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Russian Invasion of Ukraine - tactics and logistics

So yeah, an oversight by Putin there.
I get the sarcasm but there aren't any oversights being made by Poostain. He's using any and all means at his disposal to protect himself from accountability. If he has to kill every citizen in Russia that's what he will do.
It wasn't really sarcasm. Had Putin held fake referendums in those regions before the "schlock and blah" Kviv failure, that would have helped make things more complicated for the West. But Putin's arrogance overlooked the concern. I think he also doubted the West getting so involved. He pretty much didn't predict any outcome in Ukraine correctly yet.

Of course, holding fake referendums is harder without stormtroopers.
 
Great... maybe Putin can draft them to fight then. Clearly, they are for Russian control with those 97% yes referendums.
Well, DNR/LNR had been mobilized prior to operation.
The fact is, people voted to join Russia, and no amount of neocon propaganda will change that fact.
.. unless, of course, it's not a fact. No amount of crying and stomping your feet makes it a fact.
Something that strongly implies that it is not a fact is prior knowledge of the general feeling of the people
Another thing that implies it is not a fact is centuries-long historical statistical analysis of elections... whereby no fairly run public election is ever (EVER, EVER, EVER) so overwhelmingly one-sided. At least 30% of the population is going to be one one side of an issue or the other. Any public election that comes out 99% to 1% is an obvious sham... no election in history ever could come that close (or else why, if EVERYONE believes the same thing) would it not have already happened long ago?

A great example of this is the issu eof abortion in the US. It is 70% for and 30% against (simplistically speaking).... that is about as close to "Everybody is for it" that is possible to get... whch is why it is such an issue right now (our government going against what "everybody" demands).
 
I think he also doubted the West getting so involved.
I definitely agree with this part. But at this point I don't think he's calculating anything other than staying in power. He screwed the pooch but he has no escape. There is simply no other available plan.

I see him sabotaging other pipelines, like the one headed into Poland. It's a pretty drastic step to take but like I said he's willing to do anything to stay in power. I also wouldn't be surprised to wake up tomorrow and see he's been removed from power. But because he's been absolutely ruthless for twenty years that's not going to happen. He's going to die in power, most likely isolated like Stalin in his final days.
 
Denmark’s armed forces released a video showing bubbles rushing to the surface of the Baltic Sea above the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, and said the largest gas leak had caused surface disturbance of well over 1km in diameter.

They posted a video on Twitter:

Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, has described the major leaks in two Russian gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea as a “terrorist attack”.

In a statement on Twitter, he called for more arms and said:



The apparent leaks in the Nord Stream pipeline are both near the island of Bornholm, which belongs to Denmark in the Baltic sea.

Sweden’s SVT quotes seismologist Björn Lund saying that the area where they detected explosions is not an area usually used for military drills. He told SVT: “We usually get information about explosions that take place underwater, but sometimes we don’t get it. In this case, we have not received any information.”

According to Lund, one of the explosions had a magnitude of 2.3 on the Richter scale, and was recorded at 30 measuring stations in southern Sweden.

Prior to the reports from the seismologists, there had already been speculation about possible sabotage, as the pipeline operator had described three lines suffering significant damage within the space of a day as “unprecedented”.


 
On drive back from field stuff, I was listening to one guy on the AM dial and he was leading into whether Biden was responsible. W...T...F?! Are these people getting huge checks from Russia?
 
On drive back from field stuff, I was listening to one guy on the AM dial and he was leading into whether Biden was responsible. W...T...F?! Are these people getting huge checks from Russia?
Duh

Edit: granted, the person getting the check is the one screening callers. The rule of large numbers takes care of actually guaranteeing the crazy is out there ready to air.
 
On drive back from field stuff, I was listening to one guy on the AM dial and he was leading into whether Biden was responsible. W...T...F?! Are these people getting huge checks from Russia?
Chalk it up to an unfortunate brain condition.
 
So yeah, an oversight by Putin there.
I get the sarcasm but there aren't any oversights being made by Poostain. He's using any and all means at his disposal to protect himself from accountability. If he has to kill every citizen in Russia that's what he will do.
It wasn't really sarcasm. Had Putin held fake referendums in those regions before the "schlock and blah" Kviv failure, that would have helped make things more complicated for the West. But Putin's arrogance overlooked the concern. I think he also doubted the West getting so involved. He pretty much didn't predict any outcome in Ukraine correctly yet.

Of course, holding fake referendums is harder without stormtroopers.
Not sure what you're thinking about exactly. How could Russia hold referendums in territory it doesn't control? If you're thinking of the "people's republics", and that Russia should have annexed them before the invasion, probably true. But then the problem would have been that most of Donbas was under Ukrainian control, so it would have required another round of annexations anyway.
 
