Kinda loving the irony. Putin fanbois and agitprop simps have been trying to scare monger a draft in the US for years.
https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...ng-for-America
Enjoy the frontline lads!
Government Affiliated Snark
In what should be a shock to absolutely nobody, the ethnic minorities who have already been hit hardest by war casualties are bearing the brunt of the mobilisation effort. In a small village in Buryatia of just 450 people, 20 draft notices were served, including to several men in their 50s. In fact notices are being served to men who are in their 60s.
Its almost like the recruiters have quotas to meet and are just grabbing anyone to hand.
From my understanding, HIMARS are countered by aircraft which Russia can't use well, because Ukraine still has some working air defenses. And HIMARS will counter those coming-soon undergeared human waves by making them even more undergeared.
So, if things like weapon shipments will continue more or less on their current trajectory, in 6 months we'll have the winter mostly over, during which probably only minor offensives will be attempted by both sides, but maybe we'll get a surprise. Maybe Russians overwhelm and take Bakhmut while losing 100k men there. Or Ukrainians will successfully push towards the nuclear plant from the east. What's certain is that Ukraine will keep harassing Russian forces and supplies. In response, Russia will most likely do even eviler things to Ukrainian civilians than before. An extreme example - destroying the dam that holds the artificial lake north of Kyiv, not sure if it's possible w/o nukes. These evil deeds will enrage Ukrainians even further.
If Russia will indeed claim as a pretext for evil deeds, that occupied territories are now part of Russia and this is a defensive war now, I expect the answer to that will likely be "very well then, this gives us right to attack and take what you call Russian territory", maybe even "Russia=ISIS and must be dismantled". Whether the world community will support such claims, I can't predict.
India to skip buying Russia's ESPO crude in Sept as freight costs jump
I said early on that distance and shipping cost matter.
Indian refiners are set to skip purchases of Russia ESPO crude oil this month due to higher freight rates, turning to Africa and the Middle East instead, industry sources said.
India, which rarely used to buy Russian oil, has emerged as Moscow's second biggest oil customer after China since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in late February.
Refiners in India have been snapping up nearly all grades of Russian crude, taking advantage of discounts after some entities in the West halted purchases.
However, higher prices are set to cool off Indian demand, channeling supplies to China.
"On net back basis after factoring in the freight, the landed cost of ESPO is turning out to be $5-$7 a barrel costlier in comparison to similar grades from other countries such as UAE's Murban," said an Indian industry source familiar with the matter, adding that Russian oil has previously been cheaper.
Instead of ESPO, Indian companies are buying other grades such as those from West Africa that give better yields, he said.
The price gap between Brent and Dubai benchmarks has also narrowed, opening the arbitrage window for Atlantic Basin grades to Asia.
AFRICAN VOLUMES UP India's monthly Russian oil buying has fallen since hitting a record high in June.
About 2 million tonnes (14.35 million barrels) of Russian crude have been loaded for India so far this month versus 3.55 million tonnes of August, including 585,090 tonnes of ESPO crude, Refinitiv data showed on Thursday.
In contrast, India has loaded 2.35 million tonnes of African oil so far this month versus 1.16 million tonnes in August, the data showed.
Overall, India is likely to lift less crude in September due to planned maintenance shutdowns of units at some refineries operated by companies including Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS) Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL.NS) and Nayara Energy.
Middle East producers have also cut official selling prices for their supplies in October, hitting the appeal of Russian oil, said Ehsan Ul Haq, an analyst with Refinitiv.
While supplies from Russia to India takes about a month, Middle Eastern crude arrives in a week, he added.
Shiptracking data from Kpler showed that all but one seaborne ESPO cargo for September departure are heading to China.
Russian ESPO exports in September slipped to 720,000 barrels per day (bpd) from more than 800,000 bpd in July and August, the data showed.
"ESPO from the Far East is a short-haul journey for China and freight rates have also risen. So China is taking more oil from the Far East and not so much from Baltic or Black Sea ports," Haq said.
Russia's local crude processing has also increased, curtailing supplies for export, he said.
Way to fix an economy. Darth Putin remains a master strategist.
I think Ukraine could end up with a real problem from this mobilisation. Because when hundreds of thousands of new Russian soldiers, untrained, poorly equipped and generally unwilling to fight, turn up on the frontline AND IMMEDIATELY LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS AND SURRENDER......where is Ukraine going to put them all?
And who is going to stop them surrendering? The odd nutjob commander, faced with hundreds of armed men that see him as the only obstacle to their continued survival? The veterans of the war to this point, that have been hung out to dry and forced to continue beyond the point they should have been allowed to go home? All these extra people that don't want to be there could be the tipping point for groups that are already wondering whether they should give up.
And it looks increasingly as if Putin, in his zeal to get as many soldiers as possible, is going to completely break his economy trying. You can't take a million people out of an economy, with no consideration for how important they are to that economy, without damaging it. And the Russian economy is already brittle. Putin has decided to test just how brittle by smashing it against a wall. This isn't going to end well.
When challenging a Kzin, a simple scream of rage is sufficient. You scream and you leap.
Originally Posted by George CarlinOriginally Posted by Douglas Adams
I wonder if Ukraine used this bomb drone to scare russan navy away from a port.
Don't sweat the details!!!
Аэрофлот? Off to Ukraine you go!
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...nt-2022-09-23/
Not sure if it's more funny or tragic that the Russians are equipping their draftees with 80-year old helmets and Mosin-Nagant rifles from WW2. Up until a few years ago, you could get a decent condition Mosin-Nagant in the US for about $50. It's 1 step from supplying them with muskets. Truly the definition of being used for cannon fodder.