Europe at War

[Todd]

And then instead of a reason or two (which is what I asked for, in my admittedly non-native English) I got only sarcasm --- which once again was not warranted in any way.

You routinely insist upon answers, on all manner of topics.  To your query here, there are literally thousands of articles online now, from sources both reputable and not, as to why the Russian military advance has not been as fast and effective as hoped for or feared.  Analyses of the air war represent a sizeable subset of these articles.  New articles appear hourly, or even more frequently.  No one on this forum possesses any specialist knowledge on this specific subject.  So read some articles, put together a list that satisfies you, and you will be about as accurate as all the other non-specialists.

[Madiel]

No one on this forum possesses any specialist knowledge on this specific subject.

Either you have some opinion as to "multiple reasons", in which you case you can give some of them, or you have absolutely no clue and just said "multiple reasons" to make it sound as if you had at least some knowledge.

This is not about whether any of us, you included, are specialists. It's about whether you, personally, know anything at all.

[Todd]

It's about whether you, personally, know anything at all.

A solid philosophical question.

[Madiel]

A solid philosophical question.

Either answer it or stop writing. Because right now it looks as if your troll side is much in evidence.

[Todd]

Either answer it or stop writing. Because right now it looks as if your troll side is much in evidence.

I answered Florestan's question.

[Florestan]

You routinely insist upon answers, on all manner of topics. 

Incorrect.

To your query here, there are literally thousands of articles online now, from sources both reputable and not, as to why the Russian military advance has not been as fast and effective as hoped for or feared.  Analyses of the air war represent a sizeable subset of these articles. 

I did not ask you to post thousands of links, I asked you for a reason or two.

But honestly, just never mind anymore. I'm really over and done.

[Madiel]

I answered Florestan's question.

You absolutely didn't.

Congratulations, you're going back on my ignore list. You've been off it for a while.

[Mandryka]

It's about whether you, personally, know anything at all.

Well this is an area where I really am an expert, and I can assure you that I, personally, know that I think. And therefore, that I am.


Actually, maybe not. Maybe all I know is that there is a thought  . . . ooooh, it's so difficult.

[Florestan]

Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis* stated today in Kishinev, Republic of Moldavia: Romania will host and help as many refugees as will come.

Da! (Romanian equivalent of Yes!)

* he is an ethnic German and a Lutheran Christian yet he was elected President of a country whose vast majority is ethnic Romanian and Orthodox Christian --- by almost 70% of votes for that matter.

[Todd]

I did not ask you to post thousands of links, I asked you for a reason or two.

The article I linked included at least three reasons why the Russian air campaign has not been as effective as hoped/feared, and it was written by two journalists writing for the rather specialist Air Force Times.  The people they quoted are actual experts.

[Florestan]

The article I linked included at least three reasons why the Russian air campaign has not been as effective as hoped/feared, and it was written by two journalists writing for the rather specialist Air Force Times.  The people they quoted are actual experts.

Okay, I've read it again and again, carefully and carefully. There is absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada de nada in it that addresses the question of why the Russian air forces have been scarcely involved so far --- they just acknowledge the fact. I dare any GMGer to read it and come to a different conclusion than mine.

[Karl Henning]

Okay, I've read it again and again, carefully and carefully. There is absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada de nada in it that addresses the question of why the Russian air forces have been scarcely involved so far --- they just acknowledge the fact. I dare any GMGer to read it and come to a different conclusion than mine.

All the troll wants to do is provoke. He's not here for reasoned discussion.

[drogulus]

     I don't think NATO would put the Patriot SAMs in Ukraine. My guess is they are in Poland.

     So, how would these missiles do against the SU-25s that are the principle ground attack planes in the Russian arsenal?

     Cap and Simba can illustrate the essentials. Unlike the MANPADS, Patriots can reach high altitudes and they have longer range as well. In addition they are "telegraph poles" as the boys call them. SU-25s are tough beasts and a single Stinger might not bring them down.

     https://www.youtube.com/v/asp69ZD_tO0

[Szykneij]

Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis* stated today in Kishinev, Republic of Moldavia: Romania will host and help as many refugees as will come.

Da! (Romanian equivalent of Yes!)

* he is an ethnic German and a Lutheran Christian yet he was elected President of a country whose vast majority is ethnic Romanian and Orthodox Christian --- by almost 70% of votes for that matter.

Florestan -

I usually avoid these types of threads because they tend to get contentious and provide fertile troll-ground. But I do read this one regularly – not for the arguments and posted links that are among thousands available on line, but for the personal viewpoints and observations of those closer (both personally and geographically) to the conflict. In particular, I'm interested in your perspective based on your past and current experiences living where you are. Thanks for your insights.

[greg]

*snip*

While I get the point of what you're saying, your very first word after claiming to summarize the video has nothing to do with the video.

