In reply to aircooled :
The Ukrainians should be using trebuchets to shoot cases of vodka in non-breakable bottles into Russian troop concentrations.
In reply to aircooled :
The Ukrainians should be using trebuchets to shoot cases of vodka in non-breakable bottles into Russian troop concentrations.
In reply to stroker :
Or cases of pure ethanol disguised as vodka
In reply to Rons :
You mean Everclear?
Methanol. He means methanol. :)
In reply to gimpstang :
You're right and since most methanol is made from natural gas, send the Poutinistas some of their natural gas back.
gimpstang said:Methanol. He means methanol. :)
It is apparently common knowledge in the Russian military that a man can drink a shot of methanol a day with no harmful effects.
In other news, Russian military equipment uses methanol for a lot of fluids that cannot be allowed to freeze.
Backing away slowly?:
The statement about "boundless friendship" between Moscow and Beijing is nothing more than a rhetorical device, - China's ambassador to the EU Fu Tsung.
He also stated that Beijing does not support the military operation in Ukraine, does not recognize Crimea as Russian, as well as other occupied territories.
In reply to aircooled :
I imagine that the thinking of the Chinese leadership has evolved from "Cool, let's undermine the west" to "An increasingly desperate Russia isn't good for business".
I know it is still early in the spring, but the quietness from the Ukranian side regarding a future counteroffensive is deafening. I am assuming they are getting their ducks in a row, and it'll be some serious shock and awe when it happens.
Also, I am becoming more convinced they are trying to hold onto some of Bakhmut, just so it will be easier to occupy Russian soldiers in the city while they attempt to bypass it during the counteroffensive.
A comment on the latest Russia nuclear flexing:
The Kremlin continues to attempt to employ nuclear threats to deter Western military aid provisions to Ukraine ahead of Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu justified Russia’s decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus by accusing NATO of intensifying combat training and reconnaissance activities near the Russian and Belarusian borders and accused the West of escalating the war in Ukraine by providing additional military aid to Ukraine on April 4.[5] Shoigu reinforced existing Russian nuclear threats by stating that Belarus has nuclear-capable attack aircraft and nuclear strike-capable Iskander-M systems.[6] Shoigu also stated that Belarusian missile forces began training in Russia to operate Iskander-M systems, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons, on April 3.[7] Shoigu’s statements do not present any new information on Belarusian training and are likely part of an information operation. ISW previously reported that Belarusian servicemen were training with Iskander systems in Russia as of February 2023.[8] Shoigu’s reinvigorated nuclear blackmail rhetoric coincides with Finland joining NATO and a new US aid package to Ukraine.[9] ISW continues to assess that the risk of nuclear escalation remains extremely low and that Russian deployments of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus are highly unlikely to affect battlefield realities in Ukraine.[10] Russian-deployed nuclear weapons in Belarus additionally will almost certainly remain under the control of Russian personnel permanently deployed in Belarus.
anyone have any actual examples of what the Russian people are taught about life in the West? I'm curious if the typical Russian "man on the streets" thinks we are all Nazi cannibals, or some such other creature, such that their life of comfort and wealth (ha!) is somehow better than the rest of the world's.
I would be curious to know that also.
I am suspicious that the Russians that know about the reality of the west are the more elite / wealthy, living in the Moscow area and they will generally not be as jealous, since many are well off, will even travel to the west, but they know where their money pot is. The more rural, may not have as much access to see, and / or may be more manipulated to see the west as (rather absurdly considering) corrupt.
I did see a graphic (which I cannot find) that showed the Russian casualties by the provinces they are from. The majority where from areas outside of the Moscow area, and of course, the Moscow area is FAR more populated. I think the estimate (when controlling for population) was that in one of the eastern provinces, it was around 1 casualties for every 1000 population, while in the Moscow area it was around 1 in 100,000!!
I doubt that it is very different than what many in our own divided country say about those on the other end of the political spectrum. The other side is no longer misguided but well meaning. They are evil and must be stopped!
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:anyone have any actual examples of what the Russian people are taught about life in the West? I'm curious if the typical Russian "man on the streets" thinks we are all Nazi cannibals, or some such other creature, such that their life of comfort and wealth (ha!) is somehow better than the rest of the world's.