The fact is, people voted to join Russia, and no amount of neocon propaganda will change that fact.

Then you accept the UN vote that proves Russia has zero support amongst the world? Seeing as there was a vote that means all your assertions that Russia has support in this is complete horseshit.

That's the problem with bullshit arguments. They tend to contradict previous bullshit arguments one makes.
 
We know Russia and Chia are on our social media sowing political disciord and supporting the war.

Facebook just took down a number of Russian and Chinese accounts.
 
Like, I get why someone from a country that never once had a real election might not understand or care what a freely cast vote is.

I can understand entirely why someone so reared might not believe such could ever really exist.

I can even understand why they would, in their resentment, wish for such a thing to not exist for others if they cannot have it for themselves, assuming that they accept the existence of it at all.

But that's the thing, Barbos: we know what a real election looks like.

There are multiple examples of footage of people being asked by armed Russian soldiers.

This is "being asked to vote at gunpoint". This is not a fair and free vote.

There should not be a gun anywhere near a polling place. I'm sure there are a few places online where countries, government organizations, and nerd organizations, have published best practices for holding a secure, fair vote.

There are organizations that specialize in polls for third parties.

I'm sure there are even organizations that specialize in polls conducted in war zones.

Barbos, this wasn't that.
 
Last I knew that was what protestors we're for. The only thing Barbos is protesting is the reality that Russia is losing the war for hearts and minds.
Well, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Africa support Russia. That's a lot of hearts.
They support cheap energy.
Not to mention that the only hearts and minds that matter are the ones belonging to the citizens of Ukraine, whose homes were unilaterally invaded...
Well, the ones which were actually "invaded" just voted to join Russia.
So.....
A vote where the outcome was known in advance? That's not an honest ballot!
 
You do realize that Ukraine has had mobilization for a while now?
They are mobilizing women now. I guess, good job, neocons!
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see here in the perpetual irony making section of the internet you can see a Russian trying to downplay the effectiveness of women in combat"

Hate to break it to you Barb, but women have been fighting against this illegal invasion that you support from the get go. Trans people too. And seeing as you buy into the Ted Cruz/Tucker Carlson machismo bullshit I have to ask - how does it feel that your country's military is getting their arse kicked by military units whose battle patch is a fucking unicorn? That really must hurt your manliness, hey?
 
I know very little about this war. It's too depressing to follow. Yes, Ukraine has achieved surprising success but Russia will target civilian populations and infrastructure, is torturing random Ukrainians, and now conducting sham elections at gunpoint.

It's too depressing. Russia is destroying Ukraine indiscriminately, but Ukraine's weapons cannot be fired beyond its border. Lucky I'm not President: "Hi Vlad. For every 1000 Ukrainian civilians you kill, I will obliterate a Russian city." That might not end well.

So I clicked the latest page of this thread to educate myself. But soon stopped — the pro-Putin gibberish was too much.

You do realize that Ukraine has had mobilization for a while now?
They are mobilizing women now. I guess, good job, neocons!

Do you really not know the difference between a war of aggression and a country desperate for its very survival?

I won't bother Googling to narrow down your "for a while." Are you speaking of 15 years ago when Ukraine had plans to invade and conquer the Russian Federation?
 
The most one-sided vote in Australian history was the referendum on whether to treat Aboriginal Australians as human beings. Held on 27 May, 1967, the referendum garnered a massive 90.77% vote in favour of so doing.

It's one of those 'no brainer' questions, that was only even asked because the constitution cannot be amended without such a poll. The issue was almost completely uncontroversial; Support was massive and overwhelming.

And yet even then, nearly 10% of voters didn't vote "yes".

That a population in a war-zone would vote 97% in favour of the occupying power annexing their region is utterly laughable.
 
S.L. Kanthan on Twitter: "Putin signs decree recognizing Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as independent states. (Donbass next?)
Ukraine and its masters (US/EU) can cry or blow up pipelines, but these regions are never going back. Make peace or Russia will annex Odessa soon. (pix link)" / Twitter


With scans of the documents. I use this OCR site - i2OCR - Free Online Russian OCR - then Google Translate. I've combined the two decrees together.
УКАЗ

ПРЕЗИДЕНТА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

О признании Запорожской / Херсонской области

В соответсвии с общепризнанными принципами и нормами международного права, признавая и подтверждая принцип равноправия и самоопределения пародов, закрепленный в Уставе Организации Объединенных Наций, учитывая волеизъявление народа Запорожской / Херсонской области на референдуме, состоявшемся 27 сентября 2022 г. постановляю:

1. Признагь государственный суверенитет и независимость Запорожской / Херсонской области.

2. Настоящий Указ вступает в снду со дя его подписания.

