Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Skybird]

The Pope? How many divisions as he got?
This pope since beginning on has been extremely anti-capitalistic, far left leaning, and in principle a communist in disguise. What he has recommended on economic and financial policies, does not border socialism and planned economy - it IS socialism and planned economy. He should not lecture on topics of which he obviously has no clue.

I obviously hold neither sympathy nor respect for the Catholic church, but with him it has shifted even lower in ranks on my tableau. With his stand on this war another landmark drop has been acchieved.

[Rockstar]

Russian frigate is burning near Zmiinyi Island

https://censor.net/en/news/3339422/russian_frigate_is_burning_near_zmiinyi_island

I realize the hit on the frigate has been voiced. But in this article it also possibly brought to light another Ukrainian objective.

…Now enemy aircraft are circling over this area of ​​the Black Sea, and rescue ships have come to the aid of the ship from the temporarily occupied Crimea.

[Skybird]

And again its Snake Island. Russia seems to not have learned that it is in range of coastal defences when swimming around there. Good, lets hope nobody tells them.

Edit: German reports say its the Admiral Makarov. There are (were) three ships of that frigate type in the Black Sea fleet.

[Dargo]

And again its Snake Island. Russia seems to not have learned that it is in range of coastal defences when swimming around there. Good, lets hope nobody tells them.Saw footage of a ship last week so nah they do not know snakes bite :D

[Jeff-Groves]

Probably useing the Attack map in SH3 and that doesn't show Snake Island nor a detailed coast.

[Skybird]

That man speaks in tunes with my general direction of thinking.
I just think it will not happen, at least not with the Germans. The Germans are and must be absorbed with just rebuilding their own "army" - which it currently is hardly worth to be called. I do not know how the Poles will and can do, the French or the Brits. The US certainly could equip such a brigade.

Also his longterm estimation I think is spot on. Intially I thoguht, 7-8 weeks ago, this would be quite quickly decided either way, but when the Russians hastily reattacked in the East after they withdrew from Kyiv I chnaged to thinkling that this is going to turn into a longer, much longer war.


https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/04/opinions/bergen-repass-ukraine-interview/index.html

REPASS:You need to have the US, French, Poles, UK and the Germans each build a brigade's worth of Ukrainian combat power. Those nations have significant military capacity and could generate forces by equipping Ukrainian units and then training them in their own nations. So, that would be five brigades, in five operational sectors. And you would need probably six to eight months to implement that. These five brigades would have Western equipment fighting in Western ways, an integrated air-land battle approach where you have all the means available to you, to include NATO-interoperable tanks, close-air support and air defense.
BERGEN: Five brigades is not a huge number, right?
REPASS: No, it's not. I think it's doable in the near term. There are up to 8,000 soldiers or so in a brigade, so that's up to 40,000 people in five brigades. I believe the Ukrainians are capable of finding that many soldiers given the current national emergency.
Historically, when a Western military has come up against an army that has been supplied by the Russians, the Russian-backed army has been totally annihilated by an inferior number of forces, as was the case, for instance, during the first Gulf War (https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War#:~:text=The%20Persian%20Gulf%20War%2C%20also,K uwait%20on%20August%202%2C%201990) when the US military destroyed much of Saddam Hussein's army in Kuwait. We know that the Western armaments have a significant qualitative edge over Russian equipment, so numbers and force ratios are skewed when it is Western military equipment up against Russian-made equipment.

[mapuc]

^ I thought that NATO have been training Ukrainian soldiers since 2015/6
I could be wrong though

Markus

[Skybird]

^ I thought that NATO have been training Ukrainian soldiers since 2015/6
I could be wrong though

Markus
US and UK have advisors in Ukraine - and still have - since years, yes. These are members of spec ops units.

[Rockstar]

Ukraine does have good number of NATO trained troops on the ground. I know they have participated in joint military training exercises at the Pabradi Lithuania urban warfare training center. They are the professional soldiers. Unfortunately the majority of the ranks are still conscripted and don’t have that type of training yet

[mapuc]

Ukraine does have good number of NATO trained troops on the ground. I know they have participated in joint military training exercises at the Pabradi Lithuania urban warfare training center.

Now that you mentioned it..Some days or a week or so after the war had started they said in the news that one of the reason to why it didn't go so well for the Russian was that many of the Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in modern warfare NATO style
(Can have remembered some of it wrong)

Markus

[mapuc]

Danish TV2News wrote:

What happens when Russia loses in Ukraine?

The longer Russia tries to push, the greater the risk that entities will start to collapse altogether, writes Jacob Kaarsbo.

I dare to call it: Russia is not going to conquer - or "liberate" - the entire Donbas. That means Russia loses out on the "Plan B" that the Putin regime designed when it failed to capture Kyiv and oust the Zelensky government.

The Russian offensive to "liberate" the Donbas has almost lasted three weeks and progress has been marginal. Russian forces have captured a number of villages in the northern Donbas and have advanced a few kilometres. However, they cannot break the lines Ukraine prioritises defending.

Russia has not yet reached the major cities of the northern Donbas, such as Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Severodonetsk, which are likely to pose the biggest obstacles. It is uncertain whether they will even be able to make the few kilometres to the three big cities. As things stand, the 300 kilometres or so south to Mariupol seem like a mirage.

How long will Russia's offensive last?

Despite little progress, Russia has put heavy pressure on Ukrainian defences. We know, however, that the Russian battle groups are generally short of soldiers. We also know that the losses of materiel, not least tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, are enormous.

Therefore, Russia's ability to continue its offensive is already diminishing. The longer Russia tries to press on, the greater the risk that units will begin to break down completely, as happened at Kyiv. There are strong indications that this point is approaching.

Ukrainian counter-offensive looms

On Thursday, the Ukrainian commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, announced that Ukrainian forces will now launch a counter-offensive at Kharkiv and Izium.

It was no surprise that Kharkiv was mentioned. Over the past week, Ukrainian forces have been pressuring the Russians well 40 kilometres north and east of the city. It is an important symbolic victory for Ukraine to be able to free its second largest city from siege and bombardment.

That the general mentioned Izium was surprising. The main Russian force is around the town of Izium, where the Ukrainians have been under heavy pressure. However, there are indications that the Russians are finding it difficult to maintain the pressure. According to preliminary information, four out of 22 Russian battle groups have been withdrawn after taking heavy losses.

Behind the general's statement is probably also the analysis that Ukrainian pressure east of Kharkiv will cause the Russians to pull forces north to secure their hinterland. There are still some 45 kilometres to go before the Ukrainians reach the railway junction at Kupiansk, where they can cut off Russian supply lines to Izium. It would be a disaster for the Russians if the Ukrainian forces succeed. They might relieve the pressure at Izium.

The great Ukrainian advantage

Thursday brought another piece of startling news, which is also likely to have affected General Zalushnyj. According to both Ukraine and the US, a large part of the latest US arms package, including modern US artillery and drones, the so-called "switchblades", has reached the front. This will give the Ukrainians a range advantage over the Russians.

Range has been one of the major advantages for Russia so far. Now that advantage is coming to the Ukrainian side, it improves Ukraine's ability to move from defence to attack. In general, the picture is that Ukrainian forces are continuously becoming better equipped, while the Russians are becoming less so. They cannot replace lost equipment with equivalent quality.

As readers of these analyses will know, I wrote already on April 8 that victory for Ukraine in the Donbas was a real possibility. After US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin used the "V-word" last week, I upgraded the assessment on April 29 to that victory for Ukraine was likely. That assessment has been further reinforced this past week. Now I would call it very likely.

Which Russian defeat will it be?

It is still very difficult to say how the Russian defeat and the Ukrainian victory will shape up. Firstly, we do not know how President Putin will react when he has to admit that he is unable to "liberate" Donbas.

The first straw will come on Monday, when Russia celebrates its most important public holiday, the victory over Nazi Germany. There is much speculation that Putin will use the occasion to declare war. If he does, he may call up the reserves and start a general mobilisation. This will bring hundreds of thousands of troops to Russia.

However, a number of factors militate against this. First, it would be an admission that the "special military operation" has failed. Second, Putin will have to explain who he wants to go to war against and what he wants to achieve. In practical terms, it will take several months to get reservists and civilians combat-ready, and they will not have the same fighting power as the professional soldiers Russia has lost. Equipment will also be a major challenge, not least tanks and armoured fighting vehicles.

Therefore, it will be risky for Putin to declare war. If I leave the possibility open, it is because Putin has already made numerous mistakes. It is possible that in this case, too, he lacks the information to make the best decision.

Second, we do not know how Ukraine will define victory. Zelensky and several ministers have previously stated that they will liberate all of Ukraine, which means all of the Donbas and Crimea. If so, it will require a complete collapse of Russian forces or protracted and bloody fighting.

For the time being, therefore, I will leave the scenarios open. After Monday's "celebrations" in Moscow, we seem to know more about Putin's next move. Rhetorically, Putin will hit the gas pedal to the metal and proclaim victory, look forward to further battles against the Nazis in both Ukraine and NATO, and probably rattle the nuclear saber.

What Putin can and will do on the ground, we will have to see on Monday. The coming weeks will in all likelihood see more Ukrainian achievements. Possibly, Russian units will start to collapse. Ukrainian surprise attacks on Mariupol or Kherson are also possible.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Markus

[Rockstar]

Now that you mentioned it..Some days or a week or so after the war had started they said in the news that one of the reason to why it didn't go so well for the Russian was that many of the Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in modern warfare NATO style
(Can have remembered some of it wrong)

Markus

I’v read they’ve also made great strides aligning their military command structure to that of NATO from the General all the way down to squad level.

[Reece]

Probably useing the Attack map in SH3 and that doesn't show Snake Island nor a detailed coast.
:har::har::har:

[Rockstar]

Seizures of yachts belonging to Russia fat cats


Towards the end he said he heard through the grapevine that Bermuda is expected to remove the yacht from their registry. If that’s true the yacht I think would be considered a ‘stateless’ vessel. Not sure how that would affect the seizure process. But if it leaves port it should open the door to U.S. law enforcement no longer needing permission from a flag state to board it and enforce U.S. laws if found in international waters.

https://youtu.be/77gzaGns1bU

[Skybird]

I’v read they’ve also made great strides aligning their military command structure to that of NATO from the General all the way down to squad level.
And Zulazhny contributed severely to that in very short time completing the transformation.

This was probably the biggest mistake by the Russias: to assume they still knew their enemy and could predict his acting and his reaction times since he was drilled according to Sovjet doctrine. But Zulazhny threw that over board since he took over.

[tmccarthy]

Governor of Dnipropetrovsk 2014
Ihor Kolomoyskyi, 13 February 1963 (age 59)

According to Putin, Kolomoysky "even managed to cheat our Roman Abramovich two or three years ago. Scammed him, as our intellectuals like to say. They signed some deal, Abramovich transferred several billion dollars, while this guy never delivered and pocketed the money. When I asked him [Abramovich]: 'Why did you do it?' he said: 'I never thought this was possible'" :haha:


(Wikipedia)

[tmccarthy]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2854/YX4MHc.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Certainly cheered me up this morning learning of this.

Putin’s new flagship warship ‘on fire’ after Ukrainian missile strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8zCQOBmyGg

[Jimbuna]

Ukraine is continuing a counter-offensive near the city of Kharkiv, and says it has recaptured five villages.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War says the Ukrainians could soon free Kharkiv from the threat of Russian artillery.

In Mariupol, 50 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel works on Friday.

Russia has voted with the other 14 members of the UN Security Council to back a declaration supporting efforts to find a peaceful end to the war.

US President Joe Biden announced a new $150m package of military aid for Ukraine.

[Jimbuna]

Italy has ordered the seizure of a $700m yacht linked to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

The Scheherazade has been undergoing repairs at a port in Tuscany since September last year.

Italy's finance ministry said that the boat's owner had ties to "prominent elements of the Russian government".

It is being seized under EU sanctions brought in over Russia's invasion of Ukraine that have seen other vessels confiscated.

[Skybird]

An opinion piece from FOCUS.

Hasn't it always been a characteristic of the left to tremble like aspen leaves over everything? And now the Greens, of all people, want to supply weapons to Ukraine, and people like Dieter Nuhr [a - rather good - comedian in Germany, Skybird ] and Martin Walser [a writer] are fighting against it out of fear.

For a long time, many Germans have been asking themselves how they would have behaved 80 years ago. In the case of the 28 publicists and artists who appealed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an open letter in "Emma" not to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, one no longer has to rely on conjecture. The 28 would have been among those who sought the peace treaty with Hitler's Germany.

All the arguments they mention would have been valid even then: that the fear of world conflagration made prudent action necessary. That the duty to stand by the weak ends where resistance makes the aggressor even more ferocious. That even justified resistance to an aggressor could increase the suffering of the civilian population to such an extent that it could no longer be morally justified.

There was a similar discussion 80 years ago, after the Blitzkrieg against France, as there is today. Should one oppose the dictator - or does resistance only conjure up greater misfortune?

"Five Days in London" is the title of a small book, well worth reading, in which historian John Lukacs traces the 1940 discussion in the British War Cabinet. Here the warners around the just resigned Prime Minister Chamberlain, who thought that one should not rely on escalation and should offer Hitler peace negotiations. There the group around Churchill, who said: Fight? Now more than ever! In the end, Churchill narrowly prevailed, fortunately for the continent and the world.

There are well-known names among the appeal to Scholz, which has been stirring emotions since its appearance. Antje Vollmer, a former Green, has signed it, as has social psychologist Harald Welzer, who weeks ago described the "unpleasant feelings" he gets when someone fights "bravely for his country.

But there are a number of names that surprised me. Even Dieter Nuhr or Gerhard Polt think that Olaf Scholz should deny tanks to Ukraine? And what on earth has gotten into Juli Zeh, the woman who writes hit books about people who can't stand it in Prenzlauer Berg, and who now advises Ukrainians to come to terms with the Russian occupation?

"With a burning heart and in great sorrow," that's how signature campaigns used to begin, in which people took up arms against all sorts of things - overpopulation, the dying of the forest, the nuclear state. I thought that with Günter Grass, the intellectual who admonished politicians had disappeared from the stage forever. I was clearly mistaken.

War leads to strange constellations and alliances. Suddenly I find myself on the side of people with whom I had just been at odds on almost every issue. I read what left-wing pests like Friedemann Karig, Jagoda Marinic or Mario Sixtus have to say about the war, and it seems perfectly reasonable to me. I mean Sixtus. The man who blocked half the Internet on Twitter. And now I can subscribe to every word he says.

The last time my world got so messed up was after the September 11 attacks. I was living with family in New York when the towers fell and George W. Bush declared war on Iraq. In my mailbox there were letters from friends saying they had wanted to visit, but since the visit could be seen as solidarity with the U.S., they would have to postpone it.

Some friendships never recovered from that. There are moments when you look at the bottom of a relationship. It's like in a marriage when your partner shows a face that you can't forget afterwards, no matter how hard you try.

I suspect that the tank supply opponents have more people behind them than they appear to. They may even represent the majority opinion in the country. Just because the newspapers are dominated by the voices of those in favor of decisive intervention on Ukraine's behalf doesn't mean readers have to see it that way. Staying out of it has always been closer to post-war Germans than getting involved.

However, the fact that one represents the majority opinion does not necessarily make the arguments any better. The underrepresentation of the hesitant in German talk shows may also be due to the fact that there is a big, black hole in their argumentation.

They all affirm how much they care about the fate of the country beset by Russia. Of course, Ukraine must not lose the war, is the last sentence in the essay with which philosopher Jürgen Habermas delivered something like the long version of the "Emma" appeal to Olaf Scholz over the weekend. But everyone knows that it will be difficult to stop an invading army without tanks and howitzers.

So in the end, all that remains is the argument that in times of war, every nation has to see for itself where it stays. Björn Höcke [an AfD-Nazi] put it most brutally: "The war in Ukraine is terrible, but it's not our war." Of course, that's not how people outside the AfD want to put it. Yet that is exactly what it boils down to.

They say that we must not provoke Putin any further, otherwise he will bring out the nuclear weapon, and before you know it, we will be in the Third World War. Curiously, the people who think this way are not far from those who think Putin is a revenant of Hitler. Assuming that Putin would even detonate the atomic bomb to put his völkisch ideas into practice, what is to stop him from just going ahead once he has subjugated Ukraine?

I noticed one thing: There are quite a lot of people on Team Caution who normally lean more toward my worldview politically. Conversely, in the camp of Ukraine supporters, you find an above-average number of people who tend to sympathize with the Greens. This is also reflected in the polls. The strongest support for military aid to Ukraine is among the supporters of Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock. There, 72 percent support the delivery of heavy weapons, even if that means Germany would be considered a party to the war.

Why are conservative-minded people more afraid of nuclear war than Green supporters? I always thought it was a character trait of the left to tremble like aspen leaves over anything and everything. The fear of nuclear war in particular was a leftist invention. Can we no longer rely on it?

Even in terms of age, many of those who are now calling for "prudence," the new word for inaction, are less affected by a nuclear war. Alice Schwarzer will be 80 this year, Alexander Kluge has just turned 90, Habermas is 92, and Martin Walser is already 95. I know that death always comes prematurely. But for a 25- or 30-year-old, it comes much more prematurely.

Perhaps the key to the explanation lies in the self-confidence of a certain intellectual milieu. A friend gave me the idea. He thinks that people like Walser or Habermas cannot imagine that there is talk of a first strike on the evening news, and they are not there. They say to themselves: If there is a nuclear war, then the atomic bomb will be the first to fall on my head.

