"One NASAMS unit destroyed 150 missiles and drones. " The video report starts with UA guy stating "once we downed 11 cruise missiles in one engagement".... Another "proven" UA source....
You wrote a comment after watching only 20 seconds of the video. If you had watched the whole video carefully, you would have learned that at 0:55 sec. the SAM commander says about 150 destroyed various targets. Then at 4:17 minutes the types of destroyed targets on the launcher itself are shown. In this case, you could have apologized to Don. Or Russians don't do that.
two launchers 6+2 = 12. The SAM commander said they had to change missiles quickly. What's the problem with putting in an extra package of missiles. You should have watched the video in full before writing anything. What does the cost of the missiles and the Shaheds have to do with it?
Glad that you are ready believe any nonsense. I do not remember any single case when an UA target was attacked by more than 8 cruise missiles. And a short-range NASAMs with limited area coverage manage to down 11 at once? Furthermore, UA "proven" sources say that 600 out of 900 targets downed by NASAMs were cruise missiles.)))))
Looks like UA BS propaganda about downing numerous RU targets with 100+% efficiency gained second wind. It's ok when propaganda BS is used by both sides to fool and to inspire own people. But seriously cite it here?
"What does the cost of the missiles and the Shaheds have to do with it?"
Strange you, first you write that it is such 11 missiles shot down at once and point out about 150 missiles. Then you write that it can't be, and then you point out that this is Ukrainian propaganda. If Ukrainian propaganda is published here, why do you read it and comment on it? You are trying to convince Tom or Don to stop reporting because you decided so) And about propaganda, I think Ukrainian propaganda is far from Russian propaganda, what your Solovyov is worth, but that's another topic...I don't even want to bring it up here....
Mate, it's really simple: just because the Russian-made SAMs have a problem with intercepting Ukrainian-made attack-UAVs, it's not 'automatically so' that Western NASAMS have a problem with intercepting Russian-made attack-UAVs. Especially not those flying at 2,000 metres altitude (so to move them out of reach of small-arms fire and light flak).
The times of the mindset of 'You think you know better than Soviet rocket scientists?' - are long over. After 60 years of that BS, it migth be the time to not only realise that, but accept it, too.
I have no doubts of NASAMs downing Gerans/Shaheeds in dozens. What I doubt and laugh at is propaganda BS of 11 RU cruise missiles downed in one engagement.
Clearly biased heavily towards the 'Ukrainians'. Which is very sad, very bad. Why?
Do you need to ask?
Really?
Well because he is pleading on behalf of 'Kiev Ukrainians' all the time. Is all.
Donbas Ukrainians are given up for dead.
They don't signify.
Because of the madness, the Orwellian insanity of him, them, the usa, etc. he insists the Donbas Ukrainians are Ukrainians. Subject to Kiev Ukrainian law. When they get their hands upon them there'll be trials and executions and reprisals and all that nazi crap.
So they are there alright.
Yet at the same time they are not there.
When it suits them they're there.
When it doesn't they're not.
And when they say 'support Ukrainians' they are not.
Same as when they cry 'right for self determination' the Donbas Ukrainians don't exist.
Yep.
So that's why its a scurrilous and shabby site.
But it does have the merit of printing some facts that I think no one else is printing and I am grateful for that.
But I wish it would support Ukraine instead of supporting the destruction of Ukraine via this civil ethnic war.
The Russians loved the donbass Ukranians so much they called up the entire adult male population of Luhanks and Donetsk and then used them up as disposable infantry.
You're obviously on 'the side' of Kiev Ukraine. i.e. you support Ukrainians attacking Ukrainians and you are happy with half a million of your countrymen dead in an effort to ethnically control them.
And you use the same sneering sarcasm that is so prevalent but always unnecessary and counter productive.
And you make false assertions as is greatly common from that 'side'.
For eight years the Donbass men manned the trenches voluntarily, of their own accord. No once could keep them there if they didn't want to be there. No one could stop them wandering over to join the nato, oligarch,usa forces if they wanted that.
Then finally the Russians came and sure enough the Donbass men were in the forefront of the fighting. Throughout the first year they fought on in the front lines and their Russian help was logistics and artillery in the rear.
A fairly sensible thing to do, if possible, I would think. Let the experienced men fight at the front. Let the people defending their own homes fight at the front.
