341–350 of 372 posts
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Using nukes would be unlikely to go well for Russia. The Ukrainian troops are pretty spread out so setting off a nuke would only take out a few and in response the west would probably do bad stuff to Russia, quite likely US non nuclear air strikes which could wipe out much of the Russian forces.
> The Ukrainian troops are pretty spread out It would be probably civilian target.
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They said WWI. I assume they were referring to the Versaille Treaty
Yes but the point the parent made was that after WW1 they were not restricted and it lead to WW2 and after WW2 it lead to the EU. So its pretty clear what strategy was better. In fact, the Republicans under Henry Cabot Lodge wanted exactly that, Germany had to be defeated and invaded. It was the only way to get lasting peace in Europe. And of course many in France like Foch wanted the same thing.
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The people that could realistically move from Russia already have. Just because all flights are fully booked doens't mean millions are willing to or able to move. And what gas? Currently Russia is exporting a negligible amount of gas to western countries. They played that card a long time ago. It's almost comical to talk about foresight and Russia in the same sentence without even acknowledging how blind Putin has ha…
> It's almost comical to talk about foresight and Russia in the same sentence I don't think our benchmark for foresight should be an aging dictator thats probably loosing his mind. > The people that could realistically move from Russia already have. What is the basis for this assertion? You could say 'we don't want them here', at least it would be honest. But let's not pretend they had every opportunity to leave and…
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>> too expensive due to the cost and the sanctions and they couldn't afford to do it. Which IS what is happening in Ukraine too. How so? Putin is swimming in money Europeans send him. Sanctions are a joke.
Russia enjoyed a brief surplus with high gas prices. It has collapsed and the government is now running a towards a hefty deficit. About 90% gone in just two months. Government spending is being cut down by 10% next year, while a greater share is allocated to the military, meaning actual useful domestic spending is going to go down even more. The sanctions are having a strong effect. The military spending is cushione…
A few months ago analysts were warning of impending collapse of Russia's troops due to poor supplies and poor morale. Russian cheerleaders on HN were doubting it as Western propaganda saying it had been declared for months and not materialized. Well it materialized in the collapse of the Kharkiv front over a week so there's that. In all, I don't think the mobilization is likely to matter. The Russian problem is bad s…
Using nukes would be unlikely to go well for Russia. The Ukrainian troops are pretty spread out so setting off a nuke would only take out a few and in response the west would probably do bad stuff to Russia, quite likely US non nuclear air strikes which could wipe out much of the Russian forces.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Using nukes would be unlikely to go well for Russia. The Ukrainian troops are pretty spread out so setting off a nuke would only take out a few and in response the west would probably do bad stuff to Russia, quite likely US non nuclear air strikes which could wipe out much of the Russian forces.
> The Ukrainian troops are pretty spread out It would be probably civilian target.
Kiev getting nuked means all out nuclear war. At the very least you know Putin loves himself too much to die like that.
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Russia remains a nuclear power. NATO should be and is careful. I agree they know they can’t win but they now need an exit ramp. That’s what I personally read in their posture. It would probably be wise to give them one.
Who is "they" in this dialectic? The Russian people definitely deserves a future. They could even win freedom from corruption, also win democracy, and even pluralism, thanks to the outcome of this war. They deserve no less. Vladimir and his cronies deserves a hefty wake-up call...
If they want a future they have to fight for it.
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I think it’s just extremely untrue that the US is experiencing anything like the Russian brain drain (or indeed any net brain drain at all). The US does have a bunch of problems (eg the poorest people live terribly for such a rich country; political issues around polarisation, skilled immigration, etc) but I think they are basically insignificant when compared to Russia’s.
I disagree insignificant due to how the U.S. treated South American in the past, and there are more examples how extreme U.S. can be.
[1] Note that, on net, the US is experiencing ‘brain accumulation’ (especially in science/tech) not brain drain, despite the slightly broken immigration system.
130 points, 3 hours ago, 184 comments Not on the front page or the second page of HN. The comments have been civil, all things considered. These events have been extremely consequential and possibly the root cause of the looming global recession.
C'mon, you can't expect potential WW3 to trump the current #1 item on HN: a 2011 article about "Effects of grill patterns on fan performance/noise".
Their main propaganda news channel has already said (incorrectly) that they are already fighting NATO and US troops in the breakaway areas. Is it time to make this a reality? I really don't see it ending without it happening. russia has shown that it has no regard for the suffering of any troops of any nationality. So purely from a population perspective, Ukraine will fail eventually unless they can effectively force…
>Ukraine will fail eventually unless they can effectively force-multiply like we've never seen in any other armed conflict. Ukrainian equipment is getting better with western donations while russian one is effectively running out of it. The newly mobilized units won't have anything better than soviet-era versions of T-72 and T-80, BMP-1 and D-20 howitzer, not even talking about T-62M. Ammo, missle and protective equi…
The Russians are “fighting the last war” again, expecting numerical superiority in armor and artillery to win. It isn’t working.