World War III

[ChezCheese:)]

Wow! Russian soldiers can simply refuse to go, because technically it's not an actual war.

‘They were furious’: the Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine

Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war

www.theguardian.com

 

[Mulezen]

^Not exactly
Read This: "Russian Troops Fed Up With ‘Old Nutjob’ Putin Vanish After Bizarre ‘Tribunal’ "
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russi...old-nutjob-putin-punished-in-tribunal?via=ios
Perhaps that is why Russia’s military leadership reportedly sent in a general with a brutal reputation to bring soldiers in line.

“Well, Muradov arrived and arranged a demonstrative tribunal,” one purported Russian soldier told his friend in what Ukraine’s Security Service said was another intercepted phone conversation between troops.

The general’s full name was not revealed in the recording, but the men appeared to be referring to Rustam Muradov, a lieutenant general and the deputy commander of the Southern Military District, known for overseeing fierce fighting in Syria. Muradov has also been personally sanctioned by the European Union in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine.

According to the unnamed soldier in the recording, Muradov was sent in to crack down on his unit because “no one wanted to keep going ahead.”
The commanders didn’t want to lead their boys to death. The guys themselves just weren’t ready. So yesterday [Muradov] busted the f*ck out of the commanders to make an example, he undressed them, made them pull everything out of their pockets, tied their hands. Then they loaded them into [buses] and took them away,” he said.

No further details were provided by Ukrainian intelligence on when the intercepted conversation took place, or what unit the soldier belonged to.

Accounts of fed-up soldiers with low morale have multiplied exponentially since Putin launched his “special military operation” in late February, with troops routinely complaining of faulty equipment and lack of leadership.

One of the Russian soldiers sent into Ukraine at the start of the invasion told BBC’s Russian service that he and others had been duped by the military leadership into believing they were only partaking in military drills, a common claim among troops.

In an interview published Thursday, Sergei Bokov said he had been sent to a field camp along the border with Ukraine at the beginning of February under the guise of taking part in drills.

 

[Handlebars]

Anyone who reads reports from both sides and has a brain, laughs at the BBC.
Reading what the Canadian guy who some think is the top rated sniper in the world, says, after his return from Ukraine, is probably being lent a slightly better perspective. He wanted to help, but he had to pack it in because Ukraine forces are such an absurd mess.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wonder whether the troll has already got his washing machine and a TV set from Putin.

 

[Mike_V]

Each and Every Day payment is complete
______________________________________________ =
One Billion ( One Thousand Million ) US $ for OIL and GAS

X has A billion dollars each day for his war.

Budget rising past $30 Billion a month ( high prices ) and soon to be supplemented by Billions in Rubles.

 

[Handlebars]

A Canadian tells what is going on

 

[Mulezen]

I saw today that a Russian ship carrying Ukraine grain was turned away from a few ports until greed sold their war booty

 

[Handlebars]

Russia wants the Russian-speaking areas and Poland wants the Polish-speaking areas.

 

[Taylor57]

I saw today that a Russian ship carrying Ukraine grain was turned away from a few ports until greed sold their war booty

Until greed sold their war booty? Huh?

 

[Mulezen]

Well…until a low price over came the reluctance of the purchaser

 

[indianajo]

Until greed sold their war booty? Huh?

Cnn.com said the grain ship loaded at Sebatopol was rejected at Lebanon, but accepted at Syria. Bashear Assad is Vladimir Putin south.

 

[mclewis1]

Cnn.com said the grain ship loaded at Sebatopol was rejected at Lebanon, but accepted at Syria. Bashear Assad is Vladimir Putin south.

I believe it was even offered to Egypt as well. There's going to be a lot of pressure on a bunch of middle eastern governments to accept cheap available grains. Empty bellies make a good starting point for revolutions. If the west was smart there would be a strong program to help feed the millions in need and perhaps in doing so quietly help to stabilize a bunch of governments while everyone has their eyes on the disaster in Ukraine.

On another somewhat related note. I wish there was more emphasis on this point of view ...

Estonia’s President Alar Karis emphasized NATO’s defence character after Finland moves towards membership: “NATO is a defensive alliance. Moscow’s attempts to portray NATO enlargement as offensive are just fruits of their own failure to live at peace with neighbours”

 

[Cowlitz]

I believe it was even offered to Egypt as well. There's going to be a lot of pressure on a bunch of middle eastern governments to accept cheap available grains. Empty bellies make a good starting point for revolutions. If the west was smart there would be a strong program to help feed the millions in need and perhaps in doing so quietly help to stabilize a bunch of governments while everyone has their eyes on the disaster in Ukraine.

On another somewhat related note. I wish there was more emphasis on this point of view ...

Estonia’s President Alar Karis emphasized NATO’s defence character after Finland moves towards membership: “NATO is a defensive alliance. Moscow’s attempts to portray NATO enlargement as offensive are just fruits of their own failure to live at peace with neighbours”

I think, for wheat, we are off to a good start here in Warshington. We are having rains about once a week here in the dry part, and the winter wheat is planted in the fall and likes rain this time of the year. We also had a pretty good snow cover, which is also favorable. From what I hear, the problem may be fertilizer availability and price.

The bad news is that we are having rain and cold weather while fruit trees are in bloom. I heard the orchard fans running again this morning.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I am entertained by the Ukrainians referring to the invading Russians as "Orcs". Gotta love a Tolkien reference.

