Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Ron on January 14, 2022, 10:45:40 AM
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I'm seeing more and more articles and reports about possible conflict with Russia.
Will they really wag the dog before one of the next couple elections?
It's interesting how the previous administration and the current administration focused on different places as the enemy du jour.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10403271/US-intelligence-Putin-stage-false-flag-attack-troops-pretext-invade.html
US has intelligence Putin will stage a 'false flag' attack on his OWN troops to set up a pretext to invade Ukraine after talks between the US and Russia collapsed
US officials accused Russia on Friday of planning 'false-flag' attacks to justify invasion of Ukraine
Agents trained in urban warfare and sabotage are preparing to hit Russian proxy forces as first step, they said
It would mimic the Russian playbook used in 2014 when it annexed the Crimean peninsula
Kiev has been on alert since Moscow moved 100,000 troops, missiles and heavy weapons close to its border
Meanwhile, Ukrainian websites were hacked with the message 'be afraid and expect the worst'
The Kremlin denied it was preparing to launch false-flag attacks, calling the reports 'unfounded'
And Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia had 'run out of patience' with the West
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Watch the news for
Polish Ukrainian soldiers attacking a German Russian radio station
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And it's on ABC evening news.
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On the heels of talk of Sweden joining NATO which I doubt they will.
Sweden drones: Sightings reported over nuclear plants and palace
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60035446
He refused to give details about the type of drone, but they have been widely described as military-style and as having large wings.
According to the Aftonbladet news site, a drone was seen over the weekend circling the parliament and government buildings, as well as the royal residence Drottningholm Palace. Drones were earlier spotted near Kiruna and Lulea airports.
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Well, war with Russia would be about one of the worst things imaginable. I'm not interested in dying in a nuclear fireball. I hope Biden isn't that stupid. ;/
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Finland just ordered a bunch of F-35s last month.
Finland Orders 64 Lockheed F-35 Fighter Jets for $9.4 Billion
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-12-10/lockheed-f-35-jet-wins-finnish-fighter-competition-source
Poland ordered two dozen.
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Well, war with Russia would be about one of the worst things imaginable. I'm not interested in dying in a nuclear fireball. I hope Biden isn't that stupid. ;/
I would expect a proxy war, with the US funneling money and weapons to Ukrainian insurgents and mercs. I don't think either the US or Russia really want a war with each other. That said, regional conflicts lead to WWI without the parties involved really wanting it to, so it can happen.
I'm sure Russia is also acutely aware of just how much they can push the US around without a meaningful response.
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I've often said that, except for latter-day politics, we have more culture in common with Russia than any of the other Easterners.
Middle or Far.
But maybe I'm wrong. Are there any Chinese Christmas ballets?
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Russia has a smaller GDP than S. Korea. Let that sink in for a moment.
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Russia has a smaller GDP than S. Korea. Let that sink in for a moment.
Smaller than a whole lot of countries:
https://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=65842.msg1335066#msg1335066
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My trust in our governments foreign policy is close to zero.
I don't trust Putin or Russia either.
Going to war over Ukraine would be flat out stupid and not in our best interests.
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UK Sends A.T. Weapons to Ukraine as Russia Masses Forces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqcS4RDADpM
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I'm talking culturally. You guys got GDP on the brain. Of course cultural similarity does not imply non-enemy status for ever 'n ever. We had a lot in common with Germany, yet had to arm-wrestle them twice. But at least there were the Christmas Truces.
I agree about the US' stability in this matter. Looking at the line of succession, we're kinda stuck with self-righteous nincompoops until 2024 (2025). Let's hope our midterms* put some brakes on the tomfoolery.
Terry
* On "proof:"
There is no proof without evidence.
There is no evidence without investigation.
There is no investigation without suspicion.
But suspicion without proof is paranoia.
They wrapped all that up in a nice little package,right?
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I'm talking culturally. You guys got GDP on the brain. Of course cultural similarities does not imply non-enemy status for ever 'n ever. We had a lot in common with Germany, yet had to arm-wrestle them twice.
My GDP comment was unrelated to yours it just happened to have followed your post
Their military is way out of proportion to their GDP and I wonder how long can they sustain a prolonged war with that kind of GDP before the people back home say enough is enough.
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I really don't understand why Russia is upset that they might lose their only seaport on the Black Sea to NATO.
What's the big deal? Why would they look at recruiting Ukraine into NATO as a security threat?
Just because that's their border and is their only access to the Black Sea?
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https://buchanan.org/blog/biden-should-declare-nato-membership-closed-158996
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I really don't understand why Russia is upset that they might lose their only seaport on the Black Sea to NATO.
What's the big deal? Why would they look at recruiting Ukraine into NATO as a security threat?
Just because that's their border and is their only access to the Black Sea?
In a sane world, that should be something that could be negotiated. I figure Putin wants more.
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I'm assuming Ron is being sarcastic.
Russia's reasons for wanting influence in the Ukraine, and wanting to limit NATO's are obvious.
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I'm assuming Ron is being sarcastic.
Sarcastic? Who? Me?
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There are some oil/gas pipeline issues at work as well.
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I really don't understand why Russia is upset that they might lose their only seaport on the Black Sea to NATO.
What's the big deal? Why would they look at recruiting Ukraine into NATO as a security threat?
Just because that's their border and is their only access to the Black Sea?
But Russia does not (legally) have any seaports on the Black Sea. But they do have access to the Black Sea. Russia has extensive shoreline on the Sea of Azov, and access from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait.
And I'm not sure there's much "recruiting" of Ukraine into NATO. It's much more a question of Ukraine wanting very much to join NATO as their protection against Russia (for obvious reasons).
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Possession is 9/10 of the law. The Crimean Peninsula is in Russia now. No one is going to force him to give it back, and it can't free itself.
Sevastopol is Russian.
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There are some oil/gas pipeline issues at work as well.
I have a feeling this this the biggest thing that Russia wants with the Ukraine. Secondly, I think it's agriculture because Ukraine has 25% of the worlds black soil reserves.
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I have a feeling this this the biggest thing that Russia wants with the Ukraine. Secondly, I think it's agriculture because Ukraine has 25% of the worlds black soil reserves.
Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Soviets for many decades, and Russia has not forgotten this.
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Hopefully more folks are like me and have sobered up, thinking more clearly after being wined, dined and taken advantage of by the warmongering neocons.
Anyone notice the Democrats have been toeing the neocon line since Obama was elected?
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Hopefully more folks are like me and have sobered up, thinking more clearly after being wined, dined and taken advantage of by the warmongering neocons.
Anyone notice the Democrats have been toeing the neocon line since Obama was elected?
They were toeing it with Clinton as well.
Why is no one reporting on the Biden family links to Ukraine and Clinton history of involvement with the government turmoil there that preceded this crisis?
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Why is no one reporting on the Biden family links to Ukraine and Clinton history of involvement with the government turmoil there that preceded this crisis?
Is that a rhetorical question?
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They were toeing it with Clinton as well.
Why is no one reporting on the Biden family links to Ukraine and Clinton history of involvement with the government turmoil there that preceded this crisis?
All those reporters were all cancelled during the last presidential election. Literally.
Anyone here want to offer a suggestion on how getting involved in a conflict with Russia over the Ukraine is in the best interests of American citizens?
How is it in your best interest?
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All those reporters were all cancelled during the last presidential election. Literally.
Anyone here want to offer a suggestion on how getting involved in a conflict with Russia over the Ukraine is in the best interests of American citizens?
How is it in your best interest?
I make more money deployed than as a federal worker, and extra time deployed both makes my retirement check bigger, and moves the date I can retire and draw pay earlier. So a decent "limited" war in Eastern Europe would let me go do logistics in a non sandy place and then retire with my full check when I'm like 51 or 52. Also war with Russia would probably tank the stock market for a bit, so I could dump the extra cash I make into cheap stocks and mutual funds that are likely to make money in the 10 year rebound. :cool:
As for the US's best interests? I got nothing.
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I make more money deployed than as a federal worker, and extra time deployed both makes my retirement check bigger, and moves the date I can retire and draw pay earlier. So a decent "limited" war in Eastern Europe would let me go do logistics in a non sandy place and then retire with my full check when I'm like 51 or 52. Also war with Russia would probably tank the stock market for a bit, so I could dump the extra cash I make into cheap stocks and mutual funds that are likely to make money in the 10 year rebound. :cool:
I suspect, esp at the higher levels, there are a lot of folks finding themselves in a similar position with similar perverse incentives that are in place.
The MIC is a pretty decent sized part of our economy. War historically has been used to artificially stimulate economies. A lot of people make a lot of money off of military conflicts.
The biggest potential downsides are by those in cannon fodder/pointy end of the spear roles I guess.
I don't trust our bureaucracy to make good war making decisions or health care decisions for me any more. My personal well being is pretty far down the list of priorities they take into consideration.
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Anyone here want to offer a suggestion on how getting involved in a conflict with Russia over the Ukraine is in the best interests of American citizens?
How is it in your best interest?
A conflict with Russia is in no one's best interest, except perhaps for Biden. It would detract from his ongoing problems and likely boost his poll numbers, as has happened with previous White House denizens. And he could blame it on Trump and his alleged connections with Ukraine.
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Anyone here want to offer a suggestion on how getting involved in a conflict with Russia over the Ukraine is in the best interests of American citizens?
How is it in your best interest?
The goal of our involvement now would be to try to prevent a conflict which could quickly get out of control and eventually involve us anyway in a much more significant way.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We don’t need to rehash the history of the Second World War, but suffice to say that the unspeakable horror of the conflict taught our nation a cardinal lesson—we should use our might to prevent war, not end war.
That reasoning may not be convincing but it's the most coherent I've seen.
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The goal of our involvement now would be to try to prevent a conflict which could quickly get out of control and eventually involve us anyway in a much more significant way.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.That reasoning may not be convincing but it's the most coherent I've seen.
That's been the warmongering neocon line for decades.
"Just trust the experts on this" doesn't work on me any longer.
The experts have a completely different set of priorities than the American people, the people that provide the soldiers they throw into the meat grinder every so often.
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That's been the warmongering neocon line for decades.
"Just trust the experts on this" doesn't work on me any longer.
The experts have a completely different set of priorities than the American people, the people that provide the soldiers they throw into the meat grinder every so often.
I was looking at the notion that we have to do something because it could expand to other countries. That line has been used to both drag us into conflicts as well as stop us short of finishing conflicts.
I don't really want Russian invading its neighbors, but I also try to remember that this is on the other side of the world right on Russia's border.
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There really isn't anything we can do to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine. Whether they actually invade or not is solely up to Putin, being in practical terms a dictator running the country. And he seems to exhibit a touch of megalomania, so he might well invade.
Our best move is to express our disapproval, but stay completely out of the conflict.
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Crap, I think his handlers are about to wag the dog.
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Looks like Biden is pulling Americans out if Ukraine and talking above ding troops to NATO countries near Ukraine.
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Praying I won't be feeling the need to get the glue out
(https://c.tenor.com/aiUL0UFMrJEAAAAC/airplane-wrong-week-to-stop-drinking.gif)
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Watch the news for Polish Ukrainian soldiers attacking a German Russian radio station
You mean like the Russian numbers station that was just hijacked?
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A news report noted that Biden is contemplating sending 5000 US soldiers to Ukraine... Could we please just not involve ourselves here?
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I really don't understand why Russia is upset that they might lose their only seaport on the Black Sea to NATO.
What's the big deal? Why would they look at recruiting Ukraine into NATO as a security threat?
Just because that's their border and is their only access to the Black Sea?
Check an atlas. Russia had black sea ports before they anschlussed Crimea. Now they have more and better black sea ports.
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Now they have Sevastopol and the naval support assets there.
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Watch the news for Polish Ukrainian soldiers attacking a German Russian radio station
You mean like the Russian numbers station that was just hijacked?
(https://i.redd.it/xwmjhvpk62b31.jpg)
And now for my next trick....
Now where did I leave that glue?
You got a link to that story?
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Apparently, from back during the original Crimea event, I carried over a misunderstanding about Russian access to the Black Sea.
That doesn't change the strategic significance of Sevastopol or the rest of their seaports for that matter.
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I don't really want Russian invading its neighbors, but I also try to remember that this is on the other side of the world right on Russia's border.
Is Ukraine a threat to Russia? Even if Ukraine were to join NATO, is Putin seriously claiming that NATO is going to invade Russia?
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Did someone mention Ukraine invading anyone? I don't know what Putin is planning. He could just be rattling sabers to try to force some concessions out of The Ukraine.
As far as NATO, I would rather see NATO shrink than expand.
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A news report noted that Biden is contemplating sending 5000 US soldiers to Ukraine... Could we please just not involve ourselves here?
Do you have a link to this report? If true, he's doing it to bolster his poll numbers. Wars have been known to do that for an embattled president.
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Did someone mention Ukraine invading anyone? I don't know what Putin is planning. He could just be rattling sabers to try to force some concessions out of The Ukraine.
That's the hope but considering how passive most NATO members have been in the past they must think something is afoot.
Putin's ace in this is his ability to turn off the natural gas to Europe and it's winter. Wasn't Trump trying to get natural gas exports to Europe going to help avoid that little problem?
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Do you have a link to this report? If true, he's doing it to bolster his poll numbers. Wars have been known to do that for an embattled president.
https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/us-draws-down-ukraine-embassy-presence-as-war-fears-mount/
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https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/us-draws-down-ukraine-embassy-presence-as-war-fears-mount/
Pretty much everyone else is saying "to the region".
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Interesting how Ukraine's foreign ministry has said the State Department's decision to evacuate some embassy personnel from Kyiv is "premature" and an example of "excessive caution."
Edited to add that the EU is not following the US lead in evacuating embassy staff. It appears that the US is the only big player evacuating staff.
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Edited to add that the EU is not following the US lead in evacuating embassy staff. It appears that the US is the only big player evacuating staff.
I wonder how much of the evacuation is related to Afghanistan and PR?
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I wonder how much of the evacuation is related to Afghanistan and PR?
Quite a bit I think. I already heard at least one radio show jokingly refer to the helicopters pulling people out of the Ukrainian embassy.
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Interesting:
Jennifer Griffin
@JenGriffinFNC
From State Dept call: “Given that the President has said military action by Russia could come at any time. The US government will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens. So US citizens, currently present in Ukraine should plan accordingly.” Arrange commercial flights.
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Our foreign policy has rarely been in line with the desires of the voters.
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Forget the Russians, COVID!
U.S. State Dept. website gives a second reason to avoid traveling to Ukraine (in case the threat of a Russian invasion isn’t enough)
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/01/24/u-s-state-dept-website-gives-a-second-reason-to-avoid-traveling-to-ukraine-in-case-the-threat-of-a-russian-invasion-isnt-enough/
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Russian navy planning on conducting live fire exercises 150 miles off the coast of Ireland and Ireland is not a happy camper.
The area - off the west coast of Europe - is far from any of Russia's permanent naval bases, and is also near several critical transatlantic data cables, which defence experts have warned Russia could pose a risk to.
Ireland tells Russia live-fire naval exercise is 'not welcome'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60113233
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We have 8,500 troops on alert to be sent to help NATO and in other news we just put two carrier groups in the China Sea.
Hope no one bumps into the wrong thing and this all goes sideways.
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Pretty standard SOP, poll numbers heading into the darkest part of the basement, stock market shedding points like a Huskie sheds fur in the spring, interest rates and inflation making strides to the sky. Hey, let's divert a while. IMO, Democrats are quick to send troops into harms way, and even quicker to forget about them and their injuries when they return.
bob
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We have 8,500 troops on alert to be sent to help NATO and in other news we just put two carrier groups in the China Sea.
Hope no one bumps into the wrong thing and this all goes sideways.
Taiwan Intercepts Massive Swarm Of Chinese Military Aircraft As ‘Weak’ Biden Tested Around World
https://www.dailywire.com/news/taiwan-intercepts-massive-swarm-of-chinese-military-aircraft-as-weak-biden-tested-around-world?utm_campaign=dw_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=housefile&utm_content=non_member
“The latest Chinese mission included 34 fighters plus four electronic warfare aircraft and a single bomber,” Reuters reported. “Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.”
Fun times. IMO, the US has a much stronger obligation to help Taiwan than The Ukraine.
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(https://i.redd.it/s8sr80sddqd81.jpg)
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A news report noted that Biden is contemplating sending 5000 US soldiers to Ukraine... Could we please just not involve ourselves here?
What would that say to our NATO alliance? How about outside of Ukraine instead but close enough to get Russias attention
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Germany "helps" Ukraine. When I read the English translation, it first sounded like they were sending 5000 troops and I was like, "Whaaaat? That's pretty ballsey!"
But no, they are actually sending 5000 helmets. Which is kind of the opposite of ballsey. They look like they're doing something, yet doing so without pissing off Russia to where they lose that energy they need.
https://www.epochtimes.de/politik/ausland/ukraine-fordert-flugabwehrraketen-deutschland-schickt-5-000-schutzhelme-a3698949.html
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How about outside of Ukraine instead but close enough to get Russias attention
That's exactly what is under consideration. The fox news article (which the trash NYpost article is based on) makes that clear.
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What would that say to our NATO alliance? How about outside of Ukraine instead but close enough to get Russias attention
Ukraine isn't part of NATO.
I suppose if it makes everyone feel better, NATO members can send equipment and troops to nearby NATO countries. Romania, Poland, Slovakia, etc. I doubt it will matter. I suspect if Russia takes over the rest of Ukraine, they will stop there regardless.
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https://www.rt.com/russia/547454-nato-russia-response-stoltenberg/
NATO has said it “will not compromise” on potential expansion into Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet republics, as this clashes with the “core principles” of the alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday.
The alliance’s response, which Stoltenberg said all 30 members agreed upon, was delivered to Moscow earlier in the day by the US ambassador, alongside Washington’s separate written note.
The US has asked Russia to keep the contents of its response private.
I'm confident NATO is willing to fight down to the very last US soldier.
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https://www.rt.com/russia/547454-nato-russia-response-stoltenberg/
I'm confident NATO is willing to fight down to the very last US soldier.
Ain't that the truth.
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https://www.rt.com/russia/547454-nato-russia-response-stoltenberg/
I'm confident NATO is willing to fight down to the very last US soldier.
I am confident in that as well........oh..........well *expletive deleted*it.
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(https://i.imgur.com/XHNhJpR.jpg?1)
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(https://i.imgur.com/hA3LE55.jpg?1)
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I guess some memes are better than others. Some are just okay.
(https://i.imgur.com/0j1c3cz.jpg?1)
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Prediction time: What do you think will come of the Ukraine/Russia conflict?
I suspect Russia will attack, but am not at all confident about it. If Russia were to back off now, Ukraine would just redouble its efforts to join NATO - which doesn't serve Russia's goals. It seems that if Russia attacks and occupies Ukraine, the sanctions from the international community will be mostly economic, from NATO block members. Russia's biggest trading partners are China, Netherlands, Germany, Belarus and Turkey. Will China care much? Doubt it. The other four will, but Russia sells them lots of energy. How much hardball can they play with that dependence?
I suppose it's possible that this move is just theater to scare NATO from even considering Ukraine as a NATO state.
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I guess the real question is can the world establish an order where nuclear powers cannot operate on a because I can basis? Russia has already violated the territory of many of it's neighbors and just dares the world to do anything. Can actions like that be deterred? At what point being backed into a corner would they use nukes? Russia seems to be a great test case, they have a fragile economy and three ports. Close the pipelines, close the banks, blockade the ports. Or do they do what they want? China watches, tomorrow Taiwan, next week their new colony of Africa. I don't think war in Ukraine helps a damn thing but how do we get nations to adhere to civil behavior?
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I guess the real question is can the world establish an order where nuclear powers cannot operate on a because I can basis? Russia has already violated the territory of many of it's neighbors and just dares the world to do anything. Can actions like that be deterred? At what point being backed into a corner would they use nukes? Russia seems to be a great test case, they have a fragile economy and three ports. Close the pipelines, close the banks, blockade the ports. Or do they do what they want? China watches, tomorrow Taiwan, next week their new colony of Africa. I don't think war in Ukraine helps a damn thing but how do we get nations to adhere to civil behavior?
I was thinking about this very topic last night. Ultimately, the nuclear powers states can more or less do whatever they want to non-nuclear states. They are holding all the cards. Lets say Russia pulled a WWII Germany approach, and started eating countries. Would the other nuclear power states really risk a nuclear war over Russia eating Ukraine? Kazakhstan? Belarus? ...Finland? I don't think so. I'm not even sure about a NATO member - would NATO actually engage in a nuclear war with Russia if they invaded, say, Poland?
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This is rather interesting, from a "biased news" perspective. Rather than a CNN vs Fox thing, this is US news vs European news. In this case specifically Germany, who, sad for me to say, seems to be going very soft on Russia for political /economic reasons. This story is from the Epoch Times Germany, who are pretty similar to the US Epoch Times in generally unbiased reporting.
In this article, they are talking about undue saber rattling by the US and UK, that Biden is overreacting, and even have interviews with Ukrainian officials downplaying the current crisis. Anyway, I found the non-US news report rather interesting compared to what is reported here. The article was too long for me to manually translate, so I just threw it into Google translate. While clunky, it captures the gist of the article:
While sabers are being rattled in Washington and London, Ukraine seems relaxed. Russian troop movements at the border are therefore normal. But why is this matter so hyped?
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with serious consequences and economic sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine. He even announced that he could imagine direct sanctions against the Russian president.
With Russian troops near the Ukraine border, Biden said this could be the "biggest invasion since World War II" and would change the world. The “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” reports that around 8,500 US soldiers have been put on increased standby so that they can be quickly transferred to Eastern Europe if necessary. A Pentagon spokesman said on Monday that the soldiers would be deployed as part of the NATO Response Force if necessary, but would not be sent directly to Ukraine.
But what is the assumption based on that a Russian invasion is imminent? Apparently not on current Ukrainian assessments.
Ukraine does not see itself in danger
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently gave the impression in a video language that there was no imminent danger: “Everything is under control. There is no reason to panic.” A peaceful solution to the Donbass conflict is being sought. His head of government, Denys Schmyhal, also sees “no threats to the functioning of our economy”. There are sufficient currency reserves to support the exchange rate of the national currency hryvnia.
On Monday, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, told journalists: "Today we see no evidence at all of the allegation of a large-scale attack on our country." Troop movements on the Russian side, in contrast to the West, are not a surprising matter .
This is reported, among other things, by the “Kleine Zeitung” in Austria. According to Danilev, it all started with an article in the Washington Post in mid-October. The situation in Ukraine has been difficult since 2014, said Danilov after a Security Council meeting.
Among other things, however, the USA and Great Britain are already withdrawing part of their embassy staff and family members of diplomats from Ukraine: "Precautionary measures", according to the US State Department. "Excessive caution," says the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: "We consider such a step by the American side to be premature." The security situation has "not changed fundamentally," the ministry said in Kiev.
On the fringes of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had rather reassuring words about the American personnel deduction: "I don't think we need to dramatize."
Arms shipments and geopolitics
The journalist and political scientist Ramon Schack writes on Dirk Müller's financial website "Cashkurs": "Great Britain and the USA have of course also taken the lead in arms deliveries to Ukraine, which distracts somewhat from the domestic political problems on the home front, of which both statesmen have had enough to have."
Schack also recalled that Joe Biden finally welcomed the Ukrainian President to the White House in September after a long wait, but then treated him like a supplier. Instead of supporting Ukraine's NATO membership and the Nord Stream 2 issue, Zelenskyi returned to Kiev with empty suitcases.
According to Schack, the Ukrainian President is now assuming “that his country is only acting as a pawn in this geopolitical conflict”. Sooner or later Kiev will be dropped. The neighbor to the east, Russia, remains.
Schack points to a possible scenario for the current crisis. In 2019, the pro-government RAND Corporation discussed sanctions and tactical troop deployments, such as stationing bombers and tactical nuclear weapons within striking distance of the Russian border, under the title "Overextending and Unbalancing Russia". Ukraine was said to be "exploiting Russia's greatest external weakness" and providing "deadly aid" to Ukraine. Schack explains: "Say: to deliver weapons."
Is US action driving Russia to China?
During a recent visit to Kiev, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken highlighted the close ties between the US and Ukraine and said he wanted to use "unyielding" diplomacy to stop Russian aggression. Last Thursday in Berlin, Blinken said at a joint press conference with Germany's new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, "No matter which path Russia chooses, it will find the United States, Germany and our allies united."
Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, accused the US and NATO of not causing the tensions with Russia, but with their "hysteria" and "information campaign" accompanied by a multitude of "simple lies".
Schack doubts whether, in view of this development, it will be possible to force Russia out of the alliance with communist China. In the past few weeks, Moscow has registered exactly what the Kremlin thinks of the West.
https://www.epochtimes.de/politik/ausland/nur-bidens-hysterie-ukraine-sieht-wegen-russland-keinen-grund-zur-panik-a3698964.html
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So when Russia ultimately doesn't invade Ukraine, Joe can take a victory lap and perhaps help his sagging poll numbers. Is that possibly what all the fuss is about on the US side?
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This is rather softballing it, but Germany likes Russian natural gas. And probably isn't real thrilled with headlines like "Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not open if Russia invades Ukraine, says US".
I think Ukrainian state actions show that the government takes the situation is a little more seriously then Oleksiy is letting on.
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This is rather softballing it, but Germany likes Russian natural gas. And probably isn't real thrilled with headlines like "Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not open if Russia invades Ukraine, says US".
I think Ukrainian state actions show that the government takes the situation is a little more seriously then Oleksiy is letting on.
Good thing Germany and Russia have never colluded to invade an annex a mutual neighbor...
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It appears stuff from the German article is making it to the US, regarding Biden possibly blowing this up into something more than it is, and it seems to corroborate Zalensky telling Biden to calm down:
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/01/28/tweets-got-deleted-after-wh-disputed-what-cnns-anonymous-sources-said-about-bidens-call-with-zalensky/
I read a couple more kraut articles, and they continue the same theme as the first one. I was also looking at reader comments and it's interesting to see this opinion emerge multiple times: "Under Trump there seemed to be no great worries regarding Russia invading Ukraine, but now with Biden it seems Putin feels he has a free hand."
Note that most krauts did not like Trump, so lots of people thinking the above show that they also have "vicarious buyer's remorse" regarding their support of Biden.
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And now China is saying they are ready for war with the US if Taiwan tries to go full independent.
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The "official news" of the deep state is now accusing ZeroHedge of being a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-accuses-financial-website-spreading-russian-propaganda-82898788
Russia! Russia! Russia!
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ZeroHedge responds
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/now-weve-done-it-we-pissed-cia
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Dow up 470, oil down $4.50 on apparent cooling of Russia/Ukraine tensions.
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Dow up 470, oil down $4.50 on apparent cooling of Russia/Ukraine tensions.
Reports of some Russian units going back to their bases
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Reports of some Russian units going back to their bases
So thankful for the steady hand of President Biden =D
Putin suffers the same fate as CornPop.
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I smell a Nobel Peace Prize!
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Reports of some Russian units going back to their bases
I think it's like 10K out of 100K troops. Still, it potentially implies that the Europeans and the European news were correct about this, and that the US was overblowing things for some reason.
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Dow up 470, oil down $4.50 on apparent cooling of Russia/Ukraine tensions.
Biden and his cronies buying on the stock dip?
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Reports of some Russian units going back to their bases
I trust Putin less than the distance I could throw Biden.
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I trust Putin less than the distance I could throw Biden.
I trust Biden less than the distance I could throw Putin.
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I think it's like 10K out of 100K troops. Still, it potentially implies that the Europeans and the European news were correct about this, and that the US was overblowing things for some reason.
Or Biden worked with Putin (one used the other?) to stir things up and raise gas prices for whatever reason. Both are happy.
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I trust Biden less than the distance I could throw Putin.
You trust him more than I do.
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Next week he will call his buddy Xi and say hey the Russian thing didn't work how about you deploy your entire navy just off the coast of Taiwan.
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I think Biden just publically committed the US to war if Russia invades Ukraine.
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I think Biden just publically committed the US to war if Russia invades Ukraine.
I saw it as a Ukraine greenlight. We will defend nato.
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I saw it as a Ukraine greenlight. We will defend nato.
Yup, Brandon has a crappy poker face.
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Pretty sure our country wants war there more than anybody. Distracts from home, amps the economy, gives an excuse to ignore Taiwan getting rolled, etc.
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Pretty sure our country wants war there more than anybody. Distracts from home, amps the economy, gives an excuse to ignore Taiwan getting rolled, etc.
Well I'm one American that doesn't want a war there.
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So much for the reports
Ukraine crisis: No sign of Russian de-escalation, Nato chief says
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60407010
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I heard on the news, I wish I could remember where, that cyber attacks on the Ukrainian banks have begun.
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I heard on the news, I wish I could remember where, that cyber attacks on the Ukrainian banks have begun.
Meh, that’s just Trudeau keeping Ukrainian money out of canuckistan.
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Meh, that’s just Trudeau keeping Ukrainian money out of canuckistan.
I didn't think Trudeau did this. Apparently, some shelling in Ukraine has happened. I get this feeling that could turn into something similar to the Korean War.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/shelling-breaks-out-east-ukraine-west-moscow-dispute-troop-moves-2022-02-17/
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Another article on the shelling:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/artillery-shelling-reported-in-east-ukraine-amid-conflicting-statements_4282710.html
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Well, I guess the border czar is finally going to the actual border. Just the wrong one.
Harris flies to Europe to help secure Ukraine border as Biden stays behind
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/17/vp-kamala-harris-says-shes-on-scene-and-working-to-secure-the-border-no-not-that-border/
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I'm still undecided as to whether Harris is the first or the second most useless pantsuit wearing critter on the planet.
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I'm still undecided as to whether Harris is the first or the second most useless pantsuit wearing critter on the planet.
Take your pick.
One is flat out evil.
The other a bumbling idiot who aspires to be the first.
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Huge gas pipeline explosion in
the Gulf of Tonkan eastern Ukraine.
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Russian Military Has ‘Received Orders Now To Proceed With The Invasion’ Of Ukraine, Report Says
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-russian-military-has-received-orders-now-to-proceed-with-the-invasion-of-ukraine-report-says
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Hey Brandon, the 80's called...
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/21/previous-tweets-from-foreign-policy-expert-joe-biden-are-making-the-rounds-as-putin-sets-goal-of-putting-the-ussr-back-together/
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Hey Brandon, the 80's called...
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/21/previous-tweets-from-foreign-policy-expert-joe-biden-are-making-the-rounds-as-putin-sets-goal-of-putting-the-ussr-back-together/
More like 1939 and a different madman trying to reclaim territory.
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I've often thought that Putin's ultimate political goal was to reassemble the Soviet Union, with him as dictator. Starting to look as though I was right.
And I have always thought he is a dangerous individual, and no friend of freedom and liberty for Russian citizens.
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Sounds like anschlussky is on, vlad sending peacekeepers to the breakaway parts.
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Well at least I'll be able to get a beer in Poland. Better than Iraq or Kuwait.
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I've often thought that Putin's ultimate political goal was to reassemble the Soviet Union, with him as dictator. Starting to look as though I was right.
And I have always thought he is a dangerous individual, and no friend of freedom and liberty for Russian citizens.
So, Putin is just trying to get the band back together, so to say.
bob
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Well *expletive deleted*it
Live Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60454795
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"Donetsk" is just Russian for Sudetenland.
(ETA: of course . . . https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/22/oil-prices-jump-as-tensions-between-russia-and-ukraine-escalate.html)
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Well, Brandon did say that he wasn't worried about "minor incursions". Putin took him at his word.
I see that China is threatening sanctions against us if we interfere. That could get interesting. It's also embarrassing, as it's China letting us know we're not the tough guy on the block anymore - they are. Whatever you think of Trump, China never would have threatened sanctions against us if he were in right now. Or at least they would have backed down after Trump told them what his scorched Earth economic response would be if they did it. For that matter, there likely wouldn't be ruskie troops in Ukraine, and the Nordstream wouldn't be factoring in as a bargaining chip.
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Oh, and the MSM is blaming Trump for allowing Nordstream.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30012022/climate-nord-stream-2-russia-ukraine/
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Vlad is dusting off the same playbook he used in Georgia, and in the Crimean peninsula. His timing is impeccable; we have a senile old man "leading" the U.S., Boris in the U.K. is fully occupied trying to stay in office, Merkel is gone from Germany, and Macron is ... well, Macron. The president of Ukraine said over the weekend that the west is facing karma for having allowed the annexation of Crimea to go unanswered, and I think he is correct.
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I agree with you and him. The west has made it clear they weren't going to war over the Ukraine, and Putin decided whatever sanctions might be coming are worth it.
I guess we'll see if he stops, or starts eying the Balkans. Or if something happens to drag more countries into it. Does everyone in Europe know the location of all their Archdukes and heirs?
Realistically if the Powers That Be decide they want a war, they're going to get their war. Logic, reason, democracy, and our wishes be damned.
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I think the establishment types have no problem with low level wars in poor countries where there is high profit and little change of it escalating. I wonder if they are fearful of a larger conflict or they just identify with foreign dictators and tend to give them a lot of leeway. Part of it may be they are not near as smart as they think they are and those dictators manipulate them easily.
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Well, this should be interesting:
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/22/after-germany-put-nord-stream-2-on-hold-medvedev-warns-of-e2-000-for-1-000-cubic-meters-of-natural-gas/
How do you like solar power now, you stupid krauts?
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Don't worry, Brandon and gang made sure the US has plenty of excess to pick up the slack.
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Hmmm ...
https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/world/defying-west-putin-orders-troops-to-ukraine-rebel-regions/ar-AAU8rKm
In his address, Putin repeatedly suggested Ukraine was essentially part of Russia.
He accused Kyiv of persecuting Russian speakers and of preparing a "blitzkrieg" against the breakway regions of of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine's east.
Good golly, Miss Molly! Isn't that exactly what Putin has done against any regions that have tried to break away from Mother Russia? (Chechnya.) He's not exactly occupying the moral high ground here.
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He pulled the blame Canada deal on them. Ukraine, they’re not a real country anyway!
So how long does Taiwan have? Olympics are over, the world is preoccupied and no one is home in DC.
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So Brandon is only doing sanctions on the breakaway regions of Ukraine, and not on Russia proper?
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Oh, look! Our state department has ramped up social media warfare against the ruskies. ;/
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/22/u-s-embassy-in-kyiv-answers-putins-invasion-of-ukraine-with-a-meme/
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Biden is threatening to unfriend Putin on facebook
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The Washington Post is on it:
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/02/22/yes-the-headline-is-real-wapos-attempt-to-make-biden-look-tough-against-putin-while-babbling-about-trump-really-fails-spectacularly/
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So Brandon is only doing sanctions on the breakaway regions of Ukraine, and not on Russia proper?
Biden should try some reverse psychology. Since sanctions aren't working well, he should lift some sanctions to see if that works. Also, Russia has too many guns and ammo. Lift sanctions on them so those can be shipped to the US.
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Putin is going to do this and he knows darn well there is nothing anyone is going to do about it beyond exercising their mouths.
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I'm more worried about how the foolish dementia-addled crook in the White House will respond. Will he drag us into a shooting war? He is not in any way equipped to deal with serious foreign policy issues. And the advisors in his administration are idiots, as well.
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I'm more worried about how the foolish dementia-addled crook in the White House will respond. Will he drag us into a shooting war? He is not in any way equipped to deal with serious foreign policy issues. And the advisors in his administration are idiots, as well.
Sorry, but according to Mathew Dowd, you are now a traitor to your country for saying that.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/22/matthew-dowd-plays-the-dissent-is-treason-card-over-criticism-of-joe-biden-on-russia-and-ukraine/
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Taiwan better lube up.
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Sorry, but according to Mathew Dowd, you are now a traitor to your country for saying that.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/22/matthew-dowd-plays-the-dissent-is-treason-card-over-criticism-of-joe-biden-on-russia-and-ukraine/
During the Obama years they always threw in a charge of racism as well.
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During the Obama years they always threw in a charge of racism as well.
That's a given now because everything is racist.
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I'll tell you one thing this is good for: making my retirement accounts take a dump. I am down around $ 60K from the beginning of the year and the rate of decline has picked up speed over the past couple of weeks due to the pending war.
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Up your Raytheon and Honeywell holdings.
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Up your Raytheon and Honeywell holdings.
I'm buying some more AVAV.
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That's a given now because everything is racist.
Everything white people do or have done is racist
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Troopson the move.
https://funker530.com/video/witness-footage-russia-invades-eastern-ukraine-fnn-32/?fbclid=IwAR30gLXOLzWIgjDsxvQtpIQQbukE7T6cZ1mHdbwNBrldYrGdpOEbXH7EbQU (https://funker530.com/video/witness-footage-russia-invades-eastern-ukraine-fnn-32/?fbclid=IwAR30gLXOLzWIgjDsxvQtpIQQbukE7T6cZ1mHdbwNBrldYrGdpOEbXH7EbQU)
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Just had A-10's go over fast and low. Hope we don't wind up in the middle of this crap.
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Just had A-10's go over fast and low. Hope we don't wind up in the middle of this crap.
Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. Probably to late to not pull a chamberlain but there do need to be actual red lines in the world. If Russia is intent on remaking the ussr against the will of the client states at some point that demands action. No pipelines, strangle their few ports probably by refusing entry to any shipping line that deals with the Russians or proxies. If the security Council cannot be disbanded leave the U.N. and start another organization. Complete economic smothering, not targeted sanctions.
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What's the going rate on Hunter's paintings now?
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Joe threw up some sanctions on Russia today. Not sure if that will make a difference to Putin though.
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Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. Probably to late to not pull a chamberlain but there do need to be actual red lines in the world. If Russia is intent on remaking the ussr against the will of the client states at some point that demands action. No pipelines, strangle their few ports probably by refusing entry to any shipping line that deals with the Russians or proxies. If the security Council cannot be disbanded leave the U.N. and start another organization. Complete economic smothering, not targeted sanctions.
How would US citizens benefit from this course of action?
Tucker Carlson makes a good point about Ukraine connections to the Biden family. The wealth they’ve made off Ukrainian government lobbying in the US has to give pause to anyone considering intervention.
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Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. Probably to late to not pull a chamberlain but there do need to be actual red lines in the world. If Russia is intent on remaking the ussr against the will of the client states at some point that demands action. No pipelines, strangle their few ports probably by refusing entry to any shipping line that deals with the Russians or proxies. If the security Council cannot be disbanded leave the U.N. and start another organization. Complete economic smothering, not targeted sanctions.
I'm not sure Europe could actually do that, energy-wise. Or if it did manage to cut off Russia, it would hand even more power to the screaming beards.
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How would US citizens benefit from this course of action?
Tucker Carlson makes a good point about Ukraine connections to the Biden family. The wealth they’ve made off Ukrainian government lobbying in the US has to give pause to anyone considering intervention.
We don’t have to replay 1917 or 1941 where we should have been taking decisive action far sooner if we were going to act at all. China and Russia will own the world if there are no checks on their aggressive behaviors.
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We don’t have to replay 1917 or 1941 where we should have been taking decisive action far sooner if we were going to act at all. China and Russia will own the world if there are no checks on their aggressive behaviors.
Why is the former capital of the Russian empire the line? Surely Russia not wanting Ukraine in nato is not a green light for capturing all of Europe.
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Not wanting Ukraine in NATO =/= invading Ukraine themselves.
I am not mongering for a war of any sort, but it's worth remembering Putin has said several times as over the last 20 years he wants all the old SSR's back under the Russian flag. I see no reason not to believe him that that is his goal.
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Not wanting Ukraine in NATO =/= invading Ukraine themselves.
I am not mongering for a war of any sort, but it's worth remembering Putin has said several times as over the last 20 years he wants all the old SSR's back under the Russian flag. I see no reason not to believe him that that is his goal.
Thats a limited goal however - what is actually bad for American citizens if he does that? What do we lose?
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We lose the chance to act before it is too late. This is a greenlight for a return to the days of boundary change by force. Although probably too late, we sat on our hands for Crimea. The Budapest accord between us, Britain, Russia is dead letter. The UN might as well not exist if two of the five permanent security Council members are leading a new world domination. The definite end of the post WWII peaceful period.
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Thats a limited goal however - what is actually bad for American citizens if he does that? What do we lose?
Well, when he hits the Balkans we are obligated by treaty to intervene. If it's going to happen anyways, why not nip it in the bud early?
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I'm amazed that anyone here thinks it is a good idea or even any of our business what happens between Ukraine and Russia.
Canada goes full jackboot and Mexico is facilitating the southern invasion of our border...crickets.
We have met the globalist enemies of America and it is the citizens of the USA.
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Interesting tangent:
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/23/cnn-guest-makes-a-pretty-good-argument-for-the-2nd-amendment/
I wonder if we'll see more lefties saying "yay guns" for Ukraine while continuing to try and take ours away?
It also has me wondering what arms are in Ukrainian citizens' hands? Are they being issued selective fire stuff to keep at home?
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Just what is our direct national interest in Ukraine?
Why are we more concerned about Russian expansion than the countries of Europe?
Time to pull the plug on the empire guys. Being a nation is good enough.
If we have to go toe to toe with a first world enemy we better get our own house in order.
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I'm not sure Europe could actually do that, energy-wise. Or if it did manage to cut off Russia, it would hand even more power to the screaming beards.
One thing that would help a great deal is to lower gas prices and turn the US back into a natural gas exporter. That would cut some of Russia's income and give them some limited competition in the European energy market. Biden should reinstate all the Trump energy policies, but I really doubt that will happen.
Beyond that, I don't see much else we can do. We already have sanctions on Russia. Not sure if it is too late to remove some of the pipeline expertise that Biden authorized earlier. IMO, European nations should be the ones to take a stand on this and they don't seem very interested. That is one of the reasons I think NATO is more useless than it ought to be. Too many members contribute very little and likely would not participate if real fighting broke out.
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Truckers fill Moscow and peacefully protest government actions.
Putin declares martial law.
Putin freezes and seizes all donated funds as well as the protestors personal accounts.
Putin hauls the protesters vehicles away and the government says vehicles will be auctioned off.
Putin arrests over a hundred protesters and hold them without bail.
Putin and his government spread disinformation and propaganda about the protesters.
What does the US State Department have to say? The US media?
Tyranny on our northern border, tyranny in our own government, why is anyone thinking about going to war in Europe?
Hard Pass.
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Just what is our direct national interest in Ukraine?
Why are we more concerned about Russian expansion than the countries of Europe?
Time to pull the plug on the empire guys. Being a nation is good enough.
If we have to go toe to toe with a first world enemy we better get our own house in order.
That part scares me a little bit. Even in a limited war, we would get hurt pretty good even in victory. Our likely adversaries are good enough to take advantage of our normal strategies and we have been fighting 3rd world terrorists for the last 20 years. I don't know how well we are training to fight 1st world conflicts these days. Looking at WWII, we took a lot of lumps before we gained the upper hand and even then we were fortunate not to take more losses.
There were articles last year about mock military exercises in Great Britain where our units got annihilated by the British. From what I heard, they used signals intelligence to locate our command and control, took it out with artillery and rockets and them mopped up the individual units. The information was all unofficial and disputed I may have misinterpreted the information. It just didn't sound good.
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Truckers fill Moscow and peacefully protest government actions.
Putin freezes and seizes all donated funds as well as the protestors personal accounts.
Putin hauls the protesters vehicles away and the government says vehicles will be auctioned off.
Putin arrests over a hundred protesters and hold them without bail.
Putin and his government spread disinformation and propaganda about the protesters.
What does the State Department have to say?
Tyranny on our northern border, tyranny in our own government, why is anyone thinking about going to war in Europe?
Hard Pass.
Wrong country. That is up there in the People's Republic of Canada.
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Wrong country. That is up there in the People's Republic of Canada.
I embellished my post a little more for your guys enjoyment and edification.
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Even with a limited war we would lose more lives in one day then we did in 20 years of the sand.
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I'm amazed that anyone here thinks it is a good idea or even any of our business what happens between Ukraine and Russia.
I didn't say it was a good idea, I just said I could see what was coming down the road. I actually don't think anyone in the west cares enough about Ukraine to actually go to war, even if it were a good idea. I suspect we are going to let Russia take at least some chunks of Ukraine if not the whole thing. It is what it is. If I were going to bet I'd say Russia will look back to finish the job of conquering Georgia next. After that things get stickier. If Ukraine falls and Belarus is already basically under control that puts Russia right on the borders of Poland (former Warsaw Pact) and Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia (Former SSRs). Those countries are all NATO members, and Lithuania and Latvia have large Expat and ethnic populations in the US to raise a fuss, as well as US trained and educated people in positions of power in their respective countries. I suspect that even a "minor" incursion in any of those countries would be met with US military force. I don't know if Russia believes that though.
That also doesn't take into account that even if we want to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine thing, accidents happen and there are a lot of US and Allied troops and equipment in close proximity to where the fighting will be. To quote "Hunt for Red October" It would be well for your government to consider that having your ships and ours, your aircraft and ours, in such proximity... is inherently DANGEROUS. Wars have begun that way, Mr. Ambassador.
We got closer to shooting it out with Russia in Syria than I think most people realize.
And as previously mentioned letting folks just conquer territory they want sets an example, one I'm sure an aggressive China is paying attention to. Much like Ukraine, I don't know if we are willing to go to war over Taiwan (whether that is a good idea or not is a separate discussion) But we have Mutual Defense treaties with The Philippines, South Korea, and Japan, all of which are in the crosshairs if China starts expanding territory instead of just influence.
Do all of those things mean war is a good idea? No. But it's worth being aware of the shitstorm coming down the road so we may try and dodge at least some of it. It is in the US national interest not to be a second or third tier country in a world being carved up by Sino-Russian expansionism.
Perhaps we'll get lucky and find out that Kiev managed to keep an old Soviet nuke, and they'll return it to the Kremlin.
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War certainly is not a great idea. However no one said empire. I certainly am not a globalist enemy of this country. We cannot just be a nation. Isolationist utopian Americans directly bought us ww2. We wanted to be world leaders after ww1 and then abdicated. Because Mr. He kept us out of war did so damn good. Keep living in your libertarian fantasy land where all nations are equivalent and it’s none of my business. When the real empire builders get done devouring the world their eyes will set on North America. We defend our interest now or be unable to later.
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War certainly is not a great idea. we agree
However no one said empire.we are functionally an empire, I said it
I certainly am not a globalist enemy of this country.then take care not to do the bidding of the globalists
We cannot just be a nation wrong, we can.
Isolationist utopian Americans directly bought us ww2. nonsense, FDR made damn sure we got involved
We wanted to be world leaders after ww1 and then abdicated.what's this we? long before my time
Because Mr. He kept us out of war did so damn good. Keep living in your libertarian fantasy land I'm not a libertarian
where all nations are equivalent and it’s none of my business. It is literally none of your business what happens between Russia and Ukraine, you have zero say in the matter
When the real empire builders get done devouring the world their eyes will set on North America.I'm seeing one empire right now that sticks its military nose into everyone's business, us
We defend our interest now or be unable to later.making the world safe for globo/homo?
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At what point does China whack Taiwan while Joes trying to be tough on Russia for What they’re doing to Ukraine?
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War certainly is not a great idea. However no one said empire. I certainly am not a globalist enemy of this country. We cannot just be a nation. Isolationist utopian Americans directly bought us ww2. We wanted to be world leaders after ww1 and then abdicated. Because Mr. He kept us out of war did so damn good. Keep living in your libertarian fantasy land where all nations are equivalent and it’s none of my business. When the real empire builders get done devouring the world their eyes will set on North America. We defend our interest now or be unable to later.
I can agree with the sentiment, I am just not sure a nation in the middle of Asia on the border of Russia is where we want to draw the line. Our NATO allies yes, but not there. It would have helped if people like Biden in this country hadn't been playing selfish political games in the Ukraine for the last 15 years. It would also help if we hadn't been bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last 20 years. I don't know if we are ready for it.
On the other stuff, just my opinion: (Might be a good side discussion.) =)
1. We were never in a position to stop WWII from happening. That goes to Britain and France among others. I don't know how much influence we really had in Europe. We had taken a bunch of diplomatic steps against Japan over their invasion of China and elsewhere.
2. After WWI, we elected to maintain a decent navy first. That was where the military funding went. I don't think anyone would have accepted maintaining a sizable army after WWI in addition to the navy.
3. President Wilson wanted to be a world leader after WWI. I don't think anyone else was interested since the treaty was not ratified. IMO, the League of Nations would have been more useless than the UN is today. I don't think it would have prevented anything if it still existed by the late 30's.
4. I don't know how much influence the US had in the outcome and treaties of WWI. I don't know what it would have taken to keep the seeds of WWII from being planted.
5. I have heard one of our goals in setting up the Washington Naval Treaty after WWI was the split up Great Britain and Japan who were fairly close prior to that. I am curious if they would have still had good relations before WWII once Japan started invading China. The need to get oil and other resources is part of the reason they attacked us.
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That we can have an informed opinion on the matter presupposes we actually know what is really going on.
We are on a need to know basis and it has been determined we don't need to know.
My default is no military action, no war, unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it is necessary for the security of the USA.
The politicians and top military brass burned through all the good will and any trust I used to have in them.
Why do we consistently keep believing and giving the benefit of the doubt to demonstrable liars?
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ABC news just broke in to announce the start of an apparent invasion.
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Yep cruise misses and bombing has begun along with more cyber attacks. Russia went all in and threatened anyone who thinks of intervening
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My read on Ukraine. Thankfully we’re not Ukrainian. I don’t think this will impact us much here. Stock market will be volatile. Gas prices will spike. But as long as Biden’s handlers don’t do something galacticly stupid we will see little meaningful effect. If Biden’s handlers decide to invade Ukraine to push out the Russians, or something comparably idiotic it could go pear shaped in very unpredictable ways.
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My read on Ukraine. Thankfully we’re not Ukrainian. I don’t think this will impact us much here. Stock market will be volatile. Gas prices will spike. But as long as Biden’s handlers don’t do something galacticly stupid we will see little meaningful effect. If Biden’s handlers decide to invade Ukraine to push out the Russians, or something comparably idiotic it could go pear shaped in very unpredictable ways.
Well they haven't gotten anything right so far so I plan on the worst case.
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(https://i.makeagif.com/media/4-30-2017/NrF3KN.gif)
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Russian paratroopers on ground now in Kiev airport.
FUNKER530 has live feeds going on right now with constant updates.
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What a *expletive deleted*ing jackass
Kyiv and Kharkiv are being bombed. The largest invasion on our planet since WW2. Republicans are rooting for the Russians. God be with Ukraine and democracy.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 24, 2022
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/23/dem-rep-eric-swalwell-knows-which-side-republicans-are-rooting-for-as-kyiv-and-kharkiv-are-being-bombed/
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He needs a swift kick in the nuts for that comment
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He needs a swift kick in the nuts for that comment
Why stop at one?
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Live updates from inside Ukraine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/)
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Oil over $100 a barrel
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Joy Reid didn't want to be outdone
MSNBC's Joy Reid: Republicans want a 'White Christian autocracy'
Reid argued Republicans support Russia and Vladimir Putin over the United States
https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbc-joy-reid-republicans-want-white-christian-autocracy
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... and Pelosi can't tell the difference between Ukraine and Hungary:
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1496537971474014213
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So . . . no more Russian ammo for a while, I suppose.
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That we can have an informed opinion on the matter presupposes we actually know what is really going on.
We are on a need to know basis and it has been determined we don't need to know.
My default is no military action, no war, unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it is necessary for the security of the USA.
The politicians and top military brass burned through all the good will and any trust I used to have in them.
Why do we consistently keep believing and giving the benefit of the doubt to demonstrable liars?
We've been conditioned to do so by media.
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"But as long as Biden’s handlers don’t do something galacticly stupid we will see little meaningful effect."
So, we're completely *expletive deleted*ed, then.
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I haven't heard, what are Germany, France and Britain saying and wanting to do about this? Let me guess without hearing a thing. Nothing ...
This is Obama/Bidens fault. The color revolution installing the western puppet government happened on their watch. Remember when Obama said there isn't anything Biden couldn't f up? I suspect Ukraine has been his personal project all along. Joe was just trying to build Ukraine back better.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened 'consequences you have never seen' to any country that interferes in Ukraine
We used to have a guy in charge that said the same kind of thing, which likely kept this guy in check. Brandon is just going to stand there, drooling.
Given the lopsidedness, I'm not sure how long Ukraine can hold out on their own (not saying we should get involved, just stating the lopsidedness). I suppose one thing that could help Ukraine is that Putin wants to absorb them, not destroy them and their infrastructure. That could mean Ukrainians with rifles could make a difference.
(https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/02/1862/1048/ALL_CUSTOM_FS_Ukraine_Russia_Military_Head_to_Head.png?ve=1&tl=1)
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Putin is getting rid of our (probably) CIA stooges on his border while we ignore the CCP and WEF globalist stooges running Canada right on our border.
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Interesting comments on the profitability of this for Putin. Had Brandon not shut down our fossil fuel capabilities, this would not be as profitable for Putin, and we would have been in a position to provide oil exports to others. I just now heard on the TV that as of yesterday, we were still buying 700 million barrels of oil a month from Russia. If part of our sanctions are cutting that off, gasoline is really gonna go up here.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/24/russia-feels-no-pain-just-profit-with-the-price-of-gold-and-oil-rising-russia-is-profiting-off-of-its-invasion-of-ukraine/
I also heard something on the TV that while a little tinfoily, did get me thinking: Once we go hard on sanctions, the ruskie cyberguys will start hitting us, and it was recommended to start printing paper statements of your bank accounts and increase the security of your critical accounts, including frequent password changes. I do two-factor on all my financial stuff, but paranoid or not, I kind of think it's a good idea to print out my current financial statements today.
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What a *expletive deleted*ing jackass
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/23/dem-rep-eric-swalwell-knows-which-side-republicans-are-rooting-for-as-kyiv-and-kharkiv-are-being-bombed/
That guy needs to be booted out of Congress.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/24/washington-free-beacon-eric-swalwell-received-max-campaign-donations-from-nord-stream-2s-top-lobbyist/
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I haven't heard, what are Germany, France and Britain saying and wanting to do about this? Let me guess without hearing a thing. Nothing ...
This is Obama/Bidens fault. The color revolution installing the western puppet government happened on their watch. Remember when Obama said there isn't anything Biden couldn't f up? I suspect Ukraine has been his personal project all along. Joe was just trying to build Ukraine back better.
We know Biden and his family were using the Ukraine as their personal piggy bank of corrupt dealings. I am sure they weren't the only elites with corrupt dealing there.
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We used to have a guy in charge that said the same kind of thing, which likely kept this guy in check. Brandon is just going to stand there, drooling.
Given the lopsidedness, I'm not sure how long Ukraine can hold out on their own (not saying we should get involved, just stating the lopsidedness). I suppose one thing that could help Ukraine is that Putin wants to absorb them, not destroy them and their infrastructure. That could mean Ukrainians with rifles could make a difference.
(https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/02/1862/1048/ALL_CUSTOM_FS_Ukraine_Russia_Military_Head_to_Head.png?ve=1&tl=1)
How many of those Russian military assets are actually there around the Ukraine versus at other Russian bases far away?
I am am sure Putin is using enough. The question will be how well the Ukrainian military is prepared for this and if they put up a fight.
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How many of those Russian military assets are actually there around the Ukraine versus at other Russian bases far away?
I am am sure Putin is using enough. The question will be how well the Ukrainian military is prepared for this and if they put up a fight.
I mean, obviously Russia's assets aren't all there, but they're the ones with plenty to spare. They just reported that Ukraine's air defenses have already been essentially nullified.
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Just did a quick perusal of EU news outlets, they don't seem to be very worried about Russia but are talking sanctions. Talk of taking in refugees is also prominent.
This will be a 1, 2 week story I bet.
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I mean, obviously Russia's assets aren't all there, but they're the ones with plenty to spare. They just reported that Ukraine's air defenses have already been essentially nullified.
I know that, but some of the media show slides like that as if it is a video game and they are all going to fight.
They did the same thing with nuclear weapons numbers during the cold war in the 1980's. Those at least theoretically could have been used.
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Just did a quick perusal of EU news outlets, they don't seem to be very worried about Russia but are talking sanctions. Talk of taking in refugees is also prominent.
This will be a 1, 2 week story I bet.
Of course, it won't necessarily be Ukrainian refugees.
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Dan Crenshaw
@DanCrenshawTX
·
18h
We import 595,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia.
The Keystone XL pipeline would have produced 830,000 barrels per day.
Relying on Russian oil is a choice. And it’s a stupid one.
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And from another universe
Stephen King
@StephenKing
· Feb 22
Mr. Putin has made a serious miscalculation.
He forgot he's no longer dealing with Trump.
Putin right now :rofl:
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Without getting even more tinfoily than I usually am :laugh: , this might be a good time to check on short and long term SHTF supplies, ala the covid run on goods. Putin's threat regarding interference by the West is much more likely cyberwarfare than nuclear warfare. Whether he can attack our power grid or not, as the MSM talks about it more and more, the old water and TP shortages via panic buying might be coming back.
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Just did a quick perusal of EU news outlets, they don't seem to be very worried about Russia but are talking sanctions. Talk of taking in refugees is also prominent.
This will be a 1, 2 week story I bet.
Maybe for the major ground operations.
The insurgency could go on for months even years.
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Move over Slawell and Reid, we have our most insane take yet.
Right-wing doesn't love Putin just because he is an authoritarian, tyrannical leader, they love him because he's a WHITE authoritarian leader. Race has become more important than even nationality. They've turned on democracy and now even America, in favor of a white warlord.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) February 24, 2022
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/02/24/cenk-uygur-the-right-loves-vladimir-putin-because-hes-a-white-authoritarian-leader-and-americans-sure-do-love-themselves-a-white-warlord/
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This may be a close 2nd though
Lot of people in Ukraine crowding together inside.
Only 35% of Ukrainians have been vaccinated. Less than 2% have been boosted.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 24, 2022
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/02/24/nobody-is-this-stupid-lefty-dragged-then-dragged-more-for-nagging-unvaccinated-ukrainians-about-crowding-together-inside/
Hmmm, bombs, COVID, bombs, COVID?
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Never mind. The dems/libs are having a contest in who can post the dumbest out of touch of reality *expletive deleted*it
One thing worth keeping in my mind today: There’s a straight line from Russia’s attack on the US election in 2016 to 1/6 to today’s new invasion of Ukraine. The chaos that Russia unleashed with the election of Trump weakened us to the point Putin feels confident invading Europe.
— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) February 24, 2022
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/24/cleanup-on-aisle-biden-blue-check-historian-says-trump-weakened-us-to-the-point-putin-feels-confident-invading-europe/
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Just did a quick perusal of EU news outlets, they don't seem to be very worried about Russia
The US warned loudly & clearly that this was going to happen and they said we were overreacting. It doesn't seem like they have a better read on the situation.
European news. In this case specifically Germany, who, sad for me to say, seems to be going very soft on Russia for political /economic reasons. This story is from the Epoch Times Germany, who are pretty similar to the US Epoch Times in generally unbiased reporting.
In this article, they are talking about undue saber rattling by the US and UK, that Biden is overreacting, and even have interviews with Ukrainian officials downplaying the current crisis.
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Reports there's fighting at Chernobyl.
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Yep, they're having a contest
Bet he hopped on his private jet to say this
Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on BBC Arabic: The Ukraine Crisis Could Distract the World from the Climate Crisis While Having Massive Emissions Consequences #RussiaUkraineConflict #UkraineRussie #UkraineRussiaCrisis #ClimateCrisis @JohnKerry @ClimateEnvoy pic.twitter.com/nsOC1iZeGm
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) February 24, 2022
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/24/not-a-parody-part-2-john-kerry-warns-of-the-carbon-footprint-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/
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Meanwhile at CNN :facepalm:
https://twitter.com/JetsGuy6/status/1496871231945154564
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Reports there's fighting at Chernobyl.
Do you want mutants with superpowers? Because fighting a war in a radioactive wasteland is how you get mutants with superpowers.
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Meanwhile at CNN :facepalm:
https://twitter.com/JetsGuy6/status/1496871231945154564
:rofl: :rofl:
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Yep, they're having a contest
Bet he hopped on his private jet to say this
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/24/not-a-parody-part-2-john-kerry-warns-of-the-carbon-footprint-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/
Don't worry Johnny, he is offsetting it by killing a bunch of people so they won't be admitting as many emissions.
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And from another universe
Stephen King
@StephenKing
· Feb 22
Mr. Putin has made a serious miscalculation.
He forgot he's no longer dealing with Trump.
Putin right now :rofl:
True in the sense that you can never know what an Alzheimer's patient might do. Paranoia is a common symptom of Alzheimer's. Our dementia-addled leader could do something monumentally stupid in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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I'll be honest: I thought this would end up being a more limited action on the eastern parts of Ukraine. I thought a full scale invasion seemed less likely.
Ultimately the west will let Ukraine fall. The lesson here is that countries without nuclear weapons exist at the convenience of those who do.
Also: The UN again proves it's uselessness.
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Just heard someone at work say that Chinese aircraft are flying into Taiwan airspace. Anyone hearing this?
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Just heard someone at work say that Chinese aircraft are flying into Taiwan airspace. Anyone hearing this?
They have been testing Taiwanese air space a number of times over the last year or more. I hope it doesn't mean something more.
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They have been testing Taiwanese air space a number of times over the last year or more. I hope it doesn't mean something more.
That's what I'm afraid of. The Chinese saying "Quick, while everyone is looking at Ukraine, let's grab Taiwan."
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After doing a "readers digest" version of the history of Ukraine and also the history of Taiwan as a refresher I have a serious question. What is the time frame that should be accepted for a region to be considered separated from their "home" nation and be independent?
As far as China is concerned they never gave up Taiwan. The Taiwan government apparently for a while considered themselves the actual legitimate Chinese government in exile.
Russia and the USSR have been in "possession" of Ukraine for a substantial part of modern history, there are areas of Ukraine that are majority Russian or Russian leaning politically.
China plays the long game and it looks like KGB Putin does also.
Maybe the best long game for the USA and the west would have been to fortify and strengthen NATO as it consisted at the collapse of the USSR instead of expanding NATO eastward. Our NATO allies have been pretty feckless all along, particularly about pulling their own weight financially. Spreading NATO even thinner looks like a bad play to me.
My expectation was that China and Taiwan would unify peacefully in the future. They played the long game with Hong Kong and won and I don't see why they would rush things now. I just don't know what the sentiment is in Taiwan, if there is widespread support of the people for reunification the timeframe might be sped up.
Looking to the USA for leadership on the Ukraine issue with a totally compromised POTUS is probably not a wise move for the Europeans.
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After doing a "readers digest" version of the history of Ukraine and also the history of Taiwan as a refresher I have a serious question. What is the time frame that should be accepted for a region to be considered separated from their "home" nation and be independent?
I don't think a given amount of time is really the right metric. Along what lines do you think countries should form? Geographic, cultural, linguistic, ethnic?
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Russia and China set up a new energy trade agreement before he invaded. Our sanctions won't mean crap to Putin.
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I don't think a given amount of time is really the right metric. Along what lines do you think countries should form? Geographic, cultural, linguistic, ethnic?
I'm thinking genetic, ethnic and cultural occupying a geographic location. My assumption until very recently was that Taiwan was of mostly Han Chinese descent. Apparently that is not true at all and that the majority are of Taiwanese descent, not from the Chinese or Japanese. If true I would say the Taiwanese are a distinct people/Nation on all counts.
I'm not sure about Ukraine, particularly since they have been a part of Russia on and off for a long time.
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We have more sanctions we can put on Russia but we will see how these are working in a month. Let's Go Brandon.
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Last updated 2:53:25 PM
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Don’t worry about Putin, our military has this in the bag.
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxQo8Pz-l2lVGttFqLgjG99EEPTDCWnsh8
(https://yt3.ggpht.com/6yISI-7SPB9TZzSmURcFGhgneaSo7Ft2CpBY-ejdhHf9wibwHyZ62r_pQEmluBIPG70hUZTfFoLs=s800-nd-v1)
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Anotov An-225 Mriya: Reports world's largest plane destroyed at Hostomel airport
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19950717.anotov-an-225-mriya-reports-worlds-largest-plane-destroyed-hostomel-airport/
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Just heard someone at work say that Chinese aircraft are flying into Taiwan airspace. Anyone hearing this?
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-reports-nine-chinese-aircraft-its-air-defence-zone-2022-02-24/
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Anotov An-225 Mriya: Reports world's largest plane destroyed at Hostomel airport
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19950717.anotov-an-225-mriya-reports-worlds-largest-plane-destroyed-hostomel-airport/
Oh no! We would occasionally see the AN-225 and AN-124 landing at Paine Field in Everett or Boeing Field in Seattle, usually in the context of shipping parts for Boeing, or on the way to an airshow. They made the C-5 Galaxy, 747, and 787 Dreamlifters look small.
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Alex Jones was right. Again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdbdl3VKVb8
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Since WLJ mentioned flightradar24 I thought I'd take a look. Apparently, Ukraine is being given a wide berth, which makes sense.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51902748245_0d0a21e05b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n5t9MK) (https://flic.kr/p/2n5t9MK)
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As to how we decide nations, my limited experience with Ukrainian coworkers is that is best to not call them Russian for funsies. They don’t get the joke. The national identity is strong. No doubt we screwed around in their politics but they have had multiple votes and constitutional amendments that says they look west. We promised them security for giving back the nukes. The guy deposed by their revolution lives in exile in Russia. A good party member too. So it is not like vlad was sitting over there minding his own.
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. We promised them security for giving back the nukes.
The USA promised that we would not attack them. Russia promised the same. We are keeping our promise. Russia isn't.
We did not promise that we would stop Russia from attacking them.
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I really thought that whole administration couldn't be idiots.
I turned on cable new today for the first time since the 2020 election to watch the briefings. i was proved right. They had one guy smart enough to hire Stephen King to write policy. Only they told him to use the book 1984 and the movie Ideocracy and make them the presidents policy.
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I was just talking to hot Ukrainian ex-coworker and she was talking to her relatives in Western Ukraine a couple of hours ago. Things are relatively calm at the moment where her relatives are.
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reminder not to assign gender to anyone from ukraine when tweeting about world war 3. remember to use the correct term “folx” when referring to all ukrainian folx ! 🤍 it’s not hard to be inclusive of all genders in ukraine
— señorita awesome (@noangeIcharli) February 24, 2022
A coupe of other winners at the link
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/02/24/putin-did-us-a-favor-libs-of-tik-tok-presents-the-worst-takes-to-come-out-of-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
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The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances may require the US and UK to go to war with Russia for invading Ukraine (or Belarus or Kazakhstan). I'm still reading about this.
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Doubling down, Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy NEC Director, Daleep Singh says "our measures were not designed to disrupt in any way the current flow of energy from Russia to the world."
So does that mean we're still getting our oil from them too? Those are some sanctions, you betchya.
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A coupe of other winners at the link
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/02/24/putin-did-us-a-favor-libs-of-tik-tok-presents-the-worst-takes-to-come-out-of-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
The one you quoted kinda makes me want to see the commies cyberkill our power grid, just so that these aholes can learn what real problems are.
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The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances may require the US and UK to go to war with Russia for invading Ukraine (or Belarus or Kazakhstan). I'm still reading about this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum_on_Security_Assurances
The Budapest Memorandum was negotiated at political level, but it is not entirely clear whether the instrument is devoid entirely of legal provisions. It refers to assurances, but it does not impose a legal obligation of military assistance on its parties.[1][20] According to Stephen MacFarlane, a professor of international relations, "It gives signatories justification if they take action, but it does not force anyone to act in Ukraine."
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Something I'm curious about. MSM seems to be making a big deal out of the Ruskies "capturing" Chernobyl, what's the big deal about capturing a radioactive shithole?
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Since WLJ mentioned flightradar24 I thought I'd take a look. Apparently, Ukraine is being given a wide berth, which makes sense.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51902748245_0d0a21e05b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n5t9MK)
(https://flic.kr/p/2n5t9MK)
That's how Afghanistan looked right after the Taliban took over.
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Something I'm curious about. MSM seems to be making a big deal out of the Ruskies "capturing" Chernobyl, what's the big deal about capturing a radioactive shithole?
Well, they can't use their nukes without starting WW3 but some terrorists with a few dirty bombs running around is a whole different story.
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After doing a "readers digest" version of the history of Ukraine and also the history of Taiwan as a refresher I have a serious question. What is the time frame that should be accepted for a region to be considered separated from their "home" nation and be independent?
As far as China is concerned they never gave up Taiwan. The Taiwan government apparently for a while considered themselves the actual legitimate Chinese government in exile.
The legitimate government of China was the government "in exile" in/on Taiwan. As far as I'm concerned, the communist government of mainland China is not and never has been legitimate.
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I'm not sure about Ukraine, particularly since they have been a part of Russia on and off for a long time.
I'm very fuzzy on details but, if I remember what she said even a bit correctly, a former GF from Ukraine basically said that Ukraine is older than Russia as a civilized nation, and that Ukraine was the birthplace of Russia.
Or something like that.
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Wasn't Ukraine the USSR's version of Florida, along with harbors and pipelines?
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Something I'm curious about. MSM seems to be making a big deal out of the Ruskies "capturing" Chernobyl, what's the big deal about capturing a radioactive shithole?
In an article I read they pointed out that if Russia is staging troops, equipment and the like there nobody will be dropping bombs or attacking them with missiles due to not wanting to kick up clouds of radioactive dust.
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Somethings I've not seen asked is what would Putin do if a stalemate ensues or even starts losing?
What is the morale of the Russian army like in all of this?
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"Russian warship, go *expletive deleted*ck yourself."
https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1497005877555077124
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In an article I read they pointed out that if Russia is staging troops, equipment and the like there nobody will be dropping bombs or attacking them with missiles due to not wanting to kick up clouds of radioactive dust.
Wonder what the troops there think about being in a radioactive wonderland?
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Something I'm curious about. MSM seems to be making a big deal out of the Ruskies "capturing" Chernobyl, what's the big deal about capturing a radioactive shithole?
I caught a few headlines talking about that too. I'd guess it's just because that's a very recognizable name for the public in the west. I think people associate it with danger and importance. From the perspective of the military campaign... it isn't relevant.
Although I'm sure people working on dismantling and dealing with chernobyl-4 in the new safe confinement are not entirely thrilled to be in the middle of a war zone. I wonder if the Russians will expel the Ukrainian and international workers there?
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"Russian warship, go *expletive deleted*ck yourself."
https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1497005877555077124
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePCVxoWlB2g
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Although I'm sure people working on dismantling and dealing with chernobyl-4 in the new safe confinement are not entirely thrilled to be in the middle of a war zone. I wonder if the Russians will expel the Ukrainian and international workers there?
CNN reported that the techs are now being held prisoner by the Russian forces.
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In an article I read they pointed out that if Russia is staging troops, equipment and the like there nobody will be dropping bombs or attacking them with missiles due to not wanting to kick up clouds of radioactive dust.
Seems like the Russian troops would be the worst off getting dusted with radmats from munition impacts there. The dust won't go far without being carried into the upper atmosphere without a thermal updraft.
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Seems like the Russian troops would be the worst off getting dusted with radmats from munition impacts there. The dust won't go far without being carried into the upper atmosphere without a thermal updraft.
A radiation spike has been recorded around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Data from monitoring stations suggests the levels of radiation
increased about 20-fold on Thursday.
“Around the reactor you would normally receive a dose of around 3 units (called microsieverts) every hour - that’s jumped to 65,” explains Sheffield University nuclear materials expert Prof Claire Corkhill.
“That’s about five times more than you would get on a transatlantic flight.”
The most likely explanation, she says, is increased movement of people and vehicles in the 4,000 square km Chernobyl exclusion zone has kicked up radioactive dust that is usually undisturbed on the ground.
Unrest around the now defunct nuclear power plant is alarming, but a repeat of the 1986 nuclear disaster, experts say, is extremely unlikely.
“The radioactivity has decayed significantly since then and the thing that released the radioactivity then was a huge fire,” explains Prof Corkhill.
Of much more concern is any fighting close to Ukraine’s other working nuclear reactors.
Nuclear policy expert James Acton wrote on Thursday that “Chernobyl is inside a large uninhabited space. Ukraine’s other reactors are not similarly isolated".
"Moreover, much of the fuel in these other reactors is substantially more radioactive than the fuel at Chernobyl,” he added.
Article share tools
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Ukraine Update: On The Steppe - Intelligence update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz2JsCrNaAE
I had forgotten I was subscribed to this guy. Does a good summary of what is currently known. Starts off on the sanction issue then goes into how the fighting is going.
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Ukraine says it hands out 18,000 machine guns to Kyiv volunteers
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Kremlin: Russia ready for talks with Ukraine on 'neutrality'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Whatever the outcome I hope people are taking notes. These are modern civilized people who last week had largely first world problems. Now they are turning out with automatic rifles. I hope they give a good account of the private citizen.
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Paywall at the article, but apparently the admin shared intelligence on Russia/Ukraine with China in hopes China would help intervene, and China turned around and gave all the intel to Russia. Shocker.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/us/politics/us-china-russia-ukraine.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/02/25/adults-are-back-in-charge-super-genius-biden-spent-3-months-trying-to-get-china-to-help-stop-russia-guess-what-china-did-instead/
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My prediction ... this will end with bad guys in control of Ukraine. ;)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVE8qPX9uT4
Ukraine & Russia War: The Average Soldier's Perspective
Task & Purpose has a bit snarkier version of things, but has a little more information.
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Not to take away from the seriousness of the discussion, but it's certainly interesting to watch the progressive antigunners all come out in roaring favor of selective fire arms in the hands of private citizens, as long as it's not in the USA. Well, to be fair, they'd probably be in favor of armed antifa.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/25/occupy-democrats-are-big-supporters-of-a-heavily-armed-citizenry-in-ukraine/
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As we reported a few moments ago, no Russian act will be allowed to compete in this year's Eurovision Song Contest after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
(https://c.tenor.com/0ePsDl_ryCsAAAAM/putin-laughing.gif)
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Not to take away from the seriousness of the discussion, but it's certainly interesting to watch the progressive antigunners all come out in roaring favor of selective fire arms in the hands of private citizens, as long as it's not in the USA. Well, to be fair, they'd probably be in favor of armed antifa.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/25/occupy-democrats-are-big-supporters-of-a-heavily-armed-citizenry-in-ukraine/
Hell, I was going further and thinking it would be nice to have a grenade launcher or anti-tank weapon. When seeing artillery and rockets flying around, my rifle/pistol collection seems pretty weak.
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Hell, I was going further and thinking it would be nice to have a grenade launcher or anti-tank weapon. When seeing artillery and rockets flying around, my rifle/pistol collection seems pretty weak.
Agreed.
It also occurs to me that after Ukraine falls, there will now be a decent amount of small arms floating around to conduct an insurgency. The Ukrainian government might also be wise to hand out explosives and detonators explicitly for the purpose of future insurgency.
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Certainly hardened my domestic politics. No new revelations but my politeness level is about to peg on zero. We need more guns everywhere. Anyone who wants them is your enemy. In our case of course there are no Russians just our betters.
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I did see that the Ukrainian government was distributing instructions to assemble Molotov cocktails.
Additionally, I just saw an interview with the previous Ukrainian President in which he was being asked what arms his local citizens group had available. They only had AKs, and not enough of them according to him, and that they were additionally hoping to get various MANPADs and other bigger stuff. They showed a long line of people looking to enlist. He also said that they would resist "forever", in a way that indicates there could be a lot of asymmetrical warfare, of the kind the Russians stepped into in Afghanistan.
For Babylon 5 fans, he kind of gave a G'Kar speech from after the Centauri invasion.
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Governments who are confident in the support of the general population are comfortable when that population is armed.
Governments who are not confident in the support of the general population actually fear that population being armed.
These positions can switch - usually slowly, sometimes overnight.
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All options are on the table to protect the Biden clans financial interests.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
(https://c.tenor.com/0ePsDl_ryCsAAAAM/putin-laughing.gif)
Ooh . . . that'll show them Russkies.
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Former President Bush condemns Russia's unjustified invasion.
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If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?
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Former President Bush condemns Russia's unjustified invasion.
Pfft.
I'm waiting for Jimmy Carter to weigh in.
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If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?
I’m guessing he’d try to go after any non NATO backed former USSR country. I don’t think he’s got the desire to tangle with NATO but anyone else is fair game.
Provided of course the Ukrainians don’t *expletive deleted*ck him in the ass with Guerilla war. If the Ukrainians pull out all the stops for asymmetric warfare they will bleed Russia badly.
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If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?
As I said on Facebook, my bet is on Moldova next. I won't guess at a timeframe, but it's right there. He also has some unfinished business with Georgia.
After that he can head to the 'stans, or look at the Balkans and we'll see how serious this all gets.
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If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?
I don't think it will be a NATO country.
If he attacks NATO, he can't be sure that the war will remain localized, and purely defensive (like Ukraine). For example, he attacks the Baltics - suddenly he can start losing Russian Navy vessels all over the world, Murmansk and Vladivostok can get hit by cruise missiles, the Trans Siberian railway can be taken out, and so forth and so on, with things spiraling out of his (or anyone's) control very quickly. I mean, aside from Biden being a nitwit, why would NATO limit the response geographically to favor Putin? That would be like circling the remains of our navy around Hawaii for the next 4 years after Pearl Harbor.
So . . . taking Poland and the Baltics off the table for now, I'd expect him to turn south towards some of the other former Soviet republics. I don't think people in the West will get too worked up if he invades Berzerkistan or Kablamistan. (Unless they've been paying off Hunter, too.)
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If China and Russia are coordinating this could get more interesting.
China of course has Taiwan in its sights but they also have been in a conflict with India. Another nation without an allies to team up with against China.
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The problem with the 'Stans is that.....they are the Stans. Way too easy to end up like Afghanistan. Kazakhstan has a bunch of land and oil, and easier logistics from Russia so it's more doable. Tadzhikistan has been near or in a civil war for 20ish years, so they have a well practiced insurgency ready to go. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kirgizstan are all kinda poor, don't have a ton of resources, and have simmering screaming beard problems. The Red Army isn't yet what it once was.
I honestly don't know much of what is happening in Armenia and Azerbaijan. They may be on the table along with the rest of Georgia.
I guess we'll see
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If China and Russia are coordinating this could get more interesting.
China of course has Taiwan in its sights but they also have been in a conflict with India. Another nation without an allies to team up with against China.
India has nukes, and will use them if it thinks it is falling. Not to mention a culture and population that would be close to ungovernable under Communism. I think the CCP knows that. Nepal might want to be a bit nervous.
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White House news conference. I could only take a few minutes. :facepalm:
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"Reporter" wants to know why are countries like Poland treating refugees from Ukraine differently than they do refugees from the middle east. Psaki pass on that question. I wonder why? My guess is that it would have forced her to say something not PC
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Breaking Zelensky - Ukraine ready to discuss ceasefire
A spokesman for Ukrainian President Zelensky has just said the country is prepared to hold ceasefire and peace talks with Russia immediately.
He said Russian and Ukrainian officials are currently discussing a time and place for talks to be held.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
(https://c.tenor.com/0ePsDl_ryCsAAAAM/putin-laughing.gif)
Formula 1 has cancelled the race in Sochi for 2022. And the Haas team has removed the Uralkali sponsorship from their cars. No word if Nikita Mazapin will retain his seat. Though many on the grid would be glad to see him gone no matter the means.
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16:41
Ukraine denies reports it rebuffed offer of peace talks
Ukraine has denied reports that it rebuffed a Russian offer to explore peace talks.
The Ukrainian president's spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, said on Facebook: "I have to deny statements that we have refused to hold talks.
"Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about the end to fighting and about peace. This is our unchanged position.
"We agreed to the offer by the Russian president. Right at this moment, the sides are consulting on the place and time of holding the negotiating process.
"The sooner the talks begin, the more chances there will be to restore normal life."
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Looks like China has decided that unprovoked state-level aggression might be bad after all.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/china-restrict-financing-russia-ukraina-invasion
Brad
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Looks like China has decided that unprovoked state-level aggression might be bad after all.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/china-restrict-financing-russia-ukraina-invasion
Brad
But they are still going to buy every lump of coal Russia has to offer.
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Airlines tend to not work well when they don't have passengers to carry. Plus not having a convenient way to get influential Western businesspersons and their associated hundreds of billions in and out of the country.
Delta suspends partnership with Aeroflot.
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/international/delta-suspends-partnership-with-russian-airline-aeroflot/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=kamc&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR3o36b7Zd1VSxVkjqxTqutvHklDiRInyIc6f6HkfrT6No-xI9W-6oUGDHI
Brad
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"How long do you think you can hold out?"
"Forever."
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1497189957395488778
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-soldier-woman-confrontation-b2022993.html
If they all have the cojones of this woman, Russia has a problem.
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Formula 1 has cancelled the race in Sochi for 2022. And the Haas team has removed the Uralkali sponsorship from their cars. No word if Nikita Mazapin will retain his seat. Though many on the grid would be glad to see him gone no matter the means.
Because he has destroyed more vehicles than the ukrainian army? I follow F1 heavily but they have a long way to go in stopping kissing dictators asses.
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If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?
I watched a video that said that there are 9 passes that Russia must control in order to secure it's border in the West. With the annexation of Crimea they held 3. The 'Stans are 2 more but less relevant atm. Ukraine will give them another, plus food. The remainder are Belarus and north to Estonia. Since Belarus is already on friendly terms with Russia, if I were Lithuania or Latvia I'd be real nervous about who's next.
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This is a treat we didn't need. Maybe NATO will wake up.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/russian-space-chief-talks-of-space-station-crashing-down-to-earth
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-soldier-woman-confrontation-b2022993.html
If they all have the cojones of this woman, Russia has a problem.
I saw that yesterday. Grandma is stone cold.
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This is a treat we didn't need. Maybe NATO will wake up.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/russian-space-chief-talks-of-space-station-crashing-down-to-earth
There has already been recent talk of ISS end of life in the near future. Whether it was going to be a de-orbit and burn up operation or push it in to a much higher parking orbit was part of the discussion.
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(https://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/france-has-just-surrendered-breaking-news.jpg)
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(https://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/france-has-just-surrendered-breaking-news.jpg)
France has nukes this time.
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https://buchanan.org/blog/did-we-provoke-putins-war-in-ukraine-159120
When Russia’s Vladimir Putin demanded that the U.S. rule out Ukraine as a future member of the NATO alliance, the U.S. archly replied: NATO has an open-door policy. Any nation, including Ukraine, may apply for membership and be admitted. We’re not changing that.
In the Bucharest declaration of 2008, NATO had put Ukraine and Georgia, ever farther east in the Caucasus, on a path to membership in NATO and coverage under Article 5 of the treaty, which declares that an attack on any one member is an attack on all.
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Blame COVID
Yeah right
A senior State Department official, briefing a small group of reporters, says the COVID pandemic may have been one factor isolating Putin and preventing him from hearing contrary voices–making him more to embark on an Ukraine invasion that will lead to bloodshed and peril.
— Susan Page (@SusanPage) February 25, 2022
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/02/25/marco-rubio-hints-he-has-information-that-something-is-off-with-putin/
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NATO response force activated for the first time ever.
https://news.yahoo.com/nato-activates-response-force-first-195211120.html
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(https://irate4x4.com/attachments/fmamoofwyaeyol8-jpg.503769/)
(https://img.patriotpost.us/01FWRZG7MSKR3JWMEFB06S04W3.jpeg)
(https://i.redd.it/et8pts4n6zj81.png)
(https://i.redd.it/gk0zn0b19zj81.png)
(https://i.redd.it/skmhbex5h0k81.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sWXCWEW.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/25bpm66k52k81.jpg)
(https://i.redd.it/9hnzfzeny1k81.jpg)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F%5Bimg%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F9s40u0lpf0k81.png&hash=3d451361e4a2b4afc4f5c5e0b7f4c21335a3619a)
(https://i.imgur.com/qjoqttq.jpg)
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"I think it's really important for people to understand the brilliance with which President Biden is conducting this," Pelosi said, according to Fox News' Chad Pergram. "This is a man who served decades as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He knows the arena. He knows the personalities."
"brilliance"
This is the same tyrant who attacked our democracy in 2016," she said at a news conference
Pelosi Says It's Important to 'Understand the Brilliance' of Biden's Response to Russian Invasion of Ukraine
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/landonmion/2022/02/25/pelosi-says-its-important-to-understand-the-brilliance-of-bidens-response-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-n2603825
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"brilliance"
Pelosi Says It's Important to 'Understand the Brilliance' of Biden's Response to Russian Invasion of Ukraine
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/landonmion/2022/02/25/pelosi-says-its-important-to-understand-the-brilliance-of-bidens-response-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-n2603825
I'm sure the Ukrainian people are suitably impressed.
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Watching the news this morning, it looks like though rifles are being handed out, there is not much ammo going with them.
I have to give kudos to the Ukrainian President. He's refusing evac and standing in the street armed, alongside his fellow citizens. I don't know what recent US president would have done the same. Obviously, most of them have been old, not that it's an excuse - Ukraine is ordering people as old as 60 to arm up, and I see older people are voluntarily taking up arms. Obama was young enough, but he wouldn't have done it. I think the last US President that would have put his money where his mouth was would have been Teddy Roosevelt.
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I think W would of.
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Before my time, but I've heard folks say Carter would have.
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Update from the Ushanka Show*
Update on my family in Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p0n9cdNsBw
*For those who aren't familiar with the Ushanka Show it's a YT channel that follows what life was like in the old Soviet Union
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Baghdad Moscow Bob
Russian military spokesperson Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that Moscow had suffered no casualties during the invasion.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
Oh wait, he said MOSCOW had suffered no casualties
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Starting to wonder if the Ukrainians are doing too good. I personally wish them great success, many more javelins and all the paratroopers falling from the sky pre killed. But in a larger picture Putin has to save face. His whole brand is power. This threatens to make Russia irrelevant. Basically he is the bar fight guy who is getting his ass kicked and pulls out a gun.
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Interesting:
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/26/reporters-2018-tweet-showing-german-un-delegation-laughing-at-trumps-warning-gets-renewed-attention/
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Starting to wonder if the Ukrainians are doing too good. I personally wish them great success, many more javelins and all the paratroopers falling from the sky pre killed. But in a larger picture Putin has to save face. His whole brand is power. This threatens to make Russia irrelevant. Basically he is the bar fight guy who is getting his ass kicked and pulls out a gun.
Yeah I asked a page or so back what if Russian forces get caught up in stalemate or even start losing?
Now 'a war of necessity' for Putin
Paul Adams
BBC diplomatic correspondent
Western officials say that Ukraine’s military has been effective in slowing the Russian advance overnight in the capital Kyiv.
But they worry that the Russians, impatient to inflict a rapid victory, could resort to drastic measures.
“My fear would be that if they don’t meet the timescales and objectives… they will be indiscriminate in the use of violence,” one said.
“The problem is that [Vladimir Putin] having committed himself in the way that he has, this is now not a war of choice for him, but a war of necessity.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447/page/3
Anti war protests are growing in Russia and there's talk of grumbling in his cabinet
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Are the Ukraine rifles able to use Russian ammo? Likely. So they have a good source right there...
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Are the Ukraine rifles able to use Russian ammo? Likely. So they have a good source right there...
If wiki can be trusted, yes for the most part
According to the wiki standard issue rifles, AK-74s, are in 5.45, same as the standard issue Russian rifles. Some 5.45 Tavors in service. 7.62x39 rifles, mostly AKMs, in reserve. Not sure the current status of the ARs they ordered in 7.62x39 and 5.56
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_equipment_of_the_Ukrainian_Ground_Forces
I would suspect the "18,000" rifles handed out in Kyiv are reserve rifles and thus in 7.62x39
If any Russian units are running around with the older 7.62x39 rifles I have no clue but I would doubt it.
Edit: The Tavors are (mostly) in 5.45 as well.
Thing is I knew that before hand but had a brain fart while typing. Corrected
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I think the last US President that would have put his money where his mouth was would have been Teddy Roosevelt.
Calvin Coolidge. Well, as long as it wasn’t during nap time.
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Whoops, correction to the above. The Ukrainian Tavors are in 5.45 as well and are in fact being manufactured there.
I remember some people in bullpup forums asking if we would ever see a 5.45 Tavor here when 5.45 Tavors started showing up in Ukraine
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Which got me thinking
Are there any major 5.45x39 ammo manufacturers outside of Russian and Ukraine?
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Any of this sound familiar?
Russia's 'dirty bomb' speculation is fake - Ukraine
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has hit back at allegations that his government intends to detonate a dirty bomb on Russian territory.
Dirty bombs are devices that combine conventional explosives with radioactive material and are designed to kill thousands of people instantly.
Russian state TV has also been discussing the prospect in recent days and at Friday night's UN Security Council meeting Russia's ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told delegates: "We do not want Ukraine to develop a 'dirty bomb'."
In a tweet, Kuleba ridiculed the suggestion, saying: "Russian propaganda has gone off the rails."
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Scary part about the above is that I wouldn't put it pass either one of them doing it as a false flag.
Putin if faced with a stalemate or worse and losing support at home could do it in an attempt to rally Russian support. Ukraine for more foreign support.
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Air raid sirens going off
LIVE: Kyiv Ukraine [Multiple View Points] #Kiev #Kyiv #Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcH7cUxXAnw
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Any one got the odds on when the US and NATO actually get involved in Ukraine? I honestly think Biden and his puppet masters are really that stupid.
Starting to see the propaganda pushing the narrative that Ukraine needs to be saved from the evil Putin. It's still subtle but it's there.
If we do I would expect China to move on Taiwan within 24 hours.
How *expletive deleted*ed is Eastern Europe with their dependence on Russian NG?
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
Russian commanders frustrated by slow advance - US official
Russian commanders are becoming increasingly frustrated by the slow speed of their advance through Ukraine and are starting to face logistical issues, a senior US defence official says.
It appears Moscow did not supply its troops with sufficient fuel, and commanders have been forced to adjust their plans as a result, the official told the Reuters news agency.
Videos on social media on Saturday appeared to show Russian tanks stalling in parts of Ukraine.
You can watch one of the encounters below, which the BBC has geolocated to a highway near Sumy in eastern Ukraine. In the video, a man can be heard offering the apparently stranded soldiers "a tow back to Russia".
:rofl:
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On a related note to the above.
Someone in the chat on one of the live feeds keeps urging Ukrainians to attack Russian supply trucks.
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Germany now shipping SAMs and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine
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Why in the %$^ did NATO not say "We have no interest in admitting Ukraine as a member"?
Could this have avoided this?
How would it help us to be committed to defending another country?
We do not need any more wars to help foreigners.
I am for sending them arms if they will use them.
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Germany now shipping SAMs and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine
Well that's an interesting change of policy. I need to jump over to the kraut news sites and see what they're saying.
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Why in the %$^ did NATO not say "We have no interest in admitting Ukraine as a member"?
Could this have avoided this?
How would it help us to be committed to defending another country?
We do not need any more wars to help foreigners.
I am for sending them arms if they will use them.
Budapest Memorandum.
It could be we are committed to defending Ukraine, Clinton/Yeltsin and some English bloke I cannot recall signed an agreement to keep
Ukraine sovereign if they give up the nukes.
This is a quagmire, if I was more prepared, I would be all for US going and all for ww3 - but i do not have enough resources currently for my road warrior post apocalyptic warlord plans.
if we do not help out, we/Clinton lied to the Ukrainians - if we do help out - Russia slips a few EMP's into the atmosphere and I resort to getting a shopping cart kitted out with various guns and sleeping bags and head south next winter ... you know ... like that movie/book
The Road
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Well that's an interesting change of policy. I need to jump over to the kraut news sites and see what they're saying.
Now France and the Netherlands
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Why in the %$^ did NATO not say "We have no interest in admitting Ukraine as a member"?
Could this have avoided this?
How would it help us to be committed to defending another country?
We do not need any more wars to help foreigners.
I am for sending them arms if they will use them.
Considering all the corruption that people know about, I am kind of wondering if there was more stuff going on that we did not know about, perhaps some intended to undermine Putin. I haven't heard anything, just speculating. Thinking about the Benghazi debacle.
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Well that's an interesting change of policy. I need to jump over to the kraut news sites and see what they're saying.
From my perspective here in Texas (what that is worth), it seems to me the worst outcome for the nations within reach of Putin is a quick victory. If it is a long and painful fight, win or lose, Putin won't be so likely to flex his military power in other directions. At this point, the Ukrainians are fighting so it makes sense to help them out. Just my two cents.
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Ukraine to receive boost in weaponry
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues in the early hours of Sunday morning, here's a reminder of pledges for support from Western allies issued so far this weekend.
On Saturday:
The US State Department said it will send $350m (£261m) in weapons - including Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems and body armour.
The German government said it would supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank grenade launchers and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles on an emergency basis.
The Dutch announced deployment of 50 Panzerfaust-3 anti-tank weapons and 400 rockets.
The two countries are also said to be considering sending a joint Patriot air defence system to a Nato battle group in Slovakia.
Earlier, Nato began deploying more of its forces to Eastern Europe "to respond quickly to any contingency".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Zelenskyy declines offer to evacuate: "I need ammunition, not a ride."
https://www.theblaze.com/news/us-offers-to-evacuate-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-he-responds-i-need-ammunition-not-a-ride
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I have a friend in Athens whose wife is Ukrainian. She is currently in Odessa (visiting her adult son and daughter-in-law) and they don't know how they're going to get her out.
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Biden should use his awesome negotiating skills to get the Taliban to forward all the military equipment we left in A-stan over to the Ukrainians.
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Biden should use his awesome negotiating skills to get the Taliban to forward all the military equipment we left in A-stan over to the Ukrainians.
Not quite all of it - the handguns we left over there should be issued to Afghan women - that might improve their relations with the Taliban.
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Putin puts Russia's strategic nuclear force on 'special alert'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Putin puts Russia's strategic nuclear force on 'special alert'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
Do we need any further proof that Putin is a megalomaniacal nutcase?
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All is well
Russian move does not signal intent to use nuclear weapons
Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News
President Putin has ordered his military command to put nuclear forces on a "special" state of alert.
This is after what Moscow calls "aggressive statements" by Nato countries.
Russia's leader had already issued a coded warning that he was willing to use nuclear weapons as he began his invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, he warned that "whoever tries to hinder us" would see consequences "you have never seen in your history".
These words were widely interpreted as signalling a threat to use nuclear weapons if the West stood in his way.
The very public shift to high alert status is a way for Moscow to send a warning. Moving to alert status is likely to make it easier to launch weapons more quickly. But it does not mean there is a current intent to use them.
Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world but also knows that Nato also has enough to destroy Russia if they were used.
But the aim is likely to try and deter Nato support for Ukraine by creating fears over how far he is willing to go and creating ambiguity over what kind of support for Ukraine he will consider to be too much.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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All is well
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
Sure it is. We can trust a guy who has never hesitated to remove his detractors from play. How many people has he had murdered or imprisoned since he first took power in 1999? How many countries has he invaded?
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Now where did I put that glue?
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The Ukrainian defence minister says that 25,000 guns have been handed over to territorial defence members in the Kyiv region alone.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Some are thinking we're still in the softening up phase and the real push hasn't started yet.
I don't know since I don't have access to Russian force deployments.
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An-225 confirmed destroyed. :mad: [ar15]
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Putin warned Finland and Sweden not to join NATO.
Finland: You want to try again? Bring it! [ar15]
I made up the Finland part. They could have said something along those lines who knows.
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You know, when we started this thread however many pages ago I would not have picked "Ukrane holds off the Red Army long enough initial logistics start to break down" as a possible outcome.
Whatever other crazy *expletive deleted*it Putin ends up doing, the Ukrainians, both professional military and not, are putting up a hell of a fight.
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Some are thinking we're still in the softening up phase and the real push hasn't started yet.
I don't know since I don't have access to Russian force deployments.
I also don't have access to Russian Force Deployments, but that excuse rings hollow.
First, it's not russian doctrine. They run their armor in fast and run the Motor-Rifle troops in afterwards to hold land. Which is what we saw with T-90s running in first under air cover, and BMPs and BTRs coming in later. That's why most of the videos taken by civilians on the web are of APCs. That's what comes in after the initial push. So the Red Army appears to be following their doctrine.
Second if you were planning a softening up stage followed by a hard push, your softening forces would have enough fuel and ammo to hold until the follow on force, and there are reports of Russians running out of both.
Third, that's a dumb strategy in modern warfare. You don't send a force against prepared and warned defenders unless you think you can beat them. Sending an initial attack followed by a larger wave as the plan invites defeat in detail.
It's more likely IMO that the Russians sent what they thought they needed, and it failed. Now they are committing whatever reserves they have and trying to save face by saying this was the plan all along.
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It's more likely IMO that the Russians sent what they thought they needed, and it failed. Now they are committing whatever reserves they have and trying to save face by saying this was the plan all along.
That's my personal belief
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I think Putin actually expected the Russian army to be welcomed as liberators and it would all be over in a few days. I think meeting strong resistance even in the so called "Russian" areas threw a monkey wrench in their plans.
Plus as I asked a few pages back I wonder what the morale of the Russian army is like in all of this. I would be willing to bet most Russian soldiers were/are like "Why the F am I here?"
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From foxnews.com:
Turkey says Russia is waging war in Ukraine, may control warship passage into Black Sea
Turkey has declared that Russia’s actions in Ukraine constitute a war and will act accordingly, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday.
Cavusoglu invoked the Montreux Convention, which dates back to 1936 and gives Turkey the ability to regulate the transit of naval warships between the Dardanelles Straits into the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy had claimed Saturday that Turkey had agreed to do this, but Turkish officials immediately pushed back saying they had not yet taken a decision on the matter.
Posted by Peter Aitken
There's a real danger of escalation here, Turkey being a NATO member.
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You would hope that Putin had most of the Black Sea Fleet in the Black Sea before he kicked this off. After all their home port is already in there.
At any given time there's some Russians from the Black Sea fleet in the Med keeping an eye on Israel and Syria, and usually one down in the Red Sea doing pirate interdiction. I would expect the rest of the fleet to already be up by the Ukraine.
Let's all hope Turkey doesn't sink one trying to run the straights at night.
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I almost feel bad putting this in a serious thread. Genius David Hogg thinks everyone should jump on Tinder to do psyops on Russian soldiers, as per a nearly 80 year old OSS manual. Mr anti-gun is now an I/CI expert.
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/02/27/impressively-dumb-harvards-pride-david-hogg-tells-people-to-find-russian-soldiers-on-social-media-sites-like-tinder-to-sabotage-them/
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I think Putin actually expected the Russian army to be welcomed as liberators and it would all be over in a few days. I think meeting strong resistance even in the so called "Russian" areas threw a monkey wrench in their plans.
Plus as I asked a few pages back I wonder what the morale of the Russian army is like in all of this. I would be willing to bet most Russian soldiers were/are like "Why the F am I here?"
Reportedly a few have surrendered to the Ukrainians saying they weren’t told they were going to be invading Ukrainian and wanted nothing to do with killing Ukrainians. I can’t confirm it of course it’s all hearsay at this moment but it being true would not surprise me.
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Aren't a very significant number of Russian troops conscripts?
I can see that being an issue.
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The things that pop into your head while mopping the bathroom floor.
The Czars of old thought of themselves as the protectors of the Slavic race. Maybe Putin after "liberating" Ukraine had the grand idea of crowning himself Czar Putin I in the old seat of Rus power Kiev. Yeah, crazy idea. But in my defense who knows what's going on in that guy's head. Wouldn't surprise me if that thought has passed through his mind.
Back to mopping. Want things nice and clean for when it's vaporized in a nuclear blast.
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Elon Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine. Will allow Ukrainians to use for free to keep communications going during invasion.https://t.co/4a1Zrv8vaq
— Jazz Shaw (@JazzShaw) February 27, 2022
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I almost feel bad putting this in a serious thread. Genius David Hogg thinks everyone should jump on Tinder to do psyops on Russian soldiers, as per a nearly 80 year old OSS manual. Mr anti-gun is now an I/CI expert.
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/02/27/impressively-dumb-harvards-pride-david-hogg-tells-people-to-find-russian-soldiers-on-social-media-sites-like-tinder-to-sabotage-them/
That boy is as sharp as a bowling ball
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Elon Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine. Will allow Ukrainians to use for free to keep communications going during invasion.
There was a time when I thought Musk was just a knucklehead, but he is kinda turning into Hank Reardon these past couple of years.
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You know, when we started this thread however many pages ago I would not have picked "Ukrane holds off the Red Army long enough initial logistics start to break down" as a possible outcome.
Whatever other crazy *expletive deleted*it Putin ends up doing, the Ukrainians, both professional military and not, are putting up a hell of a fight.
This is very true.
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Translated from reflections off vibrating window glass:
"Hey, if they can do it with Ukraine, we can do it with Taiwan!"
Translated from a pellet transmitter in a desk phone:
"Hey, if they can do it with Ukraine, we can do it with South Korea!"
Translated from....
Kinda shrinks yer sphincters, don't it?
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Reportedly 5,000 anti war protesters arrested in Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Sweden to send arms to Ukraine
Sweden has announced it will send military equipment and other aid to Ukraine.
Announcing the move, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it would be the first time Sweden had sent weapons to a country in conflict since the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939.
She said the shipments would include 5,000 single-use anti-tank launchers, 5,000 pieces of body armour, and 5,000 helmets as well as 135,000 ration packs.
"My conclusion is now that our security is best served by us supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia," Andersson said.
It comes after the European Union announced it would buy weapons and deliver them to Ukraine, the first time in its history it has taken such a step.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Kyiv totally surrounded, mayor says, blocking escape routes
Kyiv’s mayor has been speaking to the Associated Press and says the city is now "encircled" by Russian forces.
Vitali Klitschko was asked
whether there were plans to evacuate civilians should Russian troops seize the capital.
“We can’t do that, because all ways are blocked,” he said. “Right now we are encircled.”
Air raids have been sounding in the city as residents face another night under the threat of air strikes.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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An-225 confirmed destroyed. :mad: [ar15]
It was apparently being serviced in Ukraine when a cruise missile hit the hanger. (Gee, I wonder whose missile it might have been?)
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
Nevermind
Do not believe lies, Kyiv mayor says
Vitali Klitschko,
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Not long ago, we reported that Kyiv's mayor had told Associated Press that his city was "encircled" by Russian forces.
Now Vitali Klitschko is saying that is not the case, and it is in fact "disinformation".
Writing on the Telegram messaging app, he said: "Russian internet publications spread information with reference to me that Kyiv is allegedly surrounded and evacuation of people is impossible.
"Do not believe lies! Trust information only from official sources", he said.
As ever, the situation remains fluid.
A curfew remains in place in the capital, with many residents taking cover in basements and underground stations.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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It was apparently being serviced in Ukraine when a cruise missile hit the hanger. (Gee, I wonder whose missile it might have been?)
Donald Trump's, that war-mongering cheeto bastard.
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Donald Trump's, that war-mongering cheeto bastard.
It wasn't really Trump's missile unless it was gold-plated.
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Donald Trump's, that war-mongering cheeto bastard.
Orange Man Missile bad
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgD-eFXDiEZ8MumL6rRHpBW1mpFtwZKn7U7XZBYJCJb4QJYXa59AMew6vaGQYx3_Y_tiQ&usqp=CAU)
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I'm wondering if Putin is going to have to deal with a coup or civil war in the near future in Russia.
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I'm wondering if Putin is going to have to deal with a coup or civil war in the near future in Russia.
After the banks open in Russia Monday morning maybe sooner than later
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I'm wondering if Putin is going to have to deal with a coup or civil war in the near future in Russia.
So there was a Russian tiktok I saw yesterday that had a woman who was saying how bad she felt and how no one she knew supported this, even pro Putin voters. She also pointed out that she had protested and "done everything she could do."
I may have pointed out that she and her fellow Russians have not actually done everything they could do and they don't have to wait until October.
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I predict the western puppets in Ukraine will be replaced by Russian puppets.
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Going to Total Wine & More tomorrow
It's the least I can do
https://www.totalwine.com/spirits/vodka/krol-premium-potato-vodka/p/235240750?s=2103&igrules=true
https://www.totalwine.com/spirits/brandy-cognac/brandy/odessa-vsop-brandy/p/235241750?s=2103&igrules=true
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I may have pointed out that she and her fellow Russians have not actually done everything they could do and they don't have to wait until October.
What should they do?
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What should they do?
... Was "October" not enough of a hint? ???
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Roughly two-thirds of Russian forces located along the border have now been committed inside Ukraine, an increase from 24 hours earlier when about half of those forces were committed inside the country, the official said.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/airspace-over-ukraine-still-contested-senior-us-defense-official
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I understood from a snippet of news that they're releasing guns to the population?
Should I laugh, or cry?
A well regulated (trained, equipped) militia...
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(https://yt3.ggpht.com/rak3EEVcL7HLGrZDiSDt7Xupbdb-RzGrk2P0EvuiXuuPZeotU5j2x5j5iLi8hgdn6YMVO2-KwRfx=s651-nd-v1)
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I understood from a snippet of news that they're releasing guns to the population?
Should I laugh, or cry?
A well regulated (trained, equipped) militia...
I have seen mentions of Ukraine giving guns to citizens and providing training for months, long before the recent fighting.
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I have seen mentions of Ukraine giving guns to citizens and providing training for months, long before the recent fighting.
I don’t think any guns were actually passed out until the bear was at the door, so to speak.
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Rouble down 40%
Ukraine conflict: Russian rouble plunges after new sanctions announced
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60550992
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I don’t think any guns were actually passed out until the bear was at the door, so to speak.
So what'd they train with, broomsticks?
Brits, Battle of Britain Home Guard:
(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article6835060.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/I151113_155233_5417782oTextTRMRMMGLPICT000076558107o.jpg)
...being necessary to a free state...
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I've seen films of US Army troops in the 1930s training with broom sticks
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So what'd they train with, broomsticks?
Brits, Battle of Britain Home Guard:
(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article6835060.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/I151113_155233_5417782oTextTRMRMMGLPICT000076558107o.jpg)
...being necessary to a free state...
Things have changed a lot in Old Blighty . . . buggers probably confiscated the donated arms (if they were ever issued) as soon as the invasion threat abated. I expect the Ukraine government will do the same assuming the russkies don't prevail.
(https://i0.wp.com/www.armoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/send-gun-to-british-home.jpg?w=600&ssl=1)
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There are reports that Belarus - which has acted as a springboard for Russian troops - is now preparing to send its own soldiers into Ukraine to assist in the Russian invasion.
The Washington Post, citing an unnamed US official, said that Belarus was preparing for a troop deployment that could begin as soon as today.
The BBC has emailed the White House and Pentagon for confirmation.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had pledged to him in a phone call that Belarussian troops would not be sent into Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has controversially suggested his country should consider allowing the US to base nuclear weapons in his country, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Ukrainian Farmer Steals Russian Tank - LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE2wKSFu_JY
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
Belarus is dealing with a coup right now. The woman who "lost" the last election for prime minister there and had to flee the country to save their life has openly declared themselves leader of Belarus.
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Nothing has happened in the last few weeks that I all of a sudden believe anything the globalist media establishment is pushing.
Whatever has happened or is happening in Ukraine I'm confident saying we are not being told anything that resembles reality.
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"Peace" talks.
As far as Putin is concerned peace more than likely means handing over of the disputed areas and Zelensky, instillation of a puppet government in Kyiv, and the permanent stationing of Russian troops in Ukraine.
I don't see this going very far unless Putin is willing to back down which is unlikely
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"Peace" talks.
As far as Putin is concerned peace more than likely means handing over of the disputed areas and Zelensky, instillation of a puppet government in Kyiv, and the permanent stationing of Russian troops in Ukraine.
I don't see this going very far unless Putin is willing to back down which is unlikely
I'm guessing peace talks is bait to lure Zelensky for an assassination.
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So what'd they train with, broomsticks?
Some brought their own gun. Some used sticks. Others used shotguns, wooden cutouts, or just thin air.
(https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/02/50FCFF43-051B-4BCB-AD51-80DA231552FB-scaled.jpeg)
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In WWII, sometimes the Soviets (Ukrainians were part of that) sent assaults against the nazis who were unarmed - they were instructed to pick up the rifles casualties dropped. ARMED political officers enforced compliance.
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Scott Manley on how this will be effecting space programs in various countries.
You can tell this is a video he did not want to make.
The Ways Russia's Invasion Ukraine Will Affect Space Programs - Deep Space Updates Feb 27th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V-lj-jCqe8
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I'm guessing peace talks is bait to lure Zelensky for an assassination.
That, or capture.
"If you want to see your president alive again, surrender."
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Nothing has happened in the last few weeks that I all of a sudden believe anything the globalist media establishment is pushing.
Whatever has happened or is happening in Ukraine I'm confident saying we are not being told anything that resembles reality.
Honest question - what part do you not believe?
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Wow, now we have some cracks in Switzerland's long standing neutrality.
Switzerland to adopt EU sanctions against Russia
Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva
After some soul-searching, neutral Switzerland will adopt all EU sanctions against Russia.
There will be no exceptions: five oligarchs have already been banned from entering Switzerland, the bank accounts of all 336 people on the EU’s list, including Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, will be frozen with immediate effect.
Swiss banks are believed to hold billions of dollars in Russian funds.
The country's air space is closed to Russian aircraft, while Swiss airlines have cancelled their flights to Russia.
Make no mistake, this is a huge step for Switzerland, which has often agonised over what being neutral actually means.
Today Swiss President Ignazio Cassis made it clear: the attack on Ukraine was an unacceptable attack on freedom and democracy, "playing into the hands of aggression is not neutral", neither is standing by while the Geneva Conventions, which Switzerland is home to, are "trampled underfoot".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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It's the MSM, so take it for what it's worth, but I saw several analyst interviews on the teevee in the last couple of days talking about Putin no longer being right in the head. They had said that he's been becoming more and more reclusive over the last couple of years, and that lately, he has become downright irrational.
Obviously our media and leftist politicians said the same thing about Trump, but if Putin is in fact becoming irrational, that could make things sporty.
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In WWII, sometimes the Soviets (Ukrainians were part of that) sent assaults against the nazis who were unarmed - they were instructed to pick up the rifles casualties dropped. ARMED political officers enforced compliance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDefDi-iYo#t=8m42s
"The one with the rifle shoots! The one without follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDefDi-iYo#t=8m42s
"The one with the rifle shoots! The one without follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"
Hollywood
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Not sure why the UN bothers when Russia can veto anything they want.
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What the heck?
Is this real?
Maybe a photo op thing but still weird
https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1498305596709163014
Recent photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin suggests that there’s something to all those rumors that he’s losing what’s left of his mind
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/02/28/recent-photo-of-russian-president-vladimir-putin-suggests-that-theres-something-to-all-those-rumors-that-hes-losing-whats-left-of-his-mind/
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I've seen films of US Army troops in the 1930s training with broom sticks
Was that with fake machine guns? They should still have had plenty of 1903 rifles. I wonder how much of that was political theatre trying to lobby for more funding.
They were certainly short of tanks at one point. If you look at what equipment the US Army had in 1935 versus say 1941, they did arm up quite a bit. Had we been dragged into war a couple years earlier, it might have messed up development of some of the equipment we used.
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Honest question - what part do you not believe?
It's easier for me to say what I do believe.
That Russia is moving troops into Ukraine seems to be well verified by multiple non news sources as well as official sources. I can believe it is true.
Most everything else is subject to fabrication and distortion from the government/media psychological warfare systems we've been manipulated with for decades.
Why, after having been lied to about just about every major event in our lives are we willing to believe the system about anything? I don't have to believe what they are saying is all lies, I just don't have to believe they are telling me the whole truth.
The system has failed us as a truthful source of information. Everything that is official information or is reported by "legitimate" news sources is potentially a flat out lie, carefully curated "truth", purposeful disinformation, manipulation, misdirection, persuasion and most likely has ulterior purposes beyond informing the public. This isn't a conspiracy theory. Any single one of us could start a list of official lies we've been told by government or that has been promulgated by our media and the list would be long. We would then be able to add to that list every day or every so often as we remember another "not truth".
The thing is, it's easier to just go with the flow and not rock the boat. Generally, none of the official nonsense seemed to impact our day to day lives substantially. That wasn't really true though and these last two years have driven that home. Reflecting on this reality of official bad information flooding society has been something I've been thinking about for years now.
When people in my life who I have direct contact with lie to me regularly I stop believing what they tell me. Usually, I stop interacting with them as much as possible and I certainly don't make major life decisions based upon on their testimony.
Our government regularly lies to us, the media regularly lies, our major corporations go along with the lies, the universities and educational systems are all in on the multiple streams of lies.
Why believe any of them? I know it's easier to fit in if you go with the flow but at what cost to your own understanding of reality? They are demonstrable liars, if not liars then, being charitable, they are often wrong in catastrophic, amazingly 180 degree ways.
This mindset is still a work in progress. I still find myself wanting to believe. It would be great if the MAGA/Trump rhetoricians were truthful, they won control and made things better. Unfortunately I've noticed the cracks in the Trump storyline and I can't unsee them, not to mention the cracks in our official mythos. I really want to believe there is a movement that believes in the America myth that can get voted in and "make America great again". I'm just working hard to not ignore the incoherencies in that whole storyline.
Anyway, you asked, I hope that sheds light on where I'm coming from regarding (not) believing the authorities.
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Another photo showing Putin at the end of a long table with everyone else far away at the other end.
Some are speculating he doesn't want anyone close enough to try something. I don't know but if true it says something about Putin and Russian in general at the moment.
Or maybe it's some form of extreme COVID social distancing
https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status/1498037394230194187
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Thanks, Ron.
I don't disagree. News media is normally a twisted mess of fact, fiction, biases and skewed interpretations. In time of war I expect it to be even worse.
At this point, I do believe that Russian soldiers are invading and attempting to take control of Ukraine. I also believe that the sanctions are real, as are the stated delivery of arms and money.
I don't know that I'm being presented with a narrative asking me to believe unsubstantiated things beyond that... at least not yet. Part of my question to you was to see if there are lies and propaganda that I'm not recognizing... People who can think clearly and independently can help others see what's making it though their own filter.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDefDi-iYo#t=8m42s
"The one with the rifle shoots! The one without follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"
You're not the only one who thought of that. ;)
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Was that with fake machine guns? They should still have had plenty of 1903 rifles. I wonder how much of that was political theatre trying to lobby for more funding.
I believe so. IIRC also using logs as anti-tank guns
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Getting hit hard even before the sanctions
Forbes estimated on Thursday that 116 billionaires had already lost more than $126bn since 16 February, and Russia's richest man, Vladimir Potanin, personally lost $3bn in a single day's trading last week. Since then, the economic picture has worsened.
Two Russian oligarchs call for end of Ukraine invasion
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Reports the Ukrainians on that island are alive
Ukrainian soldiers who were reportedly attacked on Zmiinyi (Snake) island are still alive, according to a statement posted on Facebook
by Ukraine's naval services.
"We are very happy to learn that our brothers are alive and well," the statement posted on Monday said.
The sailors "rebuked twice the attacks of the Russian invaders," but could no longer continue to protect the island, the statement continued.
Connection with the island was completely cut off and attempts to reach the sailors futile, after Russian armed forces destroyed its infrastructure, the navy said.
On Friday we reported how Ukraine was honouring 13 soldiers it said were killed while defending the island from Russian attacks.
Captured Ukrainian marines and guards alive - Navy
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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https://www.naval-technology.com/news/turkey-ban-warships-black-sea/
Turkey is set to implement parts of an international pact that would potentially ban Russian warships from entering the Black Sea through a key transit point.
According to a Reuters report, Turkey said that the situation in Ukraine has turned into a ‘war’. This recognition will enable the country to prevent warships from accessing the Black Sea through Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits.
In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “It is not a couple of air strikes now, the situation in Ukraine is officially a war. We will implement the Montreux Convention.”
The 1936 Montreux Convention enables Turkey to prevent naval ships not based in Black Sea from entering during war or other specific circumstances.
Interesting turn of phrase. I can see Putin declaring "all Russian naval vessels are based in the Black Sea, effective immediately."
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https://www.naval-technology.com/news/turkey-ban-warships-black-sea/
Interesting turn of phrase. I can see Putin declaring "all Russian naval vessels are based in the Black Sea, effective immediately."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is the third largest of the Russian Navy, behind only the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet. They are plenty to control that little pond.
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Went to Total Wine & More and picked up some Ukrainian Vodka and Brandy.
They pulled all the Russian stuff off the shelves.
Would it be ironic to make Black Russians with the vodka?
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Three-quarters of Russian troops committed now inside Ukraine, Pentagon says
The US Defence Department says that almost 75% of the Russian forces assembled on Ukraine's borders are now inside the country.
The main advance of troops is now positioned about 25 km from the capital Kyiv, roughly a 5 km gain since Sunday.
Soldiers have yet to capture two key cities: Kharkiv in the northeast and Mariupol in the South.
As Western officials have previously noted, troops are not making the progress they had planned due to logistical issues and fierce resistance by Ukrainian fighters.
“They're using pretty much everything that they have in their arsenal, from small arms all the way up to surface to air missiles to try to slow down the Russians,” a senior US defence official said.
The official said the US has not seen any indications yet of specific Russian movements with regard to President Putin's nuclear deterrence announcement on Sunday.
The Pentagon is also yet to see Belarusian forces moving to provide backup to the Russians.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Interesting. I am kind of curious how long of a fight Russia planned for.
I heard someone say yesterday they thought Russia had a few objectives that may not involve taking over the Ukraine and may at some point decide he has completed them and pull out. I will believe it when I see it.
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Looks like the Russians are about to hit Kyiv hard
Huge Russian convoy advances on Kyiv
The images show the 17-mile long convoy advancing on Kyiv
MaxarCopyright: Maxar
The images show the 17-mile long convoy advancing on KyivImage caption: The images show the 17-mile long convoy advancing on Kyiv
Newly released satellite imagery show a massive convoy of Russian armour descending on Kyiv.
Pictures taken on Monday, before noon in Ukraine, show Russian military units near Antonov airport, about 27km (17 miles) from the centre of the capital.
According to Maxar Technologies, the satellite-imaging company that released the photos, the convoy is nearly 17 miles long (27km) and "contains hundreds of armoured vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and logistics support vehicles".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Beer prices may increase due to Ukraine invasion
A significant percentage of barley used for beer comes from Ukraine
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/beer-prices-increase-ukraine-invasion
(https://c.tenor.com/wDzr_DRyv8oAAAAM/omg-cat.gif)
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Beer prices may increase due to Ukraine invasion
A significant percentage of barley used for beer comes from Ukraine
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/beer-prices-increase-ukraine-invasion
War is hell.
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War is hell.
Whenever I read this I hear the comment as Harry Welsh said it to Dick Winters in Band of Brothers.
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REAKING
Russian convoy 'stretches up to 40 miles'
Satellite imagery company Maxar Technology says that earlier reports indicating the column of Russian armour advancing on Kyiv is 17 miles (27km) long are inaccurate.
The convoy actually stretches about 40 miles, according to Maxar.
The company added that new images also show ground troops and attack helicopters in southern Belarus, less than 20 miles from the Ukraine border.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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Time for a little Ukrainian vodka.
And I don't even like vodka.
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I don't know how this is going to turn out but I do know a lot of people have and are going to die. A toast to all of them.
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(https://images.morishirt.com/2022/02/funny-official-st-javelin-the-protector-of-ukraine-t-shirt-hoodie.jpg)
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I know nothing about this woman, but she apparently has credibility, and this looks like a solid assessment:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/28/world-war-iii-already-there-00012340
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Whenever I read this I hear the comment as Harry Welsh said it to Dick Winters in Band of Brothers.
I hear it as Ted Striker in Airplane!.
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General Milley Calls Russia To Warn Them Of Ukrainian Counter-Attack
https://babylonbee.com/news/general-milley-calls-russia-to-warn-them-of-ukrainian-counter-attack
Unfortunately, Milley was unable to connect with Putin, who was already on the other line with Biden.
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My question is why are there dumbfuk politicians/political folks throwing support to the Russians. Don't claim it's miss interpreted, they knew what they were saying.
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Putin's "bizarre" speech about Nazis and drug addicts running Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J55cSx8Rz_g
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Hopefully, someone or some group understand the negative ramifications of Putin's mental illness and usher Putin out of office.
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Hopefully, someone or some group understand the negative ramifications of Putin's mental illness and usher Putin out of office.
I've been hoping the military would turn on him.
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Looks like the ruskies have broken out both the
Sardaukar Chechens and the thermobaric weapons.
I wasn't really familiar with thermobaric weapons so did some research. Apparently they can basically vaporize people within some diameter of the blast zone and create some slower acting internal damage well outside the blast zone. They are using not just thermobaric bombs, but man portable thermobarics as well. The news is calling it a war crime, however I read that we used them at various times in the ME over the last 30ish years, as well as Vietnam, so we might not want to be throwing stones in the glass house.
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Zelensky asking for Ukraine to be admitted into the EU.
Can you say WW-III?
Stay tuned.
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Looks like the ruskies have broken out both the Sardaukar Chechens and the thermobaric weapons.
I wasn't really familiar with thermobaric weapons so did some research. Apparently they can basically vaporize people within some diameter of the blast zone and create some slower acting internal damage well outside the blast zone. They are using not just thermobaric bombs, but man portable thermobarics as well. The news is calling it a war crime, however I read that we used them at various times in the ME over the last 30ish years, as well as Vietnam, so we might not want to be throwing stones in the glass house.
I was under the impression the MOAB our military used in Afghanistan was a thermobaric bomb.
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I was under the impression the MOAB our military used in Afghanistan was a thermobaric bomb.
Actually no, the MOAB isn't a fuel air explosive, it's just a really big bomb.
The US does have several FAE (a type of thermobaric weapons) in our inventory that we have used in the GWOT. Bombs, Cluster bombs, rockets, and I think we even had an FAE round for the M203. It might have been a Mk-19 only, but I know I've seen 40mm FAE rounds.
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Actually no, the MOAB isn't a fuel air explosive, it's just a really big bomb.
The US does have several FAE (a type of thermobaric weapons) in our inventory that we have used in the GWOT. Bombs, Cluster bombs, rockets, and I think we even had an FAE round for the M203. It might have been a Mk-19 only, but I know I've seen 40mm FAE rounds.
GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-mother-of-all-bombs-that-the-u-s-just-dropped-on-afghanistan/
“When they blow up, they blast fuel into the air,” Priest explains. “That fuel atomizes. Then there’s a secondary explosion that lights the fuel that’s been atomized.”
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I am pretty sure we have used thermobaric bombs in Afghanistan to blow up caves thought to be housing Taliban. I have heard there are RPG type weapons with thermobaric warheads designed to be shot into structures or bunkers to kill people inside.
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GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-mother-of-all-bombs-that-the-u-s-just-dropped-on-afghanistan/
Far be it for me to from me to disagree with Scientific American, but the GBU-43/B is based on the BLU-82 Daisy cutter, and uses a *expletive deleted*it ton of conventional explosives. IIRC the Dasiy Cutter used AN and Aluminum. The MOAB uses H-6 (I had to look that up though).
The MOAB must be distinguished from the class of volumetric weapons, such as thermobaric weapons and fuel-air explosive weapons that have been used against fighters within cave complexes in Afghanistan. Those use various means to create a cloud of burning particles with a wide blast radius and intense fireball. When employed in a confined area, such as caves, thermobaric weapons can create a powerful vacuum as a secondary effect that adds to their lethality.
The MOAB is a conventional explosive weapon. It results in an initial fireball from the explosion and a subsequent pressure wave caused by the creation of large quantities of gases at high temperatures.
I am pretty sure we have used thermobaric bombs in Afghanistan to blow up caves thought to be housing Taliban. I have heard there are RPG type weapons with thermobaric warheads designed to be shot into structures or bunkers to kill people inside.
We have a thermobaric version of the SMAW. I had a couple on the boat for frisky IRGNs.
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Far be it for me to from me to disagree with Scientific American, but the GBU-43/B is based on the BLU-82 Daisy cutter, and uses a *expletive deleted*it ton of conventional explosives. IIRC the Dasiy Cutter used AN and Aluminum. The MOAB uses H-6 (I had to look that up though).
Almost shocked 3/4s of that "Scientific" "American" article wasn't about the bomb's effect on climate change
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FMxRs3YXwAghOAg.jpg)
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Far be it for me to from me to disagree with Scientific American, but the GBU-43/B is based on the BLU-82 Daisy cutter, and uses a *expletive deleted*it ton of conventional explosives. IIRC the Dasiy Cutter used AN and Aluminum. The MOAB uses H-6 (I had to look that up though).
We have a thermobaric version of the SMAW. I had a couple on the boat for frisky IRGNs.
Thanks. I was thinking it was a fuel air bomb, but most of the links stopped short of saying that. I guess that is why.
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Some clarity on that massive Russian armoured column heading south towards Kyiv.
Close analysis of the latest satellite images by McKenzie Intelligence Services reveals the following:
The convoy is not 40 miles long, it’s a series of logistical ‘packets’ strung out along a major highway from the Belarus border, aiming to link up with Russian units on the northern outskirts of Kyiv.
The convoy appears to be hampered in several places by broken down vehicles.
The column consists of some armour (tanks) and infantry fighting vehicles but mainly logistical vehicles, implying plans for more than just a brief battle.
Separately, the imagery examined by McKenzie Intelligence Services shows a Russian parachute battalion dug in to the area of Hostomel airfield - Ukraine's most important international cargo airport and a key military airbase near Kyiv.
But their artillery is assessed to be outside the range of most of the capital.
The analysts say they have noted very little Russian progress over the past 24 hours.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877
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I hope the Ukrainians slaughter that logistics column.
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I hope the Ukrainians slaughter that logistics column.
Let's hope that they do it in a manner that doesn't add to the world's carbon footprint and doesn't enhance global warming.
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I hope the Ukrainians slaughter that logistics column.
I am curious what security they have along the route to keep infantry from attacking the trucks.
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In case anyone isn't watching...
WTI crude is up just $10 a barrel today, now sitting at $105 and it's showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Brent is about $1 a barrel higher.
Seems like the perfect time to push wind and solar. That will bring oil prices down in a matter if minutes!
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I hope the Ukrainians slaughter that logistics column.
Javelin missiles have a 2.5km range, so that's an indication of how far out the Ivans have to push their security perimeter.
Let's hope that they do it in a manner that doesn't add to the world's carbon footprint and doesn't enhance global warming.
Hey K Frame, check your security settings - I think John Kerry may have hacked your account. ;)
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In case anyone isn't watching...
WTI crude is up just $10 a barrel today, now sitting at $105 and it's showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Brent is about $1 a barrel higher.
Seems like the perfect time to push wind and solar. That will bring oil prices down in a matter if minutes!
Actually they are in effect doing just that
Ukraine war shows fossil fuels are dead - UN chief
Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor
Russian workers assembling gas pipeline
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The war in Ukraine should encourage the world to accelerate the switch to renewable energy, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said.
His message comes as the UN issues its bleakest assessment yet of how climate change is affecting the world.
"Fossil fuels are a dead end," Guterres said.
The UN chief said the conflict in Ukraine shows continuing to rely on fossil fuels "makes the global economy and energy security vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises".
He added that a "prompt, well-managed transition to renewables" is the only pathway to energy security and the green jobs the world needs.
