Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[Humberto]

A combination of piling more and more resources into Ukraine, a proportion of which will be scraping the barrel, 'popping smoke and declaring victory', and lashing out.

They, imv, do have the raw combat power to take Ukraine east of the Dneipner. However, it would mean stripping the entire Russian military of armour, artillery, and infantry, and combat aircraft, from Vladivostok to Murmansk, and the likelihood of taking material and personnel losses that Russia might take 10 years to recover from.

The question, which I simply don't - and won't pretend to - know the answer to, is whether Putin, and the wider power structures, is prepared to take the gamble of committing that force, and accepting the risk of having a seriously degraded military for the next decade, while the vultures circle....

Hope you are right. Let their enemy fuck themselves up, maybe. And those announcing support to never accept that the Russian governments' actions have any legitimacy. Ukraine will need to pick its battles, even so.

 

[Pickman's model]

Hope you are right. Let their enemy fuck themselves up, maybe. And those announcing support to never accept that the Russian governments' actions have any legitimacy. Ukraine will need to pick its battles, even so.

It's easier to pick your battles when you're not bring invaded

 

[Humberto]

It's easier to pick your battles when you're not bring invaded

The longer they hang in there the better their chances. I just hope their allies are smart enough and true to their word.

 

[Smangus]

The longer they hang in there the better their chances. I just hope their allies are smart enough and true to their word.

Sure they will, it's the best chance they have of de-clawing the bear by proxy they'll ever have.

 

[David Clapson]

Sadly not - some were city types and loaded to fuck, but they had the normal mix - a teacher, a stay-at-home mum (maybe those two hated kids?), a woman who was a regional manager for Next.

Regimental functions are a spectacle to behold though, they invited me and the family to a weekend when we got back. It was epic...

They have a ridiculously big stately home with a lawn as big as several cricket grounds right in the middle of the City. And they can get married at the Tower of London.

 

[Artaxerxes]

TBF, longbows were generally used at a much closer range than people tend to assume. At maximum range, a longbow struggles to even penetrate a linen gambeson and there is no point in wasting shafts and - more importantly - the stamina of your archers at such a range. Most shots would be fired at sub-100m ranges. The longbow does have a greater range than the crossbow, but most of that range is useless against a target with even nominal (eg: cloth) armour.

It’s always worth saying that armour was ludicrously effective against most bow fire a
and more so at range it was even good against melee- unlike movie armour which is basically cosmetic.

 

[two sheds]

Zelensky signs decree to introduce register of oligarchs.

The decree aims to implement the anti-oligarch law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2021. The law introduces the legal definition of an oligarch and requires officials to declare contacts with oligarchs. It also bans oligarchs from financing political parties, political ads, or...

kyivindependent.com

We could do with one of those.

 

[Pickman's model]

Zelensky signs decree to introduce register of oligarchs.

The decree aims to implement the anti-oligarch law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2021. The law introduces the legal definition of an oligarch and requires officials to declare contacts with oligarchs. It also bans oligarchs from financing political parties, political ads, or...

kyivindependent.com

We could do with one of those.

Which is why we'll never get it

 

[Pickman's model]

I took a detachment from HAC on my last Afghan tour. They were very good soldiers, I liked them enormously.

It was good of you to take then under your wing and take them around that most distressful country. What were the highlights of your trip?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Sir Richard Branson in Kyiv

The meeting in the war-torn country came after an invitation from Mr Zelensky to the billionaire.

www.standard.co.uk

As if Ukraine hasn't suffered enough.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I took a detachment from HAC on my last Afghan tour. They were very good soldiers, I liked them enormously.

Bet you sent them home with nice clean boots as well.

 

[existentialist]

billionaires after that were they

I don't reckon the king of the kebabs is that rich. Or that bad at poker...

 

[The39thStep]

Zelensky signs decree to introduce register of oligarchs.

The decree aims to implement the anti-oligarch law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2021. The law introduces the legal definition of an oligarch and requires officials to declare contacts with oligarchs. It also bans oligarchs from financing political parties, political ads, or...

kyivindependent.com

We could do with one of those.

Its a curious piece of legislation, especially considering how Zelensky's Party was funded but it seems to be a necessary condition of Ukraine's entry into the EU. I suspect its going to be part of the battle between Ukraine's capitalists and EU capitalists when the state owned industries are flogged off.

The criteria is :

A person, who meet any three of the following criteria may be declared “oligarch” by the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDCU):

1. A person takes part in political life (as defined by any of the following):

• a person occupies top-level public service positions in Ukraine (e.g. the President of Ukraine, members of the Parliament, members of the Government etc.) (top-level public servant); and/or
• a person is a close person or related person of the top-level public servant; and/or
• a person occupies managerial position in political parties; and/or
• a person finances political party’s activity, political agitations or political demonstrations.

2. A person has significant influence on mass media (as defined by any of the following):

• a person is the owner, UBO or controller of mass-media (MM principal); and/or
• a person, who transferred the MM principal status after November 7, 2021 to its related person or to a person, who doesn’t have a perfect business reputation (as provided by the Law).

