The war in Ukraine 2025-10-12

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  • 1240 KWIA
  • 1 Tank
  • 10 Artillery systems
  • 244 UAVs
  • 87 Vehicles & fuel tanks
  • 3 Special equipment

SLAVA UKRAINI!

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60 thoughts on “The war in Ukraine 2025-10-12”

    1. MXT

      Yes, it was right around this time (early October) in 2023 when Russia launched its offensive and we saw huge amounts of armor being taken out and KWIA crossing over 1000 more and more often. 

      Back then, we thought KWIA over 1000 was a lot. It became significantly higher later on and we even saw over 2000, but right now we are at about the same level regarding KWIA as we were in 2023.

  3. 205

    Below the total in AFU’s morning report. 183 out of 203 battles distributed as below. In the north decreasing but still significantly pressure, in Luhansk decreasing and significantly pressure, Donetsk decreasing but still very strong pressure, and in the south decreasing and low pressure.

    North N Slobozhansky-Kursk 4↘️ S Slobozhansky 23💥↘️ Luhansk Kupyansk 15💥↗️ Lyman 14💥↘️ Slovyansk(Siverskyi) 6 Donetsk Kramatorsk 0↘️ Kostjantynivka(Toretsk) 21💥 Pokrovsk 58💥💥💥↘️ Oleksandrivskij(Novopavlivka) 36💥💥↗️ South Huliaypillia 0 Orikhivsk 6 Dnipro/Prydniprovskij 0↘️

  4. MXT

    Good that someone publicly dares to say what we all already know.

    “Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) asserts that it is Russia or Belarus behind the GPS disruptions against ambulances in Kalmar County, he tells P4 Kalmar.

    – We are deeply critical of the Russian actions in this regard, he says.

    This fall, ambulance personnel have been forced to use physical maps because the map images freeze, or the GPS system shows that the cars are located in the middle of the sea. The problems have occurred daily. The disruptions have also affected air and sea traffic in the region, as well as farmers in the area.

    Jonson promises that Sweden will increase pressure on Russia further.”
    https://omni.se/jonson-gps-storningarna-fran-ryssland-eller-belarus/a/Mn4Jbm

    1. Proxima

      These GPS devices. If the world’s best navigator and cartographer, James Cook, had come across one, he would have thrown it overboard immediately.
      Do you remember “Marco Polo’s” grounding off Hanö in 2023? GPS navigation. Still, we read about the trouble GPS interference causes for shipping and aviation. Bring out nautical charts, a sextant, and a chronometer, and determine your position. Feel free to use GPS, but double-check by comparing with old-fashioned navigation.
      At sea, the noon position was always taken using nautical charts, dead reckoning, a sextant, and a chronometer, and then the arrival time was calculated. This information was sent daily to the shipping company and the company’s agent at the port of arrival. GPS did not exist.
      Calculating longitude was a problem for shipping for several hundred years. After an entire English fleet ran aground near the Scilly Isles (Cornwall), the English Admiralty took up the issue by announcing a competition with a reward of £10,000 (if I remember correctly).
      The method for calculating longitude was known. It required a time reference at an imaginary line (longitude) and an exact ship time. Not easy with clocks on sailing ships exposed to moisture and salt creeping into the mechanism. But a watchmaker named John Harrison succeeded in 1761 in producing a clock that seemed to meet the requirements.
      James Cook used the clock on his three voyages to the Pacific Ocean. And the clock worked. Harrison died and never received the prize in person, but his son received the money. Since it was an Englishman who was the inventor, it was decided that this intended longitude, the Prime Meridian, would be placed in England. Specifically in Greenwich.
      I want to mention the watchmaker Victor Kullberg, originally from Gotland, who moved to England and refined Harrison’s chronometer and was highly regarded as one of the most skilled watchmakers of the 19th century.

  5. MXT

    “The Russian state may have been behind the cyber attack on the British car giant Jaguar Land Rover, reports The Telegraph.

