Preliminary but positive Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to squeeze Europe by weaponizing energy look to be fizzling — at least for now. Mild weather, a wider array of suppliers and efforts to reduce demand are helping, with gas reserves still nearly full and prices tumbling to pre-war levels. After the sharp turnaround over the past month, Europe is likely already through the worst of the crisis. The combination of conditions — including China’s COVID-19 woes blunting competition for LNG cargoes — would take the edge off inflation, stabilize Europe’s economic outlook and leave the Kremlin with less leverage over Ukraine’s allies, if they persist. While a cold snap or delivery disruptions could still throw energy markets into disarray, optimism is growing that Europe can now make it through this winter and next. Putin’s energy gambit fizzles as warm winter saves Europe Putin’s energy gambit fizzles as warm winter saves Europe - Tampa Bay Times For more great content like this subscribe to the Tampa Bay Times app here:
Except that harsh winters are also attributed to Global Warming, so if it had gone the other way, people would still be saying the same thing.
Russia's glorious gigantic aircraft carrier is now ready for sinking! Putin will raise money for the war effort by selling tickets to Russians to watch it sink. The ship is riddled with corrosion and other problems, as well as clumsy sailors who cannot be trusted with heavy weapons, explosives, or pocket knives. Russians brought their only aircraft carrier to critical condition and looking for those responsible (yahoo.com)
More Russians admitting to killing and raping civilians during intercepted phone call. Russians killed and raped civilians as they fled from Lyman, admits soldier in intercepted call (yahoo.com)
In other news: Ghost of Kyiv just racked up his 73rd kill and Putin diagnosed with his eighth type of cancer.
Putin facing 'catastrophe,' pro-Kremlin analyst warns Putin is pushing Russia towards revolution as it repeats the same calamitous military mistakes made in the months prior to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, which triggered seven decades of communist tyranny, Stretlkov indicated. “The combat effectiveness and morale of the [Russian] army [in Ukraine] is strongly reminiscent of the same before the July 1917 offensive of [Alexander] Kerensky,” Strelkov said. Kerensky reportedly served as Russian provisional government chief following the removal of the last tsar Nicholas II. He insisted on an ill-advised counter-offensive with disastrous results.
Ukraine dying ... "We've been in the war for almost a year now," Prystaiko said. "We're losing people left and right. We're not advertising how many of those lost are military or civilians, but you can imagine that numbers are huge, indigestible. And the cities, some of them are totally destroyed." Putin's war plan reaching "critical moment"—Ukraine ambassador
Russia rather pathetically chained to have killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers in a retaliatory missile strike. Let’s go to the video tape!
Russia's leading rocket specialist becomes the fourth key defence official to die in three weeks | Daily Mail Online
Ukraine Invasion Day 321: finding a tie when the empire must die Ukraine is hanging on in Bakhmut and Soledar - but tough sledding. The whole country is decimated - this is a really ugly war of attrition now.
90 updated T72's heading to Ukraine. This should help <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the ninety T-72EA, which are currently being restored and modernized in Czech Republic for Ukraine, was signed by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala during a today's visit.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UkraineRussiaWar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#UkraineRussiaWar</a> <a href="https://t.co/y8DsGvx16M">pic.twitter.com/y8DsGvx16M</a></p>— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) <a href="">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
