‘We Were Mistaken’: Putin Admits Russia Was Unprepared for Ukrainian Strikes on Oil Refineries

[u/ArgentineBeauty]

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/83674

[u/AlexUKR]

[We] assumed that these were purely civilian facilities and could not be targets of any kind of attacks even amid an armed conflict,” Putin said.

Cool story

Russians hit power plant and refinery in Kremenchuk at Easter

MONDAY, 25 APRIL, 2022

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/04/25/7341885/

[u/Big-Compote-5483 → u/AlexUKR]

They blew up another shopping mall in the middle of the day in Kharkiv late last week. They hit a children's hospital with absolutely no military targets anywhere close to it in Kyiv, 2024. Multiple KH-101 missiles hit it accurate to 50 meters. They blow up our power and water and heating infrastructure constantly and especially in early winter so we freeze. They shot cluster munitions into the train station in Kramatorsk in 2022, killing more than 60 civilians. They have been blowing up individual gas stations across the country for years. They ... Well, you hopefully get it.

This entire war after the first few days has been a terror campaign to drain Ukrainians from the country and into Europe to destabilize it. And those who stay behind are to be raped, tortured, and murdered, or conscripted to fight their next war.

[u/Bananaland_Man → u/Big-Compote-5483]

And yet they're surprised and mad when y'all do it back to them. Funny how the rhetoric from them changes once their own shit gets flung back on them. Maybe Putin shouldn't be trying to invade other countries... I wish Mr. Orange would take note with his own illegal war.

[u/inspirationalSloth → u/Bananaland_Man]

He did but he has dementia so he is colouring on the walls again. Something about building the wall it will be yuge and it will be called the Great freedom Wall of America

[u/Bananaland_Man → u/inspirationalSloth]

And the Gulf of America, and Lake America, and, possibly in the future, the Great Ocean of America (he literally "joked" about renaming the Atlantic ocean)

This timeline is a joke, I just hope I'm alive long enough to see the time where we're laughing about how stupid things were "back in the mid 2020's"

[u/Delimeme → u/Bananaland_Man]

I hope we can laugh too, but I’m worried we’re too far gone for it to turn around into mockery at a wide scale. Or if it does, that it’ll be useless speech on corporatized social media platforms, not institutionally backed places like schools. Lord help us all. My optimism tanks are running reaaally low

[u/Shalea68 → u/Bananaland_Man]

Don't forget Greenland. He'll call it Americaland or something like that. He's like a dog pissing on everything to claim its territory. Except, dogs are closer to being human than he will ever be.

[u/EmperorGeek → u/Big-Compote-5483]

Putin is crying tears that nobody believes. What he didn’t prepare for was Ukraine not rolling over and capitulating!

[u/No-Spoilers → u/Big-Compote-5483]

They bombed a theater in Mariupol in the opening days of the war with hundreds of kids in it, it was clearly labeled that there were kids in it. They did it anyway.

And then they put up walls around it with pictures of what it looked like before while they demolished and rebuilt it. It is now once again a theater, but the kids are all in a dump some where and the families will now never get closure.

[u/Big-Compote-5483 → u/No-Spoilers]

Fuck idk how I didn't have that one ready to go. Of course, one of the most despicable acts of the 21st century.

I wasn't in Mariopul and was rattling off things and places I have seen. But Mariopul will go down as possibly the greatest single siege/slaughter of civilian life outside of Africa to this point in modern times.

[u/throwaway19276i → u/Big-Compote-5483]

A children's hospital.. this is just cartoonishly evil

[u/Big-Compote-5483 → u/throwaway19276i]

Indeed. And I came over here slightly skeptical. But I walked past that hospital numerous times and the only way, and the only thing to hit, was aiming for it. I can say that with firsthand experience. It's undeniable they did it on purpose.

And I still remember the day and time: 10:30am on a Sunday morning if my brain hasn't turned to mush. They did that on purpose. It was a catalyst for me and what I'm doing now.

[u/supermarkise → u/Big-Compote-5483]

We further west don't feel particularly destabilized by Ukrainian refugees tbh. It might be plain racism but I've rarely heard about issues (since most people blend in visually very easily).

[u/Big-Compote-5483 → u/supermarkise]

Your challenging political parties (at least in Germany, France, and obviously the US) use it for propaganda. Not to mention what's happening in Poland atm. And I'm sure it will get worse if another ~4mm people cross the border because Kyiv and Lviv end up being unlivable for families. They already emptied out half of Kharkiv; they could try the same in those places and it seems like they are already in Kyiv.

[u/CocoMilhonez → u/AlexUKR]

They sent a drone to bomb the fucking Chernobyl power plant ffs. Damaging the protective cover that took years to build and is nearly impossible to be fully repaired for zero military benefit whatsoever only to cause panic for civilians is some of the most irresponsible, pettiest actions of this entire war.

Of course, I'm not minimizing countless other direct attacks against strictly civilian targets that cost many lives, but this illustrates how Ruzzia pretense of fairness and legitimacy is just bullshit.

