Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.
The current open thread for other issues is here.
Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.
Back to Main
March 9, 2023
Ukraine Open Thread 2023-58
Comments
⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦⚔️ #Chronicle of the Special Military Operation for 9 Mar 2023⚡️
💥 Overnight Russian Forces launched a 👉 massive missile attack on energy infrastructure facilities in #Ukraine.
The enemy’s air defences were once again powerless – targets in #Kiev, #Kharkov and #Pavlograd, as well as in #Zhytomyr, #Volynsk, #Vinnitsa, #Kirovograd, #Odessa, #Zaporozhye and #IvanoFrankovsk regions have been hit.
🔹#Kiev Region (MAP):
▪️ Russian troops hit the engine room and boiler room of TPP-5 in #Kiev. The city suffered significant power and communication problems.
🔹#Russia’s Border Areas:
▪️ In the #Bryansk region, Ukrainian terrorist formations shelled the village of #Rakovka. A dwelling house and a farm building were damaged.
➖ Russian air defence forces intercept an enemy drone near the village of #Navlya with no casualties or damage.
▪️ In the #Belgorod region, the AFU terrorists struck the outskirts of #Shebekino town. Residential buildings have been hit, civilians were not harmed.
🔹#Starobelsk Direction:
▪️ There are no significant changes on the frontline. Artillery duels and position fighting continue along the line of contact.
🔹#Soledar (#Bakhmut) Direction:
▪️ Wagner PMC units are leading an offensive towards #Bogdanovka, continuing to close the encirclement ring around #Bakhmut.
➖ The enemy responds by attempting counterattacks to maintain a ground corridor out of the city.
▪️ Russian forces evacuate civilians from liberated neighbourhoods in eastern #Bakhmut. The enemy terrorists are shelling the lost areas without regard for the lives of the townspeople.
▪️ In the south of #Bakhmut, the Wagnerian assault units are engaged in the most intense fighting. At the same time, Russian artillery is targeting enemy positions at the intersection of Korsunsky and Tchaikovsky streets.
🔹#Donetsk Direction:
▪️ Units of the Russian Armed Forces continue the operation to encircle the #Avdeyevka fortified area.
➖ Russian forces expand their zone of control near the village of #Vesyoloye and fight near the #Krasnogorovka pond.
➖ South of #Avdeyevka, the RF Armed Forces, supported by artillery, are advancing towards the village of #Severnoye.
▪️ In #Maryinka, positional battles continue. Russian troops storm the enemy defence in the western part of the town.
▪️ The Ukrainian terrorist formations fired barrel and rocket artillery at populated areas of the #Donetsk agglomeration.
➖ In #Donetsk, residential buildings have been hit, at least three people were injured.
➖ In the morning, the enemy fired rockets from HIMARS rocket launchers at Avto-Express motor transport company in #Volnovakha. A man was killed and another was wounded.
🔹 #Kherson Direction on #SouthFront:
▪️ Artillery duels continue along the entire line of contact. Russian forces hit enemy concentrations in #Kherson, #Zelenovka and #Antonovka.
➖ In turn, the enemy terrorists shelled the left bank of the #Kherson region. Civilian facilities in Novaya Kakhovka, #Tavriysk and Golaya Pristan were damaged.
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:48 utc | 201
🇺🇸US officials urged oil traders to resume the transportation of Russian oil.
The US has privately urged some of the world’s largest commodity traders to shed concerns over shipping price-capped Russian oil, in a bid to keep supplies stable and regain some oversight of Moscow’s exports. US Department of Treasury officials met executives and traders at Trafigura and Gunvor among others, according to five people familiar with the talks, and offered reassurances over expanding their role in Russian crude and fuel trade without breaching western restrictions. While Washington has never opposed trading of Russian oil within G7-agreed price curbs, the largest independent oil traders have been wary of the market. “We’ve been actively encouraged by the Americans . . . to re-engage on moving the oil,” said one trader who spoke with the Treasury.
The US reassurances, delivered in meetings with leading independent oil traders in recent weeks, come as Russia has threatened to cut oil supplies this month after western powers ratcheted up support for Ukraine. The Biden administration led the G7 push for a price cap to squeeze Vladimir Putin’s energy revenues. But it also sought to keep Russian oil flowing to international markets, fearing fallout from a collapse in supplies from one of the world’s top energy exporters.
“The Americans really do want it to move,” said one trader, referring to Russia’s oil.
The World cannot survive without Russian oil. 🤭
“>https://www.ft.com/content/36c5367b-06f9-48e7-9867-20671665c8a7
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/36516
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:52 utc | 202
Ruble is weaker than sterling, euro, dollar, riyal, real, renminbi, peso, lira and pound…
Posted by: Capucine | Mar 10 2023 2:53 utc | 203
🇷🇺 🇺🇦💡 Massive missile strike of the Russian Armed Forces on Ukraine: what is known by the end of the day
Over the past few weeks, representatives of Ukrenergo have assured the population that the situation in the energy sector has stabilized and the consequences of the strikes by the RF Armed Forces have been completely overcome. Today has shown that these statements are not true.
The targets were both large power plants and substations across the country.
🔻 CHPP-5 in Kiev : damage to several boilers provoked a powerful fire that spread to the engine room. Even if some boilers and turbines have survived, it is unlikely that the facility will start working in the near future.
The impact caused power outages throughout the city and interruptions in water supplies. By the middle of the day, power was restored.
🔻Kharkiv : strikes completely cut off the power supply in the city. At least 15 explosions were recorded.
The most likely targets were:
➖ Substation Losevo 330 ;
➖ CHPP-3 ;
➖ CHPP-5 ;
➖Traction substation Novoselka-traction;
➖ Substation 188 Zhukovsky 110/6 kV.
The city still does not have a stable power supply , in some places there is no heating or water. There is no electric transport, and there are difficulties with cellular communications and the work of the railways.
🔻PS Zhytomyrska 330 : The extent of the damage is not fully known. By the end of March 9, power supply in the city and the region had not been fully restored.
🔻 Krivorozhskaya TPP and Substation Yuzhnaya 330 : the degree of damage to objects is unknown, but indirectly one can judge of serious damage, since significant delays in passenger trains were recorded in the west of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
🔻 Substation Ukrainka 330 in Kirovograd: The impact led to power outages and delays in passenger trains.
🔻 Ladyzhinskaya TPP : “Indirectly, the effectiveness of the strike is confirmed by delays in the movement of passenger trains on electrified railway lines.”
🔻 Odessa region: presumably, the blow fell on one of the remaining substations: – Novoodesskaya substation 330, Adzhalyk substation 330, or Tsentrolit substation 220.
Taking into account the continued growth in electricity imports from Moldova, the Usatovo 330 substation operating for transit did not suffer.
In the Odessa region, there was no voltage in the contact network of the railway, and passenger trains had long delays. Electricity restrictions have been introduced in the city, and repairs are underway.
🔻In the Dnipropetrovsk region, strikes were made on the following substations.
➖ Substation Pavlogradskaya 330 – autotransformer 330/110 kV burned out.
➖ Substation Ferrosplavnaya 330: damage is unknown, but power supply to the Zaporizhzhya NPP was interrupted due to outages.
In the afternoon, the power supply to the Ferrosplavnaya substation was restored. In Dnepropetrovsk itself, even outdoor lighting was turned on in the evening.
This suggests that the city is supplied with electricity from the South Ukrainian NPP , and, most likely, it passes through the 750kV lines through the SS Dneprovskaya 750 and Zaporozhskaya 750.
🔻 Substation Lutsk Severny 330 in the Volyn region: power outages occurred as a result of the impact.
Also, strikes were recorded in Mykolaiv , Lvov , Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky, Ternopil, Poltava regions.
🔻 What is the result?
As a result of missile strikes, the situation with Kharkiv’s power supply has approached critical : there is no own generation, power from the Zmievskaya TPP is impossible due to damaged substations, and power from the nuclear power plant in western Ukraine simply does not reach the city.
