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[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976489]
3. Your disrespectful joke about Ukrainian MIAs being missed because they'd left their country is on you.[/QUOTE]That absolutely was not a joke. It's the reality. Please see this:
[URL]https://apnews.com/article/deserters-awol-ukraine-russia-war-def676562552d42bc5d593363c9e5ea0[/URL]
And these men are not cowards.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976489] Currently, there are over 800,000 Russian casualties. Do the math.
[/QUOTE]Comical. I bet you also believe Zelensky's number of 35 K for Ukrainian casualties that he stated a while back.
Like I said, this is a war where the main mode of killing is by ARTILLERY. The Russians have a 7 to 1 advantage in artillery, and even a 10 to 1 in some places. Do the math which side will lose more men. You're a dumbass and delusional so it's pointless telling that to you, but anyone with half a brain will put 2 and 2 together which excludes you of course.
[QUOTE=Tiny12;2976410]Admittedly changing the subject, could EU membership for Ukraine combined with a commitment that Ukraine would not join NATO serve as a pathway to end the war? The EU might just save money in the long run. It would have to subsidize the Ukrainian economy to raise it to EU standards. But the Europeans wouldn't be spending money on a senseless war.[/QUOTE]Ukraine had zero chance to join NATO after Crimeea was invaded. NATO would not allow a new country to join that has major territorial disputes with a non NATO country that is a major power as well. Let's not forget you need all NATO members to agree to a new joiner.
[QUOTE=Tiny12;2976591]That absolutely was not a joke. It's the reality. Please see this:
[URL]https://apnews.com/article/deserters-awol-ukraine-russia-war-def676562552d42bc5d593363c9e5ea0[/URL]
And these men are not cowards.[/QUOTE]You claimed in your response that some of Ukrainian MIAs are those who had left their country. Now it's deserters. Make up your mind, maybe?
[QUOTE=BloodRed;2976639]Comical. I bet you also believe Zelensky's number of 35 K for Ukrainian casualties that he stated a while back.
Like I said, this is a war where the main mode of killing is by ARTILLERY. The Russians have a 7 to 1 advantage in artillery, and even a 10 to 1 in some places. Do the math which side will lose more men. You're a dumbass and delusional so it's pointless telling that to you, but anyone with half a brain will put 2 and 2 together which excludes you of course.[/QUOTE]1. You don't have a 7 to 1 advantage in artillery, the real average number is 3 to 1.
2. The Ukrainians have learned to counter your artillery advantage with drones.
3. The advancing troops always lose more people than the defenders.
4. Furthermore, you are military degenerates who advance with complete disregard for the lives of your own soldiers. Your MO is:
- dumb, primitive and criminal meat assaults.
- lack of support from tanks, IFVs and other fighting vehicles providing cover for the infantry.
- lack of, or even refusal from medical evacuation teams to bring the wounded to safety.
This is how you lose insane number of combatants. Since October 2024, you're losing around 2,000 a day, and before then 1,500 a day.
I did the math Igor. You do yours. Or better yet, tell your superiors to come up with a better narrative (although, that would require some balls, so I stand corrected).
[QUOTE=Sirioja;2975957]Crimea was just fucked by Putin. Ask them if they feel happy now under dictator Putin, when they lost freedom. Same for Georgians, Ukrainians, Romanians and Moldavians. Except blind, no brained Russians, nobody want to be under dictator Putin. Only China, north Korea, Al Assad and some new Africans, for friends, so great friends for Putin. Others just wait his death.[/QUOTE]You failed to answer my questions regarding Serbia and Kosovo. Like I said, the precedence of changing borders in Europe by force was set by NATO.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976675]You claimed in your response that some of Ukrainian MIAs are those who had left their country. Now it's deserters. Make up your mind, maybe?
.[/QUOTE]I think we're both missing the bigger picture Xpartan. The costs on both sides have been horrendous. The West should be enabling peace instead of war IMO.
