Ukraine and the Russian invasion, Feb 2022 - tangentially related crap

[The39thStep]

Briefly back to Romania, its all getting a bit like a David Lynch film. It was a party that is actually a partner in the ruling government that funded the TikTok campaign that 'amplified' Georgescu.

'The National Liberal Party paid an external firm, Kensington Communication, to implement the social media campaign.' Kensington Communications is Canadian owned. The NLP are suggesting that one of their hashtags was 'hijacked'.

Report ties Romanian liberals to TikTok campaign that fueled pro-Russia candidate

A campaign from a governing center-right party may have been hijacked to benefit far-right candidate Călin Georgescu, snoop.ro report shows.

www.politico.eu

 

[The39thStep]

Oleksandr Usyk the Ukrainian world heavyweight champion is still on the Myrotvorets website as an enemy of Ukraine. This is a non government site, part founded by the ex Anton Gerashchenko the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, that identifies 'pro-Russian terrorists, separatists, mercenaries, war criminals, and murderers'.

https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/usyk-aleksandr-aleksandrovych/

 

[TopCat]

Oleksandr Usyk the Ukrainian world heavyweight champion is still on the Myrotvorets website as an enemy of Ukraine. This is a non government site, part founded by the ex Anton Gerashchenko the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, that identifies 'pro-Russian terrorists, separatists, mercenaries, war criminals, and murderers'.

https://myrotvorets.center/criminal/usyk-aleksandr-aleksandrovych/

He is game for sure.

 

[JimW]

Bit of a doom and gloom prognosis for the Russian war economy that has done much better than a lot of analysts expected. Looks with what seems to be a very standard market lens, and seems to contradict itself on standards of living in places, but does seem likely that some of the future problems being stored up identified may well be real enough:

Russia’s Economic Gamble: The Hidden Costs of War-Driven Growth

The storm of government spending is sustaining the current state of affairs, but it cannot address the chronic problems that have long plagued the Russian economy. We are witnessing an irreversible turn toward economic stagnation.

carnegieendowment.org

 

[Elpenor]

Fringe thing here

There is a practice at some rugby clubs that if you have an international cap the relevant countries flag is printed on your club shirt. Nice bit of recognition for your achievements

A Russian international player in the Gloucester team has been the subject of an internet campaign after someone saw his shirt on the Tv. Objecting presumably because Russia is an Uncountry in the west.

The club have responded by removing national flags from the shirt of every capped international. The right thing to do for the team environment if the Russian flag is no longer allowed to prevent the Russian player is being othered for no reason but where he was born. I don’t think there are any Israeli players in any of Premiership rugby teams otherwise it would be interesting to see the double standards at play

RugbyPass has seen a response from the club to one of the complainants, which confirmed the policy of putting the flags of capped players on their jerseys has been in place since 2021 when Gotovtsev signed for the club.


The email went on to say. “We recognise the understandable sensitivity in this particular case and, as a result, we have removed international flags from capped Gloucester player’s shirts moving forward. It is never our intention to cause any upset to our community and we apologise if that has been the case in this situation.”

In addition to Gotovtsev, Gloucester’s starting XV against the Sharks included eight other internationals, with the flags of Wales (Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Max Llewellyn and Josh Hathaway), Argentina (Mayco Vivas and Santi Carreras) and Chris Harris (Scotland) also on show.

Quite what those players and the club’s other internationals make about the decision to remove national flags from their shirts remains to be seen.

Gloucester respond to complaints over Russian flag

The West Country club have apologised for any offence caused by Kirill Gotovtsev's jersey and have acted swiftly to prevent a repeat incident.

www.rugbypass.com

 

[Elpenor]

Fringe thing here

There is a practice at some rugby clubs that if you have an international cap the relevant countries flag is printed on your club shirt. Nice bit of recognition for your achievements

A Russian international player in the Gloucester team has been the subject of an internet campaign after someone saw his shirt on the Tv. Objecting presumably because Russia is an Uncountry in the west.

The club have responded by removing national flags from the shirt of every capped international. The right thing to do for the team environment if the Russian flag is no longer allowed to prevent the Russian player is being othered for no reason but where he was born. I don’t think there are any Israeli players in any of Premiership rugby teams otherwise it would be interesting to see the double standards at play

Gloucester respond to complaints over Russian flag

The West Country club have apologised for any offence caused by Kirill Gotovtsev's jersey and have acted swiftly to prevent a repeat incident.

www.rugbypass.com

All too predictably the NAFO type who complained has form for sharing numerous vile racist, Islamophobic and transphobic memes on Twitter. Also memes celebrating the death of Russians in the war.

x.com

x.com

 

[Chz]

If you thought the war couldn't get any more macabre than it already is, feral pigs have learned to associate the sound of drones with feeding time.

