dan/california

It is almost like he sold his soul in the worst bargain ever, and is being haunted now, before and even worse later. Oh wait, he DID do that...

Watching the Russians attempt to supply cut off sections of the land bridge by sea is going to be good wholesome fun, complete with beach side barbecues.

That really is the lesson of this war, it isn't the cost of the drone, it is the cost of the thing the drone is about to introduce to some sort of PGM. Please note that loitering munitions are just a cheap and handy form of PGM. And if you don't have a cheap and effective way to shoot down loitering munitions I would not show up for the next war. Heck, the Armenians wish they hadn't shown up for the last one.

Spoofing badly is whole lot more obvious than just turning the bleeping AIS system off. I think it looks a lot more like you are committing an active violation, too. I suspect some of this is intentionally not noticed because we want enough Russian oil on the market to keep the overall price bearable.

Many of his complaints seem valid, although a great many of them seem to have many historical parallels when a country/army tries to do to much with nit enough in a screaming hurry. Of course not doing things in a screaming hurry involves losing the war. I do think this criticism is misplaced. The Ukrainians do this because it keeps the guns alive a lot longer than trying to fight from within the Russian counterbattery envelope. In the ideal NATO operation the counterbattery isn't a problem because air supremacy means that there aren't enough guns and radars alive on the other side to be a problem, and artillery can cheerfully work from ten or fifteen klicks behind the FEBA.

I don't know about Moscow, but the Finns and the Poles would be shaking hands in front of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg in less than a week, by which time Poland would have already appointed a new civil administration in whatever they decided to call Kaliningrad. I don't know that Russia would ever get either one back, either.

Takes a two thirds vote to override a veto, it is virtually inconceivable in anything resembling the current congress on anything resembling a major issue.

The question is how many of them have the sense to take the deal. I stepped on a random peace of gravel on the way to the mail box a decade ago, rolled my ankle got banged up enough to ruin my week. People trip, it is part of life.

Something is happening somewhere if this isn't a final training exercise. Also, is twitter working badly today, even recent standards? auto-translate isn't working for me among other things.

In a war the size of this one I am sure there is some suitably awful task these cretins can be set to.

Hobart's funnies saved a lot of lives the first time around, at least according to every thing I ever read about them.

I suspect there is a spot or five along that almost endless front were the lead Ukrainian brigade will only have to slow down long enough fire a MICLIK or three before they advance twenty or thirty clicks.

Good podcast about hoe the invasion of Georgia, led to the seizure of Crimea, and then to 2/24. U.S./NATO was a wee bit slow on the uptake. Yes we already knew that, but the people discussing it have a lot of granular detail.

When people start whining that the the Ukrainians are shooting Russians like fish in a barrel reread these two. And then donate to the ammo fund.

F-16s in many ways are political, but one of the ways they are political is telling the Russians that we aren't quitting, ever. That they can leave now, or when their army is so broken Kazakistan can credibly threaten to invade. The fact F-16s would just let the Ukrainian air force keep flying isn't trivial either. They have pretty much sucked in every left over Soviet plane and part on the world market, they take wear and at least some damage every day. It is also worth pointing out that Patriots were not supposed be able to stop Kinzahls, and they are currently batting 1000. It is possible, not guaranteed but possible, that there will be a large upside surprise when the F-16s become active. A great deal depends on what munitions we send.

I swear I didn't write this, but if the author reads the thread we deserve a mention.

One the larger positives happening world wide is that the electric cars are being subsidized/encouraged/more or less mandated in the U.S., China, and the E.U.. Sales are forecast to exceed ten percent of U.S. car sales by ~2026, perhaps sooner. Over the next decade this is going to have a real effect on oil consumption in the more or less developed world. At some point this is going to weigh on oil prices rather heavily. That unhappy conversation between the Russians and the Saudis is just going to get less pleasant every year. I realize ten percent of sales is not the same as ten percent of the cars of the road, but it does add up over time. And the oil price is very sensitive to the last few million barrels per day of marginal demand and supply.

South Africa just picked a side, the wrong one to be specific. The next time their currency wobbles, or similar, they will be lucky to get the junior assistant to the assistant jr. sub Secretary on the the phone.

U.S. relations with south Africa are about to get a frosty.

I mean as far as military targets, just aim them at either the Ministry of defense building, any rail infrastructure, or oil tanks. Oi tank burn and the smoke is visible for approximately forever, their is real propaganda value in that in a city that was promised a quick and painless victory. The value of both requiring Russia to to park Pantsirs all over Moscow, and simply pointing out to Russians in the only city that matters that the SMO is not going to plan is not zero.

The more interesting question is are the rebels suddenly getting some more help? If you are trying to turn the Russian's pain level up to max, you want to stress them in as many places as possible. Dead colonels are stressful.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/world/europe/ukraine-kherson-torture-detention-centers.html However bad you think the Russians are, they're worse than that.

This is the recipe for a brick, not goo, to get goo you use way to MUCH water and yeast. Yes I am competing for the Mr flaming picky award.