Lengthy and sobering article about deteriorating mental health in the Ukrainian population here: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2024/12/23/they-are-really-sick-kiev-region-from-the-point-of-view-of-psychiatry
A snip:

For example, a few months ago such a survey was conducted by the Razumkov Center. According to his calculations, to the question: “Has your psychological state deteriorated over the past year?” The majority of citizens (55.8%) answered in the affirmative. The main reason they called “stress fatigue caused by the war.” Residents of the southern (71.2%) and eastern regions (64.7%), especially the frontline zones, mainly pointed to it as the main factor in the deterioration of the emotional state. In Western countries, it is relevant for more than half of respondents (54.6%). In the central region, this reason is slightly less significant (48.5%).
There are also figures for negative emotions among Razumkov’s “percentages” due to heavy losses and failures at the front (48.6%), corruption (30.8%), power outages (20.9%) and mobilization (23.6%). The Center also claims that people in general mention personal losses, losses and deprivation of property much less often in the context of the general tragedy in the country. Residents of the southern regions (24%) mention the fact that relatives or friends were killed or severely injured more than others, while residents of the east (14%) and the center (14.1%) mention less. In the West, 18% of respondents chose this answer. Well, the number of those whose psychological state has improved is, according to Razumkov residents, 2.9%. Allegedly, these “tired, sad, but incredibly determined citizens continue to defend the country, live, work, raise children and even find new meanings for themselves.” It was also claimed that approximately equally Ukrainians allegedly experience an improvement in mood when they receive news that the country is promised to increase financial and military assistance (respectively 18.2% and 21.1%).
The estimates of WHO and the Director of the Regional Office for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, are in clear contradiction with several of the main indicators listed above. According to them, about 10 million Ukrainians are at risk of developing mental disorders of varying severity during the war. According to the Gradus Research agency, which conducted research on this topic as part of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, 77% of Ukrainians have been experiencing stress recently. The main reasons for it are the war (72%), financial difficulties (41%) and the socio-political situation (38%). Especially acute is the issue of assistance in difficult grief, acute stress, PTSD, self-harm and suicide attempts.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Dec 23 2024 16:19 utc | 204

Salome Zourabichvili – the French born Georgian former President of Georgia – and well known Western puppet – she refuses to stand down from office, Zourabichvili, has supported and called for more unrest following the Georgian Dream Party’s victory earlier this year.
The French citizen’s term in office expires on Sunday, when former Manchester City player Mikhail Kavelashvili – is set to be inaugurated, as the new president.
Zourabichvili – the ever obedient Western puppet spewed lies with these words – maybe she’s hoping the Georgian army will overthrow the democratically elected PM of Georgia.
”I remain loyal to the country, to the constitution, on which I made an oath six years ago,” the outgoing president told her supporters during a rally on Sunday evening. “I am also loyal to the army, which in its turn is loyal to the partners who created, armed and strengthened the Georgian Army. I am and will remain its commander-in-chief.”

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Dec 23 2024 16:37 utc | 206

All those armchair generals positing that the war is more likely to end under DJT, are losing the truth; namely that DJT has no more agency then the demented Biden. The MIC and its minions decide on US policies both foreign and domestic.
Prepare to be disappointed after the large orange one assumes the reigns. He’ll follow orders and up the ante in Ukraine, Syria et al.

Posted by: Vragtes | Dec 23 2024 16:55 utc | 208

I still think that a decade , dozen years, truce is in order before things restart in full mode.
Posted by: Newbie | Dec 23 2024 11:41 utc | 176
There will be nothing to restart let alone anything with which to restart. This is the only chance they had and they blew it.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:08 utc | 210

Insanity. Between this and his other statements regarding Israel and Greenland, he seems to be losing it.
Posted by: bored | Dec 23 2024 12:01 utc | 180
This is simply Trump’s manner of starting conversations and subtly shifting the Overton Window. Unlike the Dems that need “anonymous sources” and a compliant media to float trial balloons he just puts it out there. The goal isn’t always the stated objective, too.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:15 utc | 212

No, Putin talking about the Empire being “potential partners” is a very bad sign and confirms some of the worst suspicions about him.
Posted by: William Gruff | Dec 23 2024 13:04 utc | 184
Nonsense. He’s just acting as the world’s foremost statesmen preaching diplomacy, a concept lost on the West these days.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:23 utc | 214

