Russia

[Lighthouse]

59 minutes ago, whelk said:

Putin can’t even speak even speak English. Thick bald midget cunt.

Carlson is a cunt too. Have no interest in watching anything that fucker does.

I don’t know. Watching him get pulled through a combine harvester could be a laugh.

[skintsaint]

Apparently another Russian ship sunk.

 

Edited 14 February, 2024 by skintsaint

[Weston Super Saint]

On the plus side, their submarine fleet is growing week on week.

[Lighthouse]

When all this is over, there're going to be some cracking scuba diving trips in the Black Sea.

[sadoldgit]

Nothing dodgy about this at all.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/feb/16/ukraine-war-live-russia-avdiivka-assault-continues-as-zelenskiy-set-to-visit-europe

[Sheaf Saint]

Alexei Navalny has died of completely natural causes after feeling unwell and collapsing in prison. 

[Colinjb]

Frankly miraculous he lasted this long.

[Weston Super Saint]

49 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Alexei Navalny has died of completely natural causes after feeling unwell and collapsing in prison. 

What!  No staircases or windows involved?  No doorhandles that no one else would touch?

[whelk]

3 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Alexei Navalny has died of completely natural causes after feeling unwell and collapsing in prison. 

Very brave guy. Contrast with that bald little cunt who is scared of germs. RIP

[Fan The Flames]

Sent to Siberia penal camp for being a political rival, yet a lot of yanks admire Putin. And they think their government is evil and over reaching for wanting restrictions on automatic weapons. Fuckin mentalists.

[Challenger]

On the plus side the EU want to embrace their British friends into the military fold as they're shit scared of Russia, Trump's giving bad vibes and we have nukes.

Fuck off, you've shown your true colours.

[badgerx16]

2 hours ago, Challenger said:

On the plus side the EU want to embrace their British friends into the military fold as they're shit scared of Russia, Trump's giving bad vibes and we have nukes.

Fuck off, you've shown your true colours.

So do the French, in fact they have more warheads than we do.

Edited 16 February, 2024 by badgerx16

[Challenger]

Just now, badgerx16 said:

So do the French.

Not a problem for them then, crack on.

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Challenger said:

On the plus side the EU want to embrace their British friends into the military fold as they're shit scared of Russia, Trump's giving bad vibes and we have nukes.

Fuck off, you've shown your true colours.

I agree, it’d be great to see Putin’s army of conscripted, alcoholic thugs committing war crimes across Eastern Europe, if it means we get to make snide remarks about Brexit.

[LVSaint]

RIP Navalny. Poor bastard. Anyone interested in his plight before he found himself in a gulag should watch the documentary 'Navalny'

[skintsaint]

Wasn't Navalny as hard lined as Putin?

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/16/navalny-wouldnt-return-crimea-considers-immigration-bigger-issue-than-ukraine-a40477

[Colinjb]

15 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Wasn't Navalny as hard lined as Putin?

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/16/navalny-wouldnt-return-crimea-considers-immigration-bigger-issue-than-ukraine-a40477

He wasn't exactly pro West, but he wasn't Putin.......

Hence Zelezny's position on him.

[skintsaint]

20 minutes ago, Colinjb said:

He wasn't exactly pro West, but he wasn't Putin.......

Thats how Putin started though.

 

 

[sadoldgit]

14 hours ago, Challenger said:

On the plus side the EU want to embrace their British friends into the military fold as they're shit scared of Russia, Trump's giving bad vibes and we have nukes.

Fuck off, you've shown your true colours.

So NATO members want to embrace other NATO “friends” into NATO???  

[whelk]

Can’t imagine what Trump woudl say. Probably weak and stupid to go back to Russia aware of his fate.

 

[Weston Super Saint]

Apparently, Navalny's body was covered in bruises, suggesting convulsion before death.  The FSB had visited the prison site two days before he died to dismantle CCTV and listening devices, a 'prepared' statement was issued within 2 minutes of him dying and within 4 minutes, state controlled social media claimed he died due to a blood clot.

You can't knock those Russians, when it comes to autopsies, they don't hang around.

[badgerx16]

On 16/02/2024 at 19:34, Challenger said:

On the plus side the EU want to embrace their British friends into the military fold as they're shit scared of Russia, Trump's giving bad vibes and we have nukes.

Lot of use they are;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395

"The test firing of a Trident missile from a Royal Navy submarine has failed, for the second time in a row"

[egg]

56 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Lot of use they are;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395

"The test firing of a Trident missile from a Royal Navy submarine has failed, for the second time in a row"

Absolutely hopeless. We have aircraft carriers that can't be used, and subs that can't fire missiles. You couldn't make it up. 

