Russia

[Toffeelover]

Russian Air Force destroys 20 ISIS tanks near Palmyra – Defense Ministry (VIDEOS)

3,000 terrorists leave Syria following Russian airstrikes – military source

So what's the problem? Obama and Cameron are wanting to defeat ISIS and other terrorist organisations in Syria because they fear an extension of the Levant. The Russians seem to be doing exactly what the US have been 'trying' to do for the last 3 years who have had no success. The US/UK have to make their minds up whether they really want to stop ISIS or they don't and it is all hot air.

I am not saying I disbelieve the Russian news but earlier reports stated that the Tanks belonged to the Rebels not ISIS but Russia does lump them altogether as opponents of Assad. As for 3,000 terrorists leaving Syria, who exactly are they, where did they go?

 

[Toffeelover]

Perhaps losing eleven per cent of its territory and thirty per cent of it's economy during WW2 to the Soviet Union might have something to do with it.
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/22/is-finland-really-getting-ready-for-war-with-russia.html

Historically there has always been a territorial dispute between Finland and Russia. In fact in WW2 Finland were quasi allies of the Nazis.

 

[Toffeelover]

Wasnt Putin's fault though..

Perhaps not but think back, Putin was in charge of the KGB for quite some time.

 

[tsubaki]

Putin is pushing NATO's buttons again by flying into Turkish airspace again. He knows that Europe and the US are too weak to stand up to him.
I would hate to be living in an ex-Warsaw Pact country at the moment because he would love to turn the clock back to pre-Glasnost days.

NATO (of course only including the Yanks) could easily defeat the Russians, that is why we have been expanding into "their" territory for the past thirty years.

All Erdogan is doing is trying desperately to prevent his Syrian policy being ruined, which it hopefully will be - what he has done and who he is allied with should never be forgotten by anyone. If NATO really is going to back him up on this then we should leave it tomorrow.

 

[Toffeelover]

NATO (of course only including the Yanks) could easily defeat the Russians, that is why we have been expanding into "their" territory for the past thirty years.

All Erdogan is doing is trying desperately to prevent his Syrian policy being ruined, which it hopefully will be - what he has done and who he is allied with should never be forgotten by anyone. If NATO really is going to back him up on this then we should leave it tomorrow.

Where exactly is their territory?

 

[hullefc]

I am not saying I disbelieve the Russian news but earlier reports stated that the Tanks belonged to the Rebels not ISIS but Russia does lump them altogether as opponents of Assad. As for 3,000 terrorists leaving Syria, who exactly are they, where did they go?

The 'Syrian Free Army' have for a long time thrown in their lot with the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra. Which the UN Security Council have said are a 'terrorist organisation'. Odd really that the US/UK are criticising Russia for attacking al-Nusra which both countries have pushed for to be deemed 'terrorist'.

The 3 000 have gone to Jordan.

 

[Toffeelover]

The 'Syrian Free Army' have for a long time thrown in their lot with the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra. Which the UN Security Council have said are a 'terrorist organisation'. Odd really that the US/UK are criticising Russia for attacking al-Nusra which both countries have pushed for to be deemed 'terrorist'.

The 3 000 have gone to Jordan.

Jordan allowed into it's territory 3,000 terrorists, fully armed some how I do not find this credible. It would be expanding the conflict into another country. Where was this reported?

 

[hullefc]

Jordan allowed into it's territory 3,000 terrorists, fully armed some how I do not find this credible. It would be expanding the conflict into another country. Where was this reported?

Jordan has been used for years to train and arm those fighting against the Syrian government.

 

[Julius Geezer]

NATO (of course only including the Yanks) could easily defeat the Russians, that is why we have been expanding into "their" territory for the past thirty years.

All Erdogan is doing is trying desperately to prevent his Syrian policy being ruined, which it hopefully will be - what he has done and who he is allied with should never be forgotten by anyone. If NATO really is going to back him up on this then we should leave it tomorrow.

NATO couldn't easily beat Russia , the past 25 years have seen the Russian military upgrade all of its defensive and offensive capabilities,it has one of the worlds most advanced integrated air defence systems and recently unveiled the "Armata" tank and the "Alligator " attack chopper.
We in the West have been complacent,still equipped with the Abrams tank which ,when deployed by the Saudis in Yemen ,was wiped out by Houthi rebels.
The U.K. still has the cumbersome Challenger tank which has only faced dated Iraqi T 55's and not Russian T80's or T90's.
The Russian electronic warfare capabilities apparently shut down a US Aegis cruiser in the Black Sea and the new F35B combat plane developed in the US is meant to be the biggest waste of tax payers money in history.
I'd be wary of doubting Russia's military as was seen in the Ukraine when Russian backed separatists held then pushed back NATO backed Ukraine.