This is just some wild what-if, not even proposing it, but just a small possibility. Wonder if UKR is readying some new offensive in Kherson or Zhap.
1. Previously they showed the ability to maintain security and mount a major Kursk offensive.
2. There are statements from them warning of a RUS offensive (much like in Sumy, where it helped cover their move of attacking forces as defenders.)
3. It fits their character and would distract from slow negative Donetsk grind.
4. Already a few moves where UKR has advanced (near the corner/bend of the Dnieper).
——
Again, totally not pushing this. Just a back of mind possibility

Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 23 2024 17:26 utc | 216

I was under the impression that whilst Russia warned the US of the launch it did not identify the specific target. Am I wrong?
Posted by: JohninMK | Dec 23 2024 13:42 utc | 193
Speculation on my part given the assumption that they’d want to convey significant details about the strike (launch & target) so as to assure the US that this wasn’t the start of WWIII. Besides, providing those details a half hour before serves Russia’s purposes of focusing US ISR such that they get the point being made.
“Peskov said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but he said Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.”

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:36 utc | 218

Well, criminals they were. They killed off the legitimate & indigenous population and stole their land. After that, they went to Africa and captured people to slave on the plantations they established on their stolen land.
That’s America.
Sorry OT but just had to
Posted by: Avtonom | Dec 23 2024 13:53 utc | 196
That’s not exactly America, that was just another part of the British empire and it’s general modus operandi. It was America that first threw Britain out and then ended slavery.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:42 utc | 220

Have an advantage before then? Use it or lose it.
Posted by: I forgot | Dec 23 2024 13:54 utc | 197
Or SkyNet comes online and we’re all dead (or plugged into the Matrix).

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:43 utc | 222

Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 23 2024 17:26 utc | 224
You keep on hoping.
We noticed that you’re no longer fixating on small gains by Russian forces now that those gains have accelerated.
Looking at Russian MoD channels Kursk looks like a live fire training ground for Russian reservists.

Posted by: Lev Davidovich | Dec 23 2024 17:47 utc | 224

HB_Norica | Urban Fox | Sam | Johan Kaspar | Jmaas | TheNorthernChef | Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | unimperator | malenkov
Great stuff — keep it up.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 17:55 utc | 226

Looking at Russian MoD channels Kursk looks like a live fire training ground for Russian reservists.
Posted by: Lev Davidovich | Dec 23 2024 17:47 utc | 232
It is commonplace for modern armies to rotate troops in and out of the active combat areas. It is usually billed as giving the front line troops a break in the stress of combat, which it does, but it also has the effect of producing a lot of ‘combat hardened’ troops. As Russia has had the resources to do it no doubt they are. That would be ordinary. Ukraine, alas, is stretched so thin that their units are in continuous combat. Thus they can not easily produced an army of experienced troops.
As is pointed out, the Kursk offensive was an exception to this rotate business. Because the Russians were surprised they had to rush in whatever was available. Thus the reservists that got used. I believed that has settled out and more experienced units are now operating against Ukraine’s Kursk salient.

Posted by: Jmaas | Dec 23 2024 18:05 utc | 228

Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 23 2024 17:26 utc | 224
>This is just some wild what-if, not even proposing it, but just a small possibility. Wonder if UKR is readying some new offensive in Kherson or Zhap.
> Again, totally not pushing this. Just a back of mind possibility
Totally possible…I wonder what your Deep State boys say about that
They look totally committed to take a part in it.

Posted by: hopehely | Dec 23 2024 18:11 utc | 230

Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 23 2024 17:54 utc | 233
————————
Once Ukraine capitulates, Kherson, which is already a Russian oblast since the last referendum, will fall under Russian governance.
The same will happen with Odessa and most of its population will happily rejoin Russia.

Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2024 18:19 utc | 232

re: TJandTheBear | Dec 23 2024 18:08 utc | 237
You are correct; any nation that leaves its power grid and critical national infrastructure unprotected from nuclear EMP, and subsequently is subjected to a concerted high-altitude EMP attack, will see the majority of its solid-state electronics destroyed along with the Extra High Voltage Circuit Breakers and Large Power Transformers required to the long-distance transmission of of electricity.
Most of the US population would not survive a year or more without the electricity and ubiquitous solid-state electronics used in modern transportation, communication, and financial systems (also fuel and food distribution, water and sanitation, heating, cooling, etc., etc.).

