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All of this, the invasion, the economic impact, the sanctions, the oil and gas, the violation of sovereignty, the lives that will be lost, the potential worldwide impact of a war...
..the most popular article on BBC news is about a dancer who is leaving Strictly Come Dancing.
..the most popular article on BBC news is about a dancer who is leaving Strictly Come Dancing.
Well there's sod-all we can do about Russia - but the writing was on the wall for Oti as soon as she switched sides to ITV! 🙂
Newsthump are on form today
Boris Johnson to sanction Russia by only letting them launder money on weekdays
Vladimir Putin declares Chelsea an independent protectorate of Russia
😂
After all the bluster it's clear they intend to do nothing. I said on this thread a while back this was a stitch-up between Putin and the west. It seems to me that's what's happening. Russia gets more territory/power, the west gets to look virtuous in the face of 'evil'. The interests of Ukraine don't even come into it. It's probably a safe bet that NS2 will be approved in a couple of years time when the dust has settled.
and some smaller banks.
From Wikipedia;
On December 26, 2006, the board of directors of Rossiya Bank elected its new Management Committee consisting of Dmitry Lebedev (Head, Director General), Alexander Germanov, Konstantin Gorbachyov, Faniya Kabalina, Mikhail Klishin, Alexander Markin and Boris Tikhonenko.
I hate to agree with you Daz, but I bet the Johnson, for one, is thanking Vlad for the distraction from the other uncomfortable stuff, so he can indulge in a bit of macho posturing and sabre-rattling without needing to follow it up by actually doing anything
Sanctions on powerful individuals is an interesting idea.
Tell you what it's really nice having a variety of voices in this thread now! It got a bit much when it was one or two peeps picking fights with anyone who dared to contribute
Some russian bank shares rise after sanctions announcement - and some other interesting comment
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/shares-russias-largest-banks-sber-vtb-rebound-sanction-reports-2022-02-22/
The sanctions will have limited effect until the major banks and oligarchs such as Deripaska are targeted.
Seems to me it would be logical and sensible for all countries intending to impose sanctions to act in a fully co-ordinated way; they may be doing so but I'm not convinced.
The UK could align with existing US sanctions in addition to imposing it's own unilaterally.
Cyprus is well known for granting citizenship to oligarchs and facilitating the laundering of dirty money; apply pressure to the cypriot govs - both greek and turkish.
Even if the military aspects are contained the economic impacts are likely to be significant and widespread.
Will sanctions cause putin to re-think or will he react by saying...sod it, full scale invasion coming up?
There's no happy ending here - unless Putin dies suddenly and soon and is replaced by someone more benign and less belligerent but I'm not aware there is an annointed one to replace him.
From Wikipedia;
On December 26, 2006, the board of directors of Rossiya Bank elected its new Management Committee consisting of Dmitry Lebedev (Head, Director General), Alexander Germanov, Konstantin Gorbachyov, Faniya Kabalina, Mikhail Klishin, Alexander Markin and Boris Tikhonenko.
Do you think for a minute that Putin hasn't priced this in?
Will sanctions cause putin to re-think or will he react by saying…sod it, full scale invasion coming up?
I think the whole point now is that absolutely nobody can even attempt to second guess what he'll do next. There was an expert on Russian politics on Channel 4 news the other night who compared Putin to Hitler* in his bunker. He's now completely paranoid (just look at his Covid social distancing thing), totally detached from any kind of reality, sees enemies everywhere and listens to absolutely nobody.
Did that mad display yesterday look like the behaviour of anyone sane?
*sorry for invoking Godwins law
unless Putin dies suddenly and soon
If that happens, and assuming it's not them, russian generals will assume he's been assasinated by the west. Probably not a scenario worth entertaining 😳.
There was an expert on Russian politics on Channel 4 news the other night who compared Putin to Hitler* in his bunker
I'd rather that than Hitler in the beer halls, I think... ??
As the US, UK and other countries have spent so much talking about sanctioning organisations and individuals Putin and others have time to move assets and take other steps to mitigate effects of possible sanctions.
It's what any other despot/dictator would do.
Do you think for a minute that Putin hasn’t priced this in?
Yeah probably, but the point is, this bank is an obvious first step, It's essential for Russia's wholesale electricity market and where Putin's cronies get their money from (commisions). I don't think Johnson's list goes far enough either
My worry is that everyone is overestimating Putin's Machiavellian mastery, talking about his plans and strategy like he is a chess master at the top of his game. He now looks to me like he is in physical and mental decline, and that is a much bigger problem, an increasingly weak and paranoid dictator losing control of his own mind and lashing out to prove his power.
I think it's fair to say that now he has a taste for it he's unlikely to stop
shermer - fair point but, more importantly, there's no serious opposition to him and the sanctions won't leave him destitute so from his perspective...why not?
Do Ukraine have the capability to drop some bombs on the Kremlin?
Do Ukraine have the capability to drop some bombs on the Kremlin?
Yeah that'll work. I see the armchair generals are back. 🙄
Not yet, but they're expecting a delivery tomorrow
If that happens, and assuming it’s not them, russian generals will assume he’s been assasinated by the west. Probably not a scenario worth entertaining 😳.
It's not either or. Putin being taken out by interests within Russia, and then those responsible for that action blaming the "West" (more likely to blame one of the "buffer states" than the USA, IMHO, as pretext for a winnable territory war to cement their position as the new "strong" leader), is a very believable scenario. I know that it's necessary to separate out "Putin" from "Russia", but the result of him shaping how Russia is governed so completely and totally is that anyone replacing him through force is likely to want to rule in a very similar way. He's set a template that he has structurally embedded for his own purposes, but which also means we're unlikely to see a huge positive change if he is removed.