This explanation made sense to me spontaneously.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Skybird]

A technical question: is it known whether Russia has brought any combat vehciles of their new Armata design into action? And if so, how did they perform? Especially the MBT, by design concept, is revolutionary. I'm a bit surprised that one sees and hears and reads nothing about them beign in use. Wouldn't they have wanted to use the opportunity to test it under real war conditions?

[Jimbuna]

A technical question: is it known whether Russia has brought any combat vehciles of their new Armata design into action? And if so, how did they perform? Especially the MBT, by design concept, is revolutionary. I'm a bit surprised that one sees and hears and reads nothing about them beign in use. Wouldn't they have wanted to use the opportunity to test it under real war conditions?

This, if accurate probably answers your question.

The T-14 may not be in Ukraine, simply because Moscow doesn’t have enough to actually send.

But another consideration is that Russia can’t afford to lose any.

Quite a good article with some photos. The comments at the bottom are also worth reading.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/03/we-might-know-why-russias-new-armata-tank-is-missing-from-ukraine/

[Rockstar]

From what I’ve read Russia only has a very limited number of T-14s. I don’t think it ever went into full production. What good would the super tank be anyway if it ends up like the T-80’s? Abandoned in the mud without a crew, fuel and logistical support?

[Ostfriese]

A technical question: is it known whether Russia has brought any combat vehciles of their new Armata design into action? And if so, how did they perform? Especially the MBT, by design concept, is revolutionary. I'm a bit surprised that one sees and hears and reads nothing about them beign in use. Wouldn't they have wanted to use the opportunity to test it under real war conditions?


As far as I know they have only a very low two-digit-amount of them, very likely less than 20.

[mapuc]

From a Swedish newspaper


Ukrainian forces reach new successes in Kharkiv - and it goes surprisingly fast. says SVT's broadcaster Bengt Norborg, who is in the city together with photographer Emil Larsson.
One of the platoons that was at the front on Thursday has now moved about 20 kilometers north and conquered two, three villages, according to information to SVT's team.
-We also hear that Russian forces are retreating and blowing up bridges. This indicates that they want to delay the advance of the Ukrainians

Will we see a change in gameplay-Here I'm thinking of war games where you either has to fight the Russian or are in control of the Russians...So far programmer have had a certain love for Russian tactics and weapons..I know this from Modern Operations...

Markus

[Rockstar]

https://youtu.be/juwv2UMwrag

[Skybird]

Thanks for the replies on the Armata. I was not aare that they had these delays and production setbacks. Last I red years ago was that by now the series production should be running by routine already.


They cannot afford to lose an Armata. But it seems they can afford to lose a capital warship and a major one, plus transports and patrol boats. . :D

[Skybird]

Ukraine claims that it has sunk a landing boat of the Serna class. Again: Ssnake Island. South of Odessa - that may be why.

Mercenary group Wagner says on Telegram that Russia would need 600.000 troops to win the war in Ukraine. - Is this a coordnated PR effort by the Kremlin to prepare for mobilization of forces?!

[Subnuts]

Ukraine claims that it has sunk a landing boat of the Serna class. Again: Ssnake Island. South of Odessa - that may be why.

Mercenary group Wagner says on Telegram that Russia would need 600.000 troops to win the war in Ukraine. - Is this a coordnated PR effort by the Kremlin to prepare for mobilization of forces?!


I wonder if the Chinese are watching this war and thinking "let's scrap our entire fleet! The Ukrainians are winning a naval war without even having an actual navy!" :rotfl2:

[Rockstar]

If this video is true I’m not so sure a mass mobilization will be easy. However I think mobilization would certainly draw us closer to becoming directly involved.

https://t.me/vatahunt/1557

Google translate:

Anonymous source:

“The other day, Yan set fire to the military registration and enlistment office in the city of Lukhovitsy, Moscow Region, and filmed it on gopro. He painted the gate in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and wrote: "I will not go to kill my brothers!" After which he climbed over the fence, doused the facade with gasoline, broke the windows and sent Molotov cocktails into them. The goal was to destroy the archive with the personal files of conscripts, it is located in this part. This should prevent mobilization in the district. I hope that I will not see my classmates in captivity or lists of the dead.
I think it needs to be expanded. Ukrainians will know that in Russia they are fighting for them, not everyone is afraid and not everyone is indifferent. Our protesters need to be inspired and act more decisively. And this should further break the spirit of the Russian army and government. Let these mother****ers know that their own people hate them and will extinguish them. The earth will soon begin to burn under their feet, hell awaits at home too.

t.me/vatahunt
/1557
88.6K views
Mar 8 at 03:49

[Jeff-Groves]

"Ukraine claims that it has sunk a landing boat of the Serna class. Again: Ssnake Island. South of Odessa - that may be why."

So looks like this?
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509

:hmmm:

[Skybird]

"Ukraine claims that it has sunk a landing boat of the Serna class. Again: Ssnake Island. South of Odessa - that may be why."

So looks like this?
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509

:hmmm:
More like this:

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1069&pictureid=12509

One missile cruiser, one frigate, one landing boat, two patrol boats and one amphibious transport/landing boat.

[Rockstar]

Foreign Affairs
James Brooke: Russia’s Potemkin army to parade on Red Square
By James Brooke 7 hrs ago

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/james-brooke-russia-s-potemkin-army-to-parade-on-red-square/article_5d4fbffa-cce7-11ec-8355-ef601230f658.html

Last Tuesday, Craig Hooper, a U.S. national security writer, analyzed the advance guide for the parade. His story in Forbes is headlined: “Russian Victory Day Parade Cut By 35%, Emphasizing Ukraine’s Battlefield Prowess.”

Citing the lineup posted by the Russian Army’s Red Star news site, Hooper compares it to last year. The number of ground combat vehicles has been cut by one-third to 131, the number of infantry fighting vehicles has been cut in half and the number of late model tanks has been slashed.

After losing 10 Sukhoi fighter aircraft in Ukraine, these modern fighters will be absent from the parade. More than one-quarter of the aircraft will be Mig-29s, Soviet-era fighters developed almost half a century ago by the Mikoyan Design Bureau. Fifteen helicopters will fly in the parade, down one-third from last year. Ukraine’s military claims to have shot down 155 Russian helicopters in the first 10 weeks of the war.

“The May 9 military parade only highlights Russia’s massive losses in Ukraine and its crumbling industrial capabilities,” concluded Hooper. “Putin’s authority is backed by a Potemkin military — an apparently over-hyped and increasingly damaged force.”

Missing among formations marching through Red Square will be Russia’s elite National Guard, or Rosgvardiya. Reuters reports that the unit was decimated in the initial assault on Kyiv and later was involved in occupation atrocities in Bucha.

Indeed, undermining the bellicose rhetoric expected Monday, Moscow has lost more men and materiel in 10 weeks of war in Ukraine than in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

… With Russia’s conventional forces battered, one novelty in the sky over Red Square on Monday is to be Russia’s Il-80 “doomsday” aircraft. Converted from a Soviet-era Il-86 widebody passenger airliner, the Il-80 is meant to be used as an airborne command center for President Putin in the event of nuclear war. Absent from recent parades, the flyover of an Il-80 seems to be a warning to Western military attaches that, if conventional forces fare poorly on the ground, Russia could go nuclear.

[les green01]

well it does look like Patton was right when he wanted to make a little incident make it look like the ruskies did it saying we was going have to fight them sooner or later just has well do it while we got the army in place the powers to be thought he was mad

[Jimbuna]

All women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from Mariupol steelworks, Ukraine says.

The deputy prime minister said this part of the humanitarian operation was now complete.

Russia has besieged the plant for weeks, demanding the surrender of its defenders from the Azov battalion.

Ukraine is continuing a counter-offensive near the city of Kharkiv, and says it has recaptured five villages.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War says the Ukrainians could soon free Kharkiv from the threat of Russian artillery.

Russia has launched several missile strikes at the southern port city of Odesa.

In eastern Ukraine, heavy Russian shelling has continued along the front line.

There have also been missile strikes in the north, in Sumy and in the Kharkiv region.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFNW0Ee28xc

[mapuc]

This video speak for itself

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1522974646236237825

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/x1Zdnxmf/FSFY5n-EXs-AQ3-Yba.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Rockstar]

"Ukraine claims that it has sunk a landing boat of the Serna class. Again: Ssnake Island. South of Odessa - that may be why."
…

Yep :yep: one minute you’re on special sea detail the next minute <poof> you’re dead

https://youtu.be/J8my14czMDU

[mapuc]

I know what's going to happen and I will tell you what Putin have planned on Monday 9th May-I will do this, the day after Tuesday evening 1900 Zulu. :O:

Markus

[Skybird]

In the movies: Land Wars I - Palputines Rise

https://i.imgur.com/bwOIJDl.png

[Rockstar]

Apparently Ukraine is or was training in Germany too

https://youtu.be/DIDlj5WYKYU

[Skybird]

I wonder whether the Genevay convention would allow it if we deliver the Ukrainians records with German Volksmusik? Or would Russia consider these as WMDs and retaliate with tactical nukes ?

[astvitaliy1982]

https://i.postimg.cc/x1Zdnxmf/FSFY5n-EXs-AQ3-Yba.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


What is this?

[Skybird]

What is this?
LOTR, some ork general.
The guy on the right side - I have no clue.

[Dargo]

Putin: We are going to win, just like in 1945

In a written statement, Russian President Putin said that the victory will be just like the one in 1945. By this, he is referring to the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, which will be commemorated in Russia tomorrow.

"Today, like their ancestors, our military is fighting shoulder to shoulder to liberate their homeland from the Nazis. This is done in the confidence that, as in 1945, the victory will be ours," read the statement shown on Russian television.

He went on to congratulate the inhabitants of the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia on their victory over Nazi Germany. He also congratulated the residents of the pro-Russian Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and the rest of Ukraine.

Furthermore, he reiterated the common duty to stop the spread of Nazism.

[mapuc]

LOTR, some ork general.
The guy on the right side - I have no clue.

It's Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul

Markus

[Dargo]

With the invasion of Ukraine, though, that facade has collapsed and bizarre shortcomings have come to light. Just this week, a secretly recorded conversation emerged in which contract soldiers from the Caucasus detailed all that had gone wrong for them. The men returned home on their own in late March to South Ossetia, a de facto Russian-controlled area on Georgian territory. In a conversation with the region's president, they complained of armored personnel carriers that wouldn't start, tanks that refused to fire, officers who hide from their soldiers out of fear, artillery that missed targets by two kilometers and wounded soldiers who weren't provided with treatment. They also lamented a lack of information, maps and radios and of grenade launchers they said were bent. South Ossetia's president rebuked the men and asked if they thought Russia would lose the war. "Yes, we do," came the reply.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/putin-s-disaster-and-what-could-happen-next-a-e8c89bfa-b7a3-4e32-908a-7642a301eda6

[mapuc]

With the invasion of Ukraine, though, that facade has collapsed and bizarre shortcomings have come to light. Just this week, a secretly recorded conversation emerged in which contract soldiers from the Caucasus detailed all that had gone wrong for them. The men returned home on their own in late March to South Ossetia, a de facto Russian-controlled area on Georgian territory. In a conversation with the region's president, they complained of armored personnel carriers that wouldn't start, tanks that refused to fire, officers who hide from their soldiers out of fear, artillery that missed targets by two kilometers and wounded soldiers who weren't provided with treatment. They also lamented a lack of information, maps and radios and of grenade launchers they said were bent. South Ossetia's president rebuked the men and asked if they thought Russia would lose the war. "Yes, we do," came the reply.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/putin-s-disaster-and-what-could-happen-next-a-e8c89bfa-b7a3-4e32-908a-7642a301eda6


Your post reminded me of what I translated from Danish some page back

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2807435&postcount=3761

Markus

[Jimbuna]

LOTR, some ork general.
The guy on the right side - I have no clue.

:haha:

[Jimbuna]

Yet more war crimes...

Dozens of people are feared dead after a bomb hit a school in east Ukraine, where government forces are battling Russian troops and separatists.

Luhansk region's governor, Serhiy Haidai, confirmed two deaths, saying 60 people were feared dead under the rubble of the school in Bilohorivka.

About 90 people had been sheltering in the building and 30 were rescued, seven of them wounded, he added.

Mr Haidai said a Russian plane had dropped the bomb on Saturday.

His accusation could not be verified independently and there was no immediate response from Russia.

Luhansk has seen fierce combat as Russian troops and separatist fighters seek to surround government forces, just over two months since the start of the Russian invasion.

Much of Luhansk, which along with Donetsk forms part of the Donbas region, has been under the control of the separatists for the past eight years.

[Catfish]

Two small russian patrol boats have been hit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xskwFTwZQeM

[Catfish]

Zelensky speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrPuwjoxqw

[Skybird]

The carricature of a chen cellor held a speech today. What should I say about it? Maybe this old phrase: "words are cheap". Die Welt comments bitterly:

The Chancellor's speech on May 8, 1945 is a missed opportunity. Which, unfortunately, weighs heavily in view of the historical claptrap that can already be expected tomorrow from Vladimir Putin with regard to Ukraine.

The German chancellor has used the traditional May 8 speech to justify his Ukraine policy. There is little to be said against this, except perhaps that he said nothing on this occasion that had not already been heard in the Bundestag and various interviews.

Nothing Scholz said about Germany's liberation day from Nazism is wrong. But he paints a sketchy picture. Which is an omission, because it would have been right to show a complete one, before tomorrow Vladimir Putin uses "his" day of liberation for the next history lies.

So what is important is what Olaf Scholz did not accomplish. This May 8 in particular would have been a great opportunity to remove some historical-political white spots in Germany's relationship with Russia. Without which the deeper dimension of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine would hardly be understood. The chancellor missed this opportunity.

Let's get specific. Olaf Scholz says: "Once Russians and Ukrainians fought together at the greatest sacrifice to put down Germany's murderous National Socialism." What Scholz could have said, but didn't: before Russians and Ukrainians fought together against Hitler, Hitler and the totalitarian Soviet ruler Stalin fought against the Ukrainians. And the Poles and the Balts. Why would it have been important to point this out?

Before Stalin fought against fascism, he had allied himself with that very fascism. And he did it for the purpose of enlarging his Soviet empire - at the expense of independent countries, above all the Poles. A German-Russian understanding at the expense of the Eastern Europeans had already been announced in the 1922 Treaty of Rapallo between the Communist Russian Empire and Germany of the Weimar Republic.

The Hitler-Stalin Pact 17 years later continued this line in a cruel way - in the secret additional protocol Poland was eliminated. In the two years between this dictatorship pact and Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the two totalitarian rulers implemented this policy - they did it together.

Even before that, in 1931 and 1932, Stalin waged a terrible campaign against Ukraine - signing the death warrant for more than three million Ukrainians who starved to death because of his brutal policies. This policy - the Holodomor, is one reason why Ukrainians do not want to fall under Russian yoke again under any circumstances.

For those who think this is a thing of the past, the Green Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, recently explained that Putin is pursuing a "policy of starvation" with regard to Ukraine in particular - Russians are stealing wheat and they are preventing the export of wheat to Africa through a naval blockade. Starvation policy is a continuum of Russian war policy. It would have been good and right of Scholz to point this out.

The Chancellor then reminds us that May 8, 1945, has been considered "Liberation Day" since Richard von Weizsäcker's tribute. But that is only half the truth. For East Berlin and East Germany, May 8, 1945 was a day of liberation from National Socialism. However, it was not a day of liberation from totalitarianism. For one totalitarian rule was replaced by another, the communist one. In East Germany, this has left its mark to this day - right into the state chancelleries, such as that of Manuela Schwesig in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

This was true not only for the GDR, but for all of Eastern Europe. Poles, Balts, Hungarians, Yugoslavs were deprived by Stalin of the chance to live in freedom. Why this historical fact is still important today? Because Putin is just trying to restore the Russian world of Stalin in a historical revisionist way.

And the lesson of Weizsäcker's "Day of Liberation" should be to prevent history from repeating itself for Eastern Europe - to prevent liberation from turning into a new prison. Scholz could have pointed out that this was also the rationale behind the eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union.

Not a single Eastern European state freely chose to align itself with Russia. Without exception, all countries that had been under Russian rule sought to free themselves permanently from it when, due to Russian weakness, a window of opportunity opened at the beginning of the 1990s.


Olaf Scholz says that "Never again!" is the lesson of May 8, 1945, only to note: "And yet it happened again - war in Europe." In politics, however, nothing "happens" just like that. Nothing "happens" because everything has its reasons. What "happened" first was this: The supposedly so "flawless" democratic Putin developed a neo-colonialist ideology of conquest, which he has been talking about openly for 15 years. The West, including Germany, did not listen to Putin.

This non-listening can almost be called an act of aggressive ignorance. The reason lies in a combination of Russophile naiveté and economic greed. The Germans, especially willing Social Democrats, liked to believe that Russia was an addition of Dostoevsky, Gogol and Chekhov. However, according to the profound contemporary Russian writer Yerofeyev, what is glorified in Germany as the "Russian soul" accounts for perhaps 15 percent of Russianness. The rest, according to Jerofejew, is - until today - Ivan the Terrible.
Scholz indulges in what has lately been called "cognitive dissonance"

Concluding thought: Scholz allows himself what has recently been called "cognitive dissonance," the discrepancy between word and deed. One can hardly speak of "maximum solidarity" with Ukraine when there is no gas embargo, when "Leos" and "Marder" are not delivered and ammunition for the Cheetah is just as missing as a delivery date for this shooting tool.

