Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[jaichind]

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1706157492462379203

Those crafty Russians came up with a cunning scheme of creating a false illusion of battlefield success by actually achieving battlefield success.  Diabolical.

They are just as crafty as the sneaky PRC

[jaichind]

https://www.rp.pl/kraj/art39165861-coraz-blizej-prawdy-o-rakiecie-w-przewodowie-wiadomo-czyj-byl-pocisk



The Polish investigation came to the conclusion that the rocket that fell in Przewodów last November and killed two people belonged to Ukraine.  This matches USA assessments at the time.  The Ukraine's position was and continues to be that it was a Russian missile.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Those crafty Russians came up with a cunning scheme of creating a false illusion of battlefield success by actually achieving battlefield success.  Diabolical.

Russia may be doing poorly in some fronts (such as losing a Fleet Admiral for the first time since 1904), but it still has some tricks up its sleave. The pivot to the long game can't happen soon enough.
Was Russian tank columns being destroyed early on in the war helpful for the Russians by setting expectations too low?

[jaichind]

https://www.linthzeitung.ch/politik/bern-auch-staenderat-will-25-leopard-panzer-ausser-dienst-stellen

The Swiss government has approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard 2 tanks for resale to Germany.  Berlin assured that the Leopards would under no circumstances be transferred to Ukraine.  I have a feeling that Germany will soon be pressured to break this promise once they get their hands on these tanks.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

https://www.linthzeitung.ch/politik/bern-auch-staenderat-will-25-leopard-panzer-ausser-dienst-stellen

The Swiss government has approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard 2 tanks for resale to Germany.  Berlin assured that the Leopards would under no circumstances be transferred to Ukraine.  I have a feeling that Germany will soon be pressured to break this promise once they get their hands on these tanks.

Perhaps one thing they could do is give those tanks to some established units and then give some tanks of equivalent value to the Ukrainians instead, with the tanks just freed up by this move.
That would technically meet the promise.

[jaichind]

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1706619018264895970

The Ghost Of Black Sea Fleet?

[CumbrianLefty]

Russian government: "We ArE vErY cOnCeRnEd AbOuT nEo-NaZiS iN tHe UkRaInIaN gOvErNmEnT."

Meanwhile people defending Russia's invasion of Ukraine:

In terms of WWII history, I am fairly revisionist, and while I still lean toward being more pro-Allies than pro-Axis. I am fairly empathetic to the Axis point of view.

More Ukrainians died in Stalin's genocide of Ukraine, which killed 3.9 million Ukrainians in the Holodomor, then Nazi Germany. The Soviet Union was just as evil as Nazi Germany. Stalin is the same evil dictator as Hitler.

I'm on record supporting Operation Unthinkable - it's a shame we didn't continue eastward and roll over the commies to liberate Eastern Europe and break the shackles of communism - so I am entirely consistent here.

Apart from anything else, support for this amongst the Western European population after six years of total war was close to absolute zero. Any attempt to actually do it would have led to major social unrest at the very least - and, ironically, Communists taking at least some degree in power in several Western countries. Despite everything, Russians were mostly seen as "good guys" in 1945 - even if that changed not so long after.

Historical revisionism from Cold War fanatics in the US does not alter these basic realities.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1706619018264895970

The Ghost Of Black Sea Fleet?

To be fair, it does look like Sokolov (the guy on the bottom left) might be doing it from a hospital bed.

Look at the chairs the other officers are using on the livestream. They appear different to Sokolov's, looking more like typical office chairs:

https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status/1706624970535669817?s=20

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1706619018264895970

The Ghost Of Black Sea Fleet?

When was the video recorded?

Also, why doesn't he move in the video?

[bilaps]

He must be dead like Kadyrov. Give us another post from good ol' reliable Višegrad.

[Storr]

On the lighter side of things, another Kharkiv tram was caught drifting:

https://twitter.com/Boba12340769066/status/1706666167392493895?s=20

[pppolitics]

These will be used to replenish Germany's own stock.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1706680556438646831

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/SamRamani2/status/1706672110112788609
https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1706683656754917873

[jaichind]

https://www.wionews.com/world/trudeau-warns-of-russian-disinformation-against-ukraine-to-deflect-controversy-over-invite-to-nazi-veteran-639593

"Trudeau warns of Russian disinformation against Ukraine to deflect controversy over invite to Nazi veteran"

Trudeau to media: continued coverage of the controversial incident over the former Waffen SS solider in Canada parliament means you are enabling Russian disinformation

[jaichind]

Polish Minister of  Education and Science is now looking into asking Canada for the extradition of Yaroslav Hunka  to stand trial for crimes in WWII

https://twitter.com/CzarnekP/status/1706569136849981920

[Red Velvet]

https://www.wionews.com/world/trudeau-warns-of-russian-disinformation-against-ukraine-to-deflect-controversy-over-invite-to-nazi-veteran-639593

"Trudeau warns of Russian disinformation against Ukraine to deflect controversy over invite to Nazi veteran"

Trudeau to media: continued coverage of the controversial incident over the former Waffen SS solider in Canada parliament means you are enabling Russian disinformation

Truly a copy+paste of US democrats lmao.

