Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
- Thread starter Wednesday at Stoke
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Its still a bit surreal that Putin once appeared on Larry King LIVE. It would be a bit like Medvedev appearing on the View when he was President.
What is the EU project?
The European Experiment
Whats the endgame?
Ideally it does not end
The UK might provide tanks to the Ukraine.
Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström confirmed today that their next aid package will include the Archer artillery system, this is probably the most advanced artillery system in use today and has been requested by Ukraine for a long time.
Link in swedish:
https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/billstrom-ukraina-ska--ges-mer-offensiva-vapen/
Link in swedish:
https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/billstrom-ukraina-ska--ges-mer-offensiva-vapen/
Is now any NATO 155mm system missing in Ukraine, or has this now really become a complete field comparison test?
Not enough faces to facepalm.
If they think they will motivate enough men to join the service with that, good luck.
There are still some towed models we haven't seen but I think this was the last of the self propelled ones.
Normally im not into the whole military porn thing, but damn that system is impressive. It can literally drive by shoot it's massive shells and be off before the first one lands. Russian military leaders must stay up at night knowing monsters like these are on their way to Ukraine.
Exactly! We should have already provided F-16s to Ukraine. There are more than 4,600 F-16 produced, many countries use them, there is no shortage of parts, and there are well-established training courses and military simulators that can accelerate pilot training. If we give 200 planes to Ukraine, they will probably be able to gain air superiority and destroy the Russian artillery that operates inside Ukraine.
The Russians have a hard-on for Soledar, north of the Bakhmut at the moment. I remember some people online saying how Soledar itself was harder to take even if Bakhmut fell.
Apparently, they are for the mines there, not just for the political reasons.
Apparently, they are for the mines there, not just for the political reasons.
There is a saying in Danish that translates as "thieves think everyone steals."
How do you (and journalists that started this) imagine this exactly, I wonder?
It’s the same as saying that the coal mines of Donbass were the reason for invasion. There’s no shortage of natural resources in Russia — it’s just that no one bothers to invest in infrastructure anymore. And with the Eastern Ukraine being wiped out by the war who exactly is going to invest billions of dollars in rebuilding the infrastructure (that they are likely to lose to the Ukrainian forces at some point)? It’s not vibranium mines that are going to be key to winning the war and are worth the risk.
not the reason for the invasion but a good reason for choice of military focus in the invasion.
They did that a lot in Syria too.
They did that a lot in Syria too.
I mean Russia has tons of resources as you mentioned but there is no such thing as too many resources. And they had to focus for something to gain from as the above poster stated.
Against all logical reasons, it made no sense to attack those areas with the way they have been, ending with all destroyed infrastructures even if they got it.
But that's our perspective. Theirs can make sense for their own.
The fear of Russian retaliation weighs deep in the minds of Western politicians. Russia's army is poor as we've seen (as is their navy) but the air force and missile forces still pack a punch. And then there's the nukes.
Politically it's easier for the English speaking countries to make this decision. The internal debate in a country like Germany could destabilize the government
To have resources you first need to obtain them. Russia has a lot of untapped resources that they aren’t getting because they can’t be bothered to invest in infrastructure. In what condition do you think those mines is Soledar would be after months of devastating modern warfare? Who’s going to work there? Who’s going to check it for safety and invest tons of money in it when they can easily lose it the next day?
As I said, it doesn't make much sense for us.
But in your opinion, why are they attacking that area like that?
I’d imagine he has been told he can keep them as ‘spoils of war’, so it’s an incentive rather than the sole reason.
Taking Bakhmut and Soledad would apparently make Ukrainian logistics and resupply more difficult in the Donbas, but not enough to make it a key target. I think there’s three reason.
1) Like Stalingrad in WW2, it’s become a symbol. The town has become well known on both sides, and is thus a microcosm of the war as a whole. Neither side wants to be seen to lose that symbol.
2) Wagner group seem to be in charge here, therefore this is a chance for them to show Putin and the Russian people how effective they are as a fighting force (when compared to the rest of the Russian army.
3) It’s important enough that Ukraine will want to defend it as much as they can. These constant attacks mean that The Ukrainians are tied down here rather than being able to regroup, reorganise, and attack elsewhere. I suspect when (and if) the next tranche of mobilised soldiers come through their training then the focus will be elsewhere.
Some hard battles are currently taking place in Soledar as Wagner is throwing everything they have to take the town, it’s seems like they’re all-in there.
But who is doing the dying here, do you think? Russian conscripts being forced to attack by rear echelon Wagner-ites? Or actual Wagner mercenaries themselves? I suspect it’s the former.
Because they’re trying to get everything they can, Prigozhin needs to prove to Putin that his guys are more effective than the regular army and taking Soledar can help with Bakhmut?
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By all accounts the best of Wagner mercenaries are now forcing Soledar, Prigozhin is very desperate after 6+ months of no results.
I hate to see the Ukes lose any ground at all, but the sheer time, effort and losses that Russia has taken bodes well. Cities were overrun in a matter of hours in the first month of the war, now it’s been six months for a town. Seems like the Russians can’t overrun Ukrainian defences any more. I guess the question is can the opposite happen- can Ukraine make the kind of gains it made in Kherson and around Kharkiv?
Sad state of affairs, what drives these Russians to want to die in the cold and wet trenches under Bakhmut? What’s the purpose? How brainwashed does one have to be? Complete waste of human life.
I like to see Russians getting an ass whooping as much as the next man but boy that is brutal. War is horrible. That guy takes two grenades and is still alive.
Someone got it!
Wagner filled their ranks with prisoners. The first groups to attack a position which are likely to suffer heavy casualties might consist of those they want to get rid of, while the actual attack that has a chance to succeed due to gathered information seem to be the best Wagner has.
For Wagner — either money or freedom (and fear of certain death as they will kill those who refuse to go — this only applies to prisoners as I understand) if we’re talking about recruited prisoners.
For regular army… who knows. Sheepish stupidity and obedience.