Russian Invasion of Ukraine[In Progress]

[swogerino]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

[Branko]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

BS...everyone forgot even worse war crimes in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq...

[be.open]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

It seems Zelensky is cornered - he has less than ten days left to demonstrate success in the counteroffensive, which so far in the Zaporozhye direction (and this is the main direction for cutting the land corridor to Crimea) cannot even approach the first line of defense. And there are no successes in other areas either. Now is the time to attempt sabotage at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with radioactive contamination of the area. So the American sniffer plane obviously did not accidentally fly to Europe to monitor the air. Curious how far Zelenskiy is willing to go?

[paxmao]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

It seems Zelensky is cornered - he has less than ten days left to demonstrate success in the counteroffensive, which so far in the Zaporozhye direction (and this is the main direction for cutting the land corridor to Crimea) cannot even approach the first line of defense. And there are no successes in other areas either. Now is the time to attempt sabotage at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with radioactive contamination of the area. So the American sniffer plane obviously did not accidentally fly to Europe to monitor the air. Curious how far Zelenskiy is willing to go?

He would need to show some progress, and there is some progress. Not as much as many would have liked and certainly not very fast (I mean, except for RF standards, that take 1 year for Bhakmut and cannot even keep it safe). I think that at this point the US and allies cannot really accept anything that looks too "victorious" for Putin, so if there is no progress, it simply means that the war will continue for another year.

Anyway, next week is going to be quite shaky. There are some indications of more pressure in all fronts.

[be.open]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

It seems Zelensky is cornered - he has less than ten days left to demonstrate success in the counteroffensive, which so far in the Zaporozhye direction (and this is the main direction for cutting the land corridor to Crimea) cannot even approach the first line of defense. And there are no successes in other areas either. Now is the time to attempt sabotage at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with radioactive contamination of the area. So the American sniffer plane obviously did not accidentally fly to Europe to monitor the air. Curious how far Zelenskiy is willing to go?

He would need to show some progress, and there is some progress. Not as much as many would have liked and certainly not very fast (I mean, except for RF standards, that take 1 year for Bhakmut and cannot even keep it safe). I think that at this point the US and allies cannot really accept anything that looks too "victorious" for Putin, so if there is no progress, it simply means that the war will continue for another year.

Anyway, next week is going to be quite shaky. There are some indications of more pressure in all fronts.

What progress are you talking about? The Ukrainian counter-offensive has been marking time for a whole month and has not made any progress on any sector of the front. Here is an interesting visual infographic from the New York Times with the "progress" of Ukraine in the Zaporozhye direction. Considering the price in terms of casualties and wasted armor Ukraine paid for this ridiculous progress, this is simply a shame.

And here is an interesting recent article in the Washington Post about the recent visit of the CIA director to Kyiv, it seems Zelensky is already considering options for peace negotiations taking into account Russia's interests, that is, with the recognition of territorial losses. I think you are right that the denouement is near, only I think it will be a very different denouement than the one you dream of. More like Ukraine's internal readiness to raise the white flag.

[swogerino]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

It seems Zelensky is cornered - he has less than ten days left to demonstrate success in the counteroffensive, which so far in the Zaporozhye direction (and this is the main direction for cutting the land corridor to Crimea) cannot even approach the first line of defense. And there are no successes in other areas either. Now is the time to attempt sabotage at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with radioactive contamination of the area. So the American sniffer plane obviously did not accidentally fly to Europe to monitor the air. Curious how far Zelenskiy is willing to go?

He would need to show some progress, and there is some progress. Not as much as many would have liked and certainly not very fast (I mean, except for RF standards, that take 1 year for Bhakmut and cannot even keep it safe). I think that at this point the US and allies cannot really accept anything that looks too "victorious" for Putin, so if there is no progress, it simply means that the war will continue for another year.

Anyway, next week is going to be quite shaky. There are some indications of more pressure in all fronts.

What progress are you talking about? The Ukrainian counter-offensive has been marking time for a whole month and has not made any progress on any sector of the front. Here is an interesting visual infographic from the New York Times with the "progress" of Ukraine in the Zaporozhye direction. Considering the price in terms of casualties and wasted armor Ukraine paid for this ridiculous progress, this is simply a shame.

