https://archive.li/Z0m5m

The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.

Alexander Khodakovsky made the candid concession yesterday on his Telegram channel after Russian forces, including his own troops, were devastatingly defeated by Ukrainian marines earlier this week at Urozhaine in the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk regional border area.

“Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no,” Khodakovsky, a former official of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said yesterday.

“When I talk to myself about our destiny in this war, I mean that we will not crawl forward, like the [Ukrainians], turning everything into [destroyed] Bakhmuts in our path. And, I do not foresee the easy occupation of cities,” he said.

You are viewing a single thread.
View all comments
91 points
*

It is a proxy war against America. You don’t win those. You just set yourself up a good position and dig in. America gets bored and leaves and then you can pick over what is left of what was destroyed. So you don’t win, you just wait for America to forfeit.

permalink
report
reply
18 points
*

Russia does not have the resources for that. A reminder this isn’t a proxy war for them, even though it is for the West. Russia is there in person conventionally and is somehow losing to a minor Western ally.

The Ukrainians aren’t going to run out of stuff within the next year for sure, and maybe not ever because even if the US gets bored Europe is highly invested. Russia has negligible productive capacity of it’s own, and is bound to have serious problems eventually, unless they convince China to help and China has so far been uninterested. They could theoretically win by population attrition, I guess, but nobody’s really talking about that yet. And, to do anything, they need political stability, after already having one mostly-failed coup.

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points
Deleted by creator
permalink
report
parent
reply
79 points

Nah. That was basically Cold War propaganda, partly spread by ex-Nazis covering their asses after losing to “subhumans”. Russia fought the same way every country did in it’s recent wars.

Man I miss AskHistorians.

permalink
report
parent
reply
12 points

Oh, and Ukraine is also populous. It has a quarter of Russia’s population, about, so human wave wouldn’t win anyway.

permalink
report
parent
reply
76 points

No, not at all; that’s a myth started by Nazi propagandists to explain why they were losing to the Soviets, and it was picked up by USA propagandists during the cold war.

permalink
report
parent
reply
45 points
*
Removed by mod
permalink
report
parent
reply
14 points

Russia also has allies in China and India

Press X to doubt.

Pentagon said last year in a press briefing that Russia could keep up this war for 40 years at current rate.

Could you link that? It goes against everything I’ve read and I can’t find it myself.

permalink
report
parent
reply
19 points

Depends what you’re talking about. This war started in 2014 so its already been 9 years.

permalink
report
parent
reply
56 points

is somehow losing to the minor Western allies

How are you defining “losing” here? They’re occupying the separatist parts of Ukraine and can do so indefinitely.

permalink
report
parent
reply
13 points

Their original objective was to topple the government in Kiev, and they’ve gotten fairly continuously further from that. Saying they’re winning has “Mission Accomplished!” energy at this point.

They’re occupying Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea if that’s what you mean, although it’s in question if they can do that or anything else including exist indefinitely.

permalink
report
parent
reply
24 points

It’s not just the US though. The European powers are far more firmly committed. It’s not at all clear that the rest of NATO will simply walk away if/when the US does. Especially the former Soviet nations; this is not a fucking game to them. The loss of US support would be huge, but I don’t see a universe in which the Europeans just roll over for Putin once the US loses interest.

permalink
report
parent
reply
29 points

I have to imagine direct intervention would’ve happened already if it was going to. Why let the Ukrainians get shoved into a meat grinder first? If you’re America: it’s good business and sells more guns. If you’re actually reliant on the buffer zone then it’s really not a game, as you say.

permalink
report
parent
reply
19 points

if all the US / EU weapon stockpiles get wiped out then the US makes a mint resupplying everyone for the next war, which will be with China using Taiwan as the proxy

permalink
report
parent
reply
60 points
*

The European powers are far more firmly committed.

So firmly committed that america had to blow up one of germany’s pipelines? Are you having a fucking laugh?

Everyone I speak to, you know, normal people, thinks this is a fucking stupid distraction from domestic politics and the consistently declining standard of living we are seeing. America has ended european prosperity with this shit and it won’t recover for 50 years. You think people here haven’t noticed that?

permalink
report
parent
reply
22 points

America has ended european prosperity

USA invaded Ukraine? That’s news to me

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

People like Merkel didn’t exactly think about long-term prosperity, given their climate policies. Energy shocks would’ve been, I assume, much stronger if they only started to happen in the 30s. The economic consequences (energy inflation, supply chain crisis) were not considered, although people have warned. Some acted (I think fennoscandic countries implemented effective heating regimes in the early 10s already for example), but many didn’t learn from the 1970s energy shock caused by energy dependency on incompatible political systems and Russia’s disorganisation of representation in the 2000s. Sanctions/disentanglement would’ve been necessary in the 2000s when Russia became centered around Putin.

SOL is high enough to defend against fascism. Don’t fall for the propaganda of imperialists.

This war is so bad already, but it could be much worse (even with MAD).

permalink
report
parent
reply
11 points

The US being unreliable is what will cause a full on EU army. Putin is on the EU’s doorstep and former Soviet are in the EU. The EU can’t ignore Putin’s aggression.

permalink
report
parent
reply
10 points
*

I wish them all the best. Watching Europe absolutely eat shit and collapse trying to fight would be hilarious.

Notably - America will 100% hang them out to dry rather than committing significant forces.

Also, you know, the really painfully obvious thing - The only people who want Russia to attack Europe are the Baltics and some of the more unhinged right wing factions in Poland.

permalink
report
parent
reply
21 points

Imagine liking a queerphobic dictatorship.

permalink
report
parent
reply
40 points

What are you talking about? I said I don’t like America. How did you get it backwards?

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

America is a plutocracy which accepts queerness in its federal law. Your gotcha went too broad.

permalink
report
parent
reply
54 points

Putin can hang from a barbed wire noose and also this is a US proxy war

permalink
report
parent
reply
13 points

Wait a minute… Who invaded Ukraine in 2014, and again in 2021? Who illegally annexed sovereign territory? America is not blameless, but in this war they are just the arms dealer

permalink
report
parent
reply
26 points

Me, losing every chess game I ever play, but at least my mind is pure because I don’t think like those dirty white pieces.

permalink
report
parent
reply
20 points

Imagine having the reading comprehension of a sixth grader.

permalink
report
parent
reply
5 points

Imagine thinking Ukraine is any less queerphobic than Russia.

permalink
report
parent
reply

World News

!worldnews@lemmy.ml

Create post

News from around the world!

Rules:

  • Please only post links to actual news sources, no tabloid sites, etc

  • No NSFW content

  • No hate speech, bigotry, propaganda, etc

Community stats

  • 37

    Monthly active users

  • 6.9K

    Posts

  • 27K

    Comments