News from Ukraine Conflict

[Gusington]

What about the Russians? I'm thinking of smaller tactical nukes. Putin has been more in favor of using them lately...actually nukes are seen as 'more acceptable' for use by Russian military doctrine according to reading I've done in Foreign Affairs and other magazines like that.

[mirth]

I don't know what current Russian doctrine is on Tac Nukes, but I hope they aren't dumb enough to think they could pull off a 'limited exchange'.

Anyway, they don't need nukes to roll into the Baltics as things currently stand.

[Airborne Rifles]

But they would need nukes to keep the Baltics once NATO counterattacked, and the concern is that they're willing to use them.

[Gusington]

Here's a sample of the kind of stuff I have been reading, from Reuters July 2015.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-russia-nuclear-insight-idUKKBN0L825A20150204

[OJsDad]

But they would need nukes to keep the Baltics once NATO counterattacked, and the concern is that they're willing to use them.

Would NATO dare to use heavy bombers against the Russian homeland to go after both military and civilian infrastructure targets.  Or would NATO be afraid that Putin would respond with nukes. 

[LongBlade]

But they would need nukes to keep the Baltics once NATO counterattacked, and the concern is that they're willing to use them.

Is Putin willing to exchange Riga for Moscow?

[Airborne Rifles]

I'm pretty sure nobody wants to exchange Riga for anything, especially the Rigans!

[OJsDad]

especially the Rigans!

[Gusington]

Hahaha well she definitely doesn't look happy about the exchange possibility!

[JasonPratt]

I am sad to say I was thinking about Star Trek Rigans, too.

I am sadder to say I was actually thinking about Risa.

I am not sad to say I wasn't thinking about Voyager.

That is all.

[Ubercat]

Well...

My best friend was a freight pilot and once Skyped me from a bar/cafe in Riga while on a layover there. He was stunned by the beauty of the women. Every single one was a 9+ in his book. The man had been around the planet dozens of times and THAT was the place he named as having the best looking women in the world.  :P

[mirth]

But they would need nukes to keep the Baltics once NATO counterattacked, and the concern is that they're willing to use them.

Excellent point. I definitely think the Russians would rattle the nuclear saber and play for time hoping for a settlement that would leave them dominant over the Baltics.

Didn't they put Iskanders into Kaliningrad last year? That's a pretty big stick to threaten with.

[mirth]

Here's a sample of the kind of stuff I have been reading, from Reuters July 2015.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-russia-nuclear-insight-idUKKBN0L825A20150204

This was not included in the new doctrine, however, which says Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear strike or a conventional attack that endangered the state's existence.

Hasn't this long been the Soviet/Russian stance? It's pretty open ended as to what "endangers the state's existence". What worries me is that Putin might be delusional enough to think he could lob a few tactical nukes and keep things from escalating.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Well...

My best friend was a freight pilot and once Skyped me from a bar/cafe in Riga while on a layover there. He was stunned by the beauty of the women. Every single one was a 9+ in his book. The man had been around the planet dozens of times and THAT was the place he named as having the best looking women in the world.  :P

I concur.  I never went to Riga but I did go to Tallinn and the women all through the region were stunning.  Even the train ride there from Warsaw was packed with hotties.  I legitimately thought there must have been some sort of modelling convention that they were all going to or something returning from but the whole city was like that.  Bloody tall too,  I'm 5'11" and quite a few were right around my height or a little taller.

[mirth]

We must defend the honor of Northern European hotties!