urbanSTL

Another thing that is just mind boggling is the quality of the supplies and equipment the Russian soldiers have been sent with. 

There have been several images posted on the internet that show Russian soldiers carrying food that expired back in 2015. 

That said, Russia claims they have lost just 500 soldiers. I don't believe them. 

They're going in with tanks from 1987-1989....half the soldiers are purposely sabotaging the equipment and walking back to Russia because they dont want to fight.   

 Should be interesting to see what happens next,  if US Intelligence is to be believed (and theyve been right about everything about this war)  Putins goal was to quickly get to Kyiv (within 48 hours) and install a puppet.  Well its now going into week 2,  he will have to level half of kyiv to take it and and you cant install a puppet when entire country hates you for killing 10,000-100,000 civilians.    KGB did polling in early feb to see public opinion of Ukrainian president, he was at 27-30% so they went in thinking people will want our guy.....he's now supported by 91% of people.     

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Mar 02, 2022

They're going in with tanks from 1987-1989....half the soldiers are purposely sabotaging the equipment and walking back to Russia because they dont want to fight.   

 Should be interesting to see what happens next,  if US Intelligence is to be believed (and theyve been right about everything about this war)  Putins goal was to quickly get to Kyiv (within 48 hours) and install a puppet.  Well its now going into week 2,  he will have to level half of kyiv to take it and and you cant install a puppet when entire country hates you for killing 10,000-100,000 civilians.    KGB did polling in early feb to see public opinion of Ukrainian president, he was at 27-30% so they went in thinking people will want our guy.....he's now supported by 91% of people.     

If only there were some recent examples showing that regime change by military invasion can be extremely difficult or that polling data cannot always be relied upon....

I KNOW 2015
Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe Has it gotten less corrupt since ? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/feb/04/welcome-to-the-most-corrupt-nation-in-europe-ukraine

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

Mar 02, 2022

They're going in with tanks from 1987-1989....half the soldiers are purposely sabotaging the equipment and walking back to Russia because they dont want to fight.   

 Should be interesting to see what happens next,  if US Intelligence is to be believed (and theyve been right about everything about this war)  Putins goal was to quickly get to Kyiv (within 48 hours) and install a puppet.  Well its now going into week 2,  he will have to level half of kyiv to take it and and you cant install a puppet when entire country hates you for killing 10,000-100,000 civilians.    KGB did polling in early feb to see public opinion of Ukrainian president, he was at 27-30% so they went in thinking people will want our guy.....he's now supported by 91% of people.     

Yeah, I saw that there are U.S. reports that Russian soldiers are quite literally punching holes in the gas tanks of military vehicles. Could be part of the reason as for why there is such a traffic jam in the Russian convoy. Another reason is that they are going through very rural areas and the terrain isn't in optimal condition for tanks due to the season. 

Snow is coming to Ukraine and Russia in the next few days, another thing that might really hamper the Russian operation. I was seeing in one report that Kyiv may get 8" and parts of southern Russia 10"-30". 

I'd take the 6,000 dead Russians figure with a pretty big grain of salt. I have no doubt they've suffered catastrophic losses, but that number just seems absurdly improbable. Russia is claiming only 500 of theirs have died, and Ukraine is claiming that more than 7,000 Russian soldiers have died. Obviously both sides have deeply vested interests in public perceptions aligning with their claims. The New York Times cited a Pentagon estimate of around 1,500 dead on each side of the conflict as of March 1st. My guess is that the Russians are significantly underestimating their casualty totals and the Ukrainians are significantly overestimating them. If the Pentagon March 1st estimate is correct, that would still represent an enormous loss of life in a very short period of time, especially when compared to U.S. casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In any event, it's clear that none of this is going the way Vlad wanted it to go, and any ultimate "win" he might achieve is going to come at an unfathomable cost to his nation.

But what after that?  Please remember that this is NOT about the Ukraine, this is about the entire future security architecture of Europe.
I will just say this: while, no, Russia won’t invade the EU or even Poland, the Russian war to push back NATO has only begun, it will last MANY MONTHS so be prepared for this.  MONTHS.
https://thesaker.is/one-week-into-the-russian-special-operation-in-the-ukraine-update/

Putin says he and the Russians will not be backing down and that the worst is to come. He said this to French president Emmanuel Macron.

