Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

James Chavez91 said:Alright. Now I’m pretty sure Russia is losing this one...

I'm driving around listening to an NPR broadcast—that "On Air" segment—with Baric and Vidmarovic as guests...
Honestly, Vidmarovic wasn't exactly easy to listen to. Seems like the guy finally sobered up, I guess.

I just hope the Ukrainians are smarter than we were and don't go easy on those lowlifes. Why not just kick them all out in one fell swoop, strip them of their citizenship, seize every bit of their property as war reparations, and set up such a brutal visa system that they’re stuck waiting two years and shelling out a thousand bucks just for a chance to enter?

James Chavez91 said:Alright. Now I’m pretty sure Russia is losing this one...

I'm driving around listening to an NPR broadcast—that "On Air" segment—with Baric and Vidmarovic as guests...
Honestly, Vidmarovic wasn't exactly easy to listen to. Seems like the guy finally sobered up, I guess.

🤣

Vidmarovic is such an "independent expert" on Ukraine and Russia that he only admitted they were losing right about the moment it became obvious to everyone—except, perhaps, the Russians and the people in Mexico.😁 It’s tough being an expert, isn't it? All that forecasting and deep knowledge, only for your predictions to land at the level of some random guy posting on Krstarica.😬
He really should have listened to Baric earlier; apparently, his mother didn't explain things clearly enough to him.

I hope the public broadcaster isn't paying him too much, seeing as they failed to check if he was half-Russian himself.

Edit: @ whiskey, oh yes, D Lanos, and it was honestly painful to hear him say it.😁
Still, I get the impression that the part where he claims "it won't be like Afghanistan or Chechnya" comes immediately after he mentions "having various weapons and plenty of ammunition."

Roger Fowler said:I just hope the Ukrainians are smarter than we were and don't go easy on those lowlifes. Why not just kick them all out in one fell swoop, strip them of their citizenship, seize every bit of their property as war reparations, and set up such a brutal visa system that they’re stuck waiting two years and shelling out a thousand bucks just for a chance to enter?

The Americans???

granitescout32 said:The Americans???

My bad, Ukrainians

James Chavez91 said:Alright. Now I’m pretty sure Russia is losing this one...

I'm driving around listening to an NPR broadcast—that "On Air" segment—with Baric and Vidmarovic as guests...
Honestly, Vidmarovic wasn't exactly easy to listen to. Seems like the guy finally sobered up, I guess.

That’s about as much as I can say regarding their expertise—sometimes it’s just better to step away from the microphone and stay quiet.

The Pope argues that providing weapons to Ukraine for self-defense is morally justifiable.

"You can do better than that!"—that’s what they’d say if he were making such a surface-level claim at some old veteran's hall in Chicago.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ce-2022-09-15/

Timothy Williams5 said:The Pope argues that providing weapons to Ukraine for self-defense is morally justifiable.

"You can do better than that!"—that’s what they’d say if he were making such a surface-level claim at some old veteran's hall in Chicago.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ce-2022-09-15/

Funny how that works. Now he isn't causing grief for the families of soldiers who went over there to tear someone else's country apart.

Carol Johnson21 said:I suspect that wasn't even their main motivation. Adding ten thousand motivated criminals to the mix is the ultimate force multiplier. We're looking at a wave of classic street crimes that will terrorize the local population. Where else could the Russians find such a motivated force? They're essentially offering these guys an escape route; if they called for a general mobilization, they'd just face a mass exodus.

These criminals represent the absolute peak of current Russian capabilities.

They promise plenty of ammo—supposedly better than what was provided in Afghanistan or Chechnya. Meanwhile, on Taiwan, there's a video circulating of a Russian soldier talking to his wife. He tells her he's wounded but isn't allowed to leave his post because there are no hospital beds available. Her response? She tells him they've been abandoned just like they were in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Speaking of videos of Russian soldiers, there's one where a low-ranking guy explains to his superior how unfair it is that the officers got to bring three seized cars back to Russia, while they're stuck driving some old Hyundai 😁
. It’s also quite telling how he complains about not having had a single day off in seven months because there is absolutely no rotation of troops.

And you can assume criminals and thieves aren't interested in much beyond looting and assault. Maybe they released a few psychopaths who enjoy killing, but I doubt they have any real military training. They probably could have just pulled reinforcements from psychiatric hospitals.

It’s supposed to be one of the most powerful militaries on earth, yet you see soldiers out there buying their own thermal underwear just to stay warm...

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, military trucks and armored vehicles marked with that "Z" symbol are a common sight in town, alongside exhausted soldiers in uniform who are forced to buy their own winter gear and thermal layers just to survive the coming cold months...

