Putin is Running Out of Time and Money, part III

Link to part II

Link to part I

Slava Ukraini!

Thread on what to look for.

Politco says that there are around 150 to 200 Chechen volunteers fighting on the Ukrainian side.

[quote] The Chechen soldiers are clear they’re in Ukraine to make up for around two centuries of Russian oppression of their mountainous and frequently mutinous homeland — from Joseph Stalin’s population deportation in the 1940s to Boris Yeltsin’s razing of their capital Grozny to the current, brutal rule of Moscow’s satrap in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Here's what some Chechen soldiers say about the Russians:

[quote] “We are tired of Russia. Russia is like a drunk neighbor. One day he comes to your home and wants to burn it. You catch him, he runs away. Another day he comes back sober and begs for forgiveness. And then he returns drunk with a pistol and kills your wife and kids."

Yes that settles the war.

Poor Poots. He's probably going to die in the middle of a failing quagmire, instead of declaring—as he'd hoped—a quick, glorious victory and then leaving the decades-long quagmire to his successors.

It's said Poots has thyroid cancer (neck scar noticed in a photo). But he's been ailing a while. There are a few kinds of thyroid cancer that are deadly though generally it's a "good" kind of cancer with a high cure rate. I'm trying to figure out what would cause that seizing or stiff jerking he was doing in a video, holding on to a table just to keep standing.

But anyway, here's hoping...

R8- It has been rumored for years now that he has both cancer and Parkinson's, but it hasn't been verified that I am aware of.

You mean the sorry “I’ma shot up an abandoned farmhouse then post it on TikTok while video game music blasts” Kadyrov? That punk ass bitch?

Seems to me like that pathetic fattie hasn’t set foot outside a Golden Corral except to make his dumb videos and talk a bunch of shit.

Ooo! Errybody scared now.

Let's remember that these petty tyrants from Putin to Kadyrov to Orbán and beyond—all of them propped up by kleptocracy and corruption until their ill-considered schemes collapse—are the US Republican's role models as they pull gay books out of the libraries and install one-party states in their swaths of the country.

The Republicans seem to be threading a line about that though. The extreme ones like Trump, Carlson, DeSantis, Taylor Greene seem to buy into that but the less extreme ones who have power like McConnell and McCarthy seem to not buy into it behind the scenes or in practice. For example just today McCarthy surprisingly told RIA Novosti this in Jerusalem: “I vote for aid for Ukraine, I support aid for Ukraine. I do not support what your country has done to Ukraine; I do not support your killing of the children either. And we will continue to support, because the rest of the world sees it just as it is.”

The "less extreme" Republicans, whatever their convictions, will go along with anything that gets them the plutocracy they fervently believe in and desire.

I agree that they still do the bidding of the plutocracy. But most of the plutocracy so far at least still understands that dictatorships usually end up in failed states.

r7 here you go.

sorry, wrong thread^^^

Zindans!

"In recent months, Russian commanders have likely started punishing breaches in discipline by detaining the offending troops in ‘Zindans’ which are improvised cells consisting of holes in the ground covered with a metal grille. Multiple recent reports from Russian personnel give similar accounts of being placed in Zindans for misdemeanours including drunkenness and attempting to terminate their contracts. In the early months of the war, many Russian commanders took a relatively light touch in enforcing discipline, allowing those who refused to soldier to quietly return home. Since Autumn 2022, there have been multiple increasingly draconian initiatives to improve discipline in the force, especially since Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov assumed command of the operation in January 2023." (@DefenceHQ)

New US estimates about Russia's losses from Bakhmut since just December:

100,000 casualties

20,000 fatalities

10,000 deaths from the Wagner Group

The US also pronounced that Russia's Bakhmut offensive has failed, which is a break from repeated past US pressure on Ukraine to consider leaving Bakhmut.

Putin has cancelled the popular May Parades where people carry pictures of relations who died in WW2, officially for fear of terrorist attacks, because really because he's frightened of thousands of people turning up with pictures of those who have died in Ukraine.

Internal strife for Poots!

"Igor "Strelkov" Girkin is a war criminal. We do not have to discuss that. He started the war in Donbas by his own admission ("I was the one who pulled the trigger of this war") back in 2014 and is responsible for the deaths of 10,000s of people, including the people on MH17.

But when it comes to military assessment as well as the political ramification of it he is sometimes correct, especially in reference to the latest UNGA voting where Russia experienced her worst political defeat in the history of the UNGA. Girkin openly attacks Putin and makes him responsible for the political (and previously the military) blunders. Check out the picture showing his translated statement.

The only reason why Girkin is still alive are his connections to the GRU as well as his relative fame among the so-called "Novo-Rossiya" community. As a GRU-colonel he enjoys certain privileges other (non-intelligence community) Russians cannot even dream of. But everything has limits. So I wouldn't be surprised when news of his defenestration will go through the networks, soon.

EDIT: This is a statement is not from Strelkov (he only forwarded it) but from Colonel Viktor Imantovich Alksnis, a former Duma state deputy."

NSC Kirby echoes R18's stats

"National Security Council spokesman John Kirby in reference to Bakhmut and the fighting since December alone:

“We estimate that Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 KIA. Nearly half of whom were Wagner soldiers.”

Those insane numbers corroborate with what we saw the last 5 months."

"Tinder leaves Russia on June 30, according to the annual impact report, which is published on the company's website."

Germany, watch your back.

"On Russian state TV, Vladimir Solovyov calls for a "De-Nazification" of Germany."

Wagner Chief jokes about putting guns on 'Russian Ebay' to pay for ARTILLERY SHELLS Putin won't send.

So even his former cronies are goading and mocking Poots online? How sad.

He's a savvy genius! My best friend, aside from Jeffrey Epstein and Kim Jong Un! A real man's man!

Putin claims he’s cancelling public celebrations over safety fears (-- Sure, Jan!) The truth is more humiliating

With even nationalist pro-war bloggers criticising Putin’s actions in Ukraine, his desperation and paranoia are growing.

Aww. Poor Pootz didn’t get his big parade.

Does malignant despot have the sads?

I'm not malignant, R28! I just fell down the stairs and soiled myself a little!

Drone attack on the Kremlin. Ukraine denies involvement. Could be a false-flag buy Russia to excuse large-scale retaliatory strike ahead of the coming Ukrainian Spring offensive.

R30, Putin’s strategy all along has been to convince Russians that they are victims who are under attack. It’s almost certain that this pathetic Amazon drone attack was staged by him.

I don't know what the point of the drone attack on the Kremlin was, except for maybe propaganda. I thought Putin was hiding out in some bunker somewhere to the east of Moscow.

This "attack" had a kindergarten/cheap MADE IN GYNA feel to it as opposed to when the Ukrainians blew up that Crimean Bridge. Definitely Russia try-harding.

Obviously it's Poots trying to pull his increasingly fractious country back into line, but the military leaders who are becoming openly critical are the very people who can see through this kind of trick. Wouldn't it be more effective for a couple of them to have hotel-balcony heart attacks?

Could He spare that many more for balcony heart attacks? He only has a handful left. Who is going to lead the troops, DL's Boris and Svetlana?

[quote]Who is going to lead the troops, DL's Boris and Svetlana?

Well, I've been thinking that it's been rather quiet around here for a while on that front... either that or they've given up on this thread and are focusing on tedious trans threads.

Russians are simply assholes.

Never trust a Russian.

Never trust a Hungarian.

Period.

Never fuck with a Ukrainian.

Sorry, R38, I've known plenty of very trustworthy Russians and Hungarians. They all live in the US, though—maybe they moved here for a reason.

Russian emigres are one of the reasons I became an atheist.

[quote] I've known plenty of very trustworthy Russians

This has not been my experience.

One should only trust people like Tony Blair

Why Poodle?

Prigozhin's latest has to be seen. A video aiming real anger at Shoigu and Gerasimov while surrounded by rows of poor dead soldiers.

Then he said that he will hand his unit's positions over to the Russian Defense Ministry on May 10 (to be fair, he threatened that already a few days ago and didn't withdraw).

Putin loves to pit off groups or people under him against each other (so that they don't turn it onto him) but this is edgy.

[quote]Putin loves to pit off groups or people under him against each other (so that they don't turn it onto him)

Hitler did the same thing.

[quote]Hitler did the same thing.

Trump, as was often noted, did the same thing. The sad part is that all these assholes think it'll be to their advantage, but they all end up losing.

Is Prigozhin right in blaming the lack of shells? I'd thought the main problem was that they were just throwing thousands of poorly trained troops into battle.

R48, observers think he’s right, that Russia has started rationing ammunition shells, and that the ones they are issuing are often rusty.

R48, I am thinking both are true, but Prigozhin thought he could make up for the lack of training if he had better ammo. Actually that’s probably somewhat true. It will be interesting to see if he follows through. Btw, I posted in the other thread, but my Russian next door neighbors hate Putin, think the war is insanity, and shared that their friends and family in Russia (and here) also think that. In fact they said that pretty much everyone in Russia is being silent because of fear, but they know what’s going on and are very much against Putin and the war.

^^ That probably depends on what kind of people they mix with. If they mix with educated type of people with a decent living who live in Moscow or St Petersburg then yes, those people fit that.

The U.S. and its NATO allies are fine with this. Dragging out the conflict and forcing Putin to spend blood and treasure bring his country to the brink of collapse is a worthy goal. The irony is Putin has sought to weaken NATO and assert his power and the exact opposite hashappened.It is tragic for the Ukrainians but the impact on Vlad is wonderful to behold.

R52, I love how you totally erase the Ukrainians' agency and make it sound as if NATO and the US are alone doing the "dragging" and "forcing" and imposing the defense of their sovereignty on unwilling Ukrainians. You claim to admire Putin's collapse but at the same time you pretend it would have been less tragic for Ukraine to have capitulated.

R52 It's Volodya and not Vlad.

R53 that was certainly not my intention. I think the Ukrainians are valiant freedom fighters and Zelensky is a remarkable man. They chose to stand up to Russia. They have agency. They have passion. But without the USA and our allies they could not have withstood this conflict for as long as they have.

You just sound stupid when you try to make it about NATO (it's not) and get basic things like diminutives wrong.

You're saying two totally different things in R52 and R55.

Russia was not on the verge of cruising to victory when the U.S. and other countries began to help Ukraine. Russia stumbled miserably from the very beginning, and the Ukrainians shocked everyone by putting up an effective defense. That was what convinced other countries to help. Subsequent months revealed that Russia’s military was in such bad shape that invading a country the size of Ukraine was always going to be a catastrophe.

NATO and the US aren't the ones dragging this out. Putin is the one who won't stop a murderous rampage against a sovereign country and let them be.

R51, they are educated for sure, they left Russia because they can do much better here. They also said that many educated Russian men are leaving to go to other countries, where they’re being welcomed because they’re bringing things like software and medical skills.

I think it's probable that Shoigu is indeed starving Wagner group of ammo to be sure Progozhin fails. He's already taken over conscription from prisons from Wagner.Those two hate hate hate each other.

Does Progozhin have any kind of support base within Russia that his tweets or whatever they are can appeal to and mobilize? Who is he trying to rally with these taunts and complaints?

R62, I think Progozhin is channeling "patriotic" anti-elitism. Russian military officers usually come from the educated middle-class, just like many of ours do; they are a part of the technocratic elite, the people who have done well in Russia while the rest of the country has suffered. I don't know how this is meant to play out but I'm sure that Progozhin does have an audience, possibly one that is very anti-Western and attracted to old-style Soviet Russia.

Gonzalo Lira, one of the propagandists the trolls liked to post here, has been arrested by Ukrainian Security Services in Kharkiv and faces jail on charges under article 436-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, parts 2 and 3, pertaining to wartime propaganda.

The one I'd really like them to nab is Patrick Lancaster though - the guy who fakes scenes.

Yes we hate fake scenes.

Lira's last video on youtube: "Joe Biden Will Be Removed—Kamala Will Be President". Peddling those Kremlin lines to try to get Trump in.

And the one before that is about Ukraine's demographics - arguing that they will run out of fighting age men. We heard that line here too..

R65 Russia is the clear aggressor who waged an illegal war. All's fair in love and war as the saying goes.

It's normal during wartime to imprison prominent supporters of the invaders e.g. Churchill had his cousin and her husband put in prison during WWII for being Nazi supporters.

R64, the U.S. should start doing the same with the pro-Russian propagandists on our soil. Republicans, you in danger, girl..

Another Z-nationalist who has bragged about killing people in the Donbas has been targeted in Russia, this time Zahar Prilepin whose car was bombed in Nizhny Novgorod. The driver died; Prilepin is in critical condition.

Our favorite villain Prigozhin has formally written a letter requesting to hand over his Bakhmut positions to... Kadyrov. It looks like he's calling Kadyrov's bluff because I doubt Kadyrov wants to take up those positions but will feel it difficult to turn it down given how much he poses as a patriotic tough guy.

It's like a reenactment of "The Death of Stalin" over there. What a bunch of clowns.

I hope we get to witness the complete meltdown of Putin's Russia.

Would certainly serve that hateful mofo right, r73.

His fall will also cut off quite a bit of dark money to the rethugs AND the NRA.

They should all perish in flames!

And this whole time the trolls were insisting that Putin is playing 7-dimensional chess. Guess not.

Scumbags

"Under the pretext of evacuating civilians, the Russian military are stealing property from the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region, the AFU General Staff has said. In particular, Russian occupiers "massively loot stores with office equipment and steal cars," the agency said in a report."

There are signs that the Russians are evacuating and leaving the regions Zaporizhzhia - but why? My guess either they are going to create a nuclear incident from the nuclear plant or they're retreating and going to concede the area like they did with Kherson.

R77, they’ve ordered a withdrawal because—so they say—they think that area is going to be attacked by Ukraine.

It's going to be an interesting week.

Maybe it's a sneaky fake retreat, like the Greeks at Troy, and they just want to lull the Ukrainians into a false sense of security.

