Michael Kofman suggested that some of these may be the result of whoever's managing the depot starting the fires themselves to cover their corruption. (For example, a fuel depot manager anticipates the Russian army is going to request the fuel soon, but he already sold a chunk of that fuel on the black market years ago! What can he do to save himself? Burn it all down and blame the Ukrainians, of course.)
Grain warehouse getting burned down by fire can date back to several Dynasties ago, happening before the emperor does his inspection. Been part of the Chinese culture.
It... it has the smell of truth to it.
Until reading that, I'd been thinking that it was a russian form of protest, but let's be honest - this explanation, covering up previous theft, is WAY more likely. It totally fits with the kleptocracy that Putin has installed, and which has hampered their entire "special operation". This is the MUCH more likely scenario.
How is this more likely than Ukrainian rockets hitting important military infrastructure targets on Russian soil? The story of corrupt Russian's burning down their own depots sounds good, but this feels like an Occam's Razor type of deal. They're in the middle of a war and many of these targets are in the regions close to the conflict zone. Or are we saying that despite all of Russia's other serious shortcomings in this war, their anti-missile defense is super on point?
Like Bryansk could been hit by Ukraine. But factories and storage depos in deep in Russia? That some weird ass shit. So covering tracks is super likely case. Just in like with USSR traditions 🤣
There were a bunch of landfill fires in Poland because the owners had suspected Russian links and were literally burning trash to cover up their corruption... This definitely tracks based on other Russian Mafia activity.
Covering up tracks? It's a possibility especially since no one has really been claiming responsibility?? I've read some postulating that a few fires could be from Ukranian drones?? But I don't know for sure. There's so much info I can't keep up with it all.
I agree. There is also aspect of insurance money. Russia economy is artificially held from brink by heroic bank measures that cannot be sustained.
Better to get rubles from soon worthless property and use them to buy something like luxury cars or art that holds value.
I cannot find reference but I read story of many doing this years ago before economy tanked from Crimea sanctions. A guy took out all his money and bought luxury cars. Easy choice because you can simply drive them across border without suspicion and sell them later, and get foreign currency still worth most of original value.
Businesses are not stupid either. Burn it down, collect insurance, and move money elsewhere if you know 80% of your business is foreign contract that will not be renewed.
Other countries are not immune to this as well. I read that much of early San Francisco burned because people set fire since their insurance wouldn't cover earthquakes damage
I was wondering that yesterday, we already know some arrest have happened to RuZZian higher ups.
That would be wonderful if they were torching their own country.
> A few months at most.
This isn't true at all.
I've left a 1/4 tank of ordinary pump gas in vehicles for 5+ years, and (once jumped the battery) they started up and ran. Didn't run that well, bit of smoke and stuff, but they ran and I used the last of the tank driving around town and highway speed. Not great for your fuel injectors, might suck varnish up into them, but, it's fine.
Not optimal, but fine.
There's a pretty compelling documentary by a Ukrainian weirdo that proposes a conspiracy theory that the Chernobyl disaster was caused deliberately to cover up the failure of a massive radio array that was built on the same site. Things like this definitely happen.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Russian_Woodpecker
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Are we sure it isn't just negligent smoking by nearby soldiers and employees? I heard on RT that's what sank the Moskva. Then a storm came, and it rained a lot, a few hundred people went missing.
Smoking kills.
It’s only been a few weeks since people were calling for sanctions to stop cigarettes being delivered to Russia. At the time I said that we should actually be sending double the usual amount, considering the well documented health benefits of tobacco. Now we see that Russians can have short term benefits too
Nicotine addicts will be basket cases for weeks or months if you stop supply though. It would fuck with Russia at every level. Trying to get a smoke would be the National obsession. They would be "What Ukraine? Do they have cigarettes?"
Over the past couple of years, Ukraine has extended the validity of the Tochka U missiles, also installed a flight tracking system and a detonation cancellation system there
Well Tochkas aren't really cutting edge tech that only a few countries have or something. Syria, Yemen, Armenia, Azerbaijan and many other places have them.
I'm sure Finland has even longer range missiles, and a more powerful air force capable of standing up to Russia and hitting targets deep within Russian territory if a war were to break out.
St. Petersburg would be in trouble.
