War with Russia

[Psamathe]

I can't understand the focus on a pair of estate agents. Both clearly out of their depth and just look at their previously negotiated "ceasefire" (ongoing attacks from one side including missile into surgery dept of a hospital killing surgeons, medics, etc.)

Why are people wasting their time on these two?

 

[Pblakeney]

I can't understand the focus on a pair of estate agents. Both clearly out of their depth and just look at their previously negotiated "ceasefire" (ongoing attacks from one side including missile into surgery dept of a hospital killing surgeons, medics, etc.)

Why are people wasting their time on these two?

Time for a recalibration. They are not negotiating peace, they are business negotiators. End of.
And that is why they continually fail. For Putin, Zelensky and Netanyahu is is not about the money.

 

[Pinno718]

Time for a recalibration. They are not negotiating peace, they are business negotiators. End of.
And that is why they continually fail. For Putin, Zelensky and Netanyahu is is not about the money.

They even tried to talk property deals when negotiating with Iran. No, I am not kidding:.

https://newrepublic.com/post/211107/jared-kushner-iran-deal-real-estate-development

 

[Pinno718]

Oh and add: Witkoff knows many of the Russians on first name terms as he sold them real estate in Manhattan in the 90's. And we all know, to get ahead in real estate in 80's/90's , you hd to be in with the mafia or you weren't going anywhere. We also know who else was in the property business in NY back then. Then you can join the dots

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-n...itkoff-kremlin-call-main-suspects-witi-leaks/

 

[Pinno718]

• 9th refinery struck in 13 days
• Russian Colonel Dimitri Lobodin, leader of the 6th Airborne division assassinated by car bomb
• Russia's ambassador to the US dies at 66 - ne reason given
• Major Russian rail ridge collapsed in the Komi region. Komi is in the arctic circle and this is a critical supply route. A state of emergency was declared. No indication that there was sabotage but the Atesh group have been active in that aera. The region is so remote that the only way in is by rail.
• Russia's 2nd largest Aluminium smelter suffers and explosion and a major fire. Just Russian stuff disintegrating without any external assistance.
• Nearly 3% of cloud storage permanently lost after Yandex data centre strike. Yandex is used by the Russian administration for public records including tax revenue collection.
• [Jay in Kyiv] Sailing to and from Russian ports has not only become nearly impossible due to Ukraine's drone blockade, but now financially as well, with the cost to insure ships on the Black Sea now at a stunning 10% of the full value of ship and cargo. This is up 30x from the 2022 insurance cost of 0.25-0.35%.
• Crimea slips further into the 13th century, with the czar no longer able to provide. Residents say there's now no electricity, no heat, no water, no street lights and NO gasoline.
• Starshield speeds have been restricted again hampering Ukrainian efforts to shoot down Shahed drones. It's notable that the speed restrictions over occupied territories only by immediately after the Abu Dhabi talks talks, 6 power stations in Ukraine were hit.
• According to the ISW, Russia took a map to the Aby Dhabi talks showing all the land they have captured except the lamp is totally inaccurate.

 

[Pinno718]

Oh and add: Witkoff knows many of the Russians on first name terms as he sold them real estate in Manhattan in the 90's. And we all know, to get ahead in real estate in 80's/90's , you hd to be in with the mafia or you weren't going anywhere. We also know who else was in the property business in NY back then. Then you can join the dots

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-n...itkoff-kremlin-call-main-suspects-witi-leaks/

‘Trump and His Envoys Are Working for Putin, Not the US,’ Democrats Warn​

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89854

 

[Psamathe]

Being reported (by C4 & BBC) Russia now demanding NATO withdraw from Eastern European countries. Predictable response.

Part of my concerns about the "Estate Agents" and their waste of time is whilst I'm not concerned about them wasting their time, rather that it might give some wavering politicians an excuse to delay assistance to Ukraine, to start with "Maybe we should see how negotiations go" and "Negotiation progress has been made" when possible prisoner exchange and Europe might be allowed to sit in (with increased Russian demands on Europe) is not progress, just another episode in Putin's pretence.

And trying to break NATO by saying he'll sign non-aggression treaties with some NATO countries - they cannot sign such an agreement as it would break Article 5. eg Russia and NATO Country "A" sign non- aggression treaty. Russia then attacks NATO Country "B" so NATO Country "A" is obliged under Article 5 to help defend the attacked country but can't because it has a non-aggression treaty with Russia - conflict of treaties and one has to be broken (even by doing nothing).

I suppose any NATO countries signing such a treaty would have to leave NATO as they'd no longer be able to meet their NATO obligations.

 

[Pinno718]

Being reported (by C4 & BBC) Russia now demanding NATO withdraw from Eastern European countries. Predictable response.

Part of my concerns about the "Estate Agents" and their waste of time is whilst I'm not concerned about them wasting their time, rather that it might give some wavering politicians an excuse to delay assistance to Ukraine, to start with "Maybe we should see how negotiations go" and "Negotiation progress has been made" when possible prisoner exchange and Europe might be allowed to sit in (with increased Russian demands on Europe) is not progress, just another episode in Putin's pretence.

And trying to break NATO by saying he'll sign non-aggression treaties with some NATO countries - they cannot sign such an agreement as it would break Article 5. eg Russia and NATO Country "A" sign non- aggression treaty. Russia then attacks NATO Country "B" so NATO Country "A" is obliged under Article 5 to help defend the attacked country but can't because it has a non-aggression treaty with Russia - conflict of treaties and one has to be broken (even by doing nothing).

I suppose any NATO countries signing such a treaty would have to leave NATO as they'd no longer be able to meet their NATO obligations.

Russian demands in any shape or form won't be met though. Certainly not when Russia has been pretty coercive of late. All that activity serves to do, is bring it to even more Europeans an awareness of Russian aggression.
There is an intrinsic link between Russia's precarious position and the escalation of state sponsored rhetoric.

 

[Pblakeney]

And trying to break NATO by saying he'll sign non-aggression treaties with some NATO countries - they cannot sign such an agreement as it would break Article 5. eg Russia and NATO Country "A" sign non- aggression treaty. Russia then attacks NATO Country "B" so NATO Country "A" is obliged under Article 5 to help defend the attacked country but can't because it has a non-aggression treaty with Russia - conflict of treaties and one has to be broken (even by doing nothing).

Plus, it is all irrelevant as everyone knows treaties are meaningless to Putin.

 

[Pinno718]

Sergei Zavorotny, a 72-year-old journalist, was driving on Kirovogradskaya Ulitsa in the Chertanovo district when the blast occurred.

[Moscow Times] Attempted assassination of one of Putin's former aides.

U.S. intelligence previously identified Zavorotny as an officer in Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, according to a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

 

[Pinno718]

Volgograd refinery ablaze after overnight strikes.

Nearly 1,200 Ukrainian Drones Target Russia in Massive Overnight Assault, Lukoil Refinery Ablaze​

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89990

The refinery is among Russia’s 10 largest oil processing plants, with an annual capacity of approximately 14 million metric tons (15 million US tons) of crude – around 5% of the country’s total refining capacity.

The overnight attack also triggered concerns over fuel supplies, with queues reportedly forming at gas stations across Volgograd. Videos shared by Astra showed motorists lining up to refuel in the early hours of Friday.

 

[Psamathe]

Having a bit of a mind wandering day and thinking back to the images below (hoping they are not OTT for even NCAP)

Maybe he has just given-up on the Russian public, or maybe just forgotten about them, or maybe he just thinks they don't deserve to have a good laugh any more ...

etc.

 

[Ian H]

That's more than enough, thanks.