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Here you are.I would like to donate a shell to the cause. Cant afford an A-10. Why isnt there a site where i can order one with my name on it. Bet you quite a few dollars i am not the only one.
"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again."
Australian supplied guns in action: Source: Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia and New Zealandww2aircraft.net
Australian supplied guns in action:
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Source: Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand
Good commentary, thank you.Supply to Ukraine from European NATO nations is ongoing, as it is from the US and other nations around the world.
The UAF engaged in combat within Ukraine have absorbed nearly all that they can at this point in time, aside from the ongoing need for expendables and a trickle of replacement personnel and equipment. There is a continuing small but significant indigenous build-up of strength via expansion of existing units, and the addition of some newly formed units.
Enough small arms, web gear, and personal kit (including protective vests) for over 500,000 troops has been transferred but not yet deployed within Ukraine.
The numbers of Javelin and NLAW sent to Ukraine have been highly publicized, but there have been even more AT-4 and LAW type weapons sent. At one point about 2 months ago it was reported that there were 10x AT weapons for every operational tank in the entire Russian army.
Additional tranches of supply are being worked up, with the amounts being decided on by NATO or by individual nations alone and/or in concert with NATO, based on what the countries feel they can readily afford (both in cost and in terms of maintaining operational capability). Contracts for additional production of many of the types of munitions being supplied have been let. Some of the manufacturers here in the US have been running expanded and/or additional shifts for several months.
Training of units of varying size is being performed at dispersed sites around NATO and in other countries. This includes additional heavy equipment like HIMARS/MLRS and the new NASAMS units. Most sites are not being publicized, although a few like the infantry and artillery training bases in the UK have had some press coverage. Entire combat maneuver units are being trained and worked up to operational status, as well as the accompanying logistic and maintenance support units. SOF and other specialized units are also being trained.
As I mentioned upthread, Ukrainian pilots are already being trained on Western airframes.
There is a mostly quiet but amazingly solid methodology being employed in the planning and implementation of the build-up of the UAF - in concert with the effects of sanctions on the ability of the RF to produce - the primary focus being to keep Ukrainian manpower losses to a minimum while accomplishing the goal of reducing the RF military to the point where they are either unable or unwilling to continue the war.
Whether things will work out as we would like them to, or not, is of course open to question - but I would not go placing any bets against Ukraine etal just yet.
Doesn't mean a thing to Russia so long as India and China refuse sanctions and ignore embargo - which they wll continue to do. There is a global political element/faction determined to end fossil fuels imbedded in G7.Interesting development on the sanctions front. The G7 has agreed a cap on Russian fuel costs (details from BBC):
Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers have announced they plan to implement a price cap on Russian oil.
The cap will help fight inflation while delivering a blow to Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says.
The oil price cap plan is "specifically designed" to reduce Russian revenues and its ability to "fund its war of aggression", according to the agreement.
The full document from G7 finance ministers also says it is designed to limit the "impact of Russia's war on global energy prices, particularly for low and middle-income countries".
It claims this will work by "only permitting service providers to continue to do business related to Russian seaborne oil and petroleum products sold at or below the price cap".
This will be achieved, the document says, by preventing shipping companies from transporting Russian oil via the sea unless it has been purchased at below the price cap.
There is no detail yet at what level the cap will be set, but the document says this will be "publicly communicated in a clear and transparent manner".
Of course, Russia doesn't like it and had already threatened responses before the G7 decision:
Before the G7 announcement today, the Kremlin warned that imposing a price cap on Russian oil exports would trigger Russian retaliation.
"Companies that impose a price cap will not be among the recipients of Russian oil," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The aim of the price ceiling is to curb Russian oil profits that are helping to finance Russia's war in Ukraine.
"The adoption of such a decision will lead to significant destabilisation of the oil markets," Peskov warned.
World prices for oil and gas have soared amid energy shortages linked to the Ukraine war - although the price of oil has fallen since its June peak.
The EU plans to impose an embargo on Russian crude oil from 5 December. It will apply to crude shipped by tanker and most piped supplies.
China and India - major trading partners for Russia - may not follow G7 policy on Russian oil, analysts say. They have not joined the Western sanctions targeting Russia.
Doesn't mean a thing to Russia so long as India and China refuse sanctions and ignore embargo - which they wll continue to do. There is a global political element/faction determined to end fossil fuels imbedded in G7.
The People in those (and our) countries would love a 'cap' on fuel prices but how exactly CAN G7 implement a price cap? Sanctions have not - an will not work. Folks are buying and hoarding coal for the upcoming winter. Euro companies need natural gas and diesel fuel. Think adequate supplies of natural gas will be available in EU if not supplemented by Russia?
Think OPEC is in line with price caps?
Looks like a Kabuki dance to me.
