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News & Current Events Apr 19, 2026 at 7:22 PM

Russia may announce general mobilisation to attack Ukraine or Baltic states – Zelenskyy

Posted by Routine-Appeals


Russia may announce general mobilisation to attack Ukraine or Baltic states – Zelenskyy
Ukrainska Pravda
Russia may announce general mobilisation to attack Ukraine or Baltic states – Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy says the reason Russia is restricting social media is to prevent unrest in the event of a general mobilisation for a major offensive against Ukraine or an attack on the Baltic states.

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Brilliant_Version344 6 days ago +3773
Mobilisation was hugely unpopular when Russia first did it general mobilisation would be a nightmare for Russian officials
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Mechasteel 5 days ago +1315
In the war they lose Russians by the tens of thousands. But mobilization lost them Russians by the millions. Not poor people and prisoners either, it was competent young Russians fleeing the country.
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Moochingaround 5 days ago +1020
Anecdotal, but I live in Vietnam and often visit Nha Trang. It's overrun by Russian "expats" since the war began. I talked to some of them and they seemed to be well educated and just ran the moment they could.
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jewjitsu007 5 days ago +51
I've spent a lot of time in Bali and Thailand since the war started and its full of Russians waiting out the war before they can go home. They're mostly the ones with education and resources to work remotely or live from savings or family money.
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VorianAtreides 5 days ago +259
Don’t they have to leave the country after a certain amount of time? I thought most tourist visas are limited to 90 days - or do they just…not leave?
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True-Kale-931 5 days ago +334
It depends on what you're going to do in the country: if you can find a local job or if your job allows remote employment (especially if you can just make your own company and become self-employed), it's often possible to get a temporary residence permit in quite a lot of countries and stay in the country for way longer than a tourist visa allows you. It's more complicated in countries like US but I believe Vietnam isn't that strict with migration.
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mehum 5 days ago +213
Yeah SE Asia generally isn’t too tight with visas. Don’t try that in Japan though! I’ve heard of people overstaying their visas in Thailand — which the Thais didn’t care about at all — later being refused entry to Japan because of it.
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True-Kale-931 5 days ago +96
You don't really need to overstay because often you can just get a long-term visa related to employment or business and just stay in the country legally. It's not impossible in Japan too. If you won't qualify for long-term visa/residence permit, chances are you won't have money to live in that country anyway.
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anothergaijin 5 days ago +33
> It's not impossible in Japan too. Japan requires you have US$200k in capital to qualify for a business owner visa now, so its not impossible, but they don't make it easy either. They have also just announced changes that might require a high level of Japanese language ability to qualify for skilled work visas too - that's going to be tough.
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rankinfile 5 days ago +42
Thailand is getting stricter about enforcing the laws and using their discretion to deny visas/extensions. Thai public sentiment is turning also.
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FinndBors 5 days ago +8
There was a huge sign in the airport in regards to various penalties if you overstay your visa, IIRC, there was money and disallow entrance to the country for N months/years.
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New-Independent-1481 5 days ago +164
I have some Russian friends who are conscientious objectors to the war who have lived in Vietnam for a couple years now. They're programmers wealthy enough to flee to Vietnam and able to work remotely full time. Russians get 45 days visa-free access to Vietnam, with no re-entry stipulations. They only need a return or onward ticket. So they buy a flight ticket out to Phnom Penh in Cambodia set for 45 days after they arrive, and also the first available flight back into Da Nang where they live. They just need to pass customs to refresh their visa for another 45 days. All they need to do is make sure they 'queue up' another visa trip. Apparently there are also bus trips for those who live in HCMC that cross the border into Cambodia, do a U-turn and drive straight back into the Vietnamese border.
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I_P_L 5 days ago +158
>Apparently there are also bus trips for those who live in HCMC that cross the order into Cambodia, do a U-turn and drive straight back into the Vietnamese border. That is actually f****** hilarious lol
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HoratioPornBlower 5 days ago +40
I used to do this in Thailand. I have 6 Cambodian visas in my passport, I have never been more than twenty feet into the country. The Thai border guards… weren’t super amused, probably should have switched the border crossing I went through every once in awhile but the Cambodian guards had good weed that they were happy to share.
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ubermoo2010 5 days ago +68
Just don't try this with almost any other country (I'm sure there are some equally loose other countries) - they will label you a "non-genuine" leaver and cancel your visa and deport you. I knew someone that tried this with Australia and New Zealand and they just returned on the next flight. They got deported and can't get another tourist visa almost anywhere now.
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Fear023 5 days ago +31
That was exceptionally dumb to do considering they share customs information. ANZ is a free travel zone for citizens.
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chamrockblarneystone 5 days ago +14
I tried this for my British girlfriend in USA. We just did the U turn in Tijuana. We got in all kinds of trouble but thankfully a cool agent let us go home to San Diego
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ubermoo2010 5 days ago +10
yeah my US immigration experience is insanely different when I have US family with me. If she was on her own she would have ended up in the back room.
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chamrockblarneystone 5 days ago +4
No doubt. I believe that’s where we were when he let us go.
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Trung_smash 5 days ago +6
It’s hilarious cause it hocus pocus, make belief. Its a clear breach of the law, and taking unnecessary risks.
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OM3N1R 5 days ago +33
Visa runs. Common throughout southeast Asia for decades. Thailand has made it illegal to hop land borders to renew visas. Amd many other countries will probably follow suit eventually.
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SiriHowDoIAdult 5 days ago +20
Loophole is you often do have to leave every 2-3 months, but you can leave for 24 hours, come back, and the counter resets. If you can work remotely, pretty easy long term to keep this up
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Mistredo 5 days ago +6
I knew one guy who used to do that and after several years he was suddenly told he cannot entry anymore. He was devastated, because his all life was in that country, home, pets, job, and he couldn't get back to it.
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Wiggles69 5 days ago +9
It's pretty common in places like indonesia for long-term tourists to do 'visa runs' - travel to a 3rd country (like Malaysia) on a tourist visa for a few weeks, then return to Indonesia on a brand new travel visa. Repeat as needed.
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Rayl24 5 days ago +8
Go to a neighbouring country for a weekend holiday then return and have another 90 days
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Savage_Whiskers 5 days ago +44
I was living in Türkiye when the war in Ukraine started and it was the same; entire cities overran by thousands of Russians.
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PNWoutdoors 5 days ago +23
I'm American and worked with a digital marketing agency when the war started. One of my contacts there was Russian, working for a US based company with developers and other employees in Ukraine and Belarus. He was always working from places like Istanbul or Lisbon. He moved around once in a while, said he was visiting friends. I assume he fled early and was trying not to stay in one location too long. I assume many smart young people with means did the same. That means the ones left behind probably had no choice and got stuck in the meat grinder.
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throwawaysaej0q9u109 5 days ago +6
The only russians you will see in south east asia are RICH russians. Moscow, st petersburg. The poor ones cant even afford a plane ticket out of the country.
