North Korea to send more troops, arms to front lines.

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 1/7/2025 at 8:23 AM, InnZoneU said:

The range of his exceptionally superior intellect is truly fascinating.  You can't converse with the knower of all things without coming away feeling inferior.

Not my intention 

[stanfordchef]

On 1/8/2025 at 12:07 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Meh.  All I did was say you said something you absolutely did say, then read your incessant insults until I "proved it".   

I didn't want to have to prove it, it was light hearted until you made it nasty.

Poor you 

[happycamper]

On 1/6/2025 at 11:07 AM, The Barber said:

Well said regarding AI limits.

However, I don't disagree with the summary of the Kursk invasion, above.  I think you could argue success or failure, depending on the criteria you are looking at.

I think the main "failure" if there was one, is that it didn't draw Russian troops away from the battle front in Eastern Ukraine all that much.   It did stress Russia, though, who has turned to North Korea for troops inside Kursk.

It drew away something like 100k russians and prevented a russian attack in zaporizhzhia, lol

On 1/6/2025 at 10:24 AM, The Barber said:

Another problem Ukraine has is that it's fighting force is now turning to middle aged guys.    They have run out of men.

And many are deserting.

 

 

this isn't "ukraine turning to middle aged guys" lol. this is a deliberate policy decision by ukraine. they aren't even drafting anyone under 25 right now. 

[The Barber]

On 1/10/2025 at 11:59 AM, happycamper said:

It drew away something like 100k russians and prevented a russian attack in zaporizhzhia, lol

this isn't "ukraine turning to middle aged guys" lol. this is a deliberate policy decision by ukraine. they aren't even drafting anyone under 25 right now. 

Ukraine is turning to middle aged guys to make up its army.

And Ukraine is not drafting anyone under 25 now.

 

Both statements are true.

[The San Diegan]

From a Business Insider article dated Jan 11 regarding Ukraine's Kursk offensive:

Quote

"It's hard to say until everything plays out, but I would still say it was a good move," Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of Ukraine's actions in Kursk in recent months.

The advance also gave it a shot at seizing the initiative and taking the fight onto Russian soil. Seizing the initiative has long been understood to be key to winning wars.

Without it, like in chess, "you're constantly on the defensive, your adversary boxing you into a corner," George Barros, a warfare expert at the Institute for the Study of War, said.

There's a risk of sooner or later being left with "a series of bad decisions that you'd rather not make," he said. Letting your adversary hold the initiative in a war is "how you end up losing."

Reported tank losses suggest fighting in Kursk "has chewed up a fairly large portion" of Ukrainian armor assets from Western partner nations, said Matthew Savill, a former intelligence analyst at the UK Ministry of Defence who is now a military-strategy expert at the Royal United Services Institute.

That limits Ukraine's flexibility and the ability to surge forces elsewhere.

There's no guarantee, though, Ukraine would have been able to effectively employ the tanks back on its own soil, where the intense fighting and dense drone coverage have limited their use. Michael Bohnert, a warfare expert at the RAND Corporation, said that taking the tanks to Kursk may have been the most optimal way to use them.

"Ukrainian moves "fundamentally disrupted the Russian combat plans," Barros said, "because the forces and the plans that presuppose their availability were then consumed and taken by the newly imposed requirement for defending Kursk and repelling the Ukrainians from Kursk."

"Whoever holds Kursk probably come the new year is going to be in the box seat for any ceasefire negotiations," said [former commander for the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear forces] de Bretton-Gordon, adding that he largely views Ukraine's decision to advance into Russia's Kurks to be a "positive."

While still very much a dynamic situation with a conclusion that is yet to be determined, by the accounts of qualified analysts the Kursk offensive has been anything but a disaster. Consider:

• A senior advisor from the Center for Strategic and International Studies described it as a, "good move."
• A warfare expert from the Institute from the Study of War said letting Russia maintain and hold the initiative is "how you end up losing."
• The same expert said Ukraine's offensive "fundamentally disrupted the Russian combat plans."
• A warfare expert at RAND suggested the Kursk offensive may have been the optimal use of Western-supplied armor.
• According to the former commander of the UK's Joint NBC forces, Ukraine is in the driver's sear for ceasefire negotiations due to their occupation of RU territory.

Link

 

[The San Diegan]

Crack Russian soldiers being pressed into service:

 

[Hashbrowns]

2% of Russian men between 20-50 have been killed in Ukraine in the last 3 years, according to US State Dept.

[Rebelcuff]

On 1/26/2025 at 11:49 PM, Hashbrowns said:

2% of Russian men between 20-50 have been killed in Ukraine in the last 3 years, according to US State Dept.

That should help with the demographic problem.