Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[littlebabyjesus]

Nixon didn’t start any wars…

Nixon sabotaged peace efforts in Vietnam in 1968 so that he could win an election. There have been few more evil fuckers than Nixon.

 

[Aladdin]

Literally no one outside Russia other than his cronies thinks this can possibly go well for him, even regardless of the current military situation. If he'd restricted himself to Donbas and Luhansk it might have been a different matter.

How is he going to react when he realises that he is not winning this?
How maniacal is he?
Is he "press the red button nuclear option" maniacal?

 

[teqniq]

Lots of tweets saying the UK government are refusing fresh visa applications from Ukrainians. Meanwhile please share this:

 

[The39thStep]

Swift is a distraction, countries need to stop buying their gas.

In WWI we kept selling grain to Germany because we thought getting their hard currency payments would help win the war more than starving them would.

The EU can’t do that until it negotiates alternative supplies in particularly for Germany. The EU have had a series of talks with Norway since the end of last year , more recently the US also made approaches as gas supplies were seen as both threat and an opportunity regarding Ukraine .

 

[TopCat]

I don't think cupid_stunt is ex-forces.

dads army

 

[TopCat]

What's your take on this situation? Armchair sneering while people are dying?

Fuck off

 

[dilute micro]

i don't know there's an obvious successor. frankly putin's going to leave something of a vacuum and in the face of a possible defeat or long-term involvement in ukraine you don't know who might step to the front next. Smokeandsteam said the best thing would be the russians topple putin. but that'd be step one of a civil war, i think. as it is i suspect there'll be unrest in the middle east and north africa and anywhere else that relies on food imports from ukraine. and that might take on a momentum of its own. the one thing that's certain is that the effects of what's happened so far are going to play out far and wide over years more likely than months.

I worry about how quickly and easily this can blow up particularly from a naval standpoint. Over the cold war there were challenges, collisions, and instances where it is said the cold war went hot but was kept hush. I don't think anything will be kept quiet now. I'm convinced Putin isn't stable. He could miscalculate and we have a ship firing on a ship or submarine.

 

[Idris2002]

Just seen a thing claiming that Kazakhstan has said "nyet" to Putin's request for troops.

The fact that he has to ask at all should be a welcome sign of desperation.

 

[Pickman's model]

Just seen a thing claiming that Kazakhstan has said "nyet" to Putin's request for troops.

The fact that he has to ask at all should be a welcome sign of desperation.

Or an attempt to get someone else in the world's bad books

 

[TopCat]

All this pro west gung ho bullshit is quite telling.

 

[Idris2002]

All this pro west gung ho bullshit is quite telling.

Bit early to be blitzing the voddy, tovarisch.

 

[LDC]

It'd be really great if people could keep their egos and personal gripes at each other off this fucking thread please thanks.

 

[Idris2002]

It'd be really great if people could keep their egos and personal gripes at each other off this fucking thread please thanks.

It's all in a spirit of fun - right, TopCat?

 

[N_igma]

 

[NoXion]

All this pro west gung ho bullshit is quite telling.

Seems pretty obvious that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict.

 

[Pickman's model]

It'd be really great if people could keep their egos and personal gripes at each other off this fucking thread please thanks.

As soon ask the tide to come and go as you command

 

[Pickman's model]

Seems pretty obvious that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict.

It may well be. But that doesn't make nato right.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

How about linking to an article that actually says what you've said there?

My stance on this is to keep an open mind for now. Because coincidences happen, cover stories happen, mistakes can happen when improving resilience, and BA is an obvious target. I cannot be expected to determine which of those things is at the heart of the matter at this stage.

So, you're basing your opinion on unsubstantiated views but demand “links” to to unshackle yourself from them. Do you see the issue with that?

 

[Pickman's model]

So, you're basing your opinion on unsubstantiated views but demand “links” to to unshackle yourself from them. Do you see the issue with that?

So you have no evidence then

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Seems pretty obvious that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict.

Of course it is. Just as it was obvious that the US, UK and chums were the aggressors in Iraq in 2003. But opposing that action didn't mean you stood with Putin, who also opposed it. It's possible to totally condemn Russia's actions and remain critical/skeptical of 'the West's' response.

 

[weepiper]

Ukraine conflict: Scotland stands ready to offer refuge

The Scottish government says it will play its part in any resettlement programme for Ukrainians fleeing war.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[elbows]

Literally no one outside Russia other than his cronies thinks this can possibly go well for him, even regardless of the current military situation. If he'd restricted himself to Donbas and Luhansk it might have been a different matter.

I doubt that literally nobody thinks that.

But sure, there are a number of potential strategic gains that could be seized as a result of any failure of Russias war with Ukraine.

A couple of them are discussed in this sort of cold, calculated and opportunistic article:

Putin’s Invasion Could Be a Strategic Opportunity

There are two ways Washington could exploit this window.

foreignpolicy.com

 

[agricola]

It may well be. But that doesn't make nato right.

It doesn't, and I'd hope that (if the Russians are looking for a way out that doesn't over humiliate* them) something that can be agreed which respects the concerns they obviously have with the concerns of the states surrounding them about being attacked. Perhaps some form of grouping could be put together comprising the surrounding states (Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, maybe even Russia itself) who would not be in NATO but who would have some form of mutual defence agreement with them; sort of an alliance between alliances.

Obviously that relies on Putin (and NATO) not acting in bad faith but it might allow things to calm down again, and create something which wouldn't be a mere hegemony of the kind they keep trying to set up.

* as in more than their own actions have humiliated them

 

[steveo87]

 

[The39thStep]

Of course it is. Just as it was obvious that the US, UK and chums were the aggressors in Iraq in 2003. But opposing that action didn't mean you stood with Putin, who also opposed it. It's possible to totally condemn Russia's actions and remain critical/skeptical of 'the West's' response.

Not just possible its absolutely necessary

 

[Rimbaud]

I doubt that literally nobody thinks that.

But sure, there are a number of potential strategic gains that could be seized as a result of any failure of Russias war with Ukraine.

A couple of them are discussed in this sort of cold, calculated and opportunistic article:

Putin’s Invasion Could Be a Strategic Opportunity

There are two ways Washington could exploit this window.

foreignpolicy.com

Behind a pay wall, could you give a summary?

 

[Idris2002]

Seems pretty obvious that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict.

AW GEE, DO YOU RECKON?

 

[gosub]

Behind a pay wall, could you give a summary?

Welcome to nginx!

 

[Bingoman]

Sky news now reporting Chechen fighters are in the Ukraine helping the Russians

 

[cupid_stunt]

According to the Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Turkey has agreed to stop Russian warships passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

The screws seem to be turning almost hourly.