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Effrendi 5 days ago +18
I've been visiting Vietnam for 20 years and there have always been Russians there. It's not a 'since the war' thing.
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PersonalNobody449 5 days ago +29
Tbh nobody want to die for some powerhungry oligarchy. Those who can escape it live happily elsewhere
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Moochingaround 5 days ago +7
I realize that, I've been coming here for about the same time. But notice how I said "overrun".. it has always been a Russian tourist town, but recently it's quadrupled or more.
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insite 5 days ago +59
A secondary goal of Putin’s is to diminish the potential for internal rebellions. Fewer young, capable men is not as detrimental to his cause as it may seem. Mind you, there’s no way for him to have an accurate picture of the front line’s, so his calculations are also based on faulty data.
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Defiant_Regular3738 5 days ago +38
I don’t know if he actually he wants to ruin his own society, no matter how his policies appear.
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tewas 5 days ago +43
He will be long gone by the time consequences kick in. Same with the other side of the pond
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PlaneswalkerHuxley 5 days ago +38
Oligarchs and billionaires don't have a society the same way regular people do, that's one of the big problems with them. They hang out with a tiny group of other super rich people and servants, they don't care what happens to larger society. If things get really bad they just build taller walls around their compounds and hire more guards. Or put all their cash in a swiss account and leave the country entirely. They're the epitome of parasites that don't care about killing the host.
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serafinawriter 5 days ago +8
"Ruined society" means different things for the Russian people and for the ruling elite (ie the FSB). As long as they are in charge, have their luxury houses and luxury to use corruption to get whatever they want, and there is no threat to their status, they really don't care how the rest of the country lives. I do think if things got so bad that any of those aforementioned things was under threat, there would be an internal revolt against him and he would be ousted by his own people. Things would have to get much, much worse though. You walk around Petersburg or Moscow today and it still doesn't feel like a country at war or facing economic turmoil. Yeah mobile internet is screwy, prices have gone up, but it's still easy enough for people to bury their heads and carry on with a relatively normal life. Anecdotally, my friend and her family were active in organizing protests for Navalny and against the war at the beginning. Their house got raided by the FSB and they were given the choice to sell their house and leave Russia and never come back within two weeks, or go to jail. They did so and now live in Montenegro. Putin and the FSB would much rather dissidents just leave the country. It's easier than processing enormous numbers of people through the "justice" system, and has better optics.
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asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf 5 days ago +213
for a general mobilization putler would be required to get parliamentary approval, aka declare war. Doesn't mean he would not get it, but parliament elites benefitting from doing their yes-men job can suddenly turn for them. At the moment they can shift blame to the 'leader', after a declaration they can not. Which is the very 'nightmare' scenario, banking on the fact they know already what tendency the conflict is heading to - meaning the outcome. Such (simple) vote can also reveal putler has no power and voilá he would be toast too.
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what_the_eve 5 days ago +106
No, Iirc they just recently passed a law to give the president this right regardless.
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asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf 5 days ago +24
this is listnook, i'd usually ask for a source but researched instead. Result and goes into that quite specific: "*These are 'legal formalities that restrict the scope of action of the Ministry of Defense,' says Alexei Zhuravlev, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Defense Committee, with regard to a planned legislative reform.* *'We are actually in the middle of a real, large-scale military operation,* ***but war has not yet been officially declared,****'. However, these 'formalities' are quite a challenge.* ***Under current Russian law, the*** **mobilization reserve may only be called up as part of an official mobilization or under martial law.** *The new draft law now provides for a 'streamlining' of the personnel structure of the Russian armed forces specifically changes to the Defence Act, which should make it possible to recruit citizens from the mobilization reserve outside of a mobilization.*" [https://militaeraktuell.at/en/change-in-the-law-russia-mobilizes-the-reserve/](https://militaeraktuell.at/en/change-in-the-law-russia-mobilizes-the-reserve/) Conclusion: therefor it solidifies no change of circumstance under which martial law would be enacted in ru, they rather try to stretch putlers 'special' 3day decree. By the way when he'd declare martial law putler would instant acknowledge his 3day special failed miserably. Or asking a bit sarcastic, guess when they declare it, in 3 days or 3 years?
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what_the_eve 5 days ago +3
So we are in agreement that he can now recruit citizens from the mobilization reserve outside of a mobilization? "This is therefore a mobilization without calling it that." Edit: i just found another law that pertains to this while rechecking/resarching: Putin can also mobilize without mobilization incase Russians are being wrongfully persecuted in foreign countries to intervene. So I guess he build a mobilization without mobilization plus his next reason for a war. FML
3
vl0x 5 days ago +89
You act like Putin gives a shit about parliamentary protocol lol
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donald_314 5 days ago +38
He does actually. It's Russia, so they follow protocol but they change protocol as needed if Putin wants it.
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Imaginary_Scene2493 5 days ago +6
Political Calvinball.
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[deleted] 5 days ago +33
[deleted]
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hoxxxxx 5 days ago +9
this is true. no man rules alone.
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SPQR-Tightanus 6 days ago +300
Russian officials and Russia exist for war, what's nightmare for them and what's not is irrelevant.
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RobotSpaceBear 5 days ago +87
Nah, nothing will happened, they'll silently go to die in the meat grinder because Russians have the most mind-blowing tolerance for suffering, acceptance of death and disregard for human life, even their own. Mobilisation was hugely unpopular and NOTHING happened. They're 4 years into this shit and nothing is still happening. Count on the Russian citizen to never do the right thing.
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Historical_Course587 5 days ago +47
> Russians have the most mind-blowing tolerance for suffering, acceptance of death and disregard for human life, even their own. When a million Americans protest in the street, the police will kill a couple. When a million Iranians are in the street, The IR kills thousands. When a million Russians are in the street - Russia kills them all. Russia has been this way for a century. Kill citizens until the pushback stops. Ignore the economic consequences, preserve the power structure.
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schueaj 5 days ago +19
WWI led to revolt due to mass mobilization and trench warfare in Russia.
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PlaneswalkerHuxley 5 days ago +8
If you look at the comments above on this post, there's lots of talk about young Russians who immediately fled the country when they saw which way the wind was blowing. These are the smart, motivated people who in previous centuries would have been leading revolts and pushing for change. Easy access to air travel and open borders has meant that bad situations just self-filter for those who will put up with it.
8
Relative_Cricket8532 5 days ago +23
That's cause people were literally starving. Unless that happens there's no revolt
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Due_Attention_4886 5 days ago +11
Sooner or later shit is going to hit the fan. People will start straight up murdering recruitment officers at some point.
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Jerome-Baldino 5 days ago +21
There will be no recruitment officers. Several armed men will come to get you or snatch you off the streets and send to the front. They did it in the past, they will do it again. Anyone refusing to cooperate then was marked as a traitor, facing execution or forced service in "penal battalions" (Shtrafbat) that were sent on high-risk suicide missions. You can only choose if you die horribly or maybe survive.
