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[Politics] Russia invades Ukraine (24/02/2022)



GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,097
Gloucester
Dito.

Interesting discussions on this thread. No need to lower the level through labelling entire populations as scum or calling people stupid because they don't speak English.
You lowered it by bringing in faux racism. Stick to football - you do know a bit about that.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
64,978
Withdean area
As much as I'd like to see Russia kicked out of Ukraine, I can't help thinking that there is a long winter coming.

The Russians seem focused on drawing Ukraine forces in and this withdrawal seems like a plan to stay intact for the re-grouping. There is no doubt they have suffered a lot of setbacks, but what happens next is the worry.

I'm not sure the Ukrainians can go much further and there's an over whelming force building up in the south-east there.
I think the Ukrainians have handled this wisely. They value the lives of their military, so picking moments, almost quasi-guerilla strategy and tactics, making Ukraine a living hell for commanders of Russian aircraft, tanks and armoured vehicles.

Yes Putin’s already sending in waves of cannon fodder, badly equipped folk who were civilians weeks ago, he doesn’t give a **** when they die. Thankfully, some are surrendering. It’s like Vietnam and the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan, conscripts don’t want to be in a foreign land, they want to live.

Putin will do his worst regardless. Mass rape including of children and old women, theft of anything of value, boobytraps, perhaps a scorched earth policy, blowing up dams and dirty bombs. But he cannot be allowed to get away with another theft of a sovereign state and peoples, the democratic world won’t allow it.
 
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peterward

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 11, 2009
11,520
Brighton Lines said:
As much as I'd like to see Russia kicked out of Ukraine, I can't help thinking that there is a long winter coming.

The Russians seem focused on drawing Ukraine forces in and this withdrawal seems like a plan to stay intact for the re-grouping. There is no doubt they have suffered a lot of setbacks, but what happens next is the worry.

I'm not sure the Ukrainians can go much further and there's an over whelming force building up in the south-east there.

Sorry fella but that's nonsense. The Ukrainians have smashed the Russians on the right bank for the last month many thousands of Russians killed, cut off their supplies and already advanced into well over half of the right bank territory Russia controlled a month ago.

The Russians were cascading and total capitulation inevitable. They've taken the rump of what's left and moved to the left bank and abandoned a city that is absolutely essential to any pipe dreams Putin had on expanding to Odessa.

The Russians will try and frame this as all strategic, it isn't, it's another defeat.

Today one of the 2 main Kherson pro Russian collaborators, always on Russian TV, Kirill Stremousov was killed. Russia claims in a car crash. Strange that, nearly every original Donetsk Republic leader also died in mysterious circumstances when their useful idiotness was no longer required.

And today Stremousov is dead. No doubt an FSB tidying up exercise *cough car crash, as he knew too much as is now excess to requirements.
 
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Surf's Up

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2011
10,226
Here
Last I saw was 80K but that's out of date.

The mobilised amateurs are being cut to pieces though. Hundreds a day sacrificed. Step back and that is another tragedy of this pointless war.
Unfortunately that’s always been the Russian way.
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,950
It's a clever move by the Russians. Kherson was the last military offensive by Ukraine. They have clearly thrown everything at it. The Russians, to me, seem to have made the decision to withdraw their forces in tact.

The West are fully aware that the Ukrainians cannot push much further. They are overstreched. The Russians are re-grouping with tens of thousands of reservists on the way.

The Kherson withdrawal looks strategic to me. And the Ukrainians cannot claim a big military victory from it. It's clear from the Ukrainian response that they think something is up here.
Although the Russians occupied Kherson since March, they never actually owned it. A lot of partisans kept the pressure up on the occupiers by targeting the senior Russian collaborators and observing/reporting Russian arms dumps, barracks and vehicles...after the Kerch bridge was rendered unusable this withdrawal was just a matter of time.
 




A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 1, 2017
18,393
Deepest, darkest Sussex
The Russians will try and frame this as all strategic, it isn't, it's another defeat.
Exactly. Claiming it’s strategic is like saying “well we were three nil down so shut up shop to avoid losing eight nil”, but when you’re playing in a cup final.
 


raymondo

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2017
6,040
Wiltshire
As much as I'd like to see Russia kicked out of Ukraine, I can't help thinking that there is a long winter coming.

The Russians seem focused on drawing Ukraine forces in and this withdrawal seems like a plan to stay intact for the re-grouping. There is no doubt they have suffered a lot of setbacks, but what happens next is the worry.

I'm not sure the Ukrainians can go much further and there's an over whelming force building up in the south-east there.
That's true. But a lot of the Russian force will be poorly trained conscripts. Let's hope the Ukrainians can hold a stable line there through winter.
 






sparkie

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2003
12,665
Hove
It's a clever move by the Russians. Kherson was the last military offensive by Ukraine. They have clearly thrown everything at it. The Russians, to me, seem to have made the decision to withdraw their forces in tact.

The West are fully aware that the Ukrainians cannot push much further. They are overstreched. The Russians are re-grouping with tens of thousands of reservists on the way.

The Kherson withdrawal looks strategic to me. And the Ukrainians cannot claim a big military victory from it. It's clear from the Ukrainian response that they think something is up here.

They haven't. And they can.

There is another large Ukrainian battle group north of Zaporizhzha oblast ready to sweep down from the North ( one of 3 battle groups - Kherson, Zaporizhzha and Donetsk/Luhansk ) - no idea if they will target Melitopol, Berdiansk or Mariupol. Once the West bank of the dnipro is secured this is surely the next offensive. However the weather will have a big say in when the opportune moment is.

Look at where the Russians are digging trenches. Some are just north and west of Mariupol. They expect to use them - well the army does. Putin probably thinks he's marching on Paris by now after reading all the Yes-men-reports. Lol.


