Factory on fire near Moscow
The Salyut factory, which produces engines for both the civilian and military aviation industry, is on fire. The factory is located approximately 4km from Moscow. There is no information on what caused the fire, perhaps it was a careless smoker or Ukraine. Posts with videos here and another one here show black smoke rising from the factory.
Europe continues to contribute to the Russian economy by importing Russian gas
According to a report from Urgewald, the European market has imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) worth $8.4 billion solely from Yamal, Russia’s largest gas export terminal. Overall, the imports are likely slightly higher, but Yamal is the largest terminal so most likely it comes through there. Reportedly, France accounts for 42% of the imports.
If the information is correct, it is certainly a failure. Europe (with a few exceptions) stands behind Ukraine and supports them in many ways, especially economically. Therefore, despite sanctions, feeding the Russian war chest by continuing to import gas deserves strong criticism. While it may take a couple of years to phase out agreements, adjust imports, etc., it is now almost four years since the war started. There is no excuse to continue.
It is worth mentioning that Urgewald is an environmental organization working for “clean energy” and against oil, gas, etc. They describe themselves as follows:
“Our research teams trace fossil fuel money back to its source. We go through annual reports, analyze databases, contact communities and non-governmental organizations in affected regions, and talk to insiders. This is how we show who is responsible for fossil fuel projects – whether it’s a coal power plant in Bangladesh, a mega-pipeline in East Africa, or LNG terminals in the Philippines.”
Article at Kyiv Independent
High Russian soldier losses in Ukraine
During a period, we had Russian troop losses well over 1000 per day, but recently the losses have fluctuated around 1000 per day, with an average of ~1030 in the last six months. Every now and then, the losses spike. It was about two weeks ago since we were last at this level (Dec 23 with 1420).
- 1400 KIA
- 6 Tanks
- 9 AFVs
- 17 Artillery systems
- 1 MLRS
- 225 UAVs
- 112 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
Russian activities in Ukraine
High number of skirmishes but otherwise relatively low figures with only 100 KIA and just 3282 grenades, which is the lowest we have seen in a couple of months. The downward trend in the number of grenades continues to decrease, while the losses of Russian artillery have actually increased slightly.
- 275 Skirmishes
- 27 Airstrikes (2 drones)
- 100 KIA
- 3,282 Grenades (66 from MLRS)
- 4,529 Suicide drones
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
In Russian state media, there is joyfully reported about Trump’s Greenland proposal, writes Danish TV2. The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda compares Trump’s plans to Adolf Hitler’s annexation of Austria in 1938.
“Trump is preparing for a rapid Arctic ‘Anschluss’,” the newspaper writes.
The development is described by regime loyal media in Russia as the beginning of the end for NATO and a movement towards a world where the great powers do not need to follow established rules.
“And who considers Denmark, this loud political dwarf, to be a strong country?” it says in Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Most countries are small dwarfs, hence the need for cooperation. Part of the EU cooperation is Article 42.7 which urges all member states to assist in case of an armed attack on a member.
“other member states shall be obliged to provide the member state with support and assistance by all the means in their power”
Of course, it is a matter of interpretation, are all means in their power military?
Off-Topic, Swedish economy
“The Swedish KPIF inflation landed at 2.1 percent in December, lower than expected, according to preliminary figures.
Analysts had expected 2.3 percent on an annual basis in Thursday’s fast-KPI, according to Infront’s survey. KPIF increased by 0.1 percent compared to November.
The figures are a so-called “fast-KPI”, “a preliminary quick estimate published five working days before the official publication,” writes SCB.”
https://omni.se/analytiker-kpif-lag-stilla-billig-el-i-december-dampade/a/6qjpyO
Off-Topic
The operation did not go as smoothly and easily as it initially sounded.
“The U.S.’s raid when capturing Nicolás Maduro encountered more and more serious problems than previously known, reports the New York Times.
As the American helicopters approached Maduro’s hideout, they came under fire. The operation’s flight chief, who had planned the mission and was flying one of the helicopters, was hit three times in the leg, sources say.
The helicopter itself was also hit by gunfire and struggled to stay in the air and land the soldiers from the Delta Force elite unit at their target. The entire operation then hung by a thread.
– If a single part of this well-oiled machine had failed, the entire mission would have been jeopardized, said General Dan Caine a few hours after the operation.”
https://omni.se/kallor-usa-s-insats-mot-maduro-hangde-pa-skor-trad/a/M7RM9o
Off-Topic
ICE shot and killed a mother of three.
“The 37-year-old woman shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, American media report. She was an American citizen.
– She was loving, forgiving, and tender. She was an amazing person, says her mother to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Hundreds have gathered at the site where she was shot. Demonstrators have also gathered outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, smashing windows and shouting “out with ICE!”
Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, claim that ICE acted in self-defense. Noem accuses Good of “domestic terrorism.”
This is dismissed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as “bullshit” and by Governor Tim Walz as “propaganda.” Walz has ordered the National Guard to prepare for potential violent protests.”
https://omni.se/37-ariga-renee-good-skots-ihjal-av-ice-agent/a/8pmr01
“Thousands of people have demonstrated in Minneapolis demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leave the city after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent, writes the Minnesota Star Tribune. New demonstrations are planned for Thursday.
Renee Good was a mother of three and a poet who had recently moved to the city, according to AP. Her ex-husband says she was shot dead just after dropping off her six-year-old son at school.
Several video clips show the incident when she is shot dead in her car as she appears to be trying to drive away from the scene.
President Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, have defended the shooting by claiming the agent acted in self-defense. This has faced harsh criticism, including from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Democratic congresswoman Robin Kelly has also announced that she will try to bring impeachment charges against Noem.”
https://omni.se/stora-protester-mot-ice-i-minnesota-efter-dodsskjutningen-av-renee-good-37/a/3pJl59
Given how they are trying to recruit employees to ICE, one could almost suspect that violence will escalate. I’m not saying that someone is automatically a violent person just because they like to watch MMA, but I still guess that the likelihood, if one is also interested in weapons, may be somewhat higher than average.
“The American immigration agency ICE is set to invest the equivalent of around one billion SEK in a new advertising campaign to attract new employees, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post.
This is part of Trump’s ambitions to recruit thousands of new ICE agents in order to carry out the president’s mass deportations. According to the 30-page document, targeted ads are planned for people who have attended MMA matches and shown interest in weapons in various ways.
The agency plans to “flood the market” with the help of influencers and ads on platforms like Snapchat.”
https://omni.se/ice-ska-leta-nya-agenter-bland-mma-anhangare/a/vrQdoV
Yes, both sides choose to use this event for their rhetoric.
My opinion when I watch the video is as follows:
So, I perceive that both the victim and the agent are acting in panic in a stressful situation.
In this context, one can consider where the boundaries lie between on the one hand using one’s democratic rights to protest against decisions and interventions from politicians and authorities, and on the other hand creating dangerous situations by physically disturbing/preventing the exercise of authority in accordance with the applicable law.
If he had been afraid of being run over, he should have hurried to get out of the way instead of standing still and pulling the gun. He was never in any danger. When he fires the shot, the car’s left front side has already passed him.
A point MXT is that ICE did not shoot to death a defenseless mother of three, but a heavy SUV.
I saw the video and it’s not easy – either she should drive away slowly or she accelerates.
There are many videos from different angles.
In one, from just before it happened, it looks like she is about to drive out of the parking space and away from there, but stops because the car behind is doing the same thing at the same time, so she lets it go ahead. Then she waves to the ICE car, seemingly to let it go ahead too (like the car behind). But then the ICE agents go up to her and ask her to step out of the car.
Rest in peace you poor SUV (hope it didn’t have any children)!
“The Trump administration claims that the ICE agent who fired three fatal shots at mother of three Renee Good in Minneapolis did so in self-defense because he was about to be run over. However, video analyses conducted by the New York Times and Washington Post contradict that image.
When witnesses’ videos have been analyzed in detail, it appears that the vehicle is moving towards the shooter when he fires the first shot, but the wheels are pointing in a different direction. The driver seems to be attempting to turn and leave the scene when she is hit. When the second and third shots are fired, the shooter is standing beside the car, according to the Washington Post’s analysis.
President Donald Trump and others have referred to a clip filmed from a different angle, at a greater distance. In that clip, it may seem like the vehicle is about to hit the shooter, but when the NYT synchronizes the videos, it is evident that the ICE officer is not being run over.
The car crashes into a lamppost and a parked car further down the street after the driver has been shot. According to the clips, ICE agents seem to wait before approaching the woman, while also preventing bystanders from trying to help her. At the same time, several agents, including the one who opened fire, get into their vehicles and drive away. According to the NYT, seemingly in violation of procedures for an ongoing crime scene.”
https://omni.se/videoanalys-tva-av-skotten-avlossades-fran-sidan/a/pBL0q1
“The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatal shooting of mother of three Renee Good in Minneapolis was the fifth death following the migration offensive initiated by the Trump administration last year, reports The Independent.
In September, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was shot dead during an ICE operation in Chicago. The newspaper also mentions that two people have been killed after being run over while trying to escape immigration police, and that one person fell from a greenhouse and broke their neck during an ICE raid this summer.
