"Ukraine Finally Receives First F-16s After Years-Long Wait" Topic

"The first F-16s have arrived in Ukraine, finally giving Kyiv the venerable fourth-generation multirole fighter it has sought for over a year, according to multiple reports…"

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Armand

Too little, too late I'm afraid.

I agree … risk aversion and fear of escalation, reminds me of Chamberlin shortly before WWII. Those F-16 and any other equipment that Ukraine needs to push the Russian invaders off their lands should have been there in large numbers over a year ago …

They didn't have pilots for these planes. And those pilots that have appeared now are inexperienced yesterday's cadets.

They didn't have pilots for these planes.

I think we've all seen the training programs.

And those pilots that have appeared now are inexperienced yesterday's cadets.

I believe the pilots trained for the F-16 were all Ukrainian veteran pilots. Other pilots, new cadets, have also been trained.

How is your electricity? How far are you from Ukraine, are you being affected by the power grid damage?

You are wrong. Experienced Ukrainian pilots suffered heavy losses during the war, and now the bulk of Ukrainian pilots are inexperienced newbies. In addition, you have trained only a dozen pilots – this is extremely few.
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However – everything will soon become clear. You need to wait a little.

Problems with electricity – in the south of the European region of Russia. These are rather small areas relative to the entire territory of the country. I do not think that these will be any significant problems. Russia has huge generating capacities, and in addition, the common energy system was inherited from the USSR, allowing for the redistribution of energy across the entire country. It just needs to be brought back to work, which will take some time.

I live in Siberia, from me to Moscow 4000 kilometers, and to the borders of Ukraine – about 5 thousand … And in Siberia there are no problems with electricity. With our winters, our energy consumption is always very high and now the loads are far from the highest.

But… how can you try to reason with people who are bombarded with things like this from the moment they are born…?

Red Propaganda Posters

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Definitely… an alternative reality is lived there… without rights, without freedom, with fear, depending on the mood of the tyrant in power…

A horrible mirror for any human being unless he or she looks at the reflection of similar countries like Iran, North Korea, Cuba or Venezuela…

Armand

Tango, you are about thirty years behind the times)))
Russia is definitely a much freer country than Ukraine. At least any citizen of Russia can leave here at any time. And in our country they definitely don't catch people on the street like animals in order to send them to die for the interests of the "Ukrainian nation" that is uninteresting to them)))

"They didn't have pilots for these planes. And those pilots that have appeared now are inexperienced yesterday's cadets."

Should be more than a match for the garbage Russia puts in pilot's seats.

"However – everything will soon become clear. You need to wait a little."

As glorious Soviet Union leads the world to the worker's paradise.

And in our country they definitely don't catch people on the street like animals in order to send them to die for the interests of the "Ukrainian nation" that is uninteresting to them)))

Well, you do send wounded soldiers back to the front to die…

Free country?… listen who have been were exchanged for Russian criminals how free is there…

If Russia were invaded tomorrow by China or any other power… do you really believe that anyone could leave the country and flee the war?… look at what your soldiers at the front say and what happens to those who complain… I don't believe the story of living in Nardia… the facts speak for themselves… you are bloody and barbarian invaders as guilty as your nefarious leader…who must be toasting happily about what is doing his good friend Maduro in Venezuela…

Armand

Editor in Chief Bill, not the wounded, but the recovered. People signed a contract and all the conditions were discussed there. And under this contract, they and their families have lifelong benefits and advantages. So yes, before the end of the contract, they must return to service.

Tango, Russian spies were exchanged for Western spies… So what? You expect your spies to tell the truth about the country they were working against? Ridiculous.

And there is no need to refer to the videos that captured soldiers or actors portraying enemy soldiers say))) These are acts of information warfare. I have the opportunity to talk to my friends and relatives who are fighting or have already returned from the war – I can trust them.

Why think about what would have happened during some other war, if now one of the largest wars since World War II is going on? I think everything would have been exactly the same.

