US Still Trying to Prolong the Ukraine War...

[John G.]

"Russia has a shortage of young men"
That's a funny statement to make considering that Russia's 20 year olds are fighting 40+ year old Ukrainian men.
An entire generation of Ukrainian men has either migrated or died on the battlefield.
Russia does not have the problem here. Ukraine is well on its way to become another 1945 Germany missing an entire generation of men.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Emptying the prisions seems like a pretty drastic step to me. It's not hard to see why; Russia has a shortage of young men; it's a looming disaster for the nation:

https://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP162.html

Russia prison population plummets as convicts are sent to war​

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/26/russia-prison-population-convicts-war/

You're delusional if you think Russia doesn't have enough young men willing to fight for her in comparison to the Ukraine. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that larger population pools are able to draw on more men. This is like arguing that because China is having demographic problems that it can't fill it's army. We are talking a population of 38 million versus a population of 144 million. Russia has not had to increase conscription, it hasn't been scraping the barrel. Nor can it be said that the Russian spirit is broken, if anything it is increasing due to a sense of real nationalism and the most recent terrorist attack in Russia. It's made Russians angry and regardless of who was responsible it will likely make support for the war in Ukraine even stronger.

My honest question to do is how you think Ukraine can achieve it's goals of pushing Russia out of it's Dejure territory and retake Crimea? Is the recapturing of that land worth the death it would require in order to have said victory? I don't think so, nor do I think it's possible for said victory conditions to be achieved. A negotiated settlement would be the best solution for the Ukraine going forward, one where it loses but is at least able to maintain itself as a sovereign entity and understand it's place as a neutral country that must respect Russia as a powerful neighbour. Yet I don't think that is possible any more, I think the Russians understand that they are winning this war and they will likely be able to press more claims and concessions to Ukraine. It was foolish to rely on the USA.

You might not believe this will be the outcome, but if it is, will you reevaluate your position? If I am wrong I will be forced to concede the point to Western critics that they were right and will have to reevaluate my positions in terms of Western strength. I wouldn't like it, as I am not a fan of the current western hegemonic order but I would have to accept it.

I'm curious what you think of this article Ukraine is at great risk of its front lines collapsing.

It is not only the Russian side that sees the problems for the Ukraine to overcome if they want to achieve victory. Russia has learned from many of it's mistakes in this war as war forces you to do if the goal is victory. It's time for people to actually start thinking about this seriously. You don't have to embrace a narrative where everyone who you dislike is Hitler and must be stopped. That's the same rhetoric as the Neocons and I know you don't want to be compared to a Neocon, but when you brandish their talking points it makes one think.

 

[The Barbarian]

You're delusional if you think Russia doesn't have enough young men willing to fight for her in comparison to the Ukraine.

Ukraine hasn't had to empty prisons to get soldiers, Nearly a million young Russian men have fled Russia to avoid the draft. And Russia is headed into a demographic disaster as there aren't enough young Russians to support a much larger aged cohort. And Putin is squandering them on his dream of reviving the Soviet Empire.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that larger population pools are able to draw on more men.

That's what Stalin said when he invaded Finland. Do I need to remind you how that turned out? Putin is squandering Russian recruits in human wave attacks. But now more ammunition is on the way to Ukraine. Your boss is in big trouble.

Russia has not had to increase conscription, it hasn't been scraping the barrel.

MOSCOW, March 31 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin's website showed on Sunday.
All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18.
In July Russia's lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30 from 27. The new legislation came into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-putin-signs-decree-spring-military-conscription-2024-03-31/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/26/russia-prison-population-convicts-war/

Be honest with yourself, at least.

Nor can it be said that the Russian spirit is broken, if anything it is increasing due to a sense of real nationalism and the most recent terrorist attack in Russia.

That's ironic. It was ISIS, not Ukraine. And....

The United States warned Russian intelligence that an attack was suspected.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/02/us-warning-russia-isis-crocus/

The Russian government, obsessed with the quagmire in Ukraine, didn't listen. And there you are. Your countrymen died because your rulers were more interested in conquest than their own people.

My honest question to do is how you think Ukraine can achieve it's goals of pushing Russia out of it's Dejure territory and retake Crimea?

They certainly took back a great deal of territory so far. Crimea is a different issue. At some point, as it happened in Finland, the Russian dictator realized that he would be smarter to just get out of it. And Stalin was much more secure in his power than Putin is.

"Russia has a shortage of young men"
That's a funny statement to make considering that Russia's 20 year olds are fighting 40+ year old Ukrainian men.
An entire generation of Ukrainian men has either migrated or died on the battlefield.

If so, why has Putin had to resort to pulling men out of prisons to keep replacing his losses? Why has he had to increase the draft age to replace the young men with older men?

Do you think the Russian people don't know this? Did you not know this?

 

[The Lone Ranger]

It's Biden who won't talk to Putin. The Wests position is not one of compromise or coming to a negotiated settlement. It is one of total victory at any cost.

President Biden has a tough job, that I wouldn't want at the moment. His political party doesn't appeal to my values, however t still respect him.

 

[John G.]

President Biden has a tough job, that I wouldn't want at the moment. His political party doesn't appeal to my values, however t still respect him

It would help if he remembered that he is only the president of the USA, not the entire planet!

 

[The Barbarian]

You don't have to embrace a narrative where everyone who you dislike is Hitler

Your head of state is doing exactly what Hitler did for the same reasons. And he will keep doing it until it is clear to him that he won't get away with it. This is why formerly neutral Sweden and Finland joined NATO. They realized that they too were on his list.

 

[John G.]

