comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 54 minutes ago
I think his last (deleted) comment was on 4075.
I'd love to know what he had written.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.16 million!
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 26 minutes ago
NEW: Rishi Sunak's spox now says Sunak thinks Frank Hester's alleged remarks about Diane Abbot were "racist and wrong"
The same spox repeatedly refused to say until now - about an hour after Kemi Badenoch broke ranks to call the remarks racist
Sunak intends to keep the £10m
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To him it's like forgetting the tenner your racist mate donated to your kids funrun.
New w/ @rowenamason + @matthew_weaver -
Frank Hester asked if there was “no room for the Indians” and suggested staff climb on a train roof during a crowded meeting, before saying he made “a lot of jokes about racism”.
https://x.com/direthoughts/status/1767636008143626697?s=46&t=bPTrpdgNggCdz9igvhmVyw
lol let’s see Rishi spin this now his biggest donor went for his people
Give it back and it'll probably be given to the RP.
They need quick cash to cover Lee Anderson's signing on fee.
Hester also spoke of a forthcoming work trip, saying: “I’m looking forward to going to Malaysia, so that I can make new jokes – I don’t know any jokes about Malaysian people but I’m sure we’ll find them. I’m sure we’ll find them. There have got to be some, haven’t there?”
Great work by the Guardian this
They deliberately timed that second story to release after Downing Street made a statement on whether they thought it was racist or not.
I don't think they should give him the money back. Nor do I think they should keep it. It should be donated to charity. I'm sure the Tories will put out a statement about how the money is an innocent party in all this though.
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
Is that supposed to be a deterrent then? I might become an asylum seeker myself, could do with £3k
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 26 seconds ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They've not thought this through, have they?
NEW: A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of his Muslim faith and his opinion that Israel “is governed by an apartheid regime"
So the Tories think Israel is an apartheid regime??
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted less than a minute ago
NEW: A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of his Muslim faith and his opinion that Israel “is governed by an apartheid regime"
So the Tories think Israel is an apartheid regime??
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Does this open the door (or the floodgates) for Palestinian refugees?
13-year-old Jerusalemite Rami Hamdan set off a single Ramadan fireworks & was shot dead by a cop who "felt threatened." Netanyahu's police minister & former (real) terrorist Itamar Ben Gvir: "I salute the fighter who killed the terrorist." Judge for yourself.
https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1767630477920276838?s=46&t=bPTrpdgNggCdz9igvhmVyw
War in Ukraine:
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in French magazine Marianne, who got access to "several confidential defense reports" from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron
The situation looks exceedingly bleak for Ukraine, which might in part explain Macron's recent declarations around sending troops to Ukraine. I translated the important parts of the article:
"A Ukrainian military victory now seems impossible"
The reports Marianne consulted write that Ukraine's counter-offensive "gradually bogged down in mud and blood and did not result in any strategic gain" and that its planning, conceived by Kiev and Western general staffs, turned out to be "disastrous": "Planners thought that once the first Russian defense lines were breached, the entire front would collapse [...] These fundamental preliminary phases were conducted without considering the moral forces of the enemy in defense: that is, the will of the Russian soldier to hold onto the terrain".
The reports also highlight "the inadequacy of the training of Ukrainian soldiers and officers": due to a lack of officers and a significant number of veterans, these "Year II soldiers" from Ukraine - often trained for "no more than three weeks" - were launched into an assault on a Russian fortification line that proved impregnable.
Without any air support, with disparate Western equipment that was less efficient than the old Soviet material ("obsolete, easy to maintain, and capable of being used in degraded mode", the report mentions), the Ukrainian troops had no hope of breaking through. Add to this the "Russian super-dominance in the field of electronic jamming penalizing, on the Ukrainian side, the use of drones and command systems".
"The Russian army is today the 'tactical and technical' reference for thinking and implementing the defensive mode," writes the report. Not only does Moscow have heavy engineering equipment that allowed it to construct defensive works ("almost total absence of this material on the Ukrainian side, and the impossibility for Westerners to supply it quickly" but the 1,200 km front, known as the Sourokovine line (after a Russian general), has been mined to a huge extent.
The reports also highlight that contrary to Ukraine "the Russians have managed their reserve troops well, to ensure operational endurance." According to this document, Moscow reinforces its units before they are completely worn out, mixes recruits with experienced troops, ensures regular rest periods in the rear... and "always had a coherent reserve force to manage unforeseen events." This is far from the widespread idea in the West of a Russian army sending its troops to the slaughter without counting...
