Europe War in Ukraine - Thread 4 - thread rules updated

[Gethelred]

This is the thread for discussing the War in Ukraine. Should you want to discuss the geopolitics, the history, or an interesting tangent, head over here:

Europe - Backdrop to the war in Ukraine

This is the thread for the geopolitics, history and framework around the Russia-Ukraine conflict. If you want to discuss the events of the war, head over to this thread: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/war-in-ukraine-thread-4-thread-rules-updated.1376293/page-146

www.bigfooty.com

If a post isn't directly concerning the events of the war or starts to derail the thread, report the post to us and we'll move it over there.

Seeing as multiple people seem to have forgotten, abuse is against the rules of BF. Continuous, page long attacks directed at a single poster in this thread will result in threadbans for a week from this point; doing so again once you have returned will make the bans permanent and will be escalated to infractions.

This thread still has misinformation rules, and occasionally you will be asked to demonstrate a claim you have made by moderation. If you cannot, you will be offered the opportunity to amend the post to reflect that it's opinion, to remove the post, or you will be threadbanned and infracted for sharing misinformation.

Addendum: from this point, use of any variant of the word 'orc' to describe combatants, politicians or russians in general will be deleted and the poster will receive a warning. If the behaviour continues, it will be escalated. Consider this fair warning.

Finally: If I see the word Nazi or Hitler being flung around, there had better have a good faith basis as to how it's applicable to the Russian invasion - as in, video/photographic evidence of POW camps designed to remove another ethnic group - or to the current Ukrainian army. If this does not occur, you will be threadbanned for posting off topic

This is a sensitive area, and I understand that this makes for fairly incensed conversation sometimes. This does not mean the rules do not apply, whether to a poster positing a Pro-Ukraine stance or a poster positing an alternative view.

Behave, people.

 

[Visions]

http://[URL='https://www.abc.net.au...-korolev-prisoner-swap/104880258[/URL[/COLOR]

]

Now the Russian branch of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights has suggested Mr Jenkins could be exchanged for the married Korolev couple from Brisbane, along with Sydney fugitive Simion Boikov, known as "Aussie Cossack".
Had to laugh when I read “the Russian branch of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights”.

Russia's embassy has accused Australia of quietly authorising former ADF members to join Ukraine's armed forces.

Would have been happy if they sent Aussie Cossack over there without an exchange of any kind. Putin can then send him to the front.

 

[Visions]

"Please ignore the North Korean, Indian, African, and Gurkha troops wearing Russian uniforms in Kursk and Eastern Ukraine"

Speaking of which, North Korea sent their best, they ****ed around and got found out. Can only get worse for the next lot they send...

Also find it amusing they or Russia would know the meaning of the word training.

 

[Visions]

The much vaunted Russian war machine. 2022 was all about the advanced next gen T-14 Armata tank, now fast forward to 2025....

 

[wannabejack]

Norway accused of profiting from war in Ukraine

According to the Finance Ministry in Oslo, the country has reaped 1,270 billion kroner (€107.7 billion) in additional revenue thanks to higher gas prices and production. It has been criticized for allocating only a fraction of this on aid to Ukraine.

www.lemonde.fr

Is Norway profiting from the war in Ukraine?

According to the Finance Ministry in Oslo, the country [Norway] has reaped 1,270 billion kroner (€107.7 billion) in additional revenue thanks to higher gas prices and production. It has been criticized for allocating only a fraction of this on aid to Ukraine.

According to Germany's Kiel Institute, Norway ranks ninth among donor countries (as a proportion of its GDP), far behind Denmark.
[Denmark doesn’t have] the immense financial cushion of Norway's oil fund, valued at nearly 20,000 billion Norwegian kroner (€1.7 trillion)

 

[wannabejack]

The transformation of Ukraine’s defense industry could have lasting implications for European security. With lower production costs, battle-tested equipment, and growing industrial capacity, Ukraine is positioning itself to become what Kirkegaarda [senior fellow at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel] calls “the arsenal of the EU” – provided it survives as an independent state and achieves its goal of EU membership.

 

[CD Xbow]

This article suggests NK troops fighting for Russia have been withdrawn because of high casualty rates.

After Appalling Casualties, North Korean Troops Pulled from Front Lines in Kursk

Although the North Korean troops were highlighted as a decisive escalation in the conflict, their performance appears to have fallen well short of expectations.

nationalinterest.org

 

[Zidane98]

This article suggests NK troops fighting for Russia have been withdrawn because of high casualty rates.

After Appalling Casualties, North Korean Troops Pulled from Front Lines in Kursk

Although the North Korean troops were highlighted as a decisive escalation in the conflict, their performance appears to have fallen well short of expectations.

nationalinterest.org

Probably for preparation to be redeployed as literal cannon fodder. Russian tactics are simply send huge numbers of troops to advance slowly with casualties not even a consideration.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Kim-Jung-Un is not happy with Russia.

MSN

 

[Visions]

Kim-Jung-Un is not happy with Russia.

MSN

Not happy with Russia or the dismal performance of his elite troops?

Having his best being destroyed gives a bad optic as the rest of the world figure out Nth Korea is another rag tag paper army.

 

[Visions]

It seems to be a common theme where pro Russian countries in Europe have their citizens come out protesting against their corrupt leaders and governments. First Georgia, Slovakia, and now the citizens of Serbia getting in on the act.

They’re protesting against the Vucic government who are covering up their connection to a Chinese firm whose negligence in the construction of a railway entrance in Novi Sad collapsed and killed 15 people.

