Very curious. This morning, the rolling news strapline on the domestic BBC News TV channel is carrying the phrase:

Remains of explosives found on Nordstream piplines

but I've heard no mention in news bulletins, I can't find anything on the BBC's website, and Google can't find it either. This would be important: after all these years of terrorism, the security services are getting pretty good at analysing the chemical fingerprints of explosive residues, and could get a much clearer handle on who planted them. We need to know.

Ah. BBC broadcast news has now attributed this to a (brief) statement made by the "Swedish prosecutors office". Watch this space.

Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged, Swedish prosecutor says

As reports of Russians Fleeing Crimea Amid Fears of Ukrainian Advance and PooTin reportedly loosing 2,600 Soldiers war criminals, Lengthy List of Weapons Within a Week while the Ukraine Destroys Russian 'Base Point' at Kinburn Spit.

Meanwhile PooTin is still looking for more war criminals and cannon fodder it seems, but even that may backfire.

PooTin's Covert Conscription Will Flood 'Overburdened' Russian Forces: ISW.

And PooTin's B.S. TV continues its Calls for 'Hurting' U.S., U.K. Territory With Direct Deterrence, but without the mention of using nukes this time since Xi openly criticised threats of nuclear war, which Moscow now denies it ever did so.

Thanks for those.

Sadly, Pootin's WWII tactics of slaughter look to be descending into the even more dire loss of life of WWI...


There has to be a better way?...

Regardless, Russia is being forever changed by this for a long time to come...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

It looks like PooTin's war criminals are in even more trouble on 2 fronts.

The Village Of Pavlivka Is A ‘Furnace’ Burning Up Russian Marine Brigades.

Ukraine opens a new front on the Dnipro to threaten Moscow’s rearguard.

Meanwhile more action against PooTin and his war criminals is being urged by western countries.

Global security leaders, activists say it’s time to fight, not talk, in Ukraine.

Some posts in this thread name "Putin's war", "Putin's" aggression, war crimes, etc. If only it were Putin's will to attack his neighbors, whom he defines as a split-off part of his own people he rules, breaking all international treaties to do so, tears down all bridges to the western world, jeopardizes the future of its own economy, of the Russian state as a whole, then there would be a sufficiently powerful faction in the Russian elite that would (quickly) end Putin's reign. But this doctrine is based on the centuries-old Russian self-image, a culture superior to its neighbors and russian power to be expanded (Eurasia: from the Atlantic to the Pacific). The Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the splitting off of the semi-autonomous non-Russian dominions. Nothing changed about the Russian self-image and mentality. The economically tough years after the collapse were not seen as a political turning point, but as a catastrophe, a cardinal mistake committed by the "traitor" Gorbachev, who was not willing to brutally shoot down independence efforts on the periphery. Russian President Yeltsin, who promoted Russia's exit from the Soviet Union to break power of the communist party (which had ruined the economy), was the one who chose Putin as his successor: the ruthless Leningrad KGB agent, with mafia contacts. Why? Because he saw the disintegration of Russia beginning in Chechnya. Putin was seen as capable of stopping this at any cost.

Western ideas of democracy, federalism, libertarianism must act as an incendiary device in the pre-modern multi-ethnic state of Russia, where centuries of absolutist monarchy, brutal oppression of dissenters, and 80 years of communist oppression followed. This centuries-old character continues to have an effect on the Russian people, in the grotesque claim to power and the feeling of superiority of the elites and the submissiveness of the large majority of the population. This cultural peculiarity of Russia was always known to European leaders (e.g. German chancelors Bismarck to Schmidt) or e.g. Churchill, but not to Roosevelt. (I don't conceal National Socialism, German racial theory and the genocide of the Jews here, which cannot be equated with anything). This knowledge has been forgotten. In Germany, the (west german) containment policy against Russia was replaced by an all-German gratitude to Gorbachev and to Russia for German unity and the stupidity of "political change through trade" (delegating German energy policy to Russia). While the Poles and Balts warned louder every year about the resurgence of Russian imperialism, Germany indignantly quashed "that noise" with its influence in Europe, even in the face of a US President Trump.

Every Balt is always aware of Russian cruelties, despotism and imperialism, observed since childhood and handed down in family tales. The Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas comes from a family that used to be influential: her great-grandfather co-founded independent Estonia in 1918. Her great-grandmother, grandmother and then 6-month-old mother were deported by Stalin to Siberia in 1949 (three weeks in a cattle car) - the centuries-old Russian pattern: remove or liquidate elites of peoples to be conquered. On October 17, she pointed to this Estonian newspaper article (in English) on the causes of violence and despotism in Russian society:

in Eesti Express: by Eero Epner: "Human Life Has No Value There": Baltic Counterintelligence Officers Speak Candidly About Russian Cruelty
https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/120083694/human-life-has-no-value-there-baltic-counterintelligence-officers-speak-candidly-about-russian-cruelty

PooTin’s Prison Recruiting Scheme Takes a Big, Desperate Turn.

