News Related To The Ukraine / Russian War

[sear]

"Russia is multi cultural.
Poland is not." R5 #320

To the liberal Western mind "multi-cultural" might be considered a strength. Potentially it is.
It's also a potential source of internal social or political friction, able to lower the standard of living at the location of friction & beyond. That may advantage Poland.

 

[sear]

"The Polish are the Scythians who hated the Mongols and the Mongols hated them.
So odds are extremely high that a Crimea pleiscite would go Russia." R5 #320

That is one dynamic. Does such hatred survive generational change?
A travelogue from Vietnam noted the bitter hatred between North Vietnamese and Americans.
Yet generations born after the U.S. War there ended seem amenable to Westerners, including Americans.
Whether that's genetic, meaning characteristically human, a reliable behavioral trait,
whether generational progress would neutralize the hatreds you cite, I do not know. They did in Nam.
But there may be other factors, potentially determinative. Standard of Living would seem to me an obvious major factor. Are there others we've not mentioned?

 

[Rigby5]

To the liberal Western mind "multi-cultural" might be considered a strength. Potentially it is.
It's also a potential source of internal social or political friction, able to lower the standard of living at the location of friction & beyond. That may advantage Poland.

The reason "multi-cultural" is good in general is that isolated cultures often have lots of mistakes based on things like ignorance, arrogance, greed, tradition, etc.
When you have more cultures, they show by example what people are really like, and that allows you to dispel many of those cultural mistakes your own culture may have been guilty of.
Multi-cultural societies not only are more accepting, but are more accurate about what human nature really is and should be.

That is one dynamic. Does such hatred survive generational change?
A travelogue from Vietnam noted the bitter hatred between North Vietnamese and Americans.
Yet generations born after the U.S. War there ended seem amenable to Westerners, including Americans.
Whether that's genetic, meaning characteristically human, a reliable behavioral trait,
whether generational progress would neutralize the hatreds you cite, I do not know. They did in Nam.
But there may be other factors, potentially determinative. Standard of Living would seem to me an obvious major factor. Are there others we've not mentioned?

But the war in Vietnam was not personal, and instead was the machinations of distant powers who manipulated and forced the conflict on the people actually there or sent there.
In contrast, the evil hatred and violence by the Azov Battalion is local and current.
Those of ethnic 1700 Polish origins hate everyone else, and everyone else hates them for what they do.
The racism of the ethnic 1700 Polish is wrong, the hatred of that racism is accurate.

 

[sear]

R5,
It's not that your assertion quoted below it 100% false. It isn't.
Neither is it 100% true.
It's one side of a coin.

"Multi-cultural societies not only are more accepting, but are more accurate about what human nature really is and should be." R5 #323

And now, the other side of that coin:

Facts About Moscow's 2002 Hostage Crisis At The Dubrovka Theater​

Apr 6, 2022 ... On October 23, 2002, militant Chechen separatists took over the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow, Russia. For three days, they held some 800 ...

Please excuse this truncated post. Schedule intervenes. More later.

 

[Rigby5]

R5,
It's not that your assertion quoted below it 100% false. It isn't.
Neither is it 100% true.
It's one side of a coin.

And now, the other side of that coin:

Facts About Moscow's 2002 Hostage Crisis At The Dubrovka Theater​

Apr 6, 2022 ... On October 23, 2002, militant Chechen separatists took over the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow, Russia. For three days, they held some 800 ...

Please excuse this truncated post. Schedule intervenes. More later.

{...
The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater in Moscow by Chechen terrorists on 23 October 2002, resulting in the taking of 912 hostages. The attackers, led by Movsar Barayev, claimed allegiance to the rebel breakaway movement in Chechnya.
They demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. The crisis ended when Russian security services released sleeping gas into the building, and subsequently stormed it, killing all 40 hostage takers. 132 hostages died, largely due to the effects of the gas.

Due to the layout of the theater, special forces would have had to fight through 30 metres (100 ft) of corridor and advance up a well-defended staircase before they could reach the hall in which the hostages were held. The attackers had numerous explosives, with the most powerful in the center of the auditorium. Spetsnaz operators from Federal Security Service (FSB) Alpha and Vympel, supported by a Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) SOBR unit, pumped a chemical agent into the building's ventilation system and began the rescue operation.

