Ukraine

[Terminal Blue]

Putin offered a ceasefire consisting of Ukraine acknowledging the conquered territory as Russian and they withdraw from joining NATO.

There's a bunch of absolute brainrot here which is about what we've come to expect of Russia the very real superpower.

For example, Ukraine would be allowed to join the EU, but would have to maintain a government that is friendly to Russia. Since no pro-Russian government will ever be elected in Ukraine after this, that means Ukraine cannot be a democracy, and being a democracy is one of the conditions for joining the EU..

 

[Silvanus]

Hypersonic missile attack on Kyiv today, including on Ohmatdyt children's hospital.





^ both from the children's hospital.

 

[Hades]

There's been an arrest warrant for Nvalney's wife. So in Putin's Russia its not just illegal to run against Putin or to be the lawyer of someone who runs against Putin. Its also illegal to be the widow of a guy Putin murdered just for running against him.

 

[Silvanus]

Photojournalist Zoya Shu has been documenting the experiences of Ukrainians returned from Russian imprisonment (or imprisonment by the Donetsk & Luhansk Russian proxies) since 2014. Fair warning, it's harrowing reading, with direct survivor testimony and photography of the aftereffects.

AFTER CAPTIVITY | Zoya Shu

Life after captivity and torture. Project of Ukrainian photographer Zoya Shu

www.zoyashu.info

‘One goal is to destroy Ukrainian identity’: the haunting images of Russia’s prisoners of war

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, its forces have detained and tortured thousands of fighters and civilians. Here, the photojournalist Zoya Shu recounts five years of documenting their stories

www.theguardian.com

Russian forces engaged in extensive torture methods, including on civilians. This included carving a swastika into someone's back; starvation; oxygen deprivation; mock execution; electric shocks administered to genitals and nipples.

A recurring theme is hostility to the idea of Ukrainian identity. Some were singled out for further abuse due to not being Russian-speakers, or having a traditionally Ukrainian name. Some were "re-educated" and told Ukraine doesn't exist as a distinct country.

 

[Gergar12]

 

[Gergar12]

Ukraine receives first F-16 fighter jets - Zelensky

The arrival marks a crucial milestone in boosting the capabilities of Ukraine's air force, which largely relies on old Soviet-era jets.

www.bbc.com

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Strawman.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Strawman.

Eh, I'm sure there's some people who are like that, but to apply it to all, yeah, obviously untrue.

 

[Agema]

Strawman.

It's not really a straw man, though. It's more "Not all communists".

After all, there is a very substantial chunk of the far left which considers Ukraine to be the Nazis, and this war has been caused by evil, Western, capitalist aggression such that Russia is the wronged party in the conflict. Is it a blanket accustion thrown against a political grouping that has a lot more internal variation than it takes into account? Sure. But hardly one that is out of the ordinary when you look at the way people normally throw accusations at "Republicans", "conservatives", "Democrats", liberals" etc.

 

[Avnger]

It's not really a straw man, though. It's more "Not all communists".

After all, there is a very substantial chunk of the far left which considers Ukraine to be the Nazis, and this war has been caused by evil, Western, capitalist aggression such that Russia is the wronged party in the conflict. Is it a blanket accustion thrown against a political grouping that has a lot more internal variation than it takes into account? Sure. But hardly one that is out of the ordinary when you look at the way people normally throw accusations at "Republicans", "conservatives", "Democrats", liberals" etc.

To add on, we have at least one individual on our forum who this meme reasonably describes; it's not entirely baseless despite painting with a very wide brush.

 

[Hades]

Seems Ukrainian troops have invaded Russian territory. I for one applaud the special military operation to denazifi Russia. I think Ukraine should set up a referendum about whether the liberated areas want to remain with Russia or not. And armed men must be in the polling booth. To protect the voters of course.

 

[Silvanus]

Seems Ukrainian troops have invaded Russian territory. I for one applaud the special military operation to denazifi Russia. I think Ukraine should set up a referendum about whether the liberated areas want to remain with Russia or not. And armed men must be in the polling booth. To protect the voters of course.

According to various sources (both reporters and military bloggers, incl. Russian ones) there are ~1,000 Ukrainian personnel in Russia with a small number of armoured vehicles and drones, and they've reached Sudzha (in Kursk, about 12km from the Ukrainian border), and captured about 40 Russian soldiers. Sudzha is notable for the gas pipeline that runs through it supplying Europe.

