It's getting 2MM Russians to leave the island.

Zelenskyy is retaking Crimea without needing a massive land force to capture it.

Russians who shouldn't be there at all, and who Ukraine wants out.

Expend just a couple of scare munitions and hit a Russian-populated area of Crimea to provide "clarity" for those
Russians who might be on the fence on running back to the Motherland. Remind them why they should get the hell out now!

The visuals of them fleeing - GREAT media!!!

It is Putin who is more likely to destroy the bridge in order to force Russians to remain there.

I completely agree with your scenario. Zelenskyy will continue to make life unbearable for the Russians that remain in Crimea. And once most are gone, they will be able to get in close to set big explosives that will take out a bunch of the piers, ending that chapter. I predict that will happen within 4 months.

Surely there are few supplies moving through Crimea now. As this progresses, that will allow Ukraine to concentrate more assets on the supply lines along the west bank of the Sea of Azov. This becomes a phase of war where Ukraine doesn't have to engage the enemy in close combat so much. THey can basically get the russians out by attrition.

Trump can’t do a thing to stop it.

Ukraine doesn’t need the US anymore.

Things seem to be accelerating exponentially in Ukraine’s favor , and Russia is flailing desperately.

For the ballistic missiles.

And those countries replenished with purchases from the US, so no additional congressional approval needed.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221353195
It's more complicated than that. And Trump is the bottleneck.

When krasnov threw in his lot with fellow psychopath putin, the latter should have realized that Everything Trump Touches Dies*.

*Rick Wilson's take, which is proven more and more as time passes.

I believe he is losing the war outright. The pressure Ukraine has been applying via their drone attacks leading to fuel shortages is also very effective. War is now an every day reality for the population in Russia, not something relegated to the front lines. They do not like it at all.

I would not be surprised if Putin start losing his grip on the country as well. He is an aging dictator with an angry population. Russia's main income is the sale of oil and that is dropping drastically. The economy is collapsing.

I bet that within a year this war will end. Either Putin will try to negotiate with Ukraine and end the war, trying to keep his control on Russia or he will be overthrown.

I think Russia implodes this winter.

Russian military has lost a half million men, more than the US lost in WW II.
And there is no way Putin can put any positive spin on his disaster.

Because of The Walking Zombie in the White House, Ukraine was only allowed to
defend their territory with no strikes to Russia. Now that the Dictator, the Liar and
Thief is irrelevant and Ukraine is hitting Russia where it hurts (something that should
have been allowed from the beginning) in a real war where your homeland is a target,
my oh my how the tables start to turn.

I remember all the hand-wringing after Putin invaded that a big reaction by the west would lead to Armageddon. "You're risking WWIII!" they would scream.

We can't give them F-16's. Can't give them Abrams tanks. Can't give them long-rage munitions. Can't give them our strategic intelligence on what Russia was doing and where to hit them back. Can't give, can't give, can't give - the things that would have ended this war years ago. And saved millions of lives and trillions of dollars in infrastructure.

And that "wider war" shit? Trump picked it up and publicly threw it in Zelenskyy's face.

The Russian military fails were everywhere, the Russian deaths were everywhere, the Russian draft, the off-the-street impressment of young Russian men, the Coup d'Etat attempt by Putin's own and murderous supporters, the sinking of Russian ships - and subs! - the destruction of 1/3rd of Russia's strategic bomber force in ONE HOUR (imagine if that happened to us!), the buying of munitions from Iran and N. Korea because Russia could not produce them, the luring of foreign mercenaries from Africa, Cuba, N. Korea to serve and die for Mother Russia because they couldn't field enough Russian "patriots," were everywhere illuminating that - RUSSIA IS A PAPER TIGER!

And, still, they stuck to that damn myth. And if we didn't have a Russian asset in the White House today, we would (I can only hope) be doubling down on our support

His only hope is preventing a Democratic takeover of Congress.

Democracy is hanging in the balance. I think November's elections are the most important of my life.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221353195
It's more complicated than that. And Trump is the bottleneck.

