Royal Air Force Air Marshal Ed Stringer told ‘The OSINT Bunker’ podcast that Russia is failing to adapt, and its air force is showing a level of desperation, acting only in areas it feels safe and using rocket-based ‘terror’ tactics elsewhere.
Royal Air Force Air Marshal Ed Stringer, talking to the OSINT Bunker Podcast, said:
“It just shows the desperation, because here we are talking about can you learn, what, 5 months into the conflict as you suggested before, and the Russian Air Force just doesn’t seem to even want to begin to think about establishing the sort of air campaign we would consider as a pretty essential thing to be doing, and as you’ve suggested they are using their aircraft largely over territory that they control and where they clearly feel safe. Beyond that, they’re using it would appear, a range of guided and semi-guided rockets now in what you’d have to say just looks like a terror campaign.
But, as Ukraine is showing us at the moment, you’ve got to keep adapting and he who adapts quickest wins, I mean that is Darwinism, and having institutions that take years and years and years to do quite simple upgrades on most of our aircraft is not a war-winning capacity.”
Stringer added, “The Russia of today is a gangster-state”.
I’m not going to go too into detail on what was said, you’re better listening for yourself. In the most recent episode of the podcast, the panel discussed their guests’ military service in the RAF, NATO conventional war capabilities, the future of unmanned aerial vehicles in combat and Russia’s failure to adapt during the Ukraine war.
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You can listen here or find the podcast on most audio streaming platforms, including Spotify and TuneIn. We’ve also included a link to all the episodes on this page if that’s easier for you.
What is OSINT? For those who don’t know, OSINT stands for open-source intelligence, which refers to any information gathered from public sources about an organisation, event, individual etc. In practice, that tends to mean information found on the internet, but technically any public information falls into the category of OSINT, whether it’s books or reports in a public library, articles in a newspaper or statements in a press release.
Episodes typically cover the UK and international defence matters.
Good stuff.
Coming from the Raf that’s a bit rich – the last time the crabs actually shot down a jet was in 1982 over Germany- unfortunately for them it was one of their own (you couldn’t make it up) lol !! Fund the British Army not the Raf..
It is odd how the Russian airforce has been almost completely nullified. If they had been operating as you would expect in a modern war, the various long range artillery options used by Ukraine would be countered, as they could be rapidly targeted and destroyed from the air.
Russian/soviet military doctrine and corresponding gearing appears to have been entirely planned around defensive actions, which is odd when you consider that the west was worried about Russia attacking across the Western front. They don’t appear to have learnt lessons from the west, such as iraq1 etc or even their own recent past like Syria.
At the start of the war I thought that maybe they hadn’t moved enough aircraft forward because they expected it to be an easy way, but clearly enough time has now passed to indicate that isn’t the case and the airforce just isn’t very effective.
Does Russia have the capacity to replace losses of fast jets on any significant scale? I wonder if they’re being hyper-cautious because- having sent their land forces into the grinder- the depletion of the airforce on top of that would leave little to threaten NATO.
Thats what I’m wondering. On the flip side they don’t seem to mind about losing hundreds of tanks and thousands of other vehicles, which they won’t be able to replace either. Not to mention the level of missiles/shells used that will take decades to restock I would assume
In for a penny, in for a pound. They expected a quick takeover and it became a quagmire. They can’t pull out now as it would endanger the regime as well as humiliate the country.
Hence keep feeding poorly trained and poorly equipped units into the meatgrinder just like they did in Finland in 1939.
No they do’t.
Most of the avionics were either made in Ukraine or imported from France. That is all shut off.
On the older airframes key bits of them were made in Ukraine.
My hypothesis is that in order to support export drives and ongoing support, as well as corruption, parts were being stripped from RuAF jets with the pretence that all was OK in the hope that the newer export. models would then sell well.
Added to that I would further speculate that NATO has messed up, with EW and other dark arts, key bits of Russia’s digital infrastructure. This would affect the use of planes, drones and other high end bits of kit.
I actually don’t think Russians ever had much in the way of digital infrastructure from a military perspective.
They’ve never really bothered with communications or command and control and this war doesn’t seem to be any different.
Russia doesnt have the former ussr war industry economy wich they had when it was ussr.now a days its gobbled up by corrupted officials and lack funding so almost nothing new or gamechanging is being developed by russia now a days.even su 57 is only developed to keep on par with nato,s f35 and f22.but its still unproven as is the armata tank
Not odd at all. The Russians knew their air force was trash hence investment in Iskander and Kalibr land/sea launched ballistic and cruise missiles missiles and hence they retained massive artillery capability. Also hence focus on developing air defences ala Tor, Buk, S300/350/400.
The west also knew the Russian air force was poor from observations on operations in Syria which were pretty much stuck in around 1943-45. West also knew air crews got limited air time and that PGM stocks were low.
Soviets and Russians practiced “active defense” ie lots of minor offensive actions designed to limit enemy ability to properly coordinate an assault.
It’s why a Russian battalion tactical group has virtually no infantry (200 men if lucky), not much recce, but packs 8-12 artillery pieces and 10-20 tanks.
Basically punch with artillery and tanks and then disengage and pull back.
As an offensive formation it has no staying power and is extremely brittle (as proven in Ukraine both in 2014 and 2022).
Russian and Soviet air force never was regarded as a decisive tool. The Russians view ground attack as “flying artillery”. The Russian/Soviet commanders knew their airforce was qualitatively poorer than anything the west had so seemed to use it to run interference against western airforce instead of obtaining air superiority.
Hence whilst USAF squadrons started receiving F-15 and F-16s in late 1970s and early 1980s the Soviets were still introducing MiG-21Bis and MiG-23s into frontline service! MiG-21/-23 won’t stop an F-15 or F-16 but will keep them occupied whilst the Su-17/-24s do their work pounding pre-registered targets.
Russian now lack the volume needed to maintain this kind of operation. They have an air force that was always third rate (even in WW2 compared to allies) which they’re trying to use in a first rate kind of way.
They have no idea about ‘combined arms’ – which the germans used very successfully in ww2!
One commentator recently said, ‘The Russian troops are mainly blokes with guns, not soldiers.’ If true, there appears to be poor training at the heart of the Russian armed forces? On another subject, is Ukraine receiving arms from countries direct, if so, would it be wiser to use NATO as the supply conduit thereby ensuring a constant flow of supplies?
If NATO was being used to deliver weapons into Ukraine physically Russia could very easily use this as a justification for ‘escalation’ which NATO clearly wants to avoid.
The UN may be the only way of doing what is suggested.
Rzeszow in Poland seems to be the location through which supplies are fed into Ukraine .
Russian army has never done training. It’s always been a top down system with lower level officers merely conduits for orders from above and NCOs primarily responsible for discipline. Initiative is frowned upon. There’s little scope for properly trained soldiers here.
I’ve always maintained that the Russian (and Soviet) army never moved past 1812 or even 1721.
Essentially its command structure and organisational culture never moved past the musket era. It’s only modification was to embrace mass firepower in WW2.
Of course such a rigid model worked back when it was blocks of troops armed with smoothbore muskets.
It worked in WW2 but with massive often unwarranted casualties.
But given proliferation of modern communications and modern tactics, it’s value is coming down.
After it’s bad performance in 2008 war against Georgia, Russia went to reform its army into something modern. These reforms were led by defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
Apparently most of the military high command were very opposed to these reforms and did their best to not implement them.
His replacement Sergei Shoigu was much more willing to accommodate the generals and reversed most of the reforms. He also pumped money into vanity projects like keeping ancient obsolete hulking warships in service.
So the Russian military continued on its 18th century pathway to irrelevance and possibly destruction.
A fascinating observation Dead 1. Zukoff’s (I think that’s how you spell it?) method of mine clearance was to force troops across mine zones at pace! No time for sentiment or moral judgments just the constant need to move forward. The lack of training is plain to see in Ukraine and sadly, many men and women will die due to that policy.
Soviet doctrine still seems to persist. I normally do not take what our media and defence “experts” peddle as gospel, much is just propaganda. Putin is not going anywhere soon, too entrenched. Alexandr Dugin is heavily influencing Putin and others. Their belief is they are openly challenging globalism and liberalism. That a world order based on older “empires” will protect different cultures, races and faiths. Always worth looking at both sides of a coin. Does not help the poor innocents getting blown up of course, never does.
Our ‘defence experts peddle’? are these the same pedlars who said Russia would invade and most others said they would not. Media peddle? This is the same media like the BBC and sky making good journalism from the front lines with human stories, I don’t think Steve Rosenberg is a ‘peddler’. Am I a peddler now?
That is my view. Yours differs. To say the BBC and Sky offer “good journalism”? Debatable, very. You seem triggered by alternative narratives, so if you want to be seen as a peddler? That is your choice.
😂
Defense experts are telling a story that will get them paid for repeat appearances. If they are not stupid they will realise that oversimplified statements will achieve that, no one wants to hear a defense expert lay out pro/cons with rational of an argument along with risks etc, they just want a simple definitive statements.
That’s not to say they are doing bad reporting, it just means you have to apply critical thinking when you take in the info and collect from lots of sources.
Same with the media, it’s there to sell stories not report facts, anyone that seriously thinks otherwise is nieve, that has been the case since year dot. That’s not to say they want to mislead, they just have an overarching need to sell their product.
Critical thinking sums it up.
The most irritating is when you see a news reporter interviewing another news reporter about a said event, eg 2 of them outside Downing Street posing their own questions and the other journalist responding as though they are in the know. I recall seeing the news as a kid and it was a guy reading out facts from a piece of paper, that was it. Now it’s whatever story you want to believe.
Its always been the same, who do you think drafted that piece of paper, it would either have been the press office of downing Street (clearly unbiased) or another reporter. Its just that so many news sources available to us these days and general people no longer blindly believing the news.
I know, the simplicity back then was often unchallenged. But the answer is not to simply say I don’t believe all news from big organisations. There is some merit to organisations like, Reuters and BBC. I’m a news junkie to will take the time to cross check news and analysis, but most people have a life and don’t have the time for all that, understandably. Although most people can detect bullxxx when they hear it.
Biggest problem with news these days is the speed, very little time to fact check things and so mistakes happen. in the printed press days, you would have several hours or more to fact check and let the story progress before having to go to print, now you have minutes. Plus very few news sites are truly objective, as they are owned by rich families that have a reason for running a news site.
