Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[Wildbunny]

52 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

We will be alone in that.  If some peace deal is reached, Europe will be flooding back to Russia so fast; your head won't have time to spin. For European businesses, it will be like nothing has happened. Heck, Europe may grow even more dependent on Russia.  Then 3-4 years later, Russia will invade again.  If Trump is in power then, we will probably help Russia with their invasion.  Nothing will happen to Putin. 

I doubt that.

I expect the US/Canada to do whatever they can to sell gas/oil to EU instead of Russia.

[Renegade7]

8 minutes ago, Wildbunny said:

I doubt that.

I expect the US/Canada to do whatever they can to sell gas/oil to EU instead of Russia.

 

Agreed, if we are at the point of reconsidering letting countries like Venezuela re-enter the chat, we are serious about making sure Europe isn't so dependent on Russia for fossils fuels going forward.

[CousinsCowgirl84]

Russia moving out of kviv? Maybe so Belarus can move in… 

[China]

9 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Russia moving out of kviv? Maybe so Belarus can move in… 

 

How can they move out if they were never in Kyiv?

[DCSaints_fan]

48 minutes ago, Wildbunny said:

I doubt that.

I expect the US/Canada to do whatever they can to sell gas/oil to EU instead of Russia.

Europe is still buying Russian gas.  The only dustup as been whether they paid in Euros or Rubles.  Heck even Ukraine is still pumping it to them.  Money talks and Russian supplies are / will be the cheapest for Europe for years to come.  

Long term there may be political pressure to switch away from it, but I can't see anything changing in the short term.

On top of that, it will be only way to save Russian economy from total collapse.  In case of a peace agreement agreed to by both Ukraine and Russia, it would strike most parties as excessively punitive were that to happen. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by DCSaints_fan

[DogofWar1]

11 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Russia moving out of kviv? Maybe so Belarus can move in… 

Nah.

 

Belarus is probably not entering the war at all.  Luka kept asking Putin for more time and it seems the internal resistance to Belarus entering the war won out.

 

Not to mention, Belarus' army is like...40k people, and the anticipated assistance to Russia if they did invade was gonna be like 10k troops.  Not nearly enough to break through to Kyiv.

 

The expectation was that if Belarus DID enter the war they might do so near Kovel and make a push for Lutsk, but that never materialized.

[China]

Wounded Russian soldiers fill Belarusian hospitals

 

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported its military losses just once: As of March 2, it said 498 soldiers had been killed and 1,597 had been wounded. Ukrainian officials, on the other hand, have said there are at least 14,200 dead on the Russian side. Probably, neither side is telling the truth.

 

According to Belarusian media reports and Telegram channels, many wounded Russian soldiers are being brought to Belarusto receive medical care before being transported to Russia. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko confirmed as much saying that after five days of war between 160 and 170 Russian soldiers had received treatment in the cities of Gomel, Mazyr and another Belarusian town.

 

Four sources told DW that there were Russian soldiers in these southern Belarusian cities. Furthermore, they said a field hospital was set up in Narovlya, not far from the border with Ukraine. One source told DW many wounded soldiers arrived in Mazyr, "without arms, legs, ears and eyes." They said that some arrived too late and already had gangrene: "If they are brought in time, their limbs can still be rescued." 

 

The source said some of the wounded had not eaten for five days, arrived disoriented and wanted to call their parents: "These are patients who were born in 2003, from poor regions of Russia. Basically, they are still children."

 

A separate source not directly involved in health care but well informed about the situation said surgery were being performed "non-stop" at a hospital in the region of Gomel, up to 50 per night, including routine operations on civilians. The person said often surgeons had to amputate the limbs of the Russian soldiers.

 

"The hospital is full," said the source, asking that the location of the hospital not be made public.

 

Several people told DW that dead soldiers were also being transported to Belarus. However, nobody could give a precise figure.

 

Many doctors DW contacted refused to talk about treating Russian soldiers. Two sources said doctors had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

 

The Belarusian Medical Solidarity Foundation confirmed that all hospitals were under strict control.

 

"There are KGB or FSB employees on the staff. All buildings are under surveillance. Many doctors, who could, in theory, have said something, have been removed from the hospitals and replaced by Russians," a spokesperson said, adding that many doctors and hospital employees were afraid to talk about what they had seen or done. The spokesperson that since hospitals in Belarus were overwhelmed, "when possible, the wounded are being brought to Russia by train" and confirmed that there were also many dead soldiers. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Wildbunny]

12 minutes ago, DCSaints_fan said:

Europe is still buying Russian gas.  The only dustup as been whether they paid in Euros or Rubles.  Heck even Ukraine is still pumping it to them.  Money talks and Russian supplies are / will be the cheapest for Europe for years to come.  

