Given that the Russian-Ukrainian War is a mixture of 3rd through 5th generation warfare and that any "information" out there can be used as a weapon, here is some "new stuff". Reports coming out the Donbas is that 5,000 Polish "mercenaries" are in front line AFU units. Most of these guys are deactivated or activated army guys, with the activated soldiers getting their time in Ukieland counted towards their service time. These guys can supposedly make up to $40,000 a month while in combat, with some "specialists" making even more. I suspect that the Polish government isn't paying these guys with their own tax-based funds but its going on the overall U.S. government credit card. Is 40k a month for a NATO trained, motivated warm body to fight the Rus a "deal" for our DC Swamp dwellers? Maybe, how much would the total cost be to deploy and support an fully acknowledged American solider?? And for the Poles they get to keep trying to avenge themselves on the ghost of Catherine the Great after 225 years and the 1939 dead Soviets for the Katyn Massacre after 80+ years...

They got to hold up those telephone wires somehow I guess.

Completely aside from the who started it and paying for it deal I for one can't blame the Poles, whether officially sanctioned or not, fighting Russians who try to go west. Just look at their history, that nation has been wiped off the map many times.

Yes, several times, with 1795 being Catherine the Great's turn for that then current "disappearance" of Poland as its own political country. Of course, Catherine didn't act on her own as Prussia and Austria-Hungary participated in the dismemberment from their sides of Poland-Lithuania.

Its funny how sacrosanct third decade 21st century borders are to 1945 borders. Much of current western Ukraine was Polish in 1939. In that year, the Ukie city of Lviv was the Polish city of Lvov. Much of current western Poland was part of Germany in 1939. The former German enclave of East Prussia is now part of both Poland and Russia. The main East Prussian city of Konigsberg (I can't put the 2 little dots over the "o" in that name) is now the Russian city of Kalinigrad. Modern Germans don't say much about any return of East Prussia to Germany and neither do the Poles or Russian offer to give up their post-1945 land expansion there.

I would say those borders are anything BUT 'sacrosanct'. Maybe I am misunderstanding your point

white17, you got my vibe. Some of these "contested" European countries have not had stable borders but now all the talking heads say they do. I would pray that border adjustments could be done through diplomacy, but it, as with war, are "politics" by other means.

George Washington wanted little to do with alliances or the European governments in the 1790s. He was a wise man...

Yup, centuries of villages and towns swapping around with whole populations being imported or deported based on language, religion or ethnic origin.
Heck, people forget that Germany wasn't a thing until the time of our Civil War.

I have been to Ukraine many times and have some great Ukrainian friends. I love visiting there. It is, however, a stupendously corrupt country. I know how business is done there. It was no surprise to me the corrupt and idiotic children of our leadership class were busily scooping up piles of cash in Ukraine(ie influence peddling). What surprised me was how naive the general public was about what was going on in Ukraine and how easily they have been fooled by our cynical media. It is a shame really. We run the risk of loving regular Ukrainian citizens to death.

Kansas Cat- I agree with you. The real losers so far in this dumb war is all the Ukrainian younger men folk who won't be coming home, and all those who love them that now (or will) have gaping holes in their hearts.

There are also the thousands of dead (a much smaller number but they still count) of Donbas "rebel" civilians and fighters who have perished since 2014. They been at war for 8 years, not just 7 months...

This has potential to explode.

"Ukrainian girls like foreign guys
Unfortunately, there are not so many single men in Ukraine who can become a good husband and a worthy father. Women are puzzled by the question of how to find men of their dreams and increasingly dream of marrying foreigners. Every Ukrainian woman wants to live in a beautiful and good country. They want stability and a bright future for themselves and children. They just want sincere and honest relationships without lies and falsehood. Ukrainian girlfriends want to know that they are loved. They want to trust their men. All this is real if a man is a foreigner. That is why they love them."

Hope them Polish guys can focus on their job.

Polands been in that position before better to stop Putin there then in their homelands no guarantee Russia would stop with just Ukraine.

I wonder how many American mercenaries are there also ?

40 grand a month probly on OUR dime.If I were in the American Military right now,,I would be wanting a bit of a raise.

Squash- Hard to tell. There have certainly been some in the "Ukie "Foreign Legion" brigade since early on but most of those I don't think directly sent by U.S. government.

What seems to be bubbling up is that there have been U.S. "trainers" on the ground in Ukraine for much of the time and probably since this summer when the AFU was building up its reserve and newly equipped units in the western part of the country for their late August/ September country-offenses, American officers "advising" them at at least the brigade and battalion level and perhaps down to company level. There is need for such officers because of the vast communication coming in from the "back offices" in NATO that is feeding the AFU near-real time intell from remote sensing imagery and signals intercepts. What people have to wrap their heads around is that the Ukies are not running their side of the war, its the NATO political and military commands. The Ukies are providing most of the warm bodies at the front but little overall war strategy at this point.

There are probably some Special Ops types of American units going on but its hard to tell. They don't do stand up duke-it-outs with Russian companies and battalions sized elements (we're not fighting Hajis anymore) but do specific infiltration and destruction missions where small numbers can get in and out of things. Supposedly, an American special ops team got whacked last week or so but the photos of those guys could have been Ukies or any Europeans, the black guy could have been UK or French but probably not an actual Ukrainian. Not many black folks living in Ukie land...

Jeez , Dirt I thought you were about to post an 800 number.

Yes, maybe some of us could get a mail order trapping partner ?

I enjoyed reading your little script/ story.