I have thoroughly enjoyed these updates and briefings from Hydra.  Personally, I would not have started such a venture, because I was sure Russia was unstoppable.  I don't know if Hydra was lucky or if he was exceptionally well equipped from the start with knowledge about Russia's lack of offensive capabilities.  I am also surprised at Biden's aggressive support of the Ukraine.  While, I thought such a stance was an absolute necessity, and that anyone with a brain in the US would agree, I didn't see this coming from our leadership.

Russia must be stopped.  I would like to see their entire military infrastructure shredded into scrap metal, and all further Russian nonsense be stopped permanently. Russia should be defeated and divided up between all European nations, or simply annexed by Poland and Politburo replaced by a puppet government who would then reeducate the Russian people; In camps, if necessary.

OK, I got carried away, but I can dream.  I am coming to love the Ukrainian people.  I think they should be entitled to help themselves to a large slice of Russia, the slice that includes Moscow.

Quote from: Hydra009 on May 03, 2022, 10:01:35 AMI can't imagine why...

Russia also defended its "nazi" accusations by saying that it's possible for a Jewish political leader to be nazi-like (which might've been a good point if they stopped there) because Hitler was Jewish and also a nazi (big yikes)

Russia has also warmed up to Iran quite a bit, bombed a holocaust memorial in Ukraine, and started goose-stepping with uniforms practically identical to Nazi uniforms (literally the only thing missing is the swastika)

Needless to say, Israel is not happy with this deliberate embrace of many Nazi norms under the ludicrous guise of fighting nazism.

It was the recent memory of the Soviet caused "Holodomor" famine (1932-33) that took the lives of 3-5 million Ukrainians that would result in many Ukrainians deciding that Germans were the lesser evil. Some did become Nazis but most just suffered terribly as they involuntarily hosted huge battles in their country. Being a proxy caught between the East and West is their entire history. Hell, I bet there are more Nazi types in the US than in Ukraine these days.

Quote from: SGOS on May 03, 2022, 10:30:16 AMI have thoroughly enjoyed these updates and briefings from Hydra.

Thanks!

I've been trying to make a sort of public record of the day-to-day events so I have a solid timeline to look back on this conflict.

But mostly, it has been to share good news from Ukraine during the darkest days early on in the conflict.

QuotePersonally, I would not have started such a venture, because I was sure Russia was unstoppable.  I don't know if Hydra was lucky or if he was exceptionally well equipped from the start with knowledge about Russia's lack of offensive capabilities.

I had no idea.  I'm not a military analyst in the slightest.  But I have a broad familiarity with both the recent history and principal actors.

A week or two in, I realized that captured Russian troops were somewhat...lacking...in many ways.  Combined with reports of significant losses of troops, tanks, officers, etc, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which way the wind is blowing.

QuoteRussia must be stopped.  I would like to see their entire military infrastructure shredded into scrap metal, and all further Russian nonsense be stopped permanently.

Same.  Ideally, the white-blue faction takes power and puts an end to the war and any further expansionist plans.

At the rate this is going, I don't think the US should lift sanctions in any deal that doesn't involve the complete restoration of Ukraine's territory AND significant reparations.  Depending on Russia's possible use of additional WMDs and additional war crimes, I might also tack on some form of demilitarization and/or nuclear disarmament.

Small update on the Israel - Russia situation: Russia today responded to Israel's criticisms of calling Jews Nazis (and essentially blaming the Holocaust on Jews) was to tweet that Israel just didn't know what they were talking about and needs to learn their history better...

https://twitter.com/MID_RF/status/1521388645516980224?s=20&t=7d3yB7Fa53KHyq15J3FiEA

Quote

We paid attention to the anti-historical statements of the Israeli Foreign Minister @yairlapid
, largely explaining the course of the current Israeli government to support the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.
 
☝️ About whether there are actually neo-Nazis in Ukraine: https://vk.cc/cdeLe6

I wonder why Russia is so hesitant to bring up the Neo-Nazis in their own government and society, or their long history of anti-Antisemitism and atrocities against Jewish people, or the rampant Anti-Antisemitism that permeated the oligarchy since the Imperial days that, unlike Germany, was never purged of their upper society... hmmm...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-cosmopolitan_campaign

QuoteBor'ba s kosmopolitizmom was a thinly disguised antisemitic campaign in the Soviet Union which began in late 1948.[1] Jews were characterized as rootless cosmopolitans and were targeted for persecution.

...

