War: Russia vs. Ukraine?

[TheHangedOne]

I'm seeing multiple articles, tweets, etc., saying that Taiwan has sent 27 tons of medical supplies to Ukraine.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taiwan-medical-supplies-ukraine-27-tonnes-2527706

[Humble Scribe]

Some almost unbelievable information coming out of Ukraine now about how unprepared Russia was for this invastion.
This Twitter thread by security consultancy Shadowbreak International, who've been crowdsourcing Russian military transmissions, is jaw dropping.
If it's true, the Russians are having to use civilian radios and cellphones to communicate and transmitting in the clear. Many soldiers genuinely don't seem to have been told that this wasn't just an exercise.
It's so mad I can't quite accept it, but it does explain why they have been so utterly rubbish. Every video I saw for the first few days showed Russian troops with no tactical posture, vehicles bunched up and in neat lines, no attempt to protect flanks. That seems to be changing now, and as predicted, the heavy artillery is coming out, but this is utterly shambolic for what was supposed to be a professional modern army.

[Leon Weber]

Relevant

[Lustful Bride]

Russia did yet another oopise ::)

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWIYfKWSAxw

[Lilias]

The full text: https://thefrontierpost.com/the-new-world-order/

[Thufir Hawat]

"Some French minister said today that they have declared economic war to us. Watch your words, misters! And do not forget that in human history, economic wars often become real ones". - Dmitry Medvedev, today, quoted by TASS. You can check his foreign language Twitter feed, but it's in French there.

[Beorning]

I think this is worth watching - the speech Zelensky gave today in the European Parliament:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVvkdwksxMw

Here's a link to a video with subtitles (Polish only, unfortunately) - in case you wanted to hear the man's actual voice:

https://www.facebook.com/wideowyborcza/videos/975308436425082/

Anyway - that was one *great* speech. Wow.

[Oniya]

I've seen articles saying that the Ukrainian fighters have been using Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It' as something of a battle-cry.  I can not tell you how much that warms my Gen-X heart.

[Sara Nilsson]

I've seen articles saying that the Ukrainian fighters have been using Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It' as something of a battle-cry.  I can not tell you how much that warms my Gen-X heart.

https://twitter.com/deesnider/status/1498733166474915842?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Mr Snider himself said, its ok :)

Also.. he said

People are asking me why I endorsed the use of "We're Not Gonna Take It" for the Ukrainian people and did not for the anti-maskers. Well, one use is for a righteous battle against oppression; the other is a infantile feet stomping against an inconvenience.

https://twitter.com/deesnider/status/1497992398491701248

Which is just.. brilliant

[Oniya]

I remember reading Mr. Snider's testimony in front of Congress regarding record labeling (along with Frank Zappa and John Denver).  I'm not at all surprised.

[Bezukhov]

I went through the thread and I don't think it's been posted yet: I just found this website, which combines a live feed of what's going on with a map-centric approach. Seems like a reliable outlet to me, given how all the news they share come with sources and, when they do not, they are always cautious with their choice of words.

[Regina Minx]

Relevant

For clarification, POG does not refer to an expression of excitement in a gaming-related context, but military jargon for 'Person Other than Grunt'. That is to say, someone other than a direct combatant that direct combatants look down upon for not being on the front lines.

[Leon Weber]

For clarification, POG does not refer to an expression of excitement in a gaming-related context, but military jargon for 'Person Other than Grunt'. That is to say, someone other than a direct combatant that direct combatants look down upon for not being on the front lines.

Sorry yes I should have clarified that, I was considered a POG by some and not by others and sometimes forget people don't know military jargon

[Regina Minx]

Sorry yes I should have clarified that, I was considered a POG by some and not by others and sometimes forget people don't know military jargon

No worries. Mostly I just wanted to post here to be able to follow.

[Deamonbane]

For clarification, POG does not refer to an expression of excitement in a gaming-related context, but military jargon for 'Person Other than Grunt'. That is to say, someone other than a direct combatant that direct combatants look down upon for not being on the front lines.

lol yeah I was a little confused by that.

[Leon Weber]

lol yeah I was a little confused by that.

Yeah its mostly applied to logistical and clerical staff but depending on who you ask it can apply to basically anyone whos not on the front line of the fighting at any given moment.

[TheGlyphstone]

I've learned something today!

