Russian special military operation in Ukraine #51

Odin of Ossetia wrote:
No, Stalin did not withdraw Soviet troops from Austria.

It is true that the Soviet's finally left Austria only after Stalin's death but Stalin had no plans to occupy Austria (despite anti-communist propaganda).

https://www.austriatradition.com/did-stalin-want-to-control-austria/

Experts like historian Jeremy Smith argue that while Stalin may have initially considered absorbing Austria, he ultimately prioritized maintaining a neutral Austria as a non-aligned state. Smith emphasizes the practicality of this viewpoint, as it allowed the Soviet Union to achieve its strategic objectives without provoking Western powers and potentially risking conflict. From this perspective, Stalin’s actions can be seen as a calculated attempt to control Austria indirectly, by preventing it from aligning firmly with either side.

Insights and Analysis

Examining Stalin’s intentions towards Austria requires careful consideration of the geopolitical context of the time. Stalin sought to safeguard the Soviet Union’s security and preserve its influence in Europe, particularly in neighboring countries. By keeping Austria neutral and preventing it from becoming a Western-oriented state, Stalin was able to achieve both objectives without provoking a military confrontation with the United States and its allies, which could have had disastrous consequences.

It is important to bear in mind that Stalin’s motivations were not solely driven by ideology, but also by practical considerations and the delicate balance of power in the aftermath of World War II. While evidence suggests that Stalin desired to exert influence over Austria, there is little conclusive evidence to support the claim that he aimed to fully control the country. Instead, his approach seems to have been more focused on shaping Austria’s foreign policy and preventing it from aligning with the West.

As far back as 1946 Soviet troops were withdrawn en masse from Austria. There were about 150 000 troops in Austria by 1946 - From an initial 700 000. Eventually there were only 50 000 troops in Austria by 1955 when they finally left.

Austria is an exciting case.
Having nonaligned and neutral status, it became a hub of mutual east-west business.
Not only oil, but machine industry, electronics, resources and finances - all of that was brokered in small Austria.
How big cash flow it generated for decades, is mindblowing.
It is one of the reasons why multiple big brands in construction, insurance, banking etc are of Austrian origin.
To this very day, Austria retained its relations with Russia, and some of its politicians are openly Russia friendly giving a shit about western pressure.
This is why nonaligned and neutral status of buffer states can be considered beneficiary, and this is how Ukraine was winning for two decades of its "independence", sucking tens of billion $ of Russian assistance.
The scale of how Russia subsidized them, on multiple levels and leverages, can be only compared to the EU transfers to its new member states.
Which leaves us with scary conclusion of how corrupted was the whole Ukrainian system from the very beginning.

ALAMO wrote:Austria is an exciting case.
Having nonaligned and neutral status, it became a hub of mutual east-west business.
Not only oil, but machine industry, electronics, resources and finances - all of that was brokered in small Austria.
How big cash flow it generated for decades, is mindblowing.
It is one of the reasons why multiple big brands in construction, insurance, banking etc are of Austrian origin.
To this very day, Austria retained its relations with Russia, and some of its politicians are openly Russia friendly giving a shit about western pressure.
This is why nonaligned and neutral status of buffer states can be considered beneficiary, and this is how Ukraine was winning for two decades of its "independence", sucking tens of billion $ of Russian assistance.
The scale of how Russia subsidized them, on multiple levels and leverages, can be only compared to the EU transfers to its new member states.
Which leaves us with scary conclusion of how corrupted was the whole Ukrainian system from the very beginning.

Yes, considering how many things they inherited from Soviet union and how much money was given them by Russia, Ukraine could have had with relatively little effort a better economy than France.

But the corruption and desire to milk Russia till the last ruble became so big that they even damaged most of their own projects.

It reminds me also the situation of Milan in Italy in the 80s (during Craxi government (the last sane government of my country)). Corruption was widespread, but up to a certain point.
Everyone knew that and knew that they had to "grease" the system. So projects that should have costed 10 costed 13 or 14 instead and all parties were making (or stealing) additional money on it. Not ideal but it worked.

