US/Russia/Ukraine Watch 2015

I think the U.S. ABM is all ready in place, I think I paid for it last April.

a reply to: Rocker2013

Still singing the same old song I see .

The only place that might fit of a Russian invasion is Crimea .We have been told many times that Russia has invaded Ukraine but were never given any real prof .It would seem strange that if it is in fact true; that the UKA was able to beat them back out of the country without NATO and all the training that they seem to need .Shouldn't it be the UKA that is training the west on how to fight Russia seeing they seem to be handling them so many times ? And like we were saying from the get go "With the US House of Representatives passing a unanimous amendment last week blocking the training of fighters from the so-called Azov Battalion, a notorious paramilitary group in Ukraine, opposition parties are urging the Canadian government to ensure that Canada won’t train them, either.
The volunteer militia uses Nazi-inspired logos and is reputed to recruit neo-Nazi elements. Foreign Policy magazine reported it is an openly neo-Nazi, fascist group, and a battalion representative told USA Today in March that neo-Nazis comprise 10 to 20 per cent of volunteers.
It is also, however, one of the most prominent militias fighting with the Ukrainian National Guard in eastern Ukraine against separatist groups reportedly backed by Russian money and military equipment." www.embassynews.ca...

Poroshenko claims that under his virtuous leadership, thousands of corrupt officials have been put behind bars. The problem? He refuses to provide any evidence to support his assertion. russia-insider.com...

And this also backs up what we have been saying as well "Ukraine’s Pres. Poroshenko Says Overthrow of Yanukovych Was a Coup

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko requests the supreme court of Ukraine to declare that his predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, was overthrown by an illegal operation; in other words, that the post-Yanukovych government, including Poroshenko’s own Presidency, came into power from a coup, not from something democratic, not from any authentic constitutional process at all.

In a remarkable document, which is not posted at the English versionof the website of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, but which is widely reported outside the United States, including Russia, Poroshenko, in Ukrainian (not in English), has petitioned the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (as it is being widely quoted in English):

"I ask the court to acknowledge that the law ‘on the removal of the presidential title from Viktor Yanukovych' as unconstitutional.” www.zerohedge.com...

a reply to: intrptr

www.aco.nato.int...

They do it every few years.
This link includes pictures of the 2011 training event in ukraine. The 2011 event was named sea breeze.

Rapid triden lasted two weeks and concluded in September of last year.

“I think it was extremely successful in terms of achieving interoperability between the nations, which worked very well together during the exercise,” said
a U.S. Army spokesman.

a reply to: alphastrike101

NATO has no business practicing military maneuvers in Ukraine or eastern Europe for that matter. Generals are like rabid dogs, they should be locked in closets and never ever allowed to practice war on other superpower door steps.

Maneuvers prepare for war, not peace.

Provocative stance, after what the NATO has accomplished in the Middle east, ravaged countries, hemorrhaging refugees, you think the Russians are going to accept these are just exercises?

And please don't go all we've done it all the time, its okay…

a reply to: alphastrike101

By the way, Rapid Trident was in 2014, the pic I presented of the convoy was last week.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Rocker2013

Poroshenko claims that under his virtuous leadership, thousands of corrupt officials have been put behind bars. The problem? He refuses to provide any evidence to support his assertion. russia-insider.com...

And this also backs up what we have been saying as well "Ukraine’s Pres. Poroshenko Says Overthrow of Yanukovych Was a Coup

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko requests the supreme court of Ukraine to declare that his predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, was overthrown by an illegal operation; in other words, that the post-Yanukovych government, including Poroshenko’s own Presidency, came into power from a coup, not from something democratic, not from any authentic constitutional process at all.

In a remarkable document, which is not posted at the English versionof the website of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, but which is widely reported outside the United States, including Russia, Poroshenko, in Ukrainian (not in English), has petitioned the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (as it is being widely quoted in English):

"I ask the court to acknowledge that the law ‘on the removal of the presidential title from Viktor Yanukovych' as unconstitutional.” www.zerohedge.com...

