• Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    Are they lost? Yes

    Have they lost? Unfortunately no, they’re going to throw death and suffering at this conflict they started until they get what they want or they (somehow) run out of bodies to throw.

    • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They have strengthened their ability to pull from prisons too which opens up hundreds of thousands of more bodies for the front lines.

      The west needs to double down and double down again in support of Ukraine.

        • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          Not… really. The cost of pulling out of Ukraine isn’t just a silly little failed investment or something, it means Russia gains a stronger foothold into Europe

          • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            …letting an authoritarian state gain more power and influence?..

            That’s one weird argument. Are you implying that meddling with other state’s affairs is justified if it’s to keep it from gaining power and influence?

            • ammonium@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              That’s one weird argument. Are you implying morality stops at borders?

              And it’s not even meddling, they are asking for help.

              • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Are you implying morality stops at borders?

                Kind of, yeah. A moral cause in one country can be an evil wrongdoing in other. Case in point - Al-Qaeda was formed because US troops were deployed in some country in the middle east to defend someone.

                And it’s not even meddling, they are asking for help.

                I’m okay with helping Ukraine. I’m not okay if it’s helping only to fuck with Russia.

                • ammonium@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  A moral cause in one country can be an evil wrongdoing in other. Case in point - Al-Qaeda was formed because US troops were deployed in some country in the middle east to defend someone.

                  Uhm, where did you get that from?

                  Anyway, I get your point, but your example only shows that morality doesn’t really stop at borders for most people.

                  I’m okay with helping Ukraine. I’m not okay if it’s helping only to fuck with Russia.

                  If it’s to stop an authoritarian state from taking over a democratic state it’s good for me. If it’s because of other less ulterior motives (and let’s not kid ourselves, it’s at least partly because of that), I don’t mind. Is it bad when a doctor only saves lives because it pays well?

                  • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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                    1 year ago

                    Uhm, where did you get that from?

                    Actually, I messed up. I thought al-Quaeda was created in response to US’s invasion of Iraq, but it was actually formed a couple years earlier in response to Soviet-Afghan war. Still, the point stands as the guys got very offended by western forces presence on what they considered holy land

                    Is it bad when a doctor only saves lives because it pays well?

                    It would be very bad if the doctor is some kind of pervert who is only treating patients as a cover up for his obsession

                    Anyway, I get your point, but your example only shows that morality doesn’t really stop at borders for most people.

                    The point is, morality doesn’t stop, but can be different across (abeit, blurry) cultural, religious, political or ideological lines. The US and allies cross a little more of those than Russia in this conflict, but that’s a topic I’d rather not dive into. What I’m arguing here is against Putin’s rhetoric which tells that “The only thing the collective west wants is to destroy Russia”, so…

                    let’s not kid ourselves, it’s at least partly because of that

                    I’d advise at least pretending that it’s not and it’s just being “the good guys”. Fuckers like RT, Z-bots and other scum often take such comments and blow them into loudhailers to rally the support for the war. Trust me, “these guys just want to fuck you over” is quite a convincing argument. Besides, there’s plenty of other reasons to support Ukraine

              • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                The reason I’m said this because it sounds like “preventing Russia from prospering is a good cause”, as if we’re still at cold war or something. Probably not what you’ve meant, just pointing at possible confusion in interpretation. Helping a little guy, sure, but helping only to fuck the big guy is what Putin was rambling about in his justifications about war.

            • Zetta@mander.xyz
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              1 year ago

              Helping other democracies defeat authoritarian invaders is absolutely worth fucking all of the invaders “affairs”

              • drathvedro@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Helping other X defeat Y invaders is absolutely worth fucking all of the invaders “affairs”"

                Try with different X and Y. See where it gets you.

          • stella@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            You don’t know what the sunk cost fallacy is.

            You seem to have this idea that Ukraine can win the war if the US gives enough support.

            Do you think it’s possible for Ukraine to lose even if they got all the information and equipment the US was able to give?

    • Murais@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Imagine Vietnam-era US, but it was willing to sacrifice every warm body within its borders to win.

      Like the US, I think Russia is on a collision course with failure. But they’re going to take it a lot farther before waving a white flag. So much so that it will take the country decades to recover.

      And Ukraine won’t be looking too hot at that point anymore, either.

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        Yeah that “every warm body” doesn’t work and will be Russian undoing.

        You see, in the real world you have a very limited amount of “warm bodies” to throw to begin with. Realistically speaking, only males between, say, 15 and 45, and a few women who are more fit than average. Anything else gets useless very quickly.

        Unfortunately this is also the group that forms a large part of your work force. Yes, you’ll have women left, but realistically you don’t see women picking up garbage at night.

        Russia already has a huge gap in employable people because of the bodies they threw, and the bodies that decided to bugger off and flee before the draft got to them. especially those that fled were the more intelligent ones, the (future) scientists and engineers that you need to grow your country.

        Russia is FUBAR for the next 5 decades thanks to Putin

        • Murais@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Yep. The Romans fucked themselves sideways doing this a few times. You can have all the soldiers or you can have some farmers and skilled laborers. You can’t have both.