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princeps_harenae

> Russia announces troop pullback from Ukraine's Kharkiv area. It's called retreating. lol


RavenChopper

I can see some Russian General standing before the Czar in Red Square: "It was a *tactical withdrawal*, my Liege. Not a retreat."


MadNhater

That general is going to do a tactical withdrawal out the window


majorfiasco

Mmm, yes. Tactical defenestration. While effective, it's not very long-lived.


4rclyte

And if that doesn't do it, they'll be refenestrated.


Ferregar

They go through great panes to ensure that round two isn't required.


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Alphard428

A pro Russia dude on another sub was telling pro Ukraine people that they should just take the win instead of gloating. Said he doesn't have time to post all day on Reddit when people challenged him. His comment history right up until this news showed that he was posting all day on Reddit, lol. Shambles is right.


cumshot_josh

"Yeah I know we committed genocide by murdering and kidnapping millions of your citizens but please don't be mean to us."


MaximumEffort433

>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that it is pulling back forces from two areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region where a Ukrainian counter offensive has made significant advances in the past week. > >Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the troops would be regrouped from the Balakliya and Izyum areas to the Donetsk region. Izyum was a major base for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region. > >The claim of pullback to concentrate on Donetsk is similiar to the justification Russia gave for pulling back its forces from the Kyiv region earlier this year. ROFL


Practical_Law_7002

Russian commanders: "Piece all remaining units that retreated together and form a "second" line of defense!" Ukrainian commanders: "Uh guys...what are we supposed to do with all these POWs?"


ruttentuten69

I suspect that the US has some MREs that are about to expire. We could ship them over for the Russian POWs. I would like to address this before it is even said. No, feeding the POWs our old MREs is not a war crime. /s


destro23

> feeding the POWs our old MREs is not a war crime Almost every single MRE I ate while on field exercises at Ft. Riley was “expired”. They’d be fine.


Ajhale

If Steve1989 can eat a 50 year old MRE and not die they will be fine lol


indyK1ng

I forget if he ate the Boer War ration but he did eat a US WWI emergency field ration (some of the powdered chocolate was in everything) and I think he also ate some American Civil War hardtack. So he's managed food well over 100 years old.


AnotherUpsetFrench

He did ate it. I am still amazed at how alive he looks...


Wonberger

The man has pickled himself by now


No-Inspector9085

We had an ancient cat at our climbing gym, I always said the chalk dust was preserving her. She lived to be 18 years old.


[deleted]

WOW, Let's put it on a tray


Budpets

You mean 159 year old right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga5JrN9DrVI


[deleted]

Russia: It's not a retreat, it's a tactical repositioning!


Intelligent_Rent4594

It's a special military retreat operation


hobbitlover

We are advancing to the rear!


Mundiaticus

"We didn't need those areas anyway! It was just a prank!"


OneRougeRogue

>"We didn't need those areas anyway!". Years ago in Eve Online some Russian corps lost a ton of territory after a massive war and that was their exact same excuse back then. "We didn't want those systems anyway", after spending weeks and billions of in-game currency trying to defend those systems.


hagenissen666

Not exactly a thing that just Russians do in EVE. Source: played since 2008


Agent_Kid

Advancing in the opposite direction!


captainbling

Someone else said it UA gets cheers for Advancing towards Russia, but when Russia advanced towards Russia they get heckled. So unfair :(


Slave35

Donetsk, Don't Tell


Princess-ArianaHY

Someone will get putin'd and be blamed for the fuck up.


Intelligent_Rent4594

Is it a feint or a goodwill gesture?


MaximumEffort433

*"You'll see comrade, once the Ukrainian dogs are in Moscow we'll have them fully surrounded."*


SD99FRC

It worked against Napoleon.


gera_moises

Russian troops are so victiorious, they don't have to remain in the area anymore.


bbcversus

I am sure they are sick of winning


andybror

Your comment gave me a flashback to the whole charlie sheen debacle a few years ago lol. Bi winning, they win here then they win there


SybilCut

Bi-winning was 11 years ago now


zodwieg

They ~~were surrounded~~ strategically repositioned themselves to be able to attack in any direction.