The New York Times counts at least nine shootings by ICE officers in the past four months in the USA. In all cases, the targets, like Good and Villegas-Gonzalez, have been shot while sitting in their cars. A common factor in these cases is also that ICE has claimed that the officers acted in self-defense, out of fear of being run over.”
https://omni.se/nio-liknande-skjutningar-av-ice-sedan-september/a/pBL02j
“Emily Heller witnessed the shooting death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. It occurred outside her house, and she speaks out in several media outlets to contradict President Donald Trump’s portrayal that ICE police acted in self-defense.
Heller tells CNN that Good was peacefully protesting against immigration police by blocking the road with her car, and the police told her to move.
– In the next moment, they tried to get her out of the car, says Heller.
Good then started to turn the car to drive away, at which point an officer shot her through the windshield, Heller recounts, who then started filming.
In the video, a man can be heard saying he is a doctor and asks for permission to come forward to check the woman’s pulse. He is denied, and ICE police say they have their own doctors on the way. According to Heller, they arrived first fifteen minutes later.
– It was obvious to everyone there that she would not survive.”
https://omni.se/vittne-om-ice-skjutningen-hon-protesterade-fredligt/a/oEpd5V
Off-Topic, weather
Had to start shoveling this morning, was late home yesterday so with yesterday’s and last night’s snow, there was probably about 15 cm. Not too bad but in other parts of the country, it’s best to stay indoors if you don’t have to go out.
“The heavy snowfall means that many school buses in Värmland are canceled, reports Swedish Radio. Marcus Bergman, traffic manager at Värmlandstrafik, says the situation is chaotic and urges parents to stay updated.
In Sundsvall municipality, several independent school groups announce that they are keeping schools closed today. The municipal schools are open, but the municipality writes on its website that school transportation is canceled.
Even in Gothenburg, the situation is difficult, with public transportation canceled. However, the municipality announces that primary schools remain open, but opening hours may vary, as it may be difficult for staff to get to work.” https://omni.se/snon-haller-skolor-stangda-skolskjutsar-stalls-in/a/RjRPEA
“Two orange warnings from SMHI remain in place on Thursday, writes TT. This applies to both Bohuslän and the Gothenburg area, where the warning is valid until 10 on Thursday morning, and to Västernorrland County, where the warning is in effect for another day.
The Swedish Transport Administration warns that the heavy snowfall can cause problems on the roads.
”Do not go out in the traffic in affected areas unless absolutely necessary,” writes the authority.
Most X-trains between Sundsvall and Gävle remain canceled, and SJ and Norrtåg have also announced reduced traffic.
In Gothenburg, Västtrafik announces that the snow can cause disruptions in public transportation today as well, writes GP. Early in the morning, a tram derailed at Järntorget and derailments have also occurred at two other locations.
– This is an unusually bad situation and not a normal situation, says Lars Jönsson, communicator at Västtrafik.”
https://omni.se/snoovadren-fortsatter-ge-dig-inte-ut-om-du-inte-maste/a/oEpdnm
Took the train to Gothenburg yesterday. No sun curves. 18 minutes late. Home, right on time. Well done, traffic control and InfraNord!
What happened to global warming?
The following text has been temporarily put on hold, announces Greta.
…placed in Iceland it should have said above. 19.8 degrees C in Seydisfjördur on Christmas Eve.
Plus degrees.
Oops!
Norway has had unusually warm weather, but not at that level.
When it comes to Iceland, they probably welcome that kind of thing 😀😀
Yes, they do. The Icelanders themselves have said that the country will benefit from a milder climate.
The children were supposed to go home today and south of Stockholm very many trains were canceled
If I had chosen to wait a few more days before traveling, I would have ended up in this instead 😳
Off-Topic, USA’s economy
Previous estimates of how much the tariffs would generate in 2025 were around 450-500 billion dollars. Now it turns out that preliminary data instead lands at about 200 billion. That is 250% more than in 2024 so it is a significant increase but still far from that “trillions and trillions” that Trump promised. Moreover, a large part of the tariffs is not entirely secure as it may turn out that they were illegal, which could lead to having to pay back large portions (how that will be done afterwards).
A bit unclear if Trump believes that the current tariffs will be enough or if he wants to raise them further to finance an increased military budget by 50%, equivalent to 500 billion dollars. The tariffs would also finance tax cuts, support for farmers, etc.
This means that he must at least double the tariffs and considering that the tariffs should be enough or so, it will likely lead to increased budget deficit (unless he cuts something else).
“The USA is leaving 66 international organizations and collaborations, including a number of UN agencies, by decision of President Donald Trump. Several media outlets report this. Among other things, the USA is withdrawing from the UN Population Fund UNFPA and the UN agreement that establishes international climate negotiations, writes TT.
