Russia fails to gain air superiority over Ukraine

I’m wondering if Russia are trying to avoid too much damage to the cities and that is why they haven’t really used their full strength. Although if the lighter approach fails, I’m sure that won’t last.

I doubt that is the case given that they are using rocket salvos on urban populations…

More likely is that either they are worried about sending tanks in (they tend to be sitting ducks in a large city when the enemy has anti-tank weapons) or they got bogged down outside the cities in both battles with Ukrainian forces or running low on supplies and fuel due to logistics issues.

Maybe for all Russia’s vaulted high performance jets very few are actually airworthy ( lack of spare parts, lack of fuel, lack of pilots willing to fight, lack of precision munitions) and hence not flying over Ukraine. If Putin is holding back that doesnt make any sense as to go into another country half-hearted will only result in casualties and eventual embarrasing defeat.

May I introduce you to Oryx, a guy with a very specific set of skills: namely, to be able to sit in front of a computer for very long periods of time and trawl through open source media to catalogue military losses as accurately as possible.
You’ll notice that the Ukrainian forces seem to be concentrating on hitting the logistics rather than the armour specifically- which may account for Russia’s painfully slow progress. They’ve hit 3 times as many supply trucks as they have tanks, for example. I know that logistics vehicles make for easier targets too, and I’m sure that goes some way to explaining the reasoning. But it’s also worth bearing in mind that a lot of analysis said that the Russians are short of logistics in their force make-up anyway- especially beyond their rail heads. If the Ukrainians kill enough trucks, then the Russians may literally run out of ability to resupply their forward elements and have to turn around.
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html

Let’s hope their efforts work. Would me a major game changer to how countries see defense if it does.

Agree Steve may end up being a strategic and tactical masterclass.

Thanks

a few days a go a couple of hundred russian vehicles had been destroyed – presumably includes tanks, APCs, trucks etc, nearly 30 FW aircraft and nearly 30 helicopters. As usual, nothing is substantiated. But this is just with skirmishes

Just feels like a very low number considering the tens of thousands that were lined up at the border a week or so ago.

If Russia is not holding back, their global power has been seriously found wanting.

Steve, go to r/combatfootage, there are a ton of destroyed and captured Russian vehicles on there. Russia have lost far more than a single tank. I must have seen about at least 20 including the newer T90’s getting destroyed

Russia has less than 900 top line fighters that are less than 16 years old. Ukraine’s newest fighter is 12 years old. The UAF has gone to ground, or to a third country.

I am wondering where many of the shoulder launched ordinance is on the UA side. They have been given circa 10k anti-armour and around 500+ anti-air (Stingers) in the last few months. That should have at least seen some results in Russian rotary wing casualties.

Hopefully his inner circle would deal with him before it went too far!

You never can tell with Russia. Has putin really been keeping everyone 50feet away as seen in every meeting for past few years. Or is it just stages to look like that.
If it’s true and he’s kept himself away from everyone maybe he can be toppled from the inside. But the look of fear some have while dealing with him speaks volumes. Unless this is also all a big act. So hard to know what’s true and what’s staged with putin

Can’t remember where I read it but, there are rumor’s of a cell within the FSB working against the Russian government. This could go some way to explaining some of the issues they’re having on the ground if orders are being purposefully put out incorrectly.

The OSS (forerunner to CIA) wrote a 1,000 page analysis of Hitler’s state of mind, initial work being done in 1938-1940.
Have the Americans, or us, done similar work on Putin some years ago. if not, they should have done!

Those assessments are done on every person with influence or of command position. They get updated every six months or so, especially when dealing with HUMIT during events.

You have very priviledged information. How then did no-one see that Putin had the mind-set to launch a full invasion of Ukraine (not just a limited operation in Donbass).

Actually DM, I’m wondering if the Russian Military leadership are up for this. I cant see Russian parents supporting their 19 year old sons being killed for this.