[QUOTE=BloodRed;2975941]I am all for free and fair referendums. The problem with the collective west is that they don't accept results they do not like. Why was it okay for Kosovo to leave Serbia? Why was it okay for the collective west to change Serbia's borders by force? They set the precedent. The majority of the people in Crimea have always been Russians. They voted overwhelmingly to join Russia. Why is that not okay? Let's be fair here. You seem to be a reasonable person.[/QUOTE]I believed at the time that allowing Kosovo to secede was a mistake long term, it just opened Pandora's box for border redrawing borders world wide. After that any authoritarian country got their excuse.
I don't pretend to really understand the situation in the Balkans, it's really complicated. I understand that the Albanians in Kosovo were severely oppressed since at least the 80's and by the time heavy violence broke out, the Yugoslav wars were already in full swing since a few years with the odd massacre of civilians here and there. Obviously nobody felt safe at the time in any part of ex Yugoslavia. I wish it would have been possible that the situation could have been solved by a lot of autonomy for the province at the time with security guarantees.
Sure, Crimeea voted to join Russia. Would they have won in free and fair elections? Maybe, but we will never know. You can't honestly say though that those were free and fair elections. I wonder if there were ever free and fair elections in any place controlled by Russia.
[QUOTE=Tiny12;2976854]I think we're both missing the bigger picture Xpartan. The costs on both sides have been horrendous. The West should be enabling peace instead of war IMO.[/QUOTE]And how is the West supposed to do this? By cutting off the military assistance? By making Ukraine capitulate? By ensuring that the next war is 100% inevitable?
How about some specifics instead of your cheap and pointless Kumbaya?
[QUOTE=PaulInZurich;2976861]I believed at the time that allowing Kosovo to secede was a mistake long term, it just opened Pandora's box for border redrawing borders world wide. After that any authoritarian country got their excuse.
I don't pretend to really understand the situation in the Balkans, it's really complicated. I understand that the Albanians in Kosovo were severely oppressed since at least the 80's and by the time heavy violence broke out, the Yugoslav wars were already in full swing since a few years with the odd massacre of civilians here and there. Obviously nobody felt safe at the time in any part of ex Yugoslavia. I wish it would have been possible that the situation could have been solved by a lot of autonomy for the province at the time with security guarantees.
Sure, Crimeea voted to join Russia. Would they have won in free and fair elections? Maybe, but we will never know. You can't honestly say though that those were free and fair elections. I wonder if there were ever free and fair elections in any place controlled by Russia.[/QUOTE]Kosovo might've been a mistake simply because there was no rhyme or reason of creating another Albanian country in Europe run by a terrorist and criminal organization. Additionally, while Kosovar Albanians were oppressed by the Miloshevich's Yugoslav Army, they also oppressed Kosovar Serbs. Ethnic cleansing is never straightforward.
That said the hindsight is always twenty-twenty. By 1999, Milosevich had lied so much and committed so many atrocities that no one would believe anything coming out of his mouth. The Nato just had enough. Besides, after the Rwandan Genocide, no one, and Clinton less than any, had an appetite to wait what happens in Kosovo and hope for the best.
[QUOTE=PaulInZurich;2976861]I believed at the time that allowing Kosovo to secede was a mistake long term, it just opened Pandora's box for border redrawing borders world wide. After that any authoritarian country got their excuse.[/QUOTE]Exactly, it opened up Pandora's box as you rightfully said. And it proved that NATO is NOT a defensive alliance. It is an offensive imperialist alliance.
[QUOTE=PaulInZurich;2976861]
I don't pretend to really understand the situation in the Balkans, it's really complicated. I understand that the Albanians in Kosovo were severely oppressed since at least the 80's and by the time heavy violence broke out, the Yugoslav wars were already in full swing since a few years with the odd massacre of civilians here and there. Obviously nobody felt safe at the time in any part of ex Yugoslavia. I wish it would have been possible that the situation could have been solved by a lot of autonomy for the province at the time with security guarantees.[/QUOTE]Agree. If you know the history, that's what Russia / Putin wanted for the Donbas with the Minsk accords.
