What did Russia expect? That they could attack electricity sites of Ukraine and Ukraine would not respond at the same type of targets?
Posted by: Zanon | Oct 19 2022 16:23 utc | 2
.
With a difference !!!
Destroying the dam costs thousands of civilian lives, thousands !!!!
Typical struggling of a government dying!
After us the flood of meaning!
And no Western press will condemn Zelanski for that.
Biden needs a success story…. The US doesn’t care about thousands of deaths !!

Posted by: Mo3 | Oct 19 2022 16:35 utc | 3

With a difference !!!
Destroying the dam costs thousands of civilian lives, thousands !!!!
Typical struggling of a government dying!
After us the flood of meaning!
And no Western press will condemn Zelanski for that.
Biden needs a success story…. The US doesn’t care about thousands of deaths !!
Posted by: Mo3

Stop responding to the troll, he loves the attention and lives for the responses from folks here.

Posted by: AntiLogic | Oct 19 2022 16:39 utc | 5

aristodemos posting
“General Armegeddon” let it slip that Ukraine is in for the full treatment. In a statement which was included in RT coverage, the Russian commander in chief explained Russia’s current goal: Demolition of the entire Ukrainian state and (probably) reconstructing it on the basis of being comprised of those who might be described as Ukrainian dialect speaking peoples only.
One slight exception being an essential deletion of Galicia from an entity which might be called NovoUkrainia. That totally logical policy was something that even a non military backgrounded individual such as myself shared a number of times at Unz and probably a couple times here on MoA.
Reason behind the realization is that having long been under political control and domination from Poland for centuries and under the Austro-Hungarians for nearly 200 years, the Galician Slavic people had become thoroughly westernized in both political and religious attitudes. Rather than remaining as Orthodox Christians, the Galicians in the main became “Uniats”, a national church, though closely aligned with Rome, maintained some of the Orthodox rituals in order to retain some level of viability.
Long settled by a mixture of Polaks, Khazarian Jews and those adulterated Eastern Slavs; Galicia became filled with tensions after that land was seized by Poland from the Bolsheviks in the early Twenties. None of those groupings were capable of getting along with the others. The worst of the lot showed their hands during the German invasion when the Banderites happily massacred Jews, Polaks and anyone they felt to be inimical to their dogmatic beliefs. So it is these Neo-fascists, boasting Nazi symbology, who made nice with the Khazarian Mafiya, after funding and prodding by Uncle $hmuel and were pre-eminent in the Maidan coup and in numerous murders and massacres over the past eight years.
Without the kedge-anchor of those Galician Banderites, slung across their necks, a NovoUkrainia for Ukrainians only, might become a postwar reality.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 16:46 utc | 7

Zanzibother@2
For a Brit, you are very Murrikkkan in your attitudes. The issue is not so much the power-plant per se, as it is the massive destruction of Kherson Oblast settlements and peoples, a matter which is implicit in blowing that dam and flooding much of the territory. That, Sirrah, is yet another example of intended Ukie state terrorism, aided, abetted and supervised by the U$$A and Perfidious Albion.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 16:52 utc | 9

@ Zanon #6
“What did Russia expect? That they could attack electricity sites of Ukraine and Ukraine would not respond at the same type of targets?”
What is the whining about? Until yesterday you were whining about Russia being too nice. Why change the tune now? You wish came true, partially. If Russians adopted your advices from before, much more blood would be spilled.
As for shelling Kakhovskaya dam, aiming in locks for Pete’s sake, that is the most stupid thing to do. Locks affect ability to pass the ships from one level to another. There are much more dangerous methods if one wants that type of dam destroyed. Luckily, Ukros and NATO do not know about them. Ignorance is no substitute for knowledge.

Posted by: zidar | Oct 19 2022 16:53 utc | 11

aristodemos posting
An eye-opening perspective from the Redacted site from yesterday. It was pointed out that all the Himars attacks are not done by the Ukies, rather are controlled entirely by U$$A military or CIA types. So when those rockets are targeting civilian targets primarily and only rarely used against peaceful populations; the party committing those deliberate acts is committing war crimes.
Not the first time that the U$$A could by an objective jurisprudence (if such a creature actually existed) be found guilty of committing war crimes.
WARCRIMES are U$.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 16:59 utc | 13

Evacuating Kherson? Building defenses? Looks like Russia got themselves another general McClellan, not a Grant.

