Ukraine cannot be defeated without defeating its population, as it is clear that the most of them are extreme nationalists.
Not only the army.
To defeat the population Russia must learn from USA.
USA managed to defeat Serbia, not only the army but also the population.
Serbia has now pro USA government and is unable to threat or liberate Kosovo.

Posted by: margo | Dec 1 2022 9:52 utc | 203

Outraged
This war will of course go beyond 2 years so that is not an issue for Ukraine. Still Ukraine have of course other anti-aircraft arms already and the other day Patriot missiles are to be likely delivered in 2023.
Yes Ukraine seems to have a huge KIA, still Russia is not able to progress in this war. Also Russia have a huge loss of soldiers, probably in the 100k as far as injury releated casulaties goes.
Remember Soviet/Afghan war? That is how this war will end for Russia.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 10:03 utc | 205

Posted by: Klaatu | Dec 1 2022 8:23 utc | 190
Agreed, but it just piqued my curiosity. Lol

Posted by: Brother Ma | Dec 1 2022 10:17 utc | 207

Posted by: littlereddot | Dec 1 2022 10:03 utc | 205
Indeed, it is the bestiality , paedophilia , murder of children /kidnapped adults and Satanism I most expected and have read about . Preponderant homo sex was a new one for me , and If I am not mistaken the post I addressed only spoke about the latter.

Posted by: Brother Ma | Dec 1 2022 10:41 utc | 209

Brother Ma
They are not useless at all, that is why Russia have already begin to whine about it:
Medvedev warns NATO over supplying Ukraine with Patriot systems
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-723651
I mean Soviet/Afghan war but US/Afghan is a good comparsion too for how this will end for Russia, thanks.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 10:54 utc | 211

I think I understand now why Ukrainian black soil is among the most fertile in the world – it’s enriched by the bodies of generations of Slavs, Mongols and Germans over a thousand years or more.
And to think we feed upon the grain of that soil.
Death begets Life, and Life transforms into death, eternally …

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Dec 1 2022 10:57 utc | 213

a co-ordinated attack ???
HERMIUS | Dec 1 2022 6:27 utc | 178
Damn, why wasn’t I invited to the strategy meetings? That really hurts!

Posted by: SeanAU | Dec 1 2022 10:59 utc | 215

Urban Fox
Yes they will likely leave it, note that this war has been going on for 8 years and still: Donbas is not a big region but obviously Russia cannot secure Donbas nontheless, (let alone any region in this war).
So, either that (they are leaving) or this will beecome a frozen conflict, and sure no people want to live in Donbas if there are threats of shelling in such a “frozed” up area, so Russia cannot win this war, they were too weak.
Yes Ukraine have lost many lives so have Russia, still, Russia is not able to stop Ukraine so the whole focus on ukrainian deaths have obviously no impact on Russia’s war effort anyway.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 11:06 utc | 217

Posted by: Down South | Dec 1 2022 4:16 utc | 151
Thanks for that and your other selected updates. NATO tactics have greatly reduced the value of lower precision weapons and greatly reduced the usability of high cost aviation.

Posted by: anon2020 | Dec 1 2022 11:09 utc | 219

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 10:54 utc | 212
This war has very little in similar to Soviet/Afghan or USA/Afghan wars. The key difference is that Nato stuff and Ukrainians and mercenaries are being destroyed in industrial amounts for little of their own gains.
Afghanistan was always a hard fought partisan war, in the mountains and valleys with decent vegetation, and most of the time you didn’t know where the taleban are or where they would come from next. There are no hit-or-run attacks in Ukraine, there are solid fronts. Mass artillery was of little use in Afghanistan.

Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2022 11:13 utc | 221

I think I understand now why Ukrainian black soil is among the most fertile in the world – it’s enriched by the bodies of generations of Slavs, Mongols and Germans over a thousand years or more.
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Dec 1 2022 10:57 utc | 214

