There has been quite a lot of speculation recently that the longer the Russo-Ukraine war continues with little prospect of any sort of a Russian victory, the more likely that Putin will resort to the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
Indeed, a recent article in one of the London-centric broadsheets has suggested that “Britain should prepare for a nuclear war”. On the radio and television, assorted prophets of doom have been plying their trade, warning of the end of the world.
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So, is Europe looking into the abyss of nuclear Armageddon? The short answer is probably not. But first, let’s make the distinction between strategic nuclear weapons and tactical ones clear. Strategic nukes, like the Trident D5 missiles carried on the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines based at Faslane, have a huge explosive potential, many times that of those bombs dropped by the US on Japan at the end of the Second World War. Tactical nukes have a much lower yield, although still powerful, and are designed to have an effect on the battlefield when conventional weaponry has not achieved the desired results.
The key difference, however, is how they might be utilised
Strategic weapons are designed to strike using overwhelming destruction as part of a grand strategy. This was the historical nuclear fear during the Cold War, a nuclear exchange between the USA and its nuclear-armed NATO allies – the UK and France – and the Soviet Union/Russia. And to a certain extent, this fear persists today, although nothing like it did during the 1960s. Who living at the time can forget the government advice that, in the event of your granny dying of radiation poisoning, you should wrap her body in a plastic bag and put her outside the front door?
Tactical nuclear weapons, on the other hand, are designed to be used as part of a battlefield plan in conjunction with all the other weaponry available to modern armies. That doesn’t mean that their effects are not devastating. Some types have a variable yield, which allows their destructive power can be calibrated for a specific attack and avoid some aspects of the inevitable collateral damage axiomatic in such attacks.
The numbers of tactical nuclear weapons held by both sides of the ideological divide are hard to gauge accurately, but it would appear that Russia might be able to field some 2,000 plus, which could be fired by the likes of the Iskander missile system (known to NATO as the SS-26) which is present in Ukraine. Whether the nuclear warheads are also there is unknown. The US, for its part, has probably fewer than 250, with some 100 deployed in Europe and the rest in storage.
The main problem is that any use of nuclear weapons, whether strategic or tactical, will inevitably lead to an escalation of the conflict
In the case of Russian operations in Ukraine, their use would lead almost certainly to intervention by NATO and a direct confrontation between the USA and Russia. There is little doubt that Russia would lose this contest and lose it badly. Putin knows this and will want to avoid that scenario at all costs.
The only circumstance that I can see in which Putin might authorise the use of tactical nukes is in the face of an existential threat to the very existence of Russia. The present conflict does not represent that as long as it is generally confined within the borders of Ukraine. No Ukrainian politician calls for a general attack on Russian territory, and territorial demands are restricted to the handing back of Russian-occupied territory, including the Donbas and Crimea.
Where we do have to be careful, though, is around the current state of play at Europe’s largest nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia
Captured by the Russians at the beginning of the conflict, it now appears that the invaders are trying to maintain it in operation to divert the electricity it produces to Russia, and it has been reported that the Ukrainian workers who continue to operate it are being held there at gunpoint.
More worrying, though, is that the Russian army may be using the power station as a sort of “nuclear shield”, both to shelter military equipment there and also to launch artillery strikes on their enemy. The Ukrainians find it hard to retaliate in the circumstances, and memories of the Chernobyl disaster are still fresh in the collective psyche. And yet accusations are still made by both sides of artillery attacks and false flag operations in this dangerous area. There is a real fear of leaks of nuclear radiation.
This aside, though, there is no current clear existential threat to the Russian state, and that is why I think it is extremely unlikely that they will employ tactical nuclear weapons in the current confrontation. Even some Russians agree; recently, in a German media outlet, Russian defence and armaments expert Ruslan Pukhov made it clear that the nuclear option being repeatedly trailed by the Kremlin is no more than a threatening gesture, mere sabre-rattling in the face of perceived military failures.
I think this is absolutely correct, and at the present time and in the current circumstances, the probability of the Russians using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine is close to zero. You can never say never, though, and matters need to be closely monitored just in case. It’s just possible that Putin, facing defeat and humiliation, could choose to go out in a blaze of glory. One can only hope that those around him would be sensible enough to stay his hand.
But all of this is highly unlikely, and I think we can all sleep safe in our beds. In the meantime, those predicting otherwise are merely scaremongering and need to stop.
Copyright retained by Lt Col Stuart Crawford. This article first appeared in The Scotsman and has been reproduced here with permission.
Journalists cannot seem to get stories past editors unless the content is suitably ridiculous enough to attract readers. Facts, common sense, etc. do not seem to be relevent. Even public funded broadcasters such as the BBC who should be explaining such things in a rational way seem to have lost their way. Putin & his gang will ultimately be defeated by Russians. It would appear to me that grain shipments, nuclear plants etc. are now all bargaining chips in the eventual ceasefire. Escalation at this point to tactical nuclear weapons would be pointless for Russia although as the article says… Read more »
Defeated by the Russians? As in a democratic (or other) coup? Or did you mean Ukrainians?
Putin is doing a fair amount of damage to his own people. I am speculating that they might opt for a new leader at some point. Indeed I would think that that is his biggest concern. The longer he hangs around in Ukraine the worse things will get.
Especially for you!Adolph Zelensky and hisFourth Reich laughs at you while he stuffs his pockets with dollars
You’ve used that twice now, more effort please!
It’s not until you read these types of comments that you realise how daft it sounds. Exactly the type of thing Hitler used to justify his aggression towards the Soviet Union is being used by Russia to justify an its blatent of aggression.
