Русский корабль - иди нахуй

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

1 minute ago, CHIEF said:

It's gonna be like a holiday for them, never better. All of the cats, rats, stray dogs, grass, and tree bark they can eat.

CHIEF

Pretty sure the Russians ain’t leaving much to eat.  Grass maybe.

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

 

[Brisketexan 106,899]

Hey….you know that “news” YouTube account that some yahoo posted a coupla days ago….the one that went all-in on “UKRAINE ATTACKED INNOCENT CIVILIANS ON A CRIMEAN BEACH!”? Gosh. I wonder if they have a piece on a Russian missile hitting an apartment building…who am I kidding, I don’t wonder at all.

[Orange&White 5,573]

2 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

 

Does it not seem odd that there would be a “Summer Break” in training people who are actively/imminently trying to defend their country from invaders?

[AUS-97HORN 12,051]

38 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Does it not seem odd that there would be a “Summer Break” in training people who are actively/imminently trying to defend their country from invaders?

maybe the ones taking the break are the trainers... esp anyone from Italy and France. they basically take the whole month of July off

Edited June 29 by AUS-97HORN

[B00M 6,734]

52 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Does it not seem odd that there would be a “Summer Break” in training people who are actively/imminently trying to defend their country from invaders?

Welcome to Europe

[elfenix 34,751]

That's a nice new SAM system you've got there, be a shame if something happened to it

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29 by elfenix

[Superhero 9,023]

51 minutes ago, elfenix said:

That's a nice new SAM system you've got there, be a shame if something happened to it

 

 

 

 

 

An AA system costs the same as 5-6 F-35s? Don't think so.

[NeverMarryAStripper 22,300]

Maybe it was built by U.S. big pharma

[B00M 6,734]

6 hours ago, Superhero said:

An AA system costs the same as 5-6 F-35s? Don't think so.

Are you arguing that F35 costs are underestimated or s-300/400/500 costs are overestimated? Have you tried arguing with Google? Patriots cost somewhere between the same and double, if that makes you feel better

Edited June 29 by B00M

[Parliament 14,598]

Rage inducing

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/06/28/russias-most-dangerous-jets-are-parked-in-the-open-a-hundred-miles-from-ukraine-but-kyiv-needs-washingtons-permission-to-strike-them/
 

 

[B00M 6,734]

Rage inducing… or a baited opportunity? 

[Superhero 9,023]

1 hour ago, B00M said:

Are you arguing that F35 costs are underestimated or s-300/400/500 costs are overestimated? Have you tried arguing with Google? Patriots cost somewhere between the same and double, if that makes you feel better

I don't know what to believe anymore...

Google says a F-35 costs between $110 - $135M depending on variant. A Gerald Ford class aircraft carrier costs $13B. (And what I'm familiar with) A hospital that we bid on 2 years ago cost $1.2B.

At some point it's just numbers.

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

21 minutes ago, Superhero said:

At some point it's just numbers.

Oligarch villas don’t fund themselves. 

[Laxtonto 13,301]

1 hour ago, Parliament said:

Rage inducing

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/06/28/russias-most-dangerous-jets-are-parked-in-the-open-a-hundred-miles-from-ukraine-but-kyiv-needs-washingtons-permission-to-strike-them/
 

 

Does anyone remember Vietnam and lines on a map dictating tactical strategy? What about Korea?

Map lines exist and in theory are there to keep a conflict from escalating. The problem with them is that once the other side knows those lines exist, a competent enemy uses them to their advantage. Until they are removed, this farce will continue.

[Nivek 17,415]

Rage inducing
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/06/28/russias-most-dangerous-jets-are-parked-in-the-open-a-hundred-miles-from-ukraine-but-kyiv-needs-washingtons-permission-to-strike-them/
 
 

Ask for forgiveness when a military opportunity like this presents itself.

[Parliament 14,598]

That's kinda where I am.  Pull it off, blow up an attack that takes out up to HALF their supersonic fighters then go back and say, "My trigger finger twitched sry."