A quarter of the European Union's petroleum oil imports come from Russia, along with almost half its gas.
The irony that European nations are effectively paying for the war in Ukraine has not been lost on the continent's leaders.
The panic that Putin's actions caused in energy markets has only increased the profits Russia makes by driving up the price we all pay for energy - which is one reason we are already seeing a dramatic pivot to alternative supplies.
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In case anyone isn't watching...
WTI crude is up just $10 a barrel today, now sitting at $105 and it's showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Brent is about $1 a barrel higher.
Seems like the perfect time to push wind and solar. That will bring oil prices down in a matter if minutes!
I think AOC is teaching them economics. Press Sec said that the US ramping up oil production will not change the price.
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I think AOC is teaching them economics. Press Sec said that the US ramping up oil production will not change the price.
Yep, and that harkens right back to my comments that Democrats don't care about high oil and gas prices or pump pain for Americans because they WANT American to be punished for proving that St. Barak was wrong when he said you can't drill your way to lower gas prices.
How DARE they prove him wrong!
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It would be nice if both the western globalists installed to run Ukraine and KGB Putin lost.
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In case anyone isn't watching...
WTI crude is up just $10 a barrel today, now sitting at $105 and it's showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Brent is about $1 a barrel higher.
Seems like the perfect time to push wind and solar. That will bring oil prices down in a matter if minutes!
Well, I guess I'm doing my part against the ruskies. BP pulled all their Russian operations, and my BP stock tanked.
And yes, Psaki has been doing nothing but pushing wind and solar and she also brought up that it was "big oil" that stopped Keystone and it was "big oil's" fault that we're not drilling and becoming energy independent. Also that it is big business buying all the Russian oil right now, and the US government can't do anything about that.
I mean, all those domestic leases are sitting there waiting to be drilled! What's stopping these selfish corporations from drilling tomorrow?!?
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CBS News has their finger on the important parts of this conflict.
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/01/as-ukraine-fights-for-survival-cbs-news-is-focused-like-a-laser-on-the-war-within-a-war-on-one-transgender-woman-in-kyiv-video/
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Well, I guess I'm doing my part against the ruskies. BP pulled all their Russian operations, and my BP stock tanked.
And yes, Psaki has been doing nothing but pushing wind and solar and she also brought up that it was "big oil" that stopped Keystone and it was "big oil's" fault that we're not drilling and becoming energy independent. Also that it is big business buying all the Russian oil right now, and the US government can't do anything about that.
I mean, all those domestic leases are sitting there waiting to be drilled! What's stopping these selfish corporations from drilling tomorrow?!?
They’re like the abusive boyfriend blaming the girlfriend for all the times he has to beat her.
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Well, I guess I'm doing my part against the ruskies. BP pulled all their Russian operations, and my BP stock tanked.
And yes, Psaki has been doing nothing but pushing wind and solar and she also brought up that it was "big oil" that stopped Keystone and it was "big oil's" fault that we're not drilling and becoming energy independent. Also that it is big business buying all the Russian oil right now, and the US government can't do anything about that.
I mean, all those domestic leases are sitting there waiting to be drilled! What's stopping these selfish corporations from drilling tomorrow?!?
If there was anyone in that administration I could slap across the face it would be that tranny Mark Zuckerburg looking bitch Psaki. God I hate her and her attitude a thousand times more than Biden or Harris. Hell I think I hate her more than Pelosi.
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If there was anyone in that administration I could slap across the face it would be that tranny Mark Zuckerburg looking bitch Psaki. God I hate her and her attitude a thousand times more than Biden or Harris. Hell I think I hate her more than Pelosi.
So you want to date her.
=D =D =D
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So you want to date her.
=D =D =D
During the Obama administration, I thought she looked like a scared albino rabbit. I'm not sure what happened, tanning beds?
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During the Obama administration, I thought she looked like a scared albino rabbit. I'm not sure what happened, tanning beds?
The more souls a ginger steals the darker the hue.
She has better hunting now.
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Almost shocked 3/4s of that "Scientific" "American" article wasn't about the bomb's effect on climate change
Women, children and minorities affected the worst.
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Let's hope that they do it in a manner that doesn't add to the world's carbon footprint and doesn't enhance global warming.
Women, children and minorities affected the worst.
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Where is the Russian air force?
https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/mysterious-case-missing-russian-air-force
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Where is the Russian air force?
https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/mysterious-case-missing-russian-air-force
Modern jets are expensive, conscripts are cheap.
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Well several of them have been shot down by the Ghost.....
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Kamala Harris explains the Ukraine/Russia conflict
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1498742845196443649
My head hurts
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Modern jets are expensive, conscripts are cheap.
I imagine the parts and service are expensive as well as the ground crew and fuel. Not to mention the bombs and such.
If a few have been shot down, that only increases the cost.
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Kamala Harris explains the Ukraine/Russia conflict
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1498742845196443649
My head hurts
Spoken like a six-year-old.
The sad thing is: that's probably all she knows about Ukraine.
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No clue if it's related
https://en-volve.com/2022/02/28/bombshell-docs-leaked-from-top-secret-ukraine-biolab-show-u-s-was-performing-deadly-biological-experiments-on-ukrainian-soldiers/
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No clue if it's related
https://en-volve.com/2022/02/28/bombshell-docs-leaked-from-top-secret-ukraine-biolab-show-u-s-was-performing-deadly-biological-experiments-on-ukrainian-soldiers/
Or is it disinformation released by Russia
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Kamala Harris explains the Ukraine/Russia conflict
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1498742845196443649
My head hurts
About as profound as when DeGaulle said "China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
Or when Keppel Enderberry asserted that "Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.”
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Think we've entered the "now it gets nasty" phase.
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Heard a rumor from one of the talking heads that the Russian conscripts invading Ukraine aren't happy about it - some have allegedly poked holes in their vehicle fuel tanks so they'd run out of gas and not be able to proceed forward.
If true, I have to wonder - does the current Russian army have any current equivalent to the zampolits - political officers - of the Soviet era? You know, the ones who'd shoot the occasional malcontent, just to keep the others on their toes?
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About as profound as when DeGaulle said "China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
Or when Keppel Enderberry asserted that "Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.”
To me, you can interpret two ways: "She doesn't know anything about the You Crane" or "She thinks her audience is so stupid that she has to dumb it down to kindergarten level". Neither is a good thing. If Biden dropped out as President, I think she would actually be a worse President which is not an easy thing to do.
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To me, you can interpret two ways: "She doesn't know anything about the You Crane" or "She thinks her audience is so stupid that she has to dumb it down to kindergarten level". Neither is a good thing. If Biden dropped out as President, I think she would actually be a worse President which is not an easy thing to do.
At least with Biden there's someone behind him pulling his strings who is competent in their own way, although I'm 180 degrees away from them on almost every issue.
With Kamala, I'm not sure she'd listen to anyone else, so what you see is what we'd get. I see her as lazy, vacillating, and indecisive, which is much worse for a POTUS than a competent (or semi-competent) person pulling the strings on the person Elon Musk described as a wet sock puppet.
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Russian primary school children detained for anti-war protest
Gabriel Gatehouse
BBC Newsnight
When I saw reports and photographs on Tuesday suggesting that primary school children had been arrested by police in Moscow for laying flowers at the Ukrainian embassy and holding signs saying “No to war” I refused to believe it was real.
But now it has been confirmed by the Nobel prize-winning newspaper Novaya Gazeta. In an update the newspaper says the children have since been released.
The images show the children with officers behind metal bars, perhaps in a police vehicle, and then in a police station, holding their flowers and placards.
The Kremlin appears to be taking increasingly draconian measures to try to keep a grip on its war narrative.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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As I said in another thread
Putin may be having his Ceaușescu moment soon.
What worriers me the most about that is what is he willing to take with him
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Russia wants to reinstate fugitive Ukrainian leader - report
Russia wants to declare former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych - ousted during anti-government protests in 2013-14 - as the new leader of Ukraine, the Ukrayinska Pravda news and analysis website has reported, quoting Ukrainian intelligence.
Yanukovych is now in Minsk, according to the Ukrainian website's source. He fled to Russia in 2014.
The Kremlin may be preparing a media operation or campaign to bring Yanukovych back to Ukraine, or publish an address from him to the Ukrainian people, the newspaper said.
In January the UK said Moscow was plotting to install a pro-Moscow figure to lead Ukraine's government.
The Foreign Office named former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev as a potential Kremlin candidate.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327/page/2
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Heard a rumor from one of the talking heads that the Russian conscripts invading Ukraine aren't happy about it - some have allegedly poked holes in their vehicle fuel tanks so they'd run out of gas and not be able to proceed forward.
Saw a video interview with a Russian POW who said his superiors told him they were on a training exercise. Lying to your men is a great way to damage morale.
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Saw a video interview with a Russian POW who said his superiors told him they were on a training exercise. Lying to your men is a great way to damage morale.
(https://i.imgflip.com/44w9x9.jpg)
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At least with Biden there's someone behind him pulling his strings who is competent in their own way, although I'm 180 degrees away from them on almost every issue.
With Kamala, I'm not sure she'd listen to anyone else, so what you see is what we'd get. I see her as lazy, vacillating, and indecisive, which is much worse for a POTUS than a competent (or semi-competent) person pulling the strings on the person Elon Musk described as a wet sock puppet.
I am not entirely sure someone is pulling Biden's strings. His appointees are sort of doing what they want, but I am not sure anyone but Biden is actually making decisions at the top. I think we would see more coherent leadership if that was happening.
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I figured Georgia would lay low in all of this but they just did a big "Hey, look at me!"
Georgia to apply to join EU immediately - ruling party
Georgia - a former Soviet state on the eastern shore of the Black Sea - will "immediately" apply for EU membership, its ruling party Georgian Dream says.
It comes a day after the European Parliament backed Ukraine's bid to apply for EU membership.
Georgian Dream's Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters he was calling on the EU "to review our application in an urgent manner and to make the decision to grant Georgia the status of an EU membership candidate".
Georgia has seen big demonstrations against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has controlled two Georgian regions - South Ossetia and Abkhazia - since 2008, when Russian forces ousted Georgian troops from them.
It followed a Georgian attempt to recapture South Ossetia, which had fought a separatist war against Georgia in the 1990s.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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The (second to) last thing I want to see from this is strengthening of the EU. To hell with the EU.
The EU was a mistake from the get-go. It's already got problems with PIGS, it needs to sort out its productivity/revenue/currency printing problems with member states before allowing any more to enter.
The EU isn't going to protect Ukraine or Georgia. NATO membership certainly will though.
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(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/275006893_5334867346546373_5145723058498557314_n.png?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=sNf-nPz6tL8AX-xFrJf&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AT9JbjyhOGsRIaReZ6BQjz-zuGrPwqAENdGZAq_fV9gAbg&oe=62258252)
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US ambassador calls UN vote 'historic'
UN delegates applaud after the resolution was passed
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The US ambassador to the UN has called Wednesday's vote to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine "historic".
Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweeted the resolution, which was supported by 141 nations, represented an "overwhelming vote in defence of Ukraine and the UN Charter".
She had earlier called on delegates to vote in favour of the motion if they believed countries "have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity".
Meanwhile, Samantha Power, director of US Aid and a former UN ambassador under Barack Obama, tweeted the vote marks a "global rebuke of historic proportions".
"Putin is isolated to an unprecedented degree," she wrote. "Even his longstanding partners are condemning this invasion."
Just five countries - Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea - voted against the resolution at the General Assembly's first emergency meeting since 1997.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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^^^ What the hell, Eritrea?
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I'm a little surprised China didn't vote against the resolution, given their history with Tibet.
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I'm a little surprised China didn't vote against the resolution, given their history with Tibet.
They abstained. I figured they would.
Russia was joined by Belarus, which has served as a launch pad for Russian invasion forces, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria in voting against the resolution. Thirty-five members, including China, abstained.
https://www.reuters.com/world/un-general-assembly-set-censure-russia-over-ukraine-invasion-2022-03-02/
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(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/275006893_5334867346546373_5145723058498557314_n.png?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=sNf-nPz6tL8AX-xFrJf&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AT9JbjyhOGsRIaReZ6BQjz-zuGrPwqAENdGZAq_fV9gAbg&oe=62258252)
Come on, Man!
That's a Stinger. SAM. At least get the meme with a Carl Gustav. :laugh: :laugh:
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:facepalm:
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Elaborating on China’s abstention, Beijing’s envoy, Zhang Jun, said the resolution did not undergo “full consultations with the whole membership” of the assembly.
https://www.reuters.com/world/un-general-assembly-set-censure-russia-over-ukraine-invasion-2022-03-02/
I'm trying to find the voting list to find out who else abstained
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Not sure what the point is, but anyway ...
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/florida-teen-who-tracked-elon-musks-plane-now-tracking-jets-of-russian-billionaires
Sweeney has now launched @RUOligarchJets to track the helicopters, private jets and commercial-sized airplanes of Russian Oligarchs. His most recent tweets show the whereabouts of Alexander Abramov, a former scientist who became one of the two heads at Russia's largest steel producer, and Roman Abramovich, a billionaire and Chelsea football club owner.
I'm sure that said billionaires won't like it.
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Russian missile takes out brewery:
https://www.funker530.com/video/russian-missile-destroys-lisichansk-brewery/
From the comments, the brewery may have been producing Molotov cocktails.
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Russian missile takes out brewery:
That's it! Gloves are off, warm up the nukes.
Some things just can't be tolerated.
[ar15]
But yeah, I've seen reports of the brewery witching up to make Molotov cocktails.
Some countries have all the fun. Imagine being able to swing by your local walmart and picking up a case of Molotov cocktails to the evenings peaceful protests...
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Some countries have all the fun. Imagine being able to swing by your local walmart and picking up a case of Molotov cocktails to the evenings peaceful protests...
Can be found in the Mostly Peaceful Protest aisle of Walmarts and Targets in many lib cities.
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That's it! Gloves are off, warm up the nukes.
Some things just can't be tolerated.
[ar15]
But yeah, I've seen reports of the brewery witching up to make Molotov cocktails.
Some countries have all the fun. Imagine being able to swing by your local walmart and picking up a case of Molotov cocktails to the evenings peaceful protests...
I already can do that at Walmart. They sell glass jars, dish towels, and there is a gas station usually out front. Coleman gas in the camping section if you want to put it on one purchase.
Coleman fuel and crisco, you got naplam.
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(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/275006893_5334867346546373_5145723058498557314_n.png?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=sNf-nPz6tL8AX-xFrJf&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AT9JbjyhOGsRIaReZ6BQjz-zuGrPwqAENdGZAq_fV9gAbg&oe=62258252)
I can't read that, the pictures are in Swedish.
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Not sure what the point is, but anyway ...
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/florida-teen-who-tracked-elon-musks-plane-now-tracking-jets-of-russian-billionaires
I'm sure that said billionaires won't like it.
Why stop with Russian billionaires?
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I can't read that, the pictures are in Swedish.
Ran it through a translator
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8U9Syc95u0n1fyz7ISNpBOzVwzsmuzk2QN0iyBXP94QWEJqH1vULBUQEbVgb6Td1C-VA&usqp=CAU)
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Ran it through a translator
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR8U9Syc95u0n1fyz7ISNpBOzVwzsmuzk2QN0iyBXP94QWEJqH1vULBUQEbVgb6Td1C-VA&usqp=CAU)
Thanks. That helps.
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Family Guy - Putin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZUsYcy6L8
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Another sign the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not going as planned. Ordinary Ukrainian citizens are apparently making off with scores of abandoned Russian tanks, self-propelled antiaircraft artillery, APCs, trucks, etc., much of which is fueled and in perfect working order. A lot of the equipment is commonly used by the Ukrainian military, and is eventually finding its way to them.
Granted, some of the armored vehicles have been stuck in deep mud, but many pieces of gear were just left high an dry on roadways.
Russian troops have even been encountered walking back to their rear areas after abandoning their equipment.
Lots of separate tweets with video at the link below.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44511/ukrainians-citizens-are-taking-it-upon-themselves-to-capture-russian-military-vehicles (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44511/ukrainians-citizens-are-taking-it-upon-themselves-to-capture-russian-military-vehicles)
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It occurs to me that there's a low but non-zero chance that Putin has agreed to provide a diversion with Ukraine while China preps an invasion of Taiwan . . .
Translated from reflections off vibrating window glass:
"Hey, if they can do it with Ukraine, we can do it with Taiwan!"
Translated from a pellet transmitter in a desk phone:
"Hey, if they can do it with Ukraine, we can do it with South Korea!"
Translated from....
Kinda shrinks yer sphincters, don't it?
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Someone just pointed out something.
What happened 100 years ago this year?
The founding of the Soviet Union.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/x383/WLJohnson1/Cat%20Humor/.highres/funny-animal-gifs-animal-gifs-derpnotic.gif?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
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Both CNN and NYT are reporting this
China asked Russia to delay Ukraine invasion until after Olympics, Western intel shows
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/world/china-russia-ukraine-invasion-olympics-western-intel/index.html
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Story headline on foxnews.com: "Crimea River"
*groan*
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A Russian Oligarch has put a $1 million bounty on Putin -- dead or alive.
Bit of a cheapskate, I think. He's a freaking oligarch. He can up that to $10 or $100 million without breaking a sweat. And that might get some response.
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A Russian Oligarch has put a $1 million bounty on Putin -- dead or alive.
Bit of a cheapskate, I think. He's a freaking oligarch. He can up that to $10 or $100 million without breaking a sweat. And that might get some response.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-businessman-puts-1-million-bounty-on-putins-head-2022-3
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And I'll guess that that mobster likely won't be around much longer? Putin has a bigger budget...
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Whoops. I thought I pasted in the link.
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I think Konanykhin is just virtue signaling. It's a start, though. Maybe someone else will be inspired to take a risk. In my opinion it will take a much more influential oligarch, still living in Russia and putting up a much bigger bounty, to get anyone to actually go after Putin.
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A Russian Oligarch has put a $1 million bounty on Putin -- dead or alive.
Bit of a cheapskate, I think. He's a freaking oligarch. He can up that to $10 or $100 million without breaking a sweat. And that might get some response.
Maybe he thinks Putin will considered only 1 million as an insult.
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Someone commented that on the bright side there's going to lots of hot Ukrainian women looking for husbands.
Hey, I didn't make the comment.
But I would be willing to take one in. It's the least I can do to help out.
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I've seen a number of stories purporting to show Russian convoys obliterated by Ukrainians, stories of Russian soldiers deserting and abandoning their equipment, Russians refusing orders to shell cities, Ukrainians asking for bombs for their aircraft (implying the UAF is still flying), Russian conscripts never being told they were attacking Ukraine, and all manner of other encouraging news.
BUT - as they say, in war the first casualty is the truth. Can't believe something just because you LIKE it and HOPE that it's true.
About the only thing that's probably true is that the Russians are getting more resistance than they expected. Where the needle is on the resistance gauge - I don't know.
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Someone commented that on the bright side there's going to lots of hot Ukrainian women looking for husbands.
Hey, I didn't make the comment.
But I would be willing to take one in. It's the least I can do to help out.
So you are saying that Ben could have another bite at the Ukrainian apple after HUC?
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Heeeeeere's Putin!
Russia's operation 'going according to plan' - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his "special military operation" - otherwise known as Russia's invasion of Ukraine - is "going according to plan".
His claim comes despite many analysts suggesting the invasion has not gone to plan.
In a televised speech, he accused Ukrainian forces of taking "thousands of foreign citizens hostage" and using civilians as "human shields" - he provided no evidence for these claims.
He added that Russians and Ukrainians were "one people" and said he would "destroy this 'anti-Russia' created by the West".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
"Russians and Ukrainians were one people"
Yeah..... The Ukrainians would like to have a word with you on that.
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Meanwhile he seems to be losing support of some big players
Second-biggest Russian oil producer calls for end to war
Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil is calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
In a statement on its website, the company said it was concerned by the "tragic events in Ukraine" and supported the negotiations to end the conflict.
Its board called for "the immediate cessation of the armed conflict and fully supports its resolution through the negotiation process and through diplomatic means".
The company is thought to be one of the first major Russian firms to speak out against the invasion.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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So you are saying that Ben could have another bite at the Ukrainian apple after HUC?
Ukrainian women are hot-blooded, which sounds hot, but it's also very dangerous.
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HUC?
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HUC?
Ben often spoke of his Hot Ukrainian Coworker. Her pictures confirmed this.
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HUC?
Hot Ukrainian Coworker?
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Ben often spoke of his Hot Ukrainian Coworker. Her pictures confirmed this.
Pictures or it’s not real…… :laugh:
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Ukraine conflict: Drone shows extent of damage in Borodyanka
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60608706
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This will stop Putin
Russian cats banned from competitions
An international cat federation has said it's banning all Russian cats from entering its competitions.
In a statement on its website the Fédération Internationale Féline said it was "horrified" by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and had subsequently decided to disallow Russian cats from competing in its competitions, which take place around the world.
As well as this, it said that no cats bred in Russia would be allowed to be registered with its organisation outside of Russia.
The rules will be in place until the end of May, when they will be reviewed.
It added that it would dedicate a part of its budget to support cat breeders in Ukraine who are suffering because of the current situation.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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https://thefederalist.com/2022/02/28/the-right-loves-putin-and-other-lies-the-media-tell-about-trump-and-russia/
...like the time Trump called him a “master tactician.” Wait, sorry. That was actually how The New York Times itself described the Russian president in mid-February. And also in October 2020.
But Tamkin could have mentioned the time Tucker Carlson said in a monologue that there was a legitimate argument as to “whether Mr. Putin’s grievances had bases in fact, whether the United States and its allies were too cavalier in expanding NATO, [and] whether Russia was justified in believing that its security was compromised.” My bad. That was also the Times on Feb. 23.
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(https://i.imgur.com/BE7iThi.png)
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2015, very prescient
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMiSQAGOS4&t=1s
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I wonder how many people will contribute to this?
https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-gun-drive-ukraine-russia-war
I know I wouldn't. I doubt there is any legal or logistical way to get the firearms to Ukraine. They'll collect them from various suckers, then "discover" that they can't ship them, then destroy them "for safety" rather than give them back to their rightful owners. I'm more inclined to think this is a back door gun grab.
I like the idea, in theory, of donating a gun, but even if they got there, then the people on the ground are dealing with who knows how many calibers that aren't available in Ukraine. If I knew 100% it would get into the hands of a Ukrainian citizen, I'd happily donate my SKS.
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I have 6 Russian made rifles.
I have zero confident even one of them would make it there.
More than likely they would all be chucked into a dem run crusher.
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I have 6 Russian made rifles.
Besides the SKS, I have a few Mosins, but donating them would kinda be giving whatever Ukrainians got them the middle finger. =D
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Explosions and fighting at one of Europe largest nuclear power plants.
Currently on a live feed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X14cRHLb-bU
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Warnings issued over nuclear plant safety
Enerhodar's nuclear cooling towers, pictured before the war
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Enerhodar's nuclear cooling towers, pictured before the warImage caption: Enerhodar's nuclear cooling towers, pictured before the war
Wladimir Klitschko, the champion boxer and brother of the Kyiv mayor, has said that Ukraine's nuclear plants are being threatened by the Russian invasion, warning of a potential repeat of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Earlier, we reported fierce shelling in Enerhodar, in south-eastern Ukraine, the home of one of Europe's largest nuclear plants.
The local mayor has already warned that there is no water supply or electricity in the town, due to the onslaught.
Klitschko tweeted today: "Ukraine has 4 nuclear power plants and Russian army is shooting rockets and bombing right next to it. Don’t look away, STOP Russian invasion NOW!!!"
The International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi in a statement today called on all the military forces operating around Enerhodar to refrain from violence near the plant.
On Wednesday, he said the country’s nuclear power plants "must be able to continue operating without any safety or security threats. Any accident caused as a result of the military conflict could have extremely serious consequences for people and the environment, in Ukraine and beyond".
Russian forces seized control of the shuttered Chernobyl nuclear power plant about a week ago. Ukrainian officials reported radiation levels had been "exceeded" in a number of places in the area at the time, but Russia said that was not the case.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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Buildings on fire.
This could be Chernobyl x10 if it gets out of hand.
Time for some vodka
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Buildings on fire.
This could be Chernobyl x10 if it gets out of hand.
Time for some vodka
One hopes they have better safety systems and a less dangerous design than Chernobyl had. I could definitely see a TMI level problem. I’d hope that Chernobyl level problems, let alone worse, wouldn’t be able to happen. At least not without deliberate action to make it that bad.
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One hopes they have better safety systems and a less dangerous design than Chernobyl had. I could definitely see a TMI level problem. I’d hope that Chernobyl level problems, let alone worse, wouldn’t be able to happen. At least not without deliberate action to make it that bad.
I know but a guy named Murphy has a really bad habit of showing up.
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Europe's largest nuclear plant is on fire, say local officials
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A fire has reportedly broken out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.
It appears to have been caused by "continuous enemy shelling of [the plant's] buildings and units", according to Mayor Dmytro Orlov of nearby Enerhodar.
Orlov had previously reported intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces on the outskirts of his city, which is in the southeast.
Russian troops had tried to enter the city in tanks and seize the plant, but residents and workers were seen congregating around the plant and its surrounding roads on Wednesday.
Ukraine has four active nuclear plants including Zaporizhzhia.
It also deals with nuclear waste at sites like Chernobyl, now under Russian control.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier today that it is consulting with Ukraine "and others with a view to provide maximum possible assistance to the country as it seeks to maintain nuclear safety and security in the current difficult circumstances".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60582327
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6 reactors
Produces more than 1/5 of Ukraine's electricity
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhzhia_Nuclear_Power_Plant
Unconfirmed #2 & 3 have been shut down.
Also unconfirmed that at least one reactor building has been struck by artillery
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One worry is any spent fuel in storage.
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I notice that given the recent nuke and WW3 talk, that potassium iodide tablets are suddenly scarce right now. The 130mg ones, not the 0.25mg ones available on Amazon as supplements.
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Russian General reportedly killed
Top Russian general is killed by Ukrainian sniper as Kyiv claims 9,000 of Putin’s troops have died during invasion
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10573429/Top-Russian-general-killed-Ukrainian-sniper-Kyiv-claims-9-000-Putins-troops-died.html
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From the link above
Cleanup in aisle 5
(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/13/54854185-10573429-Huge_convoys_of_Russian_armour_have_rumbled_into_several_Ukraini-a-29_1646313195343.jpg)
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... and now the Russians are fleeing:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/russia-martial-law-putin-ukraine-invasion/
Fears are growing Russia could impose martial law on the country after a wave of mass protests against the invasion of Ukraine.
In a society where protest against the Kremlin can result in tragic consequences for demonstrators, such a move would tighten restrictions even further – with speculation they would stretch to food and money.
Reports say thousands of people have fled as rumours about tough new laws grew this week
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Russian General reportedly killed
Top Russian general is killed by Ukrainian sniper as Kyiv claims 9,000 of Putin’s troops have died during invasion
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10573429/Top-Russian-general-killed-Ukrainian-sniper-Kyiv-claims-9-000-Putins-troops-died.html
Of course, my first thoughts are: what rifle, what caliber, and what range?
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Guessing 9mm, from a handgun, at about 6"...
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Buildings on fire.
This could be Chernobyl x10 if it gets out of hand.
Time for some vodka
Why, they running 10x RBMK's in a reckless manner?
Somehow I doubt we are going to have a reactor steam explosion 10x worse than chernobyl.
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Why, they running 10x RBMK's in a reckless manner?
Somehow I doubt we are going to have a reactor steam explosion 10x worse than chernobyl.
I'll give bogie a half-pass on this one.
Ukraine's foreign minister stated:
Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broke out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!
That said, 1) this is an active war, and the foreign minister is using rhetoric to attempt to persuade further action from other nations to help Ukraine, and B) the intended audience (the general public of the west) is dumb enough to conflate reactor meltdowns and steam explosions with nuclear bombs.
What the Russian army is actually trying to do is knock out the electrical infrastructure supplying power to Ukraine in an effort to control the flow of information and demoralize the populace. How would I go about this if I were so tasked? I'd take out the step up transformers at the site which up-convert the voltage from the generators to transmission levels. What do we know about the situation? "The reactors are safe, but a building 400m from them is on fire" Hmmm....
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Putin's Sardaukar have set explosives around the reactors.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-troops-aiming-to-mine-nuclear-plant-to-blackmail-all-of-europe-zaporizhzhia-employees
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Reasons this was/is giving me the willies
1) Artillery was being reportedly fired and a reactor building reportedly hit. How tough those buildings and the confinement areas are I have no clue.
2) Spend fuel rod are often stored in much less protected areas.
3) What condition are the control systems in?
4) Don't know the condition of the staff and their mindset.
5) How willing either through ignorance or malice are the Russians to start leveling the place if they meet stiff resistance? I would hope they're smarter than that but if past wars are any lesson.....
6) Only takes one nut to say screw it and say if the Russians want Ukraine they can have it as a wasteland. Don't ever underestimate what can go through people's minds when stressed to the max.
7) Putlin doing the above but for the opposite reason.
8) And, this is the big one, because Murphy loves *expletive deleted*ing with us
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Putin's Sardaukar have set explosives around the reactors.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-troops-aiming-to-mine-nuclear-plant-to-blackmail-all-of-europe-zaporizhzhia-employees
My #7
Hopefully it's BS
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I can hear it now.
The Ukrainians should have built more windmills
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Pat Buchanan has a more coherent take on this than anything you are seeing or hearing on TV.
https://www.unz.com/pbuchanan/is-a-russia-nato-clash-over-ukraine-ahead/
He sort of echoes the 2015 discussion at the University of Chicago I posted earlier.
Ukraine is of serious strategic value to Russia.
Ukraine has no strategic value to the USA.
All I can figure is the globalists have decided it's time to destroy Russia. That is the only reason I can imagine for promoting EU and NATO membership for a country that is so crucial to Russia strategically. Putin has made it clear for at least a decade that there would be a military response to any attempt to bring Ukraine into NATO. This leads me to believe the globalists wanted war in Ukraine as a pretense to destroy Russia financially.
The countries that border Russia are looked at by Russia much like we hold our Monroe Doctrine. NATO troops in a bordering country will not be tolerated, anymore than we would tolerate Chinese troops stationed in Canada or Russian troops in Mexico.
Putin is not a madman, he is not unstable. He is going to take over all of Ukraine, probably wreck the infrastructure possibly giving some of it back, but only with ironclad guarantees of Ukraine neutrality going forward.
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All I can figure is the globalists have decided it's time to destroy Russia. That is the only reason I can imagine for promoting EU and NATO membership for a country that is so crucial to Russia strategically.
It doesn't matter how important Ukraine is to Putin, it's not his country. He made the decision to invade yet you keep trying to spread blame to everyone else for Putin's decision.
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As far as bordering countries joining NATO. A lot of these countries still have strong memories of being unwilling members of the Russian Empire and the later Soviet Union and suffering heavily under their rule and only recently regained their independence. Putin is not helping by giving every indication he longs for the old days of the empire.
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Well, I hope you warmongers enjoy the war that folks just like you created.
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Well, I hope you warmongers enjoy the war that folks just like you created.
I think you miss my point.
Could NATO have dealt with this better? Certainly. But put yourself in the place of many of these smaller countries with Putin looking at you across the border.
All of these countries suffered greatly under Russian/Soviet rule in the recent pass, you expect them to forget that overnight?
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^^^When my wife and I took a Nordic/Russia/Baltics cruise a couple of years ago, I was struck by all the memorials to Soviet aggression in the Baltics compared to almost none regarding the Nazis. I wondered if that was in part trying to overlook the history of colloboration with the Nazis in some of the countries.
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Putin is not a madman, he is not unstable.
Wrong. You haven't looked at his history, what he has done in his twenty-plus years in power. Consider everything he has done to remain in power. He is certainly sociopathic, and very probably much worse. Megalomania comes to mind.
The world has been treating Putin as a rational actor. He is not.
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I think you miss my point.
Could NATO have dealt with this better? Certainly. But put yourself in the place of many of these smaller countries with Putin looking at you across the border.
All of these countries suffered greatly under Russian/Soviet rule in the recent pass, you expect them to forget that overnight?
NATO was the enemy of Russia/USSR for 45 years. Do you expect Russia to forget that as NATO pursues moving right on to their border?
The western empire wants what the western empire wants.
Russia doesn't stand a chance against the western empire, unless China takes Russia's side.
I'm thinking China will sell Russia down the river. The globalists and China must want Russia weakened.
If we have driven Russia and China closer together with this fiasco that might be worse yet.
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I have had serious thoughts that maybe he's dying and he want his legacy to be that of bringing the Empire back together as Czar Putin I
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Wrong. You haven't looked at his history, what he has done in his twenty-plus years in power. Consider everything he has done to remain in power. He is certainly sociopathic, and very probably much worse. Megalomania comes to mind.
The world has been treating Putin as a rational actor. He is not.
He is a psycopath, that doesn't mean he is unstable or crazy.
This wasn't an irrational move on his part. He clearly laid out what would happen if NATO pursued Ukraine. He probably has 1/3 to 1/2 of the Ukrainians on his side. When his guy was "elected" the west supported the coup that put the current regime in power. These are all bad guys.
If I can figure this stuff out then it's obvious the folks actually making moves know more. This looks like a move by the west against Russia. They had to know Russia would not tolerate NATO on their border.
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I have had serious thoughts that maybe he's dying and he want his legacy to be that of bringing the Empire back together as Czar Putin I
This is what we are getting from our media, everyone's a mind reader. Putin has actually talked about this a lot, military action was all but promised.
Go back and watch that discussion from 2015 at the University of Chicago I posted. The Russian position has been pretty consistent all along. All attempts at compromise (a neutral Ukraine) were rebuffed by the west. The western empire decided it wanted Ukraine and poured resources into making it happen.
We have goaded on and financed the pro west movement there for over a decade and now basically have abandoned them as Putin wrecks their country.
When Biden said "go get him" he was telling the empire to destroy Putin.
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As far as bordering countries joining NATO. A lot of these countries still have strong memories of being unwilling members of the Russian Empire and the later Soviet Union and suffering heavily under their rule and only recently regained their independence. Putin is not helping by giving every indication he longs for the old days of the empire.
Exactly correct.
The real “threat” Russia faces today, in other words, is the threat of decisively losing its empire. NATO enlargement, and Western policy more generally, has taken the sovereignty of countries in Eastern Europe as an unabashed goal. Today’s diplomatic haggling over missile placements, troop limits, nuclear postures, and security guarantees have made little progress because there’s no agreement on the fundamental issue. At stake is whether Russia has the right to be surrounded by a belt of countries that it can bully.
Last summer, Putin published a high-profile article titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” The first sentence of the piece reiterated Putin’s view that Russians and Ukrainians were “a single whole.” The conclusion of the article warns “true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia.” At stake today is whether the Kremlin will impose militarily the regime of partial sovereignty on its neighbors that Russian leaders have pursued since the day of Tsar Peter. Alternatively, the Kremlin could accept its territorial limits and agree to the security guarantees that it says it wants. The country most in need of a credible security guarantee isn’t Russia. It's Ukraine.
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NATO was the enemy of Russia/USSR for 45 years. Do you expect Russia to forget that as NATO pursues moving right on to their border?
The western empire wants what the western empire wants.
Russia doesn't stand a chance against the western empire, unless China takes Russia's side.
I'm thinking China will sell Russia down the river. The globalists and China must want Russia weakened.
If we have driven Russia and China closer together with this fiasco that might be worse yet.
Why was NATO the enemy of the SU? Just to be mean? Do you history much?
Russia doesn't stand a chance against the "western empire" yes, but what chance do the small countries bordering Russia have against Russia. A Russia under a ruthless leader that has given every indication he wants to bring back the days of the Empire and/or Soviet Union? What did you expect them to do?
You may be willing and able to forget history they're not.
As far China an Russian they're just using each other for sex so to speak and will turn on each other in a heart beat and they both know it.
Don't get me wrong, NATO is not 100% blameless in this, I can understand Russia's feeling in this, to a point. But I seriously don't think we would be at this point if it wasn't for Putin.
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Enjoy your war.
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Enjoy your war.
Putin's war.
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Enjoy your war.
Enjoy sitting warm and comfortable in you home without a rather large and hungry bear scratching at your cabin door.
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Putin's war.
Another neocon war.
Just because Putin is a bad guy that doesn't justify what has preceded the fireworks.
This war was all but orchestrated by the west.
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Ukraine is of serious strategic value to Russia.
Ukraine has no strategic value to the USA.
True, but the outrage is far from being only in the US. If anything, European countries seem to be taking point on this. They are rather pissed that a democracy is under attack, and acting accordingly. For example: NATO couldn't get Germany to meet it's military commitments for decades, Putin got them there in 72 hours. Even formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland are sending weapons.
All I can figure is the globalists have decided it's time to destroy Russia. That is the only reason I can imagine for promoting EU and NATO membership for a country that is so crucial to Russia strategically. Putin has made it clear for at least a decade that there would be a military response to any attempt to bring Ukraine into NATO. This leads me to believe the globalists wanted war in Ukraine as a pretense to destroy Russia financially.
I don't believe that there is some shadowy consortium of global governance that controls the world. It's reading order and coherence into a place where there is none. I think that all of these governments are independent, voluntarily form alliances and treaties, and act in their own self interest.
The countries that border Russia are looked at by Russia much like we hold our Monroe Doctrine. NATO troops in a bordering country will not be tolerated, anymore than we would tolerate Chinese troops stationed in Canada or Russian troops in Mexico.
Agreed, they aren't happy about bordering countries joining an enemy military alliance, or their people and culture moving further towards western democratization. I'm sure both powers were and are attempting to sway those people towards their point of view. Maybe this is americentrism, but I think these people - who know what the russian system looks like from the soviet days - are moving further westward of their own volition. The system offers more opportunities, wealth and freedoms. There's a reason the DDR had to build a wall to keep people in.
Putin is not a madman, he is not unstable. He is going to take over all of Ukraine, probably wreck the infrastructure possibly giving some of it back, but only with ironclad guarantees of Ukraine neutrality going forward.
Well, he certainly seems to have miscalculated, unless his plan was to get embarrassed on the world stage, unite Europe, strengthen NATO, push neutral countries towards it, crater his own economy, restart an arms race, restart the cold war, and create anti-Russian sentiment globally.
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^^^When my wife and I took a Nordic/Russia/Baltics cruise a couple of years ago, I was struck by all the memorials to Soviet aggression in the Baltics compared to almost none regarding the Nazis. I wondered if that was in part trying to overlook the history of colloboration with the Nazis in some of the countries.
... or the fact that Nazi Germany controlled the Baltic states for just a few years while the Soviets controlled them for decades.
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I have had serious thoughts that maybe he's dying and he want his legacy to be that of bringing the Empire back together as Czar Putin I
This is what we are getting from our media, everyone's a mind reader. Putin has actually talked about this a lot, military action was all but promised.
Go back and watch that discussion from 2015 at the University of Chicago I posted. The Russian position has been pretty consistent all along. All attempts at compromise (a neutral Ukraine) were rebuffed by the west. The western empire decided it wanted Ukraine and poured resources into making it happen.
We have goaded on and financed the pro west movement there for over a decade and now basically have abandoned them as Putin wrecks their country.
When Biden said "go get him" he was telling the empire to destroy Putin.
Just speculation on my part.
When you're dealing with someone who from our, my, point of view who just did something insane maybe an there's an insane reason. Despots have done crazier things in the past. Again just speculation.
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What is it with him and sitting all alone at the end of long tables?
COVID fears?
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2022/3/4/c2c1835e-30f2-4b99-82d9-b5be34909b5f.jpg)
(https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/T3cSRnRp6IOhtMPOcEdmFQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2022-02/417de5d0-98c2-11ec-bf3f-aa47d35384f3)
(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/14/14/54180943-10511269-Sergei_Shoigu_the_Russian_defence_minister_was_also_long_tabled_-m-18_1644850637406.jpg)
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Just speculation on my part.
When you're dealing with someone who from our, my, point of view just did something insane maybe an there's an insane reason. Despots have done crazier things in the past. Again just speculation.
If you watched the UoC video from 2015 you would see there is very little that is insane about his actions. The west knew exactly what he was going to do. Hopefully we have planned this out better than Russia and Putin.
NATO being on Russia's border was seen as an existential threat by Russia. No amount of justifications on our side changes the reality on the ground. NATO on the border was the same as NATO declaring "war" on Russia as far as Putin is concerned. They don't view us as benevolent bringers of peace and safety but as a global empire that want to eventually move into Russia.
Someone is weak on history and foreign policy and it's not me.
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Someone is weak on history and foreign policy and it's not me.
You're failing to connect how the first is influencing the second.
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You're failing to connect how the first influences the second.
Your failing to understand the adversaries motivations, you think he is crazy or insane.
I guarantee you that both Russia and the west have been wargaming these events for many years. There is very little going on that is "surprising" to the folks on both sides calling the shots.
The west thinks they can win this economically. Russia's only play to stop NATO from moving into Ukraine was militarily. Both sides have been preparing for these events for a while now.
Better hope we have smarter guys than Putin and Xi.
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Your failing to understand the adversaries motivations, you think he is crazy or insane.
I guarantee you that both Russia and the west have been wargaming these events for many years. There is very little going on that is "surprising" to the folks on both sides calling the shots.
The west thinks they can win this economically. Russia's only play to stop NATO from moving into Ukraine was militarily. Both sides have been preparing for these events for a while now.
Better hope we have smarter guys than Putin and Xi.
Actually I've viewed Putin more as a pragmatist. But even the smartest man may made a stupid mistake that may appear to many insane.
Doesn't mean I can't do a little "insane" speculation.
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As I've told people
Putin is gonna do what Putin is gonna to do
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An awful lot of WTF? moments in history and I think we're in one of them.
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We still have the move of refusing to buy oil from Russia. It's interesting that we still are giving them billions of dollars for oil while trying to wage economic war on them.
There are still some weird holes in my ideas like the above, but I think what I believe explains what's going on better than the official story.
Nearly half of Ukraine did not want to join the EU or NATO, at least that was true in around 2015. Putin might just keep everything east of the Dnieper River and give the rest back if there are assurances they will not join NATO.
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NATO being on Russia's border was seen as an existential threat by Russia. No amount of justifications on our side changes the reality on the ground. NATO on the border was the same as NATO declaring "war" on Russia as far as Putin is concerned. They don't view us as benevolent bringers of peace and safety but as a global empire that want to eventually move into Russia.
Estonia and Latvia. And Norway, sort of. Lithuania and Poland if you consider Belarus to be an extension of Russia.
I don't think Putin honestly believes NATO on his border is a threat. From what I've seen, I think that was merely his weak justification for a much more pragmatic economic conflict relating to the likelihood of Ukraine supplanting Russia's position as a primary provider of natural gas and oil to Europe, thereby savaging Russia's GDP and more importantly government income via state-controlled energy firms, so say nothing of threatening the wealth of Putin's powerful buddies.
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... or the fact that Nazi Germany controlled the Baltic states for just a few years while the Soviets controlled them for decades.
The Nazis were initially seen in the Baltics as liberating them from the Soviet yoke but things went downhill from there.
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There's this myth going around that we're not doing a no-fly zone over Ukraine because it could provoke a much larger conflict. The truth is, our military is simply too busy defending our capital from the white supremacist threat.
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Estonia and Latvia. And Norway, sort of. Lithuania and Poland if you consider Belarus to be an extension of Russia.
I don't think Putin honestly believes NATO on his border is a threat. From what I've seen, I think that was merely his weak justification for a much more pragmatic economic conflict relating to the likelihood of Ukraine supplanting Russia's position as a primary provider of natural gas and oil to Europe, thereby savaging Russia's GDP and more importantly government income via state-controlled energy firms, so say nothing of threatening the wealth of Putin's powerful buddies.
Yea, there are a lot of moving pieces there for sure. I'm not sure how you can believe NATO moving forces onto Russians border in such a strategic location would not be considered a threat. Western influence/control of Ukraine's energy having the potential of savaging Russia's GDP isn't considered a Russian security concern?
I'm no fan of Putin or Russia but the more I look into this the more it looks like it is the west who has insisted on pushing the issue.
Regarding the northern countries that joined NATO in 2004 my understanding is Russia was not in very good shape back then and didn't have much recourse.
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Don't get me wrong, I am seeing plenty of blame to go around but see 80-90% of the blame going to Putin.
Was Ukraine's government a bit worrisome in some regards? Yes
Am I trouble by some aspects in how it came to power? Yes
Am I troubled by reported connections between certain members of our government and Ukraine? Yes
Was Ukraine harassing it's Russian speaking population? Yes, which leads to the next question.
Was Russia fermenting much of that? Yes but Ukraine is not totally blameless.
Was Ukraine going to join NATO? Not really sure if it really going to happen but I CAN see Russia's stance on that but, next questions.
Were Russian troops already conducting operations in the disputed areas? Yes, limited but yes
Did Russia already invade and take over part of Ukraine? Yes
Would Ukraine be taking about joining NATO if Russia hadn't invaded The Crimea? Don't know but I suspect perhaps not.
Was Putin saying Ukrainians and Russians are one people while massing troops? Yes. If you're Ukrainian that had to scare you.
Did Ukraine have a historical reason to fear Russian? Yes Yes Yes
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Things that make you go Hmmm
Could be media exaggerating somewhat don't know yet.
Surge in arrivals in Finland from Russia
John Simpson
World Affairs Editor, Vaalima in Finland
Border queue
BBCCopyright: BBC
At Finland’s border crossing with Russia at Vaalimaa, 120 miles (193 kilometres) east of Helsinki, buses and cars stop for passport and customs checks.
These aren’t Ukrainians, they’re Russians - and although the flow isn't heavy, it is constant.
People are anxious to get out of Russia because there has been a persistent rumour that Vladimir Putin’s government might soon introduce martial law to deal with demonstrations against the invasion of Ukraine.
We spoke to one young Russian woman who was leaving for the West. She was in despair at what has been happening.
"People in Ukraine are our people – our family," she says. "We shouldn't be killing them."
Would she think of going back, I asked?
"Not while our dreadful government is there. It is so, so sad."
There's immense sympathy for people like her in Finland, just as there is for Ukraine and its inhabitants.
This sympathy, and the fear that Russia might lash out at other neighbours like Finland itself, is changing attitudes to Finland’s traditional neutrality.
According to the latest opinion polls, a growing majority of Finns believe that it’s time for their country to join Nato and get the protection that membership of the alliance would bring.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60532634
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Yea, there are a lot of moving pieces there for sure. I'm not sure how you can believe NATO moving forces onto Russians border in such a strategic location would not be considered a threat.
The threat is not having a NATO member on their border, which as I pointed out they already enjoy. Granted, not as strategically placed as Ukraine might be, but it's not nothing.
The threat Putin is responding to here is to their government's economic well-being which relies massively on their government control of the energy sector and the fact that Europe is hungry for that energy. They cannot abide a potential competitor for Europe's energy money. This is using military force to protect market share, not trying to keep NATO from marching on Moscow.
Western influence/control of Ukraine's energy having the potential of savaging Russia's GDP isn't considered a Russian security concern?
You're missing the point. That doesn't require Ukrainian NATO membership at all. For that matter, it doesn't even require Western influence. Simply a Ukrainian government that cares about Ukrainian interests ahead of Russian.
Ukraine had placed significant tariffs on Russian gas pumped through their pipelines, so Russia decided to build around them.
Significant natural gas fields offshore of Crimea were seized by Russia when they annexed Crimea thereby cutting Ukraine off from most of their offshore reserves in the Black Sea.
Ukraine begins to develop their shale oil fields - most of which are found in eastern Ukraine where - surprise, surprise, Russia decides to set up a couple of breakaway puppet states and then invade.
The problem is not the West pushing NATO on Ukraine, it is Putin being frustrated that a non-puppet Ukraine could cut the state-owned energy companies off at the knees. It was a non-puppet Ukraine that legitimately feared Russian aggression that sought protection from NATO and now the EU.
I'm no fan of Putin or Russia but the more I look into this the more it looks like it is the west who has insisted on pushing the issue.
I'm not blind as to the US having terrible, inconsistent, and often counter-productive foreign policy. However, I don't think this conflict had beans to do with NATO or the west.
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The Nazis were initially seen in the Baltics as liberating them from the Soviet yoke but things went downhill from there.
I know.
My point was that being under the Soviet yoke for several decades produces more resentment than a few years under the Germans.
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Time for a little levity:
https://babylonbee.com/news/4d-chess-us-mexico-border-disguised-as-ukrainian-border-so-democrats-will-defend-it
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Time for a little levity:
https://babylonbee.com/news/4d-chess-us-mexico-border-disguised-as-ukrainian-border-so-democrats-will-defend-it
On a serious note, I wonder how many more illegals and terrorists are swarming the Southern border unchecked now that the MSM and politicians have another focus?
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From translated Dutch media:
Nato and the EU are meeting on Friday. The Netherlands will be represented by minister Wobke Hoekstra
Exceptionally US minister Blinken will join and Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kubelo joins through a video conference
They will discuss what more actions can be taken against Russia. Military intervention by the Nato is no longer out of the question
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From translated Dutch media:
Ugh.
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Interesting, since NATO has officially rejected a no-fly zone over Ukraine:
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-meets-ukraine-calls-no-fly-zone-hinder-russia-2022-03-04/
Are they contemplating some other form of intervention? Seems to me that the no-fly zone would have been the easiest to implement.
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Well if NATO gets involved, this will kind of be turning into a "blood for oil" thing. I saw the German Ambassador to the US interviewed this morning, and pressed hard, she admitted that Germany will not be pulling out of any energy agreements with Russia, no matter what other sanctions they enforce. I suspect most of the EU will be doing similar. And of course we are too.
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Interesting, since NATO has officially rejected a no-fly zone over Ukraine:
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-meets-ukraine-calls-no-fly-zone-hinder-russia-2022-03-04/
Are they contemplating some other form of intervention? Seems to me that the no-fly zone would have been the easiest to implement.
Don't know, might just be saber rattling.
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Well if NATO gets involved, this will kind of be turning into a "blood for oil" thing. I saw the German Ambassador to the US interviewed this morning, and pressed hard, she admitted that Germany will not be pulling out of any energy agreements with Russia, no matter what other sanctions they enforce. I suspect most of the EU will be doing similar. And of course we are too.
And the higher oil goes up the more money Russia makes
Biden and dems: Windmills
(https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/67288587.jpg)
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might just be saber rattling.
(Angel Eyes crosses his fingers)
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Before the Russians invaded, Ukraine was not going to join NATO in the near term. It was also unlikely they would have been able to join anytime in the next 6-8 years as they do not meet all of the requirements for membership.
They have some serious debt, finance and governmental corruption issues to overcome before they would become eligible to join NATO.
All this talk about Ukraine joining NATO and enabling NATO to be a bigger threat to Russia is nonsense.
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All this talk about Ukraine joining NATO and enabling NATO to be a bigger threat to Russia is nonsense.
Agreed. Which is not to say that we didn't interfere with Ukraine. Obama's state department and good ol' Joe Biden himself did mess with them and helped force out the previous leader. (Hmm ... I wonder how Hunter got that position?).
Both Russia and the US have meddled in Ukraine. In both cases probably to the detriment of Ukraine. That said, finding justification for Putin's actions in that is preposterous.
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How much talk was there of Ukraine joining NATO before Putin invaded and annexed The Crimea?
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Wait for it
Germany Rearms 2022: Assessment & Historical Context
https://youtu.be/mDUElJY4xNQ?t=823
Brutal but :rofl:
BTW: The whole video is worth a watch
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Kick Russia out of NATO https://t.co/fSSxL87Kmw
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) March 4, 2022
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/03/04/we-have-a-winner-actress-patricia-arquette-scores-the-dumbest-tweet-of-the-week-screenshot/
(https://c.tenor.com/y13XEZAGKf8AAAAM/putin-vladimir-putin.gif)
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Seems like a vast majority of Americans across the political spectrum don't have an inkling of the potential escalating consequences of a no fly zone.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/03/04/new-poll-finds-74-of-americans-want-a-nato-led-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine/
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Seems like a vast majority of Americans across the political spectrum don't have an inkling of the potential escalating consequences of a no fly zone.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/03/04/new-poll-finds-74-of-americans-want-a-nato-led-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine/
FTFY =D
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Seriously, until today you lot have done a very good job of posting key events of the day, which meant I didn't have to go look *expletive deleted*it up myself...
But today ya'll have dropped the ball.
Also, Ron, the "globilist" overlords do not want war with the asshat they pay for energy. Which is how they got caught with their pants down.
*shrug* This ends four ways:
1. Ukraine makes like Finland did and beats Russian ass.
2. Russia claims the smoking rubble that was once Ukraine.
3. WWIII
4. There is a change of management in the Kremlin.
I'm hoping for 1 or 4.
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How much talk was there of Ukraine joining NATO before Putin invaded and annexed The Crimea?
It was NATO's official position to bring Ukraine into NATO.
Bucharest Summit Declaration
Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Bucharest on 3 April 2008
NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to Alliance operations. We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia and look forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in May. MAP is the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on their direct way to membership. Today we make clear that we support these countries’ applications for MAP. Therefore we will now begin a period of intensive engagement with both at a high political level to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their MAP applications. We have asked Foreign Ministers to make a first assessment of progress at their December 2008 meeting. Foreign Ministers have the authority to decide on the MAP applications of Ukraine and Georgia.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_8443.htm
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It was NATO's official position to bring Ukraine into NATO.
Bucharest Summit Declaration
Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Bucharest on 3 April 2008
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_8443.htm
Okay. I don't recall Putin using that as the excuse why he invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed a chunk of it. He may have I just don't recall.
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Russian has banned facebook, twitter, and youtube.
Is APS next? :O
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Okay. I don't recall Putin using that as the excuse why he invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed a chunk of it. He may have I just don't recall.
The coup that removed his democratically elected ally from office was the impetus for the Crimea invasion.
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The coup that removed his democratically elected ally from office was the impetus for the Crimea invasion.
So take and annex the Crimea :O
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So taking the Crimea would fix that? :O
Sevastopol
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Sevastopol
Yes he wanted Sevastopol but they annexed all of Crimea. You're trying to split hairs.
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Also, Ron, the "globilist" overlords do not want war with the asshat they pay for energy. Which is how they got caught with their pants down.
If they actually were surprised then things are even worse than any of us thought!
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Italian police seize oligarchs' yachts
Alexey Mordashov
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Alexey Mordashov is Russia's richest manImage caption: Alexey Mordashov is Russia's richest man
Italian police have seized yachts belonging to two of Russia's wealthiest oligarchs in a raid on Friday, as EU sanctions begin to bite.
Officers seized a 213ft (65 metre) yacht worth $27m (£20m) owned by Alexey Mordashov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and Russia's richest man, in the northern port of Imperia, officials told local media.
Another yacht, owned by Gennady Timchenko, another oligarch with close ties to Putin, has been impounded in the coastal city of Imperia, officials said.
Mordashov is worth an estimated $29bn (£22bn) and built his wealth around the Russian steel producer Severstal, while Timchenko is estimated to hold around $17bn (£13.5bn) of assets and made his fortune in oil trading.
The men were among the 680 individuals and 53 entities slapped with sanctions by the EU on Monday.
There were similar seizures in France and Germany this week of yachts belonging to other Russian oligarchs.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60532634
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Seriously, until today you lot have done a very good job of posting key events of the day, which meant I didn't have to go look *expletive deleted*it up myself...
But today ya'll have dropped the ball.
Also, Ron, the "globilist" overlords do not want war with the asshat they pay for energy. Which is how they got caught with their pants down.
*shrug* This ends four ways:
1. Ukraine makes like Finland did and beats Russian ass.
2. Russia claims the smoking rubble that was once Ukraine.
3. WWIII
4. There is a change of management in the Kremlin.
I'm hoping for 1 or 4.
While #1 would put a smile on my face I don't see it happening unless #4 occurs first. More likely at this point it will be #2. I think the Russians are going to keep grinding down the Ukrainian army until it's gone. Then the long bloody insurgency begins.
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Seriously, until today you lot have done a very good job of posting key events of the day, which meant I didn't have to go look *expletive deleted*it up myself...
But today ya'll have dropped the ball.
Also, Ron, the "globilist" overlords do not want war with the asshat they pay for energy. Which is how they got caught with their pants down.
*shrug* This ends four ways:
1. Ukraine makes like Finland did and beats Russian ass.
2. Russia claims the smoking rubble that was once Ukraine.
3. WWIII
4. There is a change of management in the Kremlin.
I'm hoping for 1 or 4.
While I’m not fully with Ron, it does seem like the “west” is hurtling towards #3. I don’t get the logic, but then I’m not a leftist elitist.
Ultimately I don’t think there’s any major players that are good guys here. Including the USA.
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Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately.
Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
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It's hard to know what our military or intelligence agencies believe. Our media has gone into full blown propaganda mode and is pretty worthless for getting information as to what is really happening or why for that matter.
This article is a reasonably balanced look at things IMHO.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10569141/Putin-NOT-crazy-Russian-invasion-NOT-failing-writes-military-analyst-BILL-ROGGIO.html
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The threat is not having a NATO member on their border, which as I pointed out they already enjoy. Granted, not as strategically placed as Ukraine might be, but it's not nothing.
The threat Putin is responding to here is to their government's economic well-being which relies massively on their government control of the energy sector and the fact that Europe is hungry for that energy. They cannot abide a potential competitor for Europe's energy money. This is using military force to protect market share, not trying to keep NATO from marching on Moscow.You're missing the point. That doesn't require Ukrainian NATO membership at all. For that matter, it doesn't even require Western influence. Simply a Ukrainian government that cares about Ukrainian interests ahead of Russian.
Ukraine had placed significant tariffs on Russian gas pumped through their pipelines, so Russia decided to build around them.
Significant natural gas fields offshore of Crimea were seized by Russia when they annexed Crimea thereby cutting Ukraine off from most of their offshore reserves in the Black Sea.
Ukraine begins to develop their shale oil fields - most of which are found in eastern Ukraine where - surprise, surprise, Russia decides to set up a couple of breakaway puppet states and then invade.
The problem is not the West pushing NATO on Ukraine, it is Putin being frustrated that a non-puppet Ukraine could cut the state-owned energy companies off at the knees. It was a non-puppet Ukraine that legitimately feared Russian aggression that sought protection from NATO and now the EU.I'm not blind as to the US having terrible, inconsistent, and often counter-productive foreign policy. However, I don't think this conflict had beans to do with NATO or the west.
Might want to let Germany know that NATO membership isn't really the issue. The Germans saying it is off the table doesn't carry the weight of a NATO resolution or whatever they are called.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/ukraines-nato-membership-will-not-take-place-german-chancellor_4317515.html
Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership appeared to be one of the core disputes that caused the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
In February 2019, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a constitutional amendment committing the country to becoming a member of NATO and the European Union after the parliament passed the bill.
Poroshenko told the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine days after he signed the amendment that joining NATO was a guarantee of security for Ukraine.
On the Russian side, Putin says Russia needs to lay down “red lines” to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO saying that Ukraine’s growing ties with the alliance could make it a launchpad for NATO missiles targeted at Russia.
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Okay. I don't recall Putin using that as the excuse why he invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed a chunk of it. He may have I just don't recall.
Putin's excuse in 2014 was that he was "protecting" Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine from unspeakable harm.
Which was bovine excrement. I remember reading articles by people living there who said there was no enmity between/among the Ukrainian speakers and the Russian speakers. One article I remember in particular was by a woman who said she spoke Ukrainian and her neighbor spoke Russian, and the two languages were similar enough that they just conversed normally.
Putin and the Kremlin created the pro-Russian separatist movements in the Crimea and in the Donbass region, and then used "protecting" the separatists as a pretext for the invasion.
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War is
nearly always about land and resources.
Ukraine is too strategically placed for Russia to roll over and let it be absorbed into the western empire. I don't deny that energy and it being a breadbasket is important but the EU/NATO thing is huge to them.
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While I’m not fully with Ron, it does seem like the “west” is hurtling towards #3. I don’t get the logic, but then I’m not a leftist elitist.
The secret global government has determined that there is no recourse for the impending climate catastrophe unfolding. People will not, and can not, give up carbon emitting fuels. The top scientists warn that it's already too late - even if we follow a drastic reduction schedule, the lowered particulates in the atmosphere will cause a runaway ecosystem warming failure.
The only way forward is to cut carbon emissions to the bone, and simultaneously maintain or increase atmosphere particulate matter to reflect light. Only then will there be a chance for the system to correct - for natural sequestration to occur and runaway avoided. The only way forward is a global nuclear war. Decimation of the population, with enough ground bursts to put dust in the upper atmosphere for decades. Enough people will survive to rebuild, and the hottest isotopes will burn off in the first few years.
[tinfoil] :P
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I seem to be getting raw videos more on FB than I do the news. Twitter and FUNKER530 also have some good videos of the carnage on the ground.
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The Kyiv Independent@KyivIndependent⚡️Ukrainian Navy sinks its flagship so that Russians don't get it.
Frigate Hetman Sahaidachny was under repairs in Mykolaiv. The commander was ordered to sink it, according to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Photo: News sites, social media, original source unknown.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1499672237829414915
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FM_n8mYWUAEXlc9?format=jpg&name=small)
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Crazy video
Sky News team's harrowing account of their violent ambush in Ukraine this week
https://news.sky.com/story/sky-news-teams-harrowing-account-of-their-violent-ambush-in-ukraine-this-week-12557585
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he Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
·
40m
CNN: Russia is poised to deploy up to 1,000 more mercenaries to Ukraine.
The U.S. has already seen “some indications” that Russian mercenaries may be involved in Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine “in some places,” a senior defense official said earlier this week.
https://twitter.com/kyivindependent?lang=en
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Might want to let Germany know that NATO membership isn't really the issue.
Shame there wasn't someone active who could negotiate a deal between the Russian oil/gas folks and the Ukrainian pipelines/ports...
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I seem to be getting raw videos more on FB than I do the news. Twitter and FUNKER530 also have some good videos of the carnage on the ground.
Tiktok was a good source, but today nothings coming up in my for you feed.
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Tiktok shows you what Tiktok wants you to see.
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Might want to let Germany know that NATO membership isn't really the issue. The Germans saying it is off the table doesn't carry the weight of a NATO resolution or whatever they are called.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/ukraines-nato-membership-will-not-take-place-german-chancellor_4317515.html
Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership appeared to be one of the core disputes that caused the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
In February 2019, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a constitutional amendment committing the country to becoming a member of NATO and the European Union after the parliament passed the bill.
Poroshenko told the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine days after he signed the amendment that joining NATO was a guarantee of security for Ukraine.
On the Russian side, Putin says Russia needs to lay down “red lines” to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO saying that Ukraine’s growing ties with the alliance could make it a launchpad for NATO missiles targeted at Russia.
I'm hitting a paywall
But from your posted quote I can't tell if "Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership appeared to be one of the core disputes that caused the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war." is the stated opinion of the writer or the German government or rather I should say someone in the government
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Crazy video
Sky News team's harrowing account of their violent ambush in Ukraine this week
https://news.sky.com/story/sky-news-teams-harrowing-account-of-their-violent-ambush-in-ukraine-this-week-12557585
"Reporter in war zone is surprised he's being shot at. Film at 11."
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Grain of salt mode on
Reported on a live feed Russian solders running out of food and raiding people's homes for food.
Grain of salt mode off
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War is nearly always about land and resources.
Ukraine is too strategically placed for Russia to roll over and let it be absorbed into the western empire. I don't deny that energy and it being a breadbasket is important but the EU/NATO thing is huge to them.
Russia’s government revenue is something like 43%+ from oil and natural gas.
GDP is close to 50% energy.
Ukraine’s tariffs and development of Black Sea natural gas (oddly now 80% controlled by Russia after they annexed Crimea) and shale fields (most of which are found in the Donbas region which - coincidentally Russia decided needed to be protected from Ukraine) threaten a not insignificant chunk of that revenue.
Given that, assuming Putin couldn’t control Ukraine’s energy policy through soft power, and if NATO/EU had been off the table: Does he still invade?
I think yes - probably faster. Western interest in Ukraine makes invading more dangerous and expensive, not less.
Of course, the flip side is absent western interest it is likely he could have controlled Ukraine with soft power.
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Blog post discussing our CIA directors analysis of the Ukraine and Russia crises.
https://peterbeinart.substack.com/p/bidens-cia-director-doesnt-believe?utm_source=url&s=r
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Something of a tangent, but while Trump is still banned from social media, Putin has an active Twitter account.
To be clear, I don't believe Putin should be banned. I'm in the Elon Musk camp on this.
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Meanwhile in free speech China
China state media censors Paralympics official's plea for peace
Andrew Parsons, President of IPC makes a speech during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at the Beijing National Stadium on March 04, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
International Paralympic Committee Chairman Andrew Parsons delivering a speech during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter ParalympicsImage caption: International Paralympic Committee Chairman Andrew Parsons delivering a speech during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics
Chinese national broadcaster CCTV censored a top Paralympics official's comments at the opening ceremony of the Winter Games currently taking place in Beijing.
Andrew Parsons - the Chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made an impassioned call for peace in his speech.
“Tonight, I want to begin with a message of peace," he said in English, addressing an audience that included President Xi Jinping.
But in the telecast by CCTV, his voice appeared to be muffled, and a sign language interpreter stopped translating his words onscreen.
The following segments of his speech were also censored:
"As the leader of an organisation with inclusion at its core, where diversity is celebrated and differences embraced, I am horrified at what is taking place in the world right now.
"The 21st Century is a time for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate. The Olympic truce for peace during the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a UN Resolution adopted by consensus by 193 Member States at the 76th UN General Assembly.
"It must be respected and observed not violated.”
Last week, the IPC banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Paralympics in a rare move.
China has so far refused to call the situation in Ukraine an invasion and also abstained from voting against Russia at the UN so far.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60532634/page/3
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Don't get me wrong folks, I'm no fan of KGB Putin.
I'm a 50/50 ethnic mix of German/Polish and grew up during the cold war. I don't think Russia is the good guys.
It would just be nice if the west and the USA acted in such a manner where it was easier to say we are the good guys. Unfortunately our government and media went into 24 hour a day gaslighting mode.
My *expletive deleted*it detector has nearly melted down the propaganda is so thick and heavy.
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My *expletive deleted*it detector has nearly melted down the propaganda is so thick and heavy.
This is why it's enlightening to read the stories from foreign sources - even the English translations as long as the translations are done by the source. Just from reading the German news, I get some completely different perspectives. I notice that the English translations are not quite the same story, but close enough.
Not that foreign sources are immune to propaganda, but the different perspectives can be eye-opening if you're otherwise just getting the "two sides" of CNN, Fox, etc.
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Well so much for the crease fire to get civilians out
And of course each side is blaming the other.
Only 400 evacuated from Volnovakha during short-lived ceasefire
Volnovakha
Only 400 people were evacuated from Volnovakha and nearby settlements during today's short-lived ceasefire, according to Ukrainian officials.
The initial plan was to evacuate more than 15,000 civilians from the region during the temporary ceasefire, which began at 07:00 GMT.
But regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: "Although we had the intention and necessary transport to evacuate a lot more people, we had to stop the movement of the column, because the Russians once again started shelling Volnovakha mercilessly, and it was very dangerous to move there."
Another evacuation, due to take place from the larger city of Mariupol, was also halted
.
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Oh My
Americans: We can endure higher prices for food and gas if it means putting the screws to Putin. Consider it a patriotic donation in the fight for freedom over tyranny.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 4, 2022
We probably wouldn't be having to endure higher prices if anyone in the Biden admin had half a clue. But that's okay, I'm sure a Hollywood elite like you will do just fine.
George Takei says Americans should consider paying higher gas and food prices to be a ‘patriotic donation in the fight for freedom’ (and people have thoughts)
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/05/george-takei-says-americans-should-consider-paying-higher-gas-and-food-prices-to-be-a-patriotic-donation-in-the-fight-for-freedom-and-people-have-thoughts/
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Amazing, I have been making patriotic donations the past couple years and I didn’t even know that Putin was going to launch an invasion.
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This is why it's enlightening to read the stories from foreign sources - even the English translations as long as the translations are done by the source. Just from reading the German news, I get some completely different perspectives. I notice that the English translations are not quite the same story, but close enough.
Not that foreign sources are immune to propaganda, but the different perspectives can be eye-opening if you're otherwise just getting the "two sides" of CNN, Fox, etc.
If you want to see BS propaganda and people trying to start crazy rumors in every flavor start reading some of the chats attached to many YT live feeds. [barf]
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Putin's excuse in 2014 was that he was "protecting" Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine from unspeakable harm.
Which was bovine excrement. I remember reading articles by people living there who said there was no enmity between/among the Ukrainian speakers and the Russian speakers. One article I remember in particular was by a woman who said she spoke Ukrainian and her neighbor spoke Russian, and the two languages were similar enough that they just conversed normally.
Putin and the Kremlin created the pro-Russian separatist movements in the Crimea and in the Donbass region, and then used "protecting" the separatists as a pretext for the invasion.
And he is using the same BS justification again: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-western-sanctions-are-akin-declaration-war-2022-03-05/
Putin reiterated that his aims were to defend Russian- speaking communities through the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of the country so that Russia's former Soviet neighbour became neutral and no longer threatened Russia.
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13:01
What's the latest?
If you are just joining us, here are the main developments so far today:
A ceasefire agreed between Russia and Ukraine - to allow civilians to leave the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha - has fallen apart, just hours after it was announced
Vladimir Putin has warned the West that any country imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered to have joined the war
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned that the number of Ukrainian refugees could soon exceed 1.5m people
Zara is closing all 500 of its stores in Russia, while Samsung and PayPal are suspending activities in the country
More than £85m has been raised in the UK in just two days to provide help for Ukraine
Russia's national airline Aeroflot has cancelled nearly all international flights from 8 March, because of "additional circumstances" impeding its operations
Anti-war protests are taking place across the world including in London, Bangkok, Switzerland and Kherson - the only Ukrainian city occupied by Russia so far
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60532634
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B-52s taking part in close air support training over Romania:
https://gazette.com/news/us-b-52-bombers-fly-over-nato-territory-neighboring-ukraine/article_edd45ae8-ab66-51ab-9ff0-69fd327076a4.html
Strictly a training exercise, I'm sure.
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a training exercise,
Putin two weeks ago
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At least one Russian soldier in Ukraine is carrying a scoped Mosin-Nagant:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Russian-troops-are-using-Mosin-Nagants-in-Ukraine/5-2535140/?
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On a couple feeds they were remarking that nearly all of the destroyed and captured equipment seen so far is old Soviet era stuff and virtually none of the newer post SU stuff. Speculation is Putin is letting the older "expendable" stuff that was headed to the scrap yard anyway take the brunt of the early assaults and soften up the Ukrainians while holding the newer $$$$$ stuff in reserve to be sent in if needed and to deal with NATO if they happen to show up.
Could explain why so many broken down vehicles are being reported seen in the convoy.
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At least one Russian soldier in Ukraine is carrying a scoped Mosin-Nagant:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Russian-troops-are-using-Mosin-Nagants-in-Ukraine/5-2535140/?
I wonder if they're giving those to the latest conscripts? I can't remember if it was higher up the page here or somewhere else that I read Putin is only having his professional soldiers do the fighting and that the current conscripts are more in support roles. It would make sense to give them the WW2 rifles if the ruskies are short on the modern stuff.
Related, I saw on the news this morning that one of the big US ammo companies (I forgot who) is sending a million rounds to Ukraine. They didn't talk about calibers. It's being done through proper gov channels, with that one Ukrainian born congresswoman as an intermediary.
Oh - I just looked and here's a story from three days ago, and they just say, "7.62". On Fox News this morning, they indicated this was now much farther along.
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/nascar-richard-childress-donate-1-million-rounds-ammo-ukraine
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On a couple feeds they were remarking that nearly all of the destroyed and captured equipment seen so far is old Soviet era stuff and virtually none of the newer post SU stuff. Speculation is Putin is letting the older "expendable" stuff that was headed to the scrap yard anyway take the brunt of the early assaults and soften up the Ukrainians while holding the newer $$$$$ stuff in reserve to be sent in if needed and to deal with NATO if they happen to show up.
Could explain why so many broken down vehicles are being reported seen in the convoy.
Or we constantly make a paper tiger out of the russians. They have no budget. How many Armata tanks do they have? I have seen russian sailors on shore leave in the states, it is clear that they have never experienced such material wealth, even with a few decades of western decadance between them and the SSR days.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/us/american-veterans-volunteer-ukraine-russia.html
Hector said he hoped to train Ukrainians in his expertise: armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
“A lot of veterans, we have a calling to serve, and we trained our whole career for this kind of war,” he said. “Sitting by and doing nothing? I had to do that when Afghanistan fell apart, and it weighed heavily on me. I had to act.”
All across the United States, small groups of military veterans are gathering, planning and getting passports in order. After years of serving in smoldering occupations, trying to spread democracy in places that had only a tepid interest in it, many are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor with a conventional and target-rich army.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-poland-warplanes-ukraine
The United States is considering a deal with Poland to send U.S. warplanes to Warsaw to replace any Soviet-era fighter jets the NATO country sends to Ukraine.
...
Under the proposal, the Ukrainians would receive Russian-made MiGs that Poland inherited after the Cold War ended.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-poland-warplanes-ukraine
Good move on Polands part as they may be next in Putins sight anyway. Better to arm up with better technology before the madman decides his next move.
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I think another member called it a couple of pages up: Besides Iran, we are also now courting Venezuela for oil. So pretty much putting the US under the Russian sphere of influence. As well as further under the Chinese sphere of influence.
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I think another member called it a couple of pages up: Besides Iran, we are also now courting Venezuela for oil. So pretty much putting the US under the Russian sphere of influence. As well as further under the Chinese sphere of influence.
I was tearing into a dumbfuck liberal yesterday on Facebook. He was calling for us to buy Iranian oil, praising Keynesian economics, denigrating those of us who were opposite of him as uneducated idiots who skipped college, saying that the price of gas should be high, etc. The prospective he claimed that gave him all the clairvoyance of what was good for the US and how he knew so much more than us rubes? He was a banker.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/us/american-veterans-volunteer-ukraine-russia.html
Fox and Friends is right now interviewing a Ukrainian soldier who is in a unit that is tasked with integrating foreign fighters into the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. He estimated that they have 16K volunteers so far, and he said most of them are from the US. They are asking for a one or more year commitment.
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Trump has a horrible idea about what the USA should do- though I assume he is probably joking:
Speaking of the situation in Ukraine, Trump told donors that the US should put Chinese flags on America's F-22s and then 'bomb the s***' out of Russia, leading to conflict between the nations while 'we sit back and watch.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10582503/Trump-says-let-situation-Ukraine-continue-slams-paper-tiger-NATO.html
This is a joke right? :O
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Yes
He loves trolling the media
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Yup. As usual, the MSM took the quote out of context and turned a joke into "orange man".
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-poland-warplanes-ukraine
The United States is considering a deal with Poland to send U.S. warplanes to Warsaw to replace any Soviet-era fighter jets the NATO country sends to Ukraine.
...
Under the proposal, the Ukrainians would receive Russian-made MiGs that Poland inherited after the Cold War ended.
Just saw something that said Russia is now hitting the western airfields to counter that.
Note: Unconfirmed
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The admin nixed that idea as soon as it was brought up. Just like returning energy production to 2019 levels. We are led by idiots.
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Well hold onto your tinfoil. I guess Poland has a green light to give Migs to Ukraine.
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Well hold onto your tinfoil. I guess Poland has a green light to give Migs to Ukraine.
I just read Warsaw said not true, thankfully, fake news.
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(https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedia/2015/04/13/Photos/NS/MW-DJ511_crimea_20150413112303_NS.jpg?uuid=fca26146-e1f0-11e4-a66e-f3c422c94e71)
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(https://memeadda.com/uploads/memes/points-tally-pope-0-putin-3-1598301015.jpg)
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GERMANY RE-ARMING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B4njJatAhA
Video from Military Aviation History. Looks like Germany is trying to take a 180 degree turn in foreign policy and funding their army and air force....thanks to Putin.
As he said, we will see if they follow through.
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I just read Warsaw said not true, thankfully, fake news.
Link?
What I've seen is that:
Poland had approached the White House last week after it weighed in on sending its warplanes to Ukraine amid Russia's growing aggression. Warsaw asked the White House if the Biden administration could guarantee fighter jets to fill the gap to which the former replied that they would look into the matter.
And today:
Reporter: What more can the United States do here? If, for instance, the Polish government, a NATO member, wants to send fighter jets: Does that get a green light for the US, or are you afraid that will escalate tension?
Blinken: No, that gets a green light. In fact we're talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if in fact they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians. What can we do, how can we help to makes sure they get something to backfill the planes that they are handing over to the Ukrainians. We're in very active discussions with them about that.
It seems the the ball is back in Poland's court.
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Ukraine is game to you!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzLtF_PxbYw
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Link?
What I've seen is that:
And today:
It seems the the ball is back in Poland's court.
All I have is a tweet - https://twitter.com/PremierRP_en/status/1500345167211114497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland@PremierRP_enReplying to @nexta_tv‼️FAKE NEWS‼️
Unfortunately you are spreading misinformation with quotation from 27/02/22.
Poland won't send its fighter jets to #Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports. We significantly help in many other areas.
With the fog of war who knows?
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We're maybe a week or two away from a surrender, new borders and a neutral, NATO assurances of no expansion into Ukraine will follow.
We'll see how well my prognostication based upon others prognostications fairs :P
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Taiwan is watching and taking notes I'm sure.
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Russia is recruiting Syrians for urban combat in Ukraine, according to U.S. officials:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-recruiting-syrians-for-urban-combat-in-ukraine-u-s-officials-say-11646606234
Belarussians, Chechens, now Syrians. Russia has really gotten into outsourcing their war.
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Ben:
"
This is why it's enlightening to read the stories from foreign sources - even the English translations as long as the translations are done by the source. Just from reading the German news, I get some completely different perspectives. I notice that the English translations are not quite the same story, but close enough.
"
I mentioned exactly that before, but with respect to the short-wave stations of various countries when I got my first short-wave radio back in the seventies:
This is 230RN writing on The Best Source For News thread about a week ago:
"
I turned into a SW {"Short Wave" --ed} Junkie. Each foreign station had their own slant on particular news items. But for general news they were in basic agreement. The trouble was this basic agreement often had little to do with what I would get in the US news outlets, which made them sound like they were happening on another planet.
That's when I awakened ("woke" =D ) to the possibility that our news outlets were less than perfect.
"
So it's been going on for a while. Perhaps since the Rosetta Stone.
Thanks for the echo, Ben
Terry, 230RN
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https://www.foxnews.com/world/nato-countries-green-light-send-fighter-jets-ukraine-blinken
Looks like Polish jets to Ukraine is going to happen.
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Trump has a horrible idea about what the USA should do- though I assume he is probably joking:
Speaking of the situation in Ukraine, Trump told donors that the US should put Chinese flags on America's F-22s and then 'bomb the s***' out of Russia, leading to conflict between the nations while 'we sit back and watch.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10582503/Trump-says-let-situation-Ukraine-continue-slams-paper-tiger-NATO.html
This is a joke right? :O
I assumed it was a joke, so did DW.
On the other hand, DW corresponds with an uber-liberal. That person sent her the above, along with a rant about how "orange man" is batshit crazy, an F'ing moron and we're lucky he's not still in the White House or we'd be neck deep in WW3.
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I suspect we are already at least balls deep in WWIII behind the scenes. My main question is which side is our government on...
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https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1500631918584467464
Hacking group Anonymous interrupts Russian state TV programs with footage of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and an anti-war message.
It claims to have accessed TV channels “Russia 24”, “Channel 1”, “Moscow 24”, & streaming services Wink and Ivi.
Haven't seen independent confirmation yet.
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https://www.foxnews.com/world/nato-countries-green-light-send-fighter-jets-ukraine-blinken
Looks like Polish jets to Ukraine is going to happen.
The tweet I posted from the Polish Prime Ministers Chancellery saying they will not be sending jets was after SOS Blinkins visit to Poland yesterday. I haven't seen anything from Poland on the subject today.
Did the US say do it and Poland is balking?
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The tweet I posted from the Polish Prime Ministers Chancellery saying they will not be sending jets was after SOS Blinkins visit to Poland. I haven't seen anything from Poland on the subject today.
Did the US say do it and Poland is balking?
Agreed with the timing, and also thank you for linking the tweet, Ron.
The polish tweet does reference a "quotation from 27/02/22", so I don't know what to believe.
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Pirates are Broadcasting Troll Faces on Russian Military Radio
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/t871gu/pirates_are_broadcasting_troll_faces_on_russian/
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In the Russia/Ukraine conflict, whose side is the US Government on?
China's.
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In the Russia/Ukraine conflict, whose side is the US Government on?
China's.
Who won the biding war on Hunter's latest painting?
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Putin offering safe evac corridors......to Russia
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Doesn't include a demand of a change in government.
8:00
Kremlin demands Ukraine recognise Crimea as Russian
Russia has said that it can stop operations at "any moment" if Ukraine meets Russian conditions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ukraine must recognise Crimea as Russian, and Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.
In addition to this, Peskov says Ukraine must amend its constitution and reject claims to enter any bloc (like Nato, for example).
He adds that Russia will finish the "demilitarisation" of Ukraine, and if these conditions are met Russian military action will "stop in a moment".
The Kremlin spokesman insists that Russia is not seeking to make any further territorial claims on Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60635927
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2019 article about Nazi's in Ukraine.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-america-training-neonazis-in-ukraine
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2019 article about Nazi's in Ukraine.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-america-training-neonazis-in-ukraine
Was trying to do a quick scan and scrolled down and this popped up
Russian State TV Just Blew Up Putin’s ‘Nazi Ukraine’ Bullshit
JIG’S UP
Russian lawmakers suddenly blab what Putin actually wants in Ukraine—and it has nothing to do with “Nazis.”
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Was trying to do a quick scan and scrolled down and this popped up
Russian State TV Just Blew Up Putin’s ‘Nazi Ukraine’ Bullshit
JIG’S UP
Russian lawmakers suddenly blab what Putin actually wants in Ukraine—and it has nothing to do with “Nazis.”
Russia wants to get the band back together. They are nowhere near strong enough to make it happen. They are strong enough to stop Ukraine from slipping into the western empire.
I wasn't sure what to make of all the Nazi talk truth be told. Whenever I see Nazi I roll my eyes and ignore. It was a little bit of a shock to see that there are actual Nazi's in Ukraine.
You can go ahead and reject my article as the rantings of a pro Putin media source if you can handle the cog diss.
The Daily Beast, tool of Putin and Trump :laugh:
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The whole nazi thing is something many in the West may not understand, origin-wise. The population of Ukraine can be thought of as analogous to West/East Germany. There is a large population with strong Russian ties, and a large population with strong German ties, especially WW2 Germany. Not really nazi Germany, but more sympathetic to Germany than to Russia. In part, of course, because of the great famine.
Hot Ukrainian ex-coworker's mom, like my mom, spent time in a German refuge camp. Not long after I met her, I was shocked to hear her cussing at the copy machine at work. In German. I started to learn a bit more about Western Ukraine's historical ties to Germany. Especially related to Russia. The older people in her family spoke about Russia the same way the people of my parent's generation did. A favorite derogatory epithet of my dad's generation was "dreckiger Russe" (dirty Russian) or "schwartzer Russe" (black Russian)*. This goes back some time, historically, and part of Ukraine is part of that. Older members of HUC's family hate the Ruskies with a passion and they all think krauts are the bomb.
I've actually been surprised that much of Eastern Ukraine hasn't thrown flowers at the Russians instead of bullets, given most of the anti-Russian population has always been in the West.
*Not SJW black, but a historical designator:
https://belarus-travel.com/theconcept-of-whiterussia/
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Russia wants to get the band back together. They are nowhere near strong enough to make it happen. They are strong enough to stop Ukraine from slipping into the western empire.
I wasn't sure what to make of all the Nazi talk truth be told. Whenever I see Nazi I roll my eyes and ignore. It was a little bit of a shock to see that there are actual Nazi's in Ukraine.
You can go ahead and reject my article as the rantings of a pro Putin media source if you can handle the cog diss.
The Daily Beast, tool of Putin and Trump :laugh:
TDB will swing far left in one article then far right in the next often on the very same subject.
Occasionally they'll hit the truth in the middle on their way from one side to the other but it's usually more of a hit and run type of accident.
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Ukraine I guess is the first "Nazi" country with both a Jewish president and a Jewish prime minister at the same time.
Not saying there's maybe not a Nazi here and there but like Racist the term Nazi has lost a lot of it's true meaning lately. Just flashing the okay sign will get you labeled a racist nazi nowadays.
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What's been happening so far today?
If you're just joining our live coverage, here's a round-up of the latest key developments on day 12 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A third round of talks is set to be held between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators from 16:00 Kyiv time (14:00 GMT), according to Ukrainian officials
A new Russian plan for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine allowing civilians access to certain humanitarian corridors has been criticised - with the UK calling it "cynical beyond belief" and Ukraine branding it "immoral"
Under Moscow's proposal, civilians fleeing Ukraine's capital Kyiv would be offered safe passage to Russia's ally Belarus, while those in Kharkiv will have a corridor leading only to Russia itself
Evacuation routes from the besieged cities of Mariupol and Sumy will lead to other Ukrainian cities and to Russian ones
Ukraine says Russian forces are targeting hospitals, nurseries and schools - and civilians have been caught up in the assault
But Russia denies targeting civilians, saying it is carrying out a "special military operation" against Ukrainian "nationalists" and "neo-Nazis"
Petrol prices have hit another record high as oil prices jumped to $139 a barrel while wholesale gas prices for next-day delivery more than doubled. The average price of a litre of petrol in the UK hit 155p for the first time
It came as the US hinted at a ban on buying Russian energy, as it looked to other countries to increase supplies
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is holding talks with the Canadian and Dutch prime ministers in London, as Western powers prepare to agree further sanctions on Russia
Amid scrutiny of the UK's policy on Ukrainian refugees, Johnson insisted the government would be "very generous" to people fleeing the country but would not let them in without any checks
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60635927
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Grain of salt mode on
Google Putin cancer and a lot of articles coming up say Putin may have terminal cancer which they say explains his pale puffy look and also why he sits so far away from everyone at the end of long table since both the cancer and treatments leave him extremely vulnerable to COVID.
I'm not necessarily buying it just making you aware
Grain of salt mode off
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Some Ukrainians are repurposing Russian equipment:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t8kghz/ukrain_mayor_has_the_solution_makes_good_use_of/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t8kghz/ukrain_mayor_has_the_solution_makes_good_use_of/)
:rofl:
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Some Ukrainians are repurposing Russian equipment:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t8kghz/ukrain_mayor_has_the_solution_makes_good_use_of/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t8kghz/ukrain_mayor_has_the_solution_makes_good_use_of/)
:rofl:
Spray painting "WC" on the tank was a nice touch.
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I hope the Ukrainians aren't going to want that tank [barf]
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China reportedly may get involved in talks. Wonder if the high oil prices are turning the screws on them now.
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Reportedly another Russian general killed
Russian military leader killed in battle, says Ukraine
Vitaly Gerasimov
Ukrainian ministry of defenceCopyright: Ukrainian ministry of defence
Ukrainian military intelligence says Vitaly Gerasimov died near KharkivImage caption: Ukrainian military intelligence says Vitaly Gerasimov died near Kharkiv
A top commander in the Russian army has been killed during fighting near Kharkiv, according to Ukraine's ministry of defence intelligence service.
The BBC cannot independently verify the claim; Russian officials have not commented.
According to a statement from Ukraine’s defence ministry, Vitaly Gerasimov was a major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia.
A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded, it says.
Ukrainian intelligence says Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war and the Russian military operation in Syria. He received a medal "for the return of Crimea".
Ukrainian officials tweeted out a photo of someone they said was Gerasimov, with the word "Liquidated" in red letters across the bottom.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams shares this thought on reports of Gerasimov's death.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60635927
The Kyiv Independent@KyivIndependent⚡️Ukraine kills Russian Major General Vitaly Gerasimov near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Defense Ministry said.
Gerasimov was a senior military official who participated in the second Chechen war and was awarded a medal for “capturing Crimea.”
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Word is from a contributor in Kyvi to a live feed I follow is that the Russians will start moving into Kyiv in a day or two. He said he's going to try get out in the morning, taking his cat Dasha who shows up on camera from time to time with him.
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Yes Virginia there are people who believe this is some sort of hoax.
Ukraine invasion: False claims the war is a hoax go viral
https://www.bbc.com/news/60589965
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So Biden is going to stop Russian oil imports now, but apparently without doing anything to increase domestic production. Brilliant!
Yes Virginia there are people who believe this is some sort of hoax.
Ukraine invasion: False claims the war is a hoax go viral
https://www.bbc.com/news/60589965
Was talking to one of those yesterday. :facepalm:
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Was talking to one of those yesterday. :facepalm:
Some people need to be pushed off the edge of the earth.
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Russia wants to get the band back together. They are nowhere near strong enough to make it happen. They are strong enough to stop Ukraine from slipping into the western empire.
I wasn't sure what to make of all the Nazi talk truth be told. Whenever I see Nazi I roll my eyes and ignore. It was a little bit of a shock to see that there are actual Nazi's in Ukraine.
So Putin's claim of denazifying Ukraine is far more realistic and fact-based than the American Left's crusade against white supremacy and patriarchy. chuckle
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Some people need to be pushed off the edge of the earth.
I see what you did there.
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The Brandon administration is claiming that 4,000+ Russian soldiers have died in the invasion so far.
Russia has admitted to 429, last I heard.
If the 4,000 claim is close to true, that's freaking HUGE.
The Soviets lost an estimated 15,000 soldiers during the Afghanistan incursion -- and those deaths were spread out over 9 years.
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I think 4000 dead and the number of wounded that would go with that figure would be pretty hard to hide from the world, for either side. I think our admin is just repeating the Ukrainian's [optimistic] estimates of how many enemy they have killed.
You are correct, anywhere close to 4000 dead in a two week war would be pretty catastrophic for the Russians.
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Poland to deploy all their MIG-29 jets 'at the disposal' of the US
A view of MIG-29 of Polish Air Forces at 22nd Air Base Command in Malbork, Poland on August 27, 2021.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Poland says it is ready to deploy, "immediately and free of charge", all its MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany and place them "at the disposal" of the US government.
In exchange, Poland asks the United States to provide them with "used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities", and it adds that it is "ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes".
The Polish government also requests other Nato allies - who are owners of MIG-29 jets - to act in the same vein.
The US confirmed over the weekend that it is working on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with jets.
It is reported to involve Poland handing over its existing MIG-29 in exchange for the US providing it with other fighter jets as replacements.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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^^^If I was the Poles, I wonder what I would be asking for in exchange. Something along the lines of the F-16/F-15/F-18? Do the Poles have the technological infrastructure to support the F-22/F-35, and are there even any spare F-22/F-35 airframes?
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I'm hearing F-16s.
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Ehhhhh and that pus the US directly supplying MIG's to the Ukrainians.
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Ehhhhh and that pus the US directly supplying MIG's to the Ukrainians.
We're already providing weapons directly to Ukraine, aren't we?
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The Mig-29s are being traded to Venezuela for 20 barrels of oil. We're sending Kamala to Ukraine
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We're already providing weapons directly to Ukraine, aren't we?
Yes, but for some reason many seems to think fighter jets are a bridge too far, and an escalation which could cause Russia to consider the US a belligerent. I'm not sure how much that matters in a proxy conflict between two nuclear states.
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Yes, but for some reason many seems to think fighter jets are a bridge too far, and an escalation which could cause Russia to consider the US a belligerent. I'm not sure how much that matters in a proxy conflict between two nuclear states.
Sure, that's fair, but in my opinion we've already given them plenty of pretext if that's what they want. For instance, they had a policy that kicking them out of SWIFT would be considered an act of war. We did that (at least partially). Plus all the weapons we've already sent.
At this stage, sending more equipment doesn't seem like it is any more transgressive.
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Sure, that's fair, but in my opinion we've already given them plenty of pretext if that's what they want. For instance, they had a policy that kicking them out of SWIFT would be considered an act of war. We did that (at least partially). Plus all the weapons we've already sent.
At this stage, sending more equipment doesn't seem like it is any more transgressive.
Yea, that's fair. I suspect that despite the rhetoric on both sides, either side can get away with a lot before the other one begrudgingly actually calls it a war. If that even really means anything anymore either. It's just semantics, right? The US has been in a lot of conflicts-that-totally-aren't-wars.
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At this stage, sending more equipment doesn't seem like it is any more transgressive.
I'm much less worried about the ruskie response to us sending fighters to the conflict than I am about their response to us sending US manned fighters to the conflict and knocking a MIG out of the sky in a no-fly zone.
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Ehhhhh and that pus the US directly supplying MIG's to the Ukrainians.
We're already providing weapons directly to Ukraine, aren't we?
If we’re going to send them warplanes in the current circumstances better to send stuff they don’t need new training on.
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If we’re going to send them warplanes in the current circumstances better to send stuff they don’t need new training on.
Yep, why the Mig-29s, they're already trained and equipped for them. Although I wonder if they'll have an issue with everything being marked in Polish
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This will certainly be an escalation. Wonder how they are going to fair against Russian AA missiles and air force?
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Says they're in violation of terms of service.
Reading the article I can see that. But some of this stuff does fall into a grey area though.
Patreon Suspends Donations to Nonprofit Providing Body Armor to Ukrainian Soldiers
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/patreon-suspends-donations-to-nonprofit-providing-body-armor-to-ukrainian-soldiers/
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The thought occurred to me today: Do we think that the Soviet era nukes and rockets are any better maintained and operational then the rest of the Red Army's gear is proving to be? Given the results if we guess wrong, I'm not eager to roll the dice, but it's something to think about while sipping bourbon.
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The though occurred to me today: Do we think that the Soviet era nukes and rockets are any better maintained and operational then the rest of the Red Army's gear is proving to be? Given the results if we guess wrong, I'm not eager to roll the dice, but it's something to think about while sipping bourbon.
That thought has gone through my mind as well. But I would rather we didn't play Russian Roulette with nuclear weapons.
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That thought has gone through my mind as well. But I would rather we didn't play Russian Roulette with nuclear weapons.
I'm hoping there are many many baby steps before we leap into that potentiality.
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If this isn't next years John Deere commercial, I will be disappointed.
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1501293371071123456?s=20&t=EGm9xqauq_iQKIoHpcCMyg
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The though occurred to me today: Do we think that the Soviet era nukes and rockets are any better maintained and operational then the rest of the Red Army's gear is proving to be? Given the results if we guess wrong, I'm not eager to roll the dice, but it's something to think about while sipping bourbon.
I was thinking along those lines as well, but with their nuclear stockpile it's really just a numbers game. It doesn't take very many functional nukes to ruin our day, and even one that fails to go nuclear still makes a mess. If a mere one out of ten in their actual deployed force actually work then they have plenty to target all major population centers in the US and Europe and plenty to go around for extra hits. Allegedly they're also in the middle of a nuclear modernization effort, so some are pretty new.
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The thought occurred to me today: Do we think that the Soviet era nukes and rockets are any better maintained and operational then the rest of the Red Army's gear is proving to be? Given the results if we guess wrong, I'm not eager to roll the dice, but it's something to think about while sipping bourbon.
No idea if this is true:
I've read that this is one area that post-soviet Russia kept funding well, in no small part because international agreements mean that foreign experts do get to see those weapons, and would be acutely aware of their status. The nuclear deterrent wouldn't work so well if everyone could see that it wasn't going fire when needed. The delivery vehicles, I don't know.
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If this isn't next years John Deere commercial, I will be disappointed.
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1501293371071123456?s=20&t=EGm9xqauq_iQKIoHpcCMyg
"After 12 days of stealing Putin's tanks, Ukrainian farmers are now unofficially the fifth-largest military in Europe."
Business Ukraine Magazine
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Lots of good info in this video.
Ed Nash's Military Matters
Ukraine – Day 13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j06nt7cofR8
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Not so fast
Poland jet swap 'not tenable' - US
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Pentagon Spokesman John KirbyImage caption: Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby
US defence department spokesman John Kirby has rejected Poland's surprise offer to hand over its military jet fleet to the US - rather than Ukraine.
"As we have said, the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government," Kirby said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that "Poland's proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents".
"The prospect of fighter jets 'at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America' departing from a US/Nato base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire Nato alliance," he said.
"It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other Nato allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one."
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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If this isn't next years John Deere commercial, I will be disappointed.
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1501293371071123456?s=20&t=EGm9xqauq_iQKIoHpcCMyg
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNWsDRYX0AAEqGE?format=jpg&name=small)
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The thought occurred to me today: Do we think that the Soviet era nukes and rockets are any better maintained and operational then the rest of the Red Army's gear is proving to be? Given the results if we guess wrong, I'm not eager to roll the dice, but it's something to think about while sipping bourbon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKH_FxFdrw
Task & Purpose showed some footage of Russian supply trucks with flat tires or dry rotted tires indicating some of their stuff is poorly maintained. I don't want to plan on the nuclear capability being in the same boat. At the least, there will be a portion of it that is in good readiness and that is enough.
That video shows a little of what he thinks the Russians are up to. He thinks they are taking things slow and making sure they have good logistics before they push forward.
Similar to Nukes, I am curious just how much of Russia's military is fully ready to go and how much is poorly maintained or is lacking in fuel/parts/supplies. I was sort of wondering if this is why they haven't used their jet aircraft as much. Maybe they don't have a big stockpile of parts/fuel/munitions for an extended engagement. Or maybe they would have to draw down forces in other areas more than they want. Just speculation I guess. Russian has a big, well equipped military, but they don't have the biggest economy. There have to be gaps somewhere.
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That video shows a little of what he thinks the Russians are up to. He thinks they are taking things slow and making sure they have good logistics before they push forward.
The only flaw in that theory is they appear to have *expletive deleted*it logistics.
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Fitch says default 'imminent' on Russian debt
Russian rouble bank notes
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Russia's credit rating further into 'junk' territory, from "B" to "C".
"The 'C' rating reflects Fitch's view that a sovereign default is imminent," according to a statement from the American credit rating agency today.
The change comes less than a week after Fitch's last downgrade, when it revoked Russia's investment-grade status.
Sanctions and trade restrictions have plunged the country's financial markets into turmoil and raised concerns about its ability to service debt.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5005055/user-clip-biolabs-confirmed-ukraine
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https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5005055/user-clip-biolabs-confirmed-ukraine
Interesting. Why would anyone be worried about the "research materials"?
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The only flaw in that theory is they appear to have *expletive deleted*it logistics.
Yeah. Just means they don't have a choice but to do what they are doing. =)
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Russia Will Stop ‘In a Moment’ if Ukraine Meets Terms – Kremlin
By Reuters
|
March 7, 2022, at 6:57 a.m
By Catherine Belton
LONDON (Reuters) -Russia has told Ukraine it is ready to halt military operations “in a moment” if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday.
Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognize the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.
It was the most explicit Russian statement so far of the terms it wants to impose on Ukraine to halt what it calls its “special military operation”, now on its 12th day.
Peskov told Reuters in a telephone interview that Ukraine was aware of the conditions. “And they were told that all this can be stopped in a moment.”
Russia might want to get the band back together but apparently not now. They don't even want Ukraine. They just don't want NATO on their border in Ukraine.
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The only flaw in that theory is they appear to have *expletive deleted*it logistics.
How long do you think Ukraine can hold out? I'm thinking two weeks max assuming nobody else joins the war officially.
From what I've read Ukraine had most of their military staged in the region of the breakaway states. That means the majority of the Ukraine military are more or less surrounded already. How long can they hold out as an island in the midst of a sea of Russian troops?
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Venezuela releases Americans after oil negotiations
A Venezuelan man putting petrol in his car
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Venezuela's socialist government has released two imprisoned Americans days after Biden administration officials travelled to Caracas to meet President Nicolás Maduro.
The move suggests a thawing of relations between the US and Venezuela, Russia's strongest ally in the Western hemisphere.
After banning Russian oil imports, the US is looking for other nations to help ease the supply shortage. Oil-producing Arab nations in the Gulf have reportedly been unwilling to increase exports, despite requests from the US.
US officials have told Venezuela that in order to remove sanctions on the country's oil sector, shipments to the US must be prioritised first, according to a Reuters report.
Some US lawmakers have aggressively denounced the idea of working with Venezuela to allow the country to export more oil.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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Russia to "unplug" from the global Internet on March 11:
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/84949/russia-to-disconnect-from-global-internet-on-march-11/index.html
(at least that's the popular rumour)
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Putin easing up on demands? Maybe?
Israeli officials say Russia-Ukraine talks at critical point - reports
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (C) gestures to reporters before a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on 6 March 2022
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Israel's prime minister has been speaking to both Ukraine and Russia's presidentsImage caption: Israel's prime minister has been speaking to both Ukraine and Russia's presidents
As we've been hearing, talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers are set to take place in Turkey tomorrow, and the country's President Erdogan is hoping to act as a mediator.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has also been acting as an intermediary, flying to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday and also speaking on the phone with him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Israeli officials have briefed Israeli journalists that the discussions are now at a “critical” point.
US-based news site Axios reported on Tuesday night that the Israeli officials felt there had been a “softening of positions on both sides”
the Russians were saying “they only want to demilitarise the Donbas”.
Putin declared at the start of the invasion that he wanted to defend Russian-speaking communities through the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of Ukraine. He also demanded Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the independence of the Russian-backed areas of Luhansk and Donetsk, which are part of the Donbas region.
The Russian proposal was “difficult” for Zelensky to accept, but it “doesn’t include regime change in Kyiv and allows Ukraine to keep its sovereignty”, the Israeli officials added.
The Jerusalem Post cited sources as saying the Russian offer was “final”
, and that Putin would ramp up the Russian assault Mr Zelensky rejected it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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Russia to "unplug" from the global Internet on March 11:
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/84949/russia-to-disconnect-from-global-internet-on-march-11/index.html
(at least that's the popular rumour)
You know how many Russian hackers that would put out of work?
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And something to go with your morning coffee
Really don't know how much of a REAL problem this is or could be but here it is.
Ukraine says Chernobyl nuclear plant loses power supply
Chernobyl Nuclear plant
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ukraine's state run nuclear company says electricity supplies to the former power plant at Chernobyl have been cut and has warned that radioactive substances could be released, because spent nuclear fuel cannot be cooled.
In a post of the telegram messaging app, Energoatom says a high-voltage line feeding the plant was disconnected after it was damaged during Russia's seizure of the station nearly two weeks ago.
Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko told the BBC that Ukraine has no access to monitoring information at the station and therefore cannot evaluate whether any radioactive substances are being released.
"We need to repair it as quickly as we can," Galushchenko said. But he added that there is "a special system of security in case of electricity cuts" which will allow the plant to operate for several days using diesel generators.
Earlier, the IAEA said it had stopped receiving monitoring data from the plant and warned that Ukrainian authorities had told them the plant's staff of about 210 workers have been on duty constantly for the past two weeks.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
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How long do you think Ukraine can hold out? I'm thinking two weeks max assuming nobody else joins the war officially.
From what I've read Ukraine had most of their military staged in the region of the breakaway states. That means the majority of the Ukraine military are more or less surrounded already. How long can they hold out as an island in the midst of a sea of Russian troops?
At this point I legitimately don't know. Two weeks ago I would have said 96 hours. Now?
Ukraine is doing the correct stuff. They pulled their armor formations away from the Russians after the first clash, and have denied the Russians the ability to pin them into a decisive battle. They appear to have spent almost a decade prepping the battlespace, including usable logistics caches, and are using that preparation to enable small unit operations that are very effective. They have let the Russian lead echelons penetrate pretty deep into their territory (trading land for time) and then have done a decent job of compromising Russian logistics in the Russian rear area. They have a well organized and decently equipped reserve force that are being kept in their villages and home areas, so they have both motivation and homefield advantage, and those forces are being told not to engage front line enemy units, which expands their longevity significantly. Ukrainian C2 seems to be largely functional. While they don't have air superiority, they have denied it to the Russians allowing the Ukrainians to continue with (limited) strike and ISR capability.
The Russians have also gifted the Ukrainians by deciding to encircle and shell cities, as not only is that a PR nightmare, it provides a readymade infantry battlespace. Russian AFVs and Tanks will not be able to maneuver freely in heavily damaged cities, and once they dismount the Ukrainian infantry, both regular and irregular, have proven to be very competent. I suspect they are preparing defensive positions in those cities right now.
So, as is often the case, it will come down to logistics and morale. Morale side, I think the Ukranians are clearly more than willing to fight, even to the destruction of large swaths of their country. They are building themselves a mythos in real time. Conversely the Russians seem to be pretty cynical about the whole "De-Nazification" thing and are only there because they have to be.
On the logistics side, the Russians are at the end of a medium length supply route, the last bit of which runs through unsecured territory. They have a massive *expletive deleted*it ton of fuel, ammo, and probably food, the question is do they have the assets and ability to deliver it. That requires a bunch of trucks that work, some infantry to defend them, and the extra fuel and food to move them.
The Ukrainians are receiving supplies from NATO, and pretty clearly have significant supplies on the ground in distributed areas. I don't think anyone knows how much, because as far as I know we didn't know they had done this prep.
If the war stays like this, it's a question of weather the Russians lose the ability to supply fuel and ammo to their troops before the Ukrainians run out of ammo and man portable AAWs*. If the Russians manage to pin down a couple large chunks of the Ukrainian military, they are likely to defeat it, and that might push the war to their win. I think if the Russians try to enter and take the cities they are currently encircling, I think the Ukrainians will be able to kill enough of them in urban fighting to force Putin to back off. 10,000 or so dead Russian boys is something even Putin can't hide.
Again, the big unknown is Ukrainian supply status. They were clearly way more prepared to let this drop into a small unit irregular war and to strike at Russian REMFs while paying the cost in buildings, civilian dead, and infrastructure destroyed then anyone thought. Since we didn't know they had prepared the battlespace at all, it's hard to guess how well they did it, but just from Russian movements, confirmed destroyed and damaged vehicles, and the lack of any large scale engagement it's pretty obvious that it's going much closer to the Ukrainian plan than the Russian one.
Also Ukrainian PSYOPS has been masterful, while Russian has been pretty heavy handed Soviet style and ineffective.
*ETA: Anti Armor Weapons. Sorry, sometimes the acronyms slip out.
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Thanks for the great write up!
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Here’s another Biden administration 180 on transferring Polish fighter jets to Ukraine
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/03/09/heres-another-biden-administration-180-on-transferring-polish-fighter-jets-to-ukraine/
(https://memegenerator.net/img/images/300x300/13170221.jpg)
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https://www.ft.com/content/367fffa1-0ba8-418d-ba05-e63c70cc0c1b
I have never written political essays.
I generally find texts like these too temporal, too full of hot air and pathos. Not enough nuance. But right now I want to anchor this moment in time and place. The moment when the whole country is one entity. And the only language that can be spoken by a Ukrainian writer and every Ukrainian is the language of war.
The play that I wanted to write about “Anxiety” in premonition of war should have had a refrain: The Four Primary Rules of Firearm Safety, echoing what is being taught during the first lesson of handling firearms. I’d never held a gun in my hands till February 2022. My wife and I had several hours of training just to figure out what to do with it. Just in case. And now I regret like hell that I didn’t do that training before.
© Oleksandr Mykhed.
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Interactive map
https://liveuamap.com/
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Multiple sources have reported Zelenskyy is saying they will not pursue NATO membership.
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Multiple sources have reported Zelenskyy is saying they will not pursue NATO membership.
And per my post earlier Putin may have dropped some demands. They're trying to reach a compromise.
One is getting his country wrecked the other is about to get his country wrecked.
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:facepalm:
Pelosi: “When i spoke to President Zelensky, I said Billie Jean King, sends you her reguards.”@BillieJeanKing was on Capitol Hill today
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 9, 2022
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/09/nancy-pelosi-says-she-told-ukraine-president-zelenskyy-that-billie-jean-king-sends-her-regards/
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Kamala is in Poland
Be afraid, very afraid
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Kamala is in Poland
Be afraid, very afraid
Can she fly a Mig-29?
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Can she fly a Mig-29?
Please put her in one.
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(https://i.imgur.com/wl6I6JR.jpg?1)
Things may get a little crazy.
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(https://i.imgur.com/qS5AVRC.jpg?1)
I didn't see anyone ask Germany to get involved, but okay.
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US estimates up to 6,000 Russia troops have died
A funeral for three Ukrainian troops in the western city of Lviv
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A funeral for three Ukrainian troops in the western city of LvivImage caption: A funeral for three Ukrainian troops in the western city of Lviv
The US official estimate for the number of Russians killed in the first two weeks of the war is about 5,000 to 6,000, officials tell CBS News, the BBC's partner in the US.
The number of Russian troops wounded is estimated to be about 15,000 to 18,000, going by assumptions that the number of wounded is typically three times the number of killed.
One US official who wished to remain anonymous called this projection "very, very significant casualties", and compared the death rate to some World War Two battles.
Ukraine has claimed that 12,000 Russian soldiers have died in combat. Last week Russia said fewer than 500 of its troops had died in Ukraine.
The proverbial fog of war together with propaganda make all of these claims hard to verify.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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Can she fly a Mig-29?
No, but if the Mig-29 has a fly I'd bet she could open it with her teeth.
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Long, but worth watching: VDH on Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFRsMs4Ltxw
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Can she fly a Mig-29?
Can we launch her from one?
https://youtu.be/bkQcioaFcCs?t=92
(yes, I know that's not a MiG)
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Another fly in the ointment. The biolab story confirmed as true.
Glen Greenwald has a pretty straight write up at his blog.
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/victoria-nuland-ukraine-has-biological?s=w
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What country doesn't?
Hospitals, med labs, agriculture research centers, and many colleges can be referred to as "Biological Research Facilities" as well.
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I suppose this was inevitable:
https://www.nowarinukraine.shop/shirth?name=apparel-classic-tshirt-lifestyle-front-130
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According to the interactive map it appears Russian made a little bit of progress to the west of Kyvi and cut the M06 Hwy is another place since I went to bed last night.
https://liveuamap.com/
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I suppose this was inevitable:
https://www.nowarinukraine.shop/shirth?name=apparel-classic-tshirt-lifestyle-front-130
This campaign was taken down for content reasons
Hit by the "curators". What was it?
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-03-10_084519.png)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-03-10_084705.png)
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Today's latest developments
If you're just joining us, or want a recap of what's been happening, here's a round-up of today's latest developments:
Little progress has been made during peace talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers in Turkey
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba says the two ministers agreed to work on humanitarian issues, but says his country will never surrender. His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, says the country's operation in Ukraine is going to plan
Ukraine is opening "seven humanitarian corridors" to help civilians leave cities besieged by Russian forces, including Mariupol, says the country's deputy PM
Mariupol is said to be experiencing the worst humanitarian conditions in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Residents have been trapped for days in freezing temperatures without electricity or water
In the UK, the government has imposed financial sanctions on Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich. His assets - which include the club - have been frozen. But the club will be able to continue playing under a special license
The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced Ukrainian passport holders will be able to apply online for a UK refugee visa
And in the business world, Uniqlo has become the latest global brand to suspend its operations in Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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Former German chancellor visiting Moscow
Gerhard Schröder, the former German leader, is visiting Moscow today for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.
He's visiting with the intention of holding mediation talks with Putin in order to end the war in Ukraine, Politico says, referring to "sources familiar with the matter".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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A leap into the unknown: a British man joins the Ukrainian International Legion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHrGd0BcLmA
Lindybeige interviews a man heading off to the Ukraine.
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Kamala doing her trademark chuckle in Poland when asked about Ukrainian refugees.
https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1501901624943464449
When asked Thursday about the building refugee crisis in Poland, Harris laughed and handed the question off to Duda, saying through chuckles: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10598343/Harris-dodges-question-Polands-fighter-jet-deal-insists-united-President-Duda.html
Yeah it wasn't as bad as it could have been, still awkward though, but imagine the media's reaction if that was Pence
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One of Canada's top snipers has volunteered with the Ukrainians:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/canadian-sniper-arrives-ukraine-fight-russians
Brave man... and I expect will have a lot of opportunities to fight.
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On that note I've seen unconfirmed reports that a bunch of British special forces personnel have gone AWOL.
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Putin: Russia can take over foreign companies' assets
More from that televised meeting chaired by Russia president Vladimir Putin.
He says the Russian government can take over the assets of foreign companies pulling out of Russia.
He says Russia can "introduce external management" of those businesses closing their production facilities, and then "hand these enterprises to those who are willing to work."
"We'll find a legal way to do this," he says.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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Hit by the "curators". What was it?
A T-shirt. Picture of Zelenskyy in full battle rattle and the caption "I need ammo, not a ride."
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The Empire Strikes Back.
In case anyone notices.
Only things I cared about, Russian guns and ammo, Bush Sr., Clinton, Trump and Biden took care of already.
Russia hits back at Western sanctions with export bans
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60689279
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I wonder if Russia will end up trying to go back to a soviet-esq closed system? Non-convertible currency, closed borders, etc.
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I wonder if Russia will end up trying to go back to a soviet-esq closed system? Non-convertible currency, closed borders, etc.
As long as Putin or someone like him is in power I think we're headed there
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Democrat level gaslighting
The Russian Foreign Minister claimed during his meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba that Russia "did not attack Ukraine" insisting instead that troops were carrying out "special operations" in the region.
Oh, and basically the maternity unit was full of Nazis.
It could of had fighters in it but stuff like that is just looks like bad PR if you combine with the above comment.
Fury as Lavrov brands outcry over maternity unit strike which killed three as 'pathetic'
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/lavrov-outcry-over-maternity-hospital-bombing-pathetic/
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Democrat level gaslighting
Oh, and basically the maternity unit was full of Nazis.
It could of had fighters in it but stuff like that is just look like bad PR if you combine with the above comment.
Fury as Lavrov brands outcry over maternity unit strike which killed three as 'pathetic'
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/lavrov-outcry-over-maternity-hospital-bombing-pathetic/
It's like they're not even trying with their lies. Which of course is just pissing off the western world that much more.
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While I'm sympathetic to the Ukrainian side in this, it seems a lot of the gaslighting is on a two way street. I'm hearing some "official" numbers on dead Russians that are as hard to believe as the ones coming from the ruskies.
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While I'm sympathetic to the Ukrainian side in this, it seems a lot of the gaslighting is on a two way street. I'm hearing some "official" numbers on dead Russians that are as hard to believe as the ones coming from the ruskies.
So far from reports on Russian dead I've seen
Source
Ukraine - 12,000
US - 5,000 - 6,000
Russia - 500
Even if it's in the middle as the US one is that's a lot of dead troops for a Not The Momma Invasion that appear to have a long way to go still.
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Apparently they can't make up their minds on which story to go with
Russia claims Ukraine staged Mariupol hospital bombing
BBC Monitoring
Maternity hospital in Mariupol pictured after it was bombed
Mariupol city councilCopyright: Mariupol city council
More from Russia's claims about the bombing of a maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol - they are now saying the incident was staged by Ukraine.
Three people - two adults and a girl - were killed and 17 were wounded in the devastating strike.
Speaking on Rossiya 24 news channel, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said "absolutely no missions to hit targets on the ground by Russian aviation in the Mariupol area were carried out".
He then claimed: "The alleged airstrike that took place is a completely orchestrated provocation to maintain anti-Russian excitement among the Western audience."
But earlier today (see our post just before 11:00GMT) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the hospital was a legitimate military target because it had been "taken over" by Ukrainian radicals and "all the mothers and nurses were chased out of there".
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Lavrov's claim was a lie and called the strike a war crime.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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The Great War
6 hours ago
On December 16 1917, Lenin demands security guarantees from the freshly proclaimed Ukrainian People’s Republic. He also accused the UPR of a “two-faced bourgeois policy” and assisting anti-revolutionary forces. The UPR refused to comply: the start of the Soviet-Ukrainian War.
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxnWRQ0bbRyJPdqpBnU0645arhhruJrupD
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Clean up in aisle 3
Ukraine war: Column of Russian tanks ambushed by Ukrainian forces
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60699332
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Kamala doing her trademark chuckle in Poland when asked about Ukrainian refugees.
https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1501901624943464449
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10598343/Harris-dodges-question-Polands-fighter-jet-deal-insists-united-President-Duda.html
Yeah it wasn't as bad as it could have been, still awkward though, but imagine the media's reaction if that was Pence
It's not just POTUS with mental issues.
To start chuckling when such a grave situation is under discussion and people are dying by the thousands, well, there is something wrong with this woman upstairs - she's just not right in the head.
Seriously. :facepalm:
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Clean up in aisle 3
Ukraine war: Column of Russian tanks ambushed by Ukrainian forces
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60699332
A-10 pilots right now seeing these videos
(https://i.ibb.co/CbgyymX/49769-B26-F875-4437-BA0-C-44659-AAA1-A21.jpg)
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What country doesn't?
Hospitals, med labs, agriculture research centers, and many colleges can be referred to as "Biological Research Facilities" as well.
The lab in Odessa is a bioweapon research lab we partnered with Ukraine in setting up. It wasn't secret it has been in the public all along. Who knew? I didn't.
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It's not just POTUS with mental issues.
To start chuckling when such a grave situation is under discussion and people are dying by the thousands, well, there is something wrong with this woman upstairs - she's just not right in the head.
Seriously. :facepalm:
I figure it is some sort of speech crutch she learned a long time ago to cover up when she has nothing good to say or would fall into "uh, um, uh". Probably fine as a low level state politicritter, but doesn't work at all at a national level position.
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The lab in Odessa is a bioweapon research lab we partnered with Ukraine in setting up. It wasn't secret it has been in the public all along. Who knew? I didn't.
The public image is nice, but the research could easily be creating new bio-weapons and new deployment techniques all because someone might do that. And it is interesting that all this is happening in foreign countries that are not subject to US laws about gain and function among other things. The publicly known research could all be done in the US. No reason to put it in foreign countries.
This is what happens when the govt spends 2 trillion a year or more. No one really knows where all the money is going.
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The public image is nice, but the research could easily be creating new bio-weapons and new deployment techniques all because someone might do that. And it is interesting that all this is happening in foreign countries that are not subject to US laws about gain and function among other things. The publicly known research could all be done in the US. No reason to put it in foreign countries.
This is what happens when the govt spends 2 trillion a year or more. No one really knows where all the money is going.
Pretty balanced overview of the subject from the infamous Dr Malone.
https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/ukraine-biolab-watchtower?s=r
In other words, in my opinion, this is another topic that we will never be able to get to the bottom of, and we will never be able to discern something akin to objective “truth”. Best we can hope for is some sort of approximation of truth that is sort of like a kalidescope image viewed in a hall of mirrors.
In conclusion
In my opinion, the partnership relationship between DoD/DTRA (as historically structured) and the current government of Ukraine (which has functionally become a client state of the USA) was ill advised.
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There was a (failed) movement to deplatform Professor Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago for his prescient lecture on Ukraine back in 2015.
https://dailysceptic.org/2022/03/10/chicago-students-try-to-cancel-professor-who-predicted-ukraine-crisis/
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Are we now going to start arguing that Poland started WW-II by signing a defense agreement with France and the UK? Really?
Why would Ukraine, or any country, even feel the need to join a DEFENSE alliance if they didn't feel threaded by their neighbor? Putin had given indications ever since he came to power he wanted to get the band back together and everyone knew Ukraine would have to be target #1 or close to it for that to happen. Just about every country bordering Russia that were formerly part of the Russian Empire and/or Soviet Union has been counting the days till when tanks started rolling their way.
Do I completely discount Russia's feelings of being surrounded, no. I think I understand that.. to a point. Russia was/is being a dick and how did anyone expect surrounding countries to react?
Blame for this
80-90% Putin
10-20% Ukraine/NATO Yes some things could have been handled differenty
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Do you want Soviet nuclear mutants in an apocalyptic wasteland? Because this is how you get Soviet nuclear mutants in an apocalyptic wasteland.
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/11/1085427380/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-zaporizhzhia?utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR0bwb2iOVfXs6YPisbsawVOwHSapzZuSDj3FdcZH4X4ki9D9pqeLUXJtrA
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Are we now going to start arguing that Poland started WW-II by signing a defense agreement with France and the UK? Really?
The defense agreements were certainly necessary to starting WWII even if they weren't the proximate cause.
Likewise, the Black Hand killed Franz Ferdinand but that wouldn't have likely resulted in tens of millions dead absent alliances and defense agreements that caused the reprisals to escalate.
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The defense agreements were certainly necessary to starting WWII even if they weren't the proximate cause.
Likewise, the Black Hand killed Franz Ferdinand but that wouldn't have likely resulted in tens of millions dead absent alliances and defense agreements that caused the reprisals to escalate.
No argument there. Defense agreements do have their bad side.
But
Hitler made it clear in his writings he wanted to maintain peace or even try to form an alliance with the UK. France on the other hand was more than likely going to be invaded anyway, Hitler had a score to settle with France and France was considered Germany's traditional enemy plus he couldn't afford to have France in his rear for when it became the SU's turn. So even if there was no Poland/France/UK defense pact invading France would have brought the UK into the war anyway so not much would have really changed. Maybe France would have had a bit more time to rearm? The historical invasion of France was a near run thing at several points so who knows what would have happened.
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Another one
Senior Russian officer killed, says Ukrainian military
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russian Eastern Military DistrictCopyright: Russian Eastern Military District
Ukraine's military says Maj-Gen Andrei Kolesnikov has been killedImage caption: Ukraine's military says Maj-Gen Andrei Kolesnikov has been killed
A high-ranking Russian officer has been killed by Ukrainian forces, according to the Ukrainian military
Maj-Gen Andrei Kolesnikov was the commander of the 29th army of Russia's eastern military district, according to Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister.
The details of his death are unknown and there has been no comment from the Russian side.
At least two other officers of the same rank have reportedly been killed since the war began two weeks ago.
Western officials have previously said the fact that such senior Russian officers have been exposing themselves to danger may be a sign of frustration that their advances have stalled.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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Do you want Soviet nuclear mutants in an apocalyptic wasteland? Because this is how you get Soviet nuclear mutants in an apocalyptic wasteland.
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/11/1085427380/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-zaporizhzhia?utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR0bwb2iOVfXs6YPisbsawVOwHSapzZuSDj3FdcZH4X4ki9D9pqeLUXJtrA
Anyone here remember
Nuke them till they glow then shoot them in the dark
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The latest from Ukraine
If you're just joining us, here are all the latest developments from Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its 16th day:
Ukrainian officials say they have killed Maj-Gen Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior Russian officer and commander of the 29th Army of the eastern district. The BBC cannot verify the claim and Moscow has yet to comment on the reports
Regulators in Russia have applied to designate Meta as an "extremist organisation" after the company confirmed it will change its policies to allow for calls for violence against Russian forces
President Vladimir Putin has told Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that there have been some "positive" developments in ongoing negotiations with Ukrainian leaders
But he also gave the go-ahead for volunteers from the Middle East to fight for Russia in Ukraine
Elsewhere, the UK has sanctioned 386 members of the Russian state Duma who support Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions will ban those listed from travelling to the UK, accessing assets held in the country and doing business in its jurisdiction
Meanwhile, the UK's veterans minister has urged ex-servicemen "not to engage" in the conflict following reports of several British military personnel travelling to Ukraine to Ukraine's forces
And the EU has presented a plan to phase out the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60685883
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Putin being a bad guy, working to undermine US hegemony and the US engaging in terrible foreign policy, doing immoral things are not mutually exclusive.
Our government/media lying and manipulating us doesn't make Russian propaganda true.
But if we are being lied to at home and the enemy says something true, it's still true.
Sometimes the truth has great propaganda value particularly if it is framed in the worst possible light and our government is caught lying about it.
I'm looking at what is going on and I'll tell you what I see, amateur hour performance by our leadership so far, Russia taking over a country with its B team on the ground, while most of its Airforce is still on the tarmac.
Lying about being partnered with Ukraine running biological research labs was dumb. It was public knowledge and was going to get revealed sooner or later.
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Russia taking over a country with its B team on the ground, while most of its Airforce is still on the tarmac.
I've come to the conclusion that all the "B Team" cannon fodder, "good stuff held in reserve" thinking is wrong.
They have held back on mass artillery and rocket attacks somewhat for reasons of hoping to quickly capture Ukraine intact, and international opinion, but that's not the same thing. Their performance is really that bad. So much so it has people coming up with theories about inferior troops and units being used first for various reasons. I think it's because in high-trust Western societies we just can't conceive of how much graft and ineptitude can exist. Plus people think "BIG RUSSIA" and forget that they've got a GDP smaller than California, Texas, and Italy. And they're now 30 years out from a Soviet closed command economy that could mitigate defense production somewhat (always overestimated intentionally by the West even then), and have to pay for their military equipment within something more resembling a real-world economy.
What "A Team" stuff Russia does have is limited. Pilot air time and airworthiness of even their good stuff is a fraction of Western Air Forces. Someone in the U.S. Air National Guard gets as much flight time as a front line Russian unit does. Maybe more. And what they do have of newer good stuff, they can't afford to replace it if lost in combat. Further, I suspect that some good stuff is positioned internally in Russia as a hedge against a coup or regime change.
Another example, Russian performance in Syria can be defined as "adequate" at best, and that's with hand picked equipment and men skimmed off the top of several different units and brought together in their expeditionary force.
This is what Russia has got. And calling it "B Team" is generous. They tried for a more Western style rapid strike and decapitate maneuver early on in the war, where the VDV Airborne, and Spetsnaz troops had taken the Antonov airport near Kiev, and it failed horribly. They were slaughtered by Ukrainian defenders as they retook the airfield. They're using Baofeng commercial walkie-talkies on clear analog channels for comms.
Conscripts on one year terms is further hampering them greatly. One can imagine they don't get nearly the training their Western counterparts do, and if they did, their term would be up almost as it was complete. And with the fraud, graft, and incompetence, I suspect much of that training only exists on paper, and never actually happened.
Honestly, in a way this is more dangerous, because the more third-world Russia's performance looks, the more clear it's becoming they're a borderline failed petro-state with nukes. One could hope that their nuclear forces suffer from many of the same deficiencies their conventional forces do, but if even a few hundred work, and they use them because Putin feels like he's got nothing left to lose, it'll be the worst day the World has seen since World War II, probably worse.
Lying about being partnered with Ukraine running biological research labs was dumb. It was public knowledge and was going to get revealed sooner or later.
This is definitely a WTF head-scratcher for sure. I'm trying to figure out what the impetus for this even was. Research they couldn't do in the US? Just unaccountable slush-fund money finding weird perverse uses?
I'm definitely looking at this with open eyes, and the US and Ukraine are definitely far from being pure as driven snow here. But in the sense that multiple things can be true at once, I still think this is largely naked aggression on the part of Russia, and Putin's desires to empire-build.
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Great analysis.
It is an assumption on my part that there is a significant A team available. If that is their best, then they are a bit of a paper tiger if not for the nukes.
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^^^Now I wonder about how realistic was the threat from the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. Tanks rushing through the Fulda Gap, etc. I don't recall a lot of opinion back then about the Soviets being a paper tiger.
