Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
We will soon see.
Russian strategic bombers airborne and en route to the launch lines.
Armenia’s breakup with Russia continues, with the establishment today of the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission. Will Russia invade Armenia? Will Russophiles claim it’s our fault?
“Putin is about to loot the bank accounts”
That is a real desperate crisis measure. Not the kind of thing that you can do often, to meet ongoing financial needs. Not the kind of thing that might escape notice.
Perhaps not everything is as wonderful in the Russian economy, as our resident FSB cheerleaders would have us believe.
Indeed, the very posting of such propaganda on the strength of the Russian economy (as we have recently seen from our resident FSB outlet) may itself be an indicator that the FSB Central office assesses a need to shore up perceptions, ahead of such bad news. He has become a convenient barometer of FSB messaging priorities - maybe time for a new screen name.
Bank asset freezes and seizures in Russia would be a wonderful indicator of financial crisis there. It says to me, “No need to rush a settlement to the Ukraine quagmire, just give it lip service, until the work is done.” He who laughs last, laughs best. Time is not Putin’s friend in his Ukrainian misadventure. The end draws nearer… for Russia.
Because of Putin, the Doom of Russia.
“the establishment today of the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission.”
Welcome to the road to NATO, Armenian brothers! Welcome to side of righteousness, truth and prosperity. One step closer for Tatarstans’s eventual accession.
NATO expansion is non-negotiable.
If Putin achieves nothing else from his squandering of Russia’s fortunes in Ukraine, at least he has doubled Russia’s border with NATO, by driving Finland out of neutrality.
He is a Master Strategist.
“The artificial boom in the Russian real estate market that was ongoing in 2024”
Oops, that should have read 2023, not 2024. That party ended in mid 2024, when the subsidy money ran out, and interest rates skyrocketed.
Although the real estate market in Russia no longer abnormally pumps up the GDP figure, the axe of the really big downside of that artificial distortion (defaults, foreclosures) has not yet fallen on the Russian public in earnest. The potential energy of that bubble remains poised to feed into the cascade of economic crises, when the dam breaks on the Russian economy.
Because or Putin.
Kyiv Independent repots:
Slovak Opposition Announces No Confidence Motion Against PM Fico.
“Slovakia’s pro-Western opposition parties announced plans to initiate a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government, citing concerns over his governance and foreign policy direction, TASR news agency reported on Jan. 14.
The opposition — Progressive Slovakia, Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democrats, and others — criticized Fico for undermining Slovakia’s pro-European stance and failing to address domestic issues such as healthcare, rising prices, and administrative inefficiencies.
Opposition leader Michal Simecka of Progressive Slovakia accused Fico of steering Slovakia toward pro-Russian policies. “Fico has left Slovakia,” Simecka said, referencing the prime minister’s recent travels, including a controversial visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin…
…Protests erupted in Slovakia’s capital on Jan. 3, with thousands chanting pro-EU slogans and condemning Fico’s policies…
…”We will not allow Fico to turn Slovakia eastward,” Simecka said, as reported by Aktuality…
…Public dissatisfaction with Fico’s policies has been growing, as demonstrated by the Bratislava protests. Demonstrators carried Slovak and EU flags, played the EU anthem, and displayed banners like “We are Europe” and “Fico, go to Moscow, leave Slovakia in peace.””
“Russian strategic bombers airborne”
Kyiv Independent reports:
“Russia launched a large-scale missile attack against Ukraine on the morning of Jan. 15, launching Kh-101, Kh-22, and Kalibr cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry had previously threatened to retaliate after Ukraine targeted military and industrial sites throughout Russia in a mass attack on Jan. 14.
Ukraine’s Air Force issued a nationwide aerial alert in the early hours of Jan. 15, following warnings that a group of Tu-95MS strategic bombers had taken flight from Russia’s Olenya airfield in Murmansk Oblast.
Russia also reportedly launched ballistic missiles from Belgorod Oblast.
Explosions were reported in Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky Oblast, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. In Lviv Oblast, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said Russian forces had “attacked the energy infrastructure of our region and Ukraine.”
There are no reports of casualties or damage at this time.
Shortly after eight in the morning, the all clear was given across much of the country.
Poland scrambled fighter jets due to the Russian missile threat in western Ukraine, according to the Polish Operational Command.”
Here is what Kyiv Independent reported about the Ukrainian strikes the night before:
“Key developments on Jan. 14: Ukraine targets Russia’s industrial plants, ammunition depots in ‘massive’ strike overnight.