The identity of the gas was not disclosed at the time, although it was believed to have been a fentanyl derivative.
A study published in 2012 concluded that it had been a mixture of carfentanil and remifentanil.
The same study pointed out that in a 2011 case at the European Court of Human Rights, the Russian government stated that the aerosol used was a mixture of a fentanyl derivative and a chemical compound with a narcotic action.
...}
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis

It is not hard to sympathize with Chechen separatists since Russia has a history of being heavy handed.
But I do not fully understand the motives of such violence in this particular event?

But if your point is that Russia is not all that multi-ethnic tolerant, I tend to agree.

 

[sear]

"But if your point is that Russia is not all that multi-ethnic tolerant, I tend to agree." R5 #325

Two points:
a) multi-culturalism is neither 100% beneficial, nor 100% detrimental.
b) The 2002 Nord-Ost siege demonstrates some nations render hostage welfare the priority. Russia prioritized punishing the separatists, a difficult challenge for those on a suicide mission.

 

[Rigby5]

Two points:
a) multi-culturalism is neither 100% beneficial, nor 100% detrimental.
b) The 2002 Nord-Ost siege demonstrates some nations render hostage welfare the priority. Russia prioritized punishing the separatists, a difficult challenge for those on a suicide mission.

I do not know enough about it.
Russia used to be so secular, that they likely gave the Moslem Chechens a hard time.
But I believe Russia is now more tolerant of religions?

 

[sear]

News | Russia-Ukraine war

Russian attacks kill 10 in Kharkiv as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow​

Russian attacks reportedly killed 10 people and injured eight in Ukraine’s Kharkiv.

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP / Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026
Ukraine launched more than 620 drones at Moscow overnight in what appeared to be its largest such attack in years, while Russian attacks killed 10 people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 180 of the 620 drones heading towards Moscow were “destroyed” by Russian defences over the capital region between Monday evening and ‌5am (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday. He said 17 more drones were shot down en route to the capital later.

Russia’s state-run news agency TASS described the barrage as the largest drone attack on Moscow in the past two years.

Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said Ukraine’s latest attacks “indicate a strategic escalation in long-range drone warfare, bringing the war deeper into Russian territory”. The attacks are “straining Russia’s air defences, disrupting internal logistics and putting pressure on Russia’s economy”, she added.

Russian attacks kill 10 in Kharkiv as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow

Volodmyr Zelenskyy says "brutal attack" occurred in a residential area of Kharkiv and pledged Ukraine would respond.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Rigby5]

News | Russia-Ukraine war

Russian attacks kill 10 in Kharkiv as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow​

Russian attacks reportedly killed 10 people and injured eight in Ukraine’s Kharkiv.

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP / Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026
Ukraine launched more than 620 drones at Moscow overnight in what appeared to be its largest such attack in years, while Russian attacks killed 10 people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 180 of the 620 drones heading towards Moscow were “destroyed” by Russian defences over the capital region between Monday evening and ‌5am (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday. He said 17 more drones were shot down en route to the capital later.

Russia’s state-run news agency TASS described the barrage as the largest drone attack on Moscow in the past two years.

Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said Ukraine’s latest attacks “indicate a strategic escalation in long-range drone warfare, bringing the war deeper into Russian territory”. The attacks are “straining Russia’s air defences, disrupting internal logistics and putting pressure on Russia’s economy”, she added.

Russian attacks kill 10 in Kharkiv as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow

Volodmyr Zelenskyy says "brutal attack" occurred in a residential area of Kharkiv and pledged Ukraine would respond.

www.aljazeera.com

At some point, Moscow is going to be forced to stop holding back.
When that happens, there won't be a single utility left.
So the Ukraine won't be able to remotely control any US drones anymore.
In fact, the food and water supplies likely will also be hit.

 

[sear]

Putin ‘panicked’ as defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day under Russian bombardment​

Former State Department official says Putin 'gets very anxious when he's put in a corner' as war intensifies​

By Emma Bussey Fox News / Published August 24, 2026 6:53pm EDT

Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day on Monday under the shadow of continued Russian attacks, with one regional security expert arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "panicked" as Ukrainian forces strike deeper inside Russia.
The anniversary, commemorating Ukraine's Aug. 24, 1991, declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, came amid intensified Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure and heightened security concerns after Ukraine's Security Service warned of possible terrorist attacks ahead of the holiday.
European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for Independence Day events in a show of support as the war grinds on. Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine wants peace but is not prepared to surrender to Moscow's demands.

