Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[planetgeli]

Ukraine war: Putin prompts fears that ‘the worst is yet to come’

Moscow aims to take ‘full control’ of Ukraine capital by diplomatic or military means, according to France

www.theguardian.com

So Putin initiated a 90 minute call with Macron. The reported initial outcome is what you would expect but if he’s talking for that time what back channel stuff is also going on. First tiny ray of hope off the battlefield or not?

Actually, fwiw, Putin did not tell Macron "the worst is yet to come".

Those are Macron's words not Putin's. The Grauniad has now corrected this.

 

[bimble]

Zelensky press conference just now- he used it to speak directly to Putin, invite him for one to one talks, saying ‘What are you afraid of’, and specifying that a normal sized table would be fine.

 

[Idris2002]

Putin gets in touch with his vintage hipster side, by recalling the Antonov A-2 biplane to the colours:

Russia Appears To Be Preparing Its Ancient An-2 Biplanes For War In Ukraine

A large number of the distinctive Cold War-era utility planes have appeared at an airfield close to the Ukrainian border.

www.thedrive.com

 

[existentialist]

Zelensky press conference just now- he used it to speak directly to Putin, invite him for one to one talks, saying ‘What are you afraid of’, and specifying that a normal sized table would be fine.

Some Ukrainian MPs were speaking earlier on, and the contrast between these vibrant, mostly young, smart people - men and women - and the scripted deadpan of the Russian hierarchy is striking.

Of course, it helps that most of the Ukrainian MPs were speaking in good English, so there's probably a bit of bias on my part there.

 

[The39thStep]

tbf Modi is another fucking nationlist wanker who should get shoot by someone in his own admistration

nasty cunt

I noticed that India leases it's nuclear submarines from Russia. I wander if that might be why.

India signs $3 billion contract with Russia for lease of a nuclear submarine

Under the pact, Russia will have to deliver the Akula-1 class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to the Indian Navy by 2025.

www.defensenews.com

Hasn't Russia and India had a 'special relationship' for donkey years , pre-Modi?

 

[bimble]

Z being so good at being on camera is probably quite a big factor in how things have gone so far, shouldn’t be the case but I think it is.

 

[existentialist]

Z being so good at being on camera is probably quite a big factor in how things have gone so far, shouldn’t be the case but I think it is.

I think you're right. PR matters. Not to mention the fact that he appears to be walking his talk.

 

[Dogsauce]

Putin gets in touch with his vintage hipster side, by recalling the Antonov A-2 biplane to the colours:

Russia Appears To Be Preparing Its Ancient An-2 Biplanes For War In Ukraine

A large number of the distinctive Cold War-era utility planes have appeared at an airfield close to the Ukrainian border.

www.thedrive.com

Probably just wants Ukraine to waste all those nice new stinger anti-aircraft missiles on old junk before he sends in the good stuff.

 

[platinumsage]

Hasn't Russia and India had a 'special relationship' for donkey years , pre-Modi?

Yeah they see Russia as the only county that can really help them with their ongoing border dispute with China, plus they import lots of food and raw materials from them.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Who do you imagine you're helping?

Fuck off, you waste of human DNA.

 

[A380]

Putin gets in touch with his vintage hipster side, by recalling the Antonov A-2 biplane to the colours:

Russia Appears To Be Preparing Its Ancient An-2 Biplanes For War In Ukraine

A large number of the distinctive Cold War-era utility planes have appeared at an airfield close to the Ukrainian border.

www.thedrive.com

They are old but still good. Build like tractors, and can get in and out of short unmade up strips, a lot cheaper than helicopters to operate and lose. Not sure I'd want to fly one where people on the ground had half decent MANPADS though. I might think the cheapness extended to my life.

 

[Ax^]

Hasn't Russia and India had a 'special relationship' for donkey years , pre-Modi?

aye even before Putin, they been playing india off china since at least the 1960's

does not stop Modi being a nasty cunt

 

[Dogsauce]

Does Russia not have any fancy unmanned drones too? They must do, right? They’ve been around for a good decade or so.

 

[kebabking]

robably just wants Ukraine to waste all those nice new stinger anti-aircraft missiles on old junk before he sends in the good stuff.

That, and they are cheap cruise missiles.

 

[RD2003]

Fuck off, you waste of human DNA.

It's just amusing that some on here think they're actually participating in a war.

 

[andysays]

Sounds like very limited progress from today's negotiations

17:54 Talks end 'without results we hoped for' - Ukrainian negotiator

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak says that "with a great regret" the latest talks between Russia and Ukraine "haven't achieved the results we were hoping for". But he says the two sides agreed to continue negotiations in "the nearest future".

"The only thing I can say is that we discussed the humanitarian aspect in details, because quite a lot of cities are now surrounded," he says.

