Well, there are people who like to hear shouting in German, when the talk is about 'war'. Thus, thought, this might make it slightly more interesting to read than yet another worthless Scheiß...
Thank you, Tom. --- The US Supreme Court did decide a few months ago that donations to politicians and to judges are forbidden only if they are gifts given with the intention to corrupt. You should know by now that never ever happens in the political world in the blessed USA.
Seems the Orange man is setting up an American version of the Spanish Inquisition to select which US generals to fire, they will not have the capability to give awards which says a lot about how the military is viewed. This will be a great opportunity for retired generals to get revenge on their erstwhile comrades.
Likely this will cause a number of other senior US military to resign in protest proving the law of unintended consequences strikes again.
No doubt a lot of MAGA loyalists will be promoted so driving the overall command quality even lower than was thought possible.
If (when?) Trump attempts another self-coup he doesn’t want any interference from the military, which is the only remaining branch of government that could stop him. Ability to fight wars against external enemies is irrelevant.
"Europe has been left to its own devices" - and why should the US actually fix what Frau Merkel and Hollande/Macron have done since 2014 (in fact, much earlier).
Europe has enough resources to supply Ukraine, both through its own military production and through purchases from other countries, without asking permission from the White House.
Firstly: nobody forced the USA to play the 'World policeman' the last 30 years.
Back in the 1990s, while there was still at least some semblance of competence in the US politics and journalism, multiple US politicians and journos were warning about this, as first. Multiple statesmen in the EU were also warning the USA from such adventures like in Iraq.
So, if the USA now want to be isolationist: fine. Better they say this as clearly, than continue muddling the waters - especially so in regards of Ukraine, and as is a tradition in the DC, at least since George Bush Sr.'s 'Chicken Kyiv' babbling, back in the 1990s.
Secondly: I've got no problem with the EU - or the 'European part of NATO' - being left at its own by the USA, and never said anything else. On the contrary.
My sole problem with this is that the EU is led by a similar gang of corrupt incompetents like the USA, and that now we've got to find a way to get rid of all of them. Is even more urgent considering the same are entirely unable to sort out alone our own extremists, while these are currently attracting ever more public support.
So, yes, Europe has enough own resources. The question is if it might find management capable of using these resources in constructive fashion, and to their maximum.
And when was Europe good with leaders? That's why all the big wars started there. I'm afraid that this time too we can't avoid a massacre involving many countries. The Korean comrades have already taken a step in this direction.
Sigh.... Europe has had its portion of fair and sincere leaders, too. Here I cannot but recommend studying the history more closely.
And regards the rest: either we discuss facts, or what ifs. Since there is no evidence for NK troops deployed inside Ukraine, that story is a what if. And I'll not waste my time with what ifs.
I am familiar with history and I cannot recall a single war that the "great leaders of Europe" could have prevented or at least minimized. There were worthy leaders, who argues? But they appeared on the scene when the carnage was already in full swing.
Over 10,000 DPRK (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk
Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a briefing.
The DRVK troops are stationed in Russia, not in Ukraine. So far, none of these NK soldiers have crossed the border into Ukraine. The fighting is currently only taking place in Russia.
I would also say that Putin will not send these troops to Ukraine. Because that would be a reason for NATO to send its troops into the country. And Putin fears nothing more than NATO. That's why he doesn't want them right on his border.
There's no logic in your comment. If NK are deployed in Russia only, then NATO would have a reason to deploy its troops in Ukraine only (but not in Russia). If NK troops are deployed in both Ukraine and Russia then NATO would have reason to deploy its troops in both Ukraine and Russia. Whether NATO (which has been toothless so far) would use that opportunity is another question.
Maybe think about the fact that we didn't have a war between France and Germany or UK for almost a century now. A feat that has no precedence in history and it didn't happen magically or by itself, but through leadership and foresight of the founding fathers of what we now call EU.
