Current Affairs Ukraine

[PhilM]

Someone likened these scenes to the Somme last week, looks more like Nagasaki in 1945 to me

I don't think the WWI comparison is too unfair, however it also resembles many of the Far-Eastern islands from WWII that the US Marines had to clear.

This is close-quarter, guttural warfare.

 

[Drico]

TBF to Poland they've taken in almost 1 million Ukrainians. That'll come at an enormous economic and social cost.

So has Germany. My next door neighbour is a lovely Ukrainian family (mother, son, and grandmother). Nevertheless, the Poles were adamant the Germans give up their gas supplies from Russia at the cost of rocketing energy prices and huge economic damage here. We were told having a hot shower was "funding Putin's war machine." I mean, I have no control over where my energy comes from, but that was the message. The Germans were excoriated by the Polish government - and even the more progressive types like Kallas in Estonia - but did what was right (Germany has largely replaced Russian gas in the space of 18 months - a tremendous achievement, but one that crippled lots of ordinary people financially). But lo and behold, as soon as it comes to making sacrifices that might impact on their own farming economies and electorates, the Polish government, Orban and the Slovaks are breaking EU law to feather their own nests.

They'd better hope the AfD doesn't continue to rise here (and the hypocrisy of the Poles plays into that), because their idea of "expansion" is rather different to that of Olaf Scholz or Ursula von der Leyen...

 

[davek]

So has Germany. My next door neighbour is a lovely Ukrainian family (mother, son, and grandmother). Nevertheless, the Poles were adamant the Germans give up their gas supplies from Russia at the cost of rocketing energy prices and huge economic damage here. We were told having a hot shower was "funding Putin's war machine." I mean, I have no control over where my energy comes from, but that was the message. The Germans were excoriated by the Polish government - and even the more progressive types like Kallas in Estonia - but did what was right (Germany has largely replaced Russian gas in the space of 18 months - a tremendous achievement, but one that crippled lots of ordinary people financially). But lo and behold, as soon as it comes to making sacrifices that might impact on their own farming economies and electorates, the Polish government, Orban and the Slovaks are breaking EU law to feather their own nests.

They'd better hope the AfD doesn't continue to rise here (and the hypocrisy of the Poles plays into that), because their idea of "expansion" is rather different to that of Olaf Scholz or Ursula von der Leyen...

Interesting.

Of course we shouldn't confuse the Polish political class and their agenda with normal everyday people and the way think. I doubt most Poles could care less if Russia had a gas deal with Germany as long as they were kept out of any war and their living standards dont take a hit.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

 

[davek]

Territory around Rabotino seems to be the crucial battle at the moment.

 

[peteblue]

Territory around Rabotino seems to be the crucial battle at the moment.

Robotino is in Poland. Rabotino is in Russia. Robotyne in Ukraine I mentioned the other day is a significant move forward…….

 

[davek]

Robotino is in Poland. Rabotino is in Russia. Robotyne in Ukraine I mentioned the other day is a significant move forward…….

...is in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine.

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

 

[tsubaki]

TBF that line about "Never in history has a nation lacking surface combatants been able to compel an opposing naval force to retreat from its forward bases." is a bit of a misleadingly worded one. Using land firepower (which is what this was) to force a navy (edit) out of its base has happened quite a few times, most notably at Toulon (when Napoleon made his name).

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

TBF that line about "Never in history has a nation lacking surface combatants been able to compel an opposing naval force to retreat from its forward bases." is a bit of a misleadingly worded one. Using land firepower (which is what this was) to force a navy (edit) out of its base has happened quite a few times, most notably at Toulon (when Napoleon made his name).

Ukes are never shy when it comes to ramping up the rhetoric

 

[larrygobfiend]

Spare a thought for our Nazi friends today. Another one of their idols, Kadyrov might be brown bread

 

[varnish]

Is @davek ok?

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Russia on fire again.

 

[davek]

Isn't this just an admission that the ground war has been shot to hell with no real advances and so a few successful special forces ops in Crimea has been elevated to underline that the Ukraine are still in this fight?

It has more to do with Zelensky visiting NY this week to attend the UN security council and then the WH to see Biden than anything substantial. The Ukrainians need to have something to show for the billions of US tax dollars spent on them so far.

Overall though the dial hasn't shifted.

That would be my overall appraisal.

 

[LostLegend]

Spare a thought for our Nazi friends today. Another one of their idols, Kadyrov might be brown bread

RIP bozo.

Remember when he kidnapped Mo Salah at the Russian World Cup during training and drove him around in his car for a bit?