Estonia has allocated 3.5 million euros to Ukraine for the purchase of Starlink communication systems as part of the IT Coalition, according to the Estonian Ministry of Defense.

 

According to Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, Ukraine itself notified Estonia about the need for support to ensure Starlink connectivity.

 

"And understandably, this is extremely important assistance for them, which has a noticeable effect on the battlefield. Starlink’s capabilities are especially important given Ukraine’s intention to significantly increase the number of drones that require high-performance internet connectivity," he said.

 

Estonia allocates €3.5 million for Ukraine to buy Starlink systems

 

Photo: Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Getty Images)© RBC-Ukraine (UK)

 

3 hours ago, connda said:

Who makes those corruption numbers up?  The West.  "Pivot towards the Communists in Moscow..."  And you ignorant people actually believe that Russia is Communist??? How stupid can you be?  Which is why nothing you said is worth the paper it's printed on.  You literally have no conception of Geo-politics.  You make things up then spew it out as fact.

 

 

Did I say Russia was communist? No, the government in Moscow is communist, or rather, crypto-Communist. They are doing their best to bring back communism, eg, reinstalling statues of Stalin and Lenin where they can. They use all the same tools and repressions they were taught when it was cool to be called a Communist in the Soviet Union.

 

Putin is a communist. He was brought up a communist. He was put in charge of suppressing pro-democracy forces in East Germany. Guess how he did that. While in the DDR, he provided support, philosophical and materiel, to the Red Army Faction, a terrorist group who murdered 34 people. He was involved in recruiting Neo-Nazis in the West, as well as co-opting specialists to produce poisons to be used as WMDs. Russians weren't forced to join the KGB. This was a free decision he took, when most of his fellow countrymen were not interested in joining an organisation known for elimination of political opposition and murder. He was an acolyte of all of that.

 

You expect us to believe that after a lifetime being a Communist, that one day he woke up and decided he was no longer a Communist? Sure, he saw the writing was on the wall, and like all rats on a sinking ship, sought a life raft. Just like those Nazis who assumed other identifies. They were still filhy Nazis. He is still a filthy communist. Unlike the Nazis, there was never a Nuremburg for the Communist leaders. They just melted away and claimed they weren't communist anymore. Fooled you.

 

He spent the 39 years of his life as a die hard communist. He was such a fanatical supporter of the system he volunteered to serve in the KGB, rising to rank of Colonel. You don't get there by constantly questioning the morality of the system he served. As a KGB officer he knew, more than the millions of Russians who chose not to spy on their fellows, what the Soviets did in the Gulags. He knew all about the torture, the arbitrary kidnappings, executions and "disappearing".

 

He needs to answer for his crimes in East Germany and elsewhere, committed in the name of Lenin. Maybe you're one of these communists. So what did you do for the USSR?

 

I haven't printed any paper, further convincing me you are a Russian non-native English speaker with a shakey grasp of the language

 

Is that a rhetorical question (go look up the word if you are not sure). Are you so dim you don't know how to use Google. I suspect you are not really interested in the methodology, since in your Soviet world the West is Bad, Communism is Good.

2 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

The snake rots from the head down. 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/ukraine-russia-war-british-army-b2847816.html

 

• Britain's most senior army officer, Field Marshal Lord Richards, says that Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia and should negotiate peace terms.
• Lord Richards told the Independent’s podcast World of Trouble that Western allies have encouraged Ukraine to fight but failed to provide the necessary means to win, particularly manpower, without direct Nato involvement.
• His remarks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington DC to meet US President Donald Trump, where he sought Tomahawk cruise missiles for Ukraine.
• Mr Trump appeared hesitant to provide American weapons, citing the need to maintain US stockpiles, though he seemed open to a drone technology exchange with Ukraine.
• Lord Richards' pessimistic outlook on Ukraine's chances contrasts with some of Mr Trump's recent, more optimistic statements regarding the conflict.

Winning is relative.

It's been clear Ukraine has been willing to negotiate peace for a very long time but Putin is only interested in total surrender.

So Ukaine's only real choice is to keep pushing Putin into a weaker negotiating position. The incredibly successful attacks on their energy infrastructure are making a major impact.

Impossible to predict but it's entirely possible that this war will be going on for many more years.

Some might say, that's not worth it, just surrender, but for the time being Ukrainians do not want to surrender. They know what being slaves of Russia means. 

1 hour ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

BRUSSELS — Ukraine is facing a worsening shortage of soldiers as record numbers of men flee to Europe, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned in an interview.

“We have huge problems with soldiers — with human resources,” Klitschko told the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, of which POLITICO is a part, acknowledging the toll that nearly four years of war has taken on Ukraine’s capacity to replenish its ranks.

