1. Pentagon says (you always have to question what and how they say it) that Russian conscripts are disabling their vehicles....to avoid advancing to the front. Focus article this morning.
In one case they cite.....twenty transport vehicles were destroyed....to avoid 'orders'.
BS-factor? I'd give it a '5' but they bring up this odd issue with Russian soldiers drinking, and this is a problem long discussed that a lot of conscripts come out of the military as alcoholics.
2. Another Pentagon issue thrown out there.....a lot of Russian units are simply depleted and as the new unit is buffed-up.....new conscripts arrive fresh out of boot-camp and nowhere near ready for real combat.
A lot of BS in the mix of this? Well....yeah.
3. I sat and watched the video of the big Moscow parade from yesterday. It does beg me to ask.....where they got all the troops for the parade?
4. This suggestion by Biden: Putin doesn't know a way out of the war?
I've pondered over this a bit. I'll say this....whatever plan 'A', or 'B' or 'C' was.....they've been discarded.
Putin has burned up enough of his military assets and dumped his market items (coal, oil and natural) to such an extent....that rebuilding the Russian military will take more than ten years, and likely (if the war continues through to the fall like I think) it'll be 20 years of effort.
I do think NATO now realizes the 'swamp' existing for Russian, and it's best to let them burn up their military in this fashion.
I won't go and say this all leads to a break-up of Russia into five to ten states....but the longer this goes on, and the less economic stability that exists.....there's no path for Putin or his follow-on guy to exit gracefully.
5. This German natural gas deal with Qatar a done deal? Well.....NO. There's some discussion going on about the duration, and the Germans aren't happy with the details. Qatar thoughts? 20-year deal. I think the Germans were looking for something the range of five to ten.
Will friendly relations ever return between Russia and Germany? In my lifetime (I'm 63)? No. But I'm not sure if Qatar will be around in 20 years either.
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