Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

I've seen reports of invaders dressed in Ukrainian uniforms.
If true? They fall under a Spy and should be shot on sight!

If I’m not mistaken there is very little difference between Russian and Ukrainian uniforms and armaments. The only thing I know which separates them is the Russians wear a white arm band or as the babushuka video shows a white band tied around the leg. Vehicles have a white Z painted on them.

As the battles rage I imagine those markings will eventually wear or fall off making targets harder to identify.

[Jeff-Groves]

I'm told counter attacks on Cyber from Russia are having a great impact!
Did you know that some of the software was taken from a friend of mine?
So who best to counter?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Read somewhere that Russia had sent saboteur into Ukraine. Maybe it is these who wear Ukrainian uniform

Edit
Read this in a comment from a Danish politician

Ukraine has, according to Ukrainian sources, lost:
3,500 soldiers, 200 have been captured.
14 airplane
8 helicopters
102 tanks
536 armored vehicles
15 artillery
Since the war started
End edit

Markus

I just heard comparable numbers on TV, Markus - but they were given as Russian losses, according to Ukrainian sources.

As long as both sides' losses are not equal.

I fear that the Ukrainians are still fighting with the first attack echelon. The Russians bring in the second now, with some real mean weapons.

I cnanot imagien the moral of Russian units beign too good now in that first echelon. They must have sdtarted to relaise that the relaity as it was described to them doe snto meet the reality they are finding oujt there - and that speaks their language, is citie slike those they knowe at home, and has a people clubbing them form alld irecitons, with no desire shown to be liberated by the Russian invaders.

A German former NATO general said on TV that might be the reason why Putin has sent Chechnyan fighters in now. They are known to be brutal and remorseless and may not stop a tank from rolling over a civilian protester where as Russian tank drivers have been seen onm videos who stopped the tank.

I am very very concerned about those thermobaric weapons and the people in the subway for shelter. If the Russians use these weapons in civilian places and cities, they break every convention on warfare there is. It would be war crimes at minimum, but I would rate it even, due to its systematic ambition, as genocide.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I just heard comparable numbers on TV, Markus - but they were given as Russian losses, according to Ukrainian sources.

As long as both sides' losses are not equal.

And again you are correct

https://kyivindependent.com/national...on-all-fronts/

Which makes me wonder how much Ukraine has lost in the war.
Heard something like 198 dead whereof 3 was children-Must be civilians

Markus

[Andreas86]

Russian tanks, personell, BMPs, helos and fighter jets are taken out at a high rate, compared to what many expected. Hard to say if they are putting their best equipment into this, and it seems they are holding back a bit. Media makes a big deal out of Russias invasion being slowed down, but I would still say that the russians have gotten far in just a few days. If Russia really wanted to conquer Ukraine fast they would have surely used more brute force to establish air dominance? Why aren't cruise missiles and/or ballistic and hypersonic missiles raining down on the Ukrainan airfields and air defense sites if they really want to silence the air opposition? I would have expected them to saturate air bases with missiles if they want air superiority. Maybe the Russians want to do this somewhat surgically, to preserve men, airfields and infrastructure. But they did not expect the amount of resistance they have met -so it fails somewhat. But don't underestimate their capability yet. The Ukrainians puts up an enormous and brave fight, and it is quite a wake up call for Europe! Who knows what is next..? Certainly don't like how this escalates. How will Russia respond to being isolated economically, socially and politically? This is scary.

As for comparisons to the first Gulf War, the Iraqis did not possess the best in Soviet tech by any means. The iraqi tanks were lowest tier soviet exports, even lacking proper gunsights and other crucial tech. As for the air force and air defence, they never had a chance. The Iraqi army was beaten in most regards before the ground war even began. Nor were they motivated to fight. Thanks to superior technology, and once the IADS was taken out of play, Iraq never had a fighting chance.

But that does not mean the US or NATO for that matter would have had as easy a time in Europe back then, facing the best of Soviet armor, well trained personell and very capable combat aircraft. Like now things could have escalated fast, leaving less time to plan, and warfare in hard terrain is different from endless flat desert which allowed the US to advance reasonably fast around Saddams republican guard units, who were effectively blinded.

