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Posted on 10/23/2025 9:12:30 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
DONALD Trump has just blown a hole in Vladimir Putin’s warchest – and the shockwaves are already rippling through Moscow, Beijing and New Dehli.
In a move branded by the Kremlin as “an act of war”, the US President slapped sweeping sanctions on Russia’s oil titans Rosneft and Lukoil – and within hours, the pain began to bite.
Global oil prices surged nearly five per cent overnight, China’s state oil giants froze Russian purchases and India – Moscow’s biggest remaining lifeline — is preparing to slash imports.
For Putin, the timing couldn’t be worse.
His forces are still pounding Ukraine, his economy is sliding, and now two of his biggest customers are quietly turning off the taps.
-snip-
Together, Rosneft and Lukoil pump more than 3 million barrels of oil a day — about five per cent of global supply — and bankroll much of Russia’s war spending.
The sanctions freeze their US assets, bar all business with American firms, and threaten secondary sanctions against foreign banks that help process Russian oil trades.
That risk has spooked China.
PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC and Zhenhua Oil – the backbone of Beijing’s state energy empire – have all halted seaborne Russian oil purchases “at least in the short-term,” trade sources told Reuters.
“Any bank that facilitates Russian oil sales and with exposure to the US financial system could be subject,” warned commodity trader Felipe Pohlmann Gonzaga.
“These latest restrictions will make Chinese and Indian players more reluctant to buy Russian oil – many won’t want to lose access to the American financial system.”
India — Moscow’s biggest remaining lifeline — is preparing to slash imports.
Industry giants like Reliance Industries and Bharat Petroleum are quietly rewiring their supply chains to steer clear of the Kremlin’s freshly blacklisted oil majors.
(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...
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And Russia, being the veteran sanctions-survivor it is, will just route its crude through the “shadow fleet”—tankers with more flags than a UN conference and less insurance than a teenage driver. The oil will flow, and more middlemen will make money along the way. ----- Sean Ring
So happy that Happy is happy about this. Looking forward to multiple posts with sources. When you've time, of course.
In the meanwhile, here is an article with source hotlinked:
Source: AI-generated clip of American naval fleet in Venezuela spreads online Agence France Presse, via Yahoo, 23 October, 2025. About an hour ago.....
Oh this is exciting. If you follow a "content creator" -- who is in New York, by the way -- you'll see some "lol" stuff to whip you into a frenzy of joy.
Nice underscoring too. And yeah, the various clip pieces and "camera angles" and more make is s delightful fake for those who get excited about such things.
Trolling for over 10 years
And being suspended for trolling, and having to buy your way back on FR for over 10 years... 😉😂😂
AI Overview
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy led a strategic response that proved far more resilient than Vladimir Putin’s planners had anticipated. Instead of fleeing, Zelenskyy rallied his nation and the world through a savvy communications strategy, a courageous refusal to capitulate, and effective leadership that fostered a fierce national and international resistance.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+zelensky+outsmarted+putin%27s+invasion
And killed or invalided most of what's left of the AFU...
LOL!
Looks like The TexasTroller just got a five-day vacay from FR for trolling. 😉😂😂
It is fascinating how "AI" and LLMs and heuristic search can be directed by the phrasing of a question. Give that I am skeptical of the whole AI game by reason of relying on Turing, Searle and others, reports by AI can go in various directions.
Google's just a great big LLM, when all is said and done, such that your query -- " how zelensky outsmarted putin's invasion " -- yields that which you wanted, and so eagerly conveyed to me, here is the inverse using your formulation.
Google on "how putin outsmarted zelensky"One is referred to some "sources" saying something quite different. The AI mode:
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is ongoing, it's impossible to definitively declare one side has "outsmarted" the other. The notion of one leader consistently outmaneuvering the other over an extended period is more of a simplistic narrative than an accurate reflection of the complex and shifting dynamics of a modern war.Given 2022 was 2022, and given that the events of this horrific land war between "officially" non-NATO Ukraine and non-NATO Russia are continuing today in 2025 and for the foreseeable future, some AI "overview" changes nothing as it is ongoing.However, some events have been framed by various commentators as strategic successes for Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It's crucial to understand these analyses are often biased, contested, and subject to change as the war continues.
I tend to prefer direct sources, so both the Google AI things -- different, depending on query formation -- are rather silly.
“I tend to prefer direct sources”
Dozens at the link I provided ....
And at the one I provided as well.
As I commented, "Given 2022 was 2022, and given that the events of this horrific land war between 'officially' non-NATO Ukraine and non-NATO Russia are continuing today in 2025 and for the foreseeable future, some AI 'overview' changes nothing as it is ongoing."
We could ask the dead Ukies what THEY think of how Little Zelya outsmarted The Putin.
Oh, that's right - they're dead.
What is sure is that the land war between "officially" non-NATO Ukraine and non-NATO Russia has been going on for years now, and the dead on many sides, including mercenaries, mount up. And right here, on FR, we have those who would holler "nuke 'em." It's a strange thing how angry some few get when the world does not "obey" some Freeper with an opinion.
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