Ukraine War

[bangkok 89]

yet again, my perspective is shifting here. and i'm delighted to be wrong.

the us is committed to fighting a proxy war with russia via ukraine, and despite some fears that our involvement would trigger escalation, that hasn't been the case.

i was concerned we'd back putin into a corner with no out other than nukes, chemical weapons, and utter destruction.

i think we've backed him into the corner, but the utter destruction from using those weapons would be equally destructive to putin's regime - and he doesn't want that, because he knows that's game over for him, too.

this could still turn much more deadly but it would be a suicide mission for himself and his supporters.

the biden administration has handled this admirably - biden's biggest foreign policy success so far - could change, sure.

our intelligence anticipated the invasion, we trained ukraine in the years-long lead-up, equipped them, rallied nato, rallied sanctions, while providing accurate info which has obliterated russia. it's been a brilliant success.

all that said, i still question the end-game. putin is fucked. russia was weaker than they projected, and the support for ukraine stronger than anticipated. we'll supply and re-supply ukraine indefinitely. so, uh, dude, go home? 

[Hornius Emeritus 12,804]

Russian Generals turn on one another to avoid Putin's upcoming purge:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-generals-turning-on-each-other-to-avoid-putins-purge-says-ben-wallace-tkg5m3c9z

[Woland 755]

Russian Generals turn on one another to avoid Putin's upcoming purge:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-generals-turning-on-each-other-to-avoid-putins-purge-says-ben-wallace-tkg5m3c9z

Their fears are not unfounded.

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

6 hours ago, bangkok said:

i was concerned we'd back putin into a corner with no out other than nukes, chemical weapons, and utter destruction.

i think we've backed him into the corner, but the utter destruction from using those weapons would be equally destructive to putin's regime - and he doesn't want that, because he knows that's game over for him, too.

Russian troops clearly don't even have the equipment to handle NBC weapons, and I really doubt they have the training either.  Using such weapons against Ukrainian troops would turbofuck his military just as much as it would the Ukrainians, and using it against civilian population centers would get China off the fence, which would definitely be game over.  Even if China were inclined to back him, using any WMDs against the civilians would ramp the sanctions up to include countries supporting Russia.

[Caponata 151]

Interesting article:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/politics/us-weapons-ukraine-intelligence/index.html

 

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

1 hour ago, Caponata said:

Interesting article:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/politics/us-weapons-ukraine-intelligence/index.html

Not really, comrade.

Quote

Officials are less concerned -- at least for now -- that the weapons will fall into the hands of the Russians. The source briefed on the intelligence noted that Russia's failure to hold large swaths of territory or force the surrender of many Ukrainian units means that those arms have either been used or remain Ukrainian hands. 

And so far, it appears that Russia has struggled to intercept or destroy the supply shipments. A third source familiar with the intelligence said that it does not appear that Russia has been actively attacking western weapons shipments entering Ukraine -- although it is unclear exactly why, especially since the US has intelligence that the Russians want to and have discussed doing so both publicly and privately.

Russian losses in personnel and materiel indicate that our assistance is having the desired effect. And it’s probably foolish to think we don’t have some special forces working clandestinely on the ground, not coming anywhere close to actual combat, but who are helping to coordinate operations and the sharing of intelligence. Joe Biden isn’t calling Zelensky on the phone every day to advise him of Russian troop movements.

[Thatguy 9,366]

 

[Bama Chick 28,596]

Oh. Okay.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11,669]

Toad poisoning huh. 

[Brisketexan 106,899]

19 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

Toad poisoning huh. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,587]

20 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

Toad poisoning huh. 

That's why I only buy my toad poison from a licensed dispensary. Too much counterfeit shit out there.  

Edited May 9, 2022 by Pescado_Rojo

[Macanudo 13,327]

50 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

Oh. Okay.
 

This time line just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

47 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

Toad poisoning huh. 

I got money on Amanita muscaria.

