Russia Invades Ukraine

[TorontoGold]

“Potential war crimes”

???

 

[Irish#1]

The Finland (and Sweden) move towards NATO are the mind-blowing mistakes of Putin here.
He has REALLY screwed up on that. The Finnish leader said strongly on video, directly to Putin,
if you want to know what caused this: YOU did this. Look in the Mirror.

On the war itself, an ex-US general just said that this looks to be heading to a stalled long-term
grinding type war that we've seen so often lately. He did point out that if Ukrainian soldiers could
push forward to a not-distant transportation corridor, that would make Russia's supply support
very much harder.

We need to stay the course here. That means economic pain for Europe, and some economic
pain for us. We could also use less griping about that pain due to the importance of what the
world is trying to accomplish here. Politics will nastily try to use this needed pain to whip up
voting support in disgustingly hypocritical ways.

There are other things to get political about --- most of them sh!tty too in my opinion, but two
things should not be: Crushing Putin, and Crushing COVID. For GOD's sake, and for the world's,
we need to quit labeling anything to do with these two colossal world needs with anything political.

I think most agree that we need to stay the course. Both Dems and Repubs voted to support Ukraine so this shouldn't get too political.

I read that article. Seems it will be more drawn out because Ukraine doesn't have the means to counter with any large assault. They've been very effective with a more defensive strategy and taking areas back a little at a time. I'm still curious how the areas like Odessa and Mariupol are going to turn out? Russia has committed more energy there.

 

[GATTACA!]

 

[Irish#1]

This is so funny. So they decided to take the hard way and lose soldiers and equipment at alarming rates.

Russian diplomat says invasion is proceeding on schedule but not as quickly as some in the country would like​

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Russia's Ambassador to the European Union said Moscow's invasion of Ukraine is on track but not proceeding at the speed certain people in the country wanted.
Calling the invasion a "special military operation," Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov told Sky News Russia could have "steamrolled" Ukraine by now if it had wanted.

"It is continuing at a certain speed, having in mind the various aspects of the situation in Ukraine, including the need to protect the troops — the Russian troops and the allies of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics — as well as the civilian population," Chizhov said.
"Had the Russian army followed the pattern of the United States and other Western countries, we would have steamrolled Ukraine several times by now. But that was never the intention. Actually, I should repeat that it was not the intention of Russia to capture territory in Ukraine."

When asked about the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine Chizhov said:

"You mean whether NATO will deploy nuclear weapons in Ukraine? I hope not." He added, "As distinctly different from the United States, Russia does not deploy nuclear weapons anywhere beyond its own territory."

Chizhov said he is "deeply disappointed and saddened" by Finland and Sweden making moves to join NATO.
"Why the current Finish government has chosen to turn the country into a backwater periphery of NATO, I cannot understand," he said.
If Finland joins, Russia will take "certain military technical measures," he said.

"Like improving or raising the degree of defense preparations along the Finish border...not necessarily troops and tanks but certain preparations like radars, perhaps, but I'm not a military expert."

 

[ab2cmiller]

Supposedly the largest loss of life event yet for the Russians during this "Special Military Operation" Basically the Ukranians saw what was happening, they waited until the pontoon bridge was virtually complete and the tanks in line to try to cross, then blew the whole MF up.

 

[GowerND11]

This is so funny. So they decided to take the hard way and lose soldiers and equipment at alarming rates.

This reads like some bad comedy sketch on late night TV making fun of Russia. Yet.... it's LITERALLY Russia saying it. I can't tell if they actually believe the shit spewing from their own mouths, or if they are being paid extra to just say this stuff.

 

[Irish#1]

Article I read only mentioned the two bridges being blown up. That's great if they waited so they could blow up the equipment. Then read they discovered a third pontoon bridge, but no report on if it was blown up. I might let a small group cross, blow the bridge, then wipe out the group that crossed.

