Russia Invades Ukraine. Again by captaincrunch

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Russia Invades Ukraine. Again

POSTED BY: CAPTAINCRUNCH
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 07:47
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VIEWED: 413938
PAGE 199 of 199

Monday, March 16, 2026 3:22 PM

Peter has only been right about one thing in the last 5 years, and that was the fact that EVs were going to fail.

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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Monday, March 16, 2026 5:13 PM

THG

Keep it real please, and use a VPN

Why Russia Is Burning Siberian Cows — It’s Not About Rabies

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026 7:02 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

March 16, 2026

American defense giant RTX plans to shift production of AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles to Europe.

The United States intends to concentrate its domestic capacity on producing the newer AIM-120D-3 version. European lines will manufacture the C-8 variant. RTX is already negotiating with more than 30 Belgian companies to establish a full supply chain for components.

The C-8 differs from the newer D-3 in its engine and electronics but remains highly effective. These missiles are actively procured for aircraft and Norwegian NASAMS air defense systems, which help protect Ukrainian airspace. European production will reduce pressure on US stockpiles and eliminate chronic ammunition shortages.

Raytheon ramps up AIM-120 production to 1,900 units per year

Raytheon has signed agreements to significantly scale up arms production, prioritizing AIM-120 missiles alongside Patriot and Tomahawk systems. Localizing production in Europe will remove logistical obstacles and provide Ukraine with modern ammunition to defend against Russian attacks.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/16/europe-may-turn-into-ukraines-a
mmo-powerhouse-factories-ready-to-churn-out-aim-120c-8-missiles/

More about AIM-120C-8 at https://www.google.com/search?q=AIM-120C-8

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026 2:17 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

After Blowing Through Its Deficit Target, Russia Further Cannibalizes the Economy to Fund the War

By Illia Kabachynskyi | Mar 17, 2026 17:25

https://united24media.com/business/after-blowing-through-its-deficit-t
arget-russia-further-cannibalizes-the-economy-to-fund-the-war-16916

Russia has a money problem. And although officials are trying to keep up a brave face, insisting that Russia is a self-sufficient and economically independent country, reality tells a different story: the budget is falling short of expected revenues, while the National Wealth Fund is losing its liquid assets. As a result, Russia’s budget is heading toward a spending sequester—cuts to expenditures that had previously been planned.

Right now, Russia’s Finance Ministry has asked other ministries to identify areas where spending can be reduced by at least 10%. Naturally, the only things that can be cut are those unrelated to the war and to the expenditures that help keep Russia’s approval ratings high—namely, social spending. All so-called “unprotected” categories will be reduced. That means major investment projects and infrastructure construction, which in turn means there is effectively no prospect of economic growth in Russia.

No money

The reason Moscow is so eager to cut spending is the enormous cost of the war and its inability to offset those costs with oil revenues.

• In January–February, the budget deficit reached 3.4 trillion rubles, or $44 billion — nearly the entire annual target of 3.8 trillion rubles, or $48 billion, in just two months.

• Oil and gas revenues collapsed by 47% year over year, to 826 billion rubles, or $10.6 billion; the shortfall exceeded 300 billion rubles, or $3.85 billion.

• The budget is based on an Urals oil price of $59 per barrel. The average price in January was $41, and in February it was $44.6.

• Spending rose by 5.8%, even though the full-year plan had projected overall growth of only 2.9%.

The government is trying to finance the deficit using the National Wealth Fund, but at the current pace, its liquid portion could be exhausted within a year. More than $4 billion has already been withdrawn from it in the first two months alone.

In 2025, Moscow was already losing ground amid falling oil prices, which, alongside the strong ruble, came at a very high cost to the Russian economy. Tax collection was also expected to increase, but that did not happen against the backdrop of a slowing economy: in order to collect high taxes, people and businesses need to be earning more, yet the slowdown in entire sectors of the economy worked against that.

Although the Kremlin is shielding military and security spending, the overall economic decline and budgetary financing problems cannot help but affect the war effort. We have already written that dozens of regions are on the verge of default, entire sectors of the economy are stagnating, and the drop in rail freight volumes points directly to stagnation among businesses across the country. This is reflected in public sentiment and in the broader situation inside Russia. Economic pressure is one of the ways to force Moscow to the negotiating table. History shows that this is a possible scenario.

Keep sanctions in place

A war in the Middle East could become a lifeboat for the Russian economy: its oil supplies do not depend on the Strait of Hormuz. Russia has already been allowed to sell 130 million barrels of oil currently at sea, which, by various estimates, could earn the country up to $10 billion. While in January and February, Urals oil was selling below $50 a barrel after discounts, in the first weeks of the war against Iran, prices jumped to $70 a barrel. At those new price levels, Moscow could earn up to an additional $150 million per day. If the Urals remain above $75 throughout the year, the country would receive an additional 3 trillion rubles ($38 billion).

That would be enough to support the economy, maintain social spending, and direct additional resources to the war in Ukraine, since the cost of war for Russia rises every year. For example, $150 million in revenue earned in a single day would be enough to purchase 50 ballistic missiles.

But the issue is not just missiles: when an approaching economic collapse is bearing down on you, sooner or later, you end up at the negotiating table and become more willing to compromise. A windfall from high oil prices gives the Kremlin an incentive to drag out those talks. And although Russia’s economic problems are not going away—3 trillion rubles will not be enough to solve them—negotiations among Ukraine, the United States, and Russia have already been postponed several times.