A "list"?
This sounds like the domino theory which was in style during the Cold War.
(and we all know how true that turned out to be)

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Your head of state is doing exactly what Hitler did for the same reasons. And he will keep doing it until it is clear to him that he won't get away with it. This is why formerly neutral Sweden and Finland joined NATO. They realized that they too were on his list.

Christopher Luxon is doing that?

 

[The Barbarian]

A "list"?
This sounds like the domino theory which was in style during the Cold War.

Putin has said he wants to restore the Soviet Empire. And his actions fit his words. Don't be so gullible.

 

[The Barbarian]

Your head of state is doing exactly what Hitler did for the same reasons. And he will keep doing it until it is clear to him that he won't get away with it. This is why formerly neutral Sweden and Finland joined NATO. They realized that they too were on his list.

Christopher Luxon is doing that?

Nice try.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Nice try.

Huh? Why do you think Christopher Luxon is doing these things?

 

[lifepsyop]

Your head of state is doing exactly what Hitler did for the same reasons. And he will keep doing it until it is clear to him that he won't get away with it. This is why formerly neutral Sweden and Finland joined NATO. They realized that they too were on his list.

^^^ You see... this is a religious war for these people. Putin is the satan figure and people like the above will gladly sacrifice every last Ukrainian man, woman, and child for their holy crusade to spread liberal democracy across the world via proxy wars like Ukraine, (even if the Ukrainians themselves desperately wish to make peace with Russia).

 

[lifepsyop]

"Russia has a shortage of young men"
That's a funny statement to make considering that Russia's 20 year olds are fighting 40+ year old Ukrainian men.
An entire generation of Ukrainian men has either migrated or died on the battlefield.
Russia does not have the problem here. Ukraine is well on its way to become another 1945 Germany missing an entire generation of men.

I lost count of how many videos I've seen of young Ukrainian men being beaten, dragged, and thrown in vans to be forced into this meatgrinder of a war that makes Americans feel warm and fuzzy inside thousands of miles away in their insane, infantile thinking that they are fighting by proxy the reincarnation of Hitler and remaking the world in the image of Sacred Liberal Democracy.

The funny thing is that these pro-war Americans don't even really care about Hitler. Major factions in Ukraine openly support Nazism, and those Americans know it... and they don't care.

 

[The Barbarian]

You see... this is a religious war for these people.

No, Putin's alliance with the Russian church is merely political. He promises to persecute other sects, in return for their help.

Putin is the satan figure

You're being a bit hysterical here. Guys like Putin aren't devils; they are merely what happens to weak humans who get unlimited power. It would be a grave error to confuse mere veniality and cruelty with Satan.

(even if the Ukrainians themselves desperately wish to make peace with Russia

If they want to make peace with Russia, I would think they'd stop killing so many of them. It's not the Ukrainians who have to have guards to keep their soldiers fighting:

‘They’re Just Choosing Where To Die.’ When Russia’s Poorly-Trained Stormtroopers Retreat, Russian Barrier Troops Gun Them Down.​

‘Death awaits them behind and in front.’

‘They’re Just Choosing Where To Die.’ When Russia’s Poorly-Trained Stormtroopers Retreat, Russian Barrier Troops Gun Them Down.

Russian regiments and brigades routinely deploy 'blocking' or 'barrier' troops whose job is to, ahem, 'encourage' Storm-Z assault units to keep advancing.

www.forbes.com

They don't seem very motivated, do they?

 

[lifepsyop]

No, Putin's alliance with the Russian church is merely political. He promises to persecute other sects, in return for their help.

It's not a religious war for Putin. It's a religious war for you.

Russia has quite practical concerns regarding a region on their border. You and your ilk, on the other hand, view this as a battle of the sacred global liberal democratic order versus the evils of non-liberal authoritarianism, and you're willing to use every last Ukrainian person as pawns for your crusade.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

^^^ You see... this is a religious war for these people. Putin is the satan figure and people like the above will gladly sacrifice every last Ukrainian man, woman, and child for their holy crusade to spread liberal democracy across the world via proxy wars like Ukraine, (even if the Ukrainians themselves desperately wish to make peace with Russia).

The Neocon/Neoliberal dedication to spreading democracy does approach the level of religious devotion. Except whereas religious wars in the past might have killed millions, wars for democracy tend to kill tens of millions.

 

[lifepsyop]

The Neocon/Neoliberal dedication to spreading democracy does approach the level of religious devotion. Except whereas religious wars in the past might have killed millions, wars for democracy tend to kill tens of millions.

Indeed, it is a revolutionary faith. Neocons/Liberals (including mainstream "Conservatives", Republicans, Evangelicals, etc.) are basically in a permanent state of revolution against any form of order or hierarchy that would threaten the idea of a global "open society" marketplace of atomized individual consumers. They want to escape from history into a hegelian universalism. (The "End of History") They believe humanity is perfected, as much as is possible, by liberal democracy, and so it becomes sacred to them.

This unknown god is called "Liberty" and we have giant metal statue idols dedicated to this god all over the place.

 

[RDKirk]

Neutrality was all that Putin asked for and that was too much for Biden and the US military-industrial complex.
Now we are looking at another 100 billion taxpayers' money being sent into Zelenski's pockets and the possibility of French and Romanian troops on the ground (without the pretext of being "volunteers").
We need to be praying for the demise of the US military-industrial complex and the hegemonistic attitude of the US and NATO before something goes terribly wrong.

Putin's definition of "neutral" was "my puppet."

 

[lifepsyop]

Putin's definition of "neutral" was "my puppet."

Like Ukraine wouldn't be a puppet of USA otherwise? They already had a USA-backed coup launched against them for electing the "wrong" president. You think Ukraine is not now a debt-puppet for the money empire that just gave them over a hundred billion $$$ ?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

This is childish thinking.

You would rather let Putin have Ukraine uncontested?