Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

At my workplace, every single one of Putin's supporters suddenly decided to sprint toward HR... all just to verify their "Software Engineer" status because Putko promised that specific category wouldn't be mobilized. They haven't quite given me an answer as to why they're so desperate to avoid being sent to the Donbas 🤷

Ashley Ramirez4 said:Whether they’re "modern" or actually modern—if those things start going off (anywhere, really), it’s gonna be a mess. Just imagine if one of them blows up right on their own soil. Given how much they've been bragging, they could probably launch anything at this rate.

If someone intends to use long-range or even medium-range projectiles, how is the opposition—or NATO, who are monitoring all launches—supposed to know they are specifically aimed at Ukraine? At the exact moment of launch, you have to decide whether to counterstrike, yet you have absolutely no way of knowing the true target. That is why you don't play games with this. The Russians understand this dynamic perfectly well; their verbal outbursts are mostly just self-soothing or perhaps an attempt to intimidate the uneducated masses.

Terry Green3 said:Shoigu mentioned a plan to bring 300,000 reservists into the rotation.

Now that’s what I call a massive mobilization wave.

Shoigu basically went on record saying they'll only pull in reservists with actual service history or specific technical skills, then followed up by noting there's a pool of 25,000,000 guys out there who've already served and have those specialties.

We aren't talking about just one or two million people here—we're talking about a huge chunk of the male population in Russia under sixty.

Historically, we’ve always assumed Russian mobilization would be a slow crawl—that it takes forever for people and gear to actually hit the front lines.
WWI, and then WWII right after Barbarossa, proved us wrong. We'll see how it plays out this time.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JuliaDavi...42692109344770

Just one more little dig at them: they seem totally fine with how Ukrainian history is wrapping up, acting like they couldn't care less what the rest of the world thinks—as if places like Latvia even matter to them or whatever.

It honestly feels like they're slowly slamming every door shut on themselves and turning into North Korea vol2.☕

Sean Watson3 said:It’s just a negotiation tactic, plain and simple.

Nothing has actually changed here. This notion that Putin might just decide to pull back? Where is that coming from? He’ll keep fighting as long as there are citizens left to lose; he couldn't care less about the casualties as long as he stays in power. Finances? He doesn't give a damn.

He's just signaling that negotiations are necessary, using referendums and mobilization to manufacture some kind of leverage.

The fundamental issue remains: how do you negotiate when someone has occupied another sovereign nation?

This cycle will drag on for years. Unless the rules of the game change—and really, the only rule that matters is who holds power in Russia.

But that's not the only factor... the Ukrainians have made that crystal clear over the last few weeks.
With the way the Ukrainians are making headway, there's a legitimate chance we could see a total collapse of the Russian lines and their military. And then what? What kind of move will the Kremlin cook up then? It would be pretty wild if there weren't already a bunch of backroom games being played by people looking to take out Putko and his crew. You've got the hardliners who are pissed off at how this war is being handled, and then you've got the outright opponents of the invasion. It's safe to assume the paranoia inside the Kremlin and surrounding Putko is through the roof... and honestly, that's a terrible environment for making rational decisions—even by Russian standards.

Terry Green3 said:Shoigu mentioned a plan to bring 300,000 reservists into the rotation.

I mean, they probably have lists ready of potential enemies of the state—basically anyone who’s ever even breathed a word of criticism toward Vladimir Putin.
They just mobilize them, mix them up with criminals, ethnic minorities, and extremists, and boom, you've got a win-win situation.

Once the referendum wraps up, Zelensky for negotiations' condition will finally be met—getting the Russians out of Ukraine's borders.
Then they can actually sit down and talk properly. 👍

Jessica Peterson2 said:At my workplace, every single one of Putin's supporters suddenly decided to sprint toward HR... all just to verify their "Software Engineer" status because Putko promised that specific category wouldn't be mobilized. They haven't quite given me an answer as to why they're so desperate to avoid being sent to the Donbas 🤷

Man, you better get your ass over to the States while you still can, otherwise you might end up stuck in some hole in Ukraine.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Are you kidding me? 😁

Democracy, Russian style...

Do you actually have any idea who these reservists are that they're supposedly mobilizing, or even how many there are? Where are these people coming from, and what kind of structure are they even working with?

They will mobilize anyone who fails to slip through the cracks, continuing until they've met whatever quota they've set for human life.

Terry Green3 said:Shoigu mentioned a plan to bring 300,000 reservists into the rotation.

