If I had to take a wild guess out of the blue, Ukraine will end before or shortly after Jan 20. Another wild one, we'll hear a lot less out of Iran. If either of these turn out to be true the neocons heads will explode.

Iran is already feeling heat.

https://apnews.com/article/ira...4f51c5c3f2a7735804fc

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
Can you imagine a peace deal before he is even in office?

Sploding heads everywhere

And when that happens, the fucking Nobel Peace Prize Committee will be forced to award it to President elect Trump.

Volodymyr Zelensky faces a power struggle in 2025

As morale ebbs in Ukraine there is talk of a change at the top

https://archive.ph/9RKC4

ALMOST EVERY day in Kyiv, there is a moment when the war makes a loud entrance in town. This is when the funeral processions appear, rolling down main arteries into Khreshchatyk, the capital’s central thoroughfare. Traffic grinds to a halt. A tannoy broadcasts the fallen soldiers’ stories over rousing, patriotic music. The columns then make their way to Independence Square, site of Ukraine’s many past revolutions. Comrades light flares and say their goodbyes. They plant Ukrainian flags into flower beds that have long become fields of fabric, yellow and blue. In recent days, as Russia’s offensive in the Donbas ramps up, the ceremonies have become more frequent.

The rest of the day, life in the city reverts to normal. Shops function, the restaurants serve food and the politicians gossip. The talk is now all about Donald Trump and the waiting game. Will his new administration tilt Ukraine’s way or Russia’s? Can he impose a ceasefire? Will elections follow? For now, there are two dates on Kyiv politicos’ lips: January 20th 2025, the date of Mr Trump’s inauguration, the first moment for any possible ceasefire and lifting of military law, and May 25th, the earliest mooted date for an election.

ALMOST EVERY day in Kyiv, there is a moment when the war makes a loud entrance in town. This is when the funeral processions appear, rolling down main arteries into Khreshchatyk, the capital’s central thoroughfare. Traffic grinds to a halt. A tannoy broadcasts the fallen soldiers’ stories over rousing, patriotic music. The columns then make their way to Independence Square, site of Ukraine’s many past revolutions. Comrades light flares and say their goodbyes. They plant Ukrainian flags into flower beds that have long become fields of fabric, yellow and blue. In recent days, as Russia’s offensive in the Donbas ramps up, the ceremonies have become more frequent.

The rest of the day, life in the city reverts to normal. Shops function, the restaurants serve food and the politicians gossip. The talk is now all about Donald Trump and the waiting game. Will his new administration tilt Ukraine’s way or Russia’s? Can he impose a ceasefire? Will elections follow? For now, there are two dates on Kyiv politicos’ lips: January 20th 2025, the date of Mr Trump’s inauguration, the first moment for any possible ceasefire and lifting of military law, and May 25th, the earliest mooted date for an election.


The presidential office denies it is preparing for a vote. Most sources remain sceptical that it will happen. It is not the first time the capital has been awash with rumour. There are issues of organisation and legitimacy: how can a splintered nation at war hold elections? The country also has yet to endure what many assume will be a difficult winter. “Engaging in electioneering right now would be suicidal,” says Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak, an opposition MP.

Still, some groundwork appears to have begun. Regional election headquarters are mobilising, and work on candidate lists is beginning. The representatives of one likely presidential rival to Volodymyr Zelensky say that Ukraine needs elections; but they worry about making a public statement to this effect, fearing a fierce backlash from the presidential office.

If elections were held tomorrow, Mr Zelensky would struggle to repeat the success of the landslide win he secured in 2019. Nearly three years into the Russian invasion, he is no longer seen as the undisputed war leader he once was. Internal polling seen by The Economist suggests he would fare badly in a run-off against Valery Zaluzhny, the other wartime hero. The former commander-in-chief was dispatched to be ambassador to Britain after falling out with the president last year. He has not made his political ambitions clear yet, though many are urging him to run.

The president fares better when pitched against other opposition figures, some of whom are actively disliked. But a former colleague of the president says his best move might be to step aside regardless, and keep to his original promise only to serve one term. “Zelensky has only one way out to get out with an intact reputation,” this source says. “That is to run elections [without him] and go down in history as the man who united the nation in war.” The alternative is to risk being associated with a military collapse or an incomplete peace.

