Assault on Kiev: Russian helicopters swoop above Ukraine's capital

[Chris.B]

27 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Both Estonia and Lithuania are under NATO Clause 5.

Will that stop Russia then?

 

[Chris.B]

33 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

It's the countries nearby to Russia, not surprisingly, that are advocating stronger NATO action for the very reason you mention.

 

It's the far away countries like the U.S. that thus far have been opposing it, understandably, out of fear direct NATO involvement could lead to some version of WWIII and nukes being deployed.

 

Hopefully, there's some way the west can DO MORE in a meaningful way that isn't likely to trigger the various nightmare scenarios.

 

 

Not just that, If there is a nuclear exchange then it will be the nuclear armed countries which will suffer first i.e. UK, France and the USA. The French will probably surrender which leaves the UK and the USA bearing the brunt of Russia's ballistic missiles. ☹️

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Chris.B

[heybruce]

"The paper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, said in an article that 9,861 Russian soldiers had died and 16,153 had been injured during the invasion, according to data from the Defense Ministry. However, the article was reposted minutes later without the paragraph providing information on casualties."  https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-tabloid-says-defense-ministry-210355759.html

 

Less than one month in and an invasion force of 190,000 has suffered 26,000 dead or wounded.  That is not just a human tragedy (I doubt many of the Russian soldiers wanted to invade) it is also a military disaster.

 

Putin's stupid arrogance has left him with nothing but terrible options for Russia and Ukraine.  Pulling out would leave an enraged Ukraine on Russia's border, staying put or continuing to advance will grind down his conventional forces to an empty shell, and escalating by using chemical or nuclear weapons would lead to consequences no one wants to consider.

 

I think it is unlikely, but I hope someone in Russia is arranging a coup.  Perhaps this 'accidental' disclosure of casualties is a step towards laying the groundwork.

[heybruce]

21 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

Not just that, If there is a nuclear exchange then it will be the nuclear armed countries which will suffer first i.e. UK, France and the USA. The French will probably surrender which leaves the UK and the USA bearing the brunt of Russia's ballistic missiles. ☹️

Even a limited nuclear war would severely damage or destroy the technical systems the global economy depends upon.  Semiconductors and microprocessors, on earth and in orbit, have little tolerance for the electromagnetic radiation released by nuclear explosions.

 

 

The internet will be gone, information exchange stops, trading stops, deliveries stop, goods disappear, electricity stops flowing (on the power lines not burned out by the radiation from distant nuclear explosions--look up Starfish Prime test to see how that works), hunger and panic sets in and then things start to get really bad.  Those killed by the initial explosions will be a small fraction of the total casualties.

 

If things go really bad, it will be really bad for everyone, everywhere.

 

As an ironic aside, when the internet goes so will cryptocurrencies.  So much for protection from the risks of 'fiat money'.  Of course paper money probably won't last long after that.

Edited March 22, 2022 by heybruce

[Bkk Brian]

Nazi's are at the heart of Putin's war machine however.

 

The Wagner group with its own Nazi infiltrators.

 

"More than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control, The Times has learnt.

 

The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies and operating as an arm-length branch of the state, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus."

 

Putin's private army is led by Dmitry Utkin, who uses the cover name "Wagner". He was inspired by the German composer Richard Wagner, whose oeuvre was also admired by Adolf Hitler. 

The Russian investigative news server Fontanka calls Utkin an adherent of the Nazis. On social media, photographs of Utkin are frequently shared showing his neck tattoo reading "SS" and an Imperial eagle on his chest. 

 

 

Putin destroyed Chechnya and is hellbent on destroying Ukraine. He’s ordered the assassinations of a score of political opponents and is snuffing out any wisps of protest against the war. He promotes a supremacist Russian ideology. And he’s demonstrated his imperial ambitions in Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine. Indeed, Putin’s trajectory increasingly resembles that of Hitler.

 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/14/lets-call-putin-fascist-autocrat-00016982

 

Russian mercenaries in Ukraine linked to far-right extremists

 

Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, including the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, have been linked to far-right extremism including an organisation designated by the US as terrorist, analysis reveals.

Although Vladimir Putin says his “special military operation” is aimed at the “denazification” of Ukraine, an investigation has found links between pro-Russian forces and violent rightwing extremism, including those directly affiliated with Wagner.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/20/russian-mercenaries-in-ukraine-linked-to-far-right-extremists

 

[Phoenix Rising]

2 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Not just that, If there is a nuclear exchange then it will be the nuclear armed countries which will suffer first i.e. UK, France and the USA. The French will probably surrender which leaves the UK and the USA bearing the brunt of Russia's ballistic missiles. ☹️

 

 

This "France surrender" thing is reeeeealy getting old.