'PURE HELL' IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL'S FUEL MARKET
Putin has warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian economic targets open a "Pandora’s box," while Kyiv maintains deep strikes are vital to disrupting Moscow’s logistics.

Putin ‘panicked’ as defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day under Russian bombardment

Ukraine celebrated 35 years of independence amid fresh Russian attacks as an expert said Kyiv’s deep strikes and battlefield pressure have left Putin rattled.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Rigby5]

Putin ‘panicked’ as defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day under Russian bombardment​

Former State Department official says Putin 'gets very anxious when he's put in a corner' as war intensifies​

By Emma Bussey Fox News / Published August 24, 2026 6:53pm EDT

Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day on Monday under the shadow of continued Russian attacks, with one regional security expert arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "panicked" as Ukrainian forces strike deeper inside Russia.
The anniversary, commemorating Ukraine's Aug. 24, 1991, declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, came amid intensified Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure and heightened security concerns after Ukraine's Security Service warned of possible terrorist attacks ahead of the holiday.
European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for Independence Day events in a show of support as the war grinds on. Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine wants peace but is not prepared to surrender to Moscow's demands.

'PURE HELL' IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL'S FUEL MARKET
Putin has warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian economic targets open a "Pandora’s box," while Kyiv maintains deep strikes are vital to disrupting Moscow’s logistics.

Putin ‘panicked’ as defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day under Russian bombardment

Ukraine celebrated 35 years of independence amid fresh Russian attacks as an expert said Kyiv’s deep strikes and battlefield pressure have left Putin rattled.

www.foxnews.com

The Ukraine should never have started murdering ethnic Russian natives of the Ukraine, tried to stop Russian use of Sevastopol, or tried to join NATO, clearly an "alliance hostile to Russia", in violation of the Budapest Memorandum.

 

[Shiftless2]

And despite assurances from the US and others, as soon as Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal Russia launched an invasion.

 

[Rigby5]

And despite assurances from the US and others, as soon as Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal Russia launched an invasion.

That is not at all what happened.
The Ukraine never built or controlled a single nuclear weapon.
Those were Russian nukes Russia spread out into the Ukraine in order to be harder to hit.
And the nukes were removed in 1992 as part of the Budapest Memorandum.
Russia and the Ukraine were not at odds until the 2014 Maidan Coup, and the hostilities did not start until 2022 when Kyiv cut off all negotiations.

 

[sear]

Russia's total military expenditure exceeded all of Europe combined in 2024. source: International Institute for Strategic Studies / PBS News Hour 26/09/03

 

[Rigby5]

Russia's total military expenditure exceeded all of Europe combined in 2024. source: International Institute for Strategic Studies / PBS News Hour 26/09/03

The ethnic Polish generals in Kyiv would not have murdered, imprisoned, or exiled the entire elected government of the Ukraine in 2014, without massive bribes, weapons, and assurances from the US.
And in fact, I do not believe the Ukraine built or is controlling a single drone or missile.
I think they are all from and by the US.

 

[sear]

"I do not believe the Ukraine built or is controlling a single drone or missile.
I think they are all from and by the US." R5 #335

It's well known that the West / NATO has been trickling matériel to Ukraine sufficient to sustain a stalemate.

But the evidence is abundant & persuasive, Ukraine captains its own drone industry.

It may well be the U.S. has influenced this, but perhaps not as you imagine.
Instead, U.S. drone racing has inspired Ukraine's battlefield innovations. BUT !

It's not that Ukraine has been begging help from the West about drones.
It's rather more the other way around. The West / NATO seeks benefits of Ukraine's battle-tested innovations.

