Sojourner

For sure, and it would piss off more than Europe, but would that stop China from trying? I hadn't considered EU ascension, take that off the table and Ukraine may have no choice but to go with the low bidder if Russia can't be forced to pay restitution. But you're right, EU membership will definitely tip the scales.

I've long suspected China is sitting on the fence trying to keep the door open for reconstruction contracts in Ukraine when the fighting stops. And possibly rearmament contracts with Russia - why give it away now when you can sell it to them later.

I really wish they wouldn't do that. The only one that needs to be informed is Syrskyi. Let the Russians find out the hard way. I understand "public right to know", but there's no need to get into specifics. FFS stuff from WWII was kept secret for 50 years in the US, long after it was obsolete and of no intelligence value.

OK, that is a genius application, but from the PoV of a homeowner in a wildfire-prone area, it's pretty damn insane.

I think you're on to something. Then as long as Putin is seated in the place of honor, the only issue to negotiate is face up or face down.

Nope, no straddling involved, that's firmly on the insane side of the line. Now, a robot dog that cleans up after your live dog, that would be genius.

Echolocation? Bats use it to track small, fast moving objects. Granted, not something we're likely to see soon, but possibly something worth looking into.

Plenty, MTG is nowhere near as articulate, plus her vocabulary doesn't extend beyond monosyllables.

^ Exactly this. Probably the only thing known for certain about the incident (other than that there was a fire and some people died).

Sorry my friend but I have to disagree. The only good Russians are those that are feeding the worms in Ukrainian soil. Russians who openly support Ukraine today will suredly turn against her tomorrow.

His grip must be slipping. I read he got only 85%.

Quite a few are missing engines and it’s a sure bet they’ve all been stripped of electronics. ... and I suspect some radar technician's wives have some pretty powerful microwave ovens.

He seems to have overlooked the fact that Russia also shipped vital weapons off to Ukraine and is in more far worse shape today than it was before the war in Ukraine.

Might this be a good time for US, and maybe Finland, to step up air patrols on the edge of Russian airspace, or would that be too provocative? It might encourage Russia to divert some resources away from Ukraine.

He cites the Hamas attack on Israel as "143 days ago", that would make it today, just saying ETA: Or did you mean the 2nd video?

As long as they don't paint red stars on the F-16s they ought to be safe from Russian AD.

Note the time stamps on the three maps. "A sharp drop in speed and height of the downed A-50U aircraft was recorded near the city of Yeisk." https://gur.gov.ua/content/minus-a-50u-hur-ta-povitriani-syly-zbyly-cherhovyi-litak-rf.html

Surprisingly good article in WaPo today… What the Pentagon has learned from two years of war in Ukraine With hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and still no end in sight, the conflict has revealed that U.S. battlefield calculations must evolve https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/22/ukraine-war-pentagon-lessons-learned/ Pretty much the same conclusions as reached here.

FUBAR come close, although it's an acronym it is used as a word. Perhaps closer in meaning is a couplet - cluster f***, or Charlie Foxtrot if in polite company.

Ten to fifteen years in a Russian gulag, yeah big deal. Navalny was sentenced to an additional 19 years in a "special regime" colony last August, he got out in less than 7 months.

Maybe, hope so, but not necessarily... A former White House official, speaking about the plans to send in loyalists who are better prepared to execute Trump’s agenda, said: “We’re not going to sit around and wait for the Senate, which is very, very divided and not even in the hands of conservatives, to get things done. Things will be happening, even before Inauguration Day.” Already, conservatives are laying the groundwork for “shock troops” to take administration posts in a second Trump term, with one group, the Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, hosting a two-day “presidential appointee boot camp” Feb. 19 and 20 in the Washington suburbs. [emphasis added] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/betrayed-trump-second-administration-loyalists-loyalty-rcna136257 Chaos is a given, paralysis, not so much. His mistake in the first term was assuming running the country would be like running his business - i.e. no checks and balances. I think he's learned that lesson, and as billbindc already pointed out, he has promised a reign of retribution. Most of the time his promises are pure BS, but revenge is possibly the only thing he's actually good at.

Sadly, that's not all. Now it appears we know the real reason Senator Tuberville was blocking military promotions. Tuberville took to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday to share his thoughts about Carlson's sit-down with the Russian leader. "Last night's @TuckerCarlson's interview with Putin shows that Russia is open to a peace agreement, while it is DC warmongers who want to prolong the war. That is why I'm voting to stop 60 BILLION MORE of our tax dollars to this conflict," the senator wrote. Senator Defending Putin Sparks Furious Backlash (newsweek.com)

That almost sounds like a Berra-ism... That place is so crowded nobody goes there anymore. I suppose you meant "misused" Now if you want to talk about over-used AND misused, I think "game changer" is leading the pack.

"Wokeism is DESTROYING The British Army". ??? A bit suspect, I think

Russia has deployed a new air defense system in Moscow How much is that in hryvnia?