World Politics

[iHeart]

2 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

I don't doubt it, in his final days Hitler would have taken out all of humanity if he had the ability to do so.  Hopefully Russia has built in some safeguards between Putin and the "easy button".

well no kidding I read that before he died he wanted to torch Berlin because it "Wasn't worthy of his genius"

[Bigblue204]

16 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Well I wouldn't say nothing... they've crippled his economy and armed Ukraine quite well. Problem is that he is a madman so you get the world's militaries stepping in directly he is libel to take the "if I lose everyone loses" option.

Yeah it's a delicate situation right now. I learned that the response time for a nuke attack (like between when you learn one is on the way and it hitting the target) is only a few minutes now. Which is ******* terrifying really. 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

I don't doubt it, in his final days Hitler would have taken out all of humanity if he had the ability to do so.  Hopefully Russia has built in some safeguards between Putin and the "easy button".

That would be 9mm caliber.

1 hour ago, iHeart said:

well no kidding I read that before he died he wanted to torch Berlin because it "Wasn't worthy of his genius"

Sure as Hell sounds like Trump.

Gen. David Petraeus explains why Russian generals are being picked off one by one in Ukraine
   
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" to explain the Russian army's latest moves invading Ukraine, host Jake Tapper pressed retired Gen. David Petraeus to explain why so many Russian generals have died in just three short weeks.

Pointing out that he was only aware of one American general who was lost in Afghanistan after years in the country, host Jake Tapper noted reports that the Russians have seen a reported five generals killed already.

'The Ukrainians say they have killed five Russian generals; CNN has not confirmed that," host Tapper prompted. "Another is saying Russian soldiers don't appear to be particularly motivated. I can only recall one American general being killed in Afghanistan in the entire conflict, and that was a green-on-blue insider attack, it's not common."

"Very, very uncommon," the retired general and former CIA director agreed. "This is in the first three weeks. These are quite senior generals. The bottom line is their command and control has broken down, the communications have been jammed by the Ukrainians; they had to go to a single channel which is jammable -- that's what the Ukrainians have been doing.

"They [the Russians] use cell phones, and Ukrainians blocked the prefix for Russia," he continued with a smile. "They took down 3G. They're stealing cell phones from Ukrainian civilians. The column gets stopped and an impatient general goes forward to see what's going on, because there's no initiative, no non-commissioned officer corps, no sense of initiative at junior levels -- they wait to be told what to do. Gets up there, and the Ukrainians have very, very good snipers and have been picking them off."

"At least four of the five have been confirmed, I think the fifth we'll hear about today," he added.

https://www.alternet.org/2022/03/petraeus/

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

Gen. David Petraeus explains why Russian generals are being picked off one by one in Ukraine

Maybe petraeus  should shut up.

 

well known glory seeking jerk, who wanted to be president.

[Tracker]

How Edward VIII Informed for the Nazis and Urged the ‘Severe’ Bombing of Britain

Long-standing rumors that Edward VIII aided the Nazis after being forced to abdicate have been given new credence by evidence that he passed critical information to the Germans and urged them to continue “severe bombing” of the country, paving the way for him to return as head of a puppet government.

Edward, who was photographed meeting Hitler in 1937 with his wife, wrote four reports on the lamentable state of the French army in 1940, having been invited to inspect the troops by the French government, who assumed he was loyal to the allied cause. Edward was living in exile in France with Wallis, but still held military rank, acted as a liaison officer and had not been completely cut off by the family.

However after his reports, which detailed low morale and weak leadership, were ignored by the British, he passed them to a friend who was a Nazi informant. A new documentary Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King, based on a book of the same name by historian Andrew Lownie, says that Germany then used the information from Edward’s reports to inform their invasion of France in 1940.

The documentary also brings fresh nuance to Edward’s planned role in a potential British puppet government after any German victory. It is a matter of historical record that the Nazis considered such a plan, which was codenamed Operation Willi. However there has long been doubt over whether Edward knew about and endorsed Operation Willi.