I am talking about world wars, which involve many countries. If you throw out from this list the internal Chinese squabbles and the very ancient invasion of the Horde, then practically only Europe remains.
I have no desire to compete in wordplay. The term "big war" can be interpreted in different ways. If for Europe 1 million corpses is already a big war, then for China 10 million is a local showdown.
Actually I am a little bit positive in that regard. I think it is very clear to European leaders these days that you cannot trust USA and you definetly cannot trust Russia. And lets forget about China, although we will probably continue to buy their stuff. (If for no other reason than to annoy US.) But Europe isnt so easy to turn around as a glacier. So time is not our friend there. Still I think and hope Europe can step up. The problem is that while Europe can step up financially and maybe for the civil Sector it is way more difficult regarding military equipment. But i hope we try Harder.
The funny thing about this comment is that there's a rather large lobby group that very much wants to be the sole supplier of military equipment to Europe. I believe they account for a few million jobs in the United States and are a large driver of technological advances there. The white house is only too glad to listen; after all the United states are, first and foremost, a mercantilist empire backed by a large military (mostly owed to its isolation from the historically relevant part of the world).
You are in particularly good shape, we can see that A has stung you to the quick. Forgive me, but I must be one of the 2.5 readers who hold your writings in very high esteem.
Love that update in its entirety! Especialy mouthwatering mention of Wiener Schnitzel und Krautsalat and sour white wine served along in small beer mugs.
Re: 47 it seems that at least Aidar and 225 made similar announcements, and as you may know, many AWOLs are there as way of forced/self-made transfer between units. So finally a legal way to do this was declared and it seems to be a decent e-procedure, from the first sounds of it. So most probably those are connected. So sometimes things may change after enough people knocked the same door and some banged. And then this :) https://t.me/pekhno_news/10170
Since people are complaining I'm analysing too little, lately, here's a piece of analysis.
The more I think of it, the more of Syrian ('Civil') War I see in this conflict.
See the ZSU's 'brigades' as example: perhaps a company of tanks, a battery of artillery, lots of mortars and even more infantry.
Exactly like all the IRGC-established 'Liwa(s)' of the 2010s... (Liwa stands for 'brigade' in Arabic).
While the Western media was lying that his army is remaining loyal, actually, Assad's army fell apart. Unsurprisingly, Assad had all sorts of problems with defectors.
Solution? Recruit them by PMCs run by his friends and favourites: as soon as they joined, they also received 'automatic amnesty'.
Was highly effective... apparently, in Ukraine of our days - too.
Thx for the link: is something like 'second sign' of Glavcom starting to listen to all the complaints... Hope is slim, but, well, all that's left.
It's easy to read blogs that cater to your POV. It's much more difficult to read blogs that don't, but are probably closer to reality. Corollary: it's better to have 2.5 readers than thousands. Keep up!
Thanks for the update. Regarding your valiant attempt at correcting the relevant actors on their behaviour I am afraid it was in vain. Not your fault, But I afraid they simply are incapable of change. And of course if you should try to collect them and straigthen them up once more they will always blame the other for not living up to your standards. So dont bother and dont get your wife to make any sandwiches for them. When I, reader C and Reader B visits better you have them ready then. Otherwise, news as expected. The only player difficult to predict is that orange haired guy from Florida. But he has supposedly quite a lot to do from January, we shall see then what shennigans he really involves himself with. Adminishing him in German is unlikely to help, But maybe Korean? Who knows with that guy.
Forget the orange guy: Europe can manage this on its own. It's just so that clowns like Macron and Scholz aren't going to have any skirts to hide behind.
And Ukrainians can manage this too. If nothing else, so many troops are going to defect from other units, that they're all going to be collected by the likes of the 47th, 225th, and the three Azov-brigades - and then become the best of the ZSU, by far and large. GenStab-U is going to hate that, but will be left without solutions. And, once the war is over, then the Azovs are going to go asking lots of extremely unpleasant questions in Kyiv.