The deteriorating situation on the front lines is already rippling through society. Dmytro Povorotny, a military chaplain, sees it in the new soldiers he speaks to. “There are a lot of unmotivated men. They are fighting because that’s the only way they stay alive.” The army is censoring the most negative news to avoid fanning flames back home, he says. A senior military official agrees. Even Mr Zelensky is being shielded from the truth. “It’s not even that he’s being kept in a warm bath,” the source says, using a local idiom to suggest the president was being cocooned by his top officials. “He’s being kept in a sauna.”

As Mr Trump’s presidency looms, Ukraine braces for change; that is the one thing they are sure will happen. On other points officials are less confident. They have taken some heart from the news that Mr Trump is set to appoint two relative hawks to important foreign-policy roles—Marco Rubio as secretary of state, and Mike Waltz, as national security adviser; but they were disturbed when he announced there would be no place for a former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, seen as more sympathetic. “A very negative development,” says one senior security official. The worry now is that Mr Trump’s offer to Ukraine will come to resemble something closer to ideas put forward by J.D. Vance, the incoming vice-president. These would essentially rule out NATO membership, while allowing Russia to keep the 18% of Ukraine’s territory that it currently occupies.

For all the talk in Kyiv and other capitals about an end to war, most of those who spend time on the front lines understand that a lot of fighting is still to be done. Vladimir Putin holds the initiative, and it looks unlikely that he would offer a ceasefire until several battles are resolved. In Kurakhove, Russian forces are outnumbering Ukrainian forces by at least six to one, and a Ukrainian retreat seems inevitable soon. Ukraine is on the back foot in the Kursk region it in turn occupies, where Russia is trying to push its soldiers out with the assistance of thousands of North Korean troops. Fighting is also beginning in Zaporizhia province for what Ukrainian intelligence believes will be an assault on the provincial capital, an important industrial hub. “You’ve got to work within reality,” says Father Povorotny. “You can’t tell war to stop and wait.”

quote:

But a former colleague of the president says his best move might be to step aside regardless, and keep to his original promise only to serve one term. “Zelensky has only one way out to get out with an intact reputation,” this source says. “That is to run elections [without him] and go down in history as the man who united the nation in war.” The alternative is to risk being associated with a military collapse or an incomplete peace.

I'd go a step further: Zelensky will be gone in 2025, one way or the other.
The only way he gets out alive is to call for elections.

quote:

But a former colleague of the president says his best move might be to step aside regardless, and keep to his original promise only to serve one term. “Zelensky has only one way out to get out with an intact reputation,” this source says. “That is to run elections [without him] and go down in history as the man who united the nation in war.” The alternative is to risk being associated with a military collapse or an incomplete peace.

I'd go a step further: Zelensky will be gone in 2025, one way or the other.
The only way he gets out alive is to call for elections.[/QUOTE]

He can always go back to his old gig as a drag queen with all the stolen US Taxpayer money.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

I'd go a step further: Zelensky will be gone in 2025, one way or the other.

I don't think he's even going to make it to 2025, one of his own people is going to whack him very soon.

https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1857116505239855439

Blinken is disgusting. It's likely legal, with enough money everything is, but it's akin to getting kicked out of a bar and wrecking the joint on the way out. Low class.

I don't think this is going to win him the friends he thinks it will though, except for clown prince, Zielinski.

What is the best source for progress analysis and casualty numbers in this war, friends from Sig Forum?

quote:

Originally posted by Steyn:
What is the best source for progress analysis and casualty numbers in this war, friends from Sig Forum?

Look up this guy on Twitter, he seems to have a lot of very down-in-the-mud reporting and stuff:

Trent Telenko

@TrentTelenko

quote:

Originally posted by Steyn:
What is the best source for progress analysis and casualty numbers in this war, friends from Sig Forum?

That's the freaking problem with that quagmire. We are getting at best estimates from Ukraine and Russia, two shithole corrupt governments. It has been somewhat "reliably" reported that Ukraine is now drafting (rounding them up) military aged males 40 years old and above while N Korea is sending in troops for Russia. President Trump, please get us out of there.

Para, your post made my day. Really good news.

