Ukraine War Thread Part 2
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From: Rhone-Alpes
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From: A place in the sun
Let us hope that this report is correct:- https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...an-aid-ukraine
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Dodgy North Korean ammo, faulty Russian manufacture, or just plain worn out barrels.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Lithuanian repairs a pair of Leopards and return them to Ukraine.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
A Donetsk oil terminal suffers from more discarded cigarettes.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Lithuania supplies millions of rounds and winter clothing to Ukraine.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Beware of the back blast, apparently not… A Russian takes himself out of the war.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Russian gains near Marinka.
and the cost
https://twitter.com/parrot_reborn/status/1735657401833926957
..
[[url]https://twitter.com/parrot_reborn/status/1735700870468096284
and the cost
https://twitter.com/parrot_reborn/status/1735657401833926957
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 16th December 2023 at 02:44.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
In Transcarpathia a councillor threw three flash bangs at a council meeting. Film of incident, link only due to incident filmed.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
The current challenge is to be realistic about Russian capacity in Ukraine without being fatalistic about Ukraine's prospects. This short 24-page paper by Estonia's defence ministry is a welcome effort at setting out a potential strategy.
https://kaitseministeerium.ee/sites/..._success_0.pdf
Some highlights…
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...908454665.html
https://kaitseministeerium.ee/sites/..._success_0.pdf
Some highlights…
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...908454665.html
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From: München
Waging the war in Ukraine costs Russia around a trillion rubles (€10.2 billion per current exchange rate) per month in military expenses alone. Assessments suggest that hidden war-related expenditures veiled under a variety of other categories in the federal budget could account for an extra 30% on top of this, co-funding by regions and private entities further adding to the total.9 Meanwhile, the Ramstein coalition’s monthly cost of military support averages at €5.3 billion (including still undelivered and multi-year commitments).
Russia’s military budget for 2023, after being doubled mid-year, comprises a third of the entire federal budget. A similar share (29.4%) has been planned for military expenditure in 2024, effectively at the expense of essential state functions such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and social policy.10 Concurrently, the war effort is biting into Russia’s National Wealth Fund reserves substantially and at a significant pace – and will almost certainly continue to do so as long as the war lasts. Given the setbacks in health and social sphere budgets as well as the announced increase of pensions11, other federal funds such as The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and The Federal Fund for Mandatory Medical Insurance are unlikely to provide any shelter for uncovered costs.
Russia’s military budget for 2023, after being doubled mid-year, comprises a third of the entire federal budget. A similar share (29.4%) has been planned for military expenditure in 2024, effectively at the expense of essential state functions such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and social policy.10 Concurrently, the war effort is biting into Russia’s National Wealth Fund reserves substantially and at a significant pace – and will almost certainly continue to do so as long as the war lasts. Given the setbacks in health and social sphere budgets as well as the announced increase of pensions11, other federal funds such as The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and The Federal Fund for Mandatory Medical Insurance are unlikely to provide any shelter for uncovered costs.
Perhaps we can expect more protests about the price of staple foods from ordainary Russian civilians.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
Russia plans to mobilise another 170,000 according to the U.K.
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From: Falling off the end of the thread
More on the budget Rocky, Wagner ie Russia is plundering Africa for gold which has added 2.6 billion dollars to their funds this year, perhaps a way needs to be found to cut that off.
more
https://kyivindependent.com/report-r...february-2022/
The Kremlin has laundered $2.5 billion of African gold since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by an international group of researchers and human rights activists published on Dec. 12.
Russia's illicit activities and ties to authoritarian regimes in Africa have been under the public eye for years. Russian mercenaries on the continent, whose operations help to fill Moscow's coffers, have been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses against local populations.
The Blood Gold Report reveals that Russia-backed mercenaries, including the Wagner Company, support authoritarian regimes and destabilization in Africa as part of resource extraction schemes that bring Russia more than $100 million per month.
The research focused on Wagner's operations in three African countries, each illustrating a different method of resource extraction.
In the Central African Republic, a Wagner front company has been reportedly awarded exclusive rights to the Ndassima mine, the country's largest gold mine, in return for propping up an authoritarian regime.
In Sudan, Wagner has become the dominant buyer of the country's unprocessed gold through a Russia-controlled major refinery, the report said.
