Scores On The Red Square Doors

[ichkeria]

As Eurovision kicks off in Liverpool, I thought it would be interesting to note the scores achieved by Russia in its annual May 9 Red Square parade.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/09/europe/russia-victory-day-parade-moscow-intl/index.html

1 tank
5 APC/ISVs
6 S400 missiles
6 Topol missiles
6 Iskanders

One Putin and about 6 world leaders.

Embarrassing

[Old_Geezer]

Be fair, it's probably all they have left. And allegedly all because the evil world hates Russia and it's people, and uses the innocent Russian empire building invasions as a feeble excuse to have a go at them.

[ichkeria]

Initially the Kremlin announced that Putin would only be appearing by video link. As it is, his speech was very short.

It does look as though UK Storm Shadow missiles are on their way to Ukraine - these were promised when Zelensky came to London, so I hope they are, literally, on the way.

[Zacs-Master]

Ich, I see the Storm Shadow missiles are air or ship launched. Presumably Ukraine will be air launching them - but does this not bring up an escalation scenario i.e. Russian aircraft shooting down Ukraine aircraft?

[andy-hughes]

It's interesting that President Putin wants to align his invasion of Ukraine with the invasion suffered by Russia from the Nazis in the Second World War.

I'm not sure the President grasps the fundamental difference between being invaded, and invading - but then he wouldn't, because if he did, his entire comparison would collapse - as it does anywhere outside his own mind.

[ichkeria]

“the Storm Shadow missiles are air or ship launched. Presumably Ukraine will be air launching them - but does this not bring up an escalation scenario i.e. Russian aircraft shooting down Ukraine aircraft?”

Not sure I understand.
Russian aircraft have already shot down Ukrainian planes. And vice versa (rather more often)
What’s the problem with escalation? There’s about to be a very big one :-)

[Zacs-Master]

OK, thanks. I was thinking more about aircraft being shot down (and crashing) in adjacent countries and the potential for things to escalate through those countries being pretty annoyed. I didn't realise quite how many Ukraine aircraft had been 'downed' by Russia (approx 60 I believe) which begs the question 'do they have sufficient aircraft and pilots to fly the planes carrying the SS missiles'?

[retrocop]

Ironic isn't it?
There would have been no victory for Russia to celebrate if it hadn't been for a great deal of input in blood and materiel from the UK and USA . Putin forgets Murmansk convoys etc. Now he threatens to nuke us! With what?
As someone commented in Red Square." There is no need for Ukraine to try and embarrass us. We can manage by ourselves"

[ichkeria]

Russia has lost over 300 aircraft and nearly 300 helicopters.

Yes Ukraine certainly has the manpower and the planes to fly these, which are likely not that difficult to adapt to Migs and Sukhois. Ukraine has had replacement planes from its allies. Western standard fighter jets will hopefully follow in due course

[DTCwordfan]

I am sure that Putain has plenty of spare nuke missiles sitting in his silos. Having said that, would his chain of command actually obey an order to launch and I bet there's a pretty good probability that they would go off in the silos....

[ichkeria]

“ I was thinking more about aircraft being shot down (and crashing) in adjacent countries and the potential for things to escalate through those countries being pretty annoyed.”

They wouldn’t be overflying foreign countries.

[ichkeria]

“ would have been no victory for Russia to celebrate if it hadn't been for a great deal of input in blood and materiel from the UK and USA”

On the subject of which:
https://ibb.co/SN590Jz

[Old_Geezer]

I'm certain that President Putin is correct to compare this conflict with that against the Nazis in WW2. Unfortunately he seems somewhat confused as to who is taking the Nazi part this time around. IMO it's probably age related health issues; older political leaders seem to suffer from such confusion.

[Zacs-Master]

Thanks for the info, Ich.

[ichkeria]

Just to put the cap on a great day for the russian dictator (whose ravings the BBC deem it necessary to headline on the news page as though they were of any significance), Mr Potato Head (Lukashenka, the governor of Belarus) took ill and had to return to the airport in an ambulance :-)

[tomus42]

That single old tank was a bit embarrassing.

[ichkeria]

I may be speaking too soon. But the tide appears to be turning in Bakhmut.
Ukrainian forces are widely reported to have routed several units of Wanger group and advanced several kilometres.
This may sound pretty pathetic, but if the Russians fail here after 11 months, losing 10s of thousands trying to take a turn of 70,000 (once) then they really are done for. It also looks as though their huge defence lines may be seriously undermanned all along the front