As regards the French, to be blunt the Foreign Legion provides a degree of flexibility to the country. Compared to the casualty aversion of other Western countries. Considering recent withdrawals of the French from parts of Western Africa, imagine they would be the unit of choice for any intervention.
In terms of Russian losses, think the number is less than 400,000. Still unimaginable for the Twenty first century. There's also the matter of materials. The Russia is going to run out of x by month blank articles are fairly careless journalism. The Russian are feeling the strain none the less. Attacking positions with Chinese golf carts and 1960s era armour is certainly not a good sign from their perspective.
"Wikipedia says Russia has 1.3 million (active vs. ~2 million reserve)" - the problem is, it was ruSSkies who submitted these numbers to Wikipedia. And can anyone in their sane mind believe what ruSSians are saying?
Just as a total, slightly unrelated aside in light of Macron's change in approach and language: all this talk about the potential for French troops intervening in Ukraine had me curious... just how large was the French Armed Forces in the first place?
So a quick google later and the answer was: just shy of 200,000 active personnel, with ~120,000 in the army alone - the largest in the EU and about parity with the UK. Germany totalling about 183,000 and the UK itself about 200k. Poland a bit back with 120,000; none of those totals include reserve troops I should add.
In any case, that's insane: so in having only managed to invade a mere 20% of the entire country, Russia has seen the deaths of approx. 400,000 and the combined total of the EU's 2 largest armies; Wikipedia says Russia has 1.3 million (active vs. ~2 million reserve) so clearly their well is much deeper than Europe's but if this keeps up Putin will have sacrificed 50% of his country's active military personnel.
Sure, I get those numbers don't tell the deeper stories from country to country, but it also does put things into perspective at the same time. 400,000 was a gigantic number in the first place before stacked against comparable militaries.
The Fascists always loved a big spectacle. The election doesn't mean anything, but Putin's victory parade will be a useful propaganda tool.
Just noticed the camera on the soldiers helmet too. So authorities are watching and recording everything in the vote centre.
The state is like a tightly screwed shut pickle jar. Which begs the question - Why bother with the sham elections at this stage?
They've gone a long way from what would be considered normal behaviour and legalised behaviour in a vote centre such as a country like Ireland where pictures are prohibited inside and posters have to be a certain distance from a centre.
No wonder Donald Trump loves Putin and his way of running a country. Any gobdaw with paid for guns and muscle can rule a country indefinitely then.
Yeah they might difficult to move… there is always a chance of sudden change but putin seems to have murdered an /or arrested everyone…..
So other than PUTIN who else is on the ballot?
AL JAZEERA have a live page on this event:
MacGyver is second on the list..!
nice one
@pixelburp And you would wonder IF A COUP from within the Siloviki most likely .. What would the attitude be toward the war in Ukraine? Same, worse or the new top person ( most likely man ) stops this war as could have a different mandate
As that article mentions:
According to reports in independent Russian media outlets, members of the Russian elite were surprised and felt anxious when Putin announced the Ukraine invasion on February 24, declaring the “special military operation” a necessary step.
.... Nevertheless, Putin’s refusal to acknowledge a link between economic woes and sanctions is reportedly alienating business-minded officials, while others criticise him for not waging war actively enough.
According to some reports, a few Kremlin insiders are quietly discussing who may come after Putin.
Instead, Stanovaya believes Putin’s departure will leave a power vacuum between business interests, security officials such as Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and other factions of the elite.
IE, a coup. Military or otherwise & it could get ugly in the absence of any powerful moderate voices these days.
Interesting WHAT IF article describing what happens IF Putin leaves this world. The system in place in russia should this happen;
Should the 69-year-old die or otherwise leave office suddenly, the Federation Council has 14 days to call presidential elections, and if it does not, the Central Election Commission would.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin would become acting president. However, Mishustin is not seen as being particularly close to Putin, nor a credible candidate for any election.
With the "election" afoot .. interesting read
https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91955
Eroding Consolidation: Putin’s Regime Ahead of the 2024 “Election”
While there is no doubt over the election’s outcome, the presidential campaign is already exposing the myth of complete consolidation around an irreplaceable president. Vladimir Putin may be winning in the short term, but he is strewing mines beneath the country’s future.
For those wondering what this Siloviki is .. Putins INNER CIRCLE - the security men around Putin, most of whom rose up through the ranks of the KGB as he did and have a hawkish, Cold War mindset.
Who are they? Article has picture an bio of each Siloviki member ( this article is from 2022 but I would say much has not changed )
Even has the swastika on the front of the soldiers battle gear.
"We were just following orders".
I'd say that their thinking hasn't changed since Putin invaded and they started seeing their assets being whittled away, but they are powerless to do anything about it. It's when the Silovicki start getting hurt financially that you might see something happening to Putin. Until then, Putin is well protected by layers of intermediaries whose health and wellbeing is directly linked to Putin's health and wellbeing.
this will be a historical photo one day after this mafia falls. This photo will be in every history book in every school to demonstrate how perverted was the meaning of human rights, democracy, freedom of speech etc. in nazi ruSSia. Putinbots, local ruSSia fascists, and their drunken idiot alcoholics love to refer to Ukraine as 404. I hope they suspect, its ruSSia who is becoming 404 fast.
What a great place
another mobilisation will have to be announced. I wonder how the middle class are going to like dying in a cold mud field.
Another one hit…. Another oligarch dead…. I wonder if the oligarchs might start thinking they are better off without putin
Must be a link between the oilmen dying and the refineries going up in smoke..
When the counter offensive was being talked about it was wall to wall Zelenskii was a bollox for pushing it while Zaluzhni was being more cautious. Now it's the opposite.
Seeing Orban is why I'm not in favor of more EU members. They are nothing but a headache.
you are on several sites posting the kremlins viewpoint
i said previously that sacks is a kremlin troll, this has been pointed out to you on another site you troll for russia
Another one bites the dust
BREAKING: Vitaly Robertus, the Deputy CEO of Russia’s largest oil company Lukoil has suddenly died. He was 53 years old.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1768073545941229776
Delighted to see Putins friend Orban being called out by THE US no less ..
US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman criticized the country’s “dangerously unhinged anti-American messaging” and its “expanding relationship with Russia”.
Makes me think of the phrase "talk is cheap". France has only pledged a fraction of the military support to Ukraine that even some smaller countries have. The source linked below claims French military aid committed to Ukraine amounts to 600million euro while in the same time frame figures pledges from Denmark amount to 8.4 billion euro. In this same time frame even Slovakia has committed more than France with 700million euros worth of military support.
Doesn’t make sense.
I think I remember it was Zaluzhyi who didn’t want to proceed with the counter offensive as he didn’t think it would work but his hand was forced.
Tusk calling out Magic Mike in the US for holding up funds to Ukraine
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is personally responsible for the failure to agree on the extension of aid to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
Are you on the new russia sanction list?
https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1938555/
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