Ukraine Conflict - Das Himmelfahrtskommando

[Malcador]

6 minutes ago, Sarex said:

 

Good to see that war brings out the best in humans.  As expected a handful of users on Reddit saying they understand it, heh.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Malcador

[bugarup]

1 hour ago, kanisatha said:

Here are two more superb articles I urge people to read. This first one gives a first-hand account of why the Ukrainians are winning against an on-paper superior Russian force, and also gives amazing details on how the US (and other allied) military needs to evolve to win wars in the contemporary era:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/american-volunteer-foreign-fighters-ukraine-russia-war/627604/

This second article is an excellent proposal for what the Ukrainians need now as they go on the offensive against a spent Russian military force:

https://thedispatch.com/p/what-ukraine-needs-now?s=r

Speaking of Atlantic, I like this piece of theirs: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/putin-doesnt-realize-how-much-warfare-has-changed/627600/

Makes sense when you remember how great patriotic war was probably the most important  part of sovietistan's religion that transitioned to russia wholesale, and how that ugly botoxed midget waxes nostalgic about that era.

Girkin is, of course, irredeemable piece of filth who deserves the suicide a la russe, aka falling out of the window as many times as it is necessary for success, but his bluntness, lets say, stands out in Orwellian insanity that seem to have enveloped that forsaken 1/6th of landmass, I give him that.

 

[Elerond]

15 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Good to see that war brings out the best in humans.  As expected a handful of users on Reddit saying they understand it, heh.

Video is clearly fake as Russia has told us that they have destroyed Ukraine's communication systems 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

33 minutes ago, Sarex said:

 

"shota_esports"

[kanisatha]

1 hour ago, bugarup said:

Speaking of Atlantic, I like this piece of theirs: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/putin-doesnt-realize-how-much-warfare-has-changed/627600/

Makes sense when you remember how great patriotic war was probably the most important  part of sovietistan's religion that transitioned to russia wholesale, and how that ugly botoxed midget waxes nostalgic about that era.

Yeah I read this article earlier. Good article. And I love that quote from Bismarck. I use it myself all the time.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

https://deadline.com/2022/03/vladimir-putin-defends-jk-rowling-claims-west-trying-cancel-russia-1234986849/

Either the simulation is broken, the writers really lost the plot this season, or we truly live in hell.

[HoonDing]

Putin may vaporize women and children, but at least he doesn't call me a racist.

[Gorth]

Sounds like Putin is focusing on plan C (or D or whatever) and redirecting efforts away from other areas to consolidate the land bridge to Crimea (which makes sense, considering Crimea has been without drinking water for years (after Kiev piled concrete into the rivers providing Crimea with drinking water years ago, effectively cutting off the peninsula's fresh water supply)

 

[Mamoulian War]

7 hours ago, Gorth said:

Sounds like Putin is focusing on plan C (or D or whatever) and redirecting efforts away from other areas to consolidate the land bridge to Crimea (which makes sense, considering Crimea has been without drinking water for years (after Kiev piled concrete into the rivers providing Crimea with drinking water years ago, effectively cutting off the peninsula's fresh water supply)

 

Russians have destroyed that concrete in the first week of operations. So water flows for now. First thing performed by Russian administration in decades, which makes the lives of ordinary Russians less miserable...

[Mamoulian War]

Also:

The balls are strong with these ones...

Ukrainian civilians in occupied cities are playing Bayraktar song to Russian "liberators".

 

[Totally not Gorgon]

I just went to buy some shoes, and everyone speaks Russian, or Ukrainian, not like I can tell the difference.  It's bizarre. Like waking up in another country.

It's a nice day out, and the refugees are all out shopping for things they left behind. 

[Arken Nael]

There is good explanation of this situation 

 

[213374U]

11 hours ago, Gorth said:

Sounds like Putin is focusing on plan C (or D or whatever) and redirecting efforts away from other areas to consolidate the land bridge to Crimea (which makes sense, considering Crimea has been without drinking water for years (after Kiev piled concrete into the rivers providing Crimea with drinking water years ago, effectively cutting off the peninsula's fresh water supply)

I honestly wonder to what extent Putin is calling the shots on a theatre level. He's probably personally greenlit reinforcements deploying from the Far East and so on, but consolidating the south flank first sounds like a General Staff plan. If true, it also possibly signals a change in approach and tacit admission that this won't be over soon because they will need to defeat Ukrainian forces in detail rather than quickly overrun all key areas at once.

It's looking like a Dec 1939 situation. People keep bringing up estimates of Russian casualties but back then they took upwards of 5:1 casualties and still managed to force Finland to accept a peace that carved out a chunk of their territory. I'm also concerned about the growing escalation potential. The US' puerile black-and-white, good-vs-evil rhetoric spouted from safety on the other side of the pond is a huge obstacle to any kind of negotiated exit. Indeed, following the rhetoric to its logical conclusion, the West could settle for nothing less than deposing Putin, trying the Russian General Staff in Nuremberg the Hague, and elevating Navalny from prisoner to president. The EU seems to be largely on board with the rhetoric at least, even if Germany has shown that they aren't willing to go very far on the economic blockade front, let alone militarily.

The worst is yet to come.

