Author Topic: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....  (Read 130889 times)

WLJ

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #250 on: February 25, 2022, 09:23:43 AM »
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.

Quote
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.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

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MechAg94

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #251 on: February 25, 2022, 09:40:05 AM »
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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WLJ

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #252 on: February 25, 2022, 09:40:46 AM »
Quote
Ukraine says it hands out 18,000 machine guns to Kyiv volunteers
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us".
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WLJ

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #253 on: February 25, 2022, 09:42:43 AM »
Quote
Kremlin: Russia ready for talks with Ukraine on 'neutrality'
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us".
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French G.

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #254 on: February 25, 2022, 09:57:42 AM »
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.
AKA Navy Joe   

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Ben

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #255 on: February 25, 2022, 10:01:19 AM »
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/
« Last Edit: February 25, 2022, 10:38:32 AM by Ben »
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Ron

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #256 on: February 25, 2022, 10:05:53 AM »
My prediction ... this will end with bad guys in control of Ukraine.  ;)
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

MechAg94

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #257 on: February 25, 2022, 10:51:57 AM »
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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Ben

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #258 on: February 25, 2022, 12:28:55 PM »
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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WLJ

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #259 on: February 25, 2022, 12:32:34 PM »
Quote
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

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us".
- Calvin and Hobbes

MechAg94

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #260 on: February 25, 2022, 12:50:34 PM »
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. 
“It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”  ― Calvin Coolidge

Nick1911

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #261 on: February 25, 2022, 01:02:36 PM »
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.

French G.

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #262 on: February 25, 2022, 01:07:51 PM »
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.
AKA Navy Joe   

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Ben

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #263 on: February 25, 2022, 01:29:51 PM »
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.
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

HankB

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #264 on: February 25, 2022, 01:42:06 PM »
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.
Trump won in 2016. Democrats haven't been so offended since Republicans came along and freed their slaves.
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Ron

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #265 on: February 25, 2022, 01:57:57 PM »
All options are on the table to protect the Biden clans financial interests.
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

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Ron

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #267 on: February 25, 2022, 02:33:40 PM »
Former President Bush condemns Russia's unjustified invasion.
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

Ron

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #268 on: February 25, 2022, 02:43:19 PM »
If Putin decided to push for the whole enchilada, what would be the next country that he would invade?

For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

Hawkmoon

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #269 on: February 25, 2022, 02:44:03 PM »
Former President Bush condemns Russia's unjustified invasion.

Pfft.

I'm waiting for Jimmy Carter to weigh in.
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Boomhauer

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #270 on: February 25, 2022, 02:48:43 PM »
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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the last thing you need is rabies. You're already angry enough as it is.

OTOH, there wouldn't be a tweeker left in Georgia...

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dogmush

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #271 on: February 25, 2022, 02:52:15 PM »
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.

HankB

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #272 on: February 25, 2022, 03:02:29 PM »
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.)
Trump won in 2016. Democrats haven't been so offended since Republicans came along and freed their slaves.
Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it. - Mark Twain
Government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advance auction in stolen goods. - H.L. Mencken
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. - Mark Twain

Ron

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #273 on: February 25, 2022, 03:05:58 PM »
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.
For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

dogmush

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Re: War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....
« Reply #274 on: February 25, 2022, 03:11:24 PM »
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