The Struggle For Ukraine

[Trenchcoat]

Krimster, ML, all,

I need help to exchange usd or sgd currency for rubles. I'm unable to physically go to Russia at the moment for legal reasons. Practically, I will require someone trustworthy who has a ruble bank account in Russia. I send you usd to your usd bank account, then my girl receives ruble from your ruble bank account. The amount wouldn't be much, maybe ~70,000 rub for this operation.

My girl has been struggling financially in Russia and I need to send her some money to help her cover at least some expenditures the next couple of months. This is exacerbated by the fact that both her mom and pop have seen their incomes dry up spectacularly, particularly mom, the breadwinner who has been forced by her employer to take holidays as her employer's factory runs out of parts (literally furlough).

It's another long story why I haven't brought her out of Russia after all this time. In case anyone's wondering, yes it's the same girl all these years and yes I don't normally send her money. Fully appreciate anyone who can viably lend a hand.

Hey Kyn, how did it go with your girl sending the money? Did you ever get it together in the end or is her Mother still running her life?

[Trenchcoat]

Well for the moment I will post the odd update just in case there is any interest:

Latest bring that Zelensky has so far failed in his bid to convince Congress (mainly Republicans as I understand it) to send further aid & military assistance to Ukraine:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/12/12/zelensky-biden-meeting-washington-dc/

From the article it looks like an attempt by Republicans to get something done on immigration in return. My guess is that they aren't necessarily for the most part against further aid to Ukraine but are using it as a ploy to try and get what they want done on illegal immigration.

[Trenchcoat]

The other news potentially on the horizon or not is, 'Whether Ukraine will hold Presidential Elections next year in 2024?'

Apparently it would be around March/April time like Russia's but as this article states under Martial Law Presidential Elections are prohibited:

http://visitukraine.today/blog/2863/will-there-be-presidential-elections-in-ukraine-in-2024-and-who-can-become-a-candidate

That said the West is likely to feel that Ukraine should be compelled to have Presidential Elections possibly with support on the line if it does not. As otherwise it smacks of a an undemocratic system of government with some possibly drawing comparisons to Putin and be asking, 'What is the difference?'

[ML]

Republicans in both House and Senate will pass aid to Ukraine . . . I think.

They see finally that they have great leverage to make significant changes in immigration policy since Biden desperately (correctly so) wants aid for Ukraine and Israel.

Republicans want:
1) new asylum limits
2) subjecting more undocumented immigrants to a fast-track deportation process
3) a national expulsion authority — similar to a Covid-era restriction that permitted border authorities to swiftly turn away migrants at the US-Mexico border
4) reduction of the president’s parole authority, which allows migrants to temporarily live in the US on a case-by-case basis
5) subjecting anyone released in the US to electronic monitoring, including children
6) a “safe third” country provision that would bar asylum seekers who passed through other countries
7)

[Trenchcoat]

Well both finance packages from the US and the EU now currently held up leaving Ukraine wondering if they will ever get anything much more from either.

Current thinking in Ukraine now focuses on whether to conscript more soldiers:

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-12-20/ukrainian-army-proposal-to-call-up-more-civilians-gets-mixed-reaction-in-kyiv

It doesn't look likely that many people will volunteer these days like in the first year if war. The stalemate and bloody situation now is in stark contrast to the victories won in the first year if the war and there seems little likelihood to share in the glory if no victories just pointless random loss of life by artillery etc.

My guess is that this announcement that they are considering a new draft could well be a way of floating the notion out there to prepare people in advance for it, so it doesn't come as a big of a surprise when it finally gets confirmed and face as big a backlash and outcry as a result.

Probably many people that may do a runner when this shit hits the fan, my favourite topic and past time hobby

Not sure where CB is these days, such an avid supporter of Ukraine when it was doing so well in the early stages of the war

[Trenchcoat]

This year, Ukraine officially celebrates it's first Christmas on the 25th December like the rest of us in the West and no longer on the 7th January.

http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainians-prepare-first-wartime-christmas-new-calendar-2023-12-20/

So I assume a end to two Christmas's for many with Ukrainian partner's. Whether that is considered a good or bad thing is another matter of course.

