Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
A Russian airplane is shot down by a Chinese defensive system in Sudan.
This makes me wonder if today we have a situation like the 10 year treaty Germany and Russia signed before WW2. Both countries are competing in Africa. A place where we incidentally seem to have conceded the competition to our potential loss. China could conclude that taking back former territory now in weakened Russia would be a lot easier than attacking Taiwan.
What an ugly story. With commanders like that, I wonder how many actually get “fragged” as occasionally happened in our wars. No wonder they are making plans to send large quantities of their demobilized soldiers to projects in Siberia.
The 42+ minute video linked below describes the gradual but suffocating tightening of Russian access to Kaliningrad via a land bridge. your comment illustrates the danger to Russian ports on the Black Sea. Now Russia’s economic fragility is further highlighted by this breakdown of this Belarus/Lithuania corridor to Russia’s Baltic Sea Port facilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUaeCZtjmA
This logistic disaster did not happen all at once but illustrates a growing desire for independent action by Russia’s former friendly Belarusan dictator. Would Lukashenko be daring to do this if he still feared Russian strength. Nobody involved seems to be talking about this. Has L become more courageous now that Putin has him storing some nuclear weapons in Belarus. Now let’s see what AI has to say about this gradual but severely consequential logistic breakdown.
AI Overview:
Russia’s land bridge to Kaliningrad did not stop working all at once, but has been repeatedly disrupted, notably by Lithuania’s partial blockade of sanctioned goods in June 2022, and more recently by Belarus closing border crossings in October 2025. While the 2022 blockade was lifted a month later, it demonstrated the vulnerability of the route, and the 2025 closure of Belarusian crossings effectively severed the land bridge for hundreds of trucks.
* June 2022: Lithuania began blocking the transit of EU-sanctioned goods by rail to Kaliningrad, though the blockade was lifted a month later. This was the first major, and widely reported, disruption to the land route.
* Transit restrictions: June 2022: Lithuania, citing EU sanctions over the Ukraine invasion, banned the transit of sanctioned goods like steel, coal, and construction materials through its territory to Kaliningrad. July 2022: Lithuania lifted the rail restrictions on most sanctioned goods after the EU clarified that transit could continue if it stayed within certain limits.
* September 2022: Transit became more difficult as the bank servicing the payments announced it would refuse to accept payments from Russian entities, making it harder for Russian entities to pay for transport services.
* Since 2022: Transit remains possible via sea, but the land “land bridge” through Lithuania is significantly restricted compared to previous years.
Power grid disconnection:
* February 2025: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected their power grids from the Russian and Belarusian systems, including those supplying Kaliningrad.
* Method: The countries sequentially disconnected their remaining transmission links.
* Status: After the disconnection, the Baltic power systems operated independently in a test phase to ensure stability before reconnecting to the European grid.
Other restrictions:
* November 2022: Poland began constructing a barrier along its border with Kaliningrad due to fears of potential hybrid warfare, such as attempts to facilitate illegal migration.
* October 2025: Belarus abruptly shut down multiple border crossings, severing the land route to Kaliningrad and trapping hundreds of Russian supply trucks.
* Ongoing Vulnerability: Due to its geography, all land links between Kaliningrad and mainland Russia must pass through EU and NATO members like Lithuania and Poland, making the land bridge inherently vulnerable to transit restrictions.
I find this a particularly interesting development as my maternal grandparents emigrated from this area called East Prussia around 1890. My grandmother’s remains were sent back for burial, possibly even in Kalingrad. I had hoped to visit the graveside before I die. Now maybe it will be possible.
I know how NATO is retaliating by fencing off Kaliningrad/ Well done! And soon Rus will only be able to supply outpost Kaliningrad by sea and air.
THIS!!!!>>>>>>
February 2025: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected their power grids from the Russian and Belarusian systems, including those supplying Kaliningrad.
* Method: The countries sequentially disconnected their remaining transmission links.
* Status: After the disconnection, the Baltic power systems operated independently in a test phase to ensure stability before reconnecting to the European grid.
loaf of bread on the bottom of the basket, smart.
Russia has plenty of North Koreans, Indians, and sub-Saharan Africans to run through.
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