[u/Relative_Mix_216 → u/CocoMilhonez]

… And then they sent their own troops to dig trenches in the radioactive dirt

They’re so damn dumb

[u/disdain7 → u/Relative_Mix_216]

You left out the part about how they also hunted local wildlife and cooked the meat over fires started with wood from local trees. I wonder how those guys are doing these days?

[u/AdIll6213 → u/disdain7]

It was not part of the plan for those guys to survive for very long, so being exposed to radioactive materials was probably of very little concern to the russian leaders.

[u/Boofaholic_Supreme → u/disdain7]

Pushing up sunflowers

[u/Germanofthebored → u/disdain7]

Glowing health!

[u/barktwiggs]

We were hoping they would not attack our highly undefended petrochemical facilities funding our naked imperial aggression.

[u/Meihem76 → u/barktwiggs]

After we spent years targetting power stations, hospitals and schools, we honestly thought our oil refineries would be off limits as a civilian target.

[u/big_trike → u/Meihem76]

Also, kidnapping Ukrainian children.

[u/Ekkobelli → u/big_trike]

And raping women and refusing to return fallen soldiers to their families.

[u/tomato_army → u/Ekkobelli]

Nit to mention looting and pillaging

[u/connleth → u/tomato_army]

And summary execution of POWs

[u/NiNdo4589 → u/connleth]

Dont forget the POW dick snipping before that.

[u/blueavole → u/connleth]

And spreading millions of ft of fibor optic cable across the country to run the drones.

[u/MrCSeesYou → u/blueavole]

And continued daily torture of pow's

[u/Immediate-Damage-302 → u/tomato_army]

"It's only cool when WE do it." - Putin

[u/TiggTigg07 → u/Immediate-Damage-302]

Exactly, anyone else is just downright rude.

[u/Real-Document-6577 → u/Immediate-Damage-302]

Putin “…Not like that!”

[u/Ragnarawr → u/Ekkobelli]

Rigging the corpses they do return either explosives.

[u/Swansaknight → u/Ekkobelli]

Not just women…

[u/Im_Just_A_Tourist → u/Ekkobelli]

They returned them with explosives packed in the bodies in some instances.

[u/ContractElegant4310 → u/Ekkobelli]

And castrating and executing Ukrainian POWs.

[u/GravyMcBiscuits → u/barktwiggs]

We pounded a number of their cities back to the stone age. I can't believe they went after our "infrastructure"!!! NO FAIR!!!

/surprised pikachu!

[u/Zem_42 → u/barktwiggs]

Whose exports account for a good 30% or so of our GDP, since we have little other products competitive on the international market

[u/justin107d → u/barktwiggs]

Well yeah, it was only supposed to be 3 days. Who knew war was so complicated?

[u/thiefofalways1313 → u/barktwiggs]

Poetry.

[u/ArgentineBeauty]

“[We] assumed that these were purely civilian facilities and could not be targets of any kind of attacks even amid an armed conflict,” Putin said. “But in this regard, we were mistaken. Our adversary, unfortunately, thinks differently.”

Russia spent years hitting Ukraine’s infrastructure, but suddenly Putin thinks civilian infrastructure should be off limits. Amazing how the rules change when it is his side.

[u/figlu → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Putin was bombing Ukrainian power stations

[u/Weekly_Curve_6642 → u/figlu]

During winter.

[u/Adept_Guest_6609 → u/Weekly_Curve_6642]

And will do so again this winter.

[u/Prior_Performer5273 → u/Adept_Guest_6609]

Dont forget the double taps...

[u/theaviationhistorian → u/Prior_Performer5273]

Only the cruelest countries and nonstate actors (like drug cartels) commit to double taps.

[u/Can-i-Pet-Dat-Daaawg → u/Adept_Guest_6609]

The bombings will continue until morale improves.

[u/xcassets → u/figlu]

And children's hospitals... and supermarkets... and numerous other places that have nothing to do with the military.

[u/FlukemanFrancis → u/xcassets]

He just bombed schools on the first day back after summer in Kyiv and also bombed textbook production and storage centres because they produced books in Ukrainian

He’s attempting cultural and literal genocide while moaning the people he’s attempting to wipe out are fighting back.

[u/Izmetg68 → u/FlukemanFrancis]

and lets not forget kids on bikes, people running hiding under bridges, Theaters in Mariupol, Bucha Massacre, Old Babushkas in wheelchairs and grandpas on crutches....let me know when any of these civillian attacks influences the rest of the world to care.....

[u/A_Skyless_God → u/Izmetg68]

Most of us do care. Can I ask you what exactly it is you expect me to do? More importantly, what exactly are YOU doing?

[u/jazzy663 → u/A_Skyless_God]

I was about to ask this as well. I've purchased things that go to fund Ukrainian efforts, but short of hopping in a plane to Ukraine and putting my boots on the ground, I'd like to know what else is expected of me. And then I'll tell you how realistic it is when the US is already dealing with multiple crises.

Also - being a vocal advocate for Ukrainian sovereignty does not to a whole lot in practice, but I submit in good faith that it is not nothing.