So continuing the process of eliminating Russian culture from Ukraine. For me Christmas on the 7th January always seemed a bit weird so I'm happy enough with one Christmas and on the usual day I've grown up with in the 25th. Not sure I could take two Christmas's a year for too long.

I personally see eliminating Russian culture as a good thing for Ukraine and for foreigners as myself as it makes it easier to see Ukraine as having it's own culture and less likely to see it as one and the same, or nearly the same.

[Trenchcoat]

Recent article highlighting another area that the Ukrainian Government is looking at to get new recruits/conscripts to the front:

http://www.kyivpost.com/post/25783#:~:text=He%20revealed%20that%20discussions%20are,report%20to%20AFU%20conscription%20points.

Not sure what sanctions they are thinking off. I'm guessing it wouldn't work very well as it's the reason they have buggered off in the first place. I doubt many if any will return as a result but probably more to satisfy those at home unhappy over others being a bit quick witted and getting out abroad.

[Trenchcoat]

Looks like the UK's Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles are still working wonders for Ukraine. Good one country is still supporting Ukraine

[Trenchcoat]

Gives a possible idea of the state of the UK's tank fleet:

http://bulgarianmilitary.com/2023/11/26/uk-stores-unused-900-cold-war-chieftain-and-180-challenger-2-tanks/

The Challenger 2 was fine in the day of the Iraq war, etc but that was a fair old while back now. I just wonder if part of the reason we only gave Ukraine 14  Challenger 2's is because we only had that many operationally running! It can take a lot of time, effort and most of all money to keep a tank fleet operational. What are the chances that it's also seen as an easy area to save money on in peacetime.

[Grumpy]

A large Russian military transport plane has crashed in the border region of Belgorod, according to Russia’s defence ministry, killing all 74 people on board.

The ministry said the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft was carrying 65 Ukrainian PoWs who were to be swapped. The Guardian could not immediately verify Russian claims of who was onboard and the cause of the crash was not yet known.

The ministry added that onboard the Ilyushin Il-76 were also six crew and three Russian servicemen.

Ukraine has not directly commented on the incident. Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, told Reuters: “Comments will come a little later. Time is needed to clarify all the data.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/24/russian-plane-carrying-ukrainian-pows-has-crashed-moscow-says

[Grumpy]

[Grumpy]

Stand with Ukraine world rallies February 24.

Together with Ukrayinska Pravda, a leading Ukrainian media outlet, the Ukrainian World Congress has created an interactive StandWithUkraine world map that identifies countries, cities, and locations where peaceful rallies will take place on February 24, 2024.

http://standwithukraineworld.ukrainianworldcongress.org/

http://klych.org/believe-in-ukraine#partners-1
Scroll down page for US sites.

http://standwithukraine.ukrainianworldcongress.org/

[Grumpy]

Watch on youtube

[Trenchcoat]

All the time Russia is advancing, all the time Russia is losing. They are being played by the West into thinking they are gaining victories, but they are doing so at a heavy cost. Once Russia runs low on Armaments and has not enough money to buy enough more they will have a problem on their hands.

[ML]

All the time Russia is advancing, all the time Russia is losing. They are being played by the West into thinking they are gaining victories, but they are doing so at a heavy cost. Once Russia runs low on Armaments and has not enough money to buy enough more they will have a problem on their hands.

Russia is not going to run low on armaments as they are producing a lot of their own now.  Its economy is in full war mode production as I understand it . . . while the west is not replenishing its armament stock.

I did hear one commentator mention briefly today that Russia is spending down its currency reserves and gold on this war production and purchases from Iran, China and North Korea.  So that's supposed to have an impact at some point down the road.

[ML]

Europe Has More to Fear Than Trump

Decades of complacency have left the Continent vulnerable and dependent on American protection.