As a result of the campaign, many Soviet Jews were fired from their jobs and Jews were unofficially banned from taking certain jobs. For example, in 1947, Jews constituted 18 per cent of Soviet scientific workers, but by 1970 this number declined to 7 per cent, which was still higher than about 3 to 4 per cent of the total Soviet population at that time they comprised.[12]

Anything Jewish became suppressed by the Soviet authorities. For example, the Yiddish verse sung by Mikhoels was cut out from the famous lullaby sung in turns by persons of different ethnicities in the Soviet classic 1936 movie Circus, restored during destalinization.[13]

American historian Walter Laqueur noted: "When, in the 1950s under Stalin, the Jews of the Soviet Union came under severe attack and scores were executed, it was under the banner of anti-Zionism rather than anti-Semitism, which had been given a bad name by Adolf Hitler."[14]

This was some of the "nice" Russian anti-Antisemitism after the death of Hitler.

Yeah, they really screwed the pooch when it comes to Israeli sensibilities.  Israel is spoiled for choice in how they could possibly retailiate.

Edit - "inclined to increase aid to Ukraine"

Attacks on electrical stations in Lviv today - parts of Lviv without power.  More strikes on railroad facilities in central Ukraine.  Vlad apparently knows the western weapons are getting in.  Will he expand his long-range lobbing of missiles into Ukraine to take out infrastructure? I'm surprised he hasn't done more of this already, especially since his ground forces seem to be at best in a quagmire. If he is cognizant of his own folly, he may become even more dangerous. At this point I don't even know if he has the missiles or the abibility to do so.

   

Quote from: ferdmonger on May 03, 2022, 09:14:21 PMAttacks on electrical stations in Lviv today - parts of Lviv without power.  More strikes on railroad facilities in central Ukraine.  Vlad apparently knows the western weapons are getting in.  Will he expand his long-range lobbing of missiles into Ukraine to take out infrastructure? I'm surprised he hasn't done more of this already, especially since his ground forces seem to be at best in a quagmire. If he is cognizant of his own folly, he may become even more dangerous. At this point I don't even know if he has the missiles or the abibility to do so.

Russia has been stepping up long-range bombardment, possibly to intimidate and possibly to distract from their faltering offensive, to give a misleading impression of success.  In some places, like Kharkiv, they've actually lost ground and run the risk of falling apart just like the northern front.

And a thank you to Hydra as well.  Thanks for your coverage.

Ukraine says that it blew up a Russian command post near Kherson and I honestly don't know if this is old news or new news.  Dated May 3rd, though.

Edit - it's new news

Quotewe destroyed an enemy command operations center, three ammunition depots, one fuel and oils depot and several groups of enemy troops and military equipment. The total losses are yet to be reported

The Ukrainians also struck the temporarily-occupied Snake Island with a Bayaraktar drone.  I don't know what they hit, but the drone footage showed several secondary explosions.  So less search-and-rescue and more broom-and-dustpan.  No famous last words this time.

Russia loses extremely modern main battle tank

These tanks were just put in service in 2016 and they cost several million USD each.



They would replace it, but oopsie, the only place that builds them (Uralvagonzavod) has been sanctioned to death.  Literally irreplaceable.

Yesterday, in eastern Ukraine, defenders repulsed 11 attacks, destroying 5 tanks, 2 APCs, 2 IFVs, 3 artillery, 2 planes, and 2 drones.

Apparently, the Ukraine has been getting intelligence from the US.  Last night, the NYT carried this story, in which the Pentagon claims it led the Ukraine to the positions of many of Russia's generals and other top commanders that the Ukrainians snuffed.  It also, informed them of troop movements and other targets.

Russia will lose, say Russian soldiers returning from war

QuoteThey also told Bibilov that artillery fire missed targets by 2 kilometers (one-and-a-quarter miles), but officers in command brushed off complaints of incorrect coordinates, while troops faced constant shelling due to inadequate battlefield intel.

2km variance.  No wonder they hit livestock pens and apartment buildings.

And no wonder they've been unable to stop Western arms shipments.  They did damage transportation infrastructure, but they were possibly aiming at the shipments.  Or maybe they were aiming at the infrastructure and hoped they'd get lucky and bag an arms shipment in the process.  Regardless, the shipments haven't been hindered so far.

QuoteOne soldier claimed that 99 percent of the equipment they were given did not work, while another said three out of 10 tanks could not shoot.

QuoteBibilov challenged the soldiers for saying that they believe Moscow will eventually be defeated by Ukraine.

"The Russians have seen a lot of wars, Napoleon reached Moscow and, in order not to surrender Moscow, the Russians burned their own city. Never think that the Russians will lose," Bibilov told the group.

LOL, that's some military-grade copium right there.  "We won't lose.  Hey, remember that time we were losing and burned down our own city out of desperation?"  Quality encouragement right there.

And yes, Russia has lost more than its fair share of wars.  War in Afghanistan, the first Chechan war, and the war against Japan off the top of my head.  Got absolutely crushed by the Mongols, though just about everyone did.  Lost the Cold War, though that technically wasn't a war.

Russia absolutely can lose this war and is well on its way to doing just that.