Ukraine Invasion: Part 31

[MagicFox]

31st thread, welcome all and thanks as usual.

Thank you @notimagain.

I wonder if he was trying and failing to be sarcastic

The Norway/Poland pipeline has been put in to reduce EU reliance on Russian gas and was opened ... YESTERDAY!

Excellent! :)

Russia will formally annex four more areas of Ukraine on Friday...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63072113

and in more not-good news:

⚔️ The Pentagon clarified: 18 new HIMARS will take “a few years” to deliver to Ukraine

The United States will order the systems from the manufacturer rather than removing them directly from U.S. stockpiles, as was done earlier with the 16 HIMARS MLRS sent to Ukraine

That's surely worse than useless?

Depends - we simply don't and won't have the big picture that led to this decision.

Looking both long term and at events around the world is it sensible to continue to remove assets from U.S. stockpile?

I don't know.

On September 26, the Russian invaders sent to Lyman a column of seven tanks crewed by newly-mobilized men. They had no training to learn how to drive tanks or fire their weapons. Two of the tanks were in road accidents.

More of that will happen, presumably

Interesting thread about being careful re info about how badly the Russian army is outfitted: twitter.com/natashasrussia/status/1575266861238960128?s=46&t=JgL8JDknwhc3GP_pAFgERw

I wonder who "Natasha from Russia" is trying to educate/convince?

I am sure she’s right that it is the worst pictures that go viral so we can’t assume they’re typical, but equally I don’t believe her line that the soldiers just need to report their equipment problems and it all gets sorted immediately.

And I very much doubt the Ukrainian army is in danger of seeing a picture of elderly recruits with rusted weapons and assuming they can take their eye off the ball.

Not so good if what was being indicated was "we did this to Nordstream pipelines, we could do it to yours."

MagicFox-Today 12:03
^Interesting thread about being careful re info about how badly the Russian army is outfitted:
twitter.com/natashasrussia/status/1575266861238960128?s=46&t=JgL8JDknwhc3GP_pAFgERw

Re: the propaganda message that all the Russian soldiers are unfed, untrained drunks with rusty weapons. I read ‘Natasha’s’ thread on this. What she says is sobering. She debunks this message and ends with the warning:

13. So guys...please, stop laughing and try to keep your head cool.

Kremlin also thought that they will take Kyiv in 3 days and they became victims of their own propaganda. Don’t repeat the same mistakes.

The end for today

notimagain, wouldn’t
‘Natasha from Russia’s’ general caveat against complacency over the state of training and equipment in the Russian army be worth listening to when it comes to contemplating Russia’s forthcoming renewed attacks against Ukraine - whatever the intentions behind her tweets?

notimagain, wouldn’t
‘Natasha from Russia’s’ general caveat against complacency over the state of training and equipment in the Russian army be worth listening to when it comes to contemplating Russia’s forthcoming renewed attacks against Ukraine - whatever the intentions behind her tweets?

I think we need to take the middle ground...there's boosterism/miss information coming from both sides, has been for months.

You are right in your comment, there is certainly a danger of complacency amongst the general public but I doubt the professionals in any armed Forces will be using Natasha's tweets as a primary source of intelligence....(oh and FWIW there are some interesting real life stories about how robust some rusty Soviet era weapons, epscailly the AK-47 etc can be, so I'd ignore that little facet of all this spin)

Tweets or not I still wouldn't fancy being a fresh Russian conscript being pushed into the line in the net month or so, but I'm also sure the Ukraine armed forces won't be assuming they will automatically be very easy to deal with.

Just saw this, and it makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. I just hope Ukraine will retake these territories and soon.

Thanks as always,notimagain, for filling out the whole picture.

Mb76· Today 13:15

^katem98 · Today 11:12
Russia will formally annex four more areas of Ukraine on Friday.^..

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63072113

^Just saw this, and it makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. I just hope Ukraine will retake these territories and soon*.

Yes, it is terrible, and it will be so difficult to unravel the damage, and get deported people back too. It is outrageous and sickening.

twitter.com/PavelLatushka/status/1575450978685444104?s=20&t=MroAQFWIidrnWlsSFnnMkA

Anyone know if this is legitimate? If so it appears Belarus are preparing for something.

@Igotjelly Not sure how credible that is but I doubt it, he'd be an absolute idiot and I'd hope that he'd recognise that. I don't even think they have 120k in their army do they?

No that's the response he gets, basically it would require some sort of mobilisation on their part.

unconfirmed rumours that Lyman has been retaken.

It seems too soon really. Wonderful if true though.

He's a right-wing demagog and conspiracy theorist. He will seize any opportunity to spin the news to make democrats look bad. In this case, it all hinges on an off the cuff remark Joe Biden made back in February about Nordstream II. He gets no traction beyond his fringe base. In this case, he did get some publicity.

News Corp, which owns Fox News, seems to be losing patience with Donald Trump and toning down the worst of craziness, but they still need viewers to sell adverts.

I have seen the interview with Biden, it was held in February 7th. Biden said, "If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2 we will bring an end to it," and someone says in the crowd asks "how would you do that exactly" and Biden replies "we will... I promise you we will be able to do it".

Putin to make a major speech at the Kremlin tomorrow. Any thoughts on what he might say, other than to announce the annexations.