quote:

(9) Why do The Russians want to put Strategic Bombers in Cuba?

Maybe for the same reasons as the US has for stationing strategic bombers in Diego Garcia and Fairford.

quote:

Originally posted by MB_Avro_UK:
Hi all,

I along with the rest of the world have an interest in the situation.

But this thread must be objective. Both sides are blaming each other for 'war crimes'.

The internet can be manipulated to suit the needs of anyone and everyone.

Can we have facts? Or at least opinions based upon facts?

No poster here is going to change the situation anyway, so can we sit back and consider before posting?

But I suspect that I am being a bit too hopeful...


Best Regards,
MB_Avro.

It`s so predictably depressing watching people leap to predefined sides before even knowing what`s going on.

here's the Russian view on stuff. TASS, the state news agency. At first I thought they'd been hacked by Stalinist spammers, but turns out the old TASS is back.

Actually I wouldn't be so quick to scoff at Odins question on whether the Russians could be defeated. Defeat is not a black and white issue. For example theres an insurgency of remenants of the Chechen Mujahadeen into Georgia now. They're down on paper as repeatdely saying they would support Georgia in a confrontation with Russia. This is somewhat hilarious considering most Georgians are Orthodox Christians. However these Chechens know their stuff.

Anyone remember this? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=669_1184182183 Now had someone on the Georgians side managed to pull this off amongst the Russians gridlocked convoy inside the tunnel things would have been a lot different.

Unless Russia wants to cut off the Gas supply then theirs no real point of them taking Georgia because the cost in blood may be to high for them politically.

The Russians lost well over 10,000 troops in Chechnya One and Two. They lost One because they couldnt stomach the casualty rate. The aim of countries that border Russia is not to repel and invasion but to make the costs to high. For the life of me I don't see why countries surrounding Russia don't train their troops as Guerrillas. The Terrain is perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by Ploughman:
here's the Russian view on stuff. TASS, the state news agency. At first I thought they'd been hacked by Stalinist spammers, but turns out the old TASS is back.

Maybe it`s me, but apart from the standard `our side is right` which any country might come out with, I don`t see it.

Pravda was worse. Some of the stuff they were saying about Georgians was making them out to be like an evil alien race! Anyway, i`m sure the same is being thrown back by opposing quarters. Hearsay and propaganda.

Truth, of course, is the first casualty.

If I was in charge of the Georgian military I would be desperately trying to buy in/beg for as many Javelin ATGM's as possible, MANPADS, AT4s and as much explosives as possible. These would then be distributed as widely as possible so large arms caches couldnt be captured. Id create huge permanent bombs underneath roads. If I had control of the regions around South Ossettia etc Id heavily mine them with anti tank and anti personell mines. I'd try and create a swedish style militia with everyone keeping AK's at home.

If the Georgians hadn't been twits and instead focused on building an over the top defensive line aimed at wearing down an attacking force from inside enemy controlled territory they could have made it politically insane for the Russians to do this.

Airmail mate, Chechen "volunteers" (special forces) entered the fight on Abkhazian / Russian / South Ossetian side and are fighting against Georgians . It's regular Chechen militia, controlled by Russians, they are not Chechen rebels. These are two different things, like regular Iraqi army and Iraqi resistance.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=944_1218378129&c=1

One thing this has done is to show up once and for all how pathetically weak and powerless the west really is,with all this ridiculous talk of 'going to the UN' and 'trade sanctions'.
I know it probably won't happen,but what would the west do if Russia just decided to keep on going and take back all its former states? Just stand around bleating like they are doing now.
I wonder if some of the other former soviet states are getting a bit anxious and quietly gearing up,just in case.

quote:

Originally posted by TinyTim:
Airmail mate, Chechen "volunteers" (special forces) entered the fight on Abkhazian / Russian / South Ossetian side and are fighting against Georgians . It's regular Chechen militia, controlled by Russians, they are not Chechen rebels. These are two different things, like regular Iraqi army and Iraqi resistance.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=944_1218378129&c=1

No reports of Chechen Mujahadeen as well

Theres an article somewhere as well where the rebels say back in April they'd help out, as well so it doesnt suprise me.

Article http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2374159

Cant find the recent reports, still looking for them

quote:

Originally posted by JG52Uther:
One thing this has done is to show up once and for all how pathetically weak and powerless the west really is,with all this ridiculous talk of 'going to the UN' and 'trade sanctions'.
I know it probably won't happen,but what would the west do if Russia just decided to keep on going and take back all its former states? Just stand around bleating like they are doing now.

We'd have a EU summit of Foreign Ministers, we'd have a UN meeting, we'd formulate an agenda and then we'd maybe come up with some sort of unified response that'd probably represent an approximation of the middle opinion. That's what happens when 20+ nation states try with vastly different political cultures try and confront a single state. Call it weakness if you want, Russia's certainly making hay while the procedural cycle grinds around, but there will hopefully be some accounting. If Georgia survives the next week, it will be forever in the Western camp and it will become the running sore in Russian foreign relations, Russias West Bank, Gaza strip and Golan heights.

Well the Chechen rebels would take any opportunity to have a pop at the Russians,but in this case,with the Russian army in full attack mode,and Georgia an obvious lost cause,would the rebels risk it?

quote:

Originally posted by JG52Uther:
Well the Chechen rebels would take any opportunity to have a pop at the Russians,but in this case,with the Russian army in full attack mode,and Georgia an obvious lost cause,would the rebels risk it?

I would guess so considering there are still ongoing hostilities between the rebels and the Russians. Somehow I think they would considering their track record.

The Russian Army although huge and equipped with nukes is plagued by low-maral, **** pay, old equipment, non-existant body armour, steal helmets, poor communication and battlefield SA compared to Nato ground forces. This stuff about them modernizing...it's only their Elite troops. Nor can they afford to lose them.

wow. there`s nothing so brave as an armchair expert. I agree about the stale UN, but are we forgetting what happened regarding the US and Iraq? How they ignored the UN? Russia didn`t get involved in Us affairs. Is it no surprise that Rusia and Georgia can do the same too now?

But answer me this. What would you oh so brave warriors do if you were in power?

Send in your armies? Fight Russia for daring to go into one of its neighbouring satellites? Cause a balkan war, then a Europe war, then a world war?

I`m sure the people in power know all too well the consequences of their decisions and NO ONE is going to start a 3rd World War unless absolutely necessary.

No matter what the situation is at the moment (and no one really seems sure), it would be foolish to fire off all cylinders until we know what`s happening because once we do it will become the war to end all wars.

And it won`t be a WW2 comfortable little 6 year battle either. We will all get first hand experience of it.

I'm glad you've recognised this is the spitball section of a combat flight sim forum there Seafire and not the Situations Room of the Whitehouse. Should we all merely gape in awe as our leaders slowly unravel their policy? Or should be not, as citizens of free nations, talk about it?