All Things Russia & Ukraine

[DocBarrister]

Nice idea but don't see Vlad going for it just yet OS.

Maybe he should watch the video of Ukrainians ambushing and destroying Rooskie tank column in a residential area outside Kyiv using Javelins and rocket-propelled grenades killing the division commander. How the hell you put a column of armor on a road in an area with buildings and cover adjacent to the highway without infantry support is mind-boggling.

How many years did I spend on Laxpower mocking the myth of Putin's supposed brilliance? And how many years were we told how he was so amazing, and anyone with a D by their name couldn't match his genius?

He's an idiot.

Russian GDP has been flat since he took power....20 years. And this year, of course, he'll be lucky if the economy doesn't collapse.

Moron. Sadly, his stupidity and failures likely make him MORE dangerous, not less.....

We need to give him a way out. Or more specifically, Zelensky does......

Edit to add......Diageo and Brown Forman of my industry just stopped all biz in Russia. So much private sector damage has been done to Putin that government sanctions are almost not needed. This is why you don't invade nations in 2022, folks. And don't think China hasn't noticed this reaction.

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.
He exploited European (& Wall St) naivete & greed to the point that he still holds an energy gun to the EU's head.
Don't celebrate his demise too soon. This is far from over & could get (much) worse before (& if) it gets better.

Look, old salt … you really need to stop defending and praising Putin. It has become far beyond embarrassing, both for you and this forum.

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

DocBarrister

[jhu72]

MAGA fascist wussy pea brain Mad Cawthorn calls Zelensky a thug. Tucker "Tuckyo Rose" Carlson spent his show last night spreading Putin's lie about Ukrainian bio and chemical weapons. The shallow end of the gene pool is overflowing.

There has got to be money going into the pockets of both of these scumbags, they know they are pushing Putin's lies. I suspect the boss in Moscow is bothered by the fact that he is losing significant support among the MAGA crowd. Trying to turn up the volume on his lies in the US.

[Essexfenwick]

Bernie Sanders needs to reject communism one hundred percent. We are at war against communism and he’s a communist sympathizer. It’s appalling .

[DocBarrister]

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.

That's not shrewdness. That's because he has nukes, OS.

It's because the EU can't survive, at this point, without Russian gas & oil.
We saw this coming. We warned them. Now we have to pull their chestnuts out of the fire.

Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas will come to an end within a decade. Europe is rapidly adopting electric vehicles and the Continent has learned its lesson about relying so heavily on Russian gas exports. Electric HVAC systems and electric appliances will replace gas-based equipment. Tough way to learn the lesson, but it is what it is.

DocBarrister

[Brooklyn]

DocB,

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

I will not attempt to argue against that. The only defense I make of Putin is his decision to recognize the Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. (Please recall my previous defense of Catalonia and the people's decision there to be free of Madrid's Falangist regime. In all three cases I support the right self determination.) The people of Donbas voted for freedom in 2014. They deserve it and the world owes them the respect of their political will.

My only quarrel with your post (which appears to reflect the consensus among posters here) is that so many of you here failed to make the same criticism of imperialist Bush. While some of you did condemn his wars, none of you, so far as I recall, seconded my calls for a Nuremberg tribunal for the colonialist who murdered one million innocent Afghans and Iraqis. I quoted Professor Ben Ferencz and others whose views on this matter were the same. To be consistent, you need to call for the prosecution of traitor Bush. Since there is no statute of limitations on murder I again call for the prosecution of the imperialist traitor. You and all others of you who condemn Putin should do the same. Failure to do so invalidates your attacks on Putin.

[old salt]

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.

That's not shrewdness. That's because he has nukes, OS.

It's because the EU can't survive, at this point, without Russian gas & oil.
We saw this coming. We warned them. Now we have to pull their chestnuts out of the fire.

Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas will come to an end within a decade. Europe is rapidly adopting electric vehicles and the Continent has learned its lesson about relying so heavily on Russian gas exports. Electric HVAC systems and electric appliances will replace gas-based equipment. Tough way to learn the lesson, but it is what it is.

DocBarrister

Within the decade ? BFD. Will there be any Ukrainians still alive by then.

[jhu72]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

[old salt]

Nice idea but don't see Vlad going for it just yet OS.