    At the end of August, the car giant was subjected to a cyber attack that has paralyzed the company’s production in four countries. The attack has, among other things, led to the British government having to step in as a guarantor for the company’s loans.

    The enormous economic consequences that the attack has led to have caused many to direct their suspicions towards Russia, and according to The Telegraph’s information, this track is now actively being investigated by British authorities.

    Without specifically mentioning the attack on Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said last month that the Russian state has been involved in cyber attacks against the UK.”
    https://omni.se/ryssland-kan-ligga-bakom-cyberangrepp-pa-biljatten/a/VzKL5d

    1. 205

      Should engage India. Indian (can you say India which has named I***ans* which you are not allowed to write/say?) TATA motors owns Jaguar.

      *Columbus thought he had arrived in India when in fact he had only reached America and called the inhabitants there I****ers.

  8. MXT

    “⚡️Pro-Ukrainian partisans sabotage railway infrastructure in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, group claims. The Atesh partisan group sabotaged railway infrastructure in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, disrupting Russian logistics, the group claimed in a Telegram post on Oct. 12.”
    https://bsky.app/profile/kyivindependent.com/post/3m2xu3c4le22g
    https://kyivindependent.com/pro-ukrainian-partisans-sabotage-railway-infrastructure-in-russias-rostov-oblast-group-claims/

  10. MXT

    “🔥 Ukrainian OSINT channels write that it was at the site of the strike in Donetsk that the Russians set up their own workshop for the production of FPV drones, Molniya-1/Molniya-2 attack drones, and loitering munitions. 🦅 BAVOVNA in Donetsk And the moment of attack!”
    https://bsky.app/profile/beefeaterfella.bsky.social/post/3m2xgtovbnc2b

    “Ukrainian drones attacked occupied Donetsk in the country’s east, causing a massive fire Locals say the attack targeted the area of the former Auchan mall (renamed by Russians as Sigma) near the ring road. 📹Supernova+”
    https://bsky.app/profile/euromaidanpress.bsky.social/post/3m2xasbxi622c

  12. MXT

    Off-Topic, Trade War

    “China condemns the US plans to impose tariffs of an additional 100 percent on Chinese exports and threatens with countermeasures, several media outlets report.

    China’s Ministry of Commerce defends the new export controls for rare earth metals as a ”legitimate measure”, stating that since the negotiations in Madrid in September, the US has ”continued to impose a series of new restrictions against China”, including blacklisting Chinese companies.

    ”China’s stance in the trade war is clear: we do not want to fight, but we are not afraid to fight”, the ministry says, adding that China will take ”corresponding countermeasures” if the US proceeds.

    In the latest escalation of the trade war, President Trump announced that the US will impose additional ”comprehensive export restrictions” on ”virtually all products they manufacture”, including critical software. The measures are expected to take effect on November 1, Trump writes on Truth Social.”
    https://omni.se/kina-forsvarar-atgarder-anklagar-trump-ar-inte-radda-for-att-slass/a/OoG0dA

    1. MXT

      “The US Department of Defense Pentagon is on its way to purchase rare earth metals for up to 1 billion dollars in a government reserve. This is evident from public documents that the Pentagon has published in recent months, writes FT.

      The buildup of the stockpile is seen as a way to reduce China’s market dominance for the critical metals that play a crucial role in the defense industry.

      – They (Pentagon) are incredibly focused on the stockpile and are definitely looking for more, says a former official at the department to the newspaper.

      The news comes in parallel with China tightening export controls for rare earth metals, which require foreign companies to have a Chinese license.”
      https://omni.se/pentagon-hamstrar-sallsynta-jordartsmetaller-fokus/a/kwA14k

  13. MXT

    One positive effect of the situation between Israel and Palestine seeming to be resolving is that the oil price is dropping.
    “Crude oil” went down to 58.9 USD/barrel last Friday, it will be interesting to see if it can be pushed further down.

