OK, I give up.  Who is doing the blackmailing here?

This action makes sense when you consider one can't expect mercenaries to show any real commitment beyond a contract.

In Ukraine news (am I spelling that right?  Haven't talked about that place in been a while.  U-k-rain-e.  Sounds weird!)

The Dnieper river has stopped flooding, resuming its normal flow.
Completely coincidentally, Ukrainian forces have crossed the river and attacked Russian positions.

Man, some warthogs would be amazing. 

A Russian general's airplane goes down.

Shoigu hasn't been seen since going to Rostov-on-Don to handle the problem.

Shoigu is being replaced by the Govenor of Tuva.

Shoigu is definitely in great health.

New drone factory in Ukraine to produce Bayraktar drones, scheduled to open in 2025

The Russians aren't happy about it, but they have the power to make it a total waste just by going home.

It's going to take them 900 years to get the factory open!? 🤔

Hey dyslexia inst' a luaghign matetr.

Apparently, Wagner called off the march on the Kremlin because the Kremlin threatened their families

Some real cartoon villainy on full display over there.  :/

Also, I don't think we've heard the last of Wagner.  While they will almost certainly be phased out in Russia and Ukraine (one less obstacle for the Ukrainians) - they reportedly either have to sign up with the regular military, go to Belarus, or go home - it's very strange that Belarus dictator Lukashenko wants to host a merry band of psychotic outlaws in his own territory, which has stability probelms of its own.  It seemingly makes no sense.

The obvious rationale is that he wants a buffer against the regular Russian military who has set up shop there - Wagner hates them and vice versa, so it diminishes Russian influence over Belarus.  If things get dicey with Putin, Lukashenko can just say the word...

Another possible reason is that Lukashenko might be collecting broken toys for use further down the line.  He's long has his eye on Moscow rule, but never had the means to achieve it.  Well, if Putin's rule were to weaken even further sometime - like let's say, when a certain "special military operation" collapses, he could simply repeat the march on Moscow with his new crew.  Lukashenko might be accepted by Moscow elites while Prigozhin would definitely not.  On the other hand, Prigozhin has the ability to take Moscow while Lukashenko does not.  They make for natural allies and compliment each other well.

"A man with no motive is a man no one suspects. Always keep your foes confused. If they don't know who you are or what you want, they can't know what you plan to do next."

Also, I saw this stupid AF news blurb from, I think it was CNN, and it said that while Wagner is claimed to have around 25k troops on its march to Moscow, Russia has >800k troops at its disposal, especially if it starts calling up reservists and such.

It was such a moronic piece because:
1) no crap - no PMC on Earth outnumbers the full military might of its host country
2) very few Russian troops were apparently willing to fire on Wagner
3) almost the entire military of Russia (with notable exceptions like the Air Force) is in Ukraine right now, so Russia could have 50 bajillion troops and it wouldn't matter because their defensive posts are in Ukraine, not in Moscow.

It's such a friggin' stupid take.  It'd be like me having a flat fire on the highway and saying that it's no big deal because I have like 50 spares in my garage.  Totally irrelevant!

I'm still trying to understand what hat march on Moscow was all about.  I've heard the Wagner comments that it was not a coup attempt.  Moscow says otherwise. And then is satisfied to let Wagner go, as if it was no big deal. It seems like lamest face saving strategies I've ever heard.  Usually some expert is supposed to step in and say, "Here's what happened."

In lieu of that, and working from a serious lack of understanding, I would say neither Putin or Wagner knew what the Hell they were doing.  This is perplexing, because in any coup (and yes this was a coup) both sides need an objective, a means, and a strategy.  You don't stick your tongue out at a bully and run away, if you realize the bully will kill you. This is not the same thing as two macho drunks in a bar pretending to threaten each other, just to see who blinks first.

Alternatively Putin's army was too preoccupied with the Ukraine offensive to put together a counter attack on Wagner forces, but why would Wagner back down under those conditions?  They had second thoughts once the coup started? But that doesn't sound like the way Wagner is known to operate... But maybe it's actually typical, but we are never told about it.

Whether there is an expert out there who knows what's going on or not, there are missing parts to this story.  Watching it has been both comical and scary for me.  Global bullies bumbling is not a reassuring environment.

I don't consider it a real coup attempt because they are mercenaries with no real ideology or commitment other than being tired of getting shot at from behind and deprived of supplies by the Russian military. So yeah, just a phone call is all it took. These guys have fvcked-up personal reasons for being hired killers. Being shit-on be Russia's military probably did inspire some solidarity amongst them.

Lukashenko said that the events that took place in the south of Russia were painful to watch, but then said that "there are no color revolutions if there are no reasons for this in the country."

Of course, it's not a color revolution of any sort and he knows this.  He's implying that Putin's reign is causing its own rebellions, which is true, but it's a very ballsy thing to say.  If you read between the lines a little, he's calling Putin an inept ruler and since apparently Belarus and Russia are one, he's offering himself for the job.

He's lucky that his statements don't normally attract much notice, because this could be interpreted almost as a threat.

Quote from: Hydra009 on June 27, 2023, 08:01:34 AMLukashenko said that the events that took place in the south of Russia were painful to watch, but then said that "there are no color revolutions if there are no reasons for this in the country."

Of course, it's not a color revolution of any sort and he knows this.  He's implying that Putin's reign is causing its own rebellions, which is true, but it's a very ballsy thing to say.  If you read between the lines a little, he's calling Putin an inept ruler and since apparently Belarus and Russia are one, he's offering himself for the job.

He's lucky that his statements don't normally attract much notice, because this could be interpreted almost as a threat.

Like you mentioned earlier, maybe he has designs of his own.

Challenging Putin for his job is probably not best for one's health right now.  I think it might be a better idea down the road.