 

[Irish#1]

This reads like some bad comedy sketch on late night TV making fun of Russia. Yet.... it's LITERALLY Russia saying it. I can't tell if they actually believe the shit spewing from their own mouths, or if they are being paid extra to just say this stuff.

Yep. Think about this idiot addressing these people with a straight face like anyone is going to believe him.

 

[Bishop2b5]

It's almost like listening to an anchor on CNN or MSNBC.

 

[drayer54]

 

[calvegas04]

Article I read only mentioned the two bridges being blown up. That's great if they waited so they could blow up the equipment. Then read they discovered a third pontoon bridge, but no report on if it was blown up. I might let a small group cross, blow the bridge, then wipe out the group that crossed.

They did do that, and when the russians retreated they had no way to cross and were destroyed.

 

[calvegas04]

 

[NorthDakota]

He has some cool stuff. He's also a propagandist...not a journalist.

The drone footage of the respective sides taking out vehicles is pretty wild to see. R/combatfootage has wild stuff. Looks like both sides are putting a dent in one another.

I'm sure both sides got their share of crazy stuff not getting caught on video. Makes ya wonder.

This war is pretty unique. A) GoPro or phone footage. B) modern (by non-US standards) C) largely using the same weaponry, and D) their languages sound the same to all of us so it feels goofy.

 

[BobbyMac]

He has some cool stuff. He's also a propagandist...not a journalist.

The drone footage of the respective sides taking out vehicles is pretty wild to see. R/combatfootage has wild stuff. Looks like both sides are putting a dent in one another.

I'm sure both sides got their share of crazy stuff not getting caught on video. Makes ya wonder.

This war is pretty unique. A) GoPro or phone footage. B) modern (by non-US standards) C) largely using the same weaponry, and D) their languages sound the same to all of us so it feels goofy.

He's a propagandist?

What has he reported that is untrue?

 

[NorthDakota]

He's opinionated (Ukraine) and only has access to Ukraine info.
But he is definitely not a propagandist. That is something else entirely.
He is a reporter on the front lines.
And he has interesting real-life stuff.

If he has internet access he has access to more than Ukrainian information only. He is a propagandist. He does have some neat little stories and stuff.

Buttt......he's basically Mark May during a ND/Pitt game. His message is gonna be the same whether ND is up 21 or Pitt is up 21.

 

[Rogue219]

 

[Rogue219]

You assholes can't cross a river. Take a look at a map of Finland.

 

[ab2cmiller]

The one thing that Russia was trying to stop, is all but guaranteed now. An increased NATO presence closer to Russia's borders. What an absolute cluster f*** by Russia.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

A corollary to this is Europe appears to be lockstep in ending any energy dependence on Russian oil/gas. Not only have two border countries now joined NATO but their energy sales will be taking a massive hit with Europe cutting them off in the near future.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Good for Sweden and Finland
Bad for us that it required this
One step closer to WW3

 

[Old Man Mike]

My information for several years is that the US military knows exactly where the operable land-based Russian nukes are and have a very fast-strike plan to obliterate those sites --- and that Russian military leaders know this. This is why you always hear the word "tactical" used. One translation of that word (if you're a student) is "nowhere near you guys, so don't pull the trigger." They know that the Thunderbird of the Sky and the Leviathan of the Sea are staring right down their throats, AND they know that all they have is their dirty messy missiles to pollute the planet and no feasible way to stop whatever the Thunderbird/Leviathan have ready to use instantly. (China, on a slightly different topic, knows this too, despite being way more able than Russia. Why else have they been so mild in their decades of Taiwan threats?) The Thunderbird and The Leviathan are THE Monsters of Earth. There are no other Godzillas or Rodans. ... an occasional Dragon maybe, but it better keep out of the no-fly zones.