Don't forget that much of the weapons that Ukraine uses to fight the Russians now is old soviet equipment, like 3600 T-72s and 34 SU-27s, and the AK-47s they hand out like candy. It is not just Javelins and Stingers doing damage, but they sure like talking about them on TV.

[Skybird]

One thing is certain. The Ukrainians perform very, very impressively so far. The Russians have totally underestimated what they were embarking themselves into. There also seems to be no uprise by the Russian population against the ukraine government, instead the whole country kicks, shoots and clubs at the Russians and from all directions, no matter the chances.



Russia has switched off social media, I red earlier this day. It seems the many videos from the Ukraine shot by smartphone owners are something the thugs in the Kremlin do not want the Russians to see. If only we could flood the military communication networks with these films, it would be a cataclysmic "mood bomb" for Russian troop morale.

[nikimcbee]

Interview with Russian soldier from DNN:

[mapuc]

Again a speculation a thought

If the world agree on cutting Russia from this Swift-thing, which in my eyes is the same as an economical blockade-

Wonder how the Russian government see this step towards them ?

Markus

[ET2SN]

Don't read too much into this yet.

Still, its a good look at what is going on.



If Russia continues to do poorly, is that good or bad?
I'm couching this as if Putin has painted himself into a corner with no good ways to withdraw. Does that expand the conflict to the rest of Europe or even the entire northern hemisphere? Do the oligarchs in Moscow get tired and start looking for some new leadership to run the show?

Or, is this just looking at the bright spots in a very hazy picture?

[Andreas86]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

If Russia continues to do poorly, is that good or bad?
I'm couching this as if Putin has painted himself into a corner with no good ways to withdraw. Does that expand the conflict to the rest of Europe or even the entire northern hemisphere? Do the oligarchs in Moscow get tired and start looking for some new leadership to run the show?

Or, is this just looking at the bright spots in a very hazy picture?

I feel you are right. Been thinking about the same thing all day.. No good way for Putin to withdraw, don't want to lose face, a possible russian coup, etc. But everyone has everything to loose if this grows bigger.

Edit: Also mapuc's good point about SWIFT. On top of all other sanctions, this could be taken as a very hostile step. Would not be surprised if Europe woke up soon to our infrastructure paralyzed because of cyber attacks.

[Skybird]

Its rumoured since eons that Putin is ill. May have leucemia. Treatment of it may weaken his immune system, which might explain his paranoia regarding Covid, and those long tables during recent fake talks.



Its also said that his isolation is hard to penetrate, and that only his closest advisers reach to him - and they all are hawks, old KGB school. This means we cannot say whether he controls them, or they control him by feeding him information that manipulates him in the way they want. Who is really the commander in the Russian house? I think that is a very relevant question. Mind you, Putin is a secret service guy, that is his power base - not the military. The militaries are said to have all warned him against the invasion. Possible that the big cats in the secret service have other plans.



Still, its also possible that Putin is in full control, and nobody dares to oppose his views. Then we have a situation like with Hitler at the end. Which means it is extremely dangerous and instabile. He may command desperate actions with nobody daring to stop them. Thats is the main reason why I am so very much alarmed about those thermobaric weapons brought into place. I think he is determined to use them. Like Hitler said that if the Germans dissappoint his desire for vitory they then do not deserve to live on as a people and nation, Putin may say if the Ukrainians do not love him they do not deserve to live and so breaking their resistence by any means is acceptable. That is the logic of a psychopaths, and I say that as a former psychologist. Its one fo the key things one has to understand about a psychopath: he does reserve the right to use any ammount of force, manipulation, lie and brutality needed to enforce his will, he does not have empathy and no ability to "feel himself into other living beings", other life and other will is of no relevance to him he could even just perceive as a facotre valid. The difference between ethical and unethical, good or evil, do not mean anything for him, he simply lacks the ability to understand these conceptions, they mean nothing to him.



Spounds fmailiar? Ye,s Trumpo is like this, too. The difefrence is, Putin adds intelligence, Trump only his narcissism. Thats why he never was a match for Putin.



Thats why I repeatedly ask whether we can really take it for granted that Putin is mentally sane anymore. I am not taking that for granted anymore.


