Russia - threadbanned users in OP

D'oh! Maybe it was her remark that she would not recognise Rostov and Voronezh as Russian Oblasts!

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-cites-truss-error-evidence-west-doesnt-understand-ukraine-conflict-2022-02-11/

Need calm heads today or there very well could be a limited nuclear exchange, possibly in form of emp rather than direct detonation.

But I'd say there would've heavy Thermobaric usage before that stage.

Were approaching a Cuban level crisis event, but not there yet. Despite Russian losses, they have not operated a scorthed earth or Grozny policy yet.

There is still hope for a solution.

Remarkably insightful understanding of the situation, especially considering they were made some 7 years ago.

John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science and Co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago

Sadly I don't share your optimism.

The EU has long been a talking shop where major players put their own interests ahead, they dithered about Yugoslavia, it took major cajoling to persuade some major countries to back cutting Russia out of SWIFT and bringing in very tough sanctions.

The Germans have been playing a FIFA and trying not to go too far to pi** off the bear because they are worried about how they get hit.

Hey you see those refugees fleeing into Poland, Moldova, Romania ?

Notice how it isn't primarily strapping young fellows but women, children and elderly.

Sunshine that is what real refugees look like.

Now away with you to find your best buddy so you can thank each other's posts.

Firstly he desperately needs land bridge into Crimea.

He wants to carve out industrial heartland of Donetsk/Donbas and make sure Ukraine is economically weaker.

And he wants the old Soviet Union back or at least make sure every leader in the area has to go to Moscow to get permission to do anything.

Yes but there's nothing wrong with trying to cut through the bull to find what actually happened.

Snake Island was a propaganda piece, as was the "Ghost of Kyiv". And I'm sure there will be many more. Pointing these facts out does not make me a "putinbot" no matter how hard certain posters might want to believe.

Because the former option would likely see them dying themselves and if not having to spend the rest of their days in a nuclear bunker in conditions that seem little different to life imprisonment. And that's assuming they are sociopaths who don't care about the billions of others who would be incinerated, including most of their loved ones. Only someone suicidal and/or insance would prefer that.

It doesn't put that much of a different spin on it, to me. The symbolism of telling the Russian warship to f itself is what people are latching onto, here.

It's like the so-called Ghost of Kyiv. Fairly certain it's either exaggerated, or just plain not true, but what a legend. I get chills every time I think about it. That's the kind of thing to rouse a people.

There's a time to pick propaganda apart, but I think it's after the dust has settled, not in the midst of the chaos.

I'd not be surprised if they carried out a nuclear test, underground or something. They need panic to help ensure victory and so far, thats not happening.

Four of my great-uncles fought in WW2 (one killed). My grandfather fought in WW1 and the Irish war of independence, and was wounded by a bullet to the head which he survived.

I don't know that generational experience of war really carries over. My guess is that we would all be much more restrained if we'd personally experienced real fighting and killing ourselves.

We all need our myths and legends. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode with Jebediah Springfield and Lisa's conundrum over whether she should reveal the truth about Springfield's founder. Episode probably hasn't aged that well though but I always saw it as a positive message. We need these myths to unite us, no more than when your very existence and way of life is under threat.

Yeah but you have gone out of your way to try hammer information specifically favourable to Ukraine.

Also even if the guys on the island were captured it doesn't take away from the fact that they were incredibly ballsy to tell a much larger force to go fook themselves.

Ukraine is out manned, outgunned, basically surrounded on two sides against an enemy that has one of the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons, being run by a despot threatening armagedon.

It is fooking David versus Goliath.

And you are the lad pi**ing on David's sling.