Yes, the energy problem is very complex at the household level. It will take time to convert everything, and impossible in one year. Indeed, Germany grew too dependent on Russia and is still funding their war effort… You’re right.
…the gas is a tool to weaken Europe in its attempt to support Ukraine. That’s another reason why Putin thinks he’s so clever. The thing is so obvious, he needs to rationalize the land grab, which he believes will bolster the power of Russia/Eurasia… This movement depends on Soviet era motifs and props, it’s retrograde… Perhaps Russia’s bizarre nostalgia for war in the name of its tongue is symptomatic of the human fear of extinction? I have no idea…
Also, the Russians have completed mobilizing in Southern Ukraine and has started their counter-counter-offensive. The Ukrainians are once again being pushed back towards Mykolaiv.
Back in the spring, when Russians wanted to force a speedy surrender, the Ukrainians could use their urban environments to ambush the Russians, and force them to give up spearheading into Ukrainian held territories.
Now that Russians are engaged in completely flattening cities into the ground, the Ukrainians have nothing to defend themselves with. They also can’t also bomb Russian controlled space into the ground because it would hurt Ukraine more than Russia. So they can’t really do the slow push forward into Russian held territories either.
Ukrainians troops are left out in the meat grinder. If they try to defend, they get shelled into pieces. If they try to counter-attack, they are left in the open, facing dug in Russian positions and Russian armored vehicles.
So without new armored vehicles from the west, Russia would continue to slowly push towards Kyiv, as long as their economy and logistics would allow the war to continue.
I disagree that the Russians will push towards Kiev. That was always just a feint. Conquering the whole of Ukraine will not be beneficial to Russia because they will then have to deal with millions of potential insurgents within their border.
It looks to me like the Russians have been doing something pretty similar to what they did in Chechnya in the Second Chechen War. I can only go by the pictures, but in the second conflict in Chechnya, it looks like the Russians’ goal was just to reduce as much of the country as possible to rubble.
And there are pics and YouTube videos, especially aerial videos, that show that the Russians have been doing something similar in Ukraine.
I agree on the need for artillery and armor, plus drones and any other useful weaponry and gear that the Ukrainians can get their hands on.
This is somewhat recent, looks informative, from Politico:
The next “5 to 10 winters will be difficult,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned on Monday as energy prices in Europe soared to new records.
De Croo said that Belgium can endure the crisis “if we support each other in these difficult times.” Sounds like group hug to me.
Just noting the recurring pattern, Turkey urges Ukraine to hold negotiations.
Boris Johnson runs over to Ukraine to persuade Ukraine not to use “flimsy” excuse to hold negotiations and assures the Ukrainians they can and will win the war.
Ukraine will be placed under pressure to negotiate by Russia’s allies the more Russia continues to lose Putin’s complete fuck up. Is Putin open to negotiation yet?
Not that I am aware of and if Boris Johnson gets his way, there won’t be pressure for him to do so if he convinces the Ukrainian leadership not to negotiate and fight for the win.
Not everyone is convinced Boris is on the right path, but that is clearly is his path and so far seems to have convinced the Ukrainian leadership that is the right path.
Haven’t seen a British PM getting so actively involved in a war since Tony Blair and Iraq and even then it was as a satellite to the US. Boris has been very active on this one.
Misery loves company. The UK is facing an unprecedented inflation crisis and societal collapse, and yet Boris the Clown is off to some foreign country on taxpayers’ dime. Seems to me like it’s the UK that will collapse before Ukraine.