Ukraine launched its “most massive” attack against Russian military and industrial facilities in a range of up to 1,100 kilometers (620 miles) overnight on Jan. 14, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.
Chemical plants, refineries, and the Engels airbase’s ammunition depots were successfully targeted, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent…
…Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted multiple regions, including Saratov, Voronezh, and Orel oblasts, as well as Tatarstan. The Russian Defense Ministry did not specify the number of drones involved.
Dmitry Milyaev, the governor of Russia’s Tula region, described a “massive drone attack” in a Telegram post, claiming at least 17 drones were launched. In Aleksin, debris from a downed drone reportedly damaged vehicles and outbuildings, with no casualties reported.
The SBU source indicated the Aleksino chemical plant — producing gunpowder and ammunition for the Russian military — was successfully hit, igniting a large fire.
In Saratov and Engels, Governor Roman Busargin confirmed damage at two industrial facilities following drone strikes. The General Staff said that the Kristal oil facility in Engels, which burned for five days after an earlier strike on Jan. 8, was again successfully targeted.
The Engels airfield, located in Saratov Oblast over 750 kilometers (460 miles) from Ukraine’s nearest controlled territory, allegedly sustained hits to ammunition depots containing FAB glide bombs, KAB bombs, and cruise missiles. The Saratov oil refinery was also reportedly engulfed in a fire.
Engels hosts three types of Russian strategic bombers — the Tupolev Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 — all frequently used to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian cities…
…Explosions were reported in the town of Seltso near Bryansk, where the chemical plant reportedly was hit, according to the Russian opposition Telegram channel Astra.
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed the strike, saying that the plant produces gunpowder, explosives, and missile fuel components, including ammunition for barrel artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), aircraft, and Kh-59 cruise missiles. It also carries out overhauls of Grad, Uragan, and Tornado-G MLRS.
The unit reported that the drones distracted Russian air defense, paving the way for missiles to hit the main targets. Following the missile strike, long-range drones allegedly destroyed substations and other critical infrastructure.
In Tatarstan’s capital, Kazan, a fuel facility was struck in the early hours of Jan. 14, igniting a gas tank. The fire occurred about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the Ukrainian border.”
The EU is developing their 16th sanctions package against Russia (because of Putin), expected to be imposed on the third anniversary of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russian LNG and aluminum import restrictions, “Shadow Fleet” sanctions, cutting off more Russian banks from SWIFT and a possible lowering of the oil price cap are under discussion.
Kyiv Independent reports:
“The European Union is considering a gradual ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and new restrictions on Russian aluminum as part of its next round of sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14, citing undisclosed officials.
The EU has begun drafting its 16th round of sanctions against Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc aims to approve the package on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the all-out war.
The phase-out of Russian LNG could be enacted as a sanction or part of a road map presented by the European Commission next month, people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg. Restrictions on aluminum would be gradual, with a time frame yet to be determined.
The new sanctions may also target dozens of vessels belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” — tankers that transport Russian oil products in violation of international sanctions — and cut more banks off from the SWIFT international payment system, Bloomberg’s sources said.
The draft measures are currently under discussion and subject to change before they are formally presented…
…The EU imposed its first major restrictions on Russian gas, including LNG, in its 14th sanctions package in June 2024. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed replacing Russian LNG with U.S. imports in a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in November”
Forgot to ping you on post #10,668.
Significant follow up strikes on Russia’s Engels Strategic Air Base on 14 January, striking their fuel and ammo - and clearly pissing them off.
At this point putin wants “peace” through surrender.
The fact is any lose of territory through negotiations would be the end of Putin.
Putin has annexed four Ukrainian oblasts and Crimea. Much of the four oblasts he still does not control, but claims, and his control over Crimea is tenuous.
Even “peace” with frozen borders based on frontlines would be unacceptable to Russian people after all the claims by him and RT….,and all the loses.
his control over Crimea is tenuous.
10years and counting ?
Things happen slow till they happen fast.
The rapid collapse of the Soviet Union was largely unpredicted, and the situation putin has put Russia in by his dreams and ego are far worse than the situation leading up to Soviets collapse.
The ascending of DJT to the presidency will not result in anything positive for putin.