The new documentary suggests that Edward was actively interested in the plan and reveals that after Edward was forced to leave Portugal for the Bahamas (where he was appointed governor) by Churchill, he sent a message to his friend Ricardo Espirito Santo, a wealthy banker who was a Nazi informant. The coded telegram said that he was willing to come back to Europe, which is interpreted as meaning he was willing to assume the British throne.

According to another diplomatic cable, Edward told Spanish agents: “Continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace,” and that he was being kept away from England to prevent him working with “English friends of peace.”

The allegations that Edward hoped to return as a puppet ruler installed by the Germans were a subject of contemporary gossip. For example, the lawmaker and diarist Henry ‘Chips’ Channon wrote in his diary in July 1940 that the Duke of Kent, Edward’s brother, told Channon, “My brother wants to be a Gauleiter [the leader of a district in the Nazi system].”

In another entry in his diaries Channon writes: “Rumors are over-ripe and rife. Diana Cooper told me today that the Windsors genuinely believe that they will be restored to the throne under German influence; he will become a sort of Gauleiter and Wallis a queen. Perhaps!”

[Tracker]

The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that, according to the Russian MoD's figures, the Russian Armed Forces have sustained 9,861 killed in action and 16,153 wounded in action in Ukraine. A shocking figure. (And probably grossly under-reported)

[JCon]

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that, according to the Russian MoD's figures, the Russian Armed Forces have sustained 9,861 killed in action and 16,153 wounded in action in Ukraine. A shocking figure. (And probably grossly under-reported)

And quickly pulled. The official Kremlin count remains under 500. Everything is fine in the liberation of Ukraine. 

[Brandon]

8 minutes ago, Tracker said:

The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that, according to the Russian MoD's figures, the Russian Armed Forces have sustained 9,861 killed in action and 16,153 wounded in action in Ukraine. A shocking figure. (And probably grossly under-reported)

I've read the number is between 2000 - 20 000 KIA... nobody really knows. 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

I've read the number is between 2000 - 20 000 KIA... nobody really knows. 

The most reliable estimate places Russian fatalities at 14,000-15,000 with about 5x more as wounded-disabled casualties. Plus a staggering amount of tanks, APCs, fuel tanker trucks, helos and fighter aircraft. Apparently Ukraine has lost about 60 tanks but has captured or found abandoned 106 Russian tanks. This does not take into account abandoned/captured field artillery, mortars, and rocket launchers. Ukrainian troops have identified, through personal documents carried by Russian soldiers, that some are as young as 14. Some were carrying condoms after having been told that Ukrainian women would be soo happy to see them, that masses of women would be throwing themselves at their "liberators".

[Tracker]

 

 

                             

[Brandon]

I want to believe but the propaganda is going both ways. 

[Mark H.]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

I want to believe but the propaganda is going both ways. 

Except that Russia should have won and taken over by now - that hasn't happened. 

[Brandon]

10 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Except that Russia should have won and taken over by now - that hasn't happened. 

It still doesn't mean that their might be far more losses of Ukranian lives.   It's called propaganda,  of course the Ukranians are going to also use it to pump up morale.     Of course everyone wants to believe that things are going great for the good guys and everyone wants to believe that Ukranian losses are minimal while Russian losses are at a maximum.   

Nobody really knows at this point what exactly is the true numbers.   

[Fatty Liver]

2 hours ago, Brandon said:

It still doesn't mean that their might be far more losses of Ukranian lives.   It's called propaganda,  of course the Ukranians are going to also use it to pump up morale.     Of course everyone wants to believe that things are going great for the good guys and everyone wants to believe that Ukranian losses are minimal while Russian losses are at a maximum.   

Nobody really knows at this point what exactly is the true numbers.   

Nobody wins a war, the misery and the displacement of Ukrainians and dead Russian soldiers will last beyond a lifetime for millions.  Nothing is gained by either side continuing to fight, come to whatever agreement, lay down arms and begin to rebuild while there are still funds enough to do so. The color of the flag is only temporary and the lines on a map are artificial, ongoing fighting will lead to the total destruction of Ukrainian cities and the permanent displacement of millions of citizens who are unlikely ever to return.