AFP writes that the American constitution allows a president to enter into international treaties and agreements under certain conditions, but it is unclear what power the president has when it comes to leaving them. This opens up the possibility of legal disputes to come.
During the night, Donald Trump also announced that he wants to increase the USA’s defense budget by 50 percent, equivalent to 500 billion dollars, by 2027. The enormous increase in spending is to be financed through revenues from increased tariffs, according to Trump.
Such an increase would need to be approved by Congress.” https://omni.se/usa-lamnar-en-rad-fn-organ-trump-vill-chockhoja-forsvarsbudgeten/a/16ngMB
A significant increase in the number of attacks, especially with extreme pressure on Pokrovsk.
N Slobozhansky-Kursk 0↘️
S Slobozhansky 15💥
Kupyansk 14💥↗️
Lyman 18💥
Slovyansk 5
Kramatorsk 9💥↗️
Kostjantynivka 22💥↗️
Pokrovsk 77💥💥💥💥↗️↗️
Oleksandrivskij 15💥
Huliaipole 40💥💥↘️
Orikhivsk 6↗️
Prydniprovskij/Dnipro 3↗️
Sum sectors 224↗️
Unlocalized 51↗️
Total 275↗️
Pokrovsk
Good very dead Russian
Given recent events, there is a common thread: for Europe to carry out a substantial upgrade of its defense, as well as to build an energy and resource independence from outside Europe. This is compatible with and addresses both Russia’s aggressive actions and US security policy. Both measures have been initiated since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but it’s not like the process hasn’t encountered obstacles.
Exactly and then we turn to Africa.
towards the east
and agreements with the USA where it works
EU also buys Russian metal for billions, not just oil and gas.
Sitting on the phone in the car so there were some typos.
The USA is defending the petrodollar again, which I’m sure you have all also realized.
Yes, it’s hard to write with the butt!
Hold it?
Well, if you mean the currency, not much has happened yet, right?
Although it seems to only be going up this year, of course..
It was good, MXT! Hasse Alfredsson’s limerick fits well here:
“There once was a girl in Gränna
Who with her bottom could tighten
That she in her little hole
could strangle an eel
and even sharpen a pencil.”
😂👍
Yes hysterically funny
Isn’t it you MXT who also usually writes that Trump doesn’t do what’s good for the USA?
Of course this has to do with the petrodollar – they now control Venezuela’s oil, have sanctions against Russia, entered Nigeria, and are about to strike against Iran.
Attention is a virtue.
Could it be that the shale oil in the USA is running out or about to run out? Trump’s attacks on Venezuela and now, as Johan also writes, threats against Nigeria and Iran, are actually about securing oil for the USA? Canada also has shale oil, and Canadians have also been threatened by Trump.
“Over a million people have lost power and heat in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia after Russian attacks, reports Kyiv Post. At the same time, temperatures below minus 10 degrees are expected in the area.
‘This is the first total power outage covering the entire region in recent years,’ says Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov.
Power and heat supply has gradually begun to be restored on Thursday, but the public service company Suspilne describes the damages as ‘significant’. The difficult weather conditions are said to affect the possibility of securing the power supply.
‘From a technical perspective, the situation in the city of Dnipro is truly a national emergency,’ says Mayor Borys Filatov.” https://omni.se/nationellt-nodlage-en-miljon-utan-varme-i-kylan/a/xrPx6R
https://kyivindependent.com/dnipro-reportedly-without-electricity-and-water-following-power-plant-explosion/
“Dnipro is experiencing a total blackout after a russian strike. Around 500,000 households remain without power.” Dark footage:
https://bsky.app/profile/saintjavelin.bsky.social/post/3mbwbpsn6ds2t
The USA President Donald Trump withdraws the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, he states on the Truth Social platform.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court last week ruled that Trump lacked the right to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, as reported by the New York Times.
“We will be back, maybe in a completely different and stronger form, when crime rates start to rise again – it’s just a matter of time,” Trump writes.
Soldiers have already been withdrawn from Los Angeles, but remain in place in Chicago and Portland, according to TT.
The National Guard is also still deployed in Washington D.C., New Orleans, and Memphis, as reported by the New York Times.
Good that the Supreme Court still shows some sense. I expect Trump’s gang to plan a false-flag, at least in Los Angeles to submit it again.
Not impossible that something like that will happen.
“Over the past month, the operators of the Asgard battalion, part of the 412th Nemesis brigade of the SBS, have hit 8 enemy air defense systems: two Tor-M2s, two Buk-M1s, a Tor-M1, a Buk-M3, a Strela-10, and a rare, state-of-the-art radar of the S-350 ‘Vityaz’ anti-aircraft missile system.”
