Yellow "Pandino" in Ukraine.
This is not normal FIAT Panda, but the 4x4 version, and ukrainian soldiers love it to move around forests and swamps. Maybe not the best colour for a war, but Panda is game changer. 😉😁 pic.twitter.com/VGaHdr1qd9

— Ciro Nappi (@CiroNappi6) April 29, 2022

Apparently Uke navy not completely nonexistent. Gunboats better than no boats.

VIDEO of a Ukrainian Island class gunboat firing at poss a Russian target off the coast of Odessa, Ukraine. #Putin #Russian #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/lCBq4YvSTU

— raging545 (@raging545) April 29, 2022

Today's SITREP.

Oups pic.twitter.com/CzMlNY4fCO

— Benjamin Pittet (@COUPSURE) April 29, 2022

Other invasion news:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-04-29

Quote:

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Cargo of Ukrainian Corn Leaves Romanian Port, Dodging Russian Blockade
The first cargo of Ukrainian corn to be exported via the Black Sea since Russia's invasion set sail from a Romanian port Friday, according to the port's operator, dodging a Russian naval blockade that has all but halted Ukraine's grain exports.

The 71,000 metric ton cargo of Ukrainian corn left the port of Constanta on a bulk carrier early Friday, said Viorel Panait, director of Comvex SA, which operates the port.

Ukraine was one of the world's biggest exporters of grain before Russia's invasion. It was the fourth-largest exporter of corn, behind the U.S., Brazil and Argentina, as well as a major exporter of wheat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But Russia's invasion has damaged Ukraine's farms and choked the flow of agricultural commodities that used to leave its Black Sea ports, helping to drive grain prices higher and adding to concerns about global food security.

With grain building up at silos inside the country, traders, farmers and the Ukrainian government have been exploring alternative export routes.

Constanta, a Black Sea port fewer than 100 miles from Ukraine that is connected to Ukraine via the Danube River, has proved to be one such route. Polish ports on the Baltic Sea are another being considered.

The sudden redirection of Ukrainian grain exports has caused logistical headaches. Ukraine's railway infrastructure has struggled to cope, particularly as its Soviet-era tracks are a different gauge to those found in neighboring nations.

Friday's corn shipment was the first to be successfully exported from Ukraine via the Black Sea since the war began, Mr. Panait said. A steady flow of Ukrainian grains was making its way on barges down the Danube to Constanta, he said.
. . .

---

Quote:

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Russian Central Bank Chief Warns of Impact of Sanctions

The Bank of Russia said Western sanctions would inflict significant economic damage this year, forecasting a decline in the country's gross domestic product of between 8% and 10%.

"Economic activity is declining," said Russia's central bank chief, Elvira Nabiullina, said Friday after the bank lowered its key interest rate to 14% from 17%. "The termination of long-term economic relations will have a negative impact."
Western sanctions have blacklisted most of Russia's largest banks and severed Russia's links to international logistics networks, making it difficult for businesses to get hold of needed parts.

Ms. Nabiullina pointed to the automobile industry as one in which the supply of many goods and services has fallen more sharply than demand, pushing prices higher.

The Russian government has said it wants to make its economy more self-sufficient and find new suppliers in response to Western sanctions. Ms. Nabiullina said the recent interest-rate cuts were intended in part to help businesses as they invest to replace imported goods with their own products.

That stress on supporting investment marks a slight shift in focus for the central bank, which under Ms. Nabiullina's leadership has been fixed on keeping inflation low and paid little attention to supporting growth.
. . .

---

Quote:

---

In Reversal, Russia Makes Bond Payment in Dollars to Avert Default

Russia said it had made payments on two dollar-denominated bonds, potentially staving off a default on the country's foreign debt.

The nearly $650 million in payments were made in dollars to a London branch of Citigroup Inc. that processes payments on behalf of bondholders, Russia's finance ministry said Friday.

The money from Russia's bond payments must land in bondholders' accounts by Wednesday, the end of a 30-day grace period after Russia missed a payment in early April. Otherwise, the country can officially be called in default by its creditors.

The move to pay in dollars marked a reversal, as Russia's finance ministry had earlier insisted on making the bond payments in rubles.

Western sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine have complicated the country's efforts to make sovereign bond payments. In early April, the Biden administration blocked Russia from using U.S. banks to make good on foreign debt payments. By doing so, the White House revoked an earlier exemption that had allowed Moscow to use American bank accounts to stay current on its public debts and effectively pushed Russia toward default.

