If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.
Fark SearchWeb Fark

         more options... Create account

(Reuters) Obvious Russian fighter jets targeting major petroleum pipeline in Georgia. Big Oil execs get blisters from rubbing their palms together   (reuters.com) divider line 49
More: Obvious  
•       •       •

4180 clicks; posted to Main » on 09 Aug 2008 at 4:26 PM   |  Make this a Fark FavoriteFavorite    |   share: Share on OMGTWITTER WEB2.0share on StumbleUponshare on Facebook  more»   |    Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends! shirt it!

49 Comments   (+0 »)


Archived thread
 
Sir Roderick Glossop 2008-08-09 03:09:37 PM  
Chiefly those from Gazprom, right Subby?

 
Two Dogs Farking [TotalFark] 2008-08-09 03:18:24 PM  
Sir Roderick Glossop: Chiefly those from Gazprom, right Subby?

Hear that whooshing sound? That's the joke going right over your head.

 
CowboyUpCowgirlDown 2008-08-09 04:30:47 PM  
I wonder if President Medvedev gets to use the potty without asking Putin first?

 
Get Lost 2008-08-09 04:31:04 PM  
Missing the pipeline also means just teasing. So surrender before the pipeline gets blown up for sure.

 
Cornwell [TotalFark] 2008-08-09 04:34:17 PM  
Get Lost: Missing the pipeline also means just teasing. So surrender before the pipeline gets blown up for sure.

Or just a bit of foreplay, seeing if there will be any sort of response.

 
One F Jef 2008-08-09 04:36:35 PM  
Good.

That's what Georgia gets for overplaying their hand and coming off like a whiny little brat that gets violent and throws a tantrum when things don't go their way.

Just a few more years of peace and they would've been considered a beacon of light in the region and allowed into the U.N. and maybe given a rotation on the security council.

Now, I'd be surprised if anybody even so much as shrugs when Russia stomps the life out of them and re assimilates them into the republic. Morons. Absolute morons.

 
Rodrigo Hernandez 2008-08-09 04:38:21 PM  
Gazprom is the biggest oil/natural gas company in Russia. The president of Russia is the chairman of the company, and it has exclusive export rights for natural gas from Russia. It is also partially state-owned.

/hooray Russia!

 
Antimatter 2008-08-09 04:38:44 PM  
Make sense, not only would this be denying the country an important source of international revenue, but it puts pressure on other nations to force Georgia to surrender, else risk their own oil supplies.

 
tenhigh 2008-08-09 04:39:52 PM  
cue 'jeez not this shiat again' guy

 
Drakin020 2008-08-09 04:48:20 PM  
As long as it's the weekend oil prices won't go up! (Much like stocks won't go down!)

The weekend just has to not end...

 
Venge 2008-08-09 04:48:40 PM  
One F Jef:

Just a few more years of peace and they would've been considered a beacon of light in the region and allowed into the U.N. NATO and maybe given a rotation on the security council.



FTFY

 
Breaker Moran 2008-08-09 05:01:34 PM  
The Georgian minister's report is unverified.

For an interesting commentary on this new war check out this article by Mark Ames: Link (new window)

 
uptonogood 2008-08-09 05:22:47 PM  
target revenue and potential sense of fuel to put pressure on the diplomatic front.

war ending 101.

 
Funk Brothers 2008-08-09 05:24:35 PM  
Drakin020: As long as it's the weekend oil prices won't go up! (Much like stocks won't go down!)

The weekend just has to not end...


Well no one has launched their nuclear weapons yet so that's not out of the question for this weekend.

 
VaticDart 2008-08-09 05:26:32 PM  
Bombed oil pipelines? War in an oil producing region involving a superpower? Cold War II?

My God! It's starting to smell like bicycle pic posting time again.

 
Seigneur 2008-08-09 05:37:52 PM  
Hmmmm

Georgia leaves USSR
Georgia pisses off Russia by building it's own pipeline.
Part of Georgia gets pissy so Russians use it as excuse to target pipeline.

WIN!

 
bmihura 2008-08-09 05:56:46 PM  
I was wondering how a jet could possibly miss a pipeline, until Get Lost informed me.

