Ukraine Always Get What You Want

I know the yacht seizure is a db, but the three go together.





I bet Pootie's patting himself on the back for getting his superyacht out of Germany last week.

 

When we were in Newport over the summer, we took one of those boat tours of Narragansett Bay. It was one of those narrated tours and the number of yachts was crazy. Different classes, tonnage, where they’re flagged, etc.

 

The Hunt For Red Oligarch

 

When you've lost the Germans, ....

 

Can't say I've ever heard of philanthropy measured in ammo before.
Is that tax-deductible?

 

Not only that, but the longer this wrong war goes on -- President Biden already talked in his SOTU speech about how the days, weeks and months ahead will be hard for the Ukrainians, subtly getting us used to that idea while we're all hoping and pushing for a quick resolution to it that we could help cause but are apparently not going to -- the more inured to it we, and everyone else but Ukraine, will become.

Heck, it's already happening. We're already getting resigned to the fact that there's a war going on in defense of the same principles and ideals we've always thought we were built on, and that we've always celebrated and believed in, but we're just going to sit back, let it happen, and watch it all on TV, apparently because Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

The lack of quicker, more direct involvement will, before too long, move Americans from righteous outrage and care to disinterest and disengagement.

 

I came here to post this thread. It’s fascinating, especially if you ever drive past Yermo and see the hundreds of Marine vehicles stacked up like rental car lots. Who knew they get moved monthly?

 

for want of a nail a shoe was lost

 

Something I haven't seen mentioned anywhere, so I'm genuinely curious if it'll be an issue, is the potential for the Ukrainian military to have its own supply issues and breakdowns because of the nature of this war.
Ukraine seems to mostly be using Russian-made equipment. How much of their stuff do they import from Russia? How easily will they be able to replenish their materiel if the war drags on for weeks or months? They sure won't be getting them from Russia.

I'm sure they have their own factories and stockpiles, and can get some ammo, parts, spares, etc., from other countries, but there's going to be a limit to how much they can help. The United States, Germany, France and UK don't have a plethora of spare parts on hand for MiGs and Sukhoi jets. We and our NATO allies use a different size round than the Kalashnikov rifles Ukraine seems to have in abundance, and thus probably can't supply them like they need. Same with missiles. You can't just slap any anti-air missile on a fighter or in a SAM battery.
Smaller countries tend to buy whatever they can afford and often wind up with a weird hodgepodge of American, Russian and European equipment. Romania, for example, was flying American F-16s to escort a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter back home earlier this week. Being able to jump from the cockpit of one to another — especially in a life-or-death combat situation when you need to be intimately familiar with your plane — is not the same as jumping behind the wheel of a Ford and then a BMW. You need some degree of training on different planes.
You also have the issue of the small countries not wanting to deplete their own forces while staring down a potential subsequent invasion. That was part of the reason Poland and a couple other countries quickly dismissed the reported deal to give Ukraine some fighter jets.

Might be something that winds up undermining Ukraine in the end, no matter how hard they fight.

 

If it please this most august and be-chapeaued panel, I wish to make another post. All the while, of course, I will keep my eyes firmly affixed on my shoelaces and not dare get ideas above my station.

That February 4, pre-Olympic meeting between Xi and Putin? Turns out Xi and the Chinese leadership might have had more idea of what was coming than they let on. Another hole in the "China got played" narrative.


Meanwhile, the Q crowd has a new conspiracy theory. They're jumping on the notion -- pushed by Chinese and Russian state media, among others -- that Russia's airstrikes are meant to destroy American bioweapon manufacturing labs in Ukraine and stop them from making the next version of Covid-19.


As for China exploiting the moment to invade Taiwan, it seems a little early for that. Taiwanese officials say Beijing will be ready to mount a full-scale invasion with acceptable costs by 2025. There's no need to hurry as Xi's position is unassailable domestically and China's diplomatic efforts and aid distribution have been very successful at keeping Taiwan isolated. Time is still on Beijing's side as the Chinese economy is still growing (if more slowly) and the worst effects of its demographic decline won't be felt for decades. If the CPC leadership sees reuinification with Taiwan as part of the checklist for China's modernization, the timeline to look at is 2035, by which time the US will presumably be united under the highly qualified leadership of President Jake Paul.

 

The Chinese have spies, too. They knew the Russians were going in. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.