Maybe he should watch the video of Ukrainians ambushing and destroying Rooskie tank column in a residential area outside Kyiv using Javelins and rocket-propelled grenades killing the division commander. How the hell you put a column of armor on a road in an area with buildings and cover adjacent to the highway without infantry support is mind-boggling.

How many years did I spend on Laxpower mocking the myth of Putin's supposed brilliance? And how many years were we told how he was so amazing, and anyone with a D by their name couldn't match his genius?

He's an idiot.

Russian GDP has been flat since he took power....20 years. And this year, of course, he'll be lucky if the economy doesn't collapse.

Moron. Sadly, his stupidity and failures likely make him MORE dangerous, not less.....

We need to give him a way out. Or more specifically, Zelensky does......

Edit to add......Diageo and Brown Forman of my industry just stopped all biz in Russia. So much private sector damage has been done to Putin that government sanctions are almost not needed. This is why you don't invade nations in 2022, folks. And don't think China hasn't noticed this reaction.

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.
He exploited European (& Wall St) naivete & greed to the point that he still holds an energy gun to the EU's head.
Don't celebrate his demise too soon. This is far from over & could get (much) worse before (& if) it gets better.

Look, old salt … you really need to stop defending and praising Putin. It has become far beyond embarrassing, both for you and this forum.

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

DocBarrister

Screw you. It's not defense or praise. It's acknowledging reality.
I've been trying to tell you this was coming since 2014, why, & how to prevent it.
Just how do you intend to bring Putin to justice ?
How many more Ukrainians & Russian conscripts need to die to preserve the potential for NATO & EU membership for Ukraine ?

[a fan]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

We NEVER get those calls right. I'd like to think that it's because it's REALLY hard intel to get.

But it bears repeating: Putin is running this army of his, plus all those nukes and subs, and ships.....all with a GDP that's shrinking, and is around where Italy's GDP is.

[Peter Brown]

DocB,

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

I will not attempt to argue against that. The only defense I make of Putin is his decision to recognize the Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. (Please recall my previous defense of Catalonia and the people's decision there to be free of Madrid's Falangist regime. In all three cases I support the right self determination.) The people of Donbas voted for freedom in 2014. They deserve it and the world owes them the respect of their political will.

My only quarrel with your post (which appears to reflect the consensus among posters here) is that so many of you here failed to make the same criticism of imperialist Bush. While some of you did condemn his wars, none of you, so far as I recall, seconded my calls for a Nuremberg tribunal for the colonialist who murdered one million innocent Afghans and Iraqis. I quoted Professor Ben Ferencz and others whose views on this matter were the same. To be consistent, you need to call for the prosecution of traitor Bush. Since there is no statute of limitations on murder I again call for the prosecution of the imperialist traitor. You and all others of you who condemn Putin should do the same. Failure to do so invalidates your attacks on Putin.

Your post is insane, but let me offer W the easy out should you prove successful getting him to The Hague: W never had an idea what Cheney was doing in any part of the government. He simply isn’t bright. He isn’t curious.

I’m not sure how often I need to tell you this.

W didn’t have a clue about anything. He outsourced the entire executive wing to Cheney. He barely even knew the economy was veering toward a depression in 2008.

Even today, what are the odds W could find Afghanistan on a map?

[jhu72]

How many Ukrainians and Russians must die? ... seems to me that is rightly, up to the Ukrainian people.

[a fan]

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

Yes. Let's let him kill as many Ukrainians as possible, with no way out.

Great idea, Doc.

[jhu72]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

We NEVER get those calls right. I'd like to think that it's because it's REALLY hard intel to get.

But it bears repeating: Putin is running this army of his, plus all those nukes and subs, and ships.....all with a GDP that's shrinking, and is around where Italy's GDP is.

... well to me it does not look like your point has been considered at all. The Russian military had to be rebuilt from scratch after the fall of the Soviet Union. Whatever equipment was left over from the Soviet era is either junk or near junk today. Whatever extrapolation from the Soviet era we are doing, with the possible exception of strategy, tactics, really needs to be called into question.

[old salt]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

We NEVER get those calls right. I'd like to think that it's because it's REALLY hard intel to get.

But it bears repeating: Putin is running this army of his, plus all those nukes and subs, and ships.....all with a GDP that's shrinking, and is around where Italy's GDP is.

