comment: >
  
  Australia < emus. Russia = Australia. 
  Conclusion: send in the emus
context: Just reading about the Bradley Fighting Vehicle... Russia has gotten itself into a complete morass. Just everything they bring to the field the rest of the world provides equal and opposite strength plus a bit more, bleeding them out.
  It's a fair argument that the restricted flow of equipment to Ukraine in one sense prolongs the fight but it casts the whole war as a situation that can cease anytime Russia wants it to by GTFO, which hopefully will mean a lasting peace. >
  
  
  it casts the whole war as a situation that can cease anytime Russia wants it to by GTFO
  
  That's a huge part of it. The strategy employed gives them minimal propaganda to use on their population. >
  
  From 24.02.2022 to 05.01.2023 (Day 316) estimated Russian losses so far (change since previous day):
  109720 (+810) Personnel
  3041 (+3) Tanks
  6108 (+2) Armored Personnel Vehicles
  2051 (+12) Artillery Systems
  426 (+2) MLRS
  215 (+) Anti-aircraft Warfare Systems
  284 (+1) Aircraft
  271 (+1) Helicopters
  1844 (+2) UAV operational-tactical level
  723 (+0) Missiles
  16 (+0) Warships / Boats
  4759 (+14) Other vehicles
  182 (+1) Special Equipment >
  
  Damn, it was barely 15 days ago when they reached 100k and now they stacked 10k more. >
  
  With the forced conscription and lack of training these numbers will accelerate. At this point Russia is just sending untrained men to their deaths. Things will really accelerate when Crimea becomes a focal point. >
  
  It's really weird how Russian society doesn't react. No doubt propaganda and sheer ignorance is a huge factor, but it's hard to have over 100K deaths go unnoticed. The TV clips of "festive celebrations" on Russian state TV are strange given the backdrop of the war.
  One young woman is killed by the Iranian regime, and their citizens start revolting. >
  
  
  It's really weird how Russian society doesn't react
  
  They simply aren't aware 700-800 of their guys are getting killed every day. They don't see these numbers. >
  
  dat salami keeps getting sliced >
  
  I'm still waiting for SEAD over Crimea with F-16s. Hopefully by summer. >
  
  Just giving them two F-16s that run two daily sorties to pick off one SAM system a day with their HARMs would be great just to keep the Russian SAM batteries off their feet and think twice about turning on their radars. >
  
  Anyone else noticed that there is less russian propaganda on Reddit recently? Did the troll farms stopped to receive payment? >
  
  Holidays in Russia until the 9th >
  
  That makes sense.  New Years is THE big holiday of the year there, i.e. equivalent in spirit/importance to American Christmas except celebrated by the whole population as opposed to merely a large section of society. >
  
  They did get a nice selection of HIMARS fireworks this year >
  
  Ain't no party like a Partisan party! >
  
  Walking down the street with a molotov, sipping on gin and juice. >
  
  I even got to break out my AK. Today was a good day. >
  
  Damn i didn't expect France to be the first to send tanks, even if they are small ones and technically not even a tank. >
  
  Poland was the first to send tanks and other Baltic nations followed iirc. >
  
  Yeah i forgot to mention i meant western technology. >
  
  When Russia goes low - It keeps going >
  
  Pretty sure they got better supplies in WWII >
  
  American tins of beef and US cigarettes. >
  
  Exactly. First they invade and now they want a ceasefire. If they want to stop fighting so much they can just leave Ukraine completely. >
  
  So. Damn. Happy. He. Won. >
  
  I often wonder if Russians truly believe that we Europeans are starving and can't get hot water or that we have to eat our pets to survive. Not much has changed except that energy bills increased so you have to lower the thermostat but that's generally it. >
  
  
  energy bills increased so you have to lower the thermostat
  
  And with the mild temps this year, even that isn't to painful. Here it is 1/5/2023, and usually we average 10-20'f daily with 12" of snow by now. We've been having Rain and 40-50'f days. if Europe is have the same conditions (and I've heard many reports saying just this), most people aren't very desperate for heat. >
  
  Also, trying to fuck around with heating in a region that invented energy conservation methods like better insulation, double or tripple glazed windows and high efficiency heat pumps is a bit ridiculous. (Granted, not everyone has that but there is enough money, technology and now incentive to make it accessible even more.) >
  
  Former player of Shakhtar Donetsk and Veres sports director, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, shared details of the release brother, Sergei, from Russian captivity in an interview with Ukrainian Football.
  
