biased much? ;)

No, not much at all. Full biographies below.

Pavel K. Baev

Pavel K. Baev

There is little doubt that Putin has dug a huge hole for himself with no way out, which makes him very dangerous.

His airforce in Syria is mainly dropping dumb bombs, many of which fail to explode and those that do are mainly killing civilians, which has created a new refugee exodus. There is a huge amount of evidence to back this up with geolocated videos and photographs.

The rebel forces have had years of being bombed by the Syrian airforce so they are well adapted to Russia's attempts. The biggest game changer on the ground is the CIA, Qatar and Saudi throwing lots of munitions at the rebels, so much that they now have the luxury of using ATGMs against lower value targets such as bunkers and soft skinned vehicles. Assad's armor has taken a hammering. On some fronts the Syrian army has made ground. But mostly their attacks have failed and in many cases they have lost ground.

Domestically Putin's superb propaganda machine has made him very popular. The RT lie factory and the Kremlin online troll department have even gained him support among the hard of thinking in the West. Putin has eliminated all potential opposition and leads a kleptocracy that bleeds the Russian public dry with their corruption to support their billionaire lifestyles.

So now the world is caught between a rock and a hard place with Putin. He is unpredictable and erratic and he is cornered in a trap of his own making. This is looking increasingly dangerous for everyone.

Well, Russian pilots agreed to speak English in Syrian sky

Russian and US Pilots Practiced Air Proximity in Syria

Eclectic,

You wrote: "His airforce in Syria is mainly dropping dumb bombs, many of which fail to explode"

This makes me just laugh. Where have you dug this info out?
I do have knowledge about what's happening and have to disappoint you a little bit by saying that the Russian AF are not that bad.


You wrote: "...and those that do are mainly killing civilians, which has created a new refugee exodus. There is a huge amount of evidence to back this up with geolocated videos and photographs".

Nothing but a propaganda based on jihhadists social networks and faked photos.
Exodus started when the Syrian agressive opposition got weapons and started shooting.

IMHO, this thread is not purposed for such political discussions (however, you are to a large extent right about "Russia-domestic" popularity of Putin, which, I suppose will start declining as the economy keeps going down).

The Bellingcat citizen's journalism website seems to be the most neutral and objective and consistently cross references to its sources. https://www.bellingcat.com/

They have written a whole series of articles on the Syria conflict providing very useful facts and analysis.

Here they expose Russian "news" as being a pack of lies: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources...os-from-syria/

Here they provide data and analysis of ATGM usage: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena...of-entire-war/

Russian targeting: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2015...ital-in-syria/

Yes they are very neutral and balanced aren't they? NOT. That's one of the best propaganda websites I've come across. They take a very western-centric viewpoint of the "moderate islamists" and have the FSA as "good guys" whilst ISIS/ISIL are the bad guys. They deliberately ignore the view point that all islamists are the bad guys so happily claim a "fail" when FSA targets are hit. Neutral - I don't think so; I wonder which agency is behind them?

Owned and run by Eliot Higgins - no apparent affiliations.

It's pity that in a professional forum discussions references are made to such "house wife level" experts. I recall this "collective -cat" was publishing fakes and anti-Russian propaganda after the MH-17 tragedy in the Ukraine. Nothing but a trumpet (or a puppet) of the ongoing informational war, which (inf. war) I really hate.

And it's especially funny for the Russians to read "how things work" in their own country, the stuff published by such "experts".

IMHO, as far as Syria is concerned, this -cat is as neutral as notorious Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The latter is run by a single immigrant with criminal past, currently living in Coventry owing a couple of cloth shops and vaguely saying he has a network of hundred informers (ISIS and likes social networks?) Nonsense.


I suggest we come back to airplanes, munitions, etc. ....

Uh, in politics, there's a way out.
Where do you get the data to make this claim?
Hmm, the way you present this leaves me skeptical.

Just in case you weren't sure ... since the civil war in Syria began in 2011, there has been an exodus underway, which last year was estimated to have cost Syria 1-2million people ... hard numbers will vary with the source cited.
Hmm, I'll suggest that the Syrians and Russians are not cookie cutter copies of each other. Why would you assume that they are?