 
Hrist 2008-08-09 06:03:16 PM  
bmihura: I was wondering how a jet could possibly miss a pipeline, until Get Lost informed me.

Laser guided weapons have around a 90% hit rate. I doubt they'd destroy the pipeline because then they'd have to rebuild it when they re-annex Georgia or seize the facilities.

If Georgia is under threat of being taken back, the Georgians might blow it up themselves to piss Russia off further. If the Georgians really wanted to piss the Russians off, they could start putting some additives in the fuel coming from there..you know..like sand, or iron filings.

 
sorhed 2008-08-09 06:05:32 PM  
A jet can easily when you look at the arsenal Russia is deploying. Unguided bombs flown by 1960s era bombers.

 
sorhed 2008-08-09 06:06:12 PM  
A jet can easily miss its target I mean....

 
XYNHR 2008-08-09 06:09:41 PM  
Surprise surprise, Georgians are full of shiat.

Besides, that pipeline gets attacked by the Kurds in Turkey all the time.

 
libbynomore2 2008-08-09 06:15:29 PM  
Two Dogs Farking 2008-08-09 03:18:24 PM
Sir Roderick Glossop: Chiefly those from Gazprom, right Subby?

Hear that whooshing sound? That's the joke going right over your head.



You guys are funny....

Oh and subby......you're a dumbass

 
EmperorTippy 2008-08-09 06:25:45 PM  
One F Jef: Good.

That's what Georgia gets for overplaying their hand and coming off like a whiny little brat that gets violent and throws a tantrum when things don't go their way.

Just a few more years of peace and they would've been considered a beacon of light in the region and allowed into the U.N. and maybe given a rotation on the security council.

Now, I'd be surprised if anybody even so much as shrugs when Russia stomps the life out of them and re assimilates them into the republic. Morons. Absolute morons.


Someone really fails to understand the world political situation. That pipeline is the only link for oil from the Caspian Sea that isn't under Russian control. Western Europe (particuarly France and the UK) do not want that pipe line to go away. France is one of Europe's largest economies and most powerful nations, they also hold the EU presidency.

Bush can't be reelected so he doesn't have to worry about political fall out. Georgia has been a strong US ally recently. Bush could use a credible excuse to get troops out of Iraq. The US could have an armored division into Georgia inside a week. The US could have a very significant Air Force into Georgia inside a day. Bush is pissed at Russia over Iran. He could easily decide that he may as well send significant military aid to Russia and essentially call their bluff about starting WW3. And if that happens Russia has 2 options, go nuclear or cave. If Russia goes nuclear then they don't exist any more. If they cave then they get a sound smack upside the head.

The whole idea that the US military isn't ready to fight Russia is flat out wrong and as the balance of force stands at the moment it would be a 2 week to month long war that mostly just consists of Russian troops dieing.


If Russia had confined their troops to South Ossetia and then accepted the offered cease fire immediately after taking control of SO then they would have ended up with SO part of Russia when all was said and done. But they made two mistakes: 1) attacking targets outside SO, and 2) (if confirmed) attacking the pipe-line.

 
FlyingJ 2008-08-09 06:28:57 PM  
libbynomore2 I doubt subby's an oil speculator...I'd bet you a tub of Vince's Spaghetti on it

 
Scorpinock 2008-08-09 06:32:38 PM  
"Quick! Look over there! It's the Olympics!"

BOMB BOMB BOMB

 
Suede head 2008-08-09 06:32:42 PM  
Patton was right about the Russians when he said we should push those semi-Asiatic mongrels back to Siberia where they belong. They get a little windfall money from oil revenues and look how they behave. Absolute trash.

 
Korzine 2008-08-09 06:34:52 PM  
The only reason I can find for Georgia to attack South Ossetia is to control one end of the Roki Tunnel. I'm guessing they thought Russia would stay out of it.

Anyone have a better idea?

 
EmperorTippy 2008-08-09 06:43:55 PM  
Korzine: The only reason I can find for Georgia to attack South Ossetia is to control one end of the Roki Tunnel. I'm guessing they thought Russia would stay out of it.

Anyone have a better idea?


