nortex97 said:
Sitrep: Putin seeks broad security agreement, rattles about Oreshnik strike on Berlin.Really, that wouldn't be a 'bad' outcome, imho. It would be nice if Putin and Trump were negotiating for a US withdrawal from Nato as well though. I put this piece about a possible Ukrainian collapse on the newer thread but here it is as well. More at the links.Quote:
If there's any truth to the 'scoop', what's interesting about the contents is that it does appear to outline a broader security architecture on the macro scale, rather than merely hairsplitting over the 'micro'-level details of post-war troop compositions and such.
The 'three Russian sources' with an alleged ear in the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin's plan includes the demand for Western powers to pledge not only that Ukraine will not join NATO, but that NATO will not expand any further eastward, which primarily only affects Georgia and Moldova at this point, since nearly everyone else has already joined:This is particularly interesting because it coincides with NYT's latest which suggests Trump is pushing for a "19th century-style" world where US, China, and Russia divide the globe into spheres of influence.Quote:
The three Russian sources said Putin wants a "written" pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the U.S.-led NATO alliance eastwards - shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
Russia also wants Ukraine to be neutral, some Western sanctions lifted, a resolution of the issue of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West, and protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine, the three sources said.❕ Ukrainian monitoring resources, based on Western intelligence, have calculated that the Russian army has transferred 40 TU-22M strategic bombers to the Olenya airbase and, allegedly, 20% of the available Tu-95 MS
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) May 29, 2025
It is reported that an Il-76 transport aircraft has arrived at… pic.twitter.com/GwWpMHbXfC
Could be an unfortunate way to begin the peace negotiations, or alternatively a crushing response to Kiev refusing the Russian terms yet again.Ukraine's air defense is operating at the limit of its capabilities
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) May 30, 2025
If a year ago a raid of 30 Russian drones was considered a serious attack, now up to 300 drones are launched daily at military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, The Economist reports.
In addition,…
Russia is sending the same delegation to Istanbul that went to Ankara last time.
Today, Ukrainian forces conducted a simultaneous strike on Russia's Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo airbases using FPV drone swarms.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 1, 2025
The strikes destroyed a number of high-value Russian aircraft (Ukrainian SBU sources tell the FT nearly 40), including heavy bombers. pic.twitter.com/3fMoc1fPSV
Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has submitted his resignation.
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) June 1, 2025
"I have decided to submit my resignation from the position of Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This is a conscious step dictated by my… pic.twitter.com/Qs81y0yqSW
RU MOD statement:
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) June 1, 2025
"Today, the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack using FPV drones against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions.
At military airfields in the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, all terrorist attacks were repelled.
In the…
— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) June 1, 2025
Quote:
Fwiw, the Russians built over 500 of these. Not real sure this really matters. Around 4 updated ones are delivered by beriev per year.
GAC06 said:Quote:
Fwiw, the Russians built over 500 of these. Not real sure this really matters. Around 4 updated ones are delivered by beriev per year.
Whoa 500 sounds pretty impressive. What matters is they had something like 50-60 operational leading up to their invasion. Lost another AWACS it looks like too but we already know how you feel about those.
Quote:
RU MOD statement:
"Today, the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack using FPV drones against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions.
this sounds like something an underfunded russian bot farm would try to fabricate to gain sympathy from dumb americans.Teslag said:
I'm over here still mind blown at the ridiculousness of trying to claim the Ukrainians are training Mexican cartels. There's throwing **** against the wall and then there's that. Fascinating.
Cougar11 said:
lol you really think Russia can't replace these. This is like when the war started, and Russia's economy was supposed to be crushed in year 1 yet their economy is just fine.
Old McDonald said:this sounds like something an underfunded russian bot farm would try to fabricate to gain sympathy from dumb americans.Teslag said:
I'm over here still mind blown at the ridiculousness of trying to claim the Ukrainians are training Mexican cartels. There's throwing **** against the wall and then there's that. Fascinating.
soon we'll find out from random twitter accounts that the ukrainian military is smuggling ms-13 gang members into the US from mexico
can you blame them?nortex97 said:
Also wide boasts about our Ukrainian "allies" not telling the White House about this long planned strike. Again, the partnership at a strategic level is over.
AtticusMatlock said:
And I think that's the whole point of Trump trying to warm up Russia. He wants to decouple them from Iran and work with them on a deal in the middle east. Ukraine war is just stuck in the middle of that. In my opinion the Trump strategy on Ukraine is really about Iran.
Who?mikejones! said:AtticusMatlock said:
And I think that's the whole point of Trump trying to warm up Russia. He wants to decouple them from Iran and work with them on a deal in the middle east. Ukraine war is just stuck in the middle of that. In my opinion the Trump strategy on Ukraine is really about Iran.
Or China. Or both.
I don't think it's a terrible thought. But, it might be too late to get Russia into such a relationship with us or the west. It was tried and between the neo cons and the putins who couldn't get over the cold war, the window was missed, imo.
