Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Iphie]

Assuming the inspectors were incorruptible. Also, unless the nukes are expected to go off there are ways to "fake it". Don't get me wrong, I'm not generally on the side of "lol none of them are even functional", but I trust those inspections about as much as I trust random Youtube/Twitter talking heads.

I'm on the side of:"let's not find out".

But, as you say, there's ways to fake it, and, given that this is russia we're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened here. The US arsenal on the other hand...

[Benggaul]

I'm on the side of:"let's not find out".

But, as you say, there's ways to fake it, and, given that this is russia we're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened here. The US arsenal on the other hand...

Of course, I'm no more eager to chance it than most sane people. I'm just saying, not that it matters much, that I would not be in the least bit surprised if their tally of actual, functioning nukes is far less than reported. As has been discussed, however, it doesn't take much.

[Forogil]

The thing is the West does know. Until a couple of years ago both Russia and USA had constant inspections of each other's arsenals. The consensus was they all were working.

Hm... I tried to check, and as far as I could understand they only checked the strategic weapons as part of START; so the status of tactical weapons is less clear.

[Benggaul]

Blah blah grain of salt, blah blah both sides use propaganda yadda yadda yadda...

‘Mouse fever’ breaks out among Russian military in Kupyansk sector, says HUR

The viral disease, also known as streptococcus, is a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans by rodents either through direct contact, inhalation, urine, feces, or mucous secretions.

Symptoms include severe headache, high fever, rash, low blood pressure, bleeding eyes, nausea, vomiting, and severe lower back pain. In its early stages, the disease resembles the common flu.

The disease affects the kidneys, causing the infected person to experience severe pain in the lower back and difficulty urinating.

The Russian command ignores complaints of fever, treating them as an excuse to avoid combat.

[Xyonai]

Blah blah grain of salt, blah blah both sides use propaganda yadda yadda yadda...

‘Mouse fever’ breaks out among Russian military in Kupyansk sector, says HUR

This is one of those things were I'd entirely believe it's just a mix of other conditions being experienced by multiple soldiers all being rolled into one, but it's -so- incredibly specific and wouldn't be surprising given the state of some of the barracks we've seen.

[Corvus]

Having seen videos from russian soldiers of the mouse infestations they are living with its easy to see that happening. And you never see them living with cats and dogs, unlike the Ukrainians.

And their officers also being indifferent also tracks given a recent UK Intel report on amputees being sent straight back into combat. Meat waves don't really need to be able to fight much anyway.

[Elder Millennial]

I am as critical of the Russians as one can get, but dropping partisanship just for a moment, there's is a worthwhile conversation to be had about the normalization of brutality and inhumanity and its effects on a society.

The Russians are, in the end, still people. But Russian culture has normalized, in practice and increasingly in theory brutality in a way that we haven't really experienced in a while.

It's one thing to otherize an enemy in order to treat them horribly (how the Russians treat Ukrainians, Israelis the Palestinians, Palestinian the Israelis etc etc etc), it's entirely distinct to in a way do it to yourself.

The hazing culture, the violence, the abuse of servicemen by their superiors and their peers, the disregard for their own lives, the beatings, the living conditions, families just accepting the treatment of their loved ones, the abandoned bodies, the abandoned injured, the abandoned prisoners of war.

It's really some third world child soldier army level shit, just from an industrialized nation with tanks, jets, ballistic missiles and nukes.

We in the west aren't immune to this, look at the normalization of school and mass shootings in the US. As much as we might think ourselves above this, if the conditions are right, we can spiral into this.

I find this truly disconcerting.

I also think this type of "culture" has to be opposed, by all means necessary. We cannot hand them any kind of victory that they could look at and say...this justifies what we are doing, to others and ourselves.

Russia has to be defeated and contained, both for our well being and their own in a way.

[Flarelaine]

This is one of those things were I'd entirely believe it's just a mix of other conditions being experienced by multiple soldiers all being rolled into one, but it's -so- incredibly specific and wouldn't be surprising given the state of some of the barracks we've seen.

Don't think of barracks. Think of trenches.

[Gabriel]

Blah blah grain of salt, blah blah both sides use propaganda yadda yadda yadda...

‘Mouse fever’ breaks out among Russian military in Kupyansk sector, says HUR

"Mouse fever" sounds so innocent for how serious disease it really is. That shit will kill you unless you get proper medical treatment for it.

[Xyonai]

Don't think of barracks. Think of trenches.

Fair enough. Carry on.

