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Posted
Just now, Parliament said:

 

Just kick the shit out of the citizens of wherever you are.

I'm not sure they could get away with that in Africa.  I'd go so far as to say I'd like to see them try.  I think that could go as well for them as things went for us in Afghanistan.  I'd be here for that.  

 

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Posted
9 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

I think that photograph of three dudes and a machine gun on the back of a truck trying to protect the Kremlin from drone attacks is one of the most damning photographs of Putin‘s inability to protect Russia that you could have created.  Russia as Somalia. 

It’s just an iconic image of failure and incompetence. 


IMG_1317.thumb.jpeg.375a2946bf5b3314736c379a13a54165.jpeg

 

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Posted

Another contact that went to Europe - can't blame them.

Ukraine opts for Rheinmetall's Lynx

For the Lynx, Rheinmetall has taken the knowledge gained from the German Puma program and the international Boxer program to develop a modern and, above all, modular infantry fighting vehicle. Beyond the restrictions imposed by national customers, such as transportability in an A400M, this resulted in a modern vehicle that is currently becoming the new standard in Europe.

A special feature of the Lynx is the actual modular design. As with the Boxer, there is a driving module and a mission module, the latter of which can be replaced within a short time by crane. This not only simplifies role reversal, but also the integration of new skills. In addition, there is interchangeability between nations.

So if Hungary integrates the Skyranger air defense system for its Lynx, then this can later be used by other nations such as Ukraine. Italy has also opted for the Rheinmetall infantry fighting vehicle and wants to introduce it in the variants Heavy Reconnaissance with 120mm, Air Defense with Skyranger, Electronic Warfare with Jammer, 120mm Mortar and Anti-Tank with Spike, among others. All modules that would later also be available to Ukraine. In addition, the Lynx is still in the running for the US XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle Program (formerly OMFV). The winning system is intended to replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicles of the American armed forces, which would add significantly more usable mission modules.

The Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle was presented for the first time at Eurosatory 2018 and offers space for three crew members and a dismounted strength of up to nine soldiers. The maximum weight is 50 tonnes, it is powered by a 1,140 hp engine and reaches a top speed of around 70 km/h.

 

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Posted

https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-walls-are-closing-in-on-vladimir-putin/

Quote

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared that Vladimir Putin is “running out of money, troops and ideas,” marking a significant shift in allied sentiment.

-Speaking in London, Rutte said Russia’s “delusional aggression” has forced it to resort to “desperate measures,” including, according to Ukrainian intelligence, deploying special units of soldiers infected with HIV and hepatitis to the front line in Pokrovsk.

President Putin of Russia in 2018.

President Putin of Russia in 2018.

-This assessment comes as the “Coalition of the Willing” announced a new five-point plan to ramp up sanctions, force reparations, and increase military pressure, with Rutte noting new U.S. sanctions will “starve” Putin of revenue.

The Ukraine War is No Victory for Putin 

Last Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, as it is known, in London.

The official purpose was to discuss measures to provide military, economic, and other assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

In remarks released by NATO, Rutte said the discussions had been focused on strengthening collective support for Ukraine and coordinating with recent diplomatic and economic measures.

“We have just concluded a very productive meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, and I welcome the initiative Allies are showing to strengthen our support to Ukraine even further,” Rutte said.

But what could also be said is that the alliance has turned a corner on the question of whether Russia can sustain its effort in Ukraine indefinitely.

In the past, there have been plenty of “doom and gloom” stories that Russia has endless resources, manpower, defense industrial capacity, etc., and that no matter how long the war stretches on, they can still maintain an offensive push in Ukraine and outlast the collective efforts of the Allies.

But the NATO Secretary General now appears to be of the mind that the Russian military machine has reached its zenith some time ago and that Moscow’s effort only goes downhill from here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “running out of money, troops and ideas,” Rutte said on Friday, as he and Starmer and others held a series of talks on the conflict.

Putin with a Rifle.

Putin with a Rifle. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

Putin Running on Empty in Ukraine War

Rutte said the Russian president’s “delusional aggression” had caused him to funnel vast amounts of money and troops into his war on Ukraine with limited success, leaving him with few ideas on how to win.

“The developments on the battlefield show that our support for Ukraine is working, and we must continue in the same way,” added Mr. Rutte.

One clear sign that the Russian military and political leadership are now resorting to desperate measures has been the increasing use of soldiers suffering from serious – even life-threatening – diseases on the battlefield.

Last month saw increasing reports that Putin’s military has formed up units composed of soldiers infected with HIV, hepatitis, TB, and other diseases and has sent them into battle, according to Ukrainian military experts reporting from the field.

Soldiers in these units are seen wearing armbands that identify them as being ill with these serious diseases.

They have been increasingly spotted on the frontlines around Pokrovsk.

This city is a key logistical hub in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, and it has been the center of a months-long and bloody assault by the Kremlin, say military observers who have spoken to Western media.

