For Those Who Might Be Wondering Why We Might Be In Ukraine

[Rightguide]

Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/12/politics/russia-troop-losses-us-intelligence-assessment/index.html

We never hear the US media report the true numbers of Ukrainian casualties which according to European sources are huge. They must be huge since Zelensky is talking about drafting "40-year-old men" and the average age of the Ukrainian soldier is 43:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/zelensky-tells-senators-he-is-considering-drafting-40/

https://www.businessinsider.com/ave...tells-senators-he-is-considering-drafting-40/

In addition these two paragraphs from your linked article seem to be at odds:

"Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN."

"Before the invasion, Russia had a total standing military of approximately 900,000 active-duty troops, including ground troops, airborne troops, special operations and other uniformed personnel, according to the CIA. Since the start of the invasion, Russia has announced plans to increase the size of the armed forces to 1.5 million. The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced several rounds of conscription, including its regular fall conscription cycle on October."

 

[ll74]

We never hear the US media report the true numbers of Ukrainian casualties which according to European sources are huge. They must be huge since Zelensky is talking about drafting "40-year-old men" and the average age of the Ukrainian soldier is 43:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/zelensky-tells-senators-he-is-considering-drafting-40/

https://www.businessinsider.com/ave...tells-senators-he-is-considering-drafting-40/

In addition these two paragraphs from your linked article seem to be at odds:

"Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN."

"Before the invasion, Russia had a total standing military of approximately 900,000 active-duty troops, including ground troops, airborne troops, special operations and other uniformed personnel, according to the CIA. Since the start of the invasion, Russia has announced plans to increase the size of the armed forces to 1.5 million. The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced several rounds of conscription, including its regular fall conscription cycle on October."

Math is hard for ReichGag

 

[Rightguide]

Math is hard for ReichGag

I had a good education in math but I do have trouble with articles with no links to the facts alleged.

 

[ll74]

I had a good education in math but I do have trouble with articles with no links to the facts alleged.

The last two paragraphs you posted aren't at odds.

 

[Rightguide]

The last two paragraphs you posted aren't at odds.

"Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine"

"Before the invasion, Russia had a total standing military of approximately 900,000 active-duty troops, including ground troops,"

So what is 87% of 900,000?

 

[ll74]

"Russia has lost a staggering 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine"

"Before the invasion, Russia had a total standing military of approximately 900,000 active-duty troops, including ground troops,"

So what is 87% of 900,000?

It isn't 87% of 900,000. It is 87% of ground troops, which is a portion of those 900,000.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Two tenths or 2/10ths was correct.

Math is hard for ReichGag

I had a good education in math but I do have trouble with articles with no links to the facts alleged.

lol the comedy writes itself with you wrongway...again thanks for another laugh and a half.....

 

[Fuzzy1975]

We never hear the US media report the true numbers of Ukrainian casualties which according to European sources are huge.

Yes they are,estimated to be around 120,000 KIA. You also never hear the Russians talking about their number of casualties, estimated to be around 350,000 KIA

They must be huge since Zelensky is talking about drafting "40-year-old men" and the average age of the Ukrainian soldier is 43:

And Putin is drafting prisioners....whats your point? Wars of attrition lead to lots of casualties?

 

[Rightguide]

It isn't 87% of 900,000. It is 87% of ground troops, which is a portion of those 900,000.

So why hasn't Ukraine achieved a victory when they allegedly only face 13% of the Russian Army?

 

[ll74]

So why hasn't Ukraine achieved a victory when they allegedly only face 13% of the Russian Army?

Lol..holy fuck reading is difficult for you (not to mention math)

You failed math word problems in school, obviously

 

[Rightguide]

This from an article written by Alastair Crooke:

STRATEGIC REFLECTIONS FROM MOSCOW​

15 December 2023 by Alastair Crooke


It is not easy to convey the sense in which ‘absolute’ Russian victory in Ukraine has conflated into the notion of the unfolding revival of Russia’s new sense of ‘self’. Victory in Ukraine has been somehow assimilated into metaphysical destiny — as something assured and unfolding. The Russian military leadership (understandably) is mum concerning the likely structural/ institutional outcome. The talk (on hosted TV shows) however, is centred more on the feuds and schisms rending Kiev, than on battleground details as heretofore.