The only really big issue is where the Russian subs are. Again, to my information, we always have nearby fleet elements and/or our sub-destroyer subs dogging their locations. Knowing exactly where they are should not be a problem --- we can detect dolphins from space. and our subs are better than theirs. Putin would have to go complete brain-panic to order this, (i.e. WWIII) and then the top generals would have to go similarly BONK. WWIII is NOT going to happen. A "tactical" mini-nuke in Ukraine? Just the slightest "maybe." Even that doesn't make even psychological sense let alone "tactical" sense. ... so I doubt even that Tickling of the Tiger. ("Tickling the Tiger" was the scientists nickname for their semi-crazy methods of pushing two halves of a critical mass of U-235 SLOWLY towards one another to measure the escalation of hard radiation exchange between the masses. A physics grad student was always nearby with a bucketful of Boron salt water to throw on the pieces if the rate seemed "running away." Those students deserved their PhDs without a thesis.)

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

My information for several years is that the US military knows exactly where the operable land-based Russian nukes are and have a very fast-strike plan to obliterate those sites --- and that Russian military leaders know this. This is why you always hear the word "tactical" used. One translation of that word (if you're a student) is "nowhere near you guys, so don't pull the trigger." They know that the Thunderbird of the Sky and the Leviathan of the Sea are staring right down their throats, AND they know that all they have is their dirty messy missiles to pollute the planet and no feasible way to stop whatever the Thunderbird/Leviathan have ready to use instantly. (China, on a slightly different topic, knows this too, despite being way more able than Russia. Why else have they been so mild in their decades of Taiwan threats?) The Thunderbird and The Leviathan are THE Monsters of Earth. There are no other Godzillas or Rodans. ... an occasional Dragon maybe, but it better keep out of the no-fly zones.

The only really big issue is where the Russian subs are. Again, to my information, we always have nearby fleet elements and/or our sub-destroyer subs dogging their locations. Knowing exactly where they are should not be a problem --- we can detect dolphins from space. and our subs are better than theirs. Putin would have to go complete brain-panic to order this, (i.e. WWIII) and then the top generals would have to go similarly BONK. WWIII is NOT going to happen. A "tactical" mini-nuke in Ukraine? Just the slightest "maybe." Even that doesn't make even psychological sense let alone "tactical" sense. ... so I doubt even that Tickling of the Tiger. ("Tickling the Tiger" was the scientists nickname for their semi-crazy methods of pushing two halves of a critical mass of U-235 SLOWLY towards one another to measure the escalation of hard radiation exchange between the masses. A physics grad student was always nearby with a bucketful of Boron salt water to throw on the pieces if the rate seemed "running away." Those students deserved their PhDs without a thesis.)

What the hell. They deserved their PhDs and full stipend retroactively to cover undergrad. OMG, that is some wild stuff Mike and the type of information I enjoy reading. Thanks for rejoining, fascinating stuff.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Those sorts of stories are the fruit of living a long time, plus being a teacher (I taught a little nuclear physics once upon a time and the Manhattan Project was part of that), and, oddly, teaching Environmental Studies, where we were always looking at big picture interactions plus dramatic corner-turning moments. So the number of stories that have accumulated in this 81 year old head are quite large. (I appreciate the encouragement because so many times there are ______ on IE who p!ss on anything, and I often decide not to post because of the _____.)

 

[calvegas04]

My information for several years is that the US military knows exactly where the operable land-based Russian nukes are and have a very fast-strike plan to obliterate those sites --- and that Russian military leaders know this. This is why you always hear the word "tactical" used. One translation of that word (if you're a student) is "nowhere near you guys, so don't pull the trigger." They know that the Thunderbird of the Sky and the Leviathan of the Sea are staring right down their throats, AND they know that all they have is their dirty messy missiles to pollute the planet and no feasible way to stop whatever the Thunderbird/Leviathan have ready to use instantly. (China, on a slightly different topic, knows this too, despite being way more able than Russia. Why else have they been so mild in their decades of Taiwan threats?) The Thunderbird and The Leviathan are THE Monsters of Earth. There are no other Godzillas or Rodans. ... an occasional Dragon maybe, but it better keep out of the no-fly zones.

