Русский корабль - иди нахуй

[Schulz2.0 28951]

26 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Weird. Looks like they just put a carport or a metal shed on a tank. So having turrets that can swivel isn't important to them anymore?

 

Russians deployed a tank with a new type of protection near Krasnohorivka

During the armored assault near Krasnohorivka, the Russians deployed a tank with a new type of drone protection.

The video of the repulsion of the enemy attack was posted on the Telegram channel of the Khortytsia operational-strategic group.

Recently, Russian invasion forces made another attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region.

The Russian invaders intended to drive Ukrainian forces out of Krasnohorivka and gain a foothold there.

For the assault, the Russians used infantry fighting vehicles accompanied by tanks.

Ukrainian defenders detected the movement of enemy equipment and struck at it.

A tank with a new type of drone protection was also captured in a video from the Ukrainian military.

It was a Russian T-72 with a metal canopy covering the top and side projections of the tank. However, it is unclear from the video whether the tank had additional protection in the form of mesh or something similar in the front and rear. This can be seen in this video:

According to the photo, the main task of this structure is to protect against FPV strikes. Such a canopy can also protect against UAVs that drop ammunition on vehicles from above.

Subsequently, the Russians published a video of how they were preparing this tank for an assault. The T-72 received a trapezoidal steel structure, which increased the vehicle’s dimensions, both in width and height. This tank was also equipped with a knife mine trawl.

Ukrainian defenders used artillery, including cluster munitions, to defeat the Russian troops. FPV drones also destroyed enemy equipment. The UAVs with munitions attacked Russian infantry that had landed from an infantry fighting vehicle.

According to the video, a Russian T-72 with a steel canopy and several other vehicles managed to escape to the invaders’ positions. It is not clear whether this tank suffered any damage.

 

[Captainant 27638]

2 minutes ago, Schulz2.0 said:

 

The russians are basically Harkonnens, so sure lol

[RPM 26318]

Looks like they took a Ritchie Brothers Auction Quonset hut kit and mounted it on top of the tank. Seeing as 90% of the new shit sold at Ritchie's is Chinese built junk, this fits the profile. Looks plausible, fails miserably.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

I wonder how the blue shed would do in combat.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

3 hours ago, Chad Fuck said:

To be fair, there are probably a lot of grown ass Americans who’d spell it that way.

I waffled on whether I should make that the point or not.  

[Homesickhorn 2202]

This is a text exchange between myself and my Ukrainian “friend”. I sent her the MTG twitter speech. This girl’s brother, who is my age, is and has been fighting with the Uk Special Forces. I’m just gonna leave this snippet of our chat.

[B00M 6414]

And Ukraine didn’t even have to commit an act of war… just good old Russian incompetence 

[Gatorubet 30186]

It looks like my friends in the Cajun Navy won’t be able to help those nice people in Russia.

Just a quick word to remind everyone that Russia has mostly outhouses and very few bathrooms. It’s exactly the kind of place that you wanna be inundated with floodwaters, don’t you know?  This should work out well for Putin. In Soviet Russia, poo comes to you! 

[atomheartbevo 89630]

3 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

It looks like my friends in the Cajun Navy won’t be able to help those nice people in Russia.

Just a quick word to remind everyone that Russia has mostly outhouses and very few bathrooms. It’s exactly the kind of place that you wanna be inundated with floodwaters, don’t you know?  This should work out well for Putin. In Soviet Russia, poo comes to you! 

There’s already anger at local officials over the current flooding, and as we can probably assume, a whole shitload of equipment that could help in massive flooding (small boats, amphibious vehicles, helicopters, etc.) are all tied up or destroyed in Ukraine.

[Schulz2.0 28951]

 

[Schulz2.0 28951]

The Ukrainians reverse engineered Russia's lancet drones.

 

 

[Schulz2.0 28951]

[Schulz2.0 28951]

[956 Worldwide 34704]

I’ve been avoiding this thread because I am angry. At some point I have to not be locked in on this every waking moment.

Everyone needs to read European Commander/SACEUR General Cavoli’s testimony. It is all accurate. Then call your congress rep and call Mike Johnson. 
 

 

[Parliament 14247]

18 minutes ago, Schulz2.0 said:

My God that’s infuriating.  

[Nivek 16923]

29 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I’ve been avoiding this thread because I am angry. At some point I have to not be locked in on this every waking moment.

Everyone needs to read European Commander/SACEUR General Cavoli’s testimony. It is all accurate. Then call your congress rep and call Mike Johnson. 
 

