Ukraine

They want to slash it.

Its better than those who want, and indeed, have slashed it but still want to send the troops into harms way.

Its better than those who want, and indeed, have slashed it but still want to send the troops into harms way.

I can name only one MP who proposed NATO troops in Ukraine before the invasion

I bet he has changed his mind now simply because the logistics of offensive are considerably different to defence and deterrence

So you name the posters on here or the MPs who are calling for NATO troops to deploy to Ukraine... Or are you just talking tripe?

So many people will die, and all for absolutely nothing.

Very much this. It’s disgusting that one persons ego will cause the deaths of thousands

I don’t wish a slow painful death on many people, but I’d make an exception for Putin.

**** borders - they're lines in the dirt.

Why can't these idiots just let people get on with their daily lives & stop being massive dicks.

I hate people.

Putin is looking and sounding ill, I'd say he's being driven by something we don't know yet and he simply doesn't care.

Or are you just talking tripe?

No you are just incapable of reading.

Over 50 deaths already being reported on German news. Feels very close to family and friends over there. My wife is very upset. Understandably so. 20th century German/Russian history is not the best. Her grandfather died in Stalingrad before her mother was even born.

Terrible, absolutely terrible. Those poor people. I am sure Putin is hoping for a Blitzkrieg style victory, with Ukrainian defences overwhelmed quickly. If the Ukrainians can hold on for a few days or weeks then their chances of avoiding this have to be improved.

Putin is looking and sounding ill, I’d say he’s being driven by something we don’t know yet and he simply doesn’t care.

I always thought in the past that his main problem was clearly his repressed homosexuality, but in watching the coverage of him over the last couple of weeks, he looks like an absolute madman. It doesn't look that theres much rational thinking going on.

Over 50 deaths already being reported on German news. Feels very close to family and friends over there. My wife is very upset. Understandably so. 20th century German/Russian history is not the best. Her grandfather died in Stalingrad before her mother was even born.

I'm sorry to read this Welshfarmer.

I am sure Putin is hoping for a Blitzkrieg style victory, with Ukrainian defences overwhelmed quickly

Even if they roll into Kyiv tomorrow this will be a blood bath for months. The Ukrainians aren’t going to take this lying down

I fully expect some kind of reprisals in way of ‘terrorist’ attacks in Moscow in near future

None of this matters to putin however. He has clearly lost his marbles, and is existing in a parallel universe.

On a side note, I find it somewhat ironic and utterly pathetic that a man so paranoid about his own health that he insisted on a ten meter gap between fellow world leaders due to covid, is so willing to sacrifice the lives of other with not a second thought. What an utter cxxx.

Russia can’t afford a long term occupation with soldiers going home in body bags. They wouldn’t stand for it now the way they did in the 80s.

There appears to be mobile cremation units following the advance to dispose of Russian bodies for plausible denial.

There appears to be mobile cremation units following the advance to dispose of Russian bodies for plausible denial.

Citation needed for that

It's hard to deny the existence of someone these days let alone the numbers that may die, how does he hide the wounded?

Citation needed for that

I saw a tweet (I think) suggesting the mobile Crematorium story, I'll see if I can dig it out. I'm not sure what to make of it, TBH.

Citation needed for that

I read the story on the Telegraph last night. Very bleak/disturbing.

Agreed though, I wonder if western propaganda..

The video associated with it, just grim. A truck that opens up and in they pop, evaporated

how does he hide the wounded?

It doesn't really bear thinking about, but it may be that wounded = dead, one way or another.

It’s hard to deny the existence of someone these days let alone the numbers that may die

Or handle the parents asking why their son hasnt written home recently? Its something which is far more likely to cause long term issues with the MIA. Just look at the USA MIA from Vietnam and how caused long term harm.

Now I could believe they have the cremation truck so the intelligence services can disappear any Ukranians who they have identified as possible insurgency leaders/advocates.

Time for Johnson to shine? Remind me what is that you cannot polish?

I am sure Putin is hoping for a Blitzkrieg style victory, with Ukrainian defences overwhelmed quickly

I'm pretty sure that will happen.
However, we saw that in Afghanistan, twice, Iraq, Chechnya
Winning the war is the easy bit, subjugating the people is quite another. And Ukraine is better armed and has a bigger military than Afghanistan or Chechnya, the resistance is likely to be better trained and more united than the Afghans were

In Soviet Russia turd polishes you.

It's grim.
Putin has had his life what's he got left 5 years?
And he is talking about nukes with the instant reprisal it can't be any thing else.
No way on earth the people of Russia want this but no replacement for Putin is going to be found he has it locked down.

so paranoid about his own health that he insisted on a ten meter gap between fellow world leaders due to covid, is so willing to sacrifice the lives of other with not a second thought.

There's a line from a Grace Paley story that always sticks with me - "Wars that men plan for their sons".

It's always those that are safely insulated from danger that are happy to sacrifice others - people younger and poorer than them - for their own ego trips.

My company would be forced to mothball and my friends could be without money.

Isn't part of the point of sanctions that it creates internal pressure on the government from it's own population?

Think he might not stop until a puppet regime is in place

I'm sure that's exactly what he has in mind. The Russian invasion of East Ukraine was in response to the ousting of the previous pro-Russian Ukraine leader.

Ukraine is better armed and has a bigger military than Afghanistan or Chechnya, the resistance is likely to be better trained and more united than the Afghans were

But they are out in the open, no mountains and caves to hide in.

