Posted on 09/13/2022 1:41:52 PM PDT by Timber Rattler
It’s not 1950s Russia. The KGB-Federation Kleptocracy is Europe’s sick old crook.
It’s worse than 1917 actually. Think: coup, military invasion and ethnic republic revolt all at once. This is what the Russian TV commentators are afraid of. They see it.
Some Russian soldiers are deserting to join Ukraine.
The Kyiv Rus are the true Russians, not Moscow’s Bolshevik atheist thugs. The UKRs could march on Moscow and eject the atheist criminal interlopers then reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Many Russians would probably support them to restore a republic led by true Slavs rather than a multi-ethnic amalgam of power-seeking atheist thugs.
Yeah, oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
It’s interesting that Xi is meeting with Putin this week. It looked like in the runup to the meeting that Xi was perhaps preparing to voice his support for Russia more fully. Li Zhangshu (China’s number 3) offered strong support for Russia for the first time last week after meeting with Putin but before the recent Russian setbacks.
We wouldn’t be without all consumer goods, and the 17% loss (plus the Euros) is more than enough to torpedo an export based economy that already is on shaky ground.
Instead of de-nazification, they may achieve re-nazification.
I always thought Hitler might have gone 2 out of 3 with Stalin, he picked a bad year to invade with that very cold early winter.
“Are bots real?”
Are pings and ping lists real? Why is it strange that like minds show up about the same times?
If the Ukrainians win they can supply Europe with oil and gas from the area Russia invaded. Then Europe won’t need Russia at all. I wonder if Putin has thought about that.
I still suspect multi-accounts...
Reports suggest that Uke commanders may have told Russian troops that if they would bug out and leave the arms behind, they would not be attacked while fleeing. It is so handy for enemies to have common languages.
Orc combat aircraft are expensive, and Ukes have shot a number down, plus what they destroyed or damaged in Crimea a few weeks ago. In fact it was just reported that a plane taking off in Crimea suddenly went out of control and crashed spectacularly. Had this craft been damaged in one of those air strikes? How hard would it be to damage or remove some small part in a plane to cause it to crash. It is already suggested that it was not the Ukraine regular military that bombed the Crimean airports.
Putin hoped to take over most of Ukraine. Initially he did not want to destroy a lot of infrastruture. It was several weeks before he finally decided to destroy that huge steel mill to get the Azovs inside. Flattening cities in the East was not a problem since his interest was the oil, gas and other resources under ground. I only fear that when he looses all hope, whatever restraint remains will be forgotten. I doubt use of nukes because Russia is downwind of Ukraine frequently. Whoever takes over from Putin will not want to deal with major fallout headaches.
Grant was successful because he was capable of independent actions. Does any Putin commander have similar freedom? Success in a kleptocracy. Big guys steal big money and stuff, little guys steal computer chips. Then everyone wonders why nothing works, but is afraid to report the bad news.
Xi will soon be taking part in a main meeting in China to determine if he continues in his power position. This Russia reverse throws a lot of trash into the machinery. Xi will no doubt be doing a very careful evaluation of Putin’s future (live, die, be overthrown and by whom) to determine how he should frame his own propaganda for continuation as head man. Also what and how much he should give Russia as help, and what he should demand in return. Gee I’m glad I’m not trying to run a country, especially a dictatorship!
A concrete obelisk topped with Soviet stars, which was the centerpiece of a monument commemorating the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany, was demolished in Latvia’s capital, Riga, on Thursday. Two diggers with pneumatic hammers brought the 79-meter (261-foot) obelisk down to the applause of numerous onlookers. A number of large-scale bronze statues had already been removed from the monument in the preceding days. In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Latvia issued a decree that all objects glorifying totalitarian regimes must be destroyed by November 15. This included the Soviet victory monument erected in 1985.
