Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Wilian]

I'll assume that China will say these people were volunteers.

While we can confidently and with evidence say that China helps Russia (and thus is part of war economically at the bare minimum) the more likely scenario is just this. Russia also employs plenty of foreign soldiers that for some deluded, twisted reason believe in their cause of genocide and imperialism.

[Corvus]

A meeting of 50 countries in Brussels has pledged an additional 24 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Hopefully it goes beyond pledging and actually delivers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c89gpg4jpllt

[Wilian]

A meeting of 50 countries in Brussels has pledged an additional 24 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Hopefully it goes beyond pledging and actually delivers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c89gpg4jpllt

Due to how European stocks are as is, my prediction is that majority of it will go into building industrial base to arm Ukraine as has been the recent trend. Its a double edged matter.

The good. It shows that Europe is in this long term and willing to invest into future-proofing the aid. The built up industry can also be used for re-armament of Europe.

The bad. It is something that should have been done already in 2014, at latest in 2022. Building up the necessary industrial base can be a decade long project and doesn't resolve the issue of urgent need of weapons and supplies now.

[alach]

Due to how European stocks are as is, my prediction is that majority of it will go into building industrial base to arm Ukraine as has been the recent trend. Its a double edged matter.

The good. It shows that Europe is in this long term and willing to invest into future-proofing the aid. The built up industry can also be used for re-armament of Europe.

The bad. It is something that should have been done already in 2014, at latest in 2022. Building up the necessary industrial base can be a decade long project and doesn't resolve the issue of urgent need of weapons and supplies now.

In all fairness you can't be upset at what they didn't do 10 years ago. We never should have gotten to this point and like Canada, Japan, and others the EU was hoping for a peaceful and prosperous future. It's a hard sell as a politician to run on increasing military spending in most of these peaceful countries, it was political suicide in Canada 15 years ago.
Putin and Trump are an unfortunate error that has put our progress back as a speices 50 years.

[Poopymonster]

Trust as been shattered.
Any bets that after revamping to fund Ukraine against Russian warcriminals that when the next admin comes back all "Hai Gaiz, ur doin gud with $$. Can I play again?"
They're told go where to go, how to get their, what to do there, and it includes the horse they rode in on?

[Wilian]

In all fairness you can't be upset at what they didn't do 10 years ago. We never should have gotten to this point and like Canada, Japan, and others the EU was hoping for a peaceful and prosperous future. It's a hard sell as a politician to run on increasing military spending in most of these peaceful countries, it was political suicide in Canada 15 years ago.
Putin and Trump are an unfortunate error that has put our progress back as a speices 50 years.

Sure I can be, especially as someone from a country that never stopped preparing.

We have had all the signs in the air going back to 90s and the genocides of both Chechnya wars which we turned blind eye onto while Russia was massacaring entire capitol city, twice while flexing their colonial muscle.

We have had reports of Russia's poor developement towards what we have now since mid 00s, most of which were buried as politically inconvenient due to blind desire for tighter economical ties.

The 2008 invasion of Georgia should've been the wake-up call and which the then foreign minister, now Finnish president Stubb called the moment that geopolitics have been shifted back to era of armed forces. Whole eastern Europe has been telling what Russia is for decades.

None of this was reacted to and the most astounding moment was the 2014 invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. There is every reason to be upset over what was not done when all the signs were in the air.

[LeGin v4]

At least 34 people killed in Russian ballistic missile attack on Sumy

Zelensky: "The strike hit right in the heart of the city on Palm Sunday," he said in his evening video message. "Only completely deranged scum can do something like this."

Completely deranged scum. Worth repeating.

[Deus Mortis]

At least 34 people killed in Russian ballistic missile attack on Sumy

Zelensky: "The strike hit right in the heart of the city on Palm Sunday," he said in his evening video message. "Only completely deranged scum can do something like this."

Completely deranged scum. Worth repeating.

Yup definitely a war crime, seems all they hit were civilians. Some Ukraine officials do need to be sacked though, Ukraine was holding/planned on holding an award ceremony for the military in the city center.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarV...n_on_facebook/
Mayor of Konotop, Artem Semenikhin, on Facebook Live states an award ceremony for the 117th Brigade was organized in Sumy. States organizer should be found and face consequences. Translation Requested

[Saradain]

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2...aine-says-merz

Germany is open to sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, says Merz

Germany is prepared to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine as part of efforts to help Kyiv seize the momentum against Russia, the soon-to-be Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.

Speaking with ARD's Caren Miosga on Sunday, Merz made it clear that he stood by his past calls to give the Ukrainian military the long-range weapons.

The suggestion breaks with the policy of the incumbent German leader Olaf Scholz, who has refused to give Ukraine the missiles.

Merz's comments came after a Russian missile attack — which he called "a serious war crime" — left at least 34 civilians dead and 117 wounded in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

The German chancellor-in-waiting explained his position on the Taurus missiles by saying that the Ukrainian military needs to be able to “get ahead of the situation".

However, Merz stressed that the delivery of long-range missiles would only happen after consultations with Germany's European allies.

Taurus missiles open for discussion. Crimean bridge electric boogaloo 2.

[Fantomen]

Taurus missiles open for discussion. Crimean bridge electric boogaloo 2.

That was about time the Germans did get there shit together

[Wilian]

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2...aine-says-merz



Taurus missiles open for discussion. Crimean bridge electric boogaloo 2.

Welcome news but several years late.

