Posted on 04/13/2022 3:30:13 PM PDT by AZJeep
Russia's smooth victory over Ukraine is not happening, and President Vladimir Putin continues to purge his own ranks. FSB Secret Service General Sergei Beseda ended up behind bars for stealing money that was supposed to ensure the Kremlin's easy victory in Ukraine. However, Putin also owes the failures at the front to other corrupt commanders.
In reports to Putin, the general assured that in every major city in Ukraine he had mobilized and paid "up to two thousand athletic men" ready to actively oppose Ukrainian institutions. These strike forces were to be followed in each city by thousands of pro-Russian crowds, who were to welcome Russian tanks with enthusiasm.
Nothing happened and the money disappeared.
But there are more problems: According to information from Wind of Change, the FSB claims that eight trillion rubles (about $100 billion) spent on defense in the last five years cannot be accounted for. This amount corresponds to a quarter of this year's state budget. "The money has turned into cryptocurrencies and general villas in France, Bulgaria and Spain," Osechkin estimates.
The corruption mechanism was built to an amazing degree by two Deputy Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu - Timur Ivanov and Ruslan Calikov. Pushing for a war in faith in the old Russian principle that "war will erase all sins."
Underlings that know he's crazy.
And have a pair to defy him.
Unlike OUR pussies.
We should STILL be at Bagram !
“the FSB claims that eight trillion rubles (about $100 billion) spent on defense in the last five years cannot be accounted for.”
Pooty’s throwing hissy fits because others acted like him and his oligarch hommies, robbing Russia blind.
And people were screaming that the Russian "clown car" army was a threat to NATO - looks like the biggest threat was inflating European real estate prices...
;>)
This was my take on the situation.
Putin had several problems the biggest of course is corruption is built into the system (left over from when it was the Soviet Union).
Everyone from the top down skims a little off the top and only pass on good reports up the line.
No body actually expected Russia to go to war so why waste money on training, or supplies or maintenance?
For those afraid of China they have the exact same problem.
A hallmark of autocratic regimes is corruption. With no checks and balances, loyalty to the leader is all that matters, supporters of a regime can get away with a lot.
Pootie rages at the system that’s been in place in Russia since before the Tsars. Anything to excuse his megalomania. “The other guy did it!”
He’s got his $200 bullion - honestly, it just appeared in his account out of nowhere.
I’ve read in several sources that the Chinese military is plagued with corruption. For an officer to be promoted, he or she must bribe the higher ups. For the female officers, that also means having sex with superiors. And the higher ones rises in rank, the more costly is the next promotion so an officer needs to be getting the funds by graft and payoffs.
Putin, the biggest crook of them all, is somehow shocked that the gangs of crooks whom he presides over systematically looted his military and intel budgets. Thus we have further proof that, as rule, autocrats eventually become idiots. Soon, Putin will have the choice of exile or a bullet.
If such corruption is a hallmark of autocratic regimes, then what does that say about the US?
The only difference between Russia and the US is that our autocrat started out as an idiot.
Most of these stories are written to generate clicks and are based on telepathy, or delusion, or both.
Here is the only things you need to know about the war:
1) This is the first war where both sides had total access to excellent satellite recon
2) The east border of Donbas is less than 100 miles from Volgograd (used to be called Stalingrad) and it is the choke point of the Volga River and pipelines along it carrying nearly 5 million barrels/day north out of the Caspian production of Russia, Kazahkstan, Azerbaijan and yes, Iran.
There was never any way NATO could be allowed that close
3) It is a very big weapons Expo. Russian weapons are showcased to the world, used by both sides. Do not think the US MIC is not raging at this, while India writes checks for several more $billions for Russian fighter jets and
S-400s.
4) The big announcement last week that the EU Parliament had passed a resolution saying no European countries would buy GAZPROM product . . . well, we got deceived. They did pass that resolution. But it is non binding. Hungary has already said no, they will buy gas. As of Friday, the day after the resolution, gas flowing in Nordstream I to Germany had not stopped and will be paid for. One cannot say Europe is fracturing, because it was never solid, as demo’ed by Greece in 2013 and the UK in 2016.
These are facts, not whimsy based on video that is not trustworthy.
Ask yourself this . . . in 30-40 yrs, what are the odds anyone will know anything about this war other than who won. That’s generally all history ever gives wars. Who won.
And how many billions have disappeared from the US military spending? I don’t think this is just related to Russia-Russia-Russia.
However, in theory at least China still has the population to draw on to make the “infantry steamroller”. They can die, starve, get wounded in the 100s of thousands to the millions and accomplish their military objective. Russia now only has a population comparable to Java which is part of Indonesia (approx. 140 million for each!) Motivation is the issue, defense of the Middle Kingdom, they probably have it. To go abroad adventuring, probably not! Is invading Tawain going abroad? Has Xi’s Mao-like cult of personality campaigns created Waffen SS like motivation for young recruits? Is reabsorbing Tawain a burning issue to young Chinese who will be manning the army? I could be wrong, but I don’t think so for either case! Then factor in the corruption as you pointed out. If they try to invade, it seems like it would be a disaster of epic proportions.
Hitler built an amazing war machine before he made critical mistakes that doomed the Third Reich.
A friend who spent a bit of time in China mentioned that. They said that, even after a building has been freshly painted, it looks like it needs paint. When a Chinese factory makes a can of paint for use over there, apparently it's pretty common for the factory to 'short' some of the more expensive ingredients (pigments, etc.) and substitute water.
But it doesn't stop there: the factory employees often steal a bit out of each can before it ships (to sell on the black market), and replace it with water. And then whoever is transporting it does the same thing: steal a bit out of each can, and replace it with water. And finally, the painters (you guessed it ;>) steal a bit out of each can to sell for some "pocket money", replace it with water, and use the repeatedly watered-down mystery substance that's in the can to coat the building. Apparently old fashioned American whitewash looks better than a Chinese "paint" job...
Study Operation Barbarossa. Stalin had perfect intel about the Nazi invasion, and did not believe it. After the invasion, June 21, Stalin basically had a breakdown and did not appear for almost 2 weeks. Meanwhile, the Germans gained 100s of miles along the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Did this mean the Russians lost WW2? Nope.
The U.S. military chain of command:
Colonel
General
Millionaire board member of Raytheon
SecDef
Billionaire board member of Raytheon, Lockheed, etc.
We are in no position to lecture on military corruption.
“For those afraid of China they have the exact same problem.”
The biggest difference is China has a massive number of bodies to throw against whoever they choose to fight. Unfortunately for them they only have a few highly trained outfits. If they have to draft from the general population they’ll be getting people who don’t want to fight and few that have ever done manual labor. The males born during and since the one child policy aren’t called “Little Emperors” for nothing.
China has the same problem with China produced weaponry that Russia has with their crap. Shoddy design and workmanship.
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