"Maximum solidarity" in the Scholzian sense means what can be done if one does not want to provoke Putin. One can certainly justify this with the Chancellor's oath of office. Only one should not then give the impression that one is doing everything.

And the war goal issued by Scholz with regard to Ukraine leaves one perplexed, to say the least. Ukraine will "endure," says the chancellor?

As what? Within what limits?

One should not be surprised if all this is not only too little for the Ukrainians. But also the other Eastern Europeans. They have long wanted Germany to play a leading role.

In this respect, Chancellor Scholz will definitely not deliver.

Because he doesn't want to.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


He is and will remain a Teflob-layered blasé braggart, turncoat and vain.

[Dargo]

What happens in the Donbas, however, offers Putin only a choice between different types of defeat.

If the battle reaches an autumn stalemate, he will have precious little to show for so much loss and pain. If the military momentum shifts and his forces get pushed back, even more so. And even if the Russians succeed in overrunning the whole of the Donbas and all across the south, they still have to hold those territories for the indefinite future in the face of several million Ukrainians who don't want them there.

Any significant Russian military success will likely create a major, open-ended insurgency that will get bigger for every district Russian forces may overrun. Putin went for broke in February with Plan A. The failure of that scheme means that plans B, C or any subsequent plans still leaves Russia going for broke - needing to suppress some or all of a very big country.

One way or another, Russia will have to keep fighting in Ukraine, either against the population, or against the Ukrainian army, and quite possibly both simultaneously. And as long as Kyiv sticks to its current line that demands Russian withdrawal before any concessions can be contemplated, there is not much Putin can do but carry grimly on.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61348287

[Skybird]

In Germany, and Berlin, there are still quite many Sowvjet monuments on public display, Germany signed an obligation to keep these . But I find it intolerable that after Russia's repeated attacks on other states and its atrocities over the last 30 years, and the murderous and tyrannical role of the Red Army in the brutal suppression of the popular uprisings in the CSSR, Hungary and East Germany, people still pretend that this, the Stalinist facet of this "army", does not exist. We should let the Russian military cemeteries rest in peace, but we should dispose of the Soviet "honorary monuments" on the garbage heap of history just like the busts of Marx, Lenin and Engels that are still to be found here and there.

By the way, the Berlin police issued a ban on displaying Ukrainian flags in the city for today; a large 25-square-meter flag was confiscated, as were small paper flags that Ukrainian demonstrators distributed at a Soviet memorial. One should not risk that offended Russian fascists could feel provoked, was the official excuse. Compare: the annual Al Kuds Day is regularly used by Palestinian Arabs and radsical Mohammadeans to call in long protest processions for murder and manslaughter against Israeli Jews, the state of Israel and the Zionists, and to deny Israel's right of existence. Not in Ramallah - but in the middle of Berlin.

[astvitaliy1982]

I also know how to quote a bunch of sites from the Internet))) And I also read that two UFOs, one Death Star and three Jedi were shot down near Kiev today. An explosion occurred at a school in the village of Belgorodovka, which is located between Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, where an entire company of AFU servicemen was located. 57 riders were killed.

According to reports from local residents, the following information was received:
— There were about 80 people in the school building, of which more than 50 were Ukrainian servicemen, the rest were local residents (mostly old people and children);
— No one has seen any Russian aircraft. Local opinions were divided about the causes of the explosion: someone saw the "arrival" from the AFU positions in neighboring Seversk, others talk about a purposeful provocation.
— 20 wounded were hospitalized in Lisichansk hospitals. The EMERCOM unit, which has been missing in Belogorovka for a long time, was waiting for this strike nearby, as were representatives of foreign media, so "active work" began a few minutes after the explosion.

[mapuc]

At least one T-90M, Russia's most advanced tank, has been destroyed in fighting. The T-90M was introduced in 2016 and includes improved armour, an upgraded gun and enhanced satellite navigation systems.

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1522815718999289856/photo/1

Markus

[astvitaliy1982]

I have a question for you from life. You are a civilian, you are indoors (for example, in your house). On one side of the house is the Ukrainian army, on the other side is the Russian army. Both shoot. Question! How to determine whose bullet can kill you?

[mapuc]

I have a question for you from life. You are a civilian, you are indoors (for example, in your house). On one side of the house is the Ukrainian army, on the other side is the Russian army. Both shoot. Question! How to determine whose bullet can kill you?


I will give you an answer:

One of them is more eager to shoot at the house(civilians)than on the other army and the other army is more eager to shot at the other army than on the house(civilians)

Markus

[Reece]

:up:

[astvitaliy1982]

I have a question for you from life. You are a civilian, you are indoors (for example, in your house). On one side of the house is the Ukrainian army, on the other side is the Russian army. Both shoot. Question! How to determine whose bullet can kill you?


It is interesting to know the opinion of the other forum participants

[Sean C]

I have a question for you from life. You are a civilian, you are indoors (for example, in your house). On one side of the house is the Ukrainian army, on the other side is the Russian army. Both shoot. Question! How to determine whose bullet can kill you?

When I hear shooting I'm getting my family out of there to someplace relatively safe. Hopefully long before the battle reaches my lawn. I understand that is not always possible, but if the alternative is standing in the middle of a two-way range ...

If I had no family, I would pick up my gun and figure out which window to shoot from.

[tmccarthy]

The 2014 American Coup in Ukraine

Tales of the American Empire - August 20, 2020

https://youtu.be/nW7lNABfDVk

[astvitaliy1982]

Yesterday in Donetsk, for Nina Mitrofanovna Vorobyeva, a parade was held for one veteran.

- We remember and are proud of your example of nobility, fortitude, love for the Motherland. The courage you showed during the war years is a worthy example for all of us, heirs of the Great Victory.

86 cadets marched in front of the veteran's house. And then they sang the song "Victory Day". Nina Mitrofanovna sang along with the guys, indeed, with tears in her eyes.

- The postponement of the Victory Parade due to hostilities is not a reason to leave our veterans without a holiday. Our cadets are always happy to participate in Parades for one veteran. We, as their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, will always remember at what cost the Victory was given to them, - said Lieutenant Colonel Yury Shpakov, head of the DonVOKU service.

- Thank you very much for not forgetting about the old people. The soldiers are just great! I wish all of us our Victory! - said the heroine Nina Vorobyova.

https://i.postimg.cc/KYTJhd3Y/UZic-Hz-VG5-QVl-VHSHv-IIq-vy87-XDWVt-GBdapb02-Pji-LUAh-Dty-RAa-V9nq-ORy-JU4-Nk-RCEYV3-Wr-Fd-Am-LJe-My9u-Bf-USC.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/8z6h7LpK/Z6b-Gn-Ute2-Mex-Pb-Ldbzl-Zqxr-CYx-L9-Ak-GMJAc-HKbi4wzt-JCy-Sy-Rdt-S0-Bk-Po-RVif9-Bq-L4-Te65-G1c-JLVENXn-Lw-T-w-T.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


https://i.postimg.cc/851WX3h9/Xn-T7u-Qjz-ZLQa9-Ddw-Oz-UEb-zzs-GVwlkkrqgy-AOrj-KNQm-Vx3-Ziv53tqqo-RBCTy-Sx6-TE8n6x-M2a-FKICcj-N-ivt-Zif-N.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[tmccarthy]

French journalist in Donbass complains about French media reporting
'did you say "mass graves" in your report?'

https://youtu.be/LkbUS2vKCI0


"Donbass: 8 years of war" - Documentary by French journalist Anne Laure Bonnel (2016)

https://youtu.be/bN68OfFKaWs

[Skybird]

The only region where Russians form a majority of 53% (in 2002 or so), is Crimea. Luhansk and Donbass were before 2014 at just one third and lower. Source: last official census in Ukraine done in 2001 or 2002.

Its good tradition that a people who gets betrayed by a government it just elected, chases that government away. Yanokovich was elected on his promises to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, which was what a large nationwide majority wanted, in the West and Centre more so than in the East. When he was elected, he suddenly let fall the mask and plotted a strict pro-Russia course. No wonder then that the people reacted angry and drove him out.

Fabricated regional majorities created by importing Russian migrants and deporting Ukrainian local residents, are no acceptable argument to make claims for ethnic regional dominance. And that is what Russia did in all these regions, driving unwilling Ukrainians out and importing migrants from Russia, next handing out Russian passports. Thats not creating legitimate arguments, but is called a plot, a conspiracy, a crime.

A strawman.

Russia, becoming more and more irrelevant due to its economic backwardedness, wants to regain global relevance and keep it once the Europeans completed its announced decarbonization.
Thus Russia wants to steal Ukraine's farmland and grain production, so to establish a Russian global monopole on grain, namely wheat, and by that have a strong leg in the third world. It also wants the huge gas fields discovered in Eastern Ukraine just a decade ago. It wants these for itself - and to kill the Ukrainian competition on the global market.

[Catfish]

^ @Skybird well put. Wait, did i say this :hmmm::D

I have a question for you from life. You are a civilian, you are indoors (for example, in your house). On one side of the house is the Ukrainian army, on the other side is the Russian army. Both shoot. Question! How to determine whose bullet can kill you?
Since you wanted to hear from other subsim members –
Both side's bullets can kill you, and what is euphemistically called "friendly fire" can of course kill you as well as the enemy.
I would of course have left the house if possible, if not this will become ugly.

But this was of course a rhetorical question by you.

If another country attacks my country for an obvious conquest of land, with pretexts, propaganda and lies, ridiculing my ancestors who fought ecactly this behaviour some 80 years ago, i grab a gun and look for the enemy to shoot at.

By the way showing repect to war veterans and honour them is a good thing.
Instrumentalizing war veterans for an unrightful war is disgusting.
In case of Russia, you have forgotten all that was important to the victors of World War II.

[Skybird]

What we see in Russia today is a fascist who instrumentalises anti-fascism for his power-interests. Doing so he dances on the graves of 24 million Russians and 8 million Urkainians who were killed in WW2.

[Skybird]

Iskander missiles have been stationed in Crimea, says media reports. These are nuclear-capable. Russia already has based Iskanders in Kaliningrad, and a new generation of crise missiles that can cover all Europe and the Mediterranean, from Iceland down to the Northafrican coast, which is a clear breach of international weapon control treaties.

[Skybird]

Gunnar Heinsohn sorting Russia's nuclear doctrine.

Those who want to understand Putin's statements on the use of nuclear weapons must bear in mind that Russia has been following a new nuclear doctrine since 2000. It allows Moscow to arbitrarily define a case of attack. Nuclear defense and nuclear pre-emptive strike merge.

We do not use nuclear weapons first, but we answer a nuclear attack on our territory with a devastating nuclear counterattack. "Our" territory also includes territories whose inhabitants we have subjugated and annexed against their will. Even pact partners with formal autonomy, which we control with troops stationed there, are "our" territory. A conventional attack on all this, on the other hand, we too answer only with conventional means. This nuclear doctrine of Soviet Russia corresponds to the Western renunciation of nuclear first strike at the time. Both sides, however, can undermine this doctrine by developing their potential for a first strike so effectively that it destroys all nuclear weapons on the other side and thus denies it a counterstrike.

To prevent such circumvention of the first-strike waiver, both sides develop second-strike nuclear potentials that remain intact even in the event of an all-out attack. Since even aircraft carriers-regardless of their mobility-remain sinkable, they rely on nuclear-armed submarines for preventing nuclear first strikes.

Those who, after the general acceptance of this doctrine, still want to operate with nuclear first strikes, but do not want a global nuclear war, must make this public in good time, so that enemy obliteration strikes by nuclear submarines will not occur. To do this, the nuclear first strike against a conventional adversary must first be defined. Should the nuclear strike hit him only when his conventional forces penetrate "our" territory? In other words, should only a low-kiloton nuclear battlefield weapon be used? Or is the first strike intended to be pre-emptive, i.e., to strike an adversary who is not attacking "us" conventionally at all, but who is perceived as a threat? Does the possible attack on "us" mean an intrusion into "our" territory or is already aiding and abetting the obstruction of "our" - wherever operating - military an attack?
A new doctrine

Indisputably, in April 2000 - that is, at the beginning of Putin's first presidency - Russia promulgated a new doctrine (Decree No. 706) of nuclear first strikes against "large-scale attacks using conventional weapons in situations critical to the national security of the Russian Federation." (Nikolai Sokov, "Russia's 2000 Military Doctrine," Nuclear Threat Initiative, undated, https://www.nti.org/analysis/ articles/russias-2000-military-doctrine/).

In October 2018, Putin explains that "our concept is a retaliatory offensive strike. [...] We are ready to use nuclear weapons [...] only if we are convinced that someone, a potential aggressor, is attacking Russia, our territory."

This conventional attack on "our" country, however, should be answered only with a nuclear strike against military forces that have not yet invaded Russia. Moscow alone, therefore, decides whether this potential aggressor actually wants to cross its border. Nuclear defense and nuclear pre-emptive strike thus merge. This was already emphasized in 2009 by Nikolai Patrushev, who as secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation is supposed to represent Putin in the event of serious illness: "In situations critical for national security, a preventive nuclear strike against an aggressor is not out of the question."

Moscow will be concerned, however, that even after a tactical nuclear strike or even just a show explosion, NATO will not run away in panic, but can purely conventionally destroy in a few days everything Moscow has in use on foreign territory for war and genocide. NATO keeps this escalation level in reserve with deliberation. Russia itself would not be touched and Putin would then have no doctrine below a global nuclear war. However, he will not get away with this at home and will therefore also meet resistance with the level below.


https://sgp.fas.org/crs/nuke/R45861.pdf


https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/escalate-deescalate-part-russias-nuclear-toolbox

[Catfish]

Russian ambassador to Poland covered in paint by protesters at war memorial event.
Seems he had asked for support organizing the event of celebrating, but Poland would not have let him steal this event for russian war propaganda


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqlf4FmNqYM

[mapuc]

It can still come-I doubt it though-The war declaration against Ukraine and the mass mobilization in Russia.

Markus

[mapuc]

Iskander missiles have been stationed in Crimea, says media reports. These are nuclear-capable. Russia already has based Iskanders in Kaliningrad, and a new generation of crise missiles that can cover all Europe and the Mediterranean, from Iceland down to the Northafrican coast, which is a clear breach of international weapon control treaties.

I will add this to your story

From liveuamap

23 minutes ago - 45°16′N 32°4′E
The Russian Defense Ministry announces the deployment of battleships carrying Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea

Markus

[Onkel Neal]

What we see in Russia today is a fascist who instrumentalises anti-fascism for his power-interests. Doing so he dances on the graves of 24 million Russians and 8 million Urkainians who were killed in WW2.

Amen.

[Onkel Neal]

^ @Skybird well put. Wait, did i say this :hmmm::D


Since you wanted to hear from other subsim members –
Both side's bullets can kill you, and what is euphemistically called "friendly fire" can of course kill you as well as the enemy.
I would of course have left the house if possible, if not this will become ugly.

But this was of course a rhetorical question by you.

If another country attacks my country for an obvious conquest of land, with pretexts, propaganda and lies, ridiculing my ancestors who fought ecactly this behaviour some 80 years ago, i grab a gun and look for the enemy to shoot at.

By the way showing repect to war veterans and honour them is a good thing.
Instrumentalizing war veterans for an unrightful war is disgusting.
In case of Russia, you have forgotten all that was important to the victors of World War II.

Here I am again with an Amen, it's exactly the way I feel. The Russian people were brutalized by the Nazis in WWII and deserve all the respect for driving them out. For the Russians/Putin to be the aggressors against Ukraine in true Nazi style is very disgusting.

Russians: time to lead your country instead of following a dictator into a nuclear war that will destroy us all.

[Skybird]

After the war will come the afterwar.

"Karma will quickly catch up with them," said Svetlana Kravchenko, 57, of anyone in Bakhmut who supported the Russian offensive.


She helps run a small charity collecting food and other supplies to distribute to the town's soldiers and to elderly civilians in the surrounding villages. Their basement office is also home to a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where she and others pray daily. Most of the more traditional churches in Bakhmut are still officially linked to the Russian Orthodox church, whose leadership has publicly endorsed President Putin's invasion.


"Everyone makes their own choice. And they will have to answer for that. Maybe some people here want to surrender [to the Russians]. But when this conflict is over, when the shelling and shooting stops, then the traitors will be punished, either in this world or the next," said Kravchenko.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61372382

[Skybird]

I will add this to your story

From liveuamap

23 minutes ago - 45°16′N 32°4′E
The Russian Defense Ministry announces the deployment of battleships carrying Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea

Markus
Battleships? Black Sea? Hardly. They have halve a dozen missile-carrying corvettes and frigates left there, then some submarines, landing ships, transports, patrol boats.

The number of capital ships was limited from beginning on. And with the Moskva and as claimed the Admiral Makarov gone already, I wonder what "battleships" should be left. Turkey has closed the Dardanelles and the Bosporus for all military traffic. Thus they should not allow Russia to send through reinforcements.

What the Russians mean is probaly that they place some Kalibrs on some frigates or corvettes left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_Fleet

[mapuc]

Battleships? Black Sea? Hardly. They have halve a dozen missile-carrying corvettes and frigates left there, then some submarines, landing ships, transports, patrol boats.

The number of capital ships was limited from beginning on. And with the Moskva and as claimed the Admiral Makarov gone already, I wonder what "battleships" should be left. Turkey has closed the Dardanelles and the Bosporus for all military traffic. Thus they should not allow Russia to send through reinforcements.