Posted by: Chazz | Oct 19 2022 17:09 utc | 15

zidar
I have never called for Russia to bomb electricity sites, that is my point, you do not win war by such idiocy since they are not starting an offensive right after, for example the electricity in many regions is already getting back. So Russia did not solve anything. Russia will solve/end this war when they start bombing leadership of Ukraine. But, they are obviously incompetent or fearful doing that.

Posted by: Zanon | Oct 19 2022 17:10 utc | 17

Aristodemos posting
Learned earlier today that in fact the troops that the Ukies are sending into the meat grinder in front of Kherson, are indeed those “Territorial Defense” brigades. Those five units consist almost to a man of conscripts, dragged and dragooned off the streets and clubs (even beaches) of Ukrainian cities. They are given a quick change of clothes and if fortunate are handed a rifle and then are sent into Slaughterhouse V.
Low levels of morale are de rigeur. Only thing keeping them moving into the teeth of the mill are those “Nationalist” police battalions which “back them up” by shooting those who attempt to retreat. Most of those poor slobs could care less about killing Russians in order to keep them from liberating ethnic Russians from the U$$A and NATOstani controlled puppet regime in Kiev.
Those guys are neither motivated, nor stupid. If these individuals can overcome their personal existential fear, the most intelligent thing they can do would be to talk it over with the rest of their comrades and then turn those weapons on the “enforcers” to their rear and then surrender en masse to the Russian defenders of their homeland’s people.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 17:14 utc | 19

The Russian position around Kherson city is unsustainable without proactive aggression. RU would need to initiate an offensive up from the Melitopol direction to take Zaporizhzhia city, secure a new river crossing, then take Kryvyi Rih and threaten Ukr from the rear. This would secure Kherson city by relieving the pressure on its defenders.
I don’t think it can be done because the linchpin is securing a crossing at Zaporizhzhia city. Given UKR long-range artillery capabilities it is now virtually impossible for RU to secure crossings of the Dnieper river anywhere, at least until RU degrades UKR’s capabilities or the ammo runs out.
The Kherson situation is going to get worse for RU in the next few weeks, unless something changes dramatically.

Posted by: GoFast | Oct 19 2022 17:17 utc | 21

It seems NovoRossiya and rump Ukraine are destined to become enemies for an extended period of time.
Hence the ever pragmatic Russians are trying to make the Dnieper River the final border between the two and will release the western side of Kherson.
A major waterway is an easier border to defend that a bunch of small villages and farmer’s fields.

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Oct 19 2022 17:31 utc | 23

In this regard, let me remind you that in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, before their entry into Russia, a martial law regime was in effect. And now we need to formalize this regime already within the framework of Russian legislation. Therefore, I have signed a Decree on the introduction of martial law in these four constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It will immediately be sent for approval to the Federation Council. The State Duma was also informed about the decision.

Vladimir Putin
That’s what he said, but how does the so-called leaders of the west fathom that?

Posted by: Paulg | Oct 19 2022 17:39 utc | 25

⚡🇷🇺The United States should strive for a ceasefire in Ukraine, said former US Ambassador to the USSR Jack Matlock.
“Ukraine, even being supported by the NATO bloc, is not capable of creating a stable functioning state within the 1991 borders. If Ukraine tries to take back these territories by force, and such actions are encouraged by the US and NATO, Russia is very likely to destroy Ukraine in retaliation.
The war could probably have been avoided if Ukraine had followed the Minsk agreements, recognized the Donbas as an autonomy within Ukraine, did not accept NATO military advisers, and pledged not to join NATO. However, what was possible back in January 2022 now seems to be unattainable. Russia’s annexation of new regions raises the stakes but the longer the conflict lasts, the more difficult it will be to avoid the complete destruction of Ukraine.”

