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This is well worth a read. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/28/world-war-iii-already-there-00012340
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Meanwhile. On the Ukrainian border.
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Wack61
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Looks like helicopters are now the most dangerous jobs in the military
Operation orbital , how the British army has been training the UA
www.forces.net
Operation orbital , how the British army has been training the UA
Operation Orbital: The UK's mission in Ukraine explained
Under Operation Orbital, the UK trained the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Wack61
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NEXTA (@nexta_tv) Tweeted:
⚡️ Bellingcat investigator Christo Grozev says that #Russia has resources left for the war until Sunday, after which they will collapse.
Also next week, Russia is facing sanctions, the scale of which “we have not seen before”, and they will also affect Putin
⚡️ Bellingcat investigator Christo Grozev says that #Russia has resources left for the war until Sunday, after which they will collapse.
Also next week, Russia is facing sanctions, the scale of which “we have not seen before”, and they will also affect Putin
UlstermanAbroad
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I'm not long up and I've just been watching the BBC news channel. First, to see if there's been a nuclear 'incident'. Because even for the tiny village where I live. It's as quiet as during the first lockdown. When we all thought we were living in some kind of apocalypse movie. As I was making my bed, I was thinking. What does the rest of the world know, that I don't yet know.
Then I saw a report from the US. Saying that an agency was using a satellite to detect increased radiation at the site of yesterday's battle for the nuclear plant, but had detected no raised levels. I thought. Phew. Another day without this war going nuclear.
Then I sat down over my first coffee and switched on the BBC news channel to see reports of trains arriving at Polish and Hungarian railway stations, full of women and children. Trains arriving as frequently as rush hour commuter trains in London. The sight of bewildered mothers and children, exhausted, hungry, scared and with few belongings, if any.
Reminded me of similar trains. Cattle cars though. Arriving as fast as the Nazis could organise them. Emptying most of Europe of it's Jewish population.
And I thought. The only difference between then and now. Is that there aren't gas chambers and crematoriums waiting at the end of the journey. It struck me then. Because often, I'm not the sharpest tool in the box. That Putin's plan is to empty Ukraine of as many Ukrainians as possible, so that only the ethnic Russians are left. He will leave a heavy military presence to ensure his puppet government survives and slowly wind down their presence in the country. Maybe, he'll look at Georgia next. And Moldova. Maybe Finland. What's to stop him.
I'm feeling very angry. Very depressed. Very frustrated, sitting here right at the opposite end of Europe.
What we're witnessing is murder on an industrial scale. When the Russians use heavy artillery, tanks, air power, multiple rocket systems, Firing at high rise blocks of flats. Or wiping out whole villages. This is genocide. Ethnic cleansing. War crimes. Crimes against humanity. The only things there aren't so far. Are gas chambers and crematoria.
When you walk through the black iron gates, above which is the phrase that we all know so well now, Arbeit Macht Frei and onwards around the old red brick buildings in Auschwitz. In between these buildings, that housed prisoners of various nationalities each are cobbled courtyards. Each about seventy yards long. In one, you can see fresh flowers. Many bunches of them. Against the brick wall at the opposite end. And they draw you in.
The closer you walk to the end of the courtyard, the more you can make out. Lit candles set into the walls, above the flowers. And a plaque. Set into the wall at about head height. In Polish and German and in English it says something like, "Against this wall, 400,000 people, from all across Europe, were shot dead." Or words to that effect. It hits you like a freight train. Barely forty something years before. On this spot, where you're standing. Almost half a million people died. Looking at this red brick wall. From a distance. You wouldn't see where all the thousands upon thousands of rounds have hit the wall. After exiting the falling, dying bodies. Auschwitz is like that.
One horrifying, numbing shock after another. There used to only be a little café outside the gates. Where you could get tea, coffee and a few snack and sweets. Which was kind of surreal in itself. My girlfriend had wisely waited for me there. Not wanting to witness first hand, what was inside the camp. All I can recall of the next half hour or so, was that I sat down at a table, alone in the café and I cried and cried and cried. I think I was trying to expunge everything that I'd ingested, walking around the camp, by myself. I'd imagined beforehand, that having seen may bodies up close, of all types, in Northern Ireland before then, that I'd be sufficiently inured to this kind of thing. How wrong I was. And I knew. That what I experienced was nothing, compared to actually being there, forty years previously. This feels like another, pivotal moment in our history. And one where we do not cover ourselves in glory.