Regarding Scholz: It seems he will soon leave the stage as a result of hist last main decision. Seems as if he commited political suicide without realising it.
Don't know/understand enough of the German politics to say. Know only that the AfD and BWS are attracting lots of voters in the East - almost like Dumpf has managed it in the USA... and that the CDU/CSU is nowadays boasting and babbling around, while being the primary contributor to Ukraine's misery, the last 10 years.
Everything true till the last remark. But it is always the single decision maker, who starts the public sometimes fatal consequences. or as the Buddhists say the curse of evil deed.
Not yet. Croatia is ordering Leopard 2A8 from Germany: once these are delivered, Croatia is going to hand over its 30 M-84s (an improved T-72M, made in former Yugoslavia), to Ukraine...
No, we're sending them before the end of the year, per Croatian minister of defence. They went through refurbishment already, and HV will still have at least a battalion worth of M-84s left.
Excelente nota, lamento mucho que la corrupción y la incompetencia ucraniana, estén minando la resistencia. Si algo faltaba, es el triunfo de Trump. Imagino que el futuro de Ucrania es la nada misma. Ojalá que los pueblos europeos que no apoyaron lo suficiente y prefirieron hace la gran Chamberlain, tengan en algun momento de su futuro cercano, el mismo presente de Ucrania.
One of 'great' points about Ukrainians is their determination: there's so much of it, that it's the actual core of their war effort. So much so, even three each of Zelenenskys, Syrskys and other corrupt idiots there couldn't prevent them from winning this war.
....with Europeans and Americans, or without them.
Great to hear from you. Things not looking good for Ukraine still. But this article about a nuclear deterrent is interesting https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/zelensky-nuclear-weapons-bomb-0ddjrs5hw as well as this interview of Hamish de Bretton-Gordon who's a regular on Times Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJh0K2FUSWw. I would honestly find it extremely odd and incompetent of Zelensky and the current Ukrainian leadership if they dont have such a program in the works considering its now a talking point. Especially with how unpredictable and dangerous Trump is, how incompetent/slow Other Western Democracies are to building up conventional arms needed to support Ukraine.
Yeah, it is interesting, but I think it is signaling to Trump, and Trump isn't the sort of guy who would enjoy being presented with a fait accompli "pay for our war or else we go outside the NPT regime."
Obviously Ukraine could get the bomb, but could it possibly build it under the noses of the Russians? And if not are MI6 or some other pro-Ukrainian faction of Western intel going to proliferate nukes to Ukraine without the consent of the US president? Or is Trump seriously going to go for an Eisenhower style "New Look" and say, "hey we can defend Ukraine on the cheap by giving them nukes?"
None of these options sounds that realistic. But maybe there are some desperate enough within NATO and contemptuous enough of Trump's intelligence to think he might try the "New Look" idea.
Thanks for that. My german construction site language was getting rusty...
Well, there are people who like to hear shouting in German, when the talk is about 'war'. Thus, thought, this might make it slightly more interesting to read than yet another worthless Scheiß...
Isnt Putin one of those? He speaks German doesnt he?
Yes he does, he used to live in a "Plattenbau" in Dresden back in the 80s.
Yes, that's why I've 'stopped him' from speaking out, after demanding them to learn some German. ;-)
"The only reader of this blog" - isn't he also the blog author?
Nope. I read it, But dont have any blog. But I thought I was reader C….
Thank you, Tom. --- The US Supreme Court did decide a few months ago that donations to politicians and to judges are forbidden only if they are gifts given with the intention to corrupt. You should know by now that never ever happens in the political world in the blessed USA.
Oh my bad: did I commit another blasphemy by mentioning the word 'corruption' in the same sentence with 'politics' - again?
I'll punish myself, right away. Gonna spend the rest of the evening kneeling in the corner and praying Pater Noster...
Thank you, Tom.
As the saying goes, “The floggings will continue, until morale improve.”