Very left field, but I wonder if a coup d’etat might be on the cards as the body bags fill up.

My thoughts exactly Klonk. There are professionals in the Russki mil and if enough of them get together there may be changes mate.

Fingers crossed Mate!

It’s literally the only way to get rid of Putin without starting WW3

They supported him during the war in Chechnya.

You are off course correct Dan. Just can help feeling this is a very different scenario though.

and the attacks in Georgia – until Bush got involved, and the annexation of Crimea.
They believe Ukraine is theirs , there are lots of ethnic Russians in the south east – why wouldnt they belive that, easy to manipulate.
How much they are prepared to lose to get it back physically and economically is another matter.
However the man on the street won’t have a say in that though.

Its interesting that Rusdian conscripts are entering a war zone and not being told. Then surprised the Ukranians are resisting, standing in front of their tanks, willing to die for their freedom and democracy and calling the Russians fascists.
Rusdian army is i guess not comfortable fighting an unjustified, unpopular war of conquest.

My hope too.

There are already a number of reports of young Russian troops who have been captured and are being looked after by Ukraine forces. They are even given phones, so that they can contact their families. The reports say that they feel let down and abandoned by their own side. What the truth is about this, we may never know, but at face value it looks genuine.

Thanks Chuck

He is said to be paranoid about COVID and is still not vaccinated. That the reason for the tables. Xi is much the same. Very dangerous world we now live in.

Well Xi would know wouldn’t he….

Wrong. Steroids if adrenacortico steroids can make you more prone to irrational behaviour and steroid “rage”.
If you contract covid and become clinically unwell then steroids are useful to prevent secondary inflammatory changes in the lungs and lung lining that cause death and long term disability.
If he is on steroids now. Without being ill then yes could be suffering from steroid rage. Or he is just a psychopathic megalomaniac ex KGB assassin with a chipthe size of his country on his shoulder.

There is plenty of evidence out there that anabolic steroids can increase the risk of severe disease with Covid.

Anyway doesn’t matter, what we can agree on is that the guy is a nut job that’s needs stopping once and for all.

I have noticed, that the last 2 times I have seen him walk into a room on the news. He swings his left arm but his right arm hangs down his side and doesn’t move. I think it is possible he has had sone kind of cerebral event. Check it out next time you see him walking, see what you think..

interesting I’ll look out for that. There were rumours about Parkinsons last year too. Definitely something going on.

Just like Hitler.

Sounds like what Biden did during the pandemic. lol

Biden didn’t spend it planning to invade a democracy and kill countless people in the process.

Paranoid about a virus that can kill you

V

‘Just drink some detergent !

Get over it Dan….your man lost fair and square to the lesser problem of two bad choices.

PS the pandemic isn’t over. @1000 still dying in the US every day.

Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?

Ask the Stranglers

A yes sir, the Salisbury blend.

It is one of the best sellers in our hit Collectione Di Kremlin.

It is blended for us by our specialist perfumer Vlad The Mad: in fact we think that it has affected him a bit like mercury to the hatters.

But I digress.

When the Novichok came out it was criticised for its oily nature and being so hard to wash off. Some even said it had no smell.

That was really unfair: it was unique.

Since then Vlad has perfected the blend and make it the choice of despots the world over.

Why not buy your unloved ones a gift they will never forget?

Novichok the star of the Kremlin Collection: the perfect gift to say goodbye.

A little gem 😂

You have to read it in David Jason’s voice, who used to do Weekending to get the full effect.

Brilliant. Well done. Enjoyed that.

I like your guys thinking 😀

Now with added Chernobyl. 😁

Massively missing the point Derek. The point being they surround themselves with people who will do what they’re told and when these people don’t they’re quickly replaced relying on peoples personal ambition to keep them in line.

Oh and what’s “TDS”, genuine question.

