Such a pity the noble Bayraktar is now extinct.
Am I the only one hoping we get to see the video of the two gunships flying into Russia while they attach a voice over from Alex Guinness saying Luke use the force as the rockets fly
I was just thinking this. Russians saying Ukrainians bombed a facility on their soil. Ukraine says it didn’t. Russia moving troops away from areas not expected. Is anybody talking about a potential false flag operation?
God I hope there is not some shock and awe massacre coming.
It's not entirely unexpected, they did say they are moving them out a few days back
Maybe , it’s just that worry you’d have that Putin will go full on Bond villian. I mean he clearly doesn’t give a f**k about killing thousands and destroying cities.
Ive been listening to some sources now labelling him a psychopath. I’m not sure if that’s just intended to put him down or an actual assessment of him but it’s not exactly Implying a rational mind and we can’t really assess how a irrational mind like that might respond.
Well if you read it on Twitter it must be true!
It's possible they don't have many left but there's no reason to believe they have somehow lost all of them. If they can keep at least two Mi-24 attack choppers in working order until this point they can surely keep a few TB2s.
Only two TB2s have been confirmed lost in Ukraine at this point. The real number is likely higher; but considering the psychological aspect I would expect Russian/DPR/LPR forces to make a song and a dance over any proof of a TB2 kill; so I wouldn't think the real number would be too much higher.
Also there have been several large shipments made from the Turkish airport known to be associated with TB2 deliveries and Rzeszów airport in Poland which is known to be associated with Ukraine aid shipments. A number of those shipments were made by Ukrainian flagged cargo planes too; so read into that what you will.
It is a little concerning we haven't seen any new TB2 footage in some time though.
I can't see how Russia achieves a major and clear cut military victory against Ukraine anywhere within Ukraine's border. They have shown they have a second rate and demoralised army which is not fit for purpose. Also, the momentum is more than with the Ukrainians now and they are up for the fight.
Has this been posted already?
The Russians probably won't be singing and dancing.
It's worth that they already claim to have downed more TB2's than the Ukrainian army had at start if the war.
Pull back from Kyiv. Join up with forces in east and defeat Ukraine forces in detail. Secure rear / supply lines so fighting on one front only. If Russia are in for the long haul.
It sounds great on paper, but the Ukrainians are tenacious and battle hardened and more than up for the challenge. People who think that all Russia has to do is regroup and concentrate its troops in one place are ignoring just how extremely poorly the Russian army has performed and how badly led it has been.
Putin may ultimately be accountable but you can be sure he's not the only one calling the shots. The Russians have layers of command structure and others will have an input at a high level where decisions like that are made. A decision to launch some sort WMD on Kyiv would have unpredictable consequences which might spiral further out of control for Russia.
Oh I don't see any clear-cut military victory for Russia; but we need to remember that Ukraine didn't exactly blow away the separatists in 2014/2015. Add in Russia's full and open military support and it will be difficult for Ukraine to stop any advance dead in its tracks.
The open question for me is how much men and materiel Russia will be willing to throw at it; and for how long they'll be able to withstand the economic and political fallout.
Equally there may come a point where the price Ukraine is willing to pay to simply delay inevitable Russian advances will become untenable; and they may give in to some of Russia's demands.
One thing that is clear I think is that this conflict has subverted expectations at almost every stage; so I suspect there are plenty more surprises to come...
so if Ukraine did it, why would they deny it? I hardly think anybody in the west would care about a counter strike.
If , as usual, it’s the Russians lying there’s only two things I can think of. Negligence on Russias part and it’s convenient to blame Ukraine. Or they sabotaged their own resources for some reason and that doesn’t sound good.,
I see that the Red Cross have had to abandon a planned humanitarian evacuation from Mariupol. How many times have the Russians either shelled evacuation attempts, blocked evacuations, sent Mariupol residents into exile in Russia and generally broken their promises? How do you negotiate with such people, never mind reaching some kind of meaningful agreement with them?
And they have the nerve to complain if Ukraine attacks a fuel depot of theirs. they are really beyond comprehension.
Fair point but the Ukranians must be taking a lot of casualties and their troops in the east cant be rotated or resupplied. I worry how long their A teams can sustain this.
One year ago I’d imagine the exact same warning could of been made to anybody asking if it was possible that Russia would full on invade Ukraine.
People say “Im sure there’s protocols and more then one person that would prevent WMDs” but how can people say this with confidence? This seems more like a hope that there is substantial protection mechanisms in place to make sure there are rules followed in this war,
I'm sure they can replace the ones the lost.
Because that's how organisations and armies work - there are protocols and chains of command. Planners - war rooms, decision makers and executors down the line. Putin can't wake up tomorrow and order a WMD to be launched on Kyiv or anywhere. Would need to pass through and come from a strategic meeting of generals etc. in order to be delivered.
It's actually incredible when you think back to when Russia planned to roll over Ukraine casually in 48-72 hours.
Here we are six weeks later, Russia's achieved very little, lost billions in equippment and thousands of soldiers, exposed itself as an incompetent military that has nothing but brute-force bully capability, tanked its economy, and turned itself into a pariah state.
And now Ukraine has flown across the border and delivered the ultimate slap in the face.
Putin must have done the iconic bit from Downfall where Hitler shakily removes his spectacles when he heard the news.
This is pretty significant. The confiscations are permanent and are at least a start to Russian funded rparations.
Will there be some massive auction of super yachts?
Here you go:
Nice one Cork:-
https://www.peoplesrepublicofcork.com/articles/pairc-ui-kyiv-welcome-to-cork-ukrainians
Is anyone under the delusion that the West is NOT at war with Russia/China... anyone?
It's a different kind of war fir sure, not swords and chariots, but a very modern war. And another strange thing about this war... the West are funding the enemy.
Unless I'm missing something surely that is Ukrainian estimate of Russian losses.
Plus the longer the war goes on the longer the Russian military will be banging their heads against Western military tech.
As you do...
You are correct, I misread it.
Ive been listening to some sources now labelling him a psychopath.
Putin's riposte to those 'sources':
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/eedacf599b4135dfd56d6fdbddcbd867.svg)