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what_the_eve 5 days ago +24
The Russians created a new call up software that would streamline the process. No more decentralized structures with some fat, old Russian officials managing mobilization and call ups on paper. It is also connected to their ministries, including FSB, that will automatically flag the Russian passport to deny exit of the country once the system activates the mobilization order, which has been an issue for their regular compulsory service since the war began.
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tossit97531 5 days ago +8
Ah, the ages-old hallmark of a brilliant leader: locking the door so they can’t leave
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FlatwormAltruistic 5 days ago +11
That's why they set up a system where employers have to choose one to four employees that go to the front lines... Not general mobilization.
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TemporaryAsparagus89 6 days ago +3777
Russia can't even handle Ukraine let alone the Baltic states
3777
Low_Yellow6838 6 days ago +318
Well all a resource question. With full mobilisation putin could still cause some major damage and do some stupid things
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socialistrob 5 days ago +210
Also Ukraine is a country with 40 million people that has the second largest military in Europe. The Baltic States combined have five million people. For the Baltics the only chance they have of avoiding occupation is if the rest of NATO comes to their aid. Ukraine was never a weak country and has held Russia off by taking hundreds of thousands of casualties and diverting basically everything they have to the war. There's no guarantee that other countries will have the same resilience and commitment to fighting Russia. "Russia can't even beat Ukraine" is not an argument that they can't beat other countries.
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PepinoPicante 5 days ago +111
They are part of NATO, so it will come to their aid. I wouldn’t be surprised if the US pulled some nonsense because of Trump, but the rest of NATO will be there I’m sure.
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PhDinDildos_Fedoras 5 days ago +19
Yes. And that would trigger a full scale war against Europe. And with Russia's military resources depleted, it would go very badly for Russia. What a clusterfuck.
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mazamundi 5 days ago +35
Ukraine became a military power house during the war, not before it.
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VAbsoluteZero 5 days ago +9
This is incorrect. Even before 2022 Ukraine had large ground army, ground based air defense force and huge number of tanks/APC/IFVs in storage. The weakest links were air force and navy.
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Kauwgom420 5 days ago +7
By during you mean since the occupation of Crimea?
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CilveeksTualete 5 days ago +4
Ukraine has dry and flat fields, Baltics are swamps, rivers, lakes, and tons of impassable forests.
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81FXB 5 days ago +4
Does he have the weapons for it ?
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DunHumby 5 days ago +10
They don’t even have the armor for Ukraine right now. Their stocks of tanks have visibly been depleted. I think the T80 is all but killed off. [https://youtu.be/mZY3A2Lb6EM?si=if6r1\_Q7Fh60s7A1](https://youtu.be/mZY3A2Lb6EM?si=if6r1_Q7Fh60s7A1)
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Nuclear-Jester 6 days ago +1110
Problem is thst Putin isn't rational enough to think this
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thepinkblues 6 days ago +1803
As much as everyone likes to think otherwise, Putin isn’t stupid. He knows he cannot take on NATO and anyone who thinks he can is a f****** moron. Estonia themselves have said their intelligence proves a Russian attack against a NATO member is not realistic. Zelensky is trying to keep attention on his nation so people don’t forget about them like after 2014 and you cannot blame him. He’s doing what he needs to do and I applaud him for it
1803
Dandan0005 6 days ago +492
Overconfidence is literally why Russia is stuck where it is right with Ukraine right now.
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wk_end 5 days ago +384
Putin had good reasons to think he could take Ukraine. The kind of international backing they’ve received was no guarantee; the Ukrainians and their leader might’ve folded quickly. His success in Crimea was solid evidence for him. Putin’s judgment turned out to be wrong, but that doesn’t make him stupid. Attacking NATO would make him stupid.
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CupcakeSeaShanty 5 days ago +218
He miscalculated on Zelenskyy, as well. Had he fled, as expected, the defense around the Kiev area would have collapsed immediately. Russia, while it has plenty of bite, is a glass cannon that has trouble dealing with prolonged conflicts and/or where they can't establish immediate dominance.
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3BlindMice1 5 days ago +95
That's because they're overly reliant on special forces and hardly invest at all into their conventional military. With nukes in existence, I can't exactly blame them for that, it's probably a great way to save money, but it's strange to see such a strategy applied to warfare when cannon fodder is deployed anyway
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Embarassed_Tackle 5 days ago +26
Honestly, I don't think even Putin knew the extent to which the regular military had been sold out. Corrupt officials had deferred maintenance or outright sold military supplies on the black market. Even US intelligence appeared surprised by the poor shape of Russian equipment.
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Exciting-Emu-3324 5 days ago +18
As long as the Ukrainian army was even more corrupt, it didn't matter in Putin's calculations. If Russia couldn't clean up its military, why would Ukraine? 2022 was only 8 years since 2014. The fatal assumption was that Ukrainian reforms were as effective as Russian ones.
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CupcakeSeaShanty 5 days ago +82
And their special forces corps got trounced and basically wiped out by Ukrainian regular infantry, if I'm not mistaken?
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AsWeKnowItAndI 5 days ago +92
Because that's what happens when you use special forces in conventional roles! They're light infantry specialized in specific tasks, you can't put them in a conventional fight and expect them to work miracles! They want to get in, get their specific objective done, and get the f*** out before too much heat comes down, because their mobility and sneaky shit emphasis means they don't have either the numbers nor the equipment to deal with a full conventional unit on their own without eating crow. It'd be like putting top-of-the-line racing breaks on a semi, the failure is one of misapplication.
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OneRougeRogue 5 days ago +24
>Because that's what happens when you use special forces in conventional roles! Their "special forces" are/where a joke. They were the equivalent to standard US Infantry, only with worse kitted and with some light training in niche roles that general US Infantry doesn't train in. In the first days of the invasion, there's video footage of the VDV attacking Kyiv wearing tennis shoes instead of combat boots. Night-vision scopes/binoculars weren't part of their "special forces" kit, so they were blind at night unless individual soldiers brought their own aftermarket night vision gear on their own dime. They are a joke.
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Double-Ad-7483 5 days ago +92
special forces doesn't mean they're super soldiers. most of that is a narrative driven by the US media as various types of special ops have grown to be portrayed this way in movies and tv shows.
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Linenoise77 5 days ago +25
Had Russia been able to take that airfield, hold it, and re-enforce it, I think the war would have played out very differently. I think the intent with that was to get leadership to flee, and then either institute a coup, or have the military fold, and end up with a surrender with a Moscow friendly, or at least appeasing government, and the Donbas and some neighboring territory going the Crimea route. I think the resistance to that was unexpected, as well as Zelensky not bouncing.
25
IAMAGrinderman 5 days ago +44
No it's not. Western intelligence had a similar assessment to Russia on Ukraine: that they'd be overrun quickly. If it weren't for whatever the f*** Russia was doing early in the war + Ukraine outperforming all expectations, we'd be having a very different conversation about this war.
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BasicMatter7339 5 days ago +5
Yeah, ukraine should have fallen by all accounts but as it turned out their government was far more stable and their military far more organized than previously thought.
