@BorneTobyWilde In your scenario, are the Irish in the "strong" or "weak" gang?
Ukraine are defending well so not much change to the map despite very heavy fighting.Russian forces are on the outskirts of Sererodonetsk but the supply road in from the south is still open.There is also another smaller road out of Severodonetsk in case a retreat is chosen.
Russian forces still stuck on the north side of the river.That River is like an Iron curtain!
Lyman,NorthEast of Sloviansk may have been lost so Ukraine may retreat across the river and blow the bridge.
I think the looming food shortage because of the Black Sea Blockade has got a lot of leaders thinking Putin need to be hit harder.
Ukraine have added up to 20 SU-25 fighter jets and helicopters to their arsenal from spare parts!
Some countries including Bulgaria and Georgia wanted to send jets but were afraid of upsetting putin so they disassembled the jets and sent "spare parts" to Ukraine which were then put back together.Crazy,but they got more jets.https://mezha.media/en/2022/05/26/it-seems-that-ukraine-received-su-25-aircraft-in-a-very-unusual-way/
In a single post, you move from claiming the war wasn't provoked, to acknowledging the 'shoring up' of Ukraine, i.e. the attempt to bring it into the Western sphere of influence.
Of course it was provoked - even someone like Robert Kagan admits so.
To acknowledge that doesn't mean calling the war just, nor is it an attempt to exculpate Russia.
But denying it is just denying reality.
I keep pressing the thing and it don't work. Press Return after the link as I understand it?
Edit: You have to press Return before the link it seems. lol
Russian media will start quoting Waterford Whispers and The Onion soon
Provocation.
Will we see Putin blame Finland and Sweden for provoking Russia into some sort of action against them?
That would be akin to the burglar condemning someone for installing a an alarm after their neighbour was burgled.
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I'm well aware I'm broaching conspiracy theory here and that is a sure way to derail the thread so I won't go on about it too much. But when people say 'NATO' they are talking about a huge entity with lots of people. And what if some of those people are unscrupulous and want war? What if NATO has been infiltrated by Russia - at least to some degree? Just food for thought as I don't have enough info. to defend these theories either way. But the fact remains that NATO were warned about the danger by many smart people who knew what they were talking about.
Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that all this talk about politics and nazis etc. must be put on hold; the first item on the list for discussion is the mass murder of Ukrainians and the need to burn the Russian out of Ukraine. Burn 'em out first, then talk.
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All that nuke talk is really for Russian consumption. They want to stir up support for the war and demonize the west.
I hear an English accent there.
The Chinese would be very happy to see Russia fall asunder then it would just be the big 2. The US and Red Square. The worse things get for Russia the more the Kremlin is in China's pocket, a useful patsy indeed to have. very much the way North Korea is a current a China patsy. I would not be surprised if some in the communist party have a few daydreams about sending their buddies from North Korea into North East Russia to mop up any capped oil and gas fields.
I'm not sure you understand what "shoring up" means
More intrigue here-
I suppose the fear for the US is, where will those long-range weapons be fired. I don't think Joe in the White House needs to worry much about Russia's response at this stage as Putin is down to his last roll of the dice.
Ukraine need a bunch of cheap, dumb artillery. Leave nothing of the LPR and DPR standing. The collaborators, separatists and the new Russian arrivals, well, they can leave for Mother Russia whenever.
For the people of Ukraine, especially of the Donbass, 'risks of escalation' must sound pretty cute. There's cities there like Mariupol that nearly might as well have been hit with a small nuke, so much damage have they taken.
It's a phrase that just reads as, 'we don't want this to burgeon into a wider war'. To be honest, I really have to wonder what capacity Russia would even have to fight a wider war. Even factoring in full mobilisation, would they have the equipment, manpower and logistics to be effective. Yes, there is one thing Russia has that makes it a dicey proposition, but if used it means the end of Russia as well as everywhere else.
Why level the LPR and DPR before recapturing it?
Or do you think the Ukrainian army should just destroy everyone and everything in all the occupied territories?
What does provoked mean? Ukraine provoked Russia in the same way as someone cutting across someone in traffic resulting in the cut off driver taking out a RPG and blowing up the offending car and its occupants. It's a pathetic stance.
So the millions of people in Donbass are all just Russian colonists? All the innocent people have left?
They need napalm. And lots of it.
Genuine question - DPR and LPR are two very large regions and most of them have not been near any war or frontlines through this war, so most civilians would still be in their homes, going to work etc.
Have the several million population all left?
Looking ahead Ukraine are going to need some kind of buffer zone, level the place and keep shelling it indefinitely even after the war.
There aren't many people loyal to Ukraine left there. There's some partisans but really they seem to have little effect so give them a headsup that the plan is to level every building, give them a month to get anyone out who should be allowed. Niceties will only get one so far.
keep shelling it indefinitely even after the war.
🤔
Not only do Ukraine have borders with Russia along Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts which makes the buffer zone idea seem a bit pointless, but most of Ukraine coal, gas, ores and best farming soil is in Donetsk/Luhansk. Bombing all their industry and farmland into oblivion even moreso than it already is... cutting off your nose to spite your face
Well you would wonder where all this equipment will end up after everything is said and done.
how much control of equipment is over there?
is there a danger that something like this could fall into the hands of some undesirables after the fact?
could we have another Jetliner being blown out of the sky?
i can imagine there is any amount of equipment being left behind and who is gathering it all up.
the images of tractors pulling serious weapons around is funny , but seriously it will all need to be accounted for after the fact.
**** it, better than letting those Russian **** have it.
For sure, but we've never had the media of a nuclear power openly threaten to use them like this, even for domestic consumption. Some people have compared the coverage to Fox News but I would say it is much , much worse - referring to Scholz as a "bastard" repeatedly for example. This is seriously unhinged stuff.
The Terminator tanks have entered the battle and may have been hit with artillery.They survived and retreated but I look forward to seeing them being destroyed one by one in the coming weeks.
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