Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I don't think many people believe that at all; I think plenty of people wish it would happen though.

It's an interesting question to think about. Ukraine would probably never have a better opportunity than now to get the whole of the Donbas and Crimea back under control of Kyiv. If Russia truly is abandoning plans to go for Kyiv, then Ukrainian forces will presumably be heading south and east to push things back to at least the situation prior to Feb 24, and then could they push further? What are people in Luhansk and Sevastopol saying to themselves these days, I wonder? Would they resist Ukraine coming back to take that land (which is a huge, huge, huge if), or would they allow it because they're suddenly not so hot on Russia?

That is an extraordinarily offensive thing to say.

A "poundshop adolf" is making it sound as if Putin is somehow weak or inferior to Hitler who gassed millions of innocent people?

Please you and the people who thanked your post reflect on what this betrays about you and your character that you would even consider this to be a legitimate or valid thing to say.

Well I think we have to remember that the significant losses suffered by Russia during the first week or so of the invasion were largely self inflicted: they pushed units and large convoys deep into Ukraine where they became cut off and decimated by a still functioning Ukrainian Air Force and determined ground forces.

Crimea and in particular the Donbass are areas with significant Russian air superiority bordering on supremacy in the far east: which is very different to the Kyiv or more central/western areas of Ukraine. Crimea is also heavily fortified and surrounded by Russian controlled waters.

Both Crimea and the Donbass have significant pro-Russian populations also: so you could expect additional volunteers and as we've seen in the DPR/LPR significant numbers of conscripts.

And then you have the issue of supply lines: the Donbass in particular has multiple fairly well secured routes through which supplies can be forwarded covered by both air power, air defences, and a mostly friendly population.

So I don't think you can really compare Ukraine defending around Kyiv or Kherson against troops far from supply lines and without much air coverage versus Ukraine actively attacking into heavily fortified and pro-Russian territory which borders Russia proper.

Indeed I think it can be argued that many of the Ukrainian counter-offensives we have seen over the previous days have been successful due in part to Russia reorganising and resetting for operations in the Donbass; they have been pulling out their better troops and leaving smaller numbers of weaker units (i.e. badly equipped and low morale conscripts and DPR/LPR volunteers) in defensive positions which aren't covered by artillery or air power. These are ripe pickings for Ukraine's small unit advances.

Again I'm just some idiot on the internet but I think expecting Ukraine to be able to militarily win a bonafide full-scale conventional conflict along even one large front against Russia (even a much weaker Russia than anticipated) on its own is just asking far too much.

It’s not right but to win a war against a bunch of animals it takes a bunch of animals, it always has. There is always plenty of time for morals and investigations after the war.

I've also seen it. I'd have to say it looks genuine on the face of it; and it makes sense that pro-Ukrainian sources wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole because it paints them in a very bad light.

Whilst in some sense I can understand their actions torturing or even outright killing prisoners of war is only going to make Ukraine's job that much harder and more unpleasant; and in particular for Ukraine's own prisoners of war when reprisals are inevitably carried out.

I should also mention I've seen another video which looks to be a number of Ukrainian soldiers executed via gunshots to the head lined up on the ground so... yeah; I think it's safe to say there's going to be plenty more nastiness before all this is over.

Jesus have ye all nothing better else to be doing on a lovely day like today..out in the sun. Ye must be all sad recluses..give it a break and get a life

Jesus christ the amount of videos of Russians being instantly arrested for holding up anything. On the flipside, if you need urgent police assistance in Russia just go find a white piece of paper..

Yeah I've seen that video as well unfortunately.

One of the comments I saw on the video was the Russians were artillery men and given what they have done to civilians and civilian areas it is understandable that they could get rough treatment.

However if they are identified I have more confidence that the Ukrainians will deal with the perpetrators severely than I have that the Russians will deal with those who have carried out numerous war crimes on Ukrainian civilians (and that's before we even look at the crimes against the POWs).

No .only the people using them tend to self combust lol

Just wait for a rise in front line Officers "assisted death's"......shot in the back. But he was running from the Ukrainians officer.....honest !!!

Another example of the Kremlin's alternative reality. On state TV, host Kiselev suggests Russia had to act in Ukraine because the West “refused talks on security” (it didn’t) & because “preparations were being made for the military destruction of Russia” (they weren’t).

Yeah, rule now seems to be, if you have nukes, you wont get touched.