But, if we could swing Russia to be an ally instead of a foe, it would be a big cog in a future conflict with Iran or china.
Pumpkinhead said:
Russia media admitting drones concealed in trucks were driven deep inside Russia and then launched at multiple airfields and 'several' aircraft were lost. Including strategic bomber airfields in Siberia…. Thousands of km from the Ukraine frontline…a new tactic and threat the everybody will now have to worry about.
Rossticus said:Who?mikejones! said:AtticusMatlock said:
And I think that's the whole point of Trump trying to warm up Russia. He wants to decouple them from Iran and work with them on a deal in the middle east. Ukraine war is just stuck in the middle of that. In my opinion the Trump strategy on Ukraine is really about Iran.
Or China. Or both.
I don't think it's a terrible thought. But, it might be too late to get Russia into such a relationship with us or the west. It was tried and between the neo cons and the putins who couldn't get over the cold war, the window was missed, imo.
But, if we could swing Russia to be an ally instead of a foe, it would be a big cog in a future conflict with Iran or china.
The issue with that is that for it to be a net positive for Russia, the US would have to cede a massive degree of unchecked global influence and control to Moscow. Russia's interests will only align with ours for as long as they're gaining outsized benefit from it to our detriment.
Russia won't alter their strategic goals. Particularly not while Putin or a Putinist is in power. Either we alter ours to allow for their continued ascendancy or they'll maintain course. And, knowing Russia, there's a fair chance they'd crawfish and shoot us in the ass if they identified a favorable opportunity in the future.
I'm not sure that strategy is worth the inherent sacrifices and risks.
I think it is excellent news if true, that the relationship with the executive branch of our gov't is no longer a partner with the Ukrainians. It's a strong break, though, as they've continued to gripe that the White House isn't supportive enough of their plans/funding etc.Old McDonald said:can you blame them?nortex97 said:
Also wide boasts about our Ukrainian "allies" not telling the White House about this long planned strike. Again, the partnership at a strategic level is over.
Still a big loss even if one Tu-95 is 'destroyed' for good, but not catastrophic like they claim.
— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) June 1, 2025
Either way, the implications of the attack are certainly worse than the attack itself https://t.co/dLT0kO85Dz
LOL. You really think Russia can easily replace strategic bombers? Reminds me of another resident goofball that claimed Russia could easily replace their tank inventory.Cougar11 said:
lol you really think Russia can't replace these. This is like when the war started, and Russia's economy was supposed to be crushed in year 1 yet their economy is just fine.
TriAg2010 said:Pumpkinhead said:
Russia media admitting drones concealed in trucks were driven deep inside Russia and then launched at multiple airfields and 'several' aircraft were lost. Including strategic bomber airfields in Siberia…. Thousands of km from the Ukraine frontline…a new tactic and threat the everybody will now have to worry about.
FIFY. This is an attack vector that's long been hypothesized now come to reality. We can no longer be surprised if the opening move in hostiles with China is thousands of drones pouring out of container ships in American ports… many of which are shared with U.S. Navy and other defense entities.
Likewise, do you have any basis to think Russia is…short on tanks, or production this year? Or KH-21 launch platforms/missiles?benchmark said:LOL. You really think Russia can easily replace strategic bombers? Reminds me of another resident goofball that claimed Russia could easily replace their tank inventory.Cougar11 said:
lol you really think Russia can't replace these. This is like when the war started, and Russia's economy was supposed to be crushed in year 1 yet their economy is just fine.
GAC06 said:
It's not true.
Ok it might be a little bit true.
It's true but it's actually good news!
Quote:
Moscow lost 1,400 tanks in 2024 and is struggling to make new tanks at a fast enough rate to replace the old ones despite increasing production of advanced models like the T-90M tank.
"Russia is increasingly trading quality for quantity to support its war effort," the report said.
"The scale of its equipment losses fighting against
Ukraine has meant that, to keep units equipped, it has had
to draw down from its stocks of Soviet-era armour."
That has seen Moscow fall back on small numbers of vintage armoured personnel carriers built in the 1950s and tanks built in the 1960s, said the IISS, which estimates Russia has lost a total of 4,400 main battle tanks in the war so far
Quote:
Military analysts have told Al Jazeera that the Ukrainian army has already destroyed a lion's share of Russia's tanks and armoured vehicles.
The shortage is increasingly hard to replenish, even as Moscow digs into mammoth Soviet-era stocks to refurbish decommissioned and dysfunctional vehicles.
"Armoured vehicles are being put out of use with a horrifying speed," Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany's Bremen University, told Al Jazeera.
"The production of new ones and the restoration of damaged or mothballed ones is far behind the losses," and Russia's park of armoured vehicles for the offence will last "mere months," he said.
Meanwhile, there are "colossal" problems with delivering supplies to the front line as ubiquitous Ukrainian drones destroy armoured cargo vehicles and civilian cars, he said.