Russia’s space chief is “very unhappy” with “hostile” US policy

"I am very unhappy with the openly hostile policy of the USA toward my country."

Read the whole story

 

[David Mayer]

Or how about 5 100 kg bombs which are dropped sequentially? Oil refineries and storage depots are one of the primary targets for these drones. These tend to consist of straight evenly spaced rows of large tanks filled with flammable liquid. Currently it seems that one drone blows up one tank. What if one drone could blow up 5? What if it could blow up every other tank in a row of 10? If the 5 hit go up in flames the intervening ones are likely to be destroyed too.

Do we know how these are being controlled? Just following preplanned routes using GPS/INS? AI? Remote control with satcom is there not a shorthand for satellite communications?

 

[Cthel]

Sunday morning's missile/drone attack report from Ukraine:

• 55x Shahed aerial torpedoes & decoys (40 intercepted, 13 decoys crashed)

Spoiler: Telegram Embed (UKR)

View: https://t.me/kpszsu/27965

 

[Cthel]

A lucky/unlucky (depending on your point of view) Russian motorist got a heck of a dashcam video

Lipetsk People's Republic , Situation. Local authorities said that an upper stage of an aircraft missile system allegedly fell. It was actually an X-22/X-32 missile.

Spoiler: Telegram video embeds (RU)

View: https://t.me/exilenova_plus/5440


View: https://t.me/exilenova_plus/5426

 

[numerobis]

So, in this time where the U.S. faces multiple foreign threats, it responds with … punching its closest trade partners in the face. Canada expects about a 2% drop in GDP from this, so, bad but not crippling. Not sure about Mexico.

I wonder if Shaunbeim will help migrants flood the border as a response (or at least stop trying to limit them).

 

[Chuckstar]

So, in this time where the U.S. faces multiple foreign threats, it responds with … punching its closest trade partners in the face. Canada expects about a 2% drop in GDP from this, so, bad but not crippling. Not sure about Mexico.

I wonder if Shaunbeim will help migrants flood the border as a response (or at least stop trying to limit them).

I’m just waiting for Republicans to blame Biden for the coming inflation. It’s like living in a hallucination.

 

[Gunman]

I’m just waiting for Republicans to blame Biden for the coming inflation. It’s like living in a hallucination.

Fully expecting MAGAs to believe it. It's become impossible for Trump to fuck up in their eyes. In fact the more he fucks up, the better, because he can deflect all the blame onto whoever he doesn't like and they'll just swallow it.

 

[numerobis]

I’m just waiting for Republicans to blame Biden for the coming inflation. It’s like living in a hallucination.

They already blame a military helicopter flying into a passenger airliner on DEI in airline pilot hiring. Reality is completely optional.

 

[numerobis]

Oh, the war is on. The LCBO (Ontario’s liquor stores) is taking all US booze off its shelves.

Probably as much to prevent vandalism as to hurt the U.S., granted.

 

[Starmartyr]

Oh, the war is on. The LCBO (Ontario’s liquor stores) is taking all US booze off its shelves.

Probably as much to prevent vandalism as to hurt the U.S., granted.

All the best rum comes from the Caribbean anyways so it’s not like you’re gong to miss much anyways.
You might miss out on some really good microbrews but I doubt most of them even make it out of country.

 

[numerobis]

Do we know how these are being controlled? Just following preplanned routes using GPS/INS? AI? Remote control with satcom is there not a shorthand for satellite communications?

I don't think we get to know until after the war is done, but I personally have doubts that GPS/INS would allow for consistently hitting narrow towers.

 

[numerobis]

All the best rum comes from the Caribbean anyways so it’s not like you’re gong to miss much anyways.
You might miss out on some really good microbrews but I doubt most of them even make it out of country.

We're good on beer. The big brands are mostly brewed here, and our microbrew situation is as good as anywhere in the US.

We (or rather, my neighbouring province; I don't know that the SAQ has followed suit) are losing Kentucky/Tennessee whiskeys, and California wines, mostly. We'll have to drink scotch and Chilean or Ozzie wines instead.

And indeed, we can drink Cuban rum.

Edit: I’ve learned now that all the provinces are doing the same, they just weren’t as loud about it.

