Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[BG-NY]

So much disinfo and wishcasting. It's okay to condemn Russia but let's be honest about this situation.

You make a mockery of everything America stands for.

By all means, surrender your passport and emigrate to your dream country of Russia or Belarus, traitor.

Isolationist paleocons disgust me, especially when they don't even have a remotely coherent ideology and try on political ideals like they are new sets of pajamas each day the way you do.

I hope to hell you are just a kid going through some stupid edgelord phase. If you are an adult with a supposedly developed mind, you are beyond saving. Literally the type of motherf--ker who would have sided with Father Coughlin, Charles Lindbergh, and the other "America First!" Nazis over FDR and the rest of the US. All of these people should have summarily had their citizenship stripped and been deported as far as I am concerned.

How can I be a traitor to Ukraine if I'm in America?

Why should Americans born in America who don't want to be involved in adventures overseas be stripped of citizenship?

The war machine is clearly manufacturing consent for a proxy war. Look no further than the pathological liar from Crowdstrike fanning the flames of despair.

We should dislike Russia for the economic terrorism they're committing. Not getting involved in regional territorial squabbles.

[pppolitics]

Sort of curious as to what you believe has been posted that is 'disinfo' by people on this thread.

Every single article and tweet. People are free to post whatever they want, but should be mindful of what they're sharing.

Stop watching RT.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Sort of curious as to what you believe has been posted that is 'disinfo' by people on this thread.

Every single article and tweet. People are free to post whatever they want, but should be mindful of what they're sharing.

Okay? That's a very strong statement to make without a single ounce of proof to back it up. I have a feeling you're being overly generic/broad to avoid having to back anything up though, so whatever you want to believe.

People are doing their best to suss-out accurate information on a very volatile situation. Of course everyone should be 'mindful' and approach anything posted with due caution/skepticism but I've personally found this thread to be a great source of largely verifiable and pretty well-sourced facts about the current 'Special Military Operation' as I'm sure you call it.

[Alben Barkley]

So much disinfo and wishcasting. It's okay to condemn Russia but let's be honest about this situation.

You make a mockery of everything America stands for.

By all means, surrender your passport and emigrate to your dream country of Russia or Belarus, traitor.

Isolationist paleocons disgust me, especially when they don't even have a remotely coherent ideology and try on political ideals like they are new sets of pajamas each day the way you do.

I hope to hell you are just a kid going through some stupid edgelord phase. If you are an adult with a supposedly developed mind, you are beyond saving. Literally the type of motherf--ker who would have sided with Father Coughlin, Charles Lindbergh, and the other "America First!" Nazis over FDR and the rest of the US. All of these people should have summarily had their citizenship stripped and been deported as far as I am concerned.

How can I be a traitor to Poland or France if I'm in America?

Why should Americans born in America who don't want to be involved in adventures overseas be stripped of citizenship?

The war machine is clearly manufacturing consent for a proxy war. Look no further than the pathological liar Churchill fanning the flames of despair.

We should dislike Germany for the economic terrorism they're committing. Not getting involved in regional territorial squabbles.

Unlike you, I learn from history.

You are a traitor for parroting the propaganda of a nation that has been the de facto archenemy of the US for several decades.

You don't deserve your citizenship because you are an insanely selfish, small-minded individual who apparently believes that "F--k you, got mine!" is a way of life, and that being privileged enough to be born a citizen of the world's greatest superpower comes with no responsibilities to match. Who also apparently believes that his own perceived personal comfort is vastly more important than the lives of millions around the globe.

Nothing more dishonorable or disgraceful on the planet to me. Especially now that we KNOW better, precisely BECAUSE we saw the horrors of WW2. Nothing sickens me more than those who actively refuse to learn from history when the facts are right there in front of them, plain to see.

[BG-NY]

Okay? That's a very strong statement to make without a single ounce of proof to back it up. I have a feeling you're being overly generic/broad to avoid having to back anything up though, so whatever you want to believe.

People are doing their best to suss-out accurate information on a very volatile situation. Of course everyone should be 'mindful' and approach anything posted with due caution/skepticism but I've personally found this thread to be a great source of largely verifiable and pretty well-sourced facts about the current 'Special Military Operation' as I'm sure you call it.

Ghost of Kiev/Helicopters shot down/9k Russian deaths->40% of anti-air destroyed/Russia increasing from 200 to 300 sorties daily/stories planted by hackers

Nobody knows what the operations costs have been for Russia, sure. Tanks also have been rendered useless. But observers should be prepared for the inevitable.

Unlike you, I learn from history.

You are a traitor for parroting the propaganda of a nation that has been the de facto archenemy of the US for several decades.

You don't deserve your citizenship because you are an insanely selfish, small-minded individual who apparently believes that "F--k you, got mine!" is a way of life, and that being privileged enough to be born a citizen of the world's greatest superpower comes with no responsibilities to match. Who also apparently believes that his own perceived personal comfort is vastly more important than the lives of millions around the globe.

Nothing more dishonorable or disgraceful on the planet to me. Especially now that we KNOW better, precisely BECAUSE we saw the horrors of WW2. Nothing sickens me more than those who actively refuse to learn from history when the facts are right there in front of them, plain to see.