While your own forces gather experience.
This is not the case now. And has not been for a long time. Donbass men have been conspicuous in all theatres I think. Proving they do not do things under duress They do them because, as they say clearly in places such as Patrick Lancaster's videos, they are 'defending their own land'.
They say while standing on their own land. You say it while standing on their land, too.
They are clearly right. You are clearly wrong.
I think it would help if you looked behind your own sarcastic sneer and thought about how it applies to your 'side'. You love your Donbass brothers how much exactly?
That's the point, you know. The whole point.
Have you ever thought of how powerful Kiev Ukraine could be? How useful? How great in the world? As itself, not as some pawn of the usa and uk? Consider - who can best guarantee Russia safety on its western border? You can. You can help Russia. You can protect Russia. You could let Russia breathe easy.
If Kiev Ukraine told Russia that it had no quarrel and would protect Russia's right to border safety - that same 'right' that america insists upon and was ready to bring the world to nuclear annihilation for in the Cuba incident. If you said to Russia 'fear not, we've got your back, no enemy will get past us to you'.
Russia would value and appreciate and help you. Then you would see some truth. Russia would help and appreciate in fact. Not as america helps and appreciates Cuba. No, no. No way. You know how america helps and appreciates Cuba? Which has ' its back', which 'protects its borders' ? With sanctions that turn it into the third world ruin.
That's your america for you. Just go look. Stop your sneering for a minute and go look.
On the other hand what if you refuse, as you are doing, and insist on being a threat on the very borders of Russia? What then? The american model, again? You know what that would be. Vietnam, Syria, Iraq etc. Carpet bombing. Napalm. Israeli type civilian destruction. (israel being the usa and the usa being israel).
That is what would happen to Cuba if it declared itself a threat to the usa. Why are there no Russian missiles in Cuba now? The obvious thing for Russia to do when the usa is making war on Russia and Russia cannot hit the usa. Get over there in hitting range.
But they are not there. Why not? Because the americans would go even more lunatic than they are now if that's possible. They'd raze Cuba to the ground overnight if they could: half the population would be calling for it.
Long before (hopefully) we get to nuclear armageddon we'll go through that scenario I think and we'll see it. And you will see it.
And the solution for all this horror? For Ukrainians to love Ukrainians. For Ukrainians to want to support Ukraine. Sorry to use the word 'love'. I know it doesn't fit nowadays.. Looks silly there on the page. What's this bloody stupid, soppy, childish, effeminate thing 'love' ? Get it out of here.
I know. But what other word can I use? I mean the opposite of hate.
So excuse it. Grit your teeth and just let it stand for this short 'conversation'. If you loved your brothers in the Donbass and said 'let them live and let them do things their way' then we'd have a massive move towards a great step forward for Ukrainian people.
And then if you said we have no desire to live in endless war with Russia and we are happy to assure them we wish them no ill will and their western borders will be free from threat we'd have a further massive step forward.
40 million Ukrainians living at peace and demonstrating a maturity rarely seen in the modern world. Happy for each oblast to do things its own way.
What does it matter to the working man usually which regime controls a piece of land? We happily go from uk to work in france, go from france to work in usa, from usa to work in greece, etc. etc...
We go where the work is and where things are that we want.
What is important is to have a happy home to go back to and that there be work and conditions in those 'target' places we go to.
i.e. if Britain's car industry is dead then car workers go to germany and so on.
In exactly the same way what matters in Ukraine is mainly that things exist, that work exists, and that there is peace. If the steel mills of Donbass are working then the worker from western ukraine can go there and work in them if he wishes. And return to his peaceful home in western Ukraine and so on.
Doing what the people of the world have always done and will always do.
And it is relatively unimportant whqt regime is making the laws in the places we go to. Most of the time, wandering around the world, we don't even see any differences at all.
Enough. All my words are a waste of my time aren't they? What you want to do is sneer.
I am a Russian-speaking Ukrainian from Donbass. Tell me more about the "voluntary defenders" and how Russia "values, recognizes and helps" - you probably know better?
I want Russian fans of the "liberated Donbass" to tell me, a resident of this very Donbass, the whole "truth" about what is happening, because I don't see it here - "Kiev" propaganda has washed my brain...
You, of course, couldn't help noticing that you're standing on Donbass land not on Kiev Ukrainian land aren't you? That any 'invasion' there is Kiev invading Donbass, right?
