Actually, Irland was also included in the broader acronym PIIGS … And disastrous Island better qualified for a PIIIGS back in 2008… (did they finally payed theirs debts to the City of London?). Needless to say, both North European countries fell from the list -so only the Southern European countries are (still) remembered as “pigs”…
Poles are hopeless, second only to the Ukrainians themselves. I put the Baltic states in the running but hopelessly lagging behind in third place.
About the heavy losses on the Ukrainian side. In this Russian RT article of 4-11-22 a POW tells that foreign mercenaries are hiding themselves behind Ukrainian soldiers who they send forward at gunpoint as a human shield https://russian.rt.com/ussr/article/1069954-ukraina-plennyi-poteri-harkovskoe-napravlenie
“They are hiding from us”: a Ukrainian prisoner of war announced the heavy losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv direction
The Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered very heavy losses during the advance in the Kharkiv direction, said Alexander Barlyan, a soldier of the 25th separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who is in captivity in the LPR. He also noted that foreign mercenaries often use Ukrainian soldiers as human shields. On the eve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost up to 120 people and several dozen units of military equipment.
During the fighting in the Kharkiv direction, Ukrainian troops suffer heavy losses. This was stated by a soldier of the 25th separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Barlyan, who is in captivity in the Lugansk People’s Republic. According to him, when a “combat order” is issued to seize a position, the number of attempts for the Kyiv regime does not matter.
“You can go to zero, you can put a company, but this goal must be achieved,” RIA Novosti quotes him.
According to him, the number of casualties is hidden, it simply does not interest the Ukrainian command.
“When there was a breakthrough in the Kharkov direction, everyone was inspired, as we thought, they gave us weapons. Only we hide at what cost this breakthrough was taken, how many died in it. Even despite the fact that yours did a beautiful regrouping there, we have a very large number of losses in two weeks, when the so-called Kharkov offensive was moving, ”added the Ukrainian military.
He also noted that foreign mercenaries are always located behind the Ukrainian units: “In the event of some kind of breakthrough, our unit receives [the whole blow], and we are like a shield for them while they retreat.”
There are more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Viktoria Serdyukova, previously commissioner for human rights in the LPR, said in a conversation with TASS.
Summary of the DNR and LNR
Over the past day, Ukrainian troops lost up to 50 people, a self-propelled artillery mount (2S1 Gvozdika), four howitzers (two each – AHS Crab, M777), MLRS Grad, three tanks (two T-64BV and T-72M1 ), seven units of armored and automotive vehicles. Four drones were shot down in the air, the People’s Militia of the DPR reported.
At the same time, up to 70 military personnel, three tanks, five armored personnel carriers, three artillery installations, one drone and 19 units of special vehicles were destroyed during the active offensive operations of the People’s Militia of the LPR.
On the night of November 4, the armed formations of Ukraine fired at Makiivka, firing three shells of 155 mm caliber, the representative office of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine reported.
“Last night, Ukrainian militants attacked an apartment building in the Central City district of Makiivka. As a result of the shelling, a woman was killed and a man was wounded.
In total, the territory of the DPR was subjected to 78 shelling over the past day, in which the Ukrainian Armed Forces used 298 shells. In addition to the victims of the shelling in Makiivka, nine more people were injured of varying severity.
Decree on payments to mobilized
On November 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on a one-time payment of 195 thousand rubles to mobilized and military personnel serving under a contract in the Russian Armed Forces. As stated in the document, this was done in order to provide additional measures of social support to military personnel.
“To establish for citizens of the Russian Federation who concluded a contract for military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for a period of one year or more during the period of a special military operation, a lump-sum cash payment in the amount of 195 thousand rubles,” reads the decree.
Funds are allocated to mobilized Russians, conscripted military personnel, and other citizens, including foreigners who have signed a contract, with the exception of military personnel replacing military positions of cadets.
Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to personally oversee the organization of payments to the mobilized.
