Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
- Thread starter Wednesday at Stoke
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Even if she said it more by accident than on purpose, Baerbock stating that "we are at war with Russia" really has some fun implications for Russian propaganda. During the whole time of the war we have seen them making statements like "If Germany (or any other state) does X, they will be at war with Russia and if they are at war with us, we will destroy them!". And then everyone did whatever X was at the time and they just changed to the next X, so Russia doesn't really have to declare war on NATO.
In a way this is over now - we have a German minister shown on Russian TV saying that "We (=Germany/EU/NATO) are at war with Russia." And Putin/Russia doesn't do anything about it, as they didn't all the time so far. I'd be interested in some insight if this starts to make Putin appearing weak inside Russia? Maybe @harms notices something (btw, hope you are still alright)?
So much projection. In “Life and Fate’, Grossman wrote that the sword of antisemitism had passed from Hitler to Stalin. The Goons on Russian state TV seem keen to pick up the mantle of the Third Reich.
The main line right now is that Russia is already at war with NATO — I think Putin has said it and his goons certainly did. But I don’t think that Putin himself openly threatened Europe like the likes of Solovyov did.
So it’s not like you can caught him on a lie this time… and it’s not like catching Putin on a lie does anything — he has lied openly so many times before.
Watch what these savages have done to what used to be the town of Mariinka near Donetsk:
I can't find the words
Great choices. The Russian people must be thrilled.
Njet problem, normal katastrof.
Bwahahahahaha!!!
Cuba has connections with other Spanish-speaking countries while keeping a (very) low profile in the news. It helps when dozens of millions speak Spanish all over the continent too, which is not the case with Russian-speaking people outside of Russia.
North Korea... pffft! The regular folks are starving to death while the higher-ups are obese-level of fat. Good example to preach.
Iran... Have those pundits not seen how people are going mad after the regime over there?
There was a discussion about F16s in here some time ago. This is a good thread on what they can and can't offer in Ukraine.
He’s not really saying anything new that most didn’t previously know here. Giving Ukraine advanced fighter jets wouldn’t make them as effective as many think given Russian SAMs. So barring the establishment of air supremacy (which won’t happen), the planes would be in perilous danger unless they severely limit their activities to lower altitudes. This obviously doesn’t factor in Russian incompetence, which may in the end make planes more effective than some previously thought.
I would have thought A-10's would have been the most effective airplane the west could give them
They possibly could be but I believe the US doesn't sell (or give away) A-10s to foreign entities. Its also a 6 month training period for pilots to qualify on them.
Same applies to Abrams tanks as I understand it, so that shouldn't be the sole reason
There are different, proprietary technologies in each platform to where they may consider the risk acceptable to sell it outside the US with some, but not with others. The F22 being a prime example.
They would be limited to low altitude operations just like any other aircraft but without the air to air capabilities that comes with multirole fighters.
That's true of virtually everything military wise, A10's are pretty old these days, the last ones were built 40 years or so ago, OK I know they've been upgraded but I would have thought it would be doable, F22's obviously no way
Brilliant comedy
Not sure the air-to-air capabilities are what they really need most, I would have though air-to-ground was more important at this stage - but I'm not an expert in these matters so I could be talking shite!
Keeping the Russian air force outside of Ukraine has to be high up on the list of priorities. Russian air superiority would be the end for Ukraine.
I think the main benefit of air power would be to take out Russian ground positions from well within Ukrainian territory. Unlike ground based platforms like HIMARS, the jets would be mobile and be able to take out Russian positions deep into Russian held territory in places like Mariupol, Sevastopol, Kerch, etc. The only obvious caveat would be that the planes would need to operate from within Ukrainian held territory or else at a very low altitude if near the front lines. They could obviously also pose a significant threat to the Kerch bridge, Russian ships in the Black Sea, and both land and sea resupply routes.
I'm sure it is but SAM'S and that kind of weaponry is more likely to stop that than fighters I would have thought
SAMs are stationary and can only protect the area around them, to cover the whole area of Ukraine they would probaly need 100s of SAM batteris. Aircrafts are of course not limited by that and would be able to defend a much larger area.
I'm pretty sure there are mobile SAM'S as well, of course aircraft can defend a larger area but they are also more easily destroyed
Even if we don't consider the time needed to set up the radars and firing units I doubt a truck will be fast enough to intercept a jet or cruise missile.
Not many planes are going to intercept cruise missiles, that's what the Patriots are for
I'm not suggesting fighters are not needed, I'm arguing that ground-to-air, IMO, is a greater need at present
Fear it will be a problem in all of Europe in a few years knowing how many weapons are flowing into Ukraine, definitely not all ends up where it’s supposed to.
Germany needs liberation. 
Desperate times, desperate measures