Русский корабль - иди нахуй

[troph 24419]

2 hours ago, BamaATL said:

This is 100% right and the best news.  Eventually, Russia will want to get back into normal financial relations, and in order to do so, they are going to have to trade something.  The only thing they have to trade at this point are the nukes.

Putin stole from his military, made it not really able to fight, seems to have forgotten that he did that, invades a country and is humiliated by farmers and western weapons, destroys his economy in a manner of weeks.  Leaving no economic path back without having to trade nukes.  

The guy is a fucking genius.  

The other thing they have to trade is form of government.  Free and fair elections is what we really want. 

Edited March 15, 2022 by troph

[MillerEP 30307]

 

[BamaATL 16592]

1 hour ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

To give RU hope via propaganda?

China wants nothing more than to be one of two super powers and not the third wheel super power.

Well, if you are China don't you probe every angle at this point, it helps to understand tipping points, right?  I can't blame them for this, it's exactly what I would do as well.  Do a non committal test of boundries? 

[Longhornlove 4766]

NYT is full of it. They need to learn the definition of siege. Wouldn't expect less from their dimwit "journalists".

[atomheartbevo 89293]

Expert on urban warfare has a good article out about it on West Point's site,  from last year:

https://mwi.usma.edu/the-eight-rules-of-urban-warfare-and-why-we-must-work-to-change-them/

He does not believe Russia is even close to winning/taking Kyiv.

His twitter is a good follower https://twitter.com/SpencerGuard

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[DDD Dad 14133]

12 minutes ago, Longhornlove said:

NYT is full of it. They need to learn the definition of siege. Wouldn't expect less from their dimwit "journalists".

Is this like magazines versus clips and Volvos as Tanks?

 

I’ll show myself out. 
 

in all seriousness though, that’s a headline, not the body of the article. I just skimmed the body and I didn’t see that the author ever used the term siege. The facts reported seemed consistent with what I’ve seen elsewhere. 
 

The NYT is far from perfect, but dismissive comments like this reflect more about your perspective than anything about the NYT. 

[atomheartbevo 89293]

3 hours ago, Constant said:

 

2 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Yeah we'll see. I don't see that happening. 

Good article above a few posts above on urban warfare (from last year) about why Russia really fucked up, and it backs up the idea that Russia is on a really short timer.

If Russia does not have the equipment and troops they are supposedly shipping in/have called up deployed into Ukraine within a week, that's another week of Ukraine wearing Russian units down, another week of Ukraine reinforcing its cities, another week of more Western weapons flooding in, more volunteers from both outside and inside of Ukraine signing up, more mud, and more experience that Ukrainian troops will have.  

More Russian armored vehicles as well as trucks will be getting knocked out in the next 10 days.  Every lost truck represents 2-3 truckloads a day of material that can't be shipped to wherever.  On top of that, Russia does not appear to have the actual Honest-to-God infantry numbers they need to take Kyiv.  Not "basically infantry" but real infantry. 

Something else to take note of - RALee and others are posting the local death/funeral notices from the local Russian websites (both local news and local Russian government sites), and most of them seem to have a lag time of 2 weeks or more - they are still burying people from February.  And they don't appear to be putting notices out for the conscripts - a lot of those death notices/obituaries are for contract/experienced troops (and/or officers).  Even without the conscripts' notices, there are enough notices popping up on the local village and town websites that it's going to make the Russian people question a lot.  The tempo is much higher than the deaths in Chechnya it would seem.  

Note: It could simply be the dead conscripts are taking a backseat to the contracts/officers and will eventually be shipped back to their homes, but if the lag is a couple of weeks for many of these troops, then that's another data point about their logistics woes, given that Russia shares a border with and has secured areas on the Ukrainian border, and she should be able to get the dead troops on trains fairly fast.

Either way, Ukraine is replacing her dead soldiers far faster and her military is larger and maybe even stronger (in terms of resisting Russia) than it was 3 weeks ago.  She now has more Javelins and NLAWs than Russia has tanks, and more Stingers than Russia has aircraft..

[956 Worldwide 34205]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Don't know why I glossed over it, but dude was GRU.  I've seen some people say all Spetsnaz are under GRU, and others have said they are not.  GRU is their foreign intelligence division, and I know they have Spetsnaz groups under them, just not sure if it's all of them.  

