Russian mercenaries taken out by the US Army

[Missed]

Exactly what is misinformation? This should be good.

That post reeks of fearmongering and revisionism.
Do you get paid for this or is this something you do on your free time?

[Deleted]

does anyone know which oil field this was over?

I thought that the SDF had made a deal to hand over the Conoco gas plant to the Assad forces so this must be over the Al-Omar Oil Field right?

The Mercs are Russias version of Blackwater. This is all about oil and resources. ISIS made loads of ££ there and now its a land grab since they have been driven out. The Russian mercs supposively have a deal to take a high percentage from whatever they take back (figures being floated are 10-25% future revenue?!). The US wants to seize economic assests to fund its idea of a border force in the SDF area across the Euphrates so that they can have a permanent presence in a Syrian Kurdish federated zone.

Mercs are generally scum. So no tears.

Russia seem to be playing it cool, but they can weaponise this if they want too.

This is the merc group : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group

[Skroe]

That post reeks of fearmongering and revisionism.
Do you get paid for this or is this something you do on your free time?

I mean, what's fear mongering and what's revisionism in that?

I wrote precisely what NATO's concern with respect to the Baltics and what they envision Russia would do if it were to take them. You can question the legitimacy of those positions - that is your right. But that is their positions, and geography makes it pretty clear why those concerns are valid. The only connection between the Baltics and the rest of NATO is a narrow strip of border with Poland, sandwiched between the Russian garrison in Kalingrad, and Belarus, which Russia treats like its front yard. Which means that the Baltics could be cut off very easily.


And that stuff in Ukraine and Crimea? Yeah that shit happened. Russians did that with regulars and with mercenaries, with the very justification I said.

So that is why it's a good thing the US sent a good 200 of them straight to hell. Hopefully the first of many. The fewer of them crawling around the fringes of Eastern Europe, the better Western security is.

You can read more about NATO's Baltic defense concerns here. First link from RAND is particularly interesting and detailed.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...AND_RR1253.pdf
https://www.fpri.org/2017/06/natos-b...nse-challenge/

[Shalcker]

Yeah this is really excellent news. The US needs to keep doing this. If it sees Russian mercenaries, wipe them out, wherever they are.

Clearly you want to see Syrian militias with MANPADs.

Russia uses these mercenaries for mischief. It uses them in Ukraine. it uses them in Moldova and other frozen conflicts. It used them in the Balkans. These people move conflict to conflict.

No different to Blackwater.

[Mavett]

does anyone know which oil field this was over?

I thought that the SDF had made a deal to hand over the Conoco gas plant to the Assad forces so this must be over the Al-Omar Oil Field right?

The Mercs are Russias version of Blackwater. This is all about oil and resources. ISIS made loads of ££ there and now its a land grab since they have been driven out. The Russian mercs supposively have a deal to take a high percentage from whatever they take back (figures being floated are 10-25% future revenue?!). The US wants to seize economic assests to fund its idea of a border force in the SDF area across the Euphrates so that they can have a permanent presence in a Syrian Kurdish federated zone.

Mercs are generally scum. So no tears.

Russia seem to be playing it cool, but they can weaponise this if they want too.

This is the merc group : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group

PMC's were attacked near SDF's position at conoco gas fields.

[Deleted]

If Russia were to attack NATO, they would do it in the Baltics. Russia, and Vladmir Putin covets them.



The Baltics are the only part of NATO that shares a land border with Russia (Kalingrad aside). The borderlands have Russian speaking populations, many descended from those that were transpanted there during Soviet times.

The most likely action for Russia in an attempt to seize the Baltics (or seize a large part of them) is to claim that the governments are engaging in some kind of anti-ethnic Russian activity, and that the locals are taking up arms to fight the tyranny of the Baltics government. Those armed locals, of course, would be these Russian mercenaries, or Crimea style "Little Green Men".

Once Latvian, Estonian and Lithianian security forces move to confront the these armed Russian interloopers, Russia would send in it's conventional forces to "defend ethnic Russians in a humanitarian intervention", and then dare the US to evict it.

The above, broadly, is the most common outline for how Russia invades NATO territory. The mercenaries give Russia plausible deniability, predating the sending in of conventional forces as relief. This is exactly what happened in Ukraine. And the reason is the same. Russia was concerned about Ukraine joining the EU one day, along with NATO. This would give NATO ground forces a quick and easy drive right into Russia's soft underbelly. Seizing the borderlands gives Russia a buffer. It would be, conceptually, the same thing in the Baltics. Russia would have a borderland under control of "the locals", which would really be Russian mercenaries, as a buffer against a NATO ground force.