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Forderz 5 days ago +15
The Ukraine of 2014 would have folded instantly. Turn out you can fight corruption and rot, if you're serious about it.
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BasicMatter7339 5 days ago +9
>The Ukraine of 2014 would have folded instantly. And it did! There was a whole-ass revolution in the country, the president got ousted and it sparked an entire conflict that raged in the east for 10 years and Russia just basically walked into Krim with barely any opposition as the revolution left the entire nation in a massive power vacuum, unable to muster any resistance.
9
cybran111 5 days ago +4
A small correction: the revolution sparked but it's russians who invaded the east of Ukraine and Crimea - it wasn't a solely internal conflict
4
MZ603 5 days ago +12
It was hubris on the part of the Russians, & there was a plan in place that some within the US IC were aware of. Ukraine w/ the assistance of US intel, decimated planned Russian ops in Kyiv. In the US, this planning was likely highly compartmentalized & possibly/likely not included in some of those assessments, given how critical those efforts would be. Ukrainian SBU & HUR didn't miss a beat. They immediately targeted embedded Russian FSU/GRU assets & successfully halted the most dangerous decapitation plots. They had enough intel to also halt the Kadyrovites & Redut. Do you remember all the reports of gunfire in & around Kyiv in the early days/hours? That was a highly orchestrated operation that dismantled those networks Russia had built over the years. It is often overlooked, but that shit was impressive. They wasted no time methodically dismantling those coercive elements. It will make for a hell of a book/doc/movie one day.
12
Domeee123 6 days ago +88
Nobody though Ukraine can withstand the invasion though.
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ZumboPrime 5 days ago +78
Nobody thought Zelensky would refuse to evacuate. Nobody thought Russia's initial assault would be completely stymied, and following convoys picked apart. Nobody thought Russia's saboteurs would just pocket their funds instead of spending it on sabotage. With the assistance of western intelligence & military gear, Ukraine has been punching well above their weight the entire time.
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mesmerooo 5 days ago +35
Russia's saboteurs were high ranking military russians who pocketed army money for decades
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yearse 5 days ago +23
Stymied is now my word of the day. To stymie something means to block or thwart. You learn something new every day. Edit: or stand in the way of.
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Westenin 5 days ago +53
No one? The Ukrainian people were preparing themselves for years before the actual invasion, I’m proud of them because they really showed that they could.
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Lukeuntld072_ 5 days ago +40
Ur right nobody exept ukraine. We underestimated Ukraine and overestimated russia. I dont blame the supporting countries because its realistic to think that way
40
joku75 5 days ago +20
Yet still Russia was really really close to take Ukraine in the first weeks of 2022 invasion. They were literally fighting in the Kiev
20
Lukeuntld072_ 5 days ago +23
Yup they fucked up the first hours/days of the invasion giving ukraine enough time to counter, props to ukraine that reacted without hesitation and without fail for the most part. It could have been different but yea, what if this? The shouldve did that. is useless talk they fucked up
23
Westenin 5 days ago +11
Russia could have never held Kiev, I don’t get why people sometimes act like they could’ve, the defence was incredible, the Ukrainians did a great job.
11
socialistrob 5 days ago +4
> They were literally fighting in the Kiev I don't think they were actually that close. They got troops inside Kyiv but they never actually encircled the city and if you can't even surround a city then good luck storming it. Russia attacked all of Ukraine with only 190,000 troops. They were fighting in the South, East and North with very limited supply lines and some of these areas (particularly the North) were very favorable for the defenders. For comparison when the Nazis took Kyiv in WWII they had 500,000 experienced troops just for the city and even then the battle took months as they opted for a siege because it was such a hard city to storm outright. Russia was trying to storm it directly with a tiny fraction of the troop commitment and weak logistic lines. Russia's plan only really made sense if you assumed the Ukrainians wouldn't put up real resistance. It's been over four years and Russia has never even taken Kharkiv which is essentially on the Russian border and a smaller city than Kyiv.
4
lyukszag 5 days ago +5
Yes, but overconfidence is one thing. This would be like intentionally smashing your wet c*** into a live wall socket…
5
CreepyOctopus 5 days ago +17
Estonian intelligence says Russia is stepping up hybrid attacks against NATO and preparing for a long-term conflict, just that it's not ready to launch an attack within the next year. Coming from the Baltics, I am admittedly biased. I'm tired of watching Russia invade countries in developments that are completely unsurprising to me, or most in my country, yet somehow shock the US and Western Europe. Russia cannot take on NATO militarily. Putin knows that. NATO knows that. Ukraine knows that. Everyone does. At the same time, destroying NATO would be Putin's crowning achievement, it's something he really wants to do. And he have one path to do so. Militarily, NATO is far more powerful but politically it's not. EU countries don't have a single foreign or military policy, relations with the US are strained now. Putin's one chance is to destroy NATO politically. Invade and quickly occupy at least a couple cities in the Baltic countries. Announce that Russia has no intent to fight more but secured these territories "to protect Russian speakers" and will defend them "as any part of Russia". And then it comes down to whether politicians in the US, Germany, Turkey and other major allies are willing to start shooting at Russia to liberate Narva, a city 99% of the population has never heard of. If NATO doesn't respond very quickly and with overwhelming force, it ends as a credible defense organization. Now I very much hope the response would be immediate in such a scenario but I am not 100% sure of it. And I think it's plausible that Putin will want to test that. Not like he has much to lose, he's getting old and may well decide to shoot his shot while he still has time.
17
fennecdore 6 days ago +65
He may not be stupid but he believes what intel his security services gave him. If they tell him that the whole of nato resources are funneled to Ukraine and there is nothing left to defend the rest, he might think he can an advantage by extending the conflict
65
thepinkblues 6 days ago +32
I can’t even argue against that because maybe he actually is that deep into the echo chamber. I would have just assumed being that so far removed from reality would have been obvious to the FSB and the president as a security risk long before Putin came along
32
Lugbor 6 days ago +21
It's the inevitable result of purging your staff of anyone competent and replacing them with toadies who say whatever gets them brownie points. He's surrounded by yes-men who are too afraid to give him the truth, so the only information he gets is what he wants to hear, because telling him anything else risks you booking a date with the nearest window.
21
Krystilen 5 days ago +9
There have been some reports that indicate this is the case. Putin had a few purges, which led to people around him being afraid of giving him bad news. He's also insulated himself a lot, both because he's deathly terrified of suffering the same fate as Qaddafi, and then even more since COVID which also scared him a great deal. He also tends to consume the output of his own propaganda news, a little bit like Trump in that. He'll watch his own media, watch the talking heads, which spout nothing but, well, propaganda. It's been said the invasion of Ukraine proper (in 2022) came about both because of the Crimea success and because there were way-too-rosy reports of the capabilities of Ukrainians (underselling them) vs the capabilities of Russia (overselling them), which is why we saw the absolute catastrophe of convoys bogged down getting picked off in droves, among other notorious Russian failures.