To be very honest, there is very little chance that the Putin regime will ever be ousted by the Russian people. A modern state holds all the cards, from mass media and it’s ability to mobilise supporters, control media if needed, to very significant ability to monitor a population. As long as the leader and supporters is willing to do harm to its own population some form of uprising will not succeed. You can see in places like turkey where even the traditional in build Unwritten constitutional Requirement for the army to oust a president failed in the face of… Read more »
Such dictatorships have fallen in the past and will fall in the future. This one is no exception.
Generally only with a lot of outside pressure.
Napoleon….outside pressure
Czarist russia….outside pressure
hitler…..outside pressure
Soviet communist pastry outside pressure
where there is little Or no external force from an enemy that destabilises or destroys the regime, they tend to stick around as their own population will never be able to oust them…fear of your entire family being tortured and killed does keep people in line.
look at Spain, look at North Korea, Happy when left alone. even regimes that collapse like the USSR were pretty solid until overwhelmed by an enemy putting massive pressure on them from outside.
I think that Napoleon & Hitler were responsible to a large amount by their own attempts at terrotorial gain. The Czar failed to look after his own people and was removed by those very people. The French Royal family suffered the same fate. The Soviet Union had died long before Gorbachov attempted to reinvigorate the economy which whilst the Soviet Union ceased to be many eastern block countries prospered. Gorbachov (by and large) will go down in history as a good guy.
Hi mark s tsarist russia feel because of WW1 and massive losses against the central powers, so the Russian revolutions causative factor was external pressure. Without WW1 it’s very likely Tsarist russia would have continued to slowly make reform and transform into some form of more enlighten monarchy. Napoleon was not really destroyed by his territorial gains, apart from Russia everything made him stronger. What actually destroyed him in the end was the Royal Navy and British Mercantilism. Basically the navy bottled him in Europe , cut his empire of from world trade and slowly drained it, Russia was a… Read more »
Spain is in relatively good shape. I think you need to ignore some of the narrative coming from the spanish which is polically motivated nonsense.
North Korea are looking for attention. Their system is broken and they need to suppress their people. It is the outside world who are attempting to ignore them.
Hi Mark in regards to Spain I was referring to the fact it had a stable far right dictatorship that lasted from 1939 to 1975. With said brutal dictator dying in bed.
As with North Korea many brutish dictatorships are supported and kept alive by people within the country. Generally massive external force is needed.
I am not a great fan of Crawford’s writing, particularly his views on British armour, but this piece is good. However, I would question the assertion that a POTUS – particularlly Biden – would risk the destruction of the continental USA in a strategic nuclear exchange with Russia, following the tactical use of a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
But I suppose that the Russians could not be sure – and so Russian first use of a nuclear weapon on the Ukraine front is highly unlikely. Deterrence in action.
NATO I’m sure has it’s red lines which Russia will not want to cross. Russia seems to be steering clear of WMD – surely there is a reason for this. .
David, that’s one of the very important reasons for the U.K. and french CASD. It creates strategic ambiguity. Even if Russia was convinced the US would not launch against a European strike, it could never know if the U.K. or France would. This is important because what many people forget is a simple set of cascading risks that means if one nation was to launch its strategic deterrent all nations would simple have no choice but to do the same. 1) You would not know which nation owned the strategic boat that launched its missiles. 2) One boat load of… Read more »
Four boat loads of Trident would barely scratch the surface of Russia.Exponential mathematics apply.Britains American bought “deterrent”merely balances the French nuclear forces which are genuinely independent unlike Britains.Your reasoning is infantile.
💩!
Actually mr moor one boat load of tridents is a potential castrophic risk To any nation and would actually end in the death of a reasonable percentage of the world’s population. I suggest keeping up on the Following: 1) research papers on impacts of Nuclear strikes in regards to world crop outputs. Especially black soot calculations for a 100 warhead exchange ( effectively the destructive capacity of one British nuclear missile boat). 100 warheads would removes around 10% of the worlds food production for around a decade, as a good % of the world’s population live in extreme food insecurity… Read more »
You don’t really think he has the capacity to take that in let alone actually read it do you?😂
One does hope jacko, one does hope.
I think, Mr Moore, that it is you who is infantile.
Given the military situation currently, steady slow progress west by the Russians and no recent successful counter attack by the Ukrainians, it is difficult to see a situation where the Russians need to escalate much above their current activities, which incidentally seem to have increased in tempo this week.
Seems to be putting a positive spin on it from the Russian perspective?
Just stating what is happening atm.
Militarily Russia is bogged down. She might plausably be able negotiate a settlement with Ukraine if she moves quickly. Pursuing the conflict seems like a lost cause – maybe the Kremlin thinks otherwise.
Given Russian actions I suspect that you are correct in that the Kremlin thinks otherwise. Their strategy after the first month has been consistent, maintain their own casualties as low as possible by hammering any resistance with crazy amounts of artillery, using DNR/LDR/Chechen infantry rather than Russian wherever possible and taking it slow. Just because it is not the way that US/NATO would have done it doesn’t mean it was wrong. They are using what they have, a large army with what looks to be a virtually unlimited supply of artillery and munitions. As opposed to us, with our far… Read more »
Yaaaawn, they are using Arty as it’s easy to use, takes fuck all skill using dumb ammunition and keeps a distance between your fav shit scared russkie rapists and the Ukranians. Anyway now your back, straight onto a Russian orientated story, any condemnation of Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine?
More delusional BS. ‘….casualties as low as possible….’ 80,000 and counting so far. After the first month…. You mean their defeat at Kyiv.