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3mbw5xvkuac2e
“Ukraine war latest: Oil tanker en route to Russia hit by drone in Black Sea”
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-update-2026-01-08/
“⚡️In the Rodynske district of Pokrovskyi region, another enemy stronghold has been eliminated. Soldiers from the special unit “OMEGA-ZAHID” carried out a lightning-fast assault on a fortified building. Fire cover and support for the operation were provided by the guards of the 14th “Chervona Kalyna” brigade and soldiers from the battalion named after Sergei Kulchitsky.”
Just about everyone is therefore cowards.
“🇩🇪🇺🇦 Merz: There is no one here, not even a single member state in the EU or beyond, who is of the opinion that we should go into Ukraine now to intervene in the ongoing conflict. We are only talking about military security for a peace, for a ceasefire agreement.”
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mbw5culob22c
The traitorous Donald Trump’s actions are directly frightening and the similarities with Adolf’s exploits are unfortunately striking in many respects. Adolf H had his SA troops wreaking havoc. Trump has ICE, which yesterday shot and killed a woman in Minnesota and is trying to deflect blame with lies backed up by the aspiring dictator. And the riots in Congress in 2021 are now just peaceful demonstrations, claims the orange demented giant baby who has started rewriting history. I believe, like many others here on the forum, that we are facing something very dangerous. A madman with the world’s largest power apparatus, and he has only just begun. Europe’s leaders have cautiously started to raise their voices, but it won’t help if they don’t also act forcefully, unfortunately from a level that is too low due to what has naively been disarmed over several decades.
The sensible portion of the U.S. population, which is after all in the majority, one also hopes will begin to stand up for their country, which otherwise will be something very different in a few years.
Things are moving very quickly now, and one reason for that is that Trump wants to exploit the shock the world is in. Then, of course, he wants to experience what he wants to achieve before his old age takes its toll.
Yes, he is throwing away all diplomacy and everything that has been achieved since the Second World War. He is tearing down the entire foundation of the rules-based world.
All the influence that the USA has had over the world, especially the Western world, based on economic cooperation, a common view on politics and security, will disappear.
Yes, the USA has always put itself first, with serious consequences for many countries, but we in the Western countries have mostly had nothing to fear.
Inside the USA, there have always been contradictions, between races and within politics, but they have had in common that they have loved their USA, and the American Way. Something that we Europeans have sometimes found difficult to understand, and we have thought that the USA has been a third world country in many respects, but at the same time imported popular culture, high technology, etc. from the great country in the West.
Now they have elected a president who is in the process of destroying everything that the rest of us in the West have looked up to when it comes to the USA. Freedom in all its forms, rules, standards, securities that make life easier and more predictable.
The resemblance to Germany in the 1930s is striking. The beer hall putsch and the storming of the Capitol. The annexation with Venezuela, however, came earlier than the equivalent for Germany. When will the Reichstag fire come, when Trump will ban the democratic party? When will the Night of the Long Knives come, when the National Guard will be directly subordinated to the president? When will Kristallnacht come?
“In Ukrainas Kherson region, ryssar mördade den ortodoxa prästen Georgy Gorbenko med hjälp av en FPV-drönare. Han var präst i den ukrainska ortodoxa kyrkan under Moskvas patriarkat.
Drönaroperatören kunde tydligt se målet och utförde attacken medvetet. Mordet skedde på aftonen före ortodoxa julafton. Detta är rysk kultur.”
Off-Topic, Iran
Keeping my fingers crossed that they can free themselves from the mullahs this time.
“Markets across Iranian provinces and cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kurdistan, have joined a nationwide strike, with shops closed. Protests also in cities like Falavarjan and Hamedan. Reza Pahlavi has called for mass rallies tonight and tomorrow. Security forces are mobilizing.”
https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3mbw2jd6qgk2t
It would really be great if they could manage to overthrow the mullah regime.
Iran could become a secular democratic superpower in the Middle East, a country that would be a role model for the entire region, but it’s probably just a dream.
Yes, it will succeed this time.
Israel USA will help out.
“Ukraine’s embattled hydropower firm gets 75 million euro boost for repairs”
“⚡️Ukraine-US security guarantee draft ready for finalization with Trump, Zelensky says. “We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.”
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-us-security-guarantee-draft-ready-for-finalization-with-trump-zelensky-says/
That Stephen Miller’s family comes from Belarus/Russia makes me uncomfortable.
Is he the puppet master’s hand.
Ah, I didn’t know that! Perhaps not unexpected though.
Now, one shouldn’t dwell on such things, but his appearance and demeanor also make me uncomfortable. 😄
Who is the miller now?
Any new trump negotiator?
Worse. Perhaps as I wrote that controls Trump at least in some matters.
