I wouldn't want to be in that lead vehicle. It's a bit down-rangey

More farmers at it.


Ukrainian farmers already have more tanks than in some armies of the world. #Ukraine#UkraineInvasion#UkraineWillResist#War#StandWithUkraine️



Vitaliy Popov
@Vitaliy23404583
·
Another trophy of Ukrainian farmers. #Ukraine#UkraineInvasion#UkraineWillResist#War#StandWithUkraine️

The basic reason is money. You'd have to keep them in a controlled environment with regular maintenance so they didn't deteriorate. That means qualified, dedicated engineering staff You'd have to have aircrew with currency to be able to fly them, or a method to quickly bring former aircrew back to currency. You'd need to ensure any weaponry is maintained as well - no point in having an AIM-9 equipped airframe when all your in-date missile stocks are ASRAAM for example.

Then you have the political element - perhaps one reason the stored Harriers were got rid of was so no-one could ever restore them?

Thanks for the lecture on genocide. You are neither a lawyer or a human rights activist. My friend who prosecuted the Rawandan genocide does not agree with you...

Lots went to Cosford as training aids

That was closer to it, yeah, and I've never objected to calling that attempt at genocide just that: and the political rhetoric in Rwanda certainly matched that intention. You are wrong in your using that as a comparisons, but you are most welcome for the education, since you obviously needed it also.
No, it isn't, but it's still ugly as hell because it is war.
Sieges are a particularly brutal aspect of war that take what is bad about it and make it worse.
I suspect that once all of the dust settles and the shooting does stop, which it eventually will, what happend there in Mariupol will be entered into the list of war crimes that someone, or a bunch of someones, will have to answer for.
In simpler English for you Nutty: a horrible act can be an atrocity without being genocide.
I will now stop grinding that ax.

Not sure why we should argue about the definition of genocide. What the Russians are doing, murdering innocent civilians in a war that has no moral justification, is a war crime, period end of sentence. What Hitler did to the Jews was genocide because he was trying to eliminate a race. Similar things have happened in Africa. That’s what the term genocide was meant to convey, but it’s not the only form of murder of innocents that deserves justice. Hitler, bombing London and other civilian centers with the express purpose of killing civilians, is not really genocide, he was not trying to eliminate all Britons from the face of the earth. I don’t recognize Putin as trying to eliminate all Ukrainians, but that doesn’t buy him a get out of jail free pass.

When the Son of Man holds court in that day, Putin and all others who have done what he is doing will be called to account and cast into the eternal lake of fire. I confess I’d like to see that happen right now.

Nobody participating in this thread has, as far as I can tell, offered him one.
I'd not mind seeing an accounting before that myself.

As long as Ukrainians can continue to destroy Russian armor and artillery as quickly as it is coming in, Vlad will eventually run out.

We are seeing a race to determine who still has sufficient effective assets when the other side runs out. But a single tank formation will not be enough to take the entire country. Vlad will need enough armor and artillery remaining to take and hold each city he wants.

Vlad's advisors might impress upon him the need to retain enough armor and artillery to hold on to what he seized before. Let's not forget that the Ukrainians now have abandoned armor at their disposal.

Here is the Oryx website https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/0...pment.html?m=1

As it says there those numbers are for vehicles with photo evidence, in fact all the photos are on the site.
"This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. "

It will be interesting to see how this plays out if Russian equipment losses do continue apace. So far there's been no real indication that other units from his military will be committed, just reports of Syrian and Wagner mercenaries and the "will-they-won't-they?" Belarussian forces. Maybe he's holding back in fear of trouble at home or in the various regions where he has his forces committed?

The flip-side is, I doubt the kit the Ukrainians have captured will make up their losses, let alone give them the means to mount a credible counter-offensive.

This latter point is vexing me somewhat - despite their incredible efforts, I can't see a way Ukrainians will be in a position to kick the Russians out of their country any time soon, unless NATO really opened the taps with military aid. And how then would Vlad react, faced with an even more ignominious defeat?

The below is from today's BBC News website live feed. Does this further confirm the Russian military is struggling?

Posted at 8:44

Putin welcomes volunteers to help fight in Ukraine

We're now hearing Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed plans to send volunteer fighters to Ukraine.

Putin, speaking at a Russian security council meeting, said those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russia-backed forces should be allowed to.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who were ready to come to fight with Russia-backed forces, Reuters news agency reports.

I wonder if Shoigu is bullsh*tting again with those numbers? Seems high.

Also, they do know its currently -10C in the east of the country?

Facilitate the appointment, you mean?:E

CG

Indeed, and on that day, those among us who understand Christ's promises and Revelation will not see it happen because every tear will be wiped from our eyes and we will have ascended to a far, far, better place.

IG

Maripol damage from the air

https://news.satnews.com/2022/03/09/...ck-on-ukraine/

And at whet point to NATO say, Enough, we must wade in now? Credible intelligence says Poot is considering chemical weapons, which the Russians used very effectively in Syria

I would imagine NATO wading in now would suit Vlad perfectly ...

"...We had it all in control then the big bad NATO came in ..."

Would be a perfect excuse for him to push some big red buttons!! :uhoh:

Apologies; this is not really aimed at you, but I do wish people would stop talking like this. The invasion and its justification prove that with complete control of domestic information, Putin does not need any 'excuses'. If he is prepared (or indeed wants) to use nuclear weapons to end a foreign war on favourable terms or as an elaborate suicide, then what NATO or the west does is irrelevant; the only alternative would be complete capitulation to whatever he wants. In short, it is a risk we need to take and his threats are not a reason for unilateral deescalation. What we need to do is match Russian escalation, whilst making it clear that (short of a direct attack on NATO territory) the Russian state is not under threat. It is vital that Putin finishes the war in a weaker position than when he started it. Any other outcome (particularly if derived from nuclear blackmail) will merely postpone a much worse conflict. I accept that if Western nations can avoid direct involvement it is much safer, but it should not be ruled out under all circumstances and Putin should know this.

Amen to that. We are in the presence of great Evil.