You would know that the people around you fought the Kiev invaders for eight years single handed wouldn't you?
What is it exactly you want to know that you think I might know but you don't?
General things? Historical things? Political things? Economic things?
'Roses have thorns' can tell you general things about this conflict.
The history is searchable easily. Here's a bit in video form:
Economics is a lot like politics. Full of conflicting theories/explanations. And it is all intermingled. Here's a bit that might be interesting (and might not, I still don't know what you want to know) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1aFnl-x_3M
The amount of bs you wrote is amazing, but I admit that as an invaders justifier your cover of gentle and reasonable-like tone is a step-up if compared with the harsh and patronizing one that most of your peers use, especially in my country’s social media scene. Going through every single fake news would take time that I don’t have rn. Just remind me for now who Igor Girkin is and what were his green men doing in UA in 2014.
You're too far gone and it's a psychological barrier more than a mental one- you of your own admission put a lot of time into this and come up with conclusions which put you in the "enlightened" camp, outside which are the "ignorant" and "fools" like me. So to change your mind is to admit that after all of this time spent, you've got an unbalanced/biased view. You are very quick to label and deride others and at the root of this is pride. "I know, and you don't". Well don't we really? I've seen a trend - intelligent and unbiased observers see this primarily as Putin/Russia's internal/external political insecurity, tangled up with delusions of imperial grandeur. Not saying there aren't national/ethnic tensions in some areas - but the idea that this is the main thing is false.
Remember when the only people who did that in movies were insane? Anyone who pinned photos on walls a conspiracy nut? I still prefer the Columbo way of doing things haha. BTW, "Ludwig", a new crime series with David Mitchell is refreshing.
So when I was reading your recap of Trump's actions on the one hand I was like, "thanks for making sense of it all in the past 100 days...but then..."
If you are confused then you have a perfect understanding.
After all, he says he's going to put a tariff on any movies made overseas and is being shown in the US because it's a matter of national security. And really, what isn't a matter of national security these days?
Wait a minute, so the USA will sanction the USA for buying Russian reactor fuel? How did it take Biden till 2024 to change this? Oh, that's right, like Nordstream Joe was going to keep Russia in the family of civilized nations.
In the mean time there seems to be troubles in paradise while there are some messages from kremlin urging F2F meeting T&P, looking forward to victory celebrations and especially fireworks on May 8th for the world but May 9th for moscals (because beloved stalin the greatest of them decided it was according to moscow time)
Foremost: the Czech ammo intitiative remains far more effective than anything glorious self-advertising governments of the UK and France are achieving.
Just for comparison: Britons are bragging with the delivery of 500,000 artillery shells (both calibres 105- and 155mm) to Ukraine - _since February 2022_ ... :rolleyes:
less than 1% of aid is private - having said that we MUST continue and increase private aid! But the most effective thing people can do realistically is lobby their government and encourage others to do the same. And vote for the Russia hawks.
Thanks for the updates. You write in Trump: «After backing out of a nuclear deal with Iran in his first term, Trump wants to negotiate a new nuclear deal and he wants to stop Iranian support of the Houthis in Yemen. To that end, he threatened to put sanctions on anyone that buys Iranian oil. Chinese state-owned refiners stopped buying sanctioned oil from both Russia and Iran but small independent Chinese refineries buy up to 90% of Iran’s oil exports.» one has to wonder when Trump will see that he can’t always get what he wants. Og wait, that was Mick Jagger who understood this. I guess the answer is «never».
Results does not matter so much, important is presence in media. Most of Trump voters do not care about international politics and cannot assess the results (BTW who can?). They care just about their local lives. They see Trump "doing something" = Trump is great, Biden was weak.
As a Norwegian I am somewhat particular towards Nasam. When you write: «One NASAMS unit destroyed 150 missiles and drones. Over 900 targets have been destroyed by NASAMS and 94% of their engagements are successful.» it seems that they are making a worthwhile contribution and is a good system. (Actually seeing Tupolev 16 attacking the claim enhances the feeling. Because when he bothers he feels you are on to something. Otherwise he ignores.)
Ukraine has been happy with NASAMS since the first day of operations. It's also very versatile, being able to work with a range of components and missiles.
So are the ASC 890s operational now? Big news if they are. Sweden said July this year at the earliest back in December, but then they do like to use a little 'maskirovka' themselves.
