[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.

CaptainCrowbar wrote:

Why have so many people suddenly started using 3-letter abbreviations for country names?

I just abbreviate Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) because they're not real countries, a pain in the ass to write out every time, and most people have no idea what you're talking about if you just say "Ukrainian separatist territories" or "temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine."

Another question is, why do the 3 letter abbreviations seem to bother people enough to ask about their origin and use, especially if the context is clear?

There's definitely an aspect of "cool war talk" about it.

Some of us type on our phones and spelling out the entire name for the sh*tbox Russian puppet states is more trouble than those open air gulags are worth.

Paleocon wrote:

Some of us type on our phones and spelling out the entire name for the sh*tbox Russian puppet states is more trouble than those open air gulags are worth.

CaptainCrowbar wrote:
maverickz wrote:
CaptainCrowbar wrote:

Why have so many people suddenly started using 3-letter abbreviations for country names?

You know.

WTF?

Ugh! Kids these days!

Because it's tacticool!

I dunno about all y'alls phones, but on my phone, when I type in "rus" it automatically suggests "Russia" and "Russian". Pretty sure typing RUS in all caps like that requires two extra taps on the shift button. But maybe you all have different phones.

I'm being a jerk and I apologize.

I got one welcome our new TLA overlords.

maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY

dejanzie wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY ;-)

I always get that confused with being a JKR.

maverickz wrote:

I dunno about all y'alls phones, but on my phone, when I type in "rus" it automatically suggests "Russia" and "Russian". Pretty sure typing RUS in all caps like that requires two extra taps on the shift button. But maybe you all have different phones.

Now do that for Lugansk Peoples Republic and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Paleocon wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I dunno about all y'alls phones, but on my phone, when I type in "rus" it automatically suggests "Russia" and "Russian". Pretty sure typing RUS in all caps like that requires two extra taps on the shift button. But maybe you all have different phones.

Now do that for Lugansk Peoples Republic and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

I think you can just say Luhansk.

Again, I was a jerk, I'm sorry, I ought to be better.

dejanzie wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY ;-)

He’s an airport?

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
dejanzie wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY ;-)

He’s an airport?

... I don't get it. You might even say

Spoiler:

it went over my head

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
dejanzie wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY ;-)

He’s an airport?

He's a Rush song.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
dejanzie wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I'm being a JRK and I apologize.

FFY ;-)

He’s an airport?

Arsuk?

Man, if I had to apologize every time I was momentarily being a jerk about something pedantic, I'd never get anything done.

hbi2k wrote:

Man, if I had to apologize every time I was momentarily being a jerk about something pedantic, I'd never get anything done.

The point is to minimize unwanted behavior through conditioning and learning.

maverickz wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
maverickz wrote:

I dunno about all y'alls phones, but on my phone, when I type in "rus" it automatically suggests "Russia" and "Russian". Pretty sure typing RUS in all caps like that requires two extra taps on the shift button. But maybe you all have different phones.

Now do that for Lugansk Peoples Republic and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

I think you can just say Luhansk.

Again, I was a jerk, I'm sorry, I ought to be better.

No need to apologize.

I think the issue with calling LNR and DNR Lugansk and Donetsk is that those oblasts are contested and calling them those names would be legitimizing Putin's puppet regimes. It states, however inadvertently, that Ukraine is at war with Lugansk and Donetsk, which is simply untrue.

I just don't want to name Satan Put in and his regime. Also it gives bonus points for sounding more knowledgeable than one really is.

I thought I'd point out too that based on random conversations it seems the average person who isn't going out of their way to follow the war coverage assumes RUS is crushing UKR in the war effort.

The worst part is that if the propaganda in RUS weren't so effective then this might come to a swifter end. There was news that the US is funding VPN companies to help RUS citizens access global media. Only time will tell if it will have an impact as it assumes people suspect they are being sold a lie and have motivation to make a change.

It kind of makes you wonder why we aren't doing the good old WW pamphlet air dropoff tactic.

Bfgp wrote:

It kind of makes you wonder why we aren't doing the good old WW pamphlet air dropoff tactic.

Because that would be a violation of Russia's air space with associated consequences.

And...the more I read commentary from folks more associated with the inner workings of modern RUS (!), it may not even matter what everyday Russians think. The system isn't set up to allow for discontent to turn into political change, by design.

maverickz wrote:
Bfgp wrote:

It kind of makes you wonder why we aren't doing the good old WW pamphlet air dropoff tactic.

Because that would be a violation of Russia's air space with associated consequences.

It's not as if they aren't triggering air scrambles globally and violating a whole lot more than that on the regular in this conflict :/

Also, if UKR did the dropoffs via drones, what are they gonna do?

Top_Shelf wrote:

And...the more I read commentary from folks more associated with the inner workings of modern RUS (!), it may not even matter what everyday Russians think. The system isn't set up to allow for discontent to turn into political change, by design.

Same as it ever was. The only thing that changes is the name.

It looks like Putin is violating Estonia's airspace again. Seems like an itch he can't help but scratch. Maybe Poland should do the same for Koenigsburg.

Lithuania is now enforcing the EU sanctions on Russia. Putin is big mad.

Ukraine just hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov Oblast in Russia causing at least one fire.

There's video of the attack from refinery workers showing Ukraine used kamikaze drones. While Ukraine has several recognizance drones that could have been modified, open source analysts say the drone looked a lot more like a repurposed Russian Forpost drone (which is a licensed version of the Israeli Searcher UAV) that Ukraine may have captured.

Either way the Novoshakhtinsk refinery is a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, but about 150 km from the front lines, meaning the drones slipped through Russia's entire eastern AA net.

I have a feeling that a lot of militaries will be reconsidering their Anti-aircraft systems.

I just had a scary thought on how the world will end.
The scale and disruptive capabilities once we weaponize nanotechnology is staggering.

And make no mistake we will use it...

fangblackbone wrote:

I just had a scary thought on how the world will end.
The scale and disruptive capabilities once we weaponize nanotechnology is staggering.

And make no mistake we will use it...

Nahh…climate change has way to much of a head start.