Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Members of the Russian community took part in a Victory Day convoy in the midlands today. Seems to have passed off peacefully anyway.

Do the Azov have far right elements? Damn right they do. The Far Right in Ukraine has been a problem and one that was being reported for years by western media and government and NGO's right up to this invasion kicking off(IMHO too much of it in the western media was fears of nazis everywhere, as the Far Right has lost a lot of ground in Ukraine in the past decade).

The Azov regiment currently being blamed for the invasion of Ukraine and just about everything by the Russians and some Russian apologists closer to home, were originally formed as a paramilitary nationalistic and far right self-defense group. Later they were formally incorporated into the Ukrainian home guard as a volunteer battalion to help an overmatched Ukrainian military fight the Russians in 2014.

In 2015 it was stated that some 10% to 20% of the group's members were bone fide followers of nazism. Now even if we don't believe a word of that and say the whole nine yards of them were all fully signed up nazis with jackpots and swastikas and what have you - the fact is a regiment of 900 personnel out of a pre invasion estimated total of 200,000 for the Ukrainian Military, is peanuts.

And even if their numbers have trebled or quadrupled since the Russian invasion of Ukraine - their numbers are still peanuts.

That's not to claim there are no additional far right interests or groups in Ukraine. I'd imagine there are. But the fact is, so has Russia where neo nazi style parades are apparently openly allowed. And not forgetting the Russian Wagner military group. A self declared bunch of Russian neo nazis, awarded Military honours by Putin and deployed by the Russians in areas of Africa and now ironically in Ukraine.

One thing is fairly certain is that the Ukrainian Military are doing their damnest to defeat the Russians who have brutally invaded their country, with Russia taking heavy losses. I would be surprised if the final death toll of the Ukrainian Military will not also be very high, with the chances of any military personnel coming out of the present fight not being good. Any members of the Azov regiment doubly so, because the Russians have placed a huge emphasis on making an example of them. When the current fighting is over, realistically I can't see too many of the Azov regiment surviving eitherway.

I'm guessing they probably are. It may be their equivalent of Bastille Day / St.Patrick's Day etc.

That's what I meant - the Russian people in Ireland probably do it every year, as it is their equivalent of Bastille Day, July the 4th etc.

From the Guardian regarding the interview with the Avoz brigade in Mariupol:

Here are the quotes she picks out from a press conference by the commanders of Azov regiment in he Azovstal plant in Mariupol. This is an unverified translation:

Civilians were evacuated in three days recently. We do not know if everyone was evacuated. From politicians we hear that it was success. But during the evacuation two servicemen were killed and six injured. This is the price of the evacuation of civilians.

[...]

On the territory of the Azovstal plant there are many civilian and military casualties, and tens of thousands of citizens died as a result of Russia’s actions during 2,5 months, they didn’t have a chance to be evacuated timely.

[...]

We have been asking for the evacuation of civilians for 2.5 months, and only now we have managed to evacuate several hundred. It is joy through tears.

[...]

No one expected us to stand for so long. Our government failed to save Mariupol. We are called heroes, and we should not flaunt it, because we do our job. The heroes are next to me. Many people gave their lives for the city, for the state and for the citizens of Ukraine.

[...]

We could retreat from Mariupol, because we saw what a dangerous situation. But we decided to stay here, and we had an order to defend Mariupol.

[...]

Many government officials have been sabotaging Ukraine’s defense for eight years. Everyone interfered, we knew that a great war with Russia was coming, and we were preparing. We didn’t get Javelins or coaches, we collected everything ourselves: information, ammunition.

[...]

We (Azov) were called a paramilitary group and radicals [by the West, as well as RU propaganda].Where we were radicals is in defending our country. We did great damage to the enemy. We received no help: no artillery or aircraft. We were left alone and we were alone for 8 years.

[...]

We know our past. We have been volunteers since 2014, there were many different people. But we decided to leave our past behind and become professional military. We wanted to create a new modern Ukrainian army, and trained as it should, at the highest level.

[...]

We are located 100 kilometers from the main Ukrainian positions. It is a shame to run away from here. Another option is to lay down your arms and surrender. The last option is to stand and fight.

[...]

We knew that the Azov Regiment had no high chance of survival. We cannot surrender and give up to the enemy. Because every POW is a resource for exchange to increase the level of political negotiations. They take away attention from another, it is a scattering of attention.

[...]

Moreover, not so long ago in April, Russian propaganda showed that they had captured Azov soldier. He had a large tattoo on his shoulder. They showed that he was alive, and a few days later sent a message to his mother that he had been strangled to death. They always do.

[...]

Russians are not interested in our lives. At the time, we had a lot of Russian POWs, and they are in the exchange fund, they are alive. We keep the agreements, the Russians do not.

[...]

We are fighting for a free world here. If #Russia will crash #Ukraine, and #Mariupol is the main location in this war, they will go further: to Poland, to the Baltic countries.

Incredible bravery and resilience.

That must have been what they were talking about when they were going on about the Putster launching a tactical nuke

Now give their armed forces €10m and do something actually useful, instead of using someone else's suffering and misery for your own personal aggrandisement.

"The Crimean bridge for the Armed Forces is an achievable and absolutely legal goal - a military expert

According to Defense Express analysts, information about the possibility of HIMARS or M270 in Ukraine has already caused some panic among racist Crimean people who moved to the occupied peninsula after 2014. The reason is that these launchers have in their arsenal long-range ballistic missile ATACMS with a range of up to 300 km. And if Ukraine really gets these HIMARS or M270, the Crimean bridge is one of the probable goals, experts say.

First, the destruction of the Crimean bridge is of great importance in terms of disrupting the logistics of the entire southern enemy group.

Secondly, the destruction of the Crimean bridge is likely to exclude the possibility of a landing operation by Russia's Black Sea Fleet, even in theory.

Third, a successful strike on the bridge will divert significant Russian forces and resources to restore this strategically important crossing."

Make it so.

Fair play to them/ Bonos voice still strong

Very hard to defeat any army who believe that dying while fighting invaders, especially non-believing invaders, grants them immediate paradise. Well in this case, personally I believe in a Ukrainian victory, and it's just a question of time, and hopefully in the near future.

If Ukraine has a nazi problem that's their business no need to invade. All this nazi business is just to motivate the Russians to beat the 'nazis' again just like they did in WW2. It's largely propaganda.