Wouldn’t be surprised if Nord Stream 2 smashes the appeal and gets a green light, UA would then be proper shagged. What will they do then? Self preservation is name of game now.
Putin’s Cronies Told to Ditch Summer Vacation for Mystery ‘Emergency Meeting’ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/putin-cronies-told-ditch-summer-174743499.html Russia’s State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin announced an emergency session Monday, calling back Russian lawmakers for an “extraordinary” meeting just as representatives went out for summer vacation, raising alarm that Russia’s parliament might be preparing to escalate the war in Ukraine. “The need for an extraordinary plenary meeting is due to the fact that issues have accumulated that require urgent solutions,” Volodin said on Telegram. “Government initiatives will also be considered.” The head of the United Russia party, Vladimir Vasilyev, chimed in as well. “It is necessary that the processes going on now receive a legal response,” Vasilyev said on Telegram. It was not immediately clear what goals the emergency session will achieve specifically, but Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warnings in recent days have colored the haziness about the emergency callback with an ominous tinge. The emergency meeting comes just days after Putin noted that he hasn’t even gotten serious about the war yet, according to Reuters. The news comes just as Russian forces seem to be trying to better coordinate their attacks in Ukraine. Russian forces seized Luhansk, a key region in the Donbas, last week, in large part due to a sudden shift in the Russian strategy, according to a British intelligence assessment. The shift could mark a new, more coordinated phase of the war for Moscow, nearly four months in with several blunders in the rearview mirror. The Russian parliament has taken a series of repressive steps in recent days that could put Russia in a position to prop up its war efforts better, which could bolster any moves towards further mobilization. The Duma passed two bills last week that would force Russian companies to support the war with goods and services and that would allow companies to force their employees to work overtime. "The load on the defense industry has increased significantly," Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said at the time. "In order to guarantee the supply of weapons and ammunition, it is necessary to optimize the work of the military-industrial complex and enterprises that are part of cooperation chains." Some of the agenda for the extraordinary session includes information policy and competition, according to Reuters. Volodin said they would discuss the economy and supporting military personnel. Lawmakers will discuss more than 60 issues in all, but Vasilyev did not go into detail. Volodin met with Putin last week and suggested that the Russian parliament would help develop legal systems for the Donbas, or eastern portions of Ukraine that Russia recognized as independent early in the year just as Russian forces moved in on Ukraine. Volodin has, himself, in recent days issued several threats that have so far appeared to have more bluster than bite—just last week he warned that Russia could go after Alaska next to try taking it back from the United States, which purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.
No one is worried more right now than the Russian population. Can you spell "mobilization" boys and girls? Not saying he will do that. Saying they are worried about it even if he is just talking about a full shut-off of gas to Europe or something else. Vlad not seeing the lines down at the recruitment center that he hoped for. If the people are worried about their family going to Ukraine to die, they should be.
Turned into terrorism? It has been terrorism all along! Russia’s War Against Ukraine Has Turned Into Terrorism The Russian military isn’t just bombing civilians. It’s also targeting the laws and values that protect human rights. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/russia-war-crimes-terrorism-definition/670500/
It seems they are spreading out the terror attacks to make anti-missile defence a fairly hopeless task.
Lengthy article... Two exhausted armies are battling for eastern Ukraine. Can either of them strike a decisive blow? https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/13/europe/ukraine-russia-next-stages-donetsk-intl/index.html
We will see... Iranian envoy responds to US claim it’s selling drones to Russia https://news.yahoo.com/iranian-envoy-responds-us-claim-134115433.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall ROME — Iran’s foreign minister insists his country opposes Russia’s war against Ukraine, but was vague Wednesday about whether Tehran’s military cooperation with Moscow would include sales of drones that could carry missiles. Earlier in the war, Iran was criticized in the West for not condemning Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. But Wednesday, in the Rome daily La Repubblica, Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying that “we are against Russia’s military attack in Ukraine.’’ Abdollahian arrived in Rome on Monday for a visit including meetings with Italian business officials and industrialists, as well as with the Italian foreign minister and Vatican officials. The Iranian foreign minister was vague when asked about U.S. contentions that Russia is about to acquire Iranian drones that could transport missiles. “We have various types of collaboration with Russia, including in the defense sector,” Abdollahian replied. “But we won’t help either of the sides involved in this war because we believe that it [the war] needs to be stopped.” He went on to slam Western countries, saying their arms manufacturers want to sell weapons. “We will avoid any action that could lead to an escalation, but we will work to stop the war.” Nuclear talks with Iran have been at a standstill for months. Abdollahian in the interview contended that the negotiators have made progress on a draft agreement but that " there are other questions to be faced.” Pressed to elaborate, the minister replied: “We are asking for a strong economic guarantee. If a Western business signs a contract with its Iranian counterpart, it must have the certainty that its project will be realized and will be able to receive compensation.’’ The comment apparently referred to business deals affected by sanctions against Tehran. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, reported last month that Iran has 43 kilograms (95 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity — a short step to 90%. Nonproliferation experts warn that’s enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon if Iran chose to pursue it. However, Iran still would need to design a bomb and a delivery system for it, which could likely take months. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Tehran’s escalating nuclear work has raised alarms, and transparency is rapidly diminishing over its nuclear program. Last month Iran shut off more than two dozen IAEA monitoring cameras from nuclear-related sites across the country. Asked about the cameras, Abdollahian denied that the Iranians shut them off, saying instead “we took them off the circuit” and insisting they were voluntarily installed. “In whatever moment that the negotiations reach some result, we will bring back the 27 video cameras installed by IAEA inside our sites,” the minister said.
Russia has not achieved its main goal - to occupy Ukraine - and is preparing for the accession of the already occupied territories. "Russia's strategic goal for the complete occupation of our territory has not been achieved. Secondly, we clearly see and have information that in the legislative body of the Russian Federation, in the government, and in other structures, all issues related to the possible integration of the temporarily occupied territories into the Russian Federation are being actively worked out - politically, economically and territorially. How this will happen, we will see closer to autumn. September 11 is the only day of voting," Vadym Skibitsky said. ▪ According to him, the measures that Russia is holding in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk regions indicate systematic preparations for the so-called referendums. ▪ In addition, as the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine added, legislative initiatives are currently being prepared in Russia to simplify the procedure for obtaining citizenship regarding the integration or accession of the territory to the Russian Federation, etc. ▪ Regarding the general mobilization in the Russian Federation, Vadim Skibitsky noted that it can be declared when the war is declared. "Putin does not recognize that he has not achieved his main goal of occupation in a short time, he continues the so-called "special military operation" and does not want to admit that this is a full-scale war. And not only on the territory of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as he said, but this is a full-scale war against the Ukrainian state, against the Ukrainian people," the representative of the military intelligence of Ukraine concluded.