[Politics] Russia invades Ukraine (24/02/2022)

[essbee1]

101st. Heavily involved in the Hamburger Hill assault in Vietnam.

101st. One of the first airborne units into France on D-Day 6th June early hours by
airplane. Formidable unit indeed. If only the Pathfinders had done a better job.

 

[essbee1]

I would be surprised if SAS and SBS/Seals weren't on the ground for intelligence gathering somewhere, in constant comms. with
their US friends/counterparts.

 

[indy3050]

The 101st Airbourne is an elite US airbourne assault force.

It is not a defensive force - it is a force designed to seize territory.

1 brigade is now stationed on the Ukraine-Romania border.

This is the closest NATO border point to (1) The dam that the Russians may blow flooding a part of South Ukraine, and (2) the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear plant.


Anyone's guess what it means though.


It may well be in response to credible intelligence of Russian intention to fire a tactical nuke, it may be to secure the dam or the power plant if they get the word to go.

It is a significant escalation.


It may just be to mess with Putin's mind.

Thank you.

 

[indy3050]

So is this a US rather than a NATO decision?

 

[herecomesaregular]

101st. Heavily involved in the Hamburger Hill assault in Vietnam.

101st. One of the first airborne units into France on D-Day 6th June early hours by
airplane. Formidable unit indeed. If only the Pathfinders had done a better job.

Band of Brothers!

 

[essbee1]

So is this a US rather than a NATO decision?

I guess there's a lot of background "diplomacy" going on to make these things happen.

 

[sparkie]

So is this a US rather than a NATO decision?

I guess there's a lot of background "diplomacy" going on to make these things happen.

Perhaps there was more to Ben Wallace's emergency visit to Washington last week than the Russian aircraft firing a missile near an RAF plane ?

 

[essbee1]

Perhaps there was more to Ben Wallace's emergency visit to Washington last week than the Russian aircraft firing a missile near an RAF plane ?

We may only find this out in ~5 years time; perhaps even longer.

 

[vegster]

Rumours that Russian forces and Russian sympathisers are withdrawing from Kherson.. ...this area is key to Ukraine/ Crimea..could Putin be thinking of withdrawing but blowing a tactical Nuke in Kherson thus denying the ports use to Ukraine and stopping any incursion to the Crimea ?

 

[sparkie]

"This is not a training deployment. This is a combat deployment for us. We understand we need to be ready to fight tonight, depending on how the situation escalates across the border."

Christ. They are not messing about.

 

[essbee1]

Rumours that Russian forces and Russian sympathisers are withdrawing from Kherson.. ...this area is key to Ukraine/ Crimea..could Putin be thinking of withdrawing but blowing a tactical Nuke in Kherson thus denying the ports use to Ukraine and stopping any incursion to the Crimea ?

All manner of shit will kick off if he does.

 

[raymondo]

The 101st Airbourne is an elite US airbourne assault force.

It is not a defensive force - it is a force designed to seize territory.

1 brigade is now stationed on the Ukraine-Romania border.

This is the closest NATO border point to (1) The dam that the Russians may blow flooding a part of South Ukraine, and (2) the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear plant.


Anyone's guess what it means though.


It may well be in response to credible intelligence of Russian intention to fire a tactical nuke, it may be to secure the dam or the power plant if they get the word to go.

It is a significant escalation.


It may just be to mess with Putin's mind.

The last sentence I think... it's a warning to Putrid

 

[raymondo]

US may have told Putin: if you blow that dam we'll come after your troops retreating in Kherson.

 

[Icy Gull]

US may have told Putin: if you blow that dam we'll come after your troops retreating in Kherson.

Not sure he’ll give a f*** how many Russians die tucked away in his safe hideout. Another Russian leader who doesn’t care how many of his citizens are killed.

 

[essbee1]

Not sure he’ll give a f*** how many Russians die tucked away in his safe hideout. Another Russian leader who doesn’t care how many of his citizens are killed.

Indeed - Stalin and every Russian leader since (bar one or two) have sacrificed millions of their own people with
not a care in the world for what? Absolutely nothing. Prickin is no different.

 

[Triggaaar]

US may have told Putin: if you blow that dam we'll come after your troops retreating in Kherson.

I'm not sure that the dam is that different to all the other killing and destroying of power stations etc.

It's difficult to see where the war goes next. Even if Ukraine take back a lot of their land, Russia can keep firing cheap missiles at Ukrainian cities for years to come. What exactly would stop that from happening? Surely there has to come a point where Ukraine says if you keep firing missiles at our cities, we're going to fire missiles at yours. And if you escalate to nukes, Nato will retaliate.

 

[raymondo]

I'm not sure that the dam is that different to all the other killing and destroying of power stations etc.

It's difficult to see where the war goes next. Even if Ukraine take back a lot of their land, Russia can keep firing cheap missiles at Ukrainian cities for years to come. What exactly would stop that from happening? Surely there has to come a point where Ukraine says if you keep firing missiles at our cities, we're going to fire missiles at yours. And if you escalate to nukes, Nato will retaliate.

Yes @Triggaaar I basically agree with you. Maybe the dam threat is bigger because of the damage a flood (I'm no expert, so no idea on how that would play out.) would do to villages, Kherson itself, agriculture, water supplies... I'm not sure? But you are right that the destruction would certainly be less than that visited upon eg Mariupol.
The way forward...hmmm
1. It's possible pressures will rise in Russia if the returning body bag count accumulates significantly?
2. Or if Putin sets off any nuclear or chemical then I believe NATO will engage somehow?
3. Ukraine already seem to be increasing attacks on Belgorod (sp?) so that (very reasonable action from Ukraine) may trigger escalation.
Or some random event we can't think of e.g. an errant missile from Russia landing in Poland or Romania.?

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I'm not sure that the dam is that different to all the other killing and destroying of power stations etc.

It's difficult to see where the war goes next. Even if Ukraine take back a lot of their land, Russia can keep firing cheap missiles at Ukrainian cities for years to come. What exactly would stop that from happening? Surely there has to come a point where Ukraine says if you keep firing missiles at our cities, we're going to fire missiles at yours. And if you escalate to nukes, Nato will retaliate.

Ukraine joining NATO would make any attack on Ukraine an attack on NATO.
Putin will have to mind his manners then ...

 

[essbee1]

What would happen if Ukraine officially became part of NATO, for argument's sake say on Jan 1st 2023.
Would we simply then say to Prickin: 'one more missile or attack in Ukraine by you and we'll consider
that an attack on NATO'?

 

[Triggaaar]

Ukraine joining NATO would make any attack on Ukraine an attack on NATO.
Putin will have to mind his manners then ...

Yeah I forgot about that. That would be weird - missiles landing on a daily basis, and then the day they're admitted to Nato Russia can't fire any more. Surely Russia would test Nato's resolve on that day.

Will we have to wait until they have stable borders before they can be admitted?