https://twitter.com/kevindavis338/status/1657454531297378305
Just out of curiousity,have any of the serious "talking heads" started discussing what changes MIGHT take place in Russia if they actually lose this war,and the people revolt and throw the Communist leadership up against a wall and executes them?
I can see a "new Russia" wanting to join NATO and become a part of the west,but am not so certain that anyone will trust them that far after all these years of Soviet rule and threats.
Still,SOMETHING will have to be done to prevent the Chinese from moving in and taking over. After all,they now have all that cash coming in from manufacturing goods for the American markets to spend,and they DEARLY want the gold,oil,coal,and other assets that lay untouched in Siberia.
Any predictions on what might happen?
BTW,am I the only one worried about an emerging China using western money and connections to destroy America and other western nations?
Probably the same as the early 90's. The oligarchs will quietly resume control and find another Putin to keep the mobs under control. The people will be thrilled with the comparative safety and take it.
Just out of curiousity,have any of the serious "talking heads" started discussing what changes MIGHT take place in Russia if they actually lose this war,and the people revolt and throw the Communist leadership up against a wall and executes them?
I can see a "new Russia" wanting to join NATO and become a part of the west,but am not so certain that anyone will trust them that far after all these years of Soviet rule and threats.
Still,SOMETHING will have to be done to prevent the Chinese from moving in and taking over. After all,they now have all that cash coming in from manufacturing goods for the American markets to spend,and they DEARLY want the gold,oil,coal,and other assets that lay untouched in Siberia.
Any predictions on what might happen?
BTW,am I the only one worried about an emerging China using western money and connections to destroy America and other western nations?
Russian air forces have been having a very bad bad day, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ORTr2kRyw . Two Mi-8 helicopters, an Su-34 strike-fighter, and an Su-35 fighter down near Bryansk, Russia, 50-70 miles from the Ukraine and Belarus borders.MI-8 Minimum of $16 million US each, $40 Million for the SU-34, about 43 million USD for the SU-35 (lowball prices, not including ordnance). The Russians bled over $110 million US in a day.
Just out of curiousity,have any of the serious "talking heads" started discussing what changes MIGHT take place in Russia if they actually lose this war,and the people revolt and throw the Communist leadership up against a wall and executes them?No, Pete, you are not the only one. That has been a concern of mine for decades, (like Freeper Jeff Head, if you recall him). People have long said we'd sell people the rope to hang us, and Biden is trying to become salesman of the year.
I can see a "new Russia" wanting to join NATO and become a part of the west,but am not so certain that anyone will trust them that far after all these years of Soviet rule and threats.
Still,SOMETHING will have to be done to prevent the Chinese from moving in and taking over. After all,they now have all that cash coming in from manufacturing goods for the American markets to spend,and they DEARLY want the gold,oil,coal,and other assets that lay untouched in Siberia.
Any predictions on what might happen?
BTW,am I the only one worried about an emerging China using western money and connections to destroy America and other western nations?
IF (and that's a big if) the powers that be in Russia can keep it quiet (enough), they will at some point declare 'victory', and bring the remnants of their Army home, after extended security duty in the Eastern parts of the country (and Siberia for the loudest) to face down any ambitious Chinese.
@Cyber Liberty
I could easily be wrong because my memory now sucks,but I SEEM to remember Yeltsin as a genuine reformer that did a LOT to open Russia and free the people from their chains.
Unfortunately,the "Soviet System" took over again with a stealth candidate named Putin,who took over as a reformer,but was and is nothing but a dedicated Communist who has for all practical purposes taken over the electoral system to the point the old Soviets might as well be in power again.
I am HOPING that Putin has now over-reached to the point where he has killed Communism in Russia,and come the next election that a rabid dog could beat him. I think even the dedicated Soviets have had enough by now to want to get rid of him. After all,he spoiled THEIR lives much more than the lives of the typical neo-Soviet citizen,who never had much to start with. Putin and his actions have actually threatened their very survival.
I think this is especially true if they have to tuck their tails beneath their bellies and flee back to Russia from Ukraine in defeat. There just ain't going to be any way to "manage" THAT to make the Neo-Soviets look good.
No, Pete, you are not the only one. That has been a concern of mine for decades, (like Freeper Jeff Head, if you recall him). People have long said we'd sell people the rope to hang us, and Biden is trying to become salesman of the year.
IF (and that's a big if) the powers that be in Russia can keep it quiet (enough), they will at some point declare 'victory', and bring the remnants of their Army home, after extended security duty in the Eastern parts of the country (and Siberia for the loudest) to face down any ambitious Chinese.
No one will be fooled who really, really, doesn't want to be, but damned few will be talking openly about that, and not for long.
In Russia, defeat will not be mentioned aloud, or only nervously whispered about.
MI-8 Minimum of $16 million US each, $40 Million for the SU-34, about 43 million USD for the SU-35 (lowball prices, not including ordnance). The Russians bled over $110 million US in a day.
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1657771861609000961
Does it still look like they're planning an encirclement of the Orcs in Bakhmut?
Does it still look like they're planning an encirclement of the Orcs in Bakhmut?
Russia Announces Deaths of Two Colonels in Bakhmut
Russia has revealed that two of its colonels were killed in Bakhmut while fighting Ukrainian forces.
In a rare announcement of combat losses, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the deaths of Colonel Vyacheslav Makarov of the 4th motorized rifle brigade and Colonel Yevgeny Brovko, deputy commander of the army corps for military-political work.
Both are said to have died "while repelling attacks." Tass, a news agency closely affiliated with the Russian government, stated that Russian Ministry of Defense representative Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov confirmed the deaths. Konashenkov said Makarov led his unit on the front line and claimed two Ukrainian attacks were repelled. He added: "In the course of repelling the third attack, the brigade commander was seriously wounded and died during the evacuation from the battlefield."
According to Tass: "Brovko died heroically during the battle to repeal one of the attacks, he received multiple shrapnel wounds."
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-announces-deaths-two-colonels-bakhmut-1800192
Saw this - more evidence that things definitely aren't going well at Bakhmut for the Russians:
... And this isn't even the main Ukrainian counterattack. It's just local units taking advantage of the Russians having wasted so many of their own troops in that sector.
Does it still look like they're planning an encirclement of the Orcs in Bakhmut?
That's a good question. I wouldn't think the Ukrainians have enough superiority on that front to risk a full encirclement of Bahkmut, because that means they then have to either 1) assault the City, which would be extraordinarily expensive, or 2) maintain that encirclement for long enough to force a Wagner surrender. So I really don't see the Ukrainians attempting to do that unless they are convinced that the entire Russian front and that area has collapsed, and they have no reserves.
I would think the more likely goal is to leave the Wagnerites an escape route out of the city so they bug out on their own. That would let the Ukrainians retake the city at minimal cost, and be a gigantic embarrassment for Russia.
Something is happening in Belarus.
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1657817185249644545
In late January, with his mercenary forces dying by the thousands in a fight for the ruined city of Bakhmut, Wagner Group owner Yevgeniy Prigozhin made Ukraine an extraordinary offer.
Prigozhin said that if Ukraine’s commanders withdrew their soldiers from the area around Bakhmut, he would give Kyiv information on Russian troop positions, which Ukraine could use to attack them. Prigozhin conveyed the proposal to his contacts in Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, with whom he has maintained secret communications during the course of the war, according to previously unreported U.S. intelligence documents leaked on the group-chat platform Discord.
(snip)
Other leaked documents reveal Russian Defense Ministry officials privately wondering how to respond to Prigozhin’s criticism of the military’s performance and his demands for more resources, which they apparently conceded were not illegitimate grievances. The documents also speak to a power struggle between Prigozhin and top officials, including Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Against that tense backdrop, Prigohzin has carried on a secret relationship with Ukrainian intelligence that, in addition to phone calls, includes in-person meetings with HUR officers in an unspecified country in Africa, one document states. Wagner forces provide security to several governments on the continent.
The leaked U.S. intelligence shows Prigozhin bemoaning the heavy toll that fighting has taken on his own forces and urging Ukraine to strike harder against Russian troops.
Wagner chief offered to give Russian troop locations to Ukraine, leak says
tps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/14/prigozhin-wagner-ukraine-leaked-documents/
EXCERPT
Prigozhin's a dead man walking.
Wagner chief offered to give Russian troop locations to Ukraine, leak says
tps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/14/prigozhin-wagner-ukraine-leaked-documents/
EXCERPT
Prigozhin's a dead man walking.
Ha! It could be true, or it could be totally made up as an effort to divide Wagner and the Russians. Either way, it's awesome.Wonder if the Russian media will blow this off as 'murcan disinformation?
Wonder if the Russian media will blow this off as 'murcan disinformation?
@Smokin JoeYep! (makes you wonder how much that same thing applies here, and who is the 'power behind the throne').
I THINK the Russian media is back to only reporting what they are TOLD to report.
Pooty Poot is a dictator.
Yep! (makes you wonder how much that same thing applies here, and who is the 'power behind the throne').
Ukraine shoots down six of Putin's 'unstoppable' hypersonic missiles as Russia hits Kyiv with 'exceptionally complex' attack that 'destroyed US Patriot air defence system'
Moscow launched several waves of drones and missiles on Ukrainian capital
The Tuesday morning attack came hours after Zelensky met with Rishi Sunak
By DAVID AVERRE
16 May 2023
Russia launched a brutal drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital early this morning, just hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be returning from a European tour with a restocked weapons arsenal.
Ukraine claimed its robust air defence system, comprised of Soviet-era and Western-supplied platforms, managed to successfully shoot down 18 of Moscow's missiles, six of which were reportedly hypersonic 'Kinzhal' missiles which Vladimir Putin once boasted were 'unstoppable'.
But the Russian Defence Ministry in turn claimed one of its missiles had successfully destroyed a US-designed and supplied Patriot air defence system - a feat amounting to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of state-of-the-art technology that could leave the Ukrainian capital vulnerable to further attacks.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12088327/Putin-hits-Kyiv-exceptionally-complex-simultaneous-attack-drones-ballistic-missiles.html
But the Russian Defence Ministry in turn claimed one of its missiles had successfully destroyed a US-designed and supplied Patriot air defence system -
His hand doesn't look good.
(https://preview.redd.it/lukashenko-is-alive-but-doesnt-look-well-v0-xaib9e76c00b1.jpg?width=882&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=1179d92d498c46b70263977a4b6b9eba7098988f)
Pretty much all I see are positive news reports on how the Ukrainian army is holding the neo-Soviet army in place,while defeating them and decimating their ranks..
Being a bit of a pessimist,I find it hard to believe that the Neo-Soviets aren't winning SOME battles somewhere.
What is the truth of this? Does anyone really know?
Pretty much all I see are positive news reports on how the Ukrainian army is holding the neo-Soviet army in place,while defeating them and decimating their ranks.
Being a bit of a pessimist,I find it hard to believe that the Neo-Soviets aren't winning SOME battles somewhere.
What is the truth of this? Does anyone really know?
Pretty much all I see are positive news reports on how the Ukrainian army is holding the neo-Soviet army in place,while defeating them and decimating their ranks.
Being a bit of a pessimist,I find it hard to believe that the Neo-Soviets aren't winning SOME battles somewhere.
What is the truth of this? Does anyone really know?
.
I don't think even the Russians themselves have claimed to have made any advancements of note on any other front.
Well what I reasoned is that they're either losing the war for real this bad, or they're losing the war of messaging even worse.
They continue to make inroads in Bakhmut itself, but have lost territory to Ukraine outside of the city center. They have also managed to hit some Ukraine ammo depots, in addition to the terrorism they continue to inflict on Ukraine civilians.
@Kamaji
I know,but "Dictators for Life" like Pooty Poot just LOVE to talk about their epic victories over "the enemy",and we get nothing but silence for the most part.
THAT ain't no way for a dictator to run a country and a war he started.
@Maj. Bill Martin
I agree,and that is maybe the most puzzling part of this. Name ONE previous war where the attackers weren't making all sorts of wild claims about their military successes.
Name ANY previous conflict the USSR has been involved in that didn't seem to have more PR writers than soldiers.
I just don't "get" this.
I think that is largely a function of this being a war in the age of the internet, where most big picture claims could be proven true or false in a matter of days at most.
We all saw how false claims of successes turned Baghdad Bob into an object of ridicule because he'd make a claim about how far we were away from Baghdad, and then American troops would take their picture next to the road signs showing how close they were. I think the Russians are too good at propaganda to repeatedly make false claims that can be disproven so quickly.
They have made lots of claims about the results of missile strikes, or the number of Ukrainian troops killed, etc.. stuff that can't be easily disproven. But when it comes to what ground they actually control, there's really no point in even trying to lie about it.
Wagner mercenary group leader accuses Russian troops of fleeing Bakhmut
By Isabel Keane
May 18, 2023
The head of the brutal Wagner mercenary group again took aim at the Russian army on Thursday, accusing it of putting its soldiers at risk by fleeing the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war.
Yevgeny Prigozhin — who has repeatedly accused Russian military officials of not doing enough to support his paramilitary force — said regular Russian troops are abandoning ground north and south of Bakhmut, the war-torn city where fighting has become so intense, it’s been dubbed “the meat grinder.”
“Unfortunately, units of the Russian defense ministry have withdrawn up to 570 meters [a third of a mile] to the north of Bakhmut, exposing our flanks,” Prigozhin said in a voice message Thursday, according to Reuters.
“I am appealing to the top leadership of the Ministry of Defense — publicly — because my letters are not being read.”
Prigozhin then begged Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov not to abandon his mercenary group’s flanks.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/wagner-leader-accuses-russian-troops-of-fleeing-bakhmut/ (https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/wagner-leader-accuses-russian-troops-of-fleeing-bakhmut/)
I wonder when he is going to turn on the current Russian Government.
I have seen speculation that he is already making moves against Putin.
Well if he does, and IF it does work out, I hope he isn't worse than Putin.
Yahoo News has exclusively obtained an internal U.S. Air Force assessment that concludes it would take only four months to train Ukrainian pilots to operate American-made F-16 fighter jets, a far shorter time frame than what has been repeatedly cited by Pentagon officials.
The document, which was shared with a number of NATO allies who fly F-16s, contains a detailed assessment undertaken in late February and early March at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Ariz., home to the 162nd Wing of the U.S. Air Force. Two Ukrainian airmen, one qualified on the MiG-29, the other on the Su-27, were given “no formal training” on the F-16, according to the assessment, other than a brief familiarization. They were then tested on a flight simulator, conducting “9 simulator events covering 11.5 total hours.”
Exclusive: U.S. could train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in 4 months
https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-us-could-train-ukrainian-pilots-to-fly-f-16s-in-4-months-184136820.html
See actual USAF report at link.
EXCERPT.
@Timber Rattler
I saw you post this over at TOS, and the responses remind me of why I no longer post there at all.
The story seems very credible to me.
Ukrainian pilots have been flying under war conditions for over a year. That not only means they have likely become very proficient, but that they also have determined who their very best pilots are. And those are likely the guys they sent to be evaluated for how quickly they could learn how to fly F-16s. So when people at TOS ridicule the article for claiming those pilots could be trained that quickly, they are ignoring that these are probably the cream of the crop of a group of pilots with a lot of combat experience.
Also, your country being involved in a war of survival may give those pilots a little extra incentive and focus to become proficient in a shorter period of time.
The other thing that was ridiculous over there was how people were complaining that providing F-16 could start World War III, or might be a security breach because Ukrainian pilots might defect and fly their planes to Russia.
The problem with that is that the F-16 has been exported for many decades, and is already in service with 25 different countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and freaking Venezuela.
Pro-Russian hacks over there.
@Timber Rattler
I saw you post this over at TOS, and the responses remind me of why I no longer post there at all.
(snip)
Pro-Russian hacks over there.
I save my more serious comments and discussion points for here, which is my actual home, as far as these boards go.
@Timber RattlerIt also ignores the fact that our own pilots transition fro one air craft to another type relatively quickly, without the language barrier and with a general familiarity with American cockpit layouts. It isn't that these aren't competent pilots, nor that they have experience flying advanced jet fighters in combat, it's just a different layout and language. The fundamentals remain the same, so the idea that some of their best could fly F-16s in short order doesn't seem far-fetched at all.
I saw you post this over at TOS, and the responses remind me of why I no longer post there at all.
The story seems very credible to me.
Ukrainian pilots have been flying under war conditions for over a year. That not only means they have likely become very proficient, but that they also have determined who their very best pilots are. And those are likely the guys they sent to be evaluated for how quickly they could learn how to fly F-16s. So when people at TOS ridicule the article for claiming those pilots could be trained that quickly, they are ignoring that these are probably the cream of the crop of a group of pilots with a lot of combat experience.
Also, your country being involved in a war of survival may give those pilots a little extra incentive and focus to become proficient in a shorter period of time.
The other thing that was ridiculous over there was how people were complaining that providing F-16 could start World War III, or might be a security breach because Ukrainian pilots might defect and fly their planes to Russia.
The problem with that is that the F-16 has been exported for many decades, and is already in service with 25 different countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and freaking Venezuela.
Pro-Russian hacks over there.
A-10 Warthogs would be better suited as tank killing close tactical support aircraft. They were designed to destroy Soviet tanks on the eastern steppes of Europe.
A-10 Warthogs would be better suited as tank killing close tactical support aircraft. They were designed to destroy Soviet tanks on the eastern steppes of Europe.
@Timber Rattler
I saw you post this over at TOS, and the responses remind me of why I no longer post there at all.
The story seems very credible to me.
Ukrainian pilots have been flying under war conditions for over a year. That not only means they have likely become very proficient, but that they also have determined who their very best pilots are. And those are likely the guys they sent to be evaluated for how quickly they could learn how to fly F-16s. So when people at TOS ridicule the article for claiming those pilots could be trained that quickly, they are ignoring that these are probably the cream of the crop of a group of pilots with a lot of combat experience.
Also, your country being involved in a war of survival may give those pilots a little extra incentive and focus to become proficient in a shorter period of time.
The other thing that was ridiculous over there was how people were complaining that providing F-16 could start World War III, or might be a security breach because Ukrainian pilots might defect and fly their planes to Russia.
The problem with that is that the F-16 has been exported for many decades, and is already in service with 25 different countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and freaking Venezuela.
Pro-Russian hacks over there.
I respect the A-10 (I probably tested and aligned several hundred A-10 Projection Units (=HUDs)), but the problem is that the USAF inventory has been gradually pared down to a fairly minimal number.
Ukraine could receive 'game changing' F-16s as White House 'tells European allies it will not block export of fighter jets'
And therein lies the problem. The USAF inventory should have been zero from Day One. These should have been part of the Army and Marines inventories.
They think that Putin is going to save Western civilization by stopping the Global-Homo Movement (their term not mine) or as the savior of Christianity in Europe (never mind that he is attacking a Christian country and using Muslims to attack Ukraine).
It makes me wonder which side they will be on if we ever go to war with Russia (I hope not).
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1658436706163388418
@HoodatRight. If it has jet engines, fixed wings, and doesn't land on a ship...
Hoo u,sum kinda trublemakir??????
We all nos de only peepulls spossta be flyin dem things bees USAF gentilmens!
You have to have economic power to have actual military power that is capable of fighting a war and winning. Russia is consuming itself. Their entire GDP is about 5% of the west's. The only way for Russia to win is for the west to surrender.
Right. If it has jet engines, fixed wings, and doesn't land on a ship...
@Smokin JoeI guees they haven't forgotten their roots: US Army Air Force.
I seem to recall the US Army and the USAF getting into a big squabble about the Army having cargo planes like the Chinook,and wanting more. IF I remember correctly,the USAF agreed to give up helicopters (after all there are no jet helicopters) if the US Army would agree to give up cargo planes.
Which,of course,allowed the US Army to SERIOUSLY build up their chopper force and develope "airmobile" divisions.
The USAF screwed themselves on that one,and didn't even care because as far as THEY were concerned,if it wasn't jet powered and flying at supersonic speeds,they had no interest in it.
Then again,that was just what the rumor mills had going back then. For all I know,what the USAF was REALLY scared of was being absorbed by the army as an army unit. They HAD to keep the big transports and the zoomies in their stable,or lose their reason to exist.
Right. If it has jet engines, fixed wings, and doesn't land on a ship...
The P-51, P-47, and P-38, and even the B-25 (which did fly off a carrier to bomb Tokyo), were all awesome planes. The Mustang for its range, speed, maneuverability, the 'Jug' for its ability to fly fighter support or equally, do ground attack and withstand punishment, the Lightning for sheer capability in Pacific and European theatres (they got Yamoto), and the B-25 which was adapted from everything from a medium bomber to the H variant with a total of eight .50 cals in the nose used to attack coastal shipping and anything else handy.
@Smokin Joe
Can you even BEGIN to imagine all the hissy-fits and slaps that went on between the US Navy and the USAF over "who "owns" the cargo plane contracts?"
I think the only reason that one didn't "blow up" was because WW-2 was raging,and the US needed all the cargo planes they could get,and there was and is no way in HELL to land a cargo plane on a carrier and have it take off and do anything more than make a big splash when it leaves the deck.
Besides,they were both so busy designing and putting new cargo planes and fighter plans online to meet the 1941-1945 requirements that they probably just didn't have the time to have hissy-fits.
Add to that the FACT that the Navy fighters had to have different designs as well as different structural support to be able to fold the fights wings for storage below,as well as to handle the "sudden stops" when the fighters returned and had to land and be caught be a steel cable to keep them from running off the other end of the deck and crashing into the sea.
The fact that BOTH managed to design and put the fighters into production in such a short time and have them actually working and holding up is a tribute to BOTH forces.
Hell,they even managed to come up with new designs while the war was going on that no one had even thought of before. Planes like the p-15 and even the first jet fighters,for example. I stand in awe of their engineering ability.
The P-51, P-47, and P-38, and even the B-25 (which did fly off a carrier to bomb Tokyo), were all awesome planes. The Mustang for its range, speed, maneuverability, the 'Jug' for its ability to fly fighter support or equally, do ground attack and withstand punishment, the Lightning for sheer capability in Pacific and European theatres (they got Yamoto), and the B-25 which was adapted from everything from a medium bomber to the H variant with a total of eight .50 cals in the nose used to attack coastal shipping and anything else handy.
While people think of Hurricanes, Spitfires, B-17s and B-24s, there were al lot of great planes, and the Navy ones not so well known included the Helldiver, Avenger, Wildcat, Hellcat, and the F-4U Corsair, designed specifically to fly off a pitching deck, take it to the enemy, and land on that ship again. When you consider the variety, from the Catalina flying boats to the p-39 (built with a midships engine), it is a testament to an adaptable America we may not see again for a while, one where people built their own bulldozers in their garages.
It was and it did, but they were not nearly as pilot friendly as the P-51 or the P-47 (harder to fly). The P-51 was rated very sweetly by the pilots as being easy to fly, the P-47 got high marks for durability, armor protection for the pilot, raw power (a 2,000 horsepower radial), and eight .50 caliber machine guns. The Corsair remained in service through Korea, used as a ground attack aircraft (rockets, bombs, napalm, and strafing). All of the planes we have mentioned were awesome in their own way, and we haven't even moved on to the A-1 Skyraider (Spad)...
@Smokin Joe
"F-4U Corsair" awesome fighter/bomber,and it had the ability to take an enormous amount of damage and still fly.
Prigozhin’s video announcement celebrating the Russian victory in Bakhmut. Fully translated into English
It was and it did, but they were not nearly as pilot friendly as the P-51 or the P-47 (harder to fly). The P-51 was rated very sweetly by the pilots as being easy to fly, the P-47 got high marks for durability, armor protection for the pilot, raw power (a 2,000 horsepower radial), and eight .50 caliber machine guns. The Corsair remained in service through Korea, used as a ground attack aircraft (rockets, bombs, napalm, and strafing). All of the planes we have mentioned were awesome in their own way, and we haven't even moved on to the A-1 Skyraider (Spad)...
Russians continue to shell a city they claim to 100% occupy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13nac2v/a_ukrainian_drone_captures_a_birds_eye_view_of/
More Ukrainians continuing to defend Bakhmut. Prigozhin is a liar.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13mlpwx/bakhmut_through_the_eyes_of_a_fighter_with_the/
More Ukrainians continuing to defend Bakhmut. Prigozhin is a liar.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13mlpwx/bakhmut_through_the_eyes_of_a_fighter_with_the/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13mlpwx/bakhmut_through_the_eyes_of_a_fighter_with_the/)
The Ukrainians defended Bakhmut because the loss ratio was favorable for them. If they think it remains favorable, they'll keep defending it. Otherwise, they won't.
It's strategic value at this point is almost non-existent given that the Russian lost all that ground to the north and south. Because of those losses, they can't advance any further west out of Bakhmut even if they have taken it because they'd get cutoff. So it marks the limit of their ability to advance regardless of whether the Ukrainians or Russians hold it.
This is true.
@HoodatTrue, but like Stalingrad, those ruins can be an absolute sonofab*tch to get defenders out of, shelling or no.
Also,it seems like the city has now been shelled to the point where there are no longer any livable buildings standing.
In effect,there is no longer a livable city there.
Take a look at this
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1660592170808508418?t=2DEEXBqbn4HPYFuBW0TEng&s=19
“The advanced units have entered Grayvoron. We are moving forward. Russia will be free,” the Legion’s post read.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, confirmed there had been an armed incursion into the territory of the oblast’s Grayvoron District, referring to the volunteers as a “sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
“The Russian Armed Forces, together with the Border Service, National Guard, and FSB, are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy,” Gladkov wrote on Telegram.
The Freedom of Russia Legion is a unit within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, established in March 2022 to combat the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It comprises defectors from the Russian Armed Forces and other Russian volunteers who had not previously served in military units.
Previously, fighters from the Russian Volunteer Corps, who are engaged in combat against the Russian army in Ukraine, reported that they had once again infiltrated Russian territory. They released videos of themselves alongside signs displaying the names of settlements in Russian oblasts bordering Ukraine.
Ballsy raid toward Belgorod if true...
https://news.yahoo.com/freedom-russia-legion-declares-liberation-132000222.html
Pyotr Kucherenko (pictured left and bottom right) was returning from a business trip to Cuba
Russia's meatgrinder campaign to nowhere: How Wagner has sacrificed thousands of men to take Bakhmut… but are now trapped and unable to press on as Ukraine surrounds the city
Moscow claimed its forces had taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut over the weekend
But Kyiv says Putin's forces in the city are surrounded on three sides - to the north, south and west
By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE
22 May 2023
Russian forces have walked into a trap by taking control of Bakhmut after a grinding nine-month battle for the Ukrainian city, Kyiv has said.
Moscow claimed to have taken full control of the eastern city over the weekend, in what would be a largely symbolic victory that has come at the cost of tens of thousands of Russian and Wagner mercenary troops. Kyiv disputed the Russian claim, but acknowledged its forces now control only a small district.
But while the situation in Bakhmut itself appears bleak for Ukraine, Kyiv says its fighters' presence has played a key role in their strategy of exhausting the Russian military ahead of a planned counteroffensive, while manoeuvring around the flanks of the city.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12110023/How-Wagner-sacrificed-thousands-men-Bakhmut-trapped.html
Something is happening in Russia and it's not good for Putin:
https://twitter.com/search?q=Kursk&src=trend_click&vertical=trends
What’s that? I don’t have a twitter account so can’t see the post.
Somehow I don't feel sorry for Russia:
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1660922735160094721
The United States has sought to distance itself from a dramatic raid into Russian territory by pro-Ukraine fighters who appeared to use American equipment in their attack.
Moscow said Tuesday it had fought off an assault in its Belgorod region after two days of battles with attackers who had staged a cross-border raid.
Much is unclear about the fighting. Russia says the raid was conducted by saboteurs from the Ukrainian military; Ukraine says it was carried out by Russian citizens who rose up independently.
Washington has provided billions of dollars of military assistance to Kyiv, but has sought to restrict its use to the defense of Ukrainian territory, rather than attacks on Russian soil that could potentially be used as a reason for the Kremlin to escalate the conflict.
Video posted by the Russian Defense Ministry and verified by NBC News show American-made Humvees and MRAP armored vehicles at a Russian border checkpoint following the alleged incursion by pro-Ukraine and anti-Putin fighters.
(snip)
Some analysts questioned the appearance of the vehicles in the video shared by the Russian Defense Ministry, pointing to a lack of visible damage and their placement.
“It’s possible the vehicles were used in some form of assault, but it’s also possible the image is staged — a long-standing practice of disinformation employed by the Kremlin to cast a narrative. This narrative conveniently matched the domestic Russian audience narrative that the U.S. and NATO threaten the security of Russia,” said Clint Watts, a national security analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.
Asked about the images, U.S. officials said they were monitoring the reports.
"It’s something we’re keeping a close eye on," Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Defense Department spokesman. "I don't know if it's true or not, in terms of the veracity of that imagery."
A new “revolution” could rock Russia if its stuttering war effort in Ukraine continues, the chief of private military group Wagner has said, in a scathing assessment of Moscow’s military readiness that could further expose divisions in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military hierarchy.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a pro-Russian blogger, that Moscow’s troops are unprepared to resist forces loyal to Kyiv even when they enter Russian territory.
He also praised the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, and urged Moscow to escalate its war effort if it wants to avoid a long and costly conflict.
“I believe Ukrainians today are one of the strongest armies in the world,” Prigozhin said. He called Kyiv’s forces “highly organized, highly trained and their intelligence is on the highest level, they can operate any military system with equal success, a Soviet or a NATO one.”
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1661493223569620992
@kevindavis007
The senior officers in the Red Army are going to either start a coup,or lose control due to a revolution.
I have no idea which is the most likely to happen,but SOME sort of change MUST happen soon.
@sneakypete
I want change to happen, but my fear it can be worse than Putin.
@sneakypete
I want change to happen, but my fear it can be worse than Putin.
What could that someone do worse than Putin? Start another war? Russia is rapidly becoming depleted of both manpower and production. Another war would just accelerate the destruction.
They have Nukes, but I'm not sure if it is in working order.
They have Nukes, but I'm not sure if it is in working order.
The Russian military has resorted to dropping massive Soviet-era bombs in an effort to circumvent Ukrainian air defenses that have proven more than a match for long range missiles and drones.
Ukrainian investigators have increasingly found instances of Russia dropping older bombs, some around 1,100 pounds. The low-tech explosives easily circumvent modern air defenses like the U.S.-made Patriot missile systems that are designed to counter long-range missiles and drones.
Russia's bombs, resurrected from Cold War-era ordnance stashes, have two major advantages over missiles in that they have no propulsion system for air defenses to track, and they remain airborne for barely a minute.
Russia resorts to massive Soviet-era bombs as Ukrainian air defenses prove a match for missiles, drones
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-resorts-massive-soviet-era-bombs-ukrainian-air-defenses-prove-match-missiles-drones (https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-resorts-massive-soviet-era-bombs-ukrainian-air-defenses-prove-match-missiles-drones)
There are a couple of things missing from this news report. First, long-range missiles and "smart bombs" are what are commonly called "stand-off weapons". That means that the aircraft can hit the target without flying over the target. Thus, if the Orcs are resorting to "dumb" or "iron" bombs, the aircraft dropping them have to fly into the anti-air defenses "smart" weapons would allow the aircraft to avoid.
Second, Putin's second invasion of Ukraine is ~15 months old. The orcs have been expending their long range missiles and "smart bombs" like water. Thus, Russia's stock of these "smart" weapons are much depleted, and use of "dumb" munitions may, to some extent, be because that is what Russia has left.
If they're dropping Soviet-era ordnance now, I wonder what the failure rate for that stuff is? It would have been sitting on the shelves for at least 34 years by now, if not significantly longer.
Russian T-80 BVM captured near Svatove:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13rpr1r/ukrainian_forces_captured_a_russian_t80bvm_at_the/
Russian T-80 BVM captured near Svatove:
...
Apparently, the Ukrainians have mines that can be "planted" with artillery, and fire them into the path of tank and IFV columns. The mines disable the tanks/vehicles, the crews bail out leaving hatches open, and then drones drop bombs through the open hatches, rendering the tank or IFV unsalvageable or difficult to salvage.
Apparently, the Ukrainians have mines that can be "planted" with artillery, and fire them into the path of tank and IFV columns. The mines disable the tanks/vehicles, the crews bail out leaving hatches open, and then drones drop bombs through the open hatches, rendering the tank or IFV unsalvageable or difficult to salvage.It also leaves the Ukrainians the option of recovering and refitting a disabled tank or IFV, depending on the seriousness of the mobility kill, and how difficult recovery would be.
Some 1,376 bodies of victims killed during Russian occupation discovered in Kyiv region
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3715740-some-1376-bodies-of-victims-killed-during-russian-occupation-discovered-in-kyiv-region.html (https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3715740-some-1376-bodies-of-victims-killed-during-russian-occupation-discovered-in-kyiv-region.html)
Law enforcement officers have already found 1,376 bodies of victims killed in the Kyiv region during Russian occupation.
The relevant statement was made by Head of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in the Kyiv region Andrii Niebytov in an interview with Gazeta.ua, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
According to Niebytov, 15 mass burial sites were discovered, as well as three places, where people had been tortured.
Niebytov mentioned that the National Police of Ukraine had created a database of Russian war crimes, collecting information on Russian soldiers and mercenaries, who had been staying within the territory of Ukraine.
More at link.
Drone attack on Moscow
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1663403789548756992
War comes to Putin's doorstep: Wealthy Moscow region is hit by kamikaze drones 'with blasts within earshot of Vladimir's official residence' 'in revenge for attacks on Ukrainian capital'
Moscow was under siege early today from suspected Ukrainian drone attacks
It came just hours after Putin unleashed a volley of suicide drones at Kyiv
By RACHAEL BUNYAN and WILL STEWART
30 May 2023
Moscow was attacked this morning by suspected Ukrainian kamikaze drones just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed yet another volley of strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Several buildings were damaged in wealthy suburbs of Moscow, including the elite district of Rublyovka to the southwest of the capital.
One suspected Ukrainian drone exploded into a mushroom cloud near the village of Usovo, which is just down the road from Putin's official Novo-Ogaryovo residence.
'[Putin's residence] would be in earshot of the explosion,' one local said.
Explosive drones also struck blocks of flats in Leninsky Prospekt and Profsoyuznaya Street about six miles from the centre of Moscow, reportedly wounding several residents and damaging the buildings.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12138403/War-comes-Putins-doorstep-Wealthy-Moscow-region-hit-kamikaze-drones.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12138403/War-comes-Putins-doorstep-Wealthy-Moscow-region-hit-kamikaze-drones.html)
It would be such a shame if a drone destroyed his house and another drone destroyed Lenin's tomb.
Ulyanovsk (Lenin's actual family name was Ulyanov) is quite a way from Ukraine, farther than Moscow. OTOH, it isn't too far from oil fields.
I hope the drones in Moscow are from anti-Putin partisans. Ukrainian drones are better used against orcish vehicles and brigand orcs.
Russia issues arrest warrants for top Ukrainian commanders after Moscow drone strikes
By Snejana Farberov
May 30, 2023
Russia on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Ukraine’s two top military commanders — hours after Moscow was hit with an unprecedented barrage of drone strikes that President Vladimir Putin described as Kyiv’s attempt to provoke and intimidate his regime.
Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian military’s top general, and Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces, were placed on the Russian Interior Ministry’s “wanted” list, the state-run RIA news agency reported.
The report did not indicate what charges the Ukrainian commanders are facing.
The Investigative Committee of Russia is also probing Syrskyi and Zaluzhnyi for the shelling of “civilians and civilian facilities” in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday, in what one politician called the most dangerous attack since World War II, while Kyiv was also hit from the air for the third time in 24 hours.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/05/30/russia-issues-warrants-for-kyiv-generals-after-drone-strikes/
The irony is too much.
War comes to Putin's doorstep: Wealthy Moscow region is hit by kamikaze drones 'with blasts within earshot of Vladimir's official residence' 'in revenge for attacks on Ukrainian capital'
Moscow was under siege early today from suspected Ukrainian drone attacks
It came just hours after Putin unleashed a volley of suicide drones at Kyiv
By RACHAEL BUNYAN and WILL STEWART
30 May 2023
Moscow was attacked this morning by suspected Ukrainian kamikaze drones just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed yet another volley of strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Several buildings were damaged in wealthy suburbs of Moscow, including the elite district of Rublyovka to the southwest of the capital.
One suspected Ukrainian drone exploded into a mushroom cloud near the village of Usovo, which is just down the road from Putin's official Novo-Ogaryovo residence.
'[Putin's residence] would be in earshot of the explosion,' one local said.
Explosive drones also struck blocks of flats in Leninsky Prospekt and Profsoyuznaya Street about six miles from the centre of Moscow, reportedly wounding several residents and damaging the buildings.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12138403/War-comes-Putins-doorstep-Wealthy-Moscow-region-hit-kamikaze-drones.html
Ulyanovsk (Lenin's actual family name was Ulyanov) is quite a way from Ukraine, farther than Moscow. OTOH, it isn't too far from oil fields.
I hope the drones in Moscow are from anti-Putin partisans. Ukrainian drones are better used against orcish vehicles and brigand orcs.
Russia issues arrest warrants for top Ukrainian commanders after Moscow drone strikes
By Snejana Farberov
May 30, 2023
Russia on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for Ukraine’s two top military commanders
The irony is too much.
'You scum. You b******* - get your a**** out of the offices!!': Moment Wagner chief EXPLODES with fury at Putin's minions over Moscow drone attacks... as humiliated Vlad admits on TV his air defence was shoddy
Moscow was under siege early today from suspected Ukrainian drone attacks
Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow's air defence worked 'satisfactorily'
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin unleashed a torrent of abuse on Putin's cronies
By ARTHUR PARASHAR
30 May 2023
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has unleashed an explosive tirade of abuse at Vladimir Putin's cronies after Moscow was attacked this morning by suspected Ukrainian kamikaze drones.
In a furious 70-second rant, a ruthless Yevgeny Prigozhin screamed vulgar insults at Russia's defence whom he described as 'smelly scumbags' and 'b*******'.
The Wagner boss said he was 'deeply outraged' by Putin's troops doing 'f*** all' to prevent explosive drones falling on the Russian capital this morning. Shortly after, Putin claimed that Moscow's air defence system worked 'satisfactorily'.
Known for his foul-mouthed rants, Prigozhin, who handed Bakhmut over to Russia's army last week, was translated as shouting: 'Smelly scumbags! What are you doing? Get your a**** up from the offices you've been put in to protect this country.
'You are the Ministry of Defence. You've done f*** all in order to advance. Why the f*** are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow? Who gives a s*** that they are flying to your homes on Rublyovka! Let your houses burn.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12140065/Moment-Wagner-chief-EXPLODES-fury-Putins-minions-Moscow-drone-attacks.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12140065/Moment-Wagner-chief-EXPLODES-fury-Putins-minions-Moscow-drone-attacks.html)
Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow's air defence worked 'satisfactorily'
Ummmmm, if those drones were from Ukraine, either they flew several hundred miles past multiple SAM installations before being intercepted or the Ukrainians managed to infiltrate several hundred miles into Russia undetected.
Ukraine is spreading its attacks, at this point, across multiple, widely separated, areas. This creates uncertainty as to where the/a main thrust will be, and forces Russia to freeze forces spread across the entire front.
The attacks on the oil refinery/storage facilities hit at a resource critical to Russia responding to Ukrainian attacks. Tanks, IFVs, and logistics vehicles don't move without fuel.
The more I think about it the drone attack on Moscow was either a false flag operation or something internal is happening in Russia. I don't think that Ukraine will just waste a drone or two on Moscow yet. Maybe on the bridge that links Russia to Crimea but not on Moscow yet.
Putin Hiding Out After Panic ‘Behind the Scenes’ of Moscow Drone Attack
https://news.yahoo.com/putin-hiding-panic-behind-scenes-161404741.html
Good to see some real fear being put into Putin.It is one thing for him to be cautious, but we don't want him to be really, really, scared. People who are really afraid are dangerously unpredictable.
It is one thing for him to be cautious, but we don't want him to be really, really, scared. People who are really afraid are dangerously unpredictable.
"Dangerously unpredictable" is Putin's middle name. You don't get to be the head of the KGB and then take over the whole country, then start a world war, without being a serious bad ass.
It is one thing for him to be cautious, but we don't want him to be really, really, scared. People who are really afraid are dangerously unpredictable.
An interesting article on how Ukraine changed from a Soviet-style military (i.e., just like the current Russian military) to a NATO-esque force capable of resisting a much greater Soviet/Russian force. It's worth the read.
How Ukraine Learned to Fight
Russia’s full-scale war started a year ago. Ukraine’s military started slashing its Soviet roots long before.
March 1, 2023
By Jack Detsch, a Pentagon and national security reporter at Foreign Policy.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine one year ago, it triggered national mobilization, international outrage, and a once-in-a-generation migration crisis. It also revealed the Ukrainian military’s slow-burn transformation from a Soviet army to a NATO-style outfit able to outfight, outfox, and out-equip its Russian foes.
After Russia’s first invasion in 2014, and during the war in the Donbas that has raged all the way through the ongoing Russian onslaught, Ukraine slowly began to revamp its military organization and doctrine, allowing it to eventually get to grips with its rival.
If the Ukrainian military had a steep learning curve, so did then-U.S. Army Col. Liam Collins. A career special forces officer and Princeton Ph.D. holder who had hopped back and forth between military deployments and academia, Collins was given a month’s notice in 2016 to join Army Gen. John Abizaid as an aide. Abizaid was a retired four-star general brought on by the Pentagon to advise Ukraine’s defense ministry as it reformed the country’s military.
* * *
Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/01/how-ukraine-learned-to-fight/
"Dangerously unpredictable" is Putin's middle name. You don't get to be the head of the KGB and then take over the whole country, then start a world war, without being a serious bad ass.My worry would involve mobilization by the Chinese, spooled up Russian nuclear forces, and the Norks or Iranians launching first. That could be a real hairball before the ordnance stops flying, and there are plenty of places the whole shooting match could go sideways off the rails.
If anyone in the world is going to start throwing around nuclear bombs, Putin would be at the top of that list. Especially now since he is old and ill/sick. What does he care anyway?
"Dangerously unpredictable" is Putin's middle name. You don't get to be the head of the KGB and then take over the whole country, then start a world war, without being a serious bad ass.
If anyone in the world is going to start throwing around nuclear bombs, Putin would be at the top of that list. Especially now since he is old and ill/sick. What does he care anyway?
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1664233172282818560
Who/what is the RDK?
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1664234556482789376
That is a good question.
The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC; Russian: Русский добровольческий корпус, РДК, romanized: Russkiy dobrovolcheskiy korpus, RDK) is a Russian nationalist paramilitary unit based in Ukraine. It was formed in August 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to fight against Russian forces and the regime of Vladimir Putin.[1][2][3] The group reportedly consists of Russian emigrants who are primarily united by their opposition to Putin.[1] The group claims to be part of Ukraine's armed forces, but Ukrainian military officials say it is independent.[1] The group was described as far-right.[1][3][4][5] The current leader of the group is Denis Kapustin.[6]
Russian fighters serving under the Ukrainian Armed Forces have crossed into the town of Shebekino in Russia's Belgorod region, bringing "heavy equipment" with them, Ilya Ponomarev, an exiled Russian politician—who says he is the political representative for the group of fighters—told Newsweek.
Ponomarev's remarks came on the heels of a statement from Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who said shelling in the border town of Shebekino overnight injured at least eight people. Gladkov denied "any enemies are on the territory of the Belgorod region" even as reports emerged that tanks operated by "saboteurs" were shelling the town's checkpoint.
The Freedom of Russia Legion—formed weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and made up of defectors from the Russian armed forces and Russian and Belarusian volunteers—and the Russian Volunteer Corps published videos on their social media channels claiming to be near or in Shebekino on Thursday morning.
Troops Cross Into Russia as Putin's Army Fights To Defend Belgorod—Report
https://www.newsweek.com/tanks-russia-ukraine-belgorod-freedom-legion-volunteer-corps-border-1803756
EXCERPT
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1664201022003204096
Where are the emergency response people? There are no firefighters, etc. Nobody.
117
Ukrainska Pravda
Thu, June 1, 2023 at 5:05 AM EDT·1 min read
In this article:
Oleksandr Syrskyi
Ukrainian general
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have suspended their advance on the flanks on the Bakhmut front over the past few days.
Source: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the comments for Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "Over the past few days, the advance on the flanks was suspended, as other essential tasks were performed there. The command of our group is taking appropriate measures aimed at restoring the combat capability of our units and disrupting Russian intentions (namely, do not allow Ukrainian counter-offensive actions to happen, instead switching to the offensive themselves – ed.)
Details: In addition, Syrskyi said that Russia changed the format of the operation on the Bakhmut front; therefore, there is a temporary lull.
Call for Putin to be replaced... on state TV: Extraordinary criticism is levelled at Vladimir on Russian channel for the first time since Ukraine invasion
Boris Nadezhdin said Russian must choose a replacement for Putin in elections
By RACHAEL BUNYAN
1 June 2023
A Russian politician has launched an extraordinary attack on Vladimir Putin, calling for the despot to be ousted from office and replaced during an appearance on state TV.
Opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who has criticised Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said on Russia's NTV channel that Russians must choose a different leader in the country's 2024 elections.
'We need to choose somebody else, and not Putin,' outspoken Nadezhdin said. 'Everything will be good then.'
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12148661/Call-Putin-replaced-state-TV-Extraordinary-criticism-levelled-Vladimir.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12148661/Call-Putin-replaced-state-TV-Extraordinary-criticism-levelled-Vladimir.html)
My worry would involve mobilization by the Chinese, spooled up Russian nuclear forces, and the Norks or Iranians launching first. That could be a real hairball before the ordnance stops flying, and there are plenty of places the whole shooting match could go sideways off the rails.
If the Chinese figure out a way to orchestrate something like that, look out.
@Smokin Joe
I have been predicting for a while that the Chinese are waiting for Putin to be in SERIOUS trouble,and then to either just go ahead and invade eastern Russia to go after all the oil,coal,natural gas,and the other assets there because Russia will by then be too weak to fight back....
This,of course,would all change if Putin were to be kicked out of office and replaced by someone not insane.
@sneakypete
Russia's territorial integrity is guaranteed by its nuclear arsenal, not by its army. I don't think China (or anyone else...) would risk an unprovoked invasion of a nuclear-armed nation - especially one led by someone who they saw as unstable.
@sneakypete
Russia's territorial integrity is guaranteed by its nuclear arsenal, not by its army. I don't think China (or anyone else...) would risk an unprovoked invasion of a nuclear-armed nation - especially one led by someone who they saw as unstable.
@Maj. Bill Martin
Since nobody wins a fight between two nations that both have nukes,it is a losing proposition from the start,so it's not likely to happen.
Sure,some mental basket case like Putin can order the nukes launched,but will the Generals,and even more importantly,the low-ranking officers and enlisted swine with families to lose and no family nuclear bunker actually follow those orders?
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1664586035915812864
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13y86es/020623_berdiansk_port_explosion/
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1664586035915812864 (https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1664586035915812864)(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aQEZr2q_460s.jpg)
I think the offensive, aggressive first-use of nukes is very unlikely. However, I think it becomes a different issue if the clearly home territories of a nuclear power are invaded for the purpose of conquest. At that point, where the continued existence of a nuclear-armed nation is at stake, the calculus is different. If North Korea was invaded, would you be so sure they wouldn't launch?
WHY would anyone want to invade North Korea?
Or if an Iran-led coalition of states looked like it was going to swallow Israel, are you sure the Israelis wouldn't?
@Maj. Bill Martin
I am pretty sure the Israeli's WOULD. This is based on the history of Israel,and what the Jews who settled there went through to GET there,and then went through to build it up and make is a semi-safe place for them to stay.QuoteAgain, I think it is a different issue if you're talking about a defensive use, especially if it is limited. So say China invades Eastern Russia, there is a meeting in the Kremlin, and the army says "we can't stop them." If Putin says, okay, we're going to tell them that we're nuking Urumqi if they don't withdraw", I'm not sure the generals would think that unreasonable.
You may be right,but I can't even guess what would happen.
But whether Russia actually would or wouldn't is beside the point. The real question is whether the Chinese believe there is a legitimate possibility that Russia might respond to invasion with a nuke. Would you really want to take a risk, even if it is only a 25%, that you'd be triggering a nuclear war?
Nope,but I am not a "Maximum Leader Megla-maniac.
I think the offensive, aggressive first-use of nukes is very unlikely. However, I think it becomes a different issue if the clearly home territories of a nuclear power are invaded for the purpose of conquest. At that point, where the continued existence of a nuclear-armed nation is at stake, the calculus is different. If North Korea was invaded, would you be so sure they wouldn't launch? Or if an Iran-led coalition of states looked like it was going to swallow Israel, are you sure the Israelis wouldn't?We need to recall that when then Chinese massed troops (100s of thousands) across the Yalu River as our forces were driving the North Koreans to that border, Gen. Curtis LeMay wanted to nuke them if they started across.
Again, I think it is a different issue if you're talking about a defensive use, especially if it is limited. So say China invades Eastern Russia, there is a meeting in the Kremlin, and the army says "we can't stop them." If Putin says, okay, we're going to tell them that we're nuking Urumqi if they don't withdraw", I'm not sure the generals would think that unreasonable.
But whether Russia actually would or wouldn't is beside the point. The real question is whether the Chinese believe there is a legitimate possibility that Russia might respond to invasion with a nuke. Would you really want to take a risk, even if it is only a 25%, that you'd be triggering a nuclear war? I don't think they'd do that.
We need to recall that when then Chinese massed troops (100s of thousands) across the Yalu River as our forces were driving the North Koreans to that border, Gen. Curtis LeMay wanted to nuke them if they started across.
You can argue the possible wisdom of a move that would have avoided the a long series of battles, including the Chosin Reservoir and saved the lives of thousands of our guys, but the bottom line is that it did not happen.
“Of all the campaigns in my life—20 major ones to be exact—the one I felt the most sure of was the one I was deprived of waging properly. I could have won the war in Korea in a maximum of 10 days, once the campaign was under way, and with considerably fewer casualties than were suffered during the so-called truce period. It would have altered the course of history.
(snip)
“The enemy’s air would first have been taken out. I would have dropped between 30 to 50 tactical atomic bombs on his air bases and other depots strung across the neck of Manchuria from just across the Yalu at Antung (northwest tip of Korea) to the neighborhood of Hunchun (northeast tip of Korea near the border of the USSR).
“That many bombs would have more than done the job! Dropped under the cover of darkness, when his planes were in for the night, they would have destroyed his air force on the ground, wiped out his maintenance and his airmen. …
“With the destruction of the enemy’s air power, I would then have called upon a half million of Chiang Kai-shek’s troops, sweetened by two U.S. Marine divisions. These would have been formed into two amphibious forces. One, totaling four-fifths of my strength and led by one of the Marine divisions, would have landed at Antung and proceeded eastward along the road that parallels the Yalu.
“The other force, led by the other Marine division, would have landed simultaneously at Unggi or Najin in the east, hit the same river road, and moved very quickly westward. … [The] forces could have joined in two days, forming a wall of manpower and firepower across the entire northern border of Korea. …
Douglas MacArthur proposed to use atomic bombs to contain China and ultimately win the Korean War.
“Now, with the northern border sealed, the 8th Army, spread roughly along the 38th Parallel, would then have put pressure on the enemy from the South. The joined amphibious forces would press down from the North. Nothing in the way of supplies or reinforcements could have moved across the Yalu.
“North Korea, holding not less than one million to 1 1/2 million of the enemy, could not have sustained him. It had been picked clean. The enemy commander would have been starved out within 10 days after the landings. I suggest now he would have sued for peace immediately after learning his air had been taken out and we had spread across his supply routes.
“You may ask what would have prevented the enemy’s reinforcements massing and crossing the Yalu in great strength, as they had before. It was my plan as our amphibious forces moved South to spread behind us—from the Sea of Japan to the Yellow Sea—a belt of radioactive cobalt. It could have been spread from wagons, carts, trucks and planes. It is not an expensive material.
“It has an active life of between 60 and 120 years. For at least 60 years there could have been no land invasion of Korea from the North. The enemy could not have marched across that radiated collar I proposed to put across Korea’s neck.
“Russia? It makes me laugh when I recall the fears of the Truman-Acheson-Marshall-Bradley-General Staff group that Russia would commit its armies to a war in China’s behalf at the end of an endless one-track railroad [the trans-Siberian, the only means of resupply once the airforce was destroyed] to a peninsular background that led only to the sea. Russia could not have engaged us. She would not have fought for China. She is already unhappy and uncertain over the colossus she has encouraged.”
We need to recall that when then Chinese massed troops (100s of thousands) across the Yalu River as our forces were driving the North Koreans to that border, Gen. Curtis LeMay wanted to nuke them if they started across.
You can argue the possible wisdom of a move that would have avoided the a long series of battles, including the Chosin Reservoir and saved the lives of thousands of our guys, but the bottom line is that it did not happen.
@Smokin Joe
@Timber Rattler
Guys,when it comes to China,the rules are different. China's biggest problem,aside from being Industrial Strength Communists,is a population so huge the rulers struggle with how to feed,house,clothe,and keep them busy so they don't get hungry and bored enough to revolt.
The Chicom leaders would probably welcome the deaths of several hundred thousands of troops if it also secured them the oil,gold,coal,timber,and other wealth of Eastern Russia.
Hell,they could probably handle the deaths of more soldiers in Eastern Russia than the whole population of Russia. This might be an exaggeration because I haven't bothered to look up Chinese population numbers,but I am guessing it is not far off the mark.
I STRONGLY suspect the Masters of China fear their own people a lot more than they fear the Russians.
Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung wanted the Soviets to attack U.S. troops with nuclear weapons after his forces had lured the Americans into China, according to a memoir by Soviet President Andrei A. Gromyko, the New York Times reported Monday.
Gromyko said he rejected the Chinese proposal in a secret visit to Beijing in August, 1958, when Gromyko was foreign minister, the newspaper said.
In his wide-ranging memoirs, which are to be published soon in the Soviet Union, Gromyko wrote that Mao’s plan anticipated an American attack on China as a result of mounting tensions over the Chinese islands of Quemoy and Matsu.
The islands, claimed by the Nationalist government in Taiwan, became the center of an international crisis in September, 1958, when they came under artillery bombardment from China, which did not have nuclear weapons at the time.
Mao told Gromyko that Chinese forces would retreat to the heartland of China, drawing American forces after them.
Once U.S. forces were deep in Chinese territory, Mao proposed that “the Soviet Union should catch them with all its means,” Gromyko wrote.
Gromyko wrote that he was surprised by the audacity of Mao’s plan to use nuclear weapons against U.S. forces, the newspaper reported. He told the Chinese leader, “The scenario of war described by you cannot meet a positive response by us,” said the newspaper in a dispatch from Moscow, quoting from an advance copy of the memoirs.
Soviet historians have written that Mao believed his country could survive a nuclear war, even if it lost 300 million people, and finish off the capitalists with conventional weapons.
