• Ukraine's Curve Ball

    From JAB@21:1/5 to All on Thu Aug 8 06:37:48 2024
    Bloomberg
    Ukraine's Surprise Incursion Into Russia Turns the Tables on Putin
    ...
    ...
    The incursion by as many as 1,000 Ukrainian troops into the Kursk
    region that's now in its third day caught out the Russian military.
    It's the first time since World War II that another country's army has
    invaded Russia.

    A grim-faced Putin summoned his army and security-service chiefs for
    an explanation yesterday. Furious Russian military bloggers accused
    top officials of staggering incompetence.

    European gas prices rose amid reports of fighting near a key Russian
    station on the last remaining pipeline route to Europe via Ukraine. So
    far, gas continues to flow.
    ...
    ...
    Ukraine has said nothing about the mission or its goals. Theories
    abound, from an attempt to seize territory as a potential bargaining
    chip in future negotiations with Moscow, to a diversionary tactic to
    ease pressure on stretched defenses in Ukraine by drawing Russian
    forces away from the frontline.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-08/ukraine-s-surprise-incursion-into-russia-turns-the-tables-on-putin

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Thu Aug 8 22:25:50 2024
    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    Bloomberg
    Ukraine's Surprise Incursion Into Russia Turns the Tables on Putin
    ...
    ...
    The incursion by as many as 1,000 Ukrainian troops into the Kursk
    region that's now in its third day caught out the Russian military.
    It's the first time since World War II that another country's army has invaded Russia.

    A grim-faced Putin summoned his army and security-service chiefs for
    an explanation yesterday. Furious Russian military bloggers accused
    top officials of staggering incompetence.

    European gas prices rose amid reports of fighting near a key Russian
    station on the last remaining pipeline route to Europe via Ukraine. So
    far, gas continues to flow.
    ...
    ...
    Ukraine has said nothing about the mission or its goals. Theories
    abound, from an attempt to seize territory as a potential bargaining
    chip in future negotiations with Moscow, to a diversionary tactic to
    ease pressure on stretched defenses in Ukraine by drawing Russian
    forces away from the frontline.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-08/ukraine-s-surprise-incursion-into-russia-turns-the-tables-on-putin


    Interesting! Yes, bargaining chip, or perhaps a pincer maneuver? On the
    other hand, the more territory they grab, the more area they need to
    defend so can they defend the territory without spreading their resources
    too thin?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Aug 8 19:24:47 2024
    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024 22:25:50 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    the more territory they grab, the more area they need to
    defend

    I'm not sure that's their objective...hit/run weak spots so Russia has
    to move troops around...might be the objective.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Danart@21:1/5 to All on Fri Aug 9 05:50:30 2024
    JAB wrote:
    Bloomberg
    Ukraine's Surprise Incursion Into Russia Turns the Tables on Putin
    ....
    ....
    The incursion by as many as 1,000 Ukrainian troops into the Kursk
    region that's now in its third day caught out the Russian military.
    It's the first time since World War II that another country's army
    has
    invaded Russia.

    A grim-faced Putin summoned his army and security-service chiefs
    for
    an explanation yesterday. Furious Russian military bloggers accused
    top officials of staggering incompetence.

    European gas prices rose amid reports of fighting near a key
    Russian
    station on the last remaining pipeline route to Europe via Ukraine.
    So
    far, gas continues to flow.
    ....
    ....
    Ukraine has said nothing about the mission or its goals. Theories
    abound, from an attempt to seize territory as a potential
    bargaining
    chip in future negotiations with Moscow, to a diversionary tactic
    to
    ease pressure on stretched defenses in Ukraine by drawing Russian
    forces away from the frontline.


    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-08/ukraine-s-surprise-incursion-into-russia-turns-the-tables-on-putin

    It
    was going to happen.

    Ukraine clearly see that USA has no Democratic leader.

    Nobody is doing what needs to be done.

    If the rest of the former Republic was to join in the fight, along
    with other anti-Putin people was also to help over throw the
    government, maybe they have a chance.

    Gooo Ukriane and whoever supports them, I wish them the best. Yes
    Russia is probably going to start bombing again, and yes the horror
    will get worst then it is, but they have the right goal in mind.

    We need Putin and his pro USSR cab out.

    For the sake of Russia, for Romanov they need to revolt.

