There is always something new concerning Ukraine that needs further scrutiny….but seldom is….
I see that the UK and the US have decided to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
We see reports that the Russian military is massing for a big push in Eastern Ukraine….what to do….I know let’s make it even more lethal than it is now.
I start with what the UK is planning on sending into the fray…..
A British official has confirmed that the UK will be providing Ukraine with depleted uranium shells to be used with the British-made Challenger 2 tanks despite warnings from Russia that it would consider the use of the toxic ammunition the same as a dirty bomb.
“Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles,” said Annabel Goldie, the British deputy defense minister, in a written response to a question posted on the British Parliament’s website.
Depleted uranium is typically created as a byproduct of producing enriched uranium and is extremely dense. Because depleted uranium munitions are radioactive, they are linked to cancer and birth defects, especially in Iraq, where US forces used an enormous number of the controversial munitions during the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion. Birth defects are still common in the Iraqi city of Fallujah to this day, likely due to depleted uranium.
(antiwar.com)
Bad idea! There is already enough problems with nuke material in Ukraine.
Across the pond from the UK is what the US maybe considering…..something that would effect civilians as much as Russian troops.
Four leading Republicans in Congress have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to provide Kyiv with cluster bombs, controversial munitions that endanger civilians by spreading small bomblets over large areas.
Due to the harm they cause civilians, cluster bombs have been banned by over 100 countries under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. But Russia, Ukraine, and the US are not signatories to the treaty.
The letter to Biden was signed by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jim Risch (R-ID), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
(antiwar.com)
Tanks for the memories…..US is sending tanks as well as Poland and whoever else is …..
The Pentagon is looking to speed up the delivery of the Abrams tank to Ukraine by refurbishing older models instead of manufacturing new ones.
US officials told The Associated Press that the new plan is to send Ukraine the older M1A1 version that can be pulled from US Army stockpiles. The officials expect the M1A1s could be delivered within eight to 10 months.
The initial plan was for the US to manufacture 31 new M1A2 Abrams tanks, which wouldn’t have been delivered for years. The new plan still does not get the tanks into Ukraine’s hands before the spring, when the US is hoping Ukraine will launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
President Biden’s announcement in January that the US would provide Abrams to Ukraine came after Pentagon officials said sending the tanks to Ukraine would be impractical. But Biden’s decision was made to convince German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send Leopards and sign off on the export of the German-made tanks from other countries.
Scholz previously ruled out sending Ukraine tanks and explained his reasoning by saying he was trying to prevent a direct war between NATO and Russia. But the US and its allies are less concerned about escalation and continue to ramp up support for Kyiv, including Poland and Slovakia pledging Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets.
This thing spiraling…..as all our conflicts do….this will not end well for the people of Ukraine.
Is this conflict turning into a trap?
Three big factors are in motion that will shape prospects for the war in Ukraine. Each of these affects the others in potentially reinforcing ways. Together, they could soon create a dynamic that might greatly constrain the ability of the Biden administration to steer events toward its desired outcomes.
The first is the course of battlefield developments. Bolstered by the mobilization Putin ordered last fall, Russian forces are pressing closer toward encircling Bakhmut, and Ukrainians look to be on the brink of their first significant setback since last summer. Although this battle has proved slow and costly for Russia, it is exacting an enormous toll on Ukraine.
Biden’s looming trap in Ukraine
This is just my opinion and of course it does not jive with what that pretty boy tells you on your favorite news show…..that may be but it does not make me wrong.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
The UK sending DU rounds to Ukraine isn’t escalation…….Russia has already been using them in that conflict.
I believe I made it known that it is in use…..the title was meant to generate interest and a possible read of the post. chuq
Ukraine’s allies appear to be in the mood to call Putin’s bluff, based on the poor performance of the Russian military so far. I can’t help thinking that something will eventually trigger NATO involvement on the ground.
Best wishes, Pete.
I agree….we are trying to generate a response….the warmongers are chomping at the bit for US involvement. chuq
Then the body bags and metal coffins start coming home, and the public loses their enthusiasm.
Sad that is what it takes…..death chuq
The U.S. and allies had better be involved in Ukraine because right as we speak, China and Russia are getting into bed with each other in a big way and I can already envision China doing everything in its power to build Russia up and to develop Russian and Chinese weapons, armaments and strategies together .. as a team .. with the eventual goal of intimidating the rest of the world as the Russo/Sinese conglomerate that I have been hinting at for years and thus establishing their New World Order that they just got finished bragging about as Putin was leaving his foreplay session with Xi. America has thus far, slept as China has become more advanced in warfare than us or any of our allies …they could wipe out any of our forces in the first hour of engagement … and we have let them get to this point ..but now that Russia and China have had a taste of each other’s delicious asses, their threat to the civilized world has just doubled and if there is any way that the rest of the world can kick Russian ass in Ukraine, now is the time to do it.
I still do not think our involvement will improve the situation…..it has not in the past and why would today be any different. chuq
I’ll disagree with you on the Russia-China soulmates aspect. They are geo-political rivals, and China isn’t going to pursue any course of action that strengthens Russia. It may certainly look like it on the surface, and in the near-term….but China has always been a master of the long game. Look for the little signs over the next few years….like China’s Ministry of natural Resources recently requiring older Chinese names applied to new maps that depict eight areas within modern Russian borders. I know that it may seem insignificant, but in the era of information and influence warfare……trust me, it’s not.
I will make a point of returning to your idea in a year or two and we will discuss this again.
Today is different because the enemy has learned from the lessons of the past and they are now aggressively capitalizing on what they have learned and they are going to get to the point where nobody will be able to stop them …We are in a “Now or Never” situation …The world has to act now or they will lose their chance, their ability and what little freedom they have left.
Again, I’ll disagree. I fully endorse our support to Ukraine’s sovereignty, but institutional learning over time is not a new concept. From Sun to Mao, the Chinese have been better at this they we have been. Russia is not their friend.
The Russians and the Chinese are on the verge of creating their own perverted version of NATO and they will use their union to try to conquer the world both economically and militarily.
And you base this on….what?
I base this on, “Just hang around and remain observant and learn …”
Ok……
So the only answer is to start another war. chuq
Imagine the futility it would have been to try to negotiate a peace with Hitler or Tojo — it simply cannot be done regardless of all the wish dreaming in the world.
Funny you should that that I am working on a post about just that. chuq
Get it done. I want to read it. Let me know please.
I am trying but situations keep changing….LOL chuq
I am not so sure that it is “Funny” that I should mention the Hitler and Tojo thing. After all, I stay pretty up on things.
Not funny ha ha but I figure you would know that chuq