I see that people in Ukraine do not want to fight, but they are forcibly sent to the meat grinder. Just so that dictator Zelensky can keep his power for a little while longer. Because as soon as the war ends, he will lose his power, and perhaps even end up on trial for monstrous corruption. I think we will have many interesting discoveries after the war ends)))

Now I perfectly understand why normal people run away as soon as possible from comunist countries…

Armand

From Ukraine? It's dangerous… You can die while escaping. Hundreds are dying. Ukrainian Nazis are said to be already mining the border. The border with Europe)))

Romanian border guards yesterday fished out of a border river the 39th body of a drowned man who tried to save his life from Ukrainian Nazis:
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New video from the Russian Ministry of Defense – this is what Bolshevik posters now look like)))
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Bill +1

Tango +1

hope they set up good air defences around those airfields
those f16 will be major target for russian missiles and drones
major propaganda victory if destroyed

Ukrainian Nazis

Don't make me laugh.

Editor in Chief Bill, what else do you call people who plant landmines to deliberately kill their own citizens?

Editor in Chief Bill, what else do you call people who plant landmines to deliberately kill their own citizens?

Seems you are falling for your own propaganda again.

Maybe… But there is already a video like this online:

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Of course, it is impossible to verify its authenticity, but if it is so, then we will soon find out the truth anyway.

I'm curious… people see the Olimpics in Nardia? … or other interesting news as the coup in Venezuela?… or only live under the daily propaganda? …

The thousands of mothers, daughters, wives of soldiers who fell at the front… make some kind of statement saying how proud they are of the loss due to… it is not quite clear what…?

Those who claim to be returning from the front… invite their neighbors to a round of vodka toasting for the infinite glory of Nardia, telling how with her mere presence made her horrible enemies fled cowardly…?

Can you see some mutilated people wandering around the streets of Nardia…? …or are they remaining hidden awaiting the great parade-spectacle that will surely soon be offered to them along with enormous medals?

Is it true that in Nardia… those places where volunteers can present themselves to go to war are so crowded that they are given a number like in a bakery and they are told that they will be called at some point when there are enough uniforms and body bags for everyone?

Is it true that new books are being written in Nardia about the genius of its high military commanders, who are showing the world that they far surpass the skills in this field of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon?…

Armand

Is it true that most people in the West are so lazy that they are not able to go to the Russian segment of the Internet themselves and find answers to all their questions without any problems? With the help of neural network translators, even videos in a foreign language can be watched without problems. There are millions of blogger channels that make amateur videos on any topic. Often – videos of citizens from Western countries who currently live in Russia. You can even simply ask them questions directly.

Whoever wants to – watches the Olympic Games. But since the Russian team does not compete there, there is little interest in these games.

Widows and children of dead soldiers are not limited in their statements in any way. Especially – on social networks. Their attitude? Of course, it is grief. But they understand perfectly well what their loved ones fought for and died for – to stop NATO aggression against Russia.

Of course, we all communicate with our relatives, friends and acquaintances who fought or are currently fighting at the front. And none of them calls the Ukrainians cowards; on the contrary, they are praised as soldiers and say that they fight quite honorably. Ukrainians are pitied as victims of the lies of the West.

I do not see any significant increase in the number of disabled people. This is not surprising, in the 145 million Russian population their percentage is insignificant. All I see is the collection of funds for prostheses for the disabled, which are conducted by patriotic bloggers.

Judging by the fact that Russia carried out mobilization only once in 2022, calling up 300,000 reservists, and now the army is staffed exclusively by volunteers, there are enough of them…
Send body bags to your friends in Ukraine – judging by the fields littered with the uncleaned corpses of Ukrainian soldiers, they have serious problems with this container.

I do not know how it is in Nardia, but in Russia, books by participants in this war are already being published. But so far these are the memoirs of ordinary participants and junior officers. There are even memoirs of a former prisoner who went from prison to Wagner and went through the crucible of the Bakhmut meat grinder.

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Oh, yes… Venezuela. In Russia, most people are not very interested in this. This is rather a zone of Chinese interests. But if necessary, we will help the legitimate government.

An excerpt from the book. Description of Prigozhin's arrival at a maximum security penal colony, where the author of the book was serving his sentence – ten years of imprisonment for premeditated murder.

