Is Ukraine about to have a war?
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Only half a speed-brake

Not that effective against a real Warship, Passive Sonar will here the boats coming. Radar will see boats coming. IR / Visual Lookouts can see the boats coming. ESM will pick up any comms chat or Drone transmissions. Ship can run away almost as fast the the boats can go and Main Gun out ranges the ATGM by a large margin as does Radar / Visual command guided SAM/SSM systems. Note I added Drones to the mix as I would open the attack with a drone strike on the ship's main guns. However the Ships ECM most likely would defeat that.


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Germany looking at purchasing a missile defence system
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...em-2022-04-02/
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...em-2022-04-02/
BERLIN, April 2 (Reuters) - Berlin is considering buying a missile defence system from Israel or the United States to defend against threats including Russian Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday.
The Iskander missiles can reach almost all of western Europe and there is no missile shield in place to protect against this threat, Germany's chief of defence Eberhard Zorn told Welt am Sonntag in an interview published on Saturday.
"The Israelis and the Americans possess such systems. Which one do we prefer? Will we manage to establish an overall (missile defence) system in NATO? These are the questions we need to answer now," Zorn said.
He did not specify the names of the systems but was most likely referring to Arrow 3 built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) (ISRAI.UL) and the U.S. system THAAD produced by Raytheon (RTX.N).
The Iskander missiles can reach almost all of western Europe and there is no missile shield in place to protect against this threat, Germany's chief of defence Eberhard Zorn told Welt am Sonntag in an interview published on Saturday.
"The Israelis and the Americans possess such systems. Which one do we prefer? Will we manage to establish an overall (missile defence) system in NATO? These are the questions we need to answer now," Zorn said.
He did not specify the names of the systems but was most likely referring to Arrow 3 built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) (ISRAI.UL) and the U.S. system THAAD produced by Raytheon (RTX.N).

"Naturally, our armed forces will view them as a legitimate target if those supplies get through the Ukrainian border."
For me this is so obvious that I don't understand why anybody is reporting this . Of course there is no special "guardianship" hovering over such weapons; Simply more talk for talk's sake ?

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Having had over a number of years experienced the attitudes of ordinary Russians. It seems that to me that when they come to visit one's country either as a visitor or on business, one is left with the perception that they already "own" your country by their vulgar and arrogant attitude to the citizens, they just have not decided to invade, or annex it yet.
This does not bode well for any future rapprochement.
IG
This does not bode well for any future rapprochement.
IG
I think relationships have been poisoned with this for many years indeed sadly probably for my lifetime at age 61, but I hope not. Time for bead as it has been a long day flying.
Cheers
Mr Mac

I am in total agreement with Nutloose. Thinking of all the wars we got involved in over the last 40 years, and for much less evidence or cause or national interest, there stands no reason to deny UKR all the aid they need, of whatever kind. Especially giving stuff ( trade).
I cannot understand the reluctance to face up to Pootins nuclear blackmail, it cannot stand, or will set a tone for the next 50 years of international 'nuclear gunboat' diplomacy and encourage proliferation in many countries.
I cannot understand the reluctance to face up to Pootins nuclear blackmail, it cannot stand, or will set a tone for the next 50 years of international 'nuclear gunboat' diplomacy and encourage proliferation in many countries.
Putin is just showing all of us the bleak truth that behind the nuclear shield, the direst activities may go on.
Separately, we should be very slow to embrace the concept of 'a people's war' in Ukraine. The Russian troops are poorly led at best (afaik there is no discernible commander for the operation other than Putin, below him the command structure is fragmented), as well as inadequately trained and badly briefed. Such soldiers, thrown into a fight where every house can conceal a lethal threat will become very trigger happy. Add to this a few instances of seeing squad members die in civilian attacks and atrocities quickly become the norm. Ukraine will suffer a Thirty Years War type disaster as this war drags on.

How many of you want to bet that, at most, two years after all this is done there will be business as usual?
Capitalism has no room for morality. What is happening in Ukraine is bad, but so is in Palestine (by Israel), Pakistan, China, ME and West is conducting business with them without a hitch.
China needs resources for their own economy and they are getting all those African and S. American sources under their own control. West will need to deal with Russia again.
Capitalism has no room for morality. What is happening in Ukraine is bad, but so is in Palestine (by Israel), Pakistan, China, ME and West is conducting business with them without a hitch.
China needs resources for their own economy and they are getting all those African and S. American sources under their own control. West will need to deal with Russia again.


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Speaking of which....
Which particular treaty would it breach?
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive...exts_17120.htm
Oh and....
With all due respect, you didn't look very hard.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)
"The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses. The missile can be launched from:
......
Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster."
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive...exts_17120.htm
Oh and....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)
"The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses. The missile can be launched from:
......
Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster."

