More Bad News for Russia

[AkMike]

Ukraine beats Russia in Prosperity Index, ranks 63rd



Ukraine has placed the 63rd in the Prosperity Index published by the British Legatum Institute - five places ahead of neighbor Russia.

Norway tops the index this year, with Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark and Canada rounding off the top five of the rating.

According to the executive director of the Legatum Institute Sian Hansen, the index reflects the level of a "national success." The authors of the Prosperity Index analysed achievements in the surveyed countries’ economies, business sphere, governance, education, health care system, defence sector, protection of rights and freedoms, and income of the population, reports Radio Liberty.

According to the report, this year Russia saw the biggest fall in its ranking compared to other European countries, dropping to 68th against 61st place last year. Legatum Institute analysts said Russia's actions in the international arena were to blame for the fall, namely - the annexation of Crimea, support for the insurgency in eastern Ukraine, as well as its vetos of UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.

As for Ukraine’s other neighbors; Poland ranked the 31st, Belarus 53rd, and Moldova 89th. The Prosperity Index covers 142 countries.
Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/society/1004547-ukraine-beats-russia-in-prosperity-index-ranks-63rd.html

[AC]

Ukraine beats Russia in Prosperity Index, ranks 63rd



Ukraine has placed the 63rd in the Prosperity Index published by the British Legatum Institute - five places ahead of neighbor Russia.

Norway tops the index this year, with Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark and Canada rounding off the top five of the rating.

According to the executive director of the Legatum Institute Sian Hansen, the index reflects the level of a "national success." The authors of the Prosperity Index analysed achievements in the surveyed countries’ economies, business sphere, governance, education, health care system, defence sector, protection of rights and freedoms, and income of the population, reports Radio Liberty.

According to the report, this year Russia saw the biggest fall in its ranking compared to other European countries, dropping to 68th against 61st place last year. Legatum Institute analysts said Russia's actions in the international arena were to blame for the fall, namely - the annexation of Crimea, support for the insurgency in eastern Ukraine, as well as its vetos of UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.

As for Ukraine’s other neighbors; Poland ranked the 31st, Belarus 53rd, and Moldova 89th. The Prosperity Index covers 142 countries.
Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/society/1004547-ukraine-beats-russia-in-prosperity-index-ranks-63rd.html

It seems like wishful thinking more than reality.  Perhaps the author wanted to pump up Ukraine.  I'm not trying to put Ukraine down at all; it just seems like this is a bit of "Western propaganda" that Russians complain about.

Now in 5-10 years if Ukraine is successful in defending themselves and they become more integrated with the EU, then all bets are off.

[lordtiberius]

Read that link carefully.  Above you claim that there are approximately 24,000 Russian soldiers inside of Ukraine, and yet the link you provide states that there are approximately 14,000 combined mercenaries and Russian soldiers, and then another 10,0000 to 12,0000 local fighters.

The devil is in the details.

Yeah, you're wrong.


Read it again.
http://sprotyv.info/ru/news/7480-svodka-kolichestvo-obstrelov-snizilos-protivnikom-sformirovany-4-udarnyh-gruppirovki-idet

[AC]

Yeah, you're wrong.


Read it again.
http://sprotyv.info/ru/news/7480-svodka-kolichestvo-obstrelov-snizilos-protivnikom-sformirovany-4-udarnyh-gruppirovki-idet

That's funny.  You say "read it again" but you post a different link.  No worries, same results.


Google translate
"As a part of these groups, it is estimated the group "IP", about 14-15 thousand Russian mercenaries and soldiers of the Russian Federation, as well as 10-12 thousand fighters from local gangs."


This part is more worrisome:
"Also in the data groups:
- 110-115 tanks;
- 250-280 AFV (armored fighting vehicles) such as BMP, BTR, MT-LB;
- 80-100 cannon artillery guns and MLRS units;
- The order of 500 units of vehicles (from Russian army armored Kamaz and tankers to Improvised Gun truck)."


The last tidbit is more telling, and that is that they are not successful because the "terrorists refuse to obey a single command".


That is obviously going to change if there is a real invasion with a real command structure, which let's cross our fingers there won't be.

[AkMike]

Have a look at the source. It looks good to me.

http://www.li.com/about/about-the-legatum-institute

[lordtiberius]

So what?

[lordtiberius]

It seems like wishful thinking more than reality.  Perhaps the author wanted to pump up Ukraine.  I'm not trying to put Ukraine down at all; it just seems like this is a bit of "Western propaganda" that Russians complain about.

Now in 5-10 years if Ukraine is successful in defending themselves and they become more integrated with the EU, then all bets are off.

Whatvs

[AC]

Have a look at the source. It looks good to me.

http://www.li.com/about/about-the-legatum-institute

Ukraine has enormous debt and gas and oil production are not anywhere near the level of Russia's, which is why Ukraine and Europe (currently) get their natural gas from Russia.

Yes it looks good but it just doesn't match the reality on the ground, IMO.

[AC]

Whatvs

Are you possibly posting while intoxicated?  Did you mean to write "what BS"?

