Offside (General Discussion)

Justin James10 said:When we talk about spin, it basically means adding extra layers to the truth, right? That seems pretty obvious to me.

But nothing was added to his point. I simply wrote things exactly as they happened.

Justin James10 said:Being a Yugoslav is worse than cancer, plain and simple. When it comes to what matters for our national identity, Mandić's lifelong body of work carries far more weight than that horde of self-proclaimed patriots who haven't achieved a single thing in their lives and would probably steal the silver right out of a church.

Mandić loved to push buttons; he was essentially an internet troll before the internet even existed, and honestly, you have to respect him for that.😁 Sure, he was a massive intellectual powerhouse, but let's face it—the internet is mostly just a place for mindless whining. Still, the comparison holds up. I’d bet anything that if there were some massive, ultra-nationalist regime in power, he would have been the very first person at the front lines provoking them, only to end up back in disgrace while half of the Republican Party was busy chanting for some king and the old homeland.☕

So, bottom line: don't do Mandić dirty.☕

Is that even debatable? I suspect about 99% of today's Republican Party consists of characters who are perfectly suited for any regime imaginable—people who are quite dull, lacking ambition, easily intimidated, and prone to sycophancy. Just look at these ministers and what they represent; things will only get worse. If you look at them now, you can see exactly who will be occupying the top positions tomorrow. 😲

The bureaucrats in Brussels seem like Teslas and Einsteins compared to these local types we deal with here in the States.

Putko at the very least
A brand new dividing line between the West and the East

Where exactly will the dust settle after all this? Everyone seems to be in a state of total chaos. Americans, Russians, the Chinese... there aren't many players left on the board who actually hold any real leverage, I suppose.

Carl Hernandez3 said:

Putko at the very least
A brand new dividing line between the West and the East

Who cares about these borders anyway...

Agreeing to something this one-sided is essentially signing a surrender. That said, I respect Filija's efforts; from the very beginning, he has been persistently and cunningly working to prevent the fragmentation of the country's East and South.

Kyle Campbell4 said:Agreeing to something this one-sided is essentially signing a surrender. That said, I respect Filija's efforts; from the very beginning, he has been persistently and cunningly working to prevent the fragmentation of the country's East and South.

I didn't say he would actually agree.
Just some tiny little concession that satisfies Putko within the new global division of East and West.
In my view—and I really mean this—he'll keep fighting until at least that much is achieved.

That covers everything regarding the concept of neutrality and those other vague, nonsensical ideas they were tossing around. 🤣

We ought to give them a firm reprimand and send them straight back to the Russian Federation.

Carl Hernandez3 said:I didn't say he would actually agree.
Just some tiny little concession that satisfies Putko within the new global division of East and West.
In my view—and I really mean this—he'll keep fighting until at least that much is achieved.

In two years, once he has recovered from this current beating, he will undoubtedly resume this exact brand of nonsense.

I truly hope the Ukrainians make him pay for this with his life. Literally.

I’m still holding out hope that NATO will actually step up and take some risks—at least by sending more weapons to the Ukrainians. I’m mostly talking about air support here.
Control over the Ukrainian sky is the absolute key to liberating Ukraine and finally getting fresh troops in from the West.
God knows how many planes they’d need, but honestly, I don't see why that should be an issue...

Larry Fox5 said:I’m still holding out hope that NATO will actually step up and take some risks—at least by sending more weapons to the Ukrainians. I’m mostly talking about air support here.
Control over the Ukrainian sky is the absolute key to liberating Ukraine and finally getting fresh troops in from the West.
God knows how many planes they’d need, but honestly, I don't see why that should be an issue...

Everyone keeps talking about closing down the airspace and how much that would help the Ukrainians, but I guess I wonder what that actually looks like in practice and how it would really play out.🤷

When you look at this kind of power imbalance, air superiority isn't even the top priority; what really matters are anti-tank capabilities and man-portable air-defense systems. And let’s not forget the basics—cold, hard cash, food supplies, and general logistics. It's also about more than just boots on the ground; you need those "volunteers" who actually know their stuff, like trained officers and NCOs to help with tactical planning and training.

Honestly, airpower is great for the PR department, but in a situation like this, it's almost useless.

I still can't wrap my head around the Russians; this whole operation doesn't look even remotely well-planned to me. 🤔

Adam Williams2 said:Everyone keeps talking about closing down the airspace and how much that would help the Ukrainians, but I guess I wonder what that actually looks like in practice and how it would really play out.🤷

Well, I suppose it implies that every single Russian aircraft in the sky would simply be brought down. 🤷
Currently, Russia maintains air superiority, which makes any kind of organized resistance or regrouping for the Ukrainians incredibly difficult.