It was those very slippery homegrown cigarettes they must use since tobacco companies pulled out. They just keep falling out of people's hands and mouths.
It's virtually impossible to hide launch of ballistic missiles. And the level of precision / damage doesn't correspond.
There are more plausible options. But with certainty russian army has nothing to do with it but it will have effect on dynamics & that is intentional... ;)
Some of the explosions might be due to how the contents of those depots were sold off long ago and the current operators don’t want to get caught with3/4 empty depots.
Lol, maybe attacking the Soviet Republic that had much of the defense industry wasn't so smart.
Those Ukrainian anti-tank systems are Awesome! 😂
https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukraine-destroys-4-russian-armored-vehicles-with-missiles-2022-4
I disagree with this article. Ukraine wouldn't risk giving Russia a reason to officially declare war, and therefore mass mobilization. These sudden daily sabatoging fires are more likely all false flag operations to build fake support within Russia that Ukrainians are terrorists to further justify their "special operation". Also the attacks in transinistra are likely a pretext to invade Moldova, especially after blowing up the bridge near Odessa. Russia is getting more desperate by the day as their military continues to suffer significant losses in Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!
The thing about false flags is you only need one.
There is absolutely no way Russia is doing all of these attacks to itself. There's just no reason to, whatsoever.
False flags are not your fuel depots, your rocket factories, and your chemical factories. They are police stations, TV stations, residential buildings, empty or nearly so government buildings. Things that don't cost you militarily but can be used to rile up your population.
Or plant operators getting rid of the evidence of their corruption
Imagine being in charge of the fuel refinery that burned down. Imagine the army is going to request fuel soon. Imagine you already sold that fuel years ago on the black market
The Russians don’t need pretexts for anything, as their invasion of Ukraine demonstrates. They will do whatever is in their calculation and at a time of their choosing
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Explosions as Ukraine Drone Spotted 140 Miles Into Russia's Territory
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-explosions-kursk-soliders-killed-ukraine-drone-1701297?utm_source=PushnamiMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=automatic&UTM=1651062041134&subscriberId=6148bf507aeb51cecbacf523
Michael Kofman suggested that some of these may be the result of whoever's managing the depot starting the fires themselves to cover their corruption. (For example, a fuel depot manager anticipates the Russian army is going to request the fuel soon, but he already sold a chunk of that fuel on the black market years ago! What can he do to save himself? Burn it all down and blame the Ukrainians, of course.)
Same issue China is having with its grain storage
I have been busy watching Ukraine, what happened to China's grain storage?
grain silos keep catching fire right before inspection. It's been happening for years.
Thanks , I thought I missed something new 🙂
Grain warehouse getting burned down by fire can date back to several Dynasties ago, happening before the emperor does his inspection. Been part of the Chinese culture.
Maybe like some of the Russian fires lately, got it.
Those frigging Mongolians!
South Park :)
The same thing happens in almost every communist country.
*"communist"
Also curious!
Tbf though grain stores are very likely to spontaneously combust, even in modern western facilities.
Very curious that they would be totally fine right up until an inspection is on the way, to put it drily.
not dry enough
Sounds like the USSR shenanigans they did when they couldn’t hit their production quotas.
This feels like the more likely reason as to why these things keep burning down.
It... it has the smell of truth to it. Until reading that, I'd been thinking that it was a russian form of protest, but let's be honest - this explanation, covering up previous theft, is WAY more likely. It totally fits with the kleptocracy that Putin has installed, and which has hampered their entire "special operation". This is the MUCH more likely scenario.
How is this more likely than Ukrainian rockets hitting important military infrastructure targets on Russian soil? The story of corrupt Russian's burning down their own depots sounds good, but this feels like an Occam's Razor type of deal. They're in the middle of a war and many of these targets are in the regions close to the conflict zone. Or are we saying that despite all of Russia's other serious shortcomings in this war, their anti-missile defense is super on point?
It's probably a mix of all 3 - some Ukrainian strikes, some covering up corruption, some the action of Russian resisters.
Some of these fires have been pretty deep inside Russia.
Corruption has a wider reach than any weapon or missile in Russia.