[johnzo]

21 hours ago, Tracker said:

How Edward VIII Informed for the Nazis and Urged the ‘Severe’ Bombing of Britain

Long-standing rumors that Edward VIII aided the Nazis after being forced to abdicate have been given new credence by evidence that he passed critical information to the Germans and urged them to continue “severe bombing” of the country, paving the way for him to return as head of a puppet government.

Related reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cable_Street

(tldr: thousands of fascist blackshirts march under police escort in London in 1936 but are routed by a coalition of OG antifa.  Great story.)

 

[do or die]

On 2022-03-21 at 3:50 PM, Tracker said:

The Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that, according to the Russian MoD's figures, the Russian Armed Forces have sustained 9,861 killed in action and 16,153 wounded in action in Ukraine. A shocking figure. (And probably grossly under-reported)

A day later, the report was taken down and now they claim their website was "hacked"  Given this was a pro-Putin site to begin with.......the actual casualty figures have to be pretty bad.   For the Russians, it is one thing to have an army 4 times larger than your opponent - but another, to be able to mobilize them all in one place.  They may be scraping the bottom of the barrel, logistically.....at this rate. 

[Tracker]

And the Ukrainian army has retaken two critical towns near Kyiv  in the last 24 hours.

                                      

[Tracker]

According to unconfirmed but realistic looking reports, Russian troops have been surrounded in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel area near Kyiv, cut from supplies. If true - the biggest defeat of a Russian army until now, and Ukraine needs to start worrying about too many POWs.

 

• 2K
• 217

• 487

• Facebook
• Pinterest
•  

 

                                           

[Fatty Liver]

This video does a good job of explaining the "why now" question.

 

 

2 hours ago, Tracker said:

According to unconfirmed but realistic looking reports, Russian troops have been surrounded in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel area near Kyiv, cut from supplies. If true - the biggest defeat of a Russian army until now, and Ukraine needs to start worrying about too many POWs.

 

• 2K
• 217

• 487

• Facebook
• Pinterest
•  

 

                                           

Where are the other members of the tank crew?  I'm pretty sure a tank of that size requires at least 4 to operate as designed.....maybe he stole it and took off.

[Tracker]

Russian Troops Are Now Turning on Each Other
 

“Even in Chechnya, there was nothing like this,” a soldier tells friend in an intercepted call, as reports emerge of another getting so fed up he ran over his colonel with a tank.

[Tracker]

[JCon]

 

[Tracker]

1 minute ago, JCon said:

 

The disheartening thing is that Putin is very much a fan of Stalin's WW2 tactics where Stalin just kept throwing more and more troops at the Germans regardless of losses. Any soldier who hesitated was shot by his officer, when the Russians ran short of guns, the troops were sent to the front in threes with one rifle between then. When the soldier with the gun died, the man behind him was expected to pick up the gun and carry on. Brutal, and Putin is using the same tactics. Last week a Russian businessman made a public comment critical of the war and last night he, and his family we murdered in their home. 

[do or die]

17 minutes ago, Tracker said:

The disheartening thing is that Putin is very much a fan of Stalin's WW2 tactics where Stalin just kept throwing more and more troops at the Germans regardless of losses. Any soldier who hesitated was shot by his officer, when the Russians ran short of guns, the troops were sent to the front in threes with one rifle between then. When the soldier with the gun died, the man behind him was expected to pick up the gun and carry on. Brutal, and Putin is using the same tactics. Last week a Russian businessman made a public comment critical of the war and last night he, and his family we murdered in their home. 

After WW2, when Russian soldiers who surrendered to the Germans attempted to return home - they were declared "traitors to the Motherland" and dealt with accordingly....

[Wideleft]

Frightening look at Putin's overall ambitions and philosophy.

Opinion: The man known as ‘Putin’s brain’ envisions the splitting of Europe — and the fall of China

By David Von Drehle

Columnist

Yesterday at 4:47 p.m. EDT

 

On the eve of his murderous invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a long and rambling discourse denying the existence of Ukraine and Ukrainians, a speech many Western analysts found strange and untethered. Strange, yes. Untethered, no. The analysis came directly from the works of a fascist prophet of maximal Russian empire named Aleksandr Dugin.