Agreed in principle, but I’ve got an inkling the Ukrainian lads know their business well enough. We shall see – Drones (4 missiles each?) pick-off the mobile SAM launchers first – high value, dangerous and difficult to replace (get 2 with one shot – job’s a good ‘un). Then the logistics – a slow moving convoy consumes a lot of fuel. Then move in the NLAW teams in at night-time when they’re all catching some shut eye. And start taking out the heavy stuff. The impact on morale with vehicles just exploding around you on these inexperienced young guys must be significant.You can see them emptying out of trucks and diving for cover in the grass in some videos. And if their recovery vehicles are not on hand well no one’s going anwhere fast.

You are correct, however there is another aspect to this. Most of the Russian forces do not appear to really know what on earth is going on. The majority are conscripts and young and were told they are on a training exercise and suddenly find themselves under attack from a country where many of them have family ties! Some seem to be running out of food too. Small but constant drone strikes could push some of these over the edge. There have already been reports of small numbers of surrenders.

That’s an interesting question. Apparently they had over 330 fighters in theatre prior to the attack, but so far have used only around 80 of them. They could be holding them in reserve just incase NATO interferes. That’s a risky strategy though.

Those were my thoughts as well, they had a number of non flying MIG 29’s before the start of the conflict; I’m sure the Ukrainians would have dispersed combat ready craft from the outset

My guess too. To not have your fighters in any HAS when you have had a hostile nation building up on your borders for the past few months appears a touch careless. One would assume they had a war warning and moved them in time.

so where do you think its from – the MiG 29s look like they have the same pattern of camo as the Ukranians. The locale looks similar to what Ukraine looks like at the moment.

Could be from 2014, don’t know but links on the internet involving India generally isn’t correct at best, sad make believe at worst!

Let’s hope it stays that way and can get completely strafed or at least blocked, bombed up the front, back, middle. What a target…one big long duck shoot. Hope the 🇺🇦 can knock it out irvrough it up begire it gets any closer.

Except that the Russian Flankers would be facing F22 and F35?

And the nukes would be flying soon, so that’s why it ain’t gonna happen.

The only reason the Russkies are parking the damn things like that is because they know they don’t face a credible air threat.

I totally agree DN

Air threat or not tactically speaking that convoy is a joke!
Anybody with a Molotov cocktail could take out one truck and the chain reaction would go from there. They are in an occupied country where the threat could come from anywhere!

But where are all the Russian top end planes no where if they can’t swat what’s left of Ukraine airforce they being held back or we are missing something

That’s a good question. it does seem odd. :o)

I do wonder if that convoy has been left as a tempting target to draw the UkAF out and Russkies are waiting to strike

You are sounding Russian stroll with every post .

LOL Dude are you such a sheep that anyone questioning the Western media’s spin on the news, must be a Russian troll. Please .. tell me where I have shown any support for Putin or where i am “trolling” everyone.

Correct mate.

Countries that do not support sanctions against Russia:

China, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Indonesia, most Islamic countries, most African countries, most Asian countries. most S.American countries.

You know here are more than half of the world population?

Off topic again my trolling friend! WTF has any of that got to do with the subject?

Good question mate, I’m sure Alexs will answer in his broken English!!!!!

Bottom line AlexS, you’re losing.

Be sure to check out UTUBE to see this on mass, no balls for a fight.

“Ukraine have surrendered en masse or sabotaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday.

Some entire Russian units have laid down their arms without a fight after confronting a surprisingly stiff Ukrainian defense, the official said. A significant number of the Russian troops are young conscripts who are poorly trained and ill-prepared for the all-out assault.

And in some cases, Russian troops have deliberately punched holes in their vehicles’ gas tanks, presumably to avoid combat, the official said.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/russia-troops-pentagon.html

Alex good morning. At the bottom of this post are the countries who criticised Russia at the UN for its invasion of Ukraine.. yes you are correct regards countries which do not condemn Moscow. But let’s look at them again
India has a coal shortage and has done for a while.last Oct it signed a deal with Moscow for 4 millions tonnes of the Stuff.

these past few months iran has had the Houthi up the ante against the UAE. The other day Moscow supported a UAE motion at the UN to place an arms embargo on the Houthi and straight away the UAE didn’t vote against Moscow in 2 separate votes.