 

Edited June 29 by Parliament

[RPM 26,628]

11 minutes ago, Parliament said:

then go back and say,

[dimyh 1,890]

23 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah......except Armenia doesn't bring much of anything to the table.  Their most potent weapon system is Kim Kardashian's ass.

[Captainant 28,539]

1 hour ago, Superhero said:

Google says a F-35 costs between $110 - $135M depending on variant. A Gerald Ford class aircraft carrier costs $13B. (And what I'm familiar with) A hospital that we bid on 2 years ago cost $1.2B.

IIRC, the $13B number is the service life cost of the vessel, I think they're only $5B or so to build 

 

Edit: nvm I'm wrong holy shit those are expensive

Edited June 29 by Captainant

[Braff Zacklin 13,676]

12 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Edit: nvm I'm wrong holy shit those are expensive

They are called capital ships for a reason.

[Chopper 17,432]

The WSJ article about ruzzian espionage based in Vienna - posted by @Schulz2.0on the last page. Spoilered for anyone like me who couldn't get the link to give access to the article.

Spoiler

A Den of Spies: Vienna Emerges as Hub for Russian Espionage
Moscow allegedly plotted to kill an investigative journalist in Austria. Now his home is protected by officers with submachine guns.

The Viennese State Opera building in the Austrian capital, which has long been associated with espionage. JOE KLAMAR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Bojan Pancevski
Updated June 28, 2024 12:06 am ET

VIENNA—Inside a stately art nouveau building in central Vienna, special-forces officers armed with submachine guns guard the home of Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist whose Academy Award-winning documentary exposed the Kremlin’s attempt to kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Two years ago, Austrian intelligence and U.S. law enforcement warned Grozev that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spies were plotting to kill him. After living with his family for two decades in Austria, the Bulgaria-born Grozev fled to the U.S. in 2023. Now, when he returns to visit his family, who remained behind in Vienna, he receives a degree of state protection that rivals that of Austria’s chancellor, officials say.

The failed murder plot is one of a series of incidents that show how Vienna has emerged as Russia’s new espionage hub in Europe after capitals there expelled 600 spies posing as diplomats in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Dozens of these spies have since resurfaced in Austria, intelligence officials there say. In the past two years, the number of Russian state employees in Austria swelled to over 500 from 300 to 400, over a half of whom are diplomats and administrators, according to intelligence officials. Up to a half of them operate as spies, Austrian intelligence officials estimate.

Last year, neighboring Germany closed the Russian consulate in Munich, which German officials said was hosting a number of spies. The Russian staff simply relocated to Salzburg, an Austrian city across the border to the east, Austrian intelligence officials say.

Vienna is now a base for Russian clandestine operations, including financing and logistical support for murder, sabotage and recruitment across Europe, as well as industrial espionage and influence operations, according to over a dozen Austrian, European and U.S. intelligence and government officials.

The Russian Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Russian diplomats and support staff operate in Vienna from over 40 properties owned by Moscow and people or companies linked to the Russian state. Surveillance equipment has sprouted up on the roofs of such properties, some used to tap satellite telecommunications.

An Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman said that Austria is one of the safest countries due to its well-functioning security agencies. The spokesman said that the country’s intelligence agency is aware that Austria has become a target for Russian espionage and influence operations and that the agency counters threats from state actors within its legal limits.

During the Cold War, the city was a notorious international spying hub, as immortalized in the Hollywood classic, “The Third Man.” Espionage is legal in Austria, which is a member of the European Union, as long as it isn’t directed against Austria itself. A neutral country outside military alliances, Austria hosts international organizations, including United Nations agencies and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, some of which have long had spies in their delegations, according to multiple Austrian and foreign officials.

Russian influence runs deep in Austria, dating back to when Moscow was an occupying power of the country after World War II.

Austria’s then-foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding in 2018. PHOTO: ROLAND SCHLAGER/PRESS POOL
For instance, in 2018, photos of Putin dancing with Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at her wedding caused an uproar. The Foreign Ministry is in charge of approving diplomats’ accreditations—as well as expelling them. In 2023, Kneissl moved to Russia, where she runs a think tank. The Russian air force helped move her household, including her ponies.

