Putin CANCELS Victory Day military parades across Russia over fears deadly Ukraine drones could slip through defences

Sun UK ^ | 4/26/2024 | Iona Cleave

[marcusmaximus]

VLADIMIR Putin has been forced to cancel Russia's triumphant annual Victory Day parades over fears of Ukrainian kamikaze drone attacks.

The trembling tyrant, 71, has axed most of the May 9 celebrations - the most sacred day in the Russian calendar - because he couldn't guarantee the safety of his citizens.

The patriotic military parades are held throughout Russia as a means of celebrating the country defeating Nazi Germany in World War 2.

These events are usually used by Putin to showcase the might of the Russian military machine. and garner national pride - led by a giant parade in Moscow's Red Square.

This part will go ahead under intense security - overseen by Putin - but many regional parades have been scrapped along with associated major fireworks displays.

Belgorod, Bryansk, Pskov, Ryazan, Kursk and Saratov regions all cancelled their events, despite not all being close to Ukraine.

Victory Day has also been scrapped in the occupied regions of Ukraine, including Zaporizhzhia and Sevastopol in Crimea over "security reasons".

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the flag-waving day used to involve tanks, nuclear missiles and huge guns rumbling through the capital as warplanes soared overhead.

Across Russia hundreds of marches of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ - when people carry photos of their war veteran relatives - have been scrapped too, for security reasons.

[tennmountainman]

Only 31,000 Ukies Dead?
LOL
Ruzzia will win war of attrition.
I suggest Macron deploy 50,000 French Surrender Monkeys
to help YouCrayne.

[PIF]

1 Abandon Ukraine

2 Withdraw from NATO

3 Let Vlad the Invader do “whatever the h*ll he wants to” in Ukraine or anywhere else.
—

DJT will neither Abandon UKR or withdraw from NATO; he’ll more likely double down on both.

As for Putin, DJT will continue the “bromance” in a woodshed, a place from which Putin may not emerge or at least emerge not with all his parts.

Right now, the Biden promised military aid, after an initial flurry, has slowed to a trickle, if not already halted. Putin smiles warmly at Biden.

[PIF]

Who is winning and who is losing is determined by the last man willing to die for his country. By that measure, Russia is losing badly.

[MeganC]

“Ruzzia will win war of attrition.”

LOL, you realize you just denounced the Ruzzian war as a “war of attrition””, right?

That’s quite the condemnation as you’re conceding several things here:

1. Russia is only capable of small actions on a localized scale.
2. Russia is incapable of the kinds of broad, coordinated actions across a large front that are the hallmark of modern military tactics.
3. Russia is not using her men to their best tactical advantage but instead are content to use Russian men as a means of wearing down Ukrainian defenses and ammunition (meat wave attacks).
4. Russia doesn’t stand a chance in hell against NATO which will not be employing World War One tactics against Russian forces.
5. The Russian military is effectively on par (equal) with the Ukrainian military and thus can only win a war of attrition.
6. Russia has no hope of overcoming Ukrainian defenses with anything better than clumsy, blunt force attacks.

Seriously, that is quite the concession on your part whether you’re consciously aware of it or not.

[tennmountainman]

Both Ruzzia and YouCrayne are corrupt. It’s not our problem.
It’s Europe’s Problem.
I care about American Tax Dollars being sent to corrupt Ukraine.
No more money for Corrupt Ukraine!

[Allegra]

"Many Ukrainian men who had been living abroad with their families for years before the full-scale invasion started were outraged, as they were not planning to return to fight, but have been actively helping with donations and advocating for more aid to Ukraine.”

I’m pretty sure some of those Ukrainian men are here on FR.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "What? Military age YouCrayne Males have fled Zeeperland because they did not love their Country enough to fight for their country against the great Satan Ruzzia? Say it ain’t so!"

Ukraine Detains Official Who Helped Men Flee Draft Kyiv Post, 22 August 2023

Zelenskyy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests. Business Insider, 13 August 2023

Ukraine struggles to curb corruption in its military Deutsche Welle, 17 August 2023

It's so. Best wishes.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

---- "...some of those Ukrainian men are here on FR."