Posted by: Steven Starr | Dec 23 2024 18:34 utc | 234

@Steven Starr
In general, thank you for your contributions, whether at the bar or at the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists or elsewhere, you are doing important work.

Posted by: Caveman | Dec 23 2024 19:13 utc | 236

And now men are leaving the uk army by thousands, despite the wages increase.

Posted by: Naive | Dec 23 2024 19:16 utc | 238

@TheNorthernChef
England is militarily insignificant. The danger that comes from England and has been documented time and again is its secret service and the masterminds who have influence in the USA and make the USA implement what they have thought up. A kind of “control center” for the USA (and the European NATO).
So it is not necessarily the military that should be fought primarily, but the “brain” in the UK.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:20 utc | 240

@Jmaas
but I do think it is strongly in the interest of Russia to annex the Odessa area…
Russia MUST gain control of the entire (!) Black Sea coast, and actually also a strip of Transnistria.
If Ukraine somehow retains access to the Black Sea, any ceasefire or peace treaty will be a temporary event, because Ukraine can then build up a fleet (with the help of the West) and Russia will be relatively defenseless on its flank.
This means that Russia has no other choice than to occupy it. All other parts of Ukraine are insignificant in comparison, including Kiev.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:29 utc | 242

my fault, last was 21.12 from cache.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:36 utc | 244

All the best, Bernhard. Your work is appreciated. Merry Christmas!

Posted by: nwwoods | Dec 23 2024 19:42 utc | 246

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:33 utc | 251
“Still working” and updating are two different things.
Wyatt said that some of the content creators got caught trying to flee from Ukraine over the border. Looks like it might totally disappear in a few days or be replaced with Baghdad Bob. I hear he’s still alive so he could be hired by Syrsky.

Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Dec 23 2024 19:44 utc | 248

Once Ukraine capitulates, Kherson, which is already a Russian oblast since the last referendum, will fall under Russian governance.
Ukraine CAN NOT capitulate, they are froced to continue, whatever will happen.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:56 utc | 250

Settling this for real means the end of the world so they are backing off the BRICS.
Any deal is worthless. Not worth the paper its written on. But it buys time.
In the meantime the EU dies economically. Sooner or later the people vote out the Brussels NWO monarchs.
Trumps OK with that too. The end of the USA hedgmon alliance with the NWO.
EU 5 % of GDP for military? Eu isnt going to have a spare 5% for nothing without Russian energy. 5% for f-35s not Bio labs? Thats not going to happen. Of course Brussels/NATO are morons so it might. Any investment in a system not biologically delivered is a malinvestment.
Isnt a little capitulation worth postponing WW3? Isnt the end of the USA hedgmon alliance with the NWO worth a little capitulation?
Hence Putin words “partners”.
Russia gives up momentum militarily. Economically Russia is unstoppable. If Russia survives. If Iran survives. In the end they win economically.
Trump gets some capitulation for the USA deep state. Its called greater Israel. They dont have to take his balls.
Any deal is worthless. Not worth the paper its written on. Who cares what it says. Russia aint giving up the land they paid for with blood. Its about time. The USA hedgmon is tossed a bone. Time means Russia wins. Time means Iran wins.
In a given amount of time who can make more babies to be soldiers Ukraine or Russia? Which is more sustainable Russias energy based economy or Bidencraines graft based economy?
More Trump superman memes. Everyone happy.
What feels like winning is often losing.
What feels like losing is often winning.
Thats one of the great truths.
Putin is a wise man.
Getting tossed on your head on the judo mat does that.

Posted by: Fred | Dec 23 2024 20:15 utc | 252

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 19:56 utc | 258
——————
Ukraine WILL capitulate once it will be unable to find people to fight. And when it will be unable to hide to its remaining people the horror of its losses.
And because no one in the West will come to support Ukraine on the battlefield, whatever the clowns governing US, UK and EU declare.

