Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion

VorZakone said:
Click to expand...


Ukraine should just blow up the gas pipelines and say it was Russian missiles targeting their energy infrastructure or whatever. I know they'd lose the money they get for transit the gas, but long term it should be better for them to deprive Russia from gas income, no? Without the Ukrainian pipelines and the Nordstream, I think only one Russian pipeline would be functional through Poland.
 
711 said:
I don't get why this guy thinks OPEC should 'bring down oil prices'. Their job is to keep prices as high as they can for the benefit of their members.

If Ukraine and their allies want to harm Russian exports they need to persuade other nations not to buy them.
Click to expand...
Also they are having to sell at a vastly discounted rate - I saw earlier this year India was getting a ~40% discount across a few reputable outlets, China is also importing record levels so whilst it's true they are making money from their natural resources still, it is way below where they would want it to be. BI article below from today.

Russia's Economy Is Booming, but This Could All Come Crashing Soon (businessinsider.com)
 
More battlefield stuff from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/europe/ukraine-neskuchne-question-counteroffensive-intl/index.html

"Ahead of the assault, Ukraine had assessed that only 20 Russians were defending the town. But there were another 200 hidden in various basements, who did not even emerge to use the toilet, apparently using plastic bottles underground to avoiding Ukrainian surveillance drones. As a result, Ukraine thought its force of 70 was overwhelming, but instead met tougher resistance than expected.

The fact that Russian forces fight so persistently for each settlement has raised doubts about claims that Russia’s defensive line is fierce but thin.

The recent deployment of Ukraine’s reserves, and talk of a new phase of the counteroffensive can only boost morale so far. “We feel support, but we are very very tired,” Krivbas said.

A solider from the AREY forces, call sign Krivbas said “They stand till the death. I don’t understand their motivation. Or what they are fighting for.”

His troops showed a small Russian booklet entitled, “Why we fight,” found in captured Russian positions, which provides a warped narrative of the invasion’s causes, saying Russia had been attacked and was left with no choice but to defend itself."
Click to expand...
 
maniak said:
You expect the UN to say attacking civilian infrastructure is ok?
Click to expand...

I expect them to shut their mouths if they don't have anything useful to say and in this context, condemning Ukrainian attacks is only useful to Putin. No one says attacking civilian infrastructure is a good thing, but Ukraine fights for its right to exist, so maybe they should focus on Russian countless war crimes first.

edit: Also, there were reports that several departments of Russian ministries are located in the building that was hit. It's not like they destroy high-rise apartments and kill civilians so far as Russia does on a weekly basis.
 
Last edited:
Ragnar123 said:
I expect them to shut their mouth if they don't have anything useful to say. No one says attacking civilian infrastructure is a good thing, but Ukraine fights for its right to exist, so maybe they should focus on Russian countless war crimes first.
Click to expand...
They have criticized all attacks on civilian infrastructure, it's what's expected from them and it makes sense. Of course it's war, so ukraine will ignore it, but it's literally the most cliche thing the UN can say, I see no reason to be upset about it.
 
maniak said:
You expect the UN to say attacking civilian infrastructure is ok?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure its even confirmed any civilian infrastructure has been attacked. Yet a statement like that from the UN is a clear accusation.
 
Western military surgeons haven’t seen such injuries on this scale since World War II, said Dr. Aaron Epstein, head of the Global Surgical and Medical Support Group of former military surgeons who train Ukrainian military medics.

While artillery and missiles were the main causes of amputation early in the conflict, some of the worst casualties now come from mines laid along the 600-mile front line.
Click to expand...

 
I ask Ghost how many Russians his team have killed. He says, "There's a confirmed number - 524. Seventy-six of those are mine." The team electronically records every shot through the sights of their rifles.

Not everyone's keeping count, though. Kuzia, the marksman for tonight's mission, says: "It's nothing to be proud of. We're not killing people, we're destroying the enemy."
Click to expand...

 
Putin appears to have concluded that the Wagner insurrection wasn’t aimed at him personally—a convenient position, in that it doesn’t force him to take any bold or risky action.

“If they aren’t against me,” Remchukov said, paraphrasing Putin, “we can leave them in place for the solving of important problems.”
Click to expand...

 
Last edited:
maniak said:
They have criticized all attacks on civilian infrastructure, it's what's expected from them and it makes sense. Of course it's war, so ukraine will ignore it, but it's literally the most cliche thing the UN can say, I see no reason to be upset about it.
Click to expand...

I think the source of anger towards the UN is the lack of actual repercussions against Russia while within the institution itself. To be very honest, Russia should have been suspended from taking part in activities within the United Nations in the same fashion that an unruly MP is banned from participating in parliament. If Russia feels they don't belong within the United Nations after such a (hypothetical) punishment, they can feel free to leave and then walk into unchartered waters.
 
The bitter fight for Neskuchne ended, Krivbas said, in the school hall, where Russian paratroopers made their last stand before fleeing. He gestures to the trash littering the school floor, and appalling conditions in which the occupiers appeared to live, before battle torched the building.

The wall graffiti is equally bleak: “There is no love.” “God is for Russia.” “Welcome to Mordor.”

It is a nihilism that only amplifies a key question Ukrainian forces have: Why do the Russian troops fight so hard for these tiny settlements? As they push further into occupied territory, the fight remains as
Click to expand...
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/01/...hne-question-counteroffensive-intl/index.html
 
Simbo said:
They desperate to get NATO involved now or what?


Click to expand...


The last decades were too boring for the likes of Putin and Lukashenko. Before they get too old, they want a new exciting cold war, which also strengthens their position inside.
 
“They are making mostly small, incremental gains” on all three axes, the official said. “They are still facing stiff Russian resistance — second and third layers of defenses.”
Click to expand...

 
VorZakone said:
Click to expand...

It's so hard to know how to interpret these articles - it seems like the actual headline is UA has made consistent small gains since the offensive started which is positive but there is no way of knowing the cost of those gains. It might be extremely good news, it might be terrible.
 
“Arguably, the problem was in the assumption that with a few months of training, Ukrainian units could be converted into fighting more the way American forces might fight, leading the assault against a well-prepared Russian defense, rather than helping Ukrainians fight more the best way they know how.”
Click to expand...

 
^By the way, the above NYT article says that the 9 Western-trained brigades amount to roughly 36,000 troops. That seems...low? I hope for Ukraine's sake they got a lot more in reserves than that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.