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I had no idea so I looked it up, about a thousand soldiers in a battalion.
What about Italy and France natgas reserves?
Not nearly as critical as Germany, but they seem on the way to being set for winter as well.
They have basically zero ability to produce the electronics needed for high tech weapons. It is amazing to me to find out that they have no industry at home.
A brigade is about 3 or 4 battalions. (3-4,000 tropps) A tank battalion has about 50ish tanks.
It seems you are not very familiar with the long history of Russians not wanting to fight but being forced to fight. It almost what makes the Russian Army function.
Shark move there. I like it.
This is a better idea than mime
I've known a lot of Russians, I simply cannot believe they could ever-
Being a history nerd, I have tried to put myself into the shoes of... for example... a citizen in occupied Europe during WWII. I mean, it is easy to say that you would fight against the evils of Nazism and be part of that resistance but the reality is that most people want to keep their heads down and try to just live their lives. Just like in France or Belgium or whatever other country, many had no love for the Nazi's but they were forced to make choices and sometimes that meant what would be seen as collaboration. I think many are simply trying to live their lives. I feel for those people as I see them as victims of circumstances. Again, for me, when I put myself in those shoes... what choices would I make.... back when I was single, it would be an easier choice to figure out a way to resist. As a father... I think I would be much more likely to do what I thought I needed to do to keep them safe and that could very well end up looking like collaborating.... though that would be challenged as I started to understand how evil the Nazi's really were. It is a very interesting perspective once you really go through trying to put yourself in those peoples shoes.
on the contrary, I wonder if China may see this as an opportunity for a special military operation to expand their territory by liberating land across the russianed border
I can see that. . Probably some mining deals on their terms also.on the contrary, I wonder if China may see this as an opportunity for a special military operation to expand their territory by liberating land across the russianed border
Agreed. It helps you understand how the partisans in, say, the Balkans had the bloodletting they did after the war was over.
China has distanced themselves from this while trying to use it to their advantage.
Or captured and then examined by the US.
Interesting. I was wondering why "putinisdead" was trending on Twitter.
By having these regions becoming part of Russia it allows Putin to enact self defense clauses and initiate general mobilization laws. The scary part is that the mobilization and self defense clauses grants Putin authority to use nuclear and biological weapons in order to defend the homeland.
Bet you a million dollars it was the Russians blowing up their own pipelines.
Everyone is. It is hard to see the off ramp on all of this. Ukraine has the upper hand right now in the military fight. Russia is folding fast and rushing 300K conscripts into the fight is not going to turn the tide. Annexing the currently held Ukrainian territory could be then turn of "we are defending Russian land" which then, by Russian law, unleashes a ton of possibilities, including the use of WMD's. The only good thing is that there are indications that even the nominal allies Russia has right now in China and India that have basically held non-committal positions of not condemning Russia actions and carrying on as if Russia has not done anything wrong would not support the annexation. Ukraine will not stop with anything short of returning Ukrainian land back, including Crimea. That would be an utter and complete defeat for Russia that I don't think Putin is willing to accept. Is Putin willing to burn down the whole world because of his ego? I think the biggest thing that the US needs to do is communicate to Russia that the use of nuclear weapons would mean the end of Putin and his family, one way or another. Make it clear that if he chooses that, not only will he die but his kids (acknowledged and suspected by mistresses) would be gone too. Grisly and nasty to say but if he uses nukes.... that is it... the escalation will continue up unless someone rational and sane in the Russian military with enough juice says screw it and puts a round in his head and stands them down....because if not then everyone dies. Literally. Everyone.
The church has no say on who gets forgiven, and I’m sure if they checked in with their Boss, He’d say as much to them.
“If someone, driven by a sense of duty, the need to fulfill an oath, remains true to his calling and dies in the line of military duty, then he undoubtedly commits an act that is tantamount to a sacrifice,” Kirill said in the sermon. “He sacrifices himself for others,” Kirill said. “And therefore we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins that a person has committed.”
I believe the Ukrainians took to US training in 2014ish and I think that has played a major part in them dismantling the Russians as well but doesn't get as much play as the weapons do. Certainly the technology plays a part but so do tactics and probably more than anything the heart to defend your homeland to the last.
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