Russia - threadbanned users in OP

It does sounds like the order has come directly down from Putin.

Well, you know, if there was a course for self-awareness in primary school, perhaps the infants could be taught that there are two sides to every story while the senior-infants could begin to evaluate the individual merits of both stories.

Here are some simplistic pairings to contemplate on:

Good/Bad

True/False

Positive/Negative

Up/Down

Russia says military campaign in Ukraine to continue at least until it controls all Donetsk region

The chance of the use of Tactical Nukes employed on the Donetsk battlefield has grown with this stated goal

I was just reading the wikipedia page of Max Blumenthal (founder of Grayzone). It's a classic example of what you describe.

You can see the descent from standard left-wing causes like immigration and Palestine and then he just goes off the deep end (red box) until he just becomes a complete stooge for authoritarian regimes:

He was basically radicalized. That word doesn't get used much to describe the far-left but it's not uncommon. Our two MEPs are another example.

I think a rupture would have a completely different acoustic signature to an explosion (different range of frequencies present and different "envelope")

Some useful hints and tips for keeping tabs on the aviation and Open Source Intelligence aspects of this war

There seems to be quite a few new arrivals to this thread, and indeed to the realisation that a war is occurring, so I thought I'd put together a list of tips that will hopefully help you to fully understand what's going on, using aviation as a guide.

Firstly: please read back through the pages of this thread. Many of the regular nerds, like myself, have posted some excellent, fact-based posts explaining various aspects of the conflict and I'm sure any questions you may have may be found among those pages. On that note, here is a list of resources to keep you up to date;

1. Tracking Aircraft.

One can learn a lot about a conflict by Tracking Aircraft. Aircraft movements usually correspond with the commencement of certain operations, can give away the position of Naval assets, give indications of a nations next moves or give an indication of where flights of combat Aircraft may be operating with their transponders off, thus invisible to Tracking software. There are two main resources. FlightRadar24 or ADS-B Exchange. Both work using the following principles. Most Aircraft have a Transponder. This device broadcasts an aircraft's position, speed, altitude, type and direction of travel. This information is recieved by ATC controllers all over the world and overlayed on a "Radar Screen". Anyone with the relevant software can access this information and this is what both resources do. However, ADS-B Exchange is slightly better. Click the link below, then press " Live Radar Map". Then when the map opens, click "U" on the top to filter or isolate mitary Aircraft only.

https://www.adsbexchange.com/

One point to note. Transponders can be switched off, and if a nation does not have a primary Radar, then ATC cannot see the Aircraft. You need a Primary Radar for that. ( The traditional screen, with the sweeping beam that gathers echos from moving Aircraft from which a vector, speed and position can be established). Unbelievably, Ireland does not have a primary Radar. We rely on the RAF for that. If Russia is operating Aircraft off our coasts, the British can track them, but we cannot as they usually and recklessly operate with transponders off.

2. Clues for Tracking fighter jets.

You will see many Aircraft of the type KC-135 operating near and around Ukraine. These are Air-to-air refuelling Aircraft based on the old Boeing 707 airframe. ( The tailfin of one is sticking up out of the ground as you approach Dublin airport)

You will notice that they fly a continuous "racetrack" pattern around a fixed point on the ground. This indicates that there may be a flight of fighter aircraft in the area. The jets, which have their transponders off, periodically meet up with the KC-135's to top off with Fuel. They use a flyable boom to link into a receptacle on the jets to transfer fuel.

Some fighter jets, such as Raphael, Eurofighters, Tornados, use a refuelling probe to refuel. Their positions are indicated by the presence of German or British Airbus A310 Aircraft that use a trailing pipe with a basket on the end that catches the probe of a fighter jet.

Watch out for the flights of both of these Aircraft.

3. Indication of Naval assets.

Every now and then, you will see either a helicopter, normally a Seahawk, or a prop aircraft, normally a C2 Greyhound, magically appear over the ocean either in the Baltic Sea or the Mediterranean. The helicopter has switched on its transponder and gives a rough indication of the Amphibious Task Force currently snooping around Kaliningrad. The chopper is based on one of the Naval ships. The same goes for the C2. This Aircraft gives away the position of the US Navy 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. This Aircraft is carrier-based and is used to transport personnel and cargo from ship to shore.

4. Intelligence Gathering Aircraft.

You will notice many, many Aircraft flying long, circular and repetitive routes in and around certain areas, such as South of Odessa, South of Crimea and around Kaliningrad. There are too many types to go into detail, but all of them are gathering vital information ( digital, photograph, physical, communications etc) and transferring this information by secure Data Link to Ukranian commanders. Keep an eye on these. They normally indicate the next area of importance for Ukranian Offensive operations.

I could go on and on here, but if you have any questions, let me know.

Absolutely. Fisk another example. Did some great work early on then ended up as an apologist for Al Qaeda and Assad. If he hadn't died a couple years ago I'm absolutely certain he'd blame NATO and Ukraine for this war.

As you say, it's a process of radicalisation

A baseless assumption.

NATO has made it well known in the last few days, through retired senior commanders and officials like Dannat, Breedlove and Clark, a number of specific conventional reprisals that would swiftly follow any employment of a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, including the destruction of the Kerch bridge crossing and the sinking of the Black Sea Fleet all in one go, all 50 odd ships and submarines. Russia knows it is quite capable of that and of ending about 10,000 servicemen's lives in the process.

If then, it fell to Russia to escalate, I can only suppose that the sort of Military that has overseen the shambolic campaign in Ukraine, must be very worried at the highest level about the condition of its ICBMs in their bunkers and SSBNs and the liklihood of them detonating in situ or failing altogether.

Like a fart in a bath. Lots of low-end and mid tones, with the treble wound right back.

;)

I'm not seeing it as that,

8 years of occupation and tens of thousands slaughtered Russian soldiers for what, losing what they actually tried to steal 8 years ago,

He wants to hold it because if they lose Donetsk, Crimea will be next

As if they are not going to shoot back-

So when, in her opinion, do they become 'legitimate' targets? How do Ukrainian forces on the ground determine when a potential target has passed that point?

She's an idiot.

The problem is she did not say it. The Tweet is clearly satirical. This is the unfortunate nature of reading anything on the web, what is real, what it satire and what is a lie.

Amnesty have done themselves no favours by the report they released a month ago, it was clearly wrong and as a result they have made themselves a legitimate target for satire, unfortunately some cannot distinguish satire from reality.