Dark humor aside, this is actually a very serious issue.
The black soil belt in fact stretches all the way into southern Siberia. The majority of it is in Russia itself.
The reason Russia has traditionally had trouble feeding itself was the cold and unpredictable weather, meaning harvests were generally meager and regularly failed. Ukraine is the southwest corner of Russia and thus the most climatically stable (the temperature gradient runs both north to south and east to west), and this is why it has been so crucial agriculturally for the Russian world as a whole.
But global warming means that while other places around the world will have big problems with agriculture, Russia will probably benefit. It does in fact appear to have benefited already over the last three decades – a major reason why production has gone up so much is that weather is noticeably warmer. For those who don’t believe that, right now the subject of when exactly the ground will freeze so that rapid tank movements can be possible again is widely discussed, and in that context people are bringing up how last year that was also a serious consideration (when we were wondering whether there will be a war or not), and it in fact never fully froze. Because it was a mild winter. This is a common thing now in that region, yet no hard freeze would have been largely unthinkable around the time of WWII. The changes are real and very palpable.
So in addition to Russia holding much of the remaining non-renewable resources of the world, there is also the fact it that occupies northern Eurasia, and that it has a lot more fertile soil than Canada, which is the other major landmass up north towards which humanity will have to migrate as the climate crisis unfolds (the Southern hemisphere is, unfortunately for us, mostly ocean and very little land). But Canada has the problems of the massive mountain chain taking up the western third of the country and then the fact that soils in Labrador and northern Ontario are very poor. In the extension of the great plains in the middle there might be some agricultural expansion, but overall worldwide the place that will enjoy the largest agricultural boost will be Russia, because there we are talking about a very wide belt of fertile soils that is now very cold but will become warmer.
Meanwhile much of the US, Southern Europe, the Middle East, etc. will suffer serious desertification.
Ukraine itself may dry up a bit, but overall it will remain one of the most productive regions.
These considerations likely feature prominently in the fundamental reasons for the war – Russians have to be subjugated and their lands taken over. But of course you can’t talk about these things in polite company, because they are uncomfortably similar to what the Nazis wanted to do…

Posted by: Tbx | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 223

unimperator
In Soviet/Afghan war, millions of afghanis were killed, still Soviet did not win that war. Same outcome will Russia have in this war or even worse.

The war began in December 1979, and lasted until February 1989. About 15,000 Soviet soldiers were killed, and about 35,000 were wounded. About two million Afghan civilians were killed. The anti-government forces had support from many countries, mainly the United States and Pakistan.

Result
Mujahideen victory
Withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War
Note also how 15k soviet soldiers die during 10 year peoriod. Already have 15k russian soldiers been killed in Ukraine during 9 month period.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 225

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 225
If ukie army were to entrench inside cities – and if the cities were still packed with other civilians – there would be hell to pay for Russians to try normal assaulting operation. In essence, UAF would be much more efficient, and Russian army much less efficient. War is math and also efficiency and attrition ratios. This is why there has been no attempts on cities maybe excluding Mariupol. Even Nikolaev wasn’t attempted.
People in the west think that Russia is using and squandering resources like Stalin and throwing troops on to useless advances. In fact, Russia does have larger resources compared to Ukraine, yet they are using them more efficiently than Nato/Ukraine. Ukraine has smaller resources. An equation where the smaller-army-to-begin-with is less efficient than the larger army is a very bad one for the former. War is math’s and probabilities.

Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2022 11:27 utc | 227

Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2022 11:31 utc | 228, 229
Yes, thank you. The basic idea is to maximize your >1 attrition ratio vs your enemie(s). Which is not how the US military is in the habit of thinking about war. US thinks in terms of wonder weapons and quick victory.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:39 utc | 229

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Dec 1 2022 11:26 utc | 227
Thanks, I (almost) never watch videos, too slow. But glad tp hear it is out there.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:41 utc | 231

Re: Posted by: Arch Bungle | Dec 1 2022 3:59 utc | 141
Funny, I don’t recall Japan doing that in World War II.

Posted by: Julian | Dec 1 2022 11:57 utc | 233

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 225
Yes, it’s attrition. But since some of the Ukrainian military will remain in Kiev (and Odessa and elsewhere), and the seat of the regime is there, eventually the Russians have to go there. It’s that simple. As I said and everyone knows, it will only happen after the Donbass is cleared, and likely after Kharkiv and Kherson are brought back into Russian control. After that, the Russians push the Ukrainians back across the Dnieper, and probably then either go for Odessa, or as I suggest, cross the Dnieper and go for Kiev (unless they actually do try a push down from Belarus.)
Of course, it’s entirely possible that the Russians have either a dumber plan or a better plan. I can imagine the dumber plan, but not the better plan as I’m not as smart, or at least as trained, as the Russian General Staff.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Dec 1 2022 12:01 utc | 235

