The Russia-Ukraine War has begun

[Soen Eber]

This forces Russia to move troops to the defense along a broad front, taking them away from any offensive actions. This was an inevitable given the circumstances.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

At least one report put them near a railroad transfer depot and artillery storage facility. Disrupting supply lines and forcing troops to cover them would be a strategic win.

 

[detrius]

Sure looks like the Russians are burning tires at this nuclear power plant to scare people.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[detrius]

 

[Free]

Nord stream explosions? Sounds like something from a Larry Niven novel.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Obviously Putin can go to hell. He started this war and has no room to claim the moral high ground. It makes complete sense why Kiev would do this given the previous strategy was deadlocked. ...but I am more worried that this could escalate.

This is probably wishful thinking but MAYBE Putin could exploit this invasion to sign a peace deal while pretending he won the war to his people. I'm sure Kiev would agree to a peace deal where everyone withdrawals troops and boarders go back to where they were. Putin could agree while pretending they were just defending themselves.

 

[detrius]

Nord stream explosions? Sounds like something from a Larry Niven novel.

I won't really mind if it turns out that Ukraine was behind the sabotage - with or without Poland's support.

Germany was too dependent on Russian oil and having those pipelines sit there would have been the equivalent of dangling a bottle of whiskey in front of a recovering alcoholic. Sometimes, it's better to just smash the liquor cabinet.

 

[Free]

Russian state TV makes rare admission over Ukraine war

Russian state television has aired an unusual moment of criticism and self-doubt about the country's military campaign in Ukraine.

During a political talk show this week, film director Karen Shakhnazarov made several candid statements that challenged the prevailing positive narrative while discussing Ukraine’s advance into Kursk.

"If there are more blunders like this one, Russia might lose the war," Shakhnazarov warned.

Nice knowing you, Shakhnazarov.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

 

[Free]

Musk is a menace and needs to be stopped.

 

[Tigger]

I dunno, from what I hear about the 'cybertruck' shipping them all off to be used as military vehicles by Russia would be a good way of helping Ukraine.

 

[Free]

Originally published in the Washington Post.

Analysis: Kursk incursion has Putin 'hiding from a crisis'

ANALYSIS: Moscow's slow response to the Kursk operation highlights Putin's flaws.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Faced with a crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin tends to freeze.

Moscow’s slow, fumbling, military response to Ukraine’s surprise occupation of parts of the western Kursk region is the latest example of the Kremlin chief failing to respond with quick, decisive, action to match his bellicose rhetoric.

The Kursk incursion is the fourth major blow to Putin’s authority since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and highlights the weaknesses of a top-down autocracy that operates largely on fear and punishment.

 

[detrius]

Musk is a menace and needs to be stopped.

With some luck, the doors will trap Kadyrov in that thing when a stray bullet starts a battery fire.

 

[detrius]

This forces Russia to move troops to the defense along a broad front, taking them away from any offensive actions. This was an inevitable given the circumstances.

Actually, the Russian soldiers in Ukraine are mostly under contract and receive benefits for fighting there. They're entitled to pensions and monetary compensation for getting wounded or killed (in this case, the money goes to the family).

Russia also has compulsory military service, but the conscripts aren't supposed to fight outside of Russia. And since defending Russian soil is a matter of duty, the compensations are rather miniscule.

So Putin can't just move troops from Ukraine to Kursk, because those troops would object to losing their benefits and most likely revolt (because Russia has been recruiting from prisons).

And if Putin sends conscripts to Kursk, they'll mutiny over receiving less money than those lowlife contractors fighting in Ukraine.

 

[Free]

Oh, ffs...

Wanted former US airman appears as Russian soldier in propaganda video

www.stripes.com

A newly released Russian government propaganda video appears to feature an American former airman who says he’s now a drone operator fighting alongside Kremlin forces waging war in Ukraine.

In a public post Monday on the Russian Defense Ministry’s Telegram channel, a man calling himself Will from Massachusetts is shown wearing Russian military camouflage, a combat helmet and a plate carrier. At the end of the roughly five-minute clip, he says “victory will be ours” in Russian.

He's not really running to the fight, though. It's more like he's running away from something...

Photos from earlier U.S. military press releases and reporting by the Moscow Times identify him as Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former Massachusetts National Guard technical sergeant and city councilor, who is wanted in the United States on child pornography possession charges.

 

[Free]

Just posting because.

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Just posting because.

Pyaterochka УНИВЕРСАМ
Russian chain convenience store. Had to pull up the Cyrillic alphabet on wikipedia and copy the letters one by one into google search and translate.
And why the fuck is that woman doing an ahegao face with a cat ear helmet with an AKM? (had to pull out my visual small arms book)

Wait, apparently she's Ukrainian! Somebody get her a proper Non-warsaw-pact weapon....a pink P90 or M4 or something.

 

[Free]

Pyaterochka УНИВЕРСАМ
And why the fuck is that woman doing an ahegao face with a cat ear helmet with an AKM?

Because she can. DUH.

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Because she can. DUH.

At first I thought she was some dumbass pro-Putin Russian, then I google searched the image. Then I understood the why. CC approves +10