Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 7 2025 0:09 utc | 493
‘The idea for the West isn’t to “win”, it’s to keep Russia engaged endlessly. And they can do that, for years.’
I think it’s the opposite – it is the idea of Russia to keep the USA/West engaged endlessly.

Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 7 2025 0:29 utc | 403

Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 7 2025 0:29 utc | 498
Nope you got that backwards. The US is loving this quagmire Russia is in. Meanwhile they are about to take the Panama Canal and Greenland too. Either by straight up force (in the case of Panama) or buying them out (in the case of Greenland).

Posted by: bored | Jan 7 2025 0:33 utc | 405

I know the history-inside and out. The responses I get from “here” about Posted by ? |23:17 UTC: as an example says everything anyone needs to know about “here” and the quality of the participants as far as “history” and the “facts” is concerned.
Try to compose yourself. And be rational.
Jan 6 2025 2:20
————————————————————–
That doesn’t sound human; it sounds like a robot asking to be fed new information. Think about it:
“…says everything anyone needs to know about “here” and the quality of the participants as far as “history” and the “facts” is concerned.”
The fucker is learning from our comments, john brewster @ 418 is correct. The thing is collecting information and data from every comment it receives. But is the poor spelling done on purpose? Perhaps to misdirect?

Posted by: Ed | Jan 7 2025 0:43 utc | 407

?. You say 600k dead Ukes like it’s a bad thing.
Posted by: vargas | Jan 6 2025 2:14 utc | 226
—————————————————————–
Well, of course, it is a bad thing if the fuck head running the computer is a Ukraine Troll.

Posted by: Ed | Jan 7 2025 0:48 utc | 409

RE: “Though endless is a mighty long time and it makes every one of us a liar…”
Posted by: Newbie | Jan 7 2025 0:38 utc | 501
Agreed.
Think I’m really suggesting I don’t see a near end.
I think the only end to the Empire, is a financial one. And aside from an orchestrated wealth transfer, I’m not seeing any real movement there.
If BRICS ever actually implemented a resource/commodity “unit” or some such trading block that sanction proofed the BRICS, then the money changers would reel. But, until then, they can continue to find carnage and chaos and implement the continuation of fall after fall of entire nation states and Russia is no exception, even though it may take longer.

Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 7 2025 0:52 utc | 411

I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 7 2025 0:47 utc | 503
Every day that RF delays us’s shift to china, chinese are grateful (a great many number of them)

Posted by: Newbie | Jan 7 2025 0:58 utc | 413

Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 7 2025 0:52 utc | 506
BRICS is a trading block. It has just been announced that Indonesia has joined. Smell the roses. The world is changing and the USA is no longer the hegemon and you’re going to have to learn to live with that fact.

Posted by: Siddhartha | Jan 7 2025 1:06 utc | 415

Ed@043 Dec 7
Interesting observation and scenario. You may have nailed it…even to the presence of spelling and other demonstrable errors. Several other posters have posited such an invasion of MoA by agencies testing out their AI systems, both for info gathering and as trial balloons preceding further technical developments.
Currently, the hottest war going on throughout the planet is control over the narrative and subsequently the minds of the world’s population. The financier and occulted string-pullers are becoming increasingly nervous and apprehensive, what with their 2030 schemes and other tells of their fears of the Great Awakening, most particularly amongst the two younger generations who see no comfort or hope in the projected future of massive depopulation plans, massive unemployment and no foreseeable fortunate future as an inhabitant of Planet Earth.

Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 1:41 utc | 417

Came to say adieu, and thank you, to everyone. B foremost, of course, but also to the many others who insights and links have provided me with information hidden by the MSM. I hope Russia prevails in this mess, but in the end it won’t matter.
There is no mention anywhere here of the coming singularity. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is coming faster than even many industry experts expected. It might be a year away, or two, or even three, but the impact is going to be like a flood, washing away thousands of years of human structures.
My GF is a lawyer, and she is blissfully unaware that she will be replaced easily within five years by a 3rd year student with an ASI. She believes that packing all that specialized knowledge in her brain will protect her, not at all realizing THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT AGI DOES, and that in a competition with the AGI, the AGI will be faster, more complete, and more accurate.
The same thing will happen to millions of jobs. Western economies will implode, and I expect mass riots, and a large number of deaths. There is no reason to expect the AGI to be benign; already, on much less powerful AIs, we are seeing the AI “cheat” to get a favourable outcome. For example, playing chess against another AI, one AI decided to screw with the other program’s data files, and corrupt them. So ‘rogue AI’ is not some sci-fi fantasy; it’s already happening.
I hate to be the bearer of such gloomy news, but once you understand what’s about to happen, nothing else matters. When the very nature of human existence is about to change, what’s going on in the steppes of Ukraine is small beer indeed.