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/15435

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 17:50 utc | 27

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 17:50 utc | 27
Well, amen! It is really simple for every Westerner to understand. But we are unfortunately flooded with propaganda from the progressives that have thrown the world into a global conflict because they have never learned to deal with failure and contradictions. The entitlement generation never grew up. We are dealing with assorted man-childs at every level.
And lots of drugs dont help.

Posted by: alek_a | Oct 19 2022 18:01 utc | 29

KlutchKargo @8–
Gazprom stopped all gas deliveries via Ukraine on 28 September and has yet to resume them. The only gas flowing from Russia to Europe is via Turk Stream.
/////
I found the martial law decree educational for it proves the impossibility for Putin to be a “classic” dictator as his decrees must be approved by the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. This proves that POTUS is closer to being a “classic” dictator since its executive orders need no approval from any legislative body and are classic Diktats.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 19 2022 18:09 utc | 31

reply to 19
If no one else brings it up, where is the Ukraine offensive? The clock is ticking, US Nov. elections are coming and winter is not far off.
Checking with Ria Fan and Rybar, it’s the same day after day. Ukr. sends in a few tanks or crosses a river. They get killed, lose a tank and some pickup trucks and the next day rinse and repeat. Probing Russian defenses makes little sense as that intelligence changes from day to day. If they’re not planning on an immediate offensive, then it’s a waste of men and gear simply to say, “yes, the Russians are there”.
Despite the claims of 30 – 60 K troops, is it possible that Ukr. is played out? Just pretending? I wonder.

Posted by: Eighthman | Oct 19 2022 18:28 utc | 33

The cost to Ukraine of downing the “kamikaze” drones being fired at its cities vastly exceeds the sums paid by Russia in sourcing and launching the cheap Iranian-made technology, analysis suggests.
A total of 161 Shahed-136 drones, one larger Shahed-129 and four even larger unmanned attack vehicles known as Mohajer-6s have been shot down by Ukrainian air defences in the last month.
What are kamikaze drones and why is Russia using them in Ukraine?
With the price of the Iranian-made Shahed-136s standing at €20,000 to €50,000 for each vehicle, the total cost to Russia of the failed drone attacks unleashed on Ukraine in recent weeks is estimated by military analysts at the NGO Molfar to be between $11.66m (£10.36m) and $17.9m (£15.9m).
Ukraine has deployed a host of weaponry to bring down the drones, including MiG-29 jets, C-300 cruise missiles, Nasams ground defence systems and small-arms fire.
The estimated cost to Ukraine stands at more than $28.14m (£25m), according to the analysis, which is based on open sources. The data includes drones launched between 13 September and 17 October.
It highlights the low financial cost to Russia of the drone attacks, which are continuing to unleash terror in Ukraine, killing civilians and striking at the country’s energy infrastructure.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/19/financial-toll-ukraine-downing-drones-vastly-exceeds-russia-costs

https://t.me/azmilitary11/25998

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 18:45 utc | 35

When studying the Arash-2 heavy strike drone (soon to be available in all Ukrainian cities) with a warhead mass of at least 100kg, I noticed that it also has a two-stroke engine. Apparently, quite high power, because Arash flies at 500-900km/h.
Interestingly, the Iranians have converted a former rocket-propelled cruise missile into a moped. The whole design is very reminiscent of the Reis UAV. Iranians have learned to make not-bad two-strokes of different power. During the time, when they learned how to do it, we almost ceased to do it.
On the “Geran” product, judging by the samples obtained by the enemy, sometimes one can meet the Russian engine RMZ-640 from the Buran snowmobile. It is a very modest and very old development with a power of 28 hp. But apart from that, it is also very expensive.
For a new engine for Buran, they ask for 150k (for the car it is possible to take a good contract engine), while any comparable Chinese engine is within 60-70k, more compact, and looks more technologically advanced. How we have managed to fu@k up the competence for two strokes is a mystery that someone has yet to answer.

