More Bad News for Russia

[AkMike]

The Indians HATE Their New Russian-Made Stealth Fighter

New Delhi says Sukhoi T-50 is pricey, sloppy, under-powered




T-50. Wikipedia photo






Russia’s new T-50 stealth fighter is fast, maneuverable, heavily-armed and hard to detect on radar. In theory.

But according to Indian air force officials, in practice the Sukhoi-made stealth jet is also too expensive, poorly engineered and powered by old and unreliable engines.

The Indians’ complaints illustrate the yawning gulf between stealth warplane design and the actual production of radar-evading jets. In other words, it’s one thing to sketch an advanced warplane on paper. It’s quite another to build one and get it to work.

All new aerospace development is difficult and many planes get poor reviews early in testing. But the gripes coming out of New Delhi are particularly worrisome for the Russians.


http://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-indians-hate-their-new-russian-made-stealth-fighter-d89b9ce721de

[AC]

Please stop spewing Western propaganda, Mike.  You know that Putin's military is more than a match for the USA, at least in theory.   

[AkMike]

My Bad.. maybe. 

 Is India east or west?   

[AkMike]

Germany to bring 100 mothballed tanks back into service

Germany plans to bring 100 mothballed tanks back into service in what is widely seen as a response to rising tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

The tanks were sold to industry as part of defence cuts after the Cold War.

The German defence ministry said it would spend €22m (£16m;$24m) on bringing its total of tanks to 328.

Nato officials agreed in February to create a quick-reaction force to meet the challenges posed by the Ukraine crisis and by Islamic extremists.

Nato defence ministers have also agreed to more than double the size of the alliance's Response Force.

The moves were seen as a signal that Nato regards Russia's seizure of Crimea and its military forays into eastern Ukraine as much more than a temporary crisis.

German defence ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff confirmed a report by Der Spiegel (in German), saying 100 Leopard 2 battle tanks will be bought back from the defence industry, which has kept them in storage.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32257543

[alex330]

Russia’s new T-50 stealth fighter is fast, maneuverable, heavily-armed and hard to detect on radar. In theory.

But according to Indian air force officials, in practice the Sukhoi-made stealth jet is also too expensive, poorly engineered and powered by old and unreliable engines.

The Indians’ complaints illustrate the yawning gulf between stealth warplane design and the actual production of radar-evading jets. In other words, it’s one thing to sketch an advanced warplane on paper. It’s quite another to build one and get it to work.

The signature from the large engines make the T-50's stealth claim hard to back up.

[lordtiberius]

Minsk was never meant to be a permanent agreement, but as intrigues in the Kremlin persist.  The front is more and more permanent:

http://www.euronews.com/2015/04/09/normandy-group-to-discuss-minsk-agreement-in-berlin/

The danger is that neither side is geographically safe.  Only the Dnieper river serves to separate the two forces and that river is more of a speed bump than a geographic barrier.  Ukraine only spends $ 2 to every $ 100 the Russians spend. Sigh, the rest of Europe still thinks this is 1989 . . .  .

[AkMike]

Russians Begin to Count the Cost of Crimea

On March 18, Russia celebrated the first anniversary of its reunification with (or the annexation of) Crimea. The previously jubilant Russian media is now more concerned with Crimean problems and focuses on the difficulties the peninsula faces as a result of joining the Russian Federation. So what conclusions can we draw a year after the annexation of Crimea?

The peninsula has joined the Russian Federation for good. Whoever becomes Russia's next president will not relinquish Crimea. If Crimea became a part of Ukraine again, the next logical steps would be returning Abkhazia and South Ossetia to Georgia and giving the self-proclaimed republic of Transdnestr back to Moldova.

This seems like an impossible scenario. Therefore, Russia's adversaries will be forced to recognize the de facto annexation of Crimea.

From an economic standpoint, Russia gained nothing by annexing Crimea. Russia does not need Crimea. Russia did not even need the city of Sevastopol since a new naval base is already being built in Novorossiysk. Acquiring Crimea has put an additional strain on the modest government budget. It will take a while to integrate Crimea with mainland Russia.

New transportation, utility, and financial infrastructure has to be developed at a cost of trillions of rubles. In a similar fashion, Moscow has now been paying for Chechen stability and reconstruction for more than a decade.