It is understood that NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine. The extent and depth of the NATO failure perhaps was a surprise in Russia but is viewed as somehow testimony to Russian adaptiveness and technological innovation in all-arms integration and communication. ‘Absolute victory’ may be understood as ‘no way’ will Moscow allow Ukraine again to become a threat to Russian security.

Russian officials see both Ukraine and Israeli-Middle East wars conflating to segment the West into separate, disputatious spheres — with the West heading toward fragmentation and possible instability. The U.S. is facing setbacks and challenges that will further reveal the loss of deterrence — further exacerbating U.S. anxiety about its security.

Moscow is aware just how much the political zeitgeist in Israel has changed (as a result of the radical government installed after the last Israeli elections), and therefore of the consequent limitations to political initiatives by western states. It carefully watches Israel’s plans in respect to southern Lebanon. Russia is co-ordinating with other states to avoid the slide toward big war. President Raisi’s Moscow visit last week reportedly focused on the comprehensive strategic agreement under negotiation, and (reportedly) included the signing of a document on countering western sanctions imposed on both states.
https://sonar21.com/strategic-reflections-from-moscow/

This is only a snippet from a much longer article by Crooke. I recommend reading the entire article.

Who is Alastair Crooke?


"Crooke started his career in London banking for a few years.[6]

Crooke later worked for nearly 30 years in the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)[8] under diplomatic cover in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Colombia, Pakistan and the Middle East. His early work included helping provide weapons to jihadists fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and assisting in the Northern Ireland peace process.[6][9]

In 1997, he became a security adviser to the EU special envoy to the Middle East, and operating out of the British Embassy in Tel Aviv was involved in British attempts to draw Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups into the political process.[10] He was involved in negotiations to end the Israeli army's siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He assisted the negotiation of several local truces between the Israelis and Palestinians during the early 2000s. Crooke had good contacts with the Israeli military and intelligence services.[10]

He was a member of the Mitchell Committee into the causes of the Second Intifada in 2000.[3][11]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alastair_Crooke

In 2001, British ambassador to Israel Francis Cornish described him as "a person who worked with the security apparatuses of both sides. He went into action after they stopped trusting each other and developed a special skill to persuade them of the logic of things and to bridge the lack of confidence between them." He had a central role in establishing a Hamas ceasefire in 2002.[10]

 

[RandyRebecca]

What do you have? You have destroyed 80% of Russia's military. For zero American lives.

LOL. What? Russia currently occupy Crimea, most of the Donbass, and all the Black Sea coast east of the Dnieper river. Prior to the invasion, they occupied Crimea, and only recognized the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics just days before the invasion. Who is winning today? Who is better off? Facts are stubborn things.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Who is better off?

Who is better off?

America is for sure, as are the NATO members, but that has come at the cost of the Ukrainian people, and of course the effect on the ordinary Russian who have also lost family.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Who is winning today?

No one is winning, and if you think someone is, you're more fucked in the head than I thought.

 

[Raazor]

This from an article written by Alastair Crooke:

STRATEGIC REFLECTIONS FROM MOSCOW​

15 December 2023 by Alastair Crooke


It is not easy to convey the sense in which ‘absolute’ Russian victory in Ukraine has conflated into the notion of the unfolding revival of Russia’s new sense of ‘self’. Victory in Ukraine has been somehow assimilated into metaphysical destiny — as something assured and unfolding. The Russian military leadership (understandably) is mum concerning the likely structural/ institutional outcome. The talk (on hosted TV shows) however, is centred more on the feuds and schisms rending Kiev, than on battleground details as heretofore.

