Billy Ringo

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

Zelensky amazes me.  Here's a guy that only 4 years ago was an actor, comedian and businessman with a law degree and no foreign policy, governmental or military experience.  But yet, he's leading one of the most complex, challenging globally high profile and difficult situations of this century.  And he seems to be making all the right moves time and again.  The way he handles himself, his words and quiet but confident demeanor continue to be on point.  Yes, I'm sure he's getting expertise, coaching and direction from multiple sources---but he's choosing to listen and take advise from seemingly all the right people which is an art unto itself. 
And to think what his life is like on a daily basis, to have to be "on" month after month.  The guy flat out has my respect and I hope to someday read his memoirs on from late 2021 until this ends.  
 
 

In Canada, on this our Remembrance Day - besides remembering the sacrifice of Canadians in various conflicts and peacekeeping missions, I am also very aware of the huge loss of life in service of the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for their homeland and their people.  I am reminded all the time.  In Manitoba, our province has a immense Ukrainian Canadian  population and I can't go anywhere without seeing Ukrainian flags everywhere.  And a lot of Ukrainian Canadians returned to Ukraine to fight for their ancestral homeland.   Some will return home to Canada some day, others will not. The sad reality of war.
So on this Remembrance Day, I raise my stein as in past Remembrance Days and intone that simple ancient Norse toast - "To Our Honored Dead!"    I include all Ukrainian soldiers who have lost their lives thus far in that toast.   They have truly earned entry into the Halls of Valhalla.
 Sláva Ukrayíni!
 

Russians must be in awe of UKR organizational talent. Not only did they manage to capture a city that voted 99.99% to be annexed by Russia without a fight, they even managed to bring along hundreds of civilian crisis actors to cheer them on while they strut around in the place.

Locals hung the flag in advance of UKR forces. 

+1. Now curious how many of Russians from frontlines have NVG equipment to even reach riverbank by night, under the barrage. Hell, by this stage I wouldn't be suprised we see tomorrow Ukrainian specials crossing the river before them, just like at Kupyansk.
 
Talking about Surovikin, worth to check this thread by Maria Pevchikh:
ED: We have it...5000 Polish mercenaries! By fabulous research team of official Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Muscovites must be in really bad mood.
 

As for me this is inccorrect to explain success of Russians only with UKR "crappy equipment" and say "UKR didn't have army" like this already say followerts of Poroshenko, defendding Minsk agreements. I'm sorry, we raised 350 000 of personnel. And our "scrappy equipment" was not much worse then that one, with which we broke Russians in Phase I in 2022. Javs, NLAWS, drones it's all good, but 24th FEB we have met with the same T-64BV and BMP - and most of theese BMP already was older BMP-1, not BMP-2 like in 2014. The same Soviet artillery engeged the enemy. 
If Russian modernized army mod.2022 turned out so "sucked", imagine what it was in REAL in 2014! All Russian and separs sucesses were caused not only traitors and corrupted leadership and military planning mistakes. First of all they were caused by the abscense of political will of Poroshenko to resist by military way. Poroshenko was like Denetor, who looked in Palantir, seen the "power of Mordor" and lost will to fight. Each time he was appealing to West "to influence on Russia", and repaeating "did you see Russian military budget? We can't fight with Russia".
If Minsk-1 can be considered as needed respite (but anyway, this was political success of Russia - they hadn't a goal to conquere Ukraine - only to force our politics to stay in Russian orbit), that Minsk-2 turned out political disaster, which didn't match to result of Debaltsevo battle. UKR group of troops (even not all army, but about 6000 men!), avoided encirclement, but Poroshenko agreed the document, which really was similar to political capitulation, because the document clearly provided a formula "first - local elections, then - withdrawal the troops" and a result of Minsk-2 acomplishing should be establishing of "special status oblasts", with own force structures, own cultural and economy policy, own right of direct relations with Russia and veto on any pro-Western steps of Ukraine - all this with fixing in Constitutin. Ukriane power over thees territories in result would be remained like nominal. And Poroshenko like and Putin, Merkel and Olland signed Declaration in support of Minsk-2. So, he agreed on this BS and set huge mine under Ukriane, giving to Russia formal lever of political pressure.  

This seems staged, almost like actors in a high school play.  Why this--why such a public announcement?  Have we seen situations like this being broadcast by the Russians previously?   Maybe it's just me, but this just seems like another BS poorly executed Russian video for some as yet to be known Russian ploy.   That will fail. 
 

This seems staged, almost like actors in a high school play.  Why this--why such a public announcement?  Have we seen situations like this being broadcast by the Russians previously?   Maybe it's just me, but this just seems like another BS poorly executed Russian video for some as yet to be known Russian ploy.   That will fail. 
 

Oh definitely, we knew about 72 hours in this had not gone according to plan, and by the end of the first week it was apparent they RA was in serious trouble.  I think we bounced onto "Sieges from Hell" phase for about a day or two before it become apparent from the stream of tactical vignettes that the RA logistical system was completely failing and its C2 was not far behind.  The collapse of the Northern theatre was not a surprise in the least, in fact I think they held on longer than was healthy.
We also forecasted the slow grind to nowhere in Phase II in the Donbas and were waiting with bated breath for the UA offensive in the fall (Phase III).  I was personally very surprised at the UAs ability to sustain two separate operations on either end of the front line as both Kharkiv and Kherson were happening concurrently.  Since then corrosive warfare continues its steady march to a tipping point at Kherson.  What happens next is a likely steady pushing pressure UA over the winter, some sort of weak RA symbolic offensive as Russia tries to freeze this thing.  I suspect the UA will wait until conditions are right but I can see that infamous "land bridge" being cut down the middle.  Beyond that I have more questions than answers - how long does it take for the Russian military complex to completely fail?  How long for the Russian economy to fail?  How long for the internal divisions within Russia to start making serious noise?  How long can the West hold out in support, how long before the West gets distracted by its own crap?
All war is certainty/vision, communication, negotiation and sacrifice.  Those last two will start to increasingly impact the first two for each side over time and I suspect we will end up with a result no one is happy with at the end, but maybe we can avoid WWIII or a Russian Civil War redux with nukes if we are really lucky. 

The press (and humans in general) love to take a series of events and turn it in to a narrative. It can't just be a series of events. It has to be a series of events with cause and effect connecting them. So if Putin has cancer then we have to invent a way to turn it in to either a cause or an effect of the war, of at least of some of his decisions during the war.
History is particularly prone to doing this.

In Ukraine the age of persons, liable for military service in wartime is 18-60 years. Many of theese aged soldiers in army jokingly named "diad'ky" (eng. "uncles") and say that "diad'ky are towing all war on their shoulders". Yes, many of them served recently in Ukrainian or even in Soviet army, but this was many years ago and their value not in this. Many of theese 40-45-50+ men are from villages and small towns, where no enough comfort life like in big cities, but hard handwork in agricultural enterprises, on their farms and on their homesteads. Yes, often theese men are addicted to alcohol and have only basic shcool education, but they used to be in hard conditions. They can do everything from anything. They can coock without field kitchen, they can repair any vehicle without special repair unit, they can dig and build blindage without sappers and then made from it not dirty hole, but something like this:   
Many of modern "city generation" - IT, office employees, used to comfort life, which for example can be cool coders or managers, but often can't hammer a nail stright (because they have a money to hire an "uncle" for this), just would be loss at this war without theese "uncles". They are mainstay of infantry, armor and artillery. Youngers maybe fight more effectively, they more capable in command, tactic and application of new toys like drones, but "uncles" give them own experience of real life and skills.