I deeply enjoy reading one of the few voices of reason around in this media sphere, even though it’s not very fröhlich
Seems the Orange man is setting up an American version of the Spanish Inquisition to select which US generals to fire, they will not have the capability to give awards which says a lot about how the military is viewed. This will be a great opportunity for retired generals to get revenge on their erstwhile comrades.
Likely this will cause a number of other senior US military to resign in protest proving the law of unintended consequences strikes again.
No doubt a lot of MAGA loyalists will be promoted so driving the overall command quality even lower than was thought possible.
If (when?) Trump attempts another self-coup he doesn’t want any interference from the military, which is the only remaining branch of government that could stop him. Ability to fight wars against external enemies is irrelevant.
"Europe has been left to its own devices" - and why should the US actually fix what Frau Merkel and Hollande/Macron have done since 2014 (in fact, much earlier).
Europe has enough resources to supply Ukraine, both through its own military production and through purchases from other countries, without asking permission from the White House.
Why not?
Firstly: nobody forced the USA to play the 'World policeman' the last 30 years.
Back in the 1990s, while there was still at least some semblance of competence in the US politics and journalism, multiple US politicians and journos were warning about this, as first. Multiple statesmen in the EU were also warning the USA from such adventures like in Iraq.
So, if the USA now want to be isolationist: fine. Better they say this as clearly, than continue muddling the waters - especially so in regards of Ukraine, and as is a tradition in the DC, at least since George Bush Sr.'s 'Chicken Kyiv' babbling, back in the 1990s.
Secondly: I've got no problem with the EU - or the 'European part of NATO' - being left at its own by the USA, and never said anything else. On the contrary.
My sole problem with this is that the EU is led by a similar gang of corrupt incompetents like the USA, and that now we've got to find a way to get rid of all of them. Is even more urgent considering the same are entirely unable to sort out alone our own extremists, while these are currently attracting ever more public support.
So, yes, Europe has enough own resources. The question is if it might find management capable of using these resources in constructive fashion, and to their maximum.
And when was Europe good with leaders? That's why all the big wars started there. I'm afraid that this time too we can't avoid a massacre involving many countries. The Korean comrades have already taken a step in this direction.
Sigh.... Europe has had its portion of fair and sincere leaders, too. Here I cannot but recommend studying the history more closely.
And regards the rest: either we discuss facts, or what ifs. Since there is no evidence for NK troops deployed inside Ukraine, that story is a what if. And I'll not waste my time with what ifs.
I am familiar with history and I cannot recall a single war that the "great leaders of Europe" could have prevented or at least minimized. There were worthy leaders, who argues? But they appeared on the scene when the carnage was already in full swing.
Over 10,000 DPRK (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk
Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a briefing.
https://www.reuters.com/world/north-korean-soldiers-joining-russia-combat-us-state-dept-says-2024-11-12/
The DRVK troops are stationed in Russia, not in Ukraine. So far, none of these NK soldiers have crossed the border into Ukraine. The fighting is currently only taking place in Russia.
I would also say that Putin will not send these troops to Ukraine. Because that would be a reason for NATO to send its troops into the country. And Putin fears nothing more than NATO. That's why he doesn't want them right on his border.
There's no logic in your comment. If NK are deployed in Russia only, then NATO would have a reason to deploy its troops in Ukraine only (but not in Russia). If NK troops are deployed in both Ukraine and Russia then NATO would have reason to deploy its troops in both Ukraine and Russia. Whether NATO (which has been toothless so far) would use that opportunity is another question.
Maybe think about the fact that we didn't have a war between France and Germany or UK for almost a century now. A feat that has no precedence in history and it didn't happen magically or by itself, but through leadership and foresight of the founding fathers of what we now call EU.
"all the big wars started there"
That is an oversimplification, look at this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll
I am talking about world wars, which involve many countries. If you throw out from this list the internal Chinese squabbles and the very ancient invasion of the Horde, then practically only Europe remains.
"I am talking about world wars"
Keep moving the goal posts and you will get there eventually.