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I think you are probably right about the corruption. That is going to undermine what they have to the point that only a percentage is combat capable and stockpiles of supplies either won't exist or won't be in good condition.
Looking at the Dr. Malone post from Ron above, it may certainly be that there is no bio-weapons development going on in the Ukraine, but our bureaucracy's first reaction is to bury and hide the information instead of being open. I can easily see them making it look worse than it is through fear and incompetence.
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^^^Now I wonder about how realistic was the threat from the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. Tanks rushing through the Fulda Gap, etc. I don't recall a lot of opinion back then about the Soviets being a paper tiger.
Given the tech at the time, I think it probably wasn't something to underestimate. I figure the army and tech we developed by the 1980's could handle it, but not sure about before that. It seems to me that Soviet tanks work as far as being an armored gun platform on tracks. That was enough back in the 1960's. In the 2000's, the sophistication of air attack, indirect fire, and anti-tank weapons has increased quite a bit.
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Putin is doing so good he is bringing 16,000 merc's in from the middle east.
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The Admin is briefing TikTok.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/11/biden-staffer-explains-why-wh-has-been-briefing-tiktok-stars-about-war-in-ukraine/
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The information warfare piece has been brutal. This is one of few places I would dare express any concerns about our policy.
They're working on getting everybody worked up into a lather and ready to go to war. It's a little disturbing to me to say the least.
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Given the tech at the time, I think it probably wasn't something to underestimate. I figure the army and tech we developed by the 1980's could handle it, but not sure about before that. It seems to me that Soviet tanks work as far as being an armored gun platform on tracks. That was enough back in the 1960's. In the 2000's, the sophistication of air attack, indirect fire, and anti-tank weapons has increased quite a bit.
I have a deceased friend who was a US Army armor officer in West Germany back in the late 70's. He was of the opinion that a massive Soviet attack on western Europe back then would have gone tactical nuclear in short order to stop them due to the disparity in conventional arms between the Soviets and NATO.
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The information warfare piece has been brutal. This is one of few places I would dare express any concerns about our policy.
Very much so.
I will give Biden credit early on, though. He called Putin out at each of his moves and from what I can see prevented Putin from giving even a thin pretext for his invasion.
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Bets on what happens first
A) Kyiv falls
B) Russian runs out of generals
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^^^Now I wonder about how realistic was the threat from the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. Tanks rushing through the Fulda Gap, etc. I don't recall a lot of opinion back then about the Soviets being a paper tiger.
Safe to say the majority of WP tanks were better maintained back then compared to 2022 Russia and there was far more of them as well.
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I have a deceased friend who was a US Army armor officer in West Germany back in the late 70's. He was of the opinion that a massive Soviet attack on western Europe back then would have gone tactical nuclear in short order to stop them due to the disparity in conventional arms between the Soviets and NATO.
Safe to say the majority of WP tanks were better maintained back then compared to 2022 Russia and there was far more of them as well.
Quantity is its own quality. During the 70's and 80's the Red Army had almost 5.5 million active soldiers. In East Germany alone they had two Motor Rifle Divisions and a Tank Division. Motor Rifles had something like 2500 combat vehicles and the 10th Guards Tank division had almost 1000 tanks. Plus artillery support. That is what was expected to come through Fulda.
The current Red Army doesn't have the numbers to cover for their lack of training and limited modern equipment.
I would also caution you to judge too harshly. Lots of Americans think of the US military as what a "normal" military is supposed to be. We were the best in the world before we spent 20 years practicing and field testing ideas. No one else's military works like ours, warts and all.
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Putin is doing so good he is bringing 16,000 merc's in from the middle east.
Either things are going so bad they need help
or
They're experienced in urban warfare after years of nasty urban warfare in Syria.
or
The Russians know going into Kyvi is going to be a slaughter and they're considered expendable. Less crying Russian mothers
or
Many Middle Easterners have often shown zero reluctance in conducting mass slaughters down to the last woman and child. It wasn't us it was those uncivilized people from the ME
or
All the above
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It's not just POTUS with mental issues.
To start chuckling when such a grave situation is under discussion and people are dying by the thousands, well, there is something wrong with this woman upstairs - she's just not right in the head.
Seriously. :facepalm:
Racist!
The View's Sunny Hostin claims any criticism of Kamala Harris's inappropriate laughter when discussing Ukrainian refugees in Poland is "based in racism" and "that’s the truth of it."
"What it is they constantly question the qualifications of black women," she said. pic.twitter.com/IyqePOLZOA
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 11, 2022
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/11/the-views-sunny-hostin-says-criticism-of-kamala-harris-inappropriate-cackling-habit-is-obviously-based-in-racism-video/
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Ukraine war: Fact-checking Russia's biological weapons claims
https://www.bbc.com/news/60711705
Ukraine has dozens of public health laboratories that work to research and mitigate the threats of dangerous diseases.
Some of these labs receive financial and other support from the US, the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) - as is the case in many other countries.
Despite Russian claims that these are "secret" labs, details of US involvement can be found on the US embassy's website.
Additionally, the US set up its "Biological Threat Reduction Program" in the 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union to reduce the risk from biological weapons that had been left behind in countries including Ukraine.
Under this programme certain labs receive funding from the US for modernisation and equipment, but are managed locally, not by the US.
"There are no indications that Ukrainian labs have been involved in any nefarious activity, or any research or development in contravention of the Biological Weapons Convention," says Filippa Lentzos, a biosecurity expert at King's College London.
She adds that pathogens stored at biological labs are simply bacteria and viruses, and "not blueprints or components of biological weapons".
"The reason they are kept in secure facilities is for bio-safety, so people don't make themselves sick by getting access to them."
Apparently the UN wasn't buying Russia's claims either today.
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FB_IMG_1647039189898_RS.jpg)
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Ukrainians develop drone that drops Molotov cocktails
https://nypost.com/2022/03/10/ukrainians-develop-drone-that-drops-molotov-cocktails/
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No particular reason....
https://youtu.be/jIuuJRbYEiU (4:03)
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In a live feed last night you could see quite a few flashes from explosions around Kyiv. Couldn't hep thinking with every flash people are dying. :'(
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Tank drag racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGF-hlcHzbI
the reason I posted it here is because of this comment
Challenger, Leclerc and T-90 were supposed to race, but Vladimir ran out of fuel and then some rude Ukrainian peasant stole it!
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Tank drag racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGF-hlcHzbI
the reason I posted it here is because of this comment
I really liked this comment:
"Challenger does seem to be an improvement on the Chieftain from my time, the Chieftain's speed was dependent on the speed of the vehicle towing it."
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Tank drag racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGF-hlcHzbI
the reason I posted it here is because of this comment
It would have been funnier if someone had thought to have a parachute pop out the back of each tank at the end of the drag race . . .
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Ukraine claiming 500-600 Russian soldiers surrendered Friday
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Russia threatens to leave American astronaut behind on the ISS:
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6300389605001#sp=show-clips
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Russia threatens to leave American astronaut behind on the ISS:
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6300389605001#sp=show-clips
Elon: I got this
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Is Russia going to slime Ukraine?
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/intelligence-points-to-heightened-risk-of-russian-chemical-attack-in-ukraine-officials-say/
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Gotta give Ukraine some honesty points on this one
Victims of attack weren't using evacuation corridor - Ukraine
Earlier we reported a Ukrainian allegation that Russian troops had fired on a convoy of women and children leaving a village north-west of Kyiv on Friday, killing seven people.
Ukraine's intelligence service said the incident had happened on an agreed evacuation corridor from Peremoha.
However Ukrainian government officials have now said the victims were not using an agreed evacuation corridor as previously stated.
There was no independent verification of the attack and no immediate comment from Moscow.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60717902
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Biden admin and his pet media are still beating the war drums and pushing for US intervention.
How soon do you think it will be before we're in a shooting war with Russia?
How soon do you think it will be before China moves on Taiwan?
I'm at the point where I think it is inevitable.
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I'm at the point where I think it is inevitable.
We've also got this breaking news:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/8/rockets-fired-at-us-embassy-in-iraq-after-series-of-attacks
Twitchy is also reporting it, but none of the MSM are as of yet. Looks like chumming it up with Iran again is working out just peaches though.
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We've also got this breaking news:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/8/rockets-fired-at-us-embassy-in-iraq-after-series-of-attacks
Twitchy is also reporting it, but none of the MSM are as of yet. Looks like chumming it up with Iran again is working out just peaches though.
Link is old news but I saw the new one in a ukraine reddit comment. Why do people pay network TV millions?
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/31fe0g02kyl81.webp)
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Biden admin and his pet media are still beating the war drums and pushing for US intervention.
How soon do you think it will be before we're in a shooting war with Russia?
How soon do you think it will be before China moves on Taiwan?
I'm at the point where I think it is inevitable.
I don't know. I was surprised that the US backed away from the polish jets deal, at least publicly. Has me wondering if the US is trying to limit involvement. I could see the US administration wanting to keep this in the news to distract from domestic problems, but not really wanting to engage with a shooting war with the Russians.
If Russia starts using chemical weapons, would that push the west into the conflict? Also, there seems to be some imaginary line between a country being a belligerent or not, as if the cargo jets full of weapons and money from the west don't make us involved already.
But I was wrong about Russia invading the Ukraine from the get go, so ehh? I clearly don't know. =)
If China makes a play for Taiwan, I could see them further strengthening ties with Russia as the western world condemns it. And there's our axis power - China the economic giant, and Russia threatening nuclear annihilation.
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Russian stock market closed all week
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https://funker530.com/video/breaking-iranian-cruise-missiles-just-struck-us-consulate-in-erbil/ (https://funker530.com/video/breaking-iranian-cruise-missiles-just-struck-us-consulate-in-erbil/)
Funker530 posted a video of the Iranian rockets.
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Link is old news but I saw the new one in a ukraine reddit comment. Why do people pay network TV millions?
Oh - sorry. This is from today:
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/03/12/report-multiple-long-range-ballistic-missiles-target-us-consulate-in-erbil-iraq/
Also the Epoch Times is on it, but premium content:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/at-least-5-rockets-hit-iraqs-erbil-near-us-embassy-reports_4333836.html
Not even Fox News is reporting it yet.
Epoch Times says they were near the Embassy, rather than directed to it.
At least 12 missiles landed on targets in northern Iraq, hitting an area near a U.S. Consulate in the city of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, the state news agency quoted the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism in Kurdistan as saying.
“Several missiles fell on the city of Erbil,” said governor Omid Khoshnaw, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) also reported. Erbil is the capital city of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
“No victims or casualties after Erbil blasts,” Saman Barzanji, health minister in Iraq’s Kurdistan Province, was cited as saying.
A spokesman for the Kurdish regional government said there were no casualties. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called it an “outrageous attack” but said no Americans were hurt and there was no damage to U.S. government facilities in Erbil.
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Video allegedly showing French volunteer fighting for Ukraine and seized Russian armored vehicle
https://twitter.com/SputnikATO/status/1502965429706313730
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Russia bombing or more likely shooting missiles at targets near the Polish border around Lviv last night.
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Rumors of progress in the peace talks
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Mark Felton looks at Putin
Vladimir Putin - KGB Agent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2_EFJLWA6o
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'Dear Russians, your media is being censored. The Kremlin is lying.'
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/anonymous-hackers-text-russia-ukraine-war/
(I suspect most Russians already know this)
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Melitopol has a new mayor, since the last one was allegedly kidnapped by the Russians:
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-humanitarian-aid-for-besieged-city-of-mariupol-will-arrive-this-afternoon-zelenskyy-says-12564860
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Our dumbass admin needs to stop talking to the press about what we are doing for points with the media and just get stuff done. We could have had the jets in there weeks ago if people would just shut up.
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Our dumbass admin needs to stop talking to the press about what we are doing for points with the media and just get stuff done. We could have had the jets in there weeks ago if people would just shut up.
You're missing the point. The virtue signaling is more important than actually doing anything.
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You're missing the point. The virtue signaling is more important than actually doing anything.
#WECARE
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The two conspiracy bro's at work have theories:
Con-bro #1: NATO is establishing one-world government.
Volodymyr and Vladimir are working together to destroy Ukraine.
Zelensky is besties with Justin Trudeau - so there!
Con-bro #2: They're going after Putin because he's not down with the Great Reset.
Also, there's no war going on in Ukraine.
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Things must not be going well if this is to be believed
US officials say Russia has asked China for military help in Ukraine
https://www.ft.com/content/30850470-8c8c-4b53-aa39-01497064a7b7
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The two conspiracy bro's at work have theories:
Con-bro #1: NATO is establishing one-world government.
Volodymyr and Vladimir are working together to destroy Ukraine.
Zelensky is besties with Justin Trudeau - so there!
Con-bro #2: They're going after Putin because he's not down with the Great Reset.
Also, there's no war going on in Ukraine.
Idiocracy was a documentary and it's only gotten worse since
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Moscow asking Beijing for military help - reports
Chinese President Xi Jinping
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
China's Xi Jinping has not condemned Russia's invasion of UkraineImage caption: China's Xi Jinping has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Russia is asking China for both military and economic assistance, according to reports in the Financial Times and New York Times newspapers.
Moscow wants Beijing to provide military supplies to use in Ukraine, the FT says.
Citing unnamed US officials, the FT reported that Russia had been requesting Chinese equipment since the start of the invasion. The officials declined to specify what kind of equipment Russia is seeking.
The report added that there were indications that China may be preparing to help.
A separate report in the New York Times - again citing US officials - alleges Russia is also asking for economic assistance to mitigate the impact of sanctions.
China has so far sought to portray itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has not condemned the invasion.
On Monday US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to hold talks with a top Chinese foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, in Rome.
Speaking to NBC on Sunday, Sullivan said the US would "ensure that China nor anyone else" can compensate Russia for its economic losses.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60717902
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I stumbled across an interesting view of what's motivating Putin:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-putin-bombs-the-very-same-russian-speaking-people-he-claims-to-liberate/
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The manly hero of Ukraine, Zelensky, lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQxsWHvbuHI&t
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China is saying that the reports of Russia asking China for help are not truth. You know, because China always tells the truth.
Note: I myself actually doubt Russia did but who knows at this point.
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The manly hero of Ukraine, Zelensky, lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQxsWHvbuHI&t
He's got the California vote.
Yeah that's been going around the internet. He was a bit of an oddball comedian after all.
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More about the Ukrainian Nazi's from the leftist Salon. Readers Digest version: yes, but reasons...
https://www.salon.com/2022/03/10/are-there-really-neo-nazis-fighting-for-ukraine-well-yes--but-its-a-long-story/
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I hereby challenge
Владимир Путин
to single combat
Stakes are Україна
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/14/elon-musk-officially-challenges-vladimir-putin-to-a-fight-winner-gets-ukraine/
Elon Musk challenges Putin to a duel
In a bizarre turn of events, US tech billionaire Elon Musk appears to have challenged Russian president Vladimir Putin to a one-on-one fight, suggesting that the winner decide the fate of Ukraine.
Ukrainian politicians so far have welcomed the offer, which may have been made tongue-in-cheek. Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko, himself a former boxer, replied with three strong arm emojis.
The Russian president is yet to respond. Musk has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine throughout the invasion.
Earlier this month one of the companies owned by the California-based tech entrepreneur, Starlink, supplied Ukraine with a number of satellite dishes intended to protect internet access in the country.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60717902
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China is saying that the reports of Russia asking China for help are not truth. You know, because China always tells the truth.
Note: I myself actually doubt Russia did but who knows at this point.
Including what they say about social wellness programs for Uighurs, economic freedom in Hong Kong, and disease-ridden pangolins in wet markets? :facepalm:
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WANT:
https://funker530.com/video/ukrainians-mount-50-cal-machine-gun-to-bmw-drop-top/
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WANT:
https://funker530.com/video/ukrainians-mount-50-cal-machine-gun-to-bmw-drop-top/
Adapt. Improvise. Overcome!
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Psaki came on a live feed
Comment: Little Red Lying Hood :rofl:
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CNN reporter keeping it classy
A Fox News reporter has been injured in Kyiv. If he was shot by the Russians, is that a case of friendly fire?
— Charles Jaco (@charlesjaco1) March 14, 2022
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Russians slowly making progress
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-03-14_195456.png)
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CNN reporter keeping it classy
Yeah, Jaco is known for being a real classy customer. He also had the honor of being the guy that recorded Todd Akin saying some unremarkable remarks that people blew out of proportion.
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-03-14_211455.png)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-03-14_211547.png)
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Keith Olbermann says there’s a case for Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard to be detained by the military
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/03/14/keith-olbermann-says-theres-a-case-for-tucker-carlson-and-tulsi-gabbard-to-be-detained-by-the-military/
Ana Navarro and her View cohosts think DOJ needs to go after Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard as foreign agents of Putin [video]
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/14/ana-navarro-and-her-view-cohosts-think-doj-needs-to-go-after-tucker-carlson-and-tulsi-gabbard-as-foreign-agents-of-putin-video/
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There is a case for Keith Olbermann to be detained on a 5150.
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5150?
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https://policecodes.net/scanner/5150
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My dad was a police officer. I grew up with the 10- codes
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Demetri・FT
@Dimi
#NewChinaRussiaScoop – US told allies that Russia requested 5 types of military gear from China, including #SurfaceToAirMissiles. Also #drones, armored vehicles, logistics vehicles & intelligence-related equipment. US did not provide underlying intelligence in cables to allies.
https://twitter.com/Dimi/status/1503484449987743746
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Keith Olbermann says there’s a case for Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard to be detained by the military
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/03/14/keith-olbermann-says-theres-a-case-for-tucker-carlson-and-tulsi-gabbard-to-be-detained-by-the-military/
Ana Navarro and her View cohosts think DOJ needs to go after Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard as foreign agents of Putin [video]
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/14/ana-navarro-and-her-view-cohosts-think-doj-needs-to-go-after-tucker-carlson-and-tulsi-gabbard-as-foreign-agents-of-putin-video/
If Trump was still in, he would be saying the exact opposite.
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https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
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https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
Any reason that started centered on Lexington Ky?
I mean I'm not complaining, lot of snobs
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Any reason that started centered on Lexington Ky?
I mean I'm not complaining, lot of snobs
Hmm ... when I clicked on the link, the map was centered on Lubbock TX.
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Looks like it tries to IP geolocate you when you follow it. Mine was centered in east Phoenix. Not 100% accurate and probably fooled by a firewall if you're running one when you open it. But close enough for horseshoes and nuclear missile targeting.
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Yeah, it seems to get sorta close to you, then marks the largest city near you. It put me in Boise. When I have VPN off, the programs that use my location usually put me on the microwave tower my fixed wireless antenna is pointed at, in a small town in Oregon.
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Well I detonated a 1Mt over Lexington and 104k people were killed outright with another 100k+ injured .
Did the same for Louisville, over 2x larger than Lex, and only 4k people died. 9 (no k) injured.
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Russian troops slowly encircling Kyiv. Slowly grinding down the Ukrainians.
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And now this
Ballsy
Disbelief over European leaders' trip to Kyiv by train
Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (right) and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki (left)
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Czech PM (right), his Polish counterpart (left) and the Slovenia PM are heading to Kyiv todayImage caption: The Czech PM (right), his Polish counterpart (left) and the Slovenia PM are heading to Kyiv today
When the Czech prime minister Petr Fiala tweeted he and his Polish and Slovenian counterparts were on their way to Kyiv the initial reaction was - how?
Experts said helicopter or plane would be out of the question. The car journey from the Polish border to Kyiv is over seven hours, and also fraught with danger.
So there was disbelief when it emerged the three would travel to the Ukrainian capital by train - a seven hour journey in peacetime.
Fiala said they had informed EU colleagues last week, and would be travelling as an official European Council delegation.
But an EU official told the BBC the visit had "no formal mandate" from the council, and Brussels had only been notified it was going ahead last night.
The EU recognised the need to show full support to Ukraine, but President Charles Michel had pointed to the "security risks" of the trip.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60746557
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(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2022/3/15/ede1b434-6a72-4ecb-b083-3098822cf4f3.png)
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Belarus is saying a missile fired from Ukraine entered the country. Could be pure propaganda but I also wouldn't put it pass Putin to fire some missiles toward Belarus from Ukraine to try to trigger getting them activity involved. I seriously don't see what the Ukrainians would hope to gain by firing a single missile. into Belarus.
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Good read, a little something for everyone.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18329/russia-putin-ukraine-invasion
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What's been happening so far today?
If you're just joining our coverage, here are the latest developments on day 20 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
Kyiv's mayor says the capital is entering a "dangerous moment" and has announced a continuous curfew from tonight until Thursday. Authorities say four people were killed this morning in fresh attacks on the city
Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow continue today, with Ukraine warning that Russia is likely to renew its offensive if there's no agreement
The UK is sanctioning 370 Russians as well imposing new trade restrictions on luxury Russian goods and vodka
The EU has announced a fourth round of sanctions, this time targeting Moscow's ability to finance the invasion
The Polish, Czech, and Slovenian prime ministers are travelling overland to Kyiv by train, where they plan to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky
In Russia, the journalist who protested against the war on a live TV news bulletin is currently on trial in a Moscow court
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60746557
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Man, I sure hope no one get's trigger happy and caps a NATO member Prime Minister..........
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Man, I sure hope no one get's trigger happy and caps a NATO member Prime Minister..........
So many WW1/WW2 precursor similarities right now.
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The west needs an ironclad reason to officially join the fray. The media has done a good job of getting everyone all worked up, all that's missing is the "final straw" justifying direct engagement.
Ukraine is lost for all practical purposes unless the west jumps into the battle with air superiority and boots on the ground.
For me, China is the wild card here.
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Remember The Maine!
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The west needs an ironclad reason to officially join the fray. The media has done a good job of getting everyone all worked up, all that's missing is the "final straw" justifying direct engagement.
Ukraine is lost for all practical purposes unless the west jumps into the battle with air superiority and boots on the ground.
For me, China is the wild card here.
That is a statement I can’t cogently argue against.
As to why “the west” would want to officially join the fray, *expletive deleted*ed if I know.
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The media has done a good job of getting everyone all worked up, all that's missing is the "final straw" justifying direct engagement.
I continue to be amazed as the MSM, celebrities, and all the usual progressive contingent have morphed into major warmongers. It's the modern incarnation of "the red menace". I mean, they want Tulsi Gabbard disappeared to a black site for "treason".
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I continue to be amazed as the MSM, celebrities, and all the usual progressive contingent have morphed into major warmongers. It's the modern incarnation of "the red threat". I mean, they want Tulsi Gabbard disappeared to a black site for "treason".
Because they're still fully vested in the Putin = Trump narrative. The name may have changed but it's still a case of raging TDS
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I continue to be amazed as the MSM, celebrities, and all the usual progressive contingent have morphed into major warmongers. It's the modern incarnation of "the red menace". I mean, they want Tulsi Gabbard disappeared to a black site for "treason".
We've just witnessed the Eastasia/Eurasia peace/war flip by the Ministry of Truth in real time.
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Russian rep at the UN putting Paski to shame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRxVpfttsz4
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In a nutshell 100% the civilian shelling is the Ukrainians shelling themselves to make Russia look bad. Russia doesn't do that sort of thing.
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https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
It was centered over NYC when I started it. I live in TX.
There are some advantages to having satellite internet; that's the kind of response I get on a lot of sites that are trying to "locate" me. =)
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It was centered over NYC when I started it. I live in TX.
There are some advantages to having satellite internet; that's the kind of response I get on a lot of sites that are trying to "locate" me. =)
Well it failed badly in that regard if it thinks I'm in Lexington
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https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
I dropped the biggest bomb Russian supposedly has over MSP and I'm still safe in northern Iowa.
I guess the question is if it really happened, how receptive will the rural folks be towards the survivors from the urban areas.
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Fox camera was killed and of course A CNN reporter decides to keep it "classy"
What a tragedy. A cameraman died covering the war for a TV network that airs a pro-Putin propagandist as its top-rated primetime host. https://t.co/zKHXRciMYu
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) March 15, 2022
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Brandon Herrera
The WEIRD Guns Being Used In Ukraine Right Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vvhrnMg7QE
Mosin at 04:25
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I seem to be lucky on the bombs. I was going to pretty extreme settings on fallout and wind and still couldn't get any fallout where I am from any major cities. I doubt they'd drop one on Boise, but even if they did, the wind heads in the opposite direction.
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Yes there is something wrong with these people
What a tragedy. A cameraman died covering the war for a TV network that airs a pro-Putin propagandist as its top-rated primetime host. https://t.co/zKHXRciMYu
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) March 15, 2022
I was honestly surprised they even had someone covering the war.
— Dr. V is a She (@kayfinleyrose) March 15, 2022
He died doing what they love to ignore: actual news.
— Baker (@TheRyanBaker) March 15, 20
22
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Drunk as a skunk:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1503556754168242186
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Drunk as a skunk:
She's like that when she's sober
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She's like that when she's sober
Yeah, that wasn’t even THAT bad, for her.
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Didn't even mention birdbaths.
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Even a 100 MT airbursting over Seattle would just barely reach me with severe thermal effects 45 miles north of Seattle. However, since I am just seven miles from the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, the primary West Coast ELF transmitter for the submarines, I will go up when Jim Creek does.
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https://interestingengineering.com/germany-buy-f-35-jets?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=Mar15&fbclid=IwAR3XkLxb_qVfmzV60Gh68fDDrzn28OQGTcXk4j_uxm3fUXWMauiyaJVjh7k
The Luftwaffe is buying 35 F-35 jets in large part due to the ability to carry gravity nuclear bombs. Recent events have prompted Germany to move this up the priority ladder.
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https://interestingengineering.com/germany-buy-f-35-jets?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=Mar15&fbclid=IwAR3XkLxb_qVfmzV60Gh68fDDrzn28OQGTcXk4j_uxm3fUXWMauiyaJVjh7k
The Luftwaffe is buying 35 F-35 jets in large part due to the ability to carry gravity nuclear bombs. Recent events have prompted Germany to move this up the priority ladder.
My gut reaction to this was: Germany has nuclear weapons?!? So I looked it up, and Germany does not have nukes of their own. But they have "access" to a small number of B-61 nuclear bombs that technically belong to the US.
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I’m hearing Boeing is looking to hire 250 engineers to replace the ones from Moscow and Kiev.
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The Luftwaffe is buying 35 F-35 jets in large part due to the ability to carry gravity nuclear bombs. Recent events have prompted Germany to move this up the priority ladder.
Interesting, My one cousin's boyfriend retired from the Luftwaffe last year, where he was a warplane mechanic. When he was visiting me a few years ago, he told me that they absolutely loathed the F-35s that they had for I guess evaluation. They would have loved them some F-22s.
I guess maybe the next gen Eurofighter delays is one of the things that made them decide this is the better option.
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Forgotten Weapons
Ukrainian Adaptation of PKTs to Infantry Use
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BZEu6cOFJs
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Russian lawmaker demands return of Alaska, California fort and reparations amid U.S.-led sanctions
https://www.foxnews.com/us/russia-alaska-california-fort-reparations-sanctions
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Reports another Russian general bites the dust
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FMjH-7VXoAoP7-3.jpg)
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In the comments
"Russian spaceship, go... fuel yourself"
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FMjH-7VXoAoP7-3.jpg)
Ariane 5, go home. You're drunk.
That platform flew 4 times in 2020, 4 times in 2021, and has 5 on manifest for 2022, none flown yet.
Soyuz did 15 launches in 2020, 22 launches in 2021, and has flown 3 so far for 2022.
F9 can comment, but Ariane5 is not a peer to either F9 or Soyuz.
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Russian lawmaker demands return of Alaska, California fort and reparations amid U.S.-led sanctions
https://www.foxnews.com/us/russia-alaska-california-fort-reparations-sanctions
:rofl:
They might not be as much the bad guy as made out in the media (or at least the Ukrainians might be less of the good guy) but they did invade a sovereign nation. The notion they should get all that back plus reparations over sanctions is beyond laughable.
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Ariane 5, go home. You're drunk.
That platform flew 4 times in 2020, 4 times in 2021, and has 5 on manifest for 2022, none flown yet.
Soyuz did 15 launches in 2020, 22 launches in 2021, and has flown 3 so far for 2022.
F9 can comment, but Ariane5 is not a peer to either F9 or Soyuz.
I wasn't going to nitpick it. Sometimes it's best to roll with the joke
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Yes there is something wrong with these people
22
I haven't seen any Big Media coverage of the war, but would I be correct in surmising the Left is also more kind to Russia than to right-leaning Americans and Fox News personnel, as per usual? I'm guessing they don't say such things about Russian soldiers that get killed.
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I haven't seen any Big Media coverage of the war, but would I be correct in surmising the Left is also more kind to Russia than to right-leaning Americans and Fox News personnel, as per usual? I'm guessing they don't say such things about Russian soldiers that get killed.
You would be mistaken.
In a strange turn of events, the left hates Russia and accuses the right of being pro-Russia. That is all based on the "fact" that Putin and Trump are best friends.
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Ukraine rejects Russian offer of 'Austrian style' neutrality
An advisor to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a Russian proposal that Ukraine adopts an Austrian style neutrality is unacceptable to the country.
Mykhailo Podoliak, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team, told local media any peace deal must be on Ukrainian terms that protect its sovereignty.
"We understand the attempt of our partners to remain proactive in the negotiation process," Podoliak said. "Hence the words about the" Swedish" or "Austrian model" of neutrality. But Ukraine is now in a state of direct war with Russia."
"Therefore, the model can only be "Ukrainian" and only with legally verified security guarantees. And no other models or options."
Earlier this morning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was open to a peace deal that saw a neutral Ukraine maintain its own army and navy, along the lines of Austria or Sweden.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60746557
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In a box in a live feed Zelensky is about to address US Congress and Pelosi is up on stage acting all giggly like she's at a party hopped up on drugs.
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In a box in a live feed Zelensky is about to address US Congress and Pelosi up on stage acting all giggly like she's at a party hopped up on drugs.
I've got that playing right now. My God, what a moron. She was acting like it was the Oscars, not something serious.
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Apparently 46 is looking at providing Switchblades to Ukraine. I'm glad I threw some more dough into my AVAV stock earlier in the year.
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You would be mistaken.
In a strange turn of events, the left hates Russia and accuses the right of being pro-Russia. That is all based on the "fact" that Putin and Trump are best friends.
It's not a strange turn, it's completely predictable. The US being enemies with Russia is the best thing for China, and it's Chinese manipulation that is driving Democratic policy nowadays. Remember how breathlessly the establishment denounced Trump for being a Russian agent but also how he was racist for anything he did against China. It's very important for China that we are enemies with Russia. That's why we have a war in Ukraine as soon as Beijing Biden got elected.
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Right or wrong, Ukraine is playing one hell of a propaganda video for Congress right now.
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I haven't seen any Big Media coverage of the war, but would I be correct in surmising the Left is also more kind to Russia than to right-leaning Americans and Fox News personnel, as per usual? I'm guessing they don't say such things about Russian soldiers that get killed.
Every night at 530pm, ABC evening news reports on events in Ukraine. Every morning, Good Morning America will do segments on the war. NPR also gives updates and stories throughout the day. I watched a little CNN last night and all the pundit talked about was the war.
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I've got that playing right now. My God, what a moron. She was acting like it was the Oscars, not something serious.
She's the creepy aunt that everyone keeps their distance from.
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You would be mistaken.
In a strange turn of events, the left hates Russia and accuses the right of being pro-Russia. That is all based on the "fact" that Putin and Trump are best friends.
I think it is the midterm strategy. Direct war with Russia, emergency powers here and dissent is treason. Not regular treason, Jan 6 treason. And that guess comes from me who is really enjoying seeing Russian armor get blown to bits. Don’t feel the least bit bad for them, just don’t want us in it. And we may all be once Russia tries a coup and things get really messy because then the best way to stay in power is a big war with the west.
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Guy doing a live feed forgot his mic was on while eating and just made most god awful hacking up a hairball sound followed by a series of burps :rofl:
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Neutrality for Ukraine seems to be about the best they could hope for. I'm not sure why they are rejecting it ???
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Russian lawmaker demands return of Alaska, California fort and reparations amid U.S.-led sanctions
https://www.foxnews.com/us/russia-alaska-california-fort-reparations-sanctions
Not just no, but HELL no!
The Russians don't get that California fort by itself - if they want it badly enough they have to take the whole state!!
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Neutrality for Ukraine seems to be about the best they could hope for. I'm not sure why they are rejecting it ???
"Hey, I'll totally stop invading you if you promise you'll never make an alliance with anyone who could stop me from invading you again."
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"Hey, I'll totally stop invading you if you promise you'll never make an alliance with anyone who could stop me from invading you again."
Pinky swear!
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Just sign a non-aggression pack. Wink Wink
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Divesting from Russia, eliminating all western cultural influences and institutions from Russia, forcing them to be more self sufficient and create parallel systems and relationships outside of western influence seems to be the stupidest plan ever.
What's at risk here?
War spreading to neighboring countries
Potential nuclear exchange
Petro dollar status
World reserve currency status
Western economy(ies)
All for a country that has no strategic value to the USA.
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In my question about media coverage, I was really wondering if Big Media has been mocking the deaths/injuries of Russian soldiers, the way they did with the two Fox News employees. Usually, the Left tries to have understanding and compassion for foreign enemies or Muslim terrorists, but treats Americans like the scum of the earth.
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"Hey, I'll totally stop invading you if you promise you'll never make an alliance with anyone who could stop me from invading you again."
The invasion came after more than a decade of Russia requesting neutrality and security guarantees that the west rebuffed in an aggressive manner.
Our State Dept cannot be that stupid so my only option is to believe the permanent government/Biden administration wants a limited war with Russia. War either by proxy or possibly even a limited engagement.
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The invasion came after more than a decade of Russia requesting neutrality and security guarantees that the west rebuffed in an aggressive manner.
Russian has been demanding control of the "Sudetenland Land" for some time now. That issue had zip to do with NATO membership. Putin was going to have them one way or another.
Bear in mind Ukraine has had 30 yeas to join NATO and it hadn't. If NATO membership had anything to do with it it was only because Putin felt it was either now or never to go for the disputed territories. Probably the only that's delayed him this long was the threat of NATO
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Well, you can probably trust the "no invasion" thing, but only because it'll be decades before Russia can afford to do it again.
Granted, it took us a month to sweep through Iraq in our wars with them, and people considering the Russian invasion as "stalled" at only two weeks is a bit premature. OTOH, even if you take propaganda, and anecdotal twitter video of engagements for what it's worth (not much) it is still pretty safe to say it's not going well for the Russians.
Dead generals, and Baofeng walkie-talkies transmitting in clear analog channels doesn't bode well for them at all.
If Ukraine can hold on for a month more, I think the Russian advance is just going to fall apart even more than it has already. Logistically, Russia is already in deep doo-doo, and another month, they'll be combat ineffective.
There's also the issue that on the maps showing Russian captured territory, it's arguably really just thin lines of roads they've captured, with all the countryside in between going untouched. There's a lot of area in the Russian "rear" where Ukrainian forces can maneuver and put hurt on them if they can leverage home-field advantage and get there, especially with western aid and weapons.
At least that's my prediction I'm willing to put into writing.
It remains to be seen what China's relationship with Russia is going to be. China's a net importer of food and fuel, with no real ability to reverse it. And grain and oil from Russia made cheap by the devalued Ruble is what they need. OTOH, China's sitting on some really bad bubbles, real-estate which is collapsing in slow-mo due to the command economy aspects of the CCP, ghost cities, and their own monetary manipulations of the Yuan.
I think China's going to be "in check" for awhile. Their economy is so precarious, if they act out and get sanctions, anything substantial threatens to bring down their entire economy. I don't expect a move on Taiwan at all. An amphibious landing on an island with modern western weapons is apples and oranges to Ukraine.
I also suspect, that while much better than Russia, China may also have some logistical and quality problems in their military.
https://youtu.be/n96m5lB8nzA
Purely anecdotal of course, but TWO separate Chinese MRE's with green rotten pork in them that put Steve in the hospital hints there may be problems with graft and "lowest bidder" suppliers in China.
And presumably the Ukraine invasion is going to screw up their grain exports as well this coming summer. Between that and Russia coming up short, and under sanctions, food prices/supply are going to be screwed in Asia and the Middle East.
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The invasion came after more than a decade of Russia requesting neutrality and security guarantees that the west rebuffed in an aggressive manner.
I'm no expert, so I'm not quite sure what "rebuffed in an aggressive manner" means in this context.
Do you believe that if Ukraine had formally denounced any possibility of ever joining any NATO, EU, or similar alliance that Russia would have been less likely to invade?
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I'm no expert, so I'm not quite sure what "rebuffed in an aggressive manner" means in this context.
Do you believe that if Ukraine had formally denounced any possibility of ever joining any NATO, EU, or similar alliance that Russia would have been less likely to invade?
The other thing would have been for Ukraine to retain their pro-Kremlin puppet government.
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Have you been talking about buying a gun for protection from a neighbor who has guns aimed at you and has been threatening to kill you?
If you answer yes then that neighbor is justified in killing you.
;/
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The other thing would have been for Ukraine to retain their pro-Kremlin puppet government.
That, I believe, would probably have been acceptable to the Russians.
Of course, the US would never overthrow an unfriendly government.
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Ed Nash
U.S. to Supply Switchblade “Kamikaze Drones” to Ukraine?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5TTaNpQuWI
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Another general zapped.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/kremlin-loses-another-general-ukraine-071432726.html
Captain Alexander Garnaev - a famous military test pilot and recipient of the Kremlin’s highest honour, the Hero of Russia award - denounced the “completely incomprehensible” war.
It's telling when Russian military top brass, even retired ones, begin openly denouncing the invasion. That hints at enough dissent among Russian military to potentially initiate them taking action internally.
Brad
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That hints at enough dissent among Russian military to potentially initiate them taking action internally.
Are there enough (any?) checks and balances in place to keep Putin from getting desperate and initiating a scorched Earth operation?
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Another general zapped.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/kremlin-loses-another-general-ukraine-071432726.html
It's telling when Russian military top brass, even retired ones, begin openly denouncing the invasion. That hints at enough dissent among Russian military to potentially initiate them taking action internally.
Brad
At this point I'm really afraid to get my hopes up for any of that to happen. I mean it would be nice but I'm not holding my breath.
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Are there enough (any?) checks and balances in place to keep Putin from getting desperate and initiating a scorched Earth operation?
I would think, hope?, that would be the point Putin commits suicide so to speak
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I understand times are hard, but doesn't the President of the #Ukraine own a suit? I don't have much respect for current members of the U.S. Congress either, but I still wouldn't address them wearing a t-shirt. I wouldn't want to disrespect the institution or the Unites States.
— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) March 16, 2022
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/16/economist-peter-schiff-understands-times-are-hard-in-ukraine-but-like-the-least-president-zelenskyy-could-do-is-wear-a-suit-to-address-congress/
The man live in a *expletive deleted*ing bunker :facepalm:
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https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/16/economist-peter-schiff-understands-times-are-hard-in-ukraine-but-like-the-least-president-zelenskyy-could-do-is-wear-a-suit-to-address-congress/
The man live in a *expletive deleted*ing bunker :facepalm:
He could probably have worn something a little spiffier than a t-shirt, but I'm guessing his choice of wardrobe was intentional.
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Interesting take from Task and Purpose. Gives some info from the Russian side as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igq2fqa7RY4
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https://jalopnik.com/one-ukraine-part-is-stopping-europe-s-car-factories-1848660374
It turns out Ukraine is a major supplier of car wiring harnesses for European auto makers.
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I'm no expert, so I'm not quite sure what "rebuffed in an aggressive manner" means in this context.
Do you believe that if Ukraine had formally denounced any possibility of ever joining any NATO, EU, or similar alliance that Russia would have been less likely to invade?
Russia had suggested on several occasions that Russia and the west cooperate on helping Ukraine develop economically and maintain a neutral status. Russia has said all along that they would not tolerate NATO taking over Ukraine due to it's strategic location. Before you go "Ukraine can choose blah blah blah", think about Russian missiles and troops in Cuba. Even if we don't agree with Russia here it should be considered a legitimate concern. It never was. Nobody in the west pursued the line of cooperation and in fact Ukraine was encouraged to pursue EU and NATO membership instead. It is also not outside the realm of possibility that the coup that occurred preceding Russia seizing Crimea was a western intelligence services operation. This isn't conspiracy theory talk, it is tossed out there regularly in serious publications.
A bully encouraged Ukraine to poke another bully and everyone is surprised the bully that got poked is bullying back.
I don't have a dog in this fight and would have preferred a course of action that mollified Russia's security concerns and still helped Ukraine economically.
We'll never know if Russia was serious about letting Ukraine be free and neutral. We rejected that possibility in favor of absorbing them into the western sphere of economic/military influence, Russia's security fears or concerns be damned.
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We'll never know if Russia was serious about letting Ukraine be free and neutral.
When Ukraine gave up their nukes and Russia signed onto the Budapest Memorandum, there was no clause nullifying it if they got too friendly with NATO or the west. I don't see why Russia deserves any benefit of the doubt in honoring theoretical security assurances when they don't even honor the ones that actually exist.
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It is also not outside the realm of possibility that the coup that occurred preceding Russia seizing Crimea was a western intelligence services operation. This isn't conspiracy theory talk, it is tossed out there regularly in serious publications.
Sure. The west has likely meddled in Ukrainian politics. The Russians have been doing it for years too.
A bully encouraged Ukraine to poke another bully and everyone is surprised the bully that got poked is bullying back.
I guess that simplification depends on where you want to start telling the story, doesn't it? Which coup or poisoning or corrupt election you want to call the beginning.
We'll never know if Russia was serious about letting Ukraine be free and neutral. We rejected that possibility in favor of absorbing them into the western sphere of economic/military influence, Russia's security fears or concerns be damned.
That's the trick, isn't it? If Russia had been negotiating in good faith then our refusal to consider the Russian concerns was likely an instigating factor.
If, on the other hand, Russia was planning to seize all or parts of Ukraine all along, then keeping the issue of Ukrainian membership in NATO/EU vague may have served to dissuade Russia from acting (at least at times that they considered the US president to be a threat).
I don't personally get the impression that Putin does things in good faith.
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This is a war the west wanted. Nothing was done to avert it and everything was done to provoke it.
I've been tricked (ie lied to) by the bloody neocon foreign policy establishment one to many times.
and then just like that everybody believed the congenital liars again and followed them into another war...
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This is a war the west wanted. Nothing was done to avert it and everything was done to provoke it.
I've been tricked (ie lied to) by the bloody neocon foreign policy establishment one to many times.
and then just like that everybody believed the congenital liars again and followed them into another war...
Sorry, I don't follow you.
This conflict (one thus far limited to yet another Russian invasion of Ukraine and a western response currently limited to sanctions on Russia and supply of munitions to Ukraine) may well have been one that could have been avoided, but I see absolutely nothing other than your claims to indicate that it was a conflict sought by the west. Nor do I think western diplomacy is capable of puppeting Putin the way your assertion requires.
I don't want war, don't want US to send any troops into combat, and certainly don't want to push Putin into a nuclear corner. That said, for all his faults, keep in mind that Biden did at least tell the truth about coming Russian aggression back when Russia was still lying about it being just a training exercise.
I think that this is a war that Putin wanted and thought would be over before the west would take notice. Sure, if he could have maintained a puppet government to control Ukraine he probably would have. And maybe it should have been western policy to look the other way while Russia installed governments they can control in their neighbors. Those nations are going to be corrupt no matter whose puppet is in control. However, Russian tanks rolling on Kiev is not the fault of the US, except perhaps inasmuch as Putin believed Biden would pose no threat to the operation.
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in fact Ukraine was encouraged to pursue EU and NATO membership instead.
Is this true? I had recalled reading that while Ukraine was actively seeking membership starting in 2014 after the Russia military was preforming operations in Ukraine, but NATO was rather uninterested.
The 2014 government that was a result of the Maidan Uprising, where 400-800k people came out in the freezing cold to protest against the corrupt Yanukovych. Who later fled to Russia and asked Putin to send Russian troops to invade Ukraine.
I'm sure that both the US and Russia have had influences on Ukraine, but the people certainly seem to wish to be more aligned with Europe and the west, and Russia seems to have pushed them even further in that direction.
None of that is an argument for NATO involvement, but I think it's very inaccurate to look at this through the sole lens of US policy. This situation wasn't created by US politicians for their own gain. They'll sure try to capitalize on it, though.
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Petro dollar status
You mean Petro-Yen status, because the Saudis are currently negotiating with China to base oil prices on the Yen instead of the Dollar. Because with Brandon in office, we're back to Obama policies regarding the ME, and it seems the ME is telling us to get bent.
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*Yuan
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You mean Petro-Yen status, because the Saudis are currently negotiating with China to base oil prices on the Yen instead of the Dollar. Because with Brandon in office, we're back to Obama policies regarding the ME, and it seems the ME is telling us to get bent.
Yuan.
Yen is Japanese.
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Yeah, sorry. I wasn't proofreading.
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So Ron do you think if there was no talk of Ukraine joining NATO and/or the EU Putin wouldn't have grabbed Crimea in 2014 and be currently trying to take over the Donbas region and possibly the whole of Ukraine?
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So ron is saying their are no Nato countries in range to effect russia?
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Russia's state TV hit by stream of resignations
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60763494
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Have to agree with Ron here - US intervention (especially by Clinton led state department) has been central to arriving at this point.
Some links from well before the current war:
https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict (https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict)
That might be more explicable if what is going on in eastern Ukraine now were not the mirror image of what took place in Kiev a couple of months ago. Then, it was armed protesters in Maidan Square seizing government buildings and demanding a change of government and constitution. US and European leaders championed the "masked militants" and denounced the elected government for its crackdown, just as they now back the unelected government's use of force against rebels occupying police stations and town halls in cities such as Slavyansk and Donetsk.
"America is with you," Senator John McCain told demonstrators then, standing shoulder to shoulder with the leader of the far-right Svoboda party as the US ambassador haggled with the state department over who would make up the new Ukrainian government.
https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy (https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy)
The extent of the Obama administration’s meddling in Ukraine’s politics was breathtaking. Russian intelligence intercepted and leaked to the international media a Nuland telephone call in which she and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Geoffey Pyatt discussed in detail their preferences for specific personnel in a post‐Yanukovych government. The U.S‑favored candidates included Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the man who became prime minister once Yanukovych was ousted from power. During the telephone call, Nuland stated enthusiastically that “Yats is the guy” who would do the best job.
https://www.channel4.com/news/svoboda-ministers-ukraine-new-government-far-right (https://www.channel4.com/news/svoboda-ministers-ukraine-new-government-far-right)
The man facing down Putin’s aggression as secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council is Andriy Parubiy. He oversees national security for the nation having previously served as security commandant during the anti-government protests in Kiev.
Parubiy was the founder of the Social National Party of Ukraine, a fascist party styled on Hitler’s Nazis, with membership restricted to ethnic Ukrainians.
The Social National Party would go on to become Svoboda, the far-right nationalist party whose leader Oleh Tyahnybok was one of the three most high profile leaders of the Euromaidan protests – negotiating directly with the Yanukovych regime.
You can imagine what the US reaction would be if a Russian-funded protest of armed men ousted the Canadian Government, then went to war on Canadian states that opted to side with the USA. Add to that said Government announcing its plan to have a security alliance with Russia that meant Russian forces stationed on the border with New York.
Yet none of that reflection is possible in the press reports about the current war. It’s truly a full spectrum propaganda effort to make this about Democracy vs dictatorship, when the reality is it’s just plain old competing institutional powers.
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So Ron do you think if there was no talk of Ukraine joining NATO and/or the EU Putin wouldn't have grabbed Crimea in 2014 and be currently trying to take over the Donbas region and possibly the whole of Ukraine?
You do realise that those areas of Ukraine voted to reject the 2014 coup, and that in response the new US backed government went to war on their localities to try and force them to be part of the new, unelected Ukrainian government?
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You do realise that those areas of Ukraine voted to reject the 2014 coup, and that in response the new US backed government went to war on their localities to try and force them to be part of the new, unelected Ukrainian government?
Is that a yes or a no?
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Holy crap. Something I actually agree fully with DeSelby on.
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Is that a yes or a no?
That’s absolutely a yes, it would not have happened. It did happen because a US-backed armed coup tossed out the elected government and then started talking about the EU and NATO.
Had there been no such talk, there would’ve been no coup nor civil war for Russia to intervene in.
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Holy crap. Something I actually agree fully with DeSelby on.
Even a blind pig occasionally finds an acorn.
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That’s absolutely a yes, it would not have happened. It did happen because a US-backed armed coup tossed out the elected government and then started talking about the EU and NATO.
Had there been no such talk, there would’ve been no coup nor civil war for Russia to intervene in.
So Russia will be giving back Crimea and the Donbas region and leave Ukraine alone when they're done?
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So Russia will be giving back Crimea and the Donbas region and leave Ukraine alone when they're done?
How about the bits of Georgia they stole before that?
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Have to agree with Ron here - US intervention (especially by Clinton led state department) has been central to arriving at this point.
Some links from well before the current war:
https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict (https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy (https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy)
https://www.channel4.com/news/svoboda-ministers-ukraine-new-government-far-right (https://www.channel4.com/news/svoboda-ministers-ukraine-new-government-far-right)
You can imagine what the US reaction would be if a Russian-funded protest of armed men ousted the Canadian Government, then went to war on Canadian states that opted to side with the USA. Add to that said Government announcing its plan to have a security alliance with Russia that meant Russian forces stationed on the border with New York.
Yet none of that reflection is possible in the press reports about the current war. It’s truly a full spectrum propaganda effort to make this about Democracy vs dictatorship, when the reality is it’s just plain old competing institutional powers.
Isn't that pretty much exactly what is happening in Canada now, except with China instead of Russia?
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https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy (https://www.cato.org/commentary/americas-ukraine-hypocrisy)
I read this article, and am still confused what exactly the US did to install a pro-western government that lead to the eventual russian invasion of 2022?
Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was not an admirable character. After his election in 2010, he used patronage and other instruments of state power in a flagrant fashion to the advantage of his political party. That high‐handed behavior and legendary corruption alienated large portions of Ukraine’s population. As the Ukrainian economy languished and fell farther and farther behind those of Poland and other East European neighbors that had implemented significant market‐oriented reforms, public anger at Yanukovych mounted. When he rejected the European Union’s terms for an association agreement in late 2013, in favor of a Russian offer, angry demonstrators filled Kiev’s Independence Square, known as the Maidan, as well as sites in other cities.
And then:
- John McCain went to Kiev and had dinner with opposition leaders.
- Nuland, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs handed out cookies to demonstrators
- U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Geoffey Pyatt discussed with Nuland who they'd rather have in a post‐Yanukovych government.
The US didn't stage some coup in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people got upset and started protesting. US leadership acknowledged that they agreed with the protesters, made some speeches, said some things, and talked privately to each other about what they'd like to see happen. None of which is controlling, managing or directing the affairs of that country - no more than when any government has press releases and says things.
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Interesting take from Task and Purpose. Gives some info from the Russian side as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igq2fqa7RY4
"I get put on all the FBI lists so you don't have to."
That's mighty thoughtful of him.
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For those arguing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the fault of the US because we meddled in Ukrainian politics, does Russia bear no burden for … meddling in Ukraine’s politics? And then, you know, invading Ukraine?
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For those arguing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the fault of the US because we meddled in Ukrainian politics, does Russia bear no burden for … meddling in Ukraine’s politics? And then, you know, invading Ukraine?
Those are not mutually exclusive positions.
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I read this article, and am still confused what exactly the US did to install a pro-western government that lead to the eventual russian invasion of 2022?
And then:
- John McCain went to Kiev and had dinner with opposition leaders.
- Nuland, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs handed out cookies to demonstrators
- U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Geoffey Pyatt discussed with Nuland who they'd rather have in a post‐Yanukovych government.
The US didn't stage some coup in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people got upset and started protesting. US leadership acknowledged that they agreed with the protesters, made some speeches, said some things, and talked privately to each other about what they'd like to see happen. None of which is controlling, managing or directing the affairs of that country - no more than when any government has press releases and says things.
The reason that nuland was having that conversation is that the USA was the major financial backer of the coup that brought the 2014 government to power. Hence they had a large say over who would take leadership roles. The reason we found that out is that the Russians intercepted and then leaked Nuland’s call.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-spent-65m-to-aid-ukrainian-groups.amp (https://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-spent-65m-to-aid-ukrainian-groups.amp)
Yes, it’s true that the armed protestors who overthrew the government in 2014 had to choose to be there, but that would be equally true of a Russian-funded, Russian trained political party in Canada.
I really don’t think the Bush and then Obama state departments spent those millions because they expected nothing in return for the US/Ukraine relationship. There’s certainly something Biden got out of it, and it’s not hard to see how funding that revolution set the stage for placing NATO in an economic and geographical centre that is essential to the Russian economy.
Again, apply the same logic to a Canadian coup and it seems entirely predictable this would lead to war. It has nothing to do with democracy or principles.
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For those arguing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the fault of the US because we meddled in Ukrainian politics, does Russia bear no burden for … meddling in Ukraine’s politics? And then, you know, invading Ukraine?
Of course they do. That’s why I say this is great power competition and not an idealistic or even ideological struggle.
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So Russia will be giving back Crimea and the Donbas region and leave Ukraine alone when they're done?
Those regions rebelled against the central government and joined Russia on their own terms, so probably not. You’re forgetting that this was a civil war between people who supported the coup and who rejected the coup in favour of the elected government before the current war.
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The reason that nuland was having that conversation is that the USA was the major financial backer of the coup that brought the 2014 government to power. Hence they had a large say over who would take leadership roles. The reason we found that out is that the Russians intercepted and then leaked Nuland’s call.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-spent-65m-to-aid-ukrainian-groups.amp (https://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-spent-65m-to-aid-ukrainian-groups.amp)
Yes, it’s true that the armed protestors who overthrew the government in 2014 had to choose to be there, but that would be equally true of a Russian-funded, Russian trained political party in Canada.
I really don’t think the Bush and then Obama state departments spent those millions because they expected nothing in return for the US/Ukraine relationship. There’s certainly something Biden got out of it, and it’s not hard to see how funding that revolution set the stage for placing NATO in an economic and geographical centre that is essential to the Russian economy.
Again, apply the same logic to a Canadian coup and it seems entirely predictable this would lead to war. It has nothing to do with democracy or principles.
The Russians were throwing money at their guy too. A lot more money than the US.
From 2013:
"After talks between Mr Putin and Mr Yanukovych in the Kremlin, it was announced Russia would buy $15bn-worth (£9.2bn; 10.9bn euros) of Ukrainian government bonds. The cost of Russian gas supplied to Ukraine has been slashed from more than $400 (£245; 291 euros) per 1,000 cubic metres to $268.5."
Also... the US spends millions of dollars on many foreign government programs which I don't see an expectation of quid pro quo in.
Still not seeing how a pro-western Ukraine is something the US manufactured which forced Russia's hand.
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Russia wants warm water ports and vacation towns. Russia wants a monopoly on energy production as witnessed by already moving oil rigs into Ukrainian EEZ in the Black Sea and attacking nuclear plants. All the stupid meddling our state department did in Ukraine was a faint flicker of a green light as compared to the complete inaction when the little green men had free run of the Donbas for years, when we barely yawned when Crimea was stolen, zero thought given to Georgia, nobody cares when a head of state gets polonium tea, etc... But here we are with the whataboutism.
My fear now is Biden needs a war to stay in power. Putin might have to have one to stave off the internal problems he has.
If he had been economically crushed in 2014 like he is now we wouldn’t be here.
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The harsh realities of war.
https://fb.watch/bOXcgSZkeB/ (https://fb.watch/bOXcgSZkeB/)
Radio free Europe Liberty Radio story on the Ukrainian guy who lost his whole family due to indirect artillery fire from the Russians. NSFW with some disturbing images.
No one wins in war and the innocent suffer.
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I just ran into this regarding a deepfake surrender video by Zelenskyy:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/16/facebook-zelensky-deepfake/
The few deepfakes that I have seen in the past were quite convincing to me. On one - I think Tom Cruise - the only reason I could tell it was a deepfake is because of the outrageous language the author inserted.
I just thought that this was an interesting newish way to do psyops, and if not taken to overexaggeration and extremes, can be an effective tactic.
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People are stupid. Look how much traction a retarded SNL skit got. I know a number of people that still get all butt hurt if you tell them it was Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin in a SNL skit that said " I can see Russia from my house" and not actually Sarah Palin.
I'm surprised we aren't seeing more deepfake propaganda in the media, hell, maybe we are and don't know it.
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And here I thought the roots of the Russian invasion went back to Joe Biden's bragging about threatening to withhold aid money to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired so he couldn't investigate the shady Ukrainian company funneling
bribe money a high salary to his son Hunter.
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'Imposter claiming to be Ukraine PM tried to talk to UK minister'
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says an "imposter" claiming to be Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal tried to contact him.
"He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious I terminated the call," Wallace wrote on Twitter, without providing further details.
In a follow-up tweet, he described the incident as "desperate".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60774819
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Everyone seems to be going gaga over this video by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I might be in the minority, but it really sounds like a propaganda piece to me. Especially because Arnold is the "screw your freedom" and "06JAN terrorists" guy.
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/17/must-watch-arnold-schwarzenegger-shares-an-important-and-powerful-message-with-the-russian-people-video/
While I support Ukraine defending themselves, the anti-Russian stuff that has been overwhelmingly blanketing the airwaves and social media has really made me stop and ponder. It seems to be much worse than the propaganda from the Russian side, and really has me thinking, "wait a minute here..."
Is anyone else feeling like some of this "death to Russia" cheerleading is kinda over the top and maybe makes us bad guys as well?
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Everyone seems to be going gaga over this video by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I might be in the minority, but it really sounds like a propaganda piece to me. Especially because Arnold is the "screw your freedom" and "06JAN terrorists" guy.
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/03/17/must-watch-arnold-schwarzenegger-shares-an-important-and-powerful-message-with-the-russian-people-video/
While I support Ukraine defending themselves, the anti-Russian stuff that has been overwhelmingly blanketing the airwaves and social media has really made me stop and ponder. It seems to be much worse than the propaganda from the Russian side, and really has me thinking, "wait a minute here..."
Is anyone else feeling like some of this "death to Russia" cheerleading is kinda over the top and maybe makes us bad guys as well?
Yea, I've been getting that too. Also, while I don't fully agree with the perspective, some of Ron's points are valid and have lead me to be a little more centrist on the issue than I started out being.
It's upside down world. The left wants a war, and the right is trying to blame america for Russia actions.
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Time for a drink
Jen Psaki says it’s in our nat’l security interest to have Putin’s Russia broker nuke deal with Iran on US behalf
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/17/jen-psaki-says-its-in-our-natl-security-interest-to-have-putins-russia-broker-nuke-deal-with-iran-on-us-behalf/
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Yea, I've been getting that too. Also, while I don't fully agree with the perspective, some of Ron's points are valid and have lead me to be a little more centrist on the issue than I started out being.
It's upside down world. The left wants a war, and the right is trying to blame america for Russia actions.
I was almost going to start a separate poll, because I'm kinda feeling like I'm on a parallel Earth right now. I'm looking around as a "republitarian" and am feeling like the far left whackos I otherwise make fun of.
I was on a pigeon shoot with a couple of older guys yesterday, who both consider themselves VERY conservative. Both NRA life members, both Vietnam combat vets. One of them was a big Trump supporter up until 06JAN - I mean the kind that had a Trump flag under his American flag for four years. Now he hates Trump and both guys were talking about putting all the 06JAN people in front of a firing squad. They were also super pissed that we're not sending F-22s and A-10s to Ukraine, flown by our guys, to wipe out the Russians.
So it's not just the usual "anti-war" left that is war crazy right now, but much of the right. I'm not sure where I am on the APS sliding scale, but in meatspace around these parts anyway, I'm kinda feeling like people (both right and left) think I'm a commie pinko sympathizer or something, and no one is questioning what I consider scary propaganda from our side. Or the non-Russian side, or whatever alternate Earth side that I'm apparently on. I feel like it's a very minority position right now though, and that I might get rocks thrown at me if I don't hurry up and put Ukrainian flag stickers on everything I own.
I should point out that the two guys mentioned above only get their news from the "local" papers and ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of course even alternate "conservative" sites like Twitchy seem to be pushing for war. There are very few people in the media stepping back to consider potential WW3, nuclear war, etc.
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Yea, I've been getting that too. Also, while I don't fully agree with the perspective, some of Ron's points are valid and have lead me to be a little more centrist on the issue than I started out being.
It's upside down world. The left wants a war, and the right is trying to blame america for Russia actions.
While I think it (NATO membership) may be part of the reason I just don't think it is THE reason. I think Putin would done it anyway.
Now did Ukraine do something to inflame this, probably. But I still pin 80-90% of this on Putin.
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No real movement showing up on the maps but lots and lots of shelling symbols
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Ben, I think I’m on the same plane as you. Question is, how far will Putin go? Better yet, how far will his Generals go? Captured Russian soldiers are saying it’s better to die or surrender in Ukraine than retreating back to Russia only to get shot.
Will Putin say screw everyone and hit the nuke button if his rule is at an end? Will he just fold and go away? What is America willing to sacrifice by getting involved in the shooting war? We’re pushing the limit with the weapons we’re providing Ukraine now and will Putin use that to escalate?
Lastly, uncle Joe has a telecom with China in the morning. If China says screw Russia, do we jump in feet first into the shooting war?
So many unknowns right now. I’m finding myself looking at the worst case and making additional preparations (just in case) should WWIII start. Not going full prepper but coordinating bug out plans with family.
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While I think it (NATO membership) may be part of the reason I just don't think it is THE reason. I think Putin would done it anyway.
Now did Ukraine do something to inflame this, probably. But I still pin 80-90% of this on Putin.
I don't want to take any blame off Putin either. I don't think he is a good guy. I am just not sure the Ukrainian govt are great people either. The stuff about the "biolabs" among other things makes me wonder if the US or other international interests were playing games in the Ukraine which helped push Putin into his actions.
All that really means is both sides are probably the bad guys and lot of people are caught in the middle.
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Putin's conditions for ending the war
According to the newspaper ABC, Putin's conditions for peace are as follows:
1. Ukraine doesn't enter NATO and maintains a position of neutrality
2. Crimea is recognised as a territory of Russia
3. The independence is granted to the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk
4. Ukraine demilitarises and surrenders any weapons which constitute a threat to Russia
5. Ukraine goes through a process of denazification, which would essentially constitute a change of government based on Putin's previous words about the Ukrainian leadership.
6. Russian becomes the second official language of Ukraine and any laws which prohibit its use are repealed.
https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2022/03/16/6231e91022601ddc368b4593.html
4 open to interpretation and does that include any weapon the west has given Ukraine?
5 Who gets to choose what replaces it?
6 Seems an odd demand to make of another country to me
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I was almost going to start a separate poll, because I'm kinda feeling like I'm on a parallel Earth right now. I'm looking around as a "republitarian" and am feeling like the far left whackos I otherwise make fun of.
I was on a pigeon shoot with a couple of older guys yesterday, who both consider themselves VERY conservative. Both NRA life members, both Vietnam combat vets. One of them was a big Trump supporter up until 06JAN - I mean the kind that had a Trump flag under his American flag for four years. Now he hates Trump and both guys were talking about putting all the 06JAN people in front of a firing squad. They were also super pissed that we're not sending F-22s and A-10s to Ukraine, flown by our guys, to wipe out the Russians.
So it's not just the usual "anti-war" left that is war crazy right now, but much of the right. I'm not sure where I am on the APS sliding scale, but in meatspace around these parts anyway, I'm kinda feeling like people (both right and left) think I'm a commie pinko sympathizer or something, and no one is questioning what I consider scary propaganda from our side. Or the non-Russian side, or whatever alternate Earth side that I'm apparently on. I feel like it's a very minority position right now though, and that I might get rocks thrown at me if I don't hurry up and put Ukrainian flag stickers on everything I own.
I should point out that the two guys mentioned above only get their news from the "local" papers and ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of course even alternate "conservative" sites like Twitchy seem to be pushing for war. There are very few people in the media stepping back to consider potential WW3, nuclear war, etc.
I stopped watching the TV news completely. I am happy not to hear all the propaganda. IMO, there are lot of better sources of information on the internet to find. Yes, they are all biased so pick 2 or 3 unrelated sources instead of just one.
I don't consider myself anti war. I am just very cautious. Seeing that leaders I thought were decent (at the time) got us into 20 year occupations over the last couple decades, I think it is wise to have a healthy bit of distrust for the war hawks on both sides.
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The war is how the left stays in power and simultaneously purges the trumpers.
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I stopped watching the TV news completely. I am happy not to hear all the propaganda.
I have to admit, CNN sucks when they talk politics but they have pretty decent war coverage…
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Celebration in Moscow of the annexation of Crimea.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60774819?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62348de4980bea49f4b7d160%26WATCH%3A%20Thousands%20gather%20to%20celebrate%20annexation%20of%20Crimea%262022-03-18T13%3A53%3A56.396Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1d8fbbd9-3d64-4c63-b63a-280e14fb96da&pinned_post_asset_id=62348de4980bea49f4b7d160&pinned_post_type=share
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I was almost going to start a separate poll, because I'm kinda feeling like I'm on a parallel Earth right now. I'm looking around as a "republitarian" and am feeling like the far left whackos I otherwise make fun of.
I was on a pigeon shoot with a couple of older guys yesterday, who both consider themselves VERY conservative. Both NRA life members, both Vietnam combat vets. One of them was a big Trump supporter up until 06JAN - I mean the kind that had a Trump flag under his American flag for four years. Now he hates Trump and both guys were talking about putting all the 06JAN people in front of a firing squad. They were also super pissed that we're not sending F-22s and A-10s to Ukraine, flown by our guys, to wipe out the Russians.
So it's not just the usual "anti-war" left that is war crazy right now, but much of the right. I'm not sure where I am on the APS sliding scale, but in meatspace around these parts anyway, I'm kinda feeling like people (both right and left) think I'm a commie pinko sympathizer or something, and no one is questioning what I consider scary propaganda from our side. Or the non-Russian side, or whatever alternate Earth side that I'm apparently on. I feel like it's a very minority position right now though, and that I might get rocks thrown at me if I don't hurry up and put Ukrainian flag stickers on everything I own.
I should point out that the two guys mentioned above only get their news from the "local" papers and ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of course even alternate "conservative" sites like Twitchy seem to be pushing for war. There are very few people in the media stepping back to consider potential WW3, nuclear war, etc.
I think the American propaganda machine is much more effective than anything the Russians ever had in place. People that think they're free seem to be willing to adopt whatever mindset they're told to adopt, even if today's mindset is opposite of yesterday's. A person that is 100% certain he "thinks for himself" will never question if his thoughts are being influenced by someone else. Essentially, self-confidence makes one vulnerable to manipulation. Now that's irony.
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... says the user with the name fifth_column ... now I don't know what to believe!
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... says the user with the name fifth_column ... now I don't know what to believe!
That's good. A little self-doubt can be extremely healthy . . . . .
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That's good. A little self-doubt can be extremely healthy . . . . .
If a fifth columnist wants me to doubt myself, then I shouldn't doubt myself, right?
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Putin not serious about peace talks, says former Russian PM
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60774819?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6234830a980bea49f4b7d145%26Putin%20not%20serious%20about%20peace%20talks%2C%20says%20former%20Russian%20PM%262022-03-18T14%3A21%3A36.641Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:288fe9c9-98e1-42b5-bd10-c8c9c0956f93&pinned_post_asset_id=6234830a980bea49f4b7d145&pinned_post_type=share
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He said Putin and his closest political allies were "nervous" about the extent of the "devastating" economic sanctions imposed by the West, suggesting the Russian leader "didn't expect the sanctions would be so harsh".
I think this is very true. Russia got a pretty weak slap on the wrist for taking Crimea and the other separatist regions in Eastern Ukraine. And that led them to expect more of the same.
Now the wheat harvest is failing, and the war in Ukraine will most likely screw theirs up too, and a bunch of the Middle East and China relies on that food.
Putin can't admit failure or retreat, so I expect Russia to continue, but there's a good chance they'll suffer complete logistical collapse within a month or so.
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If a fifth columnist wants me to doubt myself, then I shouldn't doubt myself, right?
Depends on your goal. Finding the truth is reductive; eliminating the false leaves only the true.
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Grain of salt time?
Some people at Moscow rally say they were pressured to attend
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60774819?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6234a9570ce87e491a0f01b8%26Some%20people%20at%20Moscow%20rally%20say%20they%20were%20pressured%20to%20attend%262022-03-18T16%3A06%3A13.807Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:ae43bd96-af9c-4219-a7e2-7d1fbae80bdb&pinned_post_asset_id=6234a9570ce87e491a0f01b8&pinned_post_type=share
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I hope I am wrong, but I think a lot of Ukrainians will starve to death (again) if this war isn't ended soon.
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I hope I am wrong, but I think a lot of Ukrainians will starve to death (again) if this war isn't ended soon.
Yeah. Especially in Russian controlled regions. A country having trouble supplying its own military is going to have a hard time feeding civilians in conquered territory.
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Yeah. Especially in Russian controlled regions. A country having trouble supplying its own military is going to have a hard time feeding civilians in conquered territory.
Cue PRAVDA stories about Nazi cannibal Ukrainians.
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Yeah. Especially in Russian controlled regions. A country having trouble supplying its own military is going to have a hard time feeding civilians in conquered territory.
And foreign armies foraging always ends well. =|
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A bunch of guns and tactical gear are being collected for Ukraine. While I applaud the thought behind the efforts, I'm still betting a lot of this stuff will never make it through the red tape and ITAR.
If nothing else, it's certainly another jab at Biden and his "rifles vs F-15s and nukes" comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/american-gun-companies-helping-ukrainians-fight-putin
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A bunch of guns and tactical gear are being collected for Ukraine. While I applaud the thought behind the efforts, I'm still betting a lot of this stuff will never make it through the red tape and ITAR.
If nothing else, it's certainly another jab at Biden and his "rifles vs F-15s and nukes" comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/american-gun-companies-helping-ukrainians-fight-putin
https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar-15-tyranny-15-stripped-lower-receiver-ships-in-approximately-12-weeks.html
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ISS-bound Cosmonauts open hatch to Space Station wearing Ukrainian-colored flight suits.
Heads are going to roll at Roskosmos for this one.
(https://i.redd.it/h2yezifqy7o81.jpg)
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Looks like the same suit without the blue.
Photo is dated 2015
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-moscow-russia-october-06-cosmonaut-suit-aansari-in-space-museum-on-94562597.html
I suspect the blue areas are velcro
but still funny, whoops
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Appears the Russians deployed a hypersonic missile yesterday. Travels at mach 10, supposed to be unable to be intercepted by Western missile defense systems. They used it to blow up a Ukrainian arms depot.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18000231/moment-russian-hypersonic-missile-destroys-ukrainian-weapons-depot/
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Appears the Russians deployed a hypersonic missile yesterday. Travels at mach 10, supposed to be unable to be intercepted by Western missile defense systems. They used it to blow up a Ukrainian arms depot.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18000231/moment-russian-hypersonic-missile-destroys-ukrainian-weapons-depot/
It's possible to stop the video and catch what sure looks like the missile coming in vertically . . . I'm not so sure the drone footage would be capable of catching a Mach 10 missile. Any video experts here?
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(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/275805148_5004252419622983_3083890258467613694_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=dp2OOrJ8pfgAX8UOtpM&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-qIQaBc-8f2AzNTT9haeiEFKUFj_7l5y5DiPildtLbPA&oe=623BC7A1)
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Anti-Tank Guided Cat
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FOPkPmiXwAwb1Uw.jpg)
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Just learned about the Azov Battallion, did a little reading on it.
Smells similar to the Mujaheddin of the 1980's.
How much money will anyone bet that, after the US offers material support to guerrillas fighting the Russians, then two decades later those same guerrillas become enemies of the US and a US effort to pacify the region is undertaken?
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Don't know if it's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.
(https://i.redd.it/qjre7k0fpdo81.jpg)
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Don't know if it's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.
(https://i.redd.it/qjre7k0fpdo81.jpg)
Why bother with the cash? That’s about $1.6mil in gold. Would the cash be intended for bribes?
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Panic buying in Russia.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1505144874886209538
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russians-panic-buying-ukraine-invasion-consequences
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Don't know if it's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.
(https://i.redd.it/qjre7k0fpdo81.jpg)
Four billion? You mean 1 billion after our politicians took their
3 billion cut first. Then that billion will wind up like that
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Just learned about the Azov Battallion, did a little reading on it.
Smells similar to the Mujaheddin of the 1980's.
How much money will anyone bet that, after the US offers material support to guerrillas fighting the Russians, then two decades later those same guerrillas become enemies of the US and a US effort to pacify the region is undertaken?
The US, assuming it still exists, will likely not be in any condition to pacify anything twenty years from now.
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Why bother with the cash? That’s about $1.6mil in gold. Would the cash be intended for bribes?
Likely bribes and other "strategic" uses. Hard to break up those gold bars into smaller chunks, and it has to still be converted, which would be an extra step and attention for the bribee. Cash is fast.
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The US, assuming it still exists, will likely not be in any condition to pacify anything twenty years from now.
I used to think talk like this was whacko. Lately, I've been talking like this. I look around, and we are becoming a "superpower" in name only. China is surpassing us in everything, and much of the rest of the world seems to be changing their bets to that horse.
Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.
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I used to think talk like this was whacko. Lately, I've been talking like this. I look around, and we are becoming a "superpower" in name only. China is surpassing us in everything, and much of the rest of the world seems to be changing their bets to that horse.
It's just extrapolating current trends out to a logical conclusion.
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Panic buying in Russia.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1505144874886209538
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russians-panic-buying-ukraine-invasion-consequences
Seeing reports put out by British intel that there is growing grumbling within Putin's ruling circle and even a bit of panic forming.
Things could go all Duce/Saddam/Ceaușescu (take your pick) real quick in Russia.
Which puts more and more pressure on Putin to end this quickly. Doubt he would back out but rather escalate it in ways that would make Hitler blush an attempt to break the Ukrainians.
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Don't know if it's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.
(https://i.redd.it/qjre7k0fpdo81.jpg)
That would be 80% of congress x million if here.
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Finally
https://twitter.com/solamiga/status/1504200059604320257
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Finally
https://twitter.com/solamiga/status/1504200059604320257
Good one.
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Full version:
https://youtu.be/s4UM2IkfB0o
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Full version:
https://youtu.be/s4UM2IkfB0o
Thanks.
I was looking for that but for some reason it wasn't coming up or I over looked it based on the date since I was looking for something more recent.
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As a side note I just checked gun broker and people are asking $11k+ for the same Russian Vepr I paid $1,100 for which included a $400-500 Iron Wood SVD stock.
So ~$600 to $11k+ :O
Yikes. It's going to stay in the gun safe now.
Yes I know gun broker can be wacko. ~$3k would be more realistic in my mind.
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Anyone can ask any price. What are they selling for?
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Anyone can ask any price. What are they selling for?
In my post
I did see some go for ~3k around that before this current mess thanks to Trump's ban on imported Russian guns but even at ~$3k still nuts IMHO.
But look at Dragunovs, $500 rifles before their import was banned back under Bush Sr., or was it Clinton?, that sell for ~$20k+ now.
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This my Vepr
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/WLJ2-rs.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
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Fox News reports:
Russia orders deployment of cadets: Ukrainian Defense Ministry
Ukrainian defense officials claimed Sunday to have obtained documents that indicate Russia has ordered the deployment of cadets to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly told his people that the army is not utilizing cadets, but photos of the documents posted online indicate that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has signed an order to the contrary.
The deployment will see Yunarmia cadets aged 17 and 18 pushed to the frontlines in Ukraine.
Haven't yet seen confirmation from a non-Ukrainian source.
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What's happened so far today?
If you are just catching up with the morning headlines, here's a short summary of what is going on in Ukraine today.
The dire situation in the port city of Mariupol continues, with some 300,000 people trapped without power, food or water amid intense bombardment
Ukraine has ignored Russia's demand it gives up the city by 05:00 Moscow time, saying Russian promises to allow people out of the siege could not be trusted
A Ukrainian MP from Mariupol says Russia is trying to starve out the citizens, but the city will not surrender
Ukrainian authorities say at least six people were killed when a shopping centre and a number of houses were hit in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv
People are being advised to shelter after a 50-tonne tank containing poison gas was damaged during shelling of a chemical plant near the city of Sumy, causing a toxic ammonia leak
The mayor of Kyiv has announced a curfew in the capital from 2000 local time on Monday to 0700 local time on Wednesday
Lithuania’s foreign minister says the EU must maintain pressure on Russia and "cannot get tired" of imposing sanctions
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60802572?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62384dacec502b53cd4832f1%26What%27s%20happened%20so%20far%20today%3F%262022-03-21T10%3A41%3A38.998Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:d39ff89f-ea9e-47f0-b65f-970cc4dce5bd&pinned_post_asset_id=62384dacec502b53cd4832f1&pinned_post_type=share
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1 million rounds of ammo waiting at the border, thanks to Richard Childress and Ammo Inc.:
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/nascar-childress-ammunition-ukraine-million
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Remington selling "I need ammo, not a ride" t-shirts:
https://www.remington.com/merchandise/apparel/short-sleeve-shirts/1001692.html
Want to help? Purchase and wear this Ukraine benefit t-shirt. All profits benefit the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund through the Global Giving organization Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund - GlobalGiving.
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Did Russia just admit to 10,000 deaths?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60802572?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6238da031fea84616a6cc55d%26Did%20Russia%20just%20admit%20to%2010%2C000%20deaths%3F%262022-03-21T20%3A17%3A03.074Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:0f6974bc-751e-4814-9549-d797d614cd8e&pinned_post_asset_id=6238da031fea84616a6cc55d&pinned_post_type=share
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Remington selling "I need ammo, not a ride" t-shirts:
https://www.remington.com/merchandise/apparel/short-sleeve-shirts/1001692.html
Yeah, I got an e-mail from [not really]Remington.
If [not really]Remington really wanted to help Ukraine, they'd run a batch of 7.62x39 and ship it over.
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Yeah, I got an e-mail from [not really]Remington.
If [not really]Remington really wanted to help Ukraine, they'd run a batch of 7.62x39 and ship it over.
5.45 for the Army.
Their older reserve rifles are in 7.62x39 though
Is Remington even tooled up to produce either?
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I'll just leave this here...
Amelia Anisovych: Ukrainian girl who sang ‘Let It Go’ in bomb shelter performs national anthem
https://youtu.be/KrI7jPWzHzA (https://youtu.be/KrI7jPWzHzA)
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5.45 for the Army.
Their older reserve rifles are in 7.62x39 though
Is Remington even tooled up to produce either?
Is Remington even a pro-gun, pro-Ukraine company? After the latest bankruptcy, who knows what is going on with them.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/21/biden-russia-cyberattacks-00018942?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/21/biden-russia-cyberattacks-00018942?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab)
Joe says Russian cyber attacks are coming.
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Does Joe even know what a cyber attack is?
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Does Joe even know what a cyber attack is?
Does Joe even know what Ukraine is?
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Does Joe even know what Ukraine is?
Does Joe even know what "is" is? =D
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Does Joe even know who Joe is?
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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/21/biden-russia-cyberattacks-00018942?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/21/biden-russia-cyberattacks-00018942?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab)
Joe says Russian cyber attacks are coming.
Are they getting ready to allege more election interference from Russia? I.e., stuff that will make the Trump-Russia hoax "look like Jim Eagle"?
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Are they getting ready to allege more election interference from Russia? I.e., stuff that will make the Trump-Russia hoax "look like Jim Eagle"?
Ding Ding Ding
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I think this goes here. I'm not necessarily a Candace Owens fan, but this was great. The NYT asked her to provide information on where she got the crazy idea that Ukraine was corrupt, because her "ideas" matched what Russian state media was saying. She replied that she got them from the NYT, and provided links. :rofl:
Naturally, as all the corrupt MSM does, they sent her the email as the story was being "finalized", hoping they didn't get a reply on time while being able to say they asked her for one.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/21/priceless-ny-times-asked-candace-owens-where-she-got-her-ideas-about-ukraine-then-it-got-awkward-for-the-nyt/
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russia-logistics-china-mres/?fbclid=IwAR0lBQ-w36GooR_H-BS2H8UIE5NTrXNZooUH8jsoPk0UKeOA9BguBokNh2Y
I wonder how good the Chinese MREs are.
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I wonder how good the Chinese MREs are.
The YouTube video on the page you linked would seem to answer that question.
https://youtu.be/n96m5lB8nzA
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russia-logistics-china-mres/?fbclid=IwAR0lBQ-w36GooR_H-BS2H8UIE5NTrXNZooUH8jsoPk0UKeOA9BguBokNh2Y
I wonder how good the Chinese MREs are.
They are pretty good, but after you eat one you get hungry again 30 minutes later. :rofl:
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(https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Family-Guy-Ipacec.gif)
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russia-logistics-china-mres/?fbclid=IwAR0lBQ-w36GooR_H-BS2H8UIE5NTrXNZooUH8jsoPk0UKeOA9BguBokNh2Y
I wonder how good the Chinese MREs are.
From the caption on one of the pictures in the article:
Ukrainian servicemen get ready to repel an attack in Ukraine’s Lugansk region on February 24, 2022. – Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, killing dozens and forcing hundreds to flee for their lives in the pro-Western neighbour.
"Killing dozens and forcing hundreds to flee for their lives" sounds like a bad weekend in Chicago, or maybe a Syrian/Palestinian rocket attack into Israel. Not a full-scale invasion of a country with a population of 40 million or more.
It's so hard to take any news seriously any more.
Who is "Task and Purpose?" What's their schtick and claim to credibility?
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They claim to be military (either vets or experts), and report on military centric stories and events. "Task and Purpose " is an outdated reference to Army OP ORDER writing.
They are generally considered by the military to be full of *expletive deleted*it. Personally, I can say when they have reported on events I was present for, they have been wildly inaccurate in their guesses on causation, and not particularly good on even the 5Ws.
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They claim to be military (either vets or experts), and report on military centric stories and events. "Task and Purpose " is an outdated reference to Army OP ORDER writing.
They are generally considered by the military to be full of *expletive deleted*it. Personally, I can say when they have reported on events I was present for, they have been wildly inaccurate in their guesses on causation, and not particularly good on even the 5Ws.
Maybe that's their assigned role, spreading poor information and bad intel. The war among intelligence agencies never ends apparently. We are all living in the battlespace whether we acknowledge it or not.
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russia-logistics-china-mres/?fbclid=IwAR0lBQ-w36GooR_H-BS2H8UIE5NTrXNZooUH8jsoPk0UKeOA9BguBokNh2Y
I wonder how good the Chinese MREs are.
The YouTube video on the page you linked would seem to answer that question.
https://youtu.be/n96m5lB8nzA
It's worth noting that Steve's only gotten sick ONCE from trying out MREs - and that was when he ate a NON-EXPIRED Chinese MRE. Eating hardtack dated to the US Civil War? No problem. Eating canned beef that dated to the first Boer War? No issue there. But our boy Steve almost got done in by whatever foulness the CCP feeds its soldiers with.
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I just saw a snippet on Fox Business that said civilian gun sales (or at least applications for) in Poland have doubled. I don't know where all their stats came from so don't know how accurate they are, though they did interview a Polish gun dealer who gave a few bits of data. Some fun facts:
It takes 3-6 months to get a permit, cost $500.
Background check, classroom work, and live fire tests required.
The most popular items right now are 9MM Glocks and ARs. The AR cost is $1000.*
A tidbit given by the Fox reporter: 1:100 gun/person ratio in Poland. 125:100 ratio in US.
*"Glock may have just meant 9MM pistol. The AR cost was the reporter pointing at one and asking how much it cost. I couldn't see the rifle pointed to.
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But our boy Steve almost got done in by whatever foulness the CCP feeds its soldiers with.
To be fair to the Chinese, it's hard to be confident on how Steve's Chinese MREs got to him. Maybe they were part of a batch that were rejected by the Chinese military on quality grounds then sold to foreigners on the black market because screw the gweilo.
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To be fair to the Chinese, it's hard to be confident on how Steve's Chinese MREs got to him. Maybe they were part of a batch that were rejected by the Chinese military on quality grounds then sold to foreigners on the black market because screw the gweilo.
Along with a bunch of aircraft parts
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https://babylonbee.com/news/99-of-americans-support-sending-mitt-romney-to-fight-in-ukraine
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https://babylonbee.com/news/99-of-americans-support-sending-mitt-romney-to-fight-in-ukraine
So a satire site is now reporting real news?
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As a side note I just checked gun broker and people are asking $11k+ for the same Russian Vepr I paid $1,100 for which included a $400-500 Iron Wood SVD stock.
So ~$600 to $11k+ :O
Yikes. It's going to stay in the gun safe now.
Yes I know gun broker can be wacko. ~$3k would be more realistic in my mind.
I guess I need to check that out at some point. I have a 5.45 Vepr that I could live without if the money was approaching that.
I wonder if Saiga's are selling well.
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To be fair to the Chinese, it's hard to be confident on how Steve's Chinese MREs got to him. Maybe they were part of a batch that were rejected by the Chinese military on quality grounds then sold to foreigners on the black market because screw the gweilo.
I watched videos of the flooding in China last year. Along with countless other videos and photos of shoddy Chinese EVERYTHING. Wasn't there a long while where all the Chinese who could afford it bought foreign baby formula because the domestic ones were toxic? I dont really feel confident, man.
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Reportedly 6 Russian generals now have been killed. And now a Lt. Col has been reportedly captured
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60830013?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623b550d4f71af55b46155dc%26Ukrainians%20capture%20lieutenant%20colonel%20-%20Western%20official%262022-03-23T17%3A54%3A38.543Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:a4bddd11-f729-424f-a092-d09564e8f1ce&pinned_post_asset_id=623b550d4f71af55b46155dc&pinned_post_type=share
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Anatoly Chubais has stepped down as Vladimir Putin’s international envoy and is reportedly in Turkey with his wife.
Reuters reported that he had resigned because of the war in Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60830013?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623b57381fea84616a6cc7a4%26Resignation%20of%20Putin%20envoy%20%27significant%27%20but%20%27won%27t%20undermine%20regime%27%262022-03-23T18%3A09%3A10.080Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:8d98b076-7f94-46ef-b3ce-17483585b984&pinned_post_asset_id=623b57381fea84616a6cc7a4&pinned_post_type=share
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This war has hit a little closer to home. The husband of a female translator used by our preacher on his mission trips to Ukraine in the early 2000s was killed last week. He was transporting senior citizens in a church van to get their medications from a pharmacy. This is something he had been doing for several years.
His wife, who was the translator, and two older teenage children had already evacuated Lviv for safer environs. He stayed behind because he believed it was his calling from the Lord to help senior citizens in this way despite the circumstances in Lviv.
Three Russian soldiers stopped his van and pulled him from the driver's seat. He was executed in the street, supposedly because he was a male of military age. His body was left in the street, and no one was allowed to recover it for burial. The senior citizens in the van were not harmed.
Our preacher has remained close to this family over the years, and he is really hurt by what happened to his friend.
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This war has hit a little closer to home. The husband of a female translator used by our preacher on his mission trips to Ukraine in the early 2000s was killed last week. He was transporting senior citizens in a church van to get their medications from a pharmacy. This is something he had been doing for several years.
His wife, who was the translator, and two older teenage children had already evacuated Lviv for safer environs. He stayed behind because he believed it was his calling from the Lord to help senior citizens in this way despite the circumstances in Lviv.
Three Russian soldiers stopped his van and pulled him from the driver's seat. He was executed in the street, supposedly because he was a male of military age. His body was left in the street, and no one was allowed to recover it for burial. The senior citizens in the van were not harmed.
Our preacher has remained close to this family over the years, and he is really hurt by what happened to his friend.
They are also making men strip down to check their tattoos. If you have any tattoos that they consider aligning you with the current government or the Nazi's you're toast.
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https://babylonbee.com/news/99-of-americans-support-sending-mitt-romney-to-fight-in-ukraine
Anyone can be a paratrooper once.
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They are also making men strip down to check their tattoos. If you have any tattoos that they consider aligning you with the current government or the Nazi's you're toast.
That is why you don’t surrender. Also why I am tired of the whataboutists.
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This war has hit a little closer to home. The husband of a female translator used by our preacher on his mission trips to Ukraine in the early 2000s was killed last week. He was transporting senior citizens in a church van to get their medications from a pharmacy. This is something he had been doing for several years.
His wife, who was the translator, and two older teenage children had already evacuated Lviv for safer environs. He stayed behind because he believed it was his calling from the Lord to help senior citizens in this way despite the circumstances in Lviv.
Three Russian soldiers stopped his van and pulled him from the driver's seat. He was executed in the street, supposedly because he was a male of military age. His body was left in the street, and no one was allowed to recover it for burial. The senior citizens in the van were not harmed.
Our preacher has remained close to this family over the years, and he is really hurt by what happened to his friend.
Lviv is in the western part of Ukraine. I didn't think the Russians were anywhere near Lviv.
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Lviv is in the western part of Ukraine. I didn't think the Russians were anywhere near Lviv.
I thought he said Lviv, though it's possible that's where his translator took their kids to be safe. I might have misheard and confused locations.
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Reportedly 6 Russian generals now have been killed. And now a Lt. Col has been reportedly captured
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60830013?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623b550d4f71af55b46155dc%26Ukrainians%20capture%20lieutenant%20colonel%20-%20Western%20official%262022-03-23T17%3A54%3A38.543Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:a4bddd11-f729-424f-a092-d09564e8f1ce&pinned_post_asset_id=623b550d4f71af55b46155dc&pinned_post_type=share
https://old.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/tk81u1/list_of_deadcaptured_russian_officers_mar_22_more/
100 officers dead, wounded or MIA. One got run over by his own men. :rofl:
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Enter The Chieftain
Watching at time of posting
Why you can't draw great conclusions from the Ukraine videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pVEP0AzZ4
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That is why you don’t surrender. Also why I am tired of the whataboutists.
Zelinsky is a murderous thug and dictator. Ukraine isn't much of a "democracy". More than likely Z and his thugs are being run by the company.
Hard pass on going to war with Russia over a puppet state.
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Majority of Finns now support joining NATO:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/finland-shows-strong-support-for-nato-poll
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Zelinsky is a murderous thug and dictator. Ukraine isn't much of a "democracy". More than likely Z and his thugs are being run by the company.
Hard pass on going to war with Russia over a puppet state.
Granted I’m not an expert on Ukraine, but I thought he was some low level celebrity before getting elected. What’s the evidence for him being murderous, a thug and a dictator? I mean, last I heard he hadn’t canceled elections and declared himself President for life, or disappeared a bunch of critics. I’m sure he’s corrupt as hell, but so is pretty much everyone there (not to mention in DC). Not saying he’s a good guy, as I doubt there’s any good guys involved (including the Biden admin).
Regardless, totally agree with you on the hard pass.
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Zelinsky is a murderous thug and dictator. Ukraine isn't much of a "democracy". More than likely Z and his thugs are being run by the company.
Hard pass on going to war with Russia over a puppet state.
;/
I never said go to war. But we are going to as incompetently as possible either by accident or what looks like an accident.
Run by the CIA, they finally did something so good 70% of his country approves of him.
Dictator. Well, only other place I heard that was Carlson and now I question every other thing I have liked that Carlson has said. He is bought and paid for. His op-ed calling Zelensky a dictator was so rife with lack of context and lies of omission that there is no way it was an accident. The TV stations shut down, owned by Medvedchuk of the banned minority party. Just an ordinary TV station owner with a daughter. Whose godfather is V. Putin. Nope, nothing to see here. The banned party was probably going to be the installed puppet government.
And if I was wrong on everything and the government is rotten to the core and fooled everyone I still have nothing but admiration for the people of Ukraine.
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And if I was wrong on everything and the government is rotten to the core and fooled everyone I still have nothing but admiration for the people of Ukraine.
This is a war where I can get behind supporting the average citizens of both countries. Ukrainian citizens are getting the worst of it, but Russian citizens who want nothing more than to live their lives are having their lives destroyed by all the "boycotts" of the woke entities of the world. The Russian government and Russian war effort are little impacted by those boycotts and censures, but it's certainly slamming Russian citizens.
At some point this war will be over, and I think Russian citizens are going to remember what the world did to them - not as a defensive strategy to end the war, but because all the cool kids were doing it.
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The Ukraine government is more corrupt than the Biden administration, that's saying something.
That Americans are still trusting the same crowd that gave us Iraq, Afghanistan and other lowlights in foreign policy just shows you how well propaganda works.
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Russian “Cope Cages” and how Bar/Slat/Mesh Protections Broadly Work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtLnKhppxUU
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This is a war where I can get behind supporting the average citizens of both countries. Ukrainian citizens are getting the worst of it, but Russian citizens who want nothing more than to live their lives are having their lives destroyed by all the "boycotts" of the woke entities of the world. The Russian government and Russian war effort are little impacted by those boycotts and censures, but it's certainly slamming Russian citizens.
At some point this war will be over, and I think Russian citizens are going to remember what the world did to them - not as a defensive strategy to end the war, but because all the cool kids were doing it.
No, all enablers.Through apathy they built this war machine. Their economic pain is the best weapon.
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No, all enablers.Through apathy they built this war machine. Their economic pain is the best weapon.
We could say the same about US citizens and Biden. Or Trump. Or Obama. Or Bush. Or Afghanistan. Or 9/11. Or the Patriot Act.
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At some point this war will be over, and I think Russian citizens are going to remember what the world did to them - not as a defensive strategy to end the war, but because all the cool kids were doing it.
And that is what German citizens remember happing after WW1 and what did we get?
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And that is what German citizens remember happing after WW1 and what did we get?
Can also be pointed out that doing nothing worked out so well for the allies during the 30s
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Can also be pointed out that doing nothing worked out so well for the allies during the 30s
To be clear, I'm not talking about sanctions against the Russian government - energy embargoes and such, which yes, do impact Russian citizens, but as an effect of the measures against the government.
I'm talking about crap like Netflix, Youtube, and Facebook banning not the Russian government, but individual Russians. Or other woke entities not attacking the Russian government, but Russian citizens. None of these thing critically affect Russian citizens (maybe things like Russian youtubers losing their livelihoods). They certainly affect psychology. The world's woke slapping Ukrainian flags on everything and wishing miserable death to people living in Russian villages who don't even know what the hell is going on is going to have detrimental effects to any peace with Russia down the road.
https://youtu.be/_0lql3prvnI
https://youtu.be/C4EA8VSZdZ8
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Things that go boom
Russian warship destroyed in occupied port of Berdyansk, says Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60859337
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Things that go boom
Russian warship destroyed in occupied port of Berdyansk, says Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60859337
Couldn't tell what ship was flying the British Union Jack. It was prominent in the drone footage at the beginning of the video.
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We could say the same about US citizens and Biden. Or Trump. Or Obama. Or Bush. Or Afghanistan. Or 9/11. Or the Patriot Act.
And it should be. Until we break our system and fix it. I am proud of my 22 years in the military despite being a cog in Albrights schemes. I served five years on an amphibious assault ship like the ones on fire this morning. But I never laid siege to cities or landed in a foreign port to destroy and install my government.
The WW1 stab in the back myth only had legs because the average Germans didn’t suffer. Their cities stood, they had food, the war didn’t touch German soil. A war of choice that we could blame on other people losing.
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Couldn't tell what ship was flying the British Union Jack. It was prominent in the drone footage at the beginning of the video.
Russian Navy jack. Flag on the front of the ship is not the national flag ever.
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Couldn't tell what ship was flying the British Union Jack. It was prominent in the drone footage at the beginning of the video.
Russian Naval Jack
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_Jack_of_Russia.svg
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Russian Navy jack. Flag on the front of the ship is not the national flag ever.
Russian Naval Jack
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_Jack_of_Russia.svg
Ah, thanks for the info. Looked like a Union Jack to my untrained eye.
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Very easy to confuse the two.
Here's a list of Russian Naval Jacks and Flags
Note the National Naval Flag
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Russian_navy_flags
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Majority of Finns now support joining NATO:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/finland-shows-strong-support-for-nato-poll
Video popped up this morning
Lots of parallels with today.
Russian Invasion of Finland - The Winter War 1939-40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkxbDwsJo38
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Joseph Goebbels would be proud
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623c8dd14f71af55b461574a%26Russian%20TV%20shows%20ruins%20-%20but%20blames%20Ukraine%262022-03-24T15%3A48%3A28.772Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:9efdcdac-390e-4bef-a01c-dd4c26b41075&pinned_post_asset_id=623c8dd14f71af55b461574a&pinned_post_type=share
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Be careful drawing conclusions from the Ukraine videos.
The Chieftain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pVEP0AzZ4
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We could say the same about US citizens and Biden. Or Trump. Or Obama. Or Bush. Or Afghanistan. Or 9/11. Or the Patriot Act.
Democracies are funny things.
1. They claim to have charge of their government
2. They fail to control their government
3. Their government sends out military adventurism at behest of niche economic interests and draws foreign ire for doing so
4. Yet somehow the democracy thinks it is immune from retaliation (i.e. "That's Terrorism and you can't do that!") for the actions of its government that it failed to control
At a certain threshold, it is most certainly legitimate to target the populace for supporting its government in warfare.
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Russian Naval Jack
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_Jack_of_Russia.svg
I've never seen it before it looks familiar...
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Not unbiased, but worth a read: https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/03/21/russian-soldiers-admit-heavy-losses-looting-shelling-civilians-in-phone-calls-to-wives-and-mothers/
Allegedly, intercepted phone calls between Russian soldiers and their families.
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Ukrainians fleeing Mariupol: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-the-unlikely-beacon-of-light-for-desperate-families-fleeing-the-devastated-city-of-mariupol-12574471
One couple brought 50 dogs with them.
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Video popped up this morning
Lots of parallels with today.
Russian Invasion of Finland - The Winter War 1939-40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkxbDwsJo38
A more complete documentary on the Winter War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR2FqMUVZzc
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Boy is THIS a *expletive deleted*ing stab right at the heart of the Russian economic infrastructure...
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/25/eu-strikes-gas-deal-with-the-us-as-it-seeks-to-cut-its-reliance-on-russia.html
There have been a number of analyses the last week or so that seem to indicate that Russian economic activity is going to be cut by at least 50% through all of the sanctions and this is going to cut even deeper.
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Boy is THIS a *expletive deleted*ing stab right at the heart of the Russian economic infrastructure...
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/25/eu-strikes-gas-deal-with-the-us-as-it-seeks-to-cut-its-reliance-on-russia.html
There have been a number of analyses the last week or so that seem to indicate that Russian economic activity is going to be cut by at least 50% through all of the sanctions and this is going to cut even deeper.
1) The Brandon administration is doing everything it can to impede NG production in this country.
2) The stated goal of the deal with the EU, "...would be to diversify LNG supplies in alignment with climate objectives and reduce demand for natural gas."
I can't help but think the plan is to ship large amounts of LNG to Europe without any real increase in production here in the US. The end result of that would be less NG available here for consumption, and what remains will be even more expensive. Yep, that lines up nicely with the Brandon administration's stated "climate objectives".
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1) The Brandon administration is doing everything it can to impede NG production in this country.
2) The stated goal of the deal with the EU, "...would be to diversify LNG supplies in alignment with climate objectives and reduce demand for natural gas."
I can't help but think the plan is to ship large amounts of LNG to Europe without any real increase in production here in the US. The end result of that would be less NG available here for consumption, and what remains will be even more expensive. Yep, that lines up nicely with the Brandon administration's stated "climate objectives".
Same basic thought occurred to me . . . based on past actions, it's easy to be cynical about Brandon's actions.
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1) The Brandon administration is doing everything it can to impede NG production in this country.
2) The stated goal of the deal with the EU, "...would be to diversify LNG supplies in alignment with climate objectives and reduce demand for natural gas."
I can't help but think the plan is to ship large amounts of LNG to Europe without any real increase in production here in the US. The end result of that would be less NG available here for consumption, and what remains will be even more expensive. Yep, that lines up nicely with the Brandon administration's stated "climate objectives".
Brother works in NG drilling. Company he works for has been sitting idle and he has been sitting at home the past year.
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This reads like they have given up on taking Kyiv.
Or Kyiv was just a diversion which is something I've had in the back of my mind for awhile
Russia to focus war on eastern Ukraine - Russian army chief
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623dc8bd5fbc655faa01edbe%26Russia%20to%20focus%20war%20on%20eastern%20Ukraine%20-%20Russian%20army%20chief%262022-03-25T13%3A59%3A44.772Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:de581b0c-fa8e-48e7-87e9-1ab59763aa84&pinned_post_asset_id=623dc8bd5fbc655faa01edbe&pinned_post_type=share
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Oh good, it wasn't just me who had that thought as to what Brandon's doing.
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It's a drop in the bucket compared to the EU's needs, and Germany doesn't even have facilities to take it. I would guess other EU nations are in the same boat after the Greens in the EU killed off so much of the fossil fuel and nuke infrastructure.
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Brother works in NG drilling. Company he works for has been sitting idle and he has been sitting at home the past year.
Yes we are sitting on a lot of LNG but we are limited on how much we can drill and how much we can export.
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Biden just told the 82nd airborne what they will see when they go into Ukraine on live tv.
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Biden just told the 82nd airborne what they will see when they go into Ukraine on live tv.
He also said if Putin uses chemical warfare we will reply in kind.
Since he's working overtime to get us in WWIII, I suggest he only draft those who voted for him.
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Biden just told the 82nd airborne what they will see when they go into Ukraine on live tv.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-25-22/h_4c1f7739c8d33db34db09d8df1450390
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The commanding officer of the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade, a colonel, was deliberately run over by his own troops as a result of the scale of losses taken by his brigade, the official said.
A seventh general (commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army) was also killed. The Kremlin has not yet responded to the claims.
Russian colonel killed by own men - Western official
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623dde6c5fbc655faa01ee04%26Russian%20colonel%20killed%20by%20own%20men%20-%20Western%20official%262022-03-25T17%3A18%3A14.419Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:e309f36b-d6ca-4199-ad96-c2262c83d9a3&pinned_post_asset_id=623dde6c5fbc655faa01ee04&pinned_post_type=share
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He also said if Putin uses chemical warfare we will reply in kind.
Since he's working overtime to get us in WWIII, I suggest he only draft those who voted for him.
Unless you consider tear gas to be chemical warfare, I don't think the US has any stocks left of offensive chemical weapons. The Army put a lot of money and technology into disposing of the nerve gas and other agents stored in the chemical depots. The Umatilla Depot in Oregon had all the weapons destroyed by 2011, closed in 2018 and is now a business park, range land and a National Guard training facility.
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Unless you consider tear gas to be chemical warfare, I don't think the US has any stocks left of offensive chemical weapons. The Army put a lot of money and technology into disposing of the nerve gas and other agents stored in the chemical depots. The Umatilla Depot in Oregon had all the weapons destroyed by 2011, closed in 2018 and is now a business park, range land and a National Guard training facility.
None of that matters because for us nuclear is an “in kind” response so Biden is saying we are going to nuke Russia if they use chemical warfare.
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Clean up on isle B.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/25/white-house-fact-checkers-attempt-to-clean-up-what-biden-told-us-troops-about-ukraine/
Love the fact check. Biden did not say what you heard him say.
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None of that matters because for us nuclear is an “in kind” response so Biden is saying we are going to nuke Russia if they use chemical warfare.
Huh. We, and as far as I know the rest of the Western world did not do squat when Syria was using chemical weapons (Sarin, chlorine and mustard gas) on their citizens. Now we start to rattle the tactical nukes for Ukraine?
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Huh. We, and as far as I know the rest of the Western world did not do squat when Syria was using chemical weapons (Sarin, chlorine and mustard gas) on their citizens. Now we start to rattle the tactical nukes for Ukraine?
I'm waiting for some "pundit" to talk about white people vs tan people.
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Huh. We, and as far as I know the rest of the Western world did not do squat when Syria was using chemical weapons (Sarin, chlorine and mustard gas) on their citizens. Now we start to rattle the tactical nukes for Ukraine?
We bombed some stuff. Then there was talk that the use of chemical weapons may have been a false flag operation which happens quite often in that region.
Considering a lot of people seemed to want Trump to do a full scale invasion, I lean on the "false flag operation" side. Not that the Syrian leaders are not bad, just that the "rebels" are bad also.
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https://timcast.com/news/biden-tells-the-82nd-airborne-theyre-going-to-ukraine-video/
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1) The Brandon administration is doing everything it can to impede NG production in this country.
2) The stated goal of the deal with the EU, "...would be to diversify LNG supplies in alignment with climate objectives and reduce demand for natural gas."
I can't help but think the plan is to ship large amounts of LNG to Europe without any real increase in production here in the US. The end result of that would be less NG available here for consumption, and what remains will be even more expensive. Yep, that lines up nicely with the Brandon administration's stated "climate objectives".
+1
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Russian defence minister 'suffers heart attack'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=623e529a5fbc655faa01eef6%26Russian%20defence%20minister%20%27suffers%20heart%20attack%27%262022-03-26T00%3A28%3A32.826Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:827151fd-9806-4cab-b5bd-159152793488&pinned_post_asset_id=623e529a5fbc655faa01eef6&pinned_post_type=share
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Sergei Rudskoy, head of the General Staff's main operations administration says: "The main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been carried out." "The combat capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces have been substantially reduced, which allows us to concentrate our main efforts on achieving the main goal: the liberation of Donbas"
Perhaps after this fiasco, the Russians have decided to just try to hold Donbas and claim success? Course it's a war, who knows what they'll actually do.
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Minor correction:
Sergei Rudskoy, head of the General Staff's main operations administration says: "The main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been carried out." "The combat capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces have been substantially reduced, which allows us to concentrate our main efforts on achieving the main goal: the liberation annexation of Donbas"
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The pastor of our church put me on to this article from last year. FWIW, he's been to Ukraine 2 or 3 times over the past several years, and is still in contact with at least one pastor there.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/may/ukraine-evangelicals-politics-conservative-movement-council.html
“The shortage of good leaders is so intense, parties are starting to recruit in the churches,” said Unguryan. “Honest and responsible politicians are easiest to find there.”
Last October, more than 500 evangelicals were elected to all levels of government. One even heads a major city—Rivne, in western Ukraine—as mayor. With evangelicals comprising only 2 percent of Ukraine’s 40 million people, it is a significant achievement.
78 percent of Ukrainians distrust state officials, and 71 percent distrust politicians, according to a 2020 poll by the Razumkov Center. But the church is trusted by 63 percent, second only to the army, trusted by 65 percent.
First elected in 1998, Oleksandr Turchynov, a Baptist from Kiev, became a trusted lawmaker in Yulia Tymoshenko’s Fatherland party....
Turchynov was elected speaker of parliament and appointed interim president when Yanukovych fled. As Russian forces occupied the Crimea and surrounding provinces that same year, he armed the Ukrainian resistance while petitioning the United Nations.
“Russian propaganda called Turchynov the ‘bloody pastor,’ but it backfired,” said Ruslan Mailuta, a Ukrainian consultant with the World Evangelical Alliance. “Ukrainians viewed him with respect, as an evangelical who stood up for his country.”
Until that point, many evangelicals were drawn to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric for conservative values. But currently...very few evangelicals support the party.
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Biden is trying hard to get us nuked.
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Biden is trying hard to get us nuked.
What did he say in his address today?
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Putin can't stay in power.
So Putin will go on TV and say the USA is trying to wipe him out.
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Putin can't stay in power.
So Putin will go on TV and say the USA is trying to wipe him out.
I love how simultaneity while they're praising it for being among the greatest speeches ever they're also saying he didn't actually say much of it.
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It's another in a long line of you didn't hear Biden say what you heard Biden say.
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Hmmm
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators reportedly suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning when they met to discuss peace negotiations earlier this month, several news sources have claimed.
Abramovich, along with another Russian entrepreneur, had taken part in the negotiations alongside Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning, reports say
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60890199?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6241da105fbc655faa01f419%26Russian%20oligarch%20Roman%20Abramovich%20suffered%20suspected%20poisoning%2C%20reports%20say%262022-03-28T16%3A16%3A53.882Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:43ad70f4-c95b-436b-8235-9047ebe09961&pinned_post_asset_id=6241da105fbc655faa01f419&pinned_post_type=share
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Hmmm
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning, reports say
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60890199?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6241da105fbc655faa01f419%26Russian%20oligarch%20Roman%20Abramovich%20suffered%20suspected%20poisoning%2C%20reports%20say%262022-03-28T16%3A16%3A53.882Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:43ad70f4-c95b-436b-8235-9047ebe09961&pinned_post_asset_id=6241da105fbc655faa01f419&pinned_post_type=share
The dioxin tea is lovely. Thank you.
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Sources close to Abramovich confirm suspected poisoning
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60890199?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6241e4af1fea84616a6cd11b%26Sources%20close%20to%20Abramovich%20confirm%20suspected%20poisoning%262022-03-28T16%3A53%3A05.024Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:367b2575-680a-4a59-b710-4e2740c95e69&pinned_post_asset_id=6241e4af1fea84616a6cd11b&pinned_post_type=share
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The dioxin tea is lovely. Thank you.
I hear it's to die for
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Honestly, I could go 50/50 on whether Russia or Ukraine did it.
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It's another in a long line of you didn't hear Biden say what you heard Biden say.
Now it's because he's Irish
Leon Panetta says on CNN that Biden’s gaffe in Europe about regime change came about because Biden is Irish, and his instinct to internalize human suffering may have overwhelmed him to the point where he was not careful about what he said. Biden needs more discipline Panetta says
— Gordon Lubold (@glubold) March 28, 2022
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/03/28/former-secdef-leon-panetta-has-a-theory-why-biden-made-the-gaffe-about-putin/
This is why I drink
Like an Irishman :P
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Now Biden says it a lie. He didn't say any of that stuff.
They don't want to 25th him because she is an idiot but I'm starting to wonder if we make it to January 2025.
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Russian army expert Igor Strelkov: "MY WORST FEARS CAME TRUE, we got stuck in a long & bloody war"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTyQfev3Ss
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Ukrainians have retaken control of Irpin, says mayor
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60890199?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6241c61c1fea84616a6cd101%26Ukrainians%20have%20retaken%20control%20of%20Irpin%2C%20says%20mayor%262022-03-28T14%3A45%3A45.121Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:147d50a6-061c-4cc6-985f-d7b763bb26d6&pinned_post_asset_id=6241c61c1fea84616a6cd101&pinned_post_type=share
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I saw some video linked on another site purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers (not sure if regular or militia) abusing Russian captives. I noticed a lot of the captives had bloody leg and groin injuries. Then at the end one of the Ukrainians walked up to three mobile Russians and shot them in the legs and knees.
War is pretty nasty.
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I saw some video linked on another site purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers (not sure if regular or militia) abusing Russian captives. I noticed a lot of the captives had bloody leg and groin injuries. Then at the end one of the Ukrainians walked up to three mobile Russians and shot them in the legs and knees.
War is pretty nasty.
If you look at what the soviets and russians have done to them since 1919 IDGAF.
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(https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327935785l/828387.jpg)
link (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828387.A_Short_History_of_Tractors_in_Ukrainian)
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I saw some video linked on another site purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers (not sure if regular or militia) abusing Russian captives. I noticed a lot of the captives had bloody leg and groin injuries. Then at the end one of the Ukrainians walked up to three mobile Russians and shot them in the legs and knees.
War is pretty nasty.
That's one way to ensure they don't immediately rejoin the fight after repatriation.
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That's one way to ensure they don't immediately rejoin the fight after repatriation.
Yeah, it is certainly more efficient than imprisoning them, and if you are going to send them back to Russia you are simultaneously adding to Russia’s logistical and financial burdens while removing the immediate threat of that soldier reentering combat.
Still pretty brutal to see guys taking rifle rounds point blank to the legs.
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That's the kind of thing that will get you a trip to The Hague.
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That's the kind of thing that will get you a trip to The Hague.
Well, maybe if you're Russia. It seems that, in the US at least, it's like Ukraine has announced that they are gender transitioning, so they are popular and can do no wrong. If the video is accurate and the abuse is widespread and not a one-off incident, it will be interesting to see how the world reacts.
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Americans like to think wars are like video games. You know, when there are flames shooting out of a hit tank they don't think about about the 4 guys inside. It's just a video game. :O
Yeah if widespread they should go full force on whomever.
I'm sure there's some really crazy *expletive deleted*it going on we're not seeing.
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Meanwhile
Reports Russia force have ceased offensive operations around Kyiv.
Also reports the Ukrainians have recaptured two towns outside Kyiv
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Meanwhile
Reports Russia force have ceased offensive operations around Kyiv.
Also reports the Ukrainians have recaptured two towns outside Kyiv
Heard that this morning as well on CNN.
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The Russians are reportedly killing civilians intentionally so…I really don’t give a *expletive deleted*ck what the Ukrainians are doing to their POWs/captives/detainees
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The Russians are reportedly killing civilians intentionally so…I really don’t give a *expletive deleted*ck what the Ukrainians are doing to their POWs/captives/detainees
Well, I kind of do. Two wrongs don't make a right and all that. POW's should be treated in accordance to international convention. Any party breaking that should absolutely be condemned.
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Let me know when there's a war where every soldier plays by the "rules".
Not justifying anything just staying aware of the reality of human conflict in all of history
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Let me know when there's a war where every soldier plays by the "rules".
Not justifying anything just staying aware of the reality of human conflict in all of history
That's fair, and I suppose a one-off isn't unexpected, although still needs addressed. If it's systemic, that is a problem IMO.
But that's easy to say behind a keyboard, in a warm house, not in a life-or-death armed fight for national existence.
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Couple of points:
1. Yes, folks act badly in every war. US soldiers even act badly in war. That should not be tolerated.
2. Unlike many BS ROE restrictions and touchy feely crap, rules on the treatment of POW's have a very real effect on the war. Torturing and maiming POW's is how you end up with armies not surrendering even when they have lost, and really brutal outcomes. There are solid reasons to treat your prisoners correctly, even if your opponent is not.
3. It's becoming pretty clear that NATO (us) is going to get sucked into this bullshit conflict sooner or later. I would prefer not to have to shoot an "ally" in the face because they have made a habit of committing war crimes.
4. Again, we don't have to pick a side here. Bad and Not-as-Bad are fighting, due to bad government. That's no reason to be "OK" with 18 year old draftees being kneecapped because they avoided being shot by their Замполит. *
*Political Officer (https://romeosquared.eu/2018/09/10/political-officers-return-to-russian-military/)
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When I first "thought" that Putin (and his merry band of kool-aid drinkers) were committing war crimes against the Ukrainian people, I looked up where the Interntional Court in The Hague were at in their missions. Seeing that past things that Putin did was still in going to investigation mode and not stared due to lack of funding, I pretty much lost hope in the International Community punishing Putin, et. al. when this is all over.
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Couple of points:
1. Yes, folks act badly in every war. US soldiers even act badly in war. That should not be tolerated.
2. Unlike many BS ROE restrictions and touchy feely crap, rules on the treatment of POW's have a very real effect on the war. Torturing and maiming POW's is how you end up with armies not surrendering even when they have lost, and really brutal outcomes. There are solid reasons to treat your prisoners correctly, even if your opponent is not.
3. It's becoming pretty clear that NATO (us) is going to get sucked into this bullshit conflict sooner or later. I would prefer not to have to shoot an "ally" in the face because they have made a habit of committing war crimes.
4. Again, we don't have to pick a side here. Bad and Not-as-Bad are fighting, due to bad government. That's no reason to be "OK" with 18 year old draftees being kneecapped because they avoided being shot by their Замполит. *
*Political Officer (https://romeosquared.eu/2018/09/10/political-officers-return-to-russian-military/)
All good points. Though they are dying off, there is an older generation of Americans who were able to lay aside their differences with the krauts after WW2, but will never forgive the japs.
Certainly the Gestapo and SS committed atrocities to allied prisoners, but I think those were the exception, not the rule. The krauts weren't eating the livers of their prisoners.
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dogmush is right.
I saw the video. It is vile. Assuming it is real (and it looked very real) I doubt any of the wounded survived the event.
In addition to being evil, it is mind numbingly stupid. Ukraine is dependent of military aid to continue fighting. Commiting war crimes endangers their aid. Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainian evacuees. This puts them all in even worse danger than they were before.
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The krauts weren't eating the livers of their prisoners.
The Chinese and the Russians have not forgotten Unit 731.
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I can't say that I blame the Ukrainians for maiming captured Russian soldiers.
Were the same to happen in the US (queue Red Dawn), I rather doubt US forces, fighting a defensive war on our home turf, would give a sh!t about POW rules.
I acknowledge the difference between uniformed regular forces fighting an urban guerrilla insurgency versus irregular civilians, but I also suspect that at this point the Ukraine resistance is heavily bolstered by irregular forces who are not technically protected by Hague Conventions anyways. Once they start fighting, they're not protected by them, so treatment of POW's doesn't matter, and they probably know fellow countrymen and women who have been kidnapped from Ukraine and taken into Russia (since Russia has been pulling that sh!t in the last week or two). Kill them, hurt them, maim them, demoralize them, shame them, terrorize them. Do whatever it takes to make them fear coming to your country more than the repercussions of disobedience back at home.
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Well Putin did bring in the Chechens so I'm sure they have seen some unimaginable things done to their own people.
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Detailed look into the video
Some are claiming the video is staged. I don't put it pass either side.
Ukraine said they will be investigating but I'm sure everyone involved, all sides, will believe what they want to believe.
Does video show Russian prisoners being shot?
https://www.bbc.com/news/60907259
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Saw a video couple days ago of a treaded vehicle turning a corner on a country road and summarily smoking a family of three in a small sedan doing nothing more aggressive than approaching the same intersection. That's guaranteed to ratchet down the sympathies a bit. Right or not, proper or not, fair or not, Russian soldiers going home with a hole in their leg should be happy that's all they experienced.
Brad
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Saw a video couple days ago of a treaded vehicle turning a corner on a country road and summarily smoking a family of three in a small sedan doing nothing more aggressive than approaching the same intersection. That's guaranteed to ratchet down the sympathies a bit. Right or not, proper or not, fair or not, Russian soldiers going home with a hole in their leg should be happy that's all they experienced.
Brad
Been a few like that.
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Well Putin did bring in the Chechens so I'm sure they have seen some unimaginable things done to their own people.
And Syrians
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And he's bringing in Wagner Group. Let's set people on fire and behead them for something to laugh about.
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Right or not, proper or not, fair or not, Russian soldiers going home with a hole in their leg should be happy that's all they experienced.
Brad
I don't think any of the Russian POWs in that video are going to make it home. At least one was clearly dying and the captors were making comments about killing them.
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"Hey, Dmitri, what say we torture these Russkie prisoners, film it, and post it on the internet!"
"Great idea, Vassily - we'll get a lot of views and drum up a lot of support for our beloved Ukraine!"
Mind numbingly stupid (as Pb pointed out) doesn't begin to describe it - if it's real.
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Easy enough for Russians to stage it and put it out as propaganda against Ukraine.
Hell, it could be deep fake. Either is nearly as possible as actual Ukrainians doing it.
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Just popped up on YT
Explosion at RUSSIAN VILLAGE of Oktyabrsky (near Belgorod city), 12 kilometers from Ukraine border.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee6pVqboaNY
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https://t.me/zhest_belgorod/10137
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Nolan Peterson
@nolanwpeterson
I can confirm that Alpha 1, a Ukrainian Foreign Legion team of multinational special operations soldiers, including American volunteers, took part in the liberation of Irpin.
https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1508770769211301890
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Couple of points:
1. Yes, folks act badly in every war. US soldiers even act badly in war. That should not be tolerated.
2. Unlike many BS ROE restrictions and touchy feely crap, rules on the treatment of POW's have a very real effect on the war. Torturing and maiming POW's is how you end up with armies not surrendering even when they have lost, and really brutal outcomes. There are solid reasons to treat your prisoners correctly, even if your opponent is not.
3. It's becoming pretty clear that NATO (us) is going to get sucked into this bullshit conflict sooner or later. I would prefer not to have to shoot an "ally" in the face because they have made a habit of committing war crimes.
4. Again, we don't have to pick a side here. Bad and Not-as-Bad are fighting, due to bad government. That's no reason to be "OK" with 18 year old draftees being kneecapped because they avoided being shot by their Замполит. *
*Political Officer (https://romeosquared.eu/2018/09/10/political-officers-return-to-russian-military/)
QFT
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"Hey, Dmitri, what say we torture these Russkie prisoners, film it, and post it on the internet!"
"Great idea, Vassily - we'll get a lot of views and drum up a lot of support for our beloved Ukraine!"
Mind numbingly stupid (as Pb pointed out) doesn't begin to describe it - if it's real.
Remember the US servicemen and women who tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison took photographs. Torturers do film themselves. The torture film discussed here may have been made for the amusement of the men doing the crimes.... they probably never intended it to go on the internet.
You are right, it could be faked. I kind of doubt it.
I've also seen a few videos of Ukrainian servicemen using the phones of dead Russians to call their loved ones to torment them.
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Fighting for Russia will feed my family - Syrian soldier
Syrian fighters are being offer £5,000 a month to fight on the front line for Russia in the war against Ukraine, the BBC has learned.
One Syrian soldier who’s volunteered to fight said he believed Russia was carrying out a massacre in Ukraine, but it was also helping poor Syrians who couldn’t afford to eat.
He said he'd volunteered because of the money on offer. His family doesn’t want him to go, but he was told that they would be paid £37,000 if he was killed.
He said he knew of at least 200 people who had volunteered.
The Ukrainian government and a leading Syrian NGO say 14 recruitment centres have been set up across Syria.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158/page/3
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If a Syrian believes Russia will pay his family £37,000 if he dies, he is a fool. Russia doesn't care about its own soliders, why would they care about Syrians?
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I've also seen a few videos of Ukrainian servicemen using the phones of dead Russians to call their loved ones to torment them.
I wouldn't think servicemen would be allowed to carry their cell phones with them into combat and unlocked at that.
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Russia claims to have recruited 16,000 Middle East fighters
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62442da61fea84616a6cd44e%26Russia%20claims%20to%20have%20recruited%2016%2C000%20Middle%20East%20fighters%262022-03-30T14%3A15%3A03.847Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c6d214fe-e143-4769-9418-2fbc8d8cec33&pinned_post_asset_id=62442da61fea84616a6cd44e&pinned_post_type=share
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I wouldn't think servicemen would be allowed to carry their cell phones with them into combat and unlocked at that.
You'd be mistaken.
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You'd be mistaken.
Seems like a huge security risk to me.
If they're getting into them and making phone calls that would imply they're unlocked.
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Seems like a huge security risk to me.
If they're getting into them and making phone calls that would imply they're unlocked.
Of course a lot of phones these days use fingerprint or facial recognition so you’d be able to hold the dead guys head up or use his finger to get it unlocked
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Of course a lot of phones these days use fingerprint or facial recognition so you’d be able to hold the dead guys head up or use his finger to get it unlocked
Which a big reason why I consider it a security risk
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Of course a lot of phones these days use fingerprint or facial recognition so you’d be able to hold the dead guys head up or use his finger to get it unlocked
More than a few people would have no problem doing that.
(yes I'm stating the obvious)
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Seems like a huge security risk to me.
If they're getting into them and making phone calls that would imply they're unlocked.
Oh, it is a security risk. A huge one. You can map out several US bases in Iraq and Afghanistan if you know where to look on the Garmin Connect ap.
That said, getting cell phones away from 20 year olds is more difficult than you'd think in practice. Where do you think all those videos of US soldiers in combat or on patrol on TikTok come from? Phones and GoPro's on soldiers. We generally keep them from live streaming operations, but that's about it. We also have them on airplane mode when actually out doing stuff. No point in letting people DF our position. We also have near constant OPSEC classes.
But yeah, they have phones with them.
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What if Putin didn't miscalculate?
This article makes some interesting points: https://dnyuz.com/2022/03/29/what-if-putin-didnt-miscalculate/
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deleted, I can't find the video. Thanks for point out the bad link.
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Pb, that link goes to a video titled Blind Mans eye starts to die….
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Things are about to get interesting over gas
Friday is the deadline over paying in roubles
+ Putin is saying "economic war" against Russia started years ago
Pay in roubles or we'll end gas contracts - Putin
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6245ab721fea84616a6cd637%26Pay%20in%20roubles%20or%20we%27ll%20end%20gas%20contracts%20-%20Putin%262022-03-31T13%3A26%3A07.176Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:22a08fd4-0e6b-458d-8641-3c73cd561e2b&pinned_post_asset_id=6245ab721fea84616a6cd637&pinned_post_type=share
UK not looking into Russia gas payments in roubles, says UK PM's spokesman
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6245c3334f71af55b4616471%26UK%20not%20looking%20into%20Russia%20gas%20payments%20in%20roubles%2C%20says%20UK%20PM%27s%20spokesman%262022-03-31T15%3A26%3A03.174Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:25f6766b-d6e0-4831-a68e-82e3c89e967b&pinned_post_asset_id=6245c3334f71af55b4616471&pinned_post_type=share
We will not be blackmailed by Putin - Germany
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6245afb34f71af55b4616460%26We%20will%20not%20be%20blackmailed%20by%20Putin%20-%20Germany%262022-03-31T13%3A58%3A49.199Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:4ca35c39-04d1-4d86-b91d-62972106d5c9&pinned_post_asset_id=6245afb34f71af55b4616460&pinned_post_type=share
We are not doing charity - Putin on Russian gas
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60923158?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6245ae541fea84616a6cd63e%26We%20are%20not%20doing%20charity%20-%20Putin%20on%20Russian%20gas%262022-03-31T13%3A44%3A36.381Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f8a683f1-e5cf-4643-a72a-fc303221ae8b&pinned_post_asset_id=6245ae541fea84616a6cd63e&pinned_post_type=share
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Germany and Austria take step towards gas rationing
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60925016
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I definitely understand the don’t commit war crimes. In the large it seems like Ukraine is trying to treat pows well for the PR. Also no doubt they have done some very bad things. Sympathy for the recipients is also non existent. Were they still in their country there would be no issues.
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Unconfirmed
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops began leaving the Chernobyl nuclear plant after soldiers got “significant doses" of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state power company said Thursday as heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts.
Russian forces leaving Chernobyl after radiation exposure
https://www.wdrb.com/news/national/russian-forces-leaving-chernobyl-after-radiation-exposure/article_fb53b7ef-a0e7-5d7e-a5c2-fd02b92f39a3.html
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What if Putin didn't miscalculate?
This article makes some interesting points: https://dnyuz.com/2022/03/29/what-if-putin-didnt-miscalculate/
That article is silly. It offers the binary choice that either Putin wanted to conquer the whole of Ukraine, or that the most important parts of Ukraine to him were the ones containing massive petro deposits.
On one hand I agree with a lot of that article's interpretation of Putin's goals and win conditions, but on the other that article makes it out as though Putin wanted his invasion to stall and suffer losses for some incomprehensible reason. That doesn't make sense at all. The better and faster the invasion goes, the stronger his negotiating position. The weaker Russia looks, the less likely he is going to get the concessions he wants.
I just don't buy the idea that he had to intentionally let a bunch of his troops get wasted just so he had an excuse to bomb civilians so that Ukraine would then be more eager to give him the territory he wants.
