Русский корабль - иди нахуй

[NotActuallyALonghorn 5,005]

8 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I would take seriously the grave warnings but wouldn’t get too excited about any alleged U.S. kinetic action in space— which would undermine the warnings we are sending out. 

So it was mid February of this year, and it was specifically about Russia nuclear capabilities in space with regards to anti satellite stuff. If they put an EMP in orbit to destroy some or one of our satellites you don't think we'd shoot it down as a matter of course to show we won't tolerate that sort of stuff?

8 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I would take seriously the grave warnings but wouldn’t get too excited about any alleged U.S. kinetic action in space— which would undermine the warnings we are sending out. 

So it was mid February of this year, and it was specifically about Russia nuclear capabilities in space with regards to anti satellite stuff. If they put an EMP in orbit to destroy some or one of our satellites you don't think we'd shoot it down as a matter of course to show we won't tolerate that sort of stuff?

[956 Worldwide 35,601]

3 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

So it was mid February of this year, and it was specifically about Russia nuclear capabilities in space with regards to anti satellite stuff. If they put an EMP in orbit to destroy some or one of our satellites you don't think we'd shoot it down as a matter of course to show we won't tolerate that sort of stuff?

So it was mid February of this year, and it was specifically about Russia nuclear capabilities in space with regards to anti satellite stuff. If they put an EMP in orbit to destroy some or one of our satellites you don't think we'd shoot it down as a matter of course to show we won't tolerate that sort of stuff?

I think we’re on a very public shame and deter campaign and that as long as that’s going on, it means that there hasn’t been a need to use other measures. Hard to speculate on what would happen if the Russians went through with it.  The UN vote and press leaks are all tactics to deter/pressure Russia not to launch. I think this vote is about the February tempest, I don’t think anything has gone up yet. 

[Captainant 28,600]

32 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

A month or two ago, there was a news story I happened across on one of the UFO subreddits that there was something in space that was gravely concerning to the US government. A week or so later, there was a news story about a satellite deorbitting and burning up in the atmosphere. Of course they said it was some ordinary satellite, but I wonder if that was a cover for us shooting down a satellite with a nuke or maybe an EMP. Prime tinfoil hat stuff, yes, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. 

Wasn't there just a big news story about the US officially fielding a flying EMP cruise missile? I wonder if that could create some strange atmospheric effects as it flies l, and I could see a ramp up in field tests with current events being what they are

[Parliament 14,619]

Russian shitbox nukes failing then raining down from space.  What James Bond movie is that from?

Also

Ukraine hit some more refineries despite America’s admonishment.  I’m gonna give the US the benefit of the doubt and suggest we’re telling the World they can’t do that, while telling them in private to have at it.  Fuck those Russian fucks.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-russia-drones-oil-refineries-smolensk-1893541

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

[Nivek 17,425]

Washington's and Ukraine's perspectives are quite different.   Biden is worried that a campaign that will harm Russian oil will push global prices up for the commodity ushering in a potential victory for Russia's candidate.  Meanwhile Ukraine wants to hurt Russia's revenue stream.    Ukraine is being short sighted here and playing a dangerous game with their future support.  That $60 billion isn't going to win them the war.   

 

[Bevo 13,926]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/apr/24/russia-ukraine-war-live-us-biden-senate-zelenskiy-aid

 

Closing summary

It has gone 6pm in Kyiv and in Moscow. We will be closing this blog soon, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Russia and Ukraine coverage here.

Here is a recap of today’s latest developments:

• UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said the UK and Germany will provide “unwavering support” for Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, as he visited Berlin to deepen defence and security ties between the two allies. Sunak said “every country has got different things that it can bring to the table” after German chancellor Olaf Scholz said his decision not to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv “will not change”.

• German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that Europe must continue to step up its help for Ukraine even after the approval of a big US aid package, but made clear that he is sticking to his refusal to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv. “But I also want to say clearly that the United States’s decision doesn’t release us here in Europe from the task of further expanding our support for Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against the aggressor,” he said.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged “speed” on providing weapons to Ukraine. In a social media post on X, Zelenskiy wrote: “The key now is speed. The speed of implementing agreements with partners on the supply of weapons for our warriors. The speed of eliminating all Russian schemes to circumvent sanctions. The speed of finding political solutions to protect lives from Russian terror.”

