"It’s clear Trump’s plan to take control of the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t well thought out."

[eagle1462010]

"Famous last words", volume II. Right after the "Russian economy completely in tatters since 2015".

The economy took down the USSR

 

[Zavulon]

The economy took down the USSR

Not only economy. Economy and lack of the common enemy. Soviet Republics were mostly united by the pressure of the foreign enemies. After making more or less reliable peace, the usefulness of the Union significantly decreased.
And, by the way, economy took down the Good Old USA, too.

I mean modern Russian Federation has much more common - industrially, culturally, linguistically, biologically, may be even politically, with Russian Soviet Federal Socialistic Republic of 1976 than modern USA has with the USA-1976.

 

[toomuchtime_]

"Famous last words", volume II. Right after the "Russian economy completely in tatters since 2015".

AI Overview



By early 2026, the Russian economy is showing severe, deepening structural strains, with GDP contracting 1.8% in the first two months, prompting warnings from officials of a potential banking crisis. High interest rates, massive labor shortages (estimated at 1 million+ missing workers), and soaring inflation—driven by defense overspending—have led to high-profile commercial payment failures and stagnating consumer sectors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Indicators of Economic Strain:

• Impending Financial Crisis: Russian officials warned of a potential banking crisis by summer 2026 as nonpayments of commercial bills reached a record high of \(\$109\) billion in January.
• Inflation & Rates: High inflation and interest rates have triggered severe debt accumulation, with credit card rates topping 50% and mortgage markets freezing, as reported in studies highlighted by Reddit and UNITED24 Media.
• Labor Scarcity: A significant workforce shortage has caused wages to rise faster than productivity, a dynamic highlighting structural, not productive, growth.
• Declining Revenue: Energy revenues have dropped to roughly 25% of the federal budget (from 40% in 2022), and budget deficits are rising.
• Production Woes: While military production has sustained some output, key sectors like steel and construction face a crisis, with some military factory production stalling by 2025.
• Consumer Strain: Rising prices for staples, including a 167% rise in potato prices, are hurting household purchasing power. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

See more on this discussion from Reddit users here.
The Kremlin is reportedly navigating a "death zone" where high defense spending is required for the war, yet this spending is feeding severe inflation and exhausting the financial system, resulting in a reliance on tax hikes and selling gold. [1, 2, 3]

 

[Zavulon]

AI Overview



By early 2026, the Russian economy is showing severe, deepening structural strains, with GDP contracting 1.8% in the first two months, prompting warnings from officials of a potential banking crisis. High interest rates, massive labor shortages (estimated at 1 million+ missing workers), and soaring inflation—driven by defense overspending—have led to high-profile commercial payment failures and stagnating consumer sectors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Indicators of Economic Strain:

• Impending Financial Crisis: Russian officials warned of a potential banking crisis by summer 2026 as nonpayments of commercial bills reached a record high of \(\$109\) billion in January.
• Inflation & Rates: High inflation and interest rates have triggered severe debt accumulation, with credit card rates topping 50% and mortgage markets freezing, as reported in studies highlighted by Reddit and UNITED24 Media.
• Labor Scarcity: A significant workforce shortage has caused wages to rise faster than productivity, a dynamic highlighting structural, not productive, growth.
• Declining Revenue: Energy revenues have dropped to roughly 25% of the federal budget (from 40% in 2022), and budget deficits are rising.
• Production Woes: While military production has sustained some output, key sectors like steel and construction face a crisis, with some military factory production stalling by 2025.
• Consumer Strain: Rising prices for staples, including a 167% rise in potato prices, are hurting household purchasing power. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

See more on this discussion from Reddit users here.
The Kremlin is reportedly navigating a "death zone" where high defense spending is required for the war, yet this spending is feeding severe inflation and exhausting the financial system, resulting in a reliance on tax hikes and selling gold. [1, 2, 3]

C'mon. AI isn't thinking. It's just serving you a cocktail of obvious propaganda and political rhetoric. And this rhetoric is more or less the same for many years. Every year Russian economy is more and more in tatters and obviously collapsing. Of course only in English linguistical field. AI trained on Russian texts are talking about bright perspectives and "Russian economy demonstrates resilience, flexibility and the ability to grow."

 

[toomuchtime_]

C'mon. AI isn't thinking. It's just serving you a cocktail of obvious propaganda and political rhetoric. And this rhetoric is more or less the same for many years. Every year Russian economy is more and more in tatters and obviously collapsing. Of course only in English linguistical field. AI trained on Russian texts are talking about bright perspectives and "Russian economy demonstrates resilience, flexibility and the ability to grow."

