re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

quote:

---

These are airfields that Russian bombers use to take off and launch missiles at Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to strike those airfields to prevent that.

---

Oh I agree with that too. Just saying opening up an extra front now really doesn't make any sense to me because attacking Belarus (regardless of legitimacy) would most likely open an additional front.

Why are we in NATO at all? NATO was formed to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of WWII when those countries were rebuilding. The Soviet Union no longer exists and Russia is nowhere near the threat the USSR was. Secondly, Western Europe is now as affluent as the United States and is capable of collectively defending themselves. There is zero justification for continued American participation in NATO.

quote:

---

Is this considered an escalation? I don't remember Belarus being hit before??

---

Last Spring there were several railroad events in Belarus supposedly from citizens. There are almost the same number of Belarussians fighting in Ukraine as in their own army.

quote:

---

The Soviet Union

---

This is so lazy and stupid it hurts my brain.

Putin and his inner circle are frickING Soviets. They changed the letterhead on the criminal operation but they would tell you if you asked they are Soviets. Born, bred, trained and will die Soviets.

All the Soviet satellites are turning west, this is a last ditch effort for Soviets in charge to keep the band together.

quote:

---

Why are we in NATO at all? NATO was formed to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of WWII when those countries were rebuilding.

---

Well it’s been successful for 75+ years on that front then hasn’t it? You’ll never hear me say it’s perfect, in fact I find a lot of issues with its members and lack of relative equal pulling of weight. Post soviet Russia has only attacked non-NATO nations in its region.

quote:

---

The Soviet Union no longer exists and Russia is nowhere near the threat the USSR was.

---

That wasn’t known until 12 months ago and without the aid of NATO equipment and training, and I think most important intelligence & strategy to Ukraine Russia would today still appear a successful major regional threat.

Destruction is also valid consideration in addition to territorial success. Can Russia take and hold NATO territory? We now know that answer is no. But they can inflict serious collateral damage and death when they’re dumb enough to try to take and hold territory. Those NATO nations a) likely wouldn’t be successful on their own and b) either way would face the same destruction we’ve seen in Ukraine which is also not wanted.

quote:

---

Secondly, Western Europe is now as affluent as the United States and is capable of collectively defending themselves.

---

Agree on affluence, disagree on capability to defend itself as evidenced by their handling of Ukraine when given the chance to take the wheel and lack of decision to build their own formidable defenses outside of France, UK, and Poland on a relative basis. Obviously NATO has allowed for ignorance to defense on their part for which can both be positive and negative. Today it’s negative. Had Germany gone straight to Germany again, not exactly ideal for continental Europe. It also kept Europeans on the front line vs Russia instead of a massive presence from us on a much greater scale than we keep with our network of bases, which we also use for our own means.

quote:

---

There is zero justification for continued American participation in NATO.

---

See above and also consider orders for American defense products within are going through the roof and will continue to do so to replace donated Soviet era equipment, which not only beneifts us economically but also NATO defense as European front lines then transform into much more effective and powerful units which clearly would be effective against its adversary, Russia.

The ratio of Russian losses to Ukrainian losses was highest in the first days of the war. During Russia's campaign last summer against Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, when Russian artillery had a decided advantage, the ratios were almost equal. Lately, the ratio has been about 2.5 to 1.

But the losses have not been evenly distributed across different types of equipment. Aviation losses are similar, but IFV losses are most definitely not. I think this graph give us a good way to visualize in which ways Russia has gotten comparatively weaker since the war started.




Jakub Janovsky publishes the daily updates, if you want to follow him on Twitter.

Remember that you can see photo and/or video documentation of every lost vehicle on Oryx's website. People go over them fairly carefully to ensure that there aren't duplicates. Oryx will tell you that he thinks that they capture about 85% or so of the true losses, and I think that's about right, as drone videos cover almost everything, and any observed losses get posted.

List of Russian equipment losses

List of Ukrainian equipment losses

quote:

---

US House Foreign Affairs Head: Congress ready to 'prioritize' advanced weapons for Ukraine
by The Kyiv Independent news desk
February 26, 2023 9:39 pm

The U.S. can send more advanced weapon systems for Ukraine, including longer-range missile systems or fighter jets, Michael McCaul, Chairperson of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in an interview with ABC News on Feb. 26

McCaul, a Republican representative from the state of Texas, added that if such moves were approved by President Joe Biden, Congress “would take steps to move the process along.”

---

The crazy part about today's GOP is that some such as Reps. MTG and Gaetz and Sens. Hawley and Vance are very much against aid to Ukraine. Tucker Carlson is also in this camp.

But Sen. McConnell and the chairmen of House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee are strongly pushing President Biden to give more aid to Ukraine and to do so faster. They, along with people like Vice-President Pence, say attack Biden from the other side and say that we aren't doing enough.

The GOP is sharply divided right now. Much of the party's base is skeptical of aid to Ukraine, while some of its key leaders in Congress are saying that we aren't doing enough.

I'm not trying to start a political discussion about who is right -- it's just an observation.

quote:

---

The main reasons for the French and German delays in weapon deliveries are the significant left wing voters in each country

---

Macron is trying to push through a big retirement reform right now, and when he announced raising military spending, the left (most of France) blew a gasket.

quote:

---

Macron is trying to push through a big retirement reform right now, and when he announced raising military spending, the left (most of France) blew a gasket.

---

Even France's far right is to the left of the DNC. Even farmers are unionized. I have no problem with unions and the right to organize but to force it is something I loathe.
Same with most of Europe and the UK. Even the Tories in the UK love tax and spend policies even more than Labour

20,000 in the military and 10,000 fighting for Ukraine. The military is used to keep the protests from forming as most people loathe Luka and Russia.