Russia's War Against Ukraine

[Uberhaus]

The Russian cyber threat to American energy utilities is very real.

They will be taking precautions and are forewarned.  As Jason Pratt has stated the banks have good protection.  The US has capable cyber warfare groups, however some small areas and some countries may get overwhelmed if there preparations are not sufficient (I'm looking at you Canada).  In the first few days of an invasion, the best cyber warfare units will be targeting Ukrainian C3I, air defence, power utilities and government.  The criminal hackers will look for opportunities. Personally, I am just taking precautions for something I hope doesn't happen.
Anyway, there is a report that Macron of France, is trying to broker a summit.  So far Biden has agreed to meet with Putin.  Hopefully, when we wake up Putin will have agreed to the summit as well.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60454818

[W8taminute]

 
On social media and some news sites pictures like those above are showing Russian armoured tanks and vehicles marked with the letter "Z" that are heading to the Ukrainian border.
One explanation is that they have been marked with the distinctive white letter inside a square box in an attempt to avoid friendly fire if war breaks out, because the Ukrainians have very similar tanks and vehicles.

Does this sound plausible ?

I don't know what to think about those markings however the geek in me couldn't resist sharing this with you all after seeing the above pics.  The below image is taken from a unit mod for Civilization 3: Conquests by a very talented unit modder.   :)

[Gusington]

Is that a ZSU-23-4 anti aircraft vehicle? I remember those from Gunship! and F19 Stealth Fighter.

[W8taminute]

^Yes it is!  My respect for you just went up a couple of notches.  Good call.   :)

[Gusington]

😁

[W8taminute]

Not to derail this thread but have you every looked at a picture in real life (like those pictures of armored vehicles at the Ukrainian border) and then thought, "I really want to play game "x" now"?

[SirAndrewD]

Not to derail this thread but have you every looked at a picture in real life (like those pictures of armored vehicles at the Ukrainian border) and then thought, "I really want to play game "x" now"?

Yes.

[Sir Slash]

Same here too. I hated those damned things in A-10 Warthog back in my Amiga days.

[MikeGER]

Not to derail this thread but have you every looked at a picture in real life (like those pictures of armored vehicles at the Ukrainian border) and then thought, "I really want to play game "x" now"?

happens almost every time i see a documentation about a conflict/military history  ...  esp Nam, Crusades , WW II, you name it  :-"

[steve58]

Russian "peacekeepers" incoming (to the Ukraine)...

[Jarhead0331]

There is virtually no air traffic over the Ukraine presently. I'm tracking only three aircraft, with a fourth approaching the western border from Poland. Two of the planes are making a beeline for Romania.

[Uberhaus]

Russian "peacekeepers" incoming (to the Ukraine)...

The newly recognized independent Donetsk and Luhansk regions.  Did you catch any of Putin's speech?  His capacity for deception is incredible.  His eyes stare at a fixed point and don't move.  He's either reading off a teleprompter or just as likely trained to defeat NLP.   Scary things he said are that NATO controls Ukrainian forces, Ukraine is engaged in terrorism, and is attempting to build nuclear weapons with Western help.  He brought up Russian grievances like the fire that killed Russians in Odessa several years ago, stolen Soviet funds and more.  He even ordered the 'illegitimate' government in Kiev to stop its attacks.

Putin may not be that little Austrian corporal but I am reminded of what my Grandfather told me about what he heard on the short wave in the 1930s

[Uberhaus]

I'll try and be 110% less histrionic than yesterday.  In his speech, Putin mentioned Odessa at least twice, the fire and allowing a shipyard going back to the Czarina to become decripid.  I don't think he is one to telegraph his moves but an amphibious assault there could link up with the Russian forces in Transdniestra which are isolated.  Or it could be deception.

[JudgeDredd]

You know, I don't know about other leaders - but I've just heard Boris Johnson talking and his words were 

"If Vladimir Putin continues...." - continues what mate? You said you'd have sanctions imposed if he invaded Ukraine. He HAS invaded Ukraine. The fact that you appear to be buying into his "these two areas are legitimate sovereign states" is neither here nor there. They were part of Ukraine and he's invaded.

That is the problem here. The West doesn't really have anything in it's arsenal - despite it's size and power. Without the will to use that military might, it means sod all.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not necessarily sanctioning WWIII here - but Putin knows the West will do nothing. The sanctions that are suspected to be used as a threat are probably ludicrous too. They'll hurt the West as well as Russia - and again, Putin probably knows this.

For years Russia has "embedded" itself in the financial, social and economic activities of western countries and he knows that any sanctions will be self harming to the West.

This has all been played out 84 years ago.

There goes my "sideline referee" take on it (Brits will know what that means).

[Pete Dero]

The notion that Ukraine is not a country in its own right, but a historical part of Russia, appears to be deeply ingrained in the minds of many in the Russian leadership. Already long before the Ukraine crisis, at an April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Vladimir Putin reportedly claimed that "Ukraine is not even a state! What is Ukraine? A part of its territory is in Eastern Europe, but another part, a considerable one, was a gift from us!"

In that logic the Baltic states could be next on his list, but unlike Ukraine they are NATO members.


These days I wonder how Europe would look like if Patton got his way in '45 and pulled it off some way.