Nov 23, 2019
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Chemezov:
- In December, Rostec representatives were in contact with their colleagues from China. At the same time, the problem with payments persists, and in some places is getting worse. Do you encounter this? What measures are being taken?

- We have long since switched to national currencies in payments, we have moved away from dollars and euros. Therefore, there are no such global problems.
- Do barter schemes work?

- We also work on barter schemes.

- Is that a significant share?

- Maybe one fourth of it.
25% is barter

- Are the Eastern partners stable in their desire to invest in Russia?

- Of course, they all have concerns. Everyone is afraid of secondary sanctions. That is why, on the one hand, they want to work: after all, our market is large and efficient enough for any foreign investor. They want to enter with great pleasure, but, on the other hand, they are afraid. That is why they warn that "you should not shout anywhere that we are cooperating with you here".

www.rbc.ru

Чемезов — РБК: «Экономика для военных — дело десятое»

Об ожиданиях от нового состава правительства, проблемах с экономикой «оборонки», а также какой есть вариант названия для Superjet, в интервью РБК рассказал Сергей Чемезов, гендиректор госкорпорации «Ростех»


I think that from 2030 onwards there will be a noticeable loss of foreign airplanes from Russian airlines, as there won't be much opportunity to repair them.


- Are there more frequent cases when cases of espionage and state treason are detected at enterprises?

- Insignificantly, but there are such cases, unfortunately. Look, we all lived in the Soviet Union. Ukrainian citizens were mixed up inside Russia - relatives there, friends and acquaintances... Now it is polarized, unfortunately.
hmm, I wonder why
 
Nov 23, 2019
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Ukraine's success in sinking Russian warships from the shore was a textbook example of "controlling the sea from land", said Lin Ying-yu, an expert on China's People's Liberation Army at Tamkang University in Taipei, pointing to Harpoon coastal defence missiles that Taiwan is getting from the US and its own anti-ship missiles. "It is exactly the situation Chinese forces would be facing in a Taiwan invasion . . . the PLA needs to learn from the Russians' operational experience."
Alexey Muraviev, a professor of national security and strategic studies at Curtin University in Perth, argued that Russia and China were well on the way towards building the communications structures needed for fighting side by side.

They have started sharing sensitive data such as maximum speeds of aircraft, "something you can only do with a formal ally under normal circumstances", Muraviev said. He added that the exchange of operational data, likely to be occurring during patrols in which Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable bombers fly together near Japan, also suggested "strategic intimacy".
 

P-MAC

Member
Nov 15, 2017
4,597
It's a weird time of good and bad news isn't it?

Zelensky saying he has enough artillery, not something I ever thought I'd hear.

The massive Russia KIA numbers lately are probably due to that I imagine? Which is great. F16s should be very close now too.

But there is still a lot of pressure in a lot of places and the issues with manpower. I hope this all comes together and things start to get more positive.

The West's priority needs to be 1) keeping that artillery coming in overwhelming numbers so we can never return to a shortage and 2) giving the Ukraine the go ahead to strike wherever they want

If both those things happen and Ukraine gets enough new soldiers to sign up, things start to look kinda good
 
Nov 23, 2019
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idp8II3.png


problem is that even russian generals still don't know what his plan is. After more than 2 years since invasion.


Idk, sounds good to me

4iwRDWC.png
 

Tomasoares

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,721
It's a weird time of good and bad news isn't it?

Zelensky saying he has enough artillery, not something I ever thought I'd hear.

The massive Russia KIA numbers lately are probably due to that I imagine? Which is great. F16s should be very close now too.

But there is still a lot of pressure in a lot of places and the issues with manpower. I hope this all comes together and things start to get more positive.

The West's priority needs to be 1) keeping that artillery coming in overwhelming numbers so we can never return to a shortage and 2) giving the Ukraine the go ahead to strike wherever they want

If both those things happen and Ukraine gets enough new soldiers to sign up, things start to look kinda good

The lack of personal in UAF side will probably be the hardest thing to deal.

Forcing people to fight could work but it will have devasting effects to Ukraine, not only from massive emmigration, from people fleeing (for obvious reasons) but also the economical damage. Ukraine could try to convince people with money, but let's be honestly, they haven't any. Third option could be soldiers being sent by NATO countries, acting in areas with low chance of conflict, although unlikely to happen due to "escalation management" and not sure if that would be enough either.
 

Tovarisc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,557
FIN
The lack of personal in UAF side will probably be the hardest thing to deal.

