Members and Temple in Kyiv Ukraine

[bluebell]

29 minutes ago, Vanguard said:

That's promising. All of this may well serve as a signal that China should reconsider any possible incursions into Taiwan considering the massive backlash against Putin in Ukraine. IMO, an incursion into Taiwan would be even worse considering that she has been a stable democracy for some time as well as an economic powerhouse. My only worry is that should Putin become increasingly desperate, he may well consider some type of nuclear option. You know, the 'despotic, desperate tyrant syndrome'...?! So much infrastructure damage and blood loss has been inflicted in the Ukraine that even if Putin were to pull out (which he should), it will spell years if not decades of damage control and rebuilding in the now war-ravaged Ukraine. : (

I worry about the bold as well.  He's just doesn't seem like a stable or rational person, and being backed into a corner with no way to save face is not a great place for someone like that who also has access to all the nuclear buttons.

[Metis_LDS]

1 hour ago, Vanguard said:

My only worry is that should Putin become increasingly desperate, he may well consider some type of nuclear option.

Hi Vanguard, yes anything can happen.

He would have to be some crazy to start a nuclear war.  If you look at all the pictures of his meetings since covid he sits very far away from all the others in the room.  A man who is worried about something you cannot see like covid will also be worried about radiation something else you cannot see.  We are all in the hands of the Lord. 

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, Vanguard said:

That's promising. All of this may well serve as a signal that China should reconsider any possible incursions into Taiwan considering the massive backlash against Putin in Ukraine. IMO, an incursion into Taiwan would be even worse considering that she has been a stable democracy for some time as well as an economic powerhouse. My only worry is that should Putin become increasingly desperate, he may well consider some type of nuclear option. You know, the 'despotic, desperate tyrant syndrome'...?! So much infrastructure damage and blood loss has been inflicted in the Ukraine that even if Putin were to pull out (which he should), it will spell years if not decades of damage control and rebuilding in the now war-ravaged Ukraine. : (

The nations of the world would have a much harder time sanctioning China than they would Russia. Sanctioning China would hit much harder at home for most nations.

[The Nehor]

3 minutes ago, Metis_LDS said:

Hi Vanguard, yes anything can happen.

He would have to be some crazy to start a nuclear war.  If you look at all the pictures of his meetings since covid he sits very far away from all the others in the room.  A man who is worried about something you cannot see like covid will also be worried about radiation something else you cannot see.  We are all in the hands of the Lord. 

I am sure some of it is Covid precautions. When the President of Brazil visited with Putin a while back he had to get six clean Covid tests before Putin would meet. To be fair that guy has had Covid so many times he probably qualifies as some kind of plague demon. Putin has also spent his whole life ordering people killed. That kind of distancing mitigates some methods of assassination. He is getting very paranoid. The paranoia is very understandable since they might genuinely be after him as he is costing the Russian oligarchs to lose the money they have been looting as their exit strategy for decades while also cutting off their exit strategy.

Hoping the strategic missile operators are as corrupt as most of the Russian military and sold off bits and pieces of the ICBM fleet. It would be the most poetic way for Russia to fall.

[The Nehor]

German military planes are now flying defensive air missions over Poland to deter potential Russian aggression. Irony dies a little more each day.

[smac97]

37 minutes ago, Vanguard said:

That's promising. All of this may well serve as a signal that China should reconsider any possible incursions into Taiwan considering the massive backlash against Putin in Ukraine.

I served my mission in Taiwan, so I have a lot of affection for it.  I also immensely dislike totalitarian regimes like we see in China.

37 minutes ago, Vanguard said:

IMO, an incursion into Taiwan would be even worse considering that she has been a stable democracy for some time as well as an economic powerhouse.

The interconnected global economy has become weaponized, but in a good way.  Russia relies on the West to buy its oil and gas.  China relies on the West to purchase its manufactured goods.  But the West (particularly the US) can - if it has the political will to do it - produce its own hydrocarbons, and/or can pivot to nuclear power (boy, that would be sweet).  And if China becomes too obnoxious to work with in terms of mass manufacturing, the West can turn to other up-and-comers like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and so on.