Georgia declared a unilateral cease fire and within 6 hours the rebels in South Ossetia were hitting villages in other provinces with mortars and rockets. Said weapons being provided by Russia, the supposed peace keeping force. Georgia responded by attempting to take back a province of theirs that is currently in rebellion and violent.

 
ansius 2008-08-09 06:57:07 PM  
It would seem this story is confusing some Americans, who are otherwise reknown for their grasp of geography. Click here (pops)

 
panzerfaustbob 2008-08-09 07:07:23 PM  
Bush's fault?

 
JaMorg 2008-08-09 07:11:48 PM  
EmperorTippy: Korzine: The only reason I can find for Georgia to attack South Ossetia is to control one end of the Roki Tunnel. I'm guessing they thought Russia would stay out of it.

Anyone have a better idea?

Georgia declared a unilateral cease fire and within 6 hours the rebels in South Ossetia were hitting villages in other provinces with mortars and rockets. Said weapons being provided by Russia, the supposed peace keeping force. Georgia responded by attempting to take back a province of theirs that is currently in rebellion and violent.


Thank you.

Not one single international humanitarian agency has reported the "ethnic cleansing" that South Ossetian forces and Russian media is reporting as the Casus Belli.

Either Russia blows as a peacekeeping force or they orchestrated this whole thing and Georgia fell for it.

 
ThatMoron 2008-08-09 07:38:46 PM  
EmperorTippy: Georgia responded by attempting to take back a province of theirs that is currently in rebellion and violent.

That is factually incorrect, and, combined with the other rubbish you have been regurgitating on this subject exposes you as not really knowing anything about what is going on, and being incapable of independent, rational thought. Try some other source, Fox sucks.

S.O. has been as good as independent for a very long time, winning independence form Georgia during the 1992 civil war, and, like most other people in the region, they want as little as possible to do with Georgia, and the little shiat despot that runs the place. The only reason this unsavory little maggot Saakashvili is endured and entertained by the west is the strategic location of his fiefdom, and we prefer to deal with little assholes we can buy.

To give you an idea about the kind of people we are talking about, give this artice a quick skim. It talks about the violent crackdown on the indepent press and political opposition this little maggot orchestrated last year. The White House even had to issue a press release asking the Georgian government to be nice.

This was posted earlier in this thread by another Farker and the linked article gives a rather more clear, independent, and levelheaded view on whats going on. This quote especially is informative:

The invasion was backed up by a PR offensive so layered and sophisticated that I even got an hysterical call today from a hedge fund manager in New York, screaming about an "investor call" that Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze made this morning with some fifty leading Western investment bank managers and analysts. I've since seen a J.P. Morgan summary of the conference call, which pretty much reflects the talking points later picked up by the US media.

These kinds of conference calls are generally conducted by the heads of companies in order to give banking analysts guidance. But as the hedge fund manager told me today, "The reason Lado did this is because he knew the enormous PR value that Georgia would gain by going to the money people and analysts, particularly since Georgia is clearly the aggressor this time." As a former investment banker who worked in London and who used to head the Bank of Georgia, Gurgenidze knew what he was doing. "Lado is a former banker himself, so he knew that by framing the conflict for the most influential bankers and analysts in New York, that these power bankers would then write up reports and go on CNBC and argue Lado Gurgenidze's talking points. It was brilliant, and now you're starting to see the American media shift its coverage from calling it Georgia invading Ossetian territory, to the new spin, that it's Russian imperial aggression against tiny little Georgia."

The really scary thing about this investor conference call is that it suggests real planning. As the hedge fund manager told me, "These things aren't set up on an hour's notice."


Some more KoolAid for ya, EmperorTippy?

 
panzerfaustbob 2008-08-09 07:41:44 PM  
I hope ThatMoron is getting paid by Putin for trying to put such a on the Russian invasion of Georgia.

 
koder 2008-08-09 07:42:42 PM  
George: "So, Vlad... we were gonna short the oil bubble later this year and make bajillions, but the darn thing started collapsing way too early. Got any tricks up your sleeve to stall it?"

Vlad: "I'm KGB. What don't we have up our sleeves?"

:P

 
EmperorTippy 2008-08-09 07:52:52 PM  
ThatMoron: EmperorTippy: Georgia responded by attempting to take back a province of theirs that is currently in rebellion and violent.