Strategy? That got found out and defeated 3 days into the war. Hammering resistance?? You mean the wholesale slaughter of civilians and housing. Hardly the benchmark of military
professional competence. Taking it slow? More like poor planning, no logistics, no leadership, no ability, Ukrainian counters.
This war is proving to be the greatest humiliation of the Russian military. They deserve no better.
I think the Kremlin is losing the battle at home and in Ukraine. I suspect that rather than simply admit they have got things badly wrong they will simply double down on the mistakes of the past. The point about the way the NATO would have done it is irrelevant as NATO members don’t just band together and invade their neighbours for no good reason.
Does it excite you? Does the Russian efforts at raping women and kids meet with your approval?
But the Orcs arent advancing steadily eastward. They seem to have ground to a halt because their ammo dumps and logistic hubs are at railheads and beautiful targets for HIMARS.
Roll up !! Roll up !! The latest edition of The Kremlin News is out, crammed full of delusion, deflection, and lies and worthless excuses for rape, murder, abduction, theft, genocide and warcrimes.
Imagine being so filled with self loathing that you would repeatedly parrot Kremlin propaganda.
Please would you explain what I said in that sentence that meets your description of it?
Sure. The only metric by which anyone could measure Russian military achievements in Ukraine is by accounting for the number of rapes, murders, summary executions, abduction s, false imprisonment, infrastructure destruction, theft of property, political repression, torture and warcrimes. All against a peaceful civil populace. Russia has made minimal progress and that progress has only been possible by razing towns and cities to the ground. Hardly examples of military skill at arms. The Russian Air force barely flies beyond its border, its Black Sea fleet is virtually neutered, its army has suffered woeful and unsustainable losses almost 80 000 personnel… Read more »
I’m sorry but that response is just astonishing. That a poster on this forum is unable to read a map, seems to be ignorant of Kalibre launches out of and off the Black Sea, Su-25/34/35 sorties in Ukraine is very disappointing.
I’ve read more maps than your handlers ever have. The only thing you need to be sorry about is the genocide and warcrimes being committed by Russia. The truth is often ‘astonishing ‘ to brainwashed Russian apologists. That’s your burden to carry though.
SU sorties in Ukraine? Not really sorties are they troll boy, a shite half trained Russian pilot with 60-70 hrs per annum flying in a straight line one it’s own or in a pair, using a civvy GPS tied to his knee, desperately trying to keep at the same height and direction. Not really a sortie as we would see it, but you keep up the trumpeting of your wet dream Putins efforts.
Spot on!
All your other comment’s you sap, do you need me to cut and paste and remind you?
OMG you are so funny! Their current activities consist of raping, stealing, looting and firing off shit loads of OS as they cannot do much else. No matter what spin you like to try to froth, putins illegal invasion of Ukraine has been one long cluster fuck from day one. And, your Russian mates will lose, both the physical war and the moral one also. Anyway any condemnation of Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine yet?
JIMK wrote: Given the military situation currently, steady slow progress west by the Russians Glacial is now reworded as steady is it? The ground Moscow is advancing into is flat unbroken countryside, they should have advanced and taken it in hours , (that is the SOP of their armed forces with their equipment designed just for that task) and yet here we are 6 months down the line and they are struggling. They are still in the game simply due to their much larger start point regards a more modern larger and better equipped military and yet? There’s an adage which… Read more »
The terrain in eastern Ukraine that the Russians are fighting on is definitely not flat, open countryside but it is forest, rivers, hills, hamlets, towns and cities with major, deeply constructed in places, well planned over 8 years, defensive lines that have been defended by very capable troops and artillery. A tough nut. As I understand it the car bomb attack did not kill the daughter of Putin’s “bestie” as you put it, the guy had never even met Putin. The T-62M are being used by the DNR/LDR militia not the Russian Army and seem to be adequate for their… Read more »
Calling a low funded military regardless of preparation is hardly a tough nut to crack when you claim to be a great power. Russia has not only humiliated itself politically, ethically, and morally but also militarily. By Russia I mean the government; although, having Russian family, I believe the people also carry a degree of responsibility for not stopping this when they could’ve (that is in 2006-2011, when the first signs of the return of dictatorship were appearing but while it was still possible to vote and protest). The problem with this rhetoric is that whenever the Russian armed forces… Read more »
JIMK wrote: ““The terrain in eastern Ukraine that the Russians are fighting on is definitely not flat, open countryside but it is forest, rivers, hills, hamlets, towns and cities with major, deeply constructed in places, well planned over 8 years, defensive lines that have been defended by very capable troops and artillery. A tough nut. “” Are you for real, the region in question is part of the Eurasian steppe, you know that flat expanse of land which Hitler took weeks to conquer in 1941 https://i.postimg.cc/zBbHYbK8/tumblr-o42jvrr-Bo-S1rasnq9o1-1280.png Oh the irony that the bloke who posted this just a few hours a… Read more »
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Link to USDA Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus – Crop Production Maps
Post 3 of 3
Time lapsed map of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine (Feb to April)
https://i.postimg.cc/VNntTb8M/2022-Russian-Invasion-of-Ukraine-Phase-1-animated.gif
On three out of four fronts, Ukraine has the initiative. They are playing the holding game in Donbaz, exchanging currently pointless territory to inflict major losses and buy time. This strategy will work, because by losing in the south the Russians will inevitably lose in the east. It’s a simple equation of mass, technology and will. By October, Ukraine will have encircled the 25.000 soldiers in the Cherson pocket. Every step the Russians take requires movement through partisan infested country. Which is how you deal with an invader. By January, Russia will have the economy of a third world country,… Read more »
You are looking at to high a level. It doesn’t look like open flat countryside to me.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.donsmaps.com%2Fimages9%2Fukraine180907modern.gif&f=1&nofb=1
You get found out every time you post. Whether it’s geography, economics, history or military strategy or anything else, all you have is recycled, inaccurate BS.
