"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (5 Viewers)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules


KYIV, June 18 (Reuters) - Russia is sending a large number of reserve troops to Sievierodonetsk from other battle zones to try to gain full control of the frontline eastern city, the governor of Ukraine's Luhansk region said on Saturday.

"Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, they will throw in all the reserves they have ... because there are so many of them there already, they're at critical mass," Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said on national television.


He said Russian forces already controlled most but not all of Sievierodonetsk.


 
A clearer photo, also showing the hitch point:

 
Last edited:
Russian lives don't figure in Putler's computations for the restoration of the Russian Empire.
 
There are interesting connections between Australia and "old Russia". So many names from my native Crimea on the map: Inkerman, Balaklava, Alma, Sebastopol.
Some stories about "Russian fear": Elena Govor. Australia and the Crimean War
When I started my maritime career, Soviet tanker vessels were involved in animal fat exports from Australia. I can't remember the name of that small port on the east coast... There was a small community of white Russian emigre. We could not contact them, it was prohibited and our political officer would report anyone who dared. But there was always a small crowd on the jetty upon arrival and departure. We played Russian songs through the loudspeakers and they waived. Sometimes, souvenirs were exchanged through the ship's agent.

Edit:
Port Alma was the name! How could I forget. There is Balaclava island and probably more Crimean names in the area.
 
Last edited:
I find it slightly bemusing when Putin talks of restoring the greatness of old mother Russia.

Lets look at why Imperial Russia collapsed.
  1. The vast majority of the wealth of the country was held by a very, very small few
  2. The people were more pretty well ignored
  3. Technically they fell behind the rest of the world
  4. The people were used as cannon fodder during any conflict
  5. Leadership in those conflicts was based on how close you were to the leader, and not on your ability
  6. The military suffered huge losses
  7. Result - The revolution
Now a Question for you all -

Does any of this sound at all familiar ?
 
Now if he were to state that the Golden Horde were historically Russian, he can go and claim Mongolia...
Gee, you think maybe he's been listening to his buddy She Jing Pee? "Wherever people of Chinese (Russian) origin live, or have lived, is Chinese (Russian) land and is rightfully part of China (Russia)"! (Substitute empire of choice)
Let's see, can anybody spell,
A R M A G E D D O N ?
 

KYIV, June 19 (Reuters) - The head of NATO said on Sunday the war in Ukraine could last years and Ukrainian forces faced intensified Russian assaults after the EU executive recommended that Kyiv should be granted the status of a candidate to join the bloc.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was cited by Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper as saying the supply of state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would increase the chance of liberating the eastern Donbas region from Russian control.



Dear lord, I sure hope he's wrong.
 

"The offensive in the Sievierodonetsk direction is developing successfully," Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a video statement. He said the settlement of Metyolkine, on the eastern outskirts of the city, had been taken.


"The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue to strike military targets on the territory of Ukraine," he said.

Konashenkov said long-range Kalibr cruise missiles struck a command centre in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing Ukrainian generals and officers, including from the general staff.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the details or toll of Russia's strikes on Ukraine.


 
There were many reasons for the end of the Russian Empire, including some of the listed.
The fall of the Empire which happened in February 1917 could have become "the end of the beginning" in the long chain of reforms that could transform the country into something more modern. And for the country itself, it was not a collapse but rather a difficult transition. Unfortunately, Republic was short-lived and weak and after the Bolshevist coup, the actual collapse happened.
As for the current situation in Russian Federation, I wouldn't hope for any "revolution". The state is stable, military losses are hardly noticed by the population which is brainwashed and apathetic and enjoys material comfort unimaginable for the earlier generations, and export revenues are satisfactory. GDP contraction is expected to be not worse than in 2008-2009. Opposition is silenced and pushed out of the country.
 

Users who are viewing this thread