Don't Mention The War

[Khandro]

'One of Moscow's most senior military commanders was arrested on Thursday after Vladimir Putin promised to "purify" Russia of traitors in a sign of "real discord" in the Kremlin over the war, according to a British minister.

It came as US intelligence said at least 7,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine, including three generals, with up to 21,000 soldiers injured.

That "conservative" estimate is greater than the number of American troops killed over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

The losses appear to be leading to a purge of Putin's top military and intelligence commanders, including General Roman Gavrilov, the deputy head of Russia's National Guard, on Thursday.

Increasingly isolated and angry, the Russian president this week used a TV appearance to lash out at "traitors".'

The going seems to getting a bit rough for Tsar Vlad.

[ichkeria]

That’s not going to happen

[ichkeria]

None of that works: it’s just giving carte blanche to Putin to try again in a few years

[Gromit]

It will.
Putin doesn’t want a Russian naval base to be in NATO.
The west don’t want a war with Russia. The west don’t much care about Ukraine and its people, but they don’t want Russian expansion.
It is in everyones interest to end the war quickly.

[Old_Geezer]

Putin desperate to make scapegoats to blame his military's lack of success, on. Flattening cities from a relatively safe distance while their victim doesn't have air superiority to help take them out, seems to be it's limit.

[Old_Geezer]

So now Putin has a protracted war which he never wanted. The best thing for him to do now is ask his spy network if they have any of those suicide pills left as he will need one when he next visits his bunker.

[ichkeria]

It won’t happen unless there is a massive climb down by the west which had stated that things can never revert to the status who ante.
So whatever agreement comes out if this Russia will remain a pariah state and Putin an acknowledged war criminal.
And I’m a few years we’ll all be back to where we were before.
Isn’t going to happen.
This time the crimes are too blatant and too close to home

[ichkeria]

This isn’t a “normal” war between two sides who have mutual grievances.
It is, actually, in a sense exactly a “special military operation” namely genocide and as such it’ll be existential for one side or the other eventually

[Gromit]

The aim isn’t genocide or Putin would have used much more severe weapons before now.
Ukraine has many people of Russian origin among its population, not to mention those that just speak Russian. That is partly why Putin does not want them forming an alliance with NATO and the EU.
There have been civilian casualties in Ukraine as there are in every war. But not on the scale of genocide or ethnic cleansing. They are mainly collateral damage where the target is a cell tower or power station and Russia is targeting those but not too bothered if some people die in the process.

[Khandro]

Breaking News;
'A RUSSIAN general, the fifth since Vladimir Putin's invasion began on February 24, has been killed by Ukrainian forces.'

[CrapAtCryptics]

I`m surprised Putin went to a stadium with a million dollar bounty on his head. I`m even more surprised nobody has collected it yet.

[goodgoalie]

Absolutely, CaC. The tragedy is not just what is being inflicted on the people of Ukraine, but that the Russian population is being told downright lies about it, and most have no access to the truth.

[ichkeria]

“ 'A RUSSIAN general, the fifth since Vladimir Putin's invasion began on February 24, has been killed by Ukrainian forces”

I think that’s the one I mentioned last night: Lt-Gen Andrei Morvdichev

[dannyk13]

Gromit // They are mainly collateral damage where the target is a cell tower or power station and Russia is targeting those//
A theatre bombed and apartment blocks attacked by Russian tanks is not collateral damage.

[Gromit]

// the Russian population is being told downright lies about it, and most have no access to the truth //

Not strictly true. Putin has control of Russian media but VPNs are widely used in Russia, so blocks on the internet don’t work. Anyone who wants to can get their news from foreign sources if they want to. Very many Russians know what is happening, and very many have fled the country.

// there's been a huge exodus from Russia in the last week and a half. It's that - recent estimates range at this point from 100,000 to 200,000 people who have left. //

// people felt panicked because there was a distinct sense that the borders were likely to close, that the country was just spiraling into some kind of North Korean scenario. //

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/10/1085699224/thousands-of-russians-have-fled-afraid-a-new-iron-curtain-will-fall?t=1647696537866

[davebro]

Gromit
//The west don’t much care about Ukraine and its people,//

What a callous statement & demonstrably untrue.

[Gromit]

davebro,

No fly zone ?

[davebro]

//davebro,

No fly zone ?//

If you're saying we don't care enough to start WW3 then you're probably right but much IS being done to support Ukrainian refugees & fighters within the country.

[Gromit]

The west could have stopped Russia in 2014, but they did the minimum required. In short, we sent the wrong message, and now that mistake is catching up on us.

[ToraToraTora]

what a load of horse manure gromit, you know perfectly well why we have not imposed a NFZ. We have created what is a virtual no fly zone by supplying hi tech weaponry to the extent that it's very likely any Russian planes will be shot down. That's all we can do unless you want to start WW3.
Gromit, do you think we should ignore the risks?

[davebro]

//The west could have stopped Russia in 2014, but they did the minimum required. //

20/20 hindsight - PMSL