You posted that rather sweeping comment after I posted that map. Does it look like the open countryside that Farouk described? I assume you can locate Luhansk and Donetsk on the map.
How would you know what open countryside looks like from whatever sock puppet booth you inhabit? Just because ground has a high elevation, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it isn’t predominantly flat. You’ve been found out again by a much more knowledgeable poster in Farouk who doesn’t bluster around with recycled BS. You know absolutely nothing, only what your FSB handlers tell you to say.
Umm, I’m not too sure about your map reading abilities but when I look at that map I see lots of variation in ground levels and lots of rivers. In my experience, unless it is a delta, then that shows terrain that is not predominately flat.
Oh and the view from my desk is rather pleasant, the Grand Union canal with occasional barges passing by. How about yours?
My map reading ability is way ahead of yours, and of most Russian commanders. Yeah, I can make out Luhansk and Donetsk, they’re part of Ukraine, did you not get that memo ?. The topography there is predominantly farmland. You’ve been found out again.
My desk view? Farmland ironically.
In your experience? Ha ha haaaa FFS you crack us all up!
JIMK wrote: “”You are looking at to high a level. It doesn’t look like open flat countryside to me.”” Too high a level? Have you gone into Google maps and had a butchers, because if you had you would have spotted lots of rectangular fields next to each other, Now seeing as I was brought up next to a farm, spent a lot of time tabbing across such areas (with my Bergan on my back) and now live out in the sticks where I go mountain biking , I’ve seen a lot of those fields up close and let me tell… Read more »
Damn couldnt upload the Map from 1941 above, here it is:
https://i.postimg.cc/wMZTMYJP/img287.jpg
Oh dear oh dear, wrong yet again ha ha haaaaaaaa
I give up. The Ukrainians fought a bitter 6-7 year war between themselves along their border in Luhansk and Donetsk and didn’t construct major defences. In February the Russians were unable to advance over open fields and unfortified hamlets and towns.
Well what is it? In an earlier post you claimed that the Orcs could reach Poland if they really wanted too.
so why are they only making glacial progress now?
I haven’t changed that opinion and anyway, why would they be in a hurry? Their strategy is to minimise their own casualties and they are doing that with artillery and not rushing forward. Also the closer they get to winter the stronger their economic hand, in the form of gas supply, becomes.
You change your view so many times when two things happen, first your Russian mates fuck up on the field of battle, and secondly, when Farouk hands you your arse! It’s hilarious and all your previous posts, views and “facts” which you change so often, are there for us all to see! Typical weak, sad sheep you are troll boy! No balls, coward who supports the rape of women as a tool of control and a reward! Disgusting mess you are.
Right then the ‘strategy’ for liberation of these regions is flatten the homes and towns,kill god knows how many civies in the process and then claim it’s all for their own good!
You do notice don’t you that Ukr rocket strikes are aimed at military and strategic targets as to only kill Orcs and not the general population? What train station,shopping mall or apartment block are you attacking today then?
By the way the best way to minimise casualties is NOT to get bogged down in a war of attrition in the first place! Although by your comment about the Militias taking the brunt of the casualties says it all about the Orc concern for their ‘allies’!
Oh dear oh dear Farouk is ensuring you are getting your vomit all muddled! And was that the war “between themselves” instigated and supported by Russia! Oh dear you do struggle don’t you.
The war “between themselves”, as you should know, started in 2014 with the overthrow of the Russia favouring government in Kiev in 2013/14. It seems unlikely that that was “instigated” as you put it, by Russia, as it turned out that the US State Department had a big say in who the new leader was in Kiev.
Wrong again propaganda boy!
So, how was anything I wrote in that comment “wrong”?
Because it’s your little Russkie view of the situation which as is continuously proven, is one dimensional and full of shite! Next? And, yet again I see you answer the easy responses, but not the questions! Cowardly as normal!
That “overthrow” (by protests, that lead to the president leaving the country) was a direct reaction of Russia bribing said government into ending EU alignment, for which the government had no democratic case, being elected on being proponents themselves.
Followed by an invasion of little green men on Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, which have since been heralded by Putin. Every single dead in Ukraine is a direct result of Russia meddling with internal Ukrainian affairs.
It’s mind-blowing, how the anti-western internet trolls still believe their own crap.
Between themselves? Do fuck off sincerely.
Yes, you may not have noticed with all this hoo-ha surrounding the Russians but also fighting against the Ukrainian Army are large numbers of Ukrainian residents from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Indeed that fight has been underway virtually continuously since 2014 and it seems likely that they have suffered more dead and wounded than the Russians.
I can’t take you seriously. Like I said sincerely fuck off
So, you can’t cope with what I wrote, just a personal attack. Sad.
I didn’t attack you I told you to fuck off. I’d take you seriously if you were just honest about your views but you’re not
Any condemnation of rape in general?
You get so much wrong, you contradict yourself so often, “capable troops and artillery” “ a tough nut to crack” is that the same Ukrainian military you said was useless, full of conscripts and therefore the Russians wouldn’t even need to invade and just use missile over 24 hours to subdue Ukraine? Do you want me to cut and paste the odd posts for you troll boy? Sooooooo much wrong, but at least your consistent with your lack of knowledge!