Forcing people to fight could work but it will have devasting effects to Ukraine, not only from massive emmigration, from people fleeing (for obvious reasons) but also the economical damage. Ukraine could try to convince people with money, but let's be honestly, they haven't any. Third option could be soldiers being sent by NATO countries, acting in areas with low chance of conflict, although unlikely to happen due to "escalation management" and not sure if that would be enough either.

Supposedly Ukraine is paying its soldiers quite good salaries, it's what they have used to try and drive volunteering.

Also I don't see NATO countries mobilizing their armies and sending them into Ukraine if Ukraine isn't willing to do full mobilization first.
 
Nov 23, 2019
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View: https://x.com/VALERIEinNYT/status/1790744421610164412

"We can feel that victory is near," said Andrei, 43, who said he traveled to Moscow for the May 9 holiday celebrations from the Chita region, almost 3,000 miles from the capital.

Like others interviewed for this story, he declined to provide his last name, indicating apparent mistrust of Western news media.
"When you see all this, and all these flags, it is clear that the whole world is supplying weapons and you know that a world war is going on," Andrei said. "It's Russia against the whole world, as usual."
fascinating

Thousands who fled Russia have returned. Their lives have adapted to the new normal, and have actually changed less than those in the West might expect.
"It's what, the 13th package of sanctions they're making?" Ivan said, laughing. "So far, we don't feel anything."
Robots built by Yandex, Russia's homegrown version of Google, can be seen traversing Moscow's sidewalks making deliveries. Inflation is under control, at least for now. According to a report last month by Forbes, the number of billionaires in Moscow — measured in U.S. dollars — increased so much that the city moved up four spots in the global rankings, behind only New York City.

"Most of the brands that allegedly left Russia have not gone anywhere," said Andrei, adding that he and his daughter planned to have lunch at a rebranded K.F.C. What had changed, he said, was that "the consolidation of society has taken place" over the rationale for the war, as well as the conservative social values Mr. Putin is pushing.

"Russia is such a complicated, multiethnic country that to understand it and govern it, you need more than one term," said Oleg V. Panchurin, 32, a veteran of the war in Ukraine.

"If it's going to be President Putin, then I would be happy if he served 10 terms," said Mr. Panchurin, who said had been recently wounded near Zaporizhzhia by a Ukrainian drone.
Some civilians who were interviewed said they were pleased the president had taken a hard-line conservative position promoting traditional family values.
Zhenya, 36, and his girlfriend, Masha, expressed gratitude that the government had "finally handled the L.G.B.T.Q. issue" — by banning what it called the "L.G.B.T.Q. movement." The pair were attending a 1940s-themed Victory Day celebration in a park in central Moscow where participants fox-trotted and waltzed as a live military band played.
"Putin's war" /s

"Everyone understands that this is for a long time," he said. "The longer he is in power, the more apprehension there is about who will be next, who will be worse."
"We are moving closer to a scenario where we could see the effect of Stalin, when, after his death, people were crying, because people didn't know how to live," Mr. Kolesnikov added.

On the other side of Moscow, mourners were still coming to show their respects to the 145 victims of the March 22 terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, one of the deadliest in Europe in the past decade. Floral wreaths, plush toys and photos of the victims were placed near the destroyed concert hall.
...
One woman who declined to give her name said she was sure the West was behind it — despite the fact that the United States had warned Moscow of an imminent attack. According to the Levada Center, half of those polled believe Ukraine was behind the attack, with almost 40 percent saying Western intelligence services were involved.

Vladimir, 26, who was visiting the improvised memorial for the first time, said he didn't blame the Kremlin for failing to heed the warnings.
"I want the terrorists to be destroyed," said Vladimir, a supermarket employee. But the president, he said, was doing a great job. "He works so hard."
"May God keep him alive and healthy," he said. "If, God forbid, Putin dies, what will happen to our country?"

 

Scotty

Member
Nov 11, 2023
165
"When you see all this, and all these flags, it is clear that the whole world is supplying weapons and you know that a world war is going on," Andrei said. "It's Russia against the whole world, as usual."

