[XogGyux]

The guy is putting a rope around his own neck. "We losing, lets do a referendum to make part of Ukraine Russia" whats going to happen when they finally lose that "part of russia"? How is this stupid idiot going to explain to his people... hey the Ukranians stole part of Russia, but it is cool? He is cornering himself into using Nukes and I am certain that's when daddy china is going to start giving a fuck. Putin is doing everything in his point to place himself behind the point of no return and he is about to achieve it.
There is no scenario now that Russia wins via conventional war, that much is clear. The only chance is to intimidate the world with nukes but that is very unlikely. This is basic game theory, if the west blinks, it would be a massive strategic failure that will allow nuclear powers to blackmail/intimidate the world to their demands. North Korea, China, etc could in the future use similar tactics to get what they want. Therefore it is quite clear that the least painful way to deal with a nuclear attack is to forcefully rebuke and punish the aggresor as to make it clear to others that this would not be tolerated.

[Independent_Srpska]

The guy is putting a rope around his own neck. "We losing, lets do a referendum to make part of Ukraine Russia" whats going to happen when they finally lose that "part of russia"? How is this stupid idiot going to explain to his people... hey the Ukranians stole part of Russia, but it is cool?

But, they are not part of Ukraine, if the referendums say so.
It's western democracy fully applied.

[Wels]

^ At least one person (Putin) thinks it is a cunning ruse
Too bad he is the only one.
I guess only North Korea will "accept" this "referendum" for political reasons; of course without really believing it either.
OT here, but Kim Jong Un and Putin. What an alliance.

[Skynet]

At least Putin thinks it is a cunning ruse
Too bad he is the only one.

He has no clue about military: "In military planing you hope the best but prepare the worst."

[Wels]

^ re your post before this one,
i would support you if you promise not to absorb Finland and Sweden
Let In vino veritas be our battle call

[XogGyux]

But, they are not part of Ukraine, if the referendums say so.
It's western democracy fully applied.

They are part of Ukraine. The referendums are illegitimate and not going to be recognized internationally.

[Wels]

Russia's threats 'don't add up'
"Putin's military escalation is 'six months too late.'
Nuclear weapons and further aggression will not deter Kyiv in its quest for liberation"
by Justin Bronk

Some good take on the "special operation" and Putin's situation in his country

[GandalfTheGrey]

Russian military saying conscripts will have just 2 weeks training and sent straight to the front line.

With what equipment? With what weapons? Russian military simply doesn't have the resources to absorb all these new conscripts. This just looks like a panicked ill considered brain fat from Putin in reaction to the humiliating dressing down he got from China.

[QatzelOk]

Russia started the conflict...

False.

It was the First Nations who "started the conflict" by refusing to be the slaves of the incoming European colonists in North America.

After being snubbed as slave-masters, the USA (and Britain) broke every deal they ever made with the First Nations.

Likewise:

NATO : "Once Germany is united, we won't spread eastward."

A newly discovered document provides more evidence that Western governments broke their promise not to expand NATO eastward after German reunification.

Notes from a 1991 meeting between top US, British, French, and German officials confirm that there was a “general agreement that membership of NATO and security guarantees [are] unacceptable” for Central and Eastern Europe.

Germany’s diplomatic representative emphasized that the Soviet Union was promised in 1990 that “we would not extend NATO beyond the Elbe” river, in eastern Germany.

The document, which was formerly classified as secret, comes from the British National Archives.

Westerners believed the lies against the First Nations (as they slaughtered them), and they are eager to believe the lies about Russia.

[JohnRawls]

[Rancid]

Looks like Rancid will be getting his updated map of Russia's official boundaries and claims, very soon.

The sham elections count as formal annexation?

[Rancid]

There are renewed reports that Putin is in fact, giving tactical level orders to the commanders and troops.

[Potemkin]

There are renewed reports that Putin is in fact, giving tactical level orders to the commanders and troops.

Looks like he’s decided to fast-forward from 1939 to 1945 directly instead of messing around with all the nonsense in between. Putin is nothing if not decisive!