Yep you are right, Why would Putin escalate to WMDs? when bombing shopping Malls, train stations and civilian apartment blocks is giving him the results he needs!
Norway has announced that with British financial support they will be providing $9.25m worth of Black Hornet drones to Ukraine. They will be freshly manufactured in Norway as a drawdown from Norwegian contracted options. Norway will be providing $10.4m for the purchase of Nightfighter anti-drone weapons from British company SteelRock Technologies (rifled drone jammer).
Given the vast amount of unexpected profits that Norway is harvesting from the soaring gas/oil prices I would have thought that they could have paid for the whole lot, rather than us have to borrow more to cover part of the cost.
Any condemnation of Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine? OK I will make it easy, do you condemn rape in general? Theft? Looting and murder?
JIMK wrote: Given the vast amount of unexpected profits that Norway is harvesting from the soaring gas/oil prices I would have thought that they could have paid for the whole lot, rather than us have to borrow more to cover part of the cost. I cant beleive you subscribe to that mindset, this is all down to Russia reducing the flow of Hydrocarbons to the West resulting in prices rises across the world and why has Moscow unleashed such hardships across the world, because it wants to be appeased for its invasion of another country, that is what bullies do,… Read more »
Yes Russia’s actions agrevated the problem but are you disputing that Norway is making huge windfall profits this year that it didn’t expect to?
So what if they are making profits. ? No harm in that, it’s not like they’ve brutally invaded a neighbouring country on the most specious of pretexts. Knowing the Nordic tradition, extra profits will see greater taxation and spend on health care, education, social services etc
Unlike your friends in the Kremlin, where all profits will be stolen by a selected few mafia gangsters, bribes paid to Putin, and luxury condos and yachts bought overseas. Any Russian citizens protesting about this will of course be imprisoned, harassed, probably eventually murdered..
What a squalid regime you cravenly support.
And? What’s the problem? Didn’t you get your bucket of potatoes and a video of a Ukrainian women being raped as you were promised?
JIMK wrote: Yes Russia’s actions agrevated the problem but are you disputing that Norway is making huge windfall profits this year that it didn’t expect to? JIMK, Do you honestly think I would put pen to paper without checking, because if (and this is not a dig) if you had, you would know that Norway has handed just over £2 billion on the Ukraine, and set in motion a plan to hand over £10 billion over the next 2 years. Norwegian support to Ukraine and neighbouring countries which is a similar amount to what the Uk has given, the full… Read more »
JIMK wrote: Given the vast amount of unexpected profits that Norway is harvesting from the soaring gas/oil prices I would have thought that they could have paid for the whole lot, rather than us have to borrow more to cover part of the cost. They did Norway contributes to a weapons fund for UkraineNorway will contribute to a fund to coordinate acquisition of military equipment for Ukraine. The fund is led by the United Kingdom, which will coordinate the purchase and transport of defence equipment for Ukraine. – Under British coordination and in close contact with Ukraine, we will identify… Read more »
Part 2: Norwegian-developed drone to Ukraine Norway and Great Britain are joining forces to acquire the Norwegian micro-drone Black Hornet as a donation to Ukraine. The cost will be up to NOK 90 million. The package includes Black Hornet units, spare parts, transportation and training. This will be financed by the British-led fund to which Norway has contributed NOK 400 million. Ukrainian authorities have asked for this type of equipment in the fight against the Russian invasion. – The Norwegian-developed drone is a global market leader. It is used in a number of allied countries, including the United States and… Read more »
Anyway, I’m a desert boot guy, used to wear Clarks but after they relocated from Portugal to Vietnam i started buying loakes, but they are made in…Portugal, so just found a British company which makes Deserts and so I will be buying British again…Result.
On that note, did you know that until recently the Russian army issued its soldiers with wraps and not socks?
Thanks, I had not spotted those announcements. It makes sense for Norway to spend as much as it can of the gifted military money back in Norway. There is an interesting Wiki piece on the Black Hornet, it almost implies that we paid the original R&D, we seem to have bought quite a lot of them. I wonder if we will be shipping, or have shipped, our old stocks, if they still existed, certainly a way of getting the numbers up quickly.
JIMK wrote:
The company which designed and built the Black Hornet was set up in 2007
They designed the Black Hornet in 2008
Started production in 2012
The UK placed its first order in 2013, meaning that the Uk had no imput until 2013
Fair enough, so what is this reference in Wiki? “They were developed as part of a £20 million contract for 160 units with Marlborough Communications Ltd” Were they our MoD contractor? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hornet_Nano
You are aware how wiki gets it info? Wiki as a reference how amusing!
You don’t really spot much do you? Farouk seems to grip you all the time, tell your handlers to always have a prepared answer when Farouk shows you up again!
Thanks Farouk, Those amounts you quote are in NoK not £ so divide by 11 to get the Sterling value. Still a substantial amount of money, hope they have a robust audit trail.
But it is small change compared to the avalanche of extra over last year gas money they are receiving, 9B Euro in July alone, oil revenue is on top. “Statistics Norway said natural gas exports reached 128 billion kroner (€12.97 billion) in July, more than four times higher than in the same month last year.”
As they used to be called “the Arabs of the north”.
Yes. I’ll dispute that having an economics degree. Norway is having its own troubles now not with gas or oil but with the main source of its energy; hydroelectricity. Due to the lack of rain across Europe production and efficiency has been greatly reduced. Whatever profits Norway has made through companies like Equinor which don’t do hydroelectricity has largely been used to subsidise gas prices and to provide aid to struggling countries, chiefly Ukraine.
