Article

2014-11-16 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Spike in Russian military activity is about more than Ukraine

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Whurong Flomosh7989 2014-11-16 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 The bear is up and roaring.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-11-16 04:58|| 2014-11-16 04:58|| Front Page Top

#2 Gotta do something before they run out of Russians.

Posted by Grunter 2014-11-16 08:19|| 2014-11-16 08:19|| Front Page Top

#3 They have to do something before the oil balance of payments goes negative. They're OK for the winter, Europe can buy or freeze. By next spring, though, the cash reserve will be getting thin.
Aside from a warm water port, Vlad seems to be worried about Russia becoming irrelevant. Taking hostages is an easy way to be relevant.

Posted by ed in texas 2014-11-16 09:07|| 2014-11-16 09:07|| Front Page Top

#4 $70/BBL oil will shut the bear down. Drinking itself to death is the future

Posted by Frank G 2014-11-16 09:08|| 2014-11-16 09:08|| Front Page Top

#5 So the USSR falling was really just a stealthy Chapt 11 bankruptcy reorganization under the leadership of KGB elements?

Posted by 3dc 2014-11-16 10:10|| 2014-11-16 10:10|| Front Page Top

#6 Sort of. However, the new management is pretty much the same as the old management. They still don't have a product that sales well in or out of the country. Maintenance and upkeep usually only gets the old model running for a few extra miles. The Russian ~~oligarchs~~ management team hasn't been as successful as the Chinese in understanding you can get away with lots of economic corruption and maintain power if you exploit rather than demonize and threaten the outsiders.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-11-16 10:32|| 2014-11-16 10:32|| Front Page Top

#7 New Great RussianWiki will shut down western wreckers. The turbines powering it's query machine will be larger than punt "Grand" Coulée damn, and that'S only the Parser! Forward, ever Forward for Socialism, Justice, Bread, Tomatoe and a thin towel.

Posted by Shipman 2014-11-16 14:39|| 2014-11-16 14:39|| Front Page Top

#8 I'm not worried.

Putin is securing the various Land-Air-Sea corridors to access routes to Russia's bases in the Crimea, to include those "land bridges" currently part of the separatist regions of East Ukraine. IFF THE US-NATO/EU DO NOT WISH TO SHARE CONTROL OF THE BLACK SEA REGION VEE THE HARD BOYZ = GLOBAL JIHAD + THREAT TO BOTH RUSSIA + EUROPE, RUSSIA W-I-L-L CONTROL BY-N-FOR RUSSIA.

Perhaps moreso given ...

* WAFF > [Welt.DE] TURKEY SECRETLY WORKING ON ATOMIC BOMB?, to include the LRBMS [Short-to-Medium Range] to carry + deliver them???

* SAME > [Todays Zaman] TURKISH MINISTER TO ISRAEL: LEAVE AL-AQSA MOSQUE OR WILL SEND YOU PACKING [running].

Turkey EU Affairs Minister Volkan Brzkir.

* RUSSIA TODAY > ISIS HAS 200,000-STRONG FORCE, SAYS [Senior] KURDISH LEADER.

NOT the 20,000-31,500 Fighters as US + Western Analysts may believe, + also controlling a combined loyal-n-captive population of over 10.0Milyuhn.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2014-11-16 22:00|| 2014-11-16 22:00|| Front Page Top

23:16 SteveS
23:10 Guillibaldo Sinatra3288
22:36 Silentbrick
22:16 JosephMendiola
22:12 JosephMendiola
22:12 newc
22:09 newc
22:08 JosephMendiola
22:00 JosephMendiola
21:37 Zhang Fei
21:34 Barbara
21:31 Barbara
21:30 Barbara
21:23 Barbara
21:19 Barbara
21:16 whitecollar redneck
21:01 JosephMendiola
20:58 JosephMendiola
20:53 JosephMendiola
20:17 Lone Ranger
20:02 Incredulous
19:45 Besoeker
19:41 USN, Ret.
19:39 Ebbomosh Hupemp2664