Ukraine war mega thread

[Troy]

It's looking more likely that the Ukraine government will be decapitated. Cruise missiles into govt buildings , Iraq war style .

There's no evidence to suggest this is the case. In fact, the current Russian strategy appears to be limited to the South and East. They hoped for better local support to succeed in taking part of Ukraine, second prize from the mission. This is also proving difficult to achieve.

An attack on Kiev would fail to achieve anything at this stage, except perhaps turn more countries against Russia and even more crippling sanctions.

[panama hat]

This is getting stoopid.

By this you mean the invasion of a sovereign and non-threatening state by the Russian military, surely

[panama hat]

Nato needs to go in and quickly take over the fight in Ukraine.

Fuck me dead, you are such a legend . . . you've never actually been in the military, have you.

And what do you think Putin's response would be if NATO went into Ukraine? Well, at least you're the armchair general 13.000kms away

The Germans have been dragged kicking and screaming into helping Ukraine

Except that Germany has sent weapons to Ukraine since February - nice try, though.

[HermantheGerman]

Maybe, maybe not
But if you do rename the streets after "nazis", I'd say that there is a fair chance, that you are one yourself.
Or if you issue stamps of nazis......
Only the blind won't see it

I want to give a typical helge answer/question:

Are there any Putin stamps out there?
Is Putin being glorified like a Nazi?

Only the blind won't.....

[HermantheGerman]

Sure, that's war for you. There will be atrocities on both sides- although only one side is really being reported, and several times falsely accused. Why War?

Bullshit! The Nazi Wochenschau (Russia1, RT, Russa24) is running everyday in Russia and the world, with the approval of their Fuehrer .

Television in Russia - Wikipedia


Those dumb fucking Krauts are still allowing it to be received in Germany.

[OhOh]

There are other countries that have the Gepard that use non Swiss ammo so it can be bought from them.

Presuming, the Swiss don't have similar "rules" with others they have supplied ammo to.

The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) confirmed a report by broadcaster SRF that it had blocked Germany from sending munitions for the Gepard tank to Ukraine.

[OhOh]

Putin warns the US to back off in Ukraine

April 27, 2022 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR


"The Western narrative of the two-month old war in Ukraine imbued with the rhetoric of “democracy versus autocracy,” has dramatically changed with the assertion by the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin at a news conference in Poland Monday following his and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Kiev, that Washington wants to “to see Russia weakened.” David Sanger at the New York Times noted that Austin was “acknowledging a transformation of the conflict, from a battle over control of Ukraine to one that pits Washington more directly against Moscow.” But this is not really a transformation. Sanger’s colleague at the Washington Post, David Ignatius, had written over three months ago that the Biden Administration was working on a road map to get Russia blogged down in Ukraine and attrition it in a way that it becomes a much diminished power on the world stage.

For the Kremlin, most certainly, Austin’s remark would not have come as surprise. As recently as on Monday, President Vladimir Putin repeated at a meeting in the Kremlin that the US and its allies have sought to “split Russian society and destroy Russia from within.” Putin revisited the topic again on Wednesday pointing out that “the forces that have been historically pursuing a policy aimed at containing Russia just don’t need such an independent and large country, even enormously large, in their view. They believe that its very existence poses a threat to them.”

In fact, several perceptive Western observers had estimated that the Kremlin has effectively fallen into a trap laid by the US that is intended to bring down Putin’s regime. Come to think of it, that famous gaffe on 26 March wasn’t a gaffe after all, when President Biden, speaking in Warsaw, had blurted out the impromptu, unscripted remark: “For God’s sake, this man (Putin) cannot remain in power.”

All the same, Austin’s remark signifies that a dramatic change is taking place in the geopolitical situation, which could have positive or negative results. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West that staying involved in the Russia-Ukraine war posed “serious” and “real” risks of a World War III and “we must not underestimate it.”

To be sure, the conflict is slowly but steadily turning into a new phase. Foreign fighters and soldiers from NATO regular units are increasingly beefing up the depleted Ukrainian army’s front lines.

That said, the optics also need to be understood. Austin’s war cry comes soon after Mariupol fell to the Russian forces. A couple of thousands Ukrainian nationalists and a few hundred military personnel from NATO countries are trapped in an underground labyrinth at the Azovstal complex in the city, which Russian forces have sealed off. It has been a severe blow to the US’ prestige.