Vienna-based Russian operatives are suspected of helping with the recruiting and financing of Russian operations such as tracking Western arms shipments to Kyiv in Poland and killing a Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain, Western security officials say. The killers, who shot the man five times and then ran him over with an SUV, were criminals paid with cash provided by Russian state employees from Vienna, these officials say.

“We are now becoming a liability for our neighbors because Russia is using us as an operational base,” a senior Austrian intelligence official said.

Russia sends large volumes of cash into neighboring countries such as Lithuania by road, an Austrian intelligence official said. From there, Austria-based diplomats ferry it across Europe, often in diplomatic pouches that can’t be checked by police.

Now, other EU nations are considering a Czech proposal for a ban on Russian diplomats traveling outside the country where they are posted.

“If these diplomats want to work in Vienna, then that is perfectly fine…but I see no reason why they should have free access to the Czech Republic,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said, claiming that Russian diplomats engage in nefarious activities. Russian or Russian-paid saboteurs were found by Czech police and prosecutors to be behind a number of attacks on ammunitions factories and civilian targets.

The Austrian government must end its “extremely dangerous inaction” on Russia spying, which is “weakening efforts to curb Russian influence in Europe,” said Stephanie Krisper, an Austrian opposition legislator who sits on the committee scrutinizing intelligence operations.

Russia is rebuilding its spying network by recruiting civilians, organized-crime figures, hackers and private detectives for attacks on and surveillance of critical infrastructure and other operations across the continent.

“Russian intelligence is now like an octopus using every tentacle at its disposal, and the head is currently in central Europe,” a European intelligence officer said.

The U.S. also keeps a large spying contingent in Austria, which is the seat of the Central Intelligence Agency’s regional center overseeing activities in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Some U.S. officials believe that Russia grew bolder in recent years and began targeting American personnel. In 2021, 20 U.S. Embassy staff, including CIA officers, based in Vienna became ill with a mysterious condition known as the Havana Syndrome, according to several U.S. and Austrian officials.

The Russians possibly used acoustic or “directed energy” weapons against the U.S. personnel, said Amb. John Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, when some of the reported Havana Syndrome incidents occurred in various countries. The inability of the U.S. to protect personnel from the attacks “means that the Russians or whoever is doing it are way ahead of us,” he said.

In 2023, the U.S. intelligence community said there was no evidence that a foreign adversary had used any such weapon.

Austria’s intelligence service itself has allegedly been penetrated by Russian spies. Earlier this year, Egisto Ott, a senior undercover operations official, was arrested on various charges including accusations of spying for Russia. Ott’s lawyer Jürgen Stephan Mertens didn’t respond to a request for comment. Mertens told Austrian media that the accusations against Ott were unfounded and lacking solid evidence. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal before his arrest, Ott denied he was a Russian spy.

The agency’s former head of operations Martin Weiss, also suspected by Austrian investigators of being a Russian spy, fled to Dubai in 2021. Austria is seeking his extradition for a number of accusations, including some related to the Grozev case, such as using Ott to obtain the journalist’s personal details. Weiss didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Both men worked for Jan Marsalek, the Austria-born former chief operating officer of fintech group Wirecard, which collapsed in a major fraud case in 2020. Marsalek, who fled to Moscow to avoid arrest, has been working for Russian intelligence for over a decade and now holds a senior role with the FSB, Russia’s main intelligence service, according to European officials.

Marsalek coordinated at least one team that participated in the plot against Grozev, according to legal documents. Moreover, Austrian authorities have accused Ott in their arrest warrant, seen by the Journal, of using his intelligence connections to obtain Grozev’s address and passing it on to Marsalek and to Russian agents.

A team coordinated by Marsalek then began following Grozev. They stole electronic equipment including laptops from his homes in Vienna and Bulgaria, according to investigators in several European countries. The goal was to capture and kill him, say investigators.