[Igor Antunov]

The sham elections count as formal annexation?

Keep coping. Here is a nice tune for you to enjoy as you cope.

[GandalfTheGrey]

what happens if/when Ukraine continues to annex territory that Putin declares as sovereign Russian territory? How impotent will that make Putin look then?

Somehow I can't imagine a groundswell of Russian rallying around territory declared "Russian" by what is,so transparently a sham referendum. Reports of voter turnout in one of the regions at around 15%. Yeah that oozes legitimacy.

[Igor Antunov]

Let's look beyond the obvious western propaganda machine, for a reality check.



The Panic surrounding this minor mobilization and official annexation are making my loins moist. Primarily because Russia can keep tightening the screws and expanding the scale of war (Russia has found endless new resource export markets while US has used up its petroleum oil reserve and is now having to feed overpriced natural gas to a resource deprived EU), while NATO is already at the stage where it has to consider giving up or getting Ukraine or itself nuked, given it is already taking pot shots at Russian territory through its diseased proxy, and the annexation on the 27th would make that pronounced on a large scale; Putin could justify anything at that point, to any Russian. NATO is on the verge of getting itself irrevocably bogged down IN Russia, before Winter sets in. Ask Nappy and Hitler how that turned out for them? How will those high maintenance 70-80 ton Abrams and Tigers do on the Russian steppe on ice and snow?

There are 80,000 Russian combat troops in Ukraine, the rest are republican forces, garrison police, chechens, PMC's and support personnel with limited offensive capability. All up probably now less than 150,000, with 100,000 that could participate in any organized combat. They are facing right now up to 400,000 NATO funded and equipped and replenished Ukrainian COMBAT troops. All this spread across a 1,000km front. And yet the Russians are holding their ground against multiple ongoing NATO offensives.

These 300,000 reservists being mobilized will all be combat troops within 1-2 months (typical US national guard refresher course before deployment to Iraq was only 4 weeks). Add to that the battle hardened republican forces which will be inducted into the Russian army and get all the standard equipment and capabilities. Russia will be able to finish the job with 400,000 unified COMBAT troops stationed IN (former) Ukraine. That's a x4 increase in combat strength. And Ukraine is already on its 8th mobilization wave this October 1st-for the first time inducting women into combat roles. No wonder the western panic is so juicy. NATO will have to bow out, rein in puppet kiev and sign a humiliating defeat with Russia, or start sending western European troops directly into Ukraine - in relation to which Putin has already stated once in Ukraine they are nuclear fodder, given Russia has adopted a first use tactical nuclear strategy for Ukraine. So the child trafficking lolita island dinosaurs in the west have a choice - peace or annihilation. Because Russia won't stop.

what happens if/when Ukraine continues to annex territory that Putin declares as sovereign Russian territory? How impotent will that make Putin look then?

Considering Russia won't stop attacking NATO in Ukraine until all territories annexed are fully liberated, and considering it will continue beyond that to Odessa and Kharkov again, what is your point? There is no overall expiry date with daily victory conditions on any of this. It's not Gary Grigsby's hex based strategy game. Russia continues ramping up and up until this hostile NATO project is smashed. Doesn't matter how much the western media bleats. The road is set and it's fucking over for the west in Ukraine, one way or another.

[Skynet]

Putin will be written in the 1000 year old Russian history as the worst military leader.

[Rugoz]

There are renewed reports that Putin is in fact, giving tactical level orders to the commanders and troops.

The word is he refuses to withdraw from Kherson despite the dire supply situation. That would be great, actually. Some of Russia's best remaining forces are there.

[ingliz]

a panicked ill-considered brain fart

Perhaps but the longer this war goes on, the more Ukraine is fucked - Russia considers it an existential threat, so it's not going to walk away.

Who is winning or losing in the conventional sense of materiel lost isn't the question one should be asking. Russia 'losing', pfft, who cares, it doesn't matter - Think N. Vietnam.

The negotiating table is the only way out.

[Istanbuller]

Russians ramp up attacks but still no good results for them.