All Things Russia & Ukraine

[old salt]

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

I don't consider Leon Panetta & Nancy Pelosi to be scumbags.

[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

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.

Putin declared in a speech that Ukraine is not even a true nation. Do you think he will ever back down from that position?

President Zelenskyy is probably right, for now (assuming Zelenskyy can stay alive) the only way to truly stop this war is for Putin and Zelenskyy to directly negotiate. Do you think Putin’s demented ego will let him negotiate with Zelenskyy as an equal?

I’m skeptical. Nations want EU and NATO membership for a very rational purpose … to survive. They know Putin’s Russia cannot be trusted and that only the military power of NATO can curb his malignant ambitions.

It’s Putin and Russia’s long and malignant history of imperial oppression that drove neighboring nations towards NATO and the EU, and it was very much their right to seek membership.

This war must end with Putin and Russia’s humiliation and weakening. Anything short of that will only bring more wars in the future.

DocBarrister

[old salt]

DocB will never admit that George W Bush made a mistake.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... raine.html

[DocBarrister]

DocB will never admit that George W Bush made a mistake.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... raine.html

Your post doesn’t make any sense.

DocBarrister

[old salt]

DocB will never admit that George W Bush made a mistake.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... raine.html
George W. Bush Carries Some Blame for the Current Conflict With Putin

Your post doesn’t make any sense.

DocBarrister

[old salt]

It was sadly ironic watching Congress play " stump the dummy " with Victoria Nuland about the Polish Mig flap.

What goes around comes around. The EUros say FU2.

https://www.salon.com/2021/01/19/who-is ... licy-team/

[Brooklyn]

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?

I've gotten many lame answers to my questions and challenges in the past. This ranks among the lamest that it is not to be taken seriously.

[Brooklyn]

DocB will never admit that George W Bush made a mistake.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... raine.html

Same as forum right wingers who worship at his feet and who will they ever admit he deserves a Nuremberg tribunal more than anyone else.

[Carroll81]

Snapshot of US reinforcement of NATO, to date.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... aine-nato/

...U.S. troops across Europe, whose numbers have jumped since the Ukraine threat surfaced in October from a normal 65,000 to about 100,000.

Though it’s largely invisible to the public, the United States has moved an astonishing military presence forward in Europe, from a mere 200 in Hungary and 350 in Bulgaria to 2,500 in the Baltic states, 10,000 in Poland and 38,500 in Germany — forces in 17 countries, bolstered by 11,000 in ships at sea. It’s a forbidding display of force.

At one stop near the Ukrainian border, we watched one of the 14 widebody cargo planes that arrive at the local airfield each day with Western weapons; near the runway stood a rack of Javelin antitank missiles, awaiting shipment into Ukraine. If you want to see where they end up, just watch the videos on social media of Russian tanks and trucks exploding into fire.

OS, who pays for this? Is it part of the increase to 2% that the NATO allies have added? Does it go into the "Training" column of the US Defense budget? Does it just disappear in the US budget, never to be spoken of?

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pent ... raine-aid/

Budget deal would fully fund Defense Department, add $13.6 billion in Ukraine aid
By Leo Shane III and Joe Gould
Mar 9, 09:34 AM

Congressional leaders on Wednesday unveiled a compromise budget bill which includes Defense Department funding for the rest of fiscal 2022 and $13.6 billion extra in emergency assistance for Ukraine and NATO allies.
Now they have to pass it.
House and Senate appropriators worked late into the night on the $1.5 trillion measure, which includes $728.5 billion in military spending for the year. That’s a 5.6 percent boost over fiscal 2021 funding levels, and above what President Joe Biden had requested in his federal spending plan.

In recent months, Defense Department leaders have been forced to move money between various accounts to offset funding shortfalls caused by short-term budget extensions passed by Congress. The current fiscal year began on Oct. 1, meaning federal agencies have been operating without a permanent budget deal for nearly six months.

The latest budget breakthrough will require lawmakers to pass one more short-term budget extension — through March 15 — to give lawmakers time to finalize the larger, year-long deal. Chamber leaders said they’ll work on that over the next few days.

Ukraine aid
In addition to the base budget, lawmakers added $13.6 billion to the budget package to provide additional aid and assistance to Ukraine and NATO countries alarmed by Russia’s aggression in eastern Europe over the last few weeks.

