Russia-Ukraine War

[Kung Wu]

Putin is saying the sanction the world is taking against Russia constitutes an act of war. Therefore they are contemplating responding with Cyber Attacks on the West.

So my question would be this - if Russia decided to conduct cyber attacks against our electric grid this next week when a pretty large polar vortex may impact a large portion of the United States. There could be some stress put on the power grid just by the polar vortex (especially in Texas), combine that with a cyber attack it could cause cascading failure to occur.

How should the U.S. respond if there is a substantial cyber attack that takes down critical infrastructure?

Don't worry about it, the electric companies have contracts with Indian tech support firms who will walk them through rebooting the power plants.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Putin is saying the sanction the world is taking against Russia constitutes an act of war. Therefore they are contemplating responding with Cyber Attacks on the West.

So my question would be this - if Russia decided to conduct cyber attacks against our electric grid this next week when a pretty large polar vortex may impact a large portion of the United States. There could be some stress put on the power grid just by the polar vortex (especially in Texas), combine that with a cyber attack it could cause cascading failure to occur.

How should the U.S. respond if there is a substantial cyber attack that takes down critical infrastructure?

I would say that if we're vulnerable to Slav hacking as the founding fathers of... well... everything technological, then we deserve what we get. Our country should be on red alert in every way known to man.

But to answer your question: if they break through,.... more sanctions!

We certainly can't start firing missiles. We need U.S. Nerds to be on their game and ready to pwn.

[N Crestway]

If Russian armed forces aren't savaged in the Ukraine then maybe they move on to the NATO Baltic republics which NATO cannot effectively defend with the forces it has in place right now. Not a pleasant scenario going forward because the fall of the Ukraine could just be the beginning. I suspect that NATO would have some problem with defending a line running from Poland through Romania due to how hollowed out European ground forces have become over the last 30 years, and that fact is probably limiting the NATO response to what is taking place in the Ukraine. NATO can probably dominate in a war in the air, so there is that...

[wufan]

Putin is saying the sanction the world is taking against Russia constitutes an act of war. Therefore they are contemplating responding with Cyber Attacks on the West.

So my question would be this - if Russia decided to conduct cyber attacks against our electric grid this next week when a pretty large polar vortex may impact a large portion of the United States. There could be some stress put on the power grid just by the polar vortex (especially in Texas), combine that with a cyber attack it could cause cascading failure to occur.

How should the U.S. respond if there is a substantial cyber attack that takes down critical infrastructure?

In kind maybe? I don’t like that though as we hurt the Russian people with sanctions and this would further impact the Russian people. If you’re going to fight a proxy war, it probably needs to be with weapons.

[AZ Shocker]

Don't worry about it, the electric companies have contracts with Indian tech support firms who will walk them through rebooting the power plants.

Just unplug it. Wait 10 seconds then plug it back in.

[1972Shocker]

Will Biden Betray Ukraine and NATO by Lifting Sanctions to Get Putin's Help With a New Iran Nuclear Deal?

https://redstate.com/streiff/2022/03/05/will-biden-betray-ukraine-and-nato-by-lifting-sanctions-to-get-putins-help-with-a-new-iran-nuclear-deal-n532113

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian cooperation in brokering a new Iran Nuclear Deal was linked to removing sanctions imposed on Russia since its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov said Russia wanted a written guarantee from the United States that Russia’s trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions.

“We want an answer – a very clear answer – we need a guarantee that these sanctions will not in any way touch the regime of trade-economic and investment relations which is laid down in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” Lavrov said.

Just as in the initial Iran Nuclear Deal, the Biden junta negotiating Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon is using Russia as an interlocutor with Iran. This is presumably because we and Iran both trust Russia to be an honest broker (yes, I am laughing).

With Lavrov’s declaration, it is clear that Putin foreshadowed what was coming in his speech yesterday (see Vladimir Putin Makes Bizarre and Desperate Appeal for ‘Normalized Relations’ and the End of Sanctions).

