Ukraine

[ootlg]

Feb 17, 2022 19:04:31 GMT perrykneeham said:

La France eternelle.....

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/17/france-announces-military-withdrawal-from-mali-after-nine-years

TBF, it sounds sensible as these countries are vast expanses of dusty fuckall and it's unfair (and ignorant) of The Guardian to talk about IS controlling vast swathes of territory.

For readers of French...

Basically, an army of Russian mercenaries called Wagner is taking control of Mali. Nasty bits of work.

[perrykneeham]

They welcome to it. I guess there are some mineral resources that the Russians want but, tBH, I don't much care. They won't f**k about but sadly they can't be relied upon to not just buy the local IS franchise off, which is really just kicking the can down the road.

Problem is, that's what French Presidents have done on the past. Valerie Giscard d'Estang was famous for his diamond collection.

[jimboky]

not to worry, Biden has sent Harris to fix this

[perrykneeham]

Feb 19, 2022 10:33:57 GMT flatandy said:

I still think Putin will stand down, for the reasons we’ve gone over before. But I think creating lots of false flag things in Donbas that Russia responds to gives his troops something to do that doesn’t involve extended warfare, and doesn’t involve sending home lots of body bags, and doesn’t involve excessive sanctions. It would stop it looking completely like he’s going home with his tail between his legs, even though he’d be going home with his tail between his legs.

I’m only maybe 25% confident in my prediction, but it seems like the obvious way forward from where we are that does the least harm to Putin. Have his troops do something, but make sure that it’s not an invasion of “Ukraine”. As long as the Russians consider the breakaway non-states to not be Ukraine, they can get away with that.

False flag a-gogo. Note which side suffered the casualties here.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60443504

I wouldn't be too surprised if we see the balloon go up tonight. Last chance saloon.

[voice]

yep, could be right, I expect something quite limited just so Putin can show he waved his cock around and that allows him to save face by saying he liberated the Sudeten Lands...er... Donetsk and Luhansk areas. At least I hope its that limited.

[perrykneeham]

"Evidence suggests Russia is planning "the biggest war in Europe since 1945", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

He told the BBC's Sophie Raworth in an interview: "All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun."

Intelligence suggests Russia intends to launch an invasion that will encircle Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Mr Johnson said."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60448162


Interesting that they feel that they have intelligence on the actual manoeuvre planned. Doesn't add up. That being said, it's a reasonable guess that they wouldn't ry a direct assault on Kiev, given the awful arse-kickings they got in Grozny.

[ootlg]

Nothing adds up, that's the thing. I get Putin wanting to be seen to destabilise the west after US activity over the years; I get the money-making aspect of arms dealing and I get Putin's need to be seen as the answer to US aggression. But I don't see how the occupation of Ukraine which would effectively place Russian territory next door to NATO backed countries is the answer to his stated objection to being next door to NATO backed countries.

[perrykneeham]

Yeah, that's true, but that's always been a bogus claim as he's had NATO countries on his boarders for years.

This is quite sinister: have a look at the tanks down the page and note the hastily-added bar armour frame fixed over the turret. Still in red oxide primer.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60158694

Now what's that for? Well, when they got f**k*d over in Grozny, they sent tanks in without infantry support. I've never been a soldier but even I can see that's crazy. The tanks were ambushed everywhere and largely defeated by RPGs fired down on them from buildings. Armoured vehicles tend to have weaker armour on their upper surfaces, especially above the engine compartment.

It ifs for this reason þhat Javelin uses a top attack profile.

[perrykneeham]

It may just be emotional support for the crews of course, but it does suggest that they're giving serious thought to the nuts 'n' bolts of urban warfare.

[ootlg]

"...when they got f**k*d over in Grozny, they sent tanks in without infantry support. I've never been a soldier but even I can see that's crazy."

At the end of the day it always comes down to the infantry. My father had photographs of tank warfare (he was in one) in Normandy showing advancing tanks with infantry running along clustered behind them.

What a fucking mess. I thought we'd all grown up a bit. Looking at this negatively it could be the beginning of Armafuckinggeddon.

[perrykneeham]

I wouldn't a shareholder in a Russian-based company right now. Happily, that barely exists because most are owned 100% by kleptocrats and their wives.

Still, if the sh*t hits the fan, Chelsea are buggered.

[flatandy]

The entire town of Chelsea is buggered, not just the football club. How many businesses are there providing overpriced specialist services to Bentley drivers and high-maintenance Russian brides? There’ll be a house price crash all across SW3.

[perrykneeham]

It would be interesting to learn if there had been any noticeable movement of money out of London and, to a lesser degree, New York.

If they impose financial sanctions, I wonder if Russian expats will be declared PNG and have to piss off elsewhere. I see that Ambramovich is only 55 years old. He has Israeli and Portuguese nationality in addition to Russian.

[wetkingcanute]

There are of course a lot of Russian oligarchs who are 'relatively' normal people who love living in the peace of the UK (London) and are not exactly against Putin but won't mind if he were to disappear.

And, as mentioned they bring a considerable amount of work and money to the UK.


However, if it is Armageddon - I'mageddonoutofhere!

[perrykneeham]

I had the impression that membership of the Russian oligarchy and opposition to Putin are mutually exclusive conditions

[perrykneeham]

Ah! One of your lads is sleeping with the enemy, isn't he, Comrade Canute?

[wetkingcanute]

He is indeed.

and I now have a half Russian half English beautiful Grand Daughter!

[mids]

Privet!

[bertruss2]

The entire town of Chelsea is buggered, not just the football club.

The owner of Chelsea football club is an Israeli who found the UK had become a less friendly place for reasons I've forgotten. Something to do with trying to get him to pay taxes, I think.

[ootlg]

Naturalised Israeli. Born in Russia. His family suffered badly during Stalin's reign. Abramovich is known for his generosity. So not all bad.