Ukrainian leaders have pressed for additional military and humanitarian aid to combat the full-scale Russian invasion of their country which began on Feb. 24. Since then, thousands of Russian troops, Ukrainian military members and Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the fighting.

Congress plans to divide the emergency funding among several agencies. About $6.5 billion will go to the Department of Defense, with more than half of that total set aside to restore military stocks of equipment already transferred to Ukraine.

About $3.1 billion will cover “deployment, operational, and intelligence costs” for U.S. forces deployed to Europe in response to the Russian actions. Nearly 15,000 American service members have been deployed to the region in support of NATO allies in recent weeks, but none have been sent into Ukraine itself.

The bill also funds the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — used to help train and equip the Ukrainian military — at $300 million.

The State Department will receive about $4 billion for “the rapidly expanding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.” Officials say more than 12 million people in the region are in need of food, shelter, and other basic necessities because of shortages caused by the fighting.

Another $650 million would be provided for military support and “an expansion of existing authorities to bolster the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian military and regional allies.”

Other money would be set aside to enforce sanctions against Russia for the military assault and for economic assistance for Ukraine and other European allies.

Defense funding
The military spending totals in the budget compromise bill include funding for the 2.7 percent military pay raise that went into effect on January 1 and enough personnel support for an end strength of 1.34 million troops, slightly below the fiscal 2021 total.

Lawmakers also included $278 million in housing assistance for military families facing rental cost increases and other housing issues caused by ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and $686 million to deal with the continuing water contamination issue linked to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii.

About $1.4 billion would be set aside for “Countering China and investing in the Indo-Pacific,” to include new missile tracking efforts in the region and establishing new defense monitoring stations in Hawaii and Guam.

For the Navy, lawmakers agreed to $26.7 billion for 13 Naval vessels, including two VIrginia-Class submarines, two DDG- 51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, one Constellation-Class frigate, one expeditionary sea base, two fast transports (including one medical variant), two oilers, two tugs, and one surveillance ship.

Navy and Marine aircraft procurement accounts rose more than $1 billon above Biden’s request, for 12 more F/A-18E/F Hornets, two more CH-53K King Stallions, four added MV-22 Ospreys and two more MQ-4 Tritons.

The Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan won more than $500 million above Biden’s request, largely split between industrial equipment and facility renovations.

For the Air Force, appropriators highlighted $1.8 billion to buy 16 C-130J aircraft to modernize two Air National Guard operational wings. They added eight UH-1N replacement aircraft and four MQ-9s among other moves.

For the Army, appropriators added about $500 million for Army aircraft, chiefly to add more UH-60 Blackhawks, CH-47 Chinooks and Grey Eagle drones. They also added more than $300 million for Stryker and Abrams upgrades.

The bill’s security assistance funding included a sought-after $1 billion for Israel to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system, used earlier this year to counter rockets fired at the Jewish State from Gaza.

In addition to the Ukraine aid, the new defense budget plan also contains more money for other security cooperation programs, including $165 million for coordination with African nations, $500 million to support Iraqi security forces, and $300 million for work with Eastern European partners “facing Russian aggression.”

Veterans Affairs funding
Under the compromise budget, the Department of Veterans Affairs would see nearly $270 billion in available spending this fiscal year, the largest budget in agency history.

In fiscal 2001, the VA budget totaled about $45 billion. By fiscal 2011, it was about $125 billion, almost triple that total. Ten years later, in 2021, the department’s budget was nearly double that again, at $245 billion.

The new funding plan would invest more money in mental health care initiatives ($13.2 billion, up 28 percent from fiscal 2021), efforts to prevent veterans homelessness ($2.2 billion, up 12 percent) and women’s health care programs ($840 million, up 14 percent).

The plan also calls for $1.4 billion in spending for VA’s caregiver support programs, up about 14 percent from last year. The program is scheduled to undergo a major expansion this fall, potentially adding tens of thousands more veterans.

Lawmakers also allotted more money for major and minor construction projects (up 23 percent and 40 percent, respectively), but the roughly $2.1 billion in total spending for those accounts still falls short of what advocates say is needed to update the department’s aging infrastructure.

Thank you.

