[Discussion] Ukraine - Russian Invasion and Discussion

A place for aggregated discussions of a possible conflict, it’s implications and effects, news updates and personal accounts if any. If the expected conflict kicks off, I will change the title but the function will stay the same.

Mixolyde wrote:

At least r/TankPorn is having a good week.

Covers eyes and searches on tank porn.

What’s a lesser form of regret that includes a dash of, “who knew” with a sprinkling of, “of course this exists?”

JC wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

At least r/TankPorn is having a good week.

Covers eyes and searches on tank porn.

What’s a lesser form of regret that includes a dash of, “who knew” with a sprinkling of, “of course this exists?”

There is a surprising amount of non-porn "ThingPorn" on Reddit. EarthPorn is one of my favorites.

What about PornPorn?

In today's edition of complete novices trying to read Flightradar tea-leaves (with the understanding that the US wants people to see these vehicles) there are currently two RC-135s (electronics/radio sniffers) one British, one American and the usual Global Hawk over Ukraine, right now.

What does it mean? Who the hell knows.

It just means they are tracking ELINT and other data to keep up to date on Russian movements and intentions.

Mixolyde wrote:

At least r/TankPorn is having a good week.

Yoink.

Dezlen wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

At least r/TankPorn is having a good week.

Yoink.

Are there dragons? Tell me there are dragons. Maybe a threesome with a bus

Ego Man wrote:
Dezlen wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

At least r/TankPorn is having a good week.

Yoink.

Are there dragons? Tell me there are dragons. Maybe a threesome with a bus

Panzer Dragoons?

IMAGE(https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/5e8036fc37ec6200063daace/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=1280,720,x0,y0,safe&fit=crop)

Badferret wrote:

In today's edition of complete novices trying to read Flightradar tea-leaves (with the understanding that the US wants people to see these vehicles) there are currently two RC-135s (electronics/radio sniffers) one British, one American and the usual Global Hawk over Ukraine, right now.

What does it mean? Who the hell knows.

I have no doubt we have some small CIA/SF teams on the ground and that the RC-135s are running intel for them as well as the Ukranians. Wouldn't also surprise me if we try to mess with Russian communications since there's plausible deniability.

Lots of interesting flight activity over Ukraine tonight. NOTAM closed Kharkiv airport, and Ukraine has also closed it's borders to flights from Belarus and Russia. Some small fast civilian planes sprinting in and out of Kiev with no flight plan showing. Turkish military heavy lifter just now landed in Brovary. And of course the US embassy folks commuting from Lviv to Poland each night via AFSOC helos.

Secretary Blinken is being reported as saying that the Russians are attacking by dawn.

God speed, Ukraine. Give em hell.

Badferret wrote:

Secretary Blinken is being reported as saying that the Russians are attacking by dawn.

God speed, Ukraine. Give em hell.

sh*t sh*t sh*t. Knew it was inevitable but still terrifying. I assume this is dawn In Ukraine? So 3-4 hrs from now….

Seems to coincide with Russia announcing a no fly zone on the border.

Putin and Trump deserve each other in hell.

Looks like the last Global Hawk is leaving the airspace quickly.

A message form Putin was just played on Russian TV declaring a military operation in Ukraine to "demilitarize" it. Social media reports indicate attacks are in progress in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv is 8hrs ahead of DC and dawn there is 6:19, so maybe in an hour?

Also:
How to pronounce Kyiv? I am hearing KEEV but grew up hearing key-EHV?

/Joker "here we go" gif

Something big got hit in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and you can watch a live web cam:

Multiple explosions in Kiev and NATO officials are apparently confirming that yeah, it's happening.

Badferret wrote:

Something big got hit in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and you can watch a live web cam:

You can also watch people spam racial slurs in the chat. Bless YouTube for never failing to live down to my expectations.

Ugh, I always hide the chat even when it's benign. Can imagine tonight is going to be pretty horrific.

Someone tag Obama in. Off the top rope.

Not an anti Biden take. Just for whatever reason I'd feel a whole lot better if Obama was involved.

Apparently Russia has conducted an amphibious assault on Odessa based on that tweet and others I've seen.

From yesterday

The Beeb wrote:

Russia's defence ministry has denied attacking Ukrainian cities - saying it is targeting military infrastructure, air defence and air forces with "high-precision weapons", the country's state agency RIA citied the ministry as saying.

I'm surprised no one in the Russian government tried to hit the world with "We will be greeted as liberators."

At least for now, Putin seems to have miscalculated or at least not cared about the sentiment of the Russian people, who don't seem all that enthused about the news they've woken up to.

The Guardian wrote:

Pjotr Sauer sends reactions from Moscow’s Arbat Street:

Confusion is felt throughout Moscow this morning. On the Old Arbat, one of Moscow’s busiest pedestrian streets, many expressed shock that Russia had launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine.

“I didn’t think Putin would be willing to go all the way. How can we bomb Ukraine? We have our disagreements, but this is not to a way to solve them,” said Ksenia Fadeeva.

“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this,” said Nikita Golubev.

“I couldn’t believe the news I read this morning. A war with Ukraine? What are we doing? I feel powerless,” said Tatyana, who asked for her surname not to be published.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center in central Moscow said it was shut today due to the invasion . The Ukrainian administrator, who didn’t want to give his name, said: “We are being bombed as we speak. Of course we are closed! Jesus, what is happening?”

Also, impotent as it may be, seek out some video of the Ukrainian UN envoy's righteous anger.

EDIT: Also, I hope we're all ready to do this again soon when China decides it's taking Taiwan.

Prederick wrote:
The Guardian wrote:

Pjotr Sauer sends reactions from Moscow’s Arbat Street:

Confusion is felt throughout Moscow this morning. On the Old Arbat, one of Moscow’s busiest pedestrian streets, many expressed shock that Russia had launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine.

“I didn’t think Putin would be willing to go all the way. How can we bomb Ukraine? We have our disagreements, but this is not to a way to solve them,” said Ksenia Fadeeva.

“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this,” said Nikita Golubev.

“I couldn’t believe the news I read this morning. A war with Ukraine? What are we doing? I feel powerless,” said Tatyana, who asked for her surname not to be published.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center in central Moscow said it was shut today due to the invasion . The Ukrainian administrator, who didn’t want to give his name, said: “We are being bombed as we speak. Of course we are closed! Jesus, what is happening?”

So Putin is beholden more and more to far-right and other reactionary forces (Orthodox church), the average Russian was happy enough with a stronger projection of Russian power - but not willing to go along in a more imperialist direction.

That's if a Moscovite is representative of course, kind of hard to get solid polling data in an autocracy. But if true, and Putin makes the mistake of trying to hold on to Ukranian territories without a majority self-identified Russians, a costly guerrilla war might be the end of Putin.