What the Russians mean is probaly that they place some Kalibrs on some frigates or corvettes left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_Fleet

I never gave it some thought I toke a look at the Black sea on https://liveuamap.com/
because I could see a symbol of a ship-And it said Battleship.

Guess it must be people behind this page who has done wrong.

Markus

[Jeff-Groves]

So they sending another target eh?
Maybe they upgraded to SH4 thinking Snake Island might be on that Nav Map.

Time to warm up another ship sunk icon.
:yeah:

[Dargo]

My reaction to the victory day parade:

At the Victory Day parade, a very old Jew carries a placard that reads, "Thank you, comrade Putin, for my happy childhood!." A Party representative approaches the old man. "What's that? Are you mocking our Putin? Everyone can see that when you were a child, comrade Putin hadn't yet been born!"

The old man replies, "That's precisely why I'm grateful to him!"

Soldiers of the Russian army on decree of our Supreme, Glorious marshal Putin are now being sent to Ukraine in pairs. One throws a stone, and the other one shouts "boom!".

[Jeff-Groves]

Soldiers of the Russian army on decree of our Supreme, Glorious marshal Putin are now being sent to Ukraine in pairs. One throws a stone, and the other one shouts "boom!".
They War between Kentucky and Ohio?
Kentuckians would throw hand gernades across the river.
Ohioians would pull the pins and throw them back.
:haha:

[Catfish]

^ :har:

I don't know how serious Erdoghan is with blocking the Dardanelles, i guess even if no warships are allowed, russian freighters could transport all kind of military hardware to the Krim?

And don't forget the river systems, if a Kilo sub can be transported to the black sea, warships can use the rivers, too.

[Dargo]

Pentagon updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Day 75:

• US has NOW trained 310 Ukraine troops on M777 howitzers
• US has sent 85 of 90 howitzers to Ukraine
• US assesses Russia has made "no significant progress" in Donbas
• US believes some Russian troops are not obeying orders

[Dargo]

Bloomberg: Russia’s economy deals with the worst recession in three decades. Bloomberg cited an internal forecast by Russia's Finance Ministry. The country’s GDP is expected to shrink by 12% as a result of the Western sanctions. A potential oil embargo, a decline in Russian gas consumption by EU countries, and the mass exodus of foreign companies from the Russian market were named as the key reasons for the downturn.

[Skybird]

Bloomberg: Russia’s economy deals with the worst recession in three decades. Bloomberg cited an internal forecast by Russia's Finance Ministry. The country’s GDP is expected to shrink by 12% as a result of the Western sanctions. A potential oil embargo, a decline in Russian gas consumption by EU countries, and the mass exodus of foreign companies from the Russian market were named as the key reasons for the downturn.
And still:
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2807649&postcount=181

25 of the world's 33 most important currencies have increased in value against the euro since last May. Surprisingly, the Russian ruble is at the top of the list.

And Russia is again - or still - buying gold as if there were no tomorrow.

[Dargo]

And still:
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2807649&postcount=181

And Russia is again - or still - buying gold as if there were no tomorrow.They have money right now but this war cost them the same amount that they get from energy sell to Europe if that is declining and rest of trade with the west Russia gets in trouble, and you can not eat gold. 1 ruble = 0,014 dollar that's a lot to buy from outside Russia

[Dargo]

Russian reported in Donbas, Sladkov, is raging about shelling of Donetsk on 9 May and reveals the reality of the frontline - 1 to 1 assault force's ratio, can't push away Ukrainian forces, not looking good for the Russian side.

https://twitter.com/mdmitri91/status/1523769171917430784

[Skybird]

Sounds like somebody complains about getting a taste of the medicine he intended to prescribe to the others.

[mapuc]

What we didn't hear or wasn't translated from Russian was Putin who said...our 3 days special operation is going well here on it's 74th day.

Markus

[Skybird]

It goes so well that they opted for extending it, so to enjoy it longer.

[Catfish]

DW has put a video of chancellor Scholz' speech online, translated in english


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwos2xzaoYg

[Rockstar]

@21:11 because Ukraine created coronavirus!

https://youtu.be/8IEzqMYGYS4

[Catfish]

This is unbelievably sad :nope:

[Skybird]

Brainwashing complete - hang it up to dry. The wicked power of demagoguery hijacking the media. True regarding Putin. True regarding certain other, Western politicians and in other, domestic contexts.

[Jimbuna]

Russia continues to lay siege to the Azovstal steelworks.

The sprawling industrial site is still the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol - with more than 1,000 fighters and more than 100 civilians still estimated to be inside.

Citing the devastation in Mariupol, the United Nations has said Ukraine's civilian death toll is "probably much higher" than the nationwide figure of 3,381 it's been reporting.

The UN also says some 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced within their country.

The US has warned that Russia is preparing for a long war - and that victory in the prized Donbas region in the east may not spell an end to the offensive.

Western nations have blamed Russia for a hacking an important satellite communications provider as it invaded - which knocked out internet coverage in Ukraine and beyond. Moscow has previously denied such claims.

Germany's foreign minister has become the highest-ranking official from her country to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8K9YEvxug

[les green01]

Anybody noticed the Russia victory day had a band playing and showing old slides and one slide was Bonnie and Clyde

[Rockstar]

Anybody noticed the Russia victory day had a band playing and showing old slides and one slide was Bonnie and Clyde

No, but I did see some of the other results of the big screen at the parade getting hacked.

[Jimbuna]

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has arrived in Sweden for the start of a 24-hour trip where he will also visit Finland.

Johnson will meet the leaders of both nations - as they consider whether to join Nato - and discuss Europe's response to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, support for joining the Nato alliance has increased in both Sweden and Finland - despite their long history of military neutrality.

Johnson is scheduled to give a news conference in each country, before returning to the UK.

Previously, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would welcome Finland and Sweden with "open arms" and there would be minimal delay in processing their membership.

I wish this bumbling oaf would keep his nose out of other peoples business.

[Jimbuna]

UK PM Boris Johnson is visiting Sweden then Finland to discuss the Ukraine war as the two countries consider joining the Nato defence alliance.

New security declarations are being signed with both countries, with Johnson pledging UK support should their militaries come under attack.

Russia has warned there will be consequences if they join Nato, whose members see an attack on one as an attack on all.

But both Sweden and Finland - which have a long history of wartime neutrality - have seen public support for joining Nato grow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian authorities in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, will ask President Putin for the region to become part of Russia, state news agencies report.

And Ukraine says it will redirect the flow of natural gas to avoid a key eastern transit point from Russia to Europe.

[mapuc]

Vladimir Putin could view the prospect of defeat in Ukraine as an existential threat to his regime, potentially triggering his resort to using a nuclear weapon, the top US intelligence official has warned.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/10/putin-nuclear-weapons-us-intelligence-avril-haines

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qREU9m4ZfL0

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjspGTX7KIA

[Skybird]

^ Hreadlines puts it too early. 60 Ukrainian soldiers arrive din Germany and today began trainign on the PZH2000, thats all. Training will last for aorund 6 weeks.


Still no word whether or not the Ukrainian military can make use of the howitzer's integration into digital networks, which is one of the trademarks of this thing, and an "effect multiplier".

[Skybird]

Die Scholz Gang kotzt mich einfach nur noch an. :hmph: :mad:



The German government is apparently to delay the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine by keeping the government in Kiev in the dark about the procedures. This is reported by "Welt" with reference to government circles. So far, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has at least not informed the Ukrainian government that Kiev would have to order the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks itself from the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann arms company. Instead, she said, Ukraine had been told that it would receive the tanks directly from the German government.

Lambrecht's statements to the Ukrainian government thus differ fundamentally from those made in public. One day after the announcement of the delivery of Gepard tanks to Ukraine, the minister had announced on ZDF that it was a "contract between Ukraine and the company." The German government was merely granting approval for it.

In response to an inquiry from Die Welt, the German Defense Ministry confirmed this position. "It is not a matter of giving away Bundeswehr material. The negotiation of the scope of supply (Gepard, ammunition, training, ...) takes place in a direct exchange between the company and Ukraine," it told "Welt." Up to and including May 6, the ministry also had "no knowledge of when the announced Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks will be delivered to Ukraine." That is according to the ministry's response to a question from CDU member of parliament Serap Güler.

Confusion also reigns at Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. The defense company had also assumed a different approach. Before the Gepard tanks can be delivered, they must be repaired, a spokesman told The New York Times. However, the company is waiting for an order confirmation from the German government before it can begin.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


Scholz is playing a double game, quite clearly.

[mapuc]

^ Was about to write Thank God we have USA and other NATO member who doesn't having problem sending heavy weapon to the Ukrainian.

Not so much mumble mumble more action action

Markus

[Skybird]

Ukraine has destroyed a ponton bridge during Russian river crossing. Around 60 tanks should have been destroyed, Ukraine claims to have killed 1500 Russian, the number is jnconfirmed, but it is a very severe loss for the Russians.


Edit. Reports now said the attack wiped out at least a complete batallion, possibly almost two.

[Skybird]

Finland's leaders have clearly said the country should and must join NATO as quickly as possible. I think its fair to say that now the proposition is "official" and that it will happen for sure. We can expect Sweden to follow.
Welcome to the club! :Kaleun_Applaud:

[Skybird]

Manfred Lütz is a German psychiatrist who is known to the public through repeated media appearances and several popular-scientific books. He recently commented Bubble-Olaf's pitiful handling of the Ukraine war.



The psychiatrist said: "To the question of Der Spiegel: heavy weapons, that was the question. And there comes in the answer, his fear of the Third World War and the atomic bomb. At that moment, Mr. Lavrov's corks pop, and he says, yes, it worked."

According to Lütz, nuclear weapons are psychological leverage. The Americans, for example, "react completely professionally, namely absolutely cool and let it drip off like that, don't react to it at all," the psychiatrist said. Scholz's statements, on the other hand, would fuel fear among the population.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Skybird]

Say what you want, but youc annot say the Russian were not innovative. :D

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/11/russia-sanctions-effect-military/

[Jimbuna]

Scholz is playing a double game, quite clearly.

He's certainly not enhancing the reputation of his country on the international stage.

[Skybird]

He's certainly not enhancing the reputation of his country on the international stage.He doesn't have to. He is already completely taken in by himself - what does he need the world for?

[Jimbuna]

Finland's leaders have announced their intention to join the Nato defence alliance "without delay"

Russia's invasion was a turning point and upended decades of public support for military non-alignment, the country's foreign minister tells the BBC

Given Finland's 800-mile border with Russia, it is a matter of having protection, Pekka Haavisto says.

Application for membership is expected next week after parliament approves it.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says Finland would be "warmly welcomed" into the alliance, where members pledge to defend each other.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the "unfriendly steps" taken by Finland were a cause for regret for Russia.

And Ukrainian forces have been pushing Russia's army further back around the second city of Kharkiv.

[Jimbuna]

Russian soldiers seen shooting dead unarmed civilians

When Leonid Pliats and his boss were shot in the back by Russian soldiers, the killing was captured on CCTV cameras in clear and terrible detail. The footage, which was obtained by the BBC, is now being investigated by Ukrainian prosecutors as a suspected war crime.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61425025

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGAR-0TIkw

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiybJ8UuHXA

[Skybird]

^ Slavic championship in Turret High Throw?


Was it really a Russian tank? The truck in front of the camera did not have the infamous Z logo.

[mapuc]

A clear example on Jack-In-The-Box effect

Markus

[Jimbuna]

^ Slavic championship in Turret High Throw?


Was it really a Russian tank? The truck in front of the camera did not have the infamous Z logo.

Hard to say from that distance but I'd like to think so.

[Der Zeitgeist]

With Sweden & Finland soon to be in NATO, something just occured to me: We can build Boomer Bastions in the Bothnian sea (BBB). :)

https://i.imgur.com/sXh031p.png

[Dargo]

Russia is having to use computer chips intended for home appliances to repair its military hardware due to the impact of US sanctions, according to a US official.

"We have reports from Ukrainians that when they find Russian military equipment on the ground, it's filled with semiconductors that they took out of dishwashers and refrigerators,"

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-says-russia-using-chips-from-dishwashers-in-tanks-sanctions-2022-5?international=true&r=US&IR=T

That's explaining the Russian soldiers looting. :har:

[mapuc]

^^ After 12 years silent running your came up to surface

Welcome :Kaleun_Salute:

Markus

[Dargo]

^^ After 12 years silent running your came up to surface

Welcome :Kaleun_Salute:

Markus
At your service :Kaleun_Salute:

[Dargo]

Russia is reportedly thinking of cutting off gas supply to Finland tomorrow in response to its NATO application

There are few details on this, but an immediate Russian gas cutoff could upend key Finnish industries and food production. Russia has threatened a military-technical response to Finland's NATO membership decision, but a coercive economic response could come first.

[Jimbuna]

Russia is reportedly thinking of cutting off gas supply to Finland tomorrow in response to its NATO application

There are few details on this, but an immediate Russian gas cutoff could upend key Finnish industries and food production. Russia has threatened a military-technical response to Finland's NATO membership decision, but a coercive economic response could come first.

Putrid believes threats and bullying tactics will get him what he wants but countries usually eventually tire of said behaviour....even more so when united with other countries around a common joint resolve....NATO for once is starting to become a classic example and long should it remain that way.

[Spoon 11th]

With Sweden & Finland soon to be in NATO, something just occured to me: We can build Boomer Bastions in the Bothnian sea (BBB). :)

https://i.imgur.com/sXh031p.png
I am hoping for nuclear submarine quickwash joint somewhere near Turku. Could also make naval visit after belly rub.

[Exocet25fr]

Azov war crimes wear the 2nd Das Reich patch ?:D

https://mronline.org/2022/03/28/mariupol-civilians-denounce-the-crimes-of-the-fighters-of-the-neo-nazi-azov-regiment/

[Jimbuna]

A fine upstanding independent source...NOT

[Exocet25fr]

:haha::haha::haha:

[Dargo]

Azov war crimes wear the 2nd Das Reich patch ?:D

https://mronline.org/2022/03/28/mariupol-civilians-denounce-the-crimes-of-the-fighters-of-the-neo-nazi-azov-regiment/
Tell that to the Ukrainian families that some 6,000 places in Ukraine where such war crimes have taken place by the Russian army in their faces, please. You never saw the totenkopf on the patches of some Russian regiments?

[Exocet25fr]

An ex French commando soldier denouces the war crimes on Russian prisonners

Why nobody speaks about that........?

Sorry but for Francophone only!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKnhXnp-Zk&t=1081s

[Dargo]

An ex French soldier denouces the war crimes on Russian prisonners

Why nobody speaks about that........?

Sorry but for Francophone only!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKnhXnp-Zk&t=1081s

U Russian much?

[Dargo]

An ex French commando soldier denouces the war crimes on Russian prisonners

Why nobody speaks about that........?

Sorry but for Francophone only!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKnhXnp-Zk&t=1081s

Meanwhile, Russian citizens are happily moving into apartments in Kherson. I wonder what happened to the previous occupants. Oh, that's right, they were murdered by Russian troops and put into mass graves.

[Exocet25fr]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West, it's all and simple !

Be care about DEFCON 1

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8mbICUPoGk

[Dargo]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West !

Be care: DEFCON 1
The clown and loser is Putin, nobody provoked Putin NATO membership is a free choice, no invasion! The war crimes are on record done by the aggressor Putin that is clearly UNDERSTOOD in Ukraine and former countries Putin committed war crimes. Putin is a little angry kid that did not get his way because he is a criminal always was one he grew up in that environment.

[Skybird]

Meanwhile, Russian citizens are happily moving into apartments in Kherson. I wonder what happened to the previous occupants. Oh, that's right, they were murdered by Russian troops and put into mass graves.
From a German perspective this sounds kind of familiar... :(

[Aktungbby]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/04/zelenskys-wrenching-dilemma-how-when-negotiate-with-war-criminal/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a glimpse Sunday into the balancing act he’s attempting on the world stage: denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin for “genocide” and tarring him as untrustworthy while demanding face-to-face negotiations to end the war...“As the president of Ukraine, there cannot be just my personal view about President Putin and a dialogue with the Russian Federation. I have to stand for the interests of my country,” he said.
“It's difficult to say how, after all, what has been done, we can have any kind of negotiations with Russia. That's on the personal level,” he said. “But, as a president, I have to do it. Any war has to end, just end.” Tell that to the Ukrainian families that some 6,000 places in Ukraine where such war crimes have taken place by the Russian army in their faces, please. You never saw the totenkopf on the patches of some Russian regiments? Trial of war criminals is a primary requirement of Jewish Ukranian president Zelenskyy conditions for a negotiated peace. And now it begins: A Russian soldier in Ukrainian custody will be the first to stand trial on war-crimes charges, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said Wednesday, after an investigation alleged he fatally shot at an unarmed 62-year-old man near his home in northeastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said her office filed an indictment on charges of violating the laws and customs of war against the 21-year-old tank-division commander, identified as Vadim Shishimarin. He could face life imprisonment.
Mr. Shishimarin is accused of firing several shots from a Kalashnikov rifle at the head of a man, who died on the spot a few dozen meters from his home in the town of Chupakhivka in Ukraine’s Sumy region in the early days of the war, Ms. Venediktova said.
Ukrainian investigators have raced to collect evidence of purported atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians during the nearly 11-week war, and have said they would pursue war-crimes cases in domestic courts.
Moscow has denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians. It made no comment on the charges announced Wednesday.
The prosecutor general didn’t say how Mr. Shishimarin was detained or provide details of the evidence against him.
Ms. Venediktova told The Wall Street Journal on May 6 that her office identified about 40 members of the Russian military whom prosecutors suspect of war crimes, about 17 of those from the region around Kyiv. A few of the soldiers are in custody in Ukraine, she said.[/QUOTE=WSJ]rosecutors name 10 non-commissioned officers and privates they allege mistreated civilians in the Kyiv suburb.Ukrainian authorities filed criminal charges Thursday against 10 individual Russian soldiers accused of taking civilians hostage and mistreating them in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha—the first such move by prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Moscow’s forces.