Europeans fear Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and who can blame them after he said he’d “encourage” the Russians to “do whatever the hell they want” to allies who don’t pay enough for their defense? Yet that comment should wake up those in Europe who think that U.S. reservoirs of resources and will are infinite. Mr. Trump reflects a growing American frustration with many allies that refuse to face the harsh international reality: that rivals are arming rapidly, and the only guarantee of security remains a large, and perhaps unsustainable, U.S. military expenditure.

Europe has enjoyed a decadeslong vacation from the obligation of any polity: security. The benign international conditions of the 1990s and early 2000s seemed to be a prelude to a peaceful global community. Now it’s clear that progress toward global harmony isn’t happening, and nourishing such illusions is dangerous.

Some, especially on Europe’s eastern front line, have fully awakened to the reality of competition and war. But others, such as Germany and Italy, spend well below 2% of gross domestic product on defense—with the bulk of that money going toward personnel rather than weapons. If European politicians think that Russia is a serious threat, they should push for massive spending on defense and a mobilization of their societies including some form of conscription, regardless of what a U.S. presidential candidate says. Those in Europe who fret that the Continent is in danger but then ask the U.S. to protect it at high cost are covering up their unwillingness to make hard choices.

The solution isn’t the European Union. Much of the rhetoric in Europe pre-emptively condemning a future Trump presidency is a useful cover for those in love with the idea of European strategic autonomy. If Mr. Trump will abandon Europe, then the only salvation, they think, is a reinvigorated EU with not only a common coin and market but also a common army, centralized weapons procurement, shared defense industry and an EU-level military command.

There is a reason this hasn’t happened. Europe’s nations don’t want it. Portugal doesn’t care about Poland’s border. Estonia isn’t preoccupied with Sicily. Berlin would rather do business with Moscow than fight for Suwałki, Poland. Paris or Rome won’t place their aspirations of grandeur or their business interests in the hands of a Central European leader, even one domesticated by EU ambitions. There is no feasible alternative for European states other than to shore up their own national forces.

Europe should fear its enemies. An aggressive Russia pushing westward won’t stop even after Vladimir Putin is out of power. Over the past 10 years, Russia has increased its defense spending by 300%, while EU countries have increased theirs by only 20%. The quality of Western weapons may be better, but the war in Ukraine shows that quantity also matters. Russia is producing 20 to 30 new tanks a month, while Germany will get 18 new Leopard tanks in 2025. The U.K. has around 40 tanks that are ready to be deployed.

Add to this grim picture the instability of Europe’s southern frontier, likely to become worse as demographic pressures in Africa and Asia exacerbate the northward migration flow. This is a problem that won’t be solved by international development organizations. It requires an investment in security, from maritime interdiction to stabilization of North Africa, all of which involve men, ships, planes and ammunition.

Finally, Europe should be afraid of a weak U.S. president. Joe Biden has 11 months left in his administration. If we take the past three years as an indication of what he may do, Europe faces serious risks. So far the Biden administration has abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban, has willfully dragged on the war in Ukraine by spoon-feeding Kyiv with enough arms not to be overwhelmed by Russia but not enough to defeat it, and has entered into a war with Iran and its proxies without a clear vision of victory.

All this bodes ill for Europe. Mr. Biden wants to avoid a presidential election in the shadow of wars. He has a strong interest to strike a deal with Russia, regardless of what this may mean for Ukraine. The inability of Congress to agree to fund the next batch of weapons for Ukraine—caused in part by the Democrats’ insistence on ignoring the crises on the U.S. southern border—is helpful for Mr. Biden as it reduces American exposure to the war and prepares the conditions for freezing the conflict. Ukraine—and, with it, European security—is at risk of being sacrificed well before Inauguration Day 2025.

Europeans should be afraid. But the primary object of their fear is more immediate. They should arm themselves regardless of what a U.S. president, or a presidential candidate, says.

Mr. Grygiel is a professor at the Catholic University of America, a senior advisor at the Marathon Initiative and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.

