kyle04

How many HIMARS have AFU lost then, Mr ITK? Konashenkov reckons 44. Seems a little optimistic to me.

The Russian war machine is grinding into action : I think it's going to be carnage.

Patriotic mawkishness aside, that operation defies belief, the idea was bonkers. The footage of the low altitude flying in the film is still breathtaking, how on Earth did those brave men pull it off?

Years ago during the Southampton shows at the common, a Spitfire would do a fly past, it was the highlight of the event for me, I still recall how loud it was. The oldies here may remember building Airfix models of our favourite planes, often gluing our fingers together in the process.

Bugger...

"..you wouldn't know he's black". F*** me that's bad, should he talk like Michael Holding for example so there's no ambiguity?

Hurroo...

I'd like to know which part was funny, the genocide maybe? They were only Hohols after all - sub humans to quote recent RT mouthpieces.

Oh dear it's all unravelling now. I suppose Germany is still a Nazi state, after all a nation cannot change once infected by extremists by your argument, even if it does elect a Jewish president. I think you may be confusing Nazi-ism with a deep distrust, even hatred of Russia/USSR within Ukraine. You will know the reasons for this of course, you will know about Holodomor for example, 7-10 million starved to death by Stalin in under 2 years. This cannot be overlooked or forgotten, nor can the level of animosity towards Russia by former SSR's, particularly the Baltic states and Poland. Regarding NATO and the "reluctance" to supply their best equipment, there are reasons for this, (although the F15/16 aircraft are in the long term pipeline), and the possibility of "immediate" destruction in combat isn't one of them. HIMARS for example, although a relatively basic weapon, has suffered no verifiable losses, unless you include a strike on the 2nd floor of an office block and a log truck, Igor did keep a straight face, true professional. More sophisticated weapons require extensive training, and a small army of trained maintenance personnel. Whatever path Russia has taken in this war it has turned to shit for them, including the latest chaotic mobilization.

There's numerous videos showcasing captured Russian personal equipment- helmets that can be punched in with a fist, body armour plates that can't withstand an AK74 round, Mosin rifles from the 1940's, soldiers fighting in trainers, uniforms that look like a job lot from army surplus stores. Wounded left to die in trenches by their comrades, their lives saved by Ukrainian soldiers. Compare that to the AFU, full uniforms, boots and body armour, modern helmets and weapons, gloves, goggles the lot. If Russians think that this mobilization is going to forge a new model army to overwhelm the Ukrainians they're in for a nasty shock I think. Add to the mix the ever dwindling stock of Russian tanks and AFV's and the constant vaporization of their ammo dumps and command centres, throwing tens of thousands of unwilling, unmotivated and ill-equipped men into the meat grinder will be Putin's last callous act.

Nukes aside, Russia have all but done their bollocks in Ukraine. Most of their battle ready tanks have either been destroyed or captured, they've taken the begging bowl to North Korea and Iran for shells and drones, stripped Belarus of most of their hardware, and are expending their long range missiles on residential buildings. Their best troops have been severely depleted, included the 1st Guards Tank Regiment. Putins world standing is severely diminished, he's been repeatedly kept waiting for other leaders in recent summits, unthinkable a few months ago. They are going to use the FAB-500 dumb bombs again soon, a relic from the 1950's, unguided and indiscriminate. Unable to make gains on the battle field they will try and destroy as much of Ukraine as they can.

Starting to kick off already : Seems Putins address is not resonating with everyone.

We do this stuff so well, just the right levels of pomp and dignified sadness. Those young soldiers and sailors involved in carrying and accompanying the coffin in particular will feel proud for the rest of their lives, a tremendous responsibility performed faultlessly.. Regardless of your feeling towards the Queen or the monarchy this was a great day for the country.

Am I being naive, but bonuses would be subject to tax, I would presume at the 40% rate. If so the Govt. and hence the treasury would benefit from this. This extra tax revenue would then be passed on directly to those most in need, so the "greedy" bankers are indirectly saving the poor ("Gawd bless ya sir, you're a right gent and no mistake..... wiv a little bit of bloomin' luck..."). Everyone wins?

Russia are shortening military cadets training courses, and Wagner PMC have been trawling prisons again offering pardons in exchange for 6 months service. Ukraine will be facing more murderers and rapists together with young boys in the near future. Men from the "separatist" regions continue to be forcibly rounded up and sent to the front lines. This will not end well for any of them.

Some of the rhetoric coming out of Russia lately is astonishing, I think even Goebbels would wince :

We seem to have a big problem in midfield at the moment. Moi clearly is not good enough, JWP looks horribly out of form and Djanepo is unreliable. the last 2 games have been awful, 2 shots on target total, against quite poor opposition. Everton are another side struggling, yet to win PL game, I can guess how that will end. The failure to motivate a team and make impactful changes after a poor 1st half in both games is worrying. Ralph looks jaded and disinterested to me, I think he's waiting for the bullet and his pay off, 3 wins in 19 would spell the end for most managers. I think he'll be sacked at some point, question is how long do SR leave it?

Looks like we're in for another Southgate obsession with the Rice/Phillips "partnership", one that's never really worked even when the 2 players were in form. Just hope JWP gets a game or 2, be nice to see Toney given a chance as well.

Different conflict, but I found this footage quite moving :

Talking about the weather. Panic buying at the merest whiff of a shortage of something. Appologizing for things our ancestors did 300 years ago. Allowing burglars carte blanche to go about their business unmolested by the police. Encouraging often ruinous gambling addiction. Spending billions on motorway "improvements" that have resulted in hundreds of miles of death traps. Cheese.

Not sure I like the sound of this, if true :

... and then Whelk probably pissing on your face. Is it worth it?

It's possible, but it would contravene Russia's nuclear doctrine, Russia itself is not under existential threat, and the implications for them would be catastrophic. Aside from this option Putin has very few cards left to play, seemingly unable to mobilize the required number of troops, his forces either on the run or bogged down in the Donbas, and growing unrest in Russia itself. I would only worry about this if AFU were advancing into Crimea, which was "Russian" prior to this conflict in the eyes of the Kremlin. I think they will continue with missile strikes from the Caspian Sea, being the spiteful bastards that they are, and attempt a big offensive in the Donetsk region, their only hope of salvaging anything from this.

Beat me to it. A little more insight here :