Sanctions on Russia

Meanwhile, that other little gnome, Medved, keeps rambling on about his grand Eurasian Union stretching all the way from Lisbon to Vladivostok. 🙏 🙏

Gerald Chavez7 said:Hyperbole much?

Back in 1990, the German military had over half a million soldiers, 2,000 Leopard 2s, 2,500 Leopard 1s, hundreds of F-4 Phantoms and Tornadoes, ballistic missiles, and so on. They were a cornerstone of NATO's defense for Western Europe.

But, like everyone else in Europe, they slashed their budgets drastically during the 90s and beyond.

As far as the military goes right now? They’re hitting rock bottom. They’re lacking in every single department, and the red tape is absolutely killing them, not to mention the incompetent politicians running the show. But mostly, I was trying to describe how German politics has basically failed across the board here.
Merkel really dug their grave by ditching fossil fuels and nuclear power at the same time. Now, Putin is basically treating the strongest nation in Europe like a joke because all other options are off the table. Honestly, serves them right!

An "insider" just told Reuters that the EU is looking to completely shut down coal imports from Russia.

David Torres2 said:As far as the military goes right now? They’re hitting rock bottom. They’re lacking in every single department, and the red tape is absolutely killing them, not to mention the incompetent politicians running the show. But mostly, I was trying to describe how German politics has basically failed across the board here.
Merkel really dug their grave by ditching fossil fuels and nuclear power at the same time. Now, Putin is basically treating the strongest nation in Europe like a joke because all other options are off the table. Honestly, serves them right!

They buried themselves by becoming totally dependent on Russian gas while simultaneously walking away from fossil fuels.🤔

Sure, killing off nuclear power was a massive blunder... but that's what the public asked for, so they got exactly what they wanted.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Germany remains an occupied state, essentially. There is zero chance they will arm themselves with nukes, and even their conventional military capabilities are highly questionable at best.

Well, that same Germany is a nuclear power in practice, I suppose, since they have American nuclear weapons on their soil as part of NATO sharing. It's the same in Turkey... and I think Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands might still be in that same boat...

Also, back during the height of the Cold War, Germany had maybe 4,000 Leopards... and now? They've got maybe 100 operational ones left...

Gerald Chavez7 said:They buried themselves by becoming totally dependent on Russian gas while simultaneously walking away from fossil fuels.🤔

Sure, killing off nuclear power was a massive blunder... but that's what the public asked for, so they got exactly what they wanted.

Coal
There’s also the option where we just drill for our own gas, right?

So, we're talking bringing back nuclear + building a bunch of new ones (just like the Frenchmen are doing)
Massive construction of new LNG thermal power plants
LNG terminals to import from elsewhere + the possibility of starting to drill for our own gas

Maximize all of that, and then you can slap sanctions on the Russians whenever you feel like it.
The Russians definitely have other buyers for their gas and oil, but they lack the tech—and they won't get it from the Chinese either. The Chinese have realized by now that they're just acting as a crutch for the Russians, which actually puts the Russians right in their hands.

Unfortunately, Europe doesn't have politicians who look past their next term, whereas the Chinese think in terms of generations.
The collapse of the European Union will be its salvation.

George Robinson43 said:Meanwhile, that other little gnome, Medved, keeps rambling on about his grand Eurasian Union stretching all the way from Lisbon to Vladivostok. 🙏 🙏

That was Hitler's exact ambition too, and they managed to stop him just outside Moscow.

Timothy Nelson5 said:Well, that same Germany is a nuclear power in practice, I suppose, since they have American nuclear weapons on their soil as part of NATO sharing. It's the same in Turkey... and I think Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands might still be in that same boat...

Also, back during the height of the Cold War, Germany had maybe 4,000 Leopards... and now? They've got maybe 100 operational ones left...

That would only be true if the German Chancellor had the unilateral authority to pull the trigger on those weapons. He doesn't. Which means it’s more accurate to say Germany is basically an American colony.

In response to the massacre: over 120 Russian diplomats have been kicked out of Europe in just 48 hours

More than 120 Russian diplomats expelled from Europe within 48 hours 12:50

David Torres2 said:Coal
There’s also the option where we just drill for our own gas, right?

