It’s not a war crime because of a technicality
As long as there’s a technicality…
Depleted uranium shells are seen as a chemical hazard rather than a radiation hazard. Mainly because radiation poisoning comes from direct ingestion and breathing in of particles, rather than from any external radiation. It’s benefit is that it’s relatively plentiful and significantly denser than most other metals used in warfare.
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Over the past few days, Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian territory. There were multiple explosions in Sevastopol with Ukrainian troops using water drones to attack ships at port. No real news as to damage.
Slovakia has provided the first 4 MiGs to Ukraine, with confirmation they were flown over the border in the past few days. Poland is still going to supply a significant number as well. There’s also been plenty of footage of Bradly IFVs on trains going straight through Poland. Ukraine reportedly has 200,000 fully trained reserves ready to throw into the fighting where required.
Ukraine has again indicated that they think Russian offensive forces in Bakhmut have almost been depleted and have even hinted of a massive counterattack in the area, they’re so confident in their position there, that Zelensky paid the frontline positions a visit. The head of Wagner has come out saying that, with an early spring, there would be a greater utilization of heavy weaponry, which is a weird one, considering they look to have thrown most of their heavy weaponry in as well. NATO has also accepted Ukraine’s decision to defend the town, indicating that they now think it’s a good decision. The only negative is that Adiivka, a town a bit to the south of Bakhmut is slowly turning into a similar enough environment as Bakhmut. Currently being hit from 3 different positions. The only thing most likely saving it, is the current defence of it’s northern neighbour.
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VZ en-route to Bakhmut stopped in at a petrol station to get a coffee. The photos of the staff and other customers/soldiers in the cafe are so heartwarming.
Completely understandable as to why, he’s probably getting less sleep than a new parent per night, but there’s something so natural about VZ standing there, coffee cup in hand trying to give as enthusiastic smile whilst looking like he’s about to fall over asleep while the cafe workers and soldiers get selfies with him. Complete polar opposite to the photos and images of Vladolf Pitler in Mairopul the other day that looked more forced than an episode of Neighbours.
My favourite was the recent videos of Ukrainian soldiers screwing with the Russians by using drones to drop wieners onto them.
The fighting in Bakhmut is so close quarters that there’s plenty of videos of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers shouting insults at each other while fighting.
Went down a pretty nasty Reddit hole last night watching some of the more NSFW Graphic drone footage. I’m not sure if the camera on the drone has amazing zoom or the drone drops right down to almost head height on some of the footage. There are some pretty gory videos of Russian soldiers getting absolutely obliterated.
The drones are working so well because contrary to popular belief, the Russian’s can’t actually see or hear them very well or at all. Some of the drones carrying grenades and mortar shells are flying quite high (which makes those accurate drops so incredible - although for every successful drone hit, there’s probably a dozern where the grenade/mortar lands well wide…) so they can’t see them against the glare of the sun or against the clouds, and whilst some of them ‘buzz’ quite loudly, all the soldiers hearing is completely shot anyway so they can’t hear them. Because they’re so small as well, they’re difficult to shoot down with Kalashnikov fire, and mostly they’re only given 2-3 spare magazines for their rifles (and there’s no crate of fresh bullets nearby to re-supply), so they can’t really afford to go wasting rounds firing up at a tiny moving target.
The footage is crazy, especially chilling is the Russian footage of soldiers running away, rather than returning to save their comrades.
The most chilling footage was one of the attacks on Vuledar. Multiple Russian vehicles destroyed, one BMP running over it’s own support troops as it races to retreat and then seeing the drone footage of drag marks as the hundred or so Russian troops tried crawling back to their own lines before dying, after being left behind.
One of the best (and I use the term as loosely as possible) was drone footage of a couple of tanks that had been ambushed in a town. The tanks were driving down a road barely wide enough to fit in when the lead tank runs over a rather fucking obvious landmine just sitting in the middle of the road. Tank now disabled, the crew get out of the hatch just as Ukranian forces start walking in mortars. One mortar lands about 5 meters from the front tank and the concussion blast knocks one of the Russian tank crew off the tank, and sends him cartweeling into a field on the side of the road. He gets up somewhat shakily, only for another mortar to land right next to him (and as horrible as it was) and he literally just flies up into the air like something has yanked him and yeeted him skywards. You see his body land back on the road a good 5-6 seconds later in front of the second tank, and just go splat.
