Can Russia be stopped?

[DeppityDawg]

I do try to be objective but we girls are from Venus DD so we are up against it before we start!  Surely we cannot be expected to ignore the sheer human devastation that's going on and seemingly getting worse?

I think its going to get a lot worse Toots. Particularly once towns and cities get cut off and encircled. We may not like what we see, but many of the tactics being used here are fairly routine in warfare, and as others have pointed out, we've seen them used by our own forces and by our allies. Its fair to point out that while the results sometimes seems indiscriminate, the deaths of civilians are usually the result of mistakes and poor intelligence, rather than outright orders - at least, thats the message when our weapons kill the "innocent", one not repeated when someone elses do.

[Sheepy]

Russia, invaded Ukraine. Russia, is bombing Ukraine. Russia, is shipping high casualties in Ukraine. All true.
Penalty for saying that in Russia.15 years. It's the  law. And you think the Ukrainians should be embracing that as a route to a decent way of life?

After telling you they would for 15 years and you waved them away with you all being so superior. Now you are backing the Ukrainians even if they are committing suicide. You should have thought about that before not after.

[DeppityDawg]

As a rider to this, the BBC has a video showing Russian tanks breaking down and Russian squaddies moaning about almost everything. According to various grumpy, but usually reliable relatives, military equipment always breaks down and squaddies always moan, but who knows, maybe Auntie is right this time.

What is happening about Kyiv and similar cities? The last time the Russians stormed a major city was when they took Berlin and where they suffered 120,000 casualties. Is that likely to happen this time?

All true to one extent or another. Though what we are watching Borchester, is modern, large scale mobile, armoured warfare. This is something not seen in recent times, we are looking at Brigades, Divisions and even whole Corps fighting over hundreds of miles. Sampanski and I don't always agree, but I think on this occasion he is correct. Encirclement has been a major component of Russian and old Soviet (and Western) tactical doctrine since WW2 - thats probably the fate that awaits Kiev

As for military equipment breaking down etc, yes thats true. But with all this talk of "40 mile columns", its worth pointing out that military equipment uses enormous amounts of fuel, especially tanks. Its unlikely a tank could get more than 50km from its jumping off point without refueling, while in conditions where air superiority is in the balance, those long columns of fuel and ammunition carriers are primary targets. That why these operations appear to move in pulses.

Some western commentators are making the mistake of thinking this means the Russians are "stopped" or are "thinking again". I think its true they have suffered some unexpected reverses, but it would be foolish to believe they are all "crying conscripts" having tea made for them and calling their mums. From western news reports, it appears Russian forward units are about 15km from Kiev. Thats about the standard distance of a concentration area while keeping the objective(s) within artillery and MLRS range

I doubt a room by room assault on Kiev is in their play book, but I wouldn't be writing the Russians off just yet

[Good old]

Nope it is definitely the law, tell lies for an agenda get locked in a Russian jail.

Russia, invaded Ukraine. Russia, is bombing Ukraine. Russia, is shipping high casualties in Ukraine. All true.
Penalty for saying that in Russia.15 years. It's the  law. And you think the Ukrainians should be embracing that as a route to a decent way of life?

[Good old]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1499763642170019846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499763642170019846%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

Can anyone imagine the reaction here if that rate of casualties was inflicted on any British unit. In any of our modern military operations?  It rather looks that Russian losses are pretty high. There  will be a lot of grief in Russia before this is finished.
Don't expect it to have much influence on Putin though.

[johnofgwent]

So we know, you suggest we take out the largest country in the world's leader who has more nuclear weapons and much faster weapons of mass destruction than anything you have produced? what might be the outcome of that then? not like he has said everything is in place just in case. Not like he will do as he says he will do or anything.

So hit him with one of his own chemical weapons. It can't be THAT hard to make it look like a pissed off Russian did it.

[Sheepy]

You would get 15 years in Russia, for telling the truth. No wonder most of their neighbours openly want little to do with them.

Nope it is definitely the law, tell lies for an agenda get locked in a Russian jail. 

[cromwell]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1499763642170019846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499763642170019846%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

[Good old]

It is a crime in Russia if you spread lies about the Military, it is also a crime for the neoliberal media to spread lies. Bye bye neoliberals. 15 years in a Russian prison will seem like a lifetime.

You would get 15 years in Russia, for telling the truth. No wonder most of their neighbours openly want little to do with them.

[T00ts]

The internet does that, make it hard to judge mood.  I may be quite blunt, not one for mincing words, but not necessarily in a bad mood.  I just like getting to the point, and I'm a bit lazy.  😜

That's ok. We're all different. 

[Scott777]

No Bliar wasn't a figurehead,if you think Putin a puppet or figurehead then your knowledge is lacking.....and no Bliar isn't off the hook.

I didn't mean Putin is a puppet.  I'm saying Blair was a puppet.  So, it that not a figurehead?

[Scott777]

Well at least you have cheered up a bit and stopped throwing the insults around. 

The internet does that, make it hard to judge mood.  I may be quite blunt, not one for mincing words, but not necessarily in a bad mood.  I just like getting to the point, and I'm a bit lazy.  😜

[T00ts]

Microsoft and Google join exodus from Russia (msn.com)
I wouldn't bet on it.

I don't bet!  

[Sheepy]

I knew there as a good reason to be grateful for being British. 

Microsoft and Google join exodus from Russia (msn.com)
I wouldn't bet on it. 

[cromwell]

It's debatable.  Was Blair not a figurehead?  What real power did he have, without the corporations and Bush?  I would suggest politicians are puppets.  So does that mean Blair gets off the hook?

No Bliar wasn't a figurehead,if you think Putin a puppet or figurehead then your knowledge is lacking.....and no Bliar isn't off the hook.