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Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

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I’m more Christian than these people and I’m an atheist.

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I was promised a recession.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

People are weird.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 884: Constant Air Raid Alerts for Kharkiv

War for Ukraine Day 884: Constant Air Raid Alerts for Kharkiv

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Painting by NEIVANMADE. It has a white background an in the center are Soldiers in green doing air defense by firing at incoming Russian missiles in the upper right. The missiles are red and yellow. In the upper left, written in green, is the text: "SAVE THE BRAVEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!" Below the Soldiers, also written in green, is "SUPPORT FOR KHARKIV"

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Three quick housekeeping notes: First, Rosie is still doing very well. There was no post-treatment strong reaction this week. She has next week off and then goes for her third treatment of the third round a week from Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, apparently we’re getting a new commenting policy, which is really a moderation policy. We don’t actually need a new one, we just need an update. And that update is simply a zero tolerance policy to antisemitic, racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, and closely related types of comments. The current policy is well over a decade old and was not designed for what has happened in the US over the past nine years since Trump announced his first run for president with an openly racist statement and created a permission structure for people to bring their bigotry out into the light of day. This one adjustment to the policy will resolve the problems we’ve been experiencing, which fortunately have been relatively few, since 2015. Though having to deal with three people making antisemitic comments since October, two of whom tried to get around their bans, is still three too many. Fortunately, these are still few and far between, but none of our readers or commenters or front pagers should have to deal with bigotry in the comments. The current policy is fine for all the other issues we occasionally have.

Last night, wjca asked:

Do you happen to know if Harris has (or is likely to have) a different national security team? If so, are they likely to have a different approach?

Yes, I do. First, almost every member of Biden’s senior nat-sec team has been in place since early to mid 2021 depending on when their confirmations were finalized (for those that needed Senate confirmation). The big departure was Colin Kahl, who was the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (USD-P). He left last summer and the Senate GOP has essentially bottled up his replacement’s nomination. Anyhow, all of these people would have moved on had Biden been reelected as four years in these posts is a long time. If she’s elected, Vice President Harris will bring in her own team. I expect her current National Security Advisor, Phil Gordon, will have pride of place as either her National Security Advisor should she be elected president or in one of the other senior nat-sec appointments/positions. Here’s his bio:

PHILIP H. GORDON is the National Security Adviser to the Vice President of the United States. Previously, he was the Mary and David Boies Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He also served as the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the Obama administration.

I expect, if she’s interested, that Harris’s senatorial national security advisor will get a senior appointment if she wants one. I don’t think I met Gordon when I was working on the 2014 peace process, but my understanding is that he’s a centrist in regards to his nat-sec views. Which makes sense as Obama was big on appointing technocrats that weren’t too far to either side of the issues. I have no idea if he would be more risk accepting than President Biden’s senior people. My impression of Vice President Harris is that she is more risk accepting, but only time will tell.

Kharkiv is, for all intents and purposes, now under twenty-four hour, seven day a week air raid alerts:

Here’s the butcher’s bill from last night’s/this mornings Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine:

From The Kyiv Independent:

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least three civilians and injured at least 20 over the past day, regional authorities reported on July 26.

In Donetsk Oblast, two people were killed and four injured over the past day, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.

A Russian strike against the town of Toretsk killed one resident and injured another. Another person was killed in Illinivka, while two were injured in Kostiantynivka and one in Berestok, Filashkin said.

Eight civilians were injured during Russian attacks against Kharkiv Oblast, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

This figure includes two injured in the town of Lozova, two in the village of Kurylivka, three in the Kupiansk district, and one in the Volokhivske village.

Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast killed one person and injured seven, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

A medical facility, an administrative building, eight high-rise buildings, 24 houses, and multiple cars were reported as damaged.

In Chernihiv Oblast, one person was injured during a Russian attack against the town of Nizhyn, Governor Viacheslav Chaus said. A residential dormitory was reportedly hit in the attack.

Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts also came under attack, but no casualties were reported.

