KipPotapych
Well-Known Member
It appears that the Russian response to Ukraine targeting their marine vessels is trashing Odessa and probably making good on Putin’s threat of cutting the country from the Black Sea. Port infrastructure has, of course, been targeted. Mainly, however, Odessa has been in the blackout for five days two days ago and the energy and other critical infrastructure has been hit consistently since.
kyivindependent.com
Just as, or more, crucial, Russia has been making the bridges connecting southern Odessa region to Romania and Moldova inoperable. This is kind of a big deal for the region, as well as the country as a whole.
Again, these damaged bridges are kind of a quite big deal (makes one wonder why they weren’t brought down or made inoperable by the Russia long time ago and kept in such condition ever since).
On a personal note, my good friend’s father went back to his home in Odessa just a couple of months ago after spending 1.5-2 years here in Canada (in BC). He is in his late 70s, though you would not say the guy is more than 65 if you ever met him. But, I imagine, this shit can take years of one’s life in an instant. Sucks.
Some Ukrainians (mostly ultranationalists) suggest that Ukraine should invade Transnistria to take advantage of their bridge crossing over the river. Some suggest that would be perfectly legal too. For exmaple:
What makes this ludicrous idea funny is that these people with epic ingenuity do not seem to learn from past mistakes of “let’s invade and see what happens”. And there is a whole bunch of them posting this nonsense over the past 24 or so hours (the lemmings pick up the line as well and carry it around). Oh well, what are you gonna do.
In the meantime, SBU posted a video of hitting another Russian vessel in the Mediterranean.
The strategy is certainly going to work miracles. But it sure would be interesting to know how they managed the strike. There were reports with no confirmation that also a coastguard vessel was targeted by an aerial drone, as well as some other oil tanker on fire in the Black Sea (I don’t want to search for the links since these were not confirmed anyway and at least the latter is rather a very low probability event in my books).
The “interest-free loan”:
www.politico.eu
The first interest payment of €1B is due in 2027 and then it is €3B per annum from then on. How far does this loan get Ukraine? From the same article:
The war-ravaged country faces a budget shortfall of €71.7 billion next year and is in desperate need of funds to ensure its survival after Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to keep the conflict going on Friday.
Note that that number does not account for military assistance that Kyiv is now accustomed to. Good luck finding just about as much more needed for the next two years.
For those trashing De Wever, I think he is 100% right in his thought process. And according to the article cited below, polling suggests that 67% of Belgians support his train of thought as well (which is all that should count at the end of the day).
www.politico.eu
And this, basically, sums it up, in my opinion:
“Countries that live close to Russia … found it emotionally satisfying” to try to tap Russia’s frozen assets, De Wever told reporters after the summit. But “politics is not an emotional job,” and “rationality has prevailed.”
I am actually surprised they hammered out this €90B deal that they did. I can honestly say I did not expect it to happen this quickly!
Recommended reading:
carnegieendowment.org
'Every new strike only unites us' — Odesa endures 5-day blackout after Russian strikes
ODESA, Ukraine — Rolling into Odesa’s downtown, the constant hum of hundreds of generators drowns the ability to converse. Just days earlier, the region came under a massive strike involving Shahed-type attack drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. The city, home to one million...
kyivindependent.com
Just as, or more, crucial, Russia has been making the bridges connecting southern Odessa region to Romania and Moldova inoperable. This is kind of a big deal for the region, as well as the country as a whole.
Again, these damaged bridges are kind of a quite big deal (makes one wonder why they weren’t brought down or made inoperable by the Russia long time ago and kept in such condition ever since).
On a personal note, my good friend’s father went back to his home in Odessa just a couple of months ago after spending 1.5-2 years here in Canada (in BC). He is in his late 70s, though you would not say the guy is more than 65 if you ever met him. But, I imagine, this shit can take years of one’s life in an instant. Sucks.
Some Ukrainians (mostly ultranationalists) suggest that Ukraine should invade Transnistria to take advantage of their bridge crossing over the river. Some suggest that would be perfectly legal too. For exmaple:
What makes this ludicrous idea funny is that these people with epic ingenuity do not seem to learn from past mistakes of “let’s invade and see what happens”. And there is a whole bunch of them posting this nonsense over the past 24 or so hours (the lemmings pick up the line as well and carry it around). Oh well, what are you gonna do.
In the meantime, SBU posted a video of hitting another Russian vessel in the Mediterranean.
The strategy is certainly going to work miracles. But it sure would be interesting to know how they managed the strike. There were reports with no confirmation that also a coastguard vessel was targeted by an aerial drone, as well as some other oil tanker on fire in the Black Sea (I don’t want to search for the links since these were not confirmed anyway and at least the latter is rather a very low probability event in my books).
The “interest-free loan”:
EU to pay €3B a year in interest for Ukraine loan
Leaders opted to raise common debt rather than leverage frozen Russian assets to finance the loan.
www.politico.eu
The first interest payment of €1B is due in 2027 and then it is €3B per annum from then on. How far does this loan get Ukraine? From the same article:
The war-ravaged country faces a budget shortfall of €71.7 billion next year and is in desperate need of funds to ensure its survival after Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to keep the conflict going on Friday.
Note that that number does not account for military assistance that Kyiv is now accustomed to. Good luck finding just about as much more needed for the next two years.
For those trashing De Wever, I think he is 100% right in his thought process. And according to the article cited below, polling suggests that 67% of Belgians support his train of thought as well (which is all that should count at the end of the day).
How Belgium’s Bart De Wever beat the EU machine
The Belgian prime minister dug his heels in on using Russian assets to fund Ukraine. It’s another win for Europe’s populists.
www.politico.eu
And this, basically, sums it up, in my opinion:
“Countries that live close to Russia … found it emotionally satisfying” to try to tap Russia’s frozen assets, De Wever told reporters after the summit. But “politics is not an emotional job,” and “rationality has prevailed.”
I am actually surprised they hammered out this €90B deal that they did. I can honestly say I did not expect it to happen this quickly!
Recommended reading:
U.S. Peace Proposals Would Give Ukraine a Remarkable Strategic Outcome
If anything, U.S. security guarantees risk promising too much to be credible.