9
Xlorem 6 days ago +69
Russia is already ignoring NATO soveriegn air space and is stand offing with Great Britian and Norway with their navy. Everyone also said Russia would never fully attack Ukraine. Just because its unrealistic and irrational for Russia to attack a NATO nation doesn't mean that Russia has rational actors.
69
SCUDDEESCOPE 5 days ago +22
He don't want to be defeated by Ukraine so he wants to be defeated by NATO. Their propaganda since day 1 is that they are fighting NATO all along. Sounds extremely stupid but they are extremely crazy.
22
pipper99 5 days ago +9
If russia is defeated is there any regions might want out?
9
PastelPumpkini 5 days ago +10
They’ve been doing this for decades. I live near an air base and occasionally you’d hear the emergency response take off whenever Russia was too close to our airspace, then it would be reported in local news as a big fat “nothing to worry about”. Now whenever it happens it’s a much bigger thing with more news reports because journalists know it will generate views via fear-mongering.
10
Drabantus 5 days ago +10
But this is nothing new. They have been doing this since after WW2.
10
turaon 6 days ago +21
is not realistic at the moment. The problem is that Russia may try hybrid attack. They know that they cannot win with clear attack, as it would trigger aticle 5. But with hybrid attack, where some "green men" would start military operations in Narva and it would be played out as these are locals, can happen. With that many NATO countries can tell that it's your local problem and article 5 won't be executed. Let's not forget that Trump is trying to drift away USA from NATO as is cutting down trust in USA by thousands cuts. While he cannot do that alone and Congress does it, we can see that Congress agrees with everything what Trump does, they don't even question unlawful orders he gives out. Also, he can easily make a deal with Russia - it wouldn't be nothing surprising from him. Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, they don't give a shit whats happening on the eastern border of NATO. Slovakia is even friends with Russia. And we can see that preparations are being done for that. Putin is losing hard in Ukraine, he must to his slaves that he still is a leader. So some small win is needed. What we have for now: 1. Harsh economic situation in Estonia - prices for food are high, energy prices are high. Now because of war with Iran, fuel prices are high, which leads to even more price risings for all the goods. In Narva houses are not insulated. Althouth it's been talked to them by state for years, that “insulate your houses”, they didn't do that, because Narva had one of the lowest prices for the heating. But now that advantage has gone. Median salary in Narva region is about 30% lower than median salarly of Estonia. Pensions are also lower. Most people are not integrated in Estonian society, about 35% are Russian citizens and about 15% are stateless. Now that houses are not insultated is not states fault, but the fault of people themselves, but many of those Russians are still living with their mind in Soviet union or Russia, where the state was responsible for your house. 2. Narva people's Republic. In about 2 months appeared infooperation for separate Narva People's republic. While it's infooperation, and KAPO says that there is nothing to worry about, it still feeds the extremists. And let's not forget that idea about autonomy or even separate republic in North-East of Estonia date back to the period when Estonia regained independence. Althoug it has been dormant for years, it is beeing propgressivly waking up. 3. In Russia there is proposed the law to use military abroad to protect citizens from foreign prosecution. So they are preparing for invasion. Such laws are not made just for fun, but they are preparing it to be used. 4. The accusations about russophobia in Estonia, has been on the rise in Russian propaganda. Not all Russians even with Russian passports in Estonia want Russian world - even if they simp for Russia, they have seen what bringing Russian world has made in Ukraine. But you can take 100-200 persons who have been become extremists and they are already all you need to make big problems in Narva. With today's drone driven warfare they can do a lot of damage and they will be hard to get, if they hide in some basements of the apartment's houses around the city. So, the problem can be made and while it's not something what should keep usual cityzen awake at night, the potential problem is around and needs wise activity from Estonian KAPO, defence forces, by the legalislator (modern laws for antiterrorist activities, responcibilities, etc).
21
TheOtherHobbes 5 days ago +13
Of course it's not going to be a frontal attack. Likely "freedom movements" in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which include a mix of political agitation, intimidation, and sabotage. The hybrid attacks have been running for years - Trump, Orban, Fico, other far-right politicians across the EU and UK, and whoever wins in Bulgaria. The big prize is France, with its nuclear deterrent. If that goes far-right the situation gets much more serious. Le Pen has been neutered, but Bardella is more of the same while pretending to be something different. The danger isn't from direct attacks, it's from subversion weakening morale and resolve. The direct attacks follow when the war is already won. Although Russia is getting close to the brink of instability, so Putin is in a tight corner - attack too early, or wait and be deposed.
13
Nuclear-Jester 6 days ago +84
Except now Washington keeps attacking NATO and is too busy with Iran I know i sound paranoid, but you guys aren't costantly threatened by Putin. Mf is vocally saying European industries are legitimate targets now
84
DaVinci1836 6 days ago +73
Russia doesn't stand a chance against Europe, even without American support
73
KToff 6 days ago +79
War is not a binary state. Iran doesn't stand a chance against the US. Even so, the conflict drags on with enormous side effects. Russia starting another war in Europe would cause enormous pains death and suffering and it is a small consolation that the losses on the Russian side are likely to me much higher. What does winning mean for Europe in that context?
79
MZ603 5 days ago +4
France alone would f*** them up in a conventional conflict.
4
Saymynaian 5 days ago +7
You don't sound paranoid at all. Anyone paying attention can tell there have been sides forming in this conflict since 2014, and Trump has been edging the US towards the fascists since 2016.
7
thepinkblues 6 days ago +12
Trump doesn’t need to be busy with Iran to do nothing in Ukraine in the event of article 5. Article 5 dictates the response to an attack on a NATO member state can be whatever a nation deems fit. Listnook likes to think it means all military wings of every member state will be mobilised in a matter of minutes destined for the same drop site but realistically the USA could pull a Germany, donate a few thousands helmets of pieces of non lethal equipment and call it a day.
12
AquaRaOne 6 days ago +15
Or trump could easily say, u didnt help us with iran, now we wont help you either. He is childish enough
15
stablogger 6 days ago +10
Article 5 also contains the often overseen part that the command for the response is not with the individual member states, but an US general. So, basically Trump would be in charge.
10
GrynaiTaip 5 days ago +12
> Putin isn’t stupid. He knows he cannot take on NATO He thought that he could take Ukraine. Now it's the fifth year and he still believes that. Clearly he is not a smart man.
12
mrchillbro 5 days ago +6
this is where Putin understands Trump will not help Europe against Russia and will use this window with Trump as president to destroy NATO through Trump's inaction.
