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Is This Winning? Western leaders can no longer hide the truth about Ukraine.
The American Conservative ^ | December 19, 2022 | George D. O’Neill Jr.

Posted on 12/19/2022 6:35:41 AM PST by NorseViking

Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen carelessly revealed the devastating cost of the Ukraine war.

“It is estimated that more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 Ukrainian military personnel have died to date,” she said. The comment drew sharp backlash and the E.C. later deleted the comments from video recordings of the address. The censorship was left unexplained and demonstrated the confusion of the purveyors of the approved narrative.

If Von der Leyen’s estimate is true, that is nearly ten times the number of dead Ukrainian soldiers reported by the Ukrainian government. The E.C. president’s remark shows that even the strongest backers of this bloody and unnecessary war can no longer hide the truth: Ukraine is at risk of losing.

The mainstream media and the Biden administration insist ad nauseam that Ukraine is winning against Russia. But the facts on the ground do not fit the narrative and the administration and media know it. The war hawks know their cynical Ukraine policy has not succeeded in driving Russia out of Ukraine. Tragically, the Ukrainians are the ones who suffer the immense cost of this foreign policy failure. Their nation is ruined for the sake and at the instigation of the globalist American empire.

(Excerpt) Read more at theamericanconservative.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: 100000deadukrainians; 100000deadulrainians; angerofthepunyneocon; feelthepunyanger; forzelsmiamidacha; gretaspunyhuman; intothegunsdearukies; intothegunsoncemore; mtacnik; neocons4biden; pilesofdeadukies; pilesofdeadulies; russia; swampniks; ukraine; ukraineslushfund; ulraine; vatnik; zelenskyworshippers
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

I like how you consider Girkin an expert voice even though you though that he was a clown before:)
The strategic loss is actually in a fact that this war is taking place.


41 posted on 12/19/2022 7:00:02 AM PST by NorseViking
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To: Basket_of_Deplorables

Will they ever.


42 posted on 12/19/2022 7:01:46 AM PST by sport
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To: realcleanguy

Of course both sides didn’t lose the same. The Russian losses are at most 1/15 of the other side. I have no idea how the Afghan scenarios are applicable.


43 posted on 12/19/2022 7:02:05 AM PST by NorseViking
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To: Right_Wing_Madman

Oh please! It’s the opposite. The entire US strategy is not to help Ukraine but to hurt Russia, and the US is doing an amazing job of that. Russia has lost billions (directly and more indirectly) fighting this war, they have lost a lot of materiel and have lost of a lot of soldiers. The illusion of the ‘mighty Russian military machine’ has also been dented.

Sure, Ukraine has also lost a lot - their country is in shambles, their economy is gone, and any military victories are simply because of military intelligence and weaponry provided by the West. Sure, the Ukrainian fighting man has shown he has real grit, but without the assistance of the West the whole shebang would have been over months ago. I also don’t like the manner in which the media makes it look like Ukraine is winning and it’s only Russia that’s losing. The truth is that if Russia has lost 100K soldiers Ukraine has lost the same amount.

But with that said, Russia has been greatly damaged by that war. Russia has been humiliated, their military shown to be wanting, and Putin’s plan definitely is not going the way he originally wanted.

Yes - I know someone will come and say ‘but Ukraine is without water or electricity’ or something like that. Sure, that is true. Ukraine has been hit hard and only the foolish make it seem like someone they are unscathed. That country has been devastated.

But Russia has been hit hard, and they are being bled out. It’s not Russia bleeding out the States but the West bleeding out Russia. Those US/European weapons that are running out - well, that is across several countries. Russia’s weapons are being expended and it’s all coming from Russia. That’s why they are getting stuff from North Korea and Iran.

That would be like the US getting weapons from Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

Apologies to any headhunters and kiwis in the group …


44 posted on 12/19/2022 7:02:53 AM PST by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: Gunslingr3

No. I don’t want it to come true. Yes. The chickens are coming home to roost. We aren’t dealing with Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan that we can just bomb the daylights out of, under false pretenses, without consequence.

