Posted on 09/13/2023 1:55:04 PM PDT by Timber Rattler
“Putin knows that Ukraine does not possess the advanced capability to produce the missiles that hit Sevastopol. So, does he retaliate against the supplier?”
The stealthy Storm Shadow (UK) and SCALP (French) cruise missiles used, were publicly announced as donations to Ukraine, to use against the Military of Russia, within the Internationally recognized borders of Ukraine (which includes all of Crimea). It was not the first time they have been used (Poland helped them modify their Su-24 aircraft to launch them), and likely won’t be the last. Both the UK and France have been replacing them with newer missiles, and each have a few hundred of these older ones to spare.
54 Nations, including all NATO members, participate in the Ukraine Contact Group (sometimes referred to by their meeting name, the Ramstein Conference) to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons for its war against Russia - tanks, Artillery (including HIMARS), Javelins, Stingers, cruise missiles, fighter jets, etc..
If Putin was going to try to retaliate against donors, it seems that he would have done so already. It is going on two years already, and he has lost the better half of the old Soviet stockpiles of hardware.
Bottom Line: It is long accepted practice to not consider weapons supplies to constitute a cause for direct war (economic sanctions yes, but not actual attacks). Russia provided huge amounts of weapons to North Korea and Vietnam, when they were at war with America. They went so far as having Russian pilots fly the planes, that were shooting down Americans. Now it’s Russia’s turn on the receiving end, like it was for them in Afghanistan.
“Russia’s lack of modern Black Sea waterfront repair infrastructure is a serious problem for Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Without maintenance support, Russia’s entire Black Sea Fleet will, in a matter of months, be rendered operationally ineffective—and effectively sunk.”
Touché.
Slava Ukraini
This is massively good news!
I don’t see how Russia can hold on to Crimea much longer. It’s getting untenable there.
Next-door-Russians have apparently also understood that its now impossible vacationing in Crimea... Tourism is dead. That place is slowly dying.
NOTE
While NATO countries have no problem letting Ukraine use Western missiles to hit anywhere within Ukraine / Crimea, the West is refusing them to hit military targets in Russia! Why!?
Russia uses IRANIAN drones all over Ukraine, so why can’t Ukraine do the same, using foreign western tech to hit Russia?
Russia will now even use North Korean missiles to hit Ukraine. Doesn’t that automatically gives a go-ahead for Ukraine to use Western missiles against Russia?? I hope it does!
We have to let that sink in for minute...
Indeed.
It was Russian bullets and weapons that killed 50.000 Americans in Vietnam
We should remind that to the few pro Russian Neo-soviet ideologues here on FR.
The FACTS are the Russians are a lot more accurate about reporting causalities than Biden regime. Duh! Who but a Democrat, RINO or neocoon doesn't know that?
Sure. The proxy war and sanction war HAS been benefited Russia. It's economy is not only growing faster than expected but has more economic growth than we do or most Europe does.
The proxy and sanction war with Russia is another Biden's miserable miscalculations and failures.
War is hell. But this doesn’t move the front line.
Everyday many Ukrainians and Russians die in a useless counter-offensive that will not lead to a NATO victory.
Neocon war ghouls smile.
“Knows” perhaps should be replaced by “will know”. Post attack forensics will reveal the weapons’ types, if identifiable fragments have not already been found.
That said, Ukraine has stated the missiles were launched from aircraft, which greatly narrows the possibilities. And we know they HAVE received Stormshadow missiles, which fit info. we do know.
But, what’s Pooty going to do? Attack the UK? That would not go well for him.
Links? (That’s not a “challenge”, just curiosity.)
So, was all the hubbub about Elon Musk refusing to activate Starlink just a ruse to deceive the Russians prior to this attack?
Great post. Thank you!
“The proxy war and sanction war HAS been benefited Russia”
When Putin invaded the Ukraine in 2014, and started incurring sanctions, you could buy an American dollar for about 30 Russian rubles. Today it is about 96. A ruble is like a penny.
The Nordstream pipeline is flooded with seawater and rusting away. The European natural gas market that Russia built over 3/4 of a century is almost completely gone, and the great bulk of that lost market share is already on long term contracts to other suppliers, with the USA one of the top beneficiaries (Thanks Putin, you stupid Sucker). Last quarter, Gazprom, once a huge cash cow for Russia, operated at a loss.
The Russian Government is also operating at a loss, despite confiscatory new tax levies on oil and many oligarchs. They are rapidly burning through the remnants of the National Wealth Fund and gold reserves, while signing over assets to China as collateral for yuan-based loans. All that spending gets counted in GDP in the short term, but it is really the destruction of wealth, rather than the creation. Same with all the guns vs. butter spending on Armaments that they blow up - counts for GDP for this quarter, but nothing productive remains afterward. Up in smoke.
Indeed, if you count the liabilities being incurred for war reparations, there is a bill for about a trillion dollars due already - more than half a year’s total GDP for Russia.
Foreign Direct Investment, Capital, Technology and Talent have been in wholesale flight out of Russia.
Russia is on the fast track to become Novo North Korea - if that is what you call a benefit.
I don’t see how this war is doing anything but harming Russia economically. That being said, Russia has told the world for decades that it would go to war rather than give up its port at Sevastopol. It is of great strategic importance to Russia. But now that has effectively happened. Russia may indeed now lose the use of Sevastopol for military or economic purposes. What will Russia do now?
+++++++++
Really? Wow! I'm really excited about the chance to check out these "a lot more accurate" Russian reports on Russian casualties. Would you please provide a link to them?
Because just a month ago, a neutral source in Switzerland says Russia's reporting of its KIAs, vs UKE KIAs, was wrong by a factor of 14-1: For each Russian soldier killed, Russian sources reported only 0.3 casualties, whereas for each Ukrainian soldier killed, the same sources reported 4.3 casualties..
(Sound of crickets as Kazan, unable to provide a link to the "a lot more accurate" Russian reports on Russian casualties that exist only in his imagination, contemplates whether he should reply with an ad hominin insult, or ignore this post.)
I watch Euronews and they report a lot more world news than any US news channel.
Could be, but I'd think the notion it might still be used would be floated, as a distraction. Musk would have evidence to deny it afterward, in any case.
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