Meanwhile. On the Ukrainian border.

[boomerang]

Thats my hope exactly.
How can it be that evil survives time and time again, while peaceful people end up being killed and butchered, by those devils in disguise.

 

[jasst]

A Russian business man living in California has offered $1 Million to any army officer who arrests Putin and charges him with war crimes.

 

[Felonious Crud]

A Russian business man living in California has offered $1 Million to any army officer who arrests Putin and charges him with war crimes.

Getting close enough to Putin to see him without binoculars is a challenge. Have you seen the length of the table he sits at one end of?

Last time I see the odious little ******* was in France. Even on a jumbotron he showed no signs of wanting to play nicely with others.

 

[Scaf]

A Russian business man living in California has offered $1 Million to any army officer who arrests Putin and charges him with war crimes.

I would be happy to help crowd find doubling it.

Seriously though, if it were possible and legal to crowd fund a bounty on his head, it would raise a considerable sum very quickly!

 

[Felonious Crud]

I would be happy to help crowd find doubling it.

Seriously though, if it were possible and legal to crowd fund a bounty on his head, it would raise a considerable sum very quickly!

Possible yes, legal... hmmm... worth it.... **** yes!

In all seriousness, Poobags needs to topple with no outside interference.

 

[GeoffCapes]

There will be military “trainers/advisors” on the ground.......

According to the excellent source I have, there are approximately 10,000 'advisors' from the British Armed Forces there, along with 8,000 from the USA, 3,000 from Italy, 1,000 from Denmark, 2,000 from Germany, 1,000 French and a number of others.

 

[UlstermanAbroad]

According to the excellent source I have, there are approximately 10,000 'advisors' from the British Armed Forces there, along with 8,000 from the USA, 3,000 from Italy, 1,000 from Denmark, 2,000 from Germany, 1,000 French and a number of others.

I seriously doubt that 8,000 people will come from the U.S. Most Americans don't possess a passport.
10,000 would leave our own Armed Forces, seriously undermanned. Considering that each branch is already struggling with recruitment shortages.
Don't forget. There is a risk that this conflict could go nuclear. So, right now, its of paramount importance that we have the necessary units at high readiness.
I don't doubt that there is a mix of nationalities fighting. That's not unusual. There will also be special forces advisors helping the Ukrainians make the most of the kit they already have. Do you think that they suddenly became proficient with Javelin and Stinger by themselves.
The Ukrainians conducted their own, very thorough review of their performance after the 2014 invasion. They've been preparing for a renewed offensive since then and the result of all their planning is what you've been seeing for the last week. What they need is plane loads of Javelins (designed and developed in Belfast btw and Stingers. This is where we've really let them down. We didn't anticipate how quickly they'd exhaust what's already been shipped. But that happens in nearly every conflict.
Putin hasn't helped himself by throwing green conscripts into the conflict as canon fodder. Makes me wonder why and whose decision it was. His, or a general's. It'll be interesting to read about the war in depth by those who directed/fought it, when the dust settles.
What was very nearly the worst act in the war to date. Was of course, the tank round that struck the containment building in the nuclear power plant last night. There are three or four more nuclear power plants, still to be fought over. Some or all with multiple reactors. We're not out of there particular woods yet. Nor would I discount the Russians manufacturing an 'accident' at one of these plants and blaming the Ukrainians. At this stage of proceedings, I'd believe that just about anything is possible.
As far as Putin is concerned. If the flow of Russian dead increases and the real figures get out, then I would expect a severe backlash against Putin. ATMs are empty or shut down across Russia, so the general population is going to start getting restive when their food runs out. However, because Putin's security apparatus has as tight a grip on the populace as in the Soviet era. I believe that either the Army will stage a coup or Medvedev or somebody similar will announce that Putin has succumbed to the stress of managing the conflict and that they have taken over leadership.
I believe that we're in this mess, because we (the West) chose not to hear what the Russians were saying loud and clear, for years. Their foreign minister said this again today or yesterday. That we listen. But we choose not to hear.
This is really a struggle between the US and Russia. Ukraine has been caught in the middle of a great powers struggle. After this conflict ends and assuming that we help Ukraine rebuild. I hope the Ukrainians can forgive us, for misjudging the Russians so badly.

 

[Swedish Paul]

Not wishing to speculate, but Russia would retaliate with ultimate lethality when a dirty bomb goes off in a Russian city. Blamed on the Ukrainians, but home grown. Seen a few films….

 

[midlifecrisis]

According to the excellent source I have, there are approximately 10,000 'advisors' from the British Armed Forces there, along with 8,000 from the USA, 3,000 from Italy, 1,000 from Denmark, 2,000 from Germany, 1,000 French and a number of others.

