>

Not decoy. Most likely, running out.
New post can be found here >

Wow, she sure stopped being intimidated. Early in the war she was practically neutral. >

She likely got some quiet security assurances. >

5 measly drones. Ladies and gentlemen, the second army of the world. >

They’re not even the second best army in Ukraine at this point! >

4th best, next to foreign legion and ant pile # 3. >

And grandma and her jar of pickles. 100% efficiency. >

690 today. Still higher than average. Some pretty heavy fighting these last few days >

I feel like 8 tanks is the most I’ve seen in awhile. >

They seem to be keeping the tanks further back and using them as artillery instead of pushing forward and using them for assaults.  Because those assaults seem to end up with a lot of scrap metal for their efforts.  Praise be, Saint Javelin. >

So what does this mean in both the short and long term? >

Fewer, less frequent Russian missiles.
Then, even fewer less frequent Russian missiles. >

I can never get over the sheer number of far-right trolls and putin shills that exists on Twitter.  What a cesspool of humanity. >

Organized agenda-pushing + useful idiots. >

latest Kraken video is a really good NSFW >

That's one of the most gripping videos I've seen this war. I hope we see and end to these sooner rather than later. >

In several articles I've read that Ukraine won't even tell its friends and partners what they are planning. This has frustrated people that just want to help, but things like this shows why it is necessary. >

A lot of Ukrainians in the east moved to Kyiv >

Yeah when I visited in 2015 my taxi driver said there were avlot of refugees from Donbas/Luhansk even then. >

It was speculated waaaaay back (Late February) that it was a potential reason why the ground forces of the invaders didn't seem to have any air support.

Another potential explanation is that the VKS are not confident in their capacity to safely deconflict large-scale sorties with the activity of Russian ground-based SAMs operated by the Ground Forces. Friendly-fire incidents by ground-based SAM units have been a problem for Western and Russian air forces alike in multiple conflicts since 1990. Running joint engagement zones in which combat aircraft and SAM systems can engage enemy forces simultaneously in a complex environment without friendly-fire incidents is hard; it requires close inter-service cooperation, excellent communications and regular training to master. So far, Russian forces have shown extremely poor coordination across the board, from basic logistics tasks, to coordination of airborne assaults with ground forces activity and arranging air defence cover for columns on the move. In this context, it might be the case that the decision was made to leave the task of denying the UkrAF the ability to operate to the ground-based SAM systems, with the explicit understanding that this would be instead of large-scale VKS air operations. However, once again, this is not a sufficient explanation in itself, since given the limited fighter and SAM assets available to Ukrainian forces at this stage, the VKS could still have conducted large-scale sorties against key targets at pre-arranged times, during which Russian SAMs could be instructed to hold their fire. >

How the fuck do they not have effective IFF in 2021?
The last time the US shot down their own place looks like it might be 1991, and they've fought actual wars since, albeit one sided.
It's insane that even corrupt Russia has their shit this out of order, particularly because this is the kind of shit that foreign buyers expect to work. >

Patriots shot down a couple coalition fighters in 2003 >

You have to be special kind of dumb to have the option to hold the opinion to pull the fuck back before your country is in ruins, and you still decide to want to escalate instead. >

It is just positioning over the aftermath. If Putin survives then the escalation group are the pro-Putin faction that will inherit the post Ukraine order. If Putin falls the pragmatists will probably do so.
The fact factions like this are even emerging implies Putin has already lost. >

We got 100k soidiers, 3k tanks, 6k combat vehicles and 2k artillery systems. The stars aligned (but not for the russians obviously) >

Honestly, even if Russia wins I don't know how they can recover from this. Here is hoping Russia gives up and goes home. >

When Russians hear the word Nazi they don't think "the guys that killed Jews". To Russians, Nazis are the guys that killed Russians, whom Russia then single-handedly defeated and saved the world.
Not just in 2022 but in any year since 1941 you would not have to look very far for Russians who agreed with Hitler's antisemitism. >

Stalin's secret police murdered most of my mom's family for being educated Jews. >

I dont believe mobilization ever ended. Russia has no rules; only the whims of a dictator. Closing the borders, and ramping up martial law (the country is already under a de-facto martial law) however, would be a new step in their descent into madness. >

The active manhunt did die down, it was obvious from many local reports. The actual mobilization will of course continue until the war is over, one way or another. >

