Putin wants Ukraine Natural Gas ? Water restarted to CRIMEA ?

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

1 minute ago, notsonice said:

When will Putin head to the front lines in support of his own troops???? or is he a coward and afraid his own troops will take him out???? My bet is Putin sleeps in a bunker, as a coward would, afraid of his own people. Putin has destroyed Russia , enjoy the thought.

Putin makes no secret of being in a bunker, as he should. Ze does, though. You don't really believe he is really in Kiev anymore, do you?

[notsonice + 1,069]

once again Putins best are incompetent low IQ drunks

3 ways Russia has shown military ‘incompetence’ during its invasion of Ukraine

Published: March 13, 2022 3.17pm EDT

Author

1. James Dwyer

   Associate Lecturer and PhD Candidate, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

Disclosure statement

James Dwyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

 

Two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has become apparent Russia’s military is experiencing failures – both technical and strategic – that are perhaps unexpected from one of the world’s largest military forces.

There are multiple issues one could look at in relation to Russia’s poor military performance in Ukraine to date, such as being unable to effectively counter Ukrainian drones, or failing to deliver on the kind of cyber warfare expected.

But failings in three specific categories warrant a closer look.

Organisational failures

The first issue that became quickly apparent was the poor performance of Russia’s armed forces. There has been, at times, a complete lack of logistical support for Russia’s forces on the front lines – bogging down the Russian advance and at times completely stalling it.

There have been numerous reports of Russian tanks and armoured personnel carriers running out of fuel, leading Russian soldiers to request, commandeer and steal diesel to continue progress.

 

 

Russian soldiers, many of them conscripts, have been forced to forage for food, with reports of soldiers being forced to steal chickens, and special forces soldiers breaking into shops to loot food.

Rations provided to Russia’s troops have reportedly only been sufficient for a few days, and video has emerged claiming some rations seven years out of date.

 

 

Russia had a significant amount of time to prepare its invasion and move logistical support into place, with months of open buildup. But scenes of enormous, stalled convoys being unable to progress speak volumes to Russia’s astonishing mismanagement.

This series of logistical failures are as embarrassing for Russia as they are beneficial for Ukraine.

There have also been extraordinary communication failures, both between military units, and to soldiers prior to the conflict. Reports emerged following the initial stages of the invasion, revealing many Russian soldiers were completely unaware they were invading.

Rather, captured Russian soldiers claim they were under the impression it was a military exercise, up until the moment they came under fire from Ukrainian units.

Many Russian communications have also been transmitted over unencrypted mediums. Russian bombers transmitting over open high-frequency radio have had their conversations listened in on by amateur radio enthusiasts.

 

 

Even communication between Russian units on the ground are being transmitted in the open, leading to easy interception by Ukraine. Overall, this paints a clear picture of Russian incompetence.

To top it all off, the lack of morale (with many Russian soldiers surrendering or abandoning vehicles and equipment) has only exacerbated the effects of Russia’s poor military performance.

---

 

---

Lack of air superiority

One of Russia’s most significant failures, and potentially the most damaging to its campaign, has been its inability to achieve air superiority.

In military terms, this refers to a state having a sufficient degree of dominance to conduct aerial operations (such as close air support or air strikes) without significant interference from opposing forces and air defence systems.

Before the invasion began, it was widely anticipated Russia would quickly achieve air superiority. This is because on paper Russia’s air force is vastly superior to Ukraine’s.

Prior to the invasion, Ukraine possessed Europe’s seventh-largest air force. While this sounds potent – and in relative terms, it is – it amounts to some 200 aircraft of all types (fighters, close air support, helicopters, transport aircraft and others). In comparison, Russia possesses about 1,500 combat aircraft alone.

The backbone of Ukraine’s air force are older Soviet era fighters, namely 50 MiG-29s and 32 Su-27s. Meanwhile, Russia employs modern versions of Soviet aircraft, such as the Su-30, Su-33 and Su-35 (updated variants of the Su-27 Ukraine operates).

Russia also has modern strike aircraft such as the Su-34 (another update on the Su-27, optimised for strike operations) as well as long-range strategic bombers like the Tu-22, Tu-95 and Tu-160.

However, images have emerged suggesting Russia’s strike aircraft are reliant on generic, consumer-grade GPS units. If this is true, it only reinforces Russia’s lack of capability.

 

 

Just prior to the war, US Intelligence anticipated an invasion would commence with a blistering assault by Russia on Ukraine’s air power.

Yet two weeks into the conflict, Ukraine still reportedly possesses the bulk of its air and missile defences. This has raised questions about why Russia did not make full use of its air power. Is it holding back in case the conflict broadens?

Regardless of the reason, Russia’s lack of air superiority early in the conflict may be one of its most significant strategic errors, to the benefit of Ukrainian defenders.

