Member Info for big-blue

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001126000363/Rssia-Slams-NATO-EU-Mnlihic-Reply-fr-Undermining-Member-Saes%E2%80%99

Russia propaganda machine now in full swing. So, how long before BBC turns of UK government, esp Liz Truss, accusing them of fanning the flames of conflict by talking about invasions that were, very obviously, not going to happen. Indeed, wasn't it all the governments fault?

"Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow should hold more talks despite the West’s refusal to consider his country’s main demands, particularly for Ukraine to not be allowed to join Nato.

He said that the talks “can’t go on indefinitely, but I would suggest to continue and expand them at this stage”."

Yeah, keep the talks going until, say, mid-May when the ground is drier and the spring rains have subsided, and there will be crops growing helping bind the top soil for the lighter vehicles.

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/russia-troops-ukraine-border-pulling-back-west-invasion-warning-imminent-1461298?ITO=newsnow

Watch the video, especially at the start. Notice the ground. Notice the tyres put down because of the traction problem for tanks. Note in the clip of the tanks going away from the camera how many track lines there are. They are constantly switching the path to follow because it is becoming impassable even for tanks. You can get a lot out of just a few seconds clips.

The west intelligence agencies will be pouring over this video frame by frame. Are there only tank drivers, or is the full complement of crew with the tank? Was the crew ever with the tank? Were the tanks just their for the aerial pictures? If the tanks are struggling, how were the fuel and armament supply chains going to manage?

https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/news/international/1256493/airlines-need-to-negotiate-ukraine-insurance-cover-for-flights---lloyd-s-official?utm_campaign=magnet&utm_source=article_page&utm_medium=recommended_articles

Mind you, insuring an aircraft is a little more tricky.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine

You already had to buy Ukraine insurance for covid anyway - but it was very cheap if I remember the last time I looked
https://www.flyuia.com/ua/en/services/travel-insurance#world_and_euro_packages

direct-travel.co.uk gave quotes fro 5 days end of Feb from basic, 12.80 to full cover 34.57. Of course no policy covers you in a war zone unless you have specialist cover. But there will not be a formal declaration of war so you are only in a region of conflict and traveling against foreign office advice so some facilities such as repatriation flights might be excluded. Always extend cover in those areas to include all bordering nations in my experience.

Some cheap flights to Kiev for end Feb early March. £22 return, throw away ticket if they don't abandon preflight tests in time. Worth a punt!

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-airlines-show-rebound-in-passenger-levels-/6442167.html

As British rail oce said, "We're getting there"

https://airinsight.com/lagging-business-traffic-slowing-recovery/

Don't agree, I think video conferencing is overrated. I said, ..... Th.TThTTh... ii.ii nk video...................................................... hello..................... I think............................. hello.......................

I agree Ed1, from the moment the TV gods bigged up the invasion last November was it, it was clear that it was a leverage strategy. The response of the west was to not even notice it for a time. I said before, Putin had an embarrassing problem. He set up an invasion force expecting a strong response to counteract the force but nothing happened. He had an open door into the Ukraine, winter hadn't set in, but there was no opposing nato force to apparently stop his invasion. If he wanted to invade, he would have done it early December or even earlier. A 'crisis' has had to be engineered and get the headless chickens in Europe and the US going to be able to create an escape route. It has been quite laughable.

They were defending Stalingrad! How well did the attacking force that had to be mobile fair?

Spar, everyone is looking at the length of the table between Putin and Schulz. Anything under 5m is a strong buy.

:))))))

Shulz to remind Russia that German sent 5000 helmets to Ukraine, so just think twice!

Fontenoy, spring as warmer days, longer days to reduce mud. Unlike invading western Europe with nice paved roads, the further east you go, the less paved road you have. You just have huge enormous fields. They don't have much in the way of crops in the fields at the moment, coupled with winter damp soil [frozen soil quickly turns to damp mud with columns of vehicles driving over it] creates quite a quagmire. This is hearsay I have 'overheard' that the mud has been a major impediment for large scale maneuvers. Also Russian vehicles are not [all or some] using additives in the diesel to stop overnight freezing up of fuel lines.

Of course, the Russian propaganda machine will make the most of it, but if it is the case that the winter has stopped a full invasion and that an invasion was actually the intent, then Russia may buy time and come back latter in the year when conditions on the ground are much better.

I can't tell whether the winter conditions are so bad even the incursions expected into the ethnic enclaves are to be shelved and instead the same method for invading Crimea will be used. I never believed Russia was intent on an overt military invasion, it seems from what I have been privy to that it would have been a mess and a turkey shoot for nato forces like the road out of Kuwait to Baghdad during the first gulf war.

Certainly looks like the markets are reversing the previous falls that seemed to be due to the US ramping up the rhetoric.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/scandinavian-airlines-system-sas/sas-baggage-handlers-strike-show-up-for-work-or-you-will-be-fired/

More evidence the world is returning back to normal, lol!

Yes, monkey, what can be sustained in the form of exercises continues. But the ramping up of the exercises didn't go well. The ramping up was supposed to be the end game pressure on the diplomats to cave in to Russian demands. It is going a little wobbly in the mud and freezing temperatures. So there is a reduction to what can be put on display. Could have happened to any army though.

Spar12, I can't reference this but I understand the logistic supply to the 'frontline' is broken at several points. They have failed to maintain fuel supplies and so a winter invasion would be an absolute no no. Come back in the spring after 'peace' talks have been given time to fail!!!!

We know livestock, we knew yesterday. I posted about the diesel freezing up in the tanks and the wrong mud.

You so frequently seem to post 12 to 24 hrs after the news.

Astonishing! With all that is going on in the world, 15 min interview with a tennis player trying to rewrite history and the BBC doing what they can to make him out to be a victim. I hope the Australian embassy in London throws the book at the BBC over this. I don't remember such long sympathetic questioning of the Australian authorities. And I seem to remember there were a number of significant procedural anomalies in the visa declarations.

BBC is not fit to hold a license to broadcast.

Initial opening then, overnight orders all cleared and there is a positive vibe so far. I wouldn't say the iis are moving their money back in just yet, but they have stopped moving it out and the bots are clearly continuing the walk back up the ladder from yesterday's pause.

So, do the iis pile in now on the basis that the invasion threat will be pulled back based on latest diplomatic activity? Or stay out expecting further deterioration in negotiation? Or stay out during the next incursion phase into at least the Donbas region?

Seems the news of part of the exercises being ended early has not been widely reported, more important things like tennis players vaccination rants to report on! However, I suspect the markets are going to read into the ending of part of the Russian exercises as a sort of positive and the sp will be terminated. But when will the iis pile back in again? Now or wait for ink on paper?

"It is the Serbian routes"

oooops, that should read SIBERIAN routes.