[u/holyhottamale → u/jazzy663]

If you are interested, I have an American friend that is serving in Ukraine as a medic. I was matched with him through PAV so it is all legit.

I donate to him and his team every month and just sent them a huge care package.

Let me know if you want info!

[u/MoronicPlayer → u/xcassets]

Not to mention they do double tap. Fucking horrible.

[u/Vegetable-Drama-4895 → u/xcassets]

Don’t forget the apartment buildings

[u/McLeod3577 → u/figlu]

Entire fucking cities have been completely flattened. Power stations are nothing compared to complete Groznification.

[u/mylarky → u/figlu]

dams
shopping malls
apartment complexes
playgrounds

[u/PuzzleheadedTalk4651 → u/figlu]

Putin is a lying hypocrite and is crying that ukraine hits back on infrastructure and economic targets because he thinks: i have the right to do so but you may not do it to me

[u/FinallyAGoodReply → u/PuzzleheadedTalk4651]

Who is he even trying to fool at this point?

[u/Zagumaar → u/FinallyAGoodReply]

His own population

[u/fuhglarix → u/figlu]

And flew a drone into the Chernobyl sarcophagus

[u/WrappedInLinen → u/figlu]

And apartment buildings. His strategy was to get the populace to rebel against the war.

[u/TRexArmsGFY → u/figlu]

And apartment complexes and malls and train stations and hospitals and power stations but yeah I can see how he’d be confused about what a valid target is.

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

[We] assumed that these were purely civilian facilities and could not be targets of any kind of attacks

• More than 340 educational facilities damaged or destroyed in Ukraine this year
  
• Russian drones target medics, hospitals and ambulances in Ukraine
  
• Six dead as Russia hits energy and residential sites in Ukraine
  
• Russia launches nighttime strike on apartment buildings in Ukrainian city, wounding 21
  

Putin's hypocrisy remains one of his most defining traits. The piece of shit cannot get his subscription to Life cancelled soon enough.

(Edit: But unbelievably, Tankie fuckfaces on Reddit will arrive arguing that Ukraine is wrong to do these strikes)

[u/Random_ICE_Agent → u/Constant-Plant-9378]

That’s the problem with pieces of shit like Putin and Trump, their life subscriptions run way too long.

[u/MyNamesAreStolen → u/Constant-Plant-9378]

And. Trump likes him better than Carney.

[u/manbruhpig → u/MyNamesAreStolen]

Birds of a feather

[u/Rocketeer006 → u/MyNamesAreStolen]

Fuck Trump and everyone that supports him

[u/Coryperkin15 → u/MyNamesAreStolen]

Likely as Putin helped him get elected.

[u/AMW1987 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Putin's Russia is a pure case study in cognitive dissonance.

[u/CumAmore → u/AMW1987]

I don't think he actually believes what he says, it's more a case study of how you get your countrymen to believe everything you say.

[u/FlukemanFrancis → u/CumAmore]

It almost certainly splits along the good old 1/3 rule

1/3 of them support him

1/3 genuinely don’t care about anything except themselves and their immediate circle

1/3 are against it but in a society like Russia have learned to keep quiet. If Russia were normal that 1/3 would be doing standard political opposition and trying to persuade the 1/3 of selfish assholes to vote with them to overcome the 1/3 of mindless bootlickers.

[u/ruchik → u/FlukemanFrancis]

This sounds like the US as well…

[u/Ambitious_Bit_9389 → u/ruchik]

This person 1/3rds are not based on political stance though. The 1/3 of each category could be spread across the whole political spectrum.

[u/Straight-Balance830 → u/Ambitious_Bit_9389]

In the American Revolution, a third were Loyalists, another third were revolutionaries, and the other third were indifferent. About the Nazis, someone remarked “a third of society killed the other third, and the last third just watched”. I think it’s a valid general rule of ideological distribution.

[u/Yardsale420 → u/Straight-Balance830]

Dear America:
You are waking up, as Germany once did, to the awareness that 1/3 of your people would kill another 1/3, while 1/3 watches.
—Werner Herzog

[u/Xtj8805 → u/Straight-Balance830]

Yea ive seen numerous studies where in essentially any population of people and even most subpopulations always tend to split this way, 1/3 to each side and 1/3 in the middle cant be bothered. Even in more ideologically pure areas you still get it to some some extent where 1/3 are full steam, 1/3 tend to be overly cautious and 1/3 somewhere between/not interested in picking sides.

[u/Accomplished-Cow-234 → u/FlukemanFrancis]

It's hard to meaningfully organize effective dissent, because so much of the visible opposition is itself a honeypot. Putinism has really brought rot all the way to the core of an already deeply damaged society.