 

[jaspercabbage]

Russian Air Force destroys 20 ISIS tanks near Palmyra – Defense Ministry (VIDEOS)

3,000 terrorists leave Syria following Russian airstrikes – military source

So what's the problem? Obama and Cameron are wanting to defeat ISIS and other terrorist organisations in Syria because they fear an extension of the Levant. The Russians seem to be doing exactly what the US have been 'trying' to do for the last 3 years who have had no success. The US/UK have to make their minds up whether they really want to stop ISIS or they don't and it is all hot air.

Putin has certainly run rings around the Western powers over the last few years, and after the West leaving carnage in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, he knows that we have no moral argument against his intervention, (and there is also no public appetite for wasting any more money/service personnel in the US/UK), so he sees a big opportunity to raise Russia's standing on the world stage by taking on ISIS.

 

[tsubaki]

Where exactly is their territory?

In terms of where they see their influence should be strongest, probably from Oder eastwards.

Or to put it another way - since the Warsaw Pact fell apart, Europe (or NATO, if you want to see how the Russian leadership probably sees it) has moved more than a thousand miles closer to Moscow; and if Belarus ever decided to do what Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia and the rest did (and what Ukraine wants to do, and probably will) then Europe would be less than three hundred miles away.

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

NATO couldn't easily beat Russia , the past 25 years have seen the Russian military upgrade all of its defensive and offensive capabilities,it has one of the worlds most advanced integrated air defence systems and recently unveiled the "Armata" tank and the "Alligator " attack chopper.
We in the West have been complacent,still equipped with the Abrams tank which ,when deployed by the Saudis in Yemen ,was wiped out by Houthi rebels.
The U.K. still has the cumbersome Challenger tank which has only faced dated Iraqi T 55's and not Russian T80's or T90's.
The Russian electronic warfare capabilities apparently shut down a US Aegis cruiser in the Black Sea and the new F35B combat plane developed in the US is meant to be the biggest waste of tax payers money in history.
I'd be wary of doubting Russia's military as was seen in the Ukraine when Russian backed separatists held then pushed back NATO backed Ukraine.

The Abrams doesn't have Chobham mkII (or 'Dorchester') armour like the Challenger, or does it?

 

[tsubaki]

NATO couldn't easily beat Russia , the past 25 years have seen the Russian military upgrade all of its defensive and offensive capabilities,it has one of the worlds most advanced integrated air defence systems and recently unveiled the "Armata" tank and the "Alligator " attack chopper.
We in the West have been complacent,still equipped with the Abrams tank which ,when deployed by the Saudis in Yemen ,was wiped out by Houthi rebels.
The U.K. still has the cumbersome Challenger tank which has only faced dated Iraqi T 55's and not Russian T80's or T90's.
The Russian electronic warfare capabilities apparently shut down a US Aegis cruiser in the Black Sea and the new F35B combat plane developed in the US is meant to be the biggest waste of tax payers money in history.
I'd be wary of doubting Russia's military as was seen in the Ukraine when Russian backed separatists held then pushed back NATO backed Ukraine.

How the Saudis handle a thing should never be used as an example of whether or not that thing is any good. The KA-52 is at best as capable as the initial version of the AH-64D was, but the Yanks have 800 Apaches (and decades of experience using them, plus they are all being upgraded considerably) compared to the Russians only having ordered 140 (and have around 60 available now). The T-14 is still in the very early stages of its production, as evidenced by it breaking down at the May Day parade.

As for Ukraine, you seem to have not noticed that NATO's backing really did not consist of much - whereas the separatists had active Russian military assistance on a considerable scale, and were not able to defeat the Ukrainians; in fact all they managed to achieve was ensuring that what remains of Ukraine is now vastly less Russian than it was before the crisis started.

 

[Toffeelover]

In terms of where they see their influence should be strongest, probably from Oder eastwards.

Or to put it another way - since the Warsaw Pact fell apart, Europe (or NATO, if you want to see how the Russian leadership probably sees it) has moved more than a thousand miles closer to Moscow; and if Belarus ever decided to do what Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia and the rest did (and what Ukraine wants to do, and probably will) then Europe would be less than three hundred miles away.

Actually part of Russia is already in Europe! In effect what is being said is that Russia still wishes to exercise control of it's former Communist empire. Unfortunately because those countries suffered under USSR communist control they have no love for Russia and seen that their future is best served by being part of the EU not necessarily NATO.

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

Basically Vlad the mad is bombing anyone with a beard! He don't care - he's not even arsed.