And here is an interesting recent article in the Washington Post about the recent visit of the CIA director to Kyiv, it seems Zelensky is already considering options for peace negotiations taking into account Russia's interests, that is, with the recognition of territorial losses. I think you are right that the denouement is near, only I think it will be a very different denouement than the one you dream of. More like Ukraine's internal readiness to raise the white flag.

I have already asked this before but damn I will ask again and the question is where the f*ck do you Russians buy your drugs,I think is hallucinating drugs as that is the only option you write this total bullshit here.Bakhmut is near full capture and they have made small gains in every other direction,the chief military commander of Ukraine said that we are not in the movies here,it will take time as every meter liberated is full of blood shed there.I read the news daily and I don't know any will to peace negotiations with Russia especially now that Russia is on the losing side of the war,that is why I ask about drugs in the beginning  .

[paxmao]

If Russia goes in nuclear war then they know very well that as soon as they hit the first rocket they will cease to exist as a country as all other nuclear powers will respond accordingly shooting the hell out of Russia.Sure it will be a massive catastrophe in the world but I doubt if Russia is ready for this,they would be better to accept that they are losing this war every day and this is better to accept than starting a nuclear war which will end with the complete wipe of Russia from earth.

Biden administration is seriously looking to provide long range weapons to Ukraine,the Himars were a game changer last year,now the new ones will again be a game changer but a final one and Russia should accept that when you start an aggression based on bullshit reasons like Nazis in Ukraine you will lose this war and after losing it no one will look at Russia the same way again,the horrendous war crimes committed in Bucha,Irpin and Kharkiv will never be forgotten.

It seems Zelensky is cornered - he has less than ten days left to demonstrate success in the counteroffensive, which so far in the Zaporozhye direction (and this is the main direction for cutting the land corridor to Crimea) cannot even approach the first line of defense. And there are no successes in other areas either. Now is the time to attempt sabotage at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with radioactive contamination of the area. So the American sniffer plane obviously did not accidentally fly to Europe to monitor the air. Curious how far Zelenskiy is willing to go?

He would need to show some progress, and there is some progress. Not as much as many would have liked and certainly not very fast (I mean, except for RF standards, that take 1 year for Bhakmut and cannot even keep it safe). I think that at this point the US and allies cannot really accept anything that looks too "victorious" for Putin, so if there is no progress, it simply means that the war will continue for another year.

Anyway, next week is going to be quite shaky. There are some indications of more pressure in all fronts.

What progress are you talking about? The Ukrainian counter-offensive has been marking time for a whole month and has not made any progress on any sector of the front. Here is an interesting visual infographic from the New York Times with the "progress" of Ukraine in the Zaporozhye direction. Considering the price in terms of casualties and wasted armor Ukraine paid for this ridiculous progress, this is simply a shame.

And here is an interesting recent article in the Washington Post about the recent visit of the CIA director to Kyiv, it seems Zelensky is already considering options for peace negotiations taking into account Russia's interests, that is, with the recognition of territorial losses. I think you are right that the denouement is near, only I think it will be a very different denouement than the one you dream of. More like Ukraine's internal readiness to raise the white flag.

False, there are settlements captured in several sections of the front and a total of 40 km2 south and north of Bakhmut, 138 km2 south Velyka Novosilka and more than 100 km2 north of Robotyne. This is the equivalent of one year of RF fighting in a few weeks. If you measure progress with the same standards that you measure the old RF advances, Ukraine is going top speed.

Peace negotiations with territorial gains for RF ... I do not see that happening under Biden. Nor probably under any US president that understands what happens next if the RF "looks victorious".

Oh... glad to know that you consider the CIA as a trustworthy source... I hope your handlers do too but the article says...

William Burns was told of Ukraine’s ambitious goal to retake territory and push Moscow into talks by the end of the year

[be.open]

False, there are settlements captured in several sections of the front and a total of 40 km2 south and north of Bakhmut, 138 km2 south Velyka Novosilka and more than 100 km2 north of Robotyne. This is the equivalent of one year of RF fighting in a few weeks. If you measure progress with the same standards that you measure the old RF advances, Ukraine is going top speed.