[Beorning]

On another note:

I just read what some Western political analysts, journalists etc. say about Russia's invasion and... I'm saddened. I already knew that some people in the States, like Tucker Carlson and other right-wingers, are sympathetic toward Putin. But now I learned that also Western leftists, like Naomi Klein, seem to think that all of this is the result of NATO's aggressive stance toward Russia etc. And that they subscribe to this idea that Central and Eastern Europe countries should've remained a "buffer zone" so that Russia's "interests" and "concerns" were respected...  >:(

[Lustful Bride]

As someone once stated 'Maybe if Russia/The Soviet Union treated Eastern Europe better, they wouldn't want to join NATO so badly!"

Besides. NATO does not force nations to join it, they have to ask and all member nations have to agree to it. Ukraine repeatedly asked to join NATO but was denied because of ongoing internal conflict (enflamed and funded by Putin & his Chronies), so the whole 'NATO expansion is the reason for this' is a total BS argument and shows that people saying are either Russian puppets, or really do not understand how NATO actually functions.

NATO is not a singular entity the way these people treat it, but a loose defensive alliance that nations can actually leave when they want to. (As France did back in the first Cold War).

[HairyHeretic]

Just saw this on my FB feed

The Ukranian Defense Ministry is offering to let captured Russian soldiers go free, if their mothers come to Kyiv to pick them up in person.

https://www.facebook.com/MinistryofDefence.UA/posts/267620162217110


Anyone know if this is legit?

[Humble Scribe]

For clarification, POG does not refer to an expression of excitement in a gaming-related context, but military jargon for 'Person Other than Grunt'. That is to say, someone other than a direct combatant that direct combatants look down upon for not being on the front lines.

In Britain the army calls them PONTIs - Persons Of No Tactical Importance.

I just read what some Western political analysts, journalists etc. say about Russia's invasion and... I'm saddened. I already knew that some people in the States, like Tucker Carlson and other right-wingers, are sympathetic toward Putin. But now I learned that also Western leftists, like Naomi Klein, seem to think that all of this is the result of NATO's aggressive stance toward Russia etc. And that they subscribe to this idea that Central and Eastern Europe countries should've remained a "buffer zone" so that Russia's "interests" and "concerns" were respected...  >:(

There's a puzzling attachment to Russia in some old lefties - Jeremy Corbyn, our previous Labour leader, was a prime example - which somehow treats modern Russia as though it was still the Soviet Union and a Beacon of World Socialism, and those like George Galloway who hate the US more than they hate fascism for some reason. They clearly never got the memo about the mafiosi that run the place these days. On the right, people like Nigel Farage I assume are in the pay of Moscow directly or indirectly, or else have just swallowed the Kremlin propaganda lines whole.

[Mechelle]

In Britain the army calls them PONTIs - Persons Of No Tactical Importance.

There's a puzzling attachment to Russia in some old lefties - Jeremy Corbyn, our previous Labour leader, was a prime example - which somehow treats modern Russia as though it was still the Soviet Union and a Beacon of World Socialism, and those like George Galloway who hate the US more than they hate fascism for some reason. They clearly never got the memo about the mafiosi that run the place these days. On the right, people like Nigel Farage I assume are in the pay of Moscow directly or indirectly, or else have just swallowed the Kremlin propaganda lines whole.

There was a good piece on this by George Monbiot in the Guardian today.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/russian-propaganda-anti-imperialist-left-vladimir-putin

I distinguish  slightly between the likes of Jeremy Corbyn, who seems to be a traditional "useful idiot" who automatically disbelieves NATO and the west as a reflex, and the likes of Galloway and Farage who, I agree, seem to be on the Kremlin payroll, or, if not, should surely be paid for their efforts. Farage has been hurriedly trying to distance himself from his earlier comments, I have noticed, incidentally, but it was a strange alliance during the Brexit campaign between these two on the far right and left of "respectable" politics.

Our most famous resident oligarch, Roman Abramovich, is selling Chelsea Football Club, the current European champions, with the proceeds going to the war's victims, but is being given plenty of time by the British government to do so. He is supposedly the first person to recommend to Boris Yeltsin that Putin should be his successor, and remained close to Putin, whom he has not criticised in his recent statements.

[Bezukhov]

As someone once stated 'Maybe if Russia/The Soviet Union treated Eastern Europe better, they wouldn't want to join NATO so badly!"