Two energy facilities were damaged during the attacks against Chernihiv and Zhytomyr oblasts, resulting in outages in the latter region, Ukrenergo said.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 20 of the 22 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. The defenses did not manage to intercept one Iskander-M ballistic missile.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

Everything Will Be Done to Strengthen Our Positions and Our Ability to Inflict Tangible Losses on the Occupier – Address by the President

26 July 2024 – 20:50

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

A few things for today.

First – a meeting with the Minister of Defense. About the new defense packages for Ukraine – something we are preparing with our partners. It is important that our warriors receive exactly what they need under these conditions of very intense battles and pressure from the Russian army. In particular, together with the Minister and the military command, we are carefully analyzing the situation in the difficult areas; primarily it is the Pokrovsk direction in the Donetsk region. This is the direction that has been and remains the main focus of Russian attacks. There have been two reports today from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. Everything must be done and will be done to strengthen our positions, our Ukrainian ability to inflict tangible losses on the occupier.

Second for today. I want to especially acknowledge our warriors who strike at Russian bases and logistics in the occupied territory. The invader must feel that this is Ukrainian land. And each destroyed Russian airbase, each destroyed Russian military aircraft – whether on the ground or in the air – means saving Ukrainian lives. Guys, our warriors, I thank you for your precision!

Third – I have signed several decrees on presenting state awards to our defenders. From the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service. And now I want to mention the units and warriors who have proved themselves in these very weeks, especially in the battles for our state, for our independence. These are the 4th and the 14th operational brigades of the National Guard, the 18th Slovyansk brigade of the National Guard. And also, the warriors of the 1st detachment of the Omega Special Forces Center, who always strengthen our defense in the most difficult areas. Individually: Senior Soldier Andriy Dykun, Junior Sergeants Roman Ilchuk and Oleksandr Sakhnenko, Sergeant Anton Chaika, Chief Sergeant of the Special Purpose Platoon Volodymyr Romaniuk, Lieutenant Ruslan Minchenko. I thank you, warriors! I would also like to mention our border guards. Kharkiv Border Guard Detachment, Sumy, Chernihiv and Luhansk Border Guard Detachments. Units of the Maritime Guard and the Southern Regional Directorate. Kherson Border Guard Detachment. Master Sergeant Stanislav Nalesnikov, Sergeant Vadym Savinov, Senior Sergeant Serhiy Shcherbinа and Chief Sergeant Oleksandr Kasian. Junior Sergeants Kostiantyn Hnatyshyn and Denys Yevstratov, Senior Soldier Mykhailo Urdynets, and Chief Sergeant Kyrylo Ovdienko. Thank you, guys, your brothers-in-arms and all those who defend Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

The cost:

The EU:

France:

There was an act of sabotage against the French rail network overnight/this morning.

From France24:

France‘s high-speed rail network was hit by “malicious acts” including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF said Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network,” SNCF told AFP, adding that many routes would have to be cancelled.

“SNCF was the victim of several simultaneous malicious acts overnight,” the national train operator said, later adding that vandals had damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.

“Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities,” it said, and explained that traffic on the affected lines was “heavily disrupted” with many cancellations, and that the situation would last through the weekend as repairs are conducted.

Two security sources said the modus operandi meant initial suspicions fell on leftist militants or environmental activists, but they said there was not yet any evidence.

French officials described the attacks on France’s high-speed rail network as “criminal actions” and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games.

The disruptions as the world’s eye was turning to Paris were expected to affect a quarter of a million people on Friday and endure through the weekend, and possibly longer, officials said.

French security forces are hunting the people behind Friday’s attacks that hobbled the country’s high-speed rail network, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.

“Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” Attal posted on X, calling the attacks “prepared and coordinated acts of sabotage against (rail operator) SNCF’s installations” with “huge and serious consequences for the rail network”.

But Attal declined to speculate when asked in a TV interview about the possibility of leftist militants or environmental activists being behind the sabotage.

The Paris prosecutor opened a probe into a suspected bid to undermine “fundamental national interests”, saying that the crime carries up to 20 years in prison.

The investigation will also probe suspected damage inflicted by an organised gang and attacks on an automated data processing system, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.