No, not all Spetznatz units are under the GRU. The SVR also has its own Spetznatz, so does the National Guard, and the regular military does as well. What does happen is during wartime most of the Spetznatz ground forces units come under operational control of the GRU.
 

Spetznatz is a broader term than our “special forces” although lots of times it’s treated the same. Think Rangers, not Greeen Berets.  They have SOF but that’s much smaller and more elite.  As I mentioned way back thread, there are conscripts even in Spetznatz.

[956 Worldwide 34205]

3 hours ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Yeah, Russia isn’t giving up their nukes. Their conventional military is spent. They have nothing left to keep everyone i their respective lanes, and a s**t tone of land and resources to protect from anyone who might want them. They might trade in 1/2 the arsenal or something and still have a couple of two thousand warheads left, but they’re not drawing down to zero. Tradiational Russian paranoi probably has them looking at China’s arsenal and saying we need at least 5x that, and we’re not doing it unless the US draws down to that amount too. A significant win, but still enough end mankind several times over.

 

3 hours ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Yeah, Russia isn’t giving up their nukes. Their conventional military is spent. They have nothing left to keep everyone i their respective lanes, and a s**t tone of land and resources to protect from anyone who might want them. They might trade in 1/2 the arsenal or something and still have a couple of two thousand warheads left, but they’re not drawing down to zero. Tradiational Russian paranoi probably has them looking at China’s arsenal and saying we need at least 5x that, and we’re not doing it unless the US draws down to that amount too. A significant win, but still enough end mankind several times over.

This.  Russia will not denuclearize. It’s almost impossible to imagine any Russian leader who would voluntarily give up that deterrent, sandwiched between the nuclear west and east. 

[Longhornlove 4766]

2 hours ago, DDD Dad said:

Is this like magazines versus clips and Volvos as Tanks?

 

I’ll show myself out. 
 

in all seriousness though, that’s a headline, not the body of the article. I just skimmed the body and I didn’t see that the author ever used the term siege. The facts reported seemed consistent with what I’ve seen elsewhere. 
 

The NYT is far from perfect, but dismissive comments like this reflect more about your perspective than anything about the NYT. 

"I didn’t see that the author ever used the term siege"

Really..................It's clearly the title of the article. You suppose the author didn't write the title? NYT occasionally does some actual journalism, much more as of late to be honest but you are right, I do shy away from their publication due to my "perspective".

 

[956 Worldwide 34205]

7 minutes ago, Longhornlove said:

"I didn’t see that the author ever used the term siege"

Really..................It's clearly the title of the article. You suppose the author didn't write the title? NYT occasionally does some actual journalism, much more as of late to be honest but you are right, I do shy away from their publication due to my "perspective".

 

Reporters almost never write their own titles or headlines. 

[Longhornlove 4766]

7 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Reporters almost never write their own titles or headlines. 

So they use deceptive tactics to lure people into clicking on a article to make a buck, then wonder why polls show the general public doesn't trust the media. I didn't read the article because the title was a lie. I guess it works for many people, good luck to them, I didn't fall for it this time, maybe next time. If there was a picture of a hot chick with the title, I might have clicked on it. I do have my weaknesses. 🤣

[InkaUtexas 25188]

21 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Reporters almost never write their own titles or headlines. 

If you ever need a good transatlantic read find a copy of Life its Ownself by Dan Jenkins. You will laugh your ass off and piss off everyone around you. Plus his dreams about dealing with editors is what all writers dream about. 

Keep up the good input and have a vodka for us. 

[InkaUtexas 25188]

Damn, I love firefighters. Brave souls. My Grandfather was one in Boston. But these dudes...... I remember watching them work in Sarajevo. Rounds still coming in and there they were. There was a group from NY who went over in 1994 to train and support. Bad asses. All of them 

 

 

[RPM 26150]

nsiap

 

[Dbeasy 14914]

This thread has got very optimistic. I remain very pessimistic. Russia will never denuclearize. Never. In fact, no country on earth will ever denuclearize. Ukraine has shown what happens when you do. 

As to the war, I fear that the pundits are misreading the plodding, poorly executed invasion as solely due to resistance and execution errors.

I believe part of the reason for the slow advance is that Putin is using it as a tool to force Ukraine to the negotiating table to strike an agreement that meets Russia’s original objectives. That way they don’t have to fight an insurgency for the next 10-50 years. They are bleeding Ukraine out.