    Russia is a great place, and have great people and hopefully they are
    waking up.


    This is a response to the post seen at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=671279768#671279768

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Fri Aug 9 10:34:00 2024
    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024 22:25:50 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    the more territory they grab, the more area they need to
    defend

    I'm not sure that's their objective...hit/run weak spots so Russia has
    to move troops around...might be the objective.


    That does sound reasonable, so perhaps the bargaining chip theory is not
    sound then.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Aug 9 20:32:10 2024
    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024 22:25:50 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Interesting! Yes, bargaining chip, or perhaps a pincer maneuver?


    Even Russia's state TV propagandists can't hide their alarm at
    Ukraine's remarkable cross-border incursion into Kursk. They
    ridiculously claim it was engineered by Americans to help Kamala
    Harris and undermine Donald Trump. https://x.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1821934213819469893

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Sat Aug 10 11:29:49 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Thu, 8 Aug 2024 22:25:50 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Interesting! Yes, bargaining chip, or perhaps a pincer maneuver?


    Even Russia's state TV propagandists can't hide their alarm at
    Ukraine's remarkable cross-border incursion into Kursk. They
    ridiculously claim it was engineered by Americans to help Kamala
    Harris and undermine Donald Trump. https://x.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1821934213819469893


    But this confirms me in my suspicion that russia, apart from the front, is ridiculously ill defended.

    The wagner rebellion almost reached Moscow before they persuaded them to
    stop. And now this.

    I am convinced, that if Nato and/or Europe decided on a blitz in the early spring, Moscow and Putin would quickly fall and the war will be over.

    But it seems like the world wants to torture Ukraine by giving them just
    enough military help and resources to allow them to barely survive, but definitely not enough to win the war, thus ensuring the maximum amount of
    pain and death.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Aug 10 05:40:54 2024
    On Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:29:49 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    But it seems like the world wants to torture Ukraine by giving them just >enough military help and resources to allow them to barely survive, but >definitely not enough to win the war, thus ensuring the maximum amount of >pain and death.

    I believe the same might apply when US was in South Vietnam...not a
    full scale war effort. In Ukraine, their allies may not want to upset
    Russia to where the nuke card is used.


    ================
    Towards the end of US's involvement,

    "Why did the US bomb Hanoi?

    Two days after the 16 December deadline had passed, the U.S. bombed
    Hanoi. Senior Air Force officers James R. McCarthy and George B.
    Allison stated years later that the operation had been mainly
    politically driven, as a negotiation tool to "bring the point home" <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker_II>


    I am convinced, that if Nato and/or Europe decided on a blitz in the early >spring, Moscow and Putin would quickly fall and the war will be over.

    A nuke card issue there...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Aug 10 11:42:47 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory

    A person would have to know how well Ukraine could defend the turf,
    and how Russia would respond. On Russian soil, Putin would be
    cautious about how bombs are dropped/etc, especially around
    cities....whereas in Ukraine, Putin don't care about destruction.


    Fox News is suggesting with the "may" word:

    Putin under pressure as Ukraine incursion continues, may give Kyiv
    bargaining chips in peace talks: experts

    https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-pressure-ukraine-incursion-continues-may-give-kyiv-bargaining-chips-peace-talks-experts

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Aug 10 12:13:32 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory

    Kyiv seems to be signaling that leverage in negotiations is one of the
    goals of the offensive. An unnamed advisor to Ukrainian President
    Volodymyr Zelensky told the Washington Post: "This will give them the
    leverage they need for negotiations with Russia--this is what it's all
    about." This dovetails with recent hints by Zelensky that Kyiv was
    ready to negotiate. In an interview with BBC News in July, he said,
    "We don't have to recapture all the territories" by military means. "I
    think that can also be achieved with the help of diplomacy." Occupied
    Russia could be traded for occupied Ukraine: As former Swedish Prime
    Minister Carl Bildt suggested on X, "Would an idea be for both states
    to retreat to within their respective recognized border?"

    https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/08/09/kursk-russia-ukraine-offensive-invasion-war-negotiations/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Sat Aug 10 23:39:04 2024
    On Sat, 10 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:29:49 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    But it seems like the world wants to torture Ukraine by giving them just
    enough military help and resources to allow them to barely survive, but
    definitely not enough to win the war, thus ensuring the maximum amount of
    pain and death.

