Russia's War Against Ukraine

[Pete Dero]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-implodes-after-vladimir-putin-announces-mobilization-of-300000-people-to-fight-the-war-in-ukraine

Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" against Ukraine hit a turning point Wednesday—but not the kind the Kremlin wanted.


Instead, the Russian leader may have inadvertently put the final nail in the coffin of his decades-long reign with his bombshell announcement that hundreds of thousands of citizens will be called up to face likely death in the war next door.

Dozens of demonstrators were detained in Moscow as well as cities as far flung as Ulan Ude, Izhevsk, Irkutsk, Chelyabinsk, and Perm, among others, according to the monitoring site OVD.info.
Protests continued to erupt across the country despite prosecutors in the capital warning demonstrators they could face up to 15 years in prison for speaking out against the war.

Outrage only intensified amid reports that some public workers had already begun receiving draft notices en masse. Medical staffers in Moscow have already been called up, according to human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov, who also called BS on the Russian defense ministry's claims the mobilization would only be "partial."

The Insider reported that doctors and nurses at one private clinic in Moscow had also received draft notices.

The backlash was swift: "The crazy old man is going all in, his bets–are our lives. They promised us to take Kyiv in three days. The Ukrainians took in three hours what we took in three months. Now there is a mobilization for 'fresh meat' in order to bomb civilian sites," hackers wrote in a statement posted on the homepage of St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.

"Ukraine already won. The question is how badly we'll lose," the statement read.


Meanwhile, anger seems to be growing over Russian lawmakers who cheer on the war but let ordinary citizens do the dirty work.

Dmitry Vyatkin, a lawmaker in Putin's United Russia party, raised eyebrows with a speech Wednesday claiming it's "easy" to decide to head to the frontline in Ukraine–but arguing that he and other lawmakers can't do it because they're too busy explaining the "importance" of the war to people.


Could this really be the end of Putin ?

[Gusington]

^Fingers crossed.

[ArizonaTank]

Dozens of demonstrators were detained in Moscow as well as cities as far flung as Ulan Ude, Izhevsk, Irkutsk, Chelyabinsk, and Perm, among others, according to the monitoring site OVD.info.
Protests continued to erupt across the country despite prosecutors in the capital warning demonstrators they could face up to 15 years in prison for speaking out against the war.

....

The backlash was swift: "The crazy old man is going all in, his bets–are our lives. They promised us to take Kyiv in three days. The Ukrainians took in three hours what we took in three months. Now there is a mobilization for 'fresh meat' in order to bomb civilian sites," hackers wrote in a statement posted on the homepage of St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.

Historically, the czars would call out the Cossacks to sweep the streets of dissenters about now. Poor old Vlad...this time he can't really call in the Cossacks can he.

[SirAndrewD]

Historically, the czars would call out the Cossacks to sweep the streets of dissenters about now. Poor old Vlad...this time he can't really call in the Cossacks can he.

Hey, he's got the Kuban Brigade.

Oh wait, they got their arses kicked in Izium.

[steve58]

Historically, the czars would call out the Cossacks to sweep the streets of dissenters about now. Poor old Vlad...this time he can't really call in the Cossacks can he.

Hey, he's got the Kuban Brigade.

Oh wait, they got their arses kicked in Izium.

Is that offer of 100K troops from the North Korean toad Kim Jong-un still on the table??

[Windigo]

No problem.  I'll ask her myself next weekend  .

I honestly might be a bit biased, but I really honestly think she's hotter than Courtney Cox. 

And she's loaded and on a Military pension.

Not really sure how I landed this one. She's a nerd too and we're watching Andor tonight.

Anyway...enough there, back to the impending destruction of the planet in Nuclear Armageddon.  A veritable War of a Madman's Making!

I am sorry, but I have a reputation to maintain here along with grog tradition and decorum (pressure from Gus you know?), but if you have a loving partner and can see/touch her boobs once in a while... who cares about impending destruction of the planet in Nuclear Armageddon?

[JasonPratt]

Historically, the czars would call out the Cossacks to sweep the streets of dissenters about now. Poor old Vlad...this time he can't really call in the Cossacks can he.

"Mr. President, we have secured the Kremlin!"

Man, that meme will never get old, God willing!

(...unless they really do secure the Kremlin someday. I would sacrifice the meme's validity for that, I think.)

[SirAndrewD]

I am sorry, but I have a reputation to maintain here along with grog tradition and decorum (pressure from Gus you know?), but if you have a loving partner and can see/touch her boobs once in a while... who cares about impending destruction of the planet in Nuclear Armageddon?

You have a very, very valid and cogent point.

[GDS_Starfury]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1572571676524838915.html

[SirAndrewD]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1572571676524838915.html

That's something that is being lost on a lot of people.  The Russian Army simply isn't well trained or motivated.

One of its biggest issues that is telling right now is its extreme lack of a strong NCO and Jr. Officer Corps.  They're bottom heavy and at times soldiers who are given NCO positions are not adequately trained, experienced or motivated to do that job.

You basically have an almost 18th Century concept of an army.  Large groups of enlisted troops that are under commanders who are at the company level or above that have no way to give anyone below them independent intitivae.

The top level Guards formations don't have that issue, but they make up a small portion of the Russian Army.

The majority is only a bit of a step above a directed rabble.

[Gusington]

Are the Russians going to move more Guards units into Ukraine?

Oh and lookee...anti war protests in Russia  :bd:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62981293

[SirAndrewD]

Are the Russians going to move more Guards units into Ukraine?

No. They're already all there. 

[GDS_Starfury]

40% of them that are left are.   :DD

[Gusington]

Wow.

Good.

[GDS_Starfury]

this is the world we live in.