FancyCat

The gas pipelines flowing across Ukraine and Russia have transit fees that are paid to Ukraine. As long as Russia pays, no need to destroy them.

Oh Biden left Afghanistan, who signed the agreement paving the way for American withdrawal? Oh Biden is old and frail, you dummy who led the way to the unmasking of the Russian bear? If Trump is so "strong" why is the House still not passing a Ukraine bill? Why is the Republican majority leader refusing to pass a Ukraine bill, refusing to pass a lone Ukraine bill, hell even refusing to pass a much narrower military only funding bill (no, no crying about funding a economy at war is not right, WWII, part of our aid to the Allies involved ensuring their economies and people could fight, not just guns, not just tanks, not just trucks, not just American blood, it was wheat, it was food, it was money). This is not Bradleys, Abrams, not cruise missiles, not money directly to Ukrainian oligarchs, not American blood, this is money intended to go to American businesses, American workers, to make artillery shells to explode on top of Russians, to make production lines so vitally needed for any future conflict. Tell me why Trump is blocking it that you whom supports Ukraine (if you don't support Ukraine, wrong thread to be in), feels like it's the right thing to do. Tell me why the Republican majority leader is blocking it. How does this improve America? How does it benefit us? For all the gripping about Europe, at least they are holding strong after some tepidness. Sure Germany isn't giving Tartus the fools but by God, artillery shells are flowing. France, God bless Macron, when we have Putin and co spouting bull**** about concessions needed for peace, rhetoric it may be, warnings about NATO in Ukraine, a line where Ukraine will always remain free, meanwhile in action, in rhetoric, we have a Republican Party doing this ****.

Oh boo hoo, we have given so much to Ukraine, why not Europe give their "fair share"? Why must America lead...Are we not the world superpower? Are we not the best, strongest, most advanced military world-wide? Do we not have the strongest economy? Tell me how starving our ally of ammunition of cold war era shells does anything positive for our standing to compete with China. Tell me how illustrating that America cannot compete in a war of attrition with some of the decrepit remains of the Soviet Union somehow strengthens us to for a future competing with the world's factory (China). And I'm not being rhetorical, come here you supporter of Ukraine and Trump/Republican Party and tell me how America is benefitting from not funding artillery shells for Ukraine. I am sick and tired of seeing this notion existing, that the Republican Party/Trump will be stronger on China, on ensuring America will be safe when they can't fund goddamn cold war era shells for Ukraine. Am I being "political"? So sorry, but fair is fair, can't bash Europe without being fair to America.

Again, this isn't high PR, high value (I dispute the notion a Bradley or Abrams or F-16 is high value, we gave a state that is most certainly partially allied to Iran access to all 3) items. This is literally artillery ammunition. And certainly the bleating cries of those urging Ukraine to make "peace" due to Russian "superiority" are ignoring the fact that Ukraine was defending perfectly fine when it had shells to fire. And certainly the fact that the House can pass so urgently a bill to ban Tiktok that he "opposes" and yet not pass another should merely indicate how pathetic a certain party is for not doing the bare minimum it needs to support Ukraine. There is nothing in this months long hellish situation Ukraine stands in that suggests that the Republican Party or Trump will support Ukraine. Nada. And am I getting dangerously "domestic"? Yes, it's only fair, I've certainly harped about a certain German.

Syrskyi has stated the same as Zaluzny no?

All america literally needs to do is make shells. Buy shells. Just make some goddamn artillery ammunition. Just buy some shells from a 3rd party, stuff them into a C-5 or a cargo ship and send them to Europe. And yet for months, months we have simply been unable to. Disgraceful. There is literally no evidence that certain someone who benefits from this situation will should he be elected, not change this stance of non-assistance. This entire fiasco is due to him not pushing for this to be passed in the first place. This isn't a case of stuff that is in short supply, or needs to be hoarded (the money to buy the shells is the money to open more production lines!!!!!!), it is simply for one reason.

Truly America is so stupid. We can't provide a tiny portion of our gdp to a cause most Americans are fine with, to which no American lives are at risk, to degrade the ability of a enemy, and strengthen our own standing in the world....and we are willingly throwing it away. Holy ****, why would any nation ally with us vs China. We are starving our ally of life for literally no ****ing reason. No reason except as a favor to a certain someone. And no none of the flimsy excuses pass, most Americans, most senators, representatives support Ukraine or at least espouse sentiments to such.

pour one out for

Broken clock my ***, the Republican speaker of the House is holding up Ukraine aid, including that essential rearmament funding. Despite the majority of his party being for it, majority of the country for it.

