Comments on: Foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel passes the House

By: neo

neo — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:46 +0000

Tom Grey: As far as I can see, it's mostly weapons they're sending, not cash. See this.

By: Tom Grey

Tom Grey — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:20:06 +0000

The US won’t seriously end illegals walking over the “border” until there’s a Rep President who is pushing enforcement of current laws.

Johnson is right about sending bullets rather than US soldiers — but that should be US made weapons of all types.
Not cash.

By: Brian E

Brian E — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 18:14:24 +0000

“Ukrainians have killed a lot more Russians over these 2+ years: 457,830 dead Russian troops, and some 1,373,490 more wounded—and who knows how many of those Russians are now crippled for life.” -Karmi

Reality check here.

The 455,000 “liquidated” number is from Ukraine and the ambiguity is whether “liquidated” means killed or killed and wounded.

The US DoD estimates total casualties (killed and wounded) at around 315,000 for Russia.

Mediazona with the BBC estimates 85,000 military members killed since the beginning of 2022 which is high based on the 315,000 DoD casualty figure using likely killed/wounded ratio. The 85,000 figure would be in line with Ukraine’s number of 455,000– though that would be both killed and wounded.

Ukraine has said they have suffered 31,000 killed and using a similar ratio, that would put their casualty numbers at around 170,000.

Keep in mind the casualty figures are higher for the attacking force than the defending force based on the fact the attacking force has to expose its troops. Those numbers will like reverse if and when Ukraine goes on a sustained attack to regain territory at some point in the future (likely 2025?).

Horrible numbers for both Ukraine and Russia.

As a comparison, US suffered 58,200 killed and over 300,000 wounded in our 10 year war in Vietnam. Also horrible numbers.

At Least 50,000 Russian Military Deaths, Likely Thousands More, Recorded In Ukraine War
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-ukraine-deaths/32903736.html

By: neo

neo — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 03:28:42 +0000

whatever:

Actually, the rationale for helping Ukraine vis a vis Putin is more about whether Putin is someone who will be content with just getting some of Ukraine, or whether he is intent on restoring the entire Soviet empire. It is more akin to what faced the West in the 1930s vis a vis trying to decide how far Hitler would go when he was supposedly just wanting the Sudetenland, than it is to the Far East and the Domino Theory way (one of these days I may write a post on the Domino Theory; suffice to say it was nowhere near as clearly wrong as many people seem to say it was.)

By: Richard+Aubrey

Richard+Aubrey — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 03:08:09 +0000

Presume Russia “wins” in a realistic sense; Ukraine runs out of live men before the Russians do. But, as in WW II, the Russians have damn’ few left themselves, not to mention wealth of various kinds and their magazines are empty.
Presumably Vlad and his advisors, and big shots who more or less support the regime in order to not be defenestrated plus get a piece of the action here and there, will not look on the next venture quite so cheerfully. Recalling the pre-operation predictions.
Then there are the Russian people. I have no idea how they will react, which is different from how they think about things. But there is some massive bereavement, and that at second-hand as well. One worries about the family next door whose son was killed. How are they getting along? Is it true the mother two blocks over killed herself? [Reality note; I notified a family in Feb of 71. Found out three years ago that mom had killed herself five years after. I’d known she was gone but no cause given all these years. It will happen.]
So…do they have enough Stalin and Beria to keep things quiet?

By: om

om — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 01:44:34 +0000

These weapons are outside air defense range as long as Ukraine has insufficient reloads and insufficient launch platforms.

Go Team Isolationist!

A-50 AWACS type platforms, SU-30, and SU-34s don’t fall out of the sky when SAMS are absent. Cause and effect.

Go Team Isolationist!

Making Ukrainian sky and nearby Russian sky safe (for Vladdy) again!

By: Stewart

Stewart — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 01:38:14 +0000

The USA is being invaded by hundreds if not thousands of mainly military age males and you squabble over Ukraine (which I support) but this is a deliberate distraction. The Red states are going to have to harden up against the Feds and deport the invaders to NY and Cali and destroy those states. 30000 mainland Chinese males have entered the USA this year alone. They are being SENT by the CCP. Wake up America!

By: Banned Lizard

Banned Lizard — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 23:26:44 +0000

Grim pragmatism in Donbas: Inside Ukraine’s frontlines against Russia in Donbas In addition to drones, some of the Russian munitions the Ukrainian soldier refers to are likely a stockpile of heavy Soviet-era munitions retrofitted as glide bombs the Russians are launching from outside air defense range. Russia's attrition approach may in part be designed to gradually use up that stockpile.

By: om

om — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 22:40:27 +0000

whatever:

Yep and North Korea was destined to completely conquer South Korea.

Remember that “whatever”? Who is still lined up with North Korea? Communist China and the Russians.

Isolationists never learn anything. Not a F’en thing.

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 22:28:14 +0000

om, thanks for an answer without snark. I have followed the news sources you mention throughout. So, basically, you don’t know, but you think, in the one-to-two year time frame, that Russia can essentially be beaten back. It’s possible. I hope so.