The Russian special operation is on track — “grinding” the Ukrainian forces to the ground, to borrow the graphic expression from UK prime minister Boris Johnson. On Monday, Russian high-precision missiles hit at least six railway substations in Western Ukraine destroying railway facilities in Krasnoe, Zdolbunov, Zhmerinka, Berdichev, Kovel, Korosten, which were meant to be key transshipment points for the supply of Western weaponry to the Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region. Rail communication in several western regions of Ukraine is effectively blocked.

Reports from the east show that Ukrainian forces are suffering heavy losses. Russian forces have taken the city of Kremennaya and are approaching the town of Lyman, which would give them control of a direct road to Slavyansk from the east.
Austin’s hyped up rhetoric notwithstanding, Ukraine is not only not showing any signs of winning but keeps bleeding, and the territory under the actual control of the Ukrainian government is steadily shrinking. The US officials admit that Pentagon lacks the ability to track the weapons that are going in. Yet, the Biden administration has so far spent around $4 billion on Ukraine. Therein hangs a tale. Who are the real beneficiaries of the US supplies? The level of corruption in Ukraine is a legion.

The plain truth is that it will be many weeks or months before meaningful volumes of heavy weapons could be delivered to Ukrainian combat units but in the meanwhile, the Battle of Donbass will be fought almost entirely on the basis of the current strength on the ground. In a detailed analysis this week, a former colonel in the US Army and prolific media commentator Daniel Davis concluded: “It will take too long for Western governments to come up with a coherent equipping plan and then prepare, ship, and deliver the kit to its destination in a timeframe that could provide Kyiv’s troops the ability to tip the balance against Russia.”

The bottom line is this: The Biden Administration’s geopolitical agenda is to prolong the military conflict, which apart from weakening Russia militarily and diplomatically, turns Europe into a battlefield and makes the continent heavily dependent on the US leadership for a very long time to come. For Biden, the war provides a useful distraction in US politics in an election year.

Austin hosted a conference of the US’ allies on Monday at the American base in Germany to form a monthly contact group on Ukraine’s self defence to coordinate the “efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s military for the long haul.” It has the ominous look of a “coalition of the willing.” Even Israel was recruited. But the US is underestimating the steely Russian resolve to fully realise the objectives behind the special operation in Ukraine. Moscow will not brook any roadblocks, no matter what it takes.

Putin issued a stern warning today: “If someone from outside moves to interfere in the current developments, they should know that they will indeed create strategic threats to Russia, which are unacceptable to us, and they should know that our response to encounter assaults will be instant, it will be quick.”

He was explicit that Russia has military capabilities that the US cannot match. “We have all the tools to do it, the tools that others can’t boast of at the moment, but as for us, we won’t be boasting. We will use them if the need arises and I would like everyone to be aware of it. We have made all the necessary decisions in this regard,” Putin warned. "

https://www.indianpunchline.com/puti...ff-in-ukraine/

[harrybarracuda]

The sooner this looney's reign of terror is ended, the better.

[David48atTD]

If Puffy gets taken out, they better get Sergey Lavrov as well.

[bsnub]

If Puffy gets taken out, they better get Sergey Lavrov as well.

I am pretty sure it would be a package deal.

[harrybarracuda]

If Puffy gets taken out, they better get Sergey Lavrov as well.

Nah, he's a spineless ventriloquist's puppet. Without puffy's hand up his arse, he's nothing.

[Norton]

Do you think he has ambitions on the whole of Ukraine norts? I don't personally, but it may be that he wants to leave it as a 'rump state', cut off from the sea- and I do not believe a peace could be arrived at on that basis.

Yes. Putin has said on more than one occasion the Ukraine is an illegitimate state and belongs to Russia. Surrounding Kyiv and having troops within 10 miles of city center pretty much confirms his intentions.

[Neverna]

Lithuanian Railways to scrap 2,000 jobs amid Russia, Belarus sanctions

Lithuanian Railways (LTG), the country’s state-owned railway company, is planning to lay off around 2,000 employees by the end of the year as a result of the EU sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

LTG has earmarked around 6 million euros for the staff redundancy payments, the company said in a press release on Thursday.