SNCF urged passengers to postpone their trips and stay away from train stations.

Eurostar also said its rail services between London and Paris had been disrupted by the acts of vandalism, resulting in several cancellations and longer journey times.

More at the link.

The Financial Times has more:

France has suspended high-speed rail services across much of the country after the network was hit by sabotage attacks hours before the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

The co-ordinated arson attacks on Thursday night will alarm organisers of the Paris summer games as they prepare to host hundreds of thousands of spectators in the capital for the opening ceremony to be held on the Seine river.

“Fires were set intentionally to damage our infrastructure, and teams of engineers are already on the ground working to solve the issue,” high-speed rail operator SNCF said. “Many trains will have to be cancelled.”

Eurostar — which runs trains between London and Paris as well as high-speed services between cities in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany — said it was cancelling a quarter of its services on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

No official statement has yet been issued about who was behind the attacks. French officials have previously warned that Russia or political activists could seek to sabotage the Games, and have also been bracing for terror attacks. Interior minister Gérald Darmanin said earlier this week that four attacks targeting the Olympics had been thwarted.

“There is an absolute determination to find and identify the culprits and learn more about their motivations,” said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

He cautioned against jumping to conclusions about who might be behind the attacks, saying an investigation was just beginning.

Jean-Pierre Farandou, the chief executive of SNCF, said three fires were set around the same time and were discovered by staff at about 4am. Fire-starting materials were found nearby.

A fourth incident targeting a southbound line was prevented by SNCF workers, who came across the suspects and chased them off. Police are tracking the suspects, in what is the most promising investigative lead.

Farandou vowed to re-establish services as quickly as possible and said the SNCF would not let “a bunch of crazy, irresponsible people” stop them from doing their jobs.

Estimating that 800,000 travellers would be affected through the weekend, he said pipes that carry electric cables had been hit, requiring painstaking work to repair. TGV high-speed trains will be redirected to ordinary lines, which will cause delays and cancellations.

“It’s a manual operation. Each cable then needs to be tested,” Farandou said of the repair work.

However, SNCF repair workers made quicker than expected progress on Friday, prompting the company to say that traffic would run normally along TGV lines headed eastwards. The northbound trains serving Lille and Brussels would be running four out of every five trains with some delays, and westbound two out of three also with delays.

Security and transport officials had been contingency planning for such incidents during the years-long organisation of the Games, but appear to have been unable to stop them.

Valérie Pécresse, who heads the Ile-de-France region that is responsible for transport, said it was a “massive and co-ordinated attack” affecting equipment that supplies electricity to the trains.

For months, European security officials have been on high alert over the threat of Russian sabotage. This spring, intelligence agencies across Nato shared covert information about Russian intentions to step up acts of violence in Europe.

The assessment came after several plots were foiled across the continent, and information was obtained from Russian spy rings disrupted by security officials.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the investigation into the train attacks would be led by its organised crime division.

Asked about the possibility that Russia was behind the attack, Vergriete told the FT on Friday evening that “all signs show it’s not a case of official foreign interference.”

As he stood in the viewing stands waiting for the Olympics opening ceremony to start, he added: “The material and methods recovered are not that sophisticated and we’ve seen this before with extremist groups. We can’t exclude anything, of course, but we’ll know soon enough as incendiary material with fingerprints has been recovered.”

More at the link.

As of now no one has either claimed responsibility or had it formally attributed to them. That the former hasn’t happened, has me leaning to this not being a terrorist attack. Or if it was one, then it wasn’t done by one of the big groups like ISIS. No we wait to see what the investigations turn up and whether the saboteurs strike again before they can be identified and stopped.

For you philatelists:

I bought the Patron stamps when they became available. I need to get them framed.

