Boo Khaki Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 5 minutes ago, jagfox said: Reveal hidden contents Makes the Russian Navy sound like a bunch of callous shits, but if the rumours are true about the ship rolling over onto it's side, and the seas were heavy, then I can see why a decision would be taken to stay with the ship rather than try to launch whatever lifeboat capacity they had left or just expect the survivors to take their chances in the water. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, ICTChris said: ...The conclusion might be drawn that Putin's failure was waiting too long to invade. An intervention in 2014 to keep Viktor Yanukovych in power and seal the deal on his move to align with Russia economically rather than the EU was the time to do what he's doing now because a large portion of the state apparatus was aligned with the pro-Russian Party of the Regions at that point and would probably have been on his side. He would have been able to claim with some justification that he was protecting the constitutional order against a coup. Vlad gets portrayed as some kind of strategic genius but when you look more closely it's not so obvious why. By instead removing Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea from Ukrainian elections he tilted the balance of Ukrainian politics towards a solidly pro-EU and pro-NATO stance creating a Ukrainian state that was going to be much more difficult for him to invade down the road. He also seems to have been seriously out to lunch on how EU leaders would react to him going all 1930s over the very existence of a sovereign state right on their doorstep, because if the EU phase out Russian fossil fuel purchases then the entire system he has built will collapse. The violent overthrow of the Ukrainian state was never likely to instill confidence in Russia as a reliable business partner, so how he thought it could be business as usual in the aftermath is beyond me. Edited April 15, 2022 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Tattiescone Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 1 minute ago, Boo Khaki said: Makes the Russian Navy sound like a bunch of callous shits, ... Not a surprising revelation after what happened with the Kursk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennett Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 1 hour ago, jagfox said: Maybe we could loan them a couple of Lancasters. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearthammer Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 8 minutes ago, bennett said: Maybe we could loan them a couple of Lancasters. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budmiester1 Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 (edited) 18 minutes ago, bennett said: Maybe we could loan them a couple of Lancasters. I doubt it, the "Upkeep" of these planes is too expensive just to "Chastise" the Russians I'll get my coat. Edited April 15, 2022 by budmiester1 added crap reference 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 6 hours ago, Fullerene said: It is incredibly difficult to invade an island. See the UK in WW2, as well as various islands in the Pacific War. Hitler gave up - too much effort with too little to gain. By comparison, the European plain is "Great tank country" as some enthusiasts would say. It is easy to invade Russia and conquer a lot of territory. Holding on to it is the fiddly bit. The puzzle is why Russia thinks anybody wants to invade Russia. NATO countries would not dare and similarly non-NATO countries. I've seen a few different Cold War documentaries mention that the Americans changed their mentality towards Russia sometime after Reagan took office. Supposedly they'd always assumed the Russian propaganda about the bellicose Yanks was just to put the shits up their own people, but Reagan's team started to realise that the Russian high command genuinely believed that an all-out nuclear attack from the US was a genuine possibility, despite the inevitable consequences. Funny, considering anyone over 35 will likely remember the image of the cold, dispassionate Soviets, ready to turn our cities to glass at a moment's notice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 7 minutes ago, BFTD said: ..., but Reagan's team started to realise that the Russian high command genuinely believed that an all-out nuclear attack from the US was a genuine possibility, ... Deutschland 83 was based very loosely on something that actually happened. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 4 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: Deutschland 83 was based very loosely on something that actually happened. Not seen it (but soon will), but I assume that's about the NATO exercises that the Russians decided were a ruse to cover an imminent nuclear attack. IIRC, the Yanks had no idea that, for some time, Russia had been operating under the assumption that a nuclear attack would likely begin with fake military exercises of the type that were taking place 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Was about Able Archer with events shown from an East German perspective. Well worth a watch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 6 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: Was about Able Archer with events shown from an East German perspective. Well worth a watch. It's on the download list 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Naval News report on the sinking of the cruiser Moscow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefybake Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 (edited) 18 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said: He also seems to have been seriously out to lunch on how EU leaders would react to him going all 1930s over the very existence of a sovereign state right on their doorstep, because if the EU phase out Russian fossil fuel purchases then the entire system he has built will collapse. The violent overthrow of the Ukrainian state was never likely to instill confidence in Russia as a reliable business partner, so how he thought it could be business as usual in the aftermath is beyond me. Putin is a poker player, rather than a 'strategic genius. And the Russian attitude to sanctions , or at least the attitude of powerful and wealthy Russians, is/has been.... "..... We know sanctions. We just sit them out, and eventually the foreign businesses come creeping back..." Edited April 16, 2022 by beefybake 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 (edited) Agree about that being the probable mentality but the thing is that the heavy reliance on Russian fossil fuels was a choice arrived at for political expediency rather than out of any real necessity so there's no guarantee they are going to come creeping back now. I would be amazed if Nord Stream II does anything other than rust in the years ahead. If the Germans had simply kept their nuclear plants operating to the end of their intended operational life and built a few more in recent years they could have easily avoided the mess they are now in where staying warm next winter is concerned. The only reason for using gas to the extent that they do was to appease the Greens by using it to back up all their wind farms. Even with gas if the EU had simply followed through with the Nabucco pipeline it would have been a lot easier to impose a gas embargo on Russia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabucco_pipeline The only real problem the EU faces is how to get through next winter if Vlad turns off the taps but even then FSRU ships can help make additional LNG supplies from the US, Qatar and maybe even Australia doable. In the medium to long term there are plenty of alternatives on energy supply that can and almost certainly will happen now Edited April 16, 2022 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt n Vinegar Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 I see that Russia has banned BoJo and 12 ministers from Russia. That's like banning me from a Celtic supporters' AGM or a vegan lunch club. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 15 minutes ago, Salt n Vinegar said: I see that Russia has banned BoJo and 12 ministers from Russia. That's like banning me from a Celtic supporters' AGM or a vegan lunch club. Nicola Sturgeon has also been sanctioned by Russia. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt n Vinegar Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 15 minutes ago, ICTChris said: Nicola Sturgeon has also been sanctioned by Russia. Christ no! How ever will she get over it? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 33 minutes ago, ICTChris said: Nicola Sturgeon has also been sanctioned by Russia. She's getting interviewed on RT by Alex Salmond? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.