War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....

[Ben]

You might be surprised.  Unless other uses were part of original requirements

They probably were, if not made public knowledge. Multi-mission sensor packages are kinda the norm now for efficiency and cost savings since the electronics have gotten better and smaller. For instance, weather, climate, and SAR are a pretty standard package in a single sat.

[MechAg94]

You might be surprised.  Unless other uses were part of original requirements it’s a big deal to change the what a satellite does, even in the design/development phase.

I was just thinking the sensor data pulled in might be used for other purposes.  Depends on what they spend their time looking at.

[WLJ]

Finland is in today.
Turkey still blocking Sweden's membership.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is set to welcome Finland as its 31st member on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/04/europe/finland-joins-nato-intl/index.html

[MechAg94]

Not sure if this says much about today's Russian tactics, but that is a lot of tank losses.

650 Tanks per Day - Soviet Tank Losses in WW2     Military History Visualized
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzzsNuWlyHc

[WLJ]

Another

OLIGARCH DEAD Russian energy giant boss found dead in Siberian cell in 40th mystery death of oligarchs and Putin officials
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21947653/russian-energy-boss-dead-cell-putin/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories

[WLJ]

Another in a series of odd photos of him placing people far far away.

SICKLY VLAD Bizarre moment paranoid Putin speaks to ambassadors 60 FEET away as he ‘battles cancer and Parkinson’s’
https://www.the-sun.com/news/7805246/putin-speaks-ambassadors-away-cancer-parkinsons/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories

[K Frame]

Nothing bizarre about it. He's absolutely terrified that someone is going to get close to him and kill him.

He even keeps his trusted field generals at the other end of a very long table when they are meeting.

[WLJ]

Nothing bizarre about it. He's absolutely terrified that someone is going to get close to him and kill him.

He even keeps his trusted field generals at the other end of a very long table when they are meeting.

I know, I've posted many of those photos in this thread. This one seems a wee bit excessive

[Ben]

I know, I've posted many of those photos in this tread. This one seems a wee bit excessive

An uneducated guess might be that it's a distance that hides the Parkinsons. I think you could probably see someone trembling even at 20-30 feet away. Or else it is one of the B-string guys on his team of doubles. 

[sumpnz]

Unless it’s very advanced, with appropriate medication, Parkinson’s is difficult to detect outside of a neurologist office.

[dogmush]

So let's say the Putin is dying like the conspiracy's say.  What do we think the odds are of either a peaceful transition of power, or someone more in line with the West's hopes for Russia?  Or will the CIA meddle and install someone we THINK we like that will be either more evil, or bumbillingly incompetent leading to another collapse?

[Ben]

Or will the CIA meddle and install someone we THINK we like that will be either more evil, or bumbillingly incompetent leading to another collapse?

Hey, they did a bang up job with Ukraine.

From my armchair, without some kind of CIA meddling (or even with), I'll bet my money on someone more hardline than Putin. Perhaps in a different way, but I'd expect them to be friendlier with China and that growing partnership of countries than with the US.

[cordex]

Given the dominance of the United Russia party, I'm guessing Medvedev would be next up.  Unless Putin totally loses his mind I imagine that a transition of power to Medvedev would be peaceful.

Whether he could hold things together after taking power without Putin pulling strings behind the scenes I don't know.

[Ben]

Whether he could hold things together after taking power without Putin pulling strings behind the scenes I don't know.

I was basing my armchairing on a power vacuum after Putin having died. I suppose Putin being "retired" adds more scenarios.

[cordex]

I was basing my armchairing on a power vacuum after Putin having died.

Me too.  "without Putin pulling the strings behind the scenes" was in reference to their previous tandemocracy.  He was able to lead Russia before when Putin was playing along, but with Putin dead while I think he's the easy choice to get into the chair I'm not sure he could maintain it long term.

[WLJ]

Wonder if he's got any sort of Dead Man Switches in place as in if he dies here's list of people to be killed and/or places blown up, ie nuke Kyiv

[Ben]

Me too.  "without Putin pulling the strings behind the scenes" was in reference to their previous tandemocracy.  He was able to lead Russia before when Putin was playing along, but with Putin dead while I think he's the easy choice to get into the chair I'm not sure he could maintain it long term.

Ah, gotchya.

[WLJ]

  if true

Guy tried to order drones for Putin but his order got hacked and he received a bunch of dildos and Strap-Ons instead

SEX BOMB Russian war fanatic who spent £20k to buy drones for Putin’s troops receives huge batch of sex toys after Ukrainian hack
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21950102/russian-war-fanatic-receives-batch-sex-toys-ukrainian-hack/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories

[K Frame]

if true

Guy tried to order drones for Putin but his order got hacked and he received a bunch of dildos and Strap-Ons instead

SEX BOMB Russian war fanatic who spent £20k to buy drones for Putin’s troops receives huge batch of sex toys after Ukrainian hack
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21950102/russian-war-fanatic-receives-batch-sex-toys-ukrainian-hack/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories

Someone should make a statue honoring this guy...

Too soon?

[WLJ]

Wish they had thrown in a case of Bud Light

[Ben]

Interesting turn of events:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65225985

I've read a few stories now from BBC to Fox News, and they all seem to agree that this is real (as supposedly confirmed by the Pentagon), but leaked for different reasons. Some say it's the actual classified documents, some say it's images*. Some say that it is a deep state thing by pro-Ukraine feds who are afraid that the "popularity" for lack of a better term, of the war as related to supporting Ukraine is waning.

Then causality numbers are interesting, especially as related to the potential for a Russian focus on winning through attrition and "we have more pawns for the front line than you", which I have generally thought of more as a Chinese and Asian in general strategy.

* You would think it wouldn't be images, but ever since Hillary's interns got to carry their iPhones into SCIFs, I don't trust protocols anymore.

[Pb]

Then causality numbers are interesting, especially as related to the potential for a Russian focus on winning through attrition and "we have more pawns for the front line than you", which I have generally thought of more as a Chinese and Asian in general strategy.

The Russians have always done this.  Even when they win wars, their death tolls are usually horrific.  March soldiers through minefields, machine gun people who retreat.  They don't care.  It doesn't mean they won't win (Winter War, WW2).

[WLJ]

Update on the leak story
Anyone got a rope handy?

FBI investigators have made an arrest in connection with the biggest US intelligence leak in nearly a decade.

Officials told DailyMail.com that an individual, believed to be 21-year-old National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, had been arrested at an address in North Dighton, Massachusetts.

He was a member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the leader of an online chat group where top secret Pentagon documents were published.

FBI make arrest in Massachusetts after suspected leaker of top secret Pentagon files identified online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11969873/Identity-man-responsible-Pentagon-secret-documents-leak.html

[RoadKingLarry]

If he did in fact leak the info then lock him up and throw away the key. As always I am highly skeptical of government persecution.
It has always been SOP with the military in any incident that the overriding, primary order of business is to first affix the blame at the lowest point on the chain of command as possible.

[Angel Eyes]

Waiting for word that the suspect is trans.