After tangentopoli in 1992 and the "fight against corruption" it became much worse.

Projects that should have costed 10 now costed 20 and were often interrupted after start. Sometimes semifake corruption charges were made against people in the opposite political group, basically destroying even more of the economy.

General Staff: The Russian Armed Forces are expanding control in all directions in the Northern Military District zone, 12.21.2023.

Gerasimov: The Russian Armed Forces are expanding control of the Northern Military District zone, the enemy cannot move forward.

MOSCOW, December 21 – RIA Novosti. Russian troops are expanding control zones in all directions during the conduct of the Northern Defense Forces, Chief of the General Staff - First Deputy Minister of Defense, Army General Valery Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches on the results of the Ministry of Defense in 2023.
"
“Russian troops are successfully conducting an active defense, confidently holding positions along the entire line of combat contact, and constantly expanding zones of control in all directions. The enemy is constantly being hit by fire, preventing him from moving forward,” he noted.

Gerasimov emphasized that Russian military personnel act courageously and decisively in the most difficult combat conditions and effectively carry out their assigned tasks.

The Chief of the General Staff said that this year the main task of the Armed Forces was to repel the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike group, the backbone of which was made up of brigades trained and equipped by Western countries.

In total, by the beginning of June, the Kiev regime concentrated in the Zaporozhye direction an offensive group of up to 50 battalions, more than 230 tanks and over a thousand armored combat vehicles, half of which were modern foreign-made models. Subsequently, the group was increased to 80 battalions.
"
“The enemy’s plan was to block Melitopol by the end of the 15th day of the offensive. Subsequently, to attack with access to the coast of the Sea of ​​​​Azov, the city of Mariupol and the border with Crimea,” the military leader specified.

But in the end, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, at the cost of colossal losses, were able to make only slight progress in the Zaporozhye direction, failing to even overcome the tactical defense zone of the Russian troops.

According to him, additional supplies of Western weapons to the Kyiv regime and the introduction of strategic reserves into battle by the Ukrainian command did not change the situation on the battlefield, but only increased the number of losses in the Ukrainian Armed Forces units.
"
“In order to disrupt the plans of the Ukrainian command, our troops carried out large-scale measures to create a layered system of engineering barriers, defensive lines and positions,” Gerasimov emphasized.

According to him, in six months the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost about 160 thousand people, more than three thousand armored combat vehicles, including 766 tanks, 121 aircraft and 23 helicopters in all directions.

At the same time, he noted that the Kiev regime, seeing the inability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to achieve its goals on the battlefield, continues to use terrorist methods of struggle. In turn, Western intelligence agencies tacitly agree and often help the Ukrainian leadership in such steps.
"
“Ukraine does not give up attempts to commit acts of nuclear terrorism; it systematically sends unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with explosive devices to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the city of Energodar. In May of this year, an attempt by Ukrainian saboteurs to undermine the power lines of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants was thwarted,” Gerasimov added.

The Chief of the General Staff also pointed out that on the territory of the DPR alone, since February 2022, more than 4.7 thousand civilians have died due to attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and attempts on journalists and government officials in four new regions of Russia remain the norm for Kyiv.

https://ria.ru/20231221/kontrol-1917181614.html

Interesting tactic

Following 155mm shells, it looks like the US is having to strip all their allies of their Patriots to replace those being consumed in Ukraine. And the think they could fight a WW3?

Strategically rather important

Repair of roads on the land route to Crimea along the Sea of ​​Azov through the territory of the DPR and Zaporozhye region has been completed

Said Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin.

Workers in Donbass and Novorossiya repaired 360 km of the highway connecting greater Russia with Crimea. This strategically important route runs along the coast of the Azov Sea.