Excellent source....pull the other one...

 

[Wack61]

401 votes in the russian parliament for the 15 year prison sentence for calling it a war , no votes against , no abstentions

That reminds me of the scene in the death of stalin when they have to vote and nobody wants to go first

 

[dgmx5]

Whilst Wanderer is sorely missed, I am glad he did not have to witness this horror being committed in the name of the Russian people whom I doubt know what is really going on.

 

[Saigon]

I seriously doubt that 8,000 people will come from the U.S. Most Americans don't possess a passport.
10,000 would leave our own Armed Forces, seriously undermanned. Considering that each branch is already struggling with recruitment shortages.
Don't forget. There is a risk that this conflict could go nuclear. So, right now, its of paramount importance that we have the necessary units at high readiness.
I don't doubt that there is a mix of nationalities fighting. That's not unusual. There will also be special forces advisors helping the Ukrainians make the most of the kit they already have. Do you think that they suddenly became proficient with Javelin and Stinger by themselves.
The Ukrainians conducted their own, very thorough review of their performance after the 2014 invasion. They've been preparing for a renewed offensive since then and the result of all their planning is what you've been seeing for the last week. What they need is plane loads of Javelins (designed and developed in Belfast btw and Stingers. This is where we've really let them down. We didn't anticipate how quickly they'd exhaust what's already been shipped. But that happens in nearly every conflict.
Putin hasn't helped himself by throwing green conscripts into the conflict as canon fodder. Makes me wonder why and whose decision it was. His, or a general's. It'll be interesting to read about the war in depth by those who directed/fought it, when the dust settles.
What was very nearly the worst act in the war to date. Was of course, the tank round that struck the containment building in the nuclear power plant last night. There are three or four more nuclear power plants, still to be fought over. Some or all with multiple reactors. We're not out of there particular woods yet. Nor would I discount the Russians manufacturing an 'accident' at one of these plants and blaming the Ukrainians. At this stage of proceedings, I'd believe that just about anything is possible.
As far as Putin is concerned. If the flow of Russian dead increases and the real figures get out, then I would expect a severe backlash against Putin. ATMs are empty or shut down across Russia, so the general population is going to start getting restive when their food runs out. However, because Putin's security apparatus has as tight a grip on the populace as in the Soviet era. I believe that either the Army will stage a coup or Medvedev or somebody similar will announce that Putin has succumbed to the stress of managing the conflict and that they have taken over leadership.
I believe that we're in this mess, because we (the West) chose not to hear what the Russians were saying loud and clear, for years. Their foreign minister said this again today or yesterday. That we listen. But we choose not to hear.
This is really a struggle between the US and Russia. Ukraine has been caught in the middle of a great powers struggle. After this conflict ends and assuming that we help Ukraine rebuild. I hope the Ukrainians can forgive us, for misjudging the Russians so badly.

We have to be realistic, Putin is not a one man band sitting at the end of a huge table. He obviously has both military and political support who agree with what he is doing. He could not continue along these inhuman lines if he was alone. He is both supported and protected. Not by the Russians in the street, but by those who are also untouchable. Russia has really shown the world what it is prepared to do without any real fear of retribution. We are not misjudging them at present, we are being cautious for the time being. No one wants the potential Nuclear war, and that is what they have banked on. Once he has taken Ukraine, which unfortunately he will, and proved that those tactics work, what’s next. I’m sure the powers that be (World wide) are also considering those possibilities. “ We did it once and got away with it” a very frightening scenario.

 

[D Walker]

According to the excellent source I have, there are approximately 10,000 'advisors' from the British Armed Forces there, along with 8,000 from the USA, 3,000 from Italy, 1,000 from Denmark, 2,000 from Germany, 1,000 French and a number of others.

I am going to say rubbish. Sorry. I agree with
Ulstermanabroad.

 

[GeoffCapes]

I am going to say rubbish. Sorry. I agree with
Ulstermanabroad.

Was my view initially. However, there do seem to be a lot less Gurkha’s around where I live at the moment.
Perhaps they’re all on exercises somewhere else at the moment.

 

[UlstermanAbroad]

We have to be realistic, Putin is not a one man band sitting at the end of a huge table. He obviously has both military and political support who agree with what he is doing. He could not continue along these inhuman lines if he was alone. He is both supported and protected. Not by the Russians in the street, but by those who are also untouchable. Russia has really shown the world what it is prepared to do without any real fear of retribution. We are not misjudging them at present, we are being cautious for the time being. No one wants the potential Nuclear war, and that is what they have banked on. Once he has taken Ukraine, which unfortunately he will, and proved that those tactics work, what’s next. I’m sure the powers that be (World wide) are also considering those possibilities. “ We did it once and got away with it” a very frightening scenario.