    I believe the same might apply when US was in South Vietnam...not a
    full scale war effort. In Ukraine, their allies may not want to upset
    Russia to where the nuke card is used.

    Yes, but the world needs to learn that the nuke card issue is a non-issue. Putin might think it is a good idea, but his oligarchs want nothing more
    than to just enjoy being billionaires again in western europe and on the
    french riviera, and the moment Putin will reach for the button is the
    moment they will kill him. They have more to lose than Putin, so they
    still care.

    I'm also certain, although I cannot prove it of course, that there is
    plenty of silent opposition who are just waiting for the right moment, and
    they would also see a button grab as a great time to take over with the
    best good wishes from the western world.


    ================
    Towards the end of US's involvement,

    "Why did the US bomb Hanoi?

    Two days after the 16 December deadline had passed, the U.S. bombed
    Hanoi. Senior Air Force officers James R. McCarthy and George B.
    Allison stated years later that the operation had been mainly
    politically driven, as a negotiation tool to "bring the point home" <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker_II>


    I am convinced, that if Nato and/or Europe decided on a blitz in the early >> spring, Moscow and Putin would quickly fall and the war will be over.

    A nuke card issue there...


    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Sat Aug 10 23:41:00 2024
    On Sat, 10 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory

    A person would have to know how well Ukraine could defend the turf,
    and how Russia would respond. On Russian soil, Putin would be
    cautious about how bombs are dropped/etc, especially around
    cities....whereas in Ukraine, Putin don't care about destruction.


    Fox News is suggesting with the "may" word:

    Putin under pressure as Ukraine incursion continues, may give Kyiv
    bargaining chips in peace talks: experts

    https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-pressure-ukraine-incursion-continues-may-give-kyiv-bargaining-chips-peace-talks-experts


    Let's wait and see. Credit goes to Ukraine though for turning the tables.
    Since permission is now granted by some western countries to use their
    weapons for strikes in russia, I imagine that we'll see a lot more
    offensive drone strikes and small incursions to destabilize russia and to prevent them from deploying all their forces in one coordinated strike.
    With small bee stings here and there, they won't dare to spread out their defenses and probably will be hesitant to use them for one big strike.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Aug 10 18:05:50 2024
    On Sat, 10 Aug 2024 23:41:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Since permission is now granted by some western countries to use their >weapons for strikes in russia

    Previously, there had been much debate in Washington, Berlin, and
    among a wildly speculating media about the Kremlin's supposed red
    lines that would set off World War III and nuclear Armageddon, with
    one of the lines being taking the war to Russia with Western weapons.
    The latter has now occurred. The belief in uncontrolled escalation led
    the Biden administration and some of its partners to severely restrict
    both the types of weapons delivered to Ukraine and their permitted
    range; Ukraine has not been allowed to use Western missiles to hit
    military installations on the Russian side of the border, for example.
    Part of the effect and purpose of the Kursk operation could be to
    demonstrate, once again, the fallacy of the red-line argument.
    ..
    ..
    As the offensive unfolds and Kyiv stays mostly mum on events, it's
    still too early to say what strategic goals Ukraine is hoping to
    achieve. One speculation that has gained a lot of traction is that it
    could lead to a quicker end to the war. The operation makes it clear
    to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine retains significant
    potential to inflict pain on Russia. And if Ukrainian forces can hold
    on and maintain control of Russian territory--for which they appear to
    be digging in as they bring in more equipment and build new defensive
    lines--it could strengthen Ukraine's leverage in any potential
    negotiations to end the war. Already, Ukraine's lightning foray into
    Russia undermines the widespread idea that Putin holds all the cards
    to dictate the terms of a cease-fire.

    https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/08/09/kursk-russia-ukraine-offensive-invasion-war-negotiations/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to kyonshi on Mon Aug 12 12:25:04 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 12:31:29 +0200, kyonshi <[email protected]> wrote:

    whatever it is, it makes Russia look weak because they couldn't defend >themselves, and it forces them to put resources into other areas. Which
    can cause further supply problems down the line.

    Plus, Ukrainians get to kill/damage Russian troops/equipment.

    Ukrainians essentially just "walked-into" Russia, which gives them
    time to dig in. This shows Russia did not expect a Plan B by
    Ukrainians.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Mon Aug 12 12:51:54 2024
    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:40:39 -0400, Auric Hellman
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    History shows that countries that invade Russia may have
    initial success
    but ultimately suffer devastating defeat.

