Thread by @JBelcourt73

OK guys, with things happening so quickly, I am not even going to try and keep up. Instead, I am going to go back in time from a few days to well over 2000 years in an attempt to show just how shambolic the Russian Army has become. So why is this flag important?

That is the divisional flag of the 150th Rifle Division. In 1945 that Division is the one who raised the Soviet banner over the Reichstag signifying the final defeat of Hitler and the fall of Berlin.

The unit has history even though it was only reformed in 2016. And here is where it gets interesting. Soldiers are always entitled to the battle honors they themselves earned, but any honors they earn also belong to the unit and become part of the unit mythos. The unit never

loses those battle honors*. Even if it is retired and the colors furled, if it is ever re-activated the previous battle honors are still there. There are some US battalion guidons (what we call unit flags in the US) that are almost hidden underneath all the battle streamers they

have. Unit flags are important, and the bigger the formation the more important they are specially if the unit has a storied past like say planting a flag in Hitler's ass. This is part of a tradition that goes back to before the Roman Empire. One of the first acts of Rome's first

emperor Agustus was to negoatiate with the Persians for Aquila (eagle standards) lost 33 years earlier by Crassus when he was defeated at Carrhae. Throughout all the time since up through at least the American Civil war the one time a soldier could throw down their weapon in the

face of the enemy and not only not be punished, but be considered a hero was if he then picked up either the unit or national colors to save them from the enemy. How many men have died trying to take or defend the colors is known only too God, but it will be huge. That piece of

cloth dipped in history, tradition and valor is worth mens lives. Yet Ukraine has one of the most storied unit flags of the Russian Federation. There are only 3 ways this happens at the divisional level. 1. The unit surrenders and the flag becomes a trophy. At one point, US Army

cadets at West Point went to church in a chapel that displayed the captured colors of British units that surrendered at Yorktown. @CasualArtyFan are they still there? This is the least dishonorable way for the colors to end up in enemy hands. The second way is for the unit to be

utterly destroyed in battle and no one was left to save the colors. I don't see any scorch marks on that Russian flag and modern war is full of fire and explosions so a cloth flag surviving a hot fight seems unlikely. Since there was no news about the unit surrendering and there

are no scorch marks that means it was likely captured because of option three. The unit broke and ran like cowards. Not just locally either, divisions are higher command units and the divisional command post should not be overrun unless the rest of the unit is gone. The Ukrainian

Army reached the divisional CP/trains faster than the CP/Trains could retreat. This is the stuff court martials are made of, but more importantly, it shows that the Russian soldier does not believe. Ask any of the officers you see on @MriyaReport @WarintheFuture, @general_ben,

@MelanieLake, @SpencerGuard, @JaysonGeroux or CJ what they think their soldiers would have done to save the colors? It's that big of a deal. No matter how dire the situation, scramble the radios, spike the guns and save the colors is still what would be expected of even the

lowest private. Also, have you seen any captured Ukrainian colors? I haven't. Anyone think the Ukrainians would abandon their flag and colors? I don't. They have valor and they believe in each other and in Ukraine. Note: did the Russians gain the Azov colors with the honorable

surrender at Azovstal or is it with another part of Azov? The only thing Ukraine has ever needed to beat the poorly trained mob the Russians call an army was the right kit. Thanks to our political leaders like @JohnBoozman, @SenTomCotton, and @RepFrenchHill they are getting that

kit. Thanks you to, the gaps in the aid provided is also getting filled via donations to charities like @MriyaAid and units like @georgian_legion. BTW speaking of #feedingthewolves, have you joined #NAFO yet? Do you part, make your donation and set to work combating Russian

dis-info. The other thing you can do is promote Ukrainian voices into the other spaces you inhabit. Many of them are also #fellas such as @Teoyaomiquu and @UkrainianIsHere so it is a twofer for me. So until all the Russian colors are captured: Slava Ukraini!

#russiaisateroriststate #genocide #genocideofUkrainians #Pedoputin @mfa_russia <--- What Belgorod doing?

* Units that disgrace themselves in battle are the one thing that can erase a units past battle honors. The 150th RD is forever disgraced unless "cough cough" it can somehow rally and perform some supremely epic act of martial prowess.

@threadreaderapp unroll please