Russia invades Ukraine

[najaB]

That's going to be very difficult when people realise the cost of the green / net zero malarky! Totally unaffordable to the average person.

That's simply not true. The per-unit cost of renewables is already significantly lower than traditional energy and will only get lower. The only thing keeping oil and gas in the grid is that they don't suffer from intermittency in the same way as wind and solar.

Or the endless pro Ukraine propaganda on TV/Radio/Newspapers/Social Media

Remind me, are there Ukrainian tanks on the outskirts of Moscow, or is it the other way around?

 

[HST274]

elect people who represent them

Who do you suggest? I presume not any of the main parties so who?

 

[birchesgreen]

Mr President needs to reboot his stuttering war effort not post on here.

 

[yorksrob]

That's going to be very difficult when people realise the cost of the green / net zero malarky! Totally unaffordable to the average person.

It will be seen as more "affordable" than relying on a bunch of unhinged Stalinist throwbacks.

 

[Loppylugs]

Or the endless pro Ukraine propaganda on TV/Radio/Newspapers/Social Media

Come on, admit it. You're Vladdy's fat buddy from Minsk aren't you ?

 

[GS250]

Aren't most of the Western fighter aircraft stored in the desert at least a couple of versions old? Agreed conversion would be several weeks minimum and that's not even taking into consideration support on the ground, spare parts etc. A total non starter really.

However, yes, versions of current aircraft would work ok. Providing they have any runways to operate from etc. I seem to recall several of the previous generation of Soviet Aircraft had pretty tough landing gear to allow them to operate outside of conventional runways.

 

[nw1]

Or the endless pro Ukraine propaganda on TV/Radio/Newspapers/Social Media

Damn those Ukrainians victimising and picking on poor innocent Vladimir Putin.

 

[brad465]

That's going to be very difficult when people realise the cost of the green / net zero malarky! Totally unaffordable to the average person.

Only because the financing of it is all wrong, with lack of financial support for those who need it for upfront costs. Once those are out of the way there are long term savings.

That's simply not true. The per-unit cost of renewables is already significantly lower than traditional energy and will only get lower. The only thing keeping oil and gas in the grid is that they don't suffer from intermittency in the same way as wind and solar.

And as storage technology improves, renewable intermittency will be much less of an issue.

Regardless of what future natural gas has, Russia depends on oil and gas for over half its economy, which is far too large a sector proportionally in any economy when it comes to resilience. The sudden shift to alternative energy supplies, as a result of net zero/green pushes and this latest act from Putin will not help the Russian economy unless it can diversify.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

That's simply not true. The per-unit cost of renewables is already significantly lower than traditional energy and will only get lower. The only thing keeping oil and gas in the grid is that they don't suffer from intermittency in the same way as wind and solar.
Remind me, are there Ukrainian tanks on the outskirts of Moscow, or is it the other way around?

Renewables only become cost effective because fossil fuel prices have shot up which wasn't what was expected but at least its worked in our favour although we may need to overlook the huge subsidies they've received to date.

 

[AlterEgo]

The idea that Russia is going to be any more than a bit-player in the Chinese/EU era that we're headed into.

Quite. Russia is a wounded and angry nation with very limited pretence to being a superpower.

China is the big concern for the West.

 

[Ediswan]

I seem to recall several of the previous generation of Soviet Aircraft had pretty tough landing gear to allow them to operate outside of conventional runways.

Not just the landing gear. The engine systems could tolerate a lot more FOD (foreign object debris) on the runway than western aircraft.

 

[Bluejays]

I reckon it won't be long before a ceasefire is reached. Putin has pushed America (NATO) back. Putin has no intention of taking over all of Ukraine. Putin I should imagine, wants America out of eastern europe. And who can blame him, after their pathetic attempt of regime change in Syria, their calamitous exit from Afghanistan, their recent CIA initiated failed regime change in Kazakhstan. America is behaving like a has-been. The American empire is slowly dying. The Germans have got some important decisions coming up as does much of mainland europe...do they side with Russia, or do they be the U.S. poodle like Britain? If so, it could get chilly for the Germans. The longer this war goes on, the better it is for the Americans and the American military industrial complex.
This latest physical war which is just a continuation of a proxy war that was last this bad in 2014, will soon be over and a financial war will ensue. A clue as to who the losers are going to be: Not the Russians.

Britain should rid itself of the current globalist rabble in Parliament and elect people who represent them, rather than choosing between the least worst all the time. We could then stop being the U.S poodle, be far more self sufficient, and would not be involved in any of these geo-political wars!

We could also do ourselves a huge favor and stop watching the mainstream media, however addicting their endless stoking of war and fear is to watch and listen to, on behalf of government!

Give your head a wobble vlad!!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2022 ==

In terms of flying different planes, I suppose it depends what the objectives are. To compete with Russian planes and try to gain control of airspace no chance. If the objective is flying by sight to attack some of those long Russian columns, then I suppose it's a bit easier to adapt. May be verging on suicide missions, but then that's the unfortunate position many Ukrainian fighters seem to be in at present.