[lordtiberius]

Leave the insults for the Pro-Russia party.  You don't have ANY proof of your drive by swipe at the study of which I am not a fan. 

[lordtiberius]

Ukraine has enormous debt and gas and oil production are not anywhere near the level of Russia's, which is why Ukraine and Europe (currently) get their natural gas from Russia.

Yes it looks good but it just doesn't match the reality on the ground, IMO.

Again. So what?

68 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the ceasefire and you want to bird dog some BS study the Brits did as pro-Ukie propo?

Yeah whatever

[lonedrake]

Billy's military analysis fails on several fronts.  First, none of his dire predictions have ever come true.  In fact, he ignores Ukrainian reverses or the efforts of the Date nbass Cyborgs who against all odds hold the airport.  Second, the Russian federation in Ukraine has no air support.  Ukraine doesn't exactly dominate the skies given the antiaircraft assets the Russians have in Eastern Ukraine.  Nonetheless we aren't seeing air to air battles and Ukraine's ability to bring its air force to the fight is a keep advantage.  Third, the Russians themselves can't seem to get the job done.  Military expert Dmitry Tymchuk estimates more than 24,000 Russians in Eastern Ukraine.  But they execute a low level of discipline and do not operate under a unified  single command.

Billy's analysis been excellent. Go back and read his....then read your analysis.

[lordtiberius]

Read that link carefully.  Above you claim that there are approximately 24,000 Russian soldiers inside of Ukraine, and yet the link you provide states that there are approximately 14,000 combined mercenaries and Russian soldiers, and then another 10,0000 to 12,0000 local fighters.

The devil is in the details.

Dream on.

And General Breed love says there are only 350 Russians in Ukraine.  So who are you going to believe NATO or your lying eyes?

Even if what you wrote is true, so what?  How does it impeach my argument?  It doesn't.

Whatever dude

[lordtiberius]

Billy's analysis been excellent. Go back and read his....then read your analysis.

What instrument do you play on the band wagon you are riding?

[lonedrake]

What instrument do you play on the band wagon you are riding?

 It is always easy to read and understand what Billy B writes. I have a lot of respect for his analysis.

[AC]

Billy's analysis been excellent. Go back and read his....then read your analysis.

+1  Compare actual analysis to incoherent ramblings.

[lordtiberius]

Yeah, ok.  The Russians are reduced to trying to storm checkpoints.  Yet the Donetsk airport is in UKRAINIAN hands.

[AkMike]

AC, I'd suspect that they look at the overall health of the economy and such for the entire country. Not just the major cities. UA has some crude villages and so does Russia.

Maybe ours are a touch better? 

[lordtiberius]

Prices for food in Ukraine are cheap compared to Russia.   The article itself doesn't get into the minutiae of why Ukraine is better than Russia.

[lordtiberius]

+1  Compare actual analysis to incoherent ramblings.

Tell us how many battles and wars have been won where the comma di g general deploys his force piecemeal, doesn't coordinate his attacks, his commanders war amongst each other and the are not able to use full combat power?

[AC]

AC, I'd suspect that they look at the overall health of the economy and such for the entire country. Not just the major cities. UA has some crude villages and so does Russia.

Maybe ours are a touch better? 

I think it's because the cost of living is less in Ukraine.  It's also likely because the cost of financing Crimea and the sanctions as well have caused substantial damage to Russia's economy.

[AC]

Tell us how many battles and wars have been won where the comma di g general deploys his force piecemeal, doesn't coordinate his attacks, his commanders war amongst each other and the are not able to use full combat power?

Come back tomorrow when you are sober.  Putin's accomplished much of what he wants to without (yet) resorting to a full scale invasion: 

a)  which is a frozen conflict whereby he can continue to meddle in Ukrainian affairs for years on end.
b)  extensive damage to Ukraine's economy which he hopes will result in
c)  Ukraine comes back to Russia's embrace.


Now answer the same question you posed but insert America's "war" and involvement in Iraq.  Aha.

[AkMike]

Tell us how many battles and wars have been won where the comma di g general deploys his force piecemeal, doesn't coordinate his attacks, his commanders war amongst each other and the are not able to use full combat power?

 But these commanding generals have much larger resources than the UA Army does. Not to mention the real Generals behind the borders calling the real shots.

 How long are you going to be in country LT? I'll be there Dec. and Jan.

[AkMike]

Putin’s created an economic crisis and left Moscow no easy way out
By William E. Pomeranz November 4, 2014 REUTERS

Western sanctions have left Russia in dire financial circumstances — stuck somewhere between recession and stagnation. Though proven solutions exist for what now ails Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s geo-strategic and political choices have rendered these traditional economic approaches unworkable.

Under normal market conditions, for example, the recent collapse of the Russian ruble should have spurred exports, domestic manufacturing and foreign investment because a weaker currency makes Russian business more competitive both domestically and internationally. Yet a dramatic rebound in any of those economic arenas remains unlikely not just due to sanctions but also because of the entrenched structural weaknesses of Putin’s system.