Only blown up so that NATO analysts don't discover that the tail rotor is pedal-powered, and, you know, all the illegally imported western parts. >


that the tail rotor is pedal-powered

Wait, does it have a tail rotor? Usually dual overhead rotor helicopters don't have a tail rotor. >

Will they hurry the fuck up? >

They're rapidly accelerating. Out of high windows. >

Let's hope they lose it all since even having  1 billion will see you and your next 5 generations of families live in absolute 0.1% level of luxury >

He did exactly 0 push ups. >

he kinda did one when he got up... >

Seems like a very minor fire. Possibly an actual case of careless smoking. >

Looks like Russia once again closed the airspace over most of the regions bordering Ukraine. All flights from and to Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol and Elista have been cancelled until January 8.
This would be the 50th time the airspace was closed since the war started. However this one has no official announcement, apparently because someone "up above" directed Rosaviya to just cancel flights without making it public because "such announcements serve little public purpose, and passengers can be better notified directly" >

Likely to do with them shooting down their own aircraft and missiles yesterday. Source: "Reporting in Ukraine" video from yesterday. >

Glad it's official. >

Here's a quick summary so anyone can understand. It's not a high tech weapon, it's actually the lowest tech weapon you can make. And it has a range of 150km. 
They take an air dropped bomb that has GPS guidance. They strap that bomb to a rocket. They put the whole thing in a HIMARS compatible pod. 6 of these missiles fit in the pod. >

That strap-on's gonna hurt. >

I hve started creating a map of trenches in Donetsk before 24 February (they are visible on Google Maps Satellite View). After an hour - holy shit it’s exhausting. There are entire towns filled with trenches. Basically all of the streets are now trenches.
I can’t identify if they belong to Ukraine or to “dnr”, so I mark them the same colour.
I will probably share it when I will have more progress. >

"Ukrainians drove right over our trenches in Izium and Kharkiv and Kherson, but they work so well for the Ukrainians in Bakhmut maybe we just need more trenches! Also, Guderian who?" >


and replaces Colonel General Sergei Kuzovlev

This was the dude who said that bombing the shit out of Ukraine will bring victory? >

No, That's Surovikin, who is the boss of the whole thing.  This new guy just one segment. >

Ahh crap. So the bombings will continue until morale improves. >

I think of things like this whenever I catch myself feeling sympathy for the mobiks. Every Russian KIA is a small step towards defeating evil. >

Previous post
Day 310 of my updates from Kharkiv.
Today was a relatively quiet day, there were no missile strikes, but Russians continued to launch a bunch of Shaheds at us throughout the night, and I’m pretty sure all of them were intercepted, there were no confirmed hits by them anywhere. There are also reports that about 40 Shaheds are headed to us from Rostov right now, and they are expected to reach us in half an hour, they just can’t stop using those drones it seems. They also continue to shell towns/villages close to the border every day. Today, sadly, they killed 2 civilians and injured 2 more in a village that is over 20km away from the border in Kharkiv oblast.
Our energy companies announced that despite the yesterday’s missile strike on our energy infrastructure, the energy deficit did not increase, which is pretty amazing considering that 10 energy infrastructure facilities were hit. That means that our air defense did a great job yesterday, the damage that Russians managed to inflict was relatively small, some cities are still recovering, but at the same time Kyiv is back to the regular scheduled blackouts instead of emergency ones, and it had a lot of problems with electricity lately.
Funny thing, yesterday when Russians were firing their missiles at us, one of their main news agencies “Ria Novosti” was posting “news” about Peruvian shamans predicting that the war will end by August of 2023. Ah yes, the “Peruvian shamans” a very reliable source of information and predictions. Do they use those shamans to predict how the war will go and alter their strategy based on their predictions too? 
It’s wild how their main official channels seriously talk about stuff like shamans and astrology, they also love psychics and mediums as well, and it’s not something new either, they were talking about the exact same stuff 15+ years ago, I remember seeing it on TV all the time. It was already weird to see back then, and it’s even weirder now, because now it seems like they truly believe in it, it doesn’t seem like they are doing it for entertainment anymore. >


now it seems like they truly believe in it

They have nothing else to believe in. Everything is a lie there. Or can change in a minute if it doesn't suit the higher ups. >

just type a random date and set the year to like 1950 or something? works for me >

Lying on the internet? You can do that?! >

i know right, the police wont even arrest you for saying you're 65 years old on a random site when you're actually 30! it's amazing! >

A Russian opposition site got the media primer sent to all the Russian propagandists from Putin's administration. Key 2022 results they are ordered to highlight:


Putin made the "only possible correct decision in order to prevent an imminent NATO attack on Russia"


NATO and Ukraine started planning "an attack and enslavement of Russians" in 2014


The special military operation is a bonafide success because it prevented that attack.