Peace negotiations with territorial gains for RF ... I do not see that happening under Biden. Nor probably under any US president that understands what happens next if the RF "looks victorious".

Oh... glad to know that you consider the CIA as a trustworthy source... I hope your handlers do too but the article says...

William Burns was told of Ukraine’s ambitious goal to retake territory and push Moscow into talks by the end of the year

All the achievements of Ukraine in the framework of the current counter-offensive are forest plantations in the "gray" zone and several villages on the Vremievsky ledge without confident control. Maybe there are some achievements in the Antonovsky Bridge area, because you have repeatedly mentioned Ukraine's activity in this direction? No, there is also a fiasco. There is not a single occupied height in the Bakhmut area for a month. There are attempts to organize pressure along the entire front line, and nowhere is it successful.

At the same time, Ukraine's tactics are very strange - a quick approach of assault infantry in armored vehicles to the line of contact and attempts to engage in close combat. Are you seriously? In almost a year and a half of the conflict, Ukraine has never achieved significant success in close combat against Russia. These are obviously failed attempts.

[BADecker]

Time for Russia to end the war by taking Kiev. It's only about 60 miles from the Belarus border, and the Ukrainian troops are 400 miles away. See the article here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5454465.msg62498236#msg62498236, plus below.


Military experts insist Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not failing, “just off to a slow start” – tell that to the Marines


https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-07-02-military-experts-insist-ukraine-counteroffensive-isnt-failing.html
Military experts insist that Ukraine's much-anticipated offensive is not failing, claiming that it is "way too early" to be drawing conclusions about the success or failure of Kyiv's renewed push to retake territories.

Kyiv has launched one of its largest military operations since the start of the war. But now, even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is acknowledging that this offensive is going "slower than expected."

"It's just getting underway," said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who formerly served as the commanding general of United States Army Europe, in an interview with Business Insider. "Most of Ukraine's army is not even in the fight yet."

Official sources claim that Ukraine is still in the initial phase of its most recent ground operations, which are focused on collecting information and confirming intelligence that offers insight into the enemy's objectives.

"The offensive has started, but not the main attack," claimed retired Australian Army Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan. He added that the Ukrainians have taken a broad front approach to the conflict, scanning the front lines and trying to find penetrable places to attempt to break through the Russian defenses.

"When they find it, they'll do it," he said. "They only have to create one significant breakthrough to cause all kinds of problems for the Russians."

Ukraine working hard to counter Moscow's messaging about "failed" counteroffensive
...

[af_newbie]

Time for Russia to end the war by taking Kiev. It's only about 60 miles from the Belarus border, and the Ukrainian troops are 400 miles away. See the article here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5454465.msg62498236#msg62498236, plus below.


Military experts insist Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not failing, “just off to a slow start” – tell that to the Marines


https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-07-02-military-experts-insist-ukraine-counteroffensive-isnt-failing.html
Military experts insist that Ukraine's much-anticipated offensive is not failing, claiming that it is "way too early" to be drawing conclusions about the success or failure of Kyiv's renewed push to retake territories.

Kyiv has launched one of its largest military operations since the start of the war. But now, even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is acknowledging that this offensive is going "slower than expected."

"It's just getting underway," said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who formerly served as the commanding general of United States Army Europe, in an interview with Business Insider. "Most of Ukraine's army is not even in the fight yet."

Official sources claim that Ukraine is still in the initial phase of its most recent ground operations, which are focused on collecting information and confirming intelligence that offers insight into the enemy's objectives.

"The offensive has started, but not the main attack," claimed retired Australian Army Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan. He added that the Ukrainians have taken a broad front approach to the conflict, scanning the front lines and trying to find penetrable places to attempt to break through the Russian defenses.

"When they find it, they'll do it," he said. "They only have to create one significant breakthrough to cause all kinds of problems for the Russians."

Ukraine working hard to counter Moscow's messaging about "failed" counteroffensive
...

I would love to see them try again. Now, every reservist, TO household has a few Javelins... Russians would be slaughtered right after they cross the border.

Russians are hell-bent on dying so let's go Vlad.

