Russia-Ukraine War Thread

[MsKreed 1,182]

37 minutes ago, Kevin said:

The ghost of Kiev is making headlines everywhere. If reports are true he or she (heard reports of both) shot down 6 Russian planes in 1 day. 

I’m fascinated with that myself. 

It sounds like the footage that went viral was from a video game simulation (meant as a ‘tribute’ to the Ghost).....but no one has been able to refute that the Ghost’s accomplishments are real.

[Ars76 69]

I don't know what is going on in Russia that Putin has decided on this course of action.  But I think that there must be internal factors at play. Ukraine has been trying to join NATO for years. I think the picture is interesting.  There are many countries that used to be in the USSR that have moved away from Russian influence- and I think it is pretty clear that the goal in Ukraine is regime change.

 

As far as what countries are helping Ukraine I found this article... looks like Poland, the Baltic states, and Germany... and several NATO counties have sent troops to the NATO borders around Ukraine

 

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/02/07/which-eu-countries-are-helping-ukraine-militarily

[Kevin 334]

2 hours ago, Ars76 said:

As far as what countries are helping Ukraine I found this article... looks like Poland, the Baltic states, and Germany... and several NATO counties have sent troops to the NATO borders around Ukraine.

NATO countries cannot put boots into Ukraine or it would be an act of war against Russia. But they are all prepared for when Putin tries to expand beyond Ukraine. 

For years Putin has said he wants to build Russia back to the size it once was. He thinks ending the cold war was a mistake.

[MsKreed 1,182]

30 minutes ago, Kevin said:

For years Putin has said he wants to build Russia back to the size it once was. He thinks ending the cold war was a mistake.

And has been making moves toward that goal for a while. He's annexed/occupied parts of Georgia & Ukraine and the Belarus government is said to be a puppet for him: allowing military installations and Russian forces access to carry out the current Ukraine attacks. 

Additionally, Russia has grown its energy sector and attracted some NATO countries as importers that have grown increasingly dependent on Russian oil/gas.  Those relationships have made some EU/NATO countries reluctant to condemn or sanction Putin's bullying against Ukraine over the last few years. 

 

 

[Adam 373]

On 2/26/2022 at 1:19 PM, Ars76 said:

and several NATO counties have sent troops to the NATO borders around Ukraine

 

which basically equates to the highschool judo champ beating up on the little autistic kid while portions of the student body gather 'round and try gently asking the bully to stop, while posting fight to tik tok

violence is never to be first choice nor taken lightly but to be honest, if WW 3 is gonna happen, particularly when it looks to be starting as WW 2 did, why not learn from past mistakes and nip that shit in the bud earlier...nothing entices someone to such actions like getting away with it repeatedly

Edited February 27, 2022 by Adam

[Kevin 334]

It now looks like Belarus is also getting ready to attach Ukraine. This is really no surprise since the government of Belarus has been questionable at best and everything is pretty sure it is a shadow gift of Russia anyway.

[MsKreed 1,182]

16 minutes ago, Kevin said:

It now looks like Belarus is also getting ready to attach Ukraine. This is really no surprise since the government of Belarus has been questionable at best and everything is pretty sure it is a shadow gift of Russia anyway.

My understanding was that Belarus (and its Putin-friendly government) had already allowed Russian troops to attack from Belarus....so adding their own troops isn't a huge escalation from the position they'd already taken.

 

27 minutes ago, Adam said:

violence is never to be first choice nor taken lightly but to be honest, but to be honest, if WW 3 is gonna happen, particularly when it looks to be starting as WW 2 did, why not learn from past mistakes and nip that shit in the bud earlier

To be clear....nukes hadn't been invented when WW2 started......so while it's the same "posture" and intent, we should be cognizant that the potential consequences are much higher stakes. 

Germany, USSR, and Japan all taking aggression at the onset of WW2 meant an onslaught of trench warfare and emerging airstrike technology.....not nuclear capability that could level entire countries and poison generations to come. 

Violence and combat and casualties from those conflicts were, for sure, a tragic loss of life. Much like warfare that the human species has inflicted for millenia. I don't know that nuclear warfare bears much resemblance. 

As someone who was "coming of age" during the Cold War, perhaps that danger was over-played and I may have an amplified impression of the issue. But honestly.....even seeing the effects on unborn generations from the accidental consequences after Chernobyl is horrifying. The effects of Nagasaki and Hiroshima are beyond humanity.

[Adam 373]

i quite understand the danger and difference that nuclear capabilities present in the two scenarios. thing is whether its Ukraine, Poland or any other western European country; that threat will still remain and putin knows it. as crazy as he might seem, hes not that stupid to actually deploy nuclear weapons but IS smart enough to operate under the perception that he will, and that will allow him to go unchecked throughout the european stage

do troops have to actively engage with Russian troops? not necessarily, and would not be my first choice. but the presence of UN troops might at least make him re-evaluate or change tactics...even perhaps deter him from trying to take the ENTIRE country and settle for the fringes

[Diane 23]

Judging by past practices, "UN troops" would be largely American troops. Their presence in Ukraine, even if not actively engaged with Russian troops, would only make the situation more volatile. 

[Chris 2,162]

I saw another video that is supposed to be a Georgian fuel tanker responding to a Russian Navy ship requesting to be refueled. 

