The War in Ukraine

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The War in Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky thanks Elon Musk for Starlink systems for destroyed cities



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and said Ukraine will receive additional Starlink antennas to assist destroyed cities without internet access.

“I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds," Zelensky said in a tweet early Sunday. "Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities."
Starlink antennas can be used to connect to the company’s satellite-based internet service which, according to the Starlink website, is “ideally suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable.”

The Starlink dishes can be assembled “in a matter of minutes to support emergency responders in disaster scenarios,” according to its website.



Musk sent a truckload of Starlink equipment to Ukraine this week, responding to a plea from the country's vice prime minister amid fears Ukrainians could lose internet access if Russia continues its attacks on communication infrastructure.

However, Musk also warned Ukrainians to use the technology "with caution." In a Thursday tweet, he said the Starlink system has a high probability of being targeted by Russian forces since it is "the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine."

Starlink


... Starlink does have issues.

I took down Starlink - YouTube

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Re: The War in Ukraine

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The War in Ukraine

... that has got to hurt any kind of commerce within Russia.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The War in Ukraine

... that has got to hurt any kind of commerce within Russia.

PayPal suspends its services in Russia over Ukraine war

• In a letter addressed to the Ukrainian government, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said the company was suspending services in Russia.
• It’s the latest payment organization to sever ties with Russia as the country faces Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

PayPal said Saturday it was suspending its services in Russia, adding to the number of firms retreating from the country in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

“Under the current circumstances, we are suspending PayPal services in Russia,” Dan Schulman, PayPal’s CEO, said in a letter addressed to the Ukrainian government.

The letter was posted on Twitter by Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, who has pressured businesses including Apple to Microsoft to cut ties with Russia.

“So now it’s official: PayPal shuts down its services in Russia citing Ukraine aggression,” Fedorov tweeted Saturday. “Thank you @PayPal for your supporting!”

A PayPal spokesperson confirmed the company was shutting down in Russia. The company will “continue work to process customer withdraws for period of time, ensuring that account balances are dispersed in line with applicable laws and regulations,” the spokesperson told CNBC.

The payment processor had already discontinued domestic services in Russia in 2020. This latest action relates to its remaining business in the country, including send and receive functions and the ability to make international transfers via PayPal’s Xoom remittances platform.

Russians were prevented from opening new PayPal accounts earlier this week, the company said.

PayPal is the latest payment organization to sever ties with Russia, which now faces a barrage of sanctions from the West over President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Sanctions saw SWIFT, the global interbank messaging network, bar several Russian banks, while Visa and Mastercard this week said they would also block Russian financial institutions from their networks.

“It’s now basically impossible to send money to any individual in Russia,” said Charles Delingpole, CEO of ComplyAdvantage, a fintech start-up that helps firms with regulatory compliance.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The War in Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is driving up air cargo costs

• Flight restrictions and more expensive fuel resulting from Russia’s Ukraine invasion are driving up airfreight prices.
• It could mean even costlier goods for consumers, who are already grappling with high inflation.
• Cargo and passenger airlines have rerouted planes around Russian and Ukrainian airspace or canceled flights altogether.

The cost of transporting goods by air has surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, just as consumers are already grappling with the fastest pace of inflation in nearly 40 years.
Carriers, including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and United Parcel Service, are filling their planes with pricier fuel for longer Asia routes to avoid Russia due to airspace closures. Jet fuel prices in the United States this week hit the highest in more than a decade.

The U.S. on Tuesday joined Canada and much of Europe in barring Russian aircraft from its airspace. In January, more than 2,500 flights that departed the U.S. used Russian airspace, while 493 flights from Russia used U.S. airspace, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

“With the uncertainty of Russian airspace restrictions to civilian aircraft, UPS decided on Mar. 1 to avoid use of Russian airspace for our Northern Pacific (NOPAC) operations until further notice,” UPS’ pilots union told aviators Wednesday.

Higher transportation costs are likely to get passed along to consumers as it gets pricier to ship everything from manufacturing components to perishables like imported cheese and fruit. Commodity prices from wheat to aluminum are already spiking.

The U.S. ban of Russian aircraft included cargo giant Volga-Dnepr, which flies large aircraft pieces like wing parts for some Boeing jets.

“We work closely with our wide range of supply chain and logistics partners to manage through any potential impacts,” the aircraft manufacturer said in a statement.

Seasonal slump no more

Some carriers are canceling flights altogether, and Russian airlines have been hobbled by airspace bans. The reduced capacity is driving up rates during what is normally a seasonal lull for shipping in the months after year-end holidays.

Air cargo rates from China to Europe jumped 80% this week from last to $11.36 a kilogram, the highest since October, according to freight booking and data platform Freightos.

FedEx on Thursday said it its Express unit is increasing surcharges for international packages and freight. Some peak surcharges will more than double – such as the rate for shipping from Hong Kong to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, which the company will raise from 55 cents a pound to $1.20 a pound, according to a notice on its website.