 

[mhalpern]

Or how about 5 100 kg bombs which are dropped sequentially? Oil refineries and storage depots are one of the primary targets for these drones. These tend to consist of straight evenly spaced rows of large tanks filled with flammable liquid. Currently it seems that one drone blows up one tank. What if one drone could blow up 5? What if it could blow up every other tank in a row of 10? If the 5 hit go up in flames the intervening ones are likely to be destroyed too.

there's also BDA and general recon while its in the air, and guiding munitions onto multiple targets, possibly even moving targets, plus if it DOES eat a missile, after completing its mission, that's another missile for Russia to replace

 

[mhalpern]

I don't think we get to know until after the war is done, but I personally have doubts that GPS/INS would allow for consistently hitting narrow towers.

probably a combination, sat and drone relays, with various navigation and terminal guidance options, for these larger long range drones for primary control i'd use both relays and sat, maximum bandwidth and signal robustness, for navigation, again, both GPS and INS, with possibly terrain and star maps even if only a simple "give the pilot a picture of what they should be seeing, alongside the live feed" for all we know, they could be using these to provide correction data to the Ground Launch Cruise Missiles so they can still get through on mostly GNSS

 

[tucu]

On tariffs: it seems some EU leaders want to get ready to quickly strike back
From the BBC feed:

France's industry minister Marc Ferracci told French media outlet Le Figaro that "it's clear we have to react".

"The response, to be effective, must focus on the products that are important for the country with which you are negotiating," he adds.

Italy's finance minister Adolfo Urso told La Stampa says that "Trump has a specific mandate from his people: to reaffirm American primacy, relaunch industry and jobs in the States".

He adds that: "Europe must do the same... with equal speed of execution," but warns that "at the same time, it must discuss the merits with the US to avoid triggering a devastating trade war".

 

[mhalpern]

On tariffs: it seems some EU leaders want to get ready to quickly strike back
From the BBC feed:

sounds like everyone with half a brain wants to teach Trump an economics lesson as quickly as possible to get him to back down.

 

[numerobis]

sounds like everyone with half a brain wants to teach Trump an economics lesson as quickly as possible to get him to back down.

We'd need to put personal sanctions on him, specifically, rather than tariffs.

Tesla steeply raised its Canadian prices ahead of time, presumably to fit the counter-tariffs inside. Add the end of various subsidy programs (for all EVs) last month, and I bet Tesla sales in Canada are going to just fall off a cliff.

BTW, any tips on removing the logo off a car? Asking for a friend...

 

[tucu]

Hair dryer and floss (or a tool belt, a heat gun and a fishing line if you want to cosplay as a handyman)

 

[numerobis]

Hair dryer and floss (or a tool belt, a heat gun and a fishing line if you want to cosplay as a handyman)

Hair dryer, floss, and tool belt is what I my friend can pull off. Presumably it's easier to do when it isn't -20 out.

 

[DB63]

Girkin has got another letter out of prison, and he's feeling ... sad.

Sorry, haven't got a text link, though it should show up in due course. Here is a video commentary.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIGfMrUSS1k

 

[numerobis]

Girkin has got another letter out of prison, and he's feeling ... sad.

Oh no!

Anyway.

 

[tucu]

Girkin has got another letter out of prison, and he's feeling ... sad.

Sorry, haven't got a text link, though it should show up in due course. Here is a video commentary.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIGfMrUSS1k

The letter is available in multiple posts in his telegram account (@strelkovii) starting on Jan 22. Google Translate struggles with his rant and is too long for DeepL. A section translated by DeepL:

