Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Thunder98]

Japan and US held marine combat drills today in Japan. Due to increasing concerns with China and Russia.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/japan-us-marine-combat-drills-held-amid-china-83453034

[emailking]

Doesn't sound like that big of a fine. I figured she'd get arrested.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Japan and US held marine combat drills today in Japan. Due to increasing concerns with China and Russia.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/japan-us-marine-combat-drills-held-amid-china-83453034

Japan continues in its role as an unsinkable aircraft carrier in the vein of what Cold War-Era planners envisioned it to be.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/JosephHDempsey/status/1503864619932205065

Assuming those helicopters were operational before they got cooked (which is likely), this is the most significant strike for which there is public video evidence. This looks to be the second-worst day for Russia's air force so far.

I love this account. Not only does it have grounded takes, but it's also hilarious:

https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1503871642254069761?s=20&t=CDcOhe31BIf...

[Middle-aged Europe]

Doesn't sound like that big of a fine. I figured she'd get arrested.

I read that this is still possible to happen.

[Frodo]

If this opinion piece is proven true, then once Putin (and his regime) is no more, the West led by the United States will be free to devote their full and undivided attention towards containing the People's Republic of China:

Why Vladimir Putin will fall

[Lief 🗽]

The central European PMs visiting Kyiv is a humiliating public relations loss for Russia. They were supposed to take the city in 72 hours, they are supposedly putting it under siege as we speak, and yet foreign heads of state are easily and safely coming and going.

[Storr]

It's a pretty scathing indictment of the Russian "special military operation" if further offensive operations are being stifled due to the amount of casualties being suffered and continued strength of Ukrainian opposition 20 days in:

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1503851779175370760?s=20&t=HWMmmDe6QleT...

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/JosephHDempsey/status/1503864619932205065

Assuming those helicopters were operational before they got cooked (which is likely), this is the most significant strike for which there is public video evidence. This looks to be the second-worst day for Russia's air force so far.

I love this account. Not only does it have grounded takes, but it's also hilarious:

https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1503871642254069761?s=20&t=CDcOhe31BIf...

The Kherson air base was already shelled on the night of the 6/7th. How did the Russians respond?

By moving the helicopters to the other side of the same air base (compare the helicopter locations in each pair of photos), allowing for even more helicopters to be destroyed today!

https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1503888882642915333?s=20&t=B5e6vOZKSZc...

[Middle-aged Europe]

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1503884585146675202


https://twitter.com/phildstewart/status/1503856468256342017

[Logical]

I saw videos of Abkhazian and South Ossetian Forces mobilizing and getting on trains earlier today. Putin is getting desperate. He really needs Belarus to enter the war but for whatever reason Lukashenka has refused so far.

[It’s so Joever]

I saw videos of Abkhazian and South Ossetian Forces mobilizing and getting on trains earlier today. Putin is getting desperate. He really needs Belarus to enter the war but for whatever reason Lukashenka has refused so far.

If Lukashenko fully commits his troops, Ukraine may not be the first Eastern European state to fall.

[Splash]

https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1503901539366281227

[AndyHogan14]

I saw videos of Abkhazian and South Ossetian Forces mobilizing and getting on trains earlier today. Putin is getting desperate. He really needs Belarus to enter the war but for whatever reason Lukashenka has refused so far.

If Lukashenko fully commits his troops, Ukraine may not be the first Eastern European state to fall.

And if Lukashenko falls (or looks like he is going to), then Russia will either have to pull troops out of Ukraine to prop him back up or let Minsk fall into the hands of anti-Putin forces.

[NOVA Green]

https://twitter.com/JosephHDempsey/status/1503864619932205065

Assuming those helicopters were operational before they got cooked (which is likely), this is the most significant strike for which there is public video evidence. This looks to be the second-worst day for Russia's air force so far.

I love this account. Not only does it have grounded takes, but it's also hilarious:

https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1503871642254069761?s=20&t=CDcOhe31BIf...

The Kherson air base was already shelled on the night of the 6/7th. How did the Russians respond?

