War Games: Russia Takes Ukraine, China Takes Taiwan. US Response?

[dimreepr]

25 minutes ago, mistermack said:

But you, sat on your arse, looking at your screen, think you somehow know better than the ethnic ukrainian people living through it. If anyone needs waking up, it's you. 

And no doubt Mr Jack, you'll be telling us that, you are an ethnic ukrainian, living in the Crimea, wishing you were Russian... 🤔🙄

Don't worry, this is just a dream... 😉

[mistermack]

3 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

And no doubt Mr Jack, you'll be telling us that, you are an ethnic ukrainian, living in the Crimea, wishing you were Russian... 🤔🙄

Don't worry, this is just a dream... 😉

Wish you were, Mr. Dim.😁

[dimreepr]

3 minutes ago, mistermack said:

Wish you were, Mr. Dim.😁

I get that a lot, mostly from people who have no counter argument and just want to be right... 

Edited September 11, 2022 by dimreepr

[zapatos]

I think one of the major downsides for Russia in this war is the risk at which they put Crimea. Clearly taking Crimea in 2014 was a major win for Russia, and it was unlikely that Ukraine was ever going to control it again. What was Ukraine going to do? Start a war with the world's second greatest military and a nuclear power to boot?

But now Russia has started the war and Ukraine is in it through no fault of their own. From Ukraine's perspective as they fight to gain back territory lost since February, there is really no additional risk to continue the fight to take back territory lost since 2014. And if they can win back recently lost territory, there is no reason they cannot win back less recently lost territory.

There are not many more ways in which this war can be shown to be a disaster for Russia.

Russia has gone from being the second best military in the world, to being the second best military in Ukraine.

Edited September 11, 2022 by zapatos

[iNow]

1 minute ago, zapatos said:

There are not many more ways in which this war can be shown to be a disaster for Russia.

I sincerely hope the validity of this view persists even in the face of the attrition that’s coming soon with winter, driven mostly through critical resources like energy and food, both of which Russia can clamp down upon rather fiercely if they feel backed into a corner. 

[StringJunky]

12 minutes ago, iNow said:

I sincerely hope the validity of this view persists even in the face of the attrition that’s coming soon with winter, driven mostly through critical resources like energy and food, both of which Russia can clamp down upon rather fiercely if they feel backed into a corner. 

My feeling is that Russia is going to be floundering very shortly unless they call a national mobilisation. I read some days ago from comments by military analysts that they need at least a million combat-capable personnel to see out their objectives. Every Ukrainian  locality they take, they have to leave some behind to hold that fort before moving on to the next, The transfer of people from the east to the south  recently has highlighted this issue.

Edited September 11, 2022 by StringJunky

[zapatos]

Quote

Vladimir Putin's chief envoy on Ukraine told the Russian leader as the war began that he had struck a provisional deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia's demand that Ukraine stay out of NATO, but Putin rejected it and pressed ahead with his military campaign, according to three people close to the Russian leadership.

https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-war-began-putin-rejected-060537625.html

[MigL]

But according to all the Putin apologists, all Ukraine had to do to avoid the war, and all it destruction and killing, was to give in to V Putin's 'demands'.

And now, no doubt, the Ukraine would be a territory of Russia, and an emboldened V Putin would be invading Latvia, Estonia, Romania or Bulgaria.
( Hungary is already a vassal state )

[MigL]

They have all died under mysterious circumstances

Assassination or strange coincidence? At least 11 high-ranking Russians have died suddenly (msn.com)

but they keep missing the right one.

[iNow]

2 hours ago, MigL said:

they keep missing the right one.

Oil execs who didn’t want to cut off supply to Europe with winter coming 

“Join or die.”

[MigL]

I have read about retribution for possible assassination attempts.
V Putin may be getting worried/paranoid.

[StringJunky]

5 hours ago, MigL said:

I have read about retribution for possible assassination attempts.
V Putin may be getting worried/paranoid.

I hear he's ordered a 32ft table to replace the 16ft table...

[iNow]

7 hours ago, MigL said:

I have read about retribution for possible assassination attempts.
V Putin may be getting worried/paranoid.

Im sure he’s feeling bolstered after meeting today with China’s Xi. 

[J.C.MacSwell]

1 hour ago, iNow said:

Im sure he’s feeling bolstered after meeting today with China’s Xi. 

Hopefully, in some small way, some minor portion of his brain is a little embarrassed meeting up with Xi after his recent war results...maybe feeling a little "special" with his special operation.

[iNow]

1 minute ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Hopefully, in some small way, some minor portion of his brain is a little embarrassed meeting up with Xi after his recent war results...maybe feeling a little "special" with his special operation.

Sadly, I suspect most of these clothingless emperors feel shame in some extreme/profound ways and it’s a huge part of what motivates them (VP, DJT, KJU, BaA, etc)… And they’re too often over correcting in ways too wicked.

[toucana]

8 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Hopefully, in some small way, some minor portion of his brain is a little embarrassed meeting up with Xi after his recent war results...maybe feeling a little "special" with his special operation.