On September 21, Vladimir Putin announced the introduction of partial mobilization in the country. On October 28, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, informed the president about the completion of measures for partial mobilization in the country. According to him, the task to call for 300 thousand people has been completed, no additional tasks are planned in this regard.
Why don’t they do what the Russians did and use chip from microwaves! 🤣
On a serious note one must ask: does Zelensky really have the well being of his people as his top priority? Of course the answer is a resounding NO! Of course the same could be said of the European leaders and Brandon.
He is surrounded 24/7 by British special forces. People forget he had agreed to a deal with Russia in March and the UK and US, note visit by Bonking Boris, made him cancel it. He is now just a hostage to both Ukrainian far right and West.
When I hear and see Selensky and co. it makes me think of a scene of Monthy Pythons “Knigths of the round table ”
The black knight tries to prevent King Arthus from going forward.
Artus chops of the Knigths and legs, but the knight still not willing to give up.
At the end, the knight lying on the ground, unable to move.
Artus just goes forward.
Little snippets of the collective West’s cowardly behavior these past months pop into my head from time to time. The latest one just popped:
After throwing down the December gauntlet of “NATO’s expansion is none of Russia’s business”, soon to follow in March was “We never had any intention or desire to accept Ukraine into NATO. It never would have happened.”
Cowardly? You be the judge.
It HURTS my soul physically, that young men instead of making wine and moonshine, while hugging their wives, mothers and kids they die needlessly in some remote puddle of mud.
How, can a ‘leader’ allow this? What about a normal person?
It might mean they are all starting to realize the truth and finally resisting the Davos agenda that has been exploiting them for so long.
…just an observation here on the 2 videos……………….
(1)the first video is just littered with fresh flowers, flags and wreaths – how does a collapsing economy where people are in survival mode have the time and effort it takes to produce these costly things that cannot be eaten by the dead or the living???????
(2) the second video plays like a scripted Zellenskyy comedy skit. The dude complaining about feeding ‘the dog’ is not emaciated. If there was starvation in the ranks, then the 2 characters would be arguing about which one of them was ‘going to eat the dog’!
Reads like bad propaganda to me, …………but what do I know sitting here in the warmth of my kitchen sipping coffee, eating a toasted bagel and thinking about where I will run the hunting dog today?
Few things Russia taught us.
They like BUT do not need the western toys, they have close to unlimited supply of conventional weapons and bullets, their GLONASS system is more accurate than the GPS, their ‘smart’ missiles are 100 times more accurate, and 100x LESS expensive than the NATO ones, the Russian economy is resilient, and can function by itself without any major interventions, and they have a good leader with a long patience playing a long game.
Plus, that leader knows who to use in what position; for example, their central banker, a very smart woman, did not get the praise for destroying ALL the western plans to kneel Russia economically.
Same with his generals.
Dying for a piece of coloured cloth is what being Ukrainian is all about. Everyting else is Russian in some way, including the land they are burried in (unless the footage is from Galicia).
Few things Russia taught us.
They like BUT do not need the western toys, they have close to unlimited supply of conventional weapons and bullets, their GLONASS system is more accurate than the GPS, their ‘smart’ missiles are 100 times more accurate, and 100x LESS expensive than the NATO ones, the Russian economy is resilient, and can function by itself without any major interventions, and they have a good leader with a long patience playing a long game.
Plus, that leader knows who to use in what position; for example their central banker, a very smart woman, did not get the praise for destroying ALL the western plans to kneel Russia. Same with his generals.
There’s an American flag on one of the graves in the video, 0:01 in
Yes, American mercenaries do die in wars.
Now, if the Ukrainians were as cagey as I in fact know they are, they’d put up a whole bunch of American flags and hope to force the Republicans coming into power to be enraged enough to reverse their ‘More money you say? Sorry. No more, Ihor’ vector.
No matter your position, you’ve got a target on your front. But if you side with the West you’ve got one on your back as well.
This is what happens when the West ships all of its industry out to the far East.
It becomes weak, the far East are beginning to notice, actually realise this.