• The US Senate voted resoundingly on Tuesday to approve $95bn in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as a bipartisan super-majority united to send the long-stalled package to Joe Biden’s desk for signature. “Today the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world: America will always defend democracy in its hour of need,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a floor speech on Tuesday afternoon. “We are showing Putin that betting against America is always, always a grave mistake.”

• Ukraine’s foreign minister enthusiastically praised US politicians for approving a long-delayed $61bn military aid package for Ukraine, but cautioned that fresh supplies would not immediately turn the tide on the battlefield. “Hallelujah,” Dmytro Kuleba said when asked for his reaction to Tuesday’s final vote by the US Senate. He added that he was hopeful that the White House would unveil a new package of weapons “within days, maybe hours,” and it was “just a matter of logistics” to get the supplies to the frontline.

• Zelenskiy said he is “grateful to the United States Senate for approving vital aid to Ukraine today”, after a US bill was passed which allocates $60.84bn to support Ukraine in its battle to repel Russia’s invasion. In a social media post on X, Zelenskiy thanked Schumer and the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, for “their strong leadership in advancing this bipartisan legislation”. He also thanked “all US Senators on both sides of the aisle who voted in favor of it”.

• The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would further expand its “buffer zone” inside Ukraine if Kyiv takes delivery of longer-range Atcams missiles from the US that allow it to strike deeper inside Russia. The US is preparing a $1bn military aid package for Ukraine, the first to be sourced from the yet to be signed $95bn foreign aid bill, two US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

A photograph that is reported to be of a firefighter extinguishing a fire at an oil depot in the Smolensk region was published on Telegram by regional governor Vasily Anokhin on Wednesday. Photograph: TELEGRAM/@anohin67/AFP/Getty Images

• Ukrainian drones attacked oil facilities in western Russia overnight, defence sources in Kyiv confirmed on Wednesday. Officials in the western Russian regions of Smolensk and Lipetsk first announced the attacks, blaming Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles for starting blazes at energy sites. “The fire is localised. There is no threat of its spread beyond the facilities,” Smolensk regional governor Vasily Anokhin said, adding that no one was injured or killed.

• Another drone attack targeted the Lipetsk region farther south, which houses metallurgical and pharmaceutical sites, governor Igor Artamonov said on Wednesday.

• Russian forces hit a Ukrainian drone production facility and a Ukrainian army fuel depot, Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.

A law enforcement officer walks by a crater next to a damaged building after a missile attack in Kharkiv on Wednesday. Photograph: Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images

• Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram. The attack damaged three residential buildings, two offices, three non-residential buildings and a gas pipeline in the central district of the city, according to the governor’s statement.

• Russia’s RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources within Russian forces, that their attack hit soldiers’ quarters in Kharkiv where Ukrainian military personnel were stationed. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

• A well-connected Russian deputy defence minister has been charged with bribe-taking, in the highest-profile corruption scandal in the country in years. Timur Ivanov, 47, who was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects, was detained by the FSB services late on Tuesday evening.

• On Wednesday, Ivanov, wearing his military uniform, appeared behind a glass cage in a Moscow court, where he was formally arrested and charged with high bribery. The court remanded him in custody for two months and placed him in the high-security Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday dismissed media speculation about the reasons behind the arrest of Ivanov on bribery charges, and urged reporters to focus on official information.

• Russian forces have made significant advances in a narrow corridor in eastern Ukraine as an offensive by Moscow to take territory before western military aid arrives appears to be gathering pace. Footage posted by Kremlin military bloggers shows a Russian tricolour flying above the shattered village of Ocheretyne. Russian troops reportedly entered the territory on Sunday, north-west of the town of Avdiivka, after advancing about 5km in 10 days. Moscow’s defence ministry claimed Ukrainian troops fled Ocheretyne in small groups and under heavy fire.

• Nato exercises starting on 26 April in Finland and in close proximity to the Russian-Finnish border are provocative in nature, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, told RIA state news agency in remarks published on Wednesday.

• The UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels. Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from £434.2m in 2021. Russia is the largest crude oil supplier to India and China, while Turkey has become one of the biggest importers of Russian oil since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

• The priest who oversaw a memorial service for late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been suspended for three years by the head of the country’s Orthodox Church. An order on the Moscow diocese website demoted Dmitry Safronov from his position as priest to that of a psalm-reader and stripped him of the right to give blessings or to wear a cassock for the next three years. According to the Associated Press, no reason was given for the decision.