Russia now has new regions and more new land than Crimea, Slovakia, Croatia, or Denmark!


Propagandists must remember that Russia is not fighting Ukraine but rather NATO, and must refer to Ukrainians as little as possible


"We're not looking for quick victories, and time is on Russias side". Ukraine has bogged down and NATO support is waning, with increasingly fewer supplies going to Ukraine.


Propagandists are to reinforce the "hardening" of Russians around Putin and back it up with opinion polls.


Russia is now the leader of the anti-West block that champions a "fair, democratic, multi-polar world".


Putin is giving Europe one last chance to come to their senses, and realize they're mere puppets, and that the only future they have is in "close cooperation with Russia" >


Propagandists must remember that Russia is not fighting Ukraine but rather NATO, and must refer to Ukrainians as little as possible

ruZZia losses: 105 000 and counting
NATO losses: hasn't arrived yet >

NATO losses = warehouse space >


additional warehouse space >

Basically hoping the idea of looting Ukraine would be enough incentive to get people to willingly go. >

The promise of loot has inspired armies for millennia. No reason for Putin to stop now. >

Instead of random searches and even rarer x-rays, every single car is being searched and scanned by an x-ray device. >

Was the last dude the one who was just going to launch missiles all the time? I can't remember. >

That's Surovikin, he commands entire "smo" >

Putin won't come to that conclusion, this *might* end when Putin is gone >

That Brit has a name and it's Viktor. RIP.
Edit: Royally messed up typo lol >

Agreed, RIP Victor. >

i always feel like a dumb American when everyone can speak such good English around the world. >

Unfortunately, most Americans have no need for a second language.  English is the de facto international language of the world.  Most Americans are not going to encounter jobs where a non-English language is a requirement.  Also, most of us will likely never travel to a location where a second language is needed.  There are some areas in the Southwest US where Spanish is common; but, even in those areas, English still tends to be spoken by enough people that someone coming from elsewhere in the US is unlikely to have too much difficulty getting along without speaking Spanish.  And international travel is a fairly large undertaking for most US residents.  With one of the common international destinations, Canada, also being predominantly English speaking.  So, at best, Americans may learn a second language in High School (which is way too late).  And, unless they make a very concerted effort to keep up their fluency, it's gone a few years later.  With no reason or place to practice much, it atrophies.  
Contrast this to residents in many European countries.  Because of the size and reach of the US Economy, it's much more possible for a resident of Europe to encounter an English language requirement for a job (especially in poorer countries).  When traveling, the residents of most European countries have a much shorter distance to go before entering a country with a different language and such international travel is more common.  Schools in many European countries also do a much better job of introducing students to a second language early (you will learn languages better if you become multi-lingual very early).  And those students are more likely to have reasons and opportunities to practice and maintain those non-native languages.  
The whole situation pushes Americans away from multi-lingualism, while also pushing non-native English speakers to learn English.  I do wish we tried harder to introduce children to it; but, I suspect it still wouldn't stick.  Even when immigrants come to the US, they often lose their ancestral language within a couple generations.  It takes effort to keep up and only takes one generation being "lazy" about it to lose it. >

"Hmmm. Must have been the wind." >

I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took a grenade shrapnel in the knee.. >

Probably more scared of assassination than Covid at this point. >

God I hope Ukraine can make serious moves on Svatove before Russia reinforces the area too much. All this warm weather really sucks, too. >

On the other side, warm weather helps greatly with weathering the attacks on infrastructure (above zero C means that the heating systems won't freeze without hot heat-transfer fluid from a boiler and/or electricity for pumps) and frankly that's what is more important right now - evacuating big cities due to dead heating systems would be a nightmare >

Russia is using Murphy's Law against us!  They were banking on a cold winter to weaken Western support and instead they got a warm wet one which will stall Ukraine's advance >

Putin trying to kill those 15 year old girl nazis. >

Bloomberg analyst calling Bradleys "in effect, light tanks" has really riled up the tank fandom. >

...tank fandom? >

Oh indeed. That's a thing. Big time. >

I’m imagining subreddits like /r/TankPorn (which exists) as well as things like /r/tanksfuckingrussians (which does not exist but should). 
Maybe a tank feet subreddit dedicated to treads. Can’t think of a clever name for it though. >


Maybe a tank feet subreddit dedicated to treads. Can’t think of a clever name for it though. 

