(January 14, 2024 at 4:23 pm)The Grand Nudger Wrote: It's not a "them" kind of thing.

(that brad footage, fuuuck.  The guys in the first one just narrowly avoided the reaper.  I assume that if we had a good topo map of those streets they were hull down in defilade between the ruins - which is lucky in a brad, they're tall.  I hope both crews are trainers now.)

(January 14, 2024 at 5:02 pm)The Grand Nudger Wrote: They emptied their prisons for literal cannon fodder, what value do you think the regime places on the average citizens life? Such that x number of "them" is too many of "them" to achieve the regimes goals?

(January 14, 2024 at 5:21 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:02 pm)The Grand Nudger Wrote: They emptied their prisons for literal cannon fodder, what value do you think the regime places on the average citizens life?  Such that x number of "them" is too many of "them" to achieve the regimes goals?

I do not think you really had the point of that post I made down well. I was not talking about the prisoners, as I was in part, talking about the citizens that get drafted into the war on the Russian side and are given little training, from what I have been told by someone else who has been up-to-date on the war. Surely, that is happening, right?

Whatever; because I was talking completely about all of Russia for that matter, especially if they lose a lot of people and have a high loss count in the aftermath of the war. Lots of resources will have been lost, too. Do you all think this war will benefit all of Russia if the win, or if it will be worth the effort for them to have gone through all this in the first place?

(January 14, 2024 at 5:33 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:21 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote: I do not think you really had the point of that post I made down well. I was not talking about the prisoners, as I was in part, talking about the citizens that get drafted into the war on the Russian side and are given little training, from what I have been told by someone else who has been up-to-date on the war. Surely, that is happening, right?

Whatever; because I was talking completely about all of Russia for that matter, especially if they lose a lot of people and have a high loss count in the aftermath of the war. Lots of resources will have been lost, too. Do you all think this war will benefit all of Russia if the win, or if it will be worth the effort for them to have gone through all this in the first place?

Even if the Russians win on the battlefield, they will be saddled with an insurgency that will drain their coffers and Putin's popularity. He will be forced to tighten the screws in order to tamp down internal dissent. The race will be between his loss of support and Ukraine's willingness to keep fighting. I suspect the latter will outlast the former.

(January 14, 2024 at 5:39 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:33 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Even if the Russians win on the battlefield, they will be saddled with an insurgency that will drain their coffers and Putin's popularity. He will be forced to tighten the screws in order to tamp down internal dissent. The race will be between his loss of support and Ukraine's willingness to keep fighting. I suspect the latter will outlast the former.

Now that’s what I’m talking.

Why, may I ask, do you expect the latter to outlast the former, though?

(January 14, 2024 at 5:39 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:33 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Even if the Russians win on the battlefield, they will be saddled with an insurgency that will drain their coffers and Putin's popularity. He will be forced to tighten the screws in order to tamp down internal dissent. The race will be between his loss of support and Ukraine's willingness to keep fighting. I suspect the latter will outlast the former.

Now that’s what I’m talking.

Why, may I ask, do you expect the latter to outlast the former, though?

(January 14, 2024 at 5:45 pm)arewethereyet Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:39 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote: Now that’s what I’m talking.

Why, may I ask, do you expect the latter to outlast the former, though?

May I ask you a question?  Have you read Nudger's signature?  I tend to listen when he talks about military things because he has the background.  Not that he can neverbe/is never wrong...no one is perfect.  But I tend to think he has a pretty good insight in such matters as military strategy and such.

YMMV

(January 14, 2024 at 5:45 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:39 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote: Now that’s what I’m talking.

Why, may I ask, do you expect the latter to outlast the former, though?

The history between the two nations is long and brutal. The Holomodor saw the Russians starve millions of Ukrainians to death in the 1930s, a fact which the Ukrainians have neither forgotten nor forgiven. Their fierce resistance is based on the fact that they know surrender will not bring prosperity but repression. There will, I believe, always be a segment of the Ukrainian population which will fight against Russian subjugation. They have more to lose than the Russian populace. It follows that Russians will tire of useless sacrifice before Ukrainians tire of fighting off this invasion.

That's my opinion, at any rate.

(January 14, 2024 at 5:52 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:45 pm)arewethereyet Wrote: May I ask you a question?  Have you read Nudger's signature?  I tend to listen when he talks about military things because he has the background.  Not that he can neverbe/is never wrong...no one is perfect.  But I tend to think he has a pretty good insight in such matters as military strategy and such.

YMMV

Not really, but to be serious, I was not dismissing his point of view, neither was I thinking he was wrong. I may have had a bit of an annoyance due to a more recent encounter before with a user that is not him, (it's a long story), but I think I am over that. I was, and still am very aware that he can have good insight of these kinds of things, if the word "Grand" in his name helps with that. So no offense to him.

Still, I would have liked to see him go into more detail in relation to Russia as a whole rather than what seemed to be just about the prisoners of Russia. I mean, I was expecting something along the lines of what @Thumpalumpacus initially answered. But as for Grand Nudger, I do have no ill feelings towards him.

(January 14, 2024 at 5:45 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: The history between the two nations is long and brutal. The Holomodor saw the Russians starve millions of Ukrainians to death in the 1930s, a fact which the Ukrainians have neither forgotten nor forgiven. Their fierce resistance is based on the fact that they know surrender will not bring prosperity but repression. There will, I believe, always be a segment of the Ukrainian population which will fight against Russian subjugation. They have more to lose than the Russian populace. It follows that Russians will tire of useless sacrifice before Ukrainians tire of fighting off this invasion.

That's my opinion, at any rate.

Ah, that makes sense. I do hope that you turn out right.

(January 14, 2024 at 6:34 pm)arewethereyet Wrote:

(January 14, 2024 at 5:52 pm)ShinyCrystals Wrote: Not really, but to be serious, I was not dismissing his point of view, neither was I thinking he was wrong. I may have had a bit of an annoyance due to a more recent encounter before with a user that is not him, (it's a long story), but I think I am over that. I was, and still am very aware that he can have good insight of these kinds of things, if the word "Grand" in his name helps with that. So no offense to him.

Still, I would have liked to see him go into more detail in relation to Russia as a whole rather than what seemed to be just about the prisoners of Russia. I mean, I was expecting something along the lines of what @Thumpalumpacus initially answered. But as for Grand Nudger, I do have no ill feelings towards him.



Ah, that makes sense. I do hope that you turn out right.

Thump is also quite knowledgeable.

Take a minute and read Nudger's sig.