They cannot move any forces from the southern front. Quite the opposite, they have to constantly replace the losses with
freshly mobilized and convicts.

They would need at least 1M army to storm the northern border in order to be able to reach Kyiv and another 1M+ to take it.

That would be a massive undertaking, not impossible, but it would take years to prepare such a campaign.

Otherwise, they risk losing millions of men.

I thought the Russian public would start questioning this war at around 200,000 KIA, but I was wrong.

This will go on until the Russians decide they've had enough, or until they realize that the ruins are not worth it.

Does anyone think that Crimea, Luhansk, or Donbas will be safe even with the current front line? Ukrainians will be
hitting it preventing the Russian army from exercising full control over that area.
It is just a waste of money and human resources, IMHO.

Russians, kill the old man and move on.

[BADecker]

At a simple word from Vlad - a simple nod of the head - and Belarus will take Kiev out. The war will be done, except for rounding up the few Ukraine rebel militants.

[paxmao]

False, there are settlements captured in several sections of the front and a total of 40 km2 south and north of Bakhmut, 138 km2 south Velyka Novosilka and more than 100 km2 north of Robotyne. This is the equivalent of one year of RF fighting in a few weeks. If you measure progress with the same standards that you measure the old RF advances, Ukraine is going top speed.

Peace negotiations with territorial gains for RF ... I do not see that happening under Biden. Nor probably under any US president that understands what happens next if the RF "looks victorious".

Oh... glad to know that you consider the CIA as a trustworthy source... I hope your handlers do too but the article says...

William Burns was told of Ukraine’s ambitious goal to retake territory and push Moscow into talks by the end of the year

All the achievements of Ukraine in the framework of the current counter-offensive are forest plantations in the "gray" zone and several villages on the Vremievsky ledge without confident control. Maybe there are some achievements in the Antonovsky Bridge area, because you have repeatedly mentioned Ukraine's activity in this direction? No, there is also a fiasco. There is not a single occupied height in the Bakhmut area for a month. There are attempts to organize pressure along the entire front line, and nowhere is it successful.

At the same time, Ukraine's tactics are very strange - a quick approach of assault infantry in armored vehicles to the line of contact and attempts to engage in close combat. Are you seriously? In almost a year and a half of the conflict, Ukraine has never achieved significant success in close combat against Russia. These are obviously failed attempts.

There is sufficient advance and the tactical situation has been much improved in several locations along the front. If you prefer going for "there is no progress" to "the progress is not sufficient" to then "the progress is not tactically important" in three posts... well that speaks for itself.

Ukraine is doing a very difficult thing: using combined weapons approach without the right combined weapons.  They are in obvious need of better air detection, drone protections and certainly a squadron of f16 (Gripen does not seem to be coming).

The strategy is nothing special... hit logistics at the back, create the widest front possible, push in several directions, look for the "easiest" way of advancing and keep the pressure so that the RF is not able to move troops freely from one front section to another. In my view, Ukraine would need better air capabilities, better drone defence and of these, it may get some jets and some enhanced strike capability if ATACAMS are supplied.

Other than that, fronts do not collapse... until they do. This way of fighting resembles much more a Phalanx / Hoplites battle than anything else. Both sides have good defence and push each other... until one side leaves a hole or is attacked on the flanks, the line spreads and gets thinner... 20 minutes later you got 5000 guys running back to Moscow Thebes.

Same old... spread the front, rotate, damage logistics and in one of the rounds it just may happen that you hit that undersupplied, demoralised and thinned brigade that decides that is not worth dying for Putin.

[Victan22]

 I would tag the words of the American government and every other country who claims their support is with Ukraine as a  "behind the scenes blabbing " because if they really wanted to end the war between Ukraine and Russia they all knew what to do. Believe me that when Russia finally launches to an attack on the provinces of Ukraine none of those countries will raise a  single finger against Russia.

My take NATO, U.S. and the rest who says they support Ukraine should openly aid them with all physical support and not support on media .