Is it stupid? Yes. It is completely stupid. Russia is so historically obsessed with preventing the next Napoleon or Hitler from marching on Moscow, they've long under-prepared for the fact that NATO would never, ever strike them like that. I mean, really... sending NATO tanks INTO Russia? It's a completely crazy idea. If push came to shove, the US would do many, many things to creatively bludgeon Russia, but never that. They should be much more afraid of long range bombers from the Middle East and Indian ocean.

But hey, Russia's afraid of what its afraid of.

Excessive playing red alert does in fact cause some to loose sense of reality...

[Deleted]

Mercenaries might come from a certain country but they are in no way - or under any law - seen as soldiers that are tied to a specific nation.

US mercenaries fight in many countries too, doesnt mean they are seen as US troops.

[Kuntantee]

I think the attack on oil fields were not coordinated by Russia, so when forces on the ground got decimated, Russia pretty much said "well, better luck next time". Some people speculate that it was some local clan lord attempted to control the oilfield for himself or something along those lines. This is what Russian media claims.

Continuing to fight the proxy war against Russia, which has been the entire point from the start.

Turkey will and is cooperating with Russia, Iran and Syria. Once the Idlib problem is solved, it won't take too long for these countries to conduct a joint operation against PKK, your only proxy in Syria. You will feel the triple-kick in your ass sending you out of the region.

Keep giving head to Kurdish terrorist organizations, it will help you a lot .

[Deleted]

PMC's were attacked near SDF's position at conoco gas fields.

I thought there was a deal for conoco? made in Qamishli between Ali Memluk, Bogdanov and Karayılan a few days ago. hmmmm guess not!

You'd think the kurds would trade out the fields for afrin support.

[Missed]

I mean, what's fear mongering and what's revisionism in that?

I wrote precisely what NATO's concern with respect to the Baltics and what they envision Russia would do if it were to take them. You can question the legitimacy of those positions - that is your right. But that is their positions, and geography makes it pretty clear why those concerns are valid. The only connection between the Baltics and the rest of NATO is a narrow strip of border with Poland, sandwiched between the Russian garrison in Kalingrad, and Belarus, which Russia treats like its front yard. Which means that the Baltics could be cut off very easily.


And that stuff in Ukraine and Crimea? Yeah that shit happened. Russians did that with regulars and with mercenaries, with the very justification I said.

So that is why it's a good thing the US sent a good 200 of them straight to hell. Hopefully the first of many. The fewer of them crawling around the fringes of Eastern Europe, the better Western security is.

You can read more about NATO's Baltic defense concerns here. First link from RAND is particularly interesting and detailed.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...AND_RR1253.pdf
https://www.fpri.org/2017/06/natos-b...nse-challenge/

Russia in baltics, fearmongering

Russia in Ukraine as some sort of expansionist plan, revisionism

Rand? No thanks.
Back to the original question, is this an hobby or your job?

[Skroe]

Clearly you want to see Syrian militias with MANPADs.

Of course I do.
Oh wait that already happened.

https://theaviationist.com/2018/02/0...down-in-syria/



So let's get this right. Rebels in Syria (probably US-backed), fired a Chinese MANPAD at a Russian SU-25, which crashed in an area controlled by Al Qaeda (Al-Nusra) terrorists, that Russia actually hasn't been fighting. Globalization really is a bitch, isn't it?

By the way, I thought your ruler announced the end of combat operations not long ago? "Mission Accomplished" moments are a cunt, bro.

No different to Blackwater.

No. Blackwater mostly just provides on site security and do support work. My best friend worked for a PMC (not Blackwater) and just got back from Afghanistan (his 3rd trip). He wasn't even allowed to have a gun while there. What did he do there? Desk intel work that the US military has on contract rather than have their own people do. Said it was exceedingly boring being there. He made a ton of money and came home early.

So no. Not at all like "Blackwater". But you know, in this brave new world which you pioneered, maybe we should spend our taxpayer dollars on something like that.

Russia is, after all, so big and has so many historically restive hinterlands. It be a shame if something happened in one of them one day.

[Skroe]

Excessive playing red alert does in fact cause some to loose sense of reality...

Hey man take it up with NATO.

Also this is RAND's gameboard by the way (really).

Page 12 of the Rand document.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...AND_RR1253.pdf
I thought you'd like it Russian. It says without NATO doing very specific things to counter weaknesses in our defense, Russia wins easily.

