https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-defence-minister-makes-childish-155847623.html Russian Defence Minister makes childish mistake when reporting on "destroyed" Ukrainian tanks Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine "lost" six tanks on one front, and six more on the other, making "a total of eleven tanks". Source: Shoigu to journalists after the press conference of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Sochi, reports Meduza on Telegram Quote: "Yesterday, as a result of a serious attack on the Robotyne front, they lost six tanks. On the other front, in Bakhmut, our guys skillfully destroyed six more vehicles with new UAVs. So yesterday just in terms of armoured vehicles [they have lost] eleven [tanks]." Earlier: According to Bloomberg, a part of Russia's intelligence services is calling on dictator Vladimir Putin to fire Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov and switch to more aggressive warfare.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told a joke about Putin and Prigozhin at the International Strategic Forum in Bled. In short: Albanian Prime Minister spoke with Putin and told him that they should change something to their timezones as there is alwyas one hour diffrenece between Albania and Russia. Result was that there were constant miscommunications between them because of the confusion in timezones. Putin agreed and said: yes I have the same problem. I send my condoleances to the family from Prigozjin, but the plane didn't yet take off.
This is becoming a trend. Maybe all these Russian mercenary groups will join together to evict Pootie Poots. Another Russian mercenary group shows discontent with the Kremlin: ‘A sign of more to come’ https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...ntent-with-the-kremlin-a-sign-of-more-to-come
Let's see where Russia is getting its troops from now by kidnapping them and using a human smuggling ring to move them to Russia under false employment pretenses. Coupled with false charges to imprison them in Russia so they are forced to "volunteer" to be conscripts or mercenaries in Ukraine. Cuba uncovers network trafficking Cubans to fight for Russia in Ukraine Cuba says it has no part in war in Ukraine and would ‘act vigorously’ against those trafficking Cubans as fighters. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...ficking-cubans-to-fight-for-russia-in-ukraine
Russians are scrounging for troops now, for sure. You have to imagine that if some poor bastard from Cuba signs up to go to Ukraine, that about February when he has been in a trench for two months in sub-zero weather that he is going to be having second thoughts. Most likely he will be killed within a couple days though so he will not need to worry about it. Meanwhile, his cousin in Cuba did the smart thing which was to leave Cuba by going to Nicaragua and then leave there to cross the border into the U.S. He is working at Arby's now in Florida and making 15-20 bucks an hour. Maybe he has to escape by boat which is dangerous as hell. But guess what, Amigo? Being in a trench in Ukraine in February with cluster bombs and drones on your arse day and night is not all that safe either. Cuba uncovers Russia-Ukraine war trafficking ring The Cuban foreign ministry says it has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine. It said that Cubans living in Russia and "even some in Cuba" had been "incorporated into the military forces taking part in the war in Ukraine". bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66715773 Cuba is a close ally of Russia, but it stressed in its statement "it does not form part of the conflict in Ukraine". There has not yet been a response from Russia. The Cuban foreign ministry did not specify who was behind the operation. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66715773
Russia faces domestic fuel crunch, braces for more shortages Reuters August 31, 20237:46 AM EDT Updated 5 days ago Empty petrol tankers wait to fill up at a tanker filling station some 30km (18 miles) outside Moscow April 27, 2011. REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin/File photo Acquire Licensing Rights Summary Oil plants repairs, weaker rouble spark fuel crunch Fuel wholesale prices jump, retail prices are capped Government works to solve crisis by trying to curb exports MOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Russia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, has faced shortages of fuel crucial for gathering the harvest in some parts of its southern breadbasket and the situation may get worse in coming months, market sources told Reuters. Traders said that the fuel market has been hit by a combination of different factors including maintenance at oil refineries, infrastructure bottlenecks on railways and the weaker rouble which incentivises fuel exports. Russia has tried to tackle diesel and gasoline shortages over recent months, contemplating export curbs as the last-ditch attempt to prevent a serious fuel crisis - which is sensitive for the Kremlin ahead of a presidential election in March. A government decision to cut subsidies for refineries is likely worsen the availability of fuel in the world's biggest grain exporter. Regional oil product depots in Russia's southern regions have had to cut or even suspend fuel sales, while retail filling stations were forced to limit fuel sale volumes to customers. "The Ai-92 gasoline is not available for retail sales in Krasnodar region, Adygea and Astrakhan, there is hardly any Ai-95 gasoline and diesel," a trader in Russia's south said. Another trader said there have been no diesel sales at oil depots and there is no diesel on retail markets for the second week running in the whole Samara region, located in the Volga river region. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that there were no fuel shortages. But he also said government was working on measures to ensure a stable supply of it on the domestic market, including increasing levels of mandatory sales on exchanges and limiting the number of exporters. FUEL CRUNCH Traders said the shortages on the retail market followed by a sharp rise of wholesales prices. The state caps the retail prices, ordering the sellers to raise prices of gasoline and diesel only in line with official inflation. Industry sources say the situation will improve no earlier than October when many oil refineries will wrap up their maintenance, while seasonal demand is expected to decline. Some farmers also complained about scarcity of fuel. "There are shortages of fuel ... oil products prices rose in the range of between 10% and 20%," Andrei Neduzhko, director general of agricultural holding Step said in written comments. His company operates in Russia's southern regions of Rostov, Krasnodar and Stavropol. He said, however, there are no risks to the autumn sowing campaign for his holding. Wholesale diesel prices started to sharply rise in July. For the past two months commodity exchange diesel prices jumped on average by more than a quarter to 67,000 roubles ($700) per ton. "We do not buy. The prices are crazy," an owner of a fuel depot said. The energy ministry said last week that the volume of Russia's oil products output fully met current demand for fuel, taking into account the redirection of some gasoline and diesel exports to the domestic market as well as the use of stockpiles. The energy ministry also was recommending earlier this month that oil companies find ways to curb wholesale fuel price rises in agricultural regions. It has said in a statement that some supply issues had arisen due to high congestion on railways in southern Russia during the tourism season. Russian Railways has said it was in discussions with oil producers, and were ready to solve the issues. It also said in comments to Reuters that fuel supplies to southern regions via railways do not depend on an increase in passenger traffic. "All requests for the transportation of fuel on domestic routes are given a priority ... and "almost 100% of all products are delivered on time," it said. ($1 = 95.6955 roubles)
I really thought it was a joke. It was not. This is a good resolution pic from CNN of a Russian strategic bomber TU-95 covered with tires. For protection apparently.