Any Sentinel aircraft anywhere close to being airworthy that could be pressed into service?

Shot down Ukrainian transport

If Putin sweeps across Ukraine without too many losses, he might just get a taste for conquest. Who would be next?

If he is hesitant I'd say Georgia.
If he gets really "tonto" he'll try the Suwalki gap.

Makes it easier in Washington and Whitehall for the names on the sanctions list.

They must have all had a sick feeling in their stomachs when ordered to attend…..

Emotionally tempting, surely? There was another famous Communist Georgian, was there not?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin

I have always thought it boring - now I find it abhorrent…..

I think he is tonto but not THAT tonto.

Compared to NATO fighter aircraft Russia is dramatically inferior. His Air Force would be wiped out in a few days, once NATO got up on their feet.
He has about 250 (air- combat) Fighters that would be considered Gen4.5 (Su-30, Su35) and another 550 which you could count as Gen 4 (Mig29, Mig31, Su-27).
NATO (+Allies) has almost 900 GEN 5 (F-22, F35), about 1200 Gen 4.5 (Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen, Super Hornet) and close to 2000 Gen 4 (F-16, F-15, F-18C, Mirage 2000).
900: 3
1200:250
2000:550
Good luck!

Well, Putler has unsolved disputes out there, so he could solve those before going for the grand prize. What comes to Stalin, he probably would like to be more reknown than Stalin. Hopefully he will not exceed Stalins achievements.

I thought so too. After this weeks events I'm not so sure anymore.

Which Tonto ? The original side kick to the Lone Ranger or the Johnny Depp version ? It might make a difference :)
One is just a Hollywood racist trope the other a modern two spirited gender fluid shaman . Is he alluding to Putin being having a deviance similar to Caligula or a racist trope about tribal members off the reservation ?
or both ?

Song by Quantum Jump

The Lone Ranger

Quantum Jump
Taumatawhakatangihangakoayauo-
Tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoro-
Nukypokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Me Tonto Kimosabi
Me go and catchee baddy
Find him by the shady water
Deep within Apache forest
Find him scalp him eat him up for breakfast
Real good friend to Kimosabi
Save another silver bullet
Hi ho Silver away
Ride into tomorrow today
But who was that masked man you say
That was the Lone Ranger
Fill up pipe of peace for Tonto
Kimosabi friend and brother
He smoke pipe of peace with Tonto
Put his mask on back to fronto
Tonto fall about with laughter
He a head our great white brother
Even pass a tote to Silver
Mask man very untogether
Hi ho Silver away
Ride into tomorrow today
But who was that masked man you say
That was the Lone Ranger
Taumatawhakatangihangakoayauo-
Tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoro-
Nukypokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Tonto know that Kimosabi
Never ever have a woman
Tonto sometime stop and wonder
What the trip with the great white brother
Maybe masked man he a poofter
Try it on with surly Tonto
Let me say to mister lawman
Tonto doesn't mind
Hi ho Silver away
Ride into tomorrow today
But who was that masked man you say
That was the Lone Ranger
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters

I was thinking Moldova would be a nice easy pushover for him to round out the Ukrainian territory, and that leaves you with a very nervous Romania.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...ense-minister/

‘We need as much Stinger and anti-tank weapons as possible,’ says Ukraine’s defense minister

WASHINGTON ― Ukraine’s defense minister made a direct plea to Congress Thursday to send his besieged nation anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles through Poland to help it repel Russia’s mikitary assault on Ukraine.

Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov, in avideo dated Thursday and posted to YouTube by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said Ukrainian forces are protecting Europe and would fight for their own country but need support.

“We need as much Stinger [anti-aircraft] and anti-tank weapons as possible,” Reznikov said, seated at a conference table with a Ukrainian flag behind him. “In order to provide for reliable procurement of equipment, you may deliver it to Poland. From there we will transport them across the land and quickly saturate our defense.”….

https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...ary-movements/

German defense ministry preps citizens for possible military movements

WASHINGTON – The German Ministry of Defense has notified citizens about potential disruptions in the country’s transit system, as Berlin implements NATO guidance for quickly moving troops to reinforce allies.

The announcement Thursday follows an overnight, multi-front push by Russian forces into Ukraine, shutting the door to the kind of diplomatic resolution that German leaders had vested much of their political capital in.

The ministry told Germans to be prepared for movements by the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, through “public space.” In addition, there could be transit restrictions because transport capacities on land, at sea and in the air must be set aside for NATO activation plans, according to the announcement.

The triggering of “national alarm measures,” as German defense officials called them, flows from a NATO catalog of steps, dubbed “crisis response measures,” activated by the alliance early Thursday. Those, in turn, are part of the NATO Crisis Response System, which addresses everything from conflict monitoring to mutual-defense operations under Article 5.

According to the German defense ministry, all levels of the Bundeswehr are tasked to make preparations for switching to a quick-reaction posture in case of a NATO Response Force deployment. Germany has pledged a contingent of almost 14,000 troops in that event.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has led to a marked shift in tone in a country that has exhibited a deep-seated aversion to anything military in recent decades. German military Twitter was abuzz Thursday with analysts and politicians calling for a wholesale reexamination of the country’s defense capabilities and the money to be spent on them.

As it stands, however, parts of Germany’s armed forces remain in lackluster shape. German Army Chief of Staff Gen. Alfons Mais lamented the state of his service in a widely shared LinkedIn post on Thursday morning. “Imagine you wake up in the morning, and there’s a war in Europe. And the [Germany Army] finds itself more or less blank,” he wrote. “The options we can offer to policymakers in support of the alliance are extremely limited.”

Excellent list covering the following:

Ukraine
Ukrainian accounts, journalists, news orgs, foreign journalists in or near Ukraine & OSINT

https://twitter.com/i/lists/1378399759992512516

Russian air assault on Hostomel airfield ultimately failed - they didn't expect the strength of counter attack they got - back in the hands of Ukrainians - surviving Russians ran off into surrounding forests.

Notwithstanding that, Russians still expected to attack Kyiv via other routes - just not by airlanded BMP.