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/15446

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 18:48 utc | 37

Aristodemos posting
Twenty days to the Midterms in the U$$A and counting. Democrats are beyond nervous. Not that some of their losses won’t go to RINO’s. BUT, warts and all, da Trumpster done upset the applecart. Whether intended or not, there is now some coherence amongst nationalist Republicans and some of them will join the current handful of resisters in Congress and the Senate. They will still be far in the minority, but as they would reflect the will of a growing number of disgusted Americans, their resistance will carry some weight…however the message control mass media spins it.
So the chasm amongst the divided American people will begin to take on Grand Canyon proportions. This will be particularly true if (1) the stories I’ve heard about disenchanted suburban female independents are actually realized and (2) if those more independent inclined females (and their drag-along hubbies) gravitate to the coherent populist messages of Tulsi Gabbard energizes millions of glacially awakening Americans.
How will al of this effect the Ukraine situation? His $enility may face impeachment proceedings in at least one-half of Congress, if not both. Because she is demonstrably impaired, the president of vice, may find herself laughed out of office. In a drunken stupor at the hearings, Miz Nancy will eliminate herself from further consideration, provided the Dems maintain control over the House.
Constitutional crisis. With skyrocketing inflation and more businesses flatlining, it’s possible that many of the Neocons will make certain that their El Al flight arrangements to their “promised land” are all in order. Martial Law in the U$$A? Neither inconceivable nor eminently probable.
“No more taxpayer dollars into the Ukraine sinkhole” might become a byword. Without the aid and abetting by Uncle $hmuel, the tattered remnants of the Ukie state (if it still exists) will be up the crick.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 18:50 utc | 39

The Turning of the Tides
Expect the situation at the front to begin changing in the next several days, with the Russian Army mounting decisive offensives in multiple directions by November 10, 2022.

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/15453

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 18:53 utc | 41

RT reports: “Erdogan says he has accepted Putin’s proposal to establish the new infrastructure.”
Will Biden’s team try another Color Revolution in Turkey? IMO, you can count on it. And when that happens, Erdogan will leave NATO for good, and the conflict might widen as Greece and Turkey are already dueling.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 19 2022 18:56 utc | 43

By destroying infrastructure, Russia could create 5-10 mil refugees that would go to Germany.

Posted by: marko | Oct 19 2022 19:00 utc | 45

Wonder where those trolls are coming from, reminds me of the good old days at RT
@ trolls
did you get your penny today? I hope so cause it will fail soon 😀 – look for a bridge

Posted by: Macpott | Oct 19 2022 19:10 utc | 47

Ukraine Fails in Assault Toward Novaya Kamenka-Sukhanovo
The following are the results of today’s enemy offensive in the direction of Novaya Kamenka-Sukhanovo, which the enemy launched with two battalions reinforced with tanks, numbering about 50 armoured vehicles in total:
— The enemy suffered losses and retreated to the initial positions. The battle resulted in the destruction of more than 15 tanks and 10 MBMs, with the Russian Army capturing enemy equipment, tanks, and IFVs, as well as prisoners.
— Losses of enemy personnel are estimated at 200 (dead and wounded), and now the enemy is trying to organize their evacuation from the battlefield. What is remarkable is that the attack this time was not an assault, as before, but a systematic deployment into battle formation.
Nevertheless, we should not relax. We believe that the enemy will now engage in combat recovery (replenishing their suicide club) or attempt an offensive from other directions, because the instructions of the Washington grandfather must be obeyed (to the last Ukrainian).

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/15473

Posted by: Down South | Oct 19 2022 19:18 utc | 49

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Oct 19 2022 19:29 utc | 51
indeed, i have had a bellyful of the shitlibs.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 19 2022 19:33 utc | 51

Herr Ringtone@50
Currently in third place in the trollsky race and coming up fast in cluttering the premises…is none other than Herr Ringtone.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 19:37 utc | 53

@40 aristodemos
More or less what I am feeling about the situation.
There will be RINOs, yes, but can the little gains made by genuine populists divert the river of funding to Ukraine by harnessing the rising anger of those who are suffering under massive inflation numbers?
It’s a good possibility. Probably over 50% odds.
What that will do is start a cascading effect that will probably lead to an insane escalation in Ukraine, what we have been saying for a year or two now about the elites turning over the card table.
This is where all the speculative nuke talk has real teeth.
Martial law leads to military coup as the economy completely collapses and the greenback hyperinflates.
Is there anything more detestable than a poor loser? I would take a sadistic bully ten times if they knew when they were beaten. But I can’t stand a dude who will destroy the very possibility of the next game by turning over the table.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Oct 19 2022 19:55 utc | 55

