Russian Troop Movements Reported Near Ukraine

[Sadbrewer]

Turkish government seems intent to block Sweden's and Finland's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty.
They want all sorts of demands met, mainly the extradition to Turkey of a bunch of people that Erdogan's government is after.

It makes me wonder what Putin's influence on Erdogan is? Does he have some leverage over him?
Using Turkey to stop FIN and SWE to enter NATO seems an effective way to damage the alliance.

Probably a slightly different agenda, Turkey allegedly still delivering 12 Bayraktar's a week to Ukraine..Erdogan claims he can't stop it happening.

 

[Krautman]

They don't need more anti-tank weapons, they need more artillery and counter-battery radars.

That too, but they also need tanks and IFVs, and the latter are often equipped with ATGMs as well. So in the future there will probably be significantly more ATGM types in use in Ukraine.

 

[Whiskybreath]

7 out of a total of 40 operational ones that the Bundeswehr has, and these 7 were only available because they had just come out of maintenance.
Massively criticising Scholz is certainly not the worst thing one can do and this comment "Germany will never forgive Ukraine for resisting the invasion" is to be understood as a sarcastic comment in the direction of the politicians who believed that Ostpolitik was only Russia policy and that Putin and Russia could be integrated and "civilised" through understanding and economic interdependence.

This has led to such great deeds as the Minsk Agreement and to Steinmeier being deeply offended because he simply cannot understand that this agreement, which he negotiated in large parts, must be seen as the trigger for today's war.

You simply have to realise that the Bundeswehr is standing there with its trousers down. Here are a few figures from the year 2020, which will not have changed much in 2021 or even now, because the figures were the same in previous years.

Of 263 active Leopard 2s (there should be 328 ), just 43.7% were operational.
Of 343 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, 29.7% were operational,
Of 79 NH 90s, 23.0%,
and of 51 Tigers UHT, 18.0%.
Of 120 or so PzH 2000s, 40 are operational, about 30%.

In fact, the Bundeswehr can hardly hand over any more equipment because it would then no longer have the equipment promised for the VJTF operationally.
We are talking about an army that in the last few years has had to borrow personal equipment like NVGs or sleeping bags from all over the Bundeswehr to get about one battalion operational.

So it is down to the industry and there the fact is that all the other stuff you mention, Marder 1A3, Gepard, Leopard 1, has been in storage for ages with the industry, the manufacturers, who have bought these vehicles back cheaply and who have not maintained them or kept them operational.

Of course, the government would have had to ensure in February that the industry begins to make these vehicles operational, but again that did not happen and this is a huge mess and the behaviour of Scholz and the SPD do not make it better.
Now there is the problem that the industry, which also has only a certain number of personnel and means of production can only make a certain number of vehicles operational.

You don't get rid of 30 years or more of neglect, bad planning, total ignorance and indifference with a snap of your fingers.

Too little, too late is probably the best way to describe the situation.


I honestly can't tell what Scholz actually thinks or wants to do now, I've seen logs that had better communication skills than the man, plus he is obdurate and stubborn and has false pride.

He can't necessarily be blamed for what should have happened in 2014 at the latest, namely breaking away from dependence on Russia and diversifying, because a large part of this is really Merkel's fault, but that's also more of a footnote. He should have started when his government came into office.
The man is only capable of very limited reasoning, and that is probably one of his biggest problems.

You're not an agent of influence for the BfV, are you?
Just checking : )

 

[Goatman]

Please just put all of this stuff in the relevant threads - there's no need to bring it on here.

yeah...which is why I referenced the alternative thread. Howevs.

 

[Resasi]

7 out of a total of 40 operational ones that the Bundeswehr has, and these 7 were only available because they had just come out of maintenance.
Massively criticising Scholz is certainly not the worst thing one can do and this comment "Germany will never forgive Ukraine for resisting the invasion" is to be understood as a sarcastic comment in the direction of the politicians who believed that Ostpolitik was only Russia policy and that Putin and Russia could be integrated and "civilised" through understanding and economic interdependence.

