Naroon,

I do agree with your assessment. On one hand it is amazing how well Ukraine defended Kyiv against what was considered a much better army from a number and equipment standpoint. But, on the other the Ukraine still stand to lose 1/3 of their land and that is still really bad news if that happens. The war is no where near over and everyone needs to keep maximum pressure on Putin. Interestingly, there are reports that Putin is already planning a big victory parade for his win over Ukraine for May 9th. I have also seen reports that Russia is running out of military supplies. Ukraine on the other hand has fresh military supplies being delivered by many countries daily. Eventually Russia is going to hit a wall in their ability to keep fighting.

Hi Phoenix i hope you are well mate.

Just had some new intel about RF Fighter Jets SU-34. This is possible the most advanced Fighter Jet on the planet and RF Forces have now lost 3, at 36 Million quid a plane in lost Hardware alone.

It would not surprise me about the Victory Parade, Putin probably scheduled it in, a couple of months ago.

You are 100% correct about Russians  starting to run out of certain items, no one has seen sanctions like this against a single country ever, but we can not forget how much Military Equipment the RF has, what they have lost so far is only a fraction of the whole countries military ability. The RF Battle Groups deployed in Ukraine have lost men, high value equipment and more importantly, High Ranking Officers, but during this so called "Concentrate On Donbas" period, they will be re supplying those very Battle Groups, giving those Animals pulling out of Kyiv, Bucha and other Cities R&R, in a week or two they will be back up to optimum strength as many have pulled back to Belarus a puppet government and massive supporter of TRF, after all, those Battle Groups invaded from Belarus and still have Logistics and equipment there. Due to the size of TRF military Ability, i would not say they are running out of supplies, but will say for Right Now, they are short of things, hence the ploy to say, stage 1 is complete, we now move to the Donbas region, they simply have much more resources to call upon. Yes my country and others are sending much needed equipment and Lethal Aid for Ukraine, but moving this kind of Tech into Ukraine in the levels needed is still a logistic challenge, doable yes. Even with our help, it does give them a fighting chance. I do not think TRF are near hitting a wall in there abilities to keep fighting, they have so much more to draw from.

News just in, the UN ambassador at the big UN meeting going on right now has called for TRF to be removed from the Humanitarian Council.

Slava Ukraini .

Hello Naroon. I am doing well.

It is amazing to me that US intelligence got this war soo wrong. With Russia's advanced technology such as the SU-34 and troop numbers it was thought that Ukraine would fall in 3-4 days. Surely this is close to what Russia also calculated when they chose to invade. I believe Russia is now on the receiving end of one of history's greatest upsets.

I have been rooting for Ukraine this whole time and I hope this becomes the most costliest mistakes Russia has ever made. Had Russia taken Ukraine in 3-4 days I think we would still be talking ww3 fears right now. Fortunately for us all, Ukraine is tough.

Hi Phoenix.

I think TRF were more than confident about this being a Short Invasion. When you have the Army Numbers and equipment TRF has, they must have been confident or at least Putin must of thought this. Agreed, TRF are now facing one of the costliest action to date. The sanctions are being ramped up, the western world are already deciding how best to not buy any more Gas and Oil to further starve Putin's ambitions , all the while we are sending Lethal Aid in higher numbers.

I have to put out a Huge thanks to the Czech Republic right now for making the Bold decision to send Tanks and Artillery Pieces.

I have friends Fighting in Ukraine and I have been working Logistics to help facilitate this, we all help and try to support Ukraine in any way we can. Never in a million Years did i think i would be doing this kind of work again, especially in Europe, but mans penchant for wanting what others have, will never fully go away i think. I just have to keep up helping in the only way i know, for as long as necessary.

Now there is proof of War Crimes in many Cities around Kyiv. Seen a lot of this kind of thing in Africa and Yugoslavia, but it goes on daily in a lot of African Countries and we never see it in the news, i can never forget what i did see, would never want to, these things have to be reported and spoken about, and the Commanders from TRF who's men were involved should, and i hope ,Die In Prison, they do not deserve to be in a position of Command and should be outed as Animals who allow Rape, Torture and Illegal Executions. 

Slava Ukraini .

I've had some real life things to attend to but needed to clear this up....

"Sorry starkers, i did not know you served in Iraq, you have my utmost respect, i now understand your words more."

