Comments by "MarcosElMalo2" (@MarcosElMalo2) on "RFU News — Reporting from Ukraine" channel.

  1. Imagine being a Fresh New Guy in a unit where the “old experienced soldiers who knew how to survive” had joined the unit only a few weeks before you.
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  2. I heard that general died from an electrical short or a careless smoking accident, and now they’re saying it was a landmine? I’m not sure what to believe.
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  3. Russian troop movement is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, but worse. The iceberg has missiles and it hates deck chairs.
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  4. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Russians. Give them another six months, 50,000 more troops, and 200 more vehicles and they’ll start making a dent. 😅 Someday the phrase “Putinic victory” will replace “Pyrrhic victory”, mark my words.
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  5. “Unfortunately for the Russians” is what I’m saying from now on when I hit my thumb with a hammer, stub my toe, or step in dog shit.
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  6. The humor is appreciated, but can you imagine how wild it must be to live in a society where any death can be treated with suspicion as a matter of course? Can you imagine telling someone that your great grandfather died in his sleep of natural causes, and that someone responding, “That’s what they want you to think.” That’s how messed up Russian society is. This Kremlin collaborator might have actually died from a legitimate accident, but the Russians can’t find out the truth because the truth and the facts are contingent. It is a society where there are no facts and there is no truth. It’s no wonder they are so effed up.
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  7. No, it doesn’t, but any warlord that replaces Putin will have his work cut out for him consolidating power and crushing his rivals. If it’s Prigo, I think he’s made it clear that he would withdraw. He’s a brutal murderer and thug, but his words towards Ukraine have been conciliatory. He praised the Bakhmut defenders! Now he’s saying Russia’s justifications for war were based on lies. I’m not saying you can trust him. I’m saying that you could do a whole lot worse when picking the new warlord to be your neighbor. And in any case, no one right now is worse than Putin. They might become so in time, but if Putin died tomorrow, it would secure Ukraine’s future and regional peace for quite some time.
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  8. @DeusÉAteu I guess It’s true, then. Putin outlawed having a sense of humor. I thought that was an exaggeration until I read your comment.
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  9. I’m beginning to suspect that the first major operation is going to be through Bakhmut towards Rostov-on-Don.
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  10. While I wish to the Russian field commanders bad luck and failure, I do think they are being unfairly maligned. They are being given very little to work with. They’re losing artillery by the day, and the ammunition situation is dire. Most of their troops are inexperienced recruits with a month of training, and the cadre of experienced troops is not big enough and has been beaten down too hard to stiffen the resolve of these green low morale troops. In terms of equipment and soldiers, the Russian officers in the field know they are much worse off than they were a year ago, and there is nothing that can save them. I won’t say I feel bad for them. I don’t. They have options to escape from their no-win situation, such as making the transition from the material world to the next one or simply surrendering.
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  11. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is quoting Sun Tzu. That’s the perfect opportunity to hit on his wife or girlfriend.” ~~Ulysses F. Bonaparte.
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  12. Zelensky visited and brought a battle flag to give to the U.S. Congress, so . . .
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  13.  @MrGreg771  you got sand in your vatnik.
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  14.  @zachrywd  what could be worse? Arriving at Disneyworld and finding out they’re closed that day?
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  15. Yes, the traditional commander’s vacation. Notable generals like Napoleon, Eisenhower, and Zhukov all went on Spring Break every year. Kinda sucks for this Russian general that all the cushy Black Sea alcohol rehabs have been closed since the start of the war.
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  16. Air corridors for civilian and military planes are used to avoid mishaps and friendly fire incidents—it’s one layer of safety that also includes transponders and IFF systems. I wonder if Ukraine has gained info on the air corridors around Engels Airbase and used them to hit the base. This could explain why they shot down their own military jet (if the SAM operators were told to ignore the corridors).
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  17.  @gengatuberofficial7009  If he promised them a trip back to Russia, I bet a lot of the mobilized would dessert and join him.
