• CapgrasDelusion@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    As far as I can tell, this prolifically posting account has literally never posted an article that wasn’t negative on Ukraine, and posts about 90% negative on the West in general. For whatever that’s worth.

    • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      And half the comments in this thread are from queermunist, who’s all for the “just let Russia have what it wants and everything will be great” side.

      The flood of Rexiters did a lot to smother the tankie presence on the Lemmyverse, but it’s clearly still a strong undercurrent.

      • TokenBoomer @beehaw.org
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        11 months ago

        You joined a platform founded and inhabited by Marxist Leninist and checks notes … expected them to leave. Wtf?

        • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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          11 months ago

          No, I expected them to go hide in their little corner of it when the bulk of the population moving here turned out to reject their particular view on reality.

          Whether they “founded” the platform is irrelevant, it’s an open platform and they’re going to be in the minority.

          Edit: Oh, and since you switched the goalposts from tankies to “Marxist Leninists”, I figured I should point that out. I’m specifically talking about the people who think Russia’s full of awesome and manliness and crap like that, rather than being the kleptocratic mafia state basket case it actually is. “Marxist Lenninism” is just a word those people use to sound intellectual.

            • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              In the past day I’ve been described as being “from” noncredibledefense and “from” datahoarder. I do happen to subscribe to both those communities, but I’m not “from” anywhere in particular. Those are just some of many subjects I’m interested in. It’s odd, this sort of community identification never seemed to come up on Reddit. And you personally certainly didn’t bring me here, I don’t know who you are.

              Also, not sure why you’ve identified me as a “Liberal.” Haven’t voted for them in several elections now.

                • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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                  11 months ago

                  That’s not why I came here, though. I was active on a great many other subreddits, and I “found out” about the Fediverse through other channels. I think I recall seeing that post, now that you mention it, but as I recall I already had an account here (or perhaps on lemmy.ml, which I tried out for a bit before switching to kbin.social).

                  What’s “funny” about me being so active here? I was active on lots of different subreddits on Reddit. You’re active here too apparently, is that “funny?” Honestly, I have no idea what point you’re trying to make.

        • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          We joined a platform founded and inhabited by Marxist leninists and checks notes … Expected them to not support an authoritarian capitalist country. Is that really too much to ask?

          • TokenBoomer @beehaw.org
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            11 months ago

            Glad you understand what America is, and why the Marxist-Leninist here criticize it. Welcome home.

      • postmeridiem@lemmy.antemeridiem.xyz
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        11 months ago

        Eager to see what coping everyone switches to when it becomes obvious to Ukraine that the deal Russia offered in 2022 before the Kiev withdrawal was the best possible reality they would ever see again. Little Weimar on the Dnieper. No NATO, no EU, no Donbass, no Crimea.

        Then again the epic bacon sirs will probably be given a new shiny thing in Asia or Africa to focus on.

            • BaroqueInMind@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              I feel like I could invade your home unprovoked and take over your kitchen, eventually trashing up the floors to setup trenches to prevent you from retaking it and you’d just agree to negotiate and let me take your bedroom to fuck your mother.

                • BaroqueInMind@kbin.social
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                  11 months ago

                  I mean, I’m very wealthy, and the country I live in is also very wealthy. And we both agree we can spend pennies of the vast amount of our tax dollars to fuck up a shithole struggling incompetent third-world country like Russia through a highly competent proxy like Ukraine without lifting a finger. So yes I agree.

                  You also didn’t refute what I said about invading your home, so you sound like a tankie cuck. PM me your address please and I can help show your beautiful kind mother a good time.

      • CapgrasDelusion@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        I didn’t attack the source. I just pointed out that someone posting more than most on lemmy could push a certain point of view using any and all sources if they cherry pick.

        • freagle@lemmygrad.ml
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          11 months ago

          Wow, that’s a new one. “I can’t question the legitimacy of the source so I’ll question the legitimacy of the poster as a way of refusing to engage with reality”

          • CapgrasDelusion@kbin.social
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            11 months ago

            That’s certainly quotes around a lot of things I didn’t say. I admit I need to do a better job seeing past my own biases.

            I also admit OPs posting pattern is materially irrelevant to the contents of the Washing Post article on its own. I was just pointing out a larger pattern within the c/worldnews community as a whole. In that context someone with an agenda can have influence.

            But I’m not sure why I did. They seem like a nice person and post good faith articles. This was probably a misaimed shot on my part, true or not.