All 10 were noncommissioned officers and privates from Russia’s 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, one of the units that took part in the monthlong occupation of Bucha.

In late March, after the Russian military retreated, Ukrainian authorities said they discovered more than 400 dead civilians, their bodies packed in mass graves or left splayed on streets and sidewalks.

Many had bullet wounds and some had their wrists bound behind their backs, Ukrainian authorities said. Some residents of the town also have told investigators and The Wall Street Journal that Russian troops held them captive, denied them food and tortured them. Ukrainian authorities filed criminal charges Thursday against 10 individual Russian soldiers accused of taking civilians hostage and mistreating them in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha—the first such move by prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Moscow’s forces.

All 10 were noncommissioned officers and privates from Russia’s 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, one of the units that took part in the monthlong occupation of Bucha.

In late March, after the Russian military retreated, Ukrainian authorities said they discovered more than 400 dead civilians, their bodies packed in mass graves or left splayed on streets and sidewalks.

Many had bullet wounds and some had their wrists bound behind their backs, Ukrainian authorities said. Some residents of the town also have told investigators and The Wall Street Journal that Russian troops held them captive, denied them food and tortured them. Also on Thursday, two days after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke in Kyiv about the need for a thorough investigation into alleged crimes in Bucha.

“I fully support the International Criminal Court and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept to cooperate with the International Criminal Court,” Mr. Guterres said.

Earlier this month, Mr. Putin granted the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade a “guards” honorific. In a Friday announcement on its Telegram channel, Russia’s Ministry of Defense promoted an officer in the unit Azatbek Omurbekov, to colonel.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense responded by calling Col. Omurbekov an “executioner, killer, rapist, looter.” Last week, the U.K. sanctioned Col. Omurbekov as part of a group of commanders of front-line units it said had been accused of committing “heinous acts.”

The men charged on Thursday allegedly took part in two incidents, prosecutors said. Ukraine accused them of “ill-treatment of civilians, which is a violation of the laws and customs of war under international treaties.”

In one instance, residents interviewed by Ukrainian prosecutors said a group of eight privates and corporals, carrying out the orders of a sergeant, rounded up civilians, held them hostage in two locations on Bucha’s Anatoly Mikhailovsky Street, and starved and intimidated them. Prosecutors alleged the Russian soldiers bound the hands of captives, struck them with rifle butts and said they would kill them and their family members.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians in its military assault on Ukraine and called video and photographic images from Bucha staged.
In a second case, prosecutors said a Russian sergeant took hostages in a private home on Bucha’s Hrushevsky Street. Witnesses told investigators the sergeant forced one man to kneel and, after striking him in the head with a rifle butt, shot at him but missed. The sergeant had been drinking alcohol, witnesses said.
In both cases, civilians were held captive by Russian soldiers for a week or more.
While Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors continue to build cases against the alleged perpetrators of more-serious crimes in Bucha, Thursday’s charges represent the first instances of prosecutors making what they said were positive identifications of those responsible for criminal acts.

Using rosters of Russian military units provided by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, prosecutors have combed social media and shown downloaded photos to witnesses and victims in Bucha in an effort to identify individual soldiers involved in alleged crimes.
Mr. Kravchenko said it was important that “the Russians understand that we can get everyone.”
Ukraine plans to adjudicate all Bucha war-crimes cases in its domestic courts, in the capital Kyiv or the Kyiv region, which would allow for the issuance of international criminal arrest warrants, before presenting a broader case against Russian war crimes to the International Criminal Court, Mr. Kravchenko said.
“We can’t let the criminal go and let him live,” Mr. Kravchenko said. “We must not miss the slightest crime.” Russia, having prosecuted war criminals from WWII thus establishing 'judicial precedent' cannot possibly escape the legal hook it has imposed on itself before the world. Nor is Vlad "the looting, murdering, rapist" Putins goal of eradicating Nazism as his excuse for waging agressive war-also an international war crime-even be considered logically compatible?? How can a state that has a Jewish president and judicially tries war criminals be considered a nazi enclave....:timeout: Even Russian peasants, and serfs and conscript soldiers have a modicum of logic ; and Poor Putin is going to need to reopen the gulags to house all his citizens speaking against or discrediting the military... Too bad I'm not in charge of all the commandeered oligarch yachts world-wide:D I'd allow them to the black sea thru the Dardanells(non military vessels) https://www.blackseanews.net/images/2018/08/29/c9dc63da-a3fc-45a7-8e1a-4ea4c4b8c5ca.JPG and scuttle them in a strategic location ie:blocking Russian access to the sea of Azov https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-14/seizing-oligarch-s-superyacht-means-u-s-now-must-pay-for-upkeep The high cost of maintaining them in detention is not worth it. And I want the stolen John Deer tractors and stolen wheat returned! Modern armies do not loot; barbarian hordes do! :doh:

[August]

Azov war crimes wear the 2nd Das Reich patch ?:D

https://mronline.org/2022/03/28/mariupol-civilians-denounce-the-crimes-of-the-fighters-of-the-neo-nazi-azov-regiment/


It's just a battalion. What is that compared to an entire army of Russian Federation fascists Hmmm? :D

[les green01]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West, it's all and simple !

Be care about DEFCON 1

You smoking that good stuff if so you need to leave it alone Finland and Sweden not part of nato but maybe after Putin gets though everything I seen been the ruskies doing including making threats hell I lived though the cold war if they want to bring it on bring it on if not need to stfu

[FUBAR295]

Azov war crimes wear the 2nd Das Reich patch ?:D

https://mronline.org/2022/03/28/mariupol-civilians-denounce-the-crimes-of-the-fighters-of-the-neo-nazi-azov-regiment/

Russian propaganda at its cheapest ... :down:

[FUBAR295]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West, it's all and simple !

Be care about DEFCON 1

You sure sound it pro Putin. I have no arguments with the Russian people, it is their Government I have a strong disagreement with.

It was not Ukraine who invaded Russia so what ever Russian troops encounter so be it ... all this lies at Putin's doorstep.

Your welcome , it concerns me when one forgets that USA bailed you out twice, once WW I and then again in WW II ... Suggest you move east then. Putin would love to place you the newly acquire real estate.





Au revoir mon ami.


:salute:

[August]

Russian propaganda at its cheapest ... :down:

Yeah and you gotta wonder why, if it indeed has anything to do with the nazis at all, it was the 2nd SS Panzer division and not the 1st or 3rd or some other random hieroglyphic probably used repeatedly throughout history.

Again, it's a battalion, not a regiment, a division, a corps, or an army and certainly not man for man the threat to humanity represented by the Federal Russians.

[Skybird]

Selensky's military advsior tells the press that a frustrated Putin fired his top general, Chief-of-Staff Gerasimov.

The question is whether he just got fired - or got fired at.

[Aktungbby]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn:salute: his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West, it's all and simple !

Be care about DEFCON 1I completely agree the east must stay the east and the west in the west...AND the courageous DamnYankees (considered one word south of Mason Dixon:up:) must never come to the aid of the damn French nazi collaborators of WWII...stemming directly from the fiasco of WWI with a 20-year hiatus to raise cannon-fodder for round 2. However it is not the prerogative of Vlad the rapist/looting/murdering war criminal to dictate who shall be mandated back into the the former Soviet state. We helped Putin's mentor, evil Georgian Joe Stalin! against invasion in WWII; stymied Hussain against invasion of Kuwait, and bailed out the deGaulling French...twice. America's involvement in European matters is a clear violation of the Monroe Doctrine in reverse; we should remain aloof and neutral from petty Europe and its dustups against the Russian bear and focus on the present Western hemisphere issues: keeping Russian missiles out of Cuba, Chinese belt and road out of Argentina, West Africa(ports), Greenland and the South Atlantic(fisheries); keep the Islamist jihadist Iranians out of Venzuela, and be ever in readiness to utterly destroy North Korea when fatboy finally launches his nuketoys on on S. Korea, Japan or Guam. To fatboy's credit though, he's learned his lesson from Ukraine: NEVER GIVE UP YOUR NUCLEAR MISSILESas Ukraine did under Western security guarantees...or trust your so-called allies....China, under Chairman Xi is distancing itself from its "limitless friend" Vlad Putin as we post. Basically having lost the French colonial war in Indochina(VietNam) the biden clown's position is one of strict recumbance: (avoiding DEFCON1:doh:) monitoring the Sino "other shoe" dropping over Taiwan; fighting a proxy-war against the 'Bear'...and absolutely NOT doing ANYTHING to trigger a Sarajevo trigger-event ala 1914; which actually trigger'd this whole mess. Empires seeking "their place in the sun" per Kaiser Wilhelm II is a very dangerous concept in the modern technology age. Fortunately, Chairmen Putin (69)and Chaiman Xi(69next month) and the Biden clown(79) are old...:hmmm: The saying is: "they go in threes" :dead: I will pray earnestly!:yep::O::shucks:

[Catfish]

An ex French commando soldier denouces the war crimes on Russian prisonnersWhy nobody speaks about that........?
Why nobody speaks about that? Not so much french speakers here i guess.
A lot speak about war crimes, but isn't that typical russian whataboutism?
https://euromaidanpress.com/2016/08/31/a-guide-to-russian-propaganda-part-2-whataboutism/

Who started this war? Trying to divert a bit eh?

Russia commits lots of war crimes, didn't you see the interviews with the russian soldiers?
Do you know what Russians do to their own soldiers, let alone what they do to ukrainian prisoners of war?
Russia tries to whitewash it by accusing others of doing such things, as a justification of their own methods. When Russia lies that ukrainians torture civilians and build concentration camps be sure Russia does it itself.

Sorry, keep your maskirovka and disinformation to yourself, a$$holes.

War crimes happen on both sides, the only one who denies and "does not speak about it" is Russia.
What kind of sh!t broadcasters do you have in France? Marine lePen much?

[Ostfriese]

Whenever I take a look at this thread I get the impression that postings are only made after consuming a considerable amount of drugs and/or alcohol. If I‘m correct I‘ll need to adapt and will increase the consumption of Irish and Scottish distillates before contributing further postings.

While I can still get them, of course, before the Russians arrive and force me to rely on vodka :Kaleun_Cheers:

[Reece]

Oh that would be so horrible!! :oops:

[Exocet25fr]

Catfish wrote:

War crimes happen on both sides :Kaleun_Applaud: HA !

But NO!, for the moment the only one does not speak about it is Ukrainian, NO....?

And again I'M NOT PRO PUTIN...............:k_confused:

And I don't drink and smoke...........!, and your insults are don't matter, and I let you with your Bla Bla now......!

Byyye !

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8NGAj2MenA

[Commander Wallace]

No i'm not Russian much !, but I'm furious when the biden clown speaks about Russian war crims ONLY !. USA and NATO with SWEDEN and FINLAND and this Zelensky puppet continue to provocate Putin. I understand the Putin position, but I condamn his methods.

The courageous Yankees want to create a WWIII in Europe !:D thanks for the Gift :doh:

For me the East lands must stay in the East and the West in the West, it's all and simple !

Be care about DEFCON 1


If you like Russia so much, why don't you just move there ?

[Jimbuna]

A Russian battalion lost almost all of its armoured vehicles in a failed attempt to cross a river near Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the UK says.

Images from the scene show dozens of burnt-out tanks after Ukrainian forces shelled pontoon bridges across the Siversky Donets in Luhansk region.

The UK's Ministry of Defence says the incident reveals the pressure Russian commanders are under to make progress.

It isn't clear how many soldiers were killed in the battle, but Moscow's forces appear to be making gains elsewhere in the area.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says Vladimir Putin is "humiliating himself on the world stage" and calls for tougher sanctions on Moscow.

Speaking at a G7 meeting, she says sanctions should not be eased until all Russian troops have left Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a Russian soldier is due to stand trial today for killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian - the first alleged war crime case since the war began.

[Jimbuna]

The failed Russian attempt to navigate the Siversky Donets river, after Ukraine successfully launched an attack to prevent the navigation.

Russia began its crossing attempt on 8 May, transporting two companies of soldiers and 30 units of equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, according to Ukrainian information service InformNapalm.

As soon as they crossed, Ukrainian forces destroyed the pontoon bridge in the water, and Russian troops "fell into the trap", it said.

The Russian military suffered heavy losses and many troops tried to escape and swim to the other shore but Ukrainian military immediately opened fire on them, it added.

It said a tank that tried to drive on to the pontoon bridge in the water was fired on and "rolled over" on its side, and others were destroyed, adding that crew members drowned.

More than 70 units of Russian military equipment were lost as a result of the unsuccessful crossing and Ukraine claims more than 1,000 soldiers could have been killed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU-KFiNHAbM

[Jimbuna]

Putin accuse Ukraine of blocking talks
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has told the German chancellor that it is Kyiv and not Moscow which is blocking peace talks.

The Kremlin's readout of the telephone conversation with Olaf Scholz came just before Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba - who is currently in Germany - told reporters he felt Russia didn't have the appetite for either peace or security talks.

Putin's conversation with Scholz also saw him repeat his justification for the invasion - which is referred to as "a special military operation" - and claim the civilians hiding in the steelworks in Mariupol were being held by Ukrainian forces.

The civilians had taken cover in the steelworks to hide from attacks on the city by Russia.

Then the band played 'Believe it if you Like'

[Skybird]

It seems confirmed that Ukraine has at least seriously damaged a transport offshore Ssnake Island that tried to bring in air defence systems that colukld cover the Southern-West of Ukraine and the ocean region south of Odessa. Its is vital for Ukraiane to not allow Russian radars, tactical missiles and far reaching air defences on that island.



A Swedish political analysis paper that was ordered by the government concludes that it is in Sweden's best security interest to join NATO. This marks clealryx where the journey is heading to. I think its fair to say that Sweden's soon application for NATO membership is as good as a certainty now. Its "official".



That and the Finnish decision will turn the Baltic Sea into almost an exclusive NATO lake :) .

[Skybird]

Turkey seems to mull threatening or blackmailing NATO with rejecting Sweden's and Finland's membership.

I have also the concern that due to America, the UK and the Ukraine defining the task ahead as defending the territorial integrity of the ukraine and maximising damages on Russia while Germany has the objective to just end the war at any cost, a conflict between these two opposing objectives will emerge, outcome open but Ukraine, US, UK imo being the stronger side.

A briefing of the chancellor on his Ukraine and defence policy this noon meanwhile ended with an éclat. Several members of the coalition partner FDP ("liberals") left early and let Scholz stand alone, turning their backs on him. You cannot put the authority of the chancellor any more bluntly ionto querstion. His respectability is in the dumps. Polls show that his public reputation took a record-breaking dive.

I think its possible that the internal rifts already are much deeper than the media report and the public assumes. The already left SPD's leftier wing and the chancellor's office too obviously serve as kind of the extended arm of the Kremlin in Europe. The "Genossen" find it hard to come to terms with their destroyed life lies and muggy self-deceptions. Also, the announced goal to make a defence budget of yearly 2% of the GDP an integrated command in the constitution, seems unlikely to come currently, with more and more in the SPD declaring their strict opposition to doing this. A US policy analysts and univerity professor recently called it the "ideological jetlag of the Germans". The 1 bn special biudget for the bundeswehr also more and more gets watzered down, to become only a tool to fiannce the 2% rise ove rthe coming 3-4 years - then the money would be spend up, and that was it.

The SPD more and more becomes a problem for the alliance.

We need to get rid of the Mainzelmännchen in the chancellor's seat.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpjPLx9ZJjc

[Ostfriese]

FDP ("liberals") l


The FDP is about as liberal as a donkey is a bird.

[Skybird]

The FDP is about as liberal as a donkey is a bird.
Thats why I used "". I remarked it only for non-Germans not knowing the party landscape in Germany that well. Liberal, in "" or not :), is meant to mean libertarian here, not socialist as the term liberal now means in anglosaxon countries.

In plain language for all foreigners: the FDP is a German party that claims to be libertarian, but is not really.

[Spoon 11th]

Not so much french speakers here i guess.
Yeah, France should win a bunch of wars first.

[Skybird]

Yeah, France should win a bunch of wars first.
USA:
Korea.
Vietnam.
Gulf 91.
Afghanistan 01.
Iraq 03.

One draw, four majory strategic defeats. Better done? Hardly.

[Skybird]

Russia will stop delivering electric power to Finland from Saturday on.


Pyama party in Finland! :Kaleun_Cheers:
Putin has announced a boycott of all former Gazprom daughters in Germany, og which the Russian Ktraken ahs estabolished a huge complex network, these operated and operate gas storage sites, and pipeline networks. The germans have many of these more or less expropriated, by effect at least: they put quite some of them under state supervision and trusteeship to make sure they fill the resewrves upw ith non-Ruzssian gas and accept refining non-Ruzssian oil - beign part of Gazproim the dnetwork is designed to oeprate only by terms and conditions set by Gazprom Russia. The Germans blocked that influence and hoped to get still gas and oil. Now Putin has stopped these supplies.

Well, we should expropriate all these Gazprom affiliates. As an - all Western - compensation for 350 leased airliners that Russia has not given b ack and has practically stolen.