Tatarigami and his Frontelligence Insight team have a new assessment of the 2024 front line dynamics. Here’s the summary, contents, and conclusions:

As global attention remains focused on the U.S. Presidential elections, it might seem that the frontline situation has stalled with no significant changes. However, our team has prepared a special report after closely monitoring the movement and composition of Russian forces, assessing their morale, and analyzing captured documentation and POW statements. Additionally, we’ve observed both positive and concerning developments within the Ukrainian army. This comprehensive report aims to clarify the current status on the frontline and offer insights into what we can expect moving forward. We have also addressed the question of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, exploring the feasibility of such talks in the near future and identifying the reasons why they would be difficult to execute.

Contents:

I. Critical Areas: Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Pokrovsk directions

II. Recruitment, Equipment, and Morale in Ukraine and Russia
a) Russia’s Position
b) Ukraine’s Position

III. Forecast

IV. Potential for Negotiations and Enforcement Approaches

III. Forecast

It is unlikely that Russia will halt active offensive operations before mid-fall 2024. Despite fatigue and losses, they have sufficient forces to maintain pressure, particularly in the Donetsk Oblast. However, the remaining forces, reserves, and units currently undergoing training in Voronezh, Belgorod, and Rostov Oblasts suggest that Russia lacks the resources to lay siege to major Ukrainian settlements such as Kramatorsk and Slovyansk. Without these cities, Russia cannot claim to have fully achieved its goal of occupying the entire Donbas region. We also do not exclude the possibility that Ukrainian forces might use new brigades to launch a counter-attack once Russia exhausts its offensive potential. However, this would be an extremely risky endeavor in the current situation. Overall, neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve their strategic goals with the currently available resources. In an effort to strengthen its position ahead of potential negotiations, Moscow has intensified its campaign against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, particularly targeting energy facilities, as noted earlier in the report. Additionally, a massive and effective online campaign has been launched to exaggerate internal problems and shift the blame from Russia to Ukrainian authorities for the lack of basic services and economic issues, which are actually the result of Russian actions

This brings us to one of the most common questions: why don’t Russia and Ukraine just sit at the negotiation table and resolve the war?

IV. Potential for Negotiations and Enforcement Approaches

Setting aside various political aspects, the situation is much more complicated due to the lack of effective mechanisms for such negotiations.

For instance, during the Korean War, the Korean Armistice Agreement established the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and ceased hostilities. A key factor in maintaining this armistice was the presence of US forces, which served as a strong deterrent against another North Korean invasion. Currently, no key countries with significant economic and military power are ready to commit troops on the ground to enforce a similar agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

If we assume that Ukraine and the Russian government could reach an agreement similar to the Korean armistice, where no nation is a signatory and it is purely a military document, the question remains: who would enforce or punish violations of such an agreement? Any law or agreement that cannot be enforced by a third party lacks real power and is therefore extremely risky.

If such a deal involves the retraction of heavy weaponry from a “demilitarized zone,” a critical question arises: which institution or organization will ensure that the Russian army moves back its heavy weaponry? If Russia fails to comply, what mechanisms are in place to punish such actions?

Without a reliable enforcement mechanism, any agreement would be inherently unstable. Should Ukraine withdraw its forces without credible security guarantees, Russia could potentially take over positions without facing consequences. This scenario would deter the Ukrainian side from agreeing to such conditions. Serious security guarantees from third parties such as the EU or the US would be essential.

In other words, the Ukrainian government and society are being asked to trust the word of Putin’s regime that they will not violate an armistice agreement, despite multiple violations of previous agreements and two invasions with territorial annexations over the past decade.

Unfortunately, this leads to the conclusion that if the West is reluctant to provide sufficient aid for Ukraine to win this war, a new and robust security mechanism needs to be established. Without such a mechanism, the war is likely to continue. This may occur in a less intensive manner or with temporary ceasefires, only to be resumed, creating a perpetual conflict zone in Europe. Such a scenario would continue to cost hundreds of thousands of lives and inflict severe socio-political and economic consequences on the region. Without credible and enforceable guarantees, the cycle of conflict is unlikely to be broken.

Much, much more at the link.

Russian occupied Crimea:

Tweet 1:

🚀/1. Today at 2:41 am, residents of Crimea heard at least 13 explosions/strikes from different directions around Yevpatoriya and Saky. Strikes were also carried out on the Russian military airfield in Novofedorivka.

