Russia and its “Special Operation” in Ukraine

[Genie]

1 minute ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

As far as I understand it it was an important and easy route into Ukraine.  I suppose that makes sense. 

Aside from all the radiation it makes sense

[Mandy Lifeboats]

2 minutes ago, blandy said:

No. I mean seriously, no.

You/we don't know if they were poorly trained conscripts, or if they were regular army, but uninformed or unaware of the dangers, or if they took their chances, because they'd be blown to bits in the open, or if they would have been shot for disobeying orders...or etc.

It's still ordinary humans.

Agreed 100%.  These troops were likely to be conscripts tasked with defending a lightly threatened supply route.  There was no local population to terrorise.  They are also victims. 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

1 minute ago, Genie said:

Aside from all the radiation it makes sense

If its safe enough for Top Gear to drive through in city cars it's probably safe to drive through in a tank.  

[blandy]

9 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

As far as I understand it it was an important and easy route into Ukraine.  I suppose that makes sense. 

Sure, I know that bit - but I meant "why were they there" in terms of what they'd been told - I mean we know that many many Russian soldiers were told they were going to do live firing exercises, that they were going (and believed) to be welcomed for "de-Nazifying" Ukraine's people from nasty nazi rulers, or that they were going to be in and out in  a matter of a few days - so from their perspective, we don't know their circumstances - old and broken kit, lacking fuel and food, forced to shelter from the late winter elements...etc. Were they told it was safe from radiation?

[Genie]

1 minute ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

If its safe enough for Top Gear to drive through in city cars it's probably safe to drive through in a tank.  

They didn’t just quickly drive through though. They dug holes in the radioactive soil, lived and slept there, cut down trees, pet the wildlife and all after firing rockets  at a nuclear reactor building. 

[magnkarl]

6 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

If its safe enough for Top Gear to drive through in city cars it's probably safe to drive through in a tank.  

The thing is, driving a tank through Chernobyl kicks up a lot more radioactive particles than a car. Tanks generally also drive in the terrain which turns any air around the tank into a death trap. They estimate that as many as 1.000 soldiers have been exposed to extreme levels of radiation, along with the vehicles they came in. Just consider the people who have to service these vehicles full of radioactive dust and mud.

[Mandy Lifeboats]

It makes perfect sense to use it as a supply route and easy route into the country. It also makes senseto have that route nominally defended.  Its the lack of training that makes no sense. 

[Mr_Dogg]

I bet 19 and 20 year old Russians know very little about Chernobyl and the dangers it possesses. Probably brushed over in school.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Mr_Dogg

[sidcow]

Dozens dead after rocket strikes at the Eastern most train station still in use where thousands were waiting for evacuation.

Once again this absolutely HAS to be deliberate targeting of Civilians.  It's pure evil.

Edited April 8, 2022 by sidcow

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

Crazy how they went from this guy to Trump. Interesting to hear his take on whats going on

 

 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

13 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Dozens dead after rocket strikes at the Eastern most train statin still in use where thousands were waiting for evacuation.

Once again this absolutely HAS to be deliberate targeting of Civilians.  It's pure evil.

“For the children” etched into the rocket too. Sick and twisted subhuman species

 

 

[bickster]

43 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

Agreed 100%.  These troops were likely to be conscripts tasked with defending a lightly threatened supply route.  There was no local population to terrorise.  They are also victims. 

Not entirely true either. The staff that look after the Chernobyl Site live there in big apartment blocks, which were all looted

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

44 minutes ago, blandy said:

No. I mean seriously, no.

You/we don't know if they were poorly trained conscripts, or if they were regular army, but uninformed or unaware of the dangers, or if they took their chances, because they'd be blown to bits in the open, or if they would have been shot for disobeying orders...or etc.

It's still ordinary humans.

And I like dogs, and deplore what Putin's doing and ordering.

You are correct. It' s just so frustrating and upsetting.  The whole war is so unnecessary.

The conscripts are as you say ordinary humans but they have learnt some truly shocking behavior outside of the Army. 

The fact that they were shooting peoples dogs in front of them the other day made me think bad things.

I love dogs and have 1 myself.  War is just rubbish.

[Awol]

23 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Dozens dead after rocket strikes at the Eastern most train statin still in use where thousands were waiting for evacuation.

Once again this absolutely HAS to be deliberate targeting of Civilians.  It's pure evil.

Quite understandable why Ukrainians refer to Moscow as Mordor and Russians soldiers as Orcs. They are the face of evil.

What it also does is make the military case even more strongly for deployment of sophisticated medium-long range anti-missile defence systems, in short US Patriot’s. Russia will rain these SRBMs on Ukrainian positions when the Donbas offensive starts, and currently they have no effective counter measure. 

[sidcow]

15 minutes ago, Awol said:

Quite understandable why Ukrainians refer to Moscow as Mordor and Russians soldiers as Orcs. They are the face of evil.

What it also does is make the military case even more strongly for deployment of sophisticated medium-long range anti-missile defence systems, in short US Patriot’s. Russia will rain these SRBMs on Ukrainian positions when the Donbas offensive starts, and currently they have no effective counter measure. 

There was a snippet I read somewhere the other day that USA, UK and Australia are going to start serious research into developing anti ICBM systems, targeting these ones that fly into space and come down at 5 x speed of sound.

Time to deploy them everywhere then to stop this fear of Russian nukes.

[villaglint]

41 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

Crazy how they went from this guy to Trump. 

 

Was thinking exactly the same at the end of that video. 

[og1874]

44 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

Crazy how they went from this guy to Trump.

Murca being Murca, they were absolutely never going to go from a black guy to a woman. Sounds really stupid, and shouldn't be the case, but if the Dems had run a man instead of Hilary they'd have won

[Davkaus]

I can't find too much sympathy for Russian conscripts who'd rather keep fighting than surrender or dessert now that there is no defense that they didn't know what they were there for. Frankly, every dead Russian soldier is one that isn't committing more war crimes, enjoy the radiation, lads.

[Awol]

11 minutes ago, og1874 said:

Murca being Murca, they were absolutely never going to go from a black guy to a woman. Sounds really stupid, and shouldn't be the case, but if the Dems had run a human instead of Hilary they'd have won

FTFY.

[Jareth]

The Russians are denying whilst bombing civillians and could not care less what anybody thinks of them. It is such deliberate evil and it takes my breath away. Every atrocity makes the case for immediate suspension of Russian gas by European countries - Germans might claim there will be a recession, but that is preferable to giving money to these devils. Get on with it Germany, whatever the cost.