The impact of today’s strikes on train traffic is also noteworthy; for the first time, some passenger trains were delayed by 3-4 hours . This indicates both the seriousness of the problems with power supply and the lack of reserve diesel locomotives.
🔻But you need to be realistic; in most regions, the situation will stabilize in the next few days.
To cause irreparable damage to the energy system of Ukraine, it is necessary to strike at the electrical equipment (block transformers) of base stations – nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power stations—and continue to knock out still operating thermal power plants – primarily Zmievskaya , Trypilska, and Burshtynska .
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/36525
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:55 utc | 204
Color revolution in Georgia in all its glory. All those who for a long time feed from the hands of Western funds came out, pulling the naive masses of “romantics” about a brighter future.
The authorities have shown weakness, now they will be merged, then there will be re-elections, those who, under slogans of good intentions, will lead the country to “hell” will come. Now the rumors that Georgia could later become a hot spot no longer seem like rumors.
We are watching … we are waiting for the resignation of the government and then the loop of death will begin to unwind.
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:58 utc | 205
The comment below is meant to be educational and I apologize to “two centes” for making them an example. Since we are being challenged more by childish behavior, folks need to learn how to detect a troll using someone else’s moniker information
In response to
”
psychohistorian | Mar 9 2023 19:40 utc | 290
So, your account was hacked then? Is that why you are in favor of registration?
Posted by: two centes | Mar 9 2023 19:53 utc | 291
”
The URL portion of each person’s moniker is open to any valid URL, even mine if someone wants to look like me.
I am sorry but you don’t understand the internet in this regard. I never posted the message about registration…do you get that now?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 10 2023 3:05 utc | 206
Robbei @ 170, Shadowbanned @ 175:
The area that was called Prussia was invaded by the Teutonic Order in the 1200s. The Old Prussians rebelled against forced Christian conversion and feudal rule by the Order a number of times, and each time their uprising was suppressed. The Order also used immigration of German settlers as well as suppression to weaken the Old Prussians and eventually the Old Prussians were assimilated by German speakers. Bubonic plague may have played some part in reducing the numbers of Old Prussians as well. The name of “Prussia” became associated with German speakers and their cultures.
In some parts of the Baltic area (and possibly in Prussia or parts thereof), the elites of the Baltic and Finnic tribes assimilated to German culture and language, and became part of the German nobility in that area. The Lievens (the family of Dominic and Anatol Lieven) claim descent from a noble family of Liiv descent. Some Prussian Junker families had Slavic origins as well.
The Lithuanian elites assimilated to Polish culture and language after the Grand Dukes of Lithuania joined their country with Poland through marriage.
Posted by: Refinnejenna | Mar 10 2023 3:15 utc | 207
psychohistorian | Mar 10 2023 3:05 utc | 210
So the real pyschohistorian hacked your account then? I still don’t think I agree with you about registration.
Posted by: two centes | Mar 10 2023 3:28 utc | 208
Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:58 utc | 209
“Now the rumors that Georgia could later become a hot spot no longer seem like rumors.”
Hot spot? I suppose a new government in Georgia could try to get Abkhazia and South Ossetia back. Saakashvili didn’t get much international support in 2008 when he tried.
Posted by: dh | Mar 10 2023 3:38 utc | 209
India will stay with Russia regardless of the other stuff, because Russia is a major trading partner.
The thing about the Dollar as the global trading currency is that Branden recently seized the dollars held by Russia, and not that long ago, Afghanistan’s money. Prior to that it was Iran. And maybe somebody else. I don’t keep close track of this stuff. This kind of behavior has caused a lot of countries to want to move away from the dollar.
If the dollars falls, I anticipate the first sign of it will be the inability of the treasury to float new debt. As most of the new debt is just rolling over old debt that has matured, that will probably be the problem, not so much the extra money needed to fund current deficit spending. If the gov misses an interest payment or fails to pay off some maturing debt, things will get explosive.
The absolute level of US debt is high, but can easily be supported so long as the United
States is thought of as a reliable country. Of all things, if things get risky, money still flocks to us in the belief that we are a safe haven. In finance we are the big tree in the forest. If we go down we will pull a lot of other trees down with us. A loss in Ukraine, if it damages our reputation a lot, could trigger a financial crises.
Many long years ago, getting a corporate charter was a privilege, and they were voted in individually by a state or the federal government. To get a charter the applicants would write up some useful purpose mission statement for their corporation, and then through political patronage or passing around money, get it voted in. The current system is better. The corrupt government patronage doesn’t start until after the corporation is formed, not before, as was the previous system.
Posted by: Jmaas | Mar 10 2023 4:12 utc | 210
Interesting Asia Times article on coming offensives
https://asiatimes.com/2023/03/the-coming-spring-offensives-in-ukraine/
Posted by: Flashspur | Mar 10 2023 4:13 utc | 211
For those interested in the Georgia takeover, remember that the Russo-Iranian North South Corridor for trade relies on stability in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. If Georgia becomes overly pro-Nato , as it appears to becoming, we can kiss safe trade from Russia to Iran and India / Pakistan goodbye. The bypassing of its trade through the Red Sea and Suez comes to naught.
Posted by: Brother Ma | Mar 10 2023 4:27 utc | 212
@ capucine 207
I think you mean demand for the ruble is weaker, because people who have money are cowards and they prefer stable, corrupt oligarchic currencies who are on the wrong side of history, whose use of money does not include Housing, Education, infrastructure, medical care , legal protection for the benefit of their citizens nor effective military resources against external aggressors.
Look at a country like Kurdistan where the entire petro-economy is consumed by two families in power, donating the oil to USUKIS for peanuts in exchange for power.
The only function of the economy is to make Western economies appear stronger. Without zKurdish oil , enforced by the Iraq War and subsequently Obama’s Daesh no lorries would be running in the UK. War Crime pays in the unipolar world. Unknown to the people who buy currency That is about to change.
Is somebody who has just had a knee operation stronger or weaker than they were before? Stronger in potential,but temporarily disabled. The Russian SMO operation is on a broken World Economic system that causes severe pain to the majority of the world population, while artificially inflating the economies of the West, through illegal war , without which they are lazy, corrupt and bankrupt, feasting on the sufferings of others.
Posted by: Giyane | Mar 10 2023 4:28 utc | 213
Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 10 2023 2:43 utc | 202
Thanks, psychohistorian. I think such tactics don’t phase those of us who are able to avoid the flak however it presents. I’m no genius, but even I can recognize such personal attacks. If it doesn’t sound like a friend; it isn’t.
I don’t have anything to add to the topic at hand, but thanks to those who stick to the facts, and especially to karlof1 whose remarkable work here contiues to shine a light in the darkness.
Posted by: juliania | Mar 10 2023 4:38 utc | 214
2 days of missile attacks – I think this is more than payback for the terrorist incursion. Could be some combination of payback and an attempt to increase public dissatisfaction with the war, or perhaps preparation for some moves on the front. If I’m not mistaken they seem to have struck command centers only in retaliation for particularly outrageous attacks by the UAF.
Posted by: the pessimist | Mar 10 2023 4:51 utc | 215
@ Brother Ma 216
The blue-eyed , blonde angel that takes Ukraine piggy to the sound of heavenly music into the EU ‘s blue doors ?
@ oldhippie 7
My MP, Liam Byrne Blue Labour, gloats that Russia is making its security concerns much worse, by trying to make them better.
This from Gordon Brown’s assistant in bailing out the Bankster Mafia in 2008.
When Georgia is privatised by the same bankster predators, they will be asking Putin to do a Khazakstan and un-coup the colour revolution for them and give them back the deeds to their own land, now in the hands of Blackrock.
The cost of living in Britsin has doubled in one year. The cost of living will increase by 20 times in Georgia in a year.
This is what happens when the split in the Orthodox Church between Greek and Russian is weaponised by criminal banksters.
