The Russian Invasion of the Ukraine.

[Andy_Ross]

They will also be in US terms illegal combatants or even terrorists; certainly not entitled to be protected under the Geneva conventions. If Russia followed the US example many may be scooped up into black prisons and held indefinitely.

They definitely need to be recruited into a uniformed militia to ensure they are entitled to be treated as PoW if captured.

Shot out of hand you mean?

 

[lobosrul5]

Shot out of hand you mean?

Indeed, you should only play by the "rules of warfare" if the other side also plays by them.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Since they have air superiority, I was sure the Russians would roll over the Ukranians. Yes, the Ukranians would put up a brave fight, but wouldn't be able to stand up against the Russian military machine.

But it's the second day of the invasion, and the Russians haven't made any notable advances.

And in some areas, the Ukrainians are more than holding their own.

If reports are to be believed, Russian losses are much higher than the Ukrainians.

Trying to show strength, I think Putin has just showed how weak Russia actually is.

Advantage of defence is you inflict more casualties, disadvantage is you don't get to decide where the attack comes in.

Russia's air superiority won't give them that much of an advantage with the equipment they have. It will mainly act to tie down Ukraine armour from moving in the open in daylight.
Less of a disadvantage to a defender than it is an attacker.

 

[Planigale]

Shot out of hand you mean?

If you want to be cynical - sent to Siberia. But no, so they will be protected under the Geneva conventions. And, if not, then command responsibility will mean Putin can be tried for war crimes.

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

I bet Taiwan is watching with interest...

I'm sure if the USA, Europe, UK, etc. wanted to they could cripple Russia and strip Putin and his fellow thieves of their ill-gotten gains in a very short period of time. But Putin knows that wont happen because then that would expose how corrupt their elected and non-elected elite actually are. And heaven forbid very wealthy people lose a lot of money and status.

You would hope this would be a wake-up call to disentangle ourselves from despotic regimes around the world, but so long as the very wealthy get wealthier by making us ever more dependent on Chinese manufacturing and Russian natural resources I doubt anything will happen.

Out of control capitalism has created this situation.

 

[Andy_Ross]

A friend in Portsmouth says two Type 45 Destroyers slipped out today.
HMS Diamond this afternoon and another after dark, he couldn't see it's number.
Neither of them were showing on AIS.

 

[Andy_Ross]

If you want to be cynical - sent to Siberia. But no, so they will be protected under the Geneva conventions. And, if not, then command responsibility will mean Putin can be tried for war crimes.

Why do you think any insurgents captured in a firefight with Russian troops will survive to be 'prosecuted under the Geneva conventions'?

Do you think the Russian troops or Putin will care?

 

[Andy_Ross]

I have followed this thread from the beginning and must say that the tankies are making a pretty lame showing of it.

Russian tanks and tactics aren't very good.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Russia has announced it is limiting access to Facebook, accusing it of "censoring" Russian media.

State communications regulator Roskomnadzor said Facebook had ignored its demands to lift restrictions on four Russian media outlets on its platform - RIA news agency, the defence ministry's Zvezda TV, and websites gazeta.ru and lenta.ru.

Nick Clegg, the vice-president of Meta, which owns Facebook, said the social media company refused a request from Russian authorities to stop fact checking the four media organisations.

 

[Aridas]

Why do you think any insurgents captured in a firefight with Russian troops will survive to be 'prosecuted under the Geneva conventions'?

Do you think the Russian troops or Putin will care?

To poke at something that might be related - I saw a claim with video that the Russians are bringing mobile crematoriums with them.

 

[Ryokan]

Advantage of defence is you inflict more casualties, disadvantage is you don't get to decide where the attack comes in.

Russia's air superiority won't give them that much of an advantage with the equipment they have. It will mainly act to tie down Ukraine armour from moving in the open in daylight.
Less of a disadvantage to a defender than it is an attacker.

Compare it to western invasions in Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Afghanistan and Iraq again. Total shock and awe as an opening, eliminate all ground forces with air power, move in troops supported from the air.

The defenders there certainly didn't inflict more casualties than the attackers.