[QUOTE=PaulInZurich;2976861]
Sure, Crimeea voted to join Russia. Would they have won in free and fair elections? Maybe, but we will never know. You can't honestly say though that those were free and fair elections. I wonder if there were ever free and fair elections in any place controlled by Russia.[/QUOTE]As I said to you, the collective west only accepts election results which they like. Remember when the people of Gaza voted for Hamas in a fair election? The west didn't like the result so they sanctioned them and supported the criminal Israeli blockade.
The vast majority of the Crimean population has always been Russian. They voted to join Russia overwhelmingly. And always remember, Putin only acted to take Crimea in 2014 after the west backed Maidan coup which opened the doors for NATO to enter Ukraine and hence seize Crimea. The Russians were never going to allow that. So you must look at what brought on the Crimea takeover. And I appreciate your honest posts.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976675]You claimed in your response that some of Ukrainian MIAs are those who had left their country. Now it's deserters. Make up your mind, maybe?
1. You don't have a 7 to 1 advantage in artillery, the real average number is 3 to 1.
2. The Ukrainians have learned to counter your artillery advantage with drones.
3. The advancing troops always lose more people than the defenders.
4. Furthermore, you are military degenerates who advance with complete disregard for the lives of your own soldiers. Your MO is:
[/QUOTE]5. Ukraine is winning.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976978]Kosovo might've been a mistake simply because there was no rhyme or reason of creating another Albanian country in Europe run by a terrorist and criminal organization. Additionally, while Kosovar Albanians were oppressed by the Miloshevich's Yugoslav Army, they also oppressed Kosovar Serbs. Ethnic cleansing is never straightforward.
That said the hindsight is always twenty-twenty. By 1999, Milosevich had lied so much and committed so many atrocities that no one would believe anything coming out of his mouth. The Nato just had enough. Besides, after the Rwandan Genocide, no one, and Clinton less than any, had an appetite to wait what happens in Kosovo and hope for the best.[/QUOTE]I agree with all of the above. Both the Serbs and Albanians committed war crimes. Milosevici was a war criminal. The Rwandan genocide had a huge influence on the decision to intervene especially considering that massacres already happened for years in the Balkans after 1990.
Side note: I know very well somebody who worked for the UNHCR in Rwanda and DRC at the time. The things she saw over there and the impact it had on her is unimaginable.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976942]And how is the West supposed to do this? By cutting off the military assistance? By making Ukraine capitulate? By ensuring that the next war is 100% inevitable?
How about some specifics instead of your cheap and pointless Kumbaya?[/QUOTE]Well, the first thing that needs to be done is all the dumb Dems need to let go of their dicks and stop with the masturbation fantasies about the Russian economy failing, Putin being taken out of office, and Ukraine winning. So step one is Dumb Dems quit jerking off.
Step two is dumb Dems get it through their thick skulls that there is no peace without Putin. The West has made peace and deals with evil tyrants in the past and we will in the future. If you really feel like Putin is so evil, then get off your ass and go fight. You can talk all tough behind the keyboard but I think if you see people with their faces blown off and artillery shells flying over head, you would be crying like a baby screaming, "I want peace. ".
Step three is another thing dumb Dems do not get. You pick up the phone and talk to Putin. Biden has not spoken with Putin in years, but Biden is so demented I bet he thinks he has.
Step four is to ask Putin what it takes to stop the war and negotiate a settlement. Usually a settlement involves neither side getting all that they want but negotiating something they both can live with.
And before you gripe about step four, you have to do steps one through three.
And while Biden and the rest of the dumb Dems have been keeping their hands on their dicks, Putin has been gaining a stronger position day by day. If the dumb Dems were still in control, it would just be a a matter of time before our best negotiating position would be singing Kumbaya.
[QUOTE=Xpartan;2976675]You claimed in your response that some of Ukrainian MIAs are those who had left their country. Now it's deserters. Make up your mind, maybe?
