A nuclear power collapsing is something to be concerned about. Unfortunately it is not as a simple as Ukraine wins at all costs.
Eh, it collapsed before and it worked out. I mean, that's a little too flippant but I also wouldn't want to fall into a trap of being too afraid of knocking Russia over.
They were concerned then too. It just makes the situation a bit more complicated than just Ukraine winning. In hindsight, I think we could have provided the more advanced weapons earlier without Russia escalating things beyond Ukraine.
The British have provided an unknown number of heavy long range, stealthy cruise missiles to Ukraine, the Storm Shadow, as those following recent events in Ukraine might be aware. Developed together by the British and the French, the French calling it the SCALP-EG, an acronym for "Long Range Autonomous Cruise Missile System – General Purpose" (in French - thanks, Wikipedia!), it's free of United States technology that would allow our country to prevent it's use, if we chose to do so. The French reportedly pushed for this so it would be easier to export them. Turned out to be a good idea, especially for Ukraine. It has a range of 340 miles, travels at Mach .95 (very fast), an initial charge for weakening the target prior to using the variable delay fuse that controls the detonation of the main warhead of 990 pounds of high explosive. The missile gives Ukraine something it hasn't had before, a fast, powerful, long range cruise missile with stealthy characteristics, and they are putting it to good use. The Russians are furious with the United Kingdom, who replied with essentially a shrug and, "Well, you should stop doing what you are doing and leave Ukraine. All of Ukraine." Here is a video of a Russian short-range air defense (SHORAD) system firing missile after missile, struggling to track the low-observable Storm Shadow. It's a recent video, reportedly from within a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense unit, a defense system the Russians sing the praises of, showing it's inability to lock-on, intercept and destroy Storm Shadow.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-07-03-23/index.html Russia has deployed over 180,000 troops to the two major eastern battlefronts, according to Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “More than 180,000 (Russian troops have been deployed) across the area of responsibility (of the Eastern Group of Forces) ... The Lyman-Kupyansk front is longer, which is why the enemy is concentrating their forces there,” Cherevatyi said in an interview with Ukrainian media Monday, adding there are “more than 120,000 enemy troops” on Lyman-Kupyansk direction at the moment. Cherevatyi called it “a pretty powerful grouping.” He said it included “air assault and mechanized units, units of the Bars combat army reserve, territorial forces” and new Storm Z assault companies, that he said recruited people with criminal records. Cherevatyi said that there are around 50,000 Russian troops on the Bakhmut front. The cities of Lyman and Kupyansk are about 100 kilometers apart, north of Bakhmut on Ukraine's eastern front.
I have a limited understanding of the potential "fallout" from an attack on the reactor, but some of the reading I've seen suggests it would be much less than Fukushima, much less Chernobyl. dangerous certainly, but more limited than "attack on nuke reactor" reporting would suggest. I've only just become an expert on SCOTUS and its proceedings, so I'm not yet equipped to opine on nuclear radiation. Spoiler brb
Apparently it was more about mob in-fighting than a coup (Prigs had neither base nor ambition for Putin's seat). Prigs and Shoigu infighting spilled over when it looked like wagner was about to be swallowed up. I'm a bit surprised how the "nightly news" portrayed this incident (coup, false flag, backdoor nukes to Belarus) from what is most likely the case Interesting analysis and debate.
By mid afternoon Saturday, this is what started trending. Putin socialized Prigs company essentially. Thus is what happens when a privatitized army gets too big. They can roll up on your doorstep and throw eggs at you if you try to disarm them. They are both Russians. It would have to be pretty bad to have Democrats and Rublicans shooting at each other in the street. This is a tempertantrum by Prigs to negotiate a better deal. Now he gets to raise an army in Belaruse. With or without Russias help is unknown.
Good news from NATO! Jens Stoltenberg, former Prime Minister of Norway, has done a fine job under very difficult conditions leading NATO. For example, he has had to deal with a term of trump as President of the United States, the leading power in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, trump being the most pro-Russian president we've had since FDR during World War 2. Roosevelt, unlike trump, having strong reasons for supporting Stalin during the horrific conflict against Germany and Italy in Europe, as well as Japan in the Pacific. trump, however, having no good reason for sucking up to Vladimir Putin. Putin, after the breakup of the Soviet Union and eventually coming to power, broke a treaty with Ukraine pledging to honor Ukraine's sovereign territory if she gave up her nuclear weapons. A decision that country, the largest wholly in Europe, no doubt bitterly regrets. NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg to extend term, again By TIM MARTIN on July 05, 2023 at 11:52 AM It is the third time the former Norwegian prime minister has had his mandate extended since taking on the secretary general position in 2014 NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg will stay on in his role until October 2024, despite indicating his intention to stand down in June (NATO) BELFAST — NATO allies are set to extended the mandate for secretary general Jens Stoltenberg to lead the alliance for an additional year, which will see him in post until October 2024, following weeks of speculation over a potential successor. Announced July 4, NATO said in a statement that the mandate decision will be “endorsed” at the forthcoming Heads of State Summit in Vilnius Lithuania, due to take place next week. Stoltenberg added on social media that he was “honored” by the decision, noting that the alliance “is more important than ever.” It is the third time the former Norwegian prime minister has had his mandate extended since taking on the secretary general position in 2014. Only weeks ago he had declared to media that he would step down from his post this October. He has not publicly commented on why he decided to stay on. NATO secretary general’s are appointed by consensus of the alliance’s 31 member states. UK defense secretary Ben Wallace had been seen as a leading candidate to succeed Stoltenberg, but he revealed in a June interview with the Economist that he was out of the race for the role. Other reports have suggested that political disagreements and dislike of a non-EU leader had contributed to some within the alliance unwilling to endorse a British candidate. Similarly, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, previously touted as a successor to Stoltenberg, also said last month that she was “not a candidate,” according to Reuters. Stoltenberg has guided NATO through a particularly turbulent period after Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022 with allies largely united on military aid packages, increased defense spending and expanding the alliance by welcoming Finland and, likely, Sweden. During the Head’s of State Summit he is expected to lead discussions on a new agreement that would see all alliance members commit to a defense spending target above the current 2 percent GDP level, per member, and potentially formally approve Sweden’s membership. https://breakingdefense.com/2023/07/nato-leader-jens-stoltenberg-to-extend-term-again/
Wagner's also in South America. A sign of their presence in these country is the visibility of anti-US, pro-MAGA troll accounts that are purportedly posted from those parts of the world. Do they set up offices in these countries or is it all done from their St Petersburg HQ?
