Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Seems this is now Russias next move, to get troops from the south and north to push towards Dnipro. If they make progress Ukrainian troops on the front line in Donbas will have to consider a tactical retreat west or else they could end up completely encircled between Dnipro and the Donbass. As the war moves further east it also means Ukraines supply lines get substantially longer. They can though move some troops from Kyiv to the east as if Russia comes back for a second bite the Ukrainians will get advance warning of a Russian troop build up from US intelligence.

That would be the glass half empty assessment.

In reality if the Ukrainians are supplied with the right and enough weaponry they will decimate the Russian army in Ukraine, unthinkable 6 weeks ago.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ukrainians pull out of the "peace talks" in the next week or 2 as the full horrors of what has gone on in the past 40 odd days come to light.

It will be the catalyst for the West to pony up the proper tools to finish the job.

As shocking as the images are coming out of Ukraine, no one in US or Uk intelligence is surprised by them.

It was expected.

"Ukraine Update: Kyiv Warns Russia Is Adding Troops in Moldova" https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-02/ukraine-update-u-s-sending-additional-military-aid-to-kyiv

Moldova should invite some foreign forces in to do military exercises in their territory of Transnistria.

What's the delay. I said this weeks ago and the Ukranians have had to endure untold misery while we tiptoe around a psychopath. This was never going to be any other way. Give them what was needed immediately.

Are we afraid of crossing Putins red lines when we don't even know where those lines are and they change on a daily basis. We could do zero and still cross a perceived line in his mind. All we do is embolden and enable him.

I was talking about all the "diplomats" in the embassy. Not sure how you got all Russians from that.

Zelensky after 40 days of war. Powerful and terrible images. I bet when he launched that comedy show Servant of the People he never thought it would lead here.... Sawa docu on him the other day, in all honesty he seemed like a fairly superficial populist up till recently, but no doubt he has risen to the awful occasion

I read an article from a retired American general a couple of weeks ago that if this conflict lasts until mid April that the Russians will be fast running out of equipment and weapons to sustain a major offensive never mind restart a new one. Seems like we are getting very close to that. I can see a major final onslaught on Donbas where they throw the kitchen sink at it, but i think Kyiv is safe for now, unless the Chinese start shipping the Russians equipment and bombs.

The same three problems for Russia apply, how to get there, secure them and hold them. Their efforts to date, barbarity aside, have been pretty appalling and there's no evidence they can achieve any of these so-called objectives either.

If we are dissecting past decisions like going ahead with the Nordstream pipeline, I should also point out the UK's disastrous and illegal invasion of Iraq has given a huge amount of whataboutery ammunition to the Putin-bots, "look how bad the West is". There is a certain logic to it too. It isn't too different to what the Russians are doing, invading a country on some made up pretext because you don't like the government.