Kiev Is Burning

[ink]

Anyway, here's a bit of context for the whole war.

By my calculation, that translates to about 15bn m3 annually... Assuming the same rate of shipments. I mean, it isn't Nord Stream, but damn! Who knew that much Russian gas was passing through Ukraine to go to Europe?

[urbanoid]

1 minute ago, ink said:

The Germans, specifically, we're aghast that membership was being pushed for Georgia and Ukraine. They voiced their concerns. Then, after that, the US said NATO would go ahead with plans for their membership. Sounds quite a bit like being overruled to me.

Georgia's membership was halted by the August war, not by Germany.

Anyway, even though formal membership was halted for Georgia, and even though its government has since moved closer to Russia, NATO cooperation in the Georgian military is at a higher level than ever. 

They blocked the membership of both countries during the NATO summit, saying they're not 'stable enough'. If anything, they have become less stable since then.

[ink]

Just now, urbanoid said:

They blocked the membership of both countries during the NATO summit, saying they're not 'stable enough'. If anything, they have become less stable since then.

They definitely did not "block" anything. They just voiced concerns. Nothing was actually blocked.

[alejandro_]

Just now, ink said:

Anyway, here's a bit of context for the whole war.

By my calculation, that translates to about 15bn m3 annually... Assuming the same rate of shipments. I mean, it isn't Nord Stream, but damn! Who knew that much Russian gas was passing through Ukraine to go to Europe?

Note that some EU countries have increased LNG imports from Russia, so final figure could be higher.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2023/10/31/7426497/

[urbanoid]

1 minute ago, ink said:

Anyway, here's a bit of context for the whole war.

By my calculation, that translates to about 15bn m3 annually... Assuming the same rate of shipments. I mean, it isn't Nord Stream, but damn! Who knew that much Russian gas was passing through Ukraine to go to Europe?

Small change compared to total prewar exports but yeah, I knew about that. It's gas for Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.

[urbanoid]

2 minutes ago, ink said:

They definitely did not "block" anything. They just voiced concerns. Nothing was actually blocked.

Ukrainian and Georgian formal bids to join were rejected and they weren't granted the MAP, looks like 'blocking' to me.

[Sardaukar]

https://mil.in.ua/en/news/a-damaged-russian-tank-was-brought-to-finland-for-an-exhibition/

A Russian T-72B3 tank, damaged in Ukraine, was brought to Helsinki for public display in the city center.

It is for fund-raising. 

[ink]

2 hours ago, urbanoid said:

Ukrainian and Georgian formal bids to join were rejected and they weren't granted the MAP, looks like 'blocking' to me.

Perhaps we can meet halfway and agree that there was a delay, since the Bucharest Summit declaration states:

NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. 

(emphasis mine)

https://web.archive.org/web/20200714204022/http://www.summitbucharest.gov.ro/en/doc_202.html

It's possible that this was down to German opposition, although it should also be borne in mind that Georgia, in particular, was not far enough along in it's military (not to mention political) reforms to initiate a membership accession plan... However, the fact that they submitted an application for one is also indicative of internal machinations within the Alliance, for they would never have done so had they not got a green light of some sort.

[ink]

2 hours ago, urbanoid said:

Small change compared to total prewar exports but yeah, I knew about that. It's gas for Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.

Isn't it... you know... A little unusual that the Ukrainians are letting the gas through, given that the money made from it goes into Russia's war chest (or, at least, that's what we're told about all of Russia's other exports)?

[urbanoid]

7 minutes ago, ink said:

Isn't it... you know... A little unusual that the Ukrainians are letting the gas through, given that the money made from it goes into Russia's war chest (or, at least, that's what we're told about all of Russia's other exports)?

They're letting it through so they don't have to deal with several pissed off EU/NATO members which may delay/veto some things.

[glenn239]

3 hours ago, ink said:

 

By my calculation, that translates to about 15bn m3 annually... Assuming the same rate of shipments. I mean, it isn't Nord Stream, but damn! Who knew that much Russian gas was passing through Ukraine to go to Europe?

 

Roman has mentioned this many times.

[ink]

48 minutes ago, glenn239 said:

Roman has mentioned this many times.

Wouldn't surprise me too much if there was also some cross-selling of artillery shells too.

[urbanoid]

I don't think Russia sells artillery shells to anyone while they need them themselves, so there should be no opportunity.

[Josh]

5 hours ago, ink said:

They definitely did not "block" anything. They just voiced concerns. Nothing was actually blocked.

The fact that it never even came to a vote is more or less blocked.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[ink]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

The fact that it never even came to a vote is more or less blocked.

@mkenny originally said:

"It was the inexorable aim of western machinations."

Now, I don't know what period he was talking about but when NATO officially says*, "these countries will be NATO members" at a summit where that was apparently "blocked" my first thought is, 'the lad might have a point'.

 

* One should also pause to consider this. These end-of-sumit statements are as wrangled over as policy. And yet, it's there in black and white. A positive and assertive statement about the future. 

Btw, back then, the majority of Ukrainians were opposed to NATO membership.

[Markus Becker]

10 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

What German threat? That they will export superior beer, luxury cars and Teufesrad to Russia? Truly the end of Russian civilisation.

 

What is that supposed to be? 

[Roman Alymov]

Old WWI-era tactics with new tools: video from Avdeevka "promka" starts with explosion of 500-kg charge in 170m tunnel secretly dug by pro-Russians ("Pyatnashka" brigade) under pro-Ukr positions. Next day, after clearing the tunnel, pro-Russians use it to infiltrate into pro-Ukr fortifications (constructed for almost 9 years) and are taking them in close combat assisted by FPV drone strikes, forcing enemy to retreat abandoning at least one wounded soldier

https://t.me/NeoficialniyBeZsonoV/31042

 

[wendist]

1 hour ago, Markus Becker said:

What is that supposed to be? 

There is an l missing (Teufelsrad). Try YouTube 

[Roman Alymov]

Rare video of RusArmy S-300 operations in combat zone https://t.me/milinfolive/111251

[Stuart Galbraith]

1 hour ago, wendist said:

There is an l missing (Teufelsrad). Try YouTube 

 

[Roman Alymov]

Stridsvagn 122 in snow somewhere in Kremennaya / Krasny Liman region 

https://t.me/milinfolive/111256

[Roman Alymov]

Naval attack drone boat washed ashore in Crimea

https://t.me/boris_rozhin/104483 

 

 

[Roman Alymov]

Video of cluster bombs now in use by RusAF

https://t.me/voin_dv/6020

https://t.me/nm_dnr/11301

[bojan]

Cluster bombs were used early on by Su-25s (while those still carried bombs), but those are UMPK guided glide version.