“No one wants to hear…” Don’t forget there are a few folk like ourselves who actually would love a far more detailed reporting of strategy being employed by both sides.
Fair, more talking general public. We live in an era of very short attention spans.
Well the BBC like most western nations media are allowed and does on daily basis hold their governments to account , Russian state media obviously does not , head of RT went on Russian state news trying to persuade Russians that Russia should nuke the west and its ok if we all die of nuclear warfare at least we are western free , thats a bit of a difference lol. You trying to push the view of the BBC being propaganda is a bit of a long stretch lol!! they are one of the best impartial news out there , so who are you comparing the BBC too? some YT channel that spouts conspiracy theories against NGO, and the CIA?
The BBC is not perfect but it is more impartial than most.
This most sensible of all the answers, the Russia does not go to war wanted to win the war in few week. Along drawn out war is what Russia planned.they were trying to challenge the world order., my concern is with this analysis like the one in the article is a propaganda for a feeble minded individual abd and it’s the Ukraine that suffers
Spot on, Putin will long haul this one until he gets his way. A gas-starved Europe and hungry mid-east/north Africa will soon end sanctions. There is way too much propaganda and not enough critical thinking and analysis of Russian motives sadly.
Rather than do what I normally do and write my view on what the Air Marshall has said, which if the past is anything to go by, apart from a few relevant comments draws a string of mainly unrelated bile, I am going to ask some questions.
Name any conflict where NATO aircraft have faced the kind of variety of AD in depth that Ukraine has?Name any NATO country with anywhere near the AD capability of Ukraine?Suggest ways that an attacking force could neutralise effective mobile AD units that only need to expose themselves by turning on their own radar for very short target aquisition as they are fed most targeting data by untouchable assets?Would you as an Air Force Commander send your aircraft over territory where significant AD assets were operating which were effectively immune to your SEAD activity?
I’d look at both the Iraq wars of 1991 and 2003 as pretty much a text book example of how to use air power against an integrated air defence system.
Now don’t you go answering his questions with perfectly reasonable answers🙄😂
😄👍
Hopefully you are now do us all a favour and do one👍
Dream on. I am the unwanted guest at the party here. Stepping up and giving some unwanted information that might impact everyone else’s delusions. Regard my role here as educational.
Another question, if we keep on supplying advanced weapons will Russia shoot down an RQ-4 or satellite over the Black Sea?.
Yep, the Jimmy Sav supporters club is another site!
Thanks, a sensible answer. A text book definitely for there and then. But Iraq is not the same geography as Ukraine, in terms of forests and villages to hide in. Or had the ability to use SAM radars minimally.
Scoot and shoot is the real aircraft killer which was not really an option back then as they just got a HARM on them, often before firing.
Look how difficult the limited AD of Serbia proved to be.
Actually johnski Russia has not been in any major conventional conflict with a semi peer/peer since WW2 and it is telling that Russia has no clue apart from using artillery style WW2 strategies , the Iraq wars with NATO is the nearest comparison on scale with the Ukraine conflict ,and NATO achieved air superiority in 2 weeks with Iraq dare I say the same amount of combat aircraft as the Ukraine, Russia on the other hand has not achieved any air superiority against seventy outdated Mig 29’s /SU27’s , why this has happened should be more your concern , your nations military are peasants Johnski.😂😂
I think that those here who are ex RN, RAF and British Army and other UK military groups would be pissed off you calling them peasants. It might even include yourself and accurate self analysis is welcome. Grow up.
But johnski you are Russian , I was talking about you and your Russian people and for your information I have family who are ex the armed forces of the UK lol , but don’t change the subject, how can the Russian air force struggle with seventy Mig 29’s/ SU27?
Seventy Ukraine outdated Mig 29’s/SU 27’s that is.*
It’s not the 70 Su-27s/Mig-29S that’s the problem, it’s the roughly 100 S300 batteries supported by similar numbers of Buks and Tors that the Russians don’t have the ability to deal with that are the problem.
Ukrainians could be flying MiG-17s or even Yak-3s and outcome is the same – the Ukrainian air defence network neutralise Russia’s air power completely.
Russia doesn’t do proper SEAD no does it have stealth strike capabiities unlike USA and Israel..
One thing a lot of you people out there in internet land don’t get is it’s not about individual weapons or systems. Its about integration of those systems into one coherent whole.
He is actually calling your Russkie mil peasants pal, as even if your a UK citizen then it’s worse as your an apologist for rape, murder, torture and theft! I can understand trolls, they are on the end of a leash doing what they are told, posting what their masters demand, but someone who is supposedly English, not condemning this illegal invasion and continually posting negative and anti Ukraine vomit, are in fact the real peasants and pond life johnskie, so you choose which relates to you, as one of them does!
It’s called shoot and scoot you chopper as why scoot before you shoot! FFS you really do know sweet FA!
Add in Libya. Both Iraq and Libya had the strongest Russian-designed air defence systems outside of Russia itself. Both taken apart in days. Now, Russia’s air defence may be far stronger than either of those countries, but it seems that Russia can’t overcome the much weaker, Russian-designed version in Ukraine
Your are ignoring a couple of relevant points.
NATO has had 8 or so years to learn about and help Ukraine improve the effectiveness of the AD system including perhaps most importantly its command and control. This is a system with far higher capability and better hardware than either of those. Would those two systems have been taken apart if they had only had to turn their radars on for very short periods for target aquisition and then been able to move to a pre-prepared hide? Neither country had a third party feeding them target tracking data.
But yes, Russia has a problem, no two ways around it and NATO should be replicating that now proven ability to hold the Russians at bay.
Do you have a picture of Putin sat on a horse with his chubby belly on show to crack one off to? And would you like to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Putin and the rape squad?
The only relevant point here is that you can’t bring yourself to answer a single question.
I doubt the west did much to help Ukrainians around air defence. The Ukrainian air defence system was large if neglected before 2014. They’ve got things back up and running since but their model is a Soviet one as all the tech from the radars to missiles to command and control is Soviet.
The Soviet model worked well against western style forces in 1973. It was struggling by 1982 due to western technological and tactical improvements and by 1999 it was totally obsolete.
However the Soviet style IADS model is still very very potent against the Russian air force which is a poor man’s version of the Soviet air force.
Indeed in 2014 the Russians swatted large numbers of Ukrainian jets out of the sky.
When it comes down to it there is no difference in how Russians use Su-30/24/35 to how Ukrainians used Su-24/-25/-27/MiG-29 in 2014 – WW2 Eastern Front tactics. They use all those warmed up Soviet era jets in the same way they used Yak-3s and Il-2 Shturmoviks against the Germans.
Note modern Russian air defences don’t work against Israel who has a whole heap of technological and tactical tricks to bypass things like S300. Hence Israel bombs Syria at will whilst Syrian air defence generals rip their hair out in frustration (Syrian generals have been reported to criticise Russian supplied IADS).
Libya had no functional Air Defence in 2011 and its systems were barely operational even in 1986.
Iraq’s system in 1991 was already obsolete – primarily S75, S125 which the USAF had already learned to neutralise in Vietnam, 2K12 KUB which was obsolete by 1982 and all guided by French KARI system which was completely compromised.
Having said that the Iraqis did shoot down 3 dozen allied aircraft.
By 2003 Iraqi air defence system was a shadow of what it was in 1991.
Kosovo – same – Serbia used obsolete S75, S125 and 2K12 Kub.
Western forces have not faced anything comparable to Ukrainian AD since 1973 when the Egyptian AD system gave the Israelis a massive shock (and that system was based around S75, s125 AND 2K12 KUB).
Ah a new poster, commenting on the exact same stories and threads as JohninMK! supporting his comments and his agenda! FFS really, come on make more of an effort when trolling you naughty sad Russkie rape supporting freaks!
Iraq’s air defence was verging on obsolete in 1991 but it still managed to shoot down 40 odd western aircraft.
Do you know how many modern Buks, S300s and Tors the Iraqis had in 1991? 0
(And yes the Soviets had already started exporting them to Warpac members).
Do you know what the main Iraqi SAMs were? 1960s vintage S75, 1970s vintage S125 and 2K12 Kub which were state of the art in 1973 and already largely ineffective by 1982 when Israel annihilated a similar Syrian system without loss over Bekaa valley.
Libya’s air defences were dysfunctional in 1986 when Operation El Dorado Canyon was launched.
By 2011 they were largely non operational.
Now if the US did go to war against Russia, I have no doubt the Russian air defences would be overwhelmed in a couple of days. Israel already avoids S300PMU-2 without breaking a sweat whilst Pantsirs seem to be merely target practice.
But the last time Americans faced a system that was as modern as the Ukrainian ones was over North Vietnam when S125 was still new!
Yes, that’s was against an enemy with little or no sophisticated, shoulder launched SAMs – Air power wasn’t much good against the insurgency that followed in the Middle East and of little use in Afghanistan v the Taliban.
How many NATO supplied Stingers et al are being distributed throughout the world right now by the
corrupt Ukrainian arms dealers? I think we are about to find out soon enough…
Iraq 1991 is the last time an IADS was dismantled. Iraqi IADS in 2003 was a total shadow of its former self. Libya’s was largely non operational and the Serbs shut theirs down for most part and tried to use it to force NATO to higher altitudes.
But Iraqi IADS in 1991 was already obsolete – S75/S125/S2K12 plus its command and control system completely compromised as it was French and the French gave away its secrets.
Ukraine’s IADS is one of strongest in Europe, possibly 2nd strongest after Russia’s. Russia’s SEAD capability is minimal – ageing Kh31Ps launched from non-specialised squadrons with no real coordination with other forces.
Literally it’s the equivalent of a WW2/Korean War air force going up against a 1980s SAM system.
Now I suspect US could easily defeat both Ukraine and Russia’s (and by default China’s IADS) – the Americans really are masters of this.
The Europeans or Japanese/Koreans on the other hand are not much better than the Russians,
‘ I am going to ask some questions.’
And avoid answering any. Oh, the answer to your question? Iraq.
Now, Team JohninMK – do you support Putin’s war. Yes or no?
That question must have been asked of me hundreds of times, including by you, here so you must be aware of my response. It is not relevant or needed for me posting here.
So, you shouldn’t have any difficulty answering it for once?
Thank you. I am offering you an opportunity to explain your objective support for Putin’s aggression. You may of course wish that your readers draw their own conclusions from the multiple times you have leaned over backwards to find the silver lining for Russia in its failing campaign against the Ukrainian people. I know I shall.
