11mo ago

Ukraine destroyed columns of waiting Russian troops as soon as it was allowed to strike across the border, commander says

www.businessinsider.com

Ukraine destroyed columns of waiting Russian soldiers with HIMARS, a Ukrainian commander said.
He said Ukraine targeted them as soon as it got permission to use allied weapons across the border.
Military experts say Ukraine's ability to use Western-supplied weapons in Russia is aiding its fightback.

97 comments

I wish they didn't have to wait for things like this. It sucks that Ukraine is at the whims of other countries while it's trying to fight to maintain its sovereignty.
- It makes me so depressed thinking about how many thousands of Ukrainian lives could’ve been saved by just giving Ukraine full and enthusiastic support immediately instead of dragging it out this long.
  
  This was done on purpose so the crisis didn't escalate. There's no world police to prevent Russia from nuking everyone. It's better for outside actors to focus on de-escalation anyway.
  Also, Putin is not doing this because of Ukraine. I mean that's part of it, but he is doing it for domestic appeal. He wants to appear tough to Russian citizens. Two situations allow that: beating Ukraine easily, and losing to NATO forces. He knows NATO will not risk invading Russia, so he's in no real danger from the second one.
  NATO is intentionally not intervening because it makes Putin look weak domestically. Russia has created their own problem and the war will not end until the people of Russia demand it.
- That's Putin's doing. His bluff was strong and he had a big pile of material, so the West is using a Russia technique known as the salami slice method, by slowly escalating and gauging the reaction from Putin. It means no world war 3 scenario, no allies that have to come to his defense and also not letting Putin taking whatever he wants with just bluff and threatening speeches. It is costly in lives and material though.
  
  Can't make salami without grinding meat I guess. As dark as that sounds. I thank every soul who's been fighting against that thugtatorship.
- And we (the US) have so much support that we could be giving to them but we're not. We'd rather enable genocide elsewhere.
  
  The US has too many bases to defend simultaneously to engage with Russia directly. It would be the 18th Anglo-French Wars all over again but with the possibility of a spicy nuclear conclusion at any given moment.
  Keeping the conflict contained to the Ukrainian theater means western states get to "bleed" Russia in a protracted conflict without drawing the rest of their assets into a firefight. But we're already seeing the US/Russia conflict leak into the central African states, the Korean border, and recently the coast of Florida.
  Americans don't actually want this to become a full blown World War. That drives up our defensive costs significantly and skews the "Stupid Russians Lose Again" headlines with a bunch of "Brave NATO Soldiers Fucked By Insidious Russian Treachery" articles.

Good. Make Russian civilians see the horrors of the war they support personally.
- Saw this video on my feed which uhhhhh NSFL (Death) https://x.com/Megatron_ron/status/1805588024803074447
  Also lmao at everyone condemning Hamas but Russian civilians being targeted gets them cheering.
  
  Russian civilians weren't targeted, the missile was intercepted by russian air defense on its way to a military target. The shrapnel happened to fall on that beach.
  Edit: If you're thinking of holidaying in an active warzone, perhaps reconsider.
  
  "Targeted". (Likely just an intercepted missile)
  They're on a fucking beach, on illegally occupied land, during an active war. I'm pretty sure they knew the risk.
  Play stupid games, grow 🌻
  
  Last thing I remember yesterday many condemned Israel for announcing it's land development program that is gossiped as planned on occupied territories. Today there were news of a shitbag minister who voiced a plan to take the West Bank under a military rule (and to convert it into profits?), and I don't see many support to him there as well. Would it be too cynical to ask wtf these settlers would be doing there?
  
  I'm sorry that this is the best job you can find right now. It can't be a very fun job. But you are also kind of bad at it, you should at least try to make the post sound like a real human could possibly think the things that are said.
  
  How close to the port is that beach?
  
  It's funny because you are still allowed to post these shit takes, but if you switched Hamas and Russia you'd be banned from .ml at light speed.
  
  I mean those are some stupid russians to be chilling on the beach at the edge of an active war zone

Pretty sure the kremlin is a legitimate military target
- Wonder if they could make an explosive filled Cessna stealthy enough for that...
  
  They don't need stealth apparently. They have gotten drones into that airspace.

OHAIMARS

"So sad that the Ukrainian government cares so little about it's people it is giving Russia an excuse to demolish Ukraine."
Some Israel Supporter, probably
- I'm waiting for these wars to finally come full circle and for Israel to start selling Russia weapons it got from the United States on the cheap.

Military experts say Ukraine's ability to use Western-supplied weapons in Russia is aiding its fightback.
Wow, thank God for that expert analysis.

“Destroyed"? Don't you mean "killed" columns of Russian soldiers? Even if they are in the wrong, these are still lives that are lost, not some equipment.
- In the military it's common to talk about groups of soldiers the same way you talk about equipment. Because the crucial information isn't their humanity, it's their utility to the war effort. "Destroyed" is usually used to mean a unit is so broken it must be combined with other units and different militaries have different definitions of exactly how many casualties that takes.
- Not sure, I heard they're actually orcs

Fuck russia. Kill the blyats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiqFcc_l_Kk

Striking those Russian oil and gas facilities really seemed like the thing that made actual impact. But that damaged global trade which America wasn't a fan of.
- Ukraine has both tactical and strategic plans for striking Russian oil and gas facilities. Strategically it's important to hit these facilities as reducing output results in a long term slowdown in Russia's ability to wage war on its neighbours. Tactically it's a way of both boosting Ukrainian morale and also (most interestingly) forcing the US to help resupply Ukraine.
  By reducing Russian production, Ukraine is pushing up oil and gas prices which affects the World and, more importantly, the US economy. Due to the US election cycle, inflation is a hot button topic in the US ATM and the Biden administration will do just about anything it can to reduce its impact on the upcoming Presidential election.
  It's entirely valid to conclude that the Ukrainian's can bring pressure on the US to provide military aid by attaching Russian oil and gas assets.
  Let me be clear: I'm on the side of the Ukrainians.
  
  I'm not following. The first part makes sense, but wouldn't driving gas up make Ukraine less popular and less likely to get US aid?
  
  I support Ukraine too but throwing Ukrainian soldiers into the meat grinder is a lost cause.
  What Russia does care about (and needs to keep their invasion going) is money. Which Russia mostly makes from their oil and gas.
  So America not allowing Ukraine to hit Russia where it actually hurts means Putin has no reason to agree to a ceasefire. His money keeps flowing and he can keep his war economy going.
- Sounds like a win/win then.

97 comments