Replies to post #229930 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

I read yesterday that he is bringing 'big' weapons in to Ukraine.. his intent all along.

Now, I will get to see the specter of Americans cheering on Moscow while another country falls ... I've read all this before somewhere .. ;(

[StephanieVanbryce]

Putin Sends His 'Leopard' to the Battlefield of Eastern Ukraine

Sophisticated Russian weapons have been spotted near Donetsk,
signaling a dangerous new phase in the conflict may be underway.

BY Michael Weiss , James Miller
NOVEMBER 13, 2014



Russia's invaded Ukraine -- again. Though this time, it appears to be moving in weapons systems hitherto unseen on the battlefield, signaling perhaps the next, more deadly, phase in a six-month war which Vladimir Putin's government continues to deny it is a party to.

The Interpreter reported on Wednesday [ PHOTOS ] [ http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-live-day-268/#4990 ] that two different journalists documented new and advanced weapons systems in eastern Ukraine: Menahem Kahana took a picture showing a 1RL232 "Leopard" battlefield surveillance radar system in Torez, east of Donetsk; and Dutch freelance journalist Stefan Huijboom snapped these pictures, which show the 1RL232 traveling with the 1RL239 "Lynx" radar system -- as well as what looks like a mobile command unit and escort.

Military experts tell us that these vehicles are potent additions to the arsenal of the Russian-backed separatists. These armored and weaponized radar systems are meant to operate just behind front lines to track the movement of enemy convoys, troops, incoming artillery fire, and even low-flying aircraft (helicopters or drones). They also act as a precision targeting system, meaning that Russian-backed fighters will be able to transform crude artillery and Grad rockets into more devastating munitions, while simultaneously granting those fighters a better a tactical assessment of the battlefield beyond their line of sight. In fact, the 1RL232 is capable of detecting targets in the air, land, and sea that are up to 40 kilometers away.

Russian-backed fighters will be able to transform crude artillery and Grad rockets into more devastating munitions, while simultaneously granting those fighters a better a tactical assessment of the battlefield beyond their line of sight. In fact, the 1RL232 is capable of detecting targets in the air, land, and sea that are up to 40 kilometers away.

This ground surveillance radar is made even more effective when it is paired with advanced anti-aircraft weapons like the Buk system, a highly sophisticated long-range anti-aircraft weapon that almost certainly shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 [ http://www.interpretermag.com/evidence-review-who-shot-down-mh17/ ] last July, or the Strela-10, a short-range armored anti-aircraft system, which the Russian-backed separatists have had since late June or early July.

While Ukraine is said to operate a small number of 1RL232 systems, we are unable to find any evidence that the Ukrainian military has ever used the 1RL239. Contributors to the website LostArmour, which records Ukrainian military equipment that has been destroyed or captured, believe that this equipment has not been captured from the Ukrainian military. (At the time of publication, the Ukrainian military had not responded to requests for confirmation.)

Most importantly, to our knowledge these vehicles have never been spotted in eastern Ukraine before today. There have not been any large-scale battles in which Russian-backed rebels have captured Ukrainian military bases in many months. If these systems were captured from Ukrainian forces, then they would have been taken before the cease-fire started more than two months ago; if that were the case, then such game-changing hardware would have debuted before now. Kiev's Anti-Terrorism Operation forces would have likely used them to better target separatist positions. For instance, for the full duration of the cease-fire, both sides have been engaged in a stalemated battle for the international airport in Donetsk, a campaign that has involved daily artillery bombardment, with shells often falling far astray of their intended targets. On Nov. 9, Nataliya Vasilyeva of the Associated Press reported that the previous night had seen the heaviest fighting in Donetsk for weeks. The very next day, Reuters reported the "heaviest shelling in a month" around the airport. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reported that three soldiers had been killed and 13 wounded. The 1RL232 or the 1RL239 might have made all the difference in this protracted battle, yet it's never been in documented use before.

Recently, some of the pictures and videos purportedly showing Russian vehicles operating in eastern Ukraine carry a symbol painted on the side that looks like "H-2200," which is the Cyrillic letter "N" for "Negabaritnost" or "oversize load," used by Russian Railways, the state-owned rail company headed by Vladimir Yakunin (who has been sanctioned by the United States for his involvement in the Ukraine crisis). VICE News' Simon Ostrovsky captured this picture on Nov. 9 [

5 tanks spotted heading west out of #Shakhtarsk, 2 APCs flying Russian flag following close behind #ukraine pic.twitter.com/Fy91E9whsF

— Simon Ostrovsky (@SimonOstrovsky) November 10, 2014

] in eastern Ukraine showing one of five tanks "spotted heading west out of Shakhtarsk" (a Ukrainian town east of Donetsk and west of Torez) and "2 APCs [armored personnel carriers] flying Russian flag following close behind." The tank is a T-72, with white paint on its front wheel and faint white lettering on its side, behind the turret, which reads "H-2200." Other T-72s, loaded onto trains, have been seen in the Rostov region of Russia carrying the same markings. One photograph was in fact retweeted by Daniel Baer, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); it shows T-72s on a train, reportedly in Russia, carrying the same white stripes on their wheels and the same "H-2200" wide-load markings.