This has led to such great deeds as the Minsk Agreement and to Steinmeier being deeply offended because he simply cannot understand that this agreement, which he negotiated in large parts, must be seen as the trigger for today's war.

You simply have to realise that the Bundeswehr is standing there with its trousers down. Here are a few figures from the year 2020, which will not have changed much in 2021 or even now, because the figures were the same in previous years.

Of 263 active Leopard 2s (there should be 328 ), just 43.7% were operational.
Of 343 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, 29.7% were operational,
Of 79 NH 90s, 23.0%,
and of 51 Tigers UHT, 18.0%.
Of 120 or so PzH 2000s, 40 are operational, about 30%.

In fact, the Bundeswehr can hardly hand over any more equipment because it would then no longer have the equipment promised for the VJTF operationally.
We are talking about an army that in the last few years has had to borrow personal equipment like NVGs or sleeping bags from all over the Bundeswehr to get about one battalion operational.

So it is down to the industry and there the fact is that all the other stuff you mention, Marder 1A3, Gepard, Leopard 1, has been in storage for ages with the industry, the manufacturers, who have bought these vehicles back cheaply and who have not maintained them or kept them operational.

Of course, the government would have had to ensure in February that the industry begins to make these vehicles operational, but again that did not happen and this is a huge mess and the behaviour of Scholz and the SPD do not make it better.
Now there is the problem that the industry, which also has only a certain number of personnel and means of production can only make a certain number of vehicles operational.

You don't get rid of 30 years or more of neglect, bad planning, total ignorance and indifference with a snap of your fingers.

Too little, too late is probably the best way to describe the situation.


I honestly can't tell what Scholz actually thinks or wants to do now, I've seen logs that had better communication skills than the man, plus he is obdurate and stubborn and has false pride.

He can't necessarily be blamed for what should have happened in 2014 at the latest, namely breaking away from dependence on Russia and diversifying, because a large part of this is really Merkel's fault, but that's also more of a footnote. He should have started when his government came into office.
The man is only capable of very limited reasoning, and that is probably one of his biggest problems.

Your assessment is a damming indictment as to why this individual should not even be a bus conductor!!

 

[Krautman]

You're not an agent of influence for the BfV, are you?
Just checking : )

No, no, I'm more the Stromberg or Goldfinger type.

 

[Kaye]

Does NATO really need Turkey?

I think so. But, having said that, the original reason Turkey was invited into NATO seems to be mostly for two reasons: The first, and foremost, being the real estate they bring to the deal. Being situated on the Bosporus and nicely covering the South-Western flank of the former SU across the Black sea.
Then there was the ongoing instability in Greece at the time, which could have led to them being seduced into the WP camp.
That and some airfields that allowed for U2 flights and some short-range ballistic missiles to be sited there.

It now seems that they are being actively seduced by the Rus again (S.300!) and they're the crack into which Putin is applying a crowbar to put NATO under stress.

 

[Krautman]

Your assessment is a damming indictment as to why this individual should not even be a bus conductor!!

I don't want to, can't and won't defend him, but pretty much all governments of all political directions that have ruled in Germany since the fall of the Wall and the end of the WP are involved in this. The last decades, also caused by the NATO expansion to the East, have led the political class but also many citizens to the illusion that one is surrounded by friends. Another illusion was that Russia was just a bit rough around the edges, but would soon be a full-fledged, peace-loving and prospering member of the international community.

They probably also thought that there would be free vanilla pudding on Thursdays, free beer on Fridays and free blowjobs on Saturdays, but that didn't happen either.

The bad thing is that they had this assessment not only with regard to Russia, but also to China. There they also hope to change the situation with trade and dialogue, and that will go just as wrong.
So one can say with a clear conscience that Germany's policy of the last decades was based on hallucinations, misconceptions and wishful thinking and that we have made ourselves dependent on countries like Russia and China.
As a conclusion remains that the man is indeed useless as the tits on the boar, which in all their infallibility before him the fate of the country were not a bit better and those who will follow him will not be better.
I think we are in deep shit.