Advisor to Trump. Probably available on Youtube when that madman rants about the law of the jungle. Trump’s Joseph Goebbels
Miller is a senior adviser to Trump. It was Mrs. Miller who posted Greenland draped in the colors of the USA with the text “soon”.
Miller himself:
“The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?” Miller said during the interview with CNN on Monday afternoon.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Miller said. “We live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”
https://www.abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/us-military-option-acquiring-greenland-white-house-official/story%3fid=128960041
The USA turns its back on its allies and abandons international law, says French President Emmanuel Macron according to Bloomberg.
France and Europe now find themselves involved in a “very confusing game,” he continues.
– Every day, people wonder if Greenland will be invaded, if Canada will be threatened with becoming the 51st state, or if Taiwan will be even more surrounded.
Trump threatens Macron with individual tariffs of 50% or something
Off-Topic, our electricity supply
A bit late perhaps, but there may still be some serious cold snaps coming, and if Johan No.1 is right about Russian sabotage, it may of course also be needed.
“Swedish national grid has signed agreements with two suppliers for a Swedish electricity reserve this winter, reports TT.
The reserve amounts to 350 MW and can be used between January 15 and March 15 in case of an anticipated power shortage.
Once again, the Karlshamn plant in Blekinge will account for the majority of the reserve, 330 MW. Mälarenergi’s heating plant in Västerås accounts for the remaining 20 MW, Swedish national grid said in a press release according to TT.
Last autumn, a similar procurement failed because the price was too high.”
https://omni.se/svenska-kraftnat-har-sakrat-elreserv-i-vinter/a/6qjpM0
Some credit to the government anyway for not giving in to extortion about the price.
Now they have managed to influence and bring the opposition along, which wants to negotiate directly with the USA.
“Greenland should have direct talks with the USA, says opposition leader Pele Broberg to Reuters.
– Denmark is causing discord with both Greenland and the USA through its mediating role, he says.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt emphasizes that Greenland does not have the legal right to hold individual talks with the USA, as Denmark is responsible for the island’s foreign policy.
– We must respect the law, and we have rules for how we resolve these issues within the kingdom, she tells the newspaper Sermitsiaq.”
All are for sale.
There is always something exciting in the basket. It will be interesting to see where the discussions in the USA lead.
FOX NEWS | Trump greenlights Russian sanctions bill, paving way for 500% tariff on countries supporting Moscow: Graham
President Trump approved a Russian sanctions bill that expands penalties on entities supporting Moscow’s war effort and helps pave the way for tariffs on countries backing Russia, with supporters like Senator Lindsey Graham saying it strengthens U.S. leverage and global pressure on Russia.
https://whitehouse.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=255057cc391ca0facb169b81c&id=e63c6eaf2a&e=c580b26d18
Hm, have we heard that before maybe. Soon Putin will call, and then it’s break time again.
Great! 👍
If that is true and the sanctions are also implemented, it’s really good.
Seems like he really wants to pressure Russia to make them agree to a peace agreement.
At the same time, one is cautious, so I remain cautiously positive.
NO NOT GOOD IT’S JUST TO GET EUROPE TO BE PASSIVE FOR A WHILE
You definitely have a point!
Total Off-Topic
Slightly pointed (pun intended), chemical warfare already 60,000 years ago!
“It may seem obvious: If something sharp is dipped in something poisonous, it can be used to bring down prey. But how humans made this discovery is a mystery akin to how fire was learned or the wheel invented. In a new study published in Science Advances, the timeline is significantly altered.
Researchers have found traces of poison on arrowheads 60,000 years old in South Africa. The second oldest known use of poison is dated to 35,000 years ago.
– It’s a big step, says lead author Sven Isaksson at Stockholm University to the New York Times.
He adds that poison may have been used for the same purpose even earlier, but that the new findings are the oldest evidence so far.”
https://omni.se/varldens-aldsta-giftpilar-hittade-60000-ar-gamla/a/vrAWQ5
I would like to claim that we have mostly just scratched the surface of past civilizations on the timeline.
The Incas or the Aztecs, whoever it was, did not build those large temples they used for their human sacrifices – they were built by earlier civilizations, and we know this because the Incas or the Aztecs wrote about it.
Got curious and had to look it up.
The Olmecs were first in Central America, then came the Maya and Inca, and then the Aztecs. The last three disappeared when the Spaniards arrived with European diseases.
High Cultures in Central and South America
There were certainly cultures earlier in South America as well, including those who walked around picking up stones and making geoglyphs in the Chilean desert.
I think the USA confirms my theory that there are always enough people in a country willing to become the henchmen of a dictator once a dictator arrives.
Above, MXT has posted a witness who saw the entire process of the shooting in Minneapolis, which started with the woman in the SUV blocking with her car.