One thing that needs reinforcing, the west does not have nearly enough equipment to match it's financial potentials. Takes time to rebuild but the production lines need to cut their teeth via supplying Ukraine.

what about EW tho? the last RUSI stated drones were dropping like flies due to EW, what prevents just the proliferation of EW anti-drone platforms? Aside from expensive missiles that strike them of course. But at that point, its egg and chicken. Also, a key issue for non-manned platforms is of course, the ability for the enemy to take over, seen on one hand with EW, once they lose connection, they generally fall to the ground, sure, the ability for self-contained instructions can occur, but at that point, its just a missile sorta, networking them together into a cohesive unit requires connecting them to talk to one another. And we aren't near enough to AI to deploy independent robots and definitely not near enough for them to back fire on the deployer.

Not gonna lie, thats not really fast moving is it? i mean, some searchlights, more sailors, more crew mounted light guns, some patrol boats around, would that attack have failed?

How much is NATO providing in terms of targeting and other support for these USVs? NATO AWACS have been a constant feature in the Black Sea, and while certainly we won't know the extent of their cooperation with UKR forces until post-war, i feel like ignoring their contribution of ISR undermines the nature and deployment of these drones, sure, they are "cheap" but backed by NATO satellites, NATO aircraft in the sky watching the Black Sea and none of that is cheap.

I actually think Macron is right to start rattling the cage with talk of NATO personnel in Ukraine, I mean look at Russian rhetoric right now, it's worse than last year, where Russia was bleating about ceasefires and seeking territorial movement pauses. Russian rhetoric has only increased in escalation from that freeze, we have 5 oblasts annexed to Russia, including 3 only partially. Okay sure, Medvedev issued a map where Russia gets less (the initial goal being taking all or most of Ukraine with a neutral rump Western Ukraine centered on Lviv), but the West gets more. That does not imply Russian acknowledgement of reality, that Ukraine will be free on it's remaining territory, it implies Russian understanding that the West has shown it's strong, but the solution to walking out of the conflict isn't some sort of accommodation with Ukraine, it's a accommodation with the West, where Poland and Romania and Hungary benefit, (and whatever Russian long term designs on NATO), and so Western Ukraine gets NATO protection and annexation, with Kiyv a neutral state that Russia can hope to seize in the middle term. Instead of encouraging Russian de-escalation, Western actions like Tartus and that pitiful smattering of Bradley's and Abrams only serve to reinforce and validate Russian views of Ukraine.

Now the navy isn't really important....except if Crimea comes under threat of supply lines being cut, so still good Ukraine thinks wiping out Russian naval assets is useful. They are also important in securing the bridge. May Russian shortsightedness incur their result sooner than later. I know Medvedev is a idiot but still, I think Russia fundamentally is relying on breaking Western unity, and part of that is signaling to Poland, Romania, Hungary that they too can benefit from a partition of Ukraine. We are talking about people with delusions of empire, also is it just me or did Belarus get nothing? Also in terms of Russian negotiations, I think they signaled Poland gets more of western Ukraine and that patch of Romania looks like compensation for Russia keeping Odessa, and they stopped wanting Kiyv divided.

Didn't they find out the Moskva radar was nonfunctional? Wouldn't be surprised if essential systems on the BSF are dead in addition to lack of crew.

The capacity for winning cold war 2.0 will be waged via hybrid war. Putin understands, is betting on NATO being worried of the Russian nuclear threat to escalate. Sure, air force is important but what's even more important is winning in Ukraine, for winning in Ukraine guaranteeds the existence of the image of the Russian war machine and that propaganda is a essential part of any future hybrid conflict Russia wants to wage. And sure hallowed out shell for a decade, but the thought that will be in their minds, they will have Ukraine back, and like the Russian imperialists they are, Quote by Zbigniew Brzezińsk, The post-Soviet inheritance Russia is losing in Ukraine, cannot be replaced by Russia alone, but this inheritance was made by Ukraine also, so without Ukraine, Russia will never be great, with Ukraine, it will have the potential if not the essential ingredient for the restoration for the Russian Empire.