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by cactusflinthead

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11,669]

I feel like the admiral marakov has to be afloat.  Too long without confirmation of the hit. 

[Dahobbs 18,324]

2 hours ago, Thatguy said:

 

All of these were interesting. But the last guy especially so. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

That's why I only buy my toad poison from a licensed dispensary. Too much counterfeit shit out there.  

I'm not not licking toads!

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

 

[Chad Fuck 18,135]

 

When the worst of humanity appears, so does the best.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

 

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

26 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

 

Lol. Great impersonation of David Attenborough.

[RomaVicta 30,591]

5 hours ago, Bama Chick said:

Oh. Okay.
 

They're top manager was a toad?

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,305]

8 hours ago, Bama Chick said:

Oh. Okay.
 

 

I laughed for 5 minutes straight.

Edited May 9, 2022 by PenelopeWitherspoon

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

Decisions on NATO membership by Sweden and Finland expected this week.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/crucial-decisions-on-nato-membership-expected-from-finland-sweden-this-week

The BBC is already reporting that Finland is expected to apply for membership.

As I’ve mentioned before, retired Admiral James Stavridis has said on multiple occasions that if they applied on Wednesday then they’d be accepted on Friday. He holds their militaries in very high regard.

Putin’s pointless decision to invade Ukraine continues to backfire on him. Nothing is set in stone yet but getting Sweden and Finland to join NATO would be huge.

[brakeman 28,751]

chemo face?

[Macanudo 13,327]

On 5/9/2022 at 5:31 PM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

 

I laughed for 5 minutes straight.

Jo is a great follow on Twitter. I love her.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,587]

9 hours ago, brakeman said:

chemo face?

steroids for sure. 

[Brian Fantana 6,866]

9 hours ago, brakeman said:

chemo face?

I'd put money on lung cancer.

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

Botox for sure. I don’t know about steroids. He’s not a Russian Olympic athlete. 

[Macanudo 13,327]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Botox for sure. I don’t know about steroids. He’s not a Russian Olympic athlete. 

Not the bulking up kind.   The anti-inflammatory kind.

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

4 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

Not the bulking up kind.   The anti-inflammatory kind.

He looks pretty inflamed to me.  (So do a lot of his tanks.)

Edited May 11, 2022 by WhatTheBuck

[Bama Chick 28,596]

Yeah he’s got prednisone face.

Hope whatever he has is painful and makes it burn when he pees.

[RomaVicta 30,591]

Google indicates that he doesn't smoke and wants to ban smoking in Russia. I'm surprised that didn't get him assassinated.

That does look like a distended face. It could be so many things. Frankly, I hope he's not in danger of dying soon. I don't want to add that to the equation of what he might do as the war in Ukraine continues to go so poorly.

Edited May 11, 2022 by RomaVicta
left out "not"

[jimmyjazz 47,203]

There are rumors he is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Oh, damn.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

6 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Google indicates that he doesn't smoke and wants to ban smoking in Russia. I'm surprised that didn't get him assassinated.

That does look like a distended face. It could be so many things. Frankly, I hope he's not in danger of dying soon. I don't want to add that to the equation of what he might do as the war in Ukraine continues to go so poorly.

honestly that may be the out the Russian heads of state are looking for. whatever it ends up being, I don't think Putin has many days left

[RomaVicta 30,591]

True. Being sickly is not a good PR situation for an iron-fisted dictator. A military seizure of power with an immediate withdrawal from Ukraine would be nice.

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

I can’t remember on which news program I heard this. (Probably either BBC or Morning Joe). But apparently Ukrainians have a term for the blown off turrets and cannons of Russian tanks destroyed by Javelin missiles. They reportedly call them “popsicles.”

I found these photos here:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10762427/The-Russian-tank-design-flaw-makes-mobile-coffins-multiple-shells-stored-together.html

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

1 hour ago, Bama Chick said:

Hope whatever he has is painful and makes it burn when he pees.