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  18.  @nocx4592  Weeks ago? No, more like months. Remember when they first got close? It was late summer, before the brilliant Kharkiv counter offensive. Wagner had taken Proposna, which was supposed to give it a terrain advantage as it began preparing to attack Bakhmut. It was put on hold in September, but apparently postponed to October and November. Then the troops being pulled out of Kherson were supposed to help. We are talking 4 or 5 months. Three at a minimum.
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  19.  @stcler100  I liked the boxer Mike Tyson’s formulation: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
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  20. You watch Ryan McBeth.
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  21.  @MrGreg771  Did someone rain on your parade?
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  22.  @marpfel  I could see that. A passive aggressive following of orders. The commander says, “Don’t let anything through.” The SAM operators say, “Yes, boss.” I think there’s more to what happened at Engels, though, that might be related to how the Ukrainian drones got to Engles. Engles would have safe corridors around and to the runways for civilian and military aircraft. What if the corridors were compromised? SAM operators might be told to ignore the corridors.
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  23. That guy started palling around with proRussian channels and podcasters a while back. It’s safe to assume he’s on the Russian payroll now, and trading in any integrity he had for a few $.
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  24.  @jacqdanieles  David Bell-end.
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  25.  @NotUnymous  Sure, they might have stockpiled supplies. But that is the point of the artillery attacks on warehouses, depots, and supply lines. Russian logistics weren’t very good to begin with, although they have improved. Dispersing the stockpiles might help protect them from artillery and careless smokers, but it also slows their distribution. Slow distribution helps prevent the Russians regaining the initiative. One of the biggest factors for successful assaults is keeping the initiative. If the Ukrainians can slow the Russian resupply, paralyze the command, and keep the field commanders guessing about which attacks are feints and which are real, they can maintain the initiative. If you study military history, attackers that lose initiative generally don’t succeed, even with superior numbers. The Normandy landings are a good example of this. The attack was extremely costly in terms of casualties and equipment, but the allied forces maintained the initiative, broke through the beach defenses, and disrupted lines of communication that prevented the German reserve force from reacting quickly. The Germans were unable to block the momentum of the attack, nor could they cut the supply lines to the beachhead. Operation Market Garden is a good example of losing momentum and losing initiative. The main body of attackers were slowed at several points. The light forces that took the bridges were not reinforced in time and the Germans were able to counterattack with surprising quickness. The main force had to divert forces to protect its flanks and supply lines. The attackers became the defenders, and were ultimately halted not far from their final objective.
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  26.  @Piersmoron  Did someone rain on your parade, David Bell-end?
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  27. This is exactly what my armchair plans to do, as well. 😅 But to be serious for a moment, I think the same principles used in the Kherson/Kharkiv dual offensive apply. One careful thrust that draws and fixes Russian forces, and a second opportunistic thrust elsewhere.
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  28. Straw man or cowardly lion?
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  29. Wagner is facing Bakhmutcy.
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  30. I’m not sure how you reach that conclusion.
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  31. Soviet Cold War doctrine was never about achieving air supremacy. They expected to go toe to toe with NATO, and they never hoped to achieve such a victory against NATO’s airforces. The only place they put an emphasis on control of the air was in Soviet airspace. The Russian Air Force never reinvented itself. Pilots have adapted their tactics due to modern MANPADSes, but the doctrine governing how they use air power hasn’t changed.
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  32.  @als1023  I’m very glad that you give proper credit to Ukraine’s own intelligence services. Many assume that it’s all due to help from the Western intelligence agencies, but they forget that Ukraine’s intelligence services are the descendants of the KGB, and not incompetent at spycraft.
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  33. I doubt Pyongyang will allow a return, let alone a refund. It’s kind of crazy that a country can sell its citizens.
