- Joined
- Apr 9, 2014
- Messages
- 18,092
- Reaction score
- 28,765
- Points
- 113
- Location
- The nearest Steelers bar.
"Truth is the first casualty of war."
- Anonymous
I am sure that nobody will be surprised at my observation that we are being lied to - significantly and constantly - about the Ukraine-Russia war. First, the war could have ended in April or May of 2022 when Putin offered to withdraw Russian troops to their to pre-invasion location in return for Ukraine's guarantee not to join NATO. Ukraine was pressured by Boris Johnson to reject the deal.
Second, Ukrainian losses have been substantial. The nation has suffered approximately 125,000 casualties of an army of 125,000 standing infantry. Their forces are now largely reservists, including those up to age 60. Only desperate nations draft 60-year olds for their armies.
Third, Ukraine's offensive is bogged down and proving very costly. Ukraine is spending vast amounts of its (borrowed) tanks and infantry in an offensive that is moving yards, not miles, per day. Ukraine has lost between 8 and 10 of the 85 Leopard 2 tanks that Germany loaned (gave) Ukraine, and Ukraine has also lost at least half of its "breaching" vehicles (tanks basically fitted with equipment designed to clear land mines and open a path for tanks and infantry). Ukraine has also lost 16 of the 109 Bradley fighting vehicles (armored troop transports with 25mm chain gun and 2 TOW missiles) the United States gave Ukraine. This is not surprising since attacking a fortified defensive position is costly, and since Russia has vastly superior air power in play.
Meanwhile, the United States has already spent more than a hundred billion dollars to keep Ukraine afloat and has provided more than 1,700 Stinger missiles, 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, 160 Howitzer 155mm artillery, more than 2 million 155mm artillery rounds, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 109 Bradley fighting vehicles, one Patriot missile defense systems, 65 Abrams M1-A1 tanks, 38 HIMARS, 345,000 mortar rounds, 4,000 TOW missiles, and on and on and on and on.
These weapons systems and ammunition are not 9mm rounds; they take a lot of time and money to replace.
So the war drags on, draining our nation's equipment and ammunition, costing us hundreds of billions of dollars, for a war that Ukraine very well could lose and for a war that should have been stopped more than a year ago. And unfortunately, as always seems to be the case with every war the United States has fought over the past 50+ years, we are being lied to every day about what is going on - "Ukraine is dominating! Look at that fighting spirit! TheN. Vietnamese Afghanis Taliban Russians cannot possibly win! Whee!!"
- Anonymous
I am sure that nobody will be surprised at my observation that we are being lied to - significantly and constantly - about the Ukraine-Russia war. First, the war could have ended in April or May of 2022 when Putin offered to withdraw Russian troops to their to pre-invasion location in return for Ukraine's guarantee not to join NATO. Ukraine was pressured by Boris Johnson to reject the deal.
Second, Ukrainian losses have been substantial. The nation has suffered approximately 125,000 casualties of an army of 125,000 standing infantry. Their forces are now largely reservists, including those up to age 60. Only desperate nations draft 60-year olds for their armies.
Third, Ukraine's offensive is bogged down and proving very costly. Ukraine is spending vast amounts of its (borrowed) tanks and infantry in an offensive that is moving yards, not miles, per day. Ukraine has lost between 8 and 10 of the 85 Leopard 2 tanks that Germany loaned (gave) Ukraine, and Ukraine has also lost at least half of its "breaching" vehicles (tanks basically fitted with equipment designed to clear land mines and open a path for tanks and infantry). Ukraine has also lost 16 of the 109 Bradley fighting vehicles (armored troop transports with 25mm chain gun and 2 TOW missiles) the United States gave Ukraine. This is not surprising since attacking a fortified defensive position is costly, and since Russia has vastly superior air power in play.
Meanwhile, the United States has already spent more than a hundred billion dollars to keep Ukraine afloat and has provided more than 1,700 Stinger missiles, 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, 160 Howitzer 155mm artillery, more than 2 million 155mm artillery rounds, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 109 Bradley fighting vehicles, one Patriot missile defense systems, 65 Abrams M1-A1 tanks, 38 HIMARS, 345,000 mortar rounds, 4,000 TOW missiles, and on and on and on and on.
These weapons systems and ammunition are not 9mm rounds; they take a lot of time and money to replace.
So the war drags on, draining our nation's equipment and ammunition, costing us hundreds of billions of dollars, for a war that Ukraine very well could lose and for a war that should have been stopped more than a year ago. And unfortunately, as always seems to be the case with every war the United States has fought over the past 50+ years, we are being lied to every day about what is going on - "Ukraine is dominating! Look at that fighting spirit! The
