Russia has invaded Ukraine

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

I do not understand it but I do expect it. During WWII they often shot their own troops who were sent into battle virtually unarmed. They killed an estimated 150000 of their own 15000 during Battle of Stalingrad of alone

There was another battle going on around the time of Stalingrad in a place called Rzhev, it was the original meat grinder and sums up Russia's attitude to human life, people don't know about it because the Soviet Union suppressed all mention as it was probably the greatest loss of life in any battle in history, nothing much has changed from then till now, they don't care about them raping, committing crimes or getting killed

[pip08456]

Well would've thought...

"Russia calls on the UN Secretary General to condemn the destruction by Kyiv of the dam of the Kahhkovka hydroelectric power station. The West is used to doing dirty work with other people's hands," said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's representative in the UN.

Originally Posted by pip08456

Well would've thought...

"Russia calls on the UN Secretary General to condemn the destruction by Kyiv of the dam of the Kahhkovka hydroelectric power station. The West is used to doing dirty work with other people's hands," said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's representative in the UN.

I can't imagine anyone anywhere really believes that not even Vasily Nebenzya.

[pip08456]

The mind boggles.

The Centre for Journalist Investigations [CJI], citing local residents, reported on 7 June that the Russian invaders are either destroying dams on reservoirs or erecting them to ensure that the water overflows and floods roads and fields. It is assumed that the aim is to create bog-like conditions in the hope that this will prevent the advance of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

https://khpg.org/en/1608812358

[pip08456]

This is rather coincidental.

A week before the explosion at the Kakhovskaya dam, the Russian government adopted Resolution N.873, which states that no accidents resulting from military operations, and in particular terrorist attacks on occupied Ukrainian territories, will be investigated.

[pip08456]

Unbelievable! Another dam, this time near Novodarivka in Zaporizhzhia region, has been blown up in less than a week! Russians just can't resist their destructive behavior. Or do they feel invincible after the Kakhovka dam? It's time they're booted out of the UN Security Council!

They also confiscated any boats residents of the occupied left bank had and blocked those without Russian passports from leaving. They didn't blow the dam though!

It’s clear by now that they believe they can act with impunity against any people or infrastructure they control. It is also clear by now that Russia is not the Soviet Union by any means. It does not have the resources to pursue and maintain a successful military operation where it is opposed by a force with Western equipment and training (and in Ukraine’s case, population-wide dedication to national survival).

Getting Russia off the UNSC would be a difficult proposition though. China would never agree to it and neither would Russia - and the UN charter is written in such a way that it can’t be changed without a supermajority that includes all five permanent members of the security council. The best opportunity would have been in 1991 when the USSR ceased to exist. An argument was made, and accepted, that Russia was the successor state. The politics of the time meant it was very unlikely to have gone any other way. And now we are where we are.

[pip08456]

I agree entirely Chris, the opportunity was missed back in 1991. We are where we are because of it, it may not have been as difficult back then, who knows?

Whilst the UN has expanded massively since inception the power of veto by any of the five permanent mambers has rendered it a paper tiger.

Anyway, going forward I like this analasis of Gerasimove by Mark Ryan.AM ( retired aussie Major General)on twitter quite illuminating.

https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/s...46913333727235

Originally Posted by pip08456

I agree entirely Chris, the opportunity was missed back in 1991. We are where we are because of it, it may not have been as difficult back then, who knows?

Whilst the UN has expanded massively since inception the power of veto by any of the five permanent mambers has rendered it a paper tiger.

Anyway, going forward I like this analasis of Garasimove by Mark Ryan.AM ( retired aussie Major General)on twitter quite illuminating.

https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/s...46913333727235

Yup, I follow the retired General on the Twitters and read that over toast and coffee this morning. A very interesting analysis.

Did you perchance see Jeremy Bowen channeling Private Fraser on the BBC News last night? It was a strange experience hearing him being so downbeat when so many of the commentators who have consistently called this right (Mick Ryan, Phillips O’Brien, Mike Martin amongst others) continue to opine that, while the coming days and weeks will be tough, there is an increasing expectation that Ukraine can and will do the thing Bowen finds unthinkable, which is to force Russia out of Ukraine entirely.

[pip08456]

No, I didn't see that, I do follow those you mentioned on twitter though as well as a few others.

No-one can call it yet though as the main thrust hasn't even started yet. I doubt they will be able to expel the Russians this year but am more than willing to be proved wrong. I expect the main thrust to be towards Mariopol and the Azov sea to cut the landbridge. Then they have the problem of if they strike East or west or both.

Whatever they choose to do there is the problem of Crimea. Do they take out the Kersch bridge or leave it open as an escape route for the Russians? That IMO depends on the result of the main trust, if they can turn it into a rout of Russian forces do they have the logistics available to carry on or will they need to pause while logistics catches up giving Russia time to reorganise no matter how inept that may prove to be?

Crimea will not be easy, its been attempted many times over hundreds of years, always at heavy cost of life and not always successful. The next few weeks will be interesting.

[pip08456]

I would expect nothing less of Prigozhin.

[pip08456]

The Russians never fail to please.

Pacifism is a heresy, according to a new ruling by an ecclesiastical court of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The ruling, said to have been directed personally by Patriarch Kirill, has been made against an anti-war priest who was convicted and fined for advocating peace.

A summer camp in the Siberian city of Ulan-Ude has been turned into a 'military-patriotic' training centre for children. They are being trained to use automatic rifles, apply tourniquets to the wounded and lay mines, in another sign of the militarisation of Russia's youth.

A church in south-western Russia has added an unusual element to its Sunday school: lessons in unarmed combat and bayonet practice for children of kindergarten age and upwards. The military-led classes are another manifestation of Russia's militarisation of its children.

What is wrong with these people?

Source https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/stat...48564742250504

Originally Posted by pip08456

What is wrong with these people?

Running out of adults to send to their deaths ?

[pip08456]

Sounds like they are just suicidal.

[pip08456]

We heard from a source in the Ukrainian government this was happening last year. "Hundreds" of prisoners of war had been returned, alive, but castrated.

We didn't report this at the time, as it was deemed it could add to the trauma the men had suffered.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4...c-6e26d8c3ad9b (paywalled though).

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%...c-6e26d8c3ad9b Paywall removed.