Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[K Graham]

I predict some long term partition of Ukraine. East and West Ukraine will be the outcome. East Ukraine will have a Putin-backed puppet regime and provide a land bridge to the Crimea from Russia. West Ukraine will be in NATO and the EU.

By what route do you see that taking place? Part of negotiations with Russia?

Poland is giving fighter jets to the Ukrainians and in turn, we are going to backfill Poland with replacements. Everything I am reading and hearing says this is going to be a complete game changer for this war.

I think this war can be ended.

Planes serve little purpose if there isn't a place to safely land them for refueling and rearming. Russia has bombed all the runways and keeps existing airports under fire.

[Gadianton]

M-29s can takeoff and land in dirt.

[Jersey Girl]

By what route do you see that taking place? Part of negotiations with Russia?

Poland is giving fighter jets to the Ukrainians and in turn, we are going to backfill Poland with replacements. Everything I am reading and hearing says this is going to be a complete game changer for this war.

I think this war can be ended.

Planes serve little purpose if there isn't a place to safely land them for refueling and rearming. Russia has bombed all the runways and keeps existing airports under fire.

They might have mobility teams that lay temporary runways like the U.S. has. Don't know about the refueling piece in Ukraine.

[K Graham]

Blinken yesterday said that's the biggest hurdle. Russia has Ukraine under satellite surveillance so it is hard to coordinate planes landing in areas long enough to get fuel/munitions and back in the air again before drawing artillery fire.

The jets cannot land or takeoff from other countries without those countries becoming participants in the war.

[Moksha]

Latest update from Fox News with Laura Ingrahm and Tucker Carlson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc9dlPlOH3Y

[K Graham]

Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of where we'd be if Trump were President today. He suggested we violate international law and bomb Russia using F-22 jets with Chinese flags. This is so typical. Republicans cheer him on of course when he says stupid crap like this.

Trump Floats Idea That U.S. Bomb Russia With Jets Covered In China Flags, Then 'Sit Back And Watch'

[Chap]

Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of where we'd be if Trump were President today. He suggested we violate international law and bomb Russia using F-22 jets with Chinese flags. This is so typical. Republicans cheer him on of course when he says stupid crap like this.

Trump Floats Idea That U.S. Bomb Russia With Jets Covered In China Flags, Then 'Sit Back And Watch'

I think Republicans actually like the idea of having a possible presidential candidate who says completely stupid things at a time of grave international crisis.

It's their way of telling people that they are not interested in gaining power in order to enact policies that will be to the benefit of US citizens and world peace and prosperity (both of which are good for the US). They just want power so they can seize an ever larger share for the rich people who bankroll them, and enact laws so that they can never be voted out, and they want us to know that. They are saying "Look at this idiot that we are going to make President. We can do that because we have a mass of supporters who are protected from contact with reality by Fox News, and will vote for a monkey on a stick if we tell them to. And what can you do about it? Nothing, that's what So suck it up."

[MeDotOrg]

M-29s can takeoff and land in dirt.

The Mikoyan and Sukhoi design bureaus are respected, and their aircraft are considered capable. Russian aircraft are generally built to be less pampered and require less maintenance than their Western counterparts. But the range for their attack and fighter aircraft is usually less than U.S. aircraft.

Nevertheless, I'm a bit surprised that the Russian Air Force has not been more prominent. I've probably said this in another post, but the theoretical capability of a weapons platform is only as good as the supply lines to it. And because Russian attack and fighter aircraft are mostly short range, supply lines become that much more critical.

[dantana]

What Russia says they want, from the article; Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.

It was the most explicit Russian statement so far of the terms it wants to impose on Ukraine to halt what it calls its "special military operation", now in its 12th day.

Peskov told Reuters in a telephone interview that Ukraine was aware of the conditions. "And they were told that all this can be stopped in a moment."

There was no immediate reaction from the Ukrainian side.


Seems a no-brainer to me. Give them what they want now. Take it back later, when Putin is dead. Things can never be the same for Putin now. He has pushed it too far this time by playing roulette with the planet. Oligarchs don't like having their yachts seized.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kremlin-says ... 03035.html

[canpakes]

Nevertheless, I'm a bit surprised that the Russian Air Force has not been more prominent.

Could this be because Putin doesn’t see a favorable trade off regarding the cost of having to replace a handful of aircraft versus the cheaper alternative of just throwing bodies and conventional munitions at his goal, for a slightly longer period of time?