 

Zelensky said this already.  This is nothing new.  The world is failing Ukraine and emboldening Russia.   The token aid was never enough and we/our allies all underestimated the Russian resolve to keep sending in wave after wave of crap.   Russia is not completely isolated from the world, they are not blockaded, and they have not had all their assets seized and put to better use.  In the end, Russia won't be able to fight the West, but they won't have to.  They can still take Moldova while we watch them starve out Africa for concessions.   

[Bevo 13569]

24 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Zelensky said this already.  This is nothing new.  The world is failing Ukraine and emboldening Russia.   The token aid was never enough and we/our allies all underestimated the Russian resolve to keep sending in wave after wave of crap.   Russia is not completely isolated from the world, they are not blockaded, and they have not had all their assets seized and put to better use.  In the end, Russia won't be able to fight the West, but they won't have to.  They can still take Moldova while we watch them starve out Africa for concessions.   

I agree with this, but I'll add to it - The West fucked up by providing incremental aid. If we would have avoided the javelin to ATACMS and Patriot to F16 slow progression, Ukraine could have hit Russia before it transitioned to a wartime footing. We planned first for Ukraine to lose and then we planned for a long lasting war of attrition. We also put restraints on Russian assets that Ukraine could target. You have to fight a war to win and running a war with diplomats is a sure way to keep that from happening.

All is not lost, but now Ukraine is on the defensive. The world will have to change course to change the outcome. Right now, from the reports coming in, it doesn't appear that it will happen.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

3 hours ago, Nivek said:

and they have not had all their assets seized and put to better use.  

We need to do this for everything we have seized.  Let the Russian oligarchs try to rebuild down the road.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

 

[Bevo 13569]

13 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

 

[YGIFS 19449]

I knew an Austrian fellow once who made an initial deal with Russia, only to severely regret it a few years later.  And Poland was there, too.  

Once again, the biggest asshole in the room always starts the conversation/speech with, "You know...as a student of history..." 

[Parliament 14247]

37 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

Someone needs to remind that dipshit what happened the LAST time an Austrian made a deal with Russia.

[MissingInAction 25018]

Without any reputable sources I m saying fuck Russia from every freedom loving country. 

[YGIFS 19449]

1 hour ago, Parliament said:

Someone needs to remind that dipshit what happened the LAST time an Austrian made a deal with Russia.

Dude, it's literally in the putsch above yours.  I mean, the prost above yours.  I mean, post.  Dammit, I had something for this.  

Even for a non-member of NATO, this is a weird flex by Austria.  Unless he's looking for some kinda signature move from which to launch his legacy by brokering a peace deal, which he technically can do as a non-NATO member.  There's a small change he's playing a grander game, there's a small chance he's going to expand the theater of war and hurt lots of Eastern Europeans, but I'm guessing he was simply looking to attract attention and headlines.  

[PTINS 3465]

Hard to find any good news from Ukraine, so I'll settle for bad news from Russia.

The flooding in Russia is not because of a "dam failure", but appears to be from the volumes of water flowing through the creeks and rivers and over the dikes, dams, and whatever else is in the way. Reports of water at ~ 10 meter levels (32 feet) proximate to 16 foot levees means there is 16 feet of water flowing over the top. The widespread flooding spans an area and different river systems from Sorochinsk to Kurgan, ~ 540 miles. 

The pitiful response from the state will not improve, as there does not appear to be any significant resources available, and the flooding situation will get worse before it gets better. 

The flooding in Orsk, just north of Kazakhstan, is not coming from the Ural River that traverses east to west, but from the Yelshanka River, directionally northwest of the city. In the second video below, at the 09 second mark, you can see the monument in Gagarin Square, with the flood water coming towards the front of the monument, which faces Northwest. 

It is shown in the Google Earth screen shot.

In the screenshot below, everything (~ 25 square miles) between the 638' elevations north and south of the Ural River, including the Gagarin Monument, is probably under water.

The residential area doesn't have high rises, just a shit load of high density single family dwellings. (The lots are ~ 30 ft x 100 ft).

The numbers of flooded homes, ~ 10,000?, in Orsk alone, is going to cause a shit storm, literally (Ha! Ha!), that won't go away. There's not a FEMA bailout on the horizon. One official proposed ~ $108/month for 6 months as compensation. Another said "he should be on vacation, not here." If your home is trashed and you have no place to go, how much do you care about going to work?  Or going to Ukraine to be a meat popsicle? Worker productivity at the industrial facilities is going to be impacted, but to what degree?