He said Russian troops are advancing relentlessly, describing their assaults as “like a computer game — they just keep coming, they don’t care about fallen soldiers.”

 

You appear to have become completely confused about the subject of this thread,

 

To balance your anti-Ukraine Wataboutary, news you are deliberately not commenting on, because it interferes with you view that the Russian cause is righteous;

 

https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-military-faces-record-desertions-as-70000-troops-expected-to-abandon-units-in-2025-12040

 

Expected that in 2025m1 in 10 frontline Russian troops will vote with their feet and go home.

 

Now your anti-Ukraine venom is such that you automatically dismiss any analysis on Russia, on the grounds you hate Ukraine and probably think Ukrainians are lesser people.

 

But you can analyse Russian government data for yourself. Not that you will/

 

https://re-russia.net/en/analytics/0351/

 

Russian law prevents non-contract conscripts to be sent to the front line. Those with a contract are paid a bonus to sign on, and that bonus varies by region, part funded by the regions. The use of Contractors allows Russia to use human wave, wasteful tactics; these are not men forced into the fight. They are fighting for money, a big money payout. 

 

Since the Russian aggression, the average bonus has more than doubled. The bonus has to increase in order for the army to meet a monthly recruitment target, that is high because of the tactics. They are still failing to meet those targets. To support 2026 offenses, recruitment has to increase from 35,000 a month to 45,000. At the current rate of falling sign ups, that bonus will need to rise from the average of USD27k to USD68k. That increase is met from a combination of Russian defence ministry money, from their budget, and provincial governors pots.

 

So the defence ministry will have to cut capital expenditure; cutting spending on new or refurbished vehicles, ammunition etc. OR, get uplifts from the finance ministry, who will strip it from other ministries, The Ministry of Health has already been stripped to the bone. Meanwhile in the provinces, while Moscow might not be feeling the economic malaise, they are, with declining local tax take (less spending by Russians in the shops), but increased demands from the Center for Contract Bonuses.

 

Putin could of course just get the law changed, and like Ukraine, send conscripts to the front. He can probably get that done with little to no opposition in the DumaThe typical Russian contractor is an older man, with previous military service, who just needs a refresher on weapons drills. Conscripts have no such prior training.

 

With less training, losses will increase. 10% of men with experience are deciding sod this for a game of soldiers, and going home, running off. The desertion rate will soar. The desertion rate among the Soviet army in WW2 was about 7%; it would have been much higher if not for roving NKVD units picking up deserters. About 1 in 10 were executed. Some units had an 80% desertion rate.

 

Not only that, forcing young men into a conflict that most people didn't want will increase opposition. 15,000 Soviet soldiers died in Afghanistan (ISAF/US lost about 3,600). The losses were covered up by the Soviet government, but the Mothers Committees were very loud, and they can claim a lot of the credit for the eventual collapse of that Evil Empire. If Putin moved to putting conscripts on the frontline, its game over for him. The Russian myth of absorbing losses is just that, a myth. They had no more stomach for it in the 80s as any other country. If he calls on the poorer provinces to become poorer, then he risks weakening the bribery that holds that country together.

Ukraine Is Taking Down Russia's Missiles… Without Firing a Single Shot.

 

Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were designed to be unstoppable — flying faster than Mach 5 and capable of devastating precision strikes. But Ukraine has flipped the script with a genius new weapon: the Lima electronic-warfare system.

 

Using music to jam Russia’s navigation signals, Lima sends these missiles completely off course.

 

A ceasefire, but you just keep firing | Watch

 

 

Used up the cold war stockpile at home, used up NK stockpile

Ukrainian forces have made gains near Kupiansk, advancing north of Pishchane, located southeast of the city, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

 

American analysts note that Ukrainian forces are holding their positions and achieving local successes in central Kupiansk and east of Petropavlivka — areas where Russian sources had previously claimed to have troops.

 

The Armed Forces of Ukraineare preventing Russians from consolidating positions in northern Kupiansk. Despite enemy attempts to hold ground and establish defensive lines, Ukrainian units are actively counterattacking and pushing the enemy out of occupied positions.

