Putin and the West

[Kwacky]

I'm hoping someone will get to Putin

[Tuffers]

I'm hoping someone will get to Putin

So am I but how?? How much does he have to be poked by the west to start on us? I mean we're sanctioning oligarchs, closing businesses in Russia etc. This has got to be rattling his cage. We need to rattle his cage a bit more, maybe a fishing boat could go missing in the Barents Sea, just do niggly little things just to let him know he's isolated. I think the west is being too fair, for instance the jets offered by Poland but not being taken up on it because it could upset Putin. It's ok for him to blast a country to rubble though and we can't get involved because we're scared of him pushing the button. What if he did something against NATO and he threatened Nukes, would we back down? Putin doesn't do things fairly but we just sit back because we fear he'll push the button. I don't personally think he would push the button unless he's going to do a Hitler in his bunker.

[D6Nutz]

But draw a parallel against North Korea.. it doesn't seem to bother the political elite over there that they are under heavy sanctions and nobody wants to talk to them.

Part of me also wonders if after 22 years in power Putin is on his way out and wants one last hoorah to cement his place in history.

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[Kwacky]

Putin has stated he's recruiting fighters from Africa and the middle East

[Cav]

What's the purpose of this? Is his army actually tiny and he's already used it? I.e. he's been bullshitting this entire time?

[Monty]

His army is mostly conscripts with a vast amount of outdated equipment that totally relies on the Russian rail network for movement and logistics and a small number of highly skilled crack troops.

[Kwacky]

Plus the outside troops can commit war crimes and Putin can claim to be blameless.

[Kwacky]

Ukraine is offering Russian pilots $1m if they defect with their jets or $500k if they defect with a helicopter.

Anonymous is still carrying out a lot of work targeting Russian businesses, state media and government offices. The Russians don't seem to be able to cope with the attacks.

[Monty]

What I don't get is why the Russians don't yet seem to have air superiority? I thought they would have been in a different league.

[Cav]

I'm starting to wonder just how biased the media we get is. This all seems a bit too "easy" for Ukraine and a bit too weak for Russia. Unless Russia has been blowing smoke up the worlds ass since forever.

[Kwacky]

There's plenty of information out there. Most of the attention is on Kyiv. That was expected to be the key battleground.

The Russians have done very well in the south of Ukraine, creating a land line from Russia to Crimea. The majority of the decent troops and equipment have been used in the south as Russia expected the Ukraine army to be well dug in along the contested regions along the Eastern border.

Ukraine has done well to change tactics. It's not gone toe to toe with Russia. It's dropped back, waited for the Russians to group up then they've attacked. They've got a few key defensive positions, especially around Kyiv, but otherwise they're playing a fluid game of hit and run.

Russia is playing open field mechanised warfare from the 1940s. Ukraine is playing Syria/Chechnya type tactics.

tl;dr - Russia isn't doing as well as expected, Ukraine is holding on but not winning.

[Kwacky]

A village in Belarus close to the Ukraine border has been bombed by jets which came from the direction of Ukraine.

Pro-Ukraine sources say that the aircraft were Russian and it's a ploy by Russia to get Belarus in to the war.

[Cav]

Would be a great tactic... but the people deliberately deciding that civilians need to be killed are truly awful individuals.

[Tuffers]

I liked that clip where a load of Russian tanks got attacked on a main road and they retreated sharpish.

What I can't understand is why oh why hasn't that convoy been attacked? It's a sitting duck. Surely Russia must be wary that it might get attacked?

[Kwacky]

Cav, this is an update from the US. It suggests that both sides have lost about 10% of their forces.

It also mentions Russian aircraft fighting from distance.

https://twitter.com/MattSeyler/status/1 ... xdLwQ&s=19" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kwacky]

It looks like the Russians are having a push towards Kyiv today.

Meanwhile in the East of Ukraine

[D41]

That's a rather target-friendly paint scheme on that old T34.
Camo be damned - eh, comrade?

[Tuffers]

My wife is on the phone to our Ukrainian neighbour. Our neighbour has a friend who is Russian and lives there. The Russian girl says there are no nappies or tampons on the shelves in the shops. The Russian girl says she is scared to say too much on the phone in case she's being listened to. What a sad state of affairs

[Tuffers]

Promising? How I'd love to see the Russians feck off with their tails between their legs. Ukraine becomes a member of NATO and the EU. https://twitter.com/christogrozev/statu ... 4911325185" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kwacky]

I would like to think Russia is looking to end hostilities but I don't trust them. Putin will want something from this.