Russian invasion of Ukraine

[zealo]

Not to nitpick, but how many billions and how much equipment have the US and EU members spent so far?

Considering what it’s giving them in return, that’s money well spent disarming Russia militarily all without having to spill a single drop of their own blood on it.

[Corvus]

Not to nitpick, but how many billions and how much equipment have the US and EU members spent so far?

What the US has supplied has been a rounding error for their military budget. It's not much different for western Europe either.

Eastern European and Baltic states have been exceedingly generous but given they have been outright threatened by Russia they have far more to lose from a violent fascist state.

[Mihalik]

Not to nitpick, but how many billions and how much equipment have the US and EU members spent so far?

Every cent has been well spent. In reality more should have been and should be spent.

Since February that money has effectively eliminated Russia as conventional threat to NATO. It preserved Ukraine as an independentx western aligned democracy.

This is not a both sides thing. Western objectives have been reached and exceeded by the investment, far beyond expectations.

[Crispin]

Every cent has been well spent. In reality more should have been and should be spent.

Since February that money has effectively eliminated Russia as conventional threat to NATO. It preserved Ukraine as an independentx western aligned democracy.

This is not a both sides thing. Western objectives have been reached and exceeded by the investment, far beyond expectations.

QFT. It's been extremely cheap for the West to disarm Russia.

Had this been sold as "Realise that Russias military is utterly incompetent, their equipment shit and further disarm them so they posses no threat to anyone, price XXXX Billions $", then the West would have bought it at far more than we've spent so far, without a doubt.

A higher gas price is far more comfortable, than "uh oh will Putin invade the baltics?!?!" Now we know he can't.

[Adam Jensen]

If this war continues much longer, the Russian military will be back to trebuchets and catapults.

[Breccia]

If this war continues much longer, the Russian military will be back to trebuchets and catapults.

Well first of all, don't diss the trebuchet. Those things are physics showing off.

...although I will admit they tend to lose to, you know, guns.

On topic: let's talk about the Pskov-based 76th Guards Air Assault Division.

They're fucked. Ukraine took out this elite Russian unit. That alone won't win them the war, but when even a small victory is impressive considering the situation, this is very impressive. 50 dead, rest assumed hiding in shit-stained uniforms.

It's not just them, either. Russian army base sees scramble for war supplies

The town of Valuyki in western Russia has become a crucial staging post in the latest phase of Russia’s war over the nearby border in Ukraine. Throughout last month, helicopters buzzed overhead, military vehicles clogged the roads, and soldiers prepared for combat at a huge military base there.

It's also a place where soldiers’ relatives and private citizens are working to provide supplies and equipment for troops based near the town to address shortages, including drones, radios and heat-detecting rifle sights, according to six volunteers and three soldiers Reuters spoke to, as well as a review of social media channels volunteers use to coordinate efforts.


June 8 (Reuters) - The town of Valuyki in western Russia has become a crucial staging post in the latest phase of Russia’s war over the nearby border in Ukraine. Throughout last month, helicopters buzzed overhead, military vehicles clogged the roads, and soldiers prepared for combat at a huge military base there.

It's also a place where soldiers’ relatives and private citizens are working to provide supplies and equipment for troops based near the town to address shortages, including drones, radios and heat-detecting rifle sights, according to six volunteers and three soldiers Reuters spoke to, as well as a review of social media channels volunteers use to coordinate efforts.

Among them is Olga Lukina, a local resident who said her husband serves in a non-combat role in a Russian military reconnaissance unit. She told Reuters some reconnaissance units were short of drones and night-vision equipment, in particular, while other units fighting in Ukraine “need food, diesel, somewhere to wash themselves and wash their clothes.”

Y'all thought I was kidding about the shit-stained uniforms.

The previously unreported issues linked to Valuyki provide a rare window into operations at and around a major and strategically important base as the Russian military scrambles to maintain a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.

In mid-April, following Russia’s withdrawal from the north of Ukraine, troops and equipment poured into Valuyki, according to three locals. Satellite images taken in May, of the site of a smaller base near Valuyki, showed a cluster of armoured trucks and a structure that Maxar said was a field hospital. They were not there in February.

Among those passing through the area were paratroopers from Russia’s elite 76th Guards Air Assault Division who had been stationed in Bucha during Russia’s bloody occupation of the town near Kyiv, according to documents found by Reuters.

One of them, Kirill Kryuchkov, posted on Instagram on April 19 a video showing a group of people in military uniform drinking beer in a café that Reuters identified as one in Valuyki. A staff member who saw the video and recognised the soldiers as customers who visited around that time, said the same group came in almost every day for a week, before abruptly stopping.

“All the soldiers who come to our establishment want one thing: to unwind psychologically, and clearly they have a reason for doing that,” she said. Kryuchkov did not respond to requests for comment.