Not sure about ICE’s powers, but it will become clearer in the future.
However, police in the USA have very interesting powers, if they instruct you to do something, for example, stop, sit down, or anything else – if you do not obey, they can shoot you, and deadly force is justifiable.
We are always outraged by movies where an unarmed young guy runs away and gets shot in the back, but according to American law, it is good police work and thumbs up.
These movies usually circulate among us, and we are always outraged by police corruption, but they act within the laws they follow.
I remember a young guy with Down syndrome being shot in Sweden when he waved a toy gun by a police recruit on his second day who was acquitted?
ICE above the law is becoming an interesting “rogue” that bypasses the police, everyone else, and the National Guard. Wouldn’t surprise me if there are firefights between police and ICE in the future.
Well, they seem to be a bit trigger-happy. I wonder what kind of training they receive, read somewhere that they recruit people from the audience at MMA fighters and weapon blogs, could be made up, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Probably enough that they are white, racists, gun-crazy, and uneducated.
Well, maybe one shouldn’t get so upset about the police officers who shoot without a society where it’s considered OK for them to shoot someone without any other reason than trying to evade the police or protesting.
However, that’s not how the law looks in the USA. Deadly force is only allowed if the police have reason to believe that the person poses an immediate threat to life or serious bodily harm.
On the other hand, it is enough to suspect that the person has a weapon, even if the person has only held a wallet. In the USA, judgments are made based on how the shooting police officer reasonably could have perceived the situation, not based on what actually happened. That’s why police officers are rarely convicted.
In this case, they will probably get away with it by claiming they perceived that she was going to run him over.
Now he thought it was a better idea to draw a weapon and shoot instead of taking two steps to the side, so he has actually contradicted himself. If he was afraid of being run over, he would have acted differently.
But of course, it depends on whether ICE has the same powers as the police.
There are many others who think it’s perfectly fine for the police to shoot people regardless of any threat, reasoning that if you don’t do as the police say, you have only yourself to blame.
Which at the same time means that police officers can easily get away with murder or force people to do anything with the justification “the person didn’t obey me”. Police officers are ordinary people, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Should we take the risk and give them those opportunities, assuming that no one will abuse them?
Now someone will probably think that I hate police officers, but that’s absolutely not the case. However, I am against a system where excessive force is allowed and where the few police officers who actually make mistakes have a high chance of getting away with it. Of course, the situation is different in the USA compared to Sweden, where the police are a high-risk profession in many places.
Since it’s the Trump administration, will the ICE agent be acquitted reasonably?
It seems like they are stretching quite a bit on everything possible 😀
Hopefully, he hasn’t replaced all federal judges, has he?
But maybe that can be appealed and go to the Supreme Court, of course.
As I have already written, that he chooses not to take cover but chooses to remain standing is serious, but almost even worse is that he continues to shoot two shots when the car is about to pass and is no longer a threat.
If he ends up in a court with a neutral judge, he should go there, especially if it turns out that one of the last two shots was lethal.
Well, he’s not exactly run over 😀
Well, the law is written in such a way that it’s quite difficult to convict the police.
But cameras have probably helped somewhat.
Miller is a senior adviser to Trump. It was Mrs. Miller who posted Greenland draped in the colors of the USA with the text “soon”.
Miller himself:
“The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?” Miller said during the interview with CNN on Monday afternoon.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Miller said. “We live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”
https://www.abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/us-military-option-acquiring-greenland-white-house-official/story%3fid=128960041
⚡️⚡️ Occupiers’ logistics facilities have been hit
⚡️Ukraine’s defense forces, in order to disrupt the supply of fuel and lubricants to the units from the UV (s) “Dnipro” warehouse, conducted a fire attack on rolling stock (trains) carrying fuel and lubricants on the tank platform at the “Gvardeiskoe” oil base in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea. The extent of the damage is being investigated.
⚡️Additionally, in order to reduce the enemy’s combat capability in the Orikhiv direction, the occupiers’ repair unit in the area near the village of Hirne (TOT Donetsk region) has been hit.
💪Ukraine’s defense forces continue their actions to systematically reduce the Russian occupiers’ military and economic potential as well as their offensive capacity.
💥To be continued. Glory to Ukraine!
👍
“🔥Special Operations Forces carried out the destruction of enemy targets in the temporarily occupied territory in the Donetsk region and Crimea using FP-2 strike UAVs. In Crimea, SSO strike UAVs hit a mobile warehouse with fuel and lubricants on the fuel overpass of the oil depot in Hvardiyske.”
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mbwn3jx4nc2i
Heja!