If he had the capacity to launch a successful invasion that rapidly pacified Ukrainian troops and resulted in Russian seizure of Kiev on day three he would have done it. And he still might well have then gone on to magnanimously release the territory he didn't want. The fact that he has a fallback bargaining position that allows him to hold what he was most interested in doesn't mean he didn't miscalculate or that making his forces look weak was intentional.
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Mariupol
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1509112776224092163
https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/status/1509438591952424962
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Might as well have carpet bombed it with bombers like they did in WWII
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Apparently Russia seems to think they're off limits
Kremlin: Reports of Ukrainian strikes on Russian depot won't help talks
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6246d80c5fbc655faa01f9df%26Kremlin%3A%20Reports%20of%20Ukrainian%20strikes%20on%20Russian%20depot%20won%27t%20help%20talks%262022-04-01T10%3A51%3A51.972Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:5d4fc620-6161-4ead-a7d4-024e9597c3af&pinned_post_asset_id=6246d80c5fbc655faa01f9df&pinned_post_type=share
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Germany's Ministry of Interior posts a warning on twitter:
"Russia’s war of aggression against #Ukraine is a criminal offense. Anyone publicly approving the war may be liable to prosecution in Germany. This applies to using the "Z" symbol, too. German security authorities are keeping an eye on the use of the symbol. - Ministry of Interior"
https://twitter.com/GermanyinUSA/status/1508552762296082432?s=20&t=XZ71xUwqlpOwmerCmZCl2g (https://twitter.com/GermanyinUSA/status/1508552762296082432?s=20&t=XZ71xUwqlpOwmerCmZCl2g)
In this case the "Interior" must refer to the way a person thinks and feels . . .
But, Russia is the bad guy (this month) so I guess it's all OK.
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Apparently Russia seems to think they're off limits
>:D
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Germany's Ministry of Interior posts a warning on twitter:
"Russia’s war of aggression against #Ukraine is a criminal offense. Anyone publicly approving the war may be liable to prosecution in Germany. This applies to using the "Z" symbol, too. German security authorities are keeping an eye on the use of the symbol. - Ministry of Interior"
https://twitter.com/GermanyinUSA/status/1508552762296082432?s=20&t=XZ71xUwqlpOwmerCmZCl2g (https://twitter.com/GermanyinUSA/status/1508552762296082432?s=20&t=XZ71xUwqlpOwmerCmZCl2g)
In this case the "Interior" must refer to the way a person thinks and feels . . .
But, Russia is the bad guy (this month) so I guess it's all OK.
If "Z" is for Zelenskyy, how is that "pro-Russia"? I must be missing a meme or something.
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If "Z" is for Zelenskyy, how is that "pro-Russia"? I must be missing a meme or something.
You'll often see a Z painted on Russian vehicles in Ukraine
Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the letter "Z" was seen painted on tanks as well as other military vehicles massing near the border. With both countries using similar tanks and trucks, it was originally thought this was meant to distinguish different units to prevent friendly fire and assist with mobilization.
The letter Z is becoming a symbol of Russia's war in Ukraine. But what does it mean?
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085471200/the-letter-z-russia-ukraine
It's become to be seen as a sign of support of the invasion. Even seen photos of cars in the US with a big Z painted on them often followed by another photo of the car with the windows smashed out.
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The Latin-script letter Z (Russian: зет) is one of several symbols (O, V) painted on military vehicles of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, speculated to help task forces distinguish themselves from other allied or enemy forces.[1][2]
As a pro-war symbol, the "Z" has been used by the Russian government as a propaganda tool,[9] and by Russian civilians as a sign of support for the invasion. Outside Russia, the symbol has therefore been banned from public display in several states.
Z (military symbol)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_(military_symbol)
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Ah, got it. Thanks.
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I guess any pro-Putin Germans can just say the Z is zer pronoun.
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Ukraine has been saying all along it wasn't them that hit the Russian oil depot now speculation it was Russian protestors against the war.
Could be BS
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624758614f71af55b461663e%26Ukraine%20security%20chief%20hints%20Russia%20to%20blame%20for%20oil%20depot%20attack%262022-04-01T20%3A07%3A51.818Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1448b5e7-fde3-4ea3-9ad5-f48be3500c38&pinned_post_asset_id=624758614f71af55b461663e&pinned_post_type=share
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It could also have been a false flag operation.
I don't care. I think it's hilarious that Russia would invade a sovereign nation, kill thousands (if not tens or hundreds of thousands) of civilians, essentially level major cities ... and then have the chutzpah to complain about an oil facility being blown up.
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Chernobyl back in Ukrainian hands
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624845981fea84616a6cd90a%26Ukraine%20flag%20flying%20above%20Chernobyl%20again%262022-04-02T14%3A43%3A26.398Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:92824a46-9ecc-43c4-a052-0e1cd8f3eccb&pinned_post_asset_id=624845981fea84616a6cd90a&pinned_post_type=share
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Bodies seen strewn across road in town near Kyiv
Journalists from the AFP news agency with the first Ukrainian troops to enter the town of Bucha after Russian troops retreated have seen at least 20 bodies strewn along a single road.
Bucha, just outside Kyiv, has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting in recent weeks.
In footage posted online, bodies were seen along a road in the town as if they had been dumped from the back of a truck. All appeared to be wearing civilian clothes.
Some have their hands tied, with bullet wounds to the head.
Footage shows residential buildings with gaping holes from shellfire, and crushed cars littering the streets.
Bucha - along with nearby Irpin - has seen weeks of fierce fighting, as the Russians tried to encircle the capital.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706
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Not pretty
https://twitter.com/j_b_e__zorg/status/1510005388950876168
Bodies lying in the street
https://twitter.com/ViktoriiaUAH/status/1509985789404459011
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Almost 300 People Buried In "Mass Grave" In Bucha Outside Kyiv: Mayor
"In Bucha, we have already buried 280 people in mass graves," mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis-almost-300-people-buried-in-mass-grave-in-bucha-outside-kyiv-mayor-2859291
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After looking through some photos of towns around Kyiv the Russians had pulled out of I need a drink
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That's really sick - and I mean that in the traditional sense of the word. =(
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Borodyanka
https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1510300147074404352
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One commander said all men aged between 18 and 60 had been rounded up and executed by Moscow's soldiers
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624889ef4f71af55b4616823%26What%27s%20the%20latest%3F%262022-04-02T18%3A04%3A20.299Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:e3369072-a14b-47f2-81da-7ea72b28a261&pinned_post_asset_id=624889ef4f71af55b4616823&pinned_post_type=share
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Ugh =(
Do they want foreign intervention? Seems like going on a genocidal rampage against civilians is a good way to get it.
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If this is accurate looks like the Russians have pretty much pulled out of the Kyiv area
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-04-02_152157.png)
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In pictures: Wrecked remains of the world's largest plane
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624865b94f71af55b4616787%26In%20pictures%3A%20Wrecked%20remains%20of%20the%20world%27s%20largest%20plane%262022-04-02T15%3A46%3A56.662Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:16d1193a-e515-4706-b6ad-d585f9b21f6c&pinned_post_asset_id=624865b94f71af55b4616787&pinned_post_type=share
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Flooding in Sviyatohirsk after dam was blown up on Siversky Donets river near Izyum
https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/2-april-flooding-in-sviyatohirsk-after-dam-was-blown-up-on
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Dear God.
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Chernobyl back in Ukrainian hands
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624845981fea84616a6cd90a%26Ukraine%20flag%20flying%20above%20Chernobyl%20again%262022-04-02T14%3A43%3A26.398Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:92824a46-9ecc-43c4-a052-0e1cd8f3eccb&pinned_post_asset_id=624845981fea84616a6cd90a&pinned_post_type=share
Gonna suck resurveying the exclusion zone to see what was churned up. Some previously safe areas are decidedly less so now.
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UK sending long(er) range artillery and armored vehicles to Ukraine:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/uk-send-long-range-weapons-183235859.html
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Jim Sciutto
@jimsciutto
Breaking: US is expected to help facilitate transfer of tanks from NATO allies to Ukraine, according to senior US officials. The tanks will be Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which Ukrainian military has experience operating and will be delivered “within days, not weeks,” I’m told.
3:48 PM · Apr 2, 2022·Twitter for iPhone
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One commander said all men aged between 18 and 60 had been rounded up and executed by Moscow's soldiers
Whether true or propaganda, that could drive a lot of Ukrainian men to either flee or fight. No middle ground.
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Ukraine war: Bucha street littered with burned-out tanks and corpses
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60970818
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/D8D5/production/_123990555_bucha_lee_durant.png)
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https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1510349657792303104
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There are "allegations" out there that the Russians are mining nearly everything they can as they pull back, even bodies in the streets. [barf]
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I think the Ukrainians will no longer take any prisoners.
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Lots of videos of showing Russian prisoners anyone seen any showing Ukrainians?
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Lots of videos of showing Russian prisoners anyone seen any showing Ukrainians?
Don't think the Soviets Russians allow cameras in their labor camps and gulags.
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Meanwhile
Russians die after Kharkiv locals hand out poisoned pies, Ukraine says
The pies were handed out in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine saidImage caption: The pies were handed out in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine said
Two Russian soldiers died and 28 were hospitalised after local people in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine gave them pies laced with poison - according to the Ukraine Ministry of Defence.
In an intelligence update, it described Ukrainians as "resisting the occupiers by all available means" and claimed the affected troops were from Russia's 3rd Motorised Rifle Division.
The ministry also said a further 500 Russian troops were hospitalised with "severe alcohol poisoning of unknown origin".
The BBC has been unable to verify the claims.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706
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The usual warnings apply
410 bodies found in towns near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors say
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60949706?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6249c72d4f71af55b4616a92%26410%20bodies%20found%20in%20towns%20near%20Kyiv%2C%20Ukrainian%20prosecutors%20say%262022-04-03T16%3A41%3A00.060Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:03d36439-c587-401f-97fb-8d8496b21fed&pinned_post_asset_id=6249c72d4f71af55b4616a92&pinned_post_type=share
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All this news about Russian destruction and mass murders lends credence to the suggestion that Putin isn't at all interested in defending Russian-speaking residents in eastern Ukraine. All he's after is the natural resources, and the fewer people and less infrastructure left when he's finished will just make it easier for the Russians to start extracting gas and oil.
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I also think this what happens when you send in an under trained, under supplied, under motivated conscript army against a well armed highly motivated people fighting to defend their homes and families. They panic, run, and shoot anyone around them.
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Good God
You may not want to click on that.
Денис Казанський
@den_kazansky
Bucha resident Antonina Pomazanko shows her daughter's body. She was shot by a russian soldier on the first day of the occupation. She went out to look at the convoy of vehicles and was killed.
Mother buried her in the yard
https://twitter.com/den_kazansky/status/1510658052936056832
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Did see some drone footage where what appeared to a man waling down the street with a Russian tank with it's barrel pointed right at him then boom.
Here it is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S_5B97JKoI
He could have been a combatant who knows?
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I also think this what happens when you send in an under trained, under supplied, under motivated conscript army against a well armed highly motivated people fighting to defend their homes and families. They panic, run, and shoot anyone around them.
They found several hundred people who were tied up and murdered by a bullet to the back of the head. That is not the actions of a shitty army panicking, that is a planned action. It is a war crime and also genocidal.
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They found several hundred people who were tied up and murdered by a bullet to the back of the head. That is not the actions of a shitty army panicking, that is a planned action. It is a war crime and also genocidal.
Why I said also
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Why I said also
Sorry, am tired
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Sorry, am tired
More my fault
My wording was perhaps a bit vague in what I meant
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Anyone here read Russia? I would like to see for myself what the whole thing says
https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1510916790414680064
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Anyone here read Russia? I would like to see for myself what the whole thing says
https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1510916790414680064
Google’s translation:
13:35 4 a ria.ru- Private RIA Novosti active Nazis should be exemplarily and exponentially punished. There must be a total lustration. Any organizations that have associated themselves with the practice of Nazism have been liquidated and banned. However, in addition to the top, a significant part of the masses, which are passive Nazis, accomplices of Nazism, are also guilty. They supported and indulged Nazi power. The just punishment of this part of the population is possible only as bearing the inevitable hardships of a just war against the Nazi system, waged as carefully and prudently as possible in relation to civilians. Further denazification of this mass of the population consists in re-education, which is achieved by ideological repression (suppression) of Nazi attitudes and strict censorship: not only in the political sphere, but also necessarily in the sphere of culture and education. It was through culture and education that a deep mass nazification of the population was prepared and carried out, secured by the promise of dividends from the victory of the Nazi regime over Russia, Nazi propaganda, internal violence and terror, as well as the eight-year war with the people of Donbass who rebelled against Ukrainian Nazism. Newsline
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I still rather struggle with understanding the whole "Nazi" thing.
Clearly the east and west have very different ideas of what behaviors, ideologies, and practices define Nazism.
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Here is another like it.
https://gunfreezone.net/a-chilling-reminder-why-we-own-guns/
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Here is another like it.
https://gunfreezone.net/a-chilling-reminder-why-we-own-guns/
Got a virus alert
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Hope it's not covid.
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Here is another like it.
https://gunfreezone.net/a-chilling-reminder-why-we-own-guns/
Substite "racist" for "Nazi" and it sounds like something our Woke elites would say.
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Reports they're finding even worse in Borodyanka
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While I'm perfectly willing to believe the Russians are torturing people and executing people. (I've seen them do it live) Let's also remember that manipulation is still happening on both sides. Remain skeptical of everything posted online. A body in a grave in Ukraine may be just that, Or it may not be a body, a grave, or in Ukraine, or any combination.
Side note: Honestly, this is what a war looks like. The US doesn't play by these rules, mostly because we are strong enough we don't have to, but when you have near-peer foes, fighting in cities and towns, this is what happens. This or worse. My quip a couple pages ago about not wanting to have to shoot "allies" because of war crimes is based on knowing folks that have had to do exactly that. Or be complicit. And that's a shitty decision to make.
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While I'm perfectly willing to believe the Russians are torturing people and executing people. (I've seen them do it live) Let's also remember that manipulation is still happening on both sides. Remain skeptical of everything posted online. A body in a grave in Ukraine may be just that, Or it may not be a body, a grave, or in Ukraine, or any combination.
Words to heed right there.
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Given the history of the Russian army and the abuses they were proven to have committed in previous conflicts, I tend to give these reports the benefit of the doubt. There is really no reason to believe the Russian army will behave any differently in this conflict.
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Oligarch thinks Putin will move on the Baltics:
https://news.yahoo.com/exiled-russian-oligarch-says-next-005732013.html
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Substite "racist" for "Nazi" and it sounds like something our Woke elites would say.
That's exactly what I've been thinking. Ukrainian patriots are "Nazis" the same way 6 Jan protestors are insurrectionists, and parents at the school board meeting are terrorists.
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Oligarch thinks Putin will move on the Baltics:
https://news.yahoo.com/exiled-russian-oligarch-says-next-005732013.html
Yeah lets trigger an article 5
First the Keystone Cops have to finish off Ukraine
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Oligarch thinks Putin will move on the Baltics:
https://news.yahoo.com/exiled-russian-oligarch-says-next-005732013.html
I can't imagine Putin actively going after a NATO country. First, article 5. Secondly, and maybe this is my western-centric biases, but seeing the performance in Ukraine, they'd get absolutely smoked by conventional NATO forces.
I guess if he wants to go full nuclear brinkmanship, Putin might question if the USA would really engage in nuclear war over Estonia?
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Putin's got a couple other nonNATO countries he can bomb the crap out of.
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True, and I tend to agree.
It should not be completely discounted though that Russia (and especially the Kremlin) is a completely different, insular, culture. Just like they believed their own hype, they may believe the stories about weak willed capitalist's they have told themselves.
It's an issue with China as well. They see the West unable to control westerners well enough to do COVID lock-downs and frame it in their worldview, not understanding the gulf between worldviews. I have no idea how realistic Putin's view of the warmongering going on in the west is, and if he's wrong, he may *expletive deleted*ck around to find out.
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Perhaps a clue why the Russians are doing so poorly if this was actually said by Shamanov
USHANKA SHOW
4 hours ago
Russian general Shamanov debunked rumors about the Russian troops getting radiation poisoning in the forests near Chernobyl.
"Our grandparents fought the Germans in those woods during WW2 and no one got such poisoning"
https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx-K0r0MtuRzpMNgqBJekkHboh64qGRnau
About that.......
Maybe this explains it
Vladimir Anatolyevich Shamanov (Russian: Владимир Анатольевич Шаманов, born 15 February 1957) is a retired Colonel General of the Russian Armed Forces, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) from May 2009[1] to October 2016 and a former Russian politician. After his retirement in October 2016, Shamanov became head of the State Duma Defense Committee.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Shamanov
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Perhaps a clue why the Russians are doing so poorly if this was actually said by Shamanov
https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx-K0r0MtuRzpMNgqBJekkHboh64qGRnau
About that.......
Maybe this explains it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Shamanov
I'm trying to think which American politician would say something that stupid. It's stupider than Sharpton accusing Republicans of thinking we won the Civil War, but less stupid than Hank Johnson's concerns about Guam.
Would Kamala Harris say something that dumb?
Wait, I got it. Joe Biden. That's Biden-level confusion.
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I’m wondering if Putin sent in his second string into Ukraine in case something happened and NATO got involved. Either that or his military really does suck…
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While I'm perfectly willing to believe the Russians are torturing people and executing people. (I've seen them do it live) Let's also remember that manipulation is still happening on both sides. Remain skeptical of everything posted online. A body in a grave in Ukraine may be just that, Or it may not be a body, a grave, or in Ukraine, or any combination.
Side note: Honestly, this is what a war looks like. The US doesn't play by these rules, mostly because we are strong enough we don't have to, but when you have near-peer foes, fighting in cities and towns, this is what happens. This or worse. My quip a couple pages ago about not wanting to have to shoot "allies" because of war crimes is based on knowing folks that have had to do exactly that. Or be complicit. And that's a shitty decision to make.
Disinformation and propaganda certainly do happen, but I think it's ultimately important to remember who invaded who.
I will grant any defending populace and its Armed Forces, when faced with an offensive invasion of their territory, broad clemency from any asserted "war crimes." That's how entire nations declare loudly, "get off my lawn."
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Disinformation and propaganda certainly do happen, but I think it's ultimately important to remember who invaded who.
I will grant any defending populace and its Armed Forces, when faced with an offensive invasion of their territory, broad clemency from any asserted "war crimes." That's how entire nations declare loudly, "get off my lawn."
Palestinians and Iraqis included?
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Palestinians and Iraqis included?
Nope
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I’m wondering if Putin sent in his second string into Ukraine in case something happened and NATO got involved. Either that or his military really does suck…
Not mutually exclusive conditions.
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Question: now that Putin is throwing the n-word at anything that moves, does that mean American Leftists will have to stop doing it?
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Palestinians and Iraqis included?
Yes. And Afghans, too.
But when the population actively supports aircraft hijacking and mass casualty events and celebrates them, it's also time to clean the ideology pool. The US and Allies did this with widespread indiscriminate blanket urban bombing in Germany in WWII, and nuclear bombs in Japan. Those attacks were upon general industrial infrastructure to break the war machine in those countries; in the case of the Middle East, the war machine was a populace and ideology rather than an industrial base. The war machine was never destroyed.
There will be another ideological war with the Middle East, because it was never resolved in the last one.
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Yes. And Afghans, too.
But when the population actively supports aircraft hijacking and mass casualty events and celebrates them, it's also time to clean the ideology pool. The US and Allies did this with widespread indiscriminate blanket urban bombing in Germany in WWII, and nuclear bombs in Japan. Those attacks were upon general industrial infrastructure to break the war machine in those countries; in the case of the Middle East, the war machine was a populace and ideology rather than an industrial base. The war machine was never destroyed.
There will be another ideological war with the Middle East, because it was never resolved in the last one.
Palestine, Iraqi, Afghanistan, et. al. All problems created by western empire builders.
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Palestine, Iraqi, Afghanistan, et. al. All problems created by western empire builders.
Ehh....added to more like. Empire building certainly didn't help, but it also didn't start the tribalisim and violence in those regions.
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Ehh....added to more like. Empire building certainly didn't help, but it also didn't start the tribalisim and violence in those regions.
Tribalism there has been going on forever, didn't help when empire building shoved the tribes into borders and with folks they don't like.
Violence amongst humans is always going to be present when there is a fight for resources, culture and religion. Sometimes it is an everyday thing sometimes it is once a generation or even further, but it will happen.
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There will be another ideological war with the Middle East, because it was never resolved in the last one.
Yeah. With three millennia of entrenched beliefs and ingrained hatred, they won't stop killing each other any time soon.
Brad
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Yeah. With three millennia of entrenched beliefs and ingrained hatred, they won't stop killing each other any time soon.
Brad
And of course about 1400 or so years ago Islam came along (probably evolving from earlier beliefs of the desert nomads), and the various factions that it split into don't play well together at all - yet more reason above and beyond the grudges that already existed that helps keep them perpetually cranky.
And anyway, didn't the Moorish invasion of Europe pre-date the West's involvement (beginning with the Crusades) in North Africa and the Middle East?
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And of course about 1400 or so years ago Islam came along (probably evolving from earlier beliefs of the desert nomads), and the various factions that it split into don't play well together at all - yet more reason above and beyond the grudges that already existed that helps keep them perpetually cranky.
And anyway, didn't the Moorish invasion of Europe pre-date the West's involvement (beginning with the Crusades) in North Africa and the Middle East?
Moors invaded Spain in 711 AD
Alexander the Great 334 BC
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Moors invaded Spain in 711 AD
Alexander the Great 334 BC
And how many times did Persia invade Greece before that
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And how many times did Persia invade Greece before that
IIRC Persia tried to invade mainland Greece twice.
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IIRC Persia tried to invade mainland Greece twice.
As I recall Persia was beating up on Greece from about 500 BCE to like 450BCE.
Thermopylae was 480 BCE.
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When they reach Vienna again will we still blame western adventurism?
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Yes.
We enjoy blaming ourselves.
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Yes.
We enjoy blaming ourselves.
One reason I could never warm up to Ron Paul.
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There will be another ideological war with the Middle East, because it was never resolved in the last one.
I agree.
But I'm not certain the next round will be fought in the Middle East.
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I agree.
But I'm not certain the next round will be fought in the Middle East.
Which comes around to the point I'm not doing very good at making, and I will try again.
"Rules of war" are ridiculous.
War is the means of resolving conflict when the rules are thrown out the window. War crimes are just a means of singling out behavior that the victor doesn't like about the loser. If Muslims won a war with the West, they would re-write War Crimes so that it was a War Crime to be Jewish, Christian, or Atheist. It would also be a War Crime for a woman to take up arms against a man. But we Westerners are eager for things like hot Jewish IDF soldiers or that Kurd all-female unit. Partly because hawt chicks, and partly because we KNOW it absolutely infuriates the Muslims to think of being killed by a woman.
The "rules of war" we think are in effect now are not going to be the same if the West ever loses a war with the Middle East, or China, or Space Aliens. Those factions won't take it easy on uniformed soldiers vs un-uniformed irregulars/spies. They will wipe the Western ideology off the map the second they have victory and Allah or The Party or The Hive Mind will become the entity which takes offense at the actions of the losers. Geneva Conventions? Geneva was nuked, or hit with an asteroid, or Allah burned it in His holy wrath (peace be upon His name).
I don't care about rules of war. I care about who is right.
If party A is on party B's lawn, actively trying to take *expletive deleted*it and kill people... party B can pull out the Garand and get to work. I don't care about the uniform or the rules, and I'm going to take a lackadaisical disinterest in ethics complaints from party A after the fact.
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Could be more to this don't know. But on the surface it looks like YT bowing to the Chinese.
Wang Jixian, a resident of Odesa for the past four years, said he had been posting videos of the Russian invasion to counter China's narrative of what was happening in the country. He says he had received multiple messages not to "provoke" Beijing.
YouTube suspends channel of Chinese vlogger reporting on Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60991746?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=624d00ea4f71af55b4616dac%26YouTube%20suspends%20channel%20of%20Chinese%20vlogger%20reporting%20on%20Ukraine%262022-04-06T03%3A30%3A51.703Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:6d02f5df-d81f-4849-baeb-83b9991f92f8&pinned_post_asset_id=624d00ea4f71af55b4616dac&pinned_post_type=share
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Drone video of trenches excavated by #Russia`ns in the #Chernobyl radiation area.
https://twitter.com/eskelinen_antti/status/1511604470286675974
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/tank-tractor-an-apex-predator-waiting-for-his-prey-war-in-ukraine.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/tank-tractor-an-apex-predator-waiting-for-his-prey-war-in-ukraine.jpg)
How complicated is a tank transmission? Is it fairly intuitive once in the cockpit to figure out where neutral is? Wondering how these farmers are getting these tanks into neutral to tow them.
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How complicated is a tank transmission? Is it fairly intuitive once in the cockpit to figure out where neutral is? Wondering how these farmers are getting these tanks into neutral to tow them.
Chieftain has a bunch of videos where he explains how to drive the tank in the video including how to operate the transmission. Most IMHO shouldn't be too hard for someone familiar with mechanize equipment to figure out. Plus many of those farmers could be ex military and may have experience with tanks possibly even the exact same or similar enough model.
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And you may note the tank has a V painted on the side. The Russians has also been painting Vs and Os on their vehicles in addition to the Zs you so often see.
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"Rules of war" are ridiculous.
No they aren't ridiculous. Some rules make war less horrific for noncombatants and sometimes combatants. Simple things that can be agreed upon by any country that isn't total garbage. Here are some examples:
Don't murder POWs. This makes it less likely you will be killed if you become a POW also.
Don't torture POWs. Ditto.
Don't murder or rape civilian noncombatants. They will be less likely to do the same to your civilian population. Also, Russia is currently murdering and raping civilians in the Ukraine. How is this "helping" them? It is getting more aid to Ukraine, just like German atrocities in Belgium helped pull England into WW1 against the Germans. That sure worked out for the Kaiser, didn't it?
Don't kill medics or destroy ambulances. If you are wounded and taken prisoner, enemy medics may be caring for you. Also, if rules are respected, they will not kill your medics.
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How complicated is a tank transmission? Is it fairly intuitive once in the cockpit to figure out where neutral is? Wondering how these farmers are getting these tanks into neutral to tow them.
The video I saw of a tractor pulling a tank looked like a JD 8430, which is the same tractor I did tillage with last fall. It is about 225 hp at the drawbar (330 HP engine) and it is seriously low geared and has a lot of torque. I pulled a 5 shank ripper last fall at 7mph through corn stubble like butter.
I wouldn't be surprised if the operator just hooked on to the tank and pulled until something broke loose.
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Lucas Tomlinson
@LucasFoxNews
U.N. will vote tomorrow to suspend Russia from its Human Rights Council
Russia
(https://preview.redd.it/tw8hskcjuwe11.png?auto=webp&s=cf00c282d292a5e734e4b531dccbc9282356f87f)
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How complicated is a tank transmission? Is it fairly intuitive once in the cockpit to figure out where neutral is? Wondering how these farmers are getting these tanks into neutral to tow them.
There's a lever on the right marked "3X-H-1-2-3-4-5-6". In Cyrillic "H" is the letter "N". That's neutral.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/21768219_1626746704050735_1205297218180344430_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=vfzbjukgUPkAX9XXlhK&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AT9C1LQTkyAA6RxsMVJRMobowkUiucbkUIYIv8Enw8rS0w&oe=62748D8C)
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Russian tanks have historically been made for conscripts to operate. Shouldn’t be hard to put it in neutral. How they disengage the park brake if they have one I don’t know but should also be easy to find out.
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No they aren't ridiculous. Some rules make war less horrific for noncombatants and sometimes combatants. Simple things that can be agreed upon by any country that isn't total garbage. Here are some examples:
Don't murder POWs. This makes it less likely you will be killed if you become a POW also.
Don't torture POWs. Ditto.
Don't murder or rape civilian noncombatants. They will be less likely to do the same to your civilian population. Also, Russia is currently murdering and raping civilians in the Ukraine. How is this "helping" them? It is getting more aid to Ukraine, just like German atrocities in Belgium helped pull England into WW1 against the Germans. That sure worked out for the Kaiser, didn't it?
Don't kill medics or destroy ambulances. If you are wounded and taken prisoner, enemy medics may be caring for you. Also, if rules are respected, they will not kill your medics.
You’ll note that from WWII to now only Western/Allied nations have paid any attention to “rules of war”. The Germans and Soviets (against each other) didn’t, the Japanese certainly did not, the North Koreans and Chinese didn’t, the Vietnamese didn’t, and the Screaming Beard nations obviously don’t.
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Russian tanks have historically been made for conscripts to operate. Shouldn’t be hard to put it in neutral. How they disengage the park brake if they have one I don’t know but should also be easy to find out.
IIRC the brake is that green lever behind the gearshift, but I could be wrong. I got to joyride a T-72 back in 08, but I didn't get a formal class.
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No they aren't ridiculous. Some rules make war less horrific for noncombatants and sometimes combatants. Simple things that can be agreed upon by any country that isn't total garbage. Here are some examples:
Don't murder POWs. This makes it less likely you will be killed if you become a POW also.
Don't torture POWs. Ditto.
Don't murder or rape civilian noncombatants. They will be less likely to do the same to your civilian population. Also, Russia is currently murdering and raping civilians in the Ukraine. How is this "helping" them? It is getting more aid to Ukraine, just like German atrocities in Belgium helped pull England into WW1 against the Germans. That sure worked out for the Kaiser, didn't it?
Don't kill medics or destroy ambulances. If you are wounded and taken prisoner, enemy medics may be caring for you. Also, if rules are respected, they will not kill your medics.
You’ll note that from WWII to now only Western/Allied nations have paid any attention to “rules of war”. The Germans and Soviets (against each other) didn’t, the Japanese certainly did not, the North Koreans and Chinese didn’t, the Vietnamese didn’t, and the Screaming Beard nations obviously don’t.
If you've got enough in common to have rules of war you both agree to, then chances are you can find a better way to resolve the conflict than a war anyways.
Note that there are no Western-on-Western conflicts since the inception of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The conflicts that become wars now are because the world is shrinking, technology brings incompatible cultures closer to each other, and when the value systems clash there will also be one party that doesn't care about the Geneva Conventions, or one party that has a different idea of what a moral war should be like.
That and the Geneva Conventions are effectively a trap anyways, for the vast majority of the civilian world. Half the time the combating forces won't adhere to them, then there's the other times where the supposedly adhering forces will try to ignore them anyways, like Bush and Rumsfeld did with Gitmo, going so far as to label US Citizens as unlawful enemy combatants and unilaterally declaring those citizens as members of a State-defined terrorist organization. There's absolutely no potential for governmental abuse there, right? /s
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Ukraine's bomb-sniffing terrier:
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/bomb-sniffing-dog-ukraine-detects-explosives
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You’ll note that from WWII to now only Western/Allied nations have paid any attention to “rules of war”. The Germans and Soviets (against each other) didn’t, the Japanese certainly did not, the North Koreans and Chinese didn’t, the Vietnamese didn’t, and the Screaming Beard nations obviously don’t.
Because many nations do not follow rules for war does not mean they are not good.
For example, the rape and murder Russia is currently doing in the Ukraine is actually harming their efforts, in addition to being evil.
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/IMG_20220314_171650.png)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/IMG_20220314_171650.png)
:rofl:
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They keep updating this link. Russia has lost more armor than many countries have active today. That's nuts.
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
Russian vehicle losses
Total: 2573, of which: destroyed: 1321, damaged: 38, abandoned: 237, captured: 977
Tanks (450, of which destroyed: 221, damaged: 6, abandoned: 41, captured: 182)
Armoured Fighting Vehicles (283, of which destroyed: 133, abandoned: 32, captured: 118)
Infantry Fighting Vehicles (453, of which destroyed: 258, damaged: 2, abandoned: 32, captured: 160)
Armoured Personnel Carriers (89, of which destroyed: 26, damaged: 1, abandoned: 17, captured: 45)
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles (21, of which destroyed: 11, abandoned: 3, captured: 7)
Infantry Mobility Vehicles (83, of which destroyed: 48, damaged: 2, abandoned: 5, captured: 26)
Communications Stations (19, of which destroyed: 8, abandoned: 5, captured: 6)
Engineering Vehicles And Equipment (91, of which destroyed: 28, abandoned: 15, captured: 43)
Heavy Mortars (11, of which destroyed: 3, captured: 8)
Towed Artillery (52, of which destroyed: 10, damaged: 4, abandoned: 5, captured: 33)
Self-Propelled Artillery (84, of which destroyed: 30, damaged: 3, abandoned: 15, captured: 35)
Multiple Rocket Launchers (48, of which destroyed: 21, abandoned: 5, captured: 23)
Anti-Aircraft Guns (3, of which captured: 3)
Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (13, of which destroyed: 5, abandoned: 3, captured: 5)
Surface-To-Air Missile Systems (51, of which destroyed: 25, damaged: 1, abandoned: 7, captured: 18)
Radars (9, of which destroyed: 3, captured: 6)
Jammers And Deception Systems (6, of which destroyed: 2, damaged: 2, captured: 2)
Aircraft (20, of which destroyed: 19, damaged: 1)
Helicopters (32, of which destroyed: 28, damaged: 2, abandoned: 1, captured: 1)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (22, of which destroyed: 15, captured: 7)
Naval Ships (3, of which destroyed: 1, damaged: 2
Logistics Trains (2, of which destroyed: 2)
Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (728, of which destroyed: 430, damaged: 14, abandoned: 61, captured: 223)
Ukraine vehicle losses
Total: 692, of which: destroyed: 306, damaged: 24, abandoned: 37, captured: 325
Tanks (95, of which destroyed: 38, damaged: 2, abandoned: 9, captured: 44)
Armoured Fighting Vehicles (64, of which destroyed: 26, abandoned: 4, captured: 35)
Infantry Fighting Vehicles (74, of which destroyed: 32, damaged: 3, abandoned: 9, captured: 30)
Armoured Personnel Carriers (32, of which destroyed: 6, damaged: 1, abandoned: 2, captured: 22)
Infantry Mobility Vehicles (49, of which destroyed: 15, damaged: 1, abandoned: 1, captured: 32)
Engineering Vehicles (9, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 7)
Towed Artillery (25, of which destroyed: 8, damaged: 3, abandoned: 3, captured: 11)
Self-Propelled Artillery (20, of which destroyed: 8, damaged: 4, abandoned: 1, captured: 7)
Multiple Rocket Launchers (15, of which destroyed: 10, captured: 5)
Anti-Aircraft Guns (2, of which captured: 2)
Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (1, of which captured: 1)
Surface-To-Air Missile Systems (38, of which destroyed: 32, abandoned: 1, captured: 5)
Radars And Communications Equipment (17, of which destroyed: 9, damaged: 3, abandoned: 1, captured: 4)
Aircraft (15, of which destroyed: 14, damaged: 1)
Helicopters (3, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 1)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (12, of which destroyed: 10, captured: 2)
Naval Ships (15, of which destroyed: 2, damaged: 1, captured: 12)
Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (206, of which destroyed: 79, damaged: 5, abandoned: 5, captured: 117)
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I would take any published loses numbers with a rather large grain of salt
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I would take any published numbers with a rather large grain of salt
Oryx only counts unique photos. So arguably, their numbers are conservative, if anything.
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Oryx only counts unique photos. So arguably, their numbers are conservative, if anything.
Right. It is still possible that some are double counted. For instance, blurry video shows a tank getting hit, later a picture is taken of the wreck.
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You’ll note that from WWII to now only Western/Allied nations have paid any attention to “rules of war”. The Germans and Soviets (against each other) didn’t, the Japanese certainly did not, the North Koreans and Chinese didn’t, the Vietnamese didn’t, and the Screaming Beard nations obviously don’t. AFAIK, only Western/Allied nations routinely prosecuted their own war criminals, the others didn't unless they lost and were occupied.
If you've got enough in common to have rules of war you both agree to, then chances are you can find a better way to resolve the conflict than a war anyways.
Note that there are no Western-on-Western conflicts since the inception of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. How would you classify the Falklands war between Britain and Argentina? Or the more minor conflicts in Panama and Grenada? The conflicts that become wars now are because the world is shrinking, technology brings incompatible cultures closer to each other, and when the value systems clash there will also be one party that doesn't care about the Geneva Conventions, or one party that has a different idea of what a moral war should be like.
That and the Geneva Conventions are effectively a trap anyways, for the vast majority of the civilian world. Half the time the combating forces won't adhere to them, then there's the other times where the supposedly adhering forces will try to ignore them anyways, like Bush and Rumsfeld did with Gitmo, going so far as to label US Citizens as unlawful enemy combatants and unilaterally declaring those citizens as members of a State-defined terrorist organization. There's absolutely no potential for governmental abuse there, right? /s
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Looks like the Russians are making some progress in the east
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2022-04-07_141755.png)
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I wonder what kind of fatalities the Ukrainian military has taken.
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Supposedly in Ukraine, but I can't confirm:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPwrNdFXIAYRIJq?format=jpg&name=900x900)
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Supposedly in Ukraine, but I can't confirm:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPwrNdFXIAYRIJq?format=jpg&name=900x900)
Was coming to post that.
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Heavy machinery losses, Tax write off?
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The "Wolverines" graffiti might be for real:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/red-dawn-style-graffiti-spotted-on-destroyed-russian-tank-in-ukraine/ar-AAVZ3Po
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Pictured: Aftermath of Kramatorsk station strike
Some images coming in from Kramatorsk rail station, independently verified by the BBC, show the devastation after this morning's attack.
Train company officials say at least 30 have been killed and 100 injured in the attack.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61032786?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62500940aea8d714b7409e1f%26Pictured%3A%20Aftermath%20of%20Kramatorsk%20station%20strike%262022-04-08T10%3A21%3A23.644Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1a716334-6bd5-471b-901e-c6eef791de13&pinned_post_asset_id=62500940aea8d714b7409e1f&pinned_post_type=share
'For the children' written on missile that hit station
Missile near Kramatorsk station reading 'for the children'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Writing on a missile dropped near Kramatorsk station reads: 'For the children'Image caption: Writing on a missile dropped near Kramatorsk station reads: 'For the children'
The remnants of one of the missiles dropped near Kramatorsk station appears to have the words "for the children" written on it in Russian.
The phrase - "za detei" in Russian - suggests it was fired in support of children, or in retaliation to an attack on children, rather than aimed at children.
Ukrainian officials say the railway station strike in Kramatorsk has killed at least 39 people including four children. The station was being used to evacuate civilians from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has intensified in recent days.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61032786?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62500a334f71af55b46171af%26%27For%20the%20children%27%20written%20on%20missile%20that%20hit%20station%262022-04-08T11%3A59%3A55.806Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f0854d1d-0690-4329-bc93-0e794feaa8ff&pinned_post_asset_id=62500a334f71af55b46171af&pinned_post_type=share
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While I don't doubt that the Russian's are perfectly capable of such an attack and I am ready to believe the reports as presented I also don't doubt that the attack could also have been staged and or faked and or false flag operation to gen up more anti-Russian sentiment.
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Pictured: Aftermath of Kramatorsk station strike
Tochka-U rockets are extremely inaccurate, regularly missing their targets by half-a-kilometre or more, according to Amnesty International weapons experts.
It could have been Russian rockets aimed at a different target.
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Yeah, I posted without comment.
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It could have been Russian rockets aimed at a different target.
Apparently they are accurate to within roughly 100 meters. So either they aimed at the train station and their *expletive deleted*it-tier weapons hit by mere fluke, or they were aiming for something else within 100 meters of the train station, probably another civilian target. Russia is ISIS with nukes and diplomatic recognition.
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Looking at photos of the types of SAMs used by both the Ukrainians and Russians.
Wondering if the missile section with the "For the children" written on it could be part of a Ukrainian SAM but so far no exact matches
Always the possibility the missile went off target and/or was hit was a SAM.
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This gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling
The source said the commander of Russia’s southern military district, Gen Alexander Dvornikov, now leads the invasion.
“That particular commander has a lot of experience of Russian operations in Syria
Russia has replaced war commander, says Western official
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61032786?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6250f1edaea8d714b7409fd5%26Russia%20has%20replaced%20war%20commander%2C%20says%20Western%20official%262022-04-09T02%3A49%3A37.695Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f31b003a-19c7-4767-8309-812d7624b9db&pinned_post_asset_id=6250f1edaea8d714b7409fd5&pinned_post_type=share
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Looking at photos of the types of SAMs used by both the Ukrainians and Russians.
Wondering if the missile section with the "For the children" written on it could be part of a Ukrainian SAM but so far no exact matches
Always the possibility the missile went off target and/or was hit was a SAM.
OTR-21 Tochk (NATO Scarab). A suppose to be accurate to 150 meters, B 95m, C 70m
Used by both Ukraine and Russia although Russian claimed they were taken out of service but it is assumed they've been back in service for used in Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTR-21_Tochka
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Reports of two possibly three missiles so that would rule out an off course missile
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OTR-21 Tochk (NATO Scarab). A suppose to be accurate to 150 meters, B 95m, C 70m
Used by both Ukraine and Russia although Russian claimed they were taken out of service but it is assumed they've been back in service for used in Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTR-21_Tochka
I can't be bothered to find the sources again but there's plenty of redditors claiming there's picture evidence of the missiles being brought along for the invasion. Probably on /r/news, /r/worldnews or /r/ukraine
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I can't be bothered to find the sources again but there's plenty of redditors claiming there's picture evidence of the missiles being brought along for the invasion. Probably on /r/news, /r/worldnews or /r/ukraine
I've seen some pictures of what are supposed to be Russian trucks loaded with multiple long cylinders - allegedly missiles - driving into Ukraine.
I read a couple of weeks ago that the Ukrainians captured some of the Russian thermobaric weapons, and yesterday a story said they'd actually used them on Russian positions. I guess that's a problem when your opponents trained on much of the same hardware that you use.
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Reports both Finland and Sweden expected to apply for NATO membership
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61032786?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625425aa5fbc655faa020e08%26Could%20Sweden%20and%20Finland%20join%20Nato%3F%262022-04-11T22%3A10%3A56.238Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:2278cbd7-66f2-4d08-a3e6-c5762b6248c4&pinned_post_asset_id=625425aa5fbc655faa020e08&pinned_post_type=share
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Looks like Poland and Latvia have seen how weak the Russian army is and are starting up some smack talk.
Or they have seen our world has gone mad thread and want the nukes to fly.
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Unverified reports from remnants of Azov Battalion in Mariupol that chemical weapons were used against the city.
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Reports both Finland and Sweden expected to apply for NATO membership
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61032786?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625425aa5fbc655faa020e08%26Could%20Sweden%20and%20Finland%20join%20Nato%3F%262022-04-11T22%3A10%3A56.238Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:2278cbd7-66f2-4d08-a3e6-c5762b6248c4&pinned_post_asset_id=625425aa5fbc655faa020e08&pinned_post_type=share
And Russia rattles their saber in response, threatening both Finland and Sweden. I am pretty sure the Finns are prepared. Sweden...not so much. But a lot of people seems to have had a wakeup call, and various peacenik groups known for their simping for Russia have been rightfully bullied, have not had to read their blather for some time now.
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Unverified reports from remnants of Azov Battalion in Mariupol that chemical weapons were used against the city.
BBC put this up
They're saying the source could, COULD, be industrial
Can industrial toxins explain alleged 'chemical attack' in Mariupol?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625555af5fbc655faa020ebf%26Can%20industrial%20toxins%20explain%20alleged%20%27chemical%20attack%27%20in%20Mariupol%3F%262022-04-12T10%3A55%3A48.831Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f3fdfc58-962d-4186-88c3-d631916c484e&pinned_post_asset_id=625555af5fbc655faa020ebf&pinned_post_type=share
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President Putin has made a rare public appearance alongside the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and described Russia's military goals in Ukraine as noble.
He said peace talks had reached a dead end, saying Ukraine had made "fake claims" about war crimes and extended demands for security guarantees.
Meanwhile Lukashenko said allegations of atrocities in northern Ukraine were "a psychological operation carried out by the English"
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759
The English :O
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The red coats are coming the red coats are coming.
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"a psychological operation carried out by the English"
- William Wallace
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Just made myself a Black Russian with Ukrainian vodka. Oh the irony.
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Those damned English. First they stopped the Argentinians from "liberating" the [happily British] Falkland Islanders, and now they're interfering with Russia's "liberating" the [happily Ukrainian} Ukrainians.
Sheesh.
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Unverified reports from remnants of Azov Battalion in Mariupol that chemical weapons were used against the city.
Just read about it. The scope of it sounds inferior to a typical US law enforcement weekend with tear gas. Three people "poisoned" but not dead, weapon allegedly dropped by a drone.
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Russian heavy equipment seen moving toward the Finnish border:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-moves-heavy-military-equipment-towards-finnish-border/ar-AAW7tbP
Presumably an attempt to intimidate the Finns and Swedes, who are considering joining NATO.
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Until a month ago I would have thought that Putin, for all his bluster, was still intelligent enough not to get into a shooting war with the rest of the world. Now I think he's intent on doing just that.
Brad
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Until a month ago I would have thought that Putin, for all his bluster, was still intelligent enough not to get into a shooting war with the rest of the world. Now I think he's intent on doing just that.
Brad
There's speculations about mental illness setting in. Also something about him looking like he's undergone chemo. I suppose he could have had a brain tumour.
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Well, if Putin starts a conflict in Finland, that may keep them out of NATO for the duration of said conflict
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(https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-0d71886560006feec1fa05feadf8137d-lq)
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Click on every square with a Finnish sniper?
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Yep.
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All of them
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All of them
=D
Yeah. I think starting a war with Finland may result in killing off the rest of Russia's ground forces....
Finland is small, but they are highly prepared, and have a large reserve of trained men and war-ready infrastructure.
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The BBC says that a video carrying its branding which claims that last week’s missile attack on a railway station was carried out by Ukraine is a fake.
The clip gives the false impression that the BBC has confirmed the missile which killed dozens of people at Kramatorsk was fired by the Ukrainian armed forces.
No such video has been produced by the BBC, and our investigation into the attack is ongoing. It has not yet been possible to verify the source of the missile.
The clip appears to have originated among pro-Kremlin accounts on social media app Telegram, but has spread across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
It has also been aired on Russian State TV.
The stilted use of language, a non-BBC spelling of “Zelensky”, and use of footage of dead bodies all point to the video being a fake. BBC editorial guidelines restrict the use of such images without strong justification, and are always preceded by a warning.
The press office said: “The BBC is taking action to have the video removed. We urge people not to share it and to check stories on the BBC News website.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759
So, now the fakers know what to fix next time.
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Well there was also the one the Russians showed that showed a dummy being set up in the street that the Russians claimed proved the Ukrainians were faking the dead in the streets. Then someone pointed out the video clip was from a Russian movie production video.
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Well there was also the one the Russians showed that showed a dummy being set up in the street that the Russians claimed proved the Ukrainians were faking the dead in the streets. Then someone pointed out the video clip was from a Russian movie production video.
On the other hand, that sort of faking has been going on for a long time in various parts of the world.
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Another Wolverine sighting:
https://www.nationalreview.com/photos/russia-ukraine-april-8-2022
(https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/russia-ukraine-war-041022-3.jpg?fit=1481%2C864)
A man stands on the top of a destroyed Russian tank near Buzova, Kyiv Region, Ukraine, April 10, 2022.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
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Ukraine attention shows bias against black lives - WHO
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625761ee6b7942142fe94537%26Ukraine%20attention%20shows%20bias%20against%20black%20lives%20-%20WHO%262022-04-13T23%3A51%3A11.902Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:70920521-b91b-4c6c-97fa-4f14abe0e1b3&pinned_post_asset_id=625761ee6b7942142fe94537&pinned_post_type=share
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Moskva seriously damaged. Russia says the crew has been evacuated.
Ukraine claimed earlier they had hit the ship
This is same ship involved in the now famous "Russian warship go ___ yourself" incident
Russia says ammo aboard famed warship detonated
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62576099b1e16c43aefe61bd%26Russia%20says%20ammo%20aboard%20famed%20warship%20detonated%262022-04-13T23%3A47%3A07.539Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:668a7b51-187e-4343-9c62-a92287788bdf&pinned_post_asset_id=62576099b1e16c43aefe61bd&pinned_post_type=share
Russian cruiser was hit by missiles - Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625764e077811a20d37c86c9%26Russian%20cruiser%20was%20hit%20by%20missiles%20-%20Ukraine%262022-04-14T00%3A09%3A47.074Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:461b8215-b45c-4b55-9ced-910070a64249&pinned_post_asset_id=625764e077811a20d37c86c9&pinned_post_type=share
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Moskva seriously damaged. Russian says the crew has been evacuated.
Ukraine claimed early they had hit the ship
This is same ship involved in the now famous "Russian warship go ___ yourself" incident
Russia says ammo aboard famed warship detonated
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62576099b1e16c43aefe61bd%26Russia%20says%20ammo%20aboard%20famed%20warship%20detonated%262022-04-13T23%3A47%3A07.539Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:668a7b51-187e-4343-9c62-a92287788bdf&pinned_post_asset_id=62576099b1e16c43aefe61bd&pinned_post_type=share
Russian cruiser was hit by missiles - Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625764e077811a20d37c86c9%26Russian%20cruiser%20was%20hit%20by%20missiles%20-%20Ukraine%262022-04-14T00%3A09%3A47.074Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:461b8215-b45c-4b55-9ced-910070a64249&pinned_post_asset_id=625764e077811a20d37c86c9&pinned_post_type=share
(https://forum.m1911.org/images/smilies/laughing-man.gif)
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7 hours ago - 45°24′N 30°16′E
Ukrainian military launched 2 Anti-ship missile Neptun at Russian navy Project 1164 Atlant cruiser Moskva near Zmeinii island, reportedly setting her on fire/causing damage - head of Odesa regional administration
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Russian Navy Confirms Severe Damage to Black Sea Cruiser Moskva, Crew Abandoned Ship
https://news.usni.org/2022/04/13/russian-navy-confirms-severe-damage-to-black-sea-cruiser-moskva-crew-abandoned-ship
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Russian Navy Confirms Severe Damage to Black Sea Cruiser Moskva, Crew Abandoned Ship
https://news.usni.org/2022/04/13/russian-navy-confirms-severe-damage-to-black-sea-cruiser-moskva-crew-abandoned-ship
Sumting tews me Vwadimir is going to be vewwy, vewwy angwy.
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Sumting tews me Vwadimir is going to be vewwy, vewwy angwy.
"What do you mean, they blew up the Moskva?? Oh, *expletive deleted*ck! That thing wasn't even paid off yet!"
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Ukraine reveals ‘Russian warship, go *expletive deleted*ck yourself!’ postage stamp
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/ukraine-reveals-russian-warship-go-*expletive deleted*ck-yourself-postage-stamp
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/aac739d62447f8bc987098444e6c1b02771e0212/0_297_1080_648/master/1080.jpg?width=465&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2d0d58e62bb2e1b20d7631c98e9bfa6b)
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The link won't work because the site keeps censoring it.
Just google "ukrainian soldier flipping off russian warship"
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Did it sink or not?
Russian says no.
Ukraine, Turkey, Romania say yes
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625822ec6b7942142fe945f8%26Turkey%20not%20involved%20in%20Russian%20vessel%20rescue%20-%20official%262022-04-14T13%3A54%3A45.735Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:ac946c06-f709-4bbb-9b9f-2b51ce7bcaf9&pinned_post_asset_id=625822ec6b7942142fe945f8&pinned_post_type=share
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FQRQNTkXMAAS8-s?format=jpg&name=small)
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A few more Moskva memes: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1893361&page=68
I'm too lazy to upload the images. Just scroll down that page.
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Apparently sinking Russian ships.
Russia is reporting that the Moskva has been sunk.
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A few more Moskva memes: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1893361&page=68
I'm too lazy to upload the images. Just scroll down that page.
Looks like they deleted them
Saw them earlier but they're gone now.
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Yep -- they were there when I looked earlier, and now they're gone.
I should have saved them when I could.
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Did it sink or not?
Russian says no.
Ukraine, Turkey, Romania say yes
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625822ec6b7942142fe945f8%26Turkey%20not%20involved%20in%20Russian%20vessel%20rescue%20-%20official%262022-04-14T13%3A54%3A45.735Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:ac946c06-f709-4bbb-9b9f-2b51ce7bcaf9&pinned_post_asset_id=625822ec6b7942142fe945f8&pinned_post_type=share
Apparently, yes.
https://www.newsweek.com/moskva-cruiser-sinks-black-sea-russia-denies-missile-strike-1698139
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQVqqP-XEAMK9js.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/01649948169.png)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/index.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQVUZFFXIAQiMeu.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQVXuwqXMAYDYcK.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQV9qXzVsBQTEiQ.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQVvgZpXsA0sDwV.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQSPi4ZWQAMCf3X.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/FQVvWiEWUAEGltR.jpg)
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ex-MP Vladimir Bortko - said the fate of the Moskva was grounds for war.
That it! No more hugging,
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62594277b1e16c43aefe6396%26Sinking%20of%20Moskva%20a%20blow%20to%20national%20pride%262022-04-15T10%3A06%3A17.146Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:7d1bb1f5-92ac-4bfe-80c2-40e745781f9e&pinned_post_asset_id=62594277b1e16c43aefe6396&pinned_post_type=share
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Reports are the Russians attacked the factory where the missiles that they said didn't hit the Moskva are made.
No I didn't misword that
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I often wonder what would happen if Putin got painted in a corner and started launching nukes?
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I often wonder what would happen if Putin got painted in a corner and started launching nukes?
Kinda musing on that too. I don't think the rest of the world would be real interested in jumping into a literal nuclear war. Appeasement sucks, and might lead to a nuclear war tomorrow, but it beats nuclear war today.
I think it's a little remote still though. I could see Putin lighting one off as a demonstration in the black sea or sea of azov.
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Could very well do it and not just local to that conflict. The economic shutdown really does hurt. The number #2 export is somewhat tarnished too since this hasn't exactly been a sales ad for glorious russian military hardware which we wish to sell your country.
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Kinda musing on that too. I don't think the rest of the world would be real interested in jumping into a literal nuclear war. Appeasement sucks, and might lead to a nuclear war tomorrow, but it beats nuclear war today.
I think it's a little remote still though. I could see Putin lighting one off as a demonstration in the black sea or sea of azov.
I can see him dropping a nuke on one of the cities in Ukraine that doesn't have historic significance to the Orthodox Church. Possibly Finland since there is no love between them.
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I can see him dropping a nuke on one of the cities in Ukraine that doesn't have historic significance to the Orthodox Church. Possibly Finland since there is no love between them.
Finland isn't a member of NATO, but they are Western and have Western alliances. Might as well be. The US Public, and probably the rest of Europe as well, would be horrified and enraged by a nuke strike on a nation that has never been a Warsaw Pact member, has Western values, and has mostly been a laid back peaceful Scandinavian country for the 20th and 21st centuries. There's be Arctic naval and air battles almost instantly, to my reckoning.
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Finland isn't a member of NATO, but they are Western and have Western alliances. Might as well be. The US Public, and probably the rest of Europe as well, would be horrified and enraged by a nuke strike on a nation that has never been a Warsaw Pact member, has Western values, and has mostly been a laid back peaceful Scandinavian country for the 20th and 21st centuries. There's be Arctic naval and air battles almost instantly, to my reckoning.
Probably be short lived naval air battle, since the only Russian Carrier is under repairs due to damage from a crane during a refit. It's kind of crazy how many Russian navy ships are under repair or refit currently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_aircraft_carrier_Admiral_Kuznetsov
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'Highly likely' that Finland will join Nato, says Finland Europe minister
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625940e26b7942142fe9473e%26%27Highly%20likely%27%20that%20Finland%20will%20join%20Nato%2C%20says%20Finland%20Europe%20minister%262022-04-15T14%3A42%3A56.927Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:6819cd90-001c-4b17-8a96-64c1070222c3&pinned_post_asset_id=625940e26b7942142fe9473e&pinned_post_type=share
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Did the Moskva have nukes on board?
https://www.dailywire.com/news/sunk-russian-flagship-may-have-carried-nuclear-warheads-report
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Somewhere in Ukraine a Ukrainian farmer is yelling "Jack Pot!"
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Ukrainians trolling again:
https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1514941186397683715
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Not knowing specifics, but I think it is interesting that a modern cruiser-size ship, with modern CIWS, would go down after two anti-ship missile strikes. I wonder if both missiles struck the target or was at least one neutralized by the CIWS. If both missiles came through the CIWS, I wonder what that means for Western navies.
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Not knowing specifics, but I think it is interesting that a modern cruiser-size ship, with modern CIWS, would go down after two anti-ship missile strikes. I wonder if both missiles struck the target or was at least one neutralized by the CIWS. If both missiles came through the CIWS, I wonder what that means for Western navies.
I wouldn't call it modern, maybe modern from WWII era.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cruiser_Moskva
The cruiser was equipped with a triple-tiered air defence system that if operated properly should have given it three opportunities to defend itself from a Neptune missile attack.[45][51] Ukrainian sources reported that the attack was supported by a Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, which distracted the Russian ship's defences.
Also, from the same Wikipedia page.
In 2020 Russian news agency TASS reported that a very "rare and important" Christian relic considered to be a part of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified was to be kept in Moskva's chapel.[71] There was speculation after the ship's sinking—thought in 2020 to have been so unlikely that such a precious object was entrusted to it—that the relic may have gone down with the ship.
Putin thinking like Hitler? Relic of the original cross/Spear of Destiny.
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I'm sure it didn't help either that the ship followed the old Soviet style of putting missiles above deck anywhere they could squeeze one in. One hit and there's a good chance a rather large fireworks display will follow.
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I'm sure it has something to do with the time period I grew up in, but the first anti-ship weapon that comes to my mind is the Exocet. That one had several deployments against British and US warships. From rough comparisons the Exocet and the Neptune appear to be relatively similar in payload - the Exocet having a 165kg warhead and the Neptune at 150kg. Both are subsonic.
The Moskva was a cruiser 611 feet long and displacing 12,490 tons.
HMS Sheffield (410 feet and 4,820t) was hit by one Exocet, had its firefighting equipment damaged and was then destroyed by the resulting fire
HMS Glamorgan (520 feet, 6,300t) was hit by one Exocet and - though damaged - survived.
SS Atlantic Conveyor (civilian ship 695 feet and 14,946t) was hit by two Exocets and was destroyed by fire.
The USS Stark (455 feet and 4,200t) was hit by two Exocets and was severely damaged but was repaired and returned to service.
Thought the comparison was interesting.
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Not knowing specifics, but I think it is interesting that a modern cruiser-size ship, with modern CIWS, would go down after two anti-ship missile strikes. I wonder if both missiles struck the target or was at least one neutralized by the CIWS. If both missiles came through the CIWS, I wonder what that means for Western navies.
CIWS is only as effective as the radar feeding it, to my understanding. Moskva supposedly had a very aged radar system, which picks up a lot of white noise from high seas and waves. If the Neptunes skimmed close enough to the water they would be indistinguishable from the whitecaps until very close.
Larger capital ships can put the radar array higher and get more data.
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And the Moskva had sixteen large missile tubes mounted prominently above deck, and I would assume that they were probably all loaded with HE warheads.
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No total has been given for the crew on board at the time - various sources estimate that it was 510.
Sevastopol’s Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said “the crew was evacuated, they were rescued. That’s the main thing. We await our heroes in Sevastopol”.
Ilya Ponomaryov, a former Russian MP who now lives in Kyiv, alleges that just 58 crew members out of 510 survived. But it is not clear where he got that figure from.
Ukrainian reports - unconfirmed - say the ship’s captain Anton Kuprin was among those who died when the ship caught fire and blew up.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61101906?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=62599bdfb1e16c43aefe6481%26Russia%20mourns%20loss%20of%20flagship%20Moskva%262022-04-15T17%3A17%3A54.616Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1f670fc3-e92c-4b19-b057-027b42c9d7a8&pinned_post_asset_id=62599bdfb1e16c43aefe6481&pinned_post_type=share
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And the Moskva had sixteen large missile tubes mounted prominently above deck, and I would assume that they were probably all loaded with HE warheads.
... not to mention fuel.
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Probably be short lived naval air battle, since the only Russian Carrier is under repairs due to damage from a crane during a refit. It's kind of crazy how many Russian navy ships are under repair or refit currently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_aircraft_carrier_Admiral_Kuznetsov
From a few of the histories that Drachinifel has mentioned on his channel, the Russian naval yards were never all that fast. Seems I remember ships spending a lot of time getting repaired between short deployments.
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And the Moskva had sixteen large missile tubes mounted prominently above deck, and I would assume that they were probably all loaded with HE warheads.
I also wonder how strict they were with stowage of reloads and other material. Was everything in bunkers and separated properly? I bet it wasn't.
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I'm sure it has something to do with the time period I grew up in, but the first anti-ship weapon that comes to my mind is the Exocet. That one had several deployments against British and US warships. From rough comparisons the Exocet and the Neptune appear to be relatively similar in payload - the Exocet having a 165kg warhead and the Neptune at 150kg. Both are subsonic.
The Moskva was a cruiser 611 feet long and displacing 12,490 tons.
HMS Sheffield (410 feet and 4,820t) was hit by one Exocet, had its firefighting equipment damaged and was then destroyed by the resulting fire
HMS Glamorgan (520 feet, 6,300t) was hit by one Exocet and - though damaged - survived.
SS Atlantic Conveyor (civilian ship 695 feet and 14,946t) was hit by two Exocets and was destroyed by fire.
The USS Stark (455 feet and 4,200t) was hit by two Exocets and was severely damaged but was repaired and returned to service.
Thought the comparison was interesting.
Did the USS Stark have its defense system in operation when it was hit? I seem to remember an image of that, but not any details.
Also, since they mention the drone, I wonder if the Ukrainians were messing with them for more than just that one day to the point they were not as alert as they should have been. Maybe ignoring contacts.
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And the Moskva had sixteen large missile tubes mounted prominently above deck, and I would assume that they were probably all loaded with HE warheads.
We hope they had HE warheads. Those big tubes are for SS-N-12 cruise missiles. They are nuke capable. However, unless they substantially upgraded Maskva since the last time I looked at the specs, they didn't carry reloads for those things.
One thing to remember also, is while I've seen reports that two missiles hit, I haven't seen any reports on how many were fired. If they launched 12 Neptunes, and 2 got through, that's not too bad for the air defense.
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Did the USS Stark have its defense system in operation when it was hit? I seem to remember an image of that, but not any details.
No. Nor did it fire in response. I believe both were identified as significant issues during the investigation.
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Can find the Russian warship go... stamps on ebay but for stupid prices. Would love to have one to add to my stamp collection.
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Ukraine put some numbers out of their dead and wounded soldiers
Zelensky says up to 3,000 Ukrainian troops dead
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61124291?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625a359fb1e16c43aefe64fa%26Zelensky%20says%20up%20to%203%2C000%20Ukrainian%20troops%20dead%262022-04-16T04%3A07%3A41.545Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:72a194f2-c5b7-4ead-8246-0ed2acf1a73e&pinned_post_asset_id=625a359fb1e16c43aefe64fa&pinned_post_type=share
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Russia may be "filtering" Ukrainian men for forced labor:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/mariupol-russia-forced-service-labor
I wonder if the laborers will be required to wear a special badge . . . just for old times' sake . . .
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Russia may be "filtering" Ukrainian men for forced labor:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/mariupol-russia-forced-service-labor
I wonder if the laborers will be required to wear a special badge . . . just for old times' sake . . .
I know many here don't favor the U.S. getting directly involved in this little dust-up. I have been on the fence, severely conflicted on that question. Seeing this post, what popped into what's left of my brain was this:
"First they came for the socialists Ukrainians, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist Ukrainian.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
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"First they came for the socialists Ukrainians, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist Ukrainian.
Why does this not equally apply to every injustice in the world?
That saying has more merit regarding opposition to internal tyranny within a society than outside it. Unless your goal is perpetual war.
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Why does this not equally apply to every injustice in the world?
That saying has more merit regarding opposition to internal tyranny within a society than outside it. Unless your goal is perpetual war.
Actually, my goal is the opposite of perpetual war. Putin is a megalomaniac. If he is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, he'll just move on to the next domino, and then the next. He's like a rabid dog, and rabid animals should be put down.
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https://time.com/6165506/military-strategy-ukraine-war/
A former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO weighs in on lessons for the West.
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https://time.com/6165506/military-strategy-ukraine-war/
A former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO weighs in on lessons for the West.
Is it time to write the obituary for the tank on the battlefield? Will they turn out to be the battleships of the 21st century, rendered obsolete by new technologies and tactics? It is certainly time to consider reducing tank inventories (as the U.S. Marine Corps is already doing) and using the resources to move toward new systems, notably unmanned. Tanks can still be effectively employed, but must be used in a coherent combined-arms manner that includes protection of them from such “cheap kill” mechanisms.
Enter the Chieftain
Came out yesterday and I was just getting ready to post it anyway.
In short too many think for every missile you will have 1 dead tank.
No, The Tank Is Not Dead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI7T650RTT8
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Scratch another
Another Russian general reported dead
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61124291?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625bd55e77811a20d37c8c64%26Another%20Russian%20general%20reported%20dead%262022-04-17T10%3A00%3A47.939Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:4776e8b1-af95-402c-b1da-5512ec898a34&pinned_post_asset_id=625bd55e77811a20d37c8c64&pinned_post_type=share
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The tank is certainly more limited now than it was at the height of the cold war with massive combined formations ready to roll with tanks as the vanguard.
Between man portable missiles, drones, IEDs, and the like tanks are pretty vulnerable again. For our enemies throw in helicopters and A10s. Obviously the "armor vs. arms" pendulum moves back and forth, but right now it's definitely favoring weapons.
Maybe it's time to build some Bolo's
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Maybe it's time to build some Bolo's
Well, that or send in a certain Junior Diplomat from the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne. =)
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https://twitter.com/BormanIke/status/1515816220393713665/photo/1
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FQlCx-cXoAkmGR3?format=jpg&name=medium)
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Well, that or send in a certain Junior Diplomat from the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne. =)
Just have to avoid the bureaucrats in the Manpower Utilization Directorate, Division of Libraries and Education (MUDDLE) and see that the Motorized Equipment Depot, Division of Loans and Exchanges (MEDDLE) does its job. ;)
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I know many here don't favor the U.S. getting directly involved in this little dust-up. I have been on the fence, severely conflicted on that question. Seeing this post, what popped into what's left of my brain was this:
"First they came for the socialists Ukrainians, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist Ukrainian.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
"Never get into a land war in Asia."
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The tank is certainly more limited now than it was at the height of the cold war with massive combined formations ready to roll with tanks as the vanguard.
Between man portable missiles, drones, IEDs, and the like tanks are pretty vulnerable again. For our enemies throw in helicopters and A10s. Obviously the "armor vs. arms" pendulum moves back and forth, but right now it's definitely favoring weapons.
Maybe it's time to build some Bolo's
Except the passive and active protections from such weapons are already developed just expensive. I think Chieftain also pointed out on an older video that many of the Ukraine videos don't show for sure if the tank was destroyed and also don't show many top of the line tanks getting hit.
I think it is just the ongoing armor vs weapons battle that has been going on for thousands of years.
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One of the things we discovered in Iraq is that even modern tanks are pretty susceptible to the right IED.
A mobility kill may not destroy a tank, but it will stop it's mission, and tie down half a platoon in recovery.
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One of the things we discovered in Iraq is that even modern tanks are pretty susceptible to the right IED.
A mobility kill may not destroy a tank, but it will stop it's mission, and tie down half a platoon in recovery.
You can always build a bigger bomb than you can build a tank. Iirc it was an antitank mine rigged for command det and boosted with three 152mm shells.
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You can always build a bigger bomb than you can build a tank. Iirc it was an antitank mine rigged for command det and boosted with three 152mm shells.
It happened way more than once. Usually they were command det artillery shells, yes.
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It happened way more than once. Usually they were command det artillery shells, yes.
Well no duh is happened more than once. I was citing what was seen to kill an M1 Abrams, which is currently the heaviest armor rolling. You can always pile more boom boom into a hole in the ground.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/18/anatoly-antonov-russia-ambassador-00025744
It is difficult being the Russian Ambassador to the US these days. Although he does make a good point about there are many things in our mutual national interests that would make sense to work on together.
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"Never get into a land war in Asia."
Ukraine is in Europe. A big chunk of Russia is, too.
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According to a former White House Russia adviser the problem is there's not enough women in the Kremlin or something.
Putin 'not in business of compromise'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61157670?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625f4c2877811a20d37c9057%26Putin%20%27not%20in%20business%20of%20compromise%27%262022-04-19T23%3A56%3A24.863Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:9cc4bca5-edab-4109-bfa9-b23cc1fff462&pinned_post_asset_id=625f4c2877811a20d37c9057&pinned_post_type=share
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Apparently the Chechen hired guns are culling dissidents from the ranks in a rather violent and permanent way.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/f-cking-shoot-them-chechen-114857260.html
Yeah, executing your own soldiers for wanting out of an unprovoked, ill-conceived, and unethical military action is sure to up your support on the home front.
Brad
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And apparently the internal rumblings are getting louder.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-officials-questioning-putins-decision-to-invade-ukraine-report
When your ultra-lux yachts, Mediterranean villas, and "special" overseas accounts start getting seized, you tend to pay attention.
Brad
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Ruskies just did an ICBM test launch today. That's kind of North Koreany.
https://youtu.be/CO0OPE4YPdI
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Ruskies just did an ICBM test launch today. That's kind of North Koreany.
https://youtu.be/CO0OPE4YPdI
And, based on past actions (esp. recent past), Putin has demonstrated that he may be unbalanced enough already to "push the button".
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Apparently the Chechen hired guns are culling dissidents from the ranks in a rather violent and permanent way.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/f-cking-shoot-them-chechen-114857260.html
Yeah, executing your own soldiers for wanting out of an unprovoked, ill-conceived, and unethical military action is sure to up your support on the home front.
Brad
I've heard stories like this before with the armies of other despots, and I'm always wondering - why don't the troops mutiny rather than simply accept their deaths? Especially with "foreign" mercenaries doing the culling. In ancient times, the Romans would decimate - kill every 10th man - in units that didn't perform. The threat then was that OTHER legions would then kill everyone. But in MODERN times that could very easily lead to a full-fledged revolution.
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Ukraine is in Europe. A big chunk of Russia is, too.
If we went to war in the Ukraine, I am sure we would only fight in Europe.
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Don't know enough about the subject to know whether to throw rocks or not
Mark Felton: Azov Battalion - History & Symbols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdUtUefjCA
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Things that make you go Hmmm
2 Russian oligarchs were found dead one day apart alongside their wives and children, reports say
https://www.businessinsider.com/2-russian-oligarchs-found-dead-spain-moscow-reports-2022-4
Two Russian Oligarchs Die in Mysterious Circumstances 24 Hours Apart
https://www.newsweek.com/oligarchs-murder-suicide-1699766
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Murder-suicide. Sure.
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Murder-suicide. Sure.
Most people suicide by double taps to the back of their head. It’s not just an Arkansas thing, contrary to popular belief.
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Most people suicide by double taps to the back of their head. It’s not just an Arkansas thing, contrary to popular belief.
You don't know what they had on the Clintons.
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Someone is just cutting loose ends ... https://youtu.be/sGr2jv4GieM?t=182
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Things that make you go Hmmm
2 Russian oligarchs were found dead one day apart alongside their wives and children, reports say
https://www.businessinsider.com/2-russian-oligarchs-found-dead-spain-moscow-reports-2022-4
Two Russian Oligarchs Die in Mysterious Circumstances 24 Hours Apart
https://www.newsweek.com/oligarchs-murder-suicide-1699766
I wonder if those oligarchs spoke out against Putin's war.
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How's this for a shift?
A few months ago, sending German tanks to a war zone would have led to public outrage. Today, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under fierce attack because he appears reluctant to do just that.
Some 55% of Germans say they want heavy weapons, such as tanks, sent to Ukraine, with 37% against.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61185469?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6262aabe77811a20d37c93cf%26Germany%20steps%20up%20weapons%20supply%20amid%20public%20criticism%262022-04-22T14%3A18%3A39.278Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c3517cc0-df43-43c2-8055-df1bfc69b66e&pinned_post_asset_id=6262aabe77811a20d37c93cf&pinned_post_type=share
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How's this for a shift?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61185469?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6262aabe77811a20d37c93cf%26Germany%20steps%20up%20weapons%20supply%20amid%20public%20criticism%262022-04-22T14%3A18%3A39.278Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c3517cc0-df43-43c2-8055-df1bfc69b66e&pinned_post_asset_id=6262aabe77811a20d37c93cf&pinned_post_type=share
Propaganda has been effective.
Putin is definitely a bad guy. Still not entirely convinced Zelensky is a good guy. He’s got titanium balls. He’s been effective at rallying Ukrainians to fight the Russians. But he’s still corrupt as hell. What isn’t clear if that corruption is just the more or less benign self-enriching corruption or the murderous totalitarian corruption of Putin, just on a smaller scale.
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Propaganda has been effective.
Putin is definitely a bad guy. Still not entirely convinced Zelensky is a good guy. He’s got titanium balls. He’s been effective at rallying Ukrainians to fight the Russians. But he’s still corrupt as hell. What isn’t clear if that corruption is just the more or less benign self-enriching corruption or the murderous totalitarian corruption of Putin, just on a smaller scale.
The enemy of my enemy...
Most of the world dislikes Russia/Putin. Less of the world dislikes Ukrain/Zelensky.
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Putin is definitely a bad guy. Still not entirely convinced Zelensky is a good guy. He’s got titanium balls. He’s been effective at rallying Ukrainians to fight the Russians. But he’s still corrupt as hell.
What proof of Zelenskyy's corruption exists? Not doubting your honesty, but I'm curious.
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He’s a politician. That’s proof enough. He’s also a politician in Eastern Europe. By definition he’s corrupt. Plus, he held back intel on Hunter Biden’s dealings from Trump. Which means he was either in on it, or he or his people were benefiting from it even if they weren’t directly involved.
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This is his first political job, so not really a politician.
He was president for like 6 months before the 2020 election. Not sure how much he was "withholding from Trump" while trying to get a government built.
He may well be corrupt, but I haven't seen a ton of evidence of it.
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He’s a politician. That’s proof enough. He’s also a politician in Eastern Europe. By definition he’s corrupt. Plus, he held back intel on Hunter Biden’s dealings from Trump. Which means he was either in on it, or he or his people were benefiting from it even if they weren’t directly involved.
Like that excuses Russia invading them and stealing portions of their country.
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Like that excuses Russia invading them and stealing portions of their country.
Did I say that? I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that.
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Did I say that? I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that.
So what was the point of your what-about-them'ism?
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Reports of another Russian oil depot up in flames
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61185469?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626679f96b7942142fe9593d%26What%20we%20know%20about%20oil%20depot%20fire%262022-04-25T12%3A27%3A42.636Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:4fa06a8c-0c67-4d6d-89ee-d86addf5a0ed&pinned_post_asset_id=626679f96b7942142fe9593d&pinned_post_type=share
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The European Union is ironing out the details of a potential oil embargo on Russia.
A full embargo from the EU could be particularly devastating for Russia’s already-struggling oil industry.
"If Putin has to redirect oil and gas exports from the European to the Asian markets, he will lose over half of his revenue.”
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Russia-Could-Lose-Half-Of-Its-Revenue-If-EU-Agrees-On-A-Full-Oil-Embargo.html
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What the ?
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2022/4/27/33e8739b-03bb-4188-92dc-535c18da6238.jpg)
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So much for we're here just to kick out the nazis
Russian defence official predicts break-up of Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61224804?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626807cfb1e16c43aefe774e%26Russian%20defence%20official%20predicts%20break-up%20of%20Ukraine%262022-04-26T18%3A15%3A14.298Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c6760c2a-3f01-4ca5-8513-e93c748ed32f&pinned_post_asset_id=626807cfb1e16c43aefe774e&pinned_post_type=share
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Oh boy
Mysterious explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-controlled territory in Moldova bordering on Ukraine, have raised fears that the Ukraine conflict may be spreading.
Separatist authorities said Ukrainian "infiltrators" were responsible. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russian special services.
Russia says it is concerned. It has about 1,500 troops in Transnistria.
An official has said Russian speakers in Moldova are being oppressed.
Transnistria and Ukraine conflict: Is war spreading?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61233095
On the heels of this
A Russian general, Rustam Minnekaev, said Friday according to Russian newswire Interfax, Russia wanted to conquer Ukrainian land all the way to Moldova, where Russophones were being persecuted — a pretext previously used for invasions. "Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population,"
https://euobserver.com/tickers/154778
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So much for we're here just to kick out the nazis
Russian defence official predicts break-up of Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61224804?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626807cfb1e16c43aefe774e%26Russian%20defence%20official%20predicts%20break-up%20of%20Ukraine%262022-04-26T18%3A15%3A14.298Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c6760c2a-3f01-4ca5-8513-e93c748ed32f&pinned_post_asset_id=626807cfb1e16c43aefe774e&pinned_post_type=share
Yes, Russia will keep the part with the natural gas wells and Ukraine can keep the other part.
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First they have to win.
Ukraine has backed off the earlier indications they might be willing to give up territory. If they keep getting enough munitions they may take back Crimea.
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First they have to win.
Ukraine has backed off the earlier indications they might be willing to give up territory. If they keep getting enough munitions they may take back Crimea.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/aRrLLXQ_460s.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
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First they have to win.
Ukraine has backed off the earlier indications they might be willing to give up territory. If they keep getting enough munitions they may take back Crimea.
It's obvious that the populace is mad as hell and I think it's become politically impossible for the Ukraine government to try for anything less than pre-2014 borders. They may get repulsed and that'll be one thing but just saying they'll settle for less won't work imo.
It's also apparent that this whole thing took a population that wasn't very invested and forged a nation out of it.
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As usual take with a grain of salt.
But so far Ukraine's number's have been not too far off from what other countries intel has been saying if that means anything.
Ukraine claims Russia has lost 23,000 military personnel
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence claims Russia has suffered 23,000 military personnel losses since the beginning of the war, in an update on Telegram.
It claims that since Russia invaded on 24 February, the Ukrainian military has destroyed:
986 tanks
2418 armoured combat vehicles
435 artillery systems
189 aircraft
eight ships
155 helicopters
It said Russia experienced the greatest losses in the direction of Izyum, in eastern Ukraine.
Estimates of Russian military losses vary widely, but Moscow has previously admitted to suffering "significant losses of troops" during the invasion.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify Ukraine's latest claims.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61252785?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626bd061b1e16c43aefe7b41%26Ukraine%20claims%20Russia%20has%20lost%2023%2C000%20military%20personnel%262022-04-29T13%3A52%3A38.541Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:fa58615b-fa4a-4e2b-86ae-c768687d4769&pinned_post_asset_id=626bd061b1e16c43aefe7b41&pinned_post_type=share
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I wonder what Ukraine's losses are. I read they are not releasing numbers.
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I wonder what Ukraine's losses are. I read they are not releasing numbers.
I posted this back in #1388 April 16
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Ukraine put some numbers out of their dead and wounded soldiers
Zelensky says up to 3,000 Ukrainian troops dead
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61124291?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=625a359fb1e16c43aefe64fa%26Zelensky%20says%20up%20to%203%2C000%20Ukrainian%20troops%20dead%262022-04-16T04%3A07%3A41.545Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:72a194f2-c5b7-4ead-8246-0ed2acf1a73e&pinned_post_asset_id=625a359fb1e16c43aefe64fa&pinned_post_type=share
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As already stated, casualty numbers - by both sides - should be taken with a grain of salt.
But whatever they actually are, Russian casualties are probably higher - a LOT higher - than the Russians were projecting on the day before they invaded.
I think a good part of the reason is that as a former Soviet state, the Ukrainians were well-versed in Soviet (e.g, Russian) military doctrine, tactics, and hardware, and were able to use their knowledge to good effect. Especially since the Russians were telegraphing their intentions for months.
I wonder if anyone outside Russia's military has a good handle on how Putin's stocks of missiles, ammo, combat vehicles, and aircraft (fixed wing and helos), and spare parts are doing, given combat losses and high tempo operations. By some counts, Putin's used over 1300 cruise and ballistic missiles already, including at least some new and expensive hypersonics.
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The Russians were expecting The Anschluss but they got Verdun instead.
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The Russians were expecting The Anschluss but they got Verdun instead.
Gun Jesus made pretty much the same comparison in one of his recent videos.
I thought I posted it here, but it may have been to another board.
He also made the point that in 1939 Stalin made the same assumption -- that the Soviets would be welcomed with open arms in Finland for bringing an end to all of the internal bickering between political parties.
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In terms of Russian losses, I have read a couple of articles that their wartime field medical care and evacuations are no where near US capabilities and at least some of their losses would survive if they were US soldiers.
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In terms of Russian losses, I have read a couple of articles that their wartime field medical care and evacuations are no where near US capabilities and at least some of their losses would survive if they were US soldiers.
Well, we have a lot of practice.
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Why are Ukrainians calling Russians 'orcs'?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61252785?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626bcdcc77811a20d37ca001%26Why%20are%20Ukrainians%20calling%20Russians%20%27orcs%27%3F%262022-04-29T20%3A15%3A01.610Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:81098973-27ce-4c53-bc62-a0453e61abe9&pinned_post_asset_id=626bcdcc77811a20d37ca001&pinned_post_type=share
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The Russians were expecting The Anschluss but they got Verdun instead.
The French Germans Russians were expecting Russia and got Russia instead.
Fixed it for you.
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Why are Ukrainians calling Russians 'orcs'?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61252785?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=626bcdcc77811a20d37ca001%26Why%20are%20Ukrainians%20calling%20Russians%20%27orcs%27%3F%262022-04-29T20%3A15%3A01.610Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:81098973-27ce-4c53-bc62-a0453e61abe9&pinned_post_asset_id=626bcdcc77811a20d37ca001&pinned_post_type=share
So . . . Putin is Sauron? Then who has the One Ring?
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One does not simply walk into Ukraine.
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One does not just simply walk into Ukraine.
Nice
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It's from Business Insider, so there's the slant to consider, but still, an interesting article on a cross-section of the kinds of foreign volunteers Ukraine is getting:
https://www.businessinsider.com/they-went-to-ukraine-to-be-war-heroes-and-fight-russians-2022-4
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Apparently the ghost of Kiev was fake news. Just goes to show that everybody does propaganda.
I actually thought he was real, but that his kill count (something like 49 advanced aircraft!?!) was way overblown.
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/05/01/ukraine-now-admits-the-ghost-of-kyiv-never-existed/
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I figured pretty much everyone knew from day one
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I also thought we knew this. It was outed by Ukraine War watchers on Tik Tok, of all things. They took apart the footage and called bullshit early on.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/05/us-intelligence-helping-ukraine-kill-russian-generals-report
The US is apparently helping to target Russian senior officers.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/05/us-intelligence-helping-ukraine-kill-russian-generals-report
The US is apparently helping to target Russian senior officers.
I just heard that on the teevee. Seems there should have been a little more OPSEC for something like that, which could really rile up Putin. I'm surprised DoD is so forthcoming with "Yeah, we did that". They seem to be arguing that they did not provide intel specifically to target the Generals, but that seems kinda fishy. How did this many Generals get popped through "ancillary information"?
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Wouldn't surprise me to see a few high ranking US military and diplomatic types suddenly succumb to previously undiagnosed medical conditions.
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This admin has been putting way too much information out there this whole war. I guess to show they are doing something since they have nothing else to go on but it's a little dangerous.
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This admin has been putting way too much information out there this whole war. I guess to show they are doing something since they have nothing else to go on but it's a little dangerous.
I actually appreciate that Biden called a lot of Putin's shots early on.
Sure, some of his accusations may have been absolute speculation, but he called the invasion well ahead of time which made it harder for Putin to pull off the Crimea type invasion that I think he was expecting to.
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I just heard that on the teevee. Seems there should have been a little more OPSEC for something like that, which could really rile up Putin. I'm surprised DoD is so forthcoming with "Yeah, we did that". They seem to be arguing that they did not provide intel specifically to target the Generals, but that seems kinda fishy. How did this many Generals get popped through "ancillary information"?
I also saw another news story the other day claiming that our aid to Ukraine has drained our military weapon resources. Between that and the story about the US helping target Russian brass, you think the news wants Putin to launch a few nukes at us.
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I also saw another news story the other day claiming that our aid to Ukraine has drained our military weapon resources.
I've had worries that the US and W. Europe is going to be short of anti-tank/air weapon for a while but then again Russia is probably going be short of tanks and AC for a while as well.
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I've had worries that the US and W. Europe is going to be short of anti-tank/air weapon for a while but then again Russia is probably going be short of tanks and AC for a while as well.
What if Russia is not the next threat we face?
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What if Russia is not the next threat we face?
China? Would be more Naval than land on our part.
Iran and N.Korea? I think the locals can handle it with the US providing air support and off shore naval support/strikes if need be.
Beyond them who's a big tank/air threat and I should note I'm not too sure about Iran being a big threat in that regard
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China? Would be more Naval than land on our part.
Iran and N.Korea? I think the locals can handle it with the US providing air support and off shore naval support/strikes if need be.
Beyond them who's a big tank/air threat and I should note I'm not too sure about Iran being a big threat in that regard
Our biggest threat is our own government. =|
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/05/us-intelligence-helping-ukraine-kill-russian-generals-report
The US is apparently helping to target Russian senior officers.
Not just senor officers
The US provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Moskva, Russia's flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, several US media report.
Unnamed officials said Ukraine had asked the US about a ship sailing to the south of Odesa.
The US said it was the Moskva and helped confirm its location. Ukraine then struck it with two missiles.
The Pentagon has not commented. But a spokesman said the US gave intelligence to help Ukraine defend itself.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61343044
Not going to argue one way or the other whether or not we should provide info to the Ukrainians but sometimes our people need to shut the F up about it.
Reminds me of that newspaper after Midway that spilled the beans about our code breaking. Luckily the Japanese didn't catch on.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61343044
Not going to argue one way or the other whether or not we should provide info to the Ukrainians but sometimes our people need to shut the F up about it.
^^^ QFT.
There was a slogan during WW2, "Loose lips sink ships." IMHO, the less Russia knows about how, when, and where we are assisting Ukraine, the better.
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BTW: That newspaper was the Chicago Tribune
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Note: Unconfirmed at this point
If true the Russians need to start looking at their point defenses on their ships
Russian warship Admiral Makarov ‘on fire after being hit by Ukrainian missile’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-ship-admiral-makarov-ukraine-war-b2073007.html
Second Russian Warship Struck by Ukraine: Reports
https://news.yahoo.com/second-russian-warship-struck-ukraine-203251876.html
Data on the ship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_frigate_Admiral_Makarov
Commissioned Dec 2017
Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Grigorovich-class_frigate
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Several Twitter accounts that monitor open-source flight data gathered from satellites and transponders reported that known Russian rescue vessels and aircraft had rushed to the area, shortly after reports emerged that the Makarov had been struck with a missile.
Those accounts also reported that an unarmed U.S. military RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone had been circling the area, indicating that an incident may have occurred. Photos of a ship burning, claimed to be the Makarov by users, were circulating on social media, though these have been unconfirmed.
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Anyone know if the US has provided the Ukrainians with ECM equipment?
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The Russians are saying Musk will be held accountable for
"Supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military comm equipment"
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1523464037048020992
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya
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Blame Jan 6
You can't make this stuff up but they can :facepalm:
MSNBC’s @NicolleDWallace: "January 6th made everything about invading Ukraine easier for Vladimir Putin” pic.twitter.com/nuEGGwd2w5
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 9, 2022
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/05/09/msnbcs-nicolle-wallace-says-january-6-made-vladimir-putins-minor-incursion-into-ukraine-easier/
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Russia withdrawing troops from the Kharkiv Oblast region.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-withdrawing-troops-kharkiv-ukraine-war-uk-says
Ostensibly to relocate troops in support of other areas, but guessing there's no lack of pressure on the home front - social, political, and economic - to pack it up and go home. It doesn't help that most of Russia plenty wired in to international news sources and has no trouble seeing through the lies. Deceiving your populace doesn't tend to last long when people can't buy food, see direct evidence of senseless brutality, and are having family members come home in body bags.
Brad
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Finland and Sweden expected to formally announce their decisions to apply for NATO membership Sunday. Russia threatens to retaliate.
"Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to neutralise the threats to its national security that arise from this."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61420185
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Yes, that will ensure Russian victory, open another front in the war.
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Yes, that will ensure Russian victory, open another front in the war.
It's finally Russia's turn to experience a two front war.
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Turkey is saying they'll nix the Finns and Swedes from joining NATO because they're home to terrorists.
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Russian economy facing a major contraction:
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/russia-s-economy-facing-worst-contraction-since-1994-1.1763117
The second order effects will be . . . interesting . . . to watch.
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Turkey is saying they'll nix the Finns and Swedes from joining NATO because they're home to terrorists.
Ummmm.
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Turkey is saying they'll nix the Finns and Swedes from joining NATO because they're home to terrorists.
You have a source for that?
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You have a source for that?
https://news.yahoo.com/turkey-opposes-nato-membership-finland-133838618.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
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Does it only take one NATO member to veto new applicants for membership? Or is it a majority vote?
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Turkey complaining about terrorists ... now THAT's funny.
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He's still griping about Greece joining NATO
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And everyone you don't like is a terrorist.
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Does it only take one NATO member to veto new applicants for membership? Or is it a majority vote?
Approval must be unanimous, as explained in the Yahoo article posted by HankB.
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Turkey complaining about terrorists ... now THAT's funny.
Indeed.
I suspect the Turks are holding out for some concessions (i.e., bribes) before giving approval.
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Likely.
It's ironic that a country that doesn't lie anywhere near the North Atlantic Ocean can exercise any control whatsoever over admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for two countries who are decidedly in the North Atlantic region.
The real terrorist is Erdogan.
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Russian official: Poland is next
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-lawmaker-poland-next-in-line-denazification-after-ukraine
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Blame Jan 6
You can't make this stuff up but they can :facepalm:
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/05/09/msnbcs-nicolle-wallace-says-january-6-made-vladimir-putins-minor-incursion-into-ukraine-easier/
The date she's looking for is November 3rd.
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Russian official: Poland is next
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-lawmaker-poland-next-in-line-denazification-after-ukraine
So we're really going to do this dance then?
Perhaps that's Putin's plan for economic recovery. Let NATO run into the Urals, than soak up that sweet US reconstruction money we always throw around after an invasion.
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Indeed.
I suspect the Turks are holding out for some concessions (i.e., bribes) before giving approval.
They just want a free painting
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I'm really hoping that this is rhetoric. I can't conceive of why the Russians would think an Article 5 incursion would get them closer to their goals? I suppose that means I probably don't understand their goals.
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Given how quickly the Russians are losing vehicles in Ukraine, they may not have anything left to try to take into Poland.
Not to mention... Poland is a NATO member state.
I think even the Russians know how that would work out for them if they tried that. That would set of a general land war in Europe, and it would not end well for anyone.
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Russia just decided to have a chat with our Pentagon.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3487612-austin-speaks-with-russian-counterpart-for-first-time-since-start-of-war-in-ukraine/
Not sure if this means the Russians are trying to back away from WWIII, or if it means Putin and Biden are going to start coordinating their attacks on the Nazis they both see behind every bush. ;/
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I'm really hoping that this is rhetoric. I can't conceive of why the Russians would think an Article 5 incursion would get them closer to their goals? I suppose that means I probably don't understand their goals.
It occurred to me that Morozov may have been drunk at the time.
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Given how quickly the Russians are losing vehicles in Ukraine, they may not have anything left to try to take into Poland.
Not to mention... Poland is a NATO member state.
I think even the Russians know how that would work out for them if they tried that. That would set of a general land war in Europe, and it would not end well for anyone.
It would be more than just a land war in Europe - picking a fight with Poland would mean starting a war with all 30 or so NATO nations, so that Russian military & industrial assets would be targeted by NATO members WORLDWIDE. Things would really spiral out of anyone's control if the Russians were to coordinate an attack on Poland with a Chicom assault on Taiwan - hopefully, cooler, saner heads will prevail.
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So we're really going to do this dance then?
Perhaps that's Putin's plan for economic recovery. Let NATO run into the Urals, than soak up that sweet US reconstruction money we always throw around after an invasion.
The Bear That Roared? ;)
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The Bear That Roared? ;)
Hey, unless the rest of NATO's new hardware is better than the US Navy's Littoral Combat ships, the result might be a Duchy of Grand Fenwick Russian win.
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What's so awful about the LCS platform? I hear people dogging it frequently but I don't grok why it's so bad. I've heard about the hull cracks, but that could happen with any ship. People seem to have animosity to the notion of a coastal / shore craft.
I find it rather amusing that the Navy has more Littoral craft than the Coast Guard, but then again the Coast Guard doesn't engage in shore combat (yet... until the government finds some way to benefit from shelling US beachgoers).
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What's so awful about the LCS platform? I hear people dogging it frequently but I don't grok why it's so bad. I've heard about the hull cracks, but that could happen with any ship. People seem to have animosity to the notion of a coastal / shore craft.
I find it rather amusing that the Navy has more Littoral craft than the Coast Guard, but then again the Coast Guard doesn't engage in shore combat (yet... until the government finds some way to benefit from shelling US beachgoers).
It's the size of a FF, with less capability than a PT, while being more expensive than a DDG, and fragile to the point of early structural failure from light operations.
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Not sure if this means Turkey is softening it's stance or not but it appears the PKK is the sticking point.
Kalin said the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union - was fund-raising and recruiting in Europe and its presence is "strong and open and acknowledged" in Sweden in particular.
"What needs to be done is clear: they have to stop allowing PKK outlets, activities, organisations, individuals and other types of presence to...exist in those countries," Kalin said.
"NATO membership is always a process. We will see how things go. But this is the first point that we want to bring to the attention of all the allies as well as to Swedish authorities," he added. "Of course we want to have a discussion, a negotiation with Swedish counterparts."
Exclusive: Turkey 'not closing door' to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says
https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-turkey-not-closing-door-sweden-finland-nato-entry-erdogan-advisor-says-2022-05-14/
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It's the size of a FF, with less capability than a PT, while being more expensive than a DDG, and fragile to the point of early structural failure from light operations.
The DC class
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The DC class
BaZinga!
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Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952.
I've got a lot of serious reservations about Turkey's membership these days. They've made a hard, hard turn towards Islamic religious ideology in the past 15 or so years.
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Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952.
I've got a lot of serious reservations about Turkey's membership these days. They've made a hard, hard turn towards Islamic religious ideology in the past 15 or so years.
If I were the King of NATO, I'd trade Turkey for Finland and Sweden in a heartbeat. I wouldn'r even ask foir a future draft pick.
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Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952.
I've got a lot of serious reservations about Turkey's membership these days. They've made a hard, hard turn towards Islamic religious ideology in the past 15 or so years.
Ata-Turk's dream is definitely dead. :'(
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Ata-Turk's dream is definitely dead. :'(
At least until Erdogan is gone. A lot of the Turkish people don't like him or his policies, but they're afraid to say or do anything.
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Not sure if this means Turkey is softening it's stance or not but it appears the PKK is the sticking point.
Exclusive: Turkey 'not closing door' to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says
https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-turkey-not-closing-door-sweden-finland-nato-entry-erdogan-advisor-says-2022-05-14/
It's just a question of how many zeroes go on the check.
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Finland and Sweden have said they're applying for membership.
Needs to be approved by parliament(s) though. Not expected to be problem.
And saw this
Erdogan could be saying one thing in public and another in private. Not uncommon.
President Sauli Niinisto says he spoke to the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan a month ago in which Erdgan said he would support Finland joining Nato, so he says he is "confused" by reports Turkey may object and says he is prepared to speak to him again.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61441664?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6280d7d99f4dc85502039202%26No%20indication%20of%20any%20problems%20with%20us%20joining%20Nato%2C%20says%20Finnish%20PM%262022-05-15T10%3A45%3A40.520Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1ea34cc5-32c9-4fb5-ad6a-f1e003dbe9b1&pinned_post_asset_id=6280d7d99f4dc85502039202&pinned_post_type=share
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https://twitter.com/yorukhunnn/status/1525771864345305088
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I don't agree with expanding NATO. The USA does not need to commit itself to going to war on behalf of foreign countries, especially against a nuclear power.
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This can't be good:
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099079032/mcdonalds-leaving-russia?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR0tOa01tvV8cGDwM_G7ZCQmYzvZg73EfGO8fYNqe6b9ufoclM0PS_j_h20
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This can't be good:
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099079032/mcdonalds-leaving-russia?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR0tOa01tvV8cGDwM_G7ZCQmYzvZg73EfGO8fYNqe6b9ufoclM0PS_j_h20
Putin is going to start lobbing nukes now for sure.
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Wow Someone may not wake up in the morning
Retired colonel gives rare realistic analysis on Russian TV
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61461805?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6283594a01eea2774308ee62%26Retired%20colonel%20gives%20rare%20realistic%20analysis%20on%20Russian%20TV%262022-05-17T09%3A26%3A32.329Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:6364fc89-c73a-4566-91e3-3cd4b406a359&pinned_post_asset_id=6283594a01eea2774308ee62&pinned_post_type=share
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This can't be good:
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099079032/mcdonalds-leaving-russia?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR0tOa01tvV8cGDwM_G7ZCQmYzvZg73EfGO8fYNqe6b9ufoclM0PS_j_h20
Putin is going to start lobbing nukes now for sure.
It's all fun and games until someone takes your Happy Meal away.
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Wow the female in that video is drinking the Russia is Supreme koolaide.
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It's all fun and games until someone takes your Happy Meal away.
Or someone will start the new McRusskie's franchise.
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Or someone will start the new McRusskie's franchise.
Home of the Big McPutin and free vodka refills.
And broken ice cream machines of course
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If you ever worked on one of those machines you would be lucky if it's broke.
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U.S. may be (probably will be) sending another $40B in aid to Ukraine:
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/05/18/holy-cash-cow-heres-a-breakdown-of-the-40-billion-aid-package-for-ukraine/
Well, not exactly to Ukraine:
The bill — which will be considered by the Senate this week — would authorize about $20 billion for the Department of Defense, and includes:
— $17 billion for U.S. military operations, including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and to replace U.S. military equipment sent to Ukraine;
— $1.8 billion in U.S. military equipment for Ukraine;
— $414 million for “research, development, test and evaluation” related to the Ukraine war;
— $15 million for U.S. troop pay related to the war; and
— $13.9 million for the Defense Health Program.
An additional roughly $20 billion is for Ukraine bilateral assistance, the State Department, international organizations, and other agencies, and includes:
— $8.77 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine;
— $4.35 billion in humanitarian aid for Ukraine;
— $4 billion for foreign military financing program (run by the State Department);
— $900 million for the Administration for Children and Families for refugee and entrant assistance;
— $500 million for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
— $400 million for international narcotics control and law enforcement to combat human trafficking and collect evidence of war crimes;
— $350 million for the State Department’s Migration and Refugee Assistance;
— $190 million for the State Department for “Diplomatic Programs”;
— $150 million for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program;
— $110 million for the State Department for embassy security, construction, and maintenance;
— $100 million for the State Department for non-proliferation, anti-terrorism, de-mining and related programs;
— $67 million for the Justice Department;
— $54 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out public health and disease detection related to Ukraine;
— $17 million for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID);
— $10 million for the State Department’s “Capital Investment Fund”;
— $4 million for the State Department’s Office of Inspector General;
— $2 million for “salaries and expenses” to provide regulatory and technical support; and
— $1 million for USAID’s Office of Inspector General.
The $40 billion would be in addition to the $13.6 billion in aid that Congress passed in March, for a total of roughly $53 billion over the period of two months — the largest foreign aid package to move through Congress in at least two decades, according to the New York Times.
Somewhere in there is "10% for the Big Guy"
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And that's on top of the $13B we already sent
13B + 40B = $53 billion
Russia's entire defense budget was $60-65* billion in 2021
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/Jso1dbifABkyEDiIXQ/200.gif)
* Varies a bit according to who you ask.
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... and they have to pass it so we can see what's in it.
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I wonder what we would do if China decided to throw $50 billion or so in war aid to the ruskies? Oh, and have it all go to the war machine instead of pork.
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Leave it to Business Insider to twist everything into Orange Man. In this case, Putin invaded Ukraine now because Trump frustrated him back when he was President.
https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-frustrated-constantly-explaining-things-to-trump-fiona-hill-2022-5
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Ukraine forces use new American howitzers on Russian positions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz8JimT9Itg
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/19/finland-against-hosting-nuclear-weapons-nato-military-bases-pm
Finland and Sweden want to join NATO, but don't want bases or nukes on their soil. Hmmm.
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/19/finland-against-hosting-nuclear-weapons-nato-military-bases-pm
Finland and Sweden want to join NATO, but don't want bases or nukes on their soil. Hmmm.
So they want military aide and access to NATO weapons?
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Whoops
Former President George W. Bush: “The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean of Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/UMwNMwMnmX
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 19, 2022
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/05/19/oops-george-w-bush-condemns-brutal-invasion-of-iraq-in-ukraine-speech/
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^^^You never forget your first invasion.
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So they want military aide and access to NATO weapons?
And like most all the Western European countries, won't want to fork over their required percentage of ducats.
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/19/finland-against-hosting-nuclear-weapons-nato-military-bases-pm
Finland and Sweden want to join NATO, but don't want bases or nukes on their soil. Hmmm.
Good. They build their own bases, provide their own soldiers. Buy NATO weaponry from various Western ironmongers and train to be able to integrate into allied NATO responses.
What's not to like?
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What's not to like?
Commitment to go to war to protect them if Russia gets froggy.
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So they want military aide and access to NATO weapons?
They already have their own.
What they want is a guaranty that they'll have backup if Russia decides they're next.
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^^^You never forget your first invasion.
So, Afghanistan?
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So, Afghanistan?
W gesturing off into the distance: one of those sandy places over that away!
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Where men ride camels and the goats are nervous
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Where men ride camels and the goats are nervous
Not just the goats. =|
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According to this John Deere remotely disabled tractors Russians plundered from a farm equipment dealership in Ukraine
Russians plunder $5M farm vehicles from Ukraine – to find they’ve been remotely disabled
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/01/europe/russia-farm-vehicles-ukraine-disabled-melitopol-intl/index.html
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.
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I guess we can laugh about Deere doing this to the ruskies, but it sure makes you think about what could be done to anyone, anywhere, if you happen to be an enemy of "X", or the unpopular [cough] MAGA [/cough] part of a population whose leaders have a Ministry of Truth.
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I guess we can laugh about Deere doing this to the ruskies, but it sure makes you think about what could be done to anyone, anywhere, if you happen to be an enemy of "X", or the unpopular [cough] MAGA [/cough] part of a population whose leaders have a Ministry of Truth.
That was brought up in a YT video.
And not just tractors but it can be done with many cars nowadays
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That was brought up in a YT video.
And not just tractors but it can be done with many cars nowadays
I had to give one of my team members a ride home. She missed a car payment and the dealer remotely disabled her car in the hospital parking lot. She had to bring cash to the dealer to get the car enabled again.
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I had to give one of my team members a ride home. She missed a car payment and the dealer remotely disabled her car in the hospital parking lot. She had to bring cash to the dealer to get the car enabled again.
What kind of car was it?
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It may not matter. There are third party add-on GPS tracking and disablers that many "dealers" put on their used cars. The buy here pay here places are notorious for them.
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It may not matter. There are third party add-on GPS tracking and disablers that many "dealers" put on their used cars. The buy here pay here places are notorious for them.
Yeah, it did come to mind it was something they could have installed. But that could be easier to disable than something integrated in the system from the factory.
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Hmm ... seems the sanctions aren't having the desired effect:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ruble-surges-7-high-gas-163120924.html
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Supposedly we are down to a ten week global wheat supply. It sounds like it will hit other countries more than it will the US. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to pick up a sack of flour now vs in a couple months.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/zelenskyys-global-food-crisis-official
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First McD's, now Starbucks.
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/starbucks-leaving-russia-shutting-130-stores/?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=kamc&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR0iLdCbTN-ND8adVhChzQ6I7J-DhJ0aWduNSI45AuV9ivBsEShbOH8IEzs
Brad
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When does the North American winter wheat harvest start? I know that oats is about 6 weeks from now but wheat isn't grown here.
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When does the North American winter wheat harvest start? I know that oats is about 6 weeks from now but wheat isn't grown here.
Depends on where. On the Gulf Coast it can start as early as late April. TX/OK/KS are usually spread across May. North Dakotas/Nebraska can be late as mid-June.
I fully expect production to be way down, and what wasn't lost to drought will be stupid expensive to harvest due to fuel prices.
Brad
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Depends on where. On the Gulf Coast it can start as early as late April. TX/OK/KS are usually across May. North Dakotas/Nebraska can be late as mid-June.
I fully expect production to be way down, and what wasn't lost to drought will be stupid expensive to harvest due to fuel prices.
Brad
And what they do manage to harvest will be sold overseas for better prices.
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No drought here in southern Missouri but we had a long, cold cloudy spring so it's nice and green but running a little behind. They might be getting the soybeans out in November at this rate.
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Heard fertilizer may be an issue since a lot of it came from Russia. True or false?
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Heard fertilizer may be an issue since a lot of it came from Russia. True or false?
Read a few weeks ago where one of the major rail shippers in this country is refusing to transport US-made fertilizer due to "capacity issues". And they threatened to cancel existing contracts with shippers if they complained. Seemed quite strange to me, almost as though someone is trying to worsen food shortages in this country.
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Heard fertilizer may be an issue since a lot of it came from Russia. True or false?
No, it comes from crude oil refinement, which is what is being killed off right *expletive deleted*ing now.
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Heard fertilizer may be an issue since a lot of it came from Russia. True or false?
It is up 200% plus and there is a shortage. Most farmers around here are going with soybeans this year due to the price increase.
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When does the North American winter wheat harvest start? I know that oats is about 6 weeks from now but wheat isn't grown here.
My dad's farmer grew Winter wheat and oats in CA, and that always came off in March. I see the wheat around here comes off mostly in April.
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My dad's farmer grew Winter wheat and oats in CA, and that always came off in March. I see the wheat around here comes off mostly in April.
Sounds really early, but I'm only familiar with hard red winter wheat which ripens south to north. Harvesters start in the gulf states in late April to early May and migrate north following ripening crops. They end up in the northern states in August to begin spring and summer wheat harvest.
Brad
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Heard fertilizer may be an issue since a lot of it came from Russia. True or false?
Well, Russia can’t export anything of consequence right now (except natural gas to Germany). They’re the major supplier of potash to the world. China has banned exports of urea. And most of the rest of world has stopped making other nitrogen fertilizers because natural gas is too expensive.
We (the USA) can get by, mostly, though not without near term disruption (including price volatility), but much of the 3rd world is heading for famine if we can’t get them adequate amounts of fertilizer in whatever form they can use.
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The soft winter wheat in Washington harvest usually starts shortly after the fourth of July and the spring wheat harvest follows a month later.
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Read a few weeks ago where one of the major rail shippers in this country is refusing to transport US-made fertilizer due to "capacity issues". And they threatened to cancel existing contracts with shippers if they complained. Seemed quite strange to me, almost as though someone is trying to worsen food shortages in this country.
The issue is that the fertilizer producer(also DEF) is shipping in private cars. The railroad is behind meeting delivery contracts to other companies so were reducing all private car traffic. Of course we need to kill the Jones Act and build more rail but the usual suspects will block every effort to prosper.
Not enough but bought my #50 bag of flour last month.
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This years fertilizer, fuel and other inputs for agriculture was contracted last year for this years growing season, so unless prices start to fall, next year is going to be very expensive.
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And what they do manage to harvest will be sold overseas for better prices.
Depends who's holding futures contracts and what's needed for domestic food production.
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Finland and Sweden in talks with Turkey
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61546571?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=628c9276b622de4ef9122558%26Swedish%20and%20Finnish%20officials%20to%20visit%20Turkey%20over%20Nato%20bid%262022-05-24T08%3A20%3A00.695Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:887a6af2-9ede-4f6d-88ce-be34332341c6&pinned_post_asset_id=628c9276b622de4ef9122558&pinned_post_type=share
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NATO would do themselves a favor to boot Turkey and let them dangle for a bit. They need a little does of humility.
Brad
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I hope Turkey does veto adding any more countries to NATO. It does not help the USA to commit itself to being nuked to protect foreign nations. I don't want to get my family killed over Sweden or Finland.
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I never liked Kissinger anyway.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/henry-kissinger-warns-against-defeat-174812366.html
And now I have lost any shred of respect I might once have held for the man. Why should Ukraine cede territory to Russia? Russia is 28 times the area of Ukraine, and has 3-1/2 times the population. If Russia wants to be part of the stability of Europe, it can start by behaving like a civilized nation, and not attacking it's smaller neighbors.
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I never liked Kissinger anyway.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/henry-kissinger-warns-against-defeat-174812366.html
And now I have lost any shred of respect I might once have held for the man. Why should Ukraine cede territory to Russia? Russia is 28 times the area of Ukraine, and has 3-1/2 times the population. If Russia wants to be part of the stability of Europe, it can start by behaving like a civilized nation, and not attacking it's smaller neighbors.
A) That *expletive deleted*er is still alive!?!
told a gathering in Davos
(B) Ah yes the WEF that wants us all enslaved. *expletive deleted*ck those traitors.
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A) That *expletive deleted*er is still alive!?!
98 years old.
He seemed old when I was a kid back in the late 60s-70s
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98 years old.
He seemed old when I was a kid back in the late 60s-70s
I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been killed by a Vietnam veteran for colluding with the North Vietnamese by passing to them our weekly air strike plans.
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I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been killed by a Vietnam veteran for colluding with the North Vietnamese by passing to them our weekly air strike plans.
He’ll get his due one way or another. Men like that don’t trust in the forgiveness of Jesus, typically.
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I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been killed by a Vietnam veteran for colluding with the North Vietnamese by passing to them our weekly air strike plans.
Um, where I can read about this? :O
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He’ll get his due one way or another. Men like that don’t trust in the forgiveness of Jesus, typically.
Think he's Jewish if that effects your statement
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You know things aren't going well when you have to remove the age limit for military service because of combat losses to a nation one thirtieth your size.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-removes-military-age-limits-ukraine-war-putin
Brad
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We know Russia has been losing a lot of forces... but how has Ukraine been doing in comparison?
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You know things aren't going well when you have to remove the age limit for military service because of combat losses to a nation one thirtieth your size.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-removes-military-age-limits-ukraine-war-putin
Brad
I've read elsewhere that the percentage of Russian men conscripted who actually report for duty is going down.
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Seen a video today out of Russia where they’re pulling T-62’s out of storage and on rail cars heading towards Ukraine. Wondering how depleted their mainline tanks are or Putins saving them just in case….
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Seen a video today out of Russia where they’re pulling T-62’s out of storage and on rail cars heading towards Ukraine. Wondering how depleted their mainline tanks are or Putins saving them just in case….
And how many of those T62s will die from poor maintenance, age-related degradation, and "mechanical failures" within the first few days.
Brad
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Russia: We have T-62s
Ukraine: We have tractors
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Seen a video today out of Russia where they’re pulling T-62’s out of storage and on rail cars heading towards Ukraine. Wondering how depleted their mainline tanks are or Putins saving them just in case….
If Peter Zeihan is right (at least very broadly, if not in some details) Putin WILL go after Poland, and the Baltics after Ukraine. At least if he succeeds in taking Ukraine. So totally conceivable he’s holding better equipment in reserve for that. But I’d say it’s more likely that he’s running out of top line tanks, which would indicate a potential ultimate failure in taking Ukraine is shaping up.
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I love Peter Zeihan's channel www.youtube.com/c/GEOPOP20 (https://www.youtube.com/c/GEOPOP20)
The statistics he gave for Russian demographics at the start of the war were eye opening. The huge number of people with AIDS, antibiotic resistant tuberculosis, liver disease, and other issues.
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And how many of those T62s will die from poor maintenance, age-related degradation, and "mechanical failures" within the first few days.
Brad
Probably 60%…. :rofl:
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And how many of those T62s will die from poor maintenance, age-related degradation, and "mechanical failures" within the first few days.
Brad
I imagine those tanks in storage will require some work and won't have the latest and greatest systems, including missile defense. I recall at least one video mentioning they weren't seeing a lot of the active missile defense systems Russia claims to have on its latest tank. Considering all the anti-tank weapons being supplied to the Ukrainians, those tanks out of storage will be vulnerable. And I imagine the tankers will know that.
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(https://media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/mrz052722dAPR20220527054504.jpg)
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Putin punching holes in senior Russian military leadership, at least those not already killed in combat.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/putin-fires-five-more-generals-170433820.html
I truly expect one of his own to pop him, and soon. If not someone from the military, then a hit from the Russian mafia or oligarchs who've collectively lost hundreds of billions (possibly trillions) from freezes, seizures, and sanctions. I think he's way too physically insulated for a member of the gen public to do anything, but there are plenty of inner-circle types with access.
Brad
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Putin punching holes in senior Russian military leadership, at least those not already killed in combat.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/putin-fires-five-more-generals-170433820.html
I truly expect one of his own to pop him, and soon. If not someone from the military, then a hit from the Russian mafia or oligarchs who've collectively lost hundreds of billions (possibly trillions) from freezes, seizures, and sanctions. I think he's way too physically insulated for a member of the gen public to do anything, but there are plenty of inner-circle types with access.
Brad
Dunno how right he is, but Zeihan claims it’s almost impossible that anyone would take out Putin. According to him there’s 2 groups of oligarchs. There’s the group that robbed Russia blind before Putin came to power. They made a deal with Putin to pay taxes and stay uninvolved in politics in exchange for not getting assassinated or exiled and everything taken away from them. That group has zero access to Putin, and if Putin got whacked they also know they’re in grave danger because everyone in Russia despises them.
The second group of oligarchs were ex-KGB pals that owe their riches to Putin. They’re supposedly too dependent on Putin to be a risk to him. They have the access to Putin to whack him, but not the willingness to do so. They also know that at the slightest hint of disloyalty they’re either dead or stripped of wealth and access.
Finally the generals are mostly too inept to take over the country.
I guess we’ll see where things go, and if Zeihan is right or not.
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I read that Putin's possible successors are even worse than he is. True? I don't know.
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If Peter Zeihan is right (at least very broadly, if not in some details) Putin WILL go after Poland, and the Baltics after Ukraine. At least if he succeeds in taking Ukraine. So totally conceivable he’s holding better equipment in reserve for that. But I’d say it’s more likely that he’s running out of top line tanks, which would indicate a potential ultimate failure in taking Ukraine is shaping up.
Attacking a NATO ally would make things spiral entirely out of control - Russia would be facing retaliatory attacks worldwide, from Murmansk to Vladivostok from all 30 NATO countries. And I don't think the Russian navy would stand up very well to the USN. The only way I see Putin attacking Poland or the Baltics is if it was arranged to coincide with a Chinese attack on Taiwan in order to split our attention. And I devoutly hope saner heads will prevail and recognize how far this could escalate.
More likely is an attack on NON-NATO nations like Moldova and the various ****stans that used to be part of the USSR. (Belarus already seems to be in Putin's camp, but I'm not sure what Russia's current relationship is with Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.)
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https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/russia-ukraine-nuclear-weapon-us-response/661315/
What to do if Putin goes nuclear.
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https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/russia-ukraine-nuclear-weapon-us-response/661315/
What to do if Putin goes nuclear.
Paywall
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Paywall
Works for me.
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It's the Atlantic so I figure it will give me a headache. Anyone want to do the Cliff's Note's version?
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The message at the bottom says "this is your last free article" so I guess it won't let me open it a second time.
I will see if I can pull out a few key quotes:
the long-range ballistic missiles deployed on land and on submarines are Russia’s only nuclear weapons available for immediate use. If Putin decides to attack Ukraine with shorter-range, “tactical” nuclear weapons, they will have to be removed from an Object S site—such as Belgorod-22, just 25 miles from the Ukrainian border—and transported to military bases. It will take hours for the weapons to be made combat-ready, for warheads to be mated with cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, for hydrogen bombs to be loaded on planes. The United States will most likely observe the movement of these weapons in real time: by means of satellite surveillance, cameras hidden beside the road, local agents with binoculars. And that will raise a question of existential importance: What should the United States do?
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This quote just sounds odd. Anyone know anything about that situation? Weird way to treat pilots. I am assuming they had a full fuel load. The quote makes it sound like they had less than a full tank deliberately.
In october 1962, Sam Nunn was a 24-year-old recent graduate from Emory University School of Law who’d just gotten a security clearance and a job as a staff member for the House Armed Services Committee. When a colleague backed out of an overseas tour of NATO bases, Nunn took his place, left the United States for the first time—and wound up at Ramstein Air Base, in Germany, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis. Nunn remembers seeing NATO fighters parked near runways, each loaded with a single hydrogen bomb, ready to fly toward the Soviet Union. Pilots sat in chairs beside their planes, day and night, trying to get some sleep while awaiting the order to take off. They had only enough fuel for a one-way mission and planned to bail out somewhere, somehow, after dropping their bombs. The commander of the U.S. Air Force in Europe told Nunn that if a war began, his pilots would have to get their planes off the ground within a few minutes; Ramstein Air Base would be one of the first NATO targets destroyed by a Soviet nuclear attack. The commander kept a walkie-talkie with him at all times to give the takeoff order.
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This quote just sounds odd. Anyone know anything about that situation? Weird way to treat pilots. I am assuming they had a full fuel load. The quote makes it sound like they had less than a full tank deliberately.
Considering Ramstein would probably be a smoking hole by the time they got back, it makes sense. Unorthodox, sure, but might why go to the trouble of having jets return to a base (or more likely bases) that no longer existed.
Brad
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The rest of it talks about what the US/NATO should do if:
1. They detect nukes being removed from storage sites in Russia or
2. Putin uses a nuke in the Ukraine.
Apparently, some favor a limited nuclear response. The author seems to favor ideas that we should not use nukes. We should escalate our current stance and respond with conventional and political means. Lots and lots of story telling scattered throughout with quotes from experts.
That is what I got from skimming it. I wasn't going to read that whole thing.
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Attacking a NATO ally would make things spiral entirely out of control - Russia would be facing retaliatory attacks worldwide, from Murmansk to Vladivostok from all 30 NATO countries.
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL8N2Y72W9
So far just posturing. Hopefully it stays that way.
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Considering Ramstein would probably be a smoking hole by the time they got back, it makes sense. Unorthodox, sure, but might why go to the trouble of having jets return to a base (or more likely bases) that no longer existed.
Brad
But you give them a full fuel load so they have some options after hitting their target. Home base and the target are not the only two places to land or bail out. I hope it was just a matter of the politician misunderstanding something told to them.
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Considering Ramstein would probably be a smoking hole by the time they got back, it makes sense. Unorthodox, sure, but might why go to the trouble of having jets return to a base (or more likely bases) that no longer existed.
Years ago, when France's nuclear deterrent was the Mirage IV fighter-bomber, it was part of their doctrine that in the nuclear role the planes would make one-way trips to their targets in the USSR, similar to what the article described. This was due to the Mirage IV's limited range, and perhaps partly due to the belief that in the event of nuclear war there wouldn't be a France to return to.
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This quote just sounds odd. Anyone know anything about that situation? Weird way to treat pilots. I am assuming they had a full fuel load. The quote makes it sound like they had less than a full tank deliberately.
The guy says "Fighters*" so in 1962 that meant probably F-104 Starfighters, F105 Thunderchiefs or some shiny new F-4s. Ramstein is 702 miles dead straight line distance from the Ukrainian border, so figure with some evasive, and going inside the Soviet Union they had 800 miles to go, at least. Wiki tells me the Ferry
range for those planes is 1600, 1900 and 1450 miles respectively. That's one way, slick, with no weapons and tanks. Give them a bomb, and a flight profile that was more speed than efficacy and it was probably everything they could do to just get there.
Think of it like Doolittle's Raid. Drop bomb, aim for somewhere friendly, and cross fingers.
* I don't know why they wouldn't have used some of SAC's bombers for this mission, they had the range in the 60's, and were presumably on Ramstein. Perhaps the senator is misremembering, or the bombers were elsewhere.
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Considering Ramstein would probably be a smoking hole by the time they got back, it makes sense. Unorthodox, sure, but might why go to the trouble of having jets return to a base (or more likely bases) that no longer existed.
Brad
And the jets would be sprinting low and fast. They might be launching with full internal fuel and burn through nearly all of it in the race to target.
ETA: as usual all the answers were on the next page. :P
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This quote just sounds odd. Anyone know anything about that situation? Weird way to treat pilots. I am assuming they had a full fuel load. The quote makes it sound like they had less than a full tank deliberately.
Probably not a deliberate shortage of fuel. The jet fighter-bombers of that era were fairly short legged, especially carrying large external loads. Also, the nuclear weapons of that time were pretty heavy vs. their yield. All of this combined makes it possible the aircraft were not capable of carrying a full load of fuel along with a full weapons load without exceeding gross weight limitations.
Strategic bombers in WWII frequently had to make the fuel versus bomb load tradeoff depending on what targets they were flying against.
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But you give them a full fuel load so they have some options after hitting their target. Home base and the target are not the only two places to land or bail out. I hope it was just a matter of the politician misunderstanding something told to them.
Agree with RocketMan. These were fighter planes, not bombers. Maybe they were aimed at targets deep inside the Soviet Union, and even with full tanks weren't capable of a round trip with that payload.
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Russia: we did not invade Ukraine, and there is no war there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZtV0HsYzmg
I'm glad that got sorted out. Can we have our $53 billion back please?
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Times were different. I dug and dug once to find the correct nomenclature for some obscure control box in a UH-3H helicopter. Found in an obsolete manual, the box was from its SH-3 days and it was for the nuke gravity bomb or depth charge. Now that’s a one way trip.
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Russia: we did not invade Ukraine, and there is no war there.
I see Psaki is fitting in her new job
(https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/psaki-russian-hat.jpg)
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I see Psaki is fitting in her new job
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F46%2F9b%2Fd1%2F469bd1603542bd93aeec2584483d1112--baghdad-the-trump.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
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Who's laughing now? Trump wins again! =D
https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2022/06/21/this-aged-quite-badly-trump-warned-germany-of-becoming-totally-dependent-on-russian-energy-at-the-un-in-2018-whos-laughing-now/
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This quote just sounds odd. Anyone know anything about that situation? Weird way to treat pilots. I am assuming they had a full fuel load. The quote makes it sound like they had less than a full tank deliberately.
Fighter bombers of that era were short legged.
I’ve read multiple books of fighter pilots of that era saying that their nuclear mission would have been one way.
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^^^Plus, I think doctrine at the time was a high-speed low altitude approach to avoid radar detection, and that would really drink up the fuel.
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^^^Plus, I think doctrine at the time was a high-speed low altitude approach to avoid radar detection, and that would really drink up the fuel.
Very true.
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Russia: we did not invade Ukraine, and there is no war there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZtV0HsYzmg
I'm glad that got sorted out. Can we have our $53 billion back please?
Good.
Since there's no war, and since Russia has gotten our attention, how about Russia withdraws its forces from ALL of Ukraine (including the Crimean peninsula) and we all sit down at a table and discuss the "issues"?
I still remember what our drill sergeants told us in Army Basic Training in 1966, in response to the political position that the United States was not "at war" in Vietnam: "It doesn't matter what the politicians in Washington call it. When there are people with guns shooting at you, that's a war."
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Fighter bombers of that era were short legged.
I’ve read multiple books of fighter pilots of that era saying that their nuclear mission would have been one way.
I wasn't really questioning the technical side of things. The way it was worded sounded like they gave them only enough fuel to reach the target rather than they lacked the range. It was either poor wording or the young politician misunderstood what the Air Force was doing.
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I wasn't really questioning the technical side of things. The way it was worded sounded like they gave them only enough fuel to reach the target rather than they lacked the range. It was either poor wording or the young politician misunderstood what the Air Force was doing.
Both.
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(https://i.redd.it/6lvxjhfgk5z41.jpg)
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Ok, so Russia is holding up grain headed for North Africa with the blockades and mines. Famine is predicted if this grain doesn't get there. Does any country, Egypt ect.., have enough Navy to go say "Hey we want our grain."?
I could get real sporty all over the world
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Ok, so Russia is holding up grain headed for North Africa with the blockades and mines. Famine is predicted if this grain doesn't get there. Does any country, Egypt ect.., have enough Navy to go say "Hey we want our grain."?
https://euobserver.com/world/155279
Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports so they can't ship their grain out, and is imposing a 30% tax on Russian grain exports. And they're saber-rattling the Lithuanians over land access to Kaliningrad. Fun times.
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Ok, so Russia is holding up grain headed for North Africa with the blockades and mines. Famine is predicted if this grain doesn't get there. Does any country, Egypt ect.., have enough Navy to go say "Hey we want our grain."?
I could get real sporty all over the world
Any country that relies on imported fertilizer (and especially imported food) to meet even the basic needs of its citizens is in serious risk of famine for the next few years.
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https://euobserver.com/world/155279
Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports so they can't ship their grain out, and is imposing a 30% tax on Russian grain exports. And they're saber-rattling the Lithuanians over land access to Kaliningrad. Fun times.
An article I saw on the Kalingrad thing metioned that only certain items were banned from ground transport through Lithuania. It was part of the EU sanctions they are following.
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An article I saw on the Kalingrad thing metioned that only certain items were banned from ground transport through Lithuania. It was part of the EU sanctions they are following.
Yes, that is my understanding. But Russia is leaning on Lithuania specifically, not the whole EU. Perhaps they believe that Lithuania will cave.
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Yes, that is my understanding. But Russia is leaning on Lithuania specifically, not the whole EU. Perhaps they believe that Lithuania will cave.
If they believe that, they are smoking crack. Lithuania is the most nationalistic of the Baltic States, remembers and hates the Soviets, and has a large group of folks that returned home in the 90's after long careers in the US military. Of all the former SSR's, Lithuania is at the top of the list to successfully tell Russia to *expletive deleted*ck Off. If Putin can't subdue the Ukraine, he has zero chance in Lithuania.
And that's before the rest of NATO wakes up and gets involved.
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If they believe that, they are smoking crack. Lithuania is the most nationalistic of the Baltic States, remembers and hates the Soviets, and has a large group of folks that returned home in the 90's after long careers in the US military. Of all the former SSR's, Lithuania is at the top of the list to successfully tell Russia to *expletive deleted*ck Off. If Putin can't subdue the Ukraine, he has zero chance in Lithuania.
And that's before the rest of NATO wakes up and gets involved.
I remember when the USSR broke up and the Baltics regained their independence, there was a mass desertion of Lithuanians from the Red Army. The leadership insisted that the Lithuanians had to stay for the balance of their enlistment, but were ignored. And IIRC they were a bit . . . upset . . . that Lithuanian deserters were welcomed back to Lithuania rather than treated as Red Army deserters.
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^^^I like to learn something every day: why were (or are) there numbers of Lithuanians serving in the US military?
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^^^I like to learn something every day: why were (or are) there numbers of Lithuanians serving in the US military?