Several people involved in the plot have since been arrested. One was identified after Grozev’s teenage daughter took a picture in 2022 of a man loitering outside a cafe where she was lunching with her father.

After the plot was discovered, the new head of the Austrian intelligence agency, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, who has been cleansing the body of suspected Russian sympathizers, personally vouched for the security of the Grozevs.

Russian spies have photographed the Grozevs’ security team in an attempt to establish their identities, according to Austrian intelligence officials.

On Tuesday, Grozev said the Austrian government must do more to curb Russian espionage, saying it had penetrated Austrian institutions and its business community.

“Austria only has the counterespionage infrastructure of a very small country, although given the concentration of spies and its importance as a hub for intelligence services, it should have that of a much larger country,” he said in the presence of armed guards.

In the wake of the investigation, Austria’s justice minister has said he wants to change the law that allows for spying.

In the past two years. Haijawi-Pirchner, a former police officer without prior links to the agency, successfully pushed for the expulsion of 11 Russian spies accredited as diplomats, according to several Austrian officials. He has asked for the expulsion of over a dozen other Russian diplomats, but the government has yet to react, two officials said.

Some Western intelligence agencies that had curbed their cooperation with Vienna during the recent scandals said they had re-established some intelligence sharing with Austria after Haijawi-Pirchner purged the service of Russian influence.

A spokeswoman for the Austrian Foreign Ministry said it supports requests to expel all diplomats who violate laws and regulations when firm evidence is presented. The Chancellery didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The scandals are sparking a reassessment of Austria’s ties to Russia—potentially to the benefit of the U.S.

The U.S. had already sought to pull Austria away from Russia in recent years, said Trevor Traina, U.S. ambassador to Vienna between 2018 and 2021. He said he persuaded his hosts to expel a Russian spy accredited as a diplomat, at the time viewed as a great success for U.S. policy.

Then last year, the U.S. grew alarmed at a plan by Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International to compensate Putin ally Oleg Deripaska for a $1.6 billion stake in a local construction company that was frozen due to U.S. sanctions against the oligarch. Raiffeisen has come under fire for being the biggest Western bank still operating in Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to block the plan, according to officials familiar with the talks. The Austrian government scuttled the deal.

 

[Macanudo 13,327]

16 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Pretty sure the Russians ain’t leaving much to eat.  Grass maybe.

Should be plenty of birds.   And no daily limit.

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

45 minutes ago, Chopper said:

The WSJ article about ruzzian espionage based in Vienna - posted by @Schulz2.0on the last page. Spoilered for anyone like me who couldn't get the link to give access to the article.

  Reveal hidden contents

A Den of Spies: Vienna Emerges as Hub for Russian Espionage
Moscow allegedly plotted to kill an investigative journalist in Austria. Now his home is protected by officers with submachine guns.

The Viennese State Opera building in the Austrian capital, which has long been associated with espionage. JOE KLAMAR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Bojan Pancevski
Updated June 28, 2024 12:06 am ET

VIENNA—Inside a stately art nouveau building in central Vienna, special-forces officers armed with submachine guns guard the home of Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist whose Academy Award-winning documentary exposed the Kremlin’s attempt to kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Two years ago, Austrian intelligence and U.S. law enforcement warned Grozev that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spies were plotting to kill him. After living with his family for two decades in Austria, the Bulgaria-born Grozev fled to the U.S. in 2023. Now, when he returns to visit his family, who remained behind in Vienna, he receives a degree of state protection that rivals that of Austria’s chancellor, officials say.

The failed murder plot is one of a series of incidents that show how Vienna has emerged as Russia’s new espionage hub in Europe after capitals there expelled 600 spies posing as diplomats in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Dozens of these spies have since resurfaced in Austria, intelligence officials there say. In the past two years, the number of Russian state employees in Austria swelled to over 500 from 300 to 400, over a half of whom are diplomats and administrators, according to intelligence officials. Up to a half of them operate as spies, Austrian intelligence officials estimate.