Military and political support? Not necessarily. I'll give you an example of how the Russian state operates now.
16-year-old Nikita Uvarov from Siberia, was given a fifteen year prison sentence in a penal colony aka gulag
for planning to blow up the Kremlin. He was convicted under Putin's recently enacted law, whereby you can be
imprisoned for future crimes that the evidence suggests you may commit.
Only, the kicker is. Nikita did this in Minecraft. Nikita lives in Kansk. A city I'd never heard of. Several times further
away from Moscow, than it is to the Northern Pacific. Nikita was convicted by a military tribunal. So, his sentence
was predetermined. The irony.
In another case. A grandmother hung a bedsheet with stop the war written on it, from the balcony of her high rise flat in Moscow. Some part of the state security apparatus came for her within hours and nobody has heard from her since.
Both these incidents occurred in the last fortnight.
Putin has a small group of friends that he's known since his school days, in key positions in his administration or who control the largest enterprises. Like Rosneft. These are the only people he trusts and they will probably go down with the ship.
Everyone else in Russia, including the oligarchs, he rules by fear. Nobody is untouchable. He's demonstrated that he'll do whatever it takes to silence former friends that he's fallen out with. The US completely misjudged Putin.
The Obama administration referred to Russia as a regional power and did the famous pivot to the east. Since 1991 and his telephone call from Dresden to Moscow Centre, he has bided his time until he judged the US, NATO and the EU weak enough, that he could move to secure the southern flank of the old Soviet empire and humiliate all three of the above.
Right now, the Baltic states are screaming that they're next, partly because of Kaliningrad being a ready-made pretext next to Belarus. I think, Georgia has a stronger case to be worried. As does Moldova.
I honestly don't believe that he'd miscalculate so much as to discount the threat of a hot war, should he invade
a NATO state. Not having just installed a puppet government in Ukraine. If he manages that.
NATO would have to invoke Article 5, or it and the US would be finished as the guarantors of peace, anywhere in the world.
America must cripple Russia for a generation. Whether it has the political will to or not, is another question.
Why must it? Because as soon as it feels it overmatches the US military enough, China will challenge the US in the South China Sea and I would say that that is almost guaranteed to be a hot war.

 

[UlstermanAbroad]

Was my view initially. However, there do seem to be a lot less Gurkha’s around where I live at the moment.
Perhaps they’re all on exercises somewhere else at the moment.

There are three battalions in the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR). 1 is always in Brunei. Currently its 2RGR. One is based in Kent (1RGR) and a new battalion, 3RGR is based in Aldershot. Either 1 or 3 RGR is now part of 16 Air Assault Brigade (my old unit) which fulfils the role of the Army's rapid readiness/deployment unit. I forget exactly what its called.
I believe they're in the Baltic States and / or Poland. The Brigade of Gurkhas is made up of the above, plus other specialist units, like Signals etc etc

 

[Wack61]

Joe Biden must be as terrifying to the white house as trump was when they gave him a microphone

He condemned Putin in his state of the Union speech then went off piste with the final remarks being "god bless our troops , go get em"

I bet the scriptwriter had his head in his hands , they've spent the last 2 days saying no that's not what he meant .

 

[GeoffCapes]

There are three battalions in the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR). 1 is always in Brunei. Currently its 2RGR. One is based in Kent (1RGR) and a new battalion, 3RGR is based in Aldershot. Either 1 or 3 RGR is now part of 16 Air Assault Brigade (my old unit) which fulfils the role of the Army's rapid readiness/deployment unit. I forget exactly what its called.
I believe they're in the Baltic States and / or Poland. The Brigade of Gurkhas is made up of the above, plus other specialist units, like Signals etc etc

I’m in Kent so 1RGR is ‘on exercises’ then.
maybe…..

 

[UlstermanAbroad]

I’m in Kent so 1RGR is ‘on exercises’ then.
maybe…..

In the Forces, you spend a lot of time training for your next deployment. You have to be 'battle ready' when you deploy. No time for learning curves. 1st Battalion might be in Eastern Europe. They are. Kosovo. On a humanitarian mission.

 

[CatmanV2]

Joe Biden must be as terrifying to the white house as trump was when they gave him a microphone

He condemned Putin in his state of the Union speech then went off piste with the final remarks being "god bless our troops , go get em"

I bet the scriptwriter had his head in his hands , they've spent the last 2 days saying no that's not what he meant .

Ahhh, but Biden was talking about the Iranians

C