 

ISW: Ukraine advances near Kupiansk, hits Russian forces in city heart

 

 

Russia Tried to Cut Ukraine’s Lights. Now It’s Aiming for the Heat.
Moscow’s attacks on gas supplies, the main source of warmth for most Ukrainian households, could plunge millions into the cold - NEW YORK TIMES 

 

https://archive.ph/zKriu#selection-509.0-513.127

 

For the first three years of the war, Moscow mostly avoided striking Ukraine’s gas network because it was used to transport Russian gas to Europe. But on Jan. 1, Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine as Kyiv ended a transit deal.
Soon after, Russia turned its fire on Ukraine’s gas facilities. In February and March, drones and missiles wiped out about 40 percent of Ukrainian gas production capacity, Mr. Koretskiy said in an interview.
Because the strikes came near the end of the months when Ukrainians use most heat, usually late October to early April, the immediate impact was limited, Mr. Koretskiy said. Naftogaz spent the summer repairing infrastructure and, by September, had largely restored its production capacity.
But in October, Russia renewed its assaults, hitting even more ferociously. Naftogaz’s facilities were struck seven times last month in attacks that knocked out 60 percent of production capacity, according to a European official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

2 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Russia Tried to Cut Ukraine’s Lights. Now It’s Aiming for the Heat.
Moscow’s attacks on gas supplies, the main source of warmth for most Ukrainian households, could plunge millions into the cold - NEW YORK TIMES 

 

https://archive.ph/zKriu#selection-509.0-513.127

 

For the first three years of the war, Moscow mostly avoided striking Ukraine’s gas network because it was used to transport Russian gas to Europe. But on Jan. 1, Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine as Kyiv ended a transit deal.
Soon after, Russia turned its fire on Ukraine’s gas facilities. In February and March, drones and missiles wiped out about 40 percent of Ukrainian gas production capacity, Mr. Koretskiy said in an interview.
Because the strikes came near the end of the months when Ukrainians use most heat, usually late October to early April, the immediate impact was limited, Mr. Koretskiy said. Naftogaz spent the summer repairing infrastructure and, by September, had largely restored its production capacity.
But in October, Russia renewed its assaults, hitting even more ferociously. Naftogaz’s facilities were struck seven times last month in attacks that knocked out 60 percent of production capacity, according to a European official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

Ukrainians are used to power cuts, electric or gas.  Not so much the Russians.

13 hours ago, transam said:

Don't be silly, the West is fighting a very clever war, nearly 4 years on Putins weeeee escapade is a failure.....🤭

 

You obviously have no regard for a sovereign nation being invaded for land grab, you should be ashamed of yourself, Jack...............🥴

 

Cowardice masked as genius.  That's the modern UK. The WW2 vets are turning in their graves.  What's become of their once great nation?  Is this what they fought for?  

3 hours ago, bannork said:

Ukrainians are used to power cuts, electric or gas.  Not so much the Russians.

Exactly. Putin promised his little "SMO" won't be felt in Russia, especially in Moscow. The more that it is felt in Russia, the better for the Ukrainian cause.

This should NOT dampen western support for Ukraine's struggle against Russia. That said, the pro Putin Z propagandists will be trying very hard to make it hurt support for Ukraine. So now we have yet another fight in the information war. 

 

 

16 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Hitler is dead dude. He died 80 years ago. 

I think you should not reply to posts you don't understand.........🙄

 

But, you are sooooo funny.................🤣

1 hour ago, flaming dragon said:

 

Cowardice masked as genius.  That's the modern UK. The WW2 vets are turning in their graves.  What's become of their once great nation?  Is this what they fought for?  

I gave you a larf, as are those turning in their graves......................🤣

 

Oh, what's your country, I am sure I can find a larf there too................😁

It's all about upholding the west's banking system.

 

 

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Z pro Putin bots and trolls Russian and western will be very activated like vulture-hyenas in the wake of the recent corruption issues in Ukraine.

But those change nothing about why Ukraine fights to not be erased by Russia.

It isn't about one man. It's about an entire country. The sovereign nation of Ukraine. 

If Zelinsky who has been an amazingly effective war president up till now loses his legitimacy and effectiveness to continue to lead, then he is expendable.

Ukraine is not expendable.

Maybe Zelinsky who does have incredible political skills can weather this storm, but if not, so be it. 

Let the Z pro Putin trolls have their gloating moment.

The war goes on and Ukraine continues to have significant cards.

Pro-US-State-Department bot and War Department troll spews anti-Red-Russia, anti-Commie agitprop. 

4 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

 

Cowardice masked as genius.  That's the modern UK. The WW2 vets are turning in their graves.  What's become of their once great nation?  Is this what they fought for?  

My dad may God rest his soul served in the Royal Signals. He was posted first in South Africa, then Libya and Egypt, and finally moved up through Italy until the war ended in a defeated Germany. His job was communications, usually a few kilometres behind the front lines.

Before he died, he told me a small story from his time in Cairo. One night, some of his mates went out to visit a brothel, which he remembered cost ten Egyptian shillings. He chose not to go and stayed on base. I never fully understood why he felt the need to share this memory, until he added quietly, “Don’t be the sort of man who pays for it they’re not real men.”