What he says is true. Except in true villain fashion. They think their the heroes in this story. It would be funny except it's costing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
 

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,596
Yup, the idea that this is just Putin and the Russian populace is against it is wishful thinking. Many in the Russian populace want strong-man BS leaders that openly call for a return to the glory of the Stalin era. Many in the Russian populace think that the rest of the world forced them into an invasion of choice. Putin going away isn't magically going to fix Russia. Even when those in the West were encouraged by Prighozin's support it's good to remember that he's a POS that wanted an even more brutal prosecution of the invasion.
Russia's economy and military need to be decimated to the point where either the populace's delusions of grandeur are completely broken or, at least, can not really cause real harm to the rest of the world. It's not just a Putin problem. It's a Russia problem.
 

maabus1999

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,251

From a trade perspective still on the EU to come to terms on enforcement mechanisms which are either too slow or just not working. The EU has to figure this out at some point because if somehow Ukraine does collapse, the war can NOT stop at Ukraine, because of how Putin screwed up the economy so badly to fund this war. Only reason Moscow is humming is due to the Government basically being the sole source of funding.
 
Nov 23, 2019
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View: https://x.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1791471761055228149


View: https://x.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1791471766172242154


View: https://x.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1791471772954419222


View: https://x.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1791471778230895024

The worst case scenario would be a situation where Russians could get Kharkiv on tube artillery range. This would set the stage for future operations to take over the entire city. However, at the moment they don't have enough forces in the area to capture the city of Kharkiv.
In the best case scenario, Ukraine is able to stabilize the front without overcommitting their reserves and maybe even push the Russians back a bit, once the attacker is attrited. However, a counterattack to remove Russia completely from the north Kharkiv region is unlikely.

Further reading: A more detailed breakdown of the current attacking forces can be found here by our group member @Inkvisiit. He has done a great job at following the Russian ORBAT in Kharkiv → https://x.com/Inkvisiit/status/1791206900198957166
 
Nov 23, 2019
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finally some movement
www.themoscowtimes.com

Microsoft Blocks Russian Corporate Clients From Cloud Services, Vendor Says - The Moscow Times

Microsoft has started blocking Russian corporate clients from using its cloud services in compliance with Western sanctions, a Russian distributor of the tech company’s products Softline said Friday. “Microsoft has apparently approved a list of products to be disconnected.

but the main source of this news is russian vendor, so I hope it's not just distraction
 

EagleClaw

Member
Dec 31, 2018
11,068

View: https://x.com/EU_Commission/status/1791451086798111176
We welcome the EU Council decision to suspend the broadcasting activities of four media outlets dedicated to supporting
and justifying Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine ↓
  • Voice of Europe
  • RIA Novosti
  • Izvestia
  • Rossiyskaya Gazeta
The sanctions do not target freedom of opinion, but the disinformation and information manipulation against the EU and EU countries.
Press release: http://europa.eu/!WB3Y4d
More info on sanctions: http://europa.eu/!rK8Gvr
Impact of sanctions: http://europa.eu/!N8mJgN
 

Scotty

Member
Nov 11, 2023
165
Yup, the idea that this is just Putin and the Russian populace is against it is wishful thinking. Many in the Russian populace want strong-man BS leaders that openly call for a return to the glory of the Stalin era. Many in the Russian populace think that the rest of the world forced them into an invasion of choice. Putin going away isn't magically going to fix Russia. Even when those in the West were encouraged by Prighozin's support it's good to remember that he's a POS that wanted an even more brutal prosecution of the invasion.
Russia's economy and military need to be decimated to the point where either the populace's delusions of grandeur are completely broken or, at least, can not really cause real harm to the rest of the world. It's not just a Putin problem. It's a Russia problem.

We are right back where we were 80 years ago. Nothing's changed. We have a nation that's turned a blind eye to genocide and have accepted it like it's their duty. And all of our world leaders are quick to condemn it but just blow a bunch of hot air. No one actually wants to sacrifice or spill a single drop of blood unless the war comes to their country itself. I really do hate people. Especially because I can go online and see the bombs dropping on civilians and I can't do anything about it. Me signing up for the US military would achieve nothing because the US military will never set foot in ukraine.
 

maabus1999

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,251

And then you get rumors of Russians opening up Sumy and maybe even in Belarus again. Which would be a massive mistake for them because while Ukraine is stretched thin, it would also significantly overstretch the Russians as well, just like it did at the beginning of the war.

That said, still more evidence Ukraine has to get people in the pipeline (and no mobilizing doesn't mean they all go to the front as the majority would be in logistics and response rolls).
 

Jroc

Member
Jun 9, 2018
6,209
I understand the risks, but I think I'm in favour of a coalition of the willing volunteering to guard Ukraine's flanks. It wouldn't inherently spark a broader conflict since it would be a passive/defensive role. Russian forces would have to attack and cross the border in order to get shot at.

The dice roll is whether Russia would take the hint and back down from Western Ukraine, or if they would freak out and try to inflict maximum casualties to sway public opinion. It's annoying how Russia can seemingly do whatever it wants with little fear towards escalation, whereas western countries have to constantly walk on egg shells despite being in a stronger position of power.
 