6
oops_all_memes 5 days ago +10
>As much as everyone likes to think otherwise, Putin isn’t stupid Right now Russia suffers extreme economic pressure due to Russian authorities constantly turning off mobile internet across the entire country. People can't pay at cafes and convenience stores, taxi and delivery drivers can't fulfill orders. Most people in Russia switched to cash payments simply because you can't pay for goods and services any other way Not a single good reason was given why that's happening. They say it supposedly protects from drone attacks, which we know is not true because drone attacks continue Huylo's approval ratings tanked — and everyone attributes it to internet issues The only plausible explanations we have is that Huylo's admin anticipates an economic shitstorm or they prepare for new mobilization soon. Or he **is** that stupid \-- And as a separate topic, we've known for years that Huylo enjoys antagonizing other countries for no reason. It's some kind of power fantasy he enjoys enacting. And it's only been accelerating lately. For whatever f****** reason he antagonizes both Armenia and Azerbaijan. He antagonizes Kazakhstan. Why? To what end? There's no rational explanation, he just enjoys it. In his mind certain territories should be under his influence and when they act as if to stray away from him he starts lashing out only further alienating them So attacking Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia fits the MO. He genuinely believes that those countries are his by some divine right. And if he thinks NATO will sit on its thumbs, he will attack
10
kaukamieli 5 days ago +4
Doubt usa is gonna help a lot.
4
DicentraDale 6 days ago +4
Russian attack on a Baltic country is not realistic *given continued vigilance and development of defenses*. Your second paragraph is partially true, but there is merit to his warnings
4
submergedleftnut 5 days ago +4
You don't have to be stupid to live in an echo chamber, to surround yourself with yes men and live in a state built around venerating you. Intelligent people suffer from hubris too. Putin is old and knows that NATO is the weakest it has probably ever been. Trump will be president for a while yet and there is much more turmoil to come in the USA and middle east. This is the best opportunity he will ever get to fulfill his hearts of iron dreams
4
Remote_Escape 5 days ago +3
History tells us that in this kind of situations dictators start making wilder and wilder maneuvers. I don't think for a minute that Putin will stop. He has no plan B. In fact this kind of people just don't know how to stop even if they wanted to. Think Napoleon, Hitler, Alexander the Great, even Caesar in a way.
3
Dark-Cloud666 6 days ago +44
The only way russia knows how to wage war is by throwing more people into a meatgrinder. Thats why they would want to mobilize.
44
WingerRules 5 days ago +6
Actually I would be very nervous for the Baltic states. The only reason Ukraine is surviving is because of mass international assistance. The only thing that would save baltic states is that they're part of NATO, the only thing thats based around is promises. Russia could also do what they did to Ukraine which is swoop in an grab a bunch of territory before other countries can react and then just sit on it.
6
2shayyy 6 days ago +18
Just because they can’t win, doesn’t mean they can’t invade, take a large chunk of territory and dig in. If they do that, just like in Ukraine, it will be very hard to force them out. If there’s one thing everyone should recognise from Russia, it’s that their population has an incredibly high tolerance combat deaths. Higher than any western nation. Underestimating how many Russian we would need to kill to force them to out would be a terrible mistake. There is a far higher chance public opinion on our side would force negotiations. Putin knows this.
18
Substantial_Brain917 6 days ago +11
That’s been the leading doctrine by Russia since the inception of nato. They don’t have to win, they just have to make nato take pause on the idea of fighting for a small part of Lithuania and then they’ve won
11
Lynax_153 5 days ago +17
Russia's idea here could be to test nato's reaction to article 5. Russia could try to connect with Kaliningrad and NATO has to decide if it's worth a war to get it back. What are the US doing? Are all members willing to attack Russia? For a small part of Lithuania? I don't think that Russia plans to invade Europe, but that they are going to test Nato's unity...
17
anders_hansson 5 days ago +5
Much more likely that he would make a move at Ukraine. General mobilization would give Russia a definitive and permanent manpower advantage, and it's unlikely that it would go well for Ukraine. Manpower is the one thing that Europe and NATO can not help Ukraine with. I.e. it could actually end the war (in Russia's favor). I still doubt that Putin would do it, as it would be very unpopular.
5
Jozoz 5 days ago +26
This is such a listnook cope take. Ukraine is really strong. Europe needs Ukraine as much as they need us. Without American support in NATO, it will become very ugly. Will Russia win? No. But it won't be a walk in the park.
26
chebster99 5 days ago +7
I completely agree with you - I hate this *“well they can’t even take Ukraine”* argument. It implies that Ukraine is weak and / or overlooks the immense sacrifices and hardships that Ukrainians have endured. I’m not sure if the general public in the west has the stomach to endure what Ukraine has had to endure if a wider conflict were to break out.
7
Jozoz 5 days ago +6
The exact reason it's so popular is that it makes people feel comfortable. But it's a fake sense of comfort. As you say, it will be very very ugly for us regular Europeans.
6
OkArm8581 6 days ago +50
Baltic states will be way easier than Ukraine. Sadly.
50
nocreative 6 days ago +45
With NATO membership
45
xmuskorx 6 days ago +16
Who knows if that means anything today? That is exactly what Putin may intended to test.
16
ChrisFromLongIsland 5 days ago +10
I don't think people appreciate just how much the Russian military machine has been decimated. They basically lost most of their tanks, APCs and mobile artillery. Their reserves have been decimated. They still have a lot but nowhere near what they had at the start of the war. Their planes still can't fly over Ukraine. They have a lot of men but the casualty rate is very high. They are now losing more men than they are signing up. I don't think its remotely possible for the Russians to open a second front. If the European nations really decided to send in their armies to defend the Baltic states Russia would lose badly. The Russian air defense was basically useless in Iran against the f35. The EUs economy is 10x that of Russia. There is no way Russia is opening another front while engaged in Ukraine. Putin wants to further mobilize the country because he is out of volunteers and he thinks if he just throws more bodies at the Ukraine they will eventually Crack.
10
IntelArtiGen 6 days ago +837
I hope it won't be a surprise for anyone, because many top officials in Europe have warned of this risk. Prepare to see hundreds of saboteurs, fake declaration of independence (autonomous republic of narva), soldiers without insignia etc. Putin needs war to survive, if and when it stops in Ukraine it'll surely start quickly after somewhere else. And Russia clearly is preparing for this, they're not sending everything in Ukraine right now.
837
Kurlandr 6 days ago +180
>And Russia clearly is preparing for this, they're not sending everything in Ukraine right now. Could you explain - what is being held back?
180
IntelArtiGen 6 days ago +230
I'm saying that based on public analysis by the french army and french analysts, example here: https://www.rtl.fr/actu/international/la-russie-sera-une-menace-reelle-pour-l-europe-d-ici-a-2030-alerte-le-chef-d-etat-major-des-armees-7900527462 > 2025: 1.3M soldiers | 2030: 1,9M soldiers > aujourd'hui de 4000 heavy tanks, devraient en avoir 7000 en 2030, > fighter jets passeront de 1200 à 1500 en 2030 Basically they're building more tanks / drones / planes / missiles and recruiting more people than what they're using in Ukraine. But in other european countries, many officials say the same thing, and that in few years Russia could be a threat for Europe, German intelligence: https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20241014-russia-could-be-able-to-attack-nato-by-2030-german-intelligence > "In terms of personnel and material, Russian armed forces are likely to be capable of carrying out an attack against NATO by the end of the decade at the latest," Kahl said. I think it's mostly a threat for Ukraine obviously, but we don't know what he's going to do with this army. I doubt he'll do nothing with it. And when you see they even train kids, well in 5 years, the kids they've been training for the last 5 years will be 20yo and ready for a war.
