Questions tagged [armed-conflict]
Questions about a conflict or conflicts either inside a country (commonly known as civil war) or between 2 or more countries (more commonly known as war)
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What were the avoidable strategic mistakes that led to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine?
It is said that conflicts can be avoided by dialogue or dissuasion. I am deeply regretful of the severe and worsening conflict in Europe. I can't help to wonder what steps should have been taken to ...
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Are there military arguments why Russia would blow up the Kakhovka dam?
There is a similar question here asking why Ukraine would blow up the dam. Russia, however, controlled the dam and could have blown it up to slowdown the Ukrainian counteroffensive, that was planned ...
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Are there military arguments why Ukraine would blow up the Kakhovka dam?
Today the Dniepro river dam at Kakhovka was breached. It is not obvious which side is responsible. While the Ukrainina side blames the Russians, the Russian side, obviously, blames the Ukrainians. So ...
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Is there any evidence suggesting or refuting that Russian officials knowingly lied that Russia was not going to attack Ukraine?
Before the Russian full-scale attack on Ukraine, a number of Russian officials made statements to assuage fears of an imminent invasion:
Washington — Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly ...
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Which pro-Russian movements or parties are still left in unoccupied Ukraine?
I once saw on Telegram a Pro-Russian group called Law and Order or something.
I am asking if are there still some Pro-Russian groups left in unoccupied Ukraine.
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Based on International law, to what extent can Ukraine take aggressive military action within the territory of Russia?
I wonder, based on international law, if Ukraine takes aggressive military action in the territory of Russia, such as occupying some cities of Russia (I am not considering Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea ...
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Why does Russia see NATO as an aggressor when the Istanbul document signed by Russia grants each participant the right to chose its allies separately?
The Istanbul document was a declaration signed in 1999 by Russia and Ukraine. Its legal character is similar to that of the Declaration of Human rights.
It contains the following paragraph:
We ...
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What can be the reasons or advantages for Russia's candid admission of their own fighter dropping ordnance over Belgorod instead of blaming Ukraine?
Today, a report came up about a Russian attack aircraft dropping ordnance over Belgorod, causing a crater 40m wide in one of the central streets of the city. Some reports indicate that this was an ...
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What is the role of the U.S. Marines under contemporary joint warfare doctrine?
Is the U.S. Marine Corps, as a separate branch, largely a historical artifact, or does it fulfill a distinct purpose within the context of modern joint warfare doctrine?
Please note, this is not ...
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What is the rationale of shooting toxic shells in an area that was meant to be liberated?
The UK authorities confirmed that they will provide depleted uranium shells to the Ukraininan forces.
As usual to divert the attention from the metal toxicity they pointed out the low radioactivity. ...
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Why is the US under Biden so strongly supporting Ukraine in the war?
Why is the US supporting Ukraine so massively?
Hardly a week goes by without some kind of aid package from the US to Ukraine. Clearly, the support is designed to continue the war and the extent of the ...
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Why is the ICC focusing on the transfer of war orphans to Russia rather than Russia's much more obvious crimes in Ukraine?
As per the official press release by the ICC:
Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful ...
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Did Russia communicate President Vladimir Putin's planned Mariupol visit to Ukraine for deconfliction purposes?
When US President Biden visited Kiev, it is thought that Russia was made aware of the visit ahead of time for purposes of deconfliction - for example to avoid a Russian attack on Kiev while unaware ...
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Why didn’t the USA government ask USA companies to take action against India’s neutral stance on the Russo-Ukrainian War? [closed]
The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing conflict that began in 2014. India appears to have changed its stance on the war. According to Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement in the Upper House of ...
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How do Realists explain US intervention in the Korean War?
Many sources argue that President Harry Truman went into Korea to prevent the conquest of an independent nation by the communist North. His motivations stemmed from the urge to resist the advancing ...
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Does it make sense from a pro-Ukrainian perspective to sabotage Nord Stream?
Some unnamed US intelligence officials cited by the New York Times suggest that a pro-Ukrainian group may be involved in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines.