 

With time, I came to realise what he meant. Men of his generation, forged in the hard edges of war, carried a sense of restraint and responsibility that didn’t depend on being watched or praised. They believed a man’s strength wasn’t measured by what he could take, but by what he could refuse. Their dignity was private, almost stubbornly so an internal compass that told them who they were even when no one else was looking.

Today, in a world that often rewards display over depth, that kind of quiet moral backbone can feel rare. But men like my father remind us that character isn’t proven in moments of glory; it’s shaped in the small choices, the unseen ones, where a person decides what sort of human being he is going to be. His story was less about a night in Cairo and more about the values he hoped I would carry forward: self-respect, restraint, and the belief that a man’s worth is measured by the standards he sets for himself.

 

I probably would have let him down in all sorts of ways, but one thing my dad never wavered on was acknowledging that the Soviets saved our bacon when it mattered. He never forgot the scale of their sacrifice. I’m certain he would have been upset by reports of wartime memorials being torn down whatever the politics behind it because he believed the dead deserved respect, no matter who they fought for.

He accepted the rough justice of Yalta too. To him, it was simply the brutal logic of the age: a world carved up by victors, with the Soviets taking dominion behind what later became the Iron Curtain. He had no illusions about Soviet tyranny, but he believed the settlement was the price of defeating Nazi Germany.

 

I’ve no doubt he would have considered Putin a monster as well yet he would have insisted that some monsters are best left alone, that provoking them only leads to misery for everyone caught in the middle. It’s a hard, cold way of seeing the world, shaped by a generation that learned its lessons in fire.

So I carry on my lonely crusade in his memory. Don’t poke the bear, he would have said. Nothing good can come of it. And the ghosts of Napoleon and Hitler whisper the same warning.

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This should NOT dampen western support for Ukraine's struggle against Russia. That said, the pro Putin Z propagandists will be trying very hard to make it hurt support for Ukraine. So now we have yet another fight in the information war. 

 

 

I have considerable respect for Vlad Vexler's analysis on many topics, and I understand the concern about Russian propagandists weaponizing corruption stories. But here's where I diverge: the fact that corruption in Ukraine can be used as propaganda doesn't make the corruption itself less real or less relevant to European strategic calculations.

The video you've linked actually reinforces my position rather than undermines it. If Ukraine's institutional weaknesses are significant enough to warrant analysis and concern, then they're significant enough to question whether Europe should be pouring hundreds of billions into a country where those institutions remain fragile - regardless of what Moscow's talking points are.
As I mentiond in my previous post my father served in the Royal Signals through North Africa and Italy until VE Day. Before he died, he told me something I've never forgotten and I will repaet : the Soviets saved our bacon, and we paid for that by accepting their domination behind the Iron Curtain at Yalta. He had no illusions about Soviet tyranny, but he understood that was the price of defeating Nazi Germany. He also believed some monsters are best left alone, that provoking them only leads to misery for everyone caught in the middle.

I carry on that view not out of sympathy for Putin - he's a monster too - but because I don't believe we have a dog in this fight. Ukraine and Russia have been entangled for centuries. This is their blood-soaked history, not ours. Great powers have spheres of influence. We accepted Soviet domination of Eastern Europe for fifty years because the alternative was World War III.
The realist question isn't whether Putin is wrong or whether Ukraine deserves better. It's whether European involvement serves European interests. We're hemorrhaging resources, destroying our industry with energy costs, playing America's game while they sell us expensive LNG and watch Russia bleed from a safe distance. And realistically, this ends with Ukraine losing territory, a frozen conflict, or a negotiated settlement that gives Russia much of what it wants anyway.

None of those outcomes justify what we're paying now.The moral grandstanding class will call this appeasement. Let them. My father's generation knew the difference between Munich 1938 (abandoning Czechoslovakia to avoid our own fight) and Yalta 1945 which was accepting brutal realities after winning the war we had to fight. 

Ukraine isn't Poland 1939. It's not a NATO ally. It's not a vital interest. It's a tragedy, certainly - but the world is full of tragedies, and we can't fix them all without creating worse ones.

8 hours ago, kwonitoy said:

Whataboutery at it's best - I'm noticing these stories pop up all over pro-Ukraine channels. 

2 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Whataboutery at it's best - I'm noticing these stories pop up all over pro-Ukraine channels. 

You're really interested then............