  14. MXT

    Now that the war in Gaza seems to be settling down, it is of course a setback for the Russians and then perhaps mainly because the oil price is dropping sharply (see above).

    I would imagine that they are currently considering how they can start a new conflict or some other event to raise the oil price.

    Can they succeed in starting a new war somewhere, and if so, where?
    Perhaps they will activate terrorist cells that carry out spectacular bombings, either against the West’s oil industry, or maybe a new 9/11?
    Or will it rather be a series of minor sabotage attacks against our energy infrastructure?

    What do you think, will they come up with something new, or are they starting to lose steam?

    1. 205

      The events of October 7th were not so much about oil as they were about shifting attention from Ukraine to the Middle East. This does not exclude, but rather reinforces the conclusion that Russia is now considering where they can start a new war.

      Iran is closed, as is Syria, both by the USA, which has now effectively closed off the Middle East. The USA is also behind building relationships with several -stans and perhaps even Belarus.

      Japan? Some African countries? Or directly aimed at the USA? Like Central America/Venezuela/Cuba? Alaska?

      1. MXT

        You are probably quite right that the shift in focus has provided the greatest benefit for Russia when it comes to Israel/Palestine; at the same time, I believe that the economy is starting to become an increasingly larger problem for them, so the price of oil has probably become more and more important.

        I also believe in Africa, where they already have some presence and have caused problems before.

        They would probably like to see China go after Taiwan, but the question is whether China is ready for that. Also, China probably enjoys low oil prices so they can get maximum returns from their trade with Russia.

    2. Lasse W

      I believe the Russians are what is called “prey for conflicting emotions.” What has been achieved on the ground in Ukraine is not sufficient as a victory. So, what are the Russians doing now? The hope is that Ukraine will be forced to its knees by the indiscriminate destruction from the air. However, they want to remove the Ukrainian civilian population who, to the Russians’ annoyance, continue to live there despite the war. For Ukraine to achieve peace, larger land areas must be ceded. It becomes a game of chicken where Ukraine perseveres and the Russians end up bloodying themselves in Pokrovsk. Who will soften first?

      One could say that Putin is in a mess. And he may want to escalate and take a chance that fate will help Mother Russia. It’s on a spiritual level for Putin. If things go to hell for Russia, they will also go to hell for the Western countries. At the same time, there are likely voices around him that are more level-headed and want to have more correct relations with the West. They want to be able to trade with the West and travel. There will be a time after this war.

  17. jahojariaho

    First Tomahawk Maskirovka and now a bit of First Lady Maskirovka:
    “Even the US First Lady Melania Trump has spoken about the Russian president in recent days. She says she has had direct contact with Putin about children who have been taken during the war in Ukraine. Eight children are reported to have been reunited with their families in the past day.”

  21. MXT

    Off-Topic

    “Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemns the ‘provocations’ from the Taliban in Afghanistan overnight, according to AFP. He says he promises a strong and effective response.

    – There will be no compromises when it comes to Pakistan’s defense, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response, he said in a statement.

    After the Taliban in Afghanistan attacked several border posts against Pakistan on Saturday evening, Pakistan has closed the border crossings between the countries, Pakistani officials told Reuters.

    Pakistan responded with artillery fire at four locations along the border, according to Pakistani officials as reported by The Guardian.”
    https://omni.se/pakistan-stanger-gransen-mot-afghanistan/a/Av6W6q

    1. MXT

      “The Taliban in Afghanistan attacked several border posts against Pakistan during Saturday evening, reports AP. The Taliban government states that it is a response to repeated Pakistani violations of its airspace and territory.

      The Taliban claim to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, according to the news agency.

      Pakistani officials state that they responded with artillery fire at four locations along the border, reports The Guardian.