    • Trudge [Comrade]@lemmygrad.ml
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      11 months ago

      They’re 10% positive on the West? Thank you for this valuable information comrade. We’ll be sending them back to the reeducation center for ideological training purposes.

      • LiberalSoCalist@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        Ha, I knew it! I knew the OP was a Kremlin asset and it wasn’t just me grasping for reasons to not engage with an article from a credible mainstream source because it presents an inconvenient reality.

    • masquenox@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      Posting “90% negative on the West in general” is still softballing it.

      But yeah… still lots of pro-Russian propaganda flowing around here.

    • ToastyWaffle@lemmygrad.ml
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      11 months ago

      God forbid someone tries to have a well rounded opinion on the situation through all the western propaganda by contributing articles outside of the one narrative you choose to believe.

      • CapgrasDelusion@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        I actually read most of Nightowl’s submissions for the reason you mention, to read outside my “narrative.” But they have an agenda and people should know that.

  • Astroturfed@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Unfortunately Russia’s strategy of mining the front so heavily it won’t be safe for a hundred years is proving pretty effect at slowing the Ukrainian advance. I hope the rest of the world never lets up on the sanctions. Russia is a fucked backwater that loves war crimes. They need to be punished.

    • Zippy@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Excessive sanctions long after the reason for them can have a detrimental long term outcome. I am with you to sanction hard while they occupy even one square inch and I emotionally want then to pay for long after but in the name of stability, that is not the best option.

      The reality is that this conflict is only being driven by a relatively small number of people. Everyone else is along for the ride or being brainwashed. Punish those people for life but unfortunately that will never cover the economic cost much less that of life.

  • Syldon@feddit.uk
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    11 months ago

    Denys Davydov did video on these type of comments about a week ago. He dragged up a lot of newspaper front pages of the invasion of the Nazis in 1945. There was a ton of articles stating just how slow the move was going. An attacking force is always going to have a hard time against a very entrenched enemy. You also have to remember Ukraine does not have a good air force until they get those pilots trained up for the F-16. They are making gains and are knocking on the second defence line in two areas. Any gains Russia has made they loose 2 days later, with the exception of Bakhmut.

    • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      And another important thing to bear in mind is that the start of the advance is the hardest part of the advance. Russia has built up a thick crust of defensive lines. At some point the advance penetrates that crust, and then the gooey center goes much more quickly.

      • Trudge [Comrade]@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 months ago

        Unless the Russians abandoned all of good Soviet military doctrine (which is quite possible since they’re so virulently anti-communist), that is the furthest from the truth possible.

        The Soviet military doctrine has been Deep Operation since the founding of the nation, where there is no single hard battlefront, instead keeping the combat line deep and flexible. Unless there is significant evidence to the contrary, I would assume that the operational paradigm for the Russian military remains the same.

        • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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          11 months ago

          combat line

          If there’s a “combat line” then there’s another side to that line.

          • Trudge [Comrade]@lemmygrad.ml
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            11 months ago

            It’s not exactly a line. It’s miles and miles of defensive fortifications, entrenchments, units, and supply lines in a myriad configurations. There’s no breaking through it in a traditional sense. Like I said earlier, the entire doctrine of warfare is different, like how the US armed forces doctrine is based on aerial support.

              • Trudge [Comrade]@lemmygrad.ml
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                11 months ago

                That’s exactly what I’m talking about. How is that a line to break through? It’s a mesh of defensive fortifications miles deep.

                • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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                  11 months ago

                  I’m not seeing a “mesh” on that map. I’m seeing a line. There’s a speckling of fortifications deeper in, but a military that has broken through that line isn’t going to have much trouble with a speckling. That’s the “gooey center” I was talking about. The main strength is concentrated along the line.

    • ToastyWaffle@lemmygrad.ml
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      11 months ago

      That’s just not true. Ukraine has not even gotten through the first defense line anywhere along the front. Where are you referring to with them knocking on the second line?

      • Syldon@feddit.uk
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        11 months ago

        So it is a lie that they have broken through to Robotyne?

        • ToastyWaffle@lemmygrad.ml
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          11 months ago

          I’m not sure if Robotyne has completely been taken by AFU or not, but that’s not part of the “first line of defense”. These are outer/forward defense positions. We aren’t totally sure what portion of Russian defense units are manning these forward positions however, and the RFAF have tried to build up fortification around the area, but its not the first official line, which is maybe where people get confused.