They're not that subtle, R80. Besides, what's the feint? Pull back so we can smash your flank with our tremendous reserve of armor and troops?

The Russians are genetically incapable of doing subtle.

Sounds cozy. That Putin and his genius ways! Sounds like a sure way to victory.

1/3

"Osechkin's sources report Russia's FSB spetsnaz, Defence Ministry operators, and RosGvardia have blocked Prigozhin's Wagner PMC from any possible retreat out of Bakhmut, with snipers and artillery at the ready. Possible Kadyrov's Ahmat mercenaries will join to block Wagner."

2/3

"Wagner PMC apparently has about 3,000 fighters left in Bakhmut, most of whom are recruited prison inmates. Some professional Wagner mercenaries with close ties to the Defence Ministry were able to escape back to Russia in the past days."

3/3

"Apparently Kadyrov is appealing to remaining Wagner mercenaries to come in under his command, which would leave Prigozhin completely exposed without protection."

[quote] have blocked Prigozhin's Wagner PMC from any possible retreat out of Bakhmut

Sounds like they have a mini civil war going on in that sector. And 3000 Wagner troops? What good is that going to do, especially since they get killed as soon as they engage?

Prigozhin vs Kadyrov in a Battle to the Death for the Ages!

Two of the Biggest Cunts in Putin’s Asshole fight to see who can be tossed into the Ukrainian meat grinder last!

Serves both of these hateful, fascistic sadists right!

[quote] Osechkin's sources report Russia's FSB spetsnaz, Defence Ministry operators, and RosGvardia have blocked Prigozhin's Wagner PMC from any possible retreat out of Bakhmut, with snipers and artillery at the ready.

Standard Russian practice since Trotsky.

The first use of the barrier troops by the Red Army occurred in the late summer and fall of 1918 in the Eastern front during the Russian Civil War, when People's Commissar of Military and Naval Affairs (War Commissar) Leon Trotsky of the Communist Bolshevik government authorized Mikhail Tukhachevsky, the commander of the 1st Army, to station blocking detachments behind unreliable Red Army infantry regiments in the 1st Red Army, with orders to shoot if front-line troops either deserted or retreated without permission.[

Zukhov won World War with machine gun battalions behind his assault troops to cut down any who tried to retreat..

On September 12, 1941 Joseph Stalin issued the Stavka Directive No. 1919 (Директива Ставки ВГК №001919) concerning the creation of barrier troops in rifle divisions of the Southwestern Front, to suppress panic retreats. Each Red Army division was to have an anti-retreat detachment equipped with transport totaling one company for each regiment. Their primary goal was to maintain strict military discipline and to prevent disintegration of the front line by any means.[10] These barrier troops were usually formed from ordinary military units and placed under NKVD command.

Don't know how I missed this, but Putin isn't attending the Victory parade in person, he's going to appear virtually on large screens. He is such a coward.

Assassination seems like a pipe dream anyway. Even if they could do it (which I doubt), politicians won't give the word because they don't want it to be open season on elites like them. It's to be left to the little people to die for the cause.

R90, I don’t think Putin is in danger of assassination, but showing the world that he does not feel comfortable even in the middle of Moscow, in Red Square, is a very bad look.

Even were Putin assassinated, the war would continue. Russia needs to lose decisively, and Ukraine will always need to be armed to the teeth.

That's so obviously what the drone "attack" nonsense was all about - to give Putin cover for not showing up in person.

Putin's speech: usual bizarre dreck about "Nazis" having invaded Europe.

"The survival of the Russian people depends on the special military operation" - quite extraordinary to frame this as dramatically existential for Russia at the same time as still calling it a 'special military operation' instead of a war.

There was only one T-34 (WWII-era) tank in the parade and no flyover show of planes, helicopters like usual. He did manage to get the leaders of all five Central Asian countries to attend though.

Pooty will be watching DJT & Kaitlan Collins on CNN.

CNN CEO Chris Licht giving DJT a town hall boost.

Just finished watching the Victory Parade. A hollowed out shell of what it was last year. Last year, they had the T-14 wonder tanks, plus a ton of T-90s and other tanks, plus a bunch of self-propelled howitzers and lots of BMPs. This year, 1 WWII-era T-32 tank. The ranks of soldiers were noticeably thinner and younger. They also didn't have any jet flyovers. Pathetic, really.

Amazing what he's done to his country when all he had to do was...leave Ukraine alone.

Psychopath.

I’ve often thought that, r97. All of us could see what he couldn’t. Even if he achieved his objective and taken over Ukraine quickly. What on earth could ever be there to make up for the isolation and sanctions Russia faces?

Yep, R98. Psycho and dumb as hell.

Vlad had numeous political opponents, journalists, and other critics, murdered and/or falsely imprispned for decades. He’s committed extensive war crimes in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine. His evil behavior doesn’t have boundaries when he thinks he won’t be held accountable.

^imprisoned

[QUOTE]1 WWII-era T-32 tank

R96 - are you saying there was only *one* tank in the parade or only this type of tank.

Yep R102, just that one tank.

It was a T-34 tank.

Would an old style Soviet Politburo have purged Putin? How long before they got rid of him?

One tank?

All other glorious tanks occupied in Special Military Operation to drive NATO fascists out of the Lesser Russias!

Lovers' spat?

"PRIGOZHIN PLAYING WITH FIRE

Prigozhin released a “poll” today asking “for whom would you vote in the presidential elections?”

Putin: 42.5% Prigozhin: 39.7%

Prigozhin should avoid windows and Moscow tea parties."

He's got zero fucks to give.

He needs to use new underwear every day.

“It’s official. [Yevgeny] Prigozhin’s report about the flight of Russia’s 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the ‘500 corpses’ of Russians left behind is true,” Ukraine’s Third Separate Assault Brigade said in a statement.

Vladimir Putin’s soldiers in some parts of Bakhmut have retreated by up to two kilometres (1.2 miles), Ukrainian colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed.

The chief of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries confirmed Russian troops were fleeing their positions on a bridge near Bakhmut.

“Our army is fleeing. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said, complaining his troops were receiving only 10 per cent of the shells they needed.

Ukraine looks like a beautiful country (in the parts with no war)! Reminds me of my childhood growing up, lots of flowers, lush green grass in spring, deep blue skies, people having their own gardens to grow veggies and fruits. Lovely old houses with hedges around and big trees in the front yard.

Slava Ukraini!

The threads linked below suggest Western intelligence is vastly underestimating Russian Killed and Wounded in Action due to the fact that Russians do not bother with evacuating the wounded for a variety of reasons, logistic and otherwise. The injured are left to bleed out and die with what would be very treatable injuries. The figure given is about 100K dead from October through April.

Britain has said enough and is giving Ukraine their 250-km Storm Shadow rockets. Putin about to get his shit pushed in even more.

I'm sure American ATACMS won't be far behind now that this red line has been crossed. Then all we need are the F-16s and the Russkies are pretty much done.

Holy crap, r113. That’s a lot of dead people. The US dead in the Vietnam war (which lasted years) was 50K. And the October through April time period is only half the time frame for this war.

Not surprised at all, remember all those mobile crematoria in the early days of war, and Ukraine saying Russia simply refused to claim their dead because it was too much of a fuss? Those satellite images of the quickly-expanding Wagner cemetery are also very revealing.

It's probably preferable to die than to return to Russia as a disabled vet, even with the meagre payment you receive. It's a horrible, horrible country to be disabled in. I saw two suicide clips caught by drones yesterday where a wounded Russian put a grenade under his head and another one where the guy simply shoots himself in the head because his leg is broken and he knows the medics won't come for him. Russia is a fucking hellscape.

A poignant tribute to Putin's one gloriously vintage tank.

Pooty is a murdering thug on a grand scale.

I'm all for pressuring the EU, esp Germany and France to do more. They got us in this mess in the first place by vetoing Ukraine NATO membership, by their ill advised appeasement strategy. The EU needs to learn how to defend themselves without big brother US. It would help them become a tighter unit, which they are not, to their own disadvantage really.

I agree, R119

Russia owned both German Chancellors Schroeder and Merkel. The current Chancellor is just marginally better. French presidents at least back to Pompeidou never missed an opportunity to undercut US policy to strengthen NATO cohesion against Russia.

Other than the UK they all assumed the US taxpayer would carry the full European burden while they spent elsewhere. And so it seems to be.

Well, now. This ought to help. 😁

"BREAKING: UK sends Ukraine "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles with range of 155 miles.

Ukraine's max strike range up to now: 49 miles.

Game changer right as Ukraine is about to unleash its Spring #counteroffensive. Ruh roh."

[quote]They got us in this mess in the first place by vetoing Ukraine NATO membership, by their ill advised appeasement strategy.

Bill Clinton took Ukraine's nukes away, Obama responded to the Crimea annexation by basically doing nothing, and his successor had his tongue up Putin's ass. So check yourself, bitch. The EU was only following the lead from D.C.

Now what Joe?

JOHANNESBURG—South Africa supplied weapons and ammunition to Russia with the help of a Russian cargo ship that surreptitiously docked at the country’s largest naval base in December, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa said in a briefing with local journalists on Thursday.

The comments from Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II were reported by local media outlets and confirmed by a person present at the briefing. They are bound to further complicate the relationship between the U.S. and South Africa, a country that has officially pledged neutrality on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that Washington and Europe have tried to draw closer to the Western alliance against Moscow.

Now, the U.S. and its Western allies will have to decide whether to place sanctions on South African officials and entities involved in the alleged supply of potential war materials to Russia and risk alienating Africa’s most developed economy and one of its most established democracies.

Both Russian and Ukrainian channels are reporting intensifying Ukrainian actions in multiple directions. The Russian defense ministry says that the "general situation" is under control, which means that local situations might not be under control at all - one of those looks to be Bakhmut. The Russians will have to decide whether to commit more resources there (at the expense of other areas) or risk a political humiliation there given that they've been obsessed about taking Bakhmut.

"The figure given is about 100K dead from October through April."

More Russian mail order brides for us.

Sanctions and losing aid dollars should be what happens to South Africa.

Biden has done a lot for Ukraine.

I think Merkel was a Stasi agent.

I think Trump is compromised by Russia. I don’t know if Russia interfered in the last election, but I am certain they’re working on behalf of Trump now.

Russia's military now copying Wagner's former practice and recruiting convicts directly from prisons. Up to 10k recruited in April alone.

That's why Putin's rule is secure for the foreseeable future -- the war hardly affects the regular folk in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

[quote]I don’t know if Russia interfered in the last election, but I am certain they’re working on behalf of Trump now.

They definitely did. And Putin is still doing it right now. In Turkey he's been trying to get Erdogan re-elected. Erdogan's opponent just tweeted this out in Russian (the quote is translated):

[quote]Dear Russian Friends, You are behind the montages, conspiracies, Deep Fake content and recordings that were exposed yesterday in this country. If you want to continue our friendship after May 15, keep your hands off the Turkish state. We still stand for cooperation and friendship.

SecDef Austin said in the Senate that Ukraine is getting the Abrams tanks in early autumn. So Putin has between now and then to pull something out of his ass. Not that the Leopards and the Bradleys aren't enough, mind you. But the Abrams will be a whole other level of shit for him.

[quote]Bill Clinton took Ukraine's nukes away, Obama responded to the Crimea annexation by basically doing nothing, and his successor had his tongue up Putin's ass. So check yourself, bitch. The EU was only following the lead from D.C.

You're an idiot R123!

But since last week, voices have been growing louder in criticising Merkel's sidelining of the foreign policy and security experts who warned her against seeing Russia as a reliable partner in trade. “A sober assessment of the German government’s misjudgments in its dealings with Russia over the last 16 years is now overdue,” said CDU politician and former Bundeswehr officer Roderich Kiesewetter.

“To Nato’s great surprise, France and Germany in 2008 blocked a Membership Action Plan for Georgia, warning that Russia would interpret it as an existential threat. But four months later, Russia invaded Georgia anyway. In 2014-2015, when the US wanted to arm Ukraine over Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Merkel and [then French president François] Hollande opposed such a strategy, instead investing in diplomatic efforts,” Kiesewetter told the Observer.

Literally zero counterarguments to my main point, just calling me an idiot. Classic DL troll.

You never had any points to begin with R132.

John #McCain slams #Merkel for ruling out arms to Ukraine tells @ZDF :" It reminds me of the politics [of appeasing Nazis] of the 30s."

You're still a moron R123!!

"Germany’s Angela Merkel said on Saturday that sending arms to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian separatists would not solve the crisis there, drawing sharp rebukes from U.S. politicians who accused Berlin of turning its back on an ally in distress."

I personally think that Merkel, Clinton and Obama all failed, had a blind spot when it came to dealing with Putin. They were all fooled for some reason.

^^ And I'll add Zelensky to that. He didn't believe that the Russians would invade. There is something strange about Putin that makes people overlook obvious things.

Still a stupid moron, R123!

Obama tells EU to do more to cut reliance on Russian gas

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told the European Union on Wednesday it cannot rely on the United States alone to reduce its dependency on Russian energy, as relations with Moscow chill over its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.

Both Bill and Hillary didn't trust Putin, they very much knew he was a rogue SOB.

In the last weeks of his presidency Bill Clinton visited Yeltsin and told him that Putin is not to be trusted.

R137 I am not that poster but when you call people a 'moron' it doesn't make me take you seriously - please engage with the argument on the merits of the argument. Bill Clinton himself has said that he made a mistake, that he regrets pressurising Ukraine to give up their nuclear weapons in 1994. This is on the record. He himself says it:

[quote]"I feel a personal stake because I got them [Ukraine] to agree to give up their nuclear weapons," Clinton said. "And none of them believe that Russia would have pulled this stunt if Ukraine still had their weapons." In 1994, the US helped broker the Budapest Memorandum, with former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, and former Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk, with the intention of getting rid of nuclear weapons that were still stationed on Ukraine's territory after the fall of the Soviet Union. The US also negotiated agreements for Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and borders, which Clinton said was also shortsighted. Specifically, in 2014, Russia violated its promise that it would not challenge Ukraine's borders after the invasion of Crimea.

