Russia and Ukraine

[Dundee]

You're too kind, thanks.

I get your point about SEAD, though I think that would be very difficult anyway given that most Ukrainian AD is in the form of MANPADs. For this reason, I was thinking more along the lines of attacking Ukrainian airfields harboring combat planes or repair facilities with stand-off missiles in the opening minutes of the war.

They may well be husbanding their more advanced aircraft in order to address any potential NATO intervention, too.

Russia held back her air force for the obvious reason,  to hold it at highest possible state of readiness in case of NATO intervention.    The moment it is committed on any significant scale for other goals, its reserves of fuel, ammunition, spare parts, reliable sortie capacity before maintenance and overhaul, and unfatigued flight and ground crew will begin to drain away, and it’s state of readiness will decline.  

If the Russian airforce already has a couple of weeks of intense operation behind it, and NATO enter the fray fresh, Russia will be at a great disadvantage starting from the moment of contact and there is no way to make it up.

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Indeed if a bad economy is a justification for invading nations. Then I guess the G7 nations have the right to invade the whole third and developing worlds.

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Let's sum it up 

1. Ukraine has the right to join any organization it wants without fear of military retaliation and if Russia is threatened by this its job is to increase defenses within its own borders. Invading other countries is not a valid response 


2. The presence of fascists within a nation is not a justification for invading other countries and endangering the lives of people who have nothing to do with said fascists


3. Being the same ethnic group is not a justification for invading other countries. It wasn't when Hitler did it and isn't now.


4. Formerly owning a place doesn't give you rights to it. otherwise, every former colonial power could claim any place they use to own.


5. Ukraine's abuses of ethnic Russians are a matter of international law and are not a justification for invading other countries.


6. American wars of aggression do not justify Russian ones

All those are interest for the kindergarten and not at all how the world does work or how it can work.

Why should this be "kindergarten"?