this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.

Alexander Khodakovsky made the candid concession yesterday on his Telegram channel after Russian forces, including his own troops, were devastatingly defeated by Ukrainian marines earlier this week at Urozhaine in the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk regional border area.

“Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no,” Khodakovsky, a former official of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said yesterday.

“When I talk to myself about our destiny in this war, I mean that we will not crawl forward, like the [Ukrainians], turning everything into [destroyed] Bakhmuts in our path. And, I do not foresee the easy occupation of cities,” he said.

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[–] bloopernova@programming.dev 136 points 1 year ago (46 children)

Then. Just. Fucking. LEAVE!

[–] matchphoenix@feddit.uk 38 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If only the little man at the big table didn’t have such a Napoleon complex

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[–] Flaps@hexbear.net 86 points 1 year ago (166 children)

RT was banned first day of the war due to links to the kremlin and propaganda. Wouldn't want people influenced by propaganda, of course! This is the west! We're free thinkers! Now let me see how the war is going in the non-biased Kyiv Post.

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[–] purahna@lemmygrad.ml 81 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (28 children)

this thread is wild

can we remember, everyone:

  1. discussion on who is winning has no bearing on discussion of who is in the right, and vice versa

  2. Russia, Ukraine, and NATO can all be evil and wrong for separate and true reasons

  3. criticizing NATO does not amount to supporting Putin

  4. criticizing Putin does not amount to supporting NATO

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[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 66 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (51 children)

Imagine linking kyivpost as if it's a credible source. Might as well link an article from Weekly World News next.

edit: I love how downvotes immediately come in when you point out the obvious, as long as the article says what people want to hear they all of a sudden stop caring about credible sources

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 65 points 1 year ago (1 children)

is that the 'newspaper' that invented the ghost of kyiv?

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[–] Tester@lemm.ee 57 points 1 year ago (70 children)

I think many people are forgetting that the larger army, vastly outnumbering Ukrainian resources in numbers, has not won a victory since the beginning of the invasion. And only presents a problem because the 2 countries cannot reliably use air power to overcome 1st WW trench warfare. Russia has defenses, but no ability to move forward. They are just trying to hold on to what they took in those first few months and are very slowly failing at that. If Ukraine can keep going, supported by the West, Russia will lose. I do not think Russia will use nukes -- any use of a nuke is basically on Russia's own land -- according to them -- and will affect them as much as Ukraine. But the question of ending the war is an interesting one. Do we see Russia continuing the war if they lose most of their ill-gotten territorial gains? What happens to those insecure areas? Are people going to rebuild, i.e. invest scarce resources in unstable areas? Or will they just become dead zones, DMZ borders?

[–] tuga@hexbear.net 53 points 1 year ago (32 children)

has not won a victory since the beginning of the invasion

Gotta have a highly specific definition of "victory" to say something like this

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[–] Flaps@hexbear.net 52 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (84 children)

Ukraine can keep going, supported by the West, Russia will lose.

You have a whole entire counteroffensive that shows the exact opposite.

Also

has not won a victory since the beginning of the invasion.

Have you taken a look at a map of the current situation? That's just straight up bullshit

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[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 41 points 1 year ago (42 children)

I think many people are forgetting that the larger army, vastly outnumbering Ukrainian resources in numbers, has spent the past 9 months creating multilayered defences that the Ukrainian army has been banging their head against for the past 10 weeks. Ukraine no longer has a functioning military industry of its own or even an economy to speak of. It's entirely dependent on the west at this point.

NATO scrounged up all they had for this offensive, and US even ran out of shells to give having to resort to cluster munitions. NATO also trained Ukrainian soldiers. Now all of this is being lost without any actual progress being made. Ukraine hasn't even managed to reach the first defence line being mired in the security zone.

What we will see is that once the offensive burns itself out, Russia will start an offensive of their own against a depleted and demoralized Ukrainian army. The west will not be able to send more ammunition and equipment because it doesn't exist, and Ukraine will have lost majority of their trained and motivated soldiers who can't be replaced.

Even western sources are now admitting that Ukraine is suffering far higher losses than Russia, and that this is primarily an artillery battle where Russia vastly outnumbers Ukrainian artillery. 80% of casualties were being caused by Russian artillery.

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[–] UnicodeHamSic@hexbear.net 55 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (177 children)

It is a proxy war against America. You don't win those. You just set yourself up a good position and dig in. America gets bored and leaves and then you can pick over what is left of what was destroyed. So you don't win, you just wait for America to forfeit.

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[–] 5ublimation@hexbear.net 50 points 1 year ago

What do you mean, the Ghost of Kiev repelled the invasion

[–] Sharpiemarker@feddit.de 46 points 1 year ago (7 children)

The entire world (with a few exceptions) is fighting a proxy war against Russia via Ukraine. Of course you can't win, that's the whole idea.

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[–] CascadeOfLight@hexbear.net 43 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If you want to know what the smartest guy in the US military thinks, read this

(Assuming, of course, that you don't consider the Marine Corps Gazette to be Russian propaganda)


Ukraine is on its fourth army, which has been badly mauled in a counterattack lasting two months with gains measured in single digit miles and casualties in the tens of thousands.


This is who they were sending to the front in APRIL LAST YEAR

Old men and boys


But at least Russia's out of missiles!

[–] Riffraffintheroom@hexbear.net 44 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

That gazette article was a breathe of fresh air. So novel to read a stark, bare bones, and honest account of how the war has played out. Until “the brutality inherent to Leninism” I forgot I was reading a USMC rag.

[–] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 40 points 1 year ago (1 children)

the brutality inherent to Leninism”

sicko-wistful

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[–] Zuzak@hexbear.net 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.

"Freezing the war along the current frontlines" is victory for Russia?? They already control all the territory they claim. I guess at this point Ukraine is starting to define winning as mere survival.

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[–] Bobby_DROP_TABLES@hexbear.net 39 points 1 year ago

It's really over this time!

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