Russia's War Against Ukraine

[SirAndrewD]

Musk's IQ is 155. For reference, Albert Einstein was 160.

As far as I understood and some searching seems to confirm, neither of them ever had their IQ's officially tested.

Nor is IQ really something I feel should be adhered to as something particularly special.  One of my most, brilliant and accomplished professors that I worked with regularly bragged that his IQ was just a bit below 90.

Hell, when I had mine measured at my parents extreme insistence and pressure, I was 150, shy of my mother's 155 that she was brutally proud of.  What does that mean for me?  Absolutely nothing except maybe I had a lot of very unfair expectations put on me for a long time and I have a hard time keeping my thoughts straight.

That said, I don't think anyone's disputing Musk's intellect.

[Jarhead0331]

If IQ isn't good enough, look as his accomplishments. They speak for themselves.

[SirAndrewD]

If IQ isn't good enough, look as his accomplishments. They speak for themselves.

I'm not disputing those.

I'm not really one to bash Musk.  I have a mixed opinion of him that varies on subject. 

I'm especially with him on his devotion to space exploration and expansion of technology. 

Anyway, that's as far as I'll go on the subject of him unless he does something else relevant to the topic.  I'll ruin my sterling reputation of always being 100% on topic and never turning the conversation to dongles or Grogheads Front Page Denialism.

[JasonPratt]

I've seen people trying to prove by photographic evidence that the Groghead Front Page is flat, but I can easily disprove that using geometry on their own photos.

[al_infierno]

Sure, he can be a dick, but so can everybody else posting in this thread.

In fairness to us, I think Musk's assholery extends well beyond what any of us Groggies would do (I'd like to think).  The incident with the cave diver who rescued the students springs to mind.  But that's getting beyond the current topic.

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile, I've seen a clip surfacing from back much earlier this year before the invasion, where President Biden in a press conference confidently promising that if Russia invades Ukraine (at least with tanks and jets and other 'hard' hardware, not just infantry), the US will take out the Nordstream pipelines. When questioned how we would do that since it doesn't belong to us, he reiterated that we can and will do it.

So. ...I mean, he (and his administration) can deny we did it all day long, but he said he was going to do it, so that's motive as well as means and opportunity. At this point it would be necessary to prove the United States didn't do it.  :o

[bobarossa]

Meanwhile, I've seen a clip surfacing from back much earlier this year before the invasion, where President Biden in a press conference confidently promising that if Russia invades Ukraine (at least with tanks and jets and other 'hard' hardware, not just infantry), the US will take out the Nordstream pipelines. When questioned how we would do that since it doesn't belong to us, he reiterated that we can and will do it.

So. ...I mean, he (and his administration) can deny we did it all day long, but he said he was going to do it, so that's motive as well as means and opportunity. At this point it would be necessary to prove the United States didn't do it.  :o

And then there's this:
https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-biden-did-not-threaten-to-sabotage-nord-stream-pipelines-as-russian-disinfo-claims/6770228.html

"Germany had frozen completion of the newer Nord Stream 2 project just days before Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

But it was weeks before then that Biden, at the White House with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was asked if Germany would "pull the plug" on Nord Stream 2 "if Russia invades Ukraine."

In that event, Biden said, "There will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."

Scholz added, "[W]e have intensively prepared everything to be ready with the necessary sanctions if there is a military aggression against Ukraine."

So, the context was about whether Germany and the U.S. would block the project to bring economic pressure to bear on Russia, which prior to the war provided half of Germany's natural gas (and 40 percent of Europe's, much of it transiting Ukraine).

Pulling the plug is entirely different from blowing things up.

On February 23, after Russia's "recognition of independence" of two breakaway Ukrainian regions in Donbas, Germany halted the licensing and certification of Nord Stream 2, and the U.S. announced new sanctions on the pipeline and its partners.

As Biden promised, that shut down the project."

[GDS_Starfury]

seems the Pentagon had a quiet word with Elon.

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
2h
The hell with it ... even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free

dont worry, he's still getting his money.

[Gusington]

From CNN:

Gunmen kill at least 11 people in attack on Russian military recruits, Russia's state media reports

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Two gunmen opened fire on Russian military recruits at a training ground in Russia's Belgorod region, killing at least 11 people and wounding another 15, Russia's state news agency TASS reports.

The attack happened Saturday during a training session at the Western Military District, according to TASS, which cited the Russian Defense Ministry. The gunmen were said to be from former Soviet states. Russian officials have branded the attack an act of terrorism.