In particular, Russia lacks a diversified economy, a vibrant entrepreneurial class, the rule of law and a stable business environment that can support a fast economic turnaround. In addition, this crisis has sparked Russian anti-Western and isolationist rhetoric that makes Moscow’s road to recovery significantly more difficult.

Putin’s pursuit of greater imperial glory has brought an unrelenting stream of bad economic news. The dramatic collapse of the price of oil means a decline in state revenues and less money for Putin’s ambitious military and social spending projects. Along with the ruble sinking, inflation is rising and capital flight has soared to record highs.

The only good news is that the Russian budget is in balance. That only occurred, however, because the government is paying its bills with cheaper rubles. It is never a good sign when the finance minister announces that he needs a backup budget since the proposed 2015-17 budget is already obsolete. (It is based on an oil price of $100 per barrel.)

Though Russia has discussed the merits of diversification beyond oil for decades, it has never bothered to implement the strategy. Russian domestic producers are thus in no position to take advantage of a falling ruble because, other than natural resources, they have relatively little to sell abroad.

But even if foreign markets remain out of reach, a falling currency theoretically should stimulate domestic production if only because foreign goods inevitably will become too expensive for Russian consumers. Moscow has heralded its food sanctions — which ban the import of European Union and U.S. meat, fruit and vegetables — as just such a chance to force Russians to buy local produce.

Yet Russian businessmen and women have been so over-regulated — and over-prosecuted — that the Russian entrepreneur has become an endangered species. Indeed, an amnesty last year revealed tens of thousands of business leaders in jail on essentially trumped-up charges. Despite much fanfare, only a relative trickle of people was eventually released.

Because government fiscal policy and a dysfunctional legal system won’t allow small- and medium-sized businesses to lead Russia out of recession, that leaves Russia’s big state corporations — the bedrock of Putin’s policy of state capitalism — to show the way. Thanks to sanctions, however, Russian companies and banks are busy seeking bailouts, not new markets.

Igor Sechin, chairman of the state oil company Rosneft, recently announced, for example, that what is good for Rosneft is good for Russia — and asked for $49 billion from the National Welfare Fund, one of Russia’s major rainy day funds.

Putin’s finance minister has already announced that Rosneft won’t get that much. But the collective demands for hard currency — from the central bank’s interventions to defend the ruble to Putin’s big spending plans for Crimea — are putting strong pressures on Russian financial reserves, which are already down 13 percent this year. Moscow is busy spending money, and no one knows when it will stop.

One last economic option available to most struggling economies — increased foreign direct investment — is largely off the table here thanks to the sanctions and Russia’s inhospitable business climate.

The Kremlin recently announced, however, that it intends to make a bad situation worse. Much of Russia’s foreign investments represent money returning from Russians living abroad. Yet now the finance ministry wants companies registered offshore and owned (50 percent or more) or potentially controlled (25 percent or more) by Russian citizens to pay taxes in Russia.

Why Russian businesses would want to expose their offshore earnings to Russian taxes once they have gone through the trouble of transferring their money out of the country remains a big mystery. Ironically, Putin had intended to use Russia’s chairmanship of the G-8 to lead a global fight against tax havens and offshore banking. But Russia is no longer a member of the G-8, and Putin must pursue his strategy of “de-offshorization” alone and with little chance of success.

Russia is in desperate need of a rational conversation about its economic challenges. Yet Putin refuses to engage in this dialogue because it obviously would interfere with the triumphant narrative dominating the Russian media. Instead, he is pursuing a policy of cracking down and lashing out. His latest diatribe, delivered at the Valdai Club, showed that he is in no mood to compromise and that he continues to blame the United States for Russia’s — and all the world’s — problems.

As the Russian economy continues its downward spiral, however, citizens are bound to ask difficult questions of their leaders. The Russian people bring a tradition of stoicism to any emergency, yet the current crisis is not the equivalent of foreign armies at the gates of Leningrad. Nor can it be compared to the long-running ideological struggle of the Cold War. This crisis is instead symbolized by the so-called Rotenberg law — that the Russian people should bail out oligarchs who have their villas seized in Italy.

Putin is playing for time here. There always is the risk that he will pursue additional imperial glory to maintain his popularity. Yet in the words of the economist Herbert Stein, chairman of President Richard M. Nixon’s Council of Economic advisers, “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”

Russia’s savings are not inexhaustible. The main established routes to economic recovery — increasing exports, expanding domestic manufacturing, attracting more foreign investment — are not currently viable. Other proposed solutions, including price controls or fixed exchange rates, would only make matters worse.

Putin is the author of this crisis. And the Russian president will ultimately be required to provide some answers

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/11/03/putins-created-an-economic-crisis-and-left-russia-no-easy-way-out/

[JayH]

Your numbers of Russian soldiers inside of Ukraine are also greatly exaggerated.

Earlier I posted some numbers of estimates-I believe they were conservative.
Today--as I post this--

http://twitter.com/Conflict_Report/status/529224302496083968

#BreakingReport The entire road between #Rovenky and #Debaltseve is full of #Russian_Army troops.
Around 2000 w/tanks