Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I don't think you are a putin apologist or anything but i think ...you are ...enamoured with the idea of the russian state not enamoured of its ideals but how it likes to project itself.

Why do you think a countries with as much poverty and corruption as russia and china have great armies?

The level of poverty in those countries doesn't lead me to conclude that.

Russia spends 4% of its gdp on its military its GDP is like 1.4 trillion. The USA spends about 3% of its gdp on its military but its GDP is like 20.4 trillion. CHINA on the other hand only spends ONE PERCENT of its GDP on its military. And the GDP of china is about 14 trillion.

The us airforce (taking into account navy jets too) could take on china and russia's airforce at the same time beat them alone and THEN some.

And ALL that is not taking into account the amount that was STOLEN from their military budgets by corruption.

And the us has just given ukraine one TRILLION for defense.

Russia and China are like crouching paper tiger crouching paper dragon.

Putin has fucked himself and he knows it.

They still have massive firepower in and around Ukraine; it just means a slower and more methodical approach than they tried to take during the first days. Indeed it's what they're doing right now: scorched earth as they slowly move towards larger population centres and strategic goals.

Whilst Ukraine are getting intelligence from NATO they also have their own fleets of both military reconnaissance drones and commercial drones which they've bought or have been donated since the war started; and they seem to be using them to good effect.

They also operate artillery and mortar radar which can determine direction of incoming fire; and that's something they have been using and perfecting on the Donbass front since 2014.

EDIT: And their air force are still flying 5-10 combat missions daily according to the US.

May Perun / Taranis protect these brave warriors, Glori Don Ucrain! Slava Ukraine!

Crazy splice of info from the watch dogs that should be providing info to the wider public

From this clip, you would think we need to go war until the last person is asking a question.

It still happens in Russia.

Time isn't really on Russia's side, here, because every day they continue this war, they are deepening bad blood with the West, making China increasingly nervous, and giving Russia's public and politicians a reason to overthrow Putin. Every day that this war continues beyond the initially speculated time frame gives a chance for tensions somewhere to erupt into a situation that Putin did not bargain for at all.

And it wouldn't just be Russia changing tactics. The Ukrainian side would be adapting as well. For example, the attrition shelling approach the Russians appear to be adopting could be sorely impaired by the switchblade drones that's the Americans are supposed to be supplying to Ukraine. Speaking of supply, I wouldn't be at all surprised if NATO was supplying real time strategic guidance to the Ukrainian military by looking at satellite feeds and telling Ukrainian soldiers what to hit, where to hit and when to hit it.

In a war of conquest it's worth remembering that when you take a city, you usually have to leave forces behind to hold it. While 180,000 troops sounds like a lot, when you factor in the above, the march to Kyiv suddenly sounds tougher. To add to that, Ukrainians are digging in and they are preparing in those cities which have not yet undergone sustained assault, and this is against a Russian force that is under supplied or inept or demoralised to the extent that they're still struggling to take cities on the edge of Ukraine.

Typical response?

There was plenty of details in that article if you read between the lines. The Garda head of counter terrorism basically told 30 terrorist ISIS fighters who are living in Ireland that they are being surveilled, their phones and internet traffic are being tapped. Now why would the Gardai be telling known terrorists that kind of information? All it does is give them an advantage to make sure their communications are secure. Why spend all that money on phone hacking equipment and then tell the targets you're hacking their phones, it is complete amateur hour from these blabber mouths who are always leaking to the media.

Pius the poster you were replying to @cnocbui was right- senior Gardai management in the Phoenix Park do not have a handle on counter terrorism in this country. If you think that they do then youre being really naive. London, Paris, Madrid all thought the same thing yet they still got hit. ,Gardai in the counter intelligence and terrorism branch being blabber mouths to the media is going to make an attack in Ireland more likely, not less likely.

Can Russia afford 'slower and more methodical' at this point? At this rate the extreme economic cost and the stream of bodybags coming back could cause Russia to collapse before Ukraine. Would like to see a peace deal but what are Russia going to accept as a reasonable reward for the huge cost they have faced?

I completely agree with this. The country is too large. The Russians have not taken the other big cities they thought they would. I was watching this unfold at the start on the livestream cameras in Kyiv the second or third night. I expected to see Russian tanks rolling in to the centre of Kyiv after two or three days.

THey don't kill people in the Hague.