"To date, the Ukrainian general staff does not have a critical mass of land forces capable of inter-arms maneuver at the corps level capable of challenging their Russian counterparts to break through its defensive line," concludes this confidential defense report, according to which "the gravest error of analysis and judgment would be to continue to seek exclusively military solutions to stop the hostilities". A French officer summarizes: "It is clear, given the forces present, that Ukraine cannot win this war militarily."
"The conflict entered a critical phase in December"
"The combativeness of Ukrainian soldiers is deeply affected," mentions a forward-looking report for the year 2024. "Zelensky would need 35,000 men per month, he's not recruiting half of that, while Putin draws from a pool of 30,000 volunteers per month," observes a military officer returned from Kiev. In terms of equipment, the balance is just as unbalanced: the failed offensive of 2023 "tactically destroyed" half of Kiev's 12 combat brigades.
Since then, Western aid has never been so low. It is therefore clear that no Ukrainian offensive can be launched this year. "The West can supply 3D printers to manufacture drones or loitering munitions, but can never print men," notes this report. "Given the situation, it may have been decided to strengthen the Ukrainian army, not with fighters, but with support forces, in the rear, allowing Ukrainian soldiers to be freed up for the front," admits a senior officer, confirming a "ramp-up" of Western military personnel in civilian clothes. "Besides the Americans, who allowed the New York Times to visit a CIA camp, there are quite a few Britons," slips a military officer, who does not deny the presence of French special forces, notably combat swimmers for training missions...
"The risk of a Russian breakthrough is real"
On February 17, Kiev had to abandon the city of Avdiivka, in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, which had until then been a fortified stronghold. "It was both the heart and symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Russian-speaking Donbass," highlights a report on the "battle of Avdiivka," drawing a series of damning lessons. "The Russians changed their modus operandi by compartmentalizing the city, and especially by using gliding bombs on a large scale for the first time," notes this document. When a 155mm artillery shell carries 7 kg of explosive, the gliding bomb delivers between 200 and 700 kg and can thus pierce concrete structures more than 2 m thick. A hell for Ukrainian defenses, which lost more than 1,000 men per day. Furthermore, the Russians use sound suppressors on light infantry weapons to foil acoustic detection systems on the ground.
"The decision to retreat by the Ukrainian armed forces was a surprise," notes this last report, highlighting "its suddenness and lack of preparation," fearing that this choice was "more endured than decided by the Ukrainian command," suggesting a possible onset of "disarray."
"The Ukrainian armed forces have tactically shown that they do not possess the human and material capabilities [...] to hold a sector of the front that is subjected to the assailant's effort," continues the document. "The Ukrainian failure in Avdiivka shows that, despite the emergency deployment of an 'elite' brigade – the 3rd Azov Air Assault Brigade –, Kiev is not capable of locally restoring a sector of the front that collapses," alerts this last report.
What the Russians will do with this tactical success remains to be seen. Will they continue in the current mode of "nibbling and slowly shaking" the entire front line, or will they seek to "break through in depth"? "The terrain behind Avdiivka allows it," signals this recent document, also warning that Western sources tend to "underestimate" the Russians, themselves adept at the practice of "Maskirovka," "appearing weak when strong." According to this analysis, after two years of war, Russian forces have thus shown their ability to "develop operational endurance" that allows them to wage "a slow and long-intensity war based on the continuous attrition of the Ukrainian army."
this is from the French lads, the facking French....truth had to come out eventually
It seems wild that anyone ever imagined that Ukraine, while being drip supported by hand me down Western arms, in exchange for being asset stripped of agricultural land at fire sale prices, could defeat Russia?
Seemed impossible that Viet Cong could beat the most powerful military ever known at the time with bags of pizz. But they did it.
Could say the same about the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the later American invasion.
Ukranians will fight until the end and don't give a fvk about some fvkin weirdo who lives on Only Fans.
