An interesting aspect is that the state propaganda machine are not admitting that the war is going terribly. Solovyov is on TV every night saying that everything is going to plan, is on schedule and there are no setbacks. The Russian public relying on TV only would nearly be oblivious to the unfolding disaster.
The logic is extremely simple -- Putin wakes up in the morning and decides to live another day. If he declares the war as lost, he is dead. If he admits that his plan was pure baloney, he is dead. On the other hand, if a few hundred more Russian soldiers die, but he himself is still alive, that is a good day for Putin. And if any number of Ukrainians die or raped or maimed, that is no skin off his nose.
Putin is just a sad little old man who needs to be put out of his misery as soon as possible.
I cannot understand the Russian logic here. No idea what the game plan is and countries who were walking a thin line with the Russians are getting pissed off.
They seem to have had a mental breakdown or have become a full on suicide cult.
This war isn't ending anytime soon, but I think we all knew that.
It probably would. But would Vlad accept the destruction of the economy or a humiliating loss in Ukraine.
Apparently a lot of the people who support, or at the very least are ambiguous about, the war might change their minds if there is full mobilization. Besides the economic hit, people don't want to see their sons and brothers being called up to be used as cannon fodder.
This is the worrying thing.
How many of us truly believe that he would "gracefully" accept defeat? Or declare war and throw millions of inexperienced conscripts to their doom?
My worry is that frustration will get the better of him, and to get a solution of some kind of victory of sorts - to show the Russian public - then he may turn to either chemical weapons or a tactical nuke or two to bring about a rapid conclusion to the resistance in Eastern Ukraine.
Just a single nuke could possibly start a chain reaction that would catapult the whole world into catastrophe.
He needs to be taken out, and quick. There should be crack mercenaries after his head on a silver platter, and special forces assassination squads on the job.
The longer Putin is alive the greater the feeling that this whole scenario is gradually building up into a very sinister finale.
Tbf, its a smashing game.
Any authoritarian country only has one strategy when it comes to this stuff. Stick to the story. If they say they are fighting nazi's, then they stick to it. If Israel says no, it doesn't matter. Just stick to the story. If you question the story, you must be a nazi. If you say you're not a nazi, then you're a nazi. Russian people may doubt it, but they can't express their doubts, because then they'd be "nazis".
Editing to add: BTW, all of here are either Nazis or brainwashed by Nazis. That's just the way it works. Think Hitler saying that people were under the influence of a jewish plot.
This must be part of the Russian 'cunning plan.'
The only explanation is that the guy has been playing medieval total war for a week straight
Mad how badly they have fucked this.
Probably knew themselves, which is why they started the nuke talk straight away
He could know he only has a few years left and thus cares for nothing other than creating a legacy for himself regardless of the cost, and now that's gone down the toilet, only about punishing Ukraine for embarrassing him and denying him his place in history.
To be fair, he's already assured of a place in the history books, just like every other numbnuts who decided to have a war and get their asses handed to them.
My 2 cents - he knows he's onto a loser here. I'd say he has 2 options:
Azovstol Steel plant is under attack now.
It adjusts for projection distortions.
There's a special ward, in the special wing, of the special institution for those stupid enough, not to doubt their infallibility
The Russian army could end up abandoned. Obliteration may be optional, capitulation to Ukraine won't
Slava Ukraini and hopefully soon
"Synagogue in Bobruisk was vandalised with "Z" letters"
Where does Lavrov think this is going that thay can derive benefit from? If he wants Israel to supply Iron Dome air defences, then fair enough, keep at it.
It's that sheer force of numbers that convinced everyone in the first place but they've been a crap military force for 60 days and really not looking like getting any better. All the while they lose more men and crucially equipment.
I'm not an expert but genuinely expected the Donbas region to be taken quickly after Russia regrouped and focussed on one area and it still has not
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSC1PdWTeqGAEhFy36mtIS8kTMW07D5xDiXiQ&usqp=CAU
Yes it is, but he has painted himself into a corner now, with little or no real options left.
Scholz has vowed sanctions will not be lifted until Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a peace deal with Ukraine that Kyiv can support, so a very long way to go here. Be interesting to see how Russia deals with the EU oil eventually being cut off. It's averaging at present about €30bn a month.
How long will those around him let it continue is the question. It's not an easy one to answer because time after time we've seen dictators who have cemented themselves in positions like this lead their countries to utter ruin unassailable.
I would have thought full mobilisation would do for their already teetering economy.
As seen in the movie " Enemy at the Gate" about the famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev. And the war scenes in that movie pulled no punches either. With the commissars pulling up machine guns behind the soldiers sent to attack the German positions......the moral being what ever chance you have against the Germans, retreat was not an option. But I wonder if todays conscript's would accept the same slaughter??? Or more especially, would their Mothers and Fathers???
I am just trying to work out what the crazy man is trying to do. There has to be a plan behind it all no matter how nuts it is. We then need to count that plan. Put a stop to Putin himself.
You'd have to question what the strategy actually is when they are labelling the Israelis Nazis? I mean it sounds like they are in full meltdown mode and are panicking.
What they can't do is turn the Israelis against them and open up their weapons tech to the Ukrainians. The Turkish TB2 is a copy of an Israeli drone and their capacity would be superior to the Turkish one. The last thing the Russians want is Ukraine getting more and better drones.
As for calling for full conscription that would signal to the public that the so-called special operation has been a total failure, it could be the event that signals the end for Putin and his regime.
You took the green ones instead of the pink ones this morning didn't you!
Even Jimmy Vasquez is getting in on the act and capturing a Russian vehicle.
:-)
That's my home scale. I can't see what the fuss ia about, not very big at all.
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