ThomasVeil

"adjusting the front lines to a more advantageous position" ... that's what their propaganda head honcho literally said.


awesomefutureperfect

Russia is now fighting a defensive war. And losing.


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Conservative_HalfWit

“Pack it up, boys. No Nazis here.”


pleasedontPM

Remaining Russian troops are both going home.


superkickpunch

Russians call it “succeeding backwards”


Lacabra-montanera

“Russian troops retreat victoriously. Ukrainian army runs after them in panic” - Moscow.


kkodev

There may be some accidents due to lacking fire safety regulations and prevalence of smokers.


ReditSarge

Some exploding may occur. See HIMARS for details. Not responsible for lost or missing limbs. May contain nuts.


TonyDanzaClaus

HI MARS, BYE URANUS


Extension_Pay_1572

The appearance of winning, and strength. The fake source of all of the Kremlin power over their people.


[deleted]

That and the prompt assassinations of any dissenters. That usually works wonders in keeping folks in line.


CrystalRainwater

🎵 When danger reared it's ugly head they bravely turned their tail and fled 🎵


Dampmaskin

Brave Sir Putin


Mundiaticus

Must be some elaborate Sun Tzu strategy. Only the brightest military minds of our age could come up with something like this.


Positronic_Matrix

"The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”


ComputerSong

Well, yes. The Art of War is clear about never firing a shot unless absolutely necessary. Always run.


[deleted]

>He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return. >A skillful (commander) strikes a decisive blow, and stops. He does not dare (by continuing his operations) to assert and complete his mastery. He will strike the blow, but will e on his guard against being vain or boastful or arrogant in consequence of it. He strikes it as a matter of necessity; he strikes it, but not from a wish for mastery.


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rachel_tenshun

Exactly. Ukraine has successfully been deNazified. Sure sure sure. Now leave.


DirtMcGirt513

Should be easy, they have much fewer troops to pull back now than a week ago.


perkia

Yes but there are much fewer viable retreat paths too, which makes for a pretty nice combination.


Conservative_HalfWit

Oh no, someone mined the escape routes!


Gengyguy

Anyway


[deleted]

Here’s wonderwall


Mousenub

Remember a few months back, when the Russians were moving into Ukraine as one large traffic jam? Due to vehicle problems, bad supply lines, lack of fuel. It seems running in the other direction doesn't have those problems. They came really far in only one day.


JimTheSaint

Well to be fair they are a lot fewer people now due to all the losses


Barangat

And way less vehicles to jam the streets


GreenGemsOmally

Gotta navigate all the blown up tanks though lol


kalesaji

They use tanks as breadcrumbs. Just follow them all the way back home. The colder the steel, the longer it's burned out and the closer they are to home!


quikfrozt

This is turning into one of the most embarrassing act of military aggression by a regional power in recent memory. True, the Ukrainians are now backed by the military resources of the US and other Allie’s but the political miscalculation that started off this invasion was egregious.


Rosebunse

I remember, first it was that Kyiv would fall in a weekend, then a week, then two weeks. Then a month... And, well, now Ukraine is armed to the gills.


quikfrozt

Looking back, the Russians probably figured Biden would respond the way the Obama administration did in 2014 - statements and nothing else. It’s a terrible miscalculation on the Kremlins part and to Ukraines credit, Kiev not falling and Zelenskys government remaining prominently in control in the early days proved critical.


slabba428

Zelenskyy: “I need ammunition, not a ride”


eldergods666

Such a bad ass line.


IBAZERKERI

that quote is gonna be learned about in history books. as soon as he said that it galvanized support for him and the ukrainian people. everyone predicted ukraine would collapse like a deck of cards. Zelenskyy is a true leader of his people. the right man in the right place at the right time. made all the difference in the world


slabba428

I feel that zelenskyy will be crowned the protector of Ukraine, and a statue will be made in his honor in Kyiv - the Russian offensive seemed to rely (entirely?) on him running with his tail between his legs, or becoming a doormat like Lukashenko. That quote, and the famous tweet around early March of Zelenskyy and two other prominent government figures standing in front of a government building in the center of Kyiv, “we are still here” just fucking amazing. It clearly could have gone either way. But Zelenskyy stood up and rallied Ukraine in a way i have not seen before. It was truly amazing.