You really don't know how effective a military force is until they are tested in combat, especially in combat with near peer forces.

The Russians mopped up in Syria vs rebel forces. They owned the skies, uncontested. They let Syrians do the fighting on the ground.
Their long range missile strikes from sea & air were effective, as was their bombing by air in uncontested airspace, where precision was not needed.

The Ukrainans were once the heart of the Soviet forces. They've retained some of that effectiveness, even when using Soviet legacy equipment.
Five years of US training & military aid, tailored to this campaign, has been effective. Aided by US intel & targeting info.

GDP does not matter if you don't use it effectively.

[jhu72]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

We NEVER get those calls right. I'd like to think that it's because it's REALLY hard intel to get.

But it bears repeating: Putin is running this army of his, plus all those nukes and subs, and ships.....all with a GDP that's shrinking, and is around where Italy's GDP is.

You really don't know how effective a military force is until they are tested in combat, especially in combat with near peer forces.

The Russians mopped up in Syria vs rebel forces. They owned the skies, uncontested. They let Syrians do the fighting on the ground.
Their long range missile strikes from sea & air were effective, as was their bombing by air in uncontested airspace, where precision was not needed.

The Ukrainans were once the heart of the Soviet forces. They've retained some of that effectiveness, even when using Soviet legacy equipment.
Five years of US training & military aid, tailored to this campaign, has been effective. Aided by US intel & targeting info.

GDP does not matter if you don't use it effectively.

... this all true, but it doesn't explain Chinese tires that don't work in the mud, it doesn't explain why the Russians don't seem to be using their assumed precision munitions in instances where they would be the natural choice, it doesn't explain why they seem to have abandoned a 40 mile long convoy, or why so many vehicles ran out of gas, etc. The magnitude of the Russian failure has been stunning. It seems like the only thing they can do is kill civilians with artillery.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Putin's Army and Airforce have both been surprisingly overrated by both Putin and the West. The West needs to reassess their beliefs about the Russian Navy and their Nuclear Forces. Whatever they thought two weeks ago, they were wrong!!

We NEVER get those calls right. I'd like to think that it's because it's REALLY hard intel to get.

But it bears repeating: Putin is running this army of his, plus all those nukes and subs, and ships.....all with a GDP that's shrinking, and is around where Italy's GDP is.

You really don't know how effective a military force is until they are tested in combat, especially in combat with near peer forces.

The Russians mopped up in Syria vs rebel forces. They owned the skies, uncontested. They let Syrians do the fighting on the ground.
Their long range missile strikes from sea & air were effective, as was their bombing by air in uncontested airspace, where precision was not needed.

The Ukrainans were once the heart of the Soviet forces. They've retained some of that effectiveness, even when using Soviet legacy equipment.
Five years of US training & military aid, tailored to this campaign, has been effective. Aided by US intel & targeting info.

GDP does not matter if you don't use it effectively.

Ain’t that the truth.

[DocBarrister]

Nice idea but don't see Vlad going for it just yet OS.

Maybe he should watch the video of Ukrainians ambushing and destroying Rooskie tank column in a residential area outside Kyiv using Javelins and rocket-propelled grenades killing the division commander. How the hell you put a column of armor on a road in an area with buildings and cover adjacent to the highway without infantry support is mind-boggling.

How many years did I spend on Laxpower mocking the myth of Putin's supposed brilliance? And how many years were we told how he was so amazing, and anyone with a D by their name couldn't match his genius?

He's an idiot.

Russian GDP has been flat since he took power....20 years. And this year, of course, he'll be lucky if the economy doesn't collapse.

Moron. Sadly, his stupidity and failures likely make him MORE dangerous, not less.....

We need to give him a way out. Or more specifically, Zelensky does......

Edit to add......Diageo and Brown Forman of my industry just stopped all biz in Russia. So much private sector damage has been done to Putin that government sanctions are almost not needed. This is why you don't invade nations in 2022, folks. And don't think China hasn't noticed this reaction.

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.
He exploited European (& Wall St) naivete & greed to the point that he still holds an energy gun to the EU's head.
Don't celebrate his demise too soon. This is far from over & could get (much) worse before (& if) it gets better.

Look, old salt … you really need to stop defending and praising Putin. It has become far beyond embarrassing, both for you and this forum.