“There is currently information that these units are participating in fighting in what is currently the hottest spot – Pokrovsk,” said Dmytro Zhmailo to London’s Daily Telegraph.  Zhmailo is the executive director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre (USCC), a Ukrainian think-tank that has close relations with Ukraine’s military.

“If this is what Moscow feels compelled to do to sustain its operational tempo this is a military that is literally and figuratively ‘running on empty’,” said a Washington, DC-based long-time expert in Russian military affairs.  “Russian has always had these clever military thinkers who write prolifically about the conduct of modern warfare and their theories on how they would prosecute any conflict.  But they are proving once again that Russians are better at thinking, writing and talking about war than they are at doing it.”

Putin Will Feel More Pain over Ukraine War 

At a press conference at the conclusion of these discussions, Starmer outlined the highlights of a five-point plan for the Coalition of the Willing’s support for Kyiv.

The UK Prime Minister identified these as: the coalition would ramp up sanctions on Russia, force Russia to pay reparations, keep up air defense support for Ukraine, increase the military pressure on Moscow, and draw up plans for security guarantees after the war.

He also commended the imposition of the latest oil and gas sanctions by the West and assured that Russian energy would be taken “off the market”.

Starmer stood alongside Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, who declared a Christmas deadline for drawing up a program of actions to require Russia to pay reparations for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, used the occasion to thank the UK for its military support and implored the coalition to keep up pressure on Putin.

“The fewer assaults [Putin] can carry out on the front line, the faster he will agree to diplomacy,” Mr. Zelensky said.  “There must be no option for Russia except to end the war.”  The new sanctions imposed by the US this week are a “big step” towards crippling the Russian war machine.

Rutte noted that these discussions followed his visit to Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump.

Rutte outlined the latest US sanctions against Russia’s oil sector and stated they “will starve them of revenue and significantly increase the pressure on Putin to come to the negotiating table.”

Rutte described the overall situation on the battlefield as becoming progressively more costly for Russia.

“Putin is gaining little new ground…and where there are marginal gains they are coming at a huge price.”  He also stated that “Ukraine continues defending itself bravely and our support to them is working.”

 

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Posted (edited)

A surge of unexplained fires and arsons is hitting key Russian infrastructure, targeting relay cabinets, electrical panels, and railway systems. According to Ukrainian intelligence and local sources, incidents have been reported from Moscow to Irkutsk, disrupting logistics and straining power networks.

Himars strike on dam in Belgorod that also served as a key logistics route

 

Edited by KYHorn
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Posted
5 hours ago, MagicSoccerSpray said:

One clear sign that the Russian military and political leadership are now resorting to desperate measures has been the increasing use of soldiers suffering from serious – even life-threatening – diseases on the battlefield.

Yeah, one of the analysts mentioned last month something about them dumping soldiers with TB onto the battlefield, which is insane given how TB spreads and the shitty conditions of the battlefields speeding up the demise of those infected.

But also a clear sign that they've pretty much emptied the prisons and are not getting as many foreign troops as they used to.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Parliament said:

Heck with him.

1 minute ago, AnTiM said:

Follow the Pied Piper right off the ledge...

His downfall has been spectacular, and he seems hell-bent on digging his hole even deeper. Bill O'Reilly made a slight comeback - people don't mock him for being a batshit conspiracy theorist like they do with Tucker.  But Tucker is special, surprised he's not working out of Russia these days.

Posted

Same person that said they weren't going to invade Ukraine, although I think he's being truthful since they can't even handle Ukraine after 3 and a half years, let alone NATO.  The Three Day Special Military Operation now seems them almost 4 years in guarding the Kremlin with fucking machine guns on the back of pickup trucks.

 

Posted
Just now, Orange&White said:

What is that song I am hearing? Is that Swan Lake?

Way earlier in the thread, somebody had a pretty good breakdown of how Afghanistan fell apart, like the various things that happened, that could be spotted in hindsight as contributing to or seen as indicating Russia withdrawing from Afghanistan.  Need to get that timeline - the fact that a Russian governor of an important oblast is having to publicly assure the pensioners and public employees that they will continue to be paid while openly admitting they can't trust the banks is pretty interesting.

Putting aside Ukraine's tactical sanctions against Russian oil & gas infrastructure, we keep seeing lots of sabotage of things tied to the power grid as well as the transportation infrastructure, we are seeing them not only target and destroy high-end air defense systems, but they are publishing the footage and that is very interesting. We saw Gerasimov publicly lying on Russian TV in a so-called report to Putin and being called out on it by Russian milbloggers.

It feels like we are in a very weird time, that whole "things happen slowly then suddenly" time. Your typical Moscow or St. Petersburg resident is fully aware that Ukraine is hitting targets all around western Russia, and that their part of the power grid will go down at some point and possibly stay down for a while. 

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