I am hoping that China/Russia need the West far more than the West needs them. 

37 minutes ago, Vanguard said:

My only worry is that should Putin become increasingly desperate, he may well consider some type of nuclear option.

I don't think that will happen.

37 minutes ago, Vanguard said:

You know, the 'despotic, desperate tyrant syndrome'...?! So much infrastructure damage and blood loss has been inflicted in the Ukraine that even if Putin were to pull out (which he should), it will spell years if not decades of damage control and rebuilding in the now war-ravaged Ukraine. : (

Yes.  "Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children."  (D&C 98:16.)

Thanks,

-Smac

[Teancum]

26 minutes ago, Metis_LDS said:

A man who is worried about something you cannot see like covid will also be worried about radiation something else you cannot see.  We are all in the hands of the Lord. 

Are all in his hands?  If so he is not holding on to us all that well the past few weeks. 

[The Nehor]

If you are like me and like to watch military tech in action here is a group of Russian helicopters under attack. If I follow it correctly one went down right before the video starts. One almost goes down while dropping flares (landing gear skips in water) and another one goes down.

Russian military training has not impressed me. A few days back I watched a Russian tank trying to take out a stationary target with no cover and the shots were awful. The target was also a display statue of a vehicle and not an actual threat. I shared it with a friend of mine who was in the army as a tank gunner and he said that it was bad and is basically failing at the second most important thing you get taught (shooting while moving) and either the aiming gear inside just isn’t working or the gunners don’t know how to use it. There is a lot more of this. A Russian tank trying to cross a bridge it had no business expecting to make it over and toppling off and the funny part is that the tank is amphibious and could easily have just driven over the water with less danger. Also a lot of Russian vehicles getting lost or getting really bad orders. I wonder what the status is on Russia’s GPS equivalent system. Finally Russian urban warfare tactics have been pathetic. The thing that really convinced me that a lot of the Russian troops on the ground have almost no training is tanks and apcs traveling alone or in very small groups through city streets with NO deployed infantry support. That is like urban warfare 101. They are asking to be destroyed. One possibility is that the intel given to Ukraine is good enough that a lot of the officers and NCOs who know what they are doing were targeted and killed. Another is even they don’t know what they are doing. The last is they do know what they are doing but discipline has broken down.

Russia is offering death benefits for anyone killed in Ukraine but due to the currency plunge last I heard it was about $100. Ukraine is offering many times  that to anyone who lays down their weapons and surrenders.

[The Nehor]

Also this had me giggling wildly like a crazy person for over five minutes.

And yes, that is Ukraine’s official account.

[The Nehor]

This is also funny. This is Lukashenko, president of Belarus which is a faithful dog or puppet state to Russia depending on who you ask. He is talking about potential surgical strikes but it looks like some idiot put up the invasion map so it doesn’t match anything he says.

When this was new a few hours ago I zoomed in a little and what is a little worrying is the red invasion route in the lower left goes into Moldova. I was not the only one and this is now all over the news. Nice of them to give Moldova a head’s up. Moldova is a very poor nation that has declared permanent neutrality and has not joining either NATO or any Russian security agreements literally written into their constitution.

Most likely whoever made this map was just lazy and sloppy.

Edit: Sorry, I am a geopolitical nerd and I sometimes forget how esoteric some of this is so I should have said this may be something weird with the Moldovan semi-official break off state Transnistria which is recognized by almost no one. It is part of Moldova officially but it de facto has its own government and is aligned with Russia with Russian “peacekeepers” stationed there. It is a pretty blatant whoopsie that suggests that there may have been plans to recognize this breakaway and bring it even further into Russia’s sphere of influence. It was likely not a plan to invade Moldova outside that area.