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

DocBarrister

Screw you. It's not defense or praise. It's acknowledging reality.
I've been trying to tell you this was coming since 2014, why, & how to prevent it.
Just how do you intend to bring Putin to justice ?
How many more Ukrainians & Russian conscripts need to die to preserve the potential for NATO & EU membership for Ukraine ?

You are once again promoting the Russian perspective.

It is not Ukraine’s desire to join NATO and the EU that is the cause of this conflict.

The blame lies solely in Putin’s megalomaniacal delusion of reestablishing the Russian Empire.

Your warped perspective is truly repugnant.

By the way, I could not care less about the Russian conscripts. Ukrainian children are dying and hospitals are being hit … that’s where our sympathies belong.

By the way, are you finally using the name, “Ukraine”, instead of the designation used by the scumbags leading Russia?

DocBarrister

[DocBarrister]

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

Yes. Let's let him kill as many Ukrainians as possible, with no way out.

Great idea, Doc.

No resolution short of regime change in Ukraine is going to allow Putin to save face.

Is that what you want?

DocBarrister

[Essexfenwick]

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

Yes. Let's let him kill as many Ukrainians as possible, with no way out.

Great idea, Doc.

No resolution short of regime change in Ukraine is going to allow Putin to save face.

Is that what you want?

DocBarrister

Putin has the cards.

The west has more to lose.

[get it to x]

Nice idea but don't see Vlad going for it just yet OS.

Maybe he should watch the video of Ukrainians ambushing and destroying Rooskie tank column in a residential area outside Kyiv using Javelins and rocket-propelled grenades killing the division commander. How the hell you put a column of armor on a road in an area with buildings and cover adjacent to the highway without infantry support is mind-boggling.

How many years did I spend on Laxpower mocking the myth of Putin's supposed brilliance? And how many years were we told how he was so amazing, and anyone with a D by their name couldn't match his genius?

He's an idiot.

Russian GDP has been flat since he took power....20 years. And this year, of course, he'll be lucky if the economy doesn't collapse.

Moron. Sadly, his stupidity and failures likely make him MORE dangerous, not less.....

We need to give him a way out. Or more specifically, Zelensky does......

Edit to add......Diageo and Brown Forman of my industry just stopped all biz in Russia. So much private sector damage has been done to Putin that government sanctions are almost not needed. This is why you don't invade nations in 2022, folks. And don't think China hasn't noticed this reaction.

He was shrewd enough that no one was able to deter him before he plunged Europe back into a war to restore Russia's historic borders.
He exploited European (& Wall St) naivete & greed to the point that he still holds an energy gun to the EU's head.
Don't celebrate his demise too soon. This is far from over & could get (much) worse before (& if) it gets better.

Look, old salt … you really need to stop defending and praising Putin. It has become far beyond embarrassing, both for you and this forum.

It’s time for you to acknowledge that Putin is a malignant, corrupt, incompetent, murderous tyrant who is committing war crimes. He needs to be brought to justice, or justice needs to be brought to him.

He must not be allowed an “off-ramp” to save face and his regime … not this time.

DocBarrister

Screw you. It's not defense or praise. It's acknowledging reality.
I've been trying to tell you this was coming since 2014, why, & how to prevent it.
Just how do you intend to bring Putin to justice ?
How many more Ukrainians & Russian conscripts need to die to preserve the potential for NATO & EU membership for Ukraine ?

You are once again promoting the Russian perspective.

It is not Ukraine’s desire to join NATO and the EU that is the cause of this conflict.

The blame lies solely in Putin’s megalomaniacal delusion of reestablishing the Russian Empire.

Your warped perspective is truly repugnant.

By the way, I could not care less about the Russian conscripts. Ukrainian children are dying and hospitals are being hit … that’s where our sympathies belong.

By the way, are you finally using the name, “Ukraine”, instead of the designation used by the scumbags leading Russia?

DocBarrister

This is the third time he's done this and you act outraged. He's a thug, murderer and everything you say. He also doesn't want NATO (American) troops on his border. Do you think war games on his border are a good idea? Everything isn't always about who's the victim, because I don't hear you raging on about Georgia or the Crimean Peninsula. Hopefully they can negotiate a settlement and avoid further bloodshed, but your fist shaking accomplishes nothing.