But at the time of the explosions,...
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What is the motivation for the merceneries to join Prigozhin's Wagner PMC? [closed]
I read that Wagner PMC recruits criminals from Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine. They pay as high as US$ 14000/month.
However, they have no or minimal training in combat and are practically being ...
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Why did Ukraine abstain from the UNHRC vote on China?
After reading the answers to this question, I noticed something odd: Ukraine appears to have abstained in the recent vote over China's policy towards the Uyghurs.
However, given the context of the ...
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What percentage of the population of Ukraine support the war? [duplicate]
Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 cannot leave the country and have to defend themself against Russian aggression.
Are there any reliable numbers as to how much of the population actually supports the ...
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Did the US and allies ever apologize for their invasion of Iraq?
In reference to Did Soviet Union ever apologize for its alliance with Germany before 1941?
We all know that the US and its coalition has invaded Iraq in 2003. They have toppled a government which was ...
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What is Russia's stated military strategy in Ukraine as of early 2023?
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. After a short initial phase of the invasion, in which Russia's forces advanced quickly but did not take stable control of a lot of area and gradually met stiff ...
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How common is it for wars of aggression to end without a counter-invasion to the territory of the aggressor?
The situation I am asking about arises when an aggressor attacks a country, occupies parts of its territory, but then the side under attack manages to mount a defense and drive the aggressor back to ...
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As of January 2023, and short of overt war, what retaliatory steps Russia could take against Ukraine's Western allies?
Ukraine has various Western allies who support the Ukrainian war effort for different reasons. Russia sees this support more and more as direct participation in the war. It appears that if Russia ...
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What conditions need to be met in order to determine that we are in World War 3? [closed]
For the past year, everyone has had an opinion on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Some say it is a regional conflict, while others say that the invasion can be considered the start of World War III. NATO ...
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What are the legal and political consequences of exporting arms to a third-party country without the manufacturer country consent?
Poland has signalled that they may provide Ukraine with Leopard tanks even without Germany consent? What are legal and political consequences to Poland should they do it?
What if some other country ...
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What percentage of available manpower can a developed state afford to lose before they they experience a collapse in strategic cohesion? [closed]
Please be careful about mentioning real life examples as they tend to distract from the question. Historical examples of states reaching their manpower limits would be useful though.
There's a lot to ...
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Why is sending so few tanks to Ukraine considered significant?
It is reported that thousands of tanks are currently being used in the Ukraine War. To help Ukraine, Britain is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks and America is sending a few (50) Bradley infantry ...
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What's the official status of the DPR (and LPR) militias under the laws of the Russian Federation?
Interestingly, TASS still posts news about the feats of the DPR militia, e.g. there's one dated Jan 10, and it seems to be from 2023 (as it references M777 howitzers, which Ukraine didn't have last ...
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How does the US benefit from waging wars?
It is often argued that the USA is constantly at war because the military industrial complex benefits from it in terms of public employment, and the moguls profit billions of dollars.
However, I don't ...
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Did "Novorossiya" have a de facto control over its declared territory between 2014 and 2015?
Did the self-proclaimed "Novorossiya" have control over the territory it claimed during the time it existed (22 May 2014 to 20 May 2015)?
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Why are European countries increasing their defense budgets if they are members of a nuclear-armed NATO?
Mirror question to Why would Russia care about NATO troops on its borders if it has nuclear weapons?
Naively one would think that Russia should not worry about NATO because they have nuclear weapons. ...
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How much has Russia paid Ukraine for gas transiting through Ukraine to Europe in 2022?
How much has Russia paid Ukraine, in non-Ruble currency, for the gas transiting through Ukraine to EU in 2022?
How were the transfers accomplished? SWIFT?
Which entity was debited, and which entity ...
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Which countries are affected by Russia's decree banning oil sales to them?
Vladimir Putin bans Russian oil exports to countries that imposed price cap over Ukraine war
President Vladimir Putin has delivered Russia's long-awaited response to a Western price cap, signing off ...
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How can we estimate the real support of continued resistance among Ukrainian citizens?