That is factually incorrect, and, combined with the other rubbish you have been regurgitating on this subject exposes you as not really knowing anything about what is going on, and being incapable of independent, rational thought. Try some other source, Fox sucks.

S.O. has been as good as independent for a very long time, winning independence form Georgia during the 1992 civil war, and, like most other people in the region, they want as little as possible to do with Georgia, and the little shiat despot that runs the place. The only reason this unsavory little maggot Saakashvili is endured and entertained by the west is the strategic location of his fiefdom, and we prefer to deal with little assholes we can buy.

To give you an idea about the kind of people we are talking about, give this artice a quick skim. It talks about the violent crackdown on the indepent press and political opposition this little maggot orchestrated last year. The White House even had to issue a press release asking the Georgian government to be nice.

This was posted earlier in this thread by another Farker and the linked article gives a rather more clear, independent, and levelheaded view on whats going on. This quote especially is informative:

The invasion was backed up by a PR offensive so layered and sophisticated that I even got an hysterical call today from a hedge fund manager in New York, screaming about an "investor call" that Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze made this morning with some fifty leading Western investment bank managers and analysts. I've since seen a J.P. Morgan summary of the conference call, which pretty much reflects the talking points later picked up by the US media.

These kinds of conference calls are generally conducted by the heads of companies in order to give banking analysts guidance. But as the hedge fund manager told me today, "The reason Lado did this is because he knew the enormous PR value that Georgia would gain by going to the money people and analysts, particularly since Georgia is clearly the aggressor this time." As a former investment banker who worked in London and who used to head the Bank of Georgia, Gurgenidze knew what he was doing. "Lado is a former banker himself, so he knew that by framing the conflict for the most influential bankers and analysts in New York, that these power bankers would then write up reports and go on CNBC and argue Lado Gurgenidze's talking points. It was brilliant, and now you're starting to see the American media shift its coverage from calling it Georgia invading Ossetian territory, to the new spin, that it's Russian imperial aggression against tiny little Georgia."

The really scary thing about this investor conference call is that it suggests real planning. As the hedge fund manager told me, "These things aren't set up on an hour's notice."

Some more KoolAid for ya, EmperorTippy?


You need to actually study some history and international law. Whether or not SO "won" independence is irrelevant. They are not a recognized nation by anyone, Russia claims they are part of their territory (not an independent nation).

Georgia did declare a unilateral cease fire. The rebels did break it inside of 6 hours (using Russian provided arms). Georgia decided to deal with the problem once and for all (a questionable decision). Russia decided to invade what they recognize as a sovereign nation and use ethnic cleansing as the justification. They have offered no evidence of ethnic cleansing ever taking place (despite running the province for 15+ years).

This is a blatant land grab by Russia.


----
What probably happened is that the rebels jumped early. Russia picked a real bad time for this, and only luck prevented them from killing US soldiers (they were on bases that were bombed). If Russia had killed a US solider it would be bad. Throw in that China is now pissed at them over messing up the Olympics and the fact that if they had waited until December 20 or so the US chain of command would be messed up (between the election and swearing in and right before Christmas) and what it looks like is someone pulled the trigger to early.

 
ThatMoron 2008-08-09 07:54:22 PM  
Not really, panzerfaustbob I just know that when war breaks out, you need to dig really hard to find out what is really going on. The red flag for me was that the Red Cross was reporting overflowing hospitals and thousands of dead civilians and thousands more displaced a full day before the Russians got involved. The spin from the main press outlets was changing by the hour, and still is.

Step one in warfare: propaganda.

The Russians are no nice guys, but they have been sitting in S.O quite nicely and quietly since 1992, and have no real motivation or drive to agress right now, and I am pretty sure that in this particular case, for whatever reason, that little wannabe Mugabe thougt it useful to make a move.

I dont know if you actually know anything about that region, but none of the dictatorships there are nice. They are all farking shiats, at the expense of the people, who generally dont have a penny to scratch their arse with.

We in the west want (and need) that pipeline under friendly control,and some right-wing elements in NATO would like to have a missile shield radar in there at some point. It is for these reasons we turn a blind eye to the way these places are run, and pump them full of money, arms, and technical advice, just to keep them sweet. That's the way it works, in international politics.

I would be happy to discuss facts with you, but ad-hominem attacks, and a total lack of supporting content on your part, panzerfaustbob, don't really give me the feeling you give the whole situation much thought.