No I did not serve in Iraq but my nephew did.  He lost several of his mates in a roadside bomb explosion and he has never been the same since.  Nothing prepares you for something like that, and that is why I said that I hoped Iraq would be the last war I saw... from a human standpoint, that is.

I wouldn't have been able to serve even had I wanted to.  I was already unfit and would not have passed the medical, much less basic training, etc.  I'd had too many broken bones in the past, had mobility issues and was pretty much riddled with arthritis, even back then.  Nowadays I depend on a mobility scooter if I need to go anywhere past my front fence.

Hi starkers, hope you are well.

Sorry about presuming you served in Iraq, Pass on my very best wishes to your nephew, i too have lost friends, too many, the memory never forgets those Bravest of us and who gave everything.

I also wish you the very best with your health issues, i too have something recently diagnosed (During The Pandemic), something i can not beat, something that when it becomes fully blown, will allow me a possible 7 year period before it takes my own life, getting older can be cruel. But on the up side, my beloved wife, finished her Radiotherapy yesterday  after Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Surgery. No one ever promised us life would be easy, especially some of us who feel the ravages of Bad Health.

Slava Ukraini .

"Hi starkers, hope you are well.

 

Sorry about presuming you served in Iraq, Pass on my very best wishes to your nephew, i too have lost friends, too many, the memory never forgets those Bravest of us and who gave everything."

That's okay, text doesn't always convey the correct or intended meaning.  As for my nephew, I haven't seen him in years, not since he and his wife split around 2002.  After that he just seemed to disappear

"I also wish you the very best with your health issues, i too have something recently diagnosed (During The Pandemic), something i can not beat, something that when it becomes fully blown, will allow me a possible 7 year period before it takes my own life, getting older can be cruel. But on the up side, my beloved wife, finished her Radiotherapy yesterday  after Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Surgery. No one ever promised us life would be easy, especially some of us who feel the ravages of Bad Health."

Thanks for that, I appreciate the kind gesture.  Thing Is, artritis never gets any better, you just have to learn to live with it as best you can  I do take pain meds and anti-inflammatories that help to ease it some.  They don't completely get rid of the pain but they do help me manage it better.  I also suffer with vertigo and type 2 diabetes, which can affect my balance, but again, I've learnt how to live with it as best I can.

As for your own health issues, all the very best wishes and I hope that you too can learn to live with it as I have done, as pain and symptom free as possible.  I also wish your wife a speedy recovery and that the insidious disease does not return.  A friend of mine recently had both her breasts removed due to cancer being found in one, with the surgeon advising that she had the other removed at the same time as it was only a matter of time before it too became cancerous.

You are right though, life was never meant to be easy... then politicians and bankers set out to prove it.

As for the conflict in Ukraine, I am becoming more and more incensed and disgusted at what the Russians are doing, particularly to civilians and the innocent.  Surely the world can do more to help them, not just with sanctions against Russia and its elite, but with more and better weapons to better match what the Russians have.... perhaps withsome practical help on the ground as well.  Yes, there is a multi-national contractor force there but is that enough to repel the Russians and drive them out of Ukraine entirely?

I hope starkers you can manage your health issues as well as can be expected, living with Pain can seem like a uphill struggle sometimes, something i too understand well.

I am a Cancer Survivor myself as i had Primary Testicular Seminoma which during a Hurricane Episode moved to my Lungs, Liver Stomach And Spine, serious Chemo followed but as in all things chemo is toxic but in saving my life left me with peripheral neuropathy and other conditions i manage daily. I have now been diagnosed with vascular parkinsonism Dementia in it's earliest stage, unfortunately, this condition when fully blown will afford me, maybe 7 years as in it's later stages, it will take my life, nothing i can do about that. Many thanks for wishing my wife well, i do appreciate it.

My countries PM Boris, went on a secret journey to Kyiv this weekend and promised more lethal aid in the Form of Anti Tank, Ground To Air Missiles, and best of all Ground To Ship Missiles so as the RF fleet in the Black Sea now have to think twice before they pound Odessa. Many other things are included in the package, including Body Armour and Night Vision Goggles. If we put official Armed Forces in Ukraine, it can not end well for anyone, Nuclear weapons are not an option as this only leaves losers in any conflict, and to hope we in the west lose the least is too high a price i think.

Putin now needs a Victory to make his 9th of next months Parade look good, that means he will bomb the shit out of Donbas.

