How many operable and fueled-up MT-LBs with Z’s painted on the back of them do you suppose are just lying around the countryside, waiting for some “goofballs” to find them and make prank videos with them?
You’d think the Ukrainians would be using those things right now instead of leaving them abandoned on the roadside with a full tank and a Z painted on so that some goofballs could appropriate them.
Unless the guy speaking Ukrainian in the video is actually saying “Like, comment, and subscribe”, this seems unlikely.
NATO can resist that very easily. Mostly because intervening militarily would likely mean the end of civilization in a nuclear Armageddon. How does the old saying go? I don’t know what weapons they’ll fight WW III with, but WW IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
You don’t know where the vehicle came from, you don’t know who found it, you don’t know who painted the Z on them. Spray-paint is not a controlled military export, I’m sure it’s not hard to find a can or two in Ukraine.
You saw a 4-second clip of a rolling vehicle. It’s a funny and inspiring scene that we’d like to be true, so your mind is uncritically providing the details that would make it true.
Again I’m not asserting it’s fake, I’m simply asserting that it’s highly questionable and unconfirmed, and people are passing around a lot of disinfo that they’d like to be true. This may very well be one such piece of disinfo.
I get that though IMHO this also depends on Putin’s ultimate objectives. For example, after Ukraine (however that turns out) the question itself may be academic if Putin just has to go after the other former Warsaw Pact countries.
Yeah, for 40 years France was a member but was not part of the unified command structure. They have been back in that since IIRC 2009 (maybe with some reservations, I’m not sure.) All along they were part of the Article 5 mutual defense deal, though, which is the most critical part.
France has always tried to go its own way, especially on the military side. For a while, they have been pushing the idea of an independent, combined European military. I think the French have really questioned the US’s commitment to European defense, and, rightfully they feel that they should have the ability to defend themselves without the US. I don’t think that, to this point, they have gotten a lot of traction outside of France for a unified European military, and not sure how it would work if it happened, but it might be more palatable with this Russian adventure right on Europe’s doorstep. If nothing else, it seems to be getting the NATO members on board with bringing their own individual militaries up to scratch.
When you’re the defense minister of a country that has been invaded and you attend talks with the invaders, I wonder what the strategy is for making the most of such a meeting.
New intel suggests that Lukashenko, the thug who rules Belarus, will be sending in Belarusian forces to assist the Russian invasion. Don’t know how much difference this will make but it isn’t good news.
Basically, Ukraine seems to have reiterated their core demands, that Russia ceases operations and withdraw back into Russia. I think Russia made similar demands to what they have been making all along, the core of which is regime change and annexation of the territories they either have already or that are part of these new independent regions Putin and the Duma declared.
I don’t think they will make much difference, if any at all, and not much of a surprise with the increasing rhetoric coming out of Belarus. I haven’t looked, but my WAG is their OOB is pretty much old, crappy, and poorly upgraded and maintained Soviet-era gear, poor training, poor leadership, etc. IIRC, they have mainly T-72 tanks (a couple hundred) and a few T-80’s…none of them with the most modern upgrades. All their APCs are the old type, with maybe a few Chinese knockoffs. Same goes for their artillery. Airforce wise they have some Mig-29’s, IIRC, and some Su-25s…but their entire military air force isn’t more than a hundred or so planes and less than a hundred helicopters.
Realistically, I expect that everyone there realizes that they’re a useless but necessary part of the war. At some point, one team will pull ahead or fall behind and, at that point, the leading group will want to be able to pounce and try and convince the enemy that they’re better to throw in the towel and negotiate while they still have something to lose. So you want to have both sides together, in a room, able to react to real-time information in case the moment comes that there’s something to be arranged.
Up until that point, though, they might as well all perfect their tan as hold discussions. It’s a bit pointless.