      Earlier this week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of air strikes against the capital Kabul and a market in the country’s eastern regions.”
      https://omni.se/strider-vid-gransen-mellan-afghanistan-och-pakistan/a/0VMO82

    1. 205

      The fact that it does not change the situation on the front line is correct, according to Peskov. And the Russians are probably right to be concerned about the Tomahawk as well. It’s hardly anyone who has claimed that it changes the situation on the front line.

  27. 205

    Off-topic

    Irritated by so-called opinion-forming leaders who are kept behind a paywall. Then one is well on the way to saving those already saved and knocking on open doors, and then it should not be called “shaping” opinion. Shaping opinion is an important role held by the media. And can certainly contribute to motivating some press support. But leaders behind paywalls that do not contribute to any societal debate are false advertising. And should result in withdrawn/reduced press support.

    But I get irritated because it’s so stupid. Those who want to shape opinion want to reach out. And no one wants to pay to have others’ opinions forced upon them. Unless one is already “saved” and thus a door that has already been opened.

    1. MXT

      Are you thinking of someone specific in this case?

      (Should we see that as a contribution to the debate about the yellow walls? 🤔

      I guess that in 90% of cases, it’s about prioritizing making money and that getting a message out is not the primary goal. Of course, it also depends on the extent to which it is done. Is it one’s livelihood or something done in one’s spare time?

      1. 205

        No, was thinking of an editorial in SvD. Came to the same thoughts after the post. JohanNo1 is indeed opinion-forming. And yes, one can see the logic in wanting to reach out. But the value of reading is such (educational and artistic) that one might want to pay for the reading. Besides, doesn’t JohanNo1 lack press support? (Maybe register as a publication and apply?)

    2. johan No.1

      I interpret it as the yellow wall, am I wrong to completely ignore the below 😀

      There are zero opinion makers/debaters who work for free, there are retirees who have their finances in order and can do it but everyone else is financed in some way.

      Honorable/independent intellectuals are even fewer – almost everyone writes with an underlying agenda because the financing comes with a job description.

      Everything related to politics for example – where you are expected to push the party’s line and we had a couple of wonderful blows when our immigrant female politicians wanted to advocate for honor-bound women and were kicked out of the Social Democrats and Left Party, who claim to stand up for just that.

      Our political parties, the business world, Russian money or most recently the Israelis’ $7000 per post that some apparently accepted.

      Others take advantage of a good crisis to enrich themselves – those who have taken donations for a good cause have in some cases just stolen the funds, others have lived well on it, and those you never hear about are the ones who have worked fairly, the ones I usually talk to.

      They usually don’t have much good to say about those who have profiled themselves and built their brands – you know who.

      —

      My thought was to drive opinion on the UA war for a year or two and we are far beyond that.

      Even though MXT tries to trivialize as much as he can, I have been ahead on the curve and much has come true, because Ukraine talks, we know surprisingly much about the dirty tricks.

      I admit it has been worth it when proven right 😀

      Now it is well known how Biden and Sullivan acted but on the other blog there were many sour faces when I criticized them – Ukrainian supporters who couldn’t handle that Biden wasn’t a god, dead children were secondary.

      Finally, there was a group that made it their mission to chase me so I would stop writing, and then I got tired and left. You surely remember who. In the beginning of the war, we had Tankfri and Bendover who bullied everyone just to try to destroy. The time on the other blog was not fun at all.

      Then I learned how a world war starts – everyone drags their feet.

      My “pitch-black” texts – that’s where we actually are now, it became our time’s global conflict because Europe and the USA did nothing, it came true.

      And I have underestimated Trump twice, first that he would do right and then that he will do completely wrong – he drives the USA strategy his way and the USA has made mistakes, realized it, and now adjusted. The problem with Trump is that the pressure to think right is tough 😀

      —

      Now we are actually at the last watering hole before it all kicks off – will Russia escalate into the Baltics with little green men and Estonian resistance movement while the Belarusian defense forces stand against the border with Poland and unlock them?

      That’s the main scenario if you remember.