A large number of Lithuanians came to the US as refugees from the Nazi's and Soviets. They lived here, had kids, raised families, etc, while retaining a strong Lithuanian identity and community. Their kids, and grandkids, having been born here were US citizens, and my understanding from the guys I talked to, was that that Lithuanian community put a lot of emphasis on being martial and joining the US military to be ready to fight the Soviets and reclaim their homeland. When the USSR fell in the 90's, and the Lithuanian government reformed they welcomed home, and gave citizenship to, pretty much any ethnically Lithuanian kids of refugees (and obviously the refugees themselves, if still alive). Due to the aforementioned strong community identity, a lot of Lithuanians in the US took them up on the citizenship. Either dual US/Lithuanian, or just straight going home. The way it was explained to me on my first Defender Europe was that in 1992-93 the fledgling government of Lithuania stood up an officer corps of pretty much all ethnically Lithuanian, US trained folks who had returned from the west. That let them neatly sidestep the whole "We need a military, but those guys were Red Army last week" trust issues many former SSRs had.
Since then, and even more since 2004, they have been very proactive in cross training at US bases and doing a lot of joint exercises with us and the rest of NATO. They joined ISAF early on, and when I was working with them in 2019 had managed to actually meet the NATO "2% of GDP" military funding requirement.
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Word is Belarus will soon be joining in.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukrainians-brace-belarus-led-land-invasion-july-escalating-putins-war
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Shocking Russian Military Corruption Exposed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F0kSDV9U_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJITZJWWblM
Is Ukraine losing the War?
This is an interview with someone who tracks what is going on in Russia. Indicates Russia is not doing any sort of mobilization to ramp up efforts in the Ukraine. Still seems to be winning even if slowly.
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Russia is winning just not in the way they expected or wanted to. They expected a rollover but instead got a slow Verdun style grind.
IF Russia can keep up the pressure Ukraine should eventually crack. If Belarus does join the fray it's probably game over.
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I think Russia's original goal of a conquered Ukraine is lost. They might be able to conquer some more lands in the east to add to the Crimea, IF they can keep it up. If Ukraine can maintain foreign ammo coming in, and keep enough people alive to use it, they could conceivably push Russia completely out of the country, including the Crimea. I don't thing anyone, including Russia, really has a good idea of the state of their remaining forces and equipment, nor do we know how long it'll be till the world loses interest and Ukraine's ammo dries up.
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I think Russia's original goal of a conquered Ukraine is lost. They might be able to conquer some more lands in the east to add to the Crimea, IF they can keep it up. If Ukraine can maintain foreign ammo coming in, and keep enough people alive to use it, they could conceivably push Russia completely out of the country, including the Crimea. I don't thing anyone, including Russia, really has a good idea of the state of their remaining forces and equipment, nor do we know how long it'll be till the world loses interest and Ukraine's ammo dries up.
Joe Biden is putting his thumb on the scales - we were originally going to supply Ukraine with missiles having a nearly 200 mile range, but Biden was worried about how the Ukrainians might use them, so only "40 mile range" missiles will be supplied. There was talk about some sort of missile with a 400 mile range being in play, but the fear was that if the Russians hit Kiev again, the Ukrainians might decide to target Moscow, which is <400 miles from some parts of Ukraine that Russia isn't occupying.
Russia's strategy seems to have evolved from its initial "invade and take charge of the cities, factories, and infrastructure" goals to "bomb and shell the cr@p out of everything and occupy the rubble." Makes it harder on the uncooperative Ukrainians.
Of course I don't know for sure what's going on, especially behind the scenes. This is just based on various US TV & internet news stories I've seen or heard, so take it for what it's worth.
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I think Ukraine could change the tide of the war if they could just suppress the damn Russian artillery. Air superiority would help if they had an Air Force to do so.
Most of the videos I’ve seen lately show the battlefield full of artillery impact craters everywhere….
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Unrolled thread about Russian logistics in Ukraine, and the role of artillery in disrupting same:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1544495879884886017.html
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https://funker530.com/video/alleged-himars-strike-on-russian-logistics-warehouse-in-snizhne-ukraine/ (https://funker530.com/video/alleged-himars-strike-on-russian-logistics-warehouse-in-snizhne-ukraine/)
Looks like our provided HIMARS rockets are making a mess out of Russias previously unreachable weapon dumps..
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Jordan Peterson weighs in on Russia vs. Ukraine, with some comments on the "woke" West as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxdHm2dmvKE
Lengthy, but worth a listen.
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https://funker530.com/video/alleged-himars-strike-on-russian-logistics-warehouse-in-snizhne-ukraine/ (https://funker530.com/video/alleged-himars-strike-on-russian-logistics-warehouse-in-snizhne-ukraine/)
Looks like our provided HIMARS rockets are making a mess out of Russias previously unreachable weapon dumps..
When the heck did we give them HIMARS? ???
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Seems all of us in the west were looking for lightening warfare by Russia to take Ukraine. Instead it seems to be more along the lines of creeping death.
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When the heck did we give them HIMARS? ???
Some weeks ago. We even trained their folks in the use of the HIMARS. You need to pay a little closer attention. ;)
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The dynamic with Ukraine is getting interesting. I saw Zelensky and his wife had the time to do a photo spread in Vogue, and Zelensky has made Rand Paul and a few others persona non grata in Ukraine. Kind of a weird way to portray a "free and open Ukraine" being attacked by oppressive Russia.
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Popped up on twitter
I'm not in any way shape or form taking one side or other to it's verity
Yaroslav Trofimov
@yarotrof
Spokeswoman for Donetsk People’s Republic tells Russian military TV that 50 Ukrainian POWs from Azov, kept in a separate barrack, were killed in the Olenivka strike and many more injured. But, what a happy coincidence, none of the Russian guards were killed or injured. 🤔
https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1553004152489402368?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email
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The dynamic with Ukraine is getting interesting. I saw Zelensky and his wife had the time to do a photo spread in Vogue, and Zelensky has made Rand Paul and a few others persona non grata in Ukraine. Kind of a weird way to portray a "free and open Ukraine" being attacked by oppressive Russia.
.
While I still believe Ukraine has the right to defend itself from unprovoked invasion, and Russia was wrong to invade, I also still maintain that Ukraine isn’t likely the pure, innocent victims they’ve been made out to be. And I wonder just how “unprovoked” this invasion really was.
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.
While I still believe Ukraine has the right to defend itself from unprovoked invasion, and Russia was wrong to invade, I also still maintain that Ukraine isn’t likely the pure, innocent victims they’ve been made out to be. And I wonder just how “unprovoked” this invasion really was.
Yup. As much as I like a good "white hats vs black hats" story, this really is all about grey hats. As are many conflicts, I reckon.
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I think Ukraine’s provocation was predominantly economic.
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This article is not available to me because I don't subscribe, and there's no reader view available. Can someone provide a Cliff's Notes summary for me?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-widens-spiritual-rifts-among-the-nations-christians-11659265203
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I think Ukraine’s provocation was predominantly economic.
I am nearly certain the US and EU were up to some stuff there that no one wants to talk about. Almost certainly a lot of money was being laundered through that country. Maybe the truth will come out one day.
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I am nearly certain the US and EU were up to some stuff there that no one wants to talk about. Almost certainly a lot of money was being laundered through that country. Maybe the truth will come out one day.
The Big Guy was getting his 10% for sure.
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What gets me is WHY we're giving US MONEY to Ukraine to run their government?
Kickbacks to The Big Guy and others?
I remember hearing that there was somewhere north of 600 billion dollars worth of Russian assets in the west frozen when Putin invaded - if we're going to finance the Ukraine government, why not release some of that Russian money to Ukraine instead?
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There seems to be some difference between "frozen" and
stolen "confiscated". But, other than that I agree with you.
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Just happen to noticed a An-124 on flightradar24 from Leipzig Germany descending in the DC area . According to wiki Antonov Airlines (Ukrainian cargo airline) operates An-124s out of Leipzig since moving its air ops there from Kyiv since the war started.
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More HIMARS for Ukraine?
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Himars and 155 shells was announced today. Maybe pallets of cash also.
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Flt A124 on flightradar24
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Appears to be landing at Dulles
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Appears to be landing at Dulles
Huh?
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Huh?
Full name Washington Dulles International Airport
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Full name Washington Dulles International Airport
I know that. What flights are you talking about?
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I know that. What flights are you talking about?
Go back to reply 1650
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They heard there was free food
“There are reports that 100,000 North Korean volunteers are prepared to come and take part in the conflict,” Korotchenko said on Russian Channel One.
Korotchenko was notably interested in what he called the North Korean’s “wealth of experience with counter-battery warfare” — a telling remark given reports of Ukraine’s long-range artillery success since acquiring US-made HIMARS rocket systems in June.
“If North Korea expresses a desire to meet its international duty to fight against Ukrainian fascism, we should let them,” Korotchenko said.
Seemingly no consideration was given to what constitutes a “volunteer” force in an authoritarian state such as North Korea. (New York Post)
North Korea Reportedly Offers Russia 100K 'Volunteers' for War in Ukraine
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2022/08/08/north-korea-offers-to-send-russia-troops-n2611410
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I wonder how much North Korea is going to charge Russia for those "volunteers"? You know they won't be volunteers, and Korea won't provide their services without receiving something in return.
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I don't expect a North Korean soldier will be expensive.
North Koreans bribe gov officials to get the opportunity to work in Siberia.
This could be really bad. The Korean war was a bloodbath, and I'm sure N. Korea and Russia won't care how many of the N. Korean soldiers die. And I think it is bad thing for N. Korea to get some combat experience.
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Russia is getting a fair bit of combat experience against a lot of western weapon systems, not good. Not to mention the alleged blackmarket in all the stuff we're sending them.
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I don't expect a North Korean soldier will be expensive.
North Koreans bribe gov officials to get the opportunity to work in Siberia.
This could be really bad. The Korean war was a bloodbath, and I'm sure N. Korea and Russia won't care how many of the N. Korean soldiers die. And I think it is bad thing for N. Korea to get some combat experience.
I thought the U.N. forces were doing well against the Norks until a couple of million Chinese "volunteers" (there's that word again) headed South across the Yalu River . . .
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I thought the U.N. forces were doing well against the Norks until a couple of million Chinese "volunteers" (there's that word again) headed South across the Yalu River . . .
Dugout Doug: Chinese? I don't see no Chinese. I don't care what intel, recon, and the troops on the ground are saying there are no Chinese. Now let me get back to telling these reporters how great I am.
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Man Tries To Get Into Heaven By Showing God Ukraine Flag In His Twitter Bio
https://babylonbee.com/news/man-tries-to-get-into-heaven-by-showing-god-ukraine-flag-in-his-twitter-bio
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Holy hell - we just gave them another like $800 million a few days ago, and I saw where reportedly only 30% of materiel is getting downrange.
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/08/23/us-to-announce-3-billion-aid-package-wednesday-on-six-month-anniversary-of-russias-invasion/
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War is one big grift.
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Holy hell - we just gave them another like $800 million a few days ago, and I saw where reportedly only 30% of materiel is getting downrange.
Where?
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I read they are lining up 3 billion more getting ready for a long war in Ukraine.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-prepares-3bn-more-ukraine-defense-aid-fight-years-come
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let's see if someone flees the country with billions in their pockets. Plus 10% for the Big Guy.
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Are all these weapons we're sending over there surplus stuff or are they weapons our forces would need if we were drawn into a larger conflict?
Is our military becoming weaker or less capable due to these large shipments?
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Are all these weapons we're sending over there surplus stuff or are they weapons our forces would need if we were drawn into a larger conflict?
Is our military becoming weaker or less capable due to these large shipments?
Yes, until stocks can be replenished. I doubt they will be in a timely fashion. And when they are replenished, the stocks will be paid for with freshly printed money.
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Counterpoint: is it possible that the replenishment process will provide more capable or more reliable weapons?
A lot of the anti-armor stuff we are sending isn’t likely to have been needed very much since the fall of Iraq, and I wonder if there is an operational benefit to replenishing with fresher munitions.
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Counterpoint: is it possible that the replenishment process will provide more capable or more reliable weapons?
A lot of the anti-armor stuff we are sending isn’t likely to have been needed very much since the fall of Iraq, and I wonder if there is an operational benefit to replenishing with fresher munitions.
We were dropping vietnam era bombs in the persian puddle so yes that is possible. I should have bought raytheon stock.
Still pretty happy to see Russia getting its teeth kicked.
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Every time we start ramping up the war machine I think to myself, "what new weapon system are they going to let become public this time?".
Looking at the Ukraine thing it does sort of put an exclamation point on there being no replacement for boots on the ground.
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We were dropping vietnam era bombs in the persian puddle so yes that is possible. I should have bought raytheon stock.
Still pretty happy to see Russia getting its teeth kicked.
And in Vietnam we were dropping WWII era bombs we originally gave to England and bought back from the limeys for use in SE Asia - someone made money on the deal.
And like you, I enjoy reading about Russian casualties . . . even if (as I strongly suspect) the numbers are exaggerated.
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The only casualties I will enjoy reading about are the ones that started this *expletive deleted*it show and the ones committing and/or ordering war crimes.
99.9% of the Russians currently on the casualty list would rather have been home in bed with their wife/GFs
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Maybe they should stop raping and murdering and go home to the wives then. Any in Ukraine are fair game.
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Maybe they should stop raping and murdering and go home to the wives then. Any in Ukraine are fair game.
and the ones committing and/or ordering war crimes.
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and the ones committing and/or ordering war crimes.
Yes!
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HARMs reportedly being used on Ukrainian Mig-29s
US Missiles Used on Ukrainian MiGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqY9CDsOpvk
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$12 billion more going to Ukraine. I also saw that on Tuesday, Zelensky virtually rang the opening bell at the stock exchange to promote US business investment in Ukraine.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-accuses-biden-requesting-new-round-ukraine-aid-benefit-democrats-ahead-midterms
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Gazprom television commercial . . . likely to annoy the Europeans facing oil and gas shortages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2b_0gfV_4E
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According to a recent Zeihan video the Russians are buying drones from Iran and artillery shells from the Norks. Neither bodes well for their war fighting capacity. And if they are getting shells from North Korea that will be fascinating intel on their state of military readiness. Given they haven’t used meaningful amounts of artillery shells since 1953.
https://youtu.be/f9mNzi2JFkI
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Looks like the Russians are getting a beating…..or this is a good propaganda video by Ukraine. Seems like it’s relatively new based on the areas they are showing. Lots of armor left behind as well.
On a side note, at 18:48 (I believe) one Ukraine soldier almost became a casualty. It’s a sound you never forget the first time it happens to you.
https://fb.watch/fvtQ-UDVel/
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There is an enormous amount of propaganda and disinformation surrounding this war. It's hard to tell exactly what is and what is not.
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There is an enormous amount of propaganda and disinformation surrounding this war. It's hard to tell exactly what is and what is not.
Chances are if we are hearing something, it is one side or the others disinformation.
Russia and the west exhausting themselves in a conflict that keeps grinding on helps China.
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Chances are if we are hearing something, it is one side or the others disinformation.
Russia and the west exhausting themselves in a conflict that keeps grinding on helps China.
As far as the US, I keep hearing about us shipping weapons to Ukraine, I haven't heard a lot of about the US ordering replacements to restock. I saw a comment from someone who should know (Mrgunsngear I think) that said military active duty they know had heavy weapons taken away from their unit to ship to the Ukraine.
I am also really curious how much the current military suppliers are using US made parts and raw materials.
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As far as the US, I keep hearing about us shipping weapons to Ukraine, I haven't heard a lot of about the US ordering replacements to restock. I saw a comment from someone who should know (Mrgunsngear I think) that said military active duty they know had heavy weapons taken away from their unit to ship to the Ukraine.
I am also really curious how much the current military suppliers are using US made parts and raw materials.
This scares the sh*t out of me. I’m in Air Force acquisitions so we really haven’t been affected but I’m wondering what the Army’s doing to replenish. My assumption, this administration isn’t worried about it…
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We're buying more, but it isn't instantaneous. I know of some Cali Marines units that have had their M777 howitzers shipped to Ukraine, and I have seen credible reports that some USSOC units got their Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles taken for Ukraine. No idea where the Ammo and HIMARs came from, we should still have the Prepo Stocks available if needed,
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To be honest, Ukraine's army IS America's (and associated client states') auxiliary-proxy army. So concerns about taking equipment from non-deployed units and sending them to the front line is unfounded. Different flags on shoulders doesn't mean much to global central planners. War is sheer lies and dishonesty, no one dares admit the obvious, that the cold war just went hot, and yeah that means WW3 if you haven't been paying attention... well it's not even war, it's a "special military operation" see?, that's the russian translation of "kinetic military action" in the parlance of the bush-flavored neocon... nothing to see here, move along =D
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I'm not saying you are neccessary wrong, but by that standard the Cold War went hot in 1965.
Going by historical outcomes the "send weapons and advisors" is the better side of the proxy war to be on.
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There is an enormous amount of propaganda and disinformation surrounding this war. It's hard to tell exactly what is and what is not.
That there is. At least some of the video is factual based on the WaPo article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/09/13/russia-retreat-abandoned-weapons-izyum/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&fb_news_token=%2FzMY9WmPVBwevaw9IECD8Q%3D%3D.S%2B8cYni5pmjuuiOzMOHZ3yODgQKm6VOVEBb8cNBFSgZLiah4l7f7fYbSy%2FqrzPTQR7mbk8DV87la%2BkVkp9iq0XueFQhar7a1ZOdfjhGR1Ku%2FS6uQ%2Fvo8qQ2UZm9kMZ3sTgRD2Im1LRUh%2FkEld7nwu%2BTFk1ZP9%2BfXhY1U%2FNatCTvugZQwJtMYOCX5zPgmqwx2aMluJ3HQUVzKNXDHYk%2BUkAzbO%2FDlbEA4B1SU3FhkZLD%2BDfM%2B0BcC0Buc4g%2Bgq93GIPJRW6Z%2BAmJIaV6%2BJ7DgevCPHlT4ZF2Z2ryl42cxbfjBi6adg%2FyW9aFgcRMTu3RLuHSNt8e8ngiQKTtrYguSFQ%3D%3D
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This scares the sh*t out of me. I’m in Air Force acquisitions so we really haven’t been affected but I’m wondering what the Army’s doing to replenish. My assumption, this administration isn’t worried about it…
With the rumbles coming out of China, ammo stocks are a concern. I've been reading reports for years that the Navy doesn't really have enough ammo available for replenishment during a real shooting war with a major opponent - word is, when ships are leaving port for deployment, they have to offload ammo from ships just entering port in order to have enough to fill the magazines of ships just going out. And sometimes, the magazines aren't even topped off.
And this is without Navy weapons being sent to Ukraine. The army & marines don't talk much about ordnance supplies . . . maybe for good reason.
Back to the Navy - the Zumwalt class destroyers never did have a full load available for their main guns - nearly a million bucks per shot was too expensive. The guns - essentially dead weight - are scheduled to be replaced with a new missile system in the next few years.
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https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1569370025018150913/
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Army plans to ‘nearly triple’ production of artillery shells after US gives nearly 1 million to Ukraine
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-ramp-up-production-artillery-shells-rockets/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_09.15.22&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
“We are seeking over a couple of years to nearly triple our production of 155 [mm shells],” Bush said on Wednesday. Congress has been supportive; we have funding; we are executing and making that happen. We are also, through support from Congress, working to dramatically increase our production rate for GLMRS missiles – Guided MLRS [Multiple Launch Rocket System], HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems] launchers – in most cases doubling or more than doubling current production rates.”
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Related, Germany has seized three Russian gas plants. I can't help but think the "energy wars" outside of the physical conflict are going to get ugly. Even seizing those plants, I'm not sure where the EU is going to get enough actual gas to process through them to handle the Euro population.
Despite my heritage, it's kinda nazi for Germany to seize the gas plants after their own "alternative energy" policies got them in their energy deficit mess. Very Venezuela of them.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/germany-seizes-control-russian-owned-oil-refineries-ahead-looming-eu-deadline
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The western empire is globalist fascism.
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Holy Turnarounds, Batman!!
Putin says he's going to stop the Ukraine invasion ASAP.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/putin-tells-modi-hell-stop-194411249.html
I knew India and China were pretty cozy with Putin but didn't think they had that much sway. Maybe getting three big oil refineries in Germany had something to do with it. I still think it's an internal thing and India is just an excuse to to "Save Face". Of course, that's predicated on him not just straight up lying to Prime Minister Modi's face. Still the very real possibility of Russian mobster types who wield more actual power and have told him they've had enough. Maybe even his top military brass is starting to revolt, too.
There's also the possibility that he's finally realized his military is getting their feces reinserted and he better call this thing off before Ukraine takes back ALL of it, including Crimea.
Brad
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Him saying "As soon as possible" could mean anything from now to whenever Ukraine is ready to surrender.
And what about the disputed territories including Crimea
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I think it's just rhetoric to placate the Indian PM. Putin's not stopping the war any time soon. Though I would love to be wrong.
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At this point I don't think Ukraine is going to stop till they are back at 2013 borders
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At this point I don't think Ukraine is going to stop till they are back at 2013 borders
Personally, I don't think Crimea or the Donbas region will be anything but Russian in our lives going forward. I suspect you may have better access to information than I do but on the other hand this is a full blown information war on a scale we've never seen, so who knows?
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At this point I don't think Ukraine is going to stop till they are back at 2013 borders
I certainly wouldn't bet against it.
Brad
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Ukraine is pretty solidly pushing the Russians back, and have a pretty strong nationalist identity, a big part of which is being pissed at Russia. As the aggrieved party, I think they will push until they get to their original borders, or until Russia starts winning again.
They have the people to sustain this level of fighting, and the west seems like it's going to keep them armed, conversely Russia is low on troops and munitions. There's also the fact that the Ukraine has a decent core of Vetern professional troops, still and Russia is running out of conscripts and going to 4th tier replacements.
On top of all that, there seems to be a bunch of "Ukrainian" soldiers that seem to have Ft. Bragg addresses. It's wierd.
All that said, Russia could pull a miracle out and start advancing again, or hold the line till winter when freezing Germans and Poles cause the NATO munitions support to dry up.
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Related, Germany has seized three Russian gas plants. I can't help but think the "energy wars" outside of the physical conflict are going to get ugly. Even seizing those plants, I'm not sure where the EU is going to get enough actual gas to process through them to handle the Euro population.
Especially if they mysteriously blow up or catch fire. ("You took my stuff - if I can't have it, you can't either.")
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Mammoth Natural Gas Deposit Could be Lying Just South of Crete
https://greekreporter.com/2019/10/31/mammoth-natural-gas-deposit-could-be-lying-just-south-of-crete/
I saw a more recent report on this not too long ago. I have no idea how long it will take to get wells in production and sending gas to the rest of Europe. Probably take 10 years to get the wells and pipelines past EU red tape.
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The EU is less likely to drill new wells than the Biden Administration. They'll let people freeze to death until the demand for gas reaches the capacity and call it "sustainable "
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Zelensky says ‘torture chambers’ where civilians were abused found in Kharkiv region
https://www.yahoo.com/news/zelensky-says-torture-chambers-where-020816677.html
Zelensky said in an address that officials found premises where civilians were kept, including seven citizens of the Republic of Sri Lanka who were students at the Kupyansk Medical College. The group of Sri Lankan citizens are now receiving medical care, Zelensky added.
The United Nations said on Friday that it plans to send investigators to Izyum to examine the mass burial site, a move that Zelensky commended.
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On top of all that, there seems to be a bunch of "Ukrainian" soldiers that seem to have Ft. Bragg addresses. It's wierd.
Where did you learn that?
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Where did you learn that?
It is a relatively open "secret" that among the US citizens that volunteered to fight for Ukraine, JSOC is well represented. I believe the story is they are guys that recently got out.
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It is a relatively open "secret" that among the US citizens that volunteered to fight for Ukraine, JSOC is well represented. I believe the story is they are guys that recently got out.
Can confirm.
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So it's way past being just another proxy army.
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So it's way past being just another proxy army.
Just more in a sea of little green men.
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The EU is less likely to drill new wells than the Biden Administration. They'll let people freeze to death until the demand for gas reaches the capacity and call it "sustainable "
Article in Yahoo News today about how firewood is the new gold in Europe and wood stoves are selling out.
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We've been in this war for a while now. Ukraine was just the latest front.
Unrestricted Warfare is the name of the game, it's all the rage. I think the empire might be behind the eight ball though, our enemies were rope a doping us. Russia, Iran and China in particular aren't interested in being vassal states.
Better hope we win and that the clowns that got us in this mess, as well as those that went along with it, are removed. We're (the US population) are in a tricky spot.
It's like watching the Sopranos, no good guys in the script. Plenty of victims and suckers though.
We'll probably all have shuffled off before it's all sorted out.
My opinion only, working theory subject to change and blah blah blah
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So it's way past being just another proxy army.
So history repeats itself, in a way.
In Korea, there were hordes of Chicom "volunteers" fighting with the Norks.
And "volunteer" Russian pilots flying MIGs were flying out of Chinese bases against UN aircraft (mostly USAF and USN), having been granted a "safe haven" north of the Yalu by a Democrat POTUS, who also covered up Russian involvement lest it annoy the US public at large.
Foreign troops were involved in Vietnam and of course a contingent of Russia's "Wagner Group" was virtually wiped out (mostly by artillery and air strikes) in Syria about 4 years ago.
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Came across this recently...
Army plans to ‘nearly triple’ production of artillery shells after US gives nearly 1 million to Ukraine
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-ramp-up-production-artillery-shells-rockets/
“We are seeking over a couple of years to nearly triple our production of 155 [mm shells],” Bush said on Wednesday. Congress has been supportive; we have funding; we are executing and making that happen. We are also, through support from Congress, working to dramatically increase our production rate for GLMRS missiles – Guided MLRS [Multiple Launch Rocket System], HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems] launchers – in most cases doubling or more than doubling current production rates.”
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Came across this recently...
Army plans to ‘nearly triple’ production of artillery shells after US gives nearly 1 million to Ukraine
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-ramp-up-production-artillery-shells-rockets/
Until Congress cuts funding for the replenishment down the road.
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Until Congress cuts funding for the replenishment down the road.
Dems have better uses for the money since artillery shells don't vote
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Until Congress cuts funding for the replenishment down the road.
Nah, Dems are going to need that Arty for the Civil War. They'll keep the funding.
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Nah, Dems are going to need that Arty for the Civil War. They'll keep the funding.
They have F-15s and nukes
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Until Congress cuts funding for the replenishment down the road.
No, they might just mandate going to some other manufacturer for DEI concerns like they did for M16 magazines.
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No, they might just mandate going to some other manufacturer for DEI concerns like they did for M16 magazines.
What is this?
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Dems have better uses for the money since artillery shells don't vote
But the military industrial complex does make campaign donations.
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What is this?
I think HankB means "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion"
(my employer does a lot of DEI *expletive deleted*it)
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I think HankB means "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion"
(my employer does a lot of DEI *expletive deleted*it)
You mean DIE - diversity, inclusion, equity.
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I think HankB means "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion"
(my employer does a lot of DEI *expletive deleted*it)
Correct - DEI - an abbreviation for the current lefty buzzwords, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, a gateway to FUBAR.
They've switched manufacturers before for this reason - M16 magazine contracts were awarded to "disadvantaged" businesses. After a while of making M16 mags, the business became very profitable, and was no longer "disadvantaged" Fed.gov then took back the tooling and gave it to another "disadvantaged" business and the cycle repeated. Some did a good job, some not so good.
But the problem is that considerations OTHER than cost and reliability are the driving factors when it comes to awarding contracts.
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Thank you.
The federal government is garbage.
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Gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you consider magazines are often the most common point of failure in firearms.
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Gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you consider magazines are often the most common cause of failures in firearms.
At our local AFB, the security personnel all carry Magpul 30-rounders, not the DEI mags.
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I have found myself in possession of several brand new issue M4 mags. They are brown with anti-tilt followers. they seem to have hit the supply system about 2019 or so. They have worked fine for me personally, but I did see a couple act up on a brigade range this summer. The followers would stick about half way down. The bright side is it seems to be a "they work or they don't" thing so you can tell pretty quick if you got a bad one.
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Putin said that Russia is fighting the full might of NATO. The US and its allies, he said, are seeking to “destroy” Russia in an address to the nation last night.
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Putin rattling the nuclear sabers.
Not new but in light of recent Ukrainian advancements and him blaming NATO and him possibly feeling desperate something to keep an eye on.
Also add to the mix he considers the disputed territories part of Russia when he says "and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened"
Again something to keep an eye on.
"To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries, and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal," Putin said in a Wednesday address.
"It's not a bluff," he added.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-warns-west-threat-resort-nuclear-weapons-not-bluff
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^^^The UK press is also reporting Western concern over the use of chemical weapons instead of nuclear. Russia apparently still has a chemical weapons capability other than using Novichok for political assassinations.
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And the warmongering Rs and Ds want to ramp up sanctions by setting the price for Russian oil and gas and threatening European countries if they don't go along with it. I fail to see how someone other than Russia telling the Russians you will sell your oil and gas at this price. Putin says Bite Me. Halts oil and gas. Europe freezes in the cold, electricity is sparse, cars and trains are locked down and food becomes scarce. Riots start in Europe and governments collapse. Putin wins!
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But think of how much that will help the environment!
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https://m.gordonua.com/news/worldnews/na-protestah-protiv-mobilizacii-v-rf-zaderzhali-bolee-1300-chelovek-smi-pishut-chto-nekotorym-vruchayut-povestki-1627424.html
Text at the link is in Russian. After running it through Google Translate:
On September 21, protests were held in many Russian cities against the partial mobilization announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to OVD-Info , at least 1,342 people were detained at the protests in 38 cities.
Most of the detainees were in St. Petersburg (544) and Moscow (507). In other cities - from 40 or less.
According to OVD-Info, 51% of all detainees are women. It is noted that this is a record number: at rallies in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2021, the proportion of women ranged from 25% to 31%. At anti-war actions in February-March, 44% of women were detained.
The 24liveblog portal writes that in some Moscow police stations, detainees are handed summons to the military enlistment office.
"The subpoenas were handed to the detainees in the Sokolinay Gora and Lyublino police departments. A man in civilian clothes entered the police department in the Marfino district, who says that he will now hand over the summons. According to the information of the detainees, employees of the military registration and enlistment office arrived at the police department in the Prospekt Vernadsky district," the report says. .
At least one of the detainees is threatened with a criminal case due to refusal to sign the summons, the portal notes.
Also: the Moscow Exchange collapsed, prices for airline tickets out of Russia have skyrocketed, and Russian men of military age are fleeing to Finland.
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https://m.gordonua.com/news/worldnews/na-protestah-protiv-mobilizacii-v-rf-zaderzhali-bolee-1300-chelovek-smi-pishut-chto-nekotorym-vruchayut-povestki-1627424.html
Text at the link is in Russian. After running it through Google Translate:
Also: the Moscow Exchange collapsed, prices for airline tickets out of Russia have skyrocketed, and Russian men of military age are fleeing to Finland.
Oof. That's some high proof irony.
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Anyone seriously think we would still be wondering who's going to win this after 7 months?
I was thinking we would be in the first part of the long term insurgency by now. Instead we have Ukraine pushing back to the border in places. Of course I didn't expect the level of NATO support that occurred.
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Anyone seriously think we would still be wondering who's going to win this after 7 months?
I was thinking we would be in the first part of the long term insurgency by now.
Right? The red army isn't what it use to be.
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Right? The red army isn't what it use to be.
Some of the Youtube comparisons between today's Russian army and the Red Army that invaded Finland are pretty interesting.
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Anyone seriously think we would still be wondering who's going to win this after 7 months?
I was thinking we would be in the first part of the long term insurgency by now. Instead we have Ukraine pushing back to the border in places. Of course I didn't expect the level of NATO support that occurred.
I tend to think, and have said, that Ukraine is doing well and may well win this. I hope they do. However, it's worth remembering that Russia still has things they could do that they haven't. Yes the obvious WMD assets, but even things like strategic bombing (or missileing) with conventional weapons. Or even just another half a million bodies. Quantity is it's own quality in some ways. Putin could still choose to make a desert and call it peace.
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Right? The red army isn't what it use to be.
If there is any mistake that Putin made it is this. It became obvious the Russian army was poorly maintained and poorly equipped beyond the few leading units. That leads to some interesting speculation about their future. Outside of nuclear threats, the conventional military threat from Russia appear much weaker than anyone thought. Which leads to speculation that the nuclear threat might be hollow as well.
It also leads me to speculate about just how strong the Chinese military really is. Do they have the same corruption issues? Probably, but who knows how deep that goes. Of course, we have our own issues.
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I tend to think, and have said, that Ukraine is doing well and may well win this. I hope they do. However, it's worth remembering that Russia still has things they could do that they haven't. Yes the obvious WMD assets, but even things like strategic bombing (or missileing) with conventional weapons. Or even just another half a million bodies. Quantity is it's own quality in some ways. Putin could still choose to make a desert and call it peace.
Sure, but in January I'd have said Russia would coast through Ukraine in weeks. Never would have expected them to hold out as long as they have, smash as much Russian gear, much less be making counteroffensives and retaking some ground.
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If there is any mistake that Putin made it is this. It became obvious the Russian army was poorly maintained and poorly equipped beyond the few leading units. That leads to some interesting speculation about their future. Outside of nuclear threats, the conventional military threat from Russia appear much weaker than anyone thought. Which leads to speculation that the nuclear threat might be hollow as well.
I bought up at the beginning of all this the fact their GNP is smaller than S. Korea's now. They just don't have the finances for anything long term. Add to that an extreme amount of corruption. But even still the current situation and how badly the Russian performance has been to this point and for that matter how well the Ukrainians have performed has surprised me.
It also leads me to speculate about just how strong the Chinese military really is. Do they have the same corruption issues? Probably, but who knows how deep that goes. Of course, we have our own issues.
We have more trans in high command positions than the Chinese and our troops have undergone intense sensitivity training. The Chinese don't stand a chance.
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. . . Putin could still choose to make a desert and call it peace.
That's kind of what they've been trying to do - the intial Russian strategy was "walk in, take over, and set up a puppet government." Thanks to the ungrateful Ukrainians, that didn't work out so well.
So the updated strategy was "Bomb and shell the crap out of everything, then move in to occupy the rubble." This had some initial success - they HAVE occupied a big chunk of Ukraine - but again, thanks to the uncooperative Ukrainians, this isn't working all that well, either.
I wonder how much actual unrest there is in Russia. Some stories say people who were taken into custody for protesting are being handed summonses for military service, Russian airlines have been ordered not to sell tickets to men of military age to fly out of the country, and an outbound traffic backup 20 miles long has been seen at the Finnish border. Other people are simply walking out to countries that have lenient entry requirements for Russian citizens. Considering how tightly Russian media is controlled, I suspect things inside Russia are worse than we hear. How harshly the state security services ultimately behave towards the Russian people remains to be seen. When the USSR was coming apart, I remember that the military and even the KGB didn't do what the leadership wanted. I've no idea what would happen today inside Russia if internal dissent really became significant.
We have more trans in high command positions than the Chinese and our troops have undergone intense sensitivity training. The Chinese don't stand a chance.
Diversity is strength - we hear it all the time. The Chinese leadership - political and military - are all Chinese. And probably straight Chinese besides. No question, they'd be toast in any conflict.
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"It also leads me to speculate about just how strong the Chinese military really is. Do they have the same corruption issues? Probably, but who knows how deep that goes. Of course, we have our own issues."
I'm a hell of a lot more worried about the Chinese military than the Russian military. The Russian military never gave any true indication that it recovered from the decay that happened in the last years of the Soviet system and into the post Communist era.
No one that I know of was saying "Wow, the Russian Federation army is as scary and as capable as the Soviet army ever was."
Everything I saw on Russian military readiness raised serious questions about their overall capabilities. Where the concern came in was on sheer weight of Russian arms -- sheer numbers of tanks, planes, and men. As Stalin had said, quantity has a quality all its own.
But, even that was quite over optimistic as we've seen. Russian performance has fallen dramatically short of even those limited expectations.
I don't think China's military is even remotely close to as bad off as the Russian army is.
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Note how the drive on Kyiv broke down under it's own weight with poorly maintained vehicles breaking down jamming the highway up to the point supplies couldn't get to the forward units making them sitting ducks. Maintenance takes money and forethought, both things in short supply in Russia today. And how much of that money was lost in corruption which is rampant in Russia. Putin though he could brute force his way in but the Soviet bear of the cold war is in a walker and someone stole one of the wheels.
The Soviet army of the 1980s probably could have done it as an afterthought.
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Which leads to speculation that the nuclear threat might be hollow as well.
I wonder that too but
It works 100% = Half the world is a nuclear wasteland
It works 50% = Half the world is a nuclear wasteland
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I wonder that too but
It works 100% = Half the world is a nuclear wasteland
It works 50% = Half the world is a nuclear wasteland
Exactly. Unlike a tank, all it takes is for one functional nuke to change everything.
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Could solve the global warming problem though.
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Putin popping off one or two tactical nukes in Ukraine wouldn't surprise me at all. His level of desperation is increasing enough that I believe he could justify it in his own mind. However, I think his own people would remove him from power afterwards. And it might be too late to avoid escalation when they do.
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Russians are fleeing to Georgia, as well:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62996212
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I wonder what John Kerry would say about the climatic impact of a nuke or two?
Would it be better or worse than all of the pollution his private jet has spewed while he's gone around hectoring people that their evil and killing the earth.
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Would it be better or worse than all of the pollution his private jet has spewed while he's gone around hectoring people that their evil and killing the earth.
We all need to buy electric cars to offset his carbon emissions
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Initially I expected to see a more blitzkrieg style of invasion. Then it was they were either purposefully going slow but enveloping strategic areas or they were getting bogged down. It was at that point I realized no sources I had access to online were in the know or more likely they were purposefully blowing information smokescreens. With everyone lying to us how can we really know let alone trust anything? It's a massive information war as well as boots on the ground.
I still tentatively believe Russia will end up with the eastern region and Crimea. Those were the regions Ukraine and NATO were preparing to fully secure before Russia invaded.
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Initially I expected to see a more blitzkrieg style of invasion. Then it was they were either purposefully going slow but enveloping strategic areas or they were getting bogged down. It was at that point I realized no sources I had access to online were in the know or more likely they were purposefully blowing information smokescreens. With everyone lying to us how can we really know let alone trust anything? It's a massive information war as well as boots on the ground.
I still tentatively believe Russia will end up with the eastern region and Crimea. Those were the regions Ukraine and NATO were preparing to fully secure before Russia invaded.
From what I heard talked about, Ukraine did their best to make some changes after Russia just blitzed into the Crimea several years ago. I heard they had made a lot of plans and preparation to ambush and attack/ambush any Russian incursion into country along the major routes into the country. That would have slowed them down a lot. Either the same person or someone else mentioned that Russia really didn't have the logistics to maintain a fast invasion against significant opposition. Once they were bogged down a few days, they had to change strategy and slow down.
I was thinking Russia would be able to wear down the Ukrainian military with artillery and numbers among other things and eventually take over Ukraine after which it would be a guerilla war if any. Now, who knows where it will end up. I imagine NATO countries in Central or Eastern Europe woke up to what would happen if Putin took the Ukraine too easily.
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I still tentatively believe Russia will end up with the eastern region and Crimea.
With a tit for tat insurgency for the foreseeable future
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Russians are fleeing to Georgia, as well:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62996212
More votes for Stacey Abrams?
(OK, ok, I know it's not that Georgia.)
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More votes for Stacey Abrams?
(OK, ok, I know it's not that Georgia.)
Well goddamn it, she's got to be governor of some Georgia somewhere!
:rofl:
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More votes for Stacey Abrams?
(OK, ok, I know it's not that Georgia.)
Fifty bucks she'll rush to get them the vote not realizing the "wrong Georgia" and then call it right wing voter suppresion and the reason she lost again
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More votes for Stacey Abrams?
(OK, ok, I know it's not that Georgia.)
Did you think the dems really care if the votes aren't from the right Georgia? You calling for voter suppression or something?
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Not the feared Soviet Bear of old.
But observers say he has become side-lined in Moscow in recent months, with many blaming him for the chaotic logistics operations that have dogged Russia's advance and seen their troops left undersupplied.
In recent months, the Kremlin has been forced to approach North Korea and Iran - two of its only remaining allies - for new artillery and drone supplies.
Gen Bulgakov's dismissal comes as footage circulated on social media showing newly drafted Russian recruits being equipped with rusty AK-47 assault rifles.
Dmitry Bulgakov: Putin fires deputy defence chief amid supply failures
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63021117
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^^^As we have seen in various Third World sh*tholes, a rusty AK-47 with no maintenance can kill you just fine.
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^^^As we have seen in various Third World sh*tholes, a rusty AK-47 with no maintenance can kill you just fine.
If they work. The video I saw showed AKs that I wouldn't shoot. Some looked like they were rusted completely shut.
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This video: https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1573650476037558281?s=20&t=rtwBAtlDzDHPkj0dw9H6dw ?
Those would probably operate just fine. And if they really are "basic training" weapons to get draftee's used to the manual of arms, they'll do that just fine too.
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My point was that's a far cry from the old Soviet army of the Cold War.
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We all need to buy electric cars to offset his carbon emissions
Right!
Or ... maybe not ...
https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/too-many-electric-cars-charging-at-night-power-grid-may-be-overloaded-1.1663997949393
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https://babylonbee.com/news/experts-believe-russia-losing-war-after-putin-spotted-trying-to-teach-a-polar-bear-how-to-drive-a-tank
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Now I see that Putin has ordered that Ukrainian men in territories he's occupied have been ordered to report for conscription - he expects the Ukrainians to fight their own people!
I don't think the Russian army has enough zampolits (political officers) to keep groups of unwilling conscripts in line - especially once they've been handed guns and ammo.
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He believes his own press. He expects the Russians in the area's oppressed by the Ukrainians to fight for their freedom. This is one of the problems with surrounding yourself with Yes-Men. They won't tell you when you have diverged sharply from reality.
American leaders are not immune to this effect.
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He believes his own press. He expects the Russians in the area's oppressed by the Ukrainians to fight for their freedom. This is one of the problems with surrounding yourself with Yes-Men. They won't tell you when you have diverged sharply from reality.
American leaders are not immune to this effect.
Only a ultra MAGA fascist extreme right wing racist white supremacist wouldn't go
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I don’t think it is beyond belief that there would be some Ukrainians willing to fight on behalf of the Russians. Probably not enough to make the difference though, and probably not as many as before he started the war.
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What about Putin's call-up of ~300,000 reservists? Have you seen how many are either fleeing the country or having some kind of "injury" to avoid conscription?
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It seems like there's a chance at least some of those recruits are not enthused by the prospect.
https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1574275715511590916?s=20&t=GjsvUlMPbm-MWHdW0W4Q0Q
*Irkutsk Oblast is over in the Russian east. Basically due north of Mongolia.
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Reports Russia is sending conscripts with no training straight to the front lines
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11250515/Russian-conscripts-no-training-frontlines-Ukraine.html
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Reports Russia is sending conscripts with no training straight to the front lines
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11250515/Russian-conscripts-no-training-frontlines-Ukraine.html
Cannon-fodder don’t need much training.
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It wasn't that long ago that Putin was talking about getting Russians to have more kids. He seems not to value the lives of the average Russian.
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Being reported Putin about to announce the annexation of the occupied territories
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6332b297194f716822a36c85%26Putin%20may%20announce%20annexation%20of%20occupied%20regions%20this%20week%20-%20UK%20defence%20ministry%262022-09-27T08%3A26%3A03.206Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:d6aeeb17-420c-4cc9-8fd4-c530225afa8c&pinned_post_asset_id=6332b297194f716822a36c85&pinned_post_type=share
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Right after Putin saying he could use nukes to defend Russian territory.
Seem to recall I predicted this in a post
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Satellite images purporting to show thousands of cars backed up at the Georgian border.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6332bb49e5f7325d62a0218d%26Satellite%20images%20show%20long%20queues%20at%20Russian%20border%262022-09-27T09%3A16%3A27.713Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:2a2a4d71-8a18-4f6d-9b4e-996348c052b4&pinned_post_asset_id=6332bb49e5f7325d62a0218d&pinned_post_type=share
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Being reported Putin about to announce the annexation of the occupied territories
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6332b297194f716822a36c85%26Putin%20may%20announce%20annexation%20of%20occupied%20regions%20this%20week%20-%20UK%20defence%20ministry%262022-09-27T08%3A26%3A03.206Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:d6aeeb17-420c-4cc9-8fd4-c530225afa8c&pinned_post_asset_id=6332b297194f716822a36c85&pinned_post_type=share
I don't think people will accept the occupied territory vote as legitimate - Putin should have used vote harvesting, consent decrees, and Dominion voting machines so it would be every bit as totally, completely 100% honest and accurate as our last election.
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Putin's the designated bad guy. Those folks could actually vote for Russia in an actual fair election and the west wouldn't accept it. (Not that I think that's what happened, just sayin'. War machine's gotta war.)
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Putin IS a bad guy. That is pretty objectively apparent. Doesn’t make Zelensky a good guy. And it doesn’t mean our own government is righteous (even restricted to the microcosm of the Ukraine war). I think there’s likely plenty we (as a country) were doing there that helped provoke the invasion.
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A military enlistment point will be opened on the border between Russia and Georgia at the Upper Lars checkpoint, Russian officials have said, after thousands of people were seen fleeing there.
"Enlistment"
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6332fc02194f716822a36d17%26Military%20enlistment%20centre%20to%20open%20on%20Russian%20border%20with%20Georgia%262022-09-27T15%3A03%3A52.211Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1dc86540-20e5-42a9-aba2-ef5d182edc7f&pinned_post_asset_id=6332fc02194f716822a36d17&pinned_post_type=share
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"Enlistment"
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6332fc02194f716822a36d17%26Military%20enlistment%20centre%20to%20open%20on%20Russian%20border%20with%20Georgia%262022-09-27T15%3A03%3A52.211Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:1dc86540-20e5-42a9-aba2-ef5d182edc7f&pinned_post_asset_id=6332fc02194f716822a36d17&pinned_post_type=share
"Are you alive, Gaspodin?"
"Yes."
"Congratulations -- your request to enlist has been approved. Welcome to the glorious Russian Army."
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Apparently both pipelines have been sabotaged. Going to be a cold winter in Germany.
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Apparently both pipelines have been sabotaged. Going to be a cold winter in Germany.
My kraut friend in Augsburg is *expletive deleted*ing off to Vietnam to teach English. He’s getting out just in the nick of time I think. His flight is on the 29th.
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Seismographs in Sweden and Denmark detected underwater explosions in the same area as the leaks found in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, Bjorn Lund from Sweden's National Seismology Centre (SNSN) told public broadcaster SVT.
"There is no doubt that these were explosions," Lund said.
Blasts detected near pipeline leaks - seismologists
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-63045333?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=63330c05194f716822a36d39%26Blasts%20detected%20near%20pipeline%20leaks%20-%20seismologists%262022-09-27T15%3A26%3A25.511Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:0ca6c98f-d5dc-41df-8564-3f10fcc4164c&pinned_post_asset_id=63330c05194f716822a36d39&pinned_post_type=share
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Wonder who the Sabotors are…
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Wonder who the Sabotors are…
Probably Russia as a punishment for their support for Ukraine. But I wouldn’t put it past any number of countries, whether to punish Russia or to remove that as a bargaining chip so Russia can’t hold it over Germany.
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So Russia has a supply and pipelines and can control whether the gas supply flows or not. If it flows they make money, or for political leverage they can slow/turn off the flow. That is a position of power, a win/win position.
If Russia blows up the pipelines they have no leverage and make no money.
Large swaths of Europe lose through this attack by the loss of fuel supply just as winter approaches.
I can't see any reason either one of the above would want the destruction of a mutually beneficial piece of infrastructure.
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History repeats
USHANKA SHOW
8 hours ago
Back in summer of 1940, citizens of three Baltic states participated in a referendum to join the Soviet Russia and overwhelmingly voted "yes".
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxXGcDojWx3Dsjh2H7YwPyHjF2iOpEGgHT
2022
Ukraine war: Russia claims win in occupied Ukraine 'sham' referendums
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63052207
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Tucker had an Interesting spin on the sabotage that included Biden and team: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6312943036112?playlist_id=5198073478001
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Wonder who the Sabotors are…
My guess: The globalist running our country did it using US assets.
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Turns out Biden spilled the beans a long time ago
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The Key Gas Pipelines Between Russia & Europe Just Got Wrecked...Biden's Threat's Didn't Age Well -- Memology 101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5L2sfWAmSI
Based on the headlines he is showing at the end, some in Europe are publicly accusing the US. That is nasty political games that could blow up in our face. I am sure Biden can handle it, right?
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I am sure Biden can handle it, right?
He'll appoint KJP to head the spin team
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He'll appoint KJP to head the spin team
Kamala solved the border crisis, so her next assignment is to smooth things over with the EU.
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US Embassy is warning Americans in Russia to leave immediately under the possibility of dual-citizenship folks facing possible conscription.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/americans-should-flee-russia-immediately-wake-mobilization-us-embassy-urges
Brad
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US Embassy is warning Americans in Russia to leave immediately under the possibility of dual-citizenship folks facing possible conscription.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/americans-should-flee-russia-immediately-wake-mobilization-us-embassy-urges
Brad
Does that include Snowden?
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Does that include Snowden?
One can hope.
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Now he'll claim the Ukrainians are invading Russia
Russian-backed officials had earlier claimed the five-day exercise secured almost total popular support.
So-called votes were held in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south
The exercise began across 15% of Ukraine last Friday with only a few days' notice. Russian state media argued that the use of armed guards was for security purposes, but it was clear that it had the added effect of intimidating residents.
"You have to answer verbally and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it," one woman in Enerhodar told the BBC.
Russia to formally annex four more areas of Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63072113
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Interesting editorial about Putin signaling his future plans:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/opinion/putin-speech-nuclear-russia-ukraine.html
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Soldiers everywhere sound the same:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/putin-is-a-fool-intercepted-calls-reveal-russian-army-in-disarray/
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Happy thoughts
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Saturday urged Moscow to consider deploying low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine after Russian forces retreated from the city of Lyman.
In a post shared on Telegram, Kadyrov said he believes "more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons."
Other top Putin allies, including former president Dmitry Medvedev, have floated the idea that Russia may need to use nuclear weapons, but Kadyrov's suggestion was the most explicit.
Putin said last week he was not bluffing when he vowed to use "all available means" to defend Russia's "territorial integrity." The U.S. has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons and has threatened "catastrophic consequences" if Moscow were to deploy the weapons.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-ally-recommends-russia-use-low-yield-nuclear-weapons-ukraine
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The U.S. has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons and has threatened "catastrophic consequences"
When I hear this I imagine a very, very sternly worded letter of condemnation and much table slapping at UN security council sessions.
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When I hear this I imagine a very, very sternly worded letter of condemnation and much table slapping at UN security council sessions.
Biden and the DOJ will announce the rounding up of the Trump supporters responsible
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I honestly thought that if I saw tactical nuclear weapons used during my lifetime, it would be between India and Pakistan, or Israel vs. Iran. After all those decades of MAD between the Warsaw Pact and the West, Russia was not high on my list of using nukes.
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I honestly thought that if I saw tactical nuclear weapons used during my lifetime, it would be between India and Pakistan, or Israel vs. Iran. After all those decades of MAD between the Warsaw Pact and the West, Russia was not high on my list of using nukes.
I suspect that once it happens, and eventually it will, and the perpetrator is not promptly and decisively wiped from the face of the earth, we will see a lot of it.
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(https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/366/71/754/mushroom-clouds-clowns-alex-wallpaper-preview.jpg)
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I don't spend a lot of time (here or elsewhere) reading about Ukraine, but I'm curious. Is anyone talking about how both the Russian and American regimes are fighting imaginary Nazis?
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I don't spend a lot of time (here or elsewhere) reading about Ukraine, but I'm curious. Is anyone talking about how both the Russian and American regimes are fighting imaginary Nazis?
In Ukraine’s case there are legitimately self-identified Nazi groups and militias with not insignificant manpower. They don’t run the country or anything, but the horrors of Stalin’s Dekulakization caused the horrors of the Nazi invasion to pale by comparison - at least for some Ukrainians.
Of course, from Putin’s perspective they are simply a convenient excuse to do what he was going to do anyway.
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I suspect that once it happens, and eventually it will, and the perpetrator is not promptly and decisively wiped from the face of the earth, we will see a lot of it.
The problem with that, of course, is if the perpetrator is able to do some wiping from the face of the earth of it's own. If Russia does a decapitation strike against Kyiv, is the US going to a full-bore nuclear attack against Russian cities and defense sites? Next thing you know, all of us will be missing the good old days of APS as we stagger through a nuclear wasteland from Russian missiles. Or at least I will be staggering, living seven miles flight distance from the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, one of the very first C3 sites on any target list.
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Always been the problem of MAD. It's a high risk strategy that depends on simultaneously having leaders that are unhinged enough for folks to believe they will end the world with a full on retaliatory strike, while also being sane enough to not do a first strike, gambling that the other side won't actually do it.
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We've seen too much "Russia gonna nuke Ukraine" propaganda. Are the nuke rumblings really coming from Russian sources or "western" sources trying to gen up "justification for a preemptive nuclear NATO/US first strike against Russia... [tinfoil]...
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It is unlikely that Russia will tolerate total defeat against Zelenzkiy. I don't understand where the sudden lack of fear of nuclear confrontation comes from. Is there intelligence that shows that the Russian nuclear arsenal is past the expiration date and can no longer reach western targets or something?
ETA: Perhaps people in power consider a few tens of millions of US and western European citizens incinerated is a bargain price to pay for permanently putting Russia in "it's place"?
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It is unlikely that Russia will tolerate total defeat against Zelenzkiy. I don't understand where the sudden lack of fear of nuclear confrontation comes from. Is there intelligence that shows that the Russian nuclear arsenal is past the expiration date and can no longer reach western targets or something?
ETA: Perhaps people in power consider a few tens of millions of US and western European citizens incinerated is a bargain price to pay for permanently putting Russia in "it's place"?
Is there a lack of fear? Maybe people just don't take the threat seriously anymore. Back in the 1980's, there was some sort of nuclear war story somewhere in the news at least once a week.
I sort of figure that the Biden Admin will not admit anything that might hurt them in November even if they saw Russia prepping their nukes and moving them into the area. The media is going to go along with whatever they do.
For myself, I can't do anything about it so there is no point is worrying.
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Unlike the cold war this time around literal Russian motherland territory and citizens will soon be at stake. They are one bureaucratic step away from fully ratifying the incorporation of those provinces. Call it BS as much as you want, that is what russian law is now stating. Seeing how incapable ruskies are at sustaining conventional military operations my bet is on at least one western Ukrainian city getting glassed before this chapter of WW3 ends.
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Unlike the cold war this time around literal Russian motherland territory and citizens will soon be at stake. They are one bureaucratic step away from fully ratifying the incorporation of those provinces. Call it BS as much as you want, that is what russian law is now stating. Seeing how incapable ruskies are at sustaining conventional military operations my bet is on at least one western Ukrainian city getting glassed before this chapter of WW3 ends.
Unfortunately, "chapter" may be right.
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Turns out that Russian recruiting video loved by critics of the ‘woke’ US military was total BS
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russian-military-recruiting-commercial-not-reality/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_10.03.22&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
Not sure I agree with the article completely as the video should represent the ideal soldier or what recruits think they will become. Still, this parody is still funny and the state of the Russian Army is terrible.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1566133126610526210?s=20&t=Jc_nHur5pT7U3D9aYAj8EA
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Turns out that Russian recruiting video loved by critics of the ‘woke’ US military was total BS
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russian-military-recruiting-commercial-not-reality/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_10.03.22&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
A recruitment commercial that exaggerates
(https://media.tenor.com/pJnatjvzCsoAAAAM/casablanca-shocked.gif)
Not sure I agree with the article completely as the video should represent the ideal soldier or what recruits think they will become.
And every American solider isn't Rambo either
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Turns out that Russian recruiting video loved by critics of the ‘woke’ US military was total BS
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russian-military-recruiting-commercial-not-reality/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_10.03.22&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
Not sure I agree with the article completely as the video should represent the ideal soldier or what recruits think they will become. Still, this parody is still funny and the state of the Russian Army is terrible.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1566133126610526210?s=20&t=Jc_nHur5pT7U3D9aYAj8EA
So I don't get how it's BS. It's a recruitment video, just like the ones the US used to do before "my two moms" to get people to join. I mean, did everyone who joined up after watching an Army Ranger/Green Beret/Delta recruiting video become a trigger puller? Or did a bunch of them do more mundane but necessary things, and/or become fuckups?
Seems it would be the same with a ruskie recruiting video.
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SNL "The Navy" S4E15 1979
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhioeOeOHsA
Sort of like this one.
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Seems Russia has deployed one of their ballistic missile subs.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-nuclear-submarine-armed-doomsday-weapon-disappears-arctic-harbor-report
A top-of-the-line Russian nuclear-powered submarine has gone missing from its harbor in the Arctic along with its rumored "doomsday weapon," according to multiple reports.
NATO has reportedly warned members that Russia's Belgorod submarine no longer appeared to be operating out of its White Sea base, where it has been active since July. Officials warned that Russia may plan to test Belgorod's "Poseidon" weapons system, a drone equipped with a nuclear bomb that Russia has claimed is capable of creating a "radioactive tsunami," according to Italian media.
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Seems Russia has deployed one of their ballistic missile subs
Either that or it sank at the pier.
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My guess is that it already has two American attach submarines shadowing it with fireing solutions locked...
This Tom Clancy *expletive deleted*it is getting a little out of hand.
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My guess is that it already has two American attach submarines shadowing it with fireing solutions locked...
This Tom Clancy *expletive deleted*it is getting a little out of hand.
And in the one thread where RKL needs to post his favorite youtubz clip, he has not yet posted his favorite youtubz clip... =D
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woQKGOrjpYs
Reporters Go Into Panic Mode As Based Man Spits Facts Against The Narrative LIVE
This guy mentioned radar showing US helicopters circling the area of the pipeline break. I hadn't heard that.
If that was the actual people who did the destruction, they weren't trying to hide very much. I would have expected us to do it more quietly. Which makes me question the narrative.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woQKGOrjpYs
Reporters Go Into Panic Mode As Based Man Spits Facts Against The Narrative LIVE
This guy mentioned radar showing US helicopters circling the area of the pipeline break. I hadn't heard that.
If that was the actual people who did the destruction, they weren't trying to hide very much. I would have expected us to do it more quietly. Which makes me question the narrative.
If WE blew up a Russian pipeline, I would expect the Russians to retaliate by cutting one or more of our own undersea pipelines or cables. They wouldn't necessarily nuke Washington, a "tit-for-tat" response would probably be more likely.
Hmmm . . . China could blow up a Russian pipeline . . . then China could blow up a US pipeline . . . and then sit back and watch what happens.
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More on the radioactive tsunami Russian sub.
https://twitter.com/newsmax/status/1577292236756340737?s=61&t=uviUo97mR06zXxnNtIpr3A
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I would take reports of a Russian nuclear armed and nuclear powered autonomous weapon with a large grain of salt.
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And in the one thread where RKL needs to post his favorite youtubz clip, he has not yet posted his favorite youtubz clip... =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpgYCaYlya8
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This Tom Clancy *expletive deleted*it is getting a little out of hand.
The "doomsday weapon" reference had me thinking Dr. Strangelove.
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https://twitter.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1577291302143758336
:lol:
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If WE blew up a Russian pipeline, I would expect the Russians to retaliate by cutting one or more of our own undersea pipelines or cables. They wouldn't necessarily nuke Washington, a "tit-for-tat" response would probably be more likely.
Hmmm . . . China could blow up a Russian pipeline . . . then China could blow up a US pipeline . . . and then sit back and watch what happens.
Circle back to the Russian sub and where it is going.
Could just be going to the Black Sea to sink some transports.
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Circle back to the Russian sub and where it is going.
Could just be going to the Black Sea to sink some transports.
Russia has plenty of anti-ship air assets that can do that.
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We've seen too much "Russia gonna nuke Ukraine" propaganda. Are the nuke rumblings really coming from Russian sources or "western" sources trying to gen up "justification for a preemptive nuclear NATO/US first strike against Russia...
Lots of Russian sources and Putin himself. Putin even made a speech 8 days ago saying he was serious and not bluffing, which was sort of a reference to how often he has made nuclear threats.
Russian state TV has been talking about a full nuclear holocaust ever since their army redeployed after the Kyiv siege failed. One news lady talks about how a full nuclear exchange will lead to Russians getting raptured while the soulless westerners will simply cease to exist.
Speak The Truth Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQ9wJKXJwcw_4tNaHHbWdA) frequently talks about how much he sees Russian State news talk about nuclear war vs how little he hears about it from the west.
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https://twitter.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1577291302143758336
:lol:
Putin makes at least a couple good points.
You cannot feed your people with printed dollars and social media. You need food and energy. But Western elites have no desire to find a solution to the food and energy crises *they* (emphasis his) created.
.
.
.
They're crazy. I want to speak to all Russian citizens, do we want to replace mum and dad with parent 1 and 2? They invented genders and claim you can "transition". Do we want this for our children?
We have a different vision.
They have abandoned religion and embraced Satanism - direct quote.
Putin’s still off his rocker. Those points might fall under the “broken clocks and blind squirrels” headings.
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We think the leftists don't represent the US, but people elsewhere may not see it that way.
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This shouldn't cause any public speculation or worry:
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/10/05/hhs-explains-purchase-of-290-million-worth-of-drug-for-use-in-radiological-and-nuclear-emergencies/
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Of course the elite in the USA are evil, he has got that right.
And of course the same is true of Russia.
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Looking for a silver lining:
https://www.dw.com/en/will-fracking-make-a-comeback-in-germany-in-face-of-gas-crunch/a-62814035
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I for one am grateful we have a president and administration who are more than qualified to deal with these difficult times.
In other words we are so *expletive deleted*ed
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Looking for a silver lining:
https://www.dw.com/en/will-fracking-make-a-comeback-in-germany-in-face-of-gas-crunch/a-62814035
Fracking? Holy Frack, someone send John Kerry over there on his Carbonmobile Jet to hecktor the Krauts about how they can't harm the environment!
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I for one am grateful we have a president and administration who are more than qualified to deal with these difficult times.
In other words we are so *expletive deleted*ed
Case in point
President Biden said in an address to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Thursday night that the country under his leadership is as close to “Armageddon” as it has been since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s.
Speaking at a fundraiser in New York, Biden addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to use a nuclear weapon.
“[Putin was] not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons,” Biden said. “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Then he goes on vacation
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/10/07/biden-says-world-is-closest-to-nuclear-armageddon-since-cuban-missile-crisis-heads-to-delaware-for-the-weekend/
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I always wondered what living under the specter of looming nuclear war was like but was born at the end of the Cold War but hey, looks like I get to find out first hand!
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I always wondered what living under the specter of looming nuclear war was like but was born at the end of the Cold War but hey, looks like I get to find out first hand!
"Duck and cover"
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"Duck and cover"
Get an old school desk and get under it. You'll be fine.
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Get an old school desk and get under it. You'll be fine.
I grew up in those times. Even then I wondered how hiding under my desk at school was going to make any difference if the evil Russians dropped a bomb that could wipe out most of my state.
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I grew up in those times. Even then I wondered how hiding under my desk at school was going to make any difference if the evil Russians dropped a bomb that could wipe out most of my state.
It put you in a good position to kiss your ass goodbye
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More booms
A truck exploded in the middle of the bridge connecting Crimea and Russia Saturday, killing three people, Russian officials confirmed.
The explosion ignited seven fuel tanks of a train also traveling on the Kerch bridge. Two of the victims, a man and a woman, have been pulled from the water below, Russia said.
Explosion rocks Kerch Bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, 3 dead: officials
https://www.foxnews.com/world/kerch-bridge-connecting-crimea-russia-fire-after-possible-fuel-tank-explosion-ukraine-media
Who was responsible for the Crimea bridge explosion?
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-63183783?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=63414492194f716822a37df2%26Who%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20Crimea%20bridge%20explosion%3F%262022-10-08T09%3A52%3A45.632Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:90c1d479-8fbf-4ab3-b5ee-fae04dff4fea&pinned_post_asset_id=63414492194f716822a37df2&pinned_post_type=share
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2022/10/8/241217b4-89df-41a2-8b44-c22b7035e614.jpg)
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Who was responsible for the Crimea bridge explosion?
Obviously this is the doing of Trump and the NRA.
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Orange mushroom cloud bad
He in the room with you right now?! David Frum twists himself into DERP-pretzel in thread blaming TRUMP for nuclear threat
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/10/10/he-in-the-room-with-you-right-now-david-frum-twists-himself-into-derp-pretzel-in-thread-blaming-trump-for-nuclear-threat/
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I grew up in those times. Even then I wondered how hiding under my desk at school was going to make any difference if the evil Russians dropped a bomb that could wipe out most of my state.
Most nukes will only vaporize a relatively small area. Hiding under the desk will help if the school isn't too close. Less likely to see the flash or be hit by glass or debris if the pressure wave hits and the entire school is not leveled.
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Most people have an entirely unrealistic idea of what a nuke does. Flying glass and debris, thermal radiation from the flash, and bits of building falling on you are much more likely to injure someone than straight vaporization. Duck and cover is a pretty good strategy.
Back in Basic Training we were taught variations on duck and cover, because it was realized that if you saw the flash and had time to register it, then you weren't going to be vaporized, and you had a bit of time to avoid the pressure wave and debris, so you should find some cover.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-63193124
Seems that Vlad is having a tantrum over his precious bridge.
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Most people have an entirely unrealistic idea of what a nuke does. Flying glass and debris, thermal radiation from the flash, and bits of building falling on you are much more likely to injure someone than straight vaporization. Duck and cover is a pretty good strategy.
Back in Basic Training we were taught variations on duck and cover, because it was realized that if you saw the flash and had time to register it, then you weren't going to be vaporized, and you had a bit of time to avoid the pressure wave and debris, so you should find some cover.
There were shadows “burned” into concrete at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I read that some soldiers that were watching the B-29’s with binoculars (or the sky in the direction of blast) had their eyes melted by the intensity of the light.
But yeah, unless you’re that close chances are you’ll be affected by secondary effects (flying debris) much more than by the heat and light of the blast. If even a Tsar Bomba size nuke hits Seattle I’ll be affected more by supply chain disruption and power grid failure than even radioactive fallout, let alone direct blast effects.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-63193124
Seems that Vlad is having a tantrum over his precious bridge.
The poor baby is upset the kid he's been pounding on hit back.
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https://youtu.be/BlE1BdOAfVc
You can stand under a nuke (a high, small one) with no shielding and be fine. I wouldn't necessarily volunteer to do so, but if you are a couple miles out, and there's terrain of any kind, duck and cover becomes a pretty viable plan.
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I have always believed that I could survive a nuclear war if I wasn't a direct target, just never thought I would get the chance. I have a target ten miles and one mountain away from me but due to the nature of the target it would probably be a subsurface burst. Navy isn't there anymore but the NSA is and russians don't update lists probably. I always worry more about the people. I would be where the eastern seaboard would flee to. Beyond that it is luck of the draw with targets and upper atmosphere winds as to fallout patterns and can you ever eat from the soil again.
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Notice a few e-mails about emergency rations and whatnot
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I have always believed that I could survive a nuclear war if I wasn't a direct target, just never thought I would get the chance. I have a target ten miles and one mountain away from me but due to the nature of the target it would probably be a subsurface burst. Navy isn't there anymore but the NSA is and russians don't update lists probably. I always worry more about the people. I would be where the eastern seaboard would flee to. Beyond that it is luck of the draw with targets and upper atmosphere winds as to fallout patterns and can you ever eat from the soil again.
I guess there ought to be links talking about the 1/2 life of the fall out radioactives. I don't think it is forever, but the time might depend on the type of bomb. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still there as cities thought those weren't large bombs.
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I grew up in those times. Even then I wondered how hiding under my desk at school was going to make any difference if the evil Russians dropped a bomb that could wipe out most of my state.
Duck and cover does not work if you are too close to the blast obviously. But for those farther away from the center of the blast, many of the injuries can be caused by flying debris. Duck and cover is helpful for these people.
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I’m about 25 miles NE of a secondary target (unverified) so I’m assuming we may have a few minutes more to try and react….
Looks like Putin didn’t take too kindly for the bridge damage and is chucking rockets and bomb at the general population in Ukraine the last day or two.
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I guess there ought to be links talking about the 1/2 life of the fall out radioactives. I don't think it is forever, but the time might depend on the type of bomb. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still there as cities thought those weren't large bombs.
It depends more on the efficiency of the warhead than the size. More of the core fully fissioned, means more energy released and actually less leftover radionucleotides. Less core consumed->more fallout particles. Airburst vs. groundburst vs. underground makes a difference as well, as there's a sweet spot to suck up, irradiate, and spread the most dust and stuff (if you want to maximize fallout) and that sweet spot isn't always the same as where you want the bomb vs. the intended target.
IIRC the longest lasting radionucleotides from P-239 bombs are about 30 years half life. Strontium-(some number) is what stick in my head as the most dangerous. The oft-medicated radioactive Iodine has a half-life of 8 days. In general the fallout from a fission bomb decays pretty rapidly and is human safe in 1-6 months. (I've actually stood at ground zero of Nagasaki. It's a somber memorial.)
If there's cobalt* in the warhead or it's a two stage fission/fusion bomb**, the calculus changes quite a bit.
*Cobalt-60 has my favorite warning sign ever (https://cen.acs.org/safety/Chemistry-Pictures-Drop-Run/98/web/2020/04).
**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_activation
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https://www.airlive.net/breaking-a-russian-cyberattack-is-underway-against-several-us-airport-websites/amp/
I presume this is retaliation for the Nord Stream attack.
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Apropos of nothing at all, does anyone know if those cheap Chinese Geiger counters are worth a *expletive deleted*it?
something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394196386371
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Apropos of nothing at all, does anyone know if those cheap Chinese Geiger counters are worth a *expletive deleted*it?
something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394196386371
Sounds like it's time to repost this:
http://www.ki4u.com/free_book/s73p938.htm
=)
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3.6 Roentgen, not great, not terrible
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3.6 Roentgen, not great, not terrible
But the meter pegs at 3.6 …
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But the meter pegs at 3.6 …
https://youtu.be/Fy-QAIwV-D0?t=131
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Is Putin crazy enough to use a "tactical" nuke on the Ukraine? I believe he is. Is he crazy enough to start WW3 ? I'm not sure but I don't believe so. What I think may be more likely is that, if he DOES nuke the Ukraine, the ChiComs may seize that opportunity to make their move on Taiwan. They may not use nukes but with their assets compared to Taiwan's, it won't be much of a fight. If the U.S. were to get involved in that fight, the ChiComs may lob a couple of tacticals our way to "warn us off".
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Is Putin crazy enough to use a "tactical" nuke on the Ukraine? I believe he is. Is he crazy enough to start WW3 ? I'm not sure but I don't believe so. What I think may be more likely is that, if he DOES nuke the Ukraine, the ChiComs make seize that opportunity to make their move on Taiwan. They may not use nukes but with their assets compared to Taiwan's, it won't be much of a fight. If the U.S. were to get involved in that fight, the ChiComs may lob a couple of tacticals our way to "warn us off".
Taiwan has a lot of their own weapons for defense. A lot depends on if they will fight effectively. Won't be easy for them or China.
I heard China was looking at using civilian ferry ships to bring in troops. I would think those ships would be pretty vulnerable.
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Is Putin crazy enough to use a "tactical" nuke on the Ukraine? I believe he is. Is he crazy enough to start WW3 ? I'm not sure but I don't believe so. What I think may be more likely is that, if he DOES nuke the Ukraine, the ChiComs make seize that opportunity to make their move on Taiwan. They may not use nukes but with their assets compared to Taiwan's, it won't be much of a fight. If the U.S. were to get involved in that fight, the ChiComs may lob a couple of tacticals our way to "warn us off".
2-3 destroyers (plus some support vessels) or just attack subs in the Andaman/Java/Banda Sea region will cut China off from 70% of their oil requirements overnight. They wouldn’t be able to sustain anything, let alone an invasion force for more than a couple weeks if we go that route. Within a couple months they’d have famine setting in.
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More than half of Ukraine’s tank fleet now reportedly consists of captured Russian armor
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/ukraine-captures-russian-tanks-fleet-size/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_10.11.22&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
The British Ministry of Defense reported in an intelligence update on Friday that Ukrainian troops had likely captured “at least” 440 Russian tanks and an additional 650 armored vehicles, adding that “over half of Ukraine’s currently fielded tank fleet potentially consists of captured vehicles.”
Those tank capture numbers line up with estimates from the open-source research group Oryx, which suggests based on visual evidence that Ukrainian forces have likely captured some 457 tanks since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February.
“Re-purposed captured Russian equipment now makes up a large proportion of Ukraine’s military hardware,” the MoD said. “The failure of Russian crews to destroy intact equipment before withdrawing or surrendering highlights their poor state of training and low levels of battle discipline.”
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Considering this Russia has already been soundly defeated. Perhaps de-escalation and negotiations are in order post-haste?
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-not-about-ukraine-its-about-germany/
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https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-not-about-ukraine-its-about-germany/
What’s left unsaid is that Russia has not invaded any country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union,
Author conveniently forgets about Georgia.
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I haven't read the article (yet) but UNZ is bug%^& nuts in general.
It is a screeching Jew-hating website owned by a Jew, oddly enough.
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Author conveniently forgets about Georgia.
And it can be argued Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Of course that whole thing is a flipping mess to wrap your brain around.
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And it can be argued Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Of course that whole thing is a flipping mess to wrap your brain around.
Putin also committed paratroopers to Kazakhstan earlier this year. Since this was at the request of their president, I suppose it's not technically an invasion.
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Syria as well. Invited in by Assad, but definitely has boots on ground.
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Putin is green
Politico Europe congratulates Vladimir Putin for ‘[doing] more than almost any other single human being to speed up the end of the fossil fuel era’
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/10/12/politico-europe-congratulates-vladimir-putin-for-doing-more-than-almost-any-other-single-human-being-to-speed-up-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era/
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Putin is green
Politico Europe congratulates Vladimir Putin for ‘[doing] more than almost any other single human being to speed up the end of the fossil fuel era’
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/10/12/politico-europe-congratulates-vladimir-putin-for-doing-more-than-almost-any-other-single-human-being-to-speed-up-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era/
Hmm ... not The Babylon Bee ...
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Syria as well. Invited in by Assad, but definitely has boots on ground.
Tehnically, you could count the previous invasion of the Ukraine in the Crimean peninsula.
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Considering this Russia has already been soundly defeated. Perhaps de-escalation and negotiations are in order post-haste?
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-not-about-ukraine-its-about-germany/
Reinforces my opinion that the better response would be to encourage or help bring other natural gas sources into Europe to reduce the dependency and/or importance of Russian gas. Tying this into US elites trying to maintain control isn't such a far fetched idea. Might explain some of the odd actions.
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So OPEC went and cut oil production which will cause energy prices to rise and cause damage supposedly. Even after Biden had gone and asked them pretty please to do the opposite. Does this mean that they are signaling that they are siding with Russia as an energy producing entity in response to the Biden administration's moves to influence energy supply?
So we now have a Ukraine-Russia-EU-NATO-USA-OPEC kerfuffle. Doesn't that kinda officially make this a world war? Are we looking at a strike to the petrodollar?
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/05/energy/opec-production-cuts/index.html (cnn link for illustrative purposes only)
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Sweden will not participate in a joint investigation of the Nord Stream leaks. They are keeping their evidence to themselves, apparently for national security concerns.
Premium article, but here's the gist:
Sweden has opted out of a proposal to set up a formal joint investigation team with Denmark and Germany to investigate the recent leaks of the Russian-owned pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2.
Mats Ljungqvist, the Swedish prosecutor involved in the country’s criminal investigation of the leaks in the Swedish economic zone, told Reuters that the country would not join a Joint Investigation Team from the judicial co-operation agency Eurojust.
According to Eurojust, a Joint Investigation Team is “one of the most advanced tools used in international cooperation in criminal matters, comprising a legal agreement between competent authorities of two or more States for the purpose of carrying out criminal investigations.” Such teams are established for a fixed period that’s typically 12–24 months.
Doing so would mean that Sweden would have to share information from its own probe into the Nord Stream leaks that it has withheld saying the information is confidential. Ljungqvist told Reuters that the information subject to confidentiality is “directly linked to national security.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/sweden-opts-out-of-joint-probe-into-nord-stream-leak-refuses-to-share-findings-citing-national-security_4798122.html
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I wonder if they have a version of SOSUS that they don't want to share it's capabilities.
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I wonder if they have a version of SOSUS that they don't want to share it's capabilities.
Or they just got an answer they weren't expecting which would complicate international relations. Sort of like the USA keeping a lid on Russian pilots flying MiGs against the USA during the Korean war.
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Meanwhile on the Russian side of the border
Trouble among the troops
Death toll in 'terrorist' shooting at Russian military base near Ukraine border rises to 22, reports claim: Two gunmen 'from Tajikistan' opened fire 'in row over religion' as local governor says no civilians were killed in massacre
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11320743/Death-toll-terrorist-shooting-Russian-military-base-near-Ukraine-border-rises-22.html
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Meanwhile on the Russian side of the border
Trouble among the troops
Death toll in 'terrorist' shooting at Russian military base near Ukraine border rises to 22, reports claim: Two gunmen 'from Tajikistan' opened fire 'in row over religion' as local governor says no civilians were killed in massacre
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11320743/Death-toll-terrorist-shooting-Russian-military-base-near-Ukraine-border-rises-22.html
Exactly what you'd expect if you're conscripting people as cannon fodder, feeding them with little or no training into a meat grinder they're not expected to survive. They probably figure "We're dead if we obey orders, so I may as well take some of the people responsible with me. If I get a few zampolits before they get me, so much the better."
Let's hope this spreads. =D
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So Musk was going to stop providing free Starlink to Ukraine, as he wanted our/their govs to start picking up the cost, which they didn't do. He's going to keep providing it for free, but he kinda has a point here:
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free
Every time I turn around, the US gov has thrown another billion dollars at Ukraine, seemingly weekly. Our gov has paid tons of dough to our defense contractors for stuff like switchblades, just like they pay tons of incentives to all the electric car makers except for Tesla. You have to give Musk credit for continuing on, even though the establishment stuck a "kick me" sign on his back.
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It's funny how they can do war with out declaring war.
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It's funny how they can do war with out declaring war.
That goes back to at least 1950.
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https://www.newsweek.com/neocons-woke-left-are-joining-hands-leading-us-woke-war-iii-opinion-1748947
Warping the debate in this way allows delusional and contradictory thinking to go unchallenged. Thus, we get the argument that Putin is a madman who will kill indiscriminately to achieve his aims—but he is also somehow definitely bluffing about using nuclear weapons. And he's only using that bluff because he's losing the war—but if he's not stopped in Ukraine, he will go on to conquer the rest of Europe. Putin's regime must fall because he has killed or jailed all the liberal reformers and yoked himself to a hardline Far Right, but somehow he will be replaced by a liberal reformer when his regime collapses.
It's nonsensical, and a real debate would expose some of the delusions in this thinking. But we aren't allowed to have one.
I can hardly believe this opinion piece was in Newsweek!
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Russia doing missile tests in the Barents Sea?
https://www.theinteldrop.org/2022/10/17/nuclear-tests-barents-sea-7-zones-for-aviation-flights-are-closed/
Possible Ukrainian attack on Belgorod:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/loud-explosions-heard-russias-belgorod-131900769.html
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Attacking (recognized) Russian territory may give some tactical gains but in the end will probably just give Putin more strategic options. Like being able to declare war with no internal political opposition and full mobilization with a more motivated population.
What the hell is anyone trying to accomplish over there anyway ;/
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I'm guessing the Ukrainians are trying not to be killed or enslaved.
The Russians? To have a border of slave states, I think.
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I'm guessing the Ukrainians are trying not to be killed or enslaved.
The Russians? To have a border of slave states, I think.
Quite correct.
Russian victory means Ukraine becomes a slave state. Ukrainian victory means the Russians leave and stop shooting at them.
As for attacking Russian territory . . . just imagine if the Jews in Germany had begun fighting Hitler in the late 1930s - think of what that might have provoked.
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Attacking (recognized) Russian territory may give some tactical gains but in the end will probably just give Putin more strategic options. Like being able to declare war with no internal political opposition and full mobilization with a more motivated population.
What the hell is anyone trying to accomplish over there anyway ;/
If it is attacking infrastructure that directly affects the fighting in the Ukraine, I don't have an issue with that. They just need to avoid going after civilians as much as possible. I imagine that would hurt their image with countries supporting them.
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While I personally wouldn't condone it, if Russia starts to win, I can't see a reason why Ukraine wouldn't try and break their moral by using something like a dirty bomb in Moscow. They've got plenty of radioactive material.
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While I personally wouldn't condone it, if Russia starts to win, I can't see a reason why Ukraine wouldn't try and break their moral by using something like a dirty bomb in Moscow. They've got plenty of radioactive material.
I think that would be just the excuse the Russians would need to use nukes on Ukraine.
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I think that would be just the excuse the Russians would need to use nukes on Ukraine.
If the Ukraine is going to lose, what does it matter? That's the problem with desperation. There's plenty of pithy quotes through the ages: "Rather die on my feet than live on my knees", "Make a desert and call it Peace", "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."...take your pick.
My point is if it looks like the Russians are going to win, and at this point we all know Putin will only accept complete capitulation. He will have to punish a vassal state for this much trouble, The Ukrainians have nothing to lose by getting dirty. At that point the only difference is how much of Russia is radioactive when they are done, because there won't be a Ukraine, except as a nice fiction on treaties somewhere.
Hell, I'd say Ukraine has got to be taking stock of what fissile material they have, and if it can be enriched. It's not like a fission bomb is hard to make if you have the material.
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Russia doing missile tests in the Barents Sea?
https://www.theinteldrop.org/2022/10/17/nuclear-tests-barents-sea-7-zones-for-aviation-flights-are-closed/
Possible Ukrainian attack on Belgorod:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/loud-explosions-heard-russias-belgorod-131900769.html
Been there, seen that, nothing new to see here =D =D =D
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My point is if it looks like the Russians are going to win, and at this point we all know Putin will only accept complete capitulation.
I think Putin would be overjoyed to get out of Ukraine tomorrow with Crimea and the already annexed regions.
That was likely what he was going into Ukraine for initially, anyway.
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Putin wants the old USSR borders, or something roughly approximating that. Much less and Russia, rightly or wrongly, believes they have basically indefensible borders, and they see especially the breakdown of globalization and expansion of NATO/EU members as an existential threat creating the need for said defensible borders.
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Putin wants the old USSR borders, or something roughly approximating that. Much less and Russia, rightly or wrongly, believes they have basically indefensible borders, and they see especially the breakdown of globalization and expansion of NATO/EU members as an existential threat creating the need for said defensible borders.
Maybe Russia should apply for NATO membership. [popcorn]
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I think Putin would be overjoyed to get out of Ukraine tomorrow with Crimea and the already annexed regions.
That was likely what he was going into Ukraine for initially, anyway.
Right now, they annexed half the country including most of the oil/gas fields I think. Probably have to force the Ukraine into a deal like that. Might lead to "terrorism" later by Ukrainians unhappy with the plan. Might be better off with some agreement not to admit them into NATO and help them fix their pipeline.
I don't see the Biden Admin doing anything of the kind unless something pushes them to change their tune.
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The problem is that Ukraine can't negotiate until US-NATO says it can. So what is the Biden Administration's specific interest and objectives in the war?
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The problem is that Ukraine can't negotiate until US-NATO says it can. So what is the Biden Administration's specific interest and objectives in the war?
They can't?
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Have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink
David Frum
@davidfrum
It was always unreasonable, and is becoming unwise, to expect @elonmusk
to provide Internet to Ukraine for free forever. Western allies should pay. And US should have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink fast if Musk cuts off Ukraine's connection to advance his political agenda.
David Frum fires back at all ‘the Elon-heads’ who pointed out that it would be horrible and authoritarian for the gov’t to seize Starlink
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/10/19/david-frum-fires-back-at-all-the-elon-heads-who-pointed-out-that-it-would-be-horrible-and-authoritarian-for-the-govt-to-seize-starlink/
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Cute of Frum to assume that Starlink would just continue to operate as usual once the government stole it.
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They can't?
https://dailysceptic.org/2022/09/01/did-boris-scuttle-talks-between-ukraine-and-russia/
Perhaps they mayn't.
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Have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink
David Frum fires back at all ‘the Elon-heads’ who pointed out that it would be horrible and authoritarian for the gov’t to seize Starlink
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/10/19/david-frum-fires-back-at-all-the-elon-heads-who-pointed-out-that-it-would-be-horrible-and-authoritarian-for-the-govt-to-seize-starlink/
All Elon wants is for someone to pay for it. I am sure all the defense contractors in the US don't supply arms for free. Trying to make it about politics when it isn't.
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Yeah, free Starlink isn't reasonable for very long. Eventually they will need to at least break even, and preferably make a profit.
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Haaretz is reporting that Israel attacked an Iranian drone factory near Damascus:
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2022-10-23/ty-article/.premium/israeli-strike-targeted-iranian-drone-assembly-site-near-damascus-syrian-monitor-says/00000184-0530-d736-abc7-1fb0384f0000
No word if this will affect drone deliveries to Russia.
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The 101st Airborne has been deployed to Romania.
https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/ukraine-news-russia-us-army-101st-airborne-nato-war-games-romania/
(ETA: they've been there since June for training. The CBS News article seemed to imply this was a recent development)
https://www.army.mil/article/258008/101st_airborne_division_arrives_in_europe_to_support_nato_allies
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https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2022/10/29/germany-dismantles-wind-farm-to-expand-coal-mine-n506517
My first thought is "this is the most un-2022 story of 2022." But I guess it really is the story of 2022. Davos leftism is starting to unravel, because it just can't work. The Red Wave is international.
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Not surprising. Some things need an eye kept on.
What would the reaction would be if Russia captured one or more?
The Pentagon officially confirmed today that US troops are on the ground in Ukraine, allegedly performing "inspections" of US weapon caches. This information was released via anonymous media briefing. No word on whether the troops are wearing "boots" as they walk "on the ground" pic.twitter.com/ok9aAT1gDk
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) November 1, 2022
No big deal, just US troops on the ground (sorta like boots on the ground?) in Ukraine
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/11/01/no-big-deal-just-us-troops-on-the-ground-sorta-like-boots-on-the-ground-in-ukraine/
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Anyone know how to say "May I have another beer please?" in Polish? I feel like I might need to know that in 2023.
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Beerski pleaseski?
You really think Putin's going to try to invade Poland?
I think it's pretty evident, based on what's happening in Ukraine, that an attempted incursion into Poland would be an utter disaster times 10 for Putin and Russia.
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Beerski pleaseski?
You really think Putin's going to try to invade Poland?
I think it's pretty evident, based on what's happening in Ukraine, that an attempted incursion into Poland would be an utter disaster times 10 for Putin and Russia.
No, I think I do logistics for our side, and our main logistics ports of entry are going to be Poland and somewhere on the Adriatic, and I already know how to order beer in Albania.
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Do it like like most Americans, you yell "I WANT A BEER!"
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No, I think I do logistics for our side, and our main logistics ports of entry are going to be Poland and somewhere on the Adriatic, and I already know how to order beer in Albania.
Mund të pi një birrë, të lutem?
(I speak fluent Google Translate)
Brad
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Anyone know how to say "May I have another beer please?" in Polish? I feel like I might need to know that in 2023.
"Beer, proszę?" is not right but probably good enough. The correct way (I had to look it up) is "Proszę piwo" -- the 'w' is pronounced like a 'v'.
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I know a retired engineer who worked in Holland a few years. He said he never learned Dutch. Said you couldn't throw a rock without hitting someone who spoke English and they all wanted to talk in English to practice.
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I know a retired engineer who worked in Holland a few years. He said he never learned Dutch. Said you couldn't throw a rock without hitting someone who spoke English and they all wanted to talk in English to practice.
When I visited DAF (based in Eindhoven) on my way back from India that was pretty much true.
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Yeah but I find if you make an effort to try and learn the local lingo, even if you mangle it, they appreciate it, and might tell you about cool, non touristy spots.
Besides, my boss is probably bringing nuclear war to their country. Least I can do is try and learn the language.
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Anyone know how to say "May I have another beer please?" in Polish? I feel like I might need to know that in 2023.
I was in Poland in March 2001, almost every young person spoke English and wanted to speak English with you. They bought me a lot of beer too, so I would talk with them.
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Same with the Philippines. Everyone I knew there worked for Microsoft and spoke English. I would screw with them and throw in some Tagalog. I don't have a problem with hot girls laughing at me.
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Beerski pleaseski?
You really think Putin's going to try to invade Poland?
I think it's pretty evident, based on what's happening in Ukraine, that an attempted incursion into Poland would be an utter disaster times 10 for Putin and Russia.
I think even Putin understands that attack a NATO nation and suddenly Russian assets worldwide will be targeted by NATO nations.
Unless Brandon's Chinese masters order him to have the USA stand down. (They might delay the order until the USN blows through all their ammo sinking the Soviet Russian navy.)
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A couple times recently, I have heard the opinion that if Republicans win a majority in all or part of Congress, they will cut military funding for the Ukraine and the Ukrainians will automatically lose to the Russians.
Do any of you think that is likely?
1. Would the R's cut the funding completely?
2. Would the Ukrainians roll over of the US cut their support?
At this point, they already have quite a bit of support and weapons in hand or in route. I am skeptical that their victory is solely dependent on US support. Of course, I probably don't have any idea just how much support we are giving.
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A couple times recently, I have heard the opinion that if Republicans win a majority in all or part of Congress, they will cut military funding for the Ukraine and the Ukrainians will automatically lose to the Russians.
Do any of you think that is likely?
1. Would the R's cut the funding completely?
2. Would the Ukrainians roll over of the US cut their support?
At this point, they already have quite a bit of support and weapons in hand or in route. I am skeptical that their victory is solely dependent on US support. Of course, I probably don't have any idea just how much support we are giving.
I'll bet there are some cuts. We seem to be sending "another $5 billion" on about a weekly basis, and there doesn't seem to be any good accounting of where anything is going. I'm guessing a lot of it is ending up in the hands of the Ukrainian version of oligarchs, which is bad enough if it's money, but if it's materiel, who knows where it might end up?
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I'll bet there are some cuts. We seem to be sending "another $5 billion" on about a weekly basis, and there doesn't seem to be any good accounting of where anything is going. I'm guessing a lot of it is ending up in the hands of the Ukrainian version of oligarchs, which is bad enough if it's money, but if it's materiel, who knows where it might end up?
I think the flow of cash may be interrupted - weapons and ammo, I'm not so sure about.
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Just to bump this back to the top.
It looks like a memo came out and most of pro Ukrainian twitter accounts have started talking about the "Liberation of Crimea" this winter.
Looks like as long as we keep giving them ammo, they are going to go for it. I have no idea what Russia's response to the Ukrainian Army approaching Sevastopol will be, but I bet it won't be calm.
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Approach Sevastpol long after the supply line has been cut. Looks like a bunch might get trapped in Kherson too if the UA is really crossing the river.
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It appears this whole FTX cryptocurrency thing has Ukraine and democrats heavily involved. I have been critical of all the money we're dumping in Ukrainian oligarch accounts, but in this case Ukraine appears to be the victim/patsy. A breaking story that will not make it into the MSM. FTX has been the biggest donor to Dems after George Soros.
https://heavy.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-ukraine-politics-biden/
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/11/14/james-woods-says-out-loud-what-the-mainstream-media-refuses-to-about-ftx-ukraine-and-democrats/
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Zeihan on the impending fall of Crimea.
https://youtu.be/K9JfO_mI4oQ
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So if he pops a tac nuke on the Crimean Peninsula, which is arguably Russian territory, do we think NATO will respond?
I don't know. There seems to be a pretty strong push in the west to fire up another war, and the EU might be willing to go get some natural gas.
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Zeihan on the impending fall of Crimea.
https://youtu.be/K9JfO_mI4oQ
That is pretty interesting. I haven't really been keeping up.
I saw this video talking about different US weapon systems used over there. I hadn't really appreciated how useful the mobile rocket launcher systems could be. Makes some sense due to the range and alternative artillery has to shoot and move anyway. Also, the drone swarms are a bit scary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifBhKzKkkRU
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So if he pops a tac nuke on the Crimean Peninsula, which is arguably Russian territory, do we think NATO will respond?
I don't know. There seems to be a pretty strong push in the west to fire up another war, and the EU might be willing to go get some natural gas.
NATO response? Depends on wind direction and the amount of fallout.
Since they have reactors, the Ukrainians can produce a pretty formidable "dirty bomb" if they want to. It wouldn't surprise me too much if they DID contaminate a large swath of Mother Russia in retaliation to a Putin nuke attack somewhere. A volunteer pilot in one of their supersonic aircraft could probably reach Moscow on a one-way trip and scatter a whole bunch of dirty bombs around. They might even have several volunteer pilots willing to do so.
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NATO response? Depends on wind direction and the amount of fallout.
Since they have reactors, the Ukrainians can produce a pretty formidable "dirty bomb" if they want to. It wouldn't surprise me too much if they DID contaminate a large swath of Mother Russia in retaliation to a Putin nuke attack somewhere. A volunteer pilot in one of their supersonic aircraft could probably reach Moscow on a one-way trip and scatter a whole bunch of dirty bombs around. They might even have several volunteer pilots willing to do so.
If they start lobbing nukes, there will likely be plenty of volunteers from the areas hit.
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If they start lobbing nukes, there will likely be plenty of volunteers from the areas hit.
In dogmush's scenario of setting a tactical nuke off in Crimea (presumably in response to a Ukrainian offensive into the area) it is a little more complex. Maybe Ukraine has a bunch of Crimean natives in their air force, but I doubt Russia would nuke cities they claim as their own, so even if someone born in Crimea were upset about the nuke, I'm guessing it wouldn't be targeted at civilians.
While it is absolutely an escalation risk and a reduction in the barrier to more general use of nuclear weapons, I'm not convinced a tactical nuke would be a particularly effective tool to use. Sure, if it were deployed against an urban area it would kill a lot of people, but it's not like Ukraine is going to be fielding mass formations of unprotected infantry in Crimea where a tactical nuke would be devastating.
If Russia did use it operationally (as opposed to a demonstration which would probably be merely treated as a treaty violation and used to justify sending more money and equipment to Ukraine) it would likely not be very tactically effective and it would strategically be a nightmare for Russia.
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Probably an accident but oh boy
Russian missiles land in Poland, killing two - reports
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63593855
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War Solved: United States Puts Up Gun-Free Zone Sign In Ukraine
https://babylonbee.com/news/war-solved-united-states-puts-up-gun-free-zone-sign-in-ukraine
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Probably an accident but oh boy
Russian missiles land in Poland, killing two - reports
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63593855
That's how bigger wars happen. Poland has been a full member of NATO since 1999.
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That's how bigger wars happen. Poland has been a full member of NATO since 1999.
Party like it's 1999
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S2 Underground's take:
For Immediate Release: Ukrainian War Update – Missile Strikes Poland, Killing Two
BLUF: This is a very serious event, which will increase tensions throughout Europe as we wait for NATO’s response. The most serious result of this strike will be the potential for out-of-control escalation of force that could result in a serious conflagration in the coming days.
What we know so far: At approximately 23:17 GMT, at least one missile/rocket struck the small border farming community of Przewodow, Poland, killing two Polish citizens. The strike occurred at approximately the same time as Russia launched a large, multi-front-wide artillery barrage on critical Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which in turn has been a continuation of the conflict in Ukraine. At this time, it is not clear if the missile/rocket strike was due to a mistake (or equipment malfunction), and currently neither NATO nor Russia have responded to the strike. Various NATO and non-NATO members throughout Europe have placed their military forces on high alert in response to this event.
Analyst Comment – As tensions remain high throughout Europe, fears of a global conflict erupting from this event are at an all-time high. Simply put, this scenario, cross-border fires resulting in CIVCAS (civilian casualties) are exactly what NATO (and Russia/Eastern Bloc nations) have been preparing for since the beginning of the Cold War. From a technical standpoint, it is a miracle that this event hasn’t happened until now, as unguided missiles are just that…unguided. This is why unguided missile systems usually have what’s called a high Circular Error Probability. Meaning that, compared to a Precision munition, an unguided projectile has a very large circle that it can land in, which can sometimes be hundreds of meters in diameter (depending on range, munition, weather, etc). Couple this with the potential for mechanical and/or user error, devastating mistakes can easily be made using many of the weapons systems currently employed in Ukraine. However, this itself is an assumption…we cannot even be sure that the strike is Russian in origin at this time. As the weapons systems used by Russia and Ukraine are for the most part identical, we may never find out which nation caused the death of two Polish citizens.
Fear that this incident will spiral out of hand is justified, but we must remember that the most serious factor impacting this event is once again in the information space. In short, BE CAREFUL where you get your information regarding this event (and every event related to the Ukrainian War). As always, this situation is highly dynamic, and almost nothing is confirmed. Propaganda, false-flag attacks, and lack of communication are the most serious catalysts of escalating conflict, and some of the most significant efforts during the Ukrainian War have been made on the information front.
Militarily, Poland is almost certainly preparing to conduct retaliatory strikes on targets chosen from various lists of strategic targets that surely have been prepared since the start of this War. Whether or not Poland will choose to target Russian facilities in Russia, Ukraine, or Belarus is unknown. Additionally, whether or not Poland will choose to act without the rest of NATO is also unknown. Cross-border fires are not an uncommon aspect of warfare…but cross-border fires have historically been used by politicians and senior military officials to drag a nation into war. Observing Poland’s (and NATO’s) response will be a high priority as we move forward, and a strong indicator of how likely further escalation is to occur.
Strategically, no nation in Europe is ready for WW3 right now, despite the posturing and propaganda put forth by all sides. No nation that has ever gone to war has done so from a perspective of being 100% ready for the conflict, but as the situation throughout Europe indicates, there are many serious issues that complicate the potential for war. Russia is facing serious manpower and logistics woes, most other European nations are facing energy crises, and every nation has learned how they have misaligned their military priorities for decades. This, combined with the horrific and costly nature of the War in Ukraine, indicates that it is unlikely that this incident will result in “WW3 kicking off”. However, this does not mean that mistakes cannot be made, and that miscommunication cannot occur. The next few days will be full of tension and uncertainty as we observe the reactions from NATO (and other non-member states). Virtue signaling and warmongering in the private sector will continue on all sides, and the war in the information space will continue as before. Conversely, the historical precedence this strike (if it indeed was Russian in origin) sets is not positive, and likely will have very serious implications for Europe as we move into what is certain to be a rough winter throughout the continent.
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And the White House just called for $37 billion in new Ukraine funding.
I kinda wonder how many missile launchers are in the hands of Ukrainian oligarchs?
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^^^Well, this increases my pucker factor.
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Party like it's 199939
fixed it fer ya
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fixed it fer ya
I was thinking more along the lines of the the song
I was dreamin' when I wrote this
Forgive me if it goes astray
But when I woke up this mornin'
Could've sworn it was judgment day
The sky was all purple
There were people runnin' everywhere
Tryin' to run from the destruction
You know I didn't even care
'Cause they say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999
I was dreamin' when I wrote this
So sue me if I go too fast
But life is just a party
And parties weren't meant to last
War is all around us
My mind says prepare to fight
So if I gotta die
I'm gonna listen to my body tonight
Yeah, they say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999
Yeah, yeah
Lemme tell ya somethin'
If you didn't come to party
Don't bother knockin' on my door
I got a lion in my pocket
And baby he's ready to roar, yeah yeah
Everybody's got a bomb
We could all die here today, uhh
But before I'll let that happen
I'll dance my life away, oh
They say two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
We're runnin' outta time
So tonight we gonna, we gonna (tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)
Say it one more time
Two thousand zero zero
Party over, oops out of time
Yeah, yeah
So tonight we gonna, we gonna (tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)
1999 (1999)
Don't ya want to go (1999)
Don't ya want to go (1999)
We could all die here today (1999)
I don't want to die
I'd rather dance my life away
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How's the big guy going to get his 10% with FTX dead?
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… then the Winged Hussars arrived?
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Biden tells Russia to remove it's missiles from Cuba
Just kidding
Anyhow
Can't tell if he means it was a Russian missile fired from somewhere other than Russia or what.
Glad we're in good hands and it's not that madman Trump
Unlikely that missile was fired from Russia - Biden
We're now hearing from US President Joe Biden, who says it is "unlikely" that the missile responsible for killing two people in Poland was fired from Russia.
He says there is "preliminary information that contests" whether the incident in Poland was due to a missile fired from Russia.
"I don't want to say that until we completely investigate, but it's unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we'll see."
Biden says that world leaders will determine the next steps after finding out what happened - following investigations taking place in Poland.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63593855
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All this talk of war is making Germany nervous....
German army accidentally issues uniforms with 'SS' labels
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11429409/German-army-accidentally-issues-uniforms-SS-labels.html
The initials were originally intended to be an acronym for 'small, short' on the smallest uniforms, according to The Jewish Chronicle.
The 'SS' acronym appeared on helmets, sleeping bags and waterproof jackets issued to troops.
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Why would Germany use English words for sizing their clothes?
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All this talk of war is making Germany nervous....
German army accidentally issues uniforms with 'SS' labels
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11429409/German-army-accidentally-issues-uniforms-SS-labels.html
I wonder if that's fake news. Germans don't speak English. It should be "KK" for klein kurz, not "SS".
Edit: 320s posted at the same time.
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I wonder if that's fake news. Germans don't speak English. It should be "KK" for klein kurz, not "SS".
Edit: 320s posted at the same time.
Yeah, it was completely fake news. The actual problem was that they were using the three letter abbreviation for small, short, war uniform.
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Yeah, it was completely fake news. The actual problem was that they were using the three letter abbreviation for small, short, war uniform.
=D
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What a difference a night makes. A pretty quick switch from "RUSSIA!" to "Oops, Ukraine maybe". The US will still throw that $37 billion (I also saw a call for another $50 billion) in the direction of Ukraine, though we still don't know where it goes.
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What a difference a night makes. A pretty quick switch from "RUSSIA!" to "Oops, Ukraine maybe". The US will still throw that $37 billion (I also saw a call for another $50 billion) in the direction of Ukraine, though we still don't know where it goes.
When I first saw the news I was thinking it could have a Ukrainian SAM that missed and didn't Clinton itself.
Watch it be a US made missile
Ukraine air defence likely caused Poland explosion - Nato chief
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63593855
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When I first saw the news I was thinking it could have a Ukrainian SAM that missed and didn't Clinton itself.
Watch it be a US made missile
Ukraine air defence likely caused Poland explosion - Nato chief
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63593855
It's looking like it was an S-300 fired by Ukraine. But since it's a Russian SAM, the narrative can still be it's "from Russia". >:D
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MSNBC: It was fired from Mar-A-Lago and it effected POC the most.
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It could be that TPTB have decided declaring it a Russian missile would lead to a greater NATO involvement in the war. By calling it a Ukrainian missile they don't have to put troops in the mess.
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What a difference a night makes. A pretty quick switch from "RUSSIA!" to "Oops, Ukraine maybe". The US will still throw that $37 billion (I also saw a call for another $50 billion) in the direction of Ukraine, though we still don't know where it goes.
10% for the big guy.
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Re that Russian/not-Russian missile that hit Poland:
https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1592980652072337408?cxt=HHwWgIC8zdHds5ssAAAA
Thank you AP, for correcting a story that nearly launched WW3. Now maybe you can also name the "senior American intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity" and who may have had ulterior motives in bringing the world to the edge of nuclear war
Go ahead, I'll wait.
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_20221117-091053_Instagram.jpg)
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Was he filming a movie?
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Re that Russian/not-Russian missile that hit Poland:
https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1592980652072337408?cxt=HHwWgIC8zdHds5ssAAAA
Go ahead, I'll wait.
Reportedly AP fired the reporter.
SCOOP: The @AP has fired reporter Jim LaPorta, one of the two bylines on a retracted report last week alleging Russian missiles landed in NATO member Poland. The report relied a single anonymous source, a violation of AP's policy.
w/@LachCartwright:https://t.co/h5EBwt7TTX
— Corbin Bolies (@CorbinBolies) November 22, 2022
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/11/22/sean-davis-calls-serious-bs-on-ap-claiming-journo-was-fired-for-violating-policy-on-anonymous-sources/
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Sorry tank fans, despite reports of a Panther being used in the war it's a replica. Still an interesting story of why it's there nevertheless.
WW2 Panther Tank Fighting in Ukraine 2022?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ORpaI799I
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Holy Crap... According to an FSB source, Putin's first plan was to... attack Japan, not Ukraine.
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2835950189566/russia-planned-to-attack-japan-in-2021-leaked-fsb-letters?_f=app_share&s=a1&share_destination_id=OTk4MzEzMTEtMTY2OTM0MDMyOTk0Mg==&pd=06ksgROV&hl=en_US&send_time=1669340329&actBtn=fb&trans_data=%7B%22platform%22%3A1%2C%22cv%22%3A%2222.46.0%22%2C%22languages%22%3A%22en%22%7D
You want World War III? Because that's how you get World War III.
Although I have absolutely no doubt that the JSDF would have done an even more thorough job of crushing the Russian military.
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Holy Crap... According to an FSB source, Putin's first plan was to... attack Japan, not Ukraine.
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2835950189566/russia-planned-to-attack-japan-in-2021-leaked-fsb-letters?_f=app_share&s=a1&share_destination_id=OTk4MzEzMTEtMTY2OTM0MDMyOTk0Mg==&pd=06ksgROV&hl=en_US&send_time=1669340329&actBtn=fb&trans_data=%7B%22platform%22%3A1%2C%22cv%22%3A%2222.46.0%22%2C%22languages%22%3A%22en%22%7D
You want World War III? Because that's how you get World War III.
Although I have absolutely no doubt that the JSDF would have done an even more thorough job of crushing the Russian military.
I think someone has been drinking too much mushroom coffee.
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Given how well Russia's logistics did driving through Belarus an eastern Ukraine, I kinda want to see them try and cross Siberia and the Sea of Japan.
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I doubt the "invasion" would have lasted long enough to become WWIII.
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[tinfoil]
Belarus foreign minister dies suddenly at 64 - one day after meeting Pope's envoy amid speculation they were discussing secret peace plan to end Ukraine war
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11472289/Belarus-foreign-minister-dies-suddenly-speculation-hed-discussing-secret-peace-plan.html
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Wow, this picture is just SO out of 1984 it's not even funny.
(https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107128098-1664799435756-gettyimages-1243621433-AFP_32KF9AV.jpeg?v=1669361817&w=740&h=416&ffmt=webp&vtcrop=y)
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Back from the front: a British volunteer in Ukraine -- Lindybeige
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbD4WBqPg4
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We've Reached the TikTok Dance Stage of the War...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23j8jOwYwL4
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Reportedly Russia is using old "antique" An-2s converted to drones as SAM bait.
Russia's New Secret Weapon Against Ukraine? 75 Year Old Biplanes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7I3Illsuqg
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Reportedly Russia is using old "antique" An-2s converted to drones as SAM bait.
Russia's New Secret Weapon Against Ukraine? 75 Year Old Biplanes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7I3Illsuqg
Now THAT is a *expletive deleted*ing war crime!
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I'm trying to find a sharable video, but the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has a video of the Russians trying to unload a tank (or BMP) from a train. It looks like it partially slipped off, so they pull it the rest of the way off the car with a tow cable and... it flips upside down.
:rofl:
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Reportedly Russia is using old "antique" An-2s converted to drones as SAM bait.
Russia's New Secret Weapon Against Ukraine? 75 Year Old Biplanes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7I3Illsuqg
Using cheap drones to soak up SAM's, especially the bigger and more expensive missiles, would seem to be a decent strategy. Most of those launchers have a limited capacity. Especially if the cheap plans could mount missiles or bombs such that they couldn't be ignored.
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Especially if the cheap plans could mount missiles or bombs such that they couldn't be ignored.
Pretty much what they're doing by packing them full of explosives meaning the Us can't ignore them and they soak up a missile(s) costing $$$$$ more.
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A few countries still field gun based anti-air batteries. Sounds like something that would still be useful as a way to counter such tactics.
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I heard through the grapevine a bit ago that one of my former coworkers received a notification that he was being recalled for service... in the Russian Army.
He's been living in the United States since the mid 1990s, and I think he's a naturalized citizen.
:rofl:
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A few countries still field gun based anti-air batteries. Sounds like something that would still be useful as a way to counter such tactics.
Ukraine has both ZSU-23-4M Shilkas and ZPRK 2K22 Tunguskas fielded. Both of those systems are more than capable of taking down an AN-2 with guns, as are Stingers which are pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things.
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A few countries still field gun based anti-air batteries. Sounds like something that would still be useful as a way to counter such tactics.
I came across an article saying that Britain was sending Ukraine a bunch of old farm pickup trucks which Ukraine was fitting with things like .50 BMGs in the back. (Somali Technicals?) These were being used to shoot down drones, and the right hand drive was confusing Russian snipers who would shoot through the left side of the windshield as they tried to kill the driver. Supposedly these vehicles had accounted for a number of drones and even cruise missiles.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-russian-snipers-are-being-fooled-by-a-fleet-of-aging-farm-pickup-trucks-from-britain/ar-AA1596oi
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Ukraine received several Flakpanzer Gepard self-propelled AAA units as well. Those would be perfect for biplane drones. There are youtube videos of them in use.
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Ukrainian General saying Russia is gearing up for another go at Kyiv.
Not saying it's true but I could see Putin trying a Hail Mary in an attempt to end the war on his terms.
'I have no doubt Russia will have another go at Kyiv': Putin is building a 200,000-man army for a SECOND attack on Ukraine's capital that could start within WEEKS, country's top general warns
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11542391/Russia-attack-Kyiv-Ukraines-general-warns.html
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Ukrainian General saying Russia is gearing up for another go at Kyiv.
Not saying it's true but I could see Putin trying a Hail Mary in an attempt to end the war on his terms.
'I have no doubt Russia will have another go at Kyiv': Putin is building a 200,000-man army for a SECOND attack on Ukraine's capital that could start within WEEKS, country's top general warns
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11542391/Russia-attack-Kyiv-Ukraines-general-warns.html
It wouldn't surprise me.
And they'll probably stage the attack from Belarus.
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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/war-in-ukraine-has-decimated-a-once-feared-russian-brigade/
From the article:
Nuclear-armed submarines slip in and out of the frigid waters along the coast of Russia’s Kola Peninsula at the northern edge of Europe. Missiles capable of destroying cities are stored by the dozens in bunkers burrowed into the inland hills.
Since the Cold War, this Arctic arsenal has been protected by a combat unit considered one of Russia’s most formidable — the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade — until it sent its best fighters and weapons to Ukraine this year and was effectively destroyed.
The 200th was among the first units to plunge into Ukraine on Feb. 24, as part of a fearsome assault on the city of Kharkiv. By May, the unit was staggering back across the Russian border desperate to regroup, according to internal brigade documents reviewed by The Washington Post and to previously undisclosed details provided by Ukrainian and Western military and intelligence officials.
A document detailing a mid-war inventory of its ranks shows that by late May, fewer than 900 soldiers were left in two battalion tactical groups that, according to Western officials, had departed the brigade’s garrison in Russia with more than 1,400. The brigade’s commander was badly wounded. And some of those still being counted as part of the unit were listed as hospitalized, missing or “refuseniks” unwilling to fight, according to the document, part of a trove of internal Russian military files obtained by Ukraine’s security services and provided to The Post.
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according to the document, part of a trove of internal Russian military files obtained by Ukraine’s security services and provided to The Post.
Anytime I see the Ukraine gov as the source, I have to question the veracity of the information. Ever since the "Ghost of Kyiv", they have shown themselves to be masters of propaganda. They are probably better at it than even the US.
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Anytime I see the Ukraine gov as the source, I have to question the veracity of the information. Ever since the "Ghost of Kyiv", they have shown themselves to be masters of propaganda. They are probably better at it than even the US.
They were part of the Soviet propaganda system and learned much in that time.
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Nothing new
WW-I
(https://www.metmuseum.org/-/media/images/blogs/now-at-the-met/2017/2017_12/printed-propaganda/1.jpg?h=531&w=355&sc_lang=en&hash=DDB506F4D2FAC1545EEB35BD38C4257A)
(https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/api/singleitem/image/p15012coll10/1749/default.jpg)
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I remember there was one showing German soldiers tossing babies onto their bayonet but I can't find it now.
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I remember there was one showing German soldiers tossing babies onto their bayonet but I can't find it now.
It was Japanese, and it was a photograph from Nanking.
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It was Japanese, and it was a photograph from Nanking.
Do a search for images from the Rape of Nanking, and you'll find them on line. Many are IMHO too ghastly to post here.
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I have done a little reading on German atrocities against Belgian citizens during WW1. They were exaggerated, but they did occur. Probably several thousand Belgian civilians total were murdered by German soldiers. I recall documented incident of Germans using civilians as human shields.
The Bryce Report makes interesting reading:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/brycere.asp
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Propaganda? Probably, but the point is missed. Once Ukrainians are on russian soil we can worry real hard about the source. Don't like getting lied about, go back to your own country.
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This popped up on foxnews
Putin lands in Belarus to pressure ally to join the offensive in Ukraine war
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-lands-belarus-pressure-ally-join-offensive-ukraine-war
This photo caught my eye
Putin has noticeably aged compared to just a few months ago and does not look well IMHO
Yes I know it's just one photo but still
(https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/1440/810/belarus.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
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He needs some polonium tea.
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He is 70 years old too
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Please report to the Thought Police Office
For any Members of Congress who refused to clap for Zelenskyy, we need to know from them exactly why.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) December 22, 2022
NBC News’ Michael Beschloss demands explanation from members of Congress who didn’t clap for Zelenskyy
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/12/22/nbc-news-michael-beschloss-demands-explanation-from-members-of-congress-who-didnt-clap-for-zelenskyy/
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Please report to the Thought Police Office
NBC News’ Michael Beschloss demands explanation from members of Congress who didn’t clap for Zelenskyy
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/12/22/nbc-news-michael-beschloss-demands-explanation-from-members-of-congress-who-didnt-clap-for-zelenskyy/
Solzhenitsyn tells a story in the ‘Gulag Archipelago’ of a 10+ minute ovation for Stalin at a local party convention — the first man to stop clapping was arrested
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Please report to the Thought Police Office
NBC News’ Michael Beschloss demands explanation from members of Congress who didn’t clap for Zelenskyy
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/12/22/nbc-news-michael-beschloss-demands-explanation-from-members-of-congress-who-didnt-clap-for-zelenskyy/
I remember seeing a tape of Obama visiting troops somewhere overseas. The vast majority of the troops there sat respectfully silent while Obama was talking - no jeers or boos for the CIC of course, but very little applause. (Except for the general officers sitting on the stage behind Obama, one of which stood and clapped and seemed to be trying to get the rest of the troops to do the same. They didn't.)
A few - a very few - isolated claps came from the audience . . . which was worse than total silence would have been. (But at least BHO didn't ask for applause the way Jeb Bush did.)
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Solzhenitsyn tells a story in the ‘Gulag Archipelago’ of a 10+ minute ovation for Stalin at a local party convention — the first man to stop clapping was arrested
If memory serves, they eventually installed a buzzer to signal the attendees to stop clapping.
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Our tree lights are out today to express our solidarity with the courageous people of Ukraine whose light inspires the world even though their electricity is out.
Congress should listen to Zelensky tonight with both ears. pic.twitter.com/PJq2qWnSFe
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) December 21, 2022
My governor thinks it sends a message of solidarity to the people of Ukraine if he turns off the lights on his butt ugly tree for a few hours.
That’s so cute. https://t.co/j2XCSMH0ST
— FunkyPox (@corrcomm) December 22, 2022
Mine are off because my utility bill last month was too high
— Tyler Quandt (@quandtis) December 22, 2022
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/12/22/gov-jay-inslee-unplugged-his-christmas-tree-in-solidarity-with-the-ukrainian-people/
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Inslee is such a *expletive deleted*ing putz. I hate that he’s my governor.
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Oh good F'ing grief
(https://twitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/us-ukraine-franken-flag.jpg)
Not everyone is inspired by this recolored American flag posted by Ukrainian official
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/12/22/not-everyone-is-inspired-by-this-recolored-american-flag-posted-by-ukrainian-official/
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Oh good F'ing grief
(https://twitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/us-ukraine-franken-flag.jpg)
Not everyone is inspired by this recolored American flag posted by Ukrainian official
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/12/22/not-everyone-is-inspired-by-this-recolored-american-flag-posted-by-ukrainian-official/
What a grotesque defacing of Old Glory. :mad:
That bearded guy in the second row looks like that Brit prince that married the American actress . . . what's his name . . . Mr. Markel?
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Oh good F'ing grief
(https://twitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/us-ukraine-franken-flag.jpg)
Not everyone is inspired by this recolored American flag posted by Ukrainian official
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/12/22/not-everyone-is-inspired-by-this-recolored-american-flag-posted-by-ukrainian-official/
Cringe
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So what do you guy's think about Brandon sending M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine?
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I'm beginningto think Brandon's handlers might actualy want a shooting war with Russia.
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So what do you guy's think about Brandon sending M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine?
Until they get trained and get maintenance/repair logistics up and running they’ll be expensive toys to show off.
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So what do you guy's think about Brandon sending M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine?
(https://irate4x4.com/attachments/m42lq2vrccea1-jpg.638248/)
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It's being reported that it will take as much as 18 months to set up the logistical systems, get the training completed, and the tanks modified for export before Ukraine sees any of that armor. By that time the war could be over. Or we could all be glowing in the dark.
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I suspect it will take less time for them to receive the Leopard 2's that the Germans (and Polish?) are handing over.
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It's being reported that it will take as much as 18 months to set up the logistical systems, get the training completed, and the tanks modified for export before Ukraine sees any of that armor. By that time the war could be over. Or we could all be glowing in the dark.
I suspect it will take less time for them to receive the Leopard 2's that the Germans (and Polish?) are handing over.
https://youtu.be/Rngd85k72Vw
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Until they get trained and get maintenance/repair logistics up and running they’ll be expensive toys to show off.
Has our .mil gone fully metric yet, or should we buy stock in whoever makes Craftsman socket wrenches these days?
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I'm pretty much for anything that will:
1. Contribute to bleeding Russia dry.
2. Contribute to Putin's global humiliation.
3. Contribute to a coup that will remove Putin from power and result in his "accidental" fall from a hotel window.
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Hopefully they will demilitarize the M1’s before handing them over. By that I mean some of the state of the art software for target acquisition and such. Know you can’t do much with the armor or feed/aiming capability but I’m sure we have some proprietary stuff we’d prefer Russia not capture, which I’m sure they’ll try to do.
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Hopefully they will demilitarize the M1’s before handing them over. By that I mean some of the state of the art software for target acquisition and such. Know you can’t do much with the armor or feed/aiming capability but I’m sure we have some proprietary stuff we’d prefer Russia not capture, which I’m sure they’ll try to do.
The Abrams tanks that are exported are significantly different than the ones in the US inventory. A number of classified systems on the M1, including some electronic technology items and armor packages cannot be exported. From what I have read, Ukraine will receive a stripped down version of the M1A2. They may get some of the M1 Abrams from the recently disbanded USMC tank battalions.
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Weren't we already sending them Bradley's?
I saw a video about the Bradley's and the thought was the more advanced infrared sights could help spot Russian armor or infantry for other vehicles to target. I don't know what the export M1A2 tanks would have, but it is likely better than the captured Russian tanks the Ukrainians have.
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It's become glaringly evident that the Leopards and Abrams will be head and shoulders above anything that the Russians are currently deploying for a couple of reasons:
1. Russian training. It's become painfully evident that even Russia's supposedly elite units aren't well trained, and many of the run of the mill units simply aren't trained. This includes their armor units.
2. Maintenance. It's become obvious just how badly Russian corruption has affected its military at all levels. This is especially true of more advanced systems such as armor, where widespread inability to maintain Russian tanks in Ukraine has been reported. Combine that with the sanctions that have cut off Russia from many critical components and the problem becomes worse.
3. Troop morale. I think this one speaks for itself. There have been quite a few verified instances of Russian troops abandoning functional equipment, much to the delight of the Ukrainians. Troops with good morale don't flee and leave serviceable equipment behind.
4. Design. The Russians have touted the T-90 and the most up to date version, the T-90M, as being in the top level of today's main battle tanks. Now that observers have been able to get a good look at the T-90 in action, it's becoming more and more evident that it's not even remotely as capable as the Russians have claimed it to be.
Which leads the discussion to the T-14 Armata. Russia has been touting its new MBT as a world beater, but it's becoming glaringly evident that the Armata has BIG problems -- design issues, reliability issues and, from a production standpoint, big issues with getting the technology needed for its component systems, much of which comes from the West.
Allegedly Russia was going to sent a unit of Armatas to Ukraine, but that's apparently been scrapped because of fears that they would become a complete embarrassment.
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I have also heard people have seized Russian equipment and found commercial grade electronics from the West installed or military jets using cell phones or commercial GPS units to navigate.
I am sure Russia could build a 1st class tank, but it sounds like there is no will or money (left over after corruption) to take it from prototype to general issue (assuming that would be reliable). They seem to have a good number of fairly advanced missiles and artillery along with fighter jets.
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I have also heard people have seized Russian equipment and found commercial grade electronics from the West installed or military jets using cell phones or commercial GPS units to navigate.
I am sure Russia could build a 1st class tank, but it sounds like there is no will or money (left over after corruption) to take it from prototype to general issue (assuming that would be reliable). They seem to have a good number of fairly advanced missiles and artillery along with fighter jets.
Yep, T-90s have been found with sighting systems made in France that are leagues behind the ones deployed in NATO tanks.
Russia depended heavily on Western-sourced electronics components for its weapons systems. Those are completely shut off now, and the ones that they've been able to source from nations that are still friendly to them are vastly inferior.
One only needs to look at the plight of the Russian aircraft carrier, Adm. Kuznetzov. It's essentially a drydocked hulk that had to travel with a seagoing tug because its propulsion systems were so unreliable. It's been in drydock since 2018, work hampered by an almost endless series of "accidents," including at least one major fire, and a lack of funds because appropriated money and equpment keeps being siphoned off by Putin cronies.
Then you've got the recently lost Moskva. Russia says it was an ammunition fire, Ukraine says it hit the ship with two missiles.
According to later articles on the ship (I THINK I posted one here on the boards somewhere) the real reason the ship sank was because it was, in large part, a floating hulk manned by untrained conscripts. Allegedly a large number of her major systems were inoperative, including missile defense, firefighting, lifesaving, and others. Basic ship's equipment was missing and showing up on the black markets.
The Russian incursion into Ukraine has made one thing very clear -- that Russia isn't the military power many in the west thought it was, or feared it to be.
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The Russian incursion into Ukraine has made one thing very clear -- that Russia isn't the military power many in the west thought it was, or feared it to be.
Russia and it's previous USSR incarnation have been essentially paper tigers for a long time. In large part (mostly?) because of the graft and corruption as mentioned above.
In a conventional peer to peer conflict, US or NATO ally, I think Russia would get it's ass handed to them in short order. They would probably make a strong initial showing but they have no bench to fall back on as we have seen in Ukraine. Unfortunately if that were to happen I suspect the nukes would start flying out of a psychopathic need for revenge.
I tend to think China is in pretty much the same category
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Can anyone suggest a historical parallel to Russia's embarrassing showing in this war, now about to enter its second year? I'm not a military history buff, so I don't know.
Obviously, there are similarities to Afghanistan or Vietnam, but even in the last 2, the U.S. didn't have the same kind of widespread breakdown of morale, equipment, training, etc.
Another example that springs to mind is China's skirmish with India just recently, but they didn't keep getting humiliated over and over again, for months on end, I don't think. Also, I know the Union Army didn't look so hot for the first part of our Civil War.
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It's become glaringly evident that the Leopards and Abrams will be head and shoulders above anything that the Russians are currently deploying for a couple of reasons:
Well, are the ukrainians going to be using our tanks competently?
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Also, I know the Union Army didn't look so hot for the first part of our Civil War.
To be frank neither army looked so hot at first, just the southern army looked a little less not so hot than the Union army. Once the Union Army got it's act together it was game over.
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McClellan was huge part of the problem. He was fantastic at training the troops, but a horrible battlefield tactician and was almost completely unwilling to commit troops to any battle. Once they got Grant in command there was no real hope of a southern military victory. Even if he lost a battle he kept on advancing whereas McClellan would retreat and kick his wounds, and then refuse to engage again until he get he had overwhelmingly superior numbers.
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McClellan was huge part of the problem. He was fantastic at training the troops, but a horrible battlefield tactician and was almost completely unwilling to commit troops to any battle. Once they got Grant in command there was no real hope of a southern military victory. Even if he lost a battle he kept on advancing whereas McClellan would retreat and kick his wounds, and then refuse to engage again until he get he had overwhelmingly superior numbers.
Remember something somewhere that when Lee found out Grant was in charge Lee knew there was no way for the south to win at that point or something to that effect. He knew Grant, unlike McClellan, was a fighter.
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"Can anyone suggest a historical parallel to Russia's embarrassing showing in this war, now about to enter its second year? I'm not a military history buff, so I don't know."
Well, there's the first year of the war between Germany and Russia in World War II, but that's not entirely analogous. Russia wasn't the aggressor, and certainly wasn't perceived to be the stronger of the two forces.
Maybe Germany vs France/Britain after the end of the Phony War in 1940?
France was, at that time, considered to be the world's best military, and Germany comprehensively defeated it in a matter of weeks.
But this particular situation, in which the perceived larger, more capable military aggressor essentially crashed and burned after the initial thrust?
I can't think of anything quite like this at all until you roll back to the Persians dashing themselves to pieces against the Greeks a number of times in ancient history.
Vietnam and Afghanistan proved, in large part, the same point. The two largest, most capable militaries in the world at the time simply had no concept of how to fight against, or win against, what was essentially an asymmetrical guerilla war, where repeated massive application of force is essentially useless.
Both America and the USSR should have studied the British war against the Communist guerillas in Malay to see how to prosecute an asymmetrical war.
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Well, are the ukrainians going to be using our tanks competently?
Given what I'm seeing from them so far, I'd say they're going to make very good use of the armor NATO sends them.
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"McClellan would retreat and kick his wounds, and then refuse to engage again until he get he had overwhelmingly superior numbers."
McClellan would often refuse to engage even when he knew that he had overwhelmingly superior numbers.
Typical McClellan telegram to Lincoln.
Confederates have 1,000 men. STOP.
I need an additional 250,000 men to ensure victory STOP.
Make that 750,000 men. STOP.
Lincoln's response...
General McClellan, please stop. STOP.
Just stop. For the love of God, STOP. STOP.
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McClellan
Retreating STOP
There are two of them STOP
Lincoln
Grant you're up STOP
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From listening to Peter Zeihan he says that the first year of the war is pretty much par for the course for Russia. After this they’ll throw bodies at the problem, and have a roughly 50% success rate in that strategy.
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From listening to Peter Zeihan he says that the first year of the war is pretty much par for the course for Russia. After this they’ll throw bodies at the problem, and have a roughly 50% success rate in that strategy.