    With the UN & NATO, a question mark...along with potential world trade repercussions.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Mon Aug 12 22:07:27 2024
    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:40:39 -0400, Auric Hellman
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    History shows that countries that invade Russia may have
    initial success
    but ultimately suffer devastating defeat.

    With the UN & NATO, a question mark...along with potential world trade repercussions.


    The trade will barely survive as long as india and china will happily buy
    their commodities. It will of course not thrive, but perhaps it will
    continue on some kind of subsitence level.

    If india or china stops though, things will become difficult for russia
    very, very quickly.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to Auric Hellman on Mon Aug 12 22:06:18 2024
    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, Auric Hellman wrote:

    On 8/12/2024 1:25 PM, JAB wrote:
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 12:31:29 +0200, kyonshi <[email protected]> wrote:

    whatever it is, it makes Russia look weak because they couldn't defend
    themselves, and it forces them to put resources into other areas. Which
    can cause further supply problems down the line.

    Plus, Ukrainians get to kill/damage Russian troops/equipment.

    Ukrainians essentially just "walked-into" Russia, which gives them
    time to dig in. This shows Russia did not expect a Plan B by
    Ukrainians.


    History shows that countries that invade Russia may have initial success but ultimately suffer devastating defeat. One needs to go back to the 1600s to find the last victorious army (Polish-Lithuanian).


    Don't they most often freeze to death? If they avoid getting caught in
    winter, they should be fine. ;)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Mon Aug 12 17:38:03 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory


    "In remarks published by the Kremlin, Putin said Ukraine had invaded
    Kursk in order to grab territory for negotiations but that he refused
    to negotiate with people who "attack civilians and civilian
    infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities."?

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4824231-russia-evacuates-kursk-putin-ukraine/

    pose threats to nuclear power facilities

    Be interesting to know more on this topic...

    attack civilians and civilian infrastructure

    Oh....do as I say, not as I do...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to All on Mon Aug 12 20:30:10 2024
    Top general says Ukrainian forces have captured almost as much Russian territory in the last week as Russia has land in Ukraine this year

    Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk
    region last Tuesday.

    They have captured around 1,000 square kilometers of Russian land
    so far, Kyiv's top general said.

    That figure is almost as much territory as Russia has seized in
    Ukraine this year.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-captured-hundreds-square-miles-russian-territory-general-2024-8

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Tue Aug 13 10:22:02 2024
    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory


    "In remarks published by the Kremlin, Putin said Ukraine had invaded
    Kursk in order to grab territory for negotiations but that he refused
    to negotiate with people who "attack civilians and civilian
    infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities."?

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4824231-russia-evacuates-kursk-putin-ukraine/

    pose threats to nuclear power facilities

    Be interesting to know more on this topic...

    attack civilians and civilian infrastructure

    Oh....do as I say, not as I do...


    Haha, yes, Putin can be such a funny guy. Sometimes I think he lives in a complete separate reality. On the other hand, if he does, how can he run
    his country with wisdom and empathy without knowing anything about what is going on in that country?

    As Hagbard Celine said.... communication is only possible between equals.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Tue Aug 13 10:25:43 2024
    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    Top general says Ukrainian forces have captured almost as much Russian territory in the last week as Russia has land in Ukraine this year

    Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk
    region last Tuesday.

    They have captured around 1,000 square kilometers of Russian land
    so far, Kyiv's top general said.

    That figure is almost as much territory as Russia has seized in
    Ukraine this year.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-captured-hundreds-square-miles-russian-territory-general-2024-8


    Well, who knows... maybe once Ukraine has captured as much land as russia
    is currently occupying, they'll do a 1 for 1 switch?

    Or maybe in the end, ukraine will end up occupying russia, and russia will
    end up occupying ukraine, so they will basically have traded countries? ;)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Blueshirt@21:1/5 to All on Tue Aug 13 13:05:13 2024
    D wrote:


    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    Top general says Ukrainian forces have captured almost as
    much Russian territory in the last week as Russia has land
    in Ukraine this year

    Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into
    Russia's Kursk region last Tuesday.

    They have captured around 1,000 square kilometers of
    Russian land so far, Kyiv's top general said.

