UKRAINE/RUSSIA WAR - looks like it’s started

originally posted by: saadad
a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Well, that's the part of history we would like to forget. Right now i am more concern about being nuked.

It is obvious Pootin will lose one way or other and then he may push red button.

Yeah, as much as I would like to see him cornered, it would be very dangerous for other countries to force that outcome.

Now, if the Russian military decides to remove him, that would be a different situation.

Regarding the history. All I can say is don't forget it but try to learn from it. All countries have screwed up at one time or another. Croatia is geographically well situated and the Croats I've met are solid people. They have my best wishes.

Cheers

a reply to: McGinty

Well if things prolong i am sure Ukraine no fly zone is next and i am sure Russia will not fly over Ukraine. Only concern is red button. If they be sure he won't click the button i am sure there be no planes over Ukraine.

So, Europe has finally agreed to cut off some Russian banks from SWIFT.

Now, I know sod all about SWIFT - just that it’s the mode of electronic financial exchange used between banks, so without it a bank is back in the Stone Age and faxes and telephones when it comes to international movement of funds. That obviously fraks up a lot of big business in Russia.

Well, it’s about time!

However, a detail of that news that jumps out at me is ‘some’ Russian banks!

Can anyone more clued up on this than me (not difficult) explain why it’s not all banks?

Is it possible for the big clients of those ‘some’ banks to simply move their business to the other Russian banks that are still allowed to use SWIFT?

If so, then was the long delay in cutting those banks out of SWIFT simply so that certain folk could buy shares in the banks that would be allowed to continue in SWIFT? Surely their share prices will now sky rocket!

Wish I knew how to locate and decipher the latest shares traded on these banks.

a reply to: McGinty

Apparently it is the ten largest banks including the central bank.

How that translates into effects on the Russian economy ... no idea.

Cheers

Here’s Putin’s press release suggesting peace talks with Ukraine in Belarus:

‘Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly, “'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I have many curious things to shew when you are there.’

I bet he does!

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Thanks F2 (forgive the abbreviation, but just looking at your name gives me a migraine 😉)

Does hitting the central bank with the ban mean that no banks in Russia can use Swift? Or are there Russian banks that can slip under these bans and continue, or begin to use Swift?

With our slippery, venal western leadership I can’t help suspecting that the delay and now a ban that says ‘some’ = a loop hole they’ve created to keep the gravy train running and maybe even generate more profit from the ban.

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

It means basically they are out of business on international scenes. There are some rumours they could join china's version of swift, but still that's not even close to the real swift. Swift is basically automated transactions. I sent you money, but my money is not phisically sent, it is moved, like my bank takes the money and person that gets money gets it from it's bank, all automatical transparent and secure, without it i have no clue how it works.

However biggest hit will be isolation of kallingrad, some military experts in my country say that this could itch finger above red button.

a reply to: McGinty

My guess (no hard knowledge) is that the EU worked it so that certain German interests don't get hit too hard. I think there will be loopholes, but their use may be bounded.



Cheers

a reply to: saadad

That is an interesting insight. Yes, what will the effect on K-Grad be?

Cheers

a reply to: saadad
2 questions…
1. Do you know if there are any banks in Russia that are still using Swift?
2. What makes Killingrad so valuable to Putin that he would end the world for it?

originally posted by: McGinty
a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Thanks F2 (forgive the abbreviation, but just looking at your name gives me a migraine 😉)

Does hitting the central bank with the ban mean that no banks in Russia can use Swift? Or are there Russian banks that can slip under these bans and continue, or begin to use Swift?

With our slippery, venal western leadership I can’t help suspecting that the delay and now a ban that says ‘some’ = a loop hole they’ve created to keep the gravy train running and maybe even generate more profit from the ban.

For now it means that WE decide which transactions to allow, and don't have to explain ourselves about any that we don't allow.


Once the switch is flipped russia will be bartering with ccp.



