Quote from: paxmao on Today at 08:52:13 AM

Quote from: be.open on July 03, 2024, 11:07:24 AM

Quote from: paxmao on July 03, 2024, 10:05:58 AM

Regardless of the accuracy of the claims... how much has Ruzzia paid for that gorgeous piece of real state? I mean, if you want to summarize, you would need to include how many refineries are out of service, how many radars have been destroyed, how many tons of fuel have burned, how many aircraft have been destroyed. Not to mention lives lost - my guess is that you are now getting NK soldiers for a reason. Putin may not be that confident in mobilising more people from Ruzzia properly said.

It is no longer news, but there are drone strikes in the most expensive Ruzzian infrastructure and weapons system daily. Belgorod has become a no-go place, from being a peaceful place even nice to live in. You can look at Km2, but it is a good idea to look at the dollars and people you pay for them.

Well, it seems you are finding it difficult to provide compelling evidence that this price is too expensive for Russia.

No, it is actually simple exercise. How much would a reasonable price for a km2 of agricultural land in Ukraine, full of unexploded ordinance BTW or for a town pretty much razed to the ground, again, full of unexploded ordinance and no population left?

Would you pay, let's say, 1 million? 2 million? 10 million? What would be your estimate? I am going to give you a clue: Farmland in the US is around 1000 usd for 1 km2 and it has no unexploded ordnance and there is rule of law and people around to work it.

Let's say you have lost 1 tank for each of those 1 km2 in Ukraine (the reality is far far worse). You have paid roughly between 5000 & 1000 times the value of that piece of land. Not an excellent business.

Not only that, you are using all your economy to go to war - that is you are into a terrible business running into it with all your possessions and all the income you can muster. do you think the US does not understand this?

A completely different thing is how much that land is worth for Putin's ego. History is full of bankruptcies driven by inflated egos.

But the US and Nato keep fighting for this useless land. Russia is only fighting to protect her borders.

Quote from: paxmao on Today at 08:52:13 AM

Quote from: be.open on Today at 05:22:02 AM

Quote from: paxmao on July 03, 2024, 11:31:46 PM

Ruzzia will not collapse financially because the economy is biased towards commodities and raw materials exports, but saying it is growing is just funny. It is bleeding people, can only trade at a discount and is burning all the diplomatic relations for the future. I would not like to be there over the next 10 years.

Here is another interesting link from the World Bank with updated data for 2023 with GDP indicators at purchasing power parity. Russia is the fourth largest economy in the world. Isolated and twice torn to shreds by Biden. Your unfounded propaganda slogans are easily refuted by objective financial indicators.

Russian Government’s Oil Revenue Was Up Almost 50% in June. Or here's the latest news from Bloomberg, there's something about an oil price ceiling. Grin

Russia is certainly not the fourth economy in the world - more like the 8th, comparable to France.

As said, if you burn through your inherited assets and use it to produce bombs the gdp looks very good, but you are not creating wealth, you are using up your existing storages of value. It can keep going for a while, again, I think the US is perfectly ok with Ruzzia using up the thousands of soviet tanks left there.

Let me put it in a simple way:

1 - Ruzzia sells oil, to a discount over market price.
2 - Ruzzia produces war stuff. Some of the components have to loophole sanctions (to an expense of course).
3 - Ruzzia puts that together with people from poor regions, gets it all destroyed in exchange for dead Ukrainian people and ownership of some territory. This is done at a cost of 1000 times the value of the land (not to mention the soldiers killed).

gdp of course looks great - all the revenues that normally go to the accounts of the elite are now used in paying salaries. What is the problem with this? You are not only not building wealth or assets for the future, you are actually burning through the inventory you had. If you tell me if I want to buy in such "company" I would say no thanks.

But as said, who I am to put a price on Putin's ego? There are people out there that will decide if they are ok to pay it.

Siberia alone gives Russia untold value.

Quote from: paxmao on Today at 08:52:13 AM

Quote from: tvbcof on Today at 12:13:21 AM

[...]

I cannot figure out why the native Slavs of Ukraine cannot see how they are being used/abused (and now genocided) in disproportionate degree by a (((particular tribe))) and resist a little bit. I have to entertain the suggestion from members of said tribe that the natives are simply pretty stupid and manipulable but I don't have to agree that God (or G-d or whatever) put them...and me...on this earth for the sole purpose of serving (((them))). I would have to agree with the Christians that 'the Lord works in strange ways' sometimes.
[...]

Perhaps they are very wary of their "brothers" from Moscow and have decided to create their own "tribe"... you know, bad experience during the "hunger games"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor

Or maybe they have been speaking with the neighbours, you know, comparing car sizes?

You talk what is almost ancient history. Russia wants to enter the modern world of trade. But the US won't let her... maybe (BRICS).

Cool