S.Peelman said: Probably also because the North Koreans never expected the rest of the world to have advanced past WWII level of technology and war tactics.

No. Because North Koreans are under 24/7 supervision in their country. There is not a single minute in a North Korean life that isn't told what to think and what to do.

Now these "perfect people" find themselves in the midle of nowhere, and noone is around telling them what to do and how great Great Leader is. The Russians probably hate them as much as the Ukranians because they get privileged treatment while the front line Russians have to fight for their daily dose of Vodka.

It is not surprising that these "robot men" cannot perform but as cannon fodder.

drkohler said: S.Peelman said: Probably also because the North Koreans never expected the rest of the world to have advanced past WWII level of technology and war tactics. No. Because North Koreans are under 24/7 supervision in their country. There is not a single minute in a North Korean life that isn't told what to think and what to do. Now these "perfect people" find themselves in the midle of nowhere, and noone is around telling them what to do and how great Great Leader is. The Russians probably hate them as much as the Ukranians because they get privileged treatment while the front line Russians have to fight for their daily dose of Vodka. It is not surprising that these "robot men" cannot perform but as cannon fodder.

Aren't the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine elite troops, ones that get treated relatively well (on North Korean standards, that is)? Not that it sounds like they've been well-prepared to fight Ukraine though, so no wonder if morale is plummeting...

Zkuq said: drkohler said: No. Because North Koreans are under 24/7 supervision in their country. There is not a single minute in a North Korean life that isn't told what to think and what to do. Now these "perfect people" find themselves in the midle of nowhere, and noone is around telling them what to do and how great Great Leader is. The Russians probably hate them as much as the Ukranians because they get privileged treatment while the front line Russians have to fight for their daily dose of Vodka. It is not surprising that these "robot men" cannot perform but as cannon fodder. Aren't the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine elite troops, ones that get treated relatively well (on North Korean standards, that is)? Not that it sounds like they've been well-prepared to fight Ukraine though, so no wonder if morale is plummeting...

It would think that South Korea would be very happy to see how poorly their northern rivals have performed thus far.

Zelensky offered to buy weapons from incoming Trump administration with frozen Russian assets


https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-offers-to-buy-weapons-from-the-us-with-frozen-russian-assets/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zelensky is trying to play with Trump's image as a businessman, and offering to buy certain weapons instead of just being given aid. He is also playing to Trump's narcissism and has complimented him in various ways. Trump may realize that a lot of pressure will be on him to help Ukraine, regardless of whatever shady deals he might have with russia. He also knows that Russia can't win, so the winds of fortune are shifting towards ukraine and therefore may see the wisdom in doing business in order to help them. It's putting good $$$ towards an achievable and decent outcome.

Ukrainian Forces Launch New Kursk Offensive, Possible Second Axis
After months of Kyiv’s troops gradually giving ground to Russian and now North Korean forces, a new offensive puts Moscow on the back foot again. This is a developing story.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/44944

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't taken the time to look at maps, but this looks like an offensive similar to the Kursk offensive. Ukraine has launched an assault in an area with a low amount of activity, and is looking to catch the Russians with their pants down and quite unaware.

550 of Russia’s 1200 jets are nearing the end of their life

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2025/01/06/550-of-russias-1200-jets-are-nearing-the-end-of-their-life/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was a great article and one of the few that i'd highly recommend reading. The article states that Russia is having a serious problem with its aviation because its maintenance is horrible, and its jets have more hours of flight time because it is in a frikkin war. The article goes on and on but the main point is that Russia's air force is in a heap of trouble. The pilots must be sweating every time that they have to fly one of these planes, because they don't know if the mechanics were drunk or whatever, or if the plane the pilot is about to climb into has been passed over in its inspections.

Russia Loses Five Air Defense Systems Worth $350M in a Day
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-loses-five-air-defense-systems-350m-day-2010227