EU/NATO membership is secondary to Putin, it's the gas/natural resources he's after. It's an oligarchy, they don't really give a **** about the every day Russian, Ukranian or anyone else they send into the meat grinder. All they care about is making themselves richer. Regardless of EU membership talk, he'd still be invading Ukraine to take control of it's gas reserves unless they were able successfully install a puppet government to which the Oligarchs can just pillage the resources from the people of Ukraine.
At the end of the day, as always, it comes down to money. Ukraine asserting it's own independence means they make less money. It just so happens in this instance that they started to look west, I don't think it really matters. They could have started trade deals with Turkey and the same thing would have happened.
He's really, really thick. No doubt about it, Putin made sure the stupidest man in Belarus was in "power", I'd bet he has little to no say in how Belarus is run.
Preparing the economy is pointless if your army which you intend to use isnt equally prepared, your argument makes no sense.
Learn from the mistakes of this last few years, join Nato and don't talk about joining it and have troops at the border for protection.
I want you to give me a scenario in which dying now is beneficial.
Because on one hand ye are saying Russia can't stop Ukrainians from having their independence....and on the other hand, ye'r saying that once they surrender then the Pro Russian government will not be toppable.
This invasion is Russia's effort to remove the pro-EU leaders.
And yes you've made it clear that you'd rather live than stand up for what's right, but thankfully millions around the world throughout history have done the opposite, and we can thank those people for our prosperity and freedom.
He wants his promotion.
Watch the whole thing, its only 80 seconds. This interview happened on the 4th of February this year.
From BBC
Russia wants to declare former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych - ousted during anti-government protests in 2013-14 - as the new leader of Ukraine, the Ukrayinska Pravda news and analysis website has reported, quoting Ukrainian intelligence.
Yanukovych is now in Minsk, according to the Ukrainian website's source. He fled to Russia in 2014.
The Kremlin may be preparing a media operation or campaign to bring Yanukovych back to Ukraine, or publish an address from him to the Ukrainian people, the newspaper said.
The Foreign Office named former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev as a potential Kremlin candidate.
You do realize if they put a new russian puppet in place there will be no elections the Ukrainian military and police will be disbanded and Russian peacekeepers will be permanently based in Ukraine to protect Ukrainians from nato aggression,
Surrender is not an option
Ultimate irony if they shot down any Russian military aircraft with these
As diversionary tactics go, it would be a pretty sh*t one for the 21st century. It would not at all surprise me if Ukrainian commanders were pretty much getting an update every time NATO's eyes in the skies detected a significant movement of Russia's armour, trans, or air force.
If Ireland was invaded by a fascist government in a war of national extinction bent on conquest and you merrily packed your bags and left, content there's a safe haven somewhere, it wouldn't be long before that fascism caught up with you in your new home.
And presumably you'd want your new home to be defended by men with spines no? Or would you be chipper to live life like a gypsy being chased around by fascism?
Ultimately, democracies and liberties are backstopped by men with guts and guns in their hands willing to defend it if it came to the worst, particularly when fascism comes knocking. You went to bed last night ignorant of that.
What do you mean?
Surrender and dying fighting ultimately lead to the same result in the short term. But at least you are alive.
I want you to explain to me what the difference in the end result is between surrendering and dying now? They're not going to win the war with guns. The Russians will just bomb them into oblivion until they win.
You can fight for independence every day of your life...you can only die once.
I keep saying this on various threads, but the West is now full of fooking Quislings.
There is an intense hatred out there from some of ones own people or way of life.
Hell it is evident in our public representatives that actually voted against a motion in the EU parliament.
We have the gimps in the Dail who would rather do nothing than admit NATO and the US are the only things keeping a would be Stalin in check from invading the rest of Eastern Europe.
We have gotten very soft and for once the candle lit vigils, lighting buildings and famous infrastructure in coloured lights aint going to cut it.
As bizarre as it sounds, it seems there might be some truth to the Yanukovich part 😯
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-60582327?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=621f5fb00ce87e491a0edc45%26Russia%20wants%20to%20reinstate%20fugitive%20Ukrainian%20leader%20-%20report%262022-03-02T12%3A36%3A43.098Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:8870b1ae-31be-49ad-824c-50c22f7317a4&pinned_post_asset_id=621f5fb