Russia's Failing to Destroy Any U.S. HIMARS Systems: Pentagon (newsweek.com) Russia has so far failed to destroy any of the rocket launching systems that the U.S. has sent to Ukraine to aid it in the ongoing war, according to General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley, who was speaking during a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Wednesday, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's army has not taken down any of the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). "To date, those systems have not been eliminated by the Russians, and I knock on wood every time I say something like that," Milley told reporters. "And they're [Ukrainians are] being very effective at using them, employing precision weapons against targets."
Advanced artillery with multiple warheads destroy an entire russian artillery division. the old random hit and miss artillery that Ukraine used to have couldn't do this WAR IN UKRAINE:Troops Destroy Entire Russian Artillery Division Hiding In Woods | Watch (msn.com)
Russia Resumes Nord Stream Gas Flow, Bringing Europe Respite While I still think the EU countries shouldn't count on Russia as a reliable source of gas maybe Putin has decided punishing Germany and other EU countries could have negative consequences in the longer term.
My friend in Odessa reports that due in part to the HIMARS his city has been quiet with no rocket attacks in the past three days.
Agreement signed to resume grain shipments out of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine sign grain exports deal, UN chief says - CNN
Negative consequences for Germany and European nations as well. Is it mutual destruction? Possibly yet Russia is still getting support from other nations such aas India and China to name a few. When everything is in shambles what will the Europeans think at that point?
I love it. I live about 8 miles from Moody AFB, home of 2 combat-ready A10 squadrons. They fly over the house all the time. The practice range is about 4 miles from here, so I get to hear brrrrrrrrt quite often. I've posted this before, but here's an emergency belly landing from the year before last.
A shout out to everyone providing information for this thread. I go to this thread first every time I check out GatorCountry. One of few TH threads with 95% partisan agreement.
The issue of gas weighs heavily on Germany and politicians are taking notice. "People's uprisings" in Germany when the gas was stopped? Baerbock makes people sit up and take notice in Talk Baerbock explained in the round why Germany had asked Canada to deliver a turbine for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Russia. This is by no means a question of “double standards”, stressed the Foreign Minister. "If we don't get the gas turbine, we won't get any more gas," said Baerbock, explaining the argument against Canada's concerns, "then we as Germany can no longer provide any support for Ukraine at all because we are then busy with popular uprisings". When asked by the moderators, Baerbock ignored her conspicuous choice of words. "If we ran out of gas!" She emphasized the hypothetical nature of her statement. "That's exactly my point. That we still need gas from Russia.” Finally, the Greens admitted: “Yes, okay, I thought in a somewhat wide arc.”
the pipeline provides significant energy to Germany and they have to ration supplies going into winter. I imagine their citizens will have sharp price increases. It’s difficult for a democracy not in war to choose economic hardship to put pressure on another country. Consider how our country would go nuts if gas prices went up to like $7/ga. But I do think we should put the screws to Putin, he won’t stop. And then Europe and US could be much more involved than only sanctions.
Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that Russia is going to exploit its biggest economic advantage against Ukraine and its second biggest economic advantage against Western Europe? But they said they wouldn’t do that! If we can’t trust the word of a country that invaded its neighbor to enslave its population, then whom can we trust?! My God, that might mean … Does this mean it’s possible — just possible — that Russia was not acting in good faith in negotiations with Iran on our behalf? Oh, I hope not. That would mean Jake Sullivan might have to rethink his whole strategy. And strategy is hard!
I agree we should put the screws to Putin but it is becoming more obvious that the only nation willing to that is the US and every decision so far has been met with resistance or has had unintended consequences. What's worse is China out bids everyone for US oil reserves that have been released. By law the oil goes to the highest bidder. They stock pile oil and our resources are diminished. America and Europe gets little to none of what they need.
Orban is a Russian puppet. Let’s see how they react at CPAC when he proposes his pro Russian policies there. I truly empathize with traditional conservatives.
To your first point, I argue that even the U.S. isn’t putting the screws to Russia. If I call our measures “half-ass,” then I’m being generous. To your second, if only there were some way to change laws that became contrary to our national interest. There should be, like, an organization whose job it is to identify problems like this and propose new legislation the moment it becomes obvious the old law is having an unintended effect. Maybe that organization should postpone all of the other nonsense it is engaged in at the moment and worry about the world’s actual biggest problem in progress.
I don’t like Orban either, but he isn’t a Russian puppet. He’s a Hungarian nationalist to the detriment of all other considerations. His position at the moment favors Russia because it favors Hungary. And let’s not forget that the U.S. has not offered him a better path that solves the problems resisting Russia causes for his country. He’s saying out loud from the beginning what some of our other allies are beginning to grumble louder and louder: “Ukraine is not worth my own people starving and freezing.” Now I’m disgusted by that attitude as well — “… but I was not a Ukrainian, so I said nothing” — but I am equally disgusted that six months into this thing our government seems paralyzed when it comes to offering Europe the lifeline they need to collectively resist Russia.
To be honest I don't know what more can be done other than acting unilaterally which is a no go on all fronts. In the mean time we are doing much more than anyone else and are content to let this play out in hopes of better days to come.
Ditto on @uftaipan and his response. Each nation is going to do what serves their best interest. At this point nothing has been offered that serves their best interest.
It's not just Orban. Spain, Portugual, etc. for example are vehemently against the gas rationing as well. Their argument is solid too. They don't rely on Russian gas, and they've warned Germany not to be, so why should they share Germany's pain when Germany gets bitten in the butt by not following their advice? When the situation was reversed post-2008, Germany told the PIGS to suck it up, it's now their turn to tell Germany to suck it up.