   

[Trenchcoat]

Russia is not going to run low on armaments as they are producing a lot of their own now.  Its economy is in full war mode production as I understand it . . . while the west is not replenishing its armament stock.

I did hear one commentator mention briefly today that Russia is spending down its currency reserves and gold on this war production and purchases from Iran, China and North Korea.  So that's supposed to have an impact at some point down the road.

True but those armaments still need to be paid for, the resources to buy the raw materials in still cost, etc. As you state Russia is running down it's currency reserves and gold basically to fund the war and procure these armaments. Once these currency and gold reserves run out and Russia can't take on any more debt then it will have a problem getting more armaments. Statistic I saw the other day was that western economies collectively outmatch Russia's economy by 28 times I think it was. What's the betting they are sitting back carefully drip feeding Ukraine armaments and finance knowing that Russia will eventually exhaust it's economy and armaments. The UK in WWII nearly exhausted it's economy fighting Nazi Germany along with the allies. It was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy near the end and in the few years thereafter. Our Putler can't keep up the war forever more, Russia's economy will become exhausted at some point, WWI shows us that Russia is beatable and can only stay in the fight so long before it all starts to fall apart.

[krimster2]

somebody "hold my beer" 
Trump will steal every cent from the RNC to pay off his legal bills, leaving nothing but a bare cupboard for republican congressional races that they all lose as a result!!!!!
the whole party will FAIL because of this!!!
OH MY!!!!!

this is Orange Jesus's America!!!
and in Orange Jesus America, Orange Jesus crucifies you!!!!
middle fingers to other Republicans (RINOs ahahahaha)

which Dear gentle RWD readers
in january leaves us with a democratic president, house and senate!!!!  who then increase the size of the supreme court by adding liberal judges
Democrats then pass legislation turning illegals into legals, resulting in a huge Democratic voter base
Biden diverts Russian money combined with US aid to Ukraine including no limits on weapon range, Russia is bleeding to death men and equipment on the battlefield, day after day after day

SO, after defeating Trump, sleepy Joe, devastates Phutin without a single American casualty
what a STUD Biden is!!!!

Israel doesn't give a matso ball what US public opinion is...only the US cares
HAMAS is already dead!!!

The Global Jihad ain't comin like they planned on....cuz they see the ticket price to this fight is WAY higher than what they thought they were gonna pay
more than half the buildings in gaza destroyed/damaged and 30,000 dead and no food
this sticker shock silenced the West Bank and neighboring arab states into not joining the party like they were supposed to...  oh my...
certainly ain't gonna escalate to the point of effecting the oil markets like Oct 7 was supposed to do
Putin will not get his money to Hamas back that he paid right before the attack transferred in bitcoin through Garantex
(PS you Russians can't do ANYTHING with bitcoin without me and the Feds knowing about it!! cuz we use the same tools, phuqueing pridorki)

next year, is REALLY, REALLY gonna suck being a Russian, Borgoi Moy!!
I mean the age limit for entry to the Russian Army was ALREADY raised to 70!!!!  (there must be 20-30 70 yr olds at most in all of Russia, based on what i've seen!)
with Combat Walkers and Canes and dentures sharpened to points!!!
shuffle to VICTORY!!!

The war slowly winds down as the last elderly Russian and Ukrainian men slowly aprroach each other swords in hand

Russia has been ruled by a group of Putin body doubles for over 8 years now, the actual Putin is dead
the average Putin body double only works for a few years and is then replaced by another....
not sure how much longer they can keep this up....
Russia's tenuous existence is predicated on Trump winning in Nov steering the US out of the war....

but...
if Biden and the democrats win
then the excrement has hit the reciprocating cooling device
and Putin will have to resort to some form of "EXTREME MEASURES" which will be implemented next year, but are being planned on NOW!!

so my expectation, is no big changes this year, but if democrats win

Putin's Options

1. WMD options, nuclear, Novichok A-236 (my favorite Novichok, what's yours?)
2. mass mobilization and production, i.e. "Total War" like WWII

Weird thought: Nobody knows what Novichok actually smells like except for Navalny, cuz they only other ones who've smelled it - are dead!! and now he's dead!!!
who came up with the idea pf putting Novichok in undewear????
A Russian of course - undoubtedly from KAMERA, tryin to show off their SKILLZ
Смерть Шпионам!!!!

