Hello ebear; Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. I am working every day on my site about Russian books. I am about 40% into the one you and I talked about months ago. From Rus to Russia. This is the one with the graphics. It is very detailed about Kievan RUS and thereafter.
I don't know if Ancient Kiev is thought by Ukraine as their private heritage? I am sure they do, but it is the heritage of all of Russia. Actually it is a terrible history of brigand princes and continual internecine warfare and wholesale killing for 3 or 4 generations. Eight power-centers continually traded places trying to rule the roost. Lies, betrayal, intrigue and poisoning each other, were all they could come up with.
Somehow people were pressed into the army, and willingly fought with each other, again and again. Does it remind you of how it is today? We explain it from our (enlightened) viewpoint that they weren't smart enough to resist. I don't really accept that. I am coming to the idea that populations are most always complicit in their own subjugation. That is the part nobody is looking for. And nobody dares to suggest it.
I saw your comprehensive post on Big Serge. You really hit on some good questions. What is this conflict doing to the domestic populations on both sides?? I think on the Russian side we can make some sense of it.
Ukraine is a complete mystery to me. You proposed some ideas and said you knew some Ukrainian people. A couple years back I checked the population (and economic) trends in all the post-Soviet Republics. In so many of them that got into the EU, the population went down. Clearly they joined the EU to get the hell out of their own impoverished country. They say that there are 10 million Ukrainian refugees now in the EU, so they got their desire, even without joining.
I was in the army, but we never understood war. We would have been totally resistant if we thought that our attack was only to hold a line for a half day, until we were killed. And then the next dumbo will be sent in tomorrow to hold it for another half day, and he be eliminated. Better to die by shooting my Colonel, if I could get to him, or just the lieutenant or staff sergeant. I was never placed in any such position.
Armchair generals fuss of what the real losses in Ukraine are. It is the easiest thing to understand. There are maybe 10 battlefields up and down 1000 km. Ukraine attacks in "waves", 3 - 6 every day. So they send in 50 waves/day of 20 - 60 soldiers. They make "progress" on 3 attacks. 47 are repelled.
What does it mean to be repelled? What are their military orders about when you can turn back? Just add up those losses and you get 1000's. I fully believe that Ukraine has more losses in 19 months than the US had in all of WWII. Within a short time they will have more losses than the US had in all military action for the total 20th and 21st centuries.
If you are a subscriber to Simplicius, you could ask a reader question next time. What is his analysis of the Ukrainian driving force. What will they achieve if they "win back" all their territory? Billionaires will get all the resources and the means of production, and the population will be back to their $10/day per-capita GDP. That is the $10 that they are fighting for. Could you stop the war by sending all Ukrainians $10?
Like I say, it is a total mystery. The patriotism line is BS.
test post
Hello ebear; Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. I am working every day on my site about Russian books. I am about 40% into the one you and I talked about months ago. From Rus to Russia. This is the one with the graphics. It is very detailed about Kievan RUS and thereafter.
I don't know if Ancient Kiev is thought by Ukraine as their private heritage? I am sure they do, but it is the heritage of all of Russia. Actually it is a terrible history of brigand princes and continual internecine warfare and wholesale killing for 3 or 4 generations. Eight power-centers continually traded places trying to rule the roost. Lies, betrayal, intrigue and poisoning each other, were all they could come up with.
Somehow people were pressed into the army, and willingly fought with each other, again and again. Does it remind you of how it is today? We explain it from our (enlightened) viewpoint that they weren't smart enough to resist. I don't really accept that. I am coming to the idea that populations are most always complicit in their own subjugation. That is the part nobody is looking for. And nobody dares to suggest it.
I saw your comprehensive post on Big Serge. You really hit on some good questions. What is this conflict doing to the domestic populations on both sides?? I think on the Russian side we can make some sense of it.
Ukraine is a complete mystery to me. You proposed some ideas and said you knew some Ukrainian people. A couple years back I checked the population (and economic) trends in all the post-Soviet Republics. In so many of them that got into the EU, the population went down. Clearly they joined the EU to get the hell out of their own impoverished country. They say that there are 10 million Ukrainian refugees now in the EU, so they got their desire, even without joining.
I was in the army, but we never understood war. We would have been totally resistant if we thought that our attack was only to hold a line for a half day, until we were killed. And then the next dumbo will be sent in tomorrow to hold it for another half day, and he be eliminated. Better to die by shooting my Colonel, if I could get to him, or just the lieutenant or staff sergeant. I was never placed in any such position.
Armchair generals fuss of what the real losses in Ukraine are. It is the easiest thing to understand. There are maybe 10 battlefields up and down 1000 km. Ukraine attacks in "waves", 3 - 6 every day. So they send in 50 waves/day of 20 - 60 soldiers. They make "progress" on 3 attacks. 47 are repelled.
What does it mean to be repelled? What are their military orders about when you can turn back? Just add up those losses and you get 1000's. I fully believe that Ukraine has more losses in 19 months than the US had in all of WWII. Within a short time they will have more losses than the US had in all military action for the total 20th and 21st centuries.
If you are a subscriber to Simplicius, you could ask a reader question next time. What is his analysis of the Ukrainian driving force. What will they achieve if they "win back" all their territory? Billionaires will get all the resources and the means of production, and the population will be back to their $10/day per-capita GDP. That is the $10 that they are fighting for. Could you stop the war by sending all Ukrainians $10?
Like I say, it is a total mystery. The patriotism line is BS.
.