Checking in on the Russians still trying to dislodge the Ukrainians from the left bank.
SourceThey write that the mansion of Putin's nephew, Roman Putin, burned down in Ryazan
It was not the first attempt at destroying Putin's nephew mansion reportedly
This time it worked out
SourcePartisans burned down the door of the house belonging to Kremlin propagandist Trofim Tatarenkov in Saint Petersburg.
SourceResidents of the Moscow suburb Klimovsk have had no heat for 5 days amid record freezing temperatures.
SourceThe business ombudsman, who called not to be afraid of migrants, now proposed using the labor of pensioners to close the personnel shortage.
Starting today, the Central Bank will begin selling currency from the National Welfare Fund in order to support the ruble exchange rate.
Russians transferred more than $2 billion to Armenia. Such data for eight months of 2023 alone!
Well. As it turns out Trump was one chaos-ball that not even Putin could navigate the fallout of. NATO expanded, NATO fortifies and the by far most likely outcome is an even stronger bond between EU and US.Not really a shock but usually the Europeans don't spill this kind of tea. Breton is spearheading the effort to create a 100B euro defense fund for them to rearm. So part of this is to scare the membership shitless so that the take the appropriate steps to prepare.
Also the last poll I saw of NATO approval in the US was near 70% IIRC. Wrong on policy, wrong on the facts, and against domestic public opinion is the usual Trump trifecta of dumbassedness.
Eh, I feel pretty confident that a Europe only NATO response would be more than sufficient (in a conventional conflict) to handle what's left of the scrap heap that is the Russian military.
The problem would be if it weren't limited to conventional. But, we all lose that one anyway.
A significantly deeper magazine of missiles (of all kinds) would be a really good idea though. Europe definitely needs to possess many more standoff weapons and there are in union options that just need to be bought (NSM/JSM, Taurus KEPD-350, Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG). They could also use a large number of non-stealthy subsonic cruise missiles and decoys, both air and ground launched.
Russia isn't going to start a war with the EU soon, especially while engaged in Ukraine where progress is quite difficult for them to come by. If this war ended Russia would need a few years of rebuilding to be in a position to credibly (using the term loosely) threaten the EU.
Don't see any benefit to China from becoming involved and they have their own separate goals.
I think very low because Russia knows it would get annihilated. The US army is the strongest in the world and Russia has proven they are not an even remotely close second.So, what is the feeling among P&Ners about the chance of a full blown shooting war between NATO/EU and Russia, with maybe NK chiming in? And then China, do they sit it out? They seem to have their own internal problems. What about SK and Japan? Do they need to be more concerned about their own regions? The other smaller SE Asia countries seem to be sucking up to China.
I think the hypothetical is based on statements from Russian officials that after Ukraine, the baltics were next.
If they were that stupid, that would very likely escalate with other NATO members.
Zero chance. This was supposed to be an easy op. The Ukrainian PM would flee and Ukraine would become like Belarus. That was then, this is now.So, what is the feeling among P&Ners about the chance of a full blown shooting war between NATO/EU and Russia, with maybe NK chiming in?
Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries and the Lithuanian Defense and Security Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding to support joint projects on drones and electronic warfare, demining equipment, software, and other advanced mil-tech solutions, including in the areas of cybersecurity and communications.
"next" feels like no sooner than maybe 4 years from now if Ukraine was suddenly defeated today...which seems unlikely.
While I don't wish for war I'd really enjoy seeing the Russians try to cope with the 400-some F-35s the EU will have at its disposal by then.
Why would the US army be involved?I think very low because Russia knows it would get annihilated. The US army is the strongest in the world and Russia has proven they are not an even remotely close second.
I think the hypothetical is based on statements from Russian officials that after Ukraine, the baltics were next.
If they were that stupid, that would very likely escalate with other NATO members.
Zero chance. This was supposed to be an easy op. The Ukrainian PM would flee and Ukraine would become like Belarus. That was then, this is now.
The whole Eastern Europe will be a hotbed of military production from this year.
German, French and English companies are setting up shop inside Ukraine this year if they haven't already.
France, Germany pave the way to making weapons in Ukraine
As Western armies’ stocks start to dry up, governments encourage the private sector to build partnerships with Kyiv.www.politico.euUK officials gauge long-term defense business ties with Ukraine
European companies have begun setting up local support plants for repairing and maintaining weapon donations closer to the front lines.www.defensenews.com
This is Russia's last adventure in Europe. Certainly Putin's last. Successors who may share Putin's Imperial dreams have significant hurdles to solve. In material, logistics and domestic support to such a degree as to challenge NATO with a rotten economy barely the size of Italy - and this while there is still interest in Russian gas. The further along the world moves away from fossil fuels, the weaker the Russian source of wealth becomes.
So yeah, ain't gonna happen.
But will EU troops enter Ukraine to help drive the fools out? Arms is one thing, but they need people too.
Just on this bit, a milestone has been reached;While I don't wish for war I'd really enjoy seeing the Russians try to cope with the 400-some F-35s the EU will have at its disposal by then.