DeSantis would likely do very little to genuinely stymy aid towards Ukraine. It's really just a proclamation he likes to make in order to appease his base who only want to withhold aid to Ukraine because it's something the Biden administration seems broadly in favour of. There are a few American policies which remain fairly consistent no matter which colour is in charge and I think that peeling back Russian domination is one.
Russians cannot claim that Bakhmut is theirs until they take the whole city. Even if only 5% of Bakhmut stays in Ukrainian hands, it serves its purpose. That is to make Russians waste their resources, preventing them from using those resources against the coming Ukrainian offensive.
I don’t know if US/UK journalists in Russia are very stupid or very brave. Steve is in a similar position. The Muscovite regime are quick to hold foreign hostages. Kidnapping is a legitimate action if you are a gangster.
Hopefully he is freed soon and comes back home unharmed. He will have an interesting story to tell then!
For what it's worth, Biden is favourite with the bookies to retain the office of President. Hard to believe Trump could win a second term if he gets the Republican nomination, given the amount of setbacks he has had.
Most of them have now got of dodge since he was lifted.
TBF it was a line the Russians normally didn't cross.
So many lines in the rear view mirror now.
Some Russian was charged in Washington last week, Steve is probably the bargaining chip for his exchange.
More of it
Check out weeb union of youtube, he gives graphically updates on Bakhmut. Looks like Ukrainians are making a tactical withdraw to far side of the railway line. It make sense not to waste soldiers on defending rubble. In the big scheme of things Bakhmut means very little. Once the ground hardens will be interesting to see where Ukraine attacks
If the plan really is to launch a major counter-attack elsewhere, then Bakhmut may already have lost its significance for them.
Those soldiers can be used elsewhere
Gatling has been repositioning their stance this past couple of days. The old barrel must be wearing down and in need of maintenance :)
But who really knows how the battlefield and diplomatic war is going at any one time. All we can do is look back after a few weeks at any time and see how things developed and what happened on the ground.
Naming of groups of people was discussed earlier on this thread.
It seems ye ain't got nothing on the primary school education system in Russia when it comes to naming Ukrainians.
A bit like the British papers in times past caricature of Irish men and women as subhuman.
Same story as what happened with the American Basketball star Brittney Griner who was released from Russia in exchange for the arms dealer Victor Bout. I wonder who they are trying to free now, and get returned to Russia? Any US, EU, UK, etc citizens really need to get the hell out of Russia now. Even my Russian friends are advising me not to travel there now. ( *even the Putin loving ones!! which is strange, because that's admitting that there are problems. They know full well that I'm no spy or drug dealer, yet they're afraid to take a chance of what might happen *)
FFS
For sure there are many Americans who see the broader picture, and are keeping a watchful eye on the China / Taiwan situation and the possibility that they could be at war with China at a future date , and if that happens, the last thing that the US needs is a China supported by a strong Russia. For the good of the whole world anyway, Russia or at the very least Putin has to be remove from power.
Should rename the Abrams the Manana - 'the tank you don't get, when you really could do with a tank'.
Yeah, but I think the peak of those cartoons was about 125 years ago. Although the history between Ireland and Britain has not always been easy, it's been a long, long time since the British were as wantonly barbarous in Ireland as Russia are currently being in Ukraine, and they are infinitely preferable as neighbours.
I am sure there is some russian criminal he can be exchanged with somewhere,there should be enough of them around
On a cold October night ukraine launched a large scale River assault to recapture the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, unfortunately the Russians were pretty dug in and only a few Ukrainians made it ashore ,
What could have been,or could have happened,
Hollywood stuff
Hopefully this statement from Zelensky will silence all the orc lickspittles here who are demanding that Ukraine trade land for peace.
Crimea is Ukraine!
I recommend the book about Alexander Dolgun, I know it's a bit old now (published in 1975-ish, I think?) but I doubt the Russians have changed much about the way they do things.
*Edited for egregious apostrophe abuse.
So Russia can recruit anyone they want from around the world but Ukraine can’t.
Russia are literally just grabbing anyone they can from any shite hole in the world to fight while Ukraine have to use their men.
That's the thing now, unless the Putin regime collapses, Russia will face a dark future or her people will.
Parents won't be correcting the propaganda their kids are being taught for fear of their own kids reporting them etc...
In a few generations you're looking at North Korean style brainwashed followers.
100%
We don't know what plans Zelensky and the AFU have for Bakhmut. If the orcs want it, then they will have to throw thousands more men into the meat grinder. Either way Ukraine is winning and I am certainly not counting out a counter attack that would push the orcs back.
They are already half way there, remember that it was the Soviets who started all these secret internal security units ,that led ordinary joes to turn on their own friends and families to stop themselves getting fingered, Snowden and WikiLeaks have to remember that Russia was spieing on their whole population and on the populations that were occupied post WW2,
They were north Korea before north Korea went to a different planet
Chatter on Reddit that of a rumor that Russian propagandist Gandon Boris Rozhin (Colonelcassad) has gone boom.
Would love to know if it's true or not. Two in one week would be very curious indeed.
Loads of things mysteriously exploding or catching fire in Russia these days....
Another trick they use, call them gulags rather than concentration camps. I think western history likes to glance over the atrocities of the USSR as they helped liberate Europe from the Nazis, but pretty much enslaved it also.
But it will be telling when Putin dies, what happens to Russia?. Dictators stay in power briefly, but don't really create a family dynasty like North Korea managed. If the war entered a stalemate or an outcome to suite Russia, there would be plenty of people willing to carry on from Putin. However if it's still a meatgrinder for Russia when Putin dies, anyone looking to take the reigns could be at risk of a smoking accident! I'd say there will peace in Ukraine long before there's peace/freedom in Russia.
10 million+ Russians disappeared at the hands of various post WW2 leaders and that figure is probably several digit's higher in reality,
explain that away ,
Looks like fighting is taking place at bakhmut train station,at the current pace there will be only a few places left that are under Ukrainian control,as it stands there's only a few kms not under Russian control,
Something has changed with the Russians seems Wagner and the other Russians are on the same page again,
Ivanivske could well come under threat In the not too distant future
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