The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.

Alexander Khodakovsky made the candid concession yesterday on his Telegram channel after Russian forces, including his own troops, were devastatingly defeated by Ukrainian marines earlier this week at Urozhaine in the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk regional border area.

“Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no,” Khodakovsky, a former official of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said yesterday.

“When I talk to myself about our destiny in this war, I mean that we will not crawl forward, like the [Ukrainians], turning everything into [destroyed] Bakhmuts in our path. And, I do not foresee the easy occupation of cities,” he said.

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[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Ukraine has lost. They are not getting their separatist regions back.

[citation needed].

In any case Ukrainians disagree with you and keep on fighting. Heck even if Russia occupied all of Ukraine they'd keep on fighting. It's not in your hands whether they fight or not, and their motive is just, so why not help them? Because you're a defeatist? Come on.

[–] ShimmeringKoi@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In any case Ukrainians disagree with you and keep on fighting

Yeah, that's why they've been kidnapping people to the front lines, because the Ukranian people want to fight so much. That's why they conscripted prison inmates and forbid any man undder 60 from leaving when the war broke out, right. Because of all that popular will to fight.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There's been plenty of court cases and firings over improperly handled conscriptions. Prison inmates IIRC weren't conscripted but given a choice. Plenty of Ukrainians -- also men -- returned from other European countries to fight, left countries where they had a free welfare ride and working permits. Plenty of women fight in the army. It surely must be terrible over there /s.

Meanwhile Russia is force-conscripting pretty much any man they can get their hands on and sending them, without equipment, into meat grinders. Have a look at Storm Z units.

[–] DPRK_Chopra@hexbear.net 18 points 1 year ago

Yeah, one lesson I've taken from this conflict, is if you ever get conscripted into a modern war, don't fucking go, because someone in power probably wants you dead. You've got russia on one side trying to smash their own domestic fascists and dwindle their numbers (see Wagner in Bahkmut) and you've got Ukraine trying to burn through anyone they think might have Russian sympathies. It's just a shitty situation all around, and of course it usually affects the poorest.

The point remains this is going to go on until the west, or better yet, the people of Ukraine can acknowledge the reality of the situation and muster the phrase "territorial concessions". Continuing to expend lives on the idea of retaking Crimea is not a path to victory.

[–] Frank@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago

improperly handled conscriptions.

Technically they fired every conscription officer in the country for bribery so I'm not sure that really supports your case.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"They want to keep doing something you think is futile and causing senseless deaths, so why not help them?"

fidel-wut

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You know what would be even more senseless than dying in a trench? Dying in an FSB torture cellar while your family gets raped.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What the fuck are you even talking about?

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Stuff you don't want to hear so didn't hear, apparently: Russian torture cellars. Other things you might not want to hear include Russians castrating POWs.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I said the war is lost and Ukraine should negotiate. You said:

It's not in your hands whether they fight or not, and their motive is just, so why not help them?

I pointed out how ridiculous it is to say "why not help them" is to someone who just said they believed the war was lost. Rather than continue this conversation, you went off on a tangent. Brilliant.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not a tangent. Even if Ukraine lost (and it didn't, and you made no actual argument on why I should believe so) with the kind of atrocities Russia is committing in occupied territories tons of people would, and, well, do, fight against the occupiers.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

you made no actual argument on why I should believe so

Would anything convince you?

And yes, bringing up allegations of war crimes is a total non sequitur in a discussion about whether the war itself is winnable for Ukraine. No war crime is excusable, but every side of every war commits them.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Would anything convince you?

Yes. It would involve military analysis.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The front has not moved in most of a year, which includes the recent failed counteroffensive.
Russia views this as an existential threat. NATO will pay the bills but not indefinitely. Ukraine at some point will tire of a train of body bags with nothing to show for them.
Russia has much shorter supply lines than NATO.
NATO pulled out its economic Trump card at the beginning of the conflict and yet here we are.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The front has not moved in most of a year, which includes the recent failed counteroffensive.

That's not even close to a military analysis. What about artillery attrition? Logistics in the rear? What's the average time between Russians setting up an ammo depot and it getting blown to bits? Conscription getting riskier and riskier for Putin?

How many reserves have the sides committed to the front? Hint: Russia committed everything quite some time ago while Ukraine didn't and is rotating troops so they can get some well-deserved R&R.

Russia views this as an existential threat. NATO will pay the bills but not indefinitely. Ukraine at some point will tire of a train of body bags with nothing to show for them.

