I assume it will have to be American pilots and crew coming along with whatever Poland is provided in return for lending their Migs to Ukraine. Which means US servicemen based in Poland in significant numbers. Gotta wonder how Russia will view that.
Not necessarily. I think Poland has had F-16s for the last 15 years or so, so I imagine they'd either get more of those or get their F-35 order expedited.
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The only reasonable explanation is this is also a museum-airport, and they don't actually plan to use ####ing bi-planes. But then, I can't really be certain after seeing all the other videos of rusted out trash.
This would be a huge win for Russia. Aside from reparations, whatever they might be, Russia gets everything they want and Ukraine loses big time. Ukraine loses territory and security. What is to stop Russia from invading again? The only thing that would give Ukraine security would be to join NATO and I don't see that happening.
I don't think there is ever a guarantee that Russia would never invade again. They learned the game of nuclear blackmail. Some level of security would be achieved by having an enforceable de-militarized zone so that Russia could not stage their army close to Ukraine's border without being in violation. Before the war, Russia wasn't doing anything technically wrong. Countries are free to move their military and put them wherever they want within their own borders. With a de-militarized zone, the moment Russia breaches the agreement, the UN would be well within its right to immediately re-impose crippling sanctions.
I just think Donetsk and Luhansk are probably lost causes at this point. They have been at war there for 8 years and will always be a point of contention if they stay within Ukraine. I would rather see Russia not gain territory so maybe the best thing to do would make them buffer zone.
Russia might not be doing as well as predicted, but they are still gaining territory everyday. At some point, they are going to become so invested in the war that they are probably going to keep a lot of what they occupy either permanently or as further bargaining chips in future negotiations.
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This is as fascinating as it is predictable. Poland wants to completely divest itself of Russian made military armament. By moving all of the migs to Ukraine, they essentially put themselves in a pure parallel capability structure by securing F-16s from America. The issue from a Ukrainian perspective is to prioritize the wellbeing of pilots to fly the craft. The pilots lives become more important than the planes that they are flying, because there will be another plane ready for them if they make it back to base in one piece and their plane is compromised.
Poland no longer needs support from Russia for parts/service/upgrades to their fighters.
The US has an immediate client for parts and service for their planes sent to Poland. They also get to find a home with an ally for planes that are at the end of life for their own military only because they are being supplanted by new planes.
This is a win-win-win, and I hope that they move quickly.
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Not necessarily. I think Poland has had F-16s for the last 15 years or so, so I imagine they'd either get more of those or get their F-35 order expedited.
True, but they may not have the pilots to fly them. Can always cross train the Mig crews but that still takes time. Still, a great solution for all involved - Ukraine, Poland, and the US. Win-win-win.
Not necessarily. I think Poland has had F-16s for the last 15 years or so, so I imagine they'd either get more of those or get their F-35 order expedited.
It's already been reported that Poland is giving Ukraine all their Migs and the US is replacing them for Poland with F-16s. I think this is another report on the same agreement.
The only reasonable explanation is this is also a museum-airport, and they don't actually plan to use ####ing bi-planes. But then, I can't really be certain after seeing all the other videos of rusted out trash.
The Antonov An-2 biplane is sort of like the Soviet-era equivalent of long-lived Canadian bush planes like the Beaver or Otter. The design dates to 1947, but new models were still coming off the assembly line as recently as 2001. As light transports go, it's incredibly versatile and is capable of takeoff and landing on rugged, unprepared strips in very short distances. You wouldn't want to fly one in airspace where enemy forces are equipped with any kind of air defense systems, but they're a reliable option for delivering people or cargo to safe areas in the rear.
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Probably a lot more realistic than Ukraine's 10,000+ numbers, but it's still incredibly high. 4000 dead over 12 days of war is over 300 soldiers dying per day. I really don't see how Russia can maintain this invasion if they keep losing soldiers and equipment at this rate
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Probably a lot more realistic than Ukraine's 10,000+ numbers, but it's still incredibly high. 4000 dead over 12 days of war is over 300 soldiers dying per day. I really don't see how Russia can maintain this invasion if they keep losing soldiers and equipment at this rate
Probably a lot more realistic than Ukraine's 10,000+ numbers, but it's still incredibly high. 4000 dead over 12 days of war is over 300 soldiers dying per day. I really don't see how Russia can maintain this invasion if they keep losing soldiers and equipment at this rate
Historically, the Russian army regards 300 dead per day as a rounding error.
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Historically, the Russian army regards 300 dead per day as a rounding error.
Maybe in WWII. Only 15K Soviet soldiers died in 10 years in Afghanistan, about 10K in the two wars in Chechnya combined, and under 100 in Georgia. If Russia keeps losing 300 a day for the foreseeable future, this will be their deadliest war since WWII in a little over a month.
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