Mastodawn

Pwnallthethings Dec 30, 2022

#Kyiv now past 5 *full hours* of several waves of long-range infrastructure bombardment attacks today

Pwnallthethings

Russia *really* trying to disable infrastructure for New Years'. Massive series of Kalibr waves this morning targeting Kyiv were mostly shot down, so now using Shaheds under night cover.

So, first of all, fuck Russia.

But also, this is a great example of how successful #Ukraine air-defense is rapidly becoming. Absolute vast scale of constant bombardment, and still struggling to get their intended impact due to air defense.

Richard Ważny Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings Slava Ukraini 🙏

Alexander Ruthol Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings
Yeah, they can, or will soon be able to, protect Kyiv and a small number of other major cities, mainly Odesa and Lviv. Smaller towns are out of luck.
Russia isn't playing along with the US, France and German plan to freeze the conflict by only giving Ukraine defensive weapons. As russia shows, it can destroy Ukraine from the safety of russian and belarusian territory using long-range weapons.

Sasha Fox Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings Extra impressive with Israel refusing to share Iron Dome to avoid upsetting Russia.

Tracer Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings Which makes the Patriot training/donation news all the more satisfying. Appalling that it’s necessary, but wonderful that it’ll bolster the already excellent job that the Ukrainians are doing.

Thomas H Jones II Dec 30, 2022

@TTongDX @Pwnallthethings Unfortunately, you don't use $4Mn Patriot rounds against drones or smaller missiles that only cost $10Ks to a few $100Ks. Need AA gun systems – Gepards and C-RAMs – for those.

Shanya (Over at BlueSky)Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings Been wondering. How do you build out a country, when you have that on your doorstep? How do you fortify your position versus an aggressor that is literally willing to destroy itself if you go down with it?

Sibrosan Dec 30, 2022

@Almafeta @Pwnallthethings

"an aggressor that is literally willing to destroy itself if you go down with it?"

That is not what Russia, or Putin, is.

Putin is continuing this war to avoid, or at least postpone for as long as possible, his downfall. So far, he's been able to convince the Russians the war is in their interest. But that may change.

Icevice Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings both armies try to make winter as hard as possible for another. The silver lining is that Russian army lost position in big cities and whatever they do they'd still have to meet harsh weather in a field

Laure Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings fuck Russia, this is straight-up terrorism
via @Euan_MacDonald https://mastodon.online/@Euan_MacDonald/109599992512954989

Euan MacDonald (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 video Looks like HIMARS incoming in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk. RT @[email protected] Occupied Donetsk city tonight 🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/1608627922558148608

Mastodon

Thomas H Jones II Dec 30, 2022

@Pwnallthethings

Need more Gepards – and maybe some C-RAMs – sent: more economical against drones.

Ukraine also needs to see if whatever drones they used against Engels-2 could be equipped with chaff warheads to short out Russian power distribution stations.

@Pwnallthethings regrettably, I worry about UA depleting their SAM stocks, although I suppose ammo depletion cuts both ways in this case.

Kimberly Dec 31, 2022

@Pwnallthethings I think you should really say Fuck Putin, not fuck Russia. Most Russians are not for the war & do not back Putin but are “stuck with him” because he will not let them vote him out. I have been to Russia twice & have friends there & believe me, that is how they feel. They are stuck in a war they want no part in because of a maniac who won’t back out of the war because of his ego. #Putin #Russia #UkraineRussia #UkrianeRussiaWar

Alexander Ruthol Dec 31, 2022

@KiKiPosting
I would love to agree with that, but I don't think it's true.
There's considerable evidence that while the russian people are not strongly for *or* against the war, they are strongly for Putin.

More to the point, though, "russia" is here used as shorthand for the russian regime and russian army, not all russian civilians.

Kimberly Dec 31, 2022

@Je5usaurus_rex The wonderful thing about the world is that we all have the right to our own opinions. My belief is different than yours. You say that Russians like Putin. I disagree totally. If Russians like Putin, they have to like Putin because they haven’t been able to have an alternative. He kills them all off or imprisons them. There is a small percentage of Russians who like him because that is all they have ever known. They are the old Russians. #Putin

Alexander Ruthol Dec 31, 2022

@KiKiPosting
I think we only disagree on the percentage of russians who support Putin.
Me, I'd put it at 70-80%.

KFClinton Dec 31, 2022

@Je5usaurus_rex @KiKiPosting

"Ten months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some 70 percent of Russians support the war, according to the latest survey by Levada, Russia’s most respected independent polling organization."

Yep, according to WaPo article I read yesterday, Russians are behind Putin's war 70%.

The people have supported him and the military over his time in office due to the propaganda the gov't spews. Brainwashed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/29/russia-ukraine-war-opinion-putin-support/

What are Russians really thinking about the war?

The TMC 2022 roundups: Russia and Ukraine

The Washington Post

Kimberly Dec 31, 2022

@KFClinton @[email protected] They are brainwashed! As for polls, seriously, when have you ever known a poll to be accurate? 🙄

KFClinton Dec 31, 2022

It is Lavada. It is trends, not just one poll.

https://www.levada.ru/en/

Are Meaningful Public Opinion Polls Possible in Today’s Russia?

Ever since Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation (SMO), public opinion polls in Russia have been criticized with renewed vigor. Usually, critics give the following reasons why Russian polls cannot be trusted. Some argue that in 2022, the response rate has declined sharply and people’s reluctance to participate in surveys has increased. Others say that respondents interrupt interviews as soon as the conversation turns to events in Ukraine. Some say that only supporters of the government are now participating in the polls, while opposition-minded citizens prefer to abstain. Others speak of survey list experiments, which seem to show lower support rates, and claim that these show the “real mood” of the people. Finally, the most extreme critics of polls say that polls are not relevant because they do not show what people “really think.” Let us take a look at each of these allegations in turn.

Alexander Ruthol Dec 31, 2022

@KFClinton
I slightly disagree with that too, though.
My impression isn't that russians in general support the war, not exactly. My impression is that they support _Putin_.

If Putin tomorrow declared victory in Ukraine and withdrew all russian troops, as a "sign of good will" abandoning Donbas and Crimea to Ukraine, the russian public would just accept it.
Because they trust Putin implicitly.

KFClinton Dec 31, 2022

@Je5usaurus_rex

They support Russia and they support the military. This is another article I read a few days ago. There are constant articles from reliable media on the Russian support for Putin, for the war, for all things mother Russia. The lies are deeply believed, they are like the maga: gullible.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/world/europe/ryazan-russia-support-ukraine-war.html

Ryazan, Home of Elite Russian Unit, Still Supports Ukraine War

Ryazan, not far from Moscow, regularly sends young men off to fight. Some are now buried in the local cemetery, but there is no surge of outrage against Russian leaders.

Kimberly Dec 31, 2022

@Je5usaurus_rex Happy New Year! 😊

Alexander Ruthol Dec 31, 2022

@KiKiPosting
To you too! 🎇 🥳