Russian Aerospace Forces launch Souyz-2.1b from Plesetsk Cosmodrome
On 1 December 2022, a medium-range Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome by the Russian Aerospace Forces in the interests of the #Russian Ministry of Defence. – telegram

Posted by: Melaleuca | Dec 1 2022 12:15 utc | 237

Posted by: SeanAU | Dec 1 2022 6:12 utc | 174
absolutely agree. Australia’s moral fibre, inner strength or whatever you want to call it – that substantive quality that you need to draw on in times of war – is adequately demonstrated by the people wandering around our malls wearing masks today, by our hospitals and pharmacies demanding masks, by the Victorians electing again the man that imprisoned them without charge, sentence, representation or recourse and stripped away their democratic rights…
And by its utter failure to help Julian Assange. And on and on….
Australia is three cities, is all it is. The mass of the population in those cities, most especially the ‘middle class’ with property and wealth to protect, would willingly and speedily come to an accommodation with any enemy.
However I can’t see that making war on Australia is at all necessary.
Anything China or Indonesia, or USA, want they simply take or buy.
For instance China now grows its own beef on Australian soil, drinking Australian water where they couldn’t grow their own beef because they don’t have the water, and ships them to China using their own manpower and their own boats with their own crew out of their own port: Darwin.
Yep, and Mercouris is a bore now. Took a while to realise that but I now see it. They all are. Berletic, Hinckle, Ritter – any and all. Worthless listening to them. Mere speculation. Nowadays I look at the front lines as depicted by Military Summary and DPA and see that they agree; take that as the ‘news of the day’ about the progress of the war and turn to other things.
The war is absolutely beyond anyone’s ken. It defies rational interpretation.
It daily looks more like a deadly charade than anything else.

Posted by: abrogard | Dec 1 2022 12:18 utc | 239

Of course, it’s entirely possible that the Russians have either a dumber plan or a better plan. I can imagine the dumber plan, but not the better plan as I’m not as smart, or at least as trained, as the Russian General Staff.
Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Dec 1 2022 12:01 utc | 235
Thank you for your comment.
I don’t agree that the Russians are compelled to do anything. I’m mainly interested in what to make of what I see happening. That requires a lot of interpretation.
I think your discussion results from different interpretations of events, but it is sensible.
I won’t spend a lot of time defending my position, I don’t claim any special authority, expertise, or experience, so I don’t have to.
This is the first time I have thought to bring this subject up here.
YMMV, as they say.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 12:22 utc | 241

It seems to me that Russian strategy in the SMO (“grinding”) is what you would expect according to Lanchester’s Equations (HERE).
Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 225
I have my doubts about this “grinding” strategy. Ukraine can mobilize millions more – not to mention foreigners fighting on its side. Does it make sense that Russia first kills them all before it starts conquering territory? Even if the kill rate is 1:10 it would mean lots of dead Russians too.
The goal of Russia is not to kill as many Ukrainians as possible. It is to pressure Ukraine to negotiate a treaty that Russia likes. And that won’t happen as long as most Ukrainians and most people in the West believe that they are winning. Propaganda won’t work: Western propaganda is stronger. The only thing that can break through propaganda are undeniable facts on the ground. Obviously the withdrawal from Kiev, the Ukrainian Kharkov offensive and the withdrawal from Kherson are not the kind of fact that will convince anyone that Russia is winning.

Posted by: Wim | Dec 1 2022 12:32 utc | 243

Outraged | Dec 1 2022 9:31 utc | 200
Thanks for sharing that. I am respectful of your motive for choosing your user name. I will honor your intentions and henceforth use it sans sarc.
Frui vita amicus meus.

Posted by: Klaatu | Dec 1 2022 12:36 utc | 245

Posted by: Wim | Dec 1 2022 12:32 utc | 243
Thank you for your comment.
I don’t agree that Russia wants to conquer territory.
I think the goal is to kill as many Russophobes as are willing to show up for it. Ukraine will pacify itself before this is done.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 12:41 utc | 247

Does anyone know what the connection/affection the Ukie soldiers have for the pirate Blackbeard’s flag? I saw a young one wearing it on his chest in a recent hromadske video. Now it appears that people can buy a Ukie (supposedly) Blackbeard flag patch on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134153486720
It didn’t end well for the real Blackbeard but he created a legend. Argh, we’re all pirates now…

Posted by: DakotaRog | Dec 1 2022 12:56 utc | 249

Z[anon] You are funny.
Can you play a piano with your penis ?
Posted by: Klaatu | Dec 1 2022 11:53 utc | 233

That’s what he already does, but as he always hits the same key, everyone thinks he is playing a triangle.

