1. #17401
    Quote Originally Posted by DarkTZeratul View Post
    To be fair, that's more or less how the Romans viewed things. There was a general (I don't recall which one) whose political enemies spread
    One such case was the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar has that story, but also indications that it was a pretty common rumor.

    However, regardless of that Caesar seems to have been an efficient military leader (even if some was propaganda), and a decent author. Putin seems to be neither. Caesar's downfall was the senators that stabbed him in the back, chest, etc.

  2. #17402
    Russia is not winning this period.

  3. #17403
    Over 9000! Santti's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Unholyground View Post
    Russia is not winning this period.
    Hard to say... They still might get a Pyrrhic victory out of this, but yeah, it's not much of a win.
    Quote Originally Posted by SpaghettiMonk View Post
    And again, let’s presume equity in schools is achievable. Then why should a parent read to a child?

  4. #17404
    Daily Kos paraphrases the Pentagon - they think the big offensive must not have started yet as the current effort is lame.

    https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/...r-this-is-lame

    - - - Updated - - -


    If it is the offensive they chose a bad time for it as it has been raining heavily over the last few days, bringing with it mud.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad2...PxC7OHW2Ur9XqA

  5. #17405
    Quote Originally Posted by Corvus View Post
    If it is the offensive they chose a bad time for it as it has been raining heavily over the last few days, bringing with it mud.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad2...PxC7OHW2Ur9XqA
    Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.

  6. #17406
    Scarab Lord Zaydin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Unholyground View Post
    Russia is not winning this period.
    They lost nearly two months ago when they failed to rapidly conquer Ukraine like everyone thought they would. The best Russia gets out of this now is a pyrrhic victory that Putin will desperately spin as a huge victory for Russia and proof that Russia is still STRONK.
    "If you are ever asking yourself 'Is Trump lying or is he stupid?', the answer is most likely C: All of the Above" - Seth Meyers

  7. #17407
    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.
    And tractors.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Oryx is now listing Russian vehicle losses at over 3000. Actually, on twitter they said the backlog puts the number at 3300. And that's just visually confirmed losses.

  8. #17408
    Quote Originally Posted by Edge- View Post
    Russian armor's greatest enemy: Mud.
    Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.

  9. #17409
    Quote Originally Posted by Vladier View Post
    Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.
    Something that can swim. Comrade, we have just such thing. Moskva.

  10. #17410
    Void Lord Breccia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Unholyground View Post
    Russia is not winning this period.
    Quote Originally Posted by Santti View Post
    Hard to say... They still might get a Pyrrhic victory out of this, but yeah, it's not much of a win.
    Leaning towards Santti's clause. Russia has already "lost" in that they dropped their trousers and showed the world they're impotent. but they can make themselves feel better by murdering and raping a bunch of civilians.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Vladier View Post
    Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud?
    Armor that's there in winter or summer? Surely the ground would be harder in those seasons.

  11. #17411
    Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

    This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.

  12. #17412
    Quote Originally Posted by Corvus View Post
    Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

    This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.
    Man, Russia has the biggest "small man" energy. When you spend that much time boasting about the might of your military, especially when you're literally not displaying said might over the past month, maybe your military ain't so mighty.

    I'll pour one out for his two Italian villas.

  13. #17413
    Quote Originally Posted by Vladier View Post
    Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud?
    A tank on treads can defeat mud, but it need a huge wheel-based logistic train to operate, and that is decisive defeated by mud.

  14. #17414
    Quote Originally Posted by Corvus View Post
    And tractors.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Oryx is now listing Russian vehicle losses at over 3000. Actually, on twitter they said the backlog puts the number at 3300. And that's just visually confirmed losses.
    It is also possible that there are as many as 20,000 killed 60,000 wounded which falls somewhat in line with the purported ~>70 BTGs the Russians have right now vs their invasion force plus reinforcements.

    They have been doing a lot of air raids though, BBC mentioned the Russians claimed to have hit 1000 military targets last night and I assume they are not talking about a group of people lined up in a square for bread.

    You need to add on top of this that Russia does not appear to have any long term plan. There has been no strategy change, they are not lining up hardware across the border nor are they mobilizing more troops. Also, apparently the separatist regions are tapped out. By contrast Ukraine is being fed hardware albeit painfully slowly and they have something like 200-300k troops on the ground or being trained.

    I almost do not want to say it out loud but things do not look great for Russia. I think the Mariupol land bridge is the most up in the air thing. The Russians have pushed south of Izium and north of Mariupol but this have been expensive gains.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vladier View Post
    Is there even a type of armor that can resist mud? Mud is more or less liquid, so you would need something that can swim rather than rely on wheels or even tracks.
    I was going to post "what about the sherp", AND it's Russian. Not that it would be any good in combat but it is the ultimate mudslide machine.

    I have been learning recently that everything redeemable about Russia happens to be Ukrainian.
    The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

  15. #17415
    Old God PhaelixWW's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Afrospinach View Post
    I have been learning recently that everything redeemable about Russia happens to be Ukrainian.
    Which is probably why Putin is so desperate to bring Ukraine back into the fold.
    R.I.P. Democracy


    "The difference between stupidity
    and genius is that genius has its limits."

    --Alexandre Dumas-fils

  16. #17416
    Void Lord Breccia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corvus View Post
    Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.
    I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?

  17. #17417
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    Quote Originally Posted by Corvus View Post
    Latest supervillain rant from Russian state tv - Europe and NATO won't have enough people and weapons to defend themselves when Russia's special operation in Ukraine is finished.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...83853431955456

    This is the guy that is still salty Italy took away his two villas there.
    So just how small do we think his d1ck is to be that insecure and deluded?
    "If you are ever asking yourself 'Is Trump lying or is he stupid?', the answer is most likely C: All of the Above" - Seth Meyers

  18. #17418
    Quote Originally Posted by Breccia View Post
    I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?
    I think our state propaganda is meant to make us believe that NATO supplies Ukraine with the entirety of arms they would use in the event of war with Russia. On top of "Europe is crumbling under its own sanctions" spiel.

  19. #17419
    Quote Originally Posted by Breccia View Post
    I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?
    I mean, people like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones exist. They're making a living off bold unsubstantiated claims, the bolder the bigger.

  20. #17420
    Over 9000! zealo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Breccia View Post
    I don't get it. It's a statement so completely contrary to reality, it doesn't even make sense in Russia state media terms. Was he ordered to say this at gunpoint?
    The big lie, classic fascist tactic.

    Make statements so outrageous people start questioning why anyone would ever have the audacity to lie to that extent.

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