Launching a quantitative easing program during the period of increasing the key rate is like pressing the brake and gas at the same time.

The UK has serious problems with servicing the public debt. This usually ends in devaluation or default.

As Alexander III seems to have said, Russia has only two allies - its army and navy. All strategic and tactical foreign policy alliances with Russia are possible only if the cooperation is mutually beneficial.

My opinion is that China is a dangerous ally. The Chinese practically do not assimilate with the local population (just one day a Chinatown appears in your city) and China has quite definite views on the dominant role of the Celestial Empire in the world. Plus, for historical reasons, China considers the Russian Far East its territory (it passed to Russia for helping China during the opium wars). China is a very dangerous ally. And at the same time, his danger and strength make him a good ally for Russia (because what is the use of a weak ally at all?). Now Russia and China do not look at each other, but rather stand back to back.

If we ignore the propaganda crap and take a sober look at things, it suddenly turns out that the United States is the main beneficiary of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the European Union is its main victim.

The US and Europe are not only NATO allies, but also competitors. By fomenting and sustaining the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States strengthens its economy and weakens the economy of the European Union. The US military-industrial complex receives large orders, and the European military-industrial complex is suffering from an energy crisis and cannot turn around at full strength. After the sabotage on the Nord Stream, the German industry can be confidently put an end to. No, Europe will not freeze this winter, but it will be largely deindustrialized. And next year, in addition to the current problems, Germany will have a problem with millions of unemployed from the stopped energy-intensive industry - metallurgy, chemistry, cars, etc. Germany from the locomotive of the European Union will turn into its brake. The European Union is fucked.

This is a tricky question, given that officials in Russia have dismissed all rumors about the extent of the partial mobilization. Personally, my opinion is that the current stage of mobilization is a trial one in order to check in practice the state of the mobilization system in Russia. And I think that the matter will not be limited to 300 thousand reservists, there will be at least 1-2 more waves of mobilization. In theory, you need to call a million people under arms in order to confidently deprive Ukraine of its only advantage in manpower.

ps Another thing is that tomorrow four new regions may join Russia based on the results of referendums. And generally speaking, this will untie the hands of Putin to use the soldiers who are serving in the Russian Army in these territories. Therefore, additional mobilization may not be necessary.

I mean that most of the mobilized people prefer to buy themselves a couple of sets of thermal underwear, earplugs and diarrhea pills, as well as comfortable winter shoes, not relying too much on regular army uniforms. Of course, each motorized rifleman will be given a helmet, bulletproof vest and a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as well as the statutory camouflage uniform and shoes. But there are things that make staying in the field more comfortable, and each mobilized person usually takes care of this himself, if it is important for him. Someone even takes tactical glasses, active headphones, a thermal imager and a quadcopter with them, but these are already the most stubborn survivalists. On average, the minimum set of uniforms costs each mobilized 500-1000 dollars.

What the hell are you talking about again? Empty, unsubstantiated false accusations. The direct beneficiaries of the terrorist attack on Nord Stream are the United States and Ukraine. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence for the involvement of the United States in this terrorist attack. For example, here is a US Air Force helicopter Sikorsky MH-60R Strike Hawk for nine hours - from 19:30 Moscow time on Sunday, September 25, to 04:30 Moscow time on Monday, September 26 - circled over the Baltic Sea about 250 kilometers from the Danish island Bornholm, near which gas leaks were recorded.

Yep, military exercises were held this summer in this area of ​​the Baltic Sea with the participation of deep-sea divers and underwater drones, I think that was when explosives were planted under gas pipelines.

Two of my friend's acquaintances emigrated after the announcement of mobilization - one to Georgia, the other to Kazakhstan. I think this is the only reasonable protest option for the people of Russia, voting with their feet.

Basically, the protests are not against the fact of mobilization, but against the mess in its implementation, which is also enough. By the way, these protests are quite effective, if it turns out that the mobilized is more useful in the rear, they leave him alone. The mobilized themselves, I think, are not happy. Adults are pulled out of normal life and sent to the war zone, where they may have to spend the winter in the field. Basically, people buy themselves a first-aid kit and warm clothes, not really relying on army supplies.

I see you habitually blame Russia for everything. However, here it is appropriate to ask the question "who benefits?"

Member of the European Parliament from Poland, former Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski thanked the United States for blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline.

We'll see. So far, it looks more like Russia is increasing its military grouping in Ukraine by at least 2.5 times, due to the mobilization of reservists with military service experience.

Meanwhile, the referenda took place and their result was quite predictable. A special military operation may soon be transformed into an ordinary anti-terrorist operation.

There are no mass protests in my small town in the Urals. Every day a new bus leaves the city with mobilized 10-15 people. Based on the dynamics of mobilization, I can assume that much more will be mobilized than the 300 thousand people announced by Putin.

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Bombing with high-explosive bombs was successfully used by Russia, in particular at Azovstal and near Kherson, where there is no threat to defeat civilians.

Ukraine somehow coped with the task of mobilizing more than 800k civilians, Russia has a simpler task.

I think you are too exalted by the local success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Kharkov. Ukraine still has no chance in confrontation with Russia.

What for? Russia has a multiple greater mobilization resource than Ukraine, it's okay if some people go abroad, it's their choice.

As a result of the referendum, Kosovo gained independence, using the right of the nation to self-determination, which is one of the clauses of the UN Charter.

In the same UN Charter there is another clause aimed at protecting the territorial integrity of any state. These two points at times and places directly contradict each other. Life, too, is sometimes contradictory, as is this legal conflict.

Yep, Argentina is a unique country in this regard, it seems that in their recent history there have already been at least half a dozen defaults. I don't feel comfortable quoting myself.

Meanwhile, summer rumors about deliveries of Shahid-136 kamikaze drones to Russia from Iran turned out to be true. They are called Geran-2 and have recently been actively used to strike at military infrastructure in Ukraine, in particular in Odessa. Drones are slow, loud, cheap (compared to cruise missiles), not homing (working at given coordinates), and yet they seem to be quite effective, Ukrainian air defense cannot do anything with them.

Symmetrical does not mean synchronous.

Even now I do not consider mobilization in Russia necessary. I think Putin had a choice in response to the mobilization in Ukraine - start mass bombing or increase the size of his group. Personally, I would prefer to raze Kyiv to the ground, but fortunately for you, I do not make decisions on this issue.

The precedent was in Kosovo. Then Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Within a week, I think the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will also become part of Russia. Your fantasies about the Kuban and Taganrog are empty and groundless.

Everything is in the same place - they control 20% of the territory of Ukraine (which in a few days, according to the results of the referendum, will become the territory of Russia).

Partial mobilization in Russia is a symmetrical response to mobilization in Ukraine. After the start of the special operation, the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine increased from 200 thousand soldiers to more than a million. In general, the plan to launch an operation with such a small contingent of personnel was a little adventurous, according to Western intelligence, at least 450 thousand people are needed to establish control over the eastern coast of the Dnieper. Russia launched the operation with half the number of soldiers (even counting the LDNR militias).

This is great, in my collection of personal achievements there is not enough medal "For the capture of Odessa".