AC,

According to Russian sources, Russia has been able to destroy nearly 80 HIMARS systems which are nearly double what has been provided to Ukraine. And in spite of this 18 Russian bases/ ammo dumps were hit by HIMARS yesterday alone and there is zero evidence of even one destroyed HIMARS system. The clue should be in the Bulgarian article which claims the destruction of a HIMARS installation considering that the whole purpose of the system is that it is not installed anywhere. The chances are that the railway station was just another civilian target.

Articles suggest that the next batch of HIMARS rockets from Raytheon will come with a range of 100 miles or 150km bringing much of occupied Crimea into range.

Hi Armchair Critic,

I refer to many sources in my research.
I don't cite all of them in my posts.
I cite the ones that I feel are suitable.
And in this case I preferred a BBC editor's
take stationed in Moscow on Putin's annual
speech rather than giving more of Putin's
propaganda. Obviously that's difficult for
you to understand. You prefer the propaganda
and have the cheek to call me a liar - when
anyone can access Putin's speech for themselves
on the web for themselves.

In any case few of us are buying the bulldust that
you and Putin are trying to sell. And if you think I'm
a liar - I'm not going to stoop to your level and
tell you what that makes you.

AC wrote: "I've never been to Russia, so you would know far more about things than me and maybe you can help me understand things more."

That you have no understanding of the Russian people is clear, given many of the views you've expressed here.

But you had admonished Foxy's ignorance and urged her to ...

"....consider a holiday in St. Petersburg.
Go and meet the people, talk to them.
Do yourself the favour of getting a wide range of opinions."

Yet you base all your views on highly filtered views put out by a selection of your favoured You-Tubers. That was really the point behind my post.

This conceit that one can get a complete overview via partisan snippets of propaganda really is the path to disappointment.

BTW, don't consider a visit to St Petersburg just now. Westerners really are not particularly welcome at the moment. My several friends there have urged me to stay away for a while, although I did make a visit to the Russian far-east in October.

Hi mhaze,

If my body holds out - as I've said time and time
again - I would one day like to visit not only St Petersburg
but many other places as well and walk in the footsteps
of my Russian ancestors. My maternal gran was Russian and I
grew up very much with Russian culture.

Hey mhaze,
"Yet you base all your views on highly filtered views put out by a selection of your favoured You-Tubers."
I may not have been there, but most of them have been.

One of my Western YouTube content creators lives in St Petersberg.
http://youtu.be/c7iW9kckpTQ
- I never say anything without a basis of merit.

"Westerners really are not particularly welcome at the moment."
I guess that's not all that surprising, all things considered.
I do respect your opinion, you'd clearly have more insight about such things than I would.
But I still don't see how this changes the basis of my arguments in regards to my distain for western foreign policy, neoconservative wars, western sanctions as a form of collective punishment and US orchestrated regime changes.

I'll tell you what is impressive though.
- That Russians rebuilt 5 story apartment buildings in the middle of a war in 61 days.
These people could show us how to fix our housing problems.

The Mayor of Mariupol - Rebuilding A Destroyed And Devastated City.
http://youtu.be/MuGKzZ_FzS8?t=240

Just some further information here;
The YouTube content creator who lives in St Petersberg, is present in the above meeting with the Mayor of Mariupol, and the Russian interpreter is the same person mentioned in the earlier linked videos about 'a liberal anti-war protester' who went to Donbass.

In Donetsk With Masha Lelyanova, Our Russian Interpreter
http://youtu.be/Xm0n2xID754

I took a LIBERAL, ANTI WAR Protester to see the truth in Donbass, and THIS Happened!
http://youtu.be/0OysQ7yQl_o

At least I actually watch what is happening there as opposed to Western Ukrainian Govt sourced views,
- and of reporters who have largely ignored the situation there for the last 8+ years, and who won't go there.