Russia's War Against Ukraine

[MengJiao]

I'm not sure where your assumptions are coming from, but Russia definitely knows what they are doing and has a plan that does not simply include destroying everything.

So in other words, whatever Russia may have destroyed behind the MLR, it is now rebuilding in a distinctly Russian way.

  So its a two step plan: destroy everything and then make it Russia.  That doesn't really seem to include anything resembling a buffer zone or the starting point for some negotiation with Ukraine.

  I guess I'm glad to hear the Russians have some kind of overarching scheme.   Meanwhile, they think it would be "interesting" if the French sent in a few regiments.

    Medvedev has stated that the Russian army will prioritize the destruction of any French troops that may appear in Ukraine. "It would be interesting if the restless French sent a few regiments," he commented, echoing the sentiments often expressed by Kremlin propagandists.

  I'm not sure how this fits into their scheme.  It seems like "interesting" is what they are aiming at in this case.
Maybe it would be more "interesting' if they just packed up their stuff and went back to Russia.

  Note that they are happy (or at least "interested") at the prospect of destroying "a few regiments" since of course they plan on grinding their way to Iceland over the next few thousand years.  What's a few French regiments compared to thousands of years of grinding your way to Iceland?

[Jarhead0331]

The French are not going to do anything unilaterally. Macron is just shooting his mouth off and grandstanding. He has done nothing but grab headlines, isolate France and alienate other western leaders. His broad statement taken alone is difficult to take seriously.

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking the position that all options are on the table.

[GDS_Starfury]

what about the Frech - Ukraine bilateral security agreement?

https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2024/02/16/agreement-on-security-cooperation-between-france-and-ukraine

and the eastern European countries that happen to agree with France's current stance on the matter?

[Jarhead0331]

what about the Frech - Ukraine bilateral security agreement?

https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2024/02/16/agreement-on-security-cooperation-between-france-and-ukraine

and the eastern European countries that happen to agree with France's current stance on the matter?

I haven't reviewed its terms very closely, so I can't say how it may be distinguishable from any of the other bi-lateral security agreements Ukraine has entered with other Western states, such as with the UK or Germany. Still, I doubt there is anything in the agreement that would commit French troops to combat action in Ukraine, and that is what I mean when I say France is not going to "do anything unilaterally".

[MengJiao]

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking the position that all options are on the table.

Given that all options are on the table, what's the realistic chance that the Russians can grind their way to Iceland in a few thousand years?

[Jarhead0331]

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking the position that all options are on the table.

Given that all options are on the table, what's the realistic chance that the Russians can grind their way to Iceland in a few thousand years?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Just because someone says all options are on the table does not mean that all options will be used. Clearly, the point of saying all options are on the table is to avoid escalation and deter the adversary by keeping them guessing.

[MengJiao]

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking the position that all options are on the table.

Given that all options are on the table, what's the realistic chance that the Russians can grind their way to Iceland in a few thousand years?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Just because someone says all options are on the table does not mean that all options will be used. Clearly, the point of saying all options are on the table is to avoid escalation and deter the adversary by keeping them guessing.

My point is there is no sign the Russians are guessing about anything -- at least from their representation of themselves.  So, this suggests they really don't have any real interest in suggesting any kind of ceasefire or negotiation or buffer zone or ever stopping or anything that might require thinking about the real situation, which suggests they are preparing essentially to grind their way to Iceland if it takes a few thousand years.
Which in turn suggests -- given that Ukraine alone can't stop the Russians -- somebody is going to have to go
into Ukraine eventually -- maybe France, maybe Poland.

On the other hand, the Russians do seem to have a real "interest" in killing the French.  Which seems a little odd.

"We are going to kill all the French soldiers who are going to come to Ukrainian soil because today, during the conflict in Ukraine, there are 13,000 mercenaries, including 360 French," Tolstoy said. "One hundred and forty-seven have already been killed, so 147 citizens of France were killed in Ukraine."

If 360 Frenchmen were a problem one wonders about how "interesting" a few French regiments might really be.

[GDS_Starfury]

no surprise the russians have a thing about the French.  they are the most recent country to take Moscow after all. 

[Windigo]

        

[Con]

2024 Overture has certain ring about it

[Uberhaus]

Vive l'Empereur!

[MengJiao]

2024 Overture has certain ring about it

The Russians are already exterminating the French on their way to Iceland (according to English- language news in Turkiye:


MOSCOW

France is preparing 2,000 troops to send them to Ukraine, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said Wednesday.

"The contingent for sending to Ukraine is already being prepared. At the initial stage, it will amount to about 2,000 people," Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview with Russia's state news agency TASS.

Naryshkin said French President Emmanuel Macron is hiding the truth about the number of French soldiers already killed in Ukraine for fear of mass protests in his country.

"Sooner or later, Macron will have to reveal the ugly truth, but he will strive to delay the confessions as much as possible.

"As they say in the Elysee Palace, the number of French dead 'has already exceeded a psychologically significant threshold.' The release of such sensitive data can provoke citizens to protest, especially against the background of mass anti-government protests by farmers across the country," he said.

Naryshkin argued that French military leadership "fears discontent" among active mid-level officers.

"Among the dead, there are 'disproportionately many' of them, and already at the current stage there are problems with finding 'volunteers' for rotation and 'replacing those who have dropped out' in the Ukrainian theater of military operations," he said.

He claimed that the French military is "visibly concerned" about the increased number of French soldiers, and said they also fear such a significant unit will not be able to be sent to Ukraine quietly and be stationed there.

"Thus, it (the French contingent) will become a legitimate priority target for attacks from the Russian Armed Forces. This means that the fate of all Frenchmen who have ever come to the territory of the Russian world with a sword would await it," he added.

Last month, Macron refused to rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine, where Russia launched a "special military operation" two years ago. The idea, however, was rejected by the allies.

[GDS_Starfury]

the full video has 9 out of 12 getting knocked out during their attack.
this one went yolo into the water to get away.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1770846825995485654

[GDS_Starfury]

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1770918300471484598

[ArizonaTank]

Gunmen apparently attacked a Moscow concert venue on Friday night. I'll just leave it at that...

The AP news story said:

Several gunmen burst into a big concert hall on the edge of Moscow on Friday and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing and injuring an unspecified number of people and starting a massive blaze.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gunmen-in-combat-fatigues-open-fire-at-moscow-concert-hall-russian-news-agencies-say/ar-BB1kmVYY