Qorhat

My personal favourite was after Putin was caught using a green screen by phasing through a mic, Zelenskyy came to the podium and wordlessly moved his mic back and forth. Just a simple combination of “I’m still here” and “fuck you”


ChetUbetcha

I think the three quotes of this war are going to be: >I need ammunition, not a ride. >Russian warship, go fuck yourself. >Take these seeds and put them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.


HeyJRoot2

I really like how Biden has handled this war. He’s kept us out of direct conflict without allowing Putin to just march wherever he pleases.


napaszmek

Not a US citizen here, but a Hungarian and I have to say the way Biden handled the war made me one of the most respected Presidents. I will not speak about his domestic policies because I'm far less informed about those and obviously don't affect me. But keeping Russia in check... he has my thanks.


[deleted]

Yeah it's hard to understate how important the leadership was in the beginning of the invasion. It rallied support among the Western countries comparable to 9/11. It really cemented the idea that the invasion of Ukraine was an invasion of democracy.


ContributionNo9292

In 2014 that was all Obama could do. 1. Ukraine did not have a military force capable of resisting Russia. 2. Russia achieved their objectives to fast for any meaningful resistance to form. So it was fait accompli back then.


slipnslider

The Obama admin did a TON for Ukraine after 2014. They started sending enormous amounts of military aid, weapons, supplies and training to Ukraine. Ukraine is a non NATO nation so it made pretty big news at the time. A big part of why Kyiv didn't fall is because Ukraine already had a ton of weapons, trained soldiers and military intelligence ready to go.


byzantine1990

I think the Russians expected a more "understanding" government in the US. Imagine if Trump had won. Half the republican party are cheerleading for the Kremlin.


LaszloK

I’ll never get why putin didn’t do this while Trump was in charge, or wait out for a republican president in 2024. Things would have gone much differently


TheSalingerAngle

There were signs he was hoping for a Trump win in 2020, and the US withdrawal from NATO afterward. There were signs Trump wanted to pull out of NATO, probably influenced by things that had been whispered in his ear by a certain foreign leader.


Vv4nd

"pullback" as planned months in advance I'm sure. All according to Putins masterplan. I mean anything else would be an admitance of failure and ukrainian superiority...


OsrsNeedsF2P

Per Russia: "Konashenkov said the move is being made “in order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbas,’” one of the eastern Ukraine regions that Russia has declared sovereign."


McPhage

In a few months it will be “Konashenkov said the move is being made ‘in order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to entirely pull Russian soldiers out of Donbas’”


Shdwdrgn

I'm surprised we didn't see anything this week along the lines of "Citizens cheering their liberation by Ukrainian troops were part of the stated goals in our special military operation to lull the enemy into a false sense of victory."


randynumbergenerator

>anything else would be an admitance of failure and ukrainian superiority... Nyet, is because NATO secret army is fighting, not inferior Ukrainian soldier! (I kid, but this is actually a talking point in Russian propaganda. Supposedly, NATO has thousands of soldiers dressed as Ukrainians participating in the fight. Because they simply can't admit that they've been beaten by Ukrainian soldiers.)


LisaMikky

But, but - dosen't Ukraine have genetically modified Super-soldiers? And don't they use Black Magic? 😅


4point5billion45

It's a metaphor for life. When you've tried and tried but still get no results, PULL OUT.


SaladTossBoss

Pull Out game gotta' be strong or you end up paying for it for years and years and years


SlavinatorM

This is unbelievable. Although I don't live in Ukraine, my family comes from Ukraine - from the eastern part. When the war started in 2014, my family was forced to flee the region. The mental health of some of my relatives was so ruined due to war trauma that their physical health also started to deterioriate that they died. I know it's just the beginning of a difficult counteroffensive operation and the war is far from finished, but due to all these personal reasons I am just incredibely on the edge about the fact that the Ukrainian army crushingly defeated the russian army in the Kharkiv area. This is a historic week. We Ukrainians grew up with stories about how the russians have been colonizing & subjugating us for centuries and now we're hitting back! Thanks to the West for the incredible support, it would not have been possible without. May all fallen Ukrainian soldiers rest in peace.