 

[Fez909]

edit mis-read it. It's the RT boss's husband.

RT boss nearly dead.

Russia's well-known propagandist experienced clinical death and fell into coma

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

 

[yield]

How Suicide Drones Transformed the Front Lines in Ukraine
Outnumbered and desperate, the nation began hacking cheap consumer drones with explosives — bringing a brutal new form of violence to 21st-century warfare.
NYTimes Dec. 31, 2024 https://archive.ph/rZeAV

Drones became entwined with modern armed conflict years before President Vladimir V. Putin sent Russian mechanized divisions over Ukraine’s borders in 2022. But no previous conflict had involved drones used so extensively by two sides, in so many forms or in so many roles. The pivot blended necessity with cold calculation.

After Ukraine blunted Russia’s incursions and the two armies settled into opposing trench lines, tacticians in the two countries grasped the lethal punch, disruptive qualities and economic advantages of unmanned weapons. Drones cost much less than other weapons of equivalent power or range, and they reduced risks to those using them, who operate out of view, typically beyond the reach of many weapons that otherwise might reply.

When paired with mobile internet routers and secure communication apps, they proved to be remarkably responsive and precise. For nations squeezed between the twin pressures of heavy casualties and recruiting difficulties, they multiplied combat power while preserving thinned ranks.

 

[Elpenor]

English speaking recruits sought by everyone’s favourite cuddly fascists, the Azov brigade. Any of the pro-war crowd on the thread interested? You could talk tanks together while polishing your boots

Ukraine’s highest profile combat unit to recruit English-speaking soldiers

Azov, a volunteer brigade, plans to form international battalion to boost numbers as Ukraine heads into fourth year of war

www.theguardian.com

 

[yield]

China's Shandong Port, entry point for most sanctioned oil, bans US-designated vessels
SINGAPORE/BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters)

In a second notice on Tuesday, also reviewed by Reuters, Shandong Port said it expects the shipping ban to have a limited impact on independent refiners as most of the sanctioned oil is being carried on non-sanctioned tankers.

The ban came after sanctioned tanker Eliza II unloaded at Yantai Port in early January, the notice said.

In December, eight very large crude carriers, with a capacity of two million barrels each, discharged mostly Iranian oil at Shandong, estimates from tanker tracker Vortexa showed.

The vessels included Phonix, Vigor, Quinn and Divine, which are all sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.

The active shadow fleet transporting Iranian, Russian and Venezuelan oil is estimated at about 669 tankers, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, principal analyst with maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence.

Of that total, 250-300 tankers were typically involved in shipping Russian oil, which excluded Iran’s biggest operator NITC and Russia’s leading tanker group Sovcomflot, she added.

Between October and December, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 35 tankers it said formed part of Iran's "ghost fleet", outside of vessels operated by NITC. In early 2024, Washington slapped separate sanctions on Sovcomflot.

The outgoing Biden administration plans to impose sanctions on over 100 tankers involved in Russian oil, sources told Reuters this week.

A switch to using non-sanctioned ships could inflate costs for refiners in Shandong, which have been struggling with poor margins and sluggish demand, traders said.

Shares in leading tanker operator Frontline jumped over 9% on Tuesday after the port ban news with an expected tightening of tanker availability.

The U.S. Defense Department said on Monday it added China's largest shipping company COSCO to a list of companies it said work with China's military, which could deter use of COSCO's tankers by charterers and add to tightness of ships for hire, shipping analysts said on Tuesday.

The price of Iranian crude sold to China hit the highest in years last month as fresh U.S. sanctions tightened shipping capacity and drove up logistics costs.
Iranian crude oil floating storage has risen to a 12-month high of 20 million barrels and the Iranian export fleet is relatively stretched with a high level of exports per vessel. This has historically been associated with subsequent declines in Iran's crude exports, Goldman Sachs analysts said last week.

The investment bank expects Iran's crude supply to drop by 300,000 bpd to 3.25 million bpd by the second quarter of 2025.

Prices of Russian oil, which rose to about a two-year high, could remain supported as the Biden administration plans to impose more sanctions on Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

EU moves to majority voting to prevent Russian shills Hungary and Slovakia from blocking actions

Hungary and Slovakia Lose Their Veto Power in EU Sanctions Shift

The European Union is moving forward with tougher sanctions against Russia, bypassing vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, and shifting to decisions made by a qualified majority. (Brussels) – For the …

kawundo.com

 

[TopCat]

EU moves to majority voting to prevent Russian shills Hungary and Slovakia from blocking actions

Hungary and Slovakia Lose Their Veto Power in EU Sanctions Shift

The European Union is moving forward with tougher sanctions against Russia, bypassing vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, and shifting to decisions made by a qualified majority. (Brussels) – For the …

kawundo.com

Why is that link provoking dozens of pop ups?

