Terrific idea, I’ll see if I can get a car park for it and a sports grant at the same time.
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The background here is in retaliation to Finland announcing plans to join NATO, Russia published a video of cruise missile launchers driving down a road, then panned to a road sign to Helsinki.
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I probably take the counter point on this one. I think Finland and Sweden should have held fire (no pun) about joining NATO for a while. Down the track, for sure.
Wait for Russia to lose / withdraw/ compromise , whatever in Ukraine. Let the Russian families mourning for large numbers of killed serviceman remain exactly that, and whatever anger that provokes be directed at the Kremlin. Don’t risk it morphing into an us-against-the-world propaganda situation where the broader country (and military services) can buy into the “we’re under siege” myth.
I think the timing is wrong and strategically it can bring other Russian forces into play that are currently excluded from the situation. It’s also an interesting position to be in if you’re denying Ukraine NATO membership but accepting Finland, right at this point in time.
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It’s a shame that the grim reality of this whole situation is so devastating because some of the comedy has been solid gold.
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Russian propaganda does claim threatened by NATO enlargement etc. But that is mainly for its impact in the rest of the world (which has been considerable). Some impact domestically but the bigger impact is that attacking Ukraine is shown to be a major failure of a weak regime.
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I think Sweden and Finland will join the Baltics and Poland in being highly supportive of speeding up Ukraine joining NATO. Meanwhile they are highlighting that the integration and coordination they have already established with NATO are a natural pathway to rapid membership as is the case for Ukraine.
Should add a category for “arrested”, including lots of FSB Colonels and above as well as the Commander in Chief of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Igor Osipov:
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Yes, there was generally a good vibe there as there is here.
Looking forward to further bouncing of ideas on how to get traction for [Edit #armsforukraine is my repeated misleading typo to be avoided - the actual hashtag is much more precise with emphasis on NOW] #armukrainenow
https://twitter.com/hashtag/armukrainenow
Tractors and boomerangs might not entirely solve the problem.
But short messages with amusing memes should certainly be part of the campaign.
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Does Australia have capacity to tool up to help make Stingers, NLAWS, Javelins and so forth.
nah, bung one of these waste vegie oil conversions in it. Works a treat in my '79 Mercedes 300D!
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I gather there are plans for extensive missile production here (and would guess that funding would be taken from the budget for tanks now that the realities pointed out half a century ago have been so vividly confirmed).
But existing suppliers can cope adequately with ongoing Ukrainian needs in those categories.
Zelensky video launching #armukrainenow campaign lists and shows graphic illustrations of current needs for next phase of the war (heavier and longer range weapons needed for Donbas, not just more of the shoulder mounted weapons that defeated attack on Kyiv).
https://twitter.com/hashtag/armukrainenow
Specific request from Ukraine to Australia was for Bushmaster’s and the numbers supplied were derisory, so I think that makes it a natural focus for any local campaign.
Once it takes off and there is a campaign organization, web site, discussion forum and liason with Ukrainians there may well be other munitions supplies (and other solidarity activities) worth adding to the campaign that would come out of discussion within the campaign.
But lets focus on actually getting a campaign for Bushmasters to actually take off right now.
Reportedly , 4. Bushmasters can be airfreighted at a time.
Some would be used to replace Dutch held supplies sent to Ukraine.
Anyone know the number of Bushmasters requested by Ukraine?
Would they be sent with parts, do they require ongoing maintenance by those on the ground with the expertise to maintain and replace parts?
Aceman - do you know the destination of the European airport for the Bushmasters being sent from Australia?
Yes. Mariupol and Kharkiv too. Odessa also has a large majority that used to speak Russian at home.
Putin regime is hitting hardest at the ethnic Russians in Ukraine. (Odessa not in play at the moment due to defeat of first offensive and Black Sea Fleet).
This is consistent with it being fundamentally a war against the peoples of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to retard the spread of the Ukrainian revolution to Belarus and Russia.
The ethnic Russians that don’t join in stamping out the democratic revolution must be treated as traitors and “de-nazified” (if necessary by deportation to Russia) because they are the main channel through their close family connections that could spread such dangerous ideas into Russia.
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First planeload was only 3 to provide space for parts.
There was mention here earlier that the number requested has not been announced. Presumably private discussions ongoing. Adding some public embarassment best done by Australians rather than Ukrainians - but they will not be shy about eventually doing so - as with comments on Hungary and German President.
Certain to require maintenance. Design criteria includes easy field maintenance repairers but that would still benefit from the early air delivery to familiarize maintainers and driver-mechanics.
Anyone that does know European airport should not mention it as it was announced that it was deliberately not released.
L8R
Most likely it’s the airport in Poland near the border that most shipments are being funnelled through. I’m sure there’s flight radar stuff online that would show exactly where our C-5s went.
Not exactly secret for a half capable Russian intelligence. But yeah, happy for those details to remain on the down low.
I would not be surprised if the announcement about not specifying destination was just posturing to give the impression that 4 trucks is some BIG DEAL valuable military target that could result in a missile strike.
But flight tracking radars do cooperate with military authorities as to what gets published and Russians don’t have the same coverage of Western Europe.
Even a 10% effective Russian intelligence service that actually cared could probably make a good guess at the airport (and they have already threatened cruise missile strikes nearby and Patriot batteries were put there quite early).
But there are grounds for speculating whether Russia currently has even a 10% effective intelligence service…
L8R
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Russian state media already floating the idea of Russia’s offramp
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On all sides there is a difference between poor Intelligence and Intelligence which may be discounted because it does not suit the agenda or narrative and does not find its way up the decision making chain.
It has also been noted that different Intelligence agencies within a country may be at war with each other and jostling for poll position , as per a recent article in The UK Conversation speculating as to a war between Russian spy agencies,
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New competition on USSR TV. Who wants to be a General!!!??? You get to boss around lots of people. Make them do things they don’t really want to do. Avoid being shot by people who want to kill you. If you fail in your objectives, you get to have tea with Vlad Putin! Win win!!
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