Footage shows a military airfield in Novofedorivka. After the strikes, locals also reportedly heard a secondary detonation from the ground.

Tweet 2:

/2. Russian source associated with Russian military aviation has already commented tonight’s strikes on Crimea with such message:

“The morning is not kind again, country.
Well, did you turn the RC-135 around?
Did you comply with all international standards?
Did it help?
Everything is exactly as I said
Eternal memory…”

Message hints that some Russian personnel were killed during tonight’s strikes.

P.S: Regarding mention of RC-135. Yesterday RC-135 accompanied by two fighter jets of the Royal Air Force has approached Crimea. And Russian ministry of defence has published a video of them “chasing away” a British plane.

Vovchansk:

Kherson Oblast:

Yamalo-Nenets, Russia:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

A new video from Patron’s official TikTok:

@patron__dsns

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Open thread!

Reader Interactions

22Comments

  5. 5.

    Jay

    I find it quite “interesting” that the attacks on the TGV system only targeted routes heading to Paris, timed to cause massive disruption just as masses of people would be travelling to Paris for the games, and,

    the “attackers” used the exact same sabotage techniques in coordinated attacks, (multiple teams), that the Russian Resistance has been using to cause temporary  shut downs of train routes in ruZZia to block military transport.

    Wasn’t there some drunk ruZZian “cook” (FSB Officer in “deep cover”) busted recently who’s job was to “disrupt” the Olympics?

    Funny that.

    I’m not saying it was the ruZZians,……………………but it was the ruZZians.

  7. 7.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Thanks once again Adam.

    Question regarding the French rail sabotage, do the Russian have a history of emulating the MO of other groups/security services/intelligence agencies for kinetic actions like these to throw suspicion elsewhere? Given their ratfucking activity in the States via sock puppet groups, to me it seems quite possible that it was done by the Russians, who attempted to make it look like leftist/environmentalist militants—both to divert attention and to create schisms. But obviously that’s pure speculation on my part.

  8. 8.

    Jay

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    The Environmental/Villager protests against the TGV have been peaceful, no sabotage, no attempted sabotage.

    In France, the protests are noise complaints, (Villagers) and the loss of The Verge, (Green corridors on the sides of the rail tracks), when dedicated new high speed lines are created for the TVG, rather than upgrading existing tracks already running TVG trains, ( at lower speeds).

    In Italy, the Environmental/Village protests are over the tunneling issue. Rock formations along the route are slightly radioactive and contain asbestos. The current build plan is to store the waste rock in open piles near villages until it can be disposed of. The plan is under “reconsideration”.

    The only previous “attack” on the TVG system was a bomb attack, supposedly by Carlo’s The Jackal’s terrorist network decades ago that killed 2 people.

    ruZZia hired a bunch of Macedonians to go around Paris, spray painting stenciled swastika’s on Jewish property and other areas, (whom the French caught), to stir unrest.

    ruZZia hired some more Macedonians and a Serb to drop off three black coffins labeled “French troops in Ukraine”, at the Eiffel Tower, (whom the French caught).

    ruZZia hired a ruZZian from Donbas living in France as a “refugee” to bomb something. He however blew up his hands and his hotel room near Orly Airport when he was making the bomb.

    So,…………………………………………………………….

  9. 9.

    Bill Arnold

    A fourth incident targeting a southbound line was prevented by SNCF workers, who came across the suspects and chased them off. Police are tracking the suspects, in what is the most promising investigative lead.

    This is promising. People, including some in intelligence agencies, routinely seriously underestimate the amount of surveillance, by both the public and private sectors, that can be leveraged by focused investigations, and the French can be seriously focused.

  11. 11.

    Jay

    Pete
    @splendid_pete
    18h
    🇭🇺 The Hungarian government has introduced a National Card from July that allows Russian and Belarusian “guest workers” to enter the country without the usual security screenings. This policy, which follows the closure of the controversial Russian-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB) or “spy bank,” has raised significant national security concerns.