You seriously expecting the noble USN flags to admit they might need something cheaper than SM-6 for the defence of their aircraft carriers, so they need not hiding carriers +200 extra nautical miles outside the enemy range?
Stop posting such content in the public: could end you on the pyre... ;-)
The other question is, how long does it take to replace a sunken birdfarm when ship building capability has all but disappeared? This is what's behind trump's rampaging elephant approach with tariffs, but you cannot reverse 60 years of industrial decline with them.
"independent Chinese refineries ..." hihi that's Chinese propaganda - oh, it's not us, these are private companies avoiding sanctions and exporting dual purpose goods to Russia ... But when China decides to ban Aussie coal then magic happens - no black rock from deep south appears on Chinese market.
"One NASAMS unit destroyed 150 missiles and drones. " The video report starts with UA guy stating "once we downed 11 cruise missiles in one engagement".... Another "proven" UA source....
Yup. He's so much wrong, this year on 9 May, Pudding's going to hold his victory parade on the Khreschatyk Street in Kyiv...
You wrote a comment after watching only 20 seconds of the video. If you had watched the whole video carefully, you would have learned that at 0:55 sec. the SAM commander says about 150 destroyed various targets. Then at 4:17 minutes the types of destroyed targets on the launcher itself are shown. In this case, you could have apologized to Don. Or Russians don't do that.
Stange you failed to see my point. How could you imagine downing of 11 cruise missiles in one engagement????
As per the whole number of targets - 150 is plausible, Gerans are not hard to kill. To swap a Geran to a Amraam/Aim9x - is a good deal.
two launchers 6+2 = 12. The SAM commander said they had to change missiles quickly. What's the problem with putting in an extra package of missiles. You should have watched the video in full before writing anything. What does the cost of the missiles and the Shaheds have to do with it?
Glad that you are ready believe any nonsense. I do not remember any single case when an UA target was attacked by more than 8 cruise missiles. And a short-range NASAMs with limited area coverage manage to down 11 at once? Furthermore, UA "proven" sources say that 600 out of 900 targets downed by NASAMs were cruise missiles.)))))
Looks like UA BS propaganda about downing numerous RU targets with 100+% efficiency gained second wind. It's ok when propaganda BS is used by both sides to fool and to inspire own people. But seriously cite it here?
"What does the cost of the missiles and the Shaheds have to do with it?"
'Cause most of SAMs spent by PSU targeted Gerans.
Strange you, first you write that it is such 11 missiles shot down at once and point out about 150 missiles. Then you write that it can't be, and then you point out that this is Ukrainian propaganda. If Ukrainian propaganda is published here, why do you read it and comment on it? You are trying to convince Tom or Don to stop reporting because you decided so) And about propaganda, I think Ukrainian propaganda is far from Russian propaganda, what your Solovyov is worth, but that's another topic...I don't even want to bring it up here....
Mate, it's really simple: just because the Russian-made SAMs have a problem with intercepting Ukrainian-made attack-UAVs, it's not 'automatically so' that Western NASAMS have a problem with intercepting Russian-made attack-UAVs. Especially not those flying at 2,000 metres altitude (so to move them out of reach of small-arms fire and light flak).
The times of the mindset of 'You think you know better than Soviet rocket scientists?' - are long over. After 60 years of that BS, it migth be the time to not only realise that, but accept it, too.
Even Tom failed to get my message.((((
I have no doubts of NASAMs downing Gerans/Shaheeds in dozens. What I doubt and laugh at is propaganda BS of 11 RU cruise missiles downed in one engagement.
Clearly biased heavily towards the 'Ukrainians'. Which is very sad, very bad. Why?
Do you need to ask?
Really?
Well because he is pleading on behalf of 'Kiev Ukrainians' all the time. Is all.
Donbas Ukrainians are given up for dead.
They don't signify.
Because of the madness, the Orwellian insanity of him, them, the usa, etc. he insists the Donbas Ukrainians are Ukrainians. Subject to Kiev Ukrainian law. When they get their hands upon them there'll be trials and executions and reprisals and all that nazi crap.
So they are there alright.
Yet at the same time they are not there.
When it suits them they're there.
When it doesn't they're not.
And when they say 'support Ukrainians' they are not.