You don't really bolster an argument about how other people are playing politics by immediately demonstrating your own desire to play politics. You could just as easily make a critical argument about what Trudeau is doing without the word "blackface", so why on earth are you distracting from the power of your argument about how people needlessly throw "Nazi" around by needlessly throwing in your own derogatory adjective?

I mean, you're criticising manipulation but couldn't resist throwing in your own bit of manipulation, at the exact moment when a bit of sobriety in tone would have made your case a heck of a lot better.  Calling him "blackface Trudeau" just immediately communicates to me a non-neutral stance.

Because the point was to show hypocrisy, I'm not intending to manipulate. The point is like: He's so above Nazism and so pure that he would totally never do blackface, right?.. that kinda thing. I could have re-written it separately and maybe it could come across differently, maybe.

Manipulation is characterizing a mass movement of people only the bad part, because like .1% of that movement is bad. And the result influencing/manipulating public sentiment because they only see the few bad apples. Like there is one rotten spot on the food and someone says the whole thing should be thrown away because it will make them sick or whatever, but in reality, the rest of it is fine to eat. And the person tells the other he will throw away the bread but just eats in instead in private. 

Pointing out he, alone, just referring to him, did blackface, is just a fact, not manipulation. It would be manipulation if I said that everyone who aligned with his liberal political beliefs also believed blackface is okay, and that's why their political concerns should be ignored. Which is obviously false.

[drogulus]

     Ukrainian Forces Strike Back at Russia, as Biden Sends More Firepower

After falling back under a relentless pounding over the war's first weeks, Ukrainian troops tried to gain some momentum with counterattacks on Russian positions outside of Kyiv and in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, in Ukraine's south, a senior Ukrainian military official said.

Rather than seek to regain lost territory, Ukrainian forces tried to cause as much destruction and death as possible, attacking Russian troops and equipment with tanks, fighter jets and artillery, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military information.

"In the task of inflicting maximum losses, we've done excellently," the official said.

American intelligence officials said their conservative estimate of Russian troop deaths was at least 7,000, a staggering number that carries implications for both combat effectiveness and morale. Western defense and intelligence agencies estimate that Ukraine also has suffered thousands of combatants killed.

     Is this the first counteroffensive?

[drogulus]

     Some guy in the notorious country of Romania found a Russian drone. The authorities are not pleased.

Romanian Defence Minister Vasile Dincu said on Monday evening that the drone that crashed near a village in Bistrita County in northern Romania was a reconnaissance UAV that did not have any explosives on board.

"It's not a very big drone. It's a drone toy, a metre and a bit wide. It is a search-information drone and did not carry explosives," Dincu said.

[Madiel]

Because the point was to show hypocrisy, I'm not intending to manipulate. The point is like: He's so above Nazism and so pure that he would totally never do blackface, right?.. that kinda thing. I could have re-written it separately and maybe it could come across differently, maybe.

Manipulation is characterizing a mass movement of people only the bad part, because like .1% of that movement is bad. And the result influencing/manipulating public sentiment because they only see the few bad apples. Like there is one rotten spot on the food and someone says the whole thing should be thrown away because it will make them sick or whatever, but in reality, the rest of it is fine to eat. And the person tells the other he will throw away the bread but just eats in instead in private. 

Pointing out he, alone, just referring to him, did blackface, is just a fact, not manipulation. It would be manipulation if I said that everyone who aligned with his liberal political beliefs also believed blackface is okay, and that's why their political concerns should be ignored. Which is obviously false.

The problem of this is the overarching logic. If specific incidents that took place decades ago are in play and can be used to characterise present entities, then referencing Ukraine as a Nazi state is allowed.

I think calling present-day Ukraine a Nazi State based on a couple of things that happened decades ago is stupid. That's also why I think using blackface as a descriptor of present-day Trudeau, based on incidents that happened decades ago, is stupid.  But I think it would be quite inconsistent of me to suggest that neo-Nazis in Ukraine were irrelevant to the present day but Trudeau's choice of party costume was relevant.

You jumped in to comment on Trudeau's Nazi references, but at least Trudeau's references, however problematic, were in relation to present-day events. What we were actually talking about here in the "Europe at War" thread, before you tried to turn into a rerun of aspects of the coronavirus thread, were references to Ukraine.

[Herman]

He's just copying some QAnon stuff; no use arguing.

[Que]

The far right is a rising problem in the US and across Europe. Notably young democracies like Ukraine are no exception.
But I don't see the immediate relevance with the current Russian invasion of the Ukraine. Those who do, are buying into Putin's narrative.


I was wondering why Ukraine keeps insisting on a "no fly" zone?
As we discussed, Russia is not dominating the skies. The main problem seems to be Russian artillery bombardments.
I don't see how you counter that with empty skies, or rather: an air battle between NATO and Russia...
Ukraine needs more aircrafts or more surface-to-surface missile installations.

Is the demand for a "no fly" zone part of an Ukrainian tactic to directly involve NATO into the conflict?  Or perhaps it is to create leverage to get something else?