Russia

[ManxTaxPayer]

And stuff. 

[Chinahand]

Even without a substantial increase in Germany's defence budget NATO is a very substantial military alliance. 

 

[quilp]

A formidable force no less. 

[manxman1980]

3 hours ago, ManxTaxPayer said:

I'd imagine their military equipment will prove to be better than everyone else's  too. Like their cars. 

Strangely enough that was one of the Germans problems in WW2.  They had advanced weapons but couldn't produce enough of them.  The Russians had relatively poor equipment but could just keep churning it out. 

(Yes this is an oversimplification but still an interesting point)

[quilp]

At one point in the final months of WW2 Germany were still able to manufacture more weapons than they had troops to use them. They also had a considerable number of captured firearms and artillery; French, Italian, Russian, and plenty of British weaponry after Dunkirk, which were largely distributed amongst Volkssturm units for the defence of Berlin. Though with such a diverse variation in calibres ammunition resupply was problematic. But even in the depths of allied bombing raids the factories were still able to produce a huge amount of firearms. Tank production continued almost to the very end also, though not in sufficient numbers and plagued by sloppy workmanship. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by quilp
Spelling

[TheTeapot]

Heh...

 

[Mr. Sausages]

They shelled a nuclear power plant last night. 

[Mr. Sausages]

It’s NATO’s fault for antagonising them, obviously. 

[The Phantom]

13 hours ago, quilp said:

This German bear is hardly a formidable force and incomparable to the size and strength of available Russian forces. Since the end of the Cold War, unlike Russia, it has successively reduced its commitment to defence over the decades. Remember Trump complaining that various nations within NATO weren't keeping up with the (non-binding) NATO commitment to upkeep expenditure on defence? What could Germany wield as a defence to a 1000 tank onslaught? 1000? 500? More like 200 effective against any Russian onslaught, and even then, 10-15% of those 200 will be out of service at any one time. Same situation with the Luftwaffe too. Underfunded, with mostly outdated (though still moderately effective) fighters and again, not really enough in number. 

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-germanys-military-weak-175152

 

Unfortunately this is pretty much true of all the other NATO countries bar the US. 

So far it seems that all the propaganda over the last couple of years about super hi-tech Russian weapons development isn't coming to fruition.  Either it was all just bullshit, or they are holding them in reserve.  Similar with their troops.  They do have well trained experienced troops, but at the moment they just appear to be throwing mainly poorly equipped conscripts at the battle.  Again they could be holding their best in reserve and would tie in with Russian military doctrine of also drowning the defenders in troops, it doesn't matter how well trained or equipped they are, the weight of numbers will matter.  They have a completely different mindset than any of the NATO countries when it comes to the death of their troops and civilians.  They will take routes and tactics that would horrify NATO and not even be considered. 

Now they have control of some airfields closer to Kyiv unfortunately I think they will start bringing in their more experienced guys in.   The 40km convoy also probably hasn't stalled.  They are forming a staging post just out of range of easy retaliation from the Ukrainians and they'll aim to encircle Kyiv and lay siege/shell the hell out of it before really sending in the troops as they are doing currently in the South.

Whilst I pray it's true and the Ukrainians appear to be fighting like devils and holding back the onslaught, you have to consider that we are also seeing Ukrainian propaganda.  They will try to control the reports of their loses. 

Some of the guys I know that were heading out are now on the ground and in combat.  It's REALLY bad but we are not really hearing about it in the mainstream press.  Some guys that have done 4+ tours of Iraq and Afghanistan are already claiming they've fired more rounds in a few days in Ukraine than in all of their tours combined. 

God knows what happens if/when the Russians actually kill or capture any US/Brit/NATO/other volunteers. 

Also the volunteer Legions are now suggesting that sign on will be for 2 years, or until the combat is over.  Just incase any of the toy soldiers/lads army thought they could go out for a few weeks... 

[Mr. Sausages]

US intel on this affair has been good so far.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/biden-ukraine-us-russian-invasion-winter-olympics

Above article from 11 feb:

“The US has warned of the “very distinct possibility” of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the next few days, potentially involving an overwhelming attack on Kyiv

If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians without regard to their nationality. A subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force with virtually no notice

 

Western intelligence agencies believe that the most likely goal of a Russian offensive would be to surround Kyiv and force regime change.

They also believe that the signal for such an invasion would be a false-flag attack, possibly including allegations of Ukrainian use of chemical weapons, that would be used as a pretext for Russian intervention.”

Seemed a bit far fetched at the time. Just another load of fake news from the mainstream media.

“the Russian foreign ministry accused western countries of spreading false information with help from the media, in order to distract attention from their own aggressive actions.”

 

[Mr. Sausages]

So fingers crossed, instead of a 3 minute warning, we might get 7 or 8 minutes.

[Shake me up Judy]

You could, but it would probably prefer a handful of fresh hay and a firm young carrot.

[Passing Time]

5 hours ago, Roxanne said:

Should I spend the next few days learning how to kiss my ass goodbye? 

I can help you out there...

[quilp]

This video (15mins) is a couple of years old but there's a commonality with the conflict in Ukraine. Although it concerns Crimea it does provide insight in Putin's aims with Ukraine and how divisions were formed after WW2, Glasnost, etc...

Worth a watch.

 

[quilp]

6 hours ago, Roxanne said:

Should I spend the next few days learning how to kiss my ass goodbye? 

 

1 hour ago, Shake me up Judy said:

You could, but it would probably prefer a handful of fresh hay and a firm young carrot.

🤣😂🤗 Post of the week...