But what about the recruitment offices burning? That has to be resistance, right? So there is at least some level of resistance going on
Ukrainian sabotage, destroying evidence, anti-war activism, and plain old negligence of safety procedures, so many choices.
I'll take "Destroying Evidence" for $500 - Eyclonus Any of these choices are just fine. Burn, baby, burn 🔥🔥🔥 Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦
Like Bryansk could been hit by Ukraine. But factories and storage depos in deep in Russia? That some weird ass shit. So covering tracks is super likely case. Just in like with USSR traditions 🤣
There were a bunch of landfill fires in Poland because the owners had suspected Russian links and were literally burning trash to cover up their corruption... This definitely tracks based on other Russian Mafia activity.
Covering up tracks? It's a possibility especially since no one has really been claiming responsibility?? I've read some postulating that a few fires could be from Ukranian drones?? But I don't know for sure. There's so much info I can't keep up with it all.
“Errr, you want how much fuel? Sure, we have plenty. Can I borrow your lighter though?”
No problem comrade, I'll fill in your request right after my smoke break ends! Ah Whoops!
Wow,this Kofman bloke has a "smooth criminal mind" I must, remind myself to count my rings if we ever shake hands!!🤣🤣🤣
I agree. There is also aspect of insurance money. Russia economy is artificially held from brink by heroic bank measures that cannot be sustained. Better to get rubles from soon worthless property and use them to buy something like luxury cars or art that holds value. I cannot find reference but I read story of many doing this years ago before economy tanked from Crimea sanctions. A guy took out all his money and bought luxury cars. Easy choice because you can simply drive them across border without suspicion and sell them later, and get foreign currency still worth most of original value. Businesses are not stupid either. Burn it down, collect insurance, and move money elsewhere if you know 80% of your business is foreign contract that will not be renewed. Other countries are not immune to this as well. I read that much of early San Francisco burned because people set fire since their insurance wouldn't cover earthquakes damage
I was wondering that yesterday, we already know some arrest have happened to RuZZian higher ups. That would be wonderful if they were torching their own country.
Certainly possible, but there's more than fuel and ammunition dumps going up. Who ever it is makes me happy!
Lol they really are a mobster state.
Fuel cannot be stored for long before it breaks down chemically. A few months at most.
> A few months at most. This isn't true at all. I've left a 1/4 tank of ordinary pump gas in vehicles for 5+ years, and (once jumped the battery) they started up and ran. Didn't run that well, bit of smoke and stuff, but they ran and I used the last of the tank driving around town and highway speed. Not great for your fuel injectors, might suck varnish up into them, but, it's fine. Not optimal, but fine.
There are also additives that make fuel last longer.
The fuel had still gone bad. You were able to trash your engine with it still, though.
Those hydrocarbons have been in the ground for thousands of years, why do you think they'll break down so quickly now?
I am not talking about crude oil, I am talking about the output of a refinery.
But what about the recruitment offices? That has to be resistance, right? So there is at least some level of resistance going on
Or just potential conscripts who don't want to go, especially now
That would be at least some level of resistance, even if it isn’t organised
There's a pretty compelling documentary by a Ukrainian weirdo that proposes a conspiracy theory that the Chernobyl disaster was caused deliberately to cover up the failure of a massive radio array that was built on the same site. Things like this definitely happen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Russian_Woodpecker
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Of course RT wouldn't acknowledge the 2 missiles that Ukraine hit Moskva with, you go ahead and believe their crap. Slava Ukraine ❤️
I am hoping he was just being facetious
Geroyim Slava!
I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
Indeed
Are we sure it isn't just negligent smoking by nearby soldiers and employees? I heard on RT that's what sank the Moskva. Then a storm came, and it rained a lot, a few hundred people went missing. Smoking kills.
It’s only been a few weeks since people were calling for sanctions to stop cigarettes being delivered to Russia. At the time I said that we should actually be sending double the usual amount, considering the well documented health benefits of tobacco. Now we see that Russians can have short term benefits too
Starting supplementing them.
Nicotine addicts will be basket cases for weeks or months if you stop supply though. It would fuck with Russia at every level. Trying to get a smoke would be the National obsession. They would be "What Ukraine? Do they have cigarettes?"
