Russia invades Ukraine again?

[rainbow]

Question: How big is the Wagner Group compared to the Russian army?

[JimC]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-25/ ... /102520540

Mutinous Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says he had ordered his fighters, who had been advancing on Moscow, to turn around and return to their bases in order to avoid bloodshed.

In audio released by his press service, Mr Prigozhin said his fighters had advanced to within 200 kilometres of Moscow in 24 hours.

Mr Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end the mutiny, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Mr Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Mr Prigozhin personally for about 20 years.

Mr Peskov said the criminal case that had been opened against Mr Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, and that the Wagner fighters who had taken part in his "march for justice" would not face any action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia.

[rasetsu]

My advice: stay away from windows.

[pErvinalia]

How long before Prigozhin drinks poisoned tea?

[JimC]

Given that the core of Prigozhin's mercenaries are ex Russian special forces, he would not be an easy target...

[L'Emmerdeur]

Hypothesis: Some supposed ally in Moscow who had said they would join forces with Prigozhin had a change of heart.

In the wing-nutiverse it was NATO and the US who left Prigozhin hanging out to dry.

According to one estimate I heard, the Wagner Group has about 25,000 with an additional 10,000 'contractors.' The Russian army has somewhere around 800,000. Not to mention that Prigozhin likely lacks any sort of effective air cover other than maybe some MANPADS. The absence of air strikes on the Wagner Group is interesting.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Well one helicopter sortie, according to Prigozhin.

[Svartalf]

How long before Prigozhin drinks poisoned tea?

As little as Putin can make it...

[Tero]

That said, it is past time to reassess the Russian threat. If Russia’s armies have fared so poorly against a small neighbor like Ukraine, it must be clear to them (and to all) that they would do disastrously were they to face the combined forces of NATO—by far the world’s most potent military alliance, and one that has gotten significantly stronger as a consequence of Putin’s Ukraine invasion.

In addition, as we have seen in recent weeks, even Russia’s ability to play the nuclear card has been limited by the fact that its most important ally, China, has pressured Moscow not to use weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Ukraine.

But the past year has been instructive for world leaders. Putin is not ten feet tall. The Russian military has been cut down to being a shadow of its former self. Fortunately, for the most part, threats of retaliation no longer intimidate an emboldened NATO.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-did-w ... n-so-wrong

Ukraine: 44 million people
Poland: 38 million people
Lithuania: 3 million

[aufbahrung]

Poland, they always go for Poland as the first move in the world conquest chess game https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/17/putin-pl ... s_home_top

Game on....get your bunkers stocked, kansas going bye-byes again

[aufbahrung]

And Biden is no Picard. Only leaves nukes to give if the war escalates now. F-16 is a trip wire for nuclear war. That could have been avoided.

[JimC]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-24/ ... /102768858

Russia's civil aviation authority says Wagner group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin were on board a private jet that crashed in Russia's Tver region north of Moscow, with no survivors.

The pair had previously attended a meeting with officials from the Russian Defence Ministry.

A Telegram channel linked to the Wagner Mercenary Group reported that Prigozhin had died.

"The head of the Wagner Group, a Hero of Russia, a true patriot of his Motherland, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia," a post in the Grey Zone channel said.

"But even in Hell, he will be the best! Glory to Russia!"

I suppose it was only a matter of time. A change from falling out of a window...

[Svartalf]

prigogin was a complete eejit, or just not quite paranoid enough.
a strela missile will beat any ordinary jet

[Tero]

And 10 people had to die.

[aufbahrung]

And 10 people had to die.