    That figure is almost as much territory as Russia has
    seized in Ukraine this year.

    Well, who knows... maybe once Ukraine has captured as much
    land as russia is currently occupying, they'll do a 1 for 1
    switch?

    I hope it doesn't start snowing... we all remember what happened
    to the Germans and their tanks once the Russian winter set in!!!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Jukka Lahtinen@21:1/5 to JAB on Tue Aug 13 18:12:11 2024
    JAB <[email protected]d> writes:

    "In remarks published by the Kremlin, Putin said Ukraine had invaded
    Kursk in order to grab territory for negotiations but that he refused
    to negotiate with people who "attack civilians and civilian
    infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities."?

    That means he doesn't negotiate with himself or other Russians.
    Because, what else have the Russians been doing in Ukraine for the last
    two years if not exactly that!

    --
    Jukka Lahtinen

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Jukka Lahtinen@21:1/5 to Blueshirt on Tue Aug 13 18:16:06 2024
    "Blueshirt" <[email protected]> writes:

    I hope it doesn't start snowing... we all remember what happened
    to the Germans and their tanks once the Russian winter set in!!!

    Ukrainians are more familiar with winter and snow than Germans were in WW2.

    --
    Jukka Lahtinen

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Tue Aug 13 11:14:14 2024
    On Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:12:11 +0300, Jukka Lahtinen <[email protected]d> wrote:

    "In remarks published by the Kremlin, Putin said Ukraine had invaded
    Kursk in order to grab territory for negotiations.....

    That means he doesn't negotiate with himself or other Russians.


    "What is an example of a linguistic person?

    A person who loves to debate or a person who loves to discuss and
    develop stories are examples of people with linguistic intelligence."

    a person who loves to discuss and develop stories

    The last line of 1984 is, simply, "He loved Big Brother." Big Brother
    becomes everything to Putin.

    Sadly, most Russians are clueless....

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Tue Aug 13 11:27:54 2024
    On Tue, 13 Aug 2024 10:22:02 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Haha, yes, Putin can be such a funny guy. Sometimes I think he lives in a >complete separate reality.

    As Hagbard Celine said.... communication is only possible between equals.

    Whoever are the status quo will affect Putin's behavior. Apparently,
    the upper echelon want to deceive the masses.

    communication is only possible between equals

    In concrete speech, not so generally, but in abstract speech, a
    potential gray area in fully understanding what was said.

    100 students can witness an event where someone runs across a stage
    and "shoots" someone, but different explanations exist for this event.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to Blueshirt on Tue Aug 13 18:34:34 2024
    On Tue, 13 Aug 2024, Blueshirt wrote:

    D wrote:


    On Mon, 12 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    Top general says Ukrainian forces have captured almost as
    much Russian territory in the last week as Russia has land
    in Ukraine this year

    Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into
    Russia's Kursk region last Tuesday.

    They have captured around 1,000 square kilometers of
    Russian land so far, Kyiv's top general said.

    That figure is almost as much territory as Russia has
    seized in Ukraine this year.

    Well, who knows... maybe once Ukraine has captured as much
    land as russia is currently occupying, they'll do a 1 for 1
    switch?

    I hope it doesn't start snowing... we all remember what happened
    to the Germans and their tanks once the Russian winter set in!!!


    Yes! But I do hope that the ukrainians are moer used to snow, and that
    they do read their history books. Since the senior military staff in
    ukraine are trained in russia (I think) I'm sure they are aware of the
    scorched earth tactic that has so successfully been used in the past.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Tue Aug 13 12:31:00 2024
    On Tue, 13 Aug 2024 10:22:02 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    As Hagbard Celine said.... communication is only possible between equals.

    Have no friends not equal to yourself.
    -- Confucius

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Retrograde@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Aug 14 11:13:54 2024
    On 2024-08-10, D <[email protected]> wrote:
    But this confirms me in my suspicion that russia, apart from the
    front, is ridiculously ill defended. The wagner rebellion almost
    reached Moscow before they persuaded them to stop. And now this. I am convinced, that if Nato and/or Europe decided on a blitz in the early
    spring, Moscow and Putin would quickly fall and the war will be over.
    But it seems like the world wants to torture Ukraine by giving them
    just enough military help and resources to allow them to barely
    survive, but definitely not enough to win the war, thus ensuring the
    maximum amount of pain and death.

