Importing from North America Has Become Tough

[Chargeride]

They are getting bombed, Russia has been decimating the power infrastructure almost continously from day one, we connected them to Europes grid in 2022 and just recently upped import levels from their nuclear stations.

EU allows more power imports from Ukraine, Kyiv says

KYIV (Reuters) -The European Union has increased the maximum capacity of electricity imports from Ukraine by 38.5%, giving Kyiv a chance to earn money to rebuild power facilities destroyed by Russian attacks, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Thursday. The new limit of 900 megawatt hours will...

uk.finance.yahoo.com

How this plays with attacks and blackouts is unclear, but it is money coming in..if they ever actually see it is another thing.
Im not entirely sure this importing of energy is the reality because they are talking about upping supply to Ukraine.

Brussels demands new powers to expand Europe’s electricity networks

The EU’s grids urgently need to be renewed and expanded to meet soaring energy demand, Commission argues.

www.politico.eu

This is actually a major cornerstone of of our support, but never gets mentioned because it gives the impression that Ukraine is desperate

Support for Ukraine’s resilience

Find out more about how the EU is ensuring Ukraine’s energy security and providing support for the country’s infrastructure and connectivity.

commission.europa.eu

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Putin has built a war economy, he has made 200bn just from selling gas and oil to Europe which we hilariously use to provide power for Ukraine.

How the West is helping Russia to fund its war on Ukraine

Data shows that Russian fossil fuel revenues are three times higher than aid allocated to Ukraine.

www.bbc.co.uk

They blew up one of the 'ghost ships' supplying us and everyone went..wayhey, Russia is finished.
Theres 500 of them suppyling us and others through proxies.

The ‘dark fleet’ of tankers shipping Russian oil in the shadows

As sanctions loomed, sales of ageing crude carriers suddenly soared, bought by operators unknown to the market

www.theguardian.com

They are building defences in the arctic.

Is Russia preparing for war in the Arctic?

www.polarregions.co.uk

To suggest Russia is a spent force is wishful thinking, Putins energy is dirt cheap, ours is catastrophically high.

Im not here boasting for Putin, Im pointing out the threat...it is very, very real.
Putin got to within 19 miles Kyiv in days , it was only US intervention that made him back off and retreat.

Without the US Ukraine would have been Russias within weeks.

Poland is preparing, we are just making noises and hoping the US will keep spending money, Ukraine owes Europe and America a multi generational debt already and now we are going to take out a loan on Russian money to support more death in muddy fields.
Brinkmanship of the highest degree.

Yeah... except it wasn't the US that saved Kyiv apart from some Javlins. It was the Ukrainians plus the arrogance of Putin who assumed Zelensky (an actor FFS) and his regime would flee immediately and that half the population would greet them with open arms and the rag tag Ukrainian army faced with the superb paratroopers and cream of the Russian army (Which Putin had spent billions on) would collapse in 6 days.

He sent in the VDV (His SAS) by helicopter in a mad dash to take Kyiv airport with no heavy weapons, no tanks, nothing assuming it would be easy. The were wiped out. The corruption of his army was exposed with the dozens of abandoned trucks on the road to Kyiv because their Ali Express tyres had collapsed or their axles had no maintanance. There was a hilarious story that Putin went to inspect a paratrooper regiment he'd spent a fortune on modernising. The officers had stolen all the dosh and had to quickly paint the barracks, borrow modern APCs and even erect fake stage set walls to hide the biuildings decay, not refurbished since the 50s. He failed in those first hours to knock out the Ukrainian air defences, didn't even try bizarrely. Result that his army was exposed and the 100s of bewildered prisoners had no clue 24 hours earlier that they were the following morning invading Ukraine. Insane tactics. But it's normal for Russians:

In the Winter War in 1939 when the Finns were cheerfully exterminating the vast Soviet columns in the icy forests, in the bullet riddled trucks and wagons they found Russian dress uniforms, flags and brass band instruments- all ready for the triumphant victory parade through Helsinki for Stalin. Nothing changes.

Putin is good at propaganda. That old spy craft. But he has no army fit to engage with NATO otherwise he'd be using them to wipe the floor with Ukraine. They don't exist.

And all that money Putin has from fossil fuels? It's mostly spent in Ukraine. The economy is crashing, the sanctions, far from perfect but they are cutting deep, the shadow fleet is like selling his fuels at below cost prices just to bring some cash in (India gleefully taking advantage.) His presence in the Middle East is reduced his base in Syria is on hold with negotiations with the new regime floundering and with pressure from Turkey and Israel, both can smell the desperation of him though like India happy to buy up any fire sale assets.

Meanwhile China is looking closer and closer across the border at the old Outer Manchuria lands annexed in dodgy treaties in the 19C. A BBC journalist said the contrast on the border there is extraordinary- south, in China and the land is covered in vast Solar farms and new canals and intensive hi tech farms. North- in Russia, all is decaying forest and the only activity is logging, and as the Chinese notice the Russians don't even bother re planting new trees! It hasn't changed since the 19th Century over there and the land is empty. But what it does have with the enormous lake Bilal and the Zeya reservoir is vast fresh water reserves and this is the one thing China desperately needs.

Putin's one big hope is Trump pressurising Ukraine in a surrender deal. And he's desperate to have that happen now- once the mid terms happen, congress & the senate may not be so red and Trump will have his wings clipped. Pretty sure Zelensky is holding out for that to happen too.

So the next 8 or 9 months could see big changes. Mid terms cancelled, or MAGA support collapsing?

I just hope over here Starmer, Macron etc hold their nerve. Are there more elections in Europe coming up that Putin can attack in the meantime?

 

[Chargeride]

Its interesting to think if America hadnt offered its superpower status financial and intelligence support, would Europe have stepped in instead?

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Its interesting to think if America hadnt offered its superpower status financial and intelligence support, would Europe have stepped in instead?

I've just seen that the Indian government has done a deal to lease a 37 year old Nuclear Submarine for 2 billion dollars from Putin.
Not exactly the behaviour of a cash rich, confident world power.

What nuclear secrets is he selling to Iran and North Korea? It's all he's got to sell them.