Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Joshua Myers432 said:We shouldn't lose sight of the math, though. If you count those Ukrainian rebels—who are essentially Russians—as part of Mother Russia, then Russia has at least four times the population of Ukraine. Plus, if you filter out the war propaganda coming from both sides, I seriously doubt Russian losses are actually higher than Ukrainian ones.

When you look at the hardware and tech, though, Russian losses are absolutely massive—they were constantly on the offensive, and that’s where they really bled people.

My rough estimate? There have probably been somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 Russians involved in the fighting since February—that includes regular troops, various militias, and Wagner mercenaries—but when you put that number in perspective, it's actually quite small considering they were trying to fight for and hold down about 46,000 square miles.

They were attacking territory and trying to hold ground roughly the size of Greece.

The front line is just massive,

What we're seeing here are essentially firefighting measures—it feels like the Russians are on the defensive now, just trying to hold onto what they've got, if they can manage it at all.

In my view, the Ukrainians managed to liberate an area roughly the size of the old SAO Appalachia using only about 20,000 people—whereas back in the day, liberating similar territory would have required half a million people.

William Anderson5 said:Most Ukrainians want to fight, or they simply don't have any other choice but to pick up a rifle. If you genuinely believe an equal number of Russians are eager to head into Ukraine just to die for Putin for no reason at all, then you're seriously mistaken...

I'm lucky enough to see plenty of them—young guys driving cars worth at least $30,000 around Los Angeles☕

rowdyraven112 said:Was US territory ever threatened by Cuba? No. By Grenada? No. Yet they pulled the exact same moves Putin did in Ukraine. The US explanation: "Preserving US territorial integrity."

It’s funny how history repeats itself, especially when people favoring one side conveniently forget the facts. Was Afghanistan ever a threat to Russia? No. Was Vietnam a threat to the US? No. Let's round out the comparison. Who actually reacted? Nobody. Whenever the US and Russia get involved—both are garbage in my book—all the little guy can do is grab his gear and hit the road.

The bottom line is that Russia is severely weakened right now, both militarily and economically. But what's causing the panic is Zakharov claiming we're delusional if we think Russia can lose this. Whatever that means. The real danger is Western politicians completely ignoring that statement. The million-dollar question is who's going to be the first to get screwed... ☕
Reminds me of the Matrix and that quote: Ignorance is bliss!

When exactly did the US occupy Cuba?
And now, it seems someone is finally 'reacting' to this.
Besides, where are you going to run from a nuclear war? Do you have a spot reserved in some bunker? Well, good luck to you somewhere deep underground. Bring some photos along, just so you don't forget what life used to look like. In the event of a nuclear conflict, I'll head underground too, but not as deep. Or perhaps I'll just evaporate instantly—if luck is on my side.

Sojg: We wiped out half the Ukrainian army while only losing 5,937 soldiers.
If that’s actually the case, then why on earth are they calling up 300,000 reservists?

rowdyraven112 said:So, you're looking to rehabilitate someone who stole a mother's, a grandmother's, or a sister's life savings? Someone who ruined a family, or a domestic abuser whose family is lucky he's finally behind bars? And you try to justify it by calling it patriotism. I’d tell you exactly what I think of that kind of "patriotism," but this forum isn't the place for it. The Ukrainians did the exact same thing.
Until you realize that war itself is an evil, there's no point discussing this conflict. If you're just watching it like a fanatic sports fan, any debate is useless. That's why I haven't been commenting much lately. ☕

So we were deprived of your "unbiased" takes after all...
You claim war is an evil, yet somehow you never condemn the one who started it. Instead, you just keep finding faults with the ones forced to deal with it.

The European Commission just went and eased its coal sanctions against Russia, effectively giving EU companies the green light to trade, ship, and bankroll Russian supplies to third-party nations. Brussels is spinning this by claiming it’s a necessary move to prevent sanctions from messing with "energy security." Unbelievable.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/statu...84673070329857

rowdyraven112 said:So, you're looking to rehabilitate someone who stole a mother's, a grandmother's, or a sister's life savings? Someone who ruined a family, or a domestic abuser whose family is lucky he's finally behind bars? And you try to justify it by calling it patriotism. I’d tell you exactly what I think of that kind of "patriotism," but this forum isn't the place for it. The Ukrainians did the exact same thing.
Until you realize that war itself is an evil, there's no point discussing this conflict. If you're just watching it like a fanatic sports fan, any debate is useless. That's why I haven't been commenting much lately. ☕

If you can manage to set aside the emotion for a moment, it becomes painfully obvious that local criminals are fiercely protective of their own property; they find it incredibly difficult when, for instance, Mark from a small town tramples right through their fields and barns in the outskirts of San Diego.

Mark from a small town, who has been sitting in a federal penitentiary in Mexico City since 1993, isn't exactly rushing to defend American property in the hills near San Diego. It doesn't seem to be much of a priority for him...

That is essentially how patriotism works for criminals, whether they are operating on home soil or abroad.

gentlestag15 said:Putin: Russia Has more modern nukes Than the West. will Use All weapons if Russian territory is threatened. "We are not bluffing."

So, basically, he sets up those rigged referendums to pull off an annexation of those regions, and then if the Ukrainians try to push back, he claims he's got the right to drop the nukes.
Because suddenly, they're attacking American-aligned territory or whatever.

Sad is the question: who is he actually going to target with those atoms? Is it "Russian" territory, or is it the "hated West" where all their apartments and yachts are located?...