Posted by: scc | Dec 23 2024 20:24 utc | 254

Ukraine WILL capitulate once it will be unable to find people to fight
independent of that, Ukraine CAN NOT capitulate, undestand that is legal and political impossible, even if there is one ukrainien alive only. Russia must take ALL land of it, nothing may remain, but this also will be no capitulation. Understand what “capitulation” is.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 20:29 utc | 256

@The Kaker – your post is full of stupidity… oh well, you shouldn’t feed trolls.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 20:38 utc | 258

Conflict with DeepState and a message about the encirclement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Makarovka
The situation of the conflict with DeepState and the message about the environment in Makarovka
We sort it out one by one:
1. The DeepState channel is a project of an online map of combat operations, which is important for objectively informing military personnel and society about the real situation at the front. DeepState a few days ago captured on the map that the village of Makarovka in the Donetsk region is almost completely cordoned off. It is worth noting that the channel did not make any statements or conclusions about whether our troops were surrounded in Makarovka or not.
2. Today, the Khortytsia District Police Department issued a statement: “information about the encirclement of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the village of Makarovka in the Lviv direction, distributed by the media, does not correspond to reality. Unverified data and, as a result, false conclusions about the existence of such a situation are the result of analysis by individual observers and independent experts of sources whose data do not correspond to the dynamics of hostilities.” The OSUV statement was a response to the publication in social networks of messages about the encirclement of AFU units in the village of Makarovka, Donetsk region, which was made by other bloggers based on the analysis of the DeepState map.
3. the team of the DeepState channel made a statement: “unfortunately, not all commanders-in-chief like the truth and it’s a shame.” Servant of the People Mariana Bezuglaya made a statement that “instead of stabilizing the defense, Syrsky launched an offensive against the DeepState team,” and that the channel team is going to be mobilized so as not to hear the truth.
4 .. Regarding the fact of the environment. The display on the DeepState map of the almost complete environment of the village of Makarovka, Donetsk region, corresponds to reality. But the Ukrainian troops in the village of Makarovka were not surrounded. Several soldiers of one of our battalions remain in the area of the village, and I am in touch with the servicemen of this battalion, and I have received detailed information about the situation. This information was also confirmed to me by one of the commanders of the OTU “Donetsk”. That is, DeepState did not lie, and completely different sources are responsible for reports about the encirclement of troops. The Khortytsia Military District is right that there is no encirclement of our troops in Makarivka.
5. OSUV “Khortytsya”, which is commanded by General Ignatov, did not put forward claims specifically to DeepState, but criticized the actual data on the basis of which messages were made in social networks, that is, it stated that the data on the channel map was false. Obviously, if the OSUV had made a correct statement that there was no encirclement of our troops in Makarovka, and limited itself to this, then there would have been no problem at all. And so OSUV, in fact, cast a shadow on a completely reliable map of DeepState.
6. Officially, the military command and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not comment on the development of this situation. I contacted a source in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and off the record I received a clear assurance that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has nothing to do with the story of the statement of the Khortytsia OSUV, and no measures to put pressure on DeepState were discussed and are not being discussed now. According to the interlocutor, the Khortytsia Military District should invite the DeepState team to the meeting to coordinate coverage of the situation at the front. I hope that this will happen. Because if not, then no one would explain anything, and not create grounds for maximum publicity of this story.
Conclusions:
1. there is no encirclement of our troops.
2. The public conflict was caused by an incorrect phrase in the application of the Khortytsia Public Housing Department to the posts of some bloggers.
3. The leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denies the conflict with DeepState and attempts to restrict the operation of the channel.
4. A meeting of the Khortytsya OSUV with the DeepState team will be a sign of a correct and civilized solution to this situation, useful for both sides, because DeepState often predicts the situation more accurately than the OSUV, so the dialogue would benefit our common cause of protecting the Fatherland.

https://regionews.ua/ukr/blog/yuriy-butusov/1734976830-konflikt-iz-deepstate-ta-povidomlennya-pro-otochennya-zsu-v-makarivtsi (via translation add-on.)

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Dec 23 2024 20:43 utc | 260

Posted by: The Kaker | Dec 23 2024 20:33 utc | 266
> Why isn’t Russia using Cuba as a proxy? Why can they not attack Florida and take Key West?
Not sure what would be the point of attacking Florida – to take Mar-a-Lago?
It would make more sense to take Alaska: it is way closer, just next to Russia and it used to be part of Russia in the past.