What also needs to be questioned is the fate of Ukraine farmland which has been bought up by foreign multinationals. Russia will win this war, and I hope the farmlands will be returned to Ukrainian farmers, and the multinationals will lose a lot of money. This will a big win for Ukrainian farmers
comment by Peks - now at the half century (U6618)
posted 5 hours, 41 minutes ago
War in Ukraine:
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in French magazine Marianne, who got access to "several confidential defense reports" from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron
The situation looks exceedingly bleak for Ukraine, which might in part explain Macron's recent declarations around sending troops to Ukraine. I translated the important parts of the article:
"A Ukrainian military victory now seems impossible"
The reports Marianne consulted write that Ukraine's counter-offensive "gradually bogged down in mud and blood and did not result in any strategic gain" and that its planning, conceived by Kiev and Western general staffs, turned out to be "disastrous": "Planners thought that once the first Russian defense lines were breached, the entire front would collapse [...] These fundamental preliminary phases were conducted without considering the moral forces of the enemy in defense: that is, the will of the Russian soldier to hold onto the terrain".
The reports also highlight "the inadequacy of the training of Ukrainian soldiers and officers": due to a lack of officers and a significant number of veterans, these "Year II soldiers" from Ukraine - often trained for "no more than three weeks" - were launched into an assault on a Russian fortification line that proved impregnable.
Without any air support, with disparate Western equipment that was less efficient than the old Soviet material ("obsolete, easy to maintain, and capable of being used in degraded mode", the report mentions), the Ukrainian troops had no hope of breaking through. Add to this the "Russian super-dominance in the field of electronic jamming penalizing, on the Ukrainian side, the use of drones and command systems".
"The Russian army is today the 'tactical and technical' reference for thinking and implementing the defensive mode," writes the report. Not only does Moscow have heavy engineering equipment that allowed it to construct defensive works ("almost total absence of this material on the Ukrainian side, and the impossibility for Westerners to supply it quickly"but the 1,200 km front, known as the Sourokovine line (after a Russian general), has been mined to a huge extent.
The reports also highlight that contrary to Ukraine "the Russians have managed their reserve troops well, to ensure operational endurance." According to this document, Moscow reinforces its units before they are completely worn out, mixes recruits with experienced troops, ensures regular rest periods in the rear... and "always had a coherent reserve force to manage unforeseen events." This is far from the widespread idea in the West of a Russian army sending its troops to the slaughter without counting...
"To date, the Ukrainian general staff does not have a critical mass of land forces capable of inter-arms maneuver at the corps level capable of challenging their Russian counterparts to break through its defensive line," concludes this confidential defense report, according to which "the gravest error of analysis and judgment would be to continue to seek exclusively military solutions to stop the hostilities". A French officer summarizes: "It is clear, given the forces present, that Ukraine cannot win this war militarily."
"The conflict entered a critical phase in December"
"The combativeness of Ukrainian soldiers is deeply affected," mentions a forward-looking report for the year 2024. "Zelensky would need 35,000 men per month, he's not recruiting half of that, while Putin draws from a pool of 30,000 volunteers per month," observes a military officer returned from Kiev. In terms of equipment, the balance is just as unbalanced: the failed offensive of 2023 "tactically destroyed" half of Kiev's 12 combat brigades.
Since then, Western aid has never been so low. It is therefore clear that no Ukrainian offensive can be launched this year. "The West can supply 3D printers to manufacture drones or loitering munitions, but can never print men," notes this report. "Given the situation, it may have been decided to strengthen the Ukrainian army, not with fighters, but with support forces, in the rear, allowing Ukrainian soldiers to be freed up for the front," admits a senior officer, confirming a "ramp-up" of Western military personnel in civilian clothes. "Besides the Americans, who allowed the New York Times to visit a CIA camp, there are quite a few Britons," slips a military officer, who does not deny the presence of French special forces, notably combat swimmers for training missions...
"The risk of a Russian breakthrough is real"
On February 17, Kiev had to abandon the city of Avdiivka, in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, which had until then been a fortified stronghold. "It was both the heart and symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Russian-speaking Donbass," highlights a report on the "battle of Avdiivka," drawing a series of damning lessons. "The Russians changed their modus operandi by compartmentalizing the city, and especially by using gliding bombs on a large scale for the first time," notes this document. When a 155mm artillery shell carries 7 kg of explosive, the gliding bomb delivers between 200 and 700 kg and can thus pierce concrete structures more than 2 m thick. A hell for Ukrainian defenses, which lost more than 1,000 men per day. Furthermore, the Russians use sound suppressors on light infantry weapons to foil acoustic detection systems on the ground.
"The decision to retreat by the Ukrainian armed forces was a surprise," notes this last report, highlighting "its suddenness and lack of preparation," fearing that this choice was "more endured than decided by the Ukrainian command," suggesting a possible onset of "disarray."
