Ukraine: The Aristoblyats

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«‹›987 »

Wingnut Ninja: Jan 11, 2003; Mostly Harmless

Turrurrurrurrrrrrr posted:

T55 being Challengered:

# ? Mar 25, 2023 03:40

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# ? Jun 5, 2024 23:27

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1639560797738156033?s=20

# ? Mar 25, 2023 10:33

orange juche: Mar 14, 2012

Kesper North posted:

https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1639560797738156033?s=20

So much for Putin's winter offensive

# ? Mar 25, 2023 11:35

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

orange juche posted:

So much for Putin's winter offensive

Well it certainly offended me.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 12:01

Alchenar: Apr 9, 2008

7 months and hundred thousand bodies thrown at a city to not take it. Bartles 'The Russian way of War' needs a new edition.

Alchenar fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Mar 25, 2023

# ? Mar 25, 2023 12:10

uncleTomOfFinland: May 25, 2008

Alan Smithee posted:

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1639371973699444736?s=20

Seems like a great way to get friendly fired by jumpy mobiks.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 12:31

Icon Of Sin: Dec 26, 2008

Kesper North posted:

https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1639560797738156033?s=20

Invading armies literally exist to conduct offensive operations, mostly failing an offensive feels like a bad sign for them :getin:

# ? Mar 25, 2023 12:54

Kazinsal: Dec 13, 2011

Alchenar posted:

7 months and hundred thousand bodies thrown at a city to not take it. Bartles 'The Russian war of War' needs a new edition.

The longer this war goes on, the more I find it amazing that people continue to say that the whole "ten men, one gun" stereotype of how Russia does frontline combat is inaccurate and racist.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 13:42

Power Khan: Aug 20, 2011; by Fritz the Horse

Kazinsal posted:

The longer this war goes on, the more I find it amazing that people continue to say that the whole "ten men, one gun" stereotype of how Russia does frontline combat is inaccurate and racist.

...and blocking detachments, human wave attacks, etc.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 13:45

Hieronymous Alloy: Jan 30, 2009; Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!; Morbid Hound

Kazinsal posted:

The longer this war goes on, the more I find it amazing that people continue to say that the whole "ten men, one gun" stereotype of how Russia does frontline combat is inaccurate and racist.

It honestly seems like the Russian leadership is so racist they decided to lean in, deliberately.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 13:56

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

Kazinsal posted:

The longer this war goes on, the more I find it amazing that people continue to say that the whole "ten men, one gun" stereotype of how Russia does frontline combat is inaccurate and racist.

But it is inaccurate. Decidedly so.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 14:12

Coquito Ergo Sum: Feb 9, 2021

The USSR's massive casualty rates in WW2 can be blamed on a lot of things like readiness, politics, trying to figure out and implement new strategy/doctrine/tactics, and a lot of other things, but there's really nothing to support the Enemy at the Gates poo poo.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:01

Generation Internet: Jan 18, 2009; Where angels and generals fear to tread.

Kazinsal posted:

The longer this war goes on, the more I find it amazing that people continue to say that the whole "ten men, one gun" stereotype of how Russia does frontline combat is inaccurate and racist.

Probably because that specific statement is cribbed from an early 2000s American movie and is not at all indicative of the causes of high Russian casualties in current and past wars.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:05

bulletsponge13: Apr 28, 2010

If I recall, it was was done for dramatic effect in Enemy at the Gates, but the seed came from a previous conflict where it did happen on a very small scale. WW1 or Russo Japanese war spring to mind, but I could be conflating. It was meant to show the desperate straights they were in with their back at the Volga with Stalin, and their front Paulus and the might of the Wehrmacht war machine. I think the Russian film Stalingrad (probably had a different name in Russian) where it's a small squad of holdouts scavenging and ambushing Germans does a better job of showing the desperation of the position. It has a fantastic scene where they repel an assault but hiding under bodies with knives that is worth watching by itself.

If someone knows what I'm talking about, please fill in the details or correct me on the historical basis of "2nd man picks up the rifle".

All this T55 Soviet tank talk is gonna make me watch The Beast again

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:13

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

bulletsponge13 posted:

All this T55 Soviet tank talk is gonna make me watch The Beast again

russia sending ~~tanks~~ ~~mobile pillboxes~~ ~~heroes~~ czech hedgehogs

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:16

madeintaipei: Jul 13, 2012

Generation Internet posted:

Probably because that specific statement is cribbed from an early 2000s American movie and is not at all indicative of the causes of high Russian casualties in current and past wars.

Ahem. An American movie written and directed by Frenchmen, filmed in Germany, with a mostly British cast.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:19

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008

madeintaipei posted:

Ahem. An American movie written and directed by Frenchmen, filmed in Germany, with a mostly British cast.

Counterpoint: Rachel Weisz was smoking hot at that point in her career.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:22

madeintaipei: Jul 13, 2012

Huh. Never realized Annaud did The Name of the Rose and Seven Years in Tibet, too. Good poo poo.

pantslesswithwolves posted:

Counterpoint: Rachel Weisz was smoking hot at that point in her career.