The Georgian ship told them to go f--k themselves and "row to shore". 

[Kevin 334]

Then you have the video of the farmers hooking their tractors up to Russian equipment (radar station and SAM setup) and towing them down the road with the Russian troops running behind.

[Chris 2,162]

The Snake Island folks are reportedly alive: https://www.joe.co.uk/news/snake-island-sailors-319998

[Chris 2,162]

Quote

 

Russia’s attack on Ukraine is going ‘according to plan’ and the violence will ‘get worse’ , Vladimir Putinwarned today. 

The Russian President made the alarming comments to Emmanuel Macron, his French counterpart, during a phone call on Thursday afternoon. 

After hanging up the phone at the end of the exchange, which lasted for an hour and a half, Mr Macron said "the worst is yet to come". 

An Elysee Palace spokesman explained: ‘President Putin expressed his very great determination to continue the offensive, the aim of which is to take control of the whole country.

"President Putin said the Russian Army operation was developing according to the plan’ and that it would ‘get worse if the Ukrainians do not accept surrender terms’."

 

Source

If this is true, how long til you think us and our allies are involved?

Quote

 

NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Richard Childress is offering to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help in the ongoing war with Russia, he said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. 

"I was listening the other day to (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy say he didn't want out, he wanted ammunition," Childress said. "I called my good friend Fred Wagenhals, who is the Chairman of AMMO, Inc., and I said, 'Fred, we have to help these people. They need ammunition.' He stepped right up."

 

Source

I've also read about Americans, Canadians, and others going to join the fight. I guess their plan is to go to Poland and cross into Ukraine. 

[Kevin 334]

The longer it goes the worse it is for the Ukraine. They may be doing great now, but how long before the civilians tire of being soldiers and even more start fleeing?

[Ann 264]

11 hours ago, Kevin said:

The longer it goes the worse it is for the Ukraine. They may be doing great now, but how long before the civilians tire of being soldiers and even more start fleeing?

The Ukrainians have lived under tyranny before and won’t go back.  They are stubborn and determined and I don’t believe they will give up.  I’ll probably take heat for this but I think they have more grit than most civilians in this country.

[Zapp Brannigan 137]

53 minutes ago, Ann said:

The Ukrainians have lived under tyranny before and won’t go back.  They are stubborn and determined and I don’t believe they will give up.  I’ll probably take heat for this but I think they have more grit than most civilians in this country.

100% agree them Ukrainians have balls of steel. 

[Chris 2,162]

Quote

Russian airstrikes hit a large military base near the western city of Lviv, which is close to the Polish border, killing 35 people and leaving more than 130 in hospital.

As Russia moves closer to western Ukraine, what happens if or when a couple missiles "accidentally"  end up hitting inside Poland's borders? 

I can't shake the feeling this thing is going to get way bigger. I hope I'm wrong.

[Ann 264]

2 hours ago, Chris said:

As Russia moves closer to western Ukraine, what happens if or when a couple missiles "accidentally"  end up hitting inside Poland's borders? 

I can't shake the feeling this thing is going to get way bigger. I hope I'm wrong.

I think Putin wants to remake European borders and Ukraine is the beginning.  I believe you may be right, it’s going to get bigger and probably uglier.  I pray we’re both wrong.

[Kevin 334]

I saw today that if you join Ukrainians foreign legion that they offer you will be granted Ukrainian citizenship. 

But also feel this is going to get much before it gets better.

[Chris 2,162]

I came in on the end of President Zelenskyy's address to Congress. It included a very graphic video of the death and destruction in Ukraine, and asking for NATO to "close the sky" over the country. 

Until now I've felt like the media has been beating the war drum, almost as though they want the U.S. to get involved. To be honest, I don't know how much more we can not do something, even if it's a no-fly zone. 

I don't know. It feels like one of those "right thing vs right thing for us" moments. 

[Diane 23]

We saw that video as well. It was just awful. 

Is anyone else concerned about what Putin may do now that his war isn't going the way he hoped? And now that the Ukrainian troops are pushing his troops back? I'm worried he'll turn to chemical or biological weapons.

[Chris 2,162]

I think I saw an online article that Ukraine says Russia has been using phosphorus bombs.

[Chris 2,162]

Russia says Ukraine attacked inside their borders:

Quote

 

April 1 (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an air strike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday, an incident the Kremlin said set an unfavourable tone for peace talks with Kyiv.

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny reports of Ukrainian involvement in the strike as he did not have military information. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the general staff did not respond to requests for comment.

Video footage of the purported attack -- the first accusation of a Ukrainian air strike on Russian soil since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 -- showed what looked like several missiles being fired from low altitude, followed by an explosion. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.

 

Source

Yeah, that sort of thing will happen when you declare war on a neighboring country. 

If this is true, good for Ukraine! Give Vlad a taste of his own medicine. As for peace talks, so far none of that has been carried out in good faith by the Russians anyway. 

[Chris 2,162]

Anyone else besides me get the feeling the media LOVES to use the phrase, "The Butcher of Syria" every chance they can?

 

[Ann 264]

2 hours ago, Chris said:

Anyone else besides me get the feeling the media LOVES to use the phrase, "The Butcher of Syria" every chance they can?

 

Yep.  I thinks he’s supposed to instill fear in the Ukrainian people.  Good luck with that.