And just to make clear how naive even Zelenskyy was, here's a video of when he first became president. He is surprised that his presidential office has a shower and somewhere where he can wash his hair. He's dismissive, he says he would never need to use that. And then the video shows him saying that he has lived there for a year (because of the war)...........

Basically, a LOT of people were fooled by Putin. And still are in my opinion. One of my biggest bugbears is the number of people who breezily tell us that if Putin were removed whoever replaces him would be worse. Really? Why? I don't really understand that confidence. If I could bet on it, I'd bet on the person replacing Putin making a deal just to cut Russia's losses and move on.

If Merkel was a Stasi agent, wouldn't that have come out long ago? The Stasi archives were publicized, to the mortification of many.

As for South Africa, what kind of "established democracy" supplies arms to an authoritarian kleptocracy for its avowedly colonialist invasion of a sovereign country? They sound like they're no better than in the Botha days.

The mistakes Merkel made had huge negative ramifications, not just for Germany, but also for the EU. Anybody just slightly familiar with how incredibly unsustainable, naïve (deliberately or not) and flawed Germany's foreign policy on Russia was and how much this was Merkel's (and France's) fault and her fault alone, can only be disgusted by anybody who would try to make excuses for Merkel.

Intelligence services all over Europe rang the alarm bells, she totally ignored it. After the bombing of the Moscow apartment buildings, poisoning attempt on Yushchenko, after the poisoning on Litvinenko, the Scripals, killing of Khangoshvili, poisoning attempts on Navalny, Kara Murza, not to mention all the critics that were killed in Russia, the downing of MH17, the hijacking of a Ryan Air plane, military interventions in Transnistria, Moldova, Georgia, Chechnya, Ukraine; after all this Merkel had no problem with going ahead on NS2, still thought she had to appease Putin and give him everything he wanted.

Give me a break!

I don't think she was a Stasi agent, but either got blinded by the cheap gas from Russia or Putin had something on her.

When she opened the borders and let in a million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan intelligence agencies specifically warned that ISIS could use this to smuggle terrorists into the EU. Merkel completely ignored this. And this move came from a woman who 5 years previous had said multiculturalism had failed in Germany. Intelligence agencies also now know that the huge refugee wave into Europe is mostly because of Putin's war in Syria and that Putin calculated that the disruptions, the conflict and the many terror attacks resulting form millions of young Muslim men unable to integrate into modern western societies, would shake the EU's foundations and to which he in return could then benefit from.

Hillary Clinton talked about Putin playing 3D chess. Merkel fell for all the tricks and likely was aware of them.

A few months before she resigned (coincidentally 6 months before the start of the war on Ukraine) an article in the German press said that Putin had made his way into her inner circles. She was interviewed last summer and none of the issues raised regarding her grave foreign policy mistakes, she had any logical answers for.

There was a reason NSA spied on her.

I think most people operate within a moral world of some sort so we are all sort of at a loss and have a hard time reacting appropriately when first encountering a person like Putin. Which isn’t to say grave mistakes weren’t made.

Send Lady Lindzebug to deal with Pooty. The message directly to the thug: “leave all of Ukraine now, or you are off limits to the world’s best pootang”. Pooty can’t resist.

Putin is dumb enough to pour more efforts into Bakhmut for two reasons. One, because he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go and two just to rub it in Proghozin’s ugly face. (Or however you spell it)

He’s going to dump more conscripts into that area. The center of the Ukrainian line will hold and they will encircle the Russians in a kill pocket and obliterate them.

Pootz has no strategy. None. Just throw bodies and hope for the best.

Documents show Kremlin seeks to build antiwar coalition in Germany: report

(polish report in English, quoting Washington Post article which is paywalled)

“Puppet of Putin”

Sounds catchy.

The US has been able to confirm that the US Patriot system has been able to shoot down a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile for the first time.

I'm a bit hesitant to cheer on Poland, they are a right wing shit hole which severely limits gay rights and women's rights. But at least their foreign policy towards Russia is correct.

Merkel wasn't naive or unprepared ElderLez, she grew up in East Germany and was chancellor for 16 years. She knew what she was doing. Scholz, the new guy had extensive relations with East Germany in his youth, was a Marxist and close party ally with Gerhard Schroeder.

r149, calibration and recalibration.

That's good to hear r149. The NYT has a story about Russian missle strikes in Kharkiev (sp?) The city was liberated but missles keep raining down on civilian targets. I had to stop reading it was so depressing.

That's good to hear r149. The NYT has a story about Russian missle strikes in Kharkiev (sp?) The city was liberated but missles keep raining down on civilian targets. I had to stop reading it was so depressing.

Those missiles are almost impossible to shoot down. This one may just be luck too - I would wait and see if it can get others.

The Ukrainians fired multiple missiles at different angles to bring down the kinzhal hypersonic missile. The kinzhal was attempting to destroy the Patriot system.

Ukraine has been fairly effective at bringing down missiles. There aren’t a lot of kinzhals, but it does take a lot to bring one down.

[quote] The US has been able to confirm that the US Patriot system has been able to shoot down a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile for the first time.

That would never have happened if Ted Kennedy had his way. He thought his line "you can't hit a bullet with a bullet" was so clever.

Prigozhin, the horrifying Nosferatu creature who leads the Wagner Group, claims that they’re spending their ammunition shooting fleeing Russian troops.

Of course, OP. You just keep telling yourself that...

Putin is killing his own soldiers.

Nuff said.

To be completely fair, Putin's army at this point is largely pulled from the lower rungs of the prison system.

So while horrible to use them as cannon fodder, not entirely surprising.

R160 They are all expendable.

I can remember—and it wasn't so long ago—that we were all shuddering from afar at the approach of the Wagner Group, scourge of Africa and Syria, against whose ruthless efficiency there was no defense. But thanks to their own bumbling and Russia's resourcelessness they turned out to be Keystone Cops.

They are led by a literal goat fucker, R163.

Egypt has ignored U.S. requests to close its airspace to Russian military flights, American and Egyptian officials said, testing the limits of Washington’s ability to choke off Moscow’s supplies ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Egypt is giving Moscow crucial access to its airspace, allowing a path to transport weapons to Ukraine from Syria.

What do Egypt and South Africa get in return besides payment for the arms? Can Russia get their oil to these destinations?

Come to think of it Egypt has over a thousand Abrams tanks. I wonder if they might sell Russia a few hundred.

Russia's latest troll is that they've announced they will build a village outside of Moscow next year for conservative Americans and Canadians who want traditional values and to escape "70 genders" (not kidding).

Of course I'm sure they're hoping to get some more nice cannon fodder.

Nothing like a quickly-made Russian-made village to make you feel secure.

First sign that the British Storm Shadow rockets have been used - two strikes on the occupied city of Luhansk, which is well outside HIMARS range. (A major Russian military HQ is based there.) The Russian propaganda paper Izvestia published images of what appear to be fragments of British storm shadow missiles which is more evidence that they were used in the Luhansk attack.

There are (unconfirmed) reports that Russia shot down 2 of their own helicopters and 1 of their own jets today. o_O

Zelenskyy is in Rome, meeting the President, the PM (she's right-wing but fortunately not pro-Russia for once although her allies Salvini and Berlusconi are pro-Russia which complicates it a little) and the Pope. The idiot Pope has claimed that he's on a 'secret mission' to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine but Zelenskyy/Ukraine say it's the first they've heard about that.

I'm an American liberal and I absolutely adore the idea that Russia has announced at R168! God, YES! Take our MAGAts, PLEASE! Take them all!

I'll help them pack -- how soon can they leave?

This, r171? It's a two-person bomber jet.

R172, this is a great opportunity for everyone. Russia has a declining birth rate, it’s suffered significant casualties in Ukraine, and at least 550,000 (and possibly a million) citizens have fled to avoid conscription. It NEEDS our MAGA folk.

We need to get Tucker Carlson out there promoting this.

Pootin the Thug thinks he’s another Peter the Great? Ruthless Ivan the Terrible and Stalin perhaps showed better judgement, and perhaps better humanitarian instincts, than this extremely flawed character.

I think [f]ucker Carlson should be the first to go, and then they'll all follow him...like lemmings...

R174, agree! What a way to solve everyone's problems. Damn, who knew Poots had this in him?

He needs to be nominated for the Peace Prize, lol

Geez, this story made me so high, I need to lie down.

Can we nominate or deport these Putin lovers ourselves? Because Rand Paul’s neighbor and I will certainly send that bird nest headed shitstain packing off to his buddy.

Lukashenko has been hospitalized. He hasn't been seen in public since he left Moscow early on the 9th.

Did they give him enough tea to kill him, or just enough to scare him shitless?

[quote]Russia's latest troll is that they've announced they will build a village outside of Moscow next year for conservative Americans and Canadians who want traditional values and to escape "70 genders" (not kidding).

And they had "69 genders" sitting right there as a punch line and they blew it.

Something is happening.

Defenestration, perhaps?

It does sound like he's been ill for a while with a heart condition per article at r182. They're trying to figure out who'll succeed. It's a Generalisimo Francisco Franco is still dead type of situation.

Say Lukashenko dies and Poots moves in to annex Belarus to Russia. Wouldn't that just stretch the Russian military thinner, especially given the restive population in Belarus? Poots has enough trouble keeping his own colonized populations under control and trying to take over Ukraine at the same time.

And, at the same time...this guy has had enough, Comrade!

"Prigozhin calls for a rebellion.

He called the "special military operation" a stupid war, soldiers - the only innocent ones, and the events on the frontlines - a tragedy.

Will he be the one to start a revolution?"

Now I'm confused. Wasn't Lukashenko essentially a Putin puppet? Did that change recently?

More from him, doing everything but shouting 'Slava Ukraini!' and peeling off his jacket to be shown wearing an I 💓 UKRAINE tee.

" Prigozhin ridicules Russian General Staff and approves of the Ukrainian Army's tactics."

Uh oh, Prigozhin, you in danger, girl!

Re: Lukashenko AND ENTOURAGE are ill, after visiting Moscow 🤔

"On 9th May in Moscow Lukashenko looked sick, had a bandaged hand and left for Minsk early. Back in Belarus, he didn't deliver the 9th May speech for the first time ever. Lukashenko hasn't appeared in public since then.

His absence is the number one topic in Belarus unofficial media.

Today, information appeared that Lukashenko and his entourage have some type of flu.

Interesting."

I notice that Russia experts Anne Applebaum and Tom Nichols have not commented or retweeted anything about Lukashenko.

Hope it was Covid, he was talking in Putin's face during the parade.

Update on the reported downing of a jet and two helicopters - the Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that it was actually two fighter planes (a Su-34 and a Su-35) and two Mi-8 helicopters. Kommersant says that the fighters were supposed to deliver a missile and bomb attack on targets in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, and the helicopters were there to back them up. But they were "shot down almost simultaneously" in an ambush in the Bryansk region in Russia, adjoining northeast Ukraine. All four crews died.

Russian milbloggers back up this account.

Pretty big deal if Ukraine did this.

Congrats to whomever shot those fuckers down! 😘

So petty. The Russians attacked Ternopil 10 minutes before the Ukrainian band TVORCHI competed in the Eurovision final. Ternopil is their native city. (Sweden won Eurovision this year if anyone was wondering. Eurovision is kind of a big, kitschy deal in Europe.)

Prigozhin is an oligarch billionaire with his own private military at his disposal. He’s.well protected. He doesn’t fear Pooty, and is long, well aware of Pooty’s murdering tactics toward critics and political rivals.

R195 "Eurovision is kind of a big, kitschy deal in Europe"

Tell us about it!

R196, I’ve read that Putin, somewhat counterintuitively, accepts Prigozhin because he believes that he is a “Russian patriot.” No matter how insulting he is, his heart is in the right place: he believes that it is Russia’s sacred mission to destroy the West and everything it stands for.

Putin has okayed the deaths of other patriots.

Girkin/Strelkov claims that the four aircraft were shot down with MANPADs and that the crash sites were only a few kms away from each other. If accurate, that means infiltration of one or more recon/sabotage groups because the aircraft were shot down at least 50km from the nearest border with Ukraine i.e. within Russia.

The best thing Lukashenko could do for Belarus is to invade Poland and immediately surrender.

NATO moves in and makes Belarus a NATO protectorate, and Putin loses more NATO border.

Why would he ever even entertain the idea? He's also a dictator riding a tiger.

You're working on the flawed assumption the Lukashenko actually wants to do something for Belarus, r201.

What’s a Belarus? I know Georgia and it was stolen from me and it wasn’t Russher.

Chances are high Putin wants to install another puppet who will agree to become protectorate of Russia, giving Putin access to fresh troops and hardware for the war..

Here are several videos of the crashes:

"The International Center for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression that will collect evidence and identify individuals involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine who can be prosecuted for the crime of aggression, is set to begin its work within the next few weeks, writes @MGongadze for the Voice of America.

It will include experts from several countries and their Ukrainian counterparts to ensure international justice in the future.

In more than a year since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian office of the Prosecutor General has registered more than 80,000 cases of war crimes committed by members of Russia's forces."

Zelenskyy, re: Putin: "He is not an adequate person."

"French President Macron said Russia has “already lost geopolitically” its war in #Ukraine & is transforming into a vassal state of China. “Russia must not win this war militarily. So it’s up to us 2C how to help the Ukrainians with their counteroffensive.'

Seems to me that Belarus government is caught between a rock and a hard place. Lucaschenko (sp) may very well be dead but if he is and Putin tries to install another puppet, they know they’re fucked.

Belarus has avoided sending troops to Ukraine thus far but if Lucaschenko is dead and they get another puppet, they may not have that choice.

OTOH, if they say he’s dead and have an election, they may get booted from power and prosecuted or offed.