Starry, starry Novichok
look up in the summer sky
the Iskander tracks way up high




russian military prefers binary novichoks
cuz they can be used in dumb munitions by untrained/unmotivated careless soldiery with less danger of them killing themselves
Novichok window of opportunity is primarily May-Sept
Novichok Artillery, Rockets, Cruise missiles
need to deploy min 100 tons per week of Novichok in mass and small atatacks 1600 tons for the whole Novichok season - to de-nazify 16,000 sq kilometers
imagine a dead city - people, dogs, birds, insects, any living thing with a nervous system, they just all dropped dead at the same time


Ukraine has ZERO to counter-attack with and almost no chemical protection


if NATO launches a conventional attack on Russian forces as punishment
then Russia soaks a major Ukrainian city in Novichok killing THOUSANDS, and tells NATO, do it again, go ahead, I DARE YOU!!!

then NATO countries put sanctions on russian cheese instead

this is where things are gonna head next year in Ukraine
I'd get as much Russin cheese now as you can and stockpile it!!
have you EVER had American cheese? quelle horrour!!

whatcha want is some of them powdermilk biscuits with melted russian cheese on top
served to you by a prettty smiling village girl...
with some Krimskaya Koffee Mountain Grown in Costa Rica from a Hybrid cross species Coffea Arabica-Erythoxylon coca hybrid with a broad alkaloid profile
developed by a Russian botanist.....
this is $100 pound coffee my friends, sells out in 24 hours
the only places I can legally sell mate de coffee is in central and south america where mate de coca is sold...
I could easily get a higher price here in boutique coffee shops, and yes you WILL test positive for cocaine if you drink this coffee!!!  each cup has 50 mg coca alkaloids!!
this hybrid was developed from quality Jamaican Arabica beans and  Bolivian high mountain Erythoxylon selected for potency
using modern plant cellular fusion for cross species pollination




 

[Trenchcoat]

Latest from Putler is more threats to nuke the West:

http://www.gbnews.com/news/world/vladimir-putin-russia-nato-nuclear-war

I personally wonder if the West is now complacent in it's Nuclear threat planning. Not just Governments but also the people.

In Europe in particular I do not yet see any hurry to dig and build Nuclear Bunkers, not from individuals or from Governments. In the UK in particular there is little to no operational bunkers in any fit state. The number of Government/Public bunkers are few and far between and it's questionable if the Public would have access if indeed they could get to them in time. Private individuals I get the impression that there are extremely few private bunkers in the UK. This I think all contrasts greatly with the bunker building in the Cold War era where in some parts it was almost a fashionable trend.

I think most people are just thinking it won't happen so not worth the bother, don't care if they get obliterated or are just unaware!

Well a few in the UK survived Novichok from the Salisbury incident so don't know if they could tell of the smell. Pretty dangerous stuff though.

[krimster2]

in Russia, war hybridizes you!
bullying, intimidating threats, disinformation are all VERY cost-effective methods of non-symetrical hybrid warfare that Russia excels in, and of course you let the Western Media amplify the threats for you!!! Klassne!! 
deception is a  Russian virtue and not a vice like the west

http://publicintelligence.net/awg-russian-new-warfare-handbook/

Putin needs to save money now, he lost a billion USD worth of aircraft in Febuary
the war cut Russia's financial reserves in half, necessitating a just announced tax increase
most provincial oblasts have had their budgets cut by 30%, reducing health,education,housing infrastructure expenditures, to fund the war, cities have handed over half their municipal buses for ammo delivery, civilian hospitals taken over for overflowing military wounded

there is no sacrifice too great for the Russian people to make on Putin's behalf in his effort to Make Russia Great Again (MRGA!)
you want a half million of our sons dead or wounded? here ya go!
ya want us to wear rags and eat garbage? count us in!!

