What is up with all these "fires" breaking out in Russia?  Apparently Russian fuel depots, arms depots, and munitions factories have become quite susceptible to catching fire and exploding.  A fuel tank caught fire today in a northeast suburb of Moscow.  Also today a munitions factory about 700 miles east of Moscow suffered massive explosion.

I saw a video today of aircraft flying over Belgorod, Russia dumping decoy flares.  If its Russian why dump flares?  If not how is a foreign aircraft over a Russian city?  Next week victory day parade.  Maybe a some thick black smoke loitering in the sky visible from Red Square.

posted by majorspark

What is up with all these "fires" breaking out in Russia?  Apparently Russian fuel depots, arms depots, and munitions factories have become quite susceptible to catching fire and exploding.  A fuel tank caught fire today in a northeast suburb of Moscow.  Also today a munitions factory about 700 miles east of Moscow suffered massive explosion.

I saw a video today of aircraft flying over Belgorod, Russia dumping decoy flares.  If its Russian why dump flares?  If not how is a foreign aircraft over a Russian city?  Next week victory day parade.  Maybe a some thick black smoke loitering in the sky visible from Red Square.

The Russian military has proven itself so terrible that you can't assume anything.  It could be something caused by Ukraine or on behalf of Ukraine.  But it could easily be a "Meanwhile in the Russian military" situation.

Russia is as weak as ever right now.  They could easily be defeated …. Likely by their own peopel

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

The Russian military has proven itself so terrible that you can't assume anything.  It could be something caused by Ukraine or on behalf of Ukraine.  But it could easily be a "Meanwhile in the Russian military" situation.

From what I'm seeing, the Russians could just be sabotaging themselves to get out of fighting. Seeing stories of them surrendering or destroying their own equipment to avoid the conflict. I think a lot of them probably think they were sold a bill of goods with this "military exercise." Nothing would surprise me.

posted by Fletch

Russia is as weak as ever right now.  They could easily be defeated …. Likely by their own peopel

At this point I believe a majority of the Russian people are all in.  They have bought the lies.  A few working behind the scenes to stop it.  The rest are scared shitless.

posted by BR1986FB

From what I'm seeing, the Russians could just be sabotaging themselves to get out of fighting. Seeing stories of them surrendering or destroying their own equipment to avoid the conflict. I think a lot of them probably think they were sold a bill of goods with this "military exercise." Nothing would surprise me.

Conscripts at the front no doubt.  What is going on in the interior of Russia is not dudes saying "fuck this shit".  Its coordinated and there is intelligence behind it.  The targets are specific and military related.

The Russians have really fucked themselves with their brutality.  The atrocities revealed to have been committed in the Kyiv suburbs opened the gates to heavy weapons pouring into Ukraine from even timid European nations. 

posted by majorspark

What is up with all these "fires" breaking out in Russia?  Apparently Russian fuel depots, arms depots, and munitions factories have become quite susceptible to catching fire and exploding.  A fuel tank caught fire today in a northeast suburb of Moscow.  Also today a munitions factory about 700 miles east of Moscow suffered massive explosion.

Sounds like our food processing plants .....

posted by QuakerOats

Sounds like our food processing plants .....

I grew up in rural Ohio farmland all around.  Used to play as kids in the cornfields, oat fields, barns, and creeks.  No time for detail but good times.  I would not trade it for anything.

Just a couple of miles from my childhood home was a rendering plant.  Locally known as the "stink plant".  No air conditioning growing up so screens in the window.  The smell would creep into my room in the morning like a "presence".  I used to pull the blanket over my head.

Anyways that plant has caught fire many times.

Victory day parade tomorrow in Moscow is going to be interesting.  Since the invasion of Ukraine the Russians have suffered massive losses.  Credible numbers show they have likely had numbers of military personnel killed in this action approaching the total of all military killed in actions they have engaged in since WWII.  Likely a modern Russian frigate was recently sunk.  These are losses that can not be hidden.

