Russia - threadbanned users in OP

It's very hard I think to predict the eventual outcome. So much depends on the morale of the Russian military and the true level of belief that they and the public back home have in this war. It's one thing to go in and occupy territory, another to fight & die to keep it. And they are neighbours after all, with many family links.

Ukraine has taken major infrastructural damage where the war has taken place, their economy flattened and much suffering among the population. It's been transformative for them. So where do they draw any line? Maybe ceding some territory in Luhansk and regaining Crimea? But will only eventually negotiate with successor to Putin.

Davydiv Brod has also apparently been abandoned. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties to take this city, and in one swoop the Russians have abandoned it.

The map will look something like this by the end of the day at the rates things are going.

Many thanks Briany. The single host sermons are always an interesting watch. It's a cliche to reference it, but it really does conjure up Nineteen Eighty-Four...

Anyone have a link to a video map from the start of the war up till today?

I have an image of the red area going in towards central Ukraine like a wave and now coming back out again.

Edit: found this one for Kharkiv in last month. Gonna check their feed for more.

Not a video, but on https://liveuamap.com/ you can use the Time link at the top right to see where the front line was on any date this year.

Yep, the point is well made. I wonder are most of the Russian diaspora just keeping their heads down now and hoping for a way back home...

I might get roasted for offering this opinion, but I have some sympathy for people who refrain from protesting, in Russia anyhow. Getting picked up for voicing any kind of anti-war statement leads to fines and perhaps a cracked skull from an overzealous security officer, but I read somewhere that getting charged with that kind of offense gets you put on the equivalent of a sex offenders list, which severely hobbles prospects and employment and so on. Just another way the Krelim erodes the right to say, "No"....

Ukraine is taking back more parts of Russia

It looks like it will end in a huge military defeat for the Putin regime. All the signs are of an army in retreat, which will be unable to turn things around in the next 3-6 months. The mobilisation has almost certainly come way too late.

How this plays out in Moscow for the dictator is anyone's guess and much harder to predict.

They ran to avoid being sent to fight proberly a fair number of them have no problem with what Putin is doing as long as they are not directly involved .

Elon has a new fan (from the Guardian):

The Kremlin has praised the Tesla boss, Elon Musk, for suggesting a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, after Kyiv rebuked him for proposing terms it viewed as rewarding Russia.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in a conference call:

It is very positive that somebody like Elon Musk is looking for a peaceful way out of this situation.

Compared to many professional diplomats, Musk is still searching for ways to achieve peace. And achieving peace without fulfilling Russia’s conditions is absolutely impossible.

Yes, I know what it's like. I lived there for several years, but for the ones who have escaped??? Seems that the agree with the war, but not if they have tom actually go and fight in it.

Ukraine is taking back parts of Ukraine - that is implied in the 'take back' bit.

While it was said that Russia's military comprised a million people, Russia's special counter-protest police number over two million. Russia is likely like China in spending considerably more to protect the ruling elite from the people than it does on protecting the country from external threats. Both countries could be viewed in essence as vast prison camps.