War in Ukraine

It looks like Ukrainian city Vuhledar is about to fall. Russians have it surrounded on three sides, and Ukrainian troops are struggling to escape, with attempts to escape occurring at night. One soldier estimated that only about half the troops that make a run for it are able to do so successfully, so they are losing quite a few troops.

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers ‘trapped’ after Russia surrounds fortress city in rapid advance

 

Good stuff Chem, Putins grasp for totalitarian grandeur and to expand Russia is turning into a cluster of historic proportions, even by Russian standards.

His overinflated ego is causing death and destruction on a massive scale, and for what good reason?

What a disaster for both countries. Putins trepidations in Georgia, in Syria, in Crimea, not to mention the many other places he places his poison fingers, what good has it done for the Russian people outside the Oligarch set?

Yes Ukraine was beset with massive corruption, but what former Warsaw Pact
nation wasn't or isn't?

I'm just glad NATO and the U S. finally have
"called" his bluff. Should Trump lose the election, Putin gets to tell his base they have 4 more years of squandering resources and lives. Perhaps that ugly reality will give pause to more sane individuals as to what they are actually getting out of the "deal".

 

Now for some good news. Russia's businesses have been extraordinarily reliant on the Chinese yuan. China may stop conversions with the Russian currency after October 12, the deadline set by the U.S. Treasury Dept. U.S. sanctions against Russia were expanded earlier this year to include secondary supplier companies, including those within China. All of this is causing Russian consumers to be burdened with more and more debt, which may soon cause a crisis.

Russia is about to face the moment of truth on an economic lifeline from China

 

This is precisely what Ukraine has been daring Putin to do. I’d really love to hear Putin’s explanations to the Russian people about why this is necessary now (since they’ve been on the verge of total victory for almost two years) but it wasn’t necessary, say, six months ago.

 

Are you insane? Some terrorists should not be negotiated with, and Putin is one of them. Invading other countries for no valid reason other than theft and conquest is unacceptable. I am imagining Trump trying to negotiate with Osama bin Laden, and the only thing that would end the negotiation is the furor of the American public causing our fuehrer to step away from the negotiation table. "How about if you blow up Boston and not attack New York? What if I let you destroy Baltimore if you leave D.C. alone? I'll throw in a half ton of high-quality American explosives to sweeten the deal. It will be yuge, believe me. I'll throw in an extra quarter ton if you target the immigrant neighborhoods first."

No doubt Zelenskyy is trying to figure out how dangerous Trump will be to Ukraine's independence so he can prepare in case your sick bastard wins (and democracy loses) in the U.S. election. He knows what Ukraine can expect from Harris (sanity and support).

Trump would not be "getting something done" if he forces Zelenskyy into an agreement with Putin, if you mean he would get something positive done. He would be merely delaying the next invasion of Ukraine until after Trump leaves office again. Putin would be thrilled that he had some time to rebuild his military, and he would persuade Trump to fight NATO (and try to disband it) to prevent them from re-arming Ukraine. In the meantime, Russia would entrench itself in eastern Ukraine.

It's called "principles". Maybe you should get some.

 

Yes, that would be a shame if Trump forced the Europeans to pony up to defend their own turf. Imagine somebody else besides the American taxpayer paying for Europe's security. Insanity.

 

Wake up and smell the brew. Trump is going to win and that is why he's holding all the meetings with Zelenskyy now. Zelenskyy isn't busting his balls about more aid either. That ship has sailed. In his heart of hearts, Zelenskyy wants to cut a deal.

 

sounds like something worth creating a corridor for, especially with air support and russian supply lines and munitions depots just blown up. time to stress their front lines and see if they can hold their gains as their artillery runs out

 

To match U.S. capacity? No. To cut the gap significantly and give time for domestic pressure to build against whoever is stifling the flow of arms from the U.S.? Yes. Imagine a scenario where Russia is given the advantage of a six-month delay in U.S. arms shipments, but Russia fails to translate it into any effect on the battlefield, and we’re just six months deeper into a stalemate with even more Russian casualties (conscripts this time). Trump’s own party would be pressuring him to reverse course and try ending the war by going in the other direction.