Posted by: Giyane | Mar 10 2023 5:01 utc | 216
Posted by: Lex | Mar 10 2023 0:10 utc | 167
Re. Danilov and “Dangerous tendencies for peace” just proves the slow-SMO is correct strategy. There are for sure other military reasons why it’s “slow” but either way, it has the correct effect, and the slow-SMO can keep on going for a much longer time than actually needed.
Posted by: unimperator | Mar 10 2023 5:32 utc | 217
So, taking the rosy view, another year before the next town?
Posted by: Old Fart Legion | Mar 10 2023 5:49 utc | 218
Good interview and historical background on Ukraine by Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russian Deputy Ambassador to UN:
https://youtu.be/watch?v=x63UCggfuLc
(90 minutes)
Posted by: Browser | Mar 10 2023 6:14 utc | 219
#135:
The British Empire gradually shrank over 2-3 generations due to over extension and the inability to maintain it after 2 big wars.
The British Empire was consciously bankrupted by the US – read Super Imperialism by Michael Hudson
Posted by: BahmutLibre | Mar 10 2023 6:19 utc | 220
On GEORGIA
Samantha Power
Georgia’s proposed foreign agent laws gravely threaten Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future and the ability of Georgians to fulfill their own economic, social, and other aspirations. I call upon the Georgian Parliament to drop these proposed laws.
A few days ago.
https://twitter.com/PowerUSAID/status/1631356011024900103
Now with the bill withdrawing she can pop a few more dollars more to her pals in Georgia in the media, civil society, etc and take a few tips from Toria Nuland on the ‘way forward’.
Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 10 2023 6:22 utc | 221
On INDIA
Jaishankar’s savage jibe at West in presence of Blinken over Ukraine [4 mins]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIKLqE8m3e4
Australia
Modi and Albanese start the Cricket Test in India – The Quad
Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 10 2023 6:36 utc | 222
http://avia.pro/news/vsu-usilenno-gotovyat-nastuplenie-na-hersonskom-napravlenii
AFU going to attack soon with 40k troops?
225:
” …threaten Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future…”
Euro Atlantic? It’s not Georgia US.
My MP, Liam Byrne Blue Labour, gloats that Russia is making its security concerns much worse, by trying to make them better.
Posted by: Giyane | Mar 10 2023 5:01 utc | 220
Thats funny. The more countries arm up and cry about Russia being a threat, the more they force Russia to become one.
Posted by: Vikichka | Mar 10 2023 7:04 utc | 224
@psychohistorian | Mar 9 2023 23:16 utc | 160
I think that the latest show of the Kinzhal has made an impression that we are not seeing yet. It is my gut feel and Norwegian will give me shit about it but oh well.
There is nothing wrong discussing hypotheses so long as it is made clear that they are hypotheses, and not confused with verifiable facts (followed by demands of punishment).
Why the Kinzhal was used is indeed interesting, I don’t think it was just for testing.
Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 10 2023 7:06 utc | 225
Posted by: Giyane | Mar 10 2023 5:01 utc | 220
No doubt. I had hope for Porky Brown , but once I learned he was involved in pedo- coverups of other ministers I knew the Deep State had their hooks into him .
The UK is ruled by a Uniparty -same as the US- all subservient to the Israel -First set. I also had hopes for Corbyn , but he proved stupid in trusting Blairites in his team, and going back on the Brexit. So the Israel -First set easily took him down like a baby gazelle on the African plains.
Those Georgian rioters need a good boxing of the ears in the best case ( due to them being stupid) and hanging by their neck with piano – wire in the worst (bought /treasonous).
The Georgians who were one of history’s great Christian warrior people and never suffered fools , are now like babes in the woods. Down with Atlanticists!
The Atlanticists blackmailed the old doddering Patriarch in Constantinople; “either sign -off on this autonomy “ or we throw you to the wolves (Turk jihadi Deep State and Erdo) or broadcast all your corruption in selling -off Orthodox Church property. What many in the West do not know- as it is studiously never mentioned in any mainstream news -is that the Orthodox “Vatican” is constantly under siege by jihadists in the flesh who would butcher all and despoil the Patriarchate in a trice if given the go -ahead. Hardly any frightful murders of Christian priests( even of the West whilst visiting) have ever been solved in Turkey and no Nato authority ever talks about it. Look at how they gloated when they made Agia Sofia into a mosque . Imagine Western Europe if the same had happened to the Vatican or Westminster Cathedral. Yes, I know you are Moslem but you seem “nice”. Lol
Posted by: Brother Ma | Mar 10 2023 7:11 utc | 226
Re: De-Dollarization
The budget Biden proposed a few days ago includes two doozys :
1) 40% Capital Gains Tax – this will further accelerate capital flight of foreigners. It will also have a (slight) chilling effect on US capital markets.
2) 26% of budget financed via debt – currently about 50% of federal budget is financed via debt, so going to 26% might be considered a improvement.
Conclusion – Federal Debt under Biden‘s rosy assumptions expected to grow to $50 trillion. If interest rates demanded by lenders rises to a modest 4%……$2 trillion will be needed in FY2025 just to pay interest on Federal Debt.
2 trillion interest payments is just shy of 40% of the Federal tax income and just shy of 30% of Federal Budget. That’s a financial death spiral.
De-Dollarization is what stops this global war.
Posted by: Exile | Mar 10 2023 7:14 utc | 227
Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 10 2023 7:06 utc | 229
Because high value Kiev targets were protected by air defenses?
Posted by: Vikichka | Mar 10 2023 7:18 utc | 228
“…but what does NATO unconditionally surrendering look like? Does this mean that you think Russia would invade? Or will just the threat to do something do the trick?” LGB!
@LGB! One of the conditions presented by Russia to Washington in December 2021 was that NATO must withdraw to its Cold War borders.
Ukraine will decide the war; but after Ukraine surrenders, Russia will not be finished until NATO has withdrawn to its cold war borders.
The second time the ultimatum is presented the results will be quite interesting, no doubt.
Posted by: Rhinoskerous | Mar 10 2023 7:28 utc | 229
Got to admit, the SBU just gets more evil every day. Turns out they had a terrorist network operating here in Tiraspol that was just dismantled by the MGB (PMR’s state security service).
The ringleader was born in Tiraspol but moved to Odessa 12 years ago – seems to be a rather low-life thug with numerous criminal arrests, stuff like stealing cars and selling drugs.
The other two members of the network were Ukrainians posing as refugees in PMR.
Turns out that these people have been installing trackers in gov’t officials cars for SIX MONTHS. The two “refugees” then imported an expensive Land Rover and packed the driver’s side door with 8kg of plastic explosives plus ball bearings, screws, etc.
The plan was to detonate the car near a gov’t building and use the shrapnel to maximize casualties.
Utterly reprehensible. I have to admit PMR President Krasnoselsky for doing the responsible thing and calling on people NOT to take revenge against (innocent) Ukrainians or let this thing turn into an outburst of ethnic violence.
Posted by: Sam (in Tiraspol) | Mar 10 2023 7:49 utc | 230
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 2:52 utc | 206
There is an entire hidden world beneath the public face of the conflict. Energy and commodities still flow to the most unfriendly of countries with what can only be the tactic approval of RF political leadership.
On the other hand, if RF starts to restrict supply in a serious way they will do the most damage to those businesses and interest groups with which they had the best pre-conflict relations.
Neocons (necrocons) could love that, so we find that there are many incongruities if one catches a glimpse behind the curtains and set decorations.
Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 10 2023 7:50 utc | 231
The trust that the collective west has squandered in relation to other countries is being addressed. All actions, tricks,strong-arm theatrics are being seen as a
Reduction ad absurdum
Posted by: Dingo | Mar 10 2023 7:56 utc | 232
Average no of artillery shells fired per day by British Army during WWI = ~689.