[whelk]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Absolutely hopeless. We have aircraft carriers that can't be used, and subs that can't fire missiles. You couldn't make it up. 

But Sunak has a plan. Keep the faith!

[AlexLaw76]

Hardly a surprise. This is another example of disjointed priorities with the MOD.

We have nowhere near enough people (let alone fit people) to staff the very small footprint of the armed forces we have today. People are not joining up and so many are leaving. 

Guess what, the majority of the general public just do not care. 

[mack rill]

10 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

Lot of use they are;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68355395

"The test firing of a Trident missile from a Royal Navy submarine has failed, for the second time in a row"

don't worry the powers that be have ensured us we are safe they were only dummy ones onist😱

[Weston Super Saint]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68364924

Looks like things are coming to a head in Ukraine.

Quote

Russia is struggling to provide ammunition and weapons for its war in Ukraine, according to Western officials.

It is facing "extreme challenges" in obtaining sufficient equipment and materiel, an official said.

It comes as concerns over the provision of Western weapons to Ukraine are mounting.

With both sides struggling for weapons, will this turn into a more 'traditional' war?  Will we see trebuchet flinging giant rocks across the river and sword fights on open fields?

[skintsaint]

On 15/01/2024 at 14:50, Jimmy_D said:

Ukraine claiming to have shot down a Russian A-50. This would mark the first time in history an AEW&C aircraft has been shot down.

Apparently two now...

[badgerx16]

Hey Special Military Operation, it's your second birthday.

[Weston Super Saint]

7 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

Hey Special Military Operation, it's your second birthday.

Must be close to Kyiv by now, surely?

[Jimmy_D]

20 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Apparently two now...

Indeed. Appears this may have been an A-50U too, one of the A-50s that’s been upgraded.

All of the apparent explanations seem unlikely, especially with it going down in the same area. Anti-air having that range, Ukraine having F16s operational already, Russian anti-air being that incompetent, Russian anti-air being compromised somehow by Ukraine or Russian rebels?

Assuming Ukraine actually have a repeatable ability to take them down… if another one goes down things start to become extremely tricky for Russia, especially once F16s start appearing for Ukraine. Between Russia’s ability to maintain them, losing two full crews, as well as three A-50s being destroyed now, including the one that was destroyed on the ground, their AEW capability is likely already severely compromised.

[buctootim]

4 hours ago, Jimmy_D said:

Indeed. Appears this may have been an A-50U too, one of the A-50s that’s been upgraded.

All of the apparent explanations seem unlikely, especially with it going down in the same area. Anti-air having that range, Ukraine having F16s operational already, Russian anti-air being that incompetent, Russian anti-air being compromised somehow by Ukraine or Russian rebels?

Assuming Ukraine actually have a repeatable ability to take them down… if another one goes down things start to become extremely tricky for Russia, especially once F16s start appearing for Ukraine. Between Russia’s ability to maintain them, losing two full crews, as well as three A-50s being destroyed now, including the one that was destroyed on the ground, their AEW capability is likely already severely compromised.

Reckon its likely to be MBNA's meteor air to air missile. It has a declared range of 200km (which would have been enough anyhow) but is rumoured to be even more than that in reality.  

Edited 25 February, 2024 by buctootim

[Jimmy_D]

20 minutes ago, buctootim said:

Reckon its likely to be MBNA's meteor air to air missile. It has a declared range of 200km (which would have been enough anyhow) but is rumoured to be even more than that in reality.  

Probably not a bad shout. While I’ve no doubt they could figure a way to retrofit meteors to Soviet jets, might explain why Ukraine were so keen to get hold of Gripen jets. It’s possible they’ve quietly got hold of some. Something has been causing a lot of losses for Russian aviation recently.

[Jimmy_D]

Looks like it’s anti-air having that range then, or at least that’s what Ukraine are claiming.

Seems they used AA missiles from an S200 system, that have longer range than the missiles from the Patriot system, and integrated them with a Patriot system for launch, targeting and control to bring it down from 700km away.

That’s an extremely significant capability.

[badgerx16]

19 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Looks like it’s anti-air having that range then, or at least that’s what Ukraine are claiming.

Seems they used AA missiles from an S200 system, that have longer range than the missiles from the Patriot system, and integrated them with a Patriot system for launch, targeting and control to bring it down from 700km away.

That’s an extremely significant capability.

Ukraine was always the brains of the Russian arms indutry.