So, we're talking bringing back nuclear + building a bunch of new ones (just like the Frenchmen are doing)
Massive construction of new LNG thermal power plants
LNG terminals to import from elsewhere + the possibility of starting to drill for our own gas

Maximize all of that, and then you can slap sanctions on the Russians whenever you feel like it.
The Russians definitely have other buyers for their gas and oil, but they lack the tech—and they won't get it from the Chinese either. The Chinese have realized by now that they're just acting as a crutch for the Russians, which actually puts the Russians right in their hands.

Unfortunately, Europe doesn't have politicians who look past their next term, whereas the Chinese think in terms of generations.
The collapse of the European Union will be its salvation.

Oh, please—give me a break. The European Union is headed straight for a cliff. 🤦 The European Union is likely to come out of this stronger than ever—certainly not falling apart anytime soon.

The LNG terminals? Sure, those are happening. Existing thermal plants? Absolutely. But building new ones? Yeah, don't hold your breath—that’s definitely not on the agenda.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Oh, please—give me a break. The European Union is headed straight for a cliff. 🤦 The European Union is likely to come out of this stronger than ever—certainly not falling apart anytime soon.

The LNG terminals? Sure, those are happening. Existing thermal plants? Absolutely. But building new ones? Yeah, don't hold your breath—that’s definitely not on the agenda.

I always get the feeling from you that you're constantly taking things out of context.
It's the same deal with fossil fuels over there.

David Torres2 said:I always get the feeling from you that you're constantly taking things out of context.
It's the same deal with fossil fuels over there.

Fair enough...

But honestly, the way people exaggerate the role of Germany and the rest of Europe has reached mythic proportions at this point. Sure, the Germans didn't account for the possibility of Russian gas supplies being cut off—that was a bad call, poor projections, and maybe just getting too comfortable with the status quo. It was a mistake (driven by a craving for cheap energy), and now they're paying for it with massive utility bills.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Fair enough...

But honestly, the way people exaggerate the role of Germany and the rest of Europe has reached mythic proportions at this point. Sure, the Germans didn't account for the possibility of Russian gas supplies being cut off—that was a bad call, poor projections, and maybe just getting too comfortable with the status quo. It was a mistake (driven by a craving for cheap energy), and now they're paying for it with massive utility bills.

What role, and in what capacity exactly?
Where did I say any of them were actually responsible for the war? Honestly, we’re just pointing fingers at this point.
It all comes down to how much we're relying on Russian gas. Honestly, I don't know how people are making this such a complicated issue. It’s pretty straightforward if you think about it.

The dark web just got hit by a massive wave of sanctions. 😬

Germany announced they finally took down the massive "Silk Road" style darknet site, which had been running since 2015...
Seized assets include about $25 million in Bitcoin!

The world's largest darknet marketplace, known as "Silk Road" —which operated primarily in Russian—has been dismantled, with German authorities seizing Bitcoin worth 23 million euros, according to recent reports. 10:53

Sources say the EU is looking at banning imports of Russian coal, chemicals, and wood

More new EU sanctions coming.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Fair enough...

But honestly, the way people exaggerate the role of Germany and the rest of Europe has reached mythic proportions at this point. Sure, the Germans didn't account for the possibility of Russian gas supplies being cut off—that was a bad call, poor projections, and maybe just getting too comfortable with the status quo. It was a mistake (driven by a craving for cheap energy), and now they're paying for it with massive utility bills.

It wasn't just a lack of foresight; rather, they actively told those who attempted to warn them to mind their own business.

Not only did they provide financial backing to Putin's criminal regime, which directly precipitated this war, but they also funneled money into funding Euroskeptic parties and all sorts of other dirty operations aimed at destabilizing the European Union—ranging from Sputnik and RT to various other Russian propaganda outlets used to influence events like Brexit.

The sheer scale of German stupidity and greed far exceeds any "mythical levels" you might suggest.

A mistake driven by a hunger for cheap energy, the consequences of which will now be paid through exorbitant energy prices.

The true cost of their obsession with cheap fuel is being paid by Ukrainians, so what exactly did the Germans offer during the opening days of the war? A few thousand helmets and two Polish hospitals? They are an absolute disgrace to the European Union.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Fair enough...