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  34.  @pedrorequio5515  Good point, it’s not so simple. Furthermore, Turkey would have to invoke Article 5 before NATO could act. But I think you’re slightly off about the need for a vote (or more specifically, what they’d vote on) if Turkey invoked Article 5. Responses to most acts of war and related contingencies have already been voted. If Russia decided to bomb Turkish ports, for example, there would be a rapid response. There might already be contingency plans in place if Russian aircraft or warships fired on the grain ships. Or there might not. I have a greater worry that Russia will try to sabotage one of the ships or lay mines in order to generate confusion and evade blame (and Putin would blame the UK’s Royal Navy again).
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  35.  @pedrorequio5515  The point WhatIsDis was making (I think) is that Turkey could decide not to invoke Article 5, and attempt to handle Russian belligerence on their own before consulting with the alliance.
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  36.  arlekino1263 Russia might be able to throw more bodies into battle, but I think they’ll reach the last able-bodied man before Ukraine does (if they haven’t already). Tell me, does the Russian training of raw recruits include a one month rehab for alcoholics?
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  37.  @Itsjustme-Justme  🤷🏻‍♀️ Who knows? I’ll just take your word for it, because your guess is as good as mine, maybe better. My point is that in Russian society 1) there is the possibility that anyone who dies has been assassinated, and 2) no one (or very few) in that society knows what is true anymore.
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  38.  @Itsjustme-Justme  I think the unresolvable paranoia really comes to the fore when we try to speculate “who was behind it”.
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  39.  @Itsjustme-Justme  those are strong possibilities, but to get really paranoid, I like to blame much larger forces: it was the globalists or it was the anti-globalists. Or it was the globalists and anti-globalist working together against . . . Aliens? Time travelers? Lovecraftian horrors?
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  40.  @kennethferland5579  Agreed. At some point I imagine Russia will rebase many of those ships to the Caspian Sea.
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  41.  @glendekoker3682  Cope, Ivan
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  42. It’s a possibility, but I think it’s unlikely because Russia has been moving forces from the east to reinforce the south.
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  43. I think that flexibility is a major principle guiding Ukrainian war planning. Superior logistics and a modern command structure support and enable flexible planning. It is beyond merely adapting more quickly than the Russians: Ukraine’s military can actually force the Russian forces to make the tactical moves that Ukraine wants, by applying pressure in one place or increasing activity in another.
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  44. That’s not really the key question. The important factor is that the distribution of supplies is disrupted. They don’t have to be cut off completely, nor do they have to be destroyed completely. This isn’t a situation where the Russians will hold out until the last bullet. Disrupting logistics means that the right supplies don’t get sent in time to be useful in sufficient quantities to make a difference. Disrupting command and control means that reserve units don’t get sent to the right place or in time to make a difference, or, ideally, they don’t get sent at all because command is uncertain which are the real assaults and which are diversionary. The key question is, “can the counter offensive maintain initiative and operational tempo?”, and they have a variety of tools do so. Interdicting supply is one of those tools.
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  45. This is very discouraging.
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  46. Dude, I hope you’re all right. I knew you were sick and I hope you’re feeling better.
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  47. Your Kremlin channels?
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  48. There’s that. There’s also the factor that the Black Sea fleet is not safe, not in Sevastopol and not on the open sea. The Kremlin doesn’t want to risk more warships by sinking or harassing the grain ships. The worry in my mind is that Russia will try to mine the course of the grain ships. Are Turkish minesweepers escorting the grain ships?
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  49. Good organic advertisement for your sponsor. You explained very well how you use the app and the advantages of subscribing. Some of your sponsors don’t fit your subject matter very well. I know you’re doing your best for whomever is willing to sponsor, but the art investment adverts seem silly. I’ll give you credit for attempting the smooth transition from war to investing in the art world. If someone gives you money, you’ll do your best to do a good job. Anyway, I didn’t want to criticize. I wanted to point out the good job you did here. Keep doing what you’re doing! 😊
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  50. PMC Reddit?
