Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

a reply to: stu119

I don't think anyone has denied that corruption exists in Ukraine.
At least they seem to take action against those exposed as being complicit in it.

Maybe other countries could be as transparent about corruption?

Corruption usually involves at least two parties.....I wonder who else has been involved?

a reply to: Freeborn

Zelensky seems to be fighting against corruption in Ukraine, like when he asked the defense minister to resign after the related corruption scandal.

In contrast, Putin encourages corruption in Russia, as long as he gets his cut of the corrupt pilfering.

Corruption is so rampant even in Russia's military, it's one reason that the map this January looks almost the same as the map last January, because Russia has made little progress on their goals of conquest, partly due to corruption and partly due to defensive efforts by Ukraine.

How Russian Corruption Is Foiling Putin’s Army in Ukraine

Though Ukraine has fielded a remarkable defense, another deadly battlefield foe has emerged for Putin: endemic corruption and graft from top to bottom of the Russian army...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision in February to invade Ukraine on a scale unseen in Europe since World War II has for the first time exposed the full extent to which corruption in Russia has rotted its Ministry of Defense. Corrupt practices have hollowed out not only the armor of its tanks but also the true numbers of its fighting forces, its ability to equip its front-line troops as well as for its top commanders to provide honest assessments of the state of the materiel and active duty and reserve forces they oversee.

“These are the kinds of things that are the result of either total incompetence or corruption: false reporting, people signing off on things that actually don’t meet standards, and of course the individual Russian soldier. It’s legendary the stealing that they do,” says retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges who last oversaw all U.S. Army operations in Europe, beginning in 2014 when Russia first annexed Crimea and kicked off the ongoing violence in Ukraine’s east, a region known as the Donbas.

“It’s corruption from the top,” Hodges says, referencing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s conspicuously lavish $18 million mansion, “down to the individual Russian soldier.”

Ukraine is combating its own corruption problem, and the US wants to see strong-anti-corruption efforts in place before resuming funding to Ukraine:

US increases pressure on Ukraine to do more to counter corruption

The US is increasingly urging Ukraine to do more to combat governmental corruption, issuing several notices to Kyiv in the last few weeks indicating that certain kinds of US economic aid will be linked to Ukraine’s progress in reforming its institutions, multiple US officials told CNN...

In a statement to CNN, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington said that Ukraine has moved “ambitiously” to pass reforms, including on its IMF program.

“We have conducted these reforms initiated by Ukraine with the help and support from the US, EU and other friends,” the statement says. “And their practical support to our Cabinet of ministers as well as our (National Bank of Ukraine), General Prosecutors office and anticorruption agencies is appreciated and valued…In all our obligations with IMF, EU and other international donors as well as USA, Ukraine delivers on this front.”

And we can see in the news, the results of some of these anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.

I would be pissed if my country was a proxy to the War Hawks of the world using my land and people to start world war 3
Russia is not the enemy. Boris Johnson swayed Zelensky to go to war when they could have spared the half a million dead young men they currently have.
This war didn’t start 2 years ago. It started long before then.
Go ask Soros
a reply to: Oldcarpy2

a reply to: cookalldafood
The Ukraine war started in 2014 when Russia illegally annexed Crimea, though Putin ramped it up quite a bit 2 years ago when he tried to take Kyiv.

I don't know what propaganda you're reading, you didn't post any sources. Russia has higher losses than Ukraine, and even Russia doesn't have half a million dead yet. According to this article from last month, Russian dead and wounded combined was about 315,000 and Ukraine had less than that, since they are mostly defensive, and defense incurs less losses than offense.

315,000 Russian Troops Have Been Killed Or Injured In Ukraine, U.S. Says—Far More Than Russia Claims

A U.S. intelligence report released Tuesday revealed Russia has lost approximately 315,000 troops to death or injuries since the invasion of Ukraine began nearly two years ago, putting Russia’s losses staggeringly higher than the Kremlin has reported and far outpacing Ukrainian losses.