"The Ukrainian armed forces have tactically shown that they do not possess the human and material capabilities [...] to hold a sector of the front that is subjected to the assailant's effort," continues the document. "The Ukrainian failure in Avdiivka shows that, despite the emergency deployment of an 'elite' brigade – the 3rd Azov Air Assault Brigade –, Kiev is not capable of locally restoring a sector of the front that collapses," alerts this last report.
What the Russians will do with this tactical success remains to be seen. Will they continue in the current mode of "nibbling and slowly shaking" the entire front line, or will they seek to "break through in depth"? "The terrain behind Avdiivka allows it," signals this recent document, also warning that Western sources tend to "underestimate" the Russians, themselves adept at the practice of "Maskirovka," "appearing weak when strong." According to this analysis, after two years of war, Russian forces have thus shown their ability to "develop operational endurance" that allows them to wage "a slow and long-intensity war based on the continuous attrition of the Ukrainian army."
this is from the French lads, the facking French....truth had to come out eventually
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hold your horses. Has it been confirmed?
Let's wait and see first before gullibly swallowing this. I bet there's more than meets the eye here.
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 8 hours, 56 minutes ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So if you think your asylum claim will be rejected, it benefits you to jump on a boat and cross the channel. You get a few thousand pounds, a free flight to Rwanda and work when you get there.
comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 8 hours, 56 minutes ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So if you think your asylum claim will be rejected, it benefits you to jump on a boat and cross the channel. You get a few thousand pounds, a free flight to Rwanda and work when you get there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe the crossing doesn’t come cheap and it’s a perilous journey so it wouldn’t be worth doing it for the money.
It would take a lot more than £3k to get me on that flight.
Sign in if you want to comment
Arguing w/strangers cause I'm lonely thread
Page 4087 of 4857
4088 | 4089 | 4090 | 4091 | 4092
posted on 12/3/24
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 54 minutes ago
I think his last (deleted) comment was on 4075.
I'd love to know what he had written.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.16 million!
posted on 12/3/24
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 26 minutes ago
NEW: Rishi Sunak's spox now says Sunak thinks Frank Hester's alleged remarks about Diane Abbot were "racist and wrong"
The same spox repeatedly refused to say until now - about an hour after Kemi Badenoch broke ranks to call the remarks racist
Sunak intends to keep the £10m
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To him it's like forgetting the tenner your racist mate donated to your kids funrun.
posted on 12/3/24
New w/ @rowenamason + @matthew_weaver -
Frank Hester asked if there was “no room for the Indians” and suggested staff climb on a train roof during a crowded meeting, before saying he made “a lot of jokes about racism”.
https://x.com/direthoughts/status/1767636008143626697?s=46&t=bPTrpdgNggCdz9igvhmVyw
lol let’s see Rishi spin this now his biggest donor went for his people
posted on 12/3/24
Give it back and it'll probably be given to the RP.
They need quick cash to cover Lee Anderson's signing on fee.
posted on 12/3/24
Hester also spoke of a forthcoming work trip, saying: “I’m looking forward to going to Malaysia, so that I can make new jokes – I don’t know any jokes about Malaysian people but I’m sure we’ll find them. I’m sure we’ll find them. There have got to be some, haven’t there?”
posted on 12/3/24
Great work by the Guardian this
posted on 12/3/24
They deliberately timed that second story to release after Downing Street made a statement on whether they thought it was racist or not.
I don't think they should give him the money back. Nor do I think they should keep it. It should be donated to charity. I'm sure the Tories will put out a statement about how the money is an innocent party in all this though.
posted on 12/3/24
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
posted on 12/3/24
Is that supposed to be a deterrent then? I might become an asylum seeker myself, could do with £3k
posted on 12/3/24
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 26 seconds ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They've not thought this through, have they?
posted on 12/3/24
NEW: A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of his Muslim faith and his opinion that Israel “is governed by an apartheid regime"
So the Tories think Israel is an apartheid regime??
posted on 12/3/24
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted less than a minute ago
NEW: A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of his Muslim faith and his opinion that Israel “is governed by an apartheid regime"
So the Tories think Israel is an apartheid regime??