Posted by: hopehely | Dec 23 2024 20:49 utc | 262

Posted by: hopehely | Dec 23 2024 20:49 utc | 272
Absolutely. If i were Russia I would be looking to stabilise/control All my borders. Obviously Ukraine is one of them along with many others in the West and south. But think east as well. Alaska, Japan and South Korea pose serious threats, if not as immediate as the current situation. After securing Ukraine, I would think Finland and Alaska would be highest priority. Alaska may meet its enemy should a USA/China war erupt, then with a Russia- China alliance, Russia may acquire Sarah Palin – on second thoughts perhaps not!!.
Actually way of topic but the name Palin sounds Russian. Was her hubby of original Russian stock

Posted by: watcher | Dec 23 2024 21:10 utc | 264

“So I am effectively banned form this forum.
The people here are going to miss my analyses and short provocative questions.”
I will miss your ideas even though I dont agree with them. I viewed your comments as a protest of the unfairness of the world. Putin should nuke them all! your ideas are ofa perfect world where there are no comporomises. that is a fantasy world. None the less you were polite and i think that has value. stick around.
Myself I think Putin is coping with this attack on his nation with a great deal of skill. Russia is still there despite a half century plot to end it being launched. But I actually like hearing your opinion because it reveals Putins skill. As far as caring what people think or dont think of you on this forum. dude. its just a forum. half the posters here are probably AI. stick around. Or dont. Do what makes you most happy.

Posted by: Fred | Dec 23 2024 21:15 utc | 266

The people here are going to miss my analyses and short provocative questions.
Posted by: vargas | Dec 23 2024 20:51 utc | 273
_______
There’s no shortage of decent stand-up comedy on YouTube, so…no, not really.😁

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 23 2024 21:19 utc | 268

Actually way of topic but the name Palin sounds Russian. Was her hubby of original Russian stock
Posted by: watcher | Dec 23 2024 21:10 utc | 275
_____
Actually, it’s British, possibly Welsh.
A few years back on Martyanov’s site some loony tunes was arguing that all Russian surnames ending in -in were Jewish, thus Lenin was a Jew. Forgetting of course that Lenin’s birth surname was Ulyanov, and blissfully unaware of the fact that -in is an obsolete Russian genitive ending.

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 23 2024 21:24 utc | 270

Posted by: Steven Starr | Dec 23 2024 18:02 utc | 235
The power consumption of these LLM AI compute systems is off the charts – way higher than the number of Mark I human brains to which it might claim to be equivalent, and expanding all the time. Add on to that the energy consumption of the crypto mining operators and it is only a matter of time before the US power grid collapses.
No need to do anything other than wait.

Posted by: ChatNPC | Dec 23 2024 21:31 utc | 272

Posted by: ChatNPC | December 23, 2024 at 21:33
Besides, if the RF loses patience, they have already demonstrated an uncanny talent for bringing energy grids to the brink of collapse with precision, non-nuclear missile strikes.
No power, no AI and no crypto.
I would refer barflies to the Original Star Trek episode titled ‘Spock’s Brain‘ to understand the dangers of an all powerful computer running one’s world.

Posted by: ChatNPC | Dec 23 2024 21:38 utc | 274

@ guest from franconia, §217:
Try Italy (Victor Emmanuel III) or Japan (Meiji).

Posted by: John Marks | Dec 23 2024 21:41 utc | 276

@wp007 #251 Deep State map
No, it’s stuck on 21.12.

Posted by: Hamburger | Dec 23 2024 21:48 utc | 278

re: Caveman | Dec 23 2024 19:13 utc | 244
Thanks for the kind words.
re: ChatNPC | Dec 23 2024 21:38 utc | 283 – 285
Excellent point about the exorbitant power consumption required for AI. I also agree that Russia has demonstrated it can precisely and progressively dismantle a power system. I wonder at what point highly accurate hypersonic missiles will be able to efficiently and assuredly take out strategic nuclear forces using non-nuclear warheads.
The Oreshnik submunitions seem ideal for hardened targets like missile silos and deeply buried command centers. Perhaps this was meant by Putin when he said that several of these weapons could begin to match the destructive power of a nuclear weapon (detonated on the surface).