Bully for you. I counter that with an Economics A level grade E. Norway is not actually having problems with hydro power, it is warning of problems, including possibly on the UK link this winter as we, outside the EU, will be a lower priority. Re your “whatever profits” comment, maybe you could provide a link showing Norway giving away 10’s of billions of Euros of excess profits (9 billion alone in last month)? I think it prudent for them to keep as much as they can, they will need it, but there is no need to puff up their… Read more »
Economics degree? Oh dear more errors as you have previously stated otherwise! Shall I cut and paste that post, one moment caller……
Since when has an A level become a degree?
You reply when I post obvious errors for you to correct but never reply to the content of any persons challenge. You are a simply little troll lost who supports rape, both in a war zone and it would seem in society. A disgusting Nazi troll! How sad!
Ok I don’t mind ripping you a new arse as one of the regular trolls, but your vocal support for illegal actions, both in and outside of war means your flagged!
Norway isn’t a member of the EU and any relationship it has with it has no bearing on the supply of gas to the UK.
I did not mention gas supply, we have increased our orders on that, I was writing about hydro electricity. Whilst Norway is not in the EU, just like us, it is in the Single Market which we are not. That gives them obligations to the EU that they do not have to us which could well see them taking priority over us on electricity exports that we would bring in over the undersea power cable between the UK and Norway that went live last year, with potential capacity equivalent to around 2 to 3 per cent of Britain’s expected demand… Read more »
Stop saying “we” you are not one of us
How do you know? I suspect that I am more English than you are given my age,
Why? Because you claim to be about 77 at the last count, you claim to be more English than a poster called James? Oh dear, becoming a Nazi again, not keen on new arrivals to this country? you need to be careful as there are sad, fascist, criminal lead countries which invade those who they like to claim are Nazis!!!!!
Yup, 76.
And yet again, a non entity answer from a none entity! What a sad sad existence in your supposed 76 years and this is what your life has led to, being used as a propaganda sheep, spewing out Nazi comments, hating women by supporting rape, and supporting a fascist regime in its quest for others land! Very sad and lonely existence as a troll!
I think that his ex wife ran off to Norway and settled down with a virile Ukrainian man. It would go some way to explain his seething hatred for Ukraine and his inferiority complex.
Strange imagination you have. I have no hatred for Ukraine and Ukrainians although some of their actions puzzle me. Not sure where your inferiority complex conclusion popped up from.
Not as strange as the imagination of someone who believes and repeatedly peddles the baseless myths of nazis in the Ukrainian government, that Russia is somehow ‘doing very well ‘ in its invasion or that it is somehow a Ukrainian civil war, and a whole other multitude of ‘straw man’ arguments. Virtually everything that you post is untethered to any objective reality. Your contempt and hatred for Ukraine pours forth in your sneering and contemptuous remarks about anything Ukrainian and your gleeful reporting of any purported Russian success. Your inferiority complex ? That comes from your abject refusal to condemn… Read more »
He seems to forget his garbage is on here for us all to spend a few minutes digging the various vomit he posts and then cut and paste for all to see! The same as the “Warzone” site where he has been posting blatant Russian propaganda since the other illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2014! He is just a sad troll, or worse, an English pathetic appeaser with a fetish for rapists and murderers! Either way mate just a sad sad waster 👍!
Ok special boy that one’s got flagged!
The block on Russian people(17% of the population) using the Russian language from long before the so-called
invasionis an extreme form of NAZISM that not even Adolph Hitler tried.The endless shelling of Russian people since 2014 is genocide.Zelensky`s actions would not be tolerated in any civilized nation ,certainly not in Britain.Imagine banning the use of Welsh or Gaelic or Urdu in the UK .Ukraine is a corrupt bastion of Nazi ideology.Even Isreal has not banned the use of Arabic!You know nothing about civilization, or anything else. The whole history of Russia is one of genocide, repression, murder, deathcamps, gulags, corruption, incompetence, warcrimes, enslavement and aggression. There is no ban on the Russian language in Ukraine, but even the Russian speaking people in the East of the country are fleeing westward to escape the horrors of Russian rule.
Go and buy yourself a dictionary and a history book you shrieking nazi.
Yaaaaaaawn
Guess what, monkey shit time 🐒💩
And more Yaaaaaaawn
What puzzles you? Ukrainian people bravely fighting an invading Nazi army, containing rapists, murderers, half trained peasants, convicted criminals, fascist private contractor groups and thieves, headed by a nonce leader? It doesn’t puzzle any normal, sane, democratic person who condemns such actions, you however……..maybe enjoying the spectacle, if not actively paid to do so! Sad!
Your answering a two week old post with playground level name calling…oh dear oh dear!
😂😂😂!
OK, ‘know every word I have said’ know-all, quote me back a Nazi comment I have made? A hating women supporting rape comment? A supporting a fascist regime comment? The very sad existence is probably yours rather than mine, waiting for and then writing a comment on virtually all my posts. I should I suppose be flattered at the attention but what you write is pretty mundane and very repetitive. Sad that you can’t understand that repeating a request more than a couple of times is just a waste of time. Maybe, if you were a paratrooper, you landed a… Read more »
I don’t think there’s any doubt Airborne was a paratrooper. Like many here he served, made sacrifices and no doubt saw colleagues and friends pay a heavy price for their service. Unlike you. But , it’s because of them and their efforts that you have the freedom to post your dumb opinions and Kremlin propaganda, so you don’t have to like them, but you could at least thank them.
