War in Ukraine

FWIW, Ukraine has been downplaying this overly optimistic talk about their offensive. We will see whether it’s legit worry or not soon.

 

If your way, WAY out there assessment was in anyway accurate, I’d say it sucks to be Russia. Back to terra firms: your coke-infested laundromat of a U.S. gun platform is nearly crushed beyond recognition and the better part of a generation of men has been lost. Time to send in our transgendered army as last resort. Maybe the Russkies will die laughing.

 

Any one catch the video of the victory parade in Moscow? It was led by one! WW2 tank. No missiles no flyby just a few sad looking lift helicopters.

LOL

 

Of course Comrade Soho. I was at full attention during my streaming.

A glorious T34 will be repaired soon and driven by hero of Mother Russia to front by glorious leader and Comrade Putin.

Victory is assured.

 

Some great quotes here.
NATO military leaders meet as Putin mocked by commander of mercenary forces in Ukraine

 

Drone video released by Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade showed what appeared to be Russian forces in full retreat in the face of an assault by Ukrainian tanks and infantry. In his rant, Progozhin warned that the front line is in danger of collapse in Bakhmut. “Our army is running,” he lamented. “Happy holiday,” he added, mockingly.

The battle for Bakhmut, once a city of 70,000 but now largely reduced to rubble, is the longest and bloodiest of the almost 15-month war.

 

It is interesting that in 2023, with all the accoutrements of modern technology, the fighting in Ukraine still seems to be a trench warfare "slog" with very little real estate changing hands since Ukraines fall offensive.

It is not exactly WW1 style what with the drones, armor and artillery and rocket systems, yet it still has parrallels.

The Western press suggests Russians use massed human wave attacks similar to WW1. (Over the top when the whistle blows lads kind of stuff) I'm not quite buying that narrative although I do suspect the Russians are exposing infantry and armor to deadly destruction by precision munitions and artillery systems.

Ukranian troops themselves acknowledge that Russia tends to concentrate overwhelming artillery againt them, with deadly affect.

The seeming cancellation of air power by land based anti aircraft systems has been a big surprise to me, although I am certainly no expert on the tactics of war on "modern" battlefields, or frankly, any other, being a non combatant.

I have been critical of the US spending exhorbitant amounts of money on highly complex weapons systems, believing them to be overly complex, undependable and in to few numbers to make a difference. I am happy to acknowledge my ignorance and being wrong on this subject.

Where does it go from here? Certainly the West hopes for some smashing Ukranian counteroffensive that will cause Russia to holler "Uncle".

I'm not so sure. I tend to be more heavily influenced by my studies of WW2 in regards to Russia than the many "proxy" wars or fights they have been involved in since that time.

And the elephant in the room is "Will Putin deploy tacticle nukes to save his agenda and his skin".?

Western sources say "No", won't happen. Me, I never put common sense ahead of personal hubris, especially when a power hungry "great" totalitarian has his nose bent backward.

I will post that if a major Ukranian counter offensive led by a thrust of MBT's breaks through the line and heads to Eastern Crimea, I will be holding my breath as to the Russian response.

 

lack of air superiority makes a big difference. US wouldn't have that problem

 

Looks like Russia still believes that Poland belongs to them. Poland decided to choose a new name for one of its cities, Kaliningrad, and Russia decided that Poland choosing a new name for one of its own cities was "a hostile act". Sounds like Putin has his justification to invade Poland. All he needs are troops, and tanks, and shells. I don't know if Putin can get the rest of NATO to overlook any special military operation that Russia engages in to prevent further hostile acts in Poland. Note to Putin: just be glad that Poland's military is not in Ukraine right now, pushing your sorry army into the Black Sea.

 

Sums up the Russian attitude, we all should tremble at their might. Roman Empire wannabe.

 

As an aside, Poland has really stepped up for Ukraine. Great ally to have in your corner.

 

Fact. Followed in short order by maritime superiority.

 

Here’s the link:
Poland reverts to historic name for Russia's Kaliningrad

 

One thing I picked up on in Timothy Snyder's podcast series from his Yale lectures on the history of Ukraine is the significant historical connection Ukraine and Poland. It is arguably a far more significant historical relationship than that with Russia.

When I first noted how differently Poland and Hungary were acting towards Ukraine in this conflict, I presumed it was the greater Polish animosity towards Russia from Cold War days. And that may play a role. But the history goes back much further, and once I heard it laid out, there was no doubt that Poland would be a strong supporter of Ukraine

 

James Michener's book " Poland" also goes into that.

 

I remember a chapter from that book that took place as WWI was ending and the Russian Civil War was heating up. Poland, as a newly independent state, was proposing a federal union between themselves and the other newly declared countries of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Poland sensed correctly that while Russia was weak at the moment it would come back to reclaim them. The other countries balked because the last time they were in union together was under a Polish monarchy a few centuries before, and they feared Poland would reassert itself again. Consequently, they refused to enter such an agreement, and the Soviet Union gobbled them up again piecemeal, starting with Ukraine in 1920. I say only that was the plot of the chapter; no idea how correct the history is.

 

Russia’s Victory Day parade in all its glory.

 

Yea, Lithuania was the other historical great power. The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and the Polish-Lithanian-Teutonic War was a gigantic shaper of history

Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War - Wikipedia

 

Aww, man! Tweet deleted. Entertainment denied.