Without a doubt China is in cahoots with Moscow, we can see that with how China has been peddling misinformation regards the US and the Ukraine regards biolabs. Of late China has been buying Countries. Just look at the Barbados which became a republic the other month, strange how it only started doing so after it started receiving cash from China. As have many many others in the region in the pacific 8 of the 14 nations there are dependent on Chinese aid, don’t even get me started with Pakistan ,Iran and a raft of African countries. They now do as China tells them and they are doing just that.

Anyway back to Russia, Moscow called the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE and told them not to pump more fuel in which to lower the price of crude.

now all these countries can vote as they please, but the thing. Is when it come to real Aid, they don’t go to China or Moscow they look to the West, their peoples who are most vocal about how the West is anti Muslim, Anti black never seek sanctuary in Russia or China no they head to the West.

if that is the world you want to live in , where the likes of Moscow and Beijing dictate to the rest how to live , then fine.that is your right,

The map:

Didn’t come out, tries again
oh forgot to mention Brazil voted against Russia.

UAE needs a serious talking to. Tell them, that if they keep siding with Russia, then Emirates/Etihad, will be banned from UK/EU/US airspace.

“You know here are more than half of the world population?”

Yes.

What is their combined average GDP, their total defence spending, or even your point?

The problem with that is that a substantial proportion of those cost you more to do business than you gain from it or indeed offer little to be gained from such trade considering the type of goods concerned to Russia. You only have to follow the scale and tactics of China in this regard in trade with these countries to see how and why their trading relationships work. They have the assets and wealth to maintain that relationship well beyond any present or likely profit taking. At best it is a long term policy of control over both the countries involved and the mineral assets within for their own economy, the cost is worth it to them. Any idea that Russia can remotely do the same is laughable especially in light of the sanctions increasingly being brought against them. Russians clearly seem to think they can be a dominant world power simply due to size and bluster, in reality they have a tiny economy most of the Country is backward and relies totally on energy exports and their only future maintaining their present myth is to become a poodle of China which already has a ten times larger economy and growing. Had they had any remote understanding of the way things are going they would have become closer to the rest of Europe and shared in the mutual wealth available but instead they have taken another and ultimately self destructive route. It’s purely how and when it happens and who they take down with them.

Well put Dragonwight

The bit that has always worried me is political will and homogeneity. As long as the west has the Political and social will as well as unity it can ensure liberal democracies can still lead the world. I’m hoping this will and unity is hardening, under a real threat.

I was always suspicious about AlexS comments in the past but this war has all bought out the trolls and silenced some on UKDJ.

Agreed mate, always a bit suspect but on overdrive when their boss is going full Nazi on the world.

👍

I think “going full Nazi“ pretty much sums it up so well.

By any definition Russia indeed is a National Socialist state even if many of the old apologists simply can’t bring theirselves to acknowledge the fact. To be honest despite their use of ‘Communist Party’ and retaining many of those visual and cultural attachments they too run the economy on classic Nat. Soc. lines. If you are Nationalist, Racist and Capitalist but with strong central control over it what else can you be called whatever destructing name you might apply to it.

Yes indeed, both Russia and China are following that template of corporatism and National Socialism.

I think there are to many people who a pining hopes on blaming one individual “Putin or “Jinping”. But failing to recognise that these individuals take advantage of the movement of these states to that National Socialism model, but they do not create the conditions, that’s a broader population move. Yes there will be many individuals in a society who don’t like it and a few who will fight against it, but there still needs a ground swell of a population who support the move.

