Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Only absolute fools went charging into battle carrying flowers back during WWI. I don't think anyone has been quite that naive since.

I mean, look at those military columns rolling out from the East during that summer in the 90s.

And the USA has an answer
https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/...0-f9b74e373982

James Chavez91 said:Man, I was scrolling through some tweets with videos of mobilized guys boarding buses and just slowly pulling away.
You see women crying, kids crying, even the guys themselves—there’s none of that "rah rah" cheering energy at all...
And then you see people just watching them go, almost like they're picking up groceries. It's honestly pretty grim.

It would actually be a brilliant tactical move if the Ukrainians could just outmaneuver them right now, because if anyone who surrenders voluntarily gets handed 500 bucks and political asylum in the West, I imagine we would see a massive surge in total mobilization—it’s almost certain that the President would have a complete nervous breakdown over it.😉🎉The administration would absolutely lose their minds.🤣

Henry Sullivan4 said:It would actually be a brilliant tactical move if the Ukrainians could just outmaneuver them right now, because if anyone who surrenders voluntarily gets handed 500 bucks and political asylum in the West, I imagine we would see a massive surge in total mobilization—it’s almost certain that the President would have a complete nervous breakdown over it.😉🎉The administration would absolutely lose their minds.🤣

But wait, isn't that basically what's already happening? Everyone's getting those texts on their phones telling them to just surrender, and Germany has already stepped up and offered political asylum to anyone caught in the middle of a draft.

Sam Alvarez4 said:Whenever I read comments like that, I have to wonder what parallel universe some people are living in? 🤦

France: they aren't energy-dependent on Russia, and they certainly aren't unarmed like the US was in 1991.

Just saw your reply. Let me correct myself: it isn't just France...

That parallel universe you're talking about? It's called the global market.
Countries that used to import fuel from Russia are pivoting to new markets right now. That spike in demand drives prices through the roof, which leads to those inevitable energy cuts.
Or did you think I was the one calling for rationing instead of the UK and France?
Am I the one begging citizens to save power here?

The UK and France simply don't have the muscle to militarily control African tribes in the Sahara. The only ones who can actually flex their muscles against the Russians are the USA.
Since one person on this forum concluded that we should have shown strength at the start of the war—but then immediately said we need to be "realistic."

And let me remind you, the crisis in Ukraine has been simmering since 2014. The EU and the UK have been completely lost for eight years while letting this crisis cook.
Last year, they even pulled the plug on funding new gas fields in Africa... so, yeah. Everything makes perfect sense.

Terry Green3 said:The last time anyone went out waving flowers was during WWI. I don't think it's happened since.

Did you just totally blank on those tanks rolling out of Washington, D.C. back in '91? The ones heading straight for Pittsburgh... remember how people were tossing "flowers" at the tanks? You can go check the archives on YouTube if you need a refresher:

Rachel Barrett8 said:That parallel universe you're talking about? It's called the global market.
Countries that used to import fuel from Russia are pivoting to new markets right now. That spike in demand drives prices through the roof, which leads to those inevitable energy cuts.
Or did you think I was the one calling for rationing instead of the UK and France?
Am I the one begging citizens to save power here?

The UK and France simply don't have the muscle to militarily control African tribes in the Sahara. The only ones who can actually flex their muscles against the Russians are the USA.
Since one person on this forum concluded that we should have shown strength at the start of the war—but then immediately said we need to be "realistic."

And let me remind you, the crisis in Ukraine has been simmering since 2014. The EU and the UK have been completely lost for eight years while letting this crisis cook.
Last year, they even pulled the plug on funding new gas fields in Africa... so, yeah. Everything makes perfect sense.

I mean, come on, even the Ukrainians are doing a pretty damn good job of flexing those muscles right now, aren't they?

Hannah Alvarez2 said:But wait, isn't that basically what's already happening? Everyone's getting those texts on their phones telling them to just surrender, and Germany has already stepped up and offered political asylum to anyone caught in the middle of a draft.

Oh yeah, you're totally right that Docker offered that, but the difference is they aren't Ukrainians, if you know what I mean.🙂

gentlerider7 said:I mean, come on, even the Ukrainians are doing a pretty damn good job of flexing those muscles right now, aren't they?