Also:

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by The Nehor

[carbon dioxide]

8 hours ago, Vanguard said:

That's promising. All of this may well serve as a signal that China should reconsider any possible incursions into Taiwan considering the massive backlash against Putin in Ukraine. IMO, an incursion into Taiwan would be even worse considering that she has been a stable democracy for some time as well as an economic powerhouse. My only worry is that should Putin become increasingly desperate, he may well consider some type of nuclear option. You know, the 'despotic, desperate tyrant syndrome'...?! So much infrastructure damage and blood loss has been inflicted in the Ukraine that even if Putin were to pull out (which he should), it will spell years if not decades of damage control and rebuilding in the now war-ravaged Ukraine. : (

Taiwan can learn a lot from Ukraine.  It might be easy for China to invade Taiwan.  Holding it is a different story.  Taiwan needs to double up on their number of small arms weapons like anti tank and shoulder fired surface to air missiles.  Make the cities of Taiwan a killing field for any invading Chinese army.

[JAHS]

[halconero]

On 2/27/2022 at 2:40 PM, halconero said:

My friend Nina had to leave her husband behind.

She is Moldovan, him Ukrainian. They were going to flee to Moldova when the decree came saying all males 18-60 had to stay behind.

She is currently coordinating the flight and relief of a bunch of people from Moldova. If you would like to help her out financially (and help others), let me know and I can hook you up (message me privately).

Nina's story has been featured here. You can follow her on instagram a nina_ivannna (yes, three 'n's) to see updates, what the donations are being used for, and to follow her own personal story. For those who still want to help, there is a new opportunity. Nina's paypal withdrawals were maxed out, but her employer, Cumorah Academy, has agreed to forward all donations made here. They will not take anything for overhead or administration, all of it will get passed through to Nina. Cumorah Academy is also a registered US charity, so proceeds to Nina are tax deductible.

If there are any Canadians on here besides me (I see you Duncan), whether in Canada or abroad - I have made a website. You stick in your name, email, and postal code (UPPERCASE, no spaces) and it will generate a boilerplate email to your Member of Parliament, the Immigration Minister, and opposition Immigration critics. None of your information is saved, and you can tweak the email as you like, or send it right away. It asks MPs to lift the visa requirement for Ukrainians to come to Canada, to simplify the refugee process through measure we took during the Indochinese Refugee Crisis, and to help Ukrainians currently present in Canada to maintain their legal status as needed.

[Bernard Gui]

On 2/28/2022 at 9:55 PM, The Nehor said:

An optimistic take is that this conflict might end the remnants of the old Soviet block. If Putin ends up ousted it could break open more of the Russian republics to the gospel. We had limited access to some nations but this could open the whole thing and end some of the more repressive regimes. While Putin gone would be the best net good to be deposed I admit I want that weirdo in Turkmenistan gone. That place is almost like North Korea level repression. Then there is that Putin lackey in Belarus. Okay there are a lot of dictators i would like to see gone.

A more pessimistic take is Cold War 2.0 or World War III: ICBM Slapfighting. I don’t we will get the Cold War one. The Russian economy collapsing is what ended the first Cold War and that is happening much faster this time.

If you aren’t following some of this there is a lot of things that just seem absurd. TikTok videos teaching people how to operate captured Russian vehicles, the head of Urban Warfare at West Point is tweeting to civilian resistors how to effectively ambush enemy vehicles in an urban environment, about a dozen independent hacker groups are all busy with DDoS attacks on Russian government and propaganda sites. Sweden is donating weapons. Finland is debating joining NATO. The hardcore neutrals like Cyprus, Monaco, and Switzerland that usually bank with anyone are cutting the Russians off. Russian currency is useless. Swift has cut off Russia meaning virtually all credit card transactions are gone. Earlier they tried to reopen the market there partway and it plummeted and they shut it down again. The stock market was down over 50% in one day and would have fallen further. The US and the rest of NATO are passing intel to those resisting and they are ambushing them left and right. They made a big deal over sending in the scary Chechen fighters from previous conflicts and there are reports that the leader and possibly most of the rest of them are dead.

We may all die in atomic fireballs but it is an interesting ride so far getting there.

The kids growing up now may get calls to serve in Turkmenistan or Chechnya. I know that there were hints by some that John the Beloved was behind the fall of the Iron Curtain. I guess he has been busy again.