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Turkey will and is cooperating with Russia, Iran and Syria. Once the Idlib problem is solved, it won't take too long for these countries to conduct a joint operation against PKK, your only proxy in Syria. You will feel the triple-kick in your ass sending you out of the region.

Keep giving head to Kurdish terrorist organizations, it will help you a lot .

Yeah have fun with that. The Kurds are a Turkish obsession. Once the US is done raising havoc in Syria, the Kurd's in Syria's usefulness to us will be at an end.

The US is pretty laser focused on potential conflicts with Russia and China now, per the new US National Defense Strategy and 2018/2019 Defense budget plans, which sees $150 billion in increased spending, entirely in what is needed to win a conflict versus Russia and China. Terrorism? It's a forth place concern, after North Korea.

ISIS is yesterday's problem. That means the PKK is yesterday's ally.

In other words your provincial concerns are increasingly beneath us. Go pummel the PKK if the never ending Turkish obsession with the boogey man of Kurdish nationalism needs an outlet. The United States has bigger fish to fry.

[Deleted]

I'm not Russian, for the 511th time, skroe.

Plans are done for all scenarios, during history by everyone. It's not about likelihood of scenario actually playing out. U do plans regardless. JUST IN CASE.

[Skroe]

Russia in baltics, fearmongering

Russia in Ukraine as some sort of expansionist plan, revisionism

Rand? No thanks.
Back to the original question, is this an hobby or your job?

It's NATO's position, man. If you got a problem with that, take it up with them. I don't know what to say to that point.

It's so much the US's position in particular, as I posted, we're spending $6.5 billion this year just to provide security to the region.

[Missed]

Feel free to think that but it's the official NATO stance.

Danish soldiers are about to being deployed in Estonia for exactly that reason.

How's that changing the fearmongering nature of things?

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Hey man take it up with NATO.

Also this is RAND's gameboard by the way (really).

Page 12 of the Rand document.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...AND_RR1253.pdf
I thought you'd like it Russian. It says without NATO doing very specific things to counter weaknesses in our defense, Russia wins easily.

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah have fun with that. The Kurds are a Turkish obsession. Once the US is done raising havoc in Syria, the Kurd's in Syria's usefulness to us will be at an end.

The US is pretty laser focused on potential conflicts with Russia and China now, per the new US National Defense Strategy and 2018/2019 Defense budget plans, which sees $150 billion in increased spending, entirely in what is needed to win a conflict versus Russia and China. Terrorism? It's a forth place concern, after North Korea.

ISIS is yesterday's problem. That means the PKK is yesterday's ally.

In other words your provincial concerns are increasingly beneath us. Go pummel the PKK if the never ending Turkish obsession with the boogey man of Kurdish nationalism needs an outlet. The United States has bigger fish to fry.

Tough men like yourself don't care! Caring about your actions is for weaklings!

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It's NATO's position, man. If you got a problem with that, take it up with them. I don't know what to say to that point.

It's so much the US's position in particular, as I posted, we're spending $6.5 billion this year just to provide security to the region.

Ah, nato. Beacon of freedom and independence.

You still haven't answered the question. Are you employed for the state or are you the product of American education? As in, really believing in the shit you say.

[Skroe]

I'm not Russian, for the 511th time, skroe.

Okay sure, whatever you are then.

Plans are done for all scenarios, during history by everyone. It's not about likelihood of scenario actually playing out. U do plans regardless. JUST IN CASE.

Not all plans get the kind of money the US is spending though, lol.

I mean the US has thousands of contingency security plans. Thousands. For conflicts that aren't even a remote possibilities. Most plans are just that. Paper plans. Some get declassified years later as the plans change.

This concern about the baltics though? It's gotten over $15 billion dollars since 2015, with another $6.5 billion next year, and probably $6 billion ever year after that. Most plans don't get that kind of money and troops, of which more are going to Europe.

I mean the US is so concerned it's up-gunning and up-armoring its units in Europe. The tanks being moved to Europe in FY2019 are going to be the first equipped with Active Protection Systems.

The world has changed and even relatively peaceful relations between NATO and Russia is a thing of the past. Now we live in a world of deterrence.


Every single Russian or friend of Russia which cheered Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine back in 2014... well I hope you're happy. You made this bed. You get to lie in it. I mean how did you people really think this would end? That the US would just leave Europe? The exact opposite is happening.

http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...ow-yield-arms/




So now because Russia broke the INF Treaty, something we've discussed here literally for years, Russia now gets to deal with the response. The US is going to put a quick and dirty low yield warhead on some Trident Missiles, which makes it a much more potent tactical weapon than Russia's illegal missiles.

