Russian invasion of Ukraine

[YUPPIE]

Adding to that, Putin seems to be getting more unhinged and angry by the day.

[MCMLXXXII]

Could swap the name Putin for a certain poster in this thread....

[PhaelixWW]

Adding to that, Putin seems to be getting more unhinged and angry by the day.

I don't know how you can say this with a straight face.

[Corvus]

Troops from Kaliningrad to Kursk

Reeks of desperation to be honest.

They are desperate not to have to pull troops out of Ukraine and are trying to scrape them up from anywhere as a result.

[Huehuecoyotl]

Who was the general that went up against Rome and basically refused to meet them in direct combat? Just roamed around Italy for a year or more, razing settlements, plundering and basically making Rome look both impotent and incompetent?

No idea why that suddenly popped into my head.

[Iphie]

Who was the general that went up against Rome and basically refused to meet them in direct combat? Just roamed around Italy for a year or more, razing settlements, plundering and basically making Rome look both impotent and incompetent?

No idea why that suddenly popped into my head.

You mean Hannibal Barca?

[KrayZ33]

NATO surrounds Russia more now than ever, and it’s all Russia’s doing.

It's important to not use Dictator/Fascist-speech.
"Surround" or "surrounded" by itself is already a joke.
Unless you consider the US to be right next to Russia, even if you include Ukraine, the country shares larger/wider borders with it's "allies"(if you want to call them that) such as China compared to the whole NATO.

[PhaelixWW]

"Surround" or "surrounded" by itself is already a joke.
Unless you consider the US to be right next to Russia, even if you include Ukraine, the country shares larger/wider borders with it's "allies"(if you want to call them that) such as China compared to the whole NATO.

Not when it's regarding Kaliningrad.

[KrayZ33]

Not when it's regarding Kaliningrad.

which is, from a military perspective, a NATO weakpoint, not the other way around.

[PhaelixWW]

which is, from a military perspective, a NATO weakpoint, not the other way around.

So? We're not talking about reality, here; NATO isn't an offensive threat to Russia in the first place

But it does "surround" Kaliningrad.

[Doomcookie]

the problem with that last bit you mentioned, and some commentators brought up: If Putin starts desperately razing his own land and everyone on it just to get rid of the Ukrainians, that's a huge moral risk to Ukraine because they're playing with the lives of their soldiers.

It's not a good outlook to try to poke at Putin and go "get mad, do it" and hope he does some insane shit since it will undoubtedly take the lives of these soldiers.

That's a moral problem with Putin. Stop defending murderers.

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Russia has tried to plead with the UN to condemn Ukraine for "abhorrent crimes." Apparently, the UN council gave Russia the cold shoulder.

Russia criticized Western allies of Ukraine at the United Nations on Tuesday for not condemning Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region of Kursk, accusing Ukrainian forces of killing civilians and questioning the goals of the cross-border assault.

Ukraine's allies on the U.N. Security Council - including the United States, France and Britain - stood firm in their support for Kyiv during an informal council gathering convened by Russia. They did not mention the Kursk offensive.

"We will not recognize the aggressor as the victim," said senior Slovenian diplomat Klemen Ponikvar, one of several members to accuse Russia of hypocrisy, double standards and wasting the Security Council's time.

That's why it's odd that you insist on supporting the aggressor.

[Northern Goblin]

Or we keep giving Ukraine materiel as they fight among themselves, and Ukraine can start establishing permanent occupation of parts of a collapsing regime.

If that happens, China will likely engage in an expansion of their Western border and Japan reclaim the Kuril islands.

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Russia hasn’t been able to ‘Zerg rush’ for at least the last two years.

"The first civilian gets a rifle, the other nine follow. When the first civilian falls the other nine can scramble for it and shoot."

[Gabriel]

If that happens, China will likely engage in an expansion of their Western border and Japan reclaim the Kuril islands.

Ohh you tease.

[KrayZ33]

So? We're not talking about reality, here; NATO isn't an offensive threat to Russia in the first place

But it does "surround" Kaliningrad.

I mean...yeah.. exactly. So?
I don't even understand why you bring Kaliningrad up to be honest.
So I really can't follow. Especially because it doesn't matter that NATO is a defensive alliance, because if Russia gets funny, it's still a problem for NATO, not the other way around... You have me utterly confused as to what you are trying to point out.

As if that means NATO is surrounding Russia, just because some 20.000 km² exclave-territory.
Super weird take and I don't understand why you engaged with my previous post.
Especially since nothing in that regard changed after 2004.

I assumed you were fishing for some justification.

edit:
just to be clear.
Kaliningrad is part of Russia as a whole and even though they have this exclave, it still shares longer borders with allies compared to NATO.

[PhaelixWW]

I mean...yeah.. exactly. So?
I don't even understand why you bring Kaliningrad up to be honest.

Yeah, that's because you jumped into a discussion already in progress and were too lazy to bother reading anything first.

To recap:

Troops from Kaliningrad to Kursk

Wasn't the whole point of this war supposed to be that they didn't feel safe with NATO as a neighbor?

