SidsBurnerAccount said:

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The Japanese Foreign Ministry has stated that Japan considers the southern Kuril Islands occupied by Russia.

The ministry stressed that the occupation contradicts international law and added “as does the ongoing Russian army attack on Ukraine”.

🇯🇵🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/D6MHhkjKRU

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 2, 2022

Japan getting salty.

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That's the same playbook they had in WW2. They just picked a better side this time.

One of the reasons they sided with Germany & Italy in WW2 was the fact the countries Germany was facing in western Europe had a ton of territory they could no longer defend in the pacific. Easy pickings for a territorial grab.

SidsBurnerAccount said:

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The Japanese Foreign Ministry has stated that Japan considers the southern Kuril Islands occupied by Russia.

The ministry stressed that the occupation contradicts international law and added “as does the ongoing Russian army attack on Ukraine”.

🇯🇵🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/D6MHhkjKRU

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 2, 2022

Japan getting salty.

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Ukraine is fighting a war. If the United States was being invaded extremists on both ends of the spectrum would likely be involved fighting together, but it wouldn't make the war or the country about them. Ukraine is releasing and arming criminals now that Russia has actually invaded the entire country as well, but that doesn't mean that the government is all criminal or pro-criminal or some other whacko logic.

The World Bank has stopped all its programs in #Russia and #Belarus, Reuters reports. pic.twitter.com/Ur0zw3rxut

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 2, 2022

Not exactly sure the effects of this, but everything helps.

It shouldn't. You're overthinking this. We aren't in the war. They'll turn them off when they need to turn them off.

More evidence that Putin is surrounded by yes men, like any mob boss.

Captain Positivity said:

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Snowmelt is a *****. Shouldn't have waited until after the Olympics.

Abandoned Russian tanks that got stuck in the mud while trying to free other Russian armour that got stuck in the mud 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/II8NyC03sm

— Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) March 2, 2022

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Dictators gunna have dictator problems. Can't launch an unprovoked invasion and give the innocent party the worlds largest sporting platform to spread their message.

htownag10 said:

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It shouldn't. You're overthinking this. We aren't in the war. They'll turn them off when they need to turn them off.

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If they have them on, it is because they want people to know they are there. The E-3 and Rivet Joint surveillance planes were loitering just into friendly airspace for several days with their transponders on, along with multiple tanker aircraft. They wanted Russia to know we are there and were watching. Now they have all turned their transponders off, but I have no doubt we are still watching. The fact that we don't want Russia to know exactly what is there suggests a new phase of assistance to Ukraine to me.

⚡️#Ukrainian intelligence also reports that Putin is going to impose martial law in #Russia on March 4

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 2, 2022

Heard an explosion very close to Kyiv Maidan Square about 2 mins ago. Wasn't huge but definitely much larger than gunfire

No idea. Not going to be the guinea pig trying to turn 5k into 500k and get frozen out.

SidsBurnerAccount said:

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This is a thread that will explain the implied poor Russian Army truck maintenance practices based on this photo of a Pantsir-S1 wheeled gun-missile system's right rear pair of tires below & the operational implications during the Ukrainian mud season.🧵

1/ pic.twitter.com/LmxW43v6gy

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) March 2, 2022

Good thread on Russian maintenance issues on all those vehicles that some think aren't being abandoned.

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Holy *****

‼️ APU 🇺🇦 destroyed the command post of the Russian invaders in the village of Dityatki near Chernobyl

Major General Sergei Nyrkov, Chief of Staff of the 36th Army of the Eastern Military District, fled during a https://t.co/tV8ocdXFUg

— Foreign Legion of Ukraine🇺🇦 (@UkraineResists_) March 2, 2022

I know this has probably been posted before, but if true does that not mean they're starting to cut off the tail of that 40 mile column?

txags92 said:

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htownag10 said:

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It shouldn't. You're overthinking this. We aren't in the war. They'll turn them off when they need to turn them off.

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If they have them on, it is because they want people to know they are there. The E-3 and Rivet Joint surveillance planes were loitering just into friendly airspace for several days with their transponders on, along with multiple tanker aircraft. They wanted Russia to know we are there and were watching. Now they have all turned their transponders off, but I have no doubt we are still watching. The fact that we don't want Russia to know exactly what is there suggests a new phase of assistance to Ukraine to me.

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Yep. Now that some have found how to track planes they are going to think every plane or helicopter heading towards the border "omg are we attacking? Special forces". Definitely agree with the transponders. They are on for a reason and off when they need to be. Shouldn't baffle anyone.

RebelE Infantry said:

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Rossticus said:

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RebelE Infantry said:

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Openly threatening to murder uniformed combatants who have surrendered is reprehensible.

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So is said uniformed combatants knowingly firing on civilians who are fleeing or have been told they're being provided safe passage (happening). Note, I'm not in support of either.

