World Politics

[Wideleft]

In light of elections in Italy and Sweden, the 10 Pillars of Fascism:

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Wideleft

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, JCon said:

If it were real? Probably a lot worse, as it would mean that someone within the Party has taken control and they control the military. 

That is the more realistic scenario.

[Mark F]

Nordstream underwater pipline appears to have been blown up by two bombs. sounds like Trump is giving Putin advice.

 

"Swedish police said it has launched a preliminary investigation into possible sabotage related to the Nord Stream 1 gas leak in the Baltic Sea.

“We have established a report and the crime classification is gross sabotage,” a national police spokesperson said, according to Reuters."

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/09/27/denmark-and-sweden-issue-navigation-warnings-over-nord-stream-gas-leaks

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/sep/27/russia-ukraine-war-live-news-voting-in-sham-referendums-due-to-end-japanese-consul-interrogated-in-russia#top-of-blog

 

things are getting crazier.

Hurricane Ian is about to demolish parts of Florida. please hit mar sub lago.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Mark F

[FrostyWinnipeg]

57 minutes ago, Mark F said:

Nordstream underwater pipline appears to have been blown up by two bombs. sounds like Trump is giving Putin advice.

Who would benefit tho?

[JCon]

1 minute ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Who would benefit tho?

No one, really. But, if you're anti-Putin/Russia and want the immediate stop to importing gas from Russia, this might do it. 

I think it's more likely left-wing terrorists. Though, not too far left, as they are Pro-Putin/Russia. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by JCon

[Mark F]

31 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Who would benefit tho?

didn't read article did you.  no soup for you!

Today's sabotage of Nord Stream is a stark reminder of our energy infrastructure's exposure to risks," said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy fellow at the Bruegel think tank. "[The leaks] might well be Russia's way of seeking force majeure and avoiding paying multi-billion damages to its former customers."

Edited September 27, 2022 by Mark F

[JCon]

1 minute ago, Mark F said:

didn't read article did you😃

Today's sabotage of Nord Stream is a stark reminder of our energy infrastructure's exposure to risks," said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy fellow at the Bruegel think tank. "[The leaks] might well be Russia's way of seeking force majeure and avoiding paying multi-billion damages to its former customers."

I don't believe it. They're sloppy but they're relying on Europe to be more worried about the cold than they are buying Russian O&G, which would prolong the war. 

[Mark F]

1 minute ago, JCon said:

I don't believe it. They're sloppy but they're relying on Europe to be more worried about the cold than they are buying Russian O&G, which would prolong the war. 

its one explanation...

they will figure it out, traces of explosives will be identifiable.

.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Who would benefit tho?

Russia. They are trying to make a violent gesture to convince Europeans how serious and deadly they are. Sort of the equivalent of a gorilla beating a tree trunk to intimidate others.

[Tracker]

[Mark F]

this guy is well informed re russian subsea capability.

 

 

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

Russia. They are trying to make a violent gesture to convince Europeans how serious and deadly they are. Sort of the equivalent of a gorilla beating a tree trunk to intimidate others.

also,  burn the place down if putin doesnt get what he wants. 

cornered and desperate. not very smart, just brutal.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Mark F

[blue_gold_84]

Yikes.

[Tracker]

[Tracker]

RUSSIAN TROOP SIN UKRAINE ARE GIVING UP

 

Meanwhile, it appears even the Russian troops sent to keep stolen Ukrainian territories in the Kremlin’s grip have conceded defeat.

An audio recording released by Ukrainian intelligence Saturday is said to capture a Russian soldier phoning his wife to say his final goodbye after he and his fellow troops found themselves encircled by the Ukrainian military.

“Thank god I got through,” the man can be heard saying as he apparently struggles to catch his breath.

“We’re encircled, Lyub. We’re ****** soon,” he says as she asks if he’s been ordered to go to his death fighting.

“Lyub! Lyub! I just called to say goodbye,” he responds, breaking down over the phone.

“No one, you hear? Don’t tell anyone at all. It is a disaster here,” he says through sobs, going on to beg for “just two minutes” to talk to his wife, saying he “doesn’t give a ****” if the phone call gives away his location to Ukrainian troops.

“**** it, let them get me!”

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Ukraine’s nuclear power provider accused Russia of “kidnapping” the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. https://nbcnews.to/3fCF6Hy

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-russia-war-annexation-1.6603885

Quote

Ukrainian forces achieved their biggest breakthrough in the south of the country since the war began in February, bursting through the front and advancing rapidly along the Dnipro River on Monday, threatening supply lines for thousands of Russian troops.

Kyiv gave no official confirmation of the gains, but Russian sources acknowledged that a Ukrainian tank offensive had advanced dozens of kilometres along the river's west bank, recapturing a number of villages along the way.

