War in Ukraine

[LSU-SIU]

The United States (and Europe to a degree) are the bankers of the world, they survive in large part due to the US dollar being the reserve currency of the world. Basically, the world is wondering why they send valuable stuff to the United States and United States sends them back dollars. At the end of the day, Americans owe a huge part of their standard of living off slaves or slave like conditions that exist globally.

The world is starting to wake up to the fact that there exist finite resources, and probably at some point the gravy train is over. If the big global players ever decided to take their football (valuable goods) home than America will be in chaos like the rest but have limited ability to supply the goods needed for many decades.

If you can't supply your own energy it doesn't matter how many dollars you got in the future.

No cheap credit = no modern civilization
No cheap energy = no modern civilization

Western civilizations are held up by the lie, once the lie starts to expose itself... its game over. Which is how poor ole Russia with $20b of goods was able to force to what amounts to a $2t margin call.

Where Russia is wrong is that the world can't develop a second banking system, its not that they can't but the world uses the existing one. Contracts and trade eventually end up in US dollars somewhere. They can decide to reset the system but there is no back up system.

The Ukraine and now Europe are being setup by the United States for destruction as what other choice do they have? All those countries aren't sovereign, they are simply doing what their master says.

There isn't anything magically about the United States, its simply the world's banker as established by Brenton Woods II. Americans will have a hard time cooping without modern goods and services.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

You are probably right in the sense of just being able to survive there on that salary. However, the costs for raw goods to build consumables, and the cost for purchasing consumables themselves such as washers, dryers, cell phones, TV's, ect aren't going to be cheaper because those items are more chained to the global market. Maybe that's why we saw so many of these goods being loaded up in Ukraine and shipped back to Russia.

Not sure if you are trolling and referencing some random/anecdotal event or not, but anyways...

Anything that has to be imported will obviously be more expensive, even if it does come from China. But for the most part, Russia makes or produces the majority of what it needs domestically. Now am I saying that the sanctions haven't had any affect on certain items? No. I saw a video a few weeks ago where two brothers that were farmers were short on a few items that needed repair because either the prices for certain parts hand spiked or that they simply couldn't get them. But see, they are no more than one generation removed from the Soviet days and the horrors of the 1990s, so they are used to having to make a way with less or improvise. And that is exactly what they did in their unique, stereotypical Russian way. Yet in that same video, in the same town, there was a machine shop owner that has seen his business boom since the sanctions because he was able to fill the gap left by some of the foreign imports not coming in. Entrepreneurship/capitalism... taking advantage of a situation and filling a need in the market. So it is a mixed bag, but in general, even you have to admit that after 6 months, these stories or prognostications of the Russian economy grinding to its knees are at best overblown and at worst just downright lies.

 

[Velo Vol]

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Yeah... tell me where Pugacheva and her husband are right now?

 

[NorthDallas40]

This is a deliciously ironic article. Russians in Belgorod worried Ukraine will invade Russia LMAO

‘They won’t invade, will they?’ Fears rise in Russian city that Ukraine war could cross border | Russia | The Guardian

 

[USF grad in TN]

So explain to me how you "mask it" or manipulate anything when store shelves are full at grocery stores and them having all of their energy needs fulfilled right now? Tell me how that is so?

Foreign reserves that are now roughly $300 billion less than what they had before because of theft by these sanctions. So this quote makes no sense because The West took a chunk of those reserves.

They are trading partners with China. Any voids and gaps that can't be filled domestically can easily be filled by China. This is just nonsense... hell, where do most of these western countries get their technological merchandise?

So? What does that mean? If Russian oil production declines, that is going to have an effect on global supply, which leads to higher prices. And right now, do you think Biden is going to convince The Saudis or Iranians or Venezuelans to make up for lost Russian output? Or will they likely not ramp up output in order to maintain the higher prices?

Again, they are trading partners with China. This is a none issue.


Keep in mind these are the same guys that were telling us in March that Russia only had two weeks of weapons left. And it is comical that they are saying that Russia is relying on older weapons when we have seen from the very beginning that these NATO have done nothing but resupply Ukraine with older and more outdated weapons.


Balanced? It is filled with coping and nonsense.

The article says the sanctions are having some effect but not as quickly or as significantly as some in the West had hoped. Do you think the sanctions are having absolutely zero impact?

There’s more to an economy than food and energy. Inability to buy airplane parts does not stop chickens from laying eggs. Most of the trucks that delivered the eggs 6 months ago are still running. It's not shocking that they still have food.

Why are you mad about a statement that Russia has a talented central banker and has kept the Ruble afloat?

China can’t immediately provide every electronic device known to man. Some parts are made in other countries. You’ve made the point that the US could not instantly start producing everything we need.