As a matter of fact, countries are now looking up to them on how to conduct a modern drone war. I don't think patriot missiles are the optimal tool anymore, especially to intercept drones.

The EU has significantly ramped up to compensate for Trump. I think Putin is toast and its a last desperate attempt.

“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings,” Zelensky said after the attack. “The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror”.

But the Trump administration has not only refused to send additional Patriot missiles — it has halted key weapons shipments altogether. The White House excluded funding for military aid to Ukraine from its record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027. This follows a pattern of withholding assistance that has left Ukraine exposed and bleeding.

Trump….. sit your sorry ass down.

Independent analysts put the real reduction at 40-47%. Russia is screwed.

Link to tweet

In Ukraine (including Crimea), for peace talks to start. So why, at this awkward moment, is Trump pushing peace talks? It makes no sense. Putin is still demanding all of the partially occupied areas of Ukraine, when they will soon hold less than half of that - assuming that Crimea falls to Ukraine in the next month or so.

Putin must have reminded Trump how much is riding on the next moves, so Trump is going to the NATO meeting to raise hell and pressure Ukraine to give Putin everything that he wants. I am hoping NATO leaders are ready this time. It is no sure thing.

or a rabbit between the ears. If he chooses the rabbit, they simply thrust their hips forward,
turn their front pocket inside out and say, "What's up Doc".

Because I wonder how much more of this the public and military will put up with. Maybe there will be a coup soon?—of course, that's not always good.

Wouldn't want him to fall out a window right about now, would we? 🤫🤔🫡

There's no way for UKR to get troops or anything else to Crimea. But if they can make the imported Russians scared to STAY there thats a victory itself.
And PLEASE put that damn bridge in the ocean.

We could have helped the good guys, instead of slinking around in back alleys dealing with dictators and tyrants.

In future negotiations, this will come back to bite us in the butt, over and over.

Lots of unhatched chicken counting in this OP.

This war is a long way from over.

where I said that Ukraine is going to retake Crimea without having to send massive amounts of troops there.

When Putin took Crimea he gave Russians sweetheart deals to move there but one of his guarantees to them was that he would protect them. Putin cannot protect the Russians in Crimea, thousands are already leaving.

Was it Mitt Romney who coined the phrase, self-deport?

How long before the Russians who Putin put in charge of cities and towns decide it's time to leave?

I agree with you, Ukraine doesn't have the troops to spare to send to Crimea, I'm saying that not many troops will be needed.

Think modern warfare not Revolutionary War tactics.

nt

Trying to supply Crimea without a land bridge would be virtually impossible. Even with a land bridge, Russia is struggling because of Ukraine's drone sanctions.

I still am uneasy with that being an option and that putin has considered it before

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221353195


https://itskeifer.substack.com/p/blood-on-trumps-hands-as-ukraine

Long snip here. PLease go to the link to read. I was unsure what to snip because it's all important. The point is that Russia is continuing to hit civilian targets and Ukraine needs interceptor missiles to stop them: "Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that all 29 ballistic missiles launched by Russia during the overnight assault struck their targets. This was not bad luck. This was not a tactical failure. This was a direct result of one thing: Ukraine has run critically low on Patriot interceptor missiles. And one man refuses to send more. "

Trump’s Betrayal

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been begging for Patriot missiles for months. He has asked for licenses to manufacture them in Ukraine. He has pleaded with NATO allies and the United States to send interceptors that are sitting in stockpiles.

“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings,” Zelensky said after the attack. “The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror”.

But the Trump administration has not only refused to send additional Patriot missiles — it has halted key weapons shipments altogether. The White House excluded funding for military aid to Ukraine from its record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027. This follows a pattern of withholding assistance that has left Ukraine exposed and bleeding.

Critics have accused Trump of actively undermining Ukraine while aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has cut off all military aid — “even though Europe will pay for the weapons,” one columnist noted — including the very air defense systems Kyiv desperately needs to stop the ballistic missiles raining down on civilians. Trump has blood on his hands. Again.