[PTINS 3,530]

2 hours ago, Parliament said:

Ukraine hit some more refineries despite America’s admonishment.  I’m gonna give the US the benefit of the doubt and suggest we’re telling the World they can’t do that, while telling them in private to have at it.  Fuck those Russian fucks.

https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-russia-drones-oil-refineries-smolensk-1893541

Ukraine is fighting to exist. I'm sure they're fighting by the rules.

To be clear, Ukraine targeted Russian oil terminals this week, NOT the oil refineries. The only thing in common is the word oil. Huge, huge difference on the longer term impact of each.

Ukraine targeted the Yartsevo Oil Terminal, Smolensk on 4/23/24 and the Talashkino Oil Terminal on 4/24/24. These are not refineries, they are terminals or depots, a series of storage tanks and a means to load/unload railcars and tanker trucks for further distribution.  Both of these terminals/depots have smallish storage tanks, less than 50 ft in diameter, (~ 17,500 bbl each, or ~750,000 gallons).

Chicks dig the long ball, the media likes big fires.  Though the tanks are relatively small, they make big fires, and always make the news, because the news moves oil prices.

Yartsevo Oil Terminal, Smolensk

Talashkino Oil Terminal

This is a screenshot of the Lukoil - Nizhny Novgorod Refinery (~ 340,000 bbl/day) that Ukraine attacked on 3/12/24.  This is similar in size to the Conoco Westlake Refinery (~ 250,000 bbl/day) north of I-10 in Lake Charles.  There are multiple, individual process units within the refinery, that are related, yet distinct in what they do. 

The footprint of the Lukoil Refinery is over 5 square miles. Much different than the oil terminals/depots.

The largest tanks at Lukoil are ~ 200 feet in diameter, (~ 400,000 bbl each, or ~17,500,000 gallons).  That is ~ 1 days production from the refinery.  You take out a few tanks, and you burn up a few days production. If you take out the refinery towers, which Ukraine did target the last few months, that is a much different issue. While the refinery has multiple units, the big "crackers" at the start of the refining process may process ~ 30-70% of the refineries capacity.

I'm a gas processing guy not oil refining guy, so take this with a grain of salt. US processing facilities are automated to the point that the most things are controlled from a central control from, or a series of control rooms. You look at a screen, you flip a switch or select an icon, and a valve opens or closes, and you move on to the next thing. (When you do routine maintenance, you physically make sure valves are closed, and you chain them so they can't be opened. - Safety First).

Automation and centralized control works very well, until someone starts lobbing rockets and missiles at you.) 

The Russian facilities built by US companies, Sakhalin Island LNG for example, formerly Exxon operated, now Russian, would have state of the art automation. The traditional Russian oil facilities are probably similar in nature to their military equipment, cars, and toilets.

Regardless of the technology involved, damaging a refinery has much more effect that simply hitting some storage tanks.

Russian oil production is key contributor to the world market. Russian refinery production, not so much. As long as the production makes it into the market place, with or without sanctions, the world oil price is moderated. The Arab oil embargo quadrupled world oil prices, Russia-Ukraine raised them ~ 20%. If Russian oil production was shut off, whole different ball game.

Russia is not a big exporter of refined products. Damaging their refineries is much more localized for Russia and not so much the larger marketplace. This impacts Russian's war effort without much impact on others.

I would think some of these distinctions played a part in green lighting the longer range weapons that are on the way to Ukraine.  

 

Edited April 25 by PTINS
double image

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

 

[Parliament 14,619]

Did he die?

[Orange&White 5,573]

26 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Did he die?

Hopefully.

But really, who cares?

He won't be fighting any more either way.

[SquishMitten 10,497]

Holy fuck. The way that dude flies through the air ... like all of him was disintegrated and it was mostly just a sheet of skin drifting on the wind.

[SimonBolivar 11,068]

10 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Holy fuck. The way that dude flies through the air ... like all of him was disintegrated and it was mostly just a sheet of skin drifting on the wind.

He was luckier than the dude watching.

[MillerEP 30,907]

 

[The Dog 44,865]

 

[bolverk 30,374]

3 minutes ago, MillerEP said:

 

Do you mind using the thread reader app on that second tweet or go ahead and post the subsequent tweets in the thread? Please and thank you. 