“Good roads are a factor in the socio-economic development of new regions; movement along updated highways will become comfortable for transit transport and for the residents of these regions themselves,” Khusnullin emphasized.

@donbassr

JohninMK wrote:Interesting tactic

https://twitter.com/i/status/1737815751770173449

Was this a friendly fire incident?

RF forces evacuate injured soldier during November battles in Maryinka, DPR




That woman deserves a medal, she saved her boyfriend...for now anyway.

Odessa, Woman saves her boyfriend from Zelensky's Meatgrinder


the rear of the ambulance carries an "UUF" sticker on its rear left window.
This is an crowdfunded ambulance meant to "saving lives in the most affected areas of the country."

[quote="mnztr"]

JohninMK wrote:Interesting tactic

Was this a friendly fire incident?

They say that it was intentional to clear mines.

You have to laugh. Well I did

The Ukrainian economy is headed back to its prewar level as manufacturers have pivoted to new markets and products while consumers have kept spending.

From its base in the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine, Biosphere Corp. supplied countries across the former Soviet Union with household and cleaning products. Demand was buoyant. Orders were good.

Then, like for the rest of the country, life turned upside down in February last year when Russia invaded. Sales collapsed 30%. Biosphere needed to fill the void as Ukrainians went to war. The result: a wet wipe in a khaki-green envelope that’s suitable for soldiers in the trenches.

The product is just one of the many innovations for the war effort that have demonstrated Ukraine’s resilience over the past 22 months.

continues ==> https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-21/companies-boost-ukraine-s-war-economy-with-us-eu-aid-in-doubt

Must be a long way back or they would be prime drone targets. Crane is a sitting duck with a probably skilled operator, that don't grow on trees.


MilitaryLand.net
@Militarylandnet
Engineers of Ukrainian State Special Transport Service building lines of defense in designated areas. #UkraineRussiaWar

kvs wrote:The "annexation" of "Polish" territories by Stalin is endlessly bitched about but you never hear about Stalin's generous shift of Poland's borders
west at the expense of German real estate.    To this day the old border is manifest as the look and feel of these lands is distinct from original
Polish lands to the east.   If these annexation bleaters were consistent they would be calling this a Polish annexation of German lands.  

Similarly these pole-ack clowns choose to ignore the 1919-21 Polish-Soviet war where newly reformed Poland under the Pilsudski military dictatorship chose to invade the fledgling USSR in order to take advantage of the civil war. They siezed the territories to the East of the Curzon line and kept it until 1939 when Poland was defeated by the Nazis, and the USSR rolled back in to reclaim the stolen land. Western and Polish russophobes have always insisted that this was the Soviets "invading" Poland in concert with their "ally" Nazi Germany, a great example of the unmitigated lies and bullshit that Russias enemies will use in order to smear her.

The Ukrainian economy is headed back to its prewar level

JohninMK wrote:Must be a long way back or they would be prime drone targets. Crane is a sitting duck with a probably skilled operator, that don't grow on trees.

A bit useless. Those lines are vulnerable to aviation. Russian lines were good because they could deny the sky to ukrainians.

But here russians will use fab bombs to bomb them. Napalm could even be used, but doubtful, with terrible results.

For key point, anti runway bombs can be used to destroy the foundation of the lines.

Ukrainian soldiers shouldn't stay there. They are safer moving around on the front than there.

JohninMK wrote:

mnztr wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Interesting tactic

Was this a friendly fire incident?

They say that it was intentional to clear mines.

Umm it is clearly explained what it was. And its fairly obvious by the explosion that the hull was packed and not crewed.

This tactic has been used before.

I am unsure why the tactic isn't used more if Russia has tanks to spare. It probably doesn't get used that much because any functional tank can be exported. Who knows at these tank graveyards, if they have good antifreeze in them and shit and have been mothballed properly. If not, they are just dead weight. They should send some Russian renecks out there to see if they can get them running. You never know.

franco wrote:

Hole wrote:

The Ukrainian economy is headed back to its prewar level

I wonder which war they are using as a reference point.