/r/treadpilled >

My hero! >

One of the rare cases where if it launches in a shit state I won't complain because its impressive its heading towards launch still at all >

That’s unique footage, a lone survivor surrounded by the dead, taken out in an artillery barrage.  Even the tree he’s under has been sawed off at knee level.
Despite being alive in the video, I think ultimately they’re all dead.  It’s just going to take that guy a bit longer to get there.
Were those red splatter marks humans or is that soil/chemicals? >

Yeah, the tourniquet on his leg is another good indication that he's not doing so hot. >


Xi vowed more political cooperation with Russia and said that the two countries should “inject more stability into the world,” according to Chinese state media Xinhua.

What is Xi smoking if he thinks that working with and cooperating with Putin/Russia will add stability to the world? >

By stability he means authoritarian control of world affairs, and by authoritarian he means Chinese control in particular. >

And by Chinese he means his personal control in even more particular. >

Just do it! It would also maybe prompt Germany to at least send the Marder IFVs because they don't want to do "sole actions" ("Alleingang"). >

didn't they send the Marder to Greece already? >

This is so bizarre.  Sending a trauma surgeon to the front?  I wonder if there is a mistranslation somewhere.  If Russia is sending surgeons to act as front line soldiers then that's...beyond incompetence.  As a surgeon, it's hard to explain to laypeople the sheer duration and intensity of medical school/residency/fellowship.  You've taken someone with decades of training and experience and turned them into a meatstick.  I think it also suggests that typical killed/wounded ration is going to be wildly skewed - this guy should have been in a field hospital at a minimum.  The fact that they're sending a highly critical resource to the front instead of where they could be actually of massive use is simply incomprehensible.  This guy could been responsible for saving dozens of lives, including a number that probably could have been returned to duty.  If this story is actually true, then Russia is breaking and breaking fast. >


this guy should have been in a field hospital

Don't need a field hospital if you don't evacuate your wounded. Don't need any surgeons if you don't have a field hospital. 
(I assume that's the thought process happening). >

Quite possibly. Russia CASEVAC is severely underdeveloped and that’s being generous. Probably to survive you need to be at least a walking wounded. Problem with that thought process is that it’s terrible for morale and manpower - you’re losing men you could save and return to combat/train future troops. >

Isn't that a day or two before orthodox Christmas? I suppose if they were going to do something that drastic, they would do it then. A lot of Russians will be at home with family and paying less attention to news for those couple of days. >

Get all the Russians home with their families and then close the borders while they sleep off the collective vodka hangover. >

Has any information been released about the repair progress to the power grids. I’ve seen lots of countries are donating equipment for rebuilding it. Is it going to be more resilient to future attacks? >

They aren’t going to be re-designing or re-engineering things as they fix them. The grid will still be vulnerable after it’s been fixed. But all of the generators that are flowing in will make it easier to cope with outages as they’re being fixed. 
I imagine those Ukrainian line-crews are getting pretty damn good at making quick repairs by now, but they’re going to be focused mostly on getting things working again quickly vs. making it all neat and tidy and rugged. They’ll need to go back and re-do the duct-tape and bungee-cords later. >

Problem is what this list of missed people - its a civilians also. >

Okay it including civilians makes more sense. I thought that felt like a lot of captured soldiers. >

There are reports about a huge amount of captured womans, administration workers, etc. Because they are not combatants Russia just keeping them, torturing, killing. They are not in their POWs list, and we know about them only because of the Russian activists, worked with prisons problems.
They just captured the people, and now dont know what to do with them, "having fun" with them, just because its made so in the prisons in Russia.
Also fully unknown what did they do with people in Marioupol, it's estimated killed between 15-75k. And nobody know how they was "filtrated". >