 

Dugin’s intellectual influence over the Russian leader is well known to close students of the post-Soviet period, among whom Dugin, 60, is sometimes referred to as “Putin’s brain.” His work is also familiar to Europe’s “new right,” of which Dugin has been a leading figure for nearly three decades, and to America’s “alt-right.” Indeed, the Russian-born former wife of the white nationalist leader Richard Spencer, Nina Kouprianova, has translated some of Dugin’s work into English.

But as the world watches with horror and disgust the indiscriminate bombing of Ukraine, a broader understanding is needed of Dugin’s deadly ideas. Russia has been running his playbook for the past 20 years, and it has brought us here, to the brink of another world war.

A product of late-period Soviet decline, Dugin belongs to the long, dismal line of political theorists who invent a strong and glorious past — infused with mysticism and obedient to authority — to explain a failed present. The future lies in reclaiming this past from the liberal, commercial, cosmopolitan present (often represented by the Jewish people). Such thinkers had a heyday a century ago, in the European wreckage of World War I: Julius Evola, the mad monk of Italian fascism; Charles Maurras, the reactionary French nationalist; Charles Coughlin, the American radio ranter; and even the author of a German book called “Mein Kampf.”

Dugin tells essentially the same story from a Russian point of view. Before modernity ruined everything, a spiritually motivated Russian people promised to unite Europe and Asia into one great empire, appropriately ruled by ethnic Russians. Alas, a competing sea-based empire of corrupt, money-grubbing individualists, led by the United States and Britain, thwarted Russia’s destiny and brought “Eurasia” — his term for the future Russian empire — low.

In his magnum opus, “The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia,” published in 1997, Dugin mapped out the game plan in detail. Russian agents should foment racial, religious and sectional divisions within the United States while promoting the United States’ isolationist factions. (Sound familiar?) In Great Britain, the psy-ops effort should focus on exacerbating historic rifts with Continental Europe and separatist movements in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Western Europe, meanwhile, should be drawn in Russia’s direction by the lure of natural resources: oil, gas and food. NATO would collapse from within.

Putin has followed that counsel to the letter, and he must have felt things were going well when he saw window-smashing rioters in the corridors of the U.S. Congress, Britain’s Brexit from the European Union and Germany’s growing dependence on Russian natural gas. With the undermining of the West going so well, Putin has turned to the pages of Dugin’s text in which he declared: “Ukraine as an independent state with certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia,” and “without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics.”

So what comes next, should Putin manage to “resolve” Russia’s “problem” in Ukraine? Dugin envisions a gradual dividing of Europe into zones of German and Russian influence, with Russia very much in charge thanks to its eventual stranglehold over Germany’s resource needs. As Great Britain crumbles and Russia picks up the pieces, the empire of Eurasia will ultimately stretch, in Dugin’s words, “from Dublin to Vladisvostok.”

Putin’s double-dealing encroachments into the Middle East are influenced by Dugin’s idea of a Moscow-Tehran axis. (Israel’s government should wake up, smell the samovar and stop playing footsie with Russia.) His seduction of the nationalist government in New Delhi is a reflection of Dugin’s insistence that the Eurasian empire must extend to the Indian Ocean.

As important as it is for Western decision-makers to take Dugin’s mystical megalomania seriously, it’s just as urgent for China’s Xi Jinping. Xi and Putin announced a partnership last month to cut the United States down to size. But according to Dugin, China, too, must fall. Russia’s ambitions in Asia will require “the territorial disintegration, splintering and the political and administrative partition of the [Chinese] state,” Dugin writes. Russia’s natural partner in the Far East, according to Dugin, is Japan.

In a sense, Dugin’s 600-page doorstop can be boiled down to one idea: The wrong alliance won World War II. If only Hitler had not invaded Russia, Britain could have been broken. The United States would have remained at home, isolationist and divided, and Japan would have ruled the former China as Russia’s junior partner.

Fascism from Ireland to the Pacific. Delusional? I sure hope so. But delusions become important when embraced by tyrants.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/22/alexander-dugin-author-putin-deady-playbook/

Edited March 23, 2022 by Wideleft