The Unipolar World is over, Trump wanted to do something about it but they, the ones profitting from that, tried to destroy him, those rust belts and they are not just in the USA they’re all over the Westtern World need to be revitalised but it ain’t happening, it’s just more useless Chinese manufactured Wind turbines they erect all over the place we have been sold out by short sighted greedy idiots and they are going to drag us all down with them.
Currently it’s the Ukrainians who are being exposed to suffering in the Wests proxy war, we’re next and its a war the West is going to lose.
My biggest concern is with its ability to wage conventional war limited by its lack of manufacturing capability the West may be left with one option only, its Nuclear arsenal, then everyones loses, actually, fries.
NEOCON TARGET ALERT! MALI
After organizing the 2014 coup in Kiev that started the war there, neocon Victoria Nuland returned with the Biden team and made things much worse. Now she’s scouting the next intervention, Mali.
The French left two months ago and the Russian Wagner group moved in. I’m sure AFRICOM wanted to intervene but all resources are devoted to Ukraine. Here is a short video about this situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heylrE00fCI
Nuland just visited Mali and said:
“In Mali, as I said a little bit earlier, we were very straightforward about our concerns that the Malian junta has invited in Wagner and terrorism has gotten significantly worse; that there are significant numbers of Wagner forces on the ground; they are giving some equipment, but that equipment is malfunctioning. We recently saw them behaving badly in one of the airplanes that they offered and then having a crash that killed civilians. There are broad reports of human rights abuses across the region where they are working.
They are encouraging the Malian forces to deny MINUSMA (UN Peacekeepers that included Germans) access to large swaths of the middle of Mali where MINUSMA has a very clear mandate. And we worry that these forces are not interested in the safety and security of the people of Mali but, instead, are interested in enriching themselves and strip-mining the country and are making the terrorism situation worse.”
https://www.state.gov/remarks-and-releases-africa-regional-media-hub/digital-press-briefing-with-ambassador-victoria-nuland-under-secretary-for-political-affairs-u-s-department-of-state/
You can take anything the Kagan clan says as gospel according to St. Judas.
You can also take it to the bank and pray the bank is FDIC insured.
You can also take it with a pinch of salt and hope it’s not the arsenic they’re pushing.
Despite the fact that the Ukrainian identity is negative and based on hatred, we cannot rejoice in the irreversible fall of this country. Ukraine is no longer a viable state. We may see some sort of triage during the next winter. Pro-Russian Ukrainians will choose Russia as the Russian Federation forces advance. Western Ukraine will receive the irredentists. The Poles will have to deal with this problem unless several million people flood into Europe.
After having provoked massive exoduses for the purpose of war in Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, the West will experience a harsh backlash.
Will the host countries of the Ukrainians, who did not vote against the recent UN condemnation of Nazism, revive this ideology on a large scale?
The events we are experiencing live are nothing short of epic without the need for hindsight to judge. Incredible.
“revive this ideology on a large scale?”
This ideology has been prevalent and encouraged/financed by “The United States of America” by design from the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 based on divide and rule by ethnic nationalism, the main vector of the Second Polish Republic in which large part of the the present “Ukraine” was situated.
The famine relief of 1922 undertaken by “The United States of America” was primarily but not exclusively, in the newly formed regions of the Soviet Union including the oblasts presently and those likely to be integrated into The Russian Federation.
The present ideologies inherent throughout “Western Ukraine” are largely based on the works of Dmytro Dontsev 1883 – 1973 – of whom some continue to allege that Mr. Bandera was a student, instead of an ocassional browser.
Mr. Dontsev’s efforts and works also had an impact on the growth of the NSDAP (NAZI) party primarily in Bavaria which remains a significant base of those whose ideologies incorporate some of Mr. Dontsev allegations/observations.