Posted by: KevinB | Jan 7 2025 1:55 utc | 419

Newbie@012 Dec 7
Oh, it’s bigger, much bigger than the “dream is over moment”. That occurred during the shady Eighties when you could readily read the zeitgeist by the tuned-down, turned-off of the Rock n’ Roll and Hippie phenomenons running “amok” between roughly ’65 and 75′.
For those of us War-Babies and Boomers who emblamated that amazing decade…the Eighties were akin metaphorically to a pair of flat tires. Even Dylan basically lost his channeling magical mysticism…largely to be accessed by LPs and rarely as Top 40 hits.
“Good ole Rock n’ Roll” was replaced by Disco and even more devloutionary developments…while the Punk phenomenon was an attempt to hold onto something, but happening in a Coburn kinda way…if you get my drift.
What’s happening now is far more subtle…its mostly undercurrents of spiritual awakenings, near-death experience and testimonies, Quantum Physics and the disintegration of Cartesian and Neo-Darwinian/Spencerian rationalistic materialism…the final squeaks of the professors of Sitzfleisch Philosoph. The last great thinker…on the intellectual spectrum, was Alfred North Whitehead…a man of Cambridges on both sides of the Pond. His prospective was retroprojective. Though he sensed developments in an intuitive manner; his overall take was Classical with a soupçon of graduate Romanticism…somewhat akin to the efforts of Goethe and to some degree the spectacular oils of David.
The final battle during this denouement of Kali Yuga is occurring on the spiritual plane. Bot the JudieChristie MagickMindfuck and rationalistic materialism have run their course. Individuals in their millions, right across the planet, are searching and seeking heightened levels of consciousness.
The universal solvent is that All are One as One is All, while the Whole is equal to, yet greater than the sum of its parts.

Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 2:04 utc | 421

Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 2:04 utc | 516
Not sure I gripped all you meant , but if in the extreme case of solve et coagula we don’t remember this, may the next story be more pleasant.

Posted by: Newbie | Jan 7 2025 2:21 utc | 423

Posted by: KevinB | Jan 7 2025 1:55 utc | 514
Tommyrot!
Let’s stop with the AI / singularity bullshit.
Your girlfriend will be gainfully employed as a lawyer five years from now. They were talking about AI back in the 50s when you were probably a twinkle in your granddad’s eye. I wasn’t even a zygote, yet.
There is nothing new under the sun.

Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jan 7 2025 2:34 utc | 425

KevinB@155 Dec 7
Fear not, the volcanic power of a fully developed AGI. Artificial Intelligence does not compare with the human mind when one considers Cosmic Consciousness.
Yes, gazillions of jobs will be gone with the wind and the societal dominion of those who control that programming already consider as “useless eaters”…all those humans who will not and could not fit within their planned paradigm.
Oh, today’s AI spews out “art” works which satiates a few ravenous appetites and even produces musical iterations which must be considered as superior to Muzak. However, when it comes to intuition and inspiration, deep delvers into higher modes of universal connectivity will rapidly Real-Eyze that manmade manifestations of left brain rationalistic materialist conceptions will not win the human race.

Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 2:47 utc | 427

Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 2:35 utc | 521
Unlikely for those YouTubers and podcasters, but will definitely read some of Alfred North Whitehead‘s books .
Believe it or not I have a friend who excels at playing the Persian Santoor (as well as oud, bouzouki, saz, etc)
Hope you don’t feel offended by an honest answer.

Posted by: Newbie | Jan 7 2025 2:55 utc | 429

Posted by: steve from oz | Jan 6 2025 19:02 utc | 432
Posted by: Ben Trovata | Jan 6 2025 22:12 utc | 459
Thank you steve from oz for your important correction of this timeline –the Crimean timeline, that apparently no corporate media will correct. Thanks, once more, for correcting this egregious falsehood!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“The claim by the West that after the coup Russia broke the agreement by annexing Crimea ignores the fact that Crimea had voted for independence prior to the fall of the USSR and therefore prior to Ukraine’s independence, and prior to the Budapest Memorandum.
So Crimea’s independence from Ukraine was protected by international law.
Thank you both Ben and Steve for this pertinent reminder of real historical fact.
Also to all those who have remarked on the Ukrainian desire to have nukes and their bullshit “ownership” of such prior to the demise of the USSR.
Was the Oroshnik strike on the Dnipro facility aimed at destroying any possibility that the wing=nuts controlling Kiev still entertain such wierd ideas?

Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jan 7 2025 3:31 utc | 431

@ZimZum | Tue, 07 Jan 2025 03:59:00 GMT | 528

Regarding Ukraine’s desire for the acquisition of nuclear weapons, no-one seems to point out that they are signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which they are.

Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons when the USSR disintegrated, returning them to Russia, prior to ascension to the NPT. Currently, Ukraine showing an “interest” in nuclear weapons isn’t a technical violation of the treaty. It’s only when they actively pursue proliferation when it would become a violation.
There is one workaround on the NPT and that is “nuclear sharing”, where a recognized nuclear power will “allow” its weapons onto the territory of another state while still retaining command and control. Both the US and Russia do this. Ukraine could “ask” for nuclear weapons this way from the US. Or they have to abrogate the NPT like North Korea did. Either way, the treaty is not set in stone.
As for the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk protocols – those are not treaties. Budapest is a memorandum of understanding, and was never ratified by any of the parties. It had lots of loopholes, and neither the US or Russia was serious about “defending” Ukraine.
I don’t think the Minsk agreements even rise to the level of an MoU, and were more of a ceasefire. Posters here go on and on about violations of Minsk this and Minsk that, but they were pretty much meaningless once drafted. Which is why they were so easily violated by both sides, and we are where we are today with the SMO.

Posted by: James M. | Jan 7 2025 4:27 utc | 433

Two weeks to Trump’s inauguration and the Russians just keep changing the facts on the ground. Toretsk now pretty much fallen, and northern Chasiv Yar now taken with the rest to fall within weeks. Also, continuing gains around Pokrovsk and west of Kurakhove and north of Kupyansk. All while the Ukrainians throw yet more men and machinery away for nothing south of Kursk, in the past day alone 485 casualties, 10 tanks, 7 IFVs, 5 APCs, 39 lightly armoured combat vehicles and an EW station!

Posted by: Roger Boyd | Jan 7 2025 4:36 utc | 435

Persian Santoor.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 7 2025 2:35 utc | 521
Good to remember
beautiful music
Starlink must look like a sparkling global web from the outside in, it’s focus planetary inwards. the crystal sphere
all this ww W internet distracts
philthee x chen definitely a trial balloon disruptor AI bot
Slava Chutzpahyim!

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 4:47 utc | 437

No matter how high the ( A ) I may rise,
the eyebrow is always above it

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 4:51 utc | 439

@ Chen | Jan 7 2025 4:41 utc | 533 who wrote
”
I think the only end to the Empire, is a financial one. And aside from an orchestrated wealth transfer, I’m not seeing any real movement there.
”
I agree that collapse of the God Of Mammon cult is the necessary end of empire and I think that it will be sooner that the 2 decades you posit later in your comment.
I do want to know about the orchestrated wealth transfer you write of….please explain, thanks

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 7 2025 5:07 utc | 441

The USA is not scared of Russia or Putin…
Posted by: Chen | Jan 7 2025 4:52 utc | 538
.. and Putin is (now) not afraid of the USA. A predictable enemy is a good enemy. But he is afraid of the Europeans because they are unpredictable, always good for an idiotic expansion.

Posted by: smartfox | Jan 7 2025 5:15 utc | 443

Will the use of Oreshnik be needed to dissuade a takeover of Transnitria?
Slicing the salami works both ways if both parties have knives.
Slava Chutzpahiim!

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 5:22 utc | 445

Posted by: NigelTufnel11 | Jan 7 2025 5:18 utc | 544
Most here at MoA seriously underestimate Trump. I’m predicting an agreement to end the Ukraine war by May and an agreed upon path to peace in the Middle East by the end of the year.

Posted by: Paranaense | Jan 7 2025 5:27 utc | 447

In response to
”
Most here at MoA seriously underestimate Trump. I’m predicting an agreement to end the Ukraine war by May and an agreed upon path to peace in the Middle East by the end of the year.
Posted by: Paranaense | Jan 7 2025 5:27 utc | 547
”
What continues to baffle me is why people think empire is still in charge of events. I posit the fall of Ukraine will not fit neatly into the Biden/Trump plans. Unless they want to put boots on the ground, Russia’s advances will determine the time of surrender and negotiation.
Ukraine is part of a bigger civilization war that will precipitate Western economic collapse if/when it goes down. So it is existential for the West to continue the whatever or let society exist with totally sovereign finance not under the control of the God Of Mammon private cult of global finance.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 7 2025 5:42 utc | 449

