romad1

I see a lot of optimism in the Western press and I want to share it. if Putin stops now, he has more territory than before he started. He can manage the perceptions of his power when Germans and others return to importing his fuel and he gets the sanctions eased because of the burden they place on Western investors. I want him out of power. i fear we lack the Will to do that.

Got to love the simplicity of this. Its almost poetry

So, these are the security guarantees necessary for collective security You must stand up to the bullies. You can't do it everywhere but you have to pick your battles and be deliberate and clear.

i did not watch the video so i can’t verify

As an addendum: the Ukrainians do not have the ability to do maneuver warfare because they lack training in large unit coordination. The Russians tried it with their large cumbersome force and you can see the results. Perhaps though with some work over the next few months the Ukrainians can generate some units for maneuver that will allow them to do that. Defensive weapon systems appear to have advantages over maneuver units at the moment though. Like they did in WWI and the US Civil War.

There are experts who are looking at Russian attrition and say they will be done by June. I won't make any bets. In the favor of these experts there is a point where the differential equations for modeling of combat (Lanchester) break. The point where the Regular Iraqi Army after being smashed by airpower for a month lose their ability to stand and fight and the Republican Guard do stand and fight at 73 Eastings and get destroyed by the US Army who are happy not to have to fight all those non-Republican Guard units to get to the RG. Another example is the German Army in Normandy after fighting hard in Normandy for a month+ in June/July 1944 finally broke and were nearly encircled. The difference besides our numbers was our firepower. I look at the situation in Ukraine and I don't know how the Ukrainians actually reconquer all of the lost territory unless they just keep killing Russians. Killing Russians requires accurate artillery or other long range fires (drones, missiles, airpower). Their ability to go on offense thus far as been driven by the Russians withdrawing from territory to consolidate their forces because of attrition. So, more US and western artillery systems will give them that ability to smash the Russians and win. Am I optimistic this happens by mid-summer...nah. Russia is a big place and it has a lot of resources. It might break but the most Ukraine can hope for is they cry uncle unless Putin dies.

Good god! That is the essence of Michigan chick boiled down to its perfected form of the Livonian

I'm a day late...sorry

Use those information warfare skills for good. The kompromat clearly exists on these dirtbags.

Events are dynamic. This thing in June might well be a big deal. The J6 committee has been setting it up like a festival.

good

Faedo is a revelation. I had him written off forever.

amusing and true

Vote these bums out! Putin caucus!

That would be an excellent combination.

I heard Alex Avila

Nice Area. Except it actually is if you are on the water there. Very nice harbor in St. Pete.

Magic

He's fantastic. He and Emily Watson were in one of those weird Lars Trier movies together apparently. My son does an almost pitch perfect Boris when you ask him where he's going he replies: "To get you 2000 tons of sand and boron!"

That is Boris from Chernobyl isn't it?

In my minds eye I read this in the voice of an East London gangster from a Guy Ritchie movie.

I'm tickled by the idea of the Ukrainians capturing Belgorad

Here it is in fact

This was fascinating. Go find this on youtube.