Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Storr]

Putler today gave a long speech full of propaganda and untruths. Also announced that Russia would leave the New Start Treaty from 2010.

https://twitter.com/johnson/status/1627980019644436480

[tweet snip]

Igor Girkin agrees Putin's speech was the same drivel as normal:

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1628000275226148864?s=20

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1628030767715557376?s=20

[oldtimer]

That is low, America spent 1/3rd of it's gdp on defence in WW2.
155$ billion is only half what the USSR spent annually in the 1980's.

I'm making a correction: Russia's budget for the military (4.98 trillion Rubles) is still greater than the budget for internal security (4.42 trillion). But internal security received a far greater increase in funding, and everything else except for patriotic propaganda in schools is facing cutbacks, which reveals how the Kremlin is prioritizing its resources.

That's the greatest indictment against Putin's claim that he was forced to wage the special military operation to save the country. If he truly believed that, he would have had no problem persuading the people - from the billionaire oligarchs to the pensioner in Chelyabinsk - to make a great sacrifice for the Motherland, enabling him to mobilize the entire nation for the war effort, and to do so for at least a year before starting the war. The fact that he didn't bother to do so, and only started mobilizing the nation after a series of disasters on the battlefield, indicates that he views this war through the lens of maintaining his power in the Kremlin, not out of any duty to the Russian nation.

If you read a biography of Putin you will realize that he is basically an ex-spy turned very succesfull stockbroker.

He and his pals founded the St.Petersburg exchange in 1991 and apparently "robbed" billions in cocaine from the Colombian mafia in Operation Acapulco in 1992.

His circle is excellent with financial matters and ruthless, but know nothing about warfare.

You can see it in russian propaganda that they only spout useless economic statistics all the time. You can't win a shooting war by targeting GDP per capita.

[Storr]

My favorite is the ice cream one:

https://twitter.com/UnaHajdari/status/1627632254292721665?s=20

[Storr]

This was a very odd comment from Putin's snoozefest of a speech today, considering Poland didn't have a state for the entirety of the 19th Century:

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1628028055850561537?s=20

[lfromnj]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo depot there.

[AndyHogan14]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo pool there.

Sounds like a good idea to me. I wouldn’t even need a pretence, just go in, take it, and relieve Moldova of a gigantic headache.

[lfromnj]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo pool there.

Sounds like a good idea to me. I wouldn’t even need a pretence, just go in, take it, and relieve Moldova of a gigantic headache.

The amount of explosives in the area is huge. Estimated to be around the same as the explosive potential of Hiroshima. The Russians could theoretically destroy it first but yes if Ukraine could manage to get its hands on the ammo depot it could help quite a bit.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo depot there.

Moldova itself is the one going on about it so the say it’s Ukrainian fear mongering is disingenuous

[AndyHogan14]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo depot there.

Moldova itself is the one going on about it so the say it’s Ukrainian fear mongering is disingenuous

From a Moldovan standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world to get Ukraine to help them clear their territory (being that they cannot do it themselves).

[Hindsight was 2020]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo depot there.

Moldova itself is the one going on about it so the say it’s Ukrainian fear mongering is disingenuous

From a Moldovan standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world to get Ukraine to help them clear their territory (being that they cannot do it themselves).

Agreed but the comment I was replying too seemed to imply that Ukraine was the one pushing the Transdniester issues when it seems Moldova itself is raising the concern

[SnowLabrador]

If they seize that airport, it's World War III. They're going to move into Romania. Russia doesn't respect the agreements it's in, why would they treat NATO as anything other than toilet paper?

[lfromnj]

If they seize that airport, it's World War III. They're going to move into Romania. Russia doesn't respect the agreements it's in, why would they treat NATO as anything other than toilet paper?

Can you please take your meds.

[Hindsight was 2020]

If they seize that airport, it's World War III. They're going to move into Romania. Russia doesn't respect the agreements it's in, why would they treat NATO as anything other than toilet paper?

There’s a skeleton crew of 1.5k Russian troops in Transdniester. They make a move and Ukraine hits them from behind with the Odessa squad and take the region in 24-48 hrs

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

If they seize that airport, it's World War III. They're going to move into Romania. Russia doesn't respect the agreements it's in, why would they treat NATO as anything other than toilet paper?

There’s a skeleton crew of 1.5k Russian troops in Transdniester. They make a move and Ukraine hits them from behind with the Odessa squad and take the region in 24-48 hrs

Would be pretty terrible of a move for Russia, yeah.

[Comrade Funk]

If they seize that airport, it's World War III. They're going to move into Romania. Russia doesn't respect the agreements it's in, why would they treat NATO as anything other than toilet paper?

Can you please take your meds.

It's his gimmick to doom.

[lfromnj]

Some of this Moldova stuff going on just seems like fear mongering by Ukraine to justify invading Transnistria in order to take the large ammo depot there.

Moldova itself is the one going on about it so the say it’s Ukrainian fear mongering is disingenuous

From a Moldovan standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world to get Ukraine to help them clear their territory (being that they cannot do it themselves).

Agreed but the comment I was replying too seemed to imply that Ukraine was the one pushing the Transdniester issues when it seems Moldova itself is raising the concern

I believe its mutual, where both sides would win. Moldova rids itself of a problematic tumor of Russians while Ukraine gains access to enough ammo to power the army for a few months.

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1628130824267698220

[Virginiá]

If the US ends up going into its own stockpile for Abrams tanks, that might make it more likely that Ukraine ends up with more Abrams than they expected - assuming they disregard objections over the tank's depleted uranium armor (or have ones without it in reserve). With Europe also failing to put together as many Leopard 2s as they originally made seem possible, the US might determine there is no viable short-term alternative and it's too important to hold back on. Seems a little bit more likely, anyway.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1628172100270792704

[AndyHogan14]

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1628130824267698220

I know it will likely end up being nothing, but this is essentially my response:



I'm sitting here on vacation in Mexico and I'm trying to follow random troop movement near the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. Ha!

[Storr]

When you wanted to brutalize and oppress fellow Moscovites, not fight in Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1628319095308386306?s=20

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1628319098768588800?s=20

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1628319102493130752?s=20

[Meclazine for Israel]

Australian Defence Personnel are training up Ukrainians on fighting in a war zone.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/adf-training-ukrainian-recruits-operation-kudu-uk/102007526

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1628348884983468034
Oh boy adding more smoke to the Transnistria fire this was tweeted out by a top advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs

[Logical]

Mister Zelensky my country, Moldova, yearns for liberation.

[Woody]

The irony. During the 90s and even the 2000s Ukraine happily enabled and assisted along with Russia to prop up and keep Transnistria from being integrated into Moldova. Even went as far as Ukrainian nationalist paramilitaries joining the war of 1992 and getting medals and awards from the Transnistrian government, and the Ukrainian government assisting the Russians to move armaments and forces in and out of Transnistria (They let this continue for 20 years, only ending it in 2015), and harbored it's separatist leaders inside the country.

Remember that Transnistria is both 30% Ukrainian and 30% Russian - Slavs not wanting to be governed by Moldovans.

This has nothing to do with "liberating Moldova". It's just purely out of convenience.