War in Ukraine

Trump is in a bind because Russia has made it clear that it will not retrench on any of its pre-SMO demands. And Trump cannot accede to any of Russia’s demands and maintain his vision of American virility …

 

Do you really think Putin is any position to really hold firm on that stance when he has to import NK soldiers and is suffering around 1500 casualties per day?

 

One of Ukraine's F-16 pilots has set a record by downing six Russian cruise missiles during one flight.

Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots achieved a feat nobody flying the jet has managed before

 

Ukraine blows up a Russian warehouse full of recon drones in Rostov. They attacked it with drones and a Neptune missile. Ammunition was also stored at the facility, which may have contributed to secondary explosions.

Ukraine says it blew up a warehouse full of Russian recon drones with a homemade rework of a Neptune anti-ship missile

 

An interesting article on why the Russians are failing so badly in Kursk: meat-wave tactics, very old weapons, and being out-smarted by Ukraine. Apparently Russia is fighting with some weapons from WWI and the 1905 fight with Japan as well as the Korean War. Russian casualties are believed to have exceeded 800,000, which includes 3800 North Korean soldiers.

Opinion - In Kursk, the Ukrainian invasion is back

 

Bad news for Putin: Russia's elites are "tired of waiting for the war to end". Some want Putin to throw more people and resources at the war to get it over with faster. Putin is unwilling to do so, as it might kick off mass protests and pull more workers out of the labor pool.

Russia's elites say they are tired of waiting for the war to end: report

 

Ukraine is in deep trouble when Russia breaks out the chariots and horse calvary.

 

Biden puts more severe sanctions on Russia's oil and gas industry.

US hits Russian oil with toughest sanctions yet in bid to give Ukraine, Trump leverage

 

The number I saw quoted for 2024 casualties is 430,000, or 36,000 troops a month average for the year (or 1180 per day). Just because a 45,000 troops a month is quoted for November, it does not mean you can extrapolate that number to the entire year. It is generally known that Russian casualties have gotten worse as the year went along.

Shirley, you are smarter than this.

 

abandoning armor as it is just drone fodder and sending in waves of people with no cover and little to no artillery support as the damage to the railroads, warehouses, ports, bridges is all taking effect

will putin ask for NK replacements?

 

the shadow fleet should ahve been sanctioned a long time ago. Biden was worried about driving up the price of oil and the corresponding inflation.

what justification will orange man use to soften these sanctions?

has the EU sanctioned the same fleet?

 

Russia should be surrendering any day now.

 

Sarcasm noted. Does Ukraine look like a country getting ready to surrender?

 

This isn't good. No reason US companies should continue to do work in Russia

US firms pay over $1 billion in taxes to Russia Amid Ongoing Ukraine war

 

Ukraine has started capturing North Koreans in Kursk. They got their first two.

Ukraine says it captured 2 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia

 

Nah, nah, nah, man. Those are, like, Russians with Asiatic features who don’t speak Russian and can only communicate in the North Korean dialect for some strange reason. You’ll believe anything if you’ll believe that Kim Jong Un would participate directly in this war or that (scoffs) all-powerful Russia’s manpower problems are so grave that they need help from a little country like North Korea.

 

Per skyscrapercity.com Moscow completed 16 buildings 500 feet or higher and presently has 80 more in various stages of construction, more than any in the world.

How bout dem sanctions ?

 

There will be a lot of unfinished buildings in Moscow after Russia loses this war. There is no guarantee that Russia would be able to finish their skyscrapers even if they were to somehow win this war. It will take close to a decade or more for Russia to recover financially from the devastation of the war. The sanctions would likely continue for a time before other wealthy countries believe they can trust Russia again. Russia's infrastructure will need far more work than Russia can afford (or have manpower to complete). The U.S. is unlikely to repeat Bill Clinton's mistake of helping Russia to rebuild its economy without the military being torn down. Most skyscrapers will wind up being abandoned and derelict. Western businesses will not return to Russia for another decade or two. All of Russia's income will come from oil and gas sales, which will be at the mercy of U.S. production, which has been keeping prices low.

The sanctions worked pretty well, overall. They were never going to win the war by themselves. But they have limited Russia's ability to access money and finance the war, driving inflation up to over 9%. Basically, this war has humiliated Russia in ways that most people could not have imagined. Inferior technology, meat-wave tactics, bungling at the highest levels, horrible planning, inability to adjust and adapt, and a demoralizing habit of sacrificing soldiers that went out of style during Stalin's lifetime. How 'bout them sanctions, indeed.

 

*cue more teeth gnashing*