It has to be understood the diplomatic processes that have taken place and the role the US played in them.

Putin and Zelensky finally agree. Here’s why that’s a bad thing.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/12/05/putin-and-zelensky-finally-agree-heres-why-thats-a-bad-thing/

“In 2019, Zelensky was elected in large part because his platform of making peace with Russia and signing the Minsk II Agreement won him the Russian-speaking vote in the south and east. But to fulfill his promise, Zelensky had to have the support of the U.S. He didn’t get it. Abandoned and under pressure, Zelensky refused to implement the agreement. The U.S. then failed to pressure him back onto the road of diplomacy.”


45 posted on 12/19/2022 7:05:05 AM PST by Chunga85 (An arrogant govt combined with an ignorant population is a recipe for disaster.)
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To: realcleanguy
Both sides had similar military training and started off using the same weapons.

When it comes to ground forces, Ukraine only has around 1,117 infantry fighting vehicles, 368 main battle tanks, and 268 armored personnel carriers, whereas Russia has 17,677 infantry fighting vehicles, and 17,370 main battle tanks, and 14,991 armored personnel carriers. The number of aircraft at the disposal of the Russian army was close to 4.2 thousand, while Ukrainian armed forces possessed almost 320 aircraft.

Russian military vastly outnumbers Ukraine military in all aspects including defense budget, active military personnel on duty, fleet size, and other military hardware

Russia has more than 900,000 active military personnel on duty, whereas Ukraine has only 361,000 active military personnel

Russia's military spending in 2020, at $61.7 billion, was ten times more than that of Ukraine's $5.9 billion, as per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/macroeconomic/russia-and-ukraine-military-comparison-overview/

46 posted on 12/19/2022 7:05:53 AM PST by tlozo (Better to Die on Your Feet than Live on Your Knees)
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To: NorseViking
There is no realistic scenario of the Russian loss.

I think Nazi goon General Paulus, said the same thing about his own invincibility. History is replete with "Can't lose" scenarios. I hear here some former Generals on our side, forwarding the 4-d chess Putin is playing trope. The loser mantra, "Well the Russians are so smart they know losing territory for strategic retreat and taking copious casualties is the way to win" Do they realize how stupid they sound? A profound lack of understanding of basic military doctrine and even Soviet military doctrine makes me shudder how dumb even some former 4 stars are. The same clowns who lost in Vietnam, a disastrous occupation of Iraq and bleeding out in Afghanistan are going to lecture us about what victory looks like.

47 posted on 12/19/2022 7:05:54 AM PST by pburgh01
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To: spetznaz
I also don’t like the manner in which the media makes it look like Ukraine is winning and it’s only Russia that’s losing. The truth is that if Russia has lost 100K soldiers Ukraine has lost the same amount.

Russia has more than 3x the population of Ukraine. And the number of dead Russian civilians is negligible. Ukraine can't keep this up. Frankly, neither can Russia. But I bet they stand the meat grinder longer than Ukraine.

48 posted on 12/19/2022 7:06:51 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (No one is as asleep as the "woke". They define the term "useful idiot".)
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To: Red Badger

“120,000 dead?.”

It’s at least 500,000 in Syria, the last big Neocon ‘project’ before Ukraine. So, yes, 120k seems very reasonable, given the intensity of this war.


49 posted on 12/19/2022 7:10:22 AM PST by BobL (By the way, low tonight in Poland: 12 degrees, brrrr!)
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To: Phoenix8

Phoenix8:If Trump would have been potus I’d bet money he would have figured out a deal to avoid this war.

No one can say that for a certainty. Putin gave the middle finger to 128 countries who condemned the war and worldwide sanctions. Putins mind was made up before the troops ever crossed the border.


50 posted on 12/19/2022 7:11:17 AM PST by natalie227
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To: NorseViking

People seem to forget what war is, and what it looks like.

