Russia v Ukraine

[ManéMan]

Starting to feel the effects of these sanctions...£1.65/litre!

 

At least we can buy oil from the Saudis and help them kill more Yemeni babies instead, and let them buy our weapons and football clubs while all that is going on. 

 

Some really fucked up perceptions out there.

[SasaS]

2 minutes ago, Gnasher said:

 

This is where I disagree, the reaction to the invasion has shown how big the consequences of Russia's or anyone's actions will be. I don't think anyone expected such swift sanctions being imposed and on such a hugh scale. I think China would now think twice on Taiwan, although they're more financially self sufficient.

 

 

The one positive is this war has proven disastrous financially, politically and militarily for the aggressor. Now it's a case of finding an end as soon as possible.

This is still very much an ongoing process. If the consequences were disastrous to Russia, we would already have a ceasefire.

[Captain Turdseye]

Filled my tank up with diesel earlier. £65 and it wasn’t even totally empty. Used to be able to fill it completely for £50. Sheesh. 

[Pureblood]

12 minutes ago, ManéMan said:

Starting to feel the effects of these sanctions...£1.65/litre!

 

At least we can buy oil from the Saudis and help them kill more Yemeni babies instead, and let them buy our weapons and football clubs while all that is going on. 

 

Some really fucked up perceptions out there.

It's all for a good cause.  The sanctions will definitely, definitely bring an end to the war soon, instead of punishing people like you and me.  

[Rico1304]

3 hours ago, Pureblood said:

As for Fox News, I found myself watching Tucker Carlson in full flow and nodding along.  There, I said it. 

He’ll  go full Hades soon 

[J-V]

Hitler I mean Putin Youth

 

 

[TheHowieLama]

3 hours ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I’m up for burning War and Peace, but it has nothing to do with Putin. 

Energy prices eh?

 

Thats a good long burn.

[Red Phoenix]

Thanks @Gnasher, @Captain Turdseye for that Ukraine on Fire link. I decided to watch a bit to get started then sat through all of it. Definitely some good stuff there and some obviously horrible like seeing those protesters getting snipered, decided to look away at times as they covered that part. Also a good recap of some of what's happened in the last 8 years too.

 

I'm not sure if you both knew but that was the 2nd part of the full thing, either way both parts are on here and in better quality in case your youtube links go down : https://rumble.com/user/GlobalTreePictures

 

Am going to watch the other part shortly I think.

[Section_31]

6 minutes ago, J-V said:

Hitler I mean Putin Youth

 

 

 

Haha, after this shit I'd love to watch that with popcorn. Imagine the Navy seals with these clowns? 

[polymerpunkah]

56 minutes ago, Strontium said:

Guessing that Gnasher's day job doesn't involve the production of motivational posters.

How To Give Up Smoking (and everything else)

[Jairzinho]

4 hours ago, Gnasher said:

At least we have one world leader willing to dial down the rhetoric and speak a bit of common sense,

 

 

 

The Finnish PM there...

 

 

[Gnasher]

37 minutes ago, SasaS said:

This is still very much an ongoing process. If the consequences were disastrous to Russia, we would already have a ceasefire.

Well people have differing opinions of how much the sanctions will alter Putins strategy. I've no doubt they'll hurt Russia, they'll cripple the Russian economy and hurt the Russian people. The pertinent question imo is how long will they have to be in force before they hurt Putin personally or politically enough to make him come to the table seriously wanting a ceasefire. My guess is  the sanctions will hit the poor in Russia, the poor in America, the poor in Britain and throughout the world before they hit him. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/08/sanctions-vladimir-putin-kremlin-russian-oligarchy

 

What we are looking at if the above article is correct is a war of attrition. A war when many more Ukraine nationals die, many more get displaced and millions in the west get thrown into poverty.

 

 

 

 

[Captain Turdseye]

If they want to invade Alaska, they better do it between April & October when the crab fishery is closed, otherwise they won’t be able to get past Wild Bill. Just one frown and grimace from Bill will be enough to send the Red Army running straight back home to their mum’s. 
 

[Gnasher]

7 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

The Finnish PM there...

 

 

 

She a beut, I think she got reprimanded for going to a rave the other month, as western leaders do. 

[Gnasher]

3 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

If they want to invade Alaska, they better do it between April & October when the crab fishery is closed, otherwise they won’t be able to get past Wild Bill. Just one frown and grimace from Bill will be enough to send the Red Army running straight back home to their mum’s. 
 