Now you want to change the definition of war and the timescale.
What definition of world war are you using?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war
I have no desire to compete in wordplay. The term "big war" can be interpreted in different ways. If for Europe 1 million corpses is already a big war, then for China 10 million is a local showdown.
Actually I am a little bit positive in that regard. I think it is very clear to European leaders these days that you cannot trust USA and you definetly cannot trust Russia. And lets forget about China, although we will probably continue to buy their stuff. (If for no other reason than to annoy US.) But Europe isnt so easy to turn around as a glacier. So time is not our friend there. Still I think and hope Europe can step up. The problem is that while Europe can step up financially and maybe for the civil Sector it is way more difficult regarding military equipment. But i hope we try Harder.
The funny thing about this comment is that there's a rather large lobby group that very much wants to be the sole supplier of military equipment to Europe. I believe they account for a few million jobs in the United States and are a large driver of technological advances there. The white house is only too glad to listen; after all the United states are, first and foremost, a mercantilist empire backed by a large military (mostly owed to its isolation from the historically relevant part of the world).
From this lengthy text, one thing is clear: we’re definitely not getting any sandwiches.
You are in particularly good shape, we can see that A has stung you to the quick. Forgive me, but I must be one of the 2.5 readers who hold your writings in very high esteem.
Love that update in its entirety! Especialy mouthwatering mention of Wiener Schnitzel und Krautsalat and sour white wine served along in small beer mugs.
Re: 47 it seems that at least Aidar and 225 made similar announcements, and as you may know, many AWOLs are there as way of forced/self-made transfer between units. So finally a legal way to do this was declared and it seems to be a decent e-procedure, from the first sounds of it. So most probably those are connected. So sometimes things may change after enough people knocked the same door and some banged. And then this :) https://t.me/pekhno_news/10170
Since people are complaining I'm analysing too little, lately, here's a piece of analysis.
The more I think of it, the more of Syrian ('Civil') War I see in this conflict.
See the ZSU's 'brigades' as example: perhaps a company of tanks, a battery of artillery, lots of mortars and even more infantry.
Exactly like all the IRGC-established 'Liwa(s)' of the 2010s... (Liwa stands for 'brigade' in Arabic).
While the Western media was lying that his army is remaining loyal, actually, Assad's army fell apart. Unsurprisingly, Assad had all sorts of problems with defectors.
Solution? Recruit them by PMCs run by his friends and favourites: as soon as they joined, they also received 'automatic amnesty'.
Was highly effective... apparently, in Ukraine of our days - too.
Thx for the link: is something like 'second sign' of Glavcom starting to listen to all the complaints... Hope is slim, but, well, all that's left.
It's easy to read blogs that cater to your POV. It's much more difficult to read blogs that don't, but are probably closer to reality. Corollary: it's better to have 2.5 readers than thousands. Keep up!
Thanks for the update. Regarding your valiant attempt at correcting the relevant actors on their behaviour I am afraid it was in vain. Not your fault, But I afraid they simply are incapable of change. And of course if you should try to collect them and straigthen them up once more they will always blame the other for not living up to your standards. So dont bother and dont get your wife to make any sandwiches for them. When I, reader C and Reader B visits better you have them ready then. Otherwise, news as expected. The only player difficult to predict is that orange haired guy from Florida. But he has supposedly quite a lot to do from January, we shall see then what shennigans he really involves himself with. Adminishing him in German is unlikely to help, But maybe Korean? Who knows with that guy.
Not to talk about Reader 1/2 of D... ;-)
Forget the orange guy: Europe can manage this on its own. It's just so that clowns like Macron and Scholz aren't going to have any skirts to hide behind.
And Ukrainians can manage this too. If nothing else, so many troops are going to defect from other units, that they're all going to be collected by the likes of the 47th, 225th, and the three Azov-brigades - and then become the best of the ZSU, by far and large. GenStab-U is going to hate that, but will be left without solutions. And, once the war is over, then the Azovs are going to go asking lots of extremely unpleasant questions in Kyiv.