There's a question over whether it makes military sense. Ukrainian defences are already strained and offence is generally more costly than defence. On the other hand, a movement like this requires committing very few men to a section of the front that's clearly sparsely defended on the Russian side, and forces them to divert resources from elsewhere to respond.

Then there's the political angle. It's easier for Russian citizens to support a war that doesn't affect them directly; hence why protests and a mass exodus from the country was sparked by the conscription. It shows Putin that the continuation of the war threatens to leave chunks of his own country under enemy control, which would be a major blot on his legacy and strongman image. It shows the 'red lines' he invokes are hot air. And he can scarcely complain to the international community about another country doing what Russia itself has been doing constantly since 2014, on a much much much much larger scale.

 

[Silvanus]

2 days ago, Gerasimov reported that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk had been repelled; today the Ukrainians destroyed a convoy of 15 armoured vehicles 25 miles into Kursk.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-fighting-continues-kursk-video-shows-burnt-out-russian-trucks-2024-08-09/

Looks like the Russian military tendency to only report good news to the boss, regardless of truth, is still strong.

Russia meanwhile continues its approach of targeting civilians first and foremost, bombing a supermarket and post office overnight.

 

[dreng3]

2 days ago, Gerasimov reported that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk had been repelled; today the Ukrainians destroyed a convoy of 15 armoured vehicles 25 miles into Kursk.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-fighting-continues-kursk-video-shows-burnt-out-russian-trucks-2024-08-09/

Looks like the Russian military tendency to only report good news to the boss, regardless of truth, is still strong.

Russia meanwhile continues its approach of targeting civilians first and foremost, bombing a supermarket and post office overnight.

It elevates my fear of a nuclear response, if only slightly, but also cheers me up as Vova and his ilk can get bent.

 

[Hades]

Russia going from the second strongest military in Ukraine to the second strongest military in Russia.

 

[Agema]

Russia meanwhile continues its approach of targeting civilians first and foremost, bombing a supermarket and post office overnight.

Given the accuracy of Russian missiles, there's not much point them firing at a military target because they wouldn't be able to reliably hit it. At least a city is a large enough target that they'll get something.

 

[Gergar12]

Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia

As Russian forces make slow progress in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine's military stages a surprise cross-border attack.

www.bbc.com

The prevailing theory was that if Ukraine, like any other country, invaded Russian soil, it would almost certainly get nuked. So my question is where are the nukes? Again, another empty Russian threat. Is the Ukrainian military in Moscow?? No, but Russia is an empty paper tiger.

If I were China, I would invade eastern Russia right now. Because that's not Moscow either.

 

[Hades]

Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia

As Russian forces make slow progress in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine's military stages a surprise cross-border attack.

www.bbc.com

The prevailing theory was that if Ukraine, like any other country, invaded Russian soil, it would almost certainly get nuked. So my question is where are the nukes? Again, another empty Russian threat. Is the Ukrainian military in Moscow?? No, but Russia is an empty paper tiger.

If I were China, I would invade eastern Russia right now. Because that's not Moscow either.

One possibility is that China has made it very clear they'll drop any support if Russia uses nukes. Another option is that the Kremlin isn't sure which nukes work or not, and that showcasing the weakness of their arsenal is both humiliating and very dangerous. Given the rampant corruption in Russia, and Russian soldiers and officers having looted the army blind even at the eve of an invasion its not hard to imagine the same incompetence and corruption exists in their nuclear sites.

They also can't really nuke Kiyv since they claim its Russia's holy land.

 

[Agema]

The prevailing theory was that if Ukraine, like any other country, invaded Russian soil, it would almost certainly get nuked.

There was never any such prevailing theory, not in serious circles. Russia, like any country, is not going to throw a nuke unless it is critically threatened. Putin just wanted Westerners to believe he was relatively trigger-happy because it made them feel more scared about supporting Ukraine so they might bug their governments to stay out.

If I were China, I would invade eastern Russia right now. Because that's not Moscow either.

Why bother? China already owns it, indirectly.

Russia is already dependent on China - for goods, technology, finance. Russia is nothing but fossil fuels and an army, and even the latter isn't going to last long given its population is withering away due to one of the worst birth rates in the world. Russia is stagnant: it doesn't make much anyone wants, doesn't innovate, there's no motivation to improve because oligarchs have already raided and rigged the state. What China wants from Russia it will get, because Russia is in no position to disagree.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The prevailing theory was that if Ukraine, like any other country, invaded Russian soil, it would almost certainly get nuked.

You'll note that the Falklands islands are British territory, and when Britain lost those, it responded without nuclear devices.