Den ekonomiska utnötningen går inte snabbt, men väl den militära:dr Cassandra Nojdh skrev: ↑måndag 13 mars 2023 23:04 Ytterligare ett skäl som talar för att Gustav Gressel gör en korrekt bedömning - kriget tar inte slut i år. Och då är vi inne USA:s presidentvalskampanj inför valet hösten 2024. Den som orkar kan ju lyssna på Donald Trumps tal på högerextremistkongressen CPAC den 4 mars i år. Dessförinnan var det väl bara Fidel Castro, av västra halvklotets politiska ledare, som kunde hålla lika långa och svulstiga tal.
The Russian Army Is Running Out Of T-72 Tanks—And Quickly
Den ryska militären har inte tiden på sin sida, inte utan Kinas hjälp!Forbes skrev:Russia’s tank shortage is worse than some observers previously thought. The Kremlin’s stocks of its most numerous tank, the Cold War-vintage T-72, are running out fast.
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In the first 12 months of fighting, the Ukrainians destroyed or captured nearly 1,200 T-72s or likely T-72s that Oryx could confirm. Since there undoubtedly have been tank losses that didn’t leave video or photographic evidence, the Oryx count is an undercount. If Oryx confirmed 80 percent of losses, then the Russians actually have written off 1,500 T-72s.
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So it makes a lot more sense why the Kremlin is pulling out of storage T-62 tanks that are even older than any T-72 is, as well as T-80Bs that are roughly contemporaneous with early T-72s. Russian industry can produce just a handful of new tanks every month—far too few to make good monthly losses in the triple digits.
Battered by Sanctions and Shareholder Exits, Is End Nigh for Russian ‘Spy Bank’ in Hungary?
Stackars Orban som köpte grisen i säcken!Balkan Insight skrev:When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the IIB’s troubles began almost immediately. Besides its assets being frozen by the EU, it was downgraded to junk by the credit rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s. Then four shareholders – Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and most recently Bulgaria – announced they would quit the bank, making Hungary the only EU country staying on board.
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Hungary has now become the second biggest shareholder in the IIB with 25.2 per cent behind Russia at 45.4 per cent. Cuba, Mongolia and Vietnam control around 5 per cent of the shares. With Romania and Bulgaria’s withdrawal later this year, Russia risks becoming the majority shareholder, meaning it will qualify as a Russian bank and fall under EU sanctions.
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In any case, “Serbia could not save the IIB,” Racz says. “It does not have the money to buy up enough shares, and as a non-EU country, it would not strengthen the IIB’s presence in the EU.”
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It seems that the Hungarians will be stuck with the IIB – even if the bank cannot pursue any meaningful financial activity – until the Russians themselves finally decide to leave.
Italy blames surge in migration on Russia's Wagner group
Typiskt Meloni att kanalisera sin energi på invandrare. Men prorysk är hon inte!Reuters skrev:The Italian government on Monday said Russian mercenary group Wagner was behind a surge in migrant boats trying to cross the central Mediterranean as part of Moscow's strategy to retaliate against countries supporting Ukraine.
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In an expletive-laden voice message posted on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin responded: "We have no idea what's happening with the migrant crisis, we don't concern ourselves with it."
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Crosetto, a senior figure in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy party, called on the NATO allies to help Italy face the rise in migrant arrivals.
France challenging Russia as second biggest arms exporter behind US
Frankrike ersätter i allt större utsträckning Ryssland som vapenleverantör, inte minst till Indien. Här är en länk till Sipris årliga rapport om vapenexport.The Guardian skrev:France’s share of global defence exports stood at 11% in the period 2018-22, up from 7.1% in 2013-17 – a 44% increase. India, Qatar and Egypt were the biggest clients.
At the same time, Russia’s share of the world’s arms exports fell by 31% – from nearly a quarter of all sales (22%) in the five years to 2017 down to 16% over the last five years.
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Russia’s near-pariah status among some countries in the lead-up to and following its full invasion of Ukraine in February last year appears to have been a major drag on exports, along with growing Chinese self-sufficiency.
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Ukraine became a major importer of arms in 2018-22. It was the 14th largest arms importer globally in the period and the third largest in 2022. The five largest arms importers in 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China.