      After that, it’s over to China because Russia has done its part.

      If Russia gets its revolution before summer 2026, it might be over but the likelihood of that is decreasing all the time now.

      —

      It’s not fun to be ahead on the curve at all – it’s constant opposition since experts and media are not there yet.

      In July 2025, there would be increased conflict first in 2028 – do you think it will be adjusted, then I sat there and was mad at Carsten Breuer and rhetorically asked if he was paid by Russia.

      Now it’s slowly adjusting but these are the professionals in the subject who are paid to be right but can’t manage it.

      Defense needs just that – being ahead on the curve.

      —

      We started Substack and the site early in 2025 and those who subscribe often write “freedom of speech must be defended.”

      My thought has been just that – an independent voice that doesn’t push an agenda and much aligns so not completely out and fumbling in the dark. It’s because I don’t have a role or blinders that dictate but can look at it as it is, I have guessed.

      Now I’m starting to lean towards the idea that Trump has a plan and laugh at everyone’s criticism of the Nobel Peace Prize winner or that everyone is upset about the peace in Gaza.

      Or that we didn’t have any spontaneous celebrations in the streets after the ceasefire on October 7, 2023 – what we are supposed to believe, that the Palestinian demonstrations are in defense of the residents of Gaza is a lie.

      But one dares hardly write the word Trump in any other context than negatively 😀

      —

      The idea was that one could receive voluntary donations/subscriptions enough to keep going.

      MXT has explained the time he puts into this + his own costs.

      And for me, you know that I work almost full time on this because I have had a bit of luck with a slow project start.

      —

      The voting of 128 who cared, comments, and even a bit on Substack is clear – we like to read but it must not cost.

      The statistics are also clear – there is a slight decline, that we are entering our time’s great world war simply does not interest enough.

      We have some happy donors and that’s great – the total is vanishingly small, and by that I mean vanishingly small.

      There are good suggestions to release books or other things but what is missing is “I have a publishing house and will sign you.”

      It would be great if a happy billionaire wants to defend freedom of speech and foot the whole bill but such a son has not contacted us 😀

      —

      The question is how long this can be sustained so what everyone now sees as something negative is actually an attempt to keep the writing going.

      We may come to the point where we can’t continue – that’s the actual consequence.

      The question to consider is not whether one wants to read or not at a cost, but if it will continue at all.

      We have tried to be clear about this so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

      —

      Freedom of speech is perhaps the most difficult thing because you will always upset someone instead of everyone liking what you write, and in today’s climate of debate, it only takes one text you don’t like to become tired – the old idea that agreeing more than disagreeing no longer seems to apply 😀

      And no one wants to fund just because you don’t promote their agenda in a nice way – why pay when you’re criticized?

      My two cents.

       

      1. 205

        As I write above, my post was triggered by an editorial in SvD (which I unsubscribe from and don’t have the energy/will to start again since I already subscribe to DN, which despite acting as a parrot for the Kremlin to a lesser extent than SvD, is an opinion I’ve adopted in recent years.) But I don’t want to ignore what you write below.

         

        Of course, financing is needed – at least to cover costs (because there are some). And then it’s fun if you can find a business model in all the mess with the blog. Advertising is one possibility. Subscription another. Regardless, it’s about reaching volumes in terms of users. To achieve that in less than a year might not be realistic. Ask Twitter how long it takes to build up a significant user base – several years. And it’s still free to become a follower and very simple. Those who remember the logic of the New Economy will recall that it was about leveraging network effects (law of increasing returns Brian Arthur) and therefore companies focused on providing free services and tools to build this user base before competitors did. For many, it crashed before they could cash in on the user base when financiers eventually grew tired and began to scrutinize the business more critically. Personally, I followed a company from the early 2000s when the company had modest revenue of a few hundred thousand SEK in a basement, and one had to submit fixed price offers for everything, the content of which could expand during the project without the fixed price doing so, to a company that just a few years ago had tens of millions in revenue and had even rented office space on street level, and as an IT consultant, one could bill hours. And not long ago, the owners made an exit they were satisfied with. The recipe? Sell, sell, and sell. The entire street level was staffed with salespeople, and despite being an IT company, there was only one consulting position for developers.