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  51. The Russian soldiers in Kherson can surrender, at least. The Ukrainians treat POWs decently. There were good reasons that soldiers of the Soviet Union wouldn’t want to surrender to the Nazis.
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  52.  @Matt_from_Florida  Except many were, sent into situations of certain death to gain a meter here or there. That’s why they run. They’ve seen the Russian generals carelessly throw their brothers to the Ukrainian wolves for too long.
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  53.  @matrixdecoded4226  Russia’s 500,000 fresh troops will gain them 100 more kilometers. Good luck with that.
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  54. Are these battalion sized actions or larger?
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  55.  @fdllicks  FNG by any other name.
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  56. Russian soldier: Look busy, the world is watching!
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  57. I’ll make sure this gets passed on to the UA general staff.
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  58. Rubble, no marble. 😉
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  59. Anyone think maybe the USAF was taking some B-21s out for a test drive? 😮
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  60.  @HooDatDonDar  ready for a mind blower? Do you know who was Hitler’s greatest collaborator at the very beginning of WWII? The one guy who started WWII with Hitler in September of 1939? If you guessed Stalin, you are correct. Stalin, the biggest Nazi collaborator, went on to murder, imprison and deport millions for being collaborators, BASED ON THEIR ETHNICITY. After WWII, GULAG had a majority population of Ukrainians. The Tatars who were indigenous to Crimea were forcible removed to Uzbekistan for being collaborators.
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  61. Soviets did that, and they beat the Germans, so 🤷🏻‍♀️. It does sound desperate, but shooting deserters was a common thing until recent times. The penalty comes if you are convicted in a court martial. I do not know if Russia will try deserters in a military tribunal or shoot them on the spot. My biased thinking tells me that they’ll take suspected deserters behind a tree and put a bullet in their neck.
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  62. 🧑🏽‍🍳 💋
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  63. Isn’t it already tomorrow in that time zone?
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  64. All that fuel burning on the ground makes me think that was a tanker variant of the il-76 and it was loaded up for a refueling operation.
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  65. The Kremlin is reintroducing GOSPLAN, the government organ for centralized economy planning from the Soviet period. Basically, they’re going back to a planned economy, i.e., communism, to support the war effort and Putin’s ambitions. This is mobilization under a different name.
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  66. I think at least one of the destroyed IL-76s was the tanker variant, possibly loading up with fuel for that day’s operations. I’m just speculating, but the video I saw showed fire on the ground all around the destroyed aircraft.
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  67. Blowing up civilian power plants that aren’t playing a tactical role is a war crime. It would not be considered a war crime if, for example, Russia was making an assault on Kharkiv and taking out the power plant would put the military defending it into disarray. Clearly, Russia is in no position to assault Kharkiv. The attack on the power plant would be considered an attack on civilians in an international court.
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  68. Either Ukraine has developed and is field testing a new ballistic missile capability or Russian ground based air defenses shot down Russian ballistic missiles launched from naval vessels in the Caspian Sea. While I would like to believe that Ukraine is bringing online undisclosed long range missile capabilities, the more likely possibility is that Russia is shooting itself again.
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  69. “Searchlight” not flashlight. A flashlight is handheld. A searchlight is mounted on a truck or trailer. Hope this helps.
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  70. The next meeting of the countries giving military support will get this ironed out.
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  71. Yes, ATACMS could be put to use relatively quickly. It’s good for the long term that Ukraine is getting the F-16s, but even if they start this winter, the roll out will be slow. I suspect that the initial batch of planes will be used to protect the Ukrainian cities in the western half of the country from Russian missile attacks. When they get more, Ukraine will start to wear down the Russian SAM systems, taking out their radar. Even when Ukraine has received the full complement, it might not be enough aircraft to challenge Russia for complete air supremacy. The most important function these and additional aircraft will serve will be after some sort of peace agreement is negotiated. They will provide deterrence against future Russian aggression.
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  72. I’m glad you’re back and feeling better.
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