Same as when they cry 'right for self determination' the Donbas Ukrainians don't exist.
Yep.
So that's why its a scurrilous and shabby site.
But it does have the merit of printing some facts that I think no one else is printing and I am grateful for that.
But I wish it would support Ukraine instead of supporting the destruction of Ukraine via this civil ethnic war.
Like I wish it would grow up.
KYS
The Russians loved the donbass Ukranians so much they called up the entire adult male population of Luhanks and Donetsk and then used them up as disposable infantry.
That's the modus operandi of every empire
You're obviously on 'the side' of Kiev Ukraine. i.e. you support Ukrainians attacking Ukrainians and you are happy with half a million of your countrymen dead in an effort to ethnically control them.
And you use the same sneering sarcasm that is so prevalent but always unnecessary and counter productive.
And you make false assertions as is greatly common from that 'side'.
For eight years the Donbass men manned the trenches voluntarily, of their own accord. No once could keep them there if they didn't want to be there. No one could stop them wandering over to join the nato, oligarch,usa forces if they wanted that.
Then finally the Russians came and sure enough the Donbass men were in the forefront of the fighting. Throughout the first year they fought on in the front lines and their Russian help was logistics and artillery in the rear.
A fairly sensible thing to do, if possible, I would think. Let the experienced men fight at the front. Let the people defending their own homes fight at the front.
While your own forces gather experience.
This is not the case now. And has not been for a long time. Donbass men have been conspicuous in all theatres I think. Proving they do not do things under duress They do them because, as they say clearly in places such as Patrick Lancaster's videos, they are 'defending their own land'.
They say while standing on their own land. You say it while standing on their land, too.
They are clearly right. You are clearly wrong.
I think it would help if you looked behind your own sarcastic sneer and thought about how it applies to your 'side'. You love your Donbass brothers how much exactly?
That's the point, you know. The whole point.
Have you ever thought of how powerful Kiev Ukraine could be? How useful? How great in the world? As itself, not as some pawn of the usa and uk? Consider - who can best guarantee Russia safety on its western border? You can. You can help Russia. You can protect Russia. You could let Russia breathe easy.
If Kiev Ukraine told Russia that it had no quarrel and would protect Russia's right to border safety - that same 'right' that america insists upon and was ready to bring the world to nuclear annihilation for in the Cuba incident. If you said to Russia 'fear not, we've got your back, no enemy will get past us to you'.
Russia would value and appreciate and help you. Then you would see some truth. Russia would help and appreciate in fact. Not as america helps and appreciates Cuba. No, no. No way. You know how america helps and appreciates Cuba? Which has ' its back', which 'protects its borders' ? With sanctions that turn it into the third world ruin.
That's your america for you. Just go look. Stop your sneering for a minute and go look.
On the other hand what if you refuse, as you are doing, and insist on being a threat on the very borders of Russia? What then? The american model, again? You know what that would be. Vietnam, Syria, Iraq etc. Carpet bombing. Napalm. Israeli type civilian destruction. (israel being the usa and the usa being israel).
That is what would happen to Cuba if it declared itself a threat to the usa. Why are there no Russian missiles in Cuba now? The obvious thing for Russia to do when the usa is making war on Russia and Russia cannot hit the usa. Get over there in hitting range.
But they are not there. Why not? Because the americans would go even more lunatic than they are now if that's possible. They'd raze Cuba to the ground overnight if they could: half the population would be calling for it.
Long before (hopefully) we get to nuclear armageddon we'll go through that scenario I think and we'll see it. And you will see it.
And the solution for all this horror? For Ukrainians to love Ukrainians. For Ukrainians to want to support Ukraine. Sorry to use the word 'love'. I know it doesn't fit nowadays.. Looks silly there on the page. What's this bloody stupid, soppy, childish, effeminate thing 'love' ? Get it out of here.
I know. But what other word can I use? I mean the opposite of hate.
So excuse it. Grit your teeth and just let it stand for this short 'conversation'. If you loved your brothers in the Donbass and said 'let them live and let them do things their way' then we'd have a massive move towards a great step forward for Ukrainian people.
And then if you said we have no desire to live in endless war with Russia and we are happy to assure them we wish them no ill will and their western borders will be free from threat we'd have a further massive step forward.
40 million Ukrainians living at peace and demonstrating a maturity rarely seen in the modern world. Happy for each oblast to do things its own way.