Russian T-90M taken out in Zaporizhzhia. Russia started the war with around 50 of these. They have lost over half that number in Ukraine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/13yi0gi/footage_of_the_defeat_of_the_russian_t90m_tank_in/
Well the ChiComs have never valued the lives of their own people, much less their soldiers, and view them as assets to be expended for their greater strategic interests. A few million here, a few million there...they got plenty more people!
Such as...
Mao Reportedly Sought to A-Bomb U.S. Troops
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-23-mn-44747-story.html
I don't understand the wisdom of using tanks in heavily forested areas. I thought they were mainly effective in out in the open areas? Possibly Ukraine forced these type of tactics somehow?
I don't understand the wisdom of using tanks in heavily forested areas. I thought they were mainly effective in out in the open areas? Possibly Ukraine forced these type of tactics somehow?
Yeeeeeeaaahhhhhhhh ... I'll believe Putin is out when he actually is. His invasion of Ukraine certainly has made his hold over Russia more precarious, though. As the Crimean, Russo-Japanese, and WW1 wars illustrate, doing poorly in wars weaken autocrats, though only Czar Nicholas (and his family) lost their power and lives as a consequence. But I won't be turning blue from waiting for Putin's ouster.
IF that happens, things in and about Russia could get MESSY. Putin has proxies in multiple countries who would suddenly be on their own - Georgia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and maybe more. Meanwhile, the Russian military would lose their head, in the aftermath of losing a substantial portion of their officer corps (can you say "nukes"?), and several Central Asian ethnic minorities are still resentful over their centuries of violent oppression under both the Soviets and the Czars.
@Weird Tolkienish Figure
They are trying to HIDE the tanks,not use them.
Thanks to drones and fighter/bombers,tank warfare is over,except for the shouting about it. Costs too much to manufacture and operate them to then see them disappear in a cloud of dust and flames the first few minutes they appear on a battlefield.
Today,they are nothing more than VERY expensive rolling coffins.
The reasons the Russians have lost more than 2,000 tanks in Ukraine is that they are just terrible at a lot of that, especially the close coordination required between maneuver elements - especially tanks/armored vehicles - and artillery.
I think they are still very effective if used properly - which means with sufficient mass and speed - if supporting arms are properly employed, and if the enemy lacks air supremacy. Risking a $30M plane to take out a $3M tank may not make a lot of sense.I think the Russians problem still lingers form the days of the Communist heirarchy's top down approach, even down to the Zampolits in the units able to accuse one of disloyalty to the Party despite being effective in any departure for orders or doctrine. While no one wants to get killed, the fate for disloyalty to the party may be the same or worse for family members back home.
Suppressive artillery fire, supporting infantry, and various electronic and other means of interfering with drones also can be effective. Tanks also can excel in poor weather where planes and drones are a lot more limited.
The reasons the Russians have lost more than 2,000 tanks in Ukraine is that they are just terrible at a lot of that, especially the close coordination required between maneuver elements - especially tanks/armored vehicles - and artillery.
I think the Russians problem still lingers form the days of the Communist heirarchy's top down approach, even down to the Zampolits in the units able to accuse one of disloyalty to the Party despite being effective in any departure for orders or doctrine. While no one wants to get killed, the fate for disloyalty to the party may be the same or worse for family members back home.
I think, too, there is a certain amount of small unit command initiative (perhaps down to the individual tank) that needs to be present for effective maneuver warfare on a tactical level, while still adhering to a basic strategy or tactical goal. Even a driver who doesn't wait to be ordered to take advantage of terrain elements, defilade, or evade attack while pressing into a favorable position contributes. People waiting for a centralized command to okay every move are going to suffer in a battle with those who need not get clearance to act and can operate on their own initiative.
I think the Russians problem still lingers form the days of the Communist heirarchy's top down approach, even down to the Zampolits in the units able to accuse one of disloyalty to the Party despite being effective in any departure for orders or doctrine. While no one wants to get killed, the fate for disloyalty to the party may be the same or worse for family members back home.
I think, too, there is a certain amount of small unit command initiative (perhaps down to the individual tank) that needs to be present for effective maneuver warfare on a tactical level, while still adhering to a basic strategy or tactical goal. Even a driver who doesn't wait to be ordered to take advantage of terrain elements, defilade, or evade attack while pressing into a favorable position contributes. People waiting for a centralized command to okay every move are going to suffer in a battle with those who need not get clearance to act and can operate on their own initiative.
When Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive finally begins, the fight will be led by brigades armed not only with Western weapons but also Western know-how, gleaned from months of training aimed at transforming Ukraine’s military into a modern force skilled in NATO’s most advanced warfare tactics.
As other Ukrainian units were fighting to expel the Russian occupiers from the country’s east and south, the brand-new 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade was preparing for the next phase of war from a classroom at a NATO base in Germany.
The brigade’s leadership trained with computers that simulated situations they might face in real life. Deputy commander Maj. Ivan Shalamaha and others planned their assaults and then let the program show them the results — how their Russian enemies might respond, where they could make a breakthrough and where they would suffer losses.
“You understand the overall picture, how it works,” Shalamaha said. “You understand where and what your shortcomings were. And we pay attention to what we failed to do during this simulation.”
Now the war games are over. The 47th brigade and other assault units have been armed with Western weapons, including Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and relocated to a secret location closer to the front line. During a recent visit by Washington Post journalists, the soldiers were waiting for the order to charge ahead to retake a large swath of Ukrainian territory and tip the war back in Kyiv’s favor.
The counteroffensive will be the biggest test yet of the U.S.-led strategy of giving the Ukrainians weapons and training to fight like an American army might — but on their own.
Whether you support aid to the Ukrainians or not, you have to admire the tenacity with which they have defended their country. Pretty much the entire rest of the world expected them to be overwhelmed and submit quickly, but they refused. Not often you see courage like that.
I agree.. They really have the courage to stand up to the 2nd largest military. I see it this way. If we support Ukraine now, we are helping Russia (in some way China) to lose. It's going to take a long time for Russia to rebuild its military. If there is Russia left after this war.QuoteTranslation, it is expensive now, but if Russia (again in some way China) wins, it is going to be more expensive down the road.
I agree.. They really have the courage to stand up to the 2nd largest military. I see it this way. If we support Ukraine now, we are helping Russia (in some way China) to lose. It's going to take a long time for Russia to rebuild its military. If there is Russia left after this war. Translation, it is expensive now, but if Russia (again in some way China) wins, it is going to be more expensive down the road.
That's exactly why I support continuing to provide Ukraine with weapons and ammo. Much better use for them than sitting for decades in warehouses until they expire.Yep. It may look more and more like a proxy war, but for those who have long harbored the Cold War model of NATO countries being swarmed by waves of Russian armour in a neo-blitzkreig, well, that possibility is increasingly rusting/resting in Ukraine, one rusting hulk or captured vehicle at a time.
Yep. It may look more and more like a proxy war, but for those who have long harbored the Cold War model of NATO countries being swarmed by waves of Russian armour in a neo-blitzkreig, well, that possibility is increasingly rusting/resting in Ukraine, one rusting hulk or captured vehicle at a time.
A lot of gee-whiz weapons systems are being tried and tested, with the opportunity to upgrade or tweak them as this goes, in a face-off with their east bloc equivalents.
The only downside is that there may be 'leakage' of that tech, but much of it has been around or is not the very top shelf stuff, and NATO countries are able to donate that gear to be used (instead of disposed of or decommissioned later, at expense) and devote themselves to further internal upgrades.
From that perspective, it is a win/win/win situation for the West.
I'm in complete agreement with helping Ukraine with weapons and ammo. However, I would like to see a real discussion about withdrawing from NATO and bringing home most of our troops from around the world. Our defense budget is unsustainable and only serves to let other nations coast on our sacrifices.While I agree in part, let's not ignore the growing threat that is China.
After WWII we set up a system to encircle the USSR and secured trade. We don't need to keep doing this as it only helps the globalists grow in power. The USSR is gone and Russia is destroying itself with this war on Ukraine.
Whether you support aid to the Ukrainians or not, you have to admire the tenacity with which they have defended their country. Pretty much the entire rest of the world expected them to be overwhelmed and submit quickly, but they refused. Not often you see courage like that.
@kevindavis007
I am in total agreement,and would like to add I am a HUGE fan of the idea that no US troops will be involved in the fighting.
Seems like for my entire life I have been waiting for Russia to invade Europe,and either being a US soldier sent off to fight "The Red Peril",or watching other US troops being sent off to a foreign land once again to fight and die.
I am as giddy as a school girl over the possibility of Soviet communism being handed it's ass,and it happening without involving US combat troops.
In Putin's fantasy, Ukraine would be overrun in 3 or 4 weeks. He probably planned to celebrate Easter 2022 in Kyiv.Aside from impressive grain growing regions, Ukraine produced a large share of its oil and gas, 87% of which was in the regions Russia invaded (Donbas), along with reserves of hard coal (particularly anthracite), rock salt, lignite, mercury, and various ores.
Family history aside, I do not want part or all of Ukraine grafted into Putin's empire.
The Democrats don't like America's European ancestry/culture and seek to replace it. Thus far they've been successful.It isn't that they don't like it, they want the throne..
It isn't that they don't like it, they want the throne..
@kevindavis007
I am in total agreement,and would like to add I am a HUGE fan of the idea that no US troops will be involved in the fighting.
Seems like for my entire life I have been waiting for Russia to invade Europe,and either being a US soldier sent off to fight "The Red Peril",or watching other US troops being sent off to a foreign land once again to fight and die.
I am as giddy as a school girl over the possibility of Soviet communism being handed it's ass,and it happening without involving US combat troops.
I'm in complete agreement with helping Ukraine with weapons and ammo. However, I would like to see a real discussion about withdrawing from NATO and bringing home most of our troops from around the world. Our defense budget is unsustainable and only serves to let other nations coast on our sacrifices.
Wagner Ready To Defend Russia's Border Region After Whole Towns EvacuatedKeeping the military busy handling refugee flows and trying to move among those is an effective way to throw a monkey wrench into the hopes of a Russian Spring offensive. For a minimum of harassment, a lot of troops can be tied up, along with transport that could be bringing in more troops or moving materiel. that doesn't stop them from loafing those same trucks on a return trip, but it consumes time between loads. In the end, it is just that much less ordnance and that many fewer troops at the front.
TYLER DURDEN | JUN 03, 2023 | 07:00 PM
The war from across the border has impacted citizens in the Belgorod region of Russia to the point that many towns and villages have been evacuated, with some looking like ghost towns--this after armed groups mounted multiple raids since the war's start--as well as increased shelling and rocket fire. Just two days ago the anti-Moscow "Russian Volunteer Corps" said they launched another attack out of Ukraine, after a bigger one nearly two weeks ago left multiple casualties and many saboteurs killed.
The New York Times wrote (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/03/world/europe/belgorod-russia-ukraine-war.html) on Saturday that "Shebekino, a town of 40,000 six miles from the border, has effectively become a new part of the front line as Ukraine has intensified attacks inside Russia, including on residential areas near its own borders." This is all upending the lives of residents in the border region, akin to what already happened long ago on the Ukrainian side of the border. "The spate of assaults, most recently by militia groups aligned against Moscow, has sparked the largest military evacuation effort in Russia in decades," the report underscored. The past days have witnessed area residents move into temporary shelters, including the large Belgorod arena in the oblast capital. . .
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wagner-ready-defend-russias-border-region-after-whole-towns-evacuated
Russia said on Monday its forces had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of troops while Ukraine accused Moscow of spreading lies.
It was not immediately clear whether or not the attack represented the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive which Kyiv has been promising for months to drive out Russian forces after the invasion of February 2022.
Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had attacked on Sunday morning with six mechanised and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk, where Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would seek to drive a wedge through Russian-controlled territory.
"On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction," the defence ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram at 1:30 a.m. Moscow time (2230 GMT).
"The enemy's goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front," it said. "The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success."
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the Russian statement and the Ukrainian defence ministry and military did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.
The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Monday that Ukrainian forces continued "moving forward" near the long-contested city of Bakhmut in northern Donetsk. He made no comment on the counter-offensive.
The daily report from Ukraine's General Staff said only that there were 29 combat clashes in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications did not address the Russian statement directly but said, without providing evidence, that Russia would seek to spread lies.
"To demoralize Ukrainians and mislead the community (including their own population), Russian propagandists will spread false information about the counteroffensive, its directions, and the losses of the Ukrainian army," it said.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov published a cryptic message on Twitter on Sunday, quoting Depeche Mode's track "Enjoy the Silence".
'The start of Russian civil war': Wagner mercenaries CAPTURE officer in Putin's regular army and accuse him of ordering his men to fire on their troops as split between groups creates chaos
The Russian soldier admitted shooting at Wagner group vehicles while drunk
It is latest report of infighting between Wagner mercenaries and Russian army
By DAVID AVERRE and WILL STEWART
5 June 2023
Mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group have taken captive a lieutenant colonel from Vladimir Putin's regular forces in the latest example of bitter infighting in Russian ranks.
The captured colonel was seen hanging his head in a humiliating video posted by the Wagner group in which he confessed his 'guilt' and admitted to being drunk on duty after allegedly shooting at a Wagner vehicle.
This follows claims by the mercenaries that the regular Russian army targeted their ranks with mines, as a clip showed their sappers clearing the explosive devices from a road.
Wagner mercenaries have been fighting for Putin in Ukraine and are credited with seizing the embattled city of Bakhmut from Ukrainian armed forces after months of bloody warfare.
But its success has seemingly angered regular Russian army commanders.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched several verbal tirades at Putin's military leaders. He has accused them of ordering their troops to retreat from their positions and leaving Wagner fighters unprotected on the frontlines.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12159689/Wagner-mercenaries-CAPTURE-officer-Putins-regular-army-split-groups-intensifies.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12159689/Wagner-mercenaries-CAPTURE-officer-Putins-regular-army-split-groups-intensifies.html)
This is the main reason to support Ukraine. It might have saved Taiwan from invasion:
Russia-Ukraine war has important inspiration for China’s operations against Taiwan
https://www.china-arms.com/2022/02/russia-ukraine-war-inspiration-taiwan/
FWIW, I don't think that the CCP Military is all that good either.
Russian military forces completely paralyzed Ukraine’s overall command capability within an hour and destroyed its airpower almost completely on the ground. Within the next 12 hours, ground and airborne forces completed the occupation of key target areas, and odds are that the war objectives will be achieved within 48 hours. Russia has destroyed a medium-sized country with a standing army of 150,000 and a complete military-industrial system in less than a day.
Russia is literally a ticking time bomb..
Well, that article didn't age well.
The article aged like milk.
@kevindavis007
Which can be defused quickly by a quick change in the top leadership because Russia IS a state with "One Man Rule".
Yes,that IS a slight exaggeration because some of the "top comrades" have became even wealthier under Putin's rule,but anybody that doesn't think the "top comrades" will gather up as much of their wealth as they can grab in a hurry and haul ass to the west to seek asylum the first time Putin blinks just hasn't been paying any attention.
The FACT is that Communism is a COLOSSAL scam to enrich and protect the rulers at the expense of everyone else. This is such an obvious fact that Ray Charles used to have to wear shades to even glance at it.
The Soviet leadership had good luck shielding these basic truths from the Soviet population for decades by sealing off Russia from outside news sources back in the days when all news was printed and distributed via paper,but in today's electronic world,that "shield" has fallen apart. VERY few Russians under 70 years of age believe it,with the exception of the children of the "top comrades",who live VERY well indeed under Communist Rule.
@sneakypete
We shall see what happens in the next month of two.
In Rostov, Belgorod and Voronezh oblasts in Russia, radio broadcast an address of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in which he called upon Russians to evacuate to the interior of the country due to the invasion by the Ukrainian army and announced mobilisation. Local authorities and the Kremlin claim that the address is fake.
Source: Russian independent media outlet Meduza, referring to anonymous Telegram channels; Russian Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti, referring to the statement by Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov; Operative Staff of Belgorod Oblast
Quote: "Russians, fellow citizens, brothers and sisters. Today at 4:00, the Ukrainian troops, armed by the NATO bloc, upon agreement and with the support of Washington, invaded the territory of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts. Our border guards and the armed forces are courageously fighting back against the prevailing forces of the aggressor.
Martial law has been implemented in the territory of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts according to my order. Today, I will sign an order about general mobilisation, as we will need to unite all forces of the Russian Federation in order to defeat a dangerous and cunning enemy."
Details: In his address to the residents of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts, Putin called upon them to evacuate deeper into the country.
Peskov called the address fake and claimed that control over the broadcast had been restored. The authorities in the regions believe that the address was intended to spread panic.
Yep. It'll be interesting if this is a "deep fake" of Putin's voice, or else produced using AI:
Russian radio broadcasts panicked Putin's address due to "invasion by Armed Forces of Ukraine"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-radio-broadcasts-panicked-putin-s-address-due-to-invasion-by-armed-forces-of-ukraine/ar-AA1c9gkW?ocid=wn_startbrowsing&cvid=7edca27257b8419caf4b48d54928a67d&ei=8
In Rostov, Belgorod and Voronezh oblasts in Russia, radio broadcast an address of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in which he called upon Russians to evacuate to the interior of the country due to the invasion by the Ukrainian army and announced mobilisation.
Did people start to evacuate based on the broadcast? Getting Russian civilians running around worrying about Ukraine invaders would be a useful confusion tactic.
Yep. It'll be interesting if this is a "deep fake" of Putin's voice, or else produced using AI:
Russian radio broadcasts panicked Putin's address due to "invasion by Armed Forces of Ukraine"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-radio-broadcasts-panicked-putin-s-address-due-to-invasion-by-armed-forces-of-ukraine/ar-AA1c9gkW?ocid=wn_startbrowsing&cvid=7edca27257b8419caf4b48d54928a67d&ei=8 (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-radio-broadcasts-panicked-putin-s-address-due-to-invasion-by-armed-forces-of-ukraine/ar-AA1c9gkW?ocid=wn_startbrowsing&cvid=7edca27257b8419caf4b48d54928a67d&ei=8)
@kevindavis007
I think it is going to maybe take a little longer than that because Soviet Communism has had a century to establish itself,but unless something happens that insures the defeat of Ukraine,there is no way the current Soviet Leadership can survive a loss like they are experiencing.
We are already "hearing" of political problems in the Motherland that are no doubt related to that war such as having to draft new soldiers to keep fighting it,wounded soldiers returning to Russia and telling their relatives and friends the truth about how the war is going,and the western media reports "leaking across the border",and maybe most of all,caskets coming back home after months of a war that was supposed to have ended in days with a Soviet victory.
I don't know about you,but I have yet to hear a single person in America discussing this that wasn't shocked at Russia not being able to just "walk in and take over in less than a week",so we can only imagine how shocked the typical Soviet citizen must be,and how pissed they are to see their sons and the sons of friends drafted to go and fight this war that Russia started.
Quantity has a quality all its own.
FWIW, I don't think that the CCP Military is all that good either.
Quantity has a quality all its own.
Quantity has a quality all its own.
Didn't help Iran in its war with Iraq.Nope, but consider Chinese troops coming across the Yalu into Korea to fight (mostly) ours and ROK troops. There were so many of them that keeping ammo supplied was a problem at times, and they attacked in waves (often marching the local villagers line abreast in front of the troops).
@sneakypete
I think they are beyond pissed.
One good thing to come out of this war is that some NATO members are beginning to step up to the plate and pony up more money for defense. This is especially true for the newer Eastern members who are America's staunchest allies, much more so than Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy.
Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson region blown up by Russian forces - Ukraine's military
Valentyn Ogirenko, Kyiv & Lidia Kelly, Melbourne | June 5, 2023 | 11:33 PM EDT | Updated 35 min ago
KYIV, June 6 (Reuters) - The Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Kherson region was blown up by Russian forces, the South command of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Tuesday.
"The scale of the destruction, the speed and volumes of water, and the likely areas of inundation are being clarified," the command said on its Facebook page.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nova-kakhovka-dam-kherson-region-blown-up-by-russian-forces-ukraines-military-2023-06-06/
https://twitter.com/infussambas/status/1666026537320337408
Not getting anything for that link - says the page does not exist.
That was expected, was it not?
The tweet has been taken down...
One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.
Sanctions on Russia may not be working, we now know why
European businesses and third countries are actively circumventing sanctions, providing Russia with sanctioned goods and thus helping its war effort.
Berit Lindeman
Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Ivar Dale
Norwegian Helsinki Committee's Senior Policy Adviser
5 Jun 2023
On February 25, 2022, a day after Russia undertook a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union introduced unprecedented sanctions against the aggressor. The measures were intended to send a clear signal to Moscow that there would be severe consequences for its actions.
* * *
If the sanctions are not working the way they ought to, it is because we are actively undermining them. A recently released report by Norway-based risk consultancy Corisk reveals how that is done.
Its analysis of customs data from 12 EU countries, Norway, the UK, the US and Japan shows that the circumvention of export sanctions on Russia amounted to an astonishing 8 billion euros ($8.5bn) in 2022.
Of the countries studied, Germany appears to be the largest exporter of sanctioned goods to Russia; the second largest is Lithuania. The two provide half of the Western goods Moscow should not have access to.
The research reveals that European businesses, and especially German ones, use third countries to sell their products to Russia. This is apparent from the analysis of the export data for sanctioned goods, including luxury items such as jewellery and perfumes, typically enjoyed by the elites in Moscow, cutting-edge technology, like advanced semiconductors and quantum computers, machinery and transportation equipment.
* * *
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/6/5/sanctions-on-russia-may-not-be-working-we-now-know-why
One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.Sediment accumulates behind dams, which means any reservoir that has been in place for a long period of time will normally have either a developing freshwater delta at its headwaters, an accumulation of silt and clay throughout, or both, depending on sediment load of the contributing tributaries.
Sediment accumulates behind dams, which means any reservoir that has been in place for a long period of time will normally have either a developing freshwater delta at its headwaters, an accumulation of silt and clay throughout, or both, depending on sediment load of the contributing tributaries.
Such 'river bottom mud' is notoriously difficult to traverse with a vehicle, especially heavy equipment, and can be so even on foot.
At times of low water here, for instance, sportsmen have been known to band together and rescue deer that got literally stuck in the mud--no small feat.
Yep, just stating what someone posted on Twitter.I knew that Sedimentology course was good for something... :laugh:
Why stay in NATO? We would be much better off just aligning ourselves with real allies.
One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.
Were any of the Russian defensive lines damaged by the resulting flood?
They already have no problem crossing the river further upstream -- that's how they've managed to keep all their troops in the east supplied, maintained contact with Kharkiv, etc.. No real upside for Ukraine other than more international support.
Which makes me think that the Ukrainians benefitted a lot more from that dam getting blown than the Russians, especially since the Russians' lines around Kherson are now deluged.Move in from upstream, force the Russians to abandon vehicles they cannot maneuver in the mud, come back in a couple weeks and dig the vehicles out... :pondering:
Who blew up the Ukraine dam…
Tucker Carlson
@TuckerCarlson
https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1666203439146172419 (https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1666203439146172419)
Have a short summary?
Ukrainians are Nazis, Nazis, Nazis!
Putin's a hero rescuing the world from Ukrainians' world conquest plans.
Ok, that was a little hyperbolic.
Here's some really basic facts Carlson would have had to ignore or pretend were unimportant:
* The Russians have occupied and controlled the dam for about a year.
* The damage to the dam and hydro plant were too extensive to be other than due to demolition from the inside.
* The dam had a major road on it, used by the Russians to evacuate the North side of the Dnipro after they lost Kherson
* Blowing up the dam denied its use by the Ukrainians to attack the south side of the river and threaten the land supply route to the Crimean Peninsula.
* The flooding will render downstream ground on both sides of the river unusable to vehicles, frustrating any Ukrainian attack plans and lessening the possible attack routes the Russians would have to defend.
Who blew up the Ukraine dam…
Tucker Carlson
That sounds about right... Ghost Bear's post lays bare who did it and why. Russa expects to lose Crimea and they're salting the earth as they go.
I don't believe Russia expects to lose Crimea. They did this to better defend it. Crimea is much more important to them than Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson.
I don't believe Russia expects to lose Crimea. They did this to better defend it. Crimea is much more important to them than Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson.
Russians retreating from Dnieper.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/142qj1y/this_is_how_russian_soldiers_left_the_islands/
I don't believe Russia expects to lose Crimea. They did this to better defend it. Crimea is much more important to them than Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson.
Well the counter-offensive has started https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1666788460961714176?t=vQGR9t1wzmom3v2yve5-uw&s=19
Russians shoot down their own drone over Sevastopol.
...
If everything from the '?' mark to the end of the url is deleted, the twitter post should be rendered here:
...
If true, this shows how jittery the orcs are and how uncoordinated their drone efforts are. Please orcs, may we have some more self-shoot-downs?
That is true of any url with a "?" and garble at the end. Those are tracking info/cookies.
More live updates and God Speed Ukraine 🇺🇦
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/08/russia-ukraine-war-news-counteroffensive/
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1666753202459475968?cxt=HHwWgIC8jZ7Nv6EuAAAA
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1666753202459475968
the video looks legit. I can't speak to the vblogger Denys Davydov's credibility. He's apparently a Ukrainian commercial pilot from Sevastopol in Crimea.
I've been watching him for a while now. It's legit. He is pro-Ukraine, so if he is reporting this, it is most probably true. Not sure how a column could have been taken out by artillery alone though north of the Dnieper.
As Ukraine continues its counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, the first images of destroyed and damaged U.S.-donated M4A2-ODS Bradley Fighting Vehicles have emerged.
One image shows that Ukrainian forces apparently abandoned four M2 Bradleys as well as one Leopard 2A6 tank and one BMR-2 Mine-Clearing vehicle during an attack in the Zaporizhzia region, according to the open source intelligence group Oryx. The organization has been tabulating destroyed, damaged and captured vehicles from both sides, publishing information only about those it can visually confirm.
The vehicles were damaged during an attempt to break through the defenses of Russian troops south of the town of Malaya Tokmachka, according to the Russian Warrior DV Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian army’s 33rd Mechanized Brigade and 47th Assault Brigade massed their Leopard tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles for a powerful assault on Russian positions two miles south of Mala Tokmachka in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast on or before Thursday morning.
A dense minefield lay between the Ukrainians and their objective. And the Ukrainians knew it. They deployed at least one IMR-2 engineering vehicle and a Leopard 2R breaching vehicle in the hope of plowing away the mines and clearing a path for at least a company of 47th Brigade M-2A2 Bradleys and some attached Leopard 2A6s from the 33rd Brigade.
The engineers failed—either because the minefield was too dense or Russian helicopters or artillery interrupted their efforts to clear the mines. In short order, the IMR-2, a rare Leopard 2A6 and as many as nine Bradleys piled up, out in the open. Exposed, under fire and taking damage, the surviving crews and passengers bailed out—and took their dead and wounded with them.
The assault—a so-called “breach” targeting prepared enemy fortifications—failed. That doesn’t mean the Ukrainians have failed in their wider attempt to advance south into Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia, a prerequisite to an armored breakthrough that itself is a prerequisite to a large-scale liberation of occupied southern Ukraine.
But it’s a setback. And a potentially serious one if the Ukrainians can’t recover and repair some of the damaged vehicles. Ukraine’s allies so far have pledged to the war effort just 21 long-gun Leopard 2A6s and 109 missile-armed M-2s. The 33rd Brigade-47th Brigade battlegroup lost much as five percent of each vehicle consignment in a single morning.
Context is important. Breaches are the most difficult and usually costliest phase of any armored offensive. What we’re observing near Mala Tokmachka could be one of the most painful battles of this phase of Russia’s 15-month wider war on Russia—for both sides. But especially for the attacking Ukrainians.
Ukraine has broken through Russia’s first line of defence in several places, 48 hours after launching its long-awaited counter-offensive, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Ukrainian forces have “likely made good progress” and forced Russia into a disorderly retreat in some places, though it may be struggling in other areas, the MoD said.
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1667255609647943686
Next up...forced conscription of the surviving Wagner mercs and convicts into the Russian Army.
It's one thing to have a mercenary force fighting foreign wars on your behalf; it's another to have such a force on your own soil.
Wagner mercenaries are loyal to Wagner and their paychecks, not Putin. Wagner is a poltical threat to Putin that he must eliminate before they turn on him.
It's one thing to have a mercenary force fighting foreign wars on your behalf; it's another to have such a force on your own soil.
Wagner mercenaries are loyal to Wagner and their paychecks, not Putin. Wagner is a poltical threat to Putin that he must eliminate before they turn on him.
Tanks a Lot! After Battlefield Losses, Ukraine Tells Germany to Send More Leopard 2s
Against a background of Ukrainian battlefield losses of Western-built tanks, Kyiv is asking Germany to send more armour east.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/06/12/tanks-a-lot-after-battlefield-losses-ukraine-tells-germany-to-send-more-leopard-2s/
Tanks a Lot! After Battlefield Losses, Ukraine Tells Germany to Send More Leopard 2s
Against a background of Ukrainian battlefield losses of Western-built tanks, Kyiv is asking Germany to send more armour east.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/06/12/tanks-a-lot-after-battlefield-losses-ukraine-tells-germany-to-send-more-leopard-2s/
I imagine that the Leopards are a high priority target for the Russians and that they have been tracking them ever since they arrived in Ukraine. Damaging and destroying them on the battlefield makes for great propaganda photos and videos, as we have seen this past week, and it also causes consternation among those Western countries that donated them, i.e. Germany, Poland, and Finland.
With that said, while Russia's combat arms are obviously mediocre and incompetent, their engineer, reconnaissance, and artillery units are quite good, and are performing well on the defense. And plus the Russians had all winter to dig in and turn southern Ukraine into one vast minefield.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday it has signed a contract with the Akhmat group of Chechen special forces, a day after Russia's powerful mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to do so.
The signing followed an order that all "volunteer units" should sign contracts by July 1 bringing them under the control of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, as Moscow tries to assert its control over private armies fighting on its behalf in Ukraine.
In return, volunteer fighters would get the same benefits and protections as regular troops, including support for them and their families if they are wounded or killed.
Prigozhin, who has waged a running feud with the defence ministry and accused it of failing to provide adequate ammunition supplies to his Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine, said on Sunday he would refuse to sign any such contract.
He said that Shoigu "cannot properly manage military formations".
The contract the defence ministry signed on Monday was with the Akhmat paramilitary group that has often been called the private army of Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechnya region.
Unlike Prigozhin, Kadyrov has recently refrained from criticising the defence ministry. Members of the two groups have openly sparred, with one of Kadyrov's close allies on Thursday casting Prigozhin as a blogger who yells all the time about problems.
Akhmat commander Apty Alaudinov, who took part in the signing of the contract, said the unit has "prepared and sent tens of thousands of volunteers" to Ukraine in the past 15 months.
It's one thing to have a mercenary force fighting foreign wars on your behalf; it's another to have such a force on your own soil.No way to know if this is actually true or not. But it is at least possible.
Wagner mercenaries are loyal to Wagner and their paychecks, not Putin. Wagner is a poltical threat to Putin that he must eliminate before they turn on him.
No way to know if this is actually true or not. But it is at least possible.
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/az2ZKdx_460s.jpg)
Depleted uranium is just that...depleted, and barely radioactive, at a very low level. It's a heavy metal like lead though and is used to penetrate heavy tank armor.
Putin gives his Defence Minister the cold shoulder: Russian leader's blatant snub to sheepish-looking Shoigu at wounded soldier ceremony
Putin appeared to totally ignore Shoigu, turning his back on the defence minister
It came moments after the Russian president awkwardly greeted injured troops
By DAVID AVERRE
13 June 2023
Vladimir Putin has not openly criticised his long-suffering defence minister amid the war in Ukraine, but the Russian president appeared to make his feelings towards Sergei Shoigu very clear on a visit to a hospital for wounded soldiers.
Putin and Shoigu yesterday visited the Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital in Moscow to greet several servicemen who sustained all manner of gruesome injuries amid the Kremlin chief's war in Ukraine.
Upon their arrival at the medical facility, Putin quickly walked around the group, awkwardly shaking the hands - and in some cases bandaged stumps - of the medically discharged veterans, asking them how they were coping and thanking them for their service.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12190053/Putin-gives-Defence-Minister-cold-shoulder.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12190053/Putin-gives-Defence-Minister-cold-shoulder.html)
Shoigu better stay away from Windows and have a taster.
Warning Graphic Video:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/148bwsw/a_captured_russian_soldier_tells_how_the_russian/
Looks like they're identifying and hitting the Russian artillery now...
https://twitter.com/i/status/1668927873900576772
The men of Ukraine’s 37th Brigade were freshly trained and armed with Western-supplied weapons, tasked with an initial push through Russian-occupied territory in the early days of a long-awaited counteroffensive.
They would pay a heavy price.
Within 20 minutes of their June 5 advance south of Velyka Novosilka, in the southeast Donetsk region, mortars exploded all around them, soldiers said. A 30-year-old soldier known as Lumberjack saw two of the men in his vehicle bleeding heavily; one lost an arm as he cried out for his family. Lumberjack crawled into a crater, but the shrapnel from a mortar went through the soil and pierced his shoulder.
“We were left there in the field, without tanks or heavy armor,” said Lumberjack, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition that he be identified only by his call sign because he was not authorized to discuss the battle. “We were shelled with mortars from three sides. We couldn’t do anything.”
There were fewer than 50 men in the unit, he said, and 30 did not return — they were killed, wounded or captured by the enemy. Five of the unit’s armored vehicles were destroyed within the first hour.
The 37th’s reconnaissance push would eventually help other Ukrainian brigades liberate four villages in Donetsk, one of the counteroffensive’s key starting points, securing an early triumph for Kyiv during the most widely anticipated operation of the war.
Survivors from the 37th, which included some American volunteer fighters and soldiers trained in Europe, described their ordeal as the tip of the spear in Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Their accounts offered one of the first real glimpses into the brutal fighting on a new front this month, far removed from the antiseptic claims of advances and retreats by officials on both sides of the conflict. And the battalion’s heavy losses foreshadow the terrible cost that Ukraine’s leaders are prepared to pay — and believe they must pay — to oust the Russian invaders and reclaim their lost territory.
The Biden administration is rushing more armored vehicles to Ukraine as the country’s forces suffer some early losses in the early thrusts of its counteroffensive against Russia.
The $325 million drawdown of U.S. military stocks announced Tuesday will also pump artillery shells and air defense missiles into the fight, in addition to sending 15 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine after a similar number was lost recently in heavy fighting.
The latest package — the 40th since the start of the war — also includes 10 Stryker infantry carriers to add to the 90 already sent. The Army has supplied over 100 Bradleys to Ukraine, and has trained Ukrainians to use both vehicles.
By attacking through minefields while under Russian artillery fire, the Ukrainian army has already lost at least 16 Bradleys and four Leopard tanks, open source intelligence project Oryx has reported. Kyiv does not provide official numbers for battlefield losses.
Putin lets slip that Russia has lost 54 tanks in a week
President claims Ukraine suffered ‘catastrophic’ losses during counter-offensive and teases idea of a second assault on Kyiv
By Nataliya Vasilyeva,
RUSSIA CORRESPONDENT, IN ISTANBUL
13 June 2023
Vladimir Putin has said his forces lost 54 tanks in under two weeks of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in a rare admission of battlefield casualties.
He refused to reveal more details but insisted the losses were much lower than Ukraine’s, claiming Kyiv had suffered “catastrophic” defeats, including swathes of Western-donated arms.
Sen. James E. Risch, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, is halting a $735 million U.S. arms sale to Hungary as punishment for the country’s refusal to approve NATO membership for Sweden, a rare move aimed at pressuring Budapest into greenlighting the military alliance’s expansion ahead of a major summit next month.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Risch (Idaho) said Hungary must allow Sweden into NATO if it wants the arms package, which includes 24 HIMARS rocket launcher batteries, and more than 100 rockets and pods along with associated parts and support.
The decision to slam the brakes on new arms sales to Budapest demonstrates the growing anger toward Hungary by NATO backers like Risch, who rarely holds up arms sales to countries in any part of the world.
“For some time now, I have directly expressed my concerns to the Hungarian government regarding its refusal to move forward a vote for Sweden to join NATO,” he said.
“The fact that it is now June and still not done, I decided that the sale of new U.S. military equipment to Hungary will be on hold,” he added.
Anyone know why Hungary doesn't want Sweden to join NATO?@DB
Hungary says Sweden has had a hostile attitude to Budapest for years. It is angry about Swedish criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban over the perceived erosion of rule of law. Orban denies such erosion. Unlike Turkey, Hungary does not have a list of demands, but says grievances need to be addressed before it can ratify Sweden's accession to NATO.
@DB
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/after-finland-joins-nato-why-is-turkey-making-sweden-wait-2023-04-04/
Biden rushes replacement armored vehicles to Ukraine after battlefield losses
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/13/biden-armored-vehicles-ukraine-00101763 (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/13/biden-armored-vehicles-ukraine-00101763)
EXCERPT
Again, I rather have us do this now than face a possible war with Russia and China combined. When this is all said and done, it will take years for Russia to rebuild its military. Long term it is good for us that we don't have to worry about Russia and focus on China.
Again, I rather have us do this now than face a possible war with Russia and China combined. When this is all said and done, it will take years for Russia to rebuild its military. Long term it is good for us that we don't have to worry about Russia and focus on China.
Biden rushes replacement armored vehicles to Ukraine after battlefield losses
Looks like they're identifying and hitting the Russian artillery now...
https://twitter.com/i/status/1668927873900576772
Jack Montgomery
News
15 Percent of U.S.-Made Bradleys Already Destroyed in Ukraine.
Almost 15 percent of the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) sent to Ukraine by Joe Biden’s government have been destroyed, according to open-source intelligence analysts.
Oryx, a Netherlands-based operation which has been tracking materiel losses on both sides of the conflict through visual confirmation, puts the number of destroyed Bradleys at 16, per CNN.
The news comes as Zelensky has officially confirmed his forces have commenced major counter-offensive operations. Friendly news outlets are so far reporting only “small” gains, however, with four villages in the Donetsk region believed to have been captured as of the time of writing.
In addition to the American-made Bradleys, a number of European-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks also appear to have been lost.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/06/12/15-percent-of-u-s-made-bradleys-already-destroyed-in-ukraine/
Let's put that into proper perspective: 85% of the Bradleys the U.S. sent to Ukraine have survived first contact with a dug in enemy as Ukraine attempts to push Russia out of Ukraine.
That's not a bad result, in my book. Attrition of assets, including vehicles, when used in offense is expected.
15 Percent of U.S.-Made Bradleys Already Destroyed in Ukraine.
Oryx documents 262 BMP-3s destroyed on the Russian side. Bradley's are inferior to BMP-3s.
Most ifvs and apcs have thinner armor than tanks. They basically dally stop small medium arms fire and shrapnel only.
The Russians may have to cut down on smoking..
...
Chelyabinsk is about a thousand mile east of Moscow. While this sabotage could have some effect on orcish logistics, being a a main rail line from Siberia, it's basically anti-Putin sabotage.
Russians Furious After Ukraine HIMARS Strike ‘Kills 100 Troops Waiting for Commander’s Speech’
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/18292
Also, there is a rumor that it was Prigozhin that tipped Ukraine.
Which in itself is another good sign.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/147m73o/russian_frontline_security_unit_executes/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/147m73o/russian_frontline_security_unit_executes/)
Orcs being Orcs I guess...
But seriously why are Americans backing the Russians in the conflict even if see crap like this. Especially those on the right.
Good question.
All I'm going to say is this.. Can't call yourself a Patriot if you think Russia is good and Putin is a good guy. Also, you can't call yourself a Patriot if you support this country based on who is President.
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1667893691271266304
remlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov appeared to lament the break up of the Soviet Union during a recent broadcast.
The anchor of an evening show on the Russia 1 state TV channel that bears his name, Solovyov has repeatedly framed Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a proxy battle between Moscow and the West. His rhetoric includes calling for missile strikes on countries supporting Kyiv, as well as decrying Ukraine and the West that supports it as "satanic."
But during his radio show Full Contact, he seemed to hanker for a Cold War world, according to a video tweeted by Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko.
"Give back the territory," Soloyvov said, "give back the Soviet Union its territory."
Putin assassination plot fears prompt Russian special agents to disable mobile internet coverage to stop Ukraine from blowing up Vladimir with a drone
Putin is set to speak in St Petersburg later today at an economic forum
Reports have suggested he is growing increasingly paranoid in the Kremlin
By WILL STEWART and CHRIS JEWERS
16 June 2023
Orcs being Orcs I guess...
But seriously why are Americans backing the Russians in the conflict even if see crap like this. Especially those on the right.
...
But seriously why are Americans backing the Russians in the conflict even if see crap like this. Especially those on the right.
Russia offers troops $1.2K bonuses to destroy US-made military vehicles in Ukraine
By Natalie O'Neill
June 16, 2023
Russian soldiers who wipe out American armored vehicles in Ukraine will be rewarded with hefty cash bonuses, officials in Moscow said Friday.
In the country’s latest scheme to beat back Kyiv’s counteroffensive, the Russian Defense Ministry is throwing roughly $600 to $1,200 at troops that destroy a US-made fighter vehicle or enemy tank.
“Payments are currently being made to servicemen of the Russian Federation Armed Forces who in the course of military operations destroyed Leopard tanks, as well as armored fighting vehicles made in the USA and other NATO countries,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, citing reports from field commanders.
The bonuses are part of a larger reward program — in which more than 10,000 Russian troops were given individual bonuses — to incentivize soldiers after Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow said.
Russian soldiers who destroy an enemy tank are rewarded with $1,200 prize while an armored vehicle earns $600, according to Russian officials.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/06/16/russia-offers-troops-cash-bonuses-to-destroy-us-vehicles-in-ukraine/
But seriously why are Americans backing the Russians in the conflict even if see crap like this. Especially those on the right.
It also goes back to the 2020 election, and all the stuff about the Bidens allegedly getting money from Ukraine, etc.. They think that because of Biden ties to Ukraine, a Ukrainian defeat is good for us because we hate Biden. There's also a perception that Ukraine is pro-Biden and anti-Trump, while Russia is pro-Trump and anti-Biden. So, that fits in there too.
[Sarcasm] The Burisma exec that Hunter was dealing with is so tight with Ukraine President Zelensky that Mykola Zlochevsky fled to Monaco. [/Sarcasm]
Stalin used to do this in WW2 didn't he?@Weird Tolkienish Figure
Don't forget, Putin is a defender of Christianity and fighting the Globalhomo movement as well.
Ukrainian girl in Kryvyi Rih during Russian attack against Ukraine civilians:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/148dr0t/ukrainian_girl_filmed_herself_with_her_cat_during/
Stalin used to do this in WW2 didn't he?
Drone allegedly captures Russian soldiers executing their fellow soldiers as they attempted to flee
UNCATEGORIZED June 13, 2023 Staff Writer 0
Stalin used to do this in WW2 didn't he?Yep. The movie Enemy at the Gates was accurate in that regard.
Russians send Soviet-era tanks packed with explosives into Ukraine
By Joe Tacopino
June 19, 2023
Russian soldiers are packing defunct, Soviet-era tanks with devastating explosives and rolling them directly into Ukrainian positions in the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to gain an advantage on the battlefield.
In video footage posted online, a 70-year-old T-54 tank rigged with six tons of explosives could be seen guided by remote control as it rolls toward a Ukrainian trench.
The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, however, is obliterated into a cloud of dust and smoke when it suddenly strikes a mine before being demolished by a Ukrainian anti-tank missile, according to Forbes.
The massive explosion took place just about 200 feet from Ukrainian soldiers, some of whom may have been killed or injured by the blast.
The clandestine move by Russian forces shows the desperation of Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin 16 months into a difficult and protracted conflict.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/russians-send-soviet-era-tanks-packed-with-explosives-into-ukraine/ (https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/russians-send-soviet-era-tanks-packed-with-explosives-into-ukraine/)
Russians send Soviet-era tanks packed with explosives into Ukraine
By Joe Tacopino
June 19, 2023
Russian soldiers are packing defunct, Soviet-era tanks with devastating explosives and rolling them directly into Ukrainian positions in the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to gain an advantage on the battlefield.
In video footage posted online, a 70-year-old T-54 tank rigged with six tons of explosives could be seen guided by remote control as it rolls toward a Ukrainian trench.
The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, however, is obliterated into a cloud of dust and smoke when it suddenly strikes a mine before being demolished by a Ukrainian anti-tank missile, according to Forbes.
The massive explosion took place just about 200 feet from Ukrainian soldiers, some of whom may have been killed or injured by the blast.
The clandestine move by Russian forces shows the desperation of Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin 16 months into a difficult and protracted conflict.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/russians-send-soviet-era-tanks-packed-with-explosives-into-ukraine/
Russians send Soviet-era tanks packed with explosives into Ukraine
By Joe Tacopino
June 19, 2023
Russian soldiers are packing defunct, Soviet-era tanks with devastating explosives and rolling them directly into Ukrainian positions in the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to gain an advantage on the battlefield.
In video footage posted online, a 70-year-old T-54 tank rigged with six tons of explosives could be seen guided by remote control as it rolls toward a Ukrainian trench.
The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, however, is obliterated into a cloud of dust and smoke when it suddenly strikes a mine before being demolished by a Ukrainian anti-tank missile, according to Forbes.
The massive explosion took place just about 200 feet from Ukrainian soldiers, some of whom may have been killed or injured by the blast.
The clandestine move by Russian forces shows the desperation of Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin 16 months into a difficult and protracted conflict.
Ukraine continues counter-offensive, takes control of village in southern Zaporizhzhia
By Isabel Keane
June 18, 2023
Ukraine recaptured a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region — the second area claimed since the launch of its counter-offensive last week.
A Russian-installed official acknowledged Ukraine’s gain on the village of Piatykhatky Sunday, saying on Telegram their forces were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery.
“The enemy’s ‘wave-like’ offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses,” said the official, Vladimir Rogov, on the Telegram messaging app.
Based on reading a bunch of stuff over at TOS, there are a few reasons. I think they're conspiracist crap, but evidently some others disagree:
The most common is that they see this as a conflict between "globalism", represented by Ukraine and those backing it, and "nationalism", represented by Russia. They look at Ukraine and see George Soros, so they want Russia to win. They imagine that will somehow help defeat globalist sentiment here in the U.S.. Yeah, don't ask me, it doesn't make sense to me either but that's what they argue. The more extreme among them actually root for the BRICS nations over the West because they think the West has become corrupt and evil. Now to be fair, I think there may be quite a few Russian plants among those more extreme types so they may not even really be self-described "conservatives" at all.
It also goes back to the 2020 election, and all the stuff about the Bidens allegedly getting money from Ukraine, etc.. They think that because of Biden ties to Ukraine, a Ukrainian defeat is good for us because we hate Biden. There's also a perception that Ukraine is pro-Biden and anti-Trump, while Russia is pro-Trump and anti-Biden. So, that fits in there too.
And I suppose the final bit of it is that they believe that the U.S. government itself is so horrible and corrupt that anything that amounts to a defeat for U.S. government policy is actually a good thing. In essence, they now root against the U.S. because they don't like who the President is.
@Timber Rattler -- sound about right to you?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Hitler's terror bombing of London civilians had the opposite of the pre-imagined effect.
How does one say, "Damn your eyes!" in Ukrainian?
@PeteS in CAIn the public eye, from that point on, the indiscriminate bombing of German population centers was considered justified retaliation. That same mindset carried over into the incendiary bombing of virtually every major city in Japan. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were among four which had not been severely burned, and that's why they were on the target list for the A-Bomb.
You are NOT wrong.
The terror bombing of London had the opposite effect of what the Germans expected. What it accomplished was pissing off the entire population to the point where practically everybody was united in wanting to see Germany bombed into rubble.
In the public eye, from that point on, the indiscriminate bombing of German population centers was considered justified retaliation. That same mindset carried over into the incendiary bombing of virtually every major city in Japan. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were among four which had not been severely burned, and that's why they were on the target list for the A-Bomb.
From what I have read Hiroshima and Nagasaki were major hubs for military weapon production.
I also read that the geographical location would prevent wide spread nuclear dispersion due to the low elevation. I don't know if that is true or not.
Hiroshima was a major Japanese military headquarters location and Nagasaki a longtime port and commerce center. Nagasaki actually was not the primary target for the second atomic bomb mission---Kokura, site of one of Japan’s largest munitions plants, was the primary target. But the Bockscar diverted from there to Nagasaki because of heavy cloud cover.
And most people don't know that the Nagasaki mission was almost a complete fiasco, and Paul Tibbets threatened to court martial Bockscar pilot Charles Sweeny after landing on fumes and nearly crashing. The story is told here:
https://thebulletin.org/2015/08/the-harrowing-story-of-the-nagasaki-bombing-mission/
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bockscar
Nice article, @Timber Rattler
After Bockscar returned to Tinian, Tibbets recorded that he was faced with the dilemma of considering “if any action should be taken against the airplane commander, Charles Sweeney, for failure to command.” After meeting on Guam with Tibbets and Sweeney, General Curtis LeMay, chief of staff for the Strategic Air Forces, confronted Sweeney, stating, "You f****d up, didn't you, Chuck?", to which Sweeney made no reply. LeMay then turned to Tibbets and told him that an investigation into Sweeney's conduct of the mission would serve no useful purpose.
Hiroshima was a major Japanese military headquarters location and Nagasaki a longtime port and commerce center. Nagasaki actually was not the primary target for the second atomic bomb mission---Kokura, site of one of Japan’s largest munitions plants, was the primary target. But the Bockscar diverted from there to Nagasaki because of heavy cloud cover.
And most people don't know that the Nagasaki mission was almost a complete fiasco, and Paul Tibbets threatened to court martial Bockscar pilot Charles Sweeny after landing on fumes and nearly crashing. The story is told here:
https://thebulletin.org/2015/08/the-harrowing-story-of-the-nagasaki-bombing-mission/
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bockscar
Rand Paul
@RandPaul
The good news is that Ukraine caught their highest judge hiding some of his more than $2 million in bribes in pickle jars. The bad news is that Ukraine, consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt nations on the planet, still has high-ranking officials robbing it blind.
This might be a salient point when Ukraine returns to Congress to beg for more US taxpayer funds. Why won’t Democrats accept my call for a Special Inspector General to oversee the billions we send to Ukraine?
Ukraine jails rogue judge who hid bribes in pickle jars (https://t.co/utgyn0H50x)
3:08 PM · Jun 21, 2023
Let's say, for the sake of argument, Ukraine has corrupt officials. What does that have to do with being invaded by another country and bombed to smithereens?
I'm pretty sure we have our share of corrupt officials.
I'm tired of people talking about how corrupt Ukraine is, so I did a quick search and found this site, the Corruption Perceptions Index (https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022). Looking at the rankings for 2022 (the most recent year they have rankings for) shows that Ukraine has a score of 33/100 (lower score = more corrupt) placing them in a tie for spot 116 out of 180 countries ranked. Russia has a score of 28/100, placing them in a tie for spot 137 out of 180 countries ranked.
So for me, the argument that "oh no, Ukraine is sooo corrupt!" just doesn't hold water. Russia is more corrupt. For that matter, countries that we count as allies or at least friends don't score much better: Turkey scores 36/100, while India scores 40/100.
I wish they would stop pretending they care about corruption now, all of a sudden.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, Ukraine has corrupt officials. What does that have to do with being invaded by another country and bombed to smithereens?
...
Slanders such as that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt nations on Earth or that Ukrainians are neo-Nazis smokescreen the simple fact that Russia is trying to restore the Soviet empire.
Former judge Chaus — who ruled in several political proceedings in favor of former President Petro Poroshenko’s allies — earned a notorious reputation after he was busted in 2016 hiding his bumper bribe stash in pickle jars in his wife’s garden and his own car.
Chaus initially denied the allegations and said he borrowed the hidden money to build a new house.
But investigators said Chaus demanded a bribe from a married couple to deliver a milder sentence on the wife’s mother, who was charged with illegal trade in powerful medical substances.
Chaus pled not guilty and claimed that the couple pushed him to take the bribe. Later he said the case against him was politically motivated.
Even though the Ukrainian parliament permitted his arrest in 2016, Chaus used judicial immunity and left the country to find shelter in Moldova.
Though Ukraine had requested Chaus’ extradition from Moldova in 2017, it took four years before he was finally hunted down, after moving between different apartments in the neighboring country.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, Ukraine has corrupt officials. What does that have to do with being invaded by another country and bombed to smithereens?To put it mildly...
I'm pretty sure we have our share of corrupt officials.
Some context...the corrupt judge was busted in 2016 and went on the lam in 2017, so this all happened well before the Russian invasion.
They finally got him though.
The Chonhar bridge is 30 or 40 miles north of Zaporizhzhia, so this missile strike may be bottle-necking orcish reinforcements from Crimea against Ukrainian efforts against the Zaporizhzhia-Melitopol axis. If Ukrainians break through along that line of attack and reach the Black Sea, supplying or withdrawing orcs from the Crimean Peninsula would become much more constrained and risky.
Russian Military Uses China in Sourcing Banned Tech from 59 U.S. Firms
Newsweek By Daniel Bush On 6/21/23
ussia is exploiting loopholes in export controls to buy vast quantities of technology from the West that it is using to fight its war against Ukraine, with much of the material passing through China, Newsweek has found. More than 60 percent of the imported critical components in Russian weapons are coming from U.S. companies.
@Elderberry
Serious question,"Why the HELL are we selling weapons materials and weapons to the freaking Chinese? They are BY FAR the most serious threat to the US,and to world peace.
Compared to them,the Soviets of today are Boy Scouts. Not only that,but they are on their way out because Communism is dying rapidly in the USSR.
NOBODY can say that about the mass communist police state known as China.
Quote“#Ukraine has not bombed #Donetsk for 8 years
Twitter has reported that Russia has fallen into a mini civil war…
Twitter has reported that Russia has fallen into a mini civil war…
Coup Fears in Russia (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html)
Wagner mercenaries march on Moscow to target 'evil' military top brass: Putin on alert as Prigozhin crosses into Russia saying 'we'll destroy anything, we'll go all the way' - Kremlin says he's inciting CIVIL WAR and deploys troops as chaos spirals
Excerpt, read the full article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html)
Is real or a deep fake?
Coup Fears in Russia (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html)
Wagner mercenaries march on Moscow to target 'evil' military top brass: Putin on alert as Prigozhin crosses into Russia saying 'we'll destroy anything, we'll go all the way' - Kremlin says he's inciting CIVIL WAR and deploys troops as chaos spirals
Excerpt, read the full article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html)
I've seen the guy in the picture (YouTube video) before @Ghost Bear I think it was broadcast from the UN and he was pounding on a table with his shoe.
The live video above claims that Wagner group is currently surrounding the Russian military headquarters. How do we know it isn't Russian soldiers?
Still no clarity on what's going on.To give people a little time to sort out whether they want to try to change things, or go into the Ukrainian meat-grinder with Russian guns at their backs...
Why would Wagner group announce where they're going ahead of time? Major head fake?
Still no clarity on what's going on.
Why would Wagner group announce where they're going ahead of time? Major head fake?
My guess it is Russian troops surrounding the Russian military headquarters and not Wagner, based on essentially zero resistance.
