Gpig

Definitely agree the two front war was a big factor. I'm currently reading Phillips Payson O'Brien's book How The War Was Won, which looks at World War II (especially the Anglo-American air and naval campaigns) from the perspective of equipment losses before, during and after production and deployment, as well as strategic mobility. It makes a very interesting counterpoint to the argument that "the Red Army really won the war." He also has some interesting points about the importance of Lend-Lease (e.g. Soviet aluminum production was heavily dependent on access to U.S. bauxite).
Bringing that back to the current conflict, a parallel can be made with the impact of sanctions on the Russian side vs. foreign aid to Ukraine.
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Minor correction to my earlier reply to @Gpig: Strike Fighters 2 does have some Canadian content (other than being able to put Canadian marking on planes we never flew, which is possible) without third party mods: a merged install with SF2 Europe (CMCW style World War III scenario) and the expansion pack for SF2 Israel, which adds the F-51D, allows you to fly a Canadian Mustang in a late 40's to mid 50's scenario.
*Ahem* back on topic...

I've noticed that too, and I think you're right about the reason... I do remember the old Jane's/EA Fighters series flight sims back in the 90s had Canada as a selectable nationality (I'm trying to remember, but I think the correct national insignia actually showing on the aircraft was a new feature with the NATO Fighters expansion for ATF) and the F-18 was a flyable in it. But all the Canadian aircraft I had in Strike Fighters 2 were (fortunately very good) freeware mods off of CombatAce. The current smartphone game spinoff of the SF2 series does feature a CF-18, however. Beyond that, things are better on the naval side as both the Harpoon and CMANO/CMO franchises have done pretty well on including Canadian units.

Very well said. That emotional buffering of time definitely seems to be a thing for impersonal shots of aircraft, ships or structures exploding where one is aware on an intellectual level that people are dying. However, there is a threshold of obvious human suffering past which it never gets easy to watch, no matter how old and grainy the footage. Nor should it...
I recall hearing that during World War II, it was often said that "the Canadians dress like the British, talk like the Americans and fight like no one else on Earth."

The idea that Russia has to lose in some dramatically obvious way in order to lose decisively never ceases to amaze somebody like me who has seen the US lose in both Afghanistan and Vietnam without ever losing a single battle. 

Since I remember, for sure before this war started, I had a rule not to watch videos where people explicitly die or are hurt, and have in general abide by this, as it is just too disturbing for me and serves no point. I'd by default react with revulsion to stuff like this.Yet this one somehow just slipped through the filter - and this is really what exposure to violence, even through very indirect means like videos does to a person, desensitization kick in without you even noticing it. I don't know how to feel about it really, for sure it's disturbing 😕

Its really incredible what a common a$$hat enemy will do. My wifes Polish, her mum's Ukrainian from Lviv (now living in Przemysl) and ive heard very heavy stories of the border fighting during and after WW2.
Babca's dad saw, suffered and endured through things that were full-on Bucha-level atrocities - first the Ukrainians inflicting it on his Polish neighbors, then vice Versa. In the town over it was the other way, Polish attacking first. No good/bad side, just a horrible situation egged on and exacerbated by Russian meddling and influence ops.
When I met the wife's family in Poland, the dismissive and distrustful attitude to Ukrainians was extremely strong, esp in the older generations (naturally). Babca was clear the feeling was mutual (she herself is very even minded about the whole thing).
For Babca, this war's unification of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples is Putin's greatest failure. Reinvigorating NATO is just vomit-icing on the sh!t-sandwich cake that Herr Komrad Putler gets to gnaw on, like an incontinent beaver.
Poland will never be conquered ever again, and sure as **** not by the Ivan.
As long as Poland exists so will Ukraine - and vice versa.

The Poles made a massive difference in World War 2. Their skill, attitude and commitment made a difference and set an example in the Battle of Britain, and their contribution towards breaking Enigma is often overlooked.
Poland frequently gets ****ed but I'd always want the Poles on my side.

I recognize its an emotional argument, but part of the reason I worry is because Russia is such a contemptable, murderous, corrupt, dishonest, unprincipled and immoral foe that I fervently hope and anticipate nothing good to happen for them. At the same time I hope for exceptionalism and unending successes to the Ukrainians battling for their lives and homeland.

Any success for the Russians is too much. They deserve none. And it's frustrating when they do find some, here and there. That's war, of course.
Hats off to those of you that can remain objective.
Question. Haiduk reported on the unexpected/un-ordered retreat of a territorial defense unit that may have unhinged part of the front lines and allowed for the most recent Russian gains. What would happen to a unit in the UAF after pulling off a move like that? What size unit are we talking about? Battalion sized?

I recognize its an emotional argument, but part of the reason I worry is because Russia is such a contemptable, murderous, corrupt, dishonest, unprincipled and immoral foe that I fervently hope and anticipate nothing good to happen for them. At the same time I hope for exceptionalism and unending successes to the Ukrainians battling for their lives and homeland.