(Sometimes I think people create names like that on purpose)

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

That makes sense. But unless there’s complete transparency on those loopholes, then I’m sure they’ll be used to maintain personal wealth rather than national interest. That means the targets of the sanctions allowed to secretly continue to trade, whilst the public on both sides suffer from sanction induced inflation and scarcity.

a reply to: PatriotGames4u


I can repeat it again.
For 8 years, Ukrainian Nazis and the armed forces of Ukraine have been killing residents of Donbass.
13,000 residents of Donbass died according to the UN. Including several hundred children.
None of you have cared about it at all these 8 years.

Ukraine and the Donbass resistance have signed two peace agreements.
The guarantors of the implementation of these agreements are France, Germany and Russia.
For 8 years France, Germany and Russia have been trying to persuade the Ukrainian government to fulfill its obligations, and for 8 years they have been sabotaging their fulfillment.
Over the past three years, President Zelensky has repeatedly stated in the media that he is not going to fulfill the commitments made to Ukraine for a peaceful settlement.
At the same time, Western countries constantly demanded that Russia fulfill its obligations as a guarantor directly bordering Ukraine.
In 2018, Russia decided to put pressure on Ukraine economically. The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was launched. After its launch, Russia could get the levers of economic coercion of Ukraine to peace. But for their own reasons, some NATO countries actively opposed this.
At the same time, more and more sanctions were imposed on Russia from the ongoing conflict in the Donbas. And weapons were supplied to Ukraine. Which fell into the hands of local neo-Nazis, funded by Ukrainian oligarchs.

As a result, Russia undertook a military operation to force Ukraine to peace. But Western countries are shouting about Russia's aggression and continue to supply weapons. Apparently, Russia's defeat at least somewhere has become a fetish for Western politicians. Or there to be afraid that corruption schemes of embezzlement of international funds transferred to Ukraine will come out. I do not know what is more real.

Try to check everything that I have described. Try to stop believing only your media and start checking the information that is being served to you as the truth. Small details change the whole picture.

a reply to: PatriotGames4u

(Sometimes I think people create names like that on purpose)

It was on purpose.

It honors someone who did the right thing, at significant personal cost, a long time ago -- in A Lost World.

And the men he served were just as solid.

♡

Cheers

I will translate for you from the Russian forum -
"
I am not an expert on SWIFT, I am a specialist working with SWIFT and in SWIFT for almost 30 years.

In short, where did the idea "let's disconnect Russia from SWIFT" come from.

About 15 years ago, our internal bank clearing left much to be desired. As a result, the top 10 Russian banks - BEAC, VTB, Gazprom, Alfa, RSHB, and others began to drive internal Russian financial messages through SWIFT, and the Central Bank gave only the results at the end of the day. And the traffic of Russia in SWIFT (I emphasize, the traffic of SWIFT messages INSIDE Russia, and not international, international is hanging out somewhere at the level of the baseboard, we are not particularly interested in the world SWIFT and need it) he grew up so much that we got a seat on the SWIFT board of directors. Oh, our bosom partners have decided, and let's threaten the Russians to cover up this tap, and all domestic banking will stand up in Russia, and the economy will tear like gauze underpants. The cries began "and not to disconnect Russia from SWIFT, or else these Russians imagined themselves." Russia heeded (at that time it really was a real threat) and filed the SPFS, an internal network for transmitting SWIFT messages inside Russia, i.e. after preparation, the message goes not to the SWIFT network servers, but to the servers of our own network. Already at the testing stage of the SPFS, it became clear that it was pointless to disconnect Russia from SWIFT. Well, the SPFS is now continuing its development, only in a slightly different capacity.

Then it's even more interesting. Let's say they disconnected Russia from SWIFT. But. Russia is still a member of the IMF, the World Bank and other infrastructure of the global financial international. It should be understood that SWIFT is not a payment system, but a transport system, and the question is how to continue cooperation with Russia if there are financial relations (accounts, settlements, payments, shares, etc.), but there is no transport? Carry suitcases with tungsten gold? And the papers by fax or pigeon mail? In order for Russia to really get sick, Russia needs to be kicked out of the IMF and other structures. And this is completely different, it's actually shooting yourself in the head.

For example, how to buy coal, oil and gas? And Russia, for that matter, is the world's largest supplier of energy resources. The US produces a little more, but the US consumes everything inside itself, and even buys, the Saudis supply the world much less.

