Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300806#Comment_120300806

You aren't wrong, there's a huge sense of victimhood in Russia which is perpetrated and exploited to the maximum

This is why it's smart that the Ukrainians say nothing about their missions over any Ru territory, it forces the info to remain ambiguous, and since the Russians engage in so much propaganda and information warfare it always leaves room for doubt. Very clever by the Ukrainians.

Seanmadradubh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300384#Comment_120300384

Saying that taking out Russian infrastructure (airports, bridges, trains and power plants deep in Russia) would get people to start questioning the war is a gamble, wars are lost to gambles such as that.

The Putin regime would, without any doubt whatsoever, use such actions as a rallying call to the entire Russian nation, the consequenses of which could well be mass volunteering for the Russian army and the mobilisation of the whole nation to a war footing.

In war you can take risks but you shouldn't gamble.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300519#Comment_120300519

Is this a sneaky attempt to get us to learn Russian, thereby creating Russian speakers so Russia can invade us to “protect” us?

I see what you’re doing, comrade!

zv2

No 'Latest News' feed on Twitter. Strange.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300714#Comment_120300714

The people on the ground in bakhmut seem pretty relaxed.

Seems the most panic about bakhmut is coming from social media accounts

https://twitter.com/kms_d4k/status/1630634376273747969?s=20

Francie Barrett

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300837#Comment_120300837

Same.

If Elon Musk can't even keep the lights on at Twitter, how could anyone even consider buying a Tesla.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299987#Comment_120299987

The reason they haven't is because as soon as the balance of probability shifts to a level where only defeat is likely then the defenders usually withdraw while they still have a road out. The examples that spring to mind in particular are the Russians withdrawing from Lyman in early October and the Ukrainians withdrawing from Lysychansk in early July.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300414#Comment_120300414

Russians protesting against Putins war is when the problems begin. Remembering the heroic Russians who died in the fight against the Ukrainian Nazi's is to be commended, and the more the merrier.

Gerry T

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300831#Comment_120300831

You're over estimating the average Russian's motivation to take arms and possibly die. If they lose an airport/train or have some power rationing, they will bitch about it and most likely say "what are we doing in Ukr, they don't want to be Russian, stop the war". I can't see them wanting to go dig trenches, they would know how badly equipped their army is. It would be different if Ukr blew up hospitals, schools, housing blocks.. like the Russians do, that would get Russians off the couch, but not a train or Airport.

It's not a gamble, Putin is the one walking a tight rope, if he thought by mobilising 1m Russians and throwing them as cannon fodder into this war would be accepted by the Russian population then he would do it. Putin can't risk causing civil unrest, his actions are tempered. On the other hand Ukr has noting to fear, Russia is doing everything it can. It's time to hit Russia at home and pile the pressure onto Putin. If Putin even dared to go Nuclear, then you will see escalation from USA and Europe.

farmingquestion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300899#Comment_120300899

Usually when newspaper articles have headlines containing questions, it's not true.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300963#Comment_120300963

I heard a variant on that before: If a Newspaper asks a question in its headline, the answer, which you will learn after reading the actual piece, is typically No.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300899#Comment_120300899

Very interesting. Only part way through, but there is no credibility to Russia’s claims of only minor GDP loss in 2022. And the World Bank/IMF only parroting Russian sources, and not surprisingly their economy is actually in a tail spin.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300937#Comment_120300937

Dammit, I didn't get a mention! Guess I'm "Etc..." oh well. Fair play on the honest username there.

The danger of Bakmut falling has been real for a good while, and it's increasingly likely now. The AFU have at least been sharp enough to fall back and regroup when this kind of thing happens. It's still within their gifts to hold out, and if anyone can it is them, but I hope they remain sharp about how they play this.

I feel that Ukraine have played this battle very smart so far, while the Russians have obliged them by throwing scores of thosands of bodes into the meat grinder that had become Bakmut. The AFU could have better served setting up a stronger defense line futher west, but by holding onto Bakmut they gave the Russians a political target to throw so much of their energy at and churn up so many of their forces. If they do win this town, it will be at such an insanly stupid price to the point of it being a Phyrric Victory to match some history's worst examples.

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300976#Comment_120300976

Watch out for hospital windows, strange tea or tourists interested in Cathedrals.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300837#Comment_120300837

Global outage at the moment it seems.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-64811286

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300929#Comment_120300929

And people on all sides obsessing over whether a town or city "falls" when it actually doesn't matter, save to the poor bastards dying over it. Oh sure, the fact Russia and the might of the Russian forces took 8 months to take said town against a force with bugger all of an air force and out of date tanks doesn't exactly play well, save to the gullible. And they still haven't taken it. But in the end it doesn't matter.