The “Banderists” in Ukraine were recruited by the SD in 1942/3 to effect “war against the partisans” – sometimes known as the holocaust and massacres of Soviet partisans- in present areas of Belarus and Ukraine, then transferred into the care of “The United States of America” on or about the 4th of May 1945 when Mr. Allen Dulles (allegedly representing no-one in particular since he represented many ?), and Mr. Karl Wolff personally representing Mr. Heinrich Himmler, the SS and the SD, when Mr. Dulles accepted the conditional surrender of all “Axis” forces in Italy without remembering to inform other “allies” who allegedly agreed only to un-conditional surrender.
The Banderites were largely transferred for safe keeping/keeping safe into Bavaria which was the centre of the “American” zone in Germany and continues to be the prime operational centre of “German intelligence” and US disinformation activities including RFE/RL who share broadcasting and other facilities with ZDF.
The Banderites and other Bavarian facilities from 1947 were used to undermine the Soviet Union not restricted to Ukraine.
In respect of Ukraine these efforts were frustrated by 1954, and the remnants of these “assets” were moved into “safe custody/safety” primarily throughout North and South America – some being activated in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay during the Condor years.
As a general rule, sharks don’t tend to attack other sharks unless the shark requiring to be attacked undermines the environment for all sharks.
Hence the assassination of Mr. Bandera was a function of this consideration, and a multi-facilitated venture in a “safe” location – Munich, although for the continued immersion of the Banderites, the “blame” was solely placed upon the representative of the Soviet Union, Mr. Sudoplatov, whereas practitioners realise that a “hit” is mostly like volleyball – one does the set-up, and the other does the strike.
De facto since 1919 the ancestors and the present Banderites and those who are malleable by virtue of indiscretions are adjuncts of the biological warfare programmes of “The United States of America”, and those contemplating their own erections tending not to think – What is for afters? – and so this ideology has not yet disappeared, getting by with a “little help” from “The United States of America” and their friends who don’t believe in a love at first sight and are not sure that it happens all the time, despite the multiple attempts in such ventures by “The United States of America”.
Maybe there’s an alternate explanation in Russia’s slow roll over Ukraine. Sure, they could get it over with in a hurry, but if the drag it out they dish out more harm to the US and Europe. They have the stronger hand. The US and NATO are running out of arms, Russia isn’t. Why end the war sooner when you can deplete NATO and destroy their economic base? If I were Putin, I’d be in no hurry to get this over. Why give NATO any chance to get up off the mat? If, as stated, it’s “existential” for Russia the longer term goal would be to destroy NATO. This seems to be what’s happening. Ironically, NATO’s survival depends on extricating itself from this as they cannot win. Their bluff has been called.
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, Russia likely wins any nuclear conflict, so ultimately NATO is bluff and bluster, and Putin has called them on it. A longer war hurts us more than Russia.
“… if the(y) – The Russian Federation- drag it out they dish out more harm to the US and Europe. ”
Your word order perhaps does not reflect the nuances of “reality” ?
Perhaps a better phrase would read:
“if the Russian Federation drags it out, the US will dish out more harm to Europe.”
“A longer war hurts us more than Russia.”
In mumbled activity that is likely one of the present “considerations” of a limited congregation in “The United States of America”.
“CitizenKayne says
5 November 2022 at 14:50”
“I see a huge amount of ignorance as to how finance works.”
Not limited to finance, but a likely consequence of misguided conflations of “peer review” with moderation, sometimes interpreted as over-extension.
“Moderation” is an attempt to not unwrap “what a gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us”, since “the dealer” is also a user.
“… if the(y) – The Russian Federation- drag it out they dish out more harm to the US and Europe. ”
Your word order perhaps does not reflect the nuances of “reality” ?
Perhaps a better phrase would read:
“if the Russian Federation drags it out, the US will dish out more harm to Europe.”
“A longer war hurts us more than Russia.”
In mumbled activity that is likely one of the present “considerations” of a limited congregation in “The United States of America”.
“CitizenKayne says
5 November 2022 at 14:50”
“I see a huge amount of ignorance as to how finance works.”
Not limited to finance, but a likely consequence of misguided conflations of “peer review” with moderation, sometimes interpreted as over-extension.
