The Struggle For Ukraine

[Boethius]

I am linking a piece by Niall Ferguson.

http://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-22/niall-ferguson-putin-and-biden-misunderstand-history-in-ukraine-war

[Boethius]

I don't like to link to the Daily Mail, as it's sensationalistic, but it has a harrowing story today.  This is indicative of what is occurring.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10641683/RICHARD-PENDLEBURY-reports-young-people-caught-horror-war-Kyiv.html

Anyone who supports the Russian "position" is a supporter of the death and destruction of innocent people who just wish to live their lives.  There was no reason for the invasion of Ukraine.  None.  Zero. Zilch.  Nada. It has little to do with NATO.  It has nothing to do with the U.S., no matter how much anti American sentiment suggests otherwise.

[Chelseaboy]

The people who support Putin/Russia in any way in this war are scum.

[ML]

I am linking a piece by Niall Ferguson.

http://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-22/niall-ferguson-putin-and-biden-misunderstand-history-in-ukraine-war

Interesting piece; thanks for posting link.

[krimster2]

I wouldn’t trust the “Western Perspective”as described by an elitist Scottish economist any more than I would trust his description of the “Russian Perspective”

Imagine, dear gentle readers, living in an alternate reality where EVERY SINGLE TV NEWS STATION IS A VERSION OF FOX NEWS, EVERY SINGLE ONE!

Every politically related news show, talk show, situation comedy, TV Series, are all written and approved by people who work for the Russian government…
AND so is every newspaper “gazeta” and ra-di-o
and when you go “walk-about” in Moscow, in random shops and offices
it’s all you hear people talking about, just repeating over and over what they saw/read

now imagine, for just a moment
what this relentless bombardment of the crudest propaganda, Nuremburg rally style ein volk, ein fuhrer moment that WE ALL SECRETLY LOVE (but won’t admit it!)!!!
will do to the least educated, less wealthy, less everything else, class of Gopnikia!

The answer is they become rabid far right supporters!

So all these “staruskas” instead of just being happy that they freaking survivied Covid, are now all over the TV, spewing their hatred of “hohol Amerikans”
with their stained and missing teeth and usually at least one worn gold tooth, although looks like some may have been extracted in leaner times…

This is the “Ugly Russian”. i.e. a stupid Russian with an ugly face!
unleased in Russia like a typhoon of old smelly baboshkas dressed in dirty worn-out black coats that are as old as they are

when I was in Russia, I ALWAYS had to fight with these nasty, samichki sellin’, suka babooshkas
they thought that because I was Western, I’d be an easy push-over for them
but, I gave them my cruelest sneer, and said “suka,  dobratsya do kontsa ocheredi”
“bitch, GET to the back of the line!”
then ending with a flick of my eyes, starting at her feet, and then meeting her eyes
and saying strongly, “durrachka”
I could feel the humiliation radiating from her body

and THIS my friends, is the essence of what the "Russian Perspective" is
and I don't need no fancy schmancy European economist to tell me!
ponelle?!

[fathertime]

Russia strikes back.  I see the Ruble's value has gone up quite a while the price of a barrel of oil is also way up.   Today paid 6.09 a gallon to fill up my trucks.   

Putin Says “Hostile” States Should Pay In Rubles For Russian Natural Gas

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would start charging the countries it considers “hostile” in rubles for its natural gas.

“I have taken a decision to switch to ruble payments for our natural gas supplies to the so-called hostile states, stop using the compromised currencies in such transactions,” Putin said, per a transcript published on the Kremlin website as carried by Bloomberg.

The Russian President—whose list of “hostile” states includes the United States, all EU member states, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, South Korea, Japan, and many others – has ordered the Bank of Russia, the central bank, to develop a system for payments in rubles within a week.

http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Putin-Says-Hostile-States-Should-Pay-In-Rubles-For-Russian-Natural-Gas.html 

Fathertime! 

[2tallbill]

NOTE: I have seen different polls with significantly different numbers.
Always take such polling news with a grain of salt.

Finland support to join NATO jumped from 26% to 60% following Russia's invasion
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/finland-shows-strong-support-for-nato-poll


Finland's people now strongly back joining NATO, poll says, a massive political shift that would enrage Russia
http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-majority-support-joining-nato-after-russia-invades-ukraine-survey-2022-3


Swedes, Finns Favor NATO Entry in Shift After Ukraine War
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-04/swedish-poll-shows-majority-backs-joining-nato-for-first-time

[Boethius]

The ruble rebounded a bit because Russian bond markets reopened. It’s still not at levels it should be at.

