danfrodo

Looks like Steve gets the last word. Well, I tried, KevinKin

I hear what you are saying about money, ratings, etc, but I don't agree w the false equivalence game. Yes, you totally got it right -- TV news is mostly just utter garbage w folks sitting around saying nothing and arguing because it's cheap and folks watch it. But Fox late night shows are cesspools of disinformation and propaganda that is consumed by millions and has serious, negative effects on what big chunk of what US folks think. Crackpots on the left exist, but are nearly completely ignored. Noam Chomsky -- who?? We should drop this, I think we're distracting the forum. Go ahead and get in last word if you'd like, I'll not respond just so we can get off this theme.

Well, that's sufficiently depressing . I suspect most non-US folks don't know that the most watched show on fox news is tucker carlson, who, from the start, talks like someone auditioning to get on Putin's PR payroll. Maybe he already is, hard to say. However, I am still holding to my belief that there's still good GOPers in the house who will fight tooth & nail to support UKR and will overcome the tankie faction. But on another topic, some artillery/logistics stuff here from former artillery guy who's summaries I like to link to. Similar theme to what's been said here, often, that it's not the fighting crews that are the issue, it's the maintenence crews. This ties in w the earlier posts about the proportion of artillery systems out for maintenence at any given time. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/28/2138792/-Ukraine-update-There-s-a-good-reason-Ukraine-hasn-t-gotten-the-most-modern-weapons

I've been wondering about this. There's only one east-west rail line, and it goes through Tokmak toward Melitopol. Then there's the single line at Kerch which splits in two leaving north side of Crimea. Seems like a very sketchy supply situation for such a huge area. And now we know UKR has been hitting Perekop line and Tokmak line, along w Kerch supply already greatly degraded. So we're looking at lots of low quality troops w poor supplies and commanders that treat them worse than donkeys. Add to that wet, cold winter conditions. And throw on top of that flu/cold/covid sickness. I wonder how many of those zombie RU soldiers w see are sick, very sick, due to lack of proper food, shelter, clothing which hurts sleep & immune system function.

Thanks for that excellent post, most appreciated. I would respectfully disagree w the above statement, not to pick a fight, but so that people are not misinformed. Paul's word's on Ukraine, on the senate floor, if said on this forum woud've had him expelled as an RU troll. His lies, again on the senate floor, about covid contributed to the ignorance that led to thousands and thousands of americans dying needlessly. He continually attacks science, fact and evidence, in public on the senate floor. He may be seem reasonable in person, but his record in public is despicable. If Rand Paul had his way, Ukraine would've been annexed by Putin -- we know this because that's what he fought for on the senate floor, it's in the public record. Other than that, I very much agree w everything you posted. And with KevinKin's follow up post. I think there won't be enough radical votes to stop UKR funding. What I worry about is delaying tactics and getting smaller aid packages due to the pro-putin folks.

Interesting. I wonder if UKR is deciding that, given the mud, that the most rewarding current tactic is to simply kill russians here where the commanders are literally sending men to be killed. Interesting that Wagner now needs help. Prig must be running out of jailbirds to murder.

Thanks for this great post. Well, hopefully these will do more good than harm. They sound pretty limited.

Yeah, 'greater oversight' is simply a lie. The same way when well-documented Putinist Rand Paul used 'oversight' to delay UKR aid for a short time early in the war. Let's not mince words. It's a lie. Biden could s--t gold and apply it directly to the deficit and it would still be opposed. Congress/Senate/Presidency were designed to encourage compromise, but this will be just obstruction the same way it was under Obama, especially if the psycho faction (MJ Greene, Gaetz, etc) are prominent. UKR aid is probably one of the very very few things that could pass.

Seems like a really good idea to me because it will lighten the load on the 155mm supplies, which are limited. If there's tons of these unwanted shells & tubes laying around, heck yes ship them & use them. I am sure the poor bastards defending Bakhmut would applaud this. If there's thousands of shells available it could be a big help. I am picturing RU human waves being smashed by these weapons. Why expend precious 155mm ammo on that when it could be used instead to disrupt the enemy in depth? What's the range on these?

Yeah, well said, TheCapt. And given that many of these men were simply kidnapped and throw into a horrific, deadly, no escape situation has to be another big factor in all this.

More of this in link below, w really messed up video at the bottom of wagner commander trying to shoot himself but unable to. Is he hypothermic? Wounded and hypothermic?? https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/26/2138419/-Winter-begins-to-take-its-toll-on-Russia-s-army-in-Ukraine I knew a guy who did a lot of mountain camping. One time got caught in unexpected bad weather while out on big hike and started going hypothermic. He said his judgement was the thing that was wrecked, as he started wanting to do the exact opposite of what he should do in the situation, totally convinced he was correct. Fortunately someone in his group was still coherent and persuaded them to do the right thing and they all survived.

