Russia Masses Military Equipment Near Ukraine Borders: A Prologue to WWIII?

[Occult1]

Ukraine to seek more weapons from US, allies

''Ukraine plans to make an appeal to the United States and its western allies for more equipment to support the country's fight against Russia, according to a list shared with US lawmakers, that was obtained by the Wall Street Journal.

The list includes a request for long-range missiles, which Washington declined to provide in the past over fears that Kiev may use the weaponry in question to hit Russian territory and escalate the ongoing conflict even further.

According to the report, Ukraine is asking for the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) which has a range of up to 190 miles. The country also wants more tanks, drones and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.''

https://www.teletrader.com/ukraine-to-seek-more-weapons-from-us-allies/news/details/58587630

[Tatetopa]

1 minute ago, Occult1 said:

Ukraine to seek more weapons from US, allies

2 for 1.  Now we can deplete North Koreans stocks of munitions too.

[Likely Guy]

1 minute ago, Occult1 said:

Ukraine to seek more weapons from US, allies

I'd rather be supplied from the west than North Korea.

[bmk1245]

8 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

2 for 1.  Now we can deplete North Koreans stocks of munitions too.

Good one, kudos!

How good munitions are when barrels going to the lifetime limits... Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if russkys will bring T-34 into battlefield.

[+Nuclear Wessel]

33 minutes ago, Occult1 said:

Despite all that support, Moscow still has an overwhelming advantage in artillery, ammunition and heavy weaponry.

Yet, they're losing. I suppose that just shows that having an advantage with those things doesn't guarantee a win.

[Occult1]

60-80% of Twitter accounts posting on Russia-Ukraine war bots, 90% ‘pro Ukraine’, finds new study

''Between 60 and 80 per cent of Twitter handles posting on the Russia-Ukraine war may be bot accounts, a research by scholars from the University of Adelaide, Australia has found. Among other influences, these bot accounts may have been pushing people to flee their homes during the conflict between these two countries, the researchers added.

The researchers also found more “pro Ukraine’ accounts than those that were “pro Russia”.

The paper titled “#IStandWithPutin versus #IStandWithUkraine: The interaction of bots and humans in discussion of the Russia/Ukraine war” was released on 20 August.''

https://theprint.in/tech/60-80-of-twitter-accounts-posting-on-russia-ukraine-war-bots-90-pro-ukraine-finds-new-study/1114878/

 

I have noticed some people here are sharing a lot Twitter posts.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Occult1

[bmk1245]

7 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Yet, they're losing. I suppose that just shows that having an advantage with those things doesn't guarantee a win.

Negative victory is still victory, like negative buoyancy of missile cruiser Moskva...

[acidhead]

4 hours ago, Black Red Devil said:

((((and the far East (Vladivostok) that has also been proclaimed as Chinese territory by the CCP. ))))

 

Vladivostok.... 

Just curious....  

Does this still hold true today?  

A few days ago Russia, hosted the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.  China was a participant.   

 

 

[Alchopwn]

13 hours ago, Cookie Monster said:

Putin still has overwhelming support inside Russia, and they haven`t been blowing up power plants as they retreat. It was a missile attack. At one stage yesterday the whole of Ukraine was without power. Now it`s just three provinces they still own in the east.

Where do you get the idea that Putin has massive support?  Look at the demonstrations, and multiply the number of demonstrators by 10.  This is the standard means of measuring the actual support for a cause in a major city, as for every 1 person who turns up, there are another 9 who didn't have the time.  As for the Russians destroying power plants with missiles, that is laughable.  The Russians have been LITERALLY unable to reliably hit the broad side of a barn with their rocketry.  That is why they keep hitting civilian targets not military ones.  Or are you going to tell me that the Russian military is using multi-million dollar Kinzals to blow up toilets on purpose?  Are they targeting civilians on purpose?  Or are they missing due to incompetence?  I am giving the Russians the benefit of the doubt by saying they are incompetent, not evil.

[Grim Reaper 6]

2 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

You would know this better than I, but I think that is a huge problem.  Shortages for one.  But second, NK artillery is how many years behind?  If Russia can fire the shells, the pieces they have are also collectors items. Meanwhile, we are sending Ukraine new shells and new modern artillery.  The balance is going to shift even more, or did I mistake this?

Actually from what I read they are not receiving Artillery Pieces ( Guns ) they are trying to buy ammunition only. Now for the Russians to buy Ammunition from North Korea they must be in dire straits! While the caliber of the ammunition is what Russia needs the quality of the munitions is another story, this is from the article you quoted.

Russia’s hungry war machine is pushing it to desperate measures. Moscow may have a surprise in store for it though: in 2010, after North Korea bombarded the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, authorities discovered up to 25 percent of the rockets were duds. That’s a high failure rate for a fairly simple rocket.