As the post-annexation euphoria dies down, Crimean residents will start feeling the full brunt of Russia's problems — the inflation, the unstoppable corruption, the abuse of power, etc. Crimea cannot remain an oasis of contentment in the midst of the country's stagnation. It will be impossible to modernize the region's vitally important tourism industry within a short period of time. And even if it were, the industry will have to compete with resorts in Egypt, Turkey and, to an extent, Sochi.

There is an obvious political impact of the Crimean annexation. The move brought Russia international sanctions and increasing isolation, which have had an increasingly negative effect on its economy in the last 12 months. It appears that the Russian ruling class did not expect the consequences to be so serious.

 Public opinion polls already indicate that Crimea is losing its exceptionalism in the eyes of most Russians.

Russians are just now beginning to realize that the annexation of Crimea has brought them no benefits apart from the pride of living in a country that the rest of the world fears.

Despite the propaganda offensive, the Ukraine conflict no longer attracts as much support as it did before.
Russia's problems with Crimea and Crimea's problems with Russia will only continue to grow. We will see the effects of this in a year during the celebration of the second anniversary of the reunification. But next time, we can definitely expect less fanfare.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/russians-begin-to-count-the-cost-of-crimea/518822.html

[lordtiberius]

The return of Crimea to Ukraine will collapse Russia.

[AkMike]

No. Keeping Krym will collapse Russia unless they continue the invasion and get a land bridge to supply it.

[lordtiberius]

Whatever

[AkMike]

As Economic Pressure Mounts, Millions of Russians Edge Toward Poverty


One result of the crisis is likely to be an increase in the numbers of those sleeping rough on Russian streets.

Clutching two plastic bags full of clothes she had just collected from a charity center in central Moscow, Svetlana Burkutskaya said that rising prices were making it harder for her to find enough money to put food on the table for her three school-age children.

"There is not sufficient money for food now," said Burkutskaya, who has twins aged 14 and another child aged 13. "They are on holiday in a week and I don't know what I will feed them."
Some experts predict that almost 10 million people — from a population of 143 million — could this year join the 16.1 million people already living below the poverty line.
Despite popular preconceptions of inner Moscow as a playground for the rich and powerful, the director of the Taganka Children's Fund that runs the center, Tatyana Troitskaya, said aging residential buildings in former urban industrial zones still house many people eking out a subsistence existence.


A World Bank report on the Russian economy published on April 1 highlighted poverty as one of the key consequences of a crisis caused by falling oil prices and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. The Russian economy is expected to contract by up to 5 percent this year.

Growing penury was a "worrisome trend," Birgit Hansl, the World Bank's Russia economist told reporters during the report's presentation in Moscow.

The number of people living below the official poverty line — measured last year as those with monthly incomes less than 8,234 rubles ($145) — ticked up by about 600,000 people in 2014 to reach 11.2 percent of Russians, according to state statistics service Rosstat.

The World Bank predicts the poverty rate could reach 14.2 percent in 2015.

But one poverty expert, who requested anonymity out of a fear of being seen to paint too grim a picture, said it could go as high as 18 percent, meaning about 9.7 million people will cross into poverty by the end of the year.
For the complete story read it at...

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/...-poverty/518959.html

[lordtiberius]

The Ruble is up and it appears they are planning another summer offensive.  Not exactly bad news for Russia

[Slumba]

Concerning Crimea, Russia did greatly increase the amount that certain government workers got, that were previously being paid by Ukraine - and this increase went to retired teachers and others.  An optimistic pro-Russian person would say that it is great that they are getting paid more; a cynic would point out that Russia increased the pay of precisely those people that were most likely to protest, and most likely to be well-regarded in their community.

[msmobyone]

Russians Begin to Count the Cost of Crimea

On March 18, Russia celebrated the first anniversary of its reunification with (or the annexation of) Crimea. The previously jubilant Russian media is now more concerned with Crimean problems and focuses on the difficulties the peninsula faces as a result of joining the Russian Federation. So what conclusions can we draw a year after the annexation of Crimea?



Russians are just now beginning to realize that the annexation of Crimea has brought them no benefits apart from the pride of living in a country that the rest of the world fears.

Despite the propaganda offensive, the Ukraine conflict no longer attracts as much support as it did before.
Russia's problems with Crimea and Crimea's problems with Russia will only continue to grow. We will see the effects of this in a year during the celebration of the second anniversary of the reunification. But next time, we can definitely expect less fanfare.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/russians-begin-to-count-the-cost-of-crimea/518822.html

In no way do I support how the Kremlin took control of Crimea, but having recently returned from Russia -  'Crimea is Ours' was the overwhelming sentiment, rather than discontent....