I am going to ask some questions.
These have been answered. However the point to bear in mind is that the Russian Air Force has not been able to gain air superiority and never will before Russians wake up to the tremendous losses being inflicted upon their own citizens by the Putin clique and remove him and it. Their deaths and the deaths of Ukrainians of all ages are on the shoulders of such as you, an apologist for all that has happened since February 24th. I would have written ‘conscience’ but after all these months and copious posts written by yourself I have come to the conclusion you do not possess one.
Russians won’t “wake up.” They view this war as just.
Current CIA director and one time US ambassador to Russia William Burns said that most members of the Russian elite from the most hard-line ultranationalist to pro-Western liberal saw Ukraine joining NATO or aligning itself with west as a red line. He wasn’t the only one – lots of other major US foreign policy types said the same including people like Kissinger and Kennan.
Now not saying war is just – I don’t actually give two figs about justness. No war is really just. Even WW2 saw the west trade half of Europe including ironically Poland to Stalin for services rendered.
Merely stating what was observed by westerners over last 30 years of western-Russian relations.
I am only interested in the war from a military and political perspective.
If US illegally invaded say Spain on some weird pretence and killed Spaniards by the million, I would only still be interested in the political and military perspective. Madrid nuked doesn’t bother me as much as question of how Eurofighters would perform against F-35s!
Seek help for your condition.
That’s because your a rape supporting coward who trolls various websites spouting your Nazi nonce nonsense! And your on a short leash doing what your told!
Always the same but interesting mmmmmmmm every time refuses to answer confirms his Nazi Putin loving troll status! And hi Barry, you ok? 👍🥵
Hello Airborne. Waiting for you to roll up and give JohninMK words of wisdom ‘they’ll’ doubtless treasure. I’m fine thanks, as I hope, are you. Who gets Johnson’s job is going to be crucial for defence and future projects. I’m afraid I foresee cuts …
I thought JohninMK was also running for Tory party leader, as that’s another useless throbber trying his luck! Agreed, no matter who is the head shed they will be buying their way into voters “hearts” at the expense of defence! Hope not but history shows otherwise mate!
It’s simple, NATO hasn’t faced a nation with the capabilities of Ukraine, because it doesn’t launch colonial invasions on democratic nations.
Tip to Russia, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the Ukraine.
No, NATO prefers to attack functioning countries, albeit with a different system of Government or a leader that we don’t like, and turn them into pitiful wastelands whilst killing or maiming millions in the process viz, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.
No doubt it makes you proud to be British.
You know, us British, pushing as hard as we can so the the Ukrainians fight the Russians to the last man, or women now it seems. A hopeless task as Russia won’t stop militarily or economically. You may have noticed that Gazprom today started to declare Force Majeure on its gas supply contracts across Europe. You will know what that means so I shan’t teach Grandma.
I’m exceedingly proud to be British, I doubt that you are given you’re a traitor.
Once again I’ll answer your fiction with facts:
• NATO didn’t invade Libya, it did lead a military coalition to enforce a United Nations Security Council resolution
• NATO responded to the USA’s invocation of Article V after multiple terror attacks planned in and orchestrated from Afghanistan killed over 3,000 innocent civilians.
• Iraq wasn’t invaded by NATO.
As for Afghanistan being a “functioning country” under the Taliban, well maybe if you’re a fantastical Islamist with a hatred for women. Otherwise, no it wasn’t.
Wrong again, liar. Where prepared to back Ukraine for as long as they want to defend themselves. If you’re so concerned about Ukrainian lives then I suggest you get your Russian friends to stop killing them.
I’m actually pleased about the force majeur. It will force the EU to get its finger out and get alternative sources and stock bankrolling the homicidal Nazis in the Kremlin. As for the U.K., we got less 3% of our gas from Russia pre-invasion and that’s even less now. Personally I think we should push hard on not using it at all if we’re to achieve zero-carbon.
You’re still a traitor.
Correct and, if I may say so, restrained.
“restrained”? That’s the first time that’s ever been said of me! 😉
Oh dear getting angry and real attitude and agenda pops up ha ha ha! And I presume, by your post you would condemn NATOs interventions on those countries as many of us here do, so would you also like to condemn Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine?
Simply put,Russia is an oppressive archaic regime. Their inward thinking and bellybutton gazing politics have steered them directly into this ill conceived war with Ukraine. After vast civilian protests,the last Russian installed Ukrainian leader got run outta Dodge on a rail and was replaced by a sitcom actor in a democratic election. In response, Russia (read Putin) decided to take revenge for this slap in the face by invading Crimea and the far east of Ukraine to “free” the poor Russian speakers who had suffered nothing at the hands of there fellow Ukrainians. In 8 years they accomplished the shooting down of a commercial airplane and a second rate civil war. With that in mind,and the way Russia conducts business, it is logical to conclude that in the end they will have to escalate the war to involve NATO or capitulate. The latter would be a disaster politically. The former,which would lead to nuclear annihilation for themselves and crippling post war consequences globally would be the only way for Russia to not have to explain to to her people how they gambled everything on a faulty ideology foisted upon them by a poor leader.
US never picks hard opponents. Note it still hasn’t attacked Iran despite jumping up and down about it for decades.
Even after a bunch of Saudis crashed planes into American buildings, the US opted to invade Afghanistan with no functional airforce or air defence. Saudi Arabia whose intelligence was heavily involved in Islamic terrorism and Pakistan who provided direct support to Taiban and Al Qaeda were both ignored by US during war on terror.
Why? Because they’re too hard.
Last time US had capability to truly annihilate an advanced air force or air defence system or any kind of military depth was 1991. Peace dividend has chewed up too much capability
Really? I’d say the Axis Powers in WW2 were hard opponents, not to mention the small thing called the Cold War…
But I doubt facts disturb your xenophobic attitude to America.
WW2 finished 77 years ago. Korea ws 69 years ago. Vietnam finished 47 years ago.
In last 25 years:
Serbia – 1999
Afghanistan – 2001
Iraq – 2003
Libya -2011
Where’s hard opponents? How come we never went to war with Saudi Arabia or Pakistan over 9-11 despite their involvement – Taliban was literally Pakistan ISI’s baby!
So would you haves like the USA to have gone to war against a ‘hard opponent’ just to prove to idiots like you how tough they are? 🤷🏻♂️
So you don’t think the USA should have intervened to stop ethic cleaning and genocide by the Serbians? Says a lot about your lack of a moral compass.
Afghanistan, well that’s where Al Queda were based, you know the organisation that attacked the USA killing over 3,000 innocents.
Iraq – probably their toughest war. Personally I’d put Blair and Bush on trial for an illegal war. But I’d have also wanted to see Saddam on trial for genocide too.
Libya – was a United Nations sanctioned intervention in the Libyan civil-war. Not an invasion.
Saudi Arabia didn’t harbour Al Queda, nor did its government support or find it. Yes Saudi citizens were members, but British citizens were members of ISIL. So by your childish logic the USA should have invaded us because of the actions of some of our citizens 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
My point was the US avoids overtly hard wars. Iraq got invaded for far less than Iran who has an active nuclear weapons program. But Iran is much bigger than Iraq, has awkward geography and has a large cadre of known fanatics and regime supporters.
Kosovo: USA never stopped my people, the Croats, from ethnically cleansing several hundred thousand Serbs in 1995. Serbs got the raw end of the deal, especially as there were affiliated with Russia.
After 1999 the US let Albanians use Kosovo as a base for operations in North Macedonia and south Serbia too until it started spiralling out of control. The US now maintains Kosovo as a pseudo state much like Russia’s little pseudo states (Kosovo isn’t even recognised by all NATO members let alone UN).
Afghanistan – yep AQ & Taliban were legitimate target. But Taliban were supported and financed and trained by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Saudis were main financiers of terrorism in 1990s. Pakistani ISI helped create the Taliban and were its main ally (in fact nothing changed here even after 2001).
Saudis supported a ton of jihadis in Syria and Yemen as well. Qatar and UAE are also involved here. Indeed Qatar has supported terrorists even KSA and UAE found unpalatable and those two started threatening to invade Qatar, a few years ago.
If US is so anti-AQ how come they have allowed the existence of anti-Syrian and anti-Houthi AQ affiliates?
One word: Geopolitics. Al Nusra Front and Al Qaeda in Yemen are useful tools against Iranian and Russian interests. Al Qaeda affiliates in Libya were useful initially against Gaddafhi too.
Iraq – stupid war that just gave the Iranians an upper hand.
Libya – also stupid war. The UN resolution authorised no fly zone not providing CAS to rebels including jihadis. End result has been a disaster for Europe and Africa with spread of weapons, jihadis and illegal immigration.
Hello dead1, a new poster, commenting on the exact same stories and threads as JohninMK, with the same Nazi Russia supporting puke! FFS you trolls are absolute shite!
Anti freedom of speech Nazi. People like you are the types the Allies fought against in 1939-45.
Airborne with his service has done more to defend freedom of speech than trolls like you could ever imagine.
The real Nazis today are those who accuse others of being a Nazi, the best example being Putin and his justification for war. You might want to consider that before making unjustified allegations.
Just cause you served in the military doesn’t mean you’re allowed to shut down other people’s freedom of speech.
And being of the pro-green, pro-feminist socialist persuasion, I don’t really care what he did. I don’t hold soldiers up as heroes. They volunteer to do a job and get paid for it. It’s dangerous for some but hey they made that choice.
Note if he served in the American, British or Australian militaries he served in armies that were waging little imperialist colonial wars of aggression up to very recently (and still are in sub Saharan Africa).
Yaaaaaaawn and there is shown your agenda, russkie Nazi boy!
Funny how you anti freedom of speech types like to call others Nazis? You have no points or thinking of your own, not one ounce of imagination or critical thinking.
Indeed given the absolute lack of thought or imagination in your posts, you’re just as likely as to be some American bot along with your mate Dern.
Interesting as JohninMK uses the term critical thinking quite a lot using 2 other avatars! And still the same stories and threads as JohninMK, so close in fact your are replying to him (you).
Very sad but as one of those so called low IQ soldiers who spent long periods of time in the Balkans stopping your own inbred communities killing each other, no it’s fine, I’m sure you have an excuse for not going back to assist the rebuilding etc! Its easy to be a keyboard warrior like yourself letting others help the country you legged it from. Very different attitude to the Ukrainians who will mostly all rush back to Ukraine when safe. You could learn a lot from them.