I assume we're talking about the types who keep rifles, crates of ammo, and maybe even a little tank stashed in their basement? 😁
Honestly, how do they even intend to equip 300,000 new soldiers? Given that the guys currently on the front lines seem to be sourcing their supplies by looting grandmothers' houses, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Brenda Murphy3 said:But that's not the only factor... the Ukrainians have made that crystal clear over the last few weeks.
With the way the Ukrainians are making headway, there's a legitimate chance we could see a total collapse of the Russian lines and their military. And then what? What kind of move will the Kremlin cook up then? It would be pretty wild if there weren't already a bunch of backroom games being played by people looking to take out Putko and his crew. You've got the hardliners who are pissed off at how this war is being handled, and then you've got the outright opponents of the invasion. It's safe to assume the paranoia inside the Kremlin and surrounding Putko is through the roof... and honestly, that's a terrible environment for making rational decisions—even by Russian standards.

Nobody seems to be taking the possibility of a total turnaround in the war seriously.

Terry Green3 said:Historically, we’ve always assumed Russian mobilization would be a slow crawl—that it takes forever for people and gear to actually hit the front lines.
WWI, and then WWII right after Barbarossa, proved us wrong. We'll see how it plays out this time.

The thing is, those eras aren't even remotely comparable to what we're seeing today.

It's one thing when Nazis show up on your doorstep or right in your hometown, and you grab the locals, hand them a rifle, and tell them to defend their own streets... it's a completely different beast when you're mobilizing people, handing them weapons and food, managing all the logistics, and then shipping them hundreds or thousands of miles away from their homes into a foreign country...

We are talking about two totally different concepts here.

Jessica Peterson2 said:At my workplace, every single one of Putin's supporters suddenly decided to sprint toward HR... all just to verify their "Software Engineer" status because Putko promised that specific category wouldn't be mobilized. They haven't quite given me an answer as to why they're so desperate to avoid being sent to the Donbas 🤷

Honestly, you could've seen this coming. If you didn't protect your own neck early enough, you're already too late.

Brenda Murphy3 said:The thing is, those eras aren't even remotely comparable to what we're seeing today.

It's one thing when Nazis show up on your doorstep or right in your hometown, and you grab the locals, hand them a rifle, and tell them to defend their own streets... it's a completely different beast when you're mobilizing people, handing them weapons and food, managing all the logistics, and then shipping them hundreds or thousands of miles away from their homes into a foreign country...

We are talking about two totally different concepts here.

I'd say it's more comparable to WWI.

steelraven74 said:Once the referendum wraps up, Zelensky for negotiations' condition will finally be met—getting the Russians out of Ukraine's borders.
Then they can actually sit down and talk properly. 👍

Realistically? They're gonna clear out every last bit of scum backing Moscow before they even think about sitting at a table. And honestly, this whole forum could probably use a massive deep clean to get rid of all these fascist sympathizers and bottom-feeders, don't you think? 😉

wiredseal7 said:He mentioned that mobilization is leaning more toward war veterans. Still, he claims they aren't pivoting to that "meat grinder" tactic—which is already the standard playbook for Ukraine—just yet.

But look, it shows they’re running low on people. They want to wipe out that Ukrainian advantage, and if they don't mobilize, they won't.

I doubt they'll pull the nuclear trigger easily—but once they annex parts of Ukraine, if an offensive like the one in Kharkiv pushes them toward somewhere like Kherson and they run out of conventional moves? Then anything goes.
The bigger threat to Ukraine and the West is really just the pressure to stop fighting and let the whole mess freeze.

Now we're just waiting for equally aggressive, bellicose rhetoric to come out of Kyiv and Washington, D.C.—it’s pretty obvious nobody's looking to blink here.

They’re being incredibly aggressive. We strike, and they just keep digging in to defend themselves. They really don't back down.

Back in WWII, maybe you could get away with human wave tactics backed by tanks and air support, but now? With their air force being practically non-existent and their tanks basically just competing to see who can flip over first, this whole move is nothing but pure desperation.

I have to admit, I was holding out hope that something major would go down in Moscow last night given all these delays. I’m still clinging to the idea that the mobilized Russian soldiers might actually act like their ancestors did back in 1917, but let’s be real—the odds are slim. If nothing else happens, the Ukrainians have already won this "special military operation"; now they just need to win the war. 😉

Terry Green3 said:I'd say it's more comparable to WWI.

Nah, not even close... not technically, not historically, not by any stretch of the imagination.