As stated above the last time there was an exchange with South Korea a great deal of the fired ammunition were duds. What’s interesting to me is why isn’t China supplying Russia with ammunition, they are use the same caliber ammunition the Russians need and they apparently are not supplying ammunition to the Russians or why would the Russians go to North Korea.

I guess the real question is figuring out if this is intentional misdirection or propaganda and I certainly don’t have the answer to that question! Last, the amount of ammunition they are trying to buy will certainly cut into North Koreas own supply, and maybe the Chinese are not helping Russia because they need there supplies fir the invasion of Taiwan. I don’t have the answers but the whole situation seems pretty strange over all.

Hope this helps. 

[Grim Reaper 6]

2 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

You would know this better than I, but I think that is a huge problem.  Shortages for one.  But second, NK artillery is how many years behind?  If Russia can fire the shells, the pieces they have are also collectors items. Meanwhile, we are sending Ukraine new shells and new modern artillery.  The balance is going to shift even more, or did I mistake this?

One more this I forgot to add, buy ammunition from North Korea may be expedient because the two countries boarder each other. Now it’s possible they have roads or railroad lines at that boarder but I can’t confirm this detail for certain. But even so it still a long way to transport those munitions to the Ukrainian Battle field. But the thing that still bothers me is where this information is coming from. If they were transferring supplies at the boarder satellites were see them doing it, but the information provided in the source appears to be intelligence gathered from somewhere in advance. It all seems sketchy to me, but hell what do I know! 

[Grim Reaper 6]

2 hours ago, Occult1 said:

 

 

I see nothing contradicting what other Russian officials have previously said about Ukraine. That they would stop their operation in a heartbeat if Ukraine agrees to terms.

Russia will stop 'in a moment' if Ukraine meets terms - Kremlin

''LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Russia has told Ukraine it is ready to halt military operations "in a moment" if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday.

Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.''

https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-russian-military-action-will-stop-moment-if-ukraine-meets-2022-03-07/

Under the circumstances why would Ukraine stop their counter offensive, the Russian Military forces are imploding! Then when you consider that Officials from the Russian Government are asking for Putin to step down it appears that even within the Russian Federation Putins fighting for survival. The Ukrainian President Zelensky has made it clear the the only way this conflict will end is for a complete Russian withdrawal from occupation zones, including the Crimea. Russia started this conflict and now they are asking for terms what does that say?

The Ukrainians would be crazy to halt the conflict, because that would give Russia time to rebuild its forces, so I am confused why you would even post those comments above, did you think about it before you posted it?

@acidhead You like his comment can you explain why the Ukrainians should agree to negotiate with Russia under the present circumstances?

[Hankenhunter]

12 hours ago, Occult1 said:

There are reports starting to come out that the West was behind the plans for the counter-offensive. So who's Russia's real opponent in Ukraine? Many people here prefer to avoid that question.

Still stirring the pot, eh? russia is blaming everyone except themselves, and Ukraine for their catastrophic failures. You're regurgitating propaganda. Accidentally? Or....

[ThereWeAreThen]

8 hours ago, Occult1 said:

I think it's all part of grand plan. Russia is preparing something huge. We shouldn't underestimate Putin. Some may call me a conspiracy theorist but there is something not quite right about all this. 

No not a conspiracy theorist just a Russian troll.

[Hankenhunter]

8 hours ago, Occult1 said:

I think it's all part of grand plan. Russia is preparing something huge. We shouldn't underestimate Putin. Some may call me a conspiracy theorist but there is something not quite right about all this. 

 

[ThereWeAreThen]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62884668

Says Ukraine have liberated 6000km of territory wtf? Really? I went to the  pub yesterday and missed it. 

Maybe if I go to the pub all week instead of work Ukraine will push the orcs out....

[DarkHunter]

1 minute ago, ThereWeAreThen said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62884668

Says Ukraine have liberated 6000km of territory wtf? Really? I went to the  pub yesterday and missed it. 

Maybe if I go to the pub all week instead of work Ukraine will push the orcs out....

Between 2,000 and 3,000 square kilometers have been liberated in Kharkiv oblast, that has been pretty well known and documented.

As for the missing 3,000 to 4,000 square kilometers that gets complicated and is based on rumors.  Ukranian military has seemingly entered Lunetsk oblast but I havent seen much clear evidence on just how far they have entered yet.  In Donetsk it's a similar situation, rumors of the Ukranian military trying to maneuver to surround the city of Donetsk or to make a run for Mariupol but once again no confirmation.  Zaporizhzhia oblast the Ukranian military has done small opportunistic counter offensives but no great advances there yet, seems the counter offensives there might liberate a single town/village or push the Russians back a kilometer or two in a small area.  Kherson oblast is where stuff gets complicated.  For whatever reason the Ukranian military is still keeping the situation of the Kherson offensive largely a secret but there was a rumor that Russian forces have mostly fallen back to be near the Dnieper river so that Russian artillery on the opposite bank can still protect them.  That hasnt been confirmed but if true could easily account for about half of the claimed 6,000 square kilometers liberated.

