Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I'd need to know some other statistics before even hazarding a guess at the second part of your post. Russia have, allegedly, mobilised a further 500,000 (?) men since they officially invaded Ukraine a year ago. I was under the impression that Wagner were primarily operating on the Bakhmut front and the proper Wagner soldiers weren't even doing a lot of the really dirty, dangerous fighting, but were leaving that to the tens of thousands of convicts they had recruited, and so it is this group who have - presumably - taken the most casualties. If Wagner can fully take Bakhmut using this brute force tactic of theirs, it still leaves their elite soldiers plus potentially hundreds of thousands of Russian recruits along the whole front line to try and resist a Ukrainian counter attack.

On the other hand, even assuming that the above figures are broadly true (and I'm not saying for sure that they are, this is just what I have been reading), the new Russian recruits may not be all that motivated or well-equipped or well-fed. And if Ukraine can get the promised weapons and if they can complete the training on them and get organised with it, there's obviously that glittering chance to punch big holes in the Russian front line. They'll certainly have to do something to that effect because winning the war through numbers and grinding attrition warfare is one way I'm quite confident a Ukrainian victory will not come about.

500,000 Mobilised,I'm not so sure they ever did , but even if they did the figures for loses in early January was 25,000 + dead and similar number of injured and incapacitated, in that case by the end of this month they are looking at 75,000 dead ,and possibly an estimated similar number of injured or incapacitated soldiers, that's 150,000 in 12 weeks,in pretty low level localised fighting,as in Most of the actual fighting is taking place in bakhmut, kreminna and zuledar,

If the Ukrainans push 50,000 men , armor and tanks anywhere along the front Russians won't be able to hold them off based off what were seeing in 3 areas alone ,but I reckon we will be looking at Ukrainian forces 100,000 + men and equipment on the spring counter offensive,

Hopefully bakhmut is nothing but a grinder to keep the Russians occupied .

We know ukraine Mobilised 28,000 men recently, but they won't be trained and equipped in a few weeks and thrown into a major offensive, that's playing the same game as the Russians if they go that route

Noble61, B52 currently north of Estonia. Transponder on.

I think that must depend on what direction Russian society takes if and when Russia is defeated in Ukraine. You do have to at least leave the door open for rehabilitation of a country and its society, otherwise you're essentially helping engineer more conflict down the road. Obviously Russia would have to work on itself in order for that rehab to happen, though. If it doesn't, then what you're suggesting would probably be the only way.

Sure, I am aware of the strategy of using expats to invade a country as an excuse to invade, it still doesn't mean we should look to cleanse europe of a certain ethnicity or culture as seems to be suggested. If you become your enemy to defeat your enemy, you have basically lost already.

I see it as part of a larger ideological war, one which western globalist capitalist ideology is winning hands down. The more individual liberty and wealth we bring people, the less likely they are to support authoritarian regimes. The propaganda is a huge problem though. It also seems wrong to collectively punish people who have nothing to do with the Russian government.

More stupidity.

Dead can not run for a president

@greenpilot flown over

Spain

-The U.K.

-Norway

-Denmark

-Germany

-Poland

-Estonia

-Latvia

-Lithuania.

And still going

flew close to kalingrad too (9miles),

True power projection

Let's try to take a more middle ground approach on this - if any Russians living in EU/NATO countries are found to be engaging in activities which compromise national security, they can be jailed or deported. Russians seeking entry to EU/NATO countries in order to work & live, or just to visit should be given visas only after extensive vetting is carried out, and even then there should be a limit on overall numbers allowed to come.

500 dead sounds better ... who cares for accuracy