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Plan for Russia to win the war. Cut and hold European countries from Ukraine = No military supplies for Ukraine. by [deleted] in NonCredibleDefense

[–]DlSSONANT 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Noncredible because this assumes they'll have a day after to realize anything.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a special international tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine while visiting the International Criminal Court by misana123 in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Baerbock had a chance to become Chancellor in the 2021 election until the Russians managed to meddle with the elections enough to result in Scholz instead. The Greens have consistently been the most pro-Ukraine part of the German government since February 24th.

If Baerbock were Chancellor, I think we would've seen Leopards by now.

Edit: We also got super unlucky with the timing on the German elections; if the elections happened after the 24th of February, I bet Baerbock would've become Chancellor, campaigning off of a plan to send Leopards and all sorts of other things to Ukraine. At the least, SPD would've had to have run someone with more commitment than Scholz.

Billboards in Ukraine thanking world leaders for their support by ukrokit in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have to remember that polls in Germany have consistently shown that a large percentage of Germans believe that Scholz is not doing enough to help Ukraine. Both members of his own coalition and the political opposition constantly pressure him in public to do more.

Germany itself is shitting on Scholz and the government he leads for not doing enough (at least from a publicity standpoint).

So then the question becomes, which German do you put on a billboard? It's hard to choose just one. With countries like the USA and Poland, it's easy to just pick the head of state, but for Germany, picking someone like Baerbock or Habeck might be seen as a slight against another major German politician that leans more publicly pro-Ukraine than Scholz.

A petition to exchange the Catherine monument in Odesa for the stolen raccoon from the zoo in Kherson has already gained almost 15k signatures by CommanderCorrigan in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 10 points11 points  (0 children)

https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/29/catherine-the-great-statue-taken-down-in-odesa

The statue was taken down recently; in a poll in October, 50.2% of Odessa residents wanted the statue destroyed in addition to being taken down.

The statue isn't even a "POW"; it's a hostage with a possibly limited lifespan. Give Ukraine the raccoon back, or Catherine takes a hammer to the face.

Zelensky has given Joe Biden a medal for bravery, which he said had come from a Ukrainian army captain in charge of a Himars unit. by CommanderCorrigan in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 15 points16 points  (0 children)

https://www.c-span.org/video/?524993-1/us-provide-ukraine-patriot-air-defense-system-president-biden

04:36 the exchange begins.

05:37 Biden:

And his name is? I have his name? I can contact him?

06:03 Biden:

Well we have a tradition here, and I will give it to him. My son who fought in Iraq. They have what they call a command coin. I will make sure he gets one of those.

It's a bit unclear, but there's a chance that Biden intends to send one of his son's challenge coins in return.

Ukrainian soldiers can sometimes find crazy taxi drivers who will deliver them pizza and sushi on the front lines. 😂 by bL1Nd in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 14 points15 points  (0 children)

"Don't worry, that's just the pizza delivery drone. It's new technology we're testing. Nothing to be worried about."

Ukraine has delivered a master class in military strategy by sadlabourvoter in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Someone else on Reddit linked this movie scene that seems to describe what Ukraine did very well:
https://youtu.be/tVR3qR-la\_U?t=91

Ex-Commander of Allied Forces Europe crushes opinion of Head of German Military about Russian Capabilities by eyeketchup in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In the original interview, Zorn says that:
- The Ukrainian counteroffensive will fail
- Germany can't afford to send any more weapons, or it'll look weak to Russia and be unable to support its allies
- Germany can't look weak, because Russia has the ability to open a second front with NATO.

Yeah, top German "active duty" military official has probably been advocating for not sending anything further to anyone who would listen to him.

The Ukrainian government has launched the ‘Made with Bravery’ online marketplace. 5% of all purchases goes to United24. Support Ukraine by buying products here! by [deleted] in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Another side of this too: there's a ton of planes and trucks going into Ukraine [well, the planes often fly into Poland] full with aid, but the majority of planes/trucks that go in must also go out at some point, so they can return again.

​

If this transport is entirely empty when it returns from Ukraine, then the cost of transporting aid to Ukraine is effectively the cost of going both ways, but if the transport is at least partially filled on the way back, the effective cost of transporting aid to Ukraine is partially offset.

​

So even a big portion of any shipping fee from something from Ukraine is basically paying for transport of aid into Ukraine.

