Sobering look at the withdraw from the city of Avdiivka. Although a lot of the reporting is showing that Russian won this battle at a huge cost, the cost is also huge for Ukraine in equipment, personnel, strategy and more. Lot's of talk about the lack of weapons but as this article is pointing out, a lot of poor strategy and decision making is really hampering Ukrainian offensive and defensive positions.
I also read another article about the choice the government is going to have to make here very soon with regards to additional manpower. Most of the best troops from Ukraine have been injured, killed and are facing exhaustion like no other from brutal fighting conditions.
There are enough reports of places like Kyiv being filled with young men and women just hanging out, having a good time in the bars and restaurants while other's are on the frontline paying the ultimate sacrifice.
If Ukraine is to actually push further and further out and regain enough land to be in a solid position to negotiate a a peace deal, they are going to need to have people, training, the best of the best equipment and more. They may need to do the unpopular position and draft and rotate about as many people as possible to assist in any way, shape or form. Everybody has a role to play in this battle and can assist.
I used to be extremely hopeful that Russia would actually flat out lose this war, Ukraine would win, good would prevail, democracy would win. Etc Etc. The more and more I see the more and more it looks like Ukraine will lose significant areas, vital land, have it's population and economy in taters and the western leaders will brag about how well of a job everybody did in supporting Ukraine and how Kyiv never fell to Putin.
Short of a miracle, how will we insure that Ukraine and the west get's over the hump in this? We can point to a lot of current and past issues with deadlocked Congressional support, EU dithering, Biden professing no need for F16's years ago and more but the reality is, the west is trying to get half pregnant with this whole thing and it's kind of starting to show.
What it would take is proper western support, especially US support.
Russia is making gains now largely because GOP has blocked arms support. Ukraine is running out of air defense, which is why Russia is starting to gain local air superiority, which allows them to do proper combined arms assaults.
Russia was and still is showing many signs of buckling economically, which would lose them the war. However, it won't matter if Ukraine loses the war before that happens. And if that happens would because the Republicans are Putins puppets, not because this war was unwinnable.
Putin has again and again made bets that the West doesn't have the political unity to stop him, and it's looking like we're proving him right.
The global cost of Russia winning this war would be absolutely horrific, it threatens to completely destabilize the world as it is today, paving away for more landgrabs and power politics, destroying the credibility of NATO powers, as an ally and a protector.
But none of this matters to the American Jihadist party that's hell bent on destroying the United States as it is, internally and externally.
Last edited by Itse; 02-19-2024 at 10:43 PM.
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Incredible analysis of everything that went wrong from the US perspective in assessing Ukraine, Putin, the US Government and military response and more. GEN Wesley K. Clark, USA (Ret.), the 12th Supreme Allied Commander, Europe gives his talk to CSIS ( Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He gives specific examples about errors made from before this and how if the US/NATO/West did some different things, it would have had a drastic affect in this.
Fascinating all around. Talks about the upcoming bill in the US House that is stalled, if it doesn't pass and the equipment isn't sent, then we are in real trouble with the size of the front and how close this front is to NATO.
I have asked this before, but when I try to include the Youtube link on the advanced settings, I get an error message loading the video. Do I just copy the link and use the Youtube URL?
Last edited by curves2000; 02-21-2024 at 10:28 AM.
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There has been some chatter in the news recently about protests (aka Polish freedom convoy) at the PL/UA border. Nobody can quite understand why the F Poles would be protesting so hard, flying soviet flags, etc. But it's become more apparent the past few days it's been a russian campaign to get certain like-minded people at the border blocking trucks that actually have humanitarian and military aid en route to the front lines. The russians have actually succeeded in actually some blocking military aid with this disinformation campaigns. Aid that is desperately needed at the front.
Interestingly enough, my wife and I spoke with my MIL yesterday who lives in Gdansk, PL. She told us there are russian nationals pretending to be russian speaking Ukrainian refugees, going around the city centre and trying to get people to sign up and join these protests around the country, promising to pay them 300 zl ($100 CAD) if they show up and take photos of themselves and post on their socials as proof. Quite a few photos online of people like this guy.
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In news hot off the press, it appears that Transnistria is planning to formally request annexation within Russia. It is likely to mean that Russia may start to use it as a new front against Ukraine, or attempt to take over Moldova. Annexation request of Donetsk and Luhansk Republics was the pretext that Putin use for his invasion of Ukraine.
In news hot off the press, it appears that Transnistria is planning to formally request annexation within Russia. It is likely to mean that Russia may start to use it as a new front against Ukraine, or attempt to take over Moldova. Annexation request of Donetsk and Luhansk Republics was the pretext that Putin use for his invasion of Ukraine.
How will Russia access this area with no air superiority, or without control of Western Ukraine?
Regardless, if this is a pretext for further annexation of Moldova, Europe is really in a pickle. At that point, you’d have to think gloves would need to come off, as the West is looking particularly weak.
Regardless, if this is a pretext for further annexation of Moldova, Europe is really in a pickle. At that point, you’d have to think gloves would need to come off, as the West is looking particularly weak.
Agreed
Is The West willing to accept body bags on the evening news.
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Captain James P. DeCOSTE, CD, 18 Sep 1993
It seems like a lot more downed Russian aircraft lately. Is this the result of additional AA installations or a tactic thing? Seems counter to the recent experience on the ground with lack of munitions/artillery.