Having grown up in Los Alamos, I’ve been anticipating this ever since we started having those kindergarten air raid practices in 1952. If it happens I just hope one lands in my back yard. 🙃

Edited March 2, 2022 by Bernard Gui

[The Nehor]

55 minutes ago, carbon dioxide said:

Taiwan can learn a lot from Ukraine.  It might be easy for China to invade Taiwan.  Holding it is a different story.  Taiwan needs to double up on their number of small arms weapons like anti tank and shoulder fired surface to air missiles.  Make the cities of Taiwan a killing field for any invading Chinese army.

No, it won’t be easy for China to invade Taiwan. I mean yes, it would be hell to hold if it is taken but it would be much more hellish for China to take. Amphibious landings under fire are not a thing we see much of it all. They are bloody and horrible and it is likely technology has made it worse. It will mean pulling most of the Chinese fleet including civilian ships to ferry troops. The beaches of Taiwan are an attacker’s nightmare. If the people of Taiwan don’t surrender and/or are unwilling to live in an occupied state the choice is to fight or die or submit. There is no border for refugees to go to. Downside is that if it falls and an insurgency takes up the fight it will be harder for other nations to supply it.

We also don’t know much about how capable the Chinese military is. Their last real conflict was what? Vietnam? Their military is probably in better shape than Russia’s but I doubt it is much better. They are trying to modernize but they have serious corruption problems and a largely unused military is a good place to grift money. Their army is built to defend China and the navy to play their Pacific territory games. I have my doubts about them having the equipment, training, and morale to handle an invasion that would have to exceed the size of the D-Day Landings in much harsher terrain and against much more accurate weapons taking out their ships and those who land. It might be possible to win but it is not a sure thing. Add in that there is no way China can prepare for that kind of attack in secret. It will set off alarms in every intelligence agency that follows China and take months to prep for.

[Duncan]

51 minutes ago, halconero said:

Nina's story has been featured here. You can follow her on instagram a nina_ivannna (yes, three 'n's) to see updates, what the donations are being used for, and to follow her own personal story. For those who still want to help, there is a new opportunity. Nina's paypal withdrawals were maxed out, but her employer, Cumorah Academy, has agreed to forward all donations made here. They will not take anything for overhead or administration, all of it will get passed through to Nina. Cumorah Academy is also a registered US charity, so proceeds to Nina are tax deductible.

If there are any Canadians on here besides me (I see you Duncan), whether in Canada or abroad - I have made a website. You stick in your name, email, and postal code (UPPERCASE, no spaces) and it will generate a boilerplate email to your Member of Parliament, the Immigration Minister, and opposition Immigration critics. None of your information is saved, and you can tweak the email as you like, or send it right away. It asks MPs to lift the visa requirement for Ukrainians to come to Canada, to simplify the refugee process through measure we took during the Indochinese Refugee Crisis, and to help Ukrainians currently present in Canada to maintain their legal status as needed.

and Freedom too!

[The Nehor]

Russian advance has stalled a lot. It is a shame that Russia gave up communism because I really want to make a joke about military logistics being denounced as bourgeois affectation. There are reports of soldiers wrecking their own fuel tanks to keep from having to go forward but those are unconfirmed. It is confirmed that there is a long convoy of vehicles on the road to Kyiv largely stalled and out of fuel. Turning them on and off as they slowly advance eats up fuel. Add in the cold and they are probably keeping engine running just to stay warm. The route is jammed. It is hard to go around because of the mud. Once again the winter stalls another invasion in the area. The Russians may fail for the same reason Napoleon and Hitler did. It is cold and muddy and horrible.

The troops also need food and places to sleep so a lot of supplies have to come up. The Ukrainians are also wisely targeting anything that looks like a fuel truck whenever they get a shot at one with their drones. I thought the siege of Kyiv would be much hotter than it is. There were some bad hits. One explosion that had people panicking thinking it was a nuke with that lovely mushroom shape. More likely a fuel dump was hit.