EDIT : It's this :

 
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Commander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 28, 2004
13,123
London


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
51,441
Faversham
You lowered it by bringing in faux racism. Stick to football - you do know a bit about that.
No, he didn't. @Swansman was criticising racism :shrug:

Play the ball and not the man. ???
 




raymondo

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2017
6,040
Wiltshire
Senior adviser to Zelenskiy warns against assuming the Russians are giving up Kherson.

They haven't. And they can.

There is another large Ukrainian battle group north of Zaporizhzha oblast ready to sweep down from the North ( one of 3 battle groups - Kherson, Zaporizhzha and Donetsk/Luhansk ) - no idea if they will target Melitopol, Berdiansk or Mariupol. Once the West bank of the dnipro is secured this is surely the next offensive. However the weather will have a big say in when the opportune moment is.

Look at where the Russians are digging trenches. Some are just north and west of Mariupol. They expect to use them - well the army does. Putin probably thinks he's marching on Paris by now after reading all the Yes-men-reports. Lol.
Yes, trenches and anti tank structures around the perimeter of Mariupol. Russia knows they are not safe there.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,861
Location Location
Interesting that Google Streetmaps for Mariupol has been disabled, yet Kiev and Kharkiv is still active.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
47,097
Gloucester
No, he didn't. @Swansman was criticising racism :shrug:

Play the ball and not the man. ???
No, he was finding something he wanted to label as racist, thus introducing faux-racism to the thread. Russian is not one homogenous race anyway - it's a nationality.

This has been a very good thread, very informative, without anybody trying to wrangle racism into it - best keep it that way, and out of the bear pit, eh? I'm sure there must be other, more appropriate, threads available to discuss racism.
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
51,441
Faversham
No, he was finding something he wanted to label as racist, thus introducing faux-racism to the thread. Russian is not one homogenous race anyway - it's a nationality.

This has been a very good thread, very informative, without anybody trying to wrangle racism into it - best keep it that way, and out of the bear pit, eh? I'm sure there must be other, more appropriate, threads available to discuss racism.
Labelling the entire Russian 'race' in the way the previous poster did is racist. I know Russian scientists and I listen to a lot of Russian music. They are just like anyone else from anywhere else. Go back and read the post that @Swansman was replying to (and also see the response he got). As I said, playing the man.

And you have made the cardinal error of arguing motive. The logical reply is that you are only saying that because.....I will refrain from going there.

Yes, it has been a good thread and there is no chance of it being binned.
 


jakarta

Well-known member
May 25, 2007
15,651
Sullington
As a matter of interest how many NSCer's have visited Russia?

Mrs Jakarta & I did some years ago (pre-COVID) and found the majority of Russians were perfectly nice EXCEPT for their World View where they were convinced that they were surrounded by enemies who wished (for some reason not given) to destroy them.

Good effort from Russian Media with no doubt Vlad giving them a helping hand...
 


ForestRowSeagull

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2011
965
Now Brixton
As a matter of interest how many NSCer's have visited Russia?

Mrs Jakarta & I did some years ago (pre-COVID) and found the majority of Russians were perfectly nice EXCEPT for their World View where they were convinced that they were surrounded by enemies who wished (for some reason not given) to destroy them.

Good effort from Russian Media with no doubt Vlad giving them a helping hand...
If you haven't i'd recommend reading Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. Very interesting 40 pages or so on Russia
 


Feb 23, 2009
23,335
Brighton factually.....
As a matter of interest how many NSCer's have visited Russia?

Mrs Jakarta & I did some years ago (pre-COVID) and found the majority of Russians were perfectly nice EXCEPT for their World View where they were convinced that they were surrounded by enemies who wished (for some reason not given) to destroy them.

Good effort from Russian Media with no doubt Vlad giving them a helping hand...
I have a friend who visited St Peterburg, whilst in a square they were sat on a bench and a dark suited man came and sat next to them, after a while in broken English he inquired,
Russian "Where are you from ?"
Friend "England"
Russian "Oh nice" a pause "Why are you here ?"
Friend "Urr to see and experience Russia and it's wonderful history and buildings etc"
Russian "hmmm"
a pause of a minute or so
Russian "What does the world think of Russia and President Putin?"
another pause while my friend wracked his brain on how to be diplomatic as he felt he was being interrogated.
Friend "Well in Britain we think of Russia as part of the European family historically and there is no doubt that President Putin is a strong confident leader"
Russian "hmmm Strong Leader"

He then got up and walked away without saying another word....

My friend and his wife quickly left the area.
 




jakarta

Well-known member
May 25, 2007
15,651
Sullington
Kherson is certainly important, but getting down to Mariupol will be decisive, with the Russian army then cut in two,

A few questions will be asked at the Kremlin and hopefully a few defenestrations may follow...
 


wunt be druv

Oh bugger..!
Jun 17, 2011
2,155
In my own strange world
As a matter of interest how many NSCer's have visited Russia?

Mrs Jakarta & I did some years ago (pre-COVID) and found the majority of Russians were perfectly nice EXCEPT for their World View where they were convinced that they were surrounded by enemies who wished (for some reason not given) to destroy them.

Good effort from Russian Media with no doubt Vlad giving them a helping hand...
I visited Russia back in the communist era when Gorbachev was president, it was certainly an eye opener, the people were very friendly and keen to talk but always seemed to be looking over their shoulder when doing so, we were followed everywhere we went and the hotel room was definitely bugged, far too much occurred to be a coincidence, but the one thing that stood out was the fear of the West, they seemed convinced we were about to Nuke them any moment, people did say to us that we were the enemy,but just shrugged and got on with their life. It was a totally alien way of life Soviet propaganda had certainly worked its "magic".
 


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