The Ukraine Crisis Part 2 . The Battle for the Donbas

Putin Is Angry: Ukraine Destroyed 58 Russian Cruise Missiles in One Day

Russian Cruise Missile Gets Shot Down In Real Time - Incredible video footage shared on social media this week shows a Ukrainian soldier taking out an incoming Russian cruise missile using a shoulder-launched weapon.

 

Deadly Ukrainian Himars attack flattens Russian barracks with hundreds of men inside

 

Meanwhile in moscow, putin is becoming more and more isolated and lonely, as more and more of his supporters keep turning their backs on him. Reports have it that he keeps cancelling meetings and appointments, and the people close to him are seeing how he visibly has no answers left as to how to solve this situation to his liking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/30/putin-isolated-russia-ukraine-war/

russia stopped exporting oil to countries that adopted the oil price cap for rus crude, and short of starting a total war against all of Europe and consequently doing down in flames, I think that was the last trump card they were able to play. And it isn't working. putin's ploy has failed. Here in Europe, we're seeing some slight increase in energy prices, but for the most part, it's business as usual. The whole thing has been just a minor annoyance to us. EU member states have enabled financial support packages that will compensate the increased prices of electricity to the common people. The European power grid has held, and the feared black-outs and power outages haven't so far happened, in part thanks to unusually warm winter weather in southern Europe, but also because people across the continent have heeded the call to decrease their energy consumption and have acted accordingly. The EU didn't collapse as putin had hoped. We're not rioting against our leaders.

 

It also doesn't help that Putin is killing off all of his closest allies and supporters

 

Russia Loses 10,000 Troops in Two Weeks: Ukraine

In an update on Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that 109,720 Russian personnel had been killed since the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022. This figure included 810 Russian personnel reportedly killed in the 24 hours preceding the update.

The unverified number that Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry about is a sobering statistic when compared with Kyiv's claims two weeks ago.

On December 21, the six-figure milestone was reached, according to Kyiv, after 660 Russian troops had been killed—taking the death toll from 99,740 to 100,400. Ukraine's estimates put the death toll of Russian personnel at 9,980 over the last fortnight.

At the end of December, Ukraine said that 10,000 Russian troops had been killed each month since February 2022 when Vladimir Putin started the war.

 

Sick of this shit, lifes hard enough

 

Exactly. The russian oligarchs are NOT having a fun time right now. Rumor has it that putin is thinking about confiscating what remains of their fortunes for the war effort. Yeah, that's sure to make him a whole lot of new friends... (said he, ironically)

 

Russia is now openly calling for the assassination of critics of the war in other countries. Now THAT is a violation of free speech, which only a government can do to it's citizens.

 

Tanks...

 

Aside from withdrawing from occupied territories, including those annexed by Russia in 2014, there's the matter of compensation for rebuilding damaged and destroyed infrastructure and property in Ukraine and compensation for Ukrainians killed and injured.

The price tag if Russia wanted to end the war today on minimally just terms: about $1 trillion (about half of that for rebuilding and the other half to victims and their families). One trillion USD is about half of Russia's total annual GDP in nominal terms.

Russia has spent in the past 11 months twice the maximum its government had available to prosecute an invasion of Ukraine and a war against Ukraine. Russia has probably spent ten times what it expected to spend, and it has probably lost more than ten times the number of its own soldiers that it expected to lose.

Russia has no way now to pay Ukraine for rebuilding and to compensate for human injuries and fatalities, other than through future oil, gas, and mining operations, the vast majority of which are in private hands. Russia is as unlikely to issue a giant promissory note payable over a decade or more as Ukraine is to accept one. Consequently, Russia will fight on.

Putin left himself and his people no other option. Giving up the fight will require withdrawal, monetary compensation, and submitting to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. The first is eventually likely. The second is now practically impossible for Russia. The third is unthinkable to Russia.

 

Andrei Medvedev, a high-ranking member with the Wagner mercenaries defects to Norway, announces willingness to testify about war crimes in Ukraine:

A Wagner fighter defects to Norway, promising to expose Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

 

Germany agrees to send Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainians:
Germany set to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reports | CNN

They will still discuss the issue on Wednesday, but right now it looks like they are finally agreeing to it.