Russia's finance ministry in April tried to remit funds owed to creditors through its correspondent bank, JPMorgan Chase, but the bank declined to process the payments because the U.S. Treasury didn't grant approval. Russia then said it had paid the bondholders in rubles, after which it said it considered its obligations fulfilled.

But foreign creditors saw the situation differently. Under the terms of both bonds, payments must be made in dollars. An industry body overseeing swap contracts that insure against default on Russia's dollar bonds recently ruled that the Kremlin would fail to meet its obligations by paying creditors in rubles. Credit ratings agencies have also said that ruble payments aren't sufficient and would lead to default.

By backing down and paying in dollars, Russia is apparently hoping to avoid the consequences and complex ripple effects that could result from being declared in default. . . .

---

This last one is interesting because Russia has been using its reserves to prop up the ruble and to service its debt - which has to be repaid in the currency in which it was incurred ($). Before the invasion Russia had amassed $640 billion in reserves, which is a sizable war chest. However Putin left at least $300 billion of it in Western banks at the onset of hostilities, and it was subsequently frozen by sanctions. The West is not letting those frozen funds be used to service Russia's foreign debt.

Quote:

---

. . .On Monday, as the largest of the payments came due, including a $552.4 million principal payment on a maturing bond, the U.S. government decided to cut off Moscow's access to the frozen funds, according to a U.S. Treasury spokesperson.
. . .
The move was meant to force Moscow to make the difficult decision of whether it would use dollars that it has access to for payments on its debt or for other purposes, including supporting its war effort, the spokesperson said.

Russia faces a historic default if it chooses to not do so.

"Russia must choose between draining remaining valuable dollar reserves or new revenue coming in, or default," the spokesperson said.
. . .

---

So that remaining $340 billion kept in Russia and China is dwindling.

Horrific

“The Russians took away their boots, filled them with water & put them back on. Then the prisoners were forced to lie face down on the field in the freezing cold. "We lay like that for 3 or 4 nights, under the rain, getting colder and colder.’
https://t.co/bEoAuWyHOh

— Sarah Rainsford (@sarahrainsford) April 29, 2022

Yes, yes. History clearly demonstrates that dictatorship is the way of the people. Current events demonstrate how Belarusians truly love dear leader Luka.

Lukashenko said that the Baltic countries do not let their citizens into #Belarus so that they could not see how well Belarusians live.

According to him, in neighboring countries there is not enough salt and this is a problem of democracy. Therefore, dictatorship is better. pic.twitter.com/owQ9cJHNWk

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 29, 2022

If only we could sway Ms. Nabiullina, or remove her from her position, the Russian economy would utterly implode. She is their economic bilge pump. Without her, the war would be handled very differently. I wonder where she sits on the true believer scale.

Ag In Ok said:

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If only we could sway Ms. Nabiullina, or remove her from her position, the Russian economy would utterly implode. She is their economic bilge pump. Without her, the war would be handled very differently. I wonder where she sits on the true believer scale.

---

She tried to resign and leave the country at the beginning of the war. She was prevented.

Every bit matters, but this is potentially huge. If a short haul tanker can't discharge, it returns to Russia where it takes up space. Russian port tanks r already full. Ship captains & oil purchasers will avoid clogged ports w greater fervor than they avoid genocidal countries. https://t.co/11u8f6G2Iq

— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) April 29, 2022

Faustus said:

---

Other invasion news:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-04-29

Quote:

---

Cargo of Ukrainian Corn Leaves Romanian Port, Dodging Russian Blockade
The first cargo of Ukrainian corn to be exported via the Black Sea since Russia's invasion set sail from a Romanian port Friday, according to the port's operator, dodging a Russian naval blockade that has all but halted Ukraine's grain exports.

The 71,000 metric ton cargo of Ukrainian corn left the port of Constanta on a bulk carrier early Friday, said Viorel Panait, director of Comvex SA, which operates the port.

Ukraine was one of the world's biggest exporters of grain before Russia's invasion. It was the fourth-largest exporter of corn, behind the U.S., Brazil and Argentina, as well as a major exporter of wheat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But Russia's invasion has damaged Ukraine's farms and choked the flow of agricultural commodities that used to leave its Black Sea ports, helping to drive grain prices higher and adding to concerns about global food security.

With grain building up at silos inside the country, traders, farmers and the Ukrainian government have been exploring alternative export routes.

Constanta, a Black Sea port fewer than 100 miles from Ukraine that is connected to Ukraine via the Danube River, has proved to be one such route. Polish ports on the Baltic Sea are another being considered.

The sudden redirection of Ukrainian grain exports has caused logistical headaches. Ukraine's railway infrastructure has struggled to cope, particularly as its Soviet-era tracks are a different gauge to those found in neighboring nations.