The US has reduced war to something resembling a video game, where we only care about how many of OUR people are casualties. This altered everyone’s vision of war, including the idiot Russians, who somehow believed they could just order up the same thing.

People cheered ‘Slav Ukrani’ and waved their little flags, and now realize that they can’t fast-forward to the quick clean victory?

You people ordered the soup, now you have to eat it.


51 posted on 12/19/2022 7:12:14 AM PST by larrytown (A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Then they graduate...)
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans; Chunga85

I saw a photo the other day nice piles of dead Russians, all packed on top of each other, and other photos of Russian tanks fleeing from HIMARS bombardment... in vain.

___________________________________________________
Article:

“The mainstream media and the Biden administration insist ad nauseam that Ukraine is winning against Russia. But the facts on the ground do not fit the narrative and the administration and media know it. The war hawks know their cynical Ukraine policy has not succeeded in driving Russia out of Ukraine. Tragically, the Ukrainians are the ones who suffer the immense cost of this foreign policy failure. Their nation is ruined for the sake and at the instigation of the globalist American empire.”

__________________________________________________

From another article:

The tentacles of the Military Industrial Complex run very deep in Washington

“In return, these recipients campaign for wars, perhaps via op-eds in ‘reputed’ newspapers or during TV appearances or speeches. Finally, they vote to approve billions in ‘aid.’

The contracts are awarded and billions of taxpayer’s funds flow away from the D.C. Treasury into the accounts of favored arms dealers.

Last week, the Ukrainian Embassy in D.C. hosted a reception to commemorate the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s armed services.

Jonathan Guyer, who covers foreign policy for Vox, revealed that the invitation to the event had logos of arms dealers such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, and Northrop Grumman.”

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/12/the_tentacles_of_the_military_industrial_complex_run_very_deep_in_washington.html
__________________________________________________
From another relevant article:

Russia Says NATO Nations Could Be ‘Legitimate Military Targets’

“In a lengthy statement on his Telegram channel, Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, questioned whether the delivery of weapons to Ukraine by NATO nations could be viewed as an attack on his country.

“Today...the main question is whether the hybrid war de facto declared on our country by NATO can be considered to be the alliance’s entry into war with Russia? Is it possible to view the delivery of a large volume of weapons to Ukraine as an attack on Russia?” he wrote.

“The leaders of NATO countries keep unanimously squawking that their countries and the entire bloc are not at war with Russia,” Medvedev continued. “Yet, everyone is well aware that this is not the case.”

He noted that in light of this, the question arises whether NATO allies are legitimate military targets.

According to “the named rules of war,” he said, the armed forces of other countries “that have officially entered the war, which are allies of the enemy country, and the objects located on their territory,” are considered legitimate military targets.

Medvedev said other legitimate military targets include the military-political leadership of the enemy country and any enemy troops (legal combatants and illegal combatants) who have not been officially withdrawn from among its armed forces.

He said this includes any of the enemy’s military and auxiliary equipment, any objects related to military infrastructure as well as to civilian infrastructure which facilitates achieving military goals (bridges, transport stations, roads, energy facilities, plants and workshops that at least partially fulfill military contracts, and so on).

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO allies of becoming involved in the conflict by sending Ukraine weapons, providing its troops with training, and assisting with military intelligence.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-says-nato-nations-could-be-legitimate-military-targets/ar-AA15mcAj

_____________________________________________

Chunga85 has it right in post #7 above:

“If we get out butts nuked off we’ve got it coming.”


52 posted on 12/19/2022 7:12:20 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

One Chinese division moved to border with Russia and this is over in 48 hours. The geniuses who like to fellate themselves over Russian military prowess avoid that fact. House of cards here. One breakaway state in the Federation or Chinese aggression and this thing folds up like a cheap tent. Ukraine is Leonidas at Thermopylae , Russia is the Persians. Large lumbering, incompetent and cocky.


