Russia invasion of Ukraine

[Yu Ominae]

The pro-Russian unit Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion is already having a recruitment drive as of a few months ago. Foreigners who came in to join the Russians include those from Scandinavia, Poland, (North) Macedonia and Turkey.

[Yu Ominae]

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1639756577338015745

RA Lee showed photos of camouflage netting on the Russian-made trenches to avoid being targeted by grenades/other explosives being dropped on top of them.

[Yu Ominae]

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/st...85121638014977

Recruited Rosgvardia soldiers made a video appealing for help in getting the needed equipment.

[mangamuscle]

Sorry, seems most english speaking news outlets are outright not covering this news, I can provide plenty of spanish speaking news outlets if anyone prefers google translate:

Mexico will recover the territories that the US stole, says Russia

https://euro.eseuro.com/local/137032.html

Oh, the irony, the usa conducted a "military special operation" justifying it with the flimsy excuse of protecting their citizens to annex part of his peaceful neighbor territory. Now that russia is doing just the same they claim to be on the side of Mexico, alebit unlike the usa aid to ukraine, russia didn't send military aid back then to repel the aggression.

To add insult to injury, this same tactic was used by the germans back in WWI (look for "Zimmermann Telegram") and said strategy failed back then, we have too much internal problems to entertain the idea of becoming the #1 world's army punching bag to distract them a little from supplying aid to Ukraine.

In layman terms, it is crystal clear that putin's goverment is desperate and that Nikolai Patrushev, just like Yevgeny Prigozhin is posturing to grab power as soon as putin gets too close to a window or a cigar (hey, it happened to hitler too).

[Renegade334]

That is right up there with their schoolyard taunt of "we'll take back Alaska (which we've sold to you but don't want to mention) since things aren't going our way".

But then again, it's not the most outlandish claim that's been issued lately by the pro-Putinists:

Russian actress Maria Shukshina (who was awarded the honorary title of Meritorious Artist of Russia in 2008) just publicly claimed that the reason why HIMARS is so effective in Ukraine is because...

Spoiler for ready for the answer?:

Spoiler for no, seriously, are you ready?:

Spoiler for okay, suit yourself...but prepare to lose some brain cells over this...:

it can track and target Russians who have been given their Sputnik shot, which contains American microchips.
...
...
...Somebody should remind her that Russia developed the Sputnik COVID vaccine, not the US -- a fact that they made much ado about when it was first rolled out.

https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/st...88542254891011

[ramlaen]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Oh, the irony, the usa conducted a "military special operation" justifying it with the flimsy excuse of protecting their citizens to annex part of his peaceful neighbor territory.

I do find it interesting to see the way history of a war over 150 years ago is taught to the 'other side'.

Originally Posted by Renegade334

That is right up there with their schoolyard taunt of "we'll re-take Alaska (which we've sold to you but don't want to mention) since things aren't going our way".

This is a more fitting analogy that some might realize given the USA ended up paying Mexico a lot of money.

[Ithekro]

The US did pay Mexico for the territories won in the he Mexican-American War. It was the price offered before the war, but it was paid for. The US took roughly 50 percent of Mexico's land and 1 percent of the population that lived there.

Than made all that money back and then some when gold was discovered in California just months after the war ended.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

The US did pay Mexico for the territories won in the he Mexican-American War. It was the price offered before the war, but it was paid for.

Yeah, and no doubt nowadays the rest of the world would be fine with the USA invading grenland and then paying the 100 million trumpo offered to pay beforehand, now how much was it for non-french Canada? /sarcasm

Back on track, I have no doubt that if Xi brockered a deal where Russia had to pay some money for the territories they have partially invaded (but not war reparations), putin would gladly do so. But as I have said before, we are not in the age of empires any longer and europe has tasted peace long enough to dislike the notion of an autocrat with imperial pretentions regularly barking down their necks to chew on yet another piece of territory.

I think in washington at this moment this war is seen already a done deal, their think tanks must be furiosly at work about the implications of the fall of the russian federation and the new world order that will follow.

[ramlaen]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Yeah, and no doubt nowadays the rest of the world would be fine with the USA invading grenland and then paying the 100 million trumpo offered to pay beforehand, now how much was it for non-french Canada? /sarcasm

Probably not if the US simply invaded Greenland as a land grab, but the Mexican-American war was triggered by Mexico refusing to honor the borders it had agreed to with Texas.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by ramlaen

Probably not if the US simply invaded Greenland as a land grab, but the Mexican-American war was triggered by Mexico refusing to honor the borders it had agreed to with Texas.

Just the same as putin would say that the invasion of ukraine was triggered by the non compliance of the Minsk Agreements. Same tactic, take a piece of land where a bunch of "your people" are residents and then look for ways to legitimize said land grab (and expand it if possible). The difference here is that the invasion of Mexico back then is no different from the invasion of Tibet in the XX century, no one in the world cared a damn about it; meanwhile Ukraine is lucky that their national interests somehow (not 100%) align with those of the western democracies (specially non isolationist politicians on the USA), otherwise it would be like so many wars in Africa, barely registering on western newsfeeds. Seems china just ended the war in Yemen but some will say "there was a war there?" while most 'murricans would be "what is yemen, is it tasty?"

