Russia invades Ukraine

[Cheese]

Syrskyi announced a new counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861437701242716191


Russia is going down

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861330821266719037

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861370592567406713


Multiple Russian channels are reporting that their forces "withdrew" from #Kupyansk and are calling the failed attempt to capture the city a "disgrace."

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861376892013592738


NATO has called for providing Ukraine with medium-range missiles with a range of 1,000 to 5,500 km

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861389633247916156


Rich Russians and Russian officials are very concerned about the information that Cyprus is allegedly planning to join NATO. It is known that many of them have assets, real estate there, and many relatives of the Russian leadership live there.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861373599405232292


With all resources going to destroying Ukraine and it's people, decaying Russian infrastructure continues to implode.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861343219151220902


In just one day, the #ruZZians donated $16,000,000 to the Armed Forces by buying the game of Ukrainian developers #STALKER2

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861332696691024221


Germany has announced that it will hand over IRIS-T short- and medium-range air defence systems to Ukraine before the Christmas holidays.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1861354546397687827

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I didn't realize they brought the case to the ICJ in 2023.

It would be nice to send our carrier to intimidate them, yes. But a rich G7 country like ours obviously can't afford to spend 2% of its GDP on defense.

lol, if Canada decided to declare war and punitively attack Iran we'd be spending a fk ton more than 2% GDP and it'd take us a couple decades to gear up for that.

Like, there's nothing we can do. A bully smacked our lunch tray out of our hand. Sometimes you gotta just take it.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Sliver

lol, if Canada decided to declare war and punitively attack Iran we'd be spending a fk ton more than 2% GDP and it'd take us a couple decades to gear up for that.

Like, there's nothing we can do. A bully smacked our lunch tray out of our hand. Sometimes you gotta just take it.

Sadly you are bang on.

Canada is rusted out.

Canadians don't care that the military is rusted out and way understaffed.

It is simple Canadians don't care about National Defense, never have & never will.

[Monahammer]

I thought the suggestion of a carrier was the funniest part at this point. Never mind attacking Iran on the other side of the planet, we don't even have enough operational planes to staff a single carrier in our airforce.

The canadian military is an absolute joke. We shouldnt even bother trying to make carriers or anything like that anyways- this war has shown that drones are the way forward, and we actually have the technical ability to become drone specialists. We should be building massive drone factories.

[RoadGame]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Sadly you are bang on.

Canada is rusted out.

Canadians don't care that the military is rusted out and way understaffed.

It is simple Canadians don't care about National Defense, never have & never will.

*Not enough Canadians care.

fwiw (and evidently that's not much) when politicians knock on my door defence is one of 2-3 topics I usually bring up. I particularly remember the election after F-35 was vetoed by fiat, I think the local MLA where I lived at the time honestly had no idea why 5th gen was important and maybe learned something.

Not mentioning this for internet points, rather I worry a little when I speak to veterans who feel abandoned by the broader population. Never forget that some of us do care, a lot. & not just on Nov 11th.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by RoadGame

*Not enough Canadians care.

fwiw (and evidently that's not much) when politicians knock on my door defence is one of 2-3 topics I usually bring up. I particularly remember the election after F-35 was vetoed by fiat, I think the local MLA where I lived at the time honestly had no idea why 5th gen was important and maybe learned something.

Not mentioning this for internet points, rather I worry a little when I speak to veterans who feel abandoned by the broader population. Never forget that some of us do care, a lot. & not just on Nov 11th.

You are just the exception to the rule.

Canadians don't care.

[CroFlames]

Everyone should care.

Your typical Ukrainian in 2021 wanted all the same things Canadians do - a decent wage, affordable housing, a car, some luxuries, etc. But they were ever mindful that security comes first.

In Canada we have been secure for so long, we forgot that it's important - in fact THE MOST important thing. Russia (and others, like Iran and China) have shown they will disrupt the international peace and order with impunity. Even our best friend is acting unpredictably in foreign affairs.

The price of eggs and gas may be the least of our worries if the Russian lays claim to all of Northern Canada and we can't defend it.

[Monahammer]

ha, if the US decided we needed a special operation, we would become peurto rico in like 24 hours. No way we could put up the resistance Ukraine has.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

ha, if the US decided we needed a special operation, we would become peurto rico in like 24 hours. No way we could put up the resistance Ukraine has.

I wasn't insinuating the US would attack us. But you are right that no one has a chance against the US.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Everyone should care.

Your typical Ukrainian in 2021 wanted all the same things Canadians do - a decent wage, affordable housing, a car, some luxuries, etc. But they were ever mindful that security comes first.