[JayH]

In no way do I support how the Kremlin took control of Crimea, but having recently returned from Russia -  'Crimea is Ours' was the overwhelming sentiment, rather than discontent....

I always love some guys tiny sample type comments. The ignorance of those people and sheer stupidity is underwhelming-- report back when Russia is paralysed thru economic ineptitude and when the bombs start going off in Russian transport hubs -let us know what the idiots have to say then.

Concerning Crimea, Russia did greatly increase the amount that certain government workers got, that were previously being paid by Ukraine - and this increase went to retired teachers and others.  An optimistic pro-Russian person would say that it is great that they are getting paid more; a cynic would point out that Russia increased the pay of precisely those people that were most likely to protest, and most likely to be well-regarded in their community.

This is the sort of crap that gets repeated without considering the wider facts. Of course people will stampede to higher pensions or wages-- at least superficially. Reality is that those same increases have not only been cut back--or in some cases only paid selectively-- but massive inflation and costs have eaten very substantially into the "increases"
Reality is that bribing people at gunpoint does not legitimise an invasion-- wake up guys and stop spewing crap.

[JayH]

The return of Crimea to Ukraine will collapse Russia.

No. Keeping Krym will collapse Russia unless they continue the invasion and get a land bridge to supply it.

LT is right here-- when Russia is forced top leave the Crimea it will be the catalyst for change in Russia-- by definition that will be a collapse of Russia as we know it and have known it over recent years.

[lordtiberius]

Jay is right because Jay understands the Russian mentality.  It must expand or die.



Russia's current economic system cannot sustain its growth.  More military victories mean more isolation - less foreign currency exchange.

Russia's Sistema explained


http://www.rferl.mobi/a/russia-analysis-whitmore-power-vertical/26952868.html

[msmobyone]

I always love some guys tiny sample type comments. The ignorance of those people and sheer stupidity is underwhelming-- report back when Russia is paralysed thru economic ineptitude and when the bombs start going off in Russian transport hubs -let us know what the idiots have to say then.

JayH

 it is hardly a 'tiny sample' when it was what I saw in shop windows, t-shirts, stickers in cars - also many Donbass ones - and on the lips of many people I spoke to....

I am trying to get you to understand what 'we' are up against - not supporting their beliefs...

If you are a Russian farmer the 'reverse sanctions' on food imports are 'wonderful' and most people blame any hardship on 'western ignorance'.

Sanctions  - at the moment - are only strengthening the polarity.

[fathertime]

I always love some guys tiny sample type comments. The ignorance of those people and sheer stupidity is underwhelming-- report back when Russia is paralysed thru economic ineptitude and when the bombs start going off in Russian transport hubs -let us know what the idiots have to say then.
This is the sort of crap that gets repeated without considering the wider facts. Of course people will stampede to higher pensions or wages-- at least superficially. Reality is that those same increases have not only been cut back--or in some cases only paid selectively-- but massive inflation and costs have eaten very substantially into the "increases"
Reality is that bribing people at gunpoint does not legitimise an invasion-- wake up guys and stop spewing crap.

Yeah you idiots/fools/ignorant beasts/....stop making observations because really you are just spewing crap...lord Jay knows all! 


Fathertime!   

[lordtiberius]

Yeah you idiots/fools/ignorant beasts/....stop making observations because really you are just spewing crap...lord Jay knows all! 


Fathertime!

You cannot explain why you FEEL the way you do.  Keep up the hate.  It serves your cause well.

[fathertime]

You cannot explain why you FEEL the way you do.  Keep up the hate.  It serves your cause well.

You are an integral part of the 'dyad of hate'...when LordJay are in agreement, anyone that disagrees is labeled something or another.   


Fathertime! 

[lordtiberius]

No facts

[Muzh]

You cannot explain why you FEEL the way you do.  Keep up the hate.  It serves your cause well.

Gee, I love your routine. 

[Boethius]

As oil prices were discussed on this thread, I thought I'd post an interesting article on the collapse, and the Saudis' role in that collapse, from today's National Post.  This is not related to Russia, directly.
http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/saudi-arabia-was-worried-about-a-danger-much-bigger-than-shale-when-it-blindsided-oil-markets?__lsa=07f9-14db

[lordtiberius]

Gee, I love your routine. 

No imagination