Russia and Ukraine

[The Grand Nudger]

Perhaps the reporting seems like a change because you've not been following the war? Welcome to reality, in that case. Ukraine has been screaming for help for quite some time. It's pretty bad to be a small nation invaded by a global actor. At any rate, that is the trouble with cauldrons, the kettled fighters can sometimes turn the tide with mass. As the us experience in creating and maintaining them in the middle east handily demonstrates.

It's always difficult for the boots on the ground to accept the possibility of giving their lives for a place with no value beyond it being a cauldron.

[The Architect Of Fate]

1. The Wall St Journal is a Republican Rag 

2. The opinions of some randos they talked to say nothing about Bakhmut.

3. The Russian army is still in terrible shape.

Your attempt at spinning the war isn't going to work.

[The Grand Nudger]

Still, it's worth talking about. Perhaps what ukraines allies need to do, to address this soldiers very real concerns, is provide ukraine with whatever it asks for...right now, no more hemming and hawing?

They wouldn't need to maintain any cauldrons, saving the lives of russian and ukranian troops, then. They could focus on and more broadly employ the strikes that have been so successful for them thusfar. Saving even more russian and ukrainian lives.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I can understand sagging morale in a meat-grinder. I don't think that means the Ukrainians are as bad off as the Russians, because they're fighting for kith and kin, not some megalomaniac's vision.

[The Grand Nudger]

Broadly speaking, russian soldiers share that megolomaniacs vision. Every time russia has shaped the information space for offensive actions they've employed the line that there is no ukraine. There are no ukranians. Russian soldiers report genuine belief in having lost to us forces on russian social media. The prison conscripts choice is in fighting and maybe living againsst ukranians or certainly dying for refusing to follow orders. I think that sharing in that megalomanics vision is something that has to be acknowledged to understand both why they have it so bad as soldiers in ukraine, and why they behave so badly while soldiers in ukraine.

[Jackalope]

Broadly speaking, russian soldiers share that megolomaniacs vision.  Every time russia has shaped the information space for offensive actions they've employed the line that there is no ukraine.  There are no ukranians.  Russian soldiers report genuine belief in having lost to us forces on russian social media.  The prison conscripts choice is in fighting and maybe living againsst ukranians or certainly dying for refusing to follow orders.  I think that sharing in that megalomanics vision is something that has to be acknowledged to understand both why they have it so bad as soldiers in ukraine, and why they behave so badly while soldiers in ukraine.

If there are no Ukrainians, and no Ukraine, who precisely are Russians killing and raping in Ukraine? Their own paisanos? Ain't propaganda great? /s

[The Grand Nudger]

Nazis and americans.

[Jackalope]

Oh of course.

[Belacqua]

Important news here about how US sanctions against Russia are failing. The Russian economy continues to grow (faster than Germany or the UK) and most countries are ignoring America's demands to stop trading.

Even Japan, which is usually the most obedient of vassal states (Airstrip Two) is continuing its ties to Russia for its energy needs.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/02/...ussia.html

Every week there are new reports of different countries leaving the petrodollar, trading for oil in their own currencies. Saudi Arabia gave a hero's welcome to President Xi, asked to join BRICS, and introduced Mandarin classes in most of its elementary schools.

America's weakness is being made clear.

Sure can shoot a balloon, though.

[Fake Messiah]

Sanctions on Russia are not necessarily to crush its economy but because the US and some other countries find it immoral to trade with a country that is actively performing genocide on people of another country. They don't want their money to be used to kill women and children - as Russia is doing.

But when it comes to the Russian economy, I have heard that the sanctions will come into full effect this year.

Russia's export revenues are set to come under fresh pressure in 2023 as Western and Japanese sanctions on Russian oil come into full effect.

The Group of Seven major economies will expand an oil embargo beyond crude to include Russian oil products from Feb. 5.

Analysts say this could lead to a reduction in Russian oil output of up to 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter of 2023.

An official forecast sees Russia's output of oil products falling sharply this year to 230 million tonnes from 272 million, according to a senior Russian source.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rus...023-01-17/