[u/oops_all_memes → u/Accomplished-Cow-234]

I knew a person who worked on multiple projects lead by Navalny. So it made it comfortable for me to share a lot of information with them that I would otherwise keep to myself. Including information that would've completely compromised me

Well, yesterday I accidentally stumbled on an interview where that person explains that they used to work with FSB 🤡 For context, I left Russia because someone reported me to authorities due to certain activities that the gestapo deemed inappropriate. I now wonder if it had anything to do with that person

That is to say, you are absolutely right and the mofos have their hands in everyone's arses

[u/jwyn3150 → u/FlukemanFrancis]

I’ve been to and lived in Russia. His support is closer to 60% or even more. Everyone over 50 loves him due to what happened in the 90s , basically. Generalization but that’s what it felt like in SPB which is the most liberal city in Russia, where funny enough is where he’s from.

[u/Westerdutch → u/CumAmore]

I don't think he actually believes what he says

Russia has a long and proud history where everyone lies, everyone knows they all lie and they all play along anyways because telling the truth or showing a divide in opinion makes everyone look worse than just playing along with the lie.

[u/MyUsername2459 → u/Westerdutch]

This is the same civilization that brought us "We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us."

That sort of "we all know this is BS, but let's just pretend it's normal" is baked pretty deeply into their society after generations of Tsars and dictators.

[u/MishkaZ → u/CumAmore]

There was a russian leftist who actually talked about what the brain washing that goes on in Russia is like.

It's not this grand "WE ARE THE BEST AND EVERYONE SUCKS, GLORY TO PUTIN! GLORY TO RUSSIA". It's constantly at every single turn lying and spinning and goal post moving for decades on top of disappearing anyone who challenged the regime. Real brain washing isn't falling into the spin, but real brain washing is keeping your head down. When someone brings up politics, you respond with "yeah, but you know, it's complicated" and then shrugging and walking away. Not putting an extra ounce of thought into it.

It's not brain washing in the sense of blind patriotism. It's brain washing in the sense of being numb to the noise that is politics.

Just something to think about. Really changed my perspective when I became aware of this type of numbing.

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/CumAmore]

MAGA was originally a Russian export product.

[u/terid3 → u/Constant-Plant-9378]

Yup. Remember the "lock her up" rallies in 2016? Proven Russian Psy-op. Pepperidge farm remembers.

[u/Good_Restaurant15 → u/terid3]

I remember when the NRA was found to have been working for the russians, having a russian agent in it, and doling out russian money like it was going out of style...

Funny how that just - fizzled away.

[u/JarasM → u/CumAmore]

Well, that's exactly the case. The Kremlin would never admit to hitting civilian targets. Internal media will paint Russian attacks as surgical strikes against military targets, and Ukrainian attacks as terrorism against civilian infrastructure.

[u/Haunting-South-962 → u/CumAmore]

I don't know, man. After that many years of lying, it is hard to peel off the truths from reality:) he might actually believe in all those things by now. You can't be that consistently and convincingly crazy without total immersion.

[u/xeoron → u/AMW1987]

Just like many in power that are pro corruption 

[u/CoffeeDrinkerMao → u/AMW1987]

Nah Russia is just spread too thing to protect their oil refineries. They just don’t want to admit it.

[u/Fractoos → u/AMW1987]

Not really. He just thought he could do it and they wouldn't retaliate because he thought the US wouldn't let them, which was true originally. Major miscalculation.

[u/teckers → u/ArgentineBeauty]

It doesn't even make sense, does no military equipment use refined oil? Are the proceeds of export sales not being spent on the war effort? It's directly connected to the military. It's mad if they ran war games on that assumption. They are very good as bad assumptions.

[u/canspop → u/teckers]

No, no, no. The ruZZian military doesn't used refined fuels such as diesel & jet fuel (amongst others). It's run entirely from a never-ending stream of hot air emanating from the kremlin.

[u/Phoenix2111 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Yeah, the headline is misleading as fuck. At no point have Russia admitted 'We were mistaken' in relation to preparedness for Ukrainians attack. They just said they were mistaken for 'thinking civilian infrastructure was not a target'.

It's the equivalent of saying 'I'm sorry for how you felt about what I did' and someone claiming you apologised lol.

They're trying to make out Ukraine played dirty, and they were 'mistaken' for thinking Ukraine would be 'honourable' etc. Etc. It's all internal propaganda crap, and they've definitely not admitted the fact that war with Ukraine was a mistake, or that they are in any way unprepared for attacks against 'valid targets'

Which would be better more honest things for them to admit lol

Edir: Given this has a decent amount of responses, and based on the content of a couple of those, just making sure it's clear, I'm not suggesting any kind of support for Russia in this conflict, or that they shouldn't be mistaken for starting it, or that it's actually a surprise to them that these are targets.  At best, they may have thought they wouldn't be, due to assuming Ukraine wouldn't be able to hit them. But frankly it's more likely they didn't give a fuck about wasting resources protecting their people's infrastructure (let's be honest, the oligarchs will have generators etc) and this is just propaganda and saving face to ensure people continue to tow the line as their relatives get thrown in the grinder.

[u/gizmozed → u/Phoenix2111]

Why wouldn't it be a target? Ukrainian civilian infrastructure has been a target of the Russians since almost the beginning.

[u/big_trike → u/gizmozed]

But that's different because they were trying to fix the problem of corruption and nazis in government. With bombs and murder.

[u/skend24 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

They do it only for internal propaganda.