The mercenary group is also allegedly involved in gold smuggling. A number of Russian military planes loaded with the precious metal have been identified by Sudanese customs officials.
Finally, in Mali, Wagner is reportedly paid around $10.8 million per month to prop up the country's military junta, which, in turn, relies on a small number of international mining companies for most of its tax revenue.
Russia's illicit activities and ties to authoritarian regimes in Africa have been under the public eye for years. Russian mercenaries on the continent, whose operations help to fill Moscow's coffers, have been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses against local populations.
The Blood Gold Report reveals that Russia-backed mercenaries, including the Wagner Company, support authoritarian regimes and destabilization in Africa as part of resource extraction schemes that bring Russia more than $100 million per month.
The research focused on Wagner's operations in three African countries, each illustrating a different method of resource extraction.
In the Central African Republic, a Wagner front company has been reportedly awarded exclusive rights to the Ndassima mine, the country's largest gold mine, in return for propping up an authoritarian regime.
In Sudan, Wagner has become the dominant buyer of the country's unprocessed gold through a Russia-controlled major refinery, the report said.
The mercenary group is also allegedly involved in gold smuggling. A number of Russian military planes loaded with the precious metal have been identified by Sudanese customs officials.
Finally, in Mali, Wagner is reportedly paid around $10.8 million per month to prop up the country's military junta, which, in turn, relies on a small number of international mining companies for most of its tax revenue.
https://kyivindependent.com/report-r...february-2022/
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From: Over the rainbow
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From: Frensham
Austrian Bundesheer take on why the Ukrainian Summer offensive failed:
"The Ukraine offensive has failed - What´s next?
Colonel Markus Reisner analyses and explains the causes and consequences of the Ukrainian summer offensive which, according to Ukrainian officials, ultimately failed after more than 190 days. What was the initial situation, how should the Ukrainian attacks be assessed from a tactical and operational perspective and what strategic conclusions can be drawn?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjM...ichsBundesheer
"The Ukraine offensive has failed - What´s next?
Colonel Markus Reisner analyses and explains the causes and consequences of the Ukrainian summer offensive which, according to Ukrainian officials, ultimately failed after more than 190 days. What was the initial situation, how should the Ukrainian attacks be assessed from a tactical and operational perspective and what strategic conclusions can be drawn?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjM...ichsBundesheer
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From: Yakima
From the New York Times today, not a happy report. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/16/w...er-russia.html
There was a faint tremor in the marine’s voice as he recounted the murderous fighting on the east bank of the Dnipro River, where he was wounded recently.
“We were sitting in the water at night and we were shelled by everything,” the marine, Maksym, said. “My comrades were dying in front of my eyes.”
For two months, Ukraine’s Marine Corps has been spearheading an assault across the Dnipro River in the southern region of Kherson to recapture territory from Russian troops. The operation is Ukraine’s latest attempt in its flagging counteroffensive to breach Russian defenses in the south and turn the tide of the war.
Soldiers and marines who have taken part in the river crossings described the offensive as brutalizing and futile, as waves of Ukrainian troops have been struck down on the river banks or in the water, even before they reach the other side.
Conditions are so difficult, a half-dozen men involved in the fighting said in interviews, that in most places, there is nowhere to dig in. The first approaches tend to be marshy islands threaded with rivulets or meadows that have become a quagmire of mud and bomb craters filled with water.
“We were sitting in the water at night and we were shelled by everything,” the marine, Maksym, said. “My comrades were dying in front of my eyes.”
For two months, Ukraine’s Marine Corps has been spearheading an assault across the Dnipro River in the southern region of Kherson to recapture territory from Russian troops. The operation is Ukraine’s latest attempt in its flagging counteroffensive to breach Russian defenses in the south and turn the tide of the war.
Soldiers and marines who have taken part in the river crossings described the offensive as brutalizing and futile, as waves of Ukrainian troops have been struck down on the river banks or in the water, even before they reach the other side.
Conditions are so difficult, a half-dozen men involved in the fighting said in interviews, that in most places, there is nowhere to dig in. The first approaches tend to be marshy islands threaded with rivulets or meadows that have become a quagmire of mud and bomb craters filled with water.
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From: Canada/Malaysia
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From the New York Times today, not a happy report. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/16/w...er-russia.html