86 is not most of 234. It may be a plurality. >

Being generous, they might have meant the single biggest number was Russian with 86, then (guessing) Syrians with 54. >

that's what a plurality is. >

Any news about that Russian aircraft carrier, there was some news few days ago that it was on fire but what happened? >

That piece of junk? It's constantly on fire or being repaired. >

They sailed it through the Strait of Dover, some years ago, on the way to their intervention in Syria. They were perfectly within their rights to do so, it's an international waterway, but it was certainly a deliberate provocation; a show of force at the centre of NATO power in Europe.
That, at least, was the intention. In the event, it intimidated nobody; anybody sitting on either shore as the Russian fleet went by saw that ship trailing a great thick column of filthy black smoke. The pride of Putin's navy appeared every bit like an ill-maintained old white van in dire need of servicing. It looked like it ought to be hauling garbage. >

Also travels with several ocean-going tugs in case its engines become irreparable. >

or atleast put up some plywood or something between your creepy evangelicals and that big red button >

Unfortunately quite a few of them are in trades, be more effective to put up a calculus test or something (not that I wouldn't fail that too) >

Nah… just give them a simple “what would Jesus do?” test. 
Question 1: A trans woman suffering from opioid addiction caused by her parents abuse and rejection is found shivering in the snow on the church doorstep. WWJD?
a) Tell him to repent and call the police to take him away
b) welcome her in, give her warm clean clothes and a meal, and try to connect her with the resources she needs. 
… actually, I don’t think another question is necessary. >

Nah solovyov is gonna call him a traitor and a Nazi. Solovyov is all in. He has no other choice. It’s either Russia wins or Hague for him >

Imagine the humanitarian crisis if ~40 million military age males flee the country. >

Killed December 30th in an "artillery strike", so likely targeted by HIMARS, perhaps in that fancy hotel. He was actually a Lt Colonel. 
He was "investigating warcrimes by the ZSU" for something like the Russian equivalent of the FBI, fully subservient to Putin of course. The Investigative Committee released a report on Mariupol just today, blaming thousands of civilian deaths on Ukraine's generals and national guard who used civilians as human shields don't you know. >

"Next year", so in 2 days? >

I wouldn't be surprised it all these deaths end with no heirs and all their assets are nationalised.
Putin is breaking his piggy banks. >

I see talks about bradleys and leos, i hope it happens. Who knows how many UA soldiers died because they had to use civilian cars in counter attacks. >


Who knows how many UA soldiers died because they had to use civilian cars in counter attacks.

Whatever that number is, it'll be much lower than the number of Ukrainian soldiers who died to artillery. IFVs and tanks have their uses, but artillery is the real killer in this war.
To put a stop to Russian artillery, Ukraine needs aircraft. Clear the skies, suppress the air defenses, and then go after the artillery. >

You can storm artillery positions too. It's a far way to go from contesting & defending Ukrainian airspace, to acquiring air superiority. Even regionally. My nonsense estimate is that it would require some 50+ F16 (or Gripen) with some of the best anti-AA and anti-fighter missiles Nato can muster. Given trained, skilled pilots. >


You can storm artillery positions too. 

Artillery will typically retreat if the enemy is advancing.
Then there's the matter of artillery being able to defend itself in direct fire if needed. Look up Operation Junction City's use of artillery in the direct fire role to protect US Army fire bases.
It's not often that artillerymen get to use canister shot, but when it's used... whoo boy.

My nonsense estimate is that it would require some 50+ F16 (or Gripen)

My estimate is 300 or more.
It's going to take a lot to break the back of the VKS. >

Yeah and as a Dutch I would like to have the borders of circa 1670. 
Not.
Btw Vlad Sol is looking worse lately. I hope that to be a continuous trend.
Edit: LOL on all reactions triggered >

As a Frenchman I would like the 1812 borders back please!
Please don't ask Rome or Mongolia what borders they want >

I didn't, I asked my Macedonian friend though! He said 323 BC >

The usual question: With what army? >

That well-armed, well-maintained, well-supplied, well-trained, and well-manned army that Russia has been hiding for the past year. >

THeY’Re jUsT sOfTeNinG thE uKraNiaNs uP! >

Upvote for sarcasm font >


The Ukrainians, he said, even conducted a test strike with a HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam, making three holes in the metal to see if the Dnipro’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings, but not flood nearby villages.

