Odd story documenting how the engines in the Iranian drones have been the subject of a long and continued targeted theft ring. Bizarre Theft Wave Targeted Same Rotax Engines Used In Iranian Drones (msn.com) The Austrian-made Rotax light aircraft engine recently found in a Russian-operated, Iranian-made Mohajar-6 drone recovered by Ukrainian forces is a model that has been at the center of a puzzling and prolonged theft campaign around the globe, but especially in Europe. Sophisticated criminals who know how to circumvent airport security measures and find engines that often have low operating hours and surgically remove them have been the hallmark of the widespread thefts. So many have been stolen just in the U.K. alone that Operation Opal - a national intelligence team focused on organized crime - was called in to investigate the matter, according to the British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA), which along with the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) is collating information about the thefts in the U.K. These facts certainly point to the possibility that Tehran has been getting at least some of its drone engines by having operatives systemically literally rip them out of aircraft in foreign countries. “Over the years, many Rotax engines have been stolen from light aircraft in the UK,” Jerry Parr, LAA’s head of airworthiness told The War Zone Tuesday in an email. “To the best of my knowledge, there has never been any proof as to where the engines end up or for what purpose.” Investigators in Norway are also looking into what is being considered sophisticated thefts of Rotax 912 engines. The aircraft-specific engines made by Rotax, a subsidiary owned by Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), are usually found in light and ultralight aircraft. Their delivery to Iran, however, violates European Union sanctions banning the export of items with both civilian and military purposes, such as vehicle parts. Identical sanctions are imposed by the European Union against Russia, as well.
The war is far from over. Tides of battle change as war progresses. I don't see Ukraine crossing the Dniper any time soon if at all and pushing Russia out.
Both. Political resolve does not change supply issues which is what we are facing. Nor does it produce much needed natural gas, diesel or kerosene (main ingredient of jet fuel). The US is currently faced with shortages in gas, diesel and kerosene. Saudi Arabia has turned to China and Russia snubbing the US. Saudi Arabia also made clear flooding the market with oil reserves is not going to end well. Then you have all of Europe currently trying to conserve their supplies knowing full well even if they make it through the winter next year will be just as challenging. Not to mention the industrial complex in Germany shutting down due to costs of natural gas used in the production of aluminum. You also have European nations cutting supplies to Ukraine entirely because the remaining supplies are needed for their own defense. Ukraine, Europe and the US are not in good situation no matter how you want to slice this cake. The longer the war drags on the worse it gets.
I want to clarify that the war is bad for EVERYONE. not just the west. I think it’s important to say that.
slay - don't buy his garbage, Russia is falling apart at the seams and Carpe wants to spin it like it's the West losing it. I'm becoming more and more convinced that he is getting the same pay in "Rubles" that Duggars Dad is.......and I could care less if he is a Mod........
This guy might actually be the most powerful man in Russia right now. He has what is probably the only effective military under his thumb, and all signs(at least as I read them, point to him making such a power play, including with the deaths of so many of Putin’s Oligarch allies.
I do think he's lost his footing in this argument - but I've met a lot of people that are confused recently about the geopolitics, and the values involved in the current situation. You can't be a nation of values, like a democracy, and let other democracies be run over by despots, and long last.
Or maybe Putin views Ukraine as a country super rich in natural resources that Putin would like to exploit for his own.
Darn tight. If standing up to Putin propagandists will get me flicked I’m fine with that. There’s a couple of forums where they get a far tougher treatment
Ukraine update: Russia wants the people who beat them last time to fight the people beating them now Daily update from these writers - they do a good job of sharing useful history when not a lot to report on the ground. Worth the read if you're bored.