And they don't just need to get away from the war they were thrown into and are losing. Many don't want to go at all, and are looking for creative ways to avoid it.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has alleged that a Russian soldier was caught discussing an attempt to organize a false marriage proposal as an alternative to fighting. The report comes as Russian troops are thought to be increasingly frustrated after more than 100 days of war.

"The Russian occupiers are trying to make sham marriages to escape the war," the SBU wrote on Facebook, according to an English translation. "This is evidenced by telephone conversations of Russian invaders, which were intercepted by the SBU."

Actually...how many stories have we collectively posted based on Ukraine just listening in on Russia? This is getting embarrassing for Russia. Are encrypted communications that difficult, or are Russians just using walkie-talkies like my niece used when she was 8?

In the wiretapped conversation, the SBU said the soldier can be heard describing how he asked his friend to "go to the registry office and file a marriage proposal," in order to avoid the war. However, the soldier was told that his plan would not work, and noted that the Russian military has significantly cracked down on defectors in recent weeks.

Hmm. Why would Russia need to crack down on defectors in recent weeks? I posit that it's because the number of defectors has increased, and will need to be convinced otherwise.

[Corvus]

The Russian Duma is considering de-recognising Lithuanian independence as it was 'illegal'.

https://mobile.twitter.com/maxfras/s...30943209316352

[Edge-]

The Russian Duma is considering de-recognising Lithuanian independence as it was 'illegal'.

https://mobile.twitter.com/maxfras/s...30943209316352

“adopted by an unconstitutional body in violation of the constitution of the USSR"

I...thought the USSR doesn't exist anymore? Am I confused here?

[Corvus]

I...thought the USSR doesn't exist anymore? Am I confused here?

Their 'logic' seems to be that Russia is the legal successor of the USSR and everything that was legally part of it at the time of the breakup is now theirs. Given Lithuanian independence was 'illegal' it means it rightfully belongs to them.

It would never stand in a court of law but Russia ignores the law.

[Edge-]

Their 'logic' seems to be that Russia is the legal successor of the USSR and everything that was legally part of it at the time of the breakup is now theirs. Given Lithuanian independence was 'illegal' it means it rightfully belongs to them.

It would never stand in a court of law but Russia ignores the law.

So...Schrodinger's USSR?

[Iphie]

The Russian Duma is considering de-recognising Lithuanian independence as it was 'illegal'.

https://mobile.twitter.com/maxfras/s...30943209316352

Is this serious or is this from one of those who are the nuttiest in a house of nutjobs? (as in how likely is it to succeed on the russian side?)

[Corvus]

Is this serious or is this from one of those who are the nuttiest in a house of nutjobs? (as in how likely is it to succeed on the russian side?)

They are all insane in the Duma. Reportedly they just passed a law allowing Putin to nationalise savings and property as well. (The report is in Russian, so it may be for foreigners, but if it is for citizens as well...)

We know that they have designs on Lithuania and the rest of the Baltic States. This is just fabricating a claim for a causus belli should they be dumb enough to press it.

[Kaleredar]

I...thought the USSR doesn't exist anymore? Am I confused here?

I mean, I'm not.

Russia looking for some hollow, half-assed pretense in a desperate attempt to assuage the fact that they're a jack-booted tin pot autocracy desperately trying to seem tough and relevant on the world stage?

Must be a day that ends in Y.

[Kallisto]

With all the USSR talk Kazakhstan should point to the 4 days where it was in the USSR and the Russian Federation wasn't.

[Corvus]

So the World Socialists are solidly painting the war as US-NATO aggression towards Russia but they are at least saying that the sanctions are really, really messing with Russia.

[Gorsameth]

Is this serious or is this from one of those who are the nuttiest in a house of nutjobs? (as in how likely is it to succeed on the russian side?)

It doesn't matter if its serious or not, Lithuania is a member of NATO. Any direct action against them ends with Russia no longer existing.

[Iphie]

It doesn't matter if its serious or not, Lithuania is a member of NATO. Any direct action against them ends with Russia no longer existing.

I mean more: Has this any chance of passing in the duma? Plenty of nutty bills get proposed all the time in various lawmaking bodies around the world but most never make it to voting. I have no doubt that NATO will intercede if needed so that's not my question.

[Gaidax]

I mean more: Has this any chance of passing in the duma? Plenty of nutty bills get proposed all the time in various lawmaking bodies around the world but most never make it to voting. I have no doubt that NATO will intercede if needed so that's not my question.

Duma-shmuma, nobody cares. It's a rubber-stamp body that either is busy sucking up to the actual decision makers or playing "constructive opposition" fig leaf cover game.

[Santti]

The Russian Duma is considering de-recognising Lithuanian independence as it was 'illegal'.

https://mobile.twitter.com/maxfras/s...30943209316352

I feel like this is one of those "Oh no! Anyway..." situations.

[Lahis]

I feel like this is one of those "Oh no! Anyway..." situations.

I'm sure they'll stamp every ex-Soviet/Russian Empire territories independence as illegal.

Where the fun begins is when they start their Special Military Operations in an EU&NATO country.