A video is being posted to several Telegram channels, purporting to show Prigozhin meeting with a Russian Deputy Defense Minister at the military headquarters in Rostov. Not known yet if this video is legit, and if it is legit what they were meeting about. :shrug:
Making a deal with the Russian military to remove Russia's top military leaders - including Putin - is the only thing that makes any sense, if in fact this is happening.
Again, if this is true, and it appears to be - Putin has to be on his way out. No one has heard anything from Putin while all this is going on.
So who will be the next leader???
@DB
Hell,who is the leader now that Pooty-Poot is in hiding?
Is his yacht still there?
What about his private jet?
Does he speak and Chinese?
No Putin speech yet.
It sounds like the Russian military is siding with Wagner as they travel towards Moscow.
@DB
Well,he has a private yacht that is said to be the largest yacht in the world,and he also has a jet airliner,so if he has made it to the safety of either and he has left the port or the terminal,he has a good chance of getting away.
Hell,if he gets away in the yacht,he can sell that for enough to provide for his family for generations,although come to think of it,there is no such thing as private property in the USSR because the State owns everything,so they can get the yacht or the jet back.
Moscow has launched anti-terrorist operations as Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin says he is “ready to die” with 25,000 fighters prepared to stage a mutiny and stop the “evil” leading the war effort.
After months of feuding between the mercenary boss and Russia’s Defense Ministry, things came to a head Friday when Prigozhin accused the Russian military of ordering a rocket strike on a camp full of his men, and vowed merciless revenge.
Within hours, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced charges against Prigozhin for attempting to incite an armed rebellion, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. Top Russian military brass released video appeals calling on Prigozhin to surrender, or for his own men to detain him and hand him over. State-run media aired an emergency broadcast relaying the same message.
Putin says its "treason" so there will be no compromise with Wagner.
It sounds like the Russian military is not resisting Wagner as its troops travel towards Moscow.
If that is the case, Putin is done.
I agree, this may actually be the beginning of Putin's end. Fascinating to watch in real time.
If the military turns on him, it would seem unlikely he'd get away. The yacht is worthless as a getaway vehicle. An airplane will be tracked with modern technology.
Wagner Boss Says He’s ‘Ready to Die’ With 25,000 Fighters
.....Top Russian military brass released video appeals calling on Prigozhin to surrender, or for his own men to detain him and hand him over. State-run media aired an emergency broadcast relaying the same message.......
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/feud-between-moscow-wagner-group-214329810.html
@DB
Maybe I am wrong,but I THINK that all he has to do is get out of Russia and apply for diplomatic immunity. I have no doubt at all that China would give him a safe place to stay,and there may be other countries who would do the same. Former Police state leaders seem to look out for each other.
NOT saying he won't get whacked while walking down the street if he sets up shop in Paris or some other European nation,but he would be as safe as a baby in his mother's arms if he flees to China,and he would be treated like Royalty in China.
How freaking ironic is THAT?
I am GUESSING that he MIGHT be safe in some South American nations,but I know next to nothing about them,other than Cuba. He might not even be safe in Cuba since the Communist regime there is so dependent on Russia for aide.
Then again,thee and me don't NEED to know these things,but I am reasonably certain that Pooty-Poot has been giving this sort of thing a lot of consideration recently. There can be no doubt there are a LOT of Russians who would love to get their hands on him,and I am not talking about officials.
The Russian air force had to have stood down in order for Wagner to use the main freeway to move large numbers of troops/armored vehicles going towards Moscow.
Putin speaking now, talking about Wagner group "mutiny", "stab in the back", "we will defend our Motherland", "this is treason", etc.
Interesting, I don't know that the speech was live, it may have been recorded. The feed that I saw had a static photo of Putin, not a live shot.
Putin says its "treason" so there will be no compromise with Wagner.
It sounds like the Russian military is not resisting Wagner as its troops travel towards Moscow.
If that is the case, Putin is done.
As Wagner takes over key locations in various cities essentially unopposed on their way to Moscow there's a risk of their force becoming too thin. Once they're spread out over a wide area if the Russian army suddenly turns on them they can be taken out all at once. It all comes down to where the Russian military loyalties lie. We're going to find out pretty soon.
Live blog : Putin accuses Wagner group of 'treason' in national address
24/06/2023 - 09:11
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230624-live-moscow-accuses-wagner-head-of-mutiny-he-says-his-forces-enter-russia
Well, whoever replaces Putin I hope the person isn't worse than Putin.
I am seeing that China is concerned about the situation in Russia.
"Concerned" as in wondering if now is the time for them to move in on the basicially unguarded resources of coastal Russia.
BTW,the whole "Eastern Russia and Western Russia has always had me confused. WHAT is the part of Russia that is closest to Alaska ,eastern or western Russia?
https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1672567432773263360
Putin is a Soviet Dictator,and the last thing a dictator needs to do is expose himself as a paper tiger. For a dictator,which is what ALL Soviet rulers have been,to say something like that shows desperation.
Heh, I think that fellow at the UN pounding his shoe on the table had more hair.
Sure looks like something big is happening in Russia, though.
The really cynical, Machiavellian part of me thinks that the U.S. government bought Wagner and turned it loose in the Russian rear between Ukraine and Moscow.
@Timber Rattler
I think that could have been a real possibility if there were an actual human with an actual brain living in the WH.
Biden would sell Russia to the highest bidder if he was let lose to roam.
The really cynical, Machiavellian part of me thinks that the U.S. government bought Wagner and turned it loose in the Russian rear between Ukraine and Moscow.
I don't think what is sitting in the WH has anything to do with this @sneakypete he MIGHT be let in on some things after they happen but IMHO the CIA is running this show completely.
I don't think what is sitting in the WH has anything to do with this @sneakypete he MIGHT be let in on some things after they happen but IMHO the CIA is running this show completely.
I don't think the CIA has much of anything to do with this. Way too risky. This has been building for some time.
There has been a lot of discontent in Russia that the war has been mismanaged, and most of that kind of sentiment is that the Russians should have been more aggressive.
@Maj. Bill Martin
I suspect that might have been true earlier,but now I think too many bad things have happened and too many Russian troops have died for what is now LOOKING like a lost cause,and while the typical Russian serf will continue to love "Holy Mother Russia",those feeling doesn't transfer over to their masters. Give it a couple more months,and Russians will probably have dragged their big cast iron pots out of storage and be ready to boil a few Uber Comrades. Just because the typical Russian seems to worship Russia like it is a God,that doesn't mean they worship the monsters running the show.
Unfortunately,there was nothing they could do about the "Uber Comrades". Fortunately for them,the "Uber Comrades" are doing it to themselves,and once that reaches a certain level it will evolve into an "audience participation sport". There is a LOT of pent-up anger at the Soviet leadership,and when it does come out one day,it is going to get ugly on a historic scale.
Remember,every single one of the conscripts that was sent off to Ukraine to die and return home in a box has a doting babushka at home whose heart is broken and who is looking for revenge. Same for the ones that came back home missing legs,arms,or eyes.
If you thing combat is ugly,wait until you see what a group of pissed off mothers and grandmothers will do if they can get their hands on a local official they think was responsible for their children or grandchildren being drafted and sent off to fight a war for no good reason that they can see.
As for the CIA,I am in full agreement with you on that one. I think when it comes to Russia and China these days,that electronic snooping and payments to Chinese subjects pretty much dominate in China,and I honesty think the situation in Russia is so disorganized by so many fingers in the pie that no one knows where to start,and I SUSPECT the consensus would be to just sit back and watch the Soviets destroy themselves.
@DBIt may be that the number of operational aircraft have been depleted and exaggerated, considering the fine shape all their armor was in when they made the initial push for Kviv. If that's the case, what they mostly have is tied up in the Ukrainian theater, leaving little internally to shift into position to attack.
Good point,but I suspect there is no one in Russia that the military hates more at this point.
Eastern Russia (Kamchatka peninsula and environs) is closer to the US than Western Russia.
This could really in fact be the end of Russia.
We all have to pray that it does not become something much worse.
@240BWith Wagner moving into Belarus, this could all be smoke and mirrors to place a force of 25,000 to the north of Ukraine to open another front--all without a shot being fired against that movement. Kviv better take note. A big part of war is deception, and this could be a textbook (in the future) move.
It might be the end of Soviet Communism,but it won't be the end of Russia.
I have NO freaking idea what is going to happen if/when Putin flees with a plane load of gold bullion.
This is kind of a unique situation,where a national government seems to be collapsing,and that police state government was the only way of life any of the people who lived there have ever known.
I don't have a clue about what will happen. Russia COULD spring forward from Communism and become a modern democracy,or turn into another form of police state.
Anything could happen.
QuoteEastern Russia (Kamchatka peninsula and environs) is closer to the US than Western Russia.
@Smokin Joe
Thank you. This means that it is Eastern Russia that the Chinese are lusting after.QuoteThey even have islands in the Aleutian chain where you can see US Islands in the Aleutian chain.(Sarah Palin wasn't wrong, just what she said distroted).
I didn't know anything about that. Do they have military bases there with Soviet soldiers?
With Wagner moving into Belarus, this could all be smoke and mirrors to place a force of 25,000 to the north of Ukraine to open another front--all without a shot being fired against that movement. Kviv better take note. A big part of war is deception, and this could be a textbook (in the future) move.
@Smokin JoeVladivostok, for starters, a major port and Naval Base. (The Navy (likely SEALs) tapped their secure underground comm cables back in the '80s, causing a stir...but reading their mail for quite a while)
Thank you. This means that it is Eastern Russia that the Chinese are lusting after.
(Sarah Palin wasn't wrong, just what she said distroted).
I didn't know anything about that. Do they have military bases there with Soviet soldiers?
@Smokin JoeLatest word is that Wagner was pulling back from Moscow to 'prevent bloodshed', and had been offered Belarus as a place to hang their hats while this was sorted. That would position them for a thrust toward Kviv, while the Ukraine is involved with the operations in the Donbas.
You seem to know a lot more about this than I do.
Vladivostok, for starters, a major port and Naval Base. (The Navy (likely SEALs) tapped their secure underground comm cables back in the '80s, causing a stir...but reading their mail for quite a while)
With Wagner moving into Belarus, this could all be smoke and mirrors to place a force of 25,000 to the north of Ukraine to open another front--all without a shot being fired against that movement. Kviv better take note. A big part of war is deception, and this could be a textbook (in the future) move.
Right, Caesar just doesn't flee back across the Rubicon after declaring that he was marching to take Rome. But, if this whole thing is some sort of ruse, then it was still an expensive one, with all the oil depots destroyed and aircraft shot down, reportedly killing 13 Russian airmen.
@Smokin JoeNo, it isn't. Those islands are separate land masses, too. Just some belong to the US, and some to Russia.
I knew about the Navy base there,but didn't know it was on the same land mass as Alaska.
No, it isn't. Those islands are separate land masses, too. Just some belong to the US, and some to Russia.
@Smokin Joe@sneakypete Yep. There are 69 islands in the Aleutian chain, many of which have active volcanoes. (The chain forms an Island Arc, and is volcanic in origin). The total population of the Islands is under ten thousand. But rather than type my carpal tunnels into implosion, I'll refer you to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands), which can better answer your questions.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Am I correct in assuming most of those islands are not populated with humans year round?
'No, this is all staged': Ex-CIA analyst claims Putin 'orchestrated' the Wagner coup with Prigozhin as a 'classic false flag' to boost recruitment for the army and make West think he is weakened
Ex-CIA analyst Rebekah Koffler claimed Vladimir Putin 'orchestrated' the coup
She suggested Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhi worked together to stage the uprising
Kremlin faces a 'deeply unstable' situation after the Wagner truce, experts warn
By Andrea Cavallier, Senior Reporter For Dailymail.Com
Published: 09:21 EDT, 25 June 2023
An ex-CIA analyst has claimed Vladimir Putin 'orchestrated' the coup with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhi in a 'classic false flag' to try to make the West believe his army had weakened.
Rebekah Koffler told Fox News' Eric Shawn on Saturday the coup was staged as a way for the Russian leader to boost his political power and he will eventually 'gain momentum, mobilize additional personnel, and re-energize his offensive on Ukraine.'
Prigozhin's forces moved from their camps in Ukraine into Russia on Friday and took over a regional military command in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, before advancing toward Moscow.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12231599/Ex-CIA-analyst-claims-Putin-orchestrated-Wagner-coup-Prigozhin-classic-false-flag.html
@sneakypete Yep. There are 69 islands in the Aleutian chain, many of which have active volcanoes. (The chain forms an Island Arc, and is volcanic in origin). The total population of the Islands is under ten thousand. But rather than type my carpal tunnels into implosion, I'll refer you to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands), which can better answer your questions.
ROFLMAO!
Well now you know why she is an Ex-CIA analyst...Could be lots of reasons for that. If Wegner moves into Belarus, this could have all been to mask that repositioning of that force for an attack on Kviv.
Could be lots of reasons for that. If Wegner moves into Belarus, this could have all been to mask that repositioning of that force for an attack on Kviv.
Yes, there could be a lot of reasons. Little makes sense at this point. But as it stands Putin make public threats and then folded in hours is what his fellow countrymen see. There's nothing strategic about that. He didn't need to humiliate himself to get Wagner into Belarus.Didn't need to, but it would be a great ruse to play on the Ukrainians who might not realize the threat in motion until defending the Capital would be difficult.
Didn't need to, but it would be a great ruse to play on the Ukrainians who might not realize the threat in motion until defending the Capital would be difficult.
From what I have read the fighters are being returned the front lines. It is only Prigozhin that is going to Belarus. What am I missing?
Prigozhin may have been offered dismissal of Shoigu and Gerasimov, says SBU
June 25, 2023 at 3:01 PM CDT
Wagner Group mercenary's leader Yevgen Prigozhin may have been promised that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top military officials to be dismissed in exchange for ending his mutiny, Ukraine’s SBU security service said on June 25.
In return for halting his Wagnerite mercenaries march on Moscow, Prigozhin may have been offered the dismissal of not only Shoigu, but Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other military officers with whom he was in conflict, Ukrainian news outlet and NV sister publication Ukrainska Pravda reported, referring to sources in the SBU.
The Wagner mercenaries aren't likely to go to Belarus, the sources added. . .
https://news.yahoo.com/prigozhin-may-offered-dismissal-shoigu-200100873.html
Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin resurfaced Monday to issue an impassioned defense of his mutiny against Russia’s army chiefs over the weekend and said Belarus was offering ways for his mercenary group’s “continued work.”
The Wagner chief led an uprising against Vladimir Putin’s regular army from Friday night, declaring war on the military establishment, seizing the major southern city of Rostov and sending his mercenary forces on a “march” to Moscow during which their armored vehicles ended up 200 kilometers from the capital, before abruptly standing down his men Saturday evening.
The abortive dash for Moscow fizzled out after an intervention by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who seemed to strike a deal in which the mutineers would be spared prosecution as long as Prigozhin went to Minsk and Wagner troops laid down their weapons or joined regular Russian forces.
By Monday, however, the terms of the deal were still hazy. Russian state media said Prigozhin was still liable for prosecution, and the warlord’s whereabouts were unclear. In an audio statement, Prigozhin gave no indication that Wagner was being wound up, defending his troops as a crack force and saying that Lukashenko was open to allowing them stay operational in Belarus.
“Wagner is likely the most experienced and combat-ready formation in Russia — and possibly in the world,” he said. “At this time, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko extended his hand and offered to find solutions for the continued work of Wagner PMC within a legal jurisdiction.”
Dolphin mercenaries work for fish, very cheap. ****drummer
Being a mercenary army, who is going to pay them so that they can remain operational? No pay, no army.
Yep. And America is heading the same direction, Scarface style.
I imagine the oligarchs in Russia will have their own armies soon. If the main Russian army can't provide basic protection, they might as well get their own.
Has anyone seen Shoigu or Gerasimov in public since Prigozhin's escapade? I know they released a 'video' of Shoigu which would at least indicate that they have access to him. But their failure to follow up with Gerasimov may indicate that they do not have access to him.
From Ukraine's standpoint, they hope that both are OK. It would be a huge setback for the Ukrainian war effort if either were replaced with someone competent.
Does anyone in the Russian high command have any competence?
@KamajiWhen the culture for so many years was that to contest the entrenched orthodoxy could earn one not only a loss of rank, but a trip to the gulag for the whole family, I think the competent ones will only speak up when the consensus of the higher ups agrees.
There are so many of them the odds are there are,but chances are that no one with power listens to them.
This morning, Lukashenko made a speech in which he gave a more detailed version of how the negotiations developed. According to Lukashenko, it started with an exasperated Putin who called and informed him what was happening. “I…understood that a tough decision had been made, you could hear it beneath Putin’s speech: To wipe them out,” Lukashenko said. But he added, “I advised Putin not to rush.”
At some point he said he told Putin they could definitely kill Prigozhin but then they would have to kill everyone who was angry about him being killed and at some point they’d wind up killing civilians as well.
“The security assistance package is the 41st approved by the United States for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, for a total of more than $40 billion.”
Story at Newsmax - Pentagon:US to give Ukraine $500 Million in Additional Military Aid (https://t.co/OENkCK3qAF).
So?So, Newsmax is reporting on how our tax dollars are spent. It's what reporters do, they report.
What has who gotten for our 40 billion? Anybody know?(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fc.files.bbci.co.uk%2Fassets%2Fef207207-34ed-4c4d-8edf-de046d90773e&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4b89c9c70fd59327772f159ea4f23c0f70405c8569d9c7bba7a2a859b2ffad06&ipo=images)
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fc.files.bbci.co.uk%2Fassets%2Fef207207-34ed-4c4d-8edf-de046d90773e&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4b89c9c70fd59327772f159ea4f23c0f70405c8569d9c7bba7a2a859b2ffad06&ipo=images)
No idea.
For what it's worth...
Lukashenko: Putin wanted to kill Prigozhin but I talked him out of it
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2023/06/27/lukashenko-putin-wanted-to-kill-prigozhin-but-i-talked-him-out-of-it-n561125
Trotsky was deported in 1929 and assassinated in 1940. Stalin could wait, so might Putin.
Trotsky was deported in 1929 and assassinated in 1940. Stalin could wait, so might Putin.Apparently, Putin admires - or, at least, emulates to some extent - Stalin, so it's possible.
Apparently, Putin admires - or, at least, emulates to some extent - Stalin, so it's possible.
What has who gotten for our 40 billion? Anybody know?
@Bigun
The Great Soviet Bear turned into a puppy on a leash.
Compared to all the money we have spent preparing ourselves to fight off a possible attack by the Soviets,it seems like a bargain to me.
LOL! What WE have gotten is yet another big dent in the public treasury @sneakypete . What the Bidens, Romneys and who knows who else have gotten is yet another pipeline into our collective pocketbook!
I don't think Putin will kill the Prig until a Wagner base is solidified in Belarus.
@Bigun
And they weren't going to do that, anyway?
...
I know longer think he has the patience of a Stalin.
Zelensky Says No Elections In Ukraine Until War Is OverMore at The Leading Report (https://theleadingreport.com/2023/06/28/zelensky-says-no-elections-in-ukraine-until-war-is-over/)
Patrick Webb
Jun 28, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told BBC last week that there will be no Ukrainian presidential election in 2024 if martial law is still in effect, The New Voice of Ukraine reported. Zelensky’s five-year tenure is set to expire in 2024, but his statements imply that if the conflict isn’t concluded by then, it would be continued indefinitely. Similar remarks were made regarding the legislative elections in Ukraine, which are scheduled to take place in October of this year.
When asked if parliamentary elections will be held this fall, Zelensky said, “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. The constitution prohibits any elections during martial law. If there is no martial law, then there will be.” ...
This month, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, said that elections cannot take place in Ukraine while martial rule is in effect due to Zelensky’s declaration following Russia’s invasion. “Ukrainian legislation stipulates it is impossible to hold any elections during martial law. And this makes sense,” he said.
Stefanchuk added that if elections happen, it could “lead to the rupture of the state, which our enemy is waiting for. That is why I think the most correct and wise decision is to hold elections immediately after the end of martial law.” ...
What has who gotten for our 40 billion? Anybody know?
Patrick Webb
@pwleaks
BREAKING: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has banned elections until martial law is no longer in effect, according to The New Voice of Ukraine.
11:18 AM · Jun 28, 2023More at The Leading Report (https://theleadingreport.com/2023/06/28/zelensky-says-no-elections-in-ukraine-until-war-is-over/)
A country that is fighting for its very existence should put everything on hold so it can have a campaigning and nomination process, followed by elections?
What sort of a bizarre idea is that?
@bigheadfred
Putin is a life-long person of privilege in the USSR. He was an officer that spied on other countries and had flunkies to do his flogging of suspects for him.
Because of this,I honestly don't think he gives a damn about public perception or geo-politics.
Draining Russian resources of their blood and treasure is money well-spent imho. Better make the Orcs suffer now, then put up with them in the future. Besides it will take years to rebuild their military if there is a Russia still.
A country that is fighting for its very existence should put everything on hold so it can have a campaigning and nomination process, followed by elections?
What sort of a bizarre idea is that?
I realize some people want to believe that Ukraine is the most corrupt nation on Earth *, but US' and EuroLanders' aid to Ukraine has been used to stymie Putin's invasion and push back his orcs, with substantial losses in men (especially Russia's best and most experienced; Putin isn't resorting to Wagner and Chechen mercenaries to be "inclusive"), tanks and other vehicles, and aircraft.
* Ukraine doesn't even make the Worst 20 or 50, https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-corrupt-countries (https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-corrupt-countries) , but people who believe the slander are probably not inclined to let facts mess with their belief.
IF given the opportunity, of course they were but there are myriad ways to aid the Ukraine without sending $$$$. @sneakypete
Unlike Stalin in the 1930s, Putin is 70, IIRC, and that might limit Putin's patience.
Putin was also the KGB liaison to the Red Army Faction terrorist organization based in East Germany during the 1980s.
What has who gotten for our 40 billion? Anybody know?
The Russians:
(https://taskandpurpose.com/uploads/2022/04/13/Turret-2-1024x589.jpg)
(https://i.tmgrup.com.tr/anews/v1/2022/04/13/ukraine-says-it-has-shot-down-russian-su-25-fighter-plane-1649846059831.jpg)
(https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-helicopters-04.jpg)
Without one drop of American blood being shed. Just as long they don't ask that our troops fight for Ukaine (that is where I draw the line), we should just keep on doing what we are doing. Keep on slow bleeding Russia of their blood and treasure.
Without one drop of American blood being shed. Just as long they don't ask that our troops fight for Ukaine (that is where I draw the line), we should just keep on doing what we are doing. Keep on slow bleeding Russia of their blood and treasure.
So Putin is being like Biden:
https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1674416655278174209
@kevindavis007Send the illegals over to fight if the Ukrainians run short. After all, they're mostly young fit men of military age.
And THERE it is!
The money we are spending to try to gain world peace,and in case any of you haven't noticed,the US is a part of the world,is money well spent.
If other nations are fighting against Communist domination and ALL we have to do to support them is give them money that would otherwise be stolen and used by our own politicians to keep their seats while supporting globalism,it is money well spent.
After all,if we spend money the 'murikan left WAS going to spent on providing a retirement life style for free to any foreigner that wants it and all they have to do is vote left,it's not just a "win for America",it's a win-win!"
At the risk of putting on a tin foil hat, I think that is one of Putin's body doubles. There's something off about him...looks younger, fewer wrinkles, way more energetic than usual, and he's in DAGESTAN---in the CAUCASUS!
Why would Putin go to Dagestan, of all places in Russia, for support?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagestan
https://goo.gl/maps/4GN37mqzhnfkd2538
Send the illegals over to fight if the Ukrainians run short. After all, they're mostly young fit men of military age.
Top Russian generals Gerasimov and Surovikin are reportedly missing following Wagner mutiny
Chris Pandolfo • 4h ago
There was a report a few days ago that Prigozhin had captured Gerasimov in Rostov before heading north. He is definitely 'missing' since the Russians haven't posted old videos of him to show he is alive like they did with Shoigu. If Gerasimov is dead, then there is a very large bank account somewhere that will go unclaimed.
Definite possibility. I saw a picture of who they said was him last week. His face was very puffy.
Wagner troops shot down a Russian 'special mission' plane in failed mutiny that will damage Putin's war efforts in Ukraine, UK says, as Kyiv claims the FSB has been ordered to ASSASSINATE Prigozhin
Footage appeared to show the enflamed aircraft plummeting to the ground
Ilyushin Il-22M is a 'special mission aircraft' that played a 'key role' for Russia
By CHRISTIAN OLIVER
30 June 2023
A Russian plane reportedly shot down by Wagner forces during the short-lived insurgency over the weekend was a 'special mission aircraft' that played a 'key role' in the Ukraine conflict, the British Ministry of Defence has said.
Amid their march on Moscow, the air defence forces of the Wagner group are understood to have shot down an Ilyushin Il-22M aircraft said to be 'heavily utilised for both airborne command and control, and radio relay tasks' by Russia's military, the MoD said.
Footage appeared to show the enflamed aircraft - only one of 12 planes - plummeting to the ground over Voronezh.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12250789/Wagner-troops-shot-Russian-special-mission-plane-failed-mutiny.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12250789/Wagner-troops-shot-Russian-special-mission-plane-failed-mutiny.html)
The future of the Russia - China Alliance
https://twishort.com/cbuoc
With the problems that Russia is having, I wonder how good is China's military really. My money is that they are the same if not worse than the Russian military.
Warfare is an exercise in economic destruction for the invaded, but an exercise in economic depletion for the invader.
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aREONx2_460s.jpg)
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aREONx2_460s.jpg)
Munitions this old are more dangerous to the fools trying to use them than they are to the target.
Munitions this old are more dangerous to the fools trying to use them than they are to the target.Mishandled, could be the reason for some of the ammo dump explosions...
Age may make them unpredictable and more volatile. I was thinking more along the lines of detonating in the breach as soon as they are fired.
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aREOWg5_460s.jpg)
Munitions this old are more dangerous to the fools trying to use them than they are to the target.
https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1675298421450723334
@kevindavis007
Then why is Russia pulling munitions 20 to 50 years old out of storage to use against Ukraine?
Russia is running out of manpower,missiles,tanks,airplanes,and money.
@sneakypete
My guess is that China is helping them.
1. Russia does not have an infinite supply of stand-off missiles. They're already having to use older, less precise, models and adapt missiles designed for other purposes to the purpose of bombardment. Eventually Russia will run low on those, too. From a strategic POV, when supply is limited, usage should be focused on points of greatest need. The Russians have not done that and are wasting their limited quantity of their best munitions. As the Germans demonstrated with their London Blitz, dropping explosives in random civilian areas is not likely to succeed.
2. The curious thing about the Russians' offensive against Bakhmut - begun in August last year - is that it was of little strategic value for the Russians. They spent huge numbers of men and material for little strategic purpose. OTOH, a Ukraine breakout from the Bakhmut area would put several major cities in "danger" of being liberated.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is: never accuse the Russians of being too smart. Bloody-minded and aggressive? Yes. Smart? No.
I wonder how effective are their Nukes.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is: never accuse the Russians of being too smart. Bloody-minded and aggressive? Yes. Smart? No.
@Kamaji
I think it is more correct to write "Never accuse the SOVIETS of being too smart." The Russians I have met and known were some pretty sharp people,but they understand the system they live under and that they MUST keep their political opinions to themselves while pretending to follow Soviet doctrine. After all,it's not like Free Speech is allowed there.
If you want to get promoted instead of demoted/sent to a labor camp,you "officially" follow the "Official train of thought".
Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers were killed in missile strikes as they crossed the Dnipro River amid a deadly counteroffensive, the Russian-appointed governor of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine said.
An Iskander missile, which is a short-range missile that travels at hypersonic speeds, killed at least 30 Ukrainian fighters and injured a dozen other, Vladimir Saldo said Friday on Telegram.
There are probably a lot of duds in their arsenal, but I would still rather not have them try lobbing them at other people just to find out.
That is my attitude as well
Commander of Russia's Akhmat unit killed in Donbas – Russian media
Mon, July 3, 2023 at 7:44 AM CDT
Yevgeny Pisarenko, the commander of Akhmat, a Chechen armed formation that is fighting on the Russian side, has been killed in combat in Donbas.
Dmitry Kulko, a Russian war correspondent, also reported the death of Pisarenko, aka Velikii ("The Great"), on his Telegram channel.
"Velikii (The Great) was a fellow countryman of mine who served in the Stavropol riot police and received the rank of colonel. . .
https://news.yahoo.com/commander-russias-akhmat-unit-killed-124413239.html
Yevgeny Pisarenko, the commander of Akhmat, a Chechen armed formation that is fighting on the Russian side, has been killed in combat in Donbas.
These fierce Russian mercenary groups are ready to take Wagner’s place after failed rebellion
By Isabel Vincent
July 4, 2023
When paramilitaries from the feared Wagner Group took cover in Belarus after their failed mutiny against the Kremlin last month, dozens of other mercenary groups were already poised to take their place in the Ukrainian conflict.
Mercenaries from Redut, Slavonic Corps and E.N.O.T, among dozens of others, have already been spotted fighting in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began last year, according to reports.
Mercenaries from Redut, also known as Redut-Anti-Terror are among the most prominent, and were some of the first to enter the conflict in Ukraine, according to Russian news reports.
The group, whose Russian-language name means “Redoubt,” has been active in Syria where soldiers have been involved in guarding facilities for a construction conglomerate controlled by Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko.
Some of the group’s mercenaries, which were recruited on Russian social media platforms, have been convicted of war crimes during the invasion, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/07/04/these-russian-mercenaries-are-ready-to-take-wagner-groups-place/
Russia has planted suspected explosives on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant roofs, says Zelenskiy
Tue 4 Jul 2023 20.47 EDT
And Russia says Zelenskyy has planted explosives on the nuke roofs. Fun, eh?
Russia has planted suspected explosives on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant roofs, says ZelenskiyMeh. Macron can't control Paris.
Tue 4 Jul 2023 20.47 EDT
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/358b10bf78693bd9fe63619fa11de0f21cfc5b89/0_399_5771_3461/master/5771.jpg?width=620&quality=45&dpr=2&s=none)
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again warned Russia may be planning to “simulate an attack” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, claiming that Russian troops have placed “objects resembling explosives” on the roofs of buildings at the site.
Citing Ukrainian intelligence, Zelenskiy said the objects had been positioned on the roof of several power units of the power plant that is currently held by Russia.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskiy briefed the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on Russia’s “dangerous provocations” at the plant in south-eastern Ukraine. He said he and Macron had “agreed keep the situation under maximum control together with the IAEA”, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
Zelenskiy’s warnings echo comments he made last week at a joint news conference in Kyiv with the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez. “There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a [radiation] release,” Zelenskiy said at the time. . .
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/05/russia-has-planted-suspected-explosives-on-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-roofs-says-zelenskiy
Huge fireball erupts as Russian ammo depot is destroyed and Ukraine reports 'particularly fruitful' few days in its counteroffensive...but Zelensky warns Putin's men have MINED nuclear power plant
Ukraine is continuing to make advances in the south and around Bakhmut
But fears are rising of a Russian attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station
By CHRIS JEWERS
5 July 2023
A huge fireball erupted in occupied Ukraine last night as a Russian ammunition depot was destroyed in a 'monstrous explosion', dramatic footage has shown.
Video of the depot's destruction came after Kyiv said its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin's forces has been 'particularly fruitful' in recent days, and as other clips from the frontlines emerged showing brutal trench combat.
A senior security official said the country's troops are fulfilling their main tasks as they continue to fight against Moscow's forces that have dug in across hundreds of miles of Ukrainian territory in the south and east.
The comments by Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, were Kyiv's latest positive assessment of the month-old counterattack - although Russia has not acknowledged Ukraine's gains.
Kyiv has admitted that its progress has been slowed by Russian defences, with Putin's forces laying mines across swathes of land in order to prevent Kyiv's tanks from making the same rapid advances that were seen this time last year.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12265609/Huge-fireball-erupts-Russian-ammo-depot-destroyed-Ukraine-continues-counteroffensive.html?ico=topics_pagination_desktop (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12265609/Huge-fireball-erupts-Russian-ammo-depot-destroyed-Ukraine-continues-counteroffensive.html?ico=topics_pagination_desktop)
The orcs claim Ukraine has mined the nuclear plant, but since the orcs occupy it, that claim is less than dubious.
I hope to god this isn't true.
Ukraine has developed and implemented its own artificial intelligence (AI) platforms under the most stringent conditions to create something beyond what Western militaries have considered possible.
"The Ukrainians are doing a ton of stuff," Brett Velicovich, a Fox News contributor embedded in Ukraine, told Fox News Digital. "I mean, this innovation on the battlefield is out of this world right now. And, honestly, the U.S. government, Western governments, have no idea the innovation that's taking place.
"They can't keep up with it," he added. "The Ukrainians are moving too fast."
AI has quietly played a significant role in how Ukraine has managed to perform so well against a larger and seemingly stronger opponent in Russia, providing the smaller nation a wide range of advantages it might not otherwise have.
National Defense magazine called the Ukraine war an "unprecedented testing ground for AI," with the "now-ubiquitous employment of drones and loitering munitions by both sides" and "AI-enhanced autonomous capabilities in flight, targeting and firing."
George Dubynskiy, deputy minister of digital transformation in Ukraine, told Fox News Digital part of the key is the fact the country decided to create its own AI platform, which allowed engineers to tailor it to a spec.
...
While using cluster munitions in conflict on enemy fighters is allowed under the laws of war, deploying them on the general population is a war crime.
...
Former U.S. officials have held secret Ukraine talks with prominent Russia
Report: Joe Biden to Supply Ukraine with Controversial Cluster Bombs
Sean Moran
President Joe Biden is expected to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs, which much of the world has vowed not to use due to their long-term effects on civilians.
A senior Biden administration official told the New York Times that the United States will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions after Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky pushed for America to provide the country with the controversial and widely-banned weapon.
Cluster munitions are a category of rockets, bombs, missiles, and artillery projectiles that break apart in the air and blanket a large area. The munitions often fail and can devastate civilians.
Humanitarian groups state that a fifth or more of the munitions can linger and harm civilians years after the conflict. More than 100 countries have signed the Convention of Cluster Munitions, promising not to use them. However, Russia, the United States, and Ukraine have not signed the treaty.
Ukraine has claimed that cluster munitions would help its counteroffensive against Russia.
more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/06/report-joe-biden-to-supply-ukraine-with-controversial-cluster-bombs/
White House weighs Ukraine powerful ‘war crime’ cluster munitions in stunning reversal
By Caitlin Doornbos
July 6, 2023 8:27pm
The powerful artillery shells release dozens of smaller explosive submunitions, increasing lethality as they spread to hit multiple targets, similar to how multiple pellets spread from a single shotgun shell.
So ... Brandon is doing exactly what Z wants him to do. No treaty was signed between Russia and Ukraine, not the U.S., but that doesn't mean it is the right thing to do! **nononono*
Huh? The U.S. is willing to provide Ukraine with munitions they've requested - which the Russian nazis are already using - so that Ukraine can defend itself from the orcs. What is the problem with that? It is precisely the right thing to do. Just because it is Biden doing it does not ipso facto make it the wrong thing to do.
No, not because it's Brandon doing it, *****rollingeyes***** It's wrong because most of the world has vowed not to use them for a reason.
Anything Z wants, Z gets from the U.S. I think he's good at using propaganda. Who knows if Z is telling the truth about Russia.
Again, it is their war. Not ours.
@libertybele
I remember reading about people like you who claimed WW-1 AND WW-2 were "not our wars".
Name some wars that "WERE" "OUR Wars",or admit to being a Surrender Monkey.
BTW,last time I checked,which was earlier today,the US was NOT involved in the fighting in Ukraine.
Hey everybody, welcome @MeganC over from TOS! She got zinged by JR yesterday on behalf of that self-righteous, holier-than-thou hypocrite Allegra.
Gee @sneakypete I wasn't around for WWI nor WWII and I'd like not to experience WWIII as I don't see this World surviving.
BTW I never stated that the U.S. was involved in the fighting in Ukraine; but providing them with billions in aid and munitions needs to stop and yes, I'll repeat it again -- this is their war. A war that has been on going for decades. Continuing to feed this very expensive monster that is crippling us is just plain wrong.
The fall of Russia ... hmm... I wonder who is going to swoop in and benefit from all their natural resources and land?
@libertybele,surrender monkey.
We actually have a very good chance of destroying the Communist control over Russia,thus eliminating our most dangerous potential enemy without losing a single US soldier in combat,and you want to whine about it.
Hey everybody, welcome @MeganC over from TOS! She got zinged by JR yesterday on behalf of that self-righteous, holier-than-thou hypocrite Allegra.
I'm sure a lot of people on the TOS would believe it.
@MeganC
Welcome - a fellow refugee from That Other Site. Bruce Campbells Chin over there.
Hey everybody, welcome @MeganC over from TOS! She got zinged by JR yesterday on behalf of that self-righteous, holier-than-thou hypocrite Allegra.
@sneakypete
-- you completely missed my point.
@libertybele
No,I didn't. YOU completely missed reality.
Surrender monkey....whatever. *****rollingeyes*****
Anyone not willing to fight for their feedom does not deserve to live free. They are surrender monkies,who only live because there are better people than they who are willing to risk their lives so you surrender monkeys can do your little "we are superior evolved beings" dance on the bones of better people than you will ever be.
You live thanks to the grace,courage,and efforts of people far more deserving of life than you.
If we learned one thing from Thursday’s press conference by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, it’s that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has not been seen in public since June 24, appears to be in a decidedly perilous limbo.
Lukashenko put a gulf of distance between himself and Prigozhin the Wagner boss when he said that neither Prigozhin nor his mercenaries were in Belarus, and it was unclear if they would ever move here.
“He is in St Petersburg. Or maybe this morning he would travel to Moscow or elsewhere,” Lukashenko said in response to a question from CNN. “But he is not on the territory of Belarus now.”
When Lukashenko was said to have brokered a deal to end Prigozhin’s would-be insurrection in Russia last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the agreement came about because Prigozhin and Lukashenko had known each other “personally for a long time, for about 20 years.”
But on Thursday, Lukashenko said that it was Putin who was Prigozhin’s longtime friend, who knew him “much better than I do and knows him longer than I do, about 30 years.”
Neither leader seems too keen on being Prigozhin’s best friend now.
One of the final straws for Prigozhin’s longstanding tensions with the Russian Defense Ministry was the insistence that Wagner mercenaries sign contracts with the Russian government; Prigozhin refused.
But on Thursday, Lukashenko insisted that were Wagner to come to Belarus, its mercenaries would have to sign documents with Belarus’ government.
“When they decide to be located in Belarus, we will draft up a contract with them,” he said.
Just as we were learning that Prigozhin was in Russia, not Belarus, Russian state media released images from a reported police raid on Prigozhin’s office and residence in St. Petersburg. The footage — described by presenters as “scandalous” — shows what is described as a stash of gold, money and wigs, along with weapons and several passports apparently belonging to Prigozhin under different aliases.
Please discuss the facts of the Ukraine war and refrain from personal attacks.
Okay...the M777 is a 155mm artillery system that is tailor made to fire what are known in the business as Dual-Use Improved Conventional Munitions, or "DPICM" rounds. Those are the "cluster bombs" we are sending Ukraine. Each round contains either 88 or 72 submunitions that are very effective against personnel and light armor. Those literally were the default rounds -- the most effective round -- for our artillery in anything but urban environments, and sometimes even there. We'd have to quadruple, at least, the number of artillery tubes given to the Ukrainians, and the same with ammunition, to get the same killing power they'd get from using DPICM rounds.
They are the exact kind of weapon we should be providing to Ukraine.
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a3ZNwyN_460s.jpg)
I want Russia to drag China down as well
Chi-coms want more natural resources and territory for growth; Russia has plenty of both.
Russia will become indebted to the Chi-coms, and Chi-coms will ask for repayment in the form of greater access to and influence over eastern Russia and former Soviet republics.
China will become Russia's mortgage holder; Russia will be forced to give its house key over to their lien holder, the Chi-coms.
Chi-coms want more natural resources and territory for growth; Russia has plenty of both.
Russia will become indebted to the Chi-coms, and Chi-coms will ask for repayment in the form of greater access to and influence over eastern Russia and former Soviet republics.
China will become Russia's mortgage holder; Russia will be forced to give its house key over to their lien holder, the Chi-coms.
Warning: Language
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/14u3p77/the_security_service_of_ukraine_sbu_hacked_into_a/
Russian Submarine commander shot dead
July 10, 2023, 04:12 PM
(https://static.nv.ua/shared/system/Article/posters/002/711/802/original/0425bbaba5357440822e94e9ce410840.jpg)
Stanislav Rzhitsky, the deputy head of the local mobilization department and captain of a Black Sea Fleet submarine, was shot and killed in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, Russian news agency TASS reported on July 10.
Rzhitsky commanded Oscar II-class nuclear-powered submarine Krasnodar, which was used to launch Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukraine.
According to the report, 42-year-old Rzhitsky was out for a morning run between 7 and 8 a.m. when an unidentified assailant ambushed and shot him several times. . .
. . . Some reports suggest that his submarine might have been responsible for a missile attack on Vinnytsia on July 14, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 27 people, including three children.
https://english.nv.ua/nation/russian-submarine-commander-shot-dead-50337973.html
That's disgusting, and also, if I'm not mistaken, a war crime.
That's insane. For what purposes exactly? To be rehomed with Russian mothers? That's insane. And evil. Not even the Nazis did that shit.
Cultural genocide.
That's insane. For what purposes exactly? To be rehomed with Russian mothers? That's insane. And evil. Not even the Nazis did that shit.
Probably to traffic them into sexual slavery, serving their oligarchs.
It's a pittance considering what we would have to pay if we have to fight the Russians ourselves.
So the only way to "save" Ukraine is to force an "unconditional surrender" and dissolution and absorption into Russia? Or else carve it up into a rump, with Russia taking all its natural resources and ports?
Pittance?? What $$ and munitions do we have to fight if a war is imposed on us?? China is waiting in the wings. Also, consider all those terrorists and militants entering our country.
It IS wrong to continue to add fuel to the fire; a war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for decades. Brandon has been giving Z $$ and lining his pockets since he took office. Wrong. Wrong. and Wrong.
Pittance?? What $$ and munitions do we have to fight if a war is imposed on us?? China is waiting in the wings.
Also, consider all those terrorists and militants entering our country.
It IS wrong to continue to add fuel to the fire;
a war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for decades.
Brandon has been giving Z $$ and lining his pockets since he took office.
Wrong. Wrong. and Wrong.
Z continue to ask for $$ ... he claims he needs this or that in order to win.
We should have never gotten involved in the first place. It is their war, not ours. Monetarily it has become our war!
It's far better to spend billions now and let the Ukrainians beat the Russians than having to do it ourselves 3-5 years later at a cost of trillions and thousands of American lives.
You're conflating the issues.
So forcing Ukraine to unconditionally surrender to Putin and get absorbed into Russia is the Conservative solution? Doesn't sound very American to me.
I have not once suggested that Ukraine surrender to Putin.
That's not true.
You're conflating the issues again. Sending arms and economic aid to Ukraine does NOT necessarily mean that Biden is "lining his pockets" from it. That's just an assumption without direct proof.
I have posted several articles with links indicating that Biden & Co.., are lining their pockets.
It's wrong allowing the Russians to overrun Ukraine, and then the Baltics, and ultimately Alaska (which the Russian want back!), killing hundreds of thousands and destroying countless cities and towns in the process.
Obviously attacking Alaska would be a declaration of war -- then it IS our war. Shelling out $$ to prevent what we think is going to happen is ridiculous.
Well, he DOES need it to win.
How much $$ are we going to keep dumping??
We got involved when the U.S. guaranteed Ukraine's security in 1994 in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nukes with which to protect itself from Russia. It has been our war from the start.
So even though Ukraine and Russia have been fighting for decades it's our war??? This goes way beyond 1994.
Cultural genocide.
Time magazine did an article on "Zelensky's Cash Haul" -- dated, but needs to be acknowledged
https://time.com/6243285/zelenskys-cash-haul/
Time magazine did an article on "Zelensky's Cash Haul" -- dated, but needs to be acknowledged
https://time.com/6243285/zelenskys-cash-haul/
OK, $$ has gone to Ukraine, but as even Slime magazine pointed out in the article you linked, there is no evidence of fraud by Zelensky. OTOH, there is vast evidence that US aid is being used to fight Russian orcs.
Both Brandon and Zelensky are lining their pockets...Z is just took over for his predecessor who Hunter and Brandon were 'involved' with.
Time magazine did an article on "Zelensky's Cash Haul" -- dated, but needs to be acknowledged
https://time.com/6243285/zelenskys-cash-haul/
That article is about funding Ukraine's government and pension system, which I disapprove of using American tax dollars...that should be Europe's role. However, it presents ZERO evidence, nor does it make the claim, that Zelensky is personally corrupt and is skimming off the top. That's just an assumption many are making based on PAST Ukrainian presidents like Yanukovych and Poroshenko. Zelensky won his election by a landslide on an anti-corruption platform, and he was already wealthy from his comedy and acting career.
So that argument does not fly until we see some definite proof that he is personally profiting from the war. To me it looks like it is wearing him down because he is visibly aging and talks with a hoarse gravelly voice now from all the meetings and phone calls he takes each day. He looks very tired.
Last month -- reporting of Brandon pocketing Ukraine money -- anyone still thinks Brandon isn't funneling money to Ukraine into his pocket?
https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/joe-biden-exposed-for-allegedly-pocketing-5-million-in-ukrainian-bribery-scheme/video/a0a9ec471ed6f94e553b5296580ae7fc
Both Brandon and Zelensky are lining their pockets...Z is just took over for his predecessor who Hunter and Brandon were 'involved' with.
That article concerns Biden's corruption BEFORE the war when he was VP and Hunter was on Burisma's board. Where is the proof that Biden's actually siphoning money off NOW with the war aid being given to Ukraine? I'm not saying that he isn't, but where is the PROOF?
Just more assumptions without evidence...
Z is just took over for his predecessor who Hunter and Brandon were 'involved' with.
A Look Back at the History of Ukraine- Russia Conflict as Tensions Continue to Rise
Since World War II, the violent changing of European borders has been considered taboo, given the cascade of turmoil that could follow. For that reason, 2014 was, ina sense, a pivotal year, as Eastern Europe again saw borders altered by violence and the threat of force, as part of Ukraine (Crimea) was annexed by Russia. In light of continuing conflict, we look back at that disruptive event, and the continuing ramifications brought up by it.......
.........The tinder for the Ukraine conflict didn’t spontaneously come into being in 2014. Rather, the background is a slow-motion identity crisis involving both Ukraine and Russia, and extending back over centuries.
...........For Ukrainians, their identities are both linked to those of a past shared with Russia, but also with historic ties and affinities with the West. Ukraine is marked by a diversity of historical memories and orientations, and in that sense, it’s like a microcosm of larger Eastern European patterns.
The tides of history carved out divides in Ukraine that still persist today. First Mongols came and receded, leaving Tartars; then Poland-Lithuania moved in, leaving their own imprint...................
...............In 1654, the Cossack warlord Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who had led an uprising against Poland and sought to create an independent state, signed a treaty with Russia at Pereyaslav.
Khmelnytsky received the Tsar’s protection, along with Russian promises for Ukrainian autonomy. Instead of getting an ally who would defend their existence, the Cossacks discovered that they had a set of new rulers. In 1667, Poland and Russia came to an agreement for partition: They divided the contested Ukrainian lands along the Dnieper River................
.............Between the World Wars, Ukrainians found themselves divided by borders, most living in the Soviet Union, others in Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. Inside the Soviet Union, Stalin cracked down on Ukrainian cultural leaders and brought mass death with the Terror Famine, or Holodomor, of the 1930s.
With the coming of the Second World War, some Ukrainian nationalists hoped that Nazi Germany might help their cause. Among their leaders was Stepan Bandera. At the start of the Second World War, they allied with Nazi Germany and some participated in the Nazi campaigns against the Jews. But as Ukrainian hopes for independence were frustrated, relations deteriorated and the Nazis imprisoned Bandera.
Toward the end of the Second World War, borders and populations were shifted. Ukraine saw key examples of this. Stalin deported all the Crimean Tartars from their homes, expelling them overnight. Poland shifted westward, ethnic Poles were evicted from ancestral homes, and the city of Lwow became Lviv, in western Ukraine. By the end of this process, Ukraine’s borders included most Ukrainians for the first time in centuries, but all of them under Moscow’s rigid control..............
...........With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine became independent. However, the newly independent Ukraine revealed complexities. Along with Russia and Belarus, Ukraine was one of the founding members of the CIS, the Commonwealth of Independent States, to the east. Yet many Ukrainian leaders avowed that they wanted to be part of an Eastern European “return to Europe,” which would mean orienting themselves to the west....................
......Corruption at multiple levels of government ate away at ordinary people’s confidence in the system, and economic productivity lagged. Ukraine found itself hugely dependent on Russia for energy supplies, some 75 percent of its gas and 80 percent of its oil. To overcome its troubles, Ukraine sought international financial aid, and giving up its nuclear stockpile left over from the Soviet era in 1994 helped win them some assistance............
............Disappointment with insider politics as usual produced a popular movement called the Orange Revolution in 2004. The Ukrainian opposition to the government was led by Viktor Yushchenko.
On September 5, 2004, Yushchenko became desperately ill after dinner. Medical tests showed dioxin poisoning symptoms, and the symptoms were visible in his bloated, pockmarked face.
Image of Viktor YushchenkoViktor Yushchenko (Image: Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Who had done it? Several suspects fled to Russia and were not questioned. Was the intention to kill him outright? Or “merely” to disfigure him in his outward appearance and, thus, scuttle his chances for election? Whatever the case, it backfired.
When the government announced fraudulent election returns, people took to the streets. They chose the vivid color orange to rally people to their cause and kept protesting even in the bitter winter cold of the streets. After 17 days, the protestors won; and in a new election, Yushchenko became president.................
..........At the end of 2013, when Yanukovych negotiated and then bizarrely refused to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union, protests erupted again in Kiev, Lviv, and other cities. These protests, in coldest winter, came to be called the Euromaidan, or “Euro Square.”
Government forces tried to quell the protests. Dozens of protestors were killed. But by February 2014, President Yanukovych felt his power crumbling and fled, finding refuge in Russia................
..............Putin, who had been Yanukovych’s patron, declared his ouster and the change of government illegitimate. Russian forces moved into Crimea. At first, the Russian government denied that it had sent troops into the region, which had an ethnic Russian majority. The troops bore no insignia, but they did wear masks. Russia then annexed Crimea officially, over international protests.
Later, in March 2015, Putin proudly admitted openly what his government had denied: Russian involvement was not a spontaneous response to calls for help, but a plan, and the annexation was ordered weeks before the referendum was staged under the watchful eyes of gunmen..................
https://www.wondriumdaily.com/a-look-back-at-the-history-of-ukraine-russia-conflict-as-tensions-continue-to-rise/
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine became independent.
Russian general known personally by Putin is killed 'by British-supplied Storm Shadow missile'
Ukrainian and Russian sources reported the Tsokov had been killed in the attack
Britain supplied its long range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine earlier this year
By WILL STEWART and JAMES REYNOLDS
11 July 2023
Vladmir Putin has lost another top general 'in a strike by British supplied Storm Shadow missiles', according to both Ukrainian and Russian sources.
Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, 51, was personally known to the dictator and had been sanctioned by Britain and the EU for his role in the war against Ukraine.
A Ukrainian claim today that the commander had been 'liquidated' was later supported by Russian channels with key military links.
Pro-war Russian Telegram channel Voenkory Russkoy Vesny admitted that 'as a result of the attack by Storm Shadow cruise missiles on the command post of the 58th Army in the Berdiansk region, Lt-Gen Oleg Tsokov [...] was killed.'
'Colleagues speak of Tsokov as a competent officer and a good commander.'
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12287455/Russian-general-known-personally-Putin-killed-British-supplied-Storm-Shadow-missile.html
Russian general known personally by Putin is killed 'by British-supplied Storm Shadow missile'
Ukrainian and Russian sources reported the Tsokov had been killed in the attack
Britain supplied its long range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine earlier this year
By WILL STEWART and JAMES REYNOLDS
11 July 2023
Vladmir Putin has lost another top general 'in a strike by British supplied Storm Shadow missiles', according to both Ukrainian and Russian sources.
Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, 51, was personally known to the dictator and had been sanctioned by Britain and the EU for his role in the war against Ukraine.
A Ukrainian claim today that the commander had been 'liquidated' was later supported by Russian channels with key military links.
Pro-war Russian Telegram channel Voenkory Russkoy Vesny admitted that 'as a result of the attack by Storm Shadow cruise missiles on the command post of the 58th Army in the Berdiansk region, Lt-Gen Oleg Tsokov [...] was killed.'
'Colleagues speak of Tsokov as a competent officer and a good commander.'
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12287455/Russian-general-known-personally-Putin-killed-British-supplied-Storm-Shadow-missile.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12287455/Russian-general-known-personally-Putin-killed-British-supplied-Storm-Shadow-missile.html)
They lost another General again? It's like a person who is a red-shirt in Star Trek.
The day in which Russia no longer exists will be a great day for humanity.
Cultural genocide.
This is dated, but he lays out the statistics. The amount of money that we have thrown at their war since Sen Paul took to the floor is absolutely ridiculous and unwarranted.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2uV4Q9R0bk
Always thought Russians were basically decent humble people, but if that's true, that's just evil.
Edit: the reason I assumed it was to be rehomed with Russian mothers, is the large amount of women on the Zoom call.
So even though Ukraine and Russia have been fighting for decades it's our war??? This goes way beyond 1994.
How many Russians have died in Ukraine? Data shows what Moscow hides
Nearly 50,000 Russian men have died in the war in Ukraine, according to the first independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead.
@libertybele
And THAT explains why the Russians are kidnapping Ukranian children and sending them to Russia. Their population is so small they can't/won't have enough children through normal means to replace the ones being killed in this war.
@libertybele
Yeah,too hell with having our allies suffer all the human and property losses while destroying the biggest danger to America,it's the money that counts,right?
MUCH MO BETTA to let the Soviets rebuild their strength by conquering other nations with assets already in production so they can remain strong while they try to weaken us,right?
@libertybele
You are living proof of the old saying that "You can lead a horse to water,but you can't make him drink."
You have your mind made up and no amount of evidence in the world will convince you that you are just a surrender monkey.
@sneakypete No problem helping them but when the $$$ isn't appropriated to humanity or helping them win the war, then something is wrong. We run out of $$ or munitions, who then is going to help them or us?? Printing more money is not the answer.
@sneakypete[/memberQuote] Surrender monkey? How so? We've sent over $75 BILLION and that still isn't enough for Z.
@libertybele
And you have been whining about it since day one.QuoteIt still hasn't resolved the war.
Well,we COULD follow your policy and surrender because it is cheaper to surrender than it is to fight.QuoteWhen do we stop the aid? When we ourselves have depleted our own military and tanked our economy?
HorseHillary squared. We stop the aid when Russia retreats behind their borders and we,along with the other free nations have helped Ukraine rebuild so she can defend herself if Russia tries this again come the next generation.QuoteCommon sense needs to come into play here -- and if that makes me a surrender monkey in your books.....