Paranoia could also play a role.



Who are the ones in charge in the Kremlin and what is their mental sanity status? Thats the two most relevant questions we should be aware of, and I think they have become relevant for the whole world now. There is a threat implied that affects every nation on the globe. Possible that Putin by now is just a remote-controlled figurehead, carefully manipulated in his perception of what goes on by carefully tailored and manipulated briefings and intel informations. I do not know for sure, but I consider that to be possible.


I fear the Ukrainians have the worst still ahead of them. I hope I am wrong, I really do.

[Skybird]

News agencies report the USA, France, Canada, Italy, Great Britain, the EU Commission and Germany have decided on further tough financial sanctions against Russia. Russian banks, which are already sanctioned by the international community, will be excluded from the international payment system Swift. As far as necessary, other Russian banks are to be added. Thus, these institutions are to be cut off from international financial flows.


Russia will retaliate. Lets see how much longer the gas will flow. Still, going this direction is the only right way to go for us all. Now this way needs to be walked on to the end: all banks must be added, the boycott of Russian banks must be complete.

[mapuc]

^ If Russia cut it's gas flow to Europe as a retaliation then it's not only Germany who will suffer. Even Denmark who buy a lot of gas from Russia gazprom.

Denmark could supply itself with gas, but since some year back one of the gas field-Thyra has been shut down-It was cheaper to buy Russian gas than use own gas.

Some days ago the Danish government said to Oersted that this gas field Thyra should produce gas again-if Russia cut the gas to Denmark.

The response the government got was.

It will take about a year before we again can send gas from Thyra field to Denmark.

Markus

[Rockstar]

Considering the Germans sudden change of heart of now wanting to ship arms and help Ukraine. Maybe it’s a sign things really are going bad for Russia, or not. Why else would they? Either way because publicly the German weasels gotta look like they tried for the media you know lol.


April 2006

Poland accused Germany yesterday of conspiring with Russia to threaten central Europe in a manner that recalled the deal between Hitler and Stalin to carve up Poland before the second world war.

In a bitter attack on German policies towards central Europe, Radek Sikorski, the Polish defence minister, accused Berlin of hypocrisy, advocating common EU foreign, security, and energy policies while failing to consult EU allies.

The target was the deal between Berlin and Moscow last year to bypass eastern and central Europe with a new pipeline under the Baltic Sea linking Russia directly with Germany.

Poland, dependent on Russian power supplies and at odds with its former overlord, fears the pact will let the Kremlin punish its former subjects in central Europe by turning off the energy taps without jeopardising its lucrative and politically important energy supplies to western Europe.


"Poland has a particular sensitivity to corridors and deals above our head," Mr Sikorski told a transatlantic security conference in Brussels. "That was the Molotov-Ribbentrop tradition. That was the 20th century. We don't want any repetition of that," he said.

Mr Sikorski said Poland had asked Chancellor Angela Merkel to review the controversial gas deal. "We asked. She refused," Mr Sikorski said.

Germany and Russia made the deal before last year's German election which the then chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, lost. He has since been given a lucrative post overseeing the project being built by the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and two large German energy corporations.

Ms Merkel, some of her cabinet, and German industrialists spent most of last week at a summit with the Russians in Siberia and are sticking to the gas pact.

The Poles are the most vocal but far from the only critics of the gas deal, which Warsaw insists is motivated by politics rather than economics since it would be much cheaper to upgrade existing pipelines connecting Russia with western Europe via Belarus and Poland.

Poland's attack was echoed by unusually frank criticism from the Brussels energy commissioner who said the pipeline deal set an unhappy precedent for the EU's bid to coin a common energy plan.

[Gorpet]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

No Boots don't mean jack!
Only reason you put Boots on the ground is to claim that ground with Troops.
What if one only wants to wipe other Troops and leave a wide swatch of dead behind for others to bury?

The first thing that comes out of the mouth of an American Politician.We will not put boots on the ground.Then they do every time, never fails. Oh and who follows British troops. We certainly are living in exciting times.Nato and the EU has got it's ass squeezed. Putin and Xi Jinping are the winners of this chess game. Silly Rabbits.