Russia wants to be seen as a superpower on equal footing with NATO. They have shown that they are clearly not.

 

[Andy_Ross]

UK will impose sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The BBC understands that this will take the form of an asset freeze, but not a travel ban - which is what the EU has announced too.
Prof John Heathershaw, who leads research into international kleptocracy at the University of Exeter, warns Russia "will not take these sanctions seriously" due to the UK's "kleptocracy problem".

"There are professional 'enablers' that help Russian kleptocrats obscure their ownership and sources of wealth, gain UK residency and property, and launder their reputations," he says.
Tackling this, he says, would involve regulation that is "opposed" by many big businesses.

 

[Jimbo07]

A friend in Portsmouth says two Type 45 Destroyers slipped out today.
HMS Diamond this afternoon and another after dark, he couldn't see it's number.
Neither of them were showing on AIS.

I wonder if this business will encourage the RN to, you know, actually get antiship missiles?

 

[Ryokan]

To poke at something that might be related - I saw a claim with video that the Russians are bringing mobile crematoriums with them.

That's so there won't be pictures of dead soldiers coming home to Russia. Things like that can damage the war support.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Kwasi Kwarteng summoned BP chief Bernard Looney this afternoon to explain why it owns a 20% stake in Rosneft, which provides fuel to Russia army.

Has he also summoned the prime minister to explain why he's appointed the wife of Putin's former finance minister to his Downing Street advisory board, and the son of a Russian oligarch and former KGB agent to the House of Lords?

 

[shemp]

The next time someone calls himself a hero for getting a high score playing Call of Duty, show him what a real hero is:

Hero Ukrainian soldier ‘blows himself up to destroy bridge’ and stop Russian invasion forces storming in from Crimea

A HERO Ukrainian soldier blew himself up to destroy a bridge and stop Russian forces from storming in from Crimea.

Generals hailed the sacrifice of Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych for halting a column of Russian tanks at Henichesk, in the southern Kherson region.

The brave engineer had volunteered for the dangerous mission to rig the bridge with mines, an Armed Forces official said.

It is a key strategic pinch point linking annexed Russian-occupied Crimea and mainland Ukraine.

As Putin's forces raced towards him, Vitaliy realised he did not have time to set a fuse and get to safety.

"The bridge was mined, but he didn’t manage to get away from there," said the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

"According to his brothers in arms, Vitaly got in touch [with them] and said he was going to blow up the bridge

"Immediately after an explosion rang out."

 

[jimbob]

If you want to be cynical - sent to Siberia. But no, so they will be protected under the Geneva conventions. And, if not, then command responsibility will mean Putin can be tried for war crimes.

I've got a good deal on some cash from a Nigerian prince, just give me £10k and I can release a billion old Zimbabwae dollars for you.

 

[Andy_Ross]

I wonder if this business will encourage the RN to, you know, actually get antiship missiles?

They still have the Harpoon SSMs but their main role is not anti ship, they are designed to be Carrier escorts.

Wherever they are going there will be subs close by that have all the AS capability that is needed.

I don't think it's anything to do with the current situation in Ukraine, it's to short notice to have deployed them in response to it.
Wherever it is they are going will have been in the works for a while, they won't be going to the Black Sea or Baltic.

 

[Jimbo07]

They still have the Harpoon SSMs but their main role is not anti ship, they are designed to be Carrier escorts.

Wherever they are going there will be subs close by that have all the AS capability that is needed.

I think that's been the rationale. However, the Carrier aircraft don't have heavy antiship, either, so you're reliant entirely on your subs.

I don't think it's anything to do with the current situation in Ukraine, it's to short notice to have deployed them in response to it.
Wherever it is they are going will have been in the works for a while, they won't be going to the Black Sea or Baltic.

I think they were scheduled to sail, regardless. However, ships can be re-tasked.

I doubt we're about to see a huge naval action surrounding events in Ukraine. It will be more of a show to defend seaways for transporting troops to NATO allies.

 

[grunion]

Russian tanks and tactics aren't very good.

I was referring to ISF tankies.