Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Doomcookie]

So a Russian court has found Google guilty of... something or other, and has ordered them to pay a fine of $25,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

No, really.

Why didn't they fine them a googol rubles?

They missed a golden opportunity.

[PhaelixWW]

Probably confused the currency with rubles.

200 USD fine? Wait, that's 15 minutes old data...Should be around 150 USD right now.

Well the fine was actually 2 undecillion rubles. An undecillion is 1e36.

- - - Updated - - -

Why didn't they fine them a googol rubles?

They missed a golden opportunity.

Why stop there? Why not a googolplex?

But seriously (sorta), it was probably too much wasted space in printed court documents.

[Doomcookie]

Well the fine was actually 2 undecillion rubles. An undecillion is 1e36.

- - - Updated - - -


Why stop there? Why not a googolplex?

But seriously (sorta), it was probably too much wasted space in printed court documents.

I would have loved to be the person to type it out.

[Dontrike]

So a Russian court has found Google guilty of... something or other, and has ordered them to pay a fine of $25,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

No, really.

When you're fined a decillion it's super cereal.

[Sunseeker]

So a Russian court has found Google guilty of... something or other, and has ordered them to pay a fine of $25,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

No, really.

They should just fine the world an infinite amount of money. Because why not?

[Heathy]

it's the point, so google can pull out of Russia and they can continue pretending to be victims. they know they can't just ban google without backlash, so they have to make it googles fault.

[KrayZ33]

Such an Austin Powers moment.

[Gorsameth]

it's the point, so google can pull out of Russia and they can continue pretending to be victims. they know they can't just ban google without backlash, so they have to make it googles fault.

Google already left Russia in 2022.

[Heathy]

People still use the platform there though, even if through vpns, this way they can just flat ban it for not paying a fine. but it'll ofc be googles fault not Russia's fault for issuing an unpayable fine.

[Elder Millennial]

So a bit of an underreported but interesting development.

Since 2005 Russia has been building out a huge LNG production capacity in Eastern Siberia, intended to primarily service the Asian markets of Japan, China and India.

The project involved everything from extraction, processing, storage and all the way up to 3 large ice breaking super tankers meant to operate in the Arctic.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamal_LNG

As of 5 or 3 days ago production has been halted at the facility as its storage capacity maxed out. Russia can't seem to find buyers for the gas, not even in China or India.

It is now "temporarily" mothballing the production facilities and the tankers meant to service it.

It's worth mentioning that the daily upkeep costs of these things is ASTRONOMICAL, especially if they aren't actually operating normally and after being shut, the restart operations itself are also incredibly expensive, especially in that climate.

The dockyards that are meant to produce more tankers and service the existing one have also been "temporarily" shut.

https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/n...c-lng-2/419528

The facility only started production in August, was running at about 30% of its maximum technical capacity, but it seems to have not actually shipped any gas.

Unless Russia finds a buyer in the next few months or at best a year...the whole thing is just going to start rusting into the point where upkeep cost more than scrapping everything for parts.

[PhaelixWW]

Since 2005 Russia has been building out a huge LNG production capacity in Eastern Siberia, intended to primarily service the Asian markets of Japan, China and India.

The project involved everything from extraction, processing, storage and all the way up to 3 large ice breaking super tankers meant to operate in the Arctic.

As of 5 or 3 days ago production has been halted at the facility as its storage capacity maxed out. Russia can't seem to find buyers for the gas, not even in China or India.

This almost certainly has to do with the delays in construction of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline through Mongolia. That pipeline was supposed to deliver LNG from Yamal to those Asian destinations much more cheaply than sea routes.



It was originally supposed to be built through Mongolia this year, but, well... as I mentioned when Putin made his visit to Mongolia:

I imagine Putin is going to apply some less-than-subtle pressure on Mongolia to move ahead with the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which they recently refused to fund for the next four years.

[Gabriel]

It would be a shame if someone made sure that the pipeline never gets finished.

Or heaven forbid, if someone sabotaged the LNG plant itself.

[PhaelixWW]

It would be a shame if someone made sure that the pipeline never gets finished.

Or heaven forbid, if someone sabotaged the LNG plant itself.

Well the pipeline's not going to be finished anytime soon. And in the meantime, wouldn't it cost more for them to maintain the facility for years first?

[Flarelaine]

It would be a shame if someone made sure that the pipeline never gets finished.

Or heaven forbid, if someone sabotaged the LNG plant itself.

Wiki says that pipeline was originally expected to become operational in 2011. I sense some delay already.

[PhaelixWW]

Wiki says that pipeline was originally expected to become operational in 2011. I sense some delay already.

That was before:

The project was put on hold in 2009 due to disagreements over natural gas price and competition from other gas sources in the Chinese market.

...and then:

In 2015, the project was "postponed for an indefinite period of time".

In the middle, there, they built the shorter Power of Siberia 1 further east. Dredging up the old plans and starting the process again didn't start until 2021.

[Flarelaine]

That was before:

...and then:


In the middle, there, they built the shorter Power of Siberia 1 further east. Dredging up the old plans and starting the process again didn't start until 2021.

Correct, but those really are just the specifics of a delay. Government mega-projects tend to be boondoggles to begin with and this is a Eastern European one to boot, so add not one, but two scoops of corruption. Also a complete lack of transparency and accountability.