His behaviour is a continuous demonstration of Airbornes NAZI credentials.All dissenting voices to be silenced.He just doesn`t have the baseline intelligence or self awareness to realise just how NAZI he is.Roland Friesler mark two!
The only nazi on this forum is you. A foaming at the mouth shrieking nazi trollbot, vomiting your unintelligible gibberish. If you’re the best that whatever troll farm you’re working from can produce then no wonder your military invasion of Ukraine has gone to shit.
Spot on 😂👍
i know Lt Colonel Stuart Craeford understand everything i say.I wouldn`t expect a shoe shine boy like you to
I love a nice pair of shiny shoes…..
But you really do need a dictionary.
Who, thats not his name….come on make an effort to at least keeping up the pretence of being from the UK. Put your little poster of Putin down, wipe it clean then wash your little hands. Good lad.
Very poor response do try harder!
Stand by stand by……have you been eating cat littter or monkey shit 🐒💩?
Yeah, whatever…..😃
Put the handbag down, your getting angry now as you are continuously caught out! You cannot bring yourself to condemn this illegal invasion by Putin, and therefore you condone the actions of Putins “men” and, by not voicing a protest you are tacitly supporting the illegal invasion, rape, torture and murder of innocent people! Simple really, the rest of your statement is a waste of trolling by yourself!
Guess what……you’ve won a double Yaaaaaaawn with that one!
You would do well to realise that the UK accounts for near on 30-40% of Norwegian exports. We are their most important ally and customer, not that you would realise what loyalty and friendship actually meant
My ex wife is Norwegian and one child lives in Stavanger so I suspect that I know a lot more about our relationship with Norway than you do.
No, it really isn’t comparable at all. Especially in your case as it’s obvious to all that you’re a BS merchant. Even your spouse and child couldn’t listen to you. Still, at least they haven’t been targeted by a Russian Iskander missile at a Railway station.
Of course of course, how fortunate was that for this conversation!!! FFS we are all laughing our tits off at your desperate efforts at justification.
I’ve got a picture of Putin and Lavrov in my toilet pan and a large cat, so yes! Next? Oh dear oh dear that didn’t go as expected did it Mr Saville. Next?
Oh my, your keyboard must be terrified of your toughness!
Yaaaaaaawn no one asked for a fake CV silly boy!
There is a price to maintaining freedom. Hood old Blighty is happy to contribute its share to the brave Ukranians. Fighting Mad Vlad’s rapists so we dont have too.
We haven’t had to fight them in the last 150 odd years, what makes you think we would have to in the next few decades?
The Government’s contribution is one thing that most support but that is a minor part of the cost to us personally. You might be happy paying 2-3X or more for your energy but as a pensioner on a fixed income I’m not. I think its tomorrow we get to find out just how many £100s or £1000s extra not buying Russian oil and gas is going to cost each of us this winter.
Dry your eyes, put the tissue down and stop with the bullshit!
The announcement today that my, and yours, gas bills are going up to 3X last year’s with more in January ain’t no bullshit.
Well you can bring that issue up with your leader Vladimir Putin, he’s the cause of this.
Ooooooh getting grumpy, don’t like being challenged old troll? Put that cheap handbag away! Some would see it as a good thing, as fossil fuels will be the death of this rather lovely planet! But, then again you’d miss the opportunity to support and encourage mass rape, murder and torture of an invaded nation, so you would be a little sad!
Boris in Kyiv today announced more details. £54m British package including 850 Black Hornet drones and 200 other recon drones ~1000 anti-tank loitering munitions.
If this relates to the Norwegian announcement re the Black Hornet drones it would imply 850 drones for $9,25M or under $11,000 each which seems cheap, especially for a Norwegian product.
Its likely to be multi source, UK acquiring several production contracts for the drone not just the Norwegian one. The US Black Hornet order 7 years ago was so expensive as they were hand-made at the time (as well as the premium support services and specifying their own communication equipment likely with a hefty licensing premium), its likely the manufacturer has got a production line going now considering the thousands that have been produced.
Im wondering what the anti tank loitering munition is, that does seem cheap.
Good, more opportunities for your fav Russian rapists to be spotted, and killed. No issues for me, what about you?
Oh dear, I’ve got you angry and excited!
There was an interesting news snippet at the end of July missed by a lot of people regards the Uk supplying the Ukraine with a resupply UAV designed for the British Army (i’ll be honest, never knew we were funding such a project) New U.K. Drones Will Bring Supplies To The Front Line When Ukrainian forces were surrounded in Mariupol in May, helicopter crews flew daring resupply missions into the besieged city. Flying in pairs, the Mi-8 helicopters brought desperately -needed weapons, ammunition, medicine, food and even water to the defenders, allowing them to continue their resistance until the city fell… Read more »
That’s interesting. So Britain is paying for a Norwegian drone, and Norway is paying for a British anti-drone (weapon).
How is it that so many analysts are so certain about everything these days. The article states: “The main problem is that any use of nuclear weapons, whether strategic or tactical, will inevitably lead to an escalation of the conflict”. “Inevitable” means certain, unavoidable. How is it possible to be “certain” about a future outcome in which so many variables are at play? How is it certain that the United States – which is the only country capable of countering Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons – would inevitably respond to nuclear use in Ukraine by escalating the conflict? Where… Read more »
Exactly; excellent post.
Completely agree. Personally, I find that it is probable that while international tensions will rise and a conflict becomes more LIKELY, a direct escalation as an immediate consequence is actually unlikely. Considering the future, words such as inevitable or certain are seldom appropriate.