"When the helicopter landed in the colony, it seemed to me that everything around me ceased to be real! How hard was it for me to imagine that this was even possible?! A couple of people in military uniform came out of the helicopter, one in an FSIN uniform and two more in suits. I love quality and I recognize it when I see it. And that's why I immediately realized that the suits on not very young people were very expensive. For a few seconds, I saw everything that was happening as if in slow motion. It was comparable to how it was in American blockbusters, when a group of heroes walks towards the camera against the background of working helicopter blades. It was simply impossible to come up with a more spectacular appearance! Everything that was happening was so fantastic that for a second it seemed to me that these were not people walking away from the helicopter at all, that aliens had flown to our colony to convey something extremely important to all of humanity through us. One of the "aliens" came out into the center of the football field and, ignoring the microphone prepared especially for him, began to speak:
"Hello, I am the director of the private military company "Wagner" and I have an order from above…"
With these words, he pointed his finger meaningfully into the sky, apparently hinting at more developed alien creatures.
"…to take any convicts, with any terms, serving under any article, to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine."
I had no doubts about his authority. He had a mobile phone in his hand, and a pistol was visible from behind his belt. Which clearly indicated that none of the colony representatives had any desire to not only search him before entering the restricted area, which is any correctional colony, but at least ask him not to show prohibited items to the prisoners on the camp grounds. What can we say if the head of the colony himself, who for several years seemed almost the arbiter of destinies on the territory entrusted to him, now seemed pathetic and worthless. He was shaking like toilet paper suspended in the air, if you put a fan next to it and, as happens in nature, when an individual meets a larger predator, tries to shrink in size. So the head of the colony, whom many respectfully called "the boss", tried with all his might to become smaller. But his attempts were odd. His double chin and sagging sides from the government food did not give him a chance. It was obvious that more than anything in the world he was now fighting for the attention of a representative of a more developed alien civilization. But he did not care about the petty corrupt official, all his attention was directed at us. And he continued to speak:
"In the 40s, Hitler, the poor fellow, fought alone against the whole World and failed. We have the same situation now and we must cope! We have everything for this. We have artillery, armored vehicles, helicopters, but we need stormtroopers! We do not need people of any other military professions – we only need stormtroopers!" It seemed to me that I was right inside one of our films about the Great Patriotic War: a camp built on the parade ground, street lamps, barking dogs and an agitator calling prisoners to the front. But the speech of this agitator was clearly different from what I expected to hear. I thought that it would be a poetic and lyrical speech about atoning for the debt to the state with blood and about the fact that our grandfathers were unable to finish off the fascist vermin and now we must do it for them. But the speech was about something completely different:
"Two months ago we sent the first convicts to the front and they showed themselves from the best side! Therefore, a decision was made…"
He pointed his finger at the sky again
"… to continue the experiment. We propose:
1. A complete amnesty after 6 months of participation in hostilities.
2. During these 10 months. you will be paid a salary of 100 thousand rubles. Money is issued only in cash, to you or your relatives, whom you specify.
3. In the event of your death, your relatives will be paid 5 million rubles, and you will also be fully rehabilitated, including burial on the alleys of glory of your hometowns.
4. If you are a citizen of another state, then after 6 months of participation in the battles, you will also be fully amnestied. In addition, you will be issued a passport of a citizen of Russia so that you can legally stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. Because, depending on the political situation, you can be prosecuted by law in your republics for mercenarism.
Now, from the minuses … "
I thought for a moment: "Did he misspeak?" Because with a developed instinct of self-preservation, your relatives receiving 5 million rubles. for your death, the plus sign is honestly dubious. But he continued to hit the minds of the prisoners:
"The conditions in which you live now during the war will seem like a 5-star hotel to you! You will sleep in trenches, in the ground, in the fields. But this does not mean that you will become "cannon fodder". No! You will become our family. You will eat the same food as our soldiers, sleep where they do, perform the same combat actions as we do."

Back on topic…..Merc pilots for Ukraine F16's.

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I mean why not, UAE has been doing it for years?

It has been done before with the Russians flying North Korean aircraft during the Korean War, '50-'53. I'm sure it has happened before too. E.g. the Lafayette Escadrille, WWI.

Regardless, the sooner the F-16s start shooting down Russians … the better. The US foot dragging, timidity, etc. has allowed this to go on long enough. Finish it !

Too bad some can't be relieved for cause. Or just plain fired … The longer this goes on the more non-combatants will die. Did anyone in the West not figure that out ?

Guess not …

Lindsey Graham wants to establish a program to enlist retired F-16 pilots to assist in Ukraine's fight against Putin's minions.

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I hope this is not true.

What happened to those Ukrainian pilots who spent so many months training in the USA?

Armand

I heard the same report as Choctaw … So who knows at this point !

I think the Ukrainian pilots that trained in the US, have completed their training ?