But yeah, some of the footage on Reddit is sickening. I mean, for all the horrific things the Russians have done in the last 12 months, and undoubtably a lot deserve a nice painful plug pull, but it’s hard not to feel empathy for some of the conscripts who have been caught up in this war due to their socioeconomic status. Decades of systematic brain washing, poor socioeconomic status, and just being born in an enviornment that cares little for the individual, let alone the collective, it’s hard to remember that they at one point in time were just a baby, and were innocent humans. Someone’s son, brother. nephew, uncle, who are just getting chewed up and spat out.
War is hell.
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There is no way Putin can’t end up dead or life in jail after this hell he has caused
He’ll end up dead or in jail, but it’ll have nothing to do with the war. It’s going to be because:
- he’s pushed his “friends” too hard
- to hide secrets, once the war is officially being lost
- a blatant grab for power by one of his underlings
The war may be the catalyst, but his death won’t be in revenge for killing Ukrainians
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I dunno. If he decides to tour Bakhmut and a Ukranian sniper looks through his scope and thinks “Huh, glad I wore my lucky undies today”. That’d be a pretty fitting way for the cunt to go.
That or dragged through the streets of Kyiv by his ears and strung up under a light pole. I somehow get the feelings if he were to (somehow) get captured by Ukranian forces, he wouldn’t make it to the Hague. Not without being on life support.
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Russia has already said, if Putin is ever captured, it would be a declaration of war. They were referring of course to the ICC, but the point still stands. If a Ukrainian was to kill Putin, then I can see a nuclear weapon attempt being made by the Russians in retaliation. Although it heavily depends on who takes over. If Putin dies, there’s a high chance of a coup occurring, especially by Wagner.
If this war winds up in Russia falling into a civil war, it can probably only be a good thing.
It depends though. If there’s a civil war, the only real people that have access to weaponry etc are going to be the Oligarchs, the Generals linked with individual Oligarchs and Wagner. The winner of that is definitely not going to be any better than Putin. A populist uprising potentially, but definitely unlikely to succeed. You may see someone even crazier than Putin take over and then the potential for nuclear war would be even closer.
I forgot to add previously, the talks with China have ended. With all the bluster before hand, from both Russia and China, on coming together for a plan to end the war, nothing has come out. It looks like even China and Russia can’t agree to how it should end, except for some random minor platitudes. China still hasn’t seeded that Russia is the aggressor in this war either.
Lazer pig has a new vid about the t14 tanks. It’s pretty fascinating watching for someone who doesn’t normally watch stuff like that. Pretty damning about the state of Russian tank tech.
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The longer it goes on, the more I can’t help but feel like there is no end-game, other than this turning into WWIII
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Ukraine wins, pushes Russia back over the border, recaptures all the Oblasts and Crimea. Putin/Russia says “fuck it”, and goes Nuclear. What’s he got to lose at that point?
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Russia wins (highly unlikely at this point). Captures all of Ukraine, kills/imprisons VZ, threatens to Nuke any surrounding country that tries to stop it.
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Ukraine wins, pushes Russia back over the border, recaptures all the Oblasts and Crimea. Oligarch’s, Corrupt generals, Wagner, and Putin’s Cronies all delve into a Russian civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Russia then die in the ensuing conflict, before somebody finds the Nuclear Room, and launches Nukes internally, or towards Europe.
With the war currently heading into another stalemate at least currently, and Russia losing thousands of troops a week, Putins only option at ‘saving face’ is to keep fighting. Unless he’s toppled from within, and somebody who hasn’t been mentally addled by decades of Vodka abuse withdraws the military and purges all the head generals and oligarchs. But doing that, with how rampant the corruption is within the country, only will lead to more conflict internally.
I’m just struggling to see how this ends. Both sides are not going to give an inch, and I don’t know if the U.S, NATO, Europe and the West are going to continue supplying hundreds of millions of dollars indefinitely.
I felt it always would appear to be about nothing except a few photo ops and some possible fake news that they can take to their respective populations.
The main thing of note would’ve likely been about the possibility of really trying to swing the invasion of Ukraine back in Russia’s favour. It is in China’s best interest that it succeeds, so it can pave the way for an invasion of Taiwan.
In the latest escalation, Vladolf Pitler has announced that Russia will be deploying tactical Nuclear missiles in Belarus by June.
Ukraine taking a leaf out of William Gibson’s vision of future warfare
Russia Braces For Attack By 50,000 Ukrainian Kamikaze Drones, Seeks Shotguns (forbes.com)
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