Quote from: aikorob on March 03, 2022, 06:33:13 PM


https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/disaster-pmn/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-zaporizhzhia-on-fire-town-mayor-says
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419555-zaporizhzhia-npp-declares-nuclear-threat-due-to-shelling-by-russias-heavy-weapons.html

Oh shit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9vTlBtA_-0&list=TLPQMDMwMzIwMjISByMQTmZKhg&index=2
Interesting watch.

Live feed of Russians firing on Nuclear plant. That is on fire now


https://youtu.be/X14cRHLb-bU

Ukrainian Ground Forces (UGF) put together a musical ode to their humble little Turkish export UAV, the Bayraktar TB2.  Why a music video?  Because they're the Ukrainians, that's why.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G6EIKoJLNo


More info on the TB2 and its surprisingly effective use in this conflict:

https://fortune.com/2022/03/04/bayraktar-tb2-drone-ukraine-russia-war/


https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1497861256975249411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1498158883994537989%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffortune.com%2F2022%2F03%2F04%2Fbayraktar-tb2-drone-ukraine-russia-war%2F

https://youtu.be/wyM_9P4igys

Video appears to show Russian-backed forces firing on protesters.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/05/world/russia-ukraine/videos-show-what-appear-to-be-russian-backed-forces-firing-at-protesters

Quote from: majorhavoc on March 05, 2022, 07:40:42 PM
Video appears to show Russian-backed forces firing on protesters.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/05/world/russia-ukraine/videos-show-what-appear-to-be-russian-backed-forces-firing-at-protesters

That's fucked all the hell up.  Then again, so is cluster bombing residential neighborhoods and pretty much everything else they are doing over there.

https://youtu.be/35IZkqLiFt8

So...what skills do you have?

Quote from: CG on March 06, 2022, 01:35:41 PM
So...what skills do you have?

Other than taking up space and having a brain filled with useless trivia, I got nothing.

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on March 06, 2022, 01:37:51 PM

Quote from: CG on March 06, 2022, 01:35:41 PM
So...what skills do you have?

Other than taking up space and having a brain filled with useless trivia, I got nothing.

So, you and I get to lead the charge?  I've got the flag... you the guy banging the drum or the one playing the fife?

Quote from: NT2C on March 06, 2022, 02:27:18 PM

Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on March 06, 2022, 01:37:51 PM

Quote from: CG on March 06, 2022, 01:35:41 PM
So...what skills do you have?

Other than taking up space and having a brain filled with useless trivia, I got nothing.

So, you and I get to lead the charge?  I've got the flag... you the guy banging the drum or the one playing the fife?

I'll be guy with the drum. I don't have the skill to play the fife.

Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin.

If you want to know what's been driving Russian foreign policy, I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with it. I'm not going to link it here for obvious reasons, but it's worth checking into. Keep in mind this book was published in 1997.

Quote from: DarkAxel on March 06, 2022, 03:55:44 PM
Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin.

If you want to know what's been driving Russian foreign policy, I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with it. I'm not going to link it here for obvious reasons, but it's worth checking into. Keep in mind this book was published in 1997.

My wife (the Russian History and political science major) says this is an excellent book on the subject.

Quote from: DarkAxel on March 06, 2022, 03:55:44 PM
Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin.

If you want to know what's been driving Russian foreign policy, I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with it. I'm not going to link it here for obvious reasons, but it's worth checking into. Keep in mind this book was published in 1997.

For those unaware it is essentially the roadmap for the acquisition and/or control of Europe by Russia and countries seen as not pandering to the US (the UK to be removed from Europe entirely as it is seen as pandering to the US) and has this to say about Ukraine (according to the Wikipedia article):

QuoteUkraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire, which would be inadmissible.

Quote from: Anianna on March 06, 2022, 06:10:11 PM

QuoteUkraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire, which would be inadmissible.

Hmm.  By that reasoning, half the countries in Europe have no right to exist ...

Quote from: majorhavoc on March 06, 2022, 06:24:20 PM

Quote from: Anianna on March 06, 2022, 06:10:11 PM

QuoteUkraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire, which would be inadmissible.

Hmm.  By that reasoning, half the countries in Europe have no right to exist ...

The basic list of what this guy wanted to happen to each country in Europe and the Middle East is in the Wikipedia article if you want the brief rundown, but he very clearly has a special place in his cold, black heart for Ukraine.

Quote from: Anianna on March 06, 2022, 06:10:11 PM

Quote from: DarkAxel on March 06, 2022, 03:55:44 PM
Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin.

If you want to know what's been driving Russian foreign policy, I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with it. I'm not going to link it here for obvious reasons, but it's worth checking into. Keep in mind this book was published in 1997.

For those unaware it is essentially the roadmap for the acquisition and/or control of Europe by Russia and countries seen as not pandering to the US (the UK to be removed from Europe entirely as it is seen as pandering to the US) and has this to say about Ukraine (according to the Wikipedia article):

QuoteUkraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire, which would be inadmissible.

Airstrip One has always been part of Oceania.

Quote from: EBuff75 on March 03, 2022, 03:15:55 PM

Quote from: NT2C on March 03, 2022, 02:49:53 PM
"They were like monkeys with the last banana on Earth."

I've been seeing "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!!" comments for days now regarding that convoy!   

Quote from: Blast on March 03, 2022, 04:49:18 PM
Russia is actually following their standard practice of throwing lots of "low" soldiers at their opponent and slowly grinding their enemy down via shear numbers. Unlike us, the Russian government doesn't care about their own solider casualty numbers. 
A lot of hurt is going to happen.
-Blast

While that is largely true, it is worth noting that Russia's airborne units that have been deployed have not, according to Russian military doctrine, been "low" soldiers, but are actually considered "elite."
considered "elite."  (How elite they really are is debatable, though.) 
 
And while Moscow may consider their soldiers expendable, Experienced officers like Major General Sukhovetsky, the now former head of Russia's 7th Airborne Division, is less so.  Additionally, the number of Russian vehicles that appear to be abandoned by troops, many of which are apparently due to lack of maintenance suggests that the Russian military was not prepared for an extended military engagement.  When that is considered in combination with the devastating impact that sanctions are having on the Russian economy, it is probable that Russia was not actually following the old standard practice, but had actually aimed to take control in a short period of time, and [/size]is likely rapidly exhausting the manpower it can readily use to generate additional effective combat power[/size][size=78%].[/size]




...unfortunately, that all supports the conclusion that a lot of hurt is likely to happen soon, as Russia is increasingly likely to use more and more brutal tactics.