That is why it is so important to preserve all sanctions previously imposed on Russia and to continue working to expand sanctions packages, including those related to Russian oil exports. If that pipeline is shut down for good, the Kremlin will have no money left to wage war.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026 2:32 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Brussels hands Kyiv complete EU accession conditions

March 17, 2026

https://english.nv.ua/nation/svyrydenko-ukraine-now-has-a-full-set-of-
conditions-that-must-be-met-for-eu-accession-50592389.html

A Ukrainian delegation in Brussels has received the European Union’s conditions for accession covering the final three negotiation clusters, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported on Telegram on March 17.

The clusters are “Competitiveness and Inclusive Development,” “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity,” and “Resources, Agriculture, and Cohesion Policy.”

“From now on, Ukraine has a full set of conditions that must be met for EU accession — for the first time in history,” Svyrydenko said, recalling that last December Kyiv received conditions for three other clusters: “Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process,” “Internal Market,” and “External Relations.”

The next steps are to successfully close the negotiation clusters and sign the accession treaty, which would mark the final stage of Ukraine’s path to full EU membership.

"The government will continue to fulfill the accession conditions by implementing the necessary reforms and measures and reporting to the EU. The government is immediately sending the document with the conditions received today to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) for joint work on their implementation."

On March 16, The Office of the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration shared the latest report on the implementation of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement for 2025.
https://eu-ua.kmu.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/Zvit-pro-vykonannya-Ugody-
pro-asotsiatsiyu-za-2025-r.pdf
https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-boosts-eu-reform-progress-to-84-u
nder-association-pact-50592111.html

Ukrainian to English translation of "Report On The Implementation Of The Association Agreement Between Ukraine And The European Union For 2025"
https://www.mediafire.com/file/zyxm0qkzw6wg8xj/Application_for_the_imp
lementation_of_the_Association_Agreement_for_2025.pdf/file

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, March 18, 2026 7:41 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Zelensky calls for increase in “eliminations” as he reveals how many soldiers Russia is mobilizing

By Jens Asbjørn Bøgen | March 17, 2026

https://www.dagens.com/war/zelensky-calls-for-increase-in-eliminations
-as-he-reveals-how-many-soldiers-russia-is-mobilizing

“Over the past three months, we eliminated 30, 35, and 28 thousand Russian soldiers respectively.”

The share of fatalities has increased, with 62% of losses recorded as deaths and 38% as injuries.

Goal: 50,000 eliminations per month.

“Russia mobilizes 40–45 thousand people every month. We must eliminate roughly the same number of troops so that the Russian army doesn’t grow in size. Eliminate them simply so that Russia cannot expand its aggression,” Zelenskyy said.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, March 18, 2026 7:47 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

“You pay and you might stay alive”: Russian soldiers expose frontline bribery system

Kathrine Frich | March 17, 2026

https://www.dagens.com/war/you-pay-and-you-might-stay-alive-russian-so
ldiers-expose-frontline-bribery-system

Control, survival and money are intertwined with daily life as a Russian soldier.

As the conflict drags on, accounts from the front suggest a system where access to safety can depend on what soldiers are willing to pay.

A deadly system

According to a joint investigation by Die Welt and independent outlet Verstka cited by Onet, some Russian commanders are exploiting their authority for profit, demanding payments from soldiers in exchange for safer assignments.

Reporters spoke with more than 20 soldiers and relatives, reviewing documents, receipts and chat records to verify their claims.

One soldier, Maksim Ivanov, described how power operates within certain units: “They decide who lives and who dies.”

Paying to survive

Ivanov said he was asked to pay 1 million rubles, roughly $11,000, to avoid being sent on a near-certain assault shortly after arriving at the front.

“Then I understood why he had scared us so much before,” he said.

Others reported similar arrangements, where soldiers could pay to stay in rear positions, transfer to less dangerous units or avoid returning to combat after being wounded.

A monthly “subscription”

Some payments were not one-off demands but ongoing.

“It’s like a subscription, you pay every month so they don’t send you to slaughter,” Ivanov said, describing regular transfers of about 100,000 rubles, or around $1,100.

According to testimonies cited by Die Welt and Verstka, those who refused to pay were often sent on high-risk missions.

Control and coercion

Former soldier Maksim Sokolan said commanders in his unit collected bank cards and PIN codes, giving them direct access to soldiers’ funds.

In other cases, requests for money were framed as unit needs, including equipment purchases or so-called “battalion assistance.”

Alexei Andreev, another former contract soldier, said troops were routinely asked to contribute between 15,000 and 50,000 rubles for gear such as radios and drones.

Violence and pressure

Refusal could carry consequences beyond reassignment.

Igor Vakhterov, who had previously fought with the Wagner Group, said he was beaten after rejecting a demand to hand over half his bonus.

Other accounts describe soldiers being detained, threatened or placed in dangerous positions after disputes with commanders.
Life and death stakes

The investigation also points to a practice known among soldiers as “zeroing,” where individuals who resist orders are allegedly sent into extreme danger or killed under unclear circumstances.

Even medical evacuation could depend on payment, with one soldier claiming it sometimes cost up to 100,000 rubles to transport the wounded.
A system unchecked

Families and soldiers have filed complaints with military prosecutors, but many say they have received no response.

The Russian Ministry of Defense did not reply to requests for comment from Die Welt and Verstka at the time of publication.

The structure of command, where officers control assignments, transfers and medical decisions, allows such practices to persist, according to those interviewed.

“You pay and you might stay alive,” Ivanov said.

Sources: Die Welt, Verstka, Onet.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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