Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Who knows what Putin is planning, the losses are mouthing everyday, and his excuses for war have been proven to be paranoia, after all that he has done, both the West, and Ukraine haven't shot a single bullet on Russian soil. Russian shares a border with China, and North Korea, countries with Nuclear weapons, maybe he should be more concerned about them, not a peaceful Ukraine.

@threeball China must be rubbing their hand with glee over what's transpired over the last 4 weeks. Their position as number 2 superpower is now beyond doubt. Russia barely qualify anymore and its quite conceivable that they're as low as 7th or 8th.

Before this Russia was about 8th on the superpower scale , it's safe to say they not even top 10 and it's going to get worse the longer this goes on ,

Remember Russia wanted to get India to help develop their new Su57 stealth fighter and in return Russia would sell India ships for their navy ,now it turns out Russia's super duper stealth fighter can be detected and tracked by 4th Generation fighter aircraft , which Russia spent billions for 6 aircraft that is no better than their current generation of fighter jets,and China is no better they for a number of years tried to develop their own rifle for their military again big spend compared to others but recently they went back to AK and M4 copy rifles because their home grown rifles were terrible , everything else is stolen from other countries and untested in combat compared to western countries and America who have developed their systems of decades and and know how and where and when to use specific air, naval , ground units,

China is pretty much untested since the end of the Korean war

They've captured a load of useless junk.

The proliferation of precision guided anti-tank weapons has rendered tanks and vehicles obsolete. If you're a Russian soldier in hostile territory, do you really want to be sat in an extremely slow vehicle, with limited line of sight, and effectively no armour resistance (the Javelin missile strikes from above where there's basically no armour). Sure, they have big guns, but what are they shooting at? Young lads in a ditch with an anti-tank weapon on their shoulder?

Apparently the Russian troops are camped out in NW-Kiev, sitting in their vehicles with the engines on (because they're cold). Even at night, they're sitting ducks, thermal imaging isn't expensive these days. A Ukrainian with a bicycle and an NLAW is essentially as effective as a T-whatever-you-want.

I remember back in the day when you bought something and it would last forever...

Insert Simpsons Grandpa gif

talk about opposing juxtapositional statements....debate time

For sure, it's good to deny the enemy mobility. I am just making the point that a lot of the vehicles that are being abandoned are basically useless in this sort of war. When you look at all the surveillance that's going on, hopping into a vehicle looks an awful lot like death sentence to me.

Not as strange as the Korean who was captured in German uniform by the Allies on D-Day. It was discovered that he'd originally been conscripted by the Japanese, captured by the Russians at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, released into the (short of manpower) Red Army in 1942, captured by the Germans at Kharkiv in 1943, put into uniform and sent to Normandy as part of an Ostabteilung (a German unit consisting of ex-Russian soldiers) in 1944. Shipped to a prison camp in the US, he became a US citizen, dying in 1992.

If the story is true, then Yang Kyoungjong (for 'twas his name) may be the only person to have served in three different armies during WW2. Unfortunately, it probably isn't true as evidence is lacking and there is a lot of doubt about it.

Photo of a "Young Japanese" soldier captured at Utah beach who may (or may not) be the same person. Reports say that four "Asians in German uniform" were captured there that day:

(From the look on his face, it's not difficult to imagine him thinking "Three effing armies...right that's my lot, I'm done with this sh1t...")

its more dangerous now than ever that them brain dead's are losing so badly it's gonna make them desperate and desperate is unpredictable...NATO really needs to give these morons a way out before auld vlad doubles down on his stupidity.

They d probably get lost on the way even if they could get there 😂

They'd prob be alright in a defensive capacity like park it in a building and use it as anti tank but as an attacking asset out in the open? stone useless they offer about as much protection as umbrellas these days.

I have been thinking.

I think Putin's request that the west pay in roubles (incidentally i have just realized it is spelt roubles not rubles just shows how seldom the currency is in the press) is a mistake. And not just that it shows Putin is not receiving good advice and is not economically educated.

You never ever sell something for unstable currency. You sell 100 dollars worth of oil today that is 10,175 rubles. But tomorrow 10.175 rubles can be worth only 80 dollars. Congratulations you sold 100 dollars of oil for 80 dollars.

He expects the rouble to rally faster than it can. He also expects that russian traders will not see through govt intervention and manipulation of the market which is not sustainable long term.

He is actually only going to shrink russian assets.

He should have asked for payment in gold if he wanted to punish the dollar or other currencies.

This can't repair the rouble. But it can devalue oil profits. You never sell internationally to unstable currency.

I must try and give this a look. Also Intrigued by your name…..would have to say it’s one of the strangest ines in boards.ie??