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Ukraine's IT Brigade Supports the Troops
An anonymous reader sends this story from BusinessWeek:
Eight months ago, David Arakhamiya was running a small IT company in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv. Today, as an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, he oversees a massive crowdfunding effort that since March has raised about $300 million from ordinary citizens. The money is being used to equip Ukraine’s army with everything from uniforms, water, and other basic supplies to high-tech gear such as reconnaissance drones. Yaroslav Markevich, another IT entrepreneur with a small company in Kharkiv, once a Soviet hub for aviation technology, presented a plan to the commander of one Ukrainian battalion to create a drone unit after hearing stories about the efficiency of Russian drones. The commander said yes, and by the time his battalion was deployed early this summer, it was the only one in the army equipped with a fleet of short- and long-range drones. ... IT experts across Ukraine have been an important part of the volunteer effort to supply the army with equipment.
The US has billions of dollars of unused military equipment just sitting in places like Afghanistan. I read an article on how it will all be turned into scrap metal at 1000th of the cost to build the damn things. The rest get shipped over here to be sold at an insane discount to our military police forces...
Why can't we sell this junk to the Ukrainians and make a profit. It would kill three birds with one stone. (Reduce waste slightly, kill Russian troops, and stop militarizing our police forces.)
Entrenched resistance will make this costly venture into the Ukraine more and more expensive just as the falling price of petroleum products hits Putin's budget. They could hold out long enough to make a difference.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
It is not just the numbers. Ukrainian army is a mess because Ukraine sold almost everything they have inherited from USSR during the last 20 years, the army is not trained, not equipped and the soldiers are often unwilling willing to die for corrupt politicians. The only reason why Ukraine is not overrun yet is that Putin is unwilling to use Russian army in this conflict because it might pull the deeply divided Ukrainian state together - policing a hateful, conquered population would be way too difficult.
Right now it is enough to fund the separatists and occasionally help them out. Ukrainian government will help to do the rest by shelling civilians and generally behaving like a bunch of idiots.
You see, that country is, in a way, similar to Pakistan in 1971. Has been a sovereign country for just about 20 years in its recent history, has artificially drawn borders by the former colonial power, is corrupt, piss-poor, divided inside and their neighbor tries to destabilise it even further. In 1971 these circumstances have lead to a bloody war and creation of Bangladesh. I just hope it won't end up as bloody this time.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
Well, you might wake up to the fact that russia is a more humane civilization than the criminals who are in charge of nato. Just look at how they conspire with the mohammedanic evil all the time. Next to greece they recently allowed the ethnic cleansing of serbs by the kosovar mohammedanics. I have seen a presentation by a german officer myself where he showed the pictures of a burnt down serb monastery. That whole conflict was paid and ideologized by the wahabist menace of saudi arabia. US and UK nurture the enemies of our own civilization.
Well, that might be because Ukraine has existed as a nation for only 23 years. There was simply not enough time.
Ukrainians had a history of raiding neighboring villages, pillaging, raping and burning, though. Sort of wanna-be vikings, just without ships and wearing silly ottoman inspired costumes. Polish still think that an Ukrainian national hero was a bandit and a war criminal and that is, in fact, not far off the mark.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
As opposed to a western sympathetic president who is also a Nazi?
Ahhhh, a westerner's view of knowledge of world politics and history...........
Well, and by the same law that has created an independent Ukraine in 1991, Crimea should have been an independent country as well, given that they have declared their sovereignty almost a year earlier but were basically forced to remain in Ukraine by the military threat.
This is not Moscow propaganda, just a little history lesson. It is interesting that you don't know it, given that you've previously mentioned being an Ukrainian yourself. Could it be that you are but a kid yet? That would fit the whole picture about you very well indeed.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
Can't feed their army or pay the pensions of their citizens but they managed to get $300mln for this. I wonder if this $300 mln was at all voluntary or simply taken from their bank accounts.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Soviet constitution which was the basic law of USSR.
First, Crimea turning into an autonomous republic within Ukraine was already contrary to the referendum since restoring the Crimean ASSR would be restoring it as part of RSFSR.
Second, even if we would let my first point slide, Soviet constitution clearly states that an autonomous republic can only exists within an union republic. If Ukraine is no longer a part of the union, this notion doesn't work anymore. This is what has caused the war in Abkhasia in 1992.
Third, here is just one of several examples of using force to keep Crimea on a tight leash through the years. They have tried to become independent several times through the years and were regularly screwed by Ukraine. No wonder they seized the opportunity now.
Hm, must be a recent and traumatising experience for you, trying to project it on me in such a detail. Let me tell you something, kiddo. I went to schools and universities in several countries. None of these used letters for marks. Have left my parents' basement several decades ago and one day you will grow up and do the same and see the big and very diverse world out there. But until then, get off my lawn.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
Situation is pretty bad for Russia, because it took wild turn with enormous lie, cheating and aggression campaign. No happy ending in exchange for these. I am very sorry for all those frank folks, there are, that are doomed by bravado of one KGB tsar and his fool believers. Pity.
Servant of karma
Your post is so fucking full of lies...
First of all, the transfer made no sense. Crimea has NEVER been a Ukrainian territory.
Second, at the time of transfer Crimea had been a USSR tourist hub, well known throughout the country and with a good infrastructure. Billions of Soviet roubles were spent to construct water supply and build reliable infrastructure on the Crimean peninsula.
Third, Ukraine's population has pretty much recovered by the time of the Crimean transfer. It was more deeply damaged by the WWII than by Stalin's holodomor.
And yes, if Kuban' wants to return to Ukraine then I have no objections. But having been in Kuban' too many times to count - their citizens would riot if anybody tried to give their land to Ukraine.
They celebrate as a great victory the drowning of the Teutonic Knights by sinking them into a frozen river under the weight of Russian corpses FFS.
If you mean the Battle of the Ice, there's nothing in the mainstream historiography about it that involves "weight of Russian corpses" or anything like that. Quite the opposite, the ice supposedly cracked under the weight of heavily armored Teuton knights, when they were trying to flee across the lake.