Russian aircraft are struggling to provide the support needed by Russian ground forces, giving Ukrainian forces an opening to counter Russia’s advance.

 

 

Weapons performance and failures

Russia’s high-tech offensive capabilities have also demonstrated lacklustre performance.

The initial stages of the invasion included a strategic bombardment of Ukrainian targets using cruise missiles and Iskander short-range ballistic missiles.

Reports indicate that as of March 1, Russia had fired as many as 320 missiles, the majority being Iskander short-range ballistic missiles – making this the largest and most intense short-range ballistic missile bombardment between two states.

The Iskander is estimated to have a range of 500km and an accuracy of 2-5 metres. Prior to the invasion, it was expected to be an effective and devastating weapon system. Intriguingly, its performance has been lacking.

For example, Iskanders were used to attack Ukrainian air bases, to destroy runways and prevent Ukraine’s air force from operating effectively. But as can be seen below, the previously vaunted accuracy of the Iskander appears far less impressive than what was anticipated.

 

 

As the conflict has progressed, Russia has made more frequent use of lower-tech weapons systems, such as unguided “dumb” bombs and cluster munitions. This might indicate Russia has either expended its limited number of high-tech weaponry, or is holding back reserves in case the conflict escalates.

The Ukrainian air force remains in the fight, despite all odds. Russia will no doubt learn from its issues and attempt to correct. Unfortunately, it does still have the advantage with numbers, in terms of both troops and equipment.

However, it’s likely the conflict can’t be sustained for long on Russia’s part, particularly with the impact sanctions are having on the Russian economy. For Ukraine, the delays caused by Russia’s errors may well lead to better outcomes.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

5 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Putin makes no secret of being in a bunker, as he should. Ze does, though. You don't really believe he is really in Kiev anymore, do you?

Putin is hiding in a bunker like Hitler?!? Hilarious! Not surprising considering those ridiculous thirty foot tables.

Victors don't hide in bunkers.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jay McKinsey

[notsonice + 1,069]

1 minute ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Putin is hiding in a bunker like Hitler?!? Hilarious!

Hitler hid for a month then took his own life.......Hope Putin ends his own the same as Hitler.........

Cowards define both of them. Hitler was afraid to be shot fighting for Germany...You can bet Putin is no different....Same as the Russian cowards hiding out in Austria...Afraid to go back to Russia and help fight Putins war......

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

10 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Putin is hiding in a bunker like Hitler?!? Hilarious! Not surprising considering those ridiculous thirty foot tables.

Victors don't hide in bunkers.

You know that you've got bunkers under the White House, Capitol, and Pentagon too? All the top leadership hides in bunkers, to prevent easy decapitation. The ridiculous tables must be Pu's version of social distancing.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

10 minutes ago, notsonice said:

Hitler hid for a month then took his own life.......Hope Putin ends his own the same as Hitler.........

Cowards define both of them. Hitler was afraid to be shot fighting for Germany...You can bet Putin is no different....Same as the Russian cowards hiding out in Austria...Afraid to go back to Russia and help fight Putins war......

You make no sense. Hitler shot himself before he was afraid of getting shot?

Generals riding ahead of their troops into battle is a dubious practice, not much practiced anymore. When was the last time a US general did that?

How many times do I have to repeat - they do not accept foreign volunteers. Not even domestic ones, yet.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

10 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

You know that you've got bunkers under the White House, Capitol, and Pentagon too? All the top leadership hides in bunkers, to prevent easy decapitation. The ridiculous tables must be Pu's version of social distancing.

The bunkers exist but other than Trump no one hides in them.  Biden sleeps on the second floor.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

9 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

You make no sense. Hitler shot himself before he was afraid of getting shot?

Generals riding ahead of their troops into battle is a dubious practice, not much practiced anymore. When was the last time a US general did that?

How many times do I have to repeat - they do not accept foreign volunteers. Not even domestic ones, yet.

Apparently Russian generals are at the front with frequency and getting killed. Have their deaths been denied?

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jay McKinsey

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

1 minute ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Apparently Russian generals are at the front with frequency and getting killed. Have their deaths been denied?

Undenied. I am not aware of any Russian generals getting whacked for real, wherever they are, Don't think it'd be much of a secret if it were true.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

1 minute ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Undenied. I am not aware of any Russian generals getting whacked for real, wherever they are, Don't think it'd be much of a secret if it were true.

It isn't a secret so is apparently quite true otherwise Russia would be bending over backwards to deny and provide them for interviews.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

30 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

It isn't a secret so is apparently quite true otherwise Russia would be bending over backwards to deny and provide them for interviews.