I haven’t encountered a lot of commentary recently on what the supply situation is like for the Russians on the right bank of the Dnieper. The pro-Ukrainian commentary I was seeing a few weeks ago was convinced Russian withdrawal from the right bank was inevitable, eventually, due to Russian resupply being reduced to depending on ferry crossings.
However, I’m skeptical that Ukraine can launch a successful assault on Kherson city unless the Russians decide to withdraw without a fight. Even if the Ukrainians fight their way to the city outskirts, big cities take a lot of manpower and time to take, and while the Russian forces in the city proper may have supply difficulties the Russian artillery on the left bank will not.
I’m thinking it would be a very risky offensive for Ukraine. For it to succeed would require a larger concentration of force than we’ve seen from them so far. If it works, great I suppose, but if it doesn’t the Ukrainian losses could be crippling. If I was Surovikin I might be hoping for a major Ukrainian offensive as it’s an opportunity to inflict disproportionate losses on the enemy. Of course, to inflict those losses you have to stand and fight, or at a minimum your fighting withdrawal has to be sufficiently “robust”.

Posted by: Mike314159 | Oct 19 2022 20:03 utc | 57

The heat is again rising over the Biolabs/Bioweapons issue, “US May Be Compelled to Answer Questions on Biolabs in Ukraine, This Time at UNSC”, which this well detailed article explains:

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the US Department of Defense controls 336 biolaboratories in 30 countries around the world. In this regard, the issue of US-led biological research is of great concern to China, and this information provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense immediately resonated in the country.
“China has always demanded that the United States disclose the purpose and role of its own biological experiments. China’s concern could greatly increase international attention to this issue, as well as increasing pressure on the United States. China is very concerned about the safety of human life. Regarding this issue, China believes that the United States has a responsibility and should give a transparent and open report to the world,” Yang Mian explained.
According to the expert, what is most suspicious is the ambiguous actions of the United States, and the attempts to “cover up the issue”:
“Russia is demanding an investigation. Many countries are demanding it. It is imperative, the activities of the US should be investigated. But they are obstructing the investigation in every way possible. If the US is in the clear, then what is there to be afraid of? Many such studies have a dual purpose. The US says it was engaged in scientific research, but couldn’t it have been used to create new kinds of weapons? The US should provide evidence and explanations.” [My Emphasis]

IMO, we all know the answer to the bolded question. The “front line” states are standing up and confronting the Outlaw and the RoW needs to find the fortitude to back their demands.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 19 2022 20:07 utc | 59

Herr Ringbone | Oct 19 2022 21:50 utc | 62
Is it just my imagination, or are newer commenters over-represented in the post-dated comments?

Posted by: sippy the shot glass | Oct 19 2022 20:18 utc | 61

Down South @57–
Thanks for that posting. It does raise one question for me: What happens if NPPs are NOT shut down when they cease having the ability “to ‘recycle’ the electricity it produces”? The Ukie goal for ZNPP was to cause a nuclear accident of major proportions; why would they stop another from happening? IOW, how can Russia force Ukie NPPs offline without risking an accident? Now, I know you just posted the info and may not have any answers, but I know we have some barflies competent to answer provided they read my comment.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 19 2022 20:19 utc | 63

FT reports:
Ukrainian officials ‘shocked’ as Republicans threaten tougher line on aid
Kevin McCarthy suggests end of ‘blank cheque’ for Kyiv if his party takes control of Congress

Ukrainian officials have expressed “shock” over Republican suggestions that future assistance for Kyiv could be limited if the party wins the House of Representatives in November’s US midterm elections, calling on Washington to continue providing bipartisan support.
In comments that raised eyebrows, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said earlier this week he anticipates difficulty in passing additional aid for Ukraine, should his party win the lower chamber of Congress — a result predicted by current polling.
“I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank cheque to Ukraine,” McCarthy told Punchbowl News.
David Arakhamia, head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party in parliament, told the Financial Times on Wednesday: “We were shocked to hear these comments of Mr McCarthy, honestly.”
continues ==> https://www.ft.com/content/188401b5-229e-490a-9254-42167735d030

Posted by: too scents | Oct 19 2022 20:21 utc | 65

Due to transfers and losses the Ukes are now falling back from the “Northern” Kharkiv front. So how many troops does Ukraine still have and is Washington aware that time and people are running out?