It seems the Russians are rapidly withdrawing from around Kharkiv. Which bodes poorly for their prospects in the near future and puts the Ukrainians in a good position to block off their supply lines to the south. If the Ukrainians capture (or are even able to hit with long-range artillery) a town and important road junction called Kup'yans'k the Russians to the south are in an ugly position. Well, uglier.

Another place to watch is the towns (actually small cities of around 100,000 people) of Severodonetsk and Lysychans'k. The Russians have been maneuvering to trap a pocket of Ukrainians defending those two cities for weeks. The recent reports of the destroyed Russian pontoon bridge and loss of many vehicles and Orcs was just to the northwest of there. This is probably the key battle in this region right now and at the moment it could go either way.

Long-range artillery from western countries is starting to appear at the front and also appears to be making a big difference. You need to keep in mind that Russia still has a lot more artillery and a lot more artillery shells than the western countries are sending to Ukraine. This is balanced by the fact that the new Ukrainian weapons have longer range, are generally more accurate, and have better targeting. Whether this will make a decisive difference for the Ukrainians remains to be seen, but it isn't making the bad situation the Russians are facing any better.

I suspect but do not know for certain that the Ukrainian are holding back some of their new toys until they can deploy enough of them in one place decisively beat the Russians.

Pet peeve: A lot of the TV "military analysts", as experienced as they are, don't seem to bother with reading maps. The terrain in eastern Ukraine is, yes, more open than the country north of Kiev but it is by no means like Kansas or Nebraska. From the satellite images it is more like central Wisconsin or southern Indiana. There are lots of open areas, yes, but also many forested areas, substantial towns and small cities, and a lot of rivers. A quick survey of Google maps also shows that the road network is much sparser than you'd expect for the population density, and a quick glance at Google Street View shows you that most of those roads are very modest.

 

[Mulezen]

Read This: "‘Let Someone Whack You’: Russian Troops Are Now Deliberately Wounding Themselves to Get Out of Putin’s War "
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russi...g-themselves-to-get-out-of-putins-war?via=ios

Nearly 90 days into Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russian troopshave apparently become so demoralized and desperate to quit they’ve begun deliberately injuring themselves.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate on Saturday released audio of what it said was an intercepted call revealing the batshit new trend.

A man identified as a Russian soldier in an air assault brigade based in Ukraine’s Kherson region can be heard venting his frustrations to his mother and explaining why he wants to abandon the fight.
“Why would they [the Ukrainians] surrender? We’re on their land,” the soldier tells his mother. “This won’t end anytime soon. What the hell do I need this for? At 20 years old… I’m not at all interested in Ukraine. I need to come back and resign,” he says.

His astonished mother asks why there are no Russian troops in Ukraine determined to continue the fight for the sake of “patriotism,” but the soldier, Nikita, just scoffs.

“I had a commander… who shot himself in the leg just to get out of here. And that was in the very beginning! What is there to talk about? He served in Chechnya.”

His shocked mother goes on to argue that someone must “defend Russia” to stop the West from attacking, echoing the Kremlin narrative dominant on Russia’s state-controlled news that Putin’s war was launched to stop an imminent NATO assault.

“They will just kill us all, it’ll be World War Four and Russia will lose!” she declares.

 

[indianajo]

Long-range artillery from western countries is starting to appear at the front and also appears to be making a big difference. You need to keep in mind that Russia still has a lot more artillery and a lot more artillery shells than the western countries are sending to Ukraine. This is balanced by the fact that the new Ukrainian weapons have longer range, are generally more accurate, and have better targeting. Whether this will make a decisive difference for the Ukrainians remains to be seen, but it isn't making the bad situation the Russians are facing any better.

I suspect but do not know for certain that the Ukrainian are holding back some of their new toys until they can deploy enough of them in one place decisively beat the Russians.

Pet peeve: A lot of the TV "military analysts", as experienced as they are, don't seem to bother with reading maps.

I thought I was doing something by finding a rail map of Ukraine Thursday. That proves my post 237 was silly. There is a whole 'nother rail line from the north on the east boundary of Ukraine. Remember Russia doesn't move freight on highways in 18 wheelers. They move freight on rail, except for the military trucks that actually bring the ammo & fuel the last 30 miles. I don't even see any use of pallets. Forklifts are US massive logistics edge, right out to 5 miles from the FEBA.
Good intelligence (think camera drones) plus indirect fire (artillery or grad rockets) that outrange the enemy is a powerful combination. Good plan of US & Germany to send 155 howitzers, not the medium range 105's. The 105 can shoot 20 miles but the rocket round is about $10000.
The Russians burn trainloads of ammo knocking down towns and apartment blocks. The Ukrainians use ammo to kill military targets. Finally some good news. All I ever saw on dw or bbcnews the first month of the war was home guards with automatic rifles. Roadblocks, Pah! The second month, a few jaguars & UK man portable missiles, carried by teams in SUV's & vans. The dw & bbcnews are careful not to disclose the important facts like military positions, but the Ukrainians are starting to announce towns they have taken from retreating Russians.
A lot of military pundits I've seen on TV retired as Majors or Lt Colonels. Which says something about their competence. I never met a General of limited skills. I learned a couple of important lessons from Generals, and one was smart enough to use my special tech skills to the Division's advantage. Twice.

 

[Deacon Blues]

If Russia continues to do poorly in Ukraine I wonder if Putin will resort to using tactical nukes. Sounds insane, but with Putin anything is possible.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Look at 3:38...

 

[Cowlitz]

And today, more real rain over here on the dry side. The wheat should be quite happy.

 

[Handlebars]

Look at 3:38...

the brainwashed are easy prey