Yes,you ARE a surrender monkey,and No,you do NOT have any common sense because you are so afraid of fighting that you would surrender.
QuoteOh well, as you stated, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You need to look at the entire picture, not just what the propagandist would have you believe.
[/quote
How many wars have YOU fought in?
@sneakypete so your answer is to keep printing money to support a war that has been on going for decades??
There IS absolutely concern that we are drawing down our own munitions that could easily pose problems should we need them for ourselves .... China is just waiting in the wings .....
Again @sneakypete who is going to help Ukraine and us if we are attacked and our stockpiles are depleted and our economy continues to falter???
And no, I haven't fought in a war, (which you knew) so that makes me a surrender monkey? Gottcha.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/politics/us-weapons-factories-ukraine-ammunition/index.html\
https://veteranlife.com/military-news/weapons-to-ukraine/
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/05/17/ukraine-aid-and-us-stockpiles-are-running-out-whats-next/
https://www.csis.org/analysis/united-states-running-out-weapons-send-ukraine
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-push-to-restock-howitzer-shells-rockets-sent-to-ukraine-bogs-down-f604511a
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/military-weapons-ukraine-war.html
@libertybele
Jethro Tull wrote a song about you.
"Thick as a Brick".
MOST of the munitions going there,if not ALL of them,are munitions from our stockpiles that is old and due to be destroyed soon,anyhow.
IF we had a military that was actually able to fight these days,there would be no shortage of fresh munitions.
I know you have been told this before,and you continue to ignore it.
That is what you say but the links that I provided say otherwise.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62002218 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62002218)
That is what you say but the links that I provided say otherwise.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62002218
@ScottinVA
I THINK you meant to write "Communism",NOT "Russia". Russia existed a long time before the Communists took over,and will continue to exist once they are out of power and hiding in exile.
https://twitter.com/emperoreaganite/status/1678940885185187842
Nope. Whether ruled by tsars, communists or the modern-day Putinist fascism, Russia has been aggressively expansionist, regardless of what type of government rules it. The only period in which that was not the case was the Yeltsin era. For all his faults, Boris Yeltsin made an attempt to avoid old Russian expansionist habits. After Putin emerged, it began anew. The world would be better off with a reduced, dismembered and weakened Russia that doesn't threaten its neighbors.
For us, this is a long-term investment. Here is why...
Had we done nothing we could be facing a stronger Russia plus a strong Russia-China alliance. Therefore we have to spend crazy on our military to minimize a strong Russia-China alliance.
What we are doing now without any American troops is weakening Russia to the point that they have to use outdated tanks! After the war, it is going to take years to rebuild the Russian military in what is left of Russia. Also after the war, the next big threat we will have to face will be China.
I would like to add one more thing. Had we done nothing, China would have invaded Taiwan. They were testing our response after the Afagnistan withdrawal fiasco and I think they have guessed wrong.
For us, this is a long-term investment. Here is why...
Had we done nothing we could be facing a stronger Russia plus a strong Russia-China alliance. Therefore we have to spend crazy on our military to minimize a strong Russia-China alliance.
What we are doing now without any American troops is weakening Russia to the point that they have to use outdated tanks! After the war, it is going to take years to rebuild the Russian military in what is left of Russia. Also after the war, the next big threat we will have to face will be China.
I would like to add one more thing. Had we done nothing, China would have invaded Taiwan. They were testing our response after the Afagnistan withdrawal fiasco and I think they have guessed wrong.
For us, this is a long-term investment. Here is why...
Had we done nothing we could be facing a stronger Russia plus a strong Russia-China alliance. Therefore we have to spend crazy on our military to minimize a strong Russia-China alliance.
What we are doing now without any American troops is weakening Russia to the point that they have to use outdated tanks! After the war, it is going to take years to rebuild the Russian military in what is left of Russia. Also after the war, the next big threat we will have to face will be China.
I would like to add one more thing. Had we done nothing, China would have invaded Taiwan. They were testing our response after the Afagnistan withdrawal fiasco and I think they have guessed wrong.
Nope. Whether ruled by tsars, communists or the modern-day Putinist fascism, Russia has been aggressively expansionist, regardless of what type of government rules it. The only period in which that was not the case was the Yeltsin era. For all his faults, Boris Yeltsin made an attempt to avoid old Russian expansionist habits. After Putin emerged, it began anew. The world would be better off with a reduced, dismembered and weakened Russia that doesn't threaten its neighbors.
@ScottinVA
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.
Russia has pretty much always been an isolationist state. Even the Czars didn't want any outside influences other than foreign royalty that was related to them.
Truth to tell,Russia has pretty much been a police state for her entire existence.
For us, this is a long-term investment. Here is why...
Had we done nothing we could be facing a stronger Russia plus a strong Russia-China alliance. Therefore we have to spend crazy on our military to minimize a strong Russia-China alliance.
What we are doing now without any American troops is weakening Russia to the point that they have to use outdated tanks! After the war, it is going to take years to rebuild the Russian military in what is left of Russia. Also after the war, the next big threat we will have to face will be China.
I would like to add one more thing. Had we done nothing, China would have invaded Taiwan. They were testing our response after the Afagnistan withdrawal fiasco and I think they have guessed wrong.
'We are going to be there as long as it takes': Joe Biden vows to stand by Ukraine after G7 offers new security deal for Kyiv just one day after Volodymyr Zelensky's furious outburst over 'absurd' NATO delay
'We are going to be there as long as it takes': Joe Biden vows to stand by Ukraine after G7 offers new security deal for Kyiv just one day after Volodymyr Zelensky's furious outburst over 'absurd' NATO delay
Biden issued a rallying cry to back Kyiv's armed forces alongside fellow G7 leaders
The world's leading economies vowed to provide 'long-term' security aid to the war-torn nation
The announcement came a day after Ukraine's leader unleashed a social media tirade slamming the move not to offer his country a pathway to join NATO
By James Franey, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com
@ScottinVA
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.
Russia has pretty much always been an isolationist state. Even the Czars didn't want any outside influences other than foreign royalty that was related to them.
Truth to tell,Russia has pretty much been a police state for her entire existence.
Invading other countries, kidnapping their children and directing artillery at population centers is NOT an isolationist stance,
@ScottinVA
That is EXACTLY what it is.
Pete. C’mon… you’re better than that.. stop defending the indefensible.
I am defending Russia?
Seriously?
@ScottinVA
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.
Russia has pretty much always been an isolationist state. Even the Czars didn't want any outside influences other than foreign royalty that was related to them.
Truth to tell,Russia has pretty much been a police state for her entire existence.
LOL! Your history is severely lacking @sneakypete Czarist Russia was one of the chief trading partners of the U. S. until the end of the 19th century.
LOL! Your history is severely lacking @sneakypete Czarist Russia was one of the chief trading partners of the U. S. until the end of the 19th century.
Times change and Russia is our enemy
Major General Ivan Popov
Times change and Russia is our enemy
@Bigun
So what? She still kept a tight reign on who she allowed in Russia,how long they were allowed to stay,and who they got to communicate with.
Granted,the Czars were a little more open-minded than the Communists that followed them because so many of them had marriages and other relationships with European Royalty,but they were STILL "Maximum Rulers" for their time.
Russia has pretty much always been an isolationist state. Even the Czars didn't want any outside influences other than foreign royalty that was related to them.
Times change and Russia is our enemy
@kevindavis007
Our most dangerous enemies are members of the DNC,and their RINO partners in crime.
The Soviet Union was publicly our enemy. (The U. S. Government allegedly supported the Czarist White Army in the revolution but made damned sure that the support was FAR too little and too late to prevent the Red Army from winning.)
After the Soviet Union came into being, our public position was to oppose them but privately we did everything possible to prop them up. Had that NOT been done, the Soviet Union would have ceased to exist within ten years of its formation.
@sneakypete you said:
That is flat out wrong IMO. The Czars were very friendly with the United States and most European countries until the likes of Lenin appeared on the scene.
@Bigun
I have never heard that before. Could you please expand on what you wrote?
Obviously,if true,that would mean there was a "reason" for us doing that,and this "reason" is almost always based on cash money changing hands thanks to corrupt US politicians.
PLEASE note that I am not attacking you. I just want to hear more.
Russia has pretty much always been an isolationist state. Even the Czars didn't want any outside influences other than foreign royalty that was related to them.
LOL! Your history is severely lacking @sneakypete Czarist Russia was one of the chief trading partners of the U. S. until the end of the 19th century.
Didn't a US SecState negotiate the purchase of part of North America from Russia?
Also, a guy named John (Johann) Sutter purchased a northern California colony named Fort Ross from Russia.
So Peter the Great didn't capture what became St. Petersburg from Sweden and its design was not inspired by Venice and Paris (with architects to match)?
So Catherine the Great didn't complete the conquest of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula?
So Catherine didn't import German farmers to bring modern agriculture practices to Russia and the Ukraine, people who came to be called "Volga Germans"?
So Russian Czars didn't bite off parts of Poland until Poland was no more?
So Russian Czars didn't fight wars to add Central Asian regions to their empire?
So the Crimean War wasn't caused by Russia trying to bite off parts from the Ottoman Empire?
So Lenin didn't try to reconquer Poland?
So Stalin didn't try to conquer Finland?
So Stalin didn't conquer and retain the Baltic nations in and after WW2?
If that's "isolationism" ...
In both cases the answer is YES @PeteS in CA
Russia was definitely expansionist for most of its history, so "isolationist" really doesn't apply. But, there has always been this weird tension inside Russia between Peter the Great's desire to become more European, and countervailing pressures to remain more uniquely "Russian", which may be what @sneakypete means when he talks about isolationism. I think those two different schools of thoughts still exist in Russia today.
That's probably part of why Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.". Because a lot of times, it doesn't make a damn bit of sense.
Russia has not always been an isolationist state.
It's greatest imperial need has always been warm water ports, which it has traditionally sought along the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea for year round trade and naval bases.
During the Cold War, there was the fear that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan would be a stepping stone towards acquiring a warm water port on the Indian Ocean, possibly by invading Pakistan.
So Peter the Great didn't capture what became St. Petersburg from Sweden and its design was not inspired by Venice and Paris (with architects to match)?
So Catherine the Great didn't complete the conquest of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula?
So Catherine didn't import German farmers to bring modern agriculture practices to Russia and the Ukraine, people who came to be called "Volga Germans"?
So Russian Czars didn't bite off parts of Poland until Poland was no more?
So Russian Czars didn't fight wars to add Central Asian regions to their empire?
So the Crimean War wasn't caused by Russia trying to bite off parts from the Ottoman Empire?
So Lenin didn't try to reconquer Poland?
So Stalin didn't try to conquer Finland?
So Stalin didn't conquer and retain the Baltic nations in and after WW2?
For good or for ill, conquering and reconquering is what Europeans do ---- to each other and anywhere else they can. For Europeans, borders are a temporary nuisance and changing them is their favorite parlor game.
Keep them away from us and let them play with each other until they finally exhaust themselves.
BTW, remember this slogan of national pride from World History classes: "The sun never sets on the British flag"?
For good or for ill, conquering and reconquering is what Europeans do ---- to each other and anywhere else they can. For Europeans, borders are a temporary nuisance and changing them is their favorite parlor game.
It was. But this is no longer the last millenium.
That ship sailed in the aftermath of WW2 and the creation of NATO. The major European powers - Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, etc. proved over the course of the last three quarters of a century - multiple generations - that they no longer had any interest in warring among themselves over territory and borders. They had advanced sufficiently economically to where war was no longer in their national interest, and their people had no interest in fighting.
That's precisely the reason we had such a hard time getting them to meet their NATO military spending obligations. Those countries simply no longer had an interest in war in Europe for profit.
And that is the exact reason Europe has had this kind of reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They really thought they had banished major wars of conquest from Europe forever, and then Russia chose to return that scourge to the continent.
Pretending that this is just more of the same is pretending the last 75 years don't exist.
"Kaliningrad" was originally the Prussian (= German) city of Königsberg, which Stalin bit off from what became Poland after WW2 (the whole nation of Poland shifted west after WW2, with Stalin keeping the part of Poland that Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact gave the USSR). More Russian "isolationism".
It was. But this is no longer the last millenium.
That ship sailed in the aftermath of WW2 and the creation of NATO. The major European powers - Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, etc. proved over the course of the last three quarters of a century - multiple generations - that they no longer had any interest in warring among themselves over territory and borders. They had advanced sufficiently economically to where war was no longer in their national interest, and their people had no interest in fighting.
...
For good or for ill, conquering and reconquering is what Europeans do ---- to each other and anywhere else they can. For Europeans, borders are a temporary nuisance and changing them is their favorite parlor game.
Keep them away from us and let them play with each other until they finally exhaust themselves.
BTW, remember this slogan of national pride from World History classes: "The sun never sets on the British flag"?
So Peter the Great didn't capture what became St. Petersburg from Sweden and its design was not inspired by Venice and Paris (with architects to match)?
So Catherine the Great didn't complete the conquest of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula?
So Catherine didn't import German farmers to bring modern agriculture practices to Russia and the Ukraine, people who came to be called "Volga Germans"?
So Russian Czars didn't bite off parts of Poland until Poland was no more?
So Russian Czars didn't fight wars to add Central Asian regions to their empire?
So the Crimean War wasn't caused by Russia trying to bite off parts from the Ottoman Empire?
So Lenin didn't try to reconquer Poland?
So Stalin didn't try to conquer Finland?
So Stalin didn't conquer and retain the Baltic nations in and after WW2?
If that's "isolationism" ...
It took them nearly a thousand years, but Brits, French, Germans, and Italians mostly curse each other over beer and wine.:thumbsup:
Ukraine is a sovereign country, recognized (along with other former Soviet "republics") as such by Russia in 1991. It is in the US' clear interest that Putin or the other monsters who might replace him not conquer Ukraine's natural resources, agriculture, and industry. Isolationism would simply lead back to the Cold War.
Didn't a US SecState negotiate the purchase of part of North America from Russia?
Also, a guy named John (Johann) Sutter purchased a northern California colony named Fort Ross from Russia.
LOL! Your history is severely lacking @sneakypete Czarist Russia was one of the chief trading partners of the U. S. until the end of the 19th century.
I have written extensively about this in the past @sneakypete but will provide a brief review here just for you.
Julius Hammer held membership card number 000001 in the United States Communist Party. His son (Armond Hammer) was given very early entry into the Soviet Union in order to open a pencil factory. This became a conduit for much Soviet aid to flow from the U. S. to the Soviet Union and was helped along by ta N. Y. Times writer by the name of Walter Durante who toured the Soviet Potemkin villages and wrote glowing reports of them as if they were representative of the entire country which they decidedly were not.
So Peter the Great didn't capture what became St. Petersburg from Sweden and its design was not inspired by Venice and Paris (with architects to match)?
So Catherine the Great didn't complete the conquest of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula?
So Catherine didn't import German farmers to bring modern agriculture practices to Russia and the Ukraine, people who came to be called "Volga Germans"?
So Russian Czars didn't bite off parts of Poland until Poland was no more?
So Russian Czars didn't fight wars to add Central Asian regions to their empire?
So the Crimean War wasn't caused by Russia trying to bite off parts from the Ottoman Empire?
So Lenin didn't try to reconquer Poland?
So Stalin didn't try to conquer Finland?
So Stalin didn't conquer and retain the Baltic nations in and after WW2?
If that's "isolationism" ...
Didn't a US SecState negotiate the purchase of part of North America from Russia?
Also, a guy named John (Johann) Sutter purchased a northern California colony named Fort Ross from Russia.
Russia was definitely expansionist for most of its history, so "isolationist" really doesn't apply. But, there has always been this weird tension inside Russia between Peter the Great's desire to become more European, and countervailing pressures to remain more uniquely "Russian", which may be what @sneakypete means when he talks about isolationism. I think those two different schools of thoughts still exist in Russia today.
That's probably part of why Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.". Because a lot of times, it doesn't make a damn bit of sense.
Fort Ross is now a state park and being rebuilt to extant records from the early and mid 1800s. SR1 from Jenner to Fort Bragg is a gorgeous drive.
"Kaliningrad" was originally the Prussian (= German) city of Königsberg, which Stalin bit off from what became Poland after WW2 (the whole nation of Poland shifted west after WW2, with Stalin keeping the part of Poland that Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact gave the USSR). More Russian "isolationism".
@PeteS in CA
That IS "isolationism". The Soviets damn sure didn't share it with anyone,and enslaved the residents after they took over.
@Bigun
Thank you!
I was very aware of Armand Hammer and his communist ties,as well as the pencil factory "investment".
I don't remember hearing about Julius Hammer,though.
Just out of curiousity,do you have any idea what year Julius was issued card number 1?
Adapt and overcome...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJnlriVcddw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJnlriVcddw)
Are you sure you don't mean "totalitarianism?"
Putin's purge: Russian strongman arrested 'at least a dozen' high ranking military officers after Wagner mutiny to 'clean the ranks' of traitors
General Sergei Surovikin, head of aerospace forces, is among those detained
Maj Gen Ivan Popov claimed he had been relieved of duty for being a 'threat'
By MATTHEW LODGE
13 July 2023
Russia has detained multiple high ranking military officers as the Kremlin looks to purge the military of those it suspects of disloyalty following the Wagner uprising.
Well placed sources claim that at least 13 senior officers have since been detained, with some later released , with others suspended or fired from their roles as Vladimir Putin's inquisition looks for betrayal in the ranks.
Among those believed to have been taken into questioning are General Sergei Surovikin, the head of Russia's aerospace forces who is known as 'General Armageddon' for his bloody bombing campaigns in Syria, the Wall Street Journal reports.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12297389/Russia-detains-dozen-high-ranking-military-officers-days-Wagner-uprising.html
Good. The more Russia cannibalizes its own forces, the better.
Frankly high ranking officers and Putin all need arrest for using troops as cannon fodder.
The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers.
Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws.
Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave.
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law.
And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. A Russian government document obtained by The Associated Press dating to January outlined plans to create 25 new prison colonies and six other detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia. This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP.
Many civilians are picked up for alleged transgressions as minor as speaking Ukrainian or simply being a young man in an occupied region, and are often held without charge. Others are charged as terrorists, combatants, or people who “resist the special military operation.” Hundreds are used for slave labor by Russia’s military, for digging trenches and other fortifications, as well as mass graves.
Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-prisons-civilians-torture-detainees-88b4abf2efbf383272eed9378be13c72
The sooner Russia ceases to exist, the better for humanity.
@Timber Rattler
Russia is STILL the "SOVIET Union" and being ran by a former KGB officer,so what did anyone expect other than this?
Communism is nothing and will never be nothing but a slave state government.
The sooner Russia ceases to exist, the better for humanity.
Authorities in Syria and Russian military commanders took swift measures against local Wagner operatives to prevent an uprising in Russia from spreading to the Middle Eastern nation, six sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters, after mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his men to march on Moscow last month.
The crackdown included ordering mercenary fighters to sign new contracts with the Russian defence ministry or promptly leave Syria, Syrian officials and other sources based near deployed Russian forces said.
(snip)
As they watched events unfolding, senior Syrian military and intelligence officials privately voiced concern that the mutiny could disrupt the Russian military presence they had relied on for so long, according to a senior Syrian Republican Guard officer and a Syrian source briefed on developments.
(snip)
A group of Russian military officers were quickly dispatched to Syria to help take charge of Wagner forces there, according to a regional military source close to Damascus and two Syrian sources with knowledge of the events, who did not provide further details.
About a dozen Wagner officers deployed in Syria’s central province of Homs and other areas were summoned to Russia’s operational base at Hmeimim, in western Latakia province, according to the Republican Guard officer and one of the Syrian sources briefed on the developments. The officer said this occurred “in the early hours of the mutiny”.Syria’s military intelligence cut landlines and internet links overnight on June 23 from areas where Russian Wagner forces were deployed to prevent them from communicating among themselves, with Wagner in Russia, and even with relatives back home, the three sources said.
By the morning of June 24, Syrian military intelligence and Russian defence officials were coordinating closely to isolate and control Wagner operatives, according to the senior Republican Guard officer, a Syrian security source and two Syrian sources briefed on the developments.
Wagner fighters in Syria were asked to sign new contracts in which they would report directly to Russia’s defence ministry and their pay would be cut, a source with knowledge of Wagner’s deployments and two other sources with knowledge of the events said.
Those who refused the terms were flown out on Russian Ilyushin planes in the following days, two of those sources said. One said they numbered “in the dozens,” surprising Syrian officials who expected more would refuse and head into exile.
Putin Warns of ‘Reciprocal’ Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine After Biden Sends Controversial Munitions to Kyiv
President Vladimir Putin said Russia “reserves the right” to deploy cluster bombs if Ukraine uses the weapons supplied by President Biden.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/putin-warns-of-reciprocal-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine-after-biden-sends-controversial-munitions-to-kyiv/
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in attacks that have caused hundreds of civilian casualties and damaged civilian objects, including homes, hospitals, and schools. The Ukrainian military has not denied credible evidence of its own use of cluster munitions in the conflict and has publicly asked to be supplied with the weapon.
Russian cluster munition have a ridiculously high failure rate among bomblets, and a lot of them don't even open at all.
The DPICM rounds we are sending to Ukraine to use with our more advanced artillery systems are a significant force multiplier. Russians are not going to like them one bit.
Putin Warns of ‘Reciprocal’ Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine After Biden Sends Controversial Munitions to Kyiv
President Vladimir Putin said Russia “reserves the right” to deploy cluster bombs if Ukraine uses the weapons supplied by President Biden.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/putin-warns-of-reciprocal-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine-after-biden-sends-controversial-munitions-to-kyiv/
I can't help but feel for both sides. **nononono*
Looks to me like drones are the "attack aircraft of the future,and the future has already arrived".Some roles will not slip away, and there will always be a place for manned CAS (which is why getting rid of the A-10 makes little sense to me) and ultimately bombers and fighters, too. However, I expect the role of manned bombers and fighter bombers to diminish, replaced by drones, especially for saturation attacks against well-defended targets. This would relegate the command and control to 'motherships' in theater or satellite communications with remote control, both of which control functions could be subject to jamming and or electronic hijacking. (Why it was so essential that the Chinese NOT get a setup so near the GFAB in North Dakota,where drone development is being conducted.)
I have no idea how many drones a nation and build and launch for the price of just ONE jet fighter-bomber,but HAS to be a bunch of them.
The USAF and their fighter jocks should be VERY worried.
Not to mention the brass,because if you no longer have fighter-bomber pilots,you no longer need so many senior officers,big runways,big air bases,etc,etc,etc.
The VERY serious downside to this newly advanced technology is that "We bees terrorists!" groups won't need a support group,either. Just some stolen drones and the control units,plus someone to teach them how to put it all together and make it work.
Several dozen "sumbodies" a LOT smarter than me needs to be doing some serious thinking,plotting,and scheming about this before it is too late.
BTW,I have no doubt that Air Forces all over the world are already aware of this,but I would almost bet money their focus is on how to get rid of drones and keep fighter jocks and fighter-bomber aircraft,along with the entire command structure necessary to support such units.
Not to mention congresscritters with USAF bases in their districts,manufacturers that manufacture and assemble jet fighter-bomber aircraft,stockholders,etc,etc,etc.
It ain't gonna be pretty from the POV of a LOT of humans who will see their jobs and their security slipping away.
Looks to me like drones are the "attack aircraft of the future,and the future has already arrived".
I have no idea how many drones a nation and build and launch for the price of just ONE jet fighter-bomber,but HAS to be a bunch of them.
The USAF and their fighter jocks should be VERY worried.
Not to mention the brass,because if you no longer have fighter-bomber pilots,you no longer need so many senior officers,big runways,big air bases,etc,etc,etc.
The VERY serious downside to this newly advanced technology is that "We bees terrorists!" groups won't need a support group,either. Just some stolen drones and the control units,plus someone to teach them how to put it all together and make it work.
Several dozen "sumbodies" a LOT smarter than me needs to be doing some serious thinking,plotting,and scheming about this before it is too late.
BTW,I have no doubt that Air Forces all over the world are already aware of this,but I would almost bet money their focus is on how to get rid of drones and keep fighter jocks and fighter-bomber aircraft,along with the entire command structure necessary to support such units.
Not to mention congresscritters with USAF bases in their districts,manufacturers that manufacture and assemble jet fighter-bomber aircraft,stockholders,etc,etc,etc.
It ain't gonna be pretty from the POV of a LOT of humans who will see their jobs and their security slipping away.
In a painstakingly slow process that has come to define the speed of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, small groups of sappers on the front lines are crawling across minefields — sometimes literally on their stomachs — to detonate Russia’s defenses and clear a path for troops to advance.
The long buildup to the counteroffensive, which began about a month ago across multiple segments of the battlefield in the country’s east and south, gave the Russians time to prepare, soldiers said. Areas between 3 and 10 miles deep in front of the Russians’ main strongholds have been densely mined with antitank and antipersonnel mines and trip wires. These defenses have been successful in stalling the Ukrainian advance, they said.
As a result, Kyiv’s forces have changed strategy, Ukrainian military personnel said. Rather than try to break through with the infantry fighting vehicles and battle tanks that Western allies provided to aid Ukraine in this counteroffensive, units are moving forward, slowly, on foot.
“You can no longer do anything with just a tank with some armor, because the minefield is too deep, and sooner or later, it will stop and then it will be destroyed by concentrated fire,” Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s military chief, said recently in an interview with The Washington Post.
(snip)
A senior Ukrainian official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, said Kyiv received less than 15 percent of the quantity of demining and engineering materiel, including MICLICs, that it asked for from Western partners ahead of the counteroffensive. Some of that equipment arrived just last week, the official said.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Zaluzhny told The Post that they have informed their Western counterparts that they urgently need more mine-clearing systems, such as Bangalore torpedo explosive charges. Ukraine has held back some of the brigades and Western weapons prepared for the counteroffensive as it attempts to penetrate the minefields.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “opens up maps to me and says, ‘Look, there’s nothing here, there’s nothing here, there’s nothing here anymore,’” Zaluzhny said. “Minefields are one of the problems that certainly affects the pace of the offensive. This is a problem we see. Could it have been resolved more quickly? It could have been. How could it be solved? At least General Milley knows. The other question is, can he help with that? I don’t know.”
Is Ukraine ready to shift its offensive to Crimea? Overnight, two blasts further destabilized the Kerch Bridge, one of Vladimir Putin’s pet projects and a symbol of Russian claims for the strategic peninsula. More importantly, Ukraine’s successes in Kherson have made the Kerch Bridge the only reliable ground line of communication (GLOC) to their forces in Crimea.
Ukraine tried to take it out in October, and said at the time that it was “just the beginning.” Nine months later, is this the second step — or just an attack of opportunity? As CNN notes, this time Ukraine has claimed credit for the attack, unlike the attack in October, which makes it appear more significant than a one-off:
I don't feel sorry for them. They choose to vacation in a fricking WAR ZONE! What the hell were they thinking?
How any Russian civilian could not know that the shore of the Sea of Azov and the Crimean Peninsula are an active war zone eludes me. And the northeast coast of the Black Sea isn't a lot safer.
I contend that they are being used as Human Shields. That is my guess. Cause they damn well know that Ukraine will never target civilians. So much for the wonderful Russian Government using their own civilians as human shields.
How any Russian civilian could not know that the shore of the Sea of Azov and the Crimean Peninsula are an active war zone eludes me. And the northeast coast of the Black Sea isn't a lot safer.
How many people think Biden is doing a good job?
The point is there are an awful lot of dumb people in the world.
Shortly after the bridge was hit on Monday, Moscow withdrew from a year-old U.N. brokered grain export deal, a move the United Nations said risked creating hunger around the world.
Shortly after the bridge was hit on Monday, Moscow withdrew from a year-old U.N. brokered grain export deal, a move the United Nations said risked creating hunger around the world.
The agreement, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022, was officially set to expire at 5 p.m. ET on Monday (midnight local time in Istanbul, Kyiv, and Moscow).
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Russia would not renew the pact right now, saying it “has been terminated."
Russia has for some time complained that it is being prevented from adequately exporting its own foodstuffs, and Peskov cited that objection as the reason for pulling out of the deal. “As soon as the Russian part is completed, the Russian side will return to the implementation of this deal immediately,” he told reporters.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the main objective of the deal – supplying grain to countries in need – “has not been realized,” again complaining that Russia faced obstacles exporting its own food.
FILE - An excavator loads grain into a cargo ship at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023. Russia has suspended on Monday July 17, 2023 a wartime deal brokered by the U.N. and Turkey that was designed to move food from Ukraine to parts of the world where millions are going hungry.
Higher food prices and more hunger: Collapse of Black Sea grain deal poses a massive threat
Peskov left the door open to reviving the deal in the future, saying that Russia will comply “as soon as the Russian part (of the deal) is completed.” . . .
. . . When asked, Peskov denied that Russia’s decision to allow the deal to lapse was related to Ukraine’s claimed strike on the bridge connecting mainland Russia to occupied Crimea on Monday. “These are absolutely unrelated events,” he said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/17/europe/russia-ukraine-grain-deal-intl/index.html
The two are unrelated. The grain export deal was already scheduled to expire on Monday. The decision not to renew had already been made prior to the Kerch bridge hit.
@Kamaji
Am I the only one thinking that is going to hurt Russia as much,and maybe even more,than Ukraine?
After all,Russia has no other real income coming into the country,and this has to be showing up in places like Moscow and St.Petersburg by now.
They are still selling a lot of oil. Also, if Ukraine can't export their grain countries that need the food will look to Russia.
They are still selling a lot of oil. Also, if Ukraine can't export their grain countries that need the food will look to Russia.
Ukraine can move it through Romania and through the Black Sea under Romanian flagged ships.
@DB
How does that work for them,economically?
Ukraine admits ‘complicated’ situation in east as Russia claims advances
By Snejana Farberov
July 18, 2023
Ukraine admitted that the fighting situation is the east was “complicated” Tuesday — as Russia claimed its forces had advanced more than a mile in the Kupiansk area where the enemy had amassed a force of 100,000 troops.
Comments from both sides have suggested that the fighting on the front lines was ferocious.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, said in an update that Moscow had concentrated forces in the direction of Kupiansk — a strategically important railway junction in the Kharkiv region — but that Ukrainian troops were holding them back.
“The situation is complicated but under control (in the east),” Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel.
Meanwhile, the Russian state-controlled TASS news agency quoted the Defense Ministry as saying its forces had moved forward by up to 1.2 miles in the direction of Kupiansk.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/07/18/ukraine-admits-complicated-fighting-situation-as-russia-claims-advances/
Russia warned that from Thursday any ships traveling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports will be seen as possibly carrying military cargoes after Ukraine said it was setting up a temporary shipping route to try and continue its grain exports.
The moves by both countries on Wednesday came just days after Russia quit a deal - brokered by the United Nations and Turkey - that allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain for the past year, and revoked its guarantees of safe navigation.
Ukraine has made clear that it wants to try and continue its Black Sea grain shipments and told the U.N. shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), that it had "decided to establish on a temporary basis a recommended maritime route."
But Russia's Defence Ministry then said it would deem all ships travelling to Ukraine to be potentially carrying military cargo and "the flag countries of such ships will be considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict".
QuoteBut Russia's Defence Ministry then said it would deem all ships travelling to Ukraine to be potentially carrying military cargo and "the flag countries of such ships will be considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict".
Yeah,THAT ought to work out well for them.
Can you say "International embargo on shipping ANYTHING to Russia?"
US says Ukraine’s use of cluster bombs against Russia ‘effective’Proven effective and appropriate against journalists, apparently - and Russia takes exception.
War reporter's death prompts Russian outrage over Ukraine's alleged use of cluster bombs
Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-journalist-killed-three-wounded-near-ukraine-frontline-2023-07-22/)
July 22, 202312:11 PM EDT Updated 7 hours ago
July 22 (Reuters) - A Russian war reporter was killed and three were wounded in Ukraine on Saturday in what the defence ministry said was a Ukrainian attack using cluster munitions, prompting outrage from Moscow.
In a separate incident, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said one of its journalists, Yevgeny Shilko, had been wounded elsewhere in Ukraine in a Russian attack with cluster munitions that killed a Ukrainian soldier. It said his life was not in danger....
Proven effective and appropriate against journalists, apparently - and Russia takes exception.
Regarding cluster munitions, here's a flashback to last summer. Keep in mind that Russia used cluster bombs against civilians:
https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,468874.msg2656900.html#msg2656900
Evidence shows widespread use of cluster munitions in Kharkiv
Joel Gunter - Kharkiv | 1 day ago
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/151F5/production/_125371568_dsc01533-2.jpg)
Distinctive marks from a cluster munition in the roof of a car next to a playground in Kharkiv (Joel Gunter/BBC)
Russia has killed hundreds of civilians in the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv using indiscriminate shelling and widely-banned cluster munitions, according to new research by Amnesty International.
Amnesty said it had found evidence of Russian forces repeatedly using 9N210/9N235 cluster bombs, as well as "scatterable" munitions - rockets that eject smaller mines that explode later at timed intervals.
The BBC visited five separate impact sites in residential neighbourhoods in Kharkiv and saw evidence of a distinctive, symmetrical spalling effect associated with cluster munitions. We showed images from the sites to three weapons experts, who all said the impacts were consistent with the controversial weapons.
"Those impacts are from cluster munitions, it's a classic signature," said Mark Hizney, a senior researcher in the arms division of Human Rights Watch, a campaign group. "And in one image you can see a remnant of a stabiliser fin from one of the submunitions," he said.
CCTV footage passed to the BBC by a resident at one of the sites showed successive clustered detonations - "a very strong indicator of submunitions from a cluster weapon . . .
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61778433
He shouldn't have been in a war zone, then. Boo-hoo-hoo. One fewer Russian orc propagandist in the world puts the world to the better. Let's not continue to live under pretenses; he wasn't a journalist, he was an orcish propagandist.Embedded journalists, photographers, combat cinematographers take risks.
Ukraine needs a full-fledged sky shield – this is the only way to defeat Russian missile terror. We have already shown that we can shoot down even the Russian missiles that the terrorists boasted about. Thanks to the help of our partners and the air defense systems provided to Ukraine, our defenders of the sky have saved thousands of lives. But we need more air defense systems for our entire territory, for all our cities and communities. The world must not get used to Russian terror – terror must be defeated. And it is possible!
Demands! 9999hair out0000
DemandsZelensky Demands West Provide ‘Full Protective Shield’ of Anti-Aircraft Defence Systems
Ukrainian President Zelensky called for the West to provide “full protective shield” of air defence systems to stop “Russian missile terror”.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/23/zelensky-demands-west-supply-full-protective-shield-of-anti-aircraft-defence-systems/
Here is the text of what Zelensky Tweeted:
Please show me where in this Tweet Zelensky said "demand" or use any other imperative word! Why did Breitbart.com totally misrepresent what Zelensky said? Why did Breitbart.com have to be dishonest? Breitbart.com wanted to provoke anti-Zelensky response?
Why did Breitbart.com totally omit mention of, "Thanks to the help of our partners and the air defense systems provided to Ukraine ..."? It was "inconvenient" to Breitbart.com's narrative?
Why did I reflexively want to see what Zelensky actually said and expect what I in fact found? I'm certainly no genius!
He shouldn't have been in a war zone, then. Boo-hoo-hoo. One fewer Russian orc propagandist in the world puts the world to the better. Let's not continue to live under pretenses; he wasn't a journalist, he was an orcish propagandist.Are the wounded German journalists "orcs," too? Just trying to understand.
Are the wounded German journalists "orcs," too? Just trying to understand.
Here is the text of what Zelensky Tweeted:
Please show me where in this Tweet Zelensky said "demand" or use any other imperative word! Why did Breitbart.com totally misrepresent what Zelensky said? Why did Breitbart.com have to be dishonest? Breitbart.com wanted to provoke anti-Zelensky response?
Why did Breitbart.com totally omit mention of, "Thanks to the help of our partners and the air defense systems provided to Ukraine ..."? It was "inconvenient" to Breitbart.com's narrative?
Why did I reflexively want to see what Zelensky actually said and expect what I in fact found? I'm certainly no genius!
Criminal Gangs Are Taking U.S. Shipments of Weapons Meant for Ukraine
Sarah Arnold
| July 23, 2023 12:15 PM
It turns out all of the millions of dollars worth of arms weapons the Biden Administration is sending to Ukraine to fight its ongoing war with Russia are ending up in the hands of criminal gangs.
"All?"
Sarah, I do not think that word means what you.think.it means.
"All?"
Sarah, I do not think that word means what you think it means.
I guess she also doesn't know the difference between "millions" and "billions" either.
Zhovtneve airfield in Crimea
(https://preview.redd.it/zhovtneve-airfield-in-crimea-v0-3fcaxs5ubqdb1.jpg?auto=webp&s=f0c039fe2e164682c876504f3a95c49639a38329)
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1683835127825301507
More footage from the 3rd Assault Brigade, which means that this occurred somewhere near Bakhmut. A lone Russian tank is struck by an unknown munition. Given that the tank is stationary when the strike occurs, I doubt that mines are the cause. Though no effects can be seen on the outside of the tank, there is clearly damage within, and the crew begins to bail out. The tank commander (TC) flees to the tree line but returns when he sees the driver climb out of the vehicle in flames and begin to run around in circles. A grotesque chase ensues as the TC attempts to wrestle his driver to the ground to extinguish the flames. Eventually the tank is shown brewing up as the fuel and ammunition ignite and consume the vehicle from within.
This is yet another example of the poor design of Russian and Soviet tanks. Not only is the tank a total loss, but in this case at least one crew member is killed or severely injured. Though we have seen footage of damaged Leopards, we see no indication of this type of catastrophic kill.
Romanian ship damaged during Russian attack on Ukrainian port
Ukrainska Pravda • 7h
Romanian ship sustained minor damage during a Russian attack on the Ukrainian port of Reni on the River Danube on the night of 23-24 July.
...
Any wagers on when it’ll be extended to the end of 2024?
New York Times writes that Ukraine has now started its main thrust of the counteroffensive, with thousands of Western-trained and Western-equipped reinforcements troops now thrown into battle
They had been held back until now, waiting for Russian lines to stretch.
Ukrainian forces reportedly launched a massive push against Russia's front-lines in the country's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, threatening Russian positions that had been overseen by a general who was recently fired.
The surge marks a dramatic change in pace for Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive. For nearly two months, Kyiv's troops were forced to make slow and steady advances to liberate occupied territory as they faced Russia's formidable defensive lines, which include deadly networks of trenches, barbed wire, anti-armor obstacles, and minefields.
Clearing the Russian fortifications — particularly the minefields — has been a painstaking process for Ukraine, which managed to preserve lots of its firepower and combat capabilities, such as heavy armor provided by the US and its NATO allies. But it now seems as though Kyiv has committed significantly more resources into the fight.
Pentagon officials told the New York Times on Wednesday that Ukraine has poured thousands of reinforcements — many who have been trained and outfitted by Western countries — into battle along the Zaporizhzhia axis, which is one of several locations along the several-hundred-miles-long front line where Kyiv is fighting.
The sheer scale of this thrust as reported suggests a main attack has begun, coming after weeks of probing attacks and mineclearing that suggests Ukraine's war commanders think they've found a vulnerable spot in Russia's formidable defenses. The fired Russian general had demanded changes after suffering losses in artillery battles with Ukraine that were crucial to holding their defensive lines.
According to the US officials, Ukraine has expressed a desire to press south toward the occupied city of Melitopol, near the Sea of Azov. Doing so would allow Kyiv's military to split the territory that Russia currently occupies and threaten its hold on the Crimean peninsula.
Ukrainian troops 'break through Russian defences' to capture village of Staromaiorske
Michael Drummond | 27 July 2023 | 22:38, UK
A Ukrainian official tweeted a video of troops holding a flag in the settlement, located about halfway between Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia in the country's southeast.
"The 35th brigade and the 'Ariy' territorial defence unit have fulfilled their task and liberated the village of Staromaiorske. Glory to Ukraine!" said a soldier in the video.
Staromaiorske lies to the south of a number of small settlements that Ukraine has recaptured during its counteroffensive, which began in June. . .
https://news.sky.com/story/ukrainian-troops-break-through-russian-defences-to-capture-village-of-staromaiorske-12928398
Something seems to be happening today...
Russia abruptly fired a front-line general, and now Ukraine is seizing the moment to punch through the defenses he had overseen
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-abruptly-fired-a-front-line-general-and-now-ukraine-is-seizing-the-moment-to-punch-through-the-defenses-he-had-overseen/ar-AA1eoY1N?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=2c701bbbbf154c63a43bf24255b400a4&ei=15
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged intensified Ukrainian attacks over the last few days, but said they had made no headway.
He told Russian television that every Ukrainian assault had been beaten back, and that Moscow’s forces had inflicted significant losses on their opponents.
Great to see... It was only a matter of time before the UFA probing actions would produce a weak point to exploit.
@ScottinVA
It's also a matter of time before the USSR runs out of Generals to place the blame on and fire,and we suddenly start seeing "Generals" too young to shave.
I know the Soviets are about as dogmatic as people get,but sooner or later even the most devout Soviet General Officer is going to have to start muttering things about "revolution" before the USSR is so lacking in General officers and experienced NCO's they can't defend Russia against an attack by a Boy Scout Troop.
The Kremlin accused Kyiv of firing a missile at a Russian city
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1685705394855841792
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1685705394855841792
Zelensky says war ‘returning to Russia’ after Moscow drone attack
CNN by Josh Pennington, Mariya Knight, Zahra Ullah and Heather Chen 7/30/2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that war is “gradually returning” to Russia hours after the Kremlin accused Kyiv of targeting Moscow with drones, the latest in a series of attacks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said three drones were intercepted Sunday but a business and shopping development in the west of the capital was hit. The fifth and sixth floor of a 50-story building were damaged, and no casualties were reported, state news agency TASS reported.
Videos showed debris as well as emergency services at the scene.
“Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory, to its symbolic centers and military bases,” Zelensky said in his daily address. “This is an inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair.”
A spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force said the latest drone attacks on Moscow were aimed at impacting Russians who, since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, felt the war was distant.
“There’s always something flying in Russia, as well as in Moscow. Now the war is affecting those who were not concerned,” the spokesman, Yurii Ihnat, said on Ukrainian television.
More: https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/30/world/moscow-city-drone-attack-sunday-russia-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html (https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/30/world/moscow-city-drone-attack-sunday-russia-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html)
Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory
That is an exact quote from Adolf Hitler in 1945
Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory
That is an exact quote from Adolf Hitler in 1945
Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory
That is an exact quote from Adolf Hitler in 1945
If you have a source, please provide it, because a search does not indicate that Hitler ever said anything like that viz. Ukraine, nor that he said anything like that in 1945 viz. the Soviet Union's invasion of Germany.
If you have a source, please provide it, because a search does not indicate that Hitler ever said anything like that viz. Ukraine, nor that he said anything like that in 1945 viz. the Soviet Union's invasion of Germany.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1685705394855841792
Can it be reasonably inferred from this threat that things are not going well for the Russian orcs? Especially in Zaporizhia and Donetsk Oblasts?
Ukraine is getting stronger, and the war is gradually returning to Russia’s territory.
That is an exact quote from Adolf Hitler in 1945.
And your source for that is…. What? “Moon of Alabama?” Scott Ritter? Douggie MacGregor?
I'm guessing you're not going to get an answer to that one....
The Russians occupying Zaporizhia have had many months in which to establish multi-layered defenses, so the Ukrainians are going to find the going tough.
The drone attacks on Moscow were probably out of frustration for lack of Ukranian progress on the ground.
The drone attacks in Moscow targeted technology offices where R&D on drone weaponry was taking place. The attacks were directed at specific floors in specific high-rise buildings.
And they were to show that the war is closer to home in Russia than the government media is reporting or can hide. That they are not nearly as untouchable as Putin is claiming.
The drone attacks in Moscow targeted technology offices where R&D on drone weaponry was taking place. The attacks were directed at specific floors in specific high-rise buildings.
1. If Kyiv is a target for Russian missiles, bombs, and drones, Moscow is not sacrosanct.F_ck around and find out ...
F_ck around and find out ...
it's got to make the geezer Generals in Moscow nervous about their own positions
Being a general in Moskow is like strapping on a suicide bomb. It is only the tick tick tok until you suicide or fall off a balcony.
In terms of job viability, "Russian General" is not looking good.
Russians tortured nearly half of Kherson prisoners, some with genital electrocution: report
By Isabel Keane
August 2, 2023
Nearly half of the Ukrainians held by Russian troops in detention centers in Kherson encountered widespread torture and sexual violence — with some even being subjected to genital electrocution, war crime investigators said in a report released Wednesday.
The report analyzed 320 cases of imprisonment across 35 detention centers in Kherson and found at least 43% of victims “explicitly mentioned practices of torture in the detention centers, citing sexual violence as a common tactic imposed on them by Russian guards.”
The report was compiled by a Mobile Justice Team formed by international human rights firm Global Rights Compliance, which has supported Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) with its war crimes investigations since the Kherson region was reclaimed from Russia in November.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/02/kherson-prisoners-subjected-to-torture-including-genital-electrocution/
Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Black Sea navy base and Crimea with drones
By Associated Press
August 4, 2023
Russia accused Ukraine early Friday of attacking its Black Sea navy base in the port of Novorossiysk with sea drones.
...
The city is a major port on the Black Sea and hosts a naval base, shipbuilding yards and an oil terminal. It is a key port for Russian exports.
Novorossiysk is just across the water from Crimea, where Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it thwarted another attack by Ukraine overnight, taking down 13 drones.
...
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/04/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-attacking-black-sea-navy-base-and-crimea-with-drones/
But, according to those on TOS, and even a few here, the Russians are the good guys, because, well, because they outlawed gay marriage.
TOSers want Putin to rebuild the Stalinist-Czarist empire? Why? Are they hoping for Holodomor 2.0?
But, according to those on TOS, and even a few here, the Russians are the good guys, because, well, because they outlawed gay marriage.
TOSers want Putin to rebuild the Stalinist-Czarist empire? Why? Are they hoping for Holodomor 2.0?
...
Novrossiysk is one of the largest ports in the Black Sea basin and one of the two major ports of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
...
The other being Sevastopol in Crimea, which is well within range of Ukrainian rockets, missiles, and drones. A few "perfect" strikes from any/all of those won't destroy either base - Duh-uhhhh! - but damaging ships and facilities mission-kill what is hit, and establish a context of threat. I'm sure the orcs would love to have the assets protecting Novorossiyisk instead on their front lines in Zaporizhia and Donetsk.
Because they see Ukraine as the tool of the EU, WEF, Klaus Schwab, and globalism. So defeating Ukraine will weaken those things.
That's their logic. I think it's got more holes than cheese, but that's the "why".
One of them actually told me the other day that he wanted to rebuild the Russian Empire and thought that things would be better now if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War.
Seriously?
They even want to see the U.S. military defeated in Europe and our cities nuked, just so that our country will somehow be rebuilt more to their liking. And yes, several have said this openly on the forum.
The other being Sevastopol in Crimea, which is well within range of Ukrainian rockets, missiles, and drones. A few "perfect" strikes from any/all of those won't destroy either base - Duh-uhhhh! - but damaging ships and facilities mission-kill what is hit, and establish a context of threat. I'm sure the orcs would love to have the assets protecting Novorossiyisk instead on their front lines in Zaporizhia and Donetsk.
They even want to see the U.S. military defeated in Europe and our cities nuked, just so that our country will somehow be rebuilt more to their liking. And yes, several have said this openly on the forum.
But, according to those on TOS, and even a few here, the Russians are the good guys, because, well, because they outlawed gay marriage.
I was not aware a drone could carry that much payload.
I would say "Credited". Novorossiysk is both a naval base and a supply port for occupied Crimea and Zaporizhia. It's a valid and important military target. Putin can end the whole bloody mess by GTFO of Ukraine, Crimea included.
Yup. They seem to make this weird linkage between what Russia's policy on gay marriage is, and what our is. As if what Russia''s policies are will somehow change what he do here.
The two things have nothing to do with each other, but they argue that puts Russia on "our side".
Strange little people over at that place now.
Because they see Ukraine as the tool of the EU, WEF, Klaus Schwab, and globalism.
This is Putin's war. He does not want the Ukrainan people to decide their own future.
Much like Hitler, Mussolini, and Napoleon III, Putin wants to restore a rump state to its previous imperial glory ... and many will die for a madman's aspirations.
One of them actually told me the other day that he wanted to rebuild the Russian Empire and thought that things would be better now if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War.
Seriously?
They even want to see the U.S. military defeated in Europe and our cities nuked, just so that our country will somehow be rebuilt more to their liking. And yes, several have said this openly on the forum.
Russians tortured nearly half of Kherson prisoners, some with genital electrocution: report
By Isabel Keane
August 2, 2023
Nearly half of the Ukrainians held by Russian troops in detention centers in Kherson encountered widespread torture and sexual violence — with some even being subjected to genital electrocution, war crime investigators said in a report released Wednesday.
The report analyzed 320 cases of imprisonment across 35 detention centers in Kherson and found at least 43% of victims “explicitly mentioned practices of torture in the detention centers, citing sexual violence as a common tactic imposed on them by Russian guards.”
The report was compiled by a Mobile Justice Team formed by international human rights firm Global Rights Compliance, which has supported Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) with its war crimes investigations since the Kherson region was reclaimed from Russia in November.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/02/kherson-prisoners-subjected-to-torture-including-genital-electrocution/
I was not aware a drone could carry that much payload.(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/EE9C/production/_130648016_sea_drone_annotated_image2x-nc.png.webp)
Those pukes over at the Fealty to Russia site are so blinded by their adoration of Putin, they are completely removed from all bounds of reality. And… I bet I know who at TOS longs for a reestablishment of the Russian empire.
But their deluded selves can take comfort in the fact the Russian military is the second most powerful… in Ukraine.
@Maj.Bill MartinSurrender monkeys have been a problem for a long time, @sneakypete Even Sam Adams had something to say about them.
.
There is nothing strange about Surrender Monkeys. They are people who would rather be slaves than risk losing their lives to remain free.
The only thing strange about them is their reluctance to admit to being surrender monkeys. If you are too afraid to fight for your freedoms,admit it. We need to know so we know we can't count on you if push comes to shove,but other than that,speaking solely for myself,I don't give a damn. I would rather know I can't count on you in the future than to find out in the future that I can't count on you.
Surrender monkeys have been a problem for a long time, @sneakypete Even Sam Adams had something to say about them.
(https://www.azquotes.com/vangogh-image-quotes/34/86/Quotation-Samuel-Adams-If-ye-love-wealth-better-than-liberty-the-tranquility-of-34-86-06.jpg)
@ScottinVA
HTH can ANYONE adore Putin?
Their mindset is such that they would actually collaborate with the Russians if Putin ever launched an invasion of the U.S., just to save their own skins and bring "peace" to the country. Kinda like the slimy homefront villains you'd see in a 1980s Cold War flick like Red Dawn or Amerika.
@Timber Rattlerincluding a complete lack of loyalty or honor. Such people do not make good friends, or even mere acquaintances.
Ok,the people you are describing are people who are afraid of dying to the point they would happily become slaves if their new masters promised to not kill them.
Has NOTHING to do with peace,and everything to do with personal survival at any cost.
@Timber Rattler
Ok,the people you are describing are people who are afraid of dying to the point they would happily become slaves if their new masters promised to not kill them.
Has NOTHING to do with peace,and everything to do with personal survival at any cost.
That's exactly right. They would rather live on their knees than fight and die for their liberty, and have said as much at TOS. And they call themselves Conservatives?
I bet you those are the same people who call themselves Patriots.
Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.Hello, pot - meet чайник.
Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in 2nd sea attack in a day
Pittsburgh Post Gazette by Hanna Arhirova 8/5/2023
KYIV, Ukraine — Moscow promised retaliation Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day.
Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday.
Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
As Kyiv’s naval capabilities grow, the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important battleground in the war.
Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a key export agreement that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain across the Black Sea for sale on world markets. In the wake of that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa.
An official with Ukraine’s Security Service confirmed to The Associated Press that the service was behind the attack on the tanker, which was transporting fuel for Russian forces. A sea drone, filled with 992 pounds of TNT, was used for the attack, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements.
“The Sig tanker ... suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack,” Russia’s Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport wrote on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties among the 11 crew members.
More: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2023/08/05/russia-ukraine-drones-tanker-sea-attack-zelenskyy-putin-kyiv-moscow/stories/202308050085 (https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2023/08/05/russia-ukraine-drones-tanker-sea-attack-zelenskyy-putin-kyiv-moscow/stories/202308050085)
One of them actually told me the other day that he wanted to rebuild the Russian Empire and thought that things would be better now if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War.
Seriously?
They even want to see the U.S. military defeated in Europe and our cities nuked, just so that our country will somehow be rebuilt more to their liking. And yes, several have said this openly on the forum.
Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in 2nd sea attack in a day
Putin's cruel revenge: Russia bombs blood bank in Kharkiv after Kremlin's blunt threat of retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on warships
By JACK WRIGHT
5 August 2023
Vladimir Putin bombed a Ukrainian blood bank tonight in revenge for drone strikes on Russian warships in the Black Sea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the deadly strike on a blood transfusion centre in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine as a 'war crime' as Moscow escalated its attacks in the war-torn country.
A separate strike struck a key factory, both attacks coming just hours after Kyiv hit a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait. The attacks were the latest since Moscow exited a deal last month that had ensured Ukrainian grain exports despite the ongoing conflict.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12377033/Putins-cruel-revenge-Russia-bombs-blood-bank-Kharkiv-Kremlins-blunt-threat-retaliation-Ukrainian-drone-attacks-warships.html
In a just world, Putin would be run feet first through a wood chipper and Russia would be dismembered into 25 mini states that would not threaten their neighbors.
Retaliation? So what is Russia gonna do? Fire a bunch of missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets? Blow up a major dam? Kidnap Ukrainian children and ship them to Russia? Burn food crops? Rape and execute civilians and pile their bodies into mass graves?
Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in 2nd sea attack in a day
Pittsburgh Post Gazette by Hanna Arhirova 8/5/2023
KYIV, Ukraine — Moscow promised retaliation Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day.
Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday.
Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
It is one year since the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was largely destroyed by Russian forces and captured.
It is now being transformed and presented as a showcase for rule from Moscow - and some Russians are even hoping to buy homes there.
Russia claimed to have annexed Mariupol, along with all other occupied areas, following a series of referendums that have been widely condemned as sham exercises.
About 90% of the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed by Russian shelling during a gruelling two-month siege. Thousands of civilians were killed and about 350,000 people left, out of the pre-war population of 430,000, according to the UN.
Now, the occupation authorities seem intent on "Russifying" the city, changing Ukrainian-language road signs to Russian ones, introducing the Russian curriculum in schools and pushing the remaining residents to acquire Russian passports.
BBC Verify has used satellite footage to map how Russia is reshaping the fabric of the city.
It has also found that while new development is ongoing, extensive destruction remains - and it has heard from remaining pre-war residents who fear an uncertain future.
It has also found that while new development is ongoing, extensive destruction remains - and it has heard from remaining pre-war residents who fear an uncertain future.