The wheat they steal in Ukraine and now sell as "Russian wheat" on the global market not counted.


There are still German comaponies doing business in Russia and try to hide behind a strawman argument of that they want to make sure their Russian workers can keep their jobs. This nonsense should end. either by companies pulling out voluntarily, like many already have, or by Putin retaliating against them and expropriating them for our side disposessing Russian companies in the West.

[Commander Wallace]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfaJUio-T_0

[Skybird]

Too bad when the muddy weather (I assume) forces you to stick to the road grid. Why else would they stick to the streets in columns.



Not nice for the tankers. But very nice for the civilians not getting shelled, shot in their backs, raped, tortured, murdered due to this apparent tank company not making it to its destination. May they pave the way to hell for many more Russian companies to follow in their wake.

[Commander Wallace]

Too bad when the muddy weather (I assume) forces you to stick to the road grid. Why else would they stick to the streets in columns.



Not nice for the tankers. But very nice for the civilians not getting shelled, shot in their backs, raped, tortured, murdered due to this apparent tank company not making it to its destination. May they pave the way to hell for many more Russian companies to follow in their wake.


If the video clip had been longer, I would have made popcorn.

[mapuc]

If Turkey votes no to accepting Sweden and Finlands membership in NATO ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Fun and games to some.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZIO8y3QVxg

[Dargo]

Catfish wrote:

War crimes happen on both sides :Kaleun_Applaud: HA !

But NO!, for the moment the only one does not speak about it is Ukrainian, NO....?

And again I'M NOT PRO PUTIN...............:k_confused:

And I don't drink and smoke...........!, and your insults are don't matter, and I let you with your Bla Bla now......!

Byyye !

In an interview by Italian TV Rai1, Zelensky confirmed that Macron has proposed for Ukraine to give up some territory to Russia in order to present a face-saving option for Putin.

Zelensky said it’s out of the question.

Macron is the one who needs to save his face after this.

[Jimbuna]

In an interview by Italian TV Rai1, Zelensky confirmed that Macron has proposed for Ukraine to give up some territory to Russia in order to present a face-saving option for Putin.

Zelensky said it’s out of the question.

Macron is the one who needs to save his face after this.

I can well believe it.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpWYwGd4dWU

[Dargo]

If Turkey votes no to accepting Sweden and Finlands membership in NATO ?

Markus

Then it is over, but Erdoğan likes to do this blackmailing like all those loser dictators, think he gets in trouble with the US. :D

[Dargo]

Russian power supply to Finland will be stopped from 01:00 (local time) next night. According to the Finnish grid operator Fingrid, the Russian company Inter RAO will stop supplying due to "problems in receiving payments for the electricity sold on the market."

According to Fingrid, the Russian company says it has not had any money from Nord Pool, a European power trading exchange, since May 6. The announcement came shortly after Finnish Prime Minister Marin announced his intention to join NATO within a short time. This goes against the grain of the Kremlin. Whether the power supply case has anything to do with this is unclear.

It is unlikely that the country will be greatly affected by Inter RAO's action. Finland is only 10 percent dependent on Russian power and will make up the shortfall by getting more power from Sweden. Starting in 2023, the country hopes to generate all of its own power.

[mapuc]

What is their task ?

25 minutes ago - 44°25′N 33°19′E
All operating submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet went to sea from Sevastopol

According to wiki Black Sea Fleet has 7 subs where two of them are in the Mediterranean and elsewhere

From liveuamap

[mapuc]

#Russia openly threatening war against Poland

“State Duma proposed putting #Poland in line for denazification”, RIA Novosti reported.

Well, you can try. Just remember that after an attack on a #NATO country, there will be an accelerated denazification of State Duma.

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1525167565097648136?s=20&t=6KHQPFi1lfFNt9rn-brh6A

Markus

[Skybird]

In an interview by Italian TV Rai1, Zelensky confirmed that Macron has proposed for Ukraine to give up some territory to Russia in order to present a face-saving option for Putin.

Zelensky said it’s out of the question.

Macron is the one who needs to save his face after this.
Yes indeed, whoi has not understood that Putin does neither depend on a face-saving option, nor wants it, has not understood the essence of the lecture the past 9 weeks have taught.


Its Macorn. And Scholz, who babbles like this too and favours a quick end to the war over defeating Russia and givin g Ukriane back its territory.


Its this imperial haughty arrogance that the Germans and Stalinists practiced already in the past when it was abot the ukraine. Not accepting it to have a right of its own. What scholz already has accepted is to reward Putin by leav ing him the freedom to keep the loot and prey he has taken if only he would stop shooting then.



Like 2014.


Scholz has not understood anything, and Macronman neither.



I fear that if Putin would accept a deal "land for seizefire", Scholz and Macron would start sabotaging Western weapon deliveries so that the Ukraine cannot fight on and must accept the land losses. I hope in that case the US and UK would deliver Europe a very bloody diplomatic nose and put them to shame by delivering even more.


This mere ammount of Scholz' blasé arrogance and underhandedness and split-tongued talking is unbelievable. They called Putin on phone both them. recvently. WHAT FOR...??? Only to pose at home, I bet.


Putin lied both leaders into their faces just short of the war. And they just imply "that was nothin!"...? They run after him and beg to talk with him on phone...?


Biden handles all this profoundly better. Lend and Lease. Robust deliveries. Not reacting at all to nuclear threats and attempts of blackmailing. Cool and calm he just keeps on doing what he is dpoing, and its better than what what Germany and France come up with. And what he does, hurts - the Russians. Not badly played so far - us Europeans do much worse.

[Dargo]

#Russia openly threatening war against Poland

“State Duma proposed putting #Poland in line for denazification”, RIA Novosti reported.

Well, you can try. Just remember that after an attack on a #NATO country, there will be an accelerated denazification of State Duma.

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1525167565097648136?s=20&t=6KHQPFi1lfFNt9rn-brh6A

MarkusRussia plays the bully only for internal use, they have no army for this to take on NATO

[mapuc]

Yes indeed, whoi has not understood that Putin does neither depend on a face-saving option, nor wants it, has not understood the essence of the lecture the past 9 weeks have taught.


Its Macorn. And Scholz, who babbles like this too and favours a quick end to the war over defeating Russia and givin g Ukriane back its territory.


Its this imperial haughty arrogance that the Germans and Stalinists practiced already in the past when it was abot the ukraine. Not accepting it to have a right of its own. What scholz already has accepted is to reward Putin by leav ing him the freedom to keep the loot and prey he has taken if only he would stop shooting then.





Like 2014.


Scholz has not understood anything, and Macronman neither.



I fear that if Putin would accept a deal "land for seizefire", Scholz and Macron would start sabotaging Western weapon deliveries so that the Ukraine cannot fight on and must accept the land losses. I hope in that case the US and UK would deliver Europe a very bloody diplomatic nose and put them to shame by delivering even more.


This mere ammount of Scholz' blasé arrogance and underhandedness and split-tongued talking is unbelievable. They called Putin on phone both them. recvently. WHAT FOR...??? Only to pose at home, I bet.

Reading yours and Dargos comment makes me wonder if Macron is on his way to become a modern version of Chamberlain.

Markus

[Exocet25fr]

Spoon 11th wrote:

Yeah, France should win a bunch of wars first. :hmmm:

You, ignorant, continue in your insult!. if you want write something about the lake of French Victories LEARN the French Story before! :03:

Is there any truth to the stereotype that France has never won a war on its own? Of course, France has known many military victories, especially in the World Wars !

According to historian Niall Ferguson, France is the most successful military power in history. The French participated in 50 of the 125 major European wars that have been fought since 1495; more than any other European state. They are followed by the Austrians who fought in 47 of them, the Spanish in 44 and the English (and later British) who were involved in 43. Out of 169 battles fought since 387BC, they have won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_France

Now the List:

https://www.militaryfactory.com/battles/french_military_victories.php

La vérité dérange !?. Ne vous en déplaise ! :salute:

Please yours now ? :haha:

[mapuc]

The Finns should be prepared

Finland should brace for Russian cyber attacks, Traficom says

https://yle.fi/news/3-12443701

Markus

[Ostfriese]

Russia will stop delivering electric power to Finland from Saturday on.




It should be hardly surprising that this is another shot-in-the-own-foot. Russia transfers slightly more electricity to Finland than Finland transfers to Estonia and slightly less than Estonia transfers to Russia (directly or via Latvia).
Finland, Estonia and Latvia have already announced that they will cut their respective transfers, so Russia just cuts of its own supply.

[Exocet25fr]

Mapuc wrote:

What is their task ?

25 minutes ago - 44°25′N 33°19′E
All operating submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet went to sea from Sevastopol

I hope no SSBN !? :oops: et voila...........:D

[Dargo]

What is their task ?

25 minutes ago - 44°25′N 33°19′E
All operating submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet went to sea from Sevastopol

According to wiki Black Sea Fleet has 7 subs where two of them are in the Mediterranean and elsewhere

From liveuamapMaybe they fear an attack from Ukraine or they gone attack, "Russia has withdrawn from Sevastopol Bay to the Black Sea almost all ships with missile weapons included." The Black Sea Fleet’s six improved Kilo-class submarines make it the No. 2 undersea power in the region, after the Turkish navy with its dozen German-made boats. The subs’ targets could be deeper inland. All six Kilos carry Kalibr land-attack cruise missile. One of the boats, Rostov-No-Donu, has fired Kalibrs at rebels in Syria. Kalibrs could be the main weapons for these deep strikes.

[Skybird]

It should be hardly surprising that this is another shot-in-the-own-foot. Russia transfers slightly more electricity to Finland than Finland transfers to Estonia and slightly less than Estonia transfers to Russia (directly or via Latvia).
Finland, Estonia and Latvia have already announced that they will cut their respective transfers, so Russia just cuts of its own supply.
Stop talk me dizzy. :doh:

[Dargo]

<Putin> Nice calls with Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron. Thanked Olaf for their pro-Russian stance on heavy weapons & said I support a ceasefire for the Ukrainian army.

[Dargo]

Institute for the Study of War: “the Ukrainian counteroffensive near Kharkiv is starting to look very similar to the counteroffensive that ultimately drove Russian troops away from Kyiv and out of western Ukraine entirely.”

[Ostfriese]

Stop talk me dizzy. :doh:
Would you prefer a German version? :03:

[Rockstar]

Germany can’t send heavy weapons because it’s been shown they don’t have anything to give that works. However it seems they may be sending other things like theses stocking stuffers.

https://youtu.be/DTiYe-OktoU

https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.php?smallarms_id=556

[mapuc]

Had a talk with a friend today and this friend said to me that one of our common friend has taken the trip to Ukraine.

My friend said that this other friend wants to be part of this special Ukrainian forces.

Let me say it this way..he fits among these Ukrainian men.

Markus

[Rockstar]

What is their task ?

25 minutes ago - 44°25′N 33°19′E
All operating submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet went to sea from Sevastopol

According to wiki Black Sea Fleet has 7 subs where two of them are in the Mediterranean and elsewhere

From liveuamap

It may be something as simple as protecting the subs against sabotage, Ukraine missiles and commando raids. Which would indicate to me Russia no longer feels secure in Sevastopol. Plus a submarine has a purpose which can’t be accomplished tied to the dock. :03:

I’m surprised they were still there, I would have thought they’d put to sea before or shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

[Dargo]

Israel granted Estonia's request to transfer one Blue Spear 5G SSM missile system to Ukraine. The Blue Spear Missile System is a precision weapon that can strike out of line of sight against mobile and stationary targets at sea. One such complex is enough to sink the entire Russian fleet in the Black Sea. The maximum range of the missile is 290-300 km.

[Rockstar]

Israel granted Estonia's request to transfer one Blue Spear 5G SSM missile system to Ukraine. The Blue Spear Missile System is a precision weapon that can strike out of line of sight against mobile and stationary targets at sea. One such complex is enough to sink the entire Russian fleet in the Black Sea. The maximum range of the missile is 290-300 km.

Interesting. That transaction may come in handy for Ukraine


Russia recognized the use of submarines for shelling Ukraine – news from Ukraine,

https://www.ilovekyiv.org/russia-recognized-the-use-of-submarines-for-shelling-ukraine-news-from-ukraine/

April 30, 2022

The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday admitted for the first time that it was using submarines to bombard Ukraine.

Read us in Telegram: proven facts, only important

“The crew of a diesel-electric submarine of the Black Sea Fleet from the Black Sea carried out a salvo launch of Kalibr cruise missiles at the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the Russian ministry said.

For the first time, a British newspaper wrote about the shelling of Ukraine from submarines Times last Friday, April 22nd. The next day, the Odessa military administration confirmed this fact, adding that we are talking about Project 877 Halibut submarines.

However, in the messages of the occupiers, so far there has been no mention of missile strikes by submarines.

On Friday evening, Maxar Technologies published in Twitter satellite image of Sevastopol, showing the loading of missiles on one of the Russian submarines.

Andrey Vodyany

[Skybird]

<Putin> Nice calls with Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron. Thanked Olaf for their pro-Russian stance on heavy weapons & said I support a ceasefire for the Ukrainian army.
Oh, we have an army of TV celebs and public opinion moguls over here who say that Zelensky should stop provoking Russia, and that Russia has legitimate interests. Itds all nto the Russians fault, but Ukrainians made them to do what they did. The absent peace in the past ten years is only because the Ukrainians did not play ball.


And it surprises me time and again to realise how many people know that a victim resisting is not better than its attacker, that self-defence lowers you to the rank of the attacker, and that weapons do not make peace, and that they should "start" talking "serious". Especially the Ukrainians. Its amazing what cognitive dissonance makes people to talk in rubble and BS.

[Skybird]

Interesting. That transaction may come in handy for Ukraine

The range quoted for that system is roughly the line Odessa-Sevastopol (around 300km). So that covers that body of water, which may help to protect any merchant shipping from Odessa to to the Turkish Straits (wheat transports) in the future. If the system really reaches out 300km, it might also be able to strike Russian ships already when they leave Sevastopol if the missile base gets moved a bit to the East of Odessa.

[mapuc]

Danish TV2News Wrote:


Phase three of the war has begun - and it's with Ukraine on the offensive

ANALYSIS: The war is at a very crucial stage. As things stand, the most likely scenario is that Russia ends up getting the shaft.

As readers of these analyses will be aware, the war in Ukraine has so far proceeded in two phases.

The first phase was the Russian attempt to conquer all of Ukraine, capture Kyiv and depose the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. That phase ended with the stinging Russian defeats around Kyiv and in the strategically important towns of Chernihiv and Sumy in early April.

Phase two, which I called Plan B in last week's analysis, was the Russian attempt to "liberate" the entire Donbas, hold on to the conquests in southern Ukraine between Mariupol and Kherson, and probably gradually strangle Ukraine as a viable state over a number of years.

That phase has almost lasted four weeks, and it has not come close to delivering on the Russian objectives either. Nor will it.

The war is now in a smooth transition to phase three. What is new about phase three is that it will no longer be Russia that defines the objectives. In phase three, Ukraine will have the initiative.

Phase three will define Russian defeat. If Russia is going to make a Plan C, it will be on how Russia can minimize defeat and humiliation

Take note of Kharkiv

Phase three actually began just under two weeks ago, when Ukrainian forces began their counter-attack on the Russians around Kharkiv, the country's second largest city with about 1.5 million inhabitants. Kharkiv is located just 40 kilometres south of the border with Russia, and Russian forces have been trying to capture it since the early days of the war.

As we know, they have not succeeded. Now the Russian units have collapsed and are being chased back to Russia. In several places, the Ukrainians have reached the Russian border

In addition to the offensive to the north, Ukrainian forces have attacked to the east. Here they have reached the important railway line which, from the Russian garrison town of Belgorod, is the main supply line to the front in the northern Donbas near the town of Izium. If the Ukrainians have not already destroyed the railway, they will soon.

This will seriously deteriorate the supply situation for Russian forces in the northern Donbas between Izium and Severodonetsk. Russia can continue to divert the supply line to the railway further east. However, it will be a major detour from Belgorod.

At the same time, the Ukrainians are likely to try to push the front further east so that they can hit the very hub of the railway network at the town of Kupyansk north of Izium. If that happens, Russia will no longer be able to supply the forces in the northern Donbas via the rail network.

The Russian response to the Ukrainian threat to the supply lines came at the beginning of this week. Russia withdrew forces north from Izium to Kupyansk. This eases pressure from Russia at Izium. In recent days, the fronts in that area have been quiet.

Continued fierce fighting further east

Despite Ukraine's counter-attack and what I am already taking the liberty of calling phase three, Russian forces seem to be continuing in phase two in some places. This is particularly true near one of the largest cities in the Ukrainian part of the Donbas, Severodonetsk.

Here, the Russians have apparently succeeded in capturing the large suburb of Rubizne, which has been fought over for several weeks.

Russian forces are now at Severodonetsk, where we are likely to see heavy fighting. It is the last town controlled by Ukraine in the northern Donbas east of the Donets River.

The Donets River in particular has in many other places drawn Ukraine to the west. They have done so to use it as a defensive line. In doing so, they have inflicted significant losses on the Russians as they try to cross the river, including over 30 T72 tanks and armoured vehicles in an attack on Wednesday.

It is clear, therefore, that Russia has not yet given up on its land grab. We are likely to continue to see heavy fighting in some places for another week or two. After that, Russia is unlikely to have the fighting strength to continue attacks.

Their losses of troops and materiel are so extensive, and their ability to resupply and reinforce is so limited, that we will see units breaking up.