Last year, neighboring Germany closed the Russian consulate in Munich, which German officials said was hosting a number of spies. The Russian staff simply relocated to Salzburg, an Austrian city across the border to the east, Austrian intelligence officials say.

Vienna is now a base for Russian clandestine operations, including financing and logistical support for murder, sabotage and recruitment across Europe, as well as industrial espionage and influence operations, according to over a dozen Austrian, European and U.S. intelligence and government officials.

The Russian Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Russian diplomats and support staff operate in Vienna from over 40 properties owned by Moscow and people or companies linked to the Russian state. Surveillance equipment has sprouted up on the roofs of such properties, some used to tap satellite telecommunications.

An Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman said that Austria is one of the safest countries due to its well-functioning security agencies. The spokesman said that the country’s intelligence agency is aware that Austria has become a target for Russian espionage and influence operations and that the agency counters threats from state actors within its legal limits.

During the Cold War, the city was a notorious international spying hub, as immortalized in the Hollywood classic, “The Third Man.” Espionage is legal in Austria, which is a member of the European Union, as long as it isn’t directed against Austria itself. A neutral country outside military alliances, Austria hosts international organizations, including United Nations agencies and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, some of which have long had spies in their delegations, according to multiple Austrian and foreign officials.

Russian influence runs deep in Austria, dating back to when Moscow was an occupying power of the country after World War II.

Austria’s then-foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding in 2018. PHOTO: ROLAND SCHLAGER/PRESS POOL
For instance, in 2018, photos of Putin dancing with Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at her wedding caused an uproar. The Foreign Ministry is in charge of approving diplomats’ accreditations—as well as expelling them. In 2023, Kneissl moved to Russia, where she runs a think tank. The Russian air force helped move her household, including her ponies.

Vienna-based Russian operatives are suspected of helping with the recruiting and financing of Russian operations such as tracking Western arms shipments to Kyiv in Poland and killing a Russian military helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain, Western security officials say. The killers, who shot the man five times and then ran him over with an SUV, were criminals paid with cash provided by Russian state employees from Vienna, these officials say.

“We are now becoming a liability for our neighbors because Russia is using us as an operational base,” a senior Austrian intelligence official said.

Russia sends large volumes of cash into neighboring countries such as Lithuania by road, an Austrian intelligence official said. From there, Austria-based diplomats ferry it across Europe, often in diplomatic pouches that can’t be checked by police.

Now, other EU nations are considering a Czech proposal for a ban on Russian diplomats traveling outside the country where they are posted.

“If these diplomats want to work in Vienna, then that is perfectly fine…but I see no reason why they should have free access to the Czech Republic,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said, claiming that Russian diplomats engage in nefarious activities. Russian or Russian-paid saboteurs were found by Czech police and prosecutors to be behind a number of attacks on ammunitions factories and civilian targets.

The Austrian government must end its “extremely dangerous inaction” on Russia spying, which is “weakening efforts to curb Russian influence in Europe,” said Stephanie Krisper, an Austrian opposition legislator who sits on the committee scrutinizing intelligence operations.

Russia is rebuilding its spying network by recruiting civilians, organized-crime figures, hackers and private detectives for attacks on and surveillance of critical infrastructure and other operations across the continent.

“Russian intelligence is now like an octopus using every tentacle at its disposal, and the head is currently in central Europe,” a European intelligence officer said.

The U.S. also keeps a large spying contingent in Austria, which is the seat of the Central Intelligence Agency’s regional center overseeing activities in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Some U.S. officials believe that Russia grew bolder in recent years and began targeting American personnel. In 2021, 20 U.S. Embassy staff, including CIA officers, based in Vienna became ill with a mysterious condition known as the Havana Syndrome, according to several U.S. and Austrian officials.

The Russians possibly used acoustic or “directed energy” weapons against the U.S. personnel, said Amb. John Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, when some of the reported Havana Syndrome incidents occurred in various countries. The inability of the U.S. to protect personnel from the attacks “means that the Russians or whoever is doing it are way ahead of us,” he said.