What does it matter to the working man usually which regime controls a piece of land? We happily go from uk to work in france, go from france to work in usa, from usa to work in greece, etc. etc...
We go where the work is and where things are that we want.
What is important is to have a happy home to go back to and that there be work and conditions in those 'target' places we go to.
i.e. if Britain's car industry is dead then car workers go to germany and so on.
In exactly the same way what matters in Ukraine is mainly that things exist, that work exists, and that there is peace. If the steel mills of Donbass are working then the worker from western ukraine can go there and work in them if he wishes. And return to his peaceful home in western Ukraine and so on.
Doing what the people of the world have always done and will always do.
And it is relatively unimportant whqt regime is making the laws in the places we go to. Most of the time, wandering around the world, we don't even see any differences at all.
Enough. All my words are a waste of my time aren't they? What you want to do is sneer.
Then sneer. Do as you wish.
I am a Russian-speaking Ukrainian from Donbass. Tell me more about the "voluntary defenders" and how Russia "values, recognizes and helps" - you probably know better?
'better' than what/whom?
I think you better go find out for yourself whatever it is you want to know, if you do want to know anything.
I want Russian fans of the "liberated Donbass" to tell me, a resident of this very Donbass, the whole "truth" about what is happening, because I don't see it here - "Kiev" propaganda has washed my brain...
note that he has given up because his folly has been shown up by you.
I will happily tell you as much as I know of any truths. Most people will, I think.
But I know only a small section of 'everything'.
To help me respond to you more detail, more precision about what you want would be necessary.
If you are in the Donbass you ought to know many things for certain facts.
For instance you would know if this video shows the truth, which it certainly seems to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c97QT1-jq5w
You, of course, couldn't help noticing that you're standing on Donbass land not on Kiev Ukrainian land aren't you? That any 'invasion' there is Kiev invading Donbass, right?
You would know that the people around you fought the Kiev invaders for eight years single handed wouldn't you?
What is it exactly you want to know that you think I might know but you don't?
General things? Historical things? Political things? Economic things?
'Roses have thorns' can tell you general things about this conflict.
The history is searchable easily. Here's a bit in video form:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-152470082
Politics is searchable but being politics is all pretty debatable and vague. John Helmer, Alistair Crooke, Jeffrey Sachs do a lot of explaining. Here's a bit of Jeffrey https://thekennedybeacon.substack.com/p/the-real-history-of-the-war-in-ukraine?sd=pf
Economics is a lot like politics. Full of conflicting theories/explanations. And it is all intermingled. Here's a bit that might be interesting (and might not, I still don't know what you want to know) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1aFnl-x_3M
The amount of bs you wrote is amazing, but I admit that as an invaders justifier your cover of gentle and reasonable-like tone is a step-up if compared with the harsh and patronizing one that most of your peers use, especially in my country’s social media scene. Going through every single fake news would take time that I don’t have rn. Just remind me for now who Igor Girkin is and what were his green men doing in UA in 2014.
You're too far gone and it's a psychological barrier more than a mental one- you of your own admission put a lot of time into this and come up with conclusions which put you in the "enlightened" camp, outside which are the "ignorant" and "fools" like me. So to change your mind is to admit that after all of this time spent, you've got an unbalanced/biased view. You are very quick to label and deride others and at the root of this is pride. "I know, and you don't". Well don't we really? I've seen a trend - intelligent and unbiased observers see this primarily as Putin/Russia's internal/external political insecurity, tangled up with delusions of imperial grandeur. Not saying there aren't national/ethnic tensions in some areas - but the idea that this is the main thing is false.
How many brain cells did you lose re-capping all of Trump's erratic and illogical proclamations? Anyway, THANKS!
Gave up after the loss of the first and the last one. ;-)
You know those movies about a crime with all the pictures on the wall that are connected by strings...?
Remember when the only people who did that in movies were insane? Anyone who pinned photos on walls a conspiracy nut? I still prefer the Columbo way of doing things haha. BTW, "Ludwig", a new crime series with David Mitchell is refreshing.
So when I was reading your recap of Trump's actions on the one hand I was like, "thanks for making sense of it all in the past 100 days...but then..."
What sense ;)
If you are confused then you have a perfect understanding.