It is estimated that due to sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus, LTG Cargo, Lithuanian Railways’ rail freight company, will transport 26.5 million tonnes of cargo this year, a drop of around 50 percent compared to a year before.

The significant drop in freight volumes will result in a loss of around 150 million euros in revenue for the LTG Group.

Lithuanian Railways to scrap 2,000 jobs amid Russia, Belarus sanctions - LRT

[OhOh]

'Their' includes Russia, right?
No winners here.

One indicator:

One year ago 1US$ bought ₽74.36, it went up to ₽138.7p on the 7th March, today 1US$ bought ₽72.70

Who is winning?

1 USD to RUB - US Dollars to Russian Rubles Exchange Rate

Russia is incapable of attacking the west

It has the weapons, militarily and financial upper hand, and have said they will protect their citizens.

NaGatan POTUS, mumble, mumble .... to the last Ukranian.

knows how poor is outmoded (WWII) strategy is against more modern theatre tech and how poorly trained and commanded his forces are

You have a copy of the Russian military plan, Plan 1, plan 2, plan 3 ..... please post here it with us.

What % of the Russian armies, air force and navy have been utilised so far, what % are awaiting in the wings for the get go?

hindsight the writing was on the wall in 2014 and we've been sleepwalking into this for the past 7 years.

NaGatan + vassals have been financing, arming, training and pushing for war politically since 2014. Unfortunately, currently Russia is grinding the poor conscripted Ukrainian military day after day, after day. NATO, it's on it's knees.

NaGastN .... lets just say they are unwilling and unable to deliver anything except managed press announcements, which are being questioned domestically and foreign.

Russia offered an off ramp, in February. NaGastan + vassals threw it into a bin.

Now, NaGastan/Blinken offers a neutral Ukraine.

Updated on Apr 26, 2022 2:56 PM EDT

"Blinken said the White House would be open to an eventual deal between Russia and Ukraine that results in Ukraine becoming “an unaligned, neutral nation.”

Text and video here:

WATCH: Sec. Antony Blinken and Sen. Rand Paul clash over support for Ukraine to join NATO | PBS NewsHour

[Neverna]

Poland to carry out military exercises in the north and north-east of the country (including the province that borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad) from 1 May until the end of the month.

Ćwiczenia Wojska Polskiego ruszają 1 maja. Na drogach możliwy wzmożony ruch pojazdow wojskowych - Forsal.pl


From Sunday, May 1, there will be columns of military vehicles on the roads of almost the entire country in connection with military exercises - the press officer of the Communication Activities Department of the General Command of the Armed Forces Lt. Col. Magdalena Busz informed on Thursday.

According to the announcement "as part of the exercise, from May 1 to the end of the month, there will be columns of military vehicles on the roads of the provinces: West Pomeranian, Lubuskie, Greater Poland, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie". Military vehicles will be found on highways, expressways and national roads.

The press officer explained that the arrival and passage of the columns will also be used by the participants of the exercises, e.g. to train the reception and deployment of allied forces, to coordinate cross-border activities, and to cooperate with host nations.

Vehicles participating in the exercise will most often be driven at night to minimize traffic disruptions. "However, some journeys will take place during the day and even during peak traffic hours," she noted.

[Neverna]

The above is purportedly just an exercise, but the Poles want to keep the details of the exercise secret. What are they really up to?



"Please do not publish information and photos showing the movements of troops and their locations, dates and times of travel of military columns of data on departures and landings of military aircraft. Be aware of the dangers! have negative consequences for the security and defense system "- emphasized the press officer.


The provinces in the west border Germany, the rest lead from west to east to Kaliningrad.

[Neverna]

More military exercises in eastern Europe.



Romanian Defense Ministry Says No Transfer Of NATO Military Equipment To Border Of Ukraine

Romania is holding military exercises ay the moment and denies it is transferring NATO military equipment to the border of Ukraine.

The Romanian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that there was no transfer of NATO military equipment to the border of Ukraine, but military exercises were being held in the country with the participation of allied countries.

Earlier, a video was circulated on social networks, in which a convoy of military equipment in Romania allegedly moves toward the borders of Ukraine and Moldova.

