It’s fascinating that Russia is so dependent on the overtly Nazi Wagner PMC for front line troops. Set a thief to catch a thief?
This morning Ukrainian forces started a counterattack in the Kherson region in 3 key areas and there have been unconfirmed reports of the Ukrainians penetrating several kilometres into Russian lines and there have been multiple eyewitness reports of Russian soldiers in full retreat in some areas.
With that being said Ukrainian high command is being quite silent on the matter and Russian high command denying that there is even an attack on Russian lines.
We will see as the day progresses.
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We shall have to see. Ukraine wants Kherson for three reasons: (a) it is the largest city to fall to the Russian Army and they wsnt ut back, (b) its liberation would cut off Crimea and weaken the Russian front by splitting it in two, and (c) it makes Odesa more secure and secures vital agricultural exports to keep the Ukrainian economy afloat.
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Maybe you need some help to understand a few simple things.
The west is not just the United States of America.
American degeneracy is not the topic.
The topic is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Complaining about degeneracy while acting degenerate is ironic
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The problem here is not that history hasn’t happened yet and that it cannot yet be objectively viewed. It is that some groups have decided to alter history and want to monopolize how it is viewed, which is utterly subjective. History is about people and therefore it can be more or less objective/subjective, but an absolute objective thing it cannot be. As new evidence comes to light, history can be changed.
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There seems to be a falling out of Windows epidemic in Russia . The Lukoil guy had enough money to pay his hospital bills I guess.
Note: it is not wise to try to push Wookiees out of windows unless flying around flapping socketless arms is your thing.
Chew
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Latest update
It is well known Russia has had a serious manpower shortage and has switched to forced conscription in several regions of Russia. The sad thing is that for many young Russian males the military is the only viable option with few jobs and steady source of income scarce especially in the north and east of the country.
It is estimated that Russia has about 75,000 to 80,000 well trained and equipped ground troops spread out around Russia and have not committed them due to them being needed to guard other areas of Russia however the Russian military may move most of these troops into Ukraine to supplement and replace under strength, demoralized and worn out troops. However the downside is that these trained troops have most of what is left of Russia’s modern military equipment and the potential loss of said equipment could be fatal to Russia.
Despite what Russia is projecting to the world Sanctions imposed by mostly western nations has had a definite effect on the economy and its people.while Russian companies have improvised and sourced other materials they are hurting. Several major malls across Russia have more than 50% vacancy rate due to many western retailers pulling out of Russia and there is a shortage of fresh foods, vegetables and breads in many grocery stores and add to that many restaurants have reduced their menu options. Even everyday items like clothes, basic necessities and transportation have gone up in some cases by over 300%. Due to lack of electronic components many vehicles sold in Russia now have minimal safety features with items like ABS, Airbags, sensors for driving and parking have been removed leaving a basic vehicle that was common place in the 1980s and 90s.
Add to that it is illegal to utter words like War in Ukraine, show any images or videos of Russian troops losing or dying or protesting against the war all of which can get you arrested and face up to 15 years in prison. Roughly 170,000 people have been arrested and charged so far with sentences ranging from fines to 5 to 10 days in jail and up to 15 years.
Also even though Russia is forging closer ties with China there is also animosity there as there has been a conflict between these two countries over land and resources which both want and with Russia in a militarily weakened state this potentially could open the door for China to move in and take these areas by force if needed.
Fun time to be a Russian citizen
Is this well known? It may be true, but I have not seen widespread coverage of this. It is true that the enlistment drives have been increasing their efforts, but I have not heard reports of forced conscription.
Just be careful with framing.
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This is based on News I was reading from Georgia and Kazakhstan where they had reported on several Russians who crossed the border to say that the police were going to random bars and stores and plucking young men out and telling them they were being conscripted into the military.
Being as this was coming from multiple Russian refuges and reported on by different news sources in those countries I am willing to bet it is true but will we likely not know not for awhile.
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The ISW posts fairly comprehensive information - where it can be verified - of the recruitment process in Russia on a daily basis.
https://www.understandingwar.org/publications
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Ah, the Press Gang is out again.
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Putin is arguably the #1 supporter of fascism in the world, not strange since he is basically a fascist semi dictator, and relying on recruitment of Russian neo nazis under the banner of the Wagner Group.
[quote]The Wagner Group is named after 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, whose music Adolf Hitler adored. In what first emerged on Russian VK accounts and a Telegram group associated with the mercenaries, the group’s leader, Dmitry Utkin, dons neo-Nazi tattoos, including a swastika, Waffen SS lightning bolts, and a Reichsadler Eagle.
Wagner mercenaries left behind neo-Nazi propaganda in the conflict zones they have meddled in. In Libya, pictures appeared of Wagner combatants, some garbed in German World War II uniforms, purportedly re-enacting scenes from Rommel’s operation against British troops in Libya in 1942.[/quote]
Funny how pro Putin trolls harp on about the Azov batallion and ignore this.
Same here in the Netherlands where it is strongly suggested the pro Putin “Forum voor Democratie” has received money from Putin and Forum’s leader Baudet has made various statements praising and supporting Putin and was the only one in parliament absent when Zelensky addressed it via video link. Forum members have made a number of speeches in parliament which were lifted almoat verbatim from speeches made by the pro Nazi NSB party in the runup to World War II including threatening others with ‘tribunals’ which the WW II era NSB also did.
Various parties with links to Neo Nazi groups across Europe are known to support Putin’s war and reject aid to Ukraine, such as Germany’s AfD.
There is a strong and consistent link between the radical right in Europe and support for Putin. ‘Heirs’ to Hungary’s WW II era Arrow Cross Party, members of Italy’s Lega, France’s RN (Le Pen) and so on.
Putin is about as anti Nazi as Hitler was anti German.
This does not mean that Ukraine has no neo Nazi problem, it just means that Russia not only has a far greater neo Nazi problem and is openly and covertly supporting radical right wing and fringe Nazi-ist groupings throughout the world.
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Ah yes. Let’s start cleansing Serbia of those neo Nazis. I bet those are pro Putin as well.
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Latest update
As of Sept 9th
Russia has lost 52-57,000 soldiers KIA
85-120,000 wounded
Approximately 3800 Russians are POWs most from the last 4 days and is expected to rise
Ukraine has lost 27,000-35,000 KIA
45-65,000 wounded
5-9,000 POWs
Russia has lost approximately 6-8,000 vehicles, armour, planes, helicopters and ships which makes up approximately 65% of its active duty equipment. While Russia still has a huge stockpile of tanks, APCs, vehicles and other equipment many experts think about 15% of it is unusable due to improper storage, lack of basic maintenance and corruption.
Ukraine has lost around 7-900 armour, vehicles, planes, helicopters and ships however around 75% of it has been replaced by western allies putting them in a better position overall than Russia.
Ukraine is facing a slow down however of western aid mostly due to mostly shortages in those nations stockpiles which they must keep a certain amount for their militaries. It is widely suspected that Ukraine will start receiving goods straight from the factories that make ammunition and equipment.
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On the subject of the recent Ukrsinisn offensive:
Impressive. A deception operation that will be studied for decades. That, sir, is an army that knows what it is doing.
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Perhaps a lot of that is having NATO information gathering feeding it. Satelites, intercepts and other observation techniques have been very useful.
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Dejan seems to have run away with the rest of the Russians
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Not just intelligence, but bullshitting the world and Russia that your objective is Kherson, assembling enough force to exploit your northern objectives and not letting a peep of that get out beforehand. Plus still pocketting a significant Russian force around Kherson. That is pure strategy and pure Ukraine.
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