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak says the sides have reached an understanding on "jointly securing humanitarian corridors to evacuate peaceful civilians, and also on supplying medicine and food to the places of the most fierce fighting".

He adds there is a possibility, "I stress, with a possibility of a temporary ceasefire for the evacuation period in certain sectors".

 

[existentialist]

It's just amusing that some on here think they're actually participating in a war.

I think that's just what you desperately want to believe. I find, in very sharp contrast to other corners of the Internet, that the discussions here are remarkably sober and completely not that desperate fantasy you seem to have that everyone's roaring around giving it their best Boy's Own.

 

[spitfire]

Putin gets in touch with his vintage hipster side, by recalling the Antonov A-2 biplane to the colours:

Russia Appears To Be Preparing Its Ancient An-2 Biplanes For War In Ukraine

A large number of the distinctive Cold War-era utility planes have appeared at an airfield close to the Ukrainian border.

www.thedrive.com

That's a really interesting article and they are a lot more adaptable/useful than you would think.

Does smell a bit desperate though, a slight whiff of "cunning plan...".

 

[cupid_stunt]

It's just amusing that some on here think they're actually participating in a war.

No one is doing that, Rodney.

 

[Ax^]

It's just amusing that some on here think they're actually participating in a war.

don't you only post on east europe related threads with a pro Moscow point of view


post a picture of a cat or something

 

[existentialist]

don't you only post on east europe related threads with a pro Moscow point of view

Have we got our own Putinbot?

 

[bimble]

The ongoing & imaginative attempts to talk directly to Russian people are pretty brilliant.

 

[RD2003]

aye even before Putin, they been playing india off china since at least the 1960's

does not stop Modi being a nasty cunt

Cunts are not allowed an independent foreign policy, it seems. Curb your independence in the name of Ukrainian independence.

 

[RD2003]

I think that's just what you desperately want to believe. I find, in very sharp contrast to other corners of the Internet, that the discussions here are remarkably sober and completely not that desperate fantasy you seem to have that everyone's roaring around giving it their best Boy's Own.

Types and then thinks 'Oh it's only him' and stops.

 

[existentialist]

Types and then thinks 'Oh it's only him' and stops.

Oooooh, the burn

 

[Smangus]

So will the Western powers consider the Russian Army a bit of a joke now? The whole op starting to look very ragged. Apart from the obvious massive firepower potentially at hand.

But -

They can't suppress the anti aircraft defence.

Large parts of the Army are obviously under trained and under equipped.

Seems vehicles haven't been/ are not maintained properly

Logistics is obviously a nightmare.

All leading to very poor morale amongst uninformed troops. Although this will vary.


Seems to me also that the hand held missiles vs tanks, aircraft and other vehicles is potentially game changing. A bit like battleships vs aircraft in ww2.

 

[RD2003]

don't you only post on east europe related threads with a pro Moscow point of view


post a picture of a cat or something

You can read my posts and find that I've sporadically posted on a variety of subjects if you wish.

Is anything that goes against the glib consensus a pro-Moscow view or is it just that people have become very excitable over the past week?

 

[eatmorecheese]

aye even before Putin, they been playing india off china since at least the 1960's

does not stop Modi being a nasty cunt

Militarily close for years (equipment sales iirc), but increasingly economically close over the last 25 years. A lot of Russian nationals have opened businesses in the tourism sector (Goa etc) and have invested a fair bit of cash I'd have thought. Modi is a cunt, true, and watching with interest.

 

[Ax^]

tbf when Lukashenko fixed the election in Minsk where you not arguing fair play to Russia

thats what i mean when i bring it up fella

being a bit of tankie is not that bad a thing , having a history of wishing well on another dictator during this shite is not a a good look

 

[A380]

... On urban too. We even have 'funny' memes about IKEA flat pack weaponry...

We have a war in Europe that is killing and maiming thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers and thousands of young Russian men and boys, most of whom were probably just seeking a better life for themselves and their families. There is a chance of wider expansion to kill and maim more people. For the first time since the late 80s and my CND days I (and I suspect many others) have this tiny but niggling fear that I could suddenly see a bright flash to the South or North East of me and see a second sun come to earth. We are losing focus on the existential threat that faces us and the rest of the worlds eco systems and the small chance we might have had to avert that may be significantly damaged by this. And, on a comparatively minor note, there is likely to be a significant recession or maybe a depression across the world with the suffering that will cause.

If you deal with pain, and blood and shit (real and metaphorical) and death regularly you learn to laugh where you can, or you die spiritually, emotionally or literally. And you are certainly not in a position to help others.

"With brittle intellectuals, Who crack beneath a strain--John Bunyan met that helpful set in Charles the Second's reign."

How dare you sit there in your pomposity and tell us we can't laugh as well as cry. How dare you.