Besides. NATO does not force nations to join it, they have to ask and all member nations have to agree to it. Ukraine repeatedly asked to join NATO but was denied because of ongoing internal conflict (enflamed and funded by Putin & his Chronies), so the whole 'NATO expansion is the reason for this' is a total BS argument and shows that people saying are either Russian puppets, or really do not understand how NATO actually functions.

NATO is not a singular entity the way these people treat it, but a loose defensive alliance that nations can actually leave when they want to. (As France did back in the first Cold War).

There might be people who are against NATO as they have a different take on its actual function, while not being on the Kremlin's payroll, though. I mean, I'm sorry, but I'd be much happier if my country were to invest that share of GDP in something else than military spending (not entirely sure, but I believe NATO countries are now required to allocate 2% of their GDP by 2024). But then again, my country's not currently on the frontline. Hence, I'd rather postpone any further considerations on NATO at a different time, when (hopefully soon) the Russian government will have come to senses and withdraw the troops. Hope we'll see the end of this madness soon.

On another note:

I just read what some Western political analysts, journalists etc. say about Russia's invasion and... I'm saddened. I already knew that some people in the States, like Tucker Carlson and other right-wingers, are sympathetic toward Putin. But now I learned that also Western leftists, like Naomi Klein, seem to think that all of this is the result of NATO's aggressive stance toward Russia etc. And that they subscribe to this idea that Central and Eastern Europe countries should've remained a "buffer zone" so that Russia's "interests" and "concerns" were respected...  >:(

I tried to find Naomi Klein's stance on the subject, but couldn't. Care to link it? Also, my friend in Łódź has been telling me about the huge display of solidarity by Poles towards Ukrainians refugees. I've been in touch with the local Ukrainian community here in my city. The day they started collecting goods to be sent there, someone vandalized their place overnight. Which is crazy, since the Russian community is rather friendly and the far right guys, well, they are barely relevant. I'm pretty sure the far left isn't involved either, so... I'm puzzled. Are you having troubles with extremists up there?

[greenknight]

For clarification, POG does not refer to an expression of excitement in a gaming-related context, but military jargon for 'Person Other than Grunt'. That is to say, someone other than a direct combatant that direct combatants look down upon for not being on the front lines.

For context, pog is a slur derived from New York slang contemporary to WWI and imported into the military parlance. It comes from the Irish p[size=0pt]ô[/size]g, or kiss, anglicized pogue and spelled that way before the military backronymization of the very late '90s. (It did not pick up its specifically non-Infantry connotation until the mid-aughts, prior to that applying to non-combat troops.) As a contemporary slur, it was applied to homosexuals and others seen as flexible in their sexual morals, and applied to those of Irish descent. It gained a predatory aspect in the supposition that those tarred with it would open to inducements for "kisses", hence the military slang for candies and other personally procured snacks as "pogey bait." With the enlargement of the Army in response to WWI, the term entered military parlance effectively unaltered and initially applied to soldiers of Irish descent in those units raised primarily from New York City. After the war, it continued in use and morphed from a specifically racial slur to one evoking the supposed laziness of the Irish in being applied to those whose duties did not include frontline combat.
Please do not perpetuate the use of POG in any form.

[Leon Weber]

For context, pog is a slur derived from New York slang contemporary to WWI and imported into the military parlance. It comes from the Irish p[size=0pt]ô[/size]g, or kiss, anglicized pogue and spelled that way before the military backronymization of the very late '90s. (It did not pick up its specifically non-Infantry connotation until the mid-aughts, prior to that applying to non-combat troops.) As a contemporary slur, it was applied to homosexuals and others seen as flexible in their sexual morals, and applied to those of Irish descent. It gained a predatory aspect in the supposition that those tarred with it would open to inducements for "kisses", hence the military slang for candies and other personally procured snacks as "pogey bait." With the enlargement of the Army in response to WWI, the term entered military parlance effectively unaltered and initially applied to soldiers of Irish descent in those units raised primarily from New York City. After the war, it continued in use and morphed from a specifically racial slur to one evoking the supposed laziness of the Irish in being applied to those whose duties did not include frontline combat.
Please do not perpetuate the use of POG in any form.

I personally wasn't aware of how deep that particular term went, its always been Person Other than Grunt to me but I will make sure not to perpetuate its use any further. Of course not that I would since I was on the receiving end of that insult for not being an infantryman.