Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I get your drift but nazism in Ukraine is a response to Russian aggression (it began in WW2). Donbas always had Russian speakers but their number was increased by Stalin in the 50s. You can't seed a place with people who speak your language and then claim it is yours. I realize you are speaking from the Russian perspective, not necessarily your own.

@Wibbs

Many Russians too who see places like Crimea as very much Russian, ditto for the Donbas, where there were quite the number of Russian separatists and that percentage will have gone up since this invasion kicked off and Ukrainian nationalists had to run for their very lives.

No separatists there Russian soldiers and members of the FSB ,

Ukrainans nationalists didn't run for their lives they stood and faught as they did nearly 8 years ago when Russia first invaded

This is nonsense. I can't believe how many times this discredited canard has popped up.

They dropped their elite paratroopers into hostomel airport. What were they, a sacrificial distraction? Then why did Russia try to link them up with their advancing forces, suffering heavy casualties in the process.

It's like saying Operation Market Garden was a distraction.

A feint doesn't send your main attack forces away from the action for weeks, leave them suffer huge casualties and loss of equipment. They came back from Kyiv in disarray. They sent them with rations to last for days, not weeks.

They wanted to capture Kyiv as an intact prize, like they wanted to capture Ukraine and return it into the Russian orbit. They didn't expect any large scale resistance. Zelensky was supposed to flee and the government collapse with him.

Russia's failure to take Kyiv was a defeat for the ages:

Not true at all ,they wanted and needed Kiev intact to put Viktor Yanukovych and he's other Russian colluges in power under another fake referendum,

The fact the Ukrainians faught like lions and the sheer ineptitude of the Russians who failed to get the basics right which left the Russian to take something they already occupied for the previous 8 years,

And now the Ukrainians are increasing their capabilities on a near daily basis while putin has been reduced to filing rockets at civilian locations because they can't target the Ukrainian military directly

Why let them have Donbas,there was no history of separatistism until the FSB and Russian military arrived 8 years ago,

I'd say that lads on his way to the frontline in the Donbas as we write.....

So you think it would be right of a nation to sentence a large number of there own citizens and let Putin do what he wanted. First off in Crimea and other parts of Donbass occupied since the 2014 invasion Putin has deported a large percentages of the existing Ukrainian speaking population to other parts of Russia. That is those he has not killed. This is not Norther Ireland. Putin is Russianizing the country after taking it over

It about the most despicable suggestion and poster could make and as a person who claims to be intelligent it even worse than that.

This BS as well that if Russia or Putin step beyond we will hammer them os pure BS. Next time you be on to give them Odessa and then a piece of Transnistia in Moldova all to avoid what Obama should have done in 2014 which was to stand up to the bully.

Thank god for Biden

And you adding to it is another piece of Sh!t as a solution

Ukrainian should be supported to make its own choices. If that is until the 2014 border is reached so be it

Ukraine say Russia are planning more false flag terrorist bombings to kill Russian civilians so they can keep the support going for the war and to up attacks.

Yes I generalised. I do think in situations like this, the opinions and mood of the general 'squaddy' are important. There must be enough knowledge there that there were/are close ties between Russia & Ukraine. They must also know at a basic level that they are not waging a war for survival for their families back home. That they are engaged in a special operation to invade a neighbour and cause untold destruction and misery. At what point when the going gets tougher as autumn and winter approach, do they just say **** and start finding ways out.

Doubtless there are those too in the Ukrainian military, overall though they have a lot more motivation to hunker down, box smart and stay the course. The alternative for them is not great otherwise.

This is 3 months basic training ... Probably fine for defensive positions ,probably not nearly enough for combined arms offensive ...

And the trained experienced junior officers are going to be in short supply ..

If ukraine takes out the very expensive bridge , how do you think they are going to hold it

2004 there a brief moment when the orange revolution started,it was quickly realized that there was no support to break away or to become authomnus,

Then came the FSB and Russian soldiers 8 years ago and suddenly we have a history of separatistism.

They also leave out how pro Russian businesses received tens of billions in government subventions ,to the point something like 80% of all Ukrainian government subsidies went to Russian companies while a pro Russian puppet was in charge of the country