[u/IndividualSkill3432 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

sumed that these were purely civilian facilities and could not be targets of any kind of attacks even amid an armed conflict,”

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."

[u/Capable-Parsnip-9615 → u/IndividualSkill3432]

Came here just looking for someone quoting this

[u/Flessuh → u/ArgentineBeauty]

From what I understand the US and EU did not allow those kind of strikes with their weapons. So basically he is saying they did not expect Ukraine to develop medium/long strike capabilities

[u/rehab170 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Ukraine assumed Russia would not directly attack civilians and commit a massive amount of war crimes. But in this regard, we were mistaken. Ukraines adversary’s, unfortunately, think differently.

[u/big_trike → u/rehab170]

Russia also kidnapped Ukrainian children.

[u/sumr4ndo → u/ArgentineBeauty]

The Russians entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Mariupol, Kyev, Bakhmut, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.

[u/Gh0sth4nd → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Well bombing powerplants hospitals and schools for me but not for thee.

And Ukraine is not bombing powerplants hospitals and schools just refineries and warehouses.

[u/fullchub]

"We didn't realize they could do to us exactly what we'd been doing to them for years. This is so unfair!"

[u/Tricky-Sentence → u/fullchub]

Hmm I have heard this before...

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them."

[u/Waveofspring → u/Tricky-Sentence]

It’s even worse than that. Russia expected Ukraine to surrender on month 1 of the war. I remember many estimates assumed that Kyiv would fall within 2 weeks. Now it’s been 4 years.

Good fucking job Ukraine. I hope they get to keep as much territory as possible after the war ends. Especially Crimea and Donbas

Russia has shown the world that their only true military asset is nukes. They are no longer a superpower.

[u/nickiter → u/Waveofspring]

I mean, they've also killed several hundred thousand people and done $600B in damage. And it only cost them 1.4M of their own people!

God, those numbers. It's incredible that the world tolerates this. Fucking nukes. They may not be a superpower, but they do have millions of men ready to be sacrificed at the altar of Putin's greater-Russia fantasy.

[u/bstiglets → u/nickiter]

The average life span of a Russian soldier deployed to Ukraine is 35 minutes. I gotta tell you, I’ve watched drone footage of soldiers being singled out and eliminated. Whenever the final image is of a Russian looking directly into the drone’s camera, it’s absolutely chilling.

[u/nickiter → u/bstiglets]

That's during an active frontline assault.

But yeah, the fighting in Ukraine has been incredibly bloody. Urban environments along with the advent of drones ... Slaughterhouses.

[u/bstiglets → u/nickiter]

You think Russia would have an understanding of the difficulties of asymmetrical warfare

[u/abombSFCA → u/nickiter]

1.4M??? Enlisted or casualties?

[u/Mushie101 → u/abombSFCA]

That number is Russians (and mercenaries from Africa, India and nth Korea ) that are either dead or severely wounded (like missing limbs and can no longer fight). If I recall correctly the estimate is 2/3 dead 1/3 wounded.

[u/GrimpenMar → u/Mushie101]

Russia dead:injured is worse than WW1 I understand. Drones and the grey zones make medical extraction more difficult. Ukraine puts the effort in, Russia does not.

[u/CarlRJ → u/Waveofspring]

Famously, other countries offered Zelenskyy evacuation from Ukraine (which they expected to fall in a few days), and he answered (paraphrasing) "I don't need a ride - I could use some ammo, though."

[u/AMDKilla → u/Waveofspring]

Ukraine only want their own territory back. They could push back into Russia and claim some extra. That may even need to happen before Putin will end the war

[u/SeeShark → u/Waveofspring]

In fairness, Ukraine is not some tiny country; it's 1/4 the size of Russia's population (or was, before the war and resulting refugee crisis), has the home field advantage, more motivated soldiers, and massive amounts of supplies compared to the size of its military. At worst, Russia is doing about as well as expected from a country its size.

You're right that it doesn't look like a superpower, though. It's just a normal huge country, with nukes.

[u/Waveofspring → u/SeeShark]

You give a good point. After all the US military (the most powerful contender) failed to secure Afghanistan after 20 years.

At the end of the day, war is complicated. The more powerful side doesn’t always win.

[u/SamsaraSlider → u/Waveofspring]

eg Vietnam War.

[u/CliftonForce → u/Waveofspring]

America expected Iran to surrender after the first day of bombing.

Similar outlook.

[u/Tinosdoggydaddy → u/Waveofspring]

4 years, 6 months, 11 days

[u/wolfonweed → u/Tricky-Sentence]

This is a quote from Sir Arther Travers Harris, Commander of the RAF Bomber Command.

Here's a bit more, for those with historic curiosity:

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."

[u/fiction8 → u/wolfonweed]

And that whirlwind was manifested in Operation Gomorrah, the bombing of Hamburg:

the attack during the last week of July 1943 created one of the largest firestorms raised by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces in World War II, killing an estimated 34,000 people in Hamburg, wounding 180,000 more, and destroying 60% of the city's houses.

Later Dresden in 1945 too.