[Corvus]

At least half of all artillery ammunition fired by russia now comes from North Korea, with some estimates of it being up to 70%. Some units are at 100% supplied by North Korea.

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UKR...A/lgvdxqjwbvo/

[alach]

At least half of all artillery ammunition fired by russia now comes from North Korea, with some estimates of it being up to 70%. Some units are at 100% supplied by North Korea.

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UKR...A/lgvdxqjwbvo/

Yeah I read that without the North Koreans, Russia would have been on the backfoot and Ukraine probably would have held on to Kursk.

edit: sorry I just realized you posted the same link. It was informative.

[Odinfrost]

I wonder what our local fog of war enthusiast would say about that.
Because I remember that he said Ukraine deserved to lose for using outside assistance.

[Saradain]

I wonder what our local fog of war enthusiast would say about that.
Because I remember that he said Ukraine deserved to lose for using outside assistance.

Meanwhile the useful idiot lives under protection of NATO himself. But NATO bad, Russia good, Ukraine bad.

[Gorsameth]

At least half of all artillery ammunition fired by russia now comes from North Korea, with some estimates of it being up to 70%. Some units are at 100% supplied by North Korea.

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UKR...A/lgvdxqjwbvo/

If only there was some way to intercept all that ammo being moved, sure that would give a nice satisfying boom.

[Odinfrost]

If only there was some way to intercept all that ammo being moved, sure that would give a nice satisfying boom.

I think they need some oregano to truly become a satisfying explosion.
/only16peoplewillgetthis

[alach]

Since we are already living in bizzaro-upside-down world, I have a theory in which Ukraine takes over for the US as the powerhouse of NATO. Granted, this theory is just a tiny seed at the moment, but the seed is growing. Here are a couple examples.

Denmark to send unarmed soldiers to Ukraine for drone warfare training

The Danish Armed Forces plan to send unarmed troops to Ukraine for short-term training courses to study the country's drone warfare tactics, Major General Peter Boysen, Denmark's commander-in-chief, told state broadcaster TV 2 on April 16.

While several NATO countries have trained Ukrainian forces abroad, no official reports have confirmed the presence of foreign troops inside Ukraine for training purposes.

The courses, expected to begin as early as this summer, will take place at training centers in western Ukraine and will not involve direct combat.

"We're sending some teams down to see what experiences the Ukrainians have had — first-hand," Boysen said. "They are not going there to actively participate in the war."

Thats right, the Danes, are going to Ukraine to train.
Second;
Ukraine Develops Strategic Air Defense System, Invites EU to Join the Effort

Ukraine has officially invited European Union countries to join the development of a long-range air defense system capable of engaging targets over 100 km away — a project now classified as a strategic-level air defense system

Add to these examples, their Drone Mothership and new laser system, they are going to come out of this war as a powerhouse in military advancements.

Disclaimer. Of course I dont actually believe the States will be replaced in NATO, but I wanted to take a shot at trump the doofus.

[Odinfrost]

Thats right, the Danes, are going to Ukraine to train.

I get why that's a smart idea. For anyone in Europe.
We're talking training from people with experience in open warfare, against an army that has the highest chance of being the next enemy to fight. Getting training against that is invaluable.

[Elder Millennial]

Since we are already living in bizzaro-upside-down world, I have a theory in which Ukraine takes over for the US as the powerhouse of NATO. Granted, this theory is just a tiny seed at the moment, but the seed is growing. Here are a couple examples.

Ukraine is currently without any serious doubt or question the most combat experienced and capable force that is "Western aligned".

(A little note on the word "capable". NATO countries and especially the US have and has many technical capabilities that Ukraine does not have, by capable here I mean "the capacity to fight a modern war.")

In the professional military circles in the US military, which are not ideological or political, there is a real recognition that the US SHOULD BE learning from the Ukrainians because they have ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more knowledge and experience on what modern war looks like, what works and doesn't THAN ANYONE IN THE US MILITARY.

That's why JATEC was specifically created. https://www.act.nato.int/activities/jatec/

But the fact is that Ukraine cannot replace the US. For two reasons.

1. It cannot offer the nuclear deterrence that the US provides.
2. It lacks the technical and industrial capabilities of the US.

The fact is that no ONE COUNTRY can become the "powerhouse" of NATO as frankly none of them can build out the nuclear, naval, ground and space capabilities the US has.

This is why we need an EU army. Because the EU as a collective can very easily do that, without even substantially spending more than it currently is.

One of the biggest costs for the US in military spending is its nuclear deterrent and its navy. The EU could have a MORE THAN SUFFICIENT nuclear deterrent if it only had about about 1/5 of the US nuclear arsenal, and it could easily project naval power across the globe off of maybe 4 large carrier groups and 4 of 5 smaller "escort" carriers.

But the EU would also need a modern VTOL jet for that Navy. And the fact is, it's good to have several different companies competing for these contracts, but for the program to be viable for a 6th gen fighter etc once a design is picked, everyone needs to buy the same thing.

This applies for ship hulls, tanks, machine guns, helicopters, bombers etc etc etc.

Right now the bulk of non US NATO military spending is frankly just administrative shit+ running 15 to 20 parallel and redundant defense sectors. Like it's great that Croatia and Czechia build their own domestic assault rifles for their own militaries but the reality of that is that in each of those cases the bulk of the cost of those programs is just waste. You have two dozen small domestic producers, none of which have REMOTELY ANYTHING resembling the capability to quickly scale to wartime production.

Operational skill that Ukraine has, is great, but it's just not enough if you don't have the technical and industrial base to back it up.