Get outta my head. IMO, peaked with The Constant Gardener and Constantine (a much underrated movie).

madeintaipei fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Mar 25, 2023

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:27

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

pantslesswithwolves posted:

Counterpoint: Rachel Weisz was smoking hot at that point in her career.

she didn't even shoot anyone

let alone the 309 supposedly by Lyudmilla

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:30

Burt: Sep 23, 2007; Poke.

https://twitter.com/WearLatex/status/1261851372783353856/photo/1

Yep...

# ? Mar 25, 2023 15:38

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

NYT article on some of the American weirdos who volunteered to go be war tourists and/or foreign fighters/suppliers. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html

quote:

They rushed to Ukraine by the thousands, many of them Americans who promised to bring military experience, money or supplies to the battleground of a righteous war. Hometown newspapers hailed their commitment, and donors backed them with millions of dollars.

Now, after a year of combat, many of these homespun groups of volunteers are fighting with themselves and undermining the war effort. Some have wasted money or stolen valor. Others have cloaked themselves in charity while also trying to profit off the war, records show.

One retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Virginia is the focus of a U.S. federal investigation into the potentially illegal export of military technology. A former Army soldier arrived in Ukraine only to turn traitor and defect to Russia. A Connecticut man who lied about his military service has posted live updates from the battlefield � including his exact location � and boasted about his easy access to American weapons. A former construction worker is hatching a plan to use fake passports to smuggle in fighters from Pakistan and Iran.

And in one of the more curious entanglements, one of the largest volunteer groups is embroiled in a power struggle involving an Ohio man who falsely claimed to have been both a U.S. Marine and a LongHorn Steakhouse assistant manager. The dispute also involves a years-old incident on Australian reality TV.

...

One of the best-known Americans on the battlefield is James Vasquez. Days after the invasion, Mr. Vasquez, a Connecticut home-improvement contractor, announced that he was leaving for Ukraine. His local newspaper told the tale of a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who left behind his job and family and picked up a rifle and a rucksack on the front line.

Since then, he has posted battlefield videos online, at least once broadcasting his unit�s precise location to everyone, including the opposing side. He used his story to solicit donations. �I was in Kuwait during Desert Storm, and I was in Iraq after 9/11,� Mr. Vasquez said in a fund-raising video. He added, �This is a whole different animal.�

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Mr. Vasquez, in fact, was never deployed to Kuwait, Iraq or anywhere else, a Pentagon spokeswoman said. He specialized in fuel and electrical repairs. And he left the Army Reserve not as a sergeant as he claimed, but as a private first class, one of the Army�s lowest ranks.

...

He fought alongside Da Vinci�s Wolves, a Ukrainian far-right battalion, until this past week, when The Times asked about his false military service claims. He immediately deactivated his Twitter account and said that he might leave Ukraine because the authorities had discovered that he was fighting without a required military contract.

Mr. Vasquez said he had been misrepresenting his military record for decades. He acknowledged being kicked out of the Army but would not talk publicly about why. �I had to tell a million lies to get ahead,� Mr. Vasquez said in an interview. �I didn�t realize it was going to come to this.�

...

One of them, Ben Lackey, is a former Legion member. He told his fellow volunteers that he was once a Marine and wrote on LinkedIn that he had most recently been an assistant manager at LongHorn Steakhouse. In fact, the Pentagon said he had no military experience (and he worked as a server, the steakhouse said).

...

Last spring, a volunteer group called Ripley�s Heroes said it had spent approximately $63,000 on night-vision and thermal optics. Some of the equipment was subject to American export restrictions because, in the wrong hands, it could give enemies a battlefield advantage.

Frontline volunteers said Ripley�s delivered the equipment to Ukraine without required documentation listing the actual buyers and recipients. Recently, the federal authorities began investigating the shipments, U.S. officials said.

In his defense, the group�s founder, a retired U.S. Marine named Lt. Col. Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV, provided deal documents to The Times. But those records show that, just as the volunteers said, Ripley�s was not disclosed to the State Department as the buyer.

...

Colonel Rawlings has said that his group is awaiting American nonprofit status. But he has not revealed his spending or proof of a nonprofit application to The Times or to donors who have asked.

Back in February or maybe early-mid March of 2022, the DOD and State Department sent out Emails telling government employees not to travel to Ukraine and not to start sending money to randos or foreign armed organizations. Donate to the Red Cross or other reputable charitable organizations if you want to help people.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:10

Just Another Lurker: May 1, 2009

mlmp08 posted:

...
Back in February or maybe early-mid March of 2022, the DOD and State Department sent out Emails telling government employees not to travel to Ukraine and not to start sending money to randos or foreign armed organizations. Donate to the Red Cross or other reputable charitable organizations if you want to help people.

