-
36 votes
-
Wirecard fugitive Jan Marsalek helped run Russian spy operations across Europe
8 votes -
Myanmar military loses border town in another big defeat
21 votes -
Kyiv confirms Ukrainian drones destroyed six Russian planes at air base, as many as three sites blasted
38 votes -
Norway to increase number of conscripted soldiers from 9,000 to 13,500 – Russia's attack on Ukraine has given northern European countries an impetus to beef up their militaries
10 votes -
The Ladoga was the Soviet Union’s plush nuclear-war command vehicle. A drone just blew one up in Eastern Ukraine.
18 votes -
Brazil's military leaders told police Jair Bolsonaro involved in a plan to reverse 2022 election result
16 votes -
Russia awakes to biggest attack on Russian soil since World War II
31 votes -
Masters of illusion: Ukraine’s decoy makers outwit Russia
8 votes -
Sweden officially joins NATO, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality
36 votes -
Ukrainian forces strike Russian troops at Avdiivka coke plant using AASM Hammer guided bombs
16 votes -
Volodymyr Zelenskyy in bind over how to draft more troops as Russian forces advance
35 votes -
Germany to investigate Russia’s apparent interception of military talks on Ukraine
18 votes -
Ukrainian forces withdraw from Avdiivka; megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - February 17
There hasn't been a megathread for a while so I wanted to post the latest news as well as a couple other pieces of news from the past week along with a couple articles providing additional...
There hasn't been a megathread for a while so I wanted to post the latest news as well as a couple other pieces of news from the past week along with a couple articles providing additional context.
The latest piece of news is Ukrainian forces withdraw from Avdiivka to avoid encirclement, army chief says. This is very concerning and I hope encourages people to continue urging their politicians to find ways of supporting Ukraine in a larger capacity than they have in recent months.
The other day there was also this article titled Rate of Russian military production worries Europe's war planners. If you don't have time to listen to Perun's hour-long PowerPoint from 4 months ago on the same subject (Russian Defence Production 2023 - Can Russia keep up with equipment attrition in Ukraine?), then The Guardian article is a decent primer.
It also links to a Foreign Affairs article published in January of 2024 going into more detail about Russia's economic expenditures and its uneven footing: Putin’s Unsustainable Spending Spree: How the War in Ukraine Will Overheat the Russian Economy (Archive.is link). This is a particularly interesting article as it details the expenses as a percent of GDP that have recently made the rounds in the news this week, as well as how military spending as spurred growth in some industries, while others also tangentially related are lagging behind despite the government's stimulus. Additionally, Russia is spending the equivalent of billions of dollars on annexed regions of Ukraine. It then details the consequences of this substantially increased spending and increased wages that may be dislocating the civilian economy in favor of maintaining enough supplies for a further extended attritional war.
The Guardian article say that:
New analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates that Russia has lost 3,000 armoured fighting vehicles in the last year and close to 8,800 since the war began.
Unable to produce anywhere near that number of vehicles, Russia has mainly refurbished ageing hardware ...
Russian factories claimed to have delivered 1,500 main battle tanks this year, of which 1,180 to 1,280 had been reactivated from storage, according to IISS. Those numbers, along with reactivated armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, meant Russia would “be able to sustain its assault on Ukraine at current attrition rates for another two to three years, and maybe even longer”, the group said.For reference, the landing ship that was recently destroyed by Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vessels (Magura V5 sea drones), Caesar Kunikov, could carry 10 main battle tanks and 340 troops or 12 armored personnel carriers and 340 troops. Though it's not clear what role that ship was playing, as trains play a significant role in deploying men and materiel to the frontlines.
Finally, an article I'd meant to post several months ago to just sort of talk about in general terms: What would happen if Russia invaded Finland? I went to a giant war game in London to find out. Has anyone ever participated in war gaming, have a background or took a class on game theory, or enjoyed the history of tabletop gaming that dates back to this war-time activity? Just interested in what people have to say.
50 votes -
The US Army is slashing thousands of jobs to focus on Russia and China
8 votes -
French president Emmanuel Macron says sending troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out
22 votes -
Hungarian MPs have overwhelmingly ratified Sweden's bid to join NATO in a long-delayed vote which paves the way for the Nordic nation's membership
29 votes -
Active US Air Force serviceman self-immolates himself in front of the Embassy of Israel
36 votes -
US House Intel Chairman announces ‘serious national security threat,’ sources say it is related to Russia's nuclear capabilities in space
30 votes -
Finland's conservative former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has won Sunday's presidential election, final results show
9 votes -
At least six Kurdish fighters are killed in a drone attack on a Syrian base housing US troops
13 votes -
Russia has massed 500 tanks for an attack on Kupyansk. Thousands of Ukrainian drones await them.
31 votes -
American airstrikes hit eighty-five targets at seven facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia used to attack US forces
39 votes -
Another Russian general reportedly killed in devastating Ukrainian strike on Belbek air base
22 votes -
The Ukrainian marines hit the Russian marines so hard, they blew the Russians back to 1980
16 votes -
United States to return to staging nuclear weapons in UK
27 votes -
In first such admission, previously secret document says Danish aircraft participated in NATO attacks linked to civilian deaths in Libya in 2011
12 votes -
Türkiye's parliament votes to let Sweden join NATO
36 votes -
Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iran after Tehran attack, killing at least seven people
24 votes -
Maldives pro-China leader gives Indian troops March deadline to go
8 votes -
Iran sends warship to Red Sea after US sinks Houthi boats
14 votes -
Russia has summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow, after Finland signed a new agreement on military co-operation with the US
17 votes -
US Congress approves bill barring any President from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO
80 votes -
Venezuelan referendum approves takeover of oil-rich region of Guyana
36 votes -
Sudan’s warring sides forcibly recruit civilians, even refugees who return
5 votes -
Israel agrees to US request to delay Gaza invasion
18 votes -
US State Department official in the Office of International Arms Transfers resigns over transfers to Israel
12 votes -
Israel-Gaza Conflict Discussion Thread
There wasn’t a single dedicated thread, and this is a major ongoing conflict, so it seemed prudent to make one. Let’s try to be as civil as possible, the last two threads related to this got locked.
101 votes -
Former US President Donald Trump allegedly discussed US nuclear subs with Australian billionaire businessman Anthony Pratt after leaving White House: Sources
43 votes -
Russia may be planning to test a nuclear-powered missile
20 votes -
Russia has 'right to war' with 'each and every' NATO country - Dmitry Medvedev
28 votes -
Gabon coup: Army annuls elections and seizes power
21 votes -
Niger observers link coup to president’s support for EU migration policies
4 votes -
West African bloc says 'D-Day' set for possible Niger intervention
27 votes -
Economic Community of West African States activates military forces for possible intervention in Niger
22 votes -
Niger coup: Junta shuts airspace citing military intervention threat
12 votes -
Japan’s Kishida hopes to further strengthen strategic cooperation with US and South Korea at summit
5 votes -
US President Joe Biden signs historic order moving prosecution of US military sexual assault outside chain of command
133 votes -
Power impasse continues in Niger, forty-eight hours after coup against Bazoum
18 votes -
Switzerland, Finland and Sweden are considering joining the US National Guard's security partnership program, in a further expansion of American military ties across Europe
19 votes