That seems a distinct possibility. I was perusing one of the more often-posted YouTube grifter's many comments, to find such adding hundreds of comments as YouTube allows.

But here are some additional sources for Ukrainian men who seem to not want to be "press ganged."

'I was afraid of it': the Ukrainians dodging conscription and fleeing the country EuroNews with Agence France Presse, 1 September 2023

200k Ukrainian men have dodged draft by migrating to Germany Brussels Signal, 11 September 2023

Ukraine draft dodgers dream up extreme ways to avoid the front The Times UK, 23 September 2023

Swimming rivers and faking illness to escape Ukraine's draft BBC, 16 November 2023

Do some Russians flee? Yes. Do some Ukrainians flee? Yes. This "officially" non-NATO war between Ukraine and Russia is far more complex than some would wish it to be. Best wishes.

[Sunsong]

LOL

“putin CANCELS Victory Day military parades across Russia over fears deadly Ukraine drones could slip through defences”

poor little pooty, so scared now

[bimboeruption]

>>>>I’m pretty sure some of those Ukrainian men are here on FR.<<<<

I’m not so sure they’re men...more like capons.

[bimboeruption]

>>>>Nobody whines more on Free Republic threads than our pretend-MAGA but pro-Russians.<<<<

Here’s a post from BroJoke to a long time FReeper:

To: E. Pluribus Unum; umcrevmom@aol.com

: “Pootin stoopid.
Globohomo dancing prostitute smart.”

I don’t know, how stoopid is Vlad the Invader?

He seems to be depending on supporters like E. Pluribus Unum to save his sorry “special military operation” in Ukraine.

So what do you think, is that smart or stoopid?

As for your “Globohomo dancing prostitute”, who are you talking about here, your mother?

Sorry, I never met her, couldn’t say how smart.

34 posted on 1/2/2024, 6:25:56 AM by BroJoeK (future DDG 134 — we remember)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

Calling a FReeper’s mother a prostitute shows what a POS you are...Typical zeeper.

[bimboeruption]

>>>>This sincere prayer by Konstantin may help you redefine your continuous condemnation of other Freepers:<<<<

You really make me laugh when you try to be the Mother Teresa of FR.

Using Scripture as a weapon, posting prayers at least 1,000 times for Ukraine and very rarely for America.

You asked for prayer for your daughter and 91 loving FReepers responded.

You thanked the first seven but never returned to thank the others. We know you had the time because you’re on FR posting Ukraine propaganda around the clock.

You’re not fooling anyone except other brain dead zeepers.

[bimboeruption]

You’re right, World, they don’t have a prayer. Their fate is to serve as pawns of corrupt, power mad oligarchs.

And they can thank useful idiots like the zeepers on this site for promoting the proxy war that sent them to their untimely, horrible deaths.

[BroJoeK]

tennmountainman: "You left out Ukies shortage of warm male bodies."

Ukrainians have never had enough soldiers to conduct Russian-style "Meat Wave" assaults, such as Russians conducted at Bakhmut and Avdiivka, producing over 1,000 Russian casualties per day -- nor can Ukrainians ever afford such losses for long.

This source puts Russia's available manpower at 69 million, versus Ukraine's 23 million -- a 3 to 1 Russian advantage.

Ukraine's military is estimated here at around 1 million active personnel, with another 2 million here said to be in reserves.
Of those, it's estimated 300,000 serve on the front lines.
Russia's active military is put at 1,350,000 with another 2,000,000 in reserves.

Estimates of military % of GDP put Ukraine at around 18% and Russia at 8%, which, given the relative size of Russia's economy, means Russia's military budget is nearly 3-times Ukraine's.

Ukraine's military numbers are said to include around 30,000 women volunteers and 20,000 foreign volunteers.

Ukraine's recent law reducing the draft age from 27 to 25 is expected to add 50,000 men to its military.
Other actions are intended to increase the pressure on military age refugees to return and serve.