In a few days or weeks, this won't just be a few people in front of city hall complaining. I'm hoping this energizes and mobilizes the masses like never before err ..., nothing since 1917. Too bad it's in the middle of bum fuck no where.

Corruption, meet Karma.

One can only hope.

[SydneyCarton 48063]

15 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I’ve been avoiding this thread because I am angry. At some point I have to not be locked in on this every waking moment.

Everyone needs to read European Commander/SACEUR General Cavoli’s testimony. It is all accurate. Then call your congress rep and call Mike Johnson. 
 

 

I'm not attempting to agitate you, but calling most reps is worthless. Ted Cruz basically goes straight to voicemail. Mike Johnson gives zero fucks. 

[MissingInAction 25018]

Texas can haz russian water? 

[Captainant 27638]

16 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

I'm not attempting to agitate you, but calling most reps is worthless. Ted Cruz basically goes straight to voicemail. Mike Johnson gives zero fucks. 

Last time I actually took the time to write a letter and send it by mail to a rep's office I got a reply about 8 months later after the issue was resolved, and the reply was completely unresponsive to what I wrote. 

They don't give a flying fuck what you have to say unless it comes with a five figure check

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

21 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Texas can haz russian shit water? 

fify

[Gatorubet 30186]

1 hour ago, MissingInAction said:

Texas can haz russian water? 

It ‘s what cedar craves…

[bolverk 29656]

Austria continues to be infested with spies. It's a long story with a bunch of names, so I've tried to clip and bold the basics. The link is to the original AP story if you want to read all of it.

An espionage scandal rocks Austria, laying bare alleged Russian spying operations across Europe

VIENNA (AP) — Austria faces its biggest espionage scandal in decades as the arrest of a former intelligence officer brings to light evidence of extensive Russian infiltration, lax official oversight and behavior worthy of a spy novel.

Egisto Ott was arrested March 29. The 86-page arrest warrant, obtained by The Associated Press, alleges among other things that he handed over cellphone data of former high-ranking Austrian officials to Russian intelligence, helped plot a burglary at a prominent journalist’s apartment, and wrote up “suggestions for improvement” after a Russian-ordered killing in Germany.

Ott is suspected of having provided sensitive information to Jan Marsalek, a fugitive fellow Austrian wanted on suspicion of fraud since the collapse in 2020 of German payment company Wirecard, where he was the chief operating officer. The warrant says chat messages provided by British authorities link Marsalek directly to the Russian intelligence agency FSB.

German and Austrian media have reported that Marsalek is believed to have had connections to Russian intelligence since at least 2014. He is now thought to be in Russia.

*****

Ott, a former police officer, was an intelligence officer in Turkey and Italy from 2001 to 2012 before moving on to manage undercover agents at Austria’s now-defunct domestic intelligence agency, the BVT.

He was suspended from the BVT in 2017 when allegations emerged for the first time that he could be spying for Russia, but reassigned the following year to work for the Austrian police academy. In 2021, he was suspended pending further investigation into his alleged ties to Russia and taken into custody. Authorities concluded the evidence was too thin and released him about four weeks later.

At the BVT, Ott served under Martin Weiss, the former chief of Austrian intelligence operations. Prosecutors alleged that Ott and Weiss have a “close friendship.” In the arrest warrant, they say that Weiss began to work for Marsalek and Wirecard after leaving the intelligence agency in 2018, and that he passed orders from Marsalek and Russian operatives to Ott. According to the arrest warrant, Marsalek said in a text message that he helped “evacuate” Weiss to Dubai.

*****

Between 2017 and 2021, the Austrian warrant says, Ott collected sensitive information on people of interest to Russia “for the purpose of transmission to Jan Marsalek and to unknown representatives of Russian authorities” by conducting numerous searches in national police databases and making requests to other European police officers, including in Italy and Britain.

Ott also allegedly requested data from the information system of Europe’s border-free travel area to ascertain whether suspected Russian operatives and former Wirecard employees were wanted or subject to travel restrictions.

The warrant contains a long list of people who were spied on, including Russian dissidents, businesspeople and a former officer who had quit the FSB.

*****

Five Bulgarian citizens who allegedly worked as part of a network with Marsalek were arrested last year in Britain and another in February. According to the Ott arrest warrant, chat messages between Marsalek and one of the suspects in that case, Orlin Roussev, that were seized by Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency point to further operations by Marsalek and his Austrian helpers.