This is a really good article by Timothy Snyder. I agree with his analysis on Putin’s mindset.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/23/putin-genocide-language-ukraine-wipe-out-state-identity/

[krimster2]

Osama Bin Ladin picked the most direct route to build a paved road down a steep mountainside
by first herding goats down the mountain, and retracing the route they took
the safest slope will be picked by the goats. they're smarter than civil engineers and surveyors!

I study the flow of money down a slope
and I to see a path traveled by “goats”:

The Russian Orthodox Church in the USA is the name of the group of parishes of the Russian mission in America that recognize the canonical authority of the Church of Russia. They were previously known as the Russian Exarchate of North America before autocephaly was granted to the Metropolia in 1970.
All of the parishes of the Exarchate were given a choice to join the OCA at that time. The parishes that remained were the following:

1. St. Nicholas Church, Brookside, Alabama
2. St. Demetrius Monastery, Bellflower, California
3. Christ the Savior Church, Berkeley, California
4. St. Nicholas Cathedral, San Francisco, California
5. Church of All Saints Glorified in the Russian Land, San Francisco, California
6. Our Lady of Kazan Church, San Diego, California
7. Resurrection Church, Chicago, Illinois
8. Dormition Church Benld, Illinois
9. Holy Trinity Church, Baltimore, Maryland
10. St. Elias Church, Battle Creek, Michigan
11. St. Innocent Church, Detroit, Michigan
12. St. Michael the Archangel Church, Detroit, Michigan
13. Church of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, East Lansing, Michigan
14. Holy Trinity Church, Saginaw, Michigan
15. St. John Chrysostom Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan
16. House Chapel of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Westown, New York
17. St. Demetrius Church, Jackson, Michigan
18. St. Nicholas Church, Bayonne, New Jersey
19. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Elizabeth, New Jersey
20. Three Hierarchs Church, Garfield, New Jersey
21. Holy Cross Church, Hackettstown, New Jersey
22. Sts. Peter and Paul Church; Passaic, New Jersey
23. St. John the Baptist Church, Singac , New Jersey
24. St. Olga Church, Somerset, New Jersey
25. St. Mark Chapel, New York
26. Church of St. George the Great Martyr, New York
27. Church of All Saints Glorified in the Russian Land, on the estate of Pine Bush, New York
28. St. John the Baptist Chapel, Bronx, New York
29. Church of All Saints Glotified in the Russian Land, Amsterdam (Wolf Run), Ohio
30. St. Stephen Church, Lorairi, Ohio
31. Nativity of Christ Church, Youngstown, Ohio
32. St. Nicholas Church, Chester, Pennsylvania
33. St. Nicholas Church, Edinboro, Pageville, Pennsylvania
34. St. Nicholas Church, Reading, Pennsylvania
35. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Mount Union, Pennsylvania
36. St. Nicholas Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
37. St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
38. St. Michael the Archangel Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
39. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Scranton, Pennsylvania
40. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Burgaw, North Carolina
41. St. Gregory the Theologian Church, Tampa, Florida
42. Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Manchester, New Hampshire
43. Church of St. George the Great Martyr, Buffalo, New York
44. All Exarchate parishes and clergy in Canada

All of them will be able to access the digital ruble income tax-free

olly-olly-umptenfree
all of them are now kinda oligarchy!

I would turn in all my enemies for the reward, but "fenya"
but if instead, I can find a way to stick a nosh in their kidney and twist it
I'll do that in a heart-beat...

so just watching and waiting for the right opportunity
go GRU (and their expat "contractors")!!

I wanna be
under the sea
in the "Aquarium"
and every Friday, have lunch with the boss

hahah LOL

PS
Pretty soon they'll be taking enemies to the basement of Lubayanka to the rooms with the hoses and drains in the middle of the floor
who can influence who calls out the listed names to add a few?
what difference will just a few more make in this senseless and tragic war...

[krimster2]

The conspicuous absence of the Belarus army, 4 weeks into the war is “interesting”…
Pootin would love to use this army to drive North to South and cut-off the lines of communication of West to East Ukraine…
the Belorussians can by-pass cities, just cut the roads, doesn’t have to be a big fight

this would immediately reduce the flow of American and European weapons to threatened areas like Kyiv and Mykolaiv and so make the job of the Russian forces there easier, but of course, this hasn’t happened...

