Russia/Ukraine conflict

[SwedishAdvocate]

The Russian Dictator's minions launced 122 missiles and 36 Shahed against UKR.

BIGGEST ATTACK TO DATE

Fascist Russia attacked Ukraine with Kinzhal ballistic missiles, S-300s, UAVs, X-22s & X-32s. 18 Russian strategic bombers launched dozens of X-101/X-505.

"We have never seen so many targets simultaneously on our monitor" - Ukrainian Air Force spokesman.

twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1740634304173228235?s=20

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740634304173228235

One more tweet of another missile that was hit by UKR Air Defence before it impacted.

twitter.com/anno1540/status/1740669226816544871?s=20

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740669226816544871

 

[Dangerous Fish]

No doubt Lavrov or Peskov or some other slug will say "well, if you don't shoot them down they won't hit civilians".

Meanwhile, our politicians are enjoying their Christmas break, comforting themselves that they are doing "all they can" to help Ukraine.

i.e. Sunak today - "We must continue to stand with Ukraine – for as long as it takes."
DON'T JUST STAND THERE. DO SOMETHING MORE!
Get Sholtz to agree to provide Taurus for instance.
Get the U.S to provide enough ATACMS to make a real difference.
Get the F-16s up in the air now.
Get the EU to ignore that slug Orban and release the full funds.

What is it going to take for them to actually give Ukraine what it needs?

 

[Crutonius]

No doubt Lavrov or Peskov or some other slug will say "well, if you don't shoot them down they won't hit civilians".

Meanwhile, our politicians are enjoying their Christmas break, comforting themselves that they are doing "all they can" to help Ukraine.

i.e. Sunak today - "We must continue to stand with Ukraine – for as long as it takes."
DON'T JUST STAND THERE. DO SOMETHING MORE!
Get Sholtz to agree to provide Taurus for instance.
Get the U.S to provide enough ATACMS to make a real difference.
Get the F-16s up in the air now.
Get the EU to ignore that slug Orban and release the full funds.

What is it going to take for them to actually give Ukraine what it needs?

I think the problem here is existing stock and capacity. The US has a huge amount of both. The EU has been over reliant on the US for the last 70 years. It seems like the EU is finally gearing up to start producing but that takes time.

I could be wrong. That's the impression I get.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I think the problem here is existing stock and capacity. The US has a huge amount of both. The EU has been over reliant on the US for the last 70 years. It seems like the EU is finally gearing up to start producing but that takes time.

I could be wrong. That's the impression I get.

Look at what Ukraine has achieved with the reportedly meagre amount of ATACMS and Storm Shadow they have used so far. The US and the EU could give them more right now without depleting their stocks severely. They just keep finding excuses not to.

Anyway, some reports coming in that a Tu-22M3 has gone down shortly after taking off. Cause TBC.
Also, some confirmations that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace. Also TBC, but if true how long can NATO ignore a violation of that sort?

 

[Crutonius]

The US can, except for congress being difficult. We'd just have to empty out our cold war warehouses.

I'm not totally sure the EU can. I don't think they have the same level of equipment and ordnance in storage like we do.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

A good earfull from a Babushka:

This is what would avalanche/tsunami towards the west if Ukraine was to give up its land as a result of negotiations.

A good earful from a ~25-30-something(?) Russian woman. It's some 08:30 long so I won't write everything that was said. But in short: She traveled to occupied UKR to spend New Years with her mobilized ~paratrooper(?) husband. But when she arrived she found out that he was dead. She references the scene with the red and blue pill in the Matrix – Russians either close their eyes to the reality that hundreds of thousands of people are dying or loose their loved ones. She says her husband and all other Russians killed in this war died for nothing. With 'strong language' she urges all Russian women that have men in harms way to do everything possible to meet up with their men and flee Russian territory before it is too late. For her that is no longer possible.

One thing that 'stands out' is that she says she's from St. Petersburg.

Unfortunately I can't find a transcript. Maybe it takes some time before that option is available. There are of course English subtitles though.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

According to Ukrainian officials, the morning wave of Russian strikes killed at least 30 people and wounded at least 136 others.