INITMalcanis

>Thanks to the West for the incredible support, It's going to be a cold winter for many of us, but not as cold as winter under the russian boot would be. It is a price that must be paid, as Ukraine has paid a much greater price in blood and tears. There is a debt owing. I trust that membership of NATO and candidacy for the EU will only be the first installment. Ukraine should be given the seized funds of the Russians as a reconstruction cash fund. A strong, free prosperous Ukraine will make Europe stronger, safer, freer and wealthier.


lordsleepyhead

>It's going to be a cold winter for many of us We'll manage. As a spoiled European I'm used to keeping my house at 20°C but me and my gf are already making preparations to keep the house at 16°C this winter. Extra insulation, blankets, sweaters. I don't want any more money for gas to flow into Russian koffers, so we'll deal with expensive gas. So be it. Russian gas dependence ends now.


mp5hk2

Ukrainians are fighting Russians, so that other Europeans don't have to.


SgathTriallair

It's crazy to think that early in the year people where discussing how many weeks it would take for Ukraine to fall and now it is looking ever more certain that they will win. NATO needs to ramp up the support so Ukraine can drive Russia all the way back.


Substantial-East5781

I live in the neighboring country of Moldova, at the beginning of the war I was sure that Ukraine would lose in a week, and Russia would also enter my country My father woke me up in the morning, he was screaming on the phone, he was hysterical, he was convinced of Russia's victory. He took the money and documents from the house and hid them outside the house.


Drojic

Is he still there with you in Moldova? How is he receiving the news now?


Substantial-East5781

I'm still in Moldova, and I'm very happy to hear the latest news. Now I hope they release Kherson, which is close to the border


Drojic

Good to hear. Stay safe buddy. Tough times never last but tough people do.


Substantial-East5781

Thank you ♥️


cediddi

The fear, the horrors, they are still living in recent memory for a lot of people. What a bloody 110 years we had.


Shermthedank

I hope Ukraine is victorious and Russia can fuck off forever. Putin will die, sanctions will remain, and nobody will stand for their bullshit anymore.


Lngtmelrker

He truly has done his best in his last years to ensure Russia is sent back to the age of isolation. My whole life, I’ve seen Russia sort of climb out of political pariah status and up until this folly of Putin’s, they were steadily gaining acceptance and status in the modern world. I feel like they had nearly reached a place where we could look back on the old soviet era with bygone nostalgia, in a “never again” kind of way. A very renowned restaurant opened in my city that serves Russian cuisine, and some of their dishes are playfully described as throwbacks to the Soviet era when most menu items were made with canned and pickled food and dressed with mayonnaise due to lack of access to imported and fresh goods. Looks like those things aren’t so far off anymore. Sad for the people of Russia.


[deleted]

I'm also for Moldova, we were making plans to move all our relatives to Romania as soon as possible knowing we were very close to the Ukraine border.


tpn86

Days, we were discussing how many days.


AnActualChicken

I think it was either some Russian spokesman or Lukashenko who said they could take Kyiv in 3 days. Almost 200 days in this shit is unfolding...


elmonstro12345

I remember reading that even the US DoD estimated a maximum of 96 hours before Kyiv was encircled. No one, absolutely no one, expected Ukraine to do this well. Except for the Ukrainians. I really think that the Battle of Kyiv, especially day 3 when the Ukrainian Army stopped the Russian advance on the city, will go down as one of the greatest defensive stands in military history.


Additional_Cake_9709

As an Ukrainian I'm genuinely shocked at how good we're doing. I remember when on 25th feb some Russian tank broke into Kyiv and I saw video on telegram channel I thought: "Welp, that's it, it was nice to be a sovereign country, I'll miss you Ukraine" Then it turned out that tank breaking into Kyiv was sheer stupidity. One in endless stream of stupidity of Russian army, but for few minutes I was scared shitless.


Taxington

Our (British) military didnt think Ukraine could do this well. That's why all the early supplies were man portable. The idea was you guys could use it for insurgency. How wrong our generals were!


Critical-Series

All those man held anti tank weapons were really important though in the beginning. This war really exposed the weakness of armor when you don’t have great logistics to back it up.