It's like kicking Russia out of the UN, i.e. blowing up the world order. The results will be appropriate. Thank common sense, there are still adequate people in the upper echelons of power in the West who understand what is happening and what will happen if you press that button or this one.

Well, the cherry on the cake. Let's say that our partners went crazy and still disconnected Russia from SWIFT. Within a couple of weeks (if not a couple of days) all international streams will be transferred to alternative platforms, such as RIPPLE (ripple.com... /). By the way, there is a wonderful recording of the meeting of the then CEO SWIFT, who was taunted by CEO RIPPLE and invited to work (at that moment it was already announced that CEO SWIFT was leaving the post). And internal clearing over the past 15 years has caught up and overtaken the best world achievements.

I don't even raise the issue of monitoring financial transactions, it's obvious to any sane person. If Russia is disconnected from SWIFT, it means that the partners do not want to monitor our transactions, well, it's better for us. However, as we have seen for a long time, the political elite (these are all sorts of presidents, prime ministers, deputies, European deputies in Pace and other nonsense) of the West "#ed up mice" according to the apt expression of Khazin, having lost the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding reality completely. They live in an alternative reality, which we can learn about from the liberal media.

So this is another rotten tutorial about Russia and SWIFT - from an alternative reality.

UPD here are some alas. interlocutors feel class hatred for RIPPLE, and spit contemptuously that this is a nasty cryptocurrency. I explain, my little friends. RIPPLE is not a cryptocurrency, it is a data exchange protocol designed primarily for cross-border payments. Moreover, banks in many countries and regions are already really using it in their activities"

aftershock.news.../1051615&full
Тот форум по тематике очень похож на этот.

originally posted by: McGinty
a reply to: saadad
2 questions…
1. Do you know if there are any banks in Russia that are still using Swift?
2. What makes Killingrad so valuable to Putin that he would end the world for it?

Right now Olaf from Germany is speaking and honestly it is weird, whatever he says audience is clapping. He said something like 100 billions for military.

Also he said swift ban will drastically drop Russian stock exchanges. Also rubl will lose value, how much we will see in few days. If i was Russian i would buy cryptos...

Kallingrad is isolated on its own and if Europe close doors like no fly zone to it or close the sea which France already did, i dono, life in kallingrad could be worse than that in Kiev right now.

They will also put 2% GDP annually in military, honesty this scares me because Germany is going to turn to monster, i hope there are no Nazis who could take over this military monster.

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

👍🏻

a reply to: saadad
No one can block Kaliningrad from the sea peacefully. There is a nuclear power plant there, so there will be enough electricity for a long time for sure. Everything else will be easily transported by sea through international waters. The Russian Navy base will protect this communication quite calmly.
Kaliningrad has always been supplied by sea. And the borders with the EU have been closed there since the beginning of the pandemic. In general, your politicians are leading you by the nose again.

From the point of view of Russian defense, Kaliningrad has the same military-technical significance as Crimea. In fact, it is a fortress packed with ultramodern weapons. The weapons located there allow you to observe the entire northern and central Europe, as well as the entire North Atlantic.
Crimea is now all the same, but working to the south.

I'll just mention my opinion again. It seems to me that putting pressure on Russia by force has long been useless.
Russia will survive without European goods. But Europe has nowhere to take free oil, gas, coal, metals and other things like fertilizers. At the same time, China is already happy to increase the volume of purchases in Russia.

a reply to: BZiker

Well ripple is USA company that already have problems with law, helping Russia to use it while there is embargo is delusional.

This kind of talks are funny, if swift is nonsense then you have nothing to be afraid off. We will see if it works if you are here after a month or two, maybe even sooner, who knows how swift ban works on already heavily declining economy. And let's not forget total isolation that is coming to Russia. Life in Russia will be like that in north Korea, and just like with Korea with one step over at south Korea, a future. If Ukraine prevails that will be Ukraine. That's why they fight so strong with high morale, for that, they want to be south Korea, not north Korea.

a reply to: BZiker


Who exactly used force against russia again?

Absurd.

Almost absurd as 'russian peace keepers'.

Is this some kind of absurdity contest?

Can anyone play?

Tackle or flag?