I don’t think Russia is done. I think they have plenty of firepower left.  I don’t think this is going to end well for Ukraine. Hope to hell I’m completely wrong. 
 

 

[clapclapclap 9000]

Twitter rumors also say multiple fractures and shrapnel in both legs.

[2] According to specifics of his wounds, Benjamin Hall got under mortar or artillery shelling when he exited Gorenki village and was heading to #Irpin city. Source: Anton Gerashchenko, an aide of minister of internal affairs of #Ukraine.

[3] The fate of the Benjamin Hall's TV crew - a cameraman / #Ireland national Pierre Zakrevsky and a producer Alexandra Kuvshinova - is yet unknown. Source: Anton Gerashchenko, an aide of minister of internal affairs of #Ukraine.

[Schulz2.0 28698]

Russia is claiming to have shot down 6 Bayraktar TB-2 drones in the past 24 hours.

[RPM 26150]

1 hour ago, clapclapclap said:

Twitter rumors also say multiple fractures and shrapnel in both legs.

[2] According to specifics of his wounds, Benjamin Hall got under mortar or artillery shelling when he exited Gorenki village and was heading to #Irpin city. Source: Anton Gerashchenko, an aide of minister of internal affairs of #Ukraine.

[3] The fate of the Benjamin Hall's TV crew - a cameraman / #Ireland national Pierre Zakrevsky and a producer Alexandra Kuvshinova - is yet unknown. Source: Anton Gerashchenko, an aide of minister of internal affairs of #Ukraine.

Friendly Fire?

[grazinhorn 472]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/15/world/leaders-poland-czech-republic-slovenia-traveling-kyiv-eu-mission-show-support-ukraine/

 

Quote

The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are traveling to Kyiv on a European Union mission Tuesday to meet with Ukraine’s top leadership as Russia’s offensive moved closer to the center of the capital.

Quote

“In such critical times for the world it is our duty to be where history is forged,” Morawiecki said. "Because it’s not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny.”

Quote

Ahead of his departure, Morawiecki on Facebook recalled how the former Polish President Lech Kaczynski had made a visit to the capital of Georgia in 2008 when that ex-Soviet country was under attack from Russia.

He quoted President Kaczynski who said at the time in Tbilisi: “Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic states, and then maybe it’s time for my country, for Poland.”

Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s presence also has symbolic significance. He is the surviving twin of Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash with 95 others on Russia soil in 2010 while traveling to commemorate Poles executed by the Soviet secret police during World War II. A Polish investigation determined that plane crash to be an accident.

The symbolic nature of this is cool, but I'm trying to figure out if that is worth not just the risk but the distraction to Ukraine forces that would be dealing with their security.  In any case, the 2008 quote seems prescient - here's hoping Ukraine breaks that off here and now.

Edited March 15, 2022 by grazinhorn

[Nice Guy Eddie 13385]

Russia may not denuclearize but they could be at a point soon of zero sphere of influence. Basically just a very large North Korea. If the sanctions continue, then the Russian elite and educated will want to leave Russia. Do you think that will be allowed?

I wouldn’t be surprised if the UN kicks Russia out of the Security Council. I don’t know if there is a method to accomplish that but rules can be changed. As long as Putin is in charge, Russia is a pariah.

[DDD Dad 14133]

4 hours ago, Longhornlove said:

I didn't read the article because the title was a lie.

How does that saying go? Better to remain silent and thought a fool?  Something like that. 

[Francisco 2.0 32289]

 

 

[Hefeweizen 5305]

4 hours ago, Longhornlove said:

So they use deceptive tactics to lure people into clicking on a article to make a buck, then wonder why polls show the general public doesn't trust the media. I didn't read the article because the title was a lie. I guess it works for many people, good luck to them, I didn't fall for it this time, maybe next time. If there was a picture of a hot chick with the title, I might have clicked on it. I do have my weaknesses. 🤣

Your CR is showing here.  Seriously, go tilt at media windmills somewhere else.  The media has done  a pretty exemplary job on Ukraine, and the Times daily podcast has been really solid.  

[Hefeweizen 5305]

3 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:

Russia is claiming to have shot down 6 Bayraktar TB-2 drones in the past 24 hours.

Show us the wreckage.  Otherwise I'm not sure I believe them.