Five vile things Trump did to Zelensky and Ukraine that you forgot about

1. Spread propaganda about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election
As early as 2017, Trump began voicing the conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 presidential election. This was one of the things Trump pressured Zelensky to “investigate” while withholding military aid.
It’s complete nonsense, and crucially, it echoed Russian propaganda that had a geopolitical purpose. Putin himself reportedly put this idea in Trump’s head. And Fiona Hill, then a top national security official, testified that this propaganda helped Russia by deflecting attention from Russia’s own interference in 2016 and by dividing the United States from an ally.
And don’t forget: At the time, some Republican lawmakers lent support to Trump’s lie about Ukraine, thus advancing “Russian interests,” as Hill put it.
2. Ousted the well-regarded U.S. ambassador to Ukraine
Trump pushed out Marie Yovanovitch in 2019, after his lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani mounted a smear campaign against her. Yovanovitch was perceived as disloyal to Trump.
Here again the move apparently advanced Russia’s geopolitical interests at Ukraine’s expense. As the House impeachment report details, it hampered the United States’ ability to develop relations with Ukraine amid a “period of transition” — Zelensky was then a new president — and amid efforts to fend off Russian aggression.
3. Froze military assistance to Ukraine
Well before extorting Zelensky, Trump alarmed officials by freezing military aid to Ukraine that Congress had appropriated, but without meaningful policy justification. Crucially, officials subsequently testified that granting this aid was important in dissuading Russian aggression, which would be in European and U.S. interests.
4. Withheld a White House meeting from Zelensky
In 2019, Trump communicated in various ways to Zelensky that a much-sought-after White House meeting would be conditioned on doing his corrupt dirt-digging on Joe Biden.
Numerous high level officials later testified that this meeting was critical to Zelensky. It would grant him prestige and send an international message that the United States was siding with Ukraine against Russian aggression.
5. Turned Ukraine policy over to Giuliani
This was one of the most shocking subplots: Trump repeatedly instructed Zelensky to contact Giuliani to discuss what Zelensky would be required to do to please Trump. Giuliani’s circumvention of national security protocols deeply alarmed officials.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/01/vindman-zelensky-ukraine-putin/

I'd also add the troop reductions in Germany and other NATO states.  Just what Mr. Putin was looking for.

before/after https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60610840

It would be a good thing if some decent Russians decided to take out Vladimir Putin right about now.

And there's a Russian businessman who is publicly offering $1 million to anybody who is willing to do it.

Someone is “shipping these on the Frisco.
”

That's not very uncommon to see on that line, fwiw.  I wouldn't try to connect the dots with Russia.

So Biden cut off Russian oil imports a few hours ago, which was absolutely the right call. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), gas prices have soared today because of it. Gas Buddy is indicating an average price for regular between $3.80-4.00/gallon around the metro area right now.

I think gas prices are only going to continue to go up from here. Wouldn't shock me if we hit $6.00 - $7.00 a gallon at some point in the summer.  

I applaud Biden for making this move. 

RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑

Mar 08, 2022

I think gas prices are only going to continue to go up from here. Wouldn't shock me if we hit $6.00 - $7.00 a gallon at some point in the summer.  

If it does, you can probably expect the cost of everything else to skyrocket as well. It doesn't just impact car owners, it impacts everyone who depends on internal combustion vehicles to transport anything they intend to buy. Which is everyone.

Jerks

CNN - World's largest plane destroyed in Ukraine

https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/antonov- ... index.html

^That is both beautiful and deeply haunting. I have to love some good railroad photography anyway (and I love the intimate, everyday life sorts of shots that your average railfan usually doesn't bother with). And the trains remind me a bit of trains I've taken in Vietnam, thanks to the decoration and the general style of the cars. And the stations remind me of Germany or Switzerland in the 90s. But man . . . the poignancy of so many children and the baggage of so many lives displaced. My hat is off to the crews and the work they are doing. God speed to them all. Clear signals and smooth track to them.

The West has made a snap judgment about who is responsible for the massacre at the Ukrainian town of Bucha