The treatment of Chechnya would be the Russian model for managing a WW2 style Resistance effort.

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That ship has sailed, after Qaddafi no ruler in his right mind would ever give up their nuclear capability.
Putin is just showing all of us the bleak truth that behind the nuclear shield, the direst activities may go on.
Separately, we should be very slow to embrace the concept of 'a people's war' in Ukraine. The Russian troops are poorly led at best (afaik there is no discernible commander for the operation other than Putin, below him the command structure is fragmented), as well as inadequately trained and badly briefed. Such soldiers, thrown into a fight where every house can conceal a lethal threat will become very trigger happy. Add to this a few instances of seeing squad members die in civilian attacks and atrocities quickly become the norm. Ukraine will suffer a Thirty Years War type disaster as this war drags on.
Putin is just showing all of us the bleak truth that behind the nuclear shield, the direst activities may go on.
Separately, we should be very slow to embrace the concept of 'a people's war' in Ukraine. The Russian troops are poorly led at best (afaik there is no discernible commander for the operation other than Putin, below him the command structure is fragmented), as well as inadequately trained and badly briefed. Such soldiers, thrown into a fight where every house can conceal a lethal threat will become very trigger happy. Add to this a few instances of seeing squad members die in civilian attacks and atrocities quickly become the norm. Ukraine will suffer a Thirty Years War type disaster as this war drags on.


Speaking of which....
Which particular treaty would it breach?
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive...exts_17120.htm
Oh and....
With all due respect, you didn't look very hard.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)
"The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses. The missile can be launched from:
......
Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster."
Which particular treaty would it breach?
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive...exts_17120.htm
Oh and....
With all due respect, you didn't look very hard.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)
"The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses. The missile can be launched from:
......
Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster."

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Originally Posted by Count of Monte Bisto
Who in their right mind is going to rely on supplies of Russian oil and gas ever again?
Originally Posted by Count of Monte Bisto
The harsh reality is that all the people with the big oil reserves are people with an extremely shady human rights record.
Originally Posted by Count of Monte Bisto
We can whine all we want, and with good reason, but the bottom line is that the UK (and less publicly several others) have had to go cap in hand to Saudi Arabia to secure oil supplies.
.

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Why don't you as simply say "stop the war"...
As if RF gas and oil can be replaced overnight.... Refineries and the associated logistic infrastructure are build with a specific crude mix in mind, and the RF crude oil is an important - not so easy replaceable - component of this mix in many EU refineries. And flows of RF finished oil products are also an important part of the oil import/export balance in EU. We will face structural shortages of diesel (possibly also JA1?) in the EU if we cut off RF exports. So defending the EU with a future structural shortage in diesel, JA1, etc?? We have been conned by our leaders into being much to dependent on RF fossil energy from a military & economical strategic point of view...
Edit: and the Baltics that made this decision, were preparing this aleady looooong time before the war...
As if RF gas and oil can be replaced overnight.... Refineries and the associated logistic infrastructure are build with a specific crude mix in mind, and the RF crude oil is an important - not so easy replaceable - component of this mix in many EU refineries. And flows of RF finished oil products are also an important part of the oil import/export balance in EU. We will face structural shortages of diesel (possibly also JA1?) in the EU if we cut off RF exports. So defending the EU with a future structural shortage in diesel, JA1, etc?? We have been conned by our leaders into being much to dependent on RF fossil energy from a military & economical strategic point of view...
Edit: and the Baltics that made this decision, were preparing this aleady looooong time before the war...
Those refineries will make it up with something else then, they will not just shut down the refinery.
Why am I asking to shut down the pipelines: Shutting the russian oil and gas pipelines will be painful yes, but that is the fastest way to influence without going to war. 60% of Russian exports and 40% of GDP is of oil and gas. Cut that out and they will run out of money very very fast.
In 2014 the drop in oil price caused the Russian economy to plummet. Add that to the other sanctions currently and see what happens...
Originally Posted by investopedia
The 2014 oil price collapse badly hurt Russia's economy. Between June and December 2014, the Russian ruble declined in value by 59% relative to the U.S. dollar, fueling inflation that forced the Russian central bank to raise interest rates as high as 17%. By 2015, Russia, along with neighboring Ukraine, had the lowest purchasing power parity (PPP) relative to the U.S. of any country in the world. Declining PPP lowers living standards, as imported goods become more expensive.
https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...il-2022-03-21/
https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...il-2022-03-21/
Now add the shutdown of gas pipes and we are starting to talk of something meaningful. A combined impact, like a Javelin, first blow breaks the tanks reactive armor and the second blows the turret off.

Here we go, should say hit by a "Neptune": missile, damage not yet known, the ship is probably "Admiral Essen", picture below:

Last edited by Imagegear; 4th Apr 2022 at 06:33.