The old hoping they run out of bullets before we run out of warm bodies strategy.
And this is assuming they don't throw Putin first.
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U.S. Tanks In Ukraine Already Destroyed After Being Easily Recognized By Their Rainbow Camouflage
https://babylonbee.com/news/31-us-tanks-in-ukraine-already-destroyed-after-being-easily-recognized-by-their-rainbow-camo/
"These tanks are state of the art, boasting the latest and greatest in firepower, mobility, and of course LGBTQ-affirming camouflage," said Biden's Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. "The fact the Russians would dare fire upon our rainbow-printed tanks shows how hateful, bigoted and on the wrong side of history these Russians truly are."
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"After this they’ll throw bodies at the problem, and have a roughly 50% success rate in that strategy."
They've been throwing bodies at the problem for the last 6 months.
They went that route when the Ukrainians started stopping them cold.
The really telling thing is that wounded Russians are being pulled out of hospitals and sent right back to the front line while not even remotely close to being through initial healing.
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"After this they’ll throw bodies at the problem, and have a roughly 50% success rate in that strategy."
They've been throwing bodies at the problem for the last 6 months.
They went that route when the Ukrainians started stopping them cold.
The really telling thing is that wounded Russians are being pulled out of hospitals and sent right back to the front line while not even remotely close to being through initial healing.
By our standards they’ve been throwing bodies at the problem, but by Russian standards it’s barely at the foreplay stage. Again, according to Zeihan, the Russians have never abandoned an invasion with less than half a million dead. They’re only at ~100k now. Come May when the mud season ends and the Ukrainians have a lot of additional equipment fielded and soldiers trained, and the Russians have an additional 500k men to throw at the problem we’ll quickly find out which way things will go.
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"Can anyone suggest a historical parallel to Russia's embarrassing showing in this war, now about to enter its second year? I'm not a military history buff, so I don't know."
Well, there's the first year of the war between Germany and Russia in World War II, but that's not entirely analogous. Russia wasn't the aggressor, and certainly wasn't perceived to be the stronger of the two forces.
Maybe Germany vs France/Britain after the end of the Phony War in 1940?
France was, at that time, considered to be the world's best military, and Germany comprehensively defeated it in a matter of weeks.
But this particular situation, in which the perceived larger, more capable military aggressor essentially crashed and burned after the initial thrust?
I can't think of anything quite like this at all until you roll back to the Persians dashing themselves to pieces against the Greeks a number of times in ancient history.
Vietnam and Afghanistan proved, in large part, the same point. The two largest, most capable militaries in the world at the time simply had no concept of how to fight against, or win against, what was essentially an asymmetrical guerilla war, where repeated massive application of force is essentially useless.
Both America and the USSR should have studied the British war against the Communist guerillas in Malay to see how to prosecute an asymmetrical war.
I was thinking of the Persians as well. The only other group that comes to mind is maybe the Italian Army from WWII. I am sure there are many in between, but they are largely forgotten for that reason.
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Remember something somewhere that when Lee found out Grant was in charge Lee knew there was no way for the south to win at that point or something to that effect. He knew Grant, unlike McClellan, was a fighter.
The impression I got from the little stuff I have seen is McClellan would get his army beat up and then withdraw. Grant might take just as many casualties but bring up reinforcements and hold the ground he had. I know there was a lot more to it, but that was one impression I got.
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The impression I got from the little stuff I have seen is McClellan would get his army beat up and then withdraw. Grant might take just as many casualties but bring up reinforcements and hold the ground he had. I know there was a lot more to it, but that was one impression I got.
McC was always looking for that one glorious battle that would cement his reputation as the American Napoleon.
Grant on the other hand was entirely focused on how do we win and end this bloody mess as soon as possible.
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I'm not sure that the Russians can field 500,000 extra troops right now. Sure, they've got the people, but it's becoming painfully clear that they don't have the ability to arm them, equip them, feed them or, from what I've been hearing, transport them in a timely manner.
I'm really wondering, though, at what point a cabal of Russian generals is going to finally say enough is enough and remove Putin.
In some ways this mess is playing out a lot like some of the scenarios in Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising.
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There’s a technical term for troops that are poorly trained, poorly equipped, poorly led, and poorly fed. Russian.
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Unfortunately, sometimes Russians drown their enemy in oceans of Russian blood.
Hopefully this will not be the case this time.
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Will someone please put a bullet in Putin's head already
Terrified Russian troops flee when their armoured vehicles are destroyed by pinpoint Ukrainian fire as they leave behind wounded comrades who are forced to crawl to save their lives in shocking video
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11687053/Putins-troops-flee-Vuhledar-battlefield-leave-wounded-vehicles-destroyed.html
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I'm re-listening to Dan Carlin's series on WWI and it's interesting to hear him talking nine or ten years ago about how it is almost a Russian tradition to spend the first year of any war losing terribly and failing up one side and down the other logistically before finally throwing enough bodies at the problem.
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Considering Russia was having to call up reluctant conscripts and recruiting prisoners, do they still have the bodies to throw? Modern warfare can chew up a lot of bodies if they are not well trained.
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Considering Russia was having to call up reluctant conscripts and recruiting prisoners, do they still have the bodies to throw? Modern warfare can chew up a lot of bodies if they are not well trained.
Russia started out with under 200,000 in Ukraine. They mobilized another 300,000 last fall, and I’ve heard that even after mobilization ceased they continued calling people up. Each year they conscript a quarter million kids, half in the fall and half in the spring.
I don’t know how accurate it is, but the figure I’ve heard thrown around is half a million new troops available to be committed this spring.
That seems like a nightmare for their already strained logistical system, but it wouldn’t be the first army to be told that if they want to eat they have to take rations from dead enemies.
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Maybe we will see how well that works. I have also seen a lot of talk about poor training which won't help. Of course, they could have regiments doing real training in secret for all I know.
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Great crime fighting program, the former convicts that Wagner has are being used up in a terrible manner. They advance at all costs in small unit waves. One group secures a position that others advance to. Casualties are high. They do this because retreat or giving up while wounded is an execution.
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I did hear someone on a stream comment that Russia is massing forces on the border in preparation for an offensive this Spring. I guess we will find out.
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I did hear someone on a stream comment that Russia is massing forces on the border in preparation for an offensive this Spring. I guess we will find out.
That might be a problem.
When the snow melts, that ground is going to be rather soft, right? And what has been one of the biggest problems the Russian troops have had to face? Tanks mired in the mud, unable to move. Trucks with ammo and fuel - same problem.
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That might be a problem.
When the snow melts, that ground is going to be rather soft, right? And what has been one of the biggest problems the Russian troops have had to face? Tanks mired in the mud, unable to move. Trucks with ammo and fuel - same problem.
May, roughly is the end of the mud season there. That’s when most observers expect things to get spicy again.
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From what I have read, Ukraine's intelligence folks expects they will be attacked on or around the anniversary of the invasion last year. That puts it sometime this month. There have even been some rumblings out of Russian saying the same thing.
As always, YMMV.
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Idiot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqlDtdyAo3M
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Almost looks like the tank commander did it on purpose
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Karma is a female dog
Pro-Putin mercenary who waved the 'skull of a dead Ukrainian' in front of crowd and called for the killing of civilians is shot in the head and 'in grave condition' following possible 'warning hit'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11715259/Pro-Putin-mercenary-waved-skull-dead-Ukrainian-shot-possible-warning-hit.html
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May he suffer a short, but exceedingly horrible, remaineder of his life.
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We must arrest Elon Musk for treason!!!!
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2023/02/11/target-toothbrush-guy-says-elon-musk-must-immediately-be-arrested-and-tried-for-treason/
The moron journalist's lack of understanding of what treason is aside, I thought this was one of the better comments, since progressives have become so bloodthirsty regarding this particular conflict:
You know what? The man owns a product. If he doesn't want his product involved in causing death to other human beings, then he has a right to limit it's use. That's perfectly logical and defensible.
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"On a scale of 1 to a sack of wet towels, how *expletive deleted*ing dense are you?"
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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"On a scale of 1 to a sack of wet towels, how *expletive deleted*ing dense are you?"
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
We're talking about the "journalist" who had a hissy fit and tried to cancel Target when they wouldn't sell him a $100 toothbrush for $1, so that's probably a compliment. =D
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BBC is reporting that the Russian death toll from the latest offensives are well beyond anything that's happened so far.
News flash just came across my phone saying that Russian military bloggers are going absolutely apeshit because Russian ground commanders are making the exact same offensive mistakes in this new offensive, and as a result, Russian troops are simply abandoning vehicles in quantity.
And, apparently, Russia is getting so desperate for tanks that they're refurbing... T-62s and sending them to Ukraine. That's going to end really well...
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And, apparently, Russia is getting so desperate for tanks that they're refurbing... T-62s and sending them to Ukraine. That's going to end really well...
Send the T-62s out ahead of the newer stuff to soak up the missiles.
Sort of like the Soviets when they would send out convicts and malcontents soak up machine gun bullets and clear out a path in the minefields
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Send the T-62 out ahead of the newer stuff to soak up the missiles.
Sort of like when the Soviets when they would send out convicts and malcontents to clear out a path in the minefields
Dude, the newer stuff, the T-90s, have already soaked up a LOT of missiles.
If that had been their plan, they would have done it long before now. They expected the T-90 P3 to waltz through Ukrainian lines. Instead the Russians have lost an estimated half of the T-90s that they committed to the initial invasion.
Worse, reports from inside Russia say that, while they have about 600 T-90s in their arsenal, virtually all of the capable ones have been committed to the Ukraine invasion already... which means that the Russians may actually have only about 100 T-90s in their arsenal.
The rest of their T-90s, and a good number of their T-80s and T-72s, aren't serviceable because Russian corruption has siphoned off the money that was supposed to their maintenance, their "reactive armor" isn't really reactive anymore because local commanders have sold off much of it on the black market to line their own pockets, and they can't fix/replace/upgrade the electronics.
All of that is the reason why they're pulling the T-62s out of the barn... they HAVE to, and they're the only tanks that they can get up and running because they don't have sophisticated electronics or reactive defensive armor, the engines are dead simple, just a whole slew of "this is our only option, so let's go with it" reasons.
As for the T-14 Armata... there are supposedly 8 of those in existence, and apparently 4 of them can't move because they're not complete. The other four are so prone to malfunctions that the Russians don't dare send them to Ukraine.
And the Russians apparently can't build any more T-14s because of the international sanctions cutting off the electronics stream.
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Being low on usable T-80s& 90s makes the tactic even more attractive to the Russians. If the 62s don't overwhelm the Us on their own roll what working 80s and 90s they have in the hope the 62s soaked up all U's anti-tank missiles.
Not saying it's going to work but such a tactic it would fit a pattern.
Putin has maybe just one more throw of the dice to end this on anything remotely in the ball park on his terms.
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. . . The rest of their T-90s, and a good number of their T-80s and T-72s, aren't serviceable because Russian corruption has siphoned off the money that was supposed to their maintenance, their "reactive armor" isn't really reactive anymore because local commanders have sold off much of it on the black market to line their own pockets, and they can't fix/replace/upgrade the electronics . . .
. . . As for the T-14 Armata... there are supposedly 8 of those in existence, and apparently 4 of them can't move because they're not complete. The other four are so prone to malfunctions that the Russians don't dare send them to Ukraine . . .
As I read this, for some reason I began thinking about the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ships, relatively small surface warships that "couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag" which keep breaking down. (Although there, I think a lot of the corruption took place during the procurement process - politicians, Navy brass, and contractors - not by local commanders.)
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But here’s the rub. Ukraine itself is of little strategic value. The Bessarabian Gap and the Polish Gap are the real goals, Ukraine is just on the way to both. Russia might take a breather after conquering Ukraine but it WILL go on to Romania, Poland and the Baltics afterwards.
They could probably afford to throw away some T-62s (and their crews) taking Ukraine, but they can’t afford to be down to T-72s and T-80s if they’re going to fight NATO. They need T-90s and T-14s for that. Unless they just plan to nuke the *expletive deleted*ck out of NATO.
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Was the Russian military this incompetent during the cold war?
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Was the Russian military this incompetent during the cold war?
I heard that the USSR was tougher.
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F67%2Ff9%2F23%2F67f9234d979975b60f91e084d5a0b240--heat-movie-arnold-schwarzenegger.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3fa4f2b9edcd10758d0c030a3ce9e0d127c6de28fd269fb910d1aa5506730cc8&ipo=images)
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Was the Russian military this incompetent during the cold war?
From my historic Naval perspective I would say that they were only marginally better. They were still dangerous but not the existential threat they were made out to be.
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But here’s the rub. Ukraine itself is of little strategic value. The Bessarabian Gap and the Polish Gap are the real goals, Ukraine is just on the way to both. Russia might take a breather after conquering Ukraine but it WILL go on to Romania, Poland and the Baltics afterwards.
I don't think Putin has any intention of invading a NATO country.
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I think for the west the only thing to be really concerned about is their nuclear weapons. Assuming corruption hasn’t been as detrimental to their functional capability as their tanks. Though, they only need like 1 in 100 to work to do massive damage and basically turn Western Europe into a nuclear wasteland.
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I don't think Putin has any intention of invading a NATO country.
If he loses in Ukraine we’ll never know. If he wins, we shall see.
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Being low on usable T-80s& 90s makes the tactic even more attractive to the Russians. If the 62s don't overwhelm the Us on their own roll what working 80s and 90s they have in the hope the 62s soaked up all U's anti-tank missiles.
Not saying it's going to work but such a tactic it would fit a pattern.
Putin has maybe just one more throw of the dice to end this on anything remotely in the ball park on his terms.
Except the numbers aren't working out.
The Russians are bringing T-62s back, but they can't bring them back in the numbers needed to make flood tactics even remotely successful against this generation's anti-tank missiles. Put them up against the Leopards, Challengers, and Abrams that the Ukranians are getting, and the T-62s will die like Iraqi armor did -- at distances they can't hope to either engage or even see their opponents.
Hell, even the Bradley Fighting Vehicle's Bushmaster can kill a T-62.
And let's not even being to talk about the "tactics" the Russians have used. Armor unsupported by air, artillery, infantry, or even sufficient numbers of their own armor... Essentially the Russians have been using them piecemeal, not in the flood tactics used by the Red Army in World War II.
It's almost as if the writers for The Walking Dead are the ones designing strategy for the Russians.
OK! Listen up! We're going in blind, making a LOT of noise, no personal protection, and for the love of God do NOT look to either side or behind you!
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"If he loses in Ukraine we’ll never know."
Even if Putin wins the war in Ukraine the damage that he's done to the Russian military's capabilities, readiness, and ability to arm/rearm itself is going to take at least a generation to repair.
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"If he loses in Ukraine we’ll never know."
Even if Putin wins the war in Ukraine the damage that he's done to the Russian military's capabilities, readiness, and ability to arm/rearm itself is going to take at least a generation to repair.
Their birth rate has been so low for so long the only way to have a generation to fight with in 20 years is if they start making lots and lots of babies per woman, right freaking now. They literally would need every woman 18-35 to get pregnant, not have an abortion, and repeat that process at least 3 more times.
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But here’s the rub. Ukraine itself is of little strategic value. The Bessarabian Gap and the Polish Gap are the real goals, Ukraine is just on the way to both. Russia might take a breather after conquering Ukraine but it WILL go on to Romania, Poland and the Baltics afterwards.
They could probably afford to throw away some T-62s (and their crews) taking Ukraine, but they can’t afford to be down to T-72s and T-80s if they’re going to fight NATO. They need T-90s and T-14s for that. Unless they just plan to nuke the *expletive deleted*ck out of NATO.
What do they think will happen if they nuke NATO? There are THREE nuclear powers there - USA, UK, and France.
And even without nukes, an attack on a NATO nation means ALL Russian forces & infrastructure WORLDWIDE will become targeted by NATO forces worldwide.
Only the Chicoms would benefit - they'd sit back and let both sides beat each other up, and then take Taiwan. And probably more - including a big chuck of far eastern Russia.
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I don't think Putin has any intention of invading a NATO country.
Agree. The only way I could see something like that is if it were some kind of Russia/CCP alliance, and at that point, we're talking WW3.
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I guess we're paying for Ukrainian pensions now...
https://twitter.com/i/status/1626736290933919745
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/18/clip-of-biden-explaining-what-some-hes-sending-ukraine-is-for-sparks-fresh-derision/
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If Russia wins they’ll take Moldova next. That is, basically, the Bessarabian Gap, and not a NATO member. Russia has been meddling hard core in that country since the fall of the Soviet Union specifically to prevent it becoming a coherent nation that can resist Russia.
How long after that they make a play for the Polish Gap is anyone’s guess.
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Enter Code Pink
Haven't seen anything about this bunch in long while
Anyhow
Wonder why they don't go to Russia and protest?
WATCH: We ran into President Biden at dinner in DC – he can eat peace when there’s peace for the people and planet too! ✌️ #PeaceInUkraine #CubaSíBloqueoNo pic.twitter.com/QGSgDtjmrL
— CODEPINK (@codepink) February 19, 2023
LOL: The Left eating the Left is on the menu as Code Pink crashes Biden’s DC dinner
https://twitchy.com/fuzzychimp-313137/2023/02/19/lol-the-left-eating-the-left-is-on-the-menu-as-code-pink-crashes-bidens-dc-dinner/
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I know that Ukraine is not reporting their casualties.
How man Ukrainian soldiers do you think have been killed?
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I know that Ukraine is not reporting their casualties.
How man Ukrainian soldiers do you think have been killed?
Best estimates are that they’re inflicting casualties at about 2-3:1 on the Russians. The Russians have had ~100k deaths which implies 33-50k Ukrainian deaths.
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Best estimates are that they’re inflicting casualties at about 2-3:1 on the Russians. The Russians have had ~100k deaths which implies 33-50k Ukrainian deaths.
Wonder what the ratio is with dead Ukrainian civilians vs dead Russian civilians. Probably pretty lopsided.
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Biden has made a surprise trip to Ukraine. His first visit since the war began. Perhaps he is collecting his 10%.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy)
Maybe if we get lucky, he'll stay for a while. Like, forever.
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Biden has made a surprise trip to Ukraine. His first visit since the war began. Perhaps he is collecting his 10%.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy)
Maybe if we get lucky, he'll stay for a while. Like, forever.
This likely won't help regarding China's upcoming decision regarding lethal aid to Russia. Potential first step to global escalation.
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This likely won't help regarding China's upcoming decision regarding lethal aid to Russia. Potential first step to global escalation.
My first thought, as well. If you want WWIII, this is how you get WWIII.
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Came across this video about Ukraine aid -
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VaOfV48OFhk
Aside from military and humanitarian aid, we're sending money to fund Ukrainian PENSIONS. Yup. Our own Social Security system is in jeopardy, but Biden found money for UKRAINIAN PENSIONS.
I think Biden made this speech sometime early last year (2022) but it's garnering more attention now.
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Biden has made a surprise trip to Ukraine. His first visit since the war began. Perhaps he is collecting his 10%.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-ukraine-meets-president-zelenskyy)
Maybe if we get lucky, he'll stay for a while. Like, forever.
Would President Harris be better or worse?
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I heard this on the news before it hit Twitchy, and the first thing I said to myself was, "staged". There's no way the Secret Service is letting Biden stroll around in any situation where air raid sirens are legitimately going off.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/20/biden-zelenskyy-strolled-kyiv-streets-while-air-raid-sirens-blared-and-it-was-totally-not-staged/
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I heard this on the news before it hit Twitchy, and the first thing I said to myself was, "staged". There's no way the Secret Service is letting Biden stroll around in any situation where air raid sirens are legitimately going off.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/20/biden-zelenskyy-strolled-kyiv-streets-while-air-raid-sirens-blared-and-it-was-totally-not-staged/
From the Dem's point of view it would be a win win if the Russian's, even if staged, did take him out.
It would be a useful distraction and they need it
Biden becomes a war hero and out of the way at the same time.
Harris becomes pres and rides to victory in 2024 on the coattails of the war hero
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The WSJ is reporting that we gave Russia a heads up about the trip for deconfliction purposes.
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Would President Harris be better or worse?
A President Harris would be, "One down, one to go." Then hopefully she would take a trip to Ukraine or some other jerkwater place that would be inclined to keep her. One can hope, anyway.
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At this point that 10% won't fit on just any jet.
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And.....Action!
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/20/cnn-reporter-in-kyiv-ukraine-hadnt-heard-any-air-raid-sirens-for-5-days-until/
My guess is that this is so Biden could have his "Hillary moment" of being under fire so the MSM can get some "most heroic President in American history" stories.
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And.....Action!
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/20/cnn-reporter-in-kyiv-ukraine-hadnt-heard-any-air-raid-sirens-for-5-days-until/
My guess is that this is so Biden could have his "Hillary moment" of being under fire so the MSM can get some "most heroic President in American history" stories.
(https://newtheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/brian-williams-feature-meme.jpg)
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I'll actually be open minded enough to consider Ukraine doing this without coordinating with Biden's people, because it's the kind of theater Zelensky likes to do for fund raising. Though I can't see the Secret Service being happy about being left out of any loops.
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And.....Action!
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/20/cnn-reporter-in-kyiv-ukraine-hadnt-heard-any-air-raid-sirens-for-5-days-until/
My guess is that this is so Biden could have his "Hillary moment" of being under fire so the MSM can get some "most heroic President in American history" stories.
Absolutely staged for a future campaign commercial.
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I smell more BullS.....
Biden says he wanted to add a 'ski' to the end of his name because he grew up surrounded by Polish immigrants in meeting with President Duda in Warsaw
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11776101/Biden-jokes-Polish-president-wants-add-ski-name.html
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/x383/WLJohnson1/BS%20meter/.highres/bs-meter_zpsbc50f098.jpg)
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I smell more BullS.....
Biden says he wanted to add a 'ski' to the end of his name because he grew up surrounded by Polish immigrants in meeting with President Duda in Warsaw
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11776101/Biden-jokes-Polish-president-wants-add-ski-name.html
Channeling John F. Kennedy, no doubt.
„Ich bin ein Berliner" ["I am a jelly donut."]
[Waiting for Ben to tell me that's not a true story in 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... ]
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Channeling John F. Kennedy, no doubt.
„Ich bin ein Berliner" ["I am a jelly donut."]
[Waiting for Ben to tell me that's not a true story in 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... ]
It's an amusing story, but I worked with a German woman in our lab for a while - she'd heard the "jelly donut" story and said as far as she knew, NOBODY in Germany EVER thought JFK was calling himself a jelly donut. Nor did my first manager, who was a Hitlerjugend as a boy and a Wehrmacht soldier when he was captured in 1945 by US forces at the ripe old age of 16.
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It's an amusing story, but I worked with a German woman in our lab for a while - she'd heard the "jelly donut" story and said as far as she knew, NOBODY in Germany EVER thought JFK was calling himself a jelly donut. Nor did my first manager, who was a Hitlerjugend as a boy and a Wehrmacht soldier when he was captured in 1945 by US forces at the ripe old age of 16.
Yep, my friend John is first generation American. His parents both were born in Germany. They say they have NO idea why people think Kennedy was calling himself a pastry.
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Yep, my friend John is first generation American. His parents both were born in Germany. They say they have NO idea why people think Kennedy was calling himself a pastry.
It's more non-native speakers who learned high kraut in school, where they learn to talk like Wilfried von Limbergerburgermeister IV.
In German regular people talk, everybody knows what you mean whether you say ein, einen, einer, or whatever. It's just like non-pedantic 'Mericans understand what you mean whether you say ain't, isn't, or is not; or accidently type "their" instead of "there".
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It's more non-native speakers who learned high kraut in school, where they learn to talk like Wilfried von Limbergerburgermeister IV.
In German regular people talk, everybody knows what you mean whether you say ein, einen, einer, or whatever. It's just like non-pedantic 'Mericans understand what you mean whether you say ain't, isn't, or is not; or accidently type "their" instead of "there".
But the line is indelibly drawn at an incorrect they’re.
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But the line is indelibly drawn at an incorrect they’re.
I know how to use "they're", "their", and "there" and am annoyed by misuse. But I can't tell you how many times my fingers seemingly on their own type the wrong one and I have to go back and change it -- and every once in a while one slips by. The same with to, too, and two. (my own misuse annoys me more than others' misuse)
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It's more non-native speakers who learned high kraut in school, where they learn to talk like Wilfried von Limbergerburgermeister IV.
In German regular people talk, everybody knows what you mean whether you say ein, einen, einer, or whatever. It's just like non-pedantic 'Mericans understand what you mean whether you say ain't, isn't, or is not; or accidently type "their" instead of "there".
(https://live.staticflickr.com/1797/43895021651_c60b4af9dd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/29SRsE8)
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Yup....
ACTIVE WAR ZONE!!!!! AIR RAID SIRENS!!!!!! BRAVEST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY!!!!! SWAGGER ON THE STREETS OF KIEV!!!!
All CNN and MSNBC of course.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1628452045303996416
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/02/22/tom-elliotts-supercut-of-media-fawning-over-bidens-ukraine-stop-would-make-pravda-blush/
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(https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-01-2016/yTc8nt.gif)
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One year
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Note: Just two so far
Poland announces it has sent Leopard tanks to Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-64750118?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=63f8a19194565055842f959f%26Poland%20announces%20it%20has%20sent%20Leopard%20tanks%20to%20Ukraine%262023-02-24T13%3A07%3A25.208Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:a35e12e3-45a1-4844-9f51-74bb3d70366d&pinned_post_asset_id=63f8a19194565055842f959f&pinned_post_type=share
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So, Biden promised them another 50 billion this week, Yellen promised 5 billion and the pentagon promised 2 billion. I wonder if I should ask them for a few billion to defend my place from the Amish.
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So, Biden promised them another 50 billion this week, Yellen promised 5 billion and the pentagon promised 2 billion. I wonder if I should ask them for a few billion to defend my place from the Amish.
Try the Amishanovich.
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"I wonder if I should ask them for a few billion to defend my place from the Amish. "
clip clop clip clop clip clop clip clop clip clop
BANG! BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG! BANG!
clip clop clip clop clip clop clip clop
Just another Amish drive by shooting.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg
:rofl:
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/26/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war.html
An interesting editorial in the NYT. The key takeaways are that the EU, but especially Germany, need to re-arm and recognize that military force is at times a necessary option, and the the EU is going to be dependent on USA arms and money for a long time to come.
I thought funny this comment from a former Finnish prime minister:
If compulsory military service was maintained throughout the postwar years, as most European countries abandoned conscript armies, it was not, as former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said, “because we were afraid of Sweden.”
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"An interesting editorial in the NYT. The key takeaways are that the EU, but especially Germany, need to re-arm and recognize that military force is at times a necessary option, and the the EU is going to be dependent on USA arms and money for a long time to come. "
I have a small amount of respect for Barak Obama for one reason, and one reason only...
When he was awarded his Nobel Peace Participation Prize for doing absolute jack *expletive deleted*it and gave his acceptance speech you could literally see the almost orgasmic induced pleasure on the faces of the guests as he started his speech. They were SURE that he was going to deliver a crushing repudiation of American warmongering and that the US would finally get in line with all of the enlightened Euroweenies. I suspect that a lot of them were even expecting a sniveling crying apology for the United States being the world's worst country...
And then he got to the passage that said, essentially, yes, war is a nasty, bad thing. But sometimes war is the only option, even the just option, and the United States reserves the right to go to war to protect our interests and our people.
You could see the shock and crushing defeat in their eyes. It was almost as bad as if John Holmes had whipped out his... better half... and slapped the King and Queen of Norway across the face with it.
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Headline says destroyed, article says damaged
A £274million Russian spy plane has reportedly been destroyed in a drone attack near Minsk by a pro-Ukraine Belarus group.
Belarusian partisans and members of the country's exiled opposition said they damaged Vladimir Putin's A-50U surveillance military aircraft in a secret mission.
Two participants had used drones and had already left the country, claimed Franak Viacorka, a close adviser of opposition figurehead Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Don't recalling hearing anything about this group before this
Putin's £274million spy plane 'is destroyed in drone attack near Minsk by pro-Ukraine Belarus group'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11797397/Putin-274million-spy-plane-destroyed-drone-attack-near-Minsk-pro-Ukraine-Belarus-group.html
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That went over well
Russia's foreign minister was ridiculed with groans and laughter from an audience at an international conference on Friday when he claimed Russia was a victim of the war in Ukraine.
The crowd at India's G20 Summit in New Delhi erupted in laughter when Sergei Lavrov tried to falsely suggest that the war in Ukraine 'was launched against us [Russia]'.
Lavrov appeared visibly taken aback by the ridicules from the audience as he stumbled over his words and paused for the interlude of chuckles before resuming the stony-faced propaganda.
"erupted in laughter" may be too strong of a term but he was taken aback by the response. Don't think he expected this from the Indians.
Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov provokes gales of laughter as he tells audience the West started Ukraine war - as Russia nears victory in battle for besieged city Bakhmut
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11819605/Russian-foreign-minister-met-laughter-tells-audience-West-started-Ukraine-war.html
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"Sergei Lavrov"
He's got all of the charm of Vyacheslav Molotov but with absolutely none of the ability or intelligence.
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Headline says destroyed, article says damaged
Don't recalling hearing anything about this group before this
Putin's £274million spy plane 'is destroyed in drone attack near Minsk by pro-Ukraine Belarus group'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11797397/Putin-274million-spy-plane-destroyed-drone-attack-near-Minsk-pro-Ukraine-Belarus-group.html
Attack may not have happened, or at least is being exaggerated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriev_A-50#Operational_history
On 26 February 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Russian A-50 was reportedly damaged by explosions while stationary at the Machulishchy air base near Minsk, Belarus. Belarusian partisans have claimed to have attacked the plane using drone-dropped munitions. Russia is believed to have nine operational A-50s.[13] The attacked base also hosts MiG-31 fighters used to attack Ukraine.[14][15][16] However, satellite imagery of the Machulishchy air base from 28 February showed no significant damage to the sole A-50 located there.
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Twitter had some FPV video of a drone flying over an airfield, landing on a Mainstay, and [supposedly] blowing up. It wouldn't take a bunch of damage to make it sketchy to fly.
As an aside, since when is an AWACS a "spy plane"?
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Twitter had some FPV video of a drone flying over an airfield, landing on a Mainstay, and [supposedly] blowing up. It wouldn't take a bunch of damage to make it sketchy to fly.
The Daily Mail article claimed the plane was destroyed. There is no evidence that it was.
As an aside, since when is an AWACS a "spy plane"?
To the MSM, any plane that gathers intel is a "spy plane."
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The Daily Mail article claimed the plane was destroyed. There is no evidence that it was.
As I noted above headline said destroyed, article body said damaged. Aggravatingly common for media fooling around with article headlines like that.
Twitter had some FPV video of a drone flying over an airfield, landing on a Mainstay, and [supposedly] blowing up. It wouldn't take a bunch of damage to make it sketchy to fly.
Appears there are at least two drone videos.
First is maybe a recon flight with no boom
Drone Lands on an A-50U at Machulishchy Air Base, Belarus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73yYm_Phwgw
Second maybe boom
Same as you saw?
New Video Confirms Drone Attack on A-50 at Machulishchy Air Base in Belarus -- Hit SATCOM Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo6Os4LMMlk
Guy in the video says the A-50U did leave the airfield afterwards so maybe still flyable though some of it's comm systems may have been damaged based on where the drone landed.
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To the MSM, any plane that gathers intel is a "spy plane."
Any warship that is not a CV or a SS is a battleship
Any rifle with a scope is a sniper rifle.
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WLJ, yeah that second video is the one I saw, although just the drone feed, not the added commentary. Nice to get some feedback from someone that knows more about the Mainstay.
That's also why I went with supposedly in my post. Just cutting the video off with some VHS artifact static doesn't prove squat.
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This may rate as a Mission Kill
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I've seen videos where the Ukrainians have been outfitting drones with small shaped-charge grenades to drop on tanks and APCs. Even though they don't carry much explosive, I'd think a hit to an aircraft would do some damage if it hit the radar dish or some other vulnerable point.
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I know that propaganda is huge with this war, but I also wonder if they aren't sharing too much of their TTPs. The original video I saw of the attack showed the drone from take off to detonation. I'm not sure I'd want Airfield security to see my launch points. For that matter, I'm not sure I'd want them to see how long it took me to get the drone landed on the target aircraft.
One imagines the Belarus version of the NKVD is having a field day with this one.
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. . . I'm not sure I'd want Airfield security to see my launch points. . . .
I certainly would if I were setting booby traps there. >:D
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(https://i.redd.it/g78gyqyjw6ma1.png)
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It's the Sun so keep that in mind but something is definitely going on here
Dozens of high profile figures have died since Putin launched his bloody war in Ukraine over a year ago - with many in odd circumstances, such as sudden "suicides" and falls from windows.
Sergey Grishin - the so-called "Scarface" oligarch who sold Meghan and Harry their California mansion - died this week from sepsis after criticising Putin.
And meanwhile Russian scientist Andrey Botikov - who created the "Sputnik V" vaccine - was strangled with a belt in his apartment last week.
Both men were two of the latest to join the staggering body count of high profile deaths of people linked to Mad Vlad.
MURDER INC. Bloodthirsty ‘mafia boss’ Putin killing Russian elite to cling to power as 39 oligarchs & officials mysteriously die
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21658269/putin-killing-russian-elite-mob-boss/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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How many more till he matches Hillary's body count?
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How many more till he matches Hillary's body count?
I almost put something along those lines that in there :rofl:
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Tragic that COVID is hitting Russia so hard this late in the game.
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Tragic that COVID is hitting Russia so hard this late in the game.
Fell out of a 40 story building with a belt around his neck
Cause of death: COVID
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How many more till he matches Hillary's body count?
She must have killed more men than Cecil B. Demille...
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Russian SU-27 took down one of our MQ-9 Reapers today over the Black Sea.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russian-jet-collides-with-american-drone-international-airspace-black-sea
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Russian SU-27 took down one of our MQ-9 Reapers today over the Black Sea.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russian-jet-collides-with-american-drone-international-airspace-black-sea
In the past, in other places I'm familiar with, when our unmanned ISR aircraft are harrassed and/or damaged, we'll give them a Raptor escort for a while. Often the Raptors will escort from a distance as if to bait in enemy aircraft and then close in quickly to say hello and protect the ISR asset.
I'm told by my Air Force friends that a "Surprise! Raptor!" Moment is pretty jarring for other fighter pilots.
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In the past, in other places I'm familiar with, when our unmanned ISR aircraft are harrassed and/or damaged, we'll give them a Raptor escort for a while. Often the Raptors will escort from a distance as if to bait in enemy aircraft and then close in quickly to say hello and protect the ISR asset.
I'm told by my Air Force friends that a "Surprise! Raptor!" Moment is pretty jarring for other fighter pilots.
You were in a 4g inverted dive with a Mig-28?
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You were in a 4g inverted dive with a Mig-28?
No, I wish.
I have been told that there are several Farsi speaking Mig-29 pilots who learned to be less confidant in their RADAR coverage. Could have been the zoomies bragging to the Army guy, but I do know for a fact we have run Raptor escorts on MQ-9's around the Straights of Hormuz, and I believe our pilots would *expletive deleted*ck with them like that.
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I was in a 4g just the other day.
Wait... you're talking cell phone coverage areas, right?
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I was in a 4g just the other day.
Wait... you're talking cell phone coverage areas, right?
No, communicating. Foreign relations.
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Uncle Joe won’t provide any CAP cover for the MQ-9
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Uncle Joe won’t provide any CAP cover for the MQ-9
They're going to paint them in rainbow colors then tell the Russians it would be hate crime to knock one down. That'll stop them.
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The Su-27 appears to hit the drone while attempting to do a 2nd? fuel dump pass.
Looks like a Hold My Vodka moment
USAF Release Footage of MQ-9 Downing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1snZaKXRtQQ
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^^^Hey, Yuri, watch this!
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Reports Russian ships in the waters where the drone went down.
Bet good money they'll retrieve it and show it off in Moscow and say they shoot it down over Russia in an attempt to rally the masses.
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What does the fuel dump do to the drone? I can make guesses, but I figured one of you would know.
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My guess is stall the engine out by flooding the air intakes with fuel and/or set the engine on fire.
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I watched the classified videos yesterday and there were multiple attempts to saturate with fuel to try and bring it down before the SU made contact.
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I think the drones need a stout, remoted operated, self destruct option.
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I think the drones need a stout, remoted operated, self destruct option.
Normal Conops for most drones is to nose dive at max speed towards the surface.
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Normal Conops for most drones is to nose dive at max speed towards the surface.
A pity the drone didn't nose up into a steep climb a couple of seconds before impact as the Sukhoi was making its final fuel dump pass . . .
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A pity the drone didn't nose up into a steep climb a couple of seconds before impact as the Sukhoi was making its final fuel dump pass . . .
I thought the exact same thing.
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The SU suffered significant damage not as a result of the propeller but from the Ruddervator (semi vertical stabilator) which the Reaper has.
Audio of the Russian pilot after the incident is out there….the jet landed in Crimea
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Sight seeing?
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2023-03-20_142213.png)
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Well this is interesting...
Reports are that Russia is now sending T54 tanks to Ukraine because they are either so short of or have run out of more capable tank.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-pictures-show-putin-sending-ancient-t-54-tanks-to-war/ar-AA18Wkpz?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=dd490bb5d45746fff00b7b7a33e37ab4&ei=125
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If you just need a bullet proof gun to support infantry, that might work, but it won't have good infrared sights to see very well compared to modern tanks. It would just fire where it was directed. Do you think that would be useful?
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Useful for soaking up anti-tank missiles and mines ahead of the good stuff. Sucks if you're in one though.
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Well this is interesting...
Reports are that Russia is now sending T54 tanks to Ukraine because they are either so short of or have run out of more capable tank.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-pictures-show-putin-sending-ancient-t-54-tanks-to-war/ar-AA18Wkpz?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=dd490bb5d45746fff00b7b7a33e37ab4&ei=125
Tank losses to some degree have to equate to tank crew losses (Aside from tank crews that supposedly bailed before their tank was even hit. ;) )
If Russia is running short of tanks, they probably have tank crew shortages, too. Wonder what kind of training the "newbies" are getting. Rookies in old hardware won't be very effective against a well-equipped opposing force.
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T-54’s are about as effective as modern APC’s. If even that.
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If you just need a bullet proof gun to support infantry, that might work, but it won't have good infrared sights to see very well compared to modern tanks. It would just fire where it was directed. Do you think that would be useful?
I'm not a Cav guy, but my first blush is not really. In addition to not having the sights (NV or Thermal) they are unlikely to have decent fire control, their armor is weak, they are likely not very well maintained (so likely to break), no reactive armor, and a main gun that is unlikely to do very well against Ukrainian armor.
They will also take crews, logistics, and fuel that might be better used elsewhere. The T55B used a 100mm main gun as opposed to the 120mm of the T64 and T72, so there's no ammo interchangeability with what they have in theatre. They need to push the tanks forward as well as an entirely new parts AND ammunition train to support them. Russia seems to be OK moving stuff internally but once it gets to the front that's a lot of *expletive deleted*it added to already not stellar forward logistics to field a loud, slow target.
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If you just need a bullet proof gun to support infantry, that might work, but it won't have good infrared sights to see very well compared to modern tanks. It would just fire where it was directed. Do you think that would be useful?
Well, given how quickly Ukrainian troops have been killing the more modern tanks, I think the T-54s will be VERY useful.
As Commie Cookers.
You really think that the Russians have even moderately trained crews that will be able to effectively work those T-54s?
Based on what's been seen in the later stages of 2022, the answer to that is a resounding no.
The T-54s, and their crews, are going to die ever faster and in ever increasing numbers.
The way it's going we're going to be seeing T-26 and BT-20 tanks being pulled out of museums and sent to the front any day now.
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Useful for soaking up anti-tank missiles and mines ahead of the good stuff. Sucks if you're in one though.
Based on assessments by a number of nations, the T-62s and the T-54s are now the "good stuff."
Because what really qualifies as "the Best Russian Stuff" has either been destroyed or it's been pulled back because it's going to be destroyed.
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Tank losses to some degree have to equate to tank crew losses (Aside from tank crews that supposedly bailed before their tank was even hit. ;) )
If Russia is running short of tanks, they probably have tank crew shortages, too. Wonder what kind of training the "newbies" are getting. Rookies in old hardware won't be very effective against a well-equipped opposing force.
Exactly. See my comment about Commie Cookers.
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When is Putin not Putin?
Been seeing rumors of this for a while along with some often somewhat questionable photo evidence and it wouldn't shock me if he is really using body doubles but the idea he is may now be gaining traction in Russia.
I should note Stalin famously use body doubles
Video claiming Putin is using body doubles goes viral on Russian social media as bizarre theory gains momentum in the country
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11893557/Video-claiming-Putin-using-body-doubles-goes-viral-Russia-bizarre-theory-gains-momentum.html
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^^^ https://www.rbth.com/history/333286-what-happened-stalins-double
He lived to be over 100 years old.
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The Wagner Group is losing so many fighters in Bakhmut that it’s launching a recruitment drive
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/wagner-group-losses-bakhmut-recruitment-drive/
It’s gotten so bad, and Wagner has lost so many fighters, that the company is launching a new recruitment drive to fill its depleted ranks. In one of his latest messages, this time an audio file shared on Friday, Prigozhin claimed that he had more fighters coming to aid the fight, to fill gaps left by heavy losses.
“Recruitment centers for PMC Wagner have opened in 42 Russian cities,” Prigozhin added in a statement on the news. According to a list of sites shared by the mercenary company, these centers will be located at gyms and martial arts studios.
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The Russian military is so low on ammo that troops are reduced to fighting with e-tools
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russian-military-shovels-combat-ukraine/
I think the article's title is a bit of an exaggeration, but maybe not. I guess there might have been a reason those soldiers were in that position.
Equipment shortfalls have resulted in those harrowing conditions for Russian conscripts documented in the UK Defense Ministry intelligence assessment. In a video circulated on Telegram and other Russian social media networks in late January, a group of Russian soldiers bemoaned the state of their supplies.
“Our commander gave us an order not to retreat from our positions. But the commander gave us no cover and no support,” according to a translation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “We had only machine guns, and all the rest of the weapons were damaged.”
“Now they’re accusing us of desertion, since the company commander says he didn’t give the order,” the soldiers said. “In sum, command doesn’t care about us.”
Given that the UK Defense Ministry assessment believes that Russian troops are “neither physically nor psychologically” prepared for the close-quarters combat that would necessitate the use of an entrenching tool, we can probably all rest assured that there won’t be a Russian version of Korean War e-tool legend Benjamin Wilson on the horizon anytime soon.
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How Ukraine is using US mines to decimate Russian tanks
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/ukraine-vuhledar-mines-decimate-russian-tanks/
This was an interesting article on use of US anti-armor mines fired from artillery.
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Vuhledar, Why Russia Repeats the Same Mistakes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwuRpYw7vyw
This video says the Russian army is separated into groups set up and funded by each Russian state and there isn't a lot of information sharing between groups.
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Didn't I used to see 'authentic Spetsnaz fighting shovels' at the gun shows?
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If I were a Russian conscript with no ammo provided, I'd hope the handle of my "fighting shovel" was long enough for me to tie a white flag on and wave it aloft . . .
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Didn't I used to see 'authentic Spetsnaz fighting shovels' at the gun shows?
Don't forget the book on shovel fighting written (translated) by a certain former APS member:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008XDGS52/
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So it turns out that I don't even need to go to the gun show. Cold Steel has my back.
https://www.coldsteel.com/special-forces-shovel/
Edited to add: pshaw on your special forces shovel, Cold Steel. Here is the Spetznaz shovel.
https://www.coldsteel.com/spetsnaz-special-forces-trench-shovel/
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So it turns out that I don't even need to go to the gun show. Cold Steel has my back.
https://www.coldsteel.com/special-forces-shovel/
Edited to add: pshaw on your special forces shovel, Cold Steel. Here is the Spetznaz shovel.
https://www.coldsteel.com/spetsnaz-special-forces-trench-shovel/
So one just has a longer handle then the other.
Is a longer handle spoon a Spetsnaz spoon?
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Available in an improved tactical version as well
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T2/images/I/51-a-cP3plL._AC_.jpg)
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I keep that cold steel shovel in the vehicle. Easily stored, and the one piece, non-folding shovel is ten times better than the expensive folding Etools. Works just as well for chopping small firewood when camping as it does for actual digging. I haven't busted anybody's melon open yet, so don't know how it works for that.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/military-weapons-ukraine-war.html
Well, this is a worrying article. Due to industry consolidation and end-of-the-Cold-War cutbacks, our munitions manufacturing capability has gone to heck in a handbasket. We are not producing enough missiles, rocket motors, cruise missile motors and artillery shells. After a couple of weeks exchanging fire with China, the munitions bunkers will be empty.
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Is a longer handle spoon a Spetsnaz spoon?
I thought that was a MRE spoon, so you can reach to the bottom of the bag.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/military-weapons-ukraine-war.html
Well, this is a worrying article. Due to industry consolidation and end-of-the-Cold-War cutbacks, our munitions manufacturing capability has gone to heck in a handbasket. We are not producing enough missiles, rocket motors, cruise missile motors and artillery shells. After a couple of weeks exchanging fire with China, the munitions bunkers will be empty.
Bureaucrats, including the leaders in uniform in DC.
I have found it interesting that so many establishment politicians, and military leaders appointed to positions in the administration, are so pro giving everything we have to Ukraine. It's almost the equivalent of draining the strategic petroleum reserves for non-strategic purposes.
So it's youtube, and you can argue that it's not a good source, but I find it interesting that all the Tier 1 guys who have youtube channels, are almost to a man, against our involvement in Ukraine. At least in the haphazard "give them money and stuff with no plan" way we have been doing it.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/military-weapons-ukraine-war.html
Well, this is a worrying article. Due to industry consolidation and end-of-the-Cold-War cutbacks, our munitions manufacturing capability has gone to heck in a handbasket. We are not producing enough missiles, rocket motors, cruise missile motors and artillery shells. After a couple of weeks exchanging fire with China, the munitions bunkers will be empty.
This has been a problem for a very long time. Another glaring example of fed.gov not doing its constitutionally mandated job.
If we can't beat China in a stand-up fight in two weeks, then we lose. And we won' be able to beat China in two weeks.
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This has been a problem for a very long time. Another glaring example of fed.gov not doing its constitutionally mandated job.
If we can't beat China in a stand-up fight in two weeks, then we lose. And we won' be able to beat China in two weeks.
Our army has more trans and equity promotions than their army, they don't stand a chance.
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I will point out, we just need to put a few destroyers/subs in the Indian Ocean near the Straits of Malacca and sink any oil tankers heading to China. Lob a few Tomahawks at any oil/gas pipelines going into China for good measure. Light go out within a month and famine sets in within 6 months killing half a billion Chinese. They would cease to function as a country, let alone one able to project military force very quickly.
And if you really want to *expletive deleted*ck up China use some penetrator type weapons to hit the 3 Gorges Dam and breach it. The major percentage of the population, and the basis for their whole economy is downstream of that dam.
Do both and within a year China will be a pre-industrial country of maybe 100-200 million. And all that without firing a single nuke or engaging in a land war.
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This has been a problem for a very long time. Another glaring example of fed.gov not doing its constitutionally mandated job.
If we can't beat China in a stand-up fight in two weeks, then we lose. And we won' be able to beat China in two weeks.
Nothing really new.
30+ years ago I "heard a story" about a fast attack sub doing weapons trials and testing that fired four "war shot" MK48 ADCAP torpedoes.
Of the four torpedoes fired only two actually detonated.
They weren't special hand picked torps, they were all pulled from the boats regular load out.
I "heard" it was kind of a sobering experience for the crew. Kind of suck to think that half of your weapons load out may be defective.
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I will point out, we just need to put a few destroyers/subs in the Indian Ocean near the Straits of Malacca and sink any oil tankers heading to China. Lob a few Tomahawks at any oil/gas pipelines going into China for good measure.
Have said for awhile that their almost total reliance on imported and relatively easy to cut off oil is their Achilles heel.
Plus they really don't want a rearmed ticked off Japan.
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Do both and within a year China will be a pre-industrial country of maybe 100-200 million. And all that without firing a single nuke or engaging in a land war.
Yeah, but they can do the same to us. They currently have naval superiority. Also, from what I have read, both China and NorKo are likely superior to us in cyberwarfare.
Also, if you want to put the tinfoil on, thousands of Chinese recently illegally crossed the Southern border. Those are the ones we know about. Combine that with the Wuhan lab and that if it were a test, a very successful test of the US reaction to a non-lethal proto-bioweapon. Make it lethal.
Or the third option, the Chinese could just finish buying up every piece of real estate in the US.
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I will point out, we just need to put a few destroyers/subs in the Indian Ocean near the Straits of Malacca and sink any oil tankers heading to China. Lob a few Tomahawks at any oil/gas pipelines going into China for good measure. Light go out within a month and famine sets in within 6 months killing half a billion Chinese. They would cease to function as a country, let alone one able to project military force very quickly.
So Zeihan says, but that seems to pretend that China doesn't have submarines. Also, last time we denied oil to an Asian power we had to close that out with a nuke. I have no reason to believe that China facing a legitimate existential crisis would take it lying down.
This has been a problem for a very long time. Another glaring example of fed.gov not doing its constitutionally mandated job.
If we can't beat China in a stand-up fight in two weeks, then we lose. And we won' be able to beat China in two weeks.
I'm honestly not sure what a conventional stand-up fight with China actually looks like. Neither one of us is invading the other. A Taiwan proxy war akin to the Ukraine conflict, maybe?
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Yeah, but they can do the same to us. They currently have naval superiority.
Wait, what? China has naval superiority? Over the US? Did this happen last night?
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Yeah, but they can do the same to us. They currently have naval superiority.
No, they do not.
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No, they do not.
I thought they have way more vessels than we do now?
Edit: Articles like this is where I was getting that from:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2021/04/12/chinas-navy-has-more-ships-than-the-us-does-that-matter/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/16/asia/china-navy-fleet-size-history-victory-intl-hnk-ml/index.html
Breakdown of type:
https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-comparison-detail.php?country1=china&country2=united-states-of-america
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Before their recent adventure, Russia had over 11,000 tanks compared to the US's 8,000. Would you say that they had tank superiority?
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I will point out, we just need to put a few destroyers/subs in the Indian Ocean near the Straits of Malacca and sink any oil tankers heading to China. Lob a few Tomahawks at any oil/gas pipelines going into China for good measure. Light go out within a month and famine sets in within 6 months killing half a billion Chinese. They would cease to function as a country, let alone one able to project military force very quickly.
And if you really want to *expletive deleted*ck up China use some penetrator type weapons to hit the 3 Gorges Dam and breach it. The major percentage of the population, and the basis for their whole economy is downstream of that dam.
Do both and within a year China will be a pre-industrial country of maybe 100-200 million. And all that without firing a single nuke or engaging in a land war.
All without us firing a single nuke, certainly. I'm not so sanguine about China not resorting to nukes when their back is against the wall.
Any war with China is going to be fought over protecting Taiwan from invasion. That war will be over quickly, though probably not within the two week time frame our main weapons stocks would last. Following your suggestions would lead to China owning Taiwan, and them likely using nukes when things get so tough for them that they start thinking an existential threat is hanging over their head.
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I suspect that much like Russia, China has a major problem with graft and corruption.
Also much like Russia, their "enlisted" work force is made up largely of low skilled conscripts. Their officer ranks are heavy with nepotism and corruption.
I classify the Russian military as a "paper tiger". China's military as a "poster board tiger". And the US military as a "double wall corrugated cardboard tiger".
All three are due to corruption, graft, hubris and incompetence.
Interesting take from Aljazeera, an obviously unbiased source...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/29/just-how-strong-is-the-chinese-military
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I suspect that much like Russia, China has a major problem with graft and corruption.
Also much like Russia, their "enlisted" work force is made up largely of low skilled conscripts. Their officer ranks are heavy with nepotism and corruption.
I classify the Russian military as a "paper tiger". China's military as a "poster board tiger". And the US military as a "double wall corrugated cardboard tiger".
All three are due to corruption, graft, hubris and incompetence.
Interesting take from Aljazeera, an obviously unbiased source...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/29/just-how-strong-is-the-chinese-military
I have a vague recollection of a time that we underestimated the military abilities of another Asian foe. If I remember correctly, that little dust-up took almost five years and many tens of thousands of casualties to resolve.
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Before their recent adventure, Russia had over 11,000 tanks compared to the US's 8,000. Would you say that they had tank superiority?
Sure, one can say that comparing raw numbers is simplistic, but so is comparing vessels and tanks, or Russians and Chinese. We've certainly now seen that Russia is a paper tiger, at least excluding nukes, which kinda level everyone up. I don't think we know about China, them not being in any major conflicts where we could get data.
I have no expertise in the area, so if someone has more sources and analyses to read, I'm eager to learn about any data with contrary views. I'd sincerely like to learn more. What I've read so far suggests that China has newer and more modern vessels, and that we are falling behind with no real plans for attrition. I've also read that Aircraft carriers may not be, in the future, the force multipliers we see them as now, so us being superior there might not count for what we think it does.
On the other hand, China seems to prioritize "homeland security" as far as their fleet operations (hence all the corvettes, I guess). The US has experience all over all the oceans of the world.
I suppose much comes down to what kind of war it would be. It might (and I guess it has already started) be predominately non-kinetic Fifth Generation warfare, though it sure seems like that's an area where the CCP has us beat. Or it might be nukes and then everybody loses.
At any rate, as I said, I'm only commenting based on articles I have read. THis is an area where I'd like to do a lot more reading.
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More importantly than carriers the PLAN submarine force is a tiny few, noisy nuke boats and a bunch of brown water diesel boats. Their ASW assets and tech are 80s-90@ level soviet gear, with some upgrades.
They can defend their coast, but can not project force or hold any blue water areas. Even the relatively narrow Tiawan straight we could shut down without too much trouble just with subs, and a carrier group 300 miles the other side of tiawan.
It's also worth noting that despite the US Navy's manning and training issues in INDOPACOM, they still have more time being there and doing that than any other navy in the world The PLAN can just barely make it to exercises off the west coast of India.
We would lose some ships, to be sure, especially since we have to let them start the fun, but once the shooting started any PLAN vessel more than land based missle coverage from the shore would die a quick and fiery death.
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US Navy has made a few serious & expen$ive blunders in recent years . . . e.g., Littoral Combat Ships and the Zumwalt class. We'll see what happens with the proposed DDG(X) ships.
I've also read that war stocks of munitions are low, and that ships routinely deploy without full ammo load outs. And this is before we began supplying Ukraine.
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I've also read that war stocks of munitions are low, and that ships routinely deploy without full ammo load outs. And this is before we began supplying Ukraine.
On you way in or out of Puget Sound, and the Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Base Everett stations is Naval Magazine Indian Island. I have heard sailors from the Burke class destroyers homeported in Everett that they stop at the Magazine and that the missiles taken from a ship coming into port, are loaded onto the destroyers going out from port on deployment who stop at the Magazine. I don't know if this is intentional or not, or if it shows munition shortages.
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If you read into the matter, you will find the first place the Puzzle Palace on the Potomac looks to cut budgets is almost always for munitions replenishment. This frees up funds for high dollar pet projects that put money into congresscritter and former flag-officers-turned-lobbyists pockets.
This has been going on for decades.
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The biggest concern I had was how well the Chinese anti-ship missiles work and how good our anti-missile systems work. I figure we would win an all out naval engagement, but we would take damage doing it.
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I'd be a bit more worried about the RoE's our Navy would be saddled with by POTUS . . . after all, it's beginning to look like the Chicoms may have paid him & his family more than the salary he gets as POTUS . . .
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I'd be a bit more worried about the RoE's our Navy would be saddled with by POTUS . . . after all, it's beginning to look like the Chicoms may have paid him & his family more than the salary he gets as POTUS . . .
The only wars we’ve lost were because the politicians wouldn’t let us win.
If we’re going to fight a war it shouldn’t be with the slightest reluctance. The idea should be to so overwhelm the enemy that they sue for peace in short order. And while the civilian population may not necessarily love the war, hitting targets that make their life hell has to be part of it or they won’t actively oppose their own government. Avoiding directly killing civilians is fine. But wrecking everything that makes an industrialized society possible is another matter.
Afterwards, like in WWII, we can help them rebuild.
If we’re not willing to engage in “total war” we might as well start learning Mandarin and Chinese etiquette.
Ironically if we made it obvious we had no compunction reducing China to a pre-industrial nation with 10-50% of their current population we’d be unlikely to have to actually do so.
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If we’re going to fight a war it shouldn’t be with the slightest reluctance. The idea should be to so overwhelm the enemy that they sue for peace in short order. And while the civilian population may not necessarily love the war, hitting targets that make their life hell has to be part of it or they won’t actively oppose their own government. Avoiding directly killing civilians is fine. But wrecking everything that makes an industrialized society possible is another matter.
Carl von Clausewitz covers this in "On War". I recall that he built his philosophy on Sun Tzu or another ancient tactician. Sort of "shock and awe", but done better than Bush did it. As you said, don't target civilians, but don't consider them. You hit your enemy quickly, savagely, and horrifically, to the point that they are in fact in shock and can think of nothing else to do but surrender. With the idea being that you have much less loss of life and physical assets on both sides in the long run.
It would be interesting to view an alternate reality where we dropped the bombs on Japan in year one, especially given their complete faith in their god emperor, which probably had them fighting much longer than say, the krauts. Though I wonder how this would work on certain Middle Eastern cultures.
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The only wars we’ve lost were because the politicians wouldn’t let us win.
If we’re going to fight a war it shouldn’t be with the slightest reluctance. The idea should be to so overwhelm the enemy that they sue for peace in short order. . . .
I remember reading that former President Eisenhower had a meeting with LBJ in which he offered the new POTUS a piece of advice on Vietnam: unless you're willing to fight a war all-out and do whatever it takes to win - don't get involved at all.
Johnson didn't listen.
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When it comes to the American Civil War there is a lot of criticism of the Union’s tactics especially with Sherman of cutting deep into the Southern cities and resource areas and terrorizing the civilians but he didn’t do it for fun he did it to cut the heart out of the Confederacy and bring the war to a halt as quickly as possible. It wasn’t nice and it wasn’t polite but it got the job done. It’s also the same reason the RAF firebombed cities, the USAAF firebombed Japanese cities, and finally the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki instead of “demonstration” or not using it at all (the nukings were a mercy to what was the alternative)
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Same with Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
The lesson here is, if you're not able to fight a war, a REAL war, it's best not to start one at all.
The Confederacy didn't understand that.
The Russians understood that when Napoleon invaded, but that lesson and its implications were lost.
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. . . and finally the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki instead of “demonstration” or not using it at all (the nukings were a mercy to what was the alternative)
We DID a demonstration - it was called Hiroshima. IT WASN'T ENOUGH. A "demonstration" of dropping a bomb on some island and roasting a few coconuts wouldn't have been more convincing than wiping out a city.
The Japs didn't surrender until the Soviets declared war AND we dropped a second bomb. Then - and ONLY then - did the Japs surrender. Even so, there was nearly a coup against Hirohito by elements of the Jap military who didn't want to give up. In fact, The History Channel made a docudrama about just how close to success this coup came in The Last Mission. https://thetvdb.com/series/history-channel-documentaries/episodes/8602577
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The last time we fought China (Korea) is was pretty bad. Now they have nukes. I can't imagine this would be better.
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The last time we fought China (Korea) is was pretty bad. Now they have nukes. I can't imagine this would be better.
That would be the problem with doing things like destroying dams in mainland China. I figure any conflict would at least start with a battle over Taiwan or something about disputed territorial waters similar to Libya a few decades ago.
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That would be the problem with doing things like destroying dams in mainland China. I figure any conflict would at least start with a battle over Taiwan or something about disputed territorial waters similar to Libya a few decades ago.
If we were to breach the 3 gorges dam it would probably be with stand-off range weapons with warheads designed to penetrate large amounts of reinforced concrete. If Tomahawks have such a warhead they’d be a possibility, as would the AGM-154C. Or whatever weapon system is more appropriate if those aren’t up to the task.
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I don't think a breach of 3 Gorges Dam would be as easy to do as has been suggested. That's an awful lot of concrete for a little TLAM to punch through, and a 700 mile standoff considerably limits your options. The only non-nuclear US weapon I'm aware of that would have a chance is a Massive Ordinance Penetrator.
Unless you trust a flight of B-2s equipped with MOPs to breach airspace.
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I don't think a breach of 3 Gorges Dam would be as easy to do as has been suggested. That's an awful lot of concrete for a little TLAM to punch through, and a 700 mile standoff considerably limits your options. The only non-nuclear US weapon I'm aware of that would have a chance is a Massive Ordinance Penetrator.
Unless you trust a flight of B-2s equipped with MOPs to breach airspace.
Time to dust off some old plans? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHGgXi4Kwqw
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If we were to breach the 3 gorges dam it would probably be with stand-off range weapons with warheads designed to penetrate large amounts of reinforced concrete. If Tomahawks have such a warhead they’d be a possibility, as would the AGM-154C. Or whatever weapon system is more appropriate if those aren’t up to the task.
Whether it works or not, I just think if it got to the point that we were going after Chinese infrastructure, then China would probably have no issue using their own nuclear weapons.
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Whether it works or not, I just think if it got to the point that we were going after Chinese infrastructure, then China would probably have no issue using their own nuclear weapons.
While we could absolutely defeat the Chinese, if for no other reason that the vulnerability of their energy supply chains, they can definitely do plenty of damage before they fully collapse.
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Time to dust off some old plans? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHGgXi4Kwqw
Thanks for posting this historical reminder. IIRC, there was a Hollywood movie made about this mission as well but I don't remember the title.
If the U.S. already has a "hypersonic" cruise-type missile, would it have enough kinetic energy to fly into the downstream face of the dam and penetrate the dam if it had a nose of tungsten carbide?
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^^^ The movie was called "Dambusters" if I remember correctly.
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^^^ The movie was called "Dambusters" if I remember correctly.
Wasn't there was a dog in that movie?
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Wasn't there was a dog in that movie?
The sensitivity monitors are trying hard to cancel him.
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Wasn't there was a dog in that movie?
Name starts with N
Needless to say it's gets censored out nowadays
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I don't think I heard of a movie. Just saw documentary's on the damn busting bombs/raids on the History Channel back in the day.
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Name starts with N
Needless to say it's gets censored out nowadays
It was a black lab named *N i g g e r. Yes, that was the dog’s real name. It was also the code word for when they successfully breached the first dam.
*spaces because of the filter
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It didn't just get censored in the movie.
The dog's name recently was removed from a memorial to 617 squadron.
And, in the age of smart munitions, you no longer need to drop a skipping stone dumb bomb like that one.
My guess is a number of Tomahawks could do the same thing, only a lot better.
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I'd be surprised if a cruise missile with anything less than a nuke warhead would do the job. Cruise missile warheads need to be pretty light just as a result of airframe engineering for size and range.
Block V Tomahawks have a, IIRC, 1000lbs payload. That's not going to do a whole lot to that dam.
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A lot of weapons R&D lately has been focused on "minimizing collateral damage" so we have precision ninja bombs which deploy big knives and small diameter bombs that have reduced explosive effects. In a way that makes sense if your goal is to take out a single car containing a terrorist or to kill a bad guy on his balcony without flattening an entire neighborhood, but these weapons are much less useful if you're in open warfare against a large formidable foe, especially if one of the targets is a dam containing megatons of reinforced concrete.
Hmmm . . . if a Tomahawk has a 1000 lb payload, would a 1000 pound shaped charge be any more effective against a dam than just an ordinary ordnance package? Anyone know how shaped charges work against really BIG concrete structures? Would it do anything more than pockmark the surface?
It didn't just get censored in the movie.
The dog's name recently was removed from a memorial to 617 squadron . . .
I remember reading a story that the memorial was defaced by wokesters fairly recently too.
I have a copy of the "uncensored" movie. I'm waiting to bring it out until I have a movie night over here with some friends.
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I don't think I heard of a movie. Just saw documentary's on the damn busting bombs/raids on the History Channel back in the day.
Lucas modeled the Star Wars Death Star trench run on the movie
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Hmmm . . . if a Tomahawk has a 1000 lb payload, would a 1000 pound shaped charge be any more effective against a dam than just an ordinary ordnance package? Anyone know how shaped charges work against really BIG concrete structures? Would it do anything more than pockmark the surface?
As far as I can tell, the most capable warhead for penetration that the TLAM fields is the JMEWS but that's not designed to breach a dam that is 60 meters thick at the upstream water level and about 80 meters thick 10 meters below the water level. 60 meters of penetration is at the upper advertised limit of the MOP, and that is a 30,000 pound device specifically designed to penetrate reinforced concrete with a 5,300 pound warhead.
Maybe an attacker would get lucky with Chinese corruption resulting in a weaker than expected dam, but when the biggest non-nuclear penetrator we have is rated to penetrate the dam only superficially, I don't have much faith that even dumping all of our active TLAMs into it would be particularly effective. Lots of booms could probably get it to leak and require a lot of repair work, but I think a couple of cruise missiles causing the prophesied wave of destruction wiping out tens or hundreds of millions of screaming Chinese is ... unlikely.
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It may not have to penetrate it in order to cause it to fail. Just crack up the structure and let the water pressure do its thing.
Haven't you seen Force 10 From Navarone? =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaB_VccSBFU
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I would think a medium sized nuke just upstream of the dam is what you want to do. Thermal shock, as well as blast wave, followed a bit later by the hydraulic force of the reservoir crashing back into the damaged structure when the steam bubble collapses..
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I don't think you need to go that far. Most bunker buster bombs are designed with the intent of penetrating to a protected internal bunker. Failure to penetrate far enough is failure to take it out. With a damn, that isn't really the intent. You don't have to penetrate through the damn. You just need to break it so the water pushing on the upstream side can complete the failure. I don't know what that would take, but I don't think it is as much as you might think if placed appropriately. Do you go after the damn itself or hit the edges? I am sure the military already has studies on the best way to do this.
The other problem with taking out a sizeable damn is you don't do that until you have already decided to attack a whole bunch of civilians downstream.
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Good point Mech. Full penetration is likely not necessary for a failure. Again, though, I have serious doubts that even a significant barrage of cruise missiles are capable of even a partial failure of such a large dam.
I would think a medium sized nuke just upstream of the dam is what you want to do. Thermal shock, as well as blast wave, followed a bit later by the hydraulic force of the reservoir crashing back into the damaged structure when the steam bubble collapses..
If we've crossed the Rubicon into using nukes, the whole dam operation seems to be something of an unnecessary exercise, or at best a footnote.
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The other problem with taking out a sizeable damn is you don't do that until you have already decided to attack a whole bunch of civilians downstream.
Yep
Taking out the TGD could kill thousands maybe even potentially tens of thousands of civilians and displace millions. I would think nukes would have to be already flying for us to consider doing something like that at which point you might as well nuke the entire site.
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The easier target is the electrical high yard for the dam power generators. Take out the power transformers and other electrical switchgear and that still has an impact.
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The easier target is the electrical high yard for the dam power generators. Take out the power transformers and other electrical switchgear and that still has an impact.
Winner winner chicken dinner
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If you really want to go all out hit the locks. Would have largely the same effect as taking out the dam would while being a much softer target.
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If you really want to go all out hit the locks. Would have largely the same effect as taking out the dam would while being a much softer target.
That would be a good target in some cases. Uncontrolled water flow though a damaged lock system could be quite destructive.
However, not all dams have lock structures for ship passage around them. Most dams do have spillway systems. Attack and significantly damage a spillway to cause an uncontrolled release of water might be a way to cause a dam to fail.
The Oroville Dam spillway failure in California provides an example of what could happen.
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TGD locks
Just take out a couple of the upper gates and let the rushing water do the rest to the lower gates. Even if you didn't take out the all the gates river traffic would be jammed for months if not years.
(https://i.redd.it/0ntbnubz5ct71.jpg)
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That looks to be an excellent target in this case. Stand-off weapons might actually work if they can do enough damage.
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You guys are all getting APS flagged on government lists all over the world. :rofl:
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Looks like if you took out the top two locks the rest would be inundated.
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You guys are all getting APS flagged on government lists all over the world. :rofl:
Taking our deplorable selves international.
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If you really want to go all out hit the locks. Would have largely the same effect as taking out the dam would while being a much softer target.
I'm guessing you'd want to hit the top two locks and hope that the flow from the top lock would be sufficient to erode around the rest of the lock structure before the operators were able to open the remaining locks. If they did so you'd probably just end up with a spillway and relatively little damage.
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I'm guessing you'd want to hit the top two locks and hope that the flow from the top lock would be sufficient to erode around the rest of the lock structure before the operators were able to open the remaining locks. If they did so you'd probably just end up with a spillway and relatively little damage.
Which would drain the reservoir and thus have much of the same effect as busting the dam.
One somewhat mitigating factor in how much water drains out may be how deep the water is before the uppermost lock.
But they're screwed either way.
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You guys are all getting APS flagged on government lists all over the world. :rofl:
I would think all possible sides in this were/are already aware of the dam's vulnerabilities
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I'm sure all sides in this are already aware of the dam's vulnerabilities
You did see the little laughing guy at the end of my sentence, yeah? =)
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Which would drain the reservoir and thus have much of the same effect as busting the dam.
If they open all the locks they'd only have 5 meters or so of loss at most, and that's assuming they can't cofferdam it within a month or so.
One somewhat mitigating factor in how much water drains out may be how deep the water is before the uppermost lock.
That's not somewhat mitigating, that's crucial. A relatively controlled release of at most 5 meters of water through the lock system would be nothing compared to what that river system can handle. They release more water than that during regular power generation and their spillway has probably released twice or three times as much during flooding.
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The Japanese had plans to hit the Panama Canal locks with torpedo planes launched from submarines and would have used the I-400 class submarines for this purpose. Almost put in into action.
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If they open all the locks they'd only have 5 meters or so of loss at most, and that's assuming they can't cofferdam it within a month or so.
That's not somewhat mitigating, that's crucial. A relatively controlled release of at most 5 meters of water through the lock system would be nothing compared to what that river system can handle. They release more water than that during regular power generation and their spillway has probably released twice or three times as much during flooding.
But do we know how deep? I would think deep enough to allow for droughts.
Either way it would cause a huge disruption in critically important river traffic for months at the very least
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The Nazis repaired the Ruhr dams within 6 months I think. Still, it diverted substantial resources from Normandy to do so, which was probably consequential to the success of the D-day invasion.
If we got into a for realz war with China it would be bordering on pointless to attack the TGD if the best we could hope for was disrupting river barge traffic for 6 months. Destroying the power generating infrastructure would be a worthy goal if a full dam breach wasn’t feasible. But even that would only disrupt them for however long it took to get replacement parts for the damaged bits. That could be weeks, or that could be decades depending upon how much other industrial capacity we managed to disrupt.
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But do we know how deep? I would think deep enough to allow for droughts.
It almost doesn't matter. The rate would be limited by the size of the breach and the geometry of the lock system and would mean they're likely to be able to put in temporary repairs before anything horrific happens. As long as they were able to prevent erosion around the lock system they could keep the rate at a point that it would be manageable.
Either way it would cause a huge disruption of critically important river traffic for months at the very least
Oh sure, but that's hardly worth anything if we're assuming we are already to the point of attacking civilian infrastructure.
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I was keeping it at hurting them. More than that like I said a few posts up nukes are probably flying at that point.
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That is a fair issue. At the point where an enemy is attacking your internal infrastructure with off shore missiles or attack craft, you would probably be looking at using your nuclear weapons.
.... unless your country is named "Israel", then you are supposed to just sit and take it. =)
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^^^ The movie was called "Dambusters" if I remember correctly.
There was one by that title that came out in 2003 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0858429/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) but there was an older movie which is the one I remembered. It was titled "The Dam Busters" and starred Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4
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There was one by that title that came out in 2003 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0858429/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) but there was an older movie which is the one I remembered. It was titled "The Dam Busters" and starred Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046889/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4
Thanks for the info. "The Dam Busters" is the one I was thinking of.
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Putin Immediately Surrenders After U.S. Airdrops Nashville Police Officers Into Battlefield
https://babylonbee.com/news/putin-immediately-surrenders-after-us-airdrops-nashville-police-officers-into-battlefield
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See who Biden trades for him
Oh, wait, white male. Never mind.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, 31, could face 20 years in Russian prison after authorities there arrested him on suspicion of spying when he visited Yekaterinburg to write about the feared Wagner group
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11919013/US-journalist-Evan-Gershkovich-31-arrested-Russia-suspicion-spying.html
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See who Biden trades for him
Oh, wait, white male. Never mind.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, 31, could face 20 years in Russian prison after authorities there arrested him on suspicion of spying when he visited Yekaterinburg to write about the feared Wagner group
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11919013/US-journalist-Evan-Gershkovich-31-arrested-Russia-suspicion-spying.html
Maybe he could trade the Uvalde cops so Putin could put them into the line against Ukraine . . . they'd probably show as much courage as some of the conscripts he's using now.
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The video is called "The T-14 Sucks" or something like that. Largely a scarcastic look at the Russuan T-14 and its development. Starts out with a lot of smart ass humor. You can skip the first few minutes if you don't want to listen to it. The last half is better. Good commentary on the T-14 and Putin's military in general. If he is to be believed, it is a reason we won't see some huge successful Russian offensive, just more of the same. They might still win a war of attrition, but it won't be pretty or masterful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-opSlCGLGQ4
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Is it anything like a land war in Asia?
Woody
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Is it anything like a land war in Asia?
Woody
What about going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line?
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Well this is awkward
The last time Russia had the presidency, February 2022, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It means the Security Council is being led by a country whose president is subject to an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.
Russia assumes UN Security Council presidency despite Ukrainian anger
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65146557
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What about going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line?
It's OK if second place is your goal ... >:D
Woody
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Boom today
Video shows the moment a pro-Putin war propagandist was handed a statuette concealing a hidden bomb just minutes before it blew him to bits.
Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, real name Maxim Fomin, was killed in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday in an explosion that left at least 25 people were wounded.
It is unclear who was behind the blast and Ukraine has denied involvement. Russia's state Investigative Committee said it has opened a murder investigation.
Sunday's explosion appeared to be the second assassination on Russian soil of a figure closely associated with the war in Ukraine.
Moment Putin war propagandist 'is handed statue containing bomb minutes before it blows him to bits in St Petersburg café' - as Russian puppet regime in eastern Ukraine blames Kyiv for blast that killed blogger and wounded 25
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11930499/One-person-killed-six-injured-explosion-caf-St-Petersburg.html
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Don't expect the Russians to be nice
'Statue assassin' at the mercy of Putin's thugs: Russian woman who 'killed military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky by giving him booby trapped sculpture' pleads her innocence as she is filmed being interrogated while chained to a radiator
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11933071/Daria-Trepova-handed-explosives-pro-Putin-blogger-insists-no-assassin.html
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Space Force’s development agency just put several new satellites into orbit
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-space-development-agency-satellites/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_04.03.23&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
The 10 satellites are part of the agency’s initial program, called Tranche 0. Eight of them, built by York Space Systems, are meant to send visual data from space down to sensors on Earth. The other two, developed by SpaceX, use infrared sensors to track hypersonic missiles in flight. They were put into low-Earth orbit roughly 1,000 kilometers above the planet. Now in space, the 10 satellites are set to go through a period of testing before being put to use in exercises later this year.
At least it appears someone in the military is doing something along the lines of their actual mission. Of course, I am sure these satellites have multiple uses.
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Don't expect the Russians to be nice
'Statue assassin' at the mercy of Putin's thugs: Russian woman who 'killed military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky by giving him booby trapped sculpture' pleads her innocence as she is filmed being interrogated while chained to a radiator
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11933071/Daria-Trepova-handed-explosives-pro-Putin-blogger-insists-no-assassin.html
I wonder how much longer she has before she disappears or is disposed of by Putin?
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Space Force’s development agency just put several new satellites into orbit
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-space-development-agency-satellites/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_04.03.23&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
At least it appears someone in the military is doing something along the lines of their actual mission. Of course, I am sure these satellites have multiple uses.
You might be surprised. Unless other uses were part of original requirements it’s a big deal to change the what a satellite does, even in the design/development phase.
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You might be surprised. Unless other uses were part of original requirements
They probably were, if not made public knowledge. Multi-mission sensor packages are kinda the norm now for efficiency and cost savings since the electronics have gotten better and smaller. For instance, weather, climate, and SAR are a pretty standard package in a single sat.
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You might be surprised. Unless other uses were part of original requirements it’s a big deal to change the what a satellite does, even in the design/development phase.
I was just thinking the sensor data pulled in might be used for other purposes. Depends on what they spend their time looking at.
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Finland is in today.
Turkey still blocking Sweden's membership.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is set to welcome Finland as its 31st member on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/04/europe/finland-joins-nato-intl/index.html
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Not sure if this says much about today's Russian tactics, but that is a lot of tank losses.
650 Tanks per Day - Soviet Tank Losses in WW2 Military History Visualized
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzzsNuWlyHc
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Another
OLIGARCH DEAD Russian energy giant boss found dead in Siberian cell in 40th mystery death of oligarchs and Putin officials
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21947653/russian-energy-boss-dead-cell-putin/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Another in a series of odd photos of him placing people far far away.
SICKLY VLAD Bizarre moment paranoid Putin speaks to ambassadors 60 FEET away as he ‘battles cancer and Parkinson’s’
https://www.the-sun.com/news/7805246/putin-speaks-ambassadors-away-cancer-parkinsons/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
(https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/russian-president-vladimir-putin-delivers-808009687.jpg?w=620)
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Nothing bizarre about it. He's absolutely terrified that someone is going to get close to him and kill him.
He even keeps his trusted field generals at the other end of a very long table when they are meeting.
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Nothing bizarre about it. He's absolutely terrified that someone is going to get close to him and kill him.
He even keeps his trusted field generals at the other end of a very long table when they are meeting.
I know, I've posted many of those photos in this thread. This one seems a wee bit excessive
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I know, I've posted many of those photos in this tread. This one seems a wee bit excessive
An uneducated guess might be that it's a distance that hides the Parkinsons. I think you could probably see someone trembling even at 20-30 feet away. Or else it is one of the B-string guys on his team of doubles. [tinfoil] =D
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Unless it’s very advanced, with appropriate medication, Parkinson’s is difficult to detect outside of a neurologist office.
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So let's say the Putin is dying like the conspiracy's say. What do we think the odds are of either a peaceful transition of power, or someone more in line with the West's hopes for Russia? Or will the CIA meddle and install someone we THINK we like that will be either more evil, or bumbillingly incompetent leading to another collapse?
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Or will the CIA meddle and install someone we THINK we like that will be either more evil, or bumbillingly incompetent leading to another collapse?
Hey, they did a bang up job with Ukraine.
From my armchair, without some kind of CIA meddling (or even with), I'll bet my money on someone more hardline than Putin. Perhaps in a different way, but I'd expect them to be friendlier with China and that growing partnership of countries than with the US.
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Given the dominance of the United Russia party, I'm guessing Medvedev would be next up. Unless Putin totally loses his mind I imagine that a transition of power to Medvedev would be peaceful.
Whether he could hold things together after taking power without Putin pulling strings behind the scenes I don't know.
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Whether he could hold things together after taking power without Putin pulling strings behind the scenes I don't know.
I was basing my armchairing on a power vacuum after Putin having died. I suppose Putin being "retired" adds more scenarios.
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I was basing my armchairing on a power vacuum after Putin having died.
Me too. "without Putin pulling the strings behind the scenes" was in reference to their previous tandemocracy. He was able to lead Russia before when Putin was playing along, but with Putin dead while I think he's the easy choice to get into the chair I'm not sure he could maintain it long term.
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Wonder if he's got any sort of Dead Man Switches in place as in if he dies here's list of people to be killed and/or places blown up, ie nuke Kyiv
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Me too. "without Putin pulling the strings behind the scenes" was in reference to their previous tandemocracy. He was able to lead Russia before when Putin was playing along, but with Putin dead while I think he's the easy choice to get into the chair I'm not sure he could maintain it long term.
Ah, gotchya.
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:rofl: if true
Guy tried to order drones for Putin but his order got hacked and he received a bunch of dildos and Strap-Ons instead
SEX BOMB Russian war fanatic who spent £20k to buy drones for Putin’s troops receives huge batch of sex toys after Ukrainian hack
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21950102/russian-war-fanatic-receives-batch-sex-toys-ukrainian-hack/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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:rofl: if true
Guy tried to order drones for Putin but his order got hacked and he received a bunch of dildos and Strap-Ons instead
SEX BOMB Russian war fanatic who spent £20k to buy drones for Putin’s troops receives huge batch of sex toys after Ukrainian hack
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21950102/russian-war-fanatic-receives-batch-sex-toys-ukrainian-hack/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
Someone should make a statue honoring this guy...
Too soon?
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Wish they had thrown in a case of Bud Light
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Interesting turn of events:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65225985
I've read a few stories now from BBC to Fox News, and they all seem to agree that this is real (as supposedly confirmed by the Pentagon), but leaked for different reasons. Some say it's the actual classified documents, some say it's images*. Some say that it is a deep state thing by pro-Ukraine feds who are afraid that the "popularity" for lack of a better term, of the war as related to supporting Ukraine is waning.
Then causality numbers are interesting, especially as related to the potential for a Russian focus on winning through attrition and "we have more pawns for the front line than you", which I have generally thought of more as a Chinese and Asian in general strategy.
* You would think it wouldn't be images, but ever since Hillary's interns got to carry their iPhones into SCIFs, I don't trust protocols anymore.
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Then causality numbers are interesting, especially as related to the potential for a Russian focus on winning through attrition and "we have more pawns for the front line than you", which I have generally thought of more as a Chinese and Asian in general strategy.
The Russians have always done this. Even when they win wars, their death tolls are usually horrific. March soldiers through minefields, machine gun people who retreat. They don't care. It doesn't mean they won't win (Winter War, WW2).
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Update on the leak story
Anyone got a rope handy?
FBI investigators have made an arrest in connection with the biggest US intelligence leak in nearly a decade.
Officials told DailyMail.com that an individual, believed to be 21-year-old National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, had been arrested at an address in North Dighton, Massachusetts.
He was a member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the leader of an online chat group where top secret Pentagon documents were published.
FBI make arrest in Massachusetts after suspected leaker of top secret Pentagon files identified online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11969873/Identity-man-responsible-Pentagon-secret-documents-leak.html
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If he did in fact leak the info then lock him up and throw away the key. As always I am highly skeptical of government persecution.
It has always been SOP with the military in any incident that the overriding, primary order of business is to first affix the blame at the lowest point on the chain of command as possible.
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Waiting for word that the suspect is trans.
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Waiting for word that the suspect committed suicide in custody, and the cell block cameras weren't working.
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That was quick.
They should put that investigative team on finding the SCOTUS leaker.
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That was quick.
They should put that investigative team on finding the SCOTUS leaker.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
With my tinfoil on, I would say that quickly finding this guy was good politics for the establishment, both R&D. Identifying the SC leaker was bad politics for the establishment, both R&D. Each side would have had different reasons for both, but as usual, when they all got together in that secret back room for their daily happy hour, they were laughing at all of us.
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Referring to him as a "gun nut"
Pentagon document leaker read book on his patio moments before his arrest - as feds say they didn't detain the gun nut earlier because he was under surveillance and they wanted to avoid an armed standoff
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11971653/Pentagon-document-leaker-read-book-patio-moments-arrest.html
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Who ordered the T-90 from Amazon?
Looks like your delivery is going to be a little late.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-t-90-tank-from-ukraine-mysteriously-appears-at-u-s-truck-stop/ar-AA19PDsE?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=5c401302b01d4065ccad22df66e59df4&ei=213
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Who ordered the T-90 from Amazon?
Looks like your delivery is going to be a little late.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-t-90-tank-from-ukraine-mysteriously-appears-at-u-s-truck-stop/ar-AA19PDsE?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=5c401302b01d4065ccad22df66e59df4&ei=213
Me
My morning commute has gotten a bit dangerous lately.
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I was thinking the exact same thing.
With my tinfoil on, I would say that quickly finding this guy was good politics for the establishment, both R&D. Identifying the SC leaker was bad politics for the establishment, both R&D. Each side would have had different reasons for both, but as usual, when they all got together in that secret back room for their daily happy hour, they were laughing at all of us.
Tighten that tinfoil:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-intel-agencies-missed-classified-documents-leaked-on-discord-rcna79404
Clearly the only rational response to someone leaking documents online is to tighten controls and online surveillance of the rest of the US's online presence.
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Tighten that tinfoil:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-intel-agencies-missed-classified-documents-leaked-on-discord-rcna79404
Clearly the only rational response to someone leaking documents online is to tighten controls and online surveillance of the rest of the US's online presence.
Hey, it's for your safety.
On another note, some food for thought from Tucker Carlson:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1646684037023514630
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2023/04/14/tucker-carlson-busts-government-and-the-media-wide-open-in-brutal-monologue-on-the-leaker-watch/
Whether you agree with Tucker or not, it's valuable to discuss his thoughts. Also note the MSM snippets that Tucker has embedded in his monologue. They've labeled this kid with every "extremist" label that currently exists.
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So, please excuse me, I am not in a good position to watch these videos. What sorts of things does the leak say? Thank you.
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https://babylonbee.com/news/pentagon-leaker-kicking-himself-for-not-just-leaving-classified-documents-strewn-around-his-garage
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So I keep hearing that the MSM are the ones who tracked this guy down. There's just not enough tinfoil...
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2023/04/16/glenn-greenwald-shows-how-nyt-and-wapo-write-whatever-the-deep-state-wants-in-damning-thread/
Also these Bellingcat people.
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On the tangent, China, India, and others that are economically hooking up with Russia is a worrying trend. The US (as well as EU, et. al.) focusing on climate change, DEI, and other bullshit is fast turning us into second tier status.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-india-buying-much-russian-003521310.html
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The US (as well as EU, et. al.) focusing on climate change, DEI, and other bullshit is fast turning us into second tier status.
You're a bit on the slow side, aren't you. We're already in second tier status.
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You're a bit on the slow side, aren't you. We're already in second tier status.
It's a feature not a bug.
The US needs to be punished
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You're a bit on the slow side, aren't you. We're already in second tier status.
Second to whom, out of curiosity?
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Second to whom, out of curiosity?
Second to the free country the Founders envisioned, for one.
Second to the country I grew up in, for another.
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Second to the free country the Founders envisioned, for one.
Second to the country I grew up in, for another.
Fair enough, but is there any modern first tier nation by your analysis?
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:rofl: if true
Guy tried to order drones for Putin but his order got hacked and he received a bunch of dildos and Strap-Ons instead
SEX BOMB Russian war fanatic who spent £20k to buy drones for Putin’s troops receives huge batch of sex toys after Ukrainian hack
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21950102/russian-war-fanatic-receives-batch-sex-toys-ukrainian-hack/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
But wait, there's more :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Ukrainian hackers claimed they gained access to the account of Sergey Morgachev, Putin's Lieutenant Colonel at Moscow's military intelligence service, GRU.
A group calling itself Cyber Resistance posted on Telegram that it had successfully hacked into Morgachev's email, according to open-source intelligence site Info Nampalm.
The hackers claimed they managed to obtain personal information including copies of Morgachev’s driver’s license and lease agreements, as well as family photos and scanned copies of security clearance renewal applications.
And in an embarrassing twist, the hackers accessed Mogachev's AliExpress account and ordered several sex toys and gay pride flags in his name, as "a symbolic act of moral humiliation."
ULTIMATE REVENGE Putin’s elite ‘Fancy Bear’ cyber warfare chief bombarded with sex toys after his personal email is HACKED
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22035388/putins-fancy-bear-chief-bombarded-sex-toys-email-hacked/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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[Ron Perlman Voice] War. War never changes. [/Ron Perlman voice]
https://twitter.com/cossackgundi/status/1650441634792734720
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Smekalka!
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Stack of bodies got a bit higher
DEATH RIDDLE Pro-Putin multi-millionaire MP with secret link to UK found dead in ANOTHER mystery oligarch death
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22149342/putin-millionaire-mp-found-dead/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Looks like Russia has finally sent the T-14 Armata into Ukraine.
This is going to be interesting to watch.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russia-deploys-new-tank-ukraine-uk-says-commanders-unlikely-trust-battle
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How long until a T-14 shows up on Oryx?
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Or sporting a Ukrainian flag
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I'm wondering how long it will be before one shows up in the United States as a gift from Ukraine.
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It would be interesting to see if it actually performs or if it fails given all the criticism. I guess we will see. I wouldn't be surprised to hear the Ukrainians looked for them to take them out.
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They're definitely going to be high priority targets, just like the western tanks that are being provided to Ukraine.
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They're definitely going to be high priority targets, just like the western tanks that are being provided to Ukraine.
Without infantry support, tanks often get hammered. I doubt the T-14 or the western tanks being supplied to Ukraine will prove all that survivable.
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CHINA's $9 Trillion Debt Nightmare as Local Government Financing Vehicles Threaten Economic Collapse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKpUlPzH5Po
I have seen a couple youtube videos come up like this. Sounds like China has its own debt issues to deal with. The other one I saw talked about China financing economic projects in other countries and many of those are not being completed and running out of money (some in Russia).
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CHINA's $9 Trillion Debt Nightmare as Local Government Financing Vehicles Threaten Economic Collapse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKpUlPzH5Po
I have seen a couple youtube videos come up like this. Sounds like China has its own debt issues to deal with. The other one I saw talked about China financing economic projects in other countries and many of those are not being completed and running out of money (some in Russia).
Uncle Joe will bail them out
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Uncle Joe will bail them out
They'll expect him to - after all, they paid good money to buy him & his family. ("An honest politician is one who stays bought.")
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Look out Ukraine, The Super Duper MAGA Invincible Tank is coming
But can it make Julienne fries?
Claims put me in mind of a Ronco ad
SECRET WEAPON Putin’s ‘invisible’ T-14 robo-tanks that could ‘destroy cities in MINUTES’ reach Ukraine frontline ahead of new blitz
https://www.the-sun.com/news/7956726/russia-new-armata-tanks-reach-frontline-ukraine/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Posted that news yesterday.
LazerPig on Utoob has an absolutely vicious take down of the T-14 and Russian arms programs in general. It's well worth the watch.
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Posted that news yesterday.
LazerPig on Utoob has an absolutely vicious take down of the T-14 and Russian arms programs in general. It's well worth the watch.
Yep, I just found the article about a super invincible tank that can destroy entire cities in minutes just a wee bit over the top.
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Posted that news yesterday.
LazerPig on Utoob has an absolutely vicious take down of the T-14 and Russian arms programs in general. It's well worth the watch.
I have listened to a few more of LazerPig's videos. He always has about 10 minutes of crazy BS at the beginning before he gets to the subject. The first one I kept asking "what the hell am I watching" before he got to the subject.
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Update on the leak story
Anyone got a rope handy?
FBI make arrest in Massachusetts after suspected leaker of top secret Pentagon files identified online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11969873/Identity-man-responsible-Pentagon-secret-documents-leak.html
Here is the suspect's "weapons cache":
https://twitter.com/mac_arms/status/1651686634616680494
Note the orange tips.
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Here is the suspect's "weapons cache":
https://twitter.com/mac_arms/status/1651686634616680494
Note the orange tips.
Obviously links him to Trump
Orange Tips Bad
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Here is the suspect's "weapons cache":
https://twitter.com/mac_arms/status/1651686634616680494
Note the orange tips.
Pretty much every MSM entity has been pushing that as his "arsenal". And all the sheep have been buying it.
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Pretty much every MSM entity has been pushing that as his "arsenal". And all the sheep have been buying it.
They've been corrected SO MANY TIMES about gun-related reporting that they can no longer plead ignorance - that train left the station decades ago.
As we all know, most of the media is made up of pathological liars. And if they're lying about topics we know something about (e.g, anything gun related) . . . then why in the world would we trust what they report about ANYTHING ELSE?
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Word is that the Ukrainians are posed to try and retake Crimea. Be interesting to see how Putin reacts to that considering he considers Crimea Russian territory
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Word is that the Ukrainians are posed to try and retake Crimea. Be interesting to see how Putin reacts to that considering he considers Crimea Russian territory
Does Putin actually have anything significant left to throw into the fight? I've seen so many conflicting "analyses" on TV and on line that I don't know what to believe. (Which is probably the point of much of the coverage.)
I hope I'm not wrong, but I don't see Putin actually using nukes. But he could fire off a lot of his remaining tactical missiles at Kiev, targeting their palaces or whatever their fancy government buildings are called. Or maybe he can browbeat Belarus into openly invading Ukraine's northwest.
Or maybe all the leaks about Crimea are disinformation, the same way the Allies "leaked" plans to invade at Calais rather than Normandy for D-Day. (Or maybe they want the Russians to think Crimea is the decoy, when it's really their objective.) Really can go down the rabbit hole thinking about this when you don't have any actual information.
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Does Putin actually have anything significant left to throw into the fight? I've seen so many conflicting "analyses" on TV and on line that I don't know what to believe. (Which is probably the point of much of the coverage.)
He has lots of bodies. As some commie dictator (Lenin?, Stalin?, Mao?) said “There’s a certain quality to quantity.” Russian modus operendi is the first year of a conflict is a shitshow. Then they throw bodies at the problem and about half the time it works and they win.
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I don't think anyone really knows how much operational equipment the Red Army has available to throw at this mess, including the Red Army.
They've got a lot of bodies, to be sure, but it could get to the old "one man take a rifle, the next man take ammo" Stalingrad level of fighting, which would suck, since it looks like we'll happily provide Ukraine with all the ammo they could want.
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According to the numbers from the leaked documents, Ukraine just isn’t killing enough Russians to justify their losses. If the kill ratio continues, unless Russia decides to give up they will eventually overwhelm Ukraine.
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According to the numbers from the leaked documents, Ukraine just isn’t killing enough Russians to justify their losses. If the kill ratio continues, unless Russia decides to give up they will eventually overwhelm Ukraine.
What I’ve heard is the Ukrainians are killing 2-3 Russian soldiers for every one they lose. It needs to be closer to 10:1 for them to have a realistic hope of prevailing.
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What I’ve heard is the Ukrainians are killing 2-3 Russian soldiers for every one they lose. It needs to be closer to 10:1 for them to have a realistic hope of prevailing.
I don’t know how accurate the numbers are in those leaked documents, but their current ratio appears to be closer to 1.4-1.8 to 1.
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I don’t know how accurate the numbers are in those leaked documents, but their current ratio appears to be closer to 1.4-1.8 to 1.
Whether 1.4:1 or 3:1 it doesn’t really matter that much if they need 10:1.
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Whether 1.4:1 or 3:1 it doesn’t really matter that much if they need 10:1.
Right, just noting that they may have even more ground to make up.
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Ukraine New Counter Offensive Rundown 2023 - Task & Purpose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JXXVH3LtuQ
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Fun! Looks like Russia is developing a crisis manual on how to deal with the growing possibility that Putin's "special military operation" will end in defeat.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/putin-grooms-russians-for-defeat-in-leaked-crisis-manual/ar-AA1aDCv8?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=fa306a2357a043cdce8f4c86833c35ff&ei=91
Some really fun rationalizations in it.
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Reichstag Fire. Report of a failed drone attack on Putin’s residence.
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Reichstag Fire. Report of a failed drone attack on Putin’s residence.
Followed by a bunch more of Putin's cronies failing their personal flight checks and hard landing under their hotel windows.
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[Ron Perlman Voice] War. War never changes. [/Ron Perlman voice]
https://twitter.com/cossackgundi/status/1650441634792734720
And then some rather odd characters show up, The Mask and Deadpool, in part 2. Even has a The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBgAf728uL8
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[Ron Perlman Voice] War. War never changes. [/Ron Perlman voice]
https://twitter.com/cossackgundi/status/1650441634792734720
Nice Spiderman moment at 0:22
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Looks like a couple of small drones hit the Kremlin leaving no damage. Wonder if it was Ukraine, someone inside Russia unhappy with the war, or Russia itself trying to blame Ukraine….
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The French Police got hit harder yesterday then that crap drone.
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Looks like a couple of small drones hit the Kremlin leaving no damage. Wonder if it was Ukraine, someone inside Russia unhappy with the war, or Russia itself trying to blame Ukraine….
I'm leaning towards false flag.
Small drones with no clear target that apparently clause little to no damage seems like a pretty lame stupid way to assassinate someone. Add to that we've seen no evidence there even were drones hitting the Kremlin that night other than what could have been staged small explosions. Now we got some in Russian calling for Zelensky to be assassinated with even some calling for Kyiv to be nuked.
Ranting Moscow security chiefs including former President Medvedev call for Zelensky to be ASSASSINATED and Kyiv destroyed in nuke revenge for drone strikes at the Kremlin... as Ukraine denies trying to blow up Putin
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12043055/Russias-ex-leader-calls-Zelensky-KILLED-revenge-drone-strikes-Kremlin.html
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Russia today made the bizarre claim that the United States masterminded a kamikaze drone strike on the Kremlin that Moscow insisted was intended to assassinate Vladimir Putin.
A day after the Kremlin blamed Ukraine for the alleged drone strike on Putin's Kremlin residence, the despot's furious officials sought to shift the focus on the US by claiming Washington had ordered the attack.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted - without providing evidence - the US was 'undoubtedly' behind the strike that he said was carried out by Ukraine - claims the White House dismissed as 'lies'.
Peskov declined to say whether Russia saw Zelensky as a legitimate target. He said Russia had an array of options and the response, when it came, would be carefully considered and balanced. He said an urgent investigation was underway, but could not say when the results would be known.
But within hours of those threats, around 40 explosive-laden drones - some with 'for Moscow' and 'for the Kremlin' written on them - were fired at Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia accuses the US of orchestrating kamikaze drone 'assassination attempt' on Putin: Extraordinary claim after Ukraine is blitzed in 'revenge' - but UK spooks say Kremlin 'attack' was false flag
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12046333/Russia-accuses-orchestrating-kamikaze-drone-assassination-attempt-Putin.html
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"I'm leaning towards false flag."
Ya think?
I just snorted when I saw the first reports of this incident.
The only people who believe this are Putin and a few dedicated Putin Peter Puffers in Russia.
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If they have jamming active around the Kremlin, could that be a cause for why the drone looked ineffective? I agree that it doesn't look like any serious attack, just thinking through potential alternatives.
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I agree that it feels like a false flag.
That said, I think the outrage about getting hit while engaging in a major war with a neighboring country is kind of stupid. Russia should expect internal military and government facilities to be targets.
I suspect the only reason Ukraine hasn't done more of that is for foreign optics - maintain the moral high ground and keep the aid flowing.
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Wasn't Zelensky specifically targeted early on in the war? Sauce for the goose and all that.
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If it was a false flag, you would figure it would be more impressive... the video was pretty pathetic. But then again, this is Russia we are talking. They probably can't even competently bomb themselves.
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If it was a false flag, you would figure it would be more impressive... the video was pretty pathetic. But then again, this is Russia we are talking. They probably can't even competently bomb themselves.
It strikes as something more for show than to do actual damage. Now of course that works both ways.
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It strikes as something more for show than to do actual damage. Now of course that works both ways.
Yes. It was such a huge and dangerous explosion it almost damaged a flag.
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The video made it look a lot more like a firework rather than a military-grade warhead.
I suspect if the Ukrainians were attacking the Kremlin with a drone, it would have been effective rather than ineffectual in causing damage - if it got through whatever air defenses the Russkies have in Moscow at all.
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Was the explosion the drone detonating or was the drone hit with an explosive countermeasure?
It looked to me like it blew up above the roof, not on impact. Obviously it could have triggered an explosion at a distance from the target, but I assumed it was interdicted with a small SAM or something.
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There were two drones, and the first clearly hit the dome. THe second which seems to be what everyone saw looks to have detonated over the top of the target area.
The blast looks to me like a small EFP, and since we've seen drones with RPG warheads as the payload, I'd speculate it was one of those unless better evidence presents itself. It looks like it was supposed to nose over and blow into the dome, and either detonated by position, or was command detonated early for some reason.
I saw no evidence of either a MANPAD or a gun system like a C-RAM/ZSU that would be used for Air Defense in a situation like this. The drones seem to have gotten there unmolested.
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I'm leaning towards false flag.
I agree.
I'm pretty certain that if Ukraine had done it, even if it didn't outright kill Putin it would have done enough damage to scare the crap out of him.
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I blame Trump and the NRA.
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Putin Retaliates For Assassination Attempt By Misgendering Admiral Levine
https://babylonbee.com/news/putin-retaliates-for-assassination-attempt-by-misgendering-admiral-levine
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Putin Retaliates For Assassination Attempt By Misgendering Admiral Levine
https://babylonbee.com/news/putin-retaliates-for-assassination-attempt-by-misgendering-admiral-levine
This is getting serious, to the point it's clear we cannot win. We'd better surrender.
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This is getting serious, to the point it's clear we cannot win. We'd better surrender.
I think you have it backwards. The Brandon administration will launch our entire nuclear arsenal at everybody in retaliation for this crime against humanity.
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I think you have it backwards. The Brandon administration will launch our entire nuclear arsenal at everybody in retaliation for this crime against humanity.
This isn't a crisis, it's an opportunity.
Somebody tell Brandon the national headquarters of the Proud Boys, Q-Anon, Ultra Maga Republicans, and the NRA are all in Washington, D.C., with branches in NYC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. >:D
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Calling this an assassination attempt would be akin to calling John Wilkes Booth shooting a rubber band at Lincoln from across the theater a assassination attempt.
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Calling this an assassination attempt would be akin to calling John Wilkes Booth shooting a rubber band at Lincoln from across the theater a assassination attempt.
Which would have been more violent and extreme than 99% of what went down on Jan-6.
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This Is What Socialists Don't Tell You About The Economy Of The Soviet Union
Thomas SowellTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq07gyB6yuA
This is a good video on industrialization of Russia under the Czars and Stalin including the role of foreigners in Russian economic development. IMO, it may explain some of what we see happening with Russian military equipment now.
I thought it was an interesting point that much of the economic development in Stalin's early 5 year plans was due to capitalists from the West.
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Update from Ukraine | Ruzzia Starts the massive evacuation | They are in Panic
Denys Davydov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8l44bxVND0
pro-Ukrainian, but information.
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Update from Ukraine | Ruzzia Starts the massive evacuation | They are in Panic
Denys Davydov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8l44bxVND0
pro-Ukrainian, but information.
Wouldn't shock me one bit if the Russian troops are for the most part completely demoralized
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Wouldn't shock me one bit if the Russian troops are for the most part completely demoralized
As well they should be.
There's an interesting parallel here to the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands. The Argies also had a lot of poorly trained conscripts in their forces, and the Argies also told their troops that they were going to "liberate" the people of the Falklands. The Argie troops were quite surprised to find that the residents of the Falklands didn't in any way view them as "liberators," and were't happy to see them.
I get the impression that the Russian troops are having a somewhat similar experience in Ukraine. I think they knopw perfectly well that they aren't "liberating" anyone or anything, they are an invasion forcve. True, there are some pro-Russia people in the regions where most of the fightinmg is taking place, but the pro-Russian sentiment is far from universal.
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test
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Nothing that I can find about a Russian evacuation. Ah, just found something on BBC about it. Apparently pulling out of a small town near a nuke plant went... swimmingly. :rofl:
Remember, only you can prevent live Russians!
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Nothing that I can find about a Russian evacuation. Ah, just found something on BBC about it. Apparently pulling out of a small town near a nuke plant went... swimmingly. :rofl:
Remember, only you can prevent live Russians!
Found this
A 'mad panic' has swept occupied Ukrainian territories as Russia calls to evacuate 18 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, ahead of the awaited Ukrainian offensive.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said that the order had caused chaos and five-hour long queues of cars at the checkpoint into Crimea.
UN warns of threat of 'severe nuclear accident' after Putin orders evacuation of town near nuclear power plant captured by Russia in early days of Ukraine invasion
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12056179/UN-warns-threat-severe-nuclear-accident-Putin-orders-evacuation-Zaporizhzhia.html
Either
a) Trying to scare the Ukrainians off from invading
b) The Russians had a uh-oh and are saying you can have the territory but it may be a little warm.
c) The Russian did it on purpose and are saying you can have the territory but it may be a little warm.
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Found this
UN warns of threat of 'severe nuclear accident' after Putin orders evacuation of town near nuclear power plant captured by Russia in early days of Ukraine invasion
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12056179/UN-warns-threat-severe-nuclear-accident-Putin-orders-evacuation-Zaporizhzhia.html
Either
a) Trying to scare the Ukrainians off from invading
b) The Russians had a uh-oh and are saying you can have the territory but it may be a little warm.
c) The Russian did it on purpose and are saying you can have the territory but it may be a little warm.
d) The Russians are falsely claiming there was an uh-oh, trying to fool the Ukes into halting their offensive because the territory may be a little warm.
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d) The Russians are falsely claiming there was an uh-oh, trying to fool the Ukes into halting their offensive because the territory may be a little warm.
Wouldn't (a) cover that?
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Wouldn't (a) cover that?
Don't you dare question my answer. I be a hily edumacated perfessunal. =D
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Uh oh... apparently Russia's vaunted unkillable hypersonic missiles are... killable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/for-the-first-time-a-patriot-missile-has-killed-one-of-russia-s-hypersonic-missiles/ar-AA1aTAXj?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=cf18b2709e8e4917bb1cac2aa754453b&ei=120
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Global Currency: The Dollar Ain't Going Nowhere
Zeihan on Geopolitics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiR54FPQiCs
He makes some good points about the dollar. For all its problems, most other currencies have more issues or at least the same issues.
He made a comment about Russia moving money into Chinese currency and getting screwed over it.
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He made a comment about Russia moving money into Chinese currency and getting screwed over it.
This is my shocked face
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Reports the Ukrainians breaking through Russian lines around Bakhmut with many Russians deserting their posts.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12075935/Ukraine-breaking-Russian-lines-Bakhmut-Wagner-chief-admits.html
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Reports the Ukrainians breaking through Russian lines around Bakhmut with many Russians deserting their posts.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12075935/Ukraine-breaking-Russian-lines-Bakhmut-Wagner-chief-admits.html
I wonder if the Ukrainians are going to break out another Thunder Run...
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I am curious about the details of the agreement between Putin and Wagner.
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I am curious about the details of the agreement between Putin and Wagner.
What agreement are you referring to? Was it the ammunition supply thing the Wagner chief was bitching about last week?
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What agreement are you referring to? Was it the ammunition supply thing the Wagner chief was bitching about last week?
That's a piece of it, but I mean more broadly speaking.
They're fighting on behalf of Russia, and I assume they're getting paid a boatload of money to do it in addition to tapping into Russian logistics. Wagner pay is supposedly significantly higher than Russian army pay. They're losing a lot of guys, and from what I understand they pay out something like $80,000 to the family of each guy they lose. Wagner can recruit from prisons and allegedly obtain pardons for service. Prigozhin regularly and publicly badmouths Russian military leadership but seems to get away with it because he's been somewhat effective at taking ground. Mercs are technically illegal under Russian law, but they're openly operating with the Russian military to the point of Wagner pilots flying Russian air assets in combat.
Prigozhin denied for years that he was connected to Wagner - including suing people who reported it - but now is on TV in battle rattle publicly leading (for some definitions of "leading" anyway) Wagner troops.
It's just an interesting situation and I think it would be fascinating to learn the details of the agreement.
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Maybe Putin should just order wholesale surrender of his troops - holding and provisioning that many POWs would surely stretch Ukrainian resources and supply lines.
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Scary thought for the day.
Don't forget it was Russian troops breaking en masse that finally pushed Russia over the cliff in 1917 (Yes I'm greatly simplifying here)
Imagine the Russian revolution with nukes
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Maybe Putin should just order wholesale surrender of his troops - holding and provisioning that many POWs would surely stretch Ukrainian resources and supply lines.
We're assuming here tha Ukrainian culture is far enough from Russian culture they wouldn't just shoot the prisoners?
Not sure I'd take that bet.
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We're assuming here tha Ukrainian culture is far enough from Russian culture they wouldn't just shoot the prisoners?
Not sure I'd take that bet.
This. I'm not sure how the Ukis became the poster children of virtue and honor in war. The only high road they have here is that they were the ones who were invaded. Otherwise, it's the same kind of oligarchs, same crime lords, same culture regarding treatment of an enemy as the Russians.
I mean, Zelensky nationalized their news media and shut down opposition parties. That's not the kind of government we normally root for (unless there's something in it for us, as with any number of Central American and Middle Eastern leaders we've helped install in the past).
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We have discussed videos purporting to show Ukrainians shooting prisoners early in this conflict. Maybe they’re doing less of that now that they have to play mediagenic for the western military support.
Or maybe not.
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"I'm not sure how the Ukis became the poster children of virtue and honor in war."
They're not.
But in this case they're the little guy who's standing up to the bigger guy and who is punching FAR above their weight class.
As I've said repeatedly in this thread, I have a burning hatred of Russia and things Russian. Not entirely logical, I'll admit, but I've always been that way. I guess growing up as a patriotic American during the Cold War and, especially, the Reagan 80s? Who knows.
But, to my mind, Putin is really nothing more than a modernized version of Josef Stalin. I've felt that way since he started to co-opt his way into being a dictator in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
I always felt that Putin's greatest desire (turns out to have been pretty correct) has been to reassemble the Soviet Union and again become a major world power.
The West never stopped looking at Russia as a major world power. They had a large army, a large, supposedly capable Navy, a large air force, and a massive nuclear capability.
I think, however, a lot of people have been very shocked (I know I have been) at just how incompetent and ineffective the Russian military has been, how badly a small nation has savaged it, and just how pervasive the corruption rot has been.
Yeah, the Ukrainians probably aren't that much different than the Russians they're fighting, but as long as they're killing Russians and making Putin look like a fool, I'm happy.
Because remember... Only YOU can prevent live Russians.
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"We're assuming here tha Ukrainian culture is far enough from Russian culture they wouldn't just shoot the prisoners?"
And if they were to do that...
Who gives a *expletive deleted*ck?
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Refraining from killing POWs is a good idea. It would be easier for the Ukrainians to get Russians to surrender, if the Russians did not believe they were going to be murdered afterwards.
I do agree that if a foreign army invaded the USA, Americans (military or civilian) would gleefully murder enemy POWs with regularity.
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I always felt that Putin's greatest desire (turns out to have been pretty correct) has been to reassemble the Soviet Union …
Assuming Zeihan is right, the last 400 years of Russian history has been a constant push by them to get to defensible territory. Most of Russia is flat, wide open plains that a Mongol horde or Panzer division can easily race across. The desire to expand their borders to geographical gaps they can plug with what has always been a limited population of soldiers has defined that history. The Soviet era, when they controlled ALL of the important geographic gaps was the most secure the Russians have ever been, and all of the adventurism of the last 30 years has been to try to recreate that same feeling of security.
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Refraining from killing POWs is a good idea. It would be easier for the Ukrainians to get Russians to surrender, if the Russians did not believe they were going to be murdered afterwards.
Also, and continuing the pragmatic reasoning, killing Russian POWs encourages reprisals against Ukrainian POWs (and civilians). Not the best move for the smaller country who is hosting the war on its own territory.
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Refraining from killing POWs is a good idea. It would be easier for the Ukrainians to get Russians to surrender, if the Russians did not believe they were going to be murdered afterwards.
Could also make it more likely for under trained and undisciplined conscripts to break and run if things look like they may be starting to go south even when they're not.
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Ukraine War Q&A: What Happened to the 500k Russian Soldiers? || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOGfw_Hx2-A
Thinks incompetent people around Putin are lying to him and the troop buildup isn't actually happening.
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Ukraine War Q&A: What Happened to the 500k Russian Soldiers? || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOGfw_Hx2-A
Thinks incompetent people around Putin are lying to him and the troop buildup isn't actually happening.
If true someone and/or several someones will be having an unfortunate accident from a high rise balcony.
Someone should start painting bingo grids on the sidewalks.
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Assuming Zeihan is right, the last 400 years of Russian history has been a constant push by them to get to defensible territory. Most of Russia is flat, wide open plains that a Mongol horde or Panzer division can easily race across. The desire to expand their borders to geographical gaps they can plug with what has always been a limited population of soldiers has defined that history. The Soviet era, when they controlled ALL of the important geographic gaps was the most secure the Russians have ever been, and all of the adventurism of the last 30 years has been to try to recreate that same feeling of security.
An interesting theory that sounds logical as well. You could be on to something.
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So, has Ukraine started an big counteroffensive?
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An interesting theory that sounds logical as well. You could be on to something.
One issue is all that territory lacks a lot of navigable rivers. Without rail and roads, they have a lot more issues making all that territory productive. The Mongol Hordes could live off the land. The Germans struggled to keep their army supplied.
I would also say that it is in the nature of powerful nations to seek to control the areas and nations around them. We do that. I think that is a lot of China's motivation. I think Japan had that in mind pre-WWII.
The question of Russia is how much of the Soviet era power do they truly possess? A lot of people are saying they don't have the industrial capability to produce modern electronics needed for the latest generation weapons. They seem to have fumbled the process of building a the T-14. They didn't do a lot better with their newest AK rifle. They do seem to have some capable fighter jets, but they are struggling to supply modern electronics for those also. From what I heard, a big chunk of their stockpile of weapons and armor has been sold off to other nations over the last 20 years. I don't know how much of a reserve they really have.
They could turn things around and outlast the Ukrainians in the end, but I think they have shown NATO countries that their ability to project military power is pretty weak. At this point, I don't think Putin's govt has the ability to recover from their current status.
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So, has Ukraine started an big counteroffensive?
From what I hear, there is some sort of limited attack around Bakmut(sp). I am not sure there is anything else going on.
Russia had 4 aircraft shot down a bit inside their own territory over the weekend. They were all inside a 20 mile circle. I think they claimed it was man portable missiles. I heard speculation their own anti-aircraft may have done it.
There was also a big explosion in Ukraine. Hopefully that wasn't a big chunk of the supplies they were trying to stockpile.
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More evidence that Russia's "unstoppable" hypersonic missiles are very... stoppable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/humiliation-for-putin-s-unstoppable-superweapons-blasted-out-of-sky-by-u-s-defense-system/ar-AA1bfvjM?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=2af11e88bfbe4786aa234888c80f13c5&ei=72
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Assuming Zeihan is right, the last 400 years of Russian history has been a constant push by them to get to defensible territory. Most of Russia is flat, wide open plains that a Mongol horde or Panzer division can easily race across. The desire to expand their borders to geographical gaps they can plug with what has always been a limited population of soldiers has defined that history. The Soviet era, when they controlled ALL of the important geographic gaps was the most secure the Russians have ever been, and all of the adventurism of the last 30 years has been to try to recreate that same feeling of security.
Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said for that. That's one of the big reasons why Poland has been continually invaded over the last few hundred years -- it's either a pathway or a buffer zone.
That said, Putin's adventurism has done nothing to expand Russia's security and I, for one, am glad for it.
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More evidence that Russia's "unstoppable" hypersonic missiles are very... stoppable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/humiliation-for-putin-s-unstoppable-superweapons-blasted-out-of-sky-by-u-s-defense-system/ar-AA1bfvjM?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=2af11e88bfbe4786aa234888c80f13c5&ei=72
One of those cultural differences between the US and Russia (Soviet?) maybe. Russia almost always claimed better capabilities of vehicles and weapons than actual. The US was the opposite, often the published capabilities were less than what they could actually do.
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Having Russia’s relative impotence repeatedly hammered home is as worrying as it is comforting. Are their nukes similarly ineffective, or is that their last bastion of strength?
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Having Russia’s relative impotence repeatedly hammered home is as worrying as it is comforting. Are their nukes similarly ineffective, or is that their last bastion of strength?
Stating the obvious here, but ... if only 10% of Russia's nukes are functional, that's still roughly 600 warheads ... more than enough to *expletive deleted*ck up your day.
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Stating the obvious here, but ... if only 10% of Russia's nukes are functional, that's still roughly 600 warheads ... more than enough to *expletive deleted*ck up your day.
Sure, I've said pretty much exactly that in this very thread:
I was thinking along those lines as well, but with their nuclear stockpile it's really just a numbers game. It doesn't take very many functional nukes to ruin our day, and even one that fails to go nuclear still makes a mess. If a mere one out of ten in their actual deployed force actually work then they have plenty to target all major population centers in the US and Europe and plenty to go around for extra hits. Allegedly they're also in the middle of a nuclear modernization effort, so some are pretty new.
What do you do if your only viable tool is a hammer?
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I wonder, as a thought experiment, how bad the Russians are actually doing.
How do you think We would have done in Iraq without Air superiority and if the Iraqi's had been willing to stand and fight, and had been provided with $200bn in state of the art military hardware?
I fully agree the Red Army is not covering itself in glory, but I think everyone agrees if NATO hadn't decided to make this a proxy war, it'd be long over by now.
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I wonder, as a thought experiment, how bad the Russians are actually doing.
This is a fair point. They're attacking and it isn't unusual for attackers to take more casualties and there are plenty of dead and injured Ukrainians. And we're getting a heavily slanted propaganda-infused filtration of the war.
How do you think We would have done in Iraq without Air superiority and if the Iraqi's had been willing to stand and fight, and had been provided with $200bn in state of the art military hardware?
Don't forget top-notch intel. It wasn't luck that lead to Russian generals getting killed at every turn from the very beginning. If I had to guess, I'd wager western intel was probably one of the biggest external contributors to Ukraine's survival in the first weeks of the war.
That said, Russia being unable to establish air superiority in its next door neighbor in the first place isn't a very good sign, is it? Sure, the conflict has dragged on a lot longer because we keep pumping military resources into Ukraine, but the fact that Ukraine was able to survive the initial invasion before western equipment started pouring in does not speak well of Russian capabilities.
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Stating the obvious here, but ... if only 10% of Russia's nukes are functional, that's still roughly 600 warheads ... more than enough to *expletive deleted*ck up your day.
My next question would be if they know which are the 10%. If not, that is a lot of dud warheads.
Not sure what design differences there are, but my understanding is that we have had to rebuild a lot of our Cold War era nukes to be certain they worked.
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My next question would be if they know which are the 10%. If not, that is a lot of dud warheads.
Russian roulette with cities. That sounds fun.
(https://media.tenor.com/cvYSsBJMoxMAAAAM/shall-we-play-a-game-typing.gif)
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That said, Russia being unable to establish air superiority in its next door neighbor in the first place isn't a very good sign, is it? Sure, the conflict has dragged on a lot longer because we keep pumping military resources into Ukraine, but the fact that Ukraine was able to survive the initial invasion before western equipment started pouring in does not speak well of Russian capabilities.
The Ukraine, not being imbeciles, had dumped a *expletive deleted*it ton of money into MANPADS and other Air Defense since 2014. The Red Air Force's inability to establish air superiority over a whole country in a week or two isn't that unsurprising.
I also think we are seeing (again) the result between a lot of less sophisticated weapons, and comparatively fewer really good weapons. Our strategy of less really good stuff does pretty well in the real world. Except for the whole "we'd need to be at war again" thing I'd really like to see us turn Raptors and current gen AWACS loose on someone. I think it'd be ugly for whomever we were upset at.
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The Red Air Force's inability to establish air superiority over a whole country in a week or two isn't that unsurprising.
Imagine the US not being able to establish air superiority over the state of Texas to more or less put it in perspective. (Texas being slightly larger area wise)
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Imagine the US not being able to establish air superiority over the state of Texas to more or less put it in perspective. (Texas being slightly larger area wise)
If Texas had integrated air defenses and every redneck there had a case of Stingers, it might be pretty tough.
Air Combat and DEAD as a mission isn't my specialty, and I only have passing familiarity with it. AFAIK, the last time the US saw even half-ass decent air defense was Baghdad. In 1991 we had F-117's, a till then unknown capability that we used to great surprise, and in 2003, after 12 years of embargos they had a pasted together system of 25 year old rockets and sensors, which we, again, used stealth to take apart.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the USAF couldn't have taken down the Ukrainian air defenses B2's F35's and F22's would have *expletive deleted*ed them up, but not being as good as the USAF isn't automatically *expletive deleted*it tier. I am saying that if we had to try and provide CAS with A-10s and F/A-18's, against an enemy well supplied with Stingers, it might be ugly.
The Red Air Force does seem to be really lacking in ISR and Command and Control, even when they can manage to keep a Mainstay in the air. Which goes back to my earlier point about fewer, more technologically advanced weapons (i.e. NATO strategy) seeming to be a winning strategy.
Mostly I'm thinking out loud, because it's likely we'll get to see what's left of the Russians, or the Chinese, or both up close this decade, and I don't want to fall into the trap of "those guys couldn't even beat Ukraine" when what they couldn't beat was the Ukraine, and all of NATO's logistics and reserve weaponry. And all that crap hasn't beaten the Russians yet either.
THe Ukrainians are fighting a hell of an asymmetric war, and well utilizing the resources they have managed to get, and props to them for defending their homes as best they can. I guess we'll see what this summer brings in terms of Russian troop commitment and NATO's fickle citizen's funding desires.
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More evidence that Russia's "unstoppable" hypersonic missiles are very... stoppable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/humiliation-for-putin-s-unstoppable-superweapons-blasted-out-of-sky-by-u-s-defense-system/ar-AA1bfvjM?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=2af11e88bfbe4786aa234888c80f13c5&ei=72
Something straight out of Stalin's playbook
As usual when it's The Sun so have a grain of salt handy just in case.
VLAD’S PURGE Paranoid Putin arrests another hypersonic missile chief for ‘treason’ after his ‘unstoppable’ Kinzhals are downed
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22385498/putin-arrests-another-hypersonic-missile-chief-treason/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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And in other news
‘We will put him in a coffin and cover him with the American flag’: Wagner chief Prigozhin claims US Special Forces vet has died fighting for Ukraine in city of Bakhmut as warlord is seen inspecting a body in new video
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12089941/Wagner-chief-Prigozhin-claims-Special-Forces-vet-died-Bakhmut.html
The footage, filmed at night, appears to show Prigozhin then inspecting what he claims to be the soldier's US identification documents amid the sound of apparent heavy artillery fire.
Prigozhin says in the video: 'So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we'll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?'
In the video, a Wagner mercenary claims the soldier was returning fire when he died. Prigozhin replies: 'He was shooting back, he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?'
Keep this in mind
DailyMail.com cannot verify the authenticity of the documents or the nationality of the body shown in the video. Prigozhin often posts fake videos for propaganda purposes.
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And in other news
‘We will put him in a coffin and cover him with the American flag’: Wagner chief Prigozhin claims US Special Forces vet has died fighting for Ukraine in city of Bakhmut as warlord is seen inspecting a body in new video
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12089941/Wagner-chief-Prigozhin-claims-Special-Forces-vet-died-Bakhmut.html
Keep this in mind
It's true. Former Green Beret from Idaho.
https://news.yahoo.com/idaho-army-special-forces-veteran-173524354.html
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If Texas had integrated air defenses and every redneck there had a case of Stingers, it might be pretty tough.
Air Combat and DEAD as a mission isn't my specialty, and I only have passing familiarity with it. AFAIK, the last time the US saw even half-ass decent air defense was Baghdad. In 1991 we had F-117's, a till then unknown capability that we used to great surprise, and in 2003, after 12 years of embargos they had a pasted together system of 25 year old rockets and sensors, which we, again, used stealth to take apart.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the USAF couldn't have taken down the Ukrainian air defenses B2's F35's and F22's would have *expletive deleted*ed them up, but not being as good as the USAF isn't automatically *expletive deleted*it tier. I am saying that if we had to try and provide CAS with A-10s and F/A-18's, against an enemy well supplied with Stingers, it might be ugly.
The Red Air Force does seem to be really lacking in ISR and Command and Control, even when they can manage to keep a Mainstay in the air. Which goes back to my earlier point about fewer, more technologically advanced weapons (i.e. NATO strategy) seeming to be a winning strategy.
Mostly I'm thinking out loud, because it's likely we'll get to see what's left of the Russians, or the Chinese, or both up close this decade, and I don't want to fall into the trap of "those guys couldn't even beat Ukraine" when what they couldn't beat was the Ukraine, and all of NATO's logistics and reserve weaponry. And all that crap hasn't beaten the Russians yet either.
THe Ukrainians are fighting a hell of an asymmetric war, and well utilizing the resources they have managed to get, and props to them for defending their homes as best they can. I guess we'll see what this summer brings in terms of Russian troop commitment and NATO's fickle citizen's funding desires.
I seem to remember hearing that Ukraine revisited the defense of their country after Russia moved into the Crimea pretty easily. Not just anti-air stuff like stingers, but plenty of anti-armor rockets as well. Seems like they did a good job of predicting what Russia would do and setting up a strategy to counter it.
The more shocking part is that Russia couldn't overwhelm/overrun them last year after mobilizing a larger army to invade. Instead, they seem to be unable to supply their army as well as they should and allowed Ukraine breathing room to counter attack.
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I don't want to fall into the trap of "those guys couldn't even beat Ukraine" when what they couldn't beat was the Ukraine, and all of NATO's logistics and reserve weaponry. And all that crap hasn't beaten the Russians yet either.
That's all true, but as has been mentioned by a few people, they didn't beat Ukraine before Ukraine had NATO logistics and reserve weaponry to rely on. Maybe the NATO commitments to supply Ukraine were executed much faster than I'd expect, but I'm guessing that the first few weeks were mostly done with systems on-hand that their troops were already trained with. Further, even given all of the western support they've received, for a lot of good reasons they have not gotten our best and most capable systems. That the limited, outdated, and export-model stuff we've sent them has been sufficient to stall the Russian invasion for so long is telling. If Ukraine was fielding modern NATO weapons systems across the board instead of a hodgepodge of export models and hand-me-downs, I would think it would only serve to magnify Russian losses and take the fight into Russian territory in a big way.
Sure, "those guys couldn't even beat Ukraine" is not strictly correct, but even considering the support we've given them, prior to 2021 I would have expected Russia to have the resources and strength to march over them in a matter of weeks. They didn't.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the USAF couldn't have taken down the Ukrainian air defenses B2's F35's and F22's would have *expletive deleted*ed them up, but not being as good as the USAF isn't automatically *expletive deleted*it tier. I am saying that if we had to try and provide CAS with A-10s and F/A-18's, against an enemy well supplied with Stingers, it might be ugly.
Right, but Russia does have something like 10 active SU-57s, and claims to have used a handful to attack targets in Ukraine (though they may keep them over Russia and just fire weapons over the border). Saying that all they have to play with are equivalents of A-10s and F/A-18's isn't quite accurate. Also, if their concern was just MANPADs (i.e., assuming they were able to run effective SEAD on the bigger AA installations), I'd expect Russia to be doing high altitude bombing all day long.
I'm not claiming Russia is *expletive deleted*it-tier, I'm saying they're not nearly as strong as I used to think they were. You probably already had a better take on their capabilities before this conflict than I did, so maybe you weren't as surprised as me that Ukraine is still standing. I used to figure Russia was #2 or #3 in conventional military capability. Now ... maybe 9 or 10?
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I have been following Denys Davydov on Telegram for a week or two now since I came across his youtube videos. Purely pro-Ukrane and biased. He posted this today. No story linked. We will see if it hits the news anywhere.