    I agree with you on all points. Not arming Ukraine properly in the
    beginning of the conflict is a tragedy. This could have been reduced to
    a week's fighting if Western Europe and the USA had the stones to simply
    jump in throwing punches. Poor Ukraine.

    As for Russia, I agree some day we'll pull back the curtain and find out
    just how much of it was smoke and mirrors. That said, Putin gets points
    for being a hell of a better strategist than just about anyone.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Blueshirt@21:1/5 to Retrograde on Wed Aug 14 12:29:08 2024
    Retrograde wrote:

    Not arming Ukraine properly in the beginning of the
    conflict is a tragedy. This could have been reduced
    to a week's fighting if Western Europe and the USA had
    the stones to simply jump in throwing punches. Poor
    Ukraine.

    There is certainly a clear difference on how 'the West' have
    backed up Israel in comparison to how they supported Ukraine in
    those early days of the Russian invasion.

    As for Russia, I agree some day we'll pull back the curtain
    and find out just how much of it was smoke and mirrors. That
    said, Putin gets points for being a hell of a better
    strategist than just about anyone.

    The Russians are good at chess, so Putin - although obviously a
    megalomaniac - clearly factored the weak Western response in to
    his gambit.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to Retrograde on Wed Aug 14 19:19:25 2024
    On Wed, 14 Aug 2024, Retrograde wrote:

    On 2024-08-10, D <[email protected]> wrote:
    But this confirms me in my suspicion that russia, apart from the
    front, is ridiculously ill defended. The wagner rebellion almost
    reached Moscow before they persuaded them to stop. And now this. I am
    convinced, that if Nato and/or Europe decided on a blitz in the early
    spring, Moscow and Putin would quickly fall and the war will be over.
    But it seems like the world wants to torture Ukraine by giving them
    just enough military help and resources to allow them to barely
    survive, but definitely not enough to win the war, thus ensuring the
    maximum amount of pain and death.

    I agree with you on all points. Not arming Ukraine properly in the
    beginning of the conflict is a tragedy. This could have been reduced to
    a week's fighting if Western Europe and the USA had the stones to simply
    jump in throwing punches. Poor Ukraine.

    As for Russia, I agree some day we'll pull back the curtain and find out
    just how much of it was smoke and mirrors. That said, Putin gets points
    for being a hell of a better strategist than just about anyone.


    Yes! But Putin has the advantage of not having to care about human lives
    or votes. A weakness that democracies have. So democracies are slow to
    start, but once they get rolling they quickly pick up speed.

    Let's hope now that the western world has given fighter jets to ukraine
    _and_ given them permission to attack targets in russia, that the last
    barrier has been broken and they will start to send troops as well.

    Remember that Putin threatened with total war and nukes if the world
    helped, then it was if the world gave fighter jets, that didn't happen
    either.

    So something I'd like to see is Ukraine buying the help of american
    "security consulting companies" like the ones that were in kuwait and
    iraq, to help them. If russia can have mercenaries, so can ukraine, and
    using russian frozen assets in the EU to buy those mercenaries would be
    icing on the cake! =)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Aug 14 18:36:56 2024
    On Wed, 14 Aug 2024 19:19:25 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Let's hope now

    Hopefully Ukrainian's military carefully considered consequences of
    their blitzkrieg on Russian soil. Either they planned for a transient duration, or long-term if needed.

    Putin would not tolerate being mocked. So a land swap is most likely
    moot, and most likely he will reject war reparations.

    I'm not sure if the Russian propaganda machine could walk back any
    statements made by Putin, et.al. I have no idea what their press said
    after Soviet-Afghan War (24 December 1979 - 15 February 1989)

    Press has stated that "Money generated by Russian financial assets
    frozen in Europe will soon start flowing to Ukraine, giving Kyiv a
    boost ..." So the interest money from some $282 billion will be used,
    but could the principal be used for war reparations...unknown.

    I'm not familiar with potential leverage levers that could be used to
    make Putin think about consequences.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Thu Aug 15 10:49:23 2024
    On Wed, 14 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Wed, 14 Aug 2024 19:19:25 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    Let's hope now

    Hopefully Ukrainian's military carefully considered consequences of
    their blitzkrieg on Russian soil. Either they planned for a transient duration, or long-term if needed.

