Interesting quote: “Political opponents in Berlin accuse the chancellor of an attempt to win votes in three critical state elections in the east of the country this autumn, because east Germans are largely opposed to supporting Ukraine’s war effort.”
That event was some time ago, and Germany found alternate (but more expensive) ways to meet their energy needs. I think it is more related to economic conditions globally, with most countries going into a mild recession (and China going into a major one). The mid-Covid economic boom could not be sustained indefinitely. Germany is probably in worse shape than most, with China dumping products on a world that can't really afford German products right now.
Russian food suppliers have warned retailers to expect up to 40% hike in food costs over the next month. "Suppliers of bread, dairy, chocolate and beer in Russia have informed retailers of impending price increases of up to 40% over the next month, the business daily Kommersant reported Thursday, citing price-increase notices from at least 13 companies." "The price hikes, slated for August and September, are being attributed to a combination of high inflation and expensive loans, as well as the rising costs of shipping, personnel, packaging and raw materials." MSN Let them eat cake, Putin?
Ukraine destroys another key bridge in Kursk. Ukrainian forces strike 2 key bridges in Russia's Kursk area in a possible sign they intend to stay
Putin has hired his neice as Deputy Defense Minister. In my view this means he realizes things have turned for the worse in the war, that he is unable to trust his military leaders and that he is fearful of them. Or did she just need a job?
anther bridge down, more logistics problems for russia Russian supply bridges destroyed by Ukraine amid Kursk incursion, Kyiv says (msn.com) The Ukrainian military destroyed a bridge inside Russia that had been critically important for carrying Russian supplies, marking the second such bridge destroyed within days, the Ukrainian Air Force said Sunday. The bridge had crossed the river Seym in the Kursk region, the area in western Russia where Ukrainian forces have been carrying out a large-scale ground incursion. Ukraine said last week it controlled some 80 settlements in Russia. Hundreds of thousands of Russians have been ordered to evacuate the area, according to Russian outlets. The strike on the bridge was expected to deprive Russia of "logistical capabilities," Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said in a post shared Sunday on the messaging app Telegram by the Ukrainian Air Force. "Minus one more bridge!" the commander said in Ukrainian, which was translated by ABC News.
Not all Ukrainian war tourists to Kursk are being killed or captured by Russians, but a goodly number are defecting to Russia with their families … Speaking in general, the process of desertion of high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024 has taken on the character of an epidemic. It is known that in July alone, five officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, special services, and various departments defected to the Russian Federation, and in most cases, together with their families, and this is not counting the escape of a number of officials of civilian departments. About prisoners, or why has Ukraine suddenly started talking about an exchange?
Hilarious, Lee Harvey! You're getting worked up about five alleged defections of Ukrainian officers to Russia? After hundreds of Russians have defected to Ukraine? And hundreds more Russians have been fighting Russia while being supplied by Ukraine? A "goodly" percentage of the people in eastern Ukraine were sent there by Putin in 2014 to cause chaos and disruption using terrorism. Those same people are probably disappointed that Russia has destroyed all of the towns in eastern Ukraine, and do not want to live there anymore. They probably have relatives in Russia, and are going home and taking their families with them. No surprise there. Five! Ha.
I’m an emotional wreck from being called Lee Harvey. Think I need a stiff drink. On those destroyed bridges …
are price gouging and monopolies the same as price controls thru fiat? Was the Texas AG instituting those when he sued companies for price gouging?
Russians still cannot extinguish fire at attacked fuel depot in Rostov region (msn.com) As of 20:00 on August 18, efforts to extinguish the fire at the FDKU Kavkaz Combine oil depot in Proletarsk, Rostov Region, Russia, which was attacked by Ukrainian kamikaze drones on the night of Sunday, were still ongoing. Three firefighting trains have been deployed, according to the regional governor Vasily Golubev. "The firefighting efforts at the industrial facility in Proletarsk are ongoing. All necessary resources are being utilized, including three firefighting trains," the governor wrote.
side benefit or major goal? like I noted upthread, the ability to monitor, infiltrate, and possibly corrupt their computer network that controls the trains may have been a goal.. honestly surprised that they haven't been spearphishing russian control systems already Ukrainian incursion into Kursk paralyses Russia’s railways (msn.com) Once the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) took its first Russian railway station inside Russia it was in the position to cause chaos and glean valuable troop movement intel. “Russia has a fully digitised railway system, so once you access the system of any train station, no matter how small, you have access to the entire network,” Paul Con, a Ukraine observer, said in a social media post. The AFU breakthrough has led to a severe disruption in railway operations, paralysing key routes across the country. The central office of Russian Railways (RZD) has urgently requested the Belarusian railway authorities to halt the dispatching of freight trains to Russia, as the system has become overloaded, according to a report by the Union of Belarusian Railroad Workers. The main problem is that a reported 133,000 civilians are fleeing the region at the same time after the AFU crossed the border on August 6. And the situation may be getting worse after Ukrainian forces were seen in the Belgorod region to the north, which has now also declared a state of emergency. The load has incapacitated RZD’s ability to receive trains from Belarus on the Moscow and Bryansk railway routes, which also abuts the Ukrainian border. Official documents indicate that the request to stop incoming freight trains was issued on August 12, reflecting the critical situation on the ground. The ban is indefinite, as Russian authorities are uncertain when control over the affected railways will be restored, UA Wire reports. Transport logistics between Russia and Belarus have reportedly collapsed, with numerous freight trains now stranded in dispatch areas. Russia’s Smolensk region in particular has become a bottleneck, with 'abandoned' trains accumulating due to the halted traffic. A lack of locomotives has made the situation worse, UA Wire reports. What remains unclear is if the AFU has been able to hack the RZD’s IT system to further disrupt the railways, however, once into the system they have been able to glean valuable information about Russia’s troop movements. RZD is reportedly now trying to lock the AFU out of the system. “It seems that the Ukrainians managed to infiltrate the Russian railway system and were able to track the routes of arms shipments. Completely overhauling the system is currently causing significant headaches for IT specialists in Moscow,” added con.