“This monument was a steady reminder of our occupation and the associated fate of many people: deportation, repression, and so on. We do not need this kind of monument,” Latvian President Egils Levits said during a livestream of the demolition. Mayor Martin Stakis called the demolition a “historic moment for Riga and all of Latvia.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2DrxoTNdTk
New video has shown Ukrainian soldiers rolling into recently liberated towns, part of Ukraine’s stunning offensive in the east that has freed an estimated 150 thousand people from Russian rule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fluAN8GtqQY
https://bigserge.substack.com/p/special-military-operation-season?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
This was not an operational trap by Russia, but neither was it a victory in battle for Ukraine - for the simple reason that there was not much of a battle at all. Russia had already hollowed out these positions, and withdrew the remaining screening forces very quickly. Ukraine covered a lot of ground, but were unable to destroy any Russian units, because there really weren’t any there.
It would be silly to try to talk the Ukrainian side out of their excitement right now. Credit where credit is due, they did manage to put together a good sized shock group, aim it at a weak portion of the front, and regain a good bit of ground. Considering the abject lack of successes for Ukraine in this war, they are rightfully trying to eke every last bit of morale and propaganda out of this.
I do not, however, believe that the territorial losses in Kharkov in any way change the ultimate calculus of the war. Russia hollowed out this front and surrendered ground, but they were able to maul the Ukrainian forces as they advanced with relentless artillery and airstrikes. Ukrainian channels widely report overflowing hospitals. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed 4,000 killed and 8,000 wounded for Ukraine during their advance - I believe this is high, but even if we reduce the numbers by 50% (leaving us with 6,000 total casualties, reasonable given how much ordnance Russia discharged) it is very clear that the loss ratios in this operation were stacked badly against Ukraine, as they always are.
No, it certainly hasn’t.
And it certainly wouldn’t be amusing or funny if it did.
With any luck the other ruling CCP families will depose him and quietly disappear him. He is well hated by at least two factions.
“Grant was successful because he was capable of independent actions. Does any Putin commander have similar freedom?”
When you work for a dictator, you don’t want independence of action, because that just means it will be your head on the chopping block if something goes wrong.
What has happened to FR? People posting crap from the Daily Beast, NYT, The Hill, etc. All leftist news outlets.
Joe Biden has infiltrated this place.
Just to give you something to think about our kazan-based putinista
14th Dec 2021 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4021188/posts?page=18#18
There is zero reason to believe Russia is going to invade any nation and take it over against its wil
13th Jan 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4029166/posts?page=8#8
Nonsense. There is no evidence Putin has any plans to invade and takeover countries against their will.
21st Jan 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4031420/posts?page=48#48
The claim Russia is going to invade Ukraine has been nothing but propaganda from the start.
21st Jan 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4031420/posts?page=49#49
Russia is not going to wage a brutal war with Ukraine. It’s been a lie from the start
24th Jan 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/4032190/posts?page=28#28
Putin is assuring us he has no further territorial ambitions in Europe beyond this one little slice of Ukraine heavily populated by Russians
I have no doubt that’s true. There is no way Putin wants to fight a bloody war with Ukraine. He’d perfectly happy with water flow being restored to Crimea and sanctions to be removed from the Nord 2 pipeline.
28th Jan 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4033434/posts?page=22#22
The Russian invasion narrative is as fake as the Russian collusion narrative was
4th Feb 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4035208/posts?page=58#58
The Russian invasion narrative is as fake as the Russian collusion narrative was
19th Feb 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4039582/posts?page=112#112
You think Russia wants to invade nations in Eastern Europe and take them over against their will?
Why would he want to fight a series of bloody wars when Russia already has a declining population? Why would anyone think younger Russians, who are already complaining about mandatory military service, tolerate that? Why would he risk doing that and losing the ability to sell oil to Germany through the Nord 2 pipeline.
These kind of comments are ignorant. It’s 2022, not 1982.
19th Feb 2022 https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4039720/posts?page=29#29
So, given that, why would anyone in their right mind believe that Putin wants to start wars in Eastern Europe and take countries over against their will as millions of young Russians died in war?
22nd Feb https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4040557/posts?page=31#31
I’d rather see Russia annex Ukraine (which is has no desire to do) than see $5 a gallon gasoline.
I’m not surprised. Comrade Kazan is obviously, and has been for a long time, a complete Kremlin-stooge.
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