The only really big issue is where the Russian subs are. Again, to my information, we always have nearby fleet elements and/or our sub-destroyer subs dogging their locations. Knowing exactly where they are should not be a problem --- we can detect dolphins from space. and our subs are better than theirs. Putin would have to go complete brain-panic to order this, (i.e. WWIII) and then the top generals would have to go similarly BONK. WWIII is NOT going to happen. A "tactical" mini-nuke in Ukraine? Just the slightest "maybe." Even that doesn't make even psychological sense let alone "tactical" sense. ... so I doubt even that Tickling of the Tiger. ("Tickling the Tiger" was the scientists nickname for their semi-crazy methods of pushing two halves of a critical mass of U-235 SLOWLY towards one another to measure the escalation of hard radiation exchange between the masses. A physics grad student was always nearby with a bucketful of Boron salt water to throw on the pieces if the rate seemed "running away." Those students deserved their PhDs without a thesis.)

We don't have an agreement with the aliens to destroy their nukes is russia launches?

 

[Old Man Mike]

VDP: see what I mean? Didn't take long ....

 

[calvegas04]

VDP: see what I mean? Didn't take long ....

?? It is a legit question. If we are in contact with extraterrestrial beings I would assume they know the destructive nature of humans. If I was a higher up in the government that is one of the first things I would ask them if they would help keep earth from being destroyed in a nuclear war.

 

[notredomer23]

Liveuamap has done a great job of showing the areas that Russia has not only gained, but also lost. Eyeballing it would show they've probably lost about half the territory they initially took. The most notable area is outside of Kharkiv the last few days.

 

[IrishLax]

IAN BIRRELL: Putin's executioners left three brothers in a pit to die — absolutely insane story

 

[Irish#1]

My information for several years is that the US military knows exactly where the operable land-based Russian nukes are and have a very fast-strike plan to obliterate those sites --- and that Russian military leaders know this. This is why you always hear the word "tactical" used. One translation of that word (if you're a student) is "nowhere near you guys, so don't pull the trigger." They know that the Thunderbird of the Sky and the Leviathan of the Sea are staring right down their throats, AND they know that all they have is their dirty messy missiles to pollute the planet and no feasible way to stop whatever the Thunderbird/Leviathan have ready to use instantly. (China, on a slightly different topic, knows this too, despite being way more able than Russia. Why else have they been so mild in their decades of Taiwan threats?) The Thunderbird and The Leviathan are THE Monsters of Earth. There are no other Godzillas or Rodans. ... an occasional Dragon maybe, but it better keep out of the no-fly zones.

The only really big issue is where the Russian subs are. Again, to my information, we always have nearby fleet elements and/or our sub-destroyer subs dogging their locations. Knowing exactly where they are should not be a problem --- we can detect dolphins from space. and our subs are better than theirs. Putin would have to go complete brain-panic to order this, (i.e. WWIII) and then the top generals would have to go similarly BONK. WWIII is NOT going to happen. A "tactical" mini-nuke in Ukraine? Just the slightest "maybe." Even that doesn't make even psychological sense let alone "tactical" sense. ... so I doubt even that Tickling of the Tiger. ("Tickling the Tiger" was the scientists nickname for their semi-crazy methods of pushing two halves of a critical mass of U-235 SLOWLY towards one another to measure the escalation of hard radiation exchange between the masses. A physics grad student was always nearby with a bucketful of Boron salt water to throw on the pieces if the rate seemed "running away." Those students deserved their PhDs without a thesis.)

I've always felt even given his rhetoric, he won't push the button. He knows that we have the capabilities to intercept, but also turn the Kremlin into a parking lot if the need arose.

 

[Irish#1]

IAN BIRRELL: Putin's executioners left three brothers in a pit to die — absolutely insane story

Barbaric