So Russia just admitted it has a problem. Interesting.

[Tomconroy]

Last edited Thu Apr 7, 2022, 04:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

Don't understand why they would finally admit that now, just as they are about to wrack up a whole lot more.

[murielm99]

1. Special military operation?

Maybe most Russians don't know there is a war going on in the Ukraine.

[yagotme]

7. Bet they don't.

Remember, they were going in to "de-nazify" a "cooperative" Ukraine.

[SoonerPride]

2. If the official line is "significant losses"

Then the reality must be catastrophic losses severely impacting operational capability.

[yagotme]

5. Yes.

Downplay losses by 200%. Up play wins by 400%. No wins to up play, however...

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. They've lost the equivalent of at least one full division (that's just killed, not wounded)

accounting for wounded their attrition rate probably amounts to at least 2 full divisions (around 24,000 soldiers), possibly more.

[MagickMuffin]

3. 'this is a huge tragedy for us' NOT TO MENTION THE UKRAINIANS

Perspective is everything. And your perspective is undying loyalty to a madman putin.

[Crunchy Frog]

20. It's always "poor us" for entitled, narcissistic, fascists.

[FakeNoose]

45. It's funny how the SOLUTION to their problem is so naggingly close

... and yet they CAN'T see it! Just leave the country, you assholes. GTFO now.

[uponit7771]

4. He'll be jumping out of a window in 3 ... 2.... 1

[Ray Bruns]

13. I say he commits suicide by shooting himself in the back of the head. Twice.

[uponit7771]

14. lol

[yagotme]

15. (Running up to Putin's body on sidewalk:)

"What happened???"

"He commit suicide."

"How can you tell?"

"He jump off of building, land on 3 bullets."

[Ray Bruns]

16. LOL

[MerryBlooms]

21. Landed on 3 bullets and in a puddle of cyanide. 😆

[NullTuples]

32. After a very "hot" cup of tea.

[MerryBlooms]

46. 😄

[smirkymonkey]

33. If only.

We have about as much hope of that happening as we do of Trump doing the same.

But it's a wonderful fantasy.

[BComplex]

6. This is just to feed the propaganda that they're going to have to escalate because

the Ukrainians are so mean to them. It's just going to get worse.

[2naSalit]

8. +1

On that side of the issue they're full on frothing at the mouth insane with hatred.

[mopinko]

9. this

[TheBlackAdder]

10. This probably won't be good. They'll say that the Nazi forces are too great or some BS.

[BComplex]

11. With russia, it's a good bet to think that it's not going to be good.

They are barbarians...much like their republican fans in the USA.

[lindysalsagal]

28. And the Iraqi invasion, brought to you by the United States. We can be barbarians, too.

At least this time we're on the right side.

[AntiFascist]

18. They are going to blame it on US support of the "Nazis", just watch n/t

[erronis]

24. Probably to justify the use of worse stuff: tactical nukes, CW, bio

There's nothing that comes out of russian media that isn't for a reason.

Of course much of the US media is also driven by a reason: $$$ (and orders from on high.)

[Rebl2]

26. Likely

[sprinkleeninow]

34. Ulterior motive.

110% full of guvno

[SharonAnn]

36. Yes, exactly. They will "have to send more troops to stop further killings."

[UTUSN]

17. Have they told Puteen?!1

[Crunchy Frog]

19. If they say "significant losses" they really mean devastating losses.

Keep those orc killing weapons flowing.

[peggysue2]

22. ' . . .this is a huge tragedy for us'

See what they're doing there? The victims are the Russians bc that's the propaganda being spread within the country.

I was listening to an analyst earlier who has been watching Russian TV and she said the Russian populace is absorbing information from an alternate Universe where Ukraine is the aggressor, the savage butchers, where terrible war crimes are being committed against Russian soldiers and ethnic Russians. And the evil, Nazi-ridden West is supporting Ukraine to punish Mother Russia.