Beyond the stories brought in by beaten soldiers fleeing from Ukrainian forces—tales of defeat, brutal conditions at the front, and the sheer organizational chaos within the Russian military—the whole city feels the weight of the nearby war, especially with the constant activity of air defenses echoing through the suburbs. You can hear the distant thud of intercepted projectiles and the rumble of explosions, and even down in the southern district, debris from destroyed munitions occasionally falls...

jadetinker85 said:And you can assume criminals and thieves aren't interested in much beyond looting and assault. Maybe they released a few psychopaths who enjoy killing, but I doubt they have any real military training. They probably could have just pulled reinforcements from psychiatric hospitals.

Isn't that exactly the kind of genocidal war Russia is waging right now? I can only imagine the conditions in Russian prisons—having to choose between thirty years behind bars or taking a chance on looting and terrorizing people. In that scenario, a bullet almost seems like a more merciful option than facing decades of torture and waiting for death in a cell.

I feel the need to revisit one of Joe Biden's most "brilliant" analytical moments during an interview with CNN:

"We see that (the Russians) are trying to avoid the central areas. They aren't leaving the roads for the fields because they are obviously trying to preserve the wheat fields sunflower, wheat, buckwheat, barley, and everything else grown is tied to the roads. Major cities are still targets, and there's an attempt to take them while supposedly avoiding civilian casualties, but they're struggling," he stated.

"We know that Vladimir Putin has achieved at least several goals: Ukraine will not join NATO, Donbas is definitely lost, Crimea is definitely confirmed, and the Ukrainian military is almost decimated. So, it's all up to him now and whatever he considers his final goal," Biden concluded at the end of the interview.

And all this was being said just as that famous convoy heading toward Kyiv was sinking into the mud due to punctured tires.

Honestly, any rational person would be thinking about surrendering right now. A winter spent in a trench? That’s just pure stupidity. I just don't see how the Ukrainians can hold out against that many Russians.

Carol Johnson21 said:Isn't that exactly the kind of genocidal war Russia is waging right now? I can only imagine the conditions in Russian prisons—having to choose between thirty years behind bars or taking a chance on looting and terrorizing people. In that scenario, a bullet almost seems like a more merciful option than facing decades of torture and waiting for death in a cell.

I feel the need to revisit one of Joe Biden's most "brilliant" analytical moments during an interview with CNN:

"We see that (the Russians) are trying to avoid the central areas. They aren't leaving the roads for the fields because they are obviously trying to preserve the wheat fields sunflower, wheat, buckwheat, barley, and everything else grown is tied to the roads. Major cities are still targets, and there's an attempt to take them while supposedly avoiding civilian casualties, but they're struggling," he stated.

"We know that Vladimir Putin has achieved at least several goals: Ukraine will not join NATO, Donbas is definitely lost, Crimea is definitely confirmed, and the Ukrainian military is almost decimated. So, it's all up to him now and whatever he considers his final goal," Biden concluded at the end of the interview.

And all this was being said just as that famous convoy heading toward Kyiv was sinking into the mud due to punctured tires.

And after all that, he actually has the nerve to show up on a show. Honestly, do the people inviting him even have any shame?

swiftjackal11 said:And after all that, he actually has the nerve to show up on a show. Honestly, do the people inviting him even have any shame?

Journalists lost their integrity a long time ago. It’s always the same story—they just shove these so-called "experts" in front of the camera who clearly don't know the first thing about what they're talking about. Same old routine, whether it was two years ago or right now.

swiftjackal11 said:And after all that, he actually has the nerve to show up on a show. Honestly, do the people inviting him even have any shame?

Clearly, having a Face is overrated.😁 Honestly, when exactly does someone lose their status as an expert?

Judging by how much room he leaves for error and poor analysis, you quickly realize you're dealing with pure mediocrity.

I wouldn't be quite so harsh on all journalists, though. In this country, if a reporter doesn't uncover a scandal or a massive fraud, then no government agency—despite being paid specifically to do so—is going to find it.

Carol Johnson21 said:Isn't that exactly the kind of genocidal war Russia is waging right now? I can only imagine the conditions in Russian prisons—having to choose between thirty years behind bars or taking a chance on looting and terrorizing people. In that scenario, a bullet almost seems like a more merciful option than facing decades of torture and waiting for death in a cell.

I feel the need to revisit one of Joe Biden's most "brilliant" analytical moments during an interview with CNN:

"We see that (the Russians) are trying to avoid the central areas. They aren't leaving the roads for the fields because they are obviously trying to preserve the wheat fields sunflower, wheat, buckwheat, barley, and everything else grown is tied to the roads. Major cities are still targets, and there's an attempt to take them while supposedly avoiding civilian casualties, but they're struggling," he stated.