Posted by: Steven Starr | Dec 23 2024 22:24 utc | 280

Sorry OT but just had to Posted by: Avtonom | Dec 23 2024 13:53 utc | 196
You missed the original point. They may have become them but they were not criminals when they emigrated.

Posted by: JohninMK | Dec 23 2024 22:49 utc | 282

Deep State UA mapping has been folded by Kiev. Apparently Syrsky demanded it be shut down. I wonder why?

Posted by: HERMIUS | Dec 23 2024 23:02 utc | 284

Ukraine WILL capitulate once it will be unable to find people to fight.
Posted by: scc
1.562 / 5.000
There are two forms of capitulation: military, i.e. the military high command formally declares the capitulation, lays down all weapons and signs a capitulation treaty (like Germany did at the time), and political capitulation, which is actually the only truly valid one: the legal political leadership declares the (unconditional) capitulation, signs the capitulation agreement, the military lays down all weapons and the political leadership abdicates. From then on, the country is placed politically and de facto under the administration of the victor.
There is no peace treaty. This is only possible when a new legal state structure has been formed, with recognized elections of a leadership with which the victor can then conclude a peace treaty (which he will do, since without his consent such a new formation and elections of a new leadership would not have been possible).
That is why there is no capitulation, because the Western powers will prevent this by all means, formal, political and military, if necessary by forming a government in exile, which they will recognize, but not the newly formed structure. The result is either a failed state or a permanent protectorate of the military victor. The latter can then recognize the structure and its leadership and incorporate it into its own association of states if the elections were appropriate and the population wants it. But this will always be a state recognized only by some countries; for the other, western ones, it will remain an occupied state.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 23:22 utc | 286

Patrick Bet-David interviews Alexey Arestovych (former Zelensky advisor) on his Youtube show.
*link*

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 23 2024 23:35 utc | 288

Posted by: SMO Turboposter 🤓 | Dec 23 2024 23:35 utc | 303
#############
Zelensky has been adamant about not negotiating anything with Russia. If Putin had said the sky was blue, Zelensky would have argued that it was green.
Zelensky has been playing his role so aggressively that he has actually lost the plot.
As they say, “Never go full retard.”

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 23 2024 23:39 utc | 290

believe the Brits abolished slavery before the US, then used it as a tool to attack the South, ***
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 23 2024 19:57 utc | 259
And India became the main source of raw, cotton imports, after Indian weaving tanked, all just in time for mills in the Midlands experienced parabolic growth. How convenient.

Posted by: frithguild | Dec 23 2024 23:52 utc | 292

more like warning of the dangers of season three.

Posted by: Not Ewe | Dec 24 2024 0:03 utc | 294

That is why there is no capitulation, because the Western powers will prevent this by all means
Posted by: wp007 | Dec 23 2024 23:22 utc | 300
IMHO it’ll look somewhat like Syria, wherein the military simply collapses, the RF waltzes in unopposed and the Rada hands over the keys to the kingdom. Z? He’ll be out of Ukraine faster than Assad was out of Syria.
There’ll be nothing NATO can do about it other than make all kinds of belligerant speeches.

Posted by: TJandTheBear | Dec 24 2024 0:44 utc | 296

And now men are leaving the uk army by thousands, despite the wages increase.
Posted by: Naive | Dec 23 2024 19:16 utc | 246

My feeling is they are being ordered to sign the decorative leave while they are being sent to Ukraine.

Posted by: Rutte | Dec 24 2024 0:51 utc | 298

@Jmaas
No idea what Putin has in mind, but it do believe it would serve Russia’s interests to annex about a third of the country, the third that has ethnic Russians in it and thus can be easily adsorbed.
It is not about 1/3 or 1/4, but about security for Russia, and Russia cannot achieve that if NATO has a foothold in the Black Sea, via a “remnant of Ukraine” for example, because that would severely restrict Russia’s free access to the world’s oceans and at the same time enable a threatening position from the sea on the flank that Russia cannot defend itself against. So Russia needs the entire Black Sea coast as a guarantee of life.

Posted by: wp007 | Dec 24 2024 0:55 utc | 300