547 Paranense.
Agreed. I believe this conflict is easily finished. Ukrainian Nazi former aggressors to their own countrymen need to leave Russia meaning the four formerly Ukrainian, now Russian, oblasts in eastern Ukraine. Until the Nazis leave the oblasts (could be called provinces in English) there will be war. The old blasts were annexed by Russia according to international law above board. The annexation was solicited by the Ukrainian population that was under attack by their own people had to be hessed of USA NATO and the West. Indiscriminate killing of men women and children by the way same as they do in Libya Syria all over the world mainly.
I have a question for the bar.
If the richest man in the world is not Elon musk then who is it?
If you have never been to Russia, not studied Russian, no Russian family members, never studied Russian history or literature and you are commenting on this blog please cease and desist.

Posted by: Diego | Jan 7 2025 6:02 utc | 451

Like the archives 554

Posted by: Diego | Jan 7 2025 6:25 utc | 453

If you have never been to Russia, not studied Russian, no Russian family members, never studied Russian history or literature and you are commenting on this blog please cease and desist.
Posted by: Diego | Jan 7 2025 6:02 utc | 553
Dee-ah-go this blogosphere is about Alabama… so take your own advice.

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 6:54 utc | 455

@Paranaense | Tue, 07 Jan 2025 05:27:00 GMT | 547

Most here at MoA seriously underestimate Trump. I’m predicting an agreement to end the Ukraine war by May and an agreed upon path to peace in the Middle East by the end of the year.

It would only be war exhaustion by the principal parties in those conflicts that would lead to that scenario. Trump would have little to do with it, other than to mediate and take credit, which he’s good at (taking credit that is). American influence on the world is greatly exaggerated and increasingly waning.

Posted by: James M. | Jan 7 2025 7:12 utc | 457

NATO countries launch a hunt for Russian civilian ships.
Led by🇬🇧Great Britain, 🇩🇰Denmark,🇪🇪Estonia,🇫🇮Finland,🇮🇸Iceland,🇱🇻Latvia,🇱🇹Lithuania,🇳🇴Norway,🇳🇱the Netherlands and🇸🇪Sweden, has created the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to protect underwater infrastructure. JEF will use British software, the simplest algorithms of which will monitor and warn specific ships (from a special list) when they move near underwater communication areas. While this list is limited to the “shadow fleet”, in the future any ship may be listed there.
JEF has already launched Operation Nordic Warden to protect communications from “deliberate acts of sabotage”, with the program being actively used to control 22 areas in the English Channel and Kattegat, as well as in the North and Baltic Seas. As part of the operation, maneuvers of ships and aircraft of the navies of the JEF countries are also being carried out.
✨In fact, the instrument creates far-fetched reasons for carrying out violent seizures of ships that these freaks consider dangerous or unprofitable for their states. Indicative is the arrest of the tanker Eagle S by Finnish security forces on December 26, 2024 on suspicion of a break in the EstLink 2 submarine cable. This means that the number of such piracy activities by NATO scumbags will only increase.
My note:
Damage to submarine cables is a daily occurrence!
In 2023 alone there were about 78 of them, there is even a fleet spread all over the world that is only there to rush to these damages to repair them. Nobody was interested, there was little or no press.
WHAT I AM MEANING IS…
This damage allegedly caused by Russian ships (not proven) is being made very big in the press…
used to undermine the Russian damage fleet, used to prepare civil society in case Russia strikes back.

Posted by: ossi | Jan 7 2025 7:56 utc | 459

Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 7 2025 0:52 utc | 506
Talking of financials, what if President Trump’s primary mission is to devalue the dollar. He is a bankruptcy specialist with exceptional ability to keep the core intact

Posted by: Michael J | Jan 7 2025 8:16 utc | 461

Posted by: ossi | Jan 7 2025 7:56 utc | 561
Iranian type tit for tat ship seizure is one way of stopping it

Posted by: Michael J | Jan 7 2025 8:31 utc | 463

There was an individual who displayed certain traits that was hard to miss, made some good points but had this impotent rage and inferiority complex.
This person literally lost the plot and threaten to destroy MoA.
Some of the aliases used are easy to spot, it’s always the same “tell”. x, Philly, Chen.
Then, there are others like “steve from oz”, Steve Blanchard (?), Ben Trovata. Post something reasonable and then come back as someone else to praise earlier post as something outstandingly insightful.
To be honest, I always thought this was the late Richard Steven Hack, a legend in his own mind. I believe he has a Substack page and I do hope it’s going well. Just not to my taste.
Anyway, I read from last post backwards. If I don’t recognise the “name”, I’ll read a bit and quickly decide if it’s worth the effort.
Cheers peeps and keep on keeping on.