“Moderation” is an attempt to not unwrap “what a gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us”, since “the dealer” is also a user.
Larry Fink doesn’t control BlackRock.
Any more than Biden controls the US.
They both can be out tomorrow.
I learn a lot here. But I see a huge amount of ignorance as to how finance works.
“reminds me of a crack addict ”
No at least two.
In a biting contrast with the topic about the heavy price Ukraine is paying Vesti has just published a story about the hack of UAF general Valery Zaluzhny’s account, which offers insight in the general’s correspondence with a lot of young beauties https://www.vesti.ru/article/3027462
The love affairs of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine became public
The recent hacking of the personal page of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny brought a new portion of compromising information. It turns out that the Ukrainian commander was not just furious because of this incident. After all, his correspondence with young beauties from the Armed Forces of Ukraine got out for discussion by the society.
The hacker “Joker DPR”, who became famous after this hack , published a post that presents photos, videos and communication of a Ukrainian general with his subordinates. According to the Joker, Zaluzhny willingly gives his girlfriends official cars and “warm” positions in the army.
“Of course, the new Mitsubishi L-200 is more needed by a beautiful brunette aviation businessman than by soldiers on the front line. They are not so beautiful and delicate,” the hacker rightly notes.
There are many interesting points in the correspondence published by the hacker. What is definitely not there is dialogue about the family. Zaluzhny leads a beautiful life, not denying himself communication with beautiful women, whom he can bestow material benefits at the expense of the army he leads.
“A beauty is waiting for him in every city, American magazines put his photo on the cover, and the death of some “ Nazi fools ” does not concern him. Moreover, the more men die, the more young Ukrainian women he will get,” Joker believes.
Larry,
I was at the Mississippi Farmers Market this morning and I asked a Ukrainian friend to view the Rumble video and look at the English translation. She said the translation was accurate.
I then asked her about the Ukrainian government and whether it was Neo-Nazi. She did not verbalize a response but frowned instead indicating disagreement with that assertion.
I later saw a Polish friend who has lived in America for quite a while and asked him about the alleged Neo-Nazi government in Ukraine. He said it was Russian propaganda to justify the invasion. He also said Putin is physically sick.
Is the Ukrainian government a Neo-Nazi government?
Is Putin sick?
If things are as bad as you suggest, why isn’t there a revolt to the Ukrainian government, a revolt to make peace with Russia?
Was the Ukrainian government legally elected or was it installed by America to be nothing more than an American puppet?
Didn’t say what the disease was? Or was he not a doctor?
He did not say what the disease was. And he did not say whether he was a doctor or not. I suspect he is not a doctor.
One thing I forgot to mention was that my Polish friend emphasized Ukraine’s rare earth metals and https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001cf5r
https://www.mei.edu/publications/ukraines-critical-minerals-and-europes-energy-transition-motivation-russian-aggression
He may be right although in contrast to the article above, I think it would be more an incentive for a western takeover of Ukraine and throw niceties like elections, self-determination, coups, wars and a look-the-other-way lot to the winds, than for an already rare-earth endowed Russia.
Didn’t Elon Musk once tweet about the removal of Evo Morales in lithium rich Bolivia: “We’ll coup whoever we want. Deal with it.” Was it tongue-in-cheek or a statement of a battery-hungry Musk well-entrenched in Pentagonia’s foreign policy?
You be the judge.
Maidan was an illegal coup, period. It was indeed supported and most likely planned to the last detail by the US et. al. Hardly Russian propaganda, just a series of parallel lines connecting the related events and a good dose of Ukrainian history, and US history for that matter, to tie it all into a nice, neat package.
Neo-nazi Svoboda et. al. thugs on Maidan square, as well as sniper teams (read Univ. of Ottawa Katchanovski’s investigations) coordinated by most likely Andriy Parubiy (a well known nationalist brown shirt), were very definitely recruited and/or left unmolested to do the dirty work at Maidan. Ample evidence is/was available to those who bothered to look, albeit much since scrubbed from the internet.