Long term there may be political pressure to switch away from it, but I can't see anything changing in the short term.

On top of that, it will be only way to save Russian economy from total collapse.  In case of a peace agreement agreed to by both Ukraine and Russia, it would strike most parties as excessively punitive were that to happen. 

Obviously, not in the short term, but long term?

More than likely.

 

That's also a point where ecology will play a big part here. Oil/Gas dependant state will find all in trouble when westerns countries won't rely on those ressources anymore. And the decline will start happening in the next decade or two.

 

But the most important point will be wheat on the short term. If Ukraine cannot plant, then they won't export. If they don't, lots of countries will find themselves close to starving. That point is not much talked about, but it'll be huge one if Ukraine can't do it.

[China]

Communication Breakdown: How Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Bogged Down

 

"We have no communication. We have no walkie-talkies. Nothing," a bedraggled Russian soldier tells his interrogators in a video published by Ukrainian defenders this month and posted to YouTube.

 

A mere three weeks into the war, such statements, along with intercepted chatter, captured equipment, and images of cheap, handheld transceivers, suggest that an inability to communicate -- up and down the chain of command and across branches of the Russian military -- is impeding Moscow's war plans.

 

And while military fortunes can swing quickly, in even major offensives like the one launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 to "demilitarize" and subdue Ukraine, many Western military experts suggest that the Kremlin and its planners botched key aspects of the early weeks of the invasion.

 

In Russia's case, the predicament has been on display over the first 24 days of this war through statements by captive troops, tapped conversations, and other clues posted by Ukrainian intelligence or others eager to highlight perceived weaknesses in the much larger invading forces, and reports suggesting an unsecured call might have aided Ukrainian forces in targeting at least one of four Russian generals who have reportedly been killed in the conflict.

 

Evidence suggests that some of the roots of the Russian communication lapses lie in mismanaged development and procurement processes for things like tactical military radios, undertrained and under-deployed specialists, and the challenges of operating on foreign soil, where the enemy controls not only cellular networks but also wired communications that frequently serve as a reliable backup channel.

 

Click on the link for more

[China]

Unprotected Russian soldiers disturbed radioactive dust in highly toxic Chernobyl ‘red forest’

 

Russian soldiers drove armoured vehicles without radiation protection through Chernobyl’s highly toxic “red forest”, kicking up clouds of radioactive dust, workers at the site have said.

A Chernobyl employee said the act was “suicidal” for the soldiers, who had seized the site of the nuclear disaster, because the radioactive dust they inhaled was likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies.

 

Radiation levels at Chernobyl had increased due to heavy military vehicles disturbing the soil, Ukraine’s state nuclear inspectorate said on 25 February. But until now, details of exactly what happened had not emerged.

 

The two Ukrainian workers were on duty when Russian tanks entered Chernobyl on 24 February and took control of the site, where staff are still responsible for the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and supervising the concrete-encased remains of the reactor that blew up in 1986.

 

Both said they had seen Russian tanks and other armoured vehicles moving through the red forest, which is the most radioactively contaminated part of the zone around the power station, about 100km north of Kyiv.

 

The red forest, so called because dozens of square kilometres of pine trees turned red after absorbing radiation from the explosion, is considered so highly contaminated that even the nuclear plant workers are not allowed to go there.

 

But the Russian military convoy went through the zone, the two employees said. One of them said it used an abandoned road.

 

“A big convoy of military vehicles drove along a road right behind our facility, and this road goes past the red forest,” said one of the sources.

 

“The convoy kicked up a big column of dust. Many radiation safety sensors showed exceeded levels,” he said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[The Sisko]

3 hours ago, DogofWar1 said:

Russia would actually be kinda dumb to fully pull back from the north, despite getting beat and pushed back there.  A major thing helping them in the south and east is Ukr forces being frozen around Kyiv and unable to disengage and reinforce.

The way it reads to me is exactly the opposite. I think they're being smart to pull back to the east/south where their supply lines are shorter and they have less territory to defend. It will allow them to concentrate more troops and resources in those areas which they're probably trying to hold onto just to salvage something out of this massive cluster****. That they've actually now started semi-serious negotiations is telling.

 

14 minutes ago, China said:

Communication Breakdown: How Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Bogged Down

 

"We have no communication. We have no walkie-talkies. Nothing," a bedraggled Russian soldier tells his interrogators in a video published by Ukrainian defenders this month and posted to YouTube.