Just five weeks after Ott was released from custody in 2021, prosecutors say he requested the address of Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev in Vienna and supplied it to Marsalek. They say Marsalek later commissioned a team to break into Grozev’s apartment and steal a laptop and USB stick.

Grozev, who tracked down Russian officers allegedly involved in the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in 2018 and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020, relocated from Vienna last year after Austrian authorities told him they could no longer guarantee his security.

*****

Investigators also found a lessons-learned analysis on Ott’s mobile phone that contained “suggestions for improvement” for Russian intelligence operations in Europe following the 2019 killing in Berlin of a Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity. A Russian man was caught and convicted in that case; German judges said he acted on the orders of Russian authorities.

[bolverk 29656]

 

Massive attack destroys one of Ukraine’s largest power plants

A massive missile and drone attack destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants and damaged others, officials said Thursday, part of a renewed Russian campaign targeting energy infrastructure.

The Trypilska plant, which was the biggest energy supplier for the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, was struck numerous times, destroying the transformer, turbines and generators and leaving the plant ablaze. As the first drone approached, workers hid in a shelter, saving their lives, said Andrii Hota, director of the state company that runs the plant, Centrenergo.

*****

The plant supplied electricity to 3 million customers — but none lost power because the grid was able to compensate since demands are low at this time of year. Still, the consequences of the strikes could be felt in the coming months, as air conditioning use ramps up with summer.

At least 10 other strikes overnight damaged energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 200,000 people in the region, which has been struck repeatedly, were without power.

*****

Russia has recently renewed strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, and attacks last month blacked out large parts of the country — a level of darkness not seen since the first days of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The volume and accuracy of the attacks have alarmed the country’s defenders and left officials scrambling for better ways to defend energy assets. The strikes have also tested Ukraine’s ability to make quick repairs.

Ukraine’s leaders have pleaded for more air defense systems to ward off such attacks, but those supplies have been slow in coming.

“Today’s situation demonstrates that there’s nothing left to shoot down” the missiles, Hota said.

[atomheartbevo 89630]

2 minutes ago, bolverk said:

The plant supplied electricity to 3 million customers — but none lost power because the grid was able to compensate since demands are low at this time of year. Still, the consequences of the strikes could be felt in the coming months, as air conditioning use ramps up with summer.

There’s an ERCOT joke in there somewhere.

[956 Worldwide 34704]

22 hours ago, Bevo said:

I agree with this, but I'll add to it - The West fucked up by providing incremental aid. If we would have avoided the javelin to ATACMS and Patriot to F16 slow progression, Ukraine could have hit Russia before it transitioned to a wartime footing. We planned first for Ukraine to lose and then we planned for a long lasting war of attrition. We also put restraints on Russian assets that Ukraine could target. You have to fight a war to win and running a war with diplomats is a sure way to keep that from happening.

All is not lost, but now Ukraine is on the defensive. The world will have to change course to change the outcome. Right now, from the reports coming in, it doesn't appear that it will happen.

Ukraine needs to shift to an attritional strategy that gives them space to reconstitute forces and get support flowing and integrated. There isn’t space for another grand offensive.  And they can really maul the Russians.  They can’t mount one either but they also are going to try. For the near to mid-term there is no Russian collapse on the horizon. 
 

Even this, which they can do, will need more and more consistent support. 

[GoPokes83 2240]

 
Massive attack destroys one of Ukraine’s largest power plants
A massive missile and drone attack destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants and damaged others, officials said Thursday, part of a renewed Russian campaign targeting energy infrastructure.
The Trypilska plant, which was the biggest energy supplier for the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, was struck numerous times, destroying the transformer, turbines and generators and leaving the plant ablaze. As the first drone approached, workers hid in a shelter, saving their lives, said Andrii Hota, director of the state company that runs the plant, Centrenergo.
*****
The plant supplied electricity to 3 million customers — but none lost power because the grid was able to compensate since demands are low at this time of year. Still, the consequences of the strikes could be felt in the coming months, as air conditioning use ramps up with summer.
At least 10 other strikes overnight damaged energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 200,000 people in the region, which has been struck repeatedly, were without power.
*****
Russia has recently renewed strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, and attacks last month blacked out large parts of the country — a level of darkness not seen since the first days of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The volume and accuracy of the attacks have alarmed the country’s defenders and left officials scrambling for better ways to defend energy assets. The strikes have also tested Ukraine’s ability to make quick repairs.
Ukraine’s leaders have pleaded for more air defense systems to ward off such attacks, but those supplies have been slow in coming.
“Today’s situation demonstrates that there’s nothing left to shoot down” the missiles, Hota said.