Trump would sell them Alaska, 2 for 1 deal with Greenland. The master of the deal is our Donald.

[TheHowieLama]

When the fella negotiating starts off by saying Russia didn't attack Ukraine there might be some serious work to do yet.

 

 

[Mudface]

3 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

When the fella negotiating starts off by saying Russia didn't attack Ukraine there might be some serious work to do yet.

 

 

Some false flag operation there from the Yanks. Up there with the Covid hoax, although they did get Pfizer involved to pull that off.

[SasaS]

23 minutes ago, Gnasher said:

Well people have differing opinions of how much the sanctions will alter Putins strategy. I've no doubt they'll hurt Russia, they'll cripple the Russian economy and hurt the Russian people. The pertinent question imo is how long will they have to be in force before they hurt Putin personally or politically enough to make him come to the table seriously wanting a ceasefire. My guess is  the sanctions will hit the poor in Russia, the poor in America, the poor in Britain and throughout the world before they hit him. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/08/sanctions-vladimir-putin-kremlin-russian-oligarchy

 

What we are looking at if the above article is correct is a war of attrition. A war when many more Ukraine nationals die, many more get displaced and millions in the west get thrown into poverty.

 

 

 

 

The alternative being...?

[dockers_strike]

As everyone knows (dont they?) Im paranoid WW3 is going to break out and almost instantly go nuclear. And yes, Im aware some are saying it already has.

 

But, it concerns me the World and the US President and NATO in particular arent being tough on Russian rhetoric.

 

Seems to me that Labarov(?) and other Kremlin mouthpieces are keeping up the war of words saying 'dont stick your noses in' and 'the west needs to be careful, supply arms and planes will be seen as an escalation' all the while they are bombing the fuck out of hospitals, towns, cities and unarmed civilians.

 

What's our response? Mostly pretty quiet it seems.

[Red Phoenix]

25 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

As everyone knows (dont they?) Im paranoid WW3 is going to break out and almost instantly go nuclear. And yes, Im aware some are saying it already has.

 

I've had this problem too. Not really the best situation for someone with anxiety. That's partly why I didn't post for a week, just gobsmacked at how dangerous this is and how we have idiots like Nuland, Biden and Blinken in the US in power as this is happening.

 

That's not about blaming it all on the US either, it's more that you'd typically think that the US, with some decent leadership, would be able to tone this down and get somewhere with negotiations to bring it to an end faster.

 

I have very little faith that they want to do anything other than drag out a long proxy war here, but if resistance to this starts gaining strength in the US, negotiations between Ukraine and Russia start getting better and mainly Russia start getting worn down by the actual war and sanctions, some sanity might eventually return.

[Anubis]

No update from Tom? Has he been Skripal'd by the FSB?

[SasaS]

 

Tom from Facebook, back(ed) by popular demand. Late because his chicken (?) apparenty got wounded (covert behind enemy lines operation?)


"Hello everybody,

 

Sorry for being late today: my work and care for a badly wounded hen have held me up. Anyway, here my review for the last 24-26 hours (9 Mar 22).

 

CAA - Combined Arms Army (Russia)

BTG - Battalion Tactical Group (Russia)

GTA - Guards Tank Army (Russia)

GTD - Guards Tank Division (Russia)

IFV - infantry fighting vehicle

LOC - Line of Control (old frontline between Ukraine and Separatists in the Donbass region)

MBT - main battle tank

MRB - Motorized Rifle Brigade (throw a G in the front if Guards)

MRD - Motorized Rifle Division (ditto for the G for Guards). Majority of the Russian Ground Forces are Motorized Rifle (i.e. Mechanized Infantry with supporting tanks)

RFA – Russian Federation Army/Russian Armed Forces

RF-9xxxx - Russian military aviation registration

UCAV – unmanned combat aerial vehicle

VDV - Vozdushno-desantnye voyska (Russian Airborne forces)

VKS - Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily (Air-Space Force, Russia)

West OSK – Western Military District, RFA

STRATEGIC

Russo-Ukrainian negotiations on 8 March resulted in an agrememnt for ‘humanitarian corridors’ for evacuation of civilians from 10 cities in Ukraine. The list included Trostyanets, Kranopillya, Sumy, Mariupol, Volnovakha, Izyum, Kharkiv, and Kyiv’s suburbs of Buch, Berodyanka, and Irpin. There seems to be lots of reporting about this in the media, but except for Sumy (where few thousands of people were evacuated to Poltava), I haven’t found a lots of evidence for successful evacuation.