MUCH MORE.. and Embedded links.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/11/13/russian_tanks_ukraine_battlefield_radar_reinforcements_putin_donetsk

[StephanieVanbryce]

Also, looks like we may make a badly needed deal . .with, GASP .. Syria? . What are our options?

now darnit .. I truly can't remember where I read it, if I find it I'll bring it back. I just looked here.. at that FP .. but so far, no.

[fuagf]

Russia's Ruble Collapse Sparks Shopping Frenzy

MOSCOW — Dec 16, 2014, 7:01 PM ET

By KIRIT RADIA

Reporter via World News


[ hidden inside .. PHOTO: Shoppers line up to buy electronics at a mall in central Moscow on Dec. 15, 2014.
Russian Ruble in Freefall
Next Video When Russia's Potatoes Were Worth More Than Rubles ]

On his way home from work tonight, with the near-collapse of Russia’s currency on his mind, Maxim Legonkikh made something of an impulse buy.

He pulled into the Porsche dealership and bought himself a brand new sports car. In cash.

“It’s an incredible deal,” he explained. “I’m only here because I need to find a safe place for my money.”

At one point on Tuesday, the Russian ruble dropped over 22 percent before recovering slightly. That a day after falling over 10 percent on Monday. Price inflation has yet to catch up, meaning there are huge opportunities for Russians lucky enough to have the cash.

“Cheapest price in all of Europe,” the Porsche salesman said, as he processed the paperwork.

Apple Pauses Online Sales in Russia Amid Ruble Plunge
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apple-pauses-online-sales-russia-amid-ruble-plunge/story?id=27645734

Russia's Currency Tumbles as Investors Panic
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/11/russias-currency-tumbles-as-investors-panic/

Mystery Fog Near Moscow: Why City Smells Like Burned Popcorn
http://abcnews.go.com/International/moscows-mystery-fog-city-smells-burned-popcorn/story?id=26811998

Yet unlike most people who just purchased a brand new car, Legonkikh isn’t thrilled about it.

“I don’t need this car,” he said with a shrug. He already owns two Porsches and a Land Rover. But, he figured the prices will soon go up and the ruble will probably go down. “We are headed for a crisis,” he said.

Buying a luxury car while Russia teeters on the brink of economic ruin may sound counter-intuitive, but his experience mirrors that of many other Russians who found themselves at the stores on Tuesday night. With the prospect of their rubles becoming worthless if it continues to drop, they’d rather get a deal on something now before their savings are lost.

Electronics stores were packed late into the evening as shoppers scooped up iPhones and iPads at prices over $100 lower than what they cost in the United States. Apple’s Russian website halted online sales “due to extreme fluctuations in the value of the ruble… while we review pricing.”

Unlike Russians in the late 1990s who lined up to pull their money out of banks as economic collapse loomed, today the streets of Moscow were notably calm as the markets destroyed the ruble. There were no signs of panic and few, if any, lines at ATMs, banks and exchange booths. Most Russians have yet to feel the pain of this week’s currency collapse. That will come later when prices inevitably rise.

Instead, many went on shopping sprees.

Igor and Katya were turned away after the Porsche Cayenne SUV they wanted to buy for their son was out of stock. They settled for a brand new Audi S5 instead. The price, they said, was the equivalent of $27,500. In the United States, MSRP for that car starts at $52,500, according to Edmunds.com.

“We came here because we have a problem. We have a lot of rubles which are losing value every second and we were too late to buy dollars at good price. We came here because prices on cars will increase tomorrow,” Katya said.

The big purchase, however, does not mean they aren’t worried about the future.

“We go on vacations every winter. But this year we are not going,” she added. “We do not know what will happen, everything is unstable and we are afraid.”

Asked who is to blame for Russia’s economic crisis, Legonkikh, the reluctant new Porsche owner, said it is President Vladimir Putin’s fault.

“Who else? Our father,” he said with a sarcastic eye roll. “It’s because of Crimea.”

Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia after it annexed Crimea earlier this year, which, combined with plummeting oil prices, has led to a steady drop in the ruble’s value. For now, Legonkikh may be in the minority as Putin’s popularity remains high and state-run television continues to parrot Kremlin claims that Russia’s economic woes are the result of Western meddling.

Not everyone in Russia is lucky to have savings to spend. Alexey, a karate instructor, said he has no plans to go shopping. Instead, he is canceling his ski vacation in Europe as the hotel prices are now too expensive.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/russias-ruble-collapse-sparks-shopping-frenzy/story?id=27648323