Hitler hated Capitalism because he was convinced it was Jewish. He hated Marxism for exactly the same reason. If you think he was a Capitalist then you think he didn’t hate the Jews. If you think he hated the Jews then you can’t think he was a Capitalist.
Marxist Socialism=Class
Fascist Socialism=Nationality
National Socialism=Race
Putin is a Fascist

Hi David, one of the key elements of fascism is corporatism ( it was a key design of the early 20C facist state) It’s the fascist warped version of capitalism in which capital is still owned by a rich elite ( of a favoured race or ethnic grouping) make money and personal capital is still important and used to make money and stimulate industries, but the output is entirely linked to a national socialist ideal. Hitler did not hate capitalism, just as long as the capitalists were Arian and worked for the good of the state. It’s One of the key economic differences between communist state and facist state.

I honestly don’t now if that madman hated Jews or just saw them as a group he and his co-hort could direct all the pressure and anger within the German population. I suspect he picked them because their wealth and social position made them any easy and lucrative group to attack. A thought he may have hated them as it’s a character of the psychopath that they hate in a powerful way anyone they see as having power over them ( so Jewish bankers etc may have triggered this). But he also hated my own ethnic background on one side of my family ( Roma) and they had no power….and I really don’t think they had the same level of hate from the wider society, it was more of a removal of a weak non Arian race.

It’s a barely readable, repetetive tedious hate filled rant but if you want to know what Hitler thought you need to read Mein Kampf. In it he states everything that he subsequently did after taking power. If the whole thing can be summarised it is that the Jews control Capitalism and Marxism with the intention of destroying or enslaving the Aryan race. He thought the Aryan race could only be saved through the elimination of the Jews. Corporatism was a 19th century Socialist/Anarchist philosophy first implemented in Fascist Italy by Mussolini a self confessed lifelong socialist. I repeat if you believe that Hitler was a capitalist or marxist then he could not have been anti-semitic. If he wasn’t anti-semitic then everything he said in Mein Kampf was a lie. That the race and resettlement laws and the final solution are inexplicable events with no rational explanation.

To be honest David, I generally try and read most texted related to Geopolitical thinking from as many sources as I can. But I have made a special point to never read Mein Kampf, it seems a bit silly I know, but it feels wrong to validate that man in any way, even by just reading the book. So my study has more been around classic fascism and as you are aware it’s roots are in the the think of Mussolini and Italian pro war fascia . Many people don’t really know that 20c Fascism was developed by a socialist ( I’ve always thought that it’s the reason facist and communist states actually always ended up functionally similar). But I don’t think you can equate capitalist with not being anti Semitic ( capitalists can hate and still be capitalist). But I did say the facist version of capitalism, which is not the same beast as liberal ideas of capitalism. The facist state uses corporatism, which still allows for the capital and means of production to be privately owned, but the corporations and companies are both Heavily regulated and protected by the state, with workforce inclusion. It’s a bit of a hybrid between western liberal capitalism and communism, so your correct Hitler hated communism and he hated liberal capitalism ( as there is no control of who owns and benefits from capital) which is why fascists love corporatism…the favoured races can still make money and build capital and the other can be excluded.

No problem. We’ll agree to disagree on some parts but we can agree on most. 👍

Indeed we are all allowed to disagree and complex stuff like Geopolitics can have many answers ( although there are some that don’t think that and you get a my way or a nasty dose of your an evil idiot…) .

And Especially when your talking about the motivations of hitler and the Leaders of the Third Reich anything beyond “they were evil fuckers beyond the comprehension of normal decent people” is academic scull work anyway.

I do wish I could read Mein Kampf as I love pulling apart history, but I just cannot do it, so if you have any interesting thoughts from it related to discussions do let me know.

Anyways maybe next time we can have a bash around the Chinese government and what they are ( I’m not sure they even know or care). I’m sure they will do something soon that warrants an article on UKDJ.

Agreed evil or nazi seem to be insults for anyone with a different opinion. 👍

Yeah read a report this afternoon of an amphibious assult on Odessa where Russian Marines (from Crimea) refused to participate as the assult ships approached and the ships had to turn back. No idea if true, if so I think it could be word is starting to leak out.