[Hefeweizen 5305]

This one got me…

[Bateshorn 9853]

4 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Reporters almost never write their own titles or headlines. 

If it bleeds, it leads.  As it was in media, as it always shall be.  I can go on any media site and find an article with a deceptive or hyperbolic headline designed to gather clicks.  
 

“Grinding Russian Offensive Means Khiv Is Preparing For More War” doesn’t exactly scream READ ME!

Edited March 15, 2022 by Bateshorn

[Bevo 13465]

8 minutes ago, Hefeweizen said:

This one got me…

Come on, man, That isn't from a seven year old.

[Bateshorn 9853]

This article about Iskander decoys is exactly the reason why the Chinese will not be giving anything cutting edge to the Russians.  If anything, this article both serves the NYT news function and acts as a low key warning that the West is actively analyzing weapons deployment and use for intelligence purposes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/us/russia-ukraine-weapons-decoy.html

[Goredho 17255]

22 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

 

Does 20 generals directly involved in the Ukraine invasion seem like a lot?  I realize there are different ranks of general, but how many do you really need?  How many did the allies have on the western front in WWII?  I know Patton, Montgomery, Bradley, but were there dozens of other lesser generals involved?  Or is “general” a broader rank in the Russian military?

[NorthLoop 14030]

I think it's a general term. 

[Mantis Toboggan, MD 1498]

Does 20 generals directly involved in the Ukraine invasion seem like a lot?  I realize there are different ranks of general, but how many do you really need?  How many did the allies have on the western front in WWII?  I know Patton, Montgomery, Bradley, but were there dozens of other lesser generals involved?  Or is “general” a broader rank in the Russian military?

Not really. There are several ranks of general/admiral. There are like 800-1000 generals and admirals in the USA military currently. I’m sure there are hundreds in the Russian military too.

[Bateshorn 9853]

24 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Does 20 generals directly involved in the Ukraine invasion seem like a lot?  I realize there are different ranks of general, but how many do you really need?  How many did the allies have on the western front in WWII?  I know Patton, Montgomery, Bradley, but were there dozens of other lesser generals involved?  Or is “general” a broader rank in the Russian military?

The Russians have an entirely different military culture than ours, which tends to value competency and a degree of independence at the senior enlisted and junior officer level. That allows senior officers to stay back from the front and engage in broad planning and direction because they can be assured their orders will be carried out. 

Because the Russian army is all miserable conscripts, and enterprising junior officers are seen as a threat to senior officers and are culled, the senior officers basically have to be at the front to have even the most banal orders properly carried out. 
 

 

[Not a cat 5601]

1 hour ago, Hefeweizen said:

This one got me…

The Ukranian Guernica.

[Guest Lobo]

The Ukrainica?  By Pavel Picasso?  

Jokes aside, I'm really starting to wish Germany had wiped Russia from the face of this planet.  

[TXSG8R 3325]

12 minutes ago, Mantis Toboggan, MD said:

Not really. There are several ranks of general/admiral. There are like 800-1000 generals and admirals in the USA military currently. I’m sure there are hundreds in the Russian military too.

No, I think it’s still a fair question. An Army division might have 3 GOs depending on when promotions hit, but usually it’s 2 at most. I thought Russia only pushed like 5 divisions into Ukraine, and lots of detached brigades, which would be run by colonels. I think the bigger oddity is the number of Russian GOs that are in the shit. GOs aren’t there to execute, they are there to plan. They live in TOCs, not TACs, and are usually detached from any fighting. There’s always a magic bullet that can catch one, but 4 GOs in a couple of weeks is pretty bizarre. I don’t know that we lost 4 GOs in a decade in Afghanistan or Iraq. 

[Francisco 2.0 32289]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/wild-kremlin-tv-hosts-threaten-the-us-with-nuclear-strikes-unless-sanctions-end-and-reparations-are-paid

 

Quote

In the surreal world of Russian state television, Russia is about to prevail in its war against Ukraine, which is being presented as a battle against the United States and NATO. According to top Kremlin propagandists, it’s only a matter of time before the West admits its defeat and pays reparations to Moscow or risks a devastating nuclear strike.

Quote

Pundits who dared to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have not been seen on state-controlled television ever since they spoke out last week. Even though their timid disagreement pales in comparison to the bravery of Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, who has been detained after interrupting live programming with an anti-war sign. Meanwhile, state TV broadcasts are filled with cheerleaders, who repeatedly insist that the Kremlin’s “special operation”—known to the rest of the world as a brutal war—should not stop until all objectives are achieved. They insist that everything is going exactly as planned.