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Does this open the door (or the floodgates) for Palestinian refugees?
posted on 12/3/24
13-year-old Jerusalemite Rami Hamdan set off a single Ramadan fireworks & was shot dead by a cop who "felt threatened." Netanyahu's police minister & former (real) terrorist Itamar Ben Gvir: "I salute the fighter who killed the terrorist." Judge for yourself.
https://x.com/nirhasson/status/1767630477920276838?s=46&t=bPTrpdgNggCdz9igvhmVyw
posted on 12/3/24
War in Ukraine:
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in French magazine Marianne, who got access to "several confidential defense reports" from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron
The situation looks exceedingly bleak for Ukraine, which might in part explain Macron's recent declarations around sending troops to Ukraine. I translated the important parts of the article:
"A Ukrainian military victory now seems impossible"
The reports Marianne consulted write that Ukraine's counter-offensive "gradually bogged down in mud and blood and did not result in any strategic gain" and that its planning, conceived by Kiev and Western general staffs, turned out to be "disastrous": "Planners thought that once the first Russian defense lines were breached, the entire front would collapse [...] These fundamental preliminary phases were conducted without considering the moral forces of the enemy in defense: that is, the will of the Russian soldier to hold onto the terrain".
The reports also highlight "the inadequacy of the training of Ukrainian soldiers and officers": due to a lack of officers and a significant number of veterans, these "Year II soldiers" from Ukraine - often trained for "no more than three weeks" - were launched into an assault on a Russian fortification line that proved impregnable.
Without any air support, with disparate Western equipment that was less efficient than the old Soviet material ("obsolete, easy to maintain, and capable of being used in degraded mode", the report mentions), the Ukrainian troops had no hope of breaking through. Add to this the "Russian super-dominance in the field of electronic jamming penalizing, on the Ukrainian side, the use of drones and command systems".
"The Russian army is today the 'tactical and technical' reference for thinking and implementing the defensive mode," writes the report. Not only does Moscow have heavy engineering equipment that allowed it to construct defensive works ("almost total absence of this material on the Ukrainian side, and the impossibility for Westerners to supply it quickly" but the 1,200 km front, known as the Sourokovine line (after a Russian general), has been mined to a huge extent.
The reports also highlight that contrary to Ukraine "the Russians have managed their reserve troops well, to ensure operational endurance." According to this document, Moscow reinforces its units before they are completely worn out, mixes recruits with experienced troops, ensures regular rest periods in the rear... and "always had a coherent reserve force to manage unforeseen events." This is far from the widespread idea in the West of a Russian army sending its troops to the slaughter without counting...
"To date, the Ukrainian general staff does not have a critical mass of land forces capable of inter-arms maneuver at the corps level capable of challenging their Russian counterparts to break through its defensive line," concludes this confidential defense report, according to which "the gravest error of analysis and judgment would be to continue to seek exclusively military solutions to stop the hostilities". A French officer summarizes: "It is clear, given the forces present, that Ukraine cannot win this war militarily."
"The conflict entered a critical phase in December"
"The combativeness of Ukrainian soldiers is deeply affected," mentions a forward-looking report for the year 2024. "Zelensky would need 35,000 men per month, he's not recruiting half of that, while Putin draws from a pool of 30,000 volunteers per month," observes a military officer returned from Kiev. In terms of equipment, the balance is just as unbalanced: the failed offensive of 2023 "tactically destroyed" half of Kiev's 12 combat brigades.
Since then, Western aid has never been so low. It is therefore clear that no Ukrainian offensive can be launched this year. "The West can supply 3D printers to manufacture drones or loitering munitions, but can never print men," notes this report. "Given the situation, it may have been decided to strengthen the Ukrainian army, not with fighters, but with support forces, in the rear, allowing Ukrainian soldiers to be freed up for the front," admits a senior officer, confirming a "ramp-up" of Western military personnel in civilian clothes. "Besides the Americans, who allowed the New York Times to visit a CIA camp, there are quite a few Britons," slips a military officer, who does not deny the presence of French special forces, notably combat swimmers for training missions...
"The risk of a Russian breakthrough is real"
On February 17, Kiev had to abandon the city of Avdiivka, in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, which had until then been a fortified stronghold. "It was both the heart and symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Russian-speaking Donbass," highlights a report on the "battle of Avdiivka," drawing a series of damning lessons. "The Russians changed their modus operandi by compartmentalizing the city, and especially by using gliding bombs on a large scale for the first time," notes this document. When a 155mm artillery shell carries 7 kg of explosive, the gliding bomb delivers between 200 and 700 kg and can thus pierce concrete structures more than 2 m thick. A hell for Ukrainian defenses, which lost more than 1,000 men per day. Furthermore, the Russians use sound suppressors on light infantry weapons to foil acoustic detection systems on the ground.