But it’s all speculation. I don’t think Trump’s going to win. The man just can’t get out of his own way and appeal to middle Americans, and it’s this position on Ukraine that appeals to the narrowest band of voters, most of whom are going to vote for Trump even if he changed his mind. But if he does win, I don’t think there’s a realistic scenario where he will cut off the flow of arms. First, his national security team will then legally receive access to real picture inside Russia.* And their instinct is going to be to advise Trump to push Russia harder, not Ukraine. Second, the same national security team is going to point out, correctly, that the strategic main effort is defending Taiwan against the CCP. Our job doing that is going to require a fleet as large as possible. Japan and Australia are probably in no matter how much Trump pisses them off, but if Trump wants the noteworthy support of the British and French navies, then pulling the rug out from under Ukraine won’t be an option. The threat to pull funding from Ukraine will end up being empty if it is not already.

* Presently, Trump’s national security team is denied classified information about the war, ostensibly so they don’t leak it to the Russians. In truth, the Biden Administration does not want them to have the same picture so Trump will keep spouting off unenlightened nonsense about the war and keep looking stupid. While I am against in principle denying that kind of information to the opposition, I can’t deny that their political strategy of facilitating Trump to say dumb things about Ukraine is working as they intend.

 

I enjoy watching you assume everyone thinks like you. “Domestic pressure to build” to send weapons to Ukraine? Do you really think that’s a top priority to more than 3% of our population? That is not to say Trump won’t double-down on aid if Putin tries to one up him, but it won’t be due to “domestic pressure”. Just wait, if that scenario was to play out, guarantee you the headlines will read something along these lines:

“Trump has world on high alert for nuclear attack from Moscow”

“Trump misses crucial opportunity for peace”

“European leaders furious Trump didn’t consult them, fear the worst is inevitable”

NY Times op-ed by Jake Sullivan: “How Donald Trump got played by Volodymyr Zelenskyy”

 

This poor guy still hasn't figured out that Ukraine started this war by firing thousands of artillery shells at Russian-speakers in the Donbas beginning on February 16, 2022. in violation of the Minsk 2 ceasefire agreement.

What a sad thread

 

Trump doubling down if Putin tries to one up him. That's hilarious. Trump will not show up his boss. He will bend the knee to Putin like he always does.

 

The media carries water for the military-industrial complex …

 

I don’t have to imagine. There are lots of books out there about 1914 and 1939. Should I recommend a few?

 

Not even close to the same scenarios on numerous levels. When Russian subs are sinking our freight ships at open sea, let me know. When Russia directly and brazenly violates an armistice they signed with us 20 years prior, let me know. When Russia declares war on us, let me know. You continue to make this whole situation into something it is clearly not, as it relates to the United States and our national security. We didn’t even have a federal income tax until 1913. I could go on and on.

 

The changes in warfare since 1939 and 2024 have made it such that if you aren't prepared and your opponent is, you will likely go down hard. The situation can turn on a dime. Armies travel faster than ever before, and have more powerful ordinance than ever before. With all of the cameras recording, there is less room for error for a country that tries to abide by the Geneva Conventions, which further hamstrings western countries (and doesn't bother barbaric nations at all). We found out in 2022 that the U.S. was fairly unprepared for a serious conflict with a major power like Russia or China, with artillery shells running low relatively quickly.

Just because our national borders are not under immediate threat by Russia, does not mean we do not have a serious national security issue with the War in Ukraine. We are in NATO, and have responsibilities to defend Europe. This attack on Ukraine has them nervous, and rightly so. With warfare, you can never predict where it is going to go or who is going to get caught up in it. All it takes is one errant missile killing a few dozen people in Warsaw (remember that some of Russia's missiles have been overflying Poland), and Poland will want to join in the fight. Once Poland is in, NATO is in, and we are in. And you just got caught with your pants down around your ankles, totally unprepared.

 

wonder what the target for the first one was and if russia has anything to defend against these. the story about who spearheaded and funded their domestic weapons development should make a good movie..

First Ukrainian ballistic missile passes flight tests — Zelenskyy (msn.com)

The president added that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are now using a new class of Ukrainian weaponry — the long-range cruise missile Palianytsia. He added that various Ukrainian designs of long-range UAVs, as well as naval drones, are also in service.

“Our new ballistic missile has successfully passed its flight tests,” Zelenskyy spoke about Ukraine’s expanding arms industry.

“The Neptune [anti-ship cruise] missiles are being deployed successfully, and up to 20 Bohdana [self-propelled] artillery systems are produced each month.”

On Aug. 24, the president announced that Palianytsia was used against Russian forces for the first time. The missile, sometimes described as a hybrid drone/missile weapon, is of Ukrainian design and is produced within the country. Expanding its production and use could help reduce Kyiv’s reliance on Western military aid when it comes to striking targets behind enemy lines.

 

I thought that the Russians had been reduced to fighting with shovels ?