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Putin is a dictator and he is friendly with the Oligarchs. Furthermore Russia has extreme income inequality (like the US).
But Americans seem to think Russia is like in the movie Die Hard. They think Moscow is a bunch of rundown commie blocks with a perpetual grey overcast.
That was true in the 1990s but not anymore. Moscow is a developed global city like London or New York. The Russian military has advanced air fighters and ground troops.
Yes their Navy is a few decades behind and the M1 Abrams is better than the standard Russian tank but they also have state of the art tech and robotics. They tested their first hypersonic missile in 2018, before China or the US.
Their economy is also not the size of Italy. Jake Tapper jokes on his program that Russia's economy is smaller than Italy but this is misleading. Russia had a larger economy before the Ruble tanked. If the Ruble were to shoot up vs. the dollar everything would change.
That is because the ranking of Russia below Italy comes from Nominal GDP. But if we use GDP PPP Russia is the world's fifth largest economy. It also has the lowest external debt to GDP ratio in the world.
So yeah their economy is smaller but it is more stable than the US economy and less prone to fluctuation. They have a larger foriegn reserves holding, and more untapped economic resources.
American media still mocks Russia because everyone here is stuck in the 1990s when people saw Russia as a heaping pile atop the ruins of the USSR. But it is not the 90s anymore, wake up.
I think Biden and the Dems think Putin is a joke and Putin certainly feels that way about Biden and the now weakened US. The world saw what happened in Afghanistan with the pitiful withdrawal/ retreat/ embarrassment and Putin knows that the Dems don't have the fortitude to be tough. Trump on the other hand was a skilled negotiator that knew to keep his friends close but his enemies closer.
Obama thought Russia was a joke. There was that time in the debate against Romney and Mittens said that Russia is a great threat, Obama replied "hey Mitt the 80's called and they want their foreign policy back" and he got a big laugh for it. What is it with the Dems?
Russia is poised to launch a ground attack the likes we haven't seen since the Blitzkrieg. Imagine tanks and troops moving in mass across Eastern Europe again. What is Biden going to do? Probably not much but if those Russian troops are not fully vaccinated they better watch out because Biden will have some harsh words for them.
Tech on the battle field is good only so far. If modern tank survived in the battle for 20 minutes, it is considered to complete its mission. Against equivalent adversary, of course, not against Bedouin’s with RPG. If any.
What happens AFTER, is more interesting.
It goes down to the foot soldiers morale.
So do not forget one, but very important thing. In 700 years, no one conquered Russia. And it was attempted several times a century.
Even as much as they are modernized and westernized, Russians are still very formidable soldiers. As they still have the spirit in them. They love their Motherland and will die for it. Plus, they will be defending themselves and, that usually makes people much much harder, then invaders or protectors of democracy oversees, who can’t even bring their own country to order.
Just for the taste of it, go to YouTube and look up Russian special forces training with live ammunition.
They shoot each other with standard bullets for training purposes. To develop lack of fear. Sure, body armor, yet. I asked that in the Military forum here, no one ever had this done in the USA.
That’s the spirit. You want the progressive soldiers to go hand to hand with THOSE folks?
Putin is a dictator and he is friendly with the Oligarchs. Furthermore Russia has extreme income inequality (like the US).
But Americans seem to think Russia is like in the movie Die Hard. They think Moscow is a bunch of rundown commie blocks with a perpetual grey overcast.
I have been there 3 time in 3 seasons. You?
Quote:
That was true in the 1990s but not anymore. Moscow is a developed global city like London or New York. The Russian military has advanced air fighters and ground troops.
Yes their Navy is a few decades behind and the M1 Abrams is better than the standard Russian tank but they also have state of the art tech and robotics. They tested their first hypersonic missile in 2018, before China or the US.
Their economy is also not the size of Italy. Jake Tapper jokes on his program that Russia's economy is smaller than Italy but this is misleading. Russia had a larger economy before the Ruble tanked. If the Ruble were to shoot up vs. the dollar everything would change.
Yes, because its major export is energy and their currency rises and falls with it. What have you purchased recently from Russia? I did get some chickory and hot mustard from Chelyabinsk last time I was there. ...