The breakthrough mirrors recent Ukrainian successes in the east that have turned the tide in the war against Russia, even as Moscow has tried to raise the stakes by annexing territory, ordering mobilization and threatening nuclear retaliation.

The advance in the south mirrors the tactics that have brought Kyiv major gains since the start of September in Eastern Ukraine, where its forces swiftly seized territory to gain control of Russian supply lines, cutting off larger Russian forces and forcing them to retreat.

Just hours after a concert in Moscow's Red Square on Friday, where Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be Russian territory forever, Ukraine recaptured Lyman, the main Russian bastion in the north of Donetsk province.

That has opened the way for it to advance deep into Luhansk province, threatening the main supply routes to territory Moscow captured in some of the war's bloodiest battles in June and July.

 

[johnzo]

Ukraine running multiple simultaneous breakthrough offensives ... that is some Canadian Mafia level dominance.

[bustamente]

Putin would have the world believe that he is a liberator and that the ungrateful Ukrainians should not fight back. It has not worked out well for Putin but he will never admit defeat even if it kills the very last young male in his country 

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63126534

Quote

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile over Japan, in what appears to be a deliberate escalation to get the attention of Tokyo and Washington.

The missile travelled 4,500km (2,800 miles) before falling into the Pacific Ocean - far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it took another trajectory.

It is the first North Korean missile launch over Japan since 2017.

Japan issued an alert to some citizens to take cover. The US and South Korea responded with joint bombing drills.

The South Korean joint chiefs of staff said four aircraft from each side had taken part in the exercise, firing at a mock target on an uninhabited island in the Yellow Sea. A statement said the drill demonstrated Seoul and Washington's will to respond sternly to the threat from Pyongyang.

The UN prohibits North Korea from testing ballistic and nuclear weapons. Flying missiles towards or over other countries without any pre-warning or consultation also contravenes international norms.

 

[Tracker]

Just now: Russian lines are having total collapse in Kherson.

 

 

[JCon]

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Just now: Russian lines are having total collapse in Kherson.

 

 

Source is dubious but they've have broke through lines in multiple spots. Maybe Elon can convince the Ukrainians to quit now before they retake their entire country. 

[Wideleft]

12 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Just now: Russian lines are having total collapse in Kherson.

 

 

Go Blue! (and yellow).

[Tracker]

7 minutes ago, JCon said:

Source is dubious but they've have broke through lines in multiple spots. Maybe Elon can convince the Ukrainians to quit now before they retake their entire country. 

This same source has been accurately reporting the Russian debacle for the past month and in this case, this account is supported by other sources. If anything, the plight of the Russian army on the front lines is worse than described- little food, antiquated weapons, zero air/artillery support and imaginary medical services. 

[Wideleft]

38 minutes ago, Tracker said:

This same source has been accurately reporting the Russian debacle for the past month and in this case, this account is supported by other sources. If anything, the plight of the Russian army on the front lines is worse than described- little food, antiquated weapons, zero air/artillery support and imaginary medical services. 

From today's WaPo:

“I am now being reproached for driving people into depression with my news,” military correspondent for Komsomlskaya Pravda newspaper, Alexander Kots, wrote Tuesday on his Telegram blog which has more than 600,000 subscribers. “Well, there will be no good news in the near future neither from the Kherson front, nor from now Luhansk.”

“In many sectors the fatigue has set in after a long offensive period, during which large territories have been liberated,” Kots added. “But there is no longer any strength left to hold them.”

Videos posted by Russian independent outlet Astra show pro-Russian fighters from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic camping out in the open field and complaining that Russian commanders have had abandoned them while withdrawing.

In the videos, a man in worn-out fatigues said the Russian losses in the area were huge, with only 193 survivors and a few pieces of heavy equipment left from their initial convoy. The Washington Post could not independently verify the video clips.

Another popular Russian war blogger, Rybar with nearly a million followers, posted maps showing how the Russian hold on the Kherson region shrank dramatically in the span of just a few hours. Losing the west bank of the Dnieper River to Ukrainian control would be “an immediate danger” for remaining Russian units in the area, Rybar wrote.

As Russia was retreating on the battlefield, Zelensky on Tuesday signed a decree formally refusing any negotiations with Putin — a largely symbolic move to show Kyiv’s confidence in how things are unfolding on the battlefield.

..

On Tuesday, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu announced that over 200,000 men had been sent to the Russian Armed Forces in the two weeks since Putin announced the mobilization on Sept. 21.

At the same time, the interior minister in neighboring Kazakhstan, Marat Akhmetzhanov, said that an equal number of Russians — 200,000 — had crossed that country border since Sept. 21, with most apparently seeking to flee the mobilization or out of fear that Putin would soon impose martial law and bar international travel. Tens of thousands more Russians have fled to other neighboring countries including Georgia and Finland.

The botched mobilization has led to severe recriminations in Russia with some governors expressing fury over men who are too old or otherwise unqualified being wrongly called to duty.