New energy sources are developed all the time. New wells are being drilled. Markets shift over time. The West isn’t just going to sit on their hands and do nothing. Companies that would have been working with Russia will look for other places to drill. It will take time and may be more expensive, but people are constantly looking for new supplies. The West will work to find new energy sources just as Russia will look for new technology sources.

The article is not comparing Russia’s weapons to the weapons that the West is giving to Ukraine. They are saying that Russia’s inability to purchase certain components has an impact on Russia's ability to continue production of some of their weapons.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

The article says the sanctions are having some effect but not as quickly or as significantly as some in the West had hoped. Do you think the sanctions are having absolutely zero impact?

No, but it is not presently anywhere near as intense as they expected, nor will it change much more going forward. And the writers of that story are lying out of their azz when they say:

the officials crafting the sanctions in the months leading up to the war always believed that the steepest impacts would not necessarily be immediate.

I do not buy that one bit. They expected an immediate collapse. Plus, it is interesting that they admit that they had been planning this for "months leading" up to the conflict. It might have been better if they would have said these were kneejerk sanctions rather than something they had been scheming ahead of time. Obviously, they planned poorly and underestimated the resilience of the Russian economy. I guess they bought into that whole "gas station masquerading as a country" nonsense. If that's the case, WTF would Saudi Arabia be?

There’s more to an economy than food and energy. Inability to buy airplane parts does not stop chickens from laying eggs. Most of the trucks that delivered the eggs 6 months ago are still running. It's not shocking that they still have food.

No energy grinds your economy to a halt. No food brings the natives out on the streets.

Why are you mad about a statement that Russia has a talented central banker and has kept the Ruble afloat?

WTF are you talking about? I was critical specifically of a comment made in that sentence, not of Elvira Nabiullina.

Putin spent years amassing hundreds of billions in foreign currency reserves, and Russia's Central Bank has benefited from a talented central banker who has managed to implement workarounds to keep the ruble afloat, officials say.

The West took a chunk of those reserves, yet now we are supposed to believe that the foreign reserves are what is keeping them afloat?

I personally am not a fan of central banking. And Nabiullina has gotten some criticism on how she handled the situation back when sanctions were first thrown at Russia back in 2014/2015. But to her credit, she has by far done a far better job, given the circumstances than any other central banker on the planet right now. She out Volkered Paul Volker.

China can’t immediately provide every electronic device known to man. Some parts are made in other countries. You’ve made the point that the US could not instantly start producing everything we need.

China makes enough to fill the gap.
And comparing China's industrial and manufacturing capabilities to the US is not a fair comparison. We no longer have a self-sufficient manufacturing base.

New energy sources are developed all the time. New wells are being drilled. Markets shift over time. The West isn’t just going to sit on their hands and do nothing. Companies that would have been working with Russia will look for other places to drill. It will take time and may be more expensive, but people are constantly looking for new supplies. The West will work to find new energy sources just as Russia will look for new technology sources.

Time and expense are no small hurdles. How many winters and summers will pass before Europe has sufficient LNG capacity? Sufficient nuclear?

And Russia doesn't care if companies that would have worked in Russia decide to go elsewhere. They have the ability to serve their own domestic needs.

The article is not comparing Russia’s weapons to the weapons that the West is giving to Ukraine. They are saying that Russia’s inability to purchase certain components has an impact on Russia's ability to continue production of some of their weapons.

And again, we've been hearing this same song for the past 6 months and Russia hasn't missed a beat.

If anything, The West has a much bigger problem than the Russians do right now. Not only is the West deficient in manufacturing capabilities, but they are just as reliant, if not more so, on China and other regions of the world to supply them critical commodities and materials... many of whom are starting to align with Russia.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Partitioning coming...

Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania urged Ukraine to give its lands to the Russian Federation and three neighbors | odessa-journal.com

Former Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Marga, who positions himself as a political scientist, during the presentation of the book “The Fate of Democracy,” said that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia and its three neighbors.

This is reported by the Digi24 website.

“We are in an absolutely exceptional situation, and I say with all responsibility that Ukraine is within unnatural borders. It must cede the territories of Hungary (Transcarpathia), Poland (Galicia), Romania (Bukovina), and Russia (Donbas and Crimea). These are the territories of other countries,” he said.

 

[MG1968]

Partitioning coming...

Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania urged Ukraine to give its lands to the Russian Federation and three neighbors | odessa-journal.com

Former Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Marga, who positions himself as a political scientist, during the presentation of the book “The Fate of Democracy,” said that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia and its three neighbors.

This is reported by the Digi24 website.