In Canada we have been secure for so long, we forgot that it's important - in fact THE MOST important thing. Russia (and others, like Iran and China) have shown they will disrupt the international peace and order with impunity. Even our best friend is acting unpredictably in foreign affairs.

The price of eggs and gas may be the least of our worries if the Russian lays claim to all of Northern Canada and we can't defend it.

Oh course everyone should care, but they don't.

And they never have.

I mean they worry abit once bullets start flying, but frankly beyond that it's nothing.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

You are just the exception to the rule.

Canadians don't care.

Unfortunately until Canadians are directly affected by events that require military intervention, we mostly rely on us being surrounded by 3 oceans and the US on the 4th side to protect us. Heck, I was the biggest pacifist around until I moved to Poland, learned about the brutal history that took place there including in the neighborhood I lived in, married a Ukrainian that lived a few kms from the russian border and got to live the domino effects of this war up close and personal.

You are right, we are way to reactionary and literally depend on the ocean and US to save us. Ridiculous. Canada absolutely must spend up more on defence or I guarantee we will regret it someday, somehow.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Unfortunately until Canadians are directly affected by events that require military intervention, we mostly rely on us being surrounded by 3 oceans and the US on the 4th side to protect us. Heck, I was the biggest pacifist around until I moved to Poland, learned about the brutal history that took place there including in the neighborhood I lived in, married a Ukrainian that lived a few kms from the russian border and got to live the domino effects of this war up close and personal.

You are right, we are way to reactionary and literally depend on the ocean and US to save us. Ridiculous. Canada absolutely must spend up more on defence or I guarantee we will regret it someday, somehow.

Canada should already be regretting it.......

[indes]

It's an absolute travesty that we don't have a functioning military. Are that many people actually opposed to building it back up? I think it's more that its an easy "out of sight, out of mind" cut for the government to make. We should at least be working on some way to contribute instead of just leech of the US. Drones is a good idea, tracking systems, any kind of technology. Just do something so we can actually be a part of the team instead of constantly playing the useless sidekick.

[RoadGame]

Originally Posted by indes

It's an absolute travesty that we don't have a functioning military. Are that many people actually opposed to building it back up? I think it's more that its an easy "out of sight, out of mind" cut for the government to make. We should at least be working on some way to contribute instead of just leech of the US. Drones is a good idea, tracking systems, any kind of technology. Just do something so we can actually be a part of the team instead of constantly playing the useless sidekick.

Given the role 155mm shells have played in the conflict (and potential future conflicts - Korea?), it seems like it should be within our grasp to simply commit to buying and storing vast quantities of shells to give the certainty required for factories - in Canada or elsewhere within NATO - the certainty needed to ramp production. Then in due course we could trade them with allies in exchange for systems (any ground-based air defence, maybe?) or defence support (RAF squadron to backfill NORAD commitments?) when required. I'm not saying that's the only thing we should do, but surely it's within our grasp despite utterly crippling problems with military procurement for complex systems.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I wasn't insinuating the US would attack us. But you are right that no one has a chance against the US.

Nobody without nukes, at least.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

The canadian military is an absolute joke. We shouldnt even bother trying to make carriers or anything like that anyways- this war has shown that drones are the way forward, and we actually have the technical ability to become drone specialists. We should be building massive drone factories.

Why not both? Drone carrier!

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by RoadGame

Given the role 155mm shells have played in the conflict (and potential future conflicts - Korea?), it seems like it should be within our grasp to simply commit to buying and storing vast quantities of shells to give the certainty required for factories - in Canada or elsewhere within NATO - the certainty needed to ramp production. Then in due course we could trade them with allies in exchange for systems (any ground-based air defence, maybe?) or defence support (RAF squadron to backfill NORAD commitments?) when required. I'm not saying that's the only thing we should do, but surely it's within our grasp despite utterly crippling problems with military procurement for complex systems.

I never thought of it like this. But I think this is a good idea.

Manufacture the biggest stockpile of shells in history.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Manufacture the biggest stockpile of shells in history.

Without the means to defend and deliver them you're just making things blow up easier for your opponents, no?

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

ha, if the US decided we needed a special operation, we would become peurto rico in like 24 hours. No way we could put up the resistance Ukraine has.

I keep a roll of fresh tape for my hockey stick. Let the bastards come!

[RoadGame]

Originally Posted by SebC

Without the means to defend and deliver them you're just making things blow up easier for your opponents, no?

We'd be building them expressly for the purpose of arming our allies and trading for what we need on shorter notice than we're able to buy/build ourselves.

Oh and it's implied that we'd want to store them a hell of a lot better than Russia stores theirs. Domestic construction job creation program.

It also seems (to me) a more credible path to closing the NATO GDP spend gap than vaporware submarines.