Any success for the Russians is too much. They deserve none. And it's frustrating when they do find some, here and there. That's war, of course.
Hats off to those of you that can remain objective.
Question. Haiduk reported on the unexpected/un-ordered retreat of a territorial defense unit that may have unhinged part of the front lines and allowed for the most recent Russian gains. What would happen to a unit in the UAF after pulling off a move like that? What size unit are we talking about? Battalion sized?

I recognize its an emotional argument, but part of the reason I worry is because Russia is such a contemptable, murderous, corrupt, dishonest, unprincipled and immoral foe that I fervently hope and anticipate nothing good to happen for them. At the same time I hope for exceptionalism and unending successes to the Ukrainians battling for their lives and homeland.

Any success for the Russians is too much. They deserve none. And it's frustrating when they do find some, here and there. That's war, of course.
Hats off to those of you that can remain objective.
Question. Haiduk reported on the unexpected/un-ordered retreat of a territorial defense unit that may have unhinged part of the front lines and allowed for the most recent Russian gains. What would happen to a unit in the UAF after pulling off a move like that? What size unit are we talking about? Battalion sized?

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/19/nato-finland-sweden-republicans-russia-00033749
Republicans are on side for Swede-Fin expansion, and the $40 billion for Ukraine just passed. U.S. support looking rock solid for the foreseeable future.
 

Crossing to hell
Composed panorama from many fragments of UAV filming, but it does not include last 7 tanks sunked by Russians in finale. 

Look. That's what you do when everything goes to hell and you're playing in Real Time mode...

Ukrainian troops apparently at the Russian border north of Karkhiv:

 
 

UKR Su-25
 

Some crazy intense scary footage  from around Lyman ( from a mainly civilian/police perspective  ) - I  seriously recommend following this  Ukrainian News Channel .
 

Back to the bridging ... there was talk of current and drift so I figured it was worth finding this out ...

Can't vouch for authenticity, but fascinating if true.

He mentions Wali a lot, so here is an interview with him (Google translated). It gives some perspective of the war from the point of view of a foreign volunteer, not all good.
""It's a war of machines", where the "extremely brave" Ukrainian soldiers suffer very heavy losses from shelling, but "miss many opportunities" to weaken the enemy because they lack knowledge technical military, he summarizes. “If the Ukrainians had the procedures we had in Afghanistan to communicate with the artillery, we could have caused carnage,” he believes."

https://www-lapresse-ca.translate.goog/actualites/2022-05-06/retour-du-tireur-d-elite-wali/la-guerre-c-est-une-deception-terrible.php?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Some nice captured T-80s under new management.
 
 

The antidote to Cognitive Dissonance (it would seem to me), is having some humility and introspection. The ability to say, "hmmm, how did I screw up, here?"  And, "I screwed up."

Seems to be lacking in a lot of people on this planet.

I expect that if us Canadians went ahead and initiated an unjust, illegal and war-crime-filled attack on, er . . . Greenland(?).  Then I wouldn't be surprised if Canadian War Memorials throughout the world (Holland, Hong Kong, Korea etc.) were defaced with Polar Bear graffiti.

Well, umm, thanks, I think....
Brother, I guess I've ended up as your last friend on here. It is a gaming forum and I cut you some slack personally as a good contributor to the community. But you are just living in a looking glass world right now, defending something that is just not worth defending.  I mean Russia.
As a 'leftist', you need to be aware that your country -- Mother Russia or the Last Hope of Socialism or Christianity or Whiteness or whatever you call it -- is simply nothing special in the world today as a polity, a gene pool or a civilisation.
(Neither is mine, btw).
Chess is a spectator sport in Russia, fine (so's binge drinking). And smart work keeping pace with global Yankeedom on the Bomb and space race and all. But today, South Asian kids are lapping Russians (and Americans and Germans and everyone else except maybe Koreans) in the quants that matter. And they'll move anywhere to seek good profitable work, and mainly stay sober.
So forget Third Rome, Pushkin, your Great Russian Soul, the Brandenburg Gate and all that other baggage. There are no Exceptional Nations. No master races. No orcs either, just humans behaving badly. Or in other times, just trying to make their way in the world.
So, grok this please.  It is a GOOD THING that Russia as we know it today is devolving, maybe even breaking up entirely. Good for its neighbours, good for its non-Slavic minorities and, especially, good for Russians themselves.
A whole world opens up for you all, at the crossroads of the 'Asia century' (which is already into its fourth decade, btw -- I count from 1991) once you get Moscow's boot off your necks.
The future isn't slavery. Or if it kind of is in your particular belief system, then it's the same treadmill the average American is looking at now. And on the flip side, as a fluent English speaker with good quants you stand as good a chance of becoming one of the smug global master "PMC" class as anyone else on our planet. 
.... Or you can collectively sit in a cafe and ramble on about some sinister cabal robbing you (and vaguely threatening to burn the place to the ground if you can't have things your way). While each year more diligent and less prideful peoples grab the new world with both hands and leave you behind.
[/rant]