230
anders_hansson 5 days ago +58
Thing is that you can't really make any strong assumptions about how they will use those resources. Even a country at war needs excess military capacity. E.g. the US is not using all of their military in Iran (why not throw in everything and get a solid victory?). I think it's much more likely that Russia builds a credible defense for the future (remember, they have used up much of their stocks, and they too need to match NATO's capabilities, even if it's just for defense - anything else would be stupid). It's also possible that they plan to make a big push against Ukraine at some point to secure a victory, but that would most likely require a big mobilization that would be very unpopular, so I guess that Putin holds on to that card for as long as possible and hopes that he does not have to use it.
58
YearlyLemon8 5 days ago +21
There is no way you believe any of this and certainly not russia magically being able to rebuild itself by 2030? Russia has lost over 1 million men in casualties? All credible sources point to them running dangerously low on armored assets in only 4 years they went from having some of the largest stockpiles to almost no more t-80's and relying on t-62 and 55 from the 1950 and 1960. Russia as it is now will never be a threat to NATO or the EU maybe in 20-30 years, but even then I still do not see it. They will swiftly get their asses handed to then in any engagement land air or sea. Either way if they do somehow rebuild it does not change the fact that they are highly incompetent, ineffective and a inefficient military in terms of planning, coordinating and execution! Hopefully in 2028 when the tides swing blue and we get a pro ukraine admin we can see the quicker fall of putin and the end of his dumb ass war in ukraine. If ukraine does not pull it off themselves with the backing of EU by then. But I'm hoping we get a Tsar Nicholas II scenario for putin to meet his demise, before then.
21
Neomataza 5 days ago +12
The wunderwaffen. Every single one. I remember the T-14 Armata, the Su-75 checkmate/femboy, the ultrasonic missiles Kinzhal and Oreshnik, as well as the super elite reserve troops that Putin stores up his ass, which is why nobody has ever seen them.
12
BringbackDreamBars 6 days ago +79
>Prepare to see hundreds of saboteurs, fake declaration of independence (autonomous republic of narva), soldiers without insignia etc. The biggest lesson I think Putin has learned from Ukraine is that the NATO and by extension, the west, is very risk averse. This is why I also think that the opening moves are going to be us seeing some "protestors" in Russian speaking majority cities in the Baltics suddenly "finding" some military gear in their local park. If Russia can play this well enough, then the west has to take the initative in their own hands to blame Russia and stand up to them, which might be a big ask for some members when its "only a few cities".
79
SPQR-Tightanus 6 days ago +60
>The biggest lesson I think Putin has learned from Ukraine is that the NATO and by extension, the west, is very risk averse. He didn't learn this in Ukraine, he learnt this long before Ukraine, in 2008 when Germany and France vetoed Ukraine and Georgia NATO membership action plan. This was the moment when he realized that he is dealing with cowards.
60
Donnicton 5 days ago +12
He learned this way earlier, from WW2 appeasement. If the US wasn't in the picture and the EU had to rely on what they still had left of their own defense then they would turtle and look out for themselves. Everything since then had continued to prove that to be true, so he had no reason to believe taking Ukraine would be any different.
12
BringbackDreamBars 6 days ago +13
You are right on this one.
13
Gullible_blush 5 days ago +7
Lmao, there are no 'russian speaking cities' anywhere in the Baltics. What are you even talking about??? In Estonia people speak Estonian, in Latvia it's Latvian and in Lithuania we speak Lithuanian. We have nothing to do with Russia, there are open talks in our governments to ban Russian expats (including soldiers) and to deport 'russian supporters' as they are a risk to homeland security. We are all extremely hostile to Russia in every aspect. Risk aversion only goes so far. All of Europe are aware of Russia's sabotage campaigns across Europe, including arson, bomb explosions and attempted murder. Time for Europe to wake up and address the Russian bs once and for all. [https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/best-of-the-week/second-w*****/2025/ap-team-creates-interactive-map-tracking-suspected-russian-sabotage-across-europe/](https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/best-of-the-week/second-w*****/2025/ap-team-creates-interactive-map-tracking-suspected-russian-sabotage-across-europe/)
7
jpw0w 5 days ago +6
>Russian majority cities in the Baltics  you have no clue about the Baltics do you?
6
IntelArtiGen 6 days ago +8
Yeah and few europeans are really prepared for that I think, it's the biggest issue. I can already hear the pro-Putin propaganda, claiming how these people have been traumatized by the very evil and woke Europe, and how he'll somehow save everyone by sending the army to destroy everything. They did it in Ukraine and not enough people cared so I don't see why it wouldn't work again. Except baltic states are in NATO of course. Can it change something? Hopefully it can.
8
Ok-Net-18 5 days ago +8
Nah. Most people hate Putin and Russia here. Any political party that even suggests of being friendly with Russia doesn't even collect 0.5 % of votes. Ukraine was different because they actually had large pro-Russian regions - even Zelensky initially ran on promises to go to Moskov himself if that meant securing peace. So Putin could infiltrate them under the guise of being a liberator. That would never work in the Baltics.
8
-GuyDeLombard- 6 days ago +245
I have a feeling with all of these conscriptions, mobilizations, and drafts, some governments are going to be fighting their own populace rather than each other
245
MuryGoatsBaldPatch 6 days ago +55
Funnily enough Russian police has a huge staff shortage and a difficulty recruiting people due to the low wages they offer.
55
Minimum-Reward3264 5 days ago +10
They are compensated like CEOs. Small salaries but huge bonuses (like in bribe).
10
KillahHills10304 6 days ago +96
People are pretty easily led around if you just propagandize them against some vague enemy they can blame all their issues on
96
vismundcygnus34 5 days ago +23
In Texas, can confirm.
23
No_Philosopher_5753 6 days ago +372
And some people had the temerity to claim that NATO expansion was the aggressive factor that brought about this war
372
becomingarobot 5 days ago +262
That was just stupid people buying into Russian propaganda.
262
Heretic911 5 days ago +92
Many people still parrot this line, and despite all the events of the last 4 years they have the balls to say "I stand for peace" as if that's a valid reason to be against building up EU military capabilities. It's infuriating. No one wants war, but some of us are realists.
92
Saymynaian 5 days ago +38
"I stand for peace! If they steamroll the entirety of Europe, then they immediately win and we get peace!" –morons and f****** Chomsky of all people.
38
incaseshesees 5 days ago +6
> Many people still parrot yep, like Trump for one.
6
Kills_Alone 5 days ago +114
"Russia **may** announce general mobilisation", how is speculation news?