Russia’s infamous Wagner Group is freeing hardened rebels held in jail cells in the Central African Republic and deploying them overseas, including in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, two senior military officers in CAR told The Daily Beast.

According to the sources in CAR, where armed rebels have controlled large parts of the country for about a decade, dozens of men held in military and police custody for crimes such as rape and murder are now being recruited into Wagner’s local wing, which includes hundreds of fighters commonly referred to as “Black Russians.” Many of the recruits, the officers said, are rebels the military consider to be terrorists because of their unlawful use of violence and intimidation against civilians and armed forces in pursuit of political aims.....

He's certainly reverting to his type of lowlife scumbags.

It's still not going well for PooTin and his war criminals as their advances keep being repelled as more assistance is being delivered to the Ukraine.

Signs of Another Humiliating Loss Send Russia Into Denial Mode.

Russia firing unarmed missiles to deplete Ukraine air defense.

Ukraine says it has killed nearly 500 Russian soldiers in fighting over the past 24 hours.

Widow of Russian Colonel Found Dead Writes Angry Letter to PooTin.

Finland Offers to Train Ukraine Soldiers in Winter Warfare Against Russia.

Ukraine is getting more THeMIS robots, ground vehicles that Russian troops have been offered $16,000 to capture.

And then there's the country that is feeling the fallout from this criminal war.

Moldova braces for blackouts from Ukraine war.

Finland Offers to Train Ukraine Soldiers in Winter Warfare Against Russia.

Well the Finns and the Russians have a lot of history in winter fighting, as the Russians have found to their cost.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

And then there's the country that is feeling the fallout from this criminal war.

Moldova braces for blackouts from Ukraine war.

In my opinion, one of the great omissions of the EU. Weeks before the start of the war, Ukraine cut off the connections of its power grid to the Russian synchronous system (RU, BY, ...) as a precautionary measure and operated their grid in isolated mode for a month. Then Ukraine and Moldova were synchronized with the Western European UCTE grid (ENTSO-E) in an emergency procedure (without fulfilling regular technical requirements, standards, operating rules). But the few cross border links EU <--> UA/MD have only low capacity.

It is noteworthy that the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia: EU and NATO members), unlike Ukraine/Moldova now, are still connected to the Moscow-controlled BRELL synchronous grid. So far there are only three approx. 600 MW subsea cables (HVDC) to Finland and Sweden, and a 400 kV AC link to Poland (HVDC short coupling). Electricity trading with Russia was suspended, but electricity (still) flows to/from Russia in the synchronous grid according to Ohm's Laws. The separation of the Baltic States from Russian grid has been planned for a long time (and against Russian interests for electricity exports from newly built Belarussian NPP). Lots of EU financing has been made available for this project. Switchover should finally take place in 2025, which is technically not unproblematic (then: only one synchronous AC link to Poland, others: HVDC subsea cables only). And you won't think of sabotage potential to subsea infrastructures in the Baltic Sea (cf. North Stream Pipeline explosions).

Remark: power transit between non-synchronous grids requires expensive and capacity-limited AC/DC/AC conversion (HVDC link or HVDC back to back coupling).

Emergency measures to integrate the power grids of the Baltic States and Moldova into (western) Europe and separation from Russia/Ukraine should have taken place at the latest after the illegal annexation of Crimea. Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, now remains heavily dependent on Ukraine. A single and weak 400 kV link to Romania currently helps less for Moldova's security of supply than for maximum transit (trading: 500..600 MW; physically: more): RO --> MD --> UA to support the Ukrainian grid.

Map of Nordic synchronous grid (and Baltics):
https://www.svk.se/en/national-grid/map-of-the-national-grid/

Current cross border flows from Nordic grid (Baltic states heavily import* dependent):
https://www.fingrid.fi/en/electricity-market/power-system/state-of-the-nordic-power-system/

[*] unlike for Central/Eastern European EU members (CZ, SK, HU, RO, BG, SI) the EU enforced shutdown of Soviet era nuclear PPs in the Baltics which results in a huge generation deficit.

ENTSO-E grid map (interactive): https://www.entsoe.eu/data/map/

current physical flow: Romania -> Moldova -> Ukraine (positive values: import to MD, negative: export from MD):
https://www.energy-charts.info/charts/power/chart.htm?l=en&c=MD&stacking=stacked_absolute&source=cbpf_saldo&interval=month&month=11

https://www.baltictimes.com/baltic_states_have_agreed_to_disconnect_from_russian_power_grid_already_before_2025/

The result of the Ukraine war will also be---hopefully---that the last countries in Europe bound by the long Russian arm: Belarus, Moldova (and the Transnistrian exclave) can free themselves from the russian embrace.