Friday's corn shipment was the first to be successfully exported from Ukraine via the Black Sea since the war began, Mr. Panait said. A steady flow of Ukrainian grains was making its way on barges down the Danube to Constanta, he said.
. . .

---

Quote:

---

Russian Central Bank Chief Warns of Impact of Sanctions

The Bank of Russia said Western sanctions would inflict significant economic damage this year, forecasting a decline in the country's gross domestic product of between 8% and 10%.

"Economic activity is declining," said Russia's central bank chief, Elvira Nabiullina, said Friday after the bank lowered its key interest rate to 14% from 17%. "The termination of long-term economic relations will have a negative impact."
Western sanctions have blacklisted most of Russia's largest banks and severed Russia's links to international logistics networks, making it difficult for businesses to get hold of needed parts.

Ms. Nabiullina pointed to the automobile industry as one in which the supply of many goods and services has fallen more sharply than demand, pushing prices higher.

The Russian government has said it wants to make its economy more self-sufficient and find new suppliers in response to Western sanctions. Ms. Nabiullina said the recent interest-rate cuts were intended in part to help businesses as they invest to replace imported goods with their own products.

That stress on supporting investment marks a slight shift in focus for the central bank, which under Ms. Nabiullina's leadership has been fixed on keeping inflation low and paid little attention to supporting growth.
. . .

---

Quote:

---

In Reversal, Russia Makes Bond Payment in Dollars to Avert Default

Russia said it had made payments on two dollar-denominated bonds, potentially staving off a default on the country's foreign debt.

The nearly $650 million in payments were made in dollars to a London branch of Citigroup Inc. that processes payments on behalf of bondholders, Russia's finance ministry said Friday.

The money from Russia's bond payments must land in bondholders' accounts by Wednesday, the end of a 30-day grace period after Russia missed a payment in early April. Otherwise, the country can officially be called in default by its creditors.

The move to pay in dollars marked a reversal, as Russia's finance ministry had earlier insisted on making the bond payments in rubles.

Western sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine have complicated the country's efforts to make sovereign bond payments. In early April, the Biden administration blocked Russia from using U.S. banks to make good on foreign debt payments. By doing so, the White House revoked an earlier exemption that had allowed Moscow to use American bank accounts to stay current on its public debts and effectively pushed Russia toward default.

Russia's finance ministry in April tried to remit funds owed to creditors through its correspondent bank, JPMorgan Chase, but the bank declined to process the payments because the U.S. Treasury didn't grant approval. Russia then said it had paid the bondholders in rubles, after which it said it considered its obligations fulfilled.

But foreign creditors saw the situation differently. Under the terms of both bonds, payments must be made in dollars. An industry body overseeing swap contracts that insure against default on Russia's dollar bonds recently ruled that the Kremlin would fail to meet its obligations by paying creditors in rubles. Credit ratings agencies have also said that ruble payments aren't sufficient and would lead to default.

By backing down and paying in dollars, Russia is apparently hoping to avoid the consequences and complex ripple effects that could result from being declared in default. . . .

---

This last one is interesting because Russia has been using its reserves to prop up the ruble and to service its debt - which has to be repaid in the currency in which it was incurred ($). Before the invasion Russia had amassed $640 billion in reserves, which is a sizable war chest. However Putin left at least $300 billion of it in Western banks at the onset of hostilities, and it was subsequently frozen by sanctions. The West is not letting those frozen funds be used to service Russia's foreign debt.

Quote:

---

. . .On Monday, as the largest of the payments came due, including a $552.4 million principal payment on a maturing bond, the U.S. government decided to cut off Moscow's access to the frozen funds, according to a U.S. Treasury spokesperson.
. . .
The move was meant to force Moscow to make the difficult decision of whether it would use dollars that it has access to for payments on its debt or for other purposes, including supporting its war effort, the spokesperson said.

Russia faces a historic default if it chooses to not do so.

"Russia must choose between draining remaining valuable dollar reserves or new revenue coming in, or default," the spokesperson said.
. . .

---

So that remaining $340 billion kept in Russia and China is dwindling.

---

........and, along with the assets seized from Russian oligarchs, that $300B of Russian reserves now frozen in western banks should be directly transferred to Ukraine as war compensation.

aggiehawg said:

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Rossticus said:

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Oups pic.twitter.com/CzMlNY4fCO

— Benjamin Pittet (@COUPSURE) April 29, 2022

---

Guess the Russians no longer have those super accurate maps to tell how low an overpass is.