Estimates of numbers of Russian troops in or near Ukraine have varied between 200,000 in 2022 to now 400,000 with total Russian casualties said to be circa 450,000.

Ukrainians generally admit to suffering 1/3 the casualties they estimate for Russians, with the ratio becoming 1/10 during Russian "Meat Wave" assaults.

In recent months there was much discussion about Ukraine drafting another 300,000 troops, but the most recent reports are saying the problem seems to be more of rotating front line troops to the rear while using fresh rear-based troops to fill in for them.

This may well have been the problem at Ocheretyne, about 10 miles northwest of Avdiivka, where an exhausted Ukrainian unit (43rd Mechanized) was supposed to be replaced by relatively fresh troops (115th Mechanized), but the handoff was botched, and Russians were alert enough to pour into the gap thus created.

[BroJoeK]

tennmountain: "Only 31,000 Ukies Dead?
LOL
Ruzzia will win war of attrition"

US estimates were roughly double that number, though the differences could be in how various terms are defined and counted.

For examples, which of the following deaths are included? --

1. Killed in battle
2. Died later of wounds
3. Died non-battle related accidents
4. Died from illnesses
5. Friendly fire incidents
6. Missing, presumed dead

tennmountain: "I suggest Macron deploy 50,000 French Surrender Monkeys to help YouCrayne."

I'd say, if we look at the US war record in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, we don't need to be calling the French "Surrender Monkey's".

Indeed, overall, the French war record is rather good:

1. Since the French Revolution in 1790, the French war record is 94 wins and 17 losses.

2. Since the Third Republic in 1870, the French have scored 57 wins and 7 losses.

3. Since the end of WWII in 1945, the French have won 22 victories against 5 losses.

For comparisons: the USA since 1945 is 17 wins, 8 losses.

Russia/USSR since 1945 is 17 wins, 3 losses.

In addition to the above, all have several inconclusive and/or ongoing wars not yet resolved.

As for sending French or other NATO troops to Ukraine, I think the threat is meant to be taken seriously, and will likely happen should it prove necessary -- i.e., if Ukraine's lines begin to collapse.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "..sincere prayer by Konstantin"

You responded to the above phrase. Interesting, as a previous "Konstantin" thread met its FR fate as follows:

STREAMED LIVE Russians Are Disappearing: A Silent Catastrophe Is Hitting Russia Now INSIDE RUSSIA

A Konstantin thread

This thread has been pulled.
Pulled on 04/29/2024 1:16:45 AM PDT by Jim Robinson, reason: Pulled

One recalls that this "sincere prayer" writer who speaks to some also wrote the following:

--- "I LEFT RUSSIA 1 YEAR AGO | Did I make a mistake?" 27 September 2023

An interesting title, given the many monetized YouTube videos suggesting he is reporting from Russia, and the title of the YouTube channel is "Inside Russia - Living in Today's Russia Explained."

About "Konstantin" -- INSIDE RUSSIA

Sources presented as news might well be actual news, if not propaganda. And sometimes, as with a couple of others, they could be both.

For it is indeed news -- for example -- when Democrats wave Ukrainian flags in Congress and "protestors" wave Hamas signs at Columbia University (famous for having hosed the Marxist Frankfurt School).

As another "reverend" said on more than one occasion, "the chickens have come home to roost." So did the Reverend Al Sharpton repeat in quoting Malcolm X.

[PIF]

For examples, which of the following deaths are included? —

Killed in battle
Died later of wounds
Died non-battle related accidents
Died from illnesses
Friendly fire incidents
Missing, presumed dead
—
As far as anyone knows, Russian casualties are counted on the battlefield. The other categories are not used.

However, Moscow does or did release casualty figures which roughly correspond(ed) with UKR’s figures. What metrics are used here is unknown to me.

Here are the last figures posted on Telegram:
—

GeneralSVR(reserve)
https://t.me/s/generalsvr2

Saturday, March 23, 2024, in the morning report to the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, irretrievable military operational losses of personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, 434,233 people. Data as of 6:00 Moscow time today.

