I think people have a distorted view of what Putin is like. He is very intelligent and poised. He worked for the KGB in Berlin mostly as something inocuous, he wasn't some Soviet secret assassin
He's a common garden variety gangster and bully
I think it’s obvious he’s a very intelligent person, I mean, how many presidents have managed to gain power and convince the public to change the constitution to allow him to be president indefinitely..
but some of the things he does are sort of stupid. The Ukraine is one of them. Like saying “no we’re not invading”, like that’s pretty stupid. Cmon, you’re not there for a sun holiday guys.
i suspect it’s a classic case of knowing his quite intelligent, but thinking everyone else is not, so I can use my superior mind to trick your stupid mind.
I agree with the legacy argument.
Putin is most likely suffering from severe disease, some say Parkinson's but it could be any one of a number of neurodegenerative diseases.
With the West as weak as it is, this is the optimum opportunity to go out with a bang - to borrow another poster's phrase.
Would be very putin. Perish the thought he was remembered for dying with Parkinson’s or whatever. Wouldn’t be allowed.
I think Putin backed himself into a corner. Dont think he thought Europe and the US would give it back to him this time. Suppose thats what happens when you let a bully get away with things for years.
Not just them but some of the former Soviet countries have large Russian support. I've known quite a few Latvians for example and most of them described themselves as Russian.
He did a 4 hour press conference a few weeks ago.
Highly staged as he does every year
He's not the only one with nukes
That’s neither here nor there. The LAST thing we need is anyone launching Nukes.
He still did a 4 hour press conference
Totally agree ....
Maybe the removal of putin should be considered a necessary action to guarantee peace
Launching nukes is suicide, mutually assured destruction. Nobody is going to do it because their own country will be destroyed too.
Its a deterrent at this stage, nothing more.
People are not realizing that all of the Chinese millitary power is a phone call away for Putin if Russia comes under any threat whatsoever.
Fairly large Chinese population in Siberia oddly enough,
This thread is painful to read...
Anyway, Interesting article here on the current situation:
Putin has been very smart up to this point, however his relatively easy successes in Syria and Crimea has made him over confident . However invading Ukraine would be a catastrohpic mistake. If he switches off the gas,well he can only do that once, after that Europe would buy no more gas from him again. Yes he can use the threat of shutting off the gas but he can't really actually do it without damaging Russia almost as much
One can bitch all they like about the USA, but if it were not for them the headcase putin would already be in Ukraine and planning his next move
One can talk all the bollocks they like about Russia having the right to amass troops on their own border, but if your neighbour had a gun pointed across the wall into your kitchen window you wouldn't celebrate their right to do it unless you were a complete idiot
That's a great article.
Seems like NATO are showing a display of actual force after initial talk of purely sanctions. There's a US aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean under NATO command now. Aircraft and ships coming from other NATO countries too.
In to-day's press conference Russian ambassador Yuri Kilatov is reported by RTE as saying "there are no plans for Russia to attack Ukraine or anybody else". I wonder if any journalists had the wit or opportunity or courage or inclination to ask him a simple question: "In that case why is such an overwhelming force equipped for an attack camped on Ukraine's border?"
I reckon this wasn't a press conference as we would understand it (lots of Q and A), but a one-sided pronouncement. I just wonder will our fearless journalists treat this with the same critical attention as they do our own democratically elected politicians.
He is indeed very popular.
Pentagon has just put 8,500 troops in standby for deployment.....
Czech Minister for Defense saying, if asked, they will consider sending troops to Ukraine 👍️
While they're considering that, they may annex Germany and pay for a testicle implant.
Well this is certainly heating up.
Where could they even send them without resulting in a major international incident?
Could hardly drop them into Ukraine...?
8,500 US troops backed by tens of thousands of nato troops you can bet Poland and other Eastern Europe will be preparing to call up more forces
Remember putin had a treaty with Ukraine based on non aggression and friendship in return ukraine handed over its nuclear weapons ...
Several years later who invaded and annexed Crimea and currently occupating parts of Ukraine......
Vladi does like a good binding agreement
NATO needs to be cancelled if you ask me.Keep the yanks out of it and get Germany, France, UK, Poland and Russia to sit down and have a good old chat and try to sort this crap out, 2022 and all this **** is still going on.
Interesting article
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