re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

quote:

---

The Estonian Navy attempted to intercept the Russian shadow fleet tanker JAGUAR, which was sailing under the Gabonese flag through international waters of the Gulf of Finland to the port of Primorsk.

An AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, an M28 Skytruck aircraft and an EML Raju patrol boat were used to intercept the Russian vessel.

In response, the Russian military dispatched a Su-35S fighter jet, which violated Estonian airspace.

The crew reportedly did not comply with the demands and did not change course. The JAGUAR tanker anchored off the island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea.

---

quote:

---

A month ago Estonia detained other Russian shadow fleet tanker.

The Estonian Defense Forces detained the tanker Kiwala near the island of Aegna in Muuga Bay. This [was] the first time that Estonia has detained a vessel belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet".

---

LINK

It may be too early to confirm, but the EU / NATO response to the shadow fleet could be to force the vessels into long term anchorage in Russian territorial waters. If they're swinging on the hook, they're not making any money for the Russian war effort.

To do this the member naval forces must establish the right to board these tankers in 'international waters'. That term is normally defined as a 24-mile Contiguous Zone but in the Baltic some passages are narrower than this and therefore an established channel is considered to be international water.

Due to the recent pipeline and cable sabotage in the Gulf of Finland, Estonia is expanding their 12-mile Territorial Zone to include an additional 12 mile Contiguous Zone, which was not established prior to this.

The Contiguous Zone is established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into effect in 1994. It is limited specifically to issues related to "customs and excise taxes, immigration and sanitation laws and regulations within [the claimant country's] territory or territorial sea".

Between the 12-mile Territorial Waters and the additional 12 miles of Contingency Zone, Baltic countries have the right to board any vessel suspected of violating any law of that country. This is a wide net, including issues with insurance, registration, crew documentation and environmental regulations. Once boarded, this is enough to stop any shadow fleet tanker trying to make passage in the Baltic Sea to their dischage ports in India and China.

So... will the NATO members start boarding these tankers? Will the Russian military start escorting them? And most importantly, will the NATO members attempt disable these tankers if they don't stop?

To force these tankers into inactivity in Russian waters, the NATO members have to face down the Russian threats. Yet again. But remember, the NATO countries we are talking about are the ones with the most experience in dealing with the Russians. If anyone knows the value of weakness in dealing with Russians, it is these governments.

Historically, one of the leading causes of war has been disputes over commercial maritime trade. However, if this tanker trade is stopped, the Russian economy will be crippled within weeks and this war ended. Ultimately, the issue of the shadow fleet making passage in the Baltic will become the most critical issue facing the West and will define the EU / NATO limit of involvment in this war.

LINK

quote:

---

It started as updates on the war until political posters could not control their desire to spew their political opinions all over it.

---

quote:

---

Camp Randall

---

Camp Randall and complaining about other posters while only posting about other posters himself, a tale as old as time

And like AU said, if John Barron actually is the bot these morons say he is, they are absolutely flooding this thread almost as much as he is by replying to him

Volodymyr Zelenskyy /
@ZelenskyyUa
·
1h
First and foremost, I want to thank President
@RTErdogan
for organizing the opportunity for direct negotiations – that was exactly the signal we had received. The Ukrainian side confirmed its readiness, and today, we are here in the capital, in Ankara.

Ukraine is represented by a top-level delegation – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, my Office, the military, and representatives of all our intelligence agencies – ready to make any decisions that could lead to a long-awaited just peace.

We will begin with a meeting with President Erdogan and with the entire Turkish delegation. We are in contact with the U.S. side – I believe they will be present in Türkiye at a high level as well.

I have not yet received official confirmation regarding the Russian level of representation. But from what we can observe, it appears theatrical. We will decide on our next steps after the conversation with President Erdogan.

We will have several hours for an important discussion and very important decisions. It is essential to understand the level of the Russian delegation, what mandate they hold, and whether they are authorised to make any decisions at all – because we all know who actually makes decisions in Russia.

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.

quote:

---

Chickened out of the meeting he proposed himself. And then insulted Trump with the people that he did send: an aide; two mid-level bureaucrats; and a GRU operative. The last one is not only heinous in a 'peace' delegation but would make any security arrangements for Trump almost impossible.

Insulting Trump has become the new pastime for Putin.

---

Kindergarten level discussion. Considering this meeting or any meeting in the near future with Zelensky will lead to nothing, and it was Zelensky that needed convincing to come, why hell would Trump or Putin or any leader attend it?

LINK

Russians put forward an honest effort to negotiate in 2022, and that was scuppered by Johnson and Ukrainians when an agreement was almost signed. Since then, the cargo pants signzed a Ukrainain "decree" forbidding negotiating with Putin, which he still hasn't revoked.

Russia shouldn't be signing any agreement. They need to eliminate enough Ukrainian nationalists and seasoned army till Ukrainans can't really be propped up. More and more uke army is made up of abused and kidnapped conscripts that were grabbed off the street and yeeted in a van.
It won't be till 2026, so all these peace talks are a joke till them.

Then the war ends for good. Ukriane disintegrates into a shithole it was before, just smaller. Same atrocities, tying one another to poles, beating one another, corruption, but also regional violence and that's not our issue.

quote:

---

At this point the only reason I bring up the pipeline is that you keep denying Ukraine's involvement in the face of a TON of solid reporting (from generally pro-Ukraine outlets) on the fact that Ukraine definitely did it

I love it when morons walk right into a credibility hit.

---

Divers would die from the bends without saturation diving equipment.

I guess you also bought the made up from thin air, Seymour Hersh article too. The dude doesn't know a commercial diving school for saturation diving in Florida (with branches elsewhere) isn't a super secret special black ops black helicopter training base.

And most people don't seem to remember that no natural gas was flowing through the pipelines because Russia screwed the pooch with piss poor pretreatment of natural gas in field and piss poor maintenance without the help of Europeans or Americans at their compressor station.

So I was right again when I said Zelensky did not want Peace Negotiations, He just wanted a Ceasefire to rearm and rest. His political stunt of just showing up to Istanbul and the Ukrainian team not meeting with the Russian Team shows everyone just that. It was nothing but a Political stunt from a desperate little man



Kremlin: Ukrainians Yet to Show in Istanbul — No Putin Visit or Trump Meeting Planned

The Russian delegation has been waiting since this morning in Istanbul for their Ukrainian counterparts, who have yet to appear, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He also noted that President Vladimir Putin has no plans to visit Istanbul in the coming days, pushing back against speculation of a trip to Turkey.

In addition, Peskov confirmed that no preparations are being made for a meeting between Putin and Donald Trump, and that the issue has not been discussed in detail

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.

Another firehoser? JB needing help?

Trump calling Putin's bluff
LINK