Thordinson

Banned
Aug 1, 2018
18,592
Yup, the idea that this is just Putin and the Russian populace is against it is wishful thinking. Many in the Russian populace want strong-man BS leaders that openly call for a return to the glory of the Stalin era. Many in the Russian populace think that the rest of the world forced them into an invasion of choice. Putin going away isn't magically going to fix Russia. Even when those in the West were encouraged by Prighozin's support it's good to remember that he's a POS that wanted an even more brutal prosecution of the invasion.
Russia's economy and military need to be decimated to the point where either the populace's delusions of grandeur are completely broken or, at least, can not really cause real harm to the rest of the world. It's not just a Putin problem. It's a Russia problem.

This sounds pretty bigoted. Obviously, no one think Putin and his direct supporters are good people. Wanting strong arm leaders isn't unique to Russians and I'm not sure why it's okay to wholesale shit on an entire population. Again, shitting on Putin, the oligarchs, and his/their supporters I absolutely understand and have no problem with.

Would you say the same about the US during the Iraq War and Afghanistan? The US during Trump's Presidency? Israel now? If you would, more power to you for being consistent.
 

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,596
This sounds pretty bigoted. Obviously, no one think Putin and his direct supporters are good people. Wanting strong arm leaders isn't unique to Russians and I'm not sure why it's okay to wholesale shit on an entire population. Again, shitting on Putin, the oligarchs, and his/their supporters I absolutely understand and have no problem with.

Would you say the same about the US during the Iraq War and Afghanistan? The US during Trump's Presidency? Israel now? If you would, more power to you for being consistent.
Reading comprehension fail.
I wrote, and I quote:
"Many in the Russian populace"
If you think that is at all analogous to "an entire population" then that's a you problem and I can't help you. My point is that it's not just Putin, but the populace that supports him. Yes, of course I think that the issues in the US were not just Trump, but those that elected him and that the issues in Israel are not just Netanyahu, but those that elected him.
If you want to argue with me then feel free, but don't willfully misinterpret what I say to strawman me. That's just rude.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
28,739
the Netherlands
Every population is responsible for its government, and thus the government's actions, to a certain degree. You can't wage war like Russia does without the majority of the population approving it.
 

Thordinson

Banned
Aug 1, 2018
18,592
Reading comprehension fail.
I wrote, and I quote:
"Many in the Russian populace"
If you think that is at all analogous to "an entire population" then that's a you problem and I can't help you. My point is that it's not just Putin, but the populace that supports him. Yes, of course I think that the issues in the US were not just Trump, but those that elected him and that the issues in Israel are not just Netanyahu, but those that elected him.
If you want to argue with me then feel free, but don't willfully misinterpret what I say to strawman me. That's just rude.

You wrote this as well.

Yup, the idea that this is just Putin and the Russian populace is against it is wishful thinking.

Russia's economy and military need to be decimated to the point where either the populace's delusions of grandeur are completely broken or, at least, can not really cause real harm to the rest of the world. It's not just a Putin problem. It's a Russia problem.

This, to me, implies the Russian population wants it as a whole and that the populace itself has delusions of grandeur instead of a portion as there is no caveat in those sentences of it just being some.

You've corrected my assumptions as they were incorrect and I apologize for taking your statements the wrong way.

Every population is responsible for its government, and thus the government's actions, to a certain degree. You can't wage war like Russia does without the majority of the population approving it.

I agree but I've been told many times this actually doesn't apply to the US or Israel. I think it applies to all governments.
 

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,596
You wrote this as well.

This, to me, implies the Russian population wants it as a whole and that the populace itself has delusions of grandeur instead of a portion as there is no caveat in those sentences of it just being some.

You've corrected my assumptions as they were incorrect and I apologize for taking your statements the wrong way.
Thank you. No, I don't think the entire population is the issue, but a large portion of it is. We've seen the absolute courage that some have shown in messing with the voting booths, protesting, etc... There's no way to fix Russia easily, however, so the hope that Putin croaking will magically be a cure and that Russia would then become a healthy contributor to the world seems hopelessly naive when the majority of the populace will simply elect another similar person.
 