It is understood that NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine. The extent and depth of the NATO failure perhaps was a surprise in Russia but is viewed as somehow testimony to Russian adaptiveness and technological innovation in all-arms integration and communication. ‘Absolute victory’ may be understood as ‘no way’ will Moscow allow Ukraine again to become a threat to Russian security.

Russian officials see both Ukraine and Israeli-Middle East wars conflating to segment the West into separate, disputatious spheres — with the West heading toward fragmentation and possible instability. The U.S. is facing setbacks and challenges that will further reveal the loss of deterrence — further exacerbating U.S. anxiety about its security.

Moscow is aware just how much the political zeitgeist in Israel has changed (as a result of the radical government installed after the last Israeli elections), and therefore of the consequent limitations to political initiatives by western states. It carefully watches Israel’s plans in respect to southern Lebanon. Russia is co-ordinating with other states to avoid the slide toward big war. President Raisi’s Moscow visit last week reportedly focused on the comprehensive strategic agreement under negotiation, and (reportedly) included the signing of a document on countering western sanctions imposed on both states.
https://sonar21.com/strategic-reflections-from-moscow/

This is only a snippet from a much longer article by Crooke. I recommend reading the entire article.

Who is Alastair Crooke?


"Crooke started his career in London banking for a few years.[6]

Crooke later worked for nearly 30 years in the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)[8] under diplomatic cover in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Colombia, Pakistan and the Middle East. His early work included helping provide weapons to jihadists fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and assisting in the Northern Ireland peace process.[6][9]

In 1997, he became a security adviser to the EU special envoy to the Middle East, and operating out of the British Embassy in Tel Aviv was involved in British attempts to draw Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups into the political process.[10] He was involved in negotiations to end the Israeli army's siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He assisted the negotiation of several local truces between the Israelis and Palestinians during the early 2000s. Crooke had good contacts with the Israeli military and intelligence services.[10]

He was a member of the Mitchell Committee into the causes of the Second Intifada in 2000.[3][11]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alastair_Crooke

In 2001, British ambassador to Israel Francis Cornish described him as "a person who worked with the security apparatuses of both sides. He went into action after they stopped trusting each other and developed a special skill to persuade them of the logic of things and to bridge the lack of confidence between them." He had a central role in establishing a Hamas ceasefire in 2002.[10]

‘It is understood that NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine.’

At this point I burst out laughing.

 

[Lazaran]

Who is better off?

America is for sure, as are the NATO members, but that has come at the cost of the Ukrainian people, and of course the effect on the ordinary Russian who have also lost family.

Considering "Becky" likely believes that every Russian injured or killed is a martyr, and every bit of Russian treasure wasted is a tithing to Putin’s and Russia’s holy wat against the satanic capitalistic west, "Becky" very likely believes that Russia is "better off".

No one is winning, and if you think someone is, you're more fucked in the head than I thought.

It isn’t possible for "Becky" to be more fucked in the head than I thought.

"Becky” is already at maximum fucked in the head imho.



"Becky"

 

[Rightguide]

‘It is understood that NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine.’

At this point I burst out laughing.

Because you've been properly indoctrinated with fake news.

 

[ll74]

Because you've been properly indoctrinated with fake news.

Meanwhile, that sentence parrots Russian talking points.

 

[John_von_Neumann]

I had a good education...

Lol.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Because you've been properly indoctrinated with fake news.

Keep saying that to yourself when you look in the mirror, maybe one day it will sink in.

 

[Raazor]

Because you've been properly indoctrinated with fake news.

And yet again I burst out laughing. It’s been a fun day.

NATO isn’t in Ukraine. If NATO were in Ukraine they would be eating breakfast in Moscow a week later.

The weird thing - and it’s weird because it is staring you people in the face, is that Russia invaded almost two years ago. Two years. Have they conquered Ukraine? No. Do they occupy a majority of Ukraine? No. Do they even control or occupy all the territory that they now claim is Russian? No.

