this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025

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173

US Pilots trained to fight Russia will soon help protect Putin (www.newsweek.com)

submitted 6 hours ago by heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[–] shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works 93 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

It would be sweet if at least one military person would have some fucking balls and do some good in this timeline

[–] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 53 points 6 hours ago

These are inherently complex machines in harsh environments, accidents and malfunctions have occurred before.

[–] omgboom@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 hours ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragging

[+] keyhoh@piefed.social -13 points 6 hours ago (6 children)

Are you suggesting someone starts WW3 by shooting Putin down? Because that's what would happen. While I don't like the US or Russia, I don't think their citizens deserve to die as collateral damage from the nuclear blasts. These leaders and their government lackeys need to go, but the only safe way to have them offed (for the rest of the world) is through rebellious uprising by their own citizens.

[–] omgboom@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

He's suggesting that someone should do what's called a "pro gamer move"

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

In Minecraft

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 10 points 4 hours ago

A fighter pilot could make a terrible mistake and collide with the wing of his plane, causing a structural failure of the wing and the plane to plummet to the ground, the only survivor of the tragedy being the fighter pilot, who managed to eject from his stricken aircraft before it crashed in a fireball in the wilderness below.

Just one possibility.

[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 21 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Are you suggesting someone starts WW3 by shooting Putin down? Because that's what would happen.

Would it though? If you cut the head off the snake, will (can?) the body keep following its orders?

It'd definitely be chaos and there's a good chance there would be some war. But I'm not so sure how much of that would be retaliation against the US vs an in-fighting power grab within Russia.

[–] keyhoh@piefed.social 11 points 5 hours ago (4 children)

I think you need to look at it more in depth. Would there be a power struggle? Yes, most assuredly, but not instantaneously. But if it were the other way around, and Russia lopped off Trump's head, do you really think Maga wouldn't retaliate and would instead fight over the presidency first? It'd be simultaneous, as those with their fingers on the bombs would use them to show they deserve the role of leader through force.

[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

In your scenario Vance would be the successor and MAGA would use the war to further their agenda. Kinda straightforward.

I'm unfamiliar with Russia's succession rules but Putin has been consolidating power and murdering anyone with potential to be his successor for decades. I could see how that would destabilize Russia more than the US.

Plus the Russian war machine ia not doing great in Ukraine. Doubt they could threaten western Europe or the US in any meaningful capacity. Nukes are always an option

[–] keyhoh@piefed.social 1 points 1 hour ago

War isn't fought toe-to-toe anymore. It's done remotely. Yes the Russian military is garbage now. But if even 3% of their nukes successfully land, the casualties would be in the tens of millions, if not hundreds.

Russia may be inept, but the threat of their nukes is not to be underestimated. I severely doubt the Russians that follow Putin would say thank you and leave it at that. Power vacuums create worse conditions than the conditions under the tyrants. It would get much worse before it ever got better.

[–] rovingnothing29@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Do the Russian buttons even work? I've been convinced they don't since My of 2022.

[–] CrimsonMishaps@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Tacking onto to that. I’ve read that historically things get worse not better in a power vacuum after a supreme leader’s death. As Putin isn’t going to relinquish power prior to his demise and he has such total control over Russia, it’s going to get worse not better once he’s gone. I can’t imagine there’s a secret pro-democracy figure in the cabal that can wrest control of the military and state to transform Russia in the next era. It’s likely that the next leader is more antagonistic towards the west as they try to consolidate power and quell domestic unrest by asserting that “external forces” are oppressing Russia. Regime change is going to be destabilizing and dangerous.

[–] keyhoh@piefed.social 4 points 1 hour ago

I'm glad there's one person with sense in this thread. Who would've thought my least popular comment in the Fediverse would be calling for caution over starting WW3?

These idiots here can forfeit their own lives if they want, but don't forfeit my little girl's life because you're too lazy to open a psychology and a history book. You don't assassinate world leaders on foreign soil and get away with it, scot free.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Don’t get our hopes up

[–] Deathgl0be@lemmy.world 9 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

These Russians have been bluffing since the Cold War. There fucking cowards getting there asses kicked by people with pitch forks. The only power they have is ability to create propaganda and bots against foreign countries.

[+] keyhoh@piefed.social -7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

If that were true the rest of the world would have swooped in and caused a regime change. Look at Ukraine. Do you really think Russia is powerless? If so, please enlist as a mercenary for the Ukrainians if you're so sure Russia'll be disposed of with pitchforks.

[–] Deathgl0be@lemmy.world 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

We saw them getting there asses kicked by elderly people with tractors when this war started. And the entire world doesn’t care because if they did we wouldn’t have this going on and people of Palestine wouldn’t have to suffer from genocide.

[–] keyhoh@piefed.social -3 points 3 hours ago

Every military had it's losses. Is America powerless because it couldn't win the wars in the Middle East? Or on drugs? Or in Vietnam?

Remember when Putin supplanted the military uprising a couple years ago? I understand where you're coming from and want to see Russia, as it is, end. But calling for mutually assured destruction is such a poor choice when there are solutions that don't risk the start of WW3 to explore first.

[–] shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works 16 points 6 hours ago

I'm suggesting someone gets two birds stoned at once

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Kinda sounds like they’d be ending ww3 before it even started

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 5 hours ago

Woooh! America is great again! All right, everybody! Let’s all take Friday off because everything is awesome now. /s

[–] tal@lemmy.today 20 points 6 hours ago

I suspect that this isn't the first time. Probably escorts were also used for the occasional visits during the Cold War.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 8 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

I assume this is a clickbait headline and this is just for diplomatic immunity?

Edit: I meant more generally the idea that heads of state are usually given extra safety/privacy considerations when on foreign soil, etc. etc.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 9 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

diplomatic immunity is something else. it's that diplomats aren't bound to know all of the laws of the country they are residing in. for example, if i'm a diplomat for the US, and i make a right turn on red in Prince Edward Island while conducting official business, i may be pulled over, but not ticketed.

what's happening here is military protection escorts as is done for all heads of state visiting another country. especially in this case since they will be flying over international waters and Putin is a wanted war criminal

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 3 points 4 hours ago

That's what I meant. More broadly the idea that heads and representatives of state get have their safety more protected.