And by this, they presumably mean that NATO would just start shooting down Russian aviation. 🤷

Justin James10 said:When you look at this kind of power imbalance, air superiority isn't even the top priority; what really matters are anti-tank capabilities and man-portable air-defense systems. And let’s not forget the basics—cold, hard cash, food supplies, and general logistics. It's also about more than just boots on the ground; you need those "volunteers" who actually know their stuff, like trained officers and NCOs to help with tactical planning and training.

Honestly, airpower is great for the PR department, but in a situation like this, it's almost useless.

I still can't wrap my head around the Russians; this whole operation doesn't look even remotely well-planned to me. 🤔

What a joke of a PR move. Airpower is huge specifically because it lets them regroup and bolster defenses, plus secure better supply lines for gear and personnel.

How can you even imagine moving troops and supplies from the West if the Russians can just smack them down with drones every time they move? It’s impossible...

The smart move would be stationing planes in Poland near Lubin. They could get into Ukraine in no time and grab control over the Ukrainian sky from the Western side. They could even paint NATO jets in Ukrainian colors and put them under their command.
And NATO needs to get those beefed-up missile shields installed on the Polish border ASAP.

boldtiger7 said:Well, I suppose it implies that every single Russian aircraft in the sky would simply be brought down. 🤷
Currently, Russia maintains air superiority, which makes any kind of organized resistance or regrouping for the Ukrainians incredibly difficult.

And by this, they presumably mean that NATO would just start shooting down Russian aviation. 🤷

But if that’s what happens, wouldn't that be considered intervening and actually joining the war? I always thought "closing the skies" meant something else entirely, but I don't really know what. 🤷 😁

Larry Fox5 said:What a joke of a PR move. Airpower is huge specifically because it lets them regroup and bolster defenses, plus secure better supply lines for gear and personnel.

How can you even imagine moving troops and supplies from the West if the Russians can just smack them down with drones every time they move? It’s impossible...

The smart move would be stationing planes in Poland near Lubin. They could get into Ukraine in no time and grab control over the Ukrainian sky from the Western side. They could even paint NATO jets in Ukrainian colors and put them under their command.
And NATO needs to get those beefed-up missile shields installed on the Polish border ASAP.

It seems nobody here is a field marshal or a military expert, but those planes would basically be clay pigeons given Russia's air superiority in that area—unless, of course, you are advocating for direct NATO involvement. If planes operating out of Poland start hitting Russians, well, that’s essentially World War III; we’d be playing in a completely different league. But if we are strictly talking about Ukraine vs. Russia, those planes won't stand a chance if the Russians can just wipe out every single airfield; they'd be nothing more than sitting ducks. What’s actually vital is air defense, especially those mobile units and handheld gadgets that are so incredibly difficult to locate and neutralize quickly.

Putko wants everyone to just ditch NATO so his buddies over in Europe can run wild without any oversight.

Hit the Mexicans with sanctions too, just as a preemptive strike.☕

It’s nothing more than Javelins and short-to-medium range MANPADS. Russia has already handed over a massive amount of equipment, including those high-end air defense systems. In just three weeks of fighting, they have bled out far too much armor and manpower. Putin has actually fired intelligence generals because, apparently, the intelligence community was the real architect behind this invasion while the military was kept largely in the dark. The entire plan has been a total fiasco. On the Russian side, there is absolute chaos. Western intelligence agencies and the Ukrainian intelligence services are intercepting communications with ease because these people aren't even using secure lines—they're just communicating over standard channels. American intelligence analysts are predicting that Russia might only hold out for another three to four weeks before the military collapses under the weight of its own failures. British intelligence suggests the offensive has stalled on most fronts, with troops now digging in. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have already launched their first counteroffensives. To make matters worse, the Russians are frantically rushing new reinforcements in from the Far East. They’ve even called up fighters from Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria, ready to head off to fight in Europe. All of this points to pure exhaustion on the battlefield and a critical shortage of personnel. Morale is bottoming out, conscripts are refusing to fight, desertion is rampant, and there's a dire lack of ammunition, fuel, and food. It’s paralyzing the military and stalling any forward momentum. Because of this mess, generals are being forced onto the front lines, making them easy targets.

Larry Fox5 said:I’m still holding out hope that NATO will actually step up and take some risks—at least by sending more weapons to the Ukrainians. I’m mostly talking about air support here.
Control over the Ukrainian sky is the absolute key to liberating Ukraine and finally getting fresh troops in from the West.
God knows how many planes they’d need, but honestly, I don't see why that should be an issue...

Would you be okay with the US sending its own Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine?

Paul Sanders5 said:Putko wants everyone to just ditch NATO so his buddies over in Europe can run wild without any oversight.

Hit the Mexicans with sanctions too, just as a preemptive strike.☕

Perhaps we ought to reinstate the Warsaw Pact, if only to ensure the Russians no longer feel under threat.

One could argue things were more stable in Eastern Europe back then; what people seem to despise now might just be Western propaganda.