        One issue last week concerns two sites. Can we offer those who subscribe to Substack an unabridged article here on JohanNo1, so that they at least don’t have to switch places/sites to comment, but can continue to do so on JohanNo1?

        1. MXT

          Exactly what I told Johan from the beginning when he expressed a hope of being able to make a living from the blog. It takes time to build up a blog and gather the traffic required (if it’s even possible today), the ad revenues are way too low per visitor.

          That’s when TikTok and Youtube are easier to make money on but on the other hand, it takes an enormous amount of time to create videos compared to writing posts, and the vast majority of those who can actually live as an “influencer” seem to operate in many different channels where they build up their audience.

          When it comes to being able to pay on Substack and still read here, I’m sure a solution can be found for that. Firstly, you have to build a paywall so that the posts are only visible halfway for those who haven’t paid, and then you have to add to the user accounts if they have paid. In the worst case, it becomes manual handling, where Johan simply has to find the right account and tick off that they are paying, or if it’s possible to do some export. But of course, it requires being able to identify the Substack user and match them with the right user here on the site.

          I guess it would be easier to find a solution to pay directly here on the site.

      2. YM

        We Swedes have an aversion to taking on personal responsibility. Over 80% believe that “we” should support Ukraine. “Me? Send money? Well, I mean the government or someone should take care of it. Not me.”

        Childcare. Elderly care. Same thing. Put them somewhere. If we see an accident on the street, we call 112 at best, film at worst. But we don’t rush forward to help, especially not willingly.

        “Great that that dude blogs a bit differently about the war. Pay? Nah, but if enough other people do it, then I don’t have to. If not enough others do it, it doesn’t matter if I pay or not.”

        The buddies started a political party from a FB group with more than 10,000 members. There was a lot of support in the group. 700 of them voted for the buddies. (It probably went even worse for Jan Emanuel so maybe the pals didn’t do everything wrong.)

        But Swedes don’t become world champions in taking responsibility for themselves.

        ——-

        Once upon a time, there were four people named Many, Someone, Someone Else, and No One.
        There was a very important job to be done and Many thought that Someone should take care of it.
        Someone Else could have done it too, but No One did it.
        Someone got angry because it was actually Many’s job.
        Many now thought that Someone Else should have done something about it, but No One understood that Many should have actually done it.
        It ended with Many blaming Someone Else, when in fact No One could blame Someone.

  28. johan No.1

    I still find the little green men in SE Estonia interesting.

    The main plot is – Belarus deploying its defense forces against Poland so they get tied up, and in SE Estonia, there are movements of little green men + a rebel movement in Estonia that wants some autonomous area.

    The window for this is until the summer of 2026.

    Looking for the post, but it was before I started writing about the changes.

     

     

  29. johan No.1

    Do you see a chance for Ukraine to succeed in bringing down Russia within a year?

    I think the probability of that is decreasing rather than increasing.

    Then we are automatically at the point where the global conflict is escalating – the chessboard is already set up and we know who the dark side is.

    Russia and China will not de-escalate, they will escalate.

      1. Proxima

        Addition to the above. I hope that the Russian people will stand in the way and stop the war. There is resistance, both open and hidden. It would have been the best for all parties. The people would have shown Ukraine and the rest of the world that “we stopped the war”. It would have been morally good for the people and also easier to move forward into a future together with Ukraine.

  30. johan No.1

    It’s very funny to see how the “outer edges of the horseshoe,” as someone wrote on Bluesky, don’t like the Nobel Peace Prize winner 🤣🤣

    A bit more serious with Gaza – no spontaneous parties at all on the streets except in Gaza and Israel.