1. You don't have a 7 to 1 advantage in artillery, the real average number is 3 to 1.
2. The Ukrainians have learned to counter your artillery advantage with drones.
3. The advancing troops always lose more people than the defenders.
4. Furthermore, you are military degenerates who advance with complete disregard for the lives of your own soldiers. Your MO is:
- dumb, primitive and criminal meat assaults.
- lack of support from tanks, IFVs and other fighting vehicles providing cover for the infantry.
- lack of, or even refusal from medical evacuation teams to bring the wounded to safety.
This is how you lose insane number of combatants. Since October 2024, you're losing around 2,000 a day, and before then 1,500 a day.
I did the math Igor. You do yours. Or better yet, tell your superiors to come up with a better narrative (although, that would require some balls, so I stand corrected).[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=BloodRed;2977074]5. Ukraine is winning.[/QUOTE]Some might find it strange that Igor uses this nonsensical "Ukraine is winning" meme in dozens of his poorly-baked posts. There are two reasons. He usually posts it when there are no arguments left, but he still has to say something. But there's another reason too.
[B]How Putin's Russia turned humour into a weapon[/B]
[URL]https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46567364[/URL]
[QUOTE]In the dying days of the Soviet Union, Russians used humour to escape the bleak reality of economic stagnation, food shortages and long queues.
Political satire flourished on TV in the form of latex puppets during the 1990s, but it was quickly slapped down when Vladimir Putin came to power.
In today's Russia, where the media is largely controlled by the Kremlin and its allies, there is little room for genuine political humour unless it is used to deflect the blame from the government.
[b]How Russia turns criticism into a joke[/b]
Humour and ridicule were a key part of Moscow's response when the UK said it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury.
Russian officials and media figures have since tried to turn the English phrase "highly likely" into a mocking catchphrase that implies Russia is being blamed for everything with the flimsiest of evidence.
They have enlisted a range of popular figures from English literature, such as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, to ridicule British allegations of Russian involvement in the poisoning which they denounce as unfounded.
Roman Dobrokhotov, whose investigative website The Insider was involved in exposing one of the two poisoning suspects, Anatoliy Chepiga, says such mockery is a form of trolling designed to "deliberately lower the level of discussion".
[b]How the strategy works[/b]
"They cannot respond in a serious fashion and to the point, so they start to play-act. This is an attempt to mock, to reduce everything to nothing," Mr Dobrokhotov told the BBC.
Along with conspiracy theories and misleading narratives, he argues, this kind of tactic aims to sow doubt.
The result is that many will watch TV and decide there is no way of really getting to the bottom of what happened. In other words, he says: "no-one is a saint, truth does not exist".
[b]Internet audiences are also a key target for this technique [/b]
One social media hashtag - #IamFromGRUToo - appeared to be inspired by the #MeToo movement. Pro-Kremlin Twitter-users mocked UK allegations against Russia's GRU (now GU) military intelligence agency.
One spoof job advert joked that the GRU was "looking for employees for its cyber-attack department, chemical weapons department and election-meddling unit. There is no need to apply - we will find you ourselves".
Ben Nimmo, an Atlantic Council researcher on Russian disinformation, told the BBC that attempts to create funny memes were part of the strategy as "disinformation for the information age".
While humour was once a threat to their Soviet predecessors, the Kremlin has now turned it to their advantage.[/QUOTE]
NOVO-OGARYOVO, January 20. / TASS /. Russia is open to communication with the incoming US administration about the Ukrainian conflict, and sees elimination of the root causes of the crisis as the priority, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the country's Security Council.
"We are also open to dialogue with the new US administration about the Ukrainian conflict. The most important thing there is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, which we have talked about many times. This is the most essential thing," he said.
According to Putin, Moscow has taken note of statements by Trump and his team about the desire to reinstate communication and the need to make every effort to avert World War III.
Trump repeatedly said on his campaign trail that, if he won the election, he would settle the Ukrainian conflict within 24 hours. The incoming president reiterated a few hours back that he would put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, stop the chaos in the Middle East and prevent World War III.