          If you look at this image, I’ve labelled the two main lines of the Russian defenses from deepstatemap:

          https://i.imgur.com/MnksZXt.png

          And here I’ve circled in blue, an example of what portion of the Defense in Depth doctrine, Robotyne and areas where AFU has made gains, these parts of the front are equivalent to:

          https://i.imgur.com/nOSvIJU.png

          Source for second image US Fort Moore on Russian Maneuver Defense: https://www.moore.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/2021/Spring/2Grau_Bartles21.pdf

          • Syldon@feddit.uk
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            11 months ago

            Russia have left Robotyne and those black lines are defence lines. The deep state map is always a few days behind.

            Ukraine has also committed the 82 brigade into that area to push further forward. All of which has been made possible with the newer method of mine detecting.

  • Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    And what is wrong with Ukraine not just bashing its head into russian defenses and instead go for a slow-and-steady approach? They still have reserves to spare, word is Ukraine is rotating its troops on the front regularly. So as long as Ukraine can keep up the pressure and russia not being able to stop their slow advance, they will be successful eventually. Would another Kharkiv thrunder-run be preferable? Surely.
    But russia is prepared this time. And instead of being all doom-and-gloom, the West could step up its commitment to see Ukraine win. Apart from artillery shell production, weapon manufacturers still see no increase in weapons procurement. It’s time for the West to let actions follow its words on support of Ukraine. As long as their words ring hollow, Putin only has to wait and eventually outpace dwindling western support.

    • Trudge [Comrade]@lemmygrad.ml
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      11 months ago

      The problem of that approach is that winter is coming soon and battles will soon ground to a halt. Which will give Russians the time to build up their defensive layers again.

      Spring offensive of 2024 will commence afterwards. And then the spring offensive of 2025, 2026, 2027…

  • diffuselight@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    Ukraine is fighting for their existence, russia is fighting for the oligarchs. Ukraine will prevail.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    11 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Ukraine appears to be running out of options in a counteroffensive that officials originally framed as Kyiv’s crucial operation to retake significant territory from occupying Russian forces this year.

    Meanwhile, a war weary Ukrainian public is eager for leaders in Kyiv to secure victory and in Washington, calls to cut back on aid to Ukraine are expected to be amplified in the run up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

    “The question here is which of the two sides is going to be worn out sooner,” said Franz-Stefan Gady, a senior fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Center for a New American Security, who visited Ukraine in July.

    Sak, the adviser to the defense minister, said the slow progress clearing extensive mine fields along the front is preventing Kyiv from engaging the majority of its Western-trained reserve forces.

    Ukrainian forces have retaken roughly 81 square miles of occupied territory since the counteroffensive began in June, with the greatest gains occurring near Bakhmut in the east and in the Zaporizhzhia region south of Orikhiv.

    The Biden administration has “very successfully” managed risk of a direct conflict with Russia by gradually providing Kyiv with more advanced weapons systems and longer-range munitions, said Kelly Grieco, who researches air power operations as a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a D.C.-based policy group.


    The original article contains 1,338 words, the summary contains 223 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • argv_minus_one@beehaw.org
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    11 months ago

    Is there a reason the European powers aren’t chipping in? They realize Putin is going to invade them next, right?

  • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    Wouldn’t munitions like the HIMARS with tungsten balls set off these mines they’ve used?

    Why not make smaller versions to shot gun blast a path?

    • Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      The problem is that Ukraine is given enough not to lose, but not enough to win. At this rate, Ukraine will depend on western hand-outs much longer than if the West fully committed to see Ukraine restore its borders.

      • Bantha@feddit.de
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        11 months ago

        What do you think “winning” looks like tho? Absolutely annihilating Russia?

        • Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works
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          11 months ago

          Forcing Russia to stop and reverse its invasion. If you think that it will take the total annihilation of russia, so be it.

          • Bantha@feddit.de
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            11 months ago

            No. I don’t think that’s “winning”. First of all Russia is more than just Putin. Actual people live there. As much as in Ukraine. They wouldn’t be that much better than Russia if Ukraine “invaded” Russia back. Also for that to happen the west would need to support Ukraine so dramatically that it most certainly would come to a nuclear Supergau. This “total annihilation of Russia” would mean in return the total annihilation of the human race.

            I don’t think Ukraine can “win” against Russia with sheer military might. No matter how much they are supported. That’s an archaic view of politics and war. The only real solution to bring piece is a peace contract. It isn’t the 11th century anymore where two armies would clash against each other and the one coming out victorious is the winning party of the war. I’m not one of those “stop giving Ukraine weapons and military aid und jUsT tAlK wItH pUtIn” guys but in the end there has to be a treaty. And you can’t do that by just bombing the shit out of Russia cuz that’d mean the end of the fucking world.

