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War in Ukraine

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by PITBOSS, Jan 21, 2022.

  1. PITBOSS

    PITBOSS GC Hall of Fame

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    “The Phoenix Ghost is similar to the Switchblade unmanned systems previously delivered to Ukraine, the official said, in that it is a “one way drone” that is “clearly designed to give a punch” to a number of different types of targets. This likely means that Phoenix Ghost is a low-cost, single-use suicide drone that behaves like a loitering munition — flying around an airspace before ramming itself into a target.

    The official claimed to have “no idea” how Phoenix Ghost got its name, but noted that the new system would require minimal training for Ukrainian operators who are already familiar with Switchblade or other unmanned aircraft.”


    Meet 'Phoenix Ghost,' the US Air Force's new drone perfect for Ukraine's war with Russia - Breaking Defense
     
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  2. ursidman

    ursidman VIP Member

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    Curious. Don't know what to make of this. Possibly the effects of sanctions on Russian elites and their business.

    Two Ex-Russian Gas Company Execs Found Dead Along With Their Families in Two Days
    The 55-year-old millionaire was found dead along with his wife and daughter at a villa in the town of Lloret de Mar near Barcelona earlier this week, law enforcement sources told the news site. Police have not officially named the family, however.

    Protosenya, a former member of Novatek’s board of directors, was found hanged at the scene, while his wife and daughter had been stabbed, the report said. Investigators are said to be examining two different scenarios: that Protosenya killed his wife and daughter before taking his own life, or that all three were murdered by someone who then staged the crime scene.

    Vladislav Avayev, 51, was found with a fatal gunshot wound in his multi-million dollar apartment on Universitetsky Prospekt on April 18, local authorities said. The body of his wife was found nearby, while the couple’s 13-year-old daughter was found in her bed in a different room, according to Kommersant.

    Bizarrely, the deaths of Avayev and Protosenya are only the latest of those tied to Russia’s gas industry. On Feb. 25, just one day after Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, 61-year-old Gazprom exec Alexander Tyulyakov was found hanged outside St. Petersburg.

    He had served as the deputy general director of Gazprom's unified settlement center, or the treasury, for corporate security. Though his death was deemed a suicide, Novaya Gazeta reported at the time that Gazprom’s security service arrived at the scene and pushed out local investigators.
     
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  3. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    That's insane. Need more info - pro-Putin or anti? Could be assassinations...or suddenly finding themselves "poor".
     
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  4. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    Cnn live

    "Ministers walk out of International Monetary and Financial Committee meeting as Russian minister speaks

    From CNN’s Livvy Doherty in London and Pamela Boykoff in Washington

    Several ministers walked out during the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meeting in Washington, DC, Thursday as Russia’s financial minster spoke, the Danish financial minster told CNN.

    “It was the Nordic, Baltic countries that started the walkout but many countries followed,” Nicolai Wammen told CNN’s Richard Quest.

    “I saw colleagues from all over the world sending a very clear message to President Putin and to Russia that we will under no circumstances accept the war on Ukraine and we stand firmly behind the Ukrainian people,” Wammen said.

    Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister and head of the IMFC Nadia Calvino told Quest that the meeting was “not business as usual” and that “different countries different members expressed their views in a different manner, but overall this has been a very productive meeting.”"
     
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  5. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    Cnn live

    "Ukrainian officials and satellite images point to evidence of mass graves outside of Mariupol

    From CNN's Nathan Hodge, Julia Presniakova and Katie Polglase

    Ukrainian officials on Tuesday identified the location of apparent mass graves outside the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol — claims bolstered by the publication of satellite images collected and analyzed by Maxar Technologies.

    In a post Thursday on Telegram, Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote: "As a result of a long search and identification of places of mass burial of dead Mariupol residents, we established the fact of arrangement and mass burial of the dead Mariupol residents in the village of Manhush."

    Andriushchenko — who is not in Mariupol but has served as a clearinghouse for information from inside the besieged city — posted the coordinates on Telegram, saying Russian forces had dug several mass graves, each measuring about 30 meters (around 100 feet), in Manhush, a town around 12 miles (about 19 kilometers) to the west of Mariupol. "Trucks carry in the bodies of the dead, in fact, simply dumping them on the embankment," he said. "This is direct evidence of war crimes and attempts to cover them up."

    Maxar published analysis of satellite imagery Tuesday appearing to show evidence of new graves at a site on the northwestern edge of Manhush"
     
  6. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    Cnn live

    "Zelensky: Any new Russian annexation will lead to sanctions that will make Russia as poor as it was in 1917

    In his nightly address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia that any attempts at annexation will lead to sanctions that will leave it as poor as it was after its civil war in 1917.

    “I want to say straight away: any ‘Kherson People's Republics’ are not going to fly. If someone wants a new annexation, it can only lead to new powerful sanctions strikes on Russia. You will make your country as poor as Russia hasn’t been since the 1917 civil war. So it is better to seek peace now,” Zelensky said.

    He urged the residents of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be very careful about the information they provide to Russian troops.

    “If they ask you to fill out some questionnaires, leave your passport data somewhere, you should know - this is not to help you … This is aimed to falsify the so-called referendum on your land, if an order comes from Moscow to stage such a show,” he said."
     
  7. uftaipan

    uftaipan GC Hall of Fame

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    Heard of it for the first time this morning, but UASs aren’t really my field.
     
  8. demosthenes

    demosthenes Premium Member

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    So … this is video game footage. We really are in a simulation.
     
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  9. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    Yeah, I took some time and came to the same realization. The guy in Odessa forwarded it, perhaps without realizing it was game material. I'm sure that images of Russian tanks etc getting blown up are very appealing for Ukrainians right about now, so I could see how he'd think it was footage from somewhere.
     
  10. uftaipan

    uftaipan GC Hall of Fame

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    In my opinion, this is too little of a change, though not necessarily too late yet. Keeping Jake Sullivan as National Security Advisor when everyone, professional and layman, can see he is failing spectacularly reminds me of Mullen holding on to Todd Grantham. Our team’s defense after the Cotton Bowl needed more than an additional analyst and strong showing of confidence by the Head Coach, and everyone it seemed, except the Head Coach, could see it. Winning is more important than loyalty. The President can turn this around by bringing in Mattis or Petraeus as National Security Advisor and setting the tone with the Russians that we mean business.
     
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  11. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    This feels like a test run & I'm not particularly pleased with the advice Biden's been getting. I like your assistant analogy & I don't feel confident about Sullivan. I hope that this "specialist" coming in will be able to report to Biden & not Sullivan or someone else, though.
     
  12. PITBOSS

    PITBOSS GC Hall of Fame

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    Thx. Although with all the Russian tank husks we’ve seen it’s probably not far from what happens.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
  13. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    It looks like a model plane some kid built :emoji_joy:
     
  14. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    Russian/Trump bots/supporters working OT on Twitter btw :emoji_joy:
     
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  15. BLING

    BLING GC Hall of Fame

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    I’m guessing it’s more ARMA 3 footage? It’s especially convincing because of the cinematic camera (rather than gameplay). I suppose it was too good to be true.
     
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  16. demosthenes

    demosthenes Premium Member

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    Yes, that’s the game.
     
  17. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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  18. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    They're claiming they got hacked...but these numbers are without around 3000 Wagner Group mercenaries that have been killed.

     
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  19. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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    But...but...it's because of NATO....no wait...it's the Nazis...

    Option 3 - which folks wanting to blame NATO want to continue to gloss over...


     
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  20. gogator7444

    gogator7444 GC Hall of Fame

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