Tenses

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

This. This is how Poland and Hungary goverments are selling bull**** to the less informed part of society. Evil EU is a reason for expensive energy from coal due to CO2 allowances. The same allowances goverment sells and can use this money as they wish, for example investing in decarbonizing industry. But this would be such a waste, wouldn't it?
 
Honestly, after more than 2000 years and hundreds of smaller and larger wars, I think we are really at the point, where doing things together is an option. Wasting it would be the most shameful thing in European history. As everything, EU has major flaws but none of them justify throwing it into the ditch instead of fixing it.

Imagine feeding them with their own medicine.
"This bomb just fell off our jet. Really, happens all the time."

I think that sinking some fancy Kalibr-capable naval asset on the same international waters would be nice response. Only problem are people onboard... Without that there probably would be no problem with analog response.

As a Pole, I can also confirm this. Democracies around the World needs to change in order tu survive. And the problem is as old as any goverment - too much power. From absolutism, through monarchy up to democratic republic there are just some things, which should be not allowed even with having majority in place. Good constitution can probably take care of it but the problems described in it should be taken seriously.
In regard to PL, I can only say that it is not any more uniform than other countries so current goverment doesn't have that much support as it might be looking like from abroad. And hopefully this will at least partially change in the nearest future.  

As a Pole, I can also confirm this. Democracies around the World needs to change in order tu survive. And the problem is as old as any goverment - too much power. From absolutism, through monarchy up to democratic republic there are just some things, which should be not allowed even with having majority in place. Good constitution can probably take care of it but the problems described in it should be taken seriously.
In regard to PL, I can only say that it is not any more uniform than other countries so current goverment doesn't have that much support as it might be looking like from abroad. And hopefully this will at least partially change in the nearest future.  

Just before the invasion I expected Ukraine to give Russians hell. But I expected it in the form of fierce and heroic defense against superior enemy and later extremely deadly partisan war. Especially the latter seemed like an absolute argument to prevent Russia from eventually attacking Ukraine, with forces that were clearly way too small for the country of this size.
But there is one thing that was a total shock for me and in fact is for this day. I can't understand how useless is russian air force in this conflict, when you take the overall forces and AA assets into account. Apart from obvious things like bad training of mechanized forces, terrible logisticks and lack of manpower, this is the major factor in that we see, what we thought would be impossible 8 months after Putler made his first step to end himself and his country.

Just before the invasion I expected Ukraine to give Russians hell. But I expected it in the form of fierce and heroic defense against superior enemy and later extremely deadly partisan war. Especially the latter seemed like an absolute argument to prevent Russia from eventually attacking Ukraine, with forces that were clearly way too small for the country of this size.
But there is one thing that was a total shock for me and in fact is for this day. I can't understand how useless is russian air force in this conflict, when you take the overall forces and AA assets into account. Apart from obvious things like bad training of mechanized forces, terrible logisticks and lack of manpower, this is the major factor in that we see, what we thought would be impossible 8 months after Putler made his first step to end himself and his country.