 

Quote

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to negotiate with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is being packaged as a sign of his love and good will, and not the consequence of mounting losses and humiliating defeats faced by the Russian military in Ukraine. Appearing on a state TV show Sunday Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, political scientist and Professor of Communications Dmitry Evstafiev argued: “Right now, President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin’s third proposal to the Ukrainian leadership is on the table. This, of course, is a demonstration of his greatest respect and—I would even say—of love by our President towards the Ukrainian people.”

 

Spoiler

Multiple state TV shows emphasized the reluctance on the part of the United States and NATO to intervene against Russia’s bloody invasion of its neighbor, presenting it as the proof that the Kremlin can go to any lengths to emerge victorious. Olga Skabeeva, the host of a state TV show 60 Minutes, intentionally distorted the statements of White House press secretary Jen Psaki. On Friday, Skabeeva claimed: “Jennifer Psaki’s statement said that no matter what Putin does in Ukraine—whether he uses biological weapons or drops a nuclear bomb—the United States won’t get involved.”

On Monday, disregarding strong bipartisan support of Ukraine in the United States, Skabeeva claimed that Americans don’t care about Ukraine and are concerned only with rising gas prices. She alleged: “To the dismay of the State Department, it turned out that Americans are indifferent towards saving Ukrainian Banderites.” Russian state media and government officials have taken to describing any opponents of the Kremlin in Ukraine as or “Banderites,” the followers of Stepan Bandera, the ultranationalist political figure who fought for Ukrainian independence before being assassinated by the KGB in 1959. This expression is being used as indiscriminately as branding all opponents the “Nazis.”

The show proceeded to broadcast a clip of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, blaming Biden for his alleged inability to communicate with Putin. Hinting at the upcoming presidential elections, Skabeeva sniped: “Fun times for them are only starting. We’re waiting.” In the meantime, state media is replete with baseless promises of wide-ranging concessions from the West that Moscow anticipates receiving in the future.

Appearing on Sunday Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, Russian parliament member Oleg Matveychev, known as the Kremlin’s spin doctor, watched a clip of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson—an everyday occurrence in Moscow’s tightly-controlled media environment. Matveychev noted: “There isn’t a single country in the world that is as easily manipulated as America.” He argued: “Here’s what will be on the table after our victory... After Ukraine’s demilitarization is completed... we’re going to raise the stakes... For example, the lifting of all sanctions... The dissolution of NATO, because the presence of NATO in some countries is getting in our way. Extradition of all war criminals... like [Anton] Herashchenko [former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs], Zelensky, [former President of Ukraine Petro] Poroshenko. Extradition of various oligarchs, like [Mikhail] Khodorkovsky.”

In recent days, Russian state television regressed from Orwellian lies to Kafkaesque nightmares, as pundits started to promote the idea of executing Ukrainians resisting Putin’s war of aggression by hanging. They noted that the so-called “constitution” of the rogue “republics” created in Ukraine by Russian forces conveniently allows for the death penalty. Last Thursday on The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, after listening to other pundits and experts endorse the idea of executing Ukrainian citizens by hanging, doctor of political sciences Elena G. Ponomareva argued: "Never let morality prevent you from undertaking correct actions. I understand the importance of a humanitarian component... but morality shouldn't get in the way."

Sunday’s Vesti Nedeli hosted by Dmitry Kiselyov continued the theme of public hangings, broadcasting the scenes from the public execution of German Nazi soldiers on Kyiv’s Independence Square in 1946. The segment was entitled “Denazification of Ukraine—the new opportunities for growth” and appeared to serve as a tool to desensitize the Russian population for the grotesque war trials and executions the Kremlin is reportedly planning to conduct in Ukraine, perhaps in the same public square captured in the historical video.

Bloomberg previously reported that, according to an unnamed European intelligence official, Russia's intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, has drafted plans for public executions in Ukraine after cities are captured. Russian state media appears to be laying the groundwork to normalize such an idea, in order to make it seem acceptable to average Russians.