The Russians hunting for cheap flats in occupied Mariupol
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66393949
EXCERPT
Female Russian ‘spy’ detained in failed Zelensky assassination plot: Ukraine
By Snejana Farberov
August 7, 2023
A female Russian “spy” has been detained after allegedly leaking information to the enemy as part of a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky during his recent trip to the Mokylaiv region, Ukraine’s security service said.
The Security Service of Ukraine, known as SBU, said in a statement Monday that the suspect, who was not publicly identified, “was collecting data for an airstrike during Zelensky’s visit.”
The collaborator tried to establish the route of Zelensky’s motorcade, times and locations on his itinerary during his visit to the region in late July, during which the president met with wounded soldiers recovering in local hospitals and handed out state awards to doctors.
The woman — labeled a “traitor” by the SBU — was allegedly caught “red-handed” on the eve of Zelensky’s trip when she tried to pass the information to the Russians, the statement said.
The security service in Mykolaiv was “proactive” and “additional security measures were taken during the visit.”
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/07/russian-spy-detained-in-failed-zelensky-assassination-plot/
I know the Geneva convention is sort of a joke, but is this sort of thing against it?
What? Catching spies?
Ukraine orders 12,000 people from 37 towns and villages to evacuate as Russian forces look to punch through the front line with a series of missile strikes
Ukraine says Russia has gathered troops in the Kupiansk area of Kharkiv Oblast
...
For the second time I ran into a group of Ukrainians working on projects in my town. Some where emigres before the war, and some are here temporarily because of the war. Anyone else come across this?Eastern Europeans would come here pre-COVID and work two jobs, and live rough for the six month visa. They would save every dime they could here, and go home and start a business or two with their savings.
My paternal grandparents from Ukraine too....But havent been too many since the DPs from WWII in our neck of the woods as our industrial base and jobs went away. So it has been interesting to withness the recent arrivals
While the Russian army continues to defend its positions in the Donbas, a year and a half since the onset of the Ukrainian invasion, Russian media is already discussing the possibility of expanding Russian territory deep into Central Europe.
As Novinky reports, on Russian television, propagandist Nikolay Vavilov recently asserted that the envisioned revitalized Russian empire should encompass cities like Prague and Berlin.
“It will continue endlessly, and we will progressively assume a role similar to that of the Russian Empire. I wasn’t joking when I mentioned on the previous program that Berlin, Dresden, Prague, and Ljubljana – they will all become part of our domain. Why? Because history shows that when we entered Paris in 1815 and Berlin in 1945, as well as during the late 18th century – these were not mere coincidences. Russia is the largest country in Europe and wields substantial power,” exclaimed Vavilov. He was a guest on the Pervyi Kanal TV discussion show, hosted by the well-known presenter Olga Skabeyeva
Vavilov’s ramblings evidently sparked amusement even on Russian television. Despite his assurance that he was speaking completely seriously, the corners of the mouths of both Skabeyeva and some other guests present during his speech twitched. “Why have we always withdrawn? Why have we been so irresponsible towards our victories?” Skabeyeva asked him.
A recording of the broadcast was posted on the social network by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister.
Undeterred, Vavilov continued his impassioned speech, proclaiming, “True victory will be achieved when we stand in Kiev.”
Russian officials have made similar threats since the war in Ukraine broke out. For example, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened the West with a nuclear attack, Reuters recalled
He let the cat out of the bag...
Prague Will Be Ours Again, Says Russian Propagandist on State TV
Impossible. This is just a "border war', according to one propagandist here.
////00000////(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/agodz4g_460s.jpg)
... but which border are they talking about? There are so many to choose from?
(https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/27605.jpeg)
On the brightside, Germany might get Konisberg back.
Ukraine has captured Urozhaine. Next stop, Zavitne Bazhannya. Then Staromlynivka. When that falls, there will be a giant hole in the Russian line. Not much of a defensive position behind it.
Last Russian BMP out of Urozhaine
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/15qzu6s/urozhayne_donetsk_region_a_russian_infantry/
I have seen news reports about some Russian Lawmakers who insist Russia take Alaska back.
Yes indeed.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/07/07/russian-house-speaker-threatens-to-take-back-alaska-a78230 (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/07/07/russian-house-speaker-threatens-to-take-back-alaska-a78230)
https://nypost.com/2022/07/08/vladimir-putins-stooges-threaten-to-reclaim-alaska-from-us/ (https://nypost.com/2022/07/08/vladimir-putins-stooges-threaten-to-reclaim-alaska-from-us/)
https://www.businessinsider.com/kremlin-official-suggests-US-remember-Alaska-belonged-to-Russia-2022-7 (https://www.businessinsider.com/kremlin-official-suggests-US-remember-Alaska-belonged-to-Russia-2022-7)
That's one of the most frustrating things in trying to get the "not my fight" crowd to understand. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was JUST THE START of a larger campaign to reclaim ALL the former Soviet republics and Imperial Russian territories, including Alaska. They have forgotten about Chamberlain's efforts to appease Hitler in 1938, and how that turned out for Europe and the U.S. after 1939.
Ignore history and history will bite you!
I agree.. I get it, it's ok to question the amount of $$$ being sent to Ukraine
It's even more OK to question the amount of $$$ being sent to the State Dept, the Defense Dept, USAID, HHS, etc., that is falsely being labeled as "$$$ to Ukraine".
Well, that's 20% idiots out there. Nothing like giving a potential enemy a beachhead and a place to launch from, be it conventional or strategic.
I agree.. I get it, it's ok to question the amount of $$$ being sent to Ukraine, but we have to stop Russia now.
As you said, Putin wants to return Russia to it's former glory days. As you said, they have forgotten Chamberlain's appeasement in 1938 and it bit us in the butt. We have to draw the line now or we will face a tougher Russia when they go after the Baltics and try to take over Alaska.
Also, speaking of Alaska, I did some kind of non-scientific poll asking if should we return Alaska to Russia even if it means peace. Almost 20% said yes!
Well, that's 20% idiots out there. Nothing like giving a potential enemy a beachhead and a place to launch from, be it conventional or strategic.
:cool: How many conservatives, if asked if they would be OK with returning the Sonoma County, California coast around Fort Ross to Russia, would say they would be OK with that? :cool:Hell, give New York back to the Dutch!
:cool: How many conservatives, if asked if they would be OK with returning the Sonoma County, California coast around Fort Ross to Russia, would say they would be OK with that? :cool:Hell, give New York back to the Dutch!
Hell, give New York back to the Dutch!
@Kamaji, whatcha think? :cool:
Ukraine has apparently come to terms with there being no donations of fighter jets during the counter offensive, or even this year at all.
Oil silos in Novorossiysk, a major Russian pipeline terminal:
https://twitter.com/zakavkaza/status/1692453690207043866 (https://twitter.com/zakavkaza/status/1692453690207043866)
Almost all of the oil coming out of Kazakhstan goes through this port.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have broken through a minefield and have succeeded in their offensive on Tokmak, Zaporizhzhya Oblast, CBS News reported on Aug. 18, citing U.S. officials.
Ukrainian troops had broken through to the north of Tokmak and were now engaged in a battle with the first line of Russian defense holding the city, the official said.
Ukraine breaks through Russia’s first line of defense near Tokmak — CBS
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-breaks-russia-first-line-133000751.html
Ukraine blasts Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter out of the sky
By Chris Jewers and Will Stewart
18 August 2023
This is the incredible moment Ukraine 's armed forces blasted a Russian attack helicopter out of the sky, sending it crashing to the ground. In the latest humiliation for Vladimir Putin and his generals, a video taken from the ground shows the Russian Ka-52 Alligator being shot down over the battlefield near Robotyne, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. A second, not seen in the clip, was also reportedly shot down in the same region. The dramatic war footage shows the Ka-52 flying with another helicopter over the region, when without warning it erupts into a ball of black smoke. The damage appears so severe that the chopper makes no attempt to stay in the air, instead instantly plummeting towards the ground at speed as a piece of the aircraft flies off in another direction. The camera tracks it all the way to the ground where it falls below a treeline.
After a split-second delay, a huge fireball is seen erupting from where it landed, before more thick black smoke is seen rising into the sky. Seeing the fate of his fellow airmen, the pilot of the other two helicopter flies forward at speed to get out of the dangerous area. The fate of the pilot in the first chopper was unclear. It was not clear if the other helicopter seen in the first clip was the same second chopper that was reportedly shot down later by Ukraine's forces. Another clip appeared to confirm one was downed with a portable air-defense missile system, fired by Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade. In the second clip, black smoke was seen rising from the shot-down helicopter after it crashed in the field. A video carries a voice saying 'We've got it, got it….' followed by expletives. The commander of Ukraine's air force, Mykola Oleshchuk claimed a second near blitzkrieg town Bakhmut in Donetsk region. He posted: 'One less Russian Ka-52 on the Bakhmut front this morning. 'Thanks to the air defense unit of the Air Force for a successful combat operation.'
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12422037/Ukraine-blasts-Russian-Ka-52-attack-helicopter-sky.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12422037/Ukraine-blasts-Russian-Ka-52-attack-helicopter-sky.html)
Five killed, 37 wounded in Russian missile strike on Ukrainian city of Chernihiv
By Reuters
August 19, 2023
Five people were killed and 37 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding that 11 of the wounded were children.
“A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre,” President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram.
“An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he added.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/19/five-killed-37-wounded-in-russian-missile-strike-on-ukrainian-city-of-chernihiv/
@Kamaji
NOTHING makes friends like bombing/missile strikes on the religious centers of a backwards nation.
That Pooty-Poot dood is shrewd on levels we haven't even discovered yet!
I thought that Pooty-Poot was a good Christian and he is defending Christianity.
Russian armored column destroyed near Mykolaivka Druha:
Russian armored column destroyed near Mykolaivka Druha:
https://twitter.com/astraiaintel/status/1693371559518347367
Russian armored column destroyed near Mykolaivka Druha:
...
All I gotta say is this:
If Ukraine manages to hold on and defeat Russia, the big bad KGB Putin will have lost a war to a former comedian (with western help).
Well a B movie star crushed the soviet union - so it is kind of fitting...
Anytime Russians and/or their military hardware are lit up is a beautiful thing!Two of those aare likely repairable, tracks are off, hatches open (crew bailed after the 'mobility kills' made the tanks static targets. If the Ukrainians can recover and repair them, they will gain what the Russians lose.
It appears that Ukraine either is winning or losing this war. Ditto for Russia. :pondering:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr
@RobertKennedyJr
Even the Washington Post now admits that the ballyhooed Ukraine “counteroffensive” has utterly failed. The truth Americans aren't told is that the Ukrainian army is near collapse.
https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1693645790919409684
It appears that Ukraine either is winning or losing this war. Ditto for Russia. :pondering:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr
@RobertKennedyJr
Even the Washington Post now admits that the ballyhooed Ukraine “counteroffensive” has utterly failed. The truth Americans aren't told is that the Ukrainian army is near collapse.
https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1693645790919409684
Only idiots would think an offensive has "utterly failed" against a dug in enemy in the course of a few months. Did they think they were just going to waltz in despite the year the Russians had to dig in? It takes time clear mines, blown bridges and trenches out and grind down the enemy. Just more veiled rooting for Putin so they can say they were right - right about something they've been wrong about since the start.
Ukraine’s Bogged-Down CounteroffensiveI guess the author or commenter in that piece never heard of M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/mine-clearance/m58-mine-clearing-line-charge/4585953394001)
A military intelligence source explains why advanced weapons from the West might not be the answer.
by Paul Glastris August 21, 2023
The news out of Ukraine paints a sobering, though hardly hopeless, picture of the country’s counteroffensive against dug-in Russian forces. The Washington Post warns that Ukraine is “running out of options to retake significant territory.”
At the same time, The New York Times reports that while progress is slow, Ukrainian soldiers and commanders “say they are in better shape now than six or 12 months ago.”
Meanwhile, debate continues over the Biden administration’s reluctance to provide Kyiv with certain advanced weaponry. I had a text exchange about this with a source who has had a decades-long career in the U.S. military and the intelligence community, serving both in and out of government. The source requested anonymity to speak freely. The following Q&A has been edited for clarity. ...
Washington Monthly (https://washingtonmonthly.com/2023/08/21/ukraines-bogged-down-counteroffensive/)
MICLIC explosions from training exercises and footage from the War in Afghanistan. The M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) is a rocket propelled explosive line charge. It is used to clear a path through minefields and other obstacles. The clearing line contains 1750 lbs. of C4 explosive and is approximately 350 feet long.
The Washington Post did nothing of the sort.Nothing like pumping up Russian morale when it's in the dirt with claims of "they are almost done for"
RFKJr is a lying sack of shit ('course, he is a democrat, so that's hardly surprising).
Agree there.
For a war that was supposed to last 2 weeks, I'd say there is no victory for the former USSR. This long protracted battle is a loss for Putin. Now we just watch to see how bad it gets for him.
I can't speak for anyone else,but *I* am STILL stunned that Ukraine was able to stop "The Mighty Soviet Union" in it's tracks while giving it bloody noses everywhere they went.Funny the Russians didn't consider the same thing that stopped Napoleon and Hitler--MUD!!
Even with western munitions and weapons systems donated to Ukraine,I would have guessed it would have taken the Soviets no more than a week to take control to the point where the Ukes sued for peace.
It took more than two months for the Allies to break out at Normandy… the pukes deriding the slowness of breaking through defenses the Russians had nearly a year to set up are worthless noisemakers.
Funny the Russians didn't consider the same thing that stopped Napoleon and Hitler--MUD!!
Generally, a Spring thaw, Fall rain sort of problem.
@Smokin Joe
Given their weather,you would think that mud would be something they were used to dealing with.
Generally, a Spring thaw, Fall rain sort of problem.
But it stopped Napoleon's and Hitler's logistics trains, if not the advanced units.
Where it really bit the Russians, was their variable pressure tires were Chinese, and hadn't been flexed in routine maintenance. When they went to adjust tire pressure for traction, the tires shredded, holding up their columns, which were pretty much confined to the roads at that point...The Ukrainians took out the lead and trail elements of the columns, the others got stuck trying to go cross country, and crews bailed rather than die in the rig. (Ukrainians recovered a bunch of those and used them against the Russians.)
It appears that Ukraine either is winning or losing this war. Ditto for Russia. :pondering:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr
@RobertKennedyJr
Even the Washington Post now admits that the ballyhooed Ukraine “counteroffensive” has utterly failed. The truth Americans aren't told is that the Ukrainian army is near collapse.
...
Trust-fund enviro-lawyer sez wut?
In the real world, Ukrainian forces are advancing slowly through multi-layered defenses in a couple of sectors in Zaporizhia, threatening to cut off Russian forces in southern Kherson and Crimea, except for sea access. Elsewhere in the Ukrainian real world, Ukrainian forces are advancing in the Donetsk area and near Bakhmut. As others have posted, slow advance through multi-layered prepared defenses is not failure, and the advances intrinsically threaten to become faster. There is not a lot of land between the Zaporizhia front line and the shore of the Black Sea.
Ukraine, which rarely takes public responsibility for attacks inside Russia, has not commented on the bomber’s fiery destruction.
Kyiv has previously said Russia has used the Tu-22M3 to launch Kh-22 cruise missiles at targets across Ukraine — and it has vowed to do everything it can to annihilate Russian military assets.
Western military experts believe Russia has around 60 of the aircraft, which cost around $40 million each.
It makes me wonder what people would have thought if WWII had been reported on in this manner.
(Probably worse than Viet Nam)
The Guadalcanal Campaign was pretty tough on land. On the seas, the Battles of Savo Island, Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz Islands, and Tassafaronga didn't go very well. But by the end of January 1943 the Japanese evacuated the starving remnants of their army forces. Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa ...
Robotyne liberated.Okay the scary part of what I am seeing is that the Russians might be able to geolocate such hotspots of cell activity and target them.
https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1693889584399044807
Robotyne liberated.
...
Whether the drone attack operators are infiltrated Ukrainians or Russians disaffected with Putin's war of (attempted) conquest, Ukraine is wisely leaving the Russians uncertain. Uncertainty is a weapon in war.
Robotyne liberated.
...
The wedge is being hammered deeper toward the Black Sea shore. Contrary to Trust-Fund Enviro-Lawyer's hope.
Seven passengers and three crew were on board the Embraer aircraft, which was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, TASS news agency reported.
"An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin," Rosaviatsia said.
Unconfirmed media reports suggest the business jet belonged to Prigozhin, but it was not immediately clear if he had boarded the flight.
Ten killed in private jet crash north of Moscow - Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin 'on passenger list'
https://news.sky.com/story/ten-killed-in-private-jet-crash-north-of-moscow-wagner-leader-yevgeny-prigozhin-on-passenger-list-12946006?fbclid=IwAR1kblimjop889W7txh-K5zwqhOUvgwdCw8vD-VOGaDXYuGuo2Q5LXmVBW0#:~:text=Ten%20people%20have%20been%20killed,was%20on%20the%20passenger%20list
EXCERPT
Shot down?
https://rumble.com/v3aw0ix-russia-just-shot-down-a-private-jet-belonging-to-prigozhin-over-the-tver-re.html (https://rumble.com/v3aw0ix-russia-just-shot-down-a-private-jet-belonging-to-prigozhin-over-the-tver-re.html)
Anybody surprised?
Ten killed in private jet crash north of Moscow - Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin 'on passenger list'
...
Anybody surprised?
If this keeps up,it won't be long before there will be Corporals commanding the Soviet forces.Careful, there.
Smart enough to stay away from windows, not smart enough to stay off of airplanes.If I wanted to disappear to get Putin and his goons off my back, I would be on that passenger list too.
Ten killed in private jet crash north of Moscow - Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin 'on passenger list'
https://news.sky.com/story/ten-killed-in-private-jet-crash-north-of-moscow-wagner-leader-yevgeny-prigozhin-on-passenger-list-12946006?fbclid=IwAR1kblimjop889W7txh-K5zwqhOUvgwdCw8vD-VOGaDXYuGuo2Q5LXmVBW0#:~:text=Ten%20people%20have%20been%20killed,was%20on%20the%20passenger%20list
EXCERPT
Shot down?
https://rumble.com/v3aw0ix-russia-just-shot-down-a-private-jet-belonging-to-prigozhin-over-the-tver-re.html (https://rumble.com/v3aw0ix-russia-just-shot-down-a-private-jet-belonging-to-prigozhin-over-the-tver-re.html)
Anybody surprised?
@Timber Rattler
Some people are going to pretend to be surprised,but this is the traditional way for Soviets to send a message to disobedient flunkies.
For Ukraine’s Independence Day celebration, Volodymyr Zelensky brought some real fireworks right to the heart of Russia’s occupation. Officials in Kyiv announced this morning that they have landed forces on the western shores of Crimea, raised the Ukranian flag, and have engaged and destroyed Russian forces near two settlements.
No word yet from Russia, but this would be bad news indeed for Vladimir Putin if this beachhead succeeds. If it is a beachhead, that is:QuoteSpecial forces landed on the western shore of Crimea, near the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak, in a joint operation with the country’s Navy, according to Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.
“While performing the task, Ukrainian defenders clashed with the occupier’s units. As a result, the enemy suffered losses among its personnel and destroyed enemy equipment,” the intelligence agency said.
While they were there, the Ukrainian unit also raised the national flag, it added.
This was a landing on a peninsula of the Crimean Peninsula. It could fizzle, it could be just a symbolic raid, or it could be the start of the start of liberating Crimea from Russian occupiers.
Take this with an appropriate grain of salt, but:
Ukraine: We raised our flag on Crimea today
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2023/08/24/ukraine-we-raised-our-flag-on-crimea-today-n573402 (https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2023/08/24/ukraine-we-raised-our-flag-on-crimea-today-n573402)
This was a landing on a peninsula of the Crimean Peninsula. It could fizzle, it could be just a symbolic raid, or it could be the start of the start of liberating Crimea from Russian occupiers.
I hope this is the start of liberating Crimea, but I'm leaning toward it being just a symbolic raid.
It was almost certainly symbolic, and intended mostly to rile up the Orcs.This will confuse the Russians. Russia has concentrated all forces to the South and East, believing Crimea to be a settled issue.
This will confuse the Russians. Russia has concentrated all forces to the South and East, believing Crimea to be a settled issue.
If Russian now has to shift forces South to defend Crimea, it will wreck all their current military plans.
It's basically a raid -- land, blow sh*t up, then leave. Really just for propaganda.
The Ukrainians lack the ability to do anything approaching a significant amphibious operation, much less keeping those troops supplied after the landing. Can't see the Russians relocating any significant forces to deter future landings. They'll just up their levels of air/naval alert, and perhaps the rear-area troops will get a bit more active. Still a fun thing to do, and no real reason not to do it.
It was almost certainly symbolic, and intended mostly to rile up the Orcs.
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a9qN6zL_460s.jpg)
That is colloquially called "muddying the waters" - Russian propaganda designed to detract from Putin's otherwise obvious culpability.
The article says, "Evidence from multiple monitoring systems from around the globe support association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis." The article is citing global evidence around the world, and not just what is happening in Russia.
Also, it was a private plane with a private pilot. The pilot could have been any nationality, not necessarily Russian.
Headline says: Prigozhin pilot had post vaccine myocarditis, heart attack may be cause of crash. The headline clearly claims a Covid vaccine caused the crash.
The pilot's name was Alexei Levshin. That is an obviously Slavic name. And do you really think it even slightly plausible that Prigozhin would trust a pilot who was not a Wagner Group member? In other words, IF Levshin had been vaccinated against Covid - is there evidence he was? - he most likely received a Russian developed vaccine (none of which use Bogey-mRNA vaccine technology).
In the real world the most likely causes of the crash are surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missiles. Witness reports mention two smoke trails toward the area from which Prigozhin's plane fell, making missiles the likely suspects, at this point.
It may also have been an on-board bomb.
Meanwhile, I looked in at the slums of TOS and found them to be typically and laughably apoplectic at this:
https://americanwirenews.com/defense-department-announces-it-will-now-train-ukrainian-pilots-ground-crews-on-f-16s-in-arizona/
🇺🇦👍
Um why would we need to send more financial aid to a country I thought was oil rich? ...
"Here's what we know.
More like "Here's the bullshit we are being fed". If Russia had any T-14s in Ukraine, they would be smoldering ruins by now. Ukraine would have hit them directly on the trailers they would have been towed around on, because there is no way they could have been driven anywhere under their own power without an engine burning out.
Ukraine is "oil rich"? Got data to support that statement?While not as Oil rich as some might say, 87% of Ukraine's oil and gas production just happened to be in the Donbas.
Per this webpage, https://www.worldometers.info/oil/ukraine-oil/ , in 2016 Ukraine's oil consumption was nearly 5 times its production. Also in that data, Ukraine's 2016 oil production was 61st out of 127 countries for which the site has production data.
But looking at the data here, https://www.worldometers.info/oil/oil-production-by-country/ , Russia is the third highest oil producer in the world.
Ukraine’s grinding counteroffensive is struggling to break through entrenched Russian defenses in large part because it has too many troops, including some of its best combat units, in the wrong places, American and other Western officials say.
The main goal of the counteroffensive is to cut off Russian supply lines in southern Ukraine by severing the so-called land bridge between Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. But instead of focusing on that, Ukrainian commanders have divided troops and firepower roughly equally between the east and the south, the U.S. officials said.
As a result, more Ukrainian forces are near Bakhmut and other cities in the east than are near Melitopol and Berdiansk in the south, both far more strategically significant fronts, officials say.
American planners have advised Ukraine to concentrate on the front driving toward Melitopol, Kyiv’s top priority, and on punching through Russian minefields and other defenses, even if the Ukrainians lose more soldiers and equipment in the process.
Only with a change of tactics and a dramatic move can the tempo of the counteroffensive change, said one U.S. official, who like the other half a dozen Western officials interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Another U.S. official said the Ukrainians were too spread out and needed to consolidate their combat power in one place.
Nearly three months into the counteroffensive, the Ukrainians may be taking the advice to heart, especially as casualties continue to mount and Russia still holds an edge in troops and equipment.
In a video teleconference on Aug. 10, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; his British counterpart, Adm. Sir Tony Radakin; and Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. commander in Europe, urged Ukraine’s most senior military commander, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, to focus on one main front. And, according to two officials briefed on the call, General Zaluzhnyi agreed.
While not as Oil rich as some might say, 87% of Ukraine's oil and gas production just happened to be in the Donbas.
Ukraine’s Forces and Firepower Are Misallocated, U.S. Officials Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/us/politics/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war.html
EXCERPT
This story irks me...it's pretty easy to give advice like that when it's the Ukrainians who have to do the bleeding and sacrificing, especially since those U.S. recommendations undoubtedly stem from the results of computer simulations and wargaming. I fully understand the Ukrainians' need to conserve their manpower and limited resources despite what Milley and EURCOM want, because it is more convenient for American political interests. And plus, they have to keep an eye out on what the Russians may try to do in the north and northeast, when Wagner was sent to Belarus and the latest draft of mobiiki were jammed into Lohansk Oblast. The Ukrainians know their own country and what will work and won't work, so I say let them fight their own battles using their own strategies, with some gentle intelligence and SpecOp help from the West when asked for.
Yet, strangely - if one believes the NYT article - the Ukrainians are advancing in two areas of the Melitopol-Mariupol front. Ukraine has broken through the Russians' first line of defense and is rolling up the forces along that line with flank attacks. I haven't seen news about it in a day or two, so they may also be making progress into the Russians' second defensive line.
Maybe the Ukrainians are giving US officials news a bit delayed, not trusting them to know not to blab. As for Bakhmut, progress there threatens significant Russian occupied cities and force the Russians to keep their troops in that area well away from the Melitopol-Mariupol front.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state after a deadly plane crash believed to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the volatile chief of the mercenary group.
Putin signed the decree bringing in the change with immediate effect on Friday after the Kremlin said that Western suggestions that Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an "absolute lie". The Kremlin declined to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results.
Russia's aviation authority has said that Prigozhin was on board a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors exactly two months after he led a failed mutiny against army chiefs.
President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash on Thursday and spoke of Prigozhin in the past tense.
He cited "preliminary information" as indicating that Prigozhin and his top Wagner associates had all been killed and, while praising Prigozhin, said he had also made some "serious mistakes."
Putin's introduction of a mandatory oath for employees of Wagner and other private military contractors was a clear move to bring such groups under tighter state control.
The decree, published on the Kremlin website, obliges anyone carrying out work on behalf of the military or supporting what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine to swear a formal oath of allegiance to Russia.
Described in the decree as a step to forge the spiritual and moral foundations of the defence of Russia, the wording of the oath includes a line in which those who take it promise to strictly follow the orders of commanders and senior leaders.
Ukraine is "oil rich"? Got data to support that statement?@PeteS in CA
Per this webpage, https://www.worldometers.info/oil/ukraine-oil/ , in 2016 Ukraine's oil consumption was nearly 5 times its production. Also in that data, Ukraine's 2016 oil production was 61st out of 127 countries for which the site has production data.
But looking at the data here, https://www.worldometers.info/oil/oil-production-by-country/ , Russia is the third highest oil producer in the world.
The Donets Basin is currently occupied by Russia. So while Ukraine was able to supply a bit over 1/5 of its oil needs in 2016 - i.e. far from "oil rich" - Ukraine's oil production has been vastly reduced, making it all the farther from "oil rich".Play with the meaning of "rich" if you want to, but NINE TENTHS of their oil production comes from the oblasts Russia invaded. Russia was also pushing to land lock the rest of the country, which would have given Russia control over not only the ports and shipping, but any offshore reserves as well. This started as a resource grab.
https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1695490333209919871
Play with the meaning of "rich" if you want to, but NINE TENTHS of their oil production comes from the oblasts Russia invaded. Russia was also pushing to land lock the rest of the country, which would have given Russia control over not only the ports and shipping, but any offshore reserves as well. This started as a resource grab.
Who is playing word games? I pointed out that Ukraine consumed in 2016 almost five times as much oil as it produced. Therefore Ukraine was not "oil rich" before Russia invaded.If you ever read any of my earlier posts on this topic, you would understand that yes, there is far more than oil there, as I have repeatedly pointed out. I am a geologist, and have likely a better understanding of the natural and (former) industrial resources of the region. I have said this war is not motivated by politics, but resources from the get-go. And myabe I failed to communicate to YOU that these are the most oil rich areas of Ukraine. I never said they were Venezuela, ffs.
You pointed out that most Ukrainian oil is in the Donets Basin, and I added that Russia currently occupies that territory. That means that Ukraine is now far less "oil rich" than in 2016. Did you totally misunderstand my posts, @Smokin Joe? There's far more of industrial value in the Donets Basin than just oil, so Ukraine is trying to liberate their sovereign territory, not doing some sort of blood-for-oil thingy (not that anyone has posted that idea).
16 cardboard PPDS UAV attacked Kursk airfield, destroyed: 4 fighters SU-27/30, 1 MiG-29, 1 S-300 radar, 2 Pancyrs, only 4 UAVs were destroyed by air defense, they're extremely hard to detect on radar
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aZDVVxV_460s.jpg)
Air-defenses on both sides of Russia’s 19-month wider war on Ukraine now include drone-jammers: handheld, vehicle-mounted or mast-mounted devices that fry drones with microwave radiation, scramble the radio signals that link them to their operators or block their satellite-navigation links.
The Russian jamming is effective, Voroshnov said. “Six months ago, this was not the case: we could fly anywhere, as we wanted,” he moaned. “Now, if you enter at a low altitude, the anti-drone [systems] will definitely work on you.”
Voroshnov stressed that there are countercountermeasures—perhaps an unspoken reference to frequency-hopping controls that stay just ahead of Russian jamming.
“We find ways,” he said. “This is the kind of war here: the enemy complicates the task, you look for other ways. He closed the window [so] you enter through the back door. They invent something; we look for a way to bypass their developments.”
Ukraine's troops pick off Putin's soldiers one-by-one in brutal close-quarters combat footage as Kyiv's counter-offensive makes more gains into Russia's Zaporizhzhia defences
Ukraine confirmed on Monday that its armed forces had captured Robotyne
It is the latest in a series of villages liberated as soldiers continue to push south
By Chris Jewers
29 August 2023
Ukraine's forces have pushed deeper into Russian defensive lines in the country's south, Kyiv said today, as footage emerged of intense close-quarters combat between Ukraine's armed forces and Moscow's invading infantrymen.
Kyiv launched a grinding counteroffensive in June after stockpiling Western-supplied weapons and building up assault battalions. Unlike two rapid assaults last summer, Ukraine's armies have made slow progress through dense defences and minefields.
Nevertheless, gains have been made, and on Monday Kyiv confirmed the Armed Forces of Ukraine had liberated the village of Robotyne on the southern front - the latest in a series of villages liberated as Ukraine pushes towards the Sea of Azov.
As Ukraine has stepped up its assault, Russia has stepped up its shelling. On Tuesday, Kyiv ordered the evacuation of children from five towns in the region.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that the evacuation of children from the Vasylivskyi and Pologivskyi districts is now mandatory. Around 50 children are still though to be living in the districts.
This came as footage was released showing brutal, close-quarters fighting between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, bringing home the reality of a war that is nearing its 19th month and showing no sign of ending.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12456657/Ukraine-troops-make-gains-Robotyne-Zaporizhzhia-counteroffensive.html
Materiel set to be dispatched to the war-torn country include AIM-9M missiles for air defense, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), more than three million rounds of small arms ammunition, and ambulances, according to the State Department.
The only real long-term hope Russia has for a positive outcome is Trump getting into office and cutting off all military aid to Ukraine. He's definitely given Russia a clear incentive not to compromise, which almost certainly was his goal. Doin' favors for his buddy Vlad.
Ukrainian forces have broken through major Russian lines of defense in the southeastern region, where a slow counteroffensive has struggled for months to make rapid progress but could soon see a major breakthrough.
Ukraine is moving deeper into the Zaporizhzhia region after securing a major foothold past Russian lines, advancing forward in the direction of towns that could anchor troops even more in the southeast: Verbove and Novoprokopivka.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces reported Wednesday that troops have succeeded in a march toward both towns, strengthening their position and firing waves of artillery at Russian lines.
Ukraine may also have pierced the first line of defenses of what is known as the Surovikin line, named for the infamous Russian Gen. Sergei Surovikin who ordered construction of thick defenses, such as anti-tank obstacles and mine fields, ahead of Kyiv’s counteroffensive operation.
George Barros, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, shared geolocated images of Ukrainian forces just outside of Verbove — but cautioned that they did not mean the military had breached the Surovikin line of defense.
Sounds like a breakthrough might be occurring finally...
Ukraine breaks through major Russian defense lines as counteroffensive picks up pace
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4180771-ukraine-breaks-through-major-russian-defense-lines-as-counteroffensive-picks-up-pace/
EXCERPT
Also reported in the Wall Street Journal but it's behind a paywall:
Ukrainian Counteroffensive Pierces Main Russian Defensive Line in Southeast
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukrainian-counteroffensive-pierces-main-russian-defensive-line-in-southeast-9441e204?st=e3u37eksxmbrpgc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Glad to see this. It was only a matter of time before the orc defensive lines would be severed. We could see some serious progress toward liberation in the coming days.Not unlike the Allies breaking out of hedgerow country after D-Day. It took a while.
Not unlike the Allies breaking out of hedgerow country after D-Day. It took a while.
And unlike the Allies, Ukraine doesn't enjoy air superiority.
From what I'm seeing, neither side has it.
If you want to wake up Moscow, that they are doing real damage to real people then take out their electricity.We used graphite fiber munitions for that purpose in Iraq, the munitions airburst over power stations deploy graphite fibers which short out the transformers and bring the grid down.
Easy to do. Just bomb to the East of Moscow proper. Make it look like an accident. Russia is very familiar with "accidents".
We used graphite fiber munitions for that purpose in Iraq, the munitions airburst over power stations deploy graphite fibers which short out the transformers and bring the grid down.I know. I agree. But it is mysterious that Ukraine has not done that.
You would think smaller versions would be drone deployable.
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
Not that Vladimir “Lebensraum” Putin’s lust for reestablishing the USSR has anything to do with it.OK ... so do it. Putin is not going to launch nuclear. And even if he did, none of his commanders would follow him.
OK ... so do it. Putin is not going to launch nuclear. And even if he did, none of his commanders would follow him.
I am saying that it is past time for Ukraine to get serious. Drone Moscow City Electric.
Take away their electricity and then they will know that we are all playing for real.
That is such a steaming hot pile of B.S. Ukraine has more urgent priorities for its drones, such as attacking the orcs that currently infest parts of their territory. The drone attacks on Russia proper so far have been more in the line of feints, designed to keep the Russians off-balance. Further, the fact of the matter is that Russia has still managed to shoot down a significant number of the Ukraine drones being deployed against it, and that would almost certainly be a much higher number for things like electric infrastructure.Why do it now? Wait for winter.
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
Further, the fact of the matter is that Russia has still managed to shoot down a significant number of the Ukraine drones being deployed against it, and that would almost certainly be a much higher number for things like electric infrastructure.OK
The mission for the Ukrainian unit was to take a single house, in a village that is only a speck on the map but was serving as a stronghold for Russian soldiers.
Andriy, a veteran marine, had waited for three days with his small assault team — none of whom had seen combat before — as other Ukrainian units crawled through minefields, stormed trenches and cleared a path to the farming village of Urozhaine. Finally, one day last month, the order came to move.
They raced to a predetermined location in an armored personnel carrier, and disembarked as explosions and gunfire rattled the ground beneath their feet, Andriy and members of his unit said. Driving out or killing the remaining Russians, they secured the house as night fell, posting guards and reviewing the day’s tactics to see how they might improve.
In the morning, the new order came: Take another house.
The monthslong campaign to breach heavily fortified Russian lines is being conducted in many domains and in many forms of battle, with artillery duels and drone strikes across the breadth of the front in southern Ukraine. But the engine driving the effort are hundreds of small-scale assault groups, often just eight to 10 soldiers, each tasked with attacking a single trench, tree line or house.
Total bullshit. What’s next, ranting about the Joos?@Kamaji
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
@Kamaji
That made me chuckle. I am "the Joos" ... dumbass.
אני אוהב אותך
Maybe he doesn't want Ukraine to be part of Russia again!!
@kevindavis007
Given what is in store for him and his family if Ukraine looses and the Soviets occupy Ukraine again,MY best guess is he wants to win independence from Russia.
The past 100 years of Soviet/Russian starving and oppressing/suppressing Ukrainians and Ukrainian culture probably is a motive as well.
Ukrainians have a deep-seated hatred of Russians for exactly the reasons you state. goopo
@Kamaji
That made me chuckle. I am "the Joos" ... dumbass.
אני אוהב אותך
Another fire in Russia:
OK ... so do it. Putin is not going to launch nuclear. And even if he did, none of his commanders would follow him.
I am saying that it is past time for Ukraine to get serious. Drone Moscow City Electric.
Take away their electricity and then they will know that we are all playing for real.
Is it possible that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees war as a profit model for him?
Is he holding back because he wants the war?
...
In other words...no. Zelensky isn't trying trying to prolong the war. This is just what a real war looks like.
For a long time, the US and other Western governments deliberately withheld from Ukraine any long-range weapons that could reach inside Russia, and for that matter a lot of basic offensive weapon systems like tanks. We basically gave Ukraine only enough support not to lose.
I’m sure they’re working toward that. Currently - unlike the Russians who titillate themselves by targeting innocent civilians - the Ukrainians are hitting military targets.. and with appreciable success.
With the majority of weapons production outside of Ukraine, striking civilian populations does nothing but cause suffering and terror. It also consumes Russian weapons without military benefit.
The Russians are going to own this horror for many decades to come. They're going to go down in the history books as little different than the NAZIs.
@Kamaji
That made me chuckle. I am "the Joos" ... dumbass.
אני אוהב אותך
With the majority of weapons production outside of Ukraine, striking civilian populations does nothing but cause suffering and terror. It also consumes Russian weapons without military benefit.
The Russians are going to own this horror for many decades to come. They're going to go down in the history books as little different than the NAZIs.
Thanks for the map, @Hoodat! It illustrates very simply what I've tried to describe rather verbosely. Ukraine has "only" a 10-12 Km (7-7.5 miles) salient, but: it is into the teeth of prepared defense lines, having penetrated at least one line; it has been broadened, so as to make pinching off the salient and trapping Ukrainian troops difficult; the point of the salient is broad and "just" ~55 miles from the Black Sea Coast (and even closer to the main highway the Russians need to supply this front and reinforce/supply the Crimean Peninsula).
It's interesting that the Russians seem to have concentrated their elite forces along the highway between Novoprokopivka and Tokmak. The area between Novoprokopivka and Verbove seem less well manned - it looks like open country lacking a main road - which could permit a flank attack on those elite forces.
Much as Ukraine-haters and -skeptics want to believe Ukraine's offensive has "failed" (per trust fund lawyer RFK Jr., "utterly failed") or "bogged down", it is actually advancing with hard fighting through prepared defense lines.
Self-hatred ill-becomes you, then. But, that seems to be a pernicious virus that infects most Jewish communities in the US.@Kamaji
@Kamaji
Yes. I agree with you. Your comment directed at me is nonsense. But in general your comment is accepted.
Back on topic. Why did America fire-bomb Dresden? There was nothing there? Nothing?
They bombed it as a real life demonstration of raw power. Ukraine needs to bomb Moscow Electric.
There is no reason to justify. It was nothing but pure 'brutality'. And that is what was needed and called for in time of war.
I don't necessarily disagree with raw power. But weren't the chief bombers of Dresden Russia and the RAF? And from what I have read, that was the last refuge of the Third Reich so there might have been a reason.
There is no reason to justify. It was nothing but pure 'brutality'. And that is what was needed and called for in time of war.
War is not a parlour game.
There is no reason to justify. It was nothing but pure 'brutality'. And that is what was needed and called for in time of war.
War is not a parlour game.
Russia claims footage shows first evidence of a destroyed British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine
The MoD has until now claimed the tank has 'never suffered losses' in combat
By JAMES REYNOLDS and WILL STEWART
5 September 2023
Russian sources today claimed to have the first evidence of a destroyed British-supplied Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine.
A video circulating online appears to show one of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade's former main battle tanks on fire near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The footage is shot from a Ukrainian vehicle with a cracked windscreen, driving past the wreckage of an armoured vehicle as plumes of black smoke spill out.
Pro-war channel Grey Zone reported: 'It seems to be the first documented destroyed British Challenger 2 tank in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.'
There was no independent confirmation of the Russian claim about the burning tank, nor its location and timing.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12481763/Russia-claims-footage-shows-evidence-destroyed-British-Challenger-2-tank-Ukraine.html
Cuba uncovers human trafficking of Cubans to fight for Russia in UkraineReuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/cuba-uncovers-human-trafficking-cubans-fight-russia-ukraine-2023-09-05/)
Reuters
September 4, 202310:40 PM EDT Updated 10 hours ago
HAVANA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that has coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that Cuban authorities were working to "neutralize and dismantle" the network.
The statement from Cuba's foreign ministry gave few details, but noted the trafficking ring was operating both within the Caribbean island nation, thousands of miles from Moscow, and in Russia. ...
I'm not sure why that's such a big thing - one whole tank is to be expected by now, if not more. I guess the Orcs and their supporters are really grasping at straws.
One propaganda technique is to generalize from some highly visible symbol. Along similar lines, some conservatives want to believe that all of SF is like the Tenderloin and the BART corridor or all of California is like SF or Berserkeley. Back on-topic, the Russians want people to think that one destroyed Challenger 2 means all are useless. The same propaganda tactic was deployed a few months ago when a group of German Leopard 1s were used poorly and destroyed. The big picture, though is that at present the orcs are fighting hard, but are advancing to the rear toward the shore of the Black Sea.
This coming from the Cuban government, take it with a grain of salt.Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/cuba-uncovers-human-trafficking-cubans-fight-russia-ukraine-2023-09-05/)
Drone shot down near Putin’s swanky country residence outside MoscowWhether those drones are effective at hitting targets or not, they keep air defense troops occupied watching for drones in Russia, and not deployed to protect Russian assets in Ukraine.
By Snejana Farberov
Published Sep. 5, 2023
A kamikaze drone was shot down Tuesday near President Vladimir Putin’s lavish country residence outside Moscow — the same region where Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet crashed last month.
Dramatic footage published by the Telegram news channel Mash captured the moment the unmanned aircraft was destroyed by Russian air defenses, lighting up the sky over the Tver region.
It was one of three suspected Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow that were neutralized Tuesday, with a fourth destroyed over Russian-annexed Crimea, the defense ministry said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that drone debris in the Tver region fell in the Zavidovo village, which is home to Putin’s official residence called “Rus.” During Soviet times, it was known as a Politburo hunting lodge.
Notably, the drone was downed in the same region where Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet crashed last month, killing all 10 people on board, exactly two months after the rogue mercenary’s short-lived mutiny.
There was no indication that Putin was at his “Rus” palace Tuesday.
Putin’s main residences are the Novo-Ogaryovo complex in the Moscow region and the Grand Kremlin Palace — where official events are held.
Air defense systems destroyed two other drones over the Kaluga region and over the Istra district of the Moscow region near the capital.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/09/05/drone-shot-down-near-putins-swanky-country-residence/
Whether those drones are effective at hitting targets or not, they keep air defense troops occupied watching for drones in Russia, and not deployed to protect Russian assets in Ukraine.
Agreed. Given their relative inexpensiveness, they are probably a useful tool to use to keep the Orcs feeling the uncertainty, and hedging their defenses by putting more effort into home-country defense rather than offense in Ukraine. I believe that Sun Tzu had something to say about that in his Art of War.
@Kamaji
No kidding.
NOTHING demoralizes an enemy nation more than strikes inside their homeland that they are powerless to stop.
Makes it hard for the brass to convince the population AND the politicians that "We are winning!"
Fire at Russian petrochemical plant in Dzerzhinsk.
...
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1699394375279579237
100 meters is ~110 yards, not very far. It's possible that the drone fragments are from a drone blown up while flying in Ukrainian airspace.
100 meters is ~110 yards, not very far. It's possible that the drone fragments are from a drone blown up while flying in Ukrainian airspace.Agreed. Not exactly casus belli. More like littering.
100 meters is ~110 yards, not very far. It's possible that the drone fragments are from a drone blown up while flying in Ukrainian airspace.
Depleted Uranium is just that, depleted. It is still radioactive enough to feel warm, or at least the A-10 round I handled (Long ago, Eglin AFB) did.
Depleted uranium is generally not significantly radioactive. It's about 40% less radioactive than naturally occurring uranium.
U238 has a half-life of 4 billion years.
Depleted uranium is generally not significantly radioactive. It's about 40% less radioactive than naturally occurring uranium.The sergeant who handed it to me had it on his mantel on base, so he wasn't very worried about it. The health problems come from inhaling the dust, which is a combination heavy metal toxin and a radiation hazard once inhaled or ingested.
The sergeant who handed it to me had it on his mantel on base, so he wasn't very worried about it. The health problems come from inhaling the dust, which is a combination heavy metal toxin and a radiation hazard once inhaled or ingested.
In general, natural uranium and DU are considered to be a chemical hazard to the kidney instead of a radiation hazard. Therefore, inhalation and/or ingestion of these materials should be minimized.” Despite the prevalence of uranium production and use in the United States, there has never been a documented death or permanent injury to a human from uranium poisoning. Additionally, possible health effects in populations living near uranium mines, mills, and nuclear power plants have been well studied. “No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium” (ATSDR 2013).
...
How long will the strike set Russia back? Hard to say, but the contamination means the entire fab will need to be decontaminated before they can process wafers again. Maybe a month. Debris may have damaged some of the machines, though the tech is so old that there are probably lots of spare parts for things that can be had despite sanctions. If they hit the power center, the air-handling system, or the DI water system, that could take a while to repair, especially if they need modern western parts. And if they took out the power, all the wafer processing machines will have to be requalified, which is a gigantic pain in the ass and quite time-consuming. But most of the in-process wafers will be safe inside FOUPs, and can probably continue processing, once the fab is up and running again.
Still, it will be a setback for Russia. It’s just unclear how large a setback.
In this context, depending on the location and extent of the damage, that fab line could be down for weeks or months. Or maybe compromises will be made to bring the line back online a bit quicker ... at the risk of Russian military personnel lives.
@PeteS in CA
Since WHEN has ANY Communist ruler given a squat about how many peons have to die to keep him living a life of luxury and power?
@sneakypete
They will when the people dying are the Engineers they need to get these Fabs up and running.
This is in my wheelhouse, I worked in that industry for 35 years. The contamination question looms larger than most people think. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals used in making semiconductors, like Boron and Gallium. If there was a breach in the stores of these kind of chemicals the entire Fab may need to be cleaned up before they can even think of rebuilding and qualifying the Fab.
:thumbsup:
I think they'll notice when multi-million-ruble planes and helicopters crash due to avionics failures, taking multi-million-ruble (in training) pilots and crew members to their deaths.
Back in ancient times, I worked for an avionics company on a project for the new, not yet in service, F/A-18 Hornet. Our project used semiconductors fabbed and tested to the most stringent level of Mil spec (JANTXV and JM38510, IIRC). Our documentation control was a major PITA. That system also meant that a binder with every document pertaining to build, testing, reworking, and ATP went with each HUD or panel indicator wherever in the world those instruments and their planes went. The USAF did not want to lose multi-million-$$ planes and pilots/crew to a bad batch of opamp, comparator, or flip-flop ICs.
For a short period, I worked for a Military Products Group, and what you say about stringent testing of those parts is 100% true. They even used secret device codes to mark the packaged chips, so nobody at our level even know what they worked on, or did.
Commercial dice I looked at, under magnification, had both the company logo and base part number (e.g. LM324 or LM339) on the die, along with the actual workings. In "JANTXV" (e.g. JANTXV2N2222A or JANTXV1N4454) the "V" meant the the wafer from which the dice had been cut had bee visually inspected during processing. The devices also had been actively tested for several thousand hours (another tech in our group joked that half the life of the devices had been consumed in testing).
The point of all this reminiscing is that devices used in US military electronics are rigorously monitored and tested for reliability (there were also mil specs for passive components like resistors and capacitors). What might have been done in the USSR and more recently in Russia, I can't guess, but the damage done to this fab line is far greater than to the roof, wall, and mechanical damage to machines.
A last-minute agreement on the Ukraine portion of the G20’s summit statement kept the entire document from the trash heap — but it took dropping a reference to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to do it.
All the members of the group of top world economies spent weeks in fierce negotiations over every element of the 35-page communiqué. The greatest sticking point was what to say about the war raging in Eastern Europe, not least because Russia, a member of the bloc, would oppose condemnations of Moscow and shows of support for Kyiv.
What ultimately led to an agreement in the dark, early hours of Saturday morning was new language drafted by officials from India, the host nation, and delegates from Brazil and South Africa.
Russia, which spent weeks offering alternatives that wouldn’t leave it isolated in the G20 club, relented after key developing countries presented the formulation: All countries should “refrain from action against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.” That phrasing was not included in the G20’s Bali declaration nearly a year ago.
But the final text was also acceptable to the Kremlin because it didn’t “deplore” or condemn “the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” as the Bali statement did. Language about there being a “war in Ukraine,” without specifically blaming Moscow for the conflict, is in both the Bali and the New Delhi declarations. “There were different views and assessments of the situation,” the new communiqué reads.
In effect, the G20 dropped its accusations against Russia in order to maintain unity on broader concepts of war and peace —concepts that were not so explicitly endorsed last November in Bali.
“The fact that we have consensus around the document was far from clear until the very last moment,” explained a senior EU official who, like four others from the Biden administration and European governments, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic dealings.
Zelensky: Counteroffensive started too late, there will be no happy end
Jamie McIntyre
September 11, 2023 07:12 AM
‘VICTORY IS NOT HAPPINESS’: In a wide-ranging interview in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented the late start of the summer counteroffensive, which he blamed on the delay in providing critical weapons systems, and said there will be no “happy end” to the war because of the widespread death and destruction inflicted by the Russian invasion.
“All of us want to have success and a happy end,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, saying that victory will mean an end to Russian occupation but won’t bring back the estimated 200,000 Ukrainians killed or grievously wounded in the war. “It's about counteroffensive. It's not a movie with the happy end,” he said, speaking English. “We will not have a happy end. We lost a lot of people. No happy end. That we have to recognize it … victory is not happiness.”
‘WE WAITED TOO LONG’: While expressing deep gratitude for support from the U.S. and NATO, Zelensky blamed delays in providing F-16s and longer-range missiles for heavy casualties suffered in the early stages of the counteroffensive, when Ukrainian forces attempted to breach the most heavily mined defenses in the world, without air support against Russia’s attack helicopters armed with long-range anti-tank missiles.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/zelensky-counteroffensive-started-too-late-there-will-be-no-happy-end
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/16fd30z/russian_telegram_channel_reports_that_the/
He's right. But the truth is that there were a lot of Nervous Nancys scared to death of "escalation" if we provided the Ukrainians with too much offensive equipment. So no tanks, no long-distance artillery or missiles, no aircraft, etc..
Now, I think it was Biden's responsibility as President to take the lead on this, tell the whiners to go screw themselves, and start providing the Ukrainians with offensive weaponry from day one. Whether he would have gotten pushback on that, or whether it would have been unpopular, doesn't make it any less his responsibility to make that decision. In that sense, it's the same way I view Trump and COVID. It's their freaking job to make the tough decisions without worrying about the backlash.
That being said, we shouldn't forget how commonly accepted it was among most Americans to avoid escalation, and not provide weaponry that could strike within Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KePbmgOLoA
:laugh:
Wow, Cloud Cuckoo Land has a couple of new residents.
???:shrug:
???
I believe he's referring to the "It's Over" video... From the guy that Tucker is using as an "expert"...
I believe he's referring to the "It's Over" video... From the guy that Tucker is using as an "expert"...
I believe he's referring to the "It's Over" video... From the guy that Tucker is using as an "expert"...
https://twitter.com/MilitaryLabb/status/1701223539951432081
Geolocated footage published today by 🇷🇺Russian sources confirms the presence of Ukrainian troops along the Kermenchyk-Novodonetske road, which means that Ukrainian forces have likely managed to clear the mined areas west of the road where they lost tanks and armored vehicles during their initial attempts a few days ago.
Now Ukrainians are cutting the road connection and putting the Russian forces under pressure of a full encirclement.
Considering how isolated the Russian troops are in this direction, the reports confirmed by on-the ground Russian sources over a dominance of Ukrainian artillery in this area (including all the roads in this sector), as well as Rybar's report for a large gathering of over 1000 Ukrainian troops in the vicinity of Zolot Nyva in preparation for a large-scale offensive, it seems that the Ukrainian forces are now very close to entering and liberating Novodonetske.
With the increasing pressure from the west and south in addition to the non-stop small-scale attacks from the north it is unlikely the Russian forces will resist for much longer.
:mauslaff:
https://twitter.com/MilitaryLabb/status/1701223539951432081
This appears to be another front, a bit farther east, aimed at cutting the land route from Russia toward Crimea. Thing is, the closer Ukrainian forces get to that highway along the northern Black Sea coast, the more Ukrainian artillery types have the highway in range and can barrage truck convoys or cause large potholes to hinder transport trucks.
I don't know if we can really believe the propaganda each are saying in this conflict. Zellinski is a despicable grifting POS, but Vlad is even magnitudes worse.
The peripheral losers are us taxpayers having to fund this shit.
@catfish1957
"We",the west,don't HAVE to fund it. We can always wait for Russia to control all of eastern Europe,and then move into Western Europe before we do anything.
We can then stomp our little feets and threaten to hold our breath until we turn blue if those Russian meanies don't go back home again.
THAT should do it,huh?
I guess that probably sounds like a good plan to you,huh?
Wow...just what I needed. Wisdom on Foreign Policy from the Resident Mental Midget.
Stick with Rich, Orange, Rude, and other small worded terms that you ccan understand.. More your speed.
Wow...just what I needed. Wisdom on Foreign Policy from the Resident Mental Midget.
Stick with Rich, Orange, Rude, and other small worded terms that you ccan understand.. More your speed.
A key Russian general who Russian president Vladimir Putin promoted this week said that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine is a mere "stepping stone" to further conflict with Europe. Vladimir Putin promoted lieutenant general Andrey Mordvichev to the rank of colonel-general after he had already been serving in the role of commanding the central military district and Russian central grouping of forces in Ukraine.
In an interview with Moscow's state-run Russia-1, Andrey Mordvichev said that he believes Vladimir Putin's war will last quite a long time and expand in the future.
"I think there's still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then it will be longer," the general said.
"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.
"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," he responded adding that the war “will not stop here.”
Ukrainian forces have regained control of several gas and oil offshore drilling platforms close to Crimea from Russia, Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR) has said.
In a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Monday, the GUR said that Kyiv’s forces had retaken the drilling platforms known as the “Boyko Towers” in a “unique operation”.
It said the platforms had been occupied since 2015 by Russia, which seized and annexed Crimea in 2014, and had been used by Moscow for military purposes since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
Zellinski is a despicable grifting POS
Is this for real? :pondering:
English speaking spokesperson for the Ukrainian military: Ukraine will hunt down "Russian propagandists" around the world.
https://twitter.com/ducaena/status/1701741396363792650
Ian Miles Cheong
@stillgray
So the official Ukrainian position on anyone who disagrees with their narrative is to hunt them down and eliminate them. Totally not a terroristic threat at all. Weird unhinged Nazi rhetoric from a psychopathic demon in a wig who thinks he’s a character in Command & Conquer.