Harris willingly gave this quote about his goals:

The aim of the Combined Bomber Offensive ... should be unambiguously stated [as] the destruction of German cities, the killing of German workers, and the disruption of civilised life throughout Germany ... the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories.

[u/AverellCZ → u/fiction8]

My father was 6, he almost died that night. Other family members were not so lucky. But the only people I blame are those who elected Hitler.

[u/Obi-wan_Rebel → u/AverellCZ]

I blame those who elected all Republicans (not just Trump) for all the crap the US is doing now. Some of those imbeciles are waking up. I hope enough of them are. Our November 2026 midterms are everything.

[u/Abject-Permission416 → u/wolfonweed]

The British bombed Berlin as early as August 1940, in retaliation for German bombing of London.

[u/KillBatman1921 → u/Tricky-Sentence]

I have some Hor-newz fo you

[u/KawaiiMaxine → u/KillBatman1921]

Hormuz nooz you can yooz

[u/gulliver_travel → u/KawaiiMaxine]

I miss Colbert so much.

[u/Eggslaws → u/fullchub]

> We didn't realize they could do to us exactly what we'd been doing to them for years

Russians were hitting civilians but Ukrainians are targeting Russian war chest and military infrastructure. It’s not the same!

[u/Adventurous_Bad6836 → u/fullchub]

"We only bomb children!" "Oil refinery is where I draw the line!"

[u/KakeLin → u/fullchub]

Cry harder, Russia. Such loser energy

[u/d4nks4uce]

Putin is such a little bitch

[u/oreo49 → u/d4nks4uce]

You forgot the word whiney

[u/406highlander]

Bully unprepared for being dick-kicked by his victim.

[u/Shot-Toe-2884 → u/406highlander]

A tale as old as time

[u/ThatsItImOverThis]

The first step is admitting it, Vladie. Second step should be out a window.

[u/resjudicata2 → u/ThatsItImOverThis]

The Prigozhin plane crash

[u/Dull-Culture-1523 → u/resjudicata2]

I still wonder what the hell they had on him. Unless he was honestly an idiot, he would've known there was zero chance he'd come out alive after rebelling like that and failing to make radical changes in leadership.

[u/Jokka42 → u/Dull-Culture-1523]

Imagine how dramatically different things would be today if they successfully dethroned Putin

[u/mortalomena → u/Dull-Culture-1523]

I remember they got his family members. Pretty dumb for Prigo to go on a rampage if his family was still in Russia...

[u/Sensitivevirmin → u/ThatsItImOverThis]

Can’t believe he fell out of the first floor window to his death the 6 bullet wounds to his back and both his eyes gouge out.

Russian bushes are scary didn’t know they could inflict such wounds.

[u/harijsme]

Is he ok? Admitting this doesnt sound like him.

[u/Weirdo9495 → u/harijsme]

He is obviously dishonest and this is just for internal consumption. He is saying that he did not expect Ukrainians would be so evil to bomb their oil facilities while Russia has been destroying their country. Think for a second how absurd that is. You can not possibly believe a man like Putin can have that level of naivety. Only Russians who like Putin do. With this, he is shifting responsibility from himself and his incompetence/evil to Ukraine and its "evil", and sadly, many Russians are braindead enough to buy it.

[u/Bromonster01 → u/Weirdo9495]

That sounds like a familiar premise… I wonder where I could have heard it before…

[u/PossibilityUsual6262 → u/harijsme]

He frames it as "Ukrainian terrorist attack our civilian infrastructure", the fact that they bombed all of Ukrainian one for 4 years, with specific campaigns to disable Ukrainian energy in three winters does not click in russian mind.

[u/JustChillFFS → u/harijsme]

Yeah there’s been a bunch of “Putin says” stuff coming out the last few days. Very odd and fishy.

[u/barktwiggs → u/JustChillFFS]

Dude has some token elections coming up so he's a bit more chatty than usual.

[u/CloudySpace → u/barktwiggs]

Elections :D

[u/UnagioLucio → u/CloudySpace]

"Elections"

[u/Twitch103rd → u/JustChillFFS]

Probably has a lot to do with that CIA visit recently and how Russia was treated at the G20 meeting.

[u/WorstCPANA → u/JustChillFFS]

They're getting beat up and the population is feeling it. It may be more strategic for Vlad, he may think that if he feeds Russians bullshit about how Ukraine are still the bad guys attacking civilian infrastructure, his mass mobilization after 'elections' may land easier on the population.

I would be sooooo curious to actually have a good understanding of how the average Russian (particularly in moscow) feels about the war.

[u/Rocktopod → u/harijsme]

If you read the full quote he's just trying to shame Ukraine for attacking "civilian infrastructure." He's not actually admitting to a mistake.

The "mistake" was supposedly in assuming that Ukraine was noble enough not to attack the oil refineries in the first place.

[u/xchoo]

Refineries and product-distribution warehouses are less of a "civilian infrastructure" than the hospitals, houses, shopping malls, churches, and schools Russia has been bombing since the start of the war. The hypocrisy with these guys is through the roof (and into the stratosphere)!