Reciting the list of Russia’s future demands during Soloviev’s show, Matveychev became even more brazen: “We should be thinking about reparations from the damage that was caused by the sanctions and the war itself, because that too costs money and we should get it back. The return of all Russian properties, those of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and current Russia, which has been seized in the United States, and so on.”

The host chimed in to ask: “Are you including Alaska and Fort Ross?”

Matveychev nodded: “That was my next point. As well as the Antarctic... We discovered it, so it belongs to us... Also, the return of all medals that have been unlawfully taken from our sportsmen during all Olympic games, as well as the extradition of [Grigory] Rodchenkov, along with the extradition of multiple other criminals we’ll want. I think we should start voicing all of that, so they understand what will be on the table. You didn’t want to talk to us about something small, like Ukraine’s neutrality, here’s what you get. And that’s not even all of it.”

Soloviev asked: “Does your list include a tactical nuclear strike, or are we going straight for the strategic one?”

Matveychev pompously scoffed, “What for? We can take them down without it.”

On Monday, Soloviev revisited the topic of nuclear blackmail, perhaps blinded by rage after the recent seizure of his two Italian villas. He said: “I still think that those who took our money should be told, you have 24 hours to unfreeze our funds, or else we’ll send you what you know we’ve got. Your choice. Tactical or strategic, take a pick. You took our money, you’re the thieves, our talk is short with you: a bullet to the head.”

 

[Kennythetiger 9313]

1 hour ago, Hefeweizen said:

This one got me…

Are you sure a seven-year old drew that?  

[cactusflinthead 27586]

It's ok buddy. We're getting out of here.

[heso 2747]

Got some new shirts today.

[BabaYaga 15189]

12 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Russians lie about everything. Correctly estimating by what factor they are lying about any one thing is tricky business.  And you don’t want to be wrong in the bad direction about their ability to wage war. 

Russian "might" is also what facilitated and justified massive military expenditures for decades upon decades in the west.  

[Guest Lobo]

6 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Russian "might" is also what facilitated and justified massive military expenditures for decades upon decades in the west.  

Yep.  This.  While their historical endurance through all manner of suffering (invaders, from within, from the elements, etc.) is damn impressive.  The "fighting military might" of the Soviet Union/Russia is complete and utter bullshit.  They just had more people to throw into the theater.  There's nothing especially unique about "Russian Fighters" other than the fact their blood is conditioned to endure colder weather for longer periods of time.  But so are Ukrainians, and it's almost SpringTime.  

The next nation I don't hear about having the "vaunted fighting spirit of (insert country name here) is unmatched" will be the first.  Every country thinks it's the fiercest fighting force the world has ever known.  Until it's not.  Because of SIGINT and logistics.  That's all that wins wars anymore.  Unless we're going back to swordplay.  

Shit, are we doing swords this year?  

[QuesoEspecial 255]

48 minutes ago, TXSG8R said:

No, I think it’s still a fair question. An Army division might have 3 GOs depending on when promotions hit, but usually it’s 2 at most. I thought Russia only pushed like 5 divisions into Ukraine, and lots of detached brigades, which would be run by colonels. I think the bigger oddity is the number of Russian GOs that are in the shit. GOs aren’t there to execute, they are there to plan. They live in TOCs, not TACs, and are usually detached from any fighting. There’s always a magic bullet that can catch one, but 4 GOs in a couple of weeks is pretty bizarre. I don’t know that we lost 4 GOs in a decade in Afghanistan or Iraq. 

I had a 1 star General (Brigadier General) in the back of my truck on a mission from Baghdad to Tal Afar in 2005. Was definitely rare for us to have an officer at that let level roll with us (I was a 1LT at the time). It was cool but of course as we were leaving our staging area at BIAP one of my privates got his foot ran over by a trailer tire as he was ‘ground guiding’ the vehicles out 🤷‍♂️

[Brisketexan 104199]

31 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/wild-kremlin-tv-hosts-threaten-the-us-with-nuclear-strikes-unless-sanctions-end-and-reparations-are-paid

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Multiple state TV shows emphasized the reluctance on the part of the United States and NATO to intervene against Russia’s bloody invasion of its neighbor, presenting it as the proof that the Kremlin can go to any lengths to emerge victorious. Olga Skabeeva, the host of a state TV show 60 Minutes, intentionally distorted the statements of White House press secretary Jen Psaki. On Friday, Skabeeva claimed: “Jennifer Psaki’s statement said that no matter what Putin does in Ukraine—whether he uses biological weapons or drops a nuclear bomb—the United States won’t get involved.”