Russia launches largest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale war

Local authorities have reported civilian casualties in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa after Russia unleashed a barrage of attack drones and missiles overnight, targeting regions across Ukraine on Dec. 29.

kyivindependent.com

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Allegedly based on a leaked letter from the head of the Russian Dictator's 'navy' adressed to the Russian Dictator's 'ministry of defence':

During the attack on the port of Feodosia, 74 #Russian servicemen on the #Novocherkassk large landing ship were killed, the National Resistance Center reports. Another 27 occupiers were injured in the explosions.

twitter.com/DetectorMediaEn/status/1740772596336242955?s=20

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740772596336242955

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Kaja Kallas is the Prime Minister of Estonia.

Russia launched the largest attack yet against Ukraine, targeting civilians. A war crime on a massive scale.

A reminder for the New Year that Russia’s aims haven’t changed - it wants to destroy Ukraine. Not letting aggression pay off is crucial for European and global security.

twitter.com/kajakallas/status/1740669826161614964

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740669826161614964

 

[madodel]

Anyone here get invited to this swank "almost naked" party in Moscow.

An ‘almost naked’ party spurs backlash in wartime Russia

 

[navguy12]

According to Ukrainian officials, the morning wave of Russian strikes killed at least 30 people and wounded at least 136 others.

Russia launches largest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale war

Local authorities have reported civilian casualties in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa after Russia unleashed a barrage of attack drones and missiles overnight, targeting regions across Ukraine on Dec. 29.

kyivindependent.com

Were there any legitimate (or strategic) military targets?

Or was this just payback for the Russian military ship that was sunk within the past week?

 

[iPlug]

Britain immediately stepped up to replenish Ukraine's air defenses with a greater number of missiles. Ukrainian air defense will only continue to grow.

Meanwhile, it would not be surprising to see Ukraine respond with increasing strength. Military related targets, especially those directly being used to wage war, should not be off limits in Russia.


https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/britain-send-200-air-defence-missiles-ukraine-2023-12-29/

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Defence is useful but those Russian bombers could be taken out with longer range missiles Germany and others are reluctant to supply.

We're going to look back on this in years to come and wonder why certain things were not done sooner. And guess who's fault it will be? A few politicians deciding they know best. We all know they ignore the view of experts when it doesn't fit their agenda. It's pathetic.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

[1] Were there any legitimate (or strategic) military targets?

[2] Or was this just payback for the Russian military ship that was sunk within the past week?

1. IDK. Would UKR disclose if any military targets were hit? I don't think they would.

2. Who knows? I don't think we'll ever know until the Russian Dictator and all the other War Criminals in Russia stand trial in an International Court of Justice.

 

[Just a Reader]

I think the problem here is existing stock and capacity. The US has a huge amount of both. The EU has been over reliant on the US for the last 70 years. It seems like the EU is finally gearing up to start producing but that takes time.

I could be wrong. That's the impression I get.

Sorry, I'm getting fed up with this kind of claims. Back in the Cold War West Germany on its own had a standing army of almost half a million and up to 2.3 million reservists that could have been called up at short notice, complete with the required materiel. That's hardly an insubstantial force and other European countries had very substantial forces as well.
This army was transformed into an army for international interventions after the Cold War, not least to support the USA's asinine wars in places like Afghanistan. BTW, the US was also the only NATO country to ever trigger Art. 5 of the NATO treaty, right after 9/11.
The US was also happy to receive about 12 billion Deutsche Mark worth of support for Operation Desert Storm, which included plenty of ammunition for its Abrams tanks (which shares its cannon with the Leopard II), because the US didn't have all that much ammunition in stock.
As to the current situation, the US does by no means have any surplus stocks that could easily be sent to Ukraine. Ukraine’s requirement of artillery shells outstrips by far the production capabilities of Europe and the US, and that's true for other weapons systems as well. US production capabilities were so restrained, that the US was not even able to fulfil Taiwanese weapons orders worth 19 billion $ at the beginning of the year. Some weapons systems like the Stinger system weren't even manufactured any more.

 

[iPlug]

Ongoing Ukrainian UAV swarms striking Russian military related assets and absorbing expensive air defense missiles in Belgorod and Bryansk at the moment.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740857218990481817

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740860122115772609

 

[wdolson]

No doubt Lavrov or Peskov or some other slug will say "well, if you don't shoot them down they won't hit civilians".

