re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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we also need to be able to maintain combat readiness and I'm not sure what that threshold really is.

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You may recall in the second week of the conflict a meeting between the White House, Joint Chiefs and all the players in the defense contracting industry.

What we are giving is measured against readiness needs and our replacement/upgrade turnaround time is much quicker than the UK. Or anyone really.

We have any good figures on our current stockpile of tanks?

I know we have the most advanced weapons systems on the planet, but we have to have a plan B to compete with brute force and out numbering the opponent also.
It is nice to have $147,000 laser guided artillery shells but if the opponent has 100 howitzers in an area we are going to loose that ground.
We won WW2 because we out produced and out gunned the enemy.
When you can only produce 5 tanks a month you are in trouble.

No, i haven't been able to find that info, my guess is its closely guarded info.

The only success I've had is when I can reverse calculate it based on some other data like with the Javelins.

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I know we have the most advanced weapons systems on the planet, but we have to have a plan B to compete with brute force and out numbering the opponent also.
It is nice to have $147,000 laser guided artillery shells but if the opponent has 100 howitzers in an area we are going to loose that ground.
We won WW2 because we out produced and out gunned the enemy.
When you can only produce 5 tanks a month you are in trouble.

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Russia has even less manufacturing capacity than we do and they're in the process of burning through all the weapons and ammo they had stockpiled. That's not a renewable resource. It's a cold war legacy they'll never be able to replace.

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Russia Stole Ukraine’s Largest Solar Plant

Invading Russian troops dismantled and stole Ukraine’s largest solar power plant near the town of Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Region.

According to local residents, the occupiers spent a long period of time disassembling, packaging and exporting its solar panels to Russia.

Created in 2013, Tokmak Solar Energy was the largest solar power plant in Ukraine. Spanning 96 hectares, and equal in size to 100 football fields, the capacity of the station was 50 MW.

Kyiv Post

That took some effort and resources. Must have been OKed at a high level. Bunch of thieves.

??In the southern direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine neutralized the enemy DRG and struck at the command and observation post, – the speaker of the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Serhii Bratchuk says.

LINK

In another demonstration of Russian business acumen, a Russian disc jockey and sometime car dealer became CEO of Gazprom Germania (GPG). GPG was a major German energy player with a revenue of €12.7 billion in 2020, and operates so-called critical infrastructure in Germany, including gas storage tanks and certain gas pipelines.

This is a strange tale. First, as you may be aware, most of the gas logistics in Germany and other EU countries is controlled by Gazprom through their multitude of subsidiaries. Thank you Angela. This includes underground storage, the largest capacity by subsidiary Gazpromexport being represented here, in Gazpromexport storage capacity, bn m³:

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Note the recent sudden increase in purchased capacity in Haidach (Austria) and Rehden (Germany).

However, earlier this year most of the Gazpromexport underground gas storage was emptied:

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Here’s the Gazprom gas holding in addition to Gazpromexport, in bn m³ over the same time. Remember that Gazprom has many subsidiaries, thank you Angela:

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For perspective, here is the historical Gazpromexport EU stocks, in bn m³:

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And so of course, right on cue, Putin has now cut gas deliveries to Germany by 40%. Just as the Americans predicted years ago. But Merkel et al were not about to listen to a bunch of know-it-all uncultured cowboys with their Kaugummi and country music. So all we can say now is, “Angela, winter is coming.“

But as Vladimir continues to show us, mistakes are contagious. In March, due to a typical Putin power grab - something that works in Russia but not in less understanding jurisdictions - the entirity of Gazprom Germania’s holdings (again, revenue of €12.7 billion in 2020) were taken over by a formerly unknown joint stock company called Palmary. Russian, of course. In addition, the (very) temporary and purpose-built holding company issued a shareholder resolution announcing the voluntary stock liquidation of the entire Gazprom Germania Group. However, more importantly, between March 25 and April 01 2022, 100% of the former GPG voting rights were acquired by JSC Palmary. Palmary’s CEO Dmitry Tseplyaev is a Russian disc jockey and part-time car salesman with ‘no previous experience in the energy sector’. Woof.

But if you’re a fan of the Muscovite ways and are hot for that IPA, things are not looking good. On April 4, someone woke up the German Ministry of Economics, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, a not insignificant accomplishment. After giving the well-practiced press conference reassurances, the FMEACA -

‘announced its intervention in the indirect acquisition of the Gazprom Germania Group, a company that plays a key role in Germany’s gas supply. It did so by appointing the German Federal Network Agency (FNA) as fiduciary for the target’s parent company and transferring all voting rights in the company to the FNA.’

In addition, the Minister of Economics, Hizzoner Robert Halbeck, stated that ‘the German government would not be exposed to arbitrary decisions by the Kremlin.’ Angela had a chuckle when she heard that.

‘The announcement came out of the blue, and it is the first time that the Ministry has used its powers for such an intervention.’ No doubt, as that would take like, you know, work. But it looks like someone in Berlin actually had their testicles descend. A surprising event for the German Federal Government.

Certainly a disappointment for Dmitry and his capos though, but all may not be lost. He is not the only one with no previous experience in the energy sector. In spite of a €10 billion loan from the German government to prevent insolvency, that Ministry will surely need help. I’m sure Angela is still on the rolodex at the Kremlin. And that is €10 billion... In Germany, where they understand Putin like no one else, things may yet work out.


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Not well sourced so TIFWIW

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Russia has been maintaining offensives with a small core of remaining “elite” troops. Shifting them from front to front to keep up momentum. Units were pulled from Mariupol to Popasna, then shifted to Sieverodonetsk, now being moved back to Popasna and towards Sloviansk. Force is comprised mainly of remaining combat effective VDV, naval infantry, PMCs and some volunteer formations.

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