Posted by: Outraged | Mar 9 2023 18:07 utc | 38
If you look at official British Statistics published by the War Office in 1922 the average weekly expenditure of shells on the Western Front alone was between 50,000 and 2M, which is c 8,000 to 300,000 per day, using around 7,500 pieces of artillery.Shell stocks in France at the armistice were c 15M.For most of the 1918 fighting c 500,000 shells per week were fired – 70,000 per day – close to what some claim the Russians are firing in the Ukraine. The lower end of British fires were in lull periods with little fighting, and still more than the UAF appear to be firing.
Of course the German Armies were also being shelled by the French and USA armies as well.
Posted by: marcjf | Mar 10 2023 8:11 utc | 233
Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Mar 9 2023 22:12 utc | 143
“I just asked, as an experiment, the AI ChatGPT to give me a timeline of significant military events in Ukraine over the course of the war.”
Interesting. I was going to ask it about respective casualty numbers to see if it could provide a more analytical approach. Clearly that does not look like a useful exercise. GIGO.
However it does point to the total disagreement on simple facts in relation to this conflict. I am guessing most readers here have a very different view of the the facts in say comparison to western intelligence agencies, commentators and politicians. Every day I can read a dozen articles about Russian incompetence, weapons shortages, political unrest and economic collapse – as well as their heavy losses and falling morale. I have begun to suspect that this is what [they] actually think rather than spin. I then wonder if my opposite views actually hold water. It is hard being a contrarian until you get proven correct. Not at that point yet.
Posted by: marcjf | Mar 10 2023 8:41 utc | 234
PMC Wagner might be sidelined soon.
…
Posted by: Daenerys | Mar 10 2023 1:44 utc | 191
Russia’s enemies, both without and within, will fervently hope so.
The longer Wagner operate, the more they will delivery victory in support of Russia’s policy goals and the more RF MoD will come under pressure to match the performance of Wagner by promoting the more capable over the less.
Those who fear the latter are the worst enemies of all. If they were able, they might restrict supplies in order to hamper Wagner, they might try to exclude or even ban Wagner, solely to defend their own grubby little niche in the careerist turd heap.
Hypothetically, of course.
Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 10 2023 8:44 utc | 235
Kutuzov would have shot Prigozin in the head at the second outburst.
Posted by: Comandante | Mar 10 2023 2:11 utc | 197
Maybe, you are welcome to judge Prigozhin’s conduct as you see fit – I find him quite refreshing – but what do you suppose Kutuzov would do to those who deliberately withheld supplies to active combatants for what can be no other reason than tawdry careerism.
Conscript them to the front? Simply eliminate them?
Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 10 2023 8:52 utc | 236
@Capucine | Mar 10 2023 2:53 utc | 207
Ruble is weaker than sterling … and pound.
Gosh! Weaker than both sterling and the pound! That sounds serious.
Posted by: Ranelagh | Mar 10 2023 9:09 utc | 237
A former officer of the Estonian Defense Forces, Ivo Jurak, was killed near Bakhmut in Donetsk region. R.I.P. 🥲🙏 – Postimees
“Tsar Ivan IV built Bakhmut as a fort – it was supposed to be a place where foreigners who want to harm Russians could be fought on favorable ground. It is serving that purpose again.”
https://twitter.com/RWApodcast/status/1634101801455591427
comment: Estonia losing a military officer is a loss for their army. And Nato is losing military officers in large masses. Shell doesn’t differentiate between rank or experience.
Posted by: unimperator | Mar 10 2023 9:47 utc | 238
On his Twitter account, b linked to a tweet by Ivan Katchanovski. I clicked on the tweet, and Katchanovski had it linked to a bunch of other tweets which is where I found this one. (Opinion – as long as b is using Twitter, I think we should stop complaining about it.)
A pasted selection from The Times of the UK:
“A week after the Nord Stream pipeline exploded, staff at a Scandinavian delegation were told that a private venture originating in Ukraine was behind the Nord Stream sabotage. They were told this would not be made public”
https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1633417339793178624
Would Burisma Holdings qualify as such a “private venture”?
Joe Biden to visit Canada March 23 and 24
https://twitter.com/CanadianPM/status/1633946543903371268
Von der Leyen was just in the house (of commons, as in parliament) too.
https://twitter.com/CanadianPM/status/1633249713834332160
https://twitter.com/CanadianPM/status/1633282968390336514
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 10:04 utc | 239
Looks like Wagner hit Silicon Valley Bank ….
… and the entire dollar banking front ready for a partial collapse …
… Joe sending elite reinforcements to keep it propped up for a while … as the vultures continue to encircle the poor dollar
.. must be an aspect of de-dollarization which we don’t understand and no casualties reported yet …
… Deutschebank down 7% .. in solidarity with Empire one assumes ….
… shares in Ukraine holdings also well down as assets continue to shrink …
Interesting times
SVB now down 35% … better hurry up with those well armed reinforcements
Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 10 2023 10:15 utc | 240
Re: Restricting the amount of shells fired. Could it be, that they have just calculated the marginal utility and decided to cut down? Of course grunts will be dissatisfied.
I am Mr. Herbert Hilton, I am looking for a reliable and trustworthy overseas investment partner to manage my funds provided we can reach an agreement on percentage for Return On Investment or do you have any good business idea in mind that requires funding or do you need a personal loan to funds your business for as low as 3% interest per annul.
Kindly contact me if interested via email: h.hiltonherbert@gmail.com
Regards,
Herbert Hilton
Hilton Machineries & Sales Company.
Posted by: Herbert Hilton | Mar 10 2023 10:36 utc | 242
Further to @245
(This should really go in the Not Ukraine thread but for continuity I’m putting it here.)
Goodness – sandwiched between Von der Leyen’s visit and Biden’s, there is a swirl of revealing news. (Sputnik was my source but I’ll post links to others)
Britain announces new military base in Norway’s high north (IMHO, they are not the hegemon, this is huge news)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11835307/Britain-announces-new-military-base-Norways-far-north.html
Revival of Anglo-Franco relations! What a coincidence that is!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64891459
Pope Francis expresses concerns about ‘imperial interests’ in Ukraine, offers to meet with Putin
https://tass.com/world/1586889
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 10:37 utc | 243
Would Burisma Holdings qualify as such a “private venture”?
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 10:04 utc | 245
Isn’t there a laptop somewhere with some helpful details on it?
Don’t know where it went though…
Posted by: West of England Andy | Mar 10 2023 10:52 utc | 244
Posted by: hitler | Mar 10 2023 8:26 utc | 239
You ever wonder why so many cuckoos are here?
Wonder what that means?
Posted by: Old Fart Legion | Mar 10 2023 11:02 utc | 245
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 10:37 utc | 249
Sunak’s family came to UK in 1966…….that is the extent of their comprehension of Anglo-French relations.
Sunak was pre-selected by Washington once Truss became an embarrassment……..the changes to Conservative leader selection introduced by William Hague made it far easier to manipulate – anyone in world could join and vote online for £5 membership fee. It is so corrupt as to be worthy of Tory politics – they were funded for years through “River Companies” accepting huge sums from Hong Kong billionaires. Later it was Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs.
Sunak has his instructions to patch up N Ireland to please Biden………..he will sell out the DUP which may disintegrate and leave UVF and Red Hand importing hardware from Ukraine………
Sunak intends to get UK back inside EU tent if not membership…….now that EU has fused with NATO – it is easy for UK to break Franco-German axis by building the Anglo-French axis and melding it to Poland _ Baltics to isolate Germany
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 10 2023 11:11 utc | 246
marcjf. [237]
In support of your point, I would add Britain is said to have fired 28,000,000 shells during Battle of The Somme which is an incredible change from the shell shortage 1915 which afflicted both German and British gunners……..
Since the Battle of Arras in April 1917 the British had established a sophisticated artillery plan and mode of execution. Supported by the Royal Flying Corps for improved observation, 2,230 densely packed guns and howitzers (a gun for every 7 yards of front) bombarded the German trenches, cut wire, destroyed strong-points and conducted counter-battery fire against 630 German artillery pieces, using 3,561,530 shells in the week prior to the attack.