“As we come up on the two-year anniversary of COVID-19, the industry is still reeling from the capacity and pricing ramifications of the Pandemic,” Stifel logistics analyst Bruce Chan said in a note this week. “As a result, subsequent supply shocks will be felt more acutely, as there is less of a capacity buffer to absorb them.”
Air cargo demand and prices have soared over the past two years. Carriers reaped the rewards of customers who paid a premium to fly over port snarls and make up for other supply chain backups, getting goods to factories and consumers faster.

Stronger e-commerce demand in the pandemic and limited aircraft belly capacity as international passenger travel plunged has kept rates firm, even before Russia’s invasion.

Now costs are going up even more, testing how much customers are willing to pay air cargo haulers and how much consumers will shell out at retailers.

Surging fuel costs

U.S. benchmark jet fuel on Friday was going for more than $3.882 a gallon, the highest since September 2008. Matthew Kohlman, associate director for refined products pricing at S&P Global Commodity Insights, called price jumps this week “hurricane-level” because they haven’t been so steep since Hurricane Ike slammed into Texas that month.

Benchmark jet fuel in Asia this week hit a more than eight-year high while Europe’s benchmark rose to the highest since August 2008, according to S&P data.

Freightos said ocean shipping rates could also continue to rise as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Asia-to-U.S. West Coast price on Thursday was $16,155 per 40-foot equivalent container, more than triple the rate from the same time last year.

New port backups could drive even higher demand for airfreight.

“A lot of the time it’s, ‘I need these goods to keep my supply line open,’” said Jason Seidl, managing director and airfreight and surface transportation analyst at Cowen & Co. “The cost of it not being there is very high.”

... I know many copier OEM's used air freight to bring in product and toner over the last two years to try and meet demand and to fulfill contract obligations, often at a significant loss.

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Re: The War in Ukraine

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: The War in Ukraine

What does it say about America and the rest of the free world that we're sitting by while Ukraine is being crushed? I have to think that history won't be kind to us.

The president of Ukraine called our countries nothing more than cowards for not doing more and he's right. The sanctions aren't doing a damn thing to stop the mass murder going on in Ukraine.

[bsm2]

Re: The War in Ukraine

What does it say about America and the rest of the free world that we're sitting by while Ukraine is being crushed? I have to think that history won't be kind to us. The president of Ukraine called our countries nothing more than cowards for not doing more and he's right. The sanctions aren't doing a damn thing to stop the mass murder going on in Ukraine.

Good news Billy you can volunteer to fight. That's right.As far as doing nothing the US and Allies are supplying weapons and aid. President Biden has united NATO something the last guy discounted. US equipment and man power is now shipped to Euorpe to support our NATO allies in huge numbers.


Odd you said Norhing when the Russians bomb Syria and and killed thousands of people said nothing when the last guy gave Syria to the Russians.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: The War in Ukraine

Good news Billy you can volunteer to fight. That's right.As far as doing nothing the US and Allies are supplying weapons and aid. President Biden has united NATO something the last guy discounted. US equipment and man power is now shipped to Euorpe to support our NATO allies in huge numbers.


Odd you said Norhing when the Russians bomb Syria and and killed thousands of people said nothing when the last guy gave Syria to the Russians.

Hey, pal, the president of Ukraine called NATO a bunch of cowards.

[slimslob]

Re: The War in Ukraine

Good news Billy you can volunteer to fight. That's right.As far as doing nothing the US and Allies are supplying weapons and aid. President Biden has united NATO something the last guy discounted. US equipment and man power is now shipped to Euorpe to support our NATO allies in huge numbers.


Odd you said Norhing when the Russians bomb Syria and and killed thousands of people said nothing when the last guy gave Syria to the Russians.

Apparently you failed to notice how quickly Biden and NATO both abandoned the idea of a "NO FLY ZONE" over Ukraine as soon as Putin said he would consider it an act of war against Russia. Guess what buddy, Ukraine is not part of Russia.

[slimslob]

Re: The War in Ukraine

'Such P***ies': Ukrainian Government Official Blasts Biden And Democrats In Scathing Statement - Analyzing America

[bsm2]

Re: The War in Ukraine

Apparently you failed to notice how quickly Biden and NATO both abandoned the idea of a "NO FLY ZONE" over Ukraine as soon as Putin said he would consider it an act of war against Russia. Guess what buddy, Ukraine is not part of Russia.

Guess what Sryia was not part of Russia either until the last LOSER gave it to them.

[bsm2]

Re: The War in Ukraine

Hey, pal, the president of Ukraine called NATO a bunch of cowards.

So when are you signing up to go fight?
Keyboard coward

[slimslob]

Re: The War in Ukraine

It is the individual American citizens that are doing the most to help the Ukrainians, not the Biden government.
‘This Is Their 1776’: US Army Veterans Train Ukraine Civilians in Resistance Warfare

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: The War in Ukraine

I think Biden and almost everyone else is misreading Putin. He's 70's old and his greatest disappointment is the fall of the Soviet Union. This is his legacy. He wants to rebuild the old empire and he's got nothing to lose in his mind.

I think he looks at the sanctions as a act of war. In fact, he's said just that. Due to the sanctions, he's now isolated from the rest of the world and his economy will soon implode.

This isn't hard to figure out. He's gonna do something drastic. I'm worried what that will be.