Weekly megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - December 15

In tiny news: apparently the supply of Pringles is dwindling in Russia, with no further deliveries expected.

I'm surprised to only hear of it now. During my last days in Saint Peterburg, all I'd seen on the shelves were Lay's Stax (aka Pringles wannabe). This feels like Coke/Pepsi dichotomy: after the start of the war, there was still some Pepsi left after all of Coca-Cola was gone in stores. Clearly one is viewed more preferably than the other, in this situation.

I'm also surprised that it took that long.

That said... I wonder just when would people finally realize just how fucked their collective standing in the world is. A lot of popular international services cut ties with Russia soon after Feb 24; a lot more have done it since. Customary Western products have been steadily yet obviously disappearing: food, clothes, personal hygiene... Their "international" debit and credit cards are no longer usable outside of their own country, and even their "russha stronk" banking system (Mir, "Мир" – ironically, the word for both "peace" and "world") is being done away with in the "near abroad" (think former Soviet Union states and Turkey).

Sadly, I don't think a lot of people over 40 give a shit. They'd gotten used to living in a terribly-run country that is modern Russia; "the devil you know" and all that. (The youth, though... Single-person protests remain a thing still, this many months into the expansion of the police state. A lot of people left – mostly men, at this point, but I've seen at least one young woman in the "Russians Against War" t-shirt, and a fair few more with Ukrainian flags somewhere on their persons.)

(There's also something to be said about the meteoric rise in the Dark Triad traits across the country, what with so many people of all ages actively supporting the war as long as it doesn't touch them personally, but that's a topic of a different conversation.)

You can still get quality fast food in Russia. Russia's wrestled and bullied its way into maintaining the presence of several international brands – or rather, their local subsidiaries acting under said brands – so it feels like even though "everybody is against us", at least you can forget about it for a minute by stuffing your face with food you berate in public in the first place. Burger King was active all the way through the war, and the Russian branch of KFC has only recently gone off to sell their assets in the country and allow for a rebranding into a deceased Russian brand. There are also a few good local brands, so it's not like all is gone: just most things are.

Anyway: no more Pringles in Russia. The biggest casualty of the war. /s

Not 100% about the invasion, but anyone watched the David Letterman - Volodymyr Zelenskyy interview on Netflix yet?

Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky visits front-line city of Bakhmut (BBC)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made an unannounced visit to the front-line city of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian and Russian forces have fought a fierce, months-long battle.

He met troops and handed out awards to soldiers, the presidency said.

For months, Bakhmut has been a key target for Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region, and has been extremely badly damaged.

However, Ukrainian forces have been able to hold back the advance.

The visit is a significant show of defiance - and a demonstration of support for Ukrainian forces engaged in some of the fiercest battles in recent weeks.

US to send $1.8 billion in aid, Patriot battery, to Ukraine (AP)

The U.S. will send $1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine in a massive package that will for the first time include a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for their fighter jets, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as the Biden administration prepares to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington.

U.S. officials described details of the aid on condition of anonymity because it has not yet been announced. The aid signals an expansion by the U.S. in the kinds of advanced weaponry it will send to Ukraine to bolster the country’s air defenses against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missile strikes.

The package, which was expected to be announced Wednesday, will include about $1 billion in weapons from Pentagon stocks and another $800 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds weapons, ammunition, training and other assistance, officials said.

The aid comes as Congress is poised to approve another $44.9 billion in assistance for Ukraine as part of a massive spending bill. That would ensure that U.S. support will continue next year and beyond as Republicans take control of the House in January. Some GOP lawmakers have expressed wariness about the assistance.

It’s not clear exactly when the Patriot would arrive on the front lines in Ukraine, since U.S. troops will have to train Ukrainian forces on how to use the high-tech system. The training could take several weeks, and is expected to be done at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. To date, all training of Ukraine forces by the U.S. and the West has taken place in European countries.

Also included in the package will be an undisclosed number of Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, or JDAMs, officials said. The kits will be used to modify massive bombs by adding tail fins and precision navigation systems so that rather than being simply dropped from a fighter jet onto a target, they can be released and guided to a target.

U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft use the JDAMs, and the Pentagon has been working to modify them so they can be used by Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky Is Headed to Washington, D.C.
https://news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-president-volodymr-zelensky-headed-225507635.html

In what will be his first foreign trip since Russia invaded his country, Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky is expected in Washington, D.C. late Wednesday to address a joint session of Congress.

Zelensky’s surprise visit will be his first in the U.S. since September 2021, when the focus was on how former President Donald Trump had leaned on him to investigate current President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine. It is also his first foreign visit anywhere since Russia invaded his country some 300 days ago.

In February of this year, very few people thought Ukraine would withstand the Russian invasion for more than a few days. Now here were are 300 days later, and in the next day or two (if not already) Russia will have recorded 100,000 deaths.