Messines was supposedly the pinnacle of shell expenditure plus deoptantion of 19 mines tunnelled under German lines
https://www.pierreswesternfront.nl/ypres-salient-messines-ridge-the-battle-of-messines-4-mine-craters
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 10 2023 11:29 utc | 247
Posted by: makenkov | Mar 10 2023 1:55 utc | 195
“Your examples show only that there are circumstances in which US garbage materiel can be employed without exposing their manifest weaknesses.”
Yeah, Switzerland but likely not Israel.
“As to your last paragraph: What, the USA coming to the aid of another country? That was worth a tired chuckle.”
Then why do these countries want to keep “some degree of continuing US good will”? And how does that square with the aid that the US is sending to Ukraine? If none of this works very well “manifest weaknesses”, what does that say about the capabilities of the Russian forces?
Posted by: Bill Smith | Mar 10 2023 11:42 utc | 248
Sunak has his instructions to patch up N Ireland to please Biden………..he will sell out the DUP which may disintegrate and leave UVF and Red Hand importing hardware from Ukraine………
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 10 2023 11:11 utc | 252
Not likely.
Posted by: irish al | Mar 10 2023 12:00 utc | 249
@ Paul Greenwood 252
Much though I would like Nato to be fractured by Brexit two flies in the ointment of your comment.
1/ that suppressing Russia/ China and socialism is totally counterproductive to except for the weird interests of zioneocons. Hopefully Europe will chuck out these narrow AltRight dogmas / catpoos soon.
2/ Germany was fully involved with the destruction of Syria and is a full participant , politically, with Nato and might even have bombed it’s own umbical cord to Russia of NS 1 + 2. Nato’s destruction of Libya, Syria and Ukraine is targeted solely at Russia’s ports and outlets for China’s export routes by trains.
In other words the US Democrats are solely trying to protect their present domination of Chinese exports, when the inevitable China Russia continental train breaks through. When Russia gives them their share in the train freight, easy money and their share in the empty Ukraine, Russian oil exports to Germany will resume. The cash they stole $ 33 billion will finance their repairs to Ukrainian war damage.
To the lunatics in the US Democrats all of that is still able to happen. They don’t believe a multipolar world is possible.
The first thing Trump or his successor will do in 2024 will be to take out the Democrats dummy of easy cash from Chinese exports and throw it in the bin. Trump understands clearly that trashing sovereign countries will destroy America. Trashing the Democrats dummy of Chinese export revenues will trash the Democrats forever and put can end to their interminable failed wars.
The anti-German zioneocons have killed enough people for 100 years. Until they wriggle out of their straitjackets and finish their air bubbles, they can crawl back under their swampy stones.
Posted by: Giyane | Mar 10 2023 12:04 utc | 250
@ marcjf | Mar 10 2023 8:11 utc | 237
Apologies. Serves me right for a quick & nasty snap calc based on British total wartime shells expenditure using TLA Wikipedia ref. Oddly low … sorry … Cheers
Don Firineach @ 246
SVB now down 35% … better hurry up with those well armed reinforcements
Ooh, I had missed SVB, thanks. You forgot to add Credit Suisse, the 8000 pound gorilla in the room, actually that would be Deutsche Bank, but that gorilla has been dead, stuffed and mounted for a while but it was beautiful taxidermy, you’d think it was still alive. Credit Suisse is the 7999 pound elephant in the room with a mortal septic infection from ivory poachers and about to become vulture and hyena food. Switzerland isn’t on the euro, not too big to fail I would think, unless Switzerland wants to fail with it.
Fed raising rates is killing off the zombie banks and corporations, problem is a good part of the system is zombie banks and corporations. Fed finally realized asset inflation has destroyed the real economy and geopolitically constarined the country, problem is after 40ys the bubble economy is the economy, at this point whatever the Fed and ECB do it will destroy their economies. Fun times at the end of the world.
Oh, and the Collapse Will Not Be Televised, that was so 2008.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 10 2023 12:40 utc | 252
Briefing by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the RF Armed Forces, on US military biological activities:
(Russian)
Full text and slides (telegra.ph)
“Documentation – PDF downloads” disk yandex ru d BOx5m2ZYUu4A3g
(Translated) Briefing by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the RF Armed Forces, on US military biological activities, 10Mar’23:
(Russian)
Full text and slides 📄
Documentation – PDF downloads 🗂
Links are being filtered/censored, so here’s an intermediate Telegram link, Open(Public) browse-able.
Followup to @ Outraged | Mar 10 2023 12:50 utc | 261
Translated Summary:
The United States is conducting a program to strengthen dangerous pathogens in Central Asia and the Transcaucasus, Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, said during a briefing on U.S. military-biological activities.
“Analysis of documents, some of which were obtained during a special military operation, shows that such research on strengthening the functions of dangerous pathogens, carried out including in the states of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, is systemic in nature, and large American pharmaceutical companies are involved in its implementation,” he said.
Other statements by Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, during a briefing on the US military-biological activities:
* Substitution of international law allows the U.S. to conduct research overseas;
* The U.S. may be behind the September 2022 Ebola outbreak in Africa;
* Health systems of countries involved in U.S. biological programs are deteriorating;
* Russian Ministry of Defense revealed the names of Ukrainians involved in the U.S. biological program;
* Ecohealth Alliance company did not submit reports to US regulatory authorities;
* Pfizer admits to conducting “directed evolution” research for profit;
* Washington fails to enforce oversight of dual-use research;
* Facts about U.S. bioweapons work disclosed by the Russian Federation alarm many countries;
* U.S. authorities contradict their own statements about biolaboratories in Ukraine.
“Investigators are reconstructing the course of the Andromeda sailing yacht: Der Spiegel writes that the police are on the trail of “Ukrainian submarine pirates of the Baltic Sea” and even already know the name of the yacht.
“The organizers of the Nord Stream bombing could transport explosives on a 15-meter sailing yacht of the Bavaria Cruiser 50 Andromeda model, rented on the island of Rügen through a charter company. Now on the island of Christianso in Denmark, a search is underway for a yacht. “Yesterday, almost the whole world called me. I received calls from 87 different people,” said island caretaker Soren Tiim Andersen.”
Zin Note: Looks like they’re going to put a bow on this package of lies..
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/36542
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 13:03 utc | 256
Translated:
Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of a special military operation (10.03.2023)
◽️ In the Kupyansk direction, artillery fire of the “Western” grouping of troops hit the enemy’s manpower in the areas of Stelmakhovka of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Hryanikovka, Sinovka and Timkovka of the Kharkiv region.
💥 During the day, up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as two vehicles were destroyed in this direction.
◽️ In the Krasno-Limansky direction, artillery fire and missile strikes of the Center Group of Forces defeated enemy units in the areas of Yampolovka, Krasny Liman, Hryhorovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Chervona Dibrova of the Luhansk People’s Republic.
💥 The enemy losses in this direction during the day were up to 120 Ukrainian servicemen, two pickup trucks, a D-30 howitzer, as well as one US-made M777 artillery system.
◽️ In the Donetsk direction, during the continuation of active operations of the units of the “Southern” group of troops, air strikes and artillery fire, over 120 Ukrainian servicemen, seven armored combat vehicles, three vehicles, D-20 and D-30 howitzers, as well as a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system were destroyed overnight.
◽️ In the South Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya directions, the operational and tactical aviation, army aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces inflicted a complex defeat on the AFU units in the areas of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Huliaipole, Preobrazhenka and Shcherbaki in the Zaporizhzhya region.
💥 During the day more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three pickup trucks and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in these areas.
◽️ In the Kherson direction as a result of fire losses of the enemy during the day amounted to 20 Ukrainian soldiers, four vehicles, as well as self-propelled artillery unit “Gvozdika”.
💥 Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit 83 artillery units of the AFU at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 127 areas. In addition, a Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was hit near the settlement of Petropavlovka, Donetsk People’s Republic.
