Russia

[dawg80]

CNN has video of a Russian cruise missile striking a hotel on an Odessa beach. Luckily no one was hurt. Owner of hotel says this was a popular destination for Russian tourists. When asked if Russians will be welcomed there in the future, he replied, only as prisoners. Why was the hotel attacked? Was it being used or was ever used by the military? The owner said no...just tourists.

Video was a security camera of the hotel. In regular speed all you can see is a silver streak then the explosion. In super slow motion the cruise missile is discernible, coming in horizontally about 8-10 feet above the ground, fired from a ship in the Black Sea.

[dawg80]

This is what Ukrainian officials are claiming:

From February 24 to May 18, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 28,300 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Between February 24 and May 18, 2022, the enemy's total combat losses also included 1,235 tanks (+16 over the past day), 3,009 armored fighting vehicles (+34), 586 artillery systems (+8), 199 multiple launch rocket systems (+1), 91 anti-aircraft warfare systems (+1), 202 aircraft (+1), 167 helicopters (+0), 2,137 motor vehicles and fuel tanks (+28), 13 boats/cutters (+0), 441 unmanned aerial vehicles (+5), 43 special equipment units (+0). A total of 102 enemy cruise missiles (+5) were shot down.

Some of these stats are close to what independent sources have reported. Seems like a lot to me.

[PawDawg]

We’ve been borrowing from those who gave us the China virus for years. The swamp and Trump haters are fine with it

[dawg80]

The Russkies have pulled back and are now concentrating on the eastern provinces, the region most pundits assumed Putin wanted from the git-go. Putin has lost the war for Ukraine, but he might have a chance to salvage matters, and some Russian pride, at least in his own twisted mind, by securing and thus stealing the narrow strip of territory along the Russian border, creating a corridor to Crimea. In the past two days the Russkies have destroyed two bridges which connects the region of Severodonetks to the rest of Ukraine. Only one more bridge still stands and Russian forces, including demolition teams, were reported fighting their way toward the last bridge. Local Ukrainian militia units are putting up stiff resistance trying to keep this last escape route opened for civilians.

The Russkies committed another of their so-called "master weapons" to the war. After the dismal failure of the T-91 Tank, Putin ordered a fighting-machine, nicknamed the "Terminator" into Ukraine. Ukrainian drones armed with the "vampire" missile, and teams with the Javelin rocket, are reported to be on their way to confront the "Terminator" vehicle.

Most experts agree it appears Putin will try to seize and hold the eastern provinces and then enter into some kind of peace negotiations with Ukraine. But President Zelensky has been adamantly stating there will be no peace until every Russian soldier has left his country. He vows to fight on. The question is...will the world support President Z or force him to accept a treaty whereby he surrenders eastern territory?

[FriscoDawg]

Soros Says Defeat Putin or 'Civilisation May Not Survive' the Climate Crisis (breitbart.com)

[DawgyNWindow]

Most experts agree it appears Putin will try to seize and hold the eastern provinces and then enter into some kind of peace negotiations with Ukraine. But President Zelensky has been adamantly stating there will be no peace until every Russian soldier has left his country. He vows to fight on. The question is...will the world support President Z or force him to accept a treaty whereby he surrenders eastern territory?

This is the ten million dollar question.

I am seeing estimates of coming food shortages because the ports are blocked by the Russian navy. It's one thing to see a lot of folks we don't know fight and die in the good fight, but when hunger sets in for much of the world.....

Along that train of thought, I suspect many of our farmers are busy growing non-food-grade corn to make ethanol to try and make up for Biden's horrible energy policy. Had we just made the good leases available and issued permits to drill (instead of just throwing blame around), we might be nearing the end of this energy issue and could be growing and shipping those food crops to make up for what Ukraine was producing.

Enjoy your 15% ethanol blended fuel this summer, though!

BIDEN is a strategic blunder.

[dawg80]

Russia facing default on their bonds, to the tune of $600 billion (USD) at close of business today. Most of the world placed a lock on Putin's international bonds when he invaded, but the Biden admin (US Treasury) extended a waiver, an extension, until today. The UST says it will not extend the waiver on the lock again. Interest payments due to various holders on Russian bonds are still due, the next ones May 27, $2 billion, and more due in June and afterwards. Russia has not defaulted on due bond interest payments since 1998. Locking up the $600 billion places Putin in a tough spot...where can he find the funds to meet his obligations?

The squeeze is on. How much longer will the Russian people tolerate Rootin-tootin-Putin?

[dawg80]

The Russkies have enjoyed some territorial gains in the two eastern provinces, mostly Donbas, but have paid dearly for it. BTW, when I see "Donbas" I think "dumbass" as it pertains to Putin. Russia's so-called elite VDV, their airborne/special forces units numbered 45,000 when the invasion began. They have been misused, according to a British Military Thinktank, and the VDV has suffered so many casualties, desertions, and loss of morale that it has ceased to exist as a viable fighting force. The VDV is "light infantry", and they were deployed into areas where they were over-whelmed by heavy Ukrainian units supported by artillery, air cover and tank battalions.

The local militia units, loyal to Putin, the break-away separatists, have had it too. One colonel, taken prisoner by the Ukrainians, said "we are tired of being cannon fodder for Putin." Apparently, the Russkies have used the militias as shock troops, sending them in first to draw fire from the Ukrainians. There is a genuine loss of enthusiasm in the eastern provinces to continue the war for the sake of being annexed by Russia.

