It's a different world to you and I they live in. They are also probably so used to Putin posturing etc that it's a bit of boy who cried wolf.
Putin is having a "security congress" at the moment, the outcome of which seems to be the inevitable recognition of the DNR and LNR as independent states.
By all accounts it's completely bonkers.
Live feed below. I say "live", but it has been pointed out by a few eagle eyed observers that the watch of the defence minister Shoigu is five hours behind. 😀
😂
That was the most extraordinary thing I have ever witnessed in my life when it comes to international relations.
What just happened will be recorded in the annals of time. Absolutely astonishing stuff. Putin has essentially handed Ukraine an ultimatum and broadcast it around the world on television.
He has ensured that all of the top brass are implicated in the decision for better or for worse. If they hang for their crimes, they will all hang together.
We are on the verge of war, unless Putin capitulates in a stunning manner.
we can now rule out the paranoia of a despot as a reason for this war as the whole of the Kremlin is implicated
What struck me was how terrified some of the officials looked. I think it's likely Putin is on a bit of a solo run here, which makes the whole thing even more terrifying.
The clear divergence between Putin and Sergeĭ Lavrov in particular is extremely ominous. He has traditionally been Putin's closest confidant on foreign affairs. I wouldn't be surprised if he is purged in short order after their fairly public divergence of opinion.
A bunch of apparatchiks who will spout whatever they're told to.
I wonder if we will get any of chaps who have been vehemently defending Russia and Putin on here to comment on that Security Congress. Be some craic reading their attempts to twist it into having a pop at Biden and the USA.
In all seriousness, that was surreal.
Some of the guys who spoke, especially Sergey Naryshkin, looked like hostages, or what the victims of Stalin's Great Purges must have looked like as they incriminated themselves for things they hadn't done.
The body language of the politburo was largely that of "this guy has gone crazy".
The key here is that Putin won't just be recognising the DNR/LNR with the borders as they are now, he will be recognising the whole of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts as part of the DNR/LNR, and over half of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are Ukrainian held territory.
You'd have to wonder though, if the russians can sustain a protracted war. The really need to blitz Ukraine fast. Like how will he maintain support in his population and his own army with a protracted occupation of Ukraine. I'm sure they are brainwashed but at some point the obvious reality will shine through, that they are oppressing people just like themselves for no benefit.
There is only so much control of information that a tyrant can maintain. Russians are aware of the west, the lifestyle, the disparity in wealth etc. It's got to wear on their resolve to attack Ukrainians, who they apparently see as brothers and sisters.
jesus christ dun laighaoire rathdown has been a problem constituency for a while but i didnt think that it was ready for invasion just yet
What is the reason that it has taken Putin's Russia nearly 8 years to formally recognise the DNR? I would have thought that'd be the kind of thing they'd be right in on, and declare a kangaroo referendum soon after, much like what happened in Crimea.
There has been a growing belief in some circles in polish politicians that there is a power struggle going on in putins inner group.
Putin definitely put all his cards on the table now.
Not only has he call out his inner circle but the west as well.
I think Belarus will be the catalyst if there is any unrest, they almost had a full scale revolution last year. I very much doubt they want a war with the Ukrainians, and they're the staging ground for it too.
When Markets open in New York on Tuesday, there will be bedlam.
Jesus wept what did I just watch.
Putin needs to be removed ,this won't stop at ukraine
could this be the new ukraine in orange by the end of this?
25-74% is a huge range.
Border post bombing debunked
The real power of nuclear weapons is the fear they create. They don't have to be detonated to get results. Besides, nuclear wars are a disaster for everyone, not because of MAD, but because they would bring down the world economy. Anarchy would follow for all countries, including the one that pushed the button.
Wonder is there danger of that which is why this is all happening in the first place
Exactly, Europe could be in peril… Putin has lost it, that’s if he ever had it to begin with. Which is fair to predict he probably didn’t and doesn’t…
a fûckin global pandemic and then on the verge of WWIII, Even Hollywood wouldn’t come up with this kind of caper, unbelievable…
He previously warned the former Soviet states he had unfinished business with them
True but words and actions and all of that.
Putin was hugging Lukashenko yet Lavrov was consigned to the other end of a table 15 yards away last week.
Your man naryshkin currently changing his underpants that was awkward/scary to watch
So.. next steps. 1) Russia recognises LPR and DPR. 2) LPR and DPR call Moscow, and ask for peacekeeping forces to counter Ukrainian aggression. ?
It's just a couple of pages back in this thread. Like watching Hitler hosting an event where his politicians are forced to agree with him
Had a long chat there with some Russian colleagues. They say people back in Russia are either apathetic or completely brainwashed, that everything has been reframed to portray Ukraine as a calculating, aggressive state. That many believe fake reports that there are over 100,000 Ukrainians ready to invade Donbas at any moment, and that Russia is merely trying to protect the separatists from that aggression.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e406667f1106b31a9de61e5105cdb60f.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wb.vanillicon.com/v2/b1a8522b26abe4367117071263a70671.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/eaabbaf8a16773590ee22dd6c15f1d68.svg)