The Washington Post is reporting that the Discord leaks say that in January Prigozhin allegedly offered to tell Ukraine’s military where to attack Russian troops if they agreed to pull back their own forces from the beleaguered city of Bakhmut. He also allegedly advised an Ukrainian intelligence officer to attack Crimea (instead of Bakhmut).

If true, that's pure mercenary.

Belarus has already had enormous anti-Lukashenko demonstrations in '20 or '19 that took much effort to put down, right? If Putin's banking on getting rid of him so soon, in this climate, it wouldn't shock me if the Belarus military didn't immediately attempt a putsch/golpe de estado/ coup d'etat . They don't want to get dragged into this mess. They can't lose the few resources they already have, including men.

Wouldn't shock me if there are Belarus backchannels somewhere West, and if Lukashenko isn't actually genetically sick, the Russians are poisoning him for keeping a line open to the West.

Dictators, Tigers, Oh, my!!!

It is going to be interesting to see how the Belarusian military and citizens react if Lukashenka is gone. I think it's a bit of a catch 22 for them. They're not going to want to have to fight in Ukraine but I don't think they want Russia to bomb them either. On balance I think I'd bet on Putin doing a deal with them - he gets to control the new leader while Belarusians don't have to fight in Ukraine. A bit like now. But who knows.

Belarus is in their current situation people they played footsie with Putin for so long.

No "they" about it, R214; as R212 says the general population got fed up with Lukashenko and his pro-Russian ways a while back, but he rigged the election, brought in Russian help, and kept the country under his thumb.

[quote] Russia's latest troll is that they've announced they will build a village outside of Moscow next year for conservative Americans and Canadians who want traditional values and to escape "70 genders" (not kidding).

Make no mistake as to who is behind the anti-gay hysteria running amok.

One wonders if this village will have typical Russian traditional values such as wife-beating and alcoholism?

Sounds like a Christian Utopia to us, R216! When can we move in? Is there a While Foods and Trader Joe's?

[quote]One wonders if this village will have typical Russian traditional values such as wife-beating and alcoholism?

"Home of the 32-second sexual assault!"

I've noticed fewer gloating pro-Putin propagandists. I wonder if even they realize how grim things are becoming for them and their country? :)

[quote] typical Russian traditional values such as wife-beating and alcoholism?

Russia's other traditional values: Russia is the country with the highest abortion rate in the world and the 3rd highest divorce rate. But the country does take great pride in not having "Parent 1 and Parent 2," so there's that, I guess.

R219, If Putin can't pay his cannon fodder, what makes you think he can pay his trolls.

Looks like Prigozhin is raising a stink to cover for losing Bakhmut:

And while Prigozhin claims he is running out of ammunition and not being given the resources he needs by the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian troops arrayed against him say the scale of the assault is worse than ever.

Hryshchenko described how his 127th Brigade rations ammunition for its howitzer, while each day the Russians are covering every square mile with shells until every building is destroyed.

“If I had that opportunity to use that much artillery,” he said, “I would probably finish the war.”

"Great news to kick off the week. With president Zelensky in the country, Britain announced it will send hundreds of long-range attack drones to #Ukraine, with a range of over 200km (124 miles). "Kerch bridge on fire.... your defence is terrified..."

"Yesterday France announced dozens more light tanks & armoured vehicles for #Ukraine. President Macron also called for fresh sanctions against Russia. Leaders’ joint statement also said Paris would focus its efforts “in supporting air defence capacities”

" See new Tweets Conversation (((Tendar))) @Tendar The German defense company Rheinmetall ( @RheinmetallAG ) and the Ukrainian Ukroboronprom ( @ukroboronprom ) have established a strategic partnership.

"Under this agreement, Ukraine will benefit from a comprehensive transfer of technology, the creation of additional defense technology capacities in Ukraine, additional local valued added, and the short-term delivery of military equipment from Germany"

Look MAGAts! Here's your chance to be a hero! Grab yer AR get to GIJoein', y'all!

"Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified procedure.

For a new passport, one would only need to sign a contract for military service and go to fight near Bakhmut."

Wow, that is so desperate. Yikes.

R226, is that serious? It’s so ludicrous it occurred to me it might be sarcasm.

All these highly publicized gimmicks seem flagrantly self-defeating. The way to win Bakhmut is to entice even more untrained combatants to throw away their lives by offering them citizenship in a borderline failed state? How is that supposed to work even on its own terms?

Has rat nest-haired Rand Paul signed-up yet to accept Putin’s offer and go to Bakhmut to fight for the motherland?

Well, this ought to work out well for Poots!

""Mobilized soldiers who join Wagner will face up to 15 years in prison" - Russian MP Sobolev"

I wouldn’t believe a word out of Progozhin’s lie hole.

Tbh, after the shit he’s pulled with Brexit and helping to foist the orange traitor on us through his fucking IRA cunts, I hope he’s trapped in a foxhole, cold, hungry and impotent until he starves or freezes to death.

Fuck. Him. YOU STARTED THIS BULLSHIT. Now, it’s time to end you.

Please, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, r229!

I support sending MAGAts to Russia as cannon fodder, but only if they make a reality TV show out of it.

I hope this is not true:

[quote]BREAKING: Remember that Russian strike on Ukrainian weapons depot in Khmelnytskyi (shared video earlier)? It is now being reported that a 50% increase in average radioactivity was measured in the city of Khmelnytskyi, western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, where large

[quote]Latest report on the situation has it that there are now Depleted Uranium: Gamma Radiation spikes in Ukraine. The winds they say, are currently blowing northwest to Germany. If this eventually turns out to be what it’s sounding and smelling like, then we already have a nuclear disaster in our hands. It always starts small and then it grows into something no one can control.

R235, the "report" is pretty suspect, the guy's Twitter is full of anti-Ukraine and anti-US propaganda.

[quote] Has rat nest-haired Rand Paul signed-up yet to accept Putin’s offer and go to Bakhmut to fight

Why would he when he consistently argued neither the Ukrainian side not the Russian side is our war. Much like the administration feels about the wars in Sudan and Afghanistan.

If Rand Paul can't see the larger geopolitical implications of letting Russian kleptocracy and autocracy redraw national borders, then yes, he's Putin's tool.

Rand Paul pursues attention by being contrary.

R238 is right.

Apples and oranges, r237.

Huge Ukrainian munitions depot blown up

^ What's interesting about that ammo depot is that it's an old USSR depot that held old stuff that isn't usable. So people are wondering why the Russians targeted it. Either they had intel it was being used for newer stuff or they wanted a big blast either to show that they were doing things or for propaganda reasons.

Overnight the Russians attacked Kyiv with maximum intensity. People were saying it was the loudest they've ever heard it. The thing is, if Ukraine is right, it's very good news for Patriot and other defense systems since they say that all of the missiles were intercepted including 6 Kinzhal, 9 Kalibr missiles, and 3 ballistic missiles yet to be identified.

[quote]The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia launched 6 Kinzhal missiles from 6 MiG-31K aircraft, 9 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea, 3 S-400 or Iskander-M missiles, and 6 Shahed / Geran-2 drones over night, all of which were successfully intercepted.

Firefighters having to combat fires from the wreckage of intercepted missiles (they still cause damage, just did not get to their target).

Dishy Rishi and Zelenskyy having a moment.

Prigozhin. Seriously, what can you say about this guy. He’s just representative of the entire dysfunctional Russian military. Doctrinally, he’s what’s called an ass clown.

Thirty Patriots did the trick overnight. Shame the price tag on each of those missiles is $4 million, but it's more than worth it for the reputational damage to the Russkies alone. And the saved lives, of course. I'll never forget Putin's smirk when he was hyping up his "hypersonics" years ago.

I had no idea the comment at R245 was from retired US General Mark Herling until I clicked the Twitter link. Knowing that puts Prigozhin being called an "ass clown" and the off-hand diss of the Russian military in a completely different light. I love it when our generals/retired generals get (accurately) bitchy!

Crazy long-exposure photo of the Patriots at work. Pray you never get to see a sight like that in the night sky.

Kyivans are saying it was the loudest night since the start of the war, it wasn't even this loud when the Russkies were in the city.

Things are going splendidly on the front lines for Russia!

"I posted yesterday about a Russian MP suggesting imprisonment for soldiers joining Wagner.

He has received a response by Wagner mercenaries. They have a few suggestions what the MP can do with his proposal."

R249 The amount of homophobia in that video is notable.

""Over the past few days, our troops have liberated about 20 square kilometers from the enemy in the north and south suburbs of Bakhmut," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar."

r250 It's not necessarily homophobia, they're using a word which doubles as "motherfucker" in addition to being a slur for gay men. It's the same in my (Slavic) language.

R252 Being fucked in the ass too?

Yes.

Oh yeah, when they liberally throw around 'faggot' and say they will fuck someone in the ass as a punishment, that has nothing to do with homophobia. Please, pull the other one.

"BREAKING: U.S. officials confirm that Ukraine has begun using British Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian targets"

F-16s are a go! This is huge as there's a shittonne of them around.

[quote]UK and Netherlands agree ‘international coalition’ to help Ukraine with F-16 jets

[quote]The UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch leader Mark Rutte have agreed to build an “international coalition” to help procure F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine, the British government has announced. A Downing Street spokesperson said Sunak and Rutte “would work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets”.

Another wave of drone and missile strikes by the Russians going on now.

Earlier on an US official said that a Patriot system was likely damaged but not destroyed by a missile barrage on Monday night and that the US was still assessing the damage which to determine whether the system needs to be pulled back entirely or be repaired by the Ukrainians.

I like how Ukraine is trying to clean up corruption at the same time as fighting a war. The head of their Supreme Court was just arrested for taking a cash bribe of $2.7m from an oligarch in their biggest ever case so far.

I know they're busy with a war and all, but perhaps Ukraine could take a look at US Supreme Court corruption if they get a chance?

R255, that's a typical Russian/Slavic mindset for you.

Nevermind that some of their best and brightest minds -- over the centuries -- have always belonged to gay men like Tchaikovsky.

Russians are all sorts of fucked up that can't be fixed.

Savvy. Genius. No way this will backfire.

"According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russian commanders have recently started punishing “breaches in discipline” by detaining them in so-called “Zindans,” or “improvised cells consisting of holes in the ground covered with a metal grille.”

"YouTube began to remove videos about the private military company "Wagner," the Moscow Times reported. The service explained that the PMC is a "criminal and terrorist organization," accordingly it is prohibited to post materials about it. "We make exceptions only for educational, documentary, artistic and scientific videos, if they are accompanied by a suitable context and their publication is justified," the support said.

In late January, the U.S. recognized the "Wagner" PMC as a transnational criminal organization and imposed sanctions on entities associated with it. The mercenary group itself and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, have been under US sanctions since 2017.

In addition, the French Parliament voted for the declaration of PMC "Wagner" as a terrorist organization, the Seimas of Lithuania, and then the European Union put "Wagner" on the sanctions list for "active participation in the Russian military aggression against Ukraine". About a week ago, it became known that Britain also intends to recognize "Wagner" PMC as a terrorist organization.

In April, the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko appealed to the management of YouTube with a request to "take specific measures" to identify the videos promoting the Prigozhin's terrorist group."

"Ukraine could theoretically carry out an operation on the territory of Iran to destroy the production of UAVs" - Budanov (Ukraine's head of military intelligence)

Would the west let them? It could be escalatory.

" See new Tweets Conversation The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent Council of Europe creates Register of Damage for Russian crimes of aggression in Ukraine.

The Council of Europe announced on May 17 that it had established a "Register of Damage" for Russian crimes of aggression in Ukraine. Forty-three countries and the European Union joined or indicated their intention to join the initiative, according to the press release."

A nation of savvy geniuses.

"In case you were wondering about the level of insanity in Russia:

Russian MP suggested training aggressive stray dogs and sending them to the "special military operation" zone - to de-mine and carry the wounded."

To be fair, R266, that MP doesn't sound any more fatuous than most Republicans in Congress. Almost like there was a connection somehow ...

Was just about to say, that's stupidity on the level of Donald Jessica "can we nuke that hurricane?" Trump.

The Russians have a history of using battlefield dogs. The program didn't work very well but it did some damage to the Germans.. If they learn from and adjust their old mistakes it should save soldiers lives.

"The Patriot system in Kyiv suffered only minor damage after Russian missile barrages Tuesday and its radar, the most important component, is unscathed, three U.S. officials tell CNN."

Gays are motherfuckers in Slavic countries? You lean something new every day, however (oxy-)moronic it might sound.

I don't see Nadal announcing retirement tomorrow: he will probably say that he won't play this summer (or maybe until next year) in order to get back in tip top condition. But then I can see him doing the Seles or Federer dance, keeping announcing that he's not ready yet, still not ready yet, still not quite there yet, and after two years of being off tour, finally coming to the realization that he won't come back and will formally retire.

The only thing we can be sure of is that he's NOT holding a press conf tomorrow to say that yes he is playing RG.

r271 How is that weird? The word "gay" was used to mean "lame" in English until very recently and "faggot" in some places still doubles as "motherfucker/asshole" with no homophobic context. You also use animal words (cock, pussy) to refer to genitals and so on and so forth. Words can have more than one meaning, especially the naughtier ones.

r272 is almost tragically lost.

R272, hey, I post on this thread AND the tennis threads too! Nice to see you.

The Air Defense say they downed 29 out of 30 missiles overnight plus two kamikaze drones and two reconnaissance drones.

I'll believe that when it's confirmed by the Ghost of Kiev

"More bad news for Russia.

The price for natural gas in the EU (Amsterdam) reached another low point. Today for the first time in almost 2 years it went under 30 EUR/MWh, currently at 29.8 EUR/MWh.

What an epic disaster for Moscow."

"Ahead of the G7 summit the USA announced that they will cut of 70 Russian (and other nation’s) companies from US exports. In addition, 300 people, organizations, ships and planes will be put on the sanction list.