Posted by: Leuk | Dec 1 2022 13:11 utc | 251

EU lowering price cap for Russian oil – Bloomberg
The bloc is seeking a compromise to allow Moscow to sell its crude for $60 a barrel
https://swentr.site/business/567470-russia-oil-price-cap-eu/
As usual Russia is 1 step behind, Russia should have raised the price or blocked gas/oil to EU after EU began to arm, fund and ultimatelly kill russian soldiers.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 13:16 utc | 253

Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 225

Once it was clear there was going to be no agreement, the Russians switched to attrition. Since then it is all Kabuki to keep UAF coming at them, looking for the big win. The fact the West is willing to throw yet more men & material into the same sort of a favorable attrition war is just gravy. My 2c.

I am in agreement.
This is why I am persuaded by those with the view that the Russians intend to move slowly for the next phase of operations. They intend to threaten a little, pretend to flee a little, then let the enemy impale themselves on their wall of pikes.
There are other significant advantages of moving slow:
1. Give time for civilians to flee to the West and western Ukraine, especially those who are anti Russian and who will pose the most problems when the lands are indeed occupied.
2. Foment an refugee problem in the countries west of Ukraine to put strain on their economies.
3. Extend as long as possible the draining of NATO weapons stocks
4. Avoid alarming the citizenry of NATO so much that they get off their butts and rally themselves against Russia…in effect keep boring them
5. Keep NATO/West distracted with this local conflict, while the real war…the global economic war is being fought. Once Saudi Arabia starts selling its oil outside the USD, you will know that is the economic Stalingrad moment.

Posted by: littlereddot | Dec 1 2022 13:26 utc | 255

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 13:16 utc | 252
This has been discussed ad-infinitum. What happens is EU will end up continuously buying oil at a premium over global benchmarks, until the market simply sorts itself out and the global benchmarks once again represent a true global price.

Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2022 13:33 utc | 257

@ DakotaRog | Dec 1 2022 12:56 utc | 248
Total submission, otherwise death & slaughter, without mercy. Quite apropos.
@ littlereddot | Dec 1 2022 13:26 utc | 254
Indeed.
Though KSA has already switched to selling its fossil fuels to China in Yuan (mid-late Oct IIRC). Prompted USA to withdraw all AD systems … KSA ? Meh. KSA has applied to join BRICS.

Posted by: Outraged | Dec 1 2022 13:40 utc | 259

Mercouris notes a decrease in western media reporting and change of tone as loss of interest. It may be that they see that thieir readers tire of subject and that they are destroying credibility with nonstop screaming one sided reporting while there is availability of info which refutes their depiction.
But this neglects to consider that there are many people in west working for government and private interests who are paid to make this thing work – without this thing they are potentially out of work and they are not paid to take a personal interest in what is happening – they are paid to produce.
I thing is sensible to look at history, recent and not so recent, it fairly repeats. So far the US sees benefit from war, Europe takin beating, Turkey seems to benefit, China playing the middle and seems tied up with own issues, …
Looking at ten years of open conflict followed by covert operations – its about not giving up. When the empire sees than it is losing money is when it will lose interest. Well discounting the possibility that the people of Ukraine have any influence – Ukraine a failed state, Zelensky a warlord. Russia needs to plan long term – who will follow Putin. Russia is on sustainable path, maybe. Daily events mean little except to those in the field.

Posted by: jared | Dec 1 2022 13:51 utc | 261

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/washingtons-carthaginian-peace-collides-with-reality/
Finally, the truth is rising up. This isn’t just You Tube anymore. Biden is lying but what else is new? Ukraine isn’t winning and cannot win, as it says.

