War in Ukraine

Sorry to keep repeating this (I’ve posted this multiple times in this thread), but that’s not an accurate description of what happened. What Trump said was dumb but in its own way, not the way you said. He spoke those words before the invasion started, not after, and it was in reference to Putin sending regular troops into the contested areas of Eastern Ukraine as “peacekeepers.” Had Putin just done that and not launched a full-scale invasion, it would have indeed been a “savvy” move that made the West look weak and feckless again. Putin would have taken another bite, the West would have done nothing but wag its fingers, and Russia would probably have had a decent pretext for a future invasion when Russian regular soldiers were killed by Ukrainians fighting rebellion on their own territory.

At the time I thought that was a smart move, too, and was consistent with the kinds of patient, strategic moves Putin had made up to that point that got a little of what he wanted without stirring the West to meaningful action.

But the difference between Trump and me is I wasn’t a candidate for President. You don’t go calling reprehensible moves by our enemies “smart” or “savvy” even if they are.

 

Personally, I enjoyed the brute honesty and never saw a downside.

 

Kerch Bridge?

 

Although you're correct my impression was that Trump made the statement praising Putin in anticipation of a Russian invasion. Several days before the actual invasion the Biden Administration was indicating that an invasion of Ukraine was likely.
Eight days before the invasion.
Ukraine tensions: Russia invasion could begin any day, US warns

 

Don't think the people of Belarus will tolerate the losses that the russian people have

Z to Luk, don't f around or you might find out

Ukrainian forces advance further into Russia as it warns Belarus to withdraw troops from its border (msn.com)

The Ukrainian foreign ministry warned Belarus against making "tragic mistakes" while under pressure from Moscow. A ministry statement urged the Belarus armed forces "to stop unfriendly actions" and withdraw their troops out of range of the border.

The ministry said Belarus special forces and former Wagner mercenary fighters were among the troops at the border. Their equipment included tanks, artillery, air defence systems and engineering equipment, located in the Gomel region near Ukraine's northern border. The statement said Ukraine "has never taken and is not going to take any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people".

 

You will see that downside come November. The people who will decide this election (not the hard-core Republicans or Democrats) can’t signal any clearer that they don’t enjoy it.

 

Personally, I doubt it. The construction of a bridge is necessarily like a fortification due to the weight it has to hold up. You need a munition with deep penetrating power to take out a big bridge like the Kerch. Usually it needs to be dropped from high altitude to give it that extra punch. But who knows? Maybe we have helped Ukraine develop something special that can be fired from an MLRS. War generates innovation if nothing else.

 

you can structurally compromise a bridge rendering it useless without destroying it. Think about bridges shut down when a too tall load hits is, much less impact than a major explosive, or I would think so. Not sure about the design of that bridge but often the bridge may have spots where structural degradation ripples thru the bridge structural integrity, like how the baltimore bridge collapsed from one failure.

Uks have been incredibly innovative, has impressed the heck out of me

 

No one would more pleased than I to see that bridge come down.

 

Xi not happy, kind of shoots my theory in the foot about Xi going after Putin

China slaps back after US imposes tough sanctions over alleged links with Russia (msn.com)

The US on Friday sanctioned 105 Russian and Chinese companies over alleged links to the Russian military. In response, Beijing has clapped back and "firmly opposed" Washington's actions.The sanctions targeted 63 Russian and 42 Chinese companies, as well as a number from various other countries, all for alleged involvement with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In particular, Washington aimed to disrupt the flow of critical microelectronics and computer systems deemed to be "dual-use goods" from China to Russia.
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In a press release dropped by a US State Department spokesperson on August 23, Washington announced, "The United States is sanctioning nearly 400 entities and individuals for enabling Russia’s prosecution of its illegal war in Ukraine." "The Department of State’s designations aim to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple third countries, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC)," the statement read.
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In response to Washington's tough sanctions on 42 Chinese businesses, Beijing expressed that it was "strongly dissatisfied" and "firmly opposed" to the US actions. The Chinese ministry of commerce on Sunday said that the sanctions would "disrupt international trade order and rules, hinder normal international economic and trade exchanges, and threaten the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains."

"China urges the US to immediately stop its wrong practices and will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," AFP cited a ministry spokesperson as saying.

 

MOAB that bitch!

 

How is Russia pounding Kiev with Telegram down ? Maybe it’s Using Facebook Messenger …

 

FAFO I guess …

 

moving troops...hopefully they are easier to target if they aggregate to relocate

Russian army command relocates forces from Ukraine to Kursk region - ISW (msn.com)

Russian military forces continue to redeploy units from less prioritized areas of the front in Ukraine to the front line in the Kursk region, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). On August 24, commanders of the Russian 810th Marine Brigade, 155th Naval Infantry Brigade (Pacific Fleet, Eastern Military District), 11th Airborne (VDV) Brigade 56th VDV Regiment (7th VDV Division), and 51st VDV Regiment (106th VDV Division) reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about combat missions on Russian territories bordering Ukraine, presumably referring to the Kursk region.

Earlier that day, Putin met with Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov and Chief of the General Staff's Main Operations Directorate Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy. The meeting focused on discussing the Russian response to the Ukrainian invasion in the Kursk region.

The report notes that the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has observed the combat actions of the 810th Marine Brigade, 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, and 11th Airborne Brigade in the Kursk region. Evidence suggests that the Russian military command recently redeployed units of the 56th Airborne Regiment from the Robotyne area in western Zaporizhzhia to Kursk.

The Institute has not yet seen reports of the 51st Airborne Regiment’s units fighting in the Kursk region. However, the fact that the commander of the 51st Airborne Regiment informed Putin alongside commanders of other units that recently redeployed to Kursk suggests that the 51st Airborne Regiment’s units likely also moved to the area. Over the past months, the 51st Airborne Regiment has been fighting in the Severodonetsk direction alongside other units of the 106th Airborne Division.

 

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. And why not when you don’t have to send your own troops to die ?

 

And who might that be? And why would they care if Trump acknowledged a brilliant geopolitical move, especially when there is no demonstrable harm?

 

Meanwhile, the Russians have begun slowly pushing back the Ukrainian line in the Kursk region, whilst still picking up gains on the Eastern front. I'm really shocked if Ukraine committed all those brigades to Kursk and they're already being pushed back. It's been only 3 weeks, which is not a long time. Naturally, there is the chance Ukraine could successfully counterattack in Kursk and push the line further into Russia, but one would think that this is merely Russia adjusting to the unexpected incursion and containing it. 3 weeks. Not bad. And if true, disastrous for Ukraine.

 

Remember that sanctions were central to the Biden administration’s aim of fomenting unrest in Russia to ensure Putin’s ouster …

 

Ukraine being annihilated in Kursk, steamrolled in the Donbas and Kiev being hammered into darkness.

This could all have been avoided before the war or, at latest, shortly after the war began.