✈️ Russian Air Force fighter aircraft in the area of Marinka settlement of Donetsk People’s Republic shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 air force.
💥 Nine HIMARS MBRLS rockets were intercepted and seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by anti-aircraft defense forces in the areas of Sinkovka, Kharkiv region, Rusin Yar, Stepnoye, Staromayorske, Vladimirovka and Ugledar of Donetsk region, as well as Polohy, Zaporizhia region.
📊 In total, since the beginning of the special military operation destroyed (losses over previous 24hrs(+?)):
400(+1) aircraft, (Daily avg 1.1)
218 helicopters, (Daily avg 0.6)
3,373(+7) unmanned aerial vehicles, (Daily avg 8.9)
411(+1) surface-to-air missile systems, (Daily avg 1.1)
8,249(+8) tanks and other armored combat vehicles, (Daily avg 21.8)
1,055 multiple rocket launchers, (Daily avg 2.8)
4,315(+7) field artillery and mortars, (Daily avg 11.4) and
8,830(+14) special military vehicles. (Daily avg 23.3)
Comment: MBRLS have not been claimed destroyed for some time. AFU holding, concealed, in reserve ?
🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦Zelenskys advisor”Mikhail Podolyak: “Bakhmut is a strategic success, a counteroffensive in two months”: Zelensky’s adviser said that the upcoming surrender of Artemovsk is a huge victory for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and promised an offensive in May.
“As for the defense of Bakhmut, it has fulfilled its tasks by 1000%. The military implemented a plan to destroy the main combat-ready enemy group, on the one hand, and provided training for tens of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen to prepare for a counteroffensive, on the other. Even if the military leadership at some point decides to retreat to more advantageous positions, the defense of Bakhmut will become a great strategic success for the AFU as the foundation of a future victory.
We will exhaust the Russians, and then focus elsewhere. We need long-range missiles. We need to increase the supply of 155 mm heavy artillery shells. We are not in a hurry, we will reorganize over the next two months”
https://t.me/azmilitary11/40416
Posted by: Down South | Mar 10 2023 13:20 utc | 258
Let’s hope this is true:
https://military.pravda.ru/news/1809393-unichtozheny_tenevye_oficery_nato/
WF: Russian missile attack destroyed NATO “shadow officers” in bunker control centers
The Russian military launched a missile attack on Ukrainian infrastructure with a large range of missiles and UAVs, destroying a secret NATO headquarters in Ukraine, according to WarFiles.
According to the Ukrainian side, the strikes were carried out by rockets:
X-47 “Dagger”,
X-22,
X-101/X-555,
Geran UAV.
In Kyiv, they immediately reported that allegedly 34 missiles were shot down, and eight “did not reach their goals as a result of organized countermeasures.”
This is doubtful even for the Ukrainians themselves, who see the results of arrivals through the windows. Citizens believe that air defense “if they were able to shoot down something on approach, then at most a couple of tricks.”
Ukrainian (and American) air defense is not able to shoot down the “Dagger” at an altitude of 20 km, and after the missile gains altitude, it falls at a great speed on the target and nothing can be done about it.
“In fact, the blow fell on the bunker control and planning centers, as well as on air defense / radar. Large losses of officers, including American ones, were recorded. It seems that the “shadow General Staff” of the proxy NATO was hit hard,” the authors of Military Materials write.
After that, according to the publication, representatives of the Ukrainian General Staff went to the US Embassy, most likely to transfer the lists of the dead.
It is also known about the hits on the IRIS and NASAMS air defense systems, which worked on dummy missiles and were destroyed by the Xs flying behind. Almost immediately, those publics that posted this information were blocked.
Head of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko separately acknowledged that the missile attack damaged at least three thermal power plants. In fact, energy and military facilities in as many as 12 regions came under the most powerful shelling.
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 13:35 utc | 259
According to the Financial Times, Mar10’23:
Ukraine has received one of two Patriot missile defense battery systems promised by the US and Germany(one each), but they are yet to become operational.
The delivery of the third(3of3 promised last Dec) promised Patriot Battery from the Netherlands, is still in progress.
@ Down South | Mar 10 2023 13:20 utc | 265
Wow. That would even ’cause Goebbels to blush with that BS re Bahkmut Situ. Zero(E5) credibility/reliability. Have long found if one reverses attribution/projection, OUN-B Nazi declarations are often generally accurate. They report their own ‘bad news’, as Russian …
Posted by: Refinnejenna | Mar 10 2023 3:15 utc | 211
From the top of my head the word “Prussian” comes from the word “Bo Russ” (slavic roots).
I believe Guenther Grass wrote a book about it, isn’t it?
Posted by: Greg Galloway | Mar 10 2023 13:49 utc | 261
Posted by: Herbert Hilton | Mar 10 2023 10:36 utc | 248
Nice to meet you Mr. Hilton.
You’ve come to the right place.
Concerning your funds – and Hobbits – I would like to let you know that I have a bridge for sale between Crimea and Rostov oblast that would help any investor to greatly increase their wealth…
Underwent recent renovation.
Posted by: Greg Galloway | Mar 10 2023 13:57 utc | 262
@251 it means your a cuckoo too lol.
Although the Hitler was a jew shit is stupid. He just got lucky early on so it seems like he was throwing it. Germans let a crazy guy lead them that’s all.
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Mar 10 2023 14:09 utc | 263
* Pfizer admits to conducting “directed evolution” research for profit;
* Washington fails to enforce oversight of dual-use research;
* Facts about U.S. bioweapons work disclosed by the Russian Federation alarm many countries;
* U.S. authorities contradict their own statements about biolaboratories in Ukraine.
Posted by: Outraged | Mar 10 2023 12:58 utc | 262
For any health-related business, a reliable stream of sick people is a very important priority. Having a treatment ready to go is a big plus too, and if the goverment backs it up, whoo hoo.
Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 10 2023 14:11 utc | 264
From the top of my head the word “Prussian” comes from the word “Bo Russ” (slavic roots).
I believe Guenther Grass wrote a book about it, isn’t it?
Posted by: Greg Galloway | Mar 10 2023 13:49 utc | 268
“Po Rus” (meaning “near Rus”), not “Bo Russ”.
Quite possible. The Baltic tribes were always smaller than the vast Slavic and Germanic lands that sandwiched them, and in fact when that name might have originated, there weren’t even Germans around — in the Middle Ages the westernmost Slavic tribes reached the North Sea in modern Schleswig-Holstein south of Denmark, and all of what used to be the GDR was Slavic territory. “Pomerania” refers to a Slavic tribe. Germans were far away to the southeast from Prussia and only took over and assimilated/displaced the Slavs in all of modern Germany and modern western Poland only in the late Middle Ages.
P.S. That process didn’t stop with that — it is why the Old Prussians disappeared, why Klaipėda in Lithuania used to be a German city called Memel, why much of the Baltic elites were Germans or at the very least Germanized, why there were so many Germans in modern Romania (even the current president is German), and why enough Germans lived in the Volga region for them to be given their own ASSR in the RSFSR between the wars (it was abolished for obvious reasons later on and split between Stalingrad/Volgograd and Saratov).
In a way Hitler merely intended to decisively finish off what had been started 900 years prior, but quickly in the span of a few years, using industrial methods, and with a worked out ideological excuse for it.
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 14:12 utc | 265
* Pfizer admits to conducting “directed evolution” research for profit;
Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 10 2023 14:11 utc | 271
Guess what? There is nothing wrong with that.
Here is what “directed evolution” looks like:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-00954-4
It is not done with live viruses, but with pseudoviruses, and is invaluable for understanding viral evolution.
In fact the early papers from 2020 were quite spot on in terms of where future SARS-CoV-2 evolution would go, aside from Omicron having some incredibly weird out-of-left-field features that really nobody could have predicted.
Ignorant laymen hear these terms not having any clue about the technical details and immediately think something nefarious is going on. Not at all.