In 2023, the U.S. intelligence community said there was no evidence that a foreign adversary had used any such weapon.

Austria’s intelligence service itself has allegedly been penetrated by Russian spies. Earlier this year, Egisto Ott, a senior undercover operations official, was arrested on various charges including accusations of spying for Russia. Ott’s lawyer Jürgen Stephan Mertens didn’t respond to a request for comment. Mertens told Austrian media that the accusations against Ott were unfounded and lacking solid evidence. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal before his arrest, Ott denied he was a Russian spy.

The agency’s former head of operations Martin Weiss, also suspected by Austrian investigators of being a Russian spy, fled to Dubai in 2021. Austria is seeking his extradition for a number of accusations, including some related to the Grozev case, such as using Ott to obtain the journalist’s personal details. Weiss didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Both men worked for Jan Marsalek, the Austria-born former chief operating officer of fintech group Wirecard, which collapsed in a major fraud case in 2020. Marsalek, who fled to Moscow to avoid arrest, has been working for Russian intelligence for over a decade and now holds a senior role with the FSB, Russia’s main intelligence service, according to European officials.

Marsalek coordinated at least one team that participated in the plot against Grozev, according to legal documents. Moreover, Austrian authorities have accused Ott in their arrest warrant, seen by the Journal, of using his intelligence connections to obtain Grozev’s address and passing it on to Marsalek and to Russian agents.

A team coordinated by Marsalek then began following Grozev. They stole electronic equipment including laptops from his homes in Vienna and Bulgaria, according to investigators in several European countries. The goal was to capture and kill him, say investigators.

Several people involved in the plot have since been arrested. One was identified after Grozev’s teenage daughter took a picture in 2022 of a man loitering outside a cafe where she was lunching with her father.

After the plot was discovered, the new head of the Austrian intelligence agency, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, who has been cleansing the body of suspected Russian sympathizers, personally vouched for the security of the Grozevs.

Russian spies have photographed the Grozevs’ security team in an attempt to establish their identities, according to Austrian intelligence officials.

On Tuesday, Grozev said the Austrian government must do more to curb Russian espionage, saying it had penetrated Austrian institutions and its business community.

“Austria only has the counterespionage infrastructure of a very small country, although given the concentration of spies and its importance as a hub for intelligence services, it should have that of a much larger country,” he said in the presence of armed guards.

In the wake of the investigation, Austria’s justice minister has said he wants to change the law that allows for spying.

In the past two years. Haijawi-Pirchner, a former police officer without prior links to the agency, successfully pushed for the expulsion of 11 Russian spies accredited as diplomats, according to several Austrian officials. He has asked for the expulsion of over a dozen other Russian diplomats, but the government has yet to react, two officials said.

Some Western intelligence agencies that had curbed their cooperation with Vienna during the recent scandals said they had re-established some intelligence sharing with Austria after Haijawi-Pirchner purged the service of Russian influence.

A spokeswoman for the Austrian Foreign Ministry said it supports requests to expel all diplomats who violate laws and regulations when firm evidence is presented. The Chancellery didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The scandals are sparking a reassessment of Austria’s ties to Russia—potentially to the benefit of the U.S.

The U.S. had already sought to pull Austria away from Russia in recent years, said Trevor Traina, U.S. ambassador to Vienna between 2018 and 2021. He said he persuaded his hosts to expel a Russian spy accredited as a diplomat, at the time viewed as a great success for U.S. policy.

Then last year, the U.S. grew alarmed at a plan by Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International to compensate Putin ally Oleg Deripaska for a $1.6 billion stake in a local construction company that was frozen due to U.S. sanctions against the oligarch. Raiffeisen has come under fire for being the biggest Western bank still operating in Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to block the plan, according to officials familiar with the talks. The Austrian government scuttled the deal.

 

I work with a guy that's originally from Romania. He's in his early 50s and served in the Soviet army. He was telling me how much he had the Austrians... and the Dutch.

