Comments by "Andy Monaghan" (@229andymon) on "Defense Politics Asia (DPA)" channel.

  1. Regardless of your thoughts about the war, it has to be concluded Russia is winning. Not quickly, but winning nonetheless.
    90
  2.  @myo39  I’m wondering what Russian objectives are. I don’t believe they want to occupy all of UKR, but will they take Odessa and cut them off from the Black Sea? My guess is they’ll take the rest of the territories they are contesting now, also Odessa and then start defending while systematically degrading UKR infrastructure. Which will force them to the negotiating table to agree to the new borders. Russia will win this war, but it will come at a cost.
    12
  3. I wonder if the Russians will be satisfied with expelling the Ukrainians from Russian territory in Kursk, or will push further in this sector once achieved?
    6
  4.  @myo39  why don’t you believe they will get Odessa? As for Belarus, those moves could be defensive, in anticipation of some kind of intervention from Poland? Which, if it happened would be very dangerous for the world.
    5
  5.  @theokingshango they don’t need useless territory, but Odessa definitely ain’t useless.
    4
  6. From what I understand, there’s only 1 bridge over the river in this area. So why wouldn’t the Russians destroy it, preventing any UKR supply line to the east bank?
    4
  7. Any news of Russian airforce activity?
    3
  8. Can you please explain what’s going on to the immediate east of Moldova? What does the yellow coloured area mean?
    2
  9. @Dan Vig what about Lviv?
    1
  10.  @leodefine86  I can’t see that happening. It would immediately remove the “high ground” position NATO believes it occupies. NATO would become just an opportunistic land grabber like it’s saying Russia is. But that such a move must be very tempting to Poles desperate to right what many must see as the wrongs of the post WW2 world can’t be easily dismissed.
    1
  11.  @leros34  Yes. In the Western media.
    1
  12.  @chipchiperson679  Yes, good point. But I wonder if the push toward Kiev and Kharkiv was in the hope (or expectation) of a quick collapse of UKR forces and a capitulation? Just as we must conclude Russia is winning, I reckon we must also conclude UKR is putting up an impressive fight.
    1
  13.  @Aurum534  No, I mean the taking of some of Eastern Poland and “giving it” to UKR after WW2. I’m assuming there are Poles that reckon this could be a chance to take some or all of it back.
    1
  14.  @Aurum534  Yup. You start unravelling that ball of string and it takes you to all sorts of places.
    1
  15. The accents you list are not “better” or “worse” than English spoken in the areas considered by some to be a kind of “standard” against which others are measured. As a Scot I’d have hoped you’d understand that. Living in the Londoncentric, Anglocentric UK leads to this mistaken impression, but there’s no basis to believe a Liverpool accent for example is any worse than a Surrey one. Or a Glasgow one, where I come from.
    1
  16.  @24hourjukebox55  It’s an opinion, not a truth.
    1
  17.  @24hourjukebox55  Are you Scottish, incidentally?
    1
  18.  @leodefine86  Maybe. Depends on a raft of factors. For example - how exhausted and depleted the UKR forces are, given, unlike Russia, they've been going full bore since day 1. Also how much munitions and supply they're receiving (the stuff coming from the West isn't enough), plus the effect of the severe degradation of the UKR economy. All these could lead to a willingness to consider terms.
    1
  19. Nothing wrong with his English. I can understand him perfectly.
    1