The world will change with President Trump in office and the globalists are going bat shit. Too damn bad!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...er-Donald-Trump.html

Zelensky says Ukraine war 'will end sooner' now Donald Trump is US President - and says 'we must ensure the war ends this year'

The president of Ukraine Volodymr Zelensky has said that the Ukrainian war 'will end sooner' following the election of President-elect Donald Trump.

President Zelensky and Trump spoke on the phone last week where he said the pair had a 'constructive exchange' following Trump's landlslide victory in the recent US election.

The president-elect said throughout his election run that he would end the war 'within 24 hours', without detailing any plan to achieve this, raising concerns that he could push for a hasty ceasefire.

[More at link]

Biden escalating the war since the Democrats lost the election. Going to be a dangerous time between now and Jan 20th


Biden allows Ukraine to use US arms to strike inside Russia November 17, 2024

https://www.reuters.com/world/...e-russia-2024-11-17/

President Joe Biden's administration will allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, three sources familiar with the matter said, in a significant change to Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The White House declined to comment.

The move by the United States two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 follows months of requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to allow Ukraine's military to use U.S. weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its border.

The change follows Russia's deployment of North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces, a development that has caused alarm in Washington and Kyiv.

The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to the sources.

While some U.S. officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range strikes will change the war's overall trajectory, the decision could help Ukraine at a moment when Russian forces are making gains and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks happen.

It is not clear if Trump will reverse Biden's decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the scale of U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

Still, some congressional Republicans have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use U.S.-provided weapons.
Russia has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons as a major escalation.


Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike inside Russia:

Vladimir Putin has said such escalations would be an act of war

https://www.foxnews.com/politi...inside-russia-report

Ukraine Launches First ATACMS Strike On Russia, Sending Markets Reeling Amid WW3 Fears

About a day after President Biden authorized Ukraine to use the long-range US-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System to strike deeper into Russian territory, a new report suggests that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have hit a military installation in the western Bryansk region. This comes after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine was changed and signed by President Vladimir Putin, indicating "the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response."

"For the first time, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck Russian territory with ATACMS ballistic missiles," RBC Ukraine news agency reported Tuesday.

RBC Ukraine said the military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region was successfully hit with ATACMS. This location was about 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the border with Ukraine.



"Indeed, for the first time, we used ATACMS to strike Russian territory. The strike was carried out against a facility in the Bryansk region, and it was successfully hit," one source told the local media outlet.

Separately, media outlet Kyiv Post stated the 67th arsenal of the Main Directorate of the Missile and Artillery Directorate of Russia was hit. The facility reportedly had large stockpiles of anti-aircraft missiles, munitions for multiple launch rocket systems, artillery ammunition, and guided bombs, much of which was supplied by North Korea.

Kyiv Post noted:

Russian media sources, including residents on social networks, reported explosions coming from within the Karachev district, and suggesting that a "military base" was being attacked. The Russian Astra Telegram channel shared videos of the incident, while local reports said that there had been strikes on this arsenal in late 2023 and again in June and October this year.

Bloomberg revealed more details about the attack:

Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Ukrainian armed forces launched a strike with US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles at a military object in Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, Interfax reports.

5 missiles were shot down, 1 damaged; no casualties reported
Missile debris caused fire in a military installation
Here's alleged footage of the strike:



Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin signed new changes to Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine.

Peskov said the new modifications signify "the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response."

Peskov's comments were made shortly after President Biden approved Ukraine's use of ATACMS against military targets deep inside Russia.

In markets, US equity futures and European equities fell on the news.

"The market reaction is logical, one could feel already yesterday that the tension, was rising," said Andrea Tueni, head of sales trading at Saxo Banque France, who was quoted by Bloomberg, adding, "For the moment the market reaction is contained, some are still in a wait-and see- mode."

Even though the Russian leader warned the US and its European allies against using ATACMS against Russian military facilities within its borders, which could spark a direct conflict, the Biden-Harris team of warmongers and the Europeans continued pushing the world closer to World War III.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. views this ultra-dangerous ploy by the lame-duck Biden administration as a move by radical far-left Democrats in the White House to push the world dangerously closer to WW3 before his father takes office.

"The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives," he said on X Sunday.

The Biden regime is like the tenant that just got evicted and is going to trash and burn the place on the way out.

I really pray to God that Trump is working behind the scenes to tell Biden's handlers to knock this shit off ASAP before we do end up in a shooting war with a nuclear armed Russia.