I don't want to sound too blunt when talking about muscle mass.😂

gentlerider7 said:I mean, come on, even the Ukrainians are doing a pretty damn good job of flexing those muscles right now, aren't they?

Sure, once you actually have the weapons, it’s easy to flex.

But let's be real here. Both the European Union and the Ukrainians just stood by and watched while Putin's appetite grew. It's almost like the EU was feeding him steroids just to make him even hungrier.

Rachel Barrett8 said:That parallel universe you're talking about? It's called the global market.
Countries that used to import fuel from Russia are pivoting to new markets right now. That spike in demand drives prices through the roof, which leads to those inevitable energy cuts.
Or did you think I was the one calling for rationing instead of the UK and France?
Am I the one begging citizens to save power here?

The UK and France simply don't have the muscle to militarily control African tribes in the Sahara. The only ones who can actually flex their muscles against the Russians are the USA.
Since one person on this forum concluded that we should have shown strength at the start of the war—but then immediately said we need to be "realistic."

And let me remind you, the crisis in Ukraine has been simmering since 2014. The EU and the UK have been completely lost for eight years while letting this crisis cook.
Last year, they even pulled the plug on funding new gas fields in Africa... so, yeah. Everything makes perfect sense.

Man, you are being completely delusional. Maybe most people would've agreed with you before this whole mess in Ukraine kicked off, but now? Like, the UK could probably steamroll the Russian military without breaking a sweat... I have no idea what you're even talking about.

If the UK or France jumped in 100% headfirst into the conflict in Ukraine today, it’d all be wrapped up within a month.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Man, you are being completely delusional. Maybe most people would've agreed with you before this whole mess in Ukraine kicked off, but now? Like, the UK could probably steamroll the Russian military without breaking a sweat... I have no idea what you're even talking about.

If the UK or France jumped in 100% headfirst into the conflict in Ukraine today, it’d all be wrapped up within a month.

For over a decade, Americans have been sounding the alarm about the shaky state of NATO's defenses. That’s why back in 2014, there was such a huge push to get defense spending up to 2% of GDP by 2024. But look at the reality: before the invasion of Ukraine, only three countries actually hit that mark—Greece, Poland, and the US. (In fact, once we paid that first installment for our Rafale jets, we finally crossed that 2% line.)
If everyone had actually listened, the Russians likely wouldn't have even dared to start this war. That's what we call a balance of power.

Right now, some of the best-equipped militaries in the European Union are Poland and Greece. And let's be real, modern weaponry doesn't just grow on trees ready for the picking.

Plus, you really shouldn't underestimate the Russians. You can't afford to do that if you actually want to see them defeated without causing massive casualties for Ukrainians.

Rachel Barrett8 said:For over a decade, Americans have been sounding the alarm about the shaky state of NATO's defenses. That’s why back in 2014, there was such a huge push to get defense spending up to 2% of GDP by 2024. But look at the reality: before the invasion of Ukraine, only three countries actually hit that mark—Greece, Poland, and the US. (In fact, once we paid that first installment for our Rafale jets, we finally crossed that 2% line.)
If everyone had actually listened, the Russians likely wouldn't have even dared to start this war. That's what we call a balance of power.

Right now, some of the best-equipped militaries in the European Union are Poland and Greece. And let's be real, modern weaponry doesn't just grow on trees ready for the picking.

Plus, you really shouldn't underestimate the Russians. You can't afford to do that if you actually want to see them defeated without causing massive casualties for Ukrainians.

Look, Poland and Greece couldn't outgun the United Kingdom if they tried—not even close. Same goes for the French.

I mean, seriously? Ukrainians are out there absolutely hammering the Russians right now... just imagine if we handed them the entire British military arsenal—everything from aircraft carriers and jets to subs, artillery, and all that good stuff. There wouldn't be anything left of the Russians in Ukraine. And don't even get me started on saying the UK couldn't handle the Russians...

Besides, whether NATO spends more on its military or not has zero correlation with Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. That was going to happen regardless. One thing doesn't trigger the other; they're totally separate issues, period.

The UK and France have military budgets about four to five times larger than Poland’s, while Greece sits at roughly half of what Poland spends.

In terms of raw numbers, the UK and France look similar to Russia, or even Germany.

But looking at Germany—given everything we know about their current state—and the sheer dysfunction exposed in the Russian military, it’s clear you can't just trust the raw data. It all depends on how those budgets are reported, where the money actually goes, and how efficiently it's being spent.