Also if you served and I assume you’re American or British and given low IQ types tend to commit atrocities more willingly what was it – women and children in Vietnam or random muslim captives in Iraq or Afghanistan?
And that’s a Yaaaaaawn! Please hold the line, your call is important to us.
Nobody is shutting down freedom of speech apart from the lefts woke agenda.
You can say what you like here, within reason. Others will also call you out on it if its utter bollocks. So far you’re not doing great…
Colonial. Tick.
Imperialist. Tick.
Don’t forget “Empire”
Are you Corbyns Nephew? Or McDonnells? Or maybe Abbots?
Want to comment on China Russia Iran, or the Taliban? You could try to see if you have freedom of speech there?
Fancy living there?
“pro-green, pro-feminist socialist persuasion”
OMG, what went wrong in school? Or are you still in it?
Hopefully when you grow up you might develop a more sensible view. I care for the environment too, believe in the NHS, and the UK being a soft power helping other nations.
I also understand the UKs place in the world and why the UK gets involved overseas.
It just so happens if you didn’t have people willing to put their own lives on the line YOU wouldn’t have the luxury or free speech! Still carry on the trolling🙄
Last time anyone fought for anyone’s freedom was 1945. Australian deployments to Korra, Vietnam, Malaya, Iraq and Afghanistan had nothing to do with freedom or even detering terrorism and eveything to do with playing a role in great power politics.
This whole Ukraine thing is great power politics too. Indeed how many of you give a rats arse that KSA has been slaughtering Yemenis with weapons provided and maintained by tbe US and UK? None I suspect, some of you might even relish dead Iranian aligned Houthos even if it is just women and children at a market incinerates by a a US supplied F-15SA dropping a US supplied JDAM
As the highly decorated USMC General Smedley D Butler once said, “war is a racket.” And soldiers are just the enforcers and thugs in that racket.
But it is a fascinating racket. War is fascinating and I say that as someone who was nearly killed in one on two separate occassions back in 1991.
I must be quite tired as it’s another very long Yaaaaaaawn time!
I don’t believe Airborne is a moderator on this website, so how was he “shutting down your freedom of speech”. Is he some ace computer hacker too?
Or was it that he simply upset diddums because he called out your daft views? Freedom of speech means freedom to ridicule and be ridiculed for your views. 🤷🏻♂️
The fact that you admit to being a “socialist” is the most damning thing that can be said about you. How anyone with even a modicum of intelligence can self-identity with such a deeply flawed ideology is unbelievable. The tens of millions killed in the name of socialism should be enough of a warning to anyone.
He called out nothing. Calling people nazis and telling then to shut up or fuck off is not sone sirt of great intellectual breakdown of an argument.
And I didn’t say I was a communist. I am an old fashioned socialist democrat like the British Labour party was back at turn of 20th century with a healthy dose of Scandinavian progressivism. You know heavily tax and regulate the rich and capitalism, protect workers rights and the environment, provide equal access to all for basics like health,education and housing and nationalise key social services like health and education and utilities like power.
Capitalism has killed millions too albeit generally more subtely than communists or fascists or simply earlier on (eg slave trade or annihilation of indigenous people to acquire their land).
I also wouldn’t call regimes like Pol pot or Stalin or Mao’s socialist. They were deranged cults of personality much like the Nazis.
He correctly called you out, as a self-loathing socialist stuck in the 1980’s still rooting for the USSR, or rather it’s remaining remnant, Putin’s Russia. It obviously still rankles you that the west, chiefly the USA, brought down your ‘workers paradise’.
Socialist = Communist
Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, all self-confessed socialists. I know that fact is inconvenient to you, as it associates you with some of the most murderous tyrants of all time. But that’s what socialism naturally tends to, authoritarianism and tyranny.
In fact “socialism” now has such a bad reputation that they seem to rebrand it as “progressivism”: bit like rebranding Windscale as Sellafield. Which is disingenuous as socialism has nothing to do with the pre-existing political ideology of “progressivism”; which coupled with capitalism is responsible for the development of modern America.
FYI – Scandinavian nations are not socialist.
Don’t remember telling you to shut up or even fuck off? But as most sad socialists seem to do they change reality to fit their agenda in order to justify some chuff or other!
Agreed cheers mate!
Yaaaawn bore off you little Putin fetish Nazi!
Lol we didn’t invade Afghanistan. We bombed them, the Northern Alliance of anti Taliban Afghanis took the country. As for any “real” air opponents……whose left? Because Russia has shown they are not an opponent. Israel is flying F-35 raids across the whole of the middle east at will. Prob should look up the specs on a F-22 raptor and see what kind of oeace dividend you’re talking about.
You invaded Afghanistan using proxies.
Israel isn’t just flying F-35s they’re flying F-15 and F-16s over Syria with ease. But Israel has superb SEAD capabilities unlike say UK or France.
Yaaaaaaawn
“You”
Not British then?
Nope I am Yugoslav of Croatian ethnic heritage and I live in Australia. A man without a country so to speak. (Australians are not my people and I woll always be a foreginer here).
Fine. No issues with that.
Ah Yugoslavia or the Former, spent many months in your old neck of the woods stopping many of your fellow inbreeds trying to kill each other because of religion or power! You don’t have to thank me, it’s ok I’m a professional. Would be interesting to see your view of Australia and Australians as they have given you a home, but I’m sure you don’t like them.
‘ … and I woll (sic) always be a foreigner here.’
By choice? From what you say you would be better advised to leave. Strange how you angry types chose to be angry in the safest countries on earth – founded by the Anglo-Saxons you clearly detest.
There was always North Vietnam that the US had to contend with as well.A system very much built on your friends system that by and large they dealt with.
A long time ago with totally different technology, no mobile AD in numbers either. Or limited SAM’s radar use.
Turn that around the US could only use the technology they had at the time as well! So same problems as you say now with different tech. The NATO nations actually do practice this stuff not like your comrades tactic of lobbing a missile in the hope of it hitting its intended target and not apartments,shopping centres etc.
By the way special op or invasion?
No, not the same problems as in Vietnam, both equipment and tactics have evolved a lot since then, especially mobile SAMs.
I thought that lobbing or lofting or tossing a bomb or dumb rocket was standard procedure to increase range and avoid the aircraft or helicopter overflying a target. The Russians use a release point computer nowadays, I assume we do the same. I haven’t seen this tactic’s use anywhere near built up areas, have you?
Both.
The Russians release point computer is a stolen Ukrainian washing machine strapped to the stub wings, with a fridge freezer on the opposite! Fucking Russian tech, 70/80s shite bodged to try to meet modern and future standards! So about he condemnation of Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine?
How’s dead1 troll, new guy, exact same threads and stories as you, same anti west/NATO posts! FFS you trolls are as shit as Putins pants!
Johninmk, shows your lack of knowledge. The US took 10,000, YES 10,000 aircraft/helicopter loses during Vietnam. It was a hard lesson in modern warfare that prompted them to open the TopGun school, change tactics, focus on Sead missions and develop next gen aircraft.
Even with that we still lost 75 during a short 91 gulf war.
But I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the advances in counter measures, decoys, Sead, satellite intelligence, and aircraft we have now would make short work of any russian system. Hell they cant even take down the Himar missiles blowing them up at will, and the only aircraft they’ve shot down in a month was their own Su-34 fullback two days ago!!!!
“Suggest ways that an attacking force could neutralise effective mobile AD units that only need to expose themselves by turning on their own radar for very short target aquisition as they are fed most targeting data by untouchable assets?”
Damn Putin must be desperate if he’s got you crowdsourcing tactics on how the Russian military should fight!! 😂😂😂😂
Why would I want to assist a traitor by answering?
Weak response. Define traitor.
Anyone from Milton Keynes unwilling to condemn the cowardly and murderous invasion of the democratic Ukraine by the corrupt neo-nazi regime led by Putin.
So why does that make me a traitor to the UK? A country that is not at war and which has no long term ties with the Ukraine. You are aware that the roots of this conflict go back to at least 2014 and that there has been continuous fighting, with civilians dying in eastern Ukraine ever since? With the West just stoking the fire.
How does it make you a traitor??, well now, let’s have a look shall we ?
By your commentary you support the illegal and utterly unjustifiable invasion of a democratic European country by a dictatorial fascist state, a fascist state that has released radiological and chemical weapons in attacks on UK soil. You slavishly parrot out the false propaganda of Russia, a country that shot down a Dutch airliner eight years ago killing hundreds of Australian and Dutch citizens, countries of which are close allies of the UK. Whatever ties are between the UK and Ukraine are utterly irrelevant, Russia has been at war with the West for many years and yet somehow you are on Russia’s side.
You fool no one with your faux concern about civilians dying in Ukraine. You have said not one word about the murderous onslaught of the Russian military on Ukrainian civilians, nothing about the arbitrary execution of civilians in Russian occupied areas, the rapes, the looting, the abductions, the torture dungeons, the filtration camps, tell me where I’m wrong here. Tell me again how the families of jailed Russian dissidents are, the poisoned and murdered journalist’s families, the abducted anti war protesters, go on, show your humanitarian principles. How does freedom and plurality work in Putins Russia??
If you support that regime, ipso facto, you’re a traitor.
A country does not have to be at war for one of its citizen’s to be a traitor.
However you seem to be suffering from some cognitive dissonance because on numerous occasions you’ve maintained that “NATO is fighting a proxy war with Russia”…
I’m pretty sure last I checked, that the U.K. is a member of NATO.
So according to your previous assertions the U.K. is fighting a proxy war with Russia.
You claim to be a British citizen, yet you constantly support Russia and it’s many war-crimes.
Which means you’re a traitor.
Q.E.D.
You’re not too good at answering questions yourself. I asked you a few in the past, still no answers forthcoming……
I think Sean just did answer your question lol.
You might consider a judgement reboot if you thought that that was an adequate answer.
How about answering my query? how can the Russian air force struggle against Ukraines seventy Mig 29’s/ SU27?
Do you at least think a Russian withdrawl back to their pre invasion positions would be a positive thing John if it came to pass?
Do you think it is wrong NATO is supplying data to Ukraine?
Or do you think NATO should not do that?
