Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Does Putin think that he can just conscript hundreds of thousands of unwilling young Russian men with no blowback? Think about it - you have nearly 1 million Russian men who have fled the country rather than be enlisted, and that's just the ones who've had the gumption to get up and go. How many multiples of that are keeping their mouths shut, but are really thinking that this whole war is a bad idea and they don't even know why it's being fought? What logistics does Russia have to feed and clothe these men, never mind arm them, to make their pre-slaughter lives that bit more bearable? If these conscripts know they're being sent to what is an almost certain death in a war they don't even necessarily agree with, then there's not a whole lot to stop them refusing orders. At worst, they get shot by their own side for doing so. Same result for them with less steps.

Russian oligarchs are wandering out of windows, protests have been quashed and hundreds of thousands of not-very-enthusiastic conscripts are being rounded up. There are surely a lot of Russians in Russia with bad thoughts against Putin right now, and while it might seem like he has an iron grip on his country, the pressure below the surface is building, and when it erupts, it won't end well for Putin.

Even if the recruits were poorly trained or armed they would at least stretch the Ukrainians if they gathered near a border in various places .

One person killed as result of Russian missile strike in Merefa, Kharkiv region

@Wibbs

Russia hasn't faired well in wars since the end of WW2 it was all great and dandy massacring civilians in Hungary and the Czechoslovakia,

But they got their arses handed to them in Afghanistan,and dagistan , Chechnya twice (and only claimed victory by killing large numbers of the civilian populations)

Remember during WW2 they had the advantage of home soil and a badly prepared German military forces that fared well until winter and lack of winter supplies hit home ,the Russians were motivated and the Germans were fighting across Europe as well as Russia they were never going to succeed,

This Time around the Russians are ill prepared and they aren't motivated to fight to the death, poorly trained and equipped vs a modern revitalized military force that didn't exist 9 years ago,a military and population fighting for their lives and their rights to exist ,

The Russians are fighting for what,they don't know, whats the end game ,they don't know, what's the current plan,they don't know.

Raping and murdering people on an industrial scale ,and you wonder why they are called Orc's,

Subhuman scum and they are dieing in there thousands a week,

Why they don't know why,

but they dieing horrifying deaths 24/7 for no reason they know of .

It's not 1945 anymore

The point is with Putin, he has always quashed dissent...just look at the very first Oligarch he "quashed"...the richest and most powerful of them all, Khodorkovsky, He made an example of him, and the writing on the wall was crystal clear for all the other's, what I have done to him, I can and will do to you if you get any ideas like him and try an challenge me. And so the stage was set. Its something he is well used to throughout his dictatorship. Like I mentioned, Samara is one possible flashpoint for protests to break out, and who knows if it would be the spark to break the log jam? That there is an undercurrent of dissent creeping in is inescapable, when he ordered the mobilization of 300'00 conscripts, and 700'000 + left the Country speaks volumes about dissent. We will see what happens if and when he calls for the mobilization of 500'000. That will be interesting to see how that goes.

The blue line I drew is the Bakhmut river.

Unless Ukraine can reverse things soon, I fear they will end up needing to withdraw to positions to the west of it. The front Ukraine are defending is very wide, with very limited crossing points to supply it. The current situation doesn't look sustainable.

If Ukraine had more artillery/ammo, they would not be in this position. Unfortunately the powers that be and most people on this forum seem to think that Ukraine has everything it needs.

Can you reread what you posted Toby please. Only your Russia are trying to take anything and all they need to do is feck off back home for peace to break out all over.

They would not even need to fire a single bullet, all they'd need to do is draw the line, and make it very clear that if Russia cross it there will be consequences, like giving Ukraine everything they request to defend themselves, long range missiles, fighter jets, ect

So what would this line be?

And all this equipment you mention can be in Ukraine in a day and cause Russia to surrender in a day?

I didn't know F16's had a 24hr crash training course!

All we need now is people to stop telling us what the Russians social media accounts are claiming how the Russians are winning,

Bakhmut and soledar are prime examples Russians have taken them every night for 9 months so we're told

Sick of checking twitter for news. Latest info full of Russian bots. Of course posting videos showing bad losses for Ukrainians but when you scroll past the first 20 replies which are also bots you see over half these videos are actually Russian soldiers suffering.

Bakhmut and co have held on now for about 2 and a half month's of non stop attacks. I just hope the frontline hasn't shifted to Kramatorsk come march or April.