What was indeed nefarious was Pfizer declaring victory after only a couple months of observations and without ever testing for protection against infection, leaving the crucial questions how long protection lasts (answer: not very long at all), how does it fare against antigenic drift (not well at all), and whether there is really 95% protection against infection as was claimed (not true at all) unanswered.
But politicians and corporations were desperate to abandon quarantine measures because stopping the virus hurt business, so they latched onto these fake good news, declared total and final success, everybody back to work and school, pandemic over, and here we are — people will be getting endlessly reinfected with zero protection, and life expectancy will dramatically go down, but hey, we don’t have these cataclysmic singular waves anymore, just a very high baseline rate of sickness and death, but we got used to that, so it can be ignored. Mission accomplished.
On top of that, as a bonus, we achieved the complete destruction of trust in vaccines and in science in general that it will take decades to restore, if we ever do. But who cares, the stock market recovered, and the unfair power hierarchy of society was preserved.
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 14:22 utc | 266
“Po Rus” (meaning “near Rus”), not “Bo Russ”.
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 14:12 utc | 272
One more thing to add about the history.
So the Mongols arrive and blow the already broken into various smaller principalities Rus to smithereens.
Galicia-Volynia remain independent, but eventually the Lithuanians pick up a lot of the pieces to their southeast, and so do the Poles.
The result is that Lithuania ended up being mostly Slavic — sure, it was ruled by Lithuanians, but they were a minority. And they started gradually getting assimilated.
So how do the Lithuanian elites solve that problem? They go for a union with Poland when the opportunity presented itself in the 1380s, in no small part in order to stop that process.
In other words, they don’t like Russians since long (very, very long) before they were in any way “oppressed” by them.
Of course that didn’t work out either, because then they were assimilated by the Poles and were still reduced to a tiny minority always on the edge of extinction without its own country. But they weren’t Russian so it’s a win.
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 14:34 utc | 267
Something, someone, way out at the farthest reaches of 404, right up next to Poland, got demilitarized. I remember Ukie a few days ago talking about new training base out there,guess that old saying still holds water, loose lips…..
…..and talk of a demoralized Ukie crew, Kenzhals be like that. A Kinzhal a day, keeps the terrorists at bay.
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Mar 10 2023 14:38 utc | 268
@ 252 Paul Greenwood – while all that may be so, I posted it because of the Canadian link. Canada is Anglo-Franco territory. Von der Leyen was here and suddenly Sunak and Macron are meeting. And the Pope expresses concerns about imperial interests, offers to meet with Putin. … I don’t think I have to connect the dots on which North American interest group could be behind that.
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 14:40 utc | 269
@ Bill Smith
1. Israel? You mean that country that hides its bombing raids in civilian flight paths? That Israel?
2. US “good will”? Yes, it’s the same good will that informs the phrase “Nice house you got there. Would be a shame if anything happened to it.”
Posted by: malenkov | Mar 10 2023 14:57 utc | 270
TG /Slavyangrad
Counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artemivsk – concentration of forces
The enemy is seriously preparing for the “unblockade” of Artemovsk.
In total, 20 brigades are expected to participate in the counteroffensive (including 2 tank and 3 artillery brigades). It is clear that some of them are no longer “complete”, but the force is formidable, and besides, they are basically the entire elite of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In total, up to 50,000 – 55,000 people on the front from north of Soledar to the northern outskirts of Toretsk, not counting the “meat” from the defense.
True, ours is also preparing for this. According to foreign sources, regular units of the RF Armed Forces are being drawn here to help the Wagners.
According to the Ukrainian side, the offensive should begin as early as next week.
Posted by: unimperator | Mar 10 2023 15:08 utc | 271
@ 252 Paul Greenwood – while all that may be so, I posted it because of the Canadian link. Canada is Anglo-Franco territory. Von der Leyen was here and suddenly Sunak and Macron are meeting. And the Pope expresses concerns about imperial interests, offers to meet with Putin. … I don’t think I have to connect the dots on which North American interest group could be behind that.
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 10 2023 14:40 utc | 274
Yes, they cannot help continuing their attempts at winning by deception what they cannot win by force. I have to say I am very disappointed in the Pope. Another bullshit reformer like Obama.
Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 10 2023 15:10 utc | 272
Worth reading:
https://roloslavskiy.substack.com/p/released-azov-prisoners-return-to
Posted by: shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 15:54 utc | 273
Unimperator @276
Maybe I’m too optimistic but if Ukraine tries the throw the kitchen sink at Artymorsk, that sounds like pure desperation.
For one thing, having just watched Weeb Unions latest review, the RF is making progress on several other areas in the Donbas front including Adveeka, which shows a developing encirclement, and another city further north.
Throwing all their marbles in one place means likely big gains by the RF in those other places.
And, it’s mud season. Not good timing for a big tank offensive.
I realize Zee is crazy and not making good decisions, so I believe it could happen, but if so it might be the catalyst to bring the final collapse of the UFA.
Posted by: Chris | Mar 10 2023 16:11 utc | 274
@ Bemildred | Mar 10 2023 14:11 utc | 269
Sadly ’tis so. And that is going to have to change also. Long Live the ‘International-Rules-Based-Order’! Not.
Sounds like NATO told Comedian your time is up. Go for broke. And he is.
Russia has at least 200k soldiers in the vicinity so this can easily be the last battle of the war.
Victory will go to the side with most artillery strikes. We knownwho that is.
Posted by: Comandante | Mar 10 2023 16:27 utc | 276
shadowbanned | Mar 10 2023 14:22 utc | 271
nothing is new since the greeks!
should anyone ask ‘what could go wrong’? first!
pandora had a good excuse too!
Posted by: paddy | Mar 10 2023 16:27 utc | 277
Re: Using a sailboat to blow up NS pipelines
A 50‘ sailboat sounds to non-mariners like a big yacht, but it really kinda small for hauling hundreds (thousands ?) of pounds of explosives and deep diving gear.
Sailboats are also really slow. The VVP on Bavaria’s website shows a boat speed of 7-9 knots in 12 knots of breeze. Under powre this boat might do 10 knots.
The War Party is mocking us with this sailboat tale.
(Signed A Mariner)
Posted by: Exile | Mar 10 2023 16:38 utc | 278
@Exile | Mar 10 2023 16:38 utc | 283
The War Party is mocking us with this sailboat tale.
Just like the ridiculous 911 stories, this is just a way to enforce loyalty. To demonstrate blind loyalty, you need to declare you believe a ridiculous story.
Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 10 2023 17:02 utc | 279
Posted by: Brother Ma | Mar 10 2023 4:27 utc | 216
“For those interested in the Georgia takeover, remember that the Russo-Iranian North South Corridor for trade relies on stability in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. If Georgia becomes overly pro-Nato , as it appears to becoming, we can kiss safe trade from Russia to Iran and India / Pakistan goodbye. The bypassing of its trade through the Red Sea and Suez comes to naught.”
Their is always the Caspian Sea option!
Posted by: Oh | Mar 10 2023 17:42 utc | 280
Nearing the formal declaration:
McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia ‘Nervous’ UKR’s ability to hold on:
[.]
“The bad news thinking about where we’re at right now is, it is a kind of trench warfare stalemated war…The battlefield moves by inches or yards or kilometers, but not many kilometers. It’s been basically stuck for several months, and that makes me nervous. That makes me nervous about the ability of the Ukrainians to hold on and to keep us engaged in the long haul,” McFaul said, speaking to former Obama advisor David Axelrod in the latter’s radio show on Thursday.[.]
The former diplomat shared an anecdote about how, near the end of his term as ambassador in Russia in 2014, an official close to President Putin told him that “‘one thing you gotta remember: first, we care more about Ukraine than you do, and second, you guys have short attention spans in the West, you Americans. We don’t. We can stay for the long haul.’ I think about that conversation every time because that’s exactly what Putin is counting on now. He’s gonna stay as long as it takes and he believes he has the manpower to do it…But he’s really counting on us to lose interest and say ‘why are we fighting there anyway’?”