[rudi49jr]

2 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Not just that, If there is a nuclear exchange then it will be the nuclear armed countries which will suffer first i.e. UK, France and the USA. The French will probably surrender which leaves the UK and the USA bearing the brunt of Russia's ballistic missiles. ☹️

 

 

The USA has nukes all over Europe. There is an air force base (called Volkel) in my home country The Netherlands, where American nukes are based. Until very recently it was all very hush-hush, but now it’s been confirmed. I’m quite sure there are more of such air force or army bases all over Europe. If Russia decides to go nuclear, they will want to take out those bases as well. So not only USA, UK and France will be attacked.

The French will probably surrender? Seriously? That’s getting pretty old, dude.

[onthedarkside]

A diversionary post -- with a three-week old article -- attempting to advance a Russian propaganda claim has been removed, along with ensuing replies.

 

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

Nazi's are at the heart of Putin's war machine however.

 

The Wagner group with its own Nazi infiltrators.

 

"More than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control, The Times has learnt.

 

The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies and operating as an arm-length branch of the state, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus."

 

Putin's private army is led by Dmitry Utkin, who uses the cover name "Wagner". He was inspired by the German composer Richard Wagner, whose oeuvre was also admired by Adolf Hitler. 

The Russian investigative news server Fontanka calls Utkin an adherent of the Nazis. On social media, photographs of Utkin are frequently shared showing his neck tattoo reading "SS" and an Imperial eagle on his chest. 

 

 

Putin destroyed Chechnya and is hellbent on destroying Ukraine. He’s ordered the assassinations of a score of political opponents and is snuffing out any wisps of protest against the war. He promotes a supremacist Russian ideology. And he’s demonstrated his imperial ambitions in Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine. Indeed, Putin’s trajectory increasingly resembles that of Hitler.

 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/14/lets-call-putin-fascist-autocrat-00016982

 

Russian mercenaries in Ukraine linked to far-right extremists

 

Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, including the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, have been linked to far-right extremism including an organisation designated by the US as terrorist, analysis reveals.

Although Vladimir Putin says his “special military operation” is aimed at the “denazification” of Ukraine, an investigation has found links between pro-Russian forces and violent rightwing extremism, including those directly affiliated with Wagner.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/20/russian-mercenaries-in-ukraine-linked-to-far-right-extremists

 

Addams Family springs to mind.

[Chomper Higgot]

4 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Will that stop Russia then?

 

I’m not at all sure.

 

But how do you think 40Kms of Russian military vehicles, equipment and personal would hold up against a squadron of A10s?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The heads begin to roll in Russia

 

"European media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the house arrest of two senior Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. Colonel-General Sergei Beseda, Chief of the FSB's "Fifth Service," reportedly was detained along with his deputy, Anatoly Bolyuk, charged with providing flawed intelligence about Ukraine and their improper use of operational funds.

 

Separately, Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's national security council chief, claimed that several Russian generals have been fired.

...

Perhaps emulating Joseph Stalin, this could be the onset of a purge and Putin's desperate ploy to provide his domestic audience with a fall guy for self-inflicted wounds."

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-heads-begin-to-roll-in-russia/ar-AAVm1nK

 

 

[rudi49jr]

Zelensky: “Russia is our top arms supplier”. Ukrainian forces are capturing Russian military and using it against Russian troops.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-captured-russia-missiles-fired-them-back-cnn-2022-3?international=true&r=US&IR=T

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Russian military correspondent quits over Ukraine war and says Putin is sending army to ‘slaughter’

 

"A military correspondent at Russian state-owned news agency TASS has launched a scathing attack on Vladimir Putin’s “insane” leadership which is sending his soldiers to “slaughter” in Ukraine.

 

Gleb Irisov, 31, has quit and says many of his ex-colleagues opposed the war, leading to action by the FSB security service.

...

He revealed that journalists at TASS had signed an extraordinary petition opposing the war which led to the FSB’s involvement and critics being branded “traitors”.

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-military-correspondent-quits-over-ukraine-war-and-says-putin-is-sending-army-to-slaughter/ar-AAVmyI5?ocid

 

Considering this is Putin's Russia, this guy's stance would seem to be taking a lot of balls....

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

How Ukraine’s Outgunned Air Force Is Fighting Back Against Russian Jets

...

"Nearly a month into the fighting, one of the biggest surprises of the war in Ukraine is Russia’s failure to defeat the Ukrainian Air Force. Military analysts had expected Russian forces to quickly destroy or paralyze Ukraine’s air defenses and military aircraft, yet neither have happened. Instead, Top Gun-style aerial dogfights, rare in modern warfare, are now raging above the country."

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-ukraine-s-outgunned-air-force-is-fighting-back-against-russian-jets/ar-AAVmcbe

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The Russian military's heavy losses from Ukraine in charts

 

"In three weeks of fighting in Ukraine, Russia has lost an estimated 7,000 troops, according to U.S. intelligence.

