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Putin and other well connected individuals have been stealing the country blind. The military is rotten to the core, everyone is on the make there.
Higher officers are getting contracts steered to friendly suppliers for big kickbacks, depots are seeing goods slip out the back docks and conscripts are stripping old equipment for the copper. Everyone is doing it at some level. When they got into Ukraine they couldn't control themselves and started looting.
When the army was on 'exercises' in Belarus there were reports of Russian soldiers selling off what they thought was excess diesel fuel. They had no idea they were going to war and would be needing it.
They come off as a real clown show.
Right.
But they keep on advancing.
You know why?
Because Ukrainian army ( and Ukrainian government) are even worse in terms of corruption.
When Putin attacked Ukraine the analysts and pundits seemed to think it would be over in a few days. I think Putin must have thought so too, and the USA offered to fly Zelenskyj out.
That's what it looked like.
I thought it would take about three weeks. I really thought Putin's war criminals would roll over Ukraine all the way to the Slovakian border in three weeks. I thought Russia would pulverize them.
And yet here we are, four and a half months later. Russia has hold of about 20% of the country (if one includes the previously stolen Crimea and Donbas areas), and the front lines are nearly stagnant. Looks like they are 'taking a break'.
Russia is stuck in a quagmire and has lost the momentum. This is going to be very costly, especially for that corrupt, poorly trained and ill equipped Russian clown show.
NATO has been training and arming the Ukrainian military for years now. What Russia has been encountering are troops built up to NATO standards, certainly not all of Ukraine's forces are like that but the ones that were have evidently not been able to turn the tide. Besides that there is no obligation for NATO to get involved in the event that a member state purposefully intervenes in a conflict on their own. Lithuania calling for a no-fly zone and somehow trying to enforce it on their own would be a hypothetical example of this.
Having said all that I believe Russia's biggest concern is forward military bases across the Gulf of Finland from their second largest city. If their arrangement with NATO is like Norway's then it might not be as contentious.
Thank you all about deep insights.
Time will show.
And, ahem, did Sweden extradite Kurds or not? As Erdogan WILL block those two countries acceptance. I hope, esteemed posters noticed, that this was only one country out of many parliament, right? And, THAT was enough to break tears? Seriously?
And yes, I do know a thing about Finnish army.
3,350 staff640 civilians19,800 conscripts18,900 reservists in refresher training500 deployed in crisis management280,000 wartime strength+900,000 reserve strength
Some magnificent power, I must say. Considering, Russia is slowly grinding through a million men strong Ukrainian one... yep, quite a force to be weary of. Right.
The last time they fought, in 1939, Finland kicked Russia’s arse. And apparently Turkey has decided to let Finland and Sweden into NATO:
You do realize that's one of the points? To intimidate Russia into NOT invading NATO members?
If Article 5 is invoked, NATO can fight.
I think you missed my point. NATO can do what it wants to RU or make RU do what they want. That is what alliances are for. What indication did RU give that it wanted to invade its neighbors before all this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake
If you're saying the expansion of NATO over the last 3 decades is a major factor that drove Putin to invade Ukraine, I'd agree.
Best not to let it get that far. RU has every reason to be suspicious of US, and all its various "teams" like NATO, or ISAF, Multi-National Force (Iraq Invasion) etc etc
Sorry man but this is incredibly dumb. Finland has an extremely outsized military budget and it shows, they will have dozens of stealth fighters well before Russia. You see what Ukraine is doing to Russia multiply that by five if Russia invades Finland.
Don't get me started on Sweden, to imply their contributions militarily aren't significant is astoundingly naive.
Sorry man but this is incredibly dumb. Finland has an extremely outsized military budget and it shows, they will have dozens of stealth fighters well before Russia.
Don't get me started on Sweden, to imply their contributions militarily aren't significant is astoundingly naive.
Both countries could be crushed by Russia. Theyve always felt confident and safe because they would inflict pain way higher then any value in taking them. Finland specifically has demonstrated that to Russia before. Russia has demonstrated that doesn't matter to them, so suddenly they joined NATO.
Don't get me started on Sweden, to imply their contributions militarily aren't significant is astoundingly naive.
They have their own not-at-all-insignificant defense industry. Make very good stuff, too. A whole bunch of their AT-4 and NLAW anti-tank weapons have been delivered to Ukraine. (And from Ukrainian hands, they have been delivered at high velocity to Russian tank crews.)
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