Russia - threadbanned users in OP

If there's going to be a diplomatic solution here, the price will almost certainly include lifting sanctions. No way Russia agrees to withdraw without sanctions being lifted. Similar to the blackmail Iran is doing now re: nuke deal.

A compiled list of killed/captured Russian officers to date.

1. Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, Deputy Commander, 41st Combined Arms Army, Central Military District (killed Feb 28)
2. Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, Chief of Staff , 41st Combined Arms Army, Central Military District (killed Mar 8)
3. Major General Andrei Kolesnikov, Commander, 29th Combined Arms Army, Eastern Military District (killed Mar 11)
4. Chechen general Magomed Tushayev, 141st Rosgvardia Chechen Guard (killed Mar 1)
5. Colonel Serhiy Trofimov, Head the missile forces and artillery of 41st Combined Arms Army, Central Military District (heavily wounded Mar 8)
6. Colonel Viktor Isaykin (killed Mar 2)
7. Colonel Konstantin Ogiy, Head of Kemerovo SOBR unit (killed Feb 28)
8. Colonel Konstantin Zizevski, 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment (killed Mar 5)
9. Colonel Sergey Karasev, Commander, 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade (Ulyanovsk) (Killed Mar 11)
10. Colonel Yuri Agrakov, Commander, 104th VDV Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Division. (killed Mar 8)
11. Colonel Andrei Zakharov, Battalion-tactical group Commander, 6th Tank Regiment (Chebarkul) , 90th Tank division (killed Mar 10) (given Order of Courage in 2016)
12. Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, (killed Mar 5)
13. Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov, Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade (killed Mar 5, given Order of Courage)
14. Vladimir Zhoga, warlord, Sparta Battalion (Lt Col equivalent?) (killed Mar 5)
15. Captain Maklagin Vyacheslav Vyacheslavovich (killed Feb 25, given Order of Courage)
16. Captain Aleksey Aleksandrovich Chuchmanov, GRU/GU 3rd SpetsNaz Brigade (Tolyatti) (killed Mar 3, 2022)
17. Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, platoon commander, Russian 247th Guards Assault Caucasian Cossack Regiment (killed)
18. Major Andrei Petrovich Burlakov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Secret Service, Chief of Intelligence of Regiment, Rosgvardia (killed Mar 10)
19. Major Ruslan Leonov, Spetsnaz company commander (killed Mar 10)
20. Major Alexei Ilnitsky, deputy battalion commander, VDV 11th Air Assault Brigade (Ulan-Ude) (killed, given Order of Courage)
21. Major Bezborodov Dmitry Valeryevich, Rosgvardiya battalion commander (killed)
22. Senior Lieutenant Alexei Aleshko, Military Intelligence Officer (killed Mar 10)
23. Senior Lieutenant Andrei Shamko, VDV, GRU/GU 2nd Spetsnaz Brigade (Pskov) (killed)
24. Senior Lieutenant Nurmagomed Gadzhimagomedov, company commander, 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment (killed, given Hero of Russia)
25. Lieutenant Colonel, 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment, 105th Guards Mixed Aviation Division (Pilot, Su-34, captured)
26. Lieutenant Colonel Krishtop Maxim Sergeevich, (Pilot , Su-30, captured)
27. Lieutenant Colonel Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich, Rosgvardia (captured)
28. Major Schetkin Leonid Petrovich, Commander and chief of staff, 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade, 41st Combined Arms Army (captured Feb 26)

The current estimate is that at least 20 generals are involved in the liberation and the denazification of Ukraine....... There is no modern parallel to this many high-ranking officials dead this early on in an invasion. Operation Barbarossa would be close maybe. A CBS report from a day or 2 days ago, citing the US estimate of 5000-6000 dead, 15000-18000 wounded, which in itself is already at least 10% of all Russian forces. Estimate goes higher with known 3000+ POW and around 15k missing/deserted. A quarter of military equipment in the invasion has been destroyed or disabled.

General Patton: "No dumb bastard ever won a war by going out and dying for his country. He won it by making some other dumb bastard die for his country.”

I was talking to a chap recently at a hospital appointment,him and his wife knew nothing about ukraine but like that posted on Facebook about doing a clothing collection , expecting a bag or two from friends ,in 3 days they had to hire a box van to take over 200 bags of clothes handed into them,

The only way Ukraine can guarantee its safety, security and sovereignty going forward will be to join NATO and the EU (even if this takes a good few years).....otherwise it would be at major risk of being invaded again by the rogue and criminal regime to its east.

Russia’s most popular late-night talk show host, Ivan Urgant, who has been dubbed Russia’s version of American television host Jimmy Kimmel, is believed to have fled to Israel with his family following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Urgant’s talk show, which has aired daily since 2012 on Russia’s state-run Channel One, was taken off the air on February 21, only three days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, in what commentators say was a result of his anti-war views.

On February 24, the popular comedian posted a pitch-black square to his Instagram account, followed by more than 10 million people, alongside the caption “Fear and pain. No to war” in Russian — a slogan that has since been heard in anti-war protests across Russia.

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I'm not sure being compared to Jimmy Kimmel, one of the least funny talk show hosts, is a good thing. Suffice to say totalitarian regimes always go after comedians and entertainers. They'll replace him with some sterile regime stooge.

No offence to the people’s generosity and I'm sure well intentioned but I’d say most of that was a load of old clear-out tat. You’d have to question the economics of then transporting it over 2000km

Putin didn't want Ukraine in the EU either, so that probably would have been another term of the deal. The people of Ukraine would have seen such a deal as a complete sell out. 'Give up your right to self-determination. Stay within the Russian sphere of influence. Be content with stagnation.'

Yes, lives would be spared if Ukraine just stayed obedient to Russia, but it's happened so much in human history that nations are willing to put their lives on the line for a principle that it should tell us something - people want the right to make their own decisions and live their best life, even if it means sacrifice. Even if it means losing the battle. Here's another chapter of that.

RTE News saying on their bulletin this evening that there is probably more need now for food rather than clothes (non perishable items obviously that can be transported over long distances and which won't go off).

I was very supportive of peace efforts a few days ago , but I suspect this would be another waste of time. Having said that, Israel would only host if Russia gave the nod that it would negotiate rather than demand surrender. Would be a shame if Putin's plane suffered a 'technical' problem on the way to Jerusalem....

RTE news did a report from polish border showing some of the stuff that had arrived from Ireland…..one of the locals held up a pair of red high heeled shoes 👠 to make the point that this is the sort of stuff that is not needed. ……Surprise surprise…..some posh bird clearing out her wardrobe 😡

Pricks.

Conflict is part of humanity as it's part in every animal species. Once you accept that there's no unicorn-filled utopia, then it's easier to see things more matter of fact. I've got about 30 sparrows that live in my garden. I feed them, so they stick around. They're very gregarious, they'll alert each other to food, will collectively alarm call when the Sparrowhawk swoops in, and they'll huddle in the winter for body warmth. They're about as community orientated as could be. However, every so often a mad argument breaks out. Chasing each other, tweeting like mad and trying to bite too.

What I'm trying to say is, we're no different to sparrows. Most of the time we get along, then we don't. Of course sparrows don't have nukes.

And in a new low, the Russian scum have seized a humanitarian convoy intended for Mariupol and seized it's supplies, presumably to feed their own troops.

Boots on the ground, I say, and will continue to argue for.