So far, in this war,
the risk to NATO is nearly ZERO and the gain against Russian forces is ENORMOUS
a war off attrition with Russia, with no losses on the NATO side, how can you NOT take that?
What a deal for NATO!!!
HUGE win for NATO!!!

not so good for Ukraine, Russia is the jealous boyfriend who beats and kills any woman who would ever leave or betray him…

So Pootin has chosen the “Chechan Solution” for Ukraine
because Maidan, meant that Ukraine was gonna leave him for another man…
and Pootin, just couldn’t let it go….

BTW, second Chechen war, which Pootin presided over, lasted 5 months, and ended with the Russian military taking over the country

you would not be able to tell the ruins of Grozny or Mauripol apart from each other
they both look exactly alike

Russia is getting ready to "mobilize"
and go full "medevil on Ukraine's ass"

when the war is over, I'm gonna buy me a castle and my own Ukrainian village
and once more there will be naked young ukrainian girls swimming in my pool
because I have the only swimming pool within 10 miles of the village
ahhhh, good times....

[Patagonie]

The conspicuous absence of the Belarus army, 4 weeks into the war is “interesting”…
Pootin would love to use this army to drive North to South and cut-off the lines of communication of West to East Ukraine…
the Belorussians can by-pass cities, just cut the roads, doesn’t have to be a big fight

this would immediately reduce the flow of American and European weapons to threatened areas like Kyiv and Mykolaiv and so make the job of the Russian forces there easier, but of course, this hasn’t happened...

So far, in this war,
the risk to NATO is nearly ZERO and the gain against Russian forces is ENORMOUS
a war off attrition, with no losses on the NATO side, how can you NOT take that?
What a deal for NATO!!!
HUGE win for NATO!!!

not so good for Ukraine, Russia is the jealous boyfriend who beats and kills any woman who would ever leave or betray him…

So Pootin has chosen the “Chechan Solution” for Ukraine
because Maidan, meant that Ukraine was gonna leave him for another man…
and Pootin, just couldn’t let it go….

BTW, second Chechen war, which Pootin presided over, lasted 5 months, and ended with the Russian military taking over the country

you would not be able to tell the ruins of Grozny or Mauripol apart from each other
they both look exactly alike

Russia is getting ready to "mobilize"
and go full "medevil on Ukraine's ass"

when the war is over, I'm gonna buy me a castle and my own Ukrainian village
and once more there will be naked young ukrainian girls swimming in my pool
because I have the only swimming pool within 10 miles of the village
ahhhh, good times....

Really ready to mobilize, are you serious?

[krimster2]

it's coming, oui!

[JohnDearGreen]

Really ready to mobilize, are you serious?

"Russia is going to shell its own cities to blame Ukraine"
(Similar to 1999 apartment bombings.)
"Russia can start such kind of provocations to announce mass mobilization."
http://tsn.ua/en/ato/russia-is-going-to-shell-its-own-cities-to-blame-ukraine-head-of-kharkiv-military-civilian-administration-2018350.html

[Boethius]

I wouldn’t trust the “Western Perspective”as described by an elitist Scottish economist any more than I would trust his description of the “Russian Perspective”

Neill Ferguson is an historian, not an economist.  The piece was about history, not the Russian perspective, and how the American assumption that continuing war in Ukraine will undermine Putin and cow China is misguided.  Ferguson says history doesn't support this.

[krimster2]

Niall frequently writes about economics so I call him that
history and economics are inseparable

the history of Western economix is about as relevant as “The Kardshians” when it comes to Russia
The Narodnaya Volya is ALWAYS someone’s creation
And the government is now in charge of that…

Ukraine is just the catalyst for what is to come, piled on top of Covid...

SHOCK THERAPY BABY!!!

sleepy Russians will wake-y wake-y now!!!

PS
if I were in Russia at this VERY moment, FSB and GRU would be fighting over who "owns" me, and I’d probably be at least under house arrest
in the pogrom season, it's good to understand meterology
in Russia, the dark clouds generally mean it's gonna rain soon...
hmmmmm hmmmmmm....

my knowledge of the Russian perspective comes from hitchin rides with Russian soldiers and bunker diving on Fort Stalin, where I was the first human to ever go to the third level
after it was blown up by the NKVD with hundreds of Russian soldiers inside
I crawled over them and absorbed their knowledge and power...

after I created the opening, midnight archeologists came and explosive salvagers for the big heavy shells
I came there to get high in the dark with them, they were once all part of my "crew" in Krim


 

[Trenchcoat]

What I don't understand in all of this is why Russia is only using a fraction of its army. Apparently it's Army is HUGE:

http://images.app.goo.gl/Hq1PU5CQ9EoFDJys7

So why don't they take a huge chunk of their army and invade on all fronts?