Source: Spiegel Online"

"Russian hypersonic missile scientists arrested on treason charges"

"Russian troops taking over from Wagner in Bakhmut are abandoning their positions, Ukrainian officer claims: 'As soon as they are afraid, they just run'"

Wonderful to hear, R281

R280, gotta love it when they eat their own. In response, the CIA has set up a Telegram channel geared toward helping any Russian scientists and technologists who have got to be spooked by this to defect.

According to my Russian neighbor, they are already pouring into Europe r283.

BBC News Russia found job ads for “security guards” at an organization that manages residential building maintenance in Moscow. When a correspondent called the number, the person who answered said the ads were really for contract soldiers to go to Ukraine.

Go to 1:47 of this video and it's a bit o_O

Some kind of backhanded comment on Putin in a Russian newspaper that has to toe the party line?

Activists in Moscow laid mourning wreaths to the buildings of the State Duma, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee, as well as to the Presidential Office and the office of the Human Rights Commissioner.

The wreaths' ribbons read: "Here is where the people's freedom is buried," "Here is where the law is buried," "Here is where the truth is buried," and "Here is where human rights are buried". A wreath placed at the presidential office said "Here the country and the people are buried".

The police detained two women who laid a wreath at the building of the Prosecutor General's Office. The police drew up reports on violation of the rules of holding a public event. The activists were soon released. In the report the law enforcement officers indicated that the women shouted the phrase "here the law is buried" as a slogan.

Ukraine is Russia’s Vietnam. Sadly, they can’t protest like we can, but I believe people are deeply unhappy about the war. I know I’ve spoken about my Russian neighbor who has visited a few times since the war started because she has elderly parents. In fact, it appears Russians are more united against the war than we were back in the 60s. She says were very few people who supported it even from the beginning, they are just too scared to speak out. She says in addition, they aren’t buying the reason for invading at all. Many Russians feel kinship with Ukraine since they were also part of the USSR. They don’t understand or agree with the rationale for invading at all.

[quote] Ukraine is Russia’s Vietnam.

Hey, I thought that was me!

For some light relief, this made me laugh.

Ukraine is Russia's second Vietnam.

Afghanistan was their first. (if we're counting the Soviets in this)

What's strange is that way more have died already in the Ukraine war than in Afghanistan and yet Russians have not been anywhere near as vocal about that. You'd expect it to be the other way around given how fratricidal the Ukraine war is.

[quote]What's strange is that way more have died already in the Ukraine war than in Afghanistan and yet Russians have not been anywhere near as vocal about that.

Any statement against the war (for a while even calling it a war) can put you in prison for 15 years.

The people who have spoken out are doing so at great personal risk.

Agreed r293. And again my Russian neighbor—she was in a restaurant and the “police” came in and dragged two people away. The word was they were busting on Putin and the war and someone overheard them. Of course, this is apocryphal but I wouldn’t doubt that these sort of stories are making the rounds and keeping people from speaking up.

#BREAKING Radioactive cloud after destruction of depleted uranium munitions delivered to Ukraine is moving towards Western Europe — Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation

[quote] Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation

Professional liar, delivering disinformation on a bullshit Twitter account.

Next.

[quote]And again my Russian neighbor

No offense but your neighbor's accounts are fairly anecdotal. It's like saying that all Americans are against Trump because I know a bunch of people with degrees in NY who are appalled by him. She is going to run in certain circles but you can't necessarily extrapolate to the whole population by that.

The US has approved training and providing F-16 jets to Ukraine. The jets won't necessarily come from the US but the US had to give permission to countries like the UK and the Netherlands who wanted to give theirs. Training would take a minimum of 4 months though.

Biden's most welcome U-turn.

[quote]"President Joe Biden reversed his previous objections to providing Ukraine with F16 fighter jets because he believes in equipping the country for a long-term fight against Russia, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Saturday in Japan.

[quote]The decision marks a stark turnaround for Biden, who had said he did not believe that Kyiv needed the planes.

[quote] The decision marks a stark turnaround for Biden

That happens a lot, depending on who spoke with him last

Ukraine is obviously just grateful he got there in the end.

[quote]Ukraine is extremely grateful to @POTUS for grace, resoluteness and leadership once again demonstrated through the course of our independence war. Your decision to support the international fighter jet coalition is crucial to save thousands of innocent lives and help defeat the ruthless aggressor.

I think Sullivan was the one holding him back. I don't buy the price tag argument floated earlier this week at all because most of these won't come from the American stock anyway. I made a prediction here in September they'd be getting Abrams tanks and F-16s in a year and that's almost exactly when they're getting them. Russia is so done.

They absolutely are r297, you’re right, but I shared her story because at least we are hearing from someone who actually visits there. She’s always been rather apolitical, so I do think she’s probably seeing things pretty accurately. She did say that many of her younger relatives with skills have left for Europe and those that don’t are trying to hide low. But the stories are definitely anecdotal.

It's my understanding that the casualties are not largely among ethnic Russians. So, it's all a theoretical rallying point for Russian nationalists who aren't directly affected.

A nice take on the current state of Russia and what to expect.

Prigozhin claims to control 100% of Bakhmut, up from 98% a week ago. This could work out for Ukraine - if he claims victory and leaves in a few days, leaving the regular Russian army to deal with a potential counteroffensive.

Of course, this is Prigozhin so who knows what to believe that comes out of his mouth.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded on Sunday that Russian mercenaries won the city of Bakhmut but said it has been reduced to rubble with 'nothing left of it' but 'a lot of dead Russians.'

In his one-on-one meeting with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7, Zelensky said: 'Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing.'

Then asks for more money from the US.

Another option is that if it's the case that the Russians have been moving significant amounts of artillery and reserves to Bakhmut according to Russian milbloggers, and are desperate to keep it while Ukraine hasn't committed any of their new brigades there, Ukraine may be thinking they're better off taking advantage of that (Bakhmut, strangely, is not strategically important and is a ruined wasteland now) to make their counteroffensive somewhere else.

US assessment figures:

"42,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022 according to a recent battlefield assessment, multiple U.S. officials tell Fox News. Russian forces in Ukraine: 50,000 killed. 180,000 wounded. Ukrainian forces: 20,000 killed. 130,000 wounded."

Where are those figures from, R308? They seem wildly out of whack with Ukranian stats, which are reporting over 200k Russians killed.

R309 US officials like the tweet says. And in wartime only an idiot would trust official figures from either side because both sides have to deal with morale and propaganda as part of how you win a war. A third party like the US is more likely to want to try to produce objective figures although even then you can debate it either way but point is, neither Russia nor Ukraine's official figures are to be trusted.

The Live Map of Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring (REM) group of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission HAS STOPPED LOADING ⚠️

R311 Seriously? That account is full of anti-vaxxer shit.

Bad troll, R311! No beet for you!

Thanks, but I'll wait for sources that don't advocate drinking their own urine, R311.

This Twitter account posts about troll farms, FWIW. I can't discern what he's getting at, but FWIW:

What do you think is up with the surprise taking of Russian territory near Belgorod. I thought Ukraine was avoiding attacking across the actual Russian border (not the fake annexed oblasts). Is it a feint to distract the Russians in advance of the coming counter-attack, or do they just not give a fuck anymore?

[quote] Is it a feint to distract the Russians in advance of the coming counter-attack

If Ukraine is involved it I think it's probably this, and also maybe to distract from the Russians taking Bakhmut which is a morale downer for Ukrainians. It's hard to tell what's really going on to be honest. The people doing it are anti-Kremlin Russians.

Ukraine really needs artillery - the Russians are hugely outgunning them that way.

Belgorod was taken by Russian Ukrainian-sympathizers. Never knew they existed.

My impression is they're not specifically Ukrainian sympathizers, but are broadly anti-Putin Russians who are taking advantage of Putin's current weakness.

Sounds good either way.

"RUSSIAN NEWS IS HAVING A CARDIAC

“The Ukrainian saboteurs are now walking around the "old" territories of Russia as if they were at home.

Where are the army? The border guards? And how did " partisans" bypass all the billions of Rubles of defense… there are only questions.

The calculation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is that the regular units will have to be pulled to the borders from those places where a counteroffensive is possible.”

The scenes yesterday of cars lined miles-deep escaping Belgorod, plus the pics of the mass evaculation by bus were heartwarming. I saw a vid of hysterical civilians frantically trying to get into their local bomb shelter, but the local authorities had locked them up. Even if nothing more comes of this, it's been a tremendously effective psyop.

The murdering of critics is nonstop.

The president of Belarus said that Moscow is transferring tactical nuclear weapons to the country.

In March, Putin announced that nuclear arms will be stationed outside Russia for the first time in almost 30 years.

Here's what Alexander Lukashenko told reporters 👇

Russian Telegram channels are reporting the Ivan Kurs intelligence-gathering ship was attacked by 5 drone boats, 2 of which hit the ship, killing several crew and causing massive damage, requiring months of repair if it even makes it back. Russia is running footage claiming the ship sailed into Sevastopol on its own power, but the footage is clearly from previous sailings and ceremonies.

I agree with the World War I comparisons that have been made, grinding on with very little territorial change.

Allegedly, Lukashenko is hospitalized again after the meeting with Putin. Second time's the charm?

If you believe nukes are in Belarus, I have something to sell you.

How did Russia transport them? Did they use a covered wagon train, pulled by a team of mules? They're using their WW II and WW I equipment for fighting, so wagons and mules it must have been.

It's infuriating the power of 'nukes' that Russia seems to hold over so many people. They tolerate inhuman damage from conventional warfare but mention 'nukes' and they seem especially afraid. That's why Russia (and North Korea for that matter) periodically keep the threat of nukes alive.

Civil fresh satellite con confirms the Russian ship made port with no visible damage and is tied in it's usual berth., More sensitive government views will confirm or deny damage when they get around to it,

[quote]Civil fresh satellite con

What's this?

[quote]More sensitive government views

Which government?

NRO, the British and the French each have higher resolution platforms by which to inspect damage if any.

Clearly, the drones need bigger bombs.

Beyond evil….

Drones hit Moscow.

Orange Mess enjoying himself.

Russia issues arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham over Ukraine comments.

Can we trade him for Putin?

Ukraine deceptively edited Graham's comments

LindseyGrahamSC Replying to @LindseyGrahamSC

Finally, here’s an offer to my Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals:

I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do.

Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!

9:18 AM · May 29, 2023

Russian family values are being strengthened by the war.

On May 20 in Novosibirsk, an ex-prisoner and Wagner combatant raped two ten-year-old girls in the middle of the day. This was reported first by independent media and today confirmed by Prigozhin himself.

R340 Good to see that the Russians took the bait and now Lindsey Graham (a very influential senator with those who actually hold power in the U.S.) is now even more anti-invasion.

Is Putin still hiding and using body doubles? Real leaders are out and about, getting stuff done and not being pussies.

"Zelensky arrives in Moldova for European Political Community summit.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Moldova on June 1 to participate in a summit of the European Political Community, bringing together 50 European leaders."

Latest atrocity.

"Latest Russian missile bombardment of Ukraine’s capital kills at least 3 people, including a child"

"NATO squabbles over speedy accession of Ukraine as decisive summit looms"

It's a difficult issue, R345. If NATO declares that Ukraine can't join while at war, then Russia has an incentive to continue conflict, even at a low level. OTOH, allowing them to join could result in an immediate wider war.

The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom Legion have entered the Belgorod region again and are using T-72 tanks and helicopters. Heavy fighting is reported. Chaos is spreading, the main administrative building in Shebekino is on fire.

That’s a shame, r347.

Anyway, how about that new Pixar movie coming out?

Russian oil refinery go boom!

[quote]LONG RANGE STRIKE: UKR has carried out a 400 KM drone attack on one of Russia’s largest oil refineries at Krasnodar Krai. The strike precisely targeted the plant’s oil distillation facility, which is the most critical unit in the refinery.

The New York Times is pointing to nazis as the ones taking the war into Russia.

oh the irony. Russia is the one that has actual Nazis threatening to take her over?

"“THEY HIT THE PORT: BASTARDS!”

The port in Russia-occupied Berdyansk is already under fire by the Ukrainian Military.

Russia is no longer able to to re-supply ammunition and equipment to its occupying forces by sea."

"UK intelligence: Russia faces dilemma to reinforce positions in Ukraine or within own borders.

The recent attacks in Russian border regions create a dilemma for Moscow to either reinforce its own borders or its positions in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on June 2."

At his latest town hall Trump suggested that he thinks NATO should “break up” - adding “Let’s not talk about it”

He seems to confirm what John Bolton previously said that Putin was waiting for Trump to withdraw the US from NATO if he had won a second term.

DJT is a TOTAL Putin puppet & asset. He would, again, succumb to anything Putin wants. DJT must never get to the White House again.

Totally agree, R355

R355 I said that back in 2015 when he announced his candidacy. For the in the know New Yorkers it was understood that lousy businessman Trump is involved with both the mob and questionable foreign asset interests. He went out of the US to get large loans because no bank in the US would give him credit. He went to European banks that provided Trump with Russian collateralized loans.

Could he withdraw from NATO without Senate consent?

R358, Congress could block his attempt to withdraw, but the mere fact that he talked about it confirmed that he is a Putin stooge.

Bizarre scenes. Prigozhin has been claiming that withdrawing was made difficult for Wagner because the Russians had mined the area and now Wagner report they have captured a Russian (!) Lt. Colonel, Roman Venitin, who admits on a PoW-style video that he instructed RU troops to fire on Wagner troops.

I suspect probably more likely incompetence, miscommunication than actively targeting Wagner but who knows.

Obviously take with a pinch of salt but Russia's MoD claims that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has started, in the South Donetsk. The Russian MoD claim that it failed and to have taken 250 personnel, 16 tanks, 21 armored vehicles, etc.

Time will tell.

R360, they apparently beat him, broke his nose, and made him tape the forced confession video. The Russian version of comrades in arms.