I did wonder what had happened at Odessa as day 1 it was supposedly an amphib assault without any return fire at the Russian skips.

I hadn’t seen any news on it since them but could see all the maps showing it still Ukrainian held

Now that is interesting.

If it’s true mate another nail in the coffin of Russkie mil remaining respect and ability!

Don’t Russian officer’s have to do a lot of tasks that would be done by NCO in western army’s ? The first wave seem to be Paras and special forces and they did very poorly

Correct mate as in most conscript Army’s the quality and experience is so low that the NCOs and JNCOs cannot be relied on to make correct choices when needed. In fact in a lot of these rabbles you become a SNCO either because you know someone and paid, or you are staying on for another year or more. End result is the same, limited ability to man manage, limited experience of soldiering and leading. Limited experience and ability to manage the tactical picture and make the combat appreciation etc and even more etc. Cheers mate.

Great answer Airborne -thanks for that .I’ve been thinking along similar lines watching this thing play out

👍!

Too true Andy. Perhaps their kids will be the influencers for changing the mood. Social media and mounting protests in Moscow et al.

On a coffee break at the moment, recovering from the stink of Sadolin Classic on the walls/ceiling of the cloakroom upgrade.

Edit spelling

Same repeated child like no depth post! Sad sad sad Nazi fetish troll who has used far to much tissue looking at his Putin calendar! March’s Putin, topless, pale, bit flabby and obviously taking crack while wearing female panties….whatever turns you on troll boy! Now have a word with your controller as you need a new avatar and email address to ensure you continue trolling with another account…but you probably have quite a few anyway as it’s the bot trolls way!

I only have an avatar on facebook and have had the same email address for 20 years, in both cases only one.

Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor? Your pursuit of my posts, delusions about my status and strange responses are possibly indicative of some kind of psychological problem.

Still no condemnation of Putin and his invasion of Ukraine? You now totally ignore the subject matter in Ukraine as everything you have previously stated has shown to be chuff! More effort required, not even very covert trolls. Garbage in fact, very much like your Russkie conscripts getting thrashed on a daily basis.

And in keeping with the subject matter, would you like to reiterate your many many previous posts that Putin has no intentions to invade Ukraine? It’s all western propaganda? Azov Bde rounding up people? NATO propaganda? It’s only Exercises? Blah blah and yes more blah. Everything you have trolled about has been seen to be completely chuff, and it’s ever so sad to see the internet infested with pathetic trolls.

He turns up now and then but not often as his trolling has become obvious. Aware that everything he has posted over the last month is there for all to see as utter shite….

Again mate agreed and your on the ball with your assessment methinks!

That column stalled outside Kyiv. They are obviously regrouping and sorting their logistics out BUT how much of that is down to low level military mutiny and sabotage? Just saying because your average Russian conscript has been living in a tent through the Russian winter, cabbage soup is the only thing on the menu and now they know they are being committed to a very bloody urban battle against their fellow Slavs. If I was a Russian conscript my truck might develop a flat tire.

Got to wonder if now that they know the effectiveness of NLAW and Javelin they aren’t moving with a dismounted infantry screen 800m out on either side. Would certainly slow them down.

Looking at the route there seem to be plenty of pinch points for the convoy to be chopped into packets and then taken out at leisure

Good point Paul, you may well be right. However if the Ukrainians can top and tail that column somehow Ivan will be in BIG trouble.

And that’s another dimension to it mate, the unwillingness to continue with a war which many probably weren’t aware of and being treated like shite month in month out. The cabbage soup came hot every other day, only the best for the sad unfortunate cannon fodder mate….just ask JohninMK 👍

Mostly logistical supplies and some tanks with regular breakdowns slowing the convoy to a snail’s pace!

