In other Ukraine news, secret U.S. documents revealed that close to 100 NATO special forces are in Ukraine, with no indication on what they are doing. The UK has the most at 50, while the U.S. has 14. Egypt's President al-Sisi, also known as "El-Sissy", was planning on secretly making 40,000 rockets for Russia to pay them back for assistance of some type (possibly grain?) last year. The U.S. also believes that 223,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in the war, vs. 131,000 for Ukraine. Not sure if that includes military plus civilians for Ukraine, or just military. Our resident clown-troll is not going to like those numbers. Pentagon leak: Spring offensive downplayed and other key takeaways Looks like somebody just stepped in it.
Austria commits to arresting Putin, should the old dictator set foot on Austrian soil. Putin is not doing too well with countries that start with "A". Maybe he should move on to Belgium. He could take a day trip north and stop by the Hague to see what is going on there. Brazil is also nice this time of year. Putin’s Eurotrip Options Slashed With Another Vow to Arrest Him
This is my “Why don’t we have 10x the number the UK has?” face. But I can’t wait to hear what threats Russia won’t and can’t do in response to this news.
Kremlin ready to throw the war while Putin undergoes chemo? I suspect that 95% or more of Russian elite are pissed about the impact the war is having on their lifestyles and wants this thing over with Kremlin Officials Plan To Sabotage War In Ukraine As Putin Undergoes Chemotherapy, Leaked Pentagon Documents Suggest (msn.com) Kremlin Officials Plan To Sabotage War In Ukraine As Putin Undergoes Chemotherapy, Leaked Pentagon Documents Suggest (msn.com) According to the classified documents, which were leaked on the social media platform Discord last week before making their way to Twitter and Telegram, there is a rumor that Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev and Russian Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov are planning to “throw” the war in Ukraine while Putin is incapacitated. .................................. “According to [the source],” the memo continued, “the plan for ‘the offensive’ was suspected to be a strategy devised by Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev and Russian Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov to sabotage Putin.” While rumors and reports have indicated the 70-year-old Russian leader has been battling health issues since as early as his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the leaked memo’s reference to chemotherapy suggests Putin’s alleged condition is quickly worsening. ...................................... “[The source] on 22 February indicated that Gerasimov reportedly planned to continue his efforts to sabotage the offensive, noting that he promised to ‘throw’ the so-called special military operation by 5 March,” the leaked documents read, “when Putin was allegedly scheduled to start a round of chemotherapy and would thus be unable to influence the war effort.”
Belarus is terrified of NATO now that Finland has joined it, with Lukashenko begging Putin for reassurances that Russia will defend Belarus if attacked. One of Russia's few remaining allies asked Moscow for guarantees that it would defend his country if it was attacked So, Finland joins NATO, and all of a sudden it becomes a mad dog, ready to attack at the drop of a hat? And getting a guarantee from the wolf next door? Does that sound smart? Lukashenko should start by getting a guarantee that Russia will not invade Belarus and take it over. Dude, you're pathetic and dimwitted.
Or it's an orchestrated "cry for help" by Putin's lap dog in Russia's continued efforts to paint NATO as an aggressor and a cause of the "special military activity ".
Who knew that Finland now shared a border with Belarus? I need to brush up on my geography. I would have thought that Belarus should have had its “worry” maxed out with the four NATO countries who already share a border; another aggressive, larger neighbor who makes little pretense that Belarus is a future conquest, one way or another; and another neighbor who might be more than mildly annoyed that Belarus allowed its country to be used as a staging ground for invasion. Now that is textbook encirclement. But Finland is what should really keep the White Russians, er, Belarusians, up at night.
Meantime, outside the bubble … Russian casualties in Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated Now do Ukrainian numbers …
Just hope Turkey and Sweden work it out so the Swedes can join NATO also. That will cause Vlad to squirm a bit more.
I imagine there is already an informal understanding in the event of war. Certainly, the Scandinavian countries will all act together in the event, say, Russia attacks Finland. And one way or another that will bring in NATO, minus possibly a few of the self-serving members, such as Hungary, Greece, and Turkey.
It confirms what has been the subject of quiet speculation for over a year. The leaked files, some marked "top secret", paint a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine, including sensitive details of Ukraine's preparations for a spring counter-offensive. The US government says it is investigating the source of the leak. According to the document, dated 23 March, the UK has the largest contingent of special forces in Ukraine (50), followed by fellow Nato states Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14) and the Netherlands (1). The document does not say where the forces are located or what they are doing. Ukraine war: Leak shows Western special forces on the ground
I don’t know any facts on the matter that aren’t public knowledge, but if I try to view the situation strategically, from China’s point of view, it looks like a win-win to support Russia. If Russia wins, then conquest has been normalized and the West will have to put more of its strength in Europe and away from Asia, setting conditions for the invasion of Taiwan. If Russia loses, then it will be far weakened, perhaps setting conditions for the invasion of Outer Manchuria, an arguably more valuable goal.
While I don’t disagree with what you laid out here, I’m a little concerned we’re even discussing it. Zero chance Russia rolls tanks into Finland. I mean, they know all this, so why are we even discussing it?
Having a resource rich country like Russia alienated from the rest of the world and indebted to you also has its benefits.