Another drunk Russian as well. Which is probably why it really happened.

Medvedev thinks Ukrainians should be exterminated like rats.

I'm not completely up on the details, but wasn't the 1917 Russian revolution tied to military mutinies at the end of WWI?

I'm still hoping that someone gets him

I'm reading the first Inspector Alan Grant mystery by Josephine Tey. From her Wiki, it seems she was engaged to a guy who died in WWI. After that, she never married, showing an interest in the ways of lady gym teachers. A ring on the Clue Phone?

Our inspector seems married to the job, vaguely interested in women for companionship from Wiki. In this story, even the most dim-witted could recognize the male same-sex couple portrayed in the story.

[quote] "Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry." -- Winston Churchill

If Op likes quotes here is another pretty good one, even though it send the good woke folk of the day into fits

Has Putin lost yet?

The problem is he doesn’t know when to quit r369. He’s nuts.

It is the definition of the sunk-cost fallacy but he's a zealot on this, it seems.

If he pulled completely out of Ukraine now I'm fairly sure that Russians would accept it and he'd be able to carry on being their Dear Leader. The nationalists would be angry but they're a minority and would be easily contained. Besides, half of them already are and know that the war is going badly.

[quote] If he pulled completely out of Ukraine now I'm fairly sure that Russians would accept it and he'd be able to carry on being their Dear Leader

I don't think they would. Putin has spent his entire time as president saying he was the man who made the West fear Russia again. Can you imagine if that myth was not only blasted away but he went down in history as the man that lost Ukraine a region that's been in the Russian orbit since Catherine the Great? A long lasting "insurgency" he can probably spin as American supplied rebels but no way does he survive the internal reaction to Russia letting Ukraine go.

The myth is in his head r372. Russian people don’t want this war, are perplexed as to why they’re there, and will forget it as soon as their sons come home and life goes back to normal.

The average Russian feels a kinship to Ukraine, sort of like us and Canada. They are not happy about this war.

[quote] no way does he survive the internal reaction to Russia letting Ukraine go.

Where would this internal reaction come from and how would it form? If you think Russians will rise up en masse because he withdrew from Ukraine, that's a joke that I simply don't believe would happen. If you mean groups, I can't see any that have the power to take over.

Poor, blessed be the Eegit Me, as I'm waiting for the Double "E."

A huge dam (Kakhovka dam) which spans frontlines across the Dnipro river in southern Ukraine has been blown up. The flooding is so bad that it reaches the roofs of some houses. Both sides are blaming the other for having blown it up.

FYI, it looks likely to be Russia because now the only way for the Ukrainians to advance is by boat (tanks can't pass through water) which will make them a perfect target. And the dam bursting is a major disaster, destroying land and the lives, homes of many Ukrainians. It's a risk for the Zaporizhia nuclear plant and has already been called 'ecocide'.

[quote] And the dam bursting is a major disaster,

The Brits considered that sort of thing one of the most glorious episodes of the war

There'd been reports for several days that Russia was planning some sort of eco-disaster to distract from the counter-offensive. This is a double-whammy, since the nuclear plant relies on water from the reservoir for cooling.

Oh, and it was a major water source for Crimea.

If it further destroys land and puts the nuclear facility in jeopardy,then of course it was the Russians.

Their idea of "liberation" is just destruction, rape, looting, and annihilation.

Disgusting trashcunt scumbags.

Dogs struggling in the flood on Kherson Oblast today, if you don't hate the Russkies enough.

[quote]Oh, and it was a major water source for Crimea.

Crimea has had its own dedicated water canal since last year, they'll be fine. It's agriculture that'll be hit the hardest.

[quote]The Brits considered that sort of thing one of the most glorious episodes of the war

Which is funny because in recent years, there has been some reevaluation of the WWII dam busting campaigns by historians and they're concluding those didn't really achieve much. Grossly overrated, apparently.

As a Brit I can tell you that we don't consider it 'one of the most glorious episodes of the war' - I have never heard of it before.

That poster is the pro-Russia troll who keeps spelling Kyiv as 'Kiev' and trying to tell us that Ukrainians are supposedly 'Nazis'. So, fuck him.

Only waterfowl have reportedly managed to escape from the flooded zoo in Nova Kakhovka, all other animals have drowned.

R386 I have seen far too many horrific videos today of animals because of the dam. Stuck (a pig shut up in a shed filled with water, no way to get out), drowning (a dog stuck in the water) or traumatised (a deer literally shaking on the ground). It's so cruel what the Russians are doing.

Yeah, it's also the season when the newborn fawns are around in the woods in that region and they're all gone now. Horrible.

I saw those videos, too R387. I saw others of traumatized olds as well.

Everything the Russians are doing, SUPPORTING and ALLOWING in Ukraine, is absolutely monstrous.

I hope Putin drowns.

Putin has gone to the “if I can’t have it, I will destroy it ALL!” phase of his megalomania.

He’s going to do as much damage as possible however he can because he’s a fucking prick.

If you thought Twitter has reached the lowest level of shittiness already, Tucker Carlson's very first show on Twitter today was about how Ukraine blew up that dam and that Zelensky is evil.

And RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have been spreading a very specific Russian disinformation narrative in Twitter Spaces — about the US having biolabs in Ukraine with bioweapons meant to target certain ethnicities.

Kherson Residents Rescue Animals Following Destruction of Dam

Tulsa Gabbardi is as brain damaged as Kari Lake.

Horrible cunts who must be ignored.

Both RFK, Jr and Tulsi are scumbags.

[quote]There are indications from Biden administration that Ukraine is making progress already during its counteroffensive.

[quote]Administration officials “were encouraged by better-than-expected progress Monday, as Ukrainian units pushed through heavily mined areas to advance between five and 10 kilometers in some areas of the long front,” Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reported Tuesday. “That raised hopes that Ukrainian forces can keep thrusting toward Mariupol, Melitopol and other Russian-held places along the coast.”

[quote]Biden administration officials say the offensive began on Monday with a Ukrainian thrust south along multiple axes, Ignatius reported, echoing what we reported Monday.

Prigozhin calls for Russia's Chief of General Staff Gerasimov & Defence Minister Shoigu to face execution by firing squad and he predicts it will happen.

Part 3: Prigozhin accuses the Russian military leadership of treason & suspects they may be stupid enough drop a nuclear bomb on Belgorod to repel the attacks.

Putin is slipping, to let Prigozhin publicly trash talk him, his decisions, and his military like he has been. Or, is he being left alive because it's just down to him and that fat (literal) goat fucker to run his dumbfuck army?

Goat says no more.

Zelenskyy is there to check on his people and the situation while cowards Putin continues to hide.

"Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in flood-hit region of Kherson after dam breach.

Five people have been killed in the flooding in a Russian-occupied town, a Kremlin-installed official says.

Evacuations are ongoing on both sides."

Russia's shelling flood victims in Kherson.

No words.

I have words for them. Lots of four letter words.

I can see why Tucker, MAGAts, and Trump love the Russians so much. They are all of them, utterly soulless cunts.

It's getting real now. Per CNN, American officials have said Ukraine has achieved some success around Bakhmut in recent days, but has also suffered significant losses in personnel and heavy equipment. First Leopard tank has been confirmed destroyed.

The trick is not to get discouraged by any of this because the Russian trolls are working overtime right now, trying to portray the counteroffensive as a failure. Remember that 6.000 men died in the first hour on D-Day. Counteroffensives are ugly like that, especially at the very start.

I’m not discouraged, r404. I know what’s happening and this is going to be a slog.

Putin and his bitch Proghozin can scream all they want but the both of them are going down. Hard and ugly.

Putin lost years ago. We’re just now seeing the end of him play out.

The New York Times.- Videos verified by The New York Times showed multiple Russian strikes targeting an evacuation point in the flood-stricken city of Kherson. The area was being used to coordinate aid efforts for hundreds stranded by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

The Russians are aiming to be the number one army in war crimes.

War crime after war crime. What a revolting country of individuals.

The US and international community did next to nothing when Russia committed so many war crimes in Syria. But we are much more concerned now when it is happening to Whites/Europeans.

Syria was already wrecked beyond saving when Russia started committing those crimes. Besides, Syria was an artificial country cobbled together by the whites, doomed to fail. Unfortunate, but true.

FYI, whataboutism is a common Russian troll tactic. 'What about.....' It's still a logical fallacy. As if we should not care about what is happening in Ukraine?

You mean Russian war crimes committed against Syria during the Trump Administration, sis? Those war crimes?

I wonder why "The US" didn't do anything, at the time. 🤔

[quote] You mean Russian war crimes committed against Syria during the Trump Administration, sis?

Think back a little further to Obama's "red line" wimpout when the Russians used Sarin nerve gas in Syria.

Please don't fall for the troll's whataboutism. This is what they want to do - distract you, make you think that what's happening in Ukraine doesn't matter because something-somewhere-else. It's a logical fallacy.

Apples and Grapefruits, Svetlana. Look up "strategic interest."

But it was Trump's "negotiating " with Putin and Erdogan that concluded with our military being pulled out of Syria, leaving our allies, the Kurds, to be slaughtered. That's Trump's "loyalty" in a nutshell.

Gleaned mostly from panicked Russian bloggers (since Ukraine isn't yet releasing any info), the Ukrainian offensive is well-underway and moving very quickly on several fronts. There's a lot happening.

Yeah, it's hard to follow (fog of war and all that) but mil experts think that the counteroffense will take weeks at minimum, and likely months, to play out so I'm going to have to be patient.

I'm also hearing that Ukraine is making fast progress, but they could suffer heavy casualties as well.

I wonder how many of the documents Trump shared with Putin.

Drone video thread taken off Warzone -

Ukrainian armored unit slaughtered. 10% of the Bradleys delivered gone in one skirmish

How is 10% a " slaughter?"

And 10% of *Bradley* tanks.

Yes, it sucks, but this is a serious war. You're going to have to expect serious losses of tanks and people on both sides.

Ukraine is making serious gains every day, villages are falling like dominoes, but we're still waiting for them to make contact with the main Russian defence line. That's why the Russian trolls have gone silent all of a sudden, no more reposting of that same old footage from six days ago and presenting it as *the* proof of a failed counteroffensive. And btw, that Leopard has been repaired by now and the Bradleys have all been recovered as well.

[quote]Ukrainian armored unit slaughtered.

Nope, everyone survived, which is -- along with offensive action -- the main purpose of military gear. It's not meant for decoration.

3 people were killed and 23 wounded when Russian artillery today targeted a boat that was evacuating Ukrainians from the Russian-occupied left bank of the flooded Dnipro river.

One of the dead is a 74-year-old man who covered a woman with his body during the attack.

RIP hero.

I hope this is true.

But how have the Ukrainian losses been in the past week? I've been so focused on indictment-land and the news hasn't really discussed how the offensive is going.

We don't have a good assessment of losses on either side right now. Obviously they're losing many troops, as are the Russians. But that's not really what's important during a counteroffensive, it's how much land and where you retake. Their main objective isn't to not get killed, it's to recapture their territory, same as it was during D-Day. And btw, the US military doctrine says losses between 35% to 50% are acceptable when trying to achieve a breakthrough. It sucks, but war is never a gentle matter.

BBC Says Heavy Ukrainian Desertions

Those desertions happened early on -- not right now during the counteroffensive -- and it's a murky situation because those men tend to be ethnically Romanian but live in Ukraine.

Another mischaracterisation by one of our Russian sympathisers, who are seemingly crawling all over DL for some reason. Must be the Russian distaste for homosexuality they admire so much, would be my guess.

Thanks for that, R428. I sincerely want Ukraine to triumph in this stupid, awful fucking war. I'm sure they're happy to accept the damage if they're able to claw back old 2014 territory.

A source in Ukraine's general staff: “We haven’t committed our main forces, and the Russians haven’t committed their main forces.” So this will take several weeks to months to play out - it's too early to really comment.

What are Russian's "main forces?" Did they hold back trained troops during their primary offensive? For what reason if they expected an easy victory?

Side note, but I thought the whole point of block chain technology was the security? If it can be hacked like the R426 article says, cryptocurrency is kind of pointless.

No, the point of blockchain is more about 'decentralization'.

Everyone needs access to their money so of course someone can hack cryptocurrency and send your coins to their own 'decentralized' account which can't be got back because of the lack of regulation. Even worse, you have to be your own bank - you have to store your own password and access key safely which makes you more at risk of someone gaining access to that or forcing you to hand those over. Whereas if someone did that to someone with a normal account, the bank can trace where the money goes and blocking of the account can be done with a phone call.

What a polluting scam it all is then. Money that will be lost forever if you forget your password and that can still be easily stolen? Better off investing in tulip bulbs.

All of my money's in Beanie Babies.

Is your name Chris Robinson, r437?

"Ukraine counter offensive: official digest. June 12, 2023

7 settlements were liberated: Lobkove, Levadne, Novodarivka, Neskuchne, Storozheve, Makarivka, Blagodatne. Official."

Oh boy, Putin still thinks he can take Kyiv, or wants to.

There's a new video of him saying "Our troops were near Kyiv. Do we need to go back or not? I am asking a rhetorical question. It is clear that you have no answer to it and only I can answer it."

(I love the 'only I can answer it' bit.)

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus “in several days” and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in close ally Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready on July 7-8.

The deployment will be Moscow’s first move of such warheads – shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield – outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

^^ Not going to happen. It's just bluster. Nuclear weapons in Belarus don't make a lot of difference anyway. It's just the Russians playing on people's fear of nuclear weapons as usual.

One article I read believes the reason Putin is moving the nukes is that he can launch a strike (claiming the nukes were hijacked by rogue elements in Belarus) and have Nato retaliate against Belarus instead of Russia.

NATO is only obliged to act if a NATO country is attacked. I don't think Putin has much to gain by using nuclear on anyone other than Ukraine. So it doesn't make much difference if he uses Belarus to use nuclear on Ukraine since NATO is going to either act or not act. They aren't going to buy that it was just Belarus.