    Yes, let's pray! I read in the swedish mainstream news today that Ukraine admited to some goals in the form of cutting supply lines which feed the russian deployment which go through Kursk, as well as taking out arifields
    and artillery which has been stationed there.

    Putin would not tolerate being mocked. So a land swap is most likely
    moot, and most likely he will reject war reparations.

    If Putin does not win, he is dead. So could be that if they decide to
    talk, Putin will first fall down some stairs or off a baclony.

    I'm not sure if the Russian propaganda machine could walk back any
    statements made by Putin, et.al. I have no idea what their press said
    after Soviet-Afghan War (24 December 1979 - 15 February 1989)

    Press has stated that "Money generated by Russian financial assets
    frozen in Europe will soon start flowing to Ukraine, giving Kyiv a
    boost ..." So the interest money from some $282 billion will be used,
    but could the principal be used for war reparations...unknown.

    As I understand it, what everyone is deadly afraid of is to open the legal possibility in europe of confiscating assets from your political enemies without due process. That is why only the interest is used and not the
    assets themselves.

    However!

    What I find so strange about that is that in many european countries,
    there already are laws which make it easy to confiscate private property without due process such as cars and boats, for traffic and fishing
    crimes.

    Doesn't matter if the owner was in another country and someone else
    commited the crime, the property is seized without any process.

    So... how come it is so easy in these cases, yet, when we are talking
    about assets of war criminals, there is so much hand wringing?

    Maybe it's a case of the size that makes everyone uneasy.

    I'm not familiar with potential leverage levers that could be used to
    make Putin think about consequences.


    No, he is all in. He must win to remain a strong and credible leader. He
    could of course declare tomorrow "mission accomplished" and the public
    would just shrug their shoulders, but the next in line to the throne would
    see it as a huge admission of weakness and kill him.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Aug 15 07:22:02 2024
    On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:49:23 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    What I find so strange about that is that in many european countries,
    there already are laws which make it easy to confiscate private property >without due process such as cars and boats, for traffic and fishing
    crimes.

    Monkey See, Monkey Do effect...politicians do the same thing in US
    States. One state creates a law or a change in an existing law, and
    other states may imitate it.

    without due process such as cars and boats,...

    Each US State makes their own laws, and around 1970s/1980s, they were
    passing laws like this for drug violations. Today, and I assume then,
    there were publications available for elected officials that have
    topics related to what's happening at state/federal levels.

    He could of course declare tomorrow "mission accomplished"
    and the public would just shrug their shoulders

    I assume the public reaction there would be somewhat similiar to US's
    public reaction, but skewed. Many US citizens don't follow the news,
    and many Russians are clueless (due to false news)

    He must win to remain a strong and credible leader.

    If Ukraine can maintain a stalemate situation, I can't perceive of a
    solution if he must "win."

    what everyone is deadly afraid of is to open the legal possibility
    in europe of confiscating assets from your political enemies
    without due process.

    Duquesne Law ReviewDuquesne Law Review
    Volume 4 Number 1 Article 14
    1965
    The Legality of Nuremberg

    Twenty years have now passed and still the controversy continues as
    to whether or not the trials at Nuremberg were in compliance with inter-national law. Although the trials of the major war criminals are
    now left to the historian, they are still of great importance to the formulation of present international law and are therefore of great
    interest to the legal profession. Throughout the history of man war
    has plagued our society. At no time prior to the adoption of the
    Charter of the International Military Tribunal did the creation of war constitute a crime. The basic problem faced by Nuremberg was whether
    or not the Allies could make the creation of war a crime. In order to
    answer this question it must first be ascertained whether or not the
    Allies had jurisdiction to prescribe a mandate of this nature and,
    secondly, whether or not they had jurisdiction to enforce that
    mandate.
    https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327126335.pdf

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to JAB on Thu Aug 15 23:35:32 2024
    On Thu, 15 Aug 2024, JAB wrote:

    On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:49:23 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    What I find so strange about that is that in many european countries,
    there already are laws which make it easy to confiscate private property
    without due process such as cars and boats, for traffic and fishing
    crimes.

    Monkey See, Monkey Do effect...politicians do the same thing in US
    States. One state creates a law or a change in an existing law, and
    other states may imitate it.