Sean Have I mentioned punishment, did I demonise the Russian nation…no. But you cannot just assume what a nation did is down to a few individuals. It is I’m afraid a factual point of historic record that the majority of Germans did know what was happening in their names and supported their nations war efforts. It’s very easy to just blame a few individuals for the actions of a nation, but it’s never the case I’m afraid, Putin is a populist leader, who has created a dialogue that the west is the enemy of Russia, this has been supported by the majority of Russians and populations in a number of other counties, there are international polls from Western an independent NGOs that show this. Blaming only one individual completely miss understands and ignores the evidence of the Geopolitical movement to a bipolar position. It’s also utterly illogical, one man does not drive drive the geopolitical destiny of nations, they only harness and ride what is already in place.

Of course you cannot blame a nation for its history, so we are not to blame for Imperial atrocities, but I am afraid our ancestors would have generally supported the dodgier actions of the British empire. At its high a large number of the British population did not consider the African slave trade as evil, they thought it was ok. You cannot ever use your own assumptions of right and wrong on other cultures and you must always hold a nation to account and not give an excuse like it was the nasty “Putin“. What you must do is understand what is driving that nation so you can learn and stop it happening again.

No it is NOT a factual point that the majority of Germans supported the Holocaust. On the contrary in fact.
Knew, yes absolutely, supported, no that was a minority.

Putin is not a populist leader, because by definition such a leader has to be popular. If he were, he wouldn’t have to keep rigging his elections. He is NOT supported by the majority of Russians. Ergo your pompous getstalt theory falls apart.

What you need to do, instead of stereotyping entire populations as idiots who believe everything they are told by state media, is to actual get to know some Russians.
Arrogant idiot 🤦🏻‍♂️

arrogant idiot, maybe you would like to read what I have said. I did not say holocaust, I never mentioned genocide, I never demonised there russian people so stop putting words in my mouth and stop be personal and insulting. I was discussing the German war efforts and the vast majority of Germans did feel that their nation had been oppressed and was correct in its actions to re-unify the German people. And what is you evidence that Putin is not supported by the majorly of Russian citizenship, his approval ratings are alway generally above 50% even when he’s invaded other nations ( this is not the first invasion). I did not say the whole nation I said a majority. his support runs at just of 50% according to most international evidence. It is always a mistake that people make, I know 3 people and they don’t agree so I can assume the rest of the population are the same….that is the night of arrogant assumption. Evidence base and society wide observation is all not what a couple of friend I have think.

I do not ever stereotype, but populations and how they react are based on group thinking.

Thanks for calling me an idiot that is really arrogant of you.

You insulted every Russian I know, and up to 100 million others I don’t, so I have no qualms about calling out your arrogant stupidity.

So the sovereign nation of Russia has not invaded Ukraine. It’s all one man ?

and again I did not insult every Russian, I said Putin has widespread support in Russia.

can’t you actually please see what I’m saying and stop trying to put words into my mouth. I’m taking geopolitical movement not individuals. Why the hate.

No there isn’t.
You’re wrong.
Nobody is forcing them into an alliance with China.

um is it just disagree with everything i say. It’s actual a concern of a large number of nations that Russia will be forced into a tighter alliance with China as China will be the only real markets for its food and raw materials.

The increase in markets between China and Russia has increase considerably.

This is reported a lot in far Easter media as the smaller Far Eastern nations that are not aligned with the us and have defensive treaties are very worried indeed over this move to a bipolar state.

You may not like what I say, but at least try and come up with cogent arguments why I’m incorrect and not dismiss me out of hand it makes to appear arrogant.

No it’s just I can’t abide public displays of stupidity. Nothing personal, the anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers get far worse from me – oh I hope you don’t fall into those group too…

It’s not public stupidity Sean, my argument and thoughts are backed up by evidence. You may have come to a different conclusion, but that does not make you right and me wrong, neither does it make me right and you wrong. The simple fact is around 50% of Russians support Putin and his World view and around 50% don’t like it, but of that groups most keep their head down.

