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Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions

31 Comments
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

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31 Comments
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No tensions from Ukraine...all Putins doing.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

His job was called “the Senior Assistant to the Department Head”.

The Rolling Stones song about the "under-assistant west coast promo man" comes to mind.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Today’s Russia and Stalin’s Russia are basically the same thing. Violent and interested in conquering foreign countries. Yes, indeed. Putin wants to turn back the clock.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Russia has been applying pressure with his troops close enough to Ukraine to cross the border with four hours notice. They are not there for a vacation. Concentration of high numbers of troops is not a normal occurrence and doing so for an extended period is also clearly to send a message.

Russia may have no intention of invasion but only Putin can be sure of Putin's intentions. Putin looks to manipulate an outcome in Russia's favor and after his exploits in Crimea, a further carving up of Ukraine territory can not be ruled out for as long as his troops are in a position to attack.

Russia will get no concessions from NATO and there is no reason to give them anything.

So many people crying for the US to leave Europe and lamenting on the treatment poor old Russia has to endure as if it is being hard done by. As if anyone has any desire to attack the worlds strongest nuclear power. Laughable and total fantasy. Russia bullying former Soviet states in anger at their turning to the west for future prosperity. Their choice is nothing to do with Russia, that is why they are "sovereign states" with their own plans for their future.

Should Russia attack, or stage violence to initiate an invasion of Ukraine it will have to live with the consequences which may differ greatly from those it would hope for.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

 Air wars again Yugoslavia, Iraq or Libya were won only by overwhelming superiority, quantitative and qualitative over a very inferior enemy . Will not enjoy it in a confrontation with Russia.

NATO has overwhelming superiority in air power. The Soviets were never that good and they have not gotten better since the fall of the USSR. Their pilots fly less than 100 hours per year. Their aircraft need engine changes at 400 hour intervals but most engines fail before then. They have to have a lot more airplanes than the west to come close to the west's sortie rate simply because so many of their airplanes will be down for engine changes. Expensive engine changes. Turn around time for one of their radars when it needs repairs is over a year. A lot of operators of Russian aircraft have them parked waiting for Russian depots to complete repairs. That is why they don't fly much. Their airframes are good for around 1100 total hours. Western fighter airframes have 6000 hour design lives but those are usually extended to double that or more during major depot overhauls.

The US and Germans both operated MiG-29s as aggressor aircraft for their training squadrons and looked for ways to extend their service lives but could not. There was no economical way to strengthen them and extend the number of hours they could safely fly. All either nation could do was limit how many Gs they put on the airframes which reduced the fidelity of training. The only solution to the lousy Russian jet engines was to toss them and replace them with a western engine but the redesign was too costly to be worthwhile. The Navy I flew for had those MiGs out a Miramar and believe me we tried to make them useable for us but they are just not durable. Russian and other users of Russian fighter aircraft face the same limits and the same piss-poor Russian depots with their endless turn around times so they don't fly a lot, limiting pilot proficiency.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

There a has been a USA carrier strike group in the Sea of Japan since the end of WW11. Do you mean another or did you forget.

Not always. The Japan based carrier can be anywhere in the western Pacific or South China Sea and is often far from Japan. It really isn't that often the US sends a carrier or two to, say, the Sea of Okhotsk or further north into the Bering Sea. Last time I am aware of was the very late 1980s in fact. I had to miss that one for a back surgery.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Indeed, watching reruns of Top Gun leads to a distorted view of reality...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

We must learn from the past.

Some of us have, we'v learned never let fascists have power again. Stop all extreme right movements, and do not get involved in any way with cults of personality.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

EU/UK cannot, must not appease Vladimir Putin.

Putin has assembled an invasion force, 21st century weaponry full armored divisions necessary for large-scale warfare.

Time is up, NATO must not flinch. No matter what the cost.

Freedom comes at a cost, you fight, kill, and die for the complacency we foolishly all took for granted.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Your honoring hymn on the USAF…@DesertTurtoise, if you need the proof for not working too, see what complete air superiority in AFG had brought. Yes, a total defeat, because you need finally always skilled and victorious boots on the ground for a decisive result

The Ukrainian Army has the necessary boots. They are not the army that the Russians rolled over in 2014. They are better trained and better equipped. US and Canadian Army forces have been very busy training them in wester Ukraine for several years. They can do the ground fighting. US and NATO airpower would give them the decisive advantage they need. Last it would not be a case of the US and NATO trying to invade an unfriendly nation. US and NATO forces would be assisting the Ukrainians defend their homes against a Russian invasion. That is a huge difference. And as I said it would only be airpower. Ukraine's own ground troops would be there fighting for their people.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

NATO sends troops to Ukraine, including US & Canadian forces thousands of miles from their borders. The troops are aimed to encourage Ukraine to attack Russia, as the Georgians attacked Russian peace keepers in 2008. Russia is moving her forces within her borders to protect herself from NATO mercenaries, but in the culture of the West & its propaganda machines: Russia is an aggressor because she doesn't bow to the will of the West.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

the Ukrainian regime's army almost daily shells Donbass cities with artillery

What concerns me is that I hear nothing from Western leaders about the situation there. Are they hoping the problem will just go away?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Desert Tortoise

The Serbs were brought to their knees with airpower.