Here is a description of a curious episode under Piski. Thanks to the night counterattack, the Ukrainian unit managed to stop the offensive of the DPR troops. This is about equipping night vision devices.
Over the past few days, in the Donetsk direction, the enemy was using the forces of a strike tactical group consisting of a company of a separate assault battalion "Somalia", 2 reinforced platoons of a separate reconnaissance battalion "Sparta", as well as BTGr of the 1st Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps (company) tried to advance from the Donetsk airport towards the settlements of Vodiane and Opitne ... having the immediate goal - to take full control of the road between the village. Opitne and DAP ... and in the future - to take with. Vodiane and s.Opitne.
Through a series of attacks from the area with. Spartak, positions north of the DAP and the northern outskirts of the village of Pisky, starting from the evening of October 18, the enemy sought to oust the advanced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the indicated lines.
During these attacks, the "Somali" unit was able to advance up to half the road from the village Pisky on Vodyanoye (before the fork in the road to Opytnoe and actually to Vodiane) and was forced to stop due to the fire influence of the advanced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the village Vodyane.
In turn, operating in the center of the combat order of the tactical group, "Sparta" did not reach the road, stopped to the south and was forced to provide assistance to units of the 1st Motorized Rifle Brigade, which, after moving into the forest plantation north of the DAP road - the village of Opitne, suddenly came under a night counterattack advanced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the side of the village. Opitne...
As a result of these actions, as of the evening of October 21, 2022, the enemy could not, with the exception of his left flank, approach and gain a foothold at the line along the road DAP-Opіtne village ... along its northern edge, not to mention the capture settlements of Opіtne and Vodyane...
Moreover, units of the 1st Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps were even forced to retreat south of the road, as a result of a counterattack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Even the maneuver of the "Sparta" units from the center to the right flank of the tactical group could not improve the situation in the sector of the 1st Motorized Rifle Brigade...
 
Only due to the introduction of assault bn "Storm" and separate special forces battalion "Pyatnashka" units into battle did the enemy manage to stabilize the situation in this zone of action, near the village Spartak.

And that competence is EXPENSIVE to develop. That money was needed for the yacht program...

Yes, it's all correct.