Some of the intercepted phone calls are interesting. Babushkas wondering how people in the West can even live because Russian sanctions made sunflower seed oil extremely expensive in Germany. (yes, really)
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:anyone have any actual examples of what the Russian people are taught about life in the West? I'm curious if the typical Russian "man on the streets" thinks we are all Nazi cannibals, or some such other creature, such that their life of comfort and wealth (ha!) is somehow better than the rest of the world's.
I found this article from 2018 that gives a good historical overview, in short it's just a minimally updated version of what you might've expected during the cold war - that Russia views the west as an existential threat looking for a convenient excuse to "liberate" countries it sees as a threat to Western dominance or a potential means to extending it, but instead of criticizing the West as being too capitalist these days (which would be a pot & kettle situation), they criticize the West as being too socially liberal. They also portray the West as being politically rickety, ready to collapse at any time from some (actually rather minor) issue or another.
https://ridl.io/the-west-through-the-eyes-of-russians/
So the typical Russian man on the street sees a life in the West as living in a wealthy but highly unstable imperialistic society succumbing to decadence.
Interestingly the article also mentions the Russians' heavy use of the political bogeyman of Ukrainian fascism, a concept I'd never heard of until the months before the invasion.
From about 2000 on a lot of the contractors I sold equipment to were from either Russia or the Ukraine.
Most of them were real decent, hard working, pay their bills, sort of people. I honestly didn't differentiate one from the other. Well, except more of those from Ukraine were legal. Most of the Russians seemed to have stepped off a fishing boat that pulled into a small harbor and had friends in vans pick them up.
Housing was booming, it didn't take much for them to be framing contractors or etc. The people from Ukraine recommended the Russians and visa Versa.
Nope didn't see drinking or drunks.
So I can understand why Russians are tepid about killing People from Ukraine.
All of them I sold to were very glad to be here in America. They had families with kids excited and speaking better English than the parents did - usually. Some are still here but 2008 chased a number back to Russia/Ukraine.
GameboyRMH said:AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:anyone have any actual examples of what the Russian people are taught about life in the West? I'm curious if the typical Russian "man on the streets" thinks we are all Nazi cannibals, or some such other creature, such that their life of comfort and wealth (ha!) is somehow better than the rest of the world's.
So the typical Russian man on the street sees a life in the West as living in a wealthy but highly unstable imperialistic society succumbing to decadence.
depending on definition of "unstable" and "imperialistic", i suppose that's not too far from the truth. nor is is particularly bad. i'll take it!
Russians building trenches in Crimea. Looks like tank traps also.
I guess this gives the enlisted or conscripts something to do besides worry about being sent to the front.
Source: https://mil.in.ua/uk/news/rosiya-gotuye-krym-do-oborony-okupanty-ryyut-okopy-na-pivostrovi/
Seems like overkill for an army that likely doesn't have much amphibious assault capacity.
eastsideTim said:Seems like overkill for an army that likely doesn't have much amphibious assault capacity.
Yeah, I looked up that spot on the map and it's pretty random. There's a lot more beach to defend besides that. Obviously the Perekop Isthmus is the choke point for invaders, and it would behoove the Russians to keep Ukraine from flanking them via sea, but why Vitino? Unless they are so paranoid that they expect to have to fight against a major force from a NATO country.
Also, it's an admission that they think there's a very real chance that they could lose the mainland. Weird.
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:eastsideTim said:Seems like overkill for an army that likely doesn't have much amphibious assault capacity.
Yeah, I looked up that spot on the map and it's pretty random. There's a lot more beach to defend besides that. Obviously the Perekop Isthmus is the choke point for invaders, and it would behoove the Russians to keep Ukraine from flanking them via sea, but why Vitino? Unless they are so paranoid that they expect to have to fight against a major force from a NATO country.
Also, it's an admission that they think there's a very real chance that they could lose the mainland. Weird.