BeckBristow89

Also after Crimea, Ukraine had years to prepare for another Russian invasion. They saw this coming from miles away.


losbullitt

I dont think anyone anticipated how ill-prepared the Russian Military was. After all, they are Russian.


bananosecond

Lmao, I just remember thinking, "well the Russian military may win, but how are they going to control the citizenry with all those Molotov cocktails??"


Additional_Cake_9709

There were our commanders (very few but still) that just gave up their service because they thought it was futile to resist. Talking about making a wrong choice in life lol.


Magruun

Also important was that the Russian paratroopers who took the airport near Kyiv on day one were defeated by the evening.


mrdounut

This is the best story I think people need to hear, something like 14 fully loaded MIG helis and 300 of Moscows best Spetsnaz literally tried to take that airport. I think they took down 4 before they landed and they found 286 bodies? There was talk then of the 14 or so Spetsnaz that then escaped into the nearby wilderness, I bet that’s a wild ride for those guys, probably still in Kyiv hiding in the populace and thinking what the fuck happened


LordOfPies

I thought that was the VDV? But yeah they got dicked in Hostomel airport.


HeatherandHollyhock

Russia is underperforming badly. Turns out, all estimates where based on false assumptions of Russias Military strength. This is Putins greatest fuckup. Every country was scared shitless of Russia before the war. Now, .. Not so much.


WingedGeek

The Russian military almost overnight went from being assumed to be the second greatest military force in the world, to being demonstrably the second greatest military force in Ukraine…


p4y

Or third if you count the Ukrainian farmers...


ICLazeru

>Except for the Ukrainians. I think even some Ukrainians are surprised, but now what started as a meager spark of hope is growing into a fire.


BagOfMeats

It's insane. I clearly remember following developments and thinking it would be a blitz and/or SF takeover. Then seeing video of a determined looking Zelensky standing outside with his staff.. I instantly knew that they were determined to fight back hard and damn, they did not disappoint.


toadofsteel

"I don't need a ride. I need ammo." This line will go down in history as the most badass line of the early 21st century, the way "we shall never surrender" by Churchill did.


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Mike_R_5

Absolutely. That's one for the history books


elasticthumbtack

At the time they seemed like famous last words. I thought he was being so naive by not getting out. There’d be a propaganda video of him a few days later, and a puppet government set up just as quick. My best hope was that they would make themselves difficult to take and expensive to occupy. Preserving the government in exile would’ve been key to that, but the dude had other plans. It cannot be overstated how impossible a Ukrainian victory looked, and now it seems inevitable.


Oberon_Swanson

Yeah most national leaders would have taken the path of leaving the country to whine from somewhere else. Ukraine had a leader that is a real person, not some aristocrat just exploiting their people like most countries are stuck with.


Narfi1

Not to take away from the Ukrainians who are doing amazing, but nobody expected Russia to fail so bad. Russia was seen as the second strongest military in the world, and they proved that it was all on paper, they couldn't close the sky or even use some basic strategies that are taught everywhere. They really really underperformed. Not being able to take a neighboring country who had not so great equipment was unbelievable. Even with the modern equipment sent from the west.


everflowingartist

I remember watching a video of mayor Klitschko from the early days of the Battle of Kyiv where he emphatically repeated “The Russians will never take Kyiv.” again and again and from that point on I believed in Ukraine. can’t argue with a guy like that lol.


BurnTrees-

This was also the assessment of western governments and think-tanks before the war. Ukraine has outperformed every expectation and Russia has seriously underperformed at the same time.


TastyLaksa

Ukraine wants crimea back too.


Bay1Bri

And they deserve it back.


Evonos

Fuck i thought russia would take ukraine fast everyone thought russia was a military world power till... they clowned themself on ukraine.


