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Comment by sedan_baklazhan | Hacker News Reader

Let me remind you of three things: 1) This weaker neighbor is aided and funded by a block of countries with a total population of 1b, 6 times that of Russia. 2) The same block is doing all it can to crash the Russian economy. 3) Nevertheless, this union of a weak neighbor + 1b block is steadily loosing land.

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> This weaker neighbor is aided and funded by a block of countries with a total population of 1b, 6 times that of Russia.

'Aided and funded' literally a fractional percent of their economies over five years.

> The same block is doing all it can to crash the Russian economy

I severely doubt about "all it can" part.

> Nevertheless, this union of a weak neighbor + 1b block is steadily loosing land.

Less than percent a year since 2023. This is a shockingly bad performance for a country to that considered themselves rival to China/Europe/US.

As to "+ 1b block" it's like that joke goes: "Russia v NATO war. Russian status: 1 mil casualties. NATO status: hasn't arrived yet."

Don’t feed the troll.

An easy way to dismiss an opinion you do not like. Why exactly are you calling me a troll?

Because your first comment is inflammatory, and wrong.

Ukraine is far from being a "weaker neighbor" – it's proven to have more of a backbone than all of NATO.

And that "loosing land" part which seems so compelling: those are strategic withdrawals, forcing russians to haemorrhage men and equipment for Pyrrhic advances. Right now, those advances are being reversed: AFU is making significant gains around Zaporizhzhia, and massing troops near Kharkiv for possibly another major offensive.

1. Ukraine is merely a manforce provider. NATO does everything else. 2. Loosing land is pure math. About 500 sq.km per month, often more. Ukrainian advances remain to be an illusion.

> Ukraine is merely a manforce provider. NATO does everything else.

So Soviet “heroes” were just a manforce and USSR was a manforce provider for lend lease, right?

Gaining land slower than the Germans were towards the end of ww1. Significantly slower.

So, the entire NATO is proud to loose land to Russia slowly?

NATO is not involved at all. If NATO got involved the conventional war in the Ukraine would be over in less than a year (and maybe a nuclear war would start …)

NATO is involved by both weapons and money. These are main things that let a war go on. Ukraine's role is a limited and minor one: providing manpower. (NATO also provides some manpower, BTW).

‘[weapons and money] these are the main things that let a war go.’ - your reply is not serious. Your reply did not include manpower as the main thing in war.

Manpower is no longer the main thing in war since invention of swords and shields. Money and weapons are crucial.

> Manpower is no longer the main thing in war since invention of swords and shields.

Must be true by how much “meat” Soviets and Chinese threw on their occupiers.

The fact that Russia's leadership has the same kind of borderline delusional take on Ukraine and its army is, ironically, a significant reason why Russia's army has been so hilariously bad on the battlefield against Ukrainians, considering the hugely lopsided advantage in resources. I'm all for it, keep it up!

Moreover, NATO is justified to do whatever it takes to keep Russia from auctioning its stockpile. That means protecting it from internal collapse, not winning too decisively, even benefitting Putin when necessary. With START falling apart, Russia lost a tool that was buying some time.

> Nevertheless, this union of a weak neighbor + 1b block is steadily loosing land.

Last I saw (this weekend), the union of Ukraine+friends, was losing land at about 50-75 metres a day. As well as bopping off 35,000 enemy combatants a month off the 2026 Christmas party list. And russia can't (or haven't) matched those losses with recruitment.

a single soldier, perhaps two, sent 20km into opposing territory (the advance, the territory gained) doesn't mean actually controlling the ground. Just ask Vlad.

If Russia looses 35000 a month, why does Ukraine: a) Loose land and cities constantly b) Mobilize people brutally on streets c) Keep its bordera closed for men

No, in such situation it should be reversed.

That's the type of stuff that happens when you're at war. Would you rather Ukraine fight this war with the intent to lose? Russia is fighting to win, why can't Ukraine?

So Russia has catastrophic losses yet there's no mobilization. Ukraine is said to loose very few men, yet they have to beat people on streets to mobilize them. Meanwhile, Russian borders are open.

Dude, I was always told that Russia could just roll to Berlin because of all the remaining might of the Soviet Union. I read books by authors like Tom Clancy that lionized Russian might.

And here we are in 2026. An inconsequential country like Ukraine only has to beat people up in the streets and close their borders for men and they can reduce the speed of the Russian bear to meters per day. Make sure all your nukes are working, cause clearly not much else is impressive in your military.

>only has to beat people up

Not just that. A 1b block has to supply it with a huge constant supply of weapons and money, and intelligence, and also some manpower as well.

Oh no, allies come to the aid of their allies! China, Iran, and North Korea are more than happy to supply your country, but they're not interested in doing it as loans and gifts. Funny how Russia's incapable of having true long-term allies. Like it's rotten or something.

You’re not even trying to troll properly, are you? Jesus, it takes like a second to find that Ukraine’s population pre war was ~40 mil, Russia’s population ~140 mil. Active personal in Ukraine was ~200k, in Russia ~900k. So ~3x population and ~4x military force. And that is ignoring weapon and turf superiority, huge advantage of first hit and the West dragging their feet.

Russian army is a complete joke. Russia is a raketeer with nukes.

I wish they were aided and funded properly - this war would have been over in 3 days had they been so, and not in Putin's favor.

They were aided and funded as much as the NATO block could and still can do that.

Not even close :) the US handed over equipment it was going to destroy. If the US put 20% into Ukraine as it did into Iraq the war would be over in Ukraine's favor

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