Russia - threadbanned users in OP

If that's raw recruits they will be sent to their deaths.

Definitely, it's one of the only real rapid off-ramps available. He's held in power by a very precariously stacked house of cards and there can be very few players indeed, who wouldn't breath a sigh of relief on his demise.

I wouldn't even be surprised if a deposal attempt by EITHER side, ilicited "approval" from the other.

People seem to under appreciate the fact that the effects of sanctions on the Russian consumers represent a strong hint that all is not well with the outside world, one hopes that they become more curious. In other words - big trouble may be brewing for Putin from the ordinary population too.

But they will have to stamp their authority on others like Ukraine , especially surrounded by those who put Putin in power and kept him there,

I don't see a straight forward off ramp if Vladi doesn't wake up tomorrow morning

Thanks for your reply, I wonder if "behind enemy lines" sabotage attempts have been made. Those artillery positions seem to have been amazingly lucky so far. I think Biden should never have ruled out more direct confrontation - but maybe he's waiting for a surge of approval from the US population.

they do however, have to bring their own packed lunches

I'm sure there are people out there with plans in place to attempt to take Putin out after this international mess he created. It's just a question of getting to him.

Silk escape maps were given to pilots in case they got shot down over the continent. This is both sides of one covering eastern Europe my mother acquired from a US serviceman, I believe.

They also printed less flalsh ones in just black ink on super thin but strong white paper that could be folded up very small, despite being large. I have one of those covering western Europe that was issued to my father.

It's most likely the silk escape maps smuggled to prisoners were the same ones issued to pilots and air crew.

Indeed. I think there are only a few that stayed in before aster Putin's rise.

While I am sure he would get replaced by someone terrible the actual faces of the new elite will be different with the current oligarchs getting left by the wayside.

China will always put it's interests first - so unless it's gioing to bite them in the pocket /wallet they'll use the opportunity to profit , and trade between china and Russia was increasing massively even before the war - but now Russia is under china's thumb ..

Even on that work of fiction, Chernobyl has a radioactive symbol. What were those poor bastárds thinking, digging trenches there.

You do know that people work in the Chernobyl power plant every day of the week.

Reactor 3 was in operation until 2000.

There were 200 workers caught there when the Russians arrived.

Now granted workers are rotated out so that they are not exposed long term.

And that has not happened because of the Russians.

There are certain areas of the old reactor 4 area that humans simply cannot go as the radiation would

The famous corium Elephants foot at one stage would kill you in 5 minutes although this has decreased over time.

Nobody, bar some older people have lived in the exclusion zone including the city of Pripyat have lived there since 1986.

There are two exclusion zones around Chernobyl, it has been deemed safe to stay overnight in the 30km outer Exclusion Zone but not in the 10km inner exclusion zone. There are a couple of hundred people living in the outer zone. The radiation is not that bad, but it is advised to bring old clothes with little metal zippers so that they can be thrown away if contaminated.

The inner zone is probably where the Russians have now dug in.

"Russian troops have again used phosphorus shells in Maryinka, Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka, this time injuring 11 residents from the Maryinka community, including four children, Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Pavlo Kyrylenko has said.

"Some 11 wounded civilians from the Maryinka community, including our children, were delivered to the Kurakhiv city hospital," he wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday morning." https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/819685.html

Another day, another war crime.