War with Russia

[Pblakeney]

You don't seem to have a pragmatic conclusion: you just keep saying It Can't Be Done - Here Is The Reason.

Accepting that there is no solution to a problem is being pragmatic.
The only way this ends is with Russia controlling Ukraine, or Russia conceding. There will be no middle ground.

 

[Pross]

This is not a joke. Russians using... donkeys on the front line.
Nothing speaks more than 'superpower' than donkeys.
(As an animal lover, I also find this abhorrent. As Russian soldiers are having to buy their own socks or rely on volunteer contributions, it's possible that not only are these animals gong to be hit by drones, they will probably be eaten).
For the dissenting pessimists, I am not sure how long Russia can sustain this war when they have to resort to pre Genghis Khan logistics.


View: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=832653539466810


View attachment 11549

Sometimes the 'old ways' can still be the most suitable for given conditions. Not suggesting that is the case here but the Taliban would have used donkeys and mules quite extensively as would the Muj before them in successfully seeing of opponents with much more hi-tech kit available as they were much more suited to the terrain. I'm not convinced that is the case in the flatlands of Ukraine though unless in dense woodland etc.

 

[matticus]

Accepting that there is no solution to a problem is being pragmatic.
The only way this ends is with Russia controlling Ukraine, or Russia conceding. There will be no middle ground.

Do you mean walking out of all disputed territories?

 

[Pblakeney]

Do you mean walking out of all disputed territories?

Walking out of Ukraine, yes.
There are no "disputed territories" unless you are Russian. This was all settled decades ago, and those settlements included Russia agreeing.

 

[matticus]

Crimea? (just so we're clear ...)

 

[Pinno718]

Sometimes the 'old ways' can still be the most suitable for given conditions. Not suggesting that is the case here but the Taliban would have used donkeys and mules quite extensively as would the Muj before them in successfully seeing of opponents with much more hi-tech kit available as they were much more suited to the terrain. I'm not convinced that is the case in the flatlands of Ukraine though unless in dense woodland etc.

What's a donkey's defence against drones ffs? They can't even run fast. It's hard enough to get them to move. If they carry anything from medicine to ammo, they are going to be a target. Hell, drones can hit motorbikes travelling at 50mph. There's plenty of footage of Russian soldiers getting wiped out. It's brutal.
Are they going to put tin hats on them and provide flak jackets? If the Russian's are struggling to feed the army, how long will it be before these donkeys (get eaten?) become under nourished never mind being injured, killed (and severely traumatised)?
Welfare concerns aside, 'super powers' don't use donkeys. The Taliban might.

I was using this as a illustration of the poor state of Russia's military that they have to start using donkeys - for all the dissenters who think that this war will go on indefinitely and Russia has infinite resources and that there's secret weapons and military wating to be taken out of the special cupboard.

This obviously needs more detail to... err point out the detail.

They cannot afford to pay death duties - relatives are paying for funerals, they cannot afford to pay veterans and if you were a soldier on the front line (in your aunties knitted socks) and you get sent a couple of donkeys to shift the wounded, munitions and medical supplies in the full knowledge of the plight of fallen comrades (the loss of 1000 soldiers per day*), what would your morale be like?

There's a 'lovely' video of Russian soldiers who are missing limbs and were scammed after being promised flats as compensation but lost deposits and are broke. That means that Russian individuals are happy to scam dismembered veterans and Russian vets are not looked after. Think about it. Just add that to Mr conscripts morale in the front line standing aside a couple of crack special forces donkeys.

The BBC covered scams on veterans too:


View: https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1997641655386624041

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5rm41g34qo

*That's the stats - 30,000 per month in to the war zone and 30,000 out - dead or wounded.

 

[Pinno718]

Crimea? (just so we're clear ...)

I see your point.
Crimea was a bit of a 50/50 but that doesn't mean that a hostile take over was legitimate (@Pblakeney ).

 

[Pblakeney]

Crimea? (just so we're clear ...)

What Pinno said.
And certainly doesn't include any other regions.

 

[Pinno718]

This is (was) the youthful and fighting fit 'Texas Bentley', an American who signed up with the Russians to fight the Ukrainians.

4 Russian Soldiers have been jailed for his murder. Putin offered 'open Visas' to attract anyone into Russia with money or desires to sign up. This pi$$ed Putin off.

 

[Pblakeney]

This is (was) the youthful and fighting fit 'Texas Bentley', an American who signed up with the Russians to fight the Ukrainians.

4 Russian Soldiers have been jailed for his murder. Putin offered 'open Visas' to attract anyone into Russia with money or desires to sign up. This pi$$ed Putin off.

View attachment 11551

So that's 5 soldiers off the front line?
Good.

 

[All uphill]

This is (was) the youthful and fighting fit 'Texas Bentley', an American who signed up with the Russians to fight the Ukrainians.

4 Russian Soldiers have been jailed for his murder. Putin offered 'open Visas' to attract anyone into Russia with money or desires to sign up. This pi$$ed Putin off.

View attachment 11551

I imagine a speech bubble with

"Can I get some iced water? Why don't you talk English? Back home we have better guns. Turn the goddam Aircon on"

 

[Pinno718]

So that's 5 soldiers off the front line?
Good.

4 and a quarter.

 

[C R]

4 and a quarter.

I'd say 3, with that physique he was probably more hindrance than help, which might explain his fate.

 

[Psamathe]

Sometimes the 'old ways' can still be the most suitable for given conditions.

Like requiring the leader initiating war (or "special military operations") lead their troops into action, at the front of the front lines. No leader at the front of the front lines then no troops prepared to put their lives at risk for that leader (and many wars seem only that some leader wants to rule over more, to grow their empire ... not for the benefit of the people living in invaded areas).

It's too easy for some leader to sit in a nice plush warm safe office miles away to sign orders causing deaths of many of their own citizens.

Were that to be established practice then I suspect we'd have a lot fewer wars.

 

[Pblakeney]

Wo

Like requiring the leader initiating war (or "special military operations") lead their troops into action, at the front of the front lines. No leader at the front of the front lines then no troops prepared to put their lives at risk for that leader (and many wars seem only that some leader wants to rule over more, to grow their empire ... not for the benefit of the people living in invaded areas).

It's too easy for some leader to sit in a nice plush warm safe office miles away to sign orders causing deaths of many of their own citizens.

Were that to be established practice then I suspect we'd have a lot fewer wars.

Would certainly rule out any imminent incursions to Venezuela.