The war in Ukraine

Discuss current, historical or potential future conflicts around the world.
abc123
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by abc123 »

sea_eagle wrote: 24 Jan 2022, 19:34 Since the Uk doesn't believe it needs a sizeable tank capability why don't we just gif our retired tanks which we don't plan to upgrade and gift
them to Ukraine.?
Canibalisation?
Fortune favors brave sir, said Carrot cheerfully.
What's her position about heavily armed, well prepared and overmanned armies?
Oh, noone's ever heard of Fortune favoring them, sir.
According to General Tacticus, it's because they favor themselves…

Phil Sayers
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Phil Sayers »

Illia Ponomarenko
@IAPonomarenko
25m

Wow!
It appears that Ukraine requested 100,000 helmets and armored vests from Germany to equip its volunteers in the event of Russia’s offensive.
Berlin agreed to provide just 5,000 helmets.

Scimitar54
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Scimitar54 »

Did they have spikes on top ?
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GarethDavies1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by GarethDavies1 »

Heres's a question for all the armchair Generals...which British Army unit(s) would you deploy to assist if the Ukraine was invaded by Russia? Something Heavy with a bit of punch, or something more Light which can be pulled out more easily.

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by SW1 »

One can only hope in this late hour a solution will be found

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60355311

Little J
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Little J »

A solution would be welcome, but Putin is a nutter and I fear a lot of innocent lives are about to be lost.

Timmymagic
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Timmymagic »

SW1 wrote: 11 Feb 2022, 20:31 One can only hope in this late hour a solution will be found
All I can say is make sure your cars are full of fuel for the next couple of weeks...fill any jerrycan's you've got...because if the Russian's do invade oil prices will go through the roof...

Defiance
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Defiance »

Large buildup by the West continues ...

4 more DDGs deployed from the US to the Med

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/10/4-east ... l-build-up

Germany-based F-16Cs move forward to Romania

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4 ... in-ukraine

B-52s deployed to RAF Fairford (Currently 4, expected to rise to 8)

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4 ... tense-time

8 F-15C/Ds from Lakenheath deployed to Poland

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4 ... y-build-up

Expanded Typhoon force to Cyprus + OPV/Type 45 to be deployed

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... -tensions/

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

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https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Press-Rel ... e-defense/

In coordination with the German government, U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Feb. 16, 2022, to bolster readiness, enhance NATO's collective defense posture and further increase air integration capabilities with Allied and Partner nations.

In addition to the F-35A deployment to Spangdahlem Air Base, on Feb. 14, 2022, eight F-15Es from the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., deployed to Lask, Poland, and six KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Aerial Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, U.K., deployed to Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Phil Sayers
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Phil Sayers »



Pleasing to see that unlike in other recent confrontations (most obviously over Syria) the Kremlin's narrative is making no headway at all with the British Public. Bots, tankies, fascists and the independent MP for Islington North must be in despair....
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Lord Jim
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Lord Jim »

How would the Polls change if NATO decided to intervene by creating a "No fly zone", in Ukraine with that country's blessing, say on humanitarian grounds? Having RAF planes operating in a higly dangerous situation may not appeal to the public, who as usual are quick with supportive words but balk and backing them up.

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

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Phil Sayers
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Phil Sayers »

Everything I have seen over the last couple of days strongly points to some form of Russian attack in the near future (quite possibly this weekend).

- Evacuation announced by the leader of Russia's puppet government in Donetsk. If they really do it (big question mark as they have already faked some videos showing evacuation) then it is no small undertaking - circa 2 million people live there. They cite 'intelligence' of an imminent Ukrainian offensive.

- Claiming they have foiled Ukrainian saboteurs who were trying to blow up a Chlorine gas manufacturing facility (an ironic choice of accusation given how fond their buddy Assad is of that substance).

- A car bomb being detonated outside the Parliament building of the puppet government along with various explosions of gas pipelines which run through the occupied territories.

- Today, claims that two Ukrainian shells have landed in Russia proper. Ukraine firmly denies firing at all let alone into Russia.

All in all it is hard to escape a conclusion that they are really going to do this in the very near future. Fake Casus Belli > False Flag attacks > imminent war. Going exactly as predicted by the intelligence community.
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Defiance
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Defiance »

Trouble is if they don't invade Ukraine, what have they accomplished? If they back down now, all they've achieved is further isolation from Europe and a reinvigorated NATO.

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by SW1 »

Possibly depends if backroom deals are agreed to suit putins needs also how it makes him look inside Russia as the strongman on the world stage.

It’s like they’re using the death by a thousand cuts approach to hive off regions with high populations of ethnic Russian backgrounds one step at a time using whatever means possible I think that will be a worry for many years going fwd.
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wargame_insomniac
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by wargame_insomniac »

SW1 wrote: 19 Feb 2022, 17:24 Possibly depends if backroom deals are agreed to suit putins needs also how it makes him look inside Russia as the strongman on the world stage.

It’s like they’re using the death by a thousand cuts approach to hive off regions with high populations of ethnic Russian backgrounds one step at a time using whatever means possible I think that will be a worry for many years going fwd.
At the moment that is my worry. Putin came up with a list of demands that he knew NATO would never accept, now we have seemingly the false flag attacks, "justifying" the Russian attacks to both the international community and Russian public, seize their next goals (maybe Mariopol and the south coast bordering the sea of Azov, maybe even lands east of the Dnieper and/or Odessa and the Black Sea coast), then "reluctantly" accept a ceasefire and international mediation so that any sanctions are withdrawn.

