Russia and Ukraine

[Thumpalumpacus]

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Friday to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and begin negotiations if Kyiv started withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATO. Ukraine responded by calling Putin’s proposal “manipulative” and “absurd.”

Putin’s remarks came as Switzerland prepared to host scores of world leaders -- but not from Moscow -- this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine.

[...]

Broader demands for peace that Putin listed included Ukraine’s recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, keeping the country’s nonnuclear status, restricting its military force and protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population. All of these should be part of “fundamental international agreements,” and all Western sanctions against Russia should be lifted, Putin said.

https://apnews.com/article/putin-russia-...9eb8e9d36e

Essentially, a demand for abject surrender, the aim of which is to split support for Ukraine.

[The Grand Nudger]

That's alot of demands for immediate relief, the master strategist must have really stepped in it.

[The Grand Nudger]

Russia is still a thing, huh?

Indeed, and today the fafo wheel has hit "run on the banks", according to russian media, after russia announced it would no longer trade in dollars and would go with yuan, instead, for it's main currency.

[Thumpalumpacus]

That's alot of demands for immediate relief, the master strategist must have really stepped in it.

He's been losing 1200 troops a day for the last two months. He's probably squandered whatever manpower reserve Russia managed to scrape together. And how many times can he draft more before Russians turn on him?

My guess is that he's edging closer to Coffin Corner.

[Jackalope]

That's alot of demands for immediate relief, the master strategist must have really stepped in it.

Russia's actions have a scent of desperation. I'm betting on an ineffective summer offensive.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I’m aware, which is why I used the past tense.

Boru

Right, but comparing the UK from 100 years ago or America from 60 years ago to modern-day Russia is not apt. We're not talking about the past; we're talking about the here-and-now. That's why I used the term "nowadays".

It's apples and oranges. Dragging up a tu quoque from decades ago has a point, I'm sure, but I'm not sure what it is.

The point was that using convicted criminals as ersatz soldiers is nothing new. It’s a deplorable practice no matter who does it or when they did it.

Boru

[Thumpalumpacus]

Right, but comparing the UK from 100 years ago or America from 60 years ago to modern-day Russia is not apt. We're not talking about the past; we're talking about the here-and-now. That's why I used the term "nowadays".

It's apples and oranges. Dragging up a tu quoque from decades ago has a point, I'm sure, but I'm not sure what it is.

The point was that using convicted criminals as ersatz soldiers is nothing new. It’s a deplorable practice no matter who does it or when they did it.

Boru

Of course it's deplorable no matter when. So were press-gangs, so were slavery expeditions, and so on. My point, in turn, is that the fact that Russia is still doing this today marks them as 60 or 100 years behind what other nations see as fit or just.

They're reaping those rewards in that when these convicts return back to civilian life in Russia with their pardons, they're returning to the life of crime which not only put them behind bars, but also made their behavior in Ukraine more contemptable.

It may also have something to do with the lesser fighting efficiency of troops, either fetched up from gulags or dragooned from North Korea or India, which is just as shitty in a different manner.

[The Grand Nudger]

Looks like the lift on western weapons worked. Russian glide bombs are falling on belgorad, short of their intended border targets.

[The Valkyrie]

I hope, if Russia collapses and descends into civil war, that NATO has a plan in place to secure their nukes.

[Fireball]

Back when the USSR was imploding, the US bought tons of their fissile materials. Getting the physics packages out of the missiles would be best. Don't need the rest except for looking at their missile tech, if we don't already know. I hope that the Chinese don't get there first.