It would not be a shock, given the behavior of Biden and his entourage, to wake up tomorrow and find that Biden has lifted sanctions on Russia because I think he and his State Department are so obsessed with a new Iran Nuclear Deal that they’d willingly sandbag our European allies to make that happen.

---

I would never say never when it comes to what the Biden Adminstration might do but I really can't imagine they would do something like this at this time.

[1972Shocker]

Latest Shoe Is a Big One to Drop on Russia, but Joe Biden Is Still Holding Back

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/03/06/latest-shoe-is-a-big-one-to-drop-on-russia-but-joe-biden-is-still-holding-back-n532341

Mastercard and Visa to suspend all operations in Russia.

Russia is about to go back to an all-cash system.

This was one of the things that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had asked for during his virtual meeting with members of Congress on Saturday. He also told them that had the Biden Administration “started sanctions months ago, there would not have been war.”

But it’s not just Mastercard and VISA, it’s a long list of companies cutting Russia off. Payoneer, Paypal, Adobe suspend operations in Russia.

Yet, while people are going so far as to ban cats and cutting opera singers, the Biden Administration is still buying Russian oil while cutting our ability. They’re still using a Russian negotiator in what is sure to be yet another horrible Biden mistake: coming to a new Iran nuclear deal which, as we reported, is very close (and very awful).

[wufan]

Latest Shoe Is a Big One to Drop on Russia, but Joe Biden Is Still Holding Back

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022...g-back-n532341

Mastercard and Visa to suspend all operations in Russia.

Russia is about to go back to an all-cash system.

This was one of the things that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had asked for during his virtual meeting with members of Congress on Saturday. He also told them that had the Biden Administration “started sanctions months ago, there would not have been war.”

But it’s not just Mastercard and VISA, it’s a long list of companies cutting Russia off. Payoneer, Paypal, Adobe suspend operations in Russia.

Yet, while people are going so far as to ban cats and cutting opera singers, the Biden Administration is still buying Russian oil while cutting our ability. They’re still using a Russian negotiator in what is sure to be yet another horrible Biden mistake: coming to a new Iran nuclear deal which, as we reported, is very close (and very awful).

When considering the Canadian gov suspending the accounts of anti-vax mandate protestors, does anyone else see these measures as particularly terrifying?

[wufan]

NM

[pinstripers]

Latest Shoe Is a Big One to Drop on Russia, but Joe Biden Is Still Holding Back

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/03/06/latest-shoe-is-a-big-one-to-drop-on-russia-but-joe-biden-is-still-holding-back-n532341

Mastercard and Visa to suspend all operations in Russia.

Russia is about to go back to an all-cash system.

This was one of the things that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had asked for during his virtual meeting with members of Congress on Saturday. He also told them that had the Biden Administration “started sanctions months ago, there would not have been war.”

But it’s not just Mastercard and VISA, it’s a long list of companies cutting Russia off. Payoneer, Paypal, Adobe suspend operations in Russia.

Yet, while people are going so far as to ban cats and cutting opera singers, the Biden Administration is still buying Russian oil while cutting our ability. They’re still using a Russian negotiator in what is sure to be yet another horrible Biden mistake: coming to a new Iran nuclear deal which, as we reported, is very close (and very awful).

Joe is gettin paid

[1972Shocker]

When considering the Canadian gov suspending the accounts of anti-vax mandate protestors, does anyone else see these measures as particularly terrifying?

Clearly the world is in a bad place right now and trending to a worse place. And the United States is far from imune to any of it. In fact, we are in the process of committing national suicide.

Also, it is not like Putin doesn't have some significant tools at his disposal including Russia's nuclear weapons in addition to its oil and gas producition and reserves. There are other retaliatory cards that Putin, supported by China, can and will deploy. While Russia is one of the world's largest producers and suppliers of fossil fuels it is the world's largest supplier of fertilizer. The mother's milk of modern, high-yield agriculture. The Russians just announced that they are suspending all exportation of fertilizers. In addition, Ukraine is one of the leading exporters of wheat, corn and other critical food items, the export of which looks to be controlled by Russia.