Again, how did you expect this to end?

Russia should take a lesson from their current banning from the Olympics. It's the exact same principle: if you don't want bad things to happen to you as a result of your actions, don't take actions that bring that about.

Russia shouldn't have cheated at the Olympics. It got, in response, a ban.
Russia shouldn't have invaded Ukraine. It got in response, an increasingly capable US presence in Europe.
Russia shouldn't have cheated on INF. It got in response, a tactical submarine launched missile.
Russia shouldn't have cheated on NewSTART. It is getting, in response, the US planning to shatter the caps post 2021.

Don't cheat, and bad things will stop happening.

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Ah, nato. Beacon of freedom and independence.

Yeah pretty much.

You still haven't answered the question. Are you employed for the state or are you the product of American education? As in, really believing in the shit you say.

No I'm not employed by the State lol. I'm just a (very) informed American Taxpayer.

[Mavett]

I thought there was a deal for conoco? made in Qamishli between Ali Memluk, Bogdanov and Karayılan a few days ago. hmmmm guess not!

You'd think the kurds would trade out the fields for afrin support.

No deal afaik.

[Shalcker]

No. Blackwater mostly just provides on site security and do support work. My best friend worked for a PMC (not Blackwater) and just got back from Afghanistan (his 3rd trip). He wasn't even allowed to have a gun while there. What did he do there? Desk intel work that the US military has on contract rather than have their own people do. Said it was exceedingly boring being there. He made a ton of money and came home early.

Clearly US has more cannon fodder for their foreign military then for foreign desk work; i guess situation is reversed for Russia - or they just don't have as much administrative overhead yet to employ overpaid desk jockeys.

So no. Not at all like "Blackwater". But you know, in this brave new world which you pioneered, maybe we should spend our taxpayer dollars on something like that.

Wagner isn't paid by taxpayer dollars; they are private contractors (with Russian connections, obviously).

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So now because Russia broke the INF Treaty, something we've discussed here literally for years, Russia now gets to deal with the response. The US is going to put a quick and dirty low yield warhead on some Trident Missiles, which makes it a much more potent tactical weapon than Russia's illegal missiles.

So now because US broke ABM treaty, US gets to deal with response.

[Deleted]

Hey man take it up with NATO.

Also this is RAND's gameboard by the way (really).

Page 12 of the Rand document.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/ran...AND_RR1253.pdf
I thought you'd like it Russian. It says without NATO doing very specific things to counter weaknesses in our defense, Russia wins easily.

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah have fun with that. The Kurds are a Turkish obsession. Once the US is done raising havoc in Syria, the Kurd's in Syria's usefulness to us will be at an end.

The US is pretty laser focused on potential conflicts with Russia and China now, per the new US National Defense Strategy and 2018/2019 Defense budget plans, which sees $150 billion in increased spending, entirely in what is needed to win a conflict versus Russia and China. Terrorism? It's a forth place concern, after North Korea.

ISIS is yesterday's problem. That means the PKK is yesterday's ally.

In other words your provincial concerns are increasingly beneath us. Go pummel the PKK if the never ending Turkish obsession with the boogey man of Kurdish nationalism needs an outlet. The United States has bigger fish to fry.

Also the us had previous history selling out the Kurds in the first gulf war.

[Skroe]

Clearly US has more cannon fodder for their foreign military then for foreign desk work; i guess situation is reversed for Russia - or they just don't have as much administrative overhead yet to employ overpaid desk jockeys.

Sure, whatever you say man, lol.

Wagner isn't paid by taxpayer dollars; they are private contractors (with Russian connections, obviously).

Uh huh.

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So now because US broke ABM treaty, US gets to deal with response.

Let me know in 20 or 30 years when you manage to hit something.

And we didn't "break" the ABM Treaty. We formally withdrew from it. Over 15 years ago. We didn't cheat. We followed the procedure and left.

What Russia is doing is illegitimate, illegal and dishonorable. You can leave INF-T. You can leave NewSTART. But you do not get to violate it and pretend to stay in it, without consequences. The reason you are doing this is quite clear: you hope to advance your own arsenals in these fields while operating in a limitation regime that constrains our ability to do so tit-for-tat, banking on America being more observant of the agreement.

It was a good bet. Up to this point. And now consequences are coming.

So thanking for making my case. America did not cheat on ABM, as Russia has on INF and NewSTART. Want to right that wrong? Leave INF, yesterday and leave NewSTART tomorrow. We're already preparing for that future.