Speaking of sanctions, FT article on the wrecking of Russia's Gazprom. https://www.ft.com/content/e1b65044-1a97-429a-b1e2-c337a343ec2a Gazprom, Russia's jewel of natural gas and a lifeline to European influence is now unprofitable, and well on its way to racking up losses. Nordstream wiped out 40% of Russia's export capacity to Europe. The vaunted China pipeline is still under negotiations and would take years to build, requiring state investment (! Without European profits to fund Gazprom, they can no longer fund Russian state tax revenue)

Legitimizing nuclear weapons use in conflicts is something that was well hashed during the earlier period Russia was saber rattling, if you recall, China smacked Russia for it. Whatever Russian threats or desire to decisively influence Ukraine in their favour, no nation, not China, not India, nor the West wants the barrier for tactical nuclear weapons use to be loosened. So I expect U.S warnings that we will escalate in Ukraine with U.S lives via air campaign if nuclear weapons are used to be true. I'm sure China has definitely indicated that Russia will get no support in such a situation. India as well.

I have made much ado about the lack of Bradley's, M1s from the U.S, much annoyance with France being unwilling to buy ammo worldwide for Ukraine. And etc. but as you so note, Scholz is unique in crafting positions that make it easy to hit. But, certainly there are pages of annoyance over the lack of U.S aid in the past. This is not limited to Germany in any sense.

Rest assured, I have all the love for the German Greens, whom continue to advocate for arming Ukraine, including with missiles. And my "bashing"of Germany is with the understanding that accommodation of Putin and Russia is the wrong place for Scholz to be doing (and the wrong signal to be sent in the face of no Russian de-escalation), and yes, not giving missiles is accommodating Russia in the exact same way the arguments for artillery, tanks went and like the same arguments for artillery, tanks, the same result occurred that was Russia did nothing to Germany when the item was delivered and deployed. While EU and NATO do the same merry-go-round it did on missiles, as it did on artillery, and planes, and anti-air systems, the same things that happened the last time, Ukrainians dying will continue like always to artillery rounds coming to the front via Crimea. Is it really "Germany bashing" to ask Scholz not engage in months and months of same backpedalling, reluctance, and ultimate fold we have seen before?

It's the bridge. Better incoherent nonsense than acknowledging Ukraine should give up Crimea, that Crimea is Russia. How long should Mariupol be occupied before Scholz considers it Russian territory? Before he declines to ship German drones to attack it? Melitopol? Idiotic. We are dealing with a man who fancies himself in the mold of Peter the Great. Eating chunks of European territory is perfectly in line.

https://www.ft.com/content/10df6f24-7ce6-407f-8509-76c65ec6e740 .....I don't get it, if its so bad having German soldiers setting targets up for it, why not just give it to Ukraine with the training to use it? ****ing hell. incoherent. makes no sense. whats next, a german train carried the missile to the Polish-Ukrainian border, therefore, no missile for u (could describe all German aid to Ukraine, im surprised he let it get that far). Idiotic. Makes mockery of German support for Ukraine when Scholz acts like Ukrainians are barbarians who dont know how to program a missile, or cant be expected to align with German reluctance to strike Russia proper (when they have acted as such with other weapons), or even worse, scared of saying out loud that targeting of "supposedly" Ukrainian occupied territory in Crimea is a red line for Germany.....which is just bravo, just so on par, for 10 years of occupation to be enough to erase sovereignty. Can't wait for occupied Donbas to be the red line 10 years down the line, then occupied Ukraine another 10, then Baltics another 10. absolute idiot. The partitions of Poland took 23 years to pan out, im sure Putin is so glad Scholz and Germany are content with 10.

Considering the artillery rationing ongoing, these talks of actions to drain Russian forces seems premature. Ukraine's ability to conduct these actions also relied on artillery, superior ISR to strike Russians as they attempted a advance. The manufacturing power of Europe and America has so far been very disappointing. I hope to God that Europe does not delay in sourcing artillery shells worldwide. This is not the time for Europe to sit idly by. How is any country relying on Western security supposed to be pleased right now? Hopefully the EU breakthrough on those Czech sourced shells is quick. One thing to note, U.S global transportation network was important in transferring equipment from worldwide to Ukraine, I hope UK can pick up the slack if U.S cannot handle transportation.