Der Zeitgeist

Here's the same thing in Twitter, so it's easier to watch if you don't use Telegram.
 

What I find maddening right now is the lack of imagination and flexibility in the SPD especially. Sure, we can't completely cut ourselves off from Russian gas for a while, everyone INCLUDING Ukraine understands that by now and doesn't expect us to completely tank the EU economy.
What Ukraine does expect is to make up for that with increased weapons shipments. It should have been a no-brainer to be prepared for that and have a few attractive options ready (which the German military industry is already offering).

This:
“The real Zeitenwende,” said Ms. Puglierin, “will come when we remake our model for a future of competition with both Russia and China and realize that every dependency can be used against us.”

If anyone these days is asking himself "What the hell is wrong with Germany, anyway?", this article from the New York Times describes the problems pretty well:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/world/europe/germany-russia-ukraine-war.html?smid=url-share
Non-paywall version: https://web.archive.org/web/20220413073717/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/world/europe/germany-russia-ukraine-war.html

If anyone these days is asking himself "What the hell is wrong with Germany, anyway?", this article from the New York Times describes the problems pretty well:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/world/europe/germany-russia-ukraine-war.html?smid=url-share
Non-paywall version: https://web.archive.org/web/20220413073717/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/world/europe/germany-russia-ukraine-war.html

Like I said before, it's not just costs on a macroeconomic level, but industrial supply chains that are going to be cut off.
Having a European economy without BASF is kinda difficult.

Thank you for the article. Hertling is quite interesting to read on Twitter as well.
This made me realize that Russia did not go after the infrastructure. I could understand not bombing the bridges when they expected to roll onto Maidan and hold a victory parade on Day 3 but why are they not destroying all the bridges over Dnieper? Why are Ukrainian railways mostly functional across Ukraine? They retreated from the north, there is no real need for them to keep those bridges functional (and other bridges over Dnieper to the south).
Surely it can't be that they are "saving" the infrastructure as they expect to occupy it? Is it just being unable to target it without losing many aircraft?
By focusing on destroying bridges across Dnieper and/or adjacent areas they could make Ukrainian supply that much harder. The fact that Russians seem unable or unwilling to do that shows another issue in their war plan. They are just not fighting this in a way that can achieve victory.

The very same, hi @Der Zeitgeist!
So, as this community takes pride in it's ability to predict the course of action in this war, I'd like to ask of your opinions/ ideas on a subject.
There seems to be more or less a consensus that in the upcoming days of weeks we'll observe Zitadelle redux in Donbas - everyone is expecting that, and both sides seem to be preparing for it. I'd think that if Russians hope to achieve some kind of success there, they'd like to achieve at least a degree of surprise when the operation finally starts. I'm thinking about some feign attack, maybe unexpected use of airforce, anything that would disrupt Ukrainian defensive plan really. How do you think they could achieve this, if this is at all possible?
 

If you're not versed in Polish internal politics it might sound serious, but it isn't. PiS (the current ruling party) blamed Russia and the then ruling Civic Platform for the crash in Smoleńsk since it happened, before any investigation started, and this conspiracy theory helped it grab the power in 2015.
After PiS came to power, this "special" commission was created as a away to keep the craziest of the leaders of PiS party, Macierewicz, busy so he didn't get in Kaczynskis' way. It existed for 7 years, siphoning money from the budget and at the moment nobody except the most hardcore loons treats it seriously. The commission made a bunch of accusations while producing no evidence whatsoever. The news of it finally finishing work didn't even made it to the headlines very much.
Also, as this is  my first post on this forum: Hello everyone  This thread was recommended to me as concentrated on analysis and not pointless feces throwing, and after reading a large part of it I have to say the the level of insight it provides is really impressive. 

Here's the same thing in Twitter, so it's easier to watch if you don't use Telegram.
 

Very interesting article here, explaining the development of military culture in Russia and Ukraine, and how it influenced their battlefield performance in this war.
https://www.thebulwark.com/i-commanded-u-s-army-europe-heres-what-i-saw-in-the-russian-and-ukrainian-armies/

Same. I helped a little by donating half a grand USD to the Ukrainian military.
If any member of this forum or lurker wants to donate, here is the link to the special account that the National Bank of Ukraine opened to support the Ukrainian military.
https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi

Don't want to trivialize what's happening IRL but as far as CM is concerned...
I'm never going to complain about the bogged mechanic again.

I sure did. And not just for humanitarian aid...
I don't even know if this is exactly legal in my country, but so far, no one has complained. 😄

It was inevitable... 😄
 

Romanivka was not captured by Russian troops. Throughout the battle for Kyiv, a humanitarian corridor was organized there, which allowed the evacuation of civilians from Irpin Bucha and Gostomel. I myself evacuated along this route on 03/05/22, when the Russians entered Irpin and street fighting began. This route was under heavy artillery fire for about 3 weeks.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.

It's the illusion in his party (SPD) that there still has to be some dialogue with Putin and that hardening the German position, especially in relation to shipments of heavy weapons, would cut off that relationship with Putin.
I think Scholz is still counting on the status quo in relations with Russia to eventually prevail, and he hasn't yet fully embraced the "Zeitenwende" he himself announced in his Bundestag speech right after the war started. There are also some rumours that his foreign-policy advisor in the chancellery, Jens Plötner, is driving this position. Plötner was also an architect on the German Russia-policy in the past, when he held high positions in the German Foreign Office.
Still, I expect the position of Scholz will soon change, because both the Green and FDP parties in the coalition have now firmly come out in favor of heavy weapons shipments.

It's the illusion in his party (SPD) that there still has to be some dialogue with Putin and that hardening the German position, especially in relation to shipments of heavy weapons, would cut off that relationship with Putin.
I think Scholz is still counting on the status quo in relations with Russia to eventually prevail, and he hasn't yet fully embraced the "Zeitenwende" he himself announced in his Bundestag speech right after the war started. There are also some rumours that his foreign-policy advisor in the chancellery, Jens Plötner, is driving this position. Plötner was also an architect on the German Russia-policy in the past, when he held high positions in the German Foreign Office.
Still, I expect the position of Scholz will soon change, because both the Green and FDP parties in the coalition have now firmly come out in favor of heavy weapons shipments.

Very interesting article here, explaining the development of military culture in Russia and Ukraine, and how it influenced their battlefield performance in this war.
https://www.thebulwark.com/i-commanded-u-s-army-europe-heres-what-i-saw-in-the-russian-and-ukrainian-armies/