I was born and grew up in former Yugoslavia (not Serbian) which does make me quite partial to Ukrainians. I checked with my former coworkers of Ukranian origins and they fully endorse the following:
https://www.patreon.com/uaexplainers
21 HOURS AGO
9 things people still don’t get about Ukraine
Thoughts from a bunch of stubborn Ukrainians after eight months of the invasion. Feel free to share this with people who still find it hard to understand why Ukrainians think or act in certain ways.
1. Ukraine will never surrender.
This is an existential war for Ukrainians. If we stop fighting, our homes will be turned into rubble, our children will be taken away, and our people will face mass terror. Every place that experienced Russian occupation in Ukraine has a similar story to tell: a story of mass graves, torture chambers, filtration camps, and forced deportations.
All that means that Ukrainians are prepared to fight no matter how long it takes – because they are fighting for survival. Nobody “makes” Ukrainians fight – not the government and most certainly not the Western arms. With or without military or political support from the democratic world, Ukraine will keep on resisting – because we are fighting for our right to exist.
For us, the reality of perpetual military resistance is more acceptable than the reality of the Russian occupation.
2. None of us is okay – even if we say we are.
In the first weeks following the February 24 invasion, Ukrainians were in a state of shock and terror. The shock passed, but the collective trauma never started to heal. Every day people across Ukraine keep dying from Russian shelling. Every week new stories of horror of Russia’s genocidal campaign emerge. Each week brings a new little catastrophe – and every week a little part of us quietly dies inside.
This has become the new norm Ukrainians are learning to navigate. So, when you ask a Ukrainian friend or colleague whether they’re okay, keep in mind that this question has lost its meaning to most of us. We are not okay and we don’t know if we’ll ever be okay again.
But we keep holding on. In a way, trying to be okay as Ukrainians is the final act of resistance against Russia’s attempt to wipe out everything that is Ukraine.
3. Ukraine is fighting against Russian colonialism, not just Putin.
Putin may have pulled the trigger, but the root of the invasion lies deeper than the current regime in Russia. For centuries, Russia has led colonial conquests from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Far East. It conquered and assimilated multiple indigenous peoples – and exterminated those who resisted.
Russian colonialism remained largely under the radar this whole time, and its crimes are much less studied. As a result, the Russian imperial worldview has remained unchecked and unchallenged – and has expressed itself in multiple invasions since 1991: Transnistria, Ichkeria, Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria.
The war might be paused when Putin’s regime implodes, but Ukrainians know all too well that a lasting peace is only possible with a decolonized and disarmed Russia that rethinks its past and future.
Until then, the untamed beast of Russian colonialism will seek to continue its imperial conquest in Ukraine and elsewhere.
4. Russian-speaking Ukrainians are not “more Russian.”
Yes, most Ukrainians are bilingual. Yes, 26% of Ukrainians are Russian-first speakers and 27% speak an equal amount of Russian and Ukrainian in their daily lives. But do you know why?
While some foreigners still believe that it has mostly to do with ethnicity and political ideology, the widespread use of the Russian language in Ukraine is mostly the result of centuries-old Russification policy.
Since the 19th century, Ukrainians were deliberately banned from using their language in education, labor, and public spheres of life. The Russification process prevailed throughout Soviet rule. As a result, millions of Ukrainians switched to Russian and deliberately hid their Ukrainian traces. And Ukraine learned to exist successfully as a nation of bilinguals.
So, if you meet Ukrainians who speak Russian in their daily lives, do not assume they are “more Russian” than any other Ukrainian or that they support Russia in any way. They probably have a more interesting story to tell about language and identity – just ask them.
5. Ukraine never had a Nazi problem.
Not only Nazis in Ukraine had nothing to do with Russia’s invasion, but the entire notion of Ukraine being run by the far-right is and always has been ridiculous.
The story of a “dangerous Nazi regime in Kyiv” has always been nothing more than a Russian propaganda myth. The idea of “Banderites” running amok was first voiced on Russian state TV when Ukrainians went to the streets to protest against a corrupt dictatorship in 2013. As Russia invaded and destabilized parts of Ukraine in 2014, it kept weaponizing and feeding the Nazi myth thus justifying its involvement and legitimizing the occupation.
Ukraine’s far-right movements have always been marginal and never had more than 5% of public support combined. Unlike many European states that do have a problem with far-right populism or Russia – a country running on aggressive fascist ethnonationalism for decades – Ukraine never really had a Nazi problem.
There is nothing humane or intellectual in trying to justify a brutal genocidal campaign by parroting propaganda claims crafted by the Kremlin. At this point, anyone trying to counterbalance Russian war crimes by appealing to the “Nazis in Ukraine” narrative is either a paid Russian shill or just a useful idiot. There is no point talking to these people anymore – we just need to stop providing them with a platform for spreading fascist propaganda.
6. Ukraine is a democracy. Zelensky acts as our representative.
Ukraine is not perfect. The issues with social trust, corruption, and poor state management have persisted for decades and hurt our country in various ways. But Ukrainians always fought back whenever authoritarianism loomed over: they protested in 2004 after a rigged election, and overthrew a corrupt wannabe dictator in 2014.
And yes, Ukraine still has a lot to improve – which would have been a lot easier if we didn’t have to constantly defend ourselves from Russia’s territorial aggression since 2014. But despite an external threat, Ukraine remained devoted to democratic values and reforms.
Not many people understand that Zelensky – a President who received 73% of the public’s vote in 2019 – always speaks and acts on behalf of the Ukrainian people. Following the full-scale invasion, Zelensky’s actions received praise and support from 91% of Ukrainians.
There has never been such a clear connection between the President and the people in Ukraine – and there are probably not a lot of examples of such political unity in modern-day democracies. All notions of Zelensky forcing anything onto Ukrainians are completely out of touch with reality.
7. We will not shut up. Not anymore.
For too long, the Ukrainian perspectives were silenced by Russia and pro-Russian sentiments around the globe. Like many other nations colonized by Russia, Ukraine had to shut up and, at best, politely debate whatever Russians had to say.
This colonial legacy has stayed long after 1991. Ukrainians were consistently denied agency: their pro-EU and pro-NATO choices were explained through conspiracies about the “US and NATO aggressive expansion.” Discussions about Ukraine often happened without Ukrainians themselves but with well-established carriers of the Russian colonial views on Ukraine.
All of this must remain in the past. We will not shut up and listen to another round of Russian imperial bull****, casual tone-deaf Westsplaining, or another Russian state-sponsored gaslighting campaign.
As the genocide against our people continues, we will remain unapologetically Ukrainian – and we will make sure our voices are loud and clear from now on.
8. Yes, we think all Russians are responsible for the war.
Ukrainians do not blame just Putin or the elites for the war – we blame the entire Russian nation. Putin and his cronies do not personally launch high-precision missiles at residential buildings. They don’t torture and mutilate civilians living under occupation. They don’t take away Ukrainian children and don’t try to “re-educate” them. They don’t loot, rape, and murder us. They don’t attack Ukrainians abroad or online. Ordinary Russians do all those things. All while the rest of them are silently and passively going along with the genocide for 8 months – or running away from their country and responsibility.
Those who fight against Putin’s regime carry the burden of responsibility as well. Even if they tried to make it right – they failed, and that’s just a fact. They failed as a state, as a society, and now millions of Ukrainians are suffering from genocide because of this ongoing collective failure.
Until Russians recognize and own this political responsibility, there is nothing for us to talk about. Ukrainians have the right to a safe space without Russians – without their point of view, narratives, or offers to help. And there’s nothing hateful about that. It’s a matter of personal safety and healing trauma.
Keep in mind that, unlike most people around the world, Ukrainians have lived close to Russians for centuries. We speak and understand their language – and we can follow their conversations on social media and in real life. We know how xenophobic, chauvinistic, and cynical the average Russians are. And we perfectly realize how their imperial attitudes have made this war possible in the first place.
9. Ukrainians are afraid of what comes next. But we won’t surrender to our fears.
Some people think that Ukraine’s stubbornness may lead to a full-blown world war or a nuclear catastrophe. What these people fail to understand is that Ukrainians want peace more than anyone in the world. It’s our homes getting pillaged. It’s our children being murdered.
The only country that tries to occupy a sovereign state all while blackmailing the rest of the world with nuclear catastrophe is Russia. Like it or not, the genie is out of the box – Russia is already a fascist dictatorship on nukes that invades its neighbors. It is already a threat to global security – and this has nothing to do with the way Ukraine resists. The entire notion that Ukraine can “escalate” the war by defending itself from an invasion within its internationally recognized borders is just absurd victim-blaming.
Ukrainians are afraid every night as we go to sleep and every morning while reading news of more death and destruction. But if we let our fears consume us, Russia will most likely win, and its illegal invasion, genocide, and nuclear blackmail will be rewarded. And this outcome is exactly what leads to another world war.
As Dmytro Kuleba recently said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, “It’s absolutely normal not to have fear, yet to be afraid.” And that is exactly how it feels to be Ukrainian these eight months.