"As a result of a terrorist attack at a military training ground in the Belgorod region, 11 people were killed, 15 were injured and are receiving medical assistance," TASS reported.

"The incident occurred during a shooting training session with volunteers preparing for a special operation. The terrorists attacked the personnel of the unit with small-arms fire."

According to TASS, two individuals who committed the "terrorist act" were killed in retaliatory fire at the training ground.

The Belgorod region is in western Russia on the border with Ukraine.

[FarAway Sooner]

Ever since Russian missiles started falling out of the sky on Ukrainian cities, it's interesting to me that news of ground combat in Ukraine has all but halted.  I'm not sure if there's been another lull in the fighting, or if the media has just grown distracted and the fog of war is blowing back onto events in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.

Musk has done a ton of things and has been a very successful businessman.  My brother swears by the Tesla he's been driving for 3 or 4 years now and I'm seriously contemplating getting one myself whenever my 2006 Honda Accord finally gives up the ghost.  I don't know him and have no real opinion on the guy other than what I know of his public persona.  I just think he's an eccentric, sometimes self-important dude who talks a lot about things he doesn't always know much about.  He's also been given a lot more attention by the media than he really deserves, because he says the stuff he does.

I probably think about him less often than I think about oats and nuts blended into my wheat bread, but I probably also think about food more than a lot of people.  I have nothing personally against the guy, because I don't know him. 

I'd second Andrew's observations on IQ.  That takes nothing away from the fact that Elon Musk has earned about $222,000,000,000 more in his life than I have, give or take!

[Dammit Carl!]

From CNN:

Gunmen kill at least 11 people in attack on Russian military recruits, Russia's state media reports

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Two gunmen opened fire on Russian military recruits at a training ground in Russia's Belgorod region, killing at least 11 people and wounding another 15, Russia's state news agency TASS reports.

The attack happened Saturday during a training session at the Western Military District, according to TASS, which cited the Russian Defense Ministry. The gunmen were said to be from former Soviet states. Russian officials have branded the attack an act of terrorism.

"As a result of a terrorist attack at a military training ground in the Belgorod region, 11 people were killed, 15 were injured and are receiving medical assistance," TASS reported.

"The incident occurred during a shooting training session with volunteers preparing for a special operation. The terrorists attacked the personnel of the unit with small-arms fire."

According to TASS, two individuals who committed the "terrorist act" were killed in retaliatory fire at the training ground.

The Belgorod region is in western Russia on the border with Ukraine.

Bits I heard about this were that the "terrorists," were conscripts having beef with other conscripts. 

[SirAndrewD]

Ever since Russian missiles started falling out of the sky on Ukrainian cities, it's interesting to me that news of ground combat in Ukraine has all but halted. 

It hasn't really halted. 

The UAF has been keeping significant pressure along the line, but haven't been pushing for major advances.

They've largely been consolidating as the previous phase of their attacks succeeded.  They needed time once over the Oskil and with Lyman in hand to let their logistics catch up.  The bridges over the Oskil are gone and therefore they needed time to consolidate for further pushes.  They're in a good position for a push on Svatove.

The Russians went on a counterattack in the south end of the line that had some success.   Still, their most effective troops in the area, PMC Wagner, is still caught doing its own thing driving on the strategically unimportant city of Bakhmut.  Their attacks there are largely driven by the fact that Wagner contractors are paid bonuses on ground taken, so they're incentivized to attack areas where they can advance rather than follow orders from Russian command to go where they're needed.

In the south the UAF suffered from its own success advancing so quickly they had to do operational halts to let their lines catch up.  That gave the VDV time to plug gaps in the line and establish a defense.  However, the Russians seem to realize that the situation north of the Dniper is untenable and are starting to evacuate its Russian supporter population.

So, stagnant?  Yes, but only insofar as things were stagnant for a couple of weeks prior to the Lyman push.  I imagine there's significant CnC issues due to the attacks as well, but you can also read this as the UAF being smart and playing the logistics long game and not overextending themselves. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a renewed attack soon with the main objective in the north being Svatove and Kreminna and another attempt to find cracks in the line in the south to keep rolling up the Dniper. 

Also, don't be surprised if the UAF launches an attack in an unexpected direction along quieter parts of the front.

[GDS_Starfury]

so much for static, seems the UAF have had a very busy day in the south.

found this today:

[GDS_Starfury]

good read

https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/a-tale-of-two-generals-how-the-ukrainian-military-turned-the-tide/

[GDS_Starfury]

so at what point does the compression of russian lines lead to a front not worth breaking for now?
kind of a Courland pocket maybe?