sglowrider
Thinks the caf is 'wokeish'.
The story of an elite Russian unit's war in Ukraine
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Absolutely tragic.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I think in one of Elena Kostyuchenko’s texts there was a scene from Belarus with a Russian soldier coming to a pawnshop with a bunch of golden teeth, chainlets etc. (which ended up into him beating the shit out of the owner and, eventually, getting rescued from the police by his superiors). Not sure if her texts were translated to English yet, she’s a correspondent from Novaya Gazeta that spent the past month in Ukraine, visiting Mariupol, Kherson, Odessa among other cities. Horrendous stuff. Novaya Gazeta was eventually shut down because of her texts even though they’ve lasted longer than literally any other independent Russian media that haven’t relocated abroad.
Golden teeth? FFSI think in one of Elena Kostyuchenko’s texts there was a scene from Belarus with a Russian soldier coming to a pawnshop with a bunch of golden teeth, chainlets etc. (which ended up into him beating the shit out of the owner and, eventually, getting rescued from the police by his superiors). Not sure if her texts were translated to English yet, she’s a correspondent from Novaya Gazeta that spent the past month in Ukraine, visiting Mariupol, Kherson, Odessa among other cities. Horrendous stuff. Novaya Gazeta was eventually shut down because of her texts even though they’ve lasted longer than literally any other independent Russian media that haven’t relocated abroad.
About 75% of its active force.What proportion of the Russian army is meant to be in Ukraine now?
What Russia did to their airborne units is criminal (not literally, but morally).The story of an elite Russian unit's war in Ukraine
That's insanely high for a country of their size.About 75% of its active force.
About 75% of its active force.
I’m not sure about that number although it depends on the definition of active force. Russian army has around 1,8 million personnel, around 1 million of them are military — the rest are administrative etc. Around 260 thousands out of that 1 million are conscripts (2 call ups by roughly 130 thousands). Which leaves around 740k? There are certainly less than 75% of that in Ukraine. Although I’m not a military expert at all, but I believe that the 75% number was based on the original estimate of the potential forces that could’ve been used in the conflict.That's insanely high for a country of their size.
What proportion of the Russian army is meant to be in Ukraine now?
If you look at it based on the Russian Army’s order of battle, elements (in part or in whole) of the following field armies have been committed to Ukraine…I’m not sure about that number although it depends on the definition of active force. Russian army has around 1,8 million personnel, around 1 million of them are military — the rest are administrative etc. Around 260 thousands out of that 1 million are conscripts (2 call ups by roughly 130 thousands). Which leaves around 740k? There are certainly less than 75% of that in Ukraine. Although I’m not a military expert at all, but I believe that the 75% number was based on the original estimate of the potential forces that could’ve been used in the conflict.
You have to also include Rosgvardia (National Guard) — a militarized police force that is also used in Ukraine even though they’re not part of the army (army answers to Ministry of Defense, Rosgvardia answers to Ministry of Internal Affairs). I’m not sure if their numbers in Ukraine were published but overall there’s around 340 thousands of them.
Anyway, it does look like Russia doesn’t have a lot of reserves that they can realistically add to their offensive.
If people want Ukraine to be held by those standards and be judged for their share of war crimes, then why now of all places? Why did no one even bother going after the Viet-Cong, the Mujahideen and the Taliban? They won their wars for their own existence and yet probably did their share of war crimes, but no one went after them publicly.It's the International Criminal Court that would investigate them I think.
Look, as I and others have said, YES, the war crimes committed by the Russian leadership is atrocious, the blanket bombing of civilians is disgusting, but the torture of PoWs is a war crime, no matter who committed them, and ALL war crimes should be punished.
I'm speaking out my ass a bit here, but given that they pulled units from as far as the Far East district, I think they probably committed well over 75% of what they have available of professional units for offensive action. Meaning that if Putin asked his military to launch an offensive campaign anywhere else right now they'd probably just have to laugh at him.If you look at it based on the Russian Army’s order of battle, elements (in part or in whole) of the following field armies have been committed to Ukraine…
1st Guards Tank Army
2nd Guards Combined Arms Army
5th Combined Arms Army
6th Combined Arms Army
8th Guards Combined Arms Army
20th Guards Combined Arms Army
29th Combined Arms Army
35th Combined Arms Army
36th Combined Arms Army
41st Combined Arms Army
49th Combined Arms Army
58th Combined Arms Army
11th Army Corps
14th Army Corps
This means the Russian Army has pulled combat units from 14 of their 16 total field armies for the invasion.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I really hope they have correctly followed the Geneva Convention protocols in poisoning occupiers.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
My previous post was wrong. It is 75% of the active ground forces that are belived to be deployed, not all forces. I don't think the Rosgvardia is included in that as they are seen more as an domestic force, at least they where befor this war.I’m not sure about that number although it depends on the definition of active force. Russian army has around 1,8 million personnel, around 1 million of them are military — the rest are administrative etc. Around 260 thousands out of that 1 million are conscripts (2 call ups by roughly 130 thousands). Which leaves around 740k? There are certainly less than 75% of that in Ukraine. Although I’m not a military expert at all, but I believe that the 75% number was based on the original estimate of the potential forces that could’ve been used in the conflict.