Not seeing it. He can withdraw any time he wants to. All he has to do is tip things a little farther in Assad's favor. (How much effort that will take is beyond me).
Really? Not dangerous to the Chinese, for one ... and I am lost as to how Russian intervention is more dangerous than the game the Saudis and Qatar began about four years ago.

Dear Mr Eclectic, you're on a pilots forum .... well pilots and others intimately connected past or present to military flying. Let me guess, you've never served in the Air Force ..... or the Army ...... or the Navy. I further guess that you've never worked for the MoD, Foreign Office or Intelligence ..... am I close? I suspect that you are very anti-Russian being unable to differentiate between modern Russia and the historical Soviet Union. A little thoughtful reading perhaps of a wider variety than usual might be helpful in seeing the differences because surprisingly, there are many (as well as similarities).

I rather suspect that Mr Putin will win out over ISIS and perhaps Mr Assad will remain in power. I suspect that America may now have to seriously re-think its middle east policy. What worries me is if either Clinton or one of the American Conservative candidates takes power - either way we are on dangerous ground of their being mis-advised into thinking that they could win against Russia.

I would hope that if they are so ill-advised, our government will sit on its hands and refuse to allow the UK to be a base for attacking Russia.

We simply don't need any such stupidity which some people seem to think would be good.

Van, you're so predictable, but I wouldn't have you any other way. I use Monbiot and Polly Toynbee as my fair weathers in the Grauniad - whatever they're for - I know I'm agin. I apply the same rule to you on Russia. Thanks.

Not sure about RF, might just be a useful idiot from a redbrick university rather than calculated, but still a useful weathervane.....

Just look at all the shenanigans around MH-17, the barrage of lies and disinformation about Crimea and now the unprecedented scandal in world athletics.

Russia is a gangster state run by a kleptocracy. Vastly worse than the old Soviet Union. We can never, ever, believe a single word they say or trust them one millimeter.

This applies to the Russian state and all its organs. It also applies to the Russian press, which is just an extension of the state used for distributing propaganda.

Gentlemen,

Looks like this thread is drifting towards sociology and psychopathology.

Regarding the form of expressing one's opinion, let me refer to good old Victorian rules ;) :
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/06/19/37-conversation-rules-for-gentleman-from-1875/

Looking forward for continuing on Su-xx stuff.

How about we stick with military matters, thanks? (PS, the scandal is not unprecedented, see FIFA just for starters ...
Thanks for your soapbox moment, our people have to work with their people in Syria at the moment, your attitude is the kind that is immensely unhelpful in getting the nuts and bolts of playing in the same sandbox.

As was suggested, getting back to CAS and Strikes ...

I am still non plussed by the idea that "moderate" rebels against Mr Assad exist. Moderates don't tend to fight. One tends to need extreme motivation to take up arms and get after them other folks.

Update:
Apparently, this effort by the Russians has been somewhat helpful
Depending on how you assess state news info, this is either good news or eyewash.

erm, so? The article is still clearly biased. Any independent person following the syrian conflict will confirm you that.

Is white phosphorous a precision weapon?
Are the villages in Idlib really ISIS military targets?

1. It isn't generally used as a weapon, last I checked ... are you sure it was being used as such? The video leaves a bit to the imagination, beyond the exhortations for Allah.

2. Don't know, might not be. Since the Russians are backing Assad (who believe it or not leads the government still in power, and whose ambassador shows up at the UN each morning in New York for a coffee) whomever is fighting him gets to be a target.

This is one of those weird deals where member states in the UN are operating in a member state's territory, and perhaps with less than clear permissions.

But it can be quite the weapon, especially if you're trying to intimidate the locals.

One more provocative post in support to islamic extremism.


Take a footage with usage of phosphorous bombs (no matter where, no matter when), add a sound track with "Allah, etc" and blame who ever you want.


E.g., such footage might be taken during the following campaign :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falluj...idden_Massacre