 

[dakta]

They seem to have had success with turkish drones in that regard though whether theres any left ive no idea, I was reading up on the capabilities of modern stingers last night and they were quite impressive - real world will reduce their effectiveness a lot over 'brochure specs' i'd imagine but for 30kg of equipment they can be quite potent

 

[LOL The Irony]

The World Motorsport Council are due to meet tomorrow, with it being reported as a vote on whether to ban Russian drivers from competing. See more on the F1 thread here:

Formula 1

I think I would’ve given the RD job to Blash instead of Masi in the first place. As Charlie Whiting’s deputy he already knew the job. Good to see him supervising the new RDs. That hopefully will mean some consistency.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[brad465]

Quite. Russia is a wounded and angry nation with very limited pretence to being a superpower.

China is the big concern for the West.

And the West is not helping this concern through its outsourcing of manufacturing to China to cut costs and maximise profit. We really need to apply more critical analysis of our economic growth, trade and structure of the economy overall, to make sure we're not helping potentially dodgy regimes in a way that will come back to bite us later (and in turn wipe out all the subject growth gains).

 

[nanstallon]

Johnson can send Rees-Mogg to Ukraine to explain the downside of joining the EU, I'm sure his views would prevail.

I suspect that Ukranians are well aware of what a disaster the stupid Brexit is turning out to be.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2022 ==

And the West is not helping this concern through its outsourcing of manufacturing to China to cut costs and maximise profit. We really need to apply more critical analysis of our economic growth, trade and structure of the economy overall, to make sure we're not helping potentially dodgy regimes in a way that will come back to bite us later (and in turn wipe out all the subject growth gains).

This is the problem - the West is too addicted to money and soft living. Perhaps we are now waking up?

 

[kristiang85]

If anyone has Sky, this is a good documentary to watch that helps put a bit of perspective on the situation in Ukraine: https://www.sky.com/watch/title/ser...emp-extreme-world/episodes/season-4/episode-1

It's from 2015, but I decided to rewatch it just now, and it does make you wonder how it's taken this long for it all to conflagrate. It also concentrates on the neo Nazi elements which are obviously not talked about in western media, but are present (although Putin using them as an excuse to do what he's doing is not at all justified).

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I'm not too bothered, but I'd be really interested to know which bits are BS.

On a quick read-through, all of it I think.

(EDIT: I think there might have been a word 'the' in the middle of it, which if you take that word by itself wasn't BS )

 

[oldman]

Interesting article in the Guardian and elsewhere about Putin-Understanders (#putinversteher) and Putin-Streichler (strokers):

Prominent figures in Germany are coming under increasing pressure to publicly distance themselves from Vladimir Putin amid accusations that they are bringing shame on the country and themselves.

The range of so-called Putin-Versteher (Putin-understanders) – those who have sought to explain or justify the Russian leader’s actions – include figures from the far-left Die Linke and the far-right AfD, as well as members of the Social Democrats and some conservatives who have tried to keep him on side in the interests of their constituents and German energy security.

Poor (rich, actually) old ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder deservedly gets it in the neck:

Schröder, who had previously referred to Ukraine’s request for arms as “sabre rattling”, on Thursday called on the “government in Moscow” to end the conflict “as soon as possible” saying it was not in Russia’s security interests to pursue the conflict. But he stopped short of mentioning Putin or referring to a war.

I wonder if this attack of conscience will last or will it be business as usual before long.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Seems to a somewhat similar story to the UK, where it's basically the people on both political extremes (left and right) who are supporting Russia. I'm guessing that's because those are the groups most likely to dismiss most of what actually happens in the World as elitest lies or whatever, and take their news from their favourite conspiracy-theory websites instead. I think the main difference is that in the UK there's virtually no-one in the mainstream of politics stretching from sensible-left to sensible-right supporting Putin in any way, whereas it seems in Germany there are a few.

 

[AlterEgo]

Seems to a somewhat similar story to the UK, where it's basically the people on both political extremes (left and right) who are supporting Russia. I'm guessing that's because those are the groups most likely to dismiss most of what actually happens in the World as elitest lies or whatever, and take their news from their favourite conspiracy-theory websites instead. I think the main difference is that in the UK there's virtually no-one in the mainstream of politics stretching from sensible-left to sensible-right supporting Putin in any way, whereas it seems in Germany there are a few.

I think Putin has a lot of appeal to extremists and hardliners because of his preparedness to subvert democratic norms and impose his will.

 

[brad465]

Seems to a somewhat similar story to the UK, where it's basically the people on both political extremes (left and right) who are supporting Russia. I'm guessing that's because those are the groups most likely to dismiss most of what actually happens in the World as elitest lies or whatever, and take their news from their favourite conspiracy-theory websites instead. I think the main difference is that in the UK there's virtually no-one in the mainstream of politics stretching from sensible-left to sensible-right supporting Putin in any way, whereas it seems in Germany there are a few.

