The link in the tweet at the end feels pretty seismic to me, although it might be one man going off piste.
Very Brief Ukraine Update:
1. Russian attacks continued to grind and gain little ground.
2. A Ukrainian counter-attack is now said to be 3 kilometers from the Russian main supply route servicing 20-22 battalion tactical groups around Izium. If the Ukrainians cut it, that will mean somewhere north of 10,000 Russian troops will run out of food, gas, and ammunition.
3. US-made 155mm artillery pieces are now in action in Ukraine. They were used to strike a Russian supply depot, killing an estimated hundred troops or so while destroying eight armored vehicles.
4. The first Mi-17 helicopters, armed with four rocket pods, reached Ukraine from the US in the last 48 hours.
5. Wounded Ukrainian troops have surrendered and have been evacuated from the steel works at Mariupol and are in Russian hands under an agreement between the two sides.
-------------- Strategic Effects of the War:
1. The sudden cut-off of grain flowing from Ukraine and Russia is already having a profound effect on the other parts of the world. The Middle East has been hit hard by this, but the first real signs of food/energy insecurity are coming out of Sri Lanka. The country has announced it is out of gasoline, and food shortages are causing riots where wealthy citizens are being chased, beaten and robbed in the streets by hungry mobs.
2. India, fearing it might not be able to feed its population, has suspended all wheat exports. Last year, India was #10 on the wheat export list of nations. This takes off line #1 (Russia, for some countries), #5 (Ukraine) and #10 (India), which will accelerate the global food crisis in the developing world. Already, there are predictions of famine by year's end. Sri Lanka seems to be the canary in that coal mine.
Together, Russia, India and Ukraine accounted for almost 25% of global wheat exports in 2021. See here: www.worldstopexports.com/wheat-exports-country/
Corey C Jordan was kind enough to share this with me, and it is worth watching. A retired Russian general is trying to inject some reality into the news cycle during one of Russia's top state-tv talk shows. This dovetails with recent pro-Russian milbloggers, including Russian ones, openly raking the Russian army's leadership across the coals. Lots of anger and criticism on how the campaign has been conducted from a group that had been regime stalwarts.
Comments
Not bothered about COVID.
It's all theatre.
They all want their snouts in the trough.
The link in the tweet at the end feels pretty seismic to me, although it might be one man going off piste.
Very Brief Ukraine Update:
1. Russian attacks continued to grind and gain little ground.
2. A Ukrainian counter-attack is now said to be 3 kilometers from the Russian main supply route servicing 20-22 battalion tactical groups around Izium. If the Ukrainians cut it, that will mean somewhere north of 10,000 Russian troops will run out of food, gas, and ammunition.
3. US-made 155mm artillery pieces are now in action in Ukraine. They were used to strike a Russian supply depot, killing an estimated hundred troops or so while destroying eight armored vehicles.
4. The first Mi-17 helicopters, armed with four rocket pods, reached Ukraine from the US in the last 48 hours.
5. Wounded Ukrainian troops have surrendered and have been evacuated from the steel works at Mariupol and are in Russian hands under an agreement between the two sides.
--------------
Strategic Effects of the War:
1. The sudden cut-off of grain flowing from Ukraine and Russia is already having a profound effect on the other parts of the world. The Middle East has been hit hard by this, but the first real signs of food/energy insecurity are coming out of Sri Lanka. The country has announced it is out of gasoline, and food shortages are causing riots where wealthy citizens are being chased, beaten and robbed in the streets by hungry mobs.
An example:
2. India, fearing it might not be able to feed its population, has suspended all wheat exports. Last year, India was #10 on the wheat export list of nations. This takes off line #1 (Russia, for some countries), #5 (Ukraine) and #10 (India), which will accelerate the global food crisis in the developing world. Already, there are predictions of famine by year's end. Sri Lanka seems to be the canary in that coal mine.
Together, Russia, India and Ukraine accounted for almost 25% of global wheat exports in 2021. See here:
www.worldstopexports.com/wheat-exports-country/
Corey C Jordan was kind enough to share this with me, and it is worth watching. A retired Russian general is trying to inject some reality into the news cycle during one of Russia's top state-tv talk shows. This dovetails with recent pro-Russian milbloggers, including Russian ones, openly raking the Russian army's leadership across the coals. Lots of anger and criticism on how the campaign has been conducted from a group that had been regime stalwarts.