Posted by: Stonebird | Oct 19 2022 20:33 utc | 67

I wouldn’t place much hope in the Republicans they’ve always been the party of first class assholes who never showed the least interest in the common good, but I will note this, there is actually discourse about the war and neo-liberalism in the GOP and conservative media as opposed to the Democrats where there isn’t even a single lone voice getting slapped down, Bernie, Squad, it’s just a neocon chorus of war, war, wokism and more war.
Rather amazing as all my life the DNC was like herding cats and the GOP all marched in lockstep. Strange times when GOP knuckle-draggers might actually make things better and certainly can’t make things any worse. But in reality it’s a great big con, as is what’s happening in the UK, a once every half century Heel-Face turn, pure kayfabe to keep the peanut gallery tuned in and off the streets. Best keep your distance and keep your sanity.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 19 2022 20:53 utc | 69

Bitching about people who bitch about people bitching at trolls is too good to pass up. Best to visualize myself at a bar instead of being at home listening to the wife bitch about the electric bill.
Lighten up guys, this wouldn’t be an open pub if we had a bunch of rules. 😀

Posted by: comrade simba | Oct 19 2022 20:55 utc | 71

karlof1 @ 64
Nothing stops the Ukrainians from staging an event at the NPPs they still control. They might feel a bit of restraint because the other nukes are a bit closer to the Galician heartland. If so, they are dumb. Real dumb. An accident at Zapororozhye would not spare Lvov. The potential event is very large, once an event is underway limiting the damage is mostly a matter of luck.
Chernobyl was relatively small. Three Mile Island was relatively small (though much bigger than you likely imagine). Fukushima was a blowout and above 99% of the radiation got diluted in the North Pacific.
“Recycling’ is writers license. These are all large installations with multiple reactors. The idea is you leave one unit active at minimum power to keep cooling the others. I don’t know how low a VVER-1000 will go and doubt others here know. The basic principle is inactive reactors AND their spent fuel pools must be kept cool for years after shutdown. This has always been seen as the role of grid power. No, the Russian Army cannot fine tune explosions to offer the Ukrainians a situation they could control. If they wanted to. If they knew how.
This is all old well worn equipment. It is already amazing that apparently competent operating personnel remain in place. An accident could occur at any time even without some fool with a missile. 750Kv transformers are not replaced quickly. If RF was fully in charge of everything, moving personnel and equipment in a hurry to western Ukraine would be a challenge. Would you bet the diesel fuel for the emergency diesel generator backups has not been requisitioned already? Everyone is playing with fire. Given that the Ukrainians and their Washington masters are fully and completely insane Russian actions do not make things worse.

Posted by: oldhippie | Oct 19 2022 21:02 utc | 73

karlof1 | Oct 19 2022 20:29 utc | 67

Putin’s adherence to Law creates a massive chasm between Russia, its allies and the Outlaw US Empire. One could call the current conflict The War to make International Law Paramount over Imperial Diktat and Unilateralism.

No question this is the hybrid part of the war, recruiting for a fair, more righteous world order, which is a slow process and means that in the present the RF military is fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Whether the modern “just in time” contract RF military is up to and able to sustain the hybrid part we will shortly find out. Russia does not have all the time in the world, nobody in war does, so neither does the West. The West has no scruples and is revealing it’s ugly face to anyone that still has any doubts, but it’s exactly that lack of scruples that maintains empires, and they know it.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 19 2022 21:13 utc | 75

Let’s see tomorrow and the day after what brings. Time to go to sleep.

Posted by: Paulg | Oct 19 2022 21:27 utc | 77

wagelaborer @ 75

I saw an interview with Putin awhile back in which he pointed out that presidents come and go, but the US foreign policy remains the same. And this isn’t even a presidential election.

