NPR

Hellraiser wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 1:50 pm

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:54 pm

Biffer wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:50 am

It was by the early C20th. Was a dominant power some time before that though.

There's a reason the Austrians came first in the Austro-Hungarian empire.

It was a bit more complicated than that.

Grossly oversimplified hot takes is sort of my gig.

Uncle fester wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 7:21 pm

Hellraiser wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 1:50 pm

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:54 pm

There's a reason the Austrians came first in the Austro-Hungarian empire.

It was a bit more complicated than that.

Grossly oversimplified hot takes is sort of my gig.

How do you not have 500k Twitter followers?

Hellraiser wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 11:20 pm

Thought they were moving away from towed artillery?

Some of you serious enthusiasts will be able to verify this guy's channel but he seems to be roughly paralleling alot of what is talked about in here...

I like that channel too, Guy. He always gives a good, detailed summary of the day's most consequential events, and seems to know his stuff.

Gumboot wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:03 am I like that channel too, Guy. He always gives a good, detailed summary of the day's most consequential events, and seems to know his stuff.

I think, perhaps obviously, he has some direct military tie in/sponsorship. I guess a couple of the more popular channels are, I'd imagine Denys is now government sponsored even if he wasn't already, Operator Starsky always was and the two have cooperated previously.

Pro-UA partisans? Sabotage / accident. Not sure that UA would target Belarus territory directly...Belarusian opposition group reported this so my money would be home grown activity.

tabascoboy wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:40 pm Pro-UA partisans? Sabotage / accident. Not sure that UA would target Belarus territory directly...Belarusian opposition group reported this so my money would be home grown activity.

They did sabotage their rail network at huge costs to some of them.

Seems to have been sabotage.

I'm sure he's fine

I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

Yeah, there's a big slice of war as disposable entertainment knocking about.

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

yup

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

Couldn’t agree more. Like most people, I detest this war and love the Russians getting a kicking but to see videos of generally poor, terrified, under trained, young conscripts getting blown to pieces is grim. I’m sure the vast majority of them have no desire to be there and to end their miserable lives in that way, on camera for the world to gloat and laugh at, is incredibly depressing.

Now, if it was Putin or Utkin etc getting launched 100 feet into the air then that’s a different matter.

Tattie wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 5:16 pm

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

Couldn’t agree more. Like most people, I detest this war and love the Russians getting a kicking but to see videos of generally poor, terrified, under trained, young conscripts getting blown to pieces is grim. I’m sure the vast majority of them have no desire to be there and to end their miserable lives in that way, on camera for the world to gloat and laugh at, is incredibly depressing.

Now, if it was Putin or Utkin etc getting launched 100 feet into the air then that’s a different matter.

Still someone's son and potentially a child's father. Putin is an evil vile shitlicker.

Tattie wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 5:16 pm

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am I think (some) people are getting way too de-sensitized to these images coming out of Ukraine and think it's just a video game. Far too many people "Loving" these Twitter posts...

Couldn’t agree more. Like most people, I detest this war and love the Russians getting a kicking but to see videos of generally poor, terrified, under trained, young conscripts getting blown to pieces is grim. I’m sure the vast majority of them have no desire to be there and to end their miserable lives in that way, on camera for the world to gloat and laugh at, is incredibly depressing.

Now, if it was Putin or Utkin etc getting launched 100 feet into the air then that’s a different matter.

Could not agree more, I don't watch any of that stuff. Pretty grim all-round. I keep wondering what the chances are that Putin will one day be made to answer for this war, but I somehow doubt we'll ever see that justice.

Another long range "cigarette strike"?




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Well it was about three weeks ago that it started to look like Bakhmut could fall within days only for the situation to continue much as it had in the last several months. The regular tik-tokker is starting to look more and more disconsolate lately though as Wagner pour their more elite units into the assault past the bodies of the uncountable number of mobiks and prisoners that were sacrificed to make it more possible. Of course there is plenty of to-ing and fro-ing over small pieces of territory still.

Sounds like he's really unhappy about corruption and vested interests at the political level undermining the efforts of the defence forces. Let's hope that the heroic efforts of so much armed resistance to forestall the RU forces in a few locations pays off as a longer term strategy nonetheless. Ground and transport conditions have turned more difficult again due to a slight thaw recently, but more deep cold looks like it's on the way as we await any signs of any concerted counter-offensive and hope that RU activity with limited gains in the last few weeks is all they've got...