...

Experts say this rate of casualties is unsustainable for the Russian army and is terrible for morale on the battlefield and at home.

 

There are more than 150,000 total Russian troops involved in the war with Ukraine, and an estimated 14,000 to 21,000 are injured, a huge toll that is contributing to the stalemate developing as Ukrainian fighters halt the Russian advance."

 

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-russian-military-s-heavy-losses-from-ukraine-in-charts/ar-AAVkIVK

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

10 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The Russian military's heavy losses from Ukraine in charts

 

"In three weeks of fighting in Ukraine, Russia has lost an estimated 7,000 troops, according to U.S. intelligence.

...

Experts say this rate of casualties is unsustainable for the Russian army and is terrible for morale on the battlefield and at home.

 

There are more than 150,000 total Russian troops involved in the war with Ukraine, and an estimated 14,000 to 21,000 are injured, a huge toll that is contributing to the stalemate developing as Ukrainian fighters halt the Russian advance."

 

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-russian-military-s-heavy-losses-from-ukraine-in-charts/ar-AAVkIVK

 

 

The news is even more grim for the Russian military, a pro-Putin Russian tabloid reported almost 10,000 Russian troop deaths and over 16,000 injured, then promptly deleted the report:

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-newspaper-blames-army-death-toll-report-hackers-2022-03-22/

[Seppius]

There will only be one outcome to this war, the only thing that will change will be the number of dead.

 

Putin has no way back, he will use bigger, nastier and deadlier weapons till Ukraine has been wiped off the map or capitulates

[Bkk Brian]

‘Winging It’: Russia Is Getting Its Generals Killed on the Front Lines

 

Russian generals have had to lead from the front because its amateur army can’t move otherwise.

 

The tally of Russian generals killed in the nearly monthlong conflict—most of them one- and two-star commanders, including at least one lieutenant general—is likely the highest casualty rate among general officers in the Russian military since World War II.

 

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/21/russia-generals-dead-ukraine/

 

Hopefully Wali can pick off a few more, wonder how many kills he's had so far, he must have been there a couple of weeks already.

 

"Former Canadian Army sniper from the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment Wali with his SAKO TRG 42 sniper rifle somewhere in Ukraine."

[RJRS1301]

Hate the idea of political assassinations, however, some times the ethics of the greater good outweighs the moral alternative, although who knows what he would be replaced with?

 

[sammieuk1]

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is slowly but surely de-nazifying Russia ????

[stephenterry]

Unfortunately, Putin has been spouting lies on Russian TV totally in contrast to the reality that  media pictures shows. And the oldies watching believe it's the Ukrainian Hitlers that caused the war and must be exterminated by the great Russian saviours. 

 

The good news from Ukrainian intelligence  - if to be believed with more than a pinch of salt - is that some of the Russian Oligarches are seeking to replace Putin before he threatens to instigate WW3.

 

Watch this space...  

[ballpoint]

On 3/22/2022 at 4:38 PM, Bkk Brian said:

Nazi's are at the heart of Putin's war machine however.

 

The Wagner group with its own Nazi infiltrators.

 

"More than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control, The Times has learnt.

 

The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies and operating as an arm-length branch of the state, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus."

 

Putin's private army is led by Dmitry Utkin, who uses the cover name "Wagner". He was inspired by the German composer Richard Wagner, whose oeuvre was also admired by Adolf Hitler. 

The Russian investigative news server Fontanka calls Utkin an adherent of the Nazis. On social media, photographs of Utkin are frequently shared showing his neck tattoo reading "SS" and an Imperial eagle on his chest. 

 

 

Putin destroyed Chechnya and is hellbent on destroying Ukraine. He’s ordered the assassinations of a score of political opponents and is snuffing out any wisps of protest against the war. He promotes a supremacist Russian ideology. And he’s demonstrated his imperial ambitions in Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine. Indeed, Putin’s trajectory increasingly resembles that of Hitler.

 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/14/lets-call-putin-fascist-autocrat-00016982

 

Russian mercenaries in Ukraine linked to far-right extremists

 

Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, including the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, have been linked to far-right extremism including an organisation designated by the US as terrorist, analysis reveals.

Although Vladimir Putin says his “special military operation” is aimed at the “denazification” of Ukraine, an investigation has found links between pro-Russian forces and violent rightwing extremism, including those directly affiliated with Wagner.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/20/russian-mercenaries-in-ukraine-linked-to-far-right-extremists

 

Putin has long followed the philosophy of the Russian born Nazi sympathizer Ivan Ilyin, to the point of bringing his remains to Russia from Sweden, and consecrating his grave himself - coincidently (or maybe not) making a speech on the "one-ness" of Russia and Ukraine the same day he did so.  (Thus echoing Ilyin's own denial of Ukraine's existence as a separate entity from Russia).  He has often cited Ilyin in addresses to the national assembly, and when explaining his confrontational foreign policies, including undermining the EU.  In short, it is true that Putin is invading Ukraine because of fascism, - to further his own.