Russia, the EU, China, and all other adversaries of the US should be held at an arm's length.

There are no responsibilities for being born in America except to other Americans.

Stop fetishizing foreigners.

You don't deserve your citizenship

People deserve citizenship because they are born to people with citizenship. Most of my ancestors have been in this country for 7+ generations, with the most recent family members having migrated here 4 generations ago.

You don't get to strip somebody of their homeland because they don't want to fight in a glorified Civil War on the other side of the world.

EDIT: Just saw you invoked WW2. You realize Germany declared war on the US, and had plans to attack the US for years, right?

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Okay? That's a very strong statement to make without a single ounce of proof to back it up. I have a feeling you're being overly generic/broad to avoid having to back anything up though, so whatever you want to believe.

People are doing their best to suss-out accurate information on a very volatile situation. Of course everyone should be 'mindful' and approach anything posted with due caution/skepticism but I've personally found this thread to be a great source of largely verifiable and pretty well-sourced facts about the current 'Special Military Operation' as I'm sure you call it.

Ghost of Kiev/Helicopters shot down/9k Russian deaths->40% of anti-air destroyed/Russia increasing from 200 to 300 sorties daily/stories planted by hackers

Nobody knows what the operations costs have been for Russia, sure. Tanks also have been rendered useless. But observers should be prepared for the inevitable.

1. An Article basically confirming what I just said; that getting information out of any war-zone is difficult and people should remain cautious of all news coming out of Ukraine
2. Locked behind a paywall.
3. Article about Ukraine being sent S-300 systems; and how they're scarce but NATO allies are replacing them with Patriot systems for Eastern European allies who will send them.

I'm not sure how any of those prove your point? I'll say it again, be properly skeptical and cautious when confronting any information but your broad claims that everything posted here is a lie or that somehow we're distorting information is I think wish-casting of your own.

[John Dule]

Americans who side with Russia are not "traitors" to the United States in a lawful sense, but they are certainly traitors to the principles for which America stands.

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/MatthewWells/status/1506696579008249863

[Yoda]

https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1506664676536598530

Was just about to post that. If true though this has to be one of the largest military disasters Russia has experienced at least since ww2.

How many do you think they will need to lose before they give up? 200000 is now 160000.

And how many of that 160,000 are conscripts and/or starving and frostbitten? How many more want to surrender?

Meanwhile I assume more and more foreign fighters continue to go to Ukraine to fight for them. So Ukraine's army is literally growing while Putin's shrinks. I don't think Putin has enough ballistic missiles to bomb Ukraine into defeat. But he's too proud to withdraw. The most logical future to this conflict is Russia continues to bleed soldiers (Putin couldn't care less) and Russia's economy continues to shrink, which will only get worse as Europe greatly speeds up their plans to get off of Russian fuel and steel.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/1506877559056838664?s=20&t=6xkUIV-DmYrppv...
Multiple reports of large explosions around the port of Berdyansk, which last I heard was under full Russian occupation and even being used to resupply Russian ships. Suppose something as simple as poor-handling of war materials could cause this; but explosions are never usually a good thing.

[Yoda]

https://twitter.com/space_osint/status/1506688082657091584?s=20&t=sn22b6gweW...

I wonder what Ukraine is getting in exchange. Better be real good.

Better be some loooooong range artillery. I'm talking the good s*** too. They need something that can take out Russian ballistics within Russia and also target the airfields the attack fighters/bombers are taking off from.

[rc18]

In the event Belarus does invade Ukraine, what does Zelenskyy have up north to counter them?  

Poland

[rc18]

https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/1506877559056838664?s=20&t=6xkUIV-DmYrppv...
Multiple reports of large explosions around the port of Berdyansk, which last I heard was under full Russian occupation and even being used to resupply Russian ships. Suppose something as simple as poor-handling of war materials could cause this; but explosions are never usually a good thing.

Ukrainian Navy saying the Orsk, a beachable landing ship, was destroyed. Well that's gonna screw with their logistics efforts.

https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/1506888821073453061?s=20&t=9-NOHdvQu...

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1506878837942009858?s=20&t=9-NOHdvQu33Gv...

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Ukrainian Navy saying the Orsk, a beachable landing ship, was destroyed. Well that's gonna screw with their logistics efforts.

Question becomes what could they have possibly used to accomplish that? Stay-behind team? Their beleaguered Air Force? A version of the Skif? If the latter, which I think most likely, then those little things had way more firepower than I realized.

[Meclazine for Israel]

So much disinfo and wishcasting. It's okay to condemn Russia but let's be honest about this situation.

90% of this thread is misinformation as it is gathered from total misinformation from Twitter.......followed by 10% wishcasting. Interesting choice of word, but it fits well.

You are spot on.

I would not suggest reporting on any war has ever been any different.

[Estrella]

Although Russia suffered a number of defeats, Emperor Nicholas II remained convinced that Russia could still win if it fought on; he chose to remain engaged in the war and await the outcomes of key naval battles. As hope of victory dissipated, he continued the war to preserve the dignity of Russia by averting a "humiliating peace".