A frank discussion between Xi Jinping and Putin about the latest Russian mishaps in Ukraine would probably also provide some pause for serious thought by Xi about any future Chinese plans vis-a-vis Taiwan.

The recent imbroglio over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and the US navy’s subsequent despatch of warships through the Taiwan straits would have brought home to the PRC that the US is quite serious about meeting its stated committment to supporting Taiwan in the event of a military attack by China. The patent superiority of American high-tech weapons systems supplied to Ukraine such as the HIMAR artillery rockets, SAM air defences, and the anti-ship missiles that sank the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet will all be a potent reality check on China’s more hawkish generals.

Taiwan itself is a formidably difficult target to invade. During WW2 the US military chiefs made a decision at the Honolulu planning conference in 1944 to bypass Formosa (as it was then known) completely, and to invade the island fortress of Okinawa instead, which led to the largest and bloodiest amphibious operation of the Pacific war. The invasion of this much smaller garrison island led to over 40,000 US casualties, including the 4-star General Buckner who was the commander. (He was killed by shrapnel from a Japanese artillery shell while inspecting the clean-up operations).

It should be noted that Okinawa has an area of just 463 sq.mi. Taiwan by contrast has an area of 13,976 sq. mi. The cost benefit value of attacking Taiwan was too high to contemplate in 1945, and remains so today.

[dimreepr]

On 9/16/2022 at 11:42 AM, toucana said:

A frank discussion between Xi Jinping and Putin about the latest Russian mishaps in Ukraine would probably also provide some pause for serious thought by Xi about any future Chinese plans vis-a-vis Taiwan.

I think Xi is still in negotiations with Taiwan and America, he's happy to wait for the best price.

Putin, however, has just doubled down on his mistake and is now praying that the price isn't too high.

TBH I wouldn't be surprised if Xi had a quiet word of encouragement in Putin's ear, all the while intending to look at his feet and whistle, when the shit hits the fan; because who's better placed to swoop in and save Russia (for himself)...

[StringJunky]

No ambiguity now:

Quote

Biden says U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement so far on the issue.

Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview whether U.S. forces would defend the self-ruled island claimed by China, he replied: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack."

Asked to clarify if he meant that unlike in Ukraine U.S. forces, men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: "Yes."https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-us-forces-would-defend-taiwan-event-chinese-invasion-2022-09-18/

 

[iNow]

We all should hope China keeps its mitts off Taiwan, but should they pretend they’re a bacteriophage ready to envelop other nations then I’m glad Biden has said the US will be there to address such an unwelcome unwarranted encroachment upon the sovereignty of others. 

[StringJunky]

Putin has declared partial mobilisation; he wants 300 000 more fighting. 

Quote

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “partial” military mobilization in Russia during a televised address Wednesday morning, vowing to use “all means necessary” to achieve Russia's aims against Ukraine and the West.

“Mobilization measures will begin today, Sept. 21,” Putin said.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/09/21/putin-declares-partial-mobilization-amid-ukraine-setbacks-warns-west-of-nuclear-response-a78850

300 000, with two weeks training... what can go wrong?

Edited September 21, 2022 by StringJunky

[Sensei]

Russians' worst enemy is other Russian.

They have adage: "у нас много людей" ("we have a lot of (dispensable) people")

[StringJunky]

On 9/15/2022 at 3:01 PM, MigL said:

They have all died under mysterious circumstances

Assassination or strange coincidence? At least 11 high-ranking Russians have died suddenly (msn.com)

but they keep missing the right one.

Another one 'fell from a great height' yesterday:

Quote

Anatoly Gerashchenko, the former head of Moscow’s Aviation Institute (MAI), died in a mysterious fall inside the institute’s headquarters in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

The organization’s press office released a statement describing the 73-year-old’s death as “the result of an accident,” adding that his untimely demise was a “a colossal loss for the MAI and the scientific and pedagogical community.”

Russian news outlet Izvestia, citing an unnamed source, reported that Gerashchenko “fell from a great height” and careened down several flights of stairs. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.

 

[MigL]

Partial mobilization only, and the protests have started.
Soon he'll have more problems at home than in the Ukraine.

[StringJunky]

30 minutes ago, MigL said:

Partial mobilization only, and the protests have started.
Soon he'll have more problems at home than in the Ukraine.

Looks like there was a bit of a rush to get out the country and avoid call up. There's few flights out now and tickets are like 2 grand if you can get one.

[TheVat]

First the very ill guy in the hospital, now the aviation guy.  I know Russian architecture, especially from the Stalin era, can be very no frills, but surely they have railings and balustrades there.  And landings, in case you happen to be "careening" down several flights of stairs.  

2 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

Looks like there was a bit of a rush to get out the country and avoid call up. There's few flights out now and tickets are like 2 grand if you can get one.

As usual, it's the wealthy who find ways to duck conscription.  So much for rule of the proletariat.  Not that that was ever really going to happen.