Rossticus said:

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Sooooo… Orban seems to be having some issues.

2/ When MFA Péter Szijjártó received the Order of Friendship from Sergey Lavrov - awarded by Putin himself - he already knew well that his ministry has been completely hacked by Russia.

He didn’t confront the Russians but praised Moscow and their great cooperation with Hungary. pic.twitter.com/DEozn3m6PF

— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) March 30, 2022

For non-tweeters: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1509073964294881282.html

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Lavrov is the world's greatest liar!

Way past time to isolate India.

Rossticus said:

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This would be where we find out if we have the balls to follow through on countries who help Russia bypass sanctions. If we don't then China gets the green light to join the team.

⚡️India and Russia formalized plans to replace SWIFT to be able to bypass sanctions.⚡️

— spook (@spook_info) March 31, 2022

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Now this is interesting.

Yes, the western countries need to bring India back to heel. They depend way too much on the West.

Is Russia imposing price controls?

Quote:

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"The frenzied demand in the Russian food market has already subsided," Vladimir Putin said the other day.

The Russian president made this announcement after the Russian and foreign media were filled with images of mostly elderly shoppers grabbing up packages of sugar.

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Quote:

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To be fair, in this case he wasn't lying. You don't see any lines for sugar these days. But how did prosperity descend on our country so suddenly?

The answer is simple. People were buying up sugar and other products while they were cheap. And now the situation has changed: Prices for that same sugar rose by 30-40%. Even the pro-government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta had to admit it.

So frenzied demand smoothly morphed into an inability of the majority of the population to stock up on food or even buy the necessities.

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Quote:

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At the same time price increases are in the euphemistic words of patriotic Russians "unparalleled." If it was just the price of sugar, that would be one thing. But in the city of Kurgan, for example, the price of onions has gone up 160%. Compared with March of last year, in Russia as a whole cabbage prices have increased the most among the major essential foodstuffs: they have risen 209.45% more than threefold. The price of sugar went up by half (56%). Buckwheat is up 37.7%, flour 20.61%, pasta 21.22%, and almost all fruits and vegetables onions, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes went up by more than 20%. Meat and poultry beef, lamb, pork and chicken rose in price by 12-19%.

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Quote:

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Although the government is making the usual statements about "market mechanisms," in actual fact they took the most obvious measure. They froze prices.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that they would fix maximum prices for essential goods. This is permitted by legislation, which gives the government the right to freeze prices for up to 90 days if they have risen 10% or more for 60 consecutive days.

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Quote:

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In the provinces measures are even more stringent. For example, in Zabaikalsky region, retail chains and the Ministry of Economic Development of the region signed a memorandum to curb the prices of certain food products from March 28. The list of goods includes nine items: milk, refined sunflower oil, sugar, premium and Grade A wheat flour, rice, pasta, salt and bread. Retailers will not be allowed a markup of more than 15% of the selling price.

Under pressure from the authorities, hundreds of stores in cites of the Khabarovsk region have fixed minimal markups on essential goods. In Kuban, they are also trying to keep prices down by administrative means. The list of goods that are 'frozen' include chicken, sunflower oil, milk, kefir, sour cream and cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, salt, flour, bread, and cereals. Last week butter and black tea, as well as some kinds of baby food, were added to the list.

Quote:

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What will mandatory price cuts lead to? Retail chains will cover their losses from the sale of essential foodstuffs by raising the prices of everything else. The overall result will certainly not favor the consumer.

Another result will be a sharp decline in the quality of essential foodstuffs. This is immediately apparent in bread, now baked from low-quality flour.

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Link

Surreal.

Japan pushing the envelope just a bit.

This is a massive shift in Japan’s policy in regards to Russia and the Kuril Island Chain since the end of the Second World War. https://t.co/CO1cExpL2c

— The Intel Hub (@The_IntelHub) March 31, 2022

Rossticus said:

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This would be where we find out if we have the balls to follow through on countries who help Russia bypass sanctions. If we don't then China gets the green light to join the team.

⚡️India and Russia formalized plans to replace SWIFT to be able to bypass sanctions.⚡️

— spook (@spook_info) March 31, 2022

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oh boy, the number of instantly unemployed Indian's if they were sanctioned in the same way. It would hit them in a very large way.

aggiehawg said:

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Is Russia imposing price controls?