[MillerEP 30,907]

2 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Do you mind using the thread reader app on that second tweet or go ahead and post the subsequent tweets in the thread? Please and thank you. 

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1783542012542685245.html

The European Parliament's refusal to recognize Putin's presidency is a turning point.

Here’s why it matters 🧵👇

MEPs today voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution denouncing last month’s sham election and rejecting its falsified results. Of the 522 members, 493 voted in favor of the motion 
The resolution points to the lack of competition and the atmosphere of fear and repression created by the regime before the election, as well as the fact polling stations were open in occupied Ukrainian lands 
It also explicitly refers to Alexey Navalny’s death as a murder, holds the regime – and Putin personally – criminally and politically responsible, and demands the immediate release of all political prisoners held in Russia 
Most importantly, the resolution urges EU states to support Russian civil society organizations, and issue humanitarian visas to Russians who face persecution for their opposition to Putin 
This is a first public result of the campaign to delegitimize Putin, launched by the Russian Anti-War Committee in October of last year.

This step serves as a signal to Putin that the days when he could unilaterally declare himself the legitimate president and receive universal recognition are over 

While he may hate to admit it, Putin needs foreign approval, particularly from the West, because despite all of his best efforts, Russians still place a lot of stock in Western recognition 

I want to extend thanks to the MEPs who supported this resolution, as well as my friends and colleagues in the Free Russia Foundation and the Russian Anti-War Committee, whose collective efforts made this possible 

Follow @khodorkovsky_en for more on how the West can help us get rid of Putin and end the war in Ukraine. 

Edited April 25 by MillerEP

[Parliament 14,619]

3 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

 

 

In the replies to the tweet:

 

[956 Worldwide 35,601]

We are about to announce 6 billion under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative- Patriots, air to air munitions, other high-end stuff.  This is going to be built and not come from stocks, so this is long-term sustainment and a huge message to Russians.  It won’t go away once the orders are placed.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/25/us-weapons-contract-ukraine-00154450

[Parliament 14,619]

Are we still holding back some cluster artillery?  Or is it used up now?

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11,669]

 

 

[Chad Fuck 18,166]

 
 

It is very good that the Finns are now on our team.

[Brisketexan 107,024]

1 hour ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

 

 

Simo Häyhä sends his warmest regards to his Russian friends.

He sends those regards 175 grains at a time.

[Parliament 14,619]

17 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said:

It is very good that the Finns are now on our team.

Finland didn't join NATO.  NATO joined Finland.

[crash_davis 23,470]

This is fucking awesome.

 

[Gatorubet 30,789]

6 hours ago, SquishMitten said:

Holy fuck. The way that dude flies through the air ... like all of him was disintegrated and it was mostly just a sheet of skin drifting on the wind.

…if skin could crawl, my flesh would fall from off my bones and run away from here.

[bolverk 30,374]

54 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

This is fucking awesome.

Holy shit. That may be the highest master-class level of trolling I've ever seen.

Then the lyrics 🎶the bombs bursting in air🎶 while bombs ARE bursting in air. Good lord.

[B00M 6,736]

11 hours ago, Nivek said:

Washington's and Ukraine's perspectives are quite different.   Biden is worried that a campaign that will harm Russian oil will push global prices up for the commodity ushering in a potential victory for Russia's candidate.  Meanwhile Ukraine wants to hurt Russia's revenue stream.    Ukraine is being short sighted here and playing a dangerous game with their future support.  That $60 billion isn't going to win them the war.   

 

what aid package is Ukraine going to get that’s going to turn the war? The only way this war turns is if russias economy craters and/or their war machine runs out of fuel. All the aid packages do is buy time. Ukraine has no choice but to be short sighted WRT US support, particularly given that our support is demonstrably unreliable. 

[956 Worldwide 35,601]

2 minutes ago, B00M said:

what aid package is Ukraine going to get that’s going to turn the war? The only way this war turns is if russias economy craters and/or their war machine runs out of fuel. All the aid packages do is buy time. Ukraine has no choice but to be short sighted WRT US support, particularly given that our support is demonstrably unreliable. 

We should put into perspective that Russia’s defense budget for their entire military (not the war) is around 140 billion dollars. The U.S. and Europe easily match that just in the value of what we send to Ukraine let alone the rest of our defense spending.

We could absorb a lot more and there was a time Ukraine could have made much larger gains. The concern is manpower in the long run. 
 

