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| Europe |
| Europe fears energy crisis as Russia shuts off key gas pipeline |
| 2022-07-12 |
| [NYPOST] Europe is fearful that the Kremlin will indefinitely extend this week’s planned shutdown of a key Russian natural gas pipeline in a bid to ratchet up pressure on Western nations during the war in Ukraine, according to multiple reports. Operator Nord Stream AG confirmed Monday that its Nord Stream 1 pipeline — a key artery for natural gas shipments from Russia to Europe — had shut down for routine maintenance. The annual shutdown typically lasts for about 10 days and is expected to conclude on July 21. But rising tensions between Russia and Western allies have added to concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will cut off the flow of natural gas for a much longer period in response to crippling economic sanctions — a move that could push Europe into a full-blown energy crisis. “The last few months have shown one thing: Putin knows no taboos. A complete halt to gas supplies through the Nord Stream pipeline cannot therefore be ruled out,” Timm Kehler, managing director of German industry association Zukunft Gas, told Reuters. Germany and other European nations remain heavily reliant on Russia oil and gas — a reality that has undercut a movement backed by Ukraine’s government and some members of the European Union to end purchases from Russian sources in response to the invasion. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #41 the Germans are actually going to ration hot water, reduce street lighting, curb electricity usage. Predicted as soon as Germany decided to mothball her own power plants and use Russia as a primary supplier. If it weren’t this war, it would have been something else — turning off the tap is just too deliciously easy to use, and Germany does like to posture, ignoring how annoying that is to countries that can do something about it. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2022-07-12 23:27 |
| #40 ^ Godwin! Another BS Hitler analogy. Please just stop. The Ukraine shitshow is bringing down western governments and destroying the West's economies. For fucks sake, the Germans are actually going to ration hot water, reduce street lighting, curb electricity usage. Because of your idiotic war. Yo, because Putin's like Hitler, dude! Start thinking. This is a complete disaster for the West. It's become absolutely ridiculous and rational people across Europe are refusing to stand for any more of this neocon bullshit. |
| Posted by: Palmerston 2022-07-12 22:47 |
| #39 Latest evidence of returning sanity: 59% of Europeans say it's not worth defending Ukraine if food prices go up. I’m sure, if asked, a similar percent would have said the same about Czechoslovakia or Poland before the official start of World War II. And then they didn’t, with the result written in our history books: in the end they suffered the dubious pleasures of being conquered by the conquerer of Poland and Czechoslovakia — half the continent being conquered twice when the Soviets came through. To be fair, the other half of the continent was reconquered by the Allies with all the destruction that entailed, but unlike the Soviets they gave it back to the original owners. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2022-07-12 21:19 |
| #38 You are correct, Comrade Thing. It's timed to coincide with the Lithuanian assault on Kalininwhatever. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 19:58 |
| #37 #36 How can you say that when there's a Polish armored column headed toward St. Petersburg? Another example of disinformation! It's St. Leninburg! |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2022-07-12 19:46 |
| #36 How can you say that when there's a Polish armored column headed toward St. Petersburg? |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 19:21 |
| #35 ^ Hey, you forgot the part where we -- WE, we say! -- are starving bazillions of third world people to death! |
| Posted by: Knuckles McCoy8357 2022-07-12 19:17 |
| #34 Smells like teen Face it: Ukraine's lost nearly all its valuable territory, fir good. Zelensky's demanding $60 billion in loot for himself and his corruptocrats, plus another $700 billion to Build Back Better. And he's now losing about 1,100 soldiers every day. Delusion reigns here but not in Europe. Latest evidence of returning sanity: 59% of Europeans say it's not worth defending Ukraine if food prices go up. |
| Posted by: Palmerston 2022-07-12 19:08 |
| #33 ^ Slenter, that's a good-looking source, and I follow his point. I appreciate the reference. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 19:01 |
| #32 ^ Thanks for that civil response. I will take a look. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 18:45 |
| #31 Per Tom Cooper, an Austrian military analyst over at Medium dot com the Russians can stop a Himars attack. But given a salvo of 6-12 at a time leakers will get through. Accurate description for literally any defensive system at some point. And Tom is a very pro Ukrainian analyst (in my opinion) |
| Posted by: Slenter Panda4300 2022-07-12 18:37 |
| #30 #28 Let's focus on an example. My No. 14 quotes a Russian, Igor Strelkhov, as saying that Russian air defenses are ineffective against HIMARS attacks, So: (1) Is there an Igor Strelkhov? (2) Did he say that? And (3) Are Russian air defenses ineffective against HIMARS strikes? Show your sources. And try to answer without reference to Ann Frank or her father. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 16:55 |
| #29 "Lies! All lies!" Isn't that what a middle east dictator's press secretary supposed to say? |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2022-07-12 16:21 |
| #28 Hey MATT all the bs the you are linking it’s British sourced malarkey and fakery… Each and every one. |
| Posted by: Aca Joe 2022-07-12 16:05 |