But apparently they feel safe enough to pull troops out of the lone portion of Russian territory that's literally surrounded by NATO countries?

I had said this before… if Russia had succeeded in taking over, they’d have increased their border with NATO.

And even if they pull out of Ukraine tomorrow, their border with NATO has increased since their little three day operation began, what with NATO’s newest members.

NATO surrounds Russia more now than ever, and it’s all Russia’s doing.

...which is where you jumped in.

Literally the original topic was Kaliningrad. So... yeah.

So I really can't follow.

Well, you could have, you just chose not to. Not when you made your initial post, nor when you made this "What's going on?" post.

It's all literally on the same page, and there are quote links to help out, too.

I assumed you were fishing for some justification.

You just made an ass of you and... well, you.

[Belize]

Japan reclaim the Kuril islands.

Russo-Japanese War 2: You Can (Not) Cross Tsushima Strait

[Corvus]

Ukraine attacked a number of airfields in fresh attacks - russia clamed to have shot down 118 drones and 4 missiles. Fighterbomber mentioned 3 airfields being attacked and it had 'successes at some of them'. Nothing further on what was hit, but he complained that airfields so far back from the front, he more peaceful life is there and that with only 1 or 2 pantsirs to defend them, you only hope for success defending.

[PhaelixWW]

Ukraine attacked a number of airfields in fresh attacks - russia clamed to have shot down 118 drones and 4 missiles. Fighterbomber mentioned 3 airfields being attacked and it had 'successes at some of them'. Nothing further on what was hit, but he complained that airfields so far back from the front, he more peaceful life is there and that with only 1 or 2 pantsirs to defend them, you only hope for success defending.

Ukraine hits 4 Russian airbases in largest such attack, source says

Ukrainian long-range drones hit four Russian airbases overnight on Aug. 14 in the largest attack on airfields in the war, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.

Earlier the same day, Russia claimed it had downed over 110 Ukrainian drones in a massive strike, with local Telegram channels reporting explosions at the Savasleyka, Borisoglebsk, and Voronezh's Baltimore airbases.

The SBU source confirmed the attacks against the three aforementioned airbases and said an airbase in Kursk had also been targeted. Ukraine launched an incursion into Kursk Oblast last week, marking the first instance of Ukrainian regular troops entering Russian soil during the war.

The large-scale drone attack was carried out by the SBU in cooperation with the Air Force, Special Operation Forces, Unmanned Systems Forces, and military intelligence agency (HUR), the source revealed to the Kyiv Independent.

The goal was to prevent Russia from using the airbases to strike Ukrainian military positions and settlements with KAB bombs. The consequences of the attacks are being determined, the source added.

"We are waiting for satellite photos of destroyed Russian fighters and warehouses," the source said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

Russian Telegram channels reported 10 explosions at the Savasleyka airbase in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which hosts Kinzhal missile carriers, MiG-31K.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published NASA satellite imagery that seems to confirm fires near the Savasleyka and Baltimore airbases. Russian Telegram channels also shared multiple videos capturing flying drones and air defense fire in Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts.

The village of Savasleyka is located some 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the border with Ukraine, while Baltimore and Borisoglebsk in Voronezh Oblast lie 180 and 260 kilometers (110 and 160 miles) from the Ukrainian border, respectively.

The Kursk airfield, also known as Khalino Airbase, hosts MiG-29 fighter jets and lies around 95 kilometers (60 miles) from Ukraine.

"The SBU continues to methodically weaken the Air Force component of the Russian military machine," the source said.

Ukraine has carried out a number of strikes against airbases in an effort to weaken the more powerful Russian Air Force. An attack against an airbase in Lipetsk Oblast on Aug. 9 destroyed more than 700 bombs, a Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

- - - Updated - - -

And for bonus points:

Ukraine downs Russian Su-34 aircraft over Kursk Oblast, military says

Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet over Russia's Kursk Oblast overnight on Aug. 14 amid Kyiv's incursion into the region, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

[Elder Millennial]

I truly wonder what's the current state of the Russian air force.

The latest official NATO estimates I could find for Russian losses stood at about 350 fixed wing aircraft and 350 helicopters as of mid April this year.

That's even before Ukraine started hitting Russian airfields.

Add to that airframe attritional losses that is just down to wear and tear caused by actually fighting a war, plus planes that could have been cannibalized for parts.

I don't estimate the Russians are capable of building more than a few dozen new planes a year+a few dozen they can pull out of mothball and restore. Keep in mind, planes are not tanks or BTRs you can leave in a field for 30 years without maintenance.

If the long term plan here is to challenge NATO directly...they better be prepared to do so without an air force.

[Belize]

If the long term plan here is to challenge NATO directly...they better be prepared to do so without an air force.

There is no chance of Russia facing NATO directly. They can't even win against a country that's being given NATO's used hand-me-downs.

Putin knows this, which is why there's all the hand wringing and bellyaching about NATO countries supplying Ukraine.