Russia - threadbanned users in OP

seanjmc

The quiet part said out loud.

https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraines-front-line-troops-are-getting-older-physically-i-cant-handle-this-46d9b2c7?st=ewvlgf68n5e7md6&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Now known by his military call sign Dubok, the former electrical engineer offered to serve as a technician in the rear. “But to get that job, you have to pay bribes,” he said.

Poor Ukrainian people get fed into the meat grinder while the rich pay bribes and stay safe. I'm sure arestovych has a podcast about it.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532774#Comment_121532774

It's quite possible,but it would be difficult to hide a number of new aircraft unless they operated from outside ukraine

Say my name

http://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1738865889909326027

Russian conscripts finally getting fed up with the powers above laughing at the mobilised dying in mouse filled trenches.

Mike3549

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532696#Comment_121532696

Im not a military expert, but i always thought its 18month for somebody who has absolutely no flying experience, but for experienced pilots its about 6 months.

Reports on twitter that it was actually a patriot ad who shot those su-34s. They were chasing them for the last couple of weeks and finally got the chance to strike

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532931#Comment_121532931

it's something like that yes, but I think the 18 months was the time with someone with flying experience (commercial etc..) but many experts out there were saying they would expect Ukraine pilots to be able to fly them after 4-8 months. Obviously when they start with their best and most experienced pilots etc...

We'll see, they are not yet flying in Ukraine.

Maybe we'll see a photo of the patriot with the 3 little plane symbols like the other one closer to Kyiv.

Say my name

I don't think this was reported on here at the time in september this year.

But a famous contract killer in Russia who killed another famous contract killer from Russia in Greece in 1996 along with his Miss Russia partner. Was released from his sentence in a penal colony. Article gives an idea of life in Russia and all various crime gangs.

http://en.rua.gr/2023/09/25/sasha-the-soldier-who-killed-solonik-leaves-the-colony/

IdHidden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532842#Comment_121532842

You mean the corruption which is part and parcel of the Russian way of life? The corruption that they spread everywhere they go including all their former colonies like Ukraine, Moldova etc.

Wanting to escape from that corruption is the one of main motivations for people wanting to leave the "Russian World" and to join the EU.

Even with all their natural recourses Russian corruption is also one of the things that make the Russian army so ineffective. Unlike the much smaller Ukrainian army which is fighting them to a standstill.

btw. even Vakniks should know that there is a large body of research that shows that in ex imperial colonies including Ireland etc, that it takes years to counter the persistent effect of colonialism on corruption. As colonialism and exploitation are a major cause of corruption.

Real Ukrainian independence will go a long way to end the impact of centuries of Imperialistic Russian corruption.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533656#Comment_121533656

You dragged up an article from 2015, so you could cite falsely cite Ukraine as being the most corrupt country. A quick google would have shown the changes in rankings since then. An entirely bad faith argument.

Ukraine was part of the USSR and then part of Russia's economic orbit. Estonia has been in the EU for 20 years and had to get its house in order to join. One of the major reasons for the war is Ukraine's attempts to move out of Russian economic influence and into the EU - the results of which can be seen in its improvement in the rankings.

Keep dropping in Russian propaganda talking points and they will be discredited - as easily they were the previous times they were dumped here.

The posters here who are pro war are those who spread Russian propaganda and dredge up any muck they can to try to attack Ukraine. Because it is Russia who is pro war. It was Russia who resorted to war. Ukraine is defending itself against that illegal aggression. And yet those posters never subject Russia to the same treatment. Because they are pro Russian and pro war.

So another entirely false Russia propaganda canard in your post.

odyssey06

Ukraine moving towards celebrating Christmas on 25th December.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law in July moving the celebration to 25 December, saying it allows Ukrainians to “abandon the Russian heritage” of Christmas celebrations taking place on 7 January. Most eastern Christian churches use the Julian calendar, where Christmas falls on 7 January, rather than the Gregorian calendar by Western churches.

https://www.thejournal.ie/ukrainians-change-christmas-celebration-date-6258506-Dec2023/

saabsaab

If Russia isn't beaten they will push on. Moldova amd the Baltic states. They have said so not even hiding it.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533501#Comment_121533501

Would I be right in saying that you are quiet a young chap who has read very little history - and especially from the Stalin/Lenin

era and , hopefully, you will understand how Moldova , Georgia, Latvia , ex East Germany, Ukraine , etc, etc, etc, etc, etc came into being circa 1991. And because all these ‘republics were BORN out of the USSR which had fine tuned CORRUPTION to the N’th degree it will take these INDEPENTANT SOVEREGN STATES some time to diisvest themselves of the practice of corruption.

you might note also that UKr has recognised it as a national problem and the Gov there is working on the issue to rid of the practice. It is probably ahead of Ru at this point re tackling it !!!!!!!!!!!!

duck.duck.go

A few weeks ago pro Putin accounts made a big deal about a Bild article

wonder what they have to say now

https://news.yahoo.com/bild-russia-may-attempt-attack-020819774.html

glen123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533656#Comment_121533656

Here is Latvia:

https://www.ft.com/content/6bcc4100-171f-4181-bb28-be34b883a446

or Lithuania

https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2069911/lithuanian-businesses-see-corruption-as-widespread-problem-eurobarometer

However, it is certainly not even close to the level it is in Ukraine or Russia and most of the corruption was indeed eliminated in preparation to joining the EU.

Besides, culturally they were always different from the rest of the USSR as they are not Slavic. Their cities looked very European even during Soviet Union times - USSR's Sherlock Holmes movie for which the leading actor received Honorary MBE, London scenes were filmed in Riga and Tallinn in 70-80s.