The flow of foreign volunteers to Ukraine has reached such proportions, that the army seems to be in the process of establishing a legion of something like four different battalions. One is entirely staffed by Canadians, perhaps by few Britons, too; at least one is staffed by Americans (seems to include one South Korean), and one by the Portuguese, Brazilians, Azerbaijanis, Belarussians, Chechens and quite a few other nationals. Reportedly, two – including the last one – are already in action, but don’t ask me where: nobody would say, and thus no idea.

 

AIR

The Russians have demolished a maternity hospital in Mariupol. It’s unclear whether it was an air strike or ballistic missile, but three people – including a little baby – were murdered there. Of course, the Fools in Kremlin and the Keystone Cops rushed to explain the building was empty, then there were radicals there, and when confronted by obvious evidence, declared everything for fake news Free along the moto: we first bomb, then ask questions, and if the answer are not what we want to hear, then it’s all fake news… and yes, there after ‘militant hospitals’ in Syria of 2015-2017, now there are ‘radical hospitals’ in their official vocabulary.

The VKS also bombed Zhitomir, yesterday, and one of related videos (see: https://twitter.com/WW3Unbiassed/status/1501652244369915910) prompted claims it’s now deploying Sukhoi Su-57 ‘stealth’ fighters.

Ho-hum…Unless there’s far clearer evidence, to me this one is another Su-34. Foremost, despite all the possible claims by the Keystone Cops in Moscow, Putin’s media, and some of involved companies, the software for the integration of all of Su-57’s sensors and the fire control system is still incomplete: indeed, the last I’ve heard in this regards, back in August 2021, was that they had to re-start the work of writing entirely new software (see Project Megalopolis), and that for second time in less than three years. Moreover, it’s anything else than ‘stealth’: it lacks the necessary coating, and its design (foremost intakes and the rear section) is incomplete. As such, it can be considered a ‘reduced radar-cross-section’ type, slightly better than the Boeing F/A-18E/F in this regards. Considering international sanctions, lack of know-how, lack of necessary research-, development-. and production facilities, and lack of funding: I have my doubts they’ve managed any major advances in this regards by now. Finally, the Su-57 has got absolutely no guided weapons. Of course, the Russians can install an SVP-24 or similar system to help with navigation and then ‘bomb coordinates with dumb bombs’, like all of the VKS is doing – but, in an air force as driven by dogmatic doctrine like the VKS is: why do so with a jet for which there’s no defined doctrine yet?

No doubt, this entire war is based on entirely irrational megalomania, but there are limits, too.

BTW, if the Su-57 is operational and flying combat sorties, then somebody has to explain me why has the confirmed number of ballistic missiles fired by Russia upon Ukraine surpassed the figure of 710, yesterday, early in the morning? If they have a ‘stealth’ jet, they need not depleting their stocks of SS-21s and SS-26s that much (yes, even in the case of an ‘all-out war’).

In other air-warfare related news: the Ukrainians claimed four VKS Su-25 shot down yesterday, plus two helicopters, and two cruise missiles, all of these in the Kyiv area (their total of claims is now at 56 aircraft and 82 helicopters). Have missed the latest figures of the Keystone Cops, though: not easy to follow, given all of their media is shut down in the EU.

NORTH

There are reports along which the 35th CAA has widened the frontline of its advance into Ukraine for about 30km in western direction along the border to Belarus. Correspondingly, there should have been a heliborne landing somewhere in the Oyruch-Zalissya area (about 120-150km NW of Kyiv), followed by ground advance from Belarus in southern direction. Ukrainians say they have repelled all attacks and the situation was stabilised, but I’ve got little doubts the Russians are at least 15-20km deep inside this part of Ukraine now. Could be an attempt to distract the Ukrainians and force them to move some of their units in that direction, but it could also be the start of an advance on Zhitomir. We’re going to see.

Although – at least according to Ukrainian sources – the infantry of the Russian 35th CAA should have proved unable to secure Borodyanka, Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha, and Yasnohodka on 8 March, yesterday at least two big columns of armour (one including the 6th Tank Regiment) punched out of this densely populated area over the E-40 highway towards south. Both faced fierce delaying action by the Ukrainian infantry armed with plentiful of anti-tank guided missiles, and seems even the Bayraktar TB.2 UCAVs were deployed – in broad daylight – to slow them down. I’m not sure if this was effective enough, because there are indications along which one of the columns turned east and then advanced along the E-40 in direction of Kyiv, too. Foremost, the Ukrainians have proven unable to secure and re-open the E-40 – apparently due to the presence of a large group of VDVs left over south of Makariv from earlier attacks – and that for days. Thus, I guess this assault is going to be stopped only somewhere in western or even south-western outskirts of Kyiv.