Thanks, very true. I've recently reduced the time spent in this thread because I generally have the feeling it has devolved somewhat into a combination of memes, laughing at Russians and 'Murrican/NATO/Ukrainian weapons worshipping.
Re Russian mobiks: Do we know the Ukrainian side of the equation? I mean, being on the offensive doesn't say much about how sustainable the situation is, so looking at Russian effectiveness is only meaningful when also looking at, say, Ukrainian casualty rates.

Finally. Without arty Russians are dead meat.

Shaping the battlefield:
 

Anyone knows or suspects what is actually happenning in Kherson? I don't like this "evacuate quickly" b******t from Russians. They are always silent when they are hit hard, there must be something in the making.
I fear the most some devil's work on Kahovka dam, which would be insane but this is what they are. The best scenario is that they don't want to lose potential mobilisation meat from the soon to be deocuppied western side of the river so they take it with them.

Looking forward I think that this war shows how laser usage en masse will be a total game changer in future conflicts. Heavy laser defence of urban and static military targets, medium laser C-RAM of mechanized, artillery and SAM units, light laser on some individual vehicles for self-defense(especially airbone).
Massive laser usage adresses just so many problems, which adversaries struggle with right now, that it seems inevitable. It is really a shame that this is still not mature/declassified enough to hand it over to Ukraine.