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

 

 

[MagicSoccerSpray 1,736]

 

[AUS-97HORN 12,051]

I am calling absolute fucking bullshit on their air defense system costing $2.5B

 

The fuking Patriot costs 40% of that amount and its built with American worker wages.

 

I mean $2.5B might be the number supplied to the Russian people, because the oligarch's stole 75% of the money. but it probably costs less than half a bil to make

 

also, not purposely calling anyone out, but friendly reminder to our folks who link the Twitter links, it takes the page a lot longer to load if theres more than 2 o 3 embedded tweets in a post. 

[B00M 6,734]

12 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I am calling absolute fucking bullshit on their air defense system costing $2.5B

 

The fuking Patriot costs 40% of that amount and its built with American worker wages.

 

I mean $2.5B might be the number supplied to the Russian people, because the oligarch's stole 75% of the money. but it probably costs less than half a bil to make

 

also, not purposely calling anyone out, but friendly reminder to our folks who link the Twitter links, it takes the page a lot longer to load if theres more than 2 o 3 embedded tweets in a post. 

$2.5B is surely a typo. The S300/400/500 systems are in the $300-$600M range AFAIK

[Nivek 17,415]

1 hour ago, B00M said:

$2.5B is surely a typo. The S300/400/500 systems are in the $300-$600M range AFAIK

Reporters fucking up exchange rates is not uncommon.   2.5 billion Russian Rubles is about 29 million USD.

[B00M 6,734]

27 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Reporters fucking up exchange rates is not uncommon.   2.5 billion Russian Rubles is about 29 million USD.

Who knows. The dollar stretches further when you can pay employees with vodka 

[Viper 12,220]

 

 

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

[Braff Zacklin 13,676]

1 hour ago, Viper said:

Impressed with all three for actually having a somewhat civil dialog. Girls were losing points faster than they could be tallied, but at least they were listening, which is better than your average political discourse here in the States.

One year later, I hope the young man is still alive and, with luck, scored a three-way with the two lasses. 

[Superhero 9,023]

4 hours ago, Nivek said:

Reporters fucking up exchange rates is not uncommon.   2.5 billion Russian Rubles is about 29 million USD.

[JohnnyRage 1,617]

 

[Schulz2.0 29,280]

 

[KYHorn 17,615]

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova, who officially was dismissed mid-June, fled to France ‘with hundreds of millions of dollars saved in cryptocurrency.’.

Tsargrad and other Telegram channels report this with reference to a number of sources, although confirmation or refutation of this data has not yet been received.

If she fled to France, it must be a deal with the French security service, as she is sanctioned in Europe.

There is a version that Shevtsova allegedly cooperated with the investigation against the detained generals, trying to avoid her own charges. 

According to another version, the generals, in order to reduce their sentences, named the names of colleagues who participated in corruption schemes, which could include Shevtsova.

In addition, the Tsargrad publication notes that Tatyana Shevtsova actually owns several real estate properties, including a residence on the banks of the Moscow River worth up to 2 billion.

She has also real estate in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and France.  

Serious questions are being raised as to who helped Shevcova leave the country and who covered up her actions. 

Fleeing to NATO countries is not the best choice for a Russian official, especially a former defense official.

There are many questions about this story.

 

 

Edited June 30 by KYHorn

[KYHorn 17,615]

The former vice president of the Russian bank Gazprom was wounded at the front fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces. Igor Volobuyev is one of the Russians who left the Russian Federation and joined the Ukrainian armed forces after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. A native of Ukraine, he lived in Russia for more than 30 years, where he worked as the head of a state bank. In an interview with the German program DW, Volobuyev said that he does not experience moral concerns due to the fact that he is at war with his compatriots. "I did my job. It was important to me that what I did was effective, roughly speaking, that I hit where I shot, because I was a fiery support. I have no moral dilemmas. For me, it is the enemy. Just as I am their enemy. And if we cross them there, it means they want to kill me. And I want them out of here. I don't care if they are alive or dead, but the fact that they are not here is because this is my homeland," Volobuyev said. Volobuyev also said that he himself was a "victim of propaganda" and that he trusted Putin until the war with his homeland began. He believes that the senior management of Gazprom knew about the invasion in advance and was preparing to work on the occupied territories, believing that Ukraine would fall in a few days.