Posted by: Eighthman | Dec 1 2022 14:11 utc | 263

@Richard Steven Hack 163 and 235
I do not believe Russia needs to clear the Donbas before capturing Kiev. Russia can leave enough personnel to defend their current front line while introducing approximately 250,000 – 300,000 new troops, some of which should drop down from Belarus while 1000 of Russia’s 1500 tanks should cross just above Zaporizhia to someplace around Uman, about 350 miles from Donetsk. From here, Russia would have many options to capture Kiev and cut off all supplies to the eastern and southern Ukraine forces. Once Kiev is destroyed and all television stations and other forms of communication are under Russian control, much of the population will support Russia and I believe the U.S. and NATO will stay out of it.
I believe the remaining Ukrainian forces will surrender when they realize they cannot be resupplied and no longer have satellite information and their communication ability is limited or non-existent.

Posted by: OdessaConnected | Dec 1 2022 14:21 utc | 265

Posted by: littlereddot | Dec 1 2022 13:26 utc | 254
Yes. A good strategy works in many ways.
The early part, as several others have reported, was a reconnaissance in force, to:
1.) See if an agreement was possible,
2.) To prepare the battlefield and determine more about the enemies capabilities, dispositions, and intentions.
3.) To grab what was easy,
4.) To see who was willing to fight for you
5.) To engage politics back home
Only with the withdrawal from Kiev does it shift to attrition war, and then they have lots of territory to “defend”.

Posted by: Bemildred | Dec 1 2022 14:33 utc | 267

@ jared | Dec 1 2022 13:51 utc | 260
When the empire sees than it is losing money is when it will lose interest.
How does the empire ever lose money?

Posted by: Don Bacon | Dec 1 2022 14:35 utc | 269

Posted in UNZ, Russia to make DMZ of 100 miles? This immediate call for halt is to protect what remains of the Ukraine.
I wondered what the mass-murderer Zelenski could possibly gain by sacrificing his people but the creation of the new country ROJAVA is the US goal, and has been for a decade. This is why the agreement to NOT BOMB the Tabqua dam was VIOLATED, why the US has kept thousands of men, women and children penned like animals in tent camps in eastern Syria, why the US won’t leave in spite of being in violation of a SOVEREIGN NATION’S territory, why the majority of arms shipments to the Ukraine have disappeared, and why a decade ago WIKI had a page for the country of ROJAVA which did not then and does not now exist. All this in service to greed; an oil line from the eastern Syrian fields thru northern Syria to the Med to furnish Russian -free oil to the EU.

Posted by: katesisco | Dec 1 2022 14:39 utc | 271

reply to 264
This horrific war was driven by a minority of Azov fanatics and continues that way. They threatened Zelensky and hold guns to drive recruits forward into death. I don’t see how surrender ever happens.
The proper analogies are Korea or Hamas. They will talk big and lob the occasional missile and never negotiate – but as those examples show, this can be dealt with.

Posted by: Eighthman | Dec 1 2022 14:41 utc | 273

Does anyone know what the connection/affection the Ukie soldiers have for the pirate Blackbeard’s flag? ………….
Posted by: DakotaRog | Dec 1 2022 12:56 utc | 248
Nerd alert here, related to Star Trek, as I know a bit of trivia that might show how Ukraine could give us an example of life imitating art which imitated life.
If Ukraine/Zelenskyy eventually are forced to agree to most of Russia’s terms, then the Neo-Nazis who are the enforcers might in large part refuse to become law abiding citizens, and they could quickly set themself up as a cross between a Mafia and the ex SS soldiers featured in The Odessa File. (Gun running, drug running, and extortion, being obvious avenues to explore to initially get themself up and running.)
Pirates in other words, in the classical mold of those who were former British officers who went from serving their King as privateers, to just serving themself.
In the Star Trek Universe the Orion Syndicate (that Green dancing lady in “The Menagerie” episode was Orion, and we saw much more of the Orions in an episode of the Trek show, Enterprise) devolved from being the Space Navy and government of the Orion Empire. A few wars didn’t go their way, but they weren’t about to give up their taste for luxury, and their habit of killing to acquire power and wealth. Not all of that is “canon”, but IIRC it made it into at least one Trek novel.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Orion_Syndicate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odessa_File