Then next focus on Transnistria in east of Moldova, maybe back to Georgia or Kazakhstan, nibbling away at their neighbours. but publicly claiming that just assisting Russian national separatists. Then in a few years return focus on Ukraine.

Defiance
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Defiance »

SW1 wrote: 19 Feb 2022, 17:24 Possibly depends if backroom deals are agreed to suit putins needs also how it makes him look inside Russia as the strongman on the world stage.
Sort of defeats the point of backroom deals if they're going to use them to boost Putin's standing publicly. I doubt they're going to walk away with a NATO pinky-promise to not admit Ukraine.

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

ArmChairCivvy wrote: 26 May 2021, 08:43 Minsk 1, Minsk 2... now Minsk itself will be under a focal lens at the forthcoming Geneva summit.

Counting away the borders to the North of St. Petersburg, Russia's borders in Europe seem to be quite hapless:
It borders the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (at Kaliningrad) in the west; in the southwest, it is bordered by Belarus and Ukraine; there is also a border with Poland (at Kaliningrad Oblast). Furthermore it borders Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
South of St. Pete, the Azeris - so far - have been the only ones to give the Ruskies./ the proxies/ or the proteges a bloody nose
... I have a feeling that this Winter War (if there is to be one) will not follow the manuscript of the one already chronicled in the history pages.

Minsk 3, anyone :D ... with a 3-yr incubation period as suggested by the White House. To be signed up in the revived 'Helsinki Spirit'?

Err, I am not counting the exercises of cleaning the front yard/lawn (Belorussia) and the backyard (Kazakhstan) as final outcomes... but that is only me; and the orientation of this board is not so much geopolitical anyway. So two reasons to make the comment inconsequential 8-)
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SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by SW1 »

ArmChairCivvy wrote: 19 Feb 2022, 22:49
ArmChairCivvy wrote: 26 May 2021, 08:43 Minsk 1, Minsk 2... now Minsk itself will be under a focal lens at the forthcoming Geneva summit.

Counting away the borders to the North of St. Petersburg, Russia's borders in Europe seem to be quite hapless:
It borders the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (at Kaliningrad) in the west; in the southwest, it is bordered by Belarus and Ukraine; there is also a border with Poland (at Kaliningrad Oblast). Furthermore it borders Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
South of St. Pete, the Azeris - so far - have been the only ones to give the Ruskies./ the proxies/ or the proteges a bloody nose
... I have a feeling that this Winter War (if there is to be one) will not follow the manuscript of the one already chronicled in the history pages.

Minsk 3, anyone :D ... with a 3-yr incubation period as suggested by the White House. To be signed up in the revived 'Helsinki Spirit'?

Err, I am not counting the exercises of cleaning the front yard/lawn (Belorussia) and the backyard (Kazakhstan) as final outcomes... but that is only me; and the orientation of this board is not so much geopolitical anyway. So two reasons to make the comment inconsequential 8-)
I think the current White House would very much like this to be put on the back burner to be the next guys issue.

Almost like a Cuban missile crisis type deal only in reverse this time where putin is seen as the winner..

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by SW1 »

Don’t think this will come as much of a surprise

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60451955

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko have extended military drills which were due to end on Sunday.
Belarus cited the "deterioration of the situation" in east Ukraine as one reason for keeping an estimated 30,000 Russian troops on its territory.
The move will add to fears that Russia plans an invasion of Ukraine, which shares a long border with Belarus.
Western leaders have accused Moscow of seeking a pretext to send in troops.

SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

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Phil Sayers
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Phil Sayers »

Putin said in a televised security meeting that he chaired today that he will decide today whether to recognise the 'independence' of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. That security meeting was itself a curious beast because it was supposedly broadcast live to the nation at 5PM Moscow time but eagle-eyed viewers have seen that the Russian Defence Minister's watch was visible in the 'live' broadcast and that showed that the time was lunchtime in Moscow. If the meeting did indeed occur at lunchtime today they were considering a request from their puppet governments (to recognise their 'independence') that hadn't actually been made by them at that point.....

......in any event Putin is due to address the nation very shortly. For my money he will 'decide' to recognise their 'independence' and decide that he must 'reluctantly' order troops across the border so as to secure that 'independence'. The million dollar question is whether that is confined to the territory which is currently occupied by Russian proxy forces or the whole of the provinces; the majority of which are controlled by Kiev.
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jimthelad
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by jimthelad »

Occupation of Alsace again. I will repossess what I like and there is fuck all you can do about it. This is the 1930's all over again. The troops will remain and then there will be a need to 'assist' rescue other 'ethnic Russian areas' elsewhere in other parts of Ukraine. He will stop short of triggering a massive response from NATO and the US.
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SW1
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by SW1 »

He may well try to retort about nato operations in the former yugoslavia and Kosovo is all he is doing..



Not surprised

Lord Jim
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Re: The war in Ukraine

Post by Lord Jim »

If this sets a president, the Irish are going to stake a claim to Chicago and New York. :D

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