| #27 Which is not to say that the families of the ethnic minority troops are happy about losing their children, as explained here. They just don't have the same political stroke as Muscovites. "My brother was sent for 333 exercises," said a woman from the south Siberian region of Buryatia about her relative serving in the Russian military in Ukraine. "He didn't sign up for a war in another country. It was basically a deception. Only on the eve of the invasion were they informed they would cross the border." The woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions for her anti-war activities, is one of a growing number of mothers, sisters, and partners of Russian soldiers from poor regions like Buryatia and Tyva who are coming together to press officials to let their loved ones return home." |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 15:03 |
| #26 ^ The war ends when Putin runs out of Buryats and other ethnic minorities to send to the slaughterhouse. When Muscovites start seeing their kids coming home in closed coffins, the political calculus -- by which I mean Putin's life expectancy-- changes. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 14:54 |
| #25 The war in Ukraine may come to an end sooner than expected. When Russian trolls keep repeating that, for months now, and yet the war continues, you lose credibility. You will not win this war with propaganda because you are up against BBC, CNN, CBS and others who are much better at it. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2022-07-12 14:07 |
| #24 avoid lining up helicopters in one line Wasn't that a WWII strafing lesson? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2022-07-12 13:53 |
| #23 Not one word of that claim is true. TW, ever gracious. You must have quality BP meds. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2022-07-12 13:51 |
| #22 And the absence of the air force would explain the reluctance of "thousands" of ground pounders to go into battle: “A couple of weeks ago one of my followers wrote to me that her son and some of his fellow soldiers at the front handed in their notices,” said Rinchino, who is head of the legal department at the Free Buryatia Foundation, an anti-war organization founded by members of Russia’s indigenous Buryat community. “A hundred people all [resigned] at the same time,” he told The Moscow Times. Since the start of Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine in February, thousands of Russian contract soldiers and National Guard employees have refused to be sent into battle. Helping these conscientious objectors are a handful of Russian human rights organizations, NGOs and individuals with legal training. But, as the Kremlin looks to shore up support for the war and crush dissent, Russian lawyers have faced an unprecedented wave of pressure. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 13:50 |
| #21 And separately there's the matter of the Russian air force being downright bashful. What was all that money actually spent on? Putin's Palace, maybe? |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 13:42 |
| #20 And from the American side, here's Jim Mattis, whatever you think of his politics: Mattis, a former Marine four-star general who led the Pentagon during the first two years of the Trump administration, condemned "the immoral, the tactically incompetent, operationally stupid and strategically foolish effort" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. When asked during the forum what military lessons could be learned from Russia's more than four-month-long war with Ukraine, Mattis replied, "One is don't have incompetent generals in charge of your operations". |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 13:35 |
| #19 And of course a picture is worth a thousand words. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 12:25 |
| #18 As imagery and other battlefield sensors improve and weapons get smarter, dispersal will be a minimal improvement anyway. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2022-07-12 12:21 |
| #17 Another Russian, here" sees a broader problem: "Another thing regarding the effectiveness of Ukrainian rocket strikes. Many write about how to minimise losses from them. Aside from strengthening air defence it is suggested to disperse ammunition storages, avoid bringing armoured vehicles to one base, avoid lining up helicopters in one line, and decentralise everything in general. But you see what the problem is – you can decentralise, but this will be a completely different army, not the Russian-Soviet army. Decentralisation is contrary to the structure of not just the army itself but the whole state structure in general. Indeed, along with distribution of ammunitions to different stockpiles, along with moving vehicles to various forests, also the powers must be transferred down – to these forests and stockpiles. But these powers for hundreds of years have been carefully focused in one location. And that is how the authority preserved itself. But here – decentralisation. This is worse than military losses." |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 12:18 |
| #16 ^ The Russian army will at least be very up to date on "taking cover" and "retreat" field experience. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2022-07-12 11:54 |
| #15 "Andrei, you've lost another general? |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 11:54 |
| #14 Igor Strelkov here: "The Russian air defence system … turned out to be ineffective against massive strikes by Himar missiles," he said on his Telegram channel, which has 400,000 followers. "There have been big losses in personnel and equipment" |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 11:50 |
