Posted on 01/03/2023 9:40:46 AM PST by Kazan
Have you ever played poker with a novice? I am talking about the person who does not understand the concept of a poker face. The rookie is dealt a hand of five card stud and breaks into a wide grin accompanied by a face flushed red as he or she gazes on at a full house. Only one teeny problem — the poker master on the other side of the table is holding four aces.
That is what happened today as Ukraine and the West reacted to news, confirmed by Russia’s own Ministry of Defense, that a U.S. Himars hit an improvised barracks of Russian soldiers and killed at least 63. Why the big deal? We have been told repeatedly over the last 8 months that Russia is suffering catastrophic casualties. What makes this so special and deserving of so much attention?
The answer is simple — this is the first time since the war started in February 2022 that Russia has suffered more than 50 casualties in one engagement in one day. How do I know? Because the Russian telegram channels lit up immediately when this happened. This is the first time I have seen that kind of reaction from the Russian side in the last 10 months.
The reaction to this missile attack highlights the stark contrast between Russia and Ukraine. The spokesman for the Russian MOD freely and frankly admitted to the “success” of the Ukrainian strike while the Ukrainian military — which is losing at least 200 men every day — covers up their losses and insists they are beating the hell out of Russia. The Ukrainians have told so many lies over the course of the last 10 months — e.g. the Ghost of Kiev, capturing a Russian border outpost, shooting down all Russian cruise missiles, driving the Russians out of Kherson, etc. — that this successful missile strike finally gave them something real they could celebrate.
But this attack is a lie. It was not carried out by highly trained Ukrainian troops sitting on an ample supply of Himars. This was done with Western supplied intelligence that identified the troop concentration and provided the coordinates for launching a precision strike. Moreover, it is highly likely that NATO troops were helping operate the Himar system. This attack actually is a sign of Ukrainian and Western desperation. It changes nothing in terms of the strategic picture.
The Saker beat me to it in making the correct observation that there is more to this Himars attack than the destruction of a company of Russian troops:
Still, NATO does not act just to show that it can act. There is a real, military, purpose behind these strikes. And it is not “just” to provoke Russia into some kind of response (not with tens and even hundreds of Russian missile strikes every day already taking place). . . .
Why would NATO want the Russian offensive sooner rather than later? In all its other actions, the AngloZionists have tried to draw out this war for as long as possible, so why would they want to make the Russians attack sooner rather than later?
Because the Russian General Staff is waiting for all the “ducks to be lined” up before attacking. Thus by trying to force the Russians into a premature attack date, NATO is, very logically, trying to prevent all the said “ducks” to be “lined up”. In other words, NATO is trying to force the hand of the Russian General Staff by increasing the pressure on the Kremlin to “finally take action”.
I make a point of watching how the media played this story today. I watched Sky News, Fox News and Al-Jazeera. All portrayed this as another major setback for the Russians and one more piece of evidence that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is achieving great success. It is mass delusion.
That said, it looks like the Brits are having a tougher time hanging on to that delusion. The top story on Sky News during the day was the escalating crisis of the U.K.’s National Health Service. Strikes by ambulance drivers and nurses are killing people and the grieving relatives are furious. Their focus is on the failure of the Tory Government to keep their loved ones alive. I did not see Brits clamoring to send more aid to Ukraine.
I think that January will be a turning point in the war in terms of Western support for Ukraine if there is harsh winter weather and worsening economic conditions, which will increase domestic political pressure on the NATO countries to take care of business at home.
The propaganda merchants always have to exaggerate everything. That is the reason so many people do not believe them. They just can’t bring themselves to report the truth.
63 losses is substantial, but another 540 is so much more awful sounding.
I saw a news report saying it was. If not, then great, because that would be an unnecessary provocation in my opinion.
Voting with Russia were Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Nicaragua. Which one of those countries are you posting from?
Do what? I support the US helping in Ukraine, to a degree. That’s helping in Ukraine, not in Russia. Your accusation that makes me a foreigner is absurd.
You just keep showing your self. That’s all that is needed for people to understand what kind of immature amoral shell of a person you are.
Me too. lol
There is one common characteristic of those who celebrate and get their rocks about Russian (or any) troops getting killed. They haven’t ever served and never would.
I haven’t changed since day 1.
And, if it means more dead Russians buried in unmarked graves in distant lands…that’s fine with me.
FJB will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian life!
It appears you don’t care if they’re Russians, Ukrainians, Americans, British, Polish or even women and children.
Of course you haven’t changed since day 1, that is who you are. As you have not ever seen fit since day 1 to have God in your knowledge, you’ve been given up to reprobate mind.
Billions of Russian dead.
———-
What the West fails to realize, even if Vlad lost millions, he still is not giving up the ethnic Russian provinces. Vlad has close to a 90 percent approval rating, and many are calling for Russia to turn Ukraine into 266,000 square miles of ruble. Russian history proves their “resolve” is far greater than some corrupted little comedian’s resolve.
Zelensky, “defiance” is fine for a Hollywood movie, but a mouse holding the middle finger to the two headed Eagle always ends badly.
If the source is the Ukraine, western governments and especially western military/intelligence agencies question its validity just as much as you would question anything from Ivan.
The problem with your comment is that those are not ethnic Russian provinces, they are ethnic Ukrainian. Speaking Russian doesn’t necessarily make one a Russian.
exactly:
“More Russians will die. And that is fine with me. They are a brutal, paranoid, insecure people who add very little to the well being of the world. They have done nothing but slaughter their people and others for the past 100 years.”
It’s a war.
Both sides are engaged in propaganda.
Neither sides accounts are completely trust worthy.
For propaganda to be effective it needs to have some truth to it but seldom complete truth.
>> What matters is this was US provided missiles that landed
>> on Russian soil.
Occupied Ukrainian soil. There. Fixed it for ya.
Sonar 21? LOL!
Larry C. Johnson: “The Ukrainian Army Has Been Defeated. What’s Left Is Mop-Up”
March 22, 2022
https://www.europereloaded.com/larry-c-johnson-the-ukrainian-army-has-been-defeated-whats-left-is-mop-up/
Let all the azovnista warmongers be the first to delight in WW3. May it be personal for them.
Your mind is a waste of oxygen on this planet. Good luck with that irrational delusional hate.
Those have always been Russian areas. Any Ukrainian in the last 8 years in a public forum has said that.
You do nothing but spout lies and ignorance here.
Read some history.
There is also an ethnic Hungarian strip of land in Ukraine.
If it came to that, Iran and possibly China would provide assistance. And possibly much of the SCO - they are building military assistance plans for cooperation now.
Lots of countries hate NATO, lots of them are dedollarizing, and doing it together.
I have seen video of Turks fighting on behalf of Russia.
WWW3 could be just ahead.
Xi’s upcoming visit to Russia may not happen.
So nice to have such a great leader at our top. The west and many here are still living in the time of USSR, and I don’t think meds would help.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.