“We are in an absolutely exceptional situation, and I say with all responsibility that Ukraine is within unnatural borders. It must cede the territories of Hungary (Transcarpathia), Poland (Galicia), Romania (Bukovina), and Russia (Donbas and Crimea). These are the territories of other countries,” he said.

Well that’s settled. Some random dude peddling his book says that, then it must happen.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Well that’s settled. Some random dude peddling his book says that, then it must happen.

Some random dude? He is a former foreign minister for Romania. I'm sure he didn't just pull these thoughts out of a vacuum. I'm sure others in the political classes of Romania, Hungary and Poland have the same sentiments.

 

[MG1968]

Some random dude? He is a former foreign minister for Romania. I'm sure he didn't just pull these thoughts out of a vacuum. I'm sure others in the political classes of Romania, Hungary and Poland have the same sentiments.

There are former politicians who think the US should be partitioned. Are they to be taken seriously?

 

[NorthDallas40]

Some random dude? He is a former foreign minister for Romania. I'm sure he didn't just pull these thoughts out of a vacuum. I'm sure others in the political classes of Romania, Hungary and Poland have the same sentiments.

And they’re likely fighting for their time riding Pootin’s nut sack which you are bogarting

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

There are former politicians who think the US should be partitioned. Are they to be taken seriously?

It depends on who they are. If it was a dog catcher or local alderman, maybe not. But if they held a cabinet level position, it may carry a little bit more weight.

But you know this already.

 

[MG1968]

It depends on who they are. If it was a dog catcher or local alderman, maybe not. But if they held a cabinet level position, it may carry a little bit more weight.

But you know this already.

If it was Eric Holder or Madeline Albright? Vicente Fox? Pierre Trudeau?

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Well, sads for the Ukrainiacs... looks like Bakhmut is on the verge of falling and pretty much the Kharkiv counteroffensive is fizzling to an end. At this point, all that is left in Donetsk is Kramatorsk and a few other small towns and then Donbas will be fully liberated. So much for that Kharkiv counteroffensive. It died out just like the other Kharkiv offensive and it also brought out all of those forces that were safe and dug in to their fortifications and brought them out in the open.

I predict that Putin may come back with one more proposal to the Ukrainians, which they will likely reject, before you see the Russian allied forces moving straight to the Dniper from Donetsk in a massive, fast-moving push. That would then set the stage for Nykolaiv being next and then Odessa. Once Odessa falls, then there will be another plea for negotiations by Putin (which will likely be rejected). At that point, who knows where it will go. 50/50 that they do push grab the entire country at that point and a equal chance that Poland leads some type of delegation to begin the partitioning of the rest of the country.

 

[NorthDallas40]

Well, sads for the Ukrainiacs... looks like Bakhmut is on the verge of falling and pretty much the Kharkiv counteroffensive is fizzling to an end. At this point, all that is left in Donetsk is Kramatorsk and a few other small towns and then Donbas will be fully liberated. So much for that Kharkiv counteroffensive. It died out just like the other Kharkiv offensive and it also brought out all of those forces that were safe and dug in to their fortifications and brought them out in the open.

I predict that Putin may come back with one more proposal to the Ukrainians, which they will likely reject, before you see the Russian allied forces moving straight to the Dniper from Donetsk in a massive, fast-moving push. That would then set the stage for Nykolaiv being next and then Odessa. Once Odessa falls, then there will be another plea for negotiations by Putin (which will likely be rejected). At that point, who knows where it will go. 50/50 that they do push grab the entire country at that point and a equal chance that Poland leads some type of delegation to begin the partitioning of the rest of the country.

LMAO

 

[norrislakevol]

No he isn’t right at all. His entire post is an illogical assault on fundamental economics and even basic math.

I mean he may be right that they can survive on that there, but the disposable income that they would have left over after spending on basic survival wouldn't leave them with anything more than people here trying to live on welfare or a limited SS check here in the states. Those people here live in campers, trailers, and cheap apartments.......kind of like they do there. What a life I tell ya!

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

If it was Eric Holder or Madeline Albright? Vicente Fox? Pierre Trudeau?

If most of them were alive now, I would definitely say that heads of state in a NATO country or our equivalent of a foreign minister (Secretary of State), would likely carry some weight. Even a person like Eric Holder because again, these people don't just pull ideas out of a vacuum... there are people behind the scenes that definitely share their opinions or may have greenlighted that person to make certain comments... Those people still have connections and are still in what I consider the political class.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

No he isn’t right at all. His entire post is an illogical assault on fundamental economics and even basic math.

You call yourself an engineer and make a statement like that based on what I said? Really?

 

[norrislakevol]

Not sure if you are trolling and referencing some random/anecdotal event or not, but anyways...