[be.open]

False, there are settlements captured in several sections of the front and a total of 40 km2 south and north of Bakhmut, 138 km2 south Velyka Novosilka and more than 100 km2 north of Robotyne. This is the equivalent of one year of RF fighting in a few weeks. If you measure progress with the same standards that you measure the old RF advances, Ukraine is going top speed.

Peace negotiations with territorial gains for RF ... I do not see that happening under Biden. Nor probably under any US president that understands what happens next if the RF "looks victorious".

Oh... glad to know that you consider the CIA as a trustworthy source... I hope your handlers do too but the article says...

William Burns was told of Ukraine’s ambitious goal to retake territory and push Moscow into talks by the end of the year

All the achievements of Ukraine in the framework of the current counter-offensive are forest plantations in the "gray" zone and several villages on the Vremievsky ledge without confident control. Maybe there are some achievements in the Antonovsky Bridge area, because you have repeatedly mentioned Ukraine's activity in this direction? No, there is also a fiasco. There is not a single occupied height in the Bakhmut area for a month. There are attempts to organize pressure along the entire front line, and nowhere is it successful.

At the same time, Ukraine's tactics are very strange - a quick approach of assault infantry in armored vehicles to the line of contact and attempts to engage in close combat. Are you seriously? In almost a year and a half of the conflict, Ukraine has never achieved significant success in close combat against Russia. These are obviously failed attempts.

There is sufficient advance and the tactical situation has been much improved in several locations along the front. If you prefer going for "there is no progress" to "the progress is not sufficient" to then "the progress is not tactically important" in three posts... well that speaks for itself.

Ukraine is doing a very difficult thing: using combined weapons approach without the right combined weapons.  They are in obvious need of better air detection, drone protections and certainly a squadron of f16 (Gripen does not seem to be coming).

The strategy is nothing special... hit logistics at the back, create the widest front possible, push in several directions, look for the "easiest" way of advancing and keep the pressure so that the RF is not able to move troops freely from one front section to another. In my view, Ukraine would need better air capabilities, better drone defence and of these, it may get some jets and some enhanced strike capability if ATACAMS are supplied.

Other than that, fronts do not collapse... until they do. This way of fighting resembles much more a Phalanx / Hoplites battle than anything else. Both sides have good defence and push each other... until one side leaves a hole or is attacked on the flanks, the line spreads and gets thinner... 20 minutes later you got 5000 guys running back to Moscow Thebes.

Same old... spread the front, rotate, damage logistics and in one of the rounds it just may happen that you hit that undersupplied, demoralised and thinned brigade that decides that is not worth dying for Putin.

Let's conduct a dialogue in a more substantive way, without slipping into propaganda slogans. Where exactly can one observe "sufficient advance" of Ukraine, in which particular sectors of the front? What scale do I need to look at the maps to notice the progress of Ukraine?

I understand that you are more passionate about your crystal ball and wet fantasies in the style of "how everything will be fine when the West gives F16 and long-range missiles", but let's somehow get back closer to reality.

[BADecker]

If the US went into REAL action against Russia, Russia would be hard pressed to survive. But the US keeps diddling around with silliness, like the sanctions. That's why the US is failing in Ukraine.



Biden's Weaponizing the Dollar Against Russia Has Backfired


https://discernreport.com/bidens-weaponizing-the-dollar-against-russia-has-backfired/
It's telling that during World War II, neither the United States nor the United Kingdom—when the British pound sterling was the world's reserve currency—ever considered weaponizing their currencies against Germany, Japan, or Italy. But wiser heads were running the allied nations then.

But President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, did exactly that. And they lost.  In the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion, the ruble fell, as expected. But then for much of last year, the ruble actually gained strength relative to the dollar—stronger than it had been before the invasion!

It has only declined again since the winter, after Russian battlefield setbacks in the Donbas and the mutiny of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.

Far worse, though, is that Biden's reckless foreign policy failure has damaged—perhaps irrevocably—the status of the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency.

Hitting the USA Like a Ton of BRICS

In August, the BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—will meet in Johannesburg, South Africa, and "de-dollarizing" the global economy is on the summit agenda. While nobody expects the dollar to be displaced anytime soon, the rise of digital currencies—and particularly CBDCs, central bank digital currencies—will make it much easier to bypass U.S. Treasury and SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication sanctions, the incumbent means of transferring funds globally) sanctions.
...

