Russian invasion of Ukraine thread.

I'll post what's happening as it comes through for purposes of posterity. Doubt the veracity of what is posted here. Having lived through the Iraq war, I am sure that the vast majority of what gets reported will turn out to be either misinformation or outright ********. Posting because a lot of non-Australia members will be asleep, now. I'll report as much as I can.

So far the g****vine is:

Russia has indeed embarked on a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Air attacks, and ground forces. There has been at least one missile strike, there have been front-line Ukranian casualities ( have seen video, cannot post it here, too graphic).

Footage of an airstrike hitting Lutsk:

https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/1496721271907889155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1496721271907889155%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpatriots.win%2Fnew


Belarus has thrown in with Russia/is issuing support.
Reports of Ukrainian air defence having shot down multiple Russian planes, either drones or fighters. 


Some other info:

* Edited at 02.24.2022, 1:29 AM ET *

Oh--Russia just took Kherson BTW.

I think the big shocker is it's europe. A continent scarred by both world wars and committed to attempts and peaceful hegemony is the epicentre of a global wide crisis and major conflict involving one of the biggest players. It's easy to turn a blind eye when men are fighting in some arab ****hole or against some force halfway across the world but n a continent where two countries haven't attacked each other since  1945.

It's sad. I would rather see Europe returned to its seat at the helm of world dominance. The US has squandered its privileges at every turn. It is also mostly populated by absolute troglodytes. It is a vapid, narcissistic country composed of vapid, narcissistic and dangerously stupid people. 

* Edited at 03.01.2022, 7:11 PM ET *

@Baldric Eggling

"I'm an atheist. I don't have to like Islam, I don't have to pretend it isn't cancer"


I'm also an atheist but appreciate that the vast majority of Muslims detest the extremists just as much as everyone else does. Those extremists, while powerful, are not representative of Islam as a whole. From my experience, most Muslims I've come across are conservative in their views but certainly not unreasonably so. Some have even been pacifist. Most don't follow the Quran strictly to the letter, especially not the more backwards parts of it. 

@Stephen that's because they still have the choice to be moderate. As I said, whenever you have a Muslim majority anywhere, you get Shariah. The benign Muslims do not win. Ever. If you want to see what a wealthy Muslim majority country looks like ( there aren't many) take a peek at dubai, where you'll be beheaded for apostasy and a woman needs three male witnesses vouching for her if she is ****d to take the case to court. That's what late stage Islam is. Not what you see in the UK. That's where it ends up.

* Edited at 03.01.2022, 7:16 PM ET *

Which is something that annoys me about people in the West criticising Israel. Guess what? You could go to tel Aviv tomorrow, take copies of the Talmuds, take a dump on it in the middle of the street and the only thing you'd be arrested for is public indecency. Israel is not a theocracy. You can opt out.

Do the same thing in Iran or Dubai and they'll dismember you on the spot.

Let's stop pretending these two things are the same. They're not.

* Edited at 03.01.2022, 7:31 PM ET *

**** Israel 

I think my wife is trying to punish me by making me watch the state of the union address from Biden. I suggested reruns of 2 and a half men or modern family instead.

@Xconchris

I've never watched a state of the union address so what does the president actually say in them? Is it just self promotion or do they give a summery of how things are going? Every year at Christmas, the Queen gives her speech where she talks about the year, is it America's equivalent of that? 

@Stephen. Basically that. Summary of our problems and how to fix them. Never heard of the queens speech so I can't compare.

@Xconchris

This was her speech for last year for example. 

@Stephen, it's more like the State Opening of Parliament. Fair amount of pageantry for a US thing, though not quite as ritualistic as the UK version. Because of separation of powers, it is almost entirely the work of the President and their writers. Congressional leaders may be consulted, but it is explicitly a speech TO Congress (as well as the Supreme Court and the Cabinet officers), not in conjunction with them as the Queen's Speech is.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60567162

Made my morning and burst out laughing between the trash talk between Russian Tankers and Ukrainian soilders hunting them

https://mobile.twitter.com/ourworldwar/status/1498740921415909378

The one thing we have learned from this conflict is really how pathetic the world's 2nd or 3rd, depending what you consider China, Army is. The iphone videos of the inside of 1980s tanks, expired food, negligence among logistics and lack of discipline. The Russian military is sadly pathetic. And they are suppose to be #2? If we take away the nuclear weapons, they couldn't beat a JV Army in any conventional setting. Russia is sad

Chris, that could be selection bias regarding what media is getting through. 

That said, I did hear a specialist at the European Studies Conference years ago remark that "the Russian Army couldn't pour piss out of a boot". 

I don't know enough to make an assessment.