There seem to be a few in the US as well: Trump and Tucker Carlson have recently been defensive of Putin, and there maybe others who I haven't heard of. I don't know of any far-left Putin supporters in the US, which might have something to do with the fact that there isn't really a far-left in the US anyway.

 

[JonasB]

I don't know of any far-left Putin supporters in the US, which might have something to do with the fact that there isn't really a far-left in the US anyway.

You can find some if you look on social media. But as you say, among influential people there is no far-left there.

 

[AlterEgo]

Reports of an enormous column of armoured vehicles moving towards Kiev. The Russians have taken their time and not acquitted themselves well so far.

Hopefully the anti tank weaponry Britain sent to Ukraine proves helpful.

 

[class ep-09]

Reports of an enormous column of armoured vehicles moving towards Kiev. The Russians have taken their time and not acquitted themselves well so far.

Hopefully the anti tank weaponry Britain sent to Ukraine proves helpful.

Large slowly moving columns are like sitting ( or moving ) ducks without proper air cover , which russians do not provide a lot .
Enough to say that first aim of any resistance would be to take out fuel trucks - no armour , no need for more “ specialised “ ammunition , than Kalashnikov .
Burning fuel trucks would stop / slow the column allowing armoured ehicles to be targeted next ( when stationary it is far better to aim and gives higher percentage of hitting rate ) .
It also would mean that tanks etc would have no fuel much sooner than later.

Russians could try to use fields to move around but it would be quite tricky in places as the winter has not frozen the ground enough for many vehicles to pass - especially ones with tires .

 

[mike57]

Large slowly moving columns are like sitting ( or moving ) ducks without proper air cover , which russians do not provide a lot .
Enough to say that first aim of any resistance would be to take out fuel trucks - no armour , no need for more “ specialised “ ammunition , than Kalashnikov .
Burning fuel trucks would stop / slow the column allowing armoured ehicles to be targeted next ( when stationary it is far better to aim and gives higher percentage of hitting rate ) .
It also would mean that tanks etc would have no fuel much sooner than later.

Russians could try to use fields to move around but it would be quite tricky in places as the winter has not frozen the ground enough for many vehicles to pass - especially ones with tires .

I saw the satellite images on the news this morning, ideal target for 'irregular' forces, small groups, take out a few trucks in the convoy, and melt back into the countryside, dont try and have a stand up fight, and repeat at irregular intervals. Some of the areas looked to be wooded as well. Its also very demoralising for the troops in the convoy, they feel like sitting ducks, which they are. Nothing defeats an army quicker than a major drop in morale, desertions, following orders to the letter not the spirit then result. Then a few IEDs along the way as well. A few hundered men can keep thousands tied down scared and tired in this situation. History is on the side of this type of tactic, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Key port of Mariupol under siege as IMF and World Bank pledge $3bn for Ukraine – as it happened

US president gives State of the Union address as Russia intensifies bombardment of cities across Ukraine

amp.theguardian.com

Vladimir Putin is frustrated with the slow progress of his military in Ukraine and has been lashing out at people in his inner circle, according to the US network NBC, citing US officials.
NBC says current and former officials briefed on the matter have been told that US intelligence fears the Russian president may take out his frsutration by escalating the war on his neighbour.

As expected, Putin isn’t happy in the slightest. It’s especially alarming if he’s lashing out at people in his inner circle.

 

[philosopher]

Key port of Mariupol under siege as IMF and World Bank pledge $3bn for Ukraine – as it happened

US president gives State of the Union address as Russia intensifies bombardment of cities across Ukraine

amp.theguardian.com

As expected, Putin isn’t happy in the slightest. It’s especially alarming if he’s lashing out at people in his inner circle.

Given how dangerous Putin is, I really hope a platoon of Russia’s army march into Putin’s palace and immediately arrest him pretty soon.

 

[nw1]

And the West is not helping this concern through its outsourcing of manufacturing to China to cut costs and maximise profit. We really need to apply more critical analysis of our economic growth, trade and structure of the economy overall, to make sure we're not helping potentially dodgy regimes in a way that will come back to bite us later (and in turn wipe out all the subject growth gains).

Agree with this. Maybe in future the West should think very carefully about who it does deals with (clue: it should only do deals with democracies).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Mar 2022 ==

Key port of Mariupol under siege as IMF and World Bank pledge $3bn for Ukraine – as it happened

US president gives State of the Union address as Russia intensifies bombardment of cities across Ukraine

amp.theguardian.com

As expected, Putin isn’t happy in the slightest. It’s especially alarming if he’s lashing out at people in his inner circle.

Maybe his inner circle will 'do the deal', so to speak. Certainly an intra-Russian way of dealing with him will be the best solution.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Mar 2022 ==

You can find some if you look on social media. But as you say, among influential people there is no far-left there.

Plenty of far-right (US Putin supporters) though, I suspect.

 

[najaB]

Plenty of far-right (US Putin supporters) though, I suspect.

Marjorie Taylor-Greene spoke at a parallel conference to CPAC where they both praised the "untapped secret power of the White Male", and chanted "Putin, Putin".... Make of that what you like.