The following: two hastily selected samples of explanations of this process -


Ukraine Alert
May 13, 2025 By David Kirichenko

Drone superpower: Ukrainian wartime innovation offers lessons for NATO​

Ever since the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine eleven years ago, military training has been a core element of Western support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As Moscow’s invasion has escalated into the largest European war since World War II, the relationship between Ukraine and the country’s partners has become much more of a two-way street. While Ukrainian troops continue to train with Western instructors, it is now increasingly apparent that NATO also has a lot to learn from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military has evolved dramatically during the past three years of full-scale war against Russia to become the largest and most effective fighting force in Europe. Innovation has played a key role in this process, with Ukraine relying on the country’s vibrant tech sector and traditionally strong defense industry to counter Russia’s overwhelming advantages

Drone superpower: Ukrainian wartime innovation offers lessons for NATO

Today’s Ukraine is now a drone superpower with an innovative domestic defense industry that can provide its NATO allies with important lessons in the realities of twenty-first century warfare, writes David Kirichenko.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

Georgetown Security Studies Review

A First Point View:​

Examining Ukraine’s Drone Industry​

Mariam Halstian
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s drone industry has emerged as a key pillar of the country’s defense innovation apparatus. Drones have helped Ukraine enhance self-reliance amidst shortages of Western ammunition and adapt to an evolving battlefield. Beyond strengthening domestic defense capabilities, Ukraine’s drone industry has the potential to shape the global market for defense drones—potentially even autonomous ones—in the long term.

A First Point View: Examining Ukraine’s Drone Industry - Georgetown Security Studies Review

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s drone industry has emerged as a key pillar of the country’s defense innovation apparatus. Drones have helped Ukraine enhance self-reliance amidst shortages of Western ammunition and adapt to an evolving battlefield. Beyond strengthening...

gssr.georgetown.edu

 

[Rigby5]

It's well known that the West / NATO has been trickling matériel to Ukraine sufficient to sustain a stalemate.

But the evidence is abundant & persuasive, Ukraine captains its own drone industry.

It may well be the U.S. has influenced this, but perhaps not as you imagine.
Instead, U.S. drone racing has inspired Ukraine's battlefield innovations. BUT !

It's not that Ukraine has been begging help from the West about drones.
It's rather more the other way around. The West / NATO seeks benefits of Ukraine's battle-tested innovations.

The following: two hastily selected samples of explanations of this process -


Ukraine Alert
May 13, 2025 By David Kirichenko

Drone superpower: Ukrainian wartime innovation offers lessons for NATO​

Ever since the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine eleven years ago, military training has been a core element of Western support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As Moscow’s invasion has escalated into the largest European war since World War II, the relationship between Ukraine and the country’s partners has become much more of a two-way street. While Ukrainian troops continue to train with Western instructors, it is now increasingly apparent that NATO also has a lot to learn from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military has evolved dramatically during the past three years of full-scale war against Russia to become the largest and most effective fighting force in Europe. Innovation has played a key role in this process, with Ukraine relying on the country’s vibrant tech sector and traditionally strong defense industry to counter Russia’s overwhelming advantages

Drone superpower: Ukrainian wartime innovation offers lessons for NATO

Today’s Ukraine is now a drone superpower with an innovative domestic defense industry that can provide its NATO allies with important lessons in the realities of twenty-first century warfare, writes David Kirichenko.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

Georgetown Security Studies Review

A First Point View:​

Examining Ukraine’s Drone Industry​

Mariam Halstian
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s drone industry has emerged as a key pillar of the country’s defense innovation apparatus. Drones have helped Ukraine enhance self-reliance amidst shortages of Western ammunition and adapt to an evolving battlefield. Beyond strengthening domestic defense capabilities, Ukraine’s drone industry has the potential to shape the global market for defense drones—potentially even autonomous ones—in the long term.

A First Point View: Examining Ukraine’s Drone Industry - Georgetown Security Studies Review

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s drone industry has emerged as a key pillar of the country’s defense innovation apparatus. Drones have helped Ukraine enhance self-reliance amidst shortages of Western ammunition and adapt to an evolving battlefield. Beyond strengthening...

gssr.georgetown.edu

I disagree because when all this started was in 2013, when the Ukraine had zero drones and zero guided missiles.
All of what lead into Zelensky deliberately starting the hostilities in 2022 was 9 years later, plenty of time to ramp the Ukraine up to speed in production of US drones.
And the proof they are US drones, is how they utilize Elon Musk's StarLink.
They could not work without StarLink, and StarLink did not even exist until 2019.

 

[Rigby5]

Interesting interview over the Ukraine

Judge Napolitano and Col. Lawrence Wilkerson.