Yet you produce an article with all the confidence of a cat proudly bringing home a scrawny mouse which states ‘NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine.’ Sucking this hard must be time consuming. Have you no pride? No moral or intellectual integrity?

Your parents must weep every time they see you.

 

[ll74]

And yet again I burst out laughing. It’s been a fun day.

NATO isn’t in Ukraine. If NATO were in Ukraine they would be eating breakfast in Moscow a week later.

The weird thing - and it’s weird because it is staring you people in the face, is that Russia invaded almost two years ago. Two years. Have they conquered Ukraine? No. Do they occupy a majority of Ukraine? No. Do they even control or occupy all the territory that they now claim is Russian? No.

Yet you produce an article with all the confidence of a cat proudly bringing home a scrawny mouse which states ‘NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine.’ Sucking this hard must be time consuming. Have you no pride? No moral or intellectual integrity?

Your parents must weep every time they see you.

I've always wondered why people insist that NATO being next door to Russia was the issue...yet why isn't the opposite also a legitimate complaint for NATO? If Russia takes over border countries, they would literally be putting themselves next to NATO.

 

[stxjimmy]

I had a good education in math but I do have trouble with articles with no links to the facts alleged.

Says lits no1 poster of links to articles with no facts just polemic.

 

[Lazaran]

Keep saying that to yourself when you look in the mirror, maybe one day it will sink in.

RussiaGuide can do that right after the Stuart Smalley Daily Affirmation,

 

[RandyRebecca]

Who is better off?

America is for sure, as are the NATO members, but that has come at the cost of the Ukrainian people, and of course the effect on the ordinary Russian who have also lost family.

The Biden administration has sent billions and billions of Americans' federal taxpayer dollars for a worse situation for Ukraine in terms of territory compared to February 2022. And now Biden and Blinken are doing it with Israel to commit ethnic cleansing in Gaza. It's a disaster. Biden and Blinken probably think it a partial success because of Sweden and Finland going into NATO, to strike back at Trump asking what NATO was for.

The word "Hubris" was used upthread. That's what it is, i.e. false pride. Like the MAGAs, they don't like reality, so have gone into fiction. As I said, facts are stubborn things. At some point, they can't continue to keep sending money like they are to Ukraine, especially if the Israel lobby are demanding lots of money and arms for Israel. The Ukrainians will then learn a painful lesson in how the biggest imperialist nations use and discard smaller nations. Boris Johnson, the then British Prime Minister, scuppered a peace deal in April 2022 between Russia and Ukraine which would have ended the war if Ukraine agreed to accept Russian control of Crimea and if Ukrainian forces left the Lugansk and Donetsk regions entirely. Ukraine would have still had the rest of the Black Sea coast, which they have now lost. Johnson told Zelensky not to sign any deal with Russia, and now Ukraine are far worse off, have been underarmed and underfunded (i.e. enough to give Russia some trouble, but never enough to cause a direct war between Russia and NATO), and now Russia is waiting for Ukraine's paymasters to stop funding their war effort.

It's also indicative that Putin in a recent speech was saying that "Odessa is a Russian city", which implies that Russia is not currently interested in a peace deal and is thinking of going west of the Dnieper at some point, which would be aimed at bridging to Transnistria. If Russia succeed in that, they will have direct land from Russia proper all the way to Transnistria/Moldova, and will have landlocked Ukraine completely.

Ask Ukraine what would be victory for them, and they will say returning to their 2013 borders, meaning driving Russia out of Crimea, the Black Sea coast and the Donbass completely.

Who is better off today compared to February 2022? Who is closer to their main goals? Ukraine's paymasters in the Biden administration have expanded NATO, but the war in Ukraine itself is not going well, and the October 7 situation and Israel's response is threatening to draw the US back into the Middle East, wrecking their plans to go after China over Taiwan or Xinjiang.