Your ignorance continues to be on display. Google AI examines all sites on the Internet in every language. Russia has done a good job so far keeping its military industries producing even as its non military economy was contracting, just as the Nazis did in WWII even under heavy allied bombing, but now its total economy has begun contracting and there doesn't seem to be any remedy for this. Putin is probably hoping he dies before the whole thing collapses.

 

[Zavulon]

Your ignorance continues to be on display. Google AI examines all sites on the Internet in every language.

If you mix ten barrels of sh-t with two barrels of honey, you'll get twelve barrels of sh-t.
And Linguistic models are even more sensitive to the pollution of incoming data. Few spoons of sh-t could spoil a barrel of honey.

Russia has done a good job so far keeping its military industries producing even as its non military economy was contracting, just as the Nazis did in WWII even under heavy allied bombing, but now its total economy has begun contracting and there doesn't seem to be any remedy for this.

You see, everything comes with a price, and fighting the war of attrition against the largest military alliance on the planet, couldn't not cause some inconveniences.

Ok. You are making UAVs "Prince Vandal" from imported parts (which you are buying for dollars) and sell them in the Army. Or you are an individual coffee barista and buy foreign coffee beans for dollars and sell coffee in a mall for roubles.
The United States lift the sanctions and exchange rate dollar/rouble is falling. It was 100 roubles per dollar, and now it's, say, 70 roubles per dollar. Your import expenses decreased, the resulting prices decreased too, but not that dramatically. Not 30%, but, say, 10%. And your profit is increased, may be even doubled.
Decreasing expenses for import, decrease of transport expenses because improvements in transport infrastructure, decrease of criminal rates (and linked expenses).... It matters, but you ignore it. And your one-ganglia propagandists just can't produce anything complicated.

Putin is probably hoping he dies before the whole thing collapses.

No. In the case of expecting economic problems, Russia will escalate. Like, you know, starting usage of tactical nukes and then - strategic nukes against France, and, may be, England and America.

 

[Zavulon]

As I said, US allies had answered the question "Should we ask Americans to defend us?" and now they are asking themselves "What should we do to prevent Americans defending us?"

 

[toomuchtime_]

If you mix ten barrels of sh-t with two barrels of honey, you'll get twelve barrels of sh-t.
And Linguistic models are even more sensitive to the pollution of incoming data. Few spoons of sh-t could spoil a barrel of honey.


You see, everything comes with a price, and fighting the war of attrition against the largest military alliance on the planet, couldn't not cause some inconveniences.

Ok. You are making UAVs "Prince Vandal" from imported parts (which you are buying for dollars) and sell them in the Army. Or you are an individual coffee barista and buy foreign coffee beans for dollars and sell coffee in a mall for roubles.
The United States lift the sanctions and exchange rate dollar/rouble is falling. It was 100 roubles per dollar, and now it's, say, 70 roubles per dollar. Your import expenses decreased, the resulting prices decreased too, but not that dramatically. Not 30%, but, say, 10%. And your profit is increased, may be even doubled.
Decreasing expenses for import, decrease of transport expenses because improvements in transport infrastructure, decrease of criminal rates (and linked expenses).... It matters, but you ignore it. And your one-ganglia propagandists just can't produce anything complicated.



No. In the case of expecting economic problems, Russia will escalate. Like, you know, starting usage of tactical nukes and then - strategic nukes against France, and, may be, England and America.

So after all your rambling nonsense, you see no way Russia can survive other than being fried in a nuclear war, but Russia can't survive a nuclear war.

 

[Moonglow]

operations against Iran, according to May 2026 reports. This decision follows warnings from regional allies that a U.S. strike could trigger a major conflict, leading to a reversal of U.S. plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Saudi Arabia Restricts Access: The kingdom has officially blocked the U.S. from utilizing its airbases or airspace for military action targeting Iran to prevent regional escalation.
• Regional Reversal: Following pressure from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, the U.S. halted a planned, potentially offensive operation, known as "Project Freedom".
• Wider Strategic Shift: This reflects a growing trend where Middle Eastern partners are restricting U.S. base use to avoid being drawn into conflict with Iran.
• Similar Issues in Europe: Concurrent reports indicate strained military relations in Europe, where Italy, Spain, and France have restricted U.S. access to bases for similar operations, leading to threats of a U.S. troop drawdown. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

 

[Zavulon]

So after all your rambling nonsense, you see no way Russia can survive other than being fried in a nuclear war, but Russia can't survive a nuclear war.

No, we can. I don't say it will be easy-peasy, but that's the way how the things are. Western Barbarians attack Russia at least twice a century. And every time we beat them and push them back, simply because we have no other option.