This analyst also said the propaganda pieces are very good, convincing in nature, that if she didn't have access to on-the-ground coverage of the war, she would believe it, too.

With that in mind they had a clip of a Russian mother whose son died in Ukraine. She said Russia must defeat the monstrous Ukrainians, no concessions, so that her son didn't die in vain.

No wonder Putin's approval numbers have gone up. He is the hero, the protector of the Homeland in this narrative.

Then my husband heard that one of Putin's advisors suggested using a tactical nuke inside the US. To show us, he said, who's boss.

This could so easily go sideways!

Can't believe we're circling back to the good ole days of nuclear threats and people cleaning out those old bomb shelters.

Happy days!

[multigraincracker]

31. You left out the third leg of the stool.

Religion. That'll be a big part of it.

[peggysue2]

38. Yes, indeed religion is certainly part of it

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow came out today spouting Putin's line, fully backing the war in Ukraine and claiming the West's opposition to Russia and other Christian countries is because they don't support gays or gay parades or . . .

Sounds very familiar doesn't it?

Oh, and Putin has been described as a 'miracle of God.'

[pnwmom]

23. Maybe they're justifying a huge expenditure so they can take revenge. n/t

[ffr]

25. So they can escalate the war effort

'Hey, we had to use WMDs to save Russian lives.

Russia is already dehumanizing the Ukrainian people and efforts are underway to cleans the Ukrainian territory of all of them, Russian speaking, Ukrainian speaking, all of them. This is mass murder on the scale of the gassing camps in Germany. Putin must be destroyed.

[calimary]

27. Somebody over there doing a 12-step program?

“First, you need to admit you have a problem.”

[LuckyLib]

29. So many thousand of Russian soldiers never coming home.

No body, no information, nada. When will the people wake up and smell the coffee? Some bit of truth has to be seeping in there, particularly with younger people. The oldsters have had decades of Soviet and Russian BS — they’re a lost cause.

[SmallFry]

30. Few options left.

Use it to stoke the populations hate of Ukrainians or simply let them figure it out as their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, don’t come home. Then they will hate you.

[bringthePaine]

35. PR BULLSHIT! motive in question...

[LiberalFighter]

37. I wonder if the Ukraines Nazified the Russian military?

[YoshidaYui]

39. since when in combat readyness does one

practice shooting each other with live rounds?

[suncat]

40. I think Putin is manufacturing a justification to escalate...

with bigger, deadlier bombs. I hope I am wrong.

[iemanja]

42. I agree.

[iemanja]

41. They may be using this to justify even more brutal tactics.

[C Moon]

43. Maybe trying to get China's sympathy? I don't trust ONE word coming out of the Kremlin.

The only one I want to hear is that putin is no longer leader.

[CaptainTruth]

44. The statements made were an interesting evolution to watch, on Twitter.

1) On April 4th the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) posted an assessment that noted Russia had suffered significant losses in troops & equipment, & that made it unlikely that those BTGs (Battalion Tactical Groups) could be successfully redeployed. I posted an OP about it here on DU.

2) The following day on April 5th, The Cavell Group (Kidnap & Ransom Consultants, Hostile Environment, Crisis & Survival Training, Travel Security Briefings, Intelligence, Risk, Crisis & Expedition Consultants) tweeted their assessment, which basically said the same thing, Russia suffered significant losses & out of the units that left the Kyiv Oblast they estimated that for every 3-4 BTGs withdrawn Russia might be able to cobble together 1 semi-functional semi-effective BTG, due to heavy losses.

3) The following day on April 6th, our own US "senior defense official" said the same thing at a press briefing.

4) Then the following day on April 7th (today), Russia said the same thing, & admitted it was true.

Yet I've been repeatedly told by some folks that "Twitter is not a good source of information."

Folks, Twitter is only as good as the accounts you follow, so thoroughly vet your accounts.

[EX500rider]

47. I think it's getting the Russian populace ready for the bad news of all the casualties