[PIF]

The Russian manpower number of 69 million needs to reflect that some number of millions are needed for police & internal security, industrial workers for military items & factory production, office workers & staff, etc.

Currently Russia is suffering a lack of manpower to keep its economy going. Therefore, the paper figure of a 3:1 advantage maybe misleading.

UKR, on the other hand, can rely on foreign assistance for much of the civilian production.

[PLMerite]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a right-justified image on FR.

[BroJoeK]

tennmountainman: "Both Ruzzia and YouCrayne are corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, corrupt,.
It’s not our problem.
It’s Europe’s Problem.
I care about American Tax Dollars being sent to corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, Ukraine.
No more money for Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, corrupt,Ukraine!"

I emphasized TMM's word "corrupt" because that is, historically, the magic word.
It is the single word used to defeat the US ten+ year long war to keep South Vietnam free of the North's Communist domination.

"Corrupt" was used first to drive Pres. Nixon from office, and then "corrupt" was used again to delay and reduce US military aid to South Vietnam.
The result was Vietnamese forces, with US aid, were unable to repeat their successful resistance to North Vietnamese invasion of 1968 (Tet) and 1972 (Easter Offensive).
In 1975, the lack of US aid caused the South Vietnamese to collapse in the face of the North's Spring Offensive.

So, that word, "corrupt" is a powerful magic word, with historically demonstrated potency to destroy nations that otherwise stood the tests of military combat.

In 1974, the word "corrupt" was weaponized by Democrats against Republicans, and you may well ask, "why?", when Democrats themselves patently care nothing about corruption -- it's the sea they swim in.
But Republicans do care because we are the party of good, clean, lawful government, and corruption is anathema to us.
So a credible claim of "corruption" will cause good Republicans to recoil in horror, and that is precisely how Democrats first deposed Pres. Nixon and then defeated South Vietnam.

Today, the old-time pro-Russia, counter-culture, hippy-chick, "make love not war" Democrats are now all dressed up in new MAGA costumes, but still wielding their old "corruption" weapon, in hopes they can repeat their successes of 1974 again in 2024.

"Yes, but...", they say: today, 50 years later, Vietnam is seen as both prosperous and stable, soooo... it's all good, right?
No, not so much, because after Saigon's fall:

1. ~3,000,000 of South Vietnam's 23 million population fled the country as refugees.

2. ~1,000,000 South Vietnamese were forced into North Vietnamese "reeducation" concentration camps.
   An unknown number of those were killed or disappeared.

3. ~4,000,000 unemployed South Vietnamese.

4. Confiscation of South Vietnamese private properties -- small farms, stores, businesses and even homes.
   The results included massive economic disruptions, poverty and repeated famines, which only began to improve after significant reforms in 1986.

Thus, we can see the powerful magic of the word "corrupt" to reduce a struggling, but imperfect, democratic government to absolute defeat, oppression, destitute economics and famine.

So, will the mere magic word, "corrupt" do to Ukraine what it did to South Vietnam?
That's hard to say, but consider this:

1. During the 1990s, Russia, Ukraine and Vietnam were all ranked the same and near the bottom, as among the world's most corrupt counties.

2. Today, Russia is still ranked as among the "most corrupt" (141st of 180).

3. Today, Ukraine has improved its corruption perceptions by one whole category to 104 of 180, and is clearly working hard on both corruption and democracy (91 of 167, equal to Mexico).

4. Today Vietnam has improved its corruption perceptions by two whole categories, to 83 of 180, and though still highly authoritarian (136 of 167) -- still as authoritarian as Russia (144 of 167) and China (148 of 167) -- Vietnam has become economically prosperous, stable, powerful and even friendly to the US.

5. So while "corruption" was the downfall of South Vietnam, significant improvements in corruption perceptions have contributed to today's Vietnam's successes.

6. Will that also help Ukraine defeat our US pro-Russians?

We'll see...