Ukraine

[french frank]

Maybe he's keeping the remainder in reserve for future possible actions in the Baltics.

A smaller area to take over but he would automatically be taking on NATO, wouldn't he?

[Ein Heldenleben]

You see this kind of attitude in the Labour MP Chris Bryant's ill-conceived (and indeed rapidly withdrawn) statement that people with joint Russian/British nationality should be made to choose one or the other. Gergiev's friendship with and support for Putin has been well documented for years, and of course it should be that support and not his nationality which is taken into account.

Not a tax lawyer but I suspect one advantage of dual nationality is that it makes travel between the two countries easier and crucially perhaps makes it much easier to work the 183 day a year rule - so you can “avoid” UK income and capital gains tax. Where those tax avoidance manoeuvres are associated with kleptocracy (theft) I think it’s perfectly reasonable to withdraw dual nationality.Mind you at the billionaire level even these rules scarcely apply. Everything goes through a complex web of offshored trusts . Incidentally quite a few prominent UK politicians aren’t averse to offshore trusts .Can’t think why they’ve been dragging their feet on a clampdown for so long….

[RichardB]

Where those tax avoidance manoeuvres are associated with kleptocracy (theft) I think it’s perfectly reasonable to withdraw dual nationality.

Indeed, but making the assumption that anyone's nationality makes them guilty of anything is not a good way to go!

[ahinton]

Let's not get carried away by comparisons to Hitler's invasions in the 1930s. Superficial similarities can only serve to distract from much more profound differences. The fact that Russian currency dropped in value by almost a third this morning, with further collapse likely, underlines the facts that (a) the economic structures of individual nations are interconnected in ways that didn't exist 80 years ago and (b) Russia is in an extremely dodgy position economically already, and this is cash draining out of the pockets of the kleptocrats who keep Putin in power. Additionally, Chinese support for Putin shouldn't be overstated - the Chinese delegation at the UNSC abstained on the resolution against the invasion rather than vetoing it, which in the end only Russia itself did.

Good points all except that I cannot imagine that the kleptocrats whom you mention hold the majority of their readily realisable assets in Roubles in Russia; I imagine that they would for the most part be held in other more stable currencies concealed behind series of impenetrable walls within offshore tax havens in the form of shell companies / trusts and the like, just as oligarchs' ownership of UK properties will almost certainly be concealed.

[Bryn]

Good points all except that I cannot imagine that the kleptocrats whom you mention hold the majority of their readily realisable assets in Roubles in Russia; I imagine that they would for the most part be held in other more stable currencies concealed behind series of impenetrable walls within offshore tax havens in the form of shell companies / trusts and the like, just as oligarchs' ownership of UK properties will almost certainly be concealed.

Indeed, but you can bet your bottom dollar that there is a whole army of financial investigators and hackers digging deep to expose such concealment.

[Frances_iom]

A smaller area to take over but he would automatically be taking on NATO, wouldn't he?

that would start WW3 - which may well happen anyway but an iron curtain is certainly descending at present - Germany must be regretting listening to the greens and shutting down their nuclear power stations - it wouldn't surprise me to find Russian money backing that green pressure as it has been a major driver to force dependence on Russian gas.

[Bryn]

that would start WW3 - which may well happen anyway but an iron curtain is certainly descending at present - Germany must be regretting listening to the greens and shutting down their nuclear power stations - it wouldn't surprise me to find Russian money backing that green pressure as it has been a major driver to force dependence on Russian gas.

Do you have even a scrap of evidence to support your contention regarding the German Greens and Russian Money? It seems unlikely, given the former's stance re Cyprus seeking Russian aid.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Do you have even a scrap of evidence to support your contention regarding the German Green and Russian Money? It seems unlikely, given the former's stance Cyprus seeking Russian aid.

According to the Guardian the Russians have been in fact cyber targeting the German Green Party leader over her opposition to Nord 2 from which we can draw the conclusion that they do intervene but that such intervention often backfires. Nord 2 is a dead mallard now isn’t it?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Good points all except that I cannot imagine that the kleptocrats whom you mention hold the majority of their readily realisable assets in Roubles in Russia; I imagine that they would for the most part be held in other more stable currencies concealed behind series of impenetrable walls within offshore tax havens in the form of shell companies / trusts and the like, just as oligarchs' ownership of UK properties will almost certainly be concealed.

There’s an absolutely fascinating private eye map of what overseas trust owns what property in the UK . It’s all about tax avoidance. When I think of pensioners on the state pension who’ve paid tax on their tiny incomes all their lives it makes me just a teensy weensy bit angry…

[Serial_Apologist]

Has anyone else seen the Royal Marines' "timely" TV recruiting ad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF1F0urb8-w

[Ein Heldenleben]

Has anyone else seen the Royal Marines' "timely" TV recruiting ad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF1F0urb8-w

Yes indeed timely as one of their roles is the defence of NATO’s Northern flank in Arctic Norway - though this appears to be a politically uncontroversial swamp . Army Recruitment tends to go up not down in periods of heightened tension possibly for not entirely wholesome reasons.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes indeed timely as one of their roles is the defence of NATO’s Northern flank in Arctic Norway - though this appears to be a politically uncontroversial swamp . Army Recruitment tends to go up not down in periods of heightened tension possibly for not entirely wholesome reasons.

Yes that, but the whole tone of the ad and implied mentality of those likely to be attracted.....???

[eighthobstruction]

....very few tanks deployed so far [with 8" armour]...what is getting destroyed by the Ukrainians is light-weight armour vehicles and troop carriers, that is why the Russian Reconaissance force is getting a belting, and is depleting Ukr ammo and troop deployment....

....faux peace talks surely for propoganda in Russia.....

[ahinton]

Indeed, but you can bet your bottom dollar that there is a whole army of financial investigators and hackers digging deep to expose such concealment.

There might well be but one problem in the secrecy that's part of the contract with the people concerned; another is the obvious jurisdictional ones and yet another is the "revolving door" arrangements of which the wealthier can take advantage in which funds registered under some nebulous trust in, for example, the Cayman Islands at half pats three could be re-registered under another in the British Virgin Islands by four o'clock. We'll see, of course. I suppose that a further and quite different issue that affects much more modest residential properties owned openly by Russians in UK is that their ownership might be quite legitimate and, if they're mortgaged, confiscation would not only risk throwing the owners out of their homes but also dent their mortgage arrangements with the lender/s - but I doubt that such properties would likely be targeted.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yes that, but the whole tone of the ad and implied mentality of those likely to be attracted.....???

I think the ad is just about right but not an accurate reflection of combat - that probably wouldn’t be acceptable. Thing is ultimately you are trying to attract people who are fairly fearless or who can be trained to supress fear . There’s not much point joining if you get very wobbly when it gets a bit tricky is there? I’ve known a fair few Marines ( and a lot of RN personnel ) and they definitely fall into the fearless/ able to control it category.