    Key points include:

    • The National Card system allows workers from eight countries, including Russia and Belarus, to enter Hungary without a cap on numbers and without specific job restrictions.
    • The card simplifies the application process, does not require proof of job demand, and allows family reunification.
    • Although the card is ostensibly to facilitate projects like the Paks II nuclear plant, the need for large numbers of Russian workers for this project is questionable, given existing Russian presence and the slow progress due to regulatory issues.
    • Security expert Rácz András warns that this policy could open a loophole similar to the IIB, potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal oversight, posing a significant national security risk.

    • This policy could also facilitate the movement of Russians within the Schengen zone, bypassing the restrictions faced by typical work permits.

    The lack of clear necessity for such a broad and unregulated entry mechanism for Russian and Belarusian workers, combined with the potential for inadequate security vetting, raises serious concerns about the implications for Hungary and the wider Schengen area.

    forbes.hu/tarsadalom/orosz-b…

    https://nitter.poast.org/splendid_pete/status/1816748332078833677#m

  12. 12.

    Jay

    Anton Gerashchenko
    @Gerashchenko_en
    11h
    Chekist Mikhail Polynkov, a close associate of terrorist Strelkov-Girkin, complains that Z-propagandists continue persuading Russian soldiers to commit suicide en masse in Ukraine.

    Such suicides, who shoot themselves and blow themselves up with grenades, are deprived of posthumous payments, and in churches, funeral services for them are refused. Their families do not receive any money, and the Russian budget saves significantly on this.

    Looks like this is now a massive event among Russian soldiers.

    https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1816862107016860082#m

  13. 13.

    Traveller

    In reference to the French TVG High Speed Rail sabotage…the idea that this was a sophisticated and coordinated attack caught my attention…First I am pleased that the two young women from Just Stop Oil that attacked Van  Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery are facing serious prison time. See story from 7/26/24. (The leading image of them also glued with their hands to the wall, makes me wonder….how do you un-glue a super glued hand from  a wall?)

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51y99yrj49o

    Which leads naturally to the more intricate and sophisticated JSO previous action on the M25 motorway…where the same Judge in the in the above matter sentenced 6 defendants to between 4 and 5 years in prison for that action:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c880xjx54mpo

    I am not saying that Russia was not involved in the TVG attack…but radical environmentalist seem more likely to to me.  Best Wishes, Traveller

  14. 14.

    wjca

    @Jay: Such suicides, who shoot themselves and blow themselves up with grenades, are deprived of posthumous payments

    Such a great way to save money.  Keeps (official) casualty numbers down, too.  And so hard to prove how they actually died….

  15. 15.

    Jay

    @Traveller:

    Acetone or high concentration acetic acid, (vinigar) releases Super glue.

    The only known attacks on the TGV system was a bomb attributed to Carlos The Jackal’s terrorist group.

    Why would “extremist” environmentalists attack the “greenest” public form of transport in France?

    Every time “extremist” environmentalists have engaged in a stunt, they have stuck around for the publicity. (see what I did there).

  16. 16.

    wjca

    Adam, thanks for the response re Harris’s nat sec folks.  Here’s hoping the shackles come off the Ukranians soon.

  17. 17.

    Fair Economist

    @Jay: Seems like Schengen is not workable if any European country can allow unlimited numbers of people in.

  18. 18.

    Jay

    @Fair Economist:

    EU Countries can let in unlimited numbers of people, but,

    only certain Countries are “visa” free,

    other countries citizens are required to have a visa,

    certain countries citizens have to undergo a significant background check before a visa is granted,

    workers require a “bonded” work visa.

    Hungary is tossing all the rules away and throwing open the “gates”.

    So, the proper response from the EU would be to “close the borders” with Hungary, and require that all travellers from Hungary meet the Visa requirements, even Hungarians or at the least, reset up border/customs stations.

  19. 19.

    Traveller

    @Jay: You point  is well taken, and thank you for the Acetone solution…I’ve always been fairly seriously afraid of accidentally gluing a couple of fingers together when using Super Glue…now I don’t have to panic any more…(grin)

    Be that as it may, I think the only thing we know with a fair degree of certainty re the TVG, is that this was not a bunch of teenagers out pranking….the coordination pretty much precluded this.