    True. Today it is very fashionable to talk about a race to the bottom in
    terms of taxes, but, what no one is talking about, is that I think there
    is also a race to the top in terms of limiting freedom of speech and
    making sure that the maximum amount of power, compatible with the public
    still sleeping, ends up in the hands on the politicians.

    He could of course declare tomorrow "mission accomplished"
    and the public would just shrug their shoulders

    I assume the public reaction there would be somewhat similiar to US's
    public reaction, but skewed. Many US citizens don't follow the news,
    and many Russians are clueless (due to false news)

    Yes! I agree. Based on what I have heard about the media situation in
    russia, and especially in the medieval country side, the news is what
    Putin wants the news to be, and there are no other alternatives. The
    exception to the rule is younger people who live in the major cities.
    They might have the means to get western news.

    He must win to remain a strong and credible leader.

    If Ukraine can maintain a stalemate situation, I can't perceive of a
    solution if he must "win."

    That's what everyone is hoping for. However, the question is... how long
    will this stalemate continue? 1 years, 5 years, 10 years?

    what everyone is deadly afraid of is to open the legal possibility
    in europe of confiscating assets from your political enemies
    without due process.

    Duquesne Law ReviewDuquesne Law Review
    Volume 4 Number 1 Article 14
    1965
    The Legality of Nuremberg

    Twenty years have now passed and still the controversy continues as
    to whether or not the trials at Nuremberg were in compliance with inter-national law. Although the trials of the major war criminals are
    now left to the historian, they are still of great importance to the formulation of present international law and are therefore of great
    interest to the legal profession. Throughout the history of man war
    has plagued our society. At no time prior to the adoption of the
    Charter of the International Military Tribunal did the creation of war constitute a crime. The basic problem faced by Nuremberg was whether
    or not the Allies could make the creation of war a crime. In order to
    answer this question it must first be ascertained whether or not the
    Allies had jurisdiction to prescribe a mandate of this nature and,
    secondly, whether or not they had jurisdiction to enforce that
    mandate.
    https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327126335.pdf

    Very interesting! I think the simplest analysis is that not only do the
    winners write the history, they also create the laws.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Aug 15 17:33:16 2024
    On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 23:35:32 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    simplest analysis

    Putin's Concept of International Law - Putin's interpretation of
    international law is imperialist. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/putins-concept-international-law


    The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Putin

    In Moscow, officials were quick to note Russia has never signed on as
    a party to the ICC as they dismissed the charges outright.
    .
    "Russia, like a number of other states, does not recognize the
    jurisdiction of this court, and therefore any of its decisions are insignificant for the Russian Federation from a legal viewpoint."
    ..
    Russian officials have not denied the arrival of Ukrainian children in
    the country, but have characterized the children's centers as part of
    a humanitarian program for abandoned, war-traumatized orphans
    March 17, 2023
    ==================================

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sun Aug 18 18:25:51 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory is not sound then.

    This ideation represents speculation...since whoever said it has no
    idea what Ukraine's military can deliver/defend.


    As of August 16, AP notes,

    The full scope of the Kursk operation remains unclear, including how
    long Ukraine is willing to hold Russian territory and to what end.
    Will Sudzha be a bargaining chip for a future cease-fire negotiation?
    And if so, will Ukraine assume the role of an occupier in a country
    that, in turn, controls a fifth of its own territory?

    https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-fighting-sudzha-kursk-090f03d7f809af49ae9957e851525eb1

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Mon Aug 19 12:26:10 2024
    On Fri, 9 Aug 2024 10:34:00 +0200, D <[email protected]> wrote:

    bargaining chip theory


    The Kursk offensive has left Russia struggling to shore up its own
    territory. Kyiv seems to have multiple goals with the assault, from
    boosting morale after a torrid few months to stretching Russia's
    resources. A Ukrainian presidential aide said the incursion aimed at
    ensuring a "fair" negotiation process.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/18/europe/zelensky-kursk-incursion-second-bridge-intl/index.html

    Without knowing that area, that destroying several bridges could
    affect Putin's response, Ukrainian troop strength, etc., it would have
    been speculation to suggest a bargaining chip initially.

    Apparently, the land's geography is suited to being isolated when two
    bridges are destroyed. If so, then Putin's response is limited. If
    true, I'm surprised Russia overlooked this potential threat issue.

    Whoever brainstormed this idea is an excellent military thinker. I
    would assume an Ukrainian person who knows the land geography.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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