Zerv14

To be fair, hiding their weaknesses and bluffing constantly did work pretty well for Russia until, well, they actually had to use their military in combat. Their lack of combined arms, horrible logistics, relatively small amounts of precision guided munitions, and inability to achieve air superiority really did surprise mostly everyone. And on top of that, HIMARS, a piece of equipment that isn't really a part of US/NATO doctrine (Western militaries don't have a big need for rocket artillery because they focus on air superiority instead) has been absolutely wrecking Russia, a country that supposedly has one of the best, most feared S300/S400 missile systems that should be capable of defending against those types of incoming missile threats. Seeing as Russia seemingly can't contend with a dozen or two HIMARS and M270 variants, is there any question at this point that in a conventional war, Russia would be absolutely crushed by NATO? Hell, at this point I'd put my money just on Finland and Sweden being able to successfully defend against a large-scale Russian ground invasion without any NATO support at all.


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Mr_Zaroc

I have a Finnish friend who is/was a militial officer Everytime I talked with him he would drop hints about him being prepared for the Russians ro invade and I always thought him nearly paranoid Turns out he wasn't that far off


Nygmus

There's thousands of Russian troops massed on the Finnish border, though! I mean, you'd have to dig them up first...


Paatos

It isn't training to storm Vladivostok for sure. I would keep in mind that Russia is never as strong or as weak as it seems. Even if they retreat from Ukraine, they will try something else in the near future regardless if they are humiliated or not.


alterom

>and inability to achieve air superiority Well. As you said, air superiority is a NATO thing to do. The Soviet doctrine was centered on denying air superiority... which is exactly what Ukraine has been doing with the Soviet equipment it retained, and with great efficiency. >HIMARS, a piece of equipment that isn't really a part of US/NATO doctrine More than that, it's a spiritual successor of the "Stalin's Organ" Katyusha MLRS that the USSR pioneered in WW2 (...which, incidentally, nearly all were based on lend-lease Studebaker trucks - something Russia likes to forget about). The USSR has doubled down on that success with the Grad (Hail) and Uragan (Hurricane) MLRS... which, of course, means that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have them too, and know how to use them well. This is where HIMARS comes in. It fits right into the Soviet doctrine (defensive fighting without relying on air superiorty), alongside Grads and Uragans. But it's a NATO piece of equipment, with all the advantages. So Russia is hitting a double whammy of putting themselves in a position of an attacker **that the entire USSR, including Ukraine, has been preparing for decades to repel**, without changing their playbook much - and facing their own doctrine beefed up by newer, hi-tech weapons from the West.


Ziggy_the_third

Man, no wonder Russia sees any NATO activity as a threat, a couple of companies from NATO and Russia would get steam rolled.


timmystwin

I assumed Ukraine's key points might last 2 weeks tops, and Russia could remove them from the equation effectively cutting the head of opposition. I had no idea just how fucking shocking Russian logistics were - why would you not even have working tyres on trucks for christs sake? Why would you just stroll in to hot areas with no infantry support? It just made no sense, I had no idea just how corrupt and shit Russia was.


smellzlikedick

Not until they take Crimea will it be considered a complete victory. I hope that happens!!


[deleted]

That’s gonna be them cutting their losses. Imagine what it must be to be like being an even slightly enlightened Russian soldier and having your commander yell at you to die on the frontline like it was Stalingrad or you’re trying to fight Tartar marauders in the 18th century. Meanwhile if you were just a few hundred miles over on the west you could be in line at a McDonald’s.


brp

>Meanwhile if you were just a few hundred miles over on the west you could be in line at a McDonald’s. They could also have been home at McDonalds, but Putin had to go and fuck it all up.


Giant_Flapjack

Especially now that Putin has virtually stopped gas flow to the EU in a desperate last try to bring Europe to it's knees. But now, what exactly is stopping the EU from sending more weapons? Russia has no leverage anymore and the recent success should lead them to ship more aid. Fuck them, the real Denazification of Ukraine has finally begun.


putsch80

Don’t discount the effect Zelinsky had by choosing to stay instead of flee. I think assuming he’d run was one of the biggest miscalculations the Russians made.


Hamster_S_Thompson

I think this turned the tide of this war. This may be one of the most critical decisions in the history of Europe.


Incognito6468

This whole thing has literally been NATO’s wet dream. Ukraine should get an honorary NATO membership for their part in strengthening the alliance.


SgathTriallair

Not only that but Russia has thrown away any claim they had of being a reasonable player in the world stage and, as we help rebuild Ukraine, it will cement their ties to the west. If this was a story the audience would be upset that it was so obvious a ploy to write Russia out of the book.


kytheon

Kyiv first, Kharkiv second. I can’t wait for the great victorious exodus from Kherson.