By moving the helicopters to the other side of the same air base (compare the helicopter locations in each pair of photos), allowing for even more helicopters to be destroyed today!

https://twitter.com/NotWoofers/status/1503888882642915333?s=20&t=B5e6vOZKSZc...

Oryx, who tends to be pretty conservative in his estimates, has it as a minimum of (10) choppers destroyed and another (5) damaged.

I wonder how many of these were from the Russian large "Helicopter Reserve" which has been parked on Air Bases in Belarus, at least according to some geolocation work done ~ 1 week back once the cloud cover started to break and satellite images reemerged from the Northern & Kyiv fronts.
 

https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1503890081702100996?s=20&t=NqS3IsIM...

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Clearly an American spy or Russian 5th columnist

Moscow Man

Florida man must have moved to Moscow.

[Storr]

Not one of them looks older than 20.

The 11th is one of those VDV units that has been reportedly been decimated. It's already been confirmed to have lost a Lieutenant Colonel (the brigade's deputy commander), a Major, a Captain, another Captain POW, and three Sergeants.

https://twitter.com/redanblacattack/status/1503916241714659329?s=20&t=z1sKLS...

This funeral was for 24 year old Corporal Danil Andreevich Novolodsky

https://newbur.ru/newsdetail/v_ulan_ude_prostilis_s_pogibshim_na_ukraine_voinom/

[Splash]

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1503921604409143299

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1503927379240099842

[Hindsight was 2020]

How many generals did we lose in the Iraq invasion again?

[Storr]

How many generals did we lose in the Iraq invasion again?

нуль.

https://warontherocks.com/2014/08/general-and-flag-officers-killed-in-war/

[Frodo]

What I *suspect* is going on here ties into the "1,000 Russian Mercs" story which I reported earlier today after hearing a mention of it on CNN on the TV background.

This also jives with multiple other reports, which we have seen over the past week about the poor military performance of Russian conscripts, most of whom had no idea they were going to Ukraine until after they crossed the border.

We also know about the critical role that Russian mercenaries have played in Libya & Syria (Among other recent actions), with a major oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Prigozhin

who runs "The Wagner Group".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group

Here is a bit of context:

https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-fallen-mercenaries-in-russias-dark-army/

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/wagner-group-what-russian-mercenearies-ukraine-president-zelensky-putin-1489364

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/06/what-is-wagner-group-russia-mercenaries-military-contractor/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/10/marat-gabidullin-russian-mercenary-wagner

Gee, it would be a shame if they “happened” to run into Western ex-military “volunteers” in Ukraine who just happened to be comprised of people on the same level of expertise as the ones who flatlined the ers in Syria a few years back.

And on a greater scale, please read the following:
https://twitter.com/mollymckew/status/1500620397644898306?s=21
Edit:

Here comes the barrel bombs...

https://mobile.twitter.com/PalmerReport/status/1500621931011321860

Assad can’t send his good troops because Turkey and its Syrian allies will pounce if they do.

What is Putin going to do with all these mercenaries once he no longer has the ability to pay his own troops, let alone them?  He is aware, I hope, that these mercenaries will go wherever the money is, and that we will not hesitate to use them against him at the first opportunity.  

[AndyHogan14]

I am hearing murmurs on Twitter about a Ukrainian counter-attack near Kyiv and that it is possible that the Russians have been driven out of Irpin. I have also seen people talking about a counter-attack in the east (both east of Kyiv and further east around Kharkiv), but no word on whether or not the Ukrainians have found any success there. Hoping to see some confirmation from official and independent sources now that the sun is up in Ukraine.

[NOVA Green]

So much better than FarmVille!

Ukraine has an amazing tech gaming and software related capabilities...

Key question is how and when can I buy it and will all of the revenue / profits go into the hands of the people both within Ukraine while also supporting refugees within the diaspora?

EDIT: Also how do I know there aren't Russian Trojan Backdoor Hacks???

https://twitter.com/AkinUnver/status/1503846520403148812?s=20&t=zR1F_RBRs0jF...

[jaichind]

Zelenskiy  says Russia’s “positions in the negotiations sound more realistic”

[jaichind]

RUB surges past 100 to the high 90s.  This is pretty much the highest since the SWIFT and central bank sanctions were imposed a couple of weeks ago.