So they're saying the damaged sluices were from Ukrainian attacks? It makes sense since it would make no sense for Russia to partially explode a crossing they could have wired with demolition charges. >

TIL HIMARS is so accurate you can target an exact spot to make holes in a specific floodgate from the shrapnel. That is insane. >

Modern Western weapons are insanely accurate. A brimstone missile has centimeter level accuracy. >

Putin can't keep his billions in a bank, he keeps them in Oligarchs, if they step out of line or if his resources get low he cashes a few in. >

Yeah looks like it. In case of emergency, break piggy bank. Well the emergency is here and money is required.
And if the Oligarch is stupid enough to put anything substantial in the wife or kids' names, well the entire family goes too. >

Is Belarus getting sanctioned because of their support for Russia's invasion?
And there is the constant problem of them possibly attacking Ukraine in a sneak attack. There seems to be this back and forth on whether or not they would do it. I hope they don't. >

yes but no >

Can we use another site besides fucking twitter? We're feeding the beast. >

What the hell are they even doing? They're out in the field with no cover. That's some 1800s shit. >

They're heroically forcing Ukraine to waste ammunition! >

Would Ukraine be able to logistically handle several hundred M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles? >

Ooh hell yeah. Even if we're talking pure logistics and ignoring the clear advantage on the battlefield, Ukraine will still come out ahead. I assume Ukraine will phase out BMPs, and every crew chief will sigh a huge sigh of relief. 
And if we consider the battlefield as well, several hundred Bradleys might just prove even more useful than a bunch of MBTs like the Abrams. Logistics wise especially. >


And if we consider the battlefield as well, several hundred Bradleys might just prove even more useful than a bunch of MBTs like the Abrams. Logistics wise especially.

That's what I was thinking. The Bradleys should be a lot less complicated to incorporate than MBTs. Get this unit from point A to point B safely and quickly; the Ukrainians can figure the rest out. >

Important that Moscow Mayor Sobyanin is one of those "dovish" Kremlin technocrats. You barely see any Z's in Moscow. >

Conversations about the important
A look into the propaganda taught in Russian schools, from the perspectives of the children.   Interesting read, if you don't mind using google translate. >

BuzzFeed News spoke with three photojournalists from Getty Images about their firsthand experiences covering the war in Ukraine. >

If Vladimir Putin were to pass away due to poor health (or any other cause), how long would it be before any of us found out about it? Have pre-recorded messages been made? How would Russia deal with the war once Putin died? 
What's your opinion? >

Swan Lake appears on TV >

The USA will purchase IFATDS automated artillery fire control system kits for Ukraine's HIMARS
The kits are intended for 18 future new HIMARS of Ukraine
An attack on one is an attack on the hive >


IFATDS

Read this in a Boston voice of a guy who was previously flatulent >

Russian separatists brought Christmas presents to children in an orphanage in Luhansk. "It was terrible to see those unhappy eyes without any hope," 10-year-old Ivan said. >

LOL nice.  >!Guys it's a pun, the unhappy eyes are the Russians'.!< >

It may actually be that the older stocks were more reliable, and expended first - typically you want to deplete older stocks before newly produced munitions; they will eventually age out (e.g. propellant degrades and becomes unstable) or require maintenance in the case of more complex items.
It would be interesting to see what can be inferred from fragments and serial numbers. >

Oh the older Kh-55s turned to be a disaster. Initial launch in this war made about 40% of them unable to even enter the programmed path. As for fuel - they are using aviation kerosene and are fueled before the mission. However, as for example a car that stays long term parked somewhere, they need an occasional checkup and maintenance. 
If someone can point me to a higher resolution video I can help identify what's what. Unfortunately the twitter video has a few frames with visible numbers, but compression is so high I can't read them...
Edit: I couldn't decipher the missile itself, but the engine of this Kh-101 was made in 2019 or 2021 (sorry one symbol is unreadable). >

With China having Russia's balls in a vice. >

Yeah closer ties = we fuck Russia for cheap oil and gas that they can’t get rid off >

It feels like there haven't been many shot down Russian jets recently compared to earlier in the war. Did Russia just stop using aircrafts just use missiles and drones? >

well Russia did shoot down one of their own jets today near Engels AFB.... So that's something. >