My best approximation to the Maidan coup is how the 1953 Iranian coup was orchestrated and carried out.
Object all you want if you want. That’s the way I called it years ago.
Can’t they use the chips from [Russian] washing machines ?
As is the norm, humanitarian emergency rations are going to the troops.
The Ukraine is the most corrupt Country on Earth so the money goes down the Hopper.
Ukraine and the US are great examples of why not to have a foreign tribe control your country. They have no ties or loyalty to the traditional culture or people and may even hate the traditional people. Consequently, the masses are viewed as expendable. The rulers always have another country to go to with the riches they have stolen so no downside for them.
Looks similar to September 1939
Ironically Poland is heavily involved in the current debacle of western European promises being nothing but hot air
You think they would know better than to rely on western European bloviating
The biggest impediment is that there are still a large number of foreign politicians who believe that Ukraine is on the verge of great military success and continued funding is important to defend democracy and life as we know it against the predations of Moscow.
Ukraine can not fund normal everyday government functions and it increasingly looking like complete collapse and failed state status is on the horizon. All very tragic.
http://johnhelmer.net/thieves-paradise-in-kiev-imf-admits-it-doesnt-know-how-much-ukraine-has-received-of-35-billion-in-promised-foreign-cash-or-where-the-money-was-spent/
If they don’t have enough chips for building Javelins, why dont they just disassemble some washing machines? MSM told me that works well for the Russians. Inside every washing machine is a cruise missile yearning to get out!
I am surprised to read that a ‘shortage of chips’ impedes at the moment the build/delivery of javs to Ukr. I thought it was said – not long ago – that the ‘evil rooskies’ were so much in dire need of high tech that they were dismantling washing machines and freezers for the chips in order to make their missiles function. Welly well, seems that raytheon has a chance to ask whirlpool corp. For chips. 🙂
Thousands of Javelins were already delivered, with not exactly stellar performance. Why would anyone think replacing them with more would be any different?
Remember the ‘repeating the same and thinking it’ll have a different result’ is the definition of…………what now? C’mon. Y’all know this one.
It doesn’t matter, zelensky is trapped between the extremists in Ukraine and the extremists in Washington. Any concession and he’s dead. One will abandon him and the other will end him.
Any humanitarian aid, food, medicine, etc will simply be stolen by corrupt officials/gangs/oligarchs up and down all levels of Ukrainian society. It is everyday Ukrainians who without connections will suffer the most. It is telling that there are no videos I can find of Ukrainian military, etc distributing food stuffs to civilians. Plenty on the Russian side. Could be me but then again, in the video guy is mad about scrapes.
The problem with that for Ukraine is that all their washing machines have been sequestered for money laundering.
Well stated Larry.
Now do Europe’s dependence on the US and Russia, and the US’ dependence on China.
Given the US/NATO intent to use Ukraine against Russia, it is hard to see what a Ukrainian leader, genuinely concerned about the people, could have done to avoid the morass and be allowed to live.
Europe’s green religion and renunciation of effective energy within its control, and its decision to forego a real defense capacity and instead devote the money to the green fantasy, social welfare and the costs of the EU, while relying on the US to “guarantee” its security was wholly self-inflicted. The consequences are now hitting Europe.
Even more egregious is the US. In the 2000 election, GWB referred to China as a strategic competitor, recognizing the fundamental strategic conflict of interest between it and the US. Then came 9/11, and Bush wanted allies for his war on Hussein, who had nothing to do with the attack on the US. So the issue of China was conveniently dropped.
China has been stealthily waging war on the US for 3 decades or more to replace the US in global dominance. It has been aided by US financiers, politicians, bureaucrats, academics, etc who hollowed out US industry and society for their own profit and China’s benefit, leaving the US now deeply dependent on its principal foe — a strategic risk that was apparent to even GWB more than 2 decades ago.
I doubt that on a per capita basis Norway had more Quislings than the US, nor France more Vichy collaborators. Though it is probably true that few of those really in power in the US actually identify with the US, its people and its Constitution.