Ukraine War: David And Goliath

[Werthead]

China has apparently refused to invest in the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline and is looking for further gas discounts from Russia. Russia's Gazprom might be in trouble because it has had to expend two-thirds of its 2021 cash reserve to cover its titanic losses since the start of the war and it has had to cut production by over 25%, the biggest reduction in its history. Without the PoS2 (ha), Russia has no way of offloading its excess gas so may have to proceed anyway, at a huge cost to the Russian state.

The unit that complained to Shoigu about not being rotated from the Krynky area have now said they have been reduced to just 50 men from three companies, and cannot undertake the orders they have been given to hold their positions, let alone try to retake the Dnipro islands lost to Ukraine a few months ago.

Russia's defence industry has failed to make any significant sales at the Dubai Airshow. Russian aerospace companies were moved to a side of the hall away from the big guns and were unable to convince anyone to buy their equipment, despite competitive discounts and inventive advice on how to avoid the sanctions regime.

Russian state media has been discussing the need to capture...Lisbon. That might be putting the cart before the horse at this stage.

Ukraine has declassified intel on an operation from 13 May this year. Russian aircraft were launching attacks on Ukrainian soil and Ukraine engaged them with Patriot systems firing at long range. Reportedly, in less than ten minutes, Russia lost one Su-34, one Su-35, two Mi-8MTPR-1 variant helicopters and another standard Mi-8. Later that day, the same battery shot down an Su-35 operating over the Black Sea in international waters, apparently thinking it was out of range of Ukrainian air defence. Since the advent of Patriot and the "Bryansk Massacre," Russian aircraft have pulled back even further, reducing their effectiveness over Ukraine with anything but the longest-ranged cruise missiles.

The families of servicemen in Novosibirsk who previously demanded the return of their soldiers (or their bodies) have loudly protested after they were called "foreign agents" by a Russian TV host. They told him, "We are not enemies of the people, we are the people."

Some complaints on the front of newly-arrived Russian weapons misfiring or not being properly tested. Mortar bombs are arriving with much less gunpowder than they should have, meaning they can't be aimed properly (as they're lighter, so don't travel the estimated distances) and when they detonate, do much less damage. One Russian soldier complained that "even the Iranian bombs are better!"

[mormont]

1 hour ago, Werthead said:

Russian state media has been discussing the need to capture...Lisbon.

My colleague had to cancel a trip to Lisbon this weekend. Sounds like she dodged a bullet, literally!

[Zorral]

2 hours ago, Werthead said:

Russian state media has been discussing the need to capture...Lisbon. That might be putting the cart before the horse at this stage.

Um ... what are the reasons and justifications, please.  

[Werthead]

45 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Um ... what are the reasons and justifications, please.  

I suspect you are looking for logic where there is none.

[3CityApache]

12 hours ago, Zorral said:

Um ... what are the reasons and justifications, please.  

Probably, it's because they can (say anything).

[Luzifer's right hand]

As Lisbon is at the other end of Europe I assume it is a call for the conquest of the entire continent.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

1 hour ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

As Lisbon is at the other end of Europe I assume it is a call for the conquest of the entire continent.

This is one of the most incredibly stupid things to ever come out of Russia… with… what… army… or… navy?

[Loge]

1 hour ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

As Lisbon is at the other end of Europe I assume it is a call for the conquest of the entire continent.

All the NATO members, anyway.

[Luzifer's right hand]

41 minutes ago, Loge said:

All the NATO members, anyway.

*relived Austrian noises*

What makes a country turn neutral? Lust for natural gas?

[horangi]

17 hours ago, Zorral said:

Um ... what are the reasons and justifications, please.  

The Vinho Verde embargo is starting to hit the Kremlin hard.

[Zorral]

Or, maybe Russian hobbyist re-enactors are wanting to role play the 711 Umayyad Caliphate invasion of Iberia?  Though Lisbon didn't exist then.  Whatever! 

Also, don't forget the Port!  Though that didn't get going until the 17th C -- I think. 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Zorral

[Makk]

Russia's defense and "law enforcement" spending in 2024 is set to be around 39% of the federal budget. I continue to be amazed that so many Russians are either supportive or ambivalent towards this war. Putin is inflicting staggering both short term and long term damage to the country and not enough Russians care enough to do anything about it.

[Werthead]

Russians are starting to alter the Z signs they formerly displayed on their cars with pride. Now they say things like "I'm exZausted," and "Bring back my Zon-inlaw."

Meanwhile, the sewer systems in Astrakhan have apparently overloaded, and the streets are similarly full of shit in Chita. Local administrations are saying they have zero budget to effect repairs.

Ukrainian battlefield engineers continuing to improve on donated equipment, with US-supplied HMMWVs getting extra armour, enclosed secondary passenger cabins and enclosed cargo boxes (the exposed ones are useless in the current weather). 

[Wilbur]

Trent Telenko with a long thread about how the winter weather is likely to cause tremendous casualties among the poorly-equipped-for-winter mobiks in a number of ways.

Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko): "I caught a lot of h--l because I said the 2022 RuAF were less prepared for trench foot and frostbite than the Winter 1944 US Army because of corruption I remember all the accounts last year saying RuAF was better in winter protecting their troops because...they were Russians? 1/ https://twitter.com/PStyle0ne1/status/1729268683296612623" | nitter

[House Balstroko]

13 hours ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

As Lisbon is at the other end of Europe I assume it is a call for the conquest of the entire continent.

I had to double check to make sure there was no other city called Lisbon they had in mind.

[Zorral]

47 minutes ago, House Balstroko said:

no other city called Lisbon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon,_North_Dakota

 

[DanteGabriel]

I've long thought that Portuguese sounded like Spanish spoken with a Russian accent, so maybe they thought they'd found another enclave of "ethnic Russians."

[House Balstroko]

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon,_North_Dakota

 

I figured as much.  That would be an even wilder take than going for the one in Portugal. Maybe Russians will take an interest in St Petersburg, Florida or Moscow, Idaho. 
 

P.S. Don’t tell Serbs about Belgrade, Montana. 

46 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

I've long thought that Portuguese sounded like Spanish spoken with a Russian accent, so maybe they thought they'd found another enclave of "ethnic Russians."

The Brazilian variant occasionally comes across as such. 

[Zorral]

10 hours ago, House Balstroko said:

That would be an even wilder take than going for the one in Portugal.

Particularly as there many Ukrainian descendants in North Dakota, who are not in the least in favor of Putin's war on Ukraine - they weren't happy about Crimea either.  BTW, this is the only positive thing this former NoDak can say about North Dakotans generally.  Though there are good people among them, generally they are racist, sexist, intolerant bigots who know nothing about the world generally and don't want to and see no reason to.

However!  back to Portugal; Brasilian Portuguese is much easier to speak and on the ears.  As one Brasilian puts it -- "we open our mouths when we speak, our minds and bodies are relaxed.  The Portuguese in Portugal are all tied up in knots and barely open their lips, much less their mouths."  

Edited November 29, 2023 by Zorral

[Corvinus85]

It appears another Russian general has been killed in Ukraine. Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps, is said to have stepped on a mine.