SasaS

Is Everton the least self-aware club in the world?

Show some respect, for Christ's sake.

Tom Cooper updated. Popasna is the key now, he argues. https://medium.com/@x_TomCooper_x/ukraine-war-17-18-may-2022-a30378cfbd32 Also, if anyone has a clue what is going on with this Azovstal evacuation, please do offer it. It looks to me like they have been fucked over by the Russians, or just made a stupid mistake. On one hand, it looks arranged (the surrender), on the other, Russians are shelling the plant again and the people coming out are cleary not being exchanged.

I don't think the US has any or at least overly altruistic motives in this, however, that is a major test of their strength and influence. Now that they are all in with the support, they simply must win, i.e. Kiev government must win. After waiting a bit to see if Ukraine will fall quickly and not, they decided it is worth supporting them with heavy weapons, after that Rubicon has been crossed, it is too late for what if, when and how about, it's not like they are sending weapons to some Middle Eastern faction or Balkan warlord, this is different. Obviously, they will not be sending weapons that must not fall into unauthorized hands, with the rest, loss is an acceptable risk. Ukraine is now a major ally. What is naive about it?

I don't think this guy was part of negotiations or privy to any potential deal.

We have yet to see how everything goes with this one. You can reach an agreement on an isolated issue when both sides have something to gain from it and lose without it. Small matter of being invaded has the potential of standing in the way of a broader agreement.

Why would you think they are not communicating all the time? It may not be directly or publicly but they are almost certainly talking. They have not let the Azov fighters go yet. From the video of them clearing IEDs and mines, they don't look like they need or are wiling to surrender just like that. Those 211 they have moved already were filmed searched and treated like POWs. Somehow don't see Prokopenko and his staff accepting the same. Ukrainians probably offered a lot of prisoners for this, all those high value pilots etc. We will see what happens next.

For what? I think you are reading way too much into this. Russia had a problem: it didn't control all of Mariupol because it had a defending garrison holed up in the industrial zone. To take it, it would require big losses. To let them leave was not an option, because some of them are Azov and their existence was the reason for all this, according to Russian propaganda. Ukraine had a problem, the remaining garrison in Mariupol was still resisting in the industrial zone, with constant appeals for help, which they couldn't provide. This is very bad for morale and unity, because the symbol of heroic resistance turned into a constant cloud over the Geenral Stab's head, what to do with them and what if they are overrun and Russians kill them all. So they likely reached a deal in which Russia would get all of Mariupol for now, and be able to say Azov surrendered, and Ukraine would get their people out and have one less huge thing to worry about. This is not going to end the war. There is no way Ukraine would give Mariupol up for good at this moment.

As far as I understand it, they were ordered to surrender Azovstal in exchange for getting them out. They could have surrendered anyway whenever they wanted it if some kind of a deal wasn't reached. Prokopenko didn't want to surrender Mariupol at any cost initially. Id they can truly get them out, it will be a military defeat but a great psychological relief for the General Stab, which I suspect was behind pushing to end it. The fact first 200 have been taken to the town immediately behind the front line would suggest they were will be a quick exchange. Hopefully.

You will be short of many things if this war doesn't end relatively soon with Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine.

I don't quite understand this, if the US considers Ukraine an ally worth so much support, you would think they would trust them not to resell or resend the weapons, it's a sovereign nation considered, how ever remotely, for EU and NATO membership. I would also expect there is some built-in oversight of sensitive equipment, that is why they are sending modified drones and not giving them the latest rockets, drones and other thingies. It's not like there would be an ad on UKR e-bay or something, American howitzer in good condition, slight wear and tear, second owner, towing vehicle optional. *** https://medium.com/@x_TomCooper_x/ukraine-war-16-and-17-may-2022-2a79fc72e730 Tom Cooper updated again, he could not wait because he thinks situation around Severodenetsk and Popasna is pretty dramatic. Not much more on Azovstal operation than we already know.

What are you talking about? There are entire itemized lists of what went to Ukraine all over the Internet, if anything, the military assistance is way too transparent, "we will send 700 drones, 100 has already been sent after we trained that many soldiers here here and here, here is the photo of drones being loaded, here is them being unloaded in Poland, here is the photo of the next batch..." Rand Paul is just being a dick, because all these US libertarians are isolationists and hate any kind of government spending.

I've seen that, but they are not POWs. Are Russians allowing them all to leave, in exchange for their POWs? That sounds too good to be true. Why are the wounded being taken to the Separatist held hospital?

Anybody understands the deal that was reached about Azovstal?

Tom Cooper updated. Not much info from the ground for regulars and Tom gets rather technical in this one. Nice description pf how Ukrainian armour fights, from a perspective of a disappointed Russian tankie (the real one). I'll just say, they are parking the bus and killing the beautiful game. https://medium.com/@x_TomCooper_x/ukraine-war-14-and-15-may-2022-9e9a89f694be