Yes, of course. Half of the USA electorate consistently, generation after generation, doesn’t believe voting makes a difference so it’s absurd that Putin and Russian intelligence would waste time and energy on this. I’m fully on board with George Carlin that voting only makes you a fool, maybe someone hipped Putin to Carlin:
George Carlin – Why I Don’t Vote

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 19 2022 21:45 utc | 79

Methinks we spoke about the “Moscow Times” before, yet news from it appeared on various German and Swiss newspapers et al, about Russian mobilized soldiers being flung into battle straight away, having had to buy their equipment on their own and dying the next day.
Now, I was under the impression that none of the mobilized troops have yet reached the frontlines, not to mention any battles there. Do we know more about this, for it sounds rather suspect to me?
Anger Mounts as Russian Draftees Thrown Into Battle Without Training, Equipment
By Anastasia Tenisheva
Updated: one day ago
Ten days after being mobilized into the Russian army, Igor Puchkov was killed fighting in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region.
The 27-year-old father of two was sent into combat with no military instruction beyond what he had received during his compulsory military service as a teenager, according to relatives.
“We were outraged when he was sent to Ukraine with no training,” his sister-in-law Svetlana Puchkova told The Moscow Times in a phone interview.
“He was promised two weeks of military exercises, but they were only given 30 bullets — they shot once and that was it.”
Mounting evidence of ill-equipped Russian conscripts deployed to Ukraine with almost no military training has sparked bafflement and anger among friends and relatives who spoke to The Moscow Times about the experiences of their loved ones.
Puchkov, from the large Siberian town of Minusinsk, was among hundreds of local men who received draft papers immediately after President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial” mobilization at the end of last month.
Prior to his call-up, Puchkov’s only time in the Armed Forces had been one year of compulsory military service that he completed in 2015.
Puchkov’s widow must now care for their two children, aged three and five years old, on her own.
“He’s gone and she’s left without money, without anything,” Puchkova said. “He was always with a smile on his face, always joking. We don’t even know how he died.”
Similarly, construction worker Alexander Parilov, 35, also from Minusinsk, was not provided with additional training before being sent into battle, according to a friend. He died on the same day as Puchkov.
“No one had even held a machine gun,” said Parilov’s best friend, Igor Solondaev, about the training offered to Parilov and the other locals mobilized with him.
“He bought himself a uniform and boots for 35,000 rubles ($567) but he didn’t have time to buy his own sleeping bag. They were not given anything. A week later, they gave them military uniforms and a machine gun — just a day before sending them to Kherson,” Solondaev told The Moscow Times by phone.
“The next day, he was killed.”
A political gamble intended to solve the army’s manpower problem, Russia’s mobilization has been plagued by problems and excesses. Bringing the Ukraine war home to many Russians for the first time, polling data suggests it has put a dent in Putin’s popularity.
Men like Puchkov and Parilov, according to the accounts given by their friends and relatives, did not receive the minimum 10 days of training that Putin said last week every mobilized man “must undergo” before taking part in combat operations.
Worried about the lack of military training, relatives of soldiers from western Russia’s Bryansk region published a video appeal to Putin over the weekend, asking the president to intervene to bring their mobilized sons and husbands back home.
“Our guys are being sent to the frontlines without training,” said the wife of draftee Ivan Terenkov, who was conscripted two days after mobilization was announced.
“Today I got a call from my son, who told me: ‘Mom, help me, get me out of this hell’,” said a woman who identified herself as the mother of mobilized soldier Nikita Tsepanov.
A lack of official transparency has prompted wives and other relatives of mobilized soldiers to create groups and chats on social media to try and find out more information.
Many users in such groups surveyed by The Moscow Times complained that they hadn’t heard from their sons and husbands for weeks.
“Why the hell did they send them to Ukraine on the second day? And why were they left without training?” one woman said in a private chat for soldiers’ families on social network VKontakte to which The Moscow Times was given access.
While there is little evidence that friends and relatives of dead soldiers are ready to take to the streets in protest, anger toward officials appears to be on the rise.
“There is growing negative sentiment toward the authorities,” said Solondaev, whose best friend Parilov was killed in the Kherson region.
“People understand what mobilization is for, that people are needed. But they don’t understand why draftees are not provided with water or food and people are not given any information.”
Amid the discontent, the Kremlin has appeared keen to signal that mobilization, as it enters its fourth week, is already drawing to a close.
Putin told reporters Friday that mobilization would run for another two weeks.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/10/18/anger-mounts-as-russian-draftees-thrown-into-battle-without-training-equipment-a79120