You have to also include Rosgvardia (National Guard) — a militarized police force that is also used in Ukraine even though they’re not part of the army (army answers to Ministry of Defense, Rosgvardia answers to Ministry of Internal Affairs). I’m not sure if their numbers in Ukraine were published but overall there’s around 340 thousands of them.
Anyway, it does look like Russia doesn’t have a lot of reserves that they can realistically add to their offensive.
Bye bye, it’s symbolic for us to start this irreversible trend. We’ve been the first ones to break away from Soviet occupation and later others have followed, hopefully, it will lead to the same sort of effect here too.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
This has been one of the bleakest days in the war so far seeing what has happened in Bucha, and then learning that Russia has kidnapped and forced a false confession out of the pregnant survivor from the Mariupol hospital, Marianna. Some genuinely disgusting and upsetting scenes.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I would have to agree with you. Russia is incapable right now of fighting on another offensive front against any sizeable / decently trained enemy’s military. And honestly, they really don’t have enough professional soldiers to perform this current invasion, as they’re having to use large amounts of conscripts as it is.I'm speaking out my ass a bit here, but given that they pulled units from as far as the Far East district, I think they probably committed well over 75% of what they have available of professional units for offensive action. Meaning that if Putin asked his military to launch an offensive campaign anywhere else right now they'd probably just have to laugh at him.
Modern militaries just aren't that big, not when compared to the giant WW2 armies that were a result of commiting over 50% of GDP towards the war on the part of most belligerents. Even the US Army only has 11 divisions today compared to the 91 that were raised during WW2.
I understand you are Lithuanian than? Makes me proud to have helped you people with that transition away from Russian dependencyBye bye, it’s symbolic for us to start this irreversible trend. We’ve been the first ones to break away from Soviet occupation and later others have followed, hopefully, it will lead to the same sort of effect here too.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I’m sure they had the Geneva approved recipe book open for reference as they baked them.I really hope they have correctly followed the Geneva Convention protocols in poisoning occupiers.
Are there any new noticeable movements in the last days? Is Mariupol still resisting? Is the UA pushing through the east yet?
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I don't know what the "narrative" is. But again, things are quite simple. Who wins in a war? The one who kills the most enemies. There are exceptions, but that's the general rule, isn't it?No one denies Russian war crimes. It isn't about proving Ukrainians aren't saints. It's about preventing the scope for legitimate debate being narrowed so far that we ignore atrocities because they prove inconvenient to our preferred narrative. The Russian bombardment of Mariupol is one big war crime. The Ukrainian treatment of POWs and Roma civillians is also a war crime. You can't be selective about criminality in war to the extent that you hold one side up as faultless and another as purely evil. It's an interesting feature of Western media (in this moment) whereby they feel the need to rehabilitate the likes of the Azov because they're working to a zero criticism policy regarding Ukraine. That approach backfires. By compromising your basic moral editorial code for one repugnant element (which happens to be a minority) you open the door to mistrust, doubt, and secondary contamination of the Ukrainian war effort as a whole because you have demonstrated a will to bend your credibility depending on how convenient it is to report the truth.
But for the bold. I pointed out the civillian corridor war crime weeks ago. Aside from that, I don't see much need to post about Russian war crimes because they are taken for granted. It represents the dominant theme in this thread and no one, that I see, disputes any of them. Human Rights Watch and other watchdogs like that have confirmed a whole series of Russian atrocities and their record is almost spotless.
You worked on infrastructure/LNG?I understand you are Lithuanian than? Makes me proud to have helped you people with that transition away from Russian dependency
Agree. Actually, despite AFP reporting it and the mayor himself confirming it, the Bucha news still hasn't made it to the MSM in here. When I search for the keywords "mass grave Bucha" on Twitter the only verified TV that shows up mentioning it are Aljazeera and some other non-western media ().This has been one of the bleakest days in the war so far seeing what has happened in Bucha, and then learning that Russia has kidnapped and forced a false confession out of the pregnant survivor from the Mariupol hospital, Marianna. Some genuinely disgusting and upsetting scenes.
You shouldn’t put dead bodies on front of newspapers all too often, but this is one of those times when the world needs it right in front of them. feck those bastards. feck them.
In Portugal, during the New State era, the consensus was that the majority of people supported the government and even the wars in Africa. In the elections, the government party won elections with numbers similar to Putin. Official media told everyone how happy the people were.Perhaps the only "controversial opinion" in what I wrote above, is that I really believe that the average Russian is responsible for Putin. But that's the abstract "average" Russian, not a particular individual. There are definitely victims in Russia, for example Navalny and many others who are in prison, or Nemtsov and many others who have been assassinated, or those who had to leave Russia because they were afraid, or those who are continually harassed by the police. Yes, there are many many victims in Russia today. However, these Russian victims are a minority. The majority has supported Putin for 20 years. The majority of Russians like that Putin is a strongman. In a similar way, the average German in 1937 did not want war against England, France, USA and Russia, but in 1937 they did like Hitler and they were happy that he was making all the "hard decisions". It was only after losing the war that they stopped supporting Hitler.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
It's getting tedius.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date