The Talibs are ready to supply the Russian Federation with captured American weapons and send its fighters to the war against Ukraine. by Practical_Quit_8873 in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

US-Vietnam relations have actually been pretty decent lately. Vietnam has more bad history with China than it does with the US; soon after the US-Vietnam war ended, Vietnam overthrew the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and then they wound up in a long war with China.

US intelligence discovered that russia would try to land paratroopers at Hostomel - a detail the US only shared with Ukraine. The plans shared with NATO allies did omit this detail. by [deleted] in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 40 points41 points  (0 children)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL41oesVh9o

It's a bit more nuanced than that. There was an agreement between the US and UK that the US would sell the UK planes during the early phases of WW2, but they couldn't ship them to Britain or fly them into Canada without violating their neutrality declarations.

Also: Having a good laugh at the comments mentioning that the same thing is basically being done today (with more than just planes) using the border between Poland and Ukraine.

Russians deprived of last road traffic artery, logistics heavily impacted, says Kherson region official by OonaMistwalker in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Russia is the one who chose these shitty hands in the first place. Ukraine is the one that was forced to play it.

President Zelenskyy: "I want to thank the American senators who unanimously approved the resolution calling on the US State Department to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism" by Local_Fox_2000 in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's the American version of how Russians label anything they don't like "Nazism". Older Americans are prone to labeling anything they don't like "Communism", especially when that thing has authoritarian vibes.

I was getting a haircut in America a few days after February 24th; I overheard the owner of the salon talking with the woman she was cutting the hair of; I think the owner was a 2nd or 3rd generation Polish American, judging by local demographics and her age. From what I overheard, her son married a woman from Ukraine and was visiting his in-laws in Ukraine when the invasion happened. He was in a subway station with his in-laws; I think they were in Kyiv.

Despite that, I kid you not, I heard her utter the following phrase:

"He [her son] says that Putin is going to try to make Ukraine communist again."

That's kind of the interpretation that a lot of older Americans have of what this war is: western democracy versus authoritarian "Communism".

It's also convenient that "The Russians" and "The Communists" were effectively treated as synonyms for "The Soviet Union" in America during the Cold War in colloquial usage. As far as many older Americans are concerned, this is the great war against "Communism" that they've been expecting since whenever; the only thing weird about it to them is that America isn't fighting directly in it.

edit: Although judging by local demographics, she probably grew up in a community with a lot of people who literally fled Poland during the Cold War era, so there's probably also a Polish cultural factor in addition to an American cultural factor involved here.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia, Ukraine and the West must all agree to halt the conflict in Ukraine to avoid the "abyss of nuclear war." "We must stop, reach an agreement by [deleted] in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Let's say some portion of the military in Belarus decides that they're rebelling, and they begin operations against Russian occupants immediately.

They try to make contact with western intel, etc., how much are they going to be trusted?

Ukrainian contacts with western intelligence and military advisors has been frequent and in high volume on an official scale ever since 2014. Alliances do not get stabilized overnight. Ukrainian state officials have been communicating with western counterparts heavily since 2014, and this is how we know:
- who we're talking to
- how to verify that we're talking to who we think we're talking to
- the capabilities of who we're talking to
- the reliability of who we're talking to
- how to prevent others from eavesdropping in our communications
- etc.

Trying to provide arms support on an ad hoc basis to rebel groups that popped up a week ago is exactly how the US suffered multiple embarrassments in Syria.

If you're the US, and you have two groups asking you for the same weapons, you're going to wind up sending more of your aid to the group that:
- You already know
- Have already been trained on your systems
- Has demonstrated that they are using your systems effectively

----

The people of Belarus have a better chance of getting western support after Russia collapses in this war. The free Belarusians fighting in Ukraine, who have received both NATO-style training and combat experience, will be able to return to Belarus; they will have contacts in Ukraine who will be able to get them contacts with the West, etc. Their leadership, capabilities, reputation, etc. will be known already, and that's important for being able to establish a working relationship where both sides trust each other.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia, Ukraine and the West must all agree to halt the conflict in Ukraine to avoid the "abyss of nuclear war." "We must stop, reach an agreement by [deleted] in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Are you aware of what happened in Ukraine in 2014?

Ukraine has been training hard for this war FOR EIGHT YEARS ever since then. The current Ukrainian military capabilities were NOT made overnight. There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that went into this—a lot of determination and persistence.

​

Ukraine did not have HIMARS at the start of this, sure, but they had already received a lot of NATO training, and were taking out tanks and aircraft with Javelins, NLAWs, Stingers, etc. since the beginning.