Trump and Putin are nothin but "wrecking balls"
and the best way to defeat them, is to direct their energy in such a way, that they end up WRECKIN THEIR OWN POWER
Trump has ALREADY DESTROYED his business empire through his own actions
and like Putin, Trump's ONLY business is FRAUD
and now Trump needs to suck as much money as he can from the republican party
which will lead to it's collapse
while Putin does the same to Russia

so let Ukraine grind down Russia until there's nothin left but the same empty void that there's gonna be in Trump Towers
and let Trump scam/grift the republican party to make it as bankrupt as he is
until Putin's Russia and the MAGA party shrinks to a small enuff size that Biden can drown them BOTH TOGETHER in the same dirty bathtub (he's old, but DEADLY...just watch this Nov...)
and if things turn out right, this can ALL happen by next year! SLOVO!
and it will be GLORIOUS!!!!

the FSB/GRU are staffed by pridorki

a proferssional woulda honey potted Hunter Biden into ACTUALLY taking $$$ instead of Simonov's lame frame-up, which didn't hold up under scrutiny, and the FBI figured it all out and put Siminov's ass in jail
 it would've been trivial to do the smart thing, but Russians did the dumb thing...
if they had done the smart thing, then they could've leveraged that into hooking Hunter Biden's Dad, they coulda easily done that as well
but now...
they realize they phuqued up that little "character assassination".... it failed...
Siminov wasn't the little Oswald that the Russians hoped for
comparing Oswald to Siminov, it woulda been like if Oswald forgot to load his rifle!!
it's so hard to get good help these days!!

meanwhile, MAGA dumb phuques, enjoy that last bit of Jonestown Kool-Aid this November
and then go lay down somewhere with a slip of paper with your ID and funerary preferences....

erstwhile...
El Nino is a comin
I predict that the end of this summer, there will be MASSIVE, MASSIVE fires in the Russian Far East bigger than ANYTHING seen before
and the one I was in a few years ago was insane, thosands of sq miles choked with thick smoke
then after the fire, and first rain the mosquito's come
I've seen cattle killed by mosquitos in Siberia
I had to wear a beekeeper's hat and clothes, repellant doesn't work at all
you have to wash your clothes twice to get the smoke smell out





BTW,
if ukraine passes dual citizenship announced by Zelensky a few weeks ago, my wife and I intend to get Ukrainian citizenship
my family already had Israeli and costa rican residency
the 'mo choices, the better, for when the debt bomb explodes the US economy in about 10 yrs or so
and we gotta get out

i'd definitely like to invest in post war ukraine and hang out some with Ukr hackers!!

right now I'd probably have a blast hangin out with the drone makers in Odesa, but everyone got really pissed with me, when I started to talk about it
so I guess...not...

I feel old and useless now, a weird feeling
but I gotta lotta work to do, to GTF outta Texas into a better climate and I ain't just talkin 'bout the weather....

I have a scheme to sell all my rentals without paying taxes on profit, but it means I gotta move into each house and make it a temporary residence before sellin (at least on paper!)

I'm lookin at property in several areas, I want to buy a small family farm and live completely off-grid
several states DO NOT put property taxes on farms, and so living on a working farm is the way to go

NO utilities
NO taxes
NO insurance (everything is solid steel beam and concrete, underground)

I intend to grow Hemp and produce CBD Delta8 products, and can hide half my income from income taxes this way

this is how I'm gonna survive the future that's coming with WEIMAR Amerika
self sufficiency combined with escape plans if needed

there are only two possible outcomes to the debt bomb - so I need to convert $$$ into income producing assets that will survive the major dollar financial transition/collapse that HAS to come in the future

[Trenchcoat]

[quote author=krimster2 link=topic=22223.msg570924#msg570924 date=1709324804
BTW,
if ukraine passes dual citizenship announced by Zelensky a few weeks ago, my wife and I intend to get Ukrainian citizenship
my family already had Israeli and costa rican residency
the 'mo choices, the better, for when the debt bomb explodes the US economy in about 10 yrs or so
and we gotta get out

i'd definitely like to invest in post war ukraine and hang out some with Ukr hackers!!

right now I'd probably have a blast hangin out with the drone makers in Odesa, but everyone got really pissed with me, when I started to talk about it
so I guess...not...