The Russian domestic narrative for years has been to build up the threat from NATO. Now, with NATO assisting Ukraine, this has been ramped up. If you've been telling your people that NATO is a threat that has to be taken seriously, you need to look like you're preparing for it. Sure, it's really unlikely to happen, but you don't want to risk being accused of being unprepared, no matter how expensive, inefficient, and pointless your preparations might be in light of the real danger. Think of it as the TSA Model of Security....
In reply to 02Pilot :
If it wastes Russian military resources, I'm all for it right now.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:gimpstang said:Methanol. He means methanol. :)
It is apparently common knowledge in the Russian military that a man can drink a shot of methanol a day with no harmful effects.
In other news, Russian military equipment uses methanol for a lot of fluids that cannot be allowed to freeze.
Apparently this was very much a thing before the airbase here closed in the early 2000's. The locals, being trained by the Soviets, would drink the rubbing alcohol we use for cleaning the aircraft. Normally it wasn't much (just a sip or two to take the edge off) but as the story is told, one guy was pretty tuned up before he turned up to work. To maintain, he was taking quite a few sips of the cleaner throughout the day. Multiple people report the exact same spot the man went blind while driving himself home that evening.
I've had a hankering for a drink before, but I can not possibly fathom that level of desperation.
02Pilot said:Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:eastsideTim said:Seems like overkill for an army that likely doesn't have much amphibious assault capacity.
Yeah, I looked up that spot on the map and it's pretty random. There's a lot more beach to defend besides that. Obviously the Perekop Isthmus is the choke point for invaders, and it would behoove the Russians to keep Ukraine from flanking them via sea, but why Vitino? Unless they are so paranoid that they expect to have to fight against a major force from a NATO country.
Also, it's an admission that they think there's a very real chance that they could lose the mainland. Weird.
The Russian domestic narrative for years has been to build up the threat from NATO. Now, with NATO assisting Ukraine, this has been ramped up. If you've been telling your people that NATO is a threat that has to be taken seriously, you need to look like you're preparing for it. Sure, it's really unlikely to happen, but you don't want to risk being accused of being unprepared, no matter how expensive, inefficient, and pointless your preparations might be in light of the real danger. Think of it as the TSA Model of Security....
19th century thinking in a 21st century world. I maintain this is why the whole of Europe is so ticked off about the invasion. After some 30 years of post-Cold War peace, I'm betting the vast majority thought this sort of crap was behind them. Nobody was ever going to invade Russia. Ever. The economic ties made the idea essentially unthinkable.
But I suppose when Putin has told a lie for so long, he started to believe that lie himself.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:02Pilot said:Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:eastsideTim said:Seems like overkill for an army that likely doesn't have much amphibious assault capacity.
Yeah, I looked up that spot on the map and it's pretty random. There's a lot more beach to defend besides that. Obviously the Perekop Isthmus is the choke point for invaders, and it would behoove the Russians to keep Ukraine from flanking them via sea, but why Vitino? Unless they are so paranoid that they expect to have to fight against a major force from a NATO country.
Also, it's an admission that they think there's a very real chance that they could lose the mainland. Weird.
The Russian domestic narrative for years has been to build up the threat from NATO. Now, with NATO assisting Ukraine, this has been ramped up. If you've been telling your people that NATO is a threat that has to be taken seriously, you need to look like you're preparing for it. Sure, it's really unlikely to happen, but you don't want to risk being accused of being unprepared, no matter how expensive, inefficient, and pointless your preparations might be in light of the real danger. Think of it as the TSA Model of Security....
19th century thinking in a 21st century world. I maintain this is why the whole of Europe is so ticked off about the invasion. After some 30 years of post-Cold War peace, I'm betting the vast majority thought this sort of crap was behind them. Nobody was ever going to invade Russia. Ever. The economic ties made the idea essentially unthinkable.
But I suppose when Putin has told a lie for so long, he started to believe that lie himself.
(emphasis added above)
That's what the vast majority said after 28 Jun 1914. It took just over a month, but sure enough, most of Europe - economic ties and all - went to war and, over four plus years, ground each other to dust.
Economic ties can be a factor, but are rarely determinative, and when they are, it is usually to push one side toward war (Japan in 1940-1, for example - overreliance on US steel and oil compelled action when those supplies were endangered).
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