[RedFromMI]

Newly accused Russian agent in the US gave to exactly one US politician - Tulsi Gabbard!

https://t.co/tJVH7HiJZg

[old salt]

S-300 air defense systems possessed by NATO allies :

Don't have to transfer the entire systems. They could transfer just the missiles to reload expended rounds in surviving Ukrainian systems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-300_missile_system

Bulgaria – ten S-300 launchers, divided into two units with five launchers each.

Slovakia – One battery S-300PMU and 48 missiles type 5V55R inherited from Czechoslovakia. 3 missiles were fired during exercise in Bulgaria in 2015

Greece – S-300 PMU1 system acquired after the Cyprus Missile Crisis and operated by HAF on Crete consisting of 1 regiment/4 systems/8 fire units/32 launchers / 175 missiles. Greece first fired an S-300 during the White Eagle 2013 military exercise, which was the first time it was used since it had been bought 14 years earlier.

Greece also operates the Patriot. They already have a Patriot Battery deployed to Saudi Arabia (at a price)
https://greekreporter.com/2021/09/14/gr ... di-arabia/

The S-300's are controversial in Greece & NATO. Their transfer to Ukraine could be backfilled with Patriots from the US or other NATO users.
https://en.rua.gr/2022/03/02/what-weapo ... come-from/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/03/08/u ... sian-made/

[old salt]

Newly accused Russian agent in the US gave to exactly one US politician - Tulsi Gabbard!

https://t.co/tJVH7HiJZg

$59.95 legal political donation by an American citizen & they're going after her for a FARA violation.

She lobbied about a park name in HI.

[Brooklyn]

The pro war crowd is making a meal out of a reported attack on a hospital allegedly by Putin's forces. If such an attack was undertaken by them it certainly would deserve to be described as an act of barbarism. Of course, it is no different that Bush's attack on Red Cross complex, Kabul, Afghanistan (October 16 and October 26, 2001) or on the attack at the hospital at Kunduz sometime in 2015. Add to that the barbarism committed by Bush's Gestapo criminals at Abu Ghraib. Right wingers had no trouble with any of this so that this should not trouble them as well. At least in theory, one would think.

I continue to be amazed how Bush remains a hero to so many while Putin is equated with Hitler even though Bush's two wars were infinitely worse than what we see today.

[jhu72]

Apparently the 40 mile long convoy north of Kyiv has begun to disperse - not moving forward on the road, moving off the road they have been stuck on.

[jhu72]

Expect Biden to announce that Russian "Most Favorite Nation" trade status to be revoked today. Canada did so last week.

[dislaxxic]

Accused Russian Agent Gave to One Politician: Tulsi Gabbard

[dislaxxic]

..

[seacoaster]

..

Good one.

You can see, in real time every day and night, the Right decompensating over this, and slowly but surely turning to what they know: make the Ukraine war a partisan talking point for elections, even if it means supporting a rival who is currently, as we speak, engaged in war crimes and the effort to end the life of a sovereign nation. At the same time, they have no -- literally "no" -- platform or plan for the country. They don't believe in democracy: they believe in hanging onto their jobs, getting a majority, and having first dibs at the spigot of largesse that is the Government.

[DocBarrister]

Russian forces launched multiple missile attacks early Friday on a wide range of targets across Ukraine, causing substantial damage in and around the central city of Dnipro, and also attacking airports in the far west of the country, which had previously been spared from the conflict.

There was substantial damage to the airport at Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, some 70 miles from the Polish border. The Governor of Volyn region said four missiles had been fired from a Russian bomber and two people were killed. Plumes of smoke also rose from the military airfield at Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, which was struck by missiles.

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/uk ... 96d893b061

If I had to guess, this was Russia’s preemptive strike against the flying of any “donated” NATO planes into Ukraine.

There are idiot Republicans in Congress who do not see the delivery of military combat jets to Ukraine as an escalation. That is pure lunacy, as military combat jets can be used to attack not only Russian invasion forces in Ukraine, but also Russian installations in Russia itself.

Not saying that such assistance may never be needed, but it should be universally recognized as a dangerous escalation of the war.

DocBarrister

[Peter Brown]

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?

I've gotten many lame answers to my questions and challenges in the past. This ranks among the lamest that it is not to be taken seriously.

And yet my post is more realistic than your original post.