Surely these Russian nukes deployed in Belarus are not under the control of the Belarusian military. If he launches them, no one is going to mistake that for a Belarusian decision.

Yes, and everyone pairs Russia and Belarus in this. Both are subject to official sanctions because of the war, both are stripped of their flags in sports, etc. So it's clear that they are seen as working together. Even more so when those weapons are Russian-provided.

[quote] Surely these Russian nukes deployed in Belarus are not under the control of the Belarusian military.

Just as the American nuke stockpiles in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands stay under ultimate US control.

^^^ The really nice thing about Putin's invasion is that it's making a lot more people realize that NATO is actually a good thing, it deters people. If Ukraine was in NATO this horrible thing would probably already be over with a lot less destruction and fewer deaths. I think my dream is kind of that more and more countries join NATO until it's no longer a good idea to attack anyone.

Even though he insists that Ukraine has lost more than double the figure, Putin has let slip that Russia lost 54 tanks in one week...

Putin made that statement about the 54 tanks, and the suggestion that he might decide to attack Kyiv again, at a meeting with reporters and pro-war bloggers. The bloggers, apparently an important constituency, seemed to upset him by pressing for answers.

He probably has to ask for permission from Big Daddy China for a lot of things, so OF COURSE he's in a bad mood!

An amazing video with Russia's dictator Putin ignoring his former favourite and a taiga-sauna buddy Shoigu, aka MoD. The Russian pop song on the background is "I am not happy with you, don't address me, I don't want to know you anymore".

R452, awkward!

Russian Telegram channels are saying that a Russian unit was struck by HIMARS this morning on the Kreminna front with ~100 KIA and ~100 WIA. They were reportedly waiting near the front for a speech from a commander for hours.

Hope the speech was worth it..

Too bad the commander's arrival didn’t coincide with the missle hit.

Trump's resurgence is what he's been holding on to. There is a non zero chance that Trump will be re-elected in 2024. If that happens (and Putin isn't physically sick, as some claim) then Ukraine is in a lot of trouble.

And if you think Trump returning to the White House is unlikely, you probably thought that in 2016. His base is a lot stronger and focused now than it was then. Always remember, ANY CANDIDATE WHO GETS A MAJOR PARTY NOMINATION has a very good shot at the White House.

If I had to guess, I'd say Trump has a 75%-80% shot at winning R nomination and a 20-30% chance of beating Biden, if Biden is the candidate on election day 2024 and remains in good health and can walk on to stages to give speeches.

Putin sides with military chiefs over placing Wagner under direct control.

Now it gets interesting.

Putin’s army is warring with his army.

Yes they are, R458.

And how many top generals has that "savvy genius" lost? Will he import generals from Big Daddy GYNA next? Maybe borrow a few from Meal Team 6?

And yet Russian men, they're not considered ANIMALS, WHT NOT?

Russian propagandist Andrey Baranov tells how the destruction of Kakhovka dam should be used for informational war with the West: let's make up that coastal countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey are under threat of anthrax and plague!

Putin just makes shit up - or he's being told lies.

"Putin said today that Russia has destroyed five American Patriot missile systems outside Kyiv — a remarkable feat given that Ukraine has officially received only two Patriot systems."

Pooty wants his mango bitch right behind him.

I think it was the Mango bitch who told him about those missiles.

Reportedly 'hundreds' of prisoners of war have been returned alive - but *castrated* - by the Russians.

[quote]The two men had been savagely beaten. Then the drunken Russians castrated them with a knife. “One of them told me, ‘I don’t know how I am still alive, there was so much blood, I thought I’d die of blood poisoning’,” she said. “And of course it’s not just the physical damage. Imagine, they are young men just starting their sexual life and then in one second it’s all over. They still feel something, all these hormones, but they can’t do anything. They can never be sexually active. For a young man it’s the worst thing to happen. “Their dignity has been damaged so badly and it’s impossible to forget. The Russians told them, ‘We are doing this so you can’t have kids.’ To me this is genocide.”

[quote] “They told me the Russians performed the castration procedure very skilfully, as if they knew how to do it. And I’ve heard about a lot of cases from colleagues treating others.” Last July a sickening video emerged, posted on pro-Russian Telegram channels, that appeared to show a Russian soldier castrating a Ukrainian prisoner. The soldier, wearing the distinctive Russian Z patch, is wearing blue surgical gloves and holding a green box-cutter knife as he reaches down on a prisoner lying face down with his hands tied, his mouth gagged and the back of his trousers cut away. The prisoner is wearing Ukrainian camouflage. A second video appears to show the same prisoner shot, his testicles stuffed in his mouth.

South African “peace” mission gets funnier every few minutes.

They’ve been denied access to fly into Russia.

I am so sorry I read that at R475. My stomach is still somersaulting.

Russian airspace is probably not the safest right now. Didn't they mistakenly shoot down some of their own aircraft in their own airspace?

Friendly fire, isn't

R465, imagine a nation of drunken sociopaths and you can visually conjure up Russia.

The Kremlin-linked Shor party has been declared illegal in Moldova. This is a first for Moldova since its independence. Decision paves the way for liquidation of the party, accused by the government of violating the rule of law and acting against Moldova's sovereignty.

People are pushing back on the Kremlin now. The Kremlin wanted to demilitarize Ukraine but Ukraine is now highly militarized. The Kremlin wanted less NATO but now they have more NATO. And so on.

Some of the most insane footage of the war so far dropped today thanks to the Ukrainian marines surprising the Russians in their own trench. Possibly the craziest CQB video I've ever seen.

No blood or gore involved, but it might make you ponder your own mortality, seeing people simply turn off like they do here.

Pooty Poop is hoping his orange asset returns to presidential power in ‘24 U.S. election. If that happens, Pooty gets all he wants. Europe has to be concerned.

Joe pulls back the football

[quote] Pooty Poop is hoping his orange asset returns to presidential power in ‘24 U.S. election. If that happens, Pooty gets all he wants.

Let's hope if that happens (and it's not just Trump; all the Orbán wannabes like DeSantis are on Russia's side) there will be enough resistance in the military and the Senate (even among Republicans); certainly in popular opinion, though that doesn't matter to the MAGAts.

[quote]Joe pulls back the football

I'm pretty sure that Turkey at least would block Ukraine joining NATO. They can't even let Sweden join. Also, it's against NATO rules for a county currently in war to join so it's not unexpected.

It would send a bad message to bend the rules for just one country, even if it is the US who are basically the main bankroller of the alliance and so can make up the rules as they go. Biden made the right call and it has nothing to do with pulling back the football. Ukraine will get their security guarantees when they have removed the Russkies from their land, and that will be effectively as good as immediate membership. It's the least we can do for Clinton taking their nukes away.

*And for Trump attempting to extort their president in broad daylight. That, most of all.

If the castration of prisoner story is true --and there is no reason to believe it's not, because Russians are shitbag cunts-- then that entire country ought to be glassed.

The Times.- We heard from a source in the Ukrainian government this was happening last year. "Hundreds" of prisoners of war had been returned, alive, but castrated.

We didn't report this at the time, as it was deemed it could add to the trauma the men had suffered.

Can it get any crazier? Yes, that's possible.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the US is planning to release mosquitoes using UAVs to infect enemy troops.

To a nation of cowards, cannibals, drug and alcohol addicts who's army engages in mass castration of their POWs, I'm sure that makes total sense to them R480.

What's an obvious moronic conspiracy theory to those degenerates?

"Kakhovka collapse: image emerges of apparently explosive-laden car at dam

Photograph taken by Ukrainian drone on 28 May said to offer further evidence Russia was behind breach"

This a new sadistic twist to to the old loot, pillage and rape scenario. When finished raping, inject the victim's vagina with window sealant so she can't have children.

Yet the MAGAts are cheering them on.

If it was real, Hell would be too good for these people, their supporters, and enablers.

In Prigozhin's latest attack on Shoigu, he said that the Russian ministry of defense is lying about the true state of affairs and Ukraine is actually rapidly advancing in Zaporizhzhia.

However, Prigozhin claims a lot of shit, so who knows whether it's true. The milbloggers who usually support Wagner are all unusually silent which might have something to do with Putin meeting them last week.

The big offensive is stymied

Zelensky says in BBC interview that the counteroffensive’s progress has been “slower than desired” but will continue and at Ukraine’s chosen pace.

“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not.”

R456, Jake Broe made the legit comparison to progress against an entrenched foe during the D-Day offensive and what Ukraine is doing. They're making steady progress, but it looks slow until there's a breakthrough.

I've become afraid of opening this thread for fear of learning of some new, creative atrocity.

REUTERS.- Ukraine says Russia considering nuclear plant attack, Moscow denies it

KYIV, June 22 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian spies believe Russia was plotting an incident to release radiation from Europe's largest nuclear plant, an allegation denied by the Kremlin.

In a video statement, Zelenskiy said Kyiv was sharing its information with international partners about the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine.

"Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - a terrorist act with a release of radiation," he said. "They have prepared everything for this."

"Unfortunately, I have had to remind (people) more than once that radiation knows no state borders. And who it will hit is determined only by the direction of the wind..." Zelenskiy said.

'DELIBERATE, CALCULATED CRIME' Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, suffered the world's worst nuclear accident at Chornbobyl in 1986.

Zelenskiy made his statement two days after Ukraine's military intelligence chief accused Russia of "mining" the cooling pond that is used to keep the reactors cool at the Zaporizhzhia plant.

IAEA confirm of placement of mines at places inside of Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is occupied by Russia. But Russian at the NPP explained were for defensive purposes, said @iaeaorg. What? Russia mined the NPP – created the largest nuclear bomb in Europe! Is that all your reaction?

Which one is more useless?

The UN, which is silent about the mining of the Zaporizhzhia NPP? Or the IAEAorg, which stated that the mining of the NPP isn't significantly affecting the safety?

IAEA confirm of placement of mines at places inside of Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is occupied by Russia. But Russian at the NPP explained were for defensive purposes, said @iaeaorg. What? Russia mined the NPP – created the largest nuclear bomb in Europe! Is that all your reaction?

Which one is more useless?

The UN, which is silent about the mining of the Zaporizhzhia NPP? Or the IAEAorg, which stated that the mining of the NPP isn't significantly affecting the safety?

"US Senators .@LindseyGrahamSC (R) and .@SenBlumenthal (D) introduced a bipartisan resolution declaring Russia's use of nuclear weapons or destruction of the occupied Zaporizhia Nuclear Powerplant in Ukraine to be an attack on NATO requiring the invocation of NATO Article 5."

"Senator Graham: "Our message is to those around Putin - If you do this, if you follow his order if he ever gives it, you can expect a massive response from NATO, and you will be at war with NATO.""

"Senator Graham: "Threat of a use of a nuclear device by Russia is real, and the best way to deter it is to give them clarity, the Russians, as to what happens if they do that. They will be in a war with NATO.""

"Senator Blumenthal: "[This resolution] is meant to send a message to Vladimir Putin, and even more directly to his military - they will be destroyed. They will be eviscerated if they use tactical nuclear weapons or if they destroy a nuclear plant""

"Senator Blumenthal: "Article 5 is there for a reason. It doesn't protect only against a specific soldier crossing a boundary. But harm to our NATO allies triggers our obligation when it comes from a hostile force as would happen if there were radiation that spread""

"Senator Blumenthal: "This message ought to be taken seriously by Vladimir Putin's generals. His military faces total obliteration by NATO forces if they are so reckless and irrational as to resort to tactical nuclear weapons that endanger the world.""

"Senator Graham: "To think that Putin wouldn't [use nuclear weapons] is really irrational given what he has done. I mean he has committed industrial-level war crimes thinking he will eventually get away with it.""

How does NATO work - would a rogue country be able to veto a response if that happened?

"Senator Graham: "His goal now is to wear the West out and slowdown the counteroffensive, get people in Washington and other capitals to just break and offer him some face-saving, life-saving deal.""

"Senator Graham to Putin: "If you go down the road of exploding a nuclear weapon in Ukraine to try to turn the tide of battle, that will be an attack on NATO. If you blow up a nuclear powerplant you create chaos that could be considered an attack on NATO.""

"Senator Graham: "If you want to deter war, you have to send clear signals - the cost of action. And we have been very unclear to Putin, but now we need to be really clear.""

Part of me wonders why nuclear is the red line when all of the other atrocities aren't. Tens of thousands of civilians have been effectively murdered already.

Expanding the war doesn’t automatically lead to a decrease in civilian deaths.

Nuclear radiation will spread into NATO countries so it is an attack on NATO. As we’ve discussed before Putin doesn’t have the unilateral power to launch nukes. This would be his work-around. As Susan Collins would say, This development is concerning.

Goblin vs. Demon

"There is disquiet in Russia amid political infighting between President Vladimir Putin's lieutenants. Analysts say the tensions between Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia's military brass herald shifts in Russia's political scene."

"Watch Republican Lindsey Graham shoot down the Republican conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election"

Lindsebelle's slowly coming to his senses. It helps that Trump weakened himself with the Baier interview so the timing helps.

Things are getting a bit out of hand in Russia right now.

[quote]#BREAKING Moscow strikes kill 'huge' number of Wagner forces: chief

[quote]Wagner chief accuses Russia military leadership of bombing its forces, vows to retaliate

Prigozhin declared war on Russia's Ministry of Defence in response. Importantly, he has no beef with Putin and the other ministries. We'll see if anything actually comes of this theatre.

They're eating their own!

Second strongest military in the world, my ass. Just imagine if American forces behaved this way. Can't believe deplorables and tankies worship at the altar of these clowns.

R503, almost all weapons have, ostensibly, a military purpose; they are supposed to be used by soldiers to fight other soldiers. Nuclear weapons are not meant to be used during a battle, they’re too dangerous. They exist, pretty much, only to destroy civilians and the environment.

Latest...

