(July 7, 2023 at 5:55 am)Leonardo17 Wrote: (how do you train a soldier in two weeks?) 

Poorly, as the outcome of their invasion demonstrates. It would taker a decade, likely longer, for russia to rebuild a much smaller force. A decade after they fix their grift issue. The main danger russia will present to ukraine after ukraine's done evicting the squatters in their country isn't a re-occupation, more like a lower level of the same sorts of terror attacks we see now. Supposing things get worse in russia, rather than better..not even that. More in what to do with refugees they will not want to accept.

Emperor Belisarius has seen the light on the issue of Swedish accession to NATO. Mr. Victor Orban had already declared that he would no longer block Sweden’s membership to the alliance.
 
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/2-tur...29098.html
 
On the accession of Ukraine to NATO there are two parties:
- Those who support a West-Germany model, that is an adherence of Ukraine to NATO as soon as the war is over (which includes an accession in the case of a frozen war or a cease-fire which is not followed by a permanent peace treaty.)
- Those who believe in a more careful approach by supporting the idea of Ukraine’s adherence to NATO without making any speculation on future circumstances.
 
I think the first approach here seems more logical at the present moment. Putin will not gain anymore territory, but he won’t move from already occupied territories. Ukrainians are not that strong. But this is my own opinion

According to independent Russian media outlets the number of Russian soldier who are confirmed to have died in this conflicts is at least 50,000 soldiers (as opposed to 6,000 soldiers according to state media).
 
https://www.yahoo.com/news/many-russians...12375.html
 
Again, according to official figures, the number of Russian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan war in a ten year period is about 15,000. The US losses (deaths) in the Vietnam War is (1965-1975) around 60,000. The total number of deaths in the Kurdish Insurrection that is going on since 1985 is around 40,000 people.
 
If this conflict is allowed to stretch any further, I think we will start to compare these figures with WWII losses of several countries. The UK for instance is 150,000 soldiers + 300,000 civilians.
 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made interesting comments on possible diplomatic solutions to the conflict: She sees no possible solution to the conflict by any diplomatic means and she adds:
 
"I wish we could come to an agreement. But at the moment, it's not about what we want, but about the fact that we need to face the truth... And this is a cruel Russian war of aggression,"
 
When asked how long she thinks this conflict is going to last she says:
 
"I have no idea. This is exactly the point. We don't know when this war will end. We do not know what is happening in Russia. Because we are not dealing with a country that, like us, is fortunately democratic,"
 
Article on Annalena Baerbock


- So we’ve had some pro-Russian comments on this topic. And there are people in Europe who are asking “Where does this ever end?”
 
The reality is that everyone has tried to talk to this guy and that nobody knows what he is going to do next and that this is why being a democracy rather than an autocracy is so important.

Now that the Kerch bridge is disabled again, Russian troops in South Ukraine have only one supply route, temporarily. This at a time when the Ukrainians are pushing forward towards Melitopol. This looks like an effort to seal off and then retake Crimea.

-and that route is clogged up by russian tourists getting raked over the coals for water, bathroom breaks, and fuel. Those battle dolphins need to be disciplined, remedial training is clearly required.

Might be a good time for russian soldiers to commandeer a civilian vehicle, and the occupants clothes and documents.... and meander all the way back to russia.

(July 18, 2023 at 11:23 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Now that the Kerch bridge is disabled again, Russian troops in South Ukraine have only one supply route, temporarily. This at a time when the Ukrainians are pushing forward towards Melitopol. This looks like an effort to seal off and then retake Crimea.

Ukraine seems to play this whole thing pretty smart.

Rumours that the Russians are kicking off a big assault along the Luhanks/Krasnohorivka line (I think I've got the right names) in the Kupyansk region (Not sure if the correct places/name).

Guestimate of 100,000 troop strength and possibly 900 tanks supported by 300 MLR's in support. Abjective Kharkiv.

Am hoping for the best for Ukraine.

(July 18, 2023 at 1:30 pm)Peebothuhlu Wrote: Rumours that the Russians are kicking off a big assault along the Luhanks/Krasnohorivka line (I think I've got the right names) in the Kupyansk region (Not sure if the correct places/name).

Guestimate of 100,000 troop strength and possibly 900 tanks supported by 300 MLR's in support. Abjective Kharkiv.

Am hoping for the best for Ukraine.

I've read that 500 of those tanks are T-55s. That bodes ill for Russian prospects, if true.

(July 18, 2023 at 1:59 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(July 18, 2023 at 1:30 pm)Peebothuhlu Wrote: Rumours that the Russians are kicking off a big assault along the Luhanks/Krasnohorivka line (I think I've got the right names) in the Kupyansk region (Not sure if the correct places/name).

Guestimate of 100,000 troop strength and possibly 900 tanks supported by 300 MLR's in support. Abjective Kharkiv.

Am hoping for the best for Ukraine.

I've read that 500 of those tanks are T-55s. That bodes ill for Russian prospects, if true.

A T-55 today is better than an Abrams next month.

Boru