Did you ever see them doing any of that? The Russian military is not very high on PR activities. If a specific officer is dead, there should be an obituary. If there isn't one, assume he is alive. I am not aware of generals being any different. Try the Chechens. They actually do entertain the public via social media.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

17 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Did you ever see them doing any of that? The Russian military is not very high on PR activities. If a specific officer is dead, there should be an obituary. If there isn't one, assume he is alive. I am not aware of generals being any different. Try the Chechens. They actually do entertain the public via social media.

It is standard operating tactics since the beginning of timed media, over 100 years. If they aren't dead then show them alive.

Where your claim really screws up is that the Ukranians are claiming by name the Russian generals they are killing. What a coup to show that the general is still alive but we hear nothing. That solves it they're dead.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jay McKinsey

[surrept33 + 609]

8 hours ago, kshithij Sharma said:

You are assuming that USA can make any deals as per its whims while others are just duffers. Iran has got enough assurances from China to buy its oil for long term. India buys significant amounts of products like oil, fertilisers, minerals and chemicals, Venezuela buys condensate for blending its oil sands, Russia facilitates sales of Iranian oil via its ships and ports by smuggling. With Chinese importing 10Mbd oil, it can easily afford to take in more of Iranian oil and Iran does not really need USA to lift sanctions to produce more.

USA has very little to bargain. Lifting sanctions is not a big favour as the sanctions were arbitrarily imposed. It is like someone pushing you into the river and then claiming to do a favour by helping to pull you out. Russia has been a much reliable partner for Iran. Iran seems to be in agreement with Russia that it is prudent to punish USA & Europe by high oil prices instead of buckling for short term greed of higher oil sales. Iran now prefers to destroy Western influence and wealth by inducing recession in Europe and thereby ensuring that west permanently loses its ability to impose hegemony rather than be able to gain some additional money in the short term

Well, apparently not:

 

https://www.ibtimes.com/oil-plummets-russia-seeks-resumption-iran-nuclear-deal-3437744

Oil Plummets As Russia Seeks Resumption Of Iran Nuclear Deal

 

 

Oil prices dropped to their lowest in almost three weeks on Tuesday as Russia indicated it is in favour of the Iran nuclear deal resuming as soon as possible.

Ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine further eased fears of supply disruptions and surging COVID-19 cases in China fuelled concerns about slower demand.

Brent futures were down $8.90, or 8.3%, to $98 a barrel at 1125 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $8.97, or 8.7%, to $94.04 a barrel.

Both benchmarks fell below $100 a barrel for the first time since March 1.

Brent has lost almost $40 since 14-year highs reached on March 7, while WTI has fallen by over $30 since touching highs since 2008 almost a week ago.

The sharp decline in prices follows a statement from Russian foreign minister Sergi Lavrov on Tuesday that Moscow is in favour of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resuming as soon as possible and is waiting for Washington to lift sanctions on Tehran.

Talks to revive the nuclear accord, which would lead to sanctions on Iran's oil sector being lifted, recently stalled due to Russian demands.

Prices extended their losses from a 5% decline the previous day after a steep jump in daily COVID-19 infections in China raised concerns about the increasing economic costs of the country's tough containment measures.

And talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators to ease the crisis were expected to continue on Tuesday.

In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) starts a two-day meeting on interest rates on Tuesday, at which the market expects the first U.S. interest rate increase for four years.

 

"The dollar may appreciate if the Fed adopts an aggressive approach towards higher interest rates despite ongoing geopolitical risks," said Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM.

 

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

14 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

It is standard operating tactics since the beginning of timed media, over 100 years. If they aren't dead then show them alive.

Where your claim really screws up is that the Ukranians are claiming by name the Russian generals they are killing. What a coup to show that the general is still alive but we hear nothing. That solves it they're dead.

I heard a rumor about a dead general, but allegedly nobody knows who he is, because they haven't found his head. Not much to go by.

That's the appropriate fighting spirit for Ukronazies new American friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dswMTonYc5M

 

 

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

2 hours ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

I heard a rumor about a dead general, but allegedly nobody knows who he is, because they haven't found his head. Not much to go by.

That's the appropriate fighting spirit for Ukronazies new American friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dswMTonYc5M

 

 

So the Russians don't know if one of their generals is missing? What competence.

Here, let me google that for you: https://www.google.com/search?q=dead+russian+generals&rlz=1CAKDZI_enUS913US913&oq=de&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j69i61j69i60l2j69i65l3.1388j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jay McKinsey

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

48 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

So the Russians don't know if one of their generals is missing? What competence.

Here, let me google that for you: https://www.google.com/search?q=dead+russian+generals&rlz=1CAKDZI_enUS913US913&oq=de&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j69i61j69i60l2j69i65l3.1388j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Do you think I have a very strong position about a dead general? The only strong position I have is that I expect 99% of Western press reporting to be garbage not worth following.