😂😂😂😂👍
Let’s see now, Gulf war 1991, Serbia 1999, Gulf war 2003. All involved the suppression and destruction of multi layered air defence by air power. To be precise, integrated , co ordinated air power using precision guided munitions and trained aircrew. Unlike the indiscriminate bombing of civilian housing, hospitals and schools that your orcs carry out. That’s not bile, they’re facts, facts that you are unable to answer, most likely because your FSB handlers forbid you to, or because you are too spineless to address those hard facts.
JohninMK just got shot down😂
You are of course correct re those three wars although Serbia was a thorn. My first question was quite specific and Iraq did not have the kind of equipment both in terms of capability and numbers that Ukraine has, S-300, Buk etc. Nor did it have the geography like Ukraine’s woods and forests to hide in. Nor did it have an immune third party to feed it targeting data. Generally speaking if a radar isn’t switched on for tracking and target I/D and only for acquisition and moves shortly afterwards, SEAD has a devil of a job to find it. Ukraine is also 50% bigger than Iraq making it more difficult still.
Most if not all of the targets you mention are buildings that have been taken over by Ukraine’s military, mainly as barracks for themselves and mercenaries as most of their original barracks are in ruins. I suppose that the indiscriminate shelling of the civilian areas of Donetsk by the Ukrainian military doesn’t matter?
We are watching what is in effect a civil war, maybe only second in size to Americas, with one side supported by NATO and the other by Russia. Today the heads of Ukraine’s Legal service and SBU (KGB) were relieved due to claims of treachery whilst it was admitted that 60 SBU operatives, some senior, in the now Russian areas are helping the Russians. Civil wars, as we know from ours, are rarely safe places to be, who to trust is a fundamental problem.
Is that spineless enough for you?
Supposition, bullshit and deflection. The fact is, the Russian Air force failed . For a country that thinks itself as a superpower it has shown itself utterly unable to carry out air operations, Russian tank turrets have spent more time airborne than their air force. The “best ” that they can do is “liberate” shopping centres and schools with 70’s era anti ship missiles.
Yeah, you are very spineless.
“Russian tank turrets have spent more time airborne than their air force” 😂🤣😂
You sir, won the internet today!!
Oh I’m definitely stealing that one!
To late I’ve got it!!!
Agreed, PC gets the ice cream today 👍
Maybe Russia could add tank turrets to its Air Force. Awesome line you said.😂😂
Good one PC Russia did look at Flying tanks in 43 weight ratio unfeasible but airbourne turrets great concept Putin Dumb plan Dumb Bombs now seems too be the order of the day
FFS brilliant 😂😂😂😂
Yep Russian air force and military is useless.
The upside is it means the Chinese military is also useless as its spent 20 years trying to emulate the Russians.
I’ve noticed since Ukraine that the Chinese have started to tone down the rhetoric. They still agitate with legal but provocative flights of aircraft but their media and government has pulled back.
This gives Taiwan a breathing space.
Though if China “reintegrates” into world system it actually poses a bigger threat as it can manipulate things behind the scenes like it did before Xi Jinping took over.
Superb comment.
Oh dear changing the subject again troll boy! You were handed your arse in regard to your previous incompetent and incorrect post, yet you ignore it, won’t try to justify your stance but decide to go off on a tangent! Continuously pathetic and cowardly!
Iraq 1991 – obsolete air defence system based around S75, S125, 2K12 Kub and French designed Kari air defence system.
Kosovo 1999 – obsolete air defence system based around S75, S125, 2K12 Kub
Iraq 2003 – remnants of 1991 system without any major upgrades let alone new acquisitions.
Last time USAF faced a modern SAM was S125 over Vietnam.
Hello dead, same thread as JohninMK again? Really! FFS you trolls are dumb as fuck!
The little Nazi again. All you have is insults.
Says the man openly supporting genocide. Fuck off.
Me Nazi? far from it, you need to do better than that my little socialist handbag.
True we did a good job but still lost i think 47 aircraft to hostile acts, another 20-30 to accidents.
The US has SEAD in-depth, but Russia does not, the Ukraine still has its air defence intact and this is why the RuAf won’t fly beyond occupied territories. SEAD works.
Sorry that comment doesn’t make sense. It does if the last sentence read ‘Russian SEAD doesn’t work’.
Yep USAF has SEAD in depth. Only other country that has it on the plant is Israel. Everyone else would have same issues that Russia has (though F-35 will change this as they can avoid being targetted by S400 or Patriot PAC3 due to laws of physics).
John you’re not fooling anyone with a fake account.
Why do I need a fake account? I’m quite happy that I can say all I need to with the one I have.
That Dead1 poster, whoever it is, is nothing to do with me. I hope they survive the insults etc and keep posting. Just about all other posters of contrarian views or facts just give up.
Going to condemn Putins invasion liar?
Of course of course, just a coincidence another poster has just joined, follows the same stories/threads/posts as you and has a very similar anti west, pro Putin/Russia agenda! Really? Hilarious!
I am not threatened by keyboard warriors. Though I am always amazed at how intolerant so many people even in the west are. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are one of the things we pride ourselves on yet there’s little people here and other forums/media with ultranationalist bents trying to stifle discussion.
We’re not the ones advocating for the murder of women and children by a dictator scumbag.
(Also replying to yourself is cute)
Never advocated murder of women and children. I do condemn deliberate war crimes including those perpetrated by the Russians
At the same time I recognise the Russian military is incapable of doing anything well so there are mass casualties. No different to WW2.
By the way I’ve experienced war. I nearly got shot by a Serb sniper and happened to be in a house when it got peppered with shrapnel from a Serb mortar. I was 11 years old. But you know I don’t bare those Serbs any grudges even though they tried to kill me. War is war. The sniper was a dick shooting at women and children but the mortar crew were just useless and probably aiming for the military base 200 metres from our house – the JNA was as incompetent as the modern day Russians.
I will bet money you have no strong opinions on war in Yemen or whatever happened in Balkans.
You just fear perspectives that are different to yours.
I along with Dern have many opinions on various wars and conflicts around the world as we have been in many, to include the Balkans etc! Saying war is war is a lazy excuse to justify cluster fucks and unprofessional actions and atrocities! I see your war involved leaving very quickly and not going back to assist your country in re-building. Split became very nice once more, your missing out.
There’s a difference between freedom of speech and expression when it comes to full time trolls like JohninMK who advocates Russian expansion and agreed with the illegal invasion of Ukraine. He advocates full OS onto areas occupied by civvies and will not condemn rape, torture, looting and murder. However if you think that’s fine then it is no surprise as it’s something you socialists have been doing since 1917 under various different guises and leaders.
JohninMK uses sophistry ‘You haven’t answered my question’ when the answer skewers the issue precisely. He (or they/them) stands on the principles of logical debate from observable truth and moral restraint without actually believing in anything of the sort. Any normal individual would have to concede the argument – unless of course, this is ideological impossible because self destruction would be assured. (That is the real message of Nineteen Eighty Four in my view: Truth kills.] Incidentally, Putin makes it plain Ukraine is the beginning of his plan to re-invent Russia’s western Empire. Old enemies of Russia, Sweden Poland and Finland got this message at once, while sleepy Joe dithered and Johnson jumped straight in.
Have you condemened Putins invasion yet Kremlinite?
I am not John but given I’ve been accused of being him I will respond.
Nope I don’t condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine poked a bear and the bear tried to thump it. I wouldn’t condemn the US if it smashed Mexico for the same thing or China if Taiwan declared independence.
Geopolitics are a thing. I also don’t care that the US invaded Iraq or Panama or whatever either. I am worried about sabre rattling by all sides in SC Sea and Taiwan as I live in Australia and any war would directly affect us.
I do strongly condemn Russian atrocities ala rape, concentration (filtration) camps and executions.
I don’t condemn their primitive armies’ WW2 era tactics – anyone paying attention knew they were primitive and stuck in 1943-45 before the war. And you fight a war with the army you’ve got.
I do find the west hypocritical – selling and maintaining Saudi weapons whilst they do the same to Yemen as to what Russians are doing to Ukraine.
But I am not a Russian troll – I am in Australia, I vote green, I believe that toxic masculinity is a thing, I am a socialist at heart and believe capitalism should be heavily regulated. But I am a heterosexual male, I eat meat and I listen to heavy metal and hardcore punk!
So for you red blooded Americans (and Brits) I am probably something worse than a Russian troll – a pro-feminist, pro-environmental socialist.
Cool then fuck off with on the horse you rode in on Fascist.
I can see understanding of basic political theory is a problem here. Socialist and progressive democracy does not equal fascism. In fact it’s the direct opposite.
Fascism is what you are engaging in – a little man trying to stop other people from expressing their beliefs and opinions.
If you have valid points, then feel free to discuss them. As Voltaire is supposed to have said:
“‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
But hurling insults and trying to stop other people’s right to expression is not really participating in a free exchange of ideas.
No, the problem is you are supporting a genocidal invasion that is committing mass murder of women and children. So, fuck your free exchange of ideas, and fuck you.
I never stated I supported it. I don’t condemn it either. Totally neutral.
It’s an interesting war just like Nagorno Karabakh War in 2020 was interesting from a tactical and technological perspective.
I had no opinion on that one either.
Dunno if you noticed this but this is UK Defence Journal which discusses military affairs including technological and tactical ones.
You really are a sad individual with no opinions worth mentioning except trying to shut people down because you are scared of differing view points and opinions.
Forgot to mention my original people, the Croats, happily ethnically cleansed several hundred thousand Serbs back in 1995 despite those Serbs living there for several hundred years. We also tried to carve out a greater Croatia out of Bosnian territory.
And back in WW2 my grandfather was some kind of Ustasha officer (Nazi collaborator). My other grandfather was a card carrying Communist and professional NCO in Yugolav National Army.
I can’t condemn these kind of wars as my own family has participated in atrocities. They are the way of the world.
Wow, you are a scumbag from a scumbag family then.
And how many babies did your relative kills in all the wars your country fought in?
At least I recognise my people are flawed and prone to horrible acts unlike you Americans and British (and Russian) with your smug sense of superiority. Like all the blood of native Americans or Boer or Filipino or Iraqi women or children your relative killed isn’t worth anything.
The bile is all yours troll as you still seem to be unable to condemn the murderous and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Putin, and the question to you is why? Give me a moment trolly as going to nip over to the “war zone, the drive” to grab a few of your troll pro Russian anti Ukraine posts from they since 2015, hang on a minute saddo!