Slava Ukraini .

My father had vascular parkinsonism Dementia from his early sixties until he died aged 76.  It wasn't too bad until he turned 72 and it was awful to see such a proud man decline so much in his latter years.  My mother and I tried between us to care for him but it became too much on us both and we had no choice but to place him in a dementia unit at a nearby nursing home to give hime better care than we could manage ourselves.

As for the conflict in Ukraine, I read that Pootin has sent a general with a brutal history to take over command of the invasion forces.  Hopefully he is a priority target for the Ukranian forces and Putin has to rethink the entire situation.  To be honest, the Russian army has shown no real fight and bombing cities out of existence seems the only way they can make ground.... and that is deplorable due to the civilian deaths and others being forced from their homes to become refugees in Poland and elsewhere.

I also read that the mayor of Mariupol estimates around 100,000 civilians have died in the city but he expects that number to go much higher before the seige is over.  I sure as hell hope that Pootin and all those responsible for these and other war crimes face the international courts and are given the strongest possible sentences, perhaps that will deter other dickhead leaders from following in Pootin's footsteps.

Hi starkers.

When i tell people i have "vascular parkinsonism Dementia"  they automatically think i have made a misspelling, glad to have someone who understands it is Vascular Dementia with Heavy Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, but not Parkinson's. Sorry to hear about your Dad, this is my future too. I have been told by my Doctors, when it goes full blown, i may have around 7 years before my own Body looses the ability to swallow amongst other terrible things. I do understand, this is one battle this old Soldier can not win. It is a cruel thing for me as since leaving the military, i have prided myself on my Academic achievements, i gained my Masters Degree going back to University in my later years and being the oldest student in the class by far.

I too was concerned to read Gen. Alexander Dvornikov was now overall Commander of RF Forces, he is a Brutal Man who i am sure with Putin's support will devastate the Donbas area of Ukraine. I now have several friends involved in  Defending that area around Mariupol, they are digging in and fortifying there positions, making the best of what they have, they will not make it easy on RF forces. I admire any man or woman who stands on a line with a weapon, and says to all commers "You Shall Not Pass" not on my watch, and willing to Die to achieve this goal.

Putin has already said he does not recognise or will not be bound by International Courts for war crimes but War Criminals will and have said this in the past  too. No sane leader would follow Putin, (besides that Belarus Idiot) the sanctions will start to cripple Russia and should be upped 10 fold to push the point home, they are hurting Russia, time is not on Putin's side, the longer we increase the sanctions, especially the Oil and Gas, the weaker the Russian Machine will be. It is more about how long Ukraine can keep up effectively Fighting.

Slava Ukraini .

When i tell people i have "vascular parkinsonism Dementia"  they automatically think i have made a misspelling, glad to have someone who understands it is Vascular Dementia with Heavy Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, but not Parkinson's. Sorry to hear about your Dad, this is my future too. I have been told by my Doctors, when it goes full blown, i may have around 7 years before my own Body looses the ability to swallow amongst other terrible things. I do understand, this is one battle this old Soldier can not win. It is a cruel thing for me as since leaving the military, i have prided myself on my Academic achievements, i gained my Masters Degree going back to University in my later years and being the oldest student in the class by far.

 Yes, it is a cruel disease that robs sufferers of their abilites, pride and bodily functions.  Watching my dad deteriorate from the proud and capable man he was to what he became towards the end was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.  He lost the ability to walk very far so I used to take him out in a wheelchair becuse he loved being outdoors.  It wasn't easy pushing the wheelchair in grass but I used to take him out on the local golf course looking for lost balls.  He was an avid golfer until the dementia took away his ability, so finding lost golf balls allowed him to somehow still be connected to the game.

I went back to school to get my high school certificates, for which my then partner supported, but when I began university she disapproved and moved out, so I had no support of any kind from anyone and had to return to work to support myself and 2 kids.  Oh well, could have been worse.

The war in Ukraine is really pissing me off and I'm starting to shy away from the constant news reports becuse of the wholesale slaughter of civilians, women, children and the elderly.  I'm hoping the increasing sanctions against Putin and his supporters will shut down his ability to fund his war machine, it can't come soon enough in my view, as with millions upon millions of others who condemn this brutal war world-wide.

Hi starkers.

