Keep in mind that the US and UK have already said as much to Zelenskyy in private that him joining NATO is a non-starter, all the while telling him to continue the conflict. These ghouls are ready to force Putin to make the choice of going scorched earth, or relenting. The media will have you believe that Putin is already committing war crimes on a massive scale to keep public fervor up for continuing the conflict.
Some quotes:
United Nations human rights specialists say that some 900 civilians have died in the fighting (U.S. intelligence puts that number at least five times UN estimates).
I haven't seen any reason to believe US estimates of casualties so far. 900 is still 900 too much. Completely avoidable loss of life.
But, the analyst says, the damage associated with a contested ground war involving peer opponents shouldn't blind people to what is really happening. (The analyst requested anonymity in order to speak about classified matters.) "The heart of Kyiv has barely been touched. And almost all of the long-range strikes have been aimed at military targets."
This tracks way more with what we've been seeing with outlets like ASB and others that are supposedly paid Russian propagandists.
"If we merely convince ourselves that Russia is bombing indiscriminately, or [that] it is failing to inflict more harm because its personnel are not up to the task or because it is technically inept, then we are not seeing the real conflict."
This is the part that kills me about the media coverage. In the same breath, Russia is incompetent and losing the war, and also a killing machine that is already well on its way to genociding a large population.
As of the past weekend, in 24 days of conflict, Russia has flown some 1,400 strike sorties and delivered almost 1,000 missiles (by contrast, the United States flew more sorties and delivered more weapons in the first day of the 2003 Iraq war). The vast majority of the airstrikes are over the battlefield, with Russian aircraft providing "close air support" to ground forces. The remainder—less than 20 percent, according to U.S. experts—has been aimed at military airfields, barracks and supporting depots.
Queue the insecure libs and chuds that excitedly point out how quickly the US devastated Iraq compared to how the inept Russian army (that is also killing civilians at unprecedented rates supposedly) has been with getting Ukraine to fold. Guess it's really easy when you're bombing indiscriminately.
Russia did not bomb stationary air defense emplacements protecting cities. U.S. analysts say Putin's generals were particularly reluctant to attack urban targets in Kyiv. As a result, regardless of the Kremlin's plans—whether Russia was actually seeking air superiority or intended to limit damage in Kyiv—there is no question that Putin has had to revise the long-range attack plan.
Again, restraint.
"The fact that the mobile S-300 SAM systems are still operating is a powerful indictment of Russia's ability to conduct dynamic or time-sensitive targeting," the Atlantic Council asserted this week in a military brief.
Should tell you something that ghoulish think tanks are crafting the narratives, while State Dept employees speak anonymously
And the so-called peacekeeper training ground [in Yaroviv] was hit because it was the place where the 'international legion' was to have trained," the officer says. "Moscow even announced that."
Still waiting on actual evidence of that theater in Mariupol too.
Rest of the article is more of the same. It's quite lengthy, but definitely worth the read. The hysteria over this is unprecedented, and it's insane and impressive at the same time to see the machine at work.
"The destruction is massive," a senior analyst working at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) tells Newsweek, "especially when compared with what Europeans and Americans are used to seeing."
Used to seeing WHERE exactly??? :thinking-about-it:
900 iraqi civilian deaths -- ok.
900 caucasian ukranian deaths?? :walter-breakdown:
Iraqis are more Caucasian than Europeans
they redefined that word bcoz racial insecurity
“If we merely convince ourselves that Russia is bombing indiscriminately, or [that] it is failing to inflict more harm because its personnel are not up to the task or because it is technically inept, then we are not seeing the real conflict.”
:reddit-logo: in a nutshell
wow. as a leftist, it always such surprise when turn out am right. so crazy
I think most people with any sort of military credentials (including youtubers who run military channels) pointed out from the beginning that Russia was being restrained compared to Grozhny or Bagdad.
It's the MSM, Reddit, and general interest youtube info graphics crowd who were braying about Putin running a steamroller onto a pile of Ukrainian civilians.
Stories about how Russian troops getting owned by tricky elevators and a guy on a moped.
Simultaneously- Reddit video of Ukrainian troops summons missiles faster than upvotes.
Russia and Ukraine are not what we see on the media, and everyone knows it, so we watch more to try and see better and instead it’s more and more distorted.
Given Newsweek's previous articles, it seems editorial there is entirely in the pro-Russia anti-China camp of the us fp establishment.
Doesn't mean these articles from a mainstream journo aren't effective agitprop with libs tho
Yeah, or with think tanks, etc. Trump kowtowed to them somewhat.
The John Mearschimer realist school or w/e that thinks we need Russia to go after China.
Well his school is losing out because the US has pushed Russia and China closer together than they've been in 60 years.
That's interesting. Thought it was a fairly centrist rag. They just seem to throw out garbage from both libs and the right in the name of "debate"
I think it just jives with what's happened recently with Zelenskky's comments, and the fact that even with whatever logistical issues Russia is purported to be having, it doesn't make sense that they haven't just been able to pummel Kiev. It's just a real dearth of any real info, and the stuff being parroted around seems out of whack
In the capital, most observable to the west, Kyiv city authorities say that some 55 buildings have been damaged and that 222 people have died since February 24.
:fry: Interesting use of the word "people" instead of civilians...
There has been no methodical Russian attack on transportation routes or bridges to impede Ukrainian ground defenses or supplies.
Reinforces the idea that Russian forces are trying to limit civilian causalities/fatalities and damage to civil infrastructure. Also... Ukraine is pretty big and blowing up bridges and roads impedes supply routes for everybody.
"The fact that the mobile S-300 SAM systems are still operating is a powerful indictment of Russia's ability to conduct dynamic or time-sensitive targeting," the Atlantic Council asserted this week in a military brief.
:headshot: "Atlantic Council"
The DIA analyst disagrees: "For whatever reason, clearly the Russians have been reluctant to strike inside the urban megalopolis of Kyiv.
Yeah, because the air defense stuff is parked inside or close enough to civilians civil infrastructure that trying to take it out WILL result in civilian casualties.
"...everything strategic that Russia might destroy in front of its forces—bridges, communications, airfields, etc.—also becomes unusable to them as they move forward."
There we go, somebody's got a brain on their shoulders.
"Caught with his pants down, perhaps Putin indeed pivoted after he realized that Ukraine wasn't going to be a cakewalk and that Kyiv wasn't conquerable. Maybe he decided to solely focus on taking territory along the periphery and linking up his consolidations in the south, to be in a position to hold enough territory to extract concessions from Ukraine and the west—security guarantees or some demilitarized zone."
Or maybe, just having enough thought to have contingencies worked out for. I'm projecting, I know it, but this feels like its influenced by the "greeted as liberators" rhetoric coming from US government sources from the second Iraq war.