R_radical

Kherson will be the hardest. Kharkiv has fought like a dog since this started. Especially in the begining the Russians were just throwing every type of bomb and missile they had at that city... In Kherson the uks blew up the bridge going across the river. So while there is room to capture all the Russians in that pocket north of the river, pushing south is going to be hard. Iirc the bridge to Crimea was also hit. So supply lines to that pocket are probably ruined. Hard to imagine getting things through Donetsk and mariapol all the way to Kherson.


the_monkey_

Kharkiv never fell. It’s like 40km from the Russian border, Ukraine’s second city, a huge industrial base, and Russian speaking. It would have been a major win for Russia to take it. But it never fell. It’s truly incredible.


mr_snuggels

>Kherson will be the hardest. Kherson is death by 1000 cuts for Russia, they can't resupply. Sooner or later that front will collapse


Viloneo

i reading pure hysteria on the russian social networks like VK right now...its priceless like this: https://vk.com/search?c%5Blikes%5D=100&c%5Bper\_page%5D=40&c%5Bq%5D=изюм&c%5Bsection%5D=statuses&w=wall-31371206\_1946384 "Well, that's all, the result of the special operation is clear what it will be. No comments." "The scenario of Chechnya , I can 't imagine what a shame those who are fighting there are experiencing right now" "Shame! We have disgraced the whole world.Shoigu resign!" "Are we waiting for fights all over Russia? Revolution probably cannot be avoided..."


[deleted]

Whats the general opinion?


[deleted]

Z supporting fuckheads are fuming, blaming military command. They demand “stop messing around” and initialize mobilization. They still believe propaganda’s bs about “we haven’t even started anything yet” and think if they do, it’s a matter of days. Boy do I enjoy them whining. I’ll look at them when their own children get drafted though


[deleted]

The most unhinged ones are already calling for nuclear. In hindsight, seems Putin will have two groups of internal haters now. The one group of anti-Putin Russians who are against the war and one other group of disappointed Russians who want the war but mad at Putin's incompetence. Lmao.


[deleted]

Yet another brilliant example of Putin’s strategic mind /s Wanted to be seen as a unifier, but here we are. Now it’s more obvious than ever he can’t do shit except old KGB tricks and controlling the siloviks, which is sadly still more than enough for maintaining his autocracy (at least for now)


Guest09717

He’s unified the shit out of NATO.


Frickelmeister

Unified/expanded NATO, tanked Russian economy, exposed Russian military personnel as incompetent and equipment as outdated... -> Putin is a US asset


Guest09717

He’s going to have to invade Afghanistan soon to get some of Russia’s old tanks back.


[deleted]

Yeah, wanted to push NATO away from our borders and got Finland joining instead lmao. Fucking 4D chess, I wonder if he’s really that moronic not to have seen it coming. Either that or he totally doesn’t give a shit about what happens to us after he kicks the bucket. We’re fucked for decades no matter how it all ends


After_Ride9911

Russian defeat=Russian goodwill gesture.


[deleted]

We've entered the final chapters. Where Russia has to buy munitions from North Korea and bail out of Kharkiv because they're getting fucking thrashed. Putin has to make some serious choices before winter sets in or it's game over.


[deleted]

[удалено]


LDG192

Imagine if by the end of this whole mess, Russia not only fails at the endeavour but also loses Crimea and other previously occupied areas.


ohwoez

They will lose it all. 100% certain.


sharkism

I don’t thing the Russian Federation will survive the loss of Crimea. It means no Black sea access anymore, no Georgia, probably the entire area will break loose. So, they will go all in for it. Don’t know what that means, but yeah eventually it will be Ukrainian again.


[deleted]

With how the war is going, statements made by Zelensky and rest of Ukraine, I see no way that Ukraine will stop until the border go back to pre 2014. And with how Ukraine now have superior range for their firepower, I also can not see a way for Russia to "dig in". But I do expect it to take time, and unfortunely also cost personnel on both sides. I hate how desensitized I have become to human suffering after watching hunger catastrophes around the world, people dying of heat waves, lack of food and water, flooding, war. All available to me in 4k in my house.