Thanks for sharing about your dad and the disease we both share. It is a cruel thing to have and to watch a person you love in such a mental place. As a long time soldier, my biggest worry will be if i blurt out things from my past, i always fought on the side of Light, yes i know a PMC with principles, but as a family man myself and Human Being, i have always held such things in the highest degree. I have seen and done some things that may shock a listener who does not understand my past, so hope this never happens.

I was lucky enough to have my wife's full support for going back to Uni, we did it for each other so it was at least fair, sorry it did not go as well for you.

I can not divert my attention from Ukraine as i have facilitated the movement of many PMCs across Europe and to the east of the country, so in my home at least 1 TV is always on Sky News or BBC 24 Hour news. Messages from Donbas and especially Mariupol are still coming through on secure channels, not sure how much longer this will continue, already lost one old friend there 2 days ago as the current situation is Bleak. RF forces are claiming Mariupol, but as of Today at this current time Mariupol is still Fighting for there lives, i just hope they act tactfully and try to withdraw and fight another day in another part of Ukraine, although i am sure that will not be the case, so Brave, So Patriotic. Every man and woman has my Utmost Respect. I will continue to help in my own way until it is no longer needed.

We all hope the sanction are ramped up even more, Boris my PM is now banned from entering Russia, i am sure that tit for tat will hurt Putin more than Boris as he seems to be made from Teflon. Things moving towards the future, Putin has and will come out of this and will be seen in a very different light than what we are used too. A World Super Power has Invaded a much smaller Country and has all but failed in every goal he set for himself and his Army. Many of the things we are seeing simply should not be happening, Kyiv should have fell to his mighty Army, it did not, the whole country should have been subjugated in days or weeks, it did not happen. The Moskva A Capital Leading ship should have had no problem destroying The Neptune Missiles that sunk it, they can lay down a wall of Large Calibre Machine Gun Fire and we are talking thousands of rounds a minute, think of an electrically powered Midi Gun, think of a wall of steal, i have seen this in action during War Games and it is very, very effective against this kind of missile, but the Moskva and her Captain are now at the Bottom of the Black Sea. Are we seeing a Modern Russia fighting a Modern war No, the reality is something else entirely, so they revert to Bombardment on a mass scale to make there advancements, as a military man of many years, i have never seen such a poor example of A World Super power in the field of Battle, huge losses in both Manpower on the ground, military Hardware lost, high ranking Officers right up to General Rank Dead, this is not how it should be playing out, but again it is, Putin will be remembered for these failures, even he must be wondering if anyone has the Bottle to tell him, he wanted a return back to the old days of the USSR, of Empire and Glory as a Legacy, when in reality he is being taught a lesson in how to Fight by both Ukraine's Professional Soldiers and Electricians, Plumbers, Builders, teachers etc who have put down there tools of there trades and picked up a Weapon, stood on a line and said, this is our home, if you want it, do not expect to take it without your blood being spilt, RF Forces has never seen anything of this kind and it is showing all over the country, i just hope all our western countries continue to send Lethal Aid in greater numbers. President Zelenskyy is saying we will fight them ourselves, all we ask is you keep us armed so we may continue fighting back, let us all hope this continues.

Every single one of us in the west, should support the Ukrainian people in any way we can, they are showing us how to live, fight and Die against a Military Super Powers unwarranted Aggression, i am in Awe and will do everything i can to help, i have had the Honour to serve with some truly Brave people in the past, but never have i seen so much Bravery across all ages, Genders and from a single Nationality, not ever, and believe me i have seen Genocide and ethnic cleansing, in two parts of the World up close.

Slava Ukraini .

Ok, it seems like Putin has upped the anti again. Two British Ex Pats who has served in the Ukrainian Marines since 2018 who were Captured in Mariupol and are now being treated as PMCs, have been sentenced To The Death Penalty, accused of being Terrorists, what utter BullSh*t seeing as Putin has used The Wagner Group extensively since the invasion began, and in every other Crap hole were The Russian Federation has interest, including Africa, this Group gives every other PMC a Bad Name and our mostly responsible for the War Crimes we are seeing from areas RF has withdrawn from.

A Soldier who works privately, or for his Country knows the risks of War, this will not stop the movement of men and equipment over Europe and into Ukraine. This will have a knock on effect as every PMC fighting in occupied areas of Ukraine, will fight to the death, knowing the face the same fate if they surrender or are captured.

A Bad Day.

Slava Ukraini .