Posted by: Babel-17 | Dec 1 2022 14:47 utc | 275

@ Posted by: Tbx | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 224
Regarding the changing agricultural potential in the world due to geophysical changes.
That is a pretty comprehensible summation thanks.
Of course the World Island theory is long established now. So is the knowledge of ancient cycles, which are beyond Eurocentric History records, many are preserved via the allegories and astral records of ancient calendars and religious texts.
However it is certain that the most productive arable lands in a few hundred years will be the current Siberian lands. And the connection through the current polar area over from Canada and the Scandinavian lands are the most desired by the Ancient Masters.
Heck Trump even made a bid to buy Greenland!
There is a case that the equatorial regions will suffer desertification but it is not a certainty. The African continent is also need massive and will hold 4 billions as a population certainly by the mid C22nd. That will also be the peak point of max human population as it plateaus and then over the following centuries follows the downward slope of the Bell curve. At that point by mid millenia the need for agricultural output will be declining!
The rapacious financiers and Slave Owners of the world with their proxies and weapons of mass destruction that are useless as holding a knife to their own throat is a diversion.
The greatest danger we face as humans or indeed the planet 🌎 is of course the dangers unknown/ forgotten except as distant folk memory and some ancient yet undiscovered monuments. Fortunately there are large majorities of humans who are not inducted into the secretive clubs as some have described in the comments here. Their leadership is the only hope for collective protection of the planet and humanity if we are to survive to the see in the year 3000.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Dec 1 2022 14:53 utc | 277

Posted by: Babel-17 | Dec 1 2022 14:47 utc | 274
As a kid I was a big fan of this show. You just motivated me to watch a few episodes tonight if the World Cup get boring.
Thanks 🙂

Posted by: Tom_12 | Dec 1 2022 14:54 utc | 279

@ bevin | Dec 1 2022 14:39 utc | 269
‘Twas inevitable. Empire is devouring it’s puppy vassals. Unsustainable.
All whilst Russia grows stronger, & with China & Iran unite in common cause. As the RoW awakes & rises from it’s abusive submission.
Again, am increasingly astounded by the accelerating pace of geostrategic events …
Is it possible it may not take two or more winters for EU/NATO to fracture/collapse ?
Coca-Cola Company & fellow compradors will not be pleased Youtube. Runtime: 3m35s

Posted by: Outraged | Dec 1 2022 14:59 utc | 281

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 11:20 utc | 226
We discussed this before. A plausible reason is that Russia is fighting a close -to -peer group in conventional battles whereas they lost fewer in Afghanistan in Eighties as it was not a conventional battle ground and they were only fighting guerrillas with small arms and stingers in the main. Obviously Russia loses more now.
Posted by: BearN | Dec 1 2022 12:40 utc | 245
Yes indeed , didn’t Socrates save his protegee and past young lover Alcibiades’ life in one of the Persian wars?
https://www.dreamstime.com/socrates-defends-wounded-alcibiades-old-book-xenophon-k-gibel-st-petersburg-socrates-defends-wounded-alcibiades-image180236753
Pretty good work for a greybeard intellectual ! Sheesh. Can you imagine a Modern Hollywood screenwriter or Silicon Valley social media mogul be knee-deep in blood and gut face to face with the enemy these days. They made men of sterner stuff then. Also Ex- Brit PMs Cameron (chicken -fucker) ,Blair (frottage= public wanker at kids’ playgrounds ), Gordon Brown ( enabler and hider of paedophiles) .
Posted by: Klaatu | Dec 1 2022 12:20 utc | 240
The Japanese were practically Honorary White men at the turn of the last century, especially after them thrashing the Russians at Tsushima in 1905. In fact ,some say that the Z insignia of Russia in this war is tongue in cheek for Japan’s code symbol for attack in that battle. The Japanese were even given room to also rape China etc and did in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 as the Brit /US saw them as superior to the Chinese. The Japs even escorted the Anzacs to Europe to fight in Gallipoli! Something few Aussies and Kiwis know or broadcast loudly . The Brits loved the Japs defeating Russia in 1905 , as it stopped the Russian influence in the East, and thus a threat to their precious India . Like China does today ,it then turned the tables on the Brit /Yanks and the US /Brits had to stop Jap exports of people, to them and us /Brit exports of rubber ,steel to Japan , and keep Japan’s navy restricted. Well you know how that ended up with Pearl Harbour. Japan’s intellectuals and political class adored the Brits and you can see the main elderly Jap diplomats signing the surrender agreement in Tokyo Bay 1945 still wearing top hat and tuxedo etc.