 

[Dante]

operations against Iran, according to May 2026 reports. This decision follows warnings from regional allies that a U.S. strike could trigger a major conflict, leading to a reversal of U.S. plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Saudi Arabia Restricts Access: The kingdom has officially blocked the U.S. from utilizing its airbases or airspace for military action targeting Iran to prevent regional escalation.
• Regional Reversal: Following pressure from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, the U.S. halted a planned, potentially offensive operation, known as "Project Freedom".
• Wider Strategic Shift: This reflects a growing trend where Middle Eastern partners are restricting U.S. base use to avoid being drawn into conflict with Iran.
• Similar Issues in Europe: Concurrent reports indicate strained military relations in Europe, where Italy, Spain, and France have restricted U.S. access to bases for similar operations, leading to threats of a U.S. troop drawdown. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

thank you -- many people here live in a media bubble and cannot grasp this - for them it's 'Does not compute"

 

[toomuchtime_]

thank you -- many people here live in a media bubble and cannot grasp this - for them it's 'Does not compute"

There are always people who can find excuses for doing nothing and we saw them take up into WWII while celebrating doing nothing about Hitler. The ayatollahs are the destabilizing force in the ME and doing nothing about it has already destabilized the ME.

 

[Zavulon]

There are always people who can find excuses for doing nothing and we saw them take up into WWII while celebrating doing nothing about Hitler. The ayatollahs are the destabilizing force in the ME and doing nothing about it has already destabilized the ME.

As if Israel is stabilising force in the ME.

 

[markef]

I can't believe this guy and his team have taken us to war. Not only that, but their plans, or lack of any real plans that they all can agree on, keep falling by the wayside. Only the defenders and apologists of Trump seem to have their act together - and that act is to attack anyone and everybody who tries to question the seemingly lack of a Trump strategy here. Sure, we see the successes of US military tactical operations, but any clear strategy seems to be guided by Trump's mercurial nature -- his love of chaos.

Trump Threatens Iran as His Plan for Strait of Hormuz Disintegrates

Trump is warning that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth.”

newrepublic.com

It’s clear Trump’s plan to take control of the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t well thought out. Did Trump really expect the Iranian government to just cave to his demands?

On Monday afternoon, shortly after begging South Korea to join the war following the attack on its ship, the president announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will hold a press conference Tuesday morning.

Obama dropped more than 12,000 bombs on foreigners during his Nobel Peace Prize reign, but democrats till adore the barbarian leftist warlord.

 

[toomuchtime_]

As if Israel is stabilising force in the ME.

lol So now you've given up trying to defend the ayatollahs and turned to Jew baiting.

 

[Zavulon]

lol So now you've given up trying to defend the ayatollahs and turned to Jew baiting.

I just said, that your statement about some kind of special destabilising role of Iran is simply not proven. I'd rather said that it's obvious lie.

 

[toomuchtime_]

I just said, that your statement about some kind of special destabilising role of Iran is simply not proven. I'd rather said that it's obvious lie.

Even you can't be stupid enough not to know Iran is now attacking nearly all the states in the ME either directly or through their Arab proxies.

 

[Zavulon]

Even you can't be stupid enough not to know Iran is now attacking nearly all the states in the ME either directly or through their Arab proxies.

Iran was attacked and it fights back. It's absolutely normal. It's self-defense. You have American bases - you should block them and intern American soldiers in detention camps until the end of the war. If you allow Americans to use your land, air and sea - you are not neutral and you are a legitimate military target.

And, of course, America attacked more countries, either directly or through their Jewish and Arab proxies.

 

[toomuchtime_]

They were attacked and they fight back. It's absolutely normal. You have American bases - you should block them and intern American soldiers in detention camps until the end of the war. If you allow Americans to use your land, air and sea - you are not neutral and you are a legitimate military target.

And, of course, America attacked more countries, either directly or through their Jewish and Arab proxies.

As always nothing but bullshit in any of your posts. The ayatollahs have turned Lebanon into a failed state and seek to do the same to Yemen and have been attacking Saudi Arabia for years before this war began, and nearly all of their attacks have been against civilian targets. Iran has been working to destabilize the ME since 1979.

 

[Zavulon]

As always nothing but bullshit in any of your posts. The ayatollahs have turned Lebanon into a failed state

Really? It were ayatollahs, who simply supported certain patriotic groups? May be it was Israel, who directly and militarily invaded Lebadon with their policy of mass murders and genocide? Wasn't the massacre in Sabra and Shatila a bit "destabilising"?

and seek to do the same to Yemen and have been attacking Saudi Arabia for years before this war began,

In fact, it was entirely internal Yemeni business until Saudi and UAE invaded them.

and nearly all of their attacks have been against civilian targets. Iran has been working to destabilize the ME since 1979.

And Zionists have been working to destabilize the Middle East since, at least, second half of XIX century. Say nothing about Americans who have been sponsoring Algerian pirates since 1795.