3. A person is the UBO of the company, which has the natural monopoly status or dominant position on the market as set out in the Law of Ukraine “On Economic Competition Protection” and maintains or increases that position for more than one year in a row.

4. The total assets of a person (both personally and through the business where the person is the UBO), exceeds 1 million subsistence minimums established for able-bodied persons on January 1 of the respective year (in 2021 - approx. US$84 million).

The financial criteria works out to around £70m or 80m euros

 

[kebabking]

It was good of you to take then under your wing and take them around that most distressful country. What were the highlights of your trip?

We had an amazing, both relaxing and stimulating, sojourn in the mountains - lots of walking, opportunities for photography and wildlife watching, and the simply magical experience of waking up and watching the sun rise through the Himalaya.

We all enjoyed the desert safari as well - the only niggle was the service at the airport, which was frankly appalling...

 

[kebabking]

I don't reckon the king of the kebabs is that rich. Or that bad at poker...

One out of two....

 

[kebabking]

Bet you sent them home with nice clean boots as well.

You don't even know me.

 

[strung out]

Russian forces have withdrawn from Snake Island as a 'gesture of goodwill' (presumably to the mothers of all the soldiers there who kept getting blown up by rockets from the Ukraine mainland)

Ukraine fetes Russian pullback from strategic Snake Island outpost

Russia on Thursday withdrew from Snake Island, a craggy speck of land in the Black Sea, handing Ukraine a symbolically-potent political victory and depriving Moscow of a strategic outpost for its air defences and electronic warfare systems.

www.reuters.com

 

[Artaxerxes]

Zelensky signs decree to introduce register of oligarchs.

The decree aims to implement the anti-oligarch law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2021. The law introduces the legal definition of an oligarch and requires officials to declare contacts with oligarchs. It also bans oligarchs from financing political parties, political ads, or...

kyivindependent.com

We could do with one of those.

It’s only an oligarch if it’s someone we don’t like from overseas otherwise it’s a sensible and moderate business leader who has on influence on politics, like that nice Mr Murdoch

 

[IC3D]

It’s only an oligarch if it’s someone we don’t like from overseas otherwise it’s a sensible and moderate business leader who has on influence on politics, like that nice Mr Murdoch

Hostile takeovers in Ukraine have involved militia storming factories, attacks on courts and local government members.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Vlad meeting with his closest allies, sharing the love...

 

[Yossarian]

Russian President Vladimir Putin shot back at Western leaders who mocked his athletic exploits, saying they would look "disgusting" if they tried to emulate his bare-torso appearances.

Putin fires back, says Western leaders would look "disgusting" shirtless

At the G7 summit in Spain, several mocked the famous photo of the bare-chested Russian president riding a horse.

www.cbsnews.com

I think a use for Justin Trudeau has finally been discovered.

 

[Dystopiary]

Hostile takeovers in Ukraine have involved militia storming factories, attacks on courts and local government members.

Do you think that justifies the Russian invasion?

 

[Dystopiary]

Largest prisoner swap so far - 144 Ukrainian prisoners for 144 Russian prisoners.

Kyiv says 144 Ukrainian soldiers freed in largest prisoner swap

 

[Supine]

Vlad meeting with his closest allies, sharing the love...

View attachment 329683

Which one is IC3D?

 

[JimW]

Largest prisoner swap so far - 144 Ukrainian prisoners for 144 Russian prisoners.

Kyiv says 144 Ukrainian soldiers freed in largest prisoner swap

Strangely not gross.

 

[Dystopiary]

Strangely not gross.

A doesn't doesn'ts.

 

[The39thStep]

Largest prisoner swap so far - 144 Ukrainian prisoners for 144 Russian prisoners.

Kyiv says 144 Ukrainian soldiers freed in largest prisoner swap

Interestingly enough some reports say 48 of those are Azov . Dunno if it’s the ones with Nazi tattoos though .

 

[Dystopiary]

Interestingly enough some reports say 48 of those are Azov . Dunno if it’s the ones with Nazi tattoos though .

Which makes the Russian claims of the invasion being to rid Ukraine of nazis sound even more ludicrous than they did already.

 

[Chz]

Russian forces have withdrawn from Snake Island as a 'gesture of goodwill' (presumably to the mothers of all the soldiers there who kept getting blown up by rockets from the Ukraine mainland)

Ukraine fetes Russian pullback from strategic Snake Island outpost

Russia on Thursday withdrew from Snake Island, a craggy speck of land in the Black Sea, handing Ukraine a symbolically-potent political victory and depriving Moscow of a strategic outpost for its air defences and electronic warfare systems.

www.reuters.com

Ukraine strikes Snake Island with drones and SU-27s

Russia: Haha, fuck you, let me introduce you to my latest and best AA system, the Pantsir.

Ukraine strikes Snake Island with artillery

Russia: sad pikachu face

 

[The39thStep]

Which makes the Russian claims of the invasion being to rid Ukraine of nazis sound even more ludicrous than they did already.

Absolutely, especially as there were calls in Russia to put them on trial etc , but it was never about that anyway.
Equally ludicrous has been the denial that there are Nazis in the Ukraine .