Ruzzian Designers of the Kinzhal hypersonic rocket were arrested today accused of spying for USA. Yesterday I told you that the family of one of designers lives abroad in the NATO country.
Salty Cracker had this video about an explosion inside Ukraine. Denys acknowledged it happened with little commentary. I don't know if this was enough to delay anything.
https://rumble.com/v2nohig-ukraine-puts-300-million-of-us-aid-in-one-warehouse-and-russia-blows-it-up.html
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A $3 billion "accounting error". The result will apparently be giving Ukraine another $3 billion.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2023/05/18/pentagon-reportedly-had-a-3-billion-accounting-error-which-will-benefit-ukraine/
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PUTIN'S PUPS Sick Russian plan to round up stray dogs and send them out on suicide missions to clear MINES in Putin’s invasion
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22396673/russian-stray-dogs-mines-ukraine-war-putin/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
It's the Sun so the usual grain of salt is recommencement but something about this sounds familiar. Hmmm I wonder what?
(https://d.wattpad.com/story_parts/125080125/images/13d9ebd2340eca1f.jpg)
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Incendiary bats, WWII (IIRC)
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Incendiary bats, WWII (IIRC)
That was one of the US's more wacky ideas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb
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While we on the subject of wacky
During the Cold War, the UK designed nuclear land mines that were reliant on chickens
https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-developed-chicken-warmed-nuclear-landmines-2016-11
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I believe I’ve mentioned before that upon successful completion of their mission, the chickens would have been promoted to Kentucky Colonel.
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Incendiary bats, WWII (IIRC)
That's actually a rather clever idea, given the way Japanese cities were built in the 1940s. We likely would have seen how it worked operationally if not for the success of the Manhattan Project.
As for Ukraine, they probably would have even more success if provision of NATO weaponry wasn't made contingent on ROE's that disallowed use of NATO weapons for strikes at military targets (e.g., missile launch sites and military airfields) within Russia.
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"We likely would have seen how it worked operationally if not for the success of the Manhattan Project."
More than likely not.
By the time the bat bomb would have been ready, in mid 1945, pretty much anything worth burning in Japan had already been burned by B-29 raids.
It would have been truly a case of diminishing returns.
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"By the time the bat bomb would have been ready, in mid 1945, pretty much anything worth burning in Japan had already been burned by B-29 raids."
I don' t think that's entirely the case. Without the A-bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been good targets, as would Kokura (the primary target for the 2nd bomb.) Niigata was still an option for targeting, as were any number of smaller targets that really wouldn't have called for an atom bomb. A couple of aircraft with bat bombs would have been cheaper than a massive B-29 raid, too, and the bats would scatter and find places to roost, so if targeting was a little off, they still might have been effective.
Management of incendiary bats overseas - in the field - would have been tricky, though.
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Management of incendiary bats overseas - in the field - would have been tricky, though.
Sounds like a job for
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/34/1e/bb/341ebbadc71babbe88a49eb2f24a3896.gif)
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I believe I’ve mentioned before that upon successful completion of their mission, the chickens would have been promoted to Kentucky Colonel.
Extra Extra Crispy
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"Without the A-bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been good targets, as would Kokura (the primary target for the 2nd bomb.) Niigata was still an option for targeting, as were any number of smaller targets that really wouldn't have called for an atom bomb."
Hiroshima and Nagasaki WERE bombed, including with firebombs, before the A Bomb target committee pulled them off Curtis LeMay's target lists (much to his displeasure), but weren't hit with the same kind of ferocity that other cities were... yet. Without the A bomb those cities would have been firebombed back to the stone age.
The smaller, less densely populated and more spread out cities in Japan would have been less vulnerable to bat bombing because the fires could have been more easily controlled. Those cities would also have been less vulnerable to the kind of firestorms seen in cities like Tokyo, and it took the sheer volume of incendiary material a B-29 could carry to do the kind of damage that LeMay wanted.
Truth of the matter is, though, that by the time of the dropping of the atomic bomb, virtually every Japanese population center over 75,000 had been firebombed to one extent or another, as is shown in this map.
The figures for Hiroshima and Nagasaki apparently include the damage done by the atom bombs... a different kind of firebombing, I guess.
(https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Arnold-map-Japan-firebombing.jpg)
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"Management of incendiary bats overseas - in the field - would have been tricky, though."
Management of the bats in the test setting was tricky as hell and failed on at least one occasion. A number of bats escaped in the test area and caused significant damage at an Army Air base in New Mexico.
The program was also cancelled in mid 1944, well before virtually anyone knew of the Manhattan Project because it was estimated that it wouldn't be ready for operational use until mid 1945 and a new incendiary bomb was being deployed that used napalm, which was proving to be FAR more effective than previous designs that had used magnesium and oil spray.
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Sounds like a job for
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/34/1e/bb/341ebbadc71babbe88a49eb2f24a3896.gif)
I can hear the theme music. =)
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I hear the trumpet rif they did on scene changes...
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Russia says they've taken Bakhmut, Ukraine say they haven't.
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I am not familiar with this site, but the story seems a bit outrageous.
United States Offers LGM-30G Minuteman III Missiles to Ukraine with a No-Strike Agreement on Russia
https://bnn.network/breaking-news/united-states-offers-lgm-30g-minuteman-iii-missiles-to-ukraine-with-a-no-strike-agreement-on-russia/
In a significant move to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities, the United States has announced its readiness to provide LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, this offer comes with a crucial condition – the Ukrainian Armed Forces must refrain from launching strikes on Russian territory.
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I am not familiar with this site, but the story seems a bit outrageous.
United States Offers LGM-30G Minuteman III Missiles to Ukraine with a No-Strike Agreement on Russia
https://bnn.network/breaking-news/united-states-offers-lgm-30g-minuteman-iii-missiles-to-ukraine-with-a-no-strike-agreement-on-russia/
A bit?
Waders required to read.
Think they're actually trying to be serious.
Next article will be the US gifting a couple of attack submarines to Switzerland.
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I do not know a whole lot about missiles, but aren't ICBMs, i.e, INTERCONTINENTAL ballistic missiles, pretty much designed for striking the enemy's territory? There must be cheaper and more efficient options for missile defense within the boundaries of Ukraine.
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I do not know a whole lot about missiles, but aren't ICBMs, i.e, INTERCONTINENTAL ballistic missiles, pretty much designed for striking the enemy's territory? There must be cheaper and more efficient options for missile defense within the boundaries of Ukraine.
Ding Ding Ding.
Unless Ukraine intends on striking Siberian or maybe China or the US that is :facepalm: And that's leaving out why would the US give them to Ukraine in the first place.
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I am not familiar with this site, but the story seems a bit outrageous.
United States Offers LGM-30G Minuteman III Missiles to Ukraine with a No-Strike Agreement on Russia
https://bnn.network/breaking-news/united-states-offers-lgm-30g-minuteman-iii-missiles-to-ukraine-with-a-no-strike-agreement-on-russia/
This is either the fanciful imagining of a troll (most likely) or is someone's clumsy attempt at disinformation.
Russia: Are you Yankees really giving Ukraine ICBMs?
USA: No comment
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Okay, yeah, I didn't catch the news service at the link. In a cursory webz search, all I found related to the Minuteman, the US, and Ukraine, was that the US is delaying a test launch so as not to aggravate the ruskies more.
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Established in 2022 by accomplished entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal, BNN Breaking is an independent news network that is transforming the landscape of journalism and news coverage in contemporary society. We challenge the norms of traditional journalism by providing a superior approach to reporting and disseminating the news.
Our commitment is to deliver honest, fact-based, and unbiased international reporting that can be trusted. We strive to help citizens address the issues that matter most in their lives.
We are the trailblazers, the guardians, and the truth-seekers. Our purpose is not to sell you a story but to provide you with the facts. The choice of what to do next is yours.
https://bnn.network/about/
"We are the trailblazers, the guardians, and the truth-seekers"
Rest of the page is them giving themselves fellatio
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, successful entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist Gurbaksh Chahal recognized the need for a factual, data-driven news network to deliver fast, accurate, and unbiased news across all formats. Thus, BNN Breaking was born.
Chahal understands the profound impact journalism and news reporting can have on lives worldwide.
Since the age of 16, he has been leveraging groundbreaking technology to develop solutions that benefit businesses, communities, government agencies, and organizations globally.
In addition to revolutionizing news delivery through BNN Breaking, Chahal serves as Chairman and CEO of three rapidly expanding companies: Medriva, Procurenet, and RedLotus.
Googled the guy. what he writes about himself makes Trump's ego look puny in comparison. Served jail time for assault.
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Russia says they've taken Bakhmut, Ukraine say they haven't.
So, that's what, the 43rd time that the Commies have claimed to have taken Bakhmut?
Fool me 42 times, shame on you...
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Yeah.... no.
Minuteman missiles are silo-launched nuclear strike missiles.
There's nothing mobile about them. No way in hell would we give Ukraine a weapon like that with the chance that they would fall into Russian hands.
I got about 3 sentences into that "news" report and closed it. Not worth any time.
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Yeah.... no.
Minuteman missiles are silo-launched nuclear strike missiles.
There's nothing mobile about them. No way in hell would we give Ukraine a weapon like that with the chance that they would fall into Russian hands.
I got about 3 sentences into that "news" report and closed it. Not worth any time.
Not to worry, a construction company with ties to Hunter will dig silos for them.
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And Biden gave them another $350 million while bitching about the debt limit.
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And Biden gave them another $350 million while bitching about the debt limit.
Was this actual military aid (things that go boom) or was it another contribution to their pension system?
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Slight thread veer, but Garand Thumb put out a video today with examples of the small arms being used in the conflict. Interesting to me was the resurgence of the battle rifle. According to GT, due to oodles of high quality .308 being made available, and also to defeat body armor.
https://youtu.be/VIrXvwJZE7w
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Okay, yeah, I didn't catch the news service at the link. In a cursory webz search, all I found related to the Minuteman, the US, and Ukraine, was that the US is delaying a test launch so as not to aggravate the ruskies more.
That is all I saw as well. Just the idea of us handing over missiles like that is absurd enough, but only seeing the story on one site is suspicious.
However, I can easily see some idiot in the Biden admin hearing about them being taken out of service/replaced and asked if they could be given to Ukraine (not knowing what they were).
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I'm really surprised that we've not seen any SKS rifles so far.
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I'm really surprised that we've not seen any SKS rifles so far.
(https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/21c8c236ecf8156d89e904a7c1db734d?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=1689&cropW=3000&xPos=0&yPos=8&width=862&height=485)
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Found on Facebook, SKS being used in sniping roles by both sides in Ukraine. original link in comments.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SKS/comments/vbqrvm/found_on_facebook_sks_being_used_in_sniping_roles/
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Well there we go.
I guess we bloodthirsty gun loving weapons of war buying 'muricans didn't get them all.
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Basically if it shoots and you can find ammo for it you'll probably find it being used there.
Some laugh at Mosins being used. A Mosin-Nagant will kill you today just as well as it did in 1891 and there's plenty of ammo. Same goes for the SKS.
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Another critic of the war dies
DEATH IN THE SKIES Another mystery Russian death as minister ‘who condemned Putin’s war in Ukraine’ falls fatally ill on flight to Moscow
https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx54uMnJuI7yehetrJZJ9syZPMwYsoPHSr
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Ukraine War Q&A Series: How Long Can This War Last? || Peter Zeihan
Zeihan on Geopolitics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LwJSw_EgA
In the 2nd half of the video, he made some interesting comments about the demographics of the Ukraine and Russia and effects of things like Russia pulling Ukrainian children out and putting them with families all over Russia.
I am not sure if I agree with his comments about Russia's reserve of equipment. I don't know how much of that old equipment is still any good or whether it has been maintained. Some of it helps I am sure, but how much? We know some has been sold off over the years. Then he makes the opposite argument about US inventories. Also, pre-optics tanks have limited usefulness on a modern battlefield assuming the enemy has thermal optics and anti-armor weapons.
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Same guy comments on markets and China. A couple comments on China's navy at the beginning caught my attention and jive with what I have heard other people say. China's navy is not close to being ready to operate more than locally near China.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY9YLES8X8g
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I am not sure if I agree with his comments about Russia's reserve of equipment. I don't know how much of that old equipment is still any good or whether it has been maintained. Some of it helps I am sure, but how much?
I saw an interesting video about that a month or so ago. Some dude on the internet casually tasks satellites to check up on Russian tank storage depots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PHUK6zkbpc
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I saw an interesting video about that a month or so ago. Some dude on the internet casually tasks satellites to check up on Russian tank storage depots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PHUK6zkbpc
Great link. I'm going down the rabbit hole of his channel just to see if I can discover his hardware/software and sats that he's pinging.
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Great link. I'm going down the rabbit hole of his channel just to see if I can discover his hardware/software and sats that he's pinging.
I'm pretty sure he paid a commercial satellite imagery provider to do it - I don't think he was pulling it off the sat directly.
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WTH? Just came across these videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p76WIYsuxDc
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pbP8qncKnQI
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S. Korea's evil giggle at the end is killing me :rofl:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0X1n8meu0OY
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Not sure where this happened or even if it has anything to do with the war
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PNiVJx1DvZw
Edit: Okay, way down in the comments
No one was hurt they were all spectators she was laughing at her boyfriend. Everyone on the beach was spectators they were detonating a drill hole to seal it. That's a man made island with an oil Derrick's setting on top of it. When the oil ran dry they sent explosives down the hole and detonated them. Sealing the hole keeping oil from seeping into the ocean. Standard practice on the coastline of some countys. The people along the coastlines are always alerted so they come to spectate at a reasonable distance and when it goes off and scares somebody that's waiting for it. It's sort of a funny situation.
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Reportedly the Ukrainians have begun their offensive
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12161585/Russias-defences-fragile-thought-officials-say-Ukrainian-counter-offensive-steps-up.html
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Reportedly the Ukrainians have begun their offensive
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12161585/Russias-defences-fragile-thought-officials-say-Ukrainian-counter-offensive-steps-up.html
My prayers are with Ukraine.
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There will be another $100 million headed over this week.
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Russia playing scorched earth?
Dam blown up in Russian-occupied Ukraine causes widespread flooding | DW News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNsTa90FjiA
'Nothing will survive here': Entire Ukrainian villages vanish underwater as Russia blows up Kakhovka dam 'from the inside' - forcing thousands to abandon their homes
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12163585/Ukraine-accuses-Russia-destroying-major-dam-near-Kherson-warns-widespread-flooding.html
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There will be another $100 million headed over this week.
Half to accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, half to support the Ukrainian pension system. Less 10% for the big guy and his family. (Can't steal all of it, people would talk. Easier to explain an accounting error if SOME is spent locally.)
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Russia playing scorched earth?
Dam blown up in Russian-occupied Ukraine causes widespread flooding | DW News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNsTa90FjiA
'Nothing will survive here': Entire Ukrainian villages vanish underwater as Russia blows up Kakhovka dam 'from the inside' - forcing thousands to abandon their homes
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12163585/Ukraine-accuses-Russia-destroying-major-dam-near-Kherson-warns-widespread-flooding.html
I think that also cuts off water to the Crimea or at least interrupts it. I can only assume they thought this would spoil attacks down river or divert resources.
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I think that also cuts off water to the Crimea or at least interrupts it. I can only assume they thought this would spoil attacks down river or divert resources.
Yeah, it cuts off fresh water to Crimea and the nuke plant that sits right there.
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I think that also cuts off water to the Crimea or at least interrupts it. I can only assume they thought this would spoil attacks down river or divert resources.
Or it might be a tacit admission that they (the Russians) expect to lose the Crimean peninsula and they want to make it as costly as possible for the Ukrainians to retake their own country.
Putin needs to be brought before the world court and tried for war crimes.
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Or it might be a tacit admission that they (the Russians) expect to lose the Crimean peninsula and they want to make it as costly as possible for the Ukrainians to retake their own country.
Putin needs to be brought before the world court and tried for war crimes.
Or "accidentally" fall from a hi-rise
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-HLyoSD5lg
Update from Ukraine | Who blown up the Dam? Ukraine Lost Leopard-2 John Deer Modification
The John Deere Leopard-2 story is at the end.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-HLyoSD5lg
Update from Ukraine | Who blown up the Dam? Ukraine Lost Leopard-2 John Deer Modification
The John Deere Leopard-2 story is at the end.
That John Deere probably cost more than most of the tanks over there
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Putin needs to be brought before the world court and tried for war crimes.
I always chuckle when I see Americans say stuff like this.
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Maybe drag him before the UN commission on human rights. That would be laughable. =)
All the world court would be is a chance for politicians to grand stand about how bad Putin is. There wouldn't be any actual justice going on. Stinks of world government crap.
IMO, the worse "crime" is taking Ukrainian children and adopting them out to Russian families. Long term demographic destruction of Ukraine.
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Or "accidentally" fall from a hi-rise
or a helicopter.
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I always chuckle when I see Americans say stuff like this.
Because of what Americans have done and gotten away with, or is it more of a wry chuckle because if it were to ever happen short of being initiated by Russia themselves it would require you going to work and probably never coming home and almost certainly result in nuclear exchanges?
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Because of what Americans have done and gotten away with, or is it more of a wry chuckle because if it were to ever happen short of being initiated by Russia themselves it would require you going to work and probably never coming home and almost certainly result in nuclear exchanges?
Because the US, famously, did not ratify the Rome Treaty and holds that it's citizens are not subject to the authority of the ICC.
But your reasons are worth a chuckle as well.
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or a helicopter.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50757054266_e62462d06c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kkeaTh)
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Said hi-rise because people on the wrong side Putin seem to have a habit of "accidentally" falling out of windows or off balconies a lot. Would seem fitting if the same happened to him.
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If we had a real cia Putin could have some nice polonium tea and then us, the FSB, MI-6, Wagner dude and whoever else could all do the spiderman meme. Of course his replacement would be worse because Russia.
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Oh lovely
“The area where the Kakhovka dam was is full of landmines, which are now floating in the water and are posing a huge risk,” Country Director at CARE Ukraine Fabrice Martin said in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-07-23/index.html
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Landmines float?
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Landmines float?
Some do.
They (at least anti-personnel ones) tend to be mostly composite and ceramic plus the charge these days to avoid the easy detection, and that stuff can easily be less dense than water.
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In one of the news stories about the dam that I heard was that it was also the route the Ukrainians were planning on using to get into Crimea. This will set that recapture plans back a bit.
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https://youtu.be/A2Fia_4p1R0
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https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/06/09/america-weapons-china-00100373
If things get exciting with the PRC, it is not going to be pretty for us. Says the man who is seven miles downwind of the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, one of the very first command, control and communication targets.
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Let’s say all of the leftists and Chinese propagandists (redundancy alert) are right, and our military equipment would get utterly smoked by the PLA in a head to head fight. Still, all we have to do is either by ourselves or with help from (or even if we don’t help they can accomplish this on their own) India, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam put destroyers, subs, etc in the Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, Straights of Malacca, South China Sea and Philippine Sea (out of range of most Chinese warships) and put an embargo on oil tankers going to China and China would deindustrialize and go into famine in 6 months.
The USA is (or could very easily be) a net exporter of oil and oil products. The whole world could embargo us for oil and while it might become more expensive we won’t run out for the foreseeable future. Assuming our politicians would allow us to extract it.
China imports 75-80% of their oil needs. 75-80% of their imports come from the Middle East. The rest comes from eastern Russian pipelines. Well over half of their total oil imports come through the longest, most easily interdicted trade route in the world. To get from the Middle East to China you have to pass through either the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden or the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman both of which have massive choke points. Then you have to pass by India (not friendly to China) to get to the next choke point at the Straights of Malacca which takes you past Indonesia and Malaysia (not friendly to China). Then you can finally get to the South China Sea but you still have to sail past Vietnam (very not friendly to China) and the Philippines (American ally) before you can get to a friendly port.
Put a stop to just middle eastern oil and China grinds to an economic halt. Russia and China have never been allies really, and they won’t be especially motivated to crank up the pipeline exports. But even if they do, a few well placed sabotage charges or cruise missiles would slow those flows long enough that china would collapse.
And that ignores the demographic issues facing China that will cripple their ability to thrive too.
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There's also the issue that PRC doesn't actually have the sealift needed to pull off that invasion, even if everything they have works perfectly.
Their long range strike capabilities are suspect as well.
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An all-out war with China would be some major suckage, for both both the US military and US citizens. Probably end up with a long lasting economic global depression for the survivors.
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There's the very real possibility their economy will crash in short order being so import (oil) and export depended. Won't do ours much good but it would be a disaster for them. Could throw the country into turmoil for years.
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From the link MillCreek posted about wargaming US vs Chicoms
In every exercise the U.S. uses up all its long-range air-to-surface missiles in a few days, with a substantial portion of its planes destroyed on the ground.
I've been reading for years that our ammo supplies aren't what they should be if we're going to fight a major war - and we've funneled a lot of heavy munitions to Ukraine. Even our latest and greatest destroyers - the Zumwalt class - which cost over 7 billion each (IF you include R&D costs) have never taken to the high seas with a full load of ammo for their cannon since each round cost $800k. And the ships don't otherwise perform up to expectations, either.
I worry a bit about how China perceives US leadership - if they think our next POTUS will NOT be Biden, they may push up their timetable for attacking Taiwan. A second term for Joe would extend their window of opportunity by another 4 years.
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An all-out war with China would be some major suckage, for both both the US military and US citizens. Probably end up with a long lasting economic global depression for the survivors.
It would be bad for sure, “long lasting” global depression though is not so likely. We’re already well on the way a de-globalized world. A devastated China would be a very bad thing regionally but probably not globally. A deindustrialized China would mean a lower global demand for oil. A lot of production is moving out of China anyway already.
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https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/06/09/america-weapons-china-00100373
If things get exciting with the PRC, it is not going to be pretty for us. Says the man who is seven miles downwind of the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, one of the very first command, control and communication targets.
I remember reading so goddamned many similar articles in the 1970s and 1980s...
Only about the Soviet Union...
SOVIETS WILL CRUSH THE US IN A WAR! THEIR WEAPONS ARE NOT ONLY BETTER THAN OURS, BUT THERE ARE MORE OF THEM!!!
along with...
THE UNITED STATES IS IN TERMINAL NADIR! WE NEED TO EMBRACE THE FACT THAT THE SOVIET UNION IS IN PERMANENT ASCENDANCY AND THE US IS NOW JUST A HAS BEEN!
All of those fucksticks whose hopes, dreams, and expectations for the glorious rise of Soviet Communism crushing evil Western capitalism were left bereft by the collapse of the Soviet Union... but now they have a new hope upon which to hang their hatred of capitalism -- China.
They've picked up the torch and are using it to light fires of doom, gloom, and secretly, hope that the death of American capitalism is just a hairsbreadth away.
THE CHINESE HAVE MORE, AND BETTER, WEAPONS THAT WE DO! THEY'VE PASSED US IN EVERY TECHNOLOGICAL AND MILITARY CATEGORY THERE IS! WE NEED TO ACCEPT THAT AMERICA IS IN NADIR, AND COMMUNIST CHINA IS NOW THE NEW WORLD LEADER IN EVERY CATEGORY THERE IS!
Yeah... .whatever.
Our biggest enemy in an all out war with China?
It's not China.
It's our own Government. As in Joe Biden, Kamela Harris, AOC and her squad of America haters.
If the US were to really hope to win a war against China, those elements would have to be marginalized and minimized quickly and effectively, or as active lovers of all things Chinese they could quickly derail any effective response to Chinese aggression.
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Our biggest enemy in an all out war with China?
It's not China.
It's our own Government. As in Joe Biden, Kamela Harris, AOC and her squad of America haters.
Sadly a major consideration. Regardless if you believe that we or China have the superior assets and warfighting capability, the bureaucratic is always the enemy of the operational.
I'm still of the opinion that China is on its way to passing us in warfighting assets, but their training still seems to be focused on homeland defense. I'd be more worried if we took the war to them versus them taking the war to us, or to anywhere outside their EEZ.
Edit: I'm talking conventional warfare. Nukes would of course be game over for everyone. Sadly, it's something to consider in the current environment.
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Let’s say all of the leftists and Chinese propagandists (redundancy alert) are right, and our military equipment would get utterly smoked by the PLA in a head to head fight. Still, all we have to do is either by ourselves or with help from (or even if we don’t help they can accomplish this on their own) India, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam put destroyers, subs, etc in the Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, Straights of Malacca, South China Sea and Philippine Sea (out of range of most Chinese warships) and put an embargo on oil tankers going to China and China would deindustrialize and go into famine in 6 months.
In this area, we see a lot of coal trains headed up for Vancouver BC to be loaded onto bulk carriers and shipped off to the PRC to run power plants. That would be gone as well.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roslynlayton/2022/06/01/up-700-chinas-consumption-of-us-coal-drives-shortages-not--railroads/?sh=468c41d51168
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I do think the article made some good points about the decline of our defense manufacturing base, and even if on a war footing, I think the capacity for rapid output is just not there.
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The best comment I heard was that China is watching the Russia/Ukraine war with interest since most all of their weapons are copied from Russian designs. Ukraine had 7 or 8 years to prepare and stopped Russia. Taiwan has had decades to prepare and China can't simply walk into Taiwan.
That article sounds like fear mongering in order to push for more defense funding.
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It would be bad for sure, “long lasting” global depression though is not so likely. We’re already well on the way a de-globalized world. A devastated China would be a very bad thing regionally but probably not globally. A deindustrialized China would mean a lower global demand for oil. A lot of production is moving out of China anyway already.
Supposedly US has 44.5 Billion barrels of crude oil in the ground, just to run the US economy uses it 7.4 Billion barrels a year. All out war, well the use of that oil is switched to defense and severely rationed to everything else, like during WW2. I figure Canada and Mexico will at least sell us oil, if the rest of the world can't or won't. Both have quite a bit of reserves, but eventually the easy stuff will be consumed powering the war machine if it is a lengthy conflict.
China will destroy some of our infrastructure and we will destroy theirs. Probably at the same levels of Europe and Japan during WW2. It will take years to rebuild, much like Japan and Europe.
Just the loss of easy petroleum and infrastructure will send us into a global depression, because the global economy is extremely dependent on crude oil.
If nukes are dropped, even worse.
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The best comment I heard was that China is watching the Russia/Ukraine war with interest since most all of their weapons are copied from Russian designs. Ukraine had 7 or 8 years to prepare and stopped Russia. Taiwan has had decades to prepare and China can't simply walk into Taiwan.
That article sounds like fear mongering in order to push for more defense funding.
Well, we probably do need more defense funding just to replenish our stockpiles. Plus, technology doesn’t stop advancing so if we don’t want to find ourselves at a disadvantage in a decade or three we have to keep advancing our weapons capabilities.
The fact that I would personally profit from such spending is irrelevant.
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Supposedly US has 44.5 Billion barrels of crude oil in the ground, just to run the US economy uses it 7.4 Billion barrels a year. All out war, well the use of that oil is switched to defense and severely rationed to everything else, like during WW2. I figure Canada and Mexico will at least sell us oil, if the rest of the world can't or won't. Both have quite a bit of reserves, but eventually the easy stuff will be consumed powering the war machine if it is a lengthy conflict.
China will destroy some of our infrastructure and we will destroy theirs. Probably at the same levels of Europe and Japan during WW2. It will take years to rebuild, much like Japan and Europe.
Just the loss of easy petroleum and infrastructure will send us into a global depression, because the global economy is extremely dependent on crude oil.
If nukes are dropped, even worse.
You’re about 50% low based my 5 seconds of googling, and that’s for “proven” reserves. Which is usually a very conservative estimate, and is based on current extraction methods. There’s always lots more that is just a bit more expensive to extract.
Rebuilding is inflationary but also highly stimulating to the economy. Not saying it would be a good thing, but it’s not depression causing. Besides you’re stuck on globalism as though it will be the status quo forever. Globalization is coming to an end and regionalism is going to become the norm over the next decades. And whether we (or any other major country) fight a war with China or not (hopefully not) China will cease to be an economic entity of consequence for us within a decade or so.
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The best comment I heard was that China is watching the Russia/Ukraine war with interest since most all of their weapons are copied from Russian designs. Ukraine had 7 or 8 years to prepare and stopped Russia. Taiwan has had decades to prepare and China can't simply walk into Taiwan.
That article sounds like fear mongering in order to push for more defense funding.
And the NATO weapons that the are being forwarded to the Ukrainians are showing themselves to be leaps and bounds ahead of what the Russians are fielding.
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"All out war, well the use of that oil is switched to defense and severely rationed to everything else, like during WW2."
Oddly enough, gasoline and oil rationing during World War II wasn't due to need to conserve distillates for the war effort.
It was to cut down on civilian use of rubber and make sure that only those people who NEEDED to drive were driving.
During WW II the US was producing more oil than the rest of the world combined, and even with the war economy had pretty significant reserves. By 1945 the US was pumping over 60% of the world's crude oil production.
Rubber, on the other hand? The Japanese push into the Pacific interdicted over 90% of the US's pre-war supply of natural rubber. Synthetic rubber was an up and coming technology, but it was still largely in its infancy and what was being manufactured truly WAS needed for the war economy.
Civilian use of rubber was virtually eliminated during the war.
Interestingly enough, though, one civilian use did have a very high priority -- home canning seals.
With the push to get Americans to grow as much of their own food as possible, there needed to be a way to preserve it, and in the age before widespread home freezers, the primary way was canning.
By 1944 almost 70% of the fruit and vegetables consumed on the home front were being grown in home gardens.
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Yeah but don't too complacence about the superiority of our equipment. Bit us in the behind in 1941/42 when we found about the A6M, Type 91, and that the Japanese were far superior in naval night fighting the hard way.
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Read my posts again and show me where I'm complacent about the capabilities of Chinese military hardware.
I've really not said, well, anything about Chinese equipment, other than repeating what the CHINA IS NOW GOD FOR ALL TIME!!! aholes have been saying for years.
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I am not necessarily saying our equipment is superior, simply that China's equipment/weapons are certainly NOT superior and we shouldn't put them up on some sort of pedestal. IMO, our Navy is a significant step above China in power in total. They might be close in total platforms, but most of our ships are open ocean capable ships where theirs are not. Doesn't mean they can't hurt us badly, especially if we are stupid. I would also point out that China is a one-man dictatorship these days and I hear that anyone with the potential to challenge his leadership has been removed. I imagine that doesn't do much for your subordinate leadership.
The other part is all we really have to do in the event of a conflict is keep them off Taiwan. We don't have to conquer them. Given time, we can easily cut off their imports for energy, food, raw materials, and fertilizer. I heard the point made that India had the navy to do that in the event of a war as China's ships can't operate that far.
The Deck of Fujian Aircraft Carrier Cracked? Google Earth Caught It!China VS US Aircraft Carrier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEdHOt7nnVo
I saw video the other day talking about the Taiwan navy and air force. It made the claim their armed forces was better trained and more professional than China's even if their jets and ships are not as new. Hopefully, we don't have to see that tested.
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Read my posts again and show me where I'm complacent about the capabilities of Chinese military hardware.
I've really not said, well, anything about Chinese equipment, other than repeating what the CHINA IS NOW GOD FOR ALL TIME!!! aholes have been saying for years.
Wasn't aimed at you but people in general
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There's a weapon we aren't sending Ukraine, MK48 ADCAPs. South China Sea sinkex. Any dust up with China needs to be day one shock and awe. Anything that flies or floats ceases to do so. Send every SSGN and empty them of tomahawks on any good target. As soon as air defenses are neutralized the B-52s from Andersen show up. No half measures.
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Ukraine lessons make China unlikely to risk Taiwan invasion: Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoqlIHvO7g
This guy runs down a few of the reasons he thinks China is rethinking plans to invade Taiwan and how vulnerable they are if the entire world sanctions them like they are doing to Russia.
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Ukraine lessons make China unlikely to risk Taiwan invasion: Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoqlIHvO7g
This guy runs down a few of the reasons he thinks China is rethinking plans to invade Taiwan and how vulnerable they are if the entire world sanctions them like they are doing to Russia.
Apples and oranges IMHO putting the sanctions aspect aside. Not only would the invasion be primarily amphibious in nature but you also have to consider that if China can establish even partial local naval and superiority Taiwan can be far more isolated. Russia really can't do much about the flow of arms and other supplies into Ukraine unless they start attacking NATO counties directly without all hell breaking loose.
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Apples and oranges IMHO putting the sanctions aspect aside. Not only would the invasion be primarily amphibious in nature but you also have to consider that if China can establish even partial local naval and superiority Taiwan can be far more isolated. Russia really can't do much about the flow of arms and other supplies into Ukraine unless they start attacking NATO counties directly without all hell breaking loose.
Most China watchers expect that the strategy for an invasion of Taiwan will start by hitting as much of the USN as is in range of non-nuclear weapons. Then invade and conquer Taiwan before the US pacific fleet can respond (it’s like 6 weeks to sail from the west coast to China, probably 2-3 weeks from Hawaii). The idea being to take the USN out of the fight before it starts and by the time they can get back in the fight it would be over.
That presupposes that A) they can sink/cripple that much of our fleet that quickly, B ) there won’t be any non-conventional retaliation, C) we won’t go after them just like we did Japan in 1942-45 afterwards (excluding nukes), D) the world at large won’t care/sanction/retaliate, E) they can invade and conquer Taiwan in under a month.
All of that is suspect at best.
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Tiawan is less than a week sailing time from Pearl. Plus if a shooting war starts 5th fleet is7 or 8 days away, the Air Force has forward deployed long range strike assets.
If a "Pearl Harbor repeat" surprise attack is their plan they'd have 3-6 days to finish the invasion, and that's assuming they actually kill all the attack boats in the area. At any given time 7th fleet has 10-12 boats running around out there.
It is extremely unlikely that the PLA could transport and supply an invasion force big enough to forcefully conquer Taiwan unless the US Navy decided to let them.
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Plus, the build-up to such an attack would be something we'd be likely to notice, just like we did with Putin's Ukraine invasion.
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And a lot of that leaves out the fact that Taiwan has their own military with tanks and weapons and jets that might dispute the matter with China regardless of what happens to us.
And it still doesn't address what would happen to China afterward. The US and the rest of the world can live without China a lot easier than China can survive without the rest of the world.
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China completely collapses without trade. Their terminal demography means they can’t sustain themselves via domestic consumption. Even if every Chinese woman of childbearing age committed immediately to popping out as many babies as possible it wouldn’t markedly alter their economic trajectory for 20 years. And it would be another 20 years before they became a major player again. And they won’t en mass make a big cultural shift to large numbers of children anytime soon.
A war that, between combat losses and famine kills half (give or take) of their current population might trigger a baby boom of sorts. It’s entirely plausible that China could, by 2030 if they go to war with Taiwan/USA they could be back to pre-1950 population levels. And economic impact on the world.
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Not saying they would succeed if they tried just that you really can't compare Taiwan directly to what's happening in Ukraine. They have some advantages in this that Russia doesn't
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Taiwan is likely better prepared than Ukraine. They have 4 diesel electric submarines as well.
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Most China watchers expect that the strategy for an invasion of Taiwan will start by hitting as much of the USN as is in range of non-nuclear weapons. Then invade and conquer Taiwan before the US pacific fleet can respond (it’s like 6 weeks to sail from the west coast to China, probably 2-3 weeks from Hawaii). The idea being to take the USN out of the fight before it starts and by the time they can get back in the fight it would be over.
Cranked up to about 30 knots, a fleet could make the Taiwan area in about eight days. Call it seven days because they would hold off a day's sailing or so west of Taiwan to launch strikes. Oilers and supply ships would have to trail behind some. Make it 16-17 days if you wait for them.
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Not seeing any mention of the 7th Fleet assets forward deployed at Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan. They are (on paper) significant. I'd also bet good money that we have several submarines in the area including SSNs and SSGNs, though the SSGNs were developed since I got out so I'm not educated on their missions and capabilities.
IF we had the "want-to" I think we could pretty well put a stop to any amphibious invasion fleet headed to Taiwan before they made landfall.
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Not seeing any mention of the 7th Fleet assets forward deployed at Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan. They are (on paper) significant. I'd also bet good money that we have several submarines in the area including SSNs and SSGNs, though the SSGNs were developed since I got out so I'm not educated on their missions and capabilities.
IF we had the "want-to" I think we could pretty well put a stop to any amphibious invasion fleet headed to Taiwan before they made landfall.
And speaking of Japan, many forget about them. They've been rather quietly building up their naval capability
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Ha ha - Time really thought they had something here. :rofl:
How Ukraine's dam collapse could become the country's 'Chernobyl'
https://twitchy.com/sarahd/2023/06/12/time-gets-smacked-around-for-historically-and-geographically-challenged-headline-on-ukraines-kakhovka-dam-n2384444
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Ha ha - Time really thought they had something here. :rofl:
How Ukraine's dam collapse could become the country's 'Chernobyl'
https://twitchy.com/sarahd/2023/06/12/time-gets-smacked-around-for-historically-and-geographically-challenged-headline-on-ukraines-kakhovka-dam-n2384444
And the dam "collapsed"
But what do expect when the people writing the articles think anything pre 2000 is ancient history. You know, pre smart phone, aka the stone age, when people thought there were only two genders.
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"IF we had the "want-to" I think we could pretty well put a stop to any amphibious invasion fleet headed to Taiwan before they made landfall."
As I said earlier...
Our biggest enemy in an all out war with China?
It's not China.
It's our own Government. As in Joe Biden, Kamela Harris, AOC and her squad of America haters.
If the US were to really hope to win a war against China, those elements would have to be marginalized and minimized quickly and effectively, or as active lovers of all things Chinese they could quickly derail any effective response to Chinese aggression.
Only it would be Afghanistan in spades...
MR PRESIDENT! THERE'S A CHICOM INVASION FLEET HEADING TOWARDS TAIWAN!
Uh... what? Who? Uh... (trips and falls over...)
Secretary of Communism AOC? How do you advise?
The Glorious People's Republic will cast out the imperialist capitalist oppressors and liberate their suffering brethren of Taiwan! Reunification is now a historical inevitability! Death to the oppressor!
Uh, Mr. President? What orders, sir?
You heard the Secretary of Communism... ABANDON JAPAN! ABANDON SOUTH KOREA! PULL EVERYONE OUT, BUT LEAVE EVERYTHING THERE!
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Speaking of Chernobyl
Remember when you could still buy surplus ammo? Pepperidge Farm remembers
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/20200316_173719.jpg)
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Just read a short article that as the waters in the lake behind the blow dam have dropped, skeletons are appearing...
At least one was still wearing a German WW II era stahlhelm; others were wearing Soviet-era helmets.
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Just read a short article that as the waters in the lake behind the blow dam have dropped, skeletons are appearing...
At least one was still wearing a German WW II era stahlhelm; others were wearing Soviet-era helmets.
Wow!
When was the dam built?
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When was the dam built?
Construction ran from 1950-1956
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Most China watchers expect that the strategy for an invasion of Taiwan will start by hitting as much of the USN as is in range of non-nuclear weapons. Then invade and conquer Taiwan before the US pacific fleet can respond (it’s like 6 weeks to sail from the west coast to China, probably 2-3 weeks from Hawaii). The idea being to take the USN out of the fight before it starts and by the time they can get back in the fight it would be over.
In this scenario, the fight for Taiwan might be over . . . just like the fight for the Philippines was over before the USN could recover from Pearl Harbor.
But it sure as hell wouldn't be the end of war with the USA. And if Biden tried to stop war after the Chicoms attacked the USN - he'd soon be ex-POTUS.
(One big question - how many Chicom sleeper agents are in CONUS right now, ready to hit refineries, pipelines, the electrical grid, and other places as a distraction?)
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Meanwhile
Could be a BS story, don't know, but something is going on in the video
A shocking video has shown Russian barrier troops appearing to execute their fellow soldiers as they attempt to flee the field of battle, Ukrainian sources have claimed.
Captured by a Ukrainian drone and posted to online messaging platform Telegram, the footage shows three Russian soldiers aiming weapons in the direction of at least seven comrades, and seemingly firing off rounds.
Return of Blocking Units?
Shocking drone footage shows 'Russian deserters being stopped by Putin's forces and shot as they try to flee', in scenes reminiscent of Stalin's 'No One Turn Back', Ukrainian sources claim
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12189359/Ukrainian-sources-say-shocking-footage-appears-Putins-forces-shot-try-flee.html
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In this scenario, the fight for Taiwan might be over . . . just like the fight for the Philippines was over before the USN could recover from Pearl Harbor.
But it sure as hell wouldn't be the end of war with the USA. And if Biden tried to stop war after the Chicoms attacked the USN - he'd soon be ex-POTUS.
My concern is if any such conflict would remain limited, or is the next step the computer asking if we would like to play a game, and then Global Thermonuclear War.
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In this scenario, the fight for Taiwan might be over . . . just like the fight for the Philippines was over before the USN could recover from Pearl Harbor.
But it sure as hell wouldn't be the end of war with the USA. And if Biden tried to stop war after the Chicoms attacked the USN - he'd soon be ex-POTUS.
(One big question - how many Chicom sleeper agents are in CONUS right now, ready to hit refineries, pipelines, the electrical grid, and other places as a distraction?)
Our immigration policy has allowed a lot of migrants from China, especially college/grad school students. I fully expect a significant amount of them are expected to respond and engage in sabotage when instructed to do so. How effectively trained they are to do that is another question. And how they plan to supply the saboteurs with weapons and demolition materials is also another question.
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My concern is if any such conflict would remain limited, or is the next step the computer asking if we would like to play a game, and then Global Thermonuclear War.
I agree, but then again I was worried that our intervention with Russia in Ukraine could spur a nuclear exchange and so far it hasn't.
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Notice that no one's tried to "force an early exit" on biden?
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Our immigration policy has allowed a lot of migrants from China, especially college/grad school students. I fully expect a significant amount of them are expected to respond and engage in sabotage when instructed to do so. How effectively trained they are to do that is another question. And how they plan to supply the saboteurs with weapons and demolition materials is also another question.
Record numbers of unaccompanied Chinese males of military age have been coming across the border. Makes me think something is up. Maybe Xi is waiting until he has enough sleepers in place here before invading Taiwan.
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And another one bites the dust
May have been killed by his gardener
DEATH MYSTERY Pro-Putin deputy ‘found stabbed to death and buried in basement under his house’ in latest mysterious death in Russia
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22672729/pro-putin-deputy-stabbed-buried-basement-russia/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Biden Administration Set to Supply Depleted Uranium Rounds to Ukraine: Report
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/06/13/biden-administration-set-to-supply-depleted-uranium-rounds-to-ukraine-report/
The Biden administration is reportedly set to follow Britain’s lead in supplying Ukraine with depleted uranium rounds to arm a swath of American tanks planned to be delivered to Kyiv in the Autumn.
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Looks like the Russians have lost yet another top general in combat.
So sad...
https://www.ibtimes.com/best-russian-general-killed-during-ukraine-counteroffensive-3699744
So far the Russians have confirmed the deaths of 5 of their Generals in combat, and the Ukrainians have claimed another 4.
Add to that the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, of colonels and majors and even more lesser officers. No wonder the Russians basically can't do anything. Their troops are poorly trained and their leaders keep getting killed.
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Ed Nash looks at the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Gives some insight at just how screwed up things are in Russia and how it's more like the Mafia on steroids
Who is Prigozhin?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K3qDoqSmIE
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Read an article (can't find it now) that said that a large group of Russian soldiers was standing around for over 2 hours waiting for a Russian general to get there and give a "motivational speech" before they headed off to combat.
Only problem was... they were assembled in an open area less than 10 miles from the front, which means that the Ukrainians had eyes on them....
So they offered their own motivational speech in the form of a HIMARS strike.
Ukrainians are claiming over 100 dead Russians and many more wounded.
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Looks like the Russians have lost yet another top general in combat.
So sad...
https://www.ibtimes.com/best-russian-general-killed-during-ukraine-counteroffensive-3699744
So far the Russians have confirmed the deaths of 5 of their Generals in combat, and the Ukrainians have claimed another 4.
Add to that the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, of colonels and majors and even more lesser officers. No wonder the Russians basically can't do anything. Their troops are poorly trained and their leaders keep getting killed.
Sometimes I wonder how many of these are cases of "fragging".
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I did see a drone video supposedly showing Russian troops running across a field (retreating from positions) and getting shot by other Russian troops. It was far enough back it wasn't easy to tell what was happening and I don't know enough about the uniforms and kit to know who they were.
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I did see a drone video supposedly showing Russian troops running across a field (retreating from positions) and getting shot by other Russian troops. It was far enough back it wasn't easy to tell what was happening and I don't know enough about the uniforms and kit to know who they were.
Same one back in #2540 or a different one?
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Cloning the Ukrainian Fanta Bomb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxc6UbEGiS0
Testing an improvised soda bottle bomb.
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Merkava….for Ukraine?
Maybe
Apparently some sort of deal has been worked out with someone, either Ukraine or someone else replacing tanks (probably Soviet era tanks that the Ukrainians are used to) they sent to Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms3nCVT3Vgo
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I did see a drone video supposedly showing Russian troops running across a field (retreating from positions) and getting shot by other Russian troops. It was far enough back it wasn't easy to tell what was happening and I don't know enough about the uniforms and kit to know who they were.
This is 2023, not 1943. I would expect at least some firefights breaking out between retreating troops and the kommisars and zampolits who opened fire on them for moving back.
Sometimes I wonder how many of these are cases of "fragging".
The same thought occurred to me. If you're being sent forward as a conscripted, untrained, poorly equipped suicide trooper to certain death anyway, why not take out the officer(s) sending you on?
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Same one back in #2540 or a different one?
Looks the same. The Daily Mail just zoomed in a little more.
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"This is 2023, not 1943. I would expect at least some firefights breaking out between retreating troops and the kommisars and zampolits who opened fire on them for moving back."
Given the state of the Russian military's training, I wouldn't be surprised if they were just throwing their weapons down and running as fast as they could.
Also, given the state of the Russian military's supply capabilities, it might be that the fleeing troops simply don't have ammunition, weapons, or either.
And, by 1943, the Red Army had gone a LONG way toward moving post the slaughter festivals of the early days of the war. Troops were finally, more and more, being competently led, trained, and equipped.
The Red Army of 1943 would absolutely *expletive deleted*ing DESTROY the Russian army of 2023 even more comprehensively than what the Ukrainians are doing right now.
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There are now reports of widespread cholera outbreaks among Russian troops in the Khakova Dam area.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-army-hit-by-cholera-outbreak-after-kakhovka-dam-flooding/ar-AA1cKevc
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Leopard 2 vs Ka-52 Alligator: Fighting in Ukraine
Military Aviation History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlNxn7vgMlc
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In Honor Of Lives Lost In The Sub, Biden Announces Another $5 Billion For Ukraine
https://babylonbee.com/news/in-honor-of-lives-lost-in-the-sub-biden-announces-another-5-billion-for-ukraine
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Well this could get interesting
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group is being investigated for inciting mutiny after accusing the Russian military of a launching a deadly missile strike on his troops.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said the "evil" in the military leadership must be stopped and vowed to "march for justice".
Authorities have denied the strike and demanded he halt "illegal actions".
President Putin is aware of the situation and all necessary measures are being taken, his spokesman said.
In an audio message posted to the social media platform Telegram, he said "huge numbers" of his fighters had been killed in a strike by the Russian military on a Wagner camp, though he provided no evidence to support his claims.
"Those who killed our lads, and tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers [in the war in Ukraine] will be punished," he said.
"I ask you not to resist. Anyone who does will be considered a threat and destroyed. That goes for any checkpoints and aviation on our way.
"Presidential power, the government, the police and Russian guard will work as usual.
"This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. Our actions do not interfere with the troops in any way."
Stay tuned folks [popcorn]
Russia accuses Wagner chief of urging 'armed mutiny'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66005256
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More
Could have a fight inside Russia on our hands.
Prigozhin announced his army will 'march for justice' and wage a revenge attack to stop the 'evil' of the Russian military high command, after he shared a video which he claimed showed his bases being bombed.
Armoured vehicles have been pictured on the streets of Moscow, and while it is unclear where Prigozhin is intending to march, there have been suggestions that his forces could reach Rostov-on-Don before 'moving onto the capital'.
Coup fears in Russia: Head of Wagner mercenaries brands Putin's army chiefs 'evil' who 'must be stopped' and launches 'march for justice' to Moscow: Kremlin puts troops on capital's streets and vows to smash 'armed mutiny' as TV runs emergency bulletin
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html
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Why shouldn't they take advantage of this?. Did you call a timeout or something?
The Russian Ministry of Defense said early Saturday that Kyiv is concentrating several brigades for an offensive in the Bakhmut direction, taking advantage of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's “provocation.”
"Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to disrupt the situation, the Kyiv regime is concentrating units of the 35th Marine Brigade and the 36th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) in Bakhmut tactical direction at the initial line for offensive actions,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-23-23/index.html
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Could be complete BS but we'll see.
Prigozhin claims forces have crossed Russian border
Wagner troops have crossed Russia's border with Ukraine in multiple locations, the mercenary group's leader has now claimed.
In new audio recordings published on Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin says his mercenaries were "embraced" by border guards as they passed through.
He also claimed Russian conscripts order to stop them moved aside to allow his troops to pass, adding they are "now entering Rostov" - a city in south-western Russia near the Ukrainian border.
"But if anyone stands in our way, we will destroy everything that's in our way... We are moving forward, we'll go all the way," Prigozhin added.
The BBC is not able to verify the claims and no images or videos of Wagner forces in Russia have yet emerged.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64962ba01babaa614a4730fa%26Prigozhin%20claims%20forces%20have%20crossed%20Russian%20border%262023-06-23T23%3A37%3A56.595Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:0f7d84ed-f78a-468c-a03d-879596a28410&pinned_post_asset_id=64962ba01babaa614a4730fa&pinned_post_type=share
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Why shouldn't they take advantage of this?. Did you call a timeout or something?
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-23-23/index.html
That quote is intended to direct Russian public ire at Prigozhin, not make anyone wag their finger at Ukraine.
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That quote is intended to direct Russian public ire at Prigozhin, not make anyone wag their finger at Ukraine.
Wonder how much we're backing the Wagner coup
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Be interesting to see if many, if any, Russian soldiers join this. You would think they've got to be fed up with this *expletive deleted*it show by now.
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BBC News is running a live update page.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142
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Wonder how much we're backing the Wagner coup
I wonder how long it will take for the PR message to go out that the evil, scary, war criminal Wagner group are actually the good guys.
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Stay indoors, Russian regional governor tells residents
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64963f8d1babaa614a473107%26Stay%20indoors%2C%20Russian%20regional%20governor%20tells%20residents%262023-06-24T01%3A00%3A46.008Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:47b0c0c3-b5f5-4132-abc9-e8b8969f0096&pinned_post_asset_id=64963f8d1babaa614a473107&pinned_post_type=share
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I wonder how long it will take for the PR message to go out that the evil, scary, war criminal Wagner group are actually the good guys.
... and how long until Russian television begins airing "Swan Lake" nonstop.
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... and how long until Russian television begins airing "Swan Lake" nonstop.
I heard a comment that internal internet was shut down. Not sure about that.
The Denys Davydov guy posted on Telegram that the order was give for air strikes against the vehicles moving toward Moscow, but the order was refused.
Update from Ukraine | Wagner started the military coup in Ruzzia | Prygozhyn is going to Moscow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMtjavd5Sug&feature=youtu.be
Sounds like interesting times over there.
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https://youtu.be/KXHZ0IH2rOk
Zeihan on potential for a coup.
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Internet size grain of salt mode on
Some people on facebook are posting Lukashenko is fleeing or has fled Belarus
Internet size grain of salt mode off
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Internet size grain of salt mode on
Dmitri Alperovitch
@DAlperovitch
Wagner claims to have taken Southern Military District HQ, regional FSB office and the Rostov city administration building
*No official confirmations available yet*
https://twitter.com/DAlperovitch/status/1672431878626766851?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
What's going on in this video?
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672429395930411010
Internet size grain of salt mode off
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Internet size grain of salt mode on
Some people on facebook are posting Lukashenko is fleeing or has fled Belarus
Internet size grain of salt mode off
I saw a Telegram post reportedly showing his jet was over Turkey.
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Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
🚨FSB offices are being evacuated in Voronezh and Lipetsk regions. They are on Prigozhin's path to Moscow from Rostov.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672435559011328000
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Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
Russia: This woman approached the soldiers in downtown Rostov and asked if they're Wagner. They confirmed. I can hear the Kremlin trolls' heads explode.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672440281814417408
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Dmitri Alperovitch Retweeted
Liveuamap
@Liveuamap
Good Morning from Rostov
https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status/1672436322017988609
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FzWv93jWwAAtDvd?format=jpg&name=900x900)
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Anti-terror measures in Moscow - mayor
Moscow's mayor has announced anti-terrorist measures are being taken to reinforce security in the capital city.
Writing on Telegram Sergey Sobyanin wrote: "In connection with the incoming information, anti-terrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures.
"Additional control on the roads has been introduced.
"It is possible to limit the holding of public events. Please consider the measures taken with understanding."
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64965e871babaa614a47310f%26Anti-terror%20measures%20in%20Moscow%20-%20mayor%262023-06-24T03%3A11%3A33.210Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:2542ec39-27ed-4f81-9afa-b2cdd49b92ef&pinned_post_asset_id=64965e871babaa614a47310f&pinned_post_type=share
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Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
🚨 Russia: Military columns rushing from Azov to Rostov-on-Don. These are likely Russian units that switched to Prigozhin's side.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672442517252603904
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(https://d13urrra316e2f.cloudfront.net/original/3X/a/5/a5dd986664720dbeb736e8b0f198a4143dcc673d.jpeg)
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Even if this fails it's going to have a huge effect on the war. We could see a total collapse of the Russian frontlines coming soon. What worries me the most about that is how Putin will react. Mushroom cloud over Kyiv? Don't know if I would put it pass him.
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Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
"Special Rossiya air squadron flew over Moscow last night: Two presidential helicopters were spotted over the Simferopol highway, the Moscow Ring, and flying toward Putin's residence in Novo-Ogarevo. (outside Moscow near Rublevka)"
This might mean Putin has fled Moscow.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672449198615310336
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BTW: I'm taking most of this with a grain of salt
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https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672442517252603904
That would be a question about all this. Would a portion of the Russian military join him?
All speculation so far and I fully expect a lot of what I see to be false or misinformation (just like the war so far I guess).
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That would be a question about all this. Would a portion of the Russian military join him?
All speculation so far and I fully expect a lot of what I see to be false or misinformation (just like the war so far I guess).
Don't know but like I said in an earlier post they've got to be fed up with this *expletive deleted*it show. If any of the above is true some are joining.
Don't trust what anyone is reporting just relaying what is being said.
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Highway to Moscow closed - regional governor
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=649667a5523d5b1261708415%26Highway%20to%20Moscow%20closed%20-%20regional%20governor%262023-06-24T03%3A54%3A37.149Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:272be574-d84d-4dc1-9cd4-c9a29be2c2b6&pinned_post_asset_id=649667a5523d5b1261708415&pinned_post_type=share
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"Don't trust what anyone is reporting just relaying what is being said."
Case in point
Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
Prigozhin says half of the Russian army is ready to join him.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672456671678038016
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:rofl:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FzXCjPlXgAACU1h?format=jpg&name=large)
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I give him a 20% chance.
But like I said before even if this fails it's going to have a huge effect on the war. We could see a total collapse of the Russian frontlines coming soon.
Edit: 10%.
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One thing that must not be lost sight of is that he has stated his beef isn't with Putin but with the defense ministry whom he blames for the war and it's conduct and turning on him.
I think the Russians will more than likely will crush him but this will greatly weaken their war effort. BUT if he can get enough Russian soldiers to come to his side all bets are off.
Will see how things look in the morning. Could swing one way or the other.
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One thing that must not be lost sight of is that he has stated his beef isn't with Putin but with the defense ministry whom he blames for the war and it's conduct and turning on him.
I think the Russians will more than likely will crush him but this will greatly weaken their war effort. BUT if he can get enough Russian soldiers to come to his side all bets are off.
Will see how things look in the morning. Could swing one way or the other.
My guess is that's just a cover story. He can't aim at the king, not quite yet. He must strike against the king's evil and/or incompetent advisors first. Iirc he has referred to Putin as "senile old man that hides in a bunker like a rat".
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Sounds like a 1930s gang war in Chicago, except on a much larger scale.
As for the veracity of whats coming out, taking it with a very large grain of salt (as already noted) is indicated. One shouldn't accept something as true just because it matches one's wishful thinking.
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Zeihan makes an interesting point...
This could, and I expect it will, lead to regional uprisings in Georgia and other places. This is going to lead to a lot of unstability across the whole Federation.
Unless the Wagner group is decisively defeated. And I don't see that happening at all.
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My guess is that's just a cover story. He can't aim at the king, not quite yet. He must strike against the king's evil and/or incompetent advisors first. Iirc he has referred to Putin as "senile old man that hides in a bunker like a rat".
Except he's been saying it for probably over a year now. But things change rapidly in war, we'll see. Putin in my estimation will probably give him no choice but to go all the way or die.
Edit: Based on a speech Putin gave it's all or nothing now.
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Sounds like a 1930s gang war in Chicago, except on a much larger scale.
Not surpring
My comment to the Ed Nash video back in 2549 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K3qDoqSmIE
"Gives some insight at just how screwed up things are in Russia and how it's more like the Mafia on steroids"
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Reports they're in Voronezh, that's about halfway between Rostov and Moscow.
Confirmed by the BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6496d2b81babaa614a473187%26Video%20shows%20huge%20explosion%20near%20Voronezh%262023-06-24T11%3A56%3A06.742Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:638c9f7f-e39e-4160-b0f9-82d523cfe0f2&pinned_post_asset_id=6496d2b81babaa614a473187&pinned_post_type=share
Also reported seen on the highway headed towards Moscow
Again confirmed by the BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6496d782523d5b1261708497%26Wagner%20convoy%20seen%20in%20region%20south%20of%20Moscow%262023-06-24T12%3A13%3A31.989Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:4de0773e-1e2e-4915-9385-9e350a6c3565&pinned_post_asset_id=6496d782523d5b1261708497&pinned_post_type=share
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Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
Russian air strike on Wagner column on the M-4 highway in Voronezh region.
Video
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672560007714578433
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Keep salt handy
Igor Sushko
@igorsushko
Kremlin regime intends to blow up the bridges south of Moscow if Wagner gets close.
Map
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672543429832896512
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Video showing Prigozhin meeting Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.
While the BBC has confirmed who and where they can't confirm when.
Location of Prigozhin’s meeting with Russia military leaders confirmed
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6496e4e5523d5b12617084ae%26Location%20of%20Prigozhin%E2%80%99s%20meeting%20with%20Russia%20military%20leaders%20confirmed%262023-06-24T13%3A09%3A37.473Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:3d955fb8-b8c4-4478-9f8b-f47ea4996882&pinned_post_asset_id=6496e4e5523d5b12617084ae&pinned_post_type=share
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OSINTtechnical
@Osinttechnical
·
1h
Russian milblogger Rybar provided a short update a little while ago.
Per reports, Wagner forces reached Yelets, Lipetsk Oblast, roughly 350km from Moscow.
Rybar claims that the Wagner column includes anywhere from 150-400 pieces of equipment/vehicles.
https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1672583666935971842
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(((Tendar)))
@Tendar
·
5h
Voronezh seems to be visually confirmed secured. Insurgent Russian forces everywhere. No resistance.
#Russia #Voronezh #coup
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1672517189142806529
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Some confirmation
Lipetsk governor confirms Wagner is moving through region
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6496f256f2e5745fd8a785ec%26Lipetsk%20governor%20confirms%20Wagner%20is%20moving%20through%20region%262023-06-24T13%3A42%3A08.896Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:b1f31e08-0a05-4f60-93a3-4f2b8fdcde7c&pinned_post_asset_id=6496f256f2e5745fd8a785ec&pinned_post_type=share
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A message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12229575/Wagner-forces-head-Moscow-Prigozhin-mocks-Putin-call-traitors-up.html
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I am hearing this morning that convoys of Wagner vehicles are within a couple hours of Moscow. Moving fast I guess.
Also saw video showing backhoes digging up the road in one location supposedly in an attempt to prevent passage of convoy. Can't confirm where that was.
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Latvia closes border to Russians
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6496f99f523d5b12617084d1%26Latvia%20closes%20border%20to%20Russians%262023-06-24T14%3A24%3A51.064Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f5d5ae55-42bf-4579-8ee2-aba825a15343&pinned_post_asset_id=6496f99f523d5b12617084d1&pinned_post_type=share
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I am hearing this morning that convoys of Wagner vehicles are within a couple hours of Moscow. Moving fast I guess.
Also saw video showing backhoes digging up the road in one location supposedly in an attempt to prevent passage of convoy. Can't confirm where that was.
Trying to get there while the main Russian army is still in a disorganized confused state.
Not sure just getting to Moscow will amount to much though but again it all hinges on how many Russian troops not to mention officials they can get to flock to their side. The populace is a wild card in this, not sure how much popular support he has among them.
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Lets say he did somehow manage to topple Putin. Then what?
It wouldn't necessarily mean the end of the war and he's probably, though I know it's hard to believe, an even bigger a-hole than Putin
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"Lets say he did somehow mange to topple Putin. Then what?
Civil War between multiple factions. Incredibly dangerous.
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"But Prigozhin has also repeated Moscow’s propaganda to justify the invasion, calling people living in eastern Ukraine “genetically Russian”.
"This is a sacred war against those who offend Russian people," he said in his recent statement."
Be damned if that doesn't sound like Hitler talking about the Sedetenland Germans...
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"But Prigozhin has also repeated Moscow’s propaganda to justify the invasion, calling people living in eastern Ukraine “genetically Russian”.
"This is a sacred war against those who offend Russian people," he said in his recent statement."
Be damned if that doesn't sound like Hitler talking about the Sedetenland Germans...
It very much sounds like Hitler talking about the Sudetenland land but it's nothing new for them, the Russians have had a long history of promoting themselves as the protector of all the Rus, and often Slavs in general when it suited them, that long predates Hitler. If anything Hitler was intimating them
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I'm sure someone on the left is thinking "Wow! this is just like Jan 6!" or "Jan 6 was worse"
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Got popcorn? :rofl:
🍿🍿🍿 Ukrainian drone commander who fought Wagner forces in Bakhmut and Soledar appears to be thoroughly enjoying the insurrection unfolding across the border.
https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1672578245772947456
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Map from Rybar telegram channel. Top left corner shows the Oka river (blue line south of Moscow) which the channel says is going to be the fortification line as Wagner heads north
https://twitter.com/polinaivanovva/status/1672640256309448704
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FzY6PHYX0AAvHJd?format=jpg&name=medium)
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Meanwhile
Christopher Miller
@ChristopherJM
·
1h
Meanwhile... Ukraine’s military announced on Saturday that it had retaken territory in the eastern Donetsk province that had been under Russian occupation since the Kremlin’s war against the country began in 2014. https://ft.com/content/9cd09366-25db-4057-a41d-0ea04b659d97
via @FT
https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1672632377607180288
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https://youtu.be/Tr-zidVQckI
Zeihan. Part 3. Easy enough to find parts one and two if you want. Good view of Wagners chances.
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It very much sounds like Hitler talking about the Sudetenland land but it's nothing new for them, the Russians have had a long history of promoting themselves as the protector of all the Rus, and often Slavs in general when it suited them, that long predates Hitler. If anything Hitler was intimating them
You miss the veiled point...
Not but a year ago our lad Putin was yammering on how this was a crusade to deNazify Ukraine.
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From the BBC...
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held talks with Wagner mercenary group head Yevgeny Prigozhin during which Prigozhin agreed to stop his troops and "de-escalate the situation", Rossiya 24 news channel said.
"Prigozhin accepted Lukashenko's proposal to stop the movement of Wagner in Russian territory and on further steps to de-escalate tension," Rossiya 24 said, quoting Lukashenko's press service.
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oh-I started a new thread before looking here-oop's.
I have no idea if this is good or bad for "us" or the world in general.
I'm glad I'm not there and pray it does not come here.
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From the BBC...
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held talks with Wagner mercenary group head Yevgeny Prigozhin during which Prigozhin agreed to stop his troops and "de-escalate the situation", Rossiya 24 news channel said.
"Prigozhin accepted Lukashenko's proposal to stop the movement of Wagner in Russian territory and on further steps to de-escalate tension," Rossiya 24 said, quoting Lukashenko's press service.
Yeah, I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that one. Who gave up what?
My guess is he wasn't getting the support among the higher ups he was hoping for and realized he had to put the brakes on.
But what happens next? I can't see Putin just letting him off on this. And what about the troops? How long before Prigozhin falls off a balcony?
The other big question is how this will effect the war in Ukraine
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Lamest.
Insurrection.
EVER.
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Lamest.
Insurrection.
EVER.
Jan 6 still holds that title
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Yeah, I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that one. Who gave up what?
My guess is he wasn't getting the support among the higher ups he was hoping for and realized he had to put the brakes on.
But what happens next? I can't see Putin just letting him off on this. And what about the troops? How long before Prigozhin falls off a balcony?
The other big question is how this will effect the war in Ukraine
I can't see that either. If he had just taken control of Rostov and that area, it makes more sense. The dash to Moscow seems like something Putin would not forgive.
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"Exile"?
I highly doubt he's going to be safe there considering Belarus is basically a Russian puppet state.
Wagner boss to leave for Belarus and charges to be dropped - state media
Russian state media have just reported that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave for Belarus.
The reports say charges against him and his Wagner forces will be dropped by Russian authorities to avoid "bloodshed".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64974a7b1babaa614a47324a%26Wagner%20boss%20to%20leave%20for%20Belarus%20and%20charges%20to%20be%20dropped%20-%20state%20media%262023-06-24T19%3A58%3A19.962Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:ea7b2cfc-692c-4516-81bb-8845469ba387&pinned_post_asset_id=64974a7b1babaa614a47324a&pinned_post_type=share
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"list of highest buildings in Belarus"
https://www.google.com/search?q=list+of+highest+buildings+in+belarus&client=firefox-b-1-d&ei=tkyXZInRB-jV5NoPl8eewAs&ved=0ahUKEwiJhJiy2tz_AhXoKlkFHZejB7gQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=list+of+highest+buildings+in+belarus&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCAAQogQyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDIFCAAQogQyBQgAEKIEOgQIABBHOgoIIRCgARDDBBAKSgQIQRgAUII7WPE9YLFAaABwBXgAgAHJAYgB0gSSAQUwLjEuMpgBAKABAcABAcgBCA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
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Russia offers military roles to Wagner fighters
We've just heard from Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's press secretary.
Peskov says Wagner mercenaries who wish to sign a Ministry of Defence contract can, and fighters who took part today's uprising will not be prosecuted.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-66006142?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64974bb5523d5b1261708551%26Russia%20offers%20military%20roles%20to%20Wagner%20fighters%262023-06-24T20%3A08%3A06.810Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:fde8715e-645d-4d2d-9986-a8e8eb63ac07&pinned_post_asset_id=64974bb5523d5b1261708551&pinned_post_type=share
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Did anyone expect this to completely fizzle out like this?
(https://media.tenor.com/scJRYj_rR8YAAAAC/john-travolta-lost.gif)
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Lamest.
Insurrection.
EVER.
Except for J6.
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Did anyone expect this to completely fizzle out like this?
(https://media.tenor.com/scJRYj_rR8YAAAAC/john-travolta-lost.gif)
I was hoping for a real coup for my birthday.
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"Lets say he did somehow mange to topple Putin. Then what?
Civil War between multiple factions. Incredibly dangerous.
Ever see the fairly recent movie "Hunter Killer" with Gerard Butler? It dealt with an attempted military coup as well.
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I was hoping for a real coup for my birthday.
I was hoping for more explosions at least.
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Anyone want to place bets on how long before Prigozhin accidentally falls off a balcony?
I say two weeks
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Did anyone expect this to completely fizzle out like this?
(https://media.tenor.com/scJRYj_rR8YAAAAC/john-travolta-lost.gif)
I am SO very disappointed.
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I was hoping for more explosions at least.
I was waiting for a squadron of Russian helicopters to rain hellfire down on the Wagner group column.
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I was waiting for a squadron of Russian helicopters to rain hellfire down on the Wagner group column.
You rooten for Putin?
I was hoping they would cancel each other out.
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You rooten for Putin?
I was hoping they would cancel each other out.
Not at all, I just figured someone in the Russian military/government would do that to set an example.
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Not at all, I just figured someone in the Russian military/government would do that to set an example.
''
Check out the video in reply 2600
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I'm sure someone on the left is thinking "Wow! this is just like Jan 6!" or "Jan 6 was worse"
"Now Russians now just a fraction of the pain they inflicted on us when they elected Trump"
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I was waiting for a squadron of Russian helicopters to rain hellfire down on the Wagner group column.
From what I heard, they had anti-air vehicles traveling with them and shot down several aircraft.
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Jan 6 still holds that title
Not quite. Our insurrection actually got to the capital, and entered the Capitol. It has it all over that Russian one. :rofl:
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Would love to see confirmation on this but not sure how we could one way or the other.
Did see videos of helicopters and at least one Su-25 being shot down but hard to confirm if that actually occurred during the uprising.
Putin is believed to have suffered grievous losses as he sought to halt the Wagner 'march of justice' against his corrupt regime towards Moscow as the Wagner Group reportedly killed pilots and crew members during their attempted 'military coup'.
The Wagner group claimed to have shot down multiple Russian helicopters during its assault. Shocking footage shows huge black plumes of smoke rising into the air on a field after what is claimed to be a helicopter was targeted and burst into flames.
Russian forces appeared to confirm three of their attack helicopters had been shot down by Wagner.
The Russians are reportedly seeking to cover-up the losses of up to 39 pilots and crew in a few hours.
They allegedly included some of Russia's leading air force crew members with one account saying 20-plus combat pilots were killed.
Putin is believed to have lost six helicopters - including three Mi-8 MTPRs specialising in electronic warfare - as well as a sophisticated Il-22 plane used to conduct battle plans at high altitude.
Business as usual, Mr President? Vladimir Putin breaks his silence in 'pre-recorded' interview about 'stepping up efforts' in Ukraine after Prigozhin's failed coup 'inflicted worst daily air force losses of the war with 39 pilots and crew killed by Wagner'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12231577/Putin-suffers-worst-daily-air-force-losses-war-Wagner-kills-39-pilots-crew.html
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I've seen conflicting reports and unsubstantiated photos.
I'd take those numbers with a large grain of salt. I generally don't believe a vehicle is destroyed (by either side) in this war unless I see the location of the destruction geotagged, or it comes from US ISR sources.
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Not quite. Our insurrection actually got to the capital, and entered the Capitol. It has it all over that Russian one. :rofl:
... and they did it without tanks or APCs, . . . or any weapons at all.
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https://twitter.com/BillyM2k/status/1672722887357366272
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Daily Beast reporting Prigozhin has dropped off radar.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/did-prigozhin-just-disappeared-duplicitous-105523850.html
Brad
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Daily Beast reporting Prigozhin has dropped off radar.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/did-prigozhin-just-disappeared-duplicitous-105523850.html
Brad
Could also mean he went underground realizing he is not safe.
Which also makes me wonder why he stopped when he did. I can guess at potential reasons, but seems odd to go that far and then get cold feet.
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Could also mean he went underground realizing he is not safe.
Which also makes me wonder why he stopped when he did. I can guess at potential reasons, but seems odd to go that far and then get cold feet.
Or already dead or maybe just staying out of the limelight. Could even be plotting his next move.
As far as why he stopped.
My guess even if he reached Moscow, and there was no guarantee of even that happening, then what? Just putting his feet up on Putin's desk wasn't going to make him "Czar" without most of the higher ups and troops flocking to his side, they're weren't, and nabbing Putin.
Of course there's always the possibility he just wanted to send Putin a message. He's been quite vocal about the conduct of the war and the generals in charge.
It's a funny relationship between Prigozhin and Putin. Heck they could be sharing a bottle of vodka right now laughing their asres off about it.
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If he was just sending a message, I would have expected him to stop at taking over the local military district. But yeah, lots of possibilities. Maybe later on down the road, we might even learn the truth.
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If he was just sending a message, I would have expected him to stop at taking over the local military district. But yeah, lots of possibilities. Maybe later on down the road, we might even learn the truth.
Putting the scare on Moscow would send a far stronger message than just sitting in Rostov slipping vodka. Just sitting in Rostov would have made it easy for the Russians to claim it was just a minor local dispute while they put a bullet in his head. By driving on Moscow he made sure they can't spin it that way and just bury it and him. He wanted to make sure all of Russia knew about it.
Not saying that was his intent just exploring possibilities. We may never know for sure what was going through his mind.
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Wonder what the Wagner mercenaries are going to do now . . . I doubt Russia is going to continue bankrolling them. And as for joining the Russian military, I doubt they'll follow orders and fight for considerably less money than they were getting before. Especially since a lot of them are reputedly regular (not political) criminals.
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Wonder what the Wagner mercenaries are going to do now . . . I doubt Russia is going to continue bankrolling them. And as for joining the Russian military, I doubt they'll follow orders and fight for considerably less money than they were getting before. Especially since a lot of them are reputedly regular (not political) criminals.
Better lower pay than a bullet behind the ear. But they can probably assume they’ll be in the cannon fodder divisions regardless.
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Better lower pay than a bullet behind the ear. But they can probably assume they’ll be in the cannon fodder divisions regardless.
True dat.
But unless they're marched forward, unarmed, at gunpoint (bayonet point?) by some reliably loyal group like Russian special forces or whatever has replaced the KGB, you can pretty much count on them to turn on their kommisars and zampolits if ordered forward on a suicide mission.
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I heard someone point out there are Wagner mercenaries working in several other countries. Now they are without a boss unless the Russian Army steps in. I figure they will, but that also means more direct Russian involvement where previously they had the fiction of being a step away.
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Wonder how the purge is going? Saw something about at least one general has gone missing.
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An awful lot of people fall off balconies in Russia
Kristina was at her apartment on the eleventh floor with her friend, 34-year-old Andrei.
He told authorities Kristina invited him for a drink and chat but at some point, around 3am she went out to the balcony and fell out of the window.
DEATH FALL Russian bank vice-president Kristina Baikova, 28, dies in mystery plunge from window of her Moscow apartment
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22856405/russian-bank-vice-president-dies-mystery-plunge/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Wonder how the purge is going? Saw something about at least one general has gone missing.
This general?
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22838478/general-armageddon-vanishes-wagner-mutiny-kremlin-purge/
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There were assertions earlier that Russia was saying there would be no more Wagner forces fighting in Ukraine. I don't know if that means they got rid of them or if they conscripted them into the Russian army. I assume the latter.
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Believing anything in the media is nutz.
The Russians were out of missiles. Except they weren’t. The Russians were out of artillery rounds. Except they weren’t. The Russian population was turning against Putin. Except it wasn’t. Russia was retreating before the Ukrainians. Except they weren’t.
I've stopped posting here in my own thread mostly because all I see is fog.
Are the Russians really demoralized, poorly trained conscripts with inferior weapons or is that just whistling past the graveyard?
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Ron, you are correct that we can’t trust much of what we are fed, but the simple fact that the war is ongoing a year and a half later after months and months of near stalemate tells us something pretty concrete about Russia’s capacity for conventional warfare.
It is hard to imagine a much better scenario for Russian advantage but they didn’t win in weeks or months. That is likely not pure propaganda.
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Ron, you are correct that we can’t trust much of what we are fed, but the simple fact that the war is ongoing a year and a half later after months and months of near stalemate tells us something pretty concrete about Russia’s capacity for conventional warfare.
It is hard to imagine a much better scenario for Russian advantage but they didn’t win in weeks or months. That is likely not pure propaganda.
Is this a purely conventional conflict with the clearly defined goals of a conventional conflict?
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Is this a purely conventional conflict with the clearly defined goals of a conventional conflict?
As opposed to a nuclear exchange? I haven’t been made aware of any nuclear component.
There have been plenty of conventional conflicts without clearly defined coals, especially at the outset.
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I was thinking more economic and other types of unconventional means. We will probably see a lot more economic and conventional conflict before it escalates to bottled sunshine Molotovs.
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I was thinking more economic and other types of unconventional means. We will probably see a lot more economic and conventional conflict before it escalates to bottled sunshine Molotovs.
Why would you say that economic conflict is not part of conventional war? I have always used the term “conventional war” to refer to non-nuclear war which has historically included everything from economic, electronic, propaganda, and a variety of other off-battlefield elements. I guess I’m just not seeing the distinction you are trying to draw.
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Not being a military buff or historian I'm probably not using correct terminology.
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Believing anything in the media is nutz.
The Russians were out of missiles. Except they weren’t. The Russians were out of artillery rounds. Except they weren’t. The Russian population was turning against Putin. Except it wasn’t. Russia was retreating before the Ukrainians. Except they weren’t.
I've stopped posting here in my own thread mostly because all I see is fog.
Are the Russians really demoralized, poorly trained conscripts with inferior weapons or is that just whistling past the graveyard?
The Russians aren't exactly forthcoming about, well, anything, so a lot of what you see in the media is analysis and estimation.
But, the results of the last 18 or so months speak for themselves. Russia has met virtually none of the goals that it stated at the outset of the fighting. What goals it did meet have been largely nullified. The issues with their equipment have been well documented.
Russia's Army is roughly 3 times the size of Ukraine's, yet the Ukrainians have fought them to a near standstill and inflicted an incredible level of equipment and personnel casualties.
Most observers expected Ukraine to fall in a matter of months, if not weeks. Yet here we are, in a war of attrition that Ukraine may well be winning.
So yeah, it might be whistling past the graveyard, but it's a graveyard full of dead Russian soldiers and equipment.
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I think that without solid information on Ukrainian force strength, augmentation, and how much equipment and ammo they are receiving and going through, as well as how much access they have to advanced ISR, which you don't have, it's hard to make very concrete assumptions on the Red Army's capabilities.
Certainly they had real logistics issue early on which allowed Ukrainian defenses to get set, but after that it gets fuzzy on both sides.
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I recall seeing comments previously that Russia has a fixed production capacity for the supersonic missiles and artillery shells. They can't keep up with a heavy bombardment and have no stockpile left, but are making new ones at a slow rate. So someone saying they were out or low on missiles one week might be right, but the next week they have a few more to use.
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I recall seeing comments previously that Russia has a fixed production capacity for the supersonic missiles and artillery shells. They can't keep up with a heavy bombardment and have no stockpile left, but are making new ones at a slow rate. So someone saying they were out or low on missiles one week might be right, but the next week they have a few more to use.
That is true of everyone. We only make so many advanced weapons, which is why re run the lines all the time and stockpile weapons.
What do you think the US's Javelin and Stinger inventories look like right now? Or our stock of replacement vehicles and guns?
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. . .
What do you think the US's Javelin and Stinger inventories look like right now? Or our stock of replacement vehicles and guns?
Maybe current levels are enough to make the Chicoms smile?
Now, if they could only engineer something to make us use up naval ordnance too . . .
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Funny that you mention Stingers. I saw this article earlier today. Gives me all the warm and fuzzies about our military preparedness (or at least there are wide gaps).
Raytheon Calls in Retirees to Help Restart Stinger Missile Production
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2023/06/raytheon-calls-retirees-help-restart-stinger-missile-production/388067/
“Stinger's been out of production for 20 years, and all of a sudden in the first 48 hours [of the war], it's the star of the show and everybody wants more,” Wes Kremer, the president of RTX’s Raytheon division, said during an interview last week at the Paris Air Show.
The United States has sent nearly 2,000 of the heat-seeking missiles to Ukraine, which has used them to shoot down Russian aircraft. All of those missiles have come from U.S. military stockpiles. And the Biden administration said this week it will send even more Stingers to Ukraine.
When the U.S. Army placed an order for 1,700 Stingers in May 2022, the Pentagon said the missiles wouldn’t be delivered until 2026. Kremer said it will take about 30 months for Stingers to start rolling off of the production line largely because of the time it takes to set up the factory and train its employees.
I don't know the history on this. Did we stockpile missiles and sit on them while not ordering any more? Did we ever develop newer and better manpads weapons? Seems like we should have been doling out some for training every year and buying enough to keep production current. Not to mention: Why hasn't Ratheon been designing shiny new Stinger II missiles to sell to the Govt? Seems like a missed opportunity. I guess it is yet another reason added to the list for not getting into 20 year military occupations in worthless (to us) parts of the world.
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The short version is that we spent 20 years in a war with 100% air superiority, and no one wanted to spend money on MANPADS. Last I heard a whole bunch of the Air Defense Artillery units had been stood down, and their people moved to other units. We still have Patriots, but who wants to spend a carrier driving Avengers around when the enemy has no aircraft?
I don't know for sure, But I'd bet Stinger training is like other expensive ordnance and 90% of it is sims with very few expensive warshots going down range. Hell it's hard to get a real AT-4 for training, and that's way cheaper than a Stinger warshot.
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It wouldn't surprise me if any specialized tooling for Stinger production has been tossed, as well. We have a history of doing stuff like that with effective weapons systems. As soon as productions lines are shuttered, some politician says we won't need the tooling anymore (because they want to make sure something new and more expensive is developed in their district).
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I think that without solid information on Ukrainian force strength, augmentation, and how much equipment and ammo they are receiving and going through, as well as how much access they have to advanced ISR, which you don't have, it's hard to make very concrete assumptions on the Red Army's capabilities.
Certainly they had real logistics issue early on which allowed Ukrainian defenses to get set, but after that it gets fuzzy on both sides.
The Russian army stalled long before the Ukrainians began receiving any substantial assistance from the west.
Equipment wise the two forces were similarly equipped on an individual level. The disparity in equipment, in quantity and alleged quality, became a lot wider as it became more complex (trucks, tanks, anti-air systems, etc.) But even that didn't help the Russian army roll over the Ukrainians.
There have been a lot of comparisons drawn between the Russian army's performance in Ukraine with the Red Army's performance in Finland in the Winter War.
Poorly led, poorly equipped Russian troops were slaughtered by a much smaller Finnish army with both sides quickly becoming exhausted and agreeing to a peace treaty in March 1940.
Obviously the world situation is far different now than it was in March 1940, and in a lot of ways that doesn't bode well for Russia. Instead of receiving massive infusions of western aid, Russia is now cut off from a lot of the technology it needs to develop and build its more complex weapons.
The amount of corruption rotting away at the core of Russia is just staggering, and a lot of it has been centered around its military procurement and development programs.
I wish I could find it again, but several weeks ago I read a very interesting article that made some very interesting points about Russian military capabilities... the Russians essentially traded actual military strength under the Soviets for a facade of strength, and now that illusion has been shattered.
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That is true of everyone. We only make so many advanced weapons, which is why re run the lines all the time and stockpile weapons.
What do you think the US's Javelin and Stinger inventories look like right now? Or our stock of replacement vehicles and guns?
Very true. And that, to a degree, has always been true.
Case in point, World War I and French production of shells for the famed 75 mm field gun.
The French were producing, and maintained stocks, of shells that they thought would be adequate for a war that would last for 3 to 5 years.
Except... in the first 4 months they chewed through their entire stock of shells and paid hell trying to bring more capacity online.
Even when you do have the production capacity you can still have problems, as the United States found out in 1943 and early 1944. We had the ability to make the shells and cartridges the troops needed but there was one fly in the ointment...
Copper.
Copper was perhaps the single most vital non-ferrous metal there was during World War II. Copper consumption was astronomical, and even though the US had (and has) some of the world's largest copper or reserves, the demand for it outstripped the ability to get it out of the ground and refined into a usable metal.
What's that old saying? Your war plans survive intact only until first contact with the enemy?
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It wouldn't surprise me if any specialized tooling for Stinger production has been tossed, as well. We have a history of doing stuff like that with effective weapons systems. As soon as productions lines are shuttered, some politician says we won't need the tooling anymore (because they want to make sure something new and more expensive is developed in their district).
One more example of politicians saying "scrap it! War's over!" and someone having other thoughts...
Birmingham Small Arms.
After World War I, the "War to End All Wars!" much of Britain's arms industry was shuttered and scrapped.
The management at BSA, at the company's expense, mothballed the military small arms production lines, and kept them that way.
In the late 1930s, when British politicans were running around flapping their arms and trying to figure out how to arm the newly reconstituted British army because the War to End All Wars.... hadn't... BSA was able to quickly pivot and ramp up production at a time when Britain needed weapons desperately.
It was BSA that helped reconstitute much of the small arms that had been lost in the retreat from France.
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The Russian army stalled long before the Ukrainians began receiving any substantial assistance from the west.
That is untrue.
It discounts the significant amount of Western weapons sold at sweetheart prices to the Ukraine from 2014-2021 that allowed them to, among other things, *expletive deleted*ck up armored columns without tanks and deny Russia Air superiority. It also neglects western ISR assets. We were feeding Ukraine ISR on day one. (Probably actually before day 1)
I'm not saying that the Red Army is a big scary Bear, and comparisons to the Winter War are apt in many ways. I'm just saying that we don't really have the data to say they were/are completely inept, and we also don't really know what near-pear engagements look like in the real world, so dismissing them as feckless may be a little premature.
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I recall hearing that Western trainers were helping Ukraine prepare for the eventual Russian invasion ever since they took the Crimea. You saw some of that at the beginning. Instead of some sort of tank battle, the Ukraine had forces ambushing Russian columns trying to move in across the border, taking out tanks and trucks. It didn't stop Russia, but it did slow them down and force them into a slow invasion rather than a quick take over, which initially they were winning.
I am trying to remember what stopped Russia from continuing that slow slog of an invasion. They were pushing in from all directions and gaining ground. I think that is where Western weapons and supplies helped a lot. I don't know how much effect Western volunteers have had.
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And another
May be a heart attack though
DEAD IN THE WATER Russian chief prosecutor found dead in river but ‘didn’t drown’ in latest mystery death hitting Putin’s cronies
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22906323/russian-chief-prosecutor-dead-river-mystery-death-putin-cronies/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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And another
May be a heart attack though
DEAD IN THE WATER Russian chief prosecutor found dead in river but ‘didn’t drown’ in latest mystery death hitting Putin’s cronies
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22906323/russian-chief-prosecutor-dead-river-mystery-death-putin-cronies/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
Maybe he slipped and fell on some bullets?
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Must be a day that ends in Y
This is the second sudden unexplained death of Lukashenko's officials in a year - in November, Belarusian foreign minister Vladimir Makei dropped dead.
Makei had formerly vowed that his nation - widely seen now as a controlled puppet regime - would not allow Vladimir Putin's troops to use it as a staging area for attacking Ukraine.
DEATH RIDDLE Putin ally’s minister Aleksey Avramenko dies suddenly in latest mystery death to hit Russia’s cronies in Belarus
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22931994/putin-ally-belarus-lukashenko-death-mystery-crony/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Meanwhile coming soon to a milk carton in Russia
General Sergey Surovikin - renowned for his merciless manoeuvres - vanished in the fallout of Yevgeny Prigozhin's aborted "coup" after speculation he knew of the Wagner chief's plans.
The former commander of Russia's forces in Ukraine has been feared dead for weeks after disappearing from sight, while the Kremlin remains tight-lipped about his whereabouts.
MISSING IN ACTION Fears Putin’s ‘General Armageddon’ has been PURGED after vanishing for 2 weeks & missing wife’s birthday party
https://www.the-sun.com/news/8543280/fears-putin-general-armageddon-purged-vanished-2-weeks/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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That is untrue.
It discounts the significant amount of Western weapons sold at sweetheart prices to the Ukraine from 2014-2021 that allowed them to, among other things, *expletive deleted*ck up armored columns without tanks and deny Russia Air superiority. It also neglects western ISR assets. We were feeding Ukraine ISR on day one. (Probably actually before day 1)
I'm not saying that the Red Army is a big scary Bear, and comparisons to the Winter War are apt in many ways. I'm just saying that we don't really have the data to say they were/are completely inept, and we also don't really know what near-pear engagements look like in the real world, so dismissing them as feckless may be a little premature.
No, it's not untrue.
Purchasing on the open market prior to war means you have stockpiles.
Stockpiles that start to deplete quickly.
The AID, as in HERE'S $5 BILLION IN ALL SORTS OF WEAPONS FREE!" didn't start flowing until several months AFTER the Ukrainians stalled the Russians on multiple fronts.
Yes, Ukraine was receiving western aid prior to the start of the war, but much of it wasn't in hard goods of the kind that will kill a T-90. That stuff the Ukrainians largely had to purchase because the US has always had something of a weirdness about providing those kinds of arms to... "friends..." especially after US Stingers and LAWS rockets provided to the Afghanis started showing up in... unexpected... places
ISR is wonderful stuff. But it doesn't actually stop/deny/kill ground or air assets.
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"I'm not saying that the Red Army is a big scary Bear, and comparisons to the Winter War are apt in many ways. I'm just saying that we don't really have the data to say they were/are completely inept, and we also don't really know what near-pear engagements look like in the real world, so dismissing them as feckless may be a little premature."
Nowhere have I dismissed the Russian military as feckless.
What they are is shockingly poorly led, poorly trained, poorly equipped... there's a shitpot load of more poorly descriptors that are appropriate.
And I'm sorry, but we have more than enough data at this point to say that the Russian Army is ineffective to a degree that the west simply didn't anticipate.
At this moment in time it would appear that the only thing truly holding the Russian Army in Ukraine is sheer weight of numbers compared to the Ukrainian forces arrayed against them-- warm bodies. God knows it's not their military prowess.
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I recall hearing that Western trainers were helping Ukraine prepare for the eventual Russian invasion ever since they took the Crimea. You saw some of that at the beginning. Instead of some sort of tank battle, the Ukraine had forces ambushing Russian columns trying to move in across the border, taking out tanks and trucks. It didn't stop Russia, but it did slow them down and force them into a slow invasion rather than a quick take over, which initially they were winning.
I am trying to remember what stopped Russia from continuing that slow slog of an invasion. They were pushing in from all directions and gaining ground. I think that is where Western weapons and supplies helped a lot. I don't know how much effect Western volunteers have had.
Yes. The US provided significant training to Ukrainian forces between 2014 and the start of the current conflict.
But, again, that aid didn't (from what I can tell) an unlimited stream of anti-tank rockets, HIMARS assets, etc.
The Ukrainians started the conflict with stocks of Javelins and other anti-tank munitions, but were chewing through the stocks of what they had purchased, not been given, and used them to help grind the Russians to a halt before the western taps fully opened.
Had the west NOT stepped up to provide more munitions to replace what was being used, the situation on the ground today could well be a lot different.
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The AID, as in HERE'S $5 BILLION IN ALL SORTS OF WEAPONS FREE!" didn't start flowing until several months AFTER the Ukrainians stalled the Russians on multiple fronts.
This is untrue. Repeating it doesn't make it more true.
And I'm sorry, but we have more than enough data at this point to say that the Russian Army is ineffective to a degree that the west simply didn't anticipate.
This is only partially true, at best. Indeed I think we were all shocked their logistics capabilities were as poor as they turned out to be. You can see my surprise at that earlier in this thread. As far as their combat abilities, no, they are pretty spot on to pre-war estimates, and observed experience in Syria. They are currently going through that phase where lots of folks are dying, but the ones that survive are veterans, and tougher for it. That is, I suspect, one of the reasons this Springs Ukrainian offensive is having issues. Last year the Ukrainians were veterans, and the Russians were not, where as now both sides are blooded.
Had the west NOT stepped up to provide more munitions to replace what was being used, the situation on the ground today could well be a lot different.
THIS on the other hand is true.
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I've already explained the progression of aid to Ukraine.
You say it's not true.
Please provide a timeline to prove that what I'm saying isn't true.
So, essentially you're saying Russia invades day 1, day 2 Ukraine gets HIMARS, unlimited anti-tank weapons, and so forth and so on.
Just so we're on the same plane, Ukraine didn't receive its first HIMARS until mid to late June of last year, roughly 4 months after the invasion. As best I can tell, no European equivalent MLRS arrived much before that. And the Ukrainians didn't employ the HIMARS or European MLRS assets until a few weeks after that.
As I also said, Ukraine first received Javelin anti-tank missile systems as part of an arms PURCHASE in 2018. Other European anti-tank weapons, not sure.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-jevelin/ukraine-receives-u-s-javelin-systems-poroshenko-idUSKBN1I11ZY
By the time US replacements were introduced as part of straight military aid packages after the start of the war. Being far more portable, those were able to get to the Ukrainians far faster. But prior to those shipments hitting Ukrainian soil starting around late March or early April, Ukraine had burned through much of what they had purchased.
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The US Provided military AID to Ukraine under the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative from FY16 on. More than a billion dollar prior to FY 22. That aid included Javelins, as well as Anti Drone capabilities, ISR assets, counterbattery radars, and sniper rifles. All systems that were critical to stopping the Russian advance. We increased those aid packages in 2020 and again in late 2021, pulling anti armor systems out of CENTCOM and either directly giving them to Ukraine under USAI, or dumping them into the Foreign Military Sales program, where we "sold" them to Ukraine for zero down and no payments under the Foreign Military Financing program. "Loans" that were later wiped out in aid packages with no money every changing hands. FMF equipment "sold" in FY20 and FY 21 more Anti Armor systems, MANPADS, and Mark VI patrol boats.
After the the Russians crossed the border on 24 Feb 2022, we stepped up the urgency of the aid and pulled from existing war stocks in EUCOM. The first ammo replenishment crossed the border from Poland the second week of March, 2022. I apologize that I don't remember the exact date, but this isn't a Discord server, and I didn't take pictures of any slides. (this is all unclass anyway)
So Ukraine was getting US military aid for years prior to the invasion, aid packages that were tailored to the observed Russian Capabilities from Crimea, Georgia, and Syria. That aid stepped up in quantity and variety in early 2020 as Putin started saber rattling, and again in late 2021 as Russian troops started massing on the Russian and Belarussian borders, nad the restocking of munitions used to stop the initial advance happened in weeks, not months.
As I said the state of Russian logistics did surprise the west, and that contributed to the ease Ukraine had in stopping the advances, but to say "The Ukrainians started the conflict with stocks of Javelins and other anti-tank munitions, but were chewing through the stocks of what they had purchased, not been given, and used them to help grind the Russians to a halt before the western taps fully opened" is just untrue. That's not what happened.
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So I guess because both Ukraine and us are running out of spare conventional weapons, we're now sending them cluster bombs. The use of being something that we, last year, called a war crime.
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So I guess because both Ukraine and us are running out of spare conventional weapons, we're now sending them cluster bombs. The use of being something that we, last year, called a war crime.
Bombs are bombs. You know, 'splodey things that go BOOM. Cluster bombs & rockets cover 5x the area of conventional single warhead munitions, so they're useful in clearing Russian trench lines.
The only legitimate objections are that a significant fraction of the bomblets are duds - they don't go off when they're supposed to, but they MIGHT explode when disturbed later on. It's not that much of a problem in Ukraine because once the territory is reclaimed from the Russian invaders they're going to have to send in minesweeping teams anyway since the Russkies are in the habit of mining and booby trapping territory they withdraw from.
One of the talking head military advisers I saw being interviewed on TV (disclaimer - that's where I got the above info) said we've improved cluster bombs so we get very few duds now, but we're not going to scrap the current inventory - he claimed we had something like 3,000,000 cluster munitions of various types in inventory, and we're probably going to start shipping old stock to Ukraine.
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FTR, I wasn't giving my opinion, one way or the other, on if cluster bomb use is a war crime. It was what the Biden administration said last year, when the ruskies were using them. When we use them, they are apparently acceptable.
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The US Provided military AID to Ukraine under the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative from FY16 on. More than a billion dollar prior to FY 22. That aid included Javelins, as well as Anti Drone capabilities, ISR assets, counterbattery radars, and sniper rifles. All systems that were critical to stopping the Russian advance. We increased those aid packages in 2020 and again in late 2021, pulling anti armor systems out of CENTCOM and either directly giving them to Ukraine under USAI, or dumping them into the Foreign Military Sales program, where we "sold" them to Ukraine for zero down and no payments under the Foreign Military Financing program. "Loans" that were later wiped out in aid packages with no money every changing hands. FMF equipment "sold" in FY20 and FY 21 more Anti Armor systems, MANPADS, and Mark VI patrol boats.
After the the Russians crossed the border on 24 Feb 2022, we stepped up the urgency of the aid and pulled from existing war stocks in EUCOM. The first ammo replenishment crossed the border from Poland the second week of March, 2022. I apologize that I don't remember the exact date, but this isn't a Discord server, and I didn't take pictures of any slides. (this is all unclass anyway)
So Ukraine was getting US military aid for years prior to the invasion, aid packages that were tailored to the observed Russian Capabilities from Crimea, Georgia, and Syria. That aid stepped up in quantity and variety in early 2020 as Putin started saber rattling, and again in late 2021 as Russian troops started massing on the Russian and Belarussian borders, nad the restocking of munitions used to stop the initial advance happened in weeks, not months.
As I said the state of Russian logistics did surprise the west, and that contributed to the ease Ukraine had in stopping the advances, but to say "The Ukrainians started the conflict with stocks of Javelins and other anti-tank munitions, but were chewing through the stocks of what they had purchased, not been given, and used them to help grind the Russians to a halt before the western taps fully opened" is just untrue. That's not what happened.
I've already said that the US provided aid to the Ukrainians before the invasion. A LOT of aid. And I've even said that yes, it was multi-layered aid. But it wasn't even remotely "Here, have enough free Javelins to stop every Russian armored vehicle 5 times over. And give a few to the wife and kids!"
The best numbers I've been able to find for direct "free *expletive deleted*it" aid Javeline shipments to Ukraine prior to 2018 was fewer than 500, primarily for training and evaluation use.
In 2018 Ukraine was allowed to start purchasing, directly, Javelins from the US and those purchases https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/03/01/ukraine-officially-cleared-to-buy-javelin-weapons/
At best, the number of missiles actually given to Ukraine as direct military aid, vs those purchased, prior to the conflict's start would have been a drop in the bucket in the face of what the Russians sent across the border.
Ukrainian purchases of the Javeline, combined with their acquisition of Carl Gustav and Panzerfaust 3 (not sure how they acquired those weapons, but I suspect direct purchases and not military aide) gave them the ability to stall the Russians before aid taps really turned on.
2 months into the conflict and the US had shipped, or was in the process of shipping, nearly 7,000 Javelins to Ukraine as direct military aid.
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So I guess because both Ukraine and us are running out of spare conventional weapons, we're now sending them cluster bombs. The use of being something that we, last year, called a war crime.
Good. CBUs are quite effective weapons.
"ooh, but they're so hurty and lingery!"
Yeah, so *expletive deleted*ing what? War of any kind has lingering effects.
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FTR, I wasn't giving my opinion, one way or the other, on if cluster bomb use is a war crime. It was what the Biden administration said last year, when the ruskies were using them. When we use them, they are apparently acceptable.
It's (D)ifferent when they do it.
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I've already said that the US provided aid to the Ukrainians before the invasion. A LOT of aid. And I've even said that yes, it was multi-layered aid. But it wasn't even remotely "Here, have enough free Javelins to stop every Russian armored vehicle 5 times over. And give a few to the wife and kids!"
The best numbers I've been able to find for direct "free *expletive deleted*it" aid Javeline shipments to Ukraine prior to 2018 was fewer than 500, primarily for training and evaluation use.
In 2018 Ukraine was allowed to start purchasing, directly, Javelins from the US and those purchases https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/03/01/ukraine-officially-cleared-to-buy-javelin-weapons/
At best, the number of missiles actually given to Ukraine as direct military aid, vs those purchased, prior to the conflict's start would have been a drop in the bucket in the face of what the Russians sent across the border.
Ukrainian purchases of the Javeline, combined with their acquisition of Carl Gustav and Panzerfaust 3 (not sure how they acquired those weapons, but I suspect direct purchases and not military aide) gave them the ability to stall the Russians before aid taps really turned on.
2 months into the conflict and the US had shipped, or was in the process of shipping, nearly 7,000 Javelins to Ukraine as direct military aid.
So now we're moving the goalposts to "prior to 2018"? BS.
What you said was:
The Russian army stalled long before the Ukrainians began receiving any substantial assistance from the west.
and
The AID, as in HERE'S $5 BILLION IN ALL SORTS OF WEAPONS FREE!" didn't start flowing until several months AFTER the Ukrainians stalled the Russians on multiple fronts.
Both of which are untrue. You can start adding qualifiers all you want, but the Russian Army did not stall long before substantial assistance from the west. They didn't even INVADE long before substantial assistance from the west, and the resupply of NATO ordinance and ammo did not take several months after the invasion to start. It took a couple weeks. In addition to there being records available, i was personally involved in moving equipment and munitions from US stockpiles to Europe for onward aid packages to Ukraine.
At best, the number of missiles actually given to Ukraine as direct military aid, vs those purchased, prior to the conflict's start would have been a drop in the bucket in the face of what the Russians sent across the border.
This is just fantasy on your part because you don't know how many anti-armor systems were provided, and I'd bet a decent bottle of scotch you don't know how many tanks (or BTRs, or BMPs) were in Ukraine in Feb 2022. It's my job to know, and I don't even know for sure. I know how many they were supposed to have in each BTG, but how many actually rolled, combat ready, to get shot at by the defenders?
I'm going to tell you again, then I'm going to let it lie, you are incorrect about when, and how much aid NATO supplied Ukraine in the end of 2021, and through March of 2022. It is fantasy to think that the Ukrainian military stopped the invasion without substantial material aid from NATO. The Russians didn't even invade before Ukraine received substantial military aid from NATO, and after the start of hostilities that aid accelerated within weeks, not months.
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This is untrue. Repeating it doesn't make it more true.
This is only partially true, at best. Indeed I think we were all shocked their logistics capabilities were as poor as they turned out to be. You can see my surprise at that earlier in this thread. As far as their combat abilities, no, they are pretty spot on to pre-war estimates, and observed experience in Syria. They are currently going through that phase where lots of folks are dying, but the ones that survive are veterans, and tougher for it. That is, I suspect, one of the reasons this Springs Ukrainian offensive is having issues. Last year the Ukrainians were veterans, and the Russians were not, where as now both sides are blooded.
THIS on the other hand is true.
You might be right about the "blooded" part, but I get the impression the Russian defensive lines now are multi-layered with lots of mines. I imagine that has to be tough to punch through.
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"So now we're moving the goalposts to "prior to 2018"? BS."
I didn't set any goalposts. I've said MULTIPLE times that the US had been providing aid to Ukraine for years prior to the invasion - I'm not sure why you're not able to see/comprehend that.
I said 2018 is when Ukraine was approved for direct purchase of Javelins. That's not a goalpost, that's a fact.
You're not the only one in this discussion with intelligence community insight into the particulars of this topic. That's part and parcel to my job, too.
You somehow seem to think I'm claiming that Ukraine didn't receive a drop of anything at all from anyone prior to February 2022.
Go back and read my posts again. I'm not.
And yes, fighting Russia to a standstill is an oversimplification. But, fact is, by early April, Ukrainian forces had forced the Russians back in the North, and had stalled them outside of Donbas. The war in the south was a different matter, not to mention denying numerous attempts to seize Kyiv. So, my contention remains... Ukraine is punching FAR above its weight class, and was doing so prior to NATO and US taps opening fully.
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"So now we're moving the goalposts to "prior to 2018"? BS."
I didn't set any goalposts. I've said MULTIPLE times that the US had been providing aid to Ukraine for years prior to the invasion - I'm not sure why you're not able to see/comprehend that.
Bullshit. Now you're just lying.
I'll quote you again:
The Russian army stalled long before the Ukrainians began receiving any substantial assistance from the west.
That statement is untrue. And the bold part is clearly a conversational goalpost.
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As y'all may be aware, NATO declined to admit Ukraine as a new member.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0zLf4OXoAA1AJF?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
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Another one bite the dust
Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov is said to have died in a strike on a hotel housing Russian military commanders in Berdyansk, on Ukraine's occupied southern coast.
Russia's defence ministry has not officially confirmed his death. But it was widely announced by Russian war channels on the Telegram messaging app.
TV host Olga Skabeyeva said "absolutely all media" were reporting it.
Ukraine: Russian general reported killed in attack on Berdyansk hotel
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66171638
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Looks like Sweden will be joining the gang
Turkey backs Sweden's Nato membership
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66160319
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Looks like Sweden will be joining the gang
Turkey backs Sweden's Nato membership
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66160319
Zeihan’s take.
https://youtu.be/VGccm1aZaxw
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... and how long until Russian television begins airing "Swan Lake" nonstop.
About that
MILLIONS of Russians were warned "the hour of reckoning has come" during prime time viewing after Putin's state TV was hacked.
Mainstream broadcasters across the Russian empire were plastered with the ominous message after cyber forces breached their network.
The video was reportedly made by Ukraine's defence ministry and showed rolling footage of their advancements on the battlefield.
It then cut to a blacked-out screen as the warning "the hour of reckoning has come" appeared in bold white Ukrainian words.
Bizarrely, video of ballerinas from Swan Lake then appeared.
:rofl:
END OF DAYs Millions of Russians warned ‘hour of reckoning has come’ as Putin’s state TV is HACKED in ‘Ukrainian sabotage attack’
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23058745/russians-warned-hour-of-reckoning-state-tv-hacked/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Could have been cancer or maybe not
BODY COUNT Billionaire Putin crony Igor Kudryakov, 64, found dead at Moscow apartment in latest high profile death
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23133800/putin-crony-igor-kudryakov-dead/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Isn’t average age at death for Russian adults under 60?
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Isn’t average age at death for Russian adults under 60?
Before or after the war?
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Before
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Without NATO/USA boots on the ground in numbers Zelensky's Ukraine will probably end up as a land locked suburb of Poland.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhxtUaB8gI
IIRC, concrete is about 150 lb/cuft, polystyrene is about 1.5
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Ukrainian women stronk.
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I assume if CNN is reporting this, the numbers are actually higher.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/politics/cnn-poll-ukraine/index.html
I guess the "replace the LGBT flag in your profile with a uki flag" fad is slowly getting old.
I have been in the "stop the money drops" column since very early on. Randomly throwing cash at them, which is likely going to oligarchs, is ridiculous. Even the arms stuff has gotten out of hand, IMO.
I don't necessarily have a problem with, as mentioned in the article, intelligence and similar help. With the caveat that we're getting truthful info trickling down to the public. I'm still not sure that everything is on the up and up here.
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I assume if CNN is reporting this, the numbers are actually higher.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/politics/cnn-poll-ukraine/index.html
I guess the "replace the LGBT flag in your profile with a uki flag" fad is slowly getting old.
I have been in the "stop the money drops" column since very early on. Randomly throwing cash at them, which is likely going to oligarchs, is ridiculous. Even the arms stuff has gotten out of hand, IMO.
I don't necessarily have a problem with, as mentioned in the article, intelligence and similar help. With the caveat that we're getting truthful info trickling down to the public. I'm still not sure that everything is on the up and up here.
What bugs me is that with recent talk about our own Social Security trust fund projected to run out of money in about 10 years, we're still finding the $$$ to prop up the Ukrainian pension system.
This doesn't pass the smell test.
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https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/europe/ukraine-sea-drone-russian-warship-black-sea-intl/index.html
A large Russian amphib is apparently sinking after a sea-borne autonomous drone attack.
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They're dead Jim
Stories are a bit short on details
Jailed Russian general, 69, 'who knew secrets of Putin's £1billion ($1.3B) Black Sea palace' dies mysteriously in prison ahead of parole bid - the second top Kremlin commander to perish within days
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12416387/Jailed-Russian-general-69-knew-secrets-Putins-1billion-1-3B-Black-Sea-palace-dies-mysteriously-prison-ahead-parole-bid-second-Kremlin-commander-perish-days.html
Russian general previously in charge of Ukrainian invasion found dead
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12414305/Russian-general-previously-charge-Ukrainian-invasion-dead.html
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Seems like Kiev and Moscow are competing to see who can kill more Russian officers.
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Seems like Kiev and Moscow are competing to see who can kill more Russian officers.
That reminds me about a story I read about the Rhodesian war against terrorists. The Rhodesian forces in a particular area kept a scoreboard. "Our losses", "Terrorists killed by us" and "Terrorists killed by other terrorists." The Rhodesians considered themselves to be winning if the second number was higher than the third....
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Put the Russian and Ukrainian booths right next to each other >:D
WorldFest returning to downtown Louisville, celebrating 21st year with new 'happy hour'
https://www.wlky.com/article/worldfest-louisville-dates-times-2023-labor-day/44832366
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Jailed Russian general, 69, 'who knew secrets of Putin's £1billion ($1.3B) Black Sea palace' dies mysteriously in prison ahead of parole bid - the second top Kremlin commander to perish within days
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12416387/Jailed-Russian-general-69-knew-secrets-Putins-1billion-1-3B-Black-Sea-palace-dies-mysteriously-prison-ahead-parole-bid-second-Kremlin-commander-perish-days.html
Jeffrey Epstein Gennady Lopyrev did not kill himself.
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Ed Nash with some updated info on the F-16 deal and the possibility of Ukraine getting Gripens from Sweden as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEP6-tTh07A
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Wagner back in the news
The U.S. Embassy in Belarus issued an alert Monday for all American citizens in the country to leave immediately and warned against traveling there.
The warning comes after Lithuania closed two of its major border crossings with Belarus over concerns about the Russian mercenary group Wagner that has established operations in the country.
US citizens in Belarus told to ‘depart immediately’
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-citizens-belarus-told-depart-immediately
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The border closings happen last week I thought. Poland has done some changes on their border as well. Russia or Belarus directly attacking a NATO country would be a serious escalation. I assume Putin is ticked off that Poland is openly supporting and supplying arms to Ukraine.
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And scratch Prigozhin, maybe
Live Wagner boss Prigozhin on passenger list of crashed plane - Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-66599774
Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin feared dead in plane crash: Jet believed to be carrying warlord 'falls from the sky' north of Moscow two months after failed coup
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12437935/Private-plane-believed-transporting-Wagner-chief-Yevgeny-Prigozhin-crashes-Russia.html
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Did the plane fly through a window first?
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In video of the plane falling it appears to be smoking and completely out of control.
This video matches up with what many of the news site are showing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-IwOk30ojk
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Prigozhin reportedly dropped off radar -- literally!
https://www.foxnews.com/world/yevgeny-prigozhin-plane-crashed-killing-10-officials-say
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Likely something went boom on that plane based on the video
Still not confirmed Prigozhin was on board
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I feel better now
Biden briefed on crash - White House
We've now had a brief comment from the White House, which says President Joe Biden has been briefed on the reported plane crash in Russia.
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Confirmed
New
Posted at 15:3615:36
Breaking Prigozhin dead, says Wagner-linked Telegram channel
A Telegram channel linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin has said the Wagner leader is dead.
Grey Zone said he was "killed as a result of actions by traitors of Russia".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-66599774?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64e65f53d7211212a459bb6a%26Prigozhin%20dead%2C%20says%20Wagner-linked%20Telegram%20channel%262023-08-23T19%3A36%3A44.935Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:45ceac03-c4a5-4206-8e0b-49dcc51c7962&pinned_post_asset_id=64e65f53d7211212a459bb6a&pinned_post_type=share
This could get interesting, could be some revenge killings, stay tuned.
[popcorn]
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Biden 'not surprised' by news of crash
US President Joe Biden said he was "not surprised" by the news of the crash in Russia.
But did you hear he almost lost his Corvette?
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In video of the plane falling it appears to be smoking and completely out of control.
This video matches up with what many of the news site are showing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-IwOk30ojk
In the first second or so of the video it looks like there is a smoke trail from a possible SAM off to the left side of the frame. The smoke trail moves off the left of the frame very quickly as the person shooting the video pans to the right. The smoke trail does not come back into frame during the remainder of the video.
Freezing the frame appears to show a very puffy smoke trail at an angle pretty acute to the smoke trail from the plane. Interesting to say the least.
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But did you hear he almost lost his Corvette?
Jill and I know something about crashes. One time, years ago, I was driving drunk in Key West and nearly crashed my '67 Corvette. Say, did you hear the one about the drunk Russian whose plane went down? He was smashed.
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In the first second or so of the video it looks like there is a smoke trail from a possible SAM off to the left side of the frame. The smoke trail moves off the left of the frame very quickly as the person shooting the video pans to the right. The smoke trail does not come back into frame during the remainder of the video.
Freezing the frame appears to show a very puffy smoke trail at an angle pretty acute to the smoke trail from the plane. Interesting to say the least.
Upper left?
I don't know, could be from the plane.
But something went boom either internally or externally
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2023-08-23_155857.png)
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Jill and I know something about crashes. One time, years ago, I was driving drunk in Key West and nearly crashed my '67 Corvette. Say, did you hear the one about the drunk Russian whose plane went down? He was smashed.
There are some people on Maui that will cry him a river.
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I am seeing pictures posted on Telegram reportedly showing holes in the airframe that seem to indicate it was hit by shrapnel from an anti-air missile. Others posts talk about activity in the Wagner camp. I guess another Russian coup attempt it too much to hope for.
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Key Wagner commander Utkin also on board plane, authorities say
Wagner's commander and co-founder Dmitry Utkin was also named as one of those travelling on the crashed plane, on the list released by Russia's air transport agency.
Grey Zone, the Telegram channel believed linked to Wagner, also said that Utkin has been killed.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-66599774?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=64e66a24d7211212a459bb83%26Key%20Wagner%20commander%20Utkin%20also%20on%20board%20plane%2C%20authorities%20say%262023-08-23T20%3A27%3A56.242Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:314c3dce-3722-45d8-b1f6-74ac236e5285&pinned_post_asset_id=64e66a24d7211212a459bb83&pinned_post_type=share
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Speculation this a ruse and he may have been on another plane.
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Well that didn't take long
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group and leader of a failed Russian uprising in June of 2023, has passed away after accidentally ingesting a SA-2 surface-to-air missile while aboard a passenger plane.
When pressed whether the Wagner leader's death was the result of foul play, Putin responded that there was no indication of foul play and also he happened to have Prizgozhin's suicide note in his pocket. The Russian President then read the suicide note aloud, pointing out the gushing praise for himself interspersed in the note.
Leader Of Failed Russian Uprising Dead After Accidental Ingestion Of Surface-To-Air Missile
https://babylonbee.com/news/leader-of-failed-russian-uprising-dead-after-accidental-ingestion-of-surface-to-air-missile
The above is the Babylon Bee, I know it's hard tell some times.
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Spaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
The Indian space agency has released the first image from the lunar surface taken by its Chandrayaan 3 lander: https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/08/23/liv
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1694379983634919532
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Spaceflight Now
@SpaceflightNow
The Indian space agency has released the first image from the lunar surface taken by its Chandrayaan 3 lander: https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/08/23/liv
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1694379983634919532
Nice!
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Whoops, wrong thread.
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Whoops, wrong thread.
I just figured you were going for Iron Sky, Russia/Ukraine version.
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I just figured you were going for Iron Sky, Russia/Ukraine version.
Hmmmm
I'll be working on a script
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I wouldn't neccesarily bet the farm that Prigozhin was on that plane. First rule of Russian sources is assume they are lying.
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If they got him, I'm really surprised that it took this long for them to get him.
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If they got him, I'm really surprised that it took this long for them to get him.
Assassinations Are Us was all booked up
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I wouldn't neccesarily bet the farm that Prigozhin was on that plane. First rule of Russian sources is assume they are lying.
A healthy dose of skepticism is always warranted with this stuff.
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Talk of "mystery" repairs being done shortly before take off.
Meanwhile the US is pushing it was a missile
And eyewitnesses from the town of Kuzhenkino close to the location of the crash said they saw the jet explode in the sky before tumbling to the earth, but did not report any missile strike.
Kuzhenkino resident Anastasia Bukharova, 27, said she was walking with her children Wednesday when she saw the jet, 'and then - boom! - it exploded in the sky and began to fall down.'
'Something sort of was torn from it in the air, and it began to go down.'
Stewardess Kristina Raspopova, who perished in the crash, told family prior to takeoff that the flight had been delayed due to a technical inspection and unspecified repairs, according to several independent Russian outlets.
From the video I'm thinking bomb
US believes Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile… following reports the jet 'was likely blown up by a bomb placed near the bathroom'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12440987/The-silent-assassin-Putin-makes-no-mention-Yevgeny-Prigozhins-death-speech-day-mystery-plane-crash-claims-emerge-mystery-repairs-jet-off.html
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Admin reverses course on saying it was a missile.
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The Associated Press has been keeping track:
https://apnews.com/article/prigozhin-navalny-putin-assassination-russia-wagner-plane-crash-5d4f8506b89bfa8848fd88529701db7c
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Supposed DNA tests supposedly confirm Prigozhin was on board
'Genetic tests' confirm that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was among 10 people killed in plane crash, Russian investigators say
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/breaking_news/article-12450367/Genetic-tests-confirm-Wagner-chief-Yevgeny-Prigozhin-10-people-killed-plane-crash-Russian-investigators-say.html
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Poor babies.
Remind me to cry you a river when I get the chance.
Putin’s war is forcing Russians to ditch a favorite holiday destination
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/27/europe/crimea-russian-tourists-intl/index.html
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Poor babies.
Remind me to cry you a river when I get the chance.
Putin’s war is forcing Russians to ditch a favorite holiday destination
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/27/europe/crimea-russian-tourists-intl/index.html
If I were a Russian, there is absolutely NO WAY I would voluntarily travel to Crimea today - or any other war zone. Or potential war zone.
Hell, I don't even want to go to San Francisco or large parts of Chicago (My home town!) these days!
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Supposed DNA tests supposedly confirm Prigozhin was on board
'Genetic tests' confirm that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was among 10 people killed in plane crash, Russian investigators say
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/breaking_news/article-12450367/Genetic-tests-confirm-Wagner-chief-Yevgeny-Prigozhin-10-people-killed-plane-crash-Russian-investigators-say.html
And then we have this
Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive and plotting his revenge on Putin after body double was killed in plane assassination plot, Russian analyst claims
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12456817/Prigozhin-alive-plotting-revenge-Putin.html
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The biggest Ukrainian Drone Attack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV4NtqIpOaA
Looks like Ukraine sents some of their drones against Russian air fields pretty far away from Ukraine.
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Now he's supposedly in or was in Africa
In the footage, Prigozhin, 62, is seen wearing military fatigues in a car, and says: 'For those discussing whether or not I am alive.
'How am I doing? It's the weekend, the second half of August [20]23. I am in Africa,' he says, speaking to camera. 'So fans of discussing my elimination, intimate life, earnings or whatever, as a matter of fact, everything is fine.'
Yet the video - if genuine - does not prove Prigozhin is alive.
He is known to have been in Africa - where Wagner has interests and military operations - before returning to Moscow ahead of the air crash last week.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen in new footage 'dismissing reports of his elimination': Warlord insists 'everything is fine' in video filmed in Africa during 'the second half of August'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12464489/Yevgeny-Prigozhin-new-footage-dismissing-elimination-Wagner.html
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BBC News is saying the above was filmed before his death.
There was some confusion in the timing of the video in the above article.
Prigozhin alluded to threats in new video release
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66674019
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Next thing you know he and Boris Johnson will be leading Alpha strikes against the Russian army liberators... because they're both fascists, don't you know.
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Came across this while slipping coffee
Looks like at least two guys, maybe three, made it out
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/p6AZoxE2RQQ?feature=share
In the comments
"As Chieftain would say, the crew experienced a significant emotional event."
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Definitely three got out. First guy you can see running like heck after the hit but the filming tank's TC almost blocks the view. The little flags help. Then two more get out.
Looked it up, T-80 has a three man crew.
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Came across this while slipping coffee
Looks like at least two guys, maybe three, made it out
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/p6AZoxE2RQQ?feature=share
In the comments
"As Chieftain would say, the crew experienced a significant emotional event."
I LOVE feel good videos...
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Two things here
One: This is being reported by The Sun which is often just one step away from The Weekly World News
Two: Much of this is coming from the Russians
PHONE BLAST Putin’s general blown up after being ‘handed exploding mobile phone in assassination attempt by Ukraine Secret Service’
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23809305/putin-general-exploding-phone-ukraine-assassination-attempt/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Zelensky Says Women Who Sign Up To Fight Russia Will Receive A Free Pumpkin Spice Latte
https://babylonbee.com/news/zelensky-says-women-who-sign-up-to-fight-will-receive-a-free-pumpkin-spice-latte
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Zelensky Says Women Who Sign Up To Fight Russia Will Receive A Free Pumpkin Spice Latte
https://babylonbee.com/news/zelensky-says-women-who-sign-up-to-fight-will-receive-a-free-pumpkin-spice-latte
And just like that, Ukraine has the largest army in the world.
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Another half billion to Ukraine, this time for "clean energy". Which Kamala Harris once told me is how you win in the battlespace.
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2023/09/06/antony-blinken-announces-520-million-to-make-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-cleaner-n2386919
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OK, I'm all for giving Ukraine military aid (not because I like the Ukraineians, but because I LOATHE HATE DESPISE the Russians.
But this? That's just *expletive deleted*ing liberal virtue signaling at its goddamned worst.
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Another half billion to Ukraine, this time for "clean energy". Which Kamala Harris once told me is how you win in the battlespace.
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2023/09/06/antony-blinken-announces-520-million-to-make-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-cleaner-n2386919
Clean energy infrastructure that the Russians will just blow to hell and gone at their first opportunity. It's a warzone.
What a bunch of dumbasses in the Biden administration. I shouldn't be surprised, though. And The Big Guy will get his ten percent regardless.
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Clean energy infrastructure that the Russians will just blow to hell and gone at their first opportunity. It's a warzone.
What a bunch of dumbasses in the Biden administration. I shouldn't be surprised, though. And The Big Guy will get his ten percent regardless.
The Russians would never DARE incur the wraith of Greta.
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If Elvis and Bigfoot had a love child. The tabloids are just loving this.
WAG & BONE MAN Wagner warlord Prigozhin ‘is alive and hiding out on a Caribbean island called Margarita’, claims Russian analyst
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23885194/wagner-warlord-caribbean-russian-analyst/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sunyoutubestories
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Clean energy infrastructure that the Russians will just blow to hell and gone at their first opportunity. It's a warzone.
What a bunch of dumbasses in the Biden administration. I shouldn't be surprised, though. And The Big Guy will get his ten percent regardless.
THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT! Money will be funneled into the correct pockets.
Same reason we sent $$$ over there to bolster the Ukrainian pension system when our own Social Security system is in peril.
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According to this back in 2022 a Russian pilot in a Su-27 "fired"* two missiles at a British RC-135 Rivet Joint AC over the Black Sea after getting "ambiguous" commands from the ground. Apparently his wing man wasn't too happy.
The RAF plane - with a crew of up to 30 - was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September last year when it encountered two Russian SU-27 fighter jets.
The intercepted communications show that one of the Russian pilots thought he had been given permission to target the British aircraft, following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station.
However, the second Russian pilot did not. He remonstrated and swore at his wingman when he fired the first missile.
*I put fired in quotes because of what happen with the 2nd, see below
As the two Russian SU-27s approached the RAF spy plane, they received a communication from their ground station controller.
One Western source told the BBC the words they received were to the effect of "you have the target".
This ambiguous language was interpreted by one of the Russian pilots as permission to fire.
The loose language appears to have shown a high degree of unprofessionalism by those involved, sources said. In contrast, Nato pilots use very precise language when asking for and receiving permission to fire.
The Russian pilot released an air-to-air missile, which successfully launched but failed to lock on to its target, the BBC has been told. It was a miss, not a malfunction.
Defence sources have told the BBC that a row then broke out between the two Russian pilots.
The pilot of the second SU-27 did not think they had been given permission to fire.
He is said to have sworn at his comrade, effectively asking him what he thought he was doing.
Yet the first pilot still released another missile.
We had been told that the second missile simply fell from the wing - suggesting the weapon either malfunctioned or that the launch was aborted.
Rogue Russian pilot tried to shoot down RAF aircraft in 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66798508
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Holy hell - all signs point to this being real. Ukraine seems to be competing with the Hajis and Norko for the propaganda Oscar.
https://twitchy.com/aaronwalker/2023/09/19/meet-the-cray-cray-spokesperson-for-the-ukrainian-territorial-defense-force-n2387439
Nevermind that besides the crazy tranny, they're talking about (and apparently carrying out) assassinating individuals speaking out against Ukraine.
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Let's not forget Baghdad Bob!
(https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-72003817cd4b4d6365011ac20284cb3b-lq)
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Holy hell - all signs point to this being real. Ukraine seems to be competing with the Hajis and Norko for the propaganda Oscar.
https://twitchy.com/aaronwalker/2023/09/19/meet-the-cray-cray-spokesperson-for-the-ukrainian-territorial-defense-force-n2387439
Nevermind that besides the crazy tranny, they're talking about (and apparently carrying out) assassinating individuals speaking out against Ukraine.
Update
3/3 The command of the TDF will conduct an official investigation into the circumstances of these statements. Appropriate decisions would be taken.
Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo will be suspended immediately pending the investigation.
— Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces (@TDF_UA) September 20, 2023
Although the TDF does not in their message say which specific message of Ashton-Cirillo's led to this decision by superiors, we have to assume that it had something to do with the unhinged claims the Junior Sargeant has been making about putting American journalists who are critical of the Ukrainian efforts on 'kill lists', as written about on Twitchy by Aaron Walker yesterday (Meet the cray-cray spokesperson for the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force – Twitchy)
https://twitchy.com/coucy/2023/09/20/trans-ukranian-territorial-defense-force-spokesperson-removed-from-duty-for-unapproved-statements-n2387504
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The Babylon Bee has found his/her/it's/Madam Fruitcake's replacement
Ukraine Hires Dylan Mulvaney As New Spokesperson
https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx4weBEBhAOPegZJAwRzdPvME4Faqmh_k8
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I see Zelensky is wearing something from the Fidel Castro collection now. Which I guess makes sense since he has called off elections in his "democratic" country.
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2023/09/21/biden-grins-like-an-idiot-while-his-handlers-rush-the-press-out-of-his-meeting-with-zelenskyy-n2387570
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Biden: "Gee, your hair smells terrific"
(https://i.headtopics.com/images/2023/9/22/financialreview/zelensky-faces-tough-washington-crowd-in-pleas-for-zelensky-faces-tough-washington-crowd-in-pleas-for-AD3D5172C016CC37628BD4A393402028.webp)
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How anyone can think this whole Ukraine thing was a good idea, particularly after seeing how it's played out is beyond me.
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How anyone can think this whole Ukraine thing was a good idea, particularly after seeing how it's played out is beyond me.
Which specific part of whole Ukraine thing?
Assuming you're talking about the US involvement, it has played out far less badly than I initially expected.
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Can't let a little thing like the government "shutting down" stop the money
🚨 JUST IN: The Pentagon has decided to EXEMPT Ukraine operations from a potential government shutdown if lawmakers fail to reach a deal by the end of the month.
This means tens of billions will continue flowing into Ukraine regardless.
Why is that even legal? pic.twitter.com/GKcCPb9aTb
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 21, 2023
What. In. The. Absolute. EFF? --> Pentagon 'DECIDES' to exempt Ukraine spending from gov shutdown
https://twitchy.com/samj/2023/09/22/ukraine-funding-doesnt-stop-in-govt-shutdown-n2387586
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Can't let a little thing like the government "shutting down" stop the money
What. In. The. Absolute. EFF? --> Pentagon 'DECIDES' to exempt Ukraine spending from gov shutdown
https://twitchy.com/samj/2023/09/22/ukraine-funding-doesnt-stop-in-govt-shutdown-n2387586
Ukraine Uber Alles.
