Ukraine

It must be so hard being a trained pilot in the neighbouring countries knowing that you could reduce that vile road train of death heading towards Kyiv to ash and save thousands of innocent lives. But you can’t because one man will destroy the planet if you do.

😔

BBC reporting that according to Moscow nearly 500 troops have been killed, which of course is never going to be accurate.

Would be interested to know if this figure is being published in Russia, 500 would seem like a lot of deaths from a “Military Operation”.

There has been a suggestion for some time that Russian military equipment isn’t as good as it wants the rest of the world to think it is.

The only reason Russia is considered a superpower and anyone takes it seriously is because of its nukes. Russia’s economy is only slightly larger than Italy’s and its defence budget in 2021 was $70 billion which is actually less than the $71billion the UK spent. So about the same amount of money spread over far more personnel, tanks, aircraft and ships would suggest their current underperformance in the Ukraine may well be the best they can muster. BTW the USA defence budget in 2021 was $778 billion. If hostilites were restricted to conventional warfare NATO could easily eject them from the Ukraine.

that vile road train of death heading towards Kyiv

I’m sure that if the UA had a chance they would’ve used one of the drones by now. Likely to be heavily guarded with Russian AA.
Ukraine Air force is still operating.

The only reason Russia is considered a superpower and anyone takes it seriously is because of its nukes.

And we made Ukraine give up its nukes, to help keep us all safe, including Russia.

BBC reporting that according to Moscow nearly 500 troops have been killed, which of course is never going to be accurate.

The Ukrainians are claiming 6000 Russian KIA.  Obviously the truth lies somewhere between those two figures.

Would be interested to know if this figure is being published in Russia, 500 would seem like a lot of deaths from a “Military Operation”.

It is.  Headline on the Russia Today website

https://www.rt.com/russia/551084-military-fatalities-in-ukraine/

Maybe, just maybe the Russian public might be getting some more balanced reporting about what is going on

New figures show people in Russia are turning to BBC News in their millions for factual independent information about the war in Ukraine.

— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) March 2, 2022

And we made Ukraine give up its nukes, to help keep us all safe, including Russia.

On the precondition that Russia would never threaten the borders of Ukraine, IIRC.

Maybe, just maybe the Russian public might be getting some more balanced reporting about what is going on

Not for long, I suspect, if they’re going to shout about it.

Not really. The reason communism ended was basically economic.

So if the iron curtain does fall again I guess we’ll see a similar economic demise.

Can anyone spot an issue with the map which suggests where the sympathies of the ‘Stop The War Coalition’ lie?

Not sure the RT.com website is available in Russia.

It contains lots of naughty words, like ‘invasion’ for a start. It would fall foul of Roskomnadzor’s requirements.

So I have to assume RT.com isn’t available in the same form to those within Russia.

I agree with the idea of stop the war, but they seem a little wide of the mark there.
Edit – nice that they have already decided that crimea belongs to Russia!

Can anyone spot an issue with the map which suggests where the sympathies of the ‘Stop The War Coalition’ lie?

Good to see Andy Murray* is taking strides to widen his career now that his tennis playing days are on the wain…

😂😂😂😂

*JOKE Am sure it’s not the ‘Andy Murray’ and for the avoidance of doubt, and definitely no stain on the good character of the ‘Andy Murray’ who, by all accounts is a thoroughly nice bloke and doubtless fully in support of the defence of Ukraine.

I see the private jets belonging to putins pet oligarchs are still flying.

Jack Sweeney, a Florida teen who tracks Elon Musk’s private jet online has a new aviation-themed target: Russian oligarchs and billionaires.

https://twitter.com/ruoligarchjets?s=21

https://twitter.com/putinjet?s=21

Just checked, it’s 1300 miles to the Ukranian border with Poland or about 22hrs. Which, for someone used to long drives in the USA, is not that far.

BBC reporting that Russia has issued demands for peace relating to banning certain weapons from ever being in Ukraine. Also that Russia accepts Zelensky as the legit president – is this not a major development?

Andrew Murray was part of the Straight Left team that would be running number 10 now if Labour had won the last election. While he was in various forms of the Communist Party in the UK he was known for wanting stronger connections with Russia rather than Europe, a difference of opinion with others that was often central to the splitting and renaming of the party. He joined Labour when Corbyn became leader to become one of his key advisors.

Thanks @kelvin. Good knowledge.

The sanctions need time to bite properly, we’ll see this happen in several ways

Indeed, it’s a war of attrition, if the Ukraine can hold on a bit longer, russia is FUBAR.

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=EUR&view=2Y

certain weapons from ever being in Ukraine. Also that Russia accepts Zelensky as the legit president – is this not a major development?

Because they’ve been so trustworthy so far, there’s absolutely no way Russia will suddenly accept him when their sole aim here is to displace him…

Day 7 now. Kharkiv will face a terrible decision soon – withdraw or fight it out. Have seen some experts saying might be better to trade space for time.

Airvent – yes agreed, totally untrustworthy, but interesting they’ve even felt the need to say it.

I am no economist or military expert or nuanced politician, but what will Putin achieve with this war now.

If in another month the Russian Army has destroyed everything and occupied the whole of Ukraine, what will be left

Quite a lot actually.