"We are reporting a new fake news posted on various online platforms in Romania and other countries that promotes the idea that a convoy of US military vehicles will move from Romania to Ukraine. On Wednesday, April 27, US vehicles escorted by special vehicles of the military police of the Romanian army left for the Babadag firing range to carry out the previously planned shooting with the Romanian soldiers and allies," the Romanian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry confirmed that US military equipment was visible in the video, but it had been deployed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base since the beginning of this year.

"The training activities conducted by the military personnel of the allied countries stationed in our country, as part of measures to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, are relevant, therefore, such convoys of military equipment belonging not only to the United States, but also to Belgium, France, Italy, the UK or Portugal can be often observed during trips between bases and joint training facilities," the defense ministry added.

Romanian Defense Ministry Says No Transfer Of NATO Military Equipment To Border Of Ukraine

[Norton]

The above is purportedly just an exercise,

Just exercises. Nothing to worry about here.

[sabang]

That's what the Russians said, innit.

[bsnub]

It has the weapons, militarily and financial upper hand

Russia has already suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Ukrainians in the north, and they are currently in a stalemate in the Donbas. Russia has no advantages at all in a fight with NATO. It would get annihilated.

That's what the Russians said, innit.

So now you are trying to correlate NATO defensive maneuvers with the massive Russian troop build up next to Ukraine that went on for months. You know, the one you claimed wasn't happening. The same one you bleated on about for months that would never invade.

[sabang]

Lie and exaggerate all you want snubs, I ain't listening. Few serious people do. How's that War going for ya- still claiming victory?

[bsnub]

Lie and exaggerate all you want snubs, I ain't listening.

Exactly what did I say that was a lie? Why don't you be more specific?

Few serious people do.

No one on this forum aside from Ohdoh and skiddy take anything you say or post seriously. You have gone from onetime credible poster to a joke.

How's that War going for ya- still claiming victory?

The Ukrainians did achieve a decisive victory in the war for Kyiv. The Russians were forced to retreat.

In regard to the current status on the battlefield, the Russians are in a meat grinder and taking heavy losses, advances are painfully slow and in some places they are being pushed back. I think the Ukrainians are doing remarkably well, all things considered. The war is far from over and the outcome is still uncertain, but more help for Ukraine is on the way (heavy weapons).

[sabang]

Russia pivots to the dynamic East and fast developing Global South

by John V. Walsh Posted onApril 28, 2022

2014 saw two pivotal events that led to the current conflict in Ukraine.


The first, familiar to all, was the coup in Ukraine in which a democratically elected government was overthrown at the direction of the United States and with the assistance of neo-Nazi elements which Ukraine has long harbored.

Shortly thereafter the first shots in the present war were fired on the Russian-sympathetic Donbass region by the newly installed Ukrainian government. The shelling of the Donbass which claimed 14,000 lives has continued for 8 years, despite attempts at a cease-fire under the Minsk accords which Russia, France and Germany agreed upon but Ukraine backed by the US refused to implement. On February 24, 2022, Russia finally responded to the slaughter in Donbass and the threat of NATO on its doorstep.

Russia Turns to the East – China Provides an Alternative Economic Powerhouse.

The second pivotal event of 2014 was less noticed and in fact rarely mentioned in the Western mainstream media. In November of that year according to the IMF, China’s GDP surpassed that of the U.S. in purchasing power parity terms (PPP GDP). (This measure of GDP is calculated and published by the IMF, World Bank and even the CIA. Students of international relations like economics Nobel Laureate, Joseph Stiglitz, Graham Allison and many others consider this metric the best measure of a nation’s comparative economic power.) One person who took note and who often mentions China’s standing in the PPP-GDP ranking is none other than Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

From one point of view, the Russian action in Ukraine represents a decisive turn away from the hostile West to the more dynamic East and the Global South. This follows decades of importuning the West for a peaceful relationship since the Cold War’s end. As Russia makes its Pivot to the East, it is doing its best to ensure that its Western border with Ukraine is secured.

Following the Russian action in Ukraine, the inevitable US sanctions poured onto Russia. China refused to join them and refused to condemn Russia. This was no surprise; after all Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China had been drawing ever closer for years, most notably with trade denominated in ruble-renminbi exchange, thus moving toward independence from the West’s dollar dominated trade regime.