Iraq, 1991. Serbia 1999, Iraq 2003, Libya 2011…
The US Air Force, with or without NATO assistance would achieve air superiority over Ukraine in 72 hours, probably 48. Unfortunately, it would require a simultaneous SEAD campaign that would have to be conducted in Russian air space to the depth of the S400 missile systems. It would be totally successful, but would require attacks on Russian systems on Russian soil with all sorts of potential consequences.
No-one knows. You may be correct but you are just guessing. The potential consequences are events that the US and NATO have not faced since WW2. By that I mean the probable elimination of airborne intel and tanker assets and the destruction of much of the airfield infrastructure in Europe. But I am also guessing.
Yaaaaaaawn stop comparing modern, flexible multi role and highly trained NATO assets and people, with your own half trained rape squad! You and I both know that if NATO went against Russia your peasant dreamland fuckwit squad would be malleted within 48 hrs! So put your fucking handbag down and educate yourself!
Probably not. I spent several decades in this business, a couple of times having it livened by destroying materiel of Russian proxies, allies, clients, and others equipped with their junk. A decade behind in this business is lethal. The Russian military is a generation behind. On top of that, their air force is poorly trained, and as we have seen daily, unable to generate air supremacy against just Ukraine. Their ground forces are little more than an armed mob by modern standards. A US Corps built around an armor and mech infantry division, ACR, and two artillery brigades would roll them up in three weeks maybe two.
I have no doubt that Russia would attempt to strike NATO airbases and other nodes in an actual conflict with whatever munitions they have left. Unfortunately for them, those targets are protected by Patriot systems, and the launch platforms whether airborne, at sea, or on the ground would be a priority target. I would be stunned if a Sea Wolf or Virginia class boat isn’t patiently waiting right now in range of every Russian submarine asset in the Black Sea.
US would, Europe could not. In fact European air forces would be in a similar boat to Russia now except they don’t have the ballistic or cruise missile capability to strike as much as even the Russians.
If the Russian airforce is struggling now heaven help them when the Ukrainian pilots have finished their US training on F-16 and F-15
https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2022/07/15/house-authorizes-training-for-ukrainian-pilots-to-use-us-aircraft/
Certainly plenty of surplus F16C’s to transfer, though F15C’s are equally available, keeping them operational would be a mammoth and extremely expensive task, unless Uncle Sam is footing the operational bill too?
If I was Ukraine, I would stick to F16, the C model with a well trained pilot and older model AMRAAM/ Aim9M is still better than anything Ivan can muster…
The Mig-29/R27 combination that the UkAF is still flying can be pretty lethal too.
Any condemnation of Putins murdering invasion?
Not really. MiG-29 radar is limited and would mainly act as a beacon for Russian jets and SAMs. Ethiopian and Eritrean experience also show the R27 launched by both SU-27 and MiG-29 to be somewhat of a dud though to be fair they were often fired at extreme extent of their range
Polish exercises show the MiG-29 to really struggle against an F-16 in BVR..
100% correct the USA has more than enough Jets mothballed to change the course of the conflict. The USA is unwilling to supply anything that could be perceived to escalate the conflict. Personally I think this logic is incorrect. these is so the issue of not wanting equipment such as NATO Comms equipment fall into possession of the Russians.
It will take months or even years to bring these back to life.
Currently there’s not many surplus F-16s available – it’s why the Romanians are buying ancient ex Norwegian F-16AM/BMs instead of more modern F-16C/Ds.
Given Russian bombers are now releasing their cruise missiles while over the Capitan Sea it shows how afraid they are of losing airframes and pilots to the Western weapons the Ukraine now wields.
(Yes the Caspian Sea, seems even the Black Sea is too hazardous for them now.)
What Western AD missile? Also, its cheaper in fuel etc to let the cruise missile fly on their own for the bulk of the journey as the Caspian is close to the bomber’s home bases.
Or maybe they launch them over the sea because they’ve been reduced to firing anti-ship cruise missiles at military significant land targets; like that shopping centre last week. (Speaking of which they just buried the 4 year girl that was murdered by that attack.)
I’ve overthinking… the Russians are simply cowards, that’s why they launch from so far away and hope they hit something in Ukraine and not some other country.
Why would you need to launch an AShM over the sea? Also using one to attack a factory with a large corrugated iron or steel roof, looking much like a ship to its sensors, could make a lot of sense. Indeed the video out there showing the strike on the factory behind the mall you mention had the missile coming in very low as if it was aiming for the factory’s waterline, the blast blowback hitting the mall.
That 4 year old girl and her badly injured mother was indeed sad but I thought the incident occurred on the air strike at the Airforce building not the mall. This is not a justification but the Ukrainian army is still shelling and killing in civilian areas of Donetsk. The death of any civilians is always unfortunate but we in NATO are hardly innocent ourselves.
I don’t understand why you think that the RuAF is not hitting targets in the main accurately rather than on a wing and a prayer..
You clearly have no sense or humour or understanding irony, just like your puppet master, Putin.
If you don’t know the difference between anti-ship and land-attack missiles then I’m not going to educate you. It’s clearly something the FSB failed to include on the syllabus for new recruits.
The 4 year was killed by the strike on the shopping mall, the anti-ship missile coming in at a high angle of attack and hitting in the location of a toy shop.
In addition to not knowing the difference between anti-ship and kand-attack missiles you also don’t appear to know the difference between fact and fiction – the latter being what you post.
I fail to find much humour when I read your comments on mine.
You ought to do better on your homework. Russia is successfully using both air and ground launched AShM missiles on land targets.
That’d be because you’re a humourless git.
If you define as “successful”; killing 4 year olds, destroying shopping malls, apartment blocks, medical centres, and maternity units, then yes I suppose Russia is “very successful” – at committing war crimes.
I think Russia’s military is simply inept and can’t conduct precision strikes. US intelligence indicates 60% of all Russian “guided” munitions miss their targets.
Those ancient Kh-22s AShMs they are lobbing have a CEP of 3.1 miles (5 km)! They were designed to lob high yield nukes, not conventional warheads.
So the Russians might have aimed for a warehouse or factory but the missiles simply failed and smack somewhere in the vicinity. Note this isn’t too much removed from WW2 where aiming points were often city centres simply because that meant they were likely to get close to the target and very often wrong cities were bombed by mistake (including Swiss ones!)
Never ascribe to malice what can be first ascribed to incompetence.
Now the Russians are committing plenty of other war crimes through rape, ethnic cleansing, murder and concentration (“filtration”) camps
Johnskis getting angry maybe the reality of Russias air forces plight is setting in but he buries his head in the sand anyway ,seems to be a Russian trait 😂
Oh dear getting angry as getting your arse handed to you almost ever post!!!!!! Hilarious!
Give yourself a fucking yea break troll! The death of civvies is unfortunate? Is that as far as you go, the 4 year old was sad “BUT”and then you try to justify it with more shite about the shelling of Donetsk! Dross, you are dross!
All soldiers are cowards because they all want to live and not die stupid death.
I remember reading an account by a US military officer serving in Iraq.
He said the jihadis would hole up in a building and wait for Americans to come get them in some sort of glorious last stand. Lo and behold the Americans either flattened the building with a JDAM or with tank fire without exposing themselves.
Now are American soldiers cowards for calling in an air strike or tank or artillery fire instead of going ahead with the jihadis mano a mano?
Or are they just smart and use the tools they have?
Why risk valuable aircrew flying expensive and increasingly rare heavy bomber when you can launch a missile from a safe operating area?
Wrong, real soldiers aren’t cowards. They simply respect the value of human life, both theirs and civilians. They even respect their opponents once they have been taken prisoner.
Taking unnecessary risks doesn’t make someone brave, it makes them stupid.
Whereas the Russian Orcs care only about their own lives. They don’t mind killing civilians, and as we’ve seen, they’re not above murdering their own commanding officers when they think they perform badly.
Wow that is not only non sensical but kind of racist.
Remember US troops would frag their own officers in Vietnam? And there seens to have been a recent incident of fragging in Syria just this year.
Also our glorious Australian soldiers and in particular the SASR are embroiled in numerous allegations of war crimes with an investigation revealing a culture of literal murder (blooding)
US drone iperators have killed hundreds of civiloans as collateral damage.
As for treatinh prisoners with respect ever hear of Abu Ghraib?
And plenty of rapes by US service men aroind the planet and those are against friendly civilias in alloed countries.
Now sure the Russians seem to engage in war crimes at a much greater level (or just crapper at covering up).
Groups of alpha males with powr of lofe and death tend to degenerate to pack behaviour be they soldiers or groups of college kids or football teams on drunken nights out.
But you can keep thinking G.I. Joe is real.
Also not wanting to die is not cowardice, it is instinctual.
As George Patton once roughly said: “the object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.”
A socialist falsely trying to play the race card, why am I not surprised. It’s often how you lot try to suppress other peoples freedom of speech.
As for “nonsensical”, no that best describes the politically motivated drivel you spout to slander those braver than yourself.
If their navigation is anything like the missiles it’s no wonder they don’t want to go too far isn’t comrade?
You managed so many little troll comments, surely you can answer one question.
I’m glad Air Marshal Ed Stringer is on our side such intelligent insights , I think this OB episode has been the best so far, He certainly shot down all though’s who said in modern warfare will be small forces with high-tech weapon systems would be fine , we don’t need a large army in depth or military industry complex.
Plenty of comments on my first of 4 questions but not a sensible peep on the others. Just to remind you
Name any NATO country with anywhere near the AD capability of Ukraine?Suggest ways that an attacking force could neutralise effective mobile AD units that only need to expose themselves by turning on their own radar for very short target acquisition as they are fed most targeting data by untouchable assets?Would you as an Air Force Commander send your aircraft over territory where significant AD assets were operating which were effectively immune to your SEAD activity?
Why bother answering a traitor’s questions?…
Fuck off and come back when you can bring yourself to condemn mass murder you fascist.
And maybe try answering a question that was asked of you 100’s of times before you go crying about “not a peep” on your BS.
You reporting my comments I see Johnski , so I’ll ask you the question again, How can the Russian air force struggle with seventy outdated Ukraine Mig 29’s/ SU27 since day one of war? 😂😂
Intriguing. I posted 3 well worded, polite questions in one post to John, and they no longer appear here. Hmmmmm?
Is his post you were commenting to still there? just thinking he deleted his post takes the replies with it otherwise he hammering the report button maybe with a little help lol.
Ah good point, not sure to be honest. It is pretty obvious what is going on though isn’t it.
Wow. For a thread of 77 posts this one has been deleted en masse, scrolled up to read the comments and they’re gone!