    Even if you’re angry at Trump and hate Israel, it’s evil not to rejoice with the Palestinians.

    This peace as it is planned is awesome and NO ONE has succeeded with it, NO ONE – if it becomes a lasting peace, it’s a sensation but we’re not there yet.

    So the curtain is drawn back and the outer edges are doing Russia’s bidding along with the Palestinian demonstrations.

    We already knew that but now the proof has come.

    1. Proxima

      Maria Machado is a very good choice. Hopefully, she will stay an extra day in Oslo to meet with the Oil Fund’s Nicolai Tangen. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves and the Norwegian Oil Fund should interest her. It is the best thing Norway has done since Harald Fairhair united the country. Cooperation would be beneficial for the poor Venezuelan people.

  31. johan No.1

    The UK is now diagnosed with madness – a local politician in Scotland accidentally said “I was borned and raised in Falkirk” during an interview – “jag är född och uppvuxen i Falkirk” and becomes completely red-faced and says “I will be reported to the police for this.”

    They also try as far as possible to steer the debate towards if you choose to display an English flag on your property/house, you are aware that it is an extreme right-wing act, and that you must be extreme right-wing.

    The country that stood up against Hitler in 1939 no more – they have tied themselves in knots.

  32. johan No.1

    One more thing about opinion formation, I have had a consistent pitch in all posts that started with asking everyone who likes them to share the posts on their channels.

    Since I see on Bluesky and Substack how many share, it’s 2-4 out of 1500 who read the posts that usually share.

    Media are never interested if you are ahead of the curve, and when the curve catches up, it is their own who should write and get the spotlight.

    I have amused myself trying to increase the spread, but it’s not possible when no one shares – I probably thought that since everything was available, it would be easy to get everyone to do as a quid pro quo – didn’t work.

    MXT has tried to increase the reach on the site on its IT journey, and it has also gone so-so 😀

  33. johan No.1

    Hamas those bastards have immediately taken over areas that Israel has left and are killing a lot.

    They broke the peace plan in just one day 😐

    That was not good

  34. Kaitsetahe

    A problem that arises in the debate pay VS not pay, for the blog is that it is not always “I don’t want to pay”.

    It can actually often be “I CAN’T pay”.

    I am myself unemployed, have sporadic work hours, am job hunting, and don’t know how the economy will be next month.
    This is not “oh-poor-me”, but a tough reality.
    I could very well consider paying. When I’ve had the means, I’ve donated to various organizations helping Ukraine, but now that I have nothing, I CAN’T do it – no matter how much I want to and know it’s needed.

    The above is a detail that sometimes gets lost in the debate.

    A suggestion from me is that we aim for sponsors?
    Since we are dealing with a topic related to defense, preparedness, and the like, one thought could be to approach similar actors??

    E.g. The Salvation Army, volunteer groups, prepping stores, the Defense (no joke)…SoldF.com..? Also, collaboration with stores/groups in other Nordic/Baltic countries? (e.g. https://varusteleka.com/en-se)
    It might not be huge amounts of money needed from each, and they can get advertising space here.

    Another thought; Merch?? Yes, might sound weird but…?? buttons, t-shirts, caps, patches?? Probably won’t cost a lot to potentially arrange… and we can use on-demand so we avoid unsold inventory…

    Thoughts?

    1. MXT

      Good that you bring up the fact that it doesn’t have to depend on willpower, that not everyone can actually afford it.

      Good ideas.

      Sponsors might be an idea but even there I think it would require us to attract significantly more visitors for it to be interesting. But it’s worth a try.

      Selling merch is something I’ve considered, but it’s quite a lot of work as well and the question is whether it pays off in the long run. Perhaps many people would be willing to buy a T-shirt, a cap, or a mug but most probably only buy it once and then they are satisfied. Here too, it’s probably about growing the site, if new visitors are constantly added, that would also solve it, but maybe the interest is not greater than the level we are at now.

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