Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852127#Comment_121852127

Costly days for Putin's Russia. Who knows how much actual news re losses and costs gets to him but those who do manage the reality have to be wincing.

zv2

Bonus helicopter?

https://twitter.com/UaCoins/status/1764965842843009089

tobefrank321

Russia is the gift that keeps on giving in terms of NATO.

If they keep this war up, they won't have a Black Sea Fleet left. Along with a diminished airforce including reduced number of A50s. They can't send in the Armata tank because its too "expensive". In other words it was only built to look good at Moscow parades but to actually fight a war, no chance. Won't be too many foreign buyers of an expensive tank that can't actually fight.

Their refineries are being decimated and they've had to restrict oil exports.

Their border with NATO has been doubled. They've essentially lost the Black Sea to Ukrainian sea drones and the Baltic Sea to NATO.

And demand for their much vaunted weaponry such as the S400 will likely diminish.

And they are losing all their armour with every passing day.

Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake!

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852055#Comment_121852055

That boat by it's design is supposed to be stealth and very difficult to pick up on radar. The fact Ukrainian drones are picking it up in the dark on the open sea is something else too.

fly_agaric

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121851857#Comment_121851857

Persumably (guessing here of course) China may have told Kim in private that they will be good to backfill anything that is sent into the war to help the "unlimited friend" Russia destroy Ukraine, and he doesn't have to worry.

I kind of doubt NK would be able to easily/quickly replace the stockpiles of shells, missiles etc. they are sending or they would be so generous and helpful to Russia if they thought this was going to empty out their arsenal. I think the regime there is pretty extremely paranoid, and would not deplete their military completely, no matter what Russia promises.

That trick can only be pulled off one time, and then it just becomes China supplying Russia with weapons via NK.

tobefrank321

It appears there's been no shipments from NK since mid February which is interesting. If that continues, either NK have nothing left to ship, what they sent wasn't very good or the Russians have not met their side of the bargain. The Russians are hugely dependent now on states like NK and Iran.

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852439#Comment_121852439

If NK shipped 2 million shells, that's enough for Russia to be firing 20k a day for 100 days. They could easily send another shipment after 100 days or when Russia runs low.

Hard to tell what sort of deal they have. done. Could have been just a once off to clear out most of the NK stockpile.

I.am.Putins.raging.bile.duct

I wonder if the russians will attempt to move warships through their canal network that connects the Baltic and Barents to the Black sea.

It's very shallow and narrow in places and would probably need dredging in many places.

I imagine a ship creeping through the network would be easy pickings for drones and mines.

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852491#Comment_121852491

Can ships around 100M fit through that canal? Great news to wake up to another ship down. Hopefully a few more go boom this year.

rogber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852320#Comment_121852320

In terms of NATO yes, in terms of Ukraine the war is still hell costing lives every day and bringing it to a successful end must be priority over endless slow bleed of Russia

I.am.Putins.raging.bile.duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852541#Comment_121852541

I doubt they would ever sink an oil tanker and risk an oil spill. Fairly sure it's a war crime to do so intentionally anyway.

Bobson Dugnutt

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1764980347253445101

Fresh Vatnik Soup about one of our own, the notorious failure in life, Chay Bowes. I wonder is he stuck in Russia or can he come back to Ireland?

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121852562#Comment_121852562

The only country who can end this war is, you guessed it, Russia. Its been a complete disaster for them that only gets worse with each passing day.

The longer they stay in Ukraine the more the damage they do to their own country.

Putin is borrowing from the Hitler playbook. "If I can't win, I am determined to drag my own country down with me". Most dictators are like that.

victor8600

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121853121#Comment_121853121

The war is a disaster for Russia, but not for Putin. Before the war, Putin was scared, ailing old fart hiding from COVID in an underground bunker. Now he is an old, cowardly, dangerous sick bastard, which is a massive improvement from his point of view. The war means that he can jail and kill his opponents with almost no consequences, any economic troubles are easily explained by the Western interference, and his own power can be consolidated to levels not imaginable before the war.

rogber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121853121#Comment_121853121

