re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

If it can seal up a screen door that will be no problem

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Putin screwed this one up, and has doubled down on it like politicians always do when they screw up.

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The reason that NATO has gone so hard on defending Ukraine has nothing to do with Ukraine itself. Ukraine is just being used as a pawn/buffer to keep Russia out of NATO, primarily Poland and, to a lesser extent, Romania. Either way you slice it though, due to their demographic decline, this is Russia's last significant war. They're surrounded on all sides by enemies and/or countries who want their resources. Even their population numbers are deceiving because they include Turkic peoples like Tatars, Bashkirs and Chechens. Once the ethnic Russian population starts to really die off, these people will align themselves with Ankara over Moscow. Russia is beyond fricked and there's no saving them. Even if they win in Ukraine, they will lack the manpower to hold their gains over time while still maintaining a functional economy and infrastructure. They're only trying to delay the inevitable.

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Russian subs are all dual hull, so depending on how much damage there is to the inner hull they may do just that (patch her up and let her ride - at least for shallow water missile lobbying operations). It’s not like Russia cares much about crew survivability.

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It'll be quite a while before they have the money and men to make the repairs, if they do at all. Look at the Admiral Kuznetzov for a good glimpse at Russian ship repairing capabilities.

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Shoot, just slap some flex-seal tape on that baby and she'll be good to go.

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The Eastern Oblasts are rich in oil and mineral deposits. Prior to 2014 invasion, Western Companies were investing in the region.

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Titanium on both sides of Dnipro, Iron ore too.

The coal in Donbas was more heavily subsidized than the revenue it brought in.

2014 prior to Russia's invasion, contracts had been signed with Shell (Donbas), Chevron (offshore and Crimea) and Exxon (West of Dnipro) to develope the tight shale oil/gas resource which Ukraine has in spades.

FWIW, China has lots of that too, but neither Russia nor China have the technical know how to access it

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Umerov is cleaning house and appointing deputies who haven't presided over a culture of corruption

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Umerov is as bad as Reznikov. He skimmed money selling state assets.

Corruption charges are a way to get rid of your enemies and rivals.

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We have that under our family land but they said it was uneconomical to produce

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Wife inherited a share of a lease in Mississippi. The didn't want to FA with quarterly checks for 50 cents so spent around $150 to sell it her shares for $60

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But how do those compare to what Russia already has? It isn't as if Russia is short on resources.

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WaPo Article

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$12.4 trillion in lost wealth
Ukraine is widely known as an agricultural powerhouse. But as a raw-material mother lode, it’s home to 117 of the 120 most widely used minerals and metals, and a major source of fossil fuels. Official websites no longer show geolocations of these deposits; the government, citing national security, took them down in early spring.

Yet SecDev’s analysis indicates that at least $12.4 trillion worth of Ukraine’s energy deposits, metals and minerals are now under Russian control

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Keep in mind two things....most of Russia's resources are in Siberia. Ukraine's in the east are close to Black sea and Europe for transport. Also, Russia's GDP in 2021 was $1.779 Trillion

So, ypu are right this is about resources..... russia is seeking to add both Land and the resources under them....

All of you should read this epic 72-tweet thread on ATACMS. It covers capabilities, variants, US inventory, and why Ukraine needs them. Basically, this thread will answer any question you have about ATACMS.

LINK

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South Korea to send two K600 “Rhino” mine-clearance vehicles to Ukraine, — The Chosun Ilbo.

It is noted that this vehicle is the most combat equipment that South Korea has so far sent to Ukraine.

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That may not seem like much, but I think it's hard to blame South Korea for keeping hold of every piece of equipment they can, right down to P-38s.