Thankfully Vasquez got outed for the grifting.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:15

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

one of the goons who went over there and started asking for gofundme money for his medical bills (unrelated to Ukraine) has since returned to the US and gone quiet on social media.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:16

GD_American: Jul 21, 2004; LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!

bulletsponge13 posted:

All this T55 Soviet tank talk is gonna make me watch The Beast again

That was a T80, wasn't it?

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:18

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

tbf the guy that turned to Russia was a real gomer pyle and will probably do more damage there

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:20

sexy tiger boobs: Aug 23, 2002; Up shit creek with a turd for a paddle.

Congrats to Mr Pickles on his new babies.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:20

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

Stolen Valor is one thing but this cat pretended to be a LongHorn Steakhouse veteran and that just won't stand

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:26

fartknocker: Oct 28, 2012; Damn it, this always happens. I think I'm gonna score, and then I never score. It's not fair.; Wedge Regret

GD_American posted:

That was a T80, wasn't it?

It was an Israeli modified T-55.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:28

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

spankmeister posted:

Stolen Valor is one thing but this cat pretended to be a LongHorn Steakhouse veteran and that just won't stand

A Wafflehouse manager could take on a battalion of spetsnaz

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:30

Itchy_Grundle: Feb 22, 2003

Alan Smithee posted:

A Wafflehouse manager could take on a battalion of spetsnaz

The chair dodging skills alone are game changing.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:40

Hyperlynx: Sep 13, 2015

sexy tiger boobs posted:

Congrats to Mr Pickles on his new babies.

Yeah! Sounds like Mr and Mrs Pickles and their new hatchlings (Dill, Gherkin and Jalape�o) are doing well!

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/22/us/houston-zoo-tortoise-babies.html

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:44

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

but what's The Truth About the Internet�s Favorite Stress Hormone?!?!

my doctor won't tell me!!!

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:45

Just Another Lurker: May 1, 2009

mlmp08 posted:

one of the goons who went over there and started asking for gofundme money for his medical bills (unrelated to Ukraine) has since returned to the US and gone quiet on social media.

I only know of PegLegActual and he doesn't post any more. :shrug:

# ? Mar 25, 2023 16:57

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

mlmp08 posted:

one of the goons who went over there and started asking for gofundme money for his medical bills (unrelated to Ukraine) has since returned to the US and gone quiet on social media.

Years in a Syrian prison weren't kind to him, eh?

# ? Mar 25, 2023 17:17

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

Just Another Lurker posted:

I only know of PegLegActual and he doesn't post any more.

That's the one

There were a couple other goons who said they took part in combat, but I don't know where they were from

# ? Mar 25, 2023 17:21

shame on an IGA: Apr 8, 2005

quote:

Last spring, a volunteer group called Ripley�s Heroes said it had spent approximately $63,000 on night-vision and thermal optics. Some of the equipment was subject to American export restrictions because, in the wrong hands, it could give enemies a battlefield advantage.

Frontline volunteers said Ripley�s delivered the equipment to Ukraine without required documentation listing the actual buyers and recipients. Recently, the federal authorities began investigating the shipments, U.S. officials said.

In his defense, the group�s founder, a retired U.S. Marine named Lt. Col. Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV, provided deal documents to The Times. But those records show that, just as the volunteers said, Ripley�s was not disclosed to the State Department as the buyer.

loving around with ITAR is one of the things that most reliably sends the federal government into Vengeful Old Testament God mode, yes?

# ? Mar 25, 2023 17:25

orange juche: Mar 14, 2012

shame on an IGA posted:

loving around with ITAR is one of the things that most reliably sends the federal government into Vengeful Old Testament God mode, yes?

Yup, you gently caress with ITAR and get caught you get put in a hole and the key is lost.

Especially if the fed gov can draw a line during the trial between your illegal export and aiding the enemy/your shipment of ITAR controlled items falling into adversary hands. If that happens, good luck with your future appeals I hope you like breaking rocks in the hot sun.

orange juche fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Mar 25, 2023

# ? Mar 25, 2023 17:31

GD_American: Jul 21, 2004; LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!

fartknocker posted:

It was an Israeli modified T-55.

drat I need to watch that movie again

# ? Mar 25, 2023 18:50

Just Another Lurker: May 1, 2009

GD_American posted:

drat I need to watch that movie again

It's well worth repeat viewings.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 19:35

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# ? Jun 5, 2024 23:27

Handsome Ralph: Sep 3, 2004; Oh boy, posting!
That's where I'm a Viking!

mlmp08 posted:

NYT article on some of the American weirdos who volunteered to go be war tourists and/or foreign fighters/suppliers. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html

quote:

Still, Mr. Vasquez had easy access to weapons, including American rifles. Where did they come from? �I�m not exactly sure,� Mr. Vasquez said in a text message. The rifles, he added, were �brand-new, out of the box and we have plenty.� He also tweeted that he should not have to worry about international rules of war while in Ukraine.

Yeah, total shocker that this dude made up a bunch of poo poo.

Also big ol'lol at Malcom Nance showing up and immediately finding drama to wedge himself into.

# ? Mar 25, 2023 19:40

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > Ukraine: The Aristoblyats

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