NORTH-EAST

North-east Ukraine these days is a madhouse. Sure, Chernihiv is now cut off, as is a concentration of three Ukrainian brigades in the Nizhyn area. These are encircled by some 12-15 BTGs of the Russian 41st CAA. But, the mass of other Ukrainian units seems to have successfully withdrawn into the ‘fortress Kyiv’: in the Russian rear there are Ukrainian-held Shostka, Hlukhiv, Konotop, and Sumy, and at least 5, probably more of very active ‘left behind’ groups, which are constantly savaging Russian supply columns. So much so, that, once again, the glorious the 1st GTA made absolutely no advance yesterday. It’s still spread anywhere between Sumy in the east and Romny in the west, with its columns in disarray, losing vehicles like there’s no tomorrow.

Unsurprisingly, the high-speed advance of the 2nd GTA was stopped in eastern approaches to Kyiv, and its western frontline is now running approximately down the E-95 highway.

The situation further east is almost as tragic – for the Russians. The Ukrainian 92nd Mech is continuing its ‘active defence’ in the Kharkiv area, and has – together with an unknown brigade that attacked from the south-east – managed to push the 6th CAA further away from the city: so much so, it’s now threatening the southern flank of the 1st GTA, too.

Kharkiv is still subjected to severe air strikes and artillery shelling, but still far from becoming surrounded. That is: wasn’t it for the CO 6th CAA, who seems to have deployed what is left of the 144th MRD after its trouncing by the 92nd Mech, for an all-out advance further south-east, on Balaklilisk (which is now under the Russian control) and Izlum. That move nearly cut off the Ukrainian 53rd Mech Brigade. Sure, the unit (or what was left of it after all the losses of the last two weeks) has managed to avoid an encirclement, but had to abandon the Severodonetsk area. Got no evidence, but I suspect that some of its rear elements were eventually overrun by a pincer movement of the 144th MRD from the north and the 3rd MRD (8th CAA) from the East. Seems, the West OSK decided that Kharkiv will have to wait.

EAST

It was no funny day for the Ukrainian CO of the troops deployed along the LOC in the East. The depleted 56th Motor Rifle Brigade is still holding Midlaipole in the west, and has managed to recover Rozivka in the east, but the Russians then turned north and took Staromiynivka, about 10km further north and are thus deep in its rear. It’s no good news for defenders of Mariupol, but seems the Ukrainians will have to fall back north, i.e. away from the city.

It was no good day inside Mariupol either: the Russians claimed two penetrations of their main line of defence. One in the north and another in the west, near the airport.

SOUTH

With Zusko’s 58th having a frontline of about 800km (i.e. being stretched for 460km from Voznesensk in west to Melitopol in the east), it’s unsurprising there are now reports – from the Ukrainian MOD and the social media – that the West OSK established a new Army HQ in the Melitopol area. This should be the 49th CAA. I’m not sure if this means the latter is going to assimilate 58th CAA’s units east of Dnepr, but it seems the centrepiece of the 49th CAA should be at least 3-4 BTGs from the 42nd MRD, which at earlier times was assigned to the 8th CAA (responsible for operations in the Luhansk and Donbas area). Looks like the Russians decided that if they cannot breach the centre of the Ukrainian positions along the LOC, there’s no other solution but to outflank these from the south - through an advance of Zaporozhye and whatever is in between there and Mariupol.

There’s a steady flow of reports about arrival of major reinforcements for the 58th CAA in the area between Kherson and Mykolaiv too. As reported yesterday, multiple Russian sources stress, Zusko ‘must, must, must’ get through – to Odessa and beyond. Thus, the 3-4 BTGs of the 7th VDV Division were reinforced by another two, and the number of BTGs of the 20th Guards MRD should’ve been increased to at least five. The Ukrainian 17th Tank seem to still be on a vacation somewhere east of Voznesensk and north of Kherson.

[Bjornebye]

He might be Scottish. His missus must have taken a bullet. 

[TheHowieLama]

U Ok Hen?

[Guest]

Sounds more like a cock than a hen.