I feel old and useless now, a weird feeling
but I gotta lotta work to do, to GTF outta Texas into a better climate and I ain't just talkin 'bout the weather....

I have a scheme to sell all my rentals without paying taxes on profit, but it means I gotta move into each house and make it a temporary residence before sellin (at least on paper!)

I'm lookin at property in several areas, I want to buy a small family farm and live completely off-grid
several states DO NOT put property taxes on farms, and so living on a working farm is the way to go

NO utilities
NO taxes
NO insurance (everything is solid steel beam and concrete, underground)

I intend to grow Hemp and produce CBD Delta8 products, and can hide half my income from income taxes this way

this is how I'm gonna survive the future that's coming with WEIMAR Amerika
self sufficiency combined with escape plans if needed

there are only two possible outcomes to the debt bomb - so I need to convert $$$ into income producing assets that will survive the major dollar financial transition/collapse that HAS to come in the future
[/quote]

If I ever married a Ukrainian girl I would probably go for Legally Permanent Resident and avoid Dual Citizenship. From what I see you get all the perks of Citizenship without being able to vote in Ukraine, and who really cares about that without risk of downsides/being caught unawares. For me if I became a Ukrainian Dual who's to say they wouldn't try to conscript me for the front? - unlikely may be but if they are out of cannon fodder and don't no longer care how old, how decrepit, and see guys that don't live in Ukraine all the time anyway who knows? Then there is whatever they may do while abroad, invite letters, sanctions if invites aren't accepted for this, that and the other. A Permanent Resident they don't have the legal power over like they do a citizen as they are not a citizen. In the case of any offspring I would prefer legal permanent resident also to avoid them having such issues also.

In the UK my Father used to work with a guy who used to build houses live in them for 6 months to avoid the tax before selling them. He did very well out of it and became very wealthy. It's probably not so easy these days as building regs have gone through the roof and there is a lot more material build up in each house constructed as a result. So a lot of what would have been profit goes out in the extra cost of building materials and the time & cost of labour to fit it.

Taxes and Utilities are definitely something to try and avoid. In the UK my Mother just got her latest Water Bill, set by rateable value and being in one of the more expensive parts of the UK it's almost £1k for the year. She can move to a water meter but if she uses a lot of water that can be more, as she's a keen gardener there is a big question mark over that one and once you move to a water meter you can't move back. She has a rainwater butt but unless really going to town on that stuff she might end up paying more plus it can affect resale value of the house if a family want to buy it, i.e many people = more water usage = more cost.

I think it makes sense to have many plans for a Nuclear/Neutron bomb or other incidents. A bunker if in the UK or US, EU, etc makes sense, but also somewhere to go after the radiation has decreased to tolerable levels to get out of the place to a country not hit by Nukes, etc. Either that or live in countries not likely to be hit by Nukes permanently if you are able. In the event of a Nuclear type of strike there is limited time and either a short warning or none at all. If none at all then you don't likely want to be in big Cities but out in the countryside where time is more likely to be on your side and the impact of it all not as immediate unless unlucky. Possibly worst case scenario is being out in the car or out and about when it strikes and being able to find shelter or haul ass back to your Bunker quick enough. Best case scenario is being near your bunker at the time or being in a safe country abroad at the time.

I think it is good at your age or any age Krim to have something on the go however big or small. Better to do something worthwhile and have an aim or vision then vegetate, waste yourself and go downhill. So long as in reasonable health I think doing nothing is a killer in old age, sure you don't want to take on too much that can be also but too far to doing nothing just destroys the person I think.

