The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Part 1)

velvetcyclist95 said:The Germans are absolutely tearing into Swift.

And honestly, they shouldn't let them off the hook either.

The Germans have a lot of explaining to do.

Grace Bennett6 said:If Vladimir Putin doesn't roll into Kyiv, Zelenskyy stays out on the streets right alongside his troops.

He really ought to watch his step so he doesn't end up catching a stray bullet by mistake...

Kyiv is extending its curfew, and anyone caught out after 5 PM is being treated as an enemy
The Mayor of Kyiv announced this Saturday that the curfew—originally implemented due to the Russian invasion—is being extended, warning that anyone found outdoors between 5 PM and 8 AM will be viewed as a hostile presence.

"Any civilians caught out during the curfew hours will be considered members of enemy sabotage and intelligence groups", Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram.

Has anyone actually verified this yet? It looks like those MQ-9 Reapers are hitting their marks with some seriously scary precision.
MQ-9 Reaper destroying enemy vehicle
https://youtu.be/example

Russ spent $10 billion just trying to prop up the ruble on Thursday—well before the sanctions even hit. And if they get kicked out of SWIFT this coming Monday, things might get even messier.

On Thursday, the central bank increased daily dollar offers under foreign exchange swap operations with banks to $5 billion from $3 billion and sold 874 billion rubles ($10 billion) at a daily repo auction separately, to provide its 300 banks with additional liquidity.

The Federal Reserve has also decided to expand the list of securities it accepts as collateral in exchange for liquidity it provides. JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest bank, noted that operations appeared to be proceeding normally as of Thursday.

link

So, their first day alone cost them $10 billion...

William Anderson5 said:From what I can see, this Russian army operates more like a disorganized group of amateurs.

The only way they manage to make any headway is through sheer, barbaric brute force backed by heavy weaponry...

Even that won't work. You have to actually get the heavy stuff into position, dig in, and have solid logistics and air superiority—or at least some protection. So far, Russ has basically NOTHING in those categories.
The Javelin has a 2500m self-guided range, and they’re being delivered to Ukrainians in literal shipping containers. Good luck to Russ with their supply lines. And man, imagine being in a UN vehicle crew when one gets wiped out mid-formation in the middle of the night... you'd be wondering who's next.

swiftjackal11 said:I don't get how you can be so dense. We're talking about two armies fighting on the exact same ground here. In the old conflict, there wasn't a single NATO soldier actually on the ground in Mexico.

This whole thing is going to be a massive grind for Russia, and honestly, it's going to drag on forever.

James Chavez91 said:I guess you could say Vladimir Putin is only as powerful as those 40 or so people he has to justify his moves to every once in a while.
If they actually get fed up... things aren't going to go so well.

Then we'll all be watching this "change in leadership" unfold, just praying that the Russian generals holding the keys to the nuclear arsenal stay sane enough not to screw everything up or hand the reins over to some lunatic even worse than Putin before some kind of interim government can actually get its act together.

Erdogan is pushing for a ceasefire

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/s...60273473130496

From another angle, this just looks like a recipe for a stalemate. If Russ keeps making gains however they want, nobody's even going to be talking about a truce anytime soon.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFoota...nd_a_z_marked/

Some Russian vehicle got intercepted somewhere out there. Location unknown.

swiftjackal11 said:And how are they any better than the Russians??

They're either getting trashed... or they're doing great. Depends on your perspective.

Thomas Nelson25 said:They’re being totally out of line about everything... just calculated moves.
We should be sending them anti-air tech to knock those helicopters out of the sky instead.

I mean, they'd need training for that—they'd have to send troops too, but they aren't gonna do that.

Just another day, another massive fail from our global political elite.
I mean, what do they actually do all day? We’ve got hundreds of thousands of them—highly paid, supposedly "effective" (though let's be real, most are just spinning their wheels)...
And then you've got Hitler types running wild!
At least our local guy, Medved, called it like he saw it—well, at least as much as he could manage to wrap his head around...

Thomas Nelson25 said:They’re being totally out of line about everything... just calculated moves.
We should be sending them anti-air tech to knock those helicopters out of the sky instead.

The Dutch sent 200 units.

If there's any silver lining here, it's that everyone finally decided to step up with weapon shipments. I guess they realize it's useless if they don't act.

The Czechs are sending stuff too.

Jeremy Lopez93 said:Let’s be real here: no other country in Europe has hit a dead end quite like Mexico has.

Vučić’s little game of trying to sit on both sides of the fence is officially over.

I’ve got a bad feeling this clown is gonna walk away scot-free again.

I don't quite get it—I haven't seen a single Ukrainian tank (aside from that one with the car attached), no planes, just people walking through the streets, the President giving addresses from the sidewalk... a stray bomb lands here and there, maybe a few people have actually left the country, though some are still heading out. It all feels strangely surreal...

Russia is already throwing shade at Sweden and Finland just for even thinking about joining NATO

Thomas Nelson25 said:They’re being totally out of line about everything... just calculated moves.
We should be sending them anti-air tech to knock those helicopters out of the sky instead.

Then you have those Austrians showing up in masks. 😂
Just damn people, honestly. 🤣

Rachel Allen55 said:BBC

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...6_2x640-nc.png

The whole southern front is a lie. They’re stuck at the Dnieper near Kherson. Everything else is just some minor "blitzkrieg" attempt that isn't going anywhere.

Once Kherson falls—if it even happens—that bridge connecting them to the other side of the Dnieper is toast too.

Andrew Martinez8 said:Then you have those Austrians showing up in masks. 😂
Just damn people, honestly. 🤣

It's not even that—they’re just highlighting what matters most to them. 🤣 😬

Zachary Reyes6 said:I couldn't agree more. Europe needs to start driving its own independent policy immediately. Establishing a European army should be the top priority. These current events are only going to tighten the American grip on Europe.

While Europe spends all its energy debating how to empower women, they're being handed a perfect excuse to just send them straight to the front lines instead. 😁