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Pretty much have to if their inflation starts accelerating. Either way ends up badly. If you price fix, you'll eventually only have domestically produced goods, so back to good ol' Communism. If you don't, it's time to turn on the printing presses until things crater.

mickeyrig06sq3 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Is Russia imposing price controls?

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Pretty much have to if their inflation starts accelerating. Either way ends up badly. If you price fix, you'll eventually only have domestically produced goods, so back to good ol' Communism. If you don't, it's time to turn on the printing presses until things crater.

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Agree.

Fox News reporting:

LostInLA07 said:

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Rossticus said:

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This would be where we find out if we have the balls to follow through on countries who help Russia bypass sanctions. If we don't then China gets the green light to join the team.

⚡️India and Russia formalized plans to replace SWIFT to be able to bypass sanctions.⚡️

— spook (@spook_info) March 31, 2022

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If India does that we should immediately revoke all work and student visas. The number of pissed off Indians heading back to India would make quite the impact on their government.

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100% agree with this. Too many US companies screw with US employees by pulling these folks in.

LostInLA07 said:

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Rossticus said:

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This would be where we find out if we have the balls to follow through on countries who help Russia bypass sanctions. If we don't then China gets the green light to join the team.

⚡️India and Russia formalized plans to replace SWIFT to be able to bypass sanctions.⚡️

— spook (@spook_info) March 31, 2022

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If India does that we should immediately revoke all work and student visas. The number of pissed off Indians heading back to India would make quite the impact on their government.

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India as a government might not care about the education losses seen down the road compared to getting more trade access now. In the short term, it would just force their best and brightest students and workers to stay home. Now, highly educated, technical degree holding Indian citizens who no longer have access to high paying western jobs are going to care a hell of a lot. But they are way outnumbered when it comes to voting.

Also, the companies that abuse the visa programs the most are tech companies that are aligned with the democrats. No way FAANG goes silently into the night as they lose their easy to abuse, highly educated employees that are forced to work on grunt work that americans have shied away from.

“How to protect yourself from rape” is an actual post circulating among Ukrainian girls on Instagram right now. This is our reality

— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) March 31, 2022

And where are we going to get doctors from?

More importantly where will we get pharmaceuticals from

And who will run our convenience stores and gas stations???

Well, we do have a "Mexico problem"…

Russian talk show host Olga Skabeyeva says Dutch PM Mark Rutte's comments that any peace deal not respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity won't prompt the lifting of sanctions is a "direct proposal for Russia to finish the job. We've got nothing to lose" pic.twitter.com/ZH84EHxyH6

— Francis Scarr (@francska1) March 31, 2022

aezmvp said:

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I agree that European militaries have not lived up to their requirements.

That doesn't mean that their reaction to this will not change those calculations. They clearly will. The new Ukrainian dispora will also alter those calculations further. In regards to Sweden and Finland, you're looking at two countries with very different military expectations than in other European countries.

Sweden has a similar population to Denmark (both of which are smaller than either DFW or Houston metro areas) but triple the active armed forces and double the reserves. They have a sophisticated defense industry and an extensive military training structure.

Finland has compulsory military service and a crazy total nation defense plan that is practiced regularly. Finland especially would be a nightmare to invade. Those countries are after the UK, France and Poland two of the most prepared and well equipped militaries in Europe. Are they small in comparison to Russia? Yes but they're also less than 4% of the population of Russia.

So yes, should Germany and other parts of Europe live up to their obligations from which they have been shielded for 70 years? Yes. But this action is going to radically change calculations all over Europe. Poland is doubling their armed forces. Romania, Czech Republic, Baltic states and others will also be increasing size and spending. With appropriate help and training the US might be leading the alliance, but we will have significantly more allied resources along the Eastern flank.

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Alliances like anything have pros & cons and I think they had a better standing prior to mass corruption at the highest levels along with the power of the MIC.

Personally I think stopping evil atrocities from clear aggressors, should not require any kind of agreement or alliance.

If UKR survives this war (including keeping the east), I can easily see them building partnerships with a few other countries given their resolve.

A couple of amusing items.

