Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Leobald]

So...Putin ordering draft of 135,000

More dead bodies to be sent back.

This is routine. They do the draft twice per year every year, once in spring and once in autumn, and a spring draft of 135,000 men is normal. This is not directly connected to the war.

[Mihalik]

Yes we need to maximize energy production while moving away from Russian fossil fuel.

No. What we need to do is cover the gap while we move away from fossil fuels.

You know a fungible, finite, politically dangerous and environmentally destructive resource.

Keystone has fuckall to do with oil production or its price or availability.

Also we do not need to drill more when existing capacity is being artificially bottlenecked by speculators. We just need to eliminate the speculators.

But leave it to you and your ilk to look at anything under the sun and draw the worst possible conclusions.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

-But...but...what we need is more Arctic drilling and Keystone XL.

Republicans probably.

Nah, they're gonna @ him for his "communist" threats to "seize the means of production" and "interfere with the free market".

[Easo]

About the Russian soldiers with radiation sickness - there are certain people doubting the story - simply because the background radiation there is not big enough, not even if you live there for a month (Plus there have always been people living in the region + excursions were happening nonstop, one of the things I have wanted to do for a long time).

https://twitter.com/CherylRofer/stat...28182331248649

Question about digging up soil remains (where most of radiation should be stored), but in general this just feels like yet another nuclear fear story, same as when the training center in the taken nuclear power station was hit. Insert not great, not terrible meme here.


So about that Russian default (which itself is debatable, if Russia is blocked from everything) - per Russian sources the frozen Russian money was used for the debt payment. Think about it, it actually doesn't sound too strange.



And I really would like to finally know what kind of artillery Ben Wallace was talking about to be delivered to Ukraine from UK, as that would be the first in actual heavy hardware given to Ukraine.

P.S.
Did we have the Trump's "request for Putin to publish all Biden's dirty laundry" posted here?

[Kaleredar]

Nah, they're gonna @ him for his "communist" threats to "seize the means of production" and "interfere with the free market".

If Biden can get across that what he’s doing will drive gas prices down and leads with that, I think it will make a more compelling argument than vague accusations of communism or whatever.

[XDurionX]

So Russia is gonna force to pay in roubles for gas. Let's be realistic - Europe will pay, Germany absolutely has no option not to, but there are still questions how exactly will that work. Who knows, Putler might backtrack and say he meant new contracts.

We'll keep paying in euros and Putin will do jack shit about it. He cannot unilaterally change contracts. That €s will be turned into roubles through Gazprom bank.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...on-2022-03-30/

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

If Biden can get across that what he’s doing will drive gas prices down and leads with that, I think it will make a more compelling argument than vague accusations of communism or whatever.

Yeah, I was mostly joking. I just think it would be funny to see them pivot from "Gas prices skyrocketing, at least we don't have mean tweets though" to "Commie Biden demands Oil companies start drilling or he will "redistribute" their oil leases"

[Easo]

US President Joe Biden is speaking about the way high oil prices are "hitting Americans at the pump".

"I know how much it hurts," he says.

He says banning Russian oil imports was "the right thing to do" but it would "come with a cost".

Biden says US oil companies are recording increasing profits and have a choice: Between putting these to use by producing more oil, giving US people a break, or "they can exploit the situation".

Biden says he is announcing a "use-it-or-lose it" policy, where companies will face fees for idle wells if they do not restart production.

Well... I would say some national level pressure at those companies should happen... Just saying.

We'll keep paying in euros and Putin will do jack shit about it. He cannot unilaterally change contracts. That €s will be turned into roubles through Gazprom bank.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...on-2022-03-30/

There were a lot of things which were thought impossible. Look where we are. Well, we are gonna find out very soon.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

There were a lot of things which were thought impossible. Look where we are. Well, we are gonna find out very soon.

I mean, not even Putin is saying that Europe will have to pay in roubles though...

Germany will continue to pay for Russian gas in euros or dollars, a government spokesman said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told the German chancellor nothing would change for European partners despite his plan for rouble payments.

Russia has said that because of Western financial sanctions over Ukraine, it plans to require payment for its energy exports - especially the gas that Germany depends on - in roubles rather than the usual euros or dollars from April 1.

In a phone call between the leaders, Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that nothing would change for European partners and payments would be made in euros and transferred to Gazprom bank, which would convert the money into roubles, the German spokesperson said.

[NED funded]

Ok, your answer is kinda confusing. ELI5 what you meant?

Its hard to restart infrastructure that has been shutdown. The only way Putin has to enforce the payments on their currency is to close pipes. This is complicated because he would then have to close the gas facilities since the gas they produce wouldnt have a place to go

- - - Updated - - -

https://mobile.twitter.com/Germanyin...52762296082432

Ppl act like this is a serious civil rights violation or whatever but like if you use the whole Z thing you are kinda equal nazis. That stuff was weird and fascist since it started

[Easo]

Next round of talks (remote) is tomorrow.