But honestly, the way people exaggerate the role of Germany and the rest of Europe has reached mythic proportions at this point. Sure, the Germans didn't account for the possibility of Russian gas supplies being cut off—that was a bad call, poor projections, and maybe just getting too comfortable with the status quo. It was a mistake (driven by a craving for cheap energy), and now they're paying for it with massive utility bills.

What kind of energy? This isn't even about the cost anymore; it's about how you actually replace that massive volume of gas if Russia decides to shut off the tap. What's the fallback in the short term—and I mean the next 3 to 4 years?

David Torres2 said:An "insider" just told Reuters that the EU is looking to completely shut down coal imports from Russia.

So, they’re really going all the way on this one.

For anyone who wants a decent translation instead of just relying on Google Translate, you should grab imtranslator for your Firefox browser.
It gives you a really solid translation from English or German into American English.
Just highlight a sentence or a few of them, click the little button that pops up, and boom—you've got your translation.

Anthony Hill5 said:It wasn't just a lack of foresight; rather, they actively told those who attempted to warn them to mind their own business.

Not only did they provide financial backing to Putin's criminal regime, which directly precipitated this war, but they also funneled money into funding Euroskeptic parties and all sorts of other dirty operations aimed at destabilizing the European Union—ranging from Sputnik and RT to various other Russian propaganda outlets used to influence events like Brexit.

The sheer scale of German stupidity and greed far exceeds any "mythical levels" you might suggest.

A mistake driven by a hunger for cheap energy, the consequences of which will now be paid through exorbitant energy prices.

The true cost of their obsession with cheap fuel is being paid by Ukrainians, so what exactly did the Germans offer during the opening days of the war? A few thousand helmets and two Polish hospitals? They are an absolute disgrace to the European Union.

Yeah, look—up until February 24th, everyone was terrified of provoking Russia. They just didn't believe an actual invasion was coming—that much is obvious. Then, two days later, the entire political landscape did a complete 180.

Joshua Myers432 said:What kind of energy? This isn't even about the cost anymore; it's about how you actually replace that massive volume of gas if Russia decides to shut off the tap. What's the fallback in the short term—and I mean the next 3 to 4 years?

Everything. 🙂 (Once I track down the link, I'll drop it back in here.)

Current suppliers—as it stands.
2) domestic reserves
3) LNG capacity limits
4) coal
5) cutting back on consumption
6) renewable energy sources
7) Mass electrification of transport—because clearly, we haven't had enough sudden shifts to deal with lately.
8) Heat pumps in apartment buildings—now that's an interesting one.
9) Guessing when they’ll finally pull the plug on the nuclear plants.

EDIT: So, there you have it—155 billion cubic meters of gas. That’s the entire Russian import volume for a single year right there.
https://twitter.com/mark_lynas/statu...82300901900292

I’m feeling a little optimistic about this—but hey, it might actually work.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Yeah, look—up until February 24th, everyone was terrified of provoking Russia. They just didn't believe an actual invasion was coming—that much is obvious. Then, two days later, the entire political landscape did a complete 180.

Everything. 🙂 (Once I track down the link, I'll drop it back in here.)

Current suppliers—as it stands.
2) domestic reserves
3) LNG capacity limits
4) coal
5) cutting back on consumption
6) renewable energy sources
7) Mass electrification of transport—because clearly, we haven't had enough sudden shifts to deal with lately.
8) Heat pumps in apartment buildings—now that's an interesting one.
9) Guessing when they’ll finally pull the plug on the nuclear plants.

EDIT: So, there you have it—155 billion cubic meters of gas. That’s the entire Russian import volume for a single year right there.
https://twitter.com/mark_lynas/statu...82300901900292

I’m feeling a little optimistic about this—but hey, it might actually work.

Honestly, you can pretty much forget about every single one of those nine points right now. German politicians haven't even started moving on this, and there’s zero political will. They’re still sleeping on the job.

We need gas for heating, electricity, industry, and even food—since we need it for fertilizer—all while inflation (on paper, anyway) is already sitting at 7.5 percent.

Wholesale gas prices are 20 times higher than they were back in the spring of 2020, and electricity is up 8 times compared to 2020. The CFO over at Exelon just casually announced that those costs are going to have to be passed down to consumers,
depending on how much they manage to stock up on reserves this summer and what kind of price they grab.👍

Over here in Austria, electricity prices jumped another 20% starting back in May.