"The decision to retreat by the Ukrainian armed forces was a surprise," notes this last report, highlighting "its suddenness and lack of preparation," fearing that this choice was "more endured than decided by the Ukrainian command," suggesting a possible onset of "disarray."
"The Ukrainian armed forces have tactically shown that they do not possess the human and material capabilities [...] to hold a sector of the front that is subjected to the assailant's effort," continues the document. "The Ukrainian failure in Avdiivka shows that, despite the emergency deployment of an 'elite' brigade – the 3rd Azov Air Assault Brigade –, Kiev is not capable of locally restoring a sector of the front that collapses," alerts this last report.
What the Russians will do with this tactical success remains to be seen. Will they continue in the current mode of "nibbling and slowly shaking" the entire front line, or will they seek to "break through in depth"? "The terrain behind Avdiivka allows it," signals this recent document, also warning that Western sources tend to "underestimate" the Russians, themselves adept at the practice of "Maskirovka," "appearing weak when strong." According to this analysis, after two years of war, Russian forces have thus shown their ability to "develop operational endurance" that allows them to wage "a slow and long-intensity war based on the continuous attrition of the Ukrainian army."
this is from the French lads, the facking French....truth had to come out eventually
posted on 12/3/24
It seems wild that anyone ever imagined that Ukraine, while being drip supported by hand me down Western arms, in exchange for being asset stripped of agricultural land at fire sale prices, could defeat Russia?
posted on 12/3/24
Seemed impossible that Viet Cong could beat the most powerful military ever known at the time with bags of pizz. But they did it.
Could say the same about the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the later American invasion.
Ukranians will fight until the end and don't give a fvk about some fvkin weirdo who lives on Only Fans.
posted on 12/3/24
What also needs to be questioned is the fate of Ukraine farmland which has been bought up by foreign multinationals. Russia will win this war, and I hope the farmlands will be returned to Ukrainian farmers, and the multinationals will lose a lot of money. This will a big win for Ukrainian farmers
posted on 13/3/24
comment by Peks - now at the half century (U6618)
posted 5 hours, 41 minutes ago
War in Ukraine:
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in French magazine Marianne, who got access to "several confidential defense reports" from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron
The situation looks exceedingly bleak for Ukraine, which might in part explain Macron's recent declarations around sending troops to Ukraine. I translated the important parts of the article:
"A Ukrainian military victory now seems impossible"
The reports Marianne consulted write that Ukraine's counter-offensive "gradually bogged down in mud and blood and did not result in any strategic gain" and that its planning, conceived by Kiev and Western general staffs, turned out to be "disastrous": "Planners thought that once the first Russian defense lines were breached, the entire front would collapse [...] These fundamental preliminary phases were conducted without considering the moral forces of the enemy in defense: that is, the will of the Russian soldier to hold onto the terrain".
The reports also highlight "the inadequacy of the training of Ukrainian soldiers and officers": due to a lack of officers and a significant number of veterans, these "Year II soldiers" from Ukraine - often trained for "no more than three weeks" - were launched into an assault on a Russian fortification line that proved impregnable.
Without any air support, with disparate Western equipment that was less efficient than the old Soviet material ("obsolete, easy to maintain, and capable of being used in degraded mode", the report mentions), the Ukrainian troops had no hope of breaking through. Add to this the "Russian super-dominance in the field of electronic jamming penalizing, on the Ukrainian side, the use of drones and command systems".
"The Russian army is today the 'tactical and technical' reference for thinking and implementing the defensive mode," writes the report. Not only does Moscow have heavy engineering equipment that allowed it to construct defensive works ("almost total absence of this material on the Ukrainian side, and the impossibility for Westerners to supply it quickly"but the 1,200 km front, known as the Sourokovine line (after a Russian general), has been mined to a huge extent.
The reports also highlight that contrary to Ukraine "the Russians have managed their reserve troops well, to ensure operational endurance." According to this document, Moscow reinforces its units before they are completely worn out, mixes recruits with experienced troops, ensures regular rest periods in the rear... and "always had a coherent reserve force to manage unforeseen events." This is far from the widespread idea in the West of a Russian army sending its troops to the slaughter without counting...