With a $31 trillion deficit, with more be added daily and more huge spending being promoted by the Biden administration, and double digit inflation already upon us we may very well be heading towards $10 a gallon gasoline and a doubling of food prices. Whether a debiltating recession or depression hits us before that happens remains to be seen.

The most important thing though is that we extinguish systemic racism by classifying everyone by their skin collor and learn everyone's preferred pronouns so as not to offend anyone with a micro-aggression. If we can do that, than we'll solve all our problems.

[pinstripers]

we are fukked

[wufan]

Clearly the world is in a bad place right now and trending to a worse place. And the United States is far from imune to any of it. In fact, we are in the process of committing national suicide.

Also, it is not like Putin doesn't have some significant tools at his disposal including Russia's nuclear weapons in addition to its oil and gas producition and reserves. There are other retaliatory cards that Putin, supported by China, can and will deploy. While Russia is one of the world's largest producers and suppliers of fossil fuels it is the world's largest supplier of fertilizer. The mother's milk of modern, high-yield agriculture. The Russians just announced that they are suspending all exportation of fertilizers. In addition, Ukraine is one of the leading exporters of wheat, corn and other critical food items, the export of which looks to be controlled by Russia.

With a $31 trillion deficit, with more be added daily and more huge spending being promoted by the Biden administration, and double digit inflation already upon us we may very well be heading towards $10 a gallon gasoline and a doubling of food prices. Whether a debiltating recession or depression hits us before that happens remains to be seen.

The most important thing though is that we extinguish systemic racism by classifying everyone by their skin collor and learn everyone's preferred pronouns so as not to offend anyone with a micro-aggression. If we can do that, than we'll solve all our problems.

My specific concern here is that the full force of the social credit system has been unleashed as a demonstration of its capabilities. It’s only a matter of time before the political class unleashes this weapon on its domestic enemies in a profound and widespread fashion.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Poland is REALLY pissing off the Ruskies right now LOL! Love em! We look like geniuses supporting and building them up over the years. Would you believe we have F15/16's and F22's over there? ;)

P.S. Do you think we could pause on the ReD StAtE propaganda bullshit for just a few seconds please? Much of the conversation in this thread has been refreshingly non-political.

BiDeN is WeAk! BiDeN is WeAk! We KNOW already!111

And the people with half a brain understand CLEARLY that Joe ain't runnin' ****. Everything we are doing is by committee, deferring to our geopolitical and military experts. And that's not a bad thing. We still have the same toys we had in the previous administration.

[C0|dB|00ded]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/06/russ...t-updates.html

U.S. considering Russian oil, natural gas import ban; second attempt at cease-fire in Mariupol fails

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and its allies are considering banning Russian oil and natural gas imports in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine during an interview on Sunday.

“We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil on world markets,” he said. “That’s a very active discussion as we speak.”

Oh boy! Can't wait to look at the futures market at 6ET. I'm guessing there will be a "tiny" gap lol.

If you'd like to protect yourself (or benefit) from what's to come, you can purchase a /CL contract. If that's too much risk or you can't make the margin, the micros (/MCL -- 1/10th value) are available.

Oh, and you'll want to be long, not short. ;)

Heads up! Contract rollover day is this Thurs. You will NOT want to be holding the March contract past then. It expires on the 18th, that is when you will be expected to take delivery of your oil (1000 bbls/contract), and write a check for 1000 x the current price of WTI crude.

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P.S. Just think, only two years ago (in the beginning of the pandemic), oil was less than free if you would only drive down and pick it up. Yes, traders would pay you to take delivery of the oil in their contracts. Where's a couple dozen empty tanker trucks when you need 'em!. Each truck can hold about 190 bbls of oil.