The Russians have gone in

[Onomea]

Here's an interesting article on Ukrainian tactics:

Ukraine's military adapts tactics after enduring Russia's initial invasion
An outgunned but resilient Ukrainian military is adopting a two-prong strategy in the face of a flawed but fierce Russian assault, relying on hit-and-run tactics and the fortification of major cities as President Vladimir Putin's campaign enters a more perilous phase, military experts said.
By Dan Lamothe, Alex Horton and Karoun Demirjian

https://wapo.st/3twcuDd

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

I thought ironic that one of the tv channels ran the movie, Enemies at the
Gate this week with Ed Harris as the German sniper. I think it was the
same day a Russian general was taken out by a sniper.
People fighting for their homeland are tough to conquer.

 

[SMSgt]

Now that Visa and Mastercard have shut down operations with Russia, I wonder if I'll still get the Russian bride I ordered.

 

[biku324]

The prices just keep dropping.

 

[Beemerguy53]

That threat is keeping everyone out now. Who wants to call his bluff? Unless he is removed from office from within, he will continue to use that.

The problem is...nobody wants to bet that Putin's really bluffing.

Consider what happened in the lead-up to this invasion. The West called him on his troop build-up, and urged him repeatedly not to do anything to Ukraine. A number of Western leaders had long, personal phone conversations with him, trying to appeal to common sense and warning him about the sanctions he would face if he attacked Ukraine. And he did it anyway...

I don't know whether Putin is crazy, or just the very personification of evil, or both, but after watching what he's done this past week, both in Ukraine and in Russia, I think he really is capable of anything, including using nuclear weapons.

 

[Beemerguy53]

...People fighting for their homeland are tough to conquer.

Bingo! And this is why Putin cannot ultimately win.

He can flatten cities, kill a lot of innocent people, and install some stooge as Ukraine's new leader, but he will never conquer the Ukrainian people. They will mount an insurgency that will last until the Russians are gone, and they once again have a democratically-elected government.

Putin has made the worst military mistake any European leader has made since -- ironically -- Hitler attacked the Soviet Union...

 

[Imissedagain]

As the Civilian said who taught us our skills at USAF Hazard Survey School in the '60s, "if they were crazy enough to invent these, someday, someone might go too far".

The newest member of our team asked me what's the point of the rubber suits? If the HExplosives don't get you the radiation will melt you.
My reply was that it just requires throwing the suit and you in a box. Easy no mess cleanup.
He did laugh as we were on standby for Thule.

As a wee lad I saw a double feature in Technicolor.
The newest "Frankenstein" and "X the Unknown"
Frank was a lightweight compared to the X.

 

[LCC]

There has been a growing skepticism in Europe towards NATO for the past couple of decades, EU politicans calling it obsolete in a 'global community' so economically connected. Welcome to the wakeup call.
Putin not only miscalculated the determination of the Ukrainians to defend their country, he just guarenteed the re-strengthening of the NATO alliance as nothing else could have, and did more damage to his country's economy in seven days then the Cold War did in two decades..

 

[Rudi]

A theory I once heard was that NATO was not founded to counter the USSR. But to keep the Europeans from attacking each other. Which they have been wont to do in the past.

 

[Eltioloco]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/05/ukraine-russia-war-putin/

Here is a great article on an Ukrainian sniper group for all you long range guys.
Hopefully the link will work.
Ken

 

[oldbrownhat]

Guardian article here

Boris Johnson praises 'astonishing' courage of UK journalists shot by Russian hit squad

"...they cautiously drove towards an intersection when "out of nowhere" there was a "small explosion".

Ramsay said that a tyre burst, the car stopped and "our entire world turned upside down".

"The first round cracked the windscreen. Camera operator Richie Mockler huddled into the front passenger footwell. Then we were under full attack," he said.

"Bullets cascaded through the whole of the car, tracers, bullet flashes, windscreen glass, plastic seats, the steering wheel, and dashboard had disintegrated.

"We didn't know it at the time, but we were later told by the Ukrainians that we were being ambushed by a saboteur Russian reconnaissance squad. It was professional, the rounds kept smashing into the car – they didn't miss."...​

In the article is a link to a terrifying Sky News video from the jounalists' car as it came under fire.

 

[Beemerguy53]

American veterans volunteer to fight for Ukraine...

Another thread mentioned this story, but it's well-worth sharing here.

American veterans are signing up to fight for Ukraine...may God bless those guys and keep them safe...

US Veterans Are Heading to Ukraine to Join Fight Against Russia: NYT

 

[AJ]

A picture is worth 1,000 words! Putin trying to look superior. Zelenskyy asking for assistance.......

 

[Greyman50]

Putin is old school USSR and KGB, those that forget history are doomed to repeat.

 

[ladder13]

Update

American and NATO material has been on the ground. Now American and NATO boots/sneakers/flip flops are on the ground, unofficially of course.

Putin knows all this.

 

[Onomea]

France 24 (in English and live on YouTube) reports that protests inside Russia continued on Sunday with over 1000* people arrested.

A few days ago Russia passed a law making anyone not hewing to the government line on the Ukraine guilty of a crime punishable by 15 years in prison.

The Russian protestors inside Russia are displaying impressive courage.

* Other sources have now updated this to 4,600 Sunday, today, and to over 10,000 to date. Russian police using tasers and batons against protestors.

 

[CH4]

Putin's Xi's Guinea Pig. Xi now knows how the world will react to any move on Taiwan. I am sure Xi's rethinking the extent of his association with Putin. The world isn't as apathetic as they thought. We will not go gently into that good night…

 

[Absalom]

A theory I once heard was that NATO was not founded to counter the USSR. But to keep the Europeans from attacking each other. Which they have been wont to do in the past.

Good point, but it is not an either/or. A primary purpose was to tie the Western Europeans to the US militarily and to counter any Soviet attempt to extend their influence farther west.

But NATO was also meant to make sure any new German army was firmly tied to the Western powers and facing eastward, nowhere else. That was especially important since they wanted the West Germans to have an army to help strengthen NATO numerically, but had to adopt a "Nazi-shmazi" policy when staffing that new army since they had to resort to Wehrmacht experience for most of the new officer corps up to the generals' level. (Ironically, even the Soviets weren't able to avoid that in practice when building the Communist East German Army.)

 

[Greyman50]

Consider Putin's thinking, Most former " Easter State countries have done well since leaving Russian/ Soviet control, why not just " Re adsorb them after making an " example" of the Ukrane? He could care less.

 

[Absalom]

Consider Putin's thinking, Most former " Easter State countries have done well since leaving Russian/ Soviet control, why not just " Re adsorb them after making an " example" of the Ukrane? He could care less.

Just look at this map.

The pale yellow are NATO members before 1991.

The mustard-colored are new NATO members after 1991. Every one of them was either an outright Soviet republic (the Baltics) or a member of the Warsaw Pact before. Not only are they no longer under Russia's thumb, they've actually joined "the other side".

Now look at the locations of the new "frontline states", Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It becomes quite clear why Putin invaded Georgia in 2008, is now invading Ukraine, and will certainly intervene in Belarus if his lapdog Lukashenko is ever toppled.

Putin isn't just evil or crazy. He sees this map. And the problem won't go away with him personally. Until Russia stops seeing itself as an imperial power, and becomes a largely self-absorbed pluralistic democracy like the Western European countries, it will be a threat to its neighbors.