Russian lawmakers authorize Putin to use military force outside the country, Part II

[robkelk]

-- Canada's Defence Minister says he wants to send "noncombat" troops to Ukraine

This is SOP for Canada -- we sent "noncombat" troops to Afghanistan, too. (I think Korea was the last time we gave anything more than the proverbial "all assistance short of actual help". But, apparently, we're getting good at training other people to fight...)

[classicdrogn]

I'm sure a few units of medical corpsmen would be welcomed as well; there's always more breaks and bullet holes than trained hands to bandage them. Likewise mechanics who are already familiar with the foreign equipment being supplied, along with mentoring locals to do the same on both counts.

[Labster]

-- In the heart of Moscow, a busy concert hall was attacked by terrorists, 130+ dead so far
-- Oddly the building has big English letters on it saying CROCUS CITY HALL, but it isn't a city hall, it's a concert hall.  Next time, use the word "Municipal" please.
-- Russia immediately blamed Ukraine
-- Ukraine immediately blamed Russian secret police doing a false flag on home soil
-- Daesh in Khorasan took credit for it
-- Russia still sure Ukraine did it
-- Ukraine thinks it might still be a deflection from Russia
-- Daesh releases bodycam footage from the attack, "no really, we killed you infidels!"
-- Russia pretty sure Ukraine is behind Daesh all along
-- Ukraine is notes that the enemy of the enemy is definitely not their friend
-- 0% approval rating worldwide for Daesh aka IS aka ISIS aka ISIL aka ISIS-K (which doesn't even make sense because the S=Syria and K=Khorasan)
-- US Congress passes a short-term budget, pats itself on the back (no Ukraine funding yet)
-- Immediately, Congresswoman/Russian asset Marjorie Traitor Greene introduces a resolution to bring down yet another Speaker
-- A couple of Republicans have put in their two-week notice (no, really), which brings the GOP majority down to +1 in a couple weeks
-- Democrats say they may save Russian asset and Speaker Mike Johnson if he agrees to put forward a Ukraine aid bill.
-- Black Sea Fleet keeps getting smaller


Meanwhile, in actual war targets land, Russian Refinery Bingo:



The red text on the images comes from the original Ukrainian meme, which translates to Bayraktar'ed.  Not that they're still using Bayraktar drones, since Russia has a minimally-functional functional air defense, just they have meme status due to the early war where Russia had zero air defense.

Finally, someone is doing something about global warming!  Reportedly 10% of Russian refining capacity is down, but that doesn't affect exports of crude oil.  Also there were some reports that America told Ukraine to stop bombing refineries, Ukrainian diplomats denied receiving such messages.  So much propaganda...

[classicdrogn]

I'll be honest, I still have the Bayraktar song (dance mix version) in my frequent-rotation playlist. As memes go it really struck gold.

[Dartz]

And here we see the end of the Black Sea Ropucha. Where once the Sea was filled with these grey landing craft, now they exist only in images and photographs. Their ultimate fate - that which awaits all creatures unable to meet the challenges of a changing environment - Extinction.

[Labster]

You know, with all the shit going on today in my world, I’m just stressed out. But how can I be anything other than elated today? Ukraine got billions in weapons from America, and there are already ATACMS in the hands of the UAF.

Light ‘em up, boys! Slava Ukraini!

[Dartz]

I never thought I'd find myself on the side of the Milicons, but strange times make for strange bedfollows.

That's a lot of weaponry.....

[Dartz]

So. Russia is now using motorcycle cavalry. They are, of course, achieving some pretty remarkable attrition rates. I find, this reminds me of something....

----

Half a klick, half a klick,
Half a klick onward,
Across the field of Death
Battalion two hundred.
"V' Pizdu," was the mobik's cry;
Their's not to reason why,
Their's not to make reply,
Their's but to go and die,
Across the field of Death
Battalion two hundred.

2.

Drones to right of them,
Drones to left of them,
Drones in front of them
Buzz'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Badly they rode and, well;
Fed to the jaws of Death,
Fed to the mouth of Hell,
Battalion two hundred.

3.

Rusted all their rifles were,
Fired only once in air,
Finished off by gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the burning-smoke
Up against the line they broke;
Strong was the sabre-stroke;
Making mobiks reel
Shaken and sunder'd.
Then they fled back, but not,
The Cargo two hundred.

4.

Drones to right of them,
Drones to left of them,
Drones above them
Buzz'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Slowly they strode and, well
Meat in the jaws of Death,
Half a klick back again,
Fodder to the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
A cube of two hundred.

5.

Deep in their grave and cold
Not shall their tale be told,
Yea, when our Ladas are sold—
How they rode onward.

------

If I was smarter or less drunk I could do something better....

[classicdrogn]

It doesn't seem like the situation where being less drunk will help you think about it more. Not with an even semi-functional sense of empathy, anyway.

[Dartz]

Best not to empathise with mobiks, I find. Their fate is not going to be pleasant. But it is made necessary both by their own actions, and the actions of a Russian government. Their deaths unironically make the world a better place because Russia and its goals being defeated.

[classicdrogn]

Thus the drink, yes. The grist never has a good time of it in the mill of history.

[Norgarth]

[Dartz]

Ukraine knocked out a Russian over-the-horizon radar. Normally only used for detecting ICBM's

Norway has the chance to do the funniest thing ever

[Labster]

I feel a bit bad about not updating this thread for a while, but I mean, it's a stalemate.  Oh right, there was that one sally from the north towards Kharkiv, which had been a pretty quiet border.  It was repulsed pretty quickly, but it's annoying because it's more border to guard.

Military:
* Biden finally allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia with US weapons, on the basis that Russia is using North Korean arms to strike inside Ukraine.
* Battle lines are still pretty static this year.
* Salient repulsed in the north, as I mentioned above.
* Russia appears to be taking 5-to-1 losses in manpower, which is sadly sustainable for Russia but not for Ukraine.  Ukraine is now trying to draft the draft dodgers
* Russia's equipment losses are not particularly sustainable, but it kind of doesn't matter.  It matters in the long term for economic/security/arms sales reasons, but if the strategy is "zerg rush kekeke" it only really matters if the attrition affects Ukraine more than it does Russia.

Political:
* There's currently a peace summit for Ukraine going on in Switzerland, which naturally doesn't include Russia
* Okay so basically that's a war summit, like the Yalta conference (once held in now occupied Crimea)
* Apparently they all told Orban to put up or shut up, threatening to withhold all of the NATO goodies, and he chose basically neither, but to go along with everyone else while complaining about it.
* We were a bit worried earlier that Hungary and Slovakia were going to team up to block EU aid to Ukraine, but Slovakia is still in a bit of disorder after the assassination attempt on Fico, and it turns out that non-great powers can still be ignored when they're being dumb.
* Russia offered Russian peace if Ukraine gets no allies and gives away land it currently controls, which is what you call a non-starter.
* Russia sends a frigate to Cuba to spook the Canadians; a decade ago they sent the Moskva.  It's like a repeat of the Cuban Missile Crisis, except with bottle rockets instead of nukes.  Possibly a fair fight for the US Coast Guard if they borrow a speedboat from the set of Miami Vice.
* It looks like America is going to "loan" confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine.

As time goes on I'm less confident that Ukraine will win this war.  I'm sticking with the early assessment that Russia has already lost, since the land gained is worth less than the industrial capacity and diplomatic reputation that they lost.