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Even if that's true, one war crime does not justify another.

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Actually, under the ILOAC reprisals against parties which have committed war crimes against you are permitted so far as the response follows soon and is proportional.

Wow. Just. Wow....

Haven't seen that.

Captain Positivity said:

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Petraus or some other general was mentioning this mud issue in the lead up to the invasion. Said if they did move on Ukraine they had to get there early enough to be driving on icy ground.

Seeing so many examples of this now. It was mentioned earlier today that Xi wanted Putin to wait until after the Olympics. Hilarious.

Xi may have cost Putin a war.

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One **** ******* another ****. I'm fine with it.

Captain Positivity said:

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Petraus or some other general was mentioning this mud issue in the lead up to the invasion. Said if they did move on Ukraine they had to get there early enough to be driving on icy ground.

Seeing so many examples of this now. It was mentioned earlier today that Xi wanted Putin to wait until after the Olympics. Hilarious.

Xi may have cost Putin a war.

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The question is - did Xi KNOW he was costing Putin the war?

Unlike our dunces, I wouldn't put this kind of 3D chess past the Chinese.

Thanks for posting that. Very informative.

Seems to me that Russian Generals are woefully ignorant of military history and learning logistical mistakes of the past. Even their own.

I'm more inclined to believe both China and Russia are playing 2D chess at this point, thinking it's 3D.

Htownag11 said:

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Captain Positivity said:

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Petraus or some other general was mentioning this mud issue in the lead up to the invasion. Said if they did move on Ukraine they had to get there early enough to be driving on icy ground.

Seeing so many examples of this now. It was mentioned earlier today that Xi wanted Putin to wait until after the Olympics. Hilarious.

Xi may have cost Putin a war.

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The question is - did Xi KNOW he was costing Putin the war?

Unlike our dunces, I wouldn't put this kind of 3D chess past the Chinese.

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I don't think anyone thought the russian logistics would be this ****ty tbh.

Captain Positivity said:

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Petraus or some other general was mentioning this mud issue in the lead up to the invasion. Said if they did move on Ukraine they had to get there early enough to be driving on icy ground.

Seeing so many examples of this now. It was mentioned earlier today that Xi wanted Putin to wait until after the Olympics. Hilarious.

Xi may have cost Putin a war.

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It might cost him more than that when all is said and done.

aggiehawg said:

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Thanks for posting that. Very informative.

Seems to me that Russian Generals are woefully ignorant of military history and learning logistical mistakes of the past. Even their own.

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I've been thinking about this some too. Having been around some large bureaucracies and observing the incentive structures they create, my occam's razor explanation is they are just a bunch of careerist sycophants whose talents are less military and more political.

Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy:

In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals that the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely.

Htownag11 said:

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Captain Positivity said:

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Petraus or some other general was mentioning this mud issue in the lead up to the invasion. Said if they did move on Ukraine they had to get there early enough to be driving on icy ground.

Seeing so many examples of this now. It was mentioned earlier today that Xi wanted Putin to wait until after the Olympics. Hilarious.

Xi may have cost Putin a war.

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The question is - did Xi KNOW he was costing Putin the war?

Unlike our dunces, I wouldn't put this kind of 3D chess past the Chinese.

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Of course he did. He wants Russia to bleed out militarily and economically and then take what he wants, like oil fields. With Russia in tatters, could they even wage a nuclear response? And could China take measures that they could not?

BUT seeing at how much blowback Russia is receiving here, Xi has to rethink this. His banking system isn't in great shape either. A debtor cartel of foreign governments and corporations could bring his banking system down as well.

Still a good bit of contested land in Siberia that Xi would probably like to get back…

I'd laugh my ass off if Winnie the Pooh invaded while Putin was doing this ****

big stuff dropping in Kyiv.

🛑🛑🛑Video of 1 of the explosions that was heard in Kyiv #Ukraine #Russia #Putin https://t.co/zZkErNoUKb pic.twitter.com/a8cWrcVwxj

— Слава Україні🇺🇦 (@ignis_fatum) March 3, 2022

From a Russian account:

Four explosions in Kiev, reportedly "Kalibr" missiles. An anonymous Russian telegram channel had announced this a few hours ago... Seem to be targeted at specific objects, perhaps headquarters like the strike in Kharkov

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) March 2, 2022

Sounds like sirens in all cities right now:

🛑🛑🛑Air raid alerts in ALL of Ukraine.
Everyone take shelter immediately! #Ukraine #Russia #Putin

— Слава Україні🇺🇦 (@ignis_fatum) March 2, 2022

Irish 2.0 said:

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Still a good bit of contested land in Serbia that Xi would probably like to get back…

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What claim does China have to Serbia? Do you mean Siberia?