Let them can the gas. We will happily export to the EU.

Ryuu96 said: BREAKING: Russia will cut off gas to other buyers who don’t pay Rubles, Kremlin says — Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 27, 2022 Gazprom's announcement is another attempt by Russia to blackmail us with gas. We are prepared for this scenario. We are mapping out our coordinated EU response. Europeans can trust that we stand united and in solidarity with the Member States impacted. — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 27, 2022 It comes as no surprise that the Kremlin uses fossil fuels to blackmail us. This is something the @EU_Commission has been preparing for, with Member States and international partners. Our response will be immediate, united and coordinated. https://t.co/hUc7DzGfd5 — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 27, 2022

Now that's weird, Russian oil and Gaz dependence is the only thing that prevent complete Russian isolation. Now Russia is providing EU members with more reasons to ditch them.

Either Russia thinks EU is so dependent on it's resource they will be force into submission which is unlikely or they actually want them to isolate Russia maybe in a way to further escalate this conflict? Or maybe it is just an attempt at market manipulation in a bid to send oil and Gaz price further up before a last second reverse on the decision allowing EU to buy in euro at a higher price?

In all case we can be certain that

1. Russia is desperate
2. everyone should brace (but especially EU citizen) for even higher energy cost

Ryuu96 said: Transnistria has stopped all men of fighting age from leaving its territory Moldova views this move as a concerning escalation — Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) April 28, 2022

 seriously, what is the plan here? Surely the most obvious move is for Transnistria to invade Ukraine, but the Russian garrison there is tiny and even using Transnistrian troops their numbers won’t amount to much. Russia can’t reinforce the area as it has not connecting land border. Amphibious landings in that area seem unlikely as well. The most logical play is it forces Ukraine to pull troops from elsewhere to defend its western border, but there could be a twist to that.

Also if Transnistria is used to attack Ukraine then surely Moldova immediately attack Transnistria under the justification that its illegally occupied territory is being used as a staging ground for an illegal war of aggression. Ok, Moldova doesn’t have much of an army itself but against a small Transnistrian force even it might make some headway, particularly as it would mean Transnistria fighting a war on two fronts.

SecondWar said:  seriously, what is the plan here?

Pretty obvious, isn't it? Moldovia has always been next in the list. It is Transnistria cannon fodder + Russia vs. Moldovia, and that won't take much.

Russia better make their mind if they want to speak Chinese or be a normal European nation for once. The death throes of their imperial ambitions and their superiority-inferiority complex have tired the entire world already.

Ryuu96 said: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Jewishness does not negate his Nazism says Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. Adolf Hitler also "had Jewish blood." https://t.co/WMDyTb8qDw — Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) May 1, 2022 Some printed newspaper from the future (May02) with articles about "Ukrainian terror attacks" on Transnistria which killed "dozens," saying that some attackers were killed and they had "tattoos showing their affiliation to ZSU and nationalist battalions".#propaganda https://t.co/YJN4jiir7w pic.twitter.com/7jlpHLgHWK — English Luhansk (@loogunda) May 1, 2022

Tweet 1 - This feels like it has gone past just propaganda now. Have they gone so deep now that they’re warped enough to believe their own nonsense.

Tweet 2 - Well that date is today feels like something has gone wrong there. It would suggest the attacks had already happened but the (likely staged by Russia) attacks on those telecoms towers didn’t have corresponding casualties. Does feel like Russia is trying to up the ante

When you are selling a story, as we have seen, truth matters little. You just continue to sell the story. As long as you produce doubt then you have achieved your goal. This is how propaganda works as Russia isn't really concerned about what the rest of the world thinks as long as they can continue to lead their country on the path Putin has set.

SecondWar said: Tweet 1 - This feels like it has gone past just propaganda now. Have they gone so deep now that they’re warped enough to believe their own nonsense. Tweet 2 - Well that date is today feels like something has gone wrong there. It would suggest the attacks had already happened but the (likely staged by Russia) attacks on those telecoms towers didn’t have corresponding casualties. Does feel like Russia is trying to up the ante

Tweet 1 they have been spinning that shit since WW2 ended. It was propaganda they tried to brainwash kids with in the USSR.

These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of May 2, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/4vVg3NWD5P

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 2, 2022

Compared to last week.
+1900 Troops
+13 Planes
+1 Helicopters
+164 Tanks
+48 Artillery
+261 personnel carriers (now label as APV)
+3 MLRS
+11 Anti-aircraft
+70 UAV
+10 Special equipments
+82 Vehicules/fuel tanks (now combined)
+84 Cruise missiles (new)

Key takeaways:
That are some impressive number across the board. Many are (I believe) all time highs. It seems Russia is still failing to find a coherent strategy and are just trying to overwhelm Ukraine defense.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61301238

A kind of irrelevance to the actual warzone but I find it important in isolating Russia as a pariah state. Confirmed exclusion from forthcoming Uefa tournaments including the Women’s Euro, Nations League and next year’s Champions League.