Crimean.

GarryB wrote:

Western and Polish russophobes have always insisted that this was the Soviets "invading" Poland in concert with their "ally" Nazi Germany, a great example of the unmitigated lies and bullshit that Russias enemies will use in order to smear her.

Yeah, here in New Zealand we were told that Germany and the Soviets worked together on that but the reality is that Germany wanted the Polish bits of Poland but not the bits Poland stole from Russia a few decades before so he made a deal with Stalin. Stalin went to the British and the Poles for a defence agreement but they didn't trust the Soviets and preferred to trust the Germans. The result was Stalin know the Germans would invade Poland and he had the choice as to whether to get the Russian portion Poland had stolen back or to let the Germans move their forces that distance closer to Moscow. The choice was obvious.

Keep in mind that every country has its own opinion about history, which hardly covers the version of its neighbors.
When considered objectively and from perspective, it might turn out that there was no oppression or differences if compared to the usual time standards and other countries.
We in Poland have a syndrome of people sentenced for relocation to Syberia.
Of course it was an effect of oppressive rule of Tsar and was applied to the people who fought for independence, in lots of cases.
What people are missing, is the fact that it was just a standard punitive measure, applied to the people sentenced for different sorts of crimes or neglections against the authorities.
It has nothing to do with ethnicity or the independence struggle.
In the perfectly same timetable, Britain was shipping ships full of convicts to Australia, where the death toll was bigger than for Syberia.
France was doing just the same but using Guyana or New Caledonia.
The only colonial empire that lacked penalty colonies was Germany.
With some of the newest historical studies, it turns out that the very early stadium of Polish statehood was wastly sponsored by slavery. Poland was supposed to be a hub for the slave market, and subjects of this were Slavs, in general.
Some even suggest that the English "slave" is rooted in "Slav", and the scale of that was never repeated.
Even in the peak of colonial slavery of the XVI+ century.
I must not mention, that it requires balls of steel to provide historical studies in the matter, as everyone will be turned into public enemy No 1 after
So my friendly recommendation to you would be taking a closer look into your own history, with no rose glasses, instead of reinventing the history of others

Hole wrote:
I´m glad that we Germans don´t have any issues with our past.

Well, you have been gang raped for that status.
On some occasions not as a metaphor

An interesting fact that everyone tries to deny now, or pretend nonexisting, was a fact that back in the 30s almost all of Europe was fascist or nationalistic at least.
So was Poland after May Coup.
Which is why our mutual relations were great as long as Pilsudski lived, and retained a friendly status for longer.
People are hardly aware of a fact, that after his death, Hitler ordered national mourning.
In central Berlin cathedral, an official mourning ceremony was held with an empty coffin.
Hitler and other Reichsoffizieln were attending from the pole position, and Nazi banners were taken halfway down the masts as a mourning salute.
It was in the 1935 !!!!
When I told about it to my father in law once, he said that I was crazy
When I showed him photos from the ceremony, he said it was faked
Even the stamp of National Digital Archive was not good enough as a proof
And just for the records, he is a highly educated person, with the heritage of a very old and respected Polish nobility.
Goering was a regular quest for hunting, being an excuse for meetings with the highest levels of Polish authorities. His last hunting voyage was in 1938, and when invited in 1939, he refused.
But no harm done, Heinrich Himmler replaced him being a guest of the Polish establishment only half a year before September 1939

I see that Vladimir Putin has finally gave his admission about his own naivety regarding the West since early 2000s.

Putin said that the thing he most regrets about is trusting the West and giving the West the benefit of a doubt.

I have been writing about this for the last 10 years or so. As early as in 2014 I said how Putin made a BIG, BIG mistake signing those Minsk agreements and trusting Angela Merkel. I knew it back then. Too bad Putin knows it only now. How many thousands of lives could have been spared if Putin have had more foresight?