Russia will not end the war as long as Putin is in charge, which is for the foreseeable future, which is why Ukraine needs better weapons. I don't really care about Russia being dragged down, what I want to see is a peaceful Ukraine where its citizens aren't dying fighting or because of Russian rockets. That will only come with Putin dying or being overthrown or killed

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121853502#Comment_121853502

Keep destroying their oil refineries and putin will escorted out of the Kremlin…. Hopefully burnt alive and buried in a shallow pit

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121853720#Comment_121853720

Nobodies going to be escorting Putin anywhere. Even if the siloviki were to turn on him (very unlikely since they're basically his trusted old St Petersburg buddies) he has his very own insurance policy in the shape of his private army the Roskvardia. So there'd have to be a war in Moscow itself to get him out. He wouldn't go quietly.

Virgil°

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1765064542386847903?s=19

Seems like russia actually manage to take out a HIMARS. First one in 3 years. At this rate just a few more decades until Putin gets the rest. Theres a cut in the video but it does seem to be more legit than the time they've destroyed the other 5000 HIMARS units.

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121853979#Comment_121853979

Those russians have always been for turning. putin turned on Yeltsin the second he got power. If his “special operation” causes the oil money to stop flowing then I think they will kill him. Hundreds of thousands dead will have no impact on his future, but if the oil industry gets destroyed I think he is in trouble.

aidanodr

Brutal honesty from Macron today ..

"Who launched the war in Ukraine? Vladimir Putin. Who threatens us, whatever we do whatever we say, with nuclear weapons? President Putin.

If every day we explain what our limits are in the face of someone who has none and launched this war, I can already tell you that the spirit of defeat is there lurking. Not amongst us."

https://twitter.com/JulienHoez/status/1765030569014853696

Fastpud

Whats going on with Macron, suddenly he is much more bellicose. Has something changed cos he was a lot less vocal for the past 2 years? Did I miss something?

aidanodr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121854460#Comment_121854460

Maybe realizes the gravity of the situation facing us which many others in Europe ( and US ) dont want to perhaps? Many maybe HOPING nothing will happen and tend toward appeasement of Putins Russia to try keep it this way .. FEAR at its route? Also like of Macron would be privy to intelligence that you and I would not be and saw credible scenarios recently?

aidanodr

Just leave this here

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121854482#Comment_121854482

Maybe because it looks like America is bringing g back its Orange Daddy and Europe needs to act very quickly

Say my name

I see this floating around everywhere.

So what do we take from this?

The FSB have their handcuffs off and freely execute people around the world. We know this is true already from Canterbury, England and countless other poisonings around the world we know of and then the "suicides" and "accidents" we don't know of.

But would the CIA and FBI take Trump lying down just because the spies may not have been american?

Would the Queensberry rules just apply to the CIA. And every other non western Putin sphere get away with murder..

The private security FSB staff Trump has must be on top of their game.

Imagine Ronald Regan coming back to look at this.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121854460#Comment_121854460

I would imagine another deluge of Ukrainians into Europe and by extension France may end up hurting him politically more than getting more heavily involved in the war ever could. None of these politicians do anything unless it has implications for their careers. Look at Biden in the US, he could circumvent the blockaid on support for the ukraine but they know that wouldn't play well with voters ahead of the election.

Putin doesn't have to worry about voters so does what he wants.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121854541#Comment_121854541

Nothing will be able to force most of Europe to defend itself. Even suggesting the idea of European States paying for their own defense is causing incredible consternation.

Trump tried to force Europe to pay its way but no one can.

The will to not do it is ideological.

tobefrank321

I'm no great Trump fan, quite the opposite. But forcing Europe to be self sufficient and defend Europe is not a bad thing. Some European countries really are taking the p*ss when it comes to expecting the Americans to step in and defend them. Most of the big European nations have only a couple hundred serviceable tanks and minimal artillery ammunition which would barely last a month in a real conflict. And they also have relatively small armies. Had the Russians invaded the Baltic nations in 2022 instead of Ukraine, NATO would struggle to push them out and it would take years to do so. The invasion of Ukraine was a wake up call for NATO countries.

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121854914#Comment_121854914

Trump was not the first US president to want/ask European NATO to meet their 2% commitment.

I think the real prospect of the US leaving NATO though would be a game changer. Trump gets back in which is 50/50 then NATO is finished.