Okay, after going thru almost 100 pages...
Germany castrated itself in the 1990s
West Germany and East Germany had big strong armies through the Cold War
After reunification, Germany didn't really see a need for a strong army (Cold War was over, Soviets were no longer on the front door step). More importantly, Germany needed money to basically rebuild the entire half of the country that used to be East Germany, and slashing the defense budget helped give them the necessary capital. I traveled through Germany in 2005, and even then the differences between the two halves of the country was like night and day.
Seeing as people keep accusing this thread as having a bias, I had an idea.
Let's wargame out some strategies for the Ukraine that don't involve magical thinking (NATO intervening, Ukraine managing to indefinitely conventionally repulse the Russian offense, Russia just giving up apropos of nothing).
I'll start: If I was commanding Ukraine, I'd accept that the west and NATO will not be able to seriously help or make any real impact. So, instead I'd go max scorched earth, Iraqi Army style. As the situation looks bleaker, I'd start blowing the pipelines and igniting the natural gas wells. The Russians and the west would both panic in chaos at the action, and it could result in some interesting political outcomes on both ends. If nothing else, it would be a nice "Fuck you" to Russia even as they succeed in their takeover.
Otherwise, I'd start caching weapons and supplies and organizing militia and guerilla elements to conduct irregular warfare Afgani-style, rather than continue to fight conventionally where the loss is practically guaranteed.
What strategies does everyone else have?
I think what the Ukrainians should do (and should've been doing from day 1) is try to stage a fighting retreat across the Dnipier and form a defensive holding position there, while also making use of guerrilla elements where possible to sabotage and strain the Russian supply lines. Basically, make the Russians' march into the country as costly as possible, and make as much use out of all the Javelins and NLAWs the West has been supplying. While probably not able to win outright, it would bleed the Russians hard enough to make continuing the campaign not worth it, creating a stalemate, and conditions to finally hold negotiations from a position of relative strength. Of course, again, this is probably what they should've done from the beginning. Since they've instead been trying to hold ground in the east, they've allowed themselves to have both the mass of their fighting forces and their capital to get surrounded, making their position in any future negotiations significantly weaker.
Muh democracy:
Ukraine is consistently listed as one of the most corrupt countries on Earth, and the Ukrainians have committed their fair share of mistreatment of minorities (mainly Russians) if the reports are to be believed. This conflict has nothing to do with democracy and self-determination, this is all about simple international power politics.
The incident was covered at length by a chap called bigeye on arrse. He's in country. He knows the bods who were hit, Ex-Marine, Ex-SF. He was told by Sky initially that it was a jumpy Ukranian militia. They then changed the official narrative as even he said (to paraphrase) it would be bad PR.
He's got combat experience and he's right there in the thick of it. You can find his posts on arrse if you want to read for yourself. Consider as well that arrse is using every opportunity to paint Putin as a madman and the Russian forces as baby-raping barbarians, I think it's fair to say there's a very good chance of what he says is true as it completely goes against their narrative. You aren't allowed to show any support for Putin at all nor bring up any political commentary about how we all got in to this situation (well, Russia/Ukraine).
He's a bit shaken up as his friends came very close to death, but it wasn't a deadly ambush (even though people are lucky to be alive - I'm not trivialising it). The fact that his version of events has been accepted (when it makes for bad PR for Ukraine at a time when they have all but taken their side) gives it weight in my opinion. He's a highly respected member of arrse which gives it credence as well. Who knows?
Anyway, he was told by SKY it was Ukie militia at first, and it's not hard to see why they changed that account of events considering the wider propaganda war at play here. You're not likely to get a more accurate and honest account of events, when it's from a credible source on the ground near to the exact event. All things considered I'm happy to believe him. Not the Ruskies this time, but the Ukies. He also personally said that he finds it highly unlikely it was the Ruskies, on balance of probabilities, so there is that as well.
Do you have a direct link to his post?
idk I thought I should post this
I guess the Ukrainians aren't big fans of the Killstream.
After what they did to the AN-225, they deserve it.
Wasn't it the Ukrainians that shelled the hanger, though? Poor Mryia was just an innocent victim caught in the crossfire.

How is CRP not dead yet?
Pretty sure he and his family have fled the country.
LOL, does this mean that the "anti-tank weapons" they also pledged to give are a bunch of outdated RPG's and Malutka ATGM's left over from East German armories as well?
This suggests to me that all their public declarations aside, the Germans are still
really worried about their gas getting cut off - in fact, isn't that what the Russians have already done?
New Vaush hot take.
I've read two of Chris-chan's letters from jail and this is the most retarded, nonsensical pile of garbage text I've ever laid eyes on.
This is clearly the action of a nation that's winning the war.
Fucking child soldiers, Jesus Christ dear God in Heaven.
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The picture says it's a Mi-24P and vid says Mi-35
Probably two completely different shoot downs. Remember that the Ukrainians claimed two Hinds today.
oopsie doopsie

Little Marco must be aiming for a 2024 Presidential run - that's the only explanation I can come up with.
Pro-Kremlin Rapper Teams Up With Russian Army on New Clothing Line
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A friendly reminder that not all of the cringe in this war is coming the Ukrainian side.
Hell even then, the US still lost people and helicopters doing them. Sometimes even an illiterate goat fucker gets lucky.
I'll never forget that horrible incident in Afghanistan where we lost something like 80 SEAL's that were loaded up in a Chinook to one guy firing an RPG-7.
The US hasn't really fought any country on somewhat equal footing since WW2, and in that, the US had major numerical advantages where they actually counted.
Disagree - Korea was a really hard slog that ended in a stalemate, and while not nearly as advanced as the U.S. the NVA in both 1968 and 1972 was still a formidably equipped and professionally organized army.
Presented without comment.
Okay, I'll give the Russkies credit - while their military efforts are underwhelming, their shitposting efforts are grade A.
Wat? No, he pushed the Chinks back over the Yalu River and wanted to bomb them right there and then but Truman was a pussy and was scared of Stalin doing the same, as Russia was still friends with the CCP at the time.
Probably the wisest move - the Soviets had just obtained the bomb a few years earlier, so escalating would've brought the Soviets in as well - which not only means a nuclear exchange but also the Red Army storming across Europe.
Studying German language and history is waste of time because the holocaust happened. Big brain hours.
Are there
any members of the "Skeptic" community that didn't turn out to be massive retards?