Holy #

Well calling this the return of the cold war is overplaying it a bit. The Cold war we are all familiar with was between two fairly evenly match side that spanned the globe. Those days are over. This a regional problem, much like North Korea. To be more precise this is part of the ongoing conflict between Russia and its former Soviet Republics. Threats and force is the only way Russia can keep them from joining the West. The question is how long can Russia keep this up. Each time it invades and grabs a part of a border nation another then gets scared and prepares to leave. Russia does not have the military power to invade and occupy them all. The West wants to settle things with as little effort as possible. Some minor sanctions that they likely had no idea would be so damaging to Russia is about as far as they have gone.

Belarus looks next to move. The question is what will Russia do about it? What can Russia do about it? Ukraine is eating Russia's small professional forces and the one year conscripts are useless in trying to maintain long term fighting.

Russia has also made threats about other nations joining NATO. NATO is likely to invite Montenegro and possibly Macedonia in this year. They avoided it last year so as not to annoy the Russians when talks were going on but, that is unlikely to happen again. Sweden and Finland's new agreements with NATO has them moving more more likely to join. Something Russia again demands not happens but, then threatens them.

So if your Russia your problem is you can only keep the Former Soviet Republics in line with force. You do not have the military ability to do so everywhere at once. You stand no chance in a conventional war with NATO. Most of your friends have left you or refuse to support you. Internally you have clamped down on everything but, in this day and age how successful can a state really be at doing that? You can not leave Ukraine without losing face at home. You can not take over Ukraine and you your military and economy can not maintain the status quo for long.

If your the West/NATO. you are really not all that interested in the Former Soviet States as they are going require massive amounts of aid and investment to make into modern economies, not to mention completely new defense forces. At the same time you can not look week by doing nothing nations that are acting in sovereign peaceful ways you declare to be a right of all nations. You do not want a conflict with Russia for two reasons. One it would be expensive and the border states would suffer some damage that would require aid. Second while the Russians could not win a conventional war and are no shape to even try, they do have nukes and if humiliated enough somebody just might go nuts and use them. You do not want to arm the Former Soviets at least very well because then they might go after Russia themselves. Best case scenario you arm them like Taiwan, just enough to make it painful to attack but, not well enough to go on the offensive. And it is unlikely the Russians can defeat even the old armies that state like Ukraine deploy without calling out reserves and extending conscripts time in service. You go with some minor sanctions that end up doing far more damage than you thought revealing how weak Russia's economy is. Now with Russia really hurting they can not give in because it will look like they caved to sanctions. In the meantime Russia making threats against your allies and neutral states. So you move to make them feel secure, with exercises, prepo equipment and a quick reaction force. All of which Russia complains about. So you made some basic moves and now you sit and watch how Russia tries to figure a way out this mess. Your best hope is somebody in Russia takes over and Russia goes back to being a global partner.

Its possible.

orignally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: alphastrike101

By the way, Rapid Trident was in 2014, the pic I presented of the convoy was last week.

You may have posted it last week but that does not mean it was taken last week.

I read the thread you originally posted it on and multiple posters ask for a source of the pic and you were unable to produce anything of the sort.

One poster actually found the source of the pic on page 6 of the thread you cite and it proves it was part of rapid tridend as I said before.
en.glavnoe.ua...
That is what the other poster discovered of your false clim.

And as far as your thoughts that NATO should not be able to hold drills is just foolish. Russia does it, NATO does it and they have had agreements on such drills between NATO and the USSR for decades.

Any nation/s that wants to hold drills are fully within their rights to do so.

a reply to: intrptr

Russia accepted they were just exercises when they were participating in them. So why not now? Also, what do you make of Russia's 100,000+ men exercises they do right on the border?

a reply to: MrSpad



How could this crippled Russia manage to "US to EU: Sanctions Are For Suckers!
By Finian Cunningham
June 23, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - "Sputnik" - It’s a rich irony – in fact a richness worth about $7.4 billion, and counting. In the same week that European Union envoys voted to extend trade sanctions on Russia, news emerges from the Paris Air Show that American aviation giant, Boeing, is moving ahead to sell a fleet of its 747 cargo planes – to Russia.
That deal – reportedly worth about $7.4 billion – will see Boeing supply Russian transport firm Volga-Dnepr with 20 long-haul aircraft. That inventory is in addition to the fleet of 14 Boeing 747s that the Russian company has already purchased, according to media reports.
Moreover, it also emerged this past week that the Pentagon is lobbying hard for the US Congress to ease trade restrictions imposed on Russian-manufactured space rockets. According to a report in the Washington Times, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and other Pentagon officials are calling on Senators to repeal a ban on Russian space technology. The Pentagon says that a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin needs to purchase 14 RD-180 Russian engines in order to power Lockheed’s Atlas V space rocket program. www.informationclearinghouse.info...

