Russia

[Moiraine]

Really hard to know what to believe from Twitter, probably 10% is true, but saw this Tweet and it matches what I've seen in several videos. Russian military vehicles driving 50 mph uncontested but there are only 3-5 of them together. Seems dumb.

The real worry is what Putin does when he's pissed off - kill more civilians with worse weapons and drag this out, or try to save face by pretending he only wanted a land bridge to Crimea all along, and negotiate with Ukraine.

Warning - there is at least one dead person in the video (non graphic other than that it's a dead person).
 

 

[funhusker]

5 hours ago, Notre Dame Joe said:

No the solution is more sanctions after the war has already started 

I’m actually with you.  I would have zero issues with US troops along with other NATO forces coming to the defense of Ukraine.  Push Russia back to the border and set up camp.  Russia can decide if they want to push the issue any further at that point.

[Archy1221]

8 hours ago, admo said:

Sorry if a certain poster is super sensitive, feels very insecure and likes to troll and attack.

This might help to understand.., No one gives a s#!t about ppl they don't give a s#!t about.  That's why you get no response.

 

It would be wise to hear that before it becomes deafening.

 

Well said.  I do remember not getting a response on the fake news he posted just a few pages ago though.  

[Danny Bateman]

13 hours ago, Scarlet said:

 

More fodder for Putin's propaganda campaign.  Read the f#&%ing room already.

 

Is his solution here to "blow Russia to pieces"?  Can you imagine his take if after Putin commits more troops and hardware to his invasion, we use our air power to completely degrade Putin's  dilapidated military?   

 

 

Dude sounds positively giddy about starting WW3.

 

The irony is that he'd make a terrible wartime president because he's erratic and emotional in his decision-making and appears to be terrible at long-run decision making. And of course his ego gets offended if you look at it wrong.

 

He's not a serious person and he's not making a serious argument. Just more of his same ole fake machismo bulls#!t which, for the record, is leagues less effective than what we're actually doing now.

 

I'm sure he's just thrilled to be back in his normal position of being able to crap on world leader when he doesn't have to explain why they're wrong or what he'd do differently.

 

Or maybe it's just the pressure of all the legal cases he's been losing lately that's getting to him.

[Archy1221]

What the world needs now is just one brave Russian close with Putin to take him out and become a world hero.  

[Danny Bateman]

4 hours ago, Moiraine said:

I'm not convinced this one is even 18.

 

 

 

IIRC there were reports from shortly after Putin declared Donetsk and Luhansk independent that they were conscripting minors from those areas. Which of course is a war crime.

[commando]

8 minutes ago, Archy1221 said:

What the world needs now is just one brave Russian close with Putin to take him out and become a world hero.  

if the war costs the russian mob too much money putin may take that famous russian leap out of a window.

[Scarlet]

1 hour ago, funhusker said:

I’m actually with you.  I would have zero issues with US troops along with other NATO forces coming to the defense of Ukraine.  Push Russia back to the border and set up camp.  Russia can decide if they want to push the issue any further at that point.

I'm not sure we'd want boots on the ground because, as we've hopefully learned, getting out is more difficult than going in but I wonder if the use of our superior airpower is in the table? Combine that with flooding Ukraine with weapons and CIA support.   

 

At a minimum we should let Putin know that his weapons like thermobaric bombs are going to be hit immediately unless he removes them from the theater.  If he uses those I don't see how we can standby, morally.

 

Maybe cut off the supply lines via air and let the Ukrainians carve up the isolated troops on the ground.  I don't know though.  Putin seems like he's lost his mind and him lobbing some nukes has to be considered. I almost wonder if he's had some sort of terminal diagnosis and he's gone all in on reconstituting the greater Russian empire.

 

 

[NM11046]

12 hours ago, suh_fan93 said:

 

The best unintended consequence of this is that Zelensky (who everyone made fun of as a "nobody' comedian" and that Pootin obviously thought he could just steamroll) is going to be considered a great leader, a hero even.  That is going to really stick in Vlad's craw.