"We know that Vladimir Putin has achieved at least several goals: Ukraine will not join NATO, Donbas is definitely lost, Crimea is definitely confirmed, and the Ukrainian military is almost decimated. So, it's all up to him now and whatever he considers his final goal," Biden concluded at the end of the interview.

And all this was being said just as that famous convoy heading toward Kyiv was sinking into the mud due to punctured tires.

A soldier is someone who follows orders and stays disciplined. Criminals and respect for authority don't mix. Freezing in a trench during winter when he could have been warm in a prison cell? If he’s disloyal, don't bother. He’ll end up shooting his own commanding officer just to steal his gear.

Roger Fowler said:I just hope the Ukrainians are smarter than we were and don't go easy on those lowlifes. Why not just kick them all out in one fell swoop, strip them of their citizenship, seize every bit of their property as war reparations, and set up such a brutal visa system that they’re stuck waiting two years and shelling out a thousand bucks just for a chance to enter?

In America, the international community basically forced our hand, along with some well-meaning efforts to avoid unnecessary persecution and vendettas. A bunch of collaborators took real advantage of that situation, and to this day, they're still quite active within the American political scene and media under the guise of democratic principles. I doubt the HHS would ever dare to lecture Ukraine on how to handle this, though I suspect there will be plenty of collaborators finding ways to manipulate the public as much as possible, hunting for "Nazis" in closets and drawers, etc.—though I don't think it'll be on the same scale as what happened here in the States.☕

An American humanitarian, Andrew Fabiani, has lost his life in Ukraine.
https://www.nytimes.com/news/world/europe/ukraine-tragedy/

Carol Johnson21 said:I suspect that wasn't even their main motivation. Adding ten thousand motivated criminals to the mix is the ultimate force multiplier. We're looking at a wave of classic street crimes that will terrorize the local population. Where else could the Russians find such a motivated force? They're essentially offering these guys an escape route; if they called for a general mobilization, they'd just face a mass exodus.

These criminals represent the absolute peak of current Russian capabilities.

They promise plenty of ammo—supposedly better than what was provided in Afghanistan or Chechnya. Meanwhile, on Taiwan, there's a video circulating of a Russian soldier talking to his wife. He tells her he's wounded but isn't allowed to leave his post because there are no hospital beds available. Her response? She tells him they've been abandoned just like they were in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Speaking of videos of Russian soldiers, there's one where a low-ranking guy explains to his superior how unfair it is that the officers got to bring three seized cars back to Russia, while they're stuck driving some old Hyundai 😁
. It’s also quite telling how he complains about not having had a single day off in seven months because there is absolutely no rotation of troops.

People like that aren't exactly professional soldiers.
Most criminals are just opportunists, I think—people who found it easier to steal than to actually work a real job. They aren't exactly rushing to go die for a cause. There aren't even that many actual killers in the prison system.

Most of those willing to sign up are probably just thugs, rioters, petty street thieves...
Maybe they'd have been useful if the primary role of the Russian military and Wagner was just to act as an occupation force, sort of like back in Afghanistan...

They're promising them plenty of ammo, supposedly better than what happened in Afghanistan or Chechnya, but there's this conversation circulating on TW about a Russian soldier talking to his wife. He tells her he's wounded but isn't allowed to leave his post because there are no hospital beds available, and she just tells him they've abandoned them again, just like in Afghanistan or Chechnya.

When exactly did the mujahideen hold firm lines in the valleys against Soviet units during the war in Afghanistan? When did they ever launch an offensive quite like this current Ukrainian one?
Never, I guess.
In this conflict alone, the Russian side has lost five times as many soldiers in six months as they did during the entire eight years of the war in Afghanistan.

People are seriously dying in this war, and I assume these convicts realize they're just being used as cannon fodder...?

What are the odds that if they sign a contract today, they'll still be alive a year from now, let alone with both hands and feet intact?
Is it even a fifty-fifty shot at this point?

jadetinker85 said:Honestly, any rational person would be thinking about surrendering right now. A winter spent in a trench? That’s just pure stupidity. I just don't see how the Ukrainians can hold out against that many Russians.

Push them right across the border to Putin? Or maybe a prisoner swap for the fighters held in Mariupol. If everyone ends up dead anyway, then we might as well just settle it with a "life for a life" exchange.☕

Ukrainians are striking back again near the outskirts of Chicago. This time there are fatalities reported, and the power is out everywhere.

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