"the dogs of western fear and sanctions bark, while the Eurasian caravan passes.atimes.com...
And no caravanserai could possibly compete with the 19th edition of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Thousands of global business leaders – including Europeans, but not Americans; after all, President Putin is “the new Hitler” – representing over 1,000 international companies/corporations, including the CEOs of BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Total, hit town in style."

"And on another key theme — bypassing the US dollar — it was up to Anatoliy Aksakov, chairman of the Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship, to cut to the chase; “We need to transition to conducting mutual settlements in national currencies, and we believe that all the conditions are already in place for this.”The action was not only rhetorical. Here’s just a fraction of the deals clinched at SPIEF. Predictably, it’s been a Pipelineistan show all around.
– The pipes for the Turkish Stream pipeline under the Black Sea will start to be laid down this month, or at latest by July, according to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

– Gazprom’s CEO Aleksey Miller and Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis practically clinched the extension of Turkish Stream to Greece. They are “preparing an appropriate intergovernmental memorandum,” according to Gazprom.
– Gazprom also announced it will build a new double pipeline from Russia to Germany, across the Baltic Sea, in partnership with Germany’s E.ON, Anglo-Dutch Shell and Austria’s OMV. atimes.com... To clip off but a few tid bits

Or this "Russia appears intent on selling China its most advanced fighter jet by the end of the year, a move that will greatly enhance Beijing’s ability to project military power in the South China Sea.
Speaking to reporters at the Paris Air Show this week, Yuri Slyusar, chairman of United Aircraft Corp, a Russian civilian and military jet manufacturer, said his company is aiming to ink a deal with China to sell Beijing 24 Su-35 fighter jets atimes.com...

And I have read that Russia will have these critters if they dont already do . "The new strike vehicle is considered a high-technology strategic weapon capable of delivering nuclear or conventional warheads while traveling on the edge of space. One of its key features is the ability to maneuver to avoid U.S. missile defenses.
The Wu-14 was assessed as traveling up to 10 times the speed of sound, or around 7,680 miles per hour. atimes.com...

a reply to: alphastrike101

You may have posted it last week but that does not mean it was taken last week.

But your debunk was trident from last year.

I read the thread you originally posted it on and multiple posters ask for a source of the pic and you were unable to produce anything of the sort.

It was taken on Ukraine's border. Multiple posters tried to debunk that.

And as far as your thoughts that NATO should not be able to hold drills is just foolish.

Rattling sabers on Russia's border is foolish as it gets.

Russia does it…

Inside their borders, yah. US (NATO) forces are defending American shores all the way over there… in Eastern Europe?

Bah…

The OP has asked not to bicker and derail the thread, why don't you stop picking at others evidence and present some on topic?

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Also, what do you make of Russia's 100,000+ men exercises they do right on the border?

Inside their border. Unlike US and EU, (NATO). Faaar from the Continental United States, the Atlantic Ocean or Western Europe, for that matter.

Thousands of miles from the American people. How out of bounds is that?

As if Russia is encroaching in Canada or Mexico, for instance.

Sheesh…

But if and when this goes hot ,consider this piece of info for anyone wanting to report on it

a reply to: intrptr

The picture was from rapid trident.
Although you reused to provide a link for it one poster found the exact pictures on a Russian site saying they were in fact part of the training.

en.glavnoe.ua...

Russia has its bombers doing mock cruise missile strikes on NATO borders all the time. And so far they do not break any agreements just like these training drills are fully within the rights of the host nations.
This is totally on topic and I am only giving your pictures context.

I am simply pointing out facts of the matter here.

originally posted by: Kapusta
a reply to: Rocker2013

The Fact remains that we are headed for a huge war if diplomatic resolution can't be reached.

Who's right who's wrong is no longer relevant at this point , because both sides are standing firm on their convictions .

Kap

And it's fast approaching. Is it wrong that I'm excited about it?

