Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-23 and Invasion

[Syt]

Habeck said in summer last year that he'd be in favor of supplying defensive weapons to Ukraine. He said that while the Greens have a strong pacifist tradition, this doesn't mean being defenseless against aggressors.

[Habbaku]

The front fell off.

A wave hit it? At sea?

[Habbaku]

[Admiral Yi]

 

[Tamas]

The front fell off.

A wave hit it? At sea?

Chance in a million.

[The Minsky Moment]

The front fell off.

A wave hit it? At sea?

It's a training exercise, a planned maneuver to facilitate cleaning the ship while at sea. 
The explosions were fireworks set off in celebration of the success of the exercise.

[Jacob]

AFD gotta AFD.

WTF?  How can a crypto-Nazi party be against beating up Russians?

Just reinforces my view that the modern far right doesn't believe in anything at all except being against whatever you're for.

Many far-right parties over here are. FPÖ had very close ties to Moscow and a cooperation agreement with Putin's party. Strongman Putin, standing for traditional values, vs decadent left-green West is pretty attractive to such types.

It probably also helps that Putin has been willing to fund such parties and politicians.

[Barrister]

Incidentally this is still based on early reports, but this is an example of Ukrainian smarts that we've seen in this war.

Reportedly it was during a bit of a storm so there was reduced visibility which meant the ship might not have seen ground preparations by Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainians used Bayraktars to distract the Moskva (and presumably also to provide targeting information) and then hit them with a missile (Neptun, which I think is domestic) while their radar and attention was distracted dealing with the Bayraktars.

If it's true that's not the most complicated plan in the world but it shows the adaptability and using natural advantages and clever opportunism that seems to run through all the way Ukraine's operated in this war. Which is exactly what I think a "weaker" party needs in a war like this.

The couple other details I've seen (and again - Twitter, who knows how accurate):

-the Moskva's radar has a 180 degree field of view, which is why the distraction by the Bayraktar could be so important
-the Ukrainian Neptun is brand new, and they only had the one vehicle, with I think 4 missiles.  So the Ukrainians had the patience and discipline while their nation was under full assault to wait a month and a half for the perfect opportunity to use it.

[The Larch]

AFD gotta AFD.

WTF?  How can a crypto-Nazi party be against beating up Russians?

Just reinforces my view that the modern far right doesn't believe in anything at all except being against whatever you're for.

Current far righters have little to do with their WW2 counterparts.

[Jacob]

AFD gotta AFD.

WTF?  How can a crypto-Nazi party be against beating up Russians?

Just reinforces my view that the modern far right doesn't believe in anything at all except being against whatever you're for.

Current far righters have little to do with their WW2 counterparts.

It's not that surprising. Putin is a far-right darling. Nationalist, bigoted, prioritizes the appearance of strength, leans into anti-woke, prefers bullying to cooperation. All that appeals far right sensibilities. The fact that Russia once was communist doesn't really matter.

[OttoVonBismarck]

The Geeens are the most in favour? Now that's a peculiar development.

I love the German Greens

They're right on this, they were right on the risks around gas policy and Russia for years, they're right on China. I don't agree with them on nuclear but there's enough good stuff there. They're a real, proper governing party with a pretty coherent view in a way that lots of protest vote Greens just aren't.

Anyone against nuclear power is no friend of mine.

[Sheilbh]

-the Ukrainian Neptun is brand new, and they only had the one vehicle, with I think 4 missiles.  So the Ukrainians had the patience and discipline while their nation was under full assault to wait a month and a half for the perfect opportunity to use it.

Yeah. The UK announced that they're sending harpoon anti-ship missiles and the US I think also announced they're sending anti-ship missiles - but both of those annoucements were in the last week so I wonder if the Ukrainians know they're getting re-stocked felt comfortable using them. Or if it was just too good a chance to turn down.

Current far righters have little to do with their WW2 counterparts.

Yeah and it's conscious in Putin's messaging - especially around the war in Syria. In Syria he's standing with a non Islamist regime to defend Syria's minorities and especially the Christians against Islamist hordes. More broadly, he's standing for European civilisation and its Christian heritage against destructive, decadent liberalism in the West.

It's a message that Moscow used all through the 19th century and pre-Revolution. I think current far-right politics in Europe is generally far, far more motivated by Islamophobia than anything from the WW2 parties or inter-war fascism of revolutionary national renewal etc. That "defending European civilisation" is something that the far-right across Europe has in common - "for a France that stays France", Orban's weird state endorsement of Christianity in a broadly atheist and indifferent country, Salvini meeting ultra-trad anti-Francis cardinals - and it's something that Putin's been messaging on for a while, but taps into very long-standing currents/associations with Russia.

[Zanza]

Going back the the Steinmeier thing. I think Germany has to take a hard look at itself and how disastrous its foreign policy has been for the past ... 25 years?

For a country that's supposed to be the core of the European Union, it has sure tried its damnedest to piss off half of the club.

It's not exactly surprising that the consensus in, for example, the Spanish EUOT is that the Germans are a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites and will sell the Ukrainians out at the first opportunity.

The problem for the rest of Europe is that Germany is not "supposed to be the core", but is the core.

[Josquius]

Reading of all these super yacht seizures.
What are states to do with them?
I imaigne the second hand market is very depressed right now.

[Zoupa]

Going back the the Steinmeier thing. I think Germany has to take a hard look at itself and how disastrous its foreign policy has been for the past ... 25 years?

For a country that's supposed to be the core of the European Union, it has sure tried its damnedest to piss off half of the club.

It's not exactly surprising that the consensus in, for example, the Spanish EUOT is that the Germans are a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites and will sell the Ukrainians out at the first opportunity.

The problem for the rest of Europe is that Germany is not "supposed to be the core", but is the core.

Germany is 18% of EU population and 21% of it's GDP. Let's not overstate things here.