Turned out to be fake >

Yeah I'm sure it's fake just like Russian air defense has a 100% missile intercept rate. >

Thanks for the rabbit hole >

So what exactly is Putin trying to achieve now? He didn't capture Ukraine in 3 days, and now it's been turned into a war of stalemate. What exactly is he hoping for now that would magically turn the war into his favour? >

It's not a stalemate.
Wars don't resolve overnight or even in weeks. Usually they are a bunch of concerted efforts spaced out over months or years.
We just have a constant information feed that leads to that misconception.
It takes time, there are times for offensives and times for more static lines.
We are in a period of fairly static atm, wait for the ground to freeze and then hold onto your pants... ...
Edit: to clarify what a stalemate is - it's a war where neither side is able to make any gains for a prolonged time. What we are seeing is an offensive pause from Ukraine with Russia unable to gain any ground.
A pause is conducted to wait for better conditions, resupply and rest or conduct shaping operations to lay the framework for a successful offensive. This is exactly what Ukraine is doing. >


We are in a period of fairly static atm

And even that is relative. Russia's retreat from Kherson was november the ninth. >

I was talking in the last few weeks, which is the only frame of reference that someone could consider this conflict static... lol >

Oh, I agree with your point, it's just that "it's been over six weeks since a major Ukrainian city was retaken".... Sorry, that just isn't a stalemate, lol. >

To be clear: Kraut is the name of the channel, not an ethnic slur! >

I mean, even if, I am German and I'd never consider "Kraut" as an ethnic slur... It's a nickname for Germans like "Fritz" or "(Sau)Schwab", same as "Tommy", "Rosbif" or "Limey* for Brits or "Frogs" for the French.
It's just western European neighbours teasing each other in mostly good humour. Now mind you I wouldn't do the same to any nations in EE or anywhere else in the world but in Western Europe that's just par for the course. >!!<
Some are a bit hurtful/dated (like Huns or Surrender Monkeys) but even then it's mostly about how they are used and are not per se jingoistic. >

*Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys
(Not accurate, they fight hard.) >

Since Belarus is a vassal state of Russia, no one gives a shit what Belarus has to say about anything. >

Oh exactly. Im not going to lie I was a huge critic of US foreign policy, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why Russia was becoming a soft target again politically the last ten years or so. I was 12 when the Berlin Wall came down, and really thought all that was behind us.
I was wrong. The warning signs were flashing I just didn't see them. The media, here anyways, made the Donbass conflict seem like an actual civil war, and downplayed Russia's involvement for some reason. >

Interesting article from a reputable Danish newspaper (English version here), where an FE spokesman explains all kinds of stuff about Putin. They're suggesting that he suffers from chronic pain and the drugs he has been taking has potentially caused a megalomaniacal trait that triggered this war.
Note: the article doesn't explain it, but "FE" stands for "Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste", the military intelligence service, so a pretty reliable source. >

Nonsense. It did not changed him, if anything, it may speeded up his decision to attack ukraine. He was megalomaniac  before the war. These narratives create an illusion that somehow "ilness" "forced" him to start the war. Like before the war he was a good guy, wise leader, etc. Give me a break. His arrogance caused the war. >

Yeah, this revanchism has been a theme for decades. >

What's the purpose of the increase in jamming? >

Prevent (not fully) drone and missile attacks like the ones at Engels airbase and other military infrastructure. Standard counter measure >

Today is the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union has been dead for 31 years. A footnote in World history.
Vova Putin dreams of restoring that pathetic empire.  Vova claims that it was a great geopolitical mistake allowing it to crumble under its own corruption and incompetence.  Vova blames The West.  He blames NATO.
What Vova knows in those quiet moments when he’s crying under his long table is the NATO did not aggressively expand to threaten Russia.  The former Soviet republics and nations dominated by the Warsaw Pact ran as quickly as the could to join the defensive alliance so that they would never be threatened by Russian oppression again.
There was a great geopolitical mistake involving the Soviet Union; but it did not occur 31 years ago at its death.  The mistake was 100 years ago at its birth. >

Soviet Union is not a footnote, just as Nazi Germany is not a footnote. It literally shaped the events of the 20th century that had huge impact on the way the things are today, and will continue to influence geo-politics greatly in the future. >

Is Russia still using nuclear missiles without warheads as decoy? Haven't heard anything about that recently.