On BBC news this morning, I saw reporters interviewing British and American volunteer fighters, at the Polish border. Most seemed to have no experience of what they're getting themselves into. Boy are they in for a rude awakening!
Then I saw a report from the US. Saying that an agency was using a satellite to detect increased radiation at the site of yesterday's battle for the nuclear plant, but had detected no raised levels. I thought. Phew. Another day without this war going nuclear.
Then I sat down over my first coffee and switched on the BBC news channel to see reports of trains arriving at Polish and Hungarian railway stations, full of women and children. Trains arriving as frequently as rush hour commuter trains in London. The sight of bewildered mothers and children, exhausted, hungry, scared and with few belongings, if any.
Reminded me of similar trains. Cattle cars though. Arriving as fast as the Nazis could organise them. Emptying most of Europe of it's Jewish population.
And I thought. The only difference between then and now. Is that there aren't gas chambers and crematoriums waiting at the end of the journey. It struck me then. Because often, I'm not the sharpest tool in the box. That Putin's plan is to empty Ukraine of as many Ukrainians as possible, so that only the ethnic Russians are left. He will leave a heavy military presence to ensure his puppet government survives and slowly wind down their presence in the country. Maybe, he'll look at Georgia next. And Moldova. Maybe Finland. What's to stop him.
I'm feeling very angry. Very depressed. Very frustrated, sitting here right at the opposite end of Europe.
What we're witnessing is murder on an industrial scale. When the Russians use heavy artillery, tanks, air power, multiple rocket systems, Firing at high rise blocks of flats. Or wiping out whole villages. This is genocide. Ethnic cleansing. War crimes. Crimes against humanity. The only things there aren't so far. Are gas chambers and crematoria.
When you walk through the black iron gates, above which is the phrase that we all know so well now, Arbeit Macht Frei and onwards around the old red brick buildings in Auschwitz. In between these buildings, that housed prisoners of various nationalities each are cobbled courtyards. Each about seventy yards long. In one, you can see fresh flowers. Many bunches of them. Against the brick wall at the opposite end. And they draw you in.
The closer you walk to the end of the courtyard, the more you can make out. Lit candles set into the walls, above the flowers. And a plaque. Set into the wall at about head height. In Polish and German and in English it says something like, "Against this wall, 400,000 people, from all across Europe, were shot dead." Or words to that effect. It hits you like a freight train. Barely forty something years before. On this spot, where you're standing. Almost half a million people died. Looking at this red brick wall. From a distance. You wouldn't see where all the thousands upon thousands of rounds have hit the wall. After exiting the falling, dying bodies. Auschwitz is like that.
One horrifying, numbing shock after another. There used to only be a little café outside the gates. Where you could get tea, coffee and a few snack and sweets. Which was kind of surreal in itself. My girlfriend had wisely waited for me there. Not wanting to witness first hand, what was inside the camp. All I can recall of the next half hour or so, was that I sat down at a table, alone in the café and I cried and cried and cried. I think I was trying to expunge everything that I'd ingested, walking around the camp, by myself. I'd imagined beforehand, that having seen may bodies up close, of all types, in Northern Ireland before then, that I'd be sufficiently inured to this kind of thing. How wrong I was. And I knew. That what I experienced was nothing, compared to actually being there, forty years previously. This feels like another, pivotal moment in our history. And one where we do not cover ourselves in glory.
On BBC news this morning, I saw reporters interviewing British and American volunteer fighters, at the Polish border. Most seemed to have no experience of what they're getting themselves into. Boy are they in for a rude awakening!
Church of Noise
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@UlstermanAbroad , thank you for your very interesting points to this topic.