 

[Elpenor]

The democratic EU up to their usual tricks

 

[The39thStep]

EU moves to majority voting to prevent Russian shills Hungary and Slovakia from blocking actions

Hungary and Slovakia Lose Their Veto Power in EU Sanctions Shift

The European Union is moving forward with tougher sanctions against Russia, bypassing vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, and shifting to decisions made by a qualified majority. (Brussels) – For the …

kawundo.com

It’s actually been under debate for about three years and the move to majority was first mooted to facilitate with both EU expansion and to sideline the Southern states disagreements over austerity fiscal measures .

 

[Yossarian]

The democratic EU up to their usual tricks

If the EU was responsible for links provoking dozens of pop-up ads I would have voted for Brexit

 

[Elpenor]

If the EU was responsible for links provoking dozens of pop-up ads I would have voted for Brexit

I thought they were, or is that the dreaded cookies

 

[TopCat]

Will it not take the agreement of all EU nations to move to majority voting? Or are they going to argue that some nations are more equal than others?

 

[TopCat]

EU moves to majority voting to prevent Russian shills Hungary and Slovakia from blocking actions

Hungary and Slovakia Lose Their Veto Power in EU Sanctions Shift

The European Union is moving forward with tougher sanctions against Russia, bypassing vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, and shifting to decisions made by a qualified majority. (Brussels) – For the …

kawundo.com

Can you paste up the content please?

 

[Elpenor]

Will it not take the agreement of all EU nations to move to majority voting? Or are they going to argue that some nations are more equal than others?

The smaller nations are vassal states to France and Germany

 

[TopCat]

Concierge service the only company convicted for sanction busting. Capital must flow!Ukraine War | Latest News & Updates| BBC News

 

[Pickman's model]

Can you paste up the content please?

The European Union is moving forward with tougher sanctions against Russia, bypassing vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, and shifting to decisions made by a qualified majority.

---

(Brussels) – For the first time, the European Commission is planning to impose sanctions on Russia without needing the unanimous approval of all EU member states. The new approach, which will be based on a qualified majority rather than unanimous agreement, marks a significant shift in EU policy and has the potential to increase pressure on Russia. This decision comes as the EU has acknowledged it has reached a “ceiling” in its ability to agree on sanctions due to the resistance from certain countries.

In the past, Hungary and Slovakia had used their veto power to block or weaken sanctions, but with the new shift, decisions will be made by a qualified majority, meaning that not all member states need to agree for the sanctions to be approved. This marks a turning point in EU decision-making, as the Commission seeks to impose more effective measures against Russia despite the resistance of some member states.

Brussels has recognised that the EU has reached its limit in terms of unanimous decisions on sanctions. The European Commission had initially imposed sanctions against Russia in stages, but the packages have been gradually weakened due to opposition from some member states. The latest strategy seeks to address this by allowing decisions to be made without needing the agreement of all 27 countries.


One of the main areas of focus is the possibility of imposing sanctions on fertilizers and other agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, with a move towards a qualified majority vote. This shift would allow the EU to bypass the objections of Hungary and Slovakia, which have previously prevented sanctions in this area.

The EU is also considering targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a collection of vessels that illegally transport Russian oil in violation of sanctions. The European Commission is looking into new ways to block these illegal operations, such as blacklisting additional ships from the shadow fleet. Currently, 72 out of approximately 600 such vessels are on the EU’s blacklist.

In addition to blacklisting ships, the EU is considering more creative measures, including requiring insurance for oil spills. Countries such as Denmark, Poland, and other Baltic nations are leading the charge in developing these innovative solutions to curb Russia’s illicit oil exports.

 

[two sheds]

yes, but what do you think?

 

[Pickman's model]

yes, but what do you think?

i think i've done what TopCat asked

 

[Chz]

To be fair, the single state veto thing has been holding back the EU for quite a long time. I'm comfortable with the double majority (55% of states representing 65% of the population) voting. There've been some truly absurd contortions to get everyone to agree on things in the past. The only thing that should require unanimity is changes to the EU constitution. (and that was right casserole last time, but I think it's still a needed safeguard)

 

[TopCat]

To be fair, the single state veto thing has been holding back the EU for quite a long time. I'm comfortable with the double majority (55% of states representing 65% of the population) voting. There've been some truly absurd contortions to get everyone to agree on things in the past. The only thing that should require unanimity is changes to the EU constitution. (and that was right casserole last time, but I think it's still a needed safeguard)

Do these precise changes not require unanimity? Majority voting is a change to the constitution so how are they going to do it ?