Meanwhile, our politicians are enjoying their Christmas break, comforting themselves that they are doing "all they can" to help Ukraine.

i.e. Sunak today - "We must continue to stand with Ukraine – for as long as it takes."
DON'T JUST STAND THERE. DO SOMETHING MORE!
Get Sholtz to agree to provide Taurus for instance.
Get the U.S to provide enough ATACMS to make a real difference.
Get the F-16s up in the air now.
Get the EU to ignore that slug Orban and release the full funds.

What is it going to take for them to actually give Ukraine what it needs?

Most of that list are offensive weapons which Ukraine needs, but won't stop the Russian missiles. Unfortunately the supply of missiles to stop Russian ballistic missiles is limited. The world supply of Patriot missiles before the war was a little over 1000. They are very expensive because of the tech in them, so there were only about 2 1/2 built for every Patriot launch rail.

There just aren't that many to give.

The US can, except for congress being difficult. We'd just have to empty out our cold war warehouses.

I'm not totally sure the EU can. I don't think they have the same level of equipment and ordnance in storage like we do.

The US does have a larger stockpile of supplies. The US readiness plan is to have the ability to fight two wars on two fronts at the same time if necessary. The US has kept back a lot of supplies to continue to keep that level of readiness. It does keep potential bad actors at bay if say China knows that the US can continue to supply Ukraine and fight them over Taiwan at the same time.

Though most of the cold war stockpile has been whittled down. One reason production needs to be ramped up is that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq burned up a lot of the extra cold war stock and it was not replaced. The US along with the European countries have been scaling back stockpiles since the end of the cold war.

A good earful from a ~25-30-something(?) Russian woman. It's some 08:30 long so I won't write everything that was said. But in short: She traveled to occupied UKR to spend New Years with her mobilized ~paratrooper(?) husband. But when she arrived she found out that he was dead. She references the scene with the red and blue pill in the Matrix – Russians either close their eyes to the reality that hundreds of thousands of people are dying or loose their loved ones. She says her husband and all other Russians killed in this war died for nothing. With 'strong language' she urges all Russian women that have men in harms way to do everything possible to meet up with their men and flee Russian territory before it is too late. For her that is no longer possible.

One thing that 'stands out' is that she says she's from St. Petersburg.

Unfortunately I can't find a transcript. Maybe it takes some time before that option is available. There are of course English subtitles though.

It is heartening to see more of this. Maybe Russia will see some kind of rebellion?

 

[Crutonius]

Sorry, I'm getting fed up with this kind of claims. Back in the Cold War West Germany on its own had a standing army of almost half a million and up to 2.3 million reservists that could have been called up at short notice, complete with the required materiel. That's hardly an insubstantial force and other European countries had very substantial forces as well.
This army was transformed into an army for international interventions after the Cold War, not least to support the USA's asinine wars in places like Afghanistan. BTW, the US was also the only NATO country to ever trigger Art. 5 of the NATO treaty, right after 9/11.
The US was also happy to receive about 12 billion Deutsche Mark worth of support for Operation Desert Storm, which included plenty of ammunition for its Abrams tanks (which shares its cannon with the Leopard II), because the US didn't have all that much ammunition in stock.
As to the current situation, the US does by no means have any surplus stocks that could easily be sent to Ukraine. Ukraine’s requirement of artillery shells outstrips by far the production capabilities of Europe and the US, and that's true for other weapons systems as well. US production capabilities were so restrained, that the US was not even able to fulfil Taiwanese weapons orders worth 19 billion $ at the beginning of the year. Some weapons systems like the Stinger system weren't even manufactured any more.

Yeah we're hurting for artillery shells. We're not an artillery heavy military. But other things, for example, we have 3700 Abrams tanks in storage. I mean we could send Ukraine all those tanks and it probably wouldn't have any impact on our security.

I'm not sure what your disagreement is. Maybe it seems like I'm accusing our allies of not throwing in enough on defense spending. But I'm of the opinion that the US spends way to much on defense.

 

[Crutonius]

It is heartening to see more of this. Maybe Russia will see some kind of rebellion?

I hope so but I'm not holding my breath. Say what you will about the Russian people but they can take an extreme amount of misery and just not do anything about it.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

1. IDK. Would UKR disclose if any military targets were hit? I don't think they would.

2. Who knows? I don't think we'll ever know until the Russian Dictator and all the other War Criminals in Russia stand trial in an International Court of Justice.

Never going to happen.