"To date, the Ukrainian general staff does not have a critical mass of land forces capable of inter-arms maneuver at the corps level capable of challenging their Russian counterparts to break through its defensive line," concludes this confidential defense report, according to which "the gravest error of analysis and judgment would be to continue to seek exclusively military solutions to stop the hostilities". A French officer summarizes: "It is clear, given the forces present, that Ukraine cannot win this war militarily."
"The conflict entered a critical phase in December"
"The combativeness of Ukrainian soldiers is deeply affected," mentions a forward-looking report for the year 2024. "Zelensky would need 35,000 men per month, he's not recruiting half of that, while Putin draws from a pool of 30,000 volunteers per month," observes a military officer returned from Kiev. In terms of equipment, the balance is just as unbalanced: the failed offensive of 2023 "tactically destroyed" half of Kiev's 12 combat brigades.
Since then, Western aid has never been so low. It is therefore clear that no Ukrainian offensive can be launched this year. "The West can supply 3D printers to manufacture drones or loitering munitions, but can never print men," notes this report. "Given the situation, it may have been decided to strengthen the Ukrainian army, not with fighters, but with support forces, in the rear, allowing Ukrainian soldiers to be freed up for the front," admits a senior officer, confirming a "ramp-up" of Western military personnel in civilian clothes. "Besides the Americans, who allowed the New York Times to visit a CIA camp, there are quite a few Britons," slips a military officer, who does not deny the presence of French special forces, notably combat swimmers for training missions...
"The risk of a Russian breakthrough is real"
On February 17, Kiev had to abandon the city of Avdiivka, in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, which had until then been a fortified stronghold. "It was both the heart and symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Russian-speaking Donbass," highlights a report on the "battle of Avdiivka," drawing a series of damning lessons. "The Russians changed their modus operandi by compartmentalizing the city, and especially by using gliding bombs on a large scale for the first time," notes this document. When a 155mm artillery shell carries 7 kg of explosive, the gliding bomb delivers between 200 and 700 kg and can thus pierce concrete structures more than 2 m thick. A hell for Ukrainian defenses, which lost more than 1,000 men per day. Furthermore, the Russians use sound suppressors on light infantry weapons to foil acoustic detection systems on the ground.
"The decision to retreat by the Ukrainian armed forces was a surprise," notes this last report, highlighting "its suddenness and lack of preparation," fearing that this choice was "more endured than decided by the Ukrainian command," suggesting a possible onset of "disarray."
"The Ukrainian armed forces have tactically shown that they do not possess the human and material capabilities [...] to hold a sector of the front that is subjected to the assailant's effort," continues the document. "The Ukrainian failure in Avdiivka shows that, despite the emergency deployment of an 'elite' brigade – the 3rd Azov Air Assault Brigade –, Kiev is not capable of locally restoring a sector of the front that collapses," alerts this last report.
What the Russians will do with this tactical success remains to be seen. Will they continue in the current mode of "nibbling and slowly shaking" the entire front line, or will they seek to "break through in depth"? "The terrain behind Avdiivka allows it," signals this recent document, also warning that Western sources tend to "underestimate" the Russians, themselves adept at the practice of "Maskirovka," "appearing weak when strong." According to this analysis, after two years of war, Russian forces have thus shown their ability to "develop operational endurance" that allows them to wage "a slow and long-intensity war based on the continuous attrition of the Ukrainian army."
this is from the French lads, the facking French....truth had to come out eventually
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Hold your horses. Has it been confirmed?
Let's wait and see first before gullibly swallowing this. I bet there's more than meets the eye here.
posted on 13/3/24
posted on 13/3/24
posted on 13/3/24
posted on 13/3/24
posted on 13/3/24
posted on 13/3/24
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 8 hours, 56 minutes ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
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So if you think your asylum claim will be rejected, it benefits you to jump on a boat and cross the channel. You get a few thousand pounds, a free flight to Rwanda and work when you get there.
posted on 13/3/24
comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by Lucious Lyon (U11781)
posted 8 hours, 56 minutes ago
NEW: Migrants will be paid thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme being drawn up by ministers
The deal has been drawn up by ministers to remove tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries
Up to £3k
[@thetimes]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So if you think your asylum claim will be rejected, it benefits you to jump on a boat and cross the channel. You get a few thousand pounds, a free flight to Rwanda and work when you get there.
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I believe the crossing doesn’t come cheap and it’s a perilous journey so it wouldn’t be worth doing it for the money.
It would take a lot more than £3k to get me on that flight.
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