The Russkies announced that 531 members of the Azoz Battalion were among those who surrendered at the steel mill in Mariupol. A separate report, issued by Ukrainian sources, stated that close to 250 members of the Azoz Battalion remain and are still engaged in active operations. They are among the pro-Ukrainian militia units fighting to keep that last bridge secure and open to evacuations.

The most telling news that Putin has lost the war is the reopening of the city of Kharkiv to some normalcy. In March Russian forces held the city and controlled the region around it. Now the subways have started running again, shops have opened, and people are returning to work, etc..

[FriscoDog]

Have you heard the rumors that Putin has cancer or some other terminal disease? There were reports that on last few trips abroad, he never ate.

[dawg80]

Have you heard the rumors that Putin has cancer or some other terminal disease? There were reports that on last few trips abroad, he never ate.

Much speculation on that.

[dawg80]

Have you heard the rumors that Putin has cancer or some other terminal disease? There were reports that on last few trips abroad, he never ate.

Putin has been given three years to live and is losing his eyesight. Well, 3 years by his doctors, hopefully an assassin has other near-term plans. And, Putin will anoint his daughter as his successor. What kind of messed-up political system is that? Monarchy or a dictatorship! The latter in this case.

This makes him even more dangerous. He might want to take the world with him while on his death bed.

[dawg80]

Russia facing default on their bonds, to the tune of $600 billion (USD) at close of business today. Most of the world placed a lock on Putin's international bonds when he invaded, but the Biden admin (US Treasury) extended a waiver, an extension, until today. The UST says it will not extend the waiver on the lock again. Interest payments due to various holders on Russian bonds are still due, the next ones May 27, $2 billion, and more due in June and afterwards. Russia has not defaulted on due bond interest payments since 1998. Locking up the $600 billion places Putin in a tough spot...where can he find the funds to meet his obligations?

The squeeze is on. How much longer will the Russian people tolerate Rootin-tootin-Putin?

Russia doing a tap dance trying to avoid defaulting...

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russi...083801171.html

[dawg80]

Putin is using electronic warfare in eastern Ukraine designed to thwart drone attacks and GPS-based weapons. Initially it caught the Ukrainians by surprise and effectively grounded their drones. The Russkies used this chance to advance and capture ground in Donbas. President Z requested long range missiles to knock out the facilities, located just inside Russia's border. The Biden admin refused the request citing escalation of the war, but Germany has responded and has sent some missile batteries that will serve the purpose. Separately Swiss electronic warfare engineers offered the Ukrainians a solution designed to guard the drones against electronic signals which jam the drones' guidance system. Switzerland has already violated their usual condition of neutrality by freezing Russian assets in Swiss banks.

The Russkies are grinding their way across Donbas, inch by inch and paying handsomely for it. British intelligence reports Putin is suffering heavy casualties including the loss of two more generals in recent days. Right now, it is mostly Ukrainian militia units doing the fighting, buying time for the regular army to gather reinforcements and new equipment. It is projected the Ukrainians will launch a massive counterattack when they are ready.

[dawg80]

Scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The Russkies have lost well over 1,200 tanks in the war and have resorted to pulling a 60-yr-old relic out of mothballs and deploying them to Ukraine. Fitted with make-shift extra armor and plating the ancient T-62 tank is on the ground in Ukraine. The T-72s have been destroyed by the score, so the old T-62 is nothing but a death trap for their crews.

In a separate story, the video of a T-72 being blown to pieces, first by an anti-tank mine which left it immobile, then by artillery which finished it off has been released, the video shot by a drone hovering overhead. Remarkably even though the tank's ammo "cooked off" i.e. exploded inside the tank, flames shooting out the hatches like a blowtorch, the whole crew managed to get out alive. They were taken prisoner by Ukrainian militia. Two of the crew had bad burns but are expected to survive their wounds.

Putin has grown desperate and delusional.

[dawg80]

Entire "elite" Russian brigade wiped out! A brigade of the elite 76th Infantry Division, considered to be one of Russia's best, was annihilated in a carefully orchestrated ambush. Incredible video and an on-the-ground report from a German network shows the aftermath and some of the fighting. Only 50 of over 4,000 Russian soldiers survived...well, some escaped into the surrounding forests, abandoning equipment and running for their lives. The KIAs among the Russkies is very, very high...probably close to 3,000 dead. Those 50 have been taken prisoner.

The Ukrainians, thanks to western allies' intelligence, knew the Russkie brigade was coming. They waited until it paused at a river while Russian engineers were building two pontoon bridges. A Ukranian paratrooper brigade was inserted behind them to trap the Russkies against the river. Drones destroyed the two bridges after allowing one battalion to cross, thus splitting the Russian forces. In a 14-hour battle...really a slaughter...Ukrainian artillery and drones systematically crushed the trapped Russians. Early in the battle, when they realized their predicament, the Russian commanders saved themselves and abandoned their troops to their fate.

There is a video clip of a Russian tank in the river, it had attempted to drive across the river and the engine stalled out, only its turret was above the water and its crew tried to fight it out, you can see its main gun firing and two machineguns firing, but it was doomed. A drone hit it with a missile and boom! gone. The carnage was horrible. One Ukrainian colonel was interviewed, and he expressed sorrow and pity for the Russian soldiers. He shook his head as he spoke of the cowardly commanders running away. A Ukrainian soldier had no sympathy, he was very angry, PISSED OFF! saying these bastards invaded our country and we want to kill them all without mercy.

Putin's forces are being crushed, morale is non-existent and meanwhile the Ukrainians thanks to western ally support is building a formidable army readying for a huge, sweeping counter-attack. I hope Ukraine will take back Crimea too.