Its very bad for the Russians.  Precision hits on on their own land while they lay waste to everything they can.  Yet fail.  The Russians are now blowing bridges to slow a Ukrainian counter offensive moving southeast of Kharkiv.  Russian propaganda is now pushing NATO intervention to explain the scale of loss.  Heavy weapons are flowing into Ukraine.  Its in the open moving in convoys, trains, and planes into eastern europe. We are in the end stages of the phony war. 

posted by majorspark

We are in the end stages of the phony war.

Did you mean "proxy war"?  Cuba and Syria were proxy wars, but in this case Russia is directly involved.

I hope you're right about this coming to an end, but I'm not seeing it.  Perhaps the losses are already too big for a prolonged conflict, but it's not like the cost/losses have any impact on Putin.  Not sure how long it takes to plan & execute a coup, but if it doesn't happen sooner than later it's probably not happening.

Otherwise, Putin isn't leaving without something to claim as a victory.  And as long as Ukraine is willing and able to basically fight to a draw, seems this will drag on quite a long time.

posted by gut

Did you mean "proxy war"?  Cuba and Syria were proxy wars, but in this case Russia is directly involved.

I hope you're right about this coming to an end, but I'm not seeing it.  Perhaps the losses are already too big for a prolonged conflict, but it's not like the cost/losses have any impact on Putin.  Not sure how long it takes to plan & execute a coup, but if it doesn't happen sooner than later it's probably not happening.

Otherwise, Putin isn't leaving without something to claim as a victory.  And as long as Ukraine is willing and able to basically fight to a draw, seems this will drag on quite a long time.

No I meant "phony war" the period of time after the invasion of Poland before open hostilities commenced between major European powers kicking off WWII.

This is not Cuba, Syria, Afghanistan (Russia and NATO), Korea, Vietnam.  Lets not kid ourselves the big guys on both sides are all in.

Don’t forget the Russians were down for the count when Hitler invaded.  Now that’s apple to oranges in that their country was being invaded.  But they have a history of playing the long game. If Putin sees a western- loyal Ukraine as a threat to Russia, who know how long he’d be willing to play this out.  

Obviously I hope it ends soon.  But with Russia, nothing is ever as it seems.

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

Obviously I hope it ends soon.  But with Russia, nothing is ever as it seems.

posted by gut
Not good times to be employed as a Russian food taster.

No.  But whoever has the job probably didn’t have much choice in the matter.

It would be cool if we stopped giving them so much money.

posted by iclfan2

It would be cool if we stopped giving them so much money.

We have to keep the war going, the dems want it to actually be worse then it is.  

posted by Fletch

We have to keep the war going, the dems want it to actually be worse then it is.  

*THAN

posted by iclfan2

It would be cool if we stopped giving them so much money.

Why? And what should we do instead? 

posted by ptown_trojans_1

Why? And what should we do instead? 

Why should we? And anything else. We’re kinda in an economic crisis.

posted by iclfan2

Why should we? And anything else. We’re kinda in an economic crisis.

And an inflation crisis

And a labor crisis

And a  border crisis

And a crime crisis

And a drug crisis

Two Ukrainian soldiers pinned down remain remarkable calm under heavy fire.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/upek8w/video_of_intense_firefight_from_the_trenches_of/

posted by iclfan2

Why should we? And anything else. We’re kinda in an economic crisis.

Ok,..and?

Under that logic we would not have funded the Afghans in 1979 when the Soviets invaded. 

posted by ptown_trojans_1

Ok,..and?

Under that logic we would not have funded the Afghans in 1979 when the Soviets invaded. 

Which we never should have done.  

posted by superman

Which we never should have done.  

That's a narrow view of history. 

The correct answer is we should have assisted the Afghans after the Soviet Union withdrew. 

Aiding them hastened the fall of the Soviet Union, along with a number of other issues. 

posted by ptown_trojans_1

That's a narrow view of history. 

The correct answer is we should have assisted the Afghans after the Soviet Union withdrew. 

Aiding them hastened the fall of the Soviet Union, along with a number of other issues. 

It also led to 9/11 and thousands of dead Americans.  Why are you neolibs always in favor of sending other people's kids to die?