Illegal aerial plowing for months on end of a tiny, defenseless landlocked country by a superpower plus Nato, and eventually Milosevic caved to to stop civilian suffering. Yeah, great example of airpower. Try that on Russia...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Your honoring hymn on the USAF…@DesertTurtoise, if you need the proof for not working too, see what complete air superiority in AFG had brought. Yes, a total defeat, because you need finally always skilled and victorious boots on the ground for a decisive result. That’s why their strategy probably mainly consists of preparing empty ground with missiles and then run over it with overwhelming amount of tanks and artillery. They surely also have , but don’t give much dimes on, air strike fighters, helicopters, ships, submarines and all the palettes at hand available too, but those are not the decisive components. It’s about the outnumbering on the disputed ground that counts. So if they really wanted they could not only take the Ukraine in a short wink of eye’s time but also a few days later taking a fine bath at Portuguese beaches. lol

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A missile strike away that would turn this mass air power into a mass pile of you know what.

I always get a kick out of the fanbois who never flew a military aircraft who think missiles are the answer to everything. They aren't. The Russians and their allies lean heavily on missiles because they cannot afford to fly as much as NATO and especially US military pilots do. Lacking the tactical proficiency to go nose to nose with NATO air forces they rely on missiles. But they are not as effective as air power by any stretch of the imagination. The Serbs were brought to their knees with airpower. They had the most recent MiG-29s but did nothing with them. About half of the ones launched had to return with mechanical problems. Their missile systems? They shot two aircraft down in the whole war. Remember the Bekka Valley campaign in 1982? Those "Syrian" missile systems were operated by Soviet Army troops and the "Syrian" fighter aircraft were flown by Soviet Frontal Aviation pilots. We heard them talking in Russian on unencrypted radio. 82 Russian/Syrian aircraft lost in one day to the IAF with no losses on their part. Every one of their ground based missile batteries was destroyed too. I saw the brief on it, every engagement, aircraft types, what weapon was used, the engagement parameters, everything. The Russians sent their best to Syria and were eaten alive by the IAF with the best US and Israeli equipment. The Russians also know what happened on the night of February 7 2018 in Syria when 500 Wagner bubbas and some Syrian Army tried attacking 40 US SOF troops guarding a CONOCO gas facility. About 300 of them went home in body bags with no US loses, not even one injury. Airpower again. In fact the Marine rapid deployment force sent to reinforce them could not get through due the amount of US ordnance exploding all around that CONOCO facility. They had to stand off until the USAF got done killing all the bad guys. The Russians know this. Just the threat the USAF might defend the Ukraine would be enough to force them to stand down.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

The Ukrainian Army has the necessary boots. They are not the army that the Russians rolled over in 2014. They are better trained and better equipped. US and Canadian Army forces have been very busy training them in wester Ukraine for several years.

So much support and honor you show for a neo-nazi army.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@Desert Tortoise

The Navy I flew for had those MiGs out a Miramar and believe me we tried to make them useable for us but they are just not durable

Obviously you are not aware of the Su-27 family with its newest variants. And yes, the still half-operational flying clogs F-35s are the most reliable and durable planes ever!

US and Canadian Army forces have been very busy training them in wester Ukraine for several years

The same forces trained the Afghani army even for a longer period of time. So? Where is the army they trained?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Strange talking… Just deploy in return some more forces near their East, from where they have now withdrawn to place them near Ukraine and Belarus, isn’t that the easiest way to stop the threat?

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Geez, here it comes again! These hysterical shrieks "Putin invades tomorrow" I keep hearing at least from the last autumn. No invasions so far, but the degree of lunacy in some media is still very high.

@Desert Tortoise

I still say the US should deploy mass air power to Poland and Romania. Let the Russians chew on that

Those armchair warriors are so brave... Want to test the newest Russian anti-aircraft defences? Yeah, do it.

I would be tempted to send a carrier strike group and amphibious ready group to the Russian Pacific

Another bright idea. Crews of the Bal and Bastion shore anti-ship missile batteries deployed in the Far East will be delighted to train on big targets.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

I still say the US should deploy mass air power to Poland and Romania.

A missile strike away that would turn this mass air power into a mass pile of you know what.

Just send John Rambo already!

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

@GuruMick

No tensions from Ukraine...all Putins doing

Obviously you do not follow the news. While Putin forces train without hurting anyone the Ukrainian regime's army almost daily shells Donbass cities with artillery, almost daily killing innocent people since the coup d'etat of 2014.