True about the caves, but i am sure you would see a huge amount of SAM's appearing in ukraine that would cause the Russian air force a lot of issues

Slowoldman it was my point, others were saying that the sanctions will not affect the oligarchs but they will create internal pressure. Russia is more progressive now than in the near past and this invasion is a shock to a lot of Russians. My friend was sure just a few days ago that Putin was playing ‘Chess’ to get some concessions, I woke up to a WhatsApp message that said ‘I am shocked!!!’

Isn’t part of the point of sanctions that it creates internal pressure on the government from it’s own population?

Depends on the type but for a general trade embargo then yes. Its effectiveness though is somewhat debatable and may even be counterproductive since they then get to hand out that restricted item to their main followers.
Its a bit of a catch 22 since those sort of sanctions would work best against a country which has free and open elections where the government knows they will be out at the next election if the population get upset. However those countries are not that likely to need the sanctions in the first place. When applied to a dictator who is willing to murder opponents and never fails to get less than 99% each election it doesnt have such obvious benefits.

What a shitshow.

There's no winning this one. Putin is a madman, but he's a madman with nuclear weapons to keep the rest of the world at bay and near total control within his borders.

I doubt it'll be a push-over for Russia, they've got 130k personnel either in Ukraine or at the border, Ukraine has 245k personnel and at least based on their new reports they're handing weapons out to anyone who wants one for the fight and in theory millions of conscripts. It's going to be a horrible few months for everyone in that part of the world.

I just hope it doesn't spill into Hungary, technically even if a single shot is fired at that, Nato has to retaliate.

Only 4% of Russians believe that their country is responsible for the crisis

A sobering view of a drunken reality.

I doubt it’ll be a push-over for Russia, they’ve got 130k personnel either in Ukraine or at the border

...and a hell of a lot more currently not at the border.

I can't help thinking Ukraine is Putin's Sudetenland. Poland next?

they’re handing weapons out to anyone who wants one for the fight

One would assume they're supplied by NATO or "The West". If they are this could easily be another risk factor.

I can’t help thinking Ukraine is Putin’s Sudetenland. Poland next?

That is unthinkable really, Poland is a member of NATO, if Russia attacks Poland than the rest of NATO is bound to retaliate, and it's no good anyone saying "okay, we'll have a war, but we won't use the Nukes" because as soon as one side is on the brink of losing, the ICBMs will fly.

I see China is failing to condemn, which is no great surprise.

This made me smile though: the official advice to Chinese citizens in Ukraine.

China told its citizens in Ukraine to fly a Chinese flag to try to protect themselves.

Would be great if the entire Ukranian population posted Chinese flags in their windows and in public places. What would the Russians do?

That is unthinkable really,

Putin is unhinged.

Just tragic.

Poland is a member of NATO, if Russia attacks Poland than the rest of NATO is bound supposed to retaliate

As you say though, any retaliation effectively starts WW3, and no-one wants that. And Putin is pretty good at calling bluffs, isn't he?

Poland next?

Baltic States. Putin's seen Fawlty Towers.

And WW3's come closer than you may think in the past, and the saviours have been fairly unexpected...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11753050

As I said in earlier post wait for a few days. Wishful thinking of the world trying to talk Putin down by convincing themselves he would not attack. Now that Putin has attacked, the west can only sit and watch. Let's see how NATO and Ukraine's EU neighbours will react, but I guess not much other than arms supply for resistance.

NATO/EU will not react much if Putin only takes Ukraine because they are not prepared for a greater war. Ukraine is a "sacrificial lamb" so to say in order to avoid war.

If Western world do not think of their energy policy for future by relying on Russia, then when the next great war comes it will be a longer and harder war with at least a 10 year long hard war.

Weak leaders are weak.

It's like in the history where the civilised tried to convince and to talk down the Mongol invasion.

p/s: Seeing the "glorious" Russia, CCP will now be increasingly bold on their claim on Taiwan and SE Asia.

And WW3’s come closer than you may think in the past, and the saviours have been fairly unexpected…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11753050/blockquote >

Send him out to serenade Vlad into submission? You're Puti-ful? No?

 

**** borders – they’re lines in the dirt.

Why can’t these idiots just let people get on with their daily lives & stop being massive dicks.

Bravo sir. Best post I've seen on here for quite some time.

So what’s stopping Ukraine firing back at the Russians? Do they have the capabilities to hit back at any of their cities without nato support to do so?

Obviously that would only lead to further pointless loss of life, but on the flip side if there are Russians citizens having to relocate to air raid shelters then I’m sure putin would lose support very very quickly. Is this even a viable option for Ukraine?

As far as I can see the only way this goes away is if Putin goes away. We can’t just assassinate him, he needs to be ousted internally. He’s unhinged, illogical, and very dangerous

Just to add to the fun, China has 'invaded' Taiwanese Airspace with 9 military jets today, although from what I can tell, they do that quite a bit.

Who had WW3 after Covid in the seemingly never-ending series of shitshows since 9/11?

if there are Russians citizens having to relocate to air raid shelters then I’m sure putin would lose support very very quickly

You think? Putin would use that to boost support, I'm sure.

Obviously that would only lead to further pointless loss of life, but on the flip side if there are Russians citizens having to relocate to air raid shelters then I’m sure putin would lose support very very quickly.

I'm far from sure it would. Coventry, Hamburg, London, Cologne etc didn't topple governments.

**** me sideways, that mobile crematorium video is grim. Like something straight out of the darkest post apocalyptic fiction.

From Covid straight into this, with climate change, environmental degradation, and an ever increasing far right simmering in the background.

Bleak. I'm going for a ride to cheer myself up.