Hopefully so has he! Although there is a bit of me that enjoys seeing people shoot him down in flames😀
Ye johnski team hard at work all in vain though because he’s taken seriously on here,lol
I don’t think you can delete your own comments.
Not me deleting posts, anyway isn’t there a limited time window for users to edit posts?
Your head shed nonce deleted your posts! Be careful troll boy or your parents will get a white Lada!
In faireness we should all be flagging Johnsky’s comments and getting them removed.
My concern with that is if we ourselves are then abusing the system?
His points of view, while seen as outrageous by most, are delivered with politeness and he has a right to his views, whether we agree with them or not.
I prefer posters shooting him down with facts and logic, to make his views be seen for what they are, like what Farouk does.
Though it will come to a point that if many flag his views then George will have to adjudicate one way or another.
Pity there is no individual block/hide option where posters with distasteful views can be removed from a subscribers thread feed?
There is nothing polite about people who support murdering women and children and genocide Daniele. If someone came here and started posting pro-Hitler comments would we be okay with that?
Individual block and hide would be even worse, because then his posts would just enable more people like him to start posting here.
True, Dern. We would not.
I guess I’m comparing to the trolls of the past who were personally abusive, and one currently on the E7 paint article who is calling Tories **nts and comparing tory voters to paedos.
Pray tell, who is guilty of that?
You’ll get an answer to that when you answered my question scumbag.
Thanks Daniele, I try to never post items that are against the Forum’s published list of don’t.dos. Sadly many responses are totally against Forum rules, like insulting and ad hominem attacks. I have flagged some myself as in many cases it is me that is being ‘sinned’ against. A countervailing opinion is not against the rules, abuse and bullying are.The rules do exist.
As I have said many times, I welcome positive criticism, that way we all learn.
The problem seems to be that some just take exception to anything I and anyone else with an opinion contra to the prevailing view, regardless of its merit and a baying mob just joins in. This aspect must be really bad for George’s attempts to author a professional defence oriented site.
” A countervailing opinion is not against the rules….” True. The thing is though you don’t really have a contrarian or independent view, you simply post Kremlin inspired deflections, falsehoods and specious propaganda. You gleefully report any supposed Russian success ( Remember your ‘In for a penny, in for pound ‘ remark as you gloried in the surrender of the Ukrainian military in Azozstal?). You are full of sneers and belittling of anything Ukrainian, you ignore the plight of the Ukrainian people in Russian occupied areas who now run the gauntlet of summary execution, rape, torture, abduction and false imprisonment, property theft and destruction., and all at the hands of Russian military or its militias. Not once have you demonstrated the wherewithal to call that out. Show me where I’m wrong, this is not abuse or bile, for someone who supposedly welcomes positive criticism you are silent on those matters.
You may not like some of the posters on here, that’s your perogative, but just remember that many of them here ( Airborne, Farouk, Daveyb and many more), served and made sacrifices and no doubt saw colleagues pay a heavy price all to preserve democracy and freedom and plurality of opinion that allows you to post on this site. A plurality and freedom of expression that is prohibited in Russia, punishable by imprisonment or death. I’ll ask you again, how are the thousands of Russian anti war protesters doing? Are they free yet? The political dissidents, free to post their views on a Russian website? Have a check and get back to me.
Like I said, you don’t have to agree or like the opinions of the ex service personnel here, but you could simply thank them for their service in defence of free speech.
I agree mate, even though he is spouting Nazi nonsense he has mostly been polite and respectful! His subject matter is propaganda but his delivery is reasonable! But, then again that can be part of the overall effect in pushing his agenda mate!
Of course, but that to me must be better than that idiots delivery over on the other thread! 😆
Never saw them.
Look down one post. 😀
What? The block of flats, outdoor parks full of kids and shopping centres? No neither did the Russkie rapists they would have us believe!
And you ignored my questions and had them deleted, John.
On another occasion a few months ago you apologised for being to busy.
Just to remind you.
So I will keep trying till you reply, and cut and paste the same again if they vanish.
Do you think a Russian withdrawal back to its pre invasion positions would be a good thing?
Do you approve that NATO sends targeting data to Ukraine’s AD system?
Do you think NATO should avoid getting involved, that is helping Ukraine?
Ah, so I assume these are the three questions you mentioned above, I said I had not seen and definitely didn’t have deleted. Well I’ve now got to them and they are very thoughtful, so here goes.
I don’t think it’s academic, as removing an invader must be a positive and correct thing to do. But you say you don’t think it would be a good thing.
As much as saying you support Russia’s actions then, which is pretty much what others have been asking you.
Slaughter in Europe seems to be what Russia is doing right now, John.
No, I was asking if you think NATO should stay out of it?
It matters not, as I’m now satisfied, for whatever reason, that you support Russia in this sorry affair.
Thanks for replying.
Condemnation please of Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine, closely followed by a new shitty Lada in place of your 19 year old dead rapist son!
So you have now stated you do not think the Russians should pull out of the areas they have taken illegally since 2014? Really? Very vague answers however to keep your head sheds off your back!
Russia hasn’t saved any region from ethnic cleansing, the ‘genocide ‘ that Putin claimed was being enacted on Russian speakers in Eastern Ukraine is and was a lie and formed part of his package of flimsy pretexts for his invasion. The slaughter that Russia has imposed on the civilian population in Ukraine is unprecedented in Europe since WW2. That’s the ethnic cleansing and genocide taking place and it’s by Russia, not Ukraine. Interestingly, thousands of Russian speakers have been fleeing Luhansk and Donbas for Western Ukraine and beyond, they do not buy that lie about liberation and have a good idea I expect of what it’s like to live in a town reduced to rubble that’s under Russian occupation- human rights abuses, execution, rape, kidnap, torture, etc.
Only the naive think that this war began a few months ago. Russia has been at war with the West for a very long time. Just over 8 years ago today it shot down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine killing hundreds of Dutch and Australian citizens, the Russian response? Lies and smirks. Before that they released a radiological attack in London, and afterwards a fatal chemical attack in Salisbury. Accompanied by lies, deflections, smirks and hundreds of cyber attacks on the west. No one in Russia faced justice for those attacks.
“Name any NATO country with anywhere near the AD capability of Ukraine?”
None, NATO emphasises air superiority and air dominance. Air defense is a secondary function. Only western state that has an equivalent (in fact superior) air defence network than China or Russia is Israel.
Countries with eastern style air forces tend to emphasise air defence because their manned fighter fleets and command and control systems and tactics are largely obsolete compared to west.
A Su-35 or J-11 is at best equivalent to an early F-15C/D and that’s really pushing it. A MiG-29 is a short range death trap against an American or allied jet especially one guided by an AEW&C aircraft.
And then throw in F-35 or even JAS-39* with high level of networked capabilities and the eastern jets are dead.
*Chinese discovered this in exercises against Thai JAS-39s
Hence Chinese and Russians rely on SAMs more than fighters. But as we know from experience over Syria, those SAMS are also near useless against western technology and tactics.
Western superiority has relied heavily on passive opponents – Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan. Ukraine is not a passive opponent and it also had a much bigger AD network than anything in Europe. To crack open Ukraine’s AD system would require an American level of SEAD as well as American style stealth capability. NATO’s European members would struggle to do it without American support (including the RAF which doesn’t even have an ARM anymore).
Russia lacks SEAD in depth but it also lacks PGM manufacturing capability (during USSR this was done in Ukraine). Hence they went into this war with limited ability to suppress enemy AD.
Russia also lacks stealth capabilities to bypass enemy air defences.
They lack the guided ballistic/cruise missile capability to shut down airbases (this requires hundreds of weapons per airbase – remember the US hit a single Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawks and the air base was not neutralised).
US intelligence stated that 60% of Russian precision weapons miss their targets.
Finally Russia lacks the command and control capability of the US. This has always been the case with Russia and USSR. It’s a top down inflexible approach but it lacks the command and control capability sufficient to effectively implement an effective top down approach.
Thus I wouldn’t agree this is terror bombing. It’s incompetence and lack of capability.
Finally officers – USSR only ever had a small pool of capable officers at extremely high levels. They never had capable officers at lower levels which is why even the depleted Wehrmacht could inflict tactical victories against Red Army even as late as 1945. Eg Battle of Bautzen in April 1945.
Also USSR in 1941 couldn’t create a mighty Red Army – it require hundreds of thousands of tons of western Lend Lease supplies.
(Basically the modern Russian as well as Soviet militaries were essentially an 18th century military with a WW2 approach to firepower).
Finally free societies and good decision making – this is mindless propaganda. 20 years of Afghanistan and Iraq debacle or Libyan campaign showed western democracies are as bad at self reflection or rational decision making as the Russians.
Oh dear, another Johnsky rant.
Are you at least willing to condemn Putins genocidal invasion from this account?
And I see lots of comments have reappeared from the black hole the trolls placed them in.
“Western superiority has relied heavily on passive opponents – Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan”
On what basis do you define these countries as “passive opponents”?
None of them conducted any offensive operations against western forces.
Serbia for example had submarines and FACs with AShMs which were not used to threaten western naval forces. Neither Serbia nor Iraq attacked air bases where American aircraft were staging.
Instead all 3 countries just stood there and instead tried to block punches.
A purely defensive war is a recipe for disaster. You have to keep the attacker on the back foot with careful counter punches. This is what Ukraine is doing with strikes on Russian logistics. They even attacked at least one Russian airbase early on in the war,
If you paid attention to what was happening in Syria, it was evident Russia’s air force was using WWII style tactics with little modern capability.
And why then? Do elaborate?
If you read articles and reports from Syrian war, Russian air force did not operate in a modern manner similar to a western force.
Over Syria their airforce was flying missions without much coordination with ground forces and then carpet bombing with unguided ordnance.
We also knew that after 2014 Russia no longer had access to Ukrainian factories that produce components for precision guided weapons which meant they couldn’t acquire many (indeed it would appear they stopped buying such weapons completely according to some sources).
We also knew their SEAD was poor – the main weapon being the outdated Kh-31P dating back to 1980s tech and that there were no dedicated SEAD or electronic jammer squadrons.
We also knew their AEW&C was degraded – a handful of ageing A50s with problems being encountered with A50U upgrade.
There were reports coming out that flight time for pilots was still low
Finally we knew that their air force consisted of warmed over Soviet technology. Even much vaunted Su-35 doesn’t have an AESA radar which is one of the requirements for 4.5th generation aircraft.