This is the latest view from major Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko, who has over 2 million subscribers and was a significant figure during Euromaidan. He’s essentially Ukraine’s equivalent of Igor Girkin, and the Russians have attempted to assassinate him three times so he’s definitely someone worth listening to

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serhii_Sternenko

 

 

 

From meat grinder to mopeds: How Russia rethought its war-fighting in Ukraine - CNN 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/16/world/pokrovsk-russia-ukraine-tactics-intl

 

 One Ukrainian combat medic whose unit is currently fighting in Pokrovsk and the nearby town of Myrnohrad said extractions from the city are currently nearly impossible, with evacuation vehicles unable to get any closer than 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) from the city – and even that proximity remains extremely risky because of the drones.

“The seriously wounded don’t make it to the (medical) stabilization point. If someone (sustains) a moderate injury, they will arrive to me in serious condition, if they are lucky enough to make it at all. Minor injuries arrive as moderate,” he told CNN. He asked for his name not to be released because he is not authorized to speak to media.

“Right now, we have several people who have been in position with serious injuries for two weeks. There is one who has been in serious condition for a week, and we can’t get him out,” he added. 

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This should NOT dampen western support for Ukraine's struggle against Russia. That said, the pro Putin Z propagandists will be trying very hard to make it hurt support for Ukraine. So now we have yet another fight in the information war. 

 

 

 

You're pro <removed> dictatorship in Ukraine is a member of the same tribe, so the line is quite blurry.  To whom does his allegiance lie? He is not acting in the best interests of the Ukrainian people.  Ukraine is now a dictatorial kleptocracy; any vestige of democracy was swept aside when the (admittedly talented) pint sized actor was put into power. 

 

Have free elections open only to those who are present in Ukraine now and see how the vote goes.  It won't happen, of course, because the populace is sick of being cannon fodder in the Western/ Israeli proxy war against Russia. Have Israel send troops in, along with every other foreign government who supports this mess and see how they fair in elections back home.  It's easy to send other people's sons off to die and watch other people freeze in bombed out huts because it suits our ideals. 

Some harsh and off topic language was removed from a post. Please debate the subject politely. Thank you. 

42 minutes ago, flaming dragon said:

 

You're pro <removed> dictatorship in Ukraine is a member of the same tribe, so the line is quite blurry.  To whom does his allegiance lie? He is not acting in the best interests of the Ukrainian people.  Ukraine is now a dictatorial kleptocracy; any vestige of democracy was swept aside when the (admittedly talented) pint sized actor was put into power. 

 

Have free elections open only to those who are present in Ukraine now and see how the vote goes.  It won't happen, of course, because the populace is sick of being cannon fodder in the Western/ Israeli proxy war against Russia. Have Israel send troops in, along with every other foreign government who supports this mess and see how they fair in elections back home.  It's easy to send other people's sons off to die and watch other people freeze in bombed out huts because it suits our ideals. 

Here is the President with the now removed Deputy Prime Minister in 2019  !

1 hour ago, flaming dragon said:

 

You're pro <removed> dictatorship in Ukraine is a member of the same tribe, so the line is quite blurry.  To whom does his allegiance lie? He is not acting in the best interests of the Ukrainian people.  Ukraine is now a dictatorial kleptocracy; any vestige of democracy was swept aside when the (admittedly talented) pint sized actor was put into power. 

 

Have free elections open only to those who are present in Ukraine now and see how the vote goes.  It won't happen, of course, because the populace is sick of being cannon fodder in the Western/ Israeli proxy war against Russia. Have Israel send troops in, along with every other foreign government who supports this mess and see how they fair in elections back home.  It's easy to send other people's sons off to die and watch other people freeze in bombed out huts because it suits our ideals. 

Ukraine is a sovereign nation. Nobody has ever claimed that it or it's government is perfect. The point of defending against the genocidal fascist dictator Putin is to fight to remain a sovereign nation instead of being erased by Russia and made their slaves. That is a good fight and good people should support that fight as long as Ukrainians do. As far as future leadership issues in Ukraine, that's up to the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Obviously Russia wants them to have elections in wartime as soon as possible because they want to manipulate an election there to try to install a Putin puppet. So if Zelinsky's time is over (not sure if it is or not) hopefully Ukraine has a way to make the transition without falling victim to Russia's propaganda and election manipulation games. 

 

Another point -- ignorant westerners and those brainwashed by Putin buy into the lie that Russian and Ukraine are basically the same just because there a  lot of Russian speakers in Ukraine, etc. So to them it's no big deal for Ukraine to be erased by Russia. That is completely false. They are very different nations with very different histories and cultures. 

 

Zelenskiy is prepared to give up 20% of Ukraine to Russia to do a 'deal'. The Right Sector will destroy him if he does.