[nic]

4 minutes ago, NM11046 said:

The best unintended consequence of this is that Zelensky (who everyone made fun of as a "nobody' comedian" and that Pootin obviously thought he could just steamroll) is going to be considered a great leader, a hero even.  That is going to really stick in Vlad's craw.

He’s rapidly rising in my book. He is part of why citizens are fighting.

[Scarlet]

1 hour ago, funhusker said:

I’m actually with you.  I would have zero issues with US troops along with other NATO forces coming to the defense of Ukraine.  Push Russia back to the border and set up camp.  Russia can decide if they want to push the issue any further at that point.

I will say though that if Putin turns this into a humanitarian disaster and slaughters innocent civilians Biden will have no choice but to go in with NATO.  The calculus becomes at what level of violence on civilians do you make that call?

[nic]

10 minutes ago, Scarlet said:

I'm not sure we'd want boots on the ground because, as we've hopefully learned, getting out is more difficult than going in but I wonder if the use of our superior airpower is in the table? Combine that with flooding Ukraine with weapons and CIA support.   

 

At a minimum we should let Putin know that his weapons like thermobaric bombs are going to be hit immediately unless he removes them from the theater.  If he uses those I don't see how we can standby, morally.

 

Maybe cut off the supply lines via air and let the Ukrainians carve up the isolated troops on the ground.  I don't know though.  Putin seems like he's lost his mind and him lobbing some nukes has to be considered. I almost wonder if he's had some sort of terminal diagnosis and he's gone all in on reconstituting the greater Russian empire.

 

 

We could get air superiority in a heartbeat. Do that. No fly zone. That would do a lot to help the Ukrainians.

[Archy1221]

28 minutes ago, commando said:

if the war costs the russian mob too much money putin may take that famous russian leap out of a window.

That would be great. 

[Scarlet]

 

[Danny Bateman]

9 minutes ago, Scarlet said:

I'm not sure we'd want boots on the ground because, as we've hopefully learned, getting out is more difficult than going in but I wonder if the use of our superior airpower is in the table? Combine that with flooding Ukraine with weapons and CIA support.   

 

At a minimum we should let Putin know that his weapons like thermobaric bombs are going to be hit immediately unless he removes them from the theater.  If he uses those I don't see how we can standby, morally.

 

Maybe cut off the supply lines via air and let the Ukrainians carve up the isolated troops on the ground.  I don't know though.  Putin seems like he's lost his mind and him lobbing some nukes has to be considered. I almost wonder if he's had some sort of terminal diagnosis and he's gone all in on reconstituting the greater Russian empire.

 

 

 

We're keenly aware of what's going on on the ground. It seems us and the U.K. had the best intel in all of this, reportedly surprising/angering Putin at how much the West knew ahead of time, with the intel services of France/Germany being comparatively terrible (they both thought there would be no invasion). The head of a German intel service had to flee Kiev on foot due to how poor the intel was....

 

We also had special forces ready to roll and extract Zelensky which he summarily declined in the most badass fashion ever. I've heard reports of U.S. air forces already over Ukraine in some limited fashion (not sure what) and the NATO task force has been activated as well.

 

The Ukrainians themselves have done REMARKABLY well at slowing the Russians down every step of the way. Anti-air measures still appear active, they've recaptured/held/blocked off a lot of airports to further prevent resupply by air, they've reported blown up every train route into Kiev to prevent resupply via train, taking out bridges - I believe there was a story of one young man even giving his life to blow up a very strategically important bridge to deny the invaders passage. What incredible bravery these people have.

 

I believe Rubio was the one who hinted at potential poor health for Putin recently. That would make sense.

 

Regardless, the West has done a good job supplying the Ukrainians with the right defense systems and they've done amazing well taking the fight to the invaders. The question is how to escalate  should further escalation be required. The sanctions so far and removing Russian banks from SWIFT have been amazing - isolating Russia from the world will extract a very heavy toll. But direct military intervention will likely require further escalation by Putin, sadly. I just hope someone is documenting all the war crimes being committed in the mean time to use against him in the ICJ.

 

Regardless this entire debacle makes Russian leadership look weak and stupid as hell.