Russian invasion of Ukraine

[coprolite]

17 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

The Homes for Ukrainian scheme seems to be having some issues

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61311046

In some local authority areas 30% of the applicants are single men over 40, some specifying they want to host single women in their 20s and 30s.

That story was making me despair for humanity until i reached the end and the government spokesperson said it was all ok. 

[Detournement]

A rare dose of reality from an EU politician.

[DiegoDiego]

You do not fight modern, mechanised warfare with hundreds of thousands of illiterate peasants as happened in the the Crimean and First World Wars. Battlefields are stunningly lethal. Artillery sorted out the idea of mass assault with poor coordination back in 1916. You have to go in in combined arms with all components functioning and in smaller units move quickly passed strong points, this was the way the Germans (infiltration tactics) and allies (combined arms with supporting tanks and artillery) were finally able to break the deadlock in 1918. Since then no one has succeeded against a serious opponent without them on conventional battlefield. 
It takes a lot of training to get men to be able to move armour and mechanised infantry in combination with their artillery support. Every component in the Russian full time army has shown significant deficiencies. How they move armour, how the debus mechanised infantry, their artillery they are using to hit entrenched positions (clearly mostly ground bursting not air bursting). 
Whats more Ukraine is now starting to receive actual decent western kit. Not just some last ditch type stuff like the hand held anti tank weapons. Proper artillery with far better range and accuracy like the M-777 replacing their shonky D-30s. Modern SPGs and even rumours of the M-270 MRLS system. 
Russia cannot conscript it way out of this mess. It would take months of genuine training to bring it army up to the kind of fitness, training and execution standards we would think of as being bare minimum for this kind of war. Then there are the deficiencies in things like secure radios, night vision kit, first aid and other medical supplies, the widespread use of GPS (well GLONASS) etc. 
Russia can conscript 33 million men. But they will be walking everywhere, struggling for rifles, have zero chance of coordinating with artillery let alone air to ground (that Russia has truly sucked at) so they will need 33 million body bags and someone to dig the graves at the end of it. 
 
 

Again, I'm not sure you've understood the point I was making.

[Guest]

EU and UK both committed now to phasing out all Russian oil imports by the end of this year. Saudi Arabia, slaughtering Yemenis at a faster rate than Russia is Ukrainians, is expected to be the main beneficiary of this Russia boycott. There's always Venezuela, who aren't bombing their neighbours, but who UK/EU aren't allowed to buy from because daddy USA won't allow it.
 

[Detournement]

Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are still going to be buying Russian oil and will be capable of reselling it inside the single market. The same way that Poland have stopped buying Russian gas from Russia and now buy Russian gas from Germany. 

[welshbairn]

Kremlin coup imminent according to this, wishful thinking probably. Looking a bit like Tommy Cooper there, just like that!

 

https://www.cityam.com/kremlin-on-high-alert-as-coup-rumours-grow-in-moscow-disgruntled-generals-join-fsb-looking-to-oust-putin-and-end-ukraine-war/ 

Edited May 4, 2022 by welshbairn

[vikingTON]

3 hours ago, FreedomFarter said:

EU and UK both committed now to phasing out all Russian oil imports by the end of this year. Saudi Arabia, slaughtering Yemenis at a faster rate than Russia is Ukrainians, is expected to be the main beneficiary of this Russia boycott. There's always Venezuela, who aren't bombing their neighbours, but who UK/EU aren't allowed to buy from because daddy USA won't allow it.
 

Serves Venezuela right though for not rolling over for the CIA groomed chump picked out to rule them. 

[ICTChris]

16 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Kremlin coup imminent according to this, wishful thinking probably. Looking a bit like Tommy Cooper there, just like that!

 

https://www.cityam.com/kremlin-on-high-alert-as-coup-rumours-grow-in-moscow-disgruntled-generals-join-fsb-looking-to-oust-putin-and-end-ukraine-war/ 

I'm going to suggest that this will not happen.

[welshbairn]

14 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I'm going to suggest that this will not happen.

I think it might, but not till it trickles through to the majority or at least a sizeable minority that he's single handedly wrecking the economy and its military reputation for pretty much nothing and over a totally unnecessary war. If he has to introduce conscription to replace the body bags coming home, that might start tilting the balance.

Edited May 4, 2022 by welshbairn

[The DA]

14 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I'm going to suggest that this will not happen.

I'm going to suggest that he might die on the operating table when he's undergoing this cancer treatment. 

[ICTChris]

Nobody knows if he has cancer or Parkinson's or anything else.  People make wild speculation because of the way he looks in a certain light in a certain video.  It's crazy.  No-one knows anything about his health and if they say they do they are lying.

 

[The DA]

9 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Nobody knows if he has cancer or Parkinson's or anything else.  People make wild speculation because of the way he looks in a certain light in a certain video.  It's crazy.  No-one knows anything about his health and if they say they do they are lying.

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by The DA
Somebody stole my gif

[welshbairn]

16 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

No-one knows anything about his health and if they say they do they are lying.

These guys probably know.

https://www.proekt.media/en/investigation-en/putin-health/

[doulikefish]

So a Kremlin spokesman has said the general mobilisation is not going to happen on May the 9th...so looks like it will happen after all

[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, Detournement said:

Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are still going to be buying Russian oil and will be capable of reselling it inside the single market. The same way that Poland have stopped buying Russian gas from Russia and now buy Russian gas from Germany. 

 

 

[welshbairn]

30 minutes ago, doulikefish said:

So a Kremlin spokesman has said the general mobilisation is not going to happen on May the 9th...so looks like it will happen after all

Sounds like quite a bash. I wonder where they're going to find the 60 thousand troops?

https://tass.com/society/1446717

 

[The DA]

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

Sounds like quite a bash. I wonder where they're going to find the 60 thousand troops?

https://tass.com/society/1446717

 

I'm sure they'll dig them up from somewhere.

[Shadow Play]

3 hours ago, ICTChris said:

Nobody knows if he has cancer or Parkinson's or anything else.  People make wild speculation because of the way he looks in a certain light in a certain video.  It's crazy.  No-one knows anything about his health and if they say they do they are lying.

 

Surely his doctor and various medical staff will?  I’m not trying to be facetious but if all these people know it’s not inconceivable that they have leaked information to outside agencies.

[Steven W]

Can someone enlighten me to exactly what a 'general mobilisation' is exactly?

[welshbairn]

10 minutes ago, Steven W said:

Can someone enlighten me to exactly what a 'general mobilisation' is exactly?

I thought it just meant introducing wider conscription for the Ukraine war, but others are talking about it meaning for an all out war against the West. I'd say the latter is hugely unlikely given the quagmire they've got themselves into just invading Ukraine.