“Massiva folkmassor fyller nu gatorna i Iran, även i staden Mashhad. “Detta är det sista slaget, Pahlavi kommer att återvända,” sjunger de.”
https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3mbwnb3v3oc2f
jo precis, we haven’t really kept up with Iran but the mullahs are well on their way to being ousted 😁
I haven’t commented on the electricity price but the average for December was magnificent 😎
Got a completely reasonable electricity bill.
When I had a exchange year in Iowa, we made the mistake of thinking that the police were dialogue police when we had a whole night at the club and loudly headed home.
That mistake is only made once.
Have you also started working?
Death…
All the Italians are still on vacation so it doesn’t really matter but still.
A consideration on high KWIA (today: 1401).
AFU’s 22 report yesterday: “In the Pokrovsk direction, since the beginning of the day, the occupiers have attempted to advance on the positions of Ukrainian units 72 times. The enemy attacked in the areas of the settlements of Shakhov, Nikanorivka, Fedorivka, Dorozhne, Rodynske, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Udachne, Molodetsk, and in the direction of Novopavlivka and Filiya. In some locations, fighting continues to this day.
According to preliminary data, a total of 165 occupiers were neutralised in this direction today, 128 of them irrevocably. Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed two tanks, three armoured combat vehicles, eight vehicles, 39 UAVs, and hit a UAV control point and seven shelters for enemy personnel.”
72 attacks corresponded to 165 KWIA in Pokrovsk.
What would KWIA be if the same loss ratio as in Pokrovsk is used for the attacks along the entire front?
72 attacks, 165 KWIA: 165/72=2.292 kwia/attack.
Including unlocated attacks (275):
275 attacks should thus have resulted in 275*2.292=630 KWIA
So, we have 1400-630=770, approximately 800 KWIA that do not correspond to the reported attacks (note! including unlocated ones).
Excluding unlocated attacks (224):
224 attacks should thus have resulted in 224*2.292=513 KWIA
So, we have 1400-513=887, approximately 900 KWIA that do not correspond to the located attacks.
There were 51 unlocated attacks. 900/51=17.647, approximately 18 KWIA/attack.
Otherwise, regardless, we have between 800-900 KWIA that are not explained by Russian losses in their own attacks based on KWIA per attack in Pokrovsk in AFU’s evening report.
Many counterattacks?
Yes, looks like –
– maybe 51 cases (unlocalized), which in itself is high and barely one KWIA attack for every four Russian attacks (51/224).
With 800-900 KWIA in KWIA attacks and with 51 attacks approximately 18 KWIA per KWIA attack.
Or fewer attacks with more KWIA per attack or more with fewer KWIA per attack
Compared the latest 22-report with the one before (above), lower attacks (27) in Pokrovsk with slightly higher KWIA per attack (3 kwia/attack, 81/27=3).
“In the Pokrovsk direction, since the beginning of the day, the occupiers have attempted to advance on the positions of Ukrainian units 27 times. The enemy attacked in the areas of the settlements of Nikanorivka, Chervonyi Lyman, Rodynske, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Filia, and Dachne. In some locations, fighting continues to this day.
According to preliminary data, a total of 81 occupiers were neutralised in this direction today, 55 of them irrevocably. Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed four vehicles, one quad bike, 14 UAVs, four pieces of special equipment, and hit eight shelters for enemy personnel.”
87 located attacks, 142-87=55 located (UA?).
If the unlocated ones are UA attacks, a very high proportion 55/87=0.632, about 2 Ukrainian attacks per three Russian ones.
Extrapolated to total incoming loss report:
Attacks prev 22-report/morning report (above)
225/277=0.812
Extrapol located attacks: 87/0.812=107.143
Extrapol unlocated attacks: 55/0.812=67.734
(total 175 attacks)
Projected KWIA: 107 ru-attacks * 3 kwia/ru-attack + 68 ua-attacks * 18 kwia/ua-attack =1,545 KWIA
Exciting, let’s see
1400 Kwia (1545-1400)/1545*100=9.385
So: actual KWIA 1400 deviated by 9 percent compared to the forecast 1545, a tenth.
Or (1545-1400)/1400*100=10.357 so the forecast deviated by 10%.
@MXT, it seems I am still blacklisted and need to confirm login via email.
The request was flagged as suspicious, and we need verification that you attempted to log in to allow it to proceed. This verification link will be valid for 15 minutes from the time it was sent. If you did not attempt this login, please change your password immediately.
Same issue with proximity to preschool as MXT?
Mysterious. Are you using VPN, ad blockers, maybe antivirus software that blocks cookies or something else that might make it suspicious.
Good morning!
1030 KWIA
5 Tanks
8 AFVs
18 Artillery systems
687 UAVs
90 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
https://bsky.app/profile/matsextrude.bsky.social/post/3mbxqvkkaus2s
Slava Ukraini