Space pictures: Ukraine plunges into darkness
Dark streets in Ukraine
No one has a hard time without electricity, let alone a long power outage? The dark night is indeed a bit scary.
Zelenskiy’s words are firstly a show of merit, and secondly, a message to the United States: It’s time for me to be a “patriot”!
Whether 9 million Ukrainians actually get electricity or not will be seen tonight. As for whether Zelensky can get the "Patriot" anti-aircraft missile that he is obsessed with, it really is "not now, I don't know when" as sung in "About Winter".
During the Gulf War in 1991, the United States showed pictures of "Patriot" missiles intercepting Iraqi "Scud" missiles. I was shocked at the time, thinking that the "Patriot" missile was always on target. Later I learned that even against the backward " Scud ", the interception success rate of the "Patriot" missile did not exceed 20%.
"Patriot" missile launch scenario
Of course, now the "Patriot" has developed to 3.0, and the main opponent it faces is Russian drones, so it will definitely achieve good results. In this regard, the manufacturer of "Patriot" Lockheed Martin Company warmly welcomed it. Because this is such a big deal!
"Patriots" don't come cheap. At a cost of US$6.9 billion, Wanwan successively introduced 3 sets of "Patriot" PAC-2 systems and 6 sets of "Patriot" PAC-3 systems from the United States. In fact, the price of "Patriot" is not that high. It usually sells for 400 million US dollars. A large portion of the price in Taiwan comes from "protection fees." The problem is that Ukraine also has to pay "protection fees" to the United States. Therefore, Wanwan’s $6.9 billion is Ukraine’s purchase price. The bigger question is, these 9 sets of "Patriots" in Taiwan are concentrated in Taipei - 9 sets of "Patriots" can only hold up the sky in Taipei, are they needed elsewhere? Of course! So how much? Let’s calculate by population: Taipei’s population in 2021 is 2.8 million, and it will need 9 sets of “Patriots”; Ukraine’s current population is about 26 million, which is 9.2 times that of Taiwan. Calculated at 9 times, Ukraine needs 81 sets of "Patriots", which will cost a total of US$62.1 billion, or approximately 43.28 million yuan. What a big deal! What a big piece of fat!
However, although the business is big and the fat is tempting, there are still four problems to be solved before the "Patriot" lands in Ukraine:
1, sell or give away? From an arms dealer's standpoint, of course it's a sale. However, since the war in Ukraine started in February, all the money that could be squeezed out has been squeezed out. How can there be money to buy expensive "Patriots"?
2. Since Ukraine has no money, who will pay for it? Zelensky said: I owe it first. If there is no money to collect, Lockheed Martin will not do it! Who comes out? The only option is for the U.S. government to wait and ask Ukraine for money later - regardless of whether Ukraine has the money to pay it back. Don't be surprised, the main task of the US government is to seek benefits for several major interest groups.
A bigger problem is coming. The United States previously passed the Ukrainian version of the " Lend-Lease Act ", which amounted to a large amount of US$40 billion. But that time had already been divided among the major companies. In order to sell "Patriots", another bill must be passed. With the Republican controlling the House of Representatives and controlling the wallet, how much effort will the Democratic Biden administration have to put in to get the bill passed by the House of Representatives? Of course, if Lockheed Martin says it will use "Patriots" to bomb the private planes of congressmen and officials if it is not passed, then the bill will definitely be passed quickly - don't be surprised, big American companies can really do such a thing.
In any case, if Zelensky wants “patriots”, he will have to wait.
The dark night sky in Kiev
3. Can cannons kill mosquitoes? The "Patriot" PAC-3 has a maximum interception altitude of 20 kilometers, a minimum interception altitude of 300 meters, a maximum interception distance of 50 kilometers, a minimum interception distance of 500 meters, and a maximum flight speed of Mach 5. The data is good, right? There's just one fatal problem: the price of each "Patriot" missile is about $2 million. Its main opponent is Russian drones, which cost $20,000 each. A price difference of 100 times.
It is estimated that the United States has really deployed the "Patriots" in Ukraine. Russia will be very happy, and then it will not send drones to the "Patriots" all day long - come on, hit me, to show your high accuracy!
Let’s do the math: if the “Patriot” fires 1,000 missiles, it costs 2 million * 1,000 = 2 billion U.S. dollars, if it fires 100,000 missiles, it costs 200 billion U.S. dollars, if it fires 10 million missiles, it will cost 20 trillion U.S. dollars – it would be difficult for the United States not to collapse. What are you waiting for? The country that has been suffering from beauty for a long time hastily sent drones to Russia, riding on the heads of "patriots" every day - come on, come and hit me! You don't hit me. I won't be happy! Don't underestimate me! This is serious discrimination!
"Patriot" anti-aircraft missiles
4. There is another fatal question: Who said that "Patriot" should be given to Zelensky? Since the Polish missile incident, the Western world's criticism of Zelensky has become increasingly fierce. Recently, Zelensky has been called a pig or a dog. Isn’t Zelensky originally the “Zero Zelensky” of the West? Why has there been such a change?
The reason is simple. The American Republican Party controls the majority of the House of Representatives and holds financial power in its hands. With the power in hand, it is natural to burn three fires. One of them is Zelensky. Aid to Ukraine is necessary, but it cannot be given to Zelensky! Because Zelensky was supported by Biden of the Democratic Party, even if he wins, it will be the credit of Biden and the Democratic Party. Besides, there are countless tricks in the aid supplies. How can Republican politicians happily distribute money unless they are replaced by a Republican?
Therefore, Zelensky must be changed, even if he switches to the Republican camp in time.
Next, if "patriots" can protect the sky over Ukraine, why should this credit be given to Biden and the Democratic Party? It should be given to the Republicans!
In short, for Zelensky, although the Patriot missile is good, it is not easy to say that I love you.
Zelensky feels bad