 

A mere three weeks into the war, such statements, along with intercepted chatter, captured equipment, and images of cheap, handheld transceivers, suggest that an inability to communicate -- up and down the chain of command and across branches of the Russian military -- is impeding Moscow's war plans.

 

And while military fortunes can swing quickly, in even major offensives like the one launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 to "demilitarize" and subdue Ukraine, many Western military experts suggest that the Kremlin and its planners botched key aspects of the early weeks of the invasion.

 

In Russia's case, the predicament has been on display over the first 24 days of this war through statements by captive troops, tapped conversations, and other clues posted by Ukrainian intelligence or others eager to highlight perceived weaknesses in the much larger invading forces, and reports suggesting an unsecured call might have aided Ukrainian forces in targeting at least one of four Russian generals who have reportedly been killed in the conflict.

 

Evidence suggests that some of the roots of the Russian communication lapses lie in mismanaged development and procurement processes for things like tactical military radios, undertrained and under-deployed specialists, and the challenges of operating on foreign soil, where the enemy controls not only cellular networks but also wired communications that frequently serve as a reliable backup channel.

 

Click on the link for more

 

Quoted from the article above:

Quote

Reviews on radio forums like Radioscanner.ru, while impossible to independently corroborate, appear to suggest the Azarts are unpopular among troops.

 

Gee, I can't imagine why. The only thing these high tech radios are missing is a giant sign that says "Shoot The Target Below"

 

[skinsmarydu]

Reporter in Ukraine said the citizens have a new slogan for the marauding Russians:  We live on this land, but you'll die in it.

 

I like that. 

[visionary]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DogofWar1]

14 minutes ago, The Sisko said:

The way it reads to me is exactly the opposite. I think they're being smart to pull back to the east/south where their supply lines are shorter and they have less territory to defend. It will allow them to concentrate more troops and resources in those areas which they're probably trying to hold onto just to salvage something out of this massive cluster****. That they've actually now started semi-serious negotiations is telling.

 

Oh yeah, macro level it's the best play they have, to refocus on the Crimea land bridge and the Donbas, but what I was saying is they probably will keep some forces within artillery distance of Kyiv just to make sure that Ukraine doesn't feel zero pressure on Kyiv and can reinforce the south/east.  They'll leave just enough of a force that U will need to keep soldiers nearby.

[China]

26 minutes ago, visionary said:

 

 

 

Russian spokesperson at the scene in Belgorod:

 

[TradeTheBeal!]

 

[visionary]

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by visionary

[88Comrade2000]

There will be no real peace. Putin will feign a peace deal to draw Zelinsky out and on the day of such a deal to be signed; Zelinsky will be killed.

[LD0506]

3 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

But the most important point will be wheat on the short term. If Ukraine cannot plant, then they won't export. If they don't, lots of countries will find themselves close to starving. That point is not much talked about, but it'll be huge one if Ukraine can't do it.

 

This

Between hoarding and profiteering prices are already shooting up across northern Africa and the MidEast for basic staples, we'll have famine for Halloween, famine wars for New Years. Don't be surprised when this destabilizes multiple governments.

[Renegade7]

Heard rumors the soldiers in Snake Island survived, here's one of them getting a medal after Ukraine got them back from Russia

 

 

[visionary]

 

[China]

Russian Forces Driven Away From Kyiv as Ukraine Regains Territory and Kills Top Commander

 

Ukraine’s military says they have “eliminated” another Russian colonel, adding to a long list of high-ranking Russian military personnel wiped out in Putin’s war against Ukraine.

 

The Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on Tuesday that Colonel Denis Kurilo, the commander of the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade, was killed outside Kharkiv.

 

Kurilo’s reported death, on the 34th day of the Kremlin’s “special operation,” comes after at least seven Russian generals were killed in Ukraine, according to both Ukrainian and Western officials.

 

It also comes as the Ukrainian military announced several territorial gains, with the northeastern town of Trostyanets liberated from Russian troops and several areas outside Kyiv reported back in the hands of Ukraine. The military said territories in the Chernihiv region were also liberated.

 

The mayor of the town of Irpin outside Kyiv—which has been decimated by Russian bombs as Putin’s troops sought a foothold over the Ukrainian capital—said Russian forces had been completely pushed out.

 

Authorities there have begun the grim task of clearing out the dead, he said, adding that some of the bodies of those killed by Russian troops had apparently been mined.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Mining bodies?  Lovely.

[visionary]

 

[visionary]

 

[FrFan]