Putin has not yet read the writing on the wall

Putin's very subdued - almost boastful - speech on 9 May suggests that at least some realities are dawning on him. That is why he chose not to expand the war in Ukraine. It is doubtful, however, that Putin has realised that there is also a mismatch between Plan B and Russia's military capabilities.

The May 9 speech revolved around Donbas, and the continuing attacks in the region suggest that Putin has not yet read the writing on the wall.

The irony is that the longer it takes for Putin and the General Staff to realise that this is an unrealistic project, the better chance the Ukrainians will have in phase three. If Russia continues in phase two instead of making a plan C - a plan for defeat - the risk of a bully pulpit grows as Ukraine expands their offensive.

A further sign of Putin's continuing failure to recognise reality came this week when US National Intelligence Director Avril Haines outlined in the Senate that Putin is seeking a years-long war. The warning from Haines is based on intelligence about Putin's intentions. Haines did not talk about capabilities, and it is here that we find the great mismatch.

Therefore, I dare say that the war is at a very crucial stage in terms of what defeat Russia will end up with. As things stand, the most likely scenario is that Russia ends up getting the shaft

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


Came to think of this article

The warning on Tuesday came in an assessment from intelligence chiefs briefing the Senate on worldwide threats. The prediction for Ukraine was a long, gruelling war of attrition, which could lead to increasingly volatile acts of escalation from Putin, including full mobilisation, the imposition of martial law, and – if the Russian leader felt the war was going against him, endangering his position in Moscow – even the use of a nuclear warhead.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/10/putin-nuclear-weapons-us-intelligence-avril-haines

Markus

[Skybird]

https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/is-putin-sick-or-are-we-meant-to-think-he-is/

Speculation, but this one maybe a bit more founded than similair ones before.

However, take your prophylactic grain of salt before reading.



Steroids – a common one is prednisone – attack malignant lymphocytes that circulate in the blood, but they are also known for two common side effects.

The first is a high risk of infection owing to how badly they deplete immune cells. “Anyone on heavy doses of steroids will find it much easier to contract COVID-19,” Grossman said, which might account for Putin’s extreme germophobia and recourse to Howard Hughes-like seclusion. Pneumonia, too, can easily kill an immunocompromised steroid user.

And the second side effect?

“Deeply irrational or paranoid behavior.”I can confirm this in so far as I as a student was taught this, too. Steroids can - even drastically! - affect mental state, and cause personality changes, like other prescribed hormone preparations.
It catches attention indeed that Putin in recent months suddenly has started to present an impressively strong string of desastrous misjudgements and intellectual errors - after having played the West against the wall for two decades en passant. I was thinking of paranoia too already.

[Dowly]

On Finland's electric grid and Russia:

Our consumption is about 8 000MW, of that we produce ~6 000MW in Finland and the rest is imported from Sweden and Estonia.

We'll be fine.

[Skybird]

When Scholz was confronted by several members of the coalition partner FDP during that defence meeting yesterday (ending in an eclat that after the event evbertbyody desperately tried to gloss over and saw one of the "rebels" givbing up his party seat), accoridng to reports today Scholz has categorically ruled out further deliveries of heavy weapons.

Scholz is being accused to have done in that meeting what he always does: systematically avoiding questions he does not like and refusing any answers, having not given any answer at all, according to the revolting FDP guys.

The loyalty to Russia is still ticking strong amongst the Genossen.

[Skybird]

Ukraine reports Russian troops are withdrawing from everywhere around Kharkiv.

Ukraine says Russian forces suffered 27000 KIAs.


In Rubhizne, Luhansk, a complete Russian batallion refused orders to attack, and so did not. Ukraine reports to have intercepted Russion radio calls showing this.

[Jimbuna]

Kharkiv's mayor says that Ukrainian forces have pushed Russian troops "far out" from Ukraine's second city.

“Now it is calm and people are gradually coming back to the city," Mayor Ihor Terekhov says.

The comments came after a respected military think tank said Ukraine has "likely won the battle" for Kharkiv.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's president has said "very difficult" negotiations are under way over the evacuation of wounded fighters from Mariupol in the south.

In his nightly address, Zelensky also reiterated his warning that Russia's blockade of Ukraine's ports risks a global food crisis.

And foreign ministers from Nato countries will gather in Berlin later as Sweden and Finland move closer to joining the Western military alliance.

[Jimbuna]

Some of the world's most powerful industrialised nations - the Group of Seven - have declared they will never recognise new borders as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We will never recognise borders Russia has attempted to change by military aggression, and will uphold our engagement in the support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, and all states," the G7 said in a statement after a meeting of their foreign ministers.

The statement also says the G7 will expand sanctions and keep supplying Ukraine with weapons, AFP reports.

The G7 are: Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The EU also has a seat at the table, but is not counted in the seven.

Russia used to be involved, but was expelled over the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

[Jimbuna]

The Finnish president called his Rusian counterpart Vladimir Putin today to tell him Finland would apply for Nato membership in the next few days.

In a statement, Sauli Niinistö said he told Putin how recent moves by Russia, along with the invasion of Ukraine, "have altered the security environment of Finland".

“The conversation was direct and straight-forward and it was conducted without aggravations. Avoiding tensions was considered important,” Niinistö says.

Russia has long threatened consequences if its nearby neighbours join Nato, a Western military alliance founded in part to ward off threat from the Soviet Union in 1949.

But Niinistö and the country's prime minister both called for Finland to join on Thursday, and Sweden is widely expected to follow suit in the next few days.

[mapuc]

If I read between the line in some of the news here in Denmark, then Macron and Scholz should be ashamed.

One may wonder on which side they are...Are they with the Russians which their effort so far could give the impression that they are.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Zj3z2gJ24

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L36y4BaMVHc

[Dargo]

In Russia, covert mobilization continues at the state level. In the Belgorod and Rostov oblasts, new units of the occupying forces are being formed and sent to the territory of Ukraine on the basis of conscripts and mobilization resources.

However, the use of such troops is largely ineffective. This was announced on the air of the national marathon by the representative of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Vadym Skibitsky.

"Conscripts are summoned through military enlistment offices, they sign contracts, after which new units are formed and sent to the territory of Ukraine.

How effective the use of such troops is is already shown by the fighting. In many cases, this is not effective, but we really understand that today the Russian Federation has exhausted the resources related to the most combat-ready battalion tactical groups. Although it still has enough reserves to enter the territory of Ukraine, "- said the representative of the military intelligence of Ukraine.

Also, Vadim Skibitsky confirmed information about the depression and depressed moral and psychological climate in the units of the Russian occupation forces.

"The most depressed morale - the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps from the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Because that is where the forced mobilization and conscription of the Russian occupation forces takes place. Untrained personnel, who have essentially no combat experience, are now heading to the most important areas. In addition, those reservists who are sent to Ukraine from Russia, especially from its central regions, eastern regions, they just went and thought they were going to make money, and here they are essentially met with strong resistance from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, defense forces, territorial defense and the entire population of Ukraine, "said a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence, adding that instead of receiving money, Russians return home in bags for corpses, which greatly affects the morale of the occupiers.

https://gur.gov.ua/ua/content/rosiia-vzhe-vycherpala-rezervy-boiezdatnykh-batalionnotaktychnykh-hrup.html

Looks like Russia has exhausted its reserves of combat-ready troops.

[Skybird]

Vadym Skibitsky.

For a moment I thought I had family ties I did not know of so far. :D

[mapuc]

Before I continue-I hope Russia will be thrown out of Ukraine-That they will suffer a humiliated defeat

Now that is said

I fear what Putin may do when he knows he has been humiliated in Ukraine

And
In Finland they expect a major cyber attack from Russia
In Sweden they fear a military response.

When these two country is applying for a NATO membership

Markus

[Dargo]

Before I continue-I hope Russia will be thrown out of Ukraine-That they will suffer a humiliated defeat

Now that is said

I fear what Putin may do when he knows he has been humiliated in Ukraine

And
In Finland they expect a major cyber attack from Russia
In Sweden they fear a military response.

When these two country is applying for a NATO membership

Markus
Thrown out of Ukraine is a lot of hope, do not see this happen in short time. Ukraine still have to retake a lot of their lost terrain, and with their battle ratio it is not possible at the moment.

Think Finland can counter that Russian cyberattack, they have experience with Russian cyber and Russia will not respond military they not stupid.

[mapuc]

Thrown out of Ukraine is a lot of hope, do not see this happen in short time. Ukraine still have to retake a lot of their lost terrain, and with their battle ratio it is not possible at the moment.

Think Finland can counter that Russian cyberattack, they have experience with Russian cyber and Russia will not respond military they not stupid.

You mention something forgot in my last post

A survey made by some Swedish expert says there will not be any military response but the Swedish MoD was not so certain on that point.

This expert group think that Sweden will, like Finland, be attacked in cyberspace.

Edit
One of the rules to become a member is that the country who seek membership isn't in conflict within the country or with another country...If Russia attack Sweden..Sweden will then be in conflict with another country and can thereby not become a member of NATO
End edit



Markus

[Dargo]

You mention something forgot in my last post

A survey made by some Swedish expert says there will not be any military response but the Swedish MoD was not so certain on that point.

This expert group think that Sweden will, like Finland, be attacked in cyberspace.

Edit
One of the rules to become a member is that the country who seek membership isn't in conflict within the country or with another country...If Russia attack Sweden..Sweden will then be in conflict with another country and can thereby not become a member of NATO
End edit



MarkusIt does not matter anymore, the west will help Sweden in case of a Russian attack and think NATO will forget that in conflict rule.

[mapuc]

It does not matter anymore, the west will help Sweden in case of a Russian attack and think NATO will forget that in conflict rule.

I shouldn't be worried.

Markus

[Skybird]

Molotov would have definitely disapproved. :har:



https://beta.dw.com/en/opinion-in-keeping-with-its-1939-tradition-finland-is-saying-nyet-to-vladimir-putin/a-61788787

[mapuc]

Danish Ekstra Bladet wrote:


General warns humiliation could push Putin to nuclear war

Sufficient humiliation could push Putin to nuclear war, warns Danish general

Humiliating Putin could lead to a 'devastating world war with nuclear weapons'.

Warns retired brigadier general and military historian Michael H. Clemmensen

He calls the Ukrainian soldiers' efforts heroic and indescribable, while warning the West and NATO not to break Russia completely.

- The truth is that we in Russia are up against the world's biggest nuclear power, and there are therefore limits to how big a defeat you can inflict on them before it becomes extremely dangerous, with the risk of an all-out world war with nuclear weapons, he tells the media.

Russian army humiliated

Despite a force almost five times its size and a much larger and more advanced arsenal of weapons, the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not go as smoothly as first thought.

The Russian army has been plagued by such poor planning, fuel shortages and rampant corruption that several top military officers have been jailed or fired by Putin.

At the same time, Russian soldiers are reported to lack so much fighting spirit that several have shot up their own vehicles to avoid getting to the front line.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


Markus

[Rockstar]

He calls the Ukrainian soldiers' efforts heroic and indescribable, while warning the West and NATO not to break Russia completely.

Putin and his inner circle of yes men are the only one responsible for the humiliation and breakdown of the Russian Armed Forces. They voluntarily stepped into a pile of dung without any help from NATO or Ukraine.

The Russian army has been plagued by such poor planning, fuel shortages and rampant corruption that several top military officers have been jailed or fired by Putin.

At the same time, Russian soldiers are reported to lack so much fighting spirit that several have shot up their own vehicles to avoid getting to the front line.

Best way for Putin to avoid further embarrassment is for that massive ‘Charlie Foxtrot’ called the Russian army to leave Ukraine and go home. But if they insist just don’t blame NATO.

[MaDef]

don’t blame NATO.Why? It's my impression that Ukraine attempting to join NATO is what started this kerfuffle in the first place.

[Rockstar]

A little bit about Blue Spear.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/05/02/why-russian-fleet-will-fear-blue-spear-ship-killer-threat/

But if the Ukrainians obtain the highly advanced Blue Spear missiles along with the Norwegian-built Naval Strike Missile (NSM) they would significantly challenge Russia’s ability to dominate the Black Sea, maritime experts have said.

With immunity to electronic interference and carrying a warhead in excess of 250 kilograms, the long-range Blue Spear would pose a considerable threat.

The anti-ship missile, developed jointly by Israeli Aerospace and Singapore’s ST Engineering, has only recently become operational but experts believe it is being considered for export to Ukraine.

Another feared weapon is the NSM, designed by top-level manufacturers Kongsberg, made from composite materials that gives it state-of-the-art stealth capabilities difficult for warships to detect.

Both missiles will prove a real concern for the Russians as they have the range and capability to threaten Sevastopol, the vital naval base annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Bet ya that’s the biggest reason all those subs suddenly left Sevastopol.

[Rockstar]

Why? It's my impression that Ukraine attempting to join NATO is what started this kerfuffle in the first place.

Then are we too think Finland and Sweden cannot choose their own destiny either? Is everything to revolve around blaming NATO and protecting Putin’s personal survival and legacy? F* him and the horse he rode in on.

https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/putin-russia-invading-ukraine-explained-512642/

I read his goals as twofold: he wants to reestablish directly or indirectly, by annexation or by puppet-regimes, a Russian empire—be it the former USSR or Tsarist Russia. A second possible answer has to do with the role of domestic Russian politics, which the standard literature on conflict takes very seriously: Putin has seen what happened in some former Soviet successor republics and the former Yugoslavia, several of which experienced “Color Revolutions” and democratized. Indeed, it was a Color Revolution in Ukraine in 2014, which Putin mischaracterizes as a military coup. He wants to prevent more of these revolutions and prevent a democratic encirclement of countries around him, which could provide a safe haven for Russian dissidents who’d be dangerous to Putin’s political survival.

Ukraine is becoming more westernized, it’s becoming more diverse and has a regime that he cannot control. Over time, it sets an example for others in Russia who would like to become more democratic. It provides a counter example to Russia’s autocratic dictatorial system. You have these rows of dominoes, one Color Revolution after another, and at the end of the domino series is Russia. All this is dangerous for him.

Some people thought initially this would be a war over territory, essentially about the two separatist areas, and that Putin wouldn’t claim much more. That’s evidently not the case. It could still be considered a war over territory but only in the sense that he wants to annex the entire Ukraine, which seems to me unlikely to succeed. It seems much more likely that he’ll install a puppet regime instead. And the reason for that, from the theory of warfare and from a leader perspective, is that Putin does it to ensure Putin’s personal survival.

One thing he said in his speech, which is just stunning, is that nationalism cannot be the basis of a state. Everybody in academia and most of the world thinks that nationalism is the justification and the basis of a state. But his speech went further than that. He said the borders that were drawn by Lenin and by Stalin, partially as a result of the First and Second World War, are illegitimate and have to go. And if those borders have to go, well, then there is no obvious stopping point: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia—all the successor republics are going to ask, “Are we next?” The new threats against Finland and Sweden, to warn them off from joining NATO, are also extremely concerning.

[mapuc]

Why? It's my impression that Ukraine attempting to join NATO is what started this kerfuffle in the first place.

Putin should have known that Ukraine is very far from becoming a NATO member.

I have the feeling he used this as an excuse to invade the country

Markus

[Skybird]

Putin should have known that Ukraine is very far from becoming a NATO member.

I have the feeling he used this as an excuse to invade the country

MarkusWhat took you so long? :03:

[mapuc]

So there's a majority in Sweden now to apply for a Nato membership.

I say a membership that would have come if not now but later.

The last 10 years or so the Swedish military has rebuild some of it's equipment so it can handle NATO stuff.

JAS 39 Gripen has been altered with so it today can be refueled in air.

Swedish Helicopters has been altered so they can carry Nato weapons

Swedish Subs has been altered so they can carry Nato weapons

Then there's all these joint exercises both in and outside Sweden.

Markus

[Skybird]

^ Both Sweden and Finland, and imho especialyl Finöland, are strong active assets. They do not just benefit from NATO - but NATO benefits form them as well. This is the kind of new members being brought in that I strongly welcome: members that are not just netto takers, but netto givers (in combat power in thios cvonext". The same principle should have been applied to EU memberships, but has not. Weak new members weaken the whole. Stronger new members strengthen it all.

An opinion piece and imo very correct analysis of the writings on the wall that point beyond the war in the Ukraine. I know the book he refers to, "The Sleepwalkers", and I often got reminded of it in the past 12-18 months already when following the daily political and economic news.

-----------
The outlines of a global multi-crisis are emerging: war, hunger, energy shortages, inflation. The West struggles to maintain control - with an uncertain outcome.

For the economy to flourish, a robust international regulatory framework is needed. Without reliable political conditions, the foundations on which stable business models can flourish are lacking. We are witnessing what happens when an international order begins to unravel.

In economic terms, we are facing a nasty scenario: food shortages, energy shortages, inflation, weak economic momentum, debt crises, plus the increasingly noticeable consequences of climate change - the outlines of a global multi-crisis are emerging. It is hitting poor developing countries particularly hard. But the risk of recession is also growing in prosperous Western economies, where prices are skyrocketing.

The immediate trigger of this crisis is the Russian attack on Ukraine. But the fact that Vladimir Putin dared to wage this war at all is the result of an unstable international order. He obviously assessed it as so weak that he did not expect much resistance.

Now, cut gas supplies, oil boycotts, failed grain exports and severed supply chains are weighing on the well-being of citizens. An end to the impositions is not in sight for the time being.

