Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Vasilisa]

QAnon Followers Celebrate Putin's 'Purge' of Ukraine

https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-follo...kraine-1682341

I'm not surprised. Trump proved many times that he is Putin's man (like calling Putin 'brilliant' for invading Ukraine) so his follower's awe is quite expected. Though it's quite sad that such people have voting rights.

[alexw]

The Trolling Brigades are the most advanced element of the Russian forces. Since Ukraine and the US started resisting the hybrid/online war. This conflict has really exposed how far behind Russian conventional forces are.

• Russia is fighting a 1970s era war against a small but early 2000s era enemy.
• Llimited precision strikes, followed immediately multiple lines of armored advance (Soviet doctrine commands).
• Advances conducted by easiest routes possible - roadways - with avoidance of set battles en lieu of encirclements. Air assaults via helo/paratroopers to seize key C2 sites. Air Dominance if possible but not planned.
• Russia, despite its overwhelming size and inevitability of their goals in this situation, is incredibly out of date. Within the first 6hrs they stopped precision strikes (likely out of munitions).

Some kind of combination of doctrinal carryover and capability-dictated-doctrine. In other words, this likely a financial/industrialization issue.
Shows how badly the country has been looted and retarded by Putin and his inner circle.

Russia talks a big game but the reality is that its economy is smaller than that of Italy and less than half the size of Germany's. It simply doesn't have the economic capacity to sustain a big war machine. Especially when you factor in that the high tech munitions needed to engage in modern warfare all require imported components of one type or other. The guided missiles Russia is launching now are going to be almost impossible to replace.

[Voidwielder]

Surprised by the lack of roadside IEDs.

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What I do find interesting is the adoption of many US tactics from Desert Storm to Iraq 2003. I guess if you're going to nick, you might as well do from the best.

[Gorsameth]

No, they're loosening restrictions to help them from the sanctions blowback. We should sanction them too for helping Russia end-run around us.

Not entirely.

At least two of China’s largest state-owned banks are restricting financing for purchases of Russian commodities, underscoring the limits of Beijing’s pledge to maintain economic ties with one of its most important strategic partners in the face of sanctions by the U.S. and its allies.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.’s offshore units stopped issuing U.S. dollar-denominated letters of credit for purchases of physical Russian commodities ready for export, two people familiar with the matter said. Yuan-denominated letters of credit are still available for some clients, subject to approvals from senior executives, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.

The move followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered a wave of sanctions from countries including the U.S., the U.K. and Japan and stoked speculation that more may follow. Because commodity-linked letters of credit are issued so frequently, they would be among the first transactions impacted by the threat of sanctions.

Bank of China Ltd. has also curbed financing for Russian commodities based on its own risk assessment, another person said. The lender has yet to receive explicit guidance on Russia from Chinese regulators, two people said.

The Chinese banks’ response could be temporary, especially given that Western sanctions have so far spared Russia’s energy sector. It’s unclear whether Chinese banks have pulled back from other forms of financing for Russian companies and individuals, and their policies could change.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-commodities

[Mayhem]

Doesn't matter. Until they got the balls to freeze all energy imports then they are literally funding the war.

I mean, by that logic every country funds the war, every war probably.

[Strawberry]

NATO is a defensive alliance, if you don't attack a NATO country, article 5 will never be triggered

Syria, Libya.
You still believe that bullshit?`
Yeah, some people will eat whatever propaganda media throws at them.

[Gorsameth]

Surprised by the lack of roadside IEDs.

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What I do find interesting is the adoption of many US tactics from Desert Storm to Iraq 2003. I guess if you're going to nick, you might as well do from the best.

IED's are something you can do when your an insurgency but when your still a fighting military its not a great idea to mine the roads you still need to use to potentially evac or receive reinforcements along.

[neik]

Surprised by the lack of roadside IEDs.

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What I do find interesting is the adoption of many US tactics from Desert Storm to Iraq 2003. I guess if you're going to nick, you might as well do from the best.

Later in game when total insurgency takes over and invasion forces dissipates perhaps. Non urban areas, strategical objects, since you don't want your children around.

[PhaelixWW]

Surprised by the lack of roadside IEDs.

That's not usually a part of the surprise invasion phase of the war; it's more the guerilla resistance phase.

[Specialka]

Syria, Libya.
You still believe that bullshit?`
Yeah, some people will eat whatever propaganda media throws at them.

Syria and Lybia were not invaded by NATO.

[Logwyn]

Well, now would be the moment to do since he's kind of busy in Ukraine. Two fronts, he could not sustain or withstand.

Two fronts? China invades Russia now? Sorry, I don't want to see mini-suns going off all over China and Russia. Nor do I want to be a ghoul from one of the Fallout video games.

[Edge-]

Syria, Libya.

Turkey is a NATO ally and borders Syria.

