Russia - threadbanned users in OP

They might not be using the big FABs yet; I'm not even sure if they have that many of them. There were a few claims made about Russia trying to reactivate some FAB-3000s specifically for Azovstal:

Also there are more aircraft than the strategic bombers operating; could be just standard munitions or smaller FAB-500s.

I'm also wondering if Russia will be willing to sacrifice men to try and capture some Azov troops to parade around; so maybe they'll only use them tactically as they advance... who knows.

I'm just hoping Ukraine have managed to keep a Buk or Osa or Strela or something hidden somewhere so they can shoot down a Russian strategic bomber or two... that would really get their blood boiling.

I see: is it possible you were seeing Ukrainian helicopters? It would make a bit more sense if Ukrainian helicopters were crossing into Poland for medevac flights and so forth.

They might be Polish Helicopters with Chinese Ukrainian flags painted one them. Stable geniuses could have come up with a cunning plan like that.

https://i.imgflip.com/1j6813.jpg

Now now, I'd doubt very much if any of those people make any decisions without checking with us here on boards.ie first.

I would just be very surprised to see any US assets in Ukraine given everything we've seen from the Biden administration until this point. Russia is doing everything it can to frame the conflict as a war against NATO and not just Ukraine; and Black Hawks over Ukraine would just give them more fuel to dump on that particular fire.

As for Polish aircraft I would be much less surprised I suppose; they have been giving SPGs/MRLs/tanks to Ukraine if the reports are to be believed so a few medical helicopter overflights wouldn't really be any more escalatory than that.

Not really sure what you're trying to say here.

I mean I can't say for sure if that is Mariupol but I don't see why it couldn't be. Not every single building in the entire Mariupol area has been destroyed; and in particular this area would be on the outskirts of the suburbs by the looks of things. Much of the fighting has been in the urban areas from what we've seen.

Also it's not as if we can see much detail beyond the two buildings closest to the camera anyway.

You must be new around here. Wibbs is the Putin of boards. Don't mess with him unless you are thinking of taking up window-skydiving-without-parachutes as a new hobby.

I almost contradicted him once but saved myself with a ninja edit.

Second British soldier captured in Ukraine.

Article reads...

A second British soldier who was captured fighting with the Ukrainian army has been paraded on Russian state TV.

Shaun Pinner, 48, was seen in a chilling propaganda video released Saturday NIGHT.

“Hi, I’m Shaun Pinner, I am a citizen of the UK. I was captured in Mariupol. I am part of the 36 Brigade First Battalion Ukrainian Marines,” he said in the video.

“I was fighting in Mariupol for five to six weeks and now I’m in Donetsk People’s Republic.”

In the clip, the soldier was wearing a blue hoodie and had no visible bruises but appeared tired.

Pinner — who is originally from Bedfordshire, England, but had been living in the Ukrainian city of Donbas — had been fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol alongside his friend Aiden Aslin, 28, the Guardian reported.

Aslin — was the UK’s first known prisoner of the war — was also filmed for a propaganda video released last week on Russian state TV. In the clip, he was asked if he was responsible for any killings.

“I don’t know,” he answered nervously in English. “I did not do any fighting.”

The Kremlin has claimed that 1,026 marines fighting for Ukraine — including 162 officers — had surrendered “as a result of successful offensives by Russian armed forces and Donetsk People’s Republic militia units,” referring to the pro-Russia rebel Ukrainian forces.

Russia has claimed that 1,026 marines fighting for Ukraine have surrendered.

Pinner had previously expressed fears about his capture.

“I fear for my life. The Russians will treat us differently if we are captured because we are British. This is always on my mind, that I will be captured,” he told the Mail on Sunday in January.

But he said that he felt an obligation to fight on behalf of his new home.

“I am here defending my family and adopted city. Russia started this war. It’s funded by Russia and driven by Russia, but we will fight them, make no mistake about that.

Article and interview in the link.

In Damascus, you could clearly see the area where there was intensive bombing, hard to find anything except ruined shells of buildings ( and people still trying to live there, in basements etc). and in other areas, to all outward sign's, life went on as usual. Sure there were lots of bomb and bullet damaged buildings, but the trees grew in the parks and on the streets, traffic moved on the streets, restaurant's and supermarkets were open. Of course, beneath the surface, Life was far from normal, but to look at it from pics etc. it looked OK.

I'm not new on here by any means. I used the forum for years but drifted away about 6 years ago. Lost my login info so re-registered again.

I have to say that the pomposity and arrogance of some is tempting me to "accidentally" lose my login info again.

Ah no. Wibbs always makes good points. I was only joking about the windows.

If you go missing, we'll know it's because you lost your login details and not because you've taken up self-defenestration as a hobby

Hard to have it both way

'' this is now war, because a deep fat fryer fire sank out boat''

What a shower of simpletons