If the UK and Russia had the exact same amount of cash to work with, I might have leaned toward Russia back in the day because of their lower overhead. But today? Given the blatant Russian corruption, their systemic dysfunction, and how far they've fallen behind technically and tactically, I’d take the UK's money any day.

Of course, as long as these conflicts are happening far away from home, I’d give the upper hand to whichever country is defending its own backyard.

James Chavez91 said:Man, I was scrolling through some tweets with videos of mobilized guys boarding buses and just slowly pulling away.
You see women crying, kids crying, even the guys themselves—there’s none of that "rah rah" cheering energy at all...
And then you see people just watching them go, almost like they're picking up groceries. It's honestly pretty grim.

Then you’ve got those Z-zombies who are actually cheering and toastng while they head off to war.🤮

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/st...88254005198849

On the flip side, the Yakuts don't look nearly as thrilled about this either.

https://twitter.com/sonjaeftimovska/...92022947979264

Even the Dagestanis aren't exactly dying to go fight in Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/sonjaeftimovska/...95471786016768

This kind of mobilization is a fast track to internal unrest. If this idiot keeps going down this path, we could be looking at total disintegration of the Russian Federation.

According to Wikipedia, the population in Alaska is only about a million people. It looks like Putin is driving them straight into a demographic death spiral with this mobilization, and I honestly wonder who’s going to be left to guard the border against China after he's done.

bluemason3 said:The UK and France have military budgets about four to five times larger than Poland’s, while Greece sits at roughly half of what Poland spends.

In terms of raw numbers, the UK and France look similar to Russia, or even Germany.

But looking at Germany—given everything we know about their current state—and the sheer dysfunction exposed in the Russian military, it’s clear you can't just trust the raw data. It all depends on how those budgets are reported, where the money actually goes, and how efficiently it's being spent.

If the UK and Russia had the exact same amount of cash to work with, I might have leaned toward Russia back in the day because of their lower overhead. But today? Given the blatant Russian corruption, their systemic dysfunction, and how far they've fallen behind technically and tactically, I’d take the UK's money any day.

Of course, as long as these conflicts are happening far away from home, I’d give the upper hand to whichever country is defending its own backyard.

I mean, if the budget is identical, it’s just common sense that the side with the smaller territory and population holds the edge here. 🤔 🤷 It really comes down to Quantity vs. Quality.

You know that famous tourist spot, Mongolia? Well, it looks like the Russians have been swarming ☕
https://twitter.com/MoniqueCamarra/s...20087802839040

Gregory Ramos3 said:I mean, if the budget is identical, it’s just common sense that the side with the smaller territory and population holds the edge here. 🤔 🤷 It really comes down to Quantity vs. Quality.

There are definitely plenty of other variables at play here. For instance, take the United Kingdom—as an island nation and former maritime power, they naturally over-invest in their navy relative to their size. Russia has its own set of unique circumstances. But you have a point: they likely have fewer people and more high-tech assets. On the flip side, even though Russia has a large population, they aren't paying for all of them, and their production costs might be lower too. Then there's the matter of how budgets are actually structured. I think Perun on YouTube put out a solid video on this exact topic. Some countries fold their coast guard or even territorial forces into the main military budget, while others keep them separate. Plus, if a country has its own defense industry, they’re essentially reinvesting a huge chunk of those costs back into themselves.

In the end, for those of us playing military analyst, we're left with nothing but impressions. Before this war started, most would have bet on the Russian side, though that really depends on which military sentiment you subscribe to. Nowadays, the smart money would probably go toward the United Kingdom. Who knows how much of any of this is actually accurate?

hollowdriver13 said:Then you’ve got those Z-zombies who are actually cheering and toastng while they head off to war.🤮

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/st...88254005198849

On the flip side, the Yakuts don't look nearly as thrilled about this either.

https://twitter.com/sonjaeftimovska/...92022947979264

Even the Dagestanis aren't exactly dying to go fight in Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/sonjaeftimovska/...95471786016768

This kind of mobilization is a fast track to internal unrest. If this idiot keeps going down this path, we could be looking at total disintegration of the Russian Federation.

And honestly, it’s not like it’s the first time people have wondered if this whole thing is actually just internal ethnic cleansing within Russia.