7:41 AM · Sep 13, 2023
I believe he's referring to the "It's Over" video... From the guy that Tucker is using as an "expert"...
Is that Douggie MacGregor, the idiot who has been happily chirping about Ukraine’s crushing defeat since Day 1 of the invasion?
I don't know if we can really believe the propaganda each are saying in this conflict. Zellinski is a despicable grifting POS, but Vlad is even magnitudes worse.
The peripheral losers are us taxpayers having to fund this shit.
“There is no way of predicting how the millions of Ukrainian refugees in European countries would react to their country being abandoned”, Zelensky is reported to have intoned, saying while they are grateful for the asylum they had been given during the war and had “behaved well” so far, this could apparently not be guaranteed to continue.
It takes a lot of pretzellation to make Zelensky's comment a "threat". Especially when he was commenting about the possible actions of people not in Ukraine and outside of his jurisdiction and control.
I notice the invitation to provide evidence that Zelensky is a "grifter" was ignored. Maybe the blatantly obvious facts that Ukraine is using US and European aid to destroy Russian military equipment - equipment the US and EuroLand will never have to face directly - is killing Russia's troops, many of whom are the best trained and most experienced, and is liberating Ukrainian territory makes providing that evidence difficult. Because Ukraine is clearly using US and EuroLand aid for the intended purpose.
No "pretzellation" at all. It was a veiled threat to anyone that dared to reduce the money to pay for his grift that they better think twice or there would be trouble.
If a Dem politician in this country had made the same kind of remark about say...reducing funding for welfare...you'd be apoplectic.
Riddle me this...what is our vested national interest in a never-ending faucet of moey...money we don't have....flowing to Ukraine?
And that money we're sending...is paying the pensions of their retireees....funding the budgets of their cities and towns and federal government. It's not all going to bullets bombs and tanks.
Don't kid yourself on that one.
Meanwhile back in America...where that money could be used for our own people...
While the interview with the Economist largely paraphrases Zelensky’s words — as a non-native speaker his English can be a little convoluted — the meaning appears from their writing to be clear, as the magazine warns curtailing aid would “create risks for the West in its own backyard”.
“There is no way of predicting how the millions of Ukrainian refugees in European countries would react to their country being abandoned”, Zelensky is reported to have intoned, saying while they are grateful for the asylum they had been given during the war and had “behaved well” so far, this could apparently not be guaranteed to continue.
Or in other words, Zelensky never said any such thing at all.
It was a veiled threat to anyone that dared to reduce the money to pay for his grift that they better think twice or there would be trouble.
Or in other words, Zelensky never said any such thing at all.
Breitbart has really fallen a long way since Andrew died (or was offed).
Exactly. The Putinist gaggle has been trying to hang all kinds of BS accusations on Zelensky, with nary a shred of real evidence.
Leopard Tank Operators in Ukraine
...
Stirring up anti-Ukrainian outrage is easier when the "facts" are fabrications. Not that showing facts would matter to the fabricators.
Or in other words, Zelensky never said any such thing at all.
Breitbart has really fallen a long way since Andrew died (or was offed).
Stirring up anti-Ukrainian outrage is easier when the "facts" are fabrications. Not that showing facts would matter to the fabricators.
Congratulations...you and Joe Biden are on the same side on this one.
Hope you're proud of yourselves.
Well, I'm sorry that you and vicious thug tyrant Vladimir Putin are on the same side on this one.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I'm not on Putin's side either. This "either you're with us or you're against us" knee jerk response is something I'd expect from a Democrat.
I'm ashamed of nothing...because it's possible to not like Putin AND not like the Zelensky grift at the same time.
...
Congratulations...you and Joe Biden are on the same side on this one.
Hope you're proud of yourselves.
Here's a novel thought...you can support the Ukranian people in their fight and still despise the corrupt government stealing our money.
I'm not on Putin's side either. This "either you're with us or you're against us" knee jerk response is something I'd expect from a Democrat.
..
If you feel the need to twist yourself into a pretzel to deny what Zelensky was subtly hinting at...that's on you.
I'm sorry you've drank so deeply from the Blue and Yellow Kool-Aid.
What's really sad is to see so many people...Trump supporters...Libertarians...Reagan conservatives etc...who applauded Trump for not starting any new wars during his Presidency...grabbing the pom poms and donning the cheerleader skirts for Ukraine.
Congratulations...you and Joe Biden are on the same side on this one.
Hope you're proud of yourselves.
The choices are to support Ukraine as we have been or stopping that support. It's an either-or choice. Thinking about cutting off Ukraine, as some advocate, cui bono? Who benefits? The outcome is almost predictable. Russia has far more people, and even if reduced to using cranky ancient T-34s, Russia would overrun Ukraine. The Ukrainian government you hate? Dead. The people of Ukraine? Putin will make the Holodomor look like a deposit in a house purchase. Putin benefits if the US and EuroLand abandon Ukraine. Thinking farther ahead, in a very few years it would be Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on Putin's target list. Or maybe one of the Caucasian or Central Asian countries.
Who benefits and is profiting from the $75BILLION that has already been given to Ukraine? Certainly that money has not stopped the war; a war keep in mind that has been on going for decades (that includes pre-Zelenskyy). Both the Ukranian people and Russian people are suffering.
Different leaders of different territories have affected and/or influenced the conflict that we are seeing today, with modern day grifters such as Zelenskyy and Poroshenko having a huge impact both humanitarianly and financially.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaders_of_Ukraine
------------------------
Zelensky 'embezzled' over $400 million of aid money sent to Ukraine
https://time.com/6243285/zelenskys-cash-haul/
https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/684679/Zelensky-and-team-stole--400m-of-US-aid
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/revealed-anti-oligarch-ukrainian-president-offshore-connections-volodymyr-zelenskiy
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ukraine-conflict-crossroads-europe-and-russia
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/26/world/europe/ukraine-russia-tensions-timeline.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/3/27/history-illustrated-russia-and-ukraine-a-history-of-violence
No corruption mentioned.
Repeating Hersh's claim, again without providing any evidence of support.
Refers to events that occurred before Zelenskiy was elected President.
No corruption mentioned other than that of Viktor Yanukovych. But it did do a good job of explaining how Russia has been the aggressor since 2014, contrary to what RiV has claimed.
Zelenskiy is mentioned once, here:April 2019 — A former comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, is elected by a large majority as president of Ukraine on a promise to make peace with Russia and restore Donbas to the country.
Zelenskiy not mentioned.
@libertybele - Again, do you or do you not have any evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is corrupt?
No corruption mentioned.
Repeating Hersh's claim, again without providing any evidence of support.
Refers to events that occurred before Zelenskiy was elected President.
No corruption mentioned other than that of Viktor Yanukovych. But it did do a good job of explaining how Russia has been the aggressor since 2014, contrary to what RiV has claimed.
Zelenskiy is mentioned once, here:April 2019 — A former comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, is elected by a large majority as president of Ukraine on a promise to make peace with Russia and restore Donbas to the country.
Zelenskiy not mentioned.
@libertybele - Again, do you or do you not have any evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is corrupt?
No corruption mentioned.
Repeating Hersh's claim, again without providing any evidence of support.
Refers to events that occurred before Zelenskiy was elected President.
No corruption mentioned other than that of Viktor Yanukovych. But it did do a good job of explaining how Russia has been the aggressor since 2014, contrary to what RiV has claimed.
Zelenskiy is mentioned once, here:April 2019 — A former comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, is elected by a large majority as president of Ukraine on a promise to make peace with Russia and restore Donbas to the country.
Zelenskiy not mentioned.
@libertybele - Again, do you or do you not have any evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is corrupt?
Do we have any true, pure evidence other than what has bee reported that Z is corrupt -- of course not.
Similar to no true pure evidence other than what has been reported about Brandon.
The history before Zelenskyy is what I tried to quickly provide; this isn't a war that is recent. Under Zelenskyy is one part of history, under other leaders, the war and struggle over territory has been going on for decades. That is my point as to why I believe that this is NOT our war.
It has been noted several times that Brandon gave Z money BEFORE Putin's escalation and attacks with Brandon predicting that Putin would escalate a war.
So -- what to think? That all of a sudden Putin just decided to escalate the war or was he prodded and taunted? Do we have absolute proof that Brandon instigated this current conflict? No, however chain of events indicates that he has his hands in the cookie jar.
Z has profited as well.
I am NOT against helping Ukraine, but supporting their war is what I am against, especially with now appx. $100 BILLION given; whether it be in arms, munition, or humanitarian aid.
If you watch ALL of Becks videos and if you accept that the territory that is now Ukraine has changed many times over decades, that picture tells a much broader story. A history story before NATO existed and Putin.
The conflict over Ukraine (regardless of Russia involvement) has been ongoing for decades as history shows. That cannot be
disputed, unless you disagree with the history of Ukraine's changing boundaries.
If you feel the need to twist yourself into a pretzel to deny what Zelensky was subtly hinting at...that's on you.Well, you have to admit, there hasn't been a hell of a lot to root for in the past few years. People are desperate... :shrug:
I'm sorry you've drank so deeply from the Blue and Yellow Kool-Aid.
What's really sad is to see so many people...Trump supporters...Libertarians...Reagan conservatives etc...who applauded Trump for not starting any new wars during his Presidency...grabbing the pom poms and donning the cheerleader skirts for Ukraine.
Congratulations...you and Joe Biden are on the same side on this one.
Hope you're proud of yourselves.
Sounds just like the Dems who are screaming "THERE'S NO PROOF" when it comes to Hunter and Joe Biden's obvious corruption.
Summations, but no credible proof.
Several polls reveal Ukranians think that Z is corrupt.
So -- should we continue to give him BILLIONS more? That's absolutely ridiculous.
If you want to believe that Z is all shiny and wonderful, that's certainly your choice
but the amount of $$ he's received should have raised eyebrows a long time ago, certainly amongst his own people, it has.
Zelenskyy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests.
https://www.businessinsider.com/corruption-in-ukraine-zelenskyy-is-responsible-says-national-survey-2023-8
A poll put Barabbas back on the street and nailed Jesus to a cross. And a poll makes a very poor substitute for actual evidence.Please don't try to analogize Jesus Christ and Zelenskyy. It's repulsive.
Please don't try to analogize Jesus Christ and Zelenskyy. It's repulsive.
Please don't try to analogize Jesus Christ and Zelenskyy. It's repulsive.
Please don't try to analogize Jesus Christ and Zelenskyy. It's repulsive.
I'm not on Putin's side either. This "either you're with us or you're against us" knee jerk response is something I'd expect from a Democrat.
I'm ashamed of nothing...because it's possible to not like Putin AND not like the Zelensky grift at the same time.
Summations, but no credible proof. That goes for Brandon as well. Several polls reveal Ukranians think that Z is corrupt. So -- should we continue to give him BILLIONS more? That's absolutely ridiculous.
If you want to believe that Z is all shiny and wonderful, that's certainly your choice, but the amount of $$ he's received should have raised eyebrows a long time ago, certainly amongst his own people, it has.
Zelenskyy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests.
https://www.businessinsider.com/corruption-in-ukraine-zelenskyy-is-responsible-says-national-survey-2023-8
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/revealed-anti-oligarch-ukrainian-president-offshore-connections-volodymyr-zelenskiy
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/20258
Summations, but no credible proof. That goes for Brandon as well.
@libertybele @txradioguy
For those who wish to draw a parallel between those saying that there is no evidence of Zelenskiy corruption and those saying that there is no evidence of Biden corruption:
Biden: GOP Reps Release 22 Examples of Biden’s Corruption After Dems Claim There’s No Evidence (https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,512720.0.html)
Zelenskiy:
Zelenskyy's lack of credibility is evident.
Believe what you want.
:seeya:
Zelenskyy's lack of credibility is evident.
You do realize that the words 'evident' and 'evidence' have the same root, right? So where is the 'evidence'?As I stated up thread, believe what you want. :seeya:
As I stated up thread, believe what you want.
I don't think Zelinski himself is all that corrupt but his masters in the United States are corrupt to the core and will use Zelinski for their own nefarious purposes until the cows come home!I think he is faced with the reality that if he wants the 'pot', the (White) House is going to get its rake.
I think he is faced with the reality that if he wants the 'pot', the (White) House is going to get its rake.
I think he is faced with the reality that if he wants the 'pot', the (White) House is going to get its rake.
I think he is faced with the reality that if he wants the 'pot', the (White) House is going to get its rake.
So, in reality, the "problem" here is American corruption, not Ukraine corruption.
So, in reality, the "problem" here is American corruption, not Ukraine corruption.That is my belief, that the American corruption is an order or orders of magnitude greater than that on the receiving end.
So, in reality, the "problem" here is American corruption, not Ukraine corruption.
So, in reality, the "problem" here is American corruption, not Ukraine corruption.
Zelenskyy's lack of credibility is evident.
Believe what you want.
:seeya:
Or in your case, believe what you 'feel' with zero regard for whether or not it is true.
So, in reality, the "problem" here is American corruption, not Ukraine corruption.
@Kamaji
Yes,and it is NOT just related to the Soviet invasion of Ukraine. It is everywhere the Dims and their RINO buddies stick their noses into anything. The war in Ukraine is seen by them as just one more chance to steal money and make deals with the military-industrial complex so they get a cut of every dollar spent.
@KamajiYup. Even a tenth of a percent of a billion dollars is a million bucks. The more money moving, the more to be skimmed.
Yes,and it is NOT just related to the Soviet invasion of Ukraine. It is everywhere the Dims and their RINO buddies stick their noses into anything. The war in Ukraine is seen by them as just one more chance to steal money and make deals with the military-industrial complex so they get a cut of every dollar spent.
Ukraine’s cabinet dismissed Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar from her post, along with six other top officials in the Defense Ministry, according to an update Monday shared on Telegram. The announcement comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky ousted defense chief Oleksii Reznikov this month, as the ministry grappled with corruption claims.
Obliterated wasteland where not even one building still stands is reclaimed by Ukraine as it reveals it has retaken less than a square mile around Bakhmut in a week
Ukraine's military is painstakingly recovering territory around the embattled city of Bakhmut metre-by-metre
But little more than rubble remains where apartment blocks, offices, town halls and factories once stood
By DAVID AVERRE
18 September 2023
The sheer devastation of the war in Ukraine has been laid bare in desolate new images of towns recently recaptured from Russian occupiers by Kyiv's forces.
The city of Bakhmut and its satellite towns in the eastern Donetsk region have long been the epicentre of some of the war's bloodiest conflicts, with months of attrition and World War One-style trench warfare resulting in thousands of deaths on both sides - and Russia's eventual capture of Bakhmut in May.
Now Ukraine's military is painstakingly recovering its territory around the former industrial city metre-by-metre, with Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar announcing over the weekend her troops had pushed Moscow's forces out of the villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka.
Both cities lie on higher ground and their capture could set the stage for reasserting control over the pivotal city.
But where apartment blocks, offices, town halls and factories once stood, little more than piles of rubble, the charred remains of trees and twisted hunks of burnt-out armoured cars remain.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12531163/Obliterated-wasteland-not-one-building-stands-reclaimed-Ukraine-reveals-retaken-square-mile-Bakhmut-week.html
@Kamaji
Let me see if I understand this correctly.
Ukrainians and her western allies that support her with weapons,ammo,medical care,etc,etc,etc,are the ones at fault for the Soviets invading Ukraine,taking control of cities,and then fighting in those cities until they are turned into rubble?
AND.......,ONLY Ukraine and the west are at fault because the Soviets are only doing what Soviets do?
Don't know where you got that from what I posted.
@Kamaji, I think @sneakypete has misunderstood your POV totally. He did similarly with me a day or two ago.
This is for all of you Zellinskyyyyyyyyy fans out there, and from today's speech at the U.N. Start at about the 9:26 mark, and watch how he lectures about meeting climate change objectives. No enviro-whacko will ever be my ally. How any Briefer buys his bullshit, is beyond me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM)
This is for all of you Zellinskyyyyyyyyy fans out there, and from today's speech at the U.N. Start at about the 9:26 mark, and watch how he lectures about meeting climate change objectives. No enviro-whacko will ever be my ally. How any Briefer buys his bullshit, is beyond me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM)
This is for all of you Zellinskyyyyyyyyy fans out there, and from today's speech at the U.N. Start at about the 9:26 mark, and watch how he lectures about meeting climate change objectives. No enviro-whacko will ever be my ally. How any Briefer buys his bullshit, is beyond me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM)
This is for all of you Zellinskyyyyyyyyy fans out there, and from today's speech at the U.N. Start at about the 9:26 mark, and watch how he lectures about meeting climate change objectives. No enviro-whacko will ever be my ally. How any Briefer buys his bullshit, is beyond me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM)
It’s called playing to the audience, and it’s part of the Western/American corruption Zelenskyy has to deal with in order to obtain the weapons he needs to continue fighting against the Russian orcs.
If you don’t like it, then you should be taking it up with your own leaders - Joe Biden and the democrats - first. They’re the ones who are corrupt and who demand obeisance to the eco-fascism as part of the quid pro quo for the weapons Ukraine needs for its existence.
Oy vey. One would have thought that politics 101 was at least understood on a political discussion board.
But, I suppose, any excuse, no matter how flimsy, to continue believing in Putin.
I couldn’t give two shits about Zelensky and "1"whatever his stances on global warming are. What matters is aiding the Ukrainian people who detest the prospect of spending yet another generation under the Russian jackboot. Any real conservative would stand with the Ukrainians and their courageous fight against those filthy orcs.
"2"Anyone who “thinks” that shrunken little KGB thug in the Kremlin is somehow a white-hatted good guy isn’t employing brain cells. He would happily obliterate the US and its allies if he believed he could get away with it. A world with a dead Vladimir Putin and a dismembered, disarmed Russia would be a better world indeed.
Please stop with this SHIT. I said f'n zero that was pro-Putin. Never have He's a despicable piece of shit,and I wish someone would off himMaybe both are, but the one screwing us hardest lives at 1600 PA Ave., Washington, D.C.
Some of you folks just have no concept that both of these f'ers are screwing us. It's kind of the same bullshit binary argument that permeates a lot of our political discussions. You are just not genuine enough to admit it,
Maybe both are, but the one screwing us hardest lives at 1600 PA Ave., Washington, D.C.
Bump...to out this left leaning enviro-whacko. Start at 9:26 for his true leanings.
No conservative buys into this scam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK96EUwhrvM)
Please stop with this SHIT. I said f'n zero that was pro-Putin. Never have He's a despicable piece of shit,and I wish someone would off him
Some of you folks just have no concept that both of these f'ers are screwing us. It's kind of the same bullshit binary argument that permeates a lot of our political discussions. You are just not genuine enough to admit it,
Thumbs up, there for sure. Pedo Joe is the imminent threat. And he is "all in" for Zellinsky.
Screwing us how? To the extent that money is being siphoned off, that's good old fashioned American corruption, not Ukraine, because they aren't getting a whole lot of cash.
Wow, tell that to the fire victims of Lahaina, East Palastine, Ohio, victims of Hurricane Idalia, and basically all of the rest us who are suffering under a southern invasion from Mexico. Tell us again, why Zellinskigrift is more deserving of our tax dollars than us.
Jumping the shark big time, aren't you Kam?
No conservative should be praising the Confederate States of America. A true conservative should be happy that we are sending money to weaken Russia.
Take it up with the corrupt American regime.
Furthermore, I'm not entirely sure what good howitzers, artillery rounds, or tanks would go in Ohio, or any other domestic disaster. After all, that is what Ukraine has been getting - armaments, not dollars.
Or maybe one would prefer that all those American weapons be sold on the world arms markets - to the highest bidders, of course - in order to reduce them to cash, which after corrupt Americans take 20% or 30%, could be spent on left-wing NGOs to "help" in those locations?
That may be the one most freaking silliest thing I have ever heard you say at TBR. Conservatives sending tax money to another near dicatator? That's a conservative tenant nowadays? Say what just said 3 times in succession, and realize how f'n funny you sound.
And the more silly comment about the CSA? Yeah, we lost..... But outside the abhorant slavery issue, just what did the C.S.A. get wrong? We'd be 10000% better off without a super on-steroid government money wasting machine that we have right now. I bet a state focused and empowered government wouldn't be $33T in debt right now either.
Full deflective mode, and everybody knows it. Weapons = Money....... and you know it. Making them analogous is beyond silly.
Bottom line, is that you are now part of the enviro-whacko circuit, by supporting him.
Which "near dictator" would that be? And what "money" would that be?
Bullshit. The weapons Ukraine has received are out of inventory - which needs to be turned over in any event - so that would do precious little good in Ohio.
As far as providing more support to Ohio - I completely agree - but that is a failure of the corrupt administration this country elected, and has nothing to do with Ukraine.
That is a false equivalency.
No conservative should be praising the Confederate States of America. A true conservative should be happy that we are sending money to weaken Russia.
That may be the one most freaking silliest thing I have ever heard you say at TBR. Conservatives sending tax money to another near dicatator? That's a conservative tenant nowadays? Say what just said 3 times in succession, and realize how f'n funny you sound.:amen: :amen: and :amen: again
And the more silly comment about the CSA? Yeah, we lost..... But outside the abhorant slavery issue, just what did the C.S.A. get wrong? We'd be 10000% better off without a super on-steroid government money wasting machine that we have right now. I bet a state focused and empowered government wouldn't be $33T in debt right now either.
Bump, and does someone want to defend Zellniskyyyyyyyyyy here on this one?
It’s called playing to the audience, and it’s part of the Western/American corruption Zelenskyy has to deal with in order to obtain the weapons he needs to continue fighting against the Russian orcs.
If you don’t like it, then you should be taking it up with your own leaders - Joe Biden and the democrats - first. They’re the ones who are corrupt and who demand obeisance to the eco-fascism as part of the quid pro quo for the weapons Ukraine needs for its existence.
You don't consider Zellinsky a dictator? Man have you been duped. And money? I guess the $100B's to Ukraine, were just an illusion huh? :silly:
Are we still patiently waiting for evidence of Zelenskiy corruption? Or have the goal posts been ripped up and moved on to something else?
Wow, tell that to the fire victims of Lahaina, East Palastine, Ohio, victims of Hurricane Idalia, and basically all of the rest us who are suffering under a southern invasion from Mexico. Tell us again, why Zellinskigrift is more deserving of our tax dollars than us.
"1" I almost stopped right there and realized your level of naivetity. Global Warming/Climate Change zealots and enviro-whackos are this world's biggest threat. Funny how a really decent snake oil salesman can cause so many to ditch their principals and become allies with the like of Thunberg, Biden, Kerry, and Trudeau. You are playing into their hands.
"2" Show me, I mean absolutely show me, where I am a supporter of Putin, in my entire posting history. I dare you. Otherwise....retract!!!!
Overall, you are good guy, but everyone once in a while, I got to speak up on our fleecing by Eastern European grifters.
As a taxpayer, I am sick as hell of it.
Taking a stand is sometimes messy, but failure to do so in order to weaken an enemy is the utmost in failure. This issue isn’t about Zelensky; as I said, I don’t care about him… it’s about the people of Ukraine taking a stand against a brutal and evil invading horde that has a history of hegemony beyond anyone else.
@kevindavis007
These are the only options for dealing with Russia.
1:Declare war against them,and then start an actual war to remove their leadership and end communism in Russia.
2a:Ignore them and hope they just go away leave us alone.
2b: Surrender to them when 1 and 2a don't work,and hope they are gentle when they occupy us.
4:Let someone with a more immediate interest (immediate self-defense) in defeating them do the fighting and dying,while sending them the supplies they need to do the job.
ANYBODY that doesn't pick number 4 is a retard.
And in that flurry of deflective responses from my good buddies Kam and Hood, I heard nothing about Z's Climate change comments in any level of detail.
And in that flurry of deflective responses from my good buddies Kam and Hood, I heard nothing about Z's Climate change comments in any level of detail. You realize he's fully aligned with Greta, Biden, and Kerry....... But I guess that doesn't bother you.
Ex. playing to the audience? Come on, you, I and others fry the Orange POTUS for that all the time. But you give Zellinsky a pass for it? At least stay consistent.
This Uke leader has you two hynonitized or something. If you do get his ear, tell him many of us rather keep our tax dollars here, we are sick of it.
Naïveté? Please. The only naive ones around here are those who “think” Russia doesn’t have designs beyond Ukraine and that employing the head-in-the-sand isolationist approach will just make that tawdry issue simply go away. If you don’t stand for freedom, then don’t. The right-minded among us do. Taking a stand is sometimes messy, but failure to do so in order to weaken an enemy is the utmost in failure. This issue isn’t about Zelensky; as I said, I don’t care about him… it’s about the people of Ukraine taking a stand against a brutal and evil invading horde that has a history of hegemony beyond anyone else. As for whether you personally support Putin is not the point; the fact is, many who disguise themselves as “patriots” do indeed back Putin.
I typically do not respond to strawman arguments. Not seeing how those comments have a damn thing to do with stopping Russia and liberating Ukraine from death, destruction, and genocide.
As I've said several times before on this thread, I'm fine with providing aid to Ukraine so long as that aid excludes piles of $$$. I'm done!
As I've said several times before on this thread, I'm fine with providing aid to Ukraine so long as that aid excludes piles of $$$. I'm done!
Glad to finally have you on board. Most of us here have been saying exactly that for over a year and a half.
Please stay on topic and stop the personal insults..
Oh, they've been moved. Zelenskyy is corrupt, dontcha know, solely on the word of Putin's supporters. No need for evidence.
Zelensky may be corrupt. That doesn't change the fact that naked aggression by Russia in Europe must be opposed.
Glad to finally have you on board. Most of us here have been saying exactly that for over a year and a half.
@Maj. Bill Martin
Also,the question of "Who is most dangerous to world peace,both now and in the future,Zelensky and Ukraine,or Putin and the USSR?" MUST be asked and answered.
LOL! I've been saying the exact same thing since day one. @Hoodat
Suspected drone strike blows up oil depot near Vladimir Putin’s Sochi palace
@Bigun - My bad. I mixed you up with Catfish. My apologies.
Zelensky may be corrupt. That doesn't change the fact that naked aggression by Russia in Europe must be opposed.Thank you.
Thank you.
The seminal issue. I'm nor even sure how corrupt Zelensky is compared to some of the people he has to tread lightly with or placate to get the materiel aid he needs to fight. A hat tip to the whole climate change thing, a real hot topic with the UN crowd, does not put him licking Greta's toes or any of that other nonsense, it's just the price of admission to get to the mike. If someone wants to go tearing down that rabbit hole, go for it, but it is a minor distraction, especially when you consider the 'carbon footprint' of fighting a war, blowing things up and burning them down, and the fuel it takes to get to the things you blow up and burn down.
One of the greatest impediments to rational discussion is the failure to discern shades of gray between black and white. When the meter either pegs at one end or the other, it isn't a gauge any more, it's an idiot light.
Listen up! Let me make it crystal clear why it's imperative that we provide aid to Ukraine without deploying our troops:
1. Russia and China are in cahoots, and their alliance spells trouble for our country. We can't afford to let them get stronger!
2. By keeping Russia tied up in Ukraine, we can weaken both Russia and China, which is essential for the well-being of our country.
ANY QUESTIONS???
sez, the silly comic con guy in a star trek suit...... (I saw your profile)
Big tough talk coming from what amounts to a Sheldon Cooper clown wannabe. What a laugh.
That same money should be toward deploying assets to protect our southern border.
ANY QUESTIONS??? :silly:
LISTEN UP? You can't be for real.
Said the person who thinks the Confederate States of America was just in leaving the Union.
Said the person who thinks the Confederate States of America was just in leaving the Union.
Thank you.
The seminal issue. I'm nor even sure how corrupt Zelensky is compared to some of the people he has to tread lightly with or placate to get the materiel aid he needs to fight. A hat tip to the whole climate change thing, a real hot topic with the UN crowd, does not put him licking Greta's toes or any of that other nonsense, it's just the price of admission to get to the mike. If someone wants to go tearing down that rabbit hole, go for it, but it is a minor distraction, especially when you consider the 'carbon footprint' of fighting a war, blowing things up and burning them down, and the fuel it takes to get to the things you blow up and burn down.
One of the greatest impediments to rational discussion is the failure to discern shades of gray between black and white. When the meter either pegs at one end or the other, it isn't a gauge any more, it's an idiot light.
Can you direct me to the word or phrase in the Constitution that says a state cannot leave the union? I have diligently searched for that and came up empty. @kevindavis007
On the converse, what is the threshold at which a locality should be able to leave the union? Can I vote for my household to leave the country?
Can you direct me to the word or phrase in the Constitution that says a state cannot leave the union? I have diligently searched for that and came up empty. @kevindavis007
Thank you.
The seminal issue. I'm nor even sure how corrupt Zelensky is compared to some of the people he has to tread lightly with or placate to get the materiel aid he needs to fight. A hat tip to the whole climate change thing, a real hot topic with the UN crowd, does not put him licking Greta's toes or any of that other nonsense, it's just the price of admission to get to the mike. If someone wants to go tearing down that rabbit hole, go for it, but it is a minor distraction, especially when you consider the 'carbon footprint' of fighting a war, blowing things up and burning them down, and the fuel it takes to get to the things you blow up and burn down.
You don't need to vote on it. You are free to do that at any time you choose.
ISW has observed a significant inflection in western #Zaporizhia Oblast:
#Ukrainian forces are for the first time confirmed to be operating armored vehicles (Stryker & Marder infantry fighting vehicles) beyond the Russian anti-tank ditch and dragon’s teeth obstacles near #Verbove.
We are not yet prepared to say that Ukraine has broken through this portion of the Russian line since these vehicles have not yet penetrated the last visible prepared defensive positions in the area.
But the ability to bring armored vehicles to and through the most formidable Russian defenses intended to stop them and to operate them near prepared Russian defensive positions is an important sign of progress in the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Recent footage indicates that the Ukrainian breach of the first two layers of this Russian defensive line is significant enough to permit Ukrainian vehicles to advance through them.
It also indicates that Ukrainian forces have suppressed Russian artillery and other anti-tank systems in the area enough to bring their vehicles forward and have them survive.
These small tactical steps may be the start of a larger and more significant advance, although it is too soon to make confident forecasts.
2. By keeping Russia tied up in Ukraine, we can weaken both Russia and China, which is essential for the well-being of our country.
[/size]
ANY QUESTIONS???
Can you direct me to the word or phrase in the Constitution that says a state cannot leave the union? I have diligently searched for that and came up empty. @kevindavis007
@Bigun
I don't recall seeing an exit clause in the Constitution.
@Bigun
I don't recall seeing an exit clause in the Constitution.
PRIMARY HOLDING
States do not have the right to unilaterally secede from the United States, so the Confederate states during the Civil War always remained part of the nation.
There isn't, which was one of the legal arguments the Confederate States used in seceding from the Union. It's one of the reasons that Jefferson Davis was never tried for treason and was released from Fortress Monroe in May 1867, because the U.S. government was afraid that he would win the argument during a trial. As it happened, the Supreme Court declared secession illegal in 1868:
Texas v. White, 74 U.S. 700 (1868)
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/74/700/
Very well, then. There is no anti-exit clause prohibiting such, making the compact one held in perpetuity. With that: Amendment 10
@Bigun
I don't recall seeing an exit clause in the Constitution.
None is required you dolt! The Constitution says what it says and does not say what it does not say! @kevindavis007
Clause 1 Admissions
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
Can be interpretted several ways no?
Can be interpretted several ways no?Maybe, if the words are twisted enough. That is the disposition of states within the compact, or the addition of new states, but does not address an exit by one or more states, entirely, from the jurisdiction of the compact. The very grievances which might lead entire states to exit are most likely to be the result of the treatment by the majority of representatives (from other states) in Congress. i.e., If the rest of the States voted to dissolve the State of Texas and remove its assets from all who live there, the natural resources, and industry included, Texas might be inclined to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the government which would loot it. Obviously, the Rights of Texans and Texas would be violated by such an action. There is nothing in the Constitution to prohibit that withdrawal.
I'm not this forum's Resident Cat-Herder, but this thread is about 21st Century events not on the North American continent.
I'm not this forum's Resident Cat-Herder, but this thread is about 21st Century events not on the North American continent.
When someone here starts talking out their @$$ I will respond.Me, too. Now back to the deepest darkest jungles of Eastern Europe.
QuoteClause 1 Admissions
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
Can be interpretted several ways no?
Like the German Leopard 2s that Ukraine is using, the training for the M1 Abrams involved a lot more than learning where levers and gauges were located. Leopards and Abrams were designed for a very different strategy than the Soviets/Russians planned to employ, and the sensors on both are much more capable that what the Soviet era tanks Ukraine had inherited and updated have.
Do drones make MBT's irrelevant though? Seems like it...
And I love tanks.
Only if one can blanket the field with enough drones to stop each and every tank.
So far, that hasn't been the case.
Do drones make MBT's irrelevant though? Seems like it...
And I love tanks.
Do drones make MBT's irrelevant though? Seems like it...
And I love tanks.
One mass production hits though... seems 5-10 drones may be cheaper than 1 tank.
One mass production hits though... seems 5-10 drones may be cheaper than 1 tank.
@Weird Tolkienish FigureUnless and until tanks become even more than they are today. Keith Laumer's Bolo stories (Sci-fi) come to mind.
I'm with ya on this one.
In FACT,put me down as someone that thinks Drones are going to make tanks obsolete.
Only if those 5-10 drones can absolutely shut down the tanks. So far, that has not proven to be the case. Each drone also still has to carry tank-killer munitions, and those are not as easy to produce as the drone itself.
I wonder how affective thermite strategically placed on tank armor is. I think thermite is pretty light.
Only if those 5-10 drones can absolutely shut down the tanks.It is not needed to 'absolutely shut down' the tanks. All that is needed is to harass and wound it. The tanks are far from any form of repair and Russia has no parts to repair it anyway. Even a small thing such as taking out communication or warping a hatch or some component of the tank, is enough to make it vulnerable. The crew will abandon it and run away.
It is not needed to 'absolutely shut down' the tanks. All that is needed is to harass and wound it. The tanks are far from any form of repair and Russia has no parts to repair it anyway. Even a small thing such as taking out communication or warping a hatch or some component of the tank, is enough to make it vulnerable. The crew will abandon it and run away.
Unless and until tanks become even more than they are today. Keith Laumer's Bolo stories (Sci-fi) come to mind.
It is not needed to 'absolutely shut down' the tanks. All that is needed is to harass and wound it. The tanks are far from any form of repair and Russia has no parts to repair it anyway. Even a small thing such as taking out communication or warping a hatch or some component of the tank, is enough to make it vulnerable. The crew will abandon it and run away.
Well, then so far drones are a bust, because they haven't been able to chase tanks off the battlefield.Maybe. But Ukraine has so many defunct and abandoned Russian tanks in salvage now that they cannot fit anymore. Something is working.
Maybe. But Ukraine has so many defunct and abandoned Russian tanks in salvage now that they cannot fit anymore. Something is working.
Then why haven't the Russians demolished all of Ukraine's tanks with drones?Russia does not use their drones on military targets like tanks. Russia sends drones to hospitals, schools, and apartment blocks. Russia is salvaging technology/chips from smart appliances such as dishwashers to make pseudo-drones. They are out of parts.
Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
https://rumble.com/v3jwroo-footage-of-ukrainian-missiles-hitting-the-headquarters-of-russian-black-sea.html (https://rumble.com/v3jwroo-footage-of-ukrainian-missiles-hitting-the-headquarters-of-russian-black-sea.html)
Well, then so far drones are a bust, because they haven't been able to chase tanks off the battlefield.
'Many Officers' Reported Killed After Strike on Russian HQ Near Kherson
BRENDAN COLE | 9/20/23 AT 5:54 AM EDT
Russian army officers key to Moscow's war effort in Ukraine were killed following a strike on their military headquarters, a Russian Telegram channel has reported.
The VChK-OGPU outlet, which purports to have inside information from Russian security forces, said that the command post of Russia's 7th Airborne Division located in the occupied part of the southern Ukrainian oblast of Kherson had been hit.
"Many officers died from a targeted strike," said the post, "the exact number of victims has been carefully concealed. At the time of the shelling, the paratroopers had been undergoing daily planning."
The channel said the information was confirmed by Yevgeny Khanin, the chairman of the veterans organization of the 7th Guards Air Assault Division stationed in Novorossiysk, in Russia's Krasnodar region, which lies close to Kherson. . .
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-officers-kherson-vchk-ogpu-1828371
More video from the 30th Mech Brigade:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/16plaat/aerial_reconnaissance_of_the_30th_separate/
@sneakypete
That can't be helped. The 30th Mech Brigade simply doesn't like Russians.
(https://heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/images/0/05/30th_Mechanized_Brigade_Named_after_Konstanty_Ostrogski%2C_Ukrainian_Army.png)
@Hoodat
Whoever did that was stupid. Kill an enemy soldier,and all the enemy has to so is bury him.
Wound him and let him live so they have to send him back behind the lines for medical treatment. This not only makes the enemy use up vital medical supplies,but it demoralizes the HELL out of the rear echelon troops who are fresh to combat and see themselves in those severely wounded soldiers.
Except that the Muscovites don't care about their wounded. They don't even care about their living soldiers.
More video from the 30th Mech Brigade:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/16plaat/aerial_reconnaissance_of_the_30th_separate/
Except that the Muscovites don't care about their wounded. They don't even care about their living soldiers.
Despite Russia’s war in Ukraine and a nationwide state of martial law, some Western politicians are pushing the government in Kyiv to hold parliamentary and presidential elections — a prospect that has left many Ukrainian officials scratching their heads.
The proposal — initially floated by Tiny Cox, the Dutch head of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly — was also pressed by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), during a visit to Kyiv last month with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), which otherwise focused on solidifying U.S. assistance and bipartisan support for Ukraine.
Other Republicans have also taken up the cause, including conservative commentators like Tucker Carlson, who falsely accused Zelensky of canceling elections. Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections under martial law.
Holding free and fair elections in wartime is virtually impossible and also ill-advised, according to Ukrainian officials, election experts and democracy advocates. Roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory is now occupied by Russian forces. Millions of Ukrainians are displaced and many are living outside the country. Tens of thousands of soldiers are deployed to the front.
The pressure to hold elections, despite such obstacles, highlights the constant demand by some in the West that Ukraine prove its commitment to democracy, even though Ukrainians have twice risen up in mass pro-democracy demonstrations — the Orange Revolution of 2003-4 and the Maidan Revolution of 2013-14.
Ukrainian officials say that in order to hold a major vote during wartime, considerable financial, logistical and legal hurdles must be overcome. In private, some say that the prospect is outright impossible, and could provide Moscow security forces with a means to infiltrate and weaken Ukraine from within.
“The Russians are pushing for this through their secret channels,” a Ukrainian official in the security apparatus said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “There is no situation in which it is possible to have a democratic election during the war.”
It seems that the Muscovites are the ones quietly pushing for elections in Ukraine through backchannels, so that they can change Zelensky's government that way and facilitate a surrender.
Western officials press Ukraine to hold elections despite war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/24/ukraine-elections-war-russia-west/
...
A somewhat similar/relevant thread from several weeks ago, https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,510813.0.html . Ukraine-haters hope for a Chamberlainesque Ukrainian government that will surrender to Putin whatever he wants in exchange for "peace in our time". It worked so well for the Czechs 85 years ago.
It seems that the Muscovites are the ones quietly pushing for elections in Ukraine through backchannels, so that they can change Zelensky's government that way and facilitate a surrender.
Western officials press Ukraine to hold elections despite war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/24/ukraine-elections-war-russia-west/
EXCERPT
Zelenskyy should remind these Western officials that Churchill suspended UK elections during WWII, also at a time during which his nation was undergoing an existential fight, and that if it was good enough for the UK, it's good enough for Ukraine.:shrug:
:shrug:
Should FDR or Lincoln have not had their elections? Not so sure I agree there. Anyway, I think Zelensky would win handily.
FDR wasn't in an existential fight; Lincoln suspended other Constitutional rights during the Civil war.
It seems that the Muscovites are the ones quietly pushing for elections in Ukraine through backchannels, so that they can change Zelensky's government that way and facilitate a surrender.
Western officials press Ukraine to hold elections despite war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/24/ukraine-elections-war-russia-west/
EXCERPT
The proposal — initially floated by Tiny Cox, the Dutch head of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly — was also pressed by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.)
WTF happened to Lady Lindsey? Does someone have video tape of him with an 8 year old boy,or something similar?
Actually Lincoln suspended habeus corpus I believe, which is allowed as per the constitution in times of rebellion/invasion. But he still had an election I believe. But even during our own existential war, the Revolution, we had a continental congress which was elected. I understand what you're saying but also sort of playing devil's advocate. I remember reading that first casualty of war is liberty, so there is some grey area that makes me uncomfortable.
Actually Lincoln suspended habeus corpus I believe, which is allowed as per the constitution in times of rebellion/invasion. But he still had an election I believe. But even during our own existential war, the Revolution, we had a continental congress which was elected. I understand what you're saying but also sort of playing devil's advocate. I remember reading that first casualty of war is liberty, so there is some grey area that makes me uncomfortable.
Actually Lincoln suspended habeus corpus I believe, which is allowed as per the constitution in times of rebellion/invasion. But he still had an election I believe.
:shrug:Lincoln's election during the war was a shoo-in, considering the voting blocs that he lost were either in rebellion or militarily occupied (MD) by the Union. He did suspend Habeas Corpus, and among those rounded up and imprisoned was Francis Scott Key's grandson, ironically imprisoned in Ft. McHenry.
Should FDR or Lincoln have not had their elections? Not so sure I agree there. Anyway, I think Zelensky would win handily.
Lincoln's election during the war was a shoo-in, considering the voting blocs that he lost were either in rebellion or militarily occupied (MD) by the Union. He did suspend Habeas Corpus, and among those rounded up and imprisoned was Francis Scott Key's grandson, ironically imprisoned in Ft. McHenry.
in 1860:(https://www.270towin.com/historical_maps/1860_large.png)
Jere's your gray area in 1864: (https://www.270towin.com/historical_maps/1864_large.png)
In FDR's case, despite the home front effort, the war was not on these shores (Hawaii was not a State, nor was Alaska), so there was little opportunity for some sort of shenanigans in areas where combat was actively taking place on the home front. Even C.O.s and other pacifists were generally viewed with suspicion (Desmond Doss broke that mold).
Is Ukraine supposed to depend on mail-in-ballots? How will those who left the country, voluntarily or otherwise, vote? Or will the vote be confined to those who remain, outside of Russian occupied areas, (otherwise, how would you know a ballot was cast without duress and by the right person?)
Seriously, I think the analogy with Britain (which was subject to bombing, V1 and V2 strikes) is more apt.
An election where Southern States (i.e. opposition States) were awarded zero electoral votes. If elections were held in Ukraine, and only areas free of Russian troops were allowed to participate, Zelenskiy critics would be screaming that it shouldn't count since Ukrainians in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea couldn't vote.
Yeah… Lincoln actually did other like threatening to jail a ussc Justice and arresting an entire state legislature. He still had elections heh.Yep. His election though, did not include the states which were most opposed. Lincoln got 4 (yep, four) votes in the county I grew up in in MD in 1860. Those folks were asked to leave.
Cool! Now that we've solved the War Between the States, let's take a look at Ukraine....We were discussing a prominent analog to the election question in Ukraine, and why it was inappropriate. Back to the land of Cyrillic text...
Cool! Now that we've solved the War Between the States, let's take a look at Ukraine....
Legit question:
https://twitter.com/KentuckyGoddess/status/1706122563594670293
Legit question:
https://twitter.com/KentuckyGoddess/status/1706122563594670293
Maybe a Re-Fighting the War Between the States thread could be started in the General Discussion or History forum and the posts in this thread about that topic Merged into the Re-Fighting ... thread?
Let the Chinese have California.I was wondering who they were saving all those natural resources for.
Let the Chinese have California.
Either Ukraine got every-planet-in-the-solar-system-lined-up lucky, or Ukraine had rather exact information about the meeting location, time, and attendants. Two or three missiles hit the building, collapsing a large part of it. Losing 30-35 very senior officers at one time like this would be a significant blow to any navy, and not just at the fleet level.
Either Ukraine got every-planet-in-the-solar-system-lined-up lucky, or Ukraine had rather exact information about the meeting location, time, and attendants.
St. Petersburg is something like 800 miles from Kyiv. Either Ukraine infiltrated, carrying major explosives and delivery system, a very long way, or anti-Putin partisans got them some serious explosives and delivery capability.
I doubt there are many tourists in Odessa, so I'm guessing the Russians hoped some Ukrainian naval leaders were meeting there or a lot of military personnel were being housed there. Or maybe it was just an empty revenge-symbol.
That, or there was a serious industrial accident at the power plant.
Well, it is Russia ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/16t3o6g/russian_tanker_complains_that_the_new_shells_sent/
Flashback to 2014
Ukraine's Yanukovych asked for troops, Russia tells UN
4 March 2014
Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych asked Russia to send troops across the border to protect civilians, Moscow's UN envoy has claimed.
Vitaly Churkin told a Security Council meeting Mr Yanukovych wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
Thousands of Russian troops have been pouring into Ukraine's Crimea region. . .
. . . The Kremlin has established de facto military control in Crimea. There are growing fears that it might try to seize more land in eastern Ukraine, where a number of people support closer ties with Moscow.
Ukrainian officials say reports suggest there is also a Russian military build-up near Ukraine's eastern border. . .
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26427848
@Hoodat
THAT could be a real buzz-kill!
Yanukovych was Putin's stooge in Ukraine, just like Lukashenko in Belarus. Putin's original plan in February 2022 was to either kill or topple Zelensky, and then drop Yanukovych back into power and turn Ukraine back into a client state.
Ukraine's former President Yanukovych ousted in 2014 is in Minsk, Kremlin wants to reinstall him in Kyiv
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/03/2/7327392/
Shahed drone factory in Iran burns
...
An expensive S-300 own-goal (~2 minutes):Somehow seems appropriate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNfM5BkyT-w
An expensive S-300 own-goal (~2 minutes):
Russian air defences shoot down their own top fighter jet (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-air-defences-shoot-down-their-own-top-fighter-jet/ar-AA1hqTsC)
Russian air defences have shot down one of the country’s most advanced fighter jets in a friendly fire incident, according to reports.
The Russian Su-35 was downed over Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on Thursday where Ukraine is mounting its counter-offensive.
A Russian Telegram channel with close links to the country’s air force appeared to confirm the incident on Friday when it paid tribute to the pilot, who did not survive.
Have the Russians not updated their IFF coding since 1991, making their SAM systems unable to discern between Russian and Ukrainian planes?
Did the S-300 battery crew ignore their system's IFF and shoot despite being informed that their target was Russian?
Wagner transport plane overshoots runway in Mali
https://twitter.com/FlightEmergency/status/1706979204867211332
The slow progress of the counteroffensive Ukraine launched in early June led to criticism that Ukrainian troops were failing to apply properly the training they received from Western militaries.
But what if the problem isn't with the Ukrainians but rather with Western tactics? Ukraine's woes may be an omen of what might happen if NATO armies have to fight without ample air support and logistics.
Ukraine's counteroffensive was never going to be easy. Russian forces spent months building up their defenses, using a longstanding and still-effective Soviet-era approach to fortifications and adapting new tactics, such as bigger and more concentrated minefields.
The notion that Ukrainian troops would be able to replicate Western-style tactics after a few weeks of training — and discard decades of rigid, top-down Soviet-style command and control — was always a stretch.Learning a new way of war is tough enough in peacetime, let alone in the midst of an offensive against some of the most formidable fortifications on Earth.
https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1708227974661599435
Close Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev declares Russia will invade more of Ukraine as Vladimir marks anniversary of his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories
The former president vowed that Russia will aim to destroy the 'Nazi Kyiv' regime
His thoughts come a year after the illegal annexation of four territories
By LAUREN HAUGHEY and WILL STEWART
30 September 2023
Top Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev has vowed that Russia will invade more of Ukraine as Moscow on Saturday celebrated the anniversary of its illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories.
The former Russian President declared that victory will soon be Russia's, as the nation continues its 'special military operation' to completely obliterate the 'Nazi Kyiv regime'.
His harrowing statement came one year after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson annexed by Moscow following a series of controversial local elections.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12579365/Close-Putin-ally-Dmitry-Medvedev-declares-Russia-invade-Ukraine-Vladimir-marks-anniversary-illegal-annexation-Ukrainian-territories.html?ico=topics_pagination_desktop
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/16x6klc/russians_destroyed_the_last_mural_in_mariupol_it/
Winning hearts and minds huh?
I won't say this cannot be true, but it does sound like it's from Babylonsky Pravda. :silly:
The story is dubious, but with Russian and the "Russian" way of doing things, it cannot be entirely discounted:
Ukrainian officer's captured Putin tank breaks down so he 'rings Russian tech support... who actually offer to help'
Ukraine has so far captured around 200 of Russia's T-72B3 tanks
One operator, 'Kochevnik', cheekily called the Russian manufacturer for support
He claims to have gotten through to a company director for tech support
By PERKIN AMALARAJ
2 October 2023
A Ukrainian military officer claims he managed to get Russia to provide tech support for a broken down tank that was captured from Putin's forces.
A Ukrainian tank operator with the callsign 'Kochevnik' ran into problems with his captured Russian T-72B3, and cheekily decided to call the manufacturer's helpline.
To his surprise, a person from Uralvagonzavod, the tank's manufacturer, picked up and began giving him advice and support over the phone, he claims.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12583935/Ukrainian-officers-captured-Putin-tank-breaks-rings-Russian-tech-support-actually-offer-help.html
I think that if someone claiming to be a Russian tank officer called the manufacturer, it is perfectly credible it may go exactly like that.
I think that if someone claiming to be a Russian tank officer called the manufacturer, it is perfectly credible it may go exactly like that. So while it is unproven, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it were true.
The top Kremlin-installed official in the oblast, Yevgeny Balitsky, said Russia should also have its eye on the Baltic states, as well as Poland and Finland, all five of which are NATO countries...
In the interview shared by Russia watcher Julia Davis, Balitsky seemed ready to take on the alliance as he spoke of how the Russian Empire that ended with the 1917 revolution had "lost its footing" as well as "great numbers of people."
"I'm not even talking about territories. I understand that it includes Warsaw, Helsinki, also known as Helsingfors," he said...
"I don't believe in any diplomacy in this instance. Of course diplomacy always has to be present but I believe we can get it back only with the might of Russian weapons."..
But there is rhetoric from Kremlin propagandists about restoring the Russian Empire, with many Western analysts framing the war within the context of Putin's imperial ambitions.
After Russian marked the first anniversary of the so-called annexation of the four Ukrainian territories on September 30, propagandist Sergey Mardan spoke about the new holiday as marking Russia's supposed journey to restoring itself into an empire.
He said on his show Mardan Live that "the restoration of the Russian Empire" was what the celebration on September 30 "is all about."...
Russian Official Proposes Invading Five NATO Countries
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-zaporozhzhia-nato-invade-balitsky-1832236
EXCERPT
They couldn't even take Ukraine, how will they invade 5 more?
They couldn't even take Ukraine, how will they invade 5 more?
The Kilo-class submarine and the landing ship (which was being used to transport equipment and supplies) are probably both BER. Currently, they obstruct damaged drydocks, which lessens the usefulness of Sevastopol as a naval base. Whether or not the admiral commanding the fleet was killed in the strike on the headquarters building - Russian has claimed he is OK, yogi555 - many senior officers were killed, and the building is no longer usable. It doesn't garner a lot of coverage, but Ukraine has been picking off Russian radar and SAM sites protecting Sevastopol and Crimea (the attacks on the two ships and on the HQ probably exploited holes created by reduced radar and SAM coverage).
All this taken together, it was prudent, and probably well overdue, for the Black Sea Fleet to pull back to Novorossiysk. This base, too, is not utterly safe, but far fewer Ukrainians assets can reach it. So far. It says a lot about Russians' technology and how thinly stretched they are that they could not "simply" beef up protection of the Sevastopol base.
It also means that if the Russians cannot reliably have ships in Crimea, they are far more vulnerable if that land bridge gets severed.
Putin runs scared as his Black Sea Fleet retreats from Crimean port
By DAVID AVERRE
5 October 2023
Satellite images have shown how Vladimir Putin is running scared from Ukraine's assault on Crimea, revealing that the bulk of his Black Sea Fleet has performed a major retreat. Russian warships were evacuated from Sevastopol some 237 miles to Novorossiysk on Russia's southern coast, in what British Defense Minister James Heappey called 'the functional defeat of the Black Sea Fleet'.
The exodus of around ten vessels came after Ukraine destroyed the Sevastopol headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in a missile strike on September 22. Nine days earlier Ukrainian missiles also hit the $303 million Kilo-class attack submarine Rostov-on-Don and large landing ship Minsk in a repair shipyard in naval port Sevastopol.
The Rostov-on-Don suffered massive damage and was likely beyond repair, analysts said. OSINT analyst MT Anderson highlighted satellite images dated October 1 which indicate the move. Two Russian Project 11356 frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, three diesel submarines, five large landing ships and several small missile ships appeared to have been moved to Novorossiysk.
* * *
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12597813/Putin-runs-scared-Black-Sea-Fleet-retreats-Crimean-port.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12597813/Putin-runs-scared-Black-Sea-Fleet-retreats-Crimean-port.html)
They couldn't even take Ukraine, how will they invade 5 more?
@Weird Tolkienish Figure
They are counting on a combination of buying off western officials to not intervene,and surrender monkeys demanding we not fight.
He may even be right.
The "Better Red than Dead" mindset never really went away.
They are counting on the west cutting and running.
Putin erasing all trace of Wagner, even the cemeteries...
https://twitter.com/i/status/1695062129890480586
I think this version will render on the forum:
Thanks! I tried but couldn't get it to work like that for some reason.
Pretty low, though, bulldozing and paving over the graves of fighters who died for Mother Russia.
Agreed that it's low.
The war in Ukraine has gouged a scar in the landscape so vast, that it's easily visible from space.
A new analysis by NASA's Harvest program and shared exclusively with NPR shows that between 5.2 and 6.9 million acres (2.1-2.8 million hectares) of prime farmland have been abandoned as a result of the war since 2021. The abandoned fields represent between 6.5 and 8.5% of Ukraine's total cropland.
The losses represent "a massive amount of land," says Inbal Becker-Reshef, the program director for NASA Harvest and a research professor at the University of Maryland and the University of Strasbourg in France. Much of the fallow land lies in a vast swath along the front line of the war, while other fields are in areas recently retaken by Ukrainian forces, she says.
The scar left by the fighting is easily visible in satellite imagery from the commercial company Planet. Paradoxically, the untended farmland is still green because it has filled with weeds and other plants. Harvested plots mostly appear brown in the autumn.