Posted by: CM of Berlin | Oct 19 2022 21:53 utc | 81

Note that the “Moscow Times” despite the name is a western journal published from Amsterdam. It is a tool for anti-Russian propaganda catering to the privileged classes in Russia (unfortunately still a huge parasitic layer in Russian society).

Posted by: Ronald Portier | Oct 19 2022 22:01 utc | 83

Biolabs in Central Asia:
https://journal-neo.org/2022/10/19/the-united-states-and-britain-continue-secret-biological-research-in-central-asia/

Posted by: bevin | Oct 19 2022 22:09 utc | 85

karlof1@60
Thanks for keeping this vital matter under consideration by all us fellow posters. Direct implementation of bio-warfare, even as a presumed threat could lead to unforeseen and perhaps worldwide consequences.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 22:34 utc | 87

@Anthony 83
When newcomers begin spouting nonsense, some will be because they are badly educated or confused by propaganda, which can sometimes be fixed, some will be from people who prefer the lies, or are too stupid to realize they have been lied to, and those are not worth addressing, and then there are those malicious people here only to deliberately instigate dissent, better characterized as trolls. A few interactions suffices those with extensive Internet experience to discriminate between these classes. If you possess these skills, watch others interacting with them, or interact just long enough to identify the trolls and stupid, and then stop interacting with them at all. If you don’t have such experience, watch and learn. Continuing to interact with the ignorant or deluded, but not flooding the group with posts or volumes, is not frowned upon. They might improve if they are willing and able to learn, and know how to be polite, and others may learn from the discussions. Take your cue from the regulars, who have seen and dealt with every possible of interlocutor. And if you doubt whether you can make a difference, don’t respond, no matter how infuriating it may be at the time. People are wrong about things on the Internet all the time. Not correcting them will not change anything, but it keeps the atmosphere in the bar cordial.

Posted by: Hermit | Oct 19 2022 22:52 utc | 89

stonebird@68
The ruling elite in the Di$trict of Corruption are crossing their fingers over the next 20 days before the onset of the Midterms. Even with the assistance of blackmailed and bribed Republican RHINO Senators McConnell and Graham; it’s gonna be hard to hold off hearings in various committees which could massively hamstring efforts to maintain the Ukraine “pipeline”.
Too sents @66, posting an article in Financial Times, elicits House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stating that further aid to Ukraine should the GOP regain the House, would definitely be in doubt. That reality suggests that the Administration will apply all possible pressure on the Ukies to keep beating their heads on that Kherson wall in order to save a few seats.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 22:53 utc | 91

CM@82
Not so long ago I read that the “Moscow Times” is NOT printed in Moscow or even in the RU. Does that not make one wonder about anything they print? Even with a Russian named reporter, does that individual even reside in Russia? Media management magick is somewhat akin to Talmudist Babylonian Money Magick.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 23:06 utc | 93

@unimperator 71
Now we finally know what the Viagra was for…

Posted by: Hermit | Oct 19 2022 23:10 utc | 95

To the R vs. D ‘dilemma’ even if the Repugs or Trump Repubs take control of the House/Senate, any “aid” that is being debated for Ukraine will simply be diverted to Taiwan.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Oct 19 2022 23:19 utc | 97

Portier@84
Posted my similar take on the Moscow Times fandango before reading your similar take. My further assumption is that not only are the “westernized” Muscovites and St. Petersburg bourgeois elite being targeted specifically, but also this would apply to a worldwide audience, particularly westerners of various descriptions, who deliberately search out anti-Russian “Russian” sites which confirm their preconceptions and mindsets.

Posted by: aristodemos | Oct 19 2022 23:29 utc | 99