[Middle-aged Europe]

Russia's low-energy attempt at an resolution on Ukraine has failed to pass the UN Security Council. Only China joined them in voting for it, everybody else - including usual suspects India und UAE - abstained.


https://twitter.com/SamRamani2/status/1506749470511439875

https://twitter.com/PamelaFalk/status/1506745137329758209

2 > 0 though...so do abstentions in the UN effectively count as no votes?

Yeah, you need a majority of yes votes to pass a resolution.

[jaichind]

Russian equity markets finally opened.  MOEX index is up from Feb 24-Feb 25 when it closed but it is clear the Central bank is intervening to prop up the prices.  It is still down around 25% since early Feb and we also have to take into account the inflation spike that took place in the meantime since MOEX index is in RUB terms.

[Middle-aged Europe]

So much disinfo and wishcasting. It's okay to condemn Russia but let's be honest about this situation.

90% of this thread is misinformation as it is gathered from total misinformation from Twitter.......followed by 10% wishcasting. Interesting choice of word, but it fits well.

You are spot on.

I would not suggest reporting on any war has ever been any different.

Quick reminder, again, that some people said the very same in late February about 24-48 hours after the invasion began when tweets around here were posted that indicated that the Russian offensive was in trouble and wouldn't be able to take Kyiv immediately. Turns out those early tweets that depicted the Russians to be in trouble were entirely correct, especially considering that Zelennskyy is still president after all that time. Your concerns have been proven wrong by the practical experience of the past four weeks.

Of course it can't be fully ruled out that desinformation or exaggerated claims end up in this thread "in the heat of battle". But I have the impression that most people are aware of that danger and try their their best to screen info accordingly. For example, it has been repeatedly pointed out in this thread, often by the very people who posted the respective tweets, to take information from NEXTA with a grain of salt because they generally tend to be a bit too optimistic about the Ukrainians.

I can also tell you what I always do before I post an Ukraine tweet around here. I check if it can be corroborated by multiple sources outside of Twitter. And I try to check who the person/organization is whose tweet I'm posting here. I also consider myself qualified enough to make these kind of decisions because it is actually part of my day job to screen for and detect "fake news" and I have particpated in workshops on that very subject in the past.

[dead0man]

If they can't show how any specific bit of information is wrong, and they aren't posting any information of their own, then they can go suck eggs.

[rc18]

Ukrainian Navy saying the Orsk, a beachable landing ship, was destroyed. Well that's gonna screw with their logistics efforts.

Question becomes what could they have possibly used to accomplish that? Stay-behind team? Their beleaguered Air Force? A version of the Skif? If the latter, which I think most likely, then those little things had way more firepower than I realized.

Probably a Tochka ballistic missile. They apparently tried the same a few days ago.

[jaichind]

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-lifestyle-mexico-europe-friendships-6e59bf618d045f937fb0bf5412afc734

"Mexico’s ruling party boosts Russia ‘friendship’ committee"

Seems like some factions inside MORENA are taking a pro-Russia position.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Ukrainian Navy saying the Orsk, a beachable landing ship, was destroyed. Well that's gonna screw with their logistics efforts.

Question becomes what could they have possibly used to accomplish that? Stay-behind team? Their beleaguered Air Force? A version of the Skif? If the latter, which I think most likely, then those little things had way more firepower than I realized.

Probably a Tochka ballistic missile. They apparently tried the same a few days ago.

That is the most likely explanation, but a Tochka (or a shorter-ranged Luna that Ukraine also had in storage before the war) could only reach Berdyansk if it was fired from Russian-held territory or Mariupol. I'm surprised that the Ukrainian-held areas in Mariupol apparently still have ballistic missiles given how desperate the defence has been for a while.

At least one other landing craft and the port were set on fire, although the craft sailed away so it wasn't completely totalled. The Orsk looks to be unsalvageable, though.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

So much disinfo and wishcasting. It's okay to condemn Russia but let's be honest about this situation.

90% of this thread is misinformation as it is gathered from total misinformation from Twitter.......followed by 10% wishcasting. Interesting choice of word, but it fits well.

You are spot on.

I would not suggest reporting on any war has ever been any different.

Quick reminder, again, that some people said the very same in late February about 24-48 hours after the invasion began when tweets around here were posted that indicated that the Russian offensive was in trouble and wouldn't be able to take Kyiv immediately. Turns out those early tweets that depicted the Russians to be in trouble were entirely correct, especially considering that Zelennskyy is still president after all that time. Your concerns have been proven wrong by the practical experience of the past four weeks.

/snip

It honestly feels like folks are still in denial that Russia could screw up this invasion as badly as they have. Let alone the fact that we're entering the 5th week of the 3 day invasion & not only has Kiev not fallen, but Ukraine is now in a position to possibly encircle Russian troops & reclaim lost territory.

[pppolitics]

There is this problem:

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1506869254326566913

The Ukrainians are doing so much killing that they are running out of weapons and ammunition, esp. antitank and antiaircraft missiles.

We need to do better than this at supplying them weapons.

They are literally fighting the war for us, for our values.