Posted by: Suresh | Jan 7 2025 9:09 utc | 465

@ KevinB | Jan 7 2025 1:55 utc | 514
Yes.
@ Ghost of Zanon | Jan 7 2025 2:34 utc | 520
Dick Tracy had a watch radio in the 50’s. Now we have that and so much more.

Posted by: I forgot | Jan 7 2025 9:30 utc | 467

Merry Nativity of Christ, today’s the Orthodox celebration, time to reflect on what’s coming, the big Victory.
Thanks to whoever posted the Todd link, excellent interview and a good chance to practice my abandoned French. Highly recommended.
Thanks to all the insights about AI, the destruction of language has brought us to this sorry state, who could have thought that intelligence could be artificial? But then again English is doomed medium term, publicity killed it. In any case it is easy to detect, even for a non native speaker like me.
I won’t feed it though, so cheers to all and keep your well guarded secrets from the machine, in spite of its awesomeness it is very weak and frail, all that is needed is to turn off the lights. Wow, that sounds like Morrison and his “When the music’s over”.

Posted by: Paco | Jan 7 2025 9:40 utc | 469

Military Summary had video of FAB 3000 being dropped, and Ka 52 attacks.
Someone ignored the no trespassing signs.
With Berdin and elsewhere, it seems as if the Russian tactical policy is to fall back when counter attacked if needed.
UKrain needs to do something different if they do not want a rout.

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 9:57 utc | 471

@Suresh | Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:09:00 GMT | 571

There was an individual who displayed certain traits that was hard to miss, made some good points but had this impotent rage and inferiority complex….
To be honest, I always thought this was the late Richard Steven Hack, a legend in his own mind.

I try not to engage with him and his many iterations anymore. I seem to trigger him, and it’s just not a rabbit hole I want to go down anymore. So I block him and his multiple personalities once I spot the trend. It makes for quicker reading on the forum and less stress. Let him rage, there’s not much we can do about it now anyway.

Posted by: James M. | Jan 7 2025 9:59 utc | 473

With Berdin and elsewhere, it seems as if the Russian tactical policy is to fall back when counter attacked if needed.
UKrain needs to do something different if they do not want a rout.
Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 9:57 utc | 577
And RuAF are attacking at the same time, flanking the attack on Berdin. No wonder there haven’t been any attempts on the lives of Syrsky and Zelensky from RuAF, they might get replaced with someone competent and not focused on pushing for propaganda victories.

https://t.me/dva_majors/61977
Summary for the morning of January 7, 2025
In the Kursk region, for the second day, the Russian Armed Forces held back the enemy onslaught in the Sudzha – Bolshoye Soldatskoye direction. The enemy again threw infantry and armored vehicles into battle, but did not achieve success, losing at least 35 units of equipment (including tanks) and more than 200 personnel in attacks. During the day, 14 enemy personnel were captured in the area of ​​the Berdin farmstead, and during interrogation they said that up to 50 percent of the enemy infantry were from the special contingent (prisoners, including forcibly mobilized ones).At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces, taking advantage of the enemy’s distraction for these politically motivated actions, managed to enter Malaya Loknya on the northern flank and advance to Makhnovka, a couple of kilometers from Sudzha. It was also reported from the field that the liberation of the village of Russkoye Porechnoye was nearing completion.

Posted by: 5thcolumn | Jan 7 2025 10:20 utc | 475

Posted by: Melaleuca | Jan 6 2025 4:37 utc | 259

………………………
But no. Seasoned barflies who really should know better, fuel the nonsense.
And then blubber that the threads are shyte.
Peter could be an annoying prick on occasion, but he was a champion at calling out the trolls ~ and their enabler-feeders.

Do you think any paid CIPSO employee ( = lousy character pig ) cares about this behavior?