[paxmao]

There are recent news of a re-cycling of Israeli Merkava MBTs.  This is fat and ugly main battletank developed by Israel in several versions since late 70's to the latest version (uglier, fatter and more frightening) versions as recently as 2023.

According to some sources up to 200 of these tanks are going to be bought by an "undisclosed European buyer". Now, this tanks is not ideal for Ukraine because is the heaviest out there, so I am thinking if some other country could exchange these for their old soviet era stuff and pass these to Ukraine, or maybe Ukraine would rather have 200 Merkava III for themselves, which are readily available.

I would not like to be the undersupplied Rusky soldier finding out in the battlefield.



Edited --- Apparently one of the two countries buying is Cyprus. Cyprus has a number of T-80s that may find way to Ukraine.

[BADecker]

The song Ukrainians are singing... from James Bond - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwLXDv6jXr4 - Matt Monro vocalizing.

[suchmoon]

Let's conduct a dialogue in a more substantive way, without slipping into propaganda slogans. Where exactly can one observe "sufficient advance" of Ukraine, in which particular sectors of the front? What scale do I need to look at the maps to notice the progress of Ukraine?

I understand that you are more passionate about your crystal ball and wet fantasies in the style of "how everything will be fine when the West gives F16 and long-range missiles", but let's somehow get back closer to reality.

Let me guess, if someone gives you links to ISW/liveuamap/Deep State maps you'll call it Western propaganda and demand Konashenkov-approved maps?

[Branko]

Let's conduct a dialogue in a more substantive way, without slipping into propaganda slogans. Where exactly can one observe "sufficient advance" of Ukraine, in which particular sectors of the front? What scale do I need to look at the maps to notice the progress of Ukraine?

I understand that you are more passionate about your crystal ball and wet fantasies in the style of "how everything will be fine when the West gives F16 and long-range missiles", but let's somehow get back closer to reality.

Let me guess, if someone gives you links to ISW/liveuamap/Deep State maps you'll call it Western propaganda and demand Konashenkov-approved maps?

Its only logical, because they're equally reliable

[paxmao]

Let's conduct a dialogue in a more substantive way, without slipping into propaganda slogans. Where exactly can one observe "sufficient advance" of Ukraine, in which particular sectors of the front? What scale do I need to look at the maps to notice the progress of Ukraine?

I understand that you are more passionate about your crystal ball and wet fantasies in the style of "how everything will be fine when the West gives F16 and long-range missiles", but let's somehow get back closer to reality.

Let me guess, if someone gives you links to ISW/liveuamap/Deep State maps you'll call it Western propaganda and demand Konashenkov-approved maps?

Its only logical, because they're equally reliable

Oh, a "constructive" conversation. You can have a look at Andrew Perpetua maps, tend to be accurate and any pro-RF mapper of your choice. You will see some discrepancies, but one thing is clear: Ukraine is able to advance.

On the F-16, nothing will be all-right, it will only be better. It is a decent plane (particularly the modernised versions) and carries a ton of payload. You could potentially have Air to Ground, HARM, Air to Air, GBUs and a long range missile all loaded in a mission. The radar is also decent. The caveat is that the Su35 seems to have some detection advantage... depending on who would you like to believe of course.

But... and here comes the fun, the f16 can carry and shoot with a high likelihood of success long range Air to Air (really nasty and quick beasts). So... sorry for those Su35 that get with 100 miles of the front.


But let's talk strategy and not tactics: My guess is that passing f16s to Ukraine is a carefully calculated move by the US. As one of my favourite bloggers said, "this is like a competition in which each side keeps throwing 100 dollar bills to a fire and the side that keeps for longer gains an advantage". If Ukraine has f16s on the air, the RF needs to keep Su35s / Mig 31s in the air. You would not believe how ridiculously low flight hours fighter jets can do before going to a massive refurb or directly to the scrapyard, how costly is to keep them running and how they stretch the logistics.

This is a weapon that can potentially "demilitarise" the RF "Aerospatial" forces.

I hope this provides some insight on why f16s and why from the US, instead of other options.