If all it takes is cheap Russian gas to prosper then how come all the countries around Russia that buy the gas even cheaper, and Russia itself, hasn't prospered!?
Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
- Thread starter Wednesday at Stoke
- Start date
If all it takes is cheap Russian gas to prosper then how come all the countries around Russia that buy the gas even cheaper, and Russia itself, hasn't prospered!?
Probably because the western countries also have the infrastructure and production that can turn that cheap energy into profit?
Belarus is set to join the fray.
Even if you have a solid foundation you still have to build something on top of it.
If they are they’re in for a walloping. Hopefully they don’t prove too irritating a distraction.
So what's the base for the prosperity then? The commodity that can be replaced or the framework which enables it's exploitation? (Western Europe was rich long before it was "reliant" on cheap Russian gas. Anyone who swallows and repeats that "European prosperity is built on Russian gas" is doing Putin's work in my book).
Both? Why does it have to be exclusive?
If said commodity is replaced but the price goes up and the product is not as profitable anymore, the commodity was crucial.
It doesn't have to be exclusive, however to me saying something is "based" on something else implies it's a prerequisite. When in reality most energy demanding industries (steel, cement, chemicals etc.) have moved outside the EU long ago because even before this war energy was a lot more expensive in the EU than in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Russia, China and likely a few more.
also his name could be in a Dostojewski novel
Yep, looks very much like it. Shite times for them for the next 50 years. Russia is the richest country in the world when it comes to natural resources. It has enough resources to build back its economy if sanctions are lifted in the future. Belarus will suffer so much more for way longer. Hopefully, Lukashenko is overthrown once Putin is gone.
Ukraine's first IRIS-T SLM air defence battery on the road in Poland last night. Probably operational somewhere in Ukraine in 1-2 days.
And in other news: a Berlin court ruled that a museum is allowed to put a destroyed Russian tank in front of the Russian embassy there. Should become quite a nice picture, that embarassy (forgive me the pun, I couldn't resist)
"Captain. Klingon bird decloaking aft....."
"On screen...."
"On screen...."
Anyone else getting "Summertime Special 1976" vibes from this?
Have you gone crazy??
Question:
Why isn't (unless I've just not seen it reported) Russia knocking out all the critical infrastructure in Ukraine at this point. Power plants, water treatment facilities, TV/Radio masts?
Is it a case Putin still thinks he'll take so much land that he needs to keep all that functioning so the country can essentially prosper as an extension of Russia?
Why isn't (unless I've just not seen it reported) Russia knocking out all the critical infrastructure in Ukraine at this point. Power plants, water treatment facilities, TV/Radio masts?
Is it a case Putin still thinks he'll take so much land that he needs to keep all that functioning so the country can essentially prosper as an extension of Russia?
Maybe they’ve been trying and failing at it? Their military hardware is not as accurate as YouTube edgelords have made us believe over the years.
Its probably the next thing on the list if the Ukrainians keep putting off PR coups like the Kerch bridge, or if Putin simply can't make any progress elsewhere on eastern or southern fronts.
Last edited:
I'll bet Otis B. Driftwood gets it.
Considering how much they have been shafted by their nuclear disarment treaty, its almost like they are owed one. It would also stop Putin waving his atomic dick around.
Inserting that character into Duck Soup would have made it a very different movie.
More likely it's just a lack of capability. Russia doesn't have enough cruise missiles etc to perform all the necessary strikes. They already use S300/S400 air defence in ground attack mode and the recent uptick in attacks was also powered by loitering munitions bought from Iran (this could become a bigger problem, depending on Iran's capabilities and willingness to help Russia).
They're using inaccurate anti aircraft missiles on ground targets, as they don't have enough/ don't want to waste high-tech precision missiles, which cost lots of money and require parts which are sanctioned.
It sounds like a couple of power stations were hit yesterday by precision missiles, but I'm not sure the cost is worth the damage at scale, as other attacks on infrastructure in this war (including yesterday's) have been fixed relatively quickly.
What could possibly go wrong by attacking a country with the world's largest stockpile of nukes.
Interesting footage of a Russian truck destroyed by a DM-22 mine:
Looks like the driver knows/fears that there are mines and drives backwards to increase his chances, yet the DM-22 simply isn't targeted directly at the front but at the presumed center of the tank that should trigger it - so in this case, it's just a full hit on the driver. The DM-22 isn't a traditional mine, but more like an automatically triggered Panzerfaust that you put next to a road and the trigger cable on the road, that's why you see that shot.
Looks like the driver knows/fears that there are mines and drives backwards to increase his chances, yet the DM-22 simply isn't targeted directly at the front but at the presumed center of the tank that should trigger it - so in this case, it's just a full hit on the driver. The DM-22 isn't a traditional mine, but more like an automatically triggered Panzerfaust that you put next to a road and the trigger cable on the road, that's why you see that shot.
These shows appear set up to manipulate public opinion to align with Kremlin narratives. I would imagine most of the participants on the shows are playing to an audience of one.
Lukashenka is stuck on this one. Don't do anything and risk estrangment from the mother ship. Do something (like allow Russians to attack from the north again) and face the wrath of western sanctions.
Despite what we know about Russia, this still manages to actually shock you.
In the medium-term that might not be a bad thing, because, unlike in Russia, we know the Belarusian people have some balls and could exploit a power vacuum by taking to the streets.
One of the famed far-right petty criminals who early on took roles in the DPR/LPR. He has Ukrainian citizenship, but is well known as a member of pro-Russian/pan-Slavic Neo Nazi groups.
Genuinely his best option is turn on Putin, he's basically been stalling since Feb and it looks like he'll have to commit one way or the other soon.
According to Ian Bremner, Musk spoke directly with Putin before tweeting out his peace plans. The same Bremner tweeted earlier that Musk's peace plan is very similar to Putin's demands.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/ake44z/elon-musk-vladimir-putin-ukraine
https://www.vice.com/en/article/ake44z/elon-musk-vladimir-putin-ukraine
Heart says definitely yes. It's time for Europe to stop fearing small dick energy psychopaths and someday even stop rellying that much on America to come with military help, everytime genocide is commited.
Is there a difference between what Russian propagandists are doing (advocating for violence) and what Felicien Kabuga was responsible for in Rwanda?
So basically Elon was used as the Putin's latest useful idiot.
I thought I was ready for it but I really wasn't. Jesus.
I think they've already done enough to justify a life sentence.
It looks like a missile took it out, shot from the far side, over 100 m away at least.