Meanwhile. Russian defense minister Shoigu tried to answer a torrent of recent reports on Russian social media from mobilized men and their family members complaining about the lack of appropriate equipment in military units, which forced some newly-minted soldiers to go seek protective gear themselves.

“Officials have been instructed to provide the mobilized with the necessary sets of clothing and other equipment,” Shoigu said, adding that 80 training grounds across Russia were now accepting newly mobilized soldiers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/03/marina-ovsyannikova-russia-house-arrest-ukraine/

But there were signs that Russia was not able to properly equip its recruits.

Prices of bulletproof vests have dramatically increased in Russia over the past two weeks, with some stores hiking up the prices by more than ten times, local media reported. In total, a soldier looking to purchase a full uniform appropriate for fighting in Ukraine have to spend roughly $3,000 out of pocket, the Baza news outlet reported.

Ilyushina reported from Riga, Latvia; Khrushudyan from Dnipro, Ukraine; and Rauhala from Brussels. Robyn Dixon and Natalia Abbakumova in Riga contributed to this report.

 

[Tracker]

1 minute ago, Wideleft said:

From today's WaPo:

“I am now being reproached for driving people into depression with my news,” military correspondent for Komsomlskaya Pravda newspaper, Alexander Kots, wrote Tuesday on his Telegram blog which has more than 600,000 subscribers. “Well, there will be no good news in the near future neither from the Kherson front, nor from now Luhansk.”

“In many sectors the fatigue has set in after a long offensive period, during which large territories have been liberated,” Kots added. “But there is no longer any strength left to hold them.”

Videos posted by Russian independent outlet Astra show pro-Russian fighters from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic camping out in the open field and complaining that Russian commanders have had abandoned them while withdrawing.

In the videos, a man in worn-out fatigues said the Russian losses in the area were huge, with only 193 survivors and a few pieces of heavy equipment left from their initial convoy. The Washington Post could not independently verify the video clips.

Another popular Russian war blogger, Rybar with nearly a million followers, posted maps showing how the Russian hold on the Kherson region shrank dramatically in the span of just a few hours. Losing the west bank of the Dnieper River to Ukrainian control would be “an immediate danger” for remaining Russian units in the area, Rybar wrote.

As Russia was retreating on the battlefield, Zelensky on Tuesday signed a decree formally refusing any negotiations with Putin — a largely symbolic move to show Kyiv’s confidence in how things are unfolding on the battlefield.

..

On Tuesday, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu announced that over 200,000 men had been sent to the Russian Armed Forces in the two weeks since Putin announced the mobilization on Sept. 21.

At the same time, the interior minister in neighboring Kazakhstan, Marat Akhmetzhanov, said that an equal number of Russians — 200,000 — had crossed that country border since Sept. 21, with most apparently seeking to flee the mobilization or out of fear that Putin would soon impose martial law and bar international travel. Tens of thousands more Russians have fled to other neighboring countries including Georgia and Finland.

The botched mobilization has led to severe recriminations in Russia with some governors expressing fury over men who are too old or otherwise unqualified being wrongly called to duty.

Meanwhile. Russian defense minister Shoigu tried to answer a torrent of recent reports on Russian social media from mobilized men and their family members complaining about the lack of appropriate equipment in military units, which forced some newly-minted soldiers to go seek protective gear themselves.

“Officials have been instructed to provide the mobilized with the necessary sets of clothing and other equipment,” Shoigu said, adding that 80 training grounds across Russia were now accepting newly mobilized soldiers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/03/marina-ovsyannikova-russia-house-arrest-ukraine/

But there were signs that Russia was not able to properly equip its recruits.

Prices of bulletproof vests have dramatically increased in Russia over the past two weeks, with some stores hiking up the prices by more than ten times, local media reported. In total, a soldier looking to purchase a full uniform appropriate for fighting in Ukraine have to spend roughly $3,000 out of pocket, the Baza news outlet reported.

Ilyushina reported from Riga, Latvia; Khrushudyan from Dnipro, Ukraine; and Rauhala from Brussels. Robyn Dixon and Natalia Abbakumova in Riga contributed to this report.

In addition, a Russian blogger has reported that 1.5 million sets of winter combat outfits that were supposed to have been stored in a warehouse and ready for shipment are nowhere to be found. Either they have been mislaid (unlikely) or stolen (even more unlikely) or were never produced with the supplier pocketing the funds (probable). Either way, the coming winter is going to be even worse than the fall. Other reports say that the ethnic Russians have been pulled back from the front lines, leaving the Chechens and other minority draftees to face the oncoming Ukrainian forces who have not only the weapons, munitions and supplies from the West, but also massive amounts of abandoned Russian armoured vehicles, weapons and munitions from Russian forces. Not a good time to be a Russian grunt.