After all, he says he's going to put a tariff on any movies made overseas and is being shown in the US because it's a matter of national security. And really, what isn't a matter of national security these days?
Someone should put a tariff on "exporting" Trump's tweets (etc) to readers in other countries.
Wait a minute, so the USA will sanction the USA for buying Russian reactor fuel? How did it take Biden till 2024 to change this? Oh, that's right, like Nordstream Joe was going to keep Russia in the family of civilized nations.
Don thanks for the info.
Look like CZ initiative to deliver 1,8m shells this year (at least 400k already supplied)
https://www.forum24.cz/ukrajina-by-mohla-do-konce-roku-dostat-az-18-milionu-kusu-velkorazni-munice-oznamil-pavel
In the mean time there seems to be troubles in paradise while there are some messages from kremlin urging F2F meeting T&P, looking forward to victory celebrations and especially fireworks on May 8th for the world but May 9th for moscals (because beloved stalin the greatest of them decided it was according to moscow time)
Foremost: the Czech ammo intitiative remains far more effective than anything glorious self-advertising governments of the UK and France are achieving.
Just for comparison: Britons are bragging with the delivery of 500,000 artillery shells (both calibres 105- and 155mm) to Ukraine - _since February 2022_ ... :rolleyes:
I'm glad to have a government with can do approach, will see how we are going to stand after autumn elections.
BTW anyone can contribute
https://www.weaponstoukraine.com/
less than 1% of aid is private - having said that we MUST continue and increase private aid! But the most effective thing people can do realistically is lobby their government and encourage others to do the same. And vote for the Russia hawks.
Thanks for the updates. You write in Trump: «After backing out of a nuclear deal with Iran in his first term, Trump wants to negotiate a new nuclear deal and he wants to stop Iranian support of the Houthis in Yemen. To that end, he threatened to put sanctions on anyone that buys Iranian oil. Chinese state-owned refiners stopped buying sanctioned oil from both Russia and Iran but small independent Chinese refineries buy up to 90% of Iran’s oil exports.» one has to wonder when Trump will see that he can’t always get what he wants. Og wait, that was Mick Jagger who understood this. I guess the answer is «never».
But if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.
Results does not matter so much, important is presence in media. Most of Trump voters do not care about international politics and cannot assess the results (BTW who can?). They care just about their local lives. They see Trump "doing something" = Trump is great, Biden was weak.
The results will take time to materialize. And are indeed difficult to assess.
As a Norwegian I am somewhat particular towards Nasam. When you write: «One NASAMS unit destroyed 150 missiles and drones. Over 900 targets have been destroyed by NASAMS and 94% of their engagements are successful.» it seems that they are making a worthwhile contribution and is a good system. (Actually seeing Tupolev 16 attacking the claim enhances the feeling. Because when he bothers he feels you are on to something. Otherwise he ignores.)
Ukraine has been happy with NASAMS since the first day of operations. It's also very versatile, being able to work with a range of components and missiles.
So are the ASC 890s operational now? Big news if they are. Sweden said July this year at the earliest back in December, but then they do like to use a little 'maskirovka' themselves.
They're in Ukraine's hands and if they aren't operational they will be soon.
So when is the US Navy going to invent a drone swarm to protect their precious and increasingly vulnerable aircraft carriers ?
Blasphemy!
You seriously expecting the noble USN flags to admit they might need something cheaper than SM-6 for the defence of their aircraft carriers, so they need not hiding carriers +200 extra nautical miles outside the enemy range?
Stop posting such content in the public: could end you on the pyre... ;-)
The other question is, how long does it take to replace a sunken birdfarm when ship building capability has all but disappeared? This is what's behind trump's rampaging elephant approach with tariffs, but you cannot reverse 60 years of industrial decline with them.
At $5 million a pop, there is need for something cheaper that can be deployed in large numbers, not that Raytheon is capable of producing such an item
Nice end for this week's update. The AD situation for Ukraine looks bleak still.
Hmm, the AH-64D are about to be retired, huh?
I know of a country in East Europe which would LOVE to get (even buy) some dozens of these... *wink, wink*
"independent Chinese refineries ..." hihi that's Chinese propaganda - oh, it's not us, these are private companies avoiding sanctions and exporting dual purpose goods to Russia ... But when China decides to ban Aussie coal then magic happens - no black rock from deep south appears on Chinese market.
Thank you so much for all your explanations.