Posted by: Brother Ma | Dec 1 2022 15:01 utc | 283

BearN
That is the point, Soviet did not know how to fight the afghanis and lost the war and many lives, same in Ukraine they do not know how to defeat Ukraine and thus lose territories and thousands of soldiers.

Posted by: Zanon | Dec 1 2022 15:09 utc | 285

@ DakotaRog | Dec 1 2022 14:14 utc | 263
@ Babel-17 | Dec 1 2022 14:47 utc | 274
Wikimedia (Jpg) has two OUN-Nazi scum displaying their ‘submission or death’ flag, using a bound, blindfolded, bootless RF POW as a visual prop … near Izyum.
War crime re POW. Object of ridicule & public curiosity.
Note: Through WWII, even Korea was considered breach of Geneva Conventions to bind/restrain/blindfold ‘under control’ POWs, French Indochina & Vietnam changed all that … those days are long gone …

Posted by: Outraged | Dec 1 2022 15:13 utc | 287

The war is absolutely beyond anyone’s ken. It defies rational interpretation. It daily looks more like a deadly charade than anything else.
Posted by: abrogard | Dec 1 2022 12:18 utc | 239
Well said, abrogard.
(Of course some maintain that ‘deadly charade’ well defines all forms of so-called ‘real life.’)

Posted by: Scorpion | Dec 1 2022 15:16 utc | 289

global benchmarks once again represent a true global price.
Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2022 13:33 utc | 256
There is no such thing as “global benchmarks”. First of all, this term enters popular imagination of one (“a true global price”) clearing price for any and all commodity quantities, delivered or not, derivative (eg.ETF) or not, reported or not, by all buyers and sellers to a small group of “on-shore” (AE) publishers established to proscribe market intelligence and competition to trading activity and value systems among advanced economy (AE) participants. Such are macro-economic fallacies pertaining to theoretical “perfect competion,” FKA “perfect knowledge”, “globalism,” and a totalizing “messaging system” (eg. electronic interbank transactions, ie. SWIFT network) tied to the IMF imperial basket and measured by USD-denominated exchange rates to any and all national currencies.
Second, in practice “offshore” (perpetual EME) commodity trading, like politics, is local. Real economic activity is local. Value systems (axiology) are local. And the velocity of money exchanged between “unaligned” countries up to their eyeballs in US-denominated debt operates under headline AE surveillance of so-called global “stability”. I’m talking desk to desk, P2P. Even BIS can’t keep track of “de-centralized” transactions in money or kind.
That said, I would like to believe that everyone who patronizes this particular URL now realizes that the RF, CN confrontations with centuries-long “Great Power”, G7, militant supremacy has exposed the boundaries of rationality that satisfies personal climate control and cravings for chocolate confections, possibly spiritual enlightement.

Posted by: sln2002 | Dec 1 2022 15:26 utc | 291

Strange packages turn up in Spain at Ukraine, US embassies as well as arms manufacturing plant supplying Ukraine with weapons on the same day Lavrov, for the first time, openly calls NATO an active participant to the conflict. It could also just be a coincidence…
https://www.rt.com/news/567490-explosive-package-found-us-embassy-spain/
https://www.rt.com/news/567501-us-nato-ukraine-involved/

Posted by: Et Tu | Dec 1 2022 15:33 utc | 293

This……
5. Keep NATO/West distracted with this local conflict, while the real war…the global economic war is being fought. Once Saudi Arabia starts selling its oil outside the USD, you will know that is the economic Stalingrad moment.
Posted by: littlereddot | Dec 1 2022 13:26 utc | 254<\I>

Posted by: Exile | Dec 1 2022 15:33 utc | 295

At this point, Russia’s grinding strategy is probably as much about making the US/NATO give up as anything else. Ukraine falls when the US stops supplying it and supporting it, but more importantly, the reputational damage to the US empire is incalculable. Big arrow offensives and taking Kiev give good reason for the US to continue or even better alter the plan with governments in exile and insurgency which the US is far more adept at than conventional war.

Posted by: Lex | Dec 1 2022 15:46 utc | 297

The situation globally seems daunting for US.
Theyve lost manufacturing base and educated skilled workforce.
They are financial basket case in spite of or because of world currency.
They are aging.
They have companies like FTX.
Need to tell Russia, China: Give us 50 years and we shall return.
There is risk they could fail by this endeavor.

Posted by: jared | Dec 1 2022 15:51 utc | 299