 

Edited June 30 by KYHorn

[KYHorn 17,615]

Wounded orcs are sent into a meat assault to finish them off. They complain in the video that they were again brought from hospitals to the front. [The video shows all the survivors from 3 russian companies.]
Z-blogger writes: “Another case when disabled people are sent to the front.
I didn’t want to publish it, but this is already a systemic problem. I can’t watch our guys die on crutches and remain silent.
About 50 soldiers of military unit 52562, 47 tank division, 26 regiment, awaiting operations, with fitness category G and an order for a 45-day leave, were sent to the front line in violation of the instructions of doctors.’’ 

Probably relevant: 

 

Edited June 30 by KYHorn

[KYHorn 17,615]

We'll shoot retreating Russians but that's as far as we'll go. 

 

Edited June 30 by KYHorn

[Parliament 14,598]

5 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

 

Let them fight…

[Armybrat 41,408]

12 hours ago, Nivek said:

Reporters fucking up exchange rates is not uncommon.   2.5 billion Russian Rubles is about 29 million USD.

Treefiddy

[KYHorn 17,615]

Some unconfirmed reports for now

 

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

3 hours ago, KYHorn said:

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova, who officially was dismissed mid-June, fled to France ‘with hundreds of millions of dollars saved in cryptocurrency.’.….

She has also real estate in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and France.  

3 hours ago, KYHorn said:

Fleeing to NATO countries is not the best choice for a Russian official, especially a former defense official.

I’d say it was safer than staying in Russia and falling out of a window.  

[PTINS 3,520]

10 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Impressed with all three for actually having a somewhat civil dialog. Girls were losing points faster than they could be tallied, but at least they were listening, which is better than your average political discourse here in the States.

One year later, I hope the young man is still alive and, with luck, scored a three-way with the two lasses. 

Something you hardly ever hear when 2 people are arguing and disagree, "I don't know..."

It is refreshing to see people disagree in a civil manner. They are speaking to each other in conversational tones, without having to resort to shouting, as if saying it louder makes it right. 

Ultimately, very disappointing to see young people that have been fed filtered information all their lives to the point that is all they know, and simply parrot and defend that information, without ever questioning it or considering an alternate view point.

Where have I seen this before? I know I just saw it... where, dammit?

2, 1, x.

Did I do that right?

I learned to say... "I don't know ... 

TLDR

Spoiler

... very early in my career . During my 3-month review in our Management Development Program, I dropped a buzz-word to show how smart I was, and when questioned about it, I gave what sounded like an intelligent answer that was mostly bull shit. More questions followed by more BS. I saw the Director in the back of the room, lean his chair back against the wall, look at me, smile, and start shaking his head back and forth. I finally said, "You know what, ... I'm really not sure what it means." Figured I was about to get fired on the spot.

He just said, "Now, how hard was that to say?"

"Not hard at all!"

After some discussion, he said, "Just say 'I don't know ..., but I'll get back to you.' More important, satisfy yourself that what you learned is correct' "

Those 2 guiding principles have served me well.

 

[Braff Zacklin 13,676]

Just now, PTINS said:

Ultimately, very disappointing to see young people that have been fed filtered information all their lives to the point that is all they know, and simply parrot and defend that information, without ever questioning it or considering an alternate view point.

This is true of people everywhere, though, including the U.S.

The key difference is, citizens in Democratic countries have access to a great deal more data and viewpoints than they do in nations in which the state strictly controls the discourse. They're also (usually) permitted to voice their dissent without repercussions.

[KYHorn 17,615]

 

 

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

Would be nice if videos of Russian women fighting in Ukraine, especially older women, made their way onto Russian social media and made their way into the Russian conscious.