Russia-Ukraine War

The west probably don't want any confusion on the Russian side.

Imagine a few NATO jets skirting the border with Russia or in the Black Sea and all of a sudden a few Russian planes get downed along with missiles raining down on airfields. Is it the start of a NATO strike on Russia or did the west allow Ukraine strike Russian targets etc....

I know it's far fetched, but only takes a spark to ignite a tinderbox.

There's also the public pressure on other Western countries when one announces they will allow Ukraine strike on Russian soil.

Would they not like the Russian radar planes that Ukraine destroyed not be easy targets for Russia? I meant at least F16s would have the speed to try and get away from something that is attacking it I can't imagine those planes have the same capability to do that. Or like that probably used half way in Ukraine but can still pick up signals in Russian territory.

Putin’s reason for his current incursions towards Kherson is to create a buffer zone in that area and obviously on UKr territory having achieved that he will then move north and south of the area to extend the buffer zone..

I assume that Putin has not ‘patented’ the strategy or have the sole right/franchise for the creation of buffer zones

So, what’s stopping UKr to create a buffer zone between itself and Russia BUT ON THE RUSSIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER. As a matter of fact since UKr is not daily attacking Russia on Russia territory BUT Russia is daily attacking UKr from Russian territory then UKr has A VERY LOGICAL REASON to create a buffer zone on the Russian side

@aidanodr

This talk about the F-16s being overly sensitive is blown a bit out of proportion as far as I'm concerned. ANY jet engine is susceptible to FOD (Foreign Objects & Debris) and the F-16 in that regard is no different to the Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, or any other jet aircraft. In fact, I'd say that the Ryanair plane that takes you to your holiday destination is going to be more vulnerable to FOD than the F-16, simply because the 737's engines are significantly closer to the ground. Russian jet aircraft are just as vulnerable to this as western aircraft are, the turbine blades of their jet engines aren't made of adamantium or anything. The one exception to this is the MiG-29, simply because that aircraft has secondary air intakes on the top of the fuselage and doors that can close off the main intakes when operating from rough field. But they're unique as far as I'm aware, I don't recall the more advanced Russian fighters having this system installed.

Airfield are a target in war anyways, regardless of what aircraft are based there. Even with the ongoing supply shortages, Ukraine's air defense network now is in a far better condition than it was back in 2022 when Russia first attempted, and failed, to take out the Ukrainian Air Force. While I do not subscribe to the point of view sometimes shared on here that the Russian armed forces are completely decrepit, incompetent and incapable of learning, their track record so far does not lead me to believe that they are in any way, shape or form ready for the type of anti-air campaign that would be needed to take out the operating airfields of the Ukrainian Air Force. There were indications during the first months of the war that the UkrAF had a policy of rotating their aircraft between bases at random in order to minimize their vulnerability to Russian attacks. If they keep up that policy, the F-16 fleet, once it starts arriving, should be okay.

Makes me wonder what kind of "military training" can the French provide to a country that has been at war for 10 years. Do they just mean troops on the ground or what?

Very watery. Feeble response would lead to a third world war.

the drip drips of help and long delays in decision is not great, all because they don’t want to upset putin…..

Let the Russians have it

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1796246872232690007

They should have been using the motor bikes from day one. The Red Army forget the main lesson front fighting their one time ally in the very same area in the 40s.

The ground is too soft for too long and it's too open country.

They learn. Slowly.

if only napoleon had had motorbikes for la grande armee.