Tens of thousands are in the midst of a 24 hour blockade of 3 bridges in the town itself.

The authoritarian president Vucic has plucked the sane line as his pro Russian buddies in that the country is under attack and that protestors are working for “outside foreign powers” to oust the government. The Kremlin must have handed him that one.

 

[Nothing]

Would have been happy if they sent Aussie Cossack over there without an exchange of any kind. Putin can then send him to the front.

Every time I see a post or like from Aussie in exile I think of Aussie Cossack.


(Not because of the content from AiE)

 

[CD Xbow]

More undersea sabotage in the Baltic.

Cable damage: Sweden seizes suspect ship | The Australian Naval Institute

navalinstitute.com.au

It may be my lack of imagination but I can't help thinking this will be the usual suspects.

 

[Mobbs]

This is 9-year-old Sofiia Yavorska from Poltava. Yesterday, a Russian Kh-22 cruise missile killed her along with her parents when their home was hit. The strike on the residential building has now claimed 12 lives, including 2 children. [NOEL Reports TG]

And some reckon Ukraine should force people out onto the streets for election polls? Maybe that's actually safer, as it's inside your home where the rockets are landing.

 

[Mobbs]

Ukraine's General Staff reports that today at 16:54, Russian aviation deliberately struck an internat in Sudzha, Kursk region, with a guided bomb (KAB). Dozens of civilians, including women & children, were inside preparing for evacuation. Another Russian war crime—this time against its own people. [NOEL Reports TG]

Russia's Defense Ministry claims Ukraine launched a deliberate missile strike on an internat in Sudzha from Sumy region. Kursk's acting governor called it "inhumane brutality." Unprecedented stupidity. [NOEL Reports]

Wondering what an "internat" is? It's a boarding house.

(video compressed to meet Bigfooty limitations)
View attachment video_2025-02-01_20-34-22.mp4

 

[Zidane98]

 

[Mobbs]

Volgograd oil refinery has been struck again.

Uptick on these strikes in recent weeks has been considerable.

On SM-A146P using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[wannabejack]

Russia's oil and gas industry contributes around 16-18% of the country's total GDP, meaning a significant portion of the Russian economy is directly tied to oil production and exports.

Recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries are raising concerns about Russia’s ability to maintain its fuel production capacity, Bloomberg reports.
Despite these disruptions, industry experts suggest the situation remains manageable for now.
...the country appears capable of compensating for production losses by increasing output at other facilities.

Experts: Russian oil supply disruptions a painful blow to shadow fleet

Ukraine's continued attacks on Russian oil infrastructure demonstrate its ability to carry out actions with global impact which could benefit the country during any future peace negotiations, experts said.

news.err.ee

Ukraine's continued attacks on Russian oil infrastructure demonstrate its ability to carry out actions with global impact which could benefit the country during any future peace negotiations, experts said.

...attacks on oil infrastructure are part of Ukraine's strategy to pressure Russia into ending the war.

"Supplying the civilian population is not a major concern for Russian authorities, but military supplies are. For example, in Ryazan, the Ukrainian drone strike disabled equipment that produced TS-1 aviation fuel, which is used in harsh Arctic conditions and for Russian military aircraft. This effectively removed half of that refinery's fuel production from the market in one blow, which is certainly a serious setback," the expert said.

...Ukraine's attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure are slowing down the funding of the Russian war machine.

"If these strikes cause delays in fuel supplies to the Russian armed forces, it is a step toward Ukraine's success. This is Ukraine's rationale — if they can achieve their goal there, it may also ease pressure on the front line."

 

[wannabejack]

Why would Ukraine worry about an invasion, they had the Budapest Memorandum.
Silly Ukraine for thinking that this would be the one treaty (security assurance), in russian history, that russia wouldn’t violate.

 

[Zidane98]

Why would Ukraine worry about an invasion, they had the Budapest Memorandum.
Silly Ukraine for thinking that this would be the one treaty (security assurance), in russian history, that russia wouldn’t violate.

And it was the US who actually negotiated the transfer of Ukrainian military hardware to Russia!

 

[Zidane98]

Volgograd oil refinery has been struck again.

Uptick on these strikes in recent weeks has been considerable.

On SM-A146P using BigFooty.com mobile app

Russian oil refinery genocide continues unabated.

 

[Couch Coach]

Russian oil refinery genocide continues unabated.

 

[wannabejack]

View attachment 2217151
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Reminds me of a WW1 plane.

 

[Zidane98]

 

[Andre]

Not happy with Russia or the dismal performance of his elite troops?

Having his best being destroyed gives a bad optic as the rest of the world figure out Nth Korea is another rag tag paper army.

I don't think he really cares. North Korea is really only a threat due to their nukes and the massive amount of artillery in range of Seoul. From the first Gulf War onwards the North Koreans have realised the technology difference between their troops and the South and Allies (not to mention training) would have a conventional war leading to their complete defeat. That difference in conventional capabilities has only expanded in the decades since.

 

[wannabejack]

Trump seeks Ukrainian rare earths in exchange for aid, Kyiv keen to agree

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to have Ukraine supply the U.S. with rare earths as a condition for aid for the war-torn country. "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things,

kyivindependent.com

"We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earths and other things," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Feb. 3.
"I want to have security of rare earths. We're putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earths, and they're willing to do it," he added.

"But for this, (Ukrainian) security must be guaranteed so that the Russians do not occupy this Ukrainian land with minerals," the source told the Kyiv Independent.