Президент Российской Федераций - В.Путин

Москва, Кремль,
29 сентября 2022 года
№ 685 / 686
The first word is where we get "ukase" from. From Google Translate, unedited:
DECREE

PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

On the recognition of the Zaporozhye / Kherson region

In accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of international law, recognizing and confirming the principle of equality and self-determination of peoples, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, taking into account the will of the people of Zaporizhia / Kherson region at the referendum held on September 27, 2022, I decide:

1. Recognize the state sovereignty and independence of the Zaporozhye / Kherson region.

2. This Decree enters into force upon its signing.

President of the Russian Federation - V. Putin

Moscow Kremlin,
September 29, 2022
No. 685 / 686
Thus making Zaporizhiya and Kherson joined Donetsk and Luhansk.
 
Putin signs decrees to recognize independence of Zaporozhye, Kherson regions - Russian Politics & Diplomacy - TASS - that venerable Soviet news agency has survived the fall of the Soviet Union. Its name is the Russian acronym for "Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union "

How DPR, LPR, Kherson, Zaporozhye voted for joining Russia - Russian Politics & Diplomacy - TASS

Region"Yes" pctTurnout pctTurnout #Population
Donetsk99.23%97.51%2,131,2074,387,702
Luhansk98.42%94.15%1,662,6072,263,676
Zaporizhia93.11%85.40%541,0931,755,663
Kherson87.05%78.86%571,0011,063,803

 List of Ukrainian oblasts and territories by population
 
Baltic states and Poland close doors to Russian tourists | Reuters
Four of the five European Union countries bordering Russia began turning away Russian tourists at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while their country is at war with Ukraine.
That Monday was Sep 19.

Finland to join European neighbours in shutting out Russian tourists | Reuters
Finland said on Thursday it would close its border to Russian tourists at midnight, shutting off the last remaining direct land route to the European Union for them as thousands of Russians seek to avoid conscription into the war in Ukraine.

The government said the move would lead to a significant drop in cross-border traffic after almost 17,000 Russians crossed the border into Finland during the weekend.

"The entry of Russian citizens in tourist purposes into Finland endangers Finland's international relations," Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference, explaining that the decision had followed talks with Ukraine and neighbours.

Haavisto said entry for family visits, as well as for work and studies, would still be permitted.
That Thursday was Sep 29.

In one article, I found a picture of a multilingual sign on the Finnish side of the Finland-Russia border. I tracked down this picture:
File:Finnish-Russian border, Paljakka-2.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
I transcribed and translated the text with Google Translate:

Seis - GT Finnish: Stop
(Raised hand)
Stop

Rajavyöhyke - Pääsy ilman lupaa kielletty
GT Finnish: Border zone - Access without permission prohibited

Gränszon - Tillträde utan tillstånd förbjudet
GT Swedish: Border zone - Access without permission prohibited

Grenzzone - Eintritte ohne entsprechende erlaubnis verboten
GT German: Border Zone - Entry prohibited without proper permission

Border zone - No entry without special permit

Пограничная Зона - Въезд без разрешения запрещается
Pogranichnaya Zona - V"yezd bez razresheniya zapreshchayetsya
GT Russian: Border Zone - No entry without permission

English "forbidden", German "verboten" and Swedish "förbjudet" are all inherited Germanic cognates. However, "zone" and its German, Swedish, and Russian counterparts were borrowed from Latin, and in turn from Greek.
 
EU asylum in doubt for Russians fleeing army draft
Google searches on "how to leave Russia" spiked as soon as Russian president Vladimir Putin announced mobilisation of 300,000 reservists on Wednesday (21 September) morning.

Flights from Moscow to Istanbul and Yerevan sold out hours after he spoke, according to Russian flight-booking website Aviasales.

Putin's speech also prompted small anti-war protests in some 15 Russian towns, leading to 109 arrests, according to Russian rights group OVD-Info.

And for its part, the Kremlin declined to rule out closing its borders in the future to stop people leaving. "I can't answer that question," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday when asked if it might happen.

Kremlin says no decisions taken on border closure amid mobilisation | Reuters

Eurasian Georgia, not American Georgia:
Russian draft dodgers queue at Georgian border | Eurasianet - "Men seeking to avoid being sent to Ukraine are flocking out of the country, and Georgia is one of the few options that doesn’t require an exorbitant air ticket."
As Russians rushed for their country’s exits to avoid conscription into the war in Ukraine, the land border with Georgia turned into an apocalyptic sight, with people rushing to safety in cars, riding bikes and electric scooters, and even on foot.

The line of cars heading southward extended for miles and some reported having to wait for days to get out of Russia.

“It’s like a zombie invasion movie back there,” one young Russian man told Eurasianet, after he came through the checkpoint on a bike on September 26. “We stood there for two days!”
 
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