Posted by: ghiwen | Jan 7 2025 10:30 utc | 477

Front report of the Russian Defense Ministry – January 7, 2025 11:36 am
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
The Russian military units North, West, South, Center, East and Dnieper inflicted some fire damage on the Ukrainian troops. It is reported that 18 counterattacks by the Ukrainian army were repelled during the day and more than 1,635 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded.
In addition, the following were destroyed or hit:
34 Cars,
two pick-ups,
five D-20 howitzers,
ten D-30 howitzers,
five self-propelled artillery guns of the Gwosdika type,
a self-propelled artillery weapon of the Akazija type,
six armored personnel carriers,
five tanks, including two German-made Leopard tanks,
an Iveco armored fighting vehicle of Italian production,
a Melara Mod 56 howitzer of Italian production,
a self-propelled artillery weapon of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 type from German production,
nine armored combat vehicles, including three US-made M113 personnel carriers,
two M777 howitzers from US production,
two M198 howitzers from US production,
four M119 howitzers of US production.
According to the report, an Israeli-made RADA RPS-42 artillery reconnaissance radar, eight electronic warfare stations, including four Khortiza, two Bukovel-AD and one Anklav, and six ammunition depots belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces were also destroyed.
Russian aircraft, drones, missile troops and artillery have hit the infrastructure of military airfields, ammunition depots, military personnel and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and mercenaries in 164 districts.
Russian air defense forces shot down six US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system missiles and 50 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Posted by: smartfox | Jan 7 2025 10:44 utc | 479

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 7 2025 4:45 utc | 534
I was just watching a new Nima podcast with PCR until I couldn’t stand it anymore and now see who Chen is channeling, Paul Craig Roberts.
PCR says Putin is going to surrender.
I wonder if I had what these folks are smoking if it would help my pain management
PCR says a deal will be made with Putin which will effectually amount to his surrender. His logic seems pretty flawless to me(he’s definitely not ‘whacked out, sheesh!), and judging by the ‘deal’ Putin made, or agreed to, with the Turks, Israelis, and Americans in Syria, well, it seems even more likely. And not to mention not putting his foot down regarding the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
I, too, am starting to see Putin and Lavrov as just two more passengers on the old neoliberal choo-choo, albeit with good manners.

Posted by: john | Jan 7 2025 11:29 utc | 481

Posted by: 5thcolumn | Jan 7 2025 10:20 utc | 581
Syrsky is the best Ukrainian commander Russia has ever had in this war. He has truly earned the title of Hero of Russia.
Posted by: guest from franconia | Jan 7 2025 10:28 utc | 582
The NATO strategists seem to be primarily concerned with optics. If they really wanted UKrain to win, they would have modernized and built up their forces before any 21′ Bayraktar attacks on the Donbass.
Any fool could have looked at a map in Feb. 22 and seen that in order for Russia to win, all it needed was to blow up the bridges on the Dneiper and slowly seige Eastern UKrain.
The Russians did not choose the simplest path, though that option has always been there as a potential plan. With Oreshnik it becomes plan O, conventionally destroying logistic routes becomes much easier. At a minimum it secures Russia’s near borders from major attack (not Kursk). Maximum… depends on production rate.
Even now UKrain could find a way to a stalemate imo. It would involve doing what the Russians did in the fall of 22′, retreating to more defendable positions. Tech development would be key. Winning involves making hard choices.
Slava Chutzpahyim!
As it is, they will have to accede and wait on some disruptor tech advantage from the US, some of it a go and some of it is not a given, as China and Russia will have their own achievements.
A friend mentioned that the Chinese are graduating ceramic engineers at an annual rate that matches all the existing total number of ceramic engineers in the US.
Fellow bar hoppers, a larger war is near.

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 11:52 utc | 483

but when Putin and Lavrov talk about a return to the Istanbul agreements then you should be concerned
HughG | Jan 7 2025 11:31 utc | 589
they didn’t. You are making the same mistake as many others: reading diagonally, without paying attention to the finer formulations, which are important for precise understanding with people like Putin and Lavrov.
They have repeatedly included the reference with a “we’ve been there before, that was an opportunity that was not seized”.
They have not mentioned that this is an issue again, but have repeatedly formulated the new demands clearly and unambiguously and made it equally clear that they are non-negotiable, so there is no possibility of interpretation or trickery.
That is a completely different quality and anyone who thinks they can make a “deal” and formulate something away (the interpretive sovereignty of the West) is in a dream world.

Posted by: smartfox | Jan 7 2025 12:08 utc | 485

Even now UKrain could find a way to a stalemate imo. It would involve doing what the Russians did in the fall of 22′, retreating to more defendable positions. Tech development would be key. Winning involves making hard choices.
Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 11:52 utc | 590
This wouldn’t fly with the US and interests of Blackrock and such as it would lead to a larger loss of valuable land and resources that are concentrated in Donbas and neighbouring oblasts. They will lose it anyway though, maybe at slower pace, just yesterday RuAF captured Shevchenko and with it, Ukraine’s largest lithium deposit. Retreating would also make it harder to sell the “Ukraine is winning” or has a “chance to win” narrative to the serfs and less informed MPs, which could make approving more $$$ to be sent to Kiev harder, not in the US though. With Mike Johnson winning speaker of the House again, I see no trouble with more $$$ being sent to Kiev under Trump, who endorsed him for the vote by the way. It was clear as the sky that Trump helped Johnson to pass the $60B to Ukraine through the House in april 2024. Only those with Trump delusion syndrome belive he will stop aid to Ukraine.