Damnit. I really do try to restrict my Zappa references and limit them to the weekends but sometimes it just can’t be avoided. Please forgive me. I tried but just couldn’t pass this one up. (Oh yeah, NSFW.)

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by WhatTheBuck

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

36 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I can’t remember on which news program I heard this. (Probably either BBC or Morning Joe). But apparently Ukrainians have a term for the blown off turrets and cannons of Russian tanks destroyed by Javelin missiles. They reportedly call them “popsicles.”

I found these photos here:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10762427/The-Russian-tank-design-flaw-makes-mobile-coffins-multiple-shells-stored-together.html

Two big takeaways from that article:
"The 'jack-in-the-box effect' has contributed to the devastating loss of up to 970 Russian tanks, the Ukrainian military claims"

"Analysts claimed yesterday that Russia has lost so much military equipment in Ukraine that it will be unable to fight another war for years."

Fucking yikes.

[Gil Bang 26,240]

[Royalfan5 2,384]

If Putin really is sick, I hope State Media has Swan Lake cued up at all times, just in case. 

[956 Worldwide 35,594]

In case there were any doubts about the “Kremlin to your racist uncle’s brain” pipeline, here’s a graphic from Russian state TV.  Also note that now we have a “Ministry of Agriculture.” 
 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

 

[RomaVicta 30,591]

54 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

Two big takeaways from that article:
"The 'jack-in-the-box effect' has contributed to the devastating loss of up to 970 Russian tanks, the Ukrainian military claims"

"Analysts claimed yesterday that Russia has lost so much military equipment in Ukraine that it will be unable to fight another war for years."

Fucking yikes.

Maybe war with tanks isn't such a good idea on the modern battlefield. Maybe learn that lesson and put your money into countermeasures against drones.

Wait, this is Russia. Tanks! Buy more tanks! Flood the battlefield with them again! Profit.

For honesty's sake, the fact that their tanks were limited to the roads because of mud was a strategy disaster as much as a technology failure.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

5 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Maybe war with tanks isn't such a good idea on the modern battlefield. Maybe learn that lesson and put your money into countermeasures against drones.

Wait, this is Russia. Tanks! Buy more tanks! Flood the battlefield with them again! Profit.

For honesty's sake, the fact that their tanks were limited to the roads because of mud was a strategy disaster as much as a technology failure.

yeah, imagine if the Panzer divisions needed roads. Hitler's army never would have gotten out of Germany. Amazing how much Russia has actually regressed 

[atomheartbevo 90,650]

5 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

In case there were any doubts about the “Kremlin to your racist uncle’s brain” pipeline, here’s a graphic from Russian state TV.  Also note that now we have a “Ministry of Agriculture.” 
 

That's some Glenn Beck/Alex Jones level of batshittery

 

[Neonmoon 38,130]

6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

There are rumors he is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Oh, damn.

[WhatTheBuck 28,930]

Finnish leaders announce backing for NATO membership

Quote

Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday officially endorsed the idea that their country should join NATO, a historic move that sets the stage for a membership application in the coming days.

Until recently, Finnish leaders saw NATO membership as an unnecessary provocation of Moscow, but since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Niinistö and Marin have signaled a new openness to joining the alliance and benefiting from its mutual defense clause.

“Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” the two leaders said in a joint statement. “We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/finland-leaders-announce-backing-for-nato-membership-sauli-niinisto-sanna-marin/

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,922]

This just in. Putin is an asshole.


 

 

 

[RomaVicta 30,591]

That speaks of such a trauma. The pain. The blood. The chaos. Imagine the boy's helplessness on finding his family. Imagine the pain and despair of having your legs blown off a second after smiling at the tea volunteer.

Now here they are smiling and happy in each other's arms; the trauma burbling and thrashing below.

This is what you're endorsing when you advocate war/invasion. Make sure it's worth it to you. We try to be careful, but we still leave this in our own wake.