The Russians have gone in

[biku324]

A Russian pilot captured by the Ukraininans:

During a press conference streamed by Interfax Ukraine, the pilot, who gave his name as Maxim Krishtop, described how he had learned of his orders, which he carried out before being shot down on March 6 and captured by Ukrainian forces.

"In the process of completing the task, I realized that the target was not enemy military facilities, but residential buildings, peaceful people.

"But I carried out the criminal order," said Krishtop, a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of the 47th Aviation Regiment, adding that he was shot down by Ukraine's air defense system and taken prisoner.

He said he carried out three bombing missions in Ukraine, some of which involved deploying FAB-500— Soviet-era air-dropped bombs with a high-explosive warhead. Captured Russian Pilot Says He Was Ordered to Hit Civilian Targets

 

[smithman 10]

How much credibility?

Can we give this?

 

[StakeOut]

Many civilians took up arms to fight the invaders.
They ceased being innocent civilians once they became armed defenders of the homeland.
Apartment buildings are used as sniper perches.
When do civilian targets become military targets?

 

[biku324]

Can we give this?

Damifikno.

 

[smithman 10]

That is the problem

Although I have no problem believing it.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Federal Ammunition CEO announced that besides the million rounds being donated, they will sponsor humanitarian relief with all the proceeds of these upcoming t-shirt sales.

Buy Federal I Need Ammo Not A Ride T-Shirt for USD 19.99 | Federal Ammunition

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[smithman 10]

Reading up on USSR history

Last night I dragged out an old text book from my college days some 50 years ago, a history of the USSR, and scanned through the mistreatment of Ukraine under Stalin in the 1920s and 30s.

Mistreatment of course is not a strong enough word to describe the purges, murder and theft of property and the resultant famines that took millions of lives in Ukraine.

Now Putin may not be Stalin but there's no reason to expect anything but everlasting hatred for the Russians by the Ukrainians.

Or maybe Putin is worse than Stalin in that he may be more cunning.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Many civilians took up arms to fight the invaders.
They ceased being innocent civilians once they became armed defenders of the homeland.
Apartment buildings are used as sniper perches.
When do civilian targets become military targets?

The Russians are bombing hospitals and schools where there are no combatants, and so far the cowardly thugs haven't sent their troops into Ukrainian cities where snipers could get a decent shot at them.

Russia invaded a neighboring nation which had committed no hostile act -- which is, in and of itself, a war crime -- and is now engaged in the deliberate targeting of unarmed and defenseless civilians...is there something about that that doesn't bother you?

Look at the photos in the story below...I don't see that bleeding, wounded, expectant mother holding a Dragunov, do you?

Mariupol children's hospital bombing one of many attacks on medical facilities since Russian invasion, WHO says - CNN

 

[ladder13]

Russian soldiers "I was just following orders".

Sounds familiar.

 

[biku324]

Da! It didn't work at Nuremburg, though...

 

[UncleEd]

This invasion will be a good
test of just how rock solid
the Russian forces are and
if their morale is good.

Seems ages ago but this was
Post #31 in this thread. I think
we now have the answer.

 

[ladder13]

They thought they were doing military excercises, they don't know where they are (maybe Hawaii), they have no idea they were dropping bombs on civilians, etc etc.

Yeah, ok.

 

[UncleEd]

Russian soldiers "I was just following orders".

Sounds familiar.

Soldiers from totalitarian
regimes are always between
a rock and a hard place.
They know if they don't follow
orders, their whole family
including children back home
can be punished--extremely.

But I do see that when that
excuse comes from more senior
officers, it is hollow. They
were reaping the benefits of
those horrible regimes long
before they went to war.

 

[webley6]

Comparisons

If the next stops on the Putin European tour are Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, then you don't worry so much about the location of Kaliningrad.
.
.
.
A few weeks later....

Putin thinking: 'Hmm, that Kazakhstan place has our space launch facility, so maybe we need to "secure" that next. You know, I think Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan need some "help" with government like Ukraine did. I'd better make all these places "secure" and call the whole empire... sorry, group, something sexy like The Union of...wait, what? That's been done before? Gavno!'

The world needs a "new & improved" USSR like it needs a "new & improved" Third Reich. Wish the Afghans fought a FOURTH as hard as the Ukrainians are now for THEIR freedom!

 

[smithman 10]

Civilian targets

Many civilians took up arms to fight the invaders.
They ceased being innocent civilians once they became armed defenders of the homeland.
Apartment buildings are used as sniper perches.
When do civilian targets become military targets?

Not sure what the Geneva Convention says but it would be hard to justify bombing apartments, stores, clinics, etc. because some civilians have taken up arms.

Obviously the Ukrainian government is skillfully using the issue of civilian dead to galvanize public opinion against Russia. And they appear to be very successful in doing so.

I have the feeling that if things continue as they are, a point may be reached in the West where engagement, regardless of all the fears of retaliation by Mr. Putin that are bandied about, will occur and we'll be in the war.

It seems inevitable that only that will give Putin pause.

All the guesswork by amateur shrinks and even those responsible individuals in high places who have met with him recently about his mental state and whether he's a true maniac that would use non-conventional weapons, notwithstanding, that's where I see this war heading.

 

[biku324]

Seems ages ago but this was
Post #31 in this thread. I think
we now have the answer.

I did see thery are using Soviet-era munitions as their precision weapons are exhausted.

 

[smithman 10]

That being said

I'm taking the Abby dog for a walk

 

[ladder13]

We are in phase WWIII lite.

Russians are now bombing western Ukraine. Think Poland is getting nervous?

 

[swsig]

Putin is a textbook psychopath. Psychopaths are incapable of empathy, so Putin has no regard for the lives of Ukrainians or even the lives of his own troops. His goal is to restore Russia to its rightful place as the predominant country in the world by hurting western democracies by any means necessary, regardless of cost. He blames western democracies for conspiring against Russia to create its current weakened status, so therefore they must be punished in order to build up Russia. In the fashion of a true psychopath, he refuses to acknowledge anything that he or any other Russians might have done to create their own problems. Thus, someone else has to be blamed and attacked.

Putin's megalomaniac tendencies dovetail with his psychopathic personality. By brutally conquering and dominating western democracies, he likely figures that Russians will build statues of him everywhere, will rename St. Petersburg as Putingrad, and will forever consider him as the greatest leader in Russian history. The only people who can stop him are his fellow Russians. Until someone there gets fed up with his destructive psychopathic behavior and disposes of him, the world is going to be stuck with having to deal with him. I hope that happens soon, but somehow, I doubt it.

 

[biku324]

We are in phase WWIII lite.

Russians are now bombing western Ukraine. Think Poland is getting nervous?

I'll bet they'd giggle if one stinking Russian missile struck a border post, as Article 5 kicks in and Putin has more trouble than Zelenskyy.