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Putin: "Stick to the timeline!"


tsar4

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  • 2 weeks later...

Russian Airlines in a shambles

"The corresponding reality is a direct consequence of the sanctions, and the most painful ones were a ban on the supply of aircraft and spare parts for them, complete refusal of maintenance and service provision, refusal to update the software, detention of Russian aircraft abroad, and restriction of access to meteorological information for air navigation."

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Last week marked an important anniversary.  

10 years ago, the Maidan began.  It started as a protest against the pro-Russia Yanukovych government.  This set off a chain of events that led to the present moment --- Yanukovych getting removed from to office and fleeing Ukraine to live in exile in Russia in disgrace; replacement with a pro-EU government; annexation of Crimea and the start of the Donbass conflict; election of Zelenskyy; and invasion by Russia.  That one moment in time, that one starting protest, completely changed Ukraine's trajectory and led to the next ten years.  

Bohdan Khmelnytsky made the defining choice to join Ukraine and Russia's fate together in the 17th century, because it seemed like the best choice at the time in a dangerous world.  Ukrainians themselves chose to part ways and align with the West in the 21st century, for the same reasons.  History is a circle sometimes.  

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Quote

Ukraine’s security service blew up railway connections linking Russia to China, in a clandestine strike carried out deep into enemy territory, with pro-Kremlin media reporting that investigators have opened a criminal case into a “terrorist attack.”

The SBU set off several explosions inside the Severomuysky tunnel of the Baikal-Amur highway in Buryatia, located some 6,000 kilometers east of Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official with direct knowledge of the operation told POLITICO.

“This is the only serious railway connection between the Russian Federation and China. And currently, this route, which Russia uses, including for military supplies, is paralyzed,” the official said.

Four explosive devices went off while a cargo train was moving inside the tunnel. “Now the (Russian) Federal Security Service is working on the spot, the railway workers are unsuccessfully trying to minimize the consequences of the SBU special operation,” the Ukrainian official added.

Later, another train was blown up in the same area on a bypass route, pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Baza reported. 

Four carriages burned out, and two more were damaged by fire. According to preliminary data, aviation fuel on the second cargo train was spilled over an area of 150 square meters. The same senior Ukrainian official with direct knowledge of the matter said the SBU was also behind the second railroad incident.

The first cargo train exploded directly in the Severomuysky tunnel.

To continue transportation, the Russians began to use the detour route through the so-called Devil’s Bridge — a 35-meter high viaduct structure, which is part of the Trans-Siberian Railway. At that point, SBU saboteurs struck again.

“When the train was passing over this 35-meter high bridge, the explosive devices embedded in it went off,” the same official added.

Ukraine’s security service has not publicly confirmed the attack. Russia has also so far not confirmed the sabotage.

https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-security-service-blew-up-main-railway-connection-between-russia-china/

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ukraine will very likely receive the first batch of F-16s before the end of 2023. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed on December 22 during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Dutch government will prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter jets for delivery to Ukraine.[6] While Rutte did not confirm the timeline for F-16 delivery, a recent Estonian Ministry of Defense strategy document stated that the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium have already committed to donating F-16s to Ukraine "before the end of the year [2023]."[7]

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-22-2023

 

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On 12/30/2023 at 3:51 PM, Icarus27k said:

My controversial opinion:

I suspect Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president known for crazy, pro-Russia warhawk statements, is really a secret agent for the U.S. 

There's got to be a reason his warhawk beliefs and behavior are completely unconvincing. 

Seems like typical sycophant behavior to me.  

I have a very simple explanation --- because he's going against his nature.  Medvedev was known for having a very mild-mannered personality as well as being more moderate and open to reform compared to Putin.  The macho tough guy thing doesn't come naturally to him.  But, the political climate in Russia has become much darker and more openly aggressive and nationalistic, a moderate seems downright anti-war at this point.  So, he has to evolve to keep up with the times and keep himself in the running as a viable Putin successor.  

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By the way, for the last couple months a big tiff has been going on between Ukraine and former staunch ally Poland.  

It's economic related, pretty much Ukrainian goods and services flooding the EU market has been hurting Polish businesses a lot.  (Ukrainian prices and salaries are much lower than Poland, plus they don't have to follow EU workplace regulations.  In summary).  So Polish truckers and farmers have blockaded the border, and by extension severely limited Ukraine's land links to the EU (keep in mind that the northern and eastern borders are hostile and that Russia is blockading the Black Sea).  

Additionally Poland voted in a new government a couple months ago and the transfer of power has not been entirely smooth.  

So that's a thing that's been happening, and with surprisingly very little coverage in English language media.  Here's one of the most recent articles I could find talking about it. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/07/1223065019/20-mile-backup-as-polish-truckers-blockade-border-in-standoff-with-ukrainian-dri

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2 hours ago, Icarus27k said:

Screenshot_20240118-160416.thumb.png.1ddfc7fca3aa74240e4fda9bb591a0bb.png

 

It's true. Have you ever tried to explain to a non-American what traditional U.S. ignorant apathy is like? I don't that it's fully understood.

Americans didn't even know Russia still existed from 1991 to 2014. 

Because no one remembers Mad Men memes.....

596jmc.jpg

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