so while this was mentioned before on and off, analysts have noted recently again the reason Russians refuse to surrender is that they believe if they conquer Ukraine, there will be normalcy again in their lives as the West will have no choice but to just concede given the resources they seize; if they fail, they believe they will never return to their previous way of life (i.e "normalcy" in Western brands, tech, etc).
Putin also thinks this way, which is why the Finnish president has worryingly said he's going to go on the warpath until he gets what he wants, regardless of victory being logically improbable.
"Truth...justice, honor, freedom! Vain indulgences, every one(...) I know what I want, and I take it. I take advantage of whatever I can, and discard that which I cannot. There is no room for sentiment or guilt."
Last edited by Iphie; 2023-01-16 at 12:26 PM.
You have to wonder just how many tanks Russia has left when you hear reports of some battalions having near none left.
One of the battalions making up an "elite" Russian tank regiment waging war in Ukraine has just 10 tanks left, operated by 30 soldiers, according to Ukraine's armed forces.
The battalion of Russia's 26th Tank Regiment, which is fighting around the city of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine, had 10 T-80BV main battle tanks still in "serviceable condition" as of Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Facebook on Sunday.
The rest are "destroyed or disabled," according to the General Staff, with those still in operation manned by around 30 Russian personnel.
A Russian tank battalion typically consists of approximately 40 main battle tanks, according to current affairs magazine The Diplomat. Each of the Russian tank regiments has around 93 tanks in three battalions, according to Insider.
Dontrike/Shadow Priest/Black Cell Faction Friend Code - 5172-0967-3866
It's a variety of things. The extremely warm winter so far also contributes, giving more time to ramp up alternatives.
Increased storage capacity, more LNG terminals, more South to North pipelines for North African African suppliers, keeping or re-opening old coal plants in, increased energy efficiency, increased domestic production where available etc.
It's not just 1 thing. Current natural gas prices are around pre war levels.
Thanks for the info! Hopefully they'll continue to push for nuclear/green power after all of this...
I wouldn't know about that. The Qatar minister today acknowledged Russia, stating while it's bad now, the world will inevitably "forgive and forget" and do business again - citing past atrocities as an example.
"Truth...justice, honor, freedom! Vain indulgences, every one(...) I know what I want, and I take it. I take advantage of whatever I can, and discard that which I cannot. There is no room for sentiment or guilt."
Nonsense.
Putin knows that if he gets no results he will get hanged by the balls on the Red Square. He also knows that this shit is unwinnable - the momentum is long gone and at most he will have years of stalemate, except that he does not have years because clouds are gathering above him domestically.
So plan B he will go for - is going to be a loyalist successor that will on the one hand keep Putin out of trouble in retirement and on the other hand will be more palatable to cut some sort of deal with the West/Ukraine.
And he will do it within a year, because 2024 is elections and that is a huge risk for him, because faking results can go only so far before people actually are on the streets with pitchforks in hands.
Last edited by Gaidax; 2023-01-16 at 10:04 PM.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64296979Russia's Wagner Group commander requests Norway asylum.
A former commander with the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group has claimed asylum in Norway after deserting from the mercenary outfit.
Andrey Medvedev, 26, crossed the border into Norway last Friday, where he was detained by border guards.
He is currently being held in the Oslo area where he faces charges of illegal entry to Norway, his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told the BBC.
Mr Risnes said his client left Wagner after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine.
Hope he squeals like a pig!