[atomheartbevo 90,675]

12 minutes ago, B00M said:

what aid package is Ukraine going to get that’s going to turn the war? The only way this war turns is if russias economy craters and/or their war machine runs out of fuel. All the aid packages do is buy time. Ukraine has no choice but to be short sighted WRT US support, particularly given that our support is demonstrably unreliable. 

The Russians were building replacement turbines for their tanks by hand, they are struggling to find the appropriate vehicles to move their troops around (golf carts do not provide a lot of protection from anything) and moving ammo around in Scooby Doo vans, they are fielding T-55 tanks, etc.  They may not run out of actual fuel, but their war machine is not doing so hot. The T-55 stuff, the hodgepodge of troop transports, etc. combined with the fact that their international weapons sales are down is a good indicator that they have production problems. They are also having to keep their aircraft further back, and with the Really Long Range ATACMS, their helicopter fleet will be almost useless as they will be so far back behind the front lines that most of their fuel will be expended just getting to the front lines and back.

The Ka-52 attack helicopters are good for about 480km under combat conditions - the ATACMS could take them out of the game entirely since their bases will be within range.

It's going to be slow, but Russia doesn't have somebody trying to backfill all kinds of stuff for them.  Iran and North Korea can only do so much.

[bolverk 30,374]

6 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The Russians were building replacement turbines for their tanks by hand, they are struggling to find the appropriate vehicles to move their troops around (golf carts do not provide a lot of protection from anything) and moving ammo around in Scooby Doo vans, they are fielding T-55 tanks, etc.

Don't forget the dirt bikes with the custom drone protection Sissy bars,

[InkaUtexas 26,961]

I took this today.

 

[KYHorn 17,637]

 

[B00M 6,736]

6 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

I took this today.

 

Hope you at least gave that poor guy a couple words of encouragement 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

^Ukrainian intelligence burned a Ka-32.

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

 

[Parliament 14,619]

Glad to hear him say that so directly.

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

[B00M 6,736]

47 minutes ago, Schulz2.0 said:

 

As if drone warfare needed to get scarier. Now the night time bombing drones are escorted by FPV kamikazi drones and they’ve been made silent with advance propeller geometry. Without a major change, tanks are completely fucking obsolete 

Edited April 26 by B00M

[Gatorubet 30,789]

40 minutes ago, B00M said:

As if drone warfare needed to get scarier. Now the night time bombing drones are escorted by FPV kamikazi drones and they’ve been made silent with advance propeller geometry. Without a major change, tanks are completely fucking obsolete 

The anti-GPS satellite war begun, it has.

[SL Xpress 7,609]

16 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

We should put into perspective that Russia’s defense budget for their entire military (not the war) is around 140 billion dollars. The U.S. and Europe easily match that just in the value of what we send to Ukraine let alone the rest of our defense spending.

We could absorb a lot more and there was a time Ukraine could have made much larger gains. The concern is manpower in the long run. 
 

This is what pisses me off the most. There was a time the Ukrainians had the Russians on the defensive. Then the aid stopped, and it all became a series of depressing information, while in my community no one even thinks about the war in Ukraine any more, really. Then you look at the vote in both houses, where there's overwhelming bipartisan support for aid, but the minority has been able to dictate whether the bill even gets to the floor for months now. I like how the NY Post labeled the house representative Moscow Marjorie, because that's how it's felt to me, regardless of any other politics involved. And she's not the only one. 

[Schulz2.0 29,294]

 

 

[dimyh 1,890]

22 hours ago, Chad Fuck said:

It is very good that the Finns are now on our team.

Makes me want to finance an honorary Jere Lehtinen special force squad that just forechecks the fuck out of the Ruskies.

[atomheartbevo 90,675]

7 hours ago, Parliament said:

Glad to hear him say that so directly.

Sounds like they are starting to talk about sanctioning some Chinese banks.

[Parliament 14,619]

Grim assessment from Rob Lee.  Gonna be real hard to win against Russia’s manpower advantage.

 

[InkaUtexas 26,961]

On 4/26/2024 at 6:35 AM, B00M said:

Hope you at least gave that poor guy a couple words of encouragement 

I did. And was able to talk a bit with a few Ukrainian officers from the Liaison team in DC. Wish I could have bought them all a beer but they were in Uniform and about to head out for meetings.