@zichi

It would only take days or a few weeks for Russia to invade Ukraine

Again?? First it was "wait when the autumn mud on roads freeze, then Putin's tanks will invade", then "Putin will strike on Christmas to spoil the holidays", then "he'll strike after the New Year". Still waiting?

@Desert Tortoise

I always get a kick out of the fanbois who never flew a military aircraft who think missiles are the answer to everything

I always get a kick out of the fanboys who think airpower is the answer to everything. While air power is extremely important, air power alone can not win a war with a major adversary. Air wars again Yugoslavia, Iraq or Libya were won only by overwhelming superiority, quantitative and qualitative over a very inferior enemy . Will not enjoy it in a confrontation with Russia.

But they are not as effective as air power by any stretch of the imagination

Only real face-to-face combat can confirm it, not just speculations.

Remember the Bekka Valley campaign in 1982?

Yes, that was an example of how even good equipment can be useless if used not properly. The Soviets made right conclusions. In 1999 a super-duper F-117 was brought down by a Vietnam war era Serbian missile.

February 7 2018 in Syria when 500 Wagner bubbas and some Syrian Army

The attacking force consisted of local Syrian militia and allied Afghan Shiites, there were just about three dozens of Wagner operatives. They had no AA weapons. I understand USAF is very proud of bombing people who can not defend themselves (Belgrad and Bagdad are particularly notewhorthy), but it hardly qualifies as a feat of arms. By the way, since 2015 Russian planes flew thousands of bombing sorties in Syria, killing dozens of thousands of jihadists of all stripes and their Turkish and American instructors, Russian just do not boast about it as Americans do with the Conoco firefight.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

@albaleo

What concerns me is that I hear nothing from Western leaders about the situation there. Are they hoping the problem will just go away?

No, they hope the problem will stay and even become more severe. The West carefully created the present Ukrainian regime with the main reason to be a problem for Russia, That's why Western leaders are blind to all the crimes the Ukrainian regime committed: thousands of people killed since the coup d'etat of 2014, hordes of roaming nazi gangs on the streets, Ukrainian official state heroes - WWII nazi collaborators and members of the 14th Ukrainian Waffen-SS Division "Galicina". Yes folks, the "democratic and liberal" West totally supports nazi sympatizers. D-Day heroes are spinning in their graves.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Mr. Putin has a right to move his forces anywhere within the boundaries of Russia that he wants to. He is laughing at the timid Europeans and Americans who are like frightened bunnies. And at the end of all this, he may just have a few more concessions than he did beforehand, so why not try rattling his saber a little?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

How could anyone trust Col. Putin ex-KGB?

After getting a job with the KGB and completing KGB training, Putin landed at the counterintelligence department of the KGB office responsible for the city of Leningrad and the Leningrad Region. He worked there from 1977 to 1984. After that, Putin was sent to Moscow for intelligence training. He completed the course in a year.

Based on his performance and other factors, Putin was deployed to the city of Dresden in East Germany as a “legal” intelligence officer. He had a formal cover as the director of the House of Friendship of the USSR and GDR, but his real job was not a secret from the German authorities. In fact, Putin was part of the KGB office that closely worked with the Stasi and coordinated operations against West Germany and foreigners visiting East Germany.

Putin served in East Germany from 1985 to 1990. By the end of his stay, Putin advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of Justice of the KGB (“of Justice” referred to his legal education). Although, he was still primarily an implementer, not a boss, as his office wasn’t huge, and there were few opportunities for career advancement in Dresden. His job was called “the Senior Assistant to the Department Head”.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Russia stated in 1996 they will not tolerate Ukrain and Belarus joining NATO and the EU. USA policy of the Western Hemisphere first taken when they entered WWII. Has no benefit to the USA now. Leave Europe to Europe and just sell them war machines only. No help with troops and get out of NATO and concentrate on Asia. Would the EU push the Ukrain agenda if the USA was not apart of NATO? I assume Ukrain would be left as a buffer state between east and west.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

I still say the US should deploy mass air power to Poland and Romania. Let the Russians chew on that. And seeing as how the troops being sent to Belarus came from the Russian Far East, I would be tempted to send a carrier strike group and amphibious ready group to the Russian Pacific coast somewhere.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

There a has been a USA carrier strike group in the Sea of Japan since the end of WW11. Do you mean another or did you forget.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Funny how, when Obama was president, Putin moved into Crimea. Obama did nothing to support Ukraine.

When Trump (the Russian tool of Putin) was president, Ukraine received arms, the pipeline was stopped and Putin didn't expand.

Now, with Biden, the pipeline is open again and Putin looks poised to move into Ukraine.

And yet, Trump was the Russian lackey?

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

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