[u/Karli_Chirk]

“[We] assumed"

The editorial choice of [We] instead of [I have] is hillarious.

[u/SlogurkTheOverslime → u/Karli_Chirk]

Putin always speaks this way

It's always "I ordered" when it's a good thing and "we allowed" when it's a bad thing

It's been an obvious pattern since like 2003

He doesn't admit jack shit here

He simply throws his underlings under the bus again

His message is "Oh no, the evil boyars have misinformed the well-intended tsar"

[u/Lost_On_Lot]

Oh man. Sounds like you shouldn't have invaded Ukraine for no reason huh?

[u/abzemer]

Russia was feared by the West for many years because of their grand military parades and exercises. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the world saw that it was just a bunch of outdated military equipment piloted by a bunch of uncoordinated alcoholics.

The only reason it's still carrying on: they have tremendous resources and capital, and disposable soldiers they could keep losing.

[u/DodgerGreywing → u/abzemer]

indispensable soldiers they could keep losing

Dispensable soldiers. That's their whole modus operandi. Just throw soldiers at a wall until they stick.

[u/Remarkable_Level_200 → u/abzemer]

The only reason Russia is still standing is cause they have nukes otherwise NATO could have just came in and stopped the war in a week

[u/nightwyrm_zero → u/[deleted]]

Even in Israel's case, they're usually not defending against state-level actors with dedicated state-level industrial resources in an open war.

[u/Bolandball → u/[deleted]]

List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel in 2023 - Wikipedia

Over 4,000 missiles on Oct 7 alone. Over 10,500 total over October and November of that year.

[u/RheagarTargaryen → u/[deleted]]

U.S. has 2 massive oceans on either side. Guess it’s a good thing that we have 2 friendly neighbors bordering our country and not threatening to annex them… right? Right?

[u/MobiusOne_ISAF → u/RheagarTargaryen]

Even if they weren't friendly, it'd be really difficult to do much damage to the US without severely compromising their own positions. Pretty much everything relevant in Canada is within 100 miles of the US along a completely indefensible border. Mexico would similarly struggle, they have a better position defensively but trying to strike anything north of the Carolinas would be a struggle, and most of their industry is in the North right along the US border.

Not that I'm expecting this to ever actually come to effect, but the US has ridiculous defensive geography, to the point where it feels like cheating.

[u/Fit-Let8175]

Ukrainian schools? Fair game! Ukrainian daycares? Fair game! Ukrainian hospitals? Fair game! Ukrainian residentials? Fair game! Ukrainian anything? Fair game!

Russian oil refineries? OFF LIMITS!! Ukrainians fighting back? UNACCEPTABLE!!!

[u/Turbulent_Example967]

Long live Ukraine! Victory to Ukraine!!

[u/Potential-Roll8490 → u/Turbulent_Example967]

Slava!

[u/outerproduct]

We expected we could just shoot at them, not that they'd shoot back!

[u/TypicalUserN]

In war there are no rules...you just hope the other side doesn't realize it before you do. Putin preys on a society that holds standards while he holds...I dk whatever he thinks he holds.

I hope Ukraine continues..in fact I wish they had seized the moment and had scaled the attack much higher up. You only get one shot. Make it count.

[u/ChestnutDecay]

Omg, I didn't think the people we invaded and attacked would fight back this hard. /Sarcasm.

What an asshole.

[u/a_d_c]

Oh its because its not an armed conflict or a war, remember? Its a special military operation.

[u/MsSamm]

Putin by now is realizing he made an enormous mistake in invading Ukraine, but there's no face-saving way for him to end this. It's not in his nature to appear weak, nor is Russia a place where weakness is tolerated. He would appear vulnerable.

Ukraine is another Afghanistan for Russia.

[u/tomspy77]

Yes well you set it up this way by managing American elections to get a wanna be dictatorship, by making sure the USSR came back full swing and by being aggressive...you deserve what you get.

Sadly, much like America, Ukraine, and even Russia, so many innocents pay for your violent and aggressive nature.

Amazing my grandparents left Lithuania to come to America just to have the hands of Russia to reach out across distances long and short to continue to be the biggest aggressor in the world.

And pray that the US can oust this orange friend of Putin and North Korea as it will get worse if they can use the military they once said would protect the world to destroy it.

Humans never learn no one really wins in War or hatred.

[u/anders_hansson]

The main takeaway:

By the end of August, gasoline production covered only around 70% of domestic demand.

...

The worsening shortage has forced Russia to take an unprecedented step: importing gasoline by sea.

Russian authorities have begun bringing in fuel from India, Morocco and Turkey, while also increasing gasoline purchases from Belarus to record levels.

[u/Otter]

And does anyone remember the stated reasoning for the invasion in the first place? It was largely to bolster defenses against the "growing threat" of NATO. Dude. Ukraine could be a card-carrying member of NATO and Russia would be fine. Because...and hear me out here... No. One Wants. Russia. No invasion threat. From anyone. At all. Everyone bordering Russia is happy to either a) ignore them or b) straight up trade openly with them. This situation was so, so avoidable.