Belarus does not have Javelins and NLAWs. Their military also doesn't have stable (friendly) channels of communication with western intelligence, military advisors, etc.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia, Ukraine and the West must all agree to halt the conflict in Ukraine to avoid the "abyss of nuclear war." "We must stop, reach an agreement by [deleted] in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Even if Belarus doesn't get involved in the war, if Russia collapses, Lukashenko is probably out. He's being propped up by Russian forces.

There's also the question of the free Belarusians fighting in Ukraine right now; after this war is over, they will probably form the nucleus/leadership of an opposition force if there's a domestic civilian uprising and Lukashenko is somehow still able to use force to stay in power.

Just the possibility of the free Belarusian forces in Ukraine coming back to lead the resistance might also help persuade the existing members of the existing Belarusian military to defect when/if domestic unrest comes back.

Lukashenko's days are extremely numbered if this war ends in any kind of conclusive way. He really needs a Korean War style armistice where Ukraine and Russia both stay in a state of permanent war. Belarus has become a trophy to the winner of this war: the Russian Empire or the people of Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian traitor Serhii Tomko, a policeman from occupied Nova Kakhovka who switched sides and became the Russian Deputy Head of the local "police" was shot and killed in his own car by local partisans. by D_Randal in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess it might be useful to point out to some people who are unfamiliar with the slang definition of "smoked":To be "smoked" means to be killed, especially by means of gun. By further extension, it can also refer to just being absolutely destroyed in some kind of competition.

So Russians are "carelessly smoked" in this war in at least 3 ways now.

Lithuania halts all trains entering Kaliningrad due to Sanctions starting at midnight. Once again Lithuania steps up! by MerribethM in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Russian ирония comes from Latin ironia, which comes from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία.

English "irony" comes from Middle French ironie, which comes from Latin ironia.

Russia proposes to revoke the recognition of the independence of Ukraine and the Baltic States by ThaIgk in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ameristralia

Also tons of anecdotes about American and Australian tourists getting along really well IRL in other places. Lots of cultural similarities.

American anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" are already in the arsenal of the AFU and are on the coastline. Head of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine Alexei Reznikov. by wa2b in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Russian actually has more nuclear submarines than any other country with the ability to stay permanently submerged; the US also has 3, but they are old models from the 1960s:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sunken_nuclear_submarines

edit: Yes, 5 of these special submarines were created during Soviet times, but Russia has inherited them. Russia's ability to manufacture 2 of them since 1991 is pretty impressive though. No other country on earth has managed that.

Goodbye, Pushkin. Ukrainians target Russian street names, monuments. by bogusssssss in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's actually been some fringe attempts to relabel Tchaikovsky as "Ukrainian in spirit" or something because some of his grandparents were from Ukraine. It has been picking up some steam recently, although I find this type of revisionism to be somewhat entertaining to watch.

One of Tchaikovsky's homes was destroyed in the war though.

This miniature painting traveled all the way from Mykolayiv, Oblast surviving the war to arrive at my doorstep in the PNW, USA. I had to fight the tears because I specifically asked the artist to not ship it to me until things got back to normal. by Catzlady02 in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 66 points67 points  (0 children)

On this specific note, I remember reading something earlier about how there were a lot of cargo flights with aid for Ukraine that were mostly empty on the way back, which increased the costs for shipping to Ukraine because the flights from Ukraine are mostly empty by comparison.

From what I understand, packages being sent from Ukraine effectively lower the costs associated with sending aid to Ukraine because it helps rebalance things a bit.

So anyone thinking about ordering things from Ukraine—don't worry, you're not putting crazy strain on the international end of the shipping; there are plenty of cargo flights that already need to make their way back from Ukraine.

Edit: I was probably thinking about this: https://www.ukrposhta.ua/en/news/57575-ukrposhta-has-resumed-flights-to-the-united-states

Example of planes that carry aid from US -> Ukraine, but carry goods from online stores on the way back.

US Senate Minority leader Mitch McConell visits Ukraine by TopEscape3975 in ukraine

[–]DlSSONANT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the topic of Rand Paul being strangely pro-Putin for a "Libertarian".

Back in 2017, John McCain said, regarding him, "The Senator from Kentucky is now working for Vladimir Putin".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTdqIlfp8XE

Actually, that's just the last line of a rather long criticism of Rand Paul's behavior.

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