Russia - threadbanned users in OP

We will teach you (with destruction, rape, pillage, genocide, paedophilia, castration, mutilation, subjugation, torture,) to love the motherland.

Stay classy Russia.

Edit: just wondering since it is a training centre. Is this really what is being taught inside. Killing two birds with one stone in Putin's Russia.

Meaningless twaddle.

Obviously, that's just the Russian nationalist version of a defiant statement more so than anything like a real objective.

Yeah, and even the Russian government, or especially the Russian government, have been talking utter shíte on this thing since day one. The level they're at is saying that the Ukrainian government is full of drug addicts and Nazis. Showing a billboard with a highly ambitious version of Ruski Mir is pretty unsurprising.

Strange. Ukrainian forces say that they are breaking through defences and finding Russians high on drink or drugs!

There are some good Russians, but when they speak they get imprisoned like this guy, very truthful speech

100% correct, the latest this evening is the Russian central bank is after calling an extra ordinary meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning, theres a talking point that they will most likely raise interest rates again - they raised them by a full 1% only a short time ago, I believe its up to 8% or near that at this stage so another substantial rise will be crippling for a lot of people domestically.

In a rare enough show of inter kremlin \ banking sector bickering, the kremlin has blamed the rubles trouble on the banks soft banking approach and have proclaimed that the bank has all the tools in which it needs to return the ruble to normality in the short term.......looks like the kremlin is setting up some of the countries top financiers for a trip to the Gulags or a trip (excuse the pun) out the top window if the ruble continues on its downward glide path.

In fairness, the Russian forces probably say this about Ukrainian soldiers they've managed to capture as well. Would I be more inclined to believe Ukrainian soldiers who've said it? Yes, I would. However, it is all background noise one way or the other.

Developments at Robotyne are the most significant and encouraging news I've heard about Ukraine's counter-offensive in the last couple of weeks. The flanking operation around Bakhmut appears to have stalled completely, although this is allowing for the fact that a control map is hardly going to give us the latest movements of Ukrainian forces behind enemy lines.

@RoyalCelt

If someone would like to come in and give a bit of analysis on Ukraine's next steps from Robotyne, it would be appreciated.

According to this screencap I just made, there appears to be a settlement of at least as large a size that sits between Robotyne and what I guess is the first main line of Russian defence. Would the fight for this second settlement be as fierce?

Except that its standard operational practice for Putin's hordes, as has been already proved many times in Ukraine.

When Roboytne is fully secured they should move laterally as they'll now be attacking other fortifications from the side and behind. Easiest way to move the entire frontline up instead of attacking head on everywhere.

After Roboytne falls they'll have broken through about 7KM on the road to Tokmak with about 19km left. This is a Town the size of Navan and the Russians are throwing everything at stopping the approach.

IMO unless Ukraine attack laterally now and move the entire frontline up it will expose them too much to counter attacks and reduce their options for moving forward.

Claiming the majority of a nationality are horrible people is exactly a dehumanisation exercise.

Its literally the same stuff that the Russian state (as distinct from russian populace) claim about Ukrainians.

I wouldn't get caught up on it, with each atrocity that Russia commits, anger builds and it is hard not to lash out. The bad behaviour wherever they go also doesn't paint a good picture. I have some experience having visited Russia on three occasions, the last time back in 2019. Back then I talked with my Russian colleagues about Putin, the message from them was they felt helpless and were just trying to get on with life as best they could. Another Russian colleague who lives in Germany despised what Putin had done to her country and was the main reason she was living in the West. I think honestly we all know there are so many decent people in Russia such as that man being sentenced to 1.5 years for holding a sign - he may likely be mobilised and if so I hope he can get to safety with the Ukrainians.

Just on my times in Russia, apart from the bad roads and driving outside of Moscow I was always well looked after and did feel safe. Moscow was a wonderful city to visit to see its historical landmarks and getting around was easy by using the underground. I was always apprehensive about handing over my passport when entering the industrial complexes but no harm came it was always handed back to me when leaving. It a real shame that Russia never got a proper shot at as a functioning democracy.

Yes you're quite correct but isn't that what always happens after a protracted period of conflict.

My personal attitude to ordinary Russians has hardened in the past 12 months. I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for the initial period of the war but there can be excuses after a while that they don't know what they are involved in. Whether they support the war openly or just keep their heads down, they are all complicit in facilitating it to continue.

Same thing happened after WW2, for my fathers generation Germans were viewed with great suspicion.

"Both sides"

There have been a high number of reported cases of Russian soldiers and mercenaries committing murder, torture and abuse against Ukrainian POWs (and civilians). It's systematic and commonplace.

In contrast, the cases of Ukrainian soldiers committing these offences are few and isolated.

Don't compare or paint any form of false equivalence between the two, or attempt to "both sides" it.