Posted by: 5thcolumn | Jan 7 2025 12:12 utc | 487

@ 593
Strategic mistake imo for my country, the US, to ever have driven Russia towards China.
that was not Trump’s mistake alone, but just the logical continuation of American greed and fear that Western Europe (especially Germany) could create its own European superpower together with Russia.
The mistake was that they did not consider the possibility that Russia, if its offers of friendship (speech to the German Bundestag) were rejected by the West, would look for another partner with whom a stable counterweight to the USA would be possible.
So short-sightedness and a focus on short-term advantages instead of long-term ones.

Posted by: smartfox | Jan 7 2025 12:32 utc | 489

@Smartfox – 592
When Lavrov spoke with Tucker Carlson he said
“Russia has never refused and is always ready to continue peace talks and the Istanbul agreements remain on the table and can serve as a basis for the continuation of these negotiations”.
Trump can say: Moscow, take everyone to the Line of Contact. And that’s enough. Agreed? But for Russia, this is completely
unacceptable. This is an inevitable new war and a very likely disintegration of Russia itself.
I commend Lavrov the diplomat, but Russia maneuvering diplomatically, are embarrassed to call things by their proper names.
However, is better to be straightforward with Trump. Ukraine is Russia’s (all of it), and this is not up for discussion. We are fighting there with conventional weapons until victory. What sacrifices we make is our concern. Occupy yourself with something else. Sanctions can remain; relations do not need to be renewed. This is for later. But Ukraine will be ours, completely and unconditionally.
China is doing just that. Chinese President Xi Jinping reminded Trump of the undeniable nature of China’s strategic “four red lines”: Americans must avoid any steps that could undermine the Communist Party’s power, “push the country toward democracy,” curb its economic growth, or encourage Taiwan’s independence.

Posted by: HughG | Jan 7 2025 12:42 utc | 491

Posted by: smartfox | Jan 7 2025 12:32 utc | 597
Agreed, good post smartie.
This wouldn’t fly with the US and interests of Blackrock and such… Only those with Trump delusion syndrome belive he will stop aid to Ukraine.
Posted by: 5thcolumn | Jan 7 2025 12:12 utc | 594
Sigh, a lot of dead men because of short term profits. Agreed, one way or the other UKrain will be funded, but the amounts will be reduced and enough to make a large difference on the battle field.
Looking grim for UKrain, even without lessened funding. Trump may suddenly get cancer, or have a heart attack.

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 13:21 utc | 493

http://www.halturnerradioshow.com- published first detail picture of devastation done by ORESCHNIK/HAZEL… looks terrifying…

Posted by: sejmon | Jan 7 2025 13:23 utc | 495

If UKrain refuses to negotiate a peace, it may have to turn the symbol of the sea trident into a pitch fork.