 
EmperorTippy 2008-08-09 08:02:35 PM  
ThatMoron: Not really, panzerfaustbob I just know that when war breaks out, you need to dig really hard to find out what is really going on. The red flag for me was that the Red Cross was reporting overflowing hospitals and thousands of dead civilians and thousands more displaced a full day before the Russians got involved. The spin from the main press outlets was changing by the hour, and still is.
Shelling cities tends to kill lots of people. The shelling of cities tends to happen when you are trying to kill tanks on the streets of said city.

Step one in warfare: propaganda.

The Russians are no nice guys, but they have been sitting in S.O quite nicely and quietly since 1992, and have no real motivation or drive to agress right now, and I am pretty sure that in this particular case, for whatever reason, that little wannabe Mugabe thougt it useful to make a move.

Um no they haven't. Being the UN sanctioned peace keepers (supposedly neutral) and giving citizenship to citizens of another nation who live in said other nation, and arming said people who still live in what is technically another nation is not being nice and quiet.

I dont know if you actually know anything about that region, but none of the dictatorships there are nice. They are all farking shiats, at the expense of the people, who generally dont have a penny to scratch their arse with.
Russia isn't any better.

We in the west want (and need) that pipeline under friendly control,and some right-wing elements in NATO would like to have a missile shield radar in there at some point. It is for these reasons we turn a blind eye to the way these places are run, and pump them full of money, arms, and technical advice, just to keep them sweet. That's the way it works, in international politics.

I would be happy to discuss facts with you, but ad-hominem attacks, and a total lack of supporting content on your part, panzerfaustbob, don't really give me the feeling you give the whole situation much thought.


You happen to be the one failing to understand. The facts are as follows:

1) Russia invaded a sovereign nation.
2) Russia attacked the capital of said sovereign nation.
3) Russia owns the only competing pipeline.
4) Russia does not want said sovereign nation to have closer ties to the US.
5) Russia (allegedly) attacked the pipeline.

Their real mistakes were numbers 2 and 5. They could have grabbed off SO, agreed to a cease fire, and ended up with SO as an official Russian province. Europe and the US would have made Georgia take it and offered them something nice an juicy as well (a mutual defense pack comes to mind). The Russians chose to expand the war to include the entire country and then chose to attack what the EU considers a strategic asset.

 
ThatMoron 2008-08-09 08:03:59 PM  
EmperorTippyGeorgia did declare a unilateral cease fire. The rebels did break it inside of 6 hours (using Russian provided arms). Georgia decided to deal with the problem once and for all (a questionable decision).

The BBC begs to differ:

THURSDAY 7 AUGUST

Georgian forces and separatists in South Ossetia agree to observe a ceasefire and hold Russian-mediated talks to end their long-simmering conflict.

Hours later, Georgian forces launch a surprise attack, sending a large force against the breakaway province and reaching the capital Tskhinvali.

South Ossetian rebel leader Eduard Kokoity accuses Georgia of a "perfidious and base step".

The head of Georgian forces in South Ossetia says the operation is intended to "restore constitutional order" to the region, while the government says the troops are "neutralising separatist fighters attacking civilians".

Russia's special envoy in South Ossetia, Yury Popov, says Georgia's military operation shows that it cannot be trusted and he calls on Nato to reconsider plans to offer it membership.


The "rebels" didnt break any kind of ceasefire - thats raving propaganda. The fact that you call the "rebels" is also simple propaganda. Try "terrorists" that has a better resonance these days. rebels is so 80's.

Really dude, reconsider your sources....

 
Man On Pink Corner [TotalFark] 2008-08-09 08:06:57 PM  
EmperorTippy: The whole idea that the US military isn't ready to fight Russia is flat out wrong and as the balance of force stands at the moment it would be a 2 week to month long war that mostly just consists of Russian troops dieing.

You know who else thought that?

 
ThatMoron 2008-08-09 08:08:35 PM  
EmperorTippy You know, instead of pulling random "facts" out of your ass, why dont you back some of your rethoric up with some credible sources, because so far, all you are doing is displaying the typical behaviour of a troll.