I personally believe that Trump's ‘ultimatum’ requiring ONLY Russia to fulfil the ‘Kellogg Plan’ cannot be accepted ‘without a long swing’ even theoretically. And Trump will not give us time for this very swing. - It is ‘not his style’ and makes no sense. For us (for the Russian Federation and the country's leadership), the implementation of the plan's provisions is the launch of a catastrophe (and I hope that the Kremlin at least understands this), and an irreversible catastrophe at that: stopping military action on our part WITHOUT the slightest guarantees of similar actions by the enemy will already cause irreparable damage to our remaining chances for victory. And the further implementation of this ‘peacekeeping’ leads to the consistent surrender of absolutely all territorial acquisitions since the spring of 2014 (and even the belonging of Crimea - even if it is considered as ‘undisputed’ - will become a subject of bargaining, which will INEVITABLY be lost. The enemy is trying to use its favourite ‘domino principle’ - the main thing is that the ‘bent’ partner ‘bent’ in something, conceded without reciprocal concessions, and then it will be consistently and continuously ‘squeezed’ further - point by point, portion by portion. And the ‘final point’ can be set very far beyond the initially designated limits. And such a line of the enemy (and the U.S. is our enemy without illusions) can be ‘reflected’ only by absolute rigour and firmness of diplomats, whose position should be supported by decisive military successes. Unfortunately, we will have neither of these in the foreseeable future: the ‘Minsk’ (1st and 2nd) ‘Istanbul’ and all other humiliating deceptions demonstrate that our diplomacy is designed just for ‘bending over for our partners’ and not for defending Russia's national interests. There is no need to talk about ‘decisive military successes’ - all our successes for the past year and the beginning of this year have not gone beyond purely tactical, the enemy is not broken, has strong reserves and the ability to increase efforts, while we (the Russian Federation) have not yet transferred the economy and the army ‘on military rails’. And this ‘transfer’ cannot be done in a short time - it takes both time and serious efforts - and both are in great shortage by the end of the third year of the war.

 

[Chuckstar]

Widespread tariffs to protect American industry. Well… worked in 1930. What could go wrong?

/s

 

[bthylafh]

Seems like we're on a 1930s-vintage kick atm. Just waiting on a stock market crash and concentration camps.

 

[mhalpern]

Seems like we're on a 1930s-vintage kick atm. Just waiting on a stock market crash and concentration camps.

crypto burst is my bet.

also Trump wants to turn Gitmo into an immigration detention facility...

 

[David Mayer]

crypto burst is my bet.

also Trump wants to turn Gitmo into an immigration detention facility...

It has been that for a long time.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

We're good on beer. The big brands are mostly brewed here, and our microbrew situation is as good as anywhere in the US.

We (or rather, my neighbouring province; I don't know that the SAQ has followed suit) are losing Kentucky/Tennessee whiskeys, and California wines, mostly. We'll have to drink scotch and Chilean or Ozzie wines instead.

And indeed, we can drink Cuban rum.

Edit: I’ve learned now that all the provinces are doing the same, they just weren’t as loud about it.

Good on all the provinces! Please push back hard on this blowhard oligarch bullshit.

Trump's inherently weak. He screams aggressively, but folds easily - often after shitting his diaper.

Unfortunately, our government is not structured to contain a fully-unhinged President - especially since he already illicitly packed the Courts under the blessing of McConnell the Depraved.

 

[Cthel]

Monday morning's missile/drone attack report from Ukraine:

• 71x Shahed aerial torpedoes & decoys (38 intercepted, 25 decoys crashed)
  
  Spoiler: Telegram embed (UKR)

  
  View: https://t.me/kpszsu/28016

 

[Cthel]

Ukranian drones have hit a refinery in Volgograd:

Spoiler: Telegram video embed (RU)

View: https://t.me/exilenova_plus/5451


View: https://t.me/exilenova_plus/5467

And also the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant just outside (you guessed it) Astrakhan:

Spoiler: Telegram video embed (RU)

View: https://t.me/exilenova_plus/5485

 

[Chuckstar]

Seems like we're on a 1930s-vintage kick atm. Just waiting on a stock market crash and concentration camps.

They’re talking about rounding up ten million illegal immigrants. You think camps won’t be involved?

 

[Gunman]

Trump to EU: "You don't buy enough from us so I'll make us pay more for your stuff that we buy more of"

 

[Cthel]

Russia claims that the Astrakhan gas processing plant went into emergency shutdown before the UAVs hit

The Astrakhan gas processing plant suspended operations ahead of a UAV attack on the night of 3 February, regional governor Igor Babushkin said.

"The situation is controlled. There are no threats to the life and health of the staff and the population of the neighbouring villages. Having received advance signals about the danger of UAVs, the enterprise stopped its work, which made it possible to prevent emissions and avoid damage to chemical hazard facilities. Rosprirodnadzor and the GPP monitoring service are constantly analysing the environmental state of the air. There are no exceedances of norms," Babushkin said.