Quote:
That is because the ranking of Russia below Italy comes from Nominal GDP. But if we use GDP PPP Russia is the world's fifth largest economy. It also has the lowest external debt to GDP ratio in the world.
So yeah their economy is smaller but it is more stable than the US economy and less prone to fluctuation. They have a larger foriegn reserves holding, and more untapped economic resources.
American media still mocks Russia because everyone here is stuck in the 1990s when people saw Russia as a heaping pile atop the ruins of the USSR. But it is not the 90s anymore, wake up.
OK I am awake. Russia does not have the Warsaw pact ally. The once Baltic SSRs are now in NATO's orbit. They don't have Ukraine, Kazakhstan , Azerbaijan....
They don't have the man power. If they try to take all of Ukraine they will go bankrupt. Maybe they get away with Donbas because well, they are basically Russian, and they know the Western Ukrainian s hate them. its just pisses off the West that wants the Black Sea bananaza so they scream bloodly murder. After all the Clitontonins got a telecom monopoly and mineral rights from Serbia. We got's some new moths to feed.
There is not a single place Russia has moved into that did not want them there. Crimea is a Ukrainian as Bulgaria. or as cowboy as New York.
Yes, because its major export is energy and their currency rises and falls with it. What have you purchased recently from Russia? I did get some chickory and hot mustard from Chelyabinsk last time I was there. ...
OK I am awake. Russia does not have the Warsaw pact ally. The once Baltic SSRs are now in NATO's orbit. They don't have Ukraine, Kazakhstan , Azerbaijan....
They don't have the man power. If they try to take all of Ukraine they will go bankrupt. Maybe they get away with Donbas because well, they are basically Russian, and they know the Western Ukrainian s hate them. its just pisses off the West that wants the Black Sea bananaza so they scream bloodly murder. After all the Clitontonins got a telecom monopoly and mineral rights from Serbia. We got's some new moths to feed.
There is not a single place Russia has moved into that did not want them there. Crimea is a Ukrainian as Bulgaria. or as cowboy as New York.
Russia doesn't want to invade Ukraine. But if they wanted to they could.
Holding it would be too expensive and Putin doesn't want that.
Folks, a few comments:
1. Who exactly is underestimating Russia? Maybe those who wanted to spend "the peace dividend" on social programs -- and did, rushing to degrade our military under the pretext that it had no peers.
2. The strength of Russia is not necessarily in their Spetsnaz, but in what they call asymmetrical warfare. In other words, sabotage, disinformation, knocking out satellites, etc.
3. Ukrkoz: when you say, "Against equivalent adversary, of course, not against Bedouin’s with RPG," -- don't underestimate the PRG. When I visited the Tank Museum, I learned that an PRG would easily damage M1. That was a decade or so ago, and since then M1 has been upgraded with active measures for some theaters of warfare. The rest of them are still vulnerable. According to https://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...-shields-22720, "The composite armor on modern Western main battle tanks is resistant to hits from the more common RPG-7 and -16 rockets, though hits to the side or rear could still inflict damage." A proliferation of RPGs is a real concern.
4. Ukrkoz: on your last post about Youtube training. Again, it is largely for Spetsnaz. Our regular troops would hopefully never fight them. And I doubt Spetsnaz would be better than the Navy Seals.
So to sum up, Russian best troops are indeed very good, but the rest of them . . . doubt it.
I don't underestimate Russia. And it's impossible to underestimate the US right now. I have no doubt Russia or China could wipe us out at this point. Their militaries are still trained to fight, rather than to not offend each other and worry about how many transgenders they can get into high ranking command positions.
Russia doesn't want to invade Ukraine. But if they wanted to they could.
Holding it would be too expensive and Putin doesn't want that.
Not if the West also decided to ignore rational self interest and run the meat grinder as well.
If the US wanted to invade Afghanistan again ,they could. Same problem.
Putin probably saved Crimea from being a war zone. That would never happen in Western Ukraine. Even in Soviet times, they had no use for rule from Russia( even though that is where their leaders came from for some time).
Though its really the poles the Western Ukrainians hated the most.
US media false flag. None of the international media giants are covering the “build up.”
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