Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-23 and Invasion

[Jacob]

Social media is apparently reporting explosions in Kiev.

[Grey Fox]

SRC's news show right now is talking live to the Kiev correspondent and we can hear explosions.

SRC is French CBC.

[FunkMonk]

 

[Jacob]

Yeah, this is grim news

[crazy canuck]

It's happening.

War in our time. Again.

A little surreal that we will be commenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What would 1989 you think of that?

Well, in 1989 I was in Berlin a couple of months before the wall came down (missed it by that much).

I was also in Budapest which was still technically Communist but the people were actively celebrating the end of communism in the city centre (man that was a good time).

But if you had told 1989 me that Ukraine and Russia were going to war, I would have thought you were a really bad alt history writer.

[jimmy olsen]

So, Gajin de Moscu? What do you think?

Ready to admit you're wrong, or is this all a western plot somehow?

[DGuller]

What struck me during the last several months was how few Ukrainians believed that the war was coming, despite US stating openly that the war was coming.  They thought it was some complicated Byzantine poker game. 

It probably didn't help that Zelensky's strategy was to downplay the possibility of war.  I wonder how history would judge this strategy.  Ukrainians essentially had one day to mobilize for a war they should've known was coming for two months.

[jimmy olsen]

Twitter saying Russian airborne have seized the Kiev airport. That would be ballsy as fuck if true. It's hard to see how that would be sustainable over the next few days even with a crushing overall Russian victory in a month.

[DGuller]

Twitter saying Russian airborne have seized the Kiev airport. That would be ballsy as fuck if true. It's hard to see how that would be sustainable over the next few days even with a crushing overall Russian victory in a month.

If they captured the airport, then obviously they're not planning to just sit on their asses in the waiting area for a month.  There are probably going to be entire divisions landing there ASAP to go and capture the city.

[Admiral Yi]

Surely we gave them some Stingers.  Plenty to take down low flying transport planes.

[grumbler]

Twitter saying Russian airborne have seized the Kiev airport. That would be ballsy as fuck if true. It's hard to see how that would be sustainable over the next few days even with a crushing overall Russian victory in a month.

If they captured the airport, then obviously they're not planning to just sit on their asses in the waiting area for a month.  There are probably going to be entire divisions landing there ASAP to go and capture the city.

True, but it's a lot easier to reinforce by driving there than flying there.

[Admiral Yi]

I'm betting Timmy's tweet is incorrect.

[jimmy olsen]

I'm betting Timmy's tweet is incorrect.

If you can't trust Rubio, who can you trust!
https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1496689463761817600?s=21

Marco Rubio
@marcorubio
#Russia's airborne forces are attempting to take control of the airport in #Kyiv to they can fly in forces to occupy the capitol city

An amphibious assault on the key port city of #Mariupol is now underway

[The Larch]

Putin has basically declared war on Ukraine in a televised address:

Russian forces will carry out 'special military operation' in Ukraine, says Putin

Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia will carry out a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

In an address to the Russian people under way now and coinciding with the United nations security council meeting, the Russian president also said:

Clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces are "inevitable" and "only a question of time".
Further nato expansion and its use of Ukraine's territory are unacceptable
The Russian military operation aims to "protect people"
Circumstances "demand decisive action from Russia"

Putin says he 'wants to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine'
More from Putin's address:

The Russian president says he wants to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine Putin has also called on Ukrainian soldiers to put down their weapons and go home, according to Reuters, citing the Russian news agency Tass.
The Russian president adds that "in case of foreign interference, Russia will act immediately".
Responsibility for bloodshed will be on the hands of the "Ukrainian regime"
Russia's response "will be instant if anyone tries to take it on"
He tells Ukrainians that "your fathers and grandfathers did not fight so you could help 'neo-Nazis'"

[DGuller]

Twitter saying Russian airborne have seized the Kiev airport. That would be ballsy as fuck if true. It's hard to see how that would be sustainable over the next few days even with a crushing overall Russian victory in a month.

If they captured the airport, then obviously they're not planning to just sit on their asses in the waiting area for a month.  There are probably going to be entire divisions landing there ASAP to go and capture the city.

True, but it's a lot easier to reinforce by driving there than flying there.

They won't have to reinforce by air for long.  It's not that long of a tank ride from Belarus to Kiev.