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

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I grew up attending eight schools in twelve years of basic education. As a result, always the new kid, I was often a target for bullies. My dad taught me early that when I'm confronted with a bully, the only real answer was fighting back. Not because fighting was good or anything, but rather because bullies don't really want a fight. They want a victory without a fight.

Refusing to be intimidated, and them catching a bloody nose or two in the process, may not cure them of bullying, but it'll goddamned well teach them to leave you alone.

He'd sometimes say "If you want a scrap, you'd better pack a lunch, 'cause we're gonna be here a while."

It worked for me, and I'm grateful he was there with this advice. "I walk in fear of no man." Slava Ukrainia.
As an USAF fighter pilot brat I lived in 18 houses in 22 years. Similar experiences re: Bully's. One was particularly delighted in pointing out that I 'talked Southern'. I learned to box early and was pretty good at it. As to interesting times - dad was recalled when we lived in Miami (circa Oct 1962) when I was a senior - to relocate TDY at Homestead AFB about 20mi south of our house. Homestead had 2xF-105 on 24 hour ready alert with Mk 62 (IIRC), plus a standby squadron on 15min alert.

'Interesting times' are here again, but so much more complex, nuance-wise.
 
Interesting article for some..


Russia has turned off the taps. Even if Italy unilaterally wanted to buy Russian gas and oil how will they get it.

And Italy needs to understand, if Ukraine falls, Putin will not stop there.
 
Russia has turned off the taps. Even if Italy unilaterally wanted to buy Russian gas and oil how will they get it.

And Italy needs to understand, if Ukraine falls, Putin will not stop there.
I suspect that he believes Italy will fall much sooner and that relative to the People of Italy, Now, and heaing into winter that Ukraine/Russia outcome is secondary?

You really think Russia thinks it's a good idea to attack any country with the current Ukraine experience in hand? I would never say Never, but winning a kinetic war in Ukraine is the first step down a long Afghanistan road - just to stop the bleeding during phase 'Operation Asymmetric War' in Ukraine which would come next.

On the surface China is better off than the West, but we are still waiting for the other shoe to drop as their housing financial world unravels...
 
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On the surface China is better off than the West, but we are still waiting for the other shoe to drop as their housing financial world unravels...
China has taken a bizarre turn. In the early 2000s they sought global respectability, gaining the Olympics, advancing 5G across the globe, etc. And now the place is going to hell, with domestic unrest due to a ponzi-scheme economy and disenchanted youth, and a looming environmental catastrophe, all leading to foreign adventurism and military/territorial expansionism. On the latter, if Taiwan is denied them, China will look northward to its demonstrably incompetent and weak neighbour. In China's mind, if Russia cannot roll over Ukraine, they do not deserve peace and security in the east.
 
China has taken a bizarre turn. In the early 2000s they sought global respectability, gaining the Olympics, advancing 5G across the globe, etc. And now the place is going to hell, with domestic unrest due to a ponzi-scheme economy and disenchanted youth, and a looming environmental catastrophe, all leading to foreign adventurism and military/territorial expansionism. On the latter, if Taiwan is denied them, China will look northward to its demonstrably incompetent and weak neighbour. In China's mind, if Russia cannot roll over Ukraine, they do not deserve peace and security in the east.

Add to the Chinese scheme a demography going down south.
The joke is will they become prospeous before getting old ?
 
Two Ukrainian generals, Zaluzhnyi and Zabrodskyi, about the war, the next campaign and the centers of gravity.


One interesting hint:
"...the successful efforts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to physically transfer the zone of hostilities to the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. This was done by a series of successful missile strikes on the enemy's Crimea-based air bases, first of all, the Saki airfield".
And now we have to guess again: what kind of missiles, if none can reach Saki from the Ukrainian-controlled territory? Harpoons (Neptuns) air-launched? Mysterious Hrim? ATACMS from the black market? ](*,)Ah, come on, generals, stop teasing us...
 
Ummm. are you guys aware of the Kharkiv area counter offensive? Looks promising so far.

Kharkive offensive.jpg


 
It was mentioned yesterday but there isn't much out there in the media. Your report is the most detailed I've seen to-date (with the caveat that it's a tweet from an unofficial source).

I just recently "discovered" twitter and don't even have an account, however, there are a few informative guys closely tracking developments, such as this one:


That said, I find the ISW site and map to be reliable and useful, even if a bit conservative and little behind the tip of the spearhead. Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I'm hoping that the Ukrainians can reach and take back Kup'yans'k - Google Maps with it's important rail hub. That seems like it may be the goal of their thrust in this area and would be an extremely significant gain.
 
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I just recently "discovered" twitter and don't even have an account, however, there are a few informative guys closely tracking developments, such as this one:


That said, I find the ISW site and map to be reliable and useful, even if a bit conservative and little behind the tip of the spearhead. Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I'm hoping that the Ukrainians can reach and take back Kup'yans'k - Google Maps with it's important rail hub. That seems like it may be the goal of their thrust in this area and would be an extremely significant gain.

Yep...this does look like a decent offensive, with opportunities to divide Russian forces and pin those in the south against the river. Hoping (a) that these movements are real, and (b) that they continue to succeed.
 
Matteo Salvini is a long term supporter of Putin and a wanna-be fascist so I am hardly surprised he comes out with garbage such as this.
Italy always has a knack of observing the field and then choosing the wrong side. Perhaps Salvini wants to reconstitute the ARMIR, but facing the other direction this time.
 

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