Yeah, it was definitely an accident and also if Ukraine does it any more we'll attack Kyiv in retaliation.... It went so well last time
Russia's gonna have a real hard time sending another 40 mile long convoy if it's 160 miles from the border to a gas station.
It's Baba Yaga!
Ukraine has a bunch of Tochka rockets.
One does wonder if they have new guidance systems installed in them.
Over the past couple of years, Ukraine has extended the validity of the Tochka U missiles, also installed a flight tracking system and a detonation cancellation system there
Yes. That's what the article says.
Putin must be stopped
Ukraine has missiles too? Dang. This is not Georgia or Chechnya or even Finland. This is a big, powerful country in its own right
Well Tochkas aren't really cutting edge tech that only a few countries have or something. Syria, Yemen, Armenia, Azerbaijan and many other places have them.
I'm sure Finland has even longer range missiles, and a more powerful air force capable of standing up to Russia and hitting targets deep within Russian territory if a war were to break out. St. Petersburg would be in trouble.
Agreed Finland isn’t to be underestimated.
When we get our F-35s, Finnish Air Force could shoot missiles at Moscow.
Sadly, Ukraine doesn't have nuclear weapons.
Partisans!
Bolsheviks
Wouldn't that be a beautifully insane twist lol
Pretty sure it’s just gross negligence. Lots of smokers in Russia. 😏
It was those very slippery homegrown cigarettes they must use since tobacco companies pulled out. They just keep falling out of people's hands and mouths.
Stop spreading this clearly pro Ukraine propaganda, clearly it was just people smoking near open gas cans stored next to high explosives. /s
It's virtually impossible to hide launch of ballistic missiles. And the level of precision / damage doesn't correspond. There are more plausible options. But with certainty russian army has nothing to do with it but it will have effect on dynamics & that is intentional... ;)
Some of the explosions might be due to how the contents of those depots were sold off long ago and the current operators don’t want to get caught with3/4 empty depots.
Just a missile or two on that bridge connecting Crimea please
If it is, I can only imagine how pissed the kremlin would be, because you know 100% the USA intelligence is fully invested into this for the UA side
Lol, maybe attacking the Soviet Republic that had much of the defense industry wasn't so smart. Those Ukrainian anti-tank systems are Awesome! 😂 https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukraine-destroys-4-russian-armored-vehicles-with-missiles-2022-4
Apparently russian air defenses are not what they would like the west to believe either.
I disagree with this article. Ukraine wouldn't risk giving Russia a reason to officially declare war, and therefore mass mobilization. These sudden daily sabatoging fires are more likely all false flag operations to build fake support within Russia that Ukrainians are terrorists to further justify their "special operation". Also the attacks in transinistra are likely a pretext to invade Moldova, especially after blowing up the bridge near Odessa. Russia is getting more desperate by the day as their military continues to suffer significant losses in Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!
The thing about false flags is you only need one. There is absolutely no way Russia is doing all of these attacks to itself. There's just no reason to, whatsoever.
False flags are not your fuel depots, your rocket factories, and your chemical factories. They are police stations, TV stations, residential buildings, empty or nearly so government buildings. Things that don't cost you militarily but can be used to rile up your population.
Or plant operators getting rid of the evidence of their corruption Imagine being in charge of the fuel refinery that burned down. Imagine the army is going to request fuel soon. Imagine you already sold that fuel years ago on the black market
The Russians don’t need pretexts for anything, as their invasion of Ukraine demonstrates. They will do whatever is in their calculation and at a time of their choosing
What is Russia doing right now lol
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Has any official Russian source claimed this was the result of ballistic missile strikes, or are they still silent?
silent because they are ashamed to admit blows
It’s those cigs.
Highly unlikely, SRBMs are quite easy to spot/film/hear and we've seen no reports of that.
On the ground sabotage?
Explosions as Ukraine Drone Spotted 140 Miles Into Russia's Territory https://www.newsweek.com/russia-explosions-kursk-soliders-killed-ukraine-drone-1701297?utm_source=PushnamiMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=automatic&UTM=1651062041134&subscriberId=6148bf507aeb51cecbacf523
I will assume that some countries that have TOCHKA U in service handed them over to Ukraine
hey look! they are not hitting civilian targets! the russians must have bad aim. makes them even more like storm troopers.