We do know that Russia is giving up ground (and cities) that they do not want to give up. And they are evacuating in such a hurry that they are leaving ammo dumps and even tanks and other heavy equipment behind. They are running in fear from the Ukrainian onslaught. That should tell us that either the Ukrainians are beserkers, or a lot of Russians are getting killed. Russians are being treated in hospitals in Belarus. Inside the hospitals that concealed Russian casualties The difference is that the Russian soldiers never expected to go to war with an opponent that fought back, so their training the last 10 years was minimal. The Ukrainians did not trust Russia, so they probably trained like their lives might one day depend on it. Russia invaded with overwhelming force, thinking that would be enough to carry them all the way to Kiev, but it did not quite get them there. Once Ukraine regrouped, Russia was fighting on an even playing field with a superior (and more motivated) opponent, and they started retreating. One thing on motivation: Russian troops, if they survive, are fighting for no more than a paycheck, unless they can arrange to steal a washing machine and get it shipped home. They will get no part of the profits from the national theft of property, grain sales, or metal sales. Many of them entered Ukraine on false pretenses, after being told that they were on a training exercise on Russian soil, so they know they have been lied to. They are fighting so the people that lied to them can get rich from their blood sweat and tears. Ukrainian troops are literally fighting for everything they have, plus their freedom. Getting Russia off their soil reduces the chance that their property will be destroyed in the war (and their family killed), and eliminates the chance that their property will be taken from them. They don't know what kind of slavery and mistreatment awaits them if Russia wins this war, and they don't want to find out. There is no doubt that Ukrainians are much more motivated in this fight.
What makes you think that Russia is not running short on supplies? The fact that Putin had to beg North Korea for artillery shells? The fact that they had to beg Iran for drones? And Ukraine's situation is infinitely better than Russia's when it comes to weapons, because Russia leaves weapons and ammo behind when they run for their lives. Ukraine only needs us to provide the weapons and ammo to make up the shortfall from what Russia DOESN'T provide them! And the exodus of Russians to avoid being drafted into this war has almost certainly hurt Russia's ability to fully man their weapons and ammo factories, which hurts their output. The U.S. and Europe have had no such exodus of manpower. Even the Kremlin admits that there is a problem with the quality and reliability of the weapons in the hands of Russian troops. October 26, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news | CNN You have to realize that the U.S. probably has a fair amount of untapped manufacturing potential for ramping up weapons production. It may take a while to crank up production, but with Biden signing checks in the billions of dollars, you have to believe that U.S. industry is ramping up production and will be able to refill U.S. supplies and continue shipping materiel to Ukraine. Business leaders do not fail to notice (and take advantage of) opportunities like this. The gas shortages in the U.S. can't be that bad right now, with gas at $3.00 a gallon. It was bad when the war started, going up to $5/gal or higher. There is a diesel shortage, at $5 per gallon. Europe will be just fine when Russia is pushed out of Ukraine and Putin is "forced into retirement". Russia's next leader will apologize for the mess, and commit to rebuilding Ukraine with oil profits, which will require Russian oil to flow into Europe. Since most military experts expect Russia to be defeated by next summer, Europe only has to survive another nine months, and then industry in Germany and elsewhere will return to life. It's not like Europe's industry has to be rebuilt after being blasted by bombs--they just need raw materials.
“Eternal hypocrites” is a lot broader than limiting itself to Israel’s policies. Israel is 74 years old as a nation. And the eternal slaughter of Jews, particularly in Europe, is fact. Israel requires deconfliction with Russia because of the security situation in Syria and to some extent Lebanon. And it must guard its Iron Dome technology very carefully. It is not going to give that up. Israel shares that technology with the US and that is it.
Wow. I didn’t expect you to so easily concede that point. Russia can do whatever it wants in Ukraine and we can’t do anything about it. By doing so you completely negated the so called concept of “Ukrainian Nuetrality” that many Russia sympathizers claim to want. . Sometimes you say things that make it hard to take your seriously. The UN has “strangely” not been involved. Russia is a member of the UN Security Council whose approval would be needed. You think it is “strange” that Russia didn’t vote for a UN fighting force to defend itself from…..Russia? There is a long history between the two. One of the reasons Ukraine has so many Russia speaking people is Russia over the last 150 years forcibly moved Russians in, and now are moving Ukrainians out. This especially happened in Crimea in early mid 20th century. Most or all existing residents were moved out and supplanted by Russians.
Israel has US technology and its own weaponry that is far superior to Russia’s. But it needs to deconflict to operate in Syria against Iranian interests. Israel is getting off the sidelines more because Iran is getting involved in Ukraine. Israel is a very small country and cannot afford a major strategic mistake or loss of technology
There was a lot of opposition to the second Iraq war. Bob Graham was head of the Senate Intelligence Committee and called the Intel BS. I recall one speech by a Senator crying for the country. But, people who opposed that war were mocked and marginalized by the Bush administration and branded traitors. They just lied.