Jessica Peterson2 said:Sojg: We wiped out half the Ukrainian army while only losing 5,937 soldiers.
If that’s actually the case, then why on earth are they calling up 300,000 reservists?

If his own son were among those "only" 5,937, he'd be talking a whole lot differently... honestly, I just hope life gives him a reality check—God help him.😢

Jessica Peterson2 said:Sojg: We wiped out half the Ukrainian army while only losing 5,937 soldiers.
If that’s actually the case, then why on earth are they calling up 300,000 reservists?

Their ultimate target is Portugal.

So they’re deploying 300,000 soldiers just because 5,900 have already died. 🙂 Is there actually anyone in Russia who buys this crap?

I honestly can't fathom who could still take this fascist goblin seriously. This mobilization is essentially him driving the final nail into his own coffin.

Tickets for Istanbul and Yerevan are already sold out. That’s just the wealthy crowd getting their bags packed so they can be the first ones out the door 😁

The greatest challenge for Russia will be integrating all these people into a coherent force. They have the equipment, given how massive those old Soviet stockpiles are, but how do you turn a crowd like that into a unified fighting unit? Even with some basic military service under their belts, it’s just not enough.
They are heading toward a battlefield facing seasoned Ukrainian veterans. They'll be slaughtered like flies.

It’s clear Putin doesn't care if tens of thousands more die; I can't even fathom what his goal is. The USA needs to urgently ramp up HIMARS donations and find a way to transition the Ukrainians over to Abrams tanks.

Joshua Myers432 said:We shouldn't lose sight of the math, though. If you count those Ukrainian rebels—who are essentially Russians—as part of Mother Russia, then Russia has at least four times the population of Ukraine. Plus, if you filter out the war propaganda coming from both sides, I seriously doubt Russian losses are actually higher than Ukrainian ones.

Similarly, one should not forget how much you seem to lean toward Mother Russia.

You also conveniently ignore the reality that Ukrainians are fighting for their own soil.

And you similarly neglect to mention what kind of gear this kid will be equipped with before being trained and sent off to serve as nothing more than cannon fodder in Ukraine. ☕

rowdyraven112 said:I'm lucky enough to see plenty of them—young guys driving cars worth at least $30,000 around Los Angeles☕

But you hit the nail on the head, you Russian apologist.

stormybear25 said:The European Commission just went and eased its coal sanctions against Russia, effectively giving EU companies the green light to trade, ship, and bankroll Russian supplies to third-party nations. Brussels is spinning this by claiming it’s a necessary move to prevent sanctions from messing with "energy security." Unbelievable.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/statu...84673070329857

They've finally hit rock bottom.
Looks like the 'evil gnome' is going to make a killing on coal this winter. Energy markets work like a series of connected tanks—you mess with one part, and the prices just spiral everywhere.

wanderingdriver68 said:If we’re looking at this realistically, how is Ukraine supposed to actually win a war against a nation that possesses virtually limitless human resources—I mean, they have three or four times the population size—and besides, it’s become painfully obvious that Russia isn't going to settle for anything less than total victory in Ukraine; in fact, I’m convinced they’d be willing to drag the entire world into a massive conflict if things started going south for them, since a psychopath like Putin is clearly prepared to go all the way to a total war.

Personally, I find myself stuck in a situation where I don't see any viable exit strategy that doesn't eventually spiral into a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, because honestly, what are the odds that this doesn't escalate into that within a few months or years, especially when removing Putin from the equation seems just as impossible as it was to stop Hitler, given how he has spent years building up an absolute machine of power within Russia that grants him unchecked control.

You Americans look at this "personally" with such fake objectivity, it's almost impressive. That whole argument about their manpower is nothing more than another pathetic Russian bluff—an empty threat of a military that barely exists, like a paper tiger. And now you "armchair experts" are working overtime trying to mask how obvious this all is by posting these faux-concerned messages, acting like Putin scared you all with his talk of reservists. Honestly, anyone posting stuff like this should probably be banned immediately.

Generally speaking, any post that starts with some variation of "if we look at this realistically" or "let's be real here," only to spin this fake, worried narrative that the only way to avoid catastrophe is to strike a deal with Putin, should be hit with an instant ban. If we suspect someone is just a plant spreading propaganda, we should report them to the authorities immediately. We need to figure out who is actually responsible for churning out this garbage on American forums and who is organizing and paying for it behind the scenes.

The recipe for ending this war is actually pretty simple.

20 F-16s
+ 40 HIMARS
+ 100 Leopard 2s
+ 50 Abrams
+ 20 Patriots
+ 12 CAESAR units
+ 12 PzH 2000s

If the Ukrainians got their hands on all this—assuming they have trained crews ready to go—this whole thing would be wrapped up in maybe two or three months.

hiddeneagle98 said:You Americans look at this "personally" with such fake objectivity, it's almost impressive. That whole argument about their manpower is nothing more than another pathetic Russian bluff—an empty threat of a military that barely exists, like a paper tiger. And now you "armchair experts" are working overtime trying to mask how obvious this all is by posting these faux-concerned messages, acting like Putin scared you all with his talk of reservists. Honestly, anyone posting stuff like this should probably be banned immediately.

Generally speaking, any post that starts with some variation of "if we look at this realistically" or "let's be real here," only to spin this fake, worried narrative that the only way to avoid catastrophe is to strike a deal with Putin, should be hit with an instant ban. If we suspect someone is just a plant spreading propaganda, we should report them to the authorities immediately. We need to figure out who is actually responsible for churning out this garbage on American forums and who is organizing and paying for it behind the scenes.

By that logic, we might as well start arresting half the journalists in the country.