[Yu Ominae]

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023...an-was-staged/

Russian MFA showed off a supposed video of Ukrainian troops harassing a woman at a checkpoint. Social media users who checked it out mentioned that dash cams aren't allowed in Ukraine after the war started.

Bellingcat also showed the geographical features to prove that the video was done in the Donbass.

[Liddo-kun]

[Yu Ominae]

https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/sta...93921024987136

There's a photo taken from a Telegram post of a Russian woman saying that she's happy to have "a precious baby" from Enerhodar.

PS - That post is from the Russian woman in the photo.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Liddo-kun

I'm a bit skeptical this was conducted by Ukrainian Intel just cause I imagine there's much more militarily useful things their agents could be doing than assassinating milbloggers.

Anti-war opposition doesn't seem impossible. But this establishment being owned by Wagner's Prigozhin makes me think this might be some kind of inter service rivalry/mafia shit gone bloody.

[Yu Ominae]

https://twitter.com/intermarium24/st...11012922458113

South American volunteers fighting in the Ukrainian army are allowed to form the "[Simon] Bolivar Battalion".

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

I'm a bit skeptical this was conducted by Ukrainian Intel just cause I imagine there's much more militarily useful things their agents could be doing than assassinating milbloggers.

Anti-war opposition doesn't seem impossible. But this establishment being owned by Wagner's Prigozhin makes me think this might be some kind of inter service rivalry/mafia shit gone bloody.

To me it is clear that this just like the assassination of Darya Dugina was a work of the russian government. Both were cases that dared to talk a bit too much. ATM putin must be very afraid that when the Ukranian spring cleaning starts, russian bloggers will not repeat the kremlin BS about fighting nato army units, but talk about the piss poor performance of the russian forces.

As a side note, Finland officialy is in NATO and they wont be the last member. I am not speaking about Sweden, I bet Balarus will also join, even before Ukraine.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

To me it is clear that this just like the assassination of Darya Dugina was a work of the russian government. Both were cases that dared to talk a bit too much. ATM putin must be very afraid that when the Ukranian spring cleaning starts, russian bloggers will not repeat the kremlin BS about fighting nato army units, but talk about the piss poor performance of the russian forces.
.

That's a distinct possibility. Milbloggers, especially Wagner affiliated ones, have made a habit of calling out and contradicting the Russian MOD on Bakhmut. Putin might have wanted to nip that in the bud with the FSB, or the Russian MOD might have done it themselves. It's difficult to tell.

Right now the FSB is claiming this was done by Ukraine sympathetic dissidents. This might be true, or simply a screen for cloak and dagger internal conflict in Russia.

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

As a side note, Finland officialy is in NATO and they wont be the last member. I am not speaking about Sweden, I bet Balarus will also join, even before Ukraine.

Finland by itself is a huge problem. This massively increases Russias land border with NATO near the critical naval infrastructure of their Baltic and Northern fleet, and ST, Petersburg, Russias second largest and second most important city after Moscow. And Finland has pretty strong mobilization potential.

That Russia isn't in abject panic over this is a pretty good indicator that they were a bit disingenuous about NATO expansion being a serious threat as long as they had their nuclear deterrent.

[Yu Ominae]

There's a Ukrainian documentary posted on YT about what happened to some of the Ukrainian kids/teens who were "rescued" by Russian/DPR/LPR forces.

Has English CC subtitles.

[Renegade334]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

I bet Balarus will also join, even before Ukraine.

Certainly not before a rather thorough regime change and certainly not while the country still hosts quite a number of Russian soldiers, including stuff like Iskander-M TELs...and the nukes Moscow hopes to base there.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

That Russia isn't in abject panic over this is a pretty good indicator that they were a bit disingenuous about NATO expansion being a serious threat as long as they had their nuclear deterrent.

The nuclear deterrent is irrelevant. On one side you have mutual assured destruction, which is a nonstarter. On the other side, NATO's intention was never the invasion of the USSR (otherwise they would have done so when they fell) nor the russian federation. NATO's role was simply to stop the USSR/russia's expansionism. Of course, me might argue that the west is also expanding but by peaceful methods and that is what scares autocracies the most, having their citizens suddenly demanding to have the good life people in the west have and the secret sauce is called "democracy".

Originally Posted by Renegade334

Certainly not before a rather thorough regime change and certainly not while the country still hosts quite a number of Russian soldiers, including stuff like Iskander-M TELs...and the nukes Moscow hopes to base there.

The logical alternative is either have ukraine mount a counteroffensive if belarus invades or having a peasant revolt (with guns) and removing luka from office, nicolae ceaușescu style.

But there is another alternative. ATM luka knows putin wants to absord belarus as soon as possible, which means the end of his reign is in sight anyway and that his son wont inherit the "kingdom". So it is in his best interest to negotiate with the west a "golden parachute", where he gets absolved of his crimes and gets to keep 30 years of "savings" in swiss bank accounts in exchange for delivering the country to its democratically elected leaders ... at the right time of course, when russia is too busy to prevent said outcome.