The UK, USA, Russia promised to safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and security in exchange for the decommissioning of her nuclear weapons. Now as we have failed to do what we said we should give Ukraine nukes so the she can deter a Russian nuclear strike.
They were NOT Ukrainian Nuclear Weapons.They were SOVIET Nuclear weapons.Neither Ukraine nor Russia are/were the Soviet Union.That was the American attitude when they renegaded on their guarentees that NATO would not expand eastwards,Simply saying that the guarantees were made to the Soviet Union and Russia is not the Soviet Union….Double think/double talk.Would you trust America,Russia doesn
t.The rule in IR is trust no one unless you are an idiot like Churchill trusting America Lend lease"A most unsordid act"hahaha.Have you seen the terms of the Lend Lease Act."Said Lord Halifax to Lord Keynes,theyve got the moneybags we`ve got the brains”hahaha.Oh my, you are struggling with reality, but it is expected. And, cat little, front teeth, still there….give em a clean please.
Hmmm…believe I understand (Ret.) Lt. Col. Crawford’s thesis that Russia would (probably) not chose the path of “escalate to win” nor “escalate to de-escalate,” regardless of actual conflict conditions. This choice would be made, although the alternatives are, at least by implication, part of Russian strategic warfighting doctrine. Presume everyone in agreement that this will hopefully prove to be the case. If not, really hope the good folks at Rand Corp. and possibly Oxford/Cambridge policy institutes, have an excellent grasp of game theory and have been executing numerous simulations/red-blue exercises. Once aboard the escalatory ladder, it may prove extremely difficult… Read more »
…choose…🙄
I’m just wondering if Stuart got this idea from Mystic Meg…
”So, is Europe looking into the abyss of nuclear Armageddon? The short answer is probably not.”
It could be a yes or a no!!!
Russia has already won!Weaponising finance has been countered by Russia weaponising some of the 25% of total world natural resources that lie within its territory, which is 70 times larger than the UK.You can always burn your money to keep warm ha ha.Russia is pivoting to Asia ,the rising powers as Britain sinks ever more into decline.Byzantium revisited.Financiers who thought they could buy up Russia on the cheap could not have been more wrong,buying op Britain was very easy.Good luck as the value of YOUR! money disappears!!!Eat it.
Still think China will kick your arse at some point in time👍
Ah your back my little Russkie fascist bot boy! Still hungry? Still clueless and still posting very closely with JOHNINMK! Dumb dumb trolls!
Breaking News!!!!!!Britain is to supply Ukraine with 100 ice cream vans,250 bent pogo sticks and 5000 boomerangs that do not come back.Russia in the mean time is sending a white van for you.Theyre coming to take you away haha.
Breaking news, that’s all the Ukrainians will need to kill more Russians as they are so shit at soldiering!!! Next?
Adolph Zelensky has decided to award you a major honour in his Fourth Reich,The Grand Order of the Empty Vessel with Senna Pods in gold.Hes billions of dollars in his back pocket.He also requests you send your daughter for “special”lessons to prove your devotion to the Fourth Reich.
You are very much a weird little man, man may be to strong a word for you to be honest, so are you russian or are you one of the fan boys.
Is that really the best you can do? 💩
I can see where you got your cognomen”airborne” from .A beloon filled with hot air that doesnt know where its going Float on by wimp.
🐒💩
Meanwhile in the realworld
https://i.postimg.cc/sDH9dSHj/Opera-Snapshot-2022-08-30-031847-twitter-com.png
Which real world would that be?Another of Adolph Zelenskys glove puppets spouting propaganda.The rule in IR is believe nothing at all from anyone at all.The race is not yet run and never will be!
And yet you seem to believe every thing your beloved leader in Moscow spouts!🤔🙄
🐒💩
Thus speaks the hot air baloon released from HMS Wimp.I rhope you have got your wooly knickers on this winter.
🐒💩
Judging by your last reply.Not content with being a hot air baloon,i see you have now taken to face .oainting silly faces on yoursel. Theyre comong to take you away aha
🐒💩
I think we need some context here; tactical nuclear weapons are air bursts detonated at release heights to inflect maximum damage using blast waves, they do not release radiation that would contaminate the terrain. There can be a small release of neutron induced gamma activity depending on the height of detonation and how close the fireball is to the surface. Russian doctrine indicates the use of air bursts up to a maximum of five in a contained area to destroy any military force invasion onto Russian soil. But once that genie is out of the bottle where does it stop.… Read more »
Me.Iv`e never used a nuclear weapon of any kind.Have you?
I see you’ve been flagged and banned from posting while under scrutiny? Good!
There is a concerning point around the idea that “The only circumstance that I can see in which Putin might authorise the use of tactical nukes is in the face of an existential threat to the very existence of Russia.” – that he could see any threat to his own regime as an existential threat. Potentially, if Ukraine were to achieve their goals (regaining control of the Donbas and Crimea regions), Putin’s position as the man whose miscalculations led to the deaths of thousands of Russian troops and months of sanctions merely to end up in a worse situation could… Read more »
I want to know why the UK (and other) populations have been completely prevented from obtaining Iodine medications or even supplements, as were available and ready to be mass distributed during previous nuclear war crisis. Purely to prevent scaremongering the population even when the result could be fatal for many? Is this a consequence of perceived Covid-19 mitigations scaremongering that has been considered as politically unpopular by a minority? If I want to be able to obtain iodine supplements for protection in a worst case, but entirely possible, scenario; how it this ethically or morally right legally to prevent me?