- - - Updated - - -

"Mouse fever" sounds so innocent for how serious disease it really is. That shit will kill you unless you get proper medical treatment for it.

Like the dipshits who decided to play in the dirt in the Red Forest, I -want- to feel sorry for them because that sounds fucking harrowing and terrible, and it's likely the result of negligent COs over their own direct faults.

But also, like... Fuck around / find out and all that.

[Iphie]

Fair enough. Carry on.

- - - Updated - - -



Like the dipshits who decided to play in the dirt in the Red Forest, I -want- to feel sorry for them because that sounds fucking harrowing and terrible, and it's likely the result of negligent COs over their own direct faults.

But also, like... Fuck around / find out and all that.

I'm all for FAFO, but only when it is your own fault, being ordered to dig a trench in that forest wasn't exactly their own choice, same withthis disease. It's the higehr ups who are just callous. (not that those soldiers should have been there i nthe first place.)

[Lahis]

"Mouse fever" sounds so innocent for how serious disease it really is. That shit will kill you unless you get proper medical treatment for it.

Those men are dying anyways. Catching this thing just means ruskie officers know who to send to the grinder next.

[Kallisto]

We in the west aren't immune to this, look at the normalization of school and mass shootings in the US. As much as we might think ourselves above this, if the conditions are right, we can spiral into this.

Any culture can easily spiral to this, within I'd say 2-3 years from being a liberal western viewpoint given the right input. That's the scary part to be honest. We can see it now with different groups of people in the US (and even in the UK. Especially if the Tories win the next election) having rights stripped from them. Popularism is being pushed in many parts of the US and European nations.

2024 could end up being huge when it comes to social politics with elections in the UK (almost certain, though it could happen 28th Jan 2025 at the very latest), US elections which include certain senators, all of the House of representatives and of course the President and India. Many other countries too going to the polls as well, it could be a major world shake-up and it might not be good for people at all leaving us in a spiral to authoritarianism and nationalism.

[Specialka]

Any culture can easily spiral to this, within I'd say 2-3 years from being a liberal western viewpoint given the right input. That's the scary part to be honest. We can see it now with different groups of people in the US (and even in the UK. Especially if the Tories win the next election) having rights stripped from them. Popularism is being pushed in many parts of the US and European nations.

2024 could end up being huge when it comes to social politics with elections in the UK (almost certain, though it could happen 28th Jan 2025 at the very latest), US elections which include certain senators, all of the House of representatives and of course the President and India. Many other countries too going to the polls as well, it could be a major world shake-up and it might not be good for people at all leaving us in a spiral to authoritarianism and nationalism.

And yet, the "left" is not asking itself why it goes that way.

[Elder Millennial]

And yet, the "left" is not asking itself why it goes that way.

"Trans kids want to be accepted, women want access to medical care and people of color don't want to be shot by cops on sight, so I must vote for fascists to counteract that." - Some enlightened centrist./s

[Xyonai]

"Trans kids want to be accepted, women want access to medical care and people of color don't want to be shot by cops on sight, so I must vote for fascists to counteract that." - Some enlightened centrist./s

Sure the Red team seems to be run entirely by shit flinging gibbons who's only defining policy feature seems to be making everything worse on purpose for literally everyone.

But the Blue team members I see complaining about Red's conduct are kind of annoying so I guess I've got no choice. Besides, Red Team has some -really- snappy slogans!

[Elegiac]

And yet, the "left" is not asking itself why it goes that way.

The "left" has been pointing out that unfettered capitalism facilitates the rise of authoritarian governments since Tsarist Russia.

"Why isn't the left asking itself a question it's known the answer to for more than a century--" I don't know why aren't you asking yourself why you feel the need to waste bandwidth on half-baked flop takes?

[AntiFascistVoter]

The "left" has been pointing out that unfettered capitalism facilitates the rise of authoritarian governments since Tsarist Russia.

"Why isn't the left asking itself a question it's known the answer to for more than a century--" I don't know why aren't you asking yourself why you feel the need to waste bandwidth on half-baked flop takes?

Whew. I imagine meeting a Macron voter in person, is the only thing more tedious than meeting a Macron voter online.

[Ivanstone]

Whew. I imagine meeting a Macron voter in person, is the only thing more tedious than meeting a Macron voter online.

Given the usual content of Specialka posts I'd be surprised if he wasn't a Le Pen voter.

[AntiFascistVoter]

Given the usual content of Specialka posts I'd be surprised if he wasn't a Le Pen voter.

I imagine it's the metric version of a Ron Paul-to-Trump voter.... <shudder>.