The Ukraine war thread
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"Norilsk is home to one of the largest nickel and palladium deposits in the world. These minerals are considered to be strategic resources and are therefore closely monitored and controlled by the Russian government. The mining and processing of these metals are conducted by Norilsk Nickel, a major Russian mining company that is responsible for a significant portion of the world's production of nickel and palladium. Additionally, the region is home to other valuable resources, such as copper and cobalt, which are also mined and processed in Norilsk. Due to the strategic importance of these materials, they are closely monitored and protected by both the company and the Russian government."
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Putin, a most dangerous fool:
Elbows up!
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Putin, a most dangerous fool:
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Putin, a most dangerous fool:
@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
Putin, a most dangerous fool:
Option B would make him look better. He could rationalize that he would win a greater land grab, too.
Please love yourself.
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Freedom of Russia Legion. Don't know how credible this is, 1945 being a very biased site, but it's not terribly hard to believe. I'd bet there are a whole lot of deserters and defectors.
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
Putin, a most dangerous fool:
Option B would make him look better. He could rationalize that he would win a greater land grab, too.
Option B is not an option for either Ukraine or future European security. Any consideration of an outcome that would result in a neutral Ukrainian rump state is long past. Besides in the Kremlin playbook, neutrality is meaningless and in the case of Ukraine, the term only confirms that in Moscow’s mind, Ukraine has no right to exist in the first place.
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Option B is not an option for either Ukraine or future European security. Any consideration of an outcome that would result in a neutral Ukrainian rump state is long past. Besides in the Kremlin playbook, neutrality is meaningless and in the case of Ukraine, the term only confirms that in Moscow’s mind, Ukraine has no right to exist in the first place.
@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
Option B is not an option for either Ukraine or future European security. Any consideration of an outcome that would result in a neutral Ukrainian rump state is long past. Besides in the Kremlin playbook, neutrality is meaningless and in the case of Ukraine, the term only confirms that in Moscow’s mind, Ukraine has no right to exist in the first place.
Right. What I was trying to say was, Option A appears to be a more definitive loss for Russia. Option B would create a lot more uncertainty, so because the outcome would be more ambiguous, hey, might mean Russia could win some, who knows. Wouldn't that be preferable in Putin's mind over certain draw/defeat?
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A bad day for the Russian Air Force.
The Russian Air Force appears to have had one of its worst days of the war in more than a year on Saturday. While details remain limited and are likely to change, it appears Russia lost two Mi-8 Hip helicopters, a Su-34 Fullback strike fighter, and a Su-35 Flanker-E, with no survivors. What makes all this especially troubling for the Russian Air Force, is that all these losses happened in its own country, in areas not too far from the border with Ukraine.
All four aircraft came down in Bryansk Oblast, well within Russian territory opposite northeast Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast. Video shows one of the Mi-8s breaking up after what looks as if a missile hits it near the town of Klintsy, about 50 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border.
Some are saying friendly fire.
So, there you go.
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Wagner Chief Denies Offering Russian Troop Positions to Ukraine
The founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin called reports that he offered information on Russian troop positions to Ukraine "laughable" and a result of a possible smear campaign.
The Washington Post reported earlier Monday that Prigozhin had offered to reveal Russian troop positions to Ukrainian military intelligence in exchange for Kyiv’s withdrawal from Bakhmut.
Wagner's fighters have been at the forefront of Russia's monthslong effort to capture the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, whose value is more symbolic than strategic.
Prigozhin laughed off The Washington Post's report in an audio message posted on Telegram.
"Reading this is of course nice. It means I am not only fighting for Russia but Zelensky is also fulfilling my orders," Prigozhin said.
"This is laughable."
He said "people from Rublyovka" — a luxurious Moscow suburb home to the Russian elite — could be behind the allegations.
"Of course they will pour as much s*** on me as they can," he said.
The Washington Post report, based on classified Pentagon documents leaked on the gaming platform Discord, said Prigozhin made the offer to Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, GUR, in late January amid intelligence indicating high losses and low morale among Wagner troops.
The Pentagon leak did not specify which Russian troop positions Prigozhin had offered to pass on.
Kyiv was said to have rejected Prigozhin’s proposals due to a lack of trust in his intentions. The Washington Post cited an unnamed U.S. official as saying Washington shared Kyiv’s doubts.
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Russian replacements for Wagner troops are bolting.
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@jon-nyc said in The Ukraine war thread:
Patreas' thoughts:
https://themessenger.com/news/petraeus-ukraine-counteroffensive-likely-to-set-russians-back
"Virtually no chance for Russian "victory"."
That's a pretty bold statement.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@jon-nyc said in The Ukraine war thread:
Patreas' thoughts:
https://themessenger.com/news/petraeus-ukraine-counteroffensive-likely-to-set-russians-back
"Virtually no chance for Russian "victory"."
That's a pretty bold statement.
@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
@jon-nyc said in The Ukraine war thread:
Patreas' thoughts:
https://themessenger.com/news/petraeus-ukraine-counteroffensive-likely-to-set-russians-back
"Virtually no chance for Russian "victory"."
That's a pretty bold statement.
Unless Donald J Churchill or one of his ilk takes over. Patreas qualified it to say it was contingent on continued western support.
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Ah, you're beginning to doubt.
Good.
Trump said something at the townhall the other night about the first mission being to stop the killing. To me, that's an armistice.
Right now, depending on territory, that might be doable.
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Ah, you're beginning to doubt.
Good.
Trump said something at the townhall the other night about the first mission being to stop the killing. To me, that's an armistice.
Right now, depending on territory, that might be doable.