[Duke Wellington]

7 hours ago, Black Red Devil said:

But why hasn't Putin declared war and mobilised the full force of his troops thus far? 

While Russia is basically a dictatorship it still holds elections like a true Democracy, although even the stones know the results are misleading and fraudelent to say the least. Opposition is inexistent and media suppressed.  Somehow people in Russia have come to believe and accept this as freedom and democracy, probably because they've never known any better.

The poorly paid reserves being sent to fight in the Ukraine are mostly contracted for a year from rural areas in Russia and really aren't that high up on the food chain and therefore can be easily subjugated and silenced without causing too many ripples in Russian society.  If Putin changes his operation to a fully fledged war forcing conscription, everyone, including thousands from major cities are going to be called up for service, expect to be trained for 3 months and fully equipped with proper military gear, basically a huge financial burden.  When body bags of middle class Russian kids from big cities start returning, mothers and fathers in large numbers are going to be asking serious questions, the main ones being "tell me again, why are we fighting in the Ukraine?" and "what did Ukrainians do to me? (most will answer to themselves, nothing)".  To control possible massive unrest Putin would have to declare marshall law.  His popularity in big cities would plummit and anarchy would set in.

Would Nato send troops?  That is Putin's dilemma because both he and Nato commanders know there is no comparison between the two forces with Nato being overwhelmingly superior in all facets, technology, numbers, strategically, professionally...  Which also means Russian territory occupied by invading forces in the likely scenario of defeat and an unconditional surrender.  Many territories and Republics in Russia have shown interest in becoming independent, Chechnya, Kaliningrad, Karelia, Siberia (?!) and the far East (Vladivostok) that has also been proclaimed as Chinese territory by the CCP. Defeat could result in the massive loss of part or all of these territories.  Putin could always use the nuke card but that would devastate Russia and put even his own family at risk from a Nato response, I highly doubt this option would eventuate.

The whole strategy of invading Ukraine was never about Nazi's, it was the risk of exposing Russians to true democracy in a country they hold deep connections with, once this country became part of Nato and the EU. Russians would have been flocking to their nearby neighbour for better working and living conditions.  A total embarressment for Putin and many Russians who regard Ukranians as lower class. Now he risks a defeat against them and the complete fragmentation of the country Peter the Great, his hero, built.

 

Russia is not a dictatorship, and no true democracies exist.

At the heart of this issue is an inability to recognise, or a lack of awareness of, that the majority of Russia was and still is up for the war. The true democracy part is probably just a misuse of words.

Yes, the conflict has mostly been fought with poorly trained contractual soldiers who volunteered to fight. And they have mostly used old war materials. The professionally trained army with the most modern gear has not been used. It suggests Putin decided to use up its decades gone by stores and didn`t want to waste soldiers they have spent years training.

NATO should go in by land and take what Russia hasn`t grabbed. It will result in immediate peace and most of Ukraine (if it`s done as things stand) joining the West. Most of the Ukrainian army has been non-extremist, but Azov is a Nazi unit, and that risks playing into the Russian narrative that the Ukrainians are Nazi.

The proxy war is to drain Russia.

Russia has made a strategic mistake by re-deploying many of its forces to western Ukraine, which will take a while to get back due to destroyed bridges. It left them exposed in the east, and as a result Ukraine is making large territorial gains. Putin will throw a wobbly at this to appease his Russian support base.

I expect a brutal response and full mobilisation for war.

[ThereWeAreThen]

1 minute ago, Cookie Monster said:

Russia is not a dictatorship, and no true democracies exist.

At the heart of this issue is an inability to recognise, or a lack of awareness of, that the majority of Russia was and still is up for the war. The true democracy part is probably just a misuse of words.

Yes, the conflict has mostly been fought with poorly trained contractual soldiers who volunteered to fight. And they have mostly used old war materials. The professionally trained army with the most modern gear has not been used. It suggests Putin decided to use up its decades gone by stores and didn`t want to waste soldiers they have spent years training.

NATO should go in by land and take what Russia hasn`t grabbed. It will result in immediate peace and most of Ukraine (if it`s done as things stand) joining the West. Most of the Ukrainian army has been non-extremist, but Azov is a Nazi unit, and that risks playing into the Russian narrative that the Ukrainians are Nazi.

The proxy war is to drain Russia.

Russia has made a strategic mistake by re-deploying many of its forces to western Ukraine, which will take a while to get back due to destroyed bridges. It left them exposed in the east, and as a result Ukraine is making large territorial gains. Putin will throw a wobbly at this to appease his Russian support base.