.
Dumb bombing using unguided weapons and often no cooperation with ground forces. Targets are pre-planned without much responsiveness.
Basically the tactics are similar to those used by Red Army in 1943-45.
The USAAF actually had more advanced tactics and CAS/strike doctrine in WW2 than the Russians (or Syrians or Libyans) have now.
Modern CAS/interdiction/strike requires extremely well trained and coordinated forces and superb C3 and ISTAR. Russia has none of that and never has.
If we see from different direction, why the russia not look like all out use his air power capability in air fight in ukraine after 5 months conflict?, Very possible they storage the best parts for real fight against NATO if it happened.
I think you are making poor excuses for Russia Ivan, NATO is not in this war in terms of boots on the ground nor does it intend to be, Russia struggled to get near Kiev let alone the polish border and its quite clear Poland alone would kick Russia’s ass lol.
Yet another crude insult at a first time poster here. Trying to scare anyone new away?
Sticking up for your work friends Johnski ? lol and no I’m explaining just the harsh reality you Russians will have to deal with ,Russia who cannot make a strategic impact in conventional warfare on a lesser enemy its not a power anymore and never was after 1991 ,the Ukraine war has exposed Russia all for what it has military wise , a peasant armed forces , just like it was exposed in the Crimean war in the 1850’s.
Oh FFS troll boy yawn off, let this new poster defend himself, he doesn’t need you wanking off over his avatar! You fucking bell-end!
Nope all their best aircraft and regiments are here. In fact the one type they haven’t used much is the older Su-24M which is the most numerous strike aircraft in Russia’s inventory. Instead it’s all been new Su-30/34/35 plus ubiquitous Su-25.
Current Russian confirmed losses are 17 Su-25 and 19 Su-30/34/35. No confirmed losses of older Su-24s or Su-27s. No confirmed losses of MiG-31s though these are being used at least sporadically.
Why is Russia’s war against Ukraine, which it started on February 24 this year, against the whole of Europe and the whole world?
Ukraine is a region of power, which gives a tangible advantage to those who own it. First of all, in the conquest of new territories. This has been the case for the last 300 years.
In the twentieth century, the world saw this, but did not quite understand and remained silent. But Ukraine was not completely subdued. Ukrainians fought, bringing the final liberation of the world from the “evil empire”.
What kind of Russia conquered the world in the twentieth century with the help of conquered Ukraine?
Let’s remember.
Russia occupied Ukraine in 1920. When the USSR appeared on the world map, it was still called RUSSIA. Many facts testify to Russia’s intentions to conquer the whole world. Mention of the “World Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” was in the USSR Constitution until 1935. Slogan “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” and images of the globe, adorned the coat of arms of the Soviet Union until the collapse of this political entity.
The USSR, through the Communist International, sought to establish a “world dictatorship of the proletariat,” and to establish a “World Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.” In the Comintern anthem of 1929, factory workers were urged to check their sights, load their rifles, and set out to storm the capital. The refrain was as follows: “Our slogan is the World Soviet Union!”.
From 1923 to 1927, the Comintern tried to carry out “revolutions” in Bulgaria, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, China, India, Indonesia, Persia, and even Brazil. Soviet military commander Mikhail Tukhachevsky then called: “Under the banner of Marxism, we will enter Byzantium faster than with the cross and consecrate St. Sophia again!”
But not everything worked out. In 1926, Russia financially supported the British coal miners’ strike. London then severed diplomatic and trade relations with Moscow. The country of the Soviets was afraid that unprepared European countries, which were already engaged in its permanent “liberation activities”, would move on it.
After that, the USSR announced a “course of industrialization” – that is, the modernization of the military industry. And approved a new program for the development of the Red Army. Already in 1929, the Soviet economy acquired signs of wartime: lack of food and necessities, lower wages and living standards amid a sharp rise in defense spending.
Domestic propaganda convinced that the USSR was surrounded by enemies who were preparing to attack it. And the West, they say, arranged an economic blockade for him – that’s why he lacks the most important thing.
But the ultimate goal was to be the whole world.
People were enthusiastic about defending themselves and the holy idea from mythical invaders. At the same time, they were preparing for the mission of “liberating all the working people of the planet from the capitalists.”
Children in schools and kindergartens, as well as adults, were preparing for the upcoming “liberation campaign”. Many books, movies and songs were created for the children, which supported their “fighting spirit”. Children learned to “catch spies”, throw grenades, march in gas masks, and for success in shooting received badges “Young Voroshilov shooter”. And through the correspondents of the children’s press they swore to make “Leninism win all over the world.”
Ukraine has revolted. Part of it was liberated from Russian rule. Therefore, Russia arranged an artificial famine. Because starving people do not have the strength to fight. After the famine-genocide in Ukraine in 1932-33, Soviet textbooks stated: “The Ukrainian SSR with its economic potential has become one of the most reliable bastions of Soviet defense.”
More than four million Ukrainians, the builders of “world Russia”, have sacrificed the idea of world domination. And their property and money enriched the Soviet party nomenklatura and were partially invested in the Red Army. The subdued Ukrainian “body” became a support for Russia’s wars of conquest.
From 1936 to 1940, the Red Army fought in nine countries: Spain, China, Mongolia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Romania. In addition to marching to the West (after the occupation of the Baltic States, Western Ukraine and Belarus, good conditions were in place), a march to the East was planned: Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Palestine … when Hitler attacked.
In 1945, the Soviet Union ideologically expanded to half of Europe. Stalin outlined the tasks of the USSR for the postwar period: the Soviet Union must be ready for a new war. In 1956, the Soviet Union drowned the revolution in Hungary, in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, and in 1981 in Poland. In the 1970s and 1980s, Soviet Ukrainians died during wars in about 20 countries. Most in Afghanistan. There was also the armed domestication of North Korea, China, Laos, Algeria, Vietnam, Syria, Yemen, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Angola, Honduras, El Salvador and Grenada.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Ukraine played an important role in its disintegration. As a result, Russia’s military aggression has been slowed for 20 years. And today it is restored in full force.
At the end of the day Russia has shown its hand it struggles to make a impact in taking the Ukraine , using mass troops strategy with no mass, as a power it is done for in conventional warfare, its not a threat to NATO.
It’s not a war against Europe and certainly not the whole world (most of the world is quiet on the issue ie Asia, Africa, Latin America). This is a colonial spat and typical Russian “strategic depth” strategy that has been the core obsession of Russians since Ivan the Terrible.
Europe is very safe wrapped up in its NATO blanket. The last time the Russians had the capability to conventionally threaten NATO was in 1989.
Certain people pushed this whole “Russian conventional superpower” BS for whatever reasons but even before 2022 it was clear to anyone with half a brain and without a vested interest that the Russian military was incapable of even defending its own homeland let alone massive invasions of NATO countries.
Note the Russians deployed nearly their whole combat capable force to Ukraine and that numbered a measly 200,000 men. They used 500,000 to pacify much smaller Czechoslovakia in 1968.
And so much of their force was always obsolete – most of the large ships, most of the tank/AFV fleet and most of the air force date to 1980s and has never seen an upgrade.
So how anyone seriously thought they were a threat to NATO in a conventional sense is beyond me.
because the collapse in military capability was not one sided. Look at how Germany let its defences erode. Holland got rid of its tanks. Most of Western Europe made deep defence cuts.
Not how the rest of the world sees it.
The raf is not a measure of a successful airforce and is Mainly a waste of money. The 100 year experimental air arm should have been dissolved back Into the fleet air arm.
As for rocket attacks Kosovo, Libya Syria. NATO should be up for war crimes.
Why are the mod pushing idiots onto the media.
UK troops are pro Russian from what I’ve seen.
“The raf is not a measure of a successful airforce and is Mainly a waste of money”.
Says who? And how do you define a “successful air force”? I would argue that it is one of the most effective Air Forces in the West – perhaps you might as an example ask the people of Whalley Bridge what their view of the RAF is.
“The 100 year experimental air arm should have been dissolved back Into the fleet air arm”.
Again, why?
“As for rocket attacks Kosovo, Libya Syria. NATO should be up for war crimes”
I wonder how, as an example, the thousands of Kosovan Albanians saved by NATO’s air campaign would react to such a crass statement?
“UK troops are pro Russian from what I’ve seen”.
Evidence? or is this another anecdotal statement bereft of any supporting information to underpin it?
What seems to me to be bleeding obvious is that the western military learned a great deal from WWII. In particular the blitzkrieg of Germany and the swarm tactics of the Japanese.
An army that is able to quickly manoeuvre to take advantage of its opponents weaknesses will generally prevail. Even when the force of numbers is against them. If you consider gulf war one where the coalition faced a numerically superior force, they prevailed by striking weak points quickly and adapting to new strategies in the field. The Iraqi military who employed the Russian doctrine of bludgeoning warfare quickly discovered that the mobility of their opposition exposed their front, rear and flanks. As a result they were quickly defeated.
What I see here is that many of the soviet era tactics that lost it for Iraq are being employed by the Russians in Ukraine. It is amazing that they have not learned the lessons of warfare very well.
Amazing amount of toxic masculinity and intolerance here. People have different opinions and should have the right to express it.
Here’s some words from Voltaire:
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
Or a more modern version – Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
And don’t forget your ancestors fought for these rights be it on the battlefield or the picket line. Don’t disrespect their memory by trying to stifle conversation.
The intolerance is the wanker who is supporting the regime that is ethnically cleansing Ukraine.
Funny how you claim all these high minded ideals, while advocating for the murder of women and children for being born Ukranian. Oh well, just goes to show what a piece of shit you are.
If you don’t like us mr “27 comments” feel free to foxtrot oscar.
I never said I was supporting the regime or the invasion.
Number of posts is irrelevant – you are clearly an intolerant bully. And much like Ukrainians fighting their old imperial bully, I am ore than happy to tangle with you to defeat you and put you back in your place.
Have you ‘conveniantly’ forgotten the falklands then?
Just as Putin waited until the end of the Beijing Olympics before attacking Ukraine, I think it possible that Israel & Saudi Arabia will wait to the end of Qatar World Cup, before attacking Iran. I fear Putin will stick a finger up at the West & sell nuclear tech to Iran in return for drones & help evading sanctions. If that happens, both Israel & Saudi will want to firmly stop an Iranian bomb.
As a former fighter pilot, I am not at all shocked about these revelations regarding Russian Air Force.