53 posted on 12/19/2022 7:14:16 AM PST by pburgh01
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To: Jan_Sobieski

Rand Hymn

by Malvina Reynolds

Oh, the Rand Corporation’s the boon of the world,
They think all day long for a fee.
They sit and play games about going up in flames;
For counters they use you and me, honey bee,
For counters they use you and me.

It’s so nice to know we have Rand on our side,
We’ll always have good old Rand around;
A zillion will be fried out, but in some neat hideout,
Rand will be safe under ground, praise the Lord,
Rand will be safe under ground.

With a stroke of the pen, they can change us from men
Into numbers that flash on the wall.
These brainy heroes transform us to zeros,
So who gives a damn if we fall, after all,
Who gives a damn if we fall.

Their superior genes will be safe behind screens,
With the rest of our line doomed to die;
We’ll be all sorted out, past a shadow of doubt,
By the all-wise electronic eye; bow down
To the mighty electronic eye.

They will rescue us all from a fate worse than death
With a touch of the push-button hand;
We’ll be saved at one blow from the designated foe,
But who’s going to save us from Rand, dear Lord,
Who’s going to save us from Rand


54 posted on 12/19/2022 7:15:42 AM PST by Roccus (First we beat the Nazis........then we defeated the Soviets....... Now, we are them.)
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To: Right_Wing_Madman

“I think the Russians are slow-playing the Ukraine war in part to further bleed the United States.”

They certainly know that it will be YEARS (probably 5 to 10) before we can fully replace our weapons. I suspect the military-haters running our government is just discovering the same (they thought it was just a matter of turning the lights on at a Lockheed plant, LOL).

So, an initial objective of the military operation was to de-militarize Ukraine, but thanks to the Neocons, the Russians are now in the process of de-militarizing NATO.

Assuming this crap ends without a nuclear war, it will be interesting to see what Russia extracts from the Neocons, since the balance of power will be hugely favorable to Russia (which is why I always opposed our involvement there).


55 posted on 12/19/2022 7:16:02 AM PST by BobL (By the way, low tonight in Poland: 12 degrees, brrrr!)
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To: NorseViking

Using advanced technology and vastly different military tactics. Russia seems to be using the same tactics they used in Afghanistan 30 years ago. We used much different tactics and gain the upper hand quickly. They should have watched closer


56 posted on 12/19/2022 7:16:14 AM PST by realcleanguy (quickly things are falling apart, now that the )
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To: spetznaz
But Russia has been hit hard, and they are being bled out. It’s not Russia bleeding out the States but the West bleeding out Russia.

In General Zaluzhny's interview with The Economist last week, he sounded pretty desperate, like he knows the end is near for Ukraine. I don't think the Russians will launch their great winter offensive like many predict. I think they will keep doing what they're doing - grinding, pounding, bleeding, until the Ukrainian army collapses. This strategy fits better with how the Russians have fought wars in the last 200+ years.

https://www.economist.com/zaluzhny-transcript

57 posted on 12/19/2022 7:16:37 AM PST by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans
It’s pretty shameful to watch places like “The American Conservative” become Fake News outlets on behalf of Russia.

Good grief, how can you denigrate any news source when yours are the Daily Mail and AP and Newsweak, et al?

Shameful is the correct word.

58 posted on 12/19/2022 7:17:31 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: Chunga85
“What bugs me is people supporting this malicious, deadly mayhem out of some warped sense of “patriotism”, of all things.”

Damn nazi warmongers, why don't they just surrender ?

59 posted on 12/19/2022 7:20:06 AM PST by Grzegorz 246
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To: NorseViking

“There is no realistic scenario of the Russian loss.”

Neocons are unable to process the above...you’re wasting your time pointing that out.

What’s interesting is that Obama FULLY understood it, though, so I guess he’s no longer in control in the US.


60 posted on 12/19/2022 7:21:02 AM PST by BobL (By the way, low tonight in Poland: 12 degrees, brrrr!)
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