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Can't let a little thing like the government "shutting down" stop the money
What. In. The. Absolute. EFF? --> Pentagon 'DECIDES' to exempt Ukraine spending from gov shutdown
https://twitchy.com/samj/2023/09/22/ukraine-funding-doesnt-stop-in-govt-shutdown-n2387586
I wonder if we're still sending them cash to support and prop up the Ukrainian pension system?
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I wonder if we're still sending them cash to support and prop up the Ukrainian pension system?
Yes. And infrastructure, energy, food, border security. You know things we are not doing for our own country.
I think it is close to 250 million a day since 2-22-2022.
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Yes. And infrastructure, energy, food, border security. You know things we are not doing for our own country.
I think it is close to 250 million a day since 2-22-2022.
Yeah, that and the pension are the things that I think is a bit ridiculous about this whole affair. The rumors about corruption and weapons ending up elsewhere are something to not forget as well
I can understand providing weapons and such to help them fight the Russians. They seem to be using them for that purpose and the Russians are getting exposed a bit. Or maybe we are depending on whose rumor you believe. [tinfoil] I think the total amount of money we are providing is not as huge as it could be in comparison to the trillions we are spending. I keep hearing it said we are saving money by dumping our obsolete equipment into Ukraine instead of having to dispose of it. Not sure if I believe that or not.
The other part I do not know is if we are providing aide to other European countries to replace equipment they are giving to Ukraine.
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Just to add some spicy to the conversation: The Ukrainians are so secure that we'll keep funding them they are broadcasting their war crimes on the internet.
https://x.com/GloOouD/status/1704734490528973203?s=20
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https://youtu.be/JR229_Msuys?t=266
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https://youtu.be/JR229_Msuys?t=266
The Wolverines didn't film that and play it on TV while simultaneously begging un involved countries to send them money and weapons.
Not a great look.
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The Wolverines didn't film that and play it on TV while simultaneously begging un involved countries to send them money and weapons.
Not a great look.
No disagreement.
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Which specific part of whole Ukraine thing?
Assuming you're talking about the US involvement, it has played out far less badly than I initially expected.
I take no joy in dead Russians and encouraging the Ukrainians to play catch with Russian artillery is just beyond the pale. It will all be in vain if aid gets pulled and it will get worse if NATO officially puts boots in country. We did not need to go to war with Russia.
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I take no joy in dead Russians and encouraging the Ukrainians to play catch with Russian artillery is just beyond the pale. It will all be in vain if aid gets pulled and it will get worse if NATO officially puts boots in country. We did not need to go to war with Russia.
Should anything at all be done to stop Russia from doing the lebensraum thing?
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NATO still exists and the members borders are still obvious red lines.
Absorbing Ukraine into the western empire was a deal breaker to Russia and they made that very clear.
If the west tabled the NATO/EU talk and made Ukraine stop bombing the eastern Russian speaking provinces it's doubtful Russia would have invaded, and thousands of Ukrainians/Russians would still be alive.
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I take no joy in dead Russians and encouraging the Ukrainians to play catch with Russian artillery is just beyond the pale.
Millions of Ukrainians have been genocided by Russia over the years.. Should they have let Russia take them over without fighting back? ??? At the very least, they have managed to keep the Russians out of the majority of their country. I usually agree with everything you say Ron, but not this time.
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NATO still exists and the members borders are still obvious red lines.
Absorbing Ukraine into the western empire was a deal breaker to Russia and they made that very clear.
If the west tabled the NATO/EU talk and made Ukraine stop bombing the eastern Russian speaking provinces it's doubtful Russia would have invaded, and thousands of Ukrainians/Russians would still be alive.
On the other hand, if Russia had stayed the *expletive deleted*ck out of Ukraine instead of trying to foment rebellion in the Russian-speaking provinces (which, by the way, were not actually Russian-speaking provinces), there wouldn't have been any excuse for Russia to "protect Russian-speaking peoples."
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The wiki page has the numbers and covers the issue. The east is very heavy ethnic Russian. They aren't Russian speaking because it's not an official recognized language of the state.
According to 2006 survey by Research & Branding Group (Donetsk) 39% of Ukrainian citizens think that the rights of the Russophones are violated because the Russian language is not official in the country, whereas 38% of the citizens have the opposite position.[66][67] According to annual surveys by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences 43.9% to 52.0% of the total population of Ukraine supports the idea of granting the status of state language to Russian.[32] At the same time, this is not viewed as an important issue by most of Ukraine's citizens. On a cross-national survey involving ranking the 30 important political issues, the legal status of the Russian language was ranked 26th, with only 8% of respondents (concentrated primarily in Crimea and Donetsk) feeling that this was an important issue.[68]
Leave Ukraine to Ukrainians and quit poking at Russia by trying to put a NATO outpost on their border.
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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Sudetendeutsche.png) (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudeten_Germans)
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The wiki page has the numbers and covers the issue. The east is very heavy ethnic Russian. They aren't Russian speaking because it's not an official recognized language of the state.
And your point? Prior to the collapse of the USSR, the Russians made Ukrainians speak Russian. Once Ukraine was free to be Ukraine, it was natural for them to revert to their original, native language. There are ethnic Ukrainians in Russia, too, but they're not allowed to speak Ukrainian, and Ukraine wasn't working to foment rebellion against Russia in the ethnically Ukrainian areas of Mother Russia.
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And your point? Prior to the collapse of the USSR, the Russians made Ukrainians speak Russian. Once Ukraine was free to be Ukraine, it was natural for them to revert to their original, native language. There are ethnic Ukrainians in Russia, too, but they're not allowed to speak Ukrainian, and Ukraine wasn't working to foment rebellion against Russia in the ethnically Ukrainian areas of Mother Russia.
Well we better instigate WWIII over it then.
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Russian speaking or not it doesn't matter, Russia has traditionally seen itself as protector of the Slavic people and that requires they all be save and sound in the arms of Mother Russia, even if that means killing some of them to make them understand that.
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Ron, whose fault is the Ukraine war? I’ve seen several implications that you seem to think it is anyone except Russia’s.
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Let us not pretend that the current borders of Eastern Europe are somehow rooted in history or that they have some specific claim to legitimacy.
NATO, Russia, and the government of the Ukraine all did their part to kick this particular conflict off.
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Let us not pretend that the current borders of Eastern Europe are somehow rooted in history or that they have some specific claim to legitimacy.
NATO, Russia, and the government of the Ukraine all did their part to kick this particular conflict off.
Can't ignore history in this, we're dealing with people with 1,000 year memories, their decisions always have one eye on history legitimate or not. It colors their thinking while we can't seem to see no further back than last week. One of the reasons we keep screwing up in the middle east.
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Ron, whose fault is the Ukraine war? I’ve seen several implications that you seem to think it is anyone except Russia’s.
dogmush beat me to it.
Our foreign policy establishment has been bad for a while but it has really been a nightmare since 9/11.
We continually make decisions that make us weaker. All in supposed shows of strength.
We all got high smoking desert shield and all of a sudden thought we were invincible, calling the shots around the globe.
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Let us not pretend that the current borders of Eastern Europe are somehow rooted in history or that they have some specific claim to legitimacy.
NATO, Russia, and the government of the Ukraine all did their part to kick this particular conflict off.
I’ve said from the beginning that there are no good guys there. Ukraine was the hub of money laundering and corruption. Russia is a genocidal bully. NATO has been a bully as well.
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I’ve said from the beginning that there are no good guys there. Ukraine was the hub of money laundering and corruption. Russia is a genocidal bully. NATO has been a bully as well.
We can be confident the bad guys will end up running Ukraine.
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Ron, whose fault is the Ukraine war? I’ve seen several implications that you seem to think it is anyone except Russia’s.
To elaborate a little further. I'm the one that posted the John Mearsheimer lecture earlier in this thread. Nothing I've read or run across since then dissuades me from agreeing with his take on the subject. The USA has been zero compromise on absorbing Ukraine into the western orbit, Russia actually tried diplomacy for a compromise only to be completely snubbed. Arrogant short sighted foreign policy bullies created this mess.
If you're insinuating I have some admiration for Russia or Putin. I'm German and Polish and have no natural affection for the Russians. I grew up during the cold war for goodness sake. I haven't met very many Russians IRL but the ones I have dealt with in the retail environment were insufferable. Putin was head of the KGB, why would one like or trust him? He's a spook who viewed/views us as the enemy.
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He's a spook who viewed/views us as the enemy.
He should. We clearly view his country as an enemy.
I was in Russia in '95. It was actually really cool. 99% of the Russians I met were awesome people, and culturally very similar to the US. (At least to where we were in the 90's).
I have often said if our two governments ever got out of the way enough for Americans and Russians to figure out how much we had in common we'd take over the world.
For better or worse that seems unlikely.
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We can be confident the bad guys will end up running Ukraine.
The bad guys end up running every place.
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Counterpoint: Ukraine is a sovereign nation. As such, their government is entitled to enter into whatever treaties or alliances it sees fit. They were seeking entry into NATO.
Should NATO have hard declined them because it would cause too many problems? Doesn't NATO entertain any country joining, if an agreement can be reached?
Arguments that this is NATO's fault seem to lean heavily on this idea that Ukraine doesn't have free agency.
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Counterpoint: Ukraine is a sovereign nation. As such, their government is entitled to enter into whatever treaties or alliances it sees fit. They were seeking entry into NATO.
Should NATO have hard declined them because it would cause too many problems? Doesn't NATO entertain any country joining, if an agreement can be reached?
Arguments that this is NATO's fault seem to lean heavily on this idea that Ukraine doesn't have free agency.
Their elections are even more suspect than ours. Ukraine is/was the playground of multiple intelligence agencies.
The retarded amount of money and materials we've shipped and supported them with makes one wonder whose side our government is on. Particularly when you consider the amount of money not spent on domestic concerns and the reported questionable levels of our ammunition stockpiles. Nothing about it looks pro America to me at all. Is there a military conflict we've engaged in since desert shield that has left us in a better geopolitical position and stronger as a nation?
How one can have followed the local, national and global news the last couple decades and still believe anything the lying deceivers at the top of the food chain report is beyond me. There is no foreign policy, just gunboat diplomacy.
I'm afraid we won't see a truly representative government in America until sometime after the US empire collapses under the weight of its own absurdity and incompetence.
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Apropos of nothing but Ben's interest in his own opinion, I spent the time to browse the currently 113 pages of this thread. At the beginning, I was pro-Ukraine. Around page 45 I started to question things, and around page 70, I decided that Ukraine was at least as bad as Russia, and was certainly not a democracy, regardless of what they call themselves.
The only high road Ukraine has (IMO) is that they were the ones invaded. Other than that, at this point I don't really GAF who "wins", because it looks like we're all losers in this.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/23/world/europe/eu-ukraine-war-ammunition.html
Manufacturing 155 mm artillery shells is not as simple as flipping a switch.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/23/world/europe/eu-ukraine-war-ammunition.html
Manufacturing 155 mm artillery shells is not as simple as flipping a switch.
https://youtu.be/lJKcdlj-Uiw?si=N4YMhYr3EuHdGL1P
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https://youtu.be/lJKcdlj-Uiw?si=N4YMhYr3EuHdGL1P
I KNEW that would be the clip! :rofl:
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Looks like Poland is getting tired of Zelensky:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66873495
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Apropos of nothing but Ben's interest in his own opinion, I spent the time to browse the currently 113 pages of this thread. At the beginning, I was pro-Ukraine. Around page 45 I started to question things, and around page 70, I decided that Ukraine was at least as bad as Russia, and was certainly not a democracy, regardless of what they call themselves.
The only high road Ukraine has (IMO) is that they were the ones invaded. Other than that, at this point I don't really GAF who "wins", because it looks like we're all losers in this.
The united states has spent less than 1.5% in Ukraine what it did in the 20 year long wars on terror. Considering how much Russian equipment has been wiped off the board for it, one could argue that it's comparative good value. Additionally it gets to be done from a position of righteousness, and without the objections that come from having US servicemen dying in foreign wars.
Their elections are even more suspect than ours. Ukraine is/was the playground of multiple intelligence agencies.
The retarded amount of money and materials we've shipped and supported them with makes one wonder whose side our government is on. Particularly when you consider the amount of money not spent on domestic concerns and the reported questionable levels of our ammunition stockpiles. Nothing about it looks pro America to me at all. Is there a military conflict we've engaged in since desert shield that has left us in a better geopolitical position and stronger as a nation?
How one can have followed the local, national and global news the last couple decades and still believe anything the lying deceivers at the top of the food chain report is beyond me. There is no foreign policy, just gunboat diplomacy.
I'm afraid we won't see a truly representative government in America until sometime after the US empire collapses under the weight of its own absurdity and incompetence.
If your position is that the truths are unknowable, then how can you have an opinion on events - one way or the other?
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Additionally it gets to be done from a position of righteousness, and without the objections that come from having US servicemen dying in foreign wars.
But is it righteousness to side with one dictatorship full of corrupt oligarchs over another dictatorship full of corrupt oligarchs?
This is what has changed my opinion on Ukraine the most over the 113 pages of the thread. I'm not crazy about the US supporting a regime that imprisons the opposing political party, bans religions it does not like, takes over the news media, now decides to "postpone" their presidential elections, and though there's no proof of this last one, it seems they're kinetically targeting individuals not even from Ukraine who are speaking out against Ukraine.
I have to agree with Travis Hailey - this is some bullshit war.
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But is it righteousness to side with one dictatorship full of corrupt oligarchs over another dictatorship full of corrupt oligarchs?
This is what has changed my opinion on Ukraine the most over the 113 pages of the thread. I'm not crazy about the US supporting a regime that imprisons the opposing political party, bans religions it does not like, takes over the news media, now decides to "postpone" their presidential elections, and though there's no proof of this last one, it seems they're kinetically targeting individuals not even from Ukraine who are speaking out against Ukraine.
I have to agree with Travis Hailey - this is some bullshit war.
I think assisting a country that's been invaded by its neighbor is a pretty easy PR line to sell.
Also, most every country including the US have implemented pretty eyebrow raising domestic control policies in wartime.
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Just saw something about France sending Mirage 2000Ds
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I'm not crazy about the US supporting a regime that imprisons the opposing political party, bans religions it does not like, takes over the news media, now decides to "postpone" their presidential elections, and though there's no proof of this last one, it seems they're kinetically targeting individuals not even from Ukraine who are speaking out against Ukraine.
The USA has done pretty much done the things in red during some of its wars. We banned the Communist Party. It is still an illegal party. Britian imprisoned the leadership of the British Union of Fascists during the Second World War (it was being funded by the Nazi Party). Banning enemy-aligned political parties is standard procedure during wartime.
The USA has engaged in heavy wartime media censorship. During the first World War, a film director was imprisoned for making a movie about the Revolutionary War that portrayed the British as the bad guys (because they were our allies now!). Once again, SOP.
Bill Clinton bombed a TV station for broadcasting Serbian propaganda during the Yugoslav War... killing people. SOP.
None of the things Ukraine is doing are unusual, even for a "democracy", though perhaps many people would consider these things bad. I have zero doubt the USA would be doing all of these things if our territory was being occupied by hostile party. Ukraine is fighting against a power that has genocided millions of its citizens in the past. No one should be surprised at what they are willing to do.
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I’ve heard the excuses, but I’m unconvinced that there exist any justifications for the Russian invasion that hold water outside a Russian lens. Moreover, most of the justifications I see Americans pitching require discarding what Putin himself claims and saying “… but his real reason is __X__.”
I am pretty close to some Ukrainians so I’m sure that impacts my perspective too, but in general I’m more likely to empathize with the invaded country, especially given the treatment of civilians and civilian infrastructure by the Russians.
I’m not under any illusions about the Ukrainian government being particularly freedom oriented, honest, or free of corruption, but I also don’t think that any of those things are likely to be improved in any respect by a Russian invasion. The Russians aren’t looking to improve freedom of religion, reduce corruption, expand transparency, etc.
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I’ve heard the excuses, but I’m unconvinced that there exist any justifications for the Russian invasion that hold water outside a Russian lens.
To be clear, I'm not justifying the Russian invasion. The invasion was wrong, the Russians are at fault. The veil that made the Ukrainians the good guys has simply fallen from my face. There are no good guys here. I repeat, it is IMO, a bullshit war. And to bring Travis Hailey back into it, I'm finding it interesting that the vast majority of retired Tier 1 guys who are on the social media are calling this war bullshit and are not fans of either the Russians or the Ukrainians. These are not cowards. These are the guys who would first die were we to get kinetically involved in this war. I find their opinions worth listening to. Again, JMO.
I too, have a very good friend who is Ukrainian, but I can't close my eyes to what the Ukrainian government is doing, nor will I conform to "But the United States did the same thing and would do it again." We have been living down Japanese Internment for over 80 years now. The things the US did are absolutely not "SOP". They are unconstitutional and close to, if not actually, war crimes. And would have been war crimes if we were the losers.
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If your position is that the truths are unknowable, then how can you have an opinion on events - one way or the other?
I didn't say truths are unknowable.
After two decades of seeing reality playing out and not matching the narrative(s) we were misled with, we should be very careful believing our official sources of information. I'd add skepticism of alternative sources of information also.
My position is actually a radical commitment to truth, it's so out there that I drop support or stop listening to any source that I perceive is peddling narratives, stories or "information" I am confident are false. If they've lied to me in the past I no longer trust them at all. I don't countenance liars in my life, I limit all interaction and purge them if possible. Why should my media consumption or politicians I support be held to a lower standard than I have for personal interaction?
Whatever is going on with our government it is patently obvious that the republic, constitution and peoples will have so little impact on policy that we can say it's pretty much all over. It's just a matter of when the collapse happens not if it happens, barring a miracle.
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It occured to me today as I was reading some OSINT on the less savory units the Ukraine ihas been forced to turn loose in the east that this is not the first time the US has armed and trained some political extremists in an invaded country to help with a proxy war against the Russians.
Hopefully this doesn't come home to roost the way the Mujahedeen did.
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. . .
Hopefully this doesn't come home to roost the way the Mujahedeen did.
We may not be on the best of terms with Ukraine in 10 years if things go sideways, but we still have more in common culturally with a country that's nearly 90% Christian rather than Moslem.
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The things the US did are absolutely not "SOP". They are unconstitutional and close to, if not actually, war crimes. And would have been war crimes if we were the losers.
War crimes are SOP when a country is being invaded. If the Ukrainians are bad guys in the conflict because of these things, then so was the USA in WW2.
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We may not be on the best of terms with Ukraine in 10 years if things go sideways, but we still have more in common culturally with a country that's nearly 90% Christian rather than Moslem.
Two points:
1. One of the things arming and training the Muj did was allow them to take over Afghanistan. Afghanistan was nowhere near as militantly Muslim in the early 80s. There are some fringe Ukrainian groups getting a ton of training and weapons right now. Bears keeping an eye on.
2. What percentage Christian was Germany in 1932? (I know, Ukraine isn't anything close to the industrial powerhouse Germany was, but the point stands that relying on a shared religion can go bad.)
Not saying there's 100% going to be a problem, but this strategy has backfired in the past and assuming countries that have just been decimated buy war won't radically change is not a great plan.
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The veil that made the Ukrainians the good guys has simply fallen from my face. There are no good guys here. I repeat, it is IMO, a bullshit war.
As far as the Ukrainians not being good guys, what does that mean? Australia went absolutely statist nuts during Covid, but if China invaded them tomorrow they would still be the relatively good guys. Ultimately they are the victims in this conflict.
Yeah, it is a bullshit war, but it is also not the first time in recent memory Russia has decided to re-USSR some land. Georgia, Crimea, now Ukraine as a whole. I don’t know when Putin will decide that he has grabbed enough, but I’m not sure that shrugging and letting him snatch up Ukraine is likely to have caused him to stop.
My major concern with the war was that it could lead to losing US troops in combat and/or a nuclear exchange. If those can be avoided, and if Russian warfighting capacity can be drastically reduced through intel, weaponry, cash, and training then maybe this prevents a future Article 5 response to a Polish invasion or something. Or maybe not.
I don’t have the answers myself, but it sometimes seems that by saying “we shouldn’t help a corrupt government defend themselves” we are also saying “so we should totally let a corrupt government invade their neighbor again and grow stronger.”
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I'm inclined to regard this as a "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of situation.
I am also concerned that Putin won't live forever, and odds are that whoever replaces him may be significantly worse. For that reason alone, IMHO it is the our advantage and the world's advantage if Russia can be stopped and Ukraine's territorial integrity restored before Putin's successor takes office.
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My biggest concern with not supporting Ukraine is two fold:
1. Putin decides that yeah, Ukraine is now his, so Poland or the Baltic States should return to the fold because the world won't try to do anything about it. That would kick off World War III.
2. China, emboldened by US/NATO inactivity, decides the time is ripe to grab Taiwan. Hello World War III.
China is also getting a front seat view of just how effective Western weapons systems are, as well, and how badly the supposedly "second most powerful military in the world," is being handled by a much smaller nation armed with those weapons that I really think it has cooled some of their expansionist ardor.
A few days ago I read a very interesting, but rather horrifying, short story by Jack London. Written in 1910, the Unparalleled Invasion recounts the rise of China. First Japan, after the Russo-Japanese war attempts to invade China and is beaten into submission, never rising to become the world power that it did in the 1920s through 1940s.
Then China begins semi-passively invading other nations and spreading out and, essentially, becomes an unstoppable force.
Until a scientist in the United States comes up with a plan, and the rest of the world signs on.
Essentially, the world unites to cordon off China both on land and at sea and then overflies the nation and institutes unrestricted biological warfare. Plague, anthrax, yellow fever, etc., are dropped on China, killing hundreds of millions and causing an almost complete collapse of the Chinese economy and civilization.
Really, really *expletive deleted*ed up when you think about it, and highly indicative of the burgeoning fear of "The Yellow Peril" that was rising at that time.
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Two points:
1. One of the things arming and training the Muj did was allow them to take over Afghanistan. Afghanistan was nowhere near as militantly Muslim in the early 80s. There are some fringe Ukrainian groups getting a ton of training and weapons right now. Bears keeping an eye on.
2. What percentage Christian was Germany in 1932? (I know, Ukraine isn't anything close to the industrial powerhouse Germany was, but the point stands that relying on a shared religion can go bad.)
Not saying there's 100% going to be a problem, but this strategy has backfired in the past and assuming countries that have just been decimated buy war won't radically change is not a great plan.
1. Keeping an eye on things makes sense. We should be monitoring more closely who's getting the weapons and - especially - where our cash is ending up. Too many people here are what I would term "militantly incurious" about this, especially where the cash is concerned.
2. Germany caused problems, we allied ourselves with an evil empire that with pogroms, purges, and collectivization murdered 3x as many people as died in German death camps. Germany is now an ally, our former ally is now an adversary. Go figure.
I don't know what's going to happen - a wise man once said that it's hard to make predictions, especially about the future.
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2. Germany caused problems, we allied ourselves with an evil empire that with pogroms, purges, and collectivization murdered 3x as many people as died in German death camps. Germany is now an ally, our former ally is now an adversary. Go figure.
This is more food for thought. Not like we'll ever be good friends with the current Russian regime, but like Germany, fifty years from now we may be good friends with a new Russian regime and wondering what to do about the terrorist state of Ukraine.
And I have to say that part of my opinion is more emotional reaction. Lots of countries are helping Ukraine, but we seem to be the only country where it's some kind of a popular party with everyone switching their lgbt flags and pins and stickers for the Ukrainian flag, and also stuff like this:
(https://i.redd.it/tlasvir37el81.jpg)
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Interesting Tucker interview I read this morning that speaks directly to our official sources of information.
Speaking of the media:
Carlson: Of course they do, because they're terrified. They're just afraid. They go along with it, absolutely. They're afraid to say something that will offend the people who run the government, who run the biggest companies and, most of the time, they won't. And that's not just a perversion of what they should be doing, it's an inversion. They exist to hold the people in power accountable. Instead, they do exactly the opposite. They do their bidding.
For example, they roll out this vaccine in the United States. It has massive consequences for the population. Hundreds of millions of people take it, and no reporting on that vaccine – no real reporting — is allowed. People are, literally, fired from their jobs if they'd question the efficacy and the safety of that vaccine. That's insane. In a functioning democracy, if you had a mandatory drug where everyone's required to take it, the news media’s job would be to report out whether or not it's safe and whether or not it works. They did just the opposite.
Even the war in Ukraine. This is potentially a nuclear conflict between superpowers. Shouldn't we know all that we can? “No.” You're not allowed.
I tried to interview Vladimir Putin, and the US government stopped me. So, think about that for a minute. By the way, nobody defended me. I don't think there was anybody in the news media who said, “Wait a second. I may not like this guy, but he has a right to interview anyone he wants, and we have a right to hear what Putin says.” You're not allowed to hear Putin's voice. Because why? There was no vote on it. No one asked me. I'm 54 years old. I've paid my taxes and followed the law.
I'm an American citizen. I'm a much more loyal American than, say, Joe Biden or Kamala Harris, who didn't even grow up in this country; she grew up in Canada. And they're telling me what it is to be a loyal American? I'm just not even interested, at this point. I don't even care. When David Frum [a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine] from Canada gets to tell me that I'm a disloyal American, it's a joke. It's a joke. And I don't care what they think, actually, anymore. And I don't have to care. So, I don't.
The whole thing is a pretty good read. Of course Tuck has his own agenda ... but i think it aligns a little better with our view of things.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/our-system-collapsing-real-time-tucker-carlson-gives-bombshell-interview
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Your friend today doesn't mean he/she/it will be your friend tomorrow.
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Your friend today doesn't mean he/she/it will be your friend tomorrow.
On a related note just got an e-mail titled Hot Russian Ladies
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On a related note just got an e-mail titled Hot Russian Ladies
There is probably a higher chance that they are actual biological females.
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There is probably a higher chance that they are actual biological females.
Assuming it's not a Biden admin trap.
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Really, really *expletive deleted*ed up when you think about it, and highly indicative of the burgeoning fear of "The Yellow Peril" that was rising at that time.
So you're saying they were prescient in 1910?
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Your friend today doesn't mean he/she/it will be your friend tomorrow.
I didn't even suggest anything to the contrary.
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“America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests”
― Henry Kissinger
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I didn't even suggest anything to the contrary.
I wasn't addressing comments from any individual. Just the tenor of some of the comments in general.
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And here is where we end up. Canada's Parliament gives a standing ovation to a NAZI. Not a "you said something that annoyed a gender studies major" NAZI, but an actual, jack boots, SS NAZI.
https://x.com/UnityNewsNet/status/1705841969845403788?s=20
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And here is where we end up. Canada's Parliament gives a standing ovation to a NAZI. Not a "you said something that annoyed a gender studies major" NAZI, but an actual, jack boots, SS NAZI.
https://x.com/UnityNewsNet/status/1705841969845403788?s=20
Wasn't Trump so nothing to see here.
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:rofl:
The Amazing Zoltan
@AmazingZoltan
I captured the precise moment the Liberal House Speaker realized that he accidentally invited a literal World War II Nazi veteran to the Canadian Parliament as his honoured guest.
https://twitter.com/AmazingZoltan/status/1706133388657311970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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^^^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUZiUORi3uQ
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Benny Johnson
@bennyjohnson
Justin Trudeau is now blaming the fact that he and Zelenskyy honored a literal Nazi with a standing ovation before parliament on “Russian Disinformation”
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1706386691538202994
(https://y.yarn.co/efa0885f-ced5-4e1a-a6f0-cd264e90d929_text.gif)
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F67F4RiWkAAsmk8?format=webp&name=small)
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:rofl:
The Amazing Zoltan
@AmazingZoltan
I captured the precise moment the Liberal House Speaker realized that he accidentally invited a literal World War II Nazi veteran to the Canadian Parliament as his honoured guest.
https://twitter.com/AmazingZoltan/status/1706133388657311970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
But wait, there more
Poland wants to extradite the Nazi who received a standing ovation in Canada’s parliament. The Trudeau government has finally succeeded in making me embarrassed to be a Canadian. https://t.co/fO7fVHIRIe
— Norman Levine (@NormanLevine100) September 26, 2023
🚨BREAKING: Canadian House Speaker Anthony Rota resigns after honoring Yaroslav Hunka, a Nazi who fought with the 14th division of the Waffen SS against the Russians in Ukraine in WWll with a standing ovation during a visit by Volodomyr Zelenskyy
pic.twitter.com/dqcbtL7R6j
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 26, 2023
Fall guy for Justin
BREAKING: Canadian Speaker steps DOWN amid Ukrainian Nazi controversy
https://twitchy.com/coucy/2023/09/26/canadian-speaker-steps-down-n2387773
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Trudeau Attempts To Distract From Nazi Controversy By Growing Cool New Mustache
https://babylonbee.com/news/trudeau-attempts-to-distract-from-nazi-controversy-by-growing-cool-new-mustache
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Is he still in their Parliament or does that put him out of office all together?
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Is he still in their Parliament or does that put him out of office all together?
I think he'll still be in Parliament, but his only leadership position may only be in the local Bund chapter.
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So, Putin was right... sort of...
He said his special military operation was to de-Nazify Ukraine.
When it was Canada he should have been de-Nazifying.
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https://x.com/philthatremains/status/1707791855436415150?s=20
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Language warning
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Political Relations Between Poland & Belarus For Dummies
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P7fjWEwWq4E?feature=share
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Approaching ten days since this topic was posted on ...
Looks like whatever the plan was in Ukraine is getting scrapped. They will be running out of money, weapons, ammo and cannon fodder with Israel sucking all the oxygen (attention and money) into their region. Ukraine will be lucky to get anything out of whatever the ending agreement/settlement ends up being. Talk about a failure of intelligence in identifying the adversaries determination. Our foreign policy experts have managed to implement policies that aren't in anybody that's involved best interests. Other than maybe the MIC.
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Approaching ten days since this topic was posted on ...
Looks like whatever the plan was in Ukraine is getting scrapped. They will be running out of money, weapons, ammo and cannon fodder with Israel sucking all the oxygen (attention and money) into their region. Ukraine will be lucky to get anything out of whatever the ending agreement/settlement ends up being. Talk about a failure of intelligence in identifying the adversaries determination. Our foreign policy experts have managed to implement policies that aren't in anybody that's involved best interests. Other than maybe the MIC.
Don't worry there's still time for Azov BDE to find a bunch of dead babies the Russians left behind.
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Approaching ten days since this topic was posted on ...
Looks like whatever the plan was in Ukraine is getting scrapped. They will be running out of money, weapons, ammo and cannon fodder with Israel sucking all the oxygen (attention and money) into their region. Ukraine will be lucky to get anything out of whatever the ending agreement/settlement ends up being. Talk about a failure of intelligence in identifying the adversaries determination. Our foreign policy experts have managed to implement policies that aren't in anybody that's involved best interests. Other than maybe the MIC.
It was always Russia’s war to lose, and never the Ukrainian’s to win. The Russians, as terrible fighters as they are, as corrupt as they are, had the one thing the Ukrainians desperately lacked. Numbers.
The Ukrainians had a respectable kill ratio but it was still about 1/5 of the minimum kill ratio they needed to have the slimmest of hopes for victory. Even with all the advanced weapon systems, ammo, and money the west threw at them.
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Z is trying to get to Israel so he can get his face back in the news.
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Israel said no to Zelenskyy visiting. He's so out of the news now I expect him to hit Russia with a big direct attack. Or maybe Poland.
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I saw a post that they launched the first strikes with US ATACMS missiles today and received 30 or so M1 Abrams tanks with ammo and spare parts. Israel may be getting the press, but they are still receive goody bags.
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Israel said no to Zelenskyy visiting. He's so out of the news now I expect him to hit Russia with a big direct attack. Or maybe Poland.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F8sRaShWcAAyrYW?format=jpg&name=900x900)
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Meh, he's not that left behind. A $100 billion foreign aid package "due to what's happening in Israel" with the bulk of the money going to Ukraine. Brandon has to keep the money flowing so the ukis don't spill the beans on his corruption. Which seems to have disappeared from the news since the Israeli/Hamas stuff started.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-drafts-100-billion-foreign-aid-package-including/story?id=104059871
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Meh, he's not that left behind. A $100 billion foreign aid package "due to what's happening in Israel" with the bulk of the money going to Ukraine. Brandon has to keep the money flowing so the ukis don't spill the beans on his corruption. Which seems to have disappeared from the news since the Israeli/Hamas stuff started.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-drafts-100-billion-foreign-aid-package-including/story?id=104059871
The media not watching Ukraine makes it easier for Brandon & Co. to keep sending the slush to Ukraine with little to no risk of exposure or protest.
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Capitol Trick-Or-Treater Dressed As Zelensky Receives $40 Billion In Candy
https://babylonbee.com/news/capitol-trick-or-treater-dressed-as-zelensky-receives-40-billion-in-candy
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Capitol Trick-Or-Treater Dressed As Zelensky Receives $40 Billion In Candy
https://babylonbee.com/news/capitol-trick-or-treater-dressed-as-zelensky-receives-40-billion-in-candy
:rofl:
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Capitol Trick-Or-Treater Dressed As Zelensky Receives $40 Billion In Candy
https://babylonbee.com/news/capitol-trick-or-treater-dressed-as-zelensky-receives-40-billion-in-candy
Apparently this gave someone ideas:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/blinken-appears-to-dress-children-up-as-zelensky-and-ukrainian-flag-for-halloween/ar-AA1j9Muo
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Apparently this gave someone ideas:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/blinken-appears-to-dress-children-up-as-zelensky-and-ukrainian-flag-for-halloween/ar-AA1j9Muo
And the retard factor is losing their *expletive deleted*ing minds over it. Jesus.
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Apparently this gave someone ideas:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/blinken-appears-to-dress-children-up-as-zelensky-and-ukrainian-flag-for-halloween/ar-AA1j9Muo
And Uncle Joe pulled out 4 pieces of candy for each child and give them each 3 pieces while keeping 1 each for himself.
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And Uncle Joe pulled out 4 pieces of candy for each child and give them each 3 pieces while keeping 1 each for himself.
https://youtu.be/XDE9e0IZkbI?t=32
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Whoops
A grenade given as a birthday present has blown up and killed a close aide of the head of Ukraine's armed forces Valery Zaluzhny.
Maj Hennadiy Chastyakov, 39, had returned to his flat with presents from his colleagues and was opening them with his son when the grenade exploded.
Maj Chastyakov was killed and his 13-year-old son left seriously wounded.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the boy had started turning the ring on the grenade.
"Then, the serviceman took the grenade from the child and pulled the ring, causing a tragic explosion."
Prosecutors clarified later that he had accidentally set off the grenade while trying to take it away from his son.
But it soon emerged that another five grenades had been found in the flat. Mr Klymenko said that they had been a gift from a colleague in the army.
Two similar grenades were later found in a search of the colleague, described as a colonel in the army.
Who TF gives grenades as gifts?
Ukraine war: Grenade birthday gift kills army chief Zaluzhny's aide
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67342367
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Whoops
Who TF gives grenades as gifts?
I dunno, but I would like to be their friend.
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I dunno, but I would like to be their friend.
So long as you were in control of the pulling of the pin...
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Yall never watch Russian Street fight videos? Grenades turn up there like glock switches are here. Appears to be endemic weaponry.
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I seem to remember a youtuber once mentioning they visited someone in Russia and were able to walk up to one of the arsenals with a little cash and walk away with a box of grenades.
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I dunno, but I would like to be their friend.
So would I ! And I know where they could be put to good use !! >:D
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I seem to remember a youtuber once mentioning they visited someone in Russia and were able to walk up to one of the arsenals with a little cash and walk away with a box of grenades.
Corruption is a national sport in Russia.
Captains and Colonels have made hundreds of thousands of dollars skimming troop pay, selling their unit equipment, etc.
Even ordinary troops are in on it. There are reports that, after the initial phases of the invasion, lots of Russian vehicles became disabled because troops stripped out wiring and other stuff and sold it to local residents.
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I guess the game of hot potato is on a whole different level in Russia from what we played as kids
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Yall never watch Russian Street fight videos? Grenades turn up there like glock switches are here. Appears to be endemic weaponry.
Youtuber LazerPig told a story of when he dated a Russian guy. They got bored one evening while he was visiting in Russia, and with the help of a really pitiful amount of dollars in bribes, they walked into a Russian army base. A somewhat larger amount of dollars ended up in the hands of an NCO/officer, and they walked out with a crate of hand grenades.
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Corruption is a national sport in Russia.
Captains and Colonels have made hundreds of thousands of dollars skimming troop pay, selling their unit equipment, etc.
Even ordinary troops are in on it. There are reports that, after the initial phases of the invasion, lots of Russian vehicles became disabled because troops stripped out wiring and other stuff and sold it to local residents.
There was a lot of focus on the seemingly dry rotted tires of trucks and such as far as I remember. I imagine the only vehicles that received proper maintenance over the years were the few used for parades or to show the inspectors.
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There was a lot of focus on the seemingly dry rotted tires of trucks and such as far as I remember. I imagine the only vehicles that received proper maintenance over the years were the few used for parades or to show the inspectors.
Incompetence in maintenance is was another issue entirely.
REPLACING those tires, however, that's where the corruption comes in. Apparently orders were placed with China for tires and multiple hands at every level skimmed off the top, with the result being that, if the tires were ever received, they were of horrific quality and often simply wrong.
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I guess the game of hot potato is on a whole different level in Russia from what we played as kids
If you think that's different, you should see them playing Russian Roulette with their Makarovs!
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Another one bite the dust this time by car bomb
Ukrainian officials have taken credit for a car bomb that killed a Russian-backed politician Wednesday, calling the act retribution.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram that "traitors to Ukraine and collaborators with terrorist Russia in temporarily occupied territories … will receive just retribution! The hunt continues!"
Andriy Cherniak, representative of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate, told Politico "it was our operation."
Putin ally known as 'the Executioner' killed in Ukraine-planned car bombing: 'it was our operation'
Mikhail Filiponenko formerly led separatists forces backed by Moscow in Luhansk
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Zelensky kiboshed the presidential election, scheduled for March.
https://youtu.be/b76O3yK96WA
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Zelensky kiboshed the presidential election, scheduled for March.
https://youtu.be/b76O3yK96WA
"It's good to be the King President!"
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He's saving democracy in Ukraine!
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Not democratic sure... but....about 20% of Ukraine is occupied by the Russians. An election isn't exactly practical at this point.
The stuff Ukraine is doing is normal for countries in mortal danger.
Great Britain also did not hold elections during the Second World War.
I don't understand the hate Zelanasky gets from a lot of people esp. the Babylon Bee. He's a lefty weirdo, apparently, but he's managed to keep most of his country out of the hands of the Russians, against most people's expectations.
He's trying to keep his country (and himself) from being geocided. Of course he's doing everything he can, including begging constantly for foreign aid. Once again, exactly what the UK did during the Second World War.
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We're at war with Russia and Ukraine unfortunately chose poorly in allying with the west instead of trying to be neutral ground.
The lunatic uniparty neocons that have been running our foreign policy for decades want to destroy Russia. They are on record saying that very thing.
I thought I lived in a nation, I wanted to live in a nation. Unfortunately I live in an empire. I have no love for Russia but neither do I have a burning hatred for them either. I see no national security interest in pursuing WWIII while our land is both self destructing and being destroyed by the same uniparty clowns running the foreign policy. This is a global empire conflict, and the heritage Americans wants and desires are not even on the radar of our ruling elite.
Ukraine has been manipulated and bought and heritage America has been manipulated and abandoned.
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We're at war with Russia and Ukraine unfortunately chose poorly in allying with the west instead of trying to be neutral ground.
The lunatic uniparty neocons that have been running our foreign policy for decades want to destroy Russia. They are on record saying that very thing.
I thought I lived in a nation, I wanted to live in a nation. Unfortunately I live in an empire. I have no love for Russia but neither do I have a burning hatred for them either. I see no national security interest in pursuing WWIII while our land is both self destructing and being destroyed by the same uniparty clowns running the foreign policy. This is a global empire conflict, and the heritage Americans wants and desires are not even on the radar of our ruling elite.
Ukraine has been manipulated and bought and heritage America has been manipulated and abandoned.
At our founding we declared that all men are created equal. Now we read as all men are created equal except negros. When the know-nothings get control it will read all men are created equal except negros and foreigners and catholics. When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to a country that makes no pretense of loving liberty. To Russia for instance, where despotism can be taken purer and without the base alloy of hypocrisy. A. Lincoln, 1855
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I don’t think Ukraine had the option of remaining neutral, at least if they wanted to remain independent.
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Independence was never on the table for them in reality.
Being run behind the scenes by the west was an option or being run by Russia behind the scenes was an option. Although early on Russia offered a divide the spoils option the west rejected, thinking we'd be able to hold Russia at bay.
Looks like there will eventually be a divide the spoils agreement at some point as Russia couldn't take the whole thing and we weren't willing to commit to holding on to the whole thing.
Considering the hatred our elites have shown toward Russia since the cold war days, Russia made it clear that NATO in Ukraine would be considered an act of aggression towards Russia. You can say "who cares what they think?" but that was the reality on the ground.
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I know it is fashionable among some to blame western policy for all Russian aggression, but that is as simplistic as claiming Russia is acting without reason.
I don’t claim to know what the “right” answer is, but I am not convinced that if Russia had been allowed to have their freebie invasions that it would have stopped with Georgia and Ukraine.
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Stalin genocided millions of Ukrainians without prompting from the USA.
That being said, it is not clear to me the benefit of the USA remaining in NATO.
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It really wasn't complicated at all. Russia did not want a NATO military presence on their border in Ukraine, probably due to proximity to their Black Sea ports. I'm sure there are other military and economic reasons as well.
We don't want a Russian or Chinese military presence on our borders do we?
We made our intentions known and they acted accordingly. We thought we could use gunboat diplomacy instead of looking for compromise.
Might only makes right when we do it I guess.
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Ron, I think that there are a significant number of factors that contribute to the Russians attacking Georgia, Crimea, and Ukraine proper. I think NATO expansion was only a piece of the puzzle.
Sure, you can tell a story that had NATO simply said “No chance” to adding any more former Soviet nations it would have been entirely prevented. Or, maybe those nations were interested in seeking NATO protection for a good reason.
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I agree with cordex. Russian, up to and including Putin have been mass murdering their neighbors with or without the NATO motive for centuries.
I also think expanding NATO is rubbish, and opposed adding the any new countries to it, including the last two.
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Ron, I think that there are a significant number of factors that contribute to the Russians attacking Georgia, Crimea, and Ukraine proper. I think NATO expansion was only a piece of the puzzle.
Sure, you can tell a story that had NATO simply said “No chance” to adding any more former Soviet nations it would have been entirely prevented. Or, maybe those nations were interested in seeking NATO protection for a good reason.
Russia's hard line worked with Georgia, the NATO talk for Georgia hasn't gone forward beyond "we acknowledge you want to join".
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Russia is not the good guy here. I'm just questioning whether we are in fact the good guy. The USA foreign policy has been out over its skis for decades. Meanwhile at home the country is being torn apart. We're heading for a yard sale.
Forgive me for the ski metaphors.
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Russia's hard line worked with Georgia, the NATO talk for Georgia hasn't gone forward beyond "we acknowledge you want to join".
And I keep saying the *expletive deleted*ing Russians wanted Atlanta, they could have Atlanta.
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Russia is not the good guy here. I'm just questioning whether we are in fact the good guy. The USA foreign policy has been out over its skis for decades. Meanwhile at home the country is being torn apart. We're heading for a yard sale.
Forgive me for the ski metaphors.
Neither Obama or Trump really had much of a foreign policy. Biden kinda does. But the last potus with a real foreign "policy" was HW Bush. W developed a policy of killing Islamic terrorists after 9/11, but not too much beyond that.
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We don't want a Russian or Chinese military presence on our borders do we?
They are both already within our borders. :facepalm:
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https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1723519219550302461
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https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1723519219550302461
If the Ukrainians hadn't been fighting back fiercely, Russia would be busily genociding them them...again... and importing more Muslims and ethnic Russians to replace them... again.
I don't know what kind of end of the war they will have to accept, but denouncing them for fighting back doesn't make sense.
If the USA was being invaded by a genocidal foreign power, we wouldn't be saying this sort of thing about ourselves.
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https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1723519219550302461
Musk is a *expletive deleted*ing idiot.
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Neither Obama or Trump really had much of a foreign policy. Biden kinda does. But the last potus with a real foreign "policy" was HW Bush. W developed a policy of killing Islamic terrorists after 9/11, but not too much beyond that.
Tripping down the stairs while on a state visit isn't foreign policy...
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That being said, it is not clear to me the benefit of the USA remaining in NATO
The benefit is obvious... benefit to Europe, that is. It's so warmongering Europe can pursue aggressive foreign policies that further their interest, with the assurance of US support. They get to benefit from our military, without having to pay for that capability themselves.
Europe as a whole has been fighting itself for the past 1000 years. Early America was smart enough to leave it behind. Would that contemporary, globalist America were half as smart.
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Interesting breakdown of who is giving what form of aid to Ukraine.
(https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UkraineAid-1.jpg)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-233b-in-ukraine-aid/
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These kind of claims are notoriously hard to to confirm particularly when there's propaganda value in them but here it is
Ukrainian sniper claims new world record after 'picking off Russian soldier from 2.36 miles away using "Lord of the Horizon" gun'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12770127/Ukrainian-sniper-claims-new-world-record-picking-Russian-soldier-2-36-miles-away-using-Lord-Horizon-gun.html
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These kind of claims are notoriously hard to to confirm particularly where there's propaganda value in them but here it is
Ukrainian sniper claims new world record after 'picking off Russian soldier from 2.36 miles away using "Lord of the Horizon" gun'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12770127/Ukrainian-sniper-claims-new-world-record-picking-Russian-soldier-2-36-miles-away-using-Lord-Horizon-gun.html
Is his brother a pilot? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
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These kind of claims are notoriously hard to to confirm particularly where there's propaganda value in them but here it is
Ukrainian sniper claims new world record after 'picking off Russian soldier from 2.36 miles away using "Lord of the Horizon" gun'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12770127/Ukrainian-sniper-claims-new-world-record-picking-Russian-soldier-2-36-miles-away-using-Lord-Horizon-gun.html
Fire enough rounds at long - OK, extremely long - range with a reasonably accurate rifle that will put its rounds in the general vicinity of your target, and eventually you'll connect.
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Fire enough rounds at long - OK, extremely long - range with a reasonably accurate rifle that will put its rounds in the general vicinity of your target, and eventually you'll connect.
That stratagey requires the target to stand pretty still and exposed until you connect. It has been my experience that folks with bullets impacting in their general vicinity stay neither still, nor exposed.
I'm with Ben, as much as Ukraine has used propaganda in this war, I'll need real evidence of any claim of unusual prowess, not just fuzzy scopecam of an undisclosed location.
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That stratagey requires the target to stand pretty still and exposed until you connect. It has been my experience that folks with bullets impacting in their general vicinity stay neither still, nor exposed.
Of course. But over time in a war, if you're careful and don't get overconfident, you'll have more than one opportunity to try and pick off an enemy way out there, and the odds are you'll eventually hit someone with your first shot. Even if you don't hit the officer you're aiming for, hitting his adjutant two steps away still counts.
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I'm going to put this here for those that are still casting about trying to make sense of the geopolitical situation. If you've watched the Mearshimer video I posted early on in this discussion, you might find the critique of his position interesting. It's a short book review of On 'Sub-Imperial Power' (by Arnaud Bertrand).
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/11/on-sub-imperial-power-by-arnaud-bertrand.html#more
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Another interesting read from a link in the comments section of the above review.
https://pamho.medium.com/the-uniparty-and-cowboy-war-1689568759ae
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Sacrificing Ukraine | The Russian army disillusioned - Douglas Macgregor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP-V2dn4Jss
A bit more of a pessimistic view of things in Ukraine than I see from the pro-Ukrainian videos.
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So I guess we're at threat level "Approve more money for Ukraine, or we're going to start sending US troops there to fight". Pretty bold statements. The US politicians with hands in the Ukraine cookie jar must be getting some big time extortion threats from the oligarchs.
https://twitchy.com/dougp/2023/12/07/elon-musk-wanted-confirmation-from-tucker-carlson-that-secdef-lloyd-austin-really-said-this-n2390603
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Update on the leak story
Anyone got a rope handy?
FBI make arrest in Massachusetts after suspected leaker of top secret Pentagon files identified online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11969873/Identity-man-responsible-Pentagon-secret-documents-leak.html
Update
The Air Force has disciplined 15 members of the Air National Guard after a 'lack of supervision' allowed Jack Texeira to share hundreds of classified documents on the social media platform Discord.
Jack Texeira, a first class airman with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was accused of leaking the highly classified military documents from the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base.
The April disclosure was described as 'one of the biggest leaks of US intelligence' material in history. Texeira, who worked as a cyber defense operations journeyman, considered a low-ranking job, was charged with six counts of retaining and transmitting classified information.
An internal investigation revealed a 'lack of supervision' and a 'culture of complacency' in the massive classified documents leak that took place, the Washington Post reported.
On Monday, the Air Force Inspector General reported that multiple officials intentionally failed to take required action on his Texeira's suspicious behavior.
Air Force disciplines 15 members of Air National Guard after 'lack of supervision' allowed airman Jack Texeira to share hundreds of classified documents on Discord
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12852155/Air-Force-disciplines-15-members-Air-National-Guard-lack-supervision-allowed-airman-Jack-Texeira-share-hundreds-classified-documents-Discord.html
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An internal investigation revealed a 'lack of supervision' and a 'culture of complacency' in the massive classified documents leak that took place, the Washington Post reported.
Yeah, yeah, we already knew they worked for the govt.
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The Air Force took the intelligence mission from the 102nd after Teixeira's leaks were discovered and the group´s mission remains reassigned to other units.
So they removed the unit's commanding officer and they removed the unit's mission -- is there still a unit and, if so, what are those airmen and airwomen doing while they have no mission?
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$200 million more in weapons from our stockpiles, which seem to be getting concerningly low, considering stuff going on in the rest of the world.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-announces-two-hundred-million-dollars-additional-military-aid-ukraine-zelenskyy-visit-white-house
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I would say the meeting was over but I can't find a link to the story now. Councilman drops two grenades in meeting. May have been fake but looked real to me.
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Is it going to be a good thing if Russia wins?
I know people are voicing concerns about the money being sent over there. I also think people forget that Ukraine is also one of the most fertile regions of the world with like 30% of the worlds black soil.
Black soil, think of Iowa, Illinois, Soutern Minnesota in terms of soil productively.
Lack of food and energy causes wars.
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Is it going to be a good thing if Russia wins?
Nope.
But I'm also not convinced it is going to be a good thing if Russia loses.
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What he said ^
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At this point, with the lines semi stabilized, both sides really want to think about how much treasure and lives those three Oblast's are worth.
Russia would need to give some real concessions (Like the rest of Ukraine in NATO) but they would get their land bridge to Crimea, and Putin could claim a victory at home, hopefully forestalling the normal murderous thrashing of a failing dictator.
Never mind US and EU riches, which are significant, tens or hundreds of thousand of people could die grinding away at each other over fortified defenses if we (or Putin) decides to drag this out to the bitter end.
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Putin just announced that:
A) He's being successful in outlasting the west's waning interest in the Ukraine situation and because of that he's going to win, and
B) Russia is entitled to the entirety of Ukraine's Black Sea coast.
In other words, Putin has no intention of making any concessions at all.
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Nope.
But I'm also not convinced it is going to be a good thing if Russia loses.
I think it is less f**ked if Ukraine comes out on top, but Mother Russia will continue to have a perpetual chip on her shoulder about the Ukraine region.
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Trusting "our" globalist neocon geopolitical strategists who are running our foreign policy is as crazy as trusting Putin to have our best interests at heart.
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I think it is less f**ked if Ukraine comes out on top, but Mother Russia will continue to have a perpetual chip on her shoulder about the Ukraine region.
Mother Russia will continue to have a chip on its shoulder about everything.
They're still frosted that Finland is its own independent country.
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The war is over, now is just jockeying for the size of the partition Russia keeps.
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The war is over, now is just jockeying for the size of the partition Russia keeps.
Probably, but that was the case from the moment Russia crossed the border. Or when they marched into Crimea, for that matter.
Doesn’t mean that if we were in Ukrainian shoes we wouldn’t fight to keep whatever we could.
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Russia and the USA both took absolutist positions and the Ukrainians chose poorly, if they really had a choice.
There has been plenty of Western and Russian interference in Ukraine's domestic situation and elections. It would be naive to think otherwise.
It really never was about the Ukrainian people, it's been about the West vs Russia all along.
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The war is over, now is just jockeying for the size of the partition Russia keeps.
This is 100% untrue and dangerous to think. The war is stalemated, and currently just chewing up people and terrain. Neither side fighting, nor the third parties propping up Ukraine think it's over, and there's plenty of escalation still available on both sides.
When both sides are at a table negotiating in good faith, THEN Ron's statement will be correct.
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It's not a stalemate if one side is dying faster than the other. They're running out of Ukrainians.
You think NATO or the US is going to "officially" commit troops and in numbers enough to face the Russians on the ground?
Our uni-party globalists and NATO screwed the pooch on this one big time.
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Our uni-party globalists and NATO screwed the pooch on this one big time.
THAT is correct.
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It's not a stalemate if one side is dying faster than the other. They're running out of Ukrainians.
You think NATO or the US is going to "officially" commit troops and in numbers enough to face the Russians on the ground?
Our uni-party globalists and NATO screwed the pooch on this one big time.
I'd say 30% or so chance we escalate. Depends on what our election and economy do, and what the European energy market does this winter.
It's a stalemate in that they aren't losing Ukrainians fast enough that the war will be over before any of the current math changes.
If what you think was accurate, then Putin would be gearing up to head back to Kiev, and he's not.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-has-likely-suffered-480k-casualties-in-ukraine-uk-intel-2023-10
Interesting estimates of Russian casualties by the UK.
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Even if they win in the end the Russians should ask themselves was it worth the cost?
And also even if they win there's going to be one heck of an insurgency for years maybe even decades to come further draining Russian manpower.
And this is not even counting the damage done to relations with Russia's neighbors. Who on Russian's borders is going to trust them any time soon?
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Meanwhile Putin is throwing thinly veiled threats Finland's way
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed "problems" for Finland after he says the Nordic country was "dragged into NATO" amid the war in Ukraine.
"Look, Finland was taken and dragged into NATO," Putin said in a new on-camera interview. "What did we have, some kind of dispute with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th century, were all resolved a long time ago. We had the best, most heartfelt relations. Economically, everything was developing. Yes, in the timber industry, there were some problems linked to the necessity to develop timber processing within the country. But that was all. Just a small detail in reality."
Yeah, they were dragged ;/
Putin promises 'problems' for Finland after it was 'dragged into NATO'
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-promises-problems-finland-dragged-nato
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I'd say 30% or so chance we escalate. Depends on what our election and economy do, and what the European energy market does this winter.
It's a stalemate in that they aren't losing Ukrainians fast enough that the war will be over before any of the current math changes.
If what you think was accurate, then Putin would be gearing up to head back to Kiev, and he's not.
It probably is an overoptimistic supposition on my part that NATO and the USA won't escalate to officially moving troops into Ukraine.
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If what you think was accurate, then Putin would be gearing up to head back to Kiev, and he's not.
???
Putin has a significant amount of what I think he wanted. If true, holding it is sufficient.
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???
Putin has a significant amount of what I think he wanted. If true, holding it is sufficient.
I think he actually has a little more land than he planned for at the onset. He would probably be open to negotiations to end hostilities, but the other side isn't.
Just speculating based on what I know of Russian strategic interests.
For whatever reason(s) the west is unwilling to accept Russia increasing their territory again, so it seems like we're committed to pushing Russia back to the pre war borders. If Ukraine starts to really run out of people we'll need to decide how committed we are.
On the home front, I wouldn't put a "Wag the Dog" play past an embattled uniparty this coming year. They'll need an inciting incident of some kind to justify it to the normies, but that can be arranged.
I also would not put it past the Ukraine, if they think they are really losing the war or losing Western aid to find some Russian uniforms and a Russian body or two, and stage an "attack" on something NATO cares about.
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Normally this wouldn't go here but after a spate of high profile people connected to Putin falling off of high rises one wonders what did Santa have on Putin? Santa does know if you'll been naughty or good.
'Father Christmas' falls to his death from 24-storey building in front of horrified children: Climber dressed as Santa is killed during Russian abseil stunt
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12893033/father-christmas-death-fall-children-russian-abseil-stunt.html
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I'm starting to see a pattern here
Putin Ally Found Dead After Falling From Third-Floor Window: Reports
https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-egorov-putin-ally-found-dead-window-1856059
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I'm starting to see a pattern here
Putin Ally Found Dead After Falling From Third-Floor Window: Reports
https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-egorov-putin-ally-found-dead-window-1856059
Vlad isn't even trying to be subtle.
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Why are Putin's critics so awful at washing windows?
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Over $1 Billion in weapons and equipment unaccounted for. Gee, what a shocker. I wouldn't be surprised if the oligarchs are selling it all to Hamas and African warlords.
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2024/01/11/a-billion-in-military-hardware-is-unaccounted-for-in-ukraine-n2391666
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Cue the speculation
A journalist who took aim at Russian officials and promised to release details of "gigantic corruption" was found dead near a roadside over the weekend, but the circumstances of his death remain shrouded in mystery.
"It will be almost impossible to determine whether foul play was involved Rybin’s death or whether he died of heart disease as some Russian media outlets claim," Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and the author of "Putin's Playbook," told Fox News Digital.
Russian journalist who criticized Putin's admin of 'gigantic corruption' found dead
Alexander Rybin promised to release details of corruption in Mariuopol
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-journalist-who-criticized-putins-admin-gigantic-corruption-found-dead
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That's one of Fox News stories that requires you to give them your email address to read. It started out as just the occasional story. Now it's up to roughly 2/3rds of the stories that require an email address. Their site is darn near unreadable now. Not going to do it. I don't want their spam clogging my inbox.
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That's one of Fox News stories that requires you to give them your email address to read. It started out as just the occasional story. Now it's up to roughly 2/3rds of the stories that require an email address. Their site is darn near unreadable now. Not going to do it. I don't want their spam clogging my inbox.
Same here. I could give them a throwaway email, but at this point it's the principle of the thing. Not just with Fox, but with all of them. They certainly have a right to require email addresses or put up paywalls, but I just don't jump through their hoops anymore, even if it looks like an interesting story.
What I have done in the past with fox every morning is open up their main page, then scan for interesting stories and right click them each into a new tab, then read through them. Now that so many require access, I just close out the tabs on all of them that do. =)
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That's one of Fox News stories that requires you to give them your email address to read. It started out as just the occasional story. Now it's up to roughly 2/3rds of the stories that require an email address. Their site is darn near unreadable now. Not going to do it. I don't want their spam clogging my inbox.
I signed up with a throwaway email (temp-mail.org) and it has stayed signed-in. Must be a cookie. Even after closing the browser I've read multiple stories that initially ask for an email and then the rest of it loads automatically
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I was in reader mode, the e-mail request comes up but so does the article at the same time
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I was in reader mode, the e-mail request comes up but so does the article at the same time
Was it the Brave browser that you are using, WLJ? Just tried this on Brave myself. It has what they call a SpeedReader, activated by clicking on an icon in the address bar. Seems to work.
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Was it the Brave browser that you are using, WLJ? Just tried this on Brave myself. It has what they call a SpeedReader, activated by clicking on an icon in the address bar. Seems to work.
Firefox
Also click on the icon in the address bar or hit F9
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Oh, hey, speedreader works for me too. All you seem to lose are the comments, which aren't very worthwhile anyway.
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Oh, hey, speedreader works for me too. All you seem to lose are the comments, which aren't very worthwhile anyway.1
On Brave the comments aren't blocked if you go back to standard view. Or, you can read them before clicking SpeedReader to read the article.
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I signed up with a throwaway email (temp-mail.org) and it has stayed signed-in. Must be a cookie. Even after closing the browser I've read multiple stories that initially ask for an email and then the rest of it loads automatically
I signed up using my old Yahoo e-mail address, which I've largely abandoned for other than a very few things and for signing up for stuff like Fox News.
So far I've not gotten any spam that I can trace back to signing in for that site.
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I signed up using my old Yahoo e-mail address, which I've largely abandoned for other than a very few things and for signing up for stuff like Fox News.
So far I've not gotten any spam that I can trace back to signing in for that site.
I have one of those too. I forget that I have it :laugh:
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Every once in awhile I'll get a job spec request to my Yahoo e-mail.
That's when I know that they're working off a VERY VERY old copy of my resume... As in a decade or more.
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I signed up using my old Yahoo e-mail address, which I've largely abandoned for other than a very few things and for signing up for stuff like Fox News.
So far I've not gotten any spam that I can trace back to signing in for that site.
I've been using the same addy since 1996 when I got an old "dumb terminal" (for free) from work that they were throwing away. I needed an email to download programs from the internet cafe I was using to get those programs.
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American Citizen Dies in Ukrainian Custody. Here's Who His Father Is Blaming.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/01/13/gonzalo-lira-n2633573
The U.S. State Department reportedly confirmed the death of Chilean-American blogger Gonzalo Lira, who had been imprisoned in Ukraine for criticizing the country's government.
Advertisement
"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," a State Department official told Russian news agency TASS.
Ukraine Kills American Gonzalo Lira For Calling Zelensky is a Coke Head
https://rumble.com/v46nxg6-ukraine-kills-american-gonzalo-lira-for-calling-zelensky-is-a-coke-head.html
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That's about how old my Yahoo e-mail address is. I got it around the same time. I could probably figure it out a bit better based on the oldest messages I have saved in my inbox.
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Bradley Fighting Vehicles are taking out modern tanks in Ukraine
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/bradley-fighting-vehicles-russian-t90-tanks-ukraine/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_01.15.24&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
Last week a Russian T-90 came against two Bradley's and the Bradley's came out on top just using the 25mm guns. From the comments I saw, they think one of the Bradley's hit the optics of the T-90 and blinded them and then turret started rotating out of control after another shot. The post I saw said Ukraine hit it with a drone later.
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Bradley Fighting Vehicles are taking out modern tanks in Ukraine
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/bradley-fighting-vehicles-russian-t90-tanks-ukraine/?utm_term=Task%26Purpose_Today_01.15.24&utm_campaign=Task%20%26%20Purpose_TPToday_Actives_Dynamic&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
Last week a Russian T-90 came against two Bradley's and the Bradley's came out on top just using the 25mm guns. From the comments I saw, they think one of the Bradley's hit the optics of the T-90 and blinded them and then turret started rotating out of control after another shot. The post I saw said Ukraine hit it with a drone later.
Bradleys took out more tanks than the Abrams did in the 1st Gulf War
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Yeah, but normally they do it with TOWs. If a T90 can be taken out reliably with a 25mm chain gun, that says poor things about it's durability.
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Reads like they didn't so much as take it out but rather mission killed it by taking out it's optics. The drone then took it out later.
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Reads like they didn't so much as take it out but rather mission killed it by taking out it's optics. The drone then took it out later.
Not much functional difference if they can't repair the optics, which sounds like they probably can't.
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Either way, it seems the people in the Bradley's are using them effectively.
I have heard those 25mm guns are pretty good. Some were saying it can penetrate tank armor at weak points, but I wouldn't know. Some were speculating whether the tank turret started rotating because someone in the turrent got hit or because something was damaged.
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Either way, it seems the people in the Bradley's are using them effectively.
I have heard those 25mm guns are pretty good. Some were saying it can penetrate tank armor at weak points, but I wouldn't know. Some were speculating whether the tank turret started rotating because someone in the turrent got hit or because something was damaged.
Just speculation but maybe after the main optics got taken out they started spinning the turret is see with the remaining hard fixed optics to see where the heck the fire was coming from and/or a found a way out. There's a laundry list of details about this incident we don't know.
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Just speculation but maybe after the main optics got taken out they started spinning the turret is see with the remaining hard fixed optics to see where the heck the fire was coming from and/or a see a way out
Looking at the video, I think the turret was spinning too fast for that. It really looked uncontrolled. One of the Bradleys likely made a very lucky shot.
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Looking at the video, I think the turret was spinning too fast for that. It really looked uncontrolled. One of the Bradleys likely made a very lucky shot.
Odd, I don't see a video. Need to check if my ad blocker settings are blocking it.
Edit: Never mind, it was me being a doofus and completely overlooking the video link. But yeah, maybe
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Odd, I don't see a video. Need to check if my ad blocker settings are blocking it.
I saw it on the Utubz.
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I saw it on the Utubz.
Beat my edit
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Bet it was fun being in that turret basket. Weeeee
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Bet it was fun being in that turret basket. Weeeee
It was eventually taken out by a drone, so at least no one had to clean out the puke.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrrso5JDR5I
This video mentioned a couple of BMP's were taken out also, but I am not sure it was the same battle. Different views of the impacts on the tank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-yxUtbGmU
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Rut Roh! Putin has signed a decree declaring the 1867 sale of Alaska to be "illegal" and he wants it back.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/putin-stokes-tensions-with-us-declares-1867-sale-of-alaska-illegal/ar-BB1h1lcT?cvid=80730be40305434989adbf97eb9e4345&ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&ei=24&sc=shoreline
The unstated threat is that if he doesn't get it back, he'll take it back...
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
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More than just AK but it's really unclear what it means.
Irregardless I think he's lost his mind
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree relating to Moscow's historic real estate holdings abroad, a move interpreted by ultranationalist bloggers as a foundation for future revanchism against Russia's neighbors—and even the U.S.
The decree, signed by the president late last week, allocates funds for the search, registration, and legal protection of Russian property abroad, including property in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
This would include Alaska, swathes of eastern and central Europe, large chunks of central Asia, and parts of Scandinavia.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that the "exact parameters of what constitutes current or historical Russian property are unclear." Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin by email to request comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-decree-triggers-ominous-alaska-calls-territory-empire-soviet-union-1862689
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The Institute for the Study of War noted that the "exact parameters of what constitutes current or historical Russian property are unclear."
I'll be guessing that without facts, the MSM is pumping up "Alaskan invasion!" for clicks, and that Putin is likely talking about the former Soviet Bloc and other areas on the Eurasian continent.
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They were quite willing to sell us Alaska at the time. They viewed it as a barely populated, low value frontier outpost that would be nearly impossible to defend. If the USA wanted to just take from Russia there was little/nothing they could have done to stop it, so they viewed it as better to get some money for it while they still could than risk several orders of magnitude more plus all the dead soldiers, for land that had no apparent strategic, nationalistic, or economic (beyond the fur trade) value.
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Everyone is reporting that a Ukrainian sniper just broke the world record on a kill - 3800 meters, which is around 300 meters more than that Canadian soldier in the ME. Supposedly with a Ukrainian produced setup. I'm wondering if it's real or if he's the brother of the Ghost of Ukraine.
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-sniper-world-record-longest-kill-russia-1845017
EDIT: This link has a video of the supposed event.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-ukrainian-sniper-breaks-world-record-after-killing-russian-soldier-from-3-8-km-away-4591145
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I'll be guessing that without facts, the MSM is pumping up "Alaskan invasion!" for clicks, and that Putin is likely talking about the former Soviet Bloc and other areas on the Eurasian continent.
Good luck with that. Russia has to cross some water to get to Alaska which means they need a decent surface fleet.... which they don't have.
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Rut Roh! Putin has signed a decree declaring the 1867 sale of Alaska to be "illegal" and he wants it back.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/putin-stokes-tensions-with-us-declares-1867-sale-of-alaska-illegal/ar-BB1h1lcT?cvid=80730be40305434989adbf97eb9e4345&ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&ei=24&sc=shoreline
The unstated threat is that if he doesn't get it back, he'll take it back...
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Good thing Clinton is not still president. He did give a few far outlying islands of the Aleutian chain back to Russia during his tenure. A couple of those islands were inhabited, albeit sparsely. No effort was made by .gov at the time to move those US citizens off those islands to ones that were going to remain part of Alaska. They came under Russian rule from that point.
I remember it was big news in conservative media at the time, but the MSM didn't touch the story.
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Good thing Clinton is not still president. He did give a few far outlying islands of the Aleutian chain back to Russia during his tenure. A couple of those islands were inhabited, albeit sparsely. No effort was made by .gov at the time to move those US citizens off those islands to ones that were going to remain part of Alaska. They came under Russian rule from that point.
I remember it was big news in conservative media at the time, but the MSM didn't touch the story.
Wow. I don't remember anything about that. I'm going to google it when I have a minute today. I'm really interested to see what the US citizens there ended up doing.
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Wow. I don't remember anything about that. I'm going to google it when I have a minute today. I'm really interested to see what the US citizens there ended up doing.
Don't know if you will find anything on it. I tried some years ago for just the same reason as you, and no stories surfaced that I could find. Seemed to have disappeared down the memory hole. Or my google-fu was lacking. Let us know if you find anything.
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Russian Il-76 goes down reportedly carrying Ukraine POWs reportedly as part of a prison exchange.
Reportedly shot down by someone's SAW. Ukraine is blaming Russia, Russian blames Ukraine
In the video the camera pans back after the aircraft impacts the ground and a puff can be seen probably be from a SAM exploding but I'll accept it could be an engine blowing without seeing more.
In the close up you can see what appears to be the tail section breaking off.
Much of what is being reported could be propaganda and all we know for a fact is a Il-76 went down.
The level of propaganda being thrown around especially with Russian saying Ukraine did it on purpose probably means we'll never know what happened.
Moment Russian military plane 'carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs' crashes in huge fireball in border region: Kremlin says aircraft was shot down by 'missiles used by the West'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13000167/Russian-military-transport-plane-nosedives-crashes-sparking-huge-fireball-region-bordering-Ukraine.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ylaxRg3f-Y
RIP to whoever was on board
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Someone in the comments stated it seems odd that 65 POWs would only have 3 guards.
Also another comment says the flight came from Iran. (Where he got that supposed info from I would like to know)
The Internet, sigh
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Given the state of the Russian military and the beyond abysmal safety record of its aviation industry in general, my guess is it didn't need any help in crashing.
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Interesting data point on propaganda:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/izildGlrEVg?feature=share
Some pages up in this thread, Dogmush posted a link to what appears to be the unedited video. It has a drastically different outcome.
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Good thing Clinton is not still president. He did give a few far outlying islands of the Aleutian chain back to Russia during his tenure. A couple of those islands were inhabited, albeit sparsely. No effort was made by .gov at the time to move those US citizens off those islands to ones that were going to remain part of Alaska. They came under Russian rule from that point.
I remember it was big news in conservative media at the time, but the MSM didn't touch the story.
I don't think this happened.
I was in Alaska for the Clinton presidency and this would have been huge news. None of my friends and family who lived there at the time remember anything of the sort, including a close friend from Unalaska.
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I don't think this happened.
I was in Alaska for the Clinton presidency and this would have been huge news. None of my friends and family who lived there at the time remember anything of the sort, including a close friend from Unalaska.
Interesting. I distinctly remember reading news articles in conservative media sometime around 1996 or maybe 1997. There were even a couple of mentions during a conservative's talk show that I listened to back in that period. Be darned if I can remember whose show it was, though.
Google and DDG show absolutely nothing about it however. I'm wondering if it was a bogus story generated during those formative right-slanted talk radio years.
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The nearest thing I could find was some conflict regarding the U.S.-USSR Maritime Boundary Agreement in the waning years of the Bush I presidency not being later recognized by Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This boundary cuts between Big Diomede (a Russian island) and Little Diomede (a US island). Russia never ratified the agreement, but the US has behaved as though it is in effect. Maybe you heard something connected to that?
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Did find this and I do very vaguely remember something.
Yes it did happen but under which president seems to constantly change on the internet.
BTW: Occurred under Bush Sr. and if you look at their locations big deal and besides they lay on the Soviet/Russian side of an agreed to boundary and we never actually claimed ownership.
Reader asks if Obama gave away Alaskan islands to Russia for nothing
https://www.rgj.com/story/factchecker/2012/07/30/reader-asks-if-obama-gave-away-alaskan-islands-to-russia-for-nothing/5679875/
Alaskan Island Giveaway?
https://www.factcheck.org/2012/03/alaskan-island-giveaway/
(https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/State_Department_Map.png)
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Right, so it didn't happen.
You can't "give away" something which you never claimed ownership of.
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Right, so it didn't happen.
You can't "give away" something which you never claimed ownership of.
No but you can agree to no future claims
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Sweden is another step closer to joining NATO and this was considered the biggest step.
If Putin has done anything he has united pretty much all of Europe save for handful of countries against him.
Turkish parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/23/europe/turkey-vote-sweden-nato-intl/index.html
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Don't expect the Russians to be nice
'Statue assassin' at the mercy of Putin's thugs: Russian woman who 'killed military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky by giving him booby trapped sculpture' pleads her innocence as she is filmed being interrogated while chained to a radiator
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11933071/Daria-Trepova-handed-explosives-pro-Putin-blogger-insists-no-assassin.html
27 years
Darya Trepova: Russian woman jailed for 27 years for cafe bomb killing
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68095875
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I don't fully trust the source but here it is
Vladimir Putin is allegedly putting out feelers to see if America is ready for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
The Russian president is also 'prepared to drop opposition to Kyiv joining Nato', according to a new Bloomberg report.
He approached senior US officials last month via an unnamed intermediary as he was 'testing the waters' to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, two people close to the Kremlin claimed.
They further alleged that Putin 'may be willing to consider dropping an insistence on neutral status for Ukraine and even ultimately abandon opposition to eventual NATO membership - the threat of which has been a central Russian justification for the invasion'.
Even if that was even remotely true, which I doubt, what about the disputed territories? I wouldn't expect Russia nor Ukraine to just walk away from them
But then a splash of cold water
US officials said they were not aware of any overtures by Russia and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the claims today saying: 'No, this is a wrong report. It absolutely does not correspond to reality.'
Putin is 'putting out feelers' to see if America is ready for talks on ENDING war in Ukraine with the president 'prepared to drop opposition to Kyiv joining NATO', report claims
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13010213/Putin-America-talks-ENDING-war-Ukraine-joining-NATO-report.html
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Do you think the Biden administration is pushing to see if they can making something happen before November?
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Do you think the Biden administration is pushing to see if they can making something happen before November?
I'm sure they'd like to, but it would need to be something they can spin as a win, not another Afghanistan withdrawal. I'm not convinced the Kremlin has any intention of giving that to them. I suspect that Putin would rather see Biden and the "Support Ukraine Uber Alles" portion of the US Government lose in November.
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Fringe benefits:
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-corruption-476d673cc64a4b005c7ee8ed5f5d5361 (https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-corruption-476d673cc64a4b005c7ee8ed5f5d5361)
Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine’s security service reported.
I'm sure 40 mil is just a drop in the bucket. I can only imagine how many opportunities for graft are presented by the billions we've been providing.
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US Congress Dysfunction: Blocking Aid to Ukraine || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge6ZJ3ngO00
I kind of laugh a bit about this. This is not anywhere close to the first time a minority has held Congress hostage. Been done lots of times. Acting like this is terrible this time is silly. I would also ask if the leadership or Dems are making any effort at all to negotiate.
On the Ukraine, I really doubt they will lose the war solely because we haven't passed another aid package. Given the previous post, it sure seems some people in the Ukraine aren't too worried.
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US Congress Dysfunction: Blocking Aid to Ukraine || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge6ZJ3ngO00
I kind of laugh a bit about this. This is not anywhere close to the first time a minority has held Congress hostage. Been done lots of times. Acting like this is terrible this time is silly. I would also ask if the leadership or Dems are making any effort at all to negotiate.
On the Ukraine, I really doubt they will lose the war solely because we haven't passed another aid package. Given the previous post, it sure seems some people in the Ukraine aren't too worried.
PZ is great for analyzing demographics and macroeconomic effects on geopolitics. He confuses the with authoritative analysis on domestic politics. He lets his partisan slip show anytime he discusses the 2024 POTUS election, claiming that its been obvious for a year and a half that Biden will win a massive landslide. I'll grant that the democrats will try to manufacture exactly that.
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(going here for lack of a better place)
Tucker Carlson either has interviewed or is about to interview Vladimir Putin, and the Left are up in arms about it.
Currently circulating on X is a claim that Zelenskyy has put Carlson on a kill list, with this image as "proof":
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFvxQFfWQAAZoL1?format=jpg&name=large)
I don't read Cyrillic and I have no idea if the above is genuine.
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Name: Tucker Carlson
Date of Birth: 16.05.1969
Country: USA
Phone: ? ? ?
Russian propagandist. Accomplice of Russian military criminals and occupiers. Undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Blogger. American conservative political commentator. He conducted a political talk show on Fox News called "Evening with Tucker Carlson". In his show, he criticized President Vladimir Zelensky.
Place of birth: USA, San Francisco
Website: tuckercarlson.com
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If the stories of anti-Ukraine "vengeance" are even partially accurate, I worry for Tucker.
As for the American commies upset about it, I guess they were okie dokie with Barbara Walters, Oliver Stone, and other lefties doing the same thing?
Personally, I'll be interested in watching it to get another perspective on what's happening in the region. Russell Brand has a couple of good videos out about it.
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The US is not at war with Russia are we?
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The US is not at war with Russia are we?
Very much so methinks.
The failure of our Ukrainian proxy may or may not convince TPTB to deescalate the hot side.
The economic and cyber side will continue.
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/df77c5b78ad8338a5ba9cc9a5aea4cc9.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/1c9bfb916af333e417193d00bd776723.jpg)
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/1c9bfb916af333e417193d00bd776723.jpg)
Musk disrespected dear Leader, put him on the kill list!
To be fair they did kill Gonzalo Lira, so the hit on Carlson is policy-consistent.
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To be fair they did kill Gonzalo Lira, so the hit on Carlson is policy-consistent.
And thanks to the MSM, 99% of people know who Gonzalo Lira is was. Oh, wait. Today is opposite day. Nevermind.
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Tucker wouldn't be over there interviewing Putin if our intelligence agencies didn't sign off on the trip.
You mean it's CIA vs KGB? Always has been ...
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Read this article this morning, the whole premise reminds me of the meme/quote that has been floating around the more conspiratorial fringes of the dissident right wing internet
When The People Need A Hero We Will Give Them One
https://off-guardian.org/2024/02/10/what-no-one-is-saying-about-tucker-carlsons-putin-interview/
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If intelligence services were behind the interview, it could be, but what would the purpose of organizing it be? As it states in the article nothing ground breaking was said or revealed. I found the interview to be quite boring to be honest.
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Russian fleet gained a new submarine today.
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Russian fleet gained a new submarine today.
As in a surface ship "transitioned"? Or they commissioned a new legit sub?
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As in a surface ship "transitioned"? Or they commissioned a new legit sub?
Drones helped a landing ship drastically increase it's draft to match the available water depth.
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Drones helped a landing ship drastically increase it's draft to match the available water depth.
That's a great way too put it. There were a couple of welldeck operations on the LHA that I wasn't sure we were coming back from. Or, in five years on a carrier I never even knew where my lifeboat was, on the gator we had abandon ship drills every month.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68315943
Alexei Navalny, a critic of President Putin, dies in an Arctic Circle prison in Russia. But did he fall out a window?
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68315943
Alexei Navalny, a critic of President Putin, dies in an Arctic Circle prison in Russia. But did he fall out a window?
Wonder what he had on Hillary?
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He died from "sudden death syndrome" :O
Meanwhile reportedly no one can find his body.
Alexei Navalny's 'cause of death' revealed: Russia claims opposition leader died from 'sudden death syndrome' in prison - but his body is MISSING while 'killers cover their tracks'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13094967/Alexei-Navalnys-cause-death-revealed-Russia-claims-opposition-leader-died-sudden-death-syndrome-prison-body-MISSING-killers-cover-tracks.html
At the link
What is Sudden Death Syndrome?
Sudden adult death syndrome occurs when an otherwise healthy person passes away suddenly, with the cause likely being a heart condition.
In around one in 20 spontaneous heart-related deaths in the UK, no definite cause can be found.
During a post-mortem, a pathologist can usually detect abnormalities in a patient's heart tissue, which may show signs of artery disease or a clot in the lung.
When nothing is found, the cause of death is deemed to be Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
This was once known as sudden adult death syndrome, however, children can also being affected.
Cot death may be partly caused by the same factors responsible for SADS.
Although unclear, SADS is thought to occur due to a disturbance in the heart's rhythm, even if the person has no cardiovascular disease.
Due to the electrical function of the heart being affected, such disturbances can only be detected in life and not in death.
Rare diseases, such as Long QT Syndrome and sodium channel disease, can increase a person's risk of SADS.
Many people with these conditions have no symptoms and may never be diagnosed.
If a family looses a relative due to SADS, genetic testing can be carried out to determine if they are at risk of the aforementioned diseases.
Most of these conditions are made worse with exercise and therefore, if diagnosed, a doctor may advise a person to avoid playing sports.
The sudden stop at the end of a fall could also be termed "sudden death syndrome"
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Avdeevka has fallen.
Who would have thought that Russia would be so willing to engage in and be effective at attrition warfare?
All of our experts somehow didn't see this apparently surprising wrinkle in their plans.
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Who would have thought that Russia would be so willing to engage in and be effective at attrition warfare?
All of our experts somehow didn't see this apparently surprising wrinkle in their plans.
What experts are you talking about? I have heard a lot of people mentioning that Russia is more than willing to burn men in this conflict. I can't think of an expert worth the designation that has claimed otherwise ...
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Interesting Garand Thumb video:
https://youtu.be/Tge7YMi4gJs
It's a long one and I haven't watched the whole thing yet. One interesting tidbit in the drone section is that shotguns are apparently making a battlespace comeback for use in taking out FPV drones.
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Interesting Garand Thumb video:
https://youtu.be/Tge7YMi4gJs
It's a long one and I haven't watched the whole thing yet. One interesting tidbit in the drone section is that shotguns are apparently making a battlespace comeback for use in taking out FPV drones.
The Ukrainian channel I follow on Telegram regularly has videos from drones dropping contact grenades on troops that are not under cover. I guess everyone has seen similar. It strikes me as pretty scary especially when the drones are moving around at night with night vision cameras. I have assumed better short range anti-air and detection would be a big priority for the US. Most all I ever heard about prior to this were missile based systems.
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The Ukrainian channel I follow on Telegram regularly has videos from drones dropping contact grenades on troops that are not under cover. I guess everyone has seen similar. It strikes me as pretty scary especially when the drones are moving around at night with night vision cameras. I have assumed better short range anti-air and detection would be a big priority for the US. Most all I ever heard about prior to this were missile based systems.
Funny and not funny at the same time seeing drone video from one of a solider trying to run away from it as it's chasing him
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Can't run, can't really hide form the sneaky buggers. I can only imagine the PTSD trigger that vloggers with drones will be for the veterans of the Ukraine war.
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The Ukrainian channel I follow on Telegram regularly has videos from drones dropping contact grenades on troops that are not under cover. I guess everyone has seen similar. It strikes me as pretty scary especially when the drones are moving around at night with night vision cameras. I have assumed better short range anti-air and detection would be a big priority for the US. Most all I ever heard about prior to this were missile based systems.
They have upgrades now, off the shelf drones delivering anti tank mines and rpg warheads. I wish I had the money for some of the big ag drones, get ahead of the learning curve. Our CWII gonna be wild.
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What experts are you talking about? I have heard a lot of people mentioning that Russia is more than willing to burn men in this conflict. I can't think of an expert worth the designation that has claimed otherwise ...
Sure looks like more Ukrainians are dying than Russians. I'm not confident our experts were planning for large deployments of western troops. If we were, we dilly dallied so long we'll be going up against well entrenched battle hardened troops. If the plan was to get a bunch of military aged Ukrainians killed and let the eastern part of the country get turned into rubble it's been a smashing success. I'm not very confident about the outcomes here if this is a matter resolve. I think, from my vantage point of limited information, some serious miscalculations occurred on our side. Starting with our whole policy over there of trying to bring them into western orbit.
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I think the plan was to get a bunch of military age Russians killed, *expletive deleted*ck up a bunch of their equipment, and hamper their ability to sell arms and oil/gas outside of the Iran/China/ N. Korea axis. How many Ukrainians it cost does not seem to have been part of the calculus.
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Starting with our whole policy over there of trying to bring them into western orbit.
It's something that's not talked about enough regarding our involvement and responsibility in all this. Someone can correct me, but as I understand it, going back even farther than us helping to get a comedian elected President in Ukraine, Russia's ongoing beef with us is that we made a promise to them that as part of the deal for the Berlin Wall coming down and the dissolution of the USSR, NATO would not be going one centimeter further East.
Obviously now the talk is that we made no such pledge, and it's just crazy Putin making things up. Or that "we never really said "pledge", we just said we'd consider it". However doing my own reading, it appears it was a key, if not the key, to turning Gorbachev. I just can't see them agreeing to dissolve the USSR at that time in cold war history and saying "sure, bring NATO on over, we don't mind".
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Partly (mostly?) it's a matter of Russia being very vulnerable to outside aggressors because their geography is very difficult to defend especially with widely distributed population. When the ussr controlled the Baltics, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, etc they had geography they could effectively defend. Having an arch nemesis allied with all those countries is, not irrationally, thought to be a serious threat to their security. Those same countries though remember how shitty Russian rulers have been to them and prefer American security guarantees.
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Sure looks like more Ukrainians are dying than Russians. I'm not confident our experts were planning for large deployments of western troops. If we were, we dilly dallied so long we'll be going up against well entrenched battle hardened troops. If the plan was to get a bunch of military aged Ukrainians killed and let the eastern part of the country get turned into rubble it's been a smashing success. I'm not very confident about the outcomes here if this is a matter resolve. I think, from my vantage point of limited information, some serious miscalculations occurred on our side. Starting with our whole policy over there of trying to bring them into western orbit.
I have no clue who is losing more men. Nor, I would guess, do you. As someone who is always bemoaning the contamination of news with propaganda, I would hope you are aware that just because you are getting propaganda from another side doesn’t make it truth.
Your initial claim was that the experts didn’t foresee that Russians would be willing to bleed to achieve their goal, which was nonsense.
So far western forces have mostly avoided direct conflict with Russia (at least at any scale). I’m not convinced that it is inevitable.
Finally, if NATO were to enter a conflict with Russia tomorrow, do you really think that Russians would be better prepared after two years of losing men and equipment? I don’t buy it. Ukraine may not be winning, but neither is Russia.
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I figure I am getting propaganda from everyone. The one Telegram channel I follow is pro-Ukrainian. I was trying to follow a Russian guy, but the majority of his posts were just pro-Russian rants.
I believe we have been touching on the subject of the US taking some of the blame for provoking the Russian invasion. I hope all the facts come out sooner rather than later about all that was going on.
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There is also a distinction between explanation and justification. I think US and Ukrainian actions might explain the invasion, but I do not believe they justify it.
I believe there are also a lot of stated causes (fear of NATO, Nazis, protecting ethnic Russians, western election interference, etc) that are merely pretexts for the underlying financial reasons for the war.
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The only information that seems reliable are the territorial gains and losses that are seen on the many detailed public maps out there. When most of them coincide on a change I take it as real. Right now Ukrainians are falling back across the entire front line.
Also there are many reports that Russia's military industrial base has expanded output significantly (to the point NATO can't keep up as is) and the military itself having gone through their baptism of fire is probably more solid now than it was at the beginning of the invasion, so it seems that plans to attrite Russia into submission by throwing Ukrainians at them haven't tuned out so well, quite the opposite.
Aaaand the other big blunder no one really talks about is the damage done to the monopoly of the US dollar and the US financial system by weaponizing it to ruin Russia. Now many countries distrust it and the work towards a parallel reserve currency is stronger. It's just a matter of time.
Re-reading Washington's farewell address would be nice right about now.
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Like Blakenzy posted above, we have a pretty accurate idea how things are going based upon who "controls" what territory.
Russia "running out of troops" may turn out to be the same as "Russia is running out of artillery shells", that didn't pan out did it?
The western experts mocked or discounted the Russians for their propensity to wage war of attrition. It appears to me, as a non expert, that they thought NATO weapon systems (and maybe NATO tactics) would prevail against Russian tactics and artillery.
Maybe our experts have tricked Russia into taking over the eastern side and coasts of Ukraine in some multidimensional chess move? We've got them right where we want them.
As dogmush alluded, Western doctrine seems to be bloody the opposition up, degrade them, then leave the territory of conflict in a state of chaos. It sure doesn't look like winning in the traditional sense. You could call it the "How to get allies killed and lose influence doctrine".
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The only information that seems reliable are the territorial gains and losses that are seen on the many detailed public maps out there. When most of them coincide on a change I take it as real. Right now Ukrainians are falling back across the entire front line.
From what I can see, there has been almost no shift in territory in either direction over the past couple of months outside the salient of Avdiivka. You're overstating the case more than a little bit here.
Also there are many reports that Russia's military industrial base has expanded output significantly (to the point NATO can't keep up as is)
More "my propaganda is better than your propaganda"? The reports you see about Russia's expanded military capacity come from Russia, directly or indirectly. Maybe some of it is even true. Russia may well be producing a lot of stuff, but they're not replacing their equipment losses, especially the modern stuff. Russia has not fielded 60+ year old tanks because they've got so many brand new ones running out of their ears.
In case you've forgotten, this is Russia. Against Ukraine. Simply the fact that we're two years into this is shocking.
... and the military itself having gone through their baptism of fire is probably more solid now than it was at the beginning of the invasion ...
This contains a grain of truth and a ton of falsehood. Yes, I bet the surviving troops are significantly more combat hardened than the troops that started the invasion. Taken as a whole, I do no think the Russian military has been strengthened by two years of Ukrainian conflict.
Russia "running out of troops" may turn out to be the same as "Russia is running out of artillery shells", that didn't pan out did it?
I think the significant point is whether or not Russia has run out of troops or artillery shells, but that in two years all the Russian troops and artillery shells they could muster has been insufficient to overcome a single, much smaller, neighboring country.
The western experts mocked or discounted the Russians for their propensity to wage war of attrition.
Clearly we read different sources as I don't recall this. Don't get me wrong, the experts have been wrong time and again. Initially, nearly everyone was predicting a quick win by Russia. This did not come to pass.
Obviously the better experts to listen to would be the Russian ones, who I'm sure have made no missteps regarding their assessments of this conflict.
As dogmush alluded, Western doctrine seems to be bloody the opposition up, degrade them, then leave the territory of conflict in a state of chaos. It sure doesn't look like winning in the traditional sense. You could call it the "How to get allies killed and lose influence doctrine".
Yes, I largely agree with dogmush's analysis.
I'm frankly ambivalent on the moral and strategic nature of the Ukraine war, however it is important to keep in mind that the alternative of having Ukraine as an ally is having Ukraine as a puppet of Russia. If your preferred strategy is to let Russia take over Ukraine either by political manipulation or military force, we're still losing influence and allies, aren't we?
Moral or not, if Russia conquers Ukraine now, they have bloodied each other and reduced each other's capabilities significantly. Russia has lost a huge number of men and equipment. You and Blakenzy can pretend that is positive for Russia if you want, but I don't buy it for a second.
Ukraine has lost a huge number of men and equipment. If Russia conquers them after this protracted, violent struggle then the end result is two opponents, both weaker than when they started.
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Partly (mostly?) it's a matter of Russia being very vulnerable to outside aggressors because their geography is very difficult to defend especially with widely distributed population.
Yeah. You would figure that Russia might consider that it would enhance their security to be bordered by friends, rather than enemies that hate them though. But I guess that would be too much to expect.
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Yeah. You would figure that Russia might consider that it would enhance their security to be bordered by friends, rather than enemies that hate them though. But I guess that would be too much to expect.
Maybe they should stop treating them like enemies. Nearly everyone around them they've occupied at one time or other and you can't expect people to forget that and threatening them isn't helping them forget.
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Meanwhile a Russian helo pilot who defected is found full of holes and run over for good measure in Spain
Guess there were no nearby tall buildings.
A Russian spy chief has described a helicopter pilot who defected Ukraine and was found shot dead in Spain as a 'moral corpse' for betraying his country, in Moscow's first comment on the case since news of the killing emerged.
Captain Maksim Kuzminov, 28, fled Russia with the help of Ukrainian intelligence services and accused Vladimir Putin of 'genocide' following his daring escape last summer.
Ukrainian GUR military intelligence confirmed yesterday that the pilot - a known target of Russian death squads - had died in Spain, but gave no further details about the circumstances surrounding his death, though Spanish and Ukrainian media reported that he had been living in Spain under a fake name.
His killing is feared to have been a move to settle scores between Russia and Ukraine, which managed to capture a working helicopter when Kuzminov defected
Kremlin spy chief calls defecting Russian helicopter pilot a 'moral corpse' days after he was found 'riddled with bullets' and run over by a car in Spain - amid fears hit squad assassinated him to 'settle scores'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13104393/Kremlin-spy-chief-calls-defecting-Russian-helicopter-pilot-moral-corpse-days-riddled-bullets-run-car-Spain-amid-fears-hit-squad-assassinated-settle-scores.html
Edit: Forgot the link
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Europe Goes Nuclear: Is America Leaving NATO? || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9-4toma0UE
I thought this was food for thought. I don't think I agree with all of his opinions on it. The US staying involved in Europe doesn't eliminate the issues that lead to war in Europe. That stuff remains under the surface. Also, we don't get dragged into a European war unless we want to be.
I didn't know anti-NATO sentiment was big enough to warrant mention. Wether NATO is really beneficial to us in the long run is worth discussing. Obviously, if we intend to continue the Imperial US foreign policy of the recent decades, it helps us. I think that is what most are looking at changing and NATO might not survive that change.
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Also there are many reports that Russia's military industrial base has expanded output significantly (to the point NATO can't keep up as is) and the military itself having gone through their baptism of fire is probably more solid now than it was at the beginning of the invasion, so it seems that plans to attrite Russia into submission by throwing Ukrainians at them haven't tuned out so well, quite the opposite.
The Russian military is not more cabalble now then they were two years ago. They are out a bunch of trained soldiers, leaders, equipment, and munitions. Sure, they have some veterans of a very specific kind of static warfare,
They have however lost a bunch of manuver forces, that were also battle tested from the mid-east, and are now dead. So as far as us being involved, they are measurably weaker in many ways now then they were in 2021.
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Meanwhile a Russian helo pilot who defected is found full of holes and run over for good measure in Spain
Guess there were no nearby tall buildings.
In Russia there is a tough but good saying «Dog's death for a dog» - it suits the situation very well, isn’t it, gentlemen?
P.S. This "Putin-hunted" guy also killed two pilots, in case you weren't aware.
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In Russia there is a tough but good saying «Dog's death for a dog» - it suits the situation very well, isn’t it, gentlemen?
P.S. This "Putin-hunted" guy also killed two pilots, in case you weren't aware.
From the link I forgot to put in my post.
Other members of the air crew died during his defection. Moscow said Kuzminov killed them; he said they panicked and fled, and may have been killed subsequently.
In October, soon after his dramatic defection, there were public death threats against Kuzminov in Russia, with suggestions that Putin's secret services would find and kill him for an ultimate betrayal.
Like a lot coming out of this it's a he said she said situation.
I'm not criticizing one way or another, just posting the event.
The lack of a link has been corrected.
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I think the significant point is whether or not Russia has run out of troops or artillery shells, but that in two years all the Russian troops and artillery shells they could muster has been insufficient to overcome a single, much smaller, neighboring country.
Single, much smaller, neighboring country ... with billions of dollars of western equipment, western advisers in country and I'm sure continual nonstop information flow from western intelligence and surveillance. Not to mention the full western full court press of economic warfare. I'm not sure any of us have lived through another proxy war that's as obvious as this one. We shouldn't pretend that we're not at war with Russia.
Clearly we read different sources as I don't recall this. Don't get me wrong, the experts have been wrong time and again. Initially, nearly everyone was predicting a quick win by Russia. This did not come to pass.
They predicted a quick win but were wrong? Almost as if they discounted the Russian propensity to wage war of attrition.
Obviously the better experts to listen to would be the Russian ones, who I'm sure have made no missteps regarding their assessments of this conflict.
It looks to me like both sides misjudged how it was going to play out. (that was a straw man on your part, i never said that)
I'm frankly ambivalent on the moral and strategic nature of the Ukraine war, however it is important to keep in mind that the alternative of having Ukraine as an ally is having Ukraine as a puppet of Russia. If your preferred strategy is to let Russia take over Ukraine either by political manipulation or military force, we're still losing influence and allies, aren't we?
Other options were rejected by the west and we installed a puppet regime ourselves instead. Welcome to blowback. That's not propaganda, our "leaders" are on record rejecting anything other than what they dictated.
Moral or not, if Russia conquers Ukraine now, they have bloodied each other and reduced each other's capabilities significantly. Russia has lost a huge number of men and equipment. You and Blakenzy can pretend that is positive for Russia if you want, but I don't buy it for a second. Ukraine has lost a huge number of men and equipment. If Russia conquers them after this protracted, violent struggle then the end result is two opponents, both weaker than when they started.
I don't see any positives for the west or Russia.
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Single, much smaller, neighboring country ... with billions of dollars of western equipment, western advisers in country and I'm sure continual nonstop information flow from western intelligence and surveillance. Not to mention the full western full court press of economic warfare. I'm not sure any of us have lived through another proxy war that's as obvious as this one. We shouldn't pretend that we're not at war with Russia.
It is probably the biggest, but only one of many obvious ones you and I have lived through.
They predicted a quick win but were wrong? Almost as if they discounted the Russian propensity to wage war of attrition.
You say that as though Russia wanted to wage a war of attrition. Thinking that Russia had the capacity to steamroll Ukraine has nothing to do with mocking Russia for being unable to fight a war of attrition. Again, maybe the media you consume was saying that, but I didn’t see that perspective.
Other options were rejected by the west and we installed a puppet regime ourselves instead. Welcome to blowback. That's not propaganda, our "leaders" are on record rejecting anything other than what they dictated.
What realistic options were on the table that would have had Ukraine as a western ally?
I don't see any positives for the west or Russia.
If Russia and the US could play well together then I agree. Compared to that, conflict is a terrible cost for all involved.
I don’t see sunshine and roses as attainable with current leadership. Thus, from a cold hearted, Machiavellian perspective, if Russia’s ability to invade and conquer yet another neighbor is weakened through this conflict it may well actually save a shooting war between the US and Russia. If Russia were to take a run at Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, or Poland, things could get hot very quickly. At least if they pay their NATO bills…
I can certainly argue the opposite side, mostly because of my concern about nuclear war. But I wouldn’t have guessed we could be two years into such a close and violent proxy war, with such massive Russian casualties without Russia popping off a nuke.
As far as the “yeahbut, NATO expansionism!”, I’d counter that the people who were rightly worried about the Russian invasion chicken had every reason to seek the NATO egg.
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WHAT?!?
Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada will be spending $4 million on “Gender-inclusive demining for sustainable futures in Ukraine”.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHIkwvRWsAAjUNK?format=jpg&name=large)
Guy in the comments is a Hurt Locker kinda guy. He has no idea what they're talking about.
https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2024/02/25/justin-trudeau-canada-ukraine-bomb-mine-gender-n2393303
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They're looking for women who wouldn't mind having their balls blown off
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Oh goody ...
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHS6clEXMAAlUrm?format=jpg&name=small)
Okay, everyone who has a Ukrainian flag in their X bio, now's your chance.
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Sweden is in NATO
Sweden finally joins NATO: What the accession means for Stockholm, its new allies... and an unhappy Vladimir Putin
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13169065/Sweden-finally-joins-NATO-TODAY-accession-means-Stockholm-new-allies-unhappy-Vladimir-Putin.html
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Found on reddit and I have no idea of the origin. If someone has confirming or contrary info, I'd be interested in seeing it. This map makes it look like Russia has most of what they want and just need to hold it until the proxy war with the West loses funding and/or enthusiasm, or lose it if the Proxy war ramps up (though there's a lot of unintended consequences to us if the latter). Much might depend on our 2024 elections.
The green areas, if true, are very surprising to me based on what I hear from US news sources and our government.
I'm also thinking that a lot of the Ukrainians in the red territories, because of their genealogical history, would not be opposed to being part of Russia, unlike the Western Ukrainians.
(https://i.redd.it/cgve62wiianc1.jpeg)
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The above map doesn't show the areas the Russians have either been pushed out of or retreated from since this began (grey areas in the below map)
Screenshot from https://liveuamap.com/
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/x383/WLJohnson1/Screenshot_2024-03-09_090131.png)
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This mess is bleeding both countries though Russian has far more blood left to bleed. In the end that may decide things Verdun style if someone doesn't bump Putin off first.
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Ben,
That map is highly manipulative.
Why would it show territory taken by Russia since 2014/2022 but only show Ukrainian gains since the lines stalemated halfway through 2023? No, Ukraine isn’t blitzing through Russian lines these days, but neither is Russia, and Russia lost a lot of what they took initially.
I know it is fashionable on the right to point out propaganda on one side of this conflict, but we equally shouldn’t rush to make ourselves susceptible to the opposing side’s propaganda.
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Ben,
That map is highly manipulative.
Why would it show territory taken by Russia since 2014/2022 but only show Ukrainian gains since the lines stalemated halfway through 2023? No, Ukraine isn’t blitzing through Russian lines these days, but neither is Russia, and Russia lost a lot of what they took initially.
I know it is fashionable on the right to point out propaganda on one side of this conflict, but we equally shouldn’t rush to make ourselves susceptible to the opposing side’s propaganda.
That's why I was asking about it. Though I ask the same about WLJ's map.
I don't trust Russian government or media information on this conflict.
I don't trust Ukrainian government or media information on this conflict.
I absolutely don't trust US government or media information on this conflict.
I don't know if there has been any other world event in recent history where I have had this much distrust regarding information from ANY source.
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WLJ’s map doesn’t strike me as particularly contentious. It shows gains and losses on both sides for the same time period - essentially since 2014. Picking different timeframes for each side is absolutely manipulative and playing into the hands of Russia’s propagandists.
I agree that this war is highly propagandized, but why do you suspect that it is any more so than any other significant conflict since ever?
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I agree that this war is highly propagandized, but why do you suspect that it is any more so than any other significant conflict since ever?
Well, I didn't say "since ever". =)
However I'm seeing Hamas level (and quality) propaganda coming out of most everyone in this conflict - both the combating nations and the proxy players. Moreso than even the Russia/Afghan or US/Afghan conflicts. Since we're talking about Dune lately, I see plans within plans, and more people than the Emperor are, if not at the center of it, looking to take advantage of it. Or needing to cover something up because of it.
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I don’t disagree with anything you are saying about the propaganda of this war, I’m saying it has always been this way with every war. Peace, too.
Just because you are noticing it more now doesn’t make it more pronounced than it used to be, just that you are becoming less credulous than you used to be.
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I don’t disagree with anything you are saying about the propaganda of this war, I’m saying it has always been this way with every war. Peace, too.
Just because you are noticing it more now doesn’t make it more pronounced than it used to be, just that you are becoming less credulous than you used to be.
Not much has changed in that regard in the past 10,000 years or so except for the amount of it made possible by the printing press, telegraph, radio, television, and now the internet.
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https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/09/politics/us-prepared-rigorously-potential-russian-nuclear-strike-ukraine/index.html
Maybe I should buy one of those Costco emergency food buckets that keep being talked about here.
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I don't know if there has been any other world event in recent history where I have had this much distrust regarding information from ANY source.
A truly paradoxical situation: the more responsive and open the media, social networks and methods of delivering information become, the less trust there is for an objective assessment of information )))
I completely agree with your statement!
By the way, a balanced assessment of the opinions of various parties often does not help either.
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Not much has changed in that regard in the past 10,000 years or so except for the amount of it made possible by the printing press, telegraph, radio, television, and now the internet.
How Dare YOU!! Caesar's Commentaries were 100% accurate!! Everyone says so.
:laugh: :laugh:
I think the fact that we have so many information sources and we can see at least some of the propaganda is a big change for this war. We haven't had that so much in the past. Seems to me that just about everyone I hear comment either has picked a side or is getting their information from someone who has picked a side. Hard to find anyone commenting that is neutral.
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This poster is circulating on X:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJQSNUDasAAZKXS?format=jpg&name=900x900)
So the Russians are using Tiger tanks in Ukraine?
(yes, I get that the artist is trying to draw a parallel between Russia in 2024 and Nazi Germany in 1941)
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So the Russians are using Tiger tanks in Ukraine?
And Do-17s (the aircraft)
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https://www.npr.org/2024/03/22/1240246465/russia-moscow-shooting-attack-fire-concert-hall?ft=nprml&f=1124
I wonder who will turn out to be responsible for the attack.
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https://www.npr.org/2024/03/22/1240246465/russia-moscow-shooting-attack-fire-concert-hall?ft=nprml&f=1124
I wonder who will turn out to be responsible for the attack.
We haven't heard from the Chechens in a while and that seems to more in line with their SOP
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^^^I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it is their way of saying we are still here.
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At least 40 dead over 100 wounded, and at least 100 trapped in the building which is burning
Moscow concert hall shooting: At least 40 dead after three gunmen 'in camouflage uniform' open fire on crowd in 'terror attack' as huge venue is engulfed in flames as survivors cower trying to escape massacre
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13228663/Moscow-concert-hall-shooting-three-gunmen-camouflage-open-fire-crowd-huge-venue-rocked-explosion-injuries-reported.html
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Knowing ISIS I don't know how much stock to put into this
The terror group took responsibility for the attack in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on Friday. The group did not provide evidence to support the claim.
ISIS claims responsibility for attack in busy Moscow-area concert venue that left at least 40 dead
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/europe/crocus-moscow-shooting/index.html
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The Russians are going to lose their *expletive deleted*it over this.
Best case it's some Islamic terrorists from one of the hinterlands, and we just get some old fashioned gulags and mass killings.
Worst case it's a group with ties to Ukraine and those weapons can be traced to a NATO military aid package. That probably would mean a real war.
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Now saying 62 dead
Also saying at least 3 of the shooters are still on the loose
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13229483/Moscow-concert-hall-shooting-40-dead-Islamic-State-responsibility.html
Sparks? And what could be flying casings look shotgun size. Or are those marks on the floor?
I could be off the mark here but that could be one of those long 10-12rd shotgun mags that a 12ga Saiga could take hanging down from his gun. Think I still has a couple around here somewhere from when I had a Saiga 12ga.
(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/22/22/82796409-13229483-image-a-15_1711147961346.jpg)
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BBC news reporting US had info in Nov about possible ISIS attacks in Russia.
Warnings were issued two weeks ago telling Americans in Moscow to avoid large gatherings and specifically warned about concerts.
Also saying US intel has confirmed ISIS is taking credit
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68642036?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65fe17eab26acd1fbf32f82b%26No%20reason%20to%20doubt%20IS%20claim%20-%20US%20official%262024-03-22T23%3A53%3A22.397Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:fd6ba3b5-3bdd-475d-8771-172688f7a1e0&pinned_post_asset_id=65fe17eab26acd1fbf32f82b&pinned_post_type=share
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115 reported dead now. May rise as 16 people are described as being in extremely serious condition, 44 in serious
11 people have been "detained" Several still on the loose.
Russia arrests 11 Moscow massacre suspects as they reveal names and pictures of those they believe behind ISIS concert hall slaughter as death toll rises to 115 and pictures reveal bloody aftermath
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13230367/russia-arrest-moscow-massacre-crocus-concert-death.html
(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/23/08/82804299-13230367-image-a-26_1711182180416.jpg)
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Putin saying all suspects have been arrested.
And no shocker here right or wrong they would be saying this.
Attackers had contacts with Ukraine, Russia's security service claims
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68642036?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65fe9a44683d4b45f937feaa%26Attackers%20had%20contacts%20with%20Ukraine%2C%20Russia%27s%20security%20service%20claims%262024-03-23T09%3A46%3A42.246Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:92bc8ddd-41f2-4b4f-b8ec-3b30a50d20e6&pinned_post_asset_id=65fe9a44683d4b45f937feaa&pinned_post_type=share
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Okay, I guess I am out of the loop. Can someone educate me on current Russian/ISIS beefs that would lead to this?
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The Russians are going to lose their *expletive deleted*it over this.
Best case it's some Islamic terrorists from one of the hinterlands, and we just get some old fashioned gulags and mass killings.
Worst case it's a group with ties to Ukraine and those weapons can be traced to a NATO military aid package. That probably would mean a real war.
“No Russian”
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Okay, I guess I am out of the loop. Can someone educate me on current Russian/ISIS beefs that would lead to this?
Russian involvement in Syria maybe?
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I think the Ukrainians are smart enough not to deliberately attack & kill a bunch of civilians - if they had operatives ready to go in Moscow, I'd expect them to either hit something like a power plant or oil/gas facility, or start sniping at uniformed Russians, either soldiers or police. A directed campaign against infrastructure or the Russian military/police establishment wouldn't cause the s***storm of negative publicity that a concert attack would. My money is on some kind of Moslem group.
Interesting that huge signage in English - CROCUS CITY HALL - was so very prominent on the building in Moscow. Makes me wonder if the venue was designed to attract tourists.
. . . Worst case it's a group with ties to Ukraine and those weapons can be traced to a NATO military aid package. That probably would mean a real war. . . .
From what I could make out in the available videos, all the weapons appeared to be AK-pattern, I didn't spot any AR-pattern long arms.
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Okay, I guess I am out of the loop. Can someone educate me on current Russian/ISIS beefs that would lead to this?
From the BBC
Note Chechnya being mentioned. A lot of attacks in Russian have had a Chechnya connection
Why would Islamic State attack Russia?
Will Vernon
BBC News, Washington DC
An Islamic State affiliate's claim that it was behind the Moscow attack would, if proved correct, be the latest in a number of Islamist-linked attacks in or against Russia in recent years.
A Russian plane was blown up over Egypt’s Sinai desert in 2015 with 224 people on board, most of them Russian citizens.
That attack was claimed by Islamic State, which later published a photograph of the explosive device.
In 2017, a bomb attack on the St Petersburg metro that killed 15 people was also linked to radical Islamists.
Militant groups have been fighting Russian forces in the North Caucasus region of the country for decades.
Large numbers of them flocked to Syria to join IS when the group was formed 10 years ago. Some militants that operate in the Russian North Caucasus have declared allegiance to IS, say experts.
But the specific group that has claimed today’s attack, ISIS-K, is the Islamic State affiliate in Khorasan - an old term for a region that includes parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Counterterrorism experts say Russia has found itself “in the crosshairs” of ISIS-K, which frequently criticises President Putin in its propaganda.
It accuses the Kremlin of atrocities against Muslim people in military campaigns in Chechnya and Syria, as well as in the Soviet-era invasion of Afghanistan.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68642036?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65fe306cb26acd1fbf32f832%26Why%20would%20Islamic%20State%20attack%20Russia%3F%262024-03-23T02%3A04%3A17.231Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:5bedb4a1-41f7-4d60-af91-128fd3a686dd&pinned_post_asset_id=65fe306cb26acd1fbf32f832&pinned_post_type=share (https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68642036?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65fe306cb26acd1fbf32f832%26Why%20would%20Islamic%20State%20attack%20Russia%3F%262024-03-23T02%3A04%3A17.231Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:5bedb4a1-41f7-4d60-af91-128fd3a686dd&pinned_post_asset_id=65fe306cb26acd1fbf32f832&pinned_post_type=share)
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Baza - with close law enforcement contacts - showed images of four suspects, all from ex-Soviet republic Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13230367/russia-arrest-moscow-massacre-crocus-concert-death.html
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143 reported dead now
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From Putin's speech
They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them from the Ukrainian side to cross the state border."
That makes zero sense. Why would they move toward an area they know contains high concentrations of Russian troops? And besides Ukraine isn't exactly across the street from Moscow, much better to flee into the forests east of Moscow regroup and maybe attack again.
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From Putin's speech
That makes zero sense. Why would they move toward an area they know contains high concentrations of Russian troops? And besides Ukraine isn't exactly across the street from Moscow, much better to flee into the forests east of Moscow regroup and maybe attack again.
Could be Putin is trying to justify to the world heavier action against Ukraine. I think he would love to use WMDs if he thought he could get away with it. Given his megalomania, this might push him past whatever has been holding him back until now.
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From Putin's speech
That makes zero sense. Why would they move toward an area they know contains high concentrations of Russian troops? And besides Ukraine isn't exactly across the street from Moscow, much better to flee into the forests east of Moscow regroup and maybe attack again.
It makes pretty decent sense. The only closer international border to Moscow is Belarus, and they would definitely help the Russians and turn over the terrorists if caught. North eastern Ukraine is only 3 or 4 hours drive from Moscow if they had cleared the city, if you have contact with someone in Ukraine it'd be pretty easy to find somewhere without active combat, and once in Ukraine you're probably home free. Staying in Russia is a horrible idea, as once they recover from the shock of the attack, Russia has a huge security apparatus to mobilize (as evidenced by the capture of the folks they got). The Suburban and Semi-rural Moscow area is also not ethnically diverse, so those shooters would stick out like a sore thumb trying to hide in the forest anywhere near Moscow. They'd damn near have to cross the Volga to find somewhere in Russia to blend in. Ukraine, while a long shot, was probably their best bet.
Interesting that huge signage in English - CROCUS CITY HALL - was so very prominent on the building in Moscow. Makes me wonder if the venue was designed to attract tourists.
From what I could make out in the available videos, all the weapons appeared to be AK-pattern, I didn't spot any AR-pattern long arms.
It seems like this is shaping up to be more standard Islamic violence and my concerns look to be unfounded, but remember NATO, and even the US, give out a lot of AK pattern weapons to our proxies all over the world. Makes it easier for them to find ammo a lot of places.
That said, if ISIS-K is actually behind this it's pretty unlikely we helped them in any way. We're still pretty pissed about the bomb they set off outside Kabul Airport in 2021
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Anyone ever heard of the CIA? Puten will hit them hard and then the house will cave on a huge check to send to uncle Z. I bet they even cut their break short to come back and vote on it.
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Sounds about right:
ISIS: “We did it.”
Russia: “ISIS did it.”
USA: “ISIS did it.”
People on social media:
“Israel did it.”
“Ukraine did it.”
“The CIA did it.”
“The Russians did it to themselves.”
“It didn’t even happen.”
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/2870/9692152945_8d92ecdb2a_w.jpg)
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gentlemen, I suggest at least today not to dance on the bones, we already know about 133 dead and today is a day of national mourning, let's just pray for those killed...
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gentlemen, I suggest at least today not to dance on the bones, we already know about 133 dead and today is a day of national mourning, let's just pray for those killed...
No one here as far as I know is dancing on the bones.
I myself am horrified
This was definitely ISIS's MO
ISIS says it was ISIS
Russia says it was ISIS
US says it was ISIS
The British says it was ISIS
Meanwhile you got goofballs on the internet saying it was everyone from the Israelis to Mary Poppins.
The above was mocking that.
That said expect criticism of Putin and Russian Security since they were given warnings that this exact type of attack by ISIS was in the works and apparently chose to blow it off and Putin has been trying to pin this at least partially on Ukraine since the attack. Such criticism is IMHO NOT bone dancing.
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It seems like this is shaping up to be more standard Islamic violence and my concerns look to be unfounded, but remember NATO, and even the US, give out a lot of AK pattern weapons to our proxies all over the world. Makes it easier for them to find ammo a lot of places.
A lot of NATO members that are former Warsaw Pact members have been converting to 5.56x45 rifles and have stockpiles of 5.45 and 7.62x39 AKs. Many probably have been shipping some of those stockpiles to Ukraine. I'm sure that will come up.
That said the AK in the only close up photo I've seen so far of one appeared to an AK-12 variant. Has Russia shipped AK-12s to anyone? Of course there always the possibility they were capture in Syria. How easy is it to get AK-12s in Russia?
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gentlemen, I suggest at least today not to dance on the bones, we already know about 133 dead and today is a day of national mourning, let's just pray for those killed...
I wasn't grave dancing, and I hope my posts didn't come off that way. I was fervently hoping we didn't have anything to do with it, and I am concerned about the repercussions when you guys (justifiably) take vengeance, but that's more a statement on my government than yours.
I am sorry for the loss of life your country experienced. Terrorists deserve to be shot like dogs. In a sane world our countries could cooperate to remove ISIS-K from this planet since they are have hit us both, sadly the world is far from sane.
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gentlemen, I suggest at least today not to dance on the bones, we already know about 133 dead and today is a day of national mourning, let's just pray for those killed...
Nobody here is dancing on any bones.
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Their 70 virgins will had to wait for the Russians to be done with them.
The Russian Investigative Committee detained four suspected terrorists and their barbaric torture techniques have been seen on social media, including one video which shows a Russian agent severing a man's ear off before trying to force him to eat it.
Another photograph shows one of the suspected terrorists, named as Shamsuddin Fariddun, lying on a gym floor with his trousers pulled down and wires evidently attached to his groin area.
He is visibly foaming from the mouth and appears to be clenching his teeth, while a man in military uniform stands with his foot on the leg of the suspect.
Image shows Russian forces torturing Moscow terror suspect by hooking his genitals up to 80v battery leaving him foaming at the mouth - as new footage emerges of the slaughter that left more than 140 dead
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13233511/Russian-forces-torturing-Moscow-terror-suspect-hooking-genitals-battery.html
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Assuming they have the right guys then I’m trying to work up an outrage but I just can’t manage it.
That said, it would have been nice if Putin would have heeded the specific warnings he got so the bad guys could have been stopped before they did their work.
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Assuming they have the right guys then I’m trying to work up an outrage but I just can’t manage it.
That said, it would have been nice if Putin would have heeded the specific warnings he got so the bad guys could have been stopped before they did their work.
Agree with all the above, but I have to wonder if Russian warned us if we would act (or act enough) or not.
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I have to wonder if Russian warned us if we would act (or act enough) or not.
I've wondered that myself but I'm sure a lot depends on the nature of the warning.
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Warnings can often sound a lot more specific in hindsight than they do before an incident.
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Daniel Davis does a deep dive into the concert massacre (spoiler alert: he doubts that it was ISIS-K):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZxFfe6tbU
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Personally (but this is just my opinion) I very much doubt that it was ISIS.
There is no point in real religious fanatics trying to escape during a terrorist attack; on the contrary, they will be ready to die on the spot, becoming martyrs.
But the terrorist attack could well have been carried out “under the banner of ISIS.” In any case, ISIS is ready to take responsibility for any high-profile terrorist attack, because ISIS is now in decline and needs any publicity it can get.
I think we are unlikely to ever find out the real masterminds of this terrorist attack. In any case, this is one of the most senseless terrorist attacks in recent times...
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Assuming they have the right guys then I’m trying to work up an outrage but I just can’t manage it.
Yep
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Personally (but this is just my opinion) I very much doubt that it was ISIS.
There is no point in real religious fanatics trying to escape during a terrorist attack; on the contrary, they will be ready to die on the spot, becoming martyrs.
But the terrorist attack could well have been carried out “under the banner of ISIS.” In any case, ISIS is ready to take responsibility for any high-profile terrorist attack, because ISIS is now in decline and needs any publicity it can get.
I think we are unlikely to ever find out the real masterminds of this terrorist attack. In any case, this is one of the most senseless terrorist attacks in recent times...
I think that's a really interesting response from you as a Russian citizen vs what we're seeing from the Russian government. Or I should say, what the US and Western media are reporting out of Russia, to include the suspects currently being interrogated. Is yours a common view among Russian citizens regarding the attack?
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In any case, this is one of the most senseless terrorist attacks in recent times...
With all respect and without trying to minimize in any regard that this was absolutely a horrific terrorist attack against innocent targets, I'm not sure what sets it apart from other terrorist attacks on innocent noncombatants in terms of senselessness.
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I think that's a really interesting response from you as a Russian citizen vs what we're seeing from the Russian government. Or I should say, what the US and Western media are reporting out of Russia, to include the suspects currently being interrogated. Is yours a common view among Russian citizens regarding the attack?
I have not yet heard categorical statements from the Russian government regarding those who ordered the terrorist attack, except that Putin said that the terrorists “were given a window to escape to Ukraine.” But the "window" and the customer of the crime - can be two different things.
In any case, the Russian special services clearly deliberately delayed the capture of the terrorists until the last moment and allowed them to escape to the Russian border with Ukraine.
As for the majority opinion, I cannot answer for everyone, but absolutely all my close colleagues and acquaintances believe that this is definitely not ISIS.
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As for the majority opinion, I cannot answer for everyone, but absolutely all my close colleagues and acquaintances believe that this is definitely not ISIS.
What are they basing that on considering pretty much everyone's intel is saying it was ISIS, ISIS says it was ISIS, ISIS has a beef with Russia (several actually), and this fits ISIS SOP?
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
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The Rising Incompetence of the Russian System || Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJZcIrBCrqs
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What are they basing that on considering pretty much everyone's intel is saying it was ISIS, ISIS says it was ISIS, ISIS has a beef with Russia (several actually), and this fits ISIS SOP?
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
It's pretty far afield for ISIS-K. They aren't known for their force projection capabilities. Hell all the ISIS variants have been pretty much tied into the mid-east by the GWOT, but ISIS-K specifically is generally geographically pretty limited.
Not saying they couldn't have done it, or done it by themselves, but it's outside their generally shown operational capabilities.
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It's pretty far afield for ISIS-K. They aren't known for their force projection capabilities. Hell all the ISIS variants have been pretty much tied into the mid-east by the GWOT, but ISIS-K specifically is generally geographically pretty limited.
Not saying they couldn't have done it, or done it by themselves, but it's outside their generally shown operational capabilities.
Promise 4 guys money if they live and 70 virgins if they don't. Hand them 4 AKs, ammo, some petrol bombs, and tell them to go shoot up a concert hall. If they don't make it there's plenty more where they came from.
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Death toll could go up, way up. They're finding bodies in the burnt out ruble. Some saying it could as high as 361
The death toll could yet increase dramatically with Russian news outlets reporting the charred remains of dozens more people may remain trapped under the rubble. Baza suggested the real toll could be as high as 361.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13239199/putin-moscow-terror-russia-intelligence-services-isis-attack.html
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Promise 4 guys money if they live and 70 virgins if they don't. Hand them 4 AKs, ammo, some petrol bombs, and tell them to go shoot up a concert hall. If they don't make it there's plenty more where they came from.
If the concert hall is in Kabul, sure. Operationally, there's a little more to it to get it done in Moscow.
Sure, ISIS (main branch) has managed to get some ops done in mainland Europe, mostly in France and Belgium (lots of easy to radicalize Muslims there) but they've been hit pretty hard by more recent uptick of violence in the mid-east proper and have been having problems even spinning up the lone wolves for 3 or 4 years now. ISIS-K, which I've seen mentioned hasn't ever struck outside their home geography.
Could they have done it alone? Sure, with some luck. But it's not a conspiracy theory to point out that A coordinated attack in Moscow, with an exfiltration plan and coordination with another country to receive them is outside the operational capabilities ISIS has previously shown, and not really consistent with their previous attack's TTPs (use local migrants that have been radicalized and martyr them).
It bears noting that ISIS has released some video from inside the attack that wasn't publically available to bolster their claim of responsability. That would imply either live streaming back to ISIS PAO, or someone living long enough to email a video file, something that while not technically difficult, is new for ISIS, and dangerous.
I guess the real question is not was ISIS involved, but were they aided. If they were not aided in this attack what caused the shift in operational capabilities, and can they carry that shift to other targets. If they were aided, who did it, and do we care enough to prevent that from happening again?
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I did see a comment the other day that one of the attackers said someone on Telegram offered them money. Money showed up and they were told where to pick up the weapons. Probably just BS but a similar scenario wouldn't surprise me.
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Came across this this morning and just found it interesting
KSG in the hands of a Russian soldier in Ukraine. Note: Someone needs to teach him trigger discipline.
Another picture further down of more in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers. Before you ask about the stop sign in the 2nd picture I googled it and apparently according to what I found that style is mandated by the EU and I guess it's carried over to Ukraine.
https://www.thektog.org/threads/ksg-in-ukraine-russia.277449/
(https://www.thektog.org/attachments/ksg_rus_gcitcu_xuaayxi8-jpg.60202/)
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9 reportedly arrested, "detained", in Tajikistan for suspected connection to the concert hall attack
“Nine residents of the Vakhdat district were detained for contact with the persons who committed the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22,” the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Friday, citing information from an unnamed source in Tajikistan’s special services, who said that Russian security forces were also involved in the operation to detain the suspects.
Those detained are also suspected of having connections with ISIL (ISIS), according to RIA Novosti.
Plus more reportedly charged in Russia
This came as a court in Moscow charged another suspect in the deadly concert hall attack – Lutfulloi Nazrimad – and ruled that should be held in custody until at least May 22, pending investigation and trial.
Russian officials previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested in the country, including four who allegedly carried out the attack.
Those four, identified as Tajik nationals, appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.
Nine detained in Tajikistan in relation to Moscow concert hall attack
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/nine-detained-in-tajikistan-in-relation-to-moscow-concert-hall-attack
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I wonder how many of the arrestees were actually connected to the bombing, and how many might have just fallen afoul of the, "Round up the usual suspects", routine. Does the ex-SovUnion do that sort of thing?
Then again, maybe I've just watched "Casablanca" too many times.
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I wonder how many of the arrestees were actually connected to the bombing, and how many might have just fallen afoul of the, "Round up the usual suspects", routine. Does the ex-SovUnion do that sort of thing?
Then again, maybe I've just watched "Casablanca" too many times.
Everybody does that sort of thing.
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I wonder how many of the arrestees were actually connected to the bombing, and how many might have just fallen afoul of the, "Round up the usual suspects", routine. Does the ex-SovUnion do that sort of thing?
Then again, maybe I've just watched "Casablanca" too many times.
Well Russia is an oppressive government that routinely violates human rights. I suspect they have used this as an opportunity to round up anyone that was even near the building whose politics they don't like. Leaders of groups that are critical of the government will be arrested for their statements, even if they were never even in the same city as the attackers. Also this is an opportunity to snatch up and jail any members of the press that are sympathetic to the group.
You know, the normal stuff oppressive dystopian governments do.
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Well Russia is an oppressive government that routinely violates human rights. I suspect they have used this as an opportunity to round up anyone that was even near the building whose politics they don't like. Leaders of groups that are critical of the government will be arrested for their statements, even if they were never even in the same city as the attackers. Also this is an opportunity to snatch up and jail any members of the press that are sympathetic to the group.
You know, the normal stuff oppressive dystopian governments do.
*cough* J6 *cough*
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We probably need more sources and a confirmed translation. Otherwise, fast-tracking Ukrainian membership in NATO right this second kinda makes me want to order some potassium iodide tablets.
https://twitchy.com/rickrobinson/2024/04/04/ukraine-joining-nato-n2394750
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https://twitter.com/FunkerActual/status/1775928114805080430
Know who gets to be the one with the hammer hitting them on the nose to check for duds.
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https://twitter.com/FunkerActual/status/1775928114805080430
Know who gets to be the one with the hammer hitting them on the nose to check for duds.
(https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-05-2014/WE37bB.gif)