The Brink of War?

[Dodger]

Just for fun, checked it out, and comparison of NATO vs. Russia militaries:

NATO has 5.4 million soldiers versus Russia's 1.3 million......

I wonder why Russia had to start drafting retired military soldiers to replenish their ranks if the number of soldiers they've lost in the war so far is as minimal as they're reporting???

Apparently Russia is now trying to recruit soldiers who have left military service within the last 10 years. All I can say is good luck convincing a retired soldier who's had several years of sharing his ass with a sofa and drinking vodka every day to squeeze his fat belly back into his uniform just for the opportunity to go and fight his neighbors. Sounds like a stretch to me (meant literally).

The longer Putin's War goes on the weaker Russia's military gets - with fewer soldiers, less military hardware, and a collapsing economy unable to support the replenishment of the Military. The Ukrainian Military is also getting weaker the longer this thing drags out, but the most valuable piece on the chess board right now is NATO - who is continually building in strength, quadrupling its support forces in strategic locations, and becoming better positioned (militarily) with each passing day.

According to Putin's former chief economic adviser, Russia would halt military operations in Ukraine "within a month or two" if Western countries stopped buying Russian oil and gas. We all know that efforts are underway to do exactly this. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/p...113245578.html

[latintopxxx]

...the big winner here is China...picking up cheap assets abandoned by western companies...getting much needed resources like oil/gas/coal at bargain prices...biggest losers are the ordinary Russians...fed a diet of lies, their country pillaged by the oligarcs...and now by the Chinese......

[cdnmatt]

Russia threatens legal action if forced into sovereign debt default

April 11 (Reuters) - Russia will take legal action if the West tries to force it to default on its sovereign debt, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper on Monday, sharpening Moscow's tone in its financial wrestle with the West.

"Of course we will sue, because we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that investors receive their payments," Siluanov told the newspaper in an interview.

"We will present in court our bills confirming our efforts to pay both in foreign currency and in roubles. It will not be an easy process. We will have to very actively prove our case, despite all the difficulties."

Siluanov did not elaborate on Russia's legal options.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...er-2022-04-10/


WTF? Who exactly is Russia planning to sue? PR stunt, and not a very good one.

[Dodger]

WTF? Who exactly is Russia planning to sue?

Seeing as Putin is one of the richest people in the world (with all the money he's siphoned from Russia's state-owned businesses) why doesn't he just pay the debt himself? I mean the money actually belongs to the Russian people.

If anyone gets sued it should be him,

[dab69]

That was simply you guys being dicks, and sending a message to the West of, "hey, look at us and our cool new missiles". I can promise you, the West isn't impressed.

anybody credible actually witness this?

[StevieWonders]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...er-2022-04-10/


WTF? Who exactly is Russia planning to sue? PR stunt, and not a very good one.

Didn’t Moses assure us this wasn’t possible?

[Moses]

Didn’t Moses assure us this wasn’t possible?

What do you mean? I say: default not possible - Russia has more tan enough money and gold to pay.

What exactly says minister:

It had been due on April 4 to make a payment of $649 million to holders of two of its sovereign bonds, but the U.S. Treasury blocked the transfer

.

well... looks like some one will get rubles... and that will be receiver's problem.

[Moses]

if Western countries stopped buying Russian oil and gas.

"Stopped"??? Will stop, maybe, if will find another supplier.

And you know country what is ready to shoot own leg? Even US cries about sanctions and buys oil at the same time - in March 2022 oil import from Russia to US grew 27%. Russia is second largest oil exporter for US.

The same with EU - everyone cries abot "killing sanctions" but everyone buys gas, oil, coal. They even can't reach agreement within EU about that. The only decision what EU made in 1.5 months is to stop import of coal... from the August. I think they make it in hope what military operation will stop till August and they will drop this decision.

Austria has 80% dependence on Russian gas, Hungary 100%. Do you know what they will say to EU if EU will insist to stop gas import? "Fuck you".

Dogs bark, caravan keeps move...

Reuters today: OPEC tells EU not possible to replace potential Russian oil supply loss https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...ss-2022-04-11/

[Moses]

...the big winner here is China...picking up cheap assets abandoned by western companies...getting much needed resources like oil/gas/coal at bargain prices...biggest losers are the ordinary Russians...fed a diet of lies, their country pillaged by the oligarcs...and now by the Chinese......

That's wrong: China (and India) pick up gas contracts from spot. Germany has long lasting contracts (with prices about $200). When China pick up gas from spot it meet current prices $1200-1500. With discount 50% it still will be $600-750 in comparation with $200 it doesn't looks like "lose".

[Dodger]

Preparations are already underway for a complete termination of all Russian gas flows to Europe. To replace the 1,550 terawatt-hours of Russian gas delivered to the EU in 2021, a portfolio of actions must be rolled out, on both the supply and demand sides . Liquified natural gas is expected to play a key role.

The problem Europe is facing now is that it will take time to orchestrate these massive changes in the global energy supply-chain - and a total termination of energy from Russian seems unrealistic in the short-term. They have to keep the candles burning.

Hopefully (over time) these changes will result in a massive decline is the use of fossil fuels - where more environmental-friendly fuel alternatives will be used going forward.

"How the West was Won"

1) Eliminate reliance on Rogue Nations and Medieval Warlords for Critical Energy Supplies.
2) Transition to environmental-friendly bio-fuels to save the planet. (get the politicians out of the way and let the scientists do their jobs)
3) Stop trading with Communist and Authoritarian Countries and keep the $business$ in the Free World.