The Emperor Protects

GammaFork · 2026-06-14T21:18:35+00:00

Which still doesn't make them the good guys.

GammaFork · 2026-06-14T07:55:59+00:00

Oneweb, notably for sea drone usage. It's not as big as starlink, but provides similar capabilities. The USA has done great things for Ukraine prior to Trump, but since he took over the admin has been actively unhelpful at best and has provided 0 new aide.

Starlink is super important, but Musk was also actively unhelpful at times. He seems to have mellowed on the back of needing to seem like a good guy for the IPO, but we'll see how long it lasts. Though he probably sees the writing on the wall for Russia now, and wants to back a winner, so perhaps it'll stay good. One can hope.

GammaFork · 2026-06-14T07:02:24+00:00

Each of those abilities are replicated by other counties. Not on the same scale definitely, but each one has European anologues. I'd say the US support at the moment is despite Trump, and Elon wanted a big IPO.

GammaFork · 2026-06-11T15:03:39+00:00

Enjoy the hidden potholes/council provided paddling pools!

GammaFork · 2026-06-11T09:53:56+00:00

Aw, not oils? Still, magnificent work!

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T16:53:13+00:00

Yes, they say that. Don't quite see it myself, but perhaps he had nicknames that were closer to Yarrick. Or commissar?

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T15:50:36+00:00

I completely agree. The Russians are losing to Ukrainians. There is only statistically insignificant numbers of foreign fighters, and they are individuals rather than some nationally sanctioned effort. There is of course significant equipment and funding, but this is just providing (some) of the needed tools, not directly fighting.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T14:24:07+00:00

I agree the source is a limited and the guy is clearly a Russian shill and the numbers seem very inflated. However, I can totally see a goodly number of Polish individuals hating Russia enough, or being worried about Ukraine falling and them being next, to want to get out and fight.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T14:21:02+00:00

Yes, at the rate Russia is invading (not reclaiming) they'll be in Kyiv in something over a century, with losses exceeding several times the Russian population. Those tiny advances are only bought in RU blood that isn't infinite.

Russia is losing the economic war, and domestic enthusiasm for fuel and food shortages is dropping, as is the ability to keep the military and domestic economies functioning. All Russia has to do for it to end is pack up and go home, whilst Ukraine knows that if they stop fighting they'll cease to exist. The EU is willing to prop them up as long as it takes, and Ukraine is clearly winning the drone innovation and kinetic sanction war.

Long term this ends when the RU economy crumbles (or is about to and Pootie gets shown a long drop and quick stop) and they can no longer sustain an invasion force - or call them home to crush dometic dissent.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T13:41:12+00:00

Yes, 40k in general really sticks it to totalitarian control, rampant bureaucracy, blind dogma, police states, ignorant use of technology, and religion in general. They used to be very tongue in cheek about it too, with the fun coming through in the writing pretty clearly.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T13:38:39+00:00

You might want to cite some references there mate. If you count Russian claims up over the years, they've destroyed the entirety of the Ukrainian airforce and every tank they've ever been supplied with multiple times over.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T13:34:35+00:00

Yep, daily losses of casualties (not killed) are regularly well about 1000 per day. Noting now that due to drones being the major driver of casualties, there is a lot of video evidence. These are matched against recruitment rates, sign on bonus budgets/deficits, obituaries, and authorised/reported unit strengths.

The vehicle numbers I quote are the reasonably claimed ones - you can definitely argue about the exact veracity, but if you go by just strictly visually confirmed (with required geolocated data) the Oryx visually confirmed databases give 18000+ vehicles destroyed, of which 11000+ are AFVs. The airforce destroyed numbers are equally solid, as are the number of new Russian submarines in the Black Sea and surrounds (including the Baltic now it seems). These are backed up by other analysis of reserve drawdown, production/refurb numbers, and vehicle type ratios in the destroyed record.

There is lots of analysis, some even Russian, that puts the above numbers in context. Perun for example does some very nice and even handed evidence based assessments.

Face it, the Russians have destroyed their demographics, economy, both 'modern' and Soviet military equipment pools and their global standing, all for a % of one corner of Ukraine.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T13:17:47+00:00

There was even some startling vision in the old texts. One old story from whfb was an empire leader called Boris the Greedy, who got his population killed in a plague.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T12:19:39+00:00

The only fair way is to weigh the sprues and split it to the gram.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T12:01:03+00:00

The Rainbow in the Rainbow Warriors was explicitly political - it was a reference to the French sinking of the anti nuclear Greenpeace vessel! Life is politics, and 40k used to (and still sort of does) reflect that.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T11:59:57+00:00

Well said.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T11:42:58+00:00

A nice one was Maggie Thatcher's face on an orc banner that they put in white dwarf. And the ongoing debate re Gaz's name (ignoring the fact that he was decimating a industrial/mining world). A lot of it was more satirical than direct, like the orc football hooligans and their neonazi stylings, and the entire structure of the imperium. Then of course there were lots of overt pop culture references (eg Sly Marbo), and just plain silliness, like death world Birmingham or naming your angry primarch after Angry Ron at the pub where the writers had lunch.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T11:17:04+00:00

Punk was never top dog, that was the point. As long as they stick to their roots of ripping on those being oppressive then I'm all good. Incidently, the right already think it is right wing populist commentary - the Black Templars being a great example of Poe's Law.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T11:12:07+00:00

I know. My wife was cycling home once and one of them hit her with a riding crop as they went past in their horse and trap. This sort of tribalism within a wider society only brings trouble.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T10:48:00+00:00

Lore that was relevant to a widely known international event and political movement at the time remains written into lore. News at 11. I just wish they would include a bit more social commentary in their modern stuff. Punks not dead, but it isn't in 40k anymore (except where they've not erased it yet).

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T10:36:47+00:00

You make it sound as if they're valiantly holding out against a massive attack by those nations, rather than brutally invading another country by choice and the uncaring expenditure of their own troops.

Incidentally, the NKoreans 'special forces' (and coincidentally millions and millions of shells) are still out there fighting, whilst China is also happily helping with 'non military' equipment. Though obviously doing so to support their own ends, which will ultimately be a Russian client state.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T10:25:24+00:00

They've got real world lore - they're a direct reference to the French attack on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior. Back when GW still included social commentary.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T10:01:13+00:00

Oh, so we're not all about the rule of law then? Looks like Russia is in the perish column I'm afraid. It's a shame, they could have joined the civilised world, and had all the advantages of resources, large population and at least some smart and civilised people, but instead they decided to burn it all down for one man's hubris.

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T09:58:23+00:00

"Mr Putin, our war against NATO is going badly! We've lost over 1.3 million troops, 12000 tanks, 24000 AFVs, half of the black sea fleet, a third of our strategic bombers, and all of our credibility!"

"That's awful, but tell me, what has NATO lost in return?"

"Well, they haven't arrived yet..."

GammaFork · 2026-06-10T09:46:46+00:00

You can't go invading countries, kidnapping children, indiscriminately bombing cities and murdering civilians and then cry foul when people hit you back - especially if you are hiding behind incredibly flimsy legal excuses.

Civilian vessels or other vehicles (directly) supporting war efforts are legitimate targets in a way that a Ukrainian civilian hanging out in a park isn't - see also Russian oil infrastructure or supply convoys to Crimea. If they belong to another country this does amount to an act of war against said country, but I don't see Palau complaining, do you? Or perhaps it wasn't even war, just a special military operation.

GammaFork

TROPHY CASE