Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-25

[KRonn]

Gen. Hodges won't comment on the U.S. strategic-force posture in Europe other than to say he is "confident in that process." But he adds that the fact that the Russians rehearse nuclear-strike scenarios "shows that they're not worried about conveying a stark message like that. You know, frankly, you hear this often from many people in the West, 'Oh, we don't want to provoke the Russians.' I think concern about provoking the Russians is probably misplaced. You can't provoke them. They're already on a path to do what they want to do....

Yep, agreed on this. Putin is already on a path to do what he wants. It just depends on what his neighbors and those opposed will do about it. As for nuclear training, I would hope those are for intimidation as the Russkies can't be foolish enough to think using even a few is a good idea, but I won't put it past the kind of government they have now, especially under Putin.

[Syt]

http://rt.com/news/233231-putin-ukraine-conflict-west/

Putin: West already supplies arms to Kiev, but Moscow optimistic about Minsk deal



Vladimir Putin said that Kiev is being armed by Western allies, according to Moscow's information, but insisted he was "optimistic" about implementing the Minsk agreement, noting that the intensity of fighting has declined.

Did Orban tell him?

[Solmyr]

This is funny as hell. Languish should approve.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/18/trolling-russias-hearts-and-minds/

This image shows American former pornstar Sasha Grey, whose surname is translated into the Russian word meaning "grey," claiming she died as a first-aid worker in eastern Ukraine. Her obituary contains several sexually suggestive double entendres (for example, "they say she could raise even the most hopelessly wounded men to their feet").

[KRonn]

Wait until the Russian Bear sets his gaze upon the ripe honey fields of the Baltic states, where he dares and/or defies NATO.

[Valmy]

Wait until the Russian Bear sets his gaze upon the ripe honey fields of the Baltic states, where he dares and/or defies NATO.

What will we do when the poorly trained and poorly equipped mob of Putin's stooges shows up in the Balkans?  We will have them arrested.

[derspiess]

Wait until the Russian Bear sets his gaze upon the ripe honey fields of the Baltic states, where he dares and/or defies NATO.

What will we do when the poorly trained and poorly equipped mob of Putin's stooges shows up in the Balkans?  We will have them arrested.

We'll bravely stand up to them like we did last time.  Oh, wait...

[Valmy]

Wait until the Russian Bear sets his gaze upon the ripe honey fields of the Baltic states, where he dares and/or defies NATO.

What will we do when the poorly trained and poorly equipped mob of Putin's stooges shows up in the Balkans?  We will have them arrested.

We'll bravely stand up to them like we did last time.  Oh, wait...

That was different

By the way I meant Baltics not Balkans there.  My apologies to any Estonian, Lithuanian, or Latvian posters.

[CountDeMoney]

Wait until the Russian Bear sets his gaze upon the ripe honey fields of the Baltic states, where he dares and/or defies NATO.

The Germans would simply sweep the Russians aside.

Germany's army is so under-equipped that it used broomsticks instead of machine guns
By Rick Noack February 19
Washington Post

The German army has faced a shortage of equipment for years, but the situation has recently become so precarious that some soldiers took matters into their own hands.

On Tuesday, German broadcaster ARD revealed that German soldiers tried to hide the lack of arms by replacing heavy machine guns with broomsticks during a NATO exercise last year. After painting the wooden sticks black, the German soldiers swiftly attached them to the top of armored vehicles, according to a confidential army report which was leaked to ARD.

A defense ministry spokesperson said the use of broomsticks was not a common practice, and that the decision of the involved soldiers was "hard to comprehend." According to the ministry, the armored vehicles were furthermore not supposed to be armed. It remains unclear how many broomsticks were substituted for machine guns.

The awkward revelation on Tuesday came at the worst possible moment for Germany's defense ministry. The same day, Ukraine's army was about to suffer a defeat in the town of Debaltseve, putting a renewed focus on the question whether Europe's NATO allies would be able to manage the crisis militarily – without an American intervention, if necessary.

To make matters worse, the broom-equipped German soldiers belong to a crucial, joint NATO task force and would be the first to be deployed in case of an attack. Opposition politicians have expressed concerns about Germany's ability to defend itself and other European allies, given that even some of the most elite forces lack basic equipment.

The central European country was the world's third-largest arms exporter in 2013, but when it comes to Germany's own defense politicians have been unwilling to invest. In 2013, Germany spent only 1.3 percent of its GDP on defense -- a ratio which was below the average spending of the European members of NATO.

In an interview with local German newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, the head of the country's green party Cem Özdemir argued that it was not only the lack of funding that posed a problem. "The financial resources are not being used efficiently," Özdemir said last September. According to him, Europe's armies only have one tenth of the strength of the U.S. Army, although they cost half of the defense budget of the United States.

The lack of equipment does not come as a surprise to close observers of the German army. Last year, the parliamentary defense committee was informed that out of 89 German fighter jets, only 38 were ready for use. The list of damaged items also included helicopters, as well as a variety of weapons.

After the lack of arms and vehicles was made public, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen vowed to upgrade and repair the equipment. According to some soldiers and officers, the minister has so far failed to deliver on her promises.

According to the confidential report that was leaked on Tuesday, the German NATO task force would face serious problems if it had to intervene abroad. More than 40 percent of the task force's soldiers would have to do without P8 pistols, and more than 30 percent lacked general-purpose machine guns, known as MG3. Operating at night would be particularly difficult for Germany's armed task force, given a lack of 76 percent of necessary night viewers.

Germany's continuous equipment problems hardly match von der Leyen's public rhetoric. On Tuesday, she announced that Germany would overhaul its security strategy and become more active internationally and in eastern Europe in the coming years.

According to Reuters, von der Leyen said that Germany's new policy had to take into account the Kremlin's attempt "to establish geo-strategic power politics and military force as a form of asserting their interests." Critics, however, say that such statements remain pure rhetoric, as long as the financial resources dedicated to the German army are insufficient.

[Ed Anger]

I'm better armed than Germany.

[Caliga]

LOL do they call them: Mennonite guns

[Valmy]

Surely 1.3% of Germany's GDP can at least buy machine guns.

[celedhring]

Surely 1.3% of Germany's GDP can at least buy machine guns.

Then they'd have to replace the Leopards with vacuum cleaners.

[DGuller]

Did they make pew-pew sounds during training?

[mongers]

Ukrainian servicemen who fought in Debaltseve are seen in a bus before leaving for home, near Artemivsk, Feb. 19, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

If not posed, that's a real 1000 yard stare.

[derspiess]

I'm better armed than Germany.

Yeah.  I could lend them a couple Mosins.  They could try mounting those on to armored vehicles and wouldn't even need to paint them black.