[Trenchcoat]

With post war Ukraine it looks like in terms of actual Construction is that it's all going to be fostered out as the joke goes lol. Norman Foster already seems to have his foot in the door and the big finance company's BlackRock, JP Morgan, etc that are amassing massive investment look set to dominate. Guys like Foster are likely already have in glove with them with agreements already in principle made behind closed doors. The tendering process is likely a mere formality for them.

Foster has already signalled an interest in redesigning Kharkiv in the vision of the great Foster perhaps with a statue of himself as the centre piece, turtle neck pullover and all

I doubt anyone else will get a look in as far as Construction is concerned. Rebuilding the existing Cities seems to be decided upon by the powers that be. If you can't somehow get a piece of the action by joining them then the only other way and more risky is to jump them and get Constructing in Ukraine now. That is a very uncertain thing though there's the risk of destruction of the build by bombs, Russian takeover, etc

My guess is that after the war if Ukraine survives then it may possibly come about that all State Housing in Ukraine is 'privatised' and sold off to US investors, probably handed over to BlackRock etc to pay for the war, they will 'manage' it and existing residents will have to pay them to continue living there. My guess is that post war the risk for many Ukrainians is that they will not enjoy the sweet delights of a victory but rather feel the shafting up the bum.

[krimster2]

Istoria 2024
http://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nvd.167064/gov.uscourts.nvd.167064.15.0.pdf
In October 2023, SMIRNOV had in-person conversations with RUSSIAN OFFICIAL 1 overseas. During these conversations, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL 1 discussed his knowledge and seeming control of two groups of Russian operatives who were previously tasked with the assassination of a high-ranking official of COUNTRY C. RUSSIAN OFFICIAL 1 offered to stop the assassination efforts in exchange for certain things, including an agreement by COUNTRY C to stop targeting civilian-family members of certain Russian officials living in Moscow

Country C = Ukraine

Istoria 1963
Oswald meets with KGB political assassination expert Valery Vladimirovich Kostikov in Mexico City


Phutin's Plan
'yo homies...
Phutin is gearin up for a summer offensive with the goal of breaking through the line of contact and expanding it
there will be "incidents" involving the use of chemical weapns, including a "false flag" operation they blame on Ukraine involving the destruction of Ukrainian industrial chemicals that spread toxic gas that kills Russian soldiers...
Guess what happens after that?
Bedonkydonk Novichok-A236 on a limited basis near the industrial accident as "response"
and watch reaction from NATO....
and proceed from there....

estwhile in Kiev...
Russians are supporting and promoting anti-zelensky activities related to conscription to try and derail it, more political engineering a la hybrid warfare


I have lotsa hobbies, and moving is gonna be a big multi-year project
but I'm not "workin" any more for ANYONE, and i'm finding it hard to give up that life and live quietly
OTOH, i've started to develop a guilt complex for all the bad things I did in Russia, but it was all the fault of Russians, but still
there are certain images that will always stick with me

Today, the opportunities I'd have in Israel and Russia are staggering, but I gotta let it all go

[Trenchcoat]

Lithuania seems to think that Russia will have enough resources to keep going for the next two years at current war intensity:

http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-can-fight-ukraine-least-two-years-lithuania-says-2024-03-07/

Article on the current drive to get enough ammunition to Ukraine to try and help counter Russia's upcoming Spring/Summer Offensive:

http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/inside-europes-drive-get-ammunition-ukraine-russia-advances-2024-03-06/

[Trenchcoat]

Here's an article on the state of the situation at present for Ukraine:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68255490

Apparently, Ukrainian troops at the front are exhausted and depleted but unlike at the start of the war men aren't so willing to join up unsurprisingly. Without a dramatic victory in sight and the horrors of the front line becoming known Ukrainian men are understandably not so eager.  Mind you if some Conscription dude rocked up to me in the street with a plastic false arm and ask me to join up it wouldn't inspire me with confidence either.

However, if more men aren't willing to go to the front the risk is that Ukraine will have too few men to hold the Russians back and they may break through and win the war, then the likelihood is that they will be inflicting rapings on the women there like the stuff they did in Bucha and elsewhere.