  "My brother was caught up in Mariupol. Together with his battalion of border guards and Azov fighters, he defended Mariupol.  Then later, they relocated to Azovstal. Sergei was one of the last to surrender, because the order to draw back the enemy's troops had been carried out, but it no longer made sense to defend against the superior forces of the enemy," Vyacheslav Shevchuk said.
  The official of Veres also said that his brother Serhiy needs rehabilitation.
  "My brother has a quite long recovery ahead, because his body was badly damaged. Sergei lost 27 kilograms [60lbs] in captivity, his ribs were broken, his internal organs were damaged, and he had problems with his teeth.
  It feels like he's back from a concentration camp. My brother survived only thanks to his strong character, willpower and resilience," Shevchuk admitted.
  
  
  ^(Vyacheslav Shevchuk is one of the most experienced football players who played at Shakhtar. The  football coach became a Shakhtar player in 2000. Later, Vyacheslav played for other clubs for several years, and in 2005 he returned to Shakhtar.)
  ^(Shevchuk set a record as the oldest captain in the history of the Ukrainian national team, trying on the captain's armband at the age of 37. He took part in the 2016 European Championship in France. In total, as part of Shakhtar, he played 239 matches, scored four goals and became the owner of 20 trophies.) >
  
  I think the treatment of the prisoners is not told enough. >
  
  I think most of us understand that Russia has no lower limit on the immoral nasty shit they do to anyone under their power or control.
  I'm just amazed that any of them were released alive. >
  
  Patriot as well. Nice >
  
  This whole war confuses me on a demographic level. Russia for a while has been suffering from a demographic issue that has seen their natural population decline for most of the last 30 years that seemed to have reversed in 2013 after an average annual decline of over -700,000 during the 90s. Now the decline recent years:
  2018 = -200,00+
  2019 = -300,00+
  2020 = - 700,000+
  2021 = -1,000,000+
  We may attribute the spike in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID-19 which is still a pandemic, now imagine the numbers now due to this war that started in 2022.  It’s absurd that a country with such demographic issues would undertake this “special operation”. Ukraine has similar demographic issues but I sense that after they succeed in this war they’ll have a baby boom while Russia’s decline will only accelerate considering the lack of young males and isolated economy. >
  
  The decline will certainly accelerate.  Large scale government distrust has resulted in few vaccinations in Russia, plus war casualties, plus economic insecurity, plus draft dodgers who don't return, plus professional workforce that don't return.  But no one ever said this war was supposed to make sense.  
  But I'd quibble on one point.  The 'baby boom' in the US was a prolonged economic event that lasted from the 1940s until the 70s.  Most US males did not serve in the armed forces in 1941, and most of those that did survived to have children (military casualties were around 3%).  War is bad for your economy, not good.  The US was an exception only because in a global capitalistic market value is relative and everything else was completely destroyed.  That's not what will happen here.  
  Ukraine is looking at a harsher reality than that both economically and militarily.  I don't see conditions for a population bump, especially if the diaspora doesn't completely return.  It won't be anything like Russia's decline then or now, however. >
  
  The baby boom is already happening. A lot of babies were made back in march and april before men went to US or Britain or EU for training. 
  Economically, Russian assets are already being seized globally to pay for reconstruction. Also, Ukraine will tap the natural gas reserves in Donbass and the black sea and become the new energy supplier to europe. Agriculture will also be developed  even further as this is the breadbasket of europe, not to mention the IT industry which is one of the best in world and many advances in AI are already being made. Ciklum was a leading global IT developer years ago. 
  In the final years of their terminal demographic collapse, most russians will die of TB, AIDS, liver failure as alcoholism will somehow become even higher after their defeat, covid variants, drug addiction and suicide. >
  
  Gratz russia. You're such a big bad boy now. Tough masculine macho manly MAN country. Testosterone overload! pounds chest
  Next up, an enemy kindergarten with an IMPERIALIST NAZI Fisher-Price weapon depot. >
  
  
  an enemy kindergarten with an IMPERIALIST NAZI Fisher-Price weapon depot
  
  Don't forget the Hitlerjugend training grounds in the yard of the kindergarten. >
  
  Unlikely they will send Leopard 2A7s, at least not this early. I think Germany will follow with France and the US and send more mobile vehicles like the Puma or Marder. >
  
  According to the newspaper in question (Süddeutsche Zeitung, which is either #1 or #2 in reputation in Germany), all of this including earlier US and French announcements was coordinated between them and Germany. >
  
  I live in Essex, one of the counties bordering London. Can confirm hamster is delicious and a great substitute for rat. My family has now ordered 365 more for the year, money is no expense for this new delicacy.
  Wait we only ate them because of money issues? Nonsense! We're just monsters here. >
  
  Hamsterdam is famous for this I believe, check it out! >
  
  NYT writes that Russian commanders encourage rape in the occupied territories. >
  
  Another reminder that it's not "just another war" or "just like Iraq war". Russia needs to be fully canceled, Russians should be banned from entering Western countries, cut off from western goods and services, international organizations, sports, etc. 
  We live in 21st century and countries that openly commit genocide face absolutely zero repercussions. Humanity won't progress if realpolitik remains the norm. >
  
  Red army tactics. They need to die off with Russia. >
  
  
  This morning, the very powerful Baovna Viktorivna visited there.
  The flights were to the base of the Katsaps, where they were taken
  for 5 days. There were up to 1,000 personnel and equipment.
  According to preliminary data, at least 100,300, at least minus 20
  officers, others are considered missing. The debris is still being
  sorted out.
  