Edited March 26, 2022 by 213374U

[rjshae]

20 minutes ago, 213374U said:

It's looking like a Dec 1939 situation. People keep bringing up estimates of Russian casualties but back then they took upwards of 5:1 casualties and still managed to force Finland to accept a peace that carved out a chunk of their territory. I'm also concerned about the growing escalation potential. The US' puerile black-and-white, good-vs-evil rhetoric spouted from safety on the other side of the pond is a huge obstacle to any kind of negotiated exit. Indeed, following the rhetoric to its logical conclusion, the West could settle for nothing less than deposing Putin, trying the Russian General Staff in Nuremberg the Hague, and elevating Navalny from prisoner to president. The EU seems to be largely on board with the rhetoric at least, even if Germany has shown that they aren't willing to go very far on the economic blockade front, let alone militarily.

The US' so-called "puerile" message encourages Western unity and strengthens the negotiating position vs. Putin. Remember it was Putin that burned that bridge with the territorial grab of the Crimea, an unwarranted invasion, and attacks on Ukranian civilians. There's nothing good about his behavior, and if he burns for it I'll shed no tears.

[213374U]

The rhetoric has exactly zero influence on conditions on the ground, and that's ultimately what establishes the leverage that each side has on the negotiating table. It is for internal consumption only, and serves no practical purpose except shoring up approval ratings.

[Malcador]

This missile attack in Lviv is a big deal, for some reason.

[ComradeYellow]

2 hours ago, rjshae said:

The US' so-called "puerile" message encourages Western unity and strengthens the negotiating position vs. Putin. Remember it was Putin that burned that bridge with the territorial grab of the Crimea, an unwarranted invasion, and attacks on Ukranian civilians. There's nothing good about his behavior, and if he burns for it I'll shed no tears.

Here we go again with the moral high ground "exceptional" ****

Daily reminder

Spoiler

"The World"

EDIT: Also reminder, Russia is trying to avoid civilian casualties, which could explain the apparent lack significant breakthroughs lately

Edited March 26, 2022 by ComradeYellow

[rjshae]

2 hours ago, 213374U said:

The rhetoric has exactly zero influence on conditions on the ground, and that's ultimately what establishes the leverage that each side has on the negotiating table. It is for internal consumption only, and serves no practical purpose except shoring up approval ratings.

I see exactly the opposite; it has encouraged material support for Ukraine and has had a significant impact on the ground. Being wishy-washy instead would substantially weaken the West's position against Putin and further encourage his aggression.

[Elerond]

45 minutes ago, Malcador said:

This missile attack in Lviv is a big deal, for some reason.

Considering that Lviv is 1200 km away from Donetsk, it shows that Russia declaration that they will concentrate to liberation of Donbas does not really mean anything  

 

5 minutes ago, ComradeYellow said:

Here we go again with the moral high ground "exceptional" ****

Daily reminder

  Reveal hidden contents

"The World"

EDIT: Also reminder, Russia is trying to avoid civilian casualties, which could explain the apparent lack significant breakthroughs lately

That is lie considering that they use artillery and missiles against residential areas in cities that they are sieging .

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60695465

[Malcador]

Concentrating on those regions doesn't exclude hitting military targets elsewhere.

[Elerond]

4 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Concentrating on those regions doesn't exclude hitting military targets elsewhere.

But they didn't shoot military targets. As they shot oil refinery and communication tower, they are strategically important targets in case Russia wants to continue their invasion, but they would not be important targets if they actually wanted just to 'liberate' Donbas

[213374U]

6 minutes ago, rjshae said:

I see exactly the opposite; it has encouraged material support for Ukraine and has had a significant impact on the ground. Being wishy-washy instead would substantially weaken the West's position against Putin and further encourage his aggression.

The only thing that wouldn't weaken the West's position against Putin would be a US declaration of war on Russia. Anything else is blowing hot air, which is evident to anyone outside of the West's media bubble, and the reason why, far from stopping, evidence seems to indicate that Russia is doubling down.

Sanctions and material support for Ukraine are separate from a childish, manichaean reduction of international affairs to good/evil proclamations. Of course, this is useful for the US as it fans the flames of conflict, which is likely to leave the Euros scared and looking to strengthen ties with the US after the disastrous Trump presidency, and the Russians weakened and isolated, while Ukraine pays the price. A bargain deal.

[Malcador]

16 minutes ago, Elerond said:

But they didn't shoot military targets. As they shot oil refinery and communication tower, they are strategically important targets in case Russia wants to continue their invasion, but they would not be important targets if they actually wanted just to 'liberate' Donbas

Sorry, meant legitimate military targets. Fuel and communications are, and if they want to liberate those they still need to weaken Ukrainian forces, to hold them more easily. Not too sure it has much to do with Biden's presence in Poland.

Then again the media was all a buzz about the hypersonic strike, so maybe just SOP. 

 

[pmp10]

48 minutes ago, Elerond said:

That is lie considering that they use artillery and missiles against residential areas in cities that they are sieging .

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60695465

Yes, but these areas are being actively defended.
And let's be honest - Russians are capable of much worse than they have done so far. 

29 minutes ago, Elerond said:

But they didn't shoot military targets. As they shot oil refinery and communication tower, they are strategically important targets in case Russia wants to continue their invasion, but they would not be important targets if they actually wanted just to 'liberate' Donbas

The tower was hit shortly before Biden started a speech in Poland.
Like previous long-range strike on international volunteers this was likely meant to send a political message. 

[Elerond]

17 minutes ago, pmp10 said:

Yes, but these areas are being actively defended.
And let's be honest - Russians are capable of much worse than they have done so far. 

But it is vain claim you are trying to avoid civilian casualties if you use indirect fire against city full of civilians even if there are troops that defending it against your invading troops. 

Ability to do more damage against civilians doesn't mean that you are trying to avoid civilian casualties. I mean nuclear powers could always claim that they avoid civilian casualties even when they carpet bomb cities with fire bomb because they didn't use nukes.