Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-23 and Invasion

[PDH]

What is "meme-tier".

Stuff that exists in prototype but not really, i.e. most of the "modern weaponry" the Russia has been boasting about but which does not exist in more than a dozen or two in real numbers.

The T-14 Armata is an example of this.

[Barrister]

I ran across this video today, and I'm slightly obsessed with it at the moment. It's March of the Ukrainian Nationalists:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3FTIfcQlNM

Very militaristic, lots of dare I say Soviet-style marching of pre-war Ukrainian troops, but rousing in a "fuck-yeah" kind of pro-Ukrainian way.  (Jesus - pre-war means 2 months ago... )

And yes - it's associated with Ukrainian quasi-fascists from the interwar period (meaning the 1920s). I know that's problematic. But it still slaps.

I love the line "For crying hasn't given freedom to anyone yet"

Slava Ukraini!

[celedhring]

It does have fashy vibes 

Then again, patriotic songs always give me cringe, I'm not the best audience for that material.

I appreciate though that for once I can watch Soviet-style marching and not feel they're the bad guys.

[Tonitrus]

The little close up at 00:08-9 of a bunch of decoration ribbons is of a US Air Force uniform/ribbon rack and duty badge. 

[grumbler]

The little close up at 00:08-9 of a bunch of decoration ribbons is of a US Air Force uniform/ribbon rack and duty badge. 

Yeah, the four different ribbons for excellence in making coffee were a dead giveaway.

[Tamas]

So, absolutely no big announcement during Putin's much-anticipated Victory Day speech.

I read this as a sign of total failure on Putin's part. Probably things on the ground are not going well enough even for him to try and sell the current situation as a win and conclude it (assuming he'd even want to). And he feels his internal situation is not stable enough to declare full mobilisation and make it a war war.

I really hope the Ukrainians can continue to hold the line, this may very well turn into an unmitigated disaster for Russia.

[celedhring]

Loved the moment he paid homage to, among others, Kyiv and Odessa as WW2 "hero cities" while he's bombing them.

[Sheilbh]

As ever, Zelensky's speech is very impressive:
https://twitter.com/mfa_ukraine/status/1523551026317570048?s=21&t=R7Q4LDzgH5VK3mXE7Gcczg

[celedhring]

As ever, Zelensky's speech is very impressive:
https://twitter.com/mfa_ukraine/status/1523551026317570048?s=21&t=R7Q4LDzgH5VK3mXE7Gcczg

Random incredible twitter take 

Arun Joshi
@Arun_S_Joshi
Epic stuff. Reminds me of Michael Keaton performance in Batman. Comedians just have incredible emotional intelligence and Zelenskyy is deploying it brilliantly here to inspire the Ukrainians and, frankly, the NATO alliance.

Also, I feel Russia needs to do something to shake things up on the ground, with the Donbass offensive stalling in places, and it seems to be staying the course, and Putin's speech doesn't seem to herald anything. It's weird.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - but again, like refocusing on Donbas, it doesn't sound like a guy who's only been told what he wants to hear or who is utterly disconnected from reality (and/or about to use nukes).

From what I've read it also seems like Putin has reframed the war as defensive/about Donbas. Which is probably not what the very aggressive, nationalist wing were hoping for.

[Legbiter]

So, absolutely no big announcement during Putin's much-anticipated Victory Day speech.

I read this as a sign of total failure on Putin's part. Probably things on the ground are not going well enough even for him to try and sell the current situation as a win and conclude it (assuming he'd even want to). And he feels his internal situation is not stable enough to declare full mobilisation and make it a war war.

I really hope the Ukrainians can continue to hold the line, this may very well turn into an unmitigated disaster for Russia.

Yeah no calls for greater sacrifice, etc. 

[Berkut]

So, absolutely no big announcement during Putin's much-anticipated Victory Day speech.

I read this as a sign of total failure on Putin's part. Probably things on the ground are not going well enough even for him to try and sell the current situation as a win and conclude it (assuming he'd even want to). And he feels his internal situation is not stable enough to declare full mobilisation and make it a war war.

I really hope the Ukrainians can continue to hold the line, this may very well turn into an unmitigated disaster for Russia.

I don't think there are any paths forward at this point that don't end in "unmitigated disaster" for Russia.

They passed that metric a couple months ago.

If they were rational (and of course they are not) and looked at this situation from the standpoint of where they are right now, they would be thinking about how to minimize the disaster, not avoid it. 

[Josquius]

Maybe Putin is slowly edging towards a "what war? Russia never invaded Ukraine. Anyone who says different goes to gulag" outcome.

[The Larch]

The Russian ambassador to Poland has been attacked with red paint by protesters when trying to lay flowers in Warsaw's monument to Soviet soldiers.

https://twitter.com/maryilyushina/status/1523605043387449345

[alfred russel]

I don't think there are any paths forward at this point that don't end in "unmitigated disaster" for Russia.

They passed that metric a couple months ago.

If they were rational (and of course they are not) and looked at this situation from the standpoint of where they are right now, they would be thinking about how to minimize the disaster, not avoid it.

Not to be an asshole, but regarding the last paragraph, isn't minimizing the disaster "mitigating" the disaster? And in the first paragraph, didn't you say that you don't think there there are any paths forward that end in something other than unmitigated disaster?