"The 1980's are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

Good thread:

Supposedly one of the reasons the commanders are having to move forward is that their comms are so shitty troops are outrunning their radio range.

To which someone posted:

Not only are the Russians losing expensive, modern tanks, but they're commiting obsolete models to the battle, as well.

A British WW II general (I think it was Slim) was quoted as saying that nothing was better for a foot soldier's morale than to occasionally come across the body of a dead general. However, I doubt if any Russian commanders would be amused by that quote.

Are they just using generic VHF radios? What equipment?

Do we need a separate thread for the non-military aspects of this conflict?


If the below tweet is accurate. HOLY FUCK!

Begun the meme wars have.
OR
The POGs Strike Back

Many of the sites I occasionally visit seem to have gone down in the last 24 hours.



(EDIT: Yes, I posted this in the right thread.)

Apparently. And also mobile phones. Which would explain why they haven’t taken out the civilian comms network.

Good read.

I get why nobody wants to put boots on the ground or planes in the air...it would kick off WWIII. But why not do what Putin did in 2014 writ large? Have USAREUR lose all the insignia and march from Poland to Moscow while Biden says, "I don't know who those guys are."

How do we know that it isn't happening now?

Because there isn't a NOT NATO flag already flying over the Kremlin.

I suspect this is not going how Putin wanted it to go.

A combination of smart and well-trained Ukrainian fighters (with a little supply help from friendly countries) and poor morale in the Russian military is definitely helping.

I also think Putin anticipated sanctions... but the speed, ferocity and sheer breadth of the sanctions is crippling Russia and likely surprised even him.

Normally, I'd say this is good news.

But Putin is batshit insane and has nuclear weapons.

Instead of a "false flag" operation, more like a "no flag" operation? Anyway, I suspect the Ukrainians are getting a lot more help in terms of hardware (with serial numbers filed off) and manpower than anyone wants to talk about. But I could be wrong.

I can’t NOT see the wheels/tires in all these pics now:

I saw an article that part of the problem with Russia's vehicles is cheap Chinese tires which have been following apart due to lack of regular maintenance and general crappy quality. Interesting if true

Even the Chinese may be having second thoughts.

China broke its silence on Ukraine to say it is "gravely concerned" about the safety of Ukraine's nuclear plants after Russia attacked one on Friday. "China attaches great importance to nuclear safety and is gravely concerned about the safety and security situation of nuclear facilities in Ukraine," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a Friday press conference.

Beijing has avoided outright condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin since he launched a full invasion into Ukraine.

Earlier this week, China abstained on voting at the United Nations to sanction Russia and demand the withdrawal of Russian troops. Last week, it also criticized Western nations for imposing sanctions on Russia over the invasion, saying that punishment never works.

That being said, China has appeared to distance itself from Russia in recent days.

On Monday, Wang told reporters that China and Russia were "comprehensive strategic partners of coordination" — a notable change from the Chinese foreign ministry's announcement just last year that the two countries were "better than allies."

It looks to me like China is just hedging it's bets, but it will be interesting to see if the relationship evolves as the conflict drags on.

If true this means massive conscription (Russias reserves are just those who have done their military service, so basically all men). Which would explain the rumored imposition of martial law.

The Russians expected a cakewalk but things have gone so far south, that they're going to throw everything at Ukraine in hopes of pulling out a victory.

The Russians may yet have enough to overcome the debacle they're in, but this will be the epitome of a pyrrhic victory. The only thing they have to gain now is to avoid the humiliation of failure.

Break it off!