A nations actions and directions are undertaken because of forces at work in these nations population, they are not created by single individuals ( even absolutist monarchs, had to follow the character and flow of their nation) as an example you used at first, Hitler was a productive of where Germany was heading at that time due to social pressure and thinking hung over from WW1 he did not create the pressure he harness it for his own ends. Napoleon did not create the french empire out of thin air, he was a product of the conquests of the first republic and he simply rode the wave of national direction. Putin is the same, he has riden the currents of feeling with Russia and used it develop and maintain his power. Yes many Russians cannot abide this, but many see a return of nations pride.

Also using the old will die off is I’m afraid a bit of the hubris of the young. All those over 50# you mention, during the fall of communism most of them would have been teenagers or in their twenties, they sat on tanks and rejoiced at freedom, they took risks for freedom, but 30 years of seeing thee nation decline changes views.

As for not knowing any Russians, I happened to have worked a few and one for many years…he was one of those old ones you talked about….he was so enthralled with the USSR, he went AWOL at the fall of the communist party ( he was a soldier). But for years he worried what was happening in Russia and the feeling of the nation being left behind.

You see I have that strange think called wisdom after decades of working with and helping people from so many nations and backgrounds. I also have many decades of studying complex systems and human factors.

You don’t have to agree with me I’m not omnipotent and faultless, but I have ideas build up from many decades of very unique experiences ( it’s not arrogant to say, I have a base of knowledge and understanding of human nature and complex chaotic systems that goes beyond what the majority will ever see and understand).

As for anti vaccination, what do you mean…think very carefully, asking and questioning it’s not being anti vaccine and I will defend any individuals right to choose treatment and accept risks attached to either having that treatment or not..I assure you anyone who does not ask appropriate questions and make their own decisions around any medical intervention really should, all vaccines come with a risk vs benefit and only an individual had the right to decide person risk. To note, I will be happy to go through a revview of the scientific papers around Messenger RNA and the risks we had to take….it was vaccine programme with some very serious questions that should have been answered over five years of study vs a beast of a disease with a case mortality of 1% and an R0 of around 3 ( that’s a scary as shit public health and wider social risk). We had to do what we did, we had no choice….but it still had attached risks.

As for flat earth in holding out on that one as there was some very good papers published around two dimensional universe theory ( hologram theory), so yes the earth could in-fact be flat and two dimensional as could you.

attached nice read;

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-universe.page

China was quick to say it was a partner of Russia, not an ally.

I disagree.
I don’t thnk we will see a different Russia…at all.
The time for that (early 2000’s) has now passed.
Maybe we had a part to play in that , or maybe Putin had this plan all along.
Any new king will be crowned by , and just be a clone of, the old one.
Able to control using his new clothes.

It depends on how Putin is replaced.
If the military overthrow him, it will probably just be another hard man. Though militaries actual prefer to strut and swagger and not risk getting blown up in actual wars. So the replacement may bark as much, but bite far less.

If the oligarchs move against him then we may see a more western style leader. At the moment they hold their companies like feudal lords that can be dispossessed of them at anytime. They want to really own their companies like businessmen do in the west.

If it’s in response to the populations outage at what’s happening in Ukraine and mounting Russian casualties then it may be very different. Possibly a real democracy, it happened in Ukraine after all…

I think I’ve seen pictures of wreckage of everything, except a Backfire, on the ground in Ukraine…

And what an Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot can do to block armour when it hits it:

Fascinating pics, thank you!

Love these farouk, your own snaps too.

Interesting to know. I was thinking yesterday about the big convoy and wished Ukraine had more TB2s. Also wishrd UK had some – I mean how expensive could they be – not very compared to how useful they are. We dont need everything gold plated.

58 Watchkeeper for around 1 billion?
The British Army might by now have a deployable battery! I’m unsure if the other batteries are deployable yet.

Yes, I’d wondered about an OTS purchase. Cheap and works.

There was also a Turk Atlas in Poland.