Anything that has to be imported will obviously be more expensive, even if it does come from China. But for the most part, Russia makes or produces the majority of what it needs domestically. Now am I saying that the sanctions haven't had any affect on certain items? No. I saw a video a few weeks ago where two brothers that were farmers were short on a few items that needed repair because either the prices for certain parts hand spiked or that they simply couldn't get them. But see, they are no more than one generation removed from the Soviet days and the horrors of the 1990s, so they are used to having to make a way with less or improvise. And that is exactly what they did in their unique, stereotypical Russian way. Yet in that same video, in the same town, there was a machine shop owner that has seen his business boom since the sanctions because he was able to fill the gap left by some of the foreign imports not coming in. Entrepreneurship/capitalism... taking advantage of a situation and filling a need in the market. So it is a mixed bag, but in general, even you have to admit that after 6 months, these stories or prognostications of the Russian economy grinding to its knees are at best overblown and at worst just downright lies.

I wasn't trolling at all. See my response to NorthDallas. Russians can survive off about 20K a year I guess, but it's not going to be much of a life.

 

[NorthDallas40]

I mean he may be right that they can survive on that there, but the disposable income that they would have left over after spending on basic survival wouldn't leave them with anything more than people here trying to live on welfare or a limited SS check here in the states. Those people here live in campers, trailers, and cheap apartments.......kind of like they do there. What a life I tell ya!

The $20k wax actually a very generous value I think. Google the median Russian wage. The average Russian is getting crushed by inflation currently counter to Moscow Moe’s claims otherwise. And “Butwhatabout…” coming in reply on inflation in 3…2…1

 

[NorthDallas40]

You call yourself an engineer and make a statement like that based on what I said? Really?

Absolutely. All day everyday. You clearly suck at basic math if you think prices are equal in two places while income is one quarter of the other.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

I mean he may be right that they can survive on that there, but the disposable income that they would have left over after spending on basic survival wouldn't leave them with anything more than people here trying to live on welfare or a limited SS check here in the states. Those people here live in campers, trailers, and cheap apartments.......kind of like they do there. What a life I tell ya!

Well first off, if people in Russia were just surviving, you would likely see far more of an uproar than you see right now (which you hardly see any uproar outside of the western influenced intelligentsia and those in the humanities and arts world). Also, you act as though this is a static situation. Whatever negative impacts that sanctions have right now, you act as though Russia doesn't have the time and human manpower to overcome them. You see, unlike over hear in Amerikka where we are woke, politically correct and have 64 genders and pronouns, they actually have a real economy and still teach the hard sciences. Plus, the average Russian is not that far removed from the days of the Soviet days and are fully aware of struggle and pain, unlike most westerners... but especially us here in the United States. So they have a far higher tolerance for pain than we do. In addition, they are more similar to the Silent generation/Depression Era Americans that grew up having to raise their food and improvise on getting items to work and function in order to make do. In contrast, I have engineers here in the US that I have worked with that confessed to me that they can't change out a light fixture or add an outlet in their own home.

 

[NorthDallas40]

Well first off, if people in Russia were just surviving, you would likely see far more of an uproar than you see right now (which you hardly see any uproar outside of the western influenced intelligentsia and those in the humanities and arts world). Also, you act as though this is a static situation. Whatever negative impacts that sanctions have right now, you act as though Russia doesn't have the time and human manpower to overcome them. You see, unlike over hear in Amerikka where we are woke, politically correct and have 64 genders and pronouns, they actually have a real economy and still teach the hard sciences. Plus, the average Russian is not that far removed from the days of the Soviet days and are fully aware of struggle and pain, unlike most westerners... but especially us here in the United States. So they have a far higher tolerance for pain than we do. In addition, they are more similar to the Silent generation/Depression Era Americans that grew up having to raise their food and improvise on getting items to work and function in order to make do. In contrast, I have engineers here in the US that I have worked with that confessed to me that they can't change out a light fixture or add an outlet in their own home.

About your coping and nonsense claim earlier …

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

I wasn't trolling at all. See my response to NorthDallas. Russians can survive off about 20K a year I guess, but it's not going to be much of a life.

I'm specifically talking about this comment:

Maybe that's why we saw so many of these goods being loaded up in Ukraine and shipped back to Russia.

When you say "so many", it seems like you are trying to paint a narrative based on a few anecdotal situations. The narrative being that Russians are pillaging Ukraine for appliances in enough proportion that it is filling the gap of these Western sanctions, when in all likelihood, how have certain instances here or there that don't make a ripple in the entire picture, but it is fun and convenient to make note of and maybe gain some traction in the propaganda war.