I half expected them to come down through Belarus towards Lviv and cut of the border, cut of the roads as Boe states to stop the supply of weapons into Ukraine and so give themselves an easier time. I thought they would bring in masses of tanks to overpower Ukrainian cities by sheer number.

I understand they need to protect their other borders but I doubt anyone is going to attack Russia as they have Nukes. So if it were me I would take a large chunk of forces and attack. Only thing I can think of is the economic cost of doing so but I would be surprised if they can't do it for a short while. Other than that would be someone taking control of a large army in one place and initiating a coup that of course could be a possibility.

Other than that I cannot think of a reason why a nation with a large army would attack and go about this almost like they had a small army and had nothing more. Not sure if the above reasons sound out but it just seems a strange thing to do.

Apparently today Mariupol got shelled from the sea, apparently nothing really left of it. I read that it was quite an attractive city before the war, the article said it was middle class, never been there myself so never saw how it was apart from the ariel photos and photos of it shelled out. The Mayor of Mariupol has apparently now fled, managed to get out somehow, his 'excuse' is that he can organise the humanitarian corridors better from outside Mariupol as no communication connection their now. Funny the excuses that such dignitaries come up with to excuse themselves from such situations. I wonder if Mariupol has much left in it before a surrender or they are overrun, food must have run out some time ago now and the soldiers must be exhausted possibly running out of ammo also. Seems Russian units, Chechens have been storming the city fighting street to street gun battles to try and take the place.

[Trenchcoat]

when the war is over, I'm gonna buy me a castle and my own Ukrainian village
and once more there will be naked young ukrainian girls swimming in my pool
because I have the only swimming pool within 10 miles of the village
ahhhh, good times....

Now this is a vision I can get with! It strikes a chord with me. Wouldn't mind doing this myself if I had the money. Maybe we could join up and have a party

[ML]

For those of you who thought Ukraine would give up after 2-3 days of Russian invasion.

Here is the work of brave Ukrainian men and women using USA Javelins  and Ukrainian Stugna-P.

But Ukraine needs even more Javelins and a resupply of the associated short range projectiles because Russia has a huge number of tanks and military trucks that are waiting to be destroyed.

Western countries are supplying a lot of materials, but the Ukrainian people are fighting alone against dictators and autocracies to save the concept of democracies worldwide.

In the past, the USA has spent billions around the world to try to get democracies established.  Here with Ukraine, there is already a democracy that needs saved.

Cheaper and more efficient to save a democracy than to create new ones.

After encountering Ukrainian ability as shown in the clip, the coward Russians want nothing to do with fighting Ukrainians up close and are resorting to chicken shit method of long range missile attacks.

The short clip can be viewed even if you (like me) don't have a Twitter account.  Either website works.

http://twitter.com/EuroMaydan/status/1503767160191131658


http://twitter.com/i/status/1503767160191131658

[Patagonie]

Niall frequently writes about economics so I call him that
history and economics are inseparable

the history of Western economix is about as relevant as “The Kardshians” when it comes to Russia
The Narodnaya Volya is ALWAYS someone’s creation
And the government is now in charge of that…

Ukraine is just the catalyst for what is to come, piled on top of Covid...

SHOCK THERAPY BABY!!!

sleepy Russians will wake-y wake-y now!!!

PS
if I were in Russia at this VERY moment, FSB and GRU would be fighting over who "owns" me, and I’d probably be at least under house arrest
in the pogrom season, it's good to understand meterology
in Russia, the dark clouds generally mean it's gonna rain soon...
hmmmmm hmmmmmm....

my knowledge of the Russian perspective comes from hitchin rides with Russian soldier’s and bunker diving on Fort Stalin, where I was the first human to ever go to the third level

after it was blown up by the NKVD with hundreds of Russian soldiers inside
I crawled over them and absorbed their knowledge and power...

after I created the opening, midnight archeologists came and explosive salvagers for the big heavy shells
I came there to get high in the dark with them

Krim you are  unique

  I also understand meteorology and that's why I warned people to not go to Ukraine 33 days before the attack, telling them it will be invaded. A lot of people didn't want to believe me     
Krim what have you seen in Fort Stalin (you can write to me in PM)

[Patagonie]

it's coming, oui!