Thanks for those Haiduk, always good to see RU losing equipment. Hopefully soon the ground will freeze and stay frozen so UKR can get back on the offensive. How's the energy situation for you? We've all been seeing the satellite images of a dark Ukraine. And now I see youtube guy Denys Davydov leaving Kyiv.

One would think a commentary on the war being due to some kind of RU laundry culture that included phrases like "soiled peaceful relations" and the "stain of tyranny" would suffice to show it was parody. But next time I will just preface with a sledge hammer emoji marked "THIS IS COMEDY". And no, I don't work in a f-ing DMV. I am actually the Head Goblin at Gringott's Bank and the LOTR name is a cover. Or maybe my actual name actually sounds something like 'danfrodo' and it really has not greater meaning than that.

from yesterday, a few interesting UKR war tidbits. Hungary blocking Sweden & Finland in NATO. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/24/2138251/-Ukraine-Update-What-was-five-Russian-axes-of-attack-is-down-to-one-the-Donbas

This is interesting relative to what I was thinking about on dog walk in the woods today. Heavy fog, temperature around 37F (3C). Living & sleeping out in the cold, damp, even at this relatively 'mild' temperature would be quite draining over time. But along w the post above it did clarify something I was wondering about: will the mud-caused break in major operations create stronger or weaker RU defense lines? On the plus side, RU has time to bring in & train mobiks, get supplies, dig in, fortify, pre-target artillery, etc. On the negative side mobiks are often older, out of shape, and very angry about being kidnapped by Putin's army. We know that RU commanders typically have very little concern for the welfare of the men in the trenches. We know that RU troops are often seen without adequate food, clothing and shelter. And many have old (really old!) weapons. Seems like there will be many sections of the line filled w troops with rock bottom morale and physical endurance. Fertile ground for fleeing, surrendering or even mutiny under pressure from UKR troops. So by the time the ground freezes, some sectors will have gotten stronger but some will be brittle and weak. This is my hope for the next offensive. Lots of weak sectors to exploit, leaving the strong portions of the line isolated and useless while UKR drives around them.

So sorry for you & your fellow citizens. Ongoing war crime. Makes my blood boil and I'm not even there. I hope Putin pays for this with his life, and soon.

DUDE -- I think you are looking for things that aren't there. The entire post is a joke -- how is that not obvious???? I said that RU simply wants clean clothes based on their deep desire for good hygeine. UKR twarted that completely innocent desire by hoarding all the washing machines. A joke based off the colonel that demaned washing machine as bribe. If the folks on the forum actually think that was a serious post, I'll delete but I thought the level of absurdity made it obvious as parody. The other half of the joke was a commentary on the levels of absurdity that the tankies use to excuse RU genocidal war. But worst of all, and quite devastating to me, is that DanCA didnt' think it was funny.

Ah, I see now. Russia is simply misunderstood. Russians have a commendable yet somewhat excessive obsession with hygiene, which drove them to this completely understandable course of action because Ukraine had refused to share its excess of laundry facilities, which soiled what had been peaceful relations between good friends. Ukraine purposely purchased all the washing machines on the market to deprive Russians of clean clothing, which sent these poor, misunderstood, innocent, peaceful folk to finally stand up against this stain of tyranny! So Russia was the victim here after all! Mearshimer et al were right -- this is all due to Ukraine's perfidy!

Yo, the golden horde was flipping amazing at its stated purpose: conquering places and extracting wealth from tthose conquered places. Disparage them not! The Russian army has the same charter and is terrible at it (washing machines being a notable exception).

what are 120mm mortar mines??

Sojourner is right, I am NOT saying this is OK. I am saying that single incidents can be blown out of proportion. We're in an ocean of Putin-instigated blood and this is a drop in that bucket. Sojourner's point is that the exception will be seen as the rule. It's the Fox news tactic -- take the 1 out of 100 and show it 100x and folks think it's the 99 out of 100. And this episode can do that -- completely distorting reality of the big picture through the repeating of an anecdote. All I am saying is to take this incident as an incident. I agree w what you've been saying TheCapt, there is no place for killing captives, ever.

We have dozens and dozens and dozens of videos of RU prisoners being treated well, often better than required, by UKR soldiers. We have one instance that, depending on how one views it, can be viewed as very bad. So let's take that one instance and paint everything with that and let it change our view on the much bigger picture of Putin's ongoing war of serial mass murder, child kidnapping, city destruction, and economic ruin. And then let's debate it ad nauseum.

Summary today from DailyKos. Basically mud and missiles. Something hit an RU logistical hub 150km from the front in Crimea. Maybe the turkish missiles that were just announced have been secretly sent a while ago, with today just being the first usage so it was officially announced? https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/22/2137882/-Ukraine-update-Mud-mud-and-more-mud-and-Ukraine-gets-a-new-long-range-weapon

NYTtimes paywall probably will get in the way, but if you can see this one it's worth your while. SOF teams crossing Dnipro to recon, raid, & sabotage. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-river.html

Now THAT is a useful post on this subject. Haiduk to the rescue, yet again.