Becker-Reshef says that while overall, Ukraine has been able to maintain its agricultural output this year, the abandoned fields have already cost the nation around $2 billion in lost crops. Moreover, she predicts the fighting will likely hinder Ukraine's output for many years to come. As the losses compound over time, "that cost will be much, much higher," she says.
Russia treat it's soldiers as expendable, yet watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48DaLYiO-yk
They claim to have this reverence for them. Yet their tanks are death traps and their troops are sent body armor made out of cardboard.
It's an odd place, Russia.
Russia is suffering massive losses in their offensive attacks on Avdiivka over the last few days. Nearly 2,000 dead and over 100 armored vehicles destroyed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/176gxku/ukrainian_military_struck_a_russian_column_of/
Updated Tue, Oct 17 20239:16 AM EDT
Ukraine war live updates: Putin visits ‘dear friend’ Xi in Beijing as Ukraine reports overnight strikes
Hannah Ward-Glenton
The world is watching closely as Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart and “dear friend” Xi Jinping meet at China’s Belt and Road forum in Beijing.
Putin and Xi described the relationship between their countries as having “no limits,” with “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation” in a statement in February 2022. The countries deepened ties in recent years.
There are also reports that Russia is revoking ratification of a nuclear test ban treaty because it does not approve of the United States’ attitude toward global security, Reuters reported. Putin said on Oct. 5 that he would not say whether or not Russia should resume its nuclear testing. ...
3 minute video, Russian revenge for losing their helicopters in Berdyansk and Luhansk:
Putin pays visit to Gerasimov in Rostov for war update.
Ukraine breaks through enemy lines in Russia-controlled south: ‘Russian losses are really staggering’
By Matthew Sedacca
Published Oct. 21, 2023
Ukrainian forces ramped up their attacks on Russian-held territory in the south while holding off Moscow’s assaults on the eastern town of Avdiivka, according to military experts and officials.
The Ukrainian military broke through the enemy lines after intensified assaults across the Dnipro River, near the southern city of Kherson.
“Ukrainian actions appear to be larger than previously observed tactical raids,” the think tank Institute for the Study of War said in a report.
In the town of Avdiivka, just nine miles from the Moscow-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces managed to repel and hold their ground against Russia, which launched relentless assaults there earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed.
“Thanks to all our boys, who powerfully hold the defense and destroy the occupier day after day,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram.
“These days, the Russian losses are really staggering, and it is precisely losses by the occupier that Ukraine needs.”
Ukraine received new support from the United States in the form of long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, which were deployed for the first time this week.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed to reporters the U.S. would continue to supply Kyiv with the advanced missiles, The Telegraph reported.
Officials have said the ATACMS could help reshape the course of the war by allowing Ukraine’s troops to attack previously unreachable supply lines, air bases and rail networks used by Russia in occupied territories.
* * *
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/10/21/ukraine-break-through-enemy-lines-in-russia-controlled-south/ (https://nypost.com/2023/10/21/ukraine-break-through-enemy-lines-in-russia-controlled-south/)
Giant Russian military plane explodes in fireball as it takes off from remote airbase with mystery cargo
...
Ukraine breaks through enemy lines in Russia-controlled south: ‘Russian losses are really staggering’
...
The Il-76 is similar in age and capability to the USAF C-141 Starlifter. Taking bits from the article, this fire happened in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This particular Il-76 has, in the past, been used in supplying the Russian effort to conquer Ukraine.
This should be posted on the TOS.
Did anyone else read that Putin had some kind of major cardiac event.
It's sort of dropped of the news since I first saw it this a.m.
Hit piece on Zelensky from "some advisors."Good point. I'd like to know what or who is behind this TIME profile.
So I guess Churchill's iron determination to win against Hitler was similarly "worrying" in November 1941, when he then felt betrayed by the U.S. and its refusal to do more than Lend-Lease at that time.
Good point. I'd like to know what or who is behind this TIME profile.
I find it curious Time would publish something negative about VZ, when the American media are so under the control of the Democrat party and pretty much write whatever the DNC orders. Does this mean the Democrats are turning on Zelenskyy?
Five months into its counter-offensive, Ukraine has managed to advance by just 17 kilometres. Russia fought for ten months around Bakhmut in the east “to take a town six by six kilometres”. Sharing his first comprehensive assessment of the campaign with The Economist in an interview this week, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, says the battlefield reminds him of the great conflict of a century ago. “Just like in the first world war we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” he says. The general concludes that it would take a massive technological leap to break the deadlock. “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”
The course of the counter-offensive has undermined Western hopes that Ukraine could use it to demonstrate that the war is unwinnable, forcing Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to negotiate. It has also undercut General Zaluzhny’s assumption that he could stop Russia by bleeding its troops. “That was my mistake. Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country such casualties would have stopped the war.” But not in Russia, where life is cheap and where Mr Putin’s reference points are the first and second world wars, in which Russia lost tens of millions.
An army of Ukraine’s standard ought to have been able to move at a speed of 30km a day as it breached Russian lines. “If you look at nato’s text books and at the maths which we did, four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again,” General Zaluzhny says sardonically. Instead he watched his troops get stuck in minefields on the approaches to Bakhmut in the east, his Western-supplied equipment getting pummelled by Russian artillery and drones. The same story unfolded on the offensive’s main thrust in the south, where inexperienced brigades immediately ran into trouble.
“First I thought there was something wrong with our commanders, so I changed some of them. Then I thought maybe our soldiers are not fit for purpose, so I moved soldiers in some brigades,” says General Zaluzhny. When those changes failed to make a difference, the general told his staff to dig out a book he once saw as a student. Its title was “Breaching Fortified Defence Lines”. It was published in 1941 by a Soviet major-general, P.S. Smirnov, who analysed the battles of the first world war. “And before I got even halfway through it, I realised that is exactly where we are because just like then, the level of our technological development today has put both us and our enemies in a stupor.”
That thesis, he says, was borne out as he went to the front line in Avdiivka, also in the east, where Russia has recently advanced by a few hundred metres over several weeks by throwing in two of its armies. “On our monitor screens the day I was there we saw 140 Russian machines ablaze—destroyed within four hours of coming within firing range of our artillery.” Those fleeing were chased by “first-person-view” drones, remote-controlled and carrying explosive charges that their operators simply crash into the enemy. The same picture unfolds when Ukrainian troops try to advance. General Zaluzhny describes a battlefield in which modern sensors can identify any concentration of forces, and modern precision weapons can destroy it. “The simple fact is that we see everything the enemy is doing and they see everything we are doing. In order for us to break this deadlock we need something new, like the gunpowder which the Chinese invented and which we are still using to kill each other,” he says.
Russian assault on Avdiivka
https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/17ms6yh/ukrainian_2nd_mechanised_battalion_of_the/
All that misery for what?
Just...wow.
(WARNING: GRAPHIC/NSFW)
Those Russians had a really bad day. Kudos to the discipline of the Ukrainians holding back their fire until the AFV was right on top of them.
Russian vehicles are known death traps.
These days the word "Armor" is synonymous with the words "Missile Magnet".
Tanks as now as obsolete as bicycles on a battlefield.
Armor is the last place I'd want to be on the modern battlefield.
It's not the armor per se, it's the tactics. Sure, armor has its vulnerabilities. But the idiotic way The Russians are using it only exacerbates those vulnerabilities.
Even in Iraq they were basically target I think too. I mean, armored warfare needs to adjust to the 21st century. Anti-drone, anti-missile tech needs to adjust, then maybe armor will be relevant. The Russian military just put seemingly zero resources into anticipating these types of threats.
Andrew Pollack
@AndrewPollackFL
Nobody hates Israel more than Zelenskyy right now I haven’t heard from that little weasel in a month.
2:59 PM · Nov 18, 2023
Yet if Andrew Pollack found himself in Zelenskyy's shoes he'd run off and hide in another country. It's easy to run your mouth when you don't bare the responsibility of trying to guide your country through a Russian invasion and with a bounty on your head. Ukraine has done something no one thought they could. Pollack can go F'off.
Yet if Andrew Pollack found himself in Zelenskyy's shoes he'd run off and hide in another country. It's easy to run your mouth when you don't bare the responsibility of trying to guide your country through a Russian invasion and with a bounty on your head. Ukraine has done something no one thought they could. Pollack can go F'off.
An entire generation of men has been wiped out over the last 20 months while Washington has been telling us they’re “weeks away from victory”
What a tragedy. (Video)
johnny maga
@_johnnymaga
·
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An entire generation of men has been wiped out over the last 20 months while Washington has been telling us they’re “weeks away from victory”
What a tragedy
The Ukranians are at a strategic disadvantage because the Russians have air supremacy.
Who said we were "weeks away from victory"?
The Russians do not have air supremacy.
Nobody I know of, and Biteme is surrounded by idiots.
Who said we were "weeks away from victory"?
She makes it up as she goes...
@Cyber Liberty
And even they are smart enough to understand they look sharp by comparison.
In other words, yet another lie posted by @Right_in_Virginia on these boards.
Is was a retweet @Hoodat Maybe one of your doctors can explain this to you. (You should ask them to check your meds, again)
Since you obviously missed the tweet the first time ----- here it is, just for you.
https://twitter.com/_johnnymaga/status/1726715143231533438
Who said we were "weeks away from victory"?
At no point has anyone claimed Ukraine was going to win the war in two weeks. Many said that about Russia - and they were dead wrong. You have been trashing Ukraine from the start while posting anything favorable to Putin no matter how false. You're like Trump when he spreads lies by saying "some people say" followed by the lie. He didn't "say it" - as he says it.
This gets your panties in a wad, but killing a generation of Ukrainian men you're okay with @Hoodat
Maybe the early reports of Russian forces stuck in the mud, being a paper tiger, out of armaments, Putin's imminent death and those thousands of posts on social media showing Ukraine's magnificent and heroic battlefield victories laid the expectation of Ukraine's swift victory. I believe it's called propaganda --- worked. . :shrug: @DB
Maybe you should stop polluting this forum with lies.
This gets your panties in a wad, but killing a generation of Ukrainian men you're okay with @Hoodat **nononono*How easy to forget the paroxysms of death rampant that killed off the most fit men in Europe during WWI and WWII, sometimes by the tens of thousands in a single attack. We have been breeding generations of 4Fs and sending the most fit to die, as has ever been the nature of war on the continent.
(BTW, maybe the early reports of Russian forces stuck in the mud, being a paper tiger, out of armaments, Putin's imminent death and those thousands of posts on social media showing Ukraine's magnificent and heroic battlefield victories laid the expectation of Ukraine's swift victory. I believe it's called propaganda.---- worked :shrug:)
The earliest known state of warfare existed sometime between 13,400 and 18,600 years ago in what is now Sudan.https://legionmagazine.com/the-myth-of-the-long-peace/ (https://legionmagazine.com/the-myth-of-the-long-peace/)
First excavated in the 1960s, the cemetery at Jebel Sahaba was revisited in recent years by at team of paleoanthropologists, anthropologists, geochemists and prehistorians armed with new technologies and perspectives.
What they discovered was that the remains thought to have come from a single battle in fact died over the course of protracted warfare that took place at least 8,000 years before the rise of Egyptian civilization.
This isn't about disagreeing with an opinion. “Weeks away from victory” was in quotes.
How easy to forget the paroxysms of death rampant that killed off the most fit men in Europe during WWI and WWII, sometimes by the tens of thousands in a single attack. We have been breeding generations of 4Fs and sending the most fit to die, as has ever been the nature of war on the continent.
Aside from the Pax Britannica (1815-1914), this has been the longest period of relative peace in Europe. As for humans, https://legionmagazine.com/the-myth-of-the-long-peace/ (https://legionmagazine.com/the-myth-of-the-long-peace/)
So all we have to do is fight harder and we'll all be home for Christmas, right?
It was the Russians who were anticipated to overrun Ukraine in two weeks. That didn't work, because the Ukrainians have had something to say about that. Those who have not fought have taken families and left, but those who remain are the epitome of "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees".
We may praise those who took their final stand at Masada (https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Masada), and if so, how can anyone decry an entire nation resisting invasion, no matter the cost?
https://twitter.com/_johnnymaga/status/1726715143231533438
This gets your panties in a wad, but killing a generation of Ukrainian men you're okay with @Hoodat **nononono*
It was the Russians who were anticipated to overrun Ukraine in two weeks. That didn't work, because the Ukrainians have had something to say about that. Those who have not fought have taken families and left, but those who remain are the epitome of "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees".
Maybe the early reports of Russian forces stuck in the mud, being a paper tiger, out of armaments, Putin's imminent death and those thousands of posts on social media showing Ukraine's magnificent and heroic battlefield victories laid the expectation of Ukraine's swift victory. I believe it's called propaganda --- worked. . :shrug: @DB
After traveling overnight by train from Poland, Mr. Austin said he came to Ukraine with the message that the U.S. will continue to stand with Kyiv. Along with words of encouragement, he announced a $100 million cache of military hardware. ...
It was the Russians who were anticipated to overrun Ukraine in two weeks. That didn't work, because the Ukrainians have had something to say about that. Those who have not fought have taken families and left, but those who remain are the epitome of "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees".
Legit question:
If Russia demands Alaska back do we say:
1. No and risk a war with Russia?
2. Give them Alaska just to avoid war.
Yes, they do want Alaska back.
I don't believe that the desire to save lives has anything to do with their position. Literally nothing.
Personally, I'm appalled at this corrosive new appeasement strain within Conservative circles that unconditional surrender to totalitarian dictatorships and terrorists to "save lives" is now preferable to fighting for freedom and liberty.
Maybe the early reports of Russian forces stuck in the mud, being a paper tiger, out of armaments....
To a great extent, that all is true.
This war began with Russia having a massive advantage in terms of conventional military forces. When you consider Russia's reported reserves - including things like 12,000 tanks and 20,000 artillery tubes - It was all but insurmountable.
But as it turned out, a great deal of Russia's military was hollow. The reported reserve equipment was either not maintained or poorly maintained, and most of it was inoperable. That left them with a still very considerable advantage in conventional forces at the outside of the war, but that has been whittled down over time by extraordinarily tough Ukrainian generalship, and better training at both the small unit and staff levels.
The idea that you crane would still be able to hold all the territory at holds, and inflict the massive damage upon Russia's military that has been inflicted, is something that was almost inconceivable at the start of the war.
People who didn't understand the strategic imbalance at the beginning of the war have tended to confuse Ukrainian battlefield victories with strategic victory, and an ability to end the war quickly. But that doesn't render the Ukrainian battlefield victories or the degradation of the Russian military any less remarkable
The idea that you crane would still be able to hold all the territory at holds, and inflict the massive damage upon Russia's military that has been inflicted, is something that was almost inconceivable at the start of the war.
People who didn't understand the strategic imbalance at the beginning of the war have tended to confuse Ukrainian battlefield victories with strategic victory, and an ability to end the war quickly. But that doesn't render the Ukrainian battlefield victories or the degradation of the Russian military any less remarkable
I agree with your assessment, but must note: Gotta love 'voice to text'...
If AI takes over, I am just going to sit back in a safe place with ample popcorn, snacks, and beverages and watch the wheels come off...
Lots of senior officers gone...
Putin is urging women to have as many as 8 children after so many Russians died in his war with UkraineI thought this sounded familiar ...
On August 12, 1938, Adolf Hitler institutes the Mother’s Cross, to encourage German women to have more children, to be awarded each year on August 12, Hitler’s mother’s birthday.History.com (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-institutes-the-mothers-cross)
The German Reich needed a robust and growing population and encouraged couples to have large families. ...
I thought this sounded familiar ...History.com (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-institutes-the-mothers-cross)Well it beats opening your borders...
Putin is urging women to have as many as 8 children after so many Russians died in his war with Ukraine
Was that Zelensky, or the people in his office?
If you support someone why charge $100,000?
Or do Agents for actors there skim 1/3 off the top routinely?
Because for 100K, it's just another acting gig.
Danny Trejo refused a visit to Ukraine because the Office of the President wanted a “kickback".
Was that Zelensky, or the people in his office?Sounds like VZ's underling is the one profiting. No indication the president is involved, to my knowledge.
Sounds like VZ's underling is the one profiting. No indication the president is involved, to my knowledge.That's my take, too.
Russian army destroys millions of documents on Nazi crimes in Ukrainian state archives
QuoteDocuments relating to the actions of the Soviet authorities in Ukraine in the post-war period were also destroyed.
@Elderberry
THERE's a shock!
Let us not forget that the Soviets and the Nazi's were bestest "butt-bunny allies" right up until the day that Hitler invaded Russia.
Call me cynical if you want,but I STRONGLY suspect the current neo-Soviet leadership seriously wants to get THOSE documents in their possession so they can destroy them.
There is NOTHING that communists love more than "re-creating history".
Ukraine's security service said on Saturday it had prevented former president Petro Poroshenko from leaving the country on grounds that Russia planned to exploit a planned meeting with Hungary's prime minister to hurt Ukrainian interests.
Poroshenko's political party, European Solidarity, said the former president had scheduled only meetings in Poland and the United States and warned the SBU security service against becoming involved in politics.
Poroshenko was turned away at a border post on Friday.
The SBU said he had planned to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains ties with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and opposes opening talks on European Union membership with Ukraine.
An SBU statement said Russia was preparing a series of "provocations" to discredit Ukraine among its foreign allies as the war against Russia stretches beyond 21 months.
It provided no evidence to support the allegations.
Of the possible meeting with Orban, the SBU said: "Russia planned to use this meeting (like other 'working meetings with ... representative of countries voicing pro-Russian narratives) in psychological operations against Ukraine."
On June 15, in a conference room at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, flanked by top U.S. commanders, sat around a table with his Ukrainian counterpart, who was joined by aides from Kyiv. The room was heavy with an air of frustration.
Austin, in his deliberate baritone, asked Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov about Ukraine’s decision-making in the opening days of its long-awaited counteroffensive, pressing him on why his forces weren’t using Western-supplied mine-clearing equipment to enable a larger, mechanized assault, or using smoke to conceal their advances. Despite Russia’s thick defensive lines, Austin said, the Kremlin’s troops weren’t invincible.
Reznikov, a bald, bespectacled lawyer, said Ukraine’s military commanders were the ones making those decisions. But he noted that Ukraine’s armored vehicles were being destroyed by Russian helicopters, drones and artillery with every attempt to advance. Without air support, he said, the only option was to use artillery to shell Russian lines, dismount from the targeted vehicles and proceed on foot.
“We can’t maneuver because of the land-mine density and tank ambushes,” Reznikov said, according to an official who was present.
Key elements that shaped the counteroffensive and the initial outcome include:
● Ukrainian, U.S. and British military officers held eight major tabletop war games to build a campaign plan. But Washington miscalculated the extent to which Ukraine’s forces could be transformed into a Western-style fighting force in a short period — especially without giving Kyiv air power integral to modern militaries.
● U.S. and Ukrainian officials sharply disagreed at times over strategy, tactics and timing. The Pentagon wanted the assault to begin in mid-April to prevent Russia from continuing to strengthen its lines. The Ukrainians hesitated, insisting they weren’t ready without additional weapons and training.
● U.S. military officials were confident that a mechanized frontal attack on Russian lines was feasible with the troops and weapons that Ukraine had. The simulations concluded that Kyiv’s forces, in the best case, could reach the Sea of Azov and cut off Russian troops in the south in 60 to 90 days.
● The United States advocated a focused assault along that southern axis, but Ukraine’s leadership believed its forces had to attack at three distinct points along the 600-mile front, southward toward both Melitopol and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov and east toward the embattled city of Bakhmut.
● The U.S. intelligence community had a more downbeat view than the U.S. military, assessing that the offensive had only a 50-50 chance of success given the stout, multilayered defenses Russia had built up over the winter and spring.
● Many in Ukraine and the West underestimated Russia’s ability to rebound from battlefield disasters and exploit its perennial strengths: manpower, mines and a willingness to sacrifice lives on a scale that few other countries can countenance.
● As the expected launch of the offensive approached, Ukrainian military officials feared they would suffer catastrophic losses — while American officials believed the toll would ultimately be higher without a decisive assault.
White House Warns U.S. Funding for Ukraine to Run Dry by End of the Year
Simon Kent 4 Dec 2023
The White House warned Monday that U.S. funds for Ukraine will run dry by the end of the year, bluntly declaring a failure by Congress to approve new support would “kneecap” Kyiv and hinder efforts to deliver more lethal aid from U.S. reserves.
The Financial Times reports the alert comes from Shalanda Young, the White House budget director. She set out her worries in a letter to congressional leaders in the most direct assessment yet of Washington’s waning financial and military support for Ukraine.
The White House is seeking $61 billion more for Ukraine aid in the latest tranche even as bipartisan support fades.
The proposal is part of a $106 billion supplemental package Biden sent lawmakers in October for additional funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Pacific and the U.S.-Mexico border.
more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/12/04/white-house-warns-u-s-funding-for-ukraine-to-run-dry-by-end-of-the-year/
Enough is enough. Ukraine has been given plenty -- I get that funds have been siphoned off (probably on both sides) -- Ukraine needs to stand on their own. The U.S. and others have been pouring money to try to help them win against Putin. Rumor has it that munitions and $$ made it into the hands of Hamas who used it to brutally and savagely attack Israel.
The U.S. and others have been pouring money to try to help them win against Putin.
@libertybele
So Jewish lives are important,and to hell with Christian lives?
That IS the message you are sending out,and if that is NOT what you mean,you need to clear this up.
Other nations have been providing weapons to help them win. The US has been pouring in money to the rest of Europe while denying Ukraine what is needed to win. The official US policy is to drag this war out.Yes, it is becoming obvious that the US is going to drag this out as long as they can; evil Joe and others are pocketing some serious change.
Yes, it is becoming obvious that the US is going to drag this out as long as they can; evil Joe and others are pocketing some serious change.
@libertybele
Do you have proof or are you spouting the Pro-Putin crap that is usually spouted by the MAGA minions? Also for someone who claims not to be a MAGA minion, you sure do act like one.
How many times do we need to say that not supporting the USA's limitless funding of Ukraine's war is not the same as supporting Putin?
Well,YES,IT IS.
The neo-Soviets see this as an indication that the west will help them conquer Ukraine by holding back on weapons,food,and money to pay the troops as well as make other purchases necessary.QuoteIt really shouldn't be that difficult, assuming there's any critical thinking involved.
Oh,the irony!
How many times do we need to say that not supporting the USA's limitless funding of Ukraine's war is not the same as supporting Putin? It really shouldn't be that difficult, assuming there's any critical thinking involved.
Interesting accusation @kevindavis007 I have posted several articles questioning and suggesting that Z and Brandon are siphoning off money. How that makes me a MAGA in your books, I don't know and I truly don't care.
I stand by my opinion that I don't believe that we should continue to send BILLIONS to Ukraine -- I have posted as to why several times along with time lines, Glenn Beck's research, some history of Ukraine/Russia war that has been on going for decades, etc. Also -- it has been 'rumored' that some of the $$ wound up in the hands of Hamas.
It is hard to discern the truth as to what is currently taking place - to refute the validity in either direction with certainty one would have to have first hand experience and obviously I don't and I would assume neither do you. It then boils down to what you believe in based on what you have read, including research what you believe to be true. MSM isn't going to give the full picture -- so backtracking and doing a little research of the history of Ukraine sheds a little light on what may be the bigger picture. Just my opinion.
The atrocities committed against Ukraine's people and also Russia's people is horrific and I don't think that is in dispute.
I do agree that we need to close our own border IMMEDIATELY, and stop ALL migration into this country. That should have been done decades ago. The billions that we have spent on Ukraine could have been used to build an almost impenetrable wall, having armed guards along the wall and drones. Securing our own border should be paramount.
Nothing I haven't posted before. Like it or not, that is my opinion. If you want to label me as MAGA, go right ahead.
Baloney.
Why do you want Putin win?
@Libertybelle
Ok Putin bot
I'll say it again - send weapons, lots of weapons. No cash.
Rep. Mike Waltz
@michaelgwaltz
Just left a closed-door briefing on Ukraine - still NO CLEAR STRATEGIC GOAL outlined by the Biden Administration.
11:12 AM · Dec 12, 2023
https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1735316916917662022Hard for me to understand why it's so hard to do something about our own borders so that more funding can go to Ukraine :shrug: It's not Rocket Surgery, do the right thing for Americans and then do the right thing for Ukraine.
Hard for me to understand why it's so hard to do something about our own borders so that more funding can go to Ukraine :shrug: It's not Rocket Surgery, do the right thing for Americans and then do the right thing for Ukraine.
Hard for me to figure out why American taxpayers should continue to fund political slush funds like Ukraine.
Considering your tagline, "Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God," does that include Russian tyrants?
Hard for me to figure out why American taxpayers should continue to fund political slush funds like Ukraine.Actually I don't think they should, I just don't see Ukraine winning no matter how much debt we throw on America's future generations because this will come down to a war of attrition and Russia has many more soldiers to use as cannon fodder than does Ukraine.
Yes! It does! Now tell me how a political slush fund in Ukraine accomplishes that.Ukraine is not a political slush fund. I'm getting really tired of that stupid straw man too.
Actually I don't think they should, I just don't see Ukraine winning no matter how much debt we throw on America's future generations because this will come down to a war of attrition and Russia has many more soldiers to use as cannon fodder than does Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a political slush fund. I'm getting really tired of that stupid straw man too.
So, YOU say! I beg to differ! And BTW: I don't give a flyin F' what you are tired of.
The United States has a much higher stake in Russia's war on Ukraine than most people think. A Russian conquest of all of Ukraine is by no means impossible if the United States cuts off all military assistance and Europe follows suit. Such an outcome would bring a battered but triumphant Russian army right up to NATO’s border from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean. The Ukrainian military with Western support has destroyed nearly 90% of the Russian army that invaded in February 2022 according to US intelligence sources, but the Russians have replaced those manpower losses and are ramping up their industrial base to make good their material losses at a rate much faster than their pre-war capacity had permitted.[1]
A victorious Russian army at the end of this war will be combat experienced and considerably larger than the pre-2022 Russian land forces. The Russian economy will gradually recover as sanctions inevitably erode and Moscow develops ways to circumvent or mitigate those that remain. Over time it will replace its equipment and rebuild its coherence, drawing on a wealth of hard-won experience fighting mechanized warfare. It will bring with it advanced air defense systems that only American stealth aircraft—badly needed to deter and confront China—can reliably penetrate. Russia can pose a major conventional military threat to NATO for the first time since the 1990s in a timeframe set to a considerable extent by how much the Kremlin invests in its military. Since Moscow has already committed to an ambitious post-war military expansion program the US cannot be confident that the timeframe will be very long.[2]
The overall military potential of the United States and its NATO allies is so much greater than that of Russia that there is no reason to doubt the West’s ability to defeat any conceivable Russian military even assuming that Russia fully absorbs Ukraine and Belarus. But as Americans consider the costs of continuing to help Ukraine fight the Russians in the coming years, they deserve a careful consideration of the costs of allowing Russia to win. Those costs are much higher than most people imagine.
To deter and defend against a renewed Russian threat following a full Russian victory in Ukraine the United States will have to deploy to Eastern Europe a sizable portion of its ground forces. The United States will have to station in Europe a large number of stealth aircraft. Building and maintaining those aircraft is intrinsically expensive, but challenges in manufacturing them rapidly will likely force the United States to make a terrible choice between keeping enough in Asia to defend Taiwan and its other Asian allies and deterring or defeating a Russian attack on a NATO ally. The entire undertaking will cost a fortune, and the cost will last as long as the Russian threat continues—potentially indefinitely.
Almost any other outcome of the Ukraine war is preferable to this one. Helping Ukraine keep the lines where they are through continuous Western military support is far more advantageous and cheaper for the United States than allowing Ukraine to lose. “Freezing” the conflict is worse than continuing to help Ukraine fight—that would simply give Russia time and space to prepare for a renewed war to conquer Ukraine and confront NATO. Helping Ukraine regain control of all or most of its territory would be much more advantageous, as it would drive Russian forces even further to the east. Best of all, supporting Ukraine to its victory and then helping it rebuild would put the largest and most combat-effective friendly military on the European continent at the forefront of the defense of NATO—whether Ukraine does or does not ultimately join the alliance.
In all these scenarios Americans should keep in mind that Ukraine is not Afghanistan. Afghanistan in 2001 was one of the poorest countries in the world with no industry to speak of and a poorly-educated population. Ukraine is highly industrialized with a modern, urban, and highly educated population. Restored to its 1991 borders Ukraine’s economy is large enough to support its own military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently committed his country to establishing its own military industry including by establishing joint ventures with Western firms to benefit Ukraine and its partners.[3] A victorious Ukraine would not be a permanent ward of the West. It can instead be truly independent and contribute greatly to NATO’s security and the West’s economy.
So democracies and republics should always surrender to totalitarian regimes because they out number us and it's more convenient?Should the American people be on the hook for paying the cost of what will end up like Vietnam or Korea? How long till the impossibility of winning is accepted? Let Germany and Europe pay the cost to keep that war going, we have our own war going on at our own borders and not jack is being done about it. Where was America and it's promise of aid when the Russians rolled over Hungary? Sometimes reality has to be acknowledged no matter how many wishes and platitudes you come up with.
Well I don't give a flyin F' what you think. Keep on living in the 1930s with your head in the sand if that makes you happy.
How long till the impossibility of winning is accepted?
Tell me, when the arms alone are not enough, when the men and women of Ukraine are exhausted through attrition, will you want to send Americans to die for Ukraine so that there is no surrender to a totalitarian regime? Where and when does it end? Sorry I have no nephews or grandsons to send to die for another nation all in the name of holding back the red menace **nononono*
Not a single damn war fought against communism have we won, even Reagan bringing down the Berlin wall was just a small win as socialism/communism still took hold in most of Europe.
Hard for me to understand why it's so hard to do something about our own borders so that more funding can go to Ukraine :shrug: It's not Rocket Surgery, do the right thing for Americans and then do the right thing for Ukraine.
Hard for me to understand why it's so hard to do something about our own borders so that more funding can go to Ukraine :shrug: It's not Rocket Surgery, do the right thing for Americans and then do the right thing for Ukraine.
Yes! It does! Now tell me how a political slush fund in Ukraine accomplishes that.
QuoteAmerica funds Ukraine in the hopes it doesn't have to fund more countries in a larger war should Russia succeed.
I don't like writing it,but that is almost a certainty. Help Ukraine to defeat the Neo-Soviets,and not only will Pooty-Poot be removed from office,chances are he will be executed. This just MIGHT cause his replacement to be a little more moderate and a LOT less adventuress.QuoteUnfortunately for the Ukranains, the Biden Admin is only supplying enough to maintain a protracted stalemate, not all out victory.
Chances are they are stealing at least half the money.
Actually I don't think they should, I just don't see Ukraine winning no matter how much debt we throw on America's future generations because this will come down to a war of attrition and Russia has many more soldiers to use as cannon fodder than does Ukraine.
I think there's a failure to communicate...
@Bigun 's primary issue is cash, not weapons. We should not be sending cash to Ukraine for all those involved to grift from. Weapons on the other hand should be given freely as long as they are willing to use them on the Russian invaders. We should be giving them better weapons, weapons to win with.
That's exactly right! I'm sick to death of USA taxpayers providing ATMs to crooked politicians anywhere!
No different than donating $1.00 to United Fund and seeing $.10 get to people who actually need it.
@Bigun
If we could control human nature to the point where greed and the desire for power and wealth were eliminated,there would be no need for armies.
Or police stations and prisons.
Sometimes you just have to establish a balance between the good and the bad in order for "good" to even be possible,never mind guaranteed.
Or put another way,TRY to establish a balance between good and evil,with the scales tilting towards "good".
‘Complete Annihilation’: Five Russian Battalions Went Up In Smoke And Flames Trying To Surround Avdiivka
David Axe • 5h
The Russian army has lost at least 211 armored vehicles trying, and so far failing, to surround and cut off the Ukrainian garrison in Avdiivka, just northwest of Russian-occupied Donetsk city in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight scrutinized satellite imagery and verified all 211 wrecked and abandoned vehicles. Its tally aligns with a U.S. intelligence assessment, which concluded the Russians have lost 220 vehicles around Avdiivka—and 13,000 people, too. . .
. . . The vehicle toll “surpasses Russian losses in any other single battle,” Frontelligence reported, “making it the most devastating battle for Russian forces in terms of vehicle losses.”
Losing at least 211 vehicles and 13,000 soldiers killed and wounded amounts to the “complete annihilation of five battalions,” according to Frontelligence. “This represents significant losses in both equipment and personnel, considering the achieved results.” . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/complete-annihilation-five-russian-battalions-went-up-in-smoke-and-flames-trying-to-surround-avdiivka/ar-AA1lzJy3
Defense of Ukraine
@DefenceU
When you're driving a tracked combat vehicle, the weather doesn't matter.
Five Russian Battalions Went Up In Smoke And Flames Trying To Surround AvdiivkaMaybe it was the vodka.
@sneakypete
The vast majority of these casualties are from rural areas far removed from the consciousness of Moscow or St. Petersburg. Sure, they are having protests in Siberian towns. But those are easily suppressed.
Just saying:
How pro-Russian 'yacht' propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid
https://bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67766964
Just saying:
How pro-Russian 'yacht' propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid
https://bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67766964
Excellent find! I've seen that fake DC Weekly source posted everywhere, especially at TOS, supposedly proving Zelensky's grift and corruption.
Excellent find! I've seen that fake DC Weekly source posted everywhere, especially at TOS, supposedly proving Zelensky's grift and corruption.
Excellent find! I've seen that fake DC Weekly source posted everywhere, especially at TOS, supposedly proving Zelensky's grift and corruption.
Before and After pics of the Novocherkassk
Yeah, that'll buff right out. :dynamite:Maybe they can get some good ideas from this guy?
Yeah, that'll buff right out.
OSINTdefender
@sentdefender
Russia has called for an Emergency Meeting of the U.N. Security Council today to discuss the “Ukrainian Attack” launched against the City of Belgorod which they claim was caused by Britain and the United States’s support for Ukraine; they further requested that the Representative from Czechia attend the Meeting due to their claim that Czech Rockets were used in the Attack, however the Representative has Refused stating that they will only attend a Meeting to discuss Russian Forces leaving Ukraine.
WORLD AT WAR
@World_At_War_6
Ukraine is tired of Russia attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. It will lead to Russian cities and infrastructure becoming legitimate targets.
This will lead to an escalation!
Ukraine has deliberately chosen not to attack certain targets in Russia to avoid an escalation. That barrier is gone now.
Bad things coming 🔥
Good. Ukraine made an impact on Russia. Putin got butt-hurt.
Russia's casualty toll in Ukraine war will top half a million dead or wounded by 2025, UK says after Putin's deadly missile barrage killed at least 39 civilians
DailyMail
By JAMES CALLERY
30 December 2023(more)
- Defence Secretary Grant Shapps compared the scale of death and injury to the nine-year Soviet-Afghan war
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12912171/Russia-casualty-toll-ukraine-putin-missile-barrage.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12912171/Russia-casualty-toll-ukraine-putin-missile-barrage.html)
This is true:
https://twitter.com/kevindavis338/status/1741818559435563219
Yeah, that cartoon says it all. I'm very disappointed with Republicans in general, and many Conservatives in particular, who have adopted a misguided mindset of appeasement and neo-isolationism, and have deluded themselves into believing that a Russian victory in Ukraine will have no adverse consequences for the U.S. in the years to come. It seems that they have all forgotten their history about what happened in the 1930s and how it all led to World War II.
And I am particularly disgusted with those who have actually embraced Putin (like Tucker Carlson) and cheer him on while he robs and rapes Ukraine. What happened to Republicans who once cherished ideas of fighting for freedom and liberty, wherever it may be? What would Reagan say about the current state of the Republican Party? Does anybody remember his Solidarity speech in 1982?
https://www.history.com/speeches/reagan-supports-polands-solidarity-movement (https://www.history.com/speeches/reagan-supports-polands-solidarity-movement)
Yeah, that cartoon says it all. I'm very disappointed with Republicans in general, and many Conservatives in particular, who have adopted a misguided mindset of appeasement and neo-isolationism, and have deluded themselves into believing that a Russian victory in Ukraine will have no adverse consequences for the U.S. in the years to come. It seems that they have all forgotten their history about what happened in the 1930s and how it all led to World War II.
And I am particularly disgusted with those who have actually embraced Putin (like Tucker Carlson) and cheer him on while he robs and rapes Ukraine. What happened to Republicans who once cherished ideas of fighting for freedom and liberty, wherever it may be? What would Reagan say about the current state of the Republican Party? Does anybody remember his Solidarity speech in 1982?
https://www.history.com/speeches/reagan-supports-polands-solidarity-movement
Well, I think it has to do with the following factors:
1. The Paleocons and the Ron Paul supporters have infiltrated the GOP
2. Sour Grapism, a lot of people in the GOP are upset that Joe Biden and other Democrats are trying to help Ukraine. This is where I happen to agree with Joe Biden and no I don't like him.
3. This fake charade that Putin is a good Christian cause of his anti-Gay policies
There are actually US Citizens claiming that Putin is a Christian???????
That says more about them than it does Putin.
It seems that history is repeating. Back in WWII, our untouched homeland played a key role in victory. But in another war, that advantage won't exist. If Russia prevails, China's Taiwan ambitions and North Korea's aggression towards South Korea could explode, leaving us in a far more vulnerable position.
I'm disgusted by people like Tucker Carlson and other 'patriots' who cozied up to Putin. This pro-Putin sentiment within the GOP is a betrayal of Reagan's legacy of strong global leadership. Imagine how he'd spin in his grave seeing the party embrace neo-isolationism and appease a tyrant like Putin. We can't let them drag us back down that path. We need to stand united against aggression and push for diplomatic solutions, now, before it's too late.
Look, I hate to say it, but the pro-Putin voices getting louder just feel... suspiciously convenient. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but wonder if some folks aren't getting a helping hand from Moscow. Either way, this appeasement can't stand. We need to stand firm against Russia and its puppets before it's too late.
Look, I hate to say it, but the pro-Putin voices getting louder just feel... suspiciously convenient. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but wonder if some folks aren't getting a helping hand from Moscow. Either way, this appeasement can't stand. We need to stand firm against Russia and its puppets before it's too late.
There are actually US Citizens claiming that Putin is a Christian???????
That says more about them than it does Putin.
This is true:
Oh yeah, just check out any of the Ukraine War threads over at TOS, especially UMCRevMom's daily threads or SunkenCivs or Speed in Texas's, or any that I post. Putin's cheerleading section there thinks that he's doing the Lord's work.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/18wdiql/russian_liberation_not_a_living_soul_remains/
But yet the Muscovites are complaining about the Israelis in Gaza. Sheer hypocrisy!
I thught I kept hearing that Putin was dying. What's the hold up?
@catfish1957
Thanks to a whore herd of bodyguards and the renewed Soviet controls,nobody can get close to him that isn't searched for weapons and guarded the whole time they are near him.
The bodyguards are loyal because they know what will happen to them AND their families if anything negative happens to their "Master",or even if an attempt is made that scares him.
Understand his likely extensive web of security. I was more alluding to that his health was failing, and rapidly at that,
Understand his likely extensive web of security. I was more alluding to that his health was failing, and rapidly at that,
I thught I kept hearing that Putin was dying. What's the hold up?Maybe he's waiting for Joe to go first?
Convicted sex offender and alleged military analyst delivering a pep talk to Russian mercenaries in Chechnya:
Yet some people think that Russia is a good guy in this conflict
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1743882945457164641?t=-nYIDCx_cNT6pmeevYqSRQ&s=19
Yet some people think that Russia is a good guy in this conflict
@kevindavis007
NO sane person with any knowledge of history thinks that.
@kevindavis007
NO sane person with any knowledge of history thinks that.
Well, there is that one poster here who refers to them as "liberators" and "protectors".
QuoteBottomline, Putin has wanted to reunite the former USSR for a long time, and started with Ukraine. I am certain he thought he would conquer Ukraine in just a few days.
@jafo2010
Of course he did. He THINKS he is a military genius because he wore a military uniform,but the truth is he was never in the REAL Soviet Army. He was a intel weasel,based in East Germany,and in charge of running spies and trying to undermine western Europe.
Or at least that was his most prominent posting.QuoteFrankly, I never imagined they would last this long, but that is due to believing Russia was a stronger military force than they are. It appears to me Russia is largely a paper tiger.
You ain't by yourself. The Soviets had me fooled,too. I figured it would basically be a "walk-through with minimum resistance". My admiration for the courage and conviction of the Ukrainians is through the roof. After all,nobody alive today in Ukraine even lived in a "Free Ukraine",and few probably even had a concept of what that would be like. For all their lives Ukraine had been a "Vassal State buffer zone" between the west and the USSR.QuoteI see this war lasting about eight years, much like Afghanistan, when Russia will have depleted much of their treasury and be forced to call it quits. It will end sooner if Putin is out of power.
I dunno about 8 years one way or the other,but I am in total agreement with the rest of it. In fact,I SUSPECT it will only end when the senior Generals in Russia decide to call it quits and pull a coup to remove him from power,or he dies from natural causes. Whichever comes first,because we all KNOW that at this point it is impossible for Putin to back off and remain in power. Maybe even to remain alive,because if "Mother Russia" gets her ass whupped by a subject little nation like Ukraine,what are the rest of the "vassal states" going to do if not think that they too can live free?
I am seriously hoping that there are senior Generals in the Red Army that are considering removing him from power before other vassal nations decide "Hey! If Ukraine can do this,so can we!" When/IF that happens,Russia is OVER as a major power nation.
Chances are it might be the straw that convinces China to make an invasion move on the oil and gold in Siberia. After all,the Russian Army will be/maybe already is,too weak to resist the invasion of hordes of charging Chinese.
There HAS to be some high-ranking Russian General Officers thinking about this.QuoteBut anyone holding their breath for the people to overthrow him, don't hold your breath. And the folks wondering about his health, don't hold your breath for that either. Putin is not a heavy drinker like the stereotypical Russian to my knowledge, gets exercise, and I expect him to live well into his 80s.
I don't know about his health,but I do know that ALL the power in Russia flows through the Russian military. When the Generals get together and decide it is time for Putin to go,he goes. He MIGHT be allowed to flee with his yacht and millions,but it is more likely he will be executed. Maybe even in public,as "The traitor that destroyed The Soviet Union".QuoteThat means this war goes on and on. He does not care if multiple millions of Russian men die, for they are all expendable.
Agreed. Like all "Maximum Leaders",it is all about "Me,me,ME,DAMMIT!". Nothing and no else matters.QuoteBecause everything is completely controlled in Russia, the people do not have any freedom of free thought. They are told what to think, and they do not step out of line, they do not question ANYTHING. And with the prisons emptied out and the men sent to Ukraine to fight for their freedom, Russia has lots of room in their prisons for new occupants.
There is not one person living in Russia that has lived there their whole lives that knows what it is like to live free. They are ALL "tools of the Kremlin and expendable",and they know it. Not even the Generals. ALL power flows from the top down.
Kinda like the wet dreams of the DNC.
OMG...that's hilarious! What a joke he is!Yeah, the idea of "friendship" between the USA and Chechnya is just a little crazy. Good grief.
Yet some people think that Russia is a good guy in this conflictVisegrád 24
Bottomline, Putin has wanted to reunite the former USSR for a long time, and started with Ukraine. I am certain he thought he would conquer Ukraine in just a few days. Frankly, I never imagined they would last this long, but that is due to believing Russia was a stronger military force than they are. It appears to me Russia is largely a paper tiger.
I agree fully with that part of you post @jafo2010 but I see I see protecting the money laundering as the ONLY real reason the USA is aiding Ukraine. Call me cynical.Keep in mind that with that much money flying around, there is always room for kickbacks and laundering, with enough to fight a war left over.
Russia is firing everything it has at Ukraine right now. Cruise missiles from bombers, sea-launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, suicide drones & S-300 missiles against Kharkiv. They are going after the energy grid
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1744235518953488770
@mountaineerThey are just following orders, don'cha know.
And the Chinese as LOVING the hell out of it. The sooner Russia wastes all her missiles,soldiers,armor,etc,etc,etc on Ukraine,they will be free to just walk into Russia and take over the oil fields and gold mines. A few Russian draftees with AK's won't be enough to even slow them down,never mind stop them.
Hell,Russia is even building a road and docking facilities for ships for them!
Kinda makes you wonder if ANYBODY in a military uniform in Russia is paying attention,doesn't it?
They are just following orders, don'cha know.
Keep in mind that with that much money flying around, there is always room for kickbacks and laundering, with enough to fight a war left over.
@Smokin JoeWell, it's either that of get shot. Maybe a labor camp... :shrug:
Which is what all "good little comrades" are expected to do.
Well, it's either that of get shot. Maybe a labor camp... :shrug:
@Smokin JoeI have played it through in my head. If the time comes, anyone who has to defend their Country on their home turf should take at least 3 attackers with them unless they are invading Chinese, then the number goes up to a dozen or more.
Well,there is always the option of shooting back.
If you are going to go down anyhow,why not go down fighting?
Well, it's either that of get shot. Maybe a labor camp... :shrug:
Josh Hawley
@HawleyMO
This is shocking - the Pentagon can’t account for more than HALF of Ukraine aid checked by watchdogs. And we’re going to send them $60 billion more?
NYT: U.S. Military Aid to Ukraine was Poorly Tracked, Pentagon Report Concludes (https://t.co/A4Uft6RI14)
1:17 PM · Jan 11, 2024
Story also at Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2024/01/11/over-1-billion-in-ukraine-military-aid-was-poorly-tracked-creating-concerns-over-risk-of-theft-pentagon-says/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=forbes&utm_term=se-breaking&sh=480d10f63543).
Josh Hawley
@HawleyMO
This is shocking - the Pentagon can’t account for more than HALF of Ukraine aid checked by watchdogs. And we’re going to send them $60 billion more?
So basically Trump wants appeasement:
https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1745935929108246590
This.....
If Putin defeats Ukraine, the Russian threat to our allies in Europe grows dramatically. Investing now to stop Putin in Ukraine helps to avoid bigger wars or threats of war in the future. Let us learn the lessons of the 1930s instead of repeating the same mistakes again.?
This.....
https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1746432239993290971?t=ntwixTN5_0f16L4Hc-Weww&s=19
If Putin defeats Ukraine, the Russian threat to our allies in Europe grows dramatically. Investing now to stop Putin in Ukraine helps to avoid bigger wars or threats of war in the future. Let us learn the lessons of the 1930s instead of repeating the same mistakes again.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine calls for the elite Davos World Economic Forum crowd to join him at a upcoming "global peace summit" to bring an end to the ongoing war with Russia.
Details about downed A-50 over Azov Sea and shot-down Il-22M
Kateryna Serohina • 6h
On the evening of January 14, the Ukrainian Air Forces shot down a Russian A-50 airborne early warning aircraft over the Azov Sea. Additionally, they damaged the Air Command Post Il-22.
Detailed characteristics of the destroyed aircraft, their purposes, and their significance to the aggressor.
Aircraft with airborne early warning (AEW) capabilities, such as the A-50, provide military air forces with an advantage over other forces deploying aircraft in the airspace.
The A-50 is equipped with an early warning and control system that detects distant airborne targets. These systems can observe launches of cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as the operation of air defense systems. . . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/details-about-downed-a-m50-over-azov-sea-and-shot-down-il-22m/ar-AA1mYsoB
Likely, the A-50 was hit with a Patriot missile. The Il-22 possibly made it back to a Russian airfield. But losing an A-50 is a big deal.
Another Russian General bites the dust.
https://twitter.com/aborealis940/status/1746895360809705515
Armor Experts Breakdown Video Of Ukrainian M2 Bradley Mauling Russian T-90M Tank
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/19awocm/an_interview_with_the_crew_commander_serhiy_and/
Richard Alexander
@ReiChiAlexan1_g
Ruzzia has a huge rail system, along with tons of gas and oil production...would be a shame if something was to happen to all these flammable assets.
WORLD AT WAR
@World_At_War_6
·
Ukraine is good at adapting its warfare. I believe that they will find a way forward despite the fact that military support is declining.
Ukraine drones hit St Petersburg gas terminal in Russia
If found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.
Russia says 74 killed on military plane that crashed near Ukrainian border
The Russian Defense Ministry blamed Ukraine for the downing of the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane inside Russian airspace, 5 to 6 kilometers (about 3 to 3.7 miles) from the village of Yablonovo in the Korocha district. It said Kyiv had used an anti-aircraft missile system to target the aircraft and called it an act of terrorism.
In other news, Vladimir Putin has just awarded a huge contract to Dominion to tally the results the upcoming election.
That's the last time you'll ever see those people.Outside of the front lines in Ukraine?
Yep
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1752129327108440549?t=YOJPXyJI5pGCM7rhAZ3FdA&s=19
I miss the Gipper
https://x.com/kevindavis338/status/1752320559470293327?t=GnSlDi3Mx8kBRCEuOsTIeA&s=09
I miss the Gipper
https://x.com/kevindavis338/status/1752320559470293327?t=GnSlDi3Mx8kBRCEuOsTIeA&s=09
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his top commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, that he was firing him in a meeting on Monday, according to a senior official familiar with the conversation — a disruptive military shake-up amid Ukraine’s struggles on the battlefield and after months of friction between the president and the popular general.
Zaluzhny remains in his post for now, but a formal presidential decree is expected to confirm his ousting nearly two years into Russia’s invasion and as Moscow’s forces appear to be gaining the strategic initiative on some parts of the front.
On Monday, Zelensky’s spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, denied that Zaluzhny had been fired. “There is no subject of conversation,” Nykyforov told reporters. “There is no order. The president did not dismiss the commander in chief.”
Nykyforov on Wednesday did not immediately reply to messages from The Washington Post seeking any updated comment.
A highly anticipated counteroffensive, using soldiers trained by NATO allies and with Western weapons and equipment, reclaimed little territory, falling far short of expectations. Zaluzhny and his American counterparts disagreed sharply over tactics, and the Ukrainian commander ultimately ignored U.S. advice to concentrate his forces, which he believed could have led to far higher casualties.
In their conversation Monday, Zelensky told Zaluzhny that Ukrainians have grown tired of war and that the country’s international backers have also slowed military assistance, so perhaps a new commander would rejuvenate the situation, the person familiar with their conversation said.
Two individuals spoke about the meeting on the condition of anonymity to be candid about the highly sensitive situation with unpredictable implications for the war and Ukraine’s security. Senior members of Zaluzhny’s staff are also expected to be removed, one person said.
In Monday’s meeting, differences between the two boiled over because of disagreement about how many soldiers Ukraine needs to mobilize this year, according to the two people familiar with the exchange.
Zaluzhny proposed mobilizing close to 500,000 troops, a figure Zelensky viewed as impractical given the scarcity of uniforms, guns and training facilities and potential challenges related to recruitment, the people said. Zelensky has also publicly said that Ukraine lacks the funds to pay so many new conscripts.
Zaluzhny countered that Ukraine is already short of forces due to mounting casualties and needs to match 400,000 new soldiers that Russia plans to mobilize, one person familiar with the conversation said.
Good move, it should drive the MAGA Minions crazy:
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1752558067604931042?t=6_8epWgi5UFpARKPwdz64A&s=19
Well this can't be good...
Zelensky to oust Ukraine’s top general amid tension over new mobilization
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/31/zelensky-zaluzhny-ukraine-commander-ousted/
EXCERPT
"In their conversation Monday, Zelensky told Zaluzhny that Ukrainians have grown tired of war and that the country’s international backers have also slowed military assistance, so perhaps a new commander would rejuvenate the situation, the person familiar with their conversation said."
It's anybody's guess at this point,but Zelensky MIGHT be right,and this is just an example of a General trying to take over a Presidency.
One thing is for certain,when you start losing or just not gaining ground in a war,it is because of something the enemy is doing,or something your own commander is NOT doing.
No, I don't think that Zaluzhny has any political ambitions, like say McClellan during the Civil War, but he is clearly a prima donna, much like Patton, and actually worked a few miracles in 2022. He became something of a cult hero in the Ukrainian milblogger community, and started believing in his own invincibility. He also has a big mouth and talks too much with the media about planning and ops. I was also aware that NATO advisors urged him this time last year to use a concentrated "iron fist" strategy in the South with the western weapons that were on the way but he stubbornly insisted on trying to attack on three separate fronts, while simultaneously defending Bakhmut, thus diluting the remainder of the Ukrainians' offensive strength. Hence, the failed counteroffensive that he and members of Zelensky's government broadcast to the world months before it started, giving the Russians time to turn southern Ukraine into one vast minefield.
So here we are, the moment of truth between Zaluzhny and Zelensky.
If we don't stop this NOW while it is within our ability to do so "on the cheap/minimum loss of US lives",who is going to stop it when it happens in the US 10 or 20 years from now?
So how do you do that?
@Timber Rattler
By supporting Ukraine with both the militarily equipment it needs,as well as working behind the scenes with other nations to get them to add or increase their support.
And by electing Trump instead of a Biden clone,come the next election.
Make no mistake about it,if the Ukrainian/Russian War ends with a neo-Soviet victory,the chance to eliminate that evil disappears for at least another generation.
European leaders are meeting on Thursday in Brussels in the hope of ending a standoff over financial aid for Ukraine.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed a €50bn ($55bn; £43bn) aid package for Kyiv last December.
Polish PM Donald Tusk said he could not accept Mr Orban's "strange and very egoistic game", adding Ukraine stood to lose if Hungary influenced EU policy.
The summit takes place against the backdrop of major farmers' protests. ...
Ukraine sinks Russian Tarantul-III class corvette in Black Sea.
...
Katya Sedgwick
@KatyaSedgwick
Meanwhile in Ukraine: a street named after the great Russian Jewish painter Isaak Levitan is renamed after a WWII Ukrainian butcher.
12:15 PM · Feb 2, 2024
Eduard Dolinsky
@edolinsky
Lutsk City Council renamed the Jewish painter Isaak Levitan street after notorious antisemite and OUN leader Stepan Lenkavsky. In summer 1941 at OUN’s conference Lenkavsky declared: «In relation to Jews we’ll take every measure to destroy them».
4:42 AM · Feb 2, 2024
Please define how you interpret the words "a WWII Ukrainian butcher."I did not write the tweet, of course. I assume the writer would call a man who has expressed the desire to exterminate Jews a "butcher."
After Operation Barbarossa began, Lenkavskyi, by then known as a veteran of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, supported the Lviv pogroms, saying on 18 July 1941, "As for Jews, we are taking all measures leading to their extermination."Bandera, Ukraine & the Holocaust Part II: 1939-1943". History at War. 22 January 2015.
... There were beatings, sexual assaults and humiliations, murders by the urban crowd, shooting by soldiers, and ritual humiliations; Jewish apartments were robbed, but not their businesses, if we can speak of the businesses nationalized by the Soviets as in some sense still Jewish. ... The Lviv pogrom did great damage to the Jews of the city. Many men suffered wounds, especially head wounds, and many women suffered forms of sexual assault. All who were taken to the prisons suffered trauma, and the Jewish community of Lviv at large was put into a precarious position. It is hard to estimate the number of fatalities from the Lviv pogrom. ...A Slaughter of Jews in Ukraine (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/slaughter-of-jews-in-ukraine-lviv-pogrom), Tablet Magazine.