Found one open conspiracy theory.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/commanders-among-12-000-russian-war-dead-q6f332k3w

The guy on the picture is ranked colonel though, not a major general (it would be one much larger star) "Putin regime admits" another one, so I guess one counts as confirmed

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/two-russian-senior-soldiers-killed-26468570

However, all the pictures they've got are from official Russian MoD obituaries. How can one "admit" what was not denied to start with?

Come to think of that, how many dead Brits will the British government admit? British tabloids wrote about three, I think, all of them anonymous. As usual, what is not an outright lie, is propagandist spin with a serving of double standards.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

9 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Do you think I have a very strong position about a dead general? The only strong position I have is that I expect 99% of Western press reporting to be garbage not worth following.

Found one open conspiracy theory.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/commanders-among-12-000-russian-war-dead-q6f332k3w

The guy on the picture is ranked colonel though, not a major general (it would be one much larger star) "Putin regime admits" another one, so I guess one counts as confirmed

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/two-russian-senior-soldiers-killed-26468570

However, all the pictures they've got are from official Russian MoD obituaries. How can one "admit" what was not denied to start with?

Come to think of that, how many dead Brits will the British government admit? British tabloids wrote about three, I think, all of them anonymous. As usual, what is not an outright lie, is propagandist spin with a serving of double standards.

I gave you a bunch of reports with names but Russia is not producing live people to refute the claims. Ukrainians are kicking Russian butt! The Russian military is a global laughingstock.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

27 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

I gave you a bunch of reports with names but Russia is not producing live people to refute the claims. Ukrainians are kicking Russian butt! The Russian military is a global laughingstock.

Real Russian military does not owe anything to Ukrainian FB and Twitter corps.

Keep dreaming.

[surrept33 + 609]

https://www.rawstory.com/joe-biden-javelin-stinger/

Looks like Biden declared a No Malarkey Zone (NMZ) in Ukraine

$800 mill military aid

40 mil ammo, 2600 Javelins, 600 Stingers, 5 helicopters, boats, 70 vehicles, 200 shotguns, 200 machine guns, 1 mil artillery & more

and that's just tip of the iceberg of stuff openly revealed. 

[Starschy + 211]

There is some nonsens here. Bosporus is open for Trade Ships and closed for Army Ships. (even that is debatably)

https://gcaptain.com/turkey-has-not-closed-the-bosphorus-to-russian-ships/

Those US List - question is where would they land with this Equipment. For sure not on a Ukrainian Port.

All those negotiations are for nothing.Ukraine don't want a neutral status. Therefore the loose the next three Ports in the South in the next two weeks. 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Starschy

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

23 hours ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Real Russian military does not owe anything to Ukrainian FB and Twitter corps.

Keep dreaming.

Ukraine says it's killed another Russian general, the 4th since Putin's invasion began

Bill Bostock 

16 hours ago

 

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seen in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 16, 2022.  Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Ukraine said it killed a fourth top Russian general during fighting in Mariupol on Tuesday. 
• Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko named him as Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev.
• Top officers are not usually in danger in modern warfare, and losing them is a major blow.

 

Ukraine says it has killed another Russian general, the fourth since the invasion began last month.

Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev was killed Tuesday during the Russian assault on the city of Mariupol, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, wrote on Telegram Wednesday. 

Gerashchenko posted a photo of what he said was Mityaev's body as evidence. Insider could not verify the authenticity of the image and Russia has not commented on the claim.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

23 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Ukraine says it's killed another Russian general, the 4th since Putin's invasion began

Bill Bostock 

16 hours ago

 

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seen in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 16, 2022.  Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Ukraine said it killed a fourth top Russian general during fighting in Mariupol on Tuesday. 
• Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko named him as Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev.
• Top officers are not usually in danger in modern warfare, and losing them is a major blow.

 

Ukraine says it has killed another Russian general, the fourth since the invasion began last month.

Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev was killed Tuesday during the Russian assault on the city of Mariupol, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, wrote on Telegram Wednesday. 

Gerashchenko posted a photo of what he said was Mityaev's body as evidence. Insider could not verify the authenticity of the image and Russia has not commented on the claim.

Not that  I cared all that much, but all of them in Mariupol? They shouldn't really be there, IMHO, especially not in the numbers. I am sure they got a few hundreds more of those, though.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

2 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

Not that  I cared all that much, but all of them in Mariupol? They shouldn't really be there, IMHO, especially not in the numbers. I am sure they got a few hundreds more of those, though.

Ukraine just keeps winning.

[Andrei Moutchkine + 828]

1 hour ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Ukraine just keeps winning.

The media war, yes. Not the actual war.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,489]

2 minutes ago, Andrei Moutchkine said:

The media war, yes. Not the actual war.

Clearly they are winning both. Three weeks in and now the world knows that the Russian military can't operate more than ninety miles beyond its borders.