4 ms·

Not quite. Russia has already lost several multiples of the total losses it experienced in Afghanistan as the USSR (many of which were Ukranian btw). The USSR h

Not quite. Russia has already lost several multiples of the total losses it experienced in Afghanistan as the USSR (many of which were Ukranian btw). The USSR had a lot more troops vs. Russia's current situation which is really a smaller peacetime army (pre mobilization). The reason they had to leave Afghanistan was it simply too expensive due to the cost and the sanctions and they couldn't afford to do it. Which IS what is happening in Ukraine too.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 4y ago
>> too expensive due to the cost and the sanctions and they couldn't afford to do it. Which IS what is happening in Ukraine too. How so? Putin is swimming in money Europeans send him. Sanctions are a joke.
- spywaregorilla 4y ago
  Russia enjoyed a brief surplus with high gas prices. It has collapsed and the government is now running a towards a hefty deficit. About 90% gone in just two months. Government spending is being cut down by 10% next year, while a greater share is allocated to the military, meaning actual useful domestic spending is going to go down even more. The sanctions are having a strong effect. The military spending is cushioned by the fact that they had so much shit lying around to throw into the fire, but this will continue to grow worse over time. Contrary to popular belief, Russia cannot simply switch selling gas from europe to china either. The pipeline infrastructure does not exist to turn it into LNG and ship it in comparable quantities. https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/economy/russia-economy-budget-hole https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/economy/russia-economy-budget...
  - adamc 4y ago
    It's worse than that. They have limited storage and if they can't sell much of the oil, they have to turn the wells off. Problem there is that the oil will freeze in the winter, the pipes crack, and then it takes a lot of work and expense to turn it back on. Or so I have heard -- not posing as an expert on oil fields.
    - kjeetgill 4y ago
      Yea, but sadly that means they just burn it off instead of letting it freeze. Yay global carbon emissions. https://amp.dw.com/en/what-is-the-environmental-cost-of-gas-flaring/a-62959848 https://amp.dw.com/en/what-is-the-environmental-cost-of-gas-...
  - emptyfile 4y ago
    They can't even build the infrastructure on their own.
- mlindner 4y ago
  Sanctions are shutting down production of some of their weapons system as the weapons systems have been shown to have been made with western parts. For example American made gyroscopes were found in their cruise missiles.
Fatnino 4y ago
Afghanistan didn't work for them because they couldn't hold territory after initially capturing it. I think there was one valley they had to conquer 3 times. Each time ended in what looked like a decisive victory but the moment they tried to draw down troops the Mujahideen would come flooding back out of the mountains and the USSR was back to square one.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 4y ago

>> too expensive due to the cost and the sanctions and they couldn't afford to do it. Which IS what is happening in Ukraine too. How so? Putin is swimming in money Europeans send him. Sanctions are a joke.

spywaregorilla 4y ago
Russia enjoyed a brief surplus with high gas prices. It has collapsed and the government is now running a towards a hefty deficit. About 90% gone in just two months. Government spending is being cut down by 10% next year, while a greater share is allocated to the military, meaning actual useful domestic spending is going to go down even more. The sanctions are having a strong effect. The military spending is cushioned by the fact that they had so much shit lying around to throw into the fire, but this will continue to grow worse over time. Contrary to popular belief, Russia cannot simply switch selling gas from europe to china either. The pipeline infrastructure does not exist to turn it into LNG and ship it in comparable quantities. https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/economy/russia-economy-budget-hole https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/economy/russia-economy-budget...
- adamc 4y ago
  It's worse than that. They have limited storage and if they can't sell much of the oil, they have to turn the wells off. Problem there is that the oil will freeze in the winter, the pipes crack, and then it takes a lot of work and expense to turn it back on. Or so I have heard -- not posing as an expert on oil fields.
  - kjeetgill 4y ago
    Yea, but sadly that means they just burn it off instead of letting it freeze. Yay global carbon emissions. https://amp.dw.com/en/what-is-the-environmental-cost-of-gas-flaring/a-62959848 https://amp.dw.com/en/what-is-the-environmental-cost-of-gas-...
- emptyfile 4y ago
  They can't even build the infrastructure on their own.
mlindner 4y ago
Sanctions are shutting down production of some of their weapons system as the weapons systems have been shown to have been made with western parts. For example American made gyroscopes were found in their cruise missiles.

Fatnino 4y ago

Afghanistan didn't work for them because they couldn't hold territory after initially capturing it. I think there was one valley they had to conquer 3 times. Each time ended in what looked like a decisive victory but the moment they tried to draw down troops the Mujahideen would come flooding back out of the mountains and the USSR was back to square one.