Hungary keeps repeating that it want to stay away from the conflict aka no guns.

India keeps it's current neutrality policy regarding the war. Read, wants to buy shit from Russia.

You mean like Biden calling them out and announcing the use it or lose it policy?

Depends on the fines. Have to be pretty high otherwise it will be business as usual plus expect crap like going to court and dragging it out.

Its hard to restart infrastructure that has been shutdown. The only way Putin has to enforce the payments on their currency is to close pipes. This is complicated because he would then have to close the gas facilities since the gas they produce wouldnt have a place to go

Same goes for German industry, it works both ways. Also I am quite sure gas pipes can be stopped without issues, you pretty much just stop pumping more. What can't be without issues? Oil wells, Iran had (still has?) that issue.

I mean, not even Putin is saying that Europe will have to pay in roubles though...

Wasn't this posted before today's announcement?

[NED funded]

Next round of talks (remote) is tomorrow.

Hungary keeps repeating that it want to stay away from the conflict aka no guns.

India keeps it's current neutrality policy regarding the war. Read, wants to buy shit from Russia.



Depends on the fines. Have to be pretty high otherwise it will be business as usual plus expect crap like going to court and dragging it out.



Same goes for German industry, it works both ways. Also I am quite sure gas pipes can be stopped without issues, you pretty much just stop pumping more. What can't be without issues? Oil wells, Iran had (still has?) that issue.



Wasn't this posted before today's announcement?

You can do it for a short period of time but then you ran into issues of what to do with the product which is what happened with negative oil prices.

O&G companies had product they couldnt afford to store and chose to sold it at a loss rather than stop production since restarting wells is v expensive and complicated as pointed by Vegas

[Iphie]

Next round of talks (remote) is tomorrow.

Probably ends happy again only to be shot down the next day. (even if they say in advance that no breakthroughs are expected.)

Hungary keeps repeating that it want to stay away from the conflict aka no guns.

That's their right...unfortunately

Wasn't this posted before today's announcement?

I think so, yes, but this flip flopping is really weird to be honest.

[Easo]

You can do it for a short period of time but then you ran into issues of what to do with the product which is what happened with negative oil prices.

O&G companies had product they couldnt afford to store and chose to sold it at a loss rather than stop production since restarting wells is v expensive and complicated as pointed by Vegas

Clear and thanks. Well, we shall see soon enough, I think at this point it is quite clear Russia is capable of doing things thought impossible.

Probably ends happy again only to be shot down the next day. (even if they say in advance that no breakthroughs are expected.)

That's their right...unfortunately

I think so, yes, but this flip flopping is really weird to be honest.

Yeah, I guess nothing that great will come out. But this is all a big political play, Medinsky one day says one thing (and it would be naive to believe it was not approved by Moscow), the other Kremlin backpedals (coincidentally with the outburst in Russia about "giving up").

It was a surprise Hungary toed the line regarding sanctions (to be fair, Orban in the big game is nothing), so at least that happened.

Yep, it's getting confusing.

[Shkar]

Clear and thanks. Well, as I said - we shall see soon enough. I think at this point it is quite clear Russia is capable of doing things thought impossible.
P.S.
At the same time they are still supplying titanium to the West, absolutely critical for aviation industry (including military one), something like half of what Airbus uses comes from Russia, but nothing is being talked about it. World is a funny place, but I impact from gas would be much more immediate and wide.

You're right. Everyone thought it was impossible that Russia would fail this hard at taking Ukraine.

[Zaydin]

Next round of talks (remote) is tomorrow.

Guess Ukraine learned not to put their people in the same room with any of Putlers minions after he poisoned some of their negotiators.

[Iphie]

Guess Ukraine learned not to put their people in the same room with any of Putlers minions after he poisoned some of their negotiators.

Which everyone, including the Ukrainians and the Americans deny happened, or say was due to 'environmental factors'. That was one weird episode.



Edit:
Am I daft? I thought the corridor was today (31/03/2022)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ss-2022-03-31/

Ah...postponed. At least they didn't get shot at.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60938429

[Easo]

Am I daft? I thought the corridor was today (31/03/2022)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ss-2022-03-31/

Now it is my time to say - yeah, wasn't it today already?
P.S.
Fooking Reuters paywall, use incognito, blah blah.

[Zaydin]

Now it is my time to say - yeah, wasn't it today already?
P.S.
Fooking Reuters paywall, use incognito, blah blah.

It's not a pay wall perse; if you make a free account the limit is lifted. Not everyone wants to open themselves up to more spam email though.

[dextersmith]

Putin recruited another 130k conscripts but who wouldn't sabotage and desert when recalling recent soldiers being retroactively fired, abandoned, or abused by superiors? Left to freeze or sent to the Red Forest?