Now is the time to just pack up and go home. Work out some deal that provides safety assurances for the people in Donbas and then peace out. This isn't going to end well, otherwise.

[u/MrButte]

this little piggy went "we we we we" all the way home

[u/SummonBahamutZero]

Good thing Russia doesn’t value the life of its young men and has no problem throwing them into a meat grinder. Sure would suck for them to have to stop a pointless war that they started and never needed.

[u/MintyFresh771]

No shit that’s Russia. That’s the entire game. They’ve been pushing boundaries and forcing jet scrambles in Alaska since the 70’s at least. Always pressing, always taunting, and always 100% the victim if anyone reacts.

[u/xChoke1x]

This fucking idiot is closely approaching the day he gets to answer for this shit.

[u/Vulcant50]

More likely Russian leaders arrogantly assumed that Ukraine “could not” versus “would not”. 

Underestimating Ukraines ability and resolve and overestimating Russia’s seems the hallmark of this Russian instigated war/incursion.

[u/we_cant_stop_here]

Meanwhile Bessent is now blaming Ukraine for high oil prices. Looks like a coordinated push to stop Ukraine from doing one of the few things that really hurts Russia.

[u/sxyaustincpl → u/we_cant_stop_here]

It's a pretty weak argument, trying to blame Ukraine, when international sanctions limit who Russia can even sell oil to so much it's basically only Turkey and China.

[u/Jeff-IT]

They been unprepared for the entire war

[u/InternalCockroach126]

By international law it's not civilian its dual-use. You can actually strike them when requirements are fit. "Under Article 52(2) of Additional Protocol I, it becomes a military objective when both conditions are satisfied:

1. Because of its nature, location, purpose, or use, it makes an effective contribution to military action; and
2. Destroying, capturing, or neutralizing it, in the circumstances at that time, offers a definite military advantage.

That is, dual-use objects like oil refineries.

[u/ValuableRegular9684]

Guess someone should have reminded him of the Tyson quote, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”

[u/HeraldOfTheAnathema]

“The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them.”

[u/Gold-Bard-Hue]

I honestly hope they kick down the doors of the Kremlin and burn that shit to the ground.

Russia fucked around and found out.

After the war I hope Zelensky puts on a tan suit.

[u/Leutnantsteinxx1]

„Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday, Putin acknowledged that Russian authorities had assumed oil refineries would not be targeted because they were civilian facilities.

“[We] assumed that these were purely civilian facilities and could not be targets of any kind of attacks even amid an armed conflict,” Putin said. “But in this regard, we were mistaken. Our adversary, unfortunately, thinks differently.“

Yeah, how mean of them how could they possibly attack "civilian infrastructure"? Ukraine likely sees things differently in this armed "conflict." He is simply gaslighting the entire world, pretending that power plants, kindergartens, shopping malls, playgrounds, hospitals, and churches in Ukraine are high-risk military targets, while everything in Russia counts as civilian infrastructure.

[u/BetAlternative8397]

Stalin collectivized the rural Ukraine farms in the 1930’s. It was illegal to own farm equipment. The state would control planting and harvesting. Essentially, if you weren’t starving you were an enemy of the state because the state had created conditions that did not allow for survival. It is referred to by Ukrainians (and the rest of the world except Russia) as The Holodomor. Upwards of 5,000,000 people starved to death.

Behaviours like this is the essence of the Soviet soul. A rigid, spoiled hierarchy; a brainwashed class of followers; a crushing of any dissent and a sociopathic cruelty.

This is the crucible in which Putin and his minions were formed. They will not bargain in good faith … ever. They can only be controlled through fear. They must understand that every atrocity they commit will in turn be inflicted on them. Hitler was the same. Stalin was the same. Pol Pot was the same. Trump is the same. It is the hallmark of the tyrant.

[u/Lordbaldur]

They were unprepared for the entire war.

[u/Illustrious_Twist662]

You were surprised that they fought back? Jesus Christ dude...

[u/Ok_Interest_9006]

Screw you putin. You don’t get to have the war you want and not get the same tactics thrown back at you.
This would be a great time for the president of the United States to turn up the heat on Putin but I remind everyone what a weak punk Trump is. He would rather do Putins bidding because he’s a pathetic piece of garbage

[u/FingerCommon7093]

Keep hitting refineries until late October, then switch to pipelines. By mid November Ukraine should drop any major rail bridges in range. A frozen population may be the one thing to bring home to Russians that they all have military training & the Kremlin is lightly guarded

[u/evilgreenman]

Are we supposed to feel bad? Because we don't

[u/drmental69]

FP-7 and FP-9's still to come.

[u/Paolosmiteo]

How much longer are Russians going to tolerate this delusional, genocidal maniac? He’s killed thousands of his fellow countrymen for nothing.

It’s about time they opened a window for him.

[u/ken-doh]

So pull out and leave already.

[u/Available_Cookie732]

He is suche a funny guy and lost all relation to the reality. He can lie his Russians but not us Europeans.

Does any Russian believe his bullshit anymore?