Nov 23, 2019
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View: https://x.com/TUmarov/status/1791194327516881206

In his 1997 book that is still required reading in Russian military academies, he wrote that China is a threat to Russia— and that Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Manchuria should be detached to serve as buffer states


View: https://x.com/TUmarov/status/1791486531544264912



www.scmp.com

Why Putin toured Harbin, China

Read more here: https://sc.mp/n8n3m Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin on May 17, 2024, as part of a two-day state visit that included talks…

btw, same city 90 years ago

1920px-Banquet_BREM.jpg


context
 
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Mivey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,037
Last edited:

Mentalist

Member
Mar 14, 2019
18,361
Let's hope they can quickly push the Russians out of north, then. This feels a bit like he's playing politics, though. Given the scale of the country, it should take quite a while for it to reach every single division across the front, even if it all crossed the border today
Zelensky needs to create a positive image of the situation, if he is to convince people who respond to mobilization summons that they aren't dooming themselves to a hopeless task.


The underlying issue is, Ukrainian state apparatus isn't strong, because the population has fundamental trust issues. That's always been the case. When the war started, this distrust was put on hold, but 2 years later, that initial adrenaline rush of unification is long gone, and Zelensky didn't really help matters by constantly promising swift victory up to the summer of 2023. When the enemy didn't break, and subsequently regained the initiative and managed to successfully carry out the Avdiyivka operation (human costs notwithstanding), he's burned his credibility further.


Mobilization efforts previously were focusing on older people, and predominantly in rural regions. Right now, the new wave would need to target the portion of the urban middle-class that didn't already volunteer- and these are people who could potentially cause political unrest. Moreover, a lot of these are white collar IT workers- and they are the ones that still bring money to the budget, which is how Kyiv pays for the army and its own war production. Western aid largely goes to pay pensions and salaries to various government dependants such as healthcare and education workers. So mobilization exemptions are necessary to keep the few functional industries afloat, but this creates new opportunities for corruption (buying exemptions by claiming essential business status), which feeds back to the general distrust issue.

Contrary to what people seem to believe, Ukraine isn't a nation made up entirely of superheroes. There are plenty of self-interested people that are trying to survive and dodge the danger anyway they can. There's plenty of entitled millennial youths who don't feel they owe the country anything; and there's sufficient number of people who still just see profit opportunities. The situation is complex, and Zelensky and co have a tough balancing act (to significant degree, of their own making). At this point, there aren't really any easy answers.
 
Nov 23, 2019
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View: https://x.com/Hajun_BY/status/1791493604122177869
We recall that in early April, air defense units of the 147th and 1146th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiments were redeployed to Yelsk district to protect the Mazyr oil refinery. This measure was taken after the proposal to strike the refinery with drones. Now, given the unusual intensification of aviation fuel supplies to Russia, strengthening the security of the Mazyr oil refinery gets a new meaning.
 
Nov 23, 2019
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So

www.theguardian.com

‘Georgia is now governed by Russia’: how the dream of freedom unravelled

‘Foreign agents’ law just one of many moves made back towards Moscow while the west looked the other way
Giorgi Kandelaki, who was an MP in Saakashvili's United National Movement party, said the reset in US-Russian relations under the then US president Barack Obama provided the context for what has happened, with the west willing to accept Georgian alignment with Moscow – all the way up to the Ukraine war.

"Ivanishvili had been saying all these things for years, but no one wanted to listen," Kandelaki said.
It was only when Russia invaded Ukraine that the Georgian government had to pick a side – declining to join the west in imposing sanctions. Even then, it was granted EU candidate status in December.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's foreign minister, who was in Tbilisi this week, conceded the EU was culpable in "managing the decline".

"I've been here before," Landsbergis said. "We were saying the same things about electoral law, about the way judges are appointed, about so many things, and no steps were taken. It was escalating and we didn't meet that escalation."

When you're giving up on your allies, over time there won't be no allies and no influence. Georgia is just one of many recent examples.
 

maabus1999

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,251

NetMapel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,542

I know there are plenty of reporting from the west's side about how costly it is to support Ukraine. Or at the very least, reporting on some of cost of these aids. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that China is aiding Russia in the context of this war. We do not know the extend of their support but suffice to say, it is sizable. They have picked a side even if they don't specifically say it out loud. Both the west and China are trying to support their side in this war and whichever side loses will have costly consequences. A drag for their team, so to speak, which needs to be carried. For example, if Russia lost and Putin is "de-throned", China will need to spend a lot of resources to stabilize Russia. So I certainly don't think the west should fear that China is still watching from the side with "unlimited resources". They are already involved and spending plenty of resources to support Russia because they cannot afford Russia to lose. Given the US and the west view China as a strategic competitor, defeating Russia in this war is the best and most optimal way to keep China in check.