|
Disarming Ukraine – Day 2
The Russian operations in the Ukraine continue at a moderate pace. Some more troops were committed today. In all the Russian military may have now introduced some 20-40% of its prepared forces.
The Ukrainian military is not so much holding a line but concentrating in and around its bigger cities. It has destroyed some bridges north of Kiev to make an approach more difficult. That will slow down the Russian moves but will not prevent them. Russia's military is famously good at setting up combat bridges.
So far the Russians have used their artillery sparsely. An exception was last night near Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine where a strike by multiple launcher artillery systems (MLRS) hit some area target with yet unknown results.
A 13 minutes long video from a highway drive near Kherson, a city north of Crimea, shows nearly 100 destroyed Ukrainian trucks and tanks. These are likely victims of air attacks.
If this map from a Turkish think tank source is correct the Russian troops did not attempt much deeper strikes today but mostly consolidated their frontline.
bigger
This map from Janes shows less progress. But it also has not marked the Donbas area in the southeast which is held by pro-Russian forces.
bigger
Russia's President has called on the Ukrainian military to overthrow its government. I do not think he believes that will happen but it is a possibility so why not call for it.
Facebook now allows to praise Ukrainian Nazi groups like the Azov battalion. This was prohibited with Azov previously being in the same category as ISIS. Now these are 'our guys'.
There are a lot of discussions of sanctions against Russia and every western country is trying to get as much exemptions for its industries as possible . The U.S. has for example exempted everything that has to do with hydrocarbons from its own sanction package. It will still buy Russian oil and will continue to sell drilling equipment to Russia.
The EU countries are still negotiating with themselves. They should be careful with what they do.
Britain has had the stupidity of sanctioning the Russian air carrier Aeroflot. In a counter move Russia prohibited British Airways from flying over Russian territory. Normally all flights from Britain to the Far East cross Russian airspace. These will now have to be redirected to other routes which will significantly increase their flight time and fuel burn.
Russia has threatened 'inconvenient' counter-sanctions to those who sanction it. Overflight rights are only one of the tools it can use.
NATO has said it will continue to deliver weapons, including air defenses, to the Ukraine. NATO does not have any weapons but some NATO countries seem to strive for a larger war. The U.S. seem willing to sacrifice the Ukraine to create a quagmire for Russia.
Syria was also supposed to become a quagmire for Russia when Russia came to its help. It didn't turn out that way.
vice President of Russia Medvedev this morning:
Larchmonter445 & Yandex translation from Russian https://vk.com/wall53083705_54485
Here, sanctions were imposed against all members of the Russian Security Council. Here I write this text almost in a panic. Hurtful. And what are we going to do now? But for the sake of history, I want to note the following.
1. First, about the main thing. These wonderful prohibitions, of course, will not change anything. Even the ignorant people at the State Department can understand that. Including the decision to conduct a military operation to protect the Donbass. It will be carried out in full, until all the results mentioned by the Russian President are achieved. No more and no less. As, by the way, it was in a similar situation in 2008.
2. I believe that it is obvious to all smart people: sanctions are a myth, a fiction, a figure of speech. I am deeply indifferent to these widely advertised restrictions on rights abroad. You can say more strictly, but I will refrain😂. I am a Russian citizen. And that says it all.
Well, sanctions are being taken for an obvious reason. From political impotence, which arose on the basis of the inability to change the course of Russia. And also-in the hope of justifying shameful decisions, such as cowardly flight from Afghanistan.
In general, our partners in the United States and the EU are doing great – nothing consolidates the power, management elites and, to a large extent, citizens of our country more than love for Americans and Europeans. So-wait!
By the way, for reference. Neither I nor my family members had and do not have any foreign accounts or any property abroad.
3. There is some good news. Sanctions can be an excellent reason for a final review of all relations with those states that have imposed them. Including for interrupting the dialogue on strategic stability. After all, you can basically abandon everything, including the START-3 Treaty, which I concluded with Barack Obama and extended by Vladimir Putin with the current head of the United States. Why do we need it now, in such conditions, especially if it is signed by sanctioned persons? It doesn’t look very good. Yes, and diplomatic relations in principle are not particularly necessary. It’s time to close embassies with barn locks. And to continue contacts, considering each other not otherwise than in binoculars and weapon optics.
4. Now we are being chased from everywhere, punished, and scared, but we are not afraid again (almost like Leo Tolstoy in a certain situation). The Council of Europe and PACE have already suspended Russia’s membership. A wild injustice. Although it’s a good excuse to finally slam the door and forget about these pointless almshouses forever. And they foolishly joined once. Because of my youth. In addition, it is also a good opportunity to restore a number of important institutions for the prevention of particularly serious crimes in the country. Such as the death penalty for the most dangerous criminals, which, by the way, is actively used in the United States and China.
Exclusion from the OECD is also an insanely scary thing. I don’t know what to do now. Although they didn’t want to see us there for almost eight years already. And again they don’t want to. Well, you won’t be nice by force…
Further on, exceptions “from everywhere” in the form of punishment-according to the list. Inevitably, you will only think about the time spent in these structures in vain.
5. They also threaten to seize money of Russian citizens and Russian companies abroad. Just everyone, without any sanctions. Solid. Like out of spite. But this will have to be answered quite symmetrically. Seizure of funds of foreigners and foreign companies in Russia on a country-by-country basis. And maybe-and nationalization of the property of those persons who are registered in unfriendly jurisdictions. Such as the United States, EU states and a number of singing countries of the Anglo-Saxon world that will take part in this. Fortunately, we have a rich experience and a law on this topic. Strict. So all the fun is just beginning…
Posted by: Arioch | Feb 26 2022 19:16 utc | 417
|