McFaul criticized the Biden administration’s strategy of “incrementalism” in sending arms to Ukraine, urging Washington to “go all in” and give Kiev long-range missile systems, jets, Reaper drones, etc. “The concept is big bang now, not this creeping incrementalism,” he said.[.]
Sputniknews
Orban Believes West ‘Very Close’ to Discussing Prospect of Sending Forces to Ukraine
Sputniksnews Live Updates
Yes we expect the Neocons will be doubling down, ignoring the good advice; “when you find your in quicksand, stop digging.”
Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 10 2023 18:11 utc | 281
Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 10 2023 17:02 utc | 281
Don’t forget those claims of ships spotted over the blast site on satellite images (search “satellite image ships over nord stream”).
Anything except USS Kearsarge.
Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 10 2023 19:03 utc | 282
Orban Believes West ‘Very Close’ to Discussing Prospect of Sending Forces to Ukraine
Yes we expect the Neocons will be doubling down, ignoring the good advice; “when you find your in quicksand, stop digging.”
Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 10 2023 18:11 utc | 284
It is naive to believe that those discussions have not already been happening. There are lots more former Warsaw Pact countries that could be whipped into an anti-Russian frenzy.
I expect there is no appetite in the US to formally send troops.
Posted by: Key Bored Warrior | Mar 10 2023 19:10 utc | 283
@284
what rank was field marshal md faul at in 1970.
does he remember that all that shock and awe did not work, that north viets had small air defense and no nukes.
and where does the field marshal think he gets an Air Force like usa had in 1970
neoliberal war mongering is clueless
Posted by: paddy | Mar 10 2023 19:21 utc | 284
@anon2020 | Mar 10 2023 19:03 utc | 286
Anything except USS Kearsarge.
Shhhh… 😎
Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 10 2023 19:54 utc | 285
Posted by: Rhinoskerous | Mar 10 2023 7:28 utc | 230
… after Ukraine surrenders, Russia will not be finished until NATO has withdrawn to its cold war borders.
The second time the ultimatum is presented the results will be quite interesting, no doubt.
Yes. Given the current state of public opinion, in Northern Europe at least, there is likely to be no favourable European response to these Russian security demands. Macron’s “New European Security Architecture” is unlikely to be arrived at.
Will the Russians leave it at that? Or will they impose counter sanctions in order to get their demands met?
Posted by: English Outsider | Mar 10 2023 19:59 utc | 286
At the end NATO will send troops into Ukraine to save a lost cause. Then we’ll have the real WW III. Today the Brits and the French said it again in public; they will go on until Russia loses the war.’Russia has to lose the war’.
Even Sputnik mentioned today : “Orban Believes West ‘Very Close’ to Seriously Discussing Prospect of Sending Forces to Ukraine”.
Posted by: Leon Pastis | Mar 10 2023 20:14 utc | 287
@ Longhorn Post 285
Sputniknews is psyop? Are you one of those drive-by?
And what of Bezos” blog, NYT Rag, Daily Express, BBC, ABC, CBC all bought presstitutes and are escorts on the arms of the 3 letter agencies?
Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 10 2023 20:20 utc | 288
PMC Wagner is allegedly taking tactical pause in Artyomovsk :
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/wagner-forces-taking-tactical-pause-in-bakhmut-isw/ar-AA18sebY
Posted by: Myrai | Mar 10 2023 20:34 utc | 289
Posted by: Leon Pastis | Mar 10 2023 20:14 utc | 289
The moment that happens all the supporting ISR complexes, that have been allowed to roam freely, will be legitimate targets. I live close to two of the largest USAF bases in the UK, and when I see and hear the increased flight activity of it’s tanker, transport and fighter wings, as we did during other US interventions, I’ll know somethings up.
Posted by: Milites | Mar 10 2023 20:42 utc | 290
From Russian Telegram:
Assault groups of PMC “Wagner” entered the territory of the “Artemovsk Metal Processing Plant” (AZOM) from the north and begin to move deep into the territory of the industrial enterprise.
AZOM is a huge area with dense industrial development and a network of underground utilities that go underground for dozens of floors.
Posted by: MiniMo | Mar 10 2023 21:10 utc | 292
At the end NATO will send troops into Ukraine to save a lost cause. Then we’ll have the real WW III. Today the Brits and the French said it again in public; they will go on until Russia loses the war.’Russia has to lose the war’.
Even Sputnik mentioned today : “Orban Believes West ‘Very Close’ to Seriously Discussing Prospect of Sending Forces to Ukraine”.
Posted by: Leon Pastis | Mar 10 2023 20:14 utc | 289
There’s already a lot of advisors and western mercenaries in Ukraine and U.S. and UK soldiers/mercenaries have been fighting in Ukraine since 2014.
Posted by: MiniMo | Mar 10 2023 21:11 utc | 293
Couple Twitter comments on Prigozhin… Can anyone verify that “army with an ideology” quote? If so, I agree with Schryver.
Russians With Attitude @RWApodcast
Prigozhin says that after the capture of Bakhmut he intends to “reboot” Wagner PMC to turn it from “just a private company, the best in the world” into “an army with an ideology”.
Will Schryver @imetatronink
Replying to @RWApodcast
If Prigozhin is speaking seriously, then he has succumbed to delusions of grandeur that will never be fulfilled.
He’ll soon be a man without an army.
Or a casualty.
The last thing Russia needs at this point in time is “an army with an ideology”.
Big Dinkie Mitchell @PubeExpert
Replying to @imetatronink and @RWApodcast
Someone needs to hide Prigozhin’s Metal Gear collection until the end of the operation, that much is clear.
Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Mar 10 2023 21:23 utc | 294
the bishop of rome, should be worried about the imperialism of the neoliberal fascists who cannot define a woman in washington dc.
unless he is about to send the teutonic order after the orthodox as in 1200…..
Posted by: paddy | Mar 10 2023 21:25 utc | 295
Addendum to last post: Russians With Attitude do have a point…
Russians With Attitude @RWApodcast
I’m not sure having a Slavic Revolutionary Guard Corps would be so bad
Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Mar 10 2023 21:29 utc | 296
@ Richard Steven Hack | Mar 10 2023 21:23 utc | 296
—
Seems like a recruitment drive to me.
Posted by: too scents | Mar 10 2023 21:32 utc | 297
Dima on Military summary today said that Ukraine deployed a force of 55k to Bakhmut line, spanning 50km from Toretsk-Chasov Yar-Fedorovka (north of Soledar). They might be giving general offensive. However, their plan has been discovered already and lot of Russian regular army has been deployed around Bakhmut as well.
He also says that it’s something resembling a suicide operation, but it’s less of a suicide operation compared to attack toward Melitopol. The problem for Ukraine is that they don’t have Leopards, rockets, F-16, more himars, more anything. Everything is too little. Ukraine would after the Bakhmut battle be able to argue to the West that they can’t start the Crimea offensive, due to heavy losses in Bakhmut.
Posted by: unimperator | Mar 10 2023 21:38 utc | 298
I wonder if CIA is already organizing Operation Paperclip 2.0 for Russian scientists and engineers…
Posted by: Casia | Mar 10 2023 21:39 utc | 299
Dima on Military summary today said that Ukraine deployed a force of 55k to Bakhmut line, spanning 50km from Toretsk-Chasov Yar-Fedorovka (north of Soledar). They might be giving general offensive. However, their plan has been discovered already and lot of Russian regular army has been deployed around Bakhmut as well.
Posted by: unimperator | Mar 10 2023 21:38 utc | 300
How many men do you think Ukraine current has? How many men do you think Russia has in Ukraine? I don’t have any idea about Ukraine, but I would guess 400K Russia men.
Posted by: Ramsey Glissadevil | Mar 10 2023 21:56 utc | 300