Battle for Bakhmut: Russia Retreats in ‘Bad Order’ as Ukrainians Gain 1km of Territory, British Intel Claims
The battle for Bakhmut has apparently taken a turn in favour of Ukraine, with the Russians retreating in “bad order”, according to UK intel.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/05/13/battle-for-bakhmut-russia-retreats-in-bad-order-as-ukrainians-gain-1km-of-territory-british-intel-claims/
My prediction is that the above bolded will not happen because if you launch an invasion of the home territory of a nuclear power like Russia, you risk....
(https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Castle%20Bravo.jpg)
Nope. That's one reason I don't think we can let the junior partner in the China/Russia partnership win in Ukraine. We have to show the rest of the world that we're willing to stand against aggression. If we don't, we'll lose too much influence, and other nations will be easily bullied by the Chinese and Russians.
The surest way to guarantee Chinese success is for us to retreat into isolationism. That doesn't mean we should start committing U.S. troops, but surely providing weapons to those who are willing to commit their own troops is doable.
No, Pete, you are not the only one. That has been a concern of mine for decades, (like Freeper Jeff Head, if you recall him). People have long said we'd sell people the rope to hang us, and Biden is trying to become salesman of the year.
IF (and that's a big if) the powers that be in Russia can keep it quiet (enough), they will at some point declare 'victory', and bring the remnants of their Army home, after extended security duty in the Eastern parts of the country (and Siberia for the loudest) to face down any ambitious Chinese.
No one will be fooled who really, really, doesn't want to be, but damned few will be talking openly about that, and not for long.
In Russia, defeat will not be mentioned aloud, or only nervously whispered about.
@mountaineer
Please define how you interpret the words "a WWII Ukrainian butcher."
"Butcher" has an entirely different meaning in wartime than it does in peacetime.
...
Good catch. I missed that word "butcher". Per this short bio, https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CL%5CE%5CLenkavskyStepan.htm , the guy was imprisoned by the Gestapo in 1941, much of it in Auschwitz (Oświęcim), for 3 1/2 years. As reprehensible as his 1940 or 1941 comment was, he wasn't doing any butchery (and may have had his perspective on Jewish people changed during his time in Auschwitz, who knows?). But devotees of the Ukrainians-Are-Nazis narrative are as long on purple prose as they are short on facts.Historically, in that era, the Ukrainians were stuck between the people who delivered the Holodomor on the one hand and real Nazis who despised the Slavic peoples and regarded them as subhuman on the other. Not good prospects for being treated well or fairly, either way. Being Jewish was just icing on that cake.
US delivers refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine: Ukrainian soldiers spot oldest model on front line
6h
The US Department of Defense announced in January 2023 that it would send 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The original plan was for the United States to acquire new M1A2 Abrams tanks using Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds.
However, in March, the Pentagon decided to switch to providing refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks from its own stockpile, significantly reducing the delivery time. Pentagon Press Secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, reassured that the M1A1 variant to be supplied to Kiev will exhibit "very similar capabilities" to the M1A2. . .
Which Tanks Did Ukraine Receive?
The M1A1 Abrams is the most basic and oldest version of the Abrams used by the US Army. This model is an upgrade of the initial M1 Abrams tank. The first M1A1 tank, manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), was rolled out in 1985. This model featured several improvements from its predecessor, including an updated suspension, a modified gearbox, superior armor, and a redesigned turret mount. . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-delivers-refurbished-m1a1-abrams-tanks-to-ukraine-ukrainian-soldiers-spot-oldest-model-on-front-line/ar-BB1hOuz4
So now we know why it took so long for these tanks to get to Ukraine. Biden promised M1A2s over a year ago. The Defense Dept issued several announcements that they were rushing the order. But now we find out that instead of fulfilling the order, the Defense Department chose to substitute older equipment (at lower cost) and then pocketing the difference.
US delivers refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine: Ukrainian soldiers spot oldest model on front lineI would bet that is only the tip of the bait-and-switch iceberg. (with appropriate cash register noises here).
6h
The US Department of Defense announced in January 2023 that it would send 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The original plan was for the United States to acquire new M1A2 Abrams tanks using Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds.
However, in March, the Pentagon decided to switch to providing refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks from its own stockpile, significantly reducing the delivery time. Pentagon Press Secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, reassured that the M1A1 variant to be supplied to Kiev will exhibit "very similar capabilities" to the M1A2. . .
Which Tanks Did Ukraine Receive?
The M1A1 Abrams is the most basic and oldest version of the Abrams used by the US Army. This model is an upgrade of the initial M1 Abrams tank. The first M1A1 tank, manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), was rolled out in 1985. This model featured several improvements from its predecessor, including an updated suspension, a modified gearbox, superior armor, and a redesigned turret mount. . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-delivers-refurbished-m1a1-abrams-tanks-to-ukraine-ukrainian-soldiers-spot-oldest-model-on-front-line/ar-BB1hOuz4
So now we know why it took so long for these tanks to get to Ukraine. Biden promised M1A2s over a year ago. The Defense Dept issued several announcements that they were rushing the order. But now we find out that instead of fulfilling the order, the Defense Department chose to substitute older equipment (at lower cost) and then pocketing the difference.
I would bet that is only the tip of the bait-and-switch iceberg. (with appropriate cash register noises here).
Womp Womp
https://twitter.com/wacentrist/status/1755327390182760914
Sounds like you don't support stopping the massive illegal immigration on the borders.
I support realistic measures that can help.. Not fanciful measures like the wall that a certain orange-tinted Mussolini wanted. I also support stopping Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Anybody else watching this?
https://tuckercarlson.com/the-vladimir-putin-interview/ (https://tuckercarlson.com/the-vladimir-putin-interview/)
Why it matters: The removal of Valery Zaluzhny is the most significant personnel shift Kyiv has made since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Zaluzhny is a celebrated figure in Ukrainian society, who is credited with leading Ukraine through the war's early stages and achieving many of its military successes.
Driving the news: Recent reports have indicated that Zelensky was considering replacing Zaluzhny.
The general's public comments on Ukraine's counteroffensive last year contradicted Zelensky's rhetoric and further soured an already fraught relationship between the two, per the New York Times.
Zelensky confirmed the leadership shift as apart of a broader shakeup in a Telegram post on Thursday. He also announced the promotion of Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky to lead Ukraine's armed forces.
"I am grateful to General Zaluzhny for two years of protection. I am grateful for every victory we achieved together," Zelensky wrote.
He added that he had asked Zaluzhny to remain part "of the team of the Ukrainian state of the future." He did not say whether Zaluzhny had accepted that offer.
Between the lines: Syrsky's appointment is likely to be unpopular among Ukraine's troops, the Washington Post reported.
Many Ukrainian soldiers see Syrsky as a Soviet-style commander who kept troops in Bakhmut for too long amid sustained Russian shelling.
Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces since the start of Russia’s invasion, will be Ukraine’s next military chief after President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday formally replaced Gen. Valery Zaluzhny in a risky leadership shake-up that is likely to be unpopular with troops worn down by nearly two years of war.
Zelensky told Zaluzhny 10 days ago that he was being dismissed, but the president’s office initially denied that the commander in chief had been fired. Then, Zelensky delayed in issuing a formal order or announcing a successor and, even after elevating Syrsky on Thursday, the president did not give an explanation, saying only that change was needed.
But it’s unclear what change Syrsky will — or can — usher in. Zelensky considered Zaluzhny’s plans for this year too ambitious considering Ukraine’s limited resources, according to two people familiar with the president’s thinking. For the past two years, however, Syrsky has essentially functioned as the military’s second-in-command. And while Ukraine is expected to focus more on defense this year rather than attempt another sweeping counteroffensive, it is still confronting a better-armed and larger Russian force.
As ground forces commander, Syrsky, 58, was credited with leading the defense of Kyiv in the first month of the war and then orchestrating a successful counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region in fall 2022.
In a statement, Zelensky praised his new commander and cited those successes.
“He has successful defensive experience, particularly in the Kyiv defense operation,” the president said. “He also has successful offensive experience, particularly in the Kharkiv liberation operation. … 2024 can become successful for Ukraine only through effective changes in the basis of our defense, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The decision to name Syrsky as commander in chief, however, is expected to cause backlash among troops in the field. Among rank-and-file soldiers, Syrsky is especially disliked, considered by many to be a Soviet-style commander who kept forces under fire far too long in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which eventually fell to Russian control. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many more were wounded defending the city, which had limited strategic value.
Some Ukrainian soldiers refer to Syrsky as a “butcher.”
“I only know what I’ve heard from my subordinates,” said a high-ranking military official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to do so publicly. “One hundred percent of them don’t respect him because they don’t think he counts soldiers’ lives.”
“In comparison with Zaluzhny, he gets much lower support,” the person added.
Zelensky replaces military chief, naming Syrsky top commander
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/08/valery-zaluzhny-commander-ukraine-removed/
EXCERPT
Ukraine is expected to focus more on defense this year rather than attempt another sweeping counteroffensive, it is still confronting a better-armed and larger Russian force.
Left - Russian T-55 knocked out in Kherson Oblast.
Right - Russian T-55 with same markings in Budapest 1956.
(https://i.redd.it/is-anyone-familiar-with-the-numerical-markings-on-t55-tanks-v0-x08g2623gmhc1.png?s=ee31311f755715a6240ea9b324da7b84939e3cf7)
Just wow! It's the same tank!Yeah, that sucker is older than I am (but not by much).
Michael McFaul
@McFaul
·
Follow
I hope all American voters of Polish heritage watched how MAGA loyalist Tucker Carlson didn’t bat an eye to Putins outrageous claim that the Poles were responsible for Hitlers invasion of their country.
... More than 50 area residents were evacuated as burning spilled fuel engulfed an area of nearly 40,000 square feet, according to Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov, who added firefighters and emergency personnel were still attempting to rescue people early as of mid-day Saturday. ...UPI (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/7-killed-including-3-children-as-russian-drone-strike-ignites-fire-in-kharkiv/ar-BB1i56sR)
Re: Kharkiv(https://i.imgur.com/jcfux4N.gif) Not be suitably indignant and outraged! hell there was more devastation on Maui and Americans don't give a crap about Americans! You know I'm having a lot of trouble getting my give a damn in gear for every where else when we have crap load of trouble here at home not being dealt with.
The Russian drone attack killed seven people. It started a large fire that destroyed 15 homes.UPI (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/7-killed-including-3-children-as-russian-drone-strike-ignites-fire-in-kharkiv/ar-BB1i56sR)
It doesn't appear to have "totally" destroyed a city of 2,000,000.
For the record, there was no Poland when Hitler invaded Russia.Right.
(https://i.imgur.com/jcfux4N.gif) Not be suitably indignant and outraged! hell there was more devastation on Maui and Americans don't give a crap about Americans! You know I'm having a lot of trouble getting my give a damn in gear for every where else when we have crap load of trouble here at home not being dealt with.Frankly, it's difficult to get my 'give a damn' in gear when one Party doesn't follow our laws, the other wanks around doing something, and egregious perpetrators of High Crimes walk while misdemeanor offenses get others the oubliette. They are all liars, just some a little smoother than others.
(https://i.imgur.com/jcfux4N.gif) Not be suitably indignant and outraged! hell there was more devastation on Maui and Americans don't give a crap about Americans! You know I'm having a lot of trouble getting my give a damn in gear for every where else when we have crap load of trouble here at home not being dealt with.
Said the typical MAGA Putin lover. You Putin trolls are the reason I'm not voting for Trump.
https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1756371012973703650
Frankly, it's difficult to get my 'give a damn' in gear when one Party doesn't follow our laws, the other wanks around doing something, and egregious perpetrators of High Crimes walk while misdemeanor offenses get others the oubliette. They are all liars, just some a little smoother than others.
No broom made will clean this house.
And a HEARTY KMA to you sir! When someone/anyone shows me what was accomplished by the sacrifice of American blood and treasure (except by Reagan and that only took treasure and was really the only win I can recall) to stop communism. You are an ass when you accuse anyone who disagrees with you of being a Putin lover. My parents, grandparents, uncle, God parents....everyone in my parents circle of friends that I grew up knowing, all escaped from Hungary and Russia's control so maybe I know a bit about Russia that doesn't come from books, TV reporting and someone's emotional gut, also about America not fulfilling a promise. But hey let's keep bankrolling a war that Ukraine can't win, even if it costs every American dollar and Ukraine young mans life. So once again KMA! I suggest you put me on ignore if my different opinion gets your panties in a twist, it's where I will put you (https://i.imgur.com/5C7IkRn.gif)
Said the typical MAGA Putin lover. You Putin trolls are the reason I'm not voting for Trump. I want the Russian hating GOP back. Like it was under Reagan.
And a HEARTY KMA to you sir! When someone/anyone shows me what was accomplished by the sacrifice of American blood and treasure (except by Reagan and that only took treasure and was really the only win I can recall) to stop communism. You are an ass when you accuse anyone who disagrees with you of being a Putin lover. My parents, grandparents, uncle, God parents....everyone in my parents circle of friends that I grew up knowing, all escaped from Hungary and Russia's control so maybe I know a bit about Russia that doesn't come from books, TV reporting and someone's emotional gut, also about America not fulfilling a promise. But hey let's keep bankrolling a war that Ukraine can't win, even if it costs every American dollar and Ukraine young mans life. So once again KMA! I suggest you put me on ignore if my different opinion gets your panties in a twist, it's where I will put you (https://i.imgur.com/5C7IkRn.gif)
Michael McFaul
@McFaul
I hope all American voters of Polish heritage watched how MAGA loyalist Tucker Carlson didn’t bat an eye to Putins outrageous claim that the Poles were responsible for Hitlers invasion of their country
And a HEARTY KMA to you sir! When someone/anyone shows me what was accomplished by the sacrifice of American blood and treasure (except by Reagan and that only took treasure and was really the only win I can recall) to stop communism. You are an ass when you accuse anyone who disagrees with you of being a Putin lover. My parents, grandparents, uncle, God parents....everyone in my parents circle of friends that I grew up knowing, all escaped from Hungary and Russia's control so maybe I know a bit about Russia that doesn't come from books, TV reporting and someone's emotional gut, also about America not fulfilling a promise. But hey let's keep bankrolling a war that Ukraine can't win, even if it costs every American dollar and Ukraine young mans life. So once again KMA! I suggest you put me on ignore if my different opinion gets your panties in a twist, it's where I will put you (https://i.imgur.com/5C7IkRn.gif)
Said the typical MAGA Putin lover. You Putin trolls are the reason I'm not voting for Trump. I want the Russian hating GOP back. Like it was under Reagan.
I want the Russian hating GOP back. Like it was under Reagan.
How about Zelenskyy the U.S. owes you nothing and Trump isn't the president.
Zelenskyy ready to take Donald Trump to Ukraine’s front line
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was willing to take U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump, a long-time skeptic of Washington’s support for Kyiv, to the war-battered front lines of Ukraine.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy on Saturday said that he had already welcomed the Republican frontrunner to see first hand the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but that the decision to come rests with Trump.
“I invited him [Trump] publicly, but it depends on his wishes,” he said in response to an audience question, asking whether Zelenskyy would ask Trump to come to Kyiv.
“If Mr. Trump will come, I’m ready to go with him to the front lines,” he added.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
Trump has been highly critical of the U.S.’s continued financial and military aid for Ukraine, deeming it a non-American issue and suggesting that he would allow Russia to “take over” parts of Ukraine if he were re-elected in November.............
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/17/zelenskyy-ready-to-take-donald-trump-to-ukraines-front-line.html
Putin is giving modern meaning to "Pyrrhic Victory". Avdiivka has little or no strategic value, and Putin expended months, rivers of blood, and hundreds of armored vehicles, but Putin "won" it.
Russia Loses Two Su-34 Fighter Bombers and an Su-35 Jet in a Day: Ukraine
Aliss Higham • Feb 17, 2024 at 10:04 AM EST
Ukrainian officials have said that three Russian aircraft have been destroyed in the last 24 hours, but Newsweek has yet to verify this.
The Air Force Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a post on Facebook this morning that it had destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter bombers and an Su-35 jet on the morning of February 17. The location where they were destroyed is not revealed in the post, nor the method of their destruction. Newsweek has contacted the Armed Forces of Ukraine for more details via email.
...
Russia in flames as huge explosion engulfs Kalashnikov-owned drone factory
Richard Ashmore • 6h
(https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1iqSts.img)
An apocalyptic explosion ripped through a building in Russia overnight obliterating a factory thought to have been manufacturing drones and guns for Putin's bloodthirsty war against Ukraine.
Smoke illuminated by the red and orange of an inferno engulfed the skyline of the city of Izhevsk on February 17 as firefighters desperately tried to combat the mammoth blaze.
It's reported the factory, owned by a member of the Kalashnikov firearms dynasty, was manufacturing weapons including Granat-4 drones, which are used for surveillance and to assist artillery fire.
It's not known if the cause of the fire at the facility was deliberate, but any loss of production is likely to hamper Putin's efforts to push forward any advantage from unseasonably warm weather on the battlefield . . .
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-in-flames-as-huge-explosion-engulfs-kalashnikov-owned-drone-factory/ar-BB1iqQbH
Some partial confirmation and location info, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLLfE_60_o0 .
Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka, Putin hails 'important victory'
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the capture of Avdiivka "an important victory" after Ukraine's military chief said on Saturday that his troops withdrew from the devastated town in the east of the country after months of intense combat.
Although the Russian defence ministry said that Ukrainian units were still entrenched at the town's coke plant, the advance on Avdiivka was Moscow's biggest advance since it took the city of Bakhmut last May.
It came days before the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine and amidst Ukraine's acute shortages of ammunition with fresh U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress.
...
Some perspective on the Russian "victory" in Avdiivka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJcVgjW9eg
This is our war?
This is our war?
So, how is it that NATA and the EU have give Ukraine $35 billion and the US has chipped in $75 billion as of November of last year and they don't have $$ for ammo?? Something isn't right.
I still strongly contend that we need to secure our borders first BEFORE we give another penny to secure Ukraine's. There is no good valid reason as to why we let our border remain open yet are protecting theirs. None. If the US goes because of attacks from ILLEGALS from within, we won't have to worry about sending Ukraine another penny. We go and so do they.
It's our war. We sold out Ukraine in 2014. If they had been ushered into the EU back then and given a NATO invite, we wouldn't be in this situation. But the Obama regime was more interested in profiting off of Ukrainian corruption instead of siding with those working to do away with it.
It was just another Bakhmut-style meat grinder, with the Russians winning another Pyrrhic victory. The Ukrainians had to withdraw because they ran out of ammunition to shoot back with. Thanks Republicans! (spit!)
Because they are defending a 600-mile front against an army that is at least twice their size, going into the third year.
Follow the 600-mile front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/russia-ukraine-front-line-map/
During World War I, the Western Front ran roughly 475 miles, in comparison.
This is just a really stupid counter argument that I am tired of hearing. These are two SEPARATE issues and should be treated SEPARATELY. BOTH can be done at the same time if only the Biden Administration wanted to do so. It's NOT an "either/or" proposition. And the conspiracy theories about how that funding works grows wearisome too.
Stupid? OK. What's stupid is a country who allows an invasion and does nothing! Yes, they are two flippin' separate issues, but the fact both still boil down to $$$ and political gain!
There are many countries with border walls. Ukraine being one of them .... so... again...we are giving them $$$ to protect their border while not protecting our own. That's what's stupid and just plain outrageous. Militants, Chinese nationals, Hamas, gangbangers, murderers, rapists, Islamic terrorists...etc., are now in our country. It has been reported several times that those crossing over are mostly men of military age. Migrants from over 100 countries are now crossing over. Who the heck is going to help us when we implode from within?? Or do you think we're all going to join hands and sing Kumbaya? Doubtful that the Islamic terrorists crossing over would agree to that. Maybe Zelenskyy will send troops over or give us some $$ and munitions?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_barrier
https://nypost.com/2023/05/13/migrants-from-over-100-countries-have-crossed-into-mexico/
So, how is it that NATA and the EU have give Ukraine $35 billion and the US has chipped in $75 billion as of November of last year and they don't have $$ for ammo?? Something isn't right.
...
That ~$105B was cash? Much/most was probably equipment and ammunition, and the cash used to buy more of both.
Steve Friend
@RealStevefriend
Why is the @FBI protecting Ukrainian art? How is that in the interest of the American people?
The FBI is an abomination. They waste $11 billion in tax dollars every year. Defund this feckless agency.
Nothing better to do, I guess.
But...according to Tucker they have fantastic grocery stores. :laugh:They've always kept a couple around for the tourists and visiting dignitaries...
They've always kept a couple around for the tourists and visiting dignitaries...
Ukraine Shoots Down Second Highly Advanced Russian A-50 Spy Plane
Kaitlin Lewis Feb 23, 2024 | 4:00 PM EST
The Ukrainian Air Force said its fighters on Friday shot down a Russian A-50 military spy plane, the second of the prized aircraft that Kyiv has claimed to destroy this year.
The Beriev A-50 is an airborne early warning and control jet used by Russia to help monitor Ukraine's air defenses. The aircraft typically fly with a crew of up to 15 personnel and are estimated to cost over $300 million to produce.
...
... Gender-inclusive demining for sustainable futures in UkraineMore from Prime Minister Justin "Fidel" Trudeau's official site (https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2024/02/24/canada-announces-additional-support-ukraine)
Funding: $4 million
This project from the HALO Trust aims to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of Ukrainians, including women and internally displaced persons, by addressing the threat of explosive ordnance present across vast areas of the country. Project activities include conducting non-technical surveys and subsequent manual clearance in targeted communities; providing capacity building to key national stakeholders; and establishing a gender and diversity working group to promote gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine. ...
Strengthening truth, transparency, and democracy to counter disinformation
Funding: $930,000
Canada is providing funding to Internews Ukraine to help enhance the literacy and fact-checking capabilities of Ukraine’s media in order to better counter disinformation in the country. This project includes a comprehensive skills-transfer program to enhance the capacity of Ukrainian journalists and civil society organizations to carry out fact-checking and verification; a new network of media literacy clubs across Ukraine to empower citizens to critically assess media content and identify disinformation; and a public awareness campaign on media literacy and fact-checking to help Ukrainians critically evaluate and verify information. This initiative will also address gender disparity issues in the Ukrainian media. ...
Sure hard to tell what was actually happening by the video.
The Spy War: How the C.I.A. Secretly Helps Ukraine Fight Putin
For more than a decade, the United States has nurtured a secret intelligence partnership with Ukraine that is now critical for both countries in countering Russia.
Feb. 25, 2024
New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/25/world/europe/cia-ukraine-intelligence-russia-war.html) ...
@amuse
@amuse
Putin has alleged for more than a decade that CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War against Russia - the New York Times confirms he was right. Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman and Victoria Nuland lied to the American people and Congress.
7:53 AM · Feb 26, 2024
zerohedge
@zerohedge
CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War For Last Decade, Bombshell NYT Report Confirms
https://t.co/u3v6HS1gyO
11:36 PM · Feb 25, 2024
After the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, the U.S. initially distrusted Ukrainian officials and worried about "provoking the Kremlin," the NYT said.
Kondratiuk built relations with the CIA, which in 2016 agreed to help modernize Ukraine's military intelligence agency in exchange for intelligence from Ukraine, the NYT said. A red line was that the CIA would not help Ukrainian intelligence conduct lethal operations.
@amuse
@amuse
Putin has alleged for more than a decade that CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War against Russia - the New York Times confirms he was right. Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman and Victoria Nuland lied to the American people and Congress.
7:53 AM · Feb 26, 2024
zerohedge
@zerohedge
CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War For Last Decade, Bombshell NYT Report Confirms
https://t.co/u3v6HS1gyO
11:36 PM · Feb 25, 2024
And...
Russia has built spy bases all over the world including Cuba to spy on us. So what.
And...
Russia has built spy bases all over the world including Cuba to spy on us. So what.
@amuse
Putin has alleged for more than a decade that CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War against Russia - the New York Times confirms he was right. Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman and Victoria Nuland lied to the American people and Congress.
I believe the point was that Vindman, et al.,seem to have lied to Congress (not "to the world") when they said the CIA wasn't involved in building spy bases in Ukraine. Federal employees aren't supposed to lie to Congress.That Russia also spies on people is irrelevant and not the point.
I believe the point was that Vindman, et al.,seem to have lied to Congress (not "to the world") when they said the CIA wasn't involved in building spy bases in Ukraine. Federal employees aren't supposed to lie to Congress.That Russia also spies on people is irrelevant and not the point.
I disagree.
The larger point was an attempt at justifying Putin's invasion of Ukraine where large numbers of people have died as a result. That excuse is an excuse to walk away from it all. That's a larger deal than liars lying to congress. It was already a given they lied.
I tolerated much from those who worked for me during my working life but the one sure fire way to get fired was to lie to me. Never tolerated that and never will. My government employees in particular.
I totally understand that. Get caught in a lie, particularly one of consequence and you'll play hell earning my trust back again. Honorable people don't lie. Honorable people do make mistakes, but a purposeful lie is something else altogether. And that is one thing that will put me on the war path... I also have no interest interacting with dishonorable people, there's no trust.Conversely, I have found that if there is a problem, and you had anything to do with it or it falls under your purview, stating the problem, owning it, and coming up with a solution, promptly, will get you a lot of respect, and likely keep your employment as well. Those who hide the problem or try to blame others don't last long once it gets sorted.
Conversely, I have found that if there is a problem, and you had anything to do with it or it falls under your purview, stating the problem, owning it, and coming up with a solution, promptly, will get you a lot of respect, and likely keep your employment as well. Those who hide the problem or try to blame others don't last long once it gets sorted.
I totally understand that. Get caught in a lie, particularly one of consequence and you'll play hell earning my trust back again. Honorable people don't lie. Honorable people do make mistakes, but a purposeful lie is something else altogether. And that is one thing that will put me on the war path... I also have no interest interacting with dishonorable people, there's no trust.
Olga Bazova
@OlgaBazova
US Republicans support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia - Politico (https://t.co/KteygarwoJ)
▪️ “The reality we face at the moment is that [the conflict] ends in a negotiated settlement,” said Florida Senator Marco Rubio. The only question is whether the Ukrainian or Russian side “will have more leverage” when the world comes to understand this.
▪️Ohio Senator J.D. Vance believes there is a “probably indefinite stalemate.” The politician hoped that “this will lead to some kind of settlement in which Ukraine will be able to save its country and the killings will stop.”
▪️As Politico notes, a few months ago such a position was not popular, but now the situation has changed, as the chances of Ukraine winning are considered by many to be low. In addition, not all members of the Republican Party are in favor of providing it with further assistance, but some still call for support from Kiev.
Putin is using the entire US Senate GOP as a weapon.
3:18 AM · Feb 28, 2024
How can Zelensky be expected to negotiate with a bad faith liar like Vladimir Putin who has never kept his word about anything?
Vance is a moron. The various euphemisms thrown about like "settlement" and "peace deal" amount to forcing surrender by Ukraine and a Russian victory.
Krasnoyarsk is about 2,500 straight-line miles from Ukraine.
Moldova, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are all Putin targets, though Ukraine is, ummm, complicating those desires.
Are you willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters for Ukraine?
Are you willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters for Ukraine?
Are you willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters for Ukraine?
You would think we'd learn...
Ukraine gave up its nukes in exchange for a promise they'd be unmolested.
We see how that worked out.
When Stalin was in power, the Holodomor starved millions of Ukrainians when the Russians removed their grain harvest, even the seed grain, by force and took it back to Moscow to save the regime embarrassment, but also to feed (real) Russians. All this BS about Ukraine being part of Russia is just that.
Enough "Peace in our time" type concessions. You'd think that lesson was learned in the 1930s.
Send the Ukrainians what equipment they need to win.
Better to support the Ukrainians NOW and let them do the fighting themselves rather than sacrificing our sons and daughters LATER when Putin finally goes after NATO in the Baltics or Poland.
Are you willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters for Ukraine?
You would think we'd learn...
Ukraine gave up its nukes in exchange for a promise they'd be unmolested.
We see how that worked out.
When Stalin was in power, the Holodomor starved millions of Ukrainians when the Russians removed their grain harvest, even the seed grain, by force and took it back to Moscow to save the regime embarrassment, but also to feed (real) Russians. All this BS about Ukraine being part of Russia is just that.
Enough "Peace in our time" type concessions. You'd think that lesson was learned in the 1930s.
Send the Ukrainians what equipment they need to win.
or Alaska.
Ukraine reports jump in number of downed Russian planes
Vitaly Shevchenko | 8 hrs ago
Ukraine's military says it has shot down 10 Russian military jets in as many days, which marks a sharp increase over the preceding months.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68423990
It's us? If it is get ready for WW3.
Ukraine reports jump in number of downed Russian planesThe loss of an A-50 is no small deal. The Russians don't have many operational ones left (one or two).
Vitaly Shevchenko | 8 hrs ago
Ukraine's military says it has shot down 10 Russian military jets in as many days, which marks a sharp increase over the preceding months.
The claim comes despite shortages experienced by Ukrainian forces due to delays in Western supplies.
Ukraine says a total of 342 Russian planes and 325 helicopters have been shot down since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. . . .
. . . Ukraine says it shot down some of the best aircraft available to the Russian air force between 17 and 27 February.
They include a highly sophisticated and rare A-50 military spy plane. If confirmed, this would be the second A-50 downed in just over a month, an embarrassing loss for Russia and a significant win for Ukraine.
The other Russian planes Ukraine claims to have destroyed in the time period are seven Su-34s and two S-35 fighter jets.
One weapon Ukraine is likely to have used is the US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile.
The higher number of Russian planes claimed to have been shot down recently suggests that "Ukraine is being more aggressive with risking Patriot launchers close to the frontlines in order to engage Russian jets," Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the London-based think-tank Rusi, told the BBC. . .
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68423990
That's all just hearsay speculation. But really, what kind of WW3 can Russia wage short of nuclear? If they all want to die that's a choice but that would seem highly unlikely. Russia already has something like 500,000 dead in the Ukraine war it started. They're in no position to widen the war to the rest of NATO.The Russians have never balked at sending more meat to the front. They did it in WWII with machine guns at their back to ensure they did not retreat.
In 1915 it was The Fokker Scourge. In April 1917 was Bloody April for allied airmen. February 2024's Scourge Against Sukhois continues:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPBFvLGC-BM&t=234s
FWIW, SU-34s are fighter-bombers, and Su-35s are fighters, both modern (think F-15E and F-15C, but newer). I wonder whether the orcs have been flying missions like these all along, and Ukraine has/is doing something different, or if the orcs have started flying these missions to support an offensive.
The west is testing all their new technology on live targets...
This is great!!!!
Tucker Carlson calls Putin's justification for invasion "the dumbest thing he'd ever heard."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_lRdkH_QoY&t=5355s
@Timber Rattler
Check this out:
https://twitter.com/GlobeEyeNews/status/1762832559665541514?t=oeCflgmdgRow2X4wmaVUXA&s=19
Free speech and all that in Russia I guess....not to mention pandering to his Chechen and Tatar lackeys.
Visegrád 24
@visegrad24
·
Follow
BREAKING:
The thousands of Russians attending Navalny’s funeral in Moscow today are chanting the most forbidden words in Russia:
“No to the war”
@Timber Rattler you should post this on you know where:
The day was also tinged with the geopolitical tension between Moscow and the West, with a crowd of diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne M. Tracy, in attendance a day after Putin reiterated his threats of nuclear war.
Navalny “remains a shining example of what Russia could and should be,” the U.S. Embassy said in a post on X. “His death is a tragic reminder of the lengths the Kremlin will go to silence its critics.”
But Putin is a defender of Christendom....
They are in trouble:
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1763545600878907847
They are in trouble:
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1763545600878907847
They are brave:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1b3xzmx/an_unexpected_chant_at_navalnys_funeral/
@kevindavis007"Insurrectionists"? "Revolutionaries"?
We may have to invent a new word to describe them because "brave" just doesn't seem to be strong enough to describe people willing to stand up to a total police state.
Fact:
Never Don The Con
@TrumpIsDone
If he were around today, Ronald Reagan wouldn't think twice about supporting Ukraine because that is the CONSERVATIVE thing to do.
Ukraine was the heart of mother Russia. Ukraine is NOT Poland.
Ukraine was the heart of mother Russia. Ukraine is NOT Poland.
Fact:
Never Don The Con
@TrumpIsDone
If he were around today, Ronald Reagan wouldn't think twice about supporting Ukraine because that is the CONSERVATIVE thing to do.
https://twitter.com/TrumpIsDone/status/1764072644771532924
Ukraine was the heart of mother Russia. Ukraine is NOT Poland.Mother Russia cut out it's own heart in support of Stalin during the Holodomor.
Truth.Biden's delays, especially with the Polish Migs, but with any equipment which could have given the Ukrainians a tactical advantage has cost Ukrainian lives and blood. In the meantime, aging ordnance* is being trickled in at today's prices, and a lot of money is going somewhere, but never leaving to go to Ukraine.
The part that confuses people today is this ongoing propaganda that Biden is helping Ukraine. He isn't. Biden is using Ukraine as a means of laundering cash. But Biden does not want Ukraine to win this war any time soon. Again and again, Biden has stood in the way of Ukraine getting the arms it needs, even going so far as blocking other nation from sending fighter jets.
The positions of Reagan and Biden could not be any further apart on this.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1b53xy4/strikes_on_feodosia_oil_terminal_and_russian_air/Bummer. No secondaries....
Bummer. No secondaries....
Truth.
The part that confuses people today is this ongoing propaganda that Biden is helping Ukraine. He isn't. Biden is using Ukraine as a means of laundering cash. But Biden does not want Ukraine to win this war any time soon. Again and again, Biden has stood in the way of Ukraine getting the arms it needs, even going so far as blocking other nation from sending fighter jets.
The positions of Reagan and Biden could not be any further apart on this.
According to whom
Ukraine is not part of Russia
https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1764628347718439388?t=cE7-rKVSxCex1YkxQWEg_w&s=19
An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.
...
*Munitions have a 'use by' date. Keep in mind that the bombs which cooked off on the deck of the USS Forestall were WWII vintage 1000 lb bombs. They made a shambles of the flight deck, even blew holes into the interior of the carrier, and the blasts decimated the firefighting crews. Old ordnance is not considered 'safe' at some point. Small arms ammunition can last decades, usually with nothing worse than occasional misfires or hang fires if stored correctly, but by the time you get up to 155 mm shells, the equation changes, and the consequences are more severe. This is a great opportunity to 'rotate stock', but inflation has jacked the price of those shells in just the last couple decades, and the difference in prices makes for opportunities to slide loose money around.
Sun Tzu
Meaning? Is Zelensky the "evil man" for not surrendering to an enslaver? Is Putin the "evil man" for instigating a war that is factionalizing Russia?
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Is the fighting in Ingushetia at least partly the fruit of Stalin's maltreatment of the Ingush ethnic group (similar to his maltreatment of Chechens)?
Putin is an evil man, Zelinsky is an evil man, Biden is an evil man... The world is full of evil men who cannot be a part of anything that they aren't in control of.
Side note, those 1000 lb bombs were not only old, but had been improperly stored, in the Philippines, IIRC. The particular explosive type in those bombs was no longer in use, and it was known at the time that deterioration made the explosive less stable (cooked off abnormally quickly) and more powerful than rated. The captain of the USS Forrestal knew the bombs' age and condition and asked Wash DC for permission to refuse to let the things aboard his ship. WashDC ordered him to use them. Of course, it took a known flaw in the Zuni rocket system to set in motion the chain of events that led to the Forrestal fire.
@PeteS in CAThere were a number of changes that came about, not the least of which was every sailor being trained in firefighting, not just a separate crew. As for the Flag rank people who ordered the ordnance remain, I don't know. Most of those bombs were set to go out in that day's strike (to get rid of them, I would think).
Just out of curiosity,even though I fear I already know the answer,WHAT happened to the flag officer that overruled the ships captain,and ordered them used anyhow?
This was a senior Naval Officer,so I assumed a ugly WAVE slapped his pee-pee with a ruler,and he was then promoted and retired with full pay and privileges?
@Timber Rattler
https://twitter.com/juliaioffe/status/1765010082851332278?t=le8CTIxWcAtk6hnXCGOQfg&s=19
Why am I not surprised.
@Timber Rattler
Julia Ioffe
@juliaioffe
Moscow police begins arresting people who went to Navalny's funeral. They're being singled out from videos of the event.
The same thing Biden continues to do to people who showed up at the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.
I know how dare people can trespass and try to disrupt a legitimate Constitutional process here in America.
Trespass? Disrupt? Sure.Well I can see the problem immediately, if these were rampaging BLM @holes they would have gotten a pass....isn't that what happened with them?
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1725621613004042402
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1b7tonj/a_mining_and_processing_plant_in_zheleznogorsk/
Zelensky’s motorcade nearly hit by Russian missile as ‘Ukraine prepares for counter-offensive’
Yahoo News by Tara Cobham 3/6/2024
Volodymyr Zelensky’s motorcade was nearly hit by a Russian missile on Wednesday as the Ukrainian President visited the Black Sea port of Odessa.
Zelensky was with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis when the missile hit infrastructure close enough for the leaders to see the strike, with sources estimating the attack happened a mere 500 to 800 metre distance from the delegations.
...
Russia is scraping the bottom of the barrel:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1b8oibe/a_destroyed_t54b_was_spotted_near_novomykhailivka/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1baara8/a50_spotted_at_taganrogsouth_airfield_before/
But did it survive the attack? That would be a pretty good "get."
Sure didn't do any damage to the plane next to it. Guessing the damage was minor.
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1767101020885156266 (https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1767101020885156266)In Russia, every fire that affects anything government or military related is a cigarette fire. Never fails.
In Russia, every fire that affects anything government or military related is a cigarette fire. Never fails.It can happen....especially if you wrap a full matchbook around the lit cigarette.
Even on a Russian Naval ship or in Crimea while it is being attacked. All cigarettes.
I can't think of anything which would cause troops to resist an enemy like the thought that that enemy might eat them.Cannibalism seems to be making a come back across the world these days.
I can't think of anything which would cause troops to resist an enemy like the thought that that enemy might eat them.
Cannibalism seems to be making a come back across the world these days.It can get worse...
The U.S. Sun
Juliana Cruz LimaSergey Panashchuk
Mar 11 2024
CANNIBAL ARMY Grim ‘orders’ to ‘taste human flesh’ found on Russian soldier’s phone…as well as brutal torture & gang rape instructions
BARBARIC "orders" which included "tasting human flesh", brutal torture and gang rape were found on a Russian soldier's phone.
Ukrainian officials said the grim "recommendations" were sent in private Telegram messages by Russian commanders, who encouraged the atrocities.
(more)
https://www.the-sun.com/news/10684531/russian-soldier-barbaric-war-orders-human-flesh-gang-rape/
@240BOne would hope...
I ain't buying it. The bulk of Russians are Russian Orthodox.
This is anti-Russian propaganda.
@240B
I ain't buying it. The bulk of Russians are Russian Orthodox.
This is anti-Russian propaganda.
Agree. They wouldn't be stupid enough to put it in writing anyway.Rule 1 of propaganda: It doesn't really matter if its true, what matters is what people will believe. Failing outright belief, some measure of doubt is enough.
It is my understanding that Ukraine does NOT possess drones that have the capability of flying the distance to Moscow or St. Petersburg. If this is true, then the attacks in Russia are false flags by Putin to get his population riled up against the Ukrainians, which I think is a viable reality. I wouldn't trust Putin as far as I could throw his evil *ss.
At some point, if the news is true about hundreds of thousands of Russian soldier now dead in this two year war, that the population will rise up to confront their corrupt government over the loss of their sons, brothers and husbands. Russia is very much a slave mentality society, where folks have next to zero freedom of expression or thought, but there comes a moment in time where they collectively will have had enough of the nonsense of sacrificing their child/children to the corrupt lie that has launched an unjust war on a neighboring country killing millions, and literally using the same tactic as Hitler did with Poland when he launched that war.
It is my understanding that Ukraine does NOT possess drones that have the capability of flying the distance to Moscow or St. Petersburg. If this is true, then the attacks in Russia are false flags by Putin to get his population riled up against the Ukrainians, which I think is a viable reality. I wouldn't trust Putin as far as I could throw his evil *ss.
...
It is my understanding that Ukraine does NOT possess drones that have the capability of flying the distance to Moscow or St. Petersburg. If this is true, then the attacks in Russia are false flags by Putin to get his population riled up against the Ukrainians, which I think is a viable reality.
That is no longer the case, https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraine-produce-thousands-long-range-drones-2024-minister-says-2024-02-12/ .
In contrast with Russia where drone production is dominated by the state, the vast majority of manufacturers in Ukraine are private. Fedorov said only one of the 10 companies whose drones could fly as far as the regions around Moscow or St Petersburg was a state company.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1bdu1ze/unidentified_flying_objects_decided_to/
It isn't obvious from the camera angle, but the fire is probably 100 yards from the dude who is walking, and there is massive structure between the dude and the fire. The Russians are not renowned for safety or being conscious of the environment, but the dude walking by is safe due to distance plus the covering structure. But don't let visually obvious realities trouble what you want to believe.
???Looking at where the water is going, it looks like the effort is not to extinguish but to keep things cooled down, at least at this point. That buys time to close valves, divert feeds, and reduce pressure, unless I am mistaken. Not drawing on my oil experience (I was on drilling rigs, not in the refining end), but on my experience as a volunteer firefighter. Objective one was to keep things from getting worse, when possible. Otherwise, the plan was to back off, establish a perimeter, and let it burn out.
Check the proximal pipeline. It is shown being engulfed in flame. Which factually shows:
1. That the fire extends to the edge of the structure.
and
2. The employee is walking in what appears to be at our near that same said structure. WITHOUT FIRE PROTECTIOM GEAR
And don't give me the bullshit, of what I want to beleive. Plant Fire Fighters worked for me, and I was point fulcrum of our Emergency Opertions Center. And you are saying he is safe? What are your professional credentials to make that call?
Still, stand my position of fake or a Darwin Award Candidate. And from my experiences of watching people in plant emergncies the concept of self preservation precludes all. So, still guessing "FAKE"
Russian refineries are successfully intercepting Ukrainian drones.
The Russian refineries targeted by Ukrainian drones
March 13, 202412:31 PM CDT | Updated 21 hours ago
MOSCOW, March 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine struck Russian oil refineries in a second day of heavy drone attacks on Wednesday, causing a fire at Rosneft's (ROSN.MM), opens new tab biggest refinery in what President Vladimir Putin said was an attempt to disrupt a presidential election this week.
What was targeted and what do they produce?
@
RYAZAN
Russia's Ryazan oil refinery (C}RO7309414471), opens new tab, controlled by Rosneft, was set ablaze after a drone attack, a regional governor said on Wednesday.
The plant, with installed capacity of around 350,000 barrels per day, refines about 12.7 million metric tons of Russian crude a year (around 317,000 barrels per day), or 5.8% of total refined crude, according to industry sources. . .
NOVOSHAKHTINSK
The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's southern Rostov region suspended operations on Wednesday after downed drones fell on the site, but resumed later in the day. . .
NORSI
A fire broke out at Norsi, Russia's fourth largest refinery, after a Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Tuesday. It is located near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, 430 kms (270 miles) east of Moscow. . .
KIRISHI
The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said on Tuesday that a Ukrainian drone had been destroyed on the outskirts of Kirishi, which is home to Surgutneftegaz's Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) refinery. The Kirishi refinery is one of the top two refineries in Russia. . .
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russian-refineries-targeted-by-ukrainian-drones-2024-03-13/
@PeteS in CA
ROFLMAO!
Isn't that just another way of saying the drones are wiping out their refineries?
Reportedly a terror attack at a rock concert at a mall in Moscow, dozens reported to have been killed... live coverage here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/3UjoKzEfSr4?si=VU1ebJwnfBTASDJp (https://www.youtube.com/live/3UjoKzEfSr4?si=VU1ebJwnfBTASDJp)
Holy cow!!
Latest reports, the building is on fire, part of the roof collapsed and people are still trapped inside... and the people thought to be responsible are still at large.
Latest reports, the building is on fire, part of the roof collapsed and people are still trapped inside... and the people thought to be responsible are still at large.Ian Miles Cheong
The U.S. has pressed Ukraine to halt drone strikes on Russian energy facilities, fearing that it could provoke massive retaliation and drive up global oil prices.
In recent months, Kyiv has ramped up its strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, hitting several oil refineries across multiple regions, causing financial damage to the Kremlin, which still trades oil and gas despite sanctions.
Now Washington has urged officials in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) to put a stop to these attacks, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing three unnamed sources.
The U.S. is concerned that targeting Russia’s energy facilities will impact the Kremlin’s oil production capacity and drive up global prices — ahead of a knife-edge presidential election where prices at the gas pump are bound to be a contentious topic.
US urges Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, report saysToo late. 87 Octane regular gas is up 50 cents/gallon here over the last two months. At least here it is no secret whose stupid policies have increased fuel costs, and the cost of everything it moves.
https://www.politico.eu/article/report-us-urges-ukraine-stop-attacking-russian-oil-refineries/
EXCERPT
As with Israel, Biden's re-election campaign take precedence over a nation fighting for its very existence.
Too late. 87 Octane regular gas is up 50 cents/gallon here over the last two months. At least here it is no secret whose stupid policies have increased fuel costs, and the cost of everything it moves.
@Smokin JoeYou can't make a death box any more attractive. Period. Single digit temperatures, and no way you're going to run the heater (at least the defroster so you can see) and go to the nearest large town, much less make the round trip.
The left is doing this purposely in order to make electric cars more attractive.
You can't make a death box any more attractive. Period. Single digit temperatures, and no way you're going to run the heater (at least the defroster so you can see) and go to the nearest large town, much less make the round trip.
Extra draw to maintain cabin environment and visibility, headlights for inclement weather visibility and night driving, battery performance degrades with decreasing temperature, and a 130 mile trip, minimum.
It just won't work. No one will spring for that under these conditions. not until we get A LOT more 'Global Warming'.
But, since we don't salt our roads, there are fleets of older vehicles in pretty good shape...
@Smokin JoeAbout half of America's population does NOT live in cities. If they are already riding buses to work, why do they need a car?
Yes,they will.
The vast majority,anyhow.
The vast majority of the voters don't live in the hills in remote areas. They live in cities,and many of them are already riding busses to work.
The ones who do drive to work will have no problem with driving an electric car 10-20 miles to get to work,and then putting it on a charger so it is ready to drive again when it's time to go home.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1771828192568877421
Defense of Ukraine
@DefenceU Mar 26, 2024
In 2014, russia stole the large landing ship "Kostyantyn Olshansky" from Ukraine when they occupied Crimea.
In 2024, Ukraine struck "Konstantin Olshansky" with a Ukrainian-made "Neptun" missile. russia planned to use the ship against Ukraine.
10 years have passed, but justice has been restored. The russian Black Sea Fleet is suffering in temporarily occupied Crimea. Ukraine will win!
...
Ukraine Losing Patience: Give Us The Damn Weapons
Western allies should hurry up and hand over the “damn” missiles Ukraine demands, their foreign secretary says.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/03/27/ukraine-losing-patience-give-us-the-damn-weapons/
Timing is important, especially with Spring coming on.
The Biden regime does not want Ukraine to win this war.How odd, Joe sure didn't mind Russia going into Ukraine before it all blew up, remember Joe said he would be fine if Russia made a minor incursion into Ukraine? Well Joe just consider these minor incursions into Russia by Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1772893269443125729
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1bpz6gm/moment_of_russian_allegedly_su27_splash_down_on/
https://twitter.com/ItsTheEnforcer/status/1773754484054794614
Russia on Tuesday formally withdrew from a landmark security treaty which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the United States for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement of the NATO military alliance.
The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, placed verifiable limits on categories of conventional military equipment that NATO and the then-Warsaw Pact could deploy.
The treaty was designed to prevent either side of the Cold War from amassing forces for a swift offensive against the other in Europe, but was unpopular in Moscow as it blunted the Soviet Union's advantage in conventional weapons.
Russia suspended participation in the treaty in 2007 and halted active participation in 2015. More than a year after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin in May signed a decree denounced the pact.
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1774112971628659062Throw enough meat at the guns they will run out of ammo.
https://twitter.com/ItsTheEnforcer/status/1773754484054794614
https://twitter.com/ItsTheEnforcer/status/1773754484054794614
Throw enough meat at the guns they will run out of ammo.
Seems like they did this in WWII.
@Hoodat
Ok,in plain language,what does that mean in reference to everything going on in Europe?
@Smokin JoeIn The Enemy at the Gates they got one thing right. The guys on the machine guns behind the advancing troops, there to prevent retreat.
That CAN'T be true because we all KNOW that Communism protects the people under it's domain!
It means that Poland recognizes Russia as its greatest threat to peace, and that the United States cannot be counted on for their defense against that threat.
Putin calls up another 150,000 men for Russian Army conscription amid Ukraine invasion - the highest figure for eight years
Daily Mail by Perkin Amalaraj and Will Stewart 3/31/2024
Vladimir Putin has called up another 150,000 men for Russian army conscription, the highest figure for eight years.
This comes as Orthodox priests have been ordered to say prayers in church for the dictator's victory in the war.
The recruits are aged 18 to 30 and will be conscripted between 1 April and 15 July amid his war against Ukraine.
Russia has promised that those forcibly enlisted for one-year military service will not be sent to the conflict zone in Ukraine.
But previous such vows have been broken with some conscripts - and they could also face action in border regions under attack from Ukraine like Belgorod and Kursk.
More: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13257131/Putin-calls-150-000-men-Russian-Army-conscription-amid-Ukraine-invasion-highest-figure-eight-years.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13257131/Putin-calls-150-000-men-Russian-Army-conscription-amid-Ukraine-invasion-highest-figure-eight-years.html)
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1bs928r/reportedly_half_of_a_whole_russian_tank_regiment/
Among the targets was the Engels-2 base in in the southern Rostov region, home to Putin's prized Tu-95 and Tu-22 nuclear bombers.
More than 60 explosions were heard in the Rostov region as Russian air defences fended off an attack on Morozovsk military airfield, scene of the heaviest assault.
...
A security source in Kyiv told France's AFP news agency that an attack on the Morozovsk air base in Russia's southern Rostov region had destroyed at least six Russian planes and 'another eight were heavily damaged'.
...
Some 20 Russian personnel were killed or wounded, it was alleged.
Frontline bombers - Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 - are known to be routinely based at the airfield. They have been used to strike at Ukraine during the war.
'At least six Russian warplanes destroyed, eight damaged and 20 personnel wounded or killed' as Ukraine stages major drone strike on Putin's airfields
"Transnistria" is a Russian surrogates' fiction in Moldova. Was the drone attack on the surrogate group or on the Moldovan military?
When President Biden proposed an additional $24 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine in August, Moscow spin doctors working for the Kremlin were ready to try to undermine public support for the bill, internal Kremlin documents show.
In an ongoing campaign that seeks to influence congressional and other political debates to stoke anti-Ukraine sentiment, Kremlin-linked political strategists and trolls have written thousands of fabricated news articles, social media posts and comments that promote American isolationism, stir fear over the United States’ border security and attempt to amplify U.S. economic and racial tensions, according to a trove of internal Kremlin documents obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by The Washington Post.
One of the political strategists, for instance, instructed a troll farm employee working for his firm to write a comment of “no more than 200 characters in the name of a resident of a suburb of a major city.” The strategist suggested that this fictitious American “doesn’t support the military aid that the U.S. is giving Ukraine and considers that the money should be spent defending America’s borders and not Ukraine’s. He sees that Biden’s policies are leading the U.S. toward collapse.”
The documents — numbering more than 100 and dating between May 2022 and August 2023 — were provided to The Post to expose Kremlin propaganda operations aimed at undermining support for Ukraine in the United States, as well as their scale and methods. The files are part of a series of leaks that have allowed a rare glimpse into Moscow’s parallel efforts to weaken support for Ukraine in France and Germany, as well as destabilize Ukraine itself.
(snip)
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Sunday it was “absolutely true” that some Republican members of Congress were repeating Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine. “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages — some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor,” Turner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
(snip)
Plans by Gambashidze’s team refer to using “short-lived” social media accounts aimed at avoiding detection. Social media manipulators have established a technique of using accounts to send out links to material and then deleting their posts or accounts once others have reshared the content. The idea is to obscure the true origin of misleading information and keep the channel open for future influence operations, disinformation researchers said.
Propaganda operatives have used another technique to spread just a web address, rather than the words in a post, to frustrate searches for that material, according to the social media research company Alethea, which called the tactic “writing with invisible ink.” Other obfuscation tricks include redirecting viewers through a series of seemingly random websites until they arrive at a deceptive article.
Video of last week's Cessna kamikaze attack:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1btr6yy/massive_explosion_as_ukraine_attacked_alabuga/
The Pentagon is working with private space giant SpaceX and the Ukrainian government to stop Russian forces from using the company’s satellite communications terminals in Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to a top DoD official.
“Starlink is a commercial product. It’s available on the commercial market. Of course, companies, countries all over the world — certainly Russia has no problem trying to buy things through the black market,” John Plumb, the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told reporters at the Space Symposium conference in Colorado Springs today.
“Just the idea of this being more available and so people can find it and try to exploit it, that’s something we just have to bake in and understand,” he added of commercial services like those provided by SpaceX. “And make no mistake, the reason it’s this thing [Starlink] is because it’s so effective.”
Successful Ukraine drone operations have made Russian SAM battery trigger fingers itchy. Also, I wonder if Russian IFF-type equipment has not been updated since ~1990 or is ill-maintained.
Some nice fireworks at an Orcish air force base in Crimea:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1c9qk3j/russian_servicemen_complain_about_being_destroyed/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1ceb5u0/russian_oil_depots_now_using_cope_cages_to/
Our Tanks Aren't Doing Much for Ukraine
Jazz Shaw
Last year, the United States sent 31 of our nearly top-of-the-line Abrams M1A1 tanks to Ukraine. (I say "nearly" because we are already producing the upgraded M1A2 model.) Zelensky had been begging for them, insisting that they were the key to breaking through the Russian lines when Ukraine launched its summer counteroffensive. Well, we all saw how that worked out. The counteroffensive stalled and now the Russians are advancing and driving back Ukraine's forces on the eastern front. But what of our tanks? This week, Ukraine pulled the remaining tanks from the front lines. The tanks had reportedly become sitting ducks for Russian drone and missile strikes. More than a quarter billion dollars worth of military hardware has now apparently been sidelined or destroyed. (NPR)
Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the thirty-one tanks have been destroyed by missiles or "killer drones." The Ukrainian forces also reportedly lack the necessary parts and experience to perform the required maintenance on them. Obviously, the Russians have no fear of destroying our hardware. Why would they? We sent the tanks over to be used against them, so the tanks are obvious targets. An Abrams is pretty difficult to hide out in the open, also. This isn't a coyote and roadrunner cartoon.
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https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2024/04/27/our-tanks-arent-doing-much-for-ukraine-n3787346
Interesting. This implies that drones are essentially making tanks obsolete.Ships and submarines are becoming obsolete as well. Aircraft are becoming unmanned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mo5lEdO9mg