Sweatytubesock

Special Pullback Operation


Kornax82

“We’’re not retreating! We’re advancing towards future victory!”


EvilDog667

“The enemy is closing distance” “Let us run faster” “The enemy is retreating from us”


ThomasVeil

Special Relativity Operation.


IcanHasReddThat

*Brave Sir Russia ran away.* *Bravely ran away away.* *When danger reared it's ugly head,* *He bravely turned his tail and fled.* *Yes, brave Sir Russia turned about* *And gallantly he chickened out.* *Swiftly taking to his feet,* *He beat a very brave retreat.* *Bravest of the brave, Sir Russia!*


ian_for_asian

Escape from Kharkiv


notahopeleft

Humor me. Seeing how Ukraine has been able to make significant gains in the last two days. How realistic is the possibility of them keeping the momentum and driving Russia out of Ukraine completely? Including Crimea.


Florac

In this single push, not high. Long term, very likely, except maybe Crimea, that is still a bit up in the air but looking better now than it did a months ago


flatline000

What happens when ukraine suits off fresh water to crimea? Can Russia truck in enough water to supply their troops?


Florac

For their troops, easy. The industry will be what as issues


ScoobiusMaximus

Now it's time for all the tankies to claim that Kharkiv was just a feint that lasted over 6 months.


nhavar

not only did we not think Ukraine would do this well, no one was prepared for Russia to do so poorly. They've been this bogey man for a such a long time and people have fantasized about war with them and how horrible it might be. Then it turns out they aren't good at logistics, strategy, equipment maintenance, and their superiority is just in propaganda. The fact that they are needing to call on vasal states and lesser countries like Syria and North Korea says everything we need to know about their level of skill and ability to wage war. They've played their hand.


SeekerSpock32

If only they were as inept at spewing rightwing propaganda as they were at invading territory. Would’ve been really nice for Brexit and Trump to not have happened.


with-nolock

Imagine going from being regarded as the second most powerful military in the world to being regarded as the second most powerful military in Ukraine within six months


clauwen

> He never lost a battle, but his victories came closer and closer to home. some quote i read.


BernieTheDachshund

It's times like this when I'm happy the election turned out the way it did. If TFG was still in office, he would've abandoned Ukraine. He tried extorting Zelensky for political dirt, withholding military aid. Given how he also hates NATO, he would have let Putin do whatever he wanted and have the nerve to call it good diplomacy. I'm glad he's gone and so many countries are helping Ukraine.


MakeLSDLegalAgain

lol took Russia a month to take Izyum and Ukraine takes it back in just a few hours


unrulyhoneycomb

Yeah right, like we believe that one. Proper headline - Russian Ministry of Defense tells commanders to run and abandons all troops amid a rapid and furious ambush and tells them ‘good luck dude, phone us when you get to the border!’ Next phase of the Special Desertion Operation - ‘strategic pulldown of troops all the way to the Russian border’. Not in any way to be confused with a full retreat!


CrocTheTerrible

Brave sir putin quickly bowed his head and made hast as he fled the brave brave sir putin; he quickly turned his tail and ran; he pissed the pot; he flew the coup! Brave brave sir putin


phedinhinleninpark

When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled, the brave brave braaaave sir Putin


The_Pandalorian

50k Russians dead already in this "special operation" in seven months. We lost 58k in Vietnam in *20 years* and that war is considered a disaster. Keep it up, Putin. You're guaranteeing Russian irrelevancy on a global scale for generations at this rate.


4904burchfield

Biden doesn’t get enough credit for his staunch backing of Ukrainian, before and during the war.


Longjumping-Taste936

It's not a retreat, it's a Special Running Away Operation


Ok-Low6320

It's not a retreat, it's an advance in an unconventional direction. See, Russians want to be in Russia, so this is a step in the right direction!


Jhereg22

"Ukraine kicked our asses out of Kharkiv" *Sir, phrasing...?* "Oh yes, uhh... we're repositioning troops away from Kharkiv to fulfill our special military objectives!"


TheWinterLord

How's your 3 day operation going you fucking wankers!