On Monday, disregarding strong bipartisan support of Ukraine in the United States, Skabeeva claimed that Americans don’t care about Ukraine and are concerned only with rising gas prices. She alleged: “To the dismay of the State Department, it turned out that Americans are indifferent towards saving Ukrainian Banderites.” Russian state media and government officials have taken to describing any opponents of the Kremlin in Ukraine as or “Banderites,” the followers of Stepan Bandera, the ultranationalist political figure who fought for Ukrainian independence before being assassinated by the KGB in 1959. This expression is being used as indiscriminately as branding all opponents the “Nazis.”

The show proceeded to broadcast a clip of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, blaming Biden for his alleged inability to communicate with Putin. Hinting at the upcoming presidential elections, Skabeeva sniped: “Fun times for them are only starting. We’re waiting.” In the meantime, state media is replete with baseless promises of wide-ranging concessions from the West that Moscow anticipates receiving in the future.

Appearing on Sunday Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, Russian parliament member Oleg Matveychev, known as the Kremlin’s spin doctor, watched a clip of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson—an everyday occurrence in Moscow’s tightly-controlled media environment. Matveychev noted: “There isn’t a single country in the world that is as easily manipulated as America.” He argued: “Here’s what will be on the table after our victory... After Ukraine’s demilitarization is completed... we’re going to raise the stakes... For example, the lifting of all sanctions... The dissolution of NATO, because the presence of NATO in some countries is getting in our way. Extradition of all war criminals... like [Anton] Herashchenko [former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs], Zelensky, [former President of Ukraine Petro] Poroshenko. Extradition of various oligarchs, like [Mikhail] Khodorkovsky.”

In recent days, Russian state television regressed from Orwellian lies to Kafkaesque nightmares, as pundits started to promote the idea of executing Ukrainians resisting Putin’s war of aggression by hanging. They noted that the so-called “constitution” of the rogue “republics” created in Ukraine by Russian forces conveniently allows for the death penalty. Last Thursday on The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, after listening to other pundits and experts endorse the idea of executing Ukrainian citizens by hanging, doctor of political sciences Elena G. Ponomareva argued: "Never let morality prevent you from undertaking correct actions. I understand the importance of a humanitarian component... but morality shouldn't get in the way."

Sunday’s Vesti Nedeli hosted by Dmitry Kiselyov continued the theme of public hangings, broadcasting the scenes from the public execution of German Nazi soldiers on Kyiv’s Independence Square in 1946. The segment was entitled “Denazification of Ukraine—the new opportunities for growth” and appeared to serve as a tool to desensitize the Russian population for the grotesque war trials and executions the Kremlin is reportedly planning to conduct in Ukraine, perhaps in the same public square captured in the historical video.

Bloomberg previously reported that, according to an unnamed European intelligence official, Russia's intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, has drafted plans for public executions in Ukraine after cities are captured. Russian state media appears to be laying the groundwork to normalize such an idea, in order to make it seem acceptable to average Russians.

Reciting the list of Russia’s future demands during Soloviev’s show, Matveychev became even more brazen: “We should be thinking about reparations from the damage that was caused by the sanctions and the war itself, because that too costs money and we should get it back. The return of all Russian properties, those of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and current Russia, which has been seized in the United States, and so on.”

The host chimed in to ask: “Are you including Alaska and Fort Ross?”

Matveychev nodded: “That was my next point. As well as the Antarctic... We discovered it, so it belongs to us... Also, the return of all medals that have been unlawfully taken from our sportsmen during all Olympic games, as well as the extradition of [Grigory] Rodchenkov, along with the extradition of multiple other criminals we’ll want. I think we should start voicing all of that, so they understand what will be on the table. You didn’t want to talk to us about something small, like Ukraine’s neutrality, here’s what you get. And that’s not even all of it.”

Soloviev asked: “Does your list include a tactical nuclear strike, or are we going straight for the strategic one?”

Matveychev pompously scoffed, “What for? We can take them down without it.”

On Monday, Soloviev revisited the topic of nuclear blackmail, perhaps blinded by rage after the recent seizure of his two Italian villas. He said: “I still think that those who took our money should be told, you have 24 hours to unfreeze our funds, or else we’ll send you what you know we’ve got. Your choice. Tactical or strategic, take a pick. You took our money, you’re the thieves, our talk is short with you: a bullet to the head.”