…to massive flows of data about many Russians, including their call records, addresses, flights, car registrations… (including FSB/GRU/etc. intelligence officials/poisons experts/etc.) and how powerful it is to link these together https://t.co/leisZmXx1K

— Ian Brown 🇮🇨 (@1Br0wn) March 31, 2022

#Germany is considering the possibility of nationalizing the German subsidiaries of Gazprom and Rosneft, the Handelsblatt newspaper reports. pic.twitter.com/g71VyJBPpT

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 31, 2022

Rossticus said:

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Russian talk show host Olga Skabeyeva says Dutch PM Mark Rutte's comments that any peace deal not respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity won't prompt the lifting of sanctions is a "direct proposal for Russia to finish the job. We've got nothing to lose" pic.twitter.com/ZH84EHxyH6

— Francis Scarr (@francska1) March 31, 2022

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She's right you know.

/Morgan Freeman

I had the opportunity to speak with Olha as part of a broader Zoom call in January, leading up to the war. Was not acquainted with her husband but seems to have been a lovely family. Prayers for her and their girls.

This beautiful family lost the father & the husband yesterday. Yesterday on March 30 Bohdan Stefanyshyn was trying to rescue people near sieged Chernihiv & he was killed by russians. Bohdan's wife is MP @stefanyshyna, member of healthcare committee in UA parliament. pic.twitter.com/Qec2NqLT15

— Daria Kaleniuk (@dkaleniuk) March 31, 2022

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/ukraines-dy-pm-for-european-and-euro-atlantic-integration-confirms-husbands-death-in-war-articleshow.html

No. They could lose a lot more. They could end up in a never ending quagmire where they waste soldiers and money. They could have their economy destroyed for decades.

Or, they could leave and stop trying to steal liberate regions with no interest in being annexed liberated by Russia.

This is nothing more than a land grab. They can cut their losses or they can bleed or and die, but they certainly have something to lose.

Russians bombed a farm near Kharkiv. Luckily no tractors were damaged. https://t.co/xbe7b9ylYJ

— Petri Mäkelä (@pmakela1) March 31, 2022

⚡️ US announces new sanctions on Russian technology companies, evasion networks.

The 34 organizations and individuals targeted include several technology companies that produce computer hardware, software and microelectronics used by the Kremlin’s defense sector.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 31, 2022

TRM said:

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Russians bombed a farm near Kharkiv. Luckily no tractors were damaged. https://t.co/xbe7b9ylYJ

— Petri Mäkelä (@pmakela1) March 31, 2022

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That's just senseless. Ruskey not playing chess here....

But those cows don't seem the worse for wear.

❌Myth: The US and @NATO are providing #Ukraine with needed weapons. Allies are doing everything possible, short of direct involvement in the war.
✅Truth: To date, our allies have not answered our call for air defense support (fighter jets and SAM). (11/16)

— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) March 31, 2022

This is 100% on Biden dragging his feet. Just give them the damn jets already.

aggiehawg said:

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#Germany is considering the possibility of nationalizing the German subsidiaries of Gazprom and Rosneft, the Handelsblatt newspaper reports. pic.twitter.com/g71VyJBPpT

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 31, 2022

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So, what to do with Gerhard Schroder....
Day after he loses an election to Angela Merkel he runs to Russia and is now chairmen for Rosneft. What to do, what to do.... Germans elected a guy who supported (as an attorney) a leader in the Baader Meinhof organization- read East German Stasi - who led the way with Russian energy dependence. Can't help but think he was in Russia's pocket from the beginning.

I don't know about 2-3 weeks of training to fly.

We have not received the tools we need to defend our sky and achieve victory.
In the sky, the greatest need is for fighter jets - F-15s and F-16s of the fourth generation or higher would be sufficient; 🇺🇦 pilots can learn to fly these with just 2-3 weeks of training. (12/16)

— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) March 31, 2022

I think they may possibly have some foreign volunteers lined up with experience on those airframes. My guess anyway.

https://t.co/ZonwycFvhI

— spook (@spook_info) March 31, 2022

Rossticus said:

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I think they may possibly have some foreign volunteers lined up with experience on those airframes. My guess anyway.

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To be effective the Western aviators would need AWACS also. Not sure where they would get that unless NATO was to provide it. I also do not know how effective an F-16 would be in that type of EADS environment.

JB!98 said:

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Rossticus said:

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I think they may possibly have some foreign volunteers lined up with experience on those airframes. My guess anyway.

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To be effective the Western aviators would need AWACS also. Not sure where they would get that unless NATO was to provide it. I also do not know how effective an F-16 would be in that type of EADS environment.

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There have been a crap ton of AWACs and other listening platforms circling just at the borders since this started. Not just ours, either.