Pepsi Syndrome.According to Gazprom, this is what's causing all the problems (Source BBC). They call it an oil leak. Looks to me like someone spilled their morning coffee:
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Happily not thinking this through, I like the idea of Russia shutting off the gas. Just rip the Band-Aid off in one quick move. Europe may be realizing it shouldn't have made itself energy dependent on Russia. Europeans will be in for a hard time. They will be in for another hard time when Putin decides for a more substantial route into Kaliningrad or the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is Russkiy Mir. If putler plays economic hardball, well, look at who he's up against. Tougher times for all. Less for some, more for others. Russia, however, will really start hurting. Those daily billions Russia makes? Most of that goes to putler via his shrinking circle of oligarchs. Boris and Ludmilla Drunkenskiya aren't going to see any petrodollars. The bucks coming in needed to run the show probably isn't enough either.Russia scraps Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline reopening, stoking European fuel fears
Gazprom, the state-controlled firm with a monopoly on Russian gas exports, says it could not safely restart deliveries until it had fixed an oil leak found in a vital turbine.www.abc.net.au
OK to disagree. 2-3X price for Gas and Fuel makes up for reduced deliveries. Russia can afford to a.) not ship fertilizer to US/Europe and b.) Shut Nord down completely. All OPEC has to do to a.) Help Russia, and b.) Help themselves, is to reduce output - which they very much intend to do. Iran and Veneuela will continue to produce. What is G7 going to do? Only agree to a phantom price resulting in zero no deliveries - with winter coming to Northern Europe, US/Canada and UK? Who can sustain daily operations better going forward - Russia or the West?'Fraid I disagree with you. China and India may ignore the embargo and refuse sanctions....but there's no way they can make up for the 2 million barrels per day that went to Europe via dedicated pipelines before the invasion. China and India can take some of Russia's oil but they can't take that amount. Europe absolutely will have a terrible winter this year, and they almost certainly will have to take Russian oil and gas. However, this isn't a binary "all or nothing" situation. If Europe can reduce its demand on Russian oil and gas, then it reduces Moscow's leverage. The less oil and gas that Europe uses, the more Russia will have to find alternate customers which (a) don't really exist, and (b) requires a huge increase in ocean-going tankers to transport the fuel.
I suspect the G7 cap is as much about seeking to reduce cost impacts on domestic energy users than an attempt at tweaking Putler's nose. I share some skepticism about the likelihood of success...but doing nothing guarantees that average citizens will suffer. OPEC certainly can make its own decisions but its member nations also want to be perceived as being on the side of right, even if they aren't willing to outright jump on the sanctions bandwagon. OPEC intransigence and profiteering may achieve some short-term financial gain but it will prove extremely damaging in the long term...and OPEC can't ignore the "futures" aspect of business.
I'd like to understand the rationale for your statement "sanctions have not and will not work." What's your definition for sanctions actually working? Also, what's your evidence that they aren't working?
Sanctions aren't a silver bullet that will bring Russia to the negotiating table, complete with having to negotiate from a position of weakness. However, it seems pretty clear that sanctions ARE working to the extent that they can. They've effectively isolated Russia from its biggest markets, they've prevented the transfer of technology, and hindered Russia's ability to manufacture replacement weapon systems for the war they started.
in those days there were six very distinct Maori languages.
Being different for the sake of being different is what can best be described as arogant petty barstardry and does nothing for international relations. And yes the Maori are no different to the Yanks on that
Yep. Europe has dealt with much harder shocks than a lack of fuel, such as repairing total destruction in 1945 and reunification at end of the Cold War. Germany and the Euros will overcome this short term mega shock. Meanwhile, Russia can neither easily sell their gas to others nor stop production.Happily not thinking this through, I like the idea of Russia shutting off the gas. Just rip the Band-Aid off in one quick move.
Just to try to make some relevance to our topic at hand, throughout their rule, the Russians tried to eradicate Ukraine's distinct language. Conquerors often understand that to truly conquer another people you must eliminate their language and cultural distinctions, forcing assimilation. That's exactly what we tried to do in what became Canada to our indigenous people, where we would kidnap their children and force them into Uyghur-like indoctrination camps. But Russia's invasion has done the exact oppostite, bringing Ukraine's distinct language and culture to the world's attention and ignited nationalist sentiment across Ukraine and its diaspora.Maori themselves celebrate this simply for the reason I mentioned earlier…
But Russia's invasion has done the exact oppostite, bringing Ukraine's distinct language and culture to the world's attention and ignited nationalist sentiment across the Ukraine and its diaspora.
Simply because Ukraine has the means and support from the rest of the world to combat Russian oppression. The Uighurs, Maori, Australian Aboriginals, native Americans etc didn't have Baykar Bayraktars...Sorry to side track from the discussion, everyone.