Important to remember as well what a drastic approach Estonia and Lithuania took to the question of the state language in the 90s where everyone had to pass a language exam or you couldn't work even as a sales assistant if you didn't know the state language (and were given a "Grey passports" of a non-citizen even though you could have been born in Estonia). This eliminated many ethnic Russians from the key positions once countries became independent.

fly_agaric

Thought this was interesting enough Tony Connelly article on RTE website about EU sanctions, effect on Russia's economy, their limitations etc.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023-in-review/2023/1222/1423234-russia-sanctions/

One aspect of implementation of these sanctions that is frustrating is belief in not rocking the boat of global trade too much, not affecting companies, not straining the relations with countries the EU trades with. So there is a lack of enforcement. I suppose it could be inertia, living in the past + wishful thinking?

e.g. following paragraphs:

Mr O’Sullivan has been focusing his diplomacy firstly on countries which might have been expected to align with EU and US sanctions but did not - Turkey and Serbia, which are both EU candidate countries - and then those which might be persuaded when the glaring nature of sanctions-busting has been pointed out.

"The basic discourse is for them to say, 'we're not going to adopt your sanctions, but we don't want to be a platform for circumvention,’" says Mr O’Sullivan. "And we certainly don't want anything to do with feeding the Russian military machine.

"And I then can show them the statistics that show that they are indeed responsible for the re-export of some of the technologies that are key to the Russian military.

"In most cases they have said yes, we will stop this. Now we've had Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Serbia, the UAE - they are preventing the re-export of the kinds of products that can be found in Russian weapons on the battlefield.

"So they're not adopting our sanctions, but neither do they want to be taking sides in this military conflict," Mr O’Sullivan said.

Interesting he did not include Turkey specifically in the list of cooperators. Turkey is still a NATO ally and favoured "partner" on paper of course. Still an accession candidate with beneficial agreements and the like with the EU. Why? No really good reasons I can see - just it is the status quo (inertia).

Asking countries or companies nicely is unlikely to be very effective. I don't think it was for some similar kinds of technology/trade sanctions brought in by the US. The lure of extra profits is strong. What would work better is putting the screws to these supplier countries (after asking nicely) and what may be best and fastest is to target companies manufacturing and selling the goods.

Examples of actions that could be taken against worst offenders are charges being slapped on senior managers & directors + board members etc., large fines, even liquidations, ultimatums of...well you can keep extra business through diversions of your products to Russia or keep the Western markets, but not both. 

Anyways I think there's still a disconnect with how serious this situation is, a refusal to face up to reality and to fully break with the recent past (i.e....almost unlimited free trade + free markets, economics/returns based globalisation detatched from politics, nation-state wars and huge death and destruction are impossible in the EU, militaries and weapons production scaled to fight such wars are obsolete). Most of that no longer holds, and I think that era is ended for a long time and won't be coming back.

TheValeyard

Looks like a SU-30 shot down. Lol.

IdHidden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533656#Comment_121533656

You would have to be a particular stupid Vatnik to not know that imperialism and exploitation causes corruption.

And you’d have to be particularly stupid to think conquest by Putin’s imperialist kleptocracy would improve anyone’s life.

And you would have to be without morals to support and cheerlead rapists, murders, and child kidnappers.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534011#Comment_121534011

As an aside that Sherlock Holmes series is a delight.

If only that was more typical of the face Soviet / Russia presented to the world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Sherlock_Holmes_and_Dr._Watson

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534052#Comment_121534052

Probably shot down again by their own side or fog.

junkyarddog

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1739013799154188301

Happy Christmas!

victor8600

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527493#Comment_121527493

And not just that. Men of Donetsk and Lugansk were forcefully conscripted and were sent to storm Ukrainian trenches in advance of Russian troops. The same fate would have befell Ukrainians if Putin had won. You could say -- hold on, even with Ukrainians as enslaved stormtroopers, Putin won't dare to attack NATO countries. And it is true, because the next country would be Moldova, or Kazakhstan, or Uzbekistan. And when those are subjugated, only then its Baltic states and Poland.

Mike3549

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534052#Comment_121534052

This looks around Odessa and another su-34 around Mariupol.

In the meantime, ruskies claim they shot 4 x F16s in Odessa. LOL

https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1739040934614954326?t=t4ln_na17PKkapCMf6HNxA&s=19

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534247#Comment_121534247

It's such a shame that Ukraine have to fight against so of their own men. Imagine Ukraine could mobilise them instead against the Russians.

RoyalCelt

Any estimates how many SU fighter jets Russia have left in operation?

zv2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534590#Comment_121534590

Dunno but another 2 Russian jets shot down in the last 24 hours. F16s in action?

duck.duck.go

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121534590#Comment_121534590

remember when @Gatling made a big deal about these planes releasing a glide bomb at time and dismissing that they are sitting ducks (hahaha) against AA as they have to climb from deck for maximum range?

I remember

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121535209#Comment_121535209

Do you......

I don't...

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121532774#Comment_121532774

Russian rumor mill is Starting to say that they believe the Russian aircraft lost were ambushed by F16s possibly operating out of Romania

blackwave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121535266#Comment_121535266

Seen one telegram channel claim that Russia shot down 4 F16's... the copium has started for them. They've lost 5 jets the last few days so have to try say something I guess.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121533424#Comment_121533424

100% in agreement.

jmreire

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to everyone. May the coming year see victory for Ukraine.!!!,