For the folks continuously saying the Azov soldiers are Nazis. You'd think Israel would know what an actual Nazi is.
I can see colbert delivering this as satire and laughing. I can't imagine anyone hearing this and going uep that is rational and true.
Is the Ukraine army strong enough that it can start pushing Russian army units back from the east and getting some of their territory back? It takes time to get that heavy equipment in the hands of Ukraine's front. Has to be shipped to their country, across their country - a long supply line and then have their personnel trained on it's proper use. This takes a while. Russia's army seems stalled. This could be due to: A Their own logistics problems. B Effective attacks on their elongating supply lines. C Heavy equipment - howitzers, artillery, tanks, long range anti aircraft batteries, etc. finally arriving and being utilized well by the Ukraine army. D Active guerilla resistance. To me each week the Ukraine army gets appreciably stronger while the Russians are stagnating. I hope that's true. Now, can the Ukraine army use that strength to push the Russians back from the current lines?
The fuel is the secondary aim. It will set Russia back a bit, but they have more than enough energy reserves to refill. The real goal is the infrastructure storing it. Be it depots, refineries, transport lines etc. every one of these explosions and fires likely destroys one of those, which take months or longer to rebuild each. And that’s assuming they have the people, needed parts (with the embargo) and money to do it And in the meantime the supply chain is broken. They can pump millions of barrels out of their east to send west, but if there’s not a place to store it or refine it, it means nothing.
No one can tell the future, but I don’t think so. I think Ukraine is strong enough to inflict punishing losses and trade space for time. But time to what end? This only ends successfully for Ukraine one of two ways: the West gets its shit together and says enough is enough or Russia’s government collapses. Neither scenario seems likely at present, but I hope otherwise.
I'm sure this will make some pensioners angry. That said it seems to me it would be relatively hard to get out of Russian investments now without taking more losses. Mo doubt other states find themselves in the same pickle.
A good article on why Russia hasn’t gone scorched earth. Russia's War Has Been Brutal, but Putin Has Shown Some Restraint. Why?
They also sell a stuffed John Deere tractor LOL Unfortunately no international shipping yet. They'd make a killing for fundraising.
Highly uncharacteristic and unexpected from the Pope, but.... Pope Francis Says NATO Started War in Ukraine by ‘Barking at Putin’s Door’
Those explosions look fake to me. When shells land they create craters and have a much larger blast radius. I may be wrong though?