Some posts in this thread name "Putin's war", "Putin's" aggression, war crimes, etc. If only it were Putin's will to attack his neighbors, whom he defines as a split-off part of his own people he rules, breaking all international treaties to do so, tears down all bridges to the western world, jeopardizes the future of its own economy, of the Russian state as a whole, then there would be a sufficiently powerful faction in the Russian elite that would (quickly) end Putin's reign...

Putin is the leader... he sets the agenda, no military action happens without his order, and he therefiore gets the blame for it. This is completely his situation as he was giving premonitions of his invasion of Ukraine long before it happened, ie by his griping that the worst thing ever was the collapse of the USSR and his vow to "correct" this. I very much doubt that this would have happened with a less power-hungry and aggressive leader.

I also don't want to blame any of the Russian people for this; I am sure that many if not most don't like this situation either, just that they are prevented from expressing their disdain, and those who are in agreement follow authoritarians and would have followed otherwise had one decided not to invade a soveriegn nation for no good reason whatsoever. Best to lay the blame where it can be proven and in the smallest number of persons responsible: the one guy at the top.

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While the EU Seeks Special Tribunal to Indict PooTin For War Crimes PooTin Loses 6,000 Troops in 2 Weeks as Russia's Weaknesses Exposed as Half a Million Russians Face Eviction From Crimea if Ukraine Takes it Back and Russia is Test Flying Nuclear-Capable Bombers Within Range of Border.

Meanwhile Lavrov Finally Slips Up by saying that invasion of Ukraine is a "war" as PooTin's war criminals are Suffering 'Colossal' Military Losses in Intense Battle trying to take the city of Bakhmut.

While the EU Seeks Special Tribunal to Indict PooTin For War Crimes PooTin Loses 6,000 Troops in 2 Weeks as Russia's Weaknesses Exposed as Half a Million Russians Face Eviction From Crimea if Ukraine Takes it Back and Russia is Test Flying Nuclear-Capable Bombers Within Range of Border.

Meanwhile Lavrov Finally Slips Up by saying that invasion of Ukraine is a "war" as PooTin's war criminals are Suffering 'Colossal' Military Losses in Intense Battle trying to take the city of Bakhmut.

I am lead to understand that the losses near Bakhmut are not being added to the Russian totals because they are 'private army' Wagner group criminals.

It's PooTin's way or no way.

Russia issues ultimatum to US after Joe Biden said he was willing to meet Vladimir Putin to end war in Ukraine.

And then apparently PooTin fell down stairs, soiled himself as speculation over health grows.

So...

Will there be an unceremonious handover to the next-in-line?

Or will there be a Mafia-style shootout?

Or just simple collapse for China to walk in to rewrite history yet further??...


Stay safe?!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

As the Ukraine Is Taking Out Russia’s ‘Terrorist’ Missiles, praised by Zelensky as a Stellar performance, a group of PooTin's war criminals Caught POACHING Geese From Farm ATTACKED By Ukrainian Soldiers cooking their goose instead.

Then there's the Ukraine's Modified Soviet-Era Jet Drones That Hit Bomber Bases, Russia Claims and life as a Russian Commander can be very short Following Mass Desertions of His Unit.

Apparently PooTin's War Began Hours After Ukraine Left Russian Energy System and now Russia Says Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant on Its 'Territory,'and Won't Withdraw.

But it has sadly proved to be very costly in the end as the Ukraine Just Showed That Russia Is Way More Vulnerable Than Anyone Imagined.

While there are reports that PooTin appears to have run out of the deadly Iranian-made drones it's been using to terrorize Ukraine the Ukraine strikes back with drone attacks on Russian airfields.

Meanwhile not far away First delivery of S. Korean heavy weapons comes to Poland.

According to a former aide PooTin Has Escape Plan to Venezuela if Russia Loses War while PooTin prepares Russians for 'Protracted, Grinding War' in Ukraine as Russian State TV Laments Gaps in Air Defense System and Lack of Satellites.

Meanwhile the arrested Russian Deserter Who Opened Fire On Police Is Member Of Wagner Group and the Wagner Group Slams Police For Holding Deserter, Tells Cops to Fight Instead.

Russia Warns Risk of Conflict With NATO 'Soaring', but at the way PooTin's war criminals are operating I doubt very much that Russians would want to face that in their now depleted state.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that NATO and Russia 'No Doubt' May Fight 'Major War' Over Ukraine and a report that PooTin is Scrambling to Obtain Hundreds of Iranian Ballistic Missiles is likely the reason why. :-(

Ukrainian politician who idolizes Reagan tries to win over today’s Republicans

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