Inspired by the question How can we estimate the real support of the war among Russian citizens? and discussion therein.
Is there an estimate how many Ukrainians (on Ukrainian-controlled territory, ...
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How can we estimate the real support of the war among Russian citizens?
I've read that up to 70% of Russian citizens support an ongoing invasion to some extent. But these numbers were coming from government-affiliated organizations (VCIOM etc.); I think one can't really ...
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Is Bakhmut an important city in the Ukraine war, and if so, why?
Russia and Ukraine have been fighting over it for over 4 months. Is there a reason why the city seems to be considered important for the war? I heard analysts say that the city only has a symbolic ...
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What is the argument made by Gregor Gysi against the delivery of weapons by Germany to Ukraine?
In a TV debate the prominent left wing politician Gregor Gysi made the following argument. (Translated)
Interviewer: You didn't change your opinion on weapons delivery to Ukraine? You are still ...
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How does the indignation of the Russo-Ukrainian War compare to the Iraq War?
I was only born in 2001. I know London and DC had enormous protests, but none of the details. So eyewitness accounts are great but I need historical data too.
With the triumph of YouTube I can follow ...
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What are the signs (news reports etc.) which suggest that another clash between China and India is a real possibility in the coming years?
See the following Article on a widely read Indian Newspaper website (It can be translated in English using google):
China is targeting India, not Taiwan - Dainik Bhaskar
Also, this (behind paywall): ...
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Why doesn't Turkey trigger NATO article 5 in response to the Istanbul bombings?
Turkey recently launched Operation Claw-Sword against Kurdish separatists that they say are responsible for the Istanbul bombing on 13 November. It is a solo operation however. Why doesn't Turkey ...
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What effects can the nuclear attack on a non-nuclear country have on the deterrence and nonproliferation?
The media occasionally mentions the possibility of the Russian Federation using a tactical nuclear bomb in Ukraine. The last and only case like that was back in August 1945, and after the Soviet Union ...
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Why does Ukraine hurry to reject the possibility of the rocket missile that hit Poland being part of its air defense missile strikes?
A missile hit eastern Poland during Russia's mass strike. As this seems to be the first time when a missile hits NATO territory, this created a lot of reactions ranging from more cerebral to ...
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Does the US government consider a prolonged war in Ukraine as a geopolitical advantage for the US against Russia?
According to Washington Post, the US government is asking Ukraine to be more open to negotiations with the current Russian regime:
The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders ...
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When can "civilian, including commercial, infrastructure elements in outer space" be legitimate military targets?
The following quote of the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Konstantin Vorontsov found in Fox News' October 27, 2022 Russia threatens to target Western commercial satellites like Elon Musk's ...
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Has there been a judicial review of NATO's target selection in their bombing campaign against Serbia?
My question stems from the NATO campaign in Serbia in the 90s, a campaign that resulted in the bombing of marketplaces and hospitals, and in the destabilisation of the power grid.
I could not find any ...
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Are power plants legitimate military targets under international law?
I've seen clips and articles stating that recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants amount to "War Crimes". This seems right to me but I couldn't find any resource explicitly ...
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Russia re-integration into the West possible? [closed]
After the Russo-Ukrainian war ends, what is the probability for Russia, or territories from former Russia, to re-integrate with the West (e.g. pre-Russian Revolution) and what steps would be necessary ...
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Iranian drones in Ukraine, Chinese parts, and sanctions
I heard that Russia uses Iranian drones, Shahed-136. I wonder if it doesn't have any Chinese parts and if so, does it affect sanctions on China?
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Why does the "Tanks for Ukraine" discussion focus on the Leopard 2?
It may simply be my media bubble but it seems that the discussion on providing main battle tanks to the Ukraine focuses strongly, almost entirely, on the German Leopard 2. Why is that?
Now I ...
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What is behind Ukraine's unwavering stance regarding the outcome of the war [closed]
With the exception of March when Ukraine wasn't so sure it could fend off what seemed like a relentless Russian advance and was thus willing to make quite a few concessions, its position regarding the ...
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