Russia and Ukraine

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Boru

[The Architect Of Fate]

A study at Princeton University proved that the US is not a democracy, and the will of the people is not taken into account.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

Compared to the countries on that list, America might as well be a Direct Democracy. Also, America is a Republic, not a Democracy and even the study admits that it has many of the key elements of a Democracy which can't be said for most of the countries on that list. It's certainly more of a freaking democracy than China.

[The Architect Of Fate]

A study at Princeton University proved that the US is not a democracy, and the will of the people is not taken into account.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

And yet, 65% of Americans support US assistance to Ukraine.

Boru

No no that's evil western propaganda. 

[Silver]

I can't predict anything. I can only ever state what I want to happen. Unfortunately, reality rarely aligns itself with what we want. And I want Russia to be irrevocably crushed.

[Deesse23]

Not even that.  Nine of those countries are either dictatorships or near dictatorships where the will of the people is not taken into account.

A study at Princeton University proved that the US is not a democracy, and the will of the people is not taken into account.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

Instead of trying to defend his argument/list, Bel engaged in a "tu quoque", and like with any other tu quoque its a not so silent admission that GUBU was correct

Pathetic

[The Grand Nudger]

Bakhmut holds. Russian forces are sinking in mud both outside and inside the city, after having removed any useful paved roads through repeated and wasteful artillery strikes. On the plus side, they did decide to lob a thermobaric bomb or two at the city center.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Bakhmut holds.  Russian forces are sinking in mud both outside and inside the city, after having removed any useful paved roads through repeated and wasteful artillery strikes.  On the plus side, they did decide to lob a thermobaric bomb or two at the city center.

(Bold mine)

Is it just me, or does that smack of desperation?

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

Desperation? Why should they be desperate. They already took bakhmut, ask them. They're just celebrating with what must be a fun round of friendly fire.

In seriousness, though, that's the rosetta stone to understanding battlefield disposition in this war. Russia and ukraine both release summaries of what they fired into, and what directions they took fire from. While ukraine is generally tight lipped - prefering operational security so much that they announce control days or even weeks after they've actually established it (if they ever make such an announcement at all..), russia prefers to use such announcements to control or manipulate the information space. Both for domestic consumption back home - basic tankie bitches here in the west, and, likely, in the belief that it could demoralize enemy troops or create operational confusion. On more than one occasion they;ve been right about that. It confused the hell out of the troops...their own troops... leading to loss of life and mass captures.

So, whenever russia says they own something, but -also- that they're firing into it or taking fire from it....they don't own it. They're communicating aspirational goals, not tactical or strategic realities.

[The Grand Nudger]

-I also want to point out that bakhmut is the only place in ukraine where russia isn't in a desperate position. Bakhmut is what the russian military looks like in it's best case scenario. It satisfies the very narrow conditions of the only sort of position russian forces have ever successfuly operated in. Within 25km of a railhead, well supplied with proxy infantry, on their own (real or effective) border. Make of that what you will.

[Thumpalumpacus]

-I also want to point out that bakhmut is the only place in ukraine where russia isn't in a desperate position.  Bakhmut is what the russian military looks like in it's best case scenario.  It satisfies the very narrow conditions of the only sort of position russian forces have ever successfuly operated in.  Within 25km of a railhead, well supplied with proxy infantry, on their own (real or effective) border.  Make of that what you will.

Sounds like 1917 to me.