Posted by: jopalolive | Jan 7 2025 13:29 utc | 497

Posted by: HughG | Jan 6 2025 17:14 utc | 416 Open Thread 2025-002
the Ukrainian attacks (seek) to create an air corridor – a weak spot in the air defence line, for the subsequent organization of a massive attack of cruise missiles and aircraft through this hole. To strike at Moscow – at some strategic target. it’s not for nothing that they so persistently throw so much effort into this direction.
<= I agree, the unconscionable losses associated with the Kurch invasion makes no sense without some underlying motive like burying a nuke, or creating on the ground based aireal guidance system (a ground based set of beacons (like VORs) western missiles can programmed to use to evade Russian magnetic electronic defense systems or implanting a bio weapon of some sort? As an observer, I think the really important thing to understand is the west will continue to attack Russia for as long as it takes to destroy Russia (centuries if necessary).. and winning is not about military its about keeping Russian resources and Russian talents from competing any place in the world, including even in Russia. In the end, unless Russia destroys the west first, the West will destroy the Russian Federation and any other system of governance Russian or other that successfully presents as competition to the king of the mountain clut that governs the western world. The mountain kings will take, keep, colonize, exploit and decimate Russia as soon as the West can. Its a hate, king of the mountain people develop when competition to their status rises to challenge their Rule. The king of the Western mind cannot rest until bothersome competition is eliminated. The Western leaders cannot sleep knowing a competitor exist somewhere. Hate is an emotion that take control of behavior IRT a competitive threat. Competition driven hate produces bogey man fear that some where in the world exist a competitor capable to change who is the king of the mountain. Without realizing it, Putin defined the top three classes as NAZI and directed that they be disposed of in the SMO, but I don't think Putin yet understands that every nation under western influence has at its top the same three top level classes that exist in Ukraine. All nations infected with this competition driven hate behave and think like NAZIs because it is their only defense. No matter the benefits Russia can offer the west, ALA Russia remains a sovereign surviving independent nation, the people that are the PTB (City of London and Wall Street) will refuse to allow Russia to offer goods and services to its customers. To once again be a market player in the world sphere Russia will likely have to do whatever it takes to destroy the folks in Classes 1, 2, and 3 in every nation under western control. That task is next to impossible. Russia cannot win. Russia might manage not to lose, but it cannot win, even if it defeats every Army the West directs against Russia, even if Russia has a 100% effective defense system still Russia will be the loser. The west will just attack and attack and attack its part of the Psychic of the mind created by the western culture. Its the same thing that happened to Hitler's Germany, ASA a culture becomes competitive or has dominion and control over valuable resources or technology it becomes an existential enemy to western Class 1, 2, and 3 folks. As such that competitor will be attacked and attacked and attacked until its entire sovereignty is eliminated, not just defeated, but completely and totally wiped out[Gaza]. Economic Zionism is about being king of the mountain. And the king wants no competition not even a tint of competition is to be allowed to survive. Germany has been 100% westernized, yet Germany's economic future is strongly linked to Russian resources.. if the top three levels in the west did not have Germany under control, the west would be after Germany just as it is now after Russia and China. Putin is not going to find western diplomacy to be honest, useful or reliable in his search to find a solution to this hate created by propaganda maintained competition-intolerant western culture. Competition driven hate and the fear that goes with it.. is a pathology.. that western culture has molded into the brain of every human born in a western nation state.. and that pathology, in those nation states, has been merged with the idea of Patriotism. So that supporting the pathology becomes an act of Patriotism. Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jan 6 2025 18:02 utc | 426 Open Thread 2025-002 ..[Inorder].. for BRICS to become something more than a country club for empire refuseniks, it must do a couple of things: 1. Any member country must cease issuing sovereign debt in USD, immediately 2. An iron-clad mechanism for seamlessly bypassing any Western country sanctions, such as trading in local currencies or using an intermediary such as BTC that is beyond the long-arm of western shit-fuckery. <=What would happen if each nation, BRICS or not, self created USD indistinguishable from the quadrillions of USD already in circulation? What's to stop the nations from printing their own USD? Would the face value printed on the currency itself become the hegemon (Lincoln thought so)? Would central bank involvement in international transactions disappear? Would or could any nation ever run out of $USD or be required to borrow from others like the world bank? Would interest due on the issue debt disappear? If there were no interest to pay on currency in use, would that eliminate inflation? Would global pricing of commodities become more or less uniform? Would a single currency, supplied as needed, by any one of the nation states in the nation state system, transform trade into digital bits? Would nations no longer need to tax those they govern? Would the hurt involved with sanctions disappear if each nations could print as much USD as it needs whenever it desires? A different world is developing.. One where profit may no longer be the goal. Posted by: KevinB | Jan 7 2025 1:55 utc | 514 Open Thread 2025-002 When the very nature of human existence is about to change[by AI], what's going on in the steppes of Ukraine is small beer indeed. <=without employment there can be no taxes, without taxes nations cannot pay interest on the nation's debt.and the Bankers would lose their income? The idea that every nation can print and use the same currency, accommodates the coming projected situation. If there is no interest to pay on issued currency the balance in the nation's debt account is equal to the currency in circulation. The cost of Employment will no longer be a incorporated into the trade values represented in the currency used to facilitate the trade. Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 7 2025 5:42 utc | 550 Open Thread 2025-002 Ukraine is part of a bigger civilization war that will precipitate Western economic collapse.. <=I agree but the west, and the totality of the nation state system for that matter, is composed of four classes.. the only persons to be negatively impacted by a change in the organization of civilization will be those in classes 1,2, and 3. Class 4 people will likely experience a new and very different freedom. The digital platform and loss of restrictions that control access to currencies may actually transform the system of governance from top down to bottom up. Societies may be transformed from Aristocratically controlled to societies that are controlled by majority rule( direct democracy).

Posted by: snake | Jan 7 2025 13:33 utc | 499