  Something's getting lost in translation... >
  
  Sorta but not really, ~~300~~ 200 means KIA, 100 people were KIA. ~~200~~ 300 is wounded. It leads to a lot of confusion but that's their system.
  Edit: or the other way around, 200 is kia and 300 is wounded, but the officer comment is weird to attach to the wounded list if they think they killed them. Still, not a mistranslation, just a different system. >
  
  Ah, my apologies for the misinterpretation. Thank you for explaining. >
  
  It would be funny if Ukraine launched a bunch of helium balloons into Russia to make them waste million dollar missiles shooting them down. >
  
  UKRAINE PLEASE >
  
  That's the video where he "talks about exciting new opportunities for wounded and injured members of Wagner group - if they lost a leg, they can become sappers, then they would just need one more "iron thing" if they lose another leg." >
  
  This morning's What's on Fire in Russia Today? brought to you by: agricultural machinery >
  
  It's pretty obvious all these big fires are not just coincidence or insurance scams... it's all related to their invasion of Ukraine. >
  
  Insurance scam can be related to the invasion of Ukraine too:
  
  firemen being mobilised
  liquidating assets before the economy hyper-inflates or the ~~thug~~ government ~~steals~~ nationalises one's illiquid assets, to convert to safer assets and/or to flee the country >
  
  Lol, "refugee centers".  Filtration camps. >
  
  Berlin announces "qualitatively new step" in terms of arms deliveries to Ukraine. This is most likely going to be Marder IFVs in accordance with US deliveries of Bradleys. Leopards are being discussed, but most likely won't yet be part of this "step".
  Source (in German) >
  
  As pointed out prior by u/Aldarund, that was before Putin’s directive. A directive that doesn’t change much considering Ukraine has zero gain letting Russians enjoy their holiday scot free and were never going to agree lol. >
  
  There also actual tweet in response to putin after  that Russia should withdraw first , than will be ceasefire >
  
  It should also be noted that technically Wagner isn’t under RU MIL control, so *even if* Russian troops did abide by the supposed ceasfire, Wagner troops don’t have to. >
  
  That's a lot of artillery taken out for one day. >
  
  It always brightens my day to see double digit Russian artillery losses in these posts. >
  
  The HAWK systems are Spain’s and have already been delivered I believe. We’re only providing missiles. >
  
  The big deal isn't so much the weapons they carry.  BMPs are equivalently well armed as the Bradleys and Marders.  The big deal (I think) is going to be optics and sensors.  These vehicles are top of the line in both regular and thermal optics.  Whoever sees first can shoot first.  Used as a mobile reserve, something like a Bradley can get to a hot spot in the line quickly, identify and target the major threats from a great distance and kill them.  
  I think the Ukrainians will be less successful using them as a battle taxi.  In such a tank and ATGM rich environment, Bradleys and Marders will be just as vulnerable as any other vehicle.  But used defensively?  Serious upgrade in firepower for the Ukrainians. >
  
  bradleys have tows, marders have milan atgm's... bmp's not so much iirc. >
  
  With Russia's leadership needing another mobilization (public, it's been ongoing really) to even stay in the fight in the face of their offensive grinding to a halt and even their core capabilities like their ability to fire artillery reduced, now before they even announce it, they're being told they'll probably be facing western tanks, in a series of multinational statements of support, it reminds me of the Russian "... and then it got worse".
  It's got to be grinding on the leadership how every time they think they might have an answer, even a bad one, the west has an inexpensive (financially and politically) response that's just going to fuck everything up for them. This is going to consistently feed into them questioning their willingness to support Putin or pull the plug.
  (And no, this isn't intended to devalue the Ukrainian effort or losses, so ... just fucking don't with that, ok? They want this equipment and any additional capability to fight) >
  
  Russia thinks it is a peer of NATO... In reality it is a shitshow that Australia (with some allied industrial support) could shit on.
  Russia's economy is on par with Australia.........
  And they hope to beat the Allies while we're not even breaking a sweat? In an economic and industrial context, it's a fucking joke.
  This is probably the biggest indicator of the complete shit-bundle of intel that Putin is fed.