Ukraine Gets First RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzer, Boxer Fighting Vehicles May Follow
The RCH 155 can provide extremely agile artillery and even direct fire support and is based on the modern Boxer platform.
https://www.twz.com/land/ukraine-gets-first-rch-155-wheeled-howitzer-boxer-fighting-vehicles-may-follow
—
Mass Ukrainian Drone Onslaught Strikes Targets Across Western Russia
The attacks struck fuel production sites, weapons storage facilities and other military targets across about a dozen regions in Russia.
https://www.twz.com/news-features/mass-ukrainian-drone-onslaught-strikes-targets-across-western-russia
—
North Korean Air Defense System Revealed In Ukraine By Russian Friendly Fire Strike
A North Korean-made surface-to-air missile system, broadly analogous to the Russian Tor, has appeared for the first time in combat in the Kursk region.
https://www.twz.com/land/north-korean-air-defense-system-revealed-in-ukraine-by-russian-friendly-fire-strike
Reporting From Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU/videos
Reporting From Ukraine Uncensored Combat Footage (from this and past Reports) is found on Telegram:
https://t.me/RFUEnglish or @RFUEnglish
[ You need to have the Telegram app to view the larger videos. ]
The complete transcript.
—
[ Hill of Dead Bodies: Ukrainians Destroy 4,000 North Koreans in Kursk ]
Today [ Jan 14, 8 pm ], there are a lot of interesting updates from the Kursk direction.
Here, the Ukrainian forces press forward in their efforts to secure Makhnovka, capitalizing on disarray among Russians and North Koreans with precise drone strikes and coordinated armored assaults.
As the intense clashes continue, North Korean losses in manpower have skyrocketed to over 4,000 soldiers in just under a month, causing even the most well-disciplined North Koreans to start losing hope and lay down their arms.
The goal of the Ukrainian forces in this area is to push Russian forces out of the southern outskirts of Makhnovka. By securing the entirety of Makhnovka, the Ukrainians will prevent any further joint Russian and North Korean counteroffensive efforts, since they would effectively push them back over the river.
Ukrainians are attempting to take advantage of the continued disarray among Russian troops due to the Ukrainians’ previous missile strike on Russian command posts.
To achieve this, the Ukrainian forces are conducting constant surveillance over the Russian and North Korean rear and frontline positions with drones.
Subsequently, this allows them to detect and target Russian positions using FPV kamikaze drones. Ukrainians then deploy armored vehicles with squads of infantry to dismount and assault the Russian positions.
Combat footage from the area reveals that, to eliminate holdouts of Russian and North Korean soldiers hiding within houses and fortified positions in Makhnovka, the Ukrainians attach extra powerful packages of explosives to their drones. This allows them to completely demolish Russian positions and eliminate a large number of Russian soldiers hiding within these houses.
Additional combat footage from the area shows that the Ukrainian MRAP armored vehicle approached the Russian positions and laid down suppressive fire for the disembarking soldiers, allowing the Ukrainians to rotate their soldiers safely. At the same time, fresh troops were deployed to take their positions and continue the assault to push the remaining Russians out of the village.
Out of desperation to find better cover and save their lives, the North Korean soldiers decided to use Russian civilians in Makhnovka as human shields. Footage recorded by a Ukrainian drone shows how a North Korean soldier kicked out 2 elderly women from a house to use them as human shields to prevent a drone strike.
The desperation of North Korean soldiers to increase their chances of survival at all costs is a reflection of their losses, as President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that up to 4,000 out of the initial 12,000 North Koreans have already been killed and wounded, since they were deployed to the front.
Furthermore, these losses are only exacerbated by the fact that North Korean soldiers often fight to the death and refuse to surrender, as Russian disinformation operations have led them to believe that Ukrainians would mutilate and otherwise violate them, if they are taken captive.
However recently, Ukrainian special forces operators managed to capture the first 2 North Korean prisoners of war, who are currently being treated for their wounds in Kyiv, and questioned together with South Korean intelligence operatives serving as translators.
Overall, the Russian and North Korean forces in Makhnovka are still disorganized as a result of previous Ukrainian HIMARS strikes in Kursk, which allowed the Ukrainians to expand their counterattack efforts and eliminate their last remaining holdouts in the village.
This resulted in the Ukrainians successfully securing the southern flank of Sudzha and stabilizing their defenses and logistics routes. With North Koreans already losing over a 3rd of their forces in under a month of combat, it has become ever so clear how Russians use their North Korean allies as human shields, valuing them even less than a regular soldier in the Russian army.
Lastly, intel gained from the newly captured North Korean soldiers will likely reveal more opportunities for Ukrainians to strike Russian and North Korean command posts and forces concentrations, as well as give further insights into North Korean operations.
How are those ESL classes going?
Losses
If 🍈 only knew😂🦆
Hope 🍈 did a grammar and spelling check on this, because that is what is important 😎
When discussing American foreign policy, it's hard to take someone seriously who repeatedly has difficulty with 8th grade sentence structure. Thank god no one takes you seriously.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.