Nobody can win this (28 Apr, 2022)

[aardvark_admin]

This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2022/0428.shtml

Ukrainians trapped in the Mariupol steel works are begging for a Dunkirk-style rescue mission to be launched by the West.

Russia is threatening a massive response against any Western nation that gets that directly involved in the conflict -- with the UK called out for special attention.

So what should we do?

Just sit around and allow these people to be slaughtered or die from starvation/dehydration?

Or call Putin's bluff and stand up to the bully?

Should we be making our decisions based on creating minimum harm or is it time to show that we are principled and will not allow the atrocities of WW2 to play out again before our very eyes?

[aardvark_admin]

What happened today in Ukraine?

- One woman was killed by Russian shelling on a hospital in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk

- Cluster munitions, which are banned under certain international treaties, were dropped on the village of Velyka Kostromka in the Dnipropetrovsk region

- Russian troops fired at least 50 mortars into the Esman community in the north-eastern region of Sumy

- In Mariupol, artworks have been removed from local museums by the Russian military after they were handed over by a Ukrainian civil servant

And the international community says "tsk, tsk"

[phill]

someone told me
if you hear russia has used a nuke on the west .. run outside as quick as you can and watch for the flash as russia disappears forever
then if your russian go inside and hide quickly and hope you survive the night of the knives for whatever russians are left on the planet

[Kiwiiano]

someone told me
if you hear russia has used a nuke on the west .. run outside as quick as you can and watch for the flash as russia disappears forever
then if your russian go inside and hide quickly and hope you survive the night of the knives for whatever russians are left on the planet

Would “Russia disappears forever” result in a repeat of the movie “On the Beach” by Neville Schute (?). American submarines turning up in Australasia retreating from the radioactive clouds shifting inexorably southward from the Northern hemisphere tit-for-tat nuclear exchanges. Then we all lose.

At least it will solve the climate change problem of too many humans!

[phill]

that was when there was just enough nukes to kill the whole planet

before salt we had enough to kill the planet 8 times over
nowadays we have reduced that to the much safer 4 times over

the 3 step response
1/ drop to the floor
2/ put your head between your knees
3/ kiss your ass goodbye

[phill]

in case your wondering

no .. nobody can win a nuclear exchange

[Kiwiiano]

in case your wondering

no .. nobody can win a nuclear exchange

That’s why it’s referred to as MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction.

Is Putin looney enough to hit The Big Red Button?

Are his generals looney enough to obey the order?

Is the West sane enough to not retaliate and set off the chain reaction? Preferring to isolate Russia entirely….or whatever punishment can be devised that doesn’t wipe out the entire planet.

[Perry]

Is Putin looney enough to hit The Big Red Button?
Are his generals looney enough to obey the order?

If Komrade Poo Tin can "hit the big red button," what do his generals have to do with that?
(Apart from kiss their arses goodbye.)

[Perry]

And - BTW - how many on here are 'prepping' for the worst?

[JonL]

Russia is not ' losing'
So far the Russian Army has used for its special military operation in Ukraine:
_ 12% of its soldiers (total includes trained draftees)
_ 10% of its jets
_ 7% of its tanks
_ 5% of its missiles
_ 4% of its artillery
And keeps advancing on a daily basis.
We can discuss about the decision to opt for this kind of limited intervention in terms of losses but it's still a success no matter if the pace is slower than some expected.

The west has been predicting Russia will " collapse" for weeks, and Ukraine has destroyed most of Russia's ' poor quality' equipment and troops. Well, we'll see, because most western 'experts' couldn't predict the time of day.