The largest natural gas reserves in Europe, after Russia. These are currently pretty much untapped, ironically the Ukraine could be the solution for removing our reliance on Russian gas, which makes we wonder if this is the reason Putin is so keen to get his grubby hands on the Ukraine.

On top of that they have a massive amount of precious metals including huge lithium fields that will become increasingly important for EV production. They are also one of the worlds top produces of wheat and corn.

Guerrilla warfare is their only hope really. Nato won’t put boots on the ground or planes in the air so zero point in waiting for that to happen.
What the Ukrainian defence force needs are thousands of blonde girls with beanies and some real munitions.
Laws, AT4 rockets, Claymore mines RPGs, toyota hilux with a 50cal
You cannot build a defensive position and expect to hold it with TU80 tanks, guided missiles and multiple rockets systems in front of you

The infantry will take a hit, run away, call in artillery, pound the quickly built fortifications into dust tjen walk on by.

Let convergence take effect, make every junction, corner, choke point a kill zone. Use small groups of 4 to 6 individuals to decimate foot soldiers from drains, ruins, Tower blocks then run like hell. Use local knowledge, over lapping ambush sites, halt vehicles then use them ad barricades.

Drawing a metaphorical line in the sand is going yo get lots of mortar rounds dropping on your head. If you are 50meters away up a back alley your safe enough.

The usa could airfreight tons of hardware rrally quickly in a B1 lancer, modify the bomb bay then mach1 it over the Atlantic. Land in Poland, meet beanie girl at tge border with a few of her mates. Hand over the goods 5 minutes training then away into the night

Ruskis might hit a couple of vehicles e by chance but i would expect the majority to get through.

Kill enough Russian soldiers and then retreat in stages, let the next wave come through. Driving a main battle tank up a road does not constitute taking a city. You need hundreds of troops to do that and tanks in town are vulnerable to ambush being rather large and 50t. You dont need to destroy the hull, just pop one track off, which is do able for a blonde chick with a beanie, and a rocket launcher.

Georgia has just applied for EU membership

If Russia gets away with this I think they are very likely to be next

. They are also one of the worlds top produces of wheat and corn.

Not this year they won’t be. Soon be time to plant this year’s crop, and that may not be happening.

BBC reporting that Russia has issued demands for peace relating to banning certain weapons from ever being in Ukraine. Also that Russia accepts Zelensky as the legit president – is this not a major development?

Would be a major reversal of previous demands to take NATO membership off the table, and to recognise Russian ownership of Crimea, if those are not included.

If so, Russia wants out, quickly, and this may be the point at which they can apply maximum military pressure, with the axe hanging over Kharkiv, Mariupol, Odessa.

big increases reported in ruble / crypto transactions

There’s a whiff of Mark Francois in some of the posts above

Kill enough Russian soldiers and then retreat in stages, let the next wave come through.

For someone on a mountain bike forum you’ve given a disturbing amount of thought on how to efficiently murder a lot of people.

A lot of Call of Duty tactics being recited as the way ahead, lets hope Ukrainians are up to speed on the latest tactics for CoD and Battlefield!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/french-far-right-leader-marine-le-pen-forced-to-defend-putin-links

I mentioned it earlier but I think we need to take this election tampering/far-right promoting thing a bit more seriously from now on.

Turns out it’s not just a mischievous former spy getting up to his high-jinks but has in fact been a decade+ long plan to destabilise any democratic government.

While he was in various forms of the Communist Party in the UK he was known for wanting stronger connections with Russia rather than Europe,

The rest of the Stop the War lineup contains more Russophiles – one of them used to be in the Communist Party of East Germany, another is an academic whose list of publications seems somewhat anti-NATO, soft on Putin. To balance that out, obviously, there is Corbs, who we are told is a historically centre-left politician :)

That Stop the war seminar pretty much sums up why the tories have had a clear run at this country for years, and will do for many more, how Diane Abbot is still a sitting MP is baffling.

Marine Le-Pen needs punted in the chuff all the way to Russia, and while I’m on a rant can we also punt Aaron Banks, Nigel Farage and associated lackeys to the **** moon.

On the subject of removing Putin it’s the only way for a more stable Russian contribution to the world I’m not talking forceful removal by non Russian force.
internal removal is probably the only way i can see this ending without NATO conflict and let’s be honest here that’s a global war spreading from the east.

If Putin takes Ukraine Poland won’t let a huge Russian build up on the boarder happen it would be a tinder box just waiting to go up.
The sanctions are working and will cripple the average folk of Russia before Putin feels the pain they are working just not fast enough.

It’s a shame Israel won’t had over iron dome systems to keep the sky’s clear that would help.

All in a terrible situation of 1 man’s doing

It’s a shame Israel won’t had over iron dome systems to keep the sky’s clear that would help.

Speaking of Israel, I didn’t even realise they were now reliant on Russia:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/israel-tries-to-balance-backing-for-ukrainians-and-not-offending-russia

At the risk of sounding like I have to check under the bed every night to see if Putin is hiding there, I think he’s been moving all the pieces into place for a long time.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/russian-propaganda-anti-imperialist-left-vladimir-putin

We must confront Russian propaganda – even when it comes from those we respect
George Monbiot

Talks about Pilger, Murray and others as regards echoing Putin’s lines relating to this (don’t call it a) war.

To balance that out, obviously, there is Corbs, who we are told is a historically centre-left politician 🙂

Tireless campaigner for peace as well