The figure represents 87% of Russia’s roughly 360,000 pre-war troops it had in February 2022, according to the report provided to lawmakers.

The real reason that America keeps backing Ukraine -

US weapons sales abroad hit record high in 2023, boosted by Ukraine war

US weapons sales overseas rose sharply last year, reaching a record total of $238bn (£187bn), as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stoked demand.

The US government directly negotiated $81bn in sales, a 56% increase from 2022, the state department reported.

The rest were direct sales by US defence companies to foreign nations.

www.bbc.co.uk...

29 January Update

Russian forces recently advanced near Kreminna and Avdiivka and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area.

More at URL above.

Cheers

I cant know is this article accurate/ true , it seems the original source is washingtonpost .

Mind you if i play with this theory...."the weapon production create job`s in those states where it is happening ? "



Ukraine aid’s best-kept secret: Most of the money stays in the U.S.A.

original wapo source

Well that`s on angle to Ukraine aid ?

They still talk about Alaska

Attention, United States! According to Russian propagandist Keosayan, Alaska and part of California coastline used to be Russian and could return to Russia in the future.

a reply to: Kenzo

Muscovites drinking too much vodka ... again.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2


Yep

originally posted by: Kenzo

They still talk about Alaska

Attention, United States! According to Russian propagandist Keosayan, Alaska and part of California coastline used to be Russian and could return to Russia in the future.

The billboards in Russia go further than that. They say:

"ALASKA IS OURS!"

The Russian State Parliament vice-speaker even reportedly proposed holding a "referendum" for Alaskans to vote in favour of joining Russia.

All they have to do is stuff the ballot boxes in Alaska like they did in Crimea with votes saying Alaskans want to be part of Russia!

Though I think Alaska would put up more resistance to that than Crimea did.

originally posted by: Arbitrageur

originally posted by: Kenzo

They still talk about Alaska

Attention, United States! According to Russian propagandist Keosayan, Alaska and part of California coastline used to be Russian and could return to Russia in the future.

The billboards in Russia go further than that. They say:

"ALASKA IS OURS!"

The Russian State Parliament vice-speaker even reportedly proposed holding a "referendum" for Alaskans to vote in favour of joining Russia.

All they have to do is stuff the ballot boxes in Alaska like they did in Crimea with votes saying Alaskans want to be part of Russia!

Though I think Alaska would put up more resistance to that than Crimea did.

Yes no resistance, because crimea wanted to be part of Russia.

a reply to: Maybenexttime

Ah. Those free and fair referendums....

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Same vodka fueled folk who threatened to drown the UK with tsunami nukes. Or was it sharks with lasers or something?

a reply to: Arbitrageur

With same logic most of Russia belong to Mongolia ?

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: Maybenexttime

Ah. Those free and fair referendums....

Has there been violent uprisings in Crimea?

Do you have links to any crimeans speaking out against Russia?

Hasn't crimea prospered since becoming part of Russia thanks to the land bridge?

They now get fresh water and electricity which Ukraine cut off.

a reply to: Maybenexttime

"Do you have links to any crimeans speaking out against Russia?"

Russia does not allow dissent and criticism of Putin and/or his "Special Military Operation" (don't call it a "war" or Gulag for you)is....discouraged.

But you knew that?

Ukraine to get new weapon maybe tomorrow : Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs

New US-made longer-range bomb expected to arrive as soon as Wednesday in Ukraine

Current range. Not the important bridge.

a reply to: Maybenexttime

People who DID express it dissapeared or wound up accidentally dead.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

NATO refused to even consider giving Ukraine a Membership Action Plan due to the corruption there under previous administrations.
Corruption is endemic throughout the region.....nowhere worse than Russia.

At least Zelensky is slowly but surely trying to address the issue.
Of course it still exists and I think its fair that funding to Ukraine should be closely monitored.

Putin is rumoured to be the richest man on earth with a personal wealth estimated between $200 billion and $600 billion....all on a Presidential salary of approximately $130,000 per year - nothing moves in Russia without Vlad and his cronies getting a slice.