Johnsons sanction package look weak
Doesn't touch some of Putins favourite oligarchs, including abramaovich or Johnsons biggest donors.
Joke
EU taking tougher stance
https://twitter.com/nicktolhurst/status/1496179361577373706?t=GQoN8c62YOPGsGafMMDmZw&s=19
Yeah probably, but the point is, this bank is an obvious first step, It’s essential for Russia’s wholesale electricity market and where Putin’s cronies get their money from (commisions). I don’t think Johnson’s list goes far enough either
Well that's the problem , isn't it? Johnson's list probably won't hurt enough to change Putin's behaviour, which rather undermines the point of sanctions.
Do Ukraine have the capability to drop some bombs on the Kremlin?
They have no ballistic missiles. I don't know about cruise missiles.
Their airforce could, but the Rissian airforce is stronger as is, I suspect, the Russian Air defence system.
I suspect that if the invasion of the rest of the country goes ahead the retaliation on Russian soil will have to take a similar form to that used by the Chechens, mass hostage taking for example, much easier to achieve.
.
What would bombing the Kremlin actually achieve?
The Ukrainians will not bomb the Kremlin any more than NATO will invade Russia and Putin knows this. I was wondering what he was up to until I saw that speech. Now we know what he’s up to - the man’s a fruit loop - lost the plot. Whatever happens now will end badly I fear.
What would bombing the Kremlin actually achieve?
A Kremlin Crumble.. or positively better an Eton Mess..?
What would bombing the Kremlin actually achieve?
I just wanted to know how much of an appetite there would be in Moscow if they were also on the receiving end of some bombs.
I also wanted to know if the Russians took their bombs back after the wall fell.
Now we know what he’s up to – the man’s a fruit loop – lost the plot. Whatever happens now will end badly I fear.
A deeply paranoid man that wants an empire and has surrounded himself with yes men after eliminating any dissenting voices is what I see.
So yes, no good outcomes i cam can envisage as being realistic.
A deeply paranoid man that wants an empire
Maybe he’s just bored and wants something to do? Poor bloke’s been holed up on his own in an austere palace for past two years. It would drive anyone mad.
Hed be less lonely if he had a sensible length table
I also wanted to know if the Russians took their bombs back after the wall fell.
Yes, they did.
I just wanted to know how much of an appetite there would be in Moscow if they were also on the receiving end of some bombs.
I would imagine he would retaliate by nuking the shit out of the Ukraine. That’ll learn em
Can't help but think poor Zelensky is thinking he didn't sign up for this shit. One minute he's playing at being the president in a tv sitcom, next he's being threatened in real life by the Russian Gangster-in-chief. It can't be a comfortable place to be. He's probably asking his scriptwriters what to do, and probably has a plane on standby to whisk him to exile in the US.
Maybe he’s just bored and wants something to do? Poor bloke’s been holed up on his own in an austere palace for past two years. It would drive anyone mad
Maybe you could have a word and tell him that you can actually spend the entire night getting leathered and talking bollocks in the pub, sat next to someone who tests positive for Covid the following morning, and you still won’t need the long tables because you didn’t get it 😂
Ukraine does have ship launched cruise missile capability & military strength of 200,000 with 900,000 reserves.
No doubt Russia could take Ukraine,but not without a lot of bloodshed and holding it would be nigh impossible against an unwilling population.
His biggest problem is that taking Ukraine puts him right on NATOs border, which is exactly what he wants to avoid in Ukraine.
Maybe he’s just bored and wants something to do?
Sort of, but there’s more to it than that
Maybe if Putin finally came out and went for a night out down Canal Street, he’d be a bit less aggressive.
I’ve never seen a man pining more to indulge his true desire for a night singing ABBA on the karaoke at Cruz, then some cock
If rumours are to be believed, denizens of manc nightlife might be a little old for him.
If Instagram Liz’s moody lighting and strategically placed Union Jack doesn’t have Putin getting those troops running back across the border then god only knows what will
https://twitter.com/trussliz/status/1496139083588022282?s=21
Or maybe the fact that it’s mid afternoon, broad daylight and she’s got the curtains drawn and the light on might make them question her mental faculties, so probably no need to bother
Can’t help but think poor Zelensky is thinking he didn’t sign up for this shit. One minute he’s playing at being the president in a tv sitcom, next he’s being threatened in real life by the Russian Gangster-in-chief. It can’t be a comfortable place to be.
How many Ukrainians do you think are comfortable right now?
He’s probably asking his scriptwriters what to do,
I doubt it, he has a lot of very serious professional advisors who believe in Ukraine
and probably has a plane on standby to whisk him to exile in the US.
Nope, I expect he'll hold out to the end, he's not part of that political elite who can fund living in exile and I think that he's daft enough to stay because he believes in Ukraine
Or maybe the fact that it’s mid afternoon, broad daylight and she’s got the curtains drawn and the light on might make them question her mental faculties,
No, that's the photographer we are paying very well to take these
Maybe he/she should have drawn the curtains fully to maintain the charade that it isn’t a completely farcical set up photo op
I’d like to think it’s been done deliberately. Like one of those poor designers who have to design stuff for the muppet ‘candidates’ on the Apprentice
Truss is holding that pen in her fist the same way my 5 year old niece does.