Does Ukraine not have the ability to somehow retaliate in kind? Are Moscow’s power plants so well guarded that random attacks by small covert groups couldn’t work? Wasn’t that long ago that some asshat with a rifle put a ton of Texans in the dark just shooting up one substation.

Why isn’t Ukraine hitting Russians where they live? At this point are they really worried about being labeled terrorists by doing the same thing Russia is doing on a daily basis? Bring the war home and let them get fed up with constant fear of a car bomb and continual inconveniences. What do I know, but it’s worked before.

[TexasEd 8066]

4 hours ago, GoPokes83 said:

Does Ukraine not have the ability to somehow retaliate in kind? Are Moscow’s power plants so well guarded that random attacks by small covert groups couldn’t work? Wasn’t that long ago that some asshat with a rifle put a ton of Texans in the dark just shooting up one substation.

Why isn’t Ukraine hitting Russians where they live? At this point are they really worried about being labeled terrorists by doing the same thing Russia is doing on a daily basis? Bring the war home and let them get fed up with constant fear of a car bomb and continual inconveniences. What do I know, but it’s worked before.

Have you missed all the attacks on Russian oil refineries?

[GoPokes83 2240]

Have you missed all the attacks on Russian oil refineries?

Those may be symbolic, but I’m not sure how much they directly effect the average Ivan.

[texastough 1129]

3 hours ago, GoPokes83 said:

Those may be symbolic, but I’m not sure how much they directly effect the average Ivan.

Yep, symbolically costing Russia billions of dollars and leading to symbolic fuel shortages . . .

[DaggerHorns 3082]

4 hours ago, GoPokes83 said:

Those may be symbolic, but I’m not sure how much they directly effect the average Ivan.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-bans-gasoline-exports-6-months-march-1-2024-02-27/
 

“Russia on Tuesday ordered a six-month ban on gasoline exports from March 1 to keep prices stable amid rising demand from consumers and farmers and to allow for maintenance of refineries in the world's second largest oil exporter.”

that OSU education is not serving you well.

[SydneyCarton 48063]

Offered without comment, becuase one isn't even necessary:
 

 

 

[MissingInAction 25018]

[YGIFS 19449]

I know you Ukrainians in the East are having your homes and businesses raided by Russian infantry.  But we can’t help right you regain your freedom right now because we’re literally busy with HR3637 which will give freedom to refrigerators against the attacks of the Refrigerator Raider.  Good luck.   

[Bevo 13569]

24 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Offered without comment, becuase one isn't even necessary:
 

 

 

Is that unusual? The only thing I saw on the Senate schedule for Monday was:

Following Leader remarks, the Senate will resume Executive Session and the consideration of Executive Calendar #478 Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for a term of ten years.  At 5:30pm the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination.

[SydneyCarton 48063]

8 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Is that unusual? The only thing I saw on the Senate schedule for Monday was:

Following Leader remarks, the Senate will resume Executive Session and the consideration of Executive Calendar #478 Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for a term of ten years.  At 5:30pm the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination.

For the House of Representatives, who refuse to bring a vote on Ukraine funding to the floor, no, it is sadly not unusual. 

The Senate has already passed Ukraine funding, but they can't do shit without the house, who refuses to even vote on it becuase then it might pass. Yes, both bodies do stupid waste of time bullshit. But voting on a Judge isn't quite, I don't know, refusing to bring a popular vote to the floor becuase they want instead to vote on the freedom of refrigerator choice in America. GTFO. 

[Bevo 13569]

5 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

For the House of Representatives, who refuse to bring a vote on Ukraine funding to the floor, no, it is sadly not unusual. 

The Senate has already passed Ukraine funding, but they can't do shit without the house, who refuses to even vote on it becuase because then it might pass. Yes, both bodies do stupid waste of time bullshit. But voting on a Judge isn't quite, I don't know, refusing to bring a popular vote to the floor becuase because they want instead to vote on the freedom of refrigerator choice in America. GTFO. 

The House today is reviewing the fiscal year 2025 budget request for missile defense and missile defeat programs. The Senate is off today and only thing I saw on the Senate schedule for last week and next week were judge appointees for which the outcome of the vote is already known before the day begins. So I agree, they both waste time and money.

