Ukrainian War Developments

[supersnoop]

Does anyone find the 20,000 number of foreign volunteers credible? I find this highly unlikely.

1. Money, “Hey honey, there’s record breaking inflation going on, but I’m not going to work and fight in this random war… it’s for democracy though! I’m sure you’ll figure out how to keep the gas tank full and the kids fed!” (However, I do think some people are probably sent on a clandestine basis)

2. Only source is the Ukrainian ministry of truth.

3. Logic, 20,000 is basically the entire regular army of some countries. You can barely find enough volunteers in developed countries as is.

Wonder how countries are tracking these guys when they come back. Western governments might be full of crap, but they aren’t that stupid. They know an extremist is an extremist

 

[Temstar]

Does anyone find the 20,000 number of foreign volunteers credible? I find this highly unlikely.

1. Money, “Hey honey, there’s record breaking inflation going on, but I’m not going to work and fight in this random war… it’s for democracy though! I’m sure you’ll figure out how to keep the gas tank full and the kids fed!” (However, I do think some people are probably sent on a clandestine basis)

2. Only source is the Ukrainian ministry of truth.

3. Logic, 20,000 is basically the entire regular army of some countries. You can barely find enough volunteers in developed countries as is.

Wonder how countries are tracking these guys when they come back. Western governments might be full of crap, but they aren’t that stupid. They know an extremist is an extremist

Remember how Biden said ANA had 300,000 well trained troops to handle the Taliban, and then it turned out a great proportion of that only existed on paper as an excuse to pocket government money? It's like that.

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

What a waste of lives. They get slaughtered by heavy weapons. Modern warfare casualties are largely caused by heavy weapons, not by small arms.

No, this isn't a waste at all, this is a small measure of justice. Their entire experience of war is ROFLstomping AK-wielding cave dwellers - now they're the ones without an air force and getting ROFLstomped. You know what karma is, and they've delivered themselves willingly to it.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

China getting ready to stab Russia in the back:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1502945624068612099

This paper doesn't exist in Chinese, only RFA and other "like-minded" organizations are reporting on it.

 

[daifo]

Does anyone find the 20,000 number of foreign volunteers credible? I find this highly unlikely.

1. Money, “Hey honey, there’s record breaking inflation going on, but I’m not going to work and fight in this random war… it’s for democracy though! I’m sure you’ll figure out how to keep the gas tank full and the kids fed!” (However, I do think some people are probably sent on a clandestine basis)

2. Only source is the Ukrainian ministry of truth.

3. Logic, 20,000 is basically the entire regular army of some countries. You can barely find enough volunteers in developed countries as is.

Wonder how countries are tracking these guys when they come back. Western governments might be full of crap, but they aren’t that stupid. They know an extremist is an extremist

They are prob counting also the foreign volunteers in nearby countries helping with the refugees...
Considering that Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, I don't understand why the avg westerner media/pundit wouldn't think that Ukraine would also be using similar propaganda tactice. Just because something is pseudo-democracy doesn't make it honest

 

[Kich]

Tanks shooting buildings in Mariupol battle.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1502928237713833990

We are witnessing the Russian changed tactics. They are using combined arms tactics and coordinating artillery with drones. Instead of risking Russian AF by flying in low to drop dumb bombs, they are using more artillery. While RuAF has expanded and started targeting west with precision strikes. It's the only way they can stop these arms delivery and also a good way to target foreign fighters or even scare them back across the border.

Meanwhile, the Russian army are using siege tactics and then once surrounded, pound with artillery and then move in with tanks. We will see more videos like this one. It's working and Mariupol and Kharkiv will fall soon. It is brutal with civilian casualties but Ukraine are also stationing weapons in residential areas and even occupying schools. We've seen those videos.

Also notice the lack of TB2 drones footage. Looks like Russian Air defense are turned on now. Overall they are defending their rear properly. I think Belarus will enter the war soon. Either to secure the rear or help Russian National Guards in securing captured territories.

Ukraine propaganda has been very strong and that can be attritubuted to the power of western social media but the truth is on the ground and the Russians are advancing.

 

[sheogorath]

Tales of western mercs and vets going to Ukraine only to find out that being on the receiving end of air superiority and proper artillery isn't as fun killing afghans and iraqis in their homes.

 

[Abominable]

Does anyone find the 20,000 number of foreign volunteers credible? I find this highly unlikely.

1. Money, “Hey honey, there’s record breaking inflation going on, but I’m not going to work and fight in this random war… it’s for democracy though! I’m sure you’ll figure out how to keep the gas tank full and the kids fed!” (However, I do think some people are probably sent on a clandestine basis)

2. Only source is the Ukrainian ministry of truth.

3. Logic, 20,000 is basically the entire regular army of some countries. You can barely find enough volunteers in developed countries as is.

Wonder how countries are tracking these guys when they come back. Western governments might be full of crap, but they aren’t that stupid. They know an extremist is an extremist

The Ukrainian government claimed they were "on their way" and not actually in the country. A large portion of them were from Poland and other neighbouring countries where it'll be easy to go and blend in.

As for a western ones, I think it'll end up being similar to Syrian war numbers. There's been much less recruitment time, but there's been a lot more support for it. So a few thousand.

I don't think as many will be coming back as Syria though, they'll end up dead or in a Russian gulag while being used propaganda and diplomacy.

 

[Kich]

"From an American volunteer on the front lines outside of Kyiv:

"Sitting close to the frontline, the last safe mode of transportation leaves for greener pastures. A core group of about 30 foreign fighters remains out of around 200 people who were here just minutes ago..." 1/

"The base we came from was struck by rockets in the early morning hours. People we lived with for a couple days are confirmed dead. It is only a matter of time before our location is targeted. We are about to be cut off by a Russian tank column any day now..." 2/

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1503005313204736001

Most of these freedom fighter are probably ex-military or ex-police in western countries. They will learn what it is like to fight without air superiority and against a competent foe which most of these have probably never experienced.

 

[Lethe]

China getting ready to stab Russia in the back:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1502945624068612099

This analysis is truly awful, not least of all in the simply laughable notion that, by abandoning Russia, China would dampen the anti-China shift in the USA and elsewhere. What does the author imagine is driving current USA-China dynamics? It is certainly not the "democracy vs. autocracy" framework that is fed to the western masses and is apparently reproduced in the author's argument. It is fundamentally about the threat that the rise of China poses to American hegemony, a threat that would exist irrespective of China's form of government and irrespective of its relations with other nations. There are meaningful nuances within this dynamic, and within these nuances lie the prospects for war and peace, prosperity and suffering, but the basic dynamic of increasing tension can only be resolved by winding the clock back on generations of Chinese progress.

What is the worst-case scenario for China in this crisis? It is a collapse of the current Russian regime and its replacement with a US puppet regime that will complete the encirclement of China. China's efforts must be directed to avoiding such an outcome, which in practice means mitigating against the collapse of the present regime. That does not mean unconditional support for Russia, it does not mean that China cannot play a "constructive" role in managing the present crisis, nor does it mean that China has an interest in Putin, specifically, surviving, but it certainly means that China should not "stab Russia in the back".

EDIT: It if were actually true that, by "stabbing Russia in the back", China could significantly defuse escalating tensions with the USA even if only temporarily (say, for the next 15 years) and roll back unwelcome developments such as the "Quad", restrictions on technology imports/exports/etc. then China's path would be clear: stab Russia in the back. But the notion is simply ludicrous. The world does not work that way. At best, the enemy of my enemy is tolerated until I can get around to stabbing them in the back as well.