Putin does, certainly when it comes to regime stability. Russia? I very much doubt it because there's also sane Russian. Europe will continue support indefinitely don't confuse us for fickle yanks and you're severely underestimating the morale boost incurred by fighting a defensive war. For Ukraine, this indeed is an existential war. Read Clausewitz.

Russia has much shorter supply lines than NATO.

No. Much of Russia's production and stocks are in the east. Also that's like such a non-issue.

NATO pulled out its economic Trump card at the beginning of the conflict and yet here we are.

...at a state where Russia, Russia, is importing metals from China. Metals. Russia. Do I need to need to use more italics. I don't have any insight on the details but it's well-known that Russia is lacking workers because tons are either a) dead, b) on the front, or c) in hiding to not end up a) or b), and that seems to be so bad that it affects mining and refining.

Now China might be happy propping Russia up, but internally the Z-patriots are going to scream bloody murder incurring debts with China. Long story short: Russia's internal situation is becoming more and more volatile.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What about artillery attrition? Logistics in the rear? What's the average time between Russians setting up an ammo depot and it getting blown to bits? Conscription getting riskier and riskier for Putin? How many reserves have the sides committed to the front?

Do you think you know the answer to any of these questions? I don't see any sources. The bottom line is that Russia has shown the ability to hold its territory for quite some time.

Europe will continue support indefinitely

Lol let's see if Europe's support will last another winter of higher energy prices. The U.S. is the big spender, anyway.

...at a state where Russia, Russia, is importing metals from China

This paragraph is so mind-meltingly stupid I hardly know where to start.

Countries regularly import metals, metals, from other countries. That's because whether to import is a business decision based on price, not whether you have domestic access to an item.
It is utterly preposterous to believe Russia is lacking workers. Soviet industrial capacity exploded during WWII, a far larger and more destructive war.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you think you know the answer to any of these questions? I don’t see any sources.

You'd know about it if you actually followed the war in military terms.

Lol let’s see if Europe’s support will last another winter of higher energy prices. The U.S. is the big spender, anyway.

Are you European?

Countries regularly import metals, metals, from other countries. That’s because whether to import is a business decision based on price, not whether you have domestic access to an item.

So you're saying that it's cheaper for Russia to import from China than keeping production inside? How is that supposed to work?

It is utterly preposterous to believe Russia is lacking workers. Soviet industrial capacity exploded during WWII, a far larger and more destructive war.

That was in a day and age where people still had children, and it's no wonder it exploded it was pretty much at zero during Tsar times.

Have Russian press reporting about the military shortfall, and that's before the war started, not counting the sky-high incurred losses. Sure, Russians per se still exist but they're increasingly I nearly said grandmas but the better term would be grandma age.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago

No sources on all those questions, then.

So you're saying that it's cheaper for Russia to import from China than keeping production inside? How is that supposed to work?

Jesus Christ... Russia is a big country. Mines and mills are expensive and undesirable to live by so they don't build them everywhere unless it's necessary. Ore deposits are not spread evenly throughout countries, nor are mills. Unfinished products are not very economical to ship long distances. So Russia could have all the (for example) steel production capacity in the world, but if its capacity is mostly in Western Russia and you have a factory in Eastern Russia right across the border from a Chinese steel mill, it's probably cheaper to import than buy domestically.

That was in a day and age where people still had children, and it's no wonder it exploded it was pretty much at zero during Tsar times.

People have kids today you doofus, and not only running production capacity but building it all while fighting a war is an even greater indication of their labor availability than if they had started with a strong industrial base.

[–] InappropriateEmote@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago

Ukraine has lost. They are not getting their separatist regions back.

[citation needed].

Points at the utter failure of the joke of a counteroffensive to even breach Russia's first line of defense after months of hype about retaking Crimea

In any case Ukrainians disagree with you and keep on fighting.

You mean the ones forced to fight because they were kidnapped off the street and will be shot if they try to leave? Or the fascists that are in charge?

Heck even if Russia occupied all of Ukraine they'd keep on fighting.

Part of the reason why Russia does not want to occupy all of Ukraine.

It's not in your hands whether they fight or not,

Nor yours, but it is in the hands of NATO leadership who have stymied peace negotiations at every opportunity.

and their motive is just

[citation needed]

so why not help them?

Why would we want to help people get forced into a meat grinder?