114
Erove 5 days ago +49
Need that fearmongering for clicks
49
meemikook 5 days ago +38
As someone from one of the Baltic states in question: we VERY strongly despise russia because we have been invaded, raped, occupied, killed, genocided by them before in history, my own great grandparents were forcibly put on cattle wagons and driven to some shithole in russia while random russians were wheeled in and occupied their home. This all happened under the guise of “liberation”. Exactly the same shit is going on in Ukraine right now. “NATO expansion” is just a f****** c**** lie to hide the fact that russia is an IMPERIALISTIC shithole that feeds on war and blood. This is exactly why we support Ukraine as much as we can - because we know. We have very limited population here, very limited GDPs here and f****** hell, we would absolutely love to spend 0€ on military but we simply have to spend large amounts of money on it. i would literally give away my entire net worth for the rock solid guarantee of knowing that shithole russia stops being a violent shitheap nation and fucks off forever. But living so close to that shitpile of a gangster state, i will accept that this possibility of being invaded AGAIN will be there for my entire life. Like guys, seriously, there is no “NATO expansion”, we desperately and VOLUNTARILY joined to increase our chances of not ever being raped as a nation again. If russia mobilizes we will have to respond by once again, reallocating budget from our social system, healthcare, infra etc and divert it to our defence budget. This is not a sign of the baltic states wanting to attack russia beforehand, rather it would be a forced move done with the purpose of self defence.
38
Mewhomewhy 5 days ago +49
Trump helping fund a European war by opening a flow of cash to Putin.
49
PrometheanSwing 6 days ago +101
Baltic States no, Ukraine very possibly
101
Heavy_Secret_203 6 days ago +29
Everyone in Europe hopes right now it will be Ukraine. But, Ukraine is already under attack, mobilisation to attack it again at year 5 of full-scale invasion sounds a bit odd. Attack on Baltics sounds a bit more optimistic for the ones that want to loot and kill. 
29
rcanhestro 5 days ago +21
so, they are in the middle of a war already, against a country, that no other country is willing to "fully" help (by sending soldiers), which means they're handicapped, and Russia's big plan is to attack another country that could call said help, that help that would now have an excuse to join Ukraine in the first war they are already fighting? unless that's the greatest 5D chess move in existence, i honestly can't see what would Russia gain.
21
BigTedBear 6 days ago +80
I don’t even know if Russia can mobilise they are pulling kids out of school and making companies hand over employees is it really an option.
80
LeandrysRx 6 days ago +34
War in Ukraine is only made with volunteers, mobilization would make them able to throw a bunch of millions more grunts, they're not in a real human effort right now compared to what they're able to produce. Honestly, if Trump makes NATO implode, and imo he will, we're in huge trouble, and it won't take long.
34
nocdmb 5 days ago +34
>War in Ukraine is only made with volunteers it isn't. Employers hve to "volunteer" emplyees, consripts are staffed and worked at border regions, a huge number of reservists were already called in. They are in a real human effort without converting to a full war economy.
34
UnkarsThug 5 days ago +10
Yeah. It's sad on all sides. Both Ukraine and Russia, a huge percentage of the people dying are people who were previously civilians and for one reason or another didn't have a choice. It almost seems like people are scared to admit that sometimes, because it doesn't really change anything. It's fundementally Putin's fault. But people are scared to humanize the opposition. Ultimately, everyone at the low level is just trying to survive an awful situation they can't control.
10
belgianguy 5 days ago +17
I think that's why Trump and Bibi tried to lure Europe in the Iran conflict, to deplete even more of the little reserves Europe has so Russia has an easier time attacking Ukraine, and on top of that Trump relieved Russia of sanctions only signals it was a trap all along.
17
ObviouslyRealPerson 6 days ago +15
Must be all that money they're making since Trump dropped the Russian sanctions on oil
15
coachhunter2 5 days ago +12
I wonder if the timing is because Putin knows his b**** Trump might not be in power much longer
12
flatsandsharps99 5 days ago +10
My hunch is their military is trash. Wasn’t great going into Ukraine and now they lost a ton of soldiers and equipment. While Putin and his oligarch buddies have been grifting from the government, they have neglected military spending. Now they are just bluffing based on being a “superpower”, which they are not, given their performance in Ukraine.
10
Small_Brained_Bear 5 days ago +5
Funny how both Cold War superpowers seem to be simultaneously speedrunning the endgame of their respective empires.
5
Forgiz 5 days ago +6
I doubt it. If Putin starts drafting folk from Moscow and Petersburg, tolerance, if any, will dissipate and russians will start rioting. General mobilisation would literally kill the regime.
6
StealyEyedSecMan 6 days ago +13
Nato is on the ropes politically, Trump will lose a lot of sway at the midterms, the iran strait has freed stuck russian oil money...Russia wont have a better time to mobilize than now.
13
slainte75 6 days ago +44
We should've let Patton continue. . .
44
kycolonel 6 days ago +19
His jeep accident was no accident imho
19
somacula 5 days ago +9
It would've been wildly unpopular
9
ChiefQueef98 5 days ago +5
It would have been a disaster
5
ThatGuyYouMightNo 5 days ago +15
Russia is potentially attacking the Baltic states Trump is one button push away from nuking Iran in a fit of rage And I still need to go to work tomorrow
15
gekaman 5 days ago +4
So this is why Russia cut internet access. It tracks but they are going to arm angry citizens while illegitimate power parties in Moscow?
4
Any-Programmer6702 5 days ago +4
First Ukraine. Now a warning for the Baltics. Russia’s "mobilization" is a threat to all of Europe. Peace isn't a spectator sport. Who’s paying attention?
4
totallyRebb 6 days ago +22
/votekick Russia
22
Space_Sweetness 6 days ago +19
Regardless of how big of a c*** Trump would be in protecting the Baltic States or not, it would lead to the rest of NATO to invoke Article 5
19
machinegunkisses 5 days ago +4
It's important to remember that Article 5 is not a guarantee of collective action, it's more of a consultation. The relevant bit is:  "[The members] will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."  The language is vague enough to leave lots of room for the desired interpretation and, in any case, Trump still only does whatever he wants. 
4
Morgan-Explosion 5 days ago +12
I love Zelensky but grain of salt here, hes a chess player and his goal is to save Ukraine. Hell say what he needs to say and do what he needs to do to achieve that goal
12
No-Wonder1139 5 days ago +3
Could they just not.
3
TheBalzy 5 days ago +3
LoL, I didn't have Russia self immolating on the bingo card. Okay I guess?
3
Miserable-Rub-9611 5 days ago +3
Who the f*** hearted this?
3
szornyu 5 days ago +3
It seems, is cheaper to send hungry people to war, than feeding them...
3
DieAndereDirk 5 days ago +3
The word "may" should not be used in news headlines.
3
Short-Detective-530 5 days ago +3
Putin is a p****. This is not going to happen
3
Pigeon_Breeze 5 days ago +3
If they do it, it's because Russia expects to lose if the status quo continues, so they're resorting to something costly and high-risk.
3
Dyotic 5 days ago +3
Ah, fearmongering.
3
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