Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 26

@Torq
Good response to Bobko's post.

I think Putin is smart enough to avoid a war with NATO. He knows his military has been weakend and depleted. While a full mobilization could give him two million men or more, its not likely. With Ukraine preparing to fight for three more years, Europe other than the stray drone or missile, is likely safe for quite a while.

Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr, PolAm.

Although betting on Putin being smart is not something I'd stake any serious money on.

He's a ridiculously stupid man and being a dictator for so long has only made him stupider... he had street smarts but the position of dictator eats away at a person's brain faster than acid would....

They've already spotted little green men in Estonia and there has been a mostly ignored military build up on the borders of the Baltics.

The logic, such as it is, of the putin regime is that it _has_ to directly confront NATO and too many sad sacks in the west are just kind of hoping that decisive action won't be called for.

It might interest you to know that 75% of transatlantic internet cables connecting Europe with the US are located off the Irish coast and guess who is repsonsible for their security? An Garda Síochána - that's right, the police. The Defence Forces are not responsible for them and we don't have any submarines and only two Naval patrol vessels are operational at any time for the entire country. But in the event of the cables being cut, we can have a concelebrated High Mass involving all the Bishops and of course a national Rosary raleigh. That should do the trick. We may have not have an adequate Defence force but we have a few million lapsed Catholics available at short notice :)

A Novena works well against the r*SSians.

In England though, there are more Protestants and either a Methodist Tea with all those bloody sandwiches or the C of E's National Pilgrimage ("Our Lady's house at Walsingham, we hail thee and farewell"). will have to do.

Brilliant. Gardaí are reliable fellows.

Thank you, Atch. My mind is at ease now that I know it.


... and what can Putin and his hellhounds do against that? Nothing.

destroy a kindergarten like they just did in Kharkiv?

x.com/ZMiST_Ua/status/1980913809037599158

x.com/sternenko/status/1980927122983239715

Ah.... mysterious russian soul.... such a rich culture!

Look, Maf...

... put all the contempt for Russians that you and Cms have together and multiply it by ten. When you finish, I still have twice the amount BUT my contempt is for Putin, his various kurwas, gold toilet sh*tters, and their retarded nonsensical war, not for Russian people or their culture.

But we've had this conversation so many times before that it's unbelieveable you still keep picking on me.

He couldn't do it if they didn't let him.

I don't think it's quite true. At some point in criminal dictatorial systems, there is very little that ordinary people can do. Coordinated mass protest movements, like Solidarity, are possible in societies with traditions of democracy and freedom. Russia has no such tradition for historic reasons. It is their rulers, not their people, who are to blame.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Methodist Tea especially if there's a chance of a slice of Victoria sponge.

There's nothing to "guard" against - if you believe the press. If they want to do something with the cables, there's very little that can prevent it.

Every summer, Russian and NATO ships shadow each other back and forth over the North Atlantic.

Sometimes, a Russian research ship will seemingly hover over the same spot for days or even weeks.

NATO officials claim, that the ships are sending down Remotely Operated Vehicles to plant "snooping" devices and explosives on the cables.

So in theory - on some "Day X", those charges should go off without any submarines having to be in the vicinity.

-//-

Have many technical questions about this which make me curious...

How are the listening devices powered? Do they have some passive radioactive source of power? Do they "parasitize" power from the cable somehow?

How is the signal to "explode" communicated to the explosive devices? How can a signal reach 4-5 kilometers deep underwater, in a reliable way?

Can American ROVs descend to the same location, after a Russian one left, and simple remove the "bad" devices? I imagine it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

They're always wandering into Irish waters, the cheeky articles, and we have to put the run on them.

theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/16/russian-spy-ship-escorted-away-from-internet-cables-in-irish-sea

They're sending bathyscaphes and ROV's down to study the layout of the cables.

They're from GUGI (Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research).

This is the most secretive defense agency in Russia. Practically nothing is known about their work, but it's known that multiple new ships are laid down for them annually.

I read somewhere, that GUGI divers are more rare than cosmonauts - in absolute numbers.

They are at the pinnacle of their science. American deep sea mariners have a healthy respect for their work.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Directorate_of_Deep-Sea_Research?wprov=sfti1#

This RUSI report, indicates that Russia pays as much as $20,000 a month to the personnel of GUGI:

"The time that naval personnel spend within the GUGI sees them paid considerable salaries without breaking the relationship between rank and pay, by treating their effective salaries as a deployment bonus related to the time they spend at extreme depths. As a result, in 2012, GUGI personnel were earning 600,000 roubles a month (around $20,000 at the time). The reason for this level of compensation is that the organisation is an extremely specialised one. During the Soviet era, in order to qualify, an individual had to be an officer and have served for five years within the submarine service, and would then have to go through a gruelling course based on the training of Soviet cosmonauts. The list of individuals killed in the 2019 fire which broke out on the GUGI deep-diving submarine Losharik - all officers - suggests the force remains a highly specialised one."