    It would be interesting to see when we find out. Your well taken explanation has one central flaw…it is smart, it makes sense, and is in line from an environmental point of view…

    But human beings, (God love them) what can we say? Some of what we do is simply unfathomable….(eg This rash of Russian Soldier suicides…but really! I know that you and maybe others will give me a smart answer….but this is just really, really, really beyond crazy to me!) Best Wishes,

  20. 20.

    Jay

    @Traveller:

    So in the nitter (ruZZian soldiers suiciding), there are examples of the recent repeat of the ruZZian ethos, but ruZZian’s have over a decade been propagandized that life is not worth living and death is nothing and inevitable.

    Basically, from the working class down, outside of the major cities, of which there are few, it is a section of society that is murderous, violent, tons of suicidal idealation and no hope. 90% of ruZZian’s don’t have running water, toilets, gas heating, live in shacks with no garbage pick up, dirt roads, ( not gravel, just dirt) dump their shit in the streets and dump garbage in any vacant space. Life sucks and then you die.

    Few have what we would call “jobs”. It’s more like a mix of gig work and barter. Live long enough and you get a tiny pension.

    And of course, the pain of this life is softened with drugs and alcohol.

    Right now, the “bonus” for joining the SMO is a years median wages, monthly salaries 6x the median monthly wage, and all the loot you can ship back from looted Ukrainian houses, cars and apartments. Plus if you “die” (on Paper) you Mom get’s a new Lada, (nope) a small bonus, (nope), maybe a bag of carrots from the Mayor.

    There is also a super macho ethos, tied up with self sacrifice for the “Motherland”.

    They are also propagandized that the Ukrainians are Nazi’s, subhumans (if human at all), and will torture them horribly, when in reality, their wounds are taken care of, prosethics are given along with PT, they are treated humanely, and most put on weight.

    In contrast, most Ukrainian prisoners of the ruZZian’s are tortured, starved, denied medical care, some are executed or just left to die in cages, and of late, used for organ harvesting.

    It’s really f’d up.

  21. 21.

    Traveller

    @Jay:

    See, I  said you’d come back with a most excellent answer, (don’t you get tired of being right?!?), actually, it seems like the true answer…Russia outside of Moscow, StP and a few others really is pretty miserable…most importantly without much hope.

    This is true…(I would like to add that I sometimes go off on tangents not to just disagree…but add some context maybe).

    OTOH, I’ve spent some time (not a lot maybe, but still some more than just a vacation), in communist and post communist countries…I liked East Germany (I was there immediately after the wall came down), certainly food market shevels were uninspiring…but it was bucolic…row boat rides in little city lakes…and certainly I was a Westerner without the Stasi looking over my shoulder…In Romania, you had to be up at 6:30am even in a snow storm to go to the Central Communal Bakery to get the family’s daily allotment of free bread…and yes, all the older men that I knew well did drink themselves to death…but they loved their wives and children and we all were pleasant to one another and had happy Christmas’s even if I was a stranger…they seemed to enjoy a poor, but happy enough life. Same was sort of true in my brief stay in Russia…though there I was with the University so living pretty well{briefly}).

    I hear you I do, I know what you are saying….it is true and the conventional wisdom….but…I’m not really there with you on this.

    Soldier’s don’t kill themselves…it is dishonorable, and just isn’t done.

    Sigh, I am taking this all too personal….I just have trouble physically seeing Russian soldiers killing themselves. This seems moderately new to me in watching this war….just bad juju.
    Best Wishes,

    PS Let me  add, admittedly, I could never live in Russia, Romania, East Germany, Favela Brazil. or, even Laos which still has a communist government…Wealth, not much but some, and being Western were a pretty good shield and protection.

  22. 22.

    Chris

    @Bill Arnold:

    It seems to be a pretty consistent theme regardless of country that the kind of people who are addicted to “active measures” are just nowhere near as smart as they think they are.

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