 
EmperorTippy 2008-08-09 08:13:10 PM  
Man On Pink Corner: EmperorTippy: The whole idea that the US military isn't ready to fight Russia is flat out wrong and as the balance of force stands at the moment it would be a 2 week to month long war that mostly just consists of Russian troops dieing.

You know who else thought that?


Yes, Hitler. One of the twentieth centuries biggest idiots. The US military would flatten the Russian military, its what it is made and trained to do. The US could do it and since there would be no ground invasion of Russia (stupid to even contemplate for anyone except maybe China) Russia would loose one of its biggest assets, defensive depth. Unless Russia was willing to go nuclear, which they aren't, then they couldn't stop the US from kicking them out of Georgia if the US decided to do so.

 
CowboyUpCowgirlDown 2008-08-09 08:13:33 PM  
If Bush thought he could toss the Russians out of Georgia without any risk of a nuclear exchange, I believe he would.

As for Koder's troll-fu, there is nobody on the planet that needs oil prices to decline more than George Bush. If oil drops back to $80/bbl, then the U.S. will likely avoid recession; if oil jumps back above $140/bbl the only question is how long will the recession last and how high will unemployment rise. End of Bush Legacy.

 
drjekel_mrhyde 2008-08-09 08:23:53 PM  
EmperorTippy: Man On Pink Corner: EmperorTippy: The whole idea that the US military isn't ready to fight Russia is flat out wrong and as the balance of force stands at the moment it would be a 2 week to month long war that mostly just consists of Russian troops dieing.

You know who else thought that?

Yes, Hitler. One of the twentieth centuries biggest idiots. The US military would flatten the Russian military, its what it is made and trained to do. The US could do it and since there would be no ground invasion of Russia (stupid to even contemplate for anyone except maybe China) Russia would loose one of its biggest assets, defensive depth. Unless Russia was willing to go nuclear, which they aren't, then they couldn't stop the US from kicking them out of Georgia if the US decided to do so.


Russia would go Nuclear instantly a US bomber takes off
/The media will report it when they do
//that fake missle shield our tax dollars been paying for don't do shiat against MIRVs

 
Eater1 2008-08-09 08:49:59 PM  
"Yes, Hitler. One of the twentieth centuries biggest idiots. The US military would flatten the Russian military, its what it is made and trained to do. The US could do it and since there would be no ground invasion of Russia (stupid to even contemplate for anyone except maybe China) Russia would loose one of its biggest assets, defensive depth. Unless Russia was willing to go nuclear, which they aren't, then they couldn't stop the US from kicking them out of Georgia if the US decided to do so."

If the United States begins an air war against Russia, there would be unavoidable nuclear escalation. The United States would not be able to engage in a limited action in Ossetia, if Bush is being really ballsy, but this is extremely unlikely without a UN resolution, which cannot occur because Russia on the Security Council. All your little gung-ho dreams about kicking the crap out of the Russians with military is utter fantasy. It has never happened before, and it sure as hell isn't going to happen in the future in the age of mutually assured destruction.

 
texastag 2008-08-09 09:01:44 PM  
Isn't the pipeline still under construction anyway?

 
Sir Roderick Glossop 2008-08-09 09:58:29 PM  
Two Dogs Farking: Sir Roderick Glossop: Chiefly those from Gazprom, right Subby?

Hear that whooshing sound? That's the joke going right over your head.


Hmmm. I think not.

 
costermonger [TotalFark] 2008-08-09 10:07:56 PM  
Eater1: If the United States begins an air war against Russia, there would be unavoidable nuclear escalation.

If history is any indication, there will always be people who believe that a limited military action against Russia is possible.

 
libbynomore2 2008-08-09 10:36:16 PM  
koder 2008-08-09 07:42:42 PM
George: "So, Vlad... we were gonna short the oil bubble later this year and make bajillions, but the darn thing started collapsing way too early. Got any tricks up your sleeve to stall it?"

Vlad: "I'm KGB. What don't we have up our sleeves?"



Damn, not only are you paranoid, but you're an idiot too.

 
hovsm 2008-08-09 11:54:03 PM  
So it begins. Attacking that pipeline has nothing to do with Georgia and everything to do with those who receive that oil. This could be a bad bad thing.

 
Displayed 49 of 49 comments


[Continue Farking]