Please use this thread to continue discussing the war in Ukraine.
All mod instructions from the previous thread remain in force here
Original thread:
Russia is falling apart and it's drivers are going too fast to put the brakes on…
Komi, Russia. A passenger train derails carrying 215 people. Derailed due to flooding washing away the foundations of the tracks.
Can't see China allowing that.
Might be easier just to wait for the eventual collapse, maybe the Karelians will then "vote" to be annexed by Finland.
Post you are referencing concerned sportspeople at the level where they can compete in the Olympics for Ukraine and/or do their sport professionally (it is wrong that they "galavant" around Europe apparently). It was a nonsense bot-level comment. These people are more useful to Ukraine continuing to do what they are doing (as others above have already said).
This rumour popping up all day
More
Putin would be all for negotiating to go back to historical borders etc.
Maybe time for an unexpected Nato exercise
with a little matter of genocide for the local population to boot!
If you follow the link to their original methodology, it paraphrases as "up to the end of 2023, we can be pretty sure that there have been about 75k confirmed deaths and an optimistic estimate of 200k permanently injured"
So it's much the same story as most other sources: they can only count the bodies that are acknowledged by Russia as being Russian, and make educated guesses in the hopes of filling in the gaps.
Based on the never ending stream of video footage available, and the Kremlin's desperate "overseas" recruitment efforts, and the steadily degraded performance of the troops at the frontline, I'd still say the Ukrainian daily tally is closer to the truth … but probably still an underestimate of the real situation.
That references 75,000 Russian soldiers killed, just in the context of the 200,000 casualties figure that some people assume means 'killed'. Not sure how reliable that source is?
Ouch.
A tale of two russian soldiers.
People don't necessarily have objections to the idea of 'whatever it takes to help Ukraine', but they can spot a disingenuous post when they see it. So much simplistic conjecture in your post which gives off the impression of someone with a truckload of statistics and evidence to back up their constant refrain of Ukrainians in Ireland sitting on their hands.
The idea that forcing people back to a war zone is some kind of panacea is just that. Ridiculous reductionist reasoning which, if followed through to its logical conclusion would have me asking why anyone in the West who sees Russia's invasion as a threat to their values would not themselves volunteer themselves to the Ukrainian war machine.
'Not my war to fight'… the irony of such a cowardly retort.
We've been over this time and again, and you offer nothing new each time you bring it up after a few weeks of disappearing. Ukraine is well able to handle its own internal affairs. If it wasn't for the fact that new posters might think that ignoring your posts was evidence of people agreeing with you I'd be doing just that right now.
That being said, has there ever been a better time for the Finns to retake that which was stolen from them in the Winter War? 🙂
"You are Ukrainian, you go back to help, you can be drafted to the frontlines. You volunteer, where there's a higher chance you get more choice, but you can still end up at the frontlines."
OK. And? As far as we can see, read and are told Ukraine has an existential threat. Is this correct? This is two years plus on. If one is Ukrainian then presumably they would like to see their state survive and relatives live? I simply don't understand why some here have objections to the idea that citizens might do all in their might to support the war effort and that is surely best achieved by making themselves available to the state in whatever capacity required. Why would anyone object to this?
We've done a lot in Ireland to help support Ukraine, at considerable personal cost to many, less so to others. If other posters here want to retain that level of support, then they need to ensure and watch that it's not abused in any way. That Ukrainians who can help, should be pulling their weight. Otherwise there is a risk that levels of support will fail. It hasn't turned out to be the short term emergency that was originally envisaged.
Besides which we are routinely advised that the Ukrainian army has sufficient man and woman power with reserves needing training etc. But there are surely multiple other roles for ordinary Ukrainians, that can assist with and support the war effort there.
Rather than reaching for the conspiracy theory maybe consider whether they are correct?
The Russian momentum has certainly slowed but to say that the tide has turned is an exaggeration.
The Russians still have more tanks, aircraft, helicopter, ammo and soldiers than Ukraine. Ukraine certainly does not have plenty of anything.
Ukraine still has no way to counter the glide bomb treat. Hopefully that will change once more patriot systems are on the ground. F16 might also help but from my basic understanding the Russians still have better fighter jets with longer range.
I don't see how the tide will turn on the ground, at least not for another ~18 months when Russian will likely start to run out of old equipment.
Trump is the wildcard here. His election could swing the war firmly back into Russias favour. Hopefully the debate tomorrow reminds the American swing voters what a dangerous clown show that vile excuse for a human being really is.
Russia was plundering and using the output of Eastern Europe for its own ends. Treating it as an empire treats a colony. Exactly what they had lined up for Ukraine.
If you visited a Moscow flat in say 1975, damn near everything you saw around you would be made in the Soviet system, if not Russia itself. That's no longer the case to nearly the same degree
GGreat point also the Soviet Union had the huge industrial capacity of Eastern Europe, east Germany being the crown jewel of its industrial output. Although the Soviets would also hobble east european countries if they were getting an edge technological over Russia. Famousey east Germany was making great progress in microchips in the 70s and 80s largely through stealing the IP from West Germany. Russia was very afraid that east Germany was passing it out and hobbled their microchips industry. Now Russia still cannot produce microchips itself and this is a major factor in its failing war
And Russian aplogists still peddle the lie that Russia was fearful of a NATO invasion. Proof positive it was all propaganda.
Almost all soldiers on the Russian border with Finland are now in Ukraine
https://yle.fi/a/74-20093440
Here's my sentence again in case you missed it
» "And if someone thinks they can all go back and get some cushy "logistics" job, or polish Spitfires to "do their bit", it doesn't work like that."
You are Ukrainian, you go back to help, you can be drafted to the frontlines. You volunteer, where there's a higher chance you get more choice, but you can still end up at the frontlines.
Recruitment and support is always going to be challenging and difficult. However in a situation where the majority of Ukrainians are directly or indirectly helping the war effort already it's strange to see such idealised nitpicking.
And you love it … as usual. Boring.
During World War Two, there were significant number of British, American citizens employed in producing films, radio output, visiting and entertaining troops and workers in factories.
Participating in international events flies the flag for Ukraine in the world, a flag Russia seeks to extinguish and turn into a puppet state like Belarus.
And this obvious agenda in your posts has gone beyond tiresome. Historically ignorant, patronising and morally dubious. Everyone can see what axe you are grinding here.
Your concern for Ukraine is touching. Curious that you only seem interested in one very specific aspect of the war though. It's almost as though there's another agenda at play. Almost.
Grand but obviously they don't necessarily need to be 'in trenches and be tortured and castrated by Russians'. That's just emotive excuse making. An army needs a whole productive citizenry behind it, fulfilling all sorts of background roles related directly or indirectly to the war effort. Society needs to function behind the lines.
Sending a few bob back to families whilst living abroad is useful I'm sure but doesn't really cut the mustard, does it?
They are also at risk in a high profile role.
Sadly we know the depths to which Putin goes.
Any Ukrainian competing in any events of any description especially international ones, and flying the Ukrainian Flag is doing their bit to help Ukraine.
I'd like to see Chechens in their thousands marching on the Kadyrov mansion and dethroning him and his family…and Chechnya gaining independence.
We get it. Most Ukrainians abroad I know are contributing, sending money back home, donating, etc.
If Ireland were attacked in the way Ukraine was attacked, half of you would be abroad. It's an utterly brutal war, people don't want to die in trenches and be tortured and castrated by Russians. And if someone thinks they can all go back and get some cushy "logistics" job, or polish Spitfires to "do their bit", it doesn't work like that.
As a whole they have been extraordinarily brave in the face of a horrendous invasion, it just gets tiresome to see individuals suggesting that every athlete and living being needs to be in the trenches because they suspect that they aren't "doing their bit".
Everybody out working and doing their thing means taxes are collected and soldiers are paid.
Sorry, but you are utterly deluded if you think the media here has any left wing slant at all. RTE pining for the fall of the Soviet Union? Get a grip.