 

So......after several weeks of convincing myself that this would stay localized, I'm having a really hard time continuing that wildly optimistic belief/delusion.

Russia, in its current incarnation, is incompatible with civilization.  Its psychotic designs and plans are beyond anything the civilized world can accept.  The odds of this being a much larger shooting war -- WWIII -- are going way up.  Not because of what Russia is doing in Ukraine on a given day, but because of what Russia has demonstrated that it IS.  It's a psychopath state.  WWIII is rapidly becoming a "when and how," not an "if."

Because could we possibly live in a world where a nation opts NOT to be psychotic, and instead opts for being some sort of liberal democracy that enables it to be even more wealthy and successful than it is or ever dreamed of being, albeit one with fewer oligarchs?  The answer to that is "FUCK NO, have you noticed this timeline?"

[BabaYaga 15189]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

There's nothing especially unique about "Russian Fighters" other than the fact their blood is conditioned to endure colder weather for longer periods of time.  But so are Ukrainians, and it's almost SpringTime.  

Highlights the differences between offensive and defensive campaigns.  The former being something historically difficult for Russia to pull off.  The other massive difference between the soldiers of the east and the west is the amount of capital and time invested into each soldier in the west.  They have better equipment, but also spend exponentially more time training and coordinating and have massively deep pockets.  The Russians don't.  Their equipment is "ok", but it's the men/women behind it that is the problem and limited capital to keep pace in terms of logistics/parts/replacement options.  

 

7 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Because of SIGINT and logistics.  That's all that wins wars anymore.  Unless we're going back to swordplay.  

It was even more important "back in the day".  Intelligence.  Coordination.  Communication.  It brought down and raised up entire kingdoms.  Which seems the point here:  throwing material at a problem without investing the time and capital to train up the people executing the plan.

*also looking at you corporate America.....

[TXSG8R 3325]

1 minute ago, QuesoEspecial said:

I had a 1 star General (Brigadier General) in the back of my truck on a mission from Baghdad to Tal Afar in 2005. Was definitely rare for us to have an officer at that let level roll with us (I was a 1LT at the time). It was cool but of course as we were leaving our staging area at BIAP one of my privates got his foot ran over by a trailer tire as he was ‘ground guiding’ the vehicles out 🤷‍♂️

Very surprising, was he an XO at some level?  GOs at command level almost always travel in C2 vehicles to maintain connectivity and SA (Armor and mech infantry usually in armor, everyone else in C2 helos).  They may venture forward into a TAC for some specific missions or fights, but it’s a rarity. They are TOC creatures by and large. The system I worked for almost 20 years was a C2 package in helos, once force on force was over it became a FOB hopping taxi. 

[BabaYaga 15189]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Russia, in its current incarnation, is incompatible with civilization.  Its psychotic designs and plans are beyond anything the civilized world can accept.  The odds of this being a much larger shooting war -- WWIII -- are going way up.  Not because of what Russia is doing in Ukraine on a given day, but because of what Russia has demonstrated that it IS.  It's a psychopath state.  WWIII is rapidly becoming a "when and how," not an "if."

Ah fuck, Brisket's off his meds again.  Guys?  Can someone help him out.....;)

[BabaYaga 15189]

2 minutes ago, TXSG8R said:

Very surprising, was he an XO at some level?  GOs at command level almost always travel in C2 vehicles to maintain connectivity and SA (Armor and mech infantry usually in armor, everyone else in C2 helos).  They may venture forward into a TAC for some specific missions or fights, but it’s a rarity. They are TOC creatures by and large. The system I worked for almost 20 years was a C2 package in helos, once force on force was over it became a FOB hopping taxi. 

Just now noticed your profile pic.  That's pretty GD cool.  Well done sir!

[Brisketexan 104199]

1 minute ago, BabaYaga said:

Ah fuck, Brisket's off his meds again.  Guys?  Can someone help him out.....;)

You've been following along pretty well these past few weeks, and you see what I see.

Do you see a Russia that will be able to integrate into civilization without waging war against it?  No, you don't.  The only path forward is to end the Russian state in its present incarnation.

[Pato del Muerto 52198]

28 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Russian "might" is also what facilitated and justified massive military expenditures for decades upon decades in the west.