Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Very simple really, apply the same basic principle most western democracies use to select juries. In other words, you periodically select a couple hundred people to run the country for a few years.

If the are able to mobilise another 500k like the rumor suggests,that is still a hell of a lot of personnel to have deal with.

As for the invasion aspect,most russians are brainwashed into thinking they are defending their homeland.

I just hope all those new toys the AFU get make a difference.

While any of these countries entering the war would probably help end the conflict sooner, creating a bigger headache for Russia than it already has, they're already in NATO, and that's their prevention. They would have little to fear from even pre-2022 Russian army under this arrangement, never mind the currently depleted one, so none of these countries will be unilaterally entering the fray under the basis of prevention.

The most I see the likes of the Poles getting involved is maybe as some kind of peacekeeping force along the Ukraine-Belarus border, and that's still pretty unlikely.

This is how they are going to try and create enthusiasm for the next mobilization campaign of 500K lucky Orcs.

Yay, WW2 weapons and a couple of ladies, who by the look of their appeciation for each other, won't have the slightest interest in a walking fertiliser bag.

That's not an accurate breakdown of costs though is it? To do that, you need to add in the value of every bit of destroyed Russian hardware, tanks, aircraft, ships, ammunition dumps etc. If all these values are added up and subtracted from the 50 billion, you will find that the individual Russian lives were the smallest cost.

The Soledar situation still doesn't looks great.

This is the most concise illustration I have seen to describe what has happened and how Russia managed to bypass a fortress so quickly.

Soledar is essentially a barbell of a town. There's a northern part, and southern part with a narrow strip in-between.

The southern part was a fortress that has held for months until now.

It looks like the Russians made an assault across country that bypassed the most fortified areas in the southern part. Ukrainian troops who feared being cut off withdrew from the southern part to the northern part which is still contested.

In the grand scheme of things, the advance is minor, but when you compare it to other Russian advances, it looks more significant.

We will just have to wait and see how this all plays out. My guess is that Ukraine will heavily reinforce the northern part of Soledar that they control. It's too early to say who wins.

The one thing that is abundantly clear is that Putin's talk of an Orthodox Christmas ceasefire was all a lie.

The significant Russian advance we've seen over the last two days was planned and coordinated with the hope that they might have caught the Ukrainians off guard.

What if they targeted the Russian Vodka factory? Would it help or hinder?

DO NOT TOUCH !!!! Vodka factory's are the greatest asset to Ukraine.. just try to imagine the unimagineable....a sober Russian Army. Unthinkable!! They might even start making rational decisions on the battlefield.

🤣🤣🤣

Yes. There has to be a buildup of anti-war, anti Putin sentiment at this stage, but Putin is the master of jumping on and destroying any kind of rebellion, even the smallest trace of it. Little old Lady holding a white flower on the street in Moscow arrested and whisked away within minutes. Maybe in the republics, and Samara could be a starting point, as that was where most of those killed in the recent bombing of the school in Makiivka were from. For sure, I would not like to be the recruitment officer sent there to start the next round of mobilizations. At some point in time, the cracks will become too wide to cover up.

Enter with what though? The Baltic states have tiny armies and wouldn't be able to attack anyone. Finland has a reserve force, but they wouldn't be mobilised unless the country itself was invaded.

Poland might do something, who knows.

I don't thinking the quashing of dissent is doing Putin any real favours anyway. All it does is push the resentment into the more secretive avenues. We're not going to see it because by design it would not want to be seen. Yet.

More than suppressing protest, Putin will be keen to keep the consequences of protracted and bloody war from the doorsteps of middle class urban Russians. An aim that will become progressively more difficult than to achieve as time goes on.

You simply can't take back an independent state by force at this time in history so why are the west allowing it to drag on, when in fact they could end it tomorrow. Years ago the str ongest ruled, you could do what you liked, but not today

It's like Mexico today trying to take back Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada,Utah, New Mexico,Colorado, all the land the US annexed from them, but it's simply not feasible at this moment in history.

US and Nato need to end it now, drive Russia out

How could the west end it tomorrow? Realistically the only way they could intentionally end it in a day is a massive conventional attack on Russia and hope Russia doesn't retaliate. Or do you have another option?

Nobody on here believes Ukraine has all they need.

I think everyone here has been calling for more of everything and tanks, fighter jets, ATACMS, I'd even toss in the JDAMS, cruise missiles and the SAAB rocket bombs. I've no idea why you assume people on here are content with what Ukraine has received. Ludicrous statement.