Posted on 03/09/2022 10:47:30 PM PST by fluorescence
As the invasion of Ukraine stretches past the two-week mark, sanctions are slowly ratcheting up and companies around the globe are suspending their business operations in Russia. Domestic operations there are feeling the heat too, with Lada being forced to halt production, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Lada is owned by AvtoVAZ, having been founded in 1966 as one of the primary automakers within what was then the USSR. The company's plants were once largely self-sustaining during the days of the so-called Iron Curtain. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the opening up of trade with Russia, French automaker Renault eventually came to hold a controlling 67.61% stake in the company in 2007.
It's these international links that have played a role in the stoppage at Lada's Russian plants. Its gigantic Togliatti manufacturing plant on the banks of the Volga River relies on Renault factories in Romania for supply, and over 20% of its parts, including connectors and other electronic components, come from outside Russia's borders. The company's Izhevsk plant has also stopped due to the crisis. The initial stop in production took place on March 5, with a further stop intended for March 9 to March 11.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...
First Lada I ever saw was in Ireland, a Lada Riva; happened to be a derivative of the FIAT 124. Fix it again, Tovarishch . . .
Probably saving many lives by not making these
not the first time it would seem there’s room for negotiation. perhaps if Zelensky’s puppet masters would step out of the way!
9 March: Yahoo: Business Insider: Ukraine’s Zelensky says he has ‘cooled’ on joining NATO and is open to discussions about control of Russian-backed separatist regions
by Natalie Musumeci, Abbie Shull
He said his mindset changed “after we understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine.”
Zelensky added: “The alliance is afraid of controversial things and confrontation with Russia.”...
“Regarding NATO, I have cooled down regarding this question long ago after we understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine,” Zelensky told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Monday night...
In addition to his NATO comments, Zelensky said on Tuesday that he was open to discussions about the control of Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, which could be an opening for peace talks with Russia.
“It is important to me how people who want to be part of Ukraine will live there. I am interested in the opinion of those who see themselves as citizens of the Russian Federation. However, we must discuss this issue,” Zelensky said...
“The people who elected me are not ready to surrender. We are not ready for ultimatums,” Zelensky said. “But we can discuss with Russia the future of Crimea and Donbas.”...
Read the original article on Business Insider (LINK)
https://news.yahoo.com/ukraines-zelensky-says-cooled-joining-181721289.html
Well, that rather blows up the Putinist narrative that NATO was pushing Ukraine to join NATO (which in fact it was not).
Many others misunderstand the core issue: Ukraine wants to join the EU, and somewhat over half the country, esp. those under 40, have wanted to join the EU for a long time. That is anathema to Putin.
NATO may not have been pushing Ukraine membership, but certainly many people in the US foreign policy apparatus were, such as John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Victoria Nuland, and neocon fools like John McCain.
Fiats can be fixed?
Wow. Who knew?
In the late ‘80s, a friend bought at used 1976(?) Riva for $600. It came with a well equipped tool kit. He live 40 miles from work, and it was his daily driver to work for 4 years.
After oil and gas, his biggest maintenance expense was bondo! Minor repairs he did himself, using the provided tools. It was not a great car by any means, but it was easy to repair, for those who were mechanically inclined. It didn’t have a 0-60 time and its 0-50 time was measured in minutes.
After driving it for four years, he kept the tool kit and sold it to someone else for $600.
A Lada doesn’t come with a speedometer. Rather it is equipped with a calendar.
But the EU doesn't want the burden of another poor country in the Union.
Before the war got started in earnest, the images and impression of Ukrainian cities I formed was they were clean and populated with good looking educated people. The cities there looked much more livable than US cities by far.
O-60 times are achieved when the machine is dropped from an airplane flying thousands of feet up in the air. Unfortunately, the machine is no longer usable after such time is measured.
"Lada Production Stops"
“Fiats can be fixed?
Wow. Who knew?”
Buy a Fiat, adopt a mechanic.
I learned that lesson when my first wife just HAD TO HAVE that cute little car with the funny name.
It was almost as expensive to keep the car as it was to get rid of the wife.
I don’t doubt that they are clean, educated, hard-working people. But (as per various sources):
* Ukraine is among the poorest countries in Europe.
* It suffers from widespread corruption.
* By the end of 2020, 45% of the population of Ukraine fell into the poor category.
* Its GDP per capita (PPP) is somewhere around $13,000.
I don’t mean this as a knock against Ukraine and its people. But some of the reasons that the EU has hesitated to fully admit Ukraine was due to Ukraine’s corruption and financial situation. Ukraine had recently made progress in these areas and had been gaining support from EU members.
Why yes; again and again and again and again and . . .
Then why do they keep harping on expansion?
You don’t understand the EU.
When you take note that their constitution and governmental structure is almost identical to that of the (former?) USSR, their true intentions are revealed.
But the EU doesn’t want the burden of another poor country in the Union.
Or another eastern Europe country that will eventually shift the EU axis off Paris and Berlin.
Because they want to attract the more wealthy countries like Norway and Sweden to share the burden.
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