I havent read most of this thread, but I am surprised that Zelensky is still alive. Putin has a long-documented history of taking out his opposition by whatever means necessary.
Lots. They had a defense minister that was changing that but he was fired in 2012 after lots of bitchin and replaced by someone who let the graft flow
It’s how Russia has always fought. They did the same thing to Grozny after getting embarrassed on their first foray into Chechnya, then did the same thing to Aleppo.
I’ve seen a few tweets saying it’s not dry rot, it’s just crappy supplies. One in particular noted that the Russian trucks appear to be using a tire that’s a direct Chinese copy of a Goodyear military design, and they’re extremely poorly made and regularly have the tread rip off (something that has also been seen in Africa where those same tires are used).
Asking for expulsion instead of suspension...cnn live: "Independent US agency calls on Biden administration to push for Russia's expulsion from Interpol From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez An independent US government agency is calling on the Biden administration to push for Russia to be permanently expelled from Interpol — a step further than the suspension the administration has already sought — citing the invasion of Ukraine and previous abuses by Russia, according to a letter obtained by CNN. Earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland joined justice ministers from several allied countries to demand that Interpol immediately suspend Russia from accessing its systems, according to Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley. ..... Friday’s letter from the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe commended the steps the US has taken so far, but added that the administration should call for the permanent suspension of Russia. “We urge you to use the U.S. position in Interpol (and in particular Interpol's Executive Committee and its Advisory Group on Financial Matters) to make it clear that any failure to act against Russia's abuse of lnterpol will have grave consequences for the U.S. contribution to Interpol's budget and Interpol's legal immunities in the United States,” the letter, directed to Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reads."
Russians Barred From New Large Hadron Collider Experiments Over Ukraine Invasion "The CERN Council convened today to discuss how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affects the scientific collaboration’s ability to pursue its goals and ensure the safety and wellbeing of its members. The council meeting resulted in a resolution to condemn the Russian invasion, to suspend Russia’s Observer status to the council, and to not begin new collaborations with Russian institutions. The council also deplored “the involvement of Belarus in this unlawful use of force against Ukraine.”" "Interestingly from Russian scientists: This week, an open letter signed by Russian scientists involved in CERN experiments circulated online. The letter stated, “We would like to express our sorrow and regret about what happens in Ukraine. We stand against the military actions initiated in Ukraine by the authorities of [the] Russian Federation. We stand strongly for resolving the conflict through diplomacy and negotiations as the only appropriate way.”"
The real story coming out - the FSB intelligence officers who told Putin what he wanted to hear pre-invasion (the real crime) while they embezzled funds meant for intelligence targets are now under house arrest. The army generals who weren't prepared and probably embezzled funds meant for better quality equipment, were told to hop in the lead tank of their columns and "lead from the front", meaning essentially "go shoot yourself with the enemy's weapons". The reasons the invasion is an unmitigated disaster is that everyone in Russia apparently: 1) lies to each other, including the boss 2) lies to themselves 3) embezzles government funds. This isn't hard to understand because the boss lives in a $1B palace and leads the looting of the economy and rewards his cronies with monopolies and the means to live obscenely. So why shouldn't his underlings get a piece of the action? Go figure what lessons China might be drawing from their "ally" shitting the bed: Authoritarian dictators might be able to more quickly execute strategy than democracies and appear to have the upper hand, but these same dictators might also be able to more quickly execute strategies that lead to their own executions. In other words, democracies have brakes. This is why democracies will win - democratic governments are bureaucracies full of people trying to crawl over each others bodies to get to the top and are always looking to expose weaknesses in rivals in their own bureaucracies. In other words - they are self-policing because we have good laws against graft and self-dealing and there is also high turnover and ability to rise quickly. When a dictator runs things, things are static and no one wants to be the one who bears bad news and expose what they themselves and are doing - which is trying to keep a good thing going. Small issues become very large issues thinking this way as everyone plays cover their own ass while stealing all they can. Like the mafia or the Trump administration. As we can see, that has very serious consequences on the battlefield, where all weakness is exposed for all to see. More soldiers die because they are poorly led and equipped and because they are poorly led and equipped more civilians die as a result from bombs, artillery and rockets as the soldiers are too afraid to engage enemy troops directly. This is exactly why every criminal who supported Trump's insurrection should hang. We have laws and we don't want to end up like Putin and Russia - a exposed, weak, international pariah
Not yet. If Russia achieves strategic victory here, then who knows? China wants Taiwan brought to heel, period. If Russia can help, then they will make an alliance. If Russia can’t, then they won’t. All the more reason to hand Russia a defeat.
But they are both authoritarian governments - same weaknesses, even if you aren't convinced of how cozy they are as "frenemies".
My fancy Marine brother tells me they are mostly Michelin knockoffs and that his 10K mile vision tells him they have not been “exercising” the inflation systems properly. I don’t know what it means, but he tells me that it was a mundane duty that he learned to appreciate in Iraq. His general take is that this is the difference between a professional military and the Russian collection of maniacs and uncommitted conscripts that fully understand they have no value except as faceless operators. They are not motivated by the mission or long haul, they do what is required to survive another hour and then reset and repeat. The “exercising” thing is what would have been necessary for the months/years leading up to engagement. Organization, training, and personal accountability. It his opinion that oppressive regimes (read: Russia and China) cannot recreate that stuff no matter how many public parades they throw. He sees those things as proof positive that they are scrubs with outwardly flashy but ultimately inadequate equipment and training. FTR, my brothers are not military scholars nor even active duty (the other was a submariner so his knowledge is not very applicable here) but the Marine bro was in the real deal in Iraq for three of his six years. IOW, just one perspective but I personally put a lot of stock in his insights. He is as Marine as it gets and would still be in if he wasn’t essentially disabled now.
Agreed. While he is right they aren't exactly close...China is playing the long game, as they have always done, and keeping Russia around is a smart move.
