I listened to an interesting npr podcast on Russia’s recruitment. They recruit a large segment of Russian soldiers outside of population centers and urban areas. Many are purposely recruited from small towns and villages that have higher poverty rates. And there is a general theme of the families and recruits accepting the state message of defending the homeland against the west, etc. also the money the army is offering is significant compared to what they currently earn. Finally for KIAs, Russia is doing a better job of making a payment to the mother/parents for their loss and then getting out the message of them being a hero. Long story short, the Putin propaganda is effective in these smaller enclaves that have more of their own culture.
Pretty much, but with one clarification. I believe that for Russians, ‘Nazi’ is code for a people who have been deeply inculcated into an abiding and psychotic hatred for Russians …
As Blinken said, we adapt to the conditions that develop in the field. It must be going pretty bad if using American weaponry to hit targets inside Russia proper was a hard no and now it’s on the table. That’s not a shift a superpower makes if they’re winning. The clear inference is Ukraine is getting their asses handed to them and we are willing to consider upping the ante, because we don’t think they have a chance otherwise. This probably isn’t a cause for jubilation.
Way to go Swedes. True story about the Swedish military ethos. Had an international arbitration one time before a three arbitrator panel with a Swedish chair. Hilarious deadpan humor which my Belgian co-counsel told me they were famous for. Absolutely brilliant attorney that spoke about four languages. Dressed to the nines, very financially successful and looked like he could fit in at a Monaco casino Halfway through, they tell me he's a reservist tank commander on the weekends. Blew my mind.
Ah, that must be it. It couldn’t be gradual escalation of pressure to progressively message the Russians that we aren’t going to let them win. I think you’ve nailed it once more.
The "we” is a lame duck, so yeah, I think it's disaster mitigation ala Afghanistan. Not some grand master scheme that someone who plans to be in office another 4 years would see through.
Ukraine does this again and again and again. It’s the equivalent of suicide by cop, only it’s mass-suicide by Russian artillery …
Fortunately NATO and of course the UF got out of their "funk" and are steppin up again. If Ukranian Podcasters are to be believed, it's making a difference now to. Kinda tough to stop the ski version of the Mongol Hordes when you don't have shells to shoot. Now the shells are pouring in and "surprise" Russia is starting to bog down. The US and NATO will NEVER have a better bargain than in stopping Putz-in right now, supply the arms, the Ukrainians will supply the blood and guts. FYI - Putin made some disturbing threats recently against the Baltic nations. He does not like them providing weapons. W Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have sad but intimate knowledge of what Russian oppression and occupation means. It turns one into a third world nation. Russia steals another countries resources and opens up cheap, rot gut vodka stores, to mollify the locals. Pretty much what they do in Russia too. Time to put this pariah, hostile, economically unproductive, totalitarian entity out of it's misery. Russia will be a shit hole as long as the left over Soviet KGB lunatics are left in charge, whom are reduced to threatning the entire world with their rotting, half ass nuclear arsenal.
Things are improving, I agree. I still say we need to increase pressure on Russia and decrease pressure on Ukraine by doing more than just supplying arms. Establishing a maritime exclusion zone between Odesa and Istanbul, putting logistical troops into Ukraine to supervise the material aid effort, making field hospitals in the border NATO states to relieve some of the stress on the Ukraine medical system, and shooting down Russian ballistic missiles (from NATO airspace) are just a few ways to send messages without directly killing Russians.
I don’t know the guy. But if they’re saying he’s disseminating Russian disinformation it probably means he’s telling the truth. And the truth is we’ve become mental and moral pygmies …
Ukraine stripping units, from elsewhere, currently greatly outnumber the 25-30k troops Russia has at the outskirts of Kharkiv, and are still suffering horrendous losses … SITREP 5/29/24: NATO Ramps Up Figleaf of Cross-Border Strikes
The only thing I have learned from thousands of Duggers_Dad posts is that I feel sorry for Dugger. Kid never stood a chance.
I’m going to go ahead and say, “I doubt it.” Other posters have postulated that DD and a guy who used to be known as Dreamliner are the same person. I have no idea, but if they are, then this particular troll and the troll in your link are two different trolls. Your linked troll served in the Marine Corps at some point, and Dreamliner would post such contempt for our military and all who ever served in it that there’s no way he was a veteran. His venom was so outrageous and personal that he was either a guy who tried to enlist but couldn’t get in or was molested by some JROTC cadet at some point and decided to hold it against the whole military for the rest of his life. Mere noninterventionism couldn’t possibly explain the degree of hatred.