The weird question is where is the Russian Air Force? It looks like that have fewer than a hundred planes being used. Even if they undercommitted at first figuring they would only need what they have now they have had time to bring in more planes. Are they having severe maintenance issues? I am beginning to wonder if their Air Force is in as bad a shape as many of their tanks and APCs and are just not flyable. The air force’s coordination with ground forces is also really bad. Don’t get me wrong. It is HARD to coordinate and mistakes happen but this is a boondoggle. At this point Ukraine shouldn’t have an Air Force and their air defenses should be minimal to non-existent due to air strikes. Neither are true. One appraisal is that the Russian military is not quite bad enough to be a ‘paper tiger’. It is more of a ‘cardboard tiger’.

[The Nehor]

Explosions are amazing. Sadly this probably killed a bunch of people.

Might have to click through to see it.

Edited March 2, 2022 by The Nehor

[rodheadlee]

16 hours ago, Teancum said:

Are all in his hands?  If so he is not holding on to us all that well the past few weeks. 

Haven't you studied Armageddon at all? Christ comes at the very end to save us from utterly destroying the Earth and ourselves.

Having said that dying is a part of life. I suggest you get real close to Him before you die. We are all going to die sooner or later.

I couldn't get through life without Him to lean on. Life would be so dreary without Heavenly Father and His Son.

[Calm]

Quote

“The two most important things a Ukrainian woman needs to know is how to make borscht and Molotovs,” she said, referring to homemade petrol bombs commonly known as Molotov cocktails

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-02-22/index.html

[Teancum]

2 hours ago, rodheadlee said:

Haven't you studied Armageddon at all? Christ comes at the very end to save us from utterly destroying the Earth and ourselves.

Yes I have. I think it is a myth. And if it is not then God allowing or even causing such a calamity is not lovingly holding us in his hands.

 

2 hours ago, rodheadlee said:

Having said that dying is a part of life.

Did I imply it wasn't?

Let me ask you.  If there is a loving compassionate and benevolent God, one who is omniscient and omnipotent, what good do our prayers do for the people of Ukraine?  Will the prayers convince God to save the people?  Will they stop the war?  Will God maybe take Putin out if we ask hard enough?  Or persuade Putin to change his mind?  Didn't God know what was going to happen before Putin sent in troops?  If yes then what good does praying to God do?  If he is really there can our prayers convince him to intervene somehow?

 

2 hours ago, rodheadlee said:

 

 

I suggest you get real close to Him before you die. We are all going to die sooner or later.

Thank you for your suggestion. I still pray as if God is there but I am rather uncertain about it all.  And if I die uncertain I am not worried. If he is there my guess is he is more merciful and understanding than most religions make him out to be.

2 hours ago, rodheadlee said:

I couldn't get through life without Him to lean on. Life would be so dreary without Heavenly Father and His Son.

It makes life different to have less faith than I used to have but it is certainly not dreary. In fact the world is brighter and more wonderfully diverse to me now since I do not see it through the myopic lenses of a religion that claims to be the One and Only True and Living Church and the only one that has God's priesthood to administer the ordinances of salvation, etc.  It is nice to live in the world without the idea of actually being part of it. No more be in the world but not of the world.  I live for today not for some hoped for after life that there is little to no evidence that it exists.

[The Nehor]

And they said video games weren’t going to prepare kids for real life.

Warning: Video contains swearing in other languages.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by The Nehor

[The Nehor]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-02-22/index.html

A “cocktail party” now means getting together to make more molotovs.

[The Nehor]

Okay, I might have teared up a little reading that. Poor kid.

[Kenngo1969]

21 hours ago, smac97 said:

... Russia relies on the West to buy its oil and gas.  ...

Yes, it does, and the West (including, and perhaps especially, given the country's oil needs, the U.S.) is playing right into Russia's hands.  The U.S. and the rest of the free world denounces Putin, while, at the very same time, what he is being denounced for is being financed by, inter alia, the United States, which, obligingly, continues to buy his oil.*

*And the environmentalists, for some reason, love the fact that the U.S. is producing less cleaner oil in favor of being forced to buy more dirty Russian oil.  Yeah.  That makes perfect environmental sense.