At least the West is doing its best to keep the situation under control. Under Germany's chairmanship, the governments of the G-7 countries will be meeting in various constellations in the coming week: On Wednesday, the finance ministers and central bank chiefs will meet, as will the development aid ministers, and on Friday, the health ministers. There is certainly enough to discuss. Among other things, the seven major Western countries want to provide Ukraine with enough money to prevent it from going bankrupt in the middle of the war.

The deceptive thing about an international order is that it is hardly noticed as long as it is stable. Things go on as usual. Citizens go about their lives. The economy goes about its business. Sure, there are crises and minor conflicts now and then, but on the whole, a reliable framework protects against a slide into chaos.

The outbreak of World War I was preceded by five decades of prosperity and security. A handful of major European powers had agreed on principles of balance. Otherwise, they relied on industrial development, open borders and stable public finances, underpinned by the universally accepted gold standard. On the eve of the outbreak of war in 1914, it was inconceivable to many that this system could collapse in a murderous and senseless conflict. Accordingly, the states of Europe drifted like "sleepwalkers" into military disaster, as historian Christopher Clark put it in his book of the same name.

When the war was over, the British economist John Maynard Keynes clairvoyantly described that his contemporaries were living through an epochal break. His essay "The economic consequences of peace" published in 1919, begins with a melancholy look back at the period between 1870 and 1914, the era that today's historians call the first globalization. Keynes was aware that this "extraordinary epoch of economic progress" had come to an end and that nothing comparable would come again soon.

The reason for Keynes' pessimism lay primarily in the realization that the international political order of the prewar period had finally ceased to exist. And that a new order was not on the horizon. Under these conditions, the instability of the 1920s and 1930s produced a world economic crisis that resulted in international economic strife, fierce social tensions and political radicalization, especially in Germany. It was the prelude to World War II.

After the war, the United States assumed the role of international regulatory power for the western part of the world. They created a network of institutions that lasted for a long time and continued to exist even after the Iron Curtain was lifted in 1989/90. As the only remaining world power, America - and to a lesser extent its Western allies - now acted as pillars of the international political framework within which the second globalization could flourish. In 2001, China, massively supported by Washington, became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and in 2011, so did Russia.
A habituation to international stability as the normal case set in. Setbacks, such as Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, were not interpreted as signs of a dissolution of the regulatory framework, but as slips. Most European states, especially the Federal Republic of Germany, cut back on their defense spending, while economic relations, even with problematic states like China and Russia, continued to expand without much awareness of the problem.

Because the international order was taken for granted, globalization brought about a primacy of the economy. Corporations grew into powerful global players, some of which employ more people than some EU states have inhabitants. The fact that states and international institutions ultimately formed the foundation on which economic exchange could flourish receded into the background.

It was the great time of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Behind the events, at which top managers, heads of state, scientists, activists and celebrities come together once a year in the Swiss Alps without protocol constraints and a large entourage, was ultimately the belief that the world's problems could be alleviated through direct exchange between the powerful, the rich and the influential. Fruitful informal networks between great personalities were to be created, beyond states and institutions. This was not wrong. But the reality in which we now live is different.

It is now once again a matter of sheer, raw power. The main actors have long since returned to being states. Russia is brutally breaking international law. Many other states beyond the West, including the billionaire nations China and India, are not prepared to draw a clear line or even pledge support. The USA, the G7 and the West as a whole may no longer be powerful enough to guarantee the previous international order. If the remaining remnants of this order perish, then the political foundation on which the economy was able to flourish in past decades will also be history.

It therefore seems completely out of step with the times when a top manager like VW CEO Herbert Diess recently called at a Financial Times event for the EU to do everything it can to bring the Ukraine war to a swift negotiated end so that we can return to a world of open markets and free trade. Back to business as usual?

The scandalous thing about Russia's war is not only the destruction of lives, cities and countryside, but also the total disregard for any limits set by international law. If such conduct leads to success, the world will become even more unsafe. The foundation on which the economy also stands would finally crumble.

For the economy, this means that it will hardly be able to avoid following the primacy of politics, not the other way around, as has been the case in German foreign policy in recent decades. Law and freedom are higher values than sales and profits. And yet, large corporations are decisive players in the concert of powers. This gives rise not only to social but also to political responsibility. They will have to assume them - the West cannot do without this support.

The author Henrik Müller is Professor of Economic Journalism at the Technical University of Dortmund. Previously, Müller, who holds a doctorate in economics, worked as deputy editor-in-chief of manager magazin. Müller is also the author of numerous books on economic and monetary policy topics. Every week, he provides SPIEGEL with a pointed outlook on the most important economic events of the week.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (http://www.DeepL.com/Translator) (free version)


To complement Cristopher Clark's book, I also recommend Stefan Zweig's "Die Welt von Gestern" (The World of Yesterday). Both books complement each other excellently, one rather factually sober-analytical, the other focusing on the lived experience of the mood of that time - and both together are so important. The bridge to the present may be David Engels' book, "Was tun?" (Que Faire?: Vivre avec le déclin de l'Europe), already a bitter step beyond just a stocktaking, and an unfortunately all too well justified swan song to Europe, which forced the author already to bitter autobiographical consequences.

[Dargo]

Russia plans to send up to 2,500 reservists to the war in Ukraine, trained now at training centers in the Voronezh, Belgorod and Rostov regions - General Staff


I give them 10 days at most, the battle of Donbas is over

[Jimbuna]

Sweden's governing party drops its long opposition to the country joining the Nato alliance in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The news came hours after Finland formally announced it was seeking to be part of the alliance.

Russia - whose war in Ukraine has sparked the moves - has warned the expansion of Nato would be a mistake.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says the doors are open for both countries to join, describing the potential change as "historic"

On the ground, Russia's offensive in the eastern Donbas region has lost momentum, according to UK military assessment.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has won the 66th Eurovision song contest - in a symbolic show of public support following the country's invasion.

https://i.postimg.cc/6qWh0bqx/03b15167-1710-416b-b644-57ad43a0c958.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNwjSdziuAc

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKBvBA-4gFo

[Aktungbby]

The news came hours after Finland formally announced it was seeking to be part of the alliance. Ya think!! With invasion resistant Norway on one side; and Invasion resistant Finland on the other aginst Hitler and Stalin respectively in WWII, Sweden cannot afford to look like a limp pickle on the world stage... meanwhile Vlad the rapist, pillaging, murderer really needed to shut down Russian cell phone service ....:yep: https://taskandpurpose.com/analysis/russia-ukraine-cell-phones-track-combat/ It’s been a nightmare scenario for U.S. commanders for years: An amphibious readiness group sails stealthily towards its objective, one reckless Marine or sailor goes topside and uses a personal cell phone to check Facebook, revealing the position of the assault ship. The Chinese or Russians quickly detect the cell phone signal in the middle of the ocean and realize they can’t miss. The enemy fires its anti-ship ballistic or cruise missiles at Pfc./Seaman Schmuckatelli as he posts a meme and suddenly the entire ship along with thousands of sailors and Marines are lying on the ocean floor.... “So, the Ukrainian special services automatically receive information with the ID number of the device, roaming number, and, of course, the location of the person,” Starosiek told Task & Purpose. “Fortunately, Russians are quite naive and ignorant about using mobile devices, so they often call home, turning on their phones and connecting to the Ukrainian stations.” The Russians have also given away their positions by stealing Ukrainian iPhones, which can be tracked using the Find My iPhone app, even when the phones are turned off, Starosiek said. :oops:https://taskandpurpose.com/uploads/2022/05/13/Ukraine-3-1.jpg?auto=webp&width=1440&height=810 WW III rule 1: "Good 2 go" means "give em' up soldier" https://taskandpurpose.com/uploads/2022/05/13/US-cell-phones.jpg

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVU7TUBZki8

[Rockstar]

…[/I]on the world stage... meanwhile Vlad the rapist, pillaging, murderer really needed to shut down Russian cell phone service ....:yep: [U]


Yep. I’ve read reports how during WWII allied command posts were routinely targeted and shelled by German artillery with great accuracy. For the duration of the war they blamed it on spies or loose lips. Some allied soldiers were suspect and even got in serious trouble for it. After the war it was found the Germans had a fairly sophisticated mobile listening net which could quickly and accurately locate the origin of allied radio transmissions. Which lead to a devastating artillery barrage.

Several weeks ago I saw a map of Ukraine which displayed Russian troop concentrations based on cell phone transmissions. Probably thanks to Project Black Jack or Starlink.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM42bTig3xE

[mapuc]

I don't know which leg I should be standing on in this case.

Putin is about to get humiliated by the Ukrainians

A Danish general has said

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2808707&postcount=3965

Expert use to be wrong too, but mostly they are correct

So should we go all in and humiliate him totally and face the risc of a nuclear war
Or
Should we let Russia keep these to Region in Ukraine.

The best scenario would have been Russia withdraw its troops and material from the Entire Ukraine.

But it looks like Putin rather wants to be humiliated and lose face than withdraw his troop and only lose face.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

Putin's feelings be damned. We deal with him now, because if we don't, we deal with him again later.

[Dargo]

I don't know which leg I should be standing on in this case.

Putin is about to get humiliated by the Ukrainians

A Danish general has said

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2808707&postcount=3965

Expert use to be wrong too, but mostly they are correct

So should we go all in and humiliate him totally and face the risc of a nuclear war
Or
Should we let Russia keep these to Region in Ukraine.

The best scenario would have been Russia withdraw its troops and material from the Entire Ukraine.

But it looks like Putin rather wants to be humiliated and lose face than withdraw his troop and only lose face.

MarkusHe wages wars of aggression and ruthlessly orders the destruction of entire cities. The West cannot compromise over crimes against humanity on this scale. On the contrary, Putin must be defeated. The only language he understands is the language of overwhelming strength.

[Rockstar]

I don't know which leg I should be standing on in this case.

Putin is about to get humiliated by the Ukrainians

A Danish general has said

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2808707&postcount=3965

Expert use to be wrong too, but mostly they are correct

So should we go all in and humiliate him totally and face the risc of a nuclear war
Or
Should we let Russia keep these to Region in Ukraine.

The best scenario would have been Russia withdraw its troops and material from the Entire Ukraine.

But it looks like Putin rather wants to be humiliated and lose face than withdraw his troop and only lose face.

Markus

I’m sure it boils down to second languages. But as I tried to point out a few posts ago. I don’t agree that ‘we’ i.e. NATO, U.S., Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Poland, France, Germany, etc, etc. are the ones humiliating Putin.

Putin and his inner circle of yes-men have single-handedly achieved being humiliated all by themselves, there is no one else too blame. If they don’t like being humiliated they can leave Ukraine, stop living in the past and work with rather than against their European neighbors.

[mapuc]

Thank you so much for your input on my latest post/comment.

You are right he and his inner circle has humiliated Putin them self.

He is the one who used aggression against an innocent country and should feel the consequences of this.

But I don't like the chance of a Nuclear war on the other hand I don't want Putin to win I want him to lose the entire Ukraine.

Markus

[Rockstar]

Nuclear war would definitely suck. But if that’s the route Russia wants to take and go nuclear, so be it, they started this. I would be the first to volunteer to push the button in retaliation and launch everything we had ensuring every goddamn thing they hold dear, culture, homes, husbands, wives, children, grand children, babies, dogs, cats, parrots, vodka, and their p.o.s. Lada would perish in one big f’in fireball.

Break out the hotdogs and marshmallows everyone.

http://arek.bdmonkeys.net/DB/i/weenie.jpg

[Skybird]

So should we go all in and humiliate him totally and face the risc of a nuclear war
Or
Should we let Russia keep these to Region in Ukraine.

The best scenario would have been Russia withdraw its troops and material from the Entire Ukraine.


We leave the decision of whether the Ukrainians keep their state territory or trade it for some untrustworthy "deal" with Russia to the Ukrainians, okay? Otherwise, we will behave like Stalin and Hitler, when they disposed of Ukraine as if it did not exist and was only booty for the interests of others.
These decisions can be made only by one: the Ukrainians, and them alone. And if they decide to fight, it is not for us to criticize them for it. We already have a lot of Russia-understanders who are scrupulously careful not to "provoke" Russia, and allow it to find face-saving solutions. As if provocation is needed to make Russia strike out! If they want to strike out, they will always, and construct from everything a provocation. This Russophile crap must finally come to an end. The war will end when the last Russian wearer of a uniform has left the territory of Ukraine, dead or alive. And now that Putin has escalated in February, that includes Crimea. If the Ukrainians are strong enough, they will take it back. We should do our part to make sure that they are sufficiently armed to do that and to see the war through, no matter how long it lasts. And if Putin threatens nuclear strikes, well, we can kindly remind him that three NATO member states also have substantial nuclear arsenals - and SLBM second-strike capability if the Western capitals and nuclear arsenals on land were taken out by a surprise attack.
And whether the Ukrainians risk suffering "small" tactical nuclear strikes on their territory is, again, entirely a Ukrainian decision. Not ours.

[Rockstar]

One other thing. Who says Putin and his inner circle of yes-men are humiliated? What do they care as they sit in their ivory towers surrounded by wealth, good food and hookers as press gangs even now continue to round up conscripts to die for a war they started?

[mapuc]

I stand corrected and bow in respect for the Ukrainians decision and not ours.

We should support Ukrainians goal to liberate the entire Ukraine(incl. Crimea)

We should also tell Putin with big words that he alone are responsible for the war and he alone is responsible for being humiliated by the Ukrainians.

So should there be a nuclear war then let it be so.

Markus

[mapuc]

Heard in the Swedish news this afternoon.

Putin has a huge toolbox from where he can use many type of tools against Sweden and/or Finland.

What tool can we expect him to use ?

Most likely

violate Swedish and / or Finnish airspace

Likely

Cyber attack

Unlikely
Missile attack against military and/or Civilian targets in Sweden and/or Finland

Very much unlikely
Invasion of one of the countries.

Markus

[Rockstar]

Zelenskyy suggests Macron asked him to give up land for peace

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/zelenskyy-suggests-macron-asked-him-to-give-up-land-for-peace/2587476

ROME

French President Emmanuel Macron asked Ukraine to give up some of its land to reach a peace deal with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested in an interview with Italian television.

Speaking late Thursday to public broadcaster RAI, Zelenskyy responded tetchily to a question about Macron’s idea that Russia should not be “humiliated” in a peace settlement, lest it might fuel resentment leading to a new war.

His comments were broadcast in Italian via an interpreter.

“To propose to us to give up something as far as our sovereignty is concerned to save (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin’s face does not seem like a fair thing on the part of some leaders,” he said.

“We are not ready to save someone’s face paying with our territories, I don’t think it’s fair,” the Ukrainian leader insisted, calling the suggestion “wasted time.”

However, Zelenskyy acknowledged it would be difficult to dislodge Russia from parts of Ukraine it controlled before the war, such as Crimea and other eastern territories.

He said the “minimum” condition for sitting down for peace talks with Putin would be the withdrawal of Russian forces from land taken in recent weeks. “Of course, they might unfortunately remain in other occupied territory, unfortunately,” he added.

Both before and after the outbreak of the war on Feb. 24, Macron tried several mediation efforts between Kiev and Moscow, also acting as the holder of the rotating presidency of the European Union.

[Skybird]

I always suspected that. And i bet scholz ticks the same way. Baerbock probably not, but scholz.

[Skybird]

NATO starts military excercises that explicitly simulate a Russian attack on Estland. Finland and Sweden fully participate.

The US sends the biggest US fleet presence since decades into the Baltic. I wonder whether that is due to the running exercises or to protect Sweden and Finland during the NATO transition period. I could imagine a presence was planned for the exercise and then increased due to Finland and Sweden.

Ukrainian forces reach the Russian border at Kharkiv. After Kyiv this is the second humiliating defeat for the invaders.

UK estimates that one third of the troops Russia started the attack with, meanwhile got destroyed or taken out of combat-efficient action. If somebody would have told me that 3 months ago, i would have laughed him off.

MacDonalds says it will sell all its business in Russia, after 30 years. I expect to see Russian population's health indices going up. Maybe they should sell food rations to the Russian army instead, to help the Ukrainian war effort.

[Jimbuna]

Ukraine troops counter-attacking near the north-eastern city of Kharkiv have reached the Russian border, says the regional governor.

Troops restored a Ukrainian sign marking the border, says Oleh Sinegubov, while video purports to show soldiers at the frontier.

Ukrainian forces have been retaking territory in north-eastern areas in recent days, as Russian forces focus on the Donbas region further south.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine could win the war as Russia's invasion is not going to plan.

Sweden’s parliament is debating its government's decision to apply for Nato membership.

Russia has warned Nato expansion would be a "grave mistake" after Sweden and Finland said they wanted to join the military alliance.

One of the biggest ever Nato military exercises in the Baltics is due to begin in Estonia and Latvia.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlOeIOdfrL8

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnoAIDZ3FOc

[Skybird]

https://reitschuster-de.translate.goog/post/das-raetsel-der-deutschen-putin-versteher/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp


The author was born in St. Petersburg, is a Russian Jew, and has lived in Berlin for over 16 years. Pioneer salutes, school uniforms and samizdat books were as much a part of her life as perestroika and food stamps. She developed her affinity for the German language as a schoolchild. Out of this, she stubbornly refuses to gender. At the age of 27, after completing a degree in computer science, she came to Berlin for private reasons and worked for many years as a translator and also as a graphic designer after her second degree.

[mapuc]

Now it is official Sweden and Finland are applying for a Nato membership.

The Swedish and the Finnish Parliament has approved the governments wishes in these two countries and they have simultaneously send the request.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

^ They are also sending delegations to Turkey in an effort to stop said countries objections to their membership.