Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[IC3D]

Putin is an admirer of Gorbachev who lamented the loss of Ukraine. I'm sure he wants minimal casualties for propoganda purposes.
Knocking out power, preventing food supplies and besieging Kiev while maintaining a 'humanitarian' corridor on the cards?

 

[Pickman's model]

He's also Paddington Bear

being as vladimir putin has only provided the voice for sir henry simmerson in sharpe and captain hook i think we can see which side history's going to be on

 

[discokermit]

he has also been hiding his money offshore for ten years, Pandora Papers: Ukraine leader seeks to justify offshore accounts

 

[two sheds]

I'm not really keen on the rhetoric from the US and particularly Britain (what the fuck are we going to contribute in the scheme of things apart from trying to make Johnson look Churchillian?).

I agree with all the sanctions and impressed that countries have sent arms to Ukrain and imposed no-fly zones. It's just the invective, like Starmer calling Russia the "enemy" early on annoyed me (not that Putin would ever hear it or take notice). The speak softly and carry a big stick approach seems the way to me - Putin needs a way to get out of this without losing face.

But there again I've been wrong all the way through

 

[kebabking]

In putins mind this is more a war of liberation than aggression

Definitely. My concern is that so far they've not shown that it will be possible to win while conducting 'limited/civilised' warfare, and I think that if Russia tries to physically take Kyiv with this flood of western anti-armour weapons in the hands of both the Army and more dispersed militias (post collapse perhaps?) it will be a bloodbath for the Russians.

He's then going to face a choice - either walk away with the cities relatively intact, or flatten them with the huge amounts of air power and artillery that he has at his disposal, but hasn't used so far.

 

[IC3D]

he has also been hiding his money offshore for ten years, Pandora Papers: Ukraine leader seeks to justify offshore accounts

To protect it from pro russian forces. Must be paranoid eh

 

[discokermit]

To protect it from pro russian forces. Must be paranoid eh

In 2012?

 

[Petcha]

Probably been posted but I heard on the beeb this morning that the Ukrainian president, besides having been a stand up comic in years past, also won their version of Strictly and was the Ukrainian voice of Paddington Bear.

Oh and he's also holding off a fairly big army in his downtime.

 

[Artaxerxes]

In 2012?

Ukraine has been unstable as shit for at least a decade because of Russia.

Not going to condone him keeping anything offshore but it’s also a very rare politician indeed who doesn’t have an offshore account where funds “rest”

 

[discokermit]

lol.

 

[ska invita]

i'm not talking about a different kind of military action to what we're already seeing, i'm talking about more ordinary people, not army members, taking up arms and fighting back directly

against carpet bombing? im not sure this is very good life coaching advice

 

[A380]

It's a thoughtful subject.

1209 to 0130. The crayoning ‘hour’…

 

[Pickman's model]

In 2012?

merely prescient

 

[Artaxerxes]

In 2012?

Never guess where Putin keeps his cash

 

[Flavour]

against carpet bombing? im not sure this is very good life coaching advice

good job i'm not giving life coaching advice but just commenting on what i think the potential reaction to russian escalation would be, isn't it?

 

[Pickman's model]

Ukraine has been unstable as shit for at least a decade because of Russia.

Not going to condone him keeping anything offshore but it’s also a very rare politician indeed who doesn’t have an offshore account where funds “rest”

tbh i think that's bollocks. i'm by no means a fan of politicians but i'm sure most of them manage to keep their corruption modest and in onshore accounts.

 

[ska invita]

Probably been posted but I heard on the beeb this morning that the Ukrainian president, besides having been a stand up comic in years past, also won their version of Strictly and was the Ukrainian voice of Paddington Bear.
Oh and he's also holding off a fairly big army in his downtime.

Ive also heard he loves his mum, has rescued three puppies and his favourite colour is green

 

[JimW]

Nothing says democracy is working like a Strictly winner president and boxing champ mayor. Beats an ex-spook at least though.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

All at the behest of the west, whose economic and political strategists encouraged the wholesale theft of the Russian/ex-Soviet economy. Which ultimately gave rise to Putin.
Too many on here talk as though Putin came from nowhere, and is just another baddie, to be eliminated as we advance to whatever (unattainable) 'good society' is in their silly little heads.

Putin was on the political and power grift way before then.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

Nothing says democracy is working like a Strictly winner president and boxing champ mayor. Beats an ex-spook at least though.

Better than Bullingdon wankers.

 

[killer b]

It's a bit weird that a popular celebrity leveraging his fame to launch a new career in politics seems to be a cause for celebration in the case of Zelensky, rather than a symptom of a totally broken political system.

 

[nogojones]

he has also been hiding his money offshore for ten years, Pandora Papers: Ukraine leader seeks to justify offshore accounts

I just wouldn't expect this sort of behaviour from a senior politician.

 

[agricola]

It's a bit weird that a popular celebrity leveraging his fame to launch a new career in politics seems to be a cause for celebration in the case of Zelensky, rather than a symptom of a totally broken political system.

Not sure it does, so much as it shows almost anyone can be better than the political class types (as Corbs showed).

 

[platinumsage]

It's a bit weird that a popular celebrity leveraging his fame to launch a new career in politics seems to be a cause for celebration in the case of Zelensky, rather than a symptom of a totally broken political system.

Why is it a symptom of a totally broken political system? Plenty of actors have normal successful careers in politics. Do you think a system is less broken if they all do PPE at Oxford?

 

[bimble]

Retired actors and reality tv stars have been getting to be president of places for ages it’s nothing new or surprising.

 

[Artaxerxes]

It's a bit weird that a popular celebrity leveraging his fame to launch a new career in politics seems to be a cause for celebration in the case of Zelensky, rather than a symptom of a totally broken political system.

Bet he doesn’t put ketchup on steak

 

[Artaxerxes]

Why is it a symptom of a totally broken political system? Plenty of actors have normal successful careers in politics. Do you think a system is less broken if they all do PPE at Oxford?

Ronald Reagan was a star once.

 

[strung out]

Ronald Reagan was a star once.

So was Arnold Schwarzenegger before he went into politics.

 

[bluescreen]

Pakistan has a cricket star. And wasn't there some other bloke who'd been a reality TV star that became president somewhere?

 

[killer b]

Why is it a symptom of a totally broken political system? Plenty of actors have normal successful careers in politics. Do you think a system is less broken if they all do PPE at Oxford?

Do you think that an actor who played the president in a popular comedy show then running for President and winning, while naming his political party after the popular comedy show isn't a symptom of something gone awry?