Regarding Scholz: It seems he will soon leave the stage as a result of hist last main decision. Seems as if he commited political suicide without realising it.
Nothing beats reality.
Don't know/understand enough of the German politics to say. Know only that the AfD and BWS are attracting lots of voters in the East - almost like Dumpf has managed it in the USA... and that the CDU/CSU is nowadays boasting and babbling around, while being the primary contributor to Ukraine's misery, the last 10 years.
Everything true till the last remark. But it is always the single decision maker, who starts the public sometimes fatal consequences. or as the Buddhists say the curse of evil deed.
Croatia will send 30 tanks and 30 armored vehicles to Ukraine. Support for Ukraine includes sending ammunition.
Can you clarify that. Are the tanks on the battlefield?
Not yet though modernised Yugo M-84s are really nice. At first, Croats need to get modern Leo-2s and only then old armour will be cleared for UA
Not yet. Croatia is ordering Leopard 2A8 from Germany: once these are delivered, Croatia is going to hand over its 30 M-84s (an improved T-72M, made in former Yugoslavia), to Ukraine...
Ukraine is already operating ex-Slovenian M-84s.
No, we're sending them before the end of the year, per Croatian minister of defence. They went through refurbishment already, and HV will still have at least a battalion worth of M-84s left.
Oh, sorry, Croatian minister is quoted here: https://www.novilist.hr/novosti/hrvatska/hrvatska-od-njemacke-kupuje-najnovije-tenkove-leopard-stare-m-84-saljemo-ukrajini/
Cool, thanks.
Excelente nota, lamento mucho que la corrupción y la incompetencia ucraniana, estén minando la resistencia. Si algo faltaba, es el triunfo de Trump. Imagino que el futuro de Ucrania es la nada misma. Ojalá que los pueblos europeos que no apoyaron lo suficiente y prefirieron hace la gran Chamberlain, tengan en algun momento de su futuro cercano, el mismo presente de Ucrania.
One of 'great' points about Ukrainians is their determination: there's so much of it, that it's the actual core of their war effort. So much so, even three each of Zelenenskys, Syrskys and other corrupt idiots there couldn't prevent them from winning this war.
....with Europeans and Americans, or without them.
Great to hear from you. Things not looking good for Ukraine still. But this article about a nuclear deterrent is interesting https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/zelensky-nuclear-weapons-bomb-0ddjrs5hw as well as this interview of Hamish de Bretton-Gordon who's a regular on Times Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJh0K2FUSWw. I would honestly find it extremely odd and incompetent of Zelensky and the current Ukrainian leadership if they dont have such a program in the works considering its now a talking point. Especially with how unpredictable and dangerous Trump is, how incompetent/slow Other Western Democracies are to building up conventional arms needed to support Ukraine.
Yeah, it is interesting, but I think it is signaling to Trump, and Trump isn't the sort of guy who would enjoy being presented with a fait accompli "pay for our war or else we go outside the NPT regime."
Obviously Ukraine could get the bomb, but could it possibly build it under the noses of the Russians? And if not are MI6 or some other pro-Ukrainian faction of Western intel going to proliferate nukes to Ukraine without the consent of the US president? Or is Trump seriously going to go for an Eisenhower style "New Look" and say, "hey we can defend Ukraine on the cheap by giving them nukes?"
None of these options sounds that realistic. But maybe there are some desperate enough within NATO and contemptuous enough of Trump's intelligence to think he might try the "New Look" idea.
Stop holding back, crank the sarcasm up to 11 and inform us about the war of attrition as best you can.
Dear Tom,
How are you expecting to regain trust of your fellow reader without summoning all the other state leaders, whose agencies are financing you?
Oh g.... that's a though question!
OK, I'll see to arrange a similar dressing down of Scholz, Macron and few others.
Soon, of course.