      • Krause [he/him]@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 months ago

        The problem is that Ukraine is given enough not to lose, but not enough to win.

        The problem is that Ukraine is given what the West can afford to give, they haven’t got the industry to fight Russia’s war machine in a war of attrition anymore after deindustrialization and the shift to neoliberal policies. Sucks to suck, shouldn’t have shipped manufacturing to China to crush their domestic labor movement 😄

        • FaceDeer@kbin.social
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          11 months ago

          They’ve been given the West’s surplus. The stuff that’s been sitting in inventory waiting to be decommissioned because it was thought to be obsolete.

          Turns out Russia’s “modern” stuff is inferior to the West’s obsolete stuff, though, so that’s been working pretty well.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            11 months ago

            Absurd. America has already given $75 billion in “assistance” to keep this war going, imagine if that had been spent on people who need it in America? And you want to spend even more than that??? Every bomb is food stolen from the mouth of a hungry child.

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                11 months ago

                Yeah because this is a demon shithole country. Money only gets spent on murder, never on helping fucking anyone.

            • Skua@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              About 24 billion is non-military financial aid and 4 billion more is humanitarian, so that’s a big chunk not being spent on bombs. Slightly more than half of the remainder is the estimated value of old stock being sent over and therefore could not be “spent” on assistance for Americans anyway. The remaining 23 billion that is actually money spent on equipment and training is less than half of one percent of annual federal government expenditure. Weapons for Ukraine are not the reason money isn’t being spent on what you want it to be spent on.

                • Skua@kbin.social
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                  11 months ago

                  Depends on what the countries sending it can afford and what it would take for Russia to stop invading. That’s not the point I’m making. The point is that the none of the countries aiding Ukraine are currently spending anything anywhere close to enough of their budgets to significantly affect any other spending they do. If you’re unhappy with how your government directs the other 99.6% of its budget, yeah, I get that. I am at mine too. But helping Ukraine is not the problem there.

            • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              What is your plan than?

              What should the west do?

              Let me guess, you have no alternative that does not boil down to “Let Putin and people like him do what they want.”

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                11 months ago

                Negotiate an end to the war. I’d support a UN monitored vote in the Donbass region and Crimea (and any other contested area) on whether they want to join Russia or stay with Ukraine.

                • Spzi@lemm.ee
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                  11 months ago

                  Let’s assume a peace is negotiated, in which each party assures it respects the aggreed-upon borders. Similar to the Budapest Memorandum, signed and broken by Russia. How could Ukraine trust them this time?

                  I’d support a UN monitored vote in the Donbass region and Crimea (and any other contested area) on whether they want to join Russia or stay with Ukraine.

                  That sounds good at first glance. But given Russia has the opportunity to persecute any opposition in the contested areas, and bring in loyal settlers, the results are likely skewed even if the vote itself is fair and transparent.

                  Fundamentally, I still don’t understand why one should negotiate with a burglar how much they get to keep.

                • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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                  11 months ago

                  Negotiate an end to the war.

                  Russia refuses to give back the lands seized.

                  Now what to you do?

                  I’d support a UN monitored vote in the Donbass region and Crimea (and any other contested area) on whether they want to join Russia or stay with Ukraine.

                  Not an option the Ukrainian gov will accept. Nor should they.
                  When parts of the USA wanted to leave that was not response from the USA.

                • Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works
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                  11 months ago

                  Sorry, but as if. Russia is a UN veto power. And Russia would never accept UN troops sent by the West to oversee anything. And african nations won’t want to piss off Putin by agreeing to this. Putin wants his anti-NATO back and this war will only end with Putin thuroughly defeated.
                  Not to mention that such a vote would be a farce anyway. Russia has had enough time to kill, torture, intimidate or disappear enough people that such a vote could never be fair.
                  And as for the money spent on Ukraine, it’s but a cheap talking point to suggest that supporting Ukraine and supporting your own population are mutually exclusive. Not to mention believing that if the money wouldn’t have been spent on Ukraine, that your own people would’ve seen that money is pretty delusional. For starters, most of the support sent by the US is hardware. And the given value for that support is the replacement cost for the kit sent. However, most of the kit sent was due to be replaced anyways, so the actual cost for the US is much lower than the figure being thrown around.

            • diffuselight@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              You know full well we do not spend food on horn children in America for they come from sin. We only care about the unborn. Ask clearly you are fake american.

    • diffuselight@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      It’s good use for the money, this way it’s not used to buy Russian fossil fuel or help billionaires commit suicide in expensive vanity submarines.