---

Looks to me like the guy is letting air out of the tires to try to clear the overpass. That's hi-tech Russkie ingenuity right there...

Meant to add but too lazy to edit; Russia's distribution facilities (ports/ships/pipelines and supply facilities) are very packed right now, and while no one really wants to attack these to provoke a wider conflict at the moment, they are ripe for such a strike.

This would be economically devastating and crush their ability to continue. If folks in Finland/Poland/Germany/Turkey etc. get serious, this is how it can be done quickly (and without direct human flights, mostly.)

Russian TV keeps threatening nuclear strikes against Western nations, desperately trying to deter them from continuing to help Ukraine. On a side note, this is the first state TV host who doesn't seem to be eager to die for the Motherland, arguing with a trigger-happy lawmaker. pic.twitter.com/PBvBP5V1lk

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 28, 2022

2000AgPhD said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Rossticus said:

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Oups pic.twitter.com/CzMlNY4fCO

— Benjamin Pittet (@COUPSURE) April 29, 2022

---

Guess the Russians no longer have those super accurate maps to tell how low an overpass is.

---

Looks to me like the guy is letting air out of the tires to try to clear the overpass. That's hi-tech Russkie ingenuity right there...

---

Hopefully, the radar is dinged enough to be inop.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said today that Negotiations on a Ceasefire with the Russian Delegation are at risk of collapsing.

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 29, 2022

💥 🇺🇦 fighters struck the Lyman-Raigorodok railway bridge across the Siversky Donets — at the time of the explosion there was a 🇷🇺 train with freight cars on the bridge pic.twitter.com/X3EfNjojh1

— polaris (@uss_zumwalt) April 29, 2022

FIRMS satellite data from today confirms multiple fires in Rus'ka Lozova & Kutuzivka, which confirms that these two towns were captured by #Ukraine after intense combat. #Russia has been slowly pushed back all along this axis for the past several days. pic.twitter.com/1f8pUAJP5A

— OSINT Aggregator (@AggregateOsint) April 29, 2022

Every day, the Ukrainians get more and more weapons and vehicles delivered. As long as they don't run out of soldiers they can keep this up due to support from the west

Every day the Russians get closer to being out of weapons. Their window is closing. They have no support.

I don't think China and India are willing to donate military equipment in the current political climate.

I don't see a Russian victory, only a way for them to bring us all down to the same level.

AgBQ-00 said:

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Rossticus said:

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Russian TV keeps threatening nuclear strikes against Western nations, desperately trying to deter them from continuing to help Ukraine. On a side note, this is the first state TV host who doesn't seem to be eager to die for the Motherland, arguing with a trigger-happy lawmaker. pic.twitter.com/PBvBP5V1lk

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 28, 2022

---

They are trying to convince themselves they have the end all of first strike weapons. But as the host pointed out. No one survives what follows. It would be a reset on the magnitude of all the continents shifting at once into subduction zones.

---

And the Sarmat isn't even operational yet. They flew 1 test flight and that's it.

Yes, but the video references specific NATO capitals and not Ukraine. They are trying their damnedest to argue themselves into the belief they have the upper hand globally without fully comprehending the situation they are in with any use. As you say, even a small tactical use gets them ostracized and reduced to worse than sub-Saharan Africa standing globally.

Not to mention likely overwhelming conventional strikes by allied forces on Russian targets within Ukraine. It would seal their defeat and economic ruin.

BattleGrackle said:

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Every day, the Ukrainians get more and more weapons and vehicles delivered. As long as they don't run out of soldiers they can keep this up due to support from the west

Every day the Russians get closer to being out of weapons. Their window is closing. They have no support.

I don't think China and India are willing to donate military equipment in the current political climate.

---

No doubt they are running out of new missiles, and modern guided weapons. But the Russians can continue to fight, and will continue to fight with their ****ty archaic weaponry if need be. They have been in worse positions before and survived.

Putin will keep committing other peoples kids to the meat grinder. It's what they've done throughout their history. And eventually, they will win. This only stops if Putin gets assassinated.

Granted this is against a (now) well armed adversary and more importantly in a hostile country. But i don't think Putin has an out where he survives other than taking over Donbas.

Rossticus said:

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Not to mention likely overwhelming conventional strikes by Allie's on Russian targets within Ukraine. It would seal their defeat and economic ruin.

---

That's what I think would happen in response to that as well. Our and other NATO planes come into Ukraine en masse and wipe the Russians out of the sky first and establish air superiority over Ukraine and the Black Sea. Take out the Russian ships and ground units after that.

If Putin fires off another one, Moscow will be glassed.