Sadly, I share your emotions as to what's happening in Ukraine. The dictator Putin (because that is what he is) seems indeed to be emptying the country of Ukranians, to expand his area of influence. Rarely have I been so touched by what's happening in the world, and as you, I feel a strong sense of anger, sadness and frustration - rarely have I felt that a situation was unfair to the extent of this.
We're currently on our way back from visiting my partner's family in the east of the Czech Republic, and there are quite a lot of cars with UA license plates. I am happy that these people have made it to safety, and at the same time I can't help but think of those who aren't.
It is incomprehensible that this is happening in 2022. We have come so far as a society, in development, and still sh*t like this happens. And all for what?
Sadly, I share your emotions as to what's happening in Ukraine. The dictator Putin (because that is what he is) seems indeed to be emptying the country of Ukranians, to expand his area of influence. Rarely have I been so touched by what's happening in the world, and as you, I feel a strong sense of anger, sadness and frustration - rarely have I felt that a situation was unfair to the extent of this.
We're currently on our way back from visiting my partner's family in the east of the Czech Republic, and there are quite a lot of cars with UA license plates. I am happy that these people have made it to safety, and at the same time I can't help but think of those who aren't.
It is incomprehensible that this is happening in 2022. We have come so far as a society, in development, and still sh*t like this happens. And all for what?
midlifecrisis
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Can't help feel that Moldova is truly next.
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Colleagues there are (literally) packed and ready to flee.
Wack61
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Looks like the Russians are getting serious , the Ukrainians have shot a cruise missile down , a Estonia registered cargo ship has been sunk off Odessa and the US has admitted they've been providing the Ukraine with intelligence from AWACS aircraft
Amongst other things reported here
Amongst other things reported here
TikTok - Make Your Day
vm.tiktok.com
GeoffCapes
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The general feeling is that the Russians are running out of equipment and have next to no logistical support. Hence these huge convoys which have ground to a halt.
Wack61
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This war has taken over tiktok , instant videos to a global audience , just watching some Ukrainians unboxing captured russian rations , expired 2015 , apart from the nuclear threat they have a vastly under equipped army fighting people with everything to fight for.
At the start I though Ukraine had no chance of winning but now.....
At the start I though Ukraine had no chance of winning but now.....
Scaf
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I think the videos that “speak for themselves” can be very informative, I am less impressed by the self appointed tictok and Facebook news channels that are likely to share misinformation either deliberately or inadvertently. Having said that, official news channels are highly politicised so can be equally misleading.
The only hope of Thai particular war ending anytime soon, will be for one of Putin’s sidekicks to oust him.
The only hope of Thai particular war ending anytime soon, will be for one of Putin’s sidekicks to oust him.
P5Nij
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There's a continuing drip feed of info in various places on the huge convoy north / west of Kyiv saying that that they are being hampered by failing batteries, a lack of fuel and serious problems with the sub standard tyres on certain vehicles, plus the rumour that the Ukrainians have allegedly flooded some of the land either side of the road leaving the convoy with nowhere to go, it all seems to add up.
midlifecrisis
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Dodgy batteries and dodgy tyres ...sounds like the Great Russian Army need to read up on Sportsmaserati more often.
CatmanV2
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Opinion that we might hope is well informed on the mainstream media indicates that we have 'no idea how many days' fuel and food rations they were issued, but it's likely to be rather less than whatever day we're on now.....'
C
Saigon
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We may gloat at certain things, and it does feel good in the short term, but both unfortunately and realistically the more frustrated he gets the more brutal and inhuman he will become. And he is prepared to push the boundaries to the very limit. As I have said before it’s not just him, otherwise he would have been sidelined or gone by now. It’s impossible for one man without the necessary support to do this. Not the support of the majority of the Russian public, but none the less sufficient support where it counts. Hopefully that will change, but I can’t help thinking those supporters close to him are as mad and single minded as he is. Once Poland start supplying aircraft, which will be back fed by US aircraft, he is going to throw a wobbler (is wobbler a real word ?) Whatever, he will then try and blame everyone else to justify his his response.
midlifecrisis
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MarkMas might throw a wobbler if it's not a real word, but I think it is. It's also the military slang name for Warsteiner beer.
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