| #13 Igor Girkin: While Kremlin continues leisurely chewing snot, the respected Ukrainian partners continue busily destroying everything they can reach with HIMARS, 777 and Ceasars which our Ministry of Defence (represented by General-chatter Konashenkov and his Radiant Boss – the Plywood Marshall) continues cracking like nuts. Ukrs are strictly consistent in their primary interests. Their priority is ammunition depots and air defence positions. Just tonight they “put in the air” another ammunitions cache in Nova Kakhovka. The partners have already carefully posted the video online. |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 11:33 |
| #12 "“There was an explosion in Kherson. They used HIMARS. There’s nothing that can be done about it? And there’s only 8 HIMARS and they’ve already f--ked us up. What’ll happen next? |
| Posted by: Matt 2022-07-12 11:28 |
| #11 He's right. The public has realized, much faster than they did wrt to the other big train wrecks in Iraq and Afghanistan, that Ukraine is a fiasco and the sanctions are blowing up in Biden's face. There's no support for continuing this disaster. The allies have already lost interest and ditchtched first Macron's party and now Johnson. It's already over. What a long, strange, total shitshow it's been |
| Posted by: Squinty Glomoper5597 2022-07-12 11:07 |
| #10 Germany is being forced to fire up eleven COAL (!) PLANTS it was going to decommission -- just to keep its population from freezing in the dark this winter. Oh thank goodness, they’re being sensible on the subject for the first time in years. Shutting down the coal plants, then depending on France and Russia for substitute energy, was suicidally stupid. As is currently being demonstrated. "Nero" is an anonymous coward and a troll Not one word of that claim is true. Except for the verb. Nero is — without the scare quotes — is true, though not terribly useful information. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2022-07-12 11:00 |
| #9 Jordan Schachtel is an independent investigative journalist. "Nero" is an anonymous coward and a troll |
| Posted by: Betty 2022-07-12 10:34 |
| #8 How's the weather in St. Petersburg? |
| Posted by: Nero 2022-07-12 10:30 |
| #7 I see no Russian advantage to ending the SMO before the end of the year. By rotating their troops through the theater they will become the most experienced modern army in conventional modern warfare. EU/US forces participating vicariously don’t have skin in the game and won’t take away lessons viscerally - just academically. That’ll provide an advantage in next year’s operations (where ever they may be). |
| Posted by: Cloluck Bourbon1058 2022-07-12 10:07 |
| #6 Not just hindsight. Most people who are not in on the Ukraine grift saw that sanctions were the most idiotic policy of the most incompetent set of leaders we've ever seen. Jordan Schachtel writes at dossier.substack.com: In hindsight, it should be clear by now that the sanctions never had a chance of achieving the stated objective of bankrupting the Russian economy and slowing its military. China, India, and dozens of other countries remained neutral and continued to trade openly with Moscow. Despite U.S. pressure, they did not even consider joining the sanctions effort. As U.S. sanctions against Russia continue to collapse, the Biden Admin may find itself being able to count the remaining parties to the coalition on one hand. With all of these continuing crises, coupled with a historic failure on the part of the Biden Administration, don’t be shocked if the war in Ukraine comes to an end sooner rather than later. |
| Posted by: Ulaimp Spart8577 2022-07-12 09:43 |
| #5 Germany is being forced to fire up eleven COAL (!) PLANTS it was going to decommission -- just to keep its population from freezing in the dark this winter. Germany is blocking more aid to the Ukraine grifters' cesspool: #Germany is blocking the allocation of €9 billion in aid to #Ukraine from EU, writes Corriere della Sera. According to them, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner opposes financing this aid from the common European debt, as it was during the pandemic. |
| Posted by: Ulaimp Spart8577 2022-07-12 09:37 |
| #4 In addition to its continuing battlefield supremacy, Russia now has time on its side, thanks to the booming commodity market and Russia’s many willing energy buyers. @MktsInsider: Russia snagged $24 billion in just three months from its energy sales to India and China, report says Russia has reaped bumper revenues from its oil, gas and coal sales to Asian buyers like India and China that have pounced on cheap prices. Ukraine is in the polar opposite situation. Kiev is becoming a massive financial liability for the West. Even as Western powers have already allocated over 100 billion dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine, the Zelensky-led government continues to demand incredible sums to sustain the war effort. The Dossier Margin Call: Zelensky demands another $750 billion The West’s “long Ukraine” leveraged bet is facing another margin call and demanding additional collateral. On top of tens of billions already spent on protecting the position, hundreds of billions more will need to be injected into the Ukrainian government in perpetuity in order to avoid total liquidation, which would present itself through the loss of western control over Kiev. With over one hundred billion dollars already allocated to the country, the Ukrainian government is again in dire economic straits, while piling up major losses on the battlefield… |
| Posted by: Ulaimp Spart8577 2022-07-12 09:31 |
| #3 The war is the biggest facepalm since the Iraq fuckup. A bigger fiasco than Vietnam and Iraq combined. Current Thing chaos: Biden sanctions collapse, as Ukraine piles up losses & hemorrhages cash The war in Ukraine may come to an end sooner than expected. |
| Posted by: Ulaimp Spart8577 2022-07-12 09:27 |
| #2 Oil prices react by going down 5% today. |
| Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735 2022-07-12 09:26 |
| #1 Why wouldn’t they start it back up - now. The EU is effectively funding the Russian SMO by purchasing gas. Now later - when it’s 20 degrees colder - there might be “unscheduled maintenance”… |
| Posted by: Cloluck Bourbon1058 2022-07-12 09:03 |