1. Virtually all exports of agricultural products of the Ukraine were ordered halted. They need the products for themselves, to survive. If you didn't know.....they were a major wheat/beet producer for Europe itself.
2. The Anonymous folks claim (you can't be really sure about this) that they hacked into Russian TV, and inserted video which was played to the Russians...showing war damage, bodies, etc. I would expect some massive Russian government reaction....'you guys need to prevent this'. If this occurs over and over, I could see even state-run TV being shutdown, in order to prevent people 'seeing' things.
3. There is some rumor that Russia is recruiting Syrians to come and fight in the war. BS-factor? I'd give it a '7'. Maybe you could recruit a busload of sixty guys for something like this....where cash is put on the table.
4. Netflix going into shutdown within Russia? The story goes that the video platform will be shutdown, and various projects they had going on (movie-production) will closed.
5. This bank decree ordered. Well, it reads this way....there's this audit coming to Russians who hold x-amount in the bank (we will just say it's for really wealthy folks). So the audit guy will look over the past years....what your 'real' salary (via taxation) is, and what lies in the account.
So, an example....you were a city employee, then a city council guy, then mayor...over 30 years, you accumulated around 10-million dollars worth of Rubles. The audit guy will call you, and you arrive at his office where five policemen stand. They've added up your wealth, and say there's about 80-percent of this money which they can't say you made via your job or via banking interest. So the guy hands you a document saying they are going to confiscate x-amount of your wealth. You might be lucky and they agree that 5-percent is left for you.
Creating a massive wealth of frustration, anger and resentment? OH yes.
All those years that your buddy told you....convert to gold and hide it in some box? The advice to take the corruption-money to Cyprus/Greece? You just said 'no' each time. You can blame yourself for trusting that this day would never come.
Creating a little group of half-a-million Russians who now want to end the Putin era? I would suggest there is easily that many who took bribes or corruption money, and built massive wealth. The bulk of Russians....probably 90-percent don't fall into this problem.
6. In recent days, there was this Ukrainian and Russian group meeting to discuss a possible 'end' to the war. One of the Ukrainian members in the group....seems to have been a Russian-mole, and reported insider talks back to the Russians.
Eventually, about 48 hours ago, the Ukrainians figured this out....brought the guy in, and just literally beat the hell out of him (so the Ukrainians say, maybe true....maybe BS), but this one particular guy is dead now (that part of the story seems true).
7. Last night was weird for German public TV. They actually ran two live public forum shows against each other....same time-slot. There probably were rules to prevent this in the past.
Topic on both? The war, naturally. A number of 'Doctor Doom' character showed up and gave their analysis.
To be truthful, I avoided both (except for a 2-minute commercial break) watching some German cooking show.
8. Putin has talked in the past 24 hours to leaders of France, Israel, and Turkey. He is pretty solid on what it takes for the 'invasion' to halt.
9. This idea that the US (mostly the State Department) has pushed...Poland to give up some of it's modern MIGs from the old Warsaw Pact days to Ukraine, and getting something in value from the US?
Just about everyone in Europe thinks it's a crazy idea, and inviting massive changes in Russian attitudes. Just me saying this, but if I knew this was going to occur....I'd throw several missiles at these Polish airfields to destroy planes before they ever take off.
An extremely stupid idea.....I think.
10. Oil this morning, $140 a barrel. I would speculate by early April....unless things change....it hits near $160 a barrel.
11. Someone did finally wake-up and suggest a serious violation of the Geneva Convention....in the Ukraine using captured Russian soldiers for their propaganda campaign. In simple terms, yes, it is a violation. Russians doing the same? I've yet to see a captured Ukrainian soldier giving interviews via Russian TV.
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