Russia and Ukraine

[HappySkeptic]

Russia has now issued an order to bring up reservists, but it isn't actually restrictive in any way. They could conscript the entire country. Putin is claiming the West is trying to destroy Russia, and therefore Russia is justified in using nuclear weapons.

Putin has become a death cult leader.

[Fake Messiah]

Putin is claiming the West is trying to destroy Russia, and therefore Russia is justified in using nuclear weapons.

Don't worry, Putin won't be using nukes because if he did even China would turn against him.

[Jehanne]

Russia has now issued an order to bring up reservists, but it isn't actually restrictive in any way. They could conscript the entire country. Putin is claiming the West is trying to destroy Russia, and therefore Russia is justified in using nuclear weapons.

Putin has become a death cult leader.

As I said, the Russian military sucks. Maybe the soldiers' hearts are just not in this one?? The Ukraine, on the other hand, seems passionate about embracing Western capitalistic consumerism.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Beyond that, the Russians have always had decent R&D for their gear, so I'm not sure how much this war will advance their weapons-development.

Their weapons suck, as does their military.  Unless they are just going to surrender outright, what's the alternative to retooling?

Retooling isn’t an option. If it were, they’d do that instead of buying cut-price drones from Iran. Russia can’t outspend the coterie of Western countries supplying Ukraine. If they could (and if Putin hadn’t so disastrously misjudged the Western response) they’d have done that before the war started.

Boru

[Thumpalumpacus]

Beyond that, the Russians have always had decent R&D for their gear, so I'm not sure how much this war will advance their weapons-development.

Their weapons suck, as does their military.  Unless they are just going to surrender outright, what's the alternative to retooling?

Their weapons aren't great, and of course many of them are indeed outdated. But I think they're pretty capable of developing some very high-tech stuff if they could find the funding, which has been the main thing hamstringing the Russian military for the last three decades. They didn't need a war to develop the S-500 or the Kalibr cruise missile, among other programs, for instance.

[The Architect Of Fate]

Russia has now issued an order to bring up reservists, but it isn't actually restrictive in any way.  They could conscript the entire country.  Putin is claiming the West is trying to destroy Russia, and therefore Russia is justified in using nuclear weapons.

Putin has become a death cult leader.

On the subject of conscription, where are they going to get the weapons to arm said conscripts? Russia will never use its nukes (it's actually questionable in what condition its Nuclear arsenal is in really) This is Putin flailing and little else.

[The Architect Of Fate]

Their weapons suck, as does their military.  Unless they are just going to surrender outright, what's the alternative to retooling?

Their weapons aren't great, and of course many of them are indeed outdated. But I think they're pretty capable of developing some very high-tech stuff if they could find the funding, which has been the main thing hamstringing the Russian military for the last three decades. They didn't need a war to develop the S-500 or the Kalibr cruise missile, among other programs, for instance.

Funding and of course political infighting on military priorities

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Their weapons aren't great, and of course many of them are indeed outdated. But I think they're pretty capable of developing some very high-tech stuff if they could find the funding, which has been the main thing hamstringing the Russian military for the last three decades. They didn't need a war to develop the S-500 or the Kalibr cruise missile, among other programs, for instance.

Funding and of course political infighting on military priorities

It isn’t as much infighting as it is corruption. When you build 1000 tanks and mothball them for years while the officers in charge pocket the funds allocated for upkeep, it tends to affect combat readiness.

Boru

[Jehanne]

Their weapons suck, as does their military.  Unless they are just going to surrender outright, what's the alternative to retooling?

Their weapons aren't great, and of course many of them are indeed outdated. But I think they're pretty capable of developing some very high-tech stuff if they could find the funding, which has been the main thing hamstringing the Russian military for the last three decades. They didn't need a war to develop the S-500 or the Kalibr cruise missile, among other programs, for instance.

Well, it looks like Russia is going to lose this one, unless they use nuclear weapons. Over the last few weeks Ukraine has been steam-rolling over them. Who's to say that some political border on some map is going to stop them? Why not just drive their tank columns to Moscow to arrest Putin & Friends on the spot?

[The Architect Of Fate]

Funding and of course political infighting on military priorities

It isn’t as much infighting as it is corruption. When you build 1000 tanks and mothball them for years while the officers in charge pocket the funds allocated for upkeep, it tends to affect combat readiness.

Boru

Actually, I was more referring to the Russian government consistently shifting priorities from one military project to another and not getting any of them done. But yes corruption is an issue two