Spoiler: Telegram Embed (RU)

View: https://t.me/bbbreaking/199152

Either they're lying, or Ukraine just needs to fly a UAV in the general direction of a Russian gas plant to disrupt production (especially if the time to bring a plant back into production is more than 24 hours).

* EDIT *
The official statement from Ukraine claiming the attacks:

On the night of 3 February 2025, units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with other components of the Defence Forces, struck the Volgograd Oil Refinery (Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka) and the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant.

Both of these strategic facilities produce large quantities of fuel for the Russian occupation army.

According to preliminary reports, the primary processing units at the plant in Volgograd region were damaged. A fire continues to burn at the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant, and the plant's operations have been suspended.

The results of the fire and the extent of the damage are being clarified.

Spoiler: Telegram Embed (UKR)

View: https://t.me/GeneralStaffZSU/20525

 

[Disordered]

The letter is available in multiple posts in his telegram account (@strelkovii) starting on Jan 22. Google Translate struggles with his rant and is too long for DeepL. A section translated by DeepL:

Right now, I know nothing about how things will shake out, (in the short term) and neither does Girkin.

I'm waiting for trump's talk with putin, and then trump's replacement of all the Generals, with his yes-men.

 

[The Dark]

What does this mean, exactly? T-90Ms made to a lower standard?

Mostly the various "obr. 2022" and "obr. 2023" models, which have slightly downgraded optics and electronics compared to the post-Soviet tanks that were using imported components that Russia no longer has legal access to.

 

[Disordered]

They’re talking about rounding up ten million illegal immigrants. You think camps won’t be involved?

To replace all these workers, where will trump find all the white, straight, Evangelical, macho, gun-totin' males? Hungary?

During the Springfield fiasco, the Republicans implied that their definition of "illegal" could include any non-white immigrant.

putin and Prez Xi must be loving trump's spree of economic destruction.

 

[Cthel]

Looks like the SBU have been busy in Moscow again

Pro-Russia paramilitary leader killed in Moscow blast (BBC News)

The leader of a pro-Russian paramilitary group in eastern Ukraine has died in hospital after being injured in an explosion in Moscow on Monday morning, Russian media have said.

Armen Sargsyan, the leader of the "Arbat" battalion, was severely injured following a blast in the entrance hall of a residential building in north-west Moscow, 12km (7 miles) from the Kremlin.

He was evacuated to a hospital by helicopter and placed in intensive care after the explosion, but eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to usually reliable Telegram sources.
[...]
Olga Voronova, a 36-year-old mother of three who lived in the building next door to the explosion, told AFP news agency that she was "very scared" and did not understand how the blast could've happened.

"We have quite serious security guards, they ask every car at the checkpoints, we order passes for guests, even for family members," she said.

 

[Disordered]

Looks like the SBU have been busy in Moscow again

Pro-Russia paramilitary leader killed in Moscow blast (BBC News)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...residential-building-tass-reports-2025-02-03/

"Investigators are currently identifying those who ordered the crime," TASS quoted a law enforcement official as saying."

That won't take long.

 

[numerobis]

Widespread tariffs to protect American industry. Well… worked in 1930. What could go wrong?

/s

The order of operations is a bit off but I'm sure it'll still work as intended.

The mass deportation orders are also going to help crash the economy. Trump couldn't quite manage to halt the Obama boom last time around, but it's in a weaker state now and he's much more powerful this second time.

 

[numerobis]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...residential-building-tass-reports-2025-02-03/

"Investigators are currently identifying those who ordered the crime," TASS quoted a law enforcement official as saying."

That won't take long.

Some random Uzbek dude is getting screwed.

Except there is actually potential that this is Chechens.

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...residential-building-tass-reports-2025-02-03/

"Investigators are currently identifying those who ordered the crime," TASS quoted a law enforcement official as saying."

That won't take long.

"Alright, alright, I'm a rabbit!" said the bear.

 

[The Dark]

Some random Uzbek dude is getting screwed.

Except there is actually potential that this is Chechens.

Heck, there's potential it was the FSB if Putin saw this guy as a threat for some reason.