I expect a brutal response and full mobilisation for war.

Ofcourse Russia is a dictatorship! Do you get your info from FoxNews????

Agree with the 2rd paragraph regarding NATO going in.

Its not a proxy war as a power is actually fighting.

Russia made a massive mistake by invading Ukraine in the fisrt palce.

So if you expect mobilisation, given by your track record, we can expect Russia pulling out soon yes?

[ThereWeAreThen]

This aged well. Think this is where some people get their info from.

[ThereWeAreThen]

 

I'm doing Helens work by here mun!!

[Grim Reaper 6]

7 minutes ago, ThereWeAreThen said:

This aged well. Think this is where some people get their info from.

McGregor is a Russian Apologists and in all reality is a Traitor:

WATCH: Fox reporter scolds Douglas Macgregor for sounding like a 'Putin apologist'

“I feel like I need to correct some of the things that Col. Doug Macgregor just said, and I’m not sure that 10 minutes is enough time to do so because there were so many distortions," Griffin said on Sunday.

Macgregor sounded "like an apologist for" Russian President Vladimir Putin, she said, stressing that not even people in the Pentagon seem to know how far Putin is willing to take his aggression. Macgregor also noted how Russia, under Putin, has already invaded Georgia in 2008 and taken over Crimea in 2014.

The kind of appeasement talk that Col. Doug Macgregor, who should know better because when he was in government, he was the one who was advising President Trump to pull all U.S. troops out of Germany, that kind of projection of withdrawal and weakness is what made Putin think that he could actually move into a sovereign country like Ukraine," Griffin said.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/watch-fox-reporter-scolds-col-macgregor-for-sounding-like-a-putin-apologist

[DarkHunter]

23 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

Yes, the conflict has mostly been fought with poorly trained contractual soldiers who volunteered to fight. And they have mostly used old war materials. The professionally trained army with the most modern gear has not been used. It suggests Putin decided to use up its decades gone by stores and didn`t want to waste soldiers they have spent years training.

That is factually and objectively not true.  Russian Guard units, the elite of the Russian military, along with the VDV and Russian Marines have been used extensively inside of Ukraine and have essentially been destroyed.  The VDV has been mauled so badly they as an entire branch of the Russian military dont even really exist as an effective fighting force anymore.

Russia went into Ukraine with the best that the Russian military has had to offer and failed in the invasion.

To give a very specific example to show your argument is wrong, the single most operated tank that Russia has is the T-72.  The two most modern variants, which make up a plurality of active Russian tanks are the T-72B3 and the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (depending on the source there may be a difference as the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 and the T-72B3M are essentially the same tank but some sources say the T-72B3M is the mass produced tank with the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 being the limited run production for the tank biathlon and other sources have it reversed).

Before the war Russia had 850 T-72B3 and 530 T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (or T-72B3M).  Russia has lost at absolute minimum 165 T-72B3 and 146 T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (or T-72B3M).  Those are significant losses for what are some if the newest tanks in the Russian arsenal, those would not be given to poorly trained disposable soldiers.

Edited September 13, 2022 by DarkHunter

[ThereWeAreThen]

7 minutes ago, DarkHunter said:

That is factually and objectively not true.  Russian Guard units, the elite of the Russian military, along with the VDV and Russian Marines have been used extensively inside of Ukraine and have essentially been destroyed.  The VDV has been mauled so badly they as an entire branch of the Russian military dont even really exist as an effective fighting force anymore.

Russia went into Ukraine with the best that the Russian military has had to offer and failed in the invasion.

To give a very specific example to show your argument is wrong, the single most operated tank that Russia has is the T-72.  The two most modern variants, which make up a plurality of active Russian tanks are the T-72B3 and the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (depending on the source there may be a difference as the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 and the T-72B3M are essentially the same tank but some sources say the T-72B3M is the mass produced tank with the T-72B3 Obr. 2016 being the limited run production for the tank biathlon and other sources have it reversed).

Before the war Russia had 850 T-72B3 and 530 T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (or T-72B3M).  Russia has lost at absolute minimum 165 T-72B3 and 146 T-72B3 Obr. 2016 (or T-72B3M).  Those are significant losses for what are some if the newest tanks in the Russian arsenal, those would not be given to poorly trained disposable soldiers.

Ofcourse you're right but unfortunately its not going to support his agenda.

[Hankenhunter]

4 hours ago, Occult1 said:

Fair enough. Nobody knew the extent to which the U.S./NATO would intervene in that conflict. I admit I was wrong.

Since January 2021, the US has committed more than $13.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Let alone how much U.S. intelligence would play a critical role for Ukraine.

A cheap price to pay, considering the alternative. Ukraine is administering death by a thousand cuts to Russia. U.S started the funding, and many others followed their lead. It's going to be a very bad winter for Russia. Your hero is a paper tiger.