Source: rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/stalking-seabed-how-russia-targets-critical-undersea-infrastructure

Given it comes from the UK's foremost think tank, I hope people will treat it as a credible source.

PF should have blue fonts for sarcasm.

600.000 north naira is more like 7000 dollars. Not 20.000 a month.

I can believe it, though I'm sure you would get just as much, probably more, diving for Shell or BP.

Of course, the problem these dudes is finding somewhere they can exchange that into hard currency.

So that's going to create a highly specialized, but frustrated and potentially treacherous special service. Easy pickings for Western intelligence

2012 - genius. Adjust fx rate.


Some people can derive satisfaction out of life without an S 600 Saloon or a Patek.

What has happened since 2012 to make the north Naira collapse so much?

Oh - only becoming international pariahs and the fact that however much you get for snipping cables, the only place you can spend it is at a cheap booze supermarket in Omsk.

@cms neuf

How does this cancel out the fact that Russia has some of the most experienced technical divers in the world, and the world's leading defense agency for studying the deep ocean?

America's equivalent of GUGI cries quietly in the corner, and is but a shadow of the Russian service.

I listened to a Congressional testimony from an American submariner last year - and he said "the Russians have certain 'eye-watering' capabilities."

If our army is not in the best shape, it doesn't mean the strategic forces have also been on a similar hunger diet.

Someone should have a word with these guys and tell them they can earn 5x in hard currency working in the decadent west LOL

tentacletools.com/blog/offshore-oil-rig-underwater-welder-salary

If they miss speaking North Hausa I'm sure there are a few establishments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where some of the "barmaids" are their compatriots

You work for an o&g exploration and extraction company - very cool... but is it as cool as:

1) Using nuclear powered vessels as your "tender"?

2) Having access to state laboratories and manufacturing plants - which will produce equipment tailored to your exact specifications? This - giving you the chance to drive the entire science forward, and develop new standards and practices in the process?

3) Going to depths of 6,000 meters and more, as crew on deep sea vehicles?

4) Being briefed by professors from the Russian Academy of Sciences, and having access to the top talent from whichever industry you choose?

5) Defending your country?

Plus, unlike a welder, these guys are:

1) Have graduate degrees and above

2) Know how to operate sophisticated surveillance equipment, as well as explosives.

3) Have a second purpose as SCIENTISTS, which they are supposed to fulfill.

I don't know Bobko - I guess these people probably want a few years of excitement followed by a few years easy money. So I guess a bit of both.

I think service in a place like that is not some like being officer of some Marine platoon.

It's probably a lifelong engagement, with some exceptions.

If you start diving with Western outfits, unless you are deeply trusted, you are probably not invited any longer to "experience exchanges", to contribute on classified projects in development, to attend conferences and symposia and so on and so forth.

I dived quite a few times with some instructors from the South, in and around the Florida Keys and Bahamas, as well as Puerto Rico. There's plenty of bases there. These guys know both people from the commercial diving community and the military diving community. My understanding, from listening to them, is that the communities overlap on some lower levels but are absolutely distinct at the more elite level (again with exceptions).

You also have absolute randos like James Cameron (director of Titanic), who are simultaneously luminaries in the field.

Why isnt' Ireland in NATO again?

They are busy importing migrants. I guess jealous of the stupid Brits.

Trump slaps crippling new sanctions on Russia after snubbing meeting with Putin

Trump: OK, guys, chill out...I am doing something...Hey, Vlad, get that shlt done finally as we agreed ...so they will fvck off of me here...

More myserious russian soul and deep russian culture coming....

first russia destroyed an old woman's house and killed her herding stock..

x.com/ZarinaZabrisky/status/1964420030759604443

Will America help? She asks....

Then, a couple of days ago, russians hunted her down with drones and killed her

x.com/ZarinaZabrisky/status/1980712598363599095

russians routinely taraget and kill civilians to practices their drone skills...

how long before Bobko comes around and says that's a good thing! (he dassn't contradict the tsar).

Co za skurwysyny. :-/

Those drones' operators should be treated like SS when captured - no taking prisoners, no trials.