Russia invades Ukraine

[Hack&Lube]

Flightradar24.com is slammed, people are using it to track aircraft movements across Ukrainian airspace. I was watching a livestream and a guy was able to detect Blackhawk helicopters, etc. from the flight data.

[Minnie]

Leader of Russian Space Agency, Dmitry Rogozin making all kinds of threats on twitter right now. Basically threatening to de-orbit the ISS. The translation isn't exact, but that's the gist.

[Harry Lime]

Looking at the Ministry of Defense message, it's an interesting tidbit that the US and any ally with satellite coverage can give very detailed information about troop movements to Ukraine. Their intel moment to moment is probably very good.

[agulati]

Nm

[FlamesAddiction]

I am interested to see how much of Ukraine Russia annexes when all is said and done. Obviously Crimea is a done deal. I still see some maps showing it as occupied Ukrainian territory, but I don't see it ever returned.

Initially, Russia said they were recognizing the secession of the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics based on the area controlled by the rebels, but then later changed that to the entire regions as legally defined. You can bet that Russia simply annexes these areas like they did Crimea. Stating the obvious there.

Now the question is what happens to the coast between the Donbass region and Crimea. They ae focusing heavily here and most likely want to keep a land connection between Crimea and mainland Russia. Now that they intend on occupying the area, I would assume that they also keep it. I would not be surprised if by the end of the war, everything east of the Dnipro is annexed by Russia, and the remainder of Ukraine is made into a puppet satellite state.

[agulati]

Originally Posted by Minnie

Leader of Russian Space Agency, Dmitry Rogozin making all kinds of threats on twitter right now. Basically threatening to de-orbit the ISS. The translation isn't exact, but that's the gist.

Woof. That is absolutely crazy.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Looking at the Ministry of Defense message, it's an interesting tidbit that the US and any ally with satellite coverage can give very detailed information about troop movements to Ukraine. Their intel moment to moment is probably very good.

Russian troop movements were all available on public photo satellite sources like Maxar prior to the invasion too.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

Ukraine claiming Russian transport aircraft inbound to set up a puppet government. Will be difficult for them to land if the airport has been retaken by Ukrainian forces.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496933088034627584

Meanwhile Isreali Broadcaster Corporation say the Germans and Italians are blocking SWIFT sanctions against Russia. Embarrassing.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496910703944470530

Naive question but why can't or won't the Ukrainians blast that plane out of the sky?

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496910952004038666


An actual tyrannical government

[JoseCuervo]

Ukrainian Joint Force Command Facebook : According to the Joint Forces Command, in the Hlukhov area the Ukraine's army used Javelins and neutralized a column of 15 Russian T-72 tanks, General Staff says

[Locke]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496910952004038666


An actual tyrannical government

Wow. That was so efficient its actually impressive.

That was like a 'Police Flash-Mob.'

One second they're there and the next they're gone.

"Protest? What Protest? I saw no protest. Never happened. Fake news."

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by Locke

Wow. That was so efficient its actually impressive.

That was like a 'Police Flash-Mob.'

One second they're there and the next they're gone.

"Protest? What Protest? I saw no protest. Never happened. Fake news."

That's hilarious.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by JoseCuervo

Ukrainian Joint Force Command Facebook : According to the Joint Forces Command, in the Hlukhov area the Ukraine's army used Javelins and neutralized a column of 15 Russian T-72 tanks, General Staff says

Every time I read 'Ukrainian Joint Force Command' all I can think about is a bunch of stoned Generals sitting around a board-room table getting baked.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by JoseCuervo

Ukrainian Joint Force Command Facebook : According to the Joint Forces Command, in the Hlukhov area the Ukraine's army used Javelins and neutralized a column of 15 Russian T-72 tanks, General Staff says

I really hope these reports of Ukrainian successes are really true and not Iraqi general true

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

They may also find Volodymyr Zelenskyy and execute him, although that will prove to more difficult than they thought.

It would be awesome if a comedian actor became president then folk hero resistance fighter. If Ukraine and him survive longer term the guy's story will be legendary. Not that it isn't already.

[Azure]

Shocking that Germany, a country completely dependent on Russian natural gas, would argue against kicking Russia off the SWIFT network.

Shocking.

[zamler]

Ovechkin is in an awkward position given his open support of Putin.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Bonded

For all the talk of failure to prepare for this conflict from the West, what were the realistic options? Put the boots on the ground and help defend in advance of this attack and then really kick off a war with a potentially unhinged leader or give Ukraine weapons that could be seized and taken over by Russia?



The swift thing is interesting as well outside of the energy issues Germany would face, it could funnel money through China and crypto networks.



Lots of moving parts

It really depends on how much Nato and Europe values Ukrainian independence? Would doing a buildup of Nato heavy equipment and aircraft deterred Putin's aggression and willingness to invade? Its possible. Its far difference for the Russian's facing 600 tanks for example most of which are almost obsolete. The facing 600 Ukrainian tanks backed up by a heavy brigade of advanced Leopards M1A1's and Challenger tanks backed up by on call F-35's, F-22s and other magic jets?


Possibly. Instead we got a fractured and confused reaction by the UN and NATO that could be classified as weak by a person like Putin.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by zamler

Ovechkin is in an awkward position given his open support of Putin.

And the fact his wife and family are in Russia. I love me some good old fashioned red bashing as much as the next guy but ovechkin has to be very careful how he reacts to this publicly.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by chedder

Naive question but why can't or won't the Ukrainians blast that plane out of the sky?

If they don't control the area close enough around the airport, they can't target the incoming aircraft. Large AA emplacements (which Ukrainians have limited of) are big targets for Russian air power/special forces if they haven't already been hit, smaller AA equipment (i.e. stinger type/MANPAD infantry shoulder launched weapons) will have limited targeting range.

Props to Ukrainians. Retaking the airstrip is a huge and no small task since that was given to Russian paratrooper special forces. This delays Russia's plans to set up a puppet government significantly.