[quote]The National Guard of Russia also know as the “Rosgvardiya” has reportedly been placed into a High Alert Status with Mobilization Orders having been received from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

[quote]Putin is aware of the situation unfolding around Prigozhin, all necessary measures are being taken, Kremlin spokesman says - TASS

I still suspect this is a performance of some sort.

It's difficult to believe that they'd air their grievances on the interwebs like this, but this is Russia. It's essentially a 2nd world country disguised as a 1st world country.

Shoigu called me a little bitch!

Russia's Prosecutor General has charged Prigozhin with "organizing an armed insurrection."

That's a justice system with a 1% acquittal rate and if convicted he's facing a sentence of 12-20 years of prison time. It looks like they have had enough of him.

Can someone explain to me like I'm an idiot what's going on? And the possible ramifications?

R516 Prigozhin will probably now become a fugitive. He is done, at least when it comes to Russia.

R516, Putin, who may have been abandoned by his mother when he was eight, has advanced trust issues. His advisors and ministers tend to be idiots and yes-men. His Minister of Defense, Shoigu, for example, was a building contractor or something like that. So lots of mistakes have been made during the invasion.

Prigozhin is someone Putin has known for a long time. He is an ex-convict and a gangster, and is very rich. He created his own private army, called the Wagner Group (named after the composer Richard Wagner). His soldiers are better trained and better paid than the Russian Army, and they usually coordinate with Army. They were critical in fighting in Syria.

Prigozhin now seems to have gone off-message.

Film at eleven.

[quote]His soldiers are better trained and better paid than the Russian Army, and they usually coordinate with Army.

Unfortunately, they're also completely reliant on the Russian Army's logistics and artillery. You know, the stuff that wins fights.

R518 Thank you!

Putin and Dump will eventually team up and star in the new ABC TV series The Odd Couple. Dump will be Oscar with Putin as Felix. Assorted side characters are Boebert and MTG as the next door neighbor sisters.

Jesus, R456 is an idiot.

That is all.

R519 Yes, and given that generals who are normally pro-Wagner like Surovikin and Vladimir Alekseyev have given video messages telling Wagner fighters to turn themselves over to the president's authority and the regular army, Prigozhin has no chance - he needs the support of people like them to truly carry out a coup.

This Progozhiin development is no doubt a very big deal. And a tad scary considering its consequences. Looks like Pootie could get swallowed up by the monster he created.

Lots of military maneuvering in Moscow tonight.

Hey didn't 1917 start over a military uprising?

Not quite, R525. Anyway, this situation is a lot different.

Russia has started blocking Google News.

Sorry my bad. The 1905 revolution was triggered by a military mutiny (cf: "Battleship Potemkin").

Russia’s Defense Ministry says that, “taking advantage of Prigozhin’s provocation,” the Ukrainian command is concentrating its 35th brigade of the marines and 36th motorized infantry brigade on starting positions for an offensive on the Bakhmut direction.

Any chance of Progozhin posthumously supplying proof about the Trump family’s Kremlin connections?

Russia just had a news anchor come into work at 2am to repeat official Kremlin statements on an emergency Channel One broadcast. Called Prigozhin's video 'a fake', said that he will be prosecuted and that Ukraine is taking advantage of the situation. Nothing new but remarkable.

Haha.

V. calm and largely empty streets in both Rostov (where Shoigu is) and Moscow. Pretty much clear that there isn't going to be a coup but it's clear that Prigozhin is finished now.

Apparently nobody's seeing Prigozhin's troops moving through Russia.

Yet.

Michael McFaul making a solid point:

[quote]The absence of Putin so far in this crisis is striking. Imagine military vehicles cruising around in downtown DC and Biden saying nothing.

What’s on Foc News now?

TIK TOK MADE MY DAYGHTER TRANS

Hahahahaha

Apologies for the typos, tee hee.

Good point made here about how it looks like that it's the security services who may hold real power in Russia (aside from Putin) so if there's a coup it may have to come from there. The military has 'zampolits'.

"@KofmanMichael

I think it suggests that security services have Surovikin and Alekseyev in front of a beige wall, maybe in the same room. So the people that might have been of help to Prigozhin in the armed forces are visibly ‘unwilling ’, and others will see these videos, drawing conclusions."

"@DAlperovitch

Correct. It’s important to remember who yields power in Russia - it’s the security services, not the military. The military is infiltrated by zampolits - political officers that make sure that the military stays loyal and follows orders"

Prigozhin's latest claim in his Telegram audio messages is that Wagner has shot down one of two Russian helicopters preparing to attack his convoy. BUT no evidence.

Roadblocks have been put up in Rostov and there's a lot of military presence there.

Things are really popping off tonight in Russia. Large Wagner convoy supposedly crossed the Ukraine-Russia border towards Rostov-on-Don on the way to Moscow. First video confirmations of the convoy now coming in. Prigozihn constantly releasing statements condemning Ministry of Defense and a group of Russian generals who have called upon him to stand down. He says they have signed their fate.

Putin is HIDING like a PUSSY while Russia falls apart! WEAK, PUNK ASSED BITCH!

Track him down, Ukraine, and drag his punk ass to The Hauge!

"Armored vehicles on the streets of Moscow...."

"At this point it is absolutely irrelevant if Prigozhin's coup will succeed or not. Literally everybody in Russia and outside will know after this night that the war in Ukraine is lost. The morale of the Russian army, which was already low, will hit rock bottom and the mood in Russia altogether will be Armageddon-like.

What started as an attempt to overthrow the Ukrainian government and annex all of Ukraine has eventually backfired on a monumental scale. The last chapter of this Russian-made tragedy has opened and I doubt that it will be a long chapter.

#Coup #Russia #Ukraine"

Wagner has taken the Southern District Military Headquarters in Rostov without resistance. Reports that Russian military units are refusing to respond to engage Wagner. They may just roll all the way to Moscow virtually unopposed.

How many troops does Prigozhin have at his command? I thought his Group was wiped out by an airstrike by the Russian military.

Too bad that Prigozhin only wants to take out Shoigu and Gerasimov. He still seems to like Putin and wants the war to 'start for real' in Ukraine. Putler looks like he's losing control though since he didn't want this to happen. I'm guessing the tanks and serious armor are mostly tied up in Ukraine hence they can't really do much against Prigozhin's tanks for now. I wonder what Putin is thinking? Make a deal with Prigozhin or try to take him out?

"Kinzinger: This is a massive blow to the Russian republic and a massive blow to their military effort and I will also say, it is a massive blow to the people here in the United States like Tucker Carlson, who have been parroting Putin talking points"

Is potato.

R546, Prigozhin is fucked.

"FSB opened a criminal case against Prigozhin on charges of inciting mutiny."

Russian #1: "Why are there armored vehicles patrolling the streets of Moscow? Are the Ukrainians going to attack us?"

Russian #2: "No, no. Factions of the Russian army are fighting amongst themselves and threating to kill each other."

Russian #1: "Whew. Thank God it's not the Ukrainians. So everything is going according to plan."

Reportedly Wagner are moving onto Voronezh next (on the way to Moscow). Gunfire has been reported on a highway outside Voronezh where local law enforcement have been put on high alert.

Yes, Prigozhin is a dead man walking and might have only hours if not days left of being a free/alive man. But the important thing is, Ukraine gets to benefits either way regardless of who loses this fight.

"PVlMC "Wagner" captured the headquarters of the Southern Military District and the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Rostov, - rosZMI."

All the "apolitical" Muscovites will find it harder to keep their heads in the sand when the blood starts spilling in their streets...

Local media in Rostov are reporting that Wagner fighters have cordoned off the Southern Military District HQ, the police office, FSB office, and city administration building.

R13 Oh please, they already have their plutocracy.

"The Wagnerites also seized the buildings of the head office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB department, the administration of #Rostov and one of the police departments, according to local channels. People are confused and panicked."

"VCHK-OGPU - from their source: "The attempts to act against Prigozhin come solely from FSB and Russian Guards. The Ministry of Defense has withdrawn itself, lower-rank officers either simply refuse to follow orders, or openly support Wagner. As for Shoigu and co. - they simply hid and entirely lost their touch with reality. Apparently, the scare is serious.""

Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin has announced that anti-terrorism measures are being taken.

"I’ve made the drive from Rostov to Moscow at least a dozen times. Voronezh is more than halfway to Moscow. If reports of Wagner fighting in Voronezh are accurate, then they are hours away from Moscow."

"Wagner chief Prigozhin: "We have goals, we are all willing to die .. Because we are dying for our motherland, we are dying for the Russian people, who must be liberated from the people who are killing civilians""

"Kinzinger continues to call out Tucker Carlson and others in the Senate and the House who have been “parroting Putin’s lies”

Seems like Putin has finally run out of everything! I'm loving the schadenfreude.

James Cameron has done the Titan sub - now he should do Putin.

The tiger has come for you, President Putin.

"Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who now aspires to be the Heart of Free Russia, urges his supporters to “help people hear Prigozhin’s message,” reasoning that the warlord’s insurrection weakens Putin’s reputation."

Run, bitch! Hide like the coward you are!

"Special Rossiya air squadron flew over Moscow last night: Two presidential helicopters were spotted over the Simferopol highway, the Moscow Ring, and flying toward Putin's residence in Novo-Ogarevo. (outside Moscow near Rublevka)"

This might mean Putin has fled Moscow."

"@DAlperovitch

It’s really interesting that there is very little fighting going on. Rosgvardia, MVD and the military are just standing around - they are not surrendering, they are not fleeing, they are not crossing the line to join Wagner… They are just standing around waiting for orders"

Must-see video of a street cleaner sweeping the street right next to the tanks and soldiers. Most Russians are just ignoring it all if they can.

[quote]Yes, Prigozhin is a dead man walking and might have only hours if not days left of being a free/alive man. But the important thing is, Ukraine gets to benefits either way regardless of who loses this fight.

Putin is a dead man walking and might have only hours if not days left of being a free/alive man. But the important thing is, Russia gets to benefits either way regardless of who loses this fight.

[quote]Putin is a dead man walking and might have only hours if not days left of being a free/alive man.

You do know that Prigozhin doesn't want to take out Putin? At least not in the near future. His stated aim is that he wants to take out Shoigu and Gerasimov so that he can have control of the war, ammo and so on because he blames them for how badly the war is going.

"@AricToler

In Pavlovsk (Voronezh), there's heavy fighting with helicopters. I've seen a half-dozen or so videos showing fighting there over the last couple hours."

A different street cleaner video. Fuck's sake.

Link for Part IV

[quote] A different street cleaner video. Fuck's sake.

I wish American municipal workers were that conscientious.

MAGAts on Twitter are claiming this is all "staged" and/or a "liberal false flag" to distract from the Biden Crime Family's blah blah blahblippity blah.

"@KevinRothrock

Journalist Dmitry @kolezev says he has a source who reports that Shoigu left Rostov in a hurry last night, while General Geriasmov (Prigozhin’s other nemesis) is still in town & has been drinking all week, anticipating “some kind of attack.” (I assume Kolezev isn’t joking here.)"

"@AricToler

Back to the Voronezh front: Two unconfirmed videos of vehicles destroyed by Russian helicopters on the highway. Presumably/allegedly Wagner. Not posting them as they're not even geolocated yet, but it matches lots of witness reports from the area that have come in."

"@AricToler

Prigozhin apparently at the Rostov MoD building. He's there with Deputy Minister of Defense Yevkurov and General Alekseev of the GRU."

""@AricToler

Prigozhin demands to see Gerasimov and Shoigu, threatening a march to Moscow otherwise. He tells the two generals that he's staying put in Rostov, with his men, until they arrive."

"@DAlperovitch

And another video recorded 10 mins ago. Prigozhin still at the HQ. Says he is allowing everyone inside to continue fighting the war and to do their jobs. Reiterates his issues with the MoD not prosecuting the war competently. Certainly an anti-war actor he ain’t"

Prigozhin claims that upon taking the military HQ building he learned that casualty information “passed up the chain” is dramatically understated. He says the real number of Russian soldiers killed is 3-4x higher than is reported to higher ups.

FSB riot police have raided the Wagner HQ in St. Petersburg.

Moscow on fire! Moscow on fire!

Video of another Russian helicopter shot down by Wagner in the Voronezh area. Wild to think that they are deliberately shooting at each other.

Russian state TV running a message from the MoD to Wagner fighters urging them to give up, leave Prigozhin and turn themselves in. “You were tricked into Prigozhin's criminal adventure and participation in an armed rebellion.”

Not convinced that'll work.

I mean... the Russian people can't seriously still be saying that they don't know what's going on with all of this shit in Ukraine and Putin's descent into madness can they?

Time they got the guillotines out.

This guy is live tweeting what Putin is saying in his speech (in English) if anyone is curious.

Reuters is reporting Wagner has seized all military facilities south of Voronezh - citing Russian security source

Biden should interrupt his speech by landing in Kiev again.

Summary of Putin's speech: uncompromising, says everyone involved in the insurgency will be punished harshly, calls it treason and betrayal of Russia, is still obsessed with attacking Ukraine.

Wagner’s PMC ordering burgers and walking the street of Rostov, Russian, holding cups coffee in their hands as if they own the city.

Amazing development.

PS: Putin’s mouthpieces in America have suddenly gone quiet. May they stay quiet forever.

China must be scared shitless right now.

Of what R592?

R593, they thought they were going to waltz right in and take Taiwan, and now they're seeing what's going to happen to them if they even try.

They are squabbling over Pootie’s silly decision to issue a warrant for Lady Lindzebelle. You get the lady with champagne, roses, and fine chocolates, as smart gentleman callers do. Demanding her appearance without tantalizing incentives and assurance of romantic escapades, shall not work.

Oh I see R594.

If it looks like Trump is going down, Putin will step in and do something horrific to our country (attack electrical grid, hack the banks, use nukes, etc.). Using Ukraine as an excuse.

[quote] He says the real number of Russian soldiers killed is 3-4x higher than is reported to higher ups.

You don't say.

Link to Part IV

thread closed?