“You’re not allowed to criticize my biggest f*** ups otherwise you’re a Russian” lol

[jaichind]

One thing that is also interesting about this Yaroslav Hunka affair is we heard nothing from Zelensky.  It would make sense for Zelensky to come out and say something like:

"What Yaroslav Hunka and the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) and the so-called 1st Ukrainian Division UNA do not represent Ukraine despite its self-proclaimed name.  The people of Ukraine denounce the criminal outfit which participated in atrocities.  They are no different from the war criminal Putin.  I was ashamed to be in the same room with him and I hope Canada gets to the bottom of this incident which led me to be a prop in this very shameful episode.  Once again the UNA is a criminal part of Ukrainian history and must be denounced in every way possible"

Instead, we hear nothing.

[Storr]

Sharing this because this is the first time I've seen a Russian government account call Canada a "regime", like they consistently call Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1706703876269679061?s=20

[Landslide Lyndon]

Sharing this because this is the first time I've seen a Russian government account call Canada a "regime", like they consistently call Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1706703876269679061?s=20

To them anyone who doesn't kiss Putin's ass is a regime.

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://twitter.com/pstyle0ne1/status/1706746150668120569?s=12

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

This Rota moron couldn't have done more to legitimate the Putin-simp spin on the Ukrainian cause if he had tried. If he had decency he'd resign as Speaker and if he had character he'd resign as MP.

Okay, so he has decency. Let's see if that escalates to having character. I'm not holding my breath.

[jaichind]

Perhaps this may help wean you off you fixation with current accounts. Did the US finance WWII off its current accounts?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/economy/russia-no-money-deripaska/index.html

https://news.yahoo.com/oligarch-predicted-russia-may-run-030549089.html

"An oligarch who predicted that Russia may run out of money next year is surprised the economy has held up so far"

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska who in March (article above) predicted the collapse of the Russian economy in 2024 due to a lack of money now makes an about-turn in an interview with FT by saying he is "astonished by Russia's economic resilience."

"I was surprised that private business would be so flexible. I was more or less sure that up to 30% of the economy would collapse, but it was way less," said Deripaska, the founder of Rusal, a major aluminum producer.

[WalterWhite]

https://twitter.com/pstyle0ne1/status/1706746150668120569?s=12

Blaming an ethnic group for a military loss: where have I seen that before?

It is really funny how the Russian government keeps complaining about neo-Nazis in the Ukrainian government when the Russian government and military are straight up copying Hitler's playbook. You have Putin's invasion of Ukraine mirroring Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia, and now you have Russian soldiers blaming Chechens for military losses, just like how Nazi soldiers blamed Jews for losing WWI.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Just so I don't get BigSerg'ed in the future, I want to unequivocally state that I think both parties are guilty of horrible crimes in this terrible joke of a war.

NATO was wrong to effect a coup in the Ukraine, and NATO is also to blame for the militarization of a country that was intended to act as a buffer state between NATO and Russia's respective spheres of influence.

Russia was wrong to invade on such a massive scale - had Russia occupied the Donbass, I'd be more inclined to argue in favor of their perspective. But Russia did not just occupy the Donbass - they went all the way into Kiev with the intent of installing a pliable regime and building a land bridge to the Crimea. So the Russians are even worse.

I do not support any active intervention or direct aid for either country. Sanctioning Russia has effectively driven China and Russia into each other's arms.

There. That is the official Sanchez position on the Ukraine. Nobody asked, but now Badger can't invent what I believe about the war and gaslight the forum about it.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Sharing this because this is the first time I've seen a Russian government account call Canada a "regime", like they consistently call Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1706703876269679061?s=20

This is why I never cared about Russian misinformation. Who would be dumb enough to believe this anyway? It's so blatantly false that it isn't even good misinformation. Good misinformation is when you spread false information hidden behind a facade of credibility that can't be broken, much to the frustration of those you're arguing with.