The World Majority Refuses to Back US Sanctions

But then a big surprise. India joined China in refusing to honor the US sanctions regime. And India kept to its resolve despite enormous pressure including calls from Biden to Modi and a train of high level US, UK and EU officials trekking off to India to bully, threaten and otherwise attempting to intimidate India. India would face "consequences," the tired US threat went up. India did not budge.

India’s close military and diplomatic ties with Russia were forged during the anti-colonial struggles of the Soviet era. India’s economic interests in Russian exports could not be countermanded by US threats. Now India and Russia are now working on trade via ruble-rupee exchange. In fact, Russia has turned out to be a factor that put India and China on the same side, pursuing their own interests and independence in the face of US diktat. Moreover with trade in ruble-renminbi exchange already a reality and with ruble-rupee exchange in the offing, are we about to witness a Renminbi-Ruble-Rupee world of trade – a "3R" alternative to the Dollar-Euro monopoly? Is the world’s second most important political relationship, that between India and China, about to take a more peaceful direction? What’s the world’s first most important relationship?

India is but one example of the shift in power. Out of 195 countries, only 30 have honored the US sanctions on Russia. That means about 165 countries in the world have refused to join the sanctions. Those countries represent by far the majority of the world’s population. Most of Africa, Latin America (including Mexico and Brazil), East Asia (excepting Japan, South Korea, both occupied by US troops and hence not sovereign, Singapore and the renegade Chinese Province of Taiwan) have refused. (India and China alone represent 35% of humanity.)

Add to that fact that 40 different countries are now the targets of US sanctions and there is a powerful constituency to oppose the thuggish economic tactics of the US
Finally, at the recent G-20 Summit a walkout led by the US when the Russia delegate spoke was joined by the representatives of only 3 other G-20 countries, with 80% of these leading financial nations refusing to join! Similarly, a US attempt to bar a Russian delegate from a G-20 meeting later in the year in Bali was rebuffed by Indonesia which currently holds the G-20 Presidency.

Nations Taking Russia’s side are no longer poor as in Cold War 1.0.

These dissenting countries of the Global South are no longer as poor as they were during the Cold War. Of the top 10 countries in PPP-GDP, 5 do not support the sanctions. And these include China (number one) and India (number 3). So the first and third most powerful economies stand against the US on this matter. (Russia is number 6 on that list about equal to Germany, number 5, the two being close to equal, belying the idea that Russia’s economy is negligible.)

These stands are vastly more significant than any UN vote. Such votes can be coerced by a great power and little attention is paid to them in the world. But the economic interests of a nation and its view of the main danger in the world are important determinants of how it reacts economically – for example to sanctions. A "no" to US sanctions is putting one’s money where one’s mouth is.

We in the West hear that Russia is "isolated in the world" as a result of the crisis in Ukraine. If one is speaking about the Eurovassal states and the Anglosphere, that is true. But considering humanity as a whole and among the rising economies of the world, it is the US that stands isolated. And even in Europe, cracks are emerging. Hungary and Serbia have not joined the sanctions regime and of course most European countries will not and indeed cannot turn away from Russian energy imports crucial to their economies. It appears that the grand scheme of US global hegemony to be brought about by the US move to WWII Redux, both Cold and Hot, has hit a mighty snag.

For those who look forward to a multipolar world, this is a welcome turn of events emerging out of the cruel tragedy of the US proxy war in Ukraine. The possibility of a saner, more prosperous multipolar world lies ahead – if we can get there.

John V. Walsh, until recently a professor of physiology and neuroscience at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, has written on issues of peace and health care for Asia Times, San Francisco Chronicle, EastBayTimes/San Jose Mercury News, LA Progressive, Antiwar.com, CounterPunch, and others.

[Backspin]

The above is purportedly just an exercise, but the Poles want to keep the details of the exercise secret. What are they really up to?



"Please do not publish information and photos showing the movements of troops and their locations, dates and times of travel of military columns of data on departures and landings of military aircraft. Be aware of the dangers! have negative consequences for the security and defense system "- emphasized the press officer.


The provinces in the west border Germany, the rest lead from west to east to Kaliningrad.

Military exercises are practice invasions. Russian itel is saying that Poland wants to move on west Ukraine. Its not worth the risk but I guess nobody cares.

[sabang]

Lviv is a Polish city anyway. Let 'em have it. Anything is better than the Zelensky/ neo-Nazi clownshow.