Compare the St Gotthard base tunnel: a Swiss project to build a railway tunnel at the base of the Alps. Under miles of rock. They estimated it would take twenty years and budgeted however many billions of francs. Then they started digging. That's when they found out they need better, stronger digging tools and better, stronger supports for holding up all that rock and generally went back to the drawing board.

They still finished in 19 years.

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

So a bit of an underreported but interesting development.

Since 2005 Russia has been building out a huge LNG production capacity in Eastern Siberia, intended to primarily service the Asian markets of Japan, China and India.

The project involved everything from extraction, processing, storage and all the way up to 3 large ice breaking super tankers meant to operate in the Arctic.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamal_LNG

As of 5 or 3 days ago production has been halted at the facility as its storage capacity maxed out. Russia can't seem to find buyers for the gas, not even in China or India.

It is now "temporarily" mothballing the production facilities and the tankers meant to service it.

It's worth mentioning that the daily upkeep costs of these things is ASTRONOMICAL, especially if they aren't actually operating normally and after being shut, the restart operations itself are also incredibly expensive, especially in that climate.

The dockyards that are meant to produce more tankers and service the existing one have also been "temporarily" shut.

https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/n...c-lng-2/419528

The facility only started production in August, was running at about 30% of its maximum technical capacity, but it seems to have not actually shipped any gas.

Unless Russia finds a buyer in the next few months or at best a year...the whole thing is just going to start rusting into the point where upkeep cost more than scrapping everything for parts.

A small detail but those facilities are in Western and not Eastern Siberia. The Yamal Peninsula is on the westernmost edge of Siberia itself. From other news I had gathered several Majors were involved in the project, and notably the French Total still is.

It is still servicing the European Market in a very large proportion :

https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/eu-...al-lng-project

https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/rus...rts-increasing

Your second link is about a halted project in another peninsula distinct from Yamal. Seems a relatively small project compared to overall Yamal, as the figure given is an annual capacity for 20 million tons of LNG.

Given how over the last few years EU LNG imports from Yamal have been hovering at around 20 billion cubic meter per month, one cubic meter being approx. half a ton, that project would be about 0.016% of what is currently going to Europe from Yamal.

On another note, when I heard of these news, I wondered over the origins of this incident :

A fire at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness site has left two people in hospital but there is no nuclear risk at the submarine shipyard, according to local police.

A statement from Cumbria Constabulary said the incident was reported today (October 30) at 12:44am. An 8:15am update on the force’s website said emergency services were still on site dealing with a ‘significant fire’.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue are likely to be present on site throughout the day and the public has been advised to stay clear of the area. Initially, local residents had been urged to remain indoors with windows and doors closed. According to Cumbria police, “people living nearby are no longer being advised to remain indoors, (but) the message remains to keep doors and windows closed.

“Two people have been taken to hospital having suffered suspected smoke inhalation. At this time there are no other casualties and everyone else has been evacuated from the Devonshire Dock Hall and are accounted for.”

The Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) is one of Europe’s largest covered shipyards and the epicentre for the UK’s nuclear submarine programmes. Alongside the Astute Class submarines – the sixth of which was launched from Barrow earlier this month – DDH is also home to the Dreadnought programme. Dreadnought Class submarines are set to replace the UK’s Trident-carrying Vanguard Class subs from the early 2030s, maintaining the UK’s around-the-clock nuclear deterrent.

Or it could be yet another sign of dereliction like this one which is a bit puzzling in the current security context :

While the UK government has continued to reiterate the importance of aircraft carriers to the country’s defence portfolio, the implications of upcoming departmental budget cuts as part of the Treasury’s cost savings measures could impact the future of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

[...]

The concept of a major two-ship class of Royal Navy warship taking turns in mothballs in not alien to the service, with the Albion-class amphibious assault ships (comprised of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark) having been subject to this process since 2010.

Each of the Albion class spend around 6-7 years mothballed, gradually being worked up to readiness as the time comes for them to take their turn on the high seas. The move reduces operating costs for the Royal Navy and frees up the bulk of the 325-person crew back into the wider naval pool.

In January 2024 it was revealed that intake to replace sailors leaving the Royal Navy had dropped 22.1% in the year up to 22 March 2023, indicative of wider recruitment challenges and pressures on available personnel. With a complement of around 700 personnel, the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers soak up a large pool of available, personnel.

As of January 2024, there were 31,910 personnel in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, a reduction from 33,010 recorded in January 2023.

[Wilian]

It seems we are daring some serious escalation here. USA has said that it is in fact ok to shoot North Koreans if they attack Ukraine. This comes in aftermath where US has been lobbying against South Korean involvement in Ukraine due to fears of escalating the war.

[Gabriel]

It seems we are daring some serious escalation here. USA has said that it is in fact ok to shoot North Koreans if they attack Ukraine. This comes in aftermath where US has been lobbying against South Korean involvement in Ukraine due to fears of escalating the war.

Pls no... Don't shoot at invading soldiers. That would be an escalation!

[PhaelixWW]

It seems we are daring some serious escalation here. USA has said that it is in fact ok to shoot North Koreans if they attack Ukraine. This comes in aftermath where US has been lobbying against South Korean involvement in Ukraine due to fears of escalating the war.

If these North Koreans are going to employ the "polite fiction" that they're actually soldiers in the Russian army, then why wouldn't Ukraine shoot at them with anything and everything at their disposal?

How would that be an escalation?