? There's no cold front coming per the weather map. The spring rains have already started and Bahkmut's already pretty much free of snow, and the fields are turning muddy with the thaw, one reason why Ukraine may get out in a matter of days now, though they may attempt a counter-attack on that northern thrust by Wagner.

The units did get to rotate in and out of Bahkmut, one of the reason why the defence there was so effective, but it's been ongoing for months and tough regardless.

There's no question about the corruption severely hindering Ukraine - it's endemic and an ongoing problem, the recent efforts there removing people only window dressing.

It's not all sunshine and light on the Ukrainian side for sure. At the end of Jan the government increased the penalties for desertion and refusal to obey orders which had the backing of the army but even so...

https://www.thehindu.com/news/internati ... 432328.ece

Flockwitt wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:01 pm ? There's no cold front coming per the weather map. The spring rains have already started and Bahkmut's already pretty much free of snow, and the fields are turning muddy with the thaw, one reason why Ukraine may get out in a matter of days now, though they may attempt a counter-attack on that northern thrust by Wagner.

I'm talking about 7 - 10 days out, although it may well not penetrate as far south as the active zones - it's 50/50 at the moment and some rather mild weather first. Winter doesn't end in Donbass until mid March earliest but climate is always variable of course.

EnergiseR2 wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:24 pm The Hindu looks dodge

Nah, that's just a reprint of a story that's been well noted elsewhere.

tabascoboy wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:43 pm

Flockwitt wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:01 pm ? There's no cold front coming per the weather map. The spring rains have already started and Bahkmut's already pretty much free of snow, and the fields are turning muddy with the thaw, one reason why Ukraine may get out in a matter of days now, though they may attempt a counter-attack on that northern thrust by Wagner.

I'm talking about 7 - 10 days out, although it may well not penetrate as far south as the active zones - it's 50/50 at the moment and some rather mild weather first. Winter doesn't end in Donbass until mid March earliest but climate is always variable of course.

Winter is over early. Check the one month forecast for Bakhmut, it's going to be hotter than it is in kiwiland later this month - for sure the ground won't be refreezing even if a cold front does pass through.

It's not just Bakhmut, the front line contested area stretches a few hundred kilometres north into Luhans'k, though of course the weather will be more clement further south. Russia reportedly have a target of taking all of Luhans'k and Donets'k oblasts by end of March, as fanciful as it seems right now.




and up to their old tricks again

Some reports of unknown reliability suggesting that RU forces are one village away from encircling Bakhmut, well we've heard that kind of thing before and while not necessarily a completely false claim they seem to be pro-Russian in origin trying to sow panic. Probably at best premature

The Ukrainians have imposed a media blackout on Zaporizhzhia and Donbas. A lot of troop movement into those areas too.

Hellraiser wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 1:15 pm The Ukrainians have imposed a media blackout on Zaporizhzhia and Donbas. A lot of troop movement into those areas too.

Ukraine to go on the offensive somewhere? Russia might have man power but at this point the quality and quantity of equipment must have been severely reduced.

petej wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:15 pm

Hellraiser wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 1:15 pm The Ukrainians have imposed a media blackout on Zaporizhzhia and Donbas. A lot of troop movement into those areas too.

Ukraine to go on the offensive somewhere? Russia might have man power but at this point the quality and quantity of equipment must have been severely reduced.

Cover for a fighting retreat from bakhmut perhaps.

Difficult to know with media blackout and lots of disinfo flying around

Looks like our Tik-Tokker Kyianyn is no longer deployed at Bakhmut. He's in a better mood today...

Hellraiser wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 6:40 pm https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/worl ... tanks.html

For everybody else.
https://archive.ph/vqcZL

yermum wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:51 pm

petej wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:15 pm

Hellraiser wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 1:15 pm The Ukrainians have imposed a media blackout on Zaporizhzhia and Donbas. A lot of troop movement into those areas too.

Ukraine to go on the offensive somewhere? Russia might have man power but at this point the quality and quantity of equipment must have been severely reduced.

Cover for a fighting retreat from bakhmut perhaps.

Difficult to know with media blackout and lots of disinfo flying around

My guess might be more of a reorganisation of forces as they look to bring in some units to defend and perhaps do a limited counter-attack on Wagner. Not the right time for a full offensive given the weather and ground and they fired the general in charge of the Donbas for a reason. Still let's see. They did a very successful limited counter-attack in Vulhedar around a week ago so perhaps something else is on the cards.