 

[JackSofty]

The nearest I've seen similar to that video was an article of somewhere in East Europe or possibly Russia where they moved large amounts of Roma into the blocks of flats .
One block featured had piles of rubbish 30ft high where everything is just disposed out the windows .
So the place in this vid. still has a bit to go .

I think that you must be thinking of Lunic IX near Kosnice in Slovakia. A local govt. attempt to integrate the Roma into society which failed spectacularly because of Roma anti-social and criminal behaviour.
Many women are sent over national borders on pretence of work into prostitution in wider Europe by Roma scum who control the district. All of the 'normal' people who were housed in Lunic IX moved out because of the deep litter piles, threats and other behaviour of the Roma.

 

[Whiskybreath]

Considering that Ukraine's 'front' (the entire border, which could be breached at any time) with Russia is well over 1500kms, not including that with Belorussia, it's a bit odd that various nations are braying proudly that they're sending 7 or 10 items of minor wheeled and tracked equipment (and one or two pieces of longer-range kit), when in fact 100 times that amount is actually necessary to defend the country, and to defeat the threat. And, of course, a great deal of training time with the selected operators of the goods. And the logistical hard and fleishware...

It's not enough. Not by a very long chalk. I can see why Zelensky's frustrated. Meanwhile, his bestie, Johnson, is beating off sniper attacks of cake and prosecco, and not using his time kicking UN partners into action.

 

[Whiskybreath]

I think that you must be thinking of Lunic IX near Kosnice in Slovakia. A local govt. attempt to integrate the Roma into society which failed spectacularly because of Roma anti-social and criminal behaviour.
Many women are sent over national borders on pretence of work into prostitution in wider Europe by Roma scum who control the district. All of the 'normal' people who were housed in Lunic IX moved out because of the deep litter piles, threats and other behaviour of the Roma.

The Kids from Lunik IX - Childhood inside a Roma slum - MICHAEL BIACH

Lunik IX is an apartment complex in the southwestern suburbs of Košice, Slovakia. Originally build as home for middle-class families with a capacity of 2,500 people, the Slovakian government started to resettled thousands of Slovakian people.

michaelbiach.format.com

 

[Banker]

They may learn but I suspect initiative is not encouraged and its display can be seen as a threat by their seniors.

Their country's entire mindset is one of absolute control.

Initiative is as alien to them as absolute control is to us.

 

[nightnurse]

We sold several neane jet engines to Russia in 46/7 on the condition that they were not used in military jets. Hence the mig15 neane powered. Before that Russian engineer's were invited to see jets being built at RR and Dehaviland. They wore special shoes with soft crape soles to pick up meal particles from milling machines to analyse the structure of the metals. All at the invitation of labour party minister's. No change there then.
N.b. I knew someone who worked at RR then and he said every one knew what the ruskies were up to and several senior engineer's tried to stop the visit and sale but we're over ruled and sidelined for promotion.

yes , I heard about this from a relative who worked at RR

 

[Banker]

Does NATO really need Turkey?

I'd trade you three Turkeys for Sweden and Finland.........in a heartbeat.

 

[Banker]

I think we are in deep shit.

Wait until Ukraine decides Germany needs to share some of the pain. That gas won't pipe itself.

 

[Effendi]

No, no, I'm more the Stromberg or Goldfinger type.

Fat, short and bald?

 

[Effendi]

View attachment 665556

The insecure, bullied at school, latently homosexual, fat boy, needs a slap, a permanent one.

 

[Blindjustice]

 

[Kaye]

RSPs keeping their distance.

Never mind... The Dutch allready sent a whole bunch of them over.

 

[retread2]

I'm part French on my fathers side

That's you on ignore then.