[SydneyCarton 48063]

12 minutes ago, Bevo said:

The House today is reviewing the fiscal year 2025 budget request for missile defense and missile defeat programs. The Senate is off today and only thing I saw on the Senate schedule for last week and next week were judge appointees for which the outcome of the vote is already known before the day begins. So I agree, they both waste time and money.

People have been begging on a vote for funding for Ukraine for literally months. This article was from two months ago.
https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-ukraine-aid-06889e166a5417d5b4bc7795813e37ef
 

You can attempt to both sides this all you want, and this is as far as I'm going to go on what will be contrived as a political post, the fact remains that Urkaine needs aid, and there is exactly one roadblock to them getting it from the United States, and that roadblock has existed since 2023. 

Edited April 12 by SydneyCarton

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

11 minutes ago, Bevo said:

The House today is reviewing the fiscal year 2025 budget request for missile defense and missile defeat programs. The Senate is off today and only thing I saw on the Senate schedule for last week and next week were judge appointees for which the outcome of the vote is already known before the day begins. So I agree, they both waste time and money.

The Senate doing their constitutional job of approving judges is not wasting time and money, and, as has already been pointed out, is not delaying funding for Ukraine by even a nanosecond.  The House  "leadership" is the group who are doing Russia a solid by denying funding for Ukraine a vote.  Not even remotely similar.  Have you had your meds today?

[Bevo 13569]

5 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

People have been begging on a vote for funding for Ukraine for literally months. This article was from a month ago.
https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-ukraine-aid-06889e166a5417d5b4bc7795813e37ef
 

You can attempt to both sides this all you want, and this is as far as I'm going to go on what will be contrived as a political post, the fact remains that Urkaine needs aid, and there is exactly one roadblock to them getting it from the United States, and that roadblock has existed since 2023. 

Because it was a political post and it is both sides. And of course Johnson is unable to form consensus in his party regarding Ukraine. And now it is an election year. More interesting to me would be the pros and cons of Republican support of Ukraine and the pros and cons of Democrats taking the limits off its support of Ukraine. To me it seems like an easy decision if we are only looking at what is best for the US. Maybe, there is more to it though - like perhaps Democrats are worried about the fall out of a Russian civil war or high gas prices in an election year and the Republicans are worried about talking points in an election year or wasted money without a clear path of what winning would look like. I'm not convinced either party really wants Ukraine victory and would rather see a weakened Russia rather than a destroyed Russia. Maybe, I'm wrong though - a full discussion would be interesting. For the record, I'm very much for a Ukraine victory even if it means a Russian civil war. And I don't worry about Russian nuclear threats. Those are empty. So I am for unfettered support.

[YGIFS 19449]

I don’t think anybody takes issue with the Senate voting on judges.  It’s one of the more clear things in our Constitution. 

we have backfilled Ukraine with decommissioned and surplus weapons systems all we can.  By end of this calendar year, we’ll have supplied all we can supply.  They need money though to upgrade, train, arm, and power those platforms.  Nevermind food.  That requires money.  And maybe some liberated refrigerators.  

[SydneyCarton 48063]

10 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Because it was a political post and it is both sides. And of course Johnson is unable to form consensus in his party regarding Ukraine. And now it is an election year. More interesting to me would be the pros and cons of Republican support of Ukraine and the pros and cons of Democrats taking the limits off its support of Ukraine. To me it seems like an easy decision if we are only looking at what is best for the US. Maybe, there is more to it though - like perhaps Democrats are worried about the fall out of a Russian civil war or high gas prices in an election year and the Republicans are worried about talking points in an election year or wasted money without a clear path of what winning would look like. I'm not convinced either party really wants Ukraine victory and would rather see a weakened Russia rather than a destroyed Russia. Maybe, I'm wrong though - a full discussion would be interesting. For the record, I'm very much for a Ukraine victory even if it means a Russian civil war. And I don't worry about Russian nuclear threats. Those are empty. So I am for unfettered support.

Johnson doesn't need to form a consensus in his own party. He just needs to bring it to a vote. 95% of the democrats will support the bill, and anywhere form 20-40% of republicans will vote for the bill, and it will pass easily and things can move forward. That's how politics CAN work. It's how it used to work. Everything else you said is just complete and utter bullshit obfuscation. But by refusing to bring it to a vote, a small minority is able to completely obstruct the entire process and fuck over Ukraine entirely. 

Edited April 12 by SydneyCarton