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: AVoiceOfReason

They did it all through the last cold war their gonna do it through this one.

erm… they quit the last (cold war) and went home to Russia.

So far in this (cold war) NATO is the one expanding East into the vacuum left by the Soviets.

one of the reasons NATO expanded east was to make sure that any war and destruction as a result of things going hot will take place on the ex-Warsaw pact nations before the Russian armor assault is sustained. when fighting on the foreign soil as to how much destruction takes place is "very ignorable".

Russian culture of corruptionism and careless drunkardism is further fueling this NATO expansion. the more NATO sees Russia is weakening the more encroachment it will conduct.

Commie minds in Kremlin will thump their chests and say Russia has so many billions saved up and similar impractical views. however the truth is Russian economy has been riding the commodity boom cycle. one this cycle goes downwards in cycle then Kremlin will be anxious in many areas.

Same thing happened in 1980s. Commodity cycle went downwards cycle in 1982 and oil prices came down. Afghanistan war happened, Reagan lauched the Star Wars and arms race etc. Savings from previous cycle started to fall short and by mid 80s, Gorbachov launched the reforms which made the economy go into a "chaotic" mode and political governance got out of hand and rest is history.

Btw, Stratfor recently in its decade forecast mention the collapse of Russian state. This is mainly based on the assumption of state revenues dwindling from the commodity cycle going into a down phase. In that scenario external pressures of all types political, economic and military will be employed by NATO. They want to condemn Russia to the fate of Soviet Union.

However, here is the mistake. The collapse of Soviet Union was due to a) Weak Leadership of Gorbachov b) "fantastic dreams" about capitalsm and modern free societies c) disgust with stagnation and lack of free opportunities given by Commie system. These three were the reasons why the "Glorious" Red Army with its decorated VDV Generals like Pavel Grachev and Alexandar Lebed was repeatedly standing with thumbs up the rear whenever anti-state measures were being used by the distracted public and anti Kremlin leaders like Yeltsin and similar others.

in many a ways, it was the Red Army that brought the Soviet Union down. when drunk Yeltsin (President of Russian Republic in USSR) decided to walk out of the Union, then Red Army should have stepped in and done some serious house cleaning to bring situation under control. market reforms on Chinese model would have gone all along but country as a whole would have been intact and not gone through the "economic depression" of the 1990s.

Putin has provided somewhat strong leadership and he should make sure that the top command of Kremlin and Russian military is tough minded in national interests and does not allow the SU type split to occur in Russia. The ex-KGB i.e. Silovaki in higher leaderships will make sure that any drunk punk like Yeltsin cannot just walk out of the federation and declare a new country overnight.

originally posted by: Nickn3
I think the U.S. ABM is all ready in place, I think I paid for it last April.

What's ironic is the ABM treaty actually allowed for both sides to establish 2 ABM system sites with 100 anti ballistic missiles.

Ironically enough the Russian ABM system is still in place and operational.

ABM treaty

What's even more ironic was the soviet development of mervs. 10 warheads, some being fake, on one ballistic missile would overwhelm the ABM system. All of this occurred starting in the 1950s up until the US withdrawal in 2002. Putin was notified in 2001 of the US withdrawal as the treaty required. The withdrawal occurred in 2002.

The reasons given then are the same as now -rogue nations developing nuclear weapons programs who do not subscribe to the MAD doctrine.

a reply to: victor7

one of the reasons NATO expanded east was to make sure that any war and destruction as a result of things going hot will take place on the ex-Warsaw pact nations before the Russian armor assault is sustained.

In the day of Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and jet bombers, open warfare is not exclusively ground and pound.

Hitler taught the world Blitzkrieg (lightning war), combined air and mobilized armor infantry. By the time the tanks arrive, the air operations have proceeded it. In the event of battlefield tactical nuclear strikes, the "host" countries Eastern Europe, will be devastated.

Ex Warsaw pact nations thanking NATO. The Soviets wanted the Warsaw Pact buffer zone to prevent another Wehrmacht style military buildup on Russia's borders, what irony.

a reply to: victor7

NATO expanded because former east block countries did not want anything to do with Russia / USSR. They joined NATO by meeting the criteria. Nato doesn't annex countries it wants to join.

Russia does that.