Thread image created by yours truly, depicting Iran and Pakistan very impolitely not asking whether America, on the other side of the planet, is okay with them transporting gas around.
The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline has long been obstructed by American involvement in the region. Iran completed its section of the pipeline quite quickly, but Pakistan has been unable to finish its construction for a decade due to the fear of falling afoul of American sanctions on Iran. The United States has repeatedly tried to pressure Pakistan to give up the project and obtain gas from other countries instead. Recent articles on the state of the pipeline are contradictory, with some stating that Iran or Pakistan have given up on the pipeline while American sanctions persist. Pakistani officials reject this framing, saying that they are still working with Iran to try and get the project completed somehow. Nonetheless, Iran is becoming increasingly frustrated and is threatening a legal battle and a demand for reparations.
Meanwhile, back in Niger, the $13 billion under-construction pipeline connecting Nigeria and other West African countries to Spain and Italy will likely face delays due to the sanctions applied by the West and ECOWAS on Niger. Those following the European gas fiasco will be aware that while Spain and Italy have been impacted by the energy crisis, they have been very busy making deals with African countries to replace their Russian gas, and thus stand a better chance than Germany of making it through the crisis with their industries somewhat intact. The coup has thrown a wrench into their plans, though they can still obtain some gas from northern African countries.
And, last but not least, America tried for years to stop the construction of the Nord Stream pipelines between Germany and Russia, which culminated in them deciding to blow them up late last year.
All in all - the United States really does not like it when countries build up energy infrastructure and gain some independence from them.
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
This week's first update is here in the comments.
This week's second update is here in the comments.
This week's third update is here in the comments.
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Last week's discussion post.
Oh yeah i forgot to post this, I think. Just FYI, this solidifies even further my already existing fear of landmines alongside my fear of being on the receiving end of an artillery barrage and tripwire traps.
Also spiders.
Don't show your 3 year old the movie "arachnophobia".
https://archive.is/Aj7Ub
Non-archived link
A leading Ukrainian medical officer said mines come second only to artillery as a cause of injury to soldiers, as the country's troops battle the dense minefields laid by Russia's forces. Serhiy Ryzhenko, the chief medical officer at the Mechnikov hospital in the southeastern city of Dnipro, told The Guardian that of the 50 to 100 soldiers he receives each day, many are injured by artillery, but mines now account for the second-highest number.
"Every day Mechnikov hospital receives 50 to 100 very, very seriously wounded people," he said, adding that the hospital has so far treated about 21,000 soldiers.
"Among these 21,000 soldiers, 2,000 were missing limbs," he said.
Russia has laid dense minefields across the east of Ukraine, which Ukraine says is hampering its counteroffensive efforts to take back territory.
The secretary of the country's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, called the density of Russia's mines "insane" earlier this month.
And Ukraine's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, told The Guardian that Ukraine was now the world's most heavily mined country. He asked the country's allies for more equipment to help clear the mines.
The density of the minefields has forced Ukrainian soldiers in some places to get out of their Western-supplied tanks to try to advance on foot, while a shortage of advanced de-mining equipment has left some Ukrainians trying to clear mines by hand.
Doctors in Ukraine's southern region told The New York Times earlier this month that they see many injuries caused by mines and shrapnel but few people hit by bullets during the current counteroffensive.
In some cases, Ukrainian soldiers have been blasted by mines as they try to reach their comrades who were hit by other mines, the Times reported.
Ukrainian soldiers also described to Sky News trying to locate mines with a metal detector while another soldier stood guard with an automatic weapon, all while Russian forces shelled and shot at them.
Experts previously told Insider that Russia was able to build such strong defenses, including its minefields, because Western delays in sending Ukraine weapons postponed the start of its counteroffensive push.
Reznikov, the defense minister, said Ukraine has skilled sappers, but nowhere near enough.
One Ukrainian unit currently dealing with Russia's mines saw two sappers lose feet in explosions in the space of two weeks, The Guardian reported.
Some of Ukraine's European allies have agreed to train and equip Ukrainians for clearing mines, but Reznikov told The Guardian that Ukraine still needs help from more of its allies.
They are not fighting against people. They are failing to cross field to get to Russian soldiers. Some counter offensive.