[buctootim]

15 hours ago, Jimmy_D said:

Looks like it’s anti-air having that range then, or at least that’s what Ukraine are claiming.

Seems they used AA missiles from an S200 system, that have longer range than the missiles from the Patriot system, and integrated them with a Patriot system for launch, targeting and control to bring it down from 700km away.

That’s an extremely significant capability.

Maybe. Just a likely to be maskirovka imo. A lot of countries donate gear anonymously or simply dont announce what they sending to maintain surprise. 

[Baird of the land]

Glad to see some pushback to macron's escalatory warmongering

[Lighthouse]

1 hour ago, Baird of the land said:

Glad to see some pushback to macron's escalatory warmongering

So sending troops to Ukraine would constitute escalatory warmongering? Is there anyone else you think that perhaps might apply to?

[Baird of the land]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

So sending troops to Ukraine would constitute escalatory warmongering? Is there anyone else you think that perhaps might apply to?

you don’t think a direct attack by troops of a nato member is escalatory warmongering ?

and yes the decision to attack Ukraine by Russia was.

Edited 27 February, 2024 by Baird of the land

[Lighthouse]

30 minutes ago, Baird of the land said:

you don’t think a direct attack by troops of a nato member is escalatory warmongering ?

and yes the decision to attack Ukraine by Russia was.

Who said anything about attacking anyone? I'd be more than happy for NATO troops to go and hang out in the none-occupied part of Ukraine. Russia is perfectly free to leave them alone, which they obviously would.

[Jimmy_D]

Russia's A-50 fleet reportedly grounded due to needing time to figure out how to prevent them being shot down. (Probably they're still trying to figure out how they were shot down.)

With the loss of AEW&C capability and at least 14 aircraft reported downed in the last two weeks, seems there have been long stretches of a few hours with no Russian aircraft seen in Eastern Ukraine at all.

[skintsaint]

Sea drones strike again, not sure Russia intended for the cost of repairing/replacing so many ships and planes when starting this special operation...

 

 

[Jimmy_D]

9 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Sea drones strike again, not sure Russia intended for the cost of repairing/replacing so many ships and planes when starting this special operation...

 

 

The Sergei Kotov is one that Ukraine have been after for a while, it’s been able to survive a couple of previous attacks.

Apparently it’s been used as part of what Russia have assigned to try and protect Kerch Bridge.

[AlexLaw76]

Jesus

https://x.com/georgepapa19/status/1765491444414808317?s=46

[Saint in Paradise]

Very long video but quite interesting:-

We are diving into the heart of Eurasian geopolitics with Curtis L. Fox, author of the groundbreaking book Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition and Conventional Military Conflict. Launching into a deep exploration of Russia's historical military strategies and its contemporary geopolitical maneuvers, Fox offers unparalleled insights into the Kremlin's objectives, its relentless pursuit in Ukraine, and the inner mechanics of its formidable military and intelligence apparatus. With Russia's economic tenacity and military prowess on full display, we dissect the nation's will to press on in the conflict, assess its strategic goals, and the potential ramifications on global stability. Curtis, a former Green Beret who mastered the Russian language and studied Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech before venturing into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, provides a unique perspective on what Russia hopes to achieve and the lengths it may go to secure victory. This episode not only charts the course of Russia's military evolution from the Napoleonic era to its current engagement in Ukraine but also forecasts the possible outcomes of this conflict. Questions such as the impact of NATO's involvement, the financial sustainability of Russia's war machine, and the conditions for Ukrainian success are explored in depth.

 

[Jimmy_D]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68506223

Excellent news for NATO, that’s an extremely capable military that’s just joined the alliance.

[Jimmy_D]

Another A50 apparently destroyed by Ukraine, on the ground this time by long range drone strikes.

[Whitey Grandad]

4 hours ago, Jimmy_D said:

Another A50 apparently destroyed by Ukraine, on the ground this time by long range drone strikes.

Did they not see them coming?

[buctootim]

6 hours ago, Jimmy_D said:

Another A50 apparently destroyed by Ukraine, on the ground this time by long range drone strikes.

Good summary here 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/03/09/first-ukraine-shoots-down-two-of-russias-a-50-radar-planes-then-russia-prepares-a-replacement-a-50-so-ukraine-targets-the-replacement-at-its-factory/

[Jimmy_D]

Significant Ukrainian counterattacks today. Widespread drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, and there are reports that (likely Ukraine backed) Russian separatists have occupied/liberated large parts of Bilhorod and Kursk in Russia.