 

This video provides a nice summary of the links between the two, including some chilling "cleansing of society" speeches made by Putin.  I trust this is an acceptable source, as everything claimed in the video is substantiated, and readily verifiable independently:

 

[Scott]

Trolling meme removed.

 

[Seppius]

2 hours ago, ballpoint said:

Putin has long followed the philosophy of the Russian born Nazi sympathizer Ivan Ilyin, to the point of bringing his remains to Russia from Sweden, and consecrating his grave himself - coincidently (or maybe not) making a speech on the "one-ness" of Russia and Ukraine the same day he did so.  (Thus echoing Ilyin's own denial of Ukraine's existence as a separate entity from Russia).  He has often cited Ilyin in addresses to the national assembly, and when explaining his confrontational foreign policies, including undermining the EU.  In short, it is true that Putin is invading Ukraine because of fascism, - to further his own.

 

This video provides a nice summary of the links between the two, including some chilling "cleansing of society" speeches made by Putin.  I trust this is an acceptable source, as everything claimed in the video is substantiated, and readily verifiable independently:

 

That's all amazing stuff coming out there, going to take a long while to de-Putenize Russia

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Hopefully Wali can pick off a few more, wonder how many kills he's had so far, he must have been there a couple of weeks already.

 

"Former Canadian Army sniper from the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment Wali with his SAKO TRG 42 sniper rifle somewhere in Ukraine."

 

As I've read the various reports of Russian generals getting killed in action, I've often wondered to what extent those were the result of Ukrainian military action vs. the involvement of foreign volunteers or merceneries... some of whom probably are very skilled snipers.

 

I know NATO countries are not directly involving their militaries. But it wouldn't be the first time that military contractors were hired by one side or the other to do jobs that regular forces can't for varying reasons. Hopefully, Ukraine is managing to get or find the resources to hire only the best and in substantial numbers.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Forces still stalled outside Kyiv, frostbite now an issue, missiles fired top 1,100

 

"For the most part Russian troops remain stalled around Kyiv at the same distances we've heard for more than a week, the official said.

...

The logistical and resupply issues continue to plague Russian troops with the official noting that Russia now has concerns about fueling the ships in the Black Sea.

...

"We've picked up some indications that some of their soldiers are suffering from frostbite because they lack the appropriate cold weather gear for the environment" said the official who added that some of those soldiers have been taken out of the fight as a result."

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-on-offensive-russian-combat-capability-falls-below-90-pentagon-update/ar-AAVo0Z0

 

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Talk is cheap....

 

Diplomatic tit-for-tat over Ukraine escalates at United Nations

 

"UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia is seeking to blunt Western-led efforts at the United Nations to further isolate Moscow for invading Ukraine, with the Security Council and General Assembly gearing up to vote this week on competing measures on Ukraine's humanitarian crisis.

 

A diplomatic tit-for-tat has been escalating at the world body since Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation" on Feb. 24 to destroy Ukraine's military infrastructure.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday blasted Russia's "absurd war," warning that "continuing the war in Ukraine is morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical."

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/diplomatic-tit-for-tat-over-ukraine-escalates-at-united-nations/ar-AAVntor

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Russia says sending international peacekeepers to Ukraine would be 'very reckless'

 

(Reuters) -Russia on Wednesday condemned what it called a "reckless" Polish proposal to send international peacekeepers into Ukraine and warned that it could lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces.

 

Poland said last Friday it would formally submit a proposal for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the next NATO summit.

 

Asked about the initiative, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It would be a very reckless and extremely dangerous decision."

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-says-sending-international-peacekeepers-to-ukraine-would-be-very-reckless/ar-AAVoXXP

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

NATO to bolster ranks, help Ukraine counter chemical attack

 

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO leaders are set to agree to station more forces in Eastern Europe to deter Russia from invading any member of their ranks and to send equipment to Ukraine to help it defend against chemical or biological attacks, the organization's top civilian official said Wednesday.

 

Speaking on the eve of a series of Brussels summits focusing on the war in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said four new battlegroups, which usually number between 1,000-1,500 troops, are being set up in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

...

Stoltenberg said the NATO leaders are likely to agree to send more assistance to Ukraine, including equipment to help Ukraine defend itself against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

 

(more)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nato-to-bolster-ranks-help-ukraine-counter-chemical-attack/ar-AAVpY2S

 

 

[ozimoron]

NATO estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, where fierce fighting by the country’s fast-moving defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.

By way of comparison, Russia lost about 15,000 troops in Afghanistan over 10 years.

 

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-europe-nato-e35e54b40359e52f3ffd4911577b669a