You are right, I check it out, but it comes slightly.
The funniest thing is now a lot of guys who have accepted a lovely Russian passport in the DNR are now potentially under mobilization.
What a gift 
What a joy to become the front-line flag and target of their Ukrainian fellas that wait for them impatiently with their dazzling Western military toys.

[krimster2]

I saw a bunch of dead Russians who didn't smell too bad cuz they were dead so long (mummified) and broken pipes and stacks of shells, and equipment etc.
the upper floor with the taller uncollapsed ceiling became our gang's head quarters

Crimeans got conscripted as well, I have nephews in the Russian army from Crimea, I gave them all iphones to keep track of them, I add their position to the name of their unit I get from when I write them letters
so I know where they ALL are!!!
I have many nephews

[Admin]

What I don't understand in all of this is why Russia is only using a fraction of its army. Apparently it's Army is HUGE:

http://images.app.goo.gl/Hq1PU5CQ9EoFDJys7

So why don't they take a huge chunk of their army and invade on all fronts?

I half expected them to come down through Belarus towards Lviv and cut of the border, cut of the roads as Boe states to stop the supply of weapons into Ukraine and so give themselves an easier time. I thought they would bring in masses of tanks to overpower Ukrainian cities by sheer number.

I understand they need to protect their other borders but I doubt anyone is going to attack Russia as they have Nukes. So if it were me I would take a large chunk of forces and attack. Only thing I can think of is the economic cost of doing so but I would be surprised if they can't do it for a short while. Other than that would be someone taking control of a large army in one place and initiating a coup that of course could be a possibility.

Other than that I cannot think of a reason why a nation with a large army would attack and go about this almost like they had a small army and had nothing more. Not sure if the above reasons sound out but it just seems a strange thing to do.

Apparently today Mariupol got shelled from the sea, apparently nothing really left of it. I read that it was quite an attractive city before the war, the article said it was middle class, never been there myself so never saw how it was apart from the ariel photos and photos of it shelled out. The Mayor of Mariupol has apparently now fled, managed to get out somehow, his 'excuse' is that he can organise the humanitarian corridors better from outside Mariupol as no communication connection their now. Funny the excuses that such dignitaries come up with to excuse themselves from such situations. I wonder if Mariupol has much left in it before a surrender or they are overrun, food must have run out some time ago now and the soldiers must be exhausted possibly running out of ammo also. Seems Russian units, Chechens have been storming the city fighting street to street gun battles to try and take the place.

Only if you are into huge coal-fired steel mills and power plants spewing out unscrubbed remnants of the dirty Donbas region coal. Fact is, some time back National Geographic listed Mariupol as among the most polluted cities in the world. When I visited, the only thing visible from a steel mill 100 yards away was the top of the stacks at about 100 ft chugging out filfthy debris that clung to your clothing and skin. Sea of Asov is used to supply cooling water and also to receive effluent. Needless to mention the fish have unhealthy levels of toxins, yet they still show up on your plate at the restaurants.


Still, the city is strategic and the defense has been hard-fought.

[Boethius]

My parents visited Mariupol in 2013. They said it was a very pretty city.

This is an interesting article about an American marine who fought with the Ukrainian army.

http://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/american-volunteer-foreign-fighters-ukraine-russia-war/627604/

[Boethius]

The priest gunned down at a checkpoint.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60778909.amp

[Patagonie]

Only if you are into huge coal-fired steel mills and power plants spewing out unscrubbed remnants of the dirty Donbas region coal. Fact is, some time back National Geographic listed Mariupol as among the most polluted cities in the world. When I visited, the only thing visible from a steel mill 100 yards away was the top of the stacks at about 100 ft chugging out filfthy debris that clung to your clothing and skin. Sea of Asov is used to supply cooling water and also to receive effluent. Needless to mention the fish have unhealthy levels of toxins, yet they still show up on your plate at the restaurants.


Still, the city is strategic and the defense has been hard-fought.

 
+1 
In Belarus in the Eastern parts, many have forgotten the outcome of Tchernobyl in this region. They are real, milk, fruits put you in danger... (Gomel)