Even if Russia had suffered no "feints", no "tactical withdrawals", found the "biolabs, Satanists, nerve gas and weaponised seagulls", and took Kiev, lined Kiev's leaders up against a wall and called it Russia, that's the point where Russia's real war starts. Invaders of all stripes don't read history books and are doomed to repeat the same mistakes and end up in future history books. Rinse and repeat.

The US took Iraq within a month. Total defeat for the defenders. They took Afghanistan equally "easily", just as the Soviets had before them. And that was when the invaders casualities started to really pile up. After they'd "won". And Russia hasn't even "won" yet and how many cardboard boxes of their youth go back to the soil of Mother Russia's hinterlands already?

If a people and nation don't want you there, you WILL lose and you WILL leave. The only horrific question that remains is how many dead men, women and children pile up before this becomes overwhelmingly obvious to the invaders. The terrible irony is that Russians of all peoples should have learned that lesson well, after tens of millions died to make the actual nazis and their tyrant lose and leave. They celebrate this benediction of loss and sacrifice every year carrying garlanded pics of long dead ancestors through towns and villages and it seems they have learned nothing. Such is the human condition.

Wibbs

In Lithuania after a burnt out Russian tank was draped with flowers by local ethnic Russians this bin was installed by the city.

"for flowers, candles & Soviet nostalgia”

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301029#Comment_120301029

Cannot blame Russia for that.

That Musk acting like a dildo.

weisses

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300866#Comment_120300866

And fictional bombers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301052#Comment_120301052

True. Twitter back up and running again now.

RedXIV

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300588#Comment_120300588

I'd argue this Russian army is not one that has made a lot of "sane" decisions

Gatling

https://twitter.com/DrAnnaPirates/status/1630902758021660672?s=20

...

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300806#Comment_120300806

When the population are constantly fed propaganda that their forces are superior and that the non war/special military operation is merely to liberate their Ukrainian brothers. It's going to be hard to maintain the lie as Russian infrastructure, in Russia, burns. I would say the Russians already have almost total control of their population, by attacking them in Russia, the Ukrainians are supplying them with evidence that the propaganda dream is fake. If anything instead of increasing support, it will make Russians question their leadership.

Gatling

More from people on the ground in bakhmut..

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1630894383720456193?s=20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300899#Comment_120300899

Well worth the approx half hour watch.

Russia’s economy is in the toilet and we should see more protests from unemployed workers (although I’m sure Putin will offer them employment, if not payment) as this year unfolds.

The IMF/world Bank are part of the problem by accepting Russia’s clearly fictional economic data, some of which they have stopped supplying.

Ironically Russia May be getting too little for their gas and oil from India/China as if they are losing money they might stop producing, which will drive up prices for other producers.

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300213#Comment_120300213

You are describing part of home field advantage. For the Ukrainians it's kill or have your family raped and murdered. However it's different for the occupying force, the motivation is different, their home may come under threat but they can end the threat by leaving occupied territory, so it's not backs against the wall for the russians in the same way but now it's a more equal jeopardy. They can no longer control the situation and force Ukraine to react to them, now Ukraine can force Russia to be reactive. It's like a technically great boxer, who is almost impossible to get a clean shot on, round after round you can wear him down to inevitable defeat unless of course he can hit you back and genuinely hurt you, thereby creating jeopardy, now you must pay a price for every engagement and he can launch an attack of his own, you no longer control the fight.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301041#Comment_120301041

I've never visited the Baltics but when all this is over I'm going to have to go there. They seem like great people, especially the Lithuanians (they have previous with China too).

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300944#Comment_120300944

If you try quite hard to twist it to be sure.

Brussels Sprout

Not sure if this was mentioned already but I only just heard about it.

Background: In the mid 19th century the Chinese ceded a lot of territory in Outer Manchuria to the Russian Empire as they were already fighting in two different wars and the Russians were about to invade and drag them into a third. In modern day Russia this area includes the cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

Recent development:

“China’s Ministry of Natural Resources has just issued new regulations on map content, which require the addition of old Chinese names to the current Russian-pronounced geographical names of eight places along the Russian-Chinese border,” Radio France International in Chinese reported on Feb. 23.  

It's not quite as provocative as the 9-dash line in the South China sea but it's definitely interesting and I'm sure the significance of it won't be lost on the Russians.

source

zv2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301427#Comment_120301427

The Chinese said they would deal with their territory issue when the moment is right.