Also, NATO wasn't involved in any actions in Syria, NATO members were but as individual nations rather than as NATO. Also, I think taking out chemical weapons facilities after credible intelligence of their existence and use against its citizenry is an objectively good thing.

As for Libya, they were implementing the UN Resolution from 73. It was also spearheaded by NATO member nations, though again not as NATO, and NATO took over the embargo and no-fly zone (which was being called for by countries all over the world including Libyan officials).

[DarkAmbient]

Per the BBC:

A spokesman for Ukrainian President Zelensky has just said the country is prepared to hold ceasefire and peace talks with Russia immediately.

He said Russian and Ukrainian officials are currently discussing a time and place for talks to be held.

Russia has said they will only talk when the entire Ukrainian armed forces surrender.

Edit: Russia says it's taken Melitopol city

[Vasilisa]

Per the BBC:

A spokesman for Ukrainian President Zelensky has just said the country is prepared to hold ceasefire and peace talks with Russia immediately.

He said Russian and Ukrainian officials are currently discussing a time and place for talks to be held.

Russia has said they will only talk when the entire Ukrainian armed forces surrender.

Ceasefire and peace talks are "old" news. Putler has already denied them and is calling out for Ukrainian army to make a coup. He stated that Ukrainian government is a bunch of drug addicts and nazis.

[Khaza-R]

Also, NATO wasn't involved in any actions in Syria, NATO members were but as individual nations rather than as NATO. Also, I think taking out chemical weapons facilities after credible intelligence of their existence and use against its citizenry is an objectively good thing.

He's absolutely wrong. But still some NATO members recklessly funneled billions of dollars in arms into Syria with zero foresight where they would end up. That also shouldn't be ignored in the dialogue of the Syrian conflict.

Per the BBC:

Edit: Russia says it's taken Melitopol city

Russia is incredibly stupid if it attempts long term occupation of Ukraine. Where it will most certainly lose, and tragically at that. I hope it doesn't come to that though and a swift end to this conflict can still be negotiated.

[Breccia]

Just watched an interview with General Petraeus (yes, that one) and he brought up a few things.

1) The last four Presidents, and Trump, in some way tried to treat Putin as a logical, reasonable leader when they started. Trump still did when he left office. That ended today. They knew he was a dictator, but now they know he'll invade other sovereign countries for no valid reason.

2) We already knew Russia was falling apart. This isn't helping. There's civil unrest and protests in Russia itself. Yes, Putin is trying to stamp them out, but this also creates a division of his forces. Putin can't use all his forces at home, nor all in Ukraine, while he needs a presence in each. Putin may have thought this war to Make Russia Da Again would have him cheered and praised. That hasn't happened.

3) Petraeus actually brought up the invasion of Iraq. Iraqi civilians weren't fighting back. Ukrainian citizens are. For Putin's sake, he better be telling the truth about not wanting to occupy, because he's 100% not welcome.

4) Petraeus did not seem optimistic about the chance Putin is simply murdered, but he did point out that (a) Putin is more paranoid than even most dictators and (b) the only people Putin allows near him are people he's made very rich. Sanctions can't possibly help with that. Very much like a Trump employee who goes broke waiting for a paycheck, Putin's oligarch "friends" might become poor defending the man who is determined to run Russia into the ground. At some point, probably when they go from seven figures to six, they might re-evaluate their life choices.

5) And this is the one that General Petraeus has the most expertise in: the fight is not going as well as Putin hoped. Yes, Russia is winning, but an ilvl 250 Mythic-geared raider should beat the trash monsters wandering around Zereth Mortis, so it's extra embarrassing when they pull one too many and die. Ukraine has weapons we gave them, and shot down a Russian plane. The Russans were not expecting that.

Americans in Iraq had a quickly dwindling window in which we were greeted as allies before we became an unwelcome occupying force. After that, the terrorist attacks launched against us met with little resistance from the locals. Putin's army is already there. Despite what the Russian trolls here are paid in rotten turnips to spew all over these forums, Russia are the Nazis here. (Zelenskyy is Jewish) Which makes Putin, the paranoid leader surrounded by increasingly fewer friends and surrounded by heavily-armed Allies, Hitler.

Say what you want about Trump, at least he made it out of his bunker.

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Russia is incredibly stupid if it attempts long term occupation of Ukraine.

See above, you're in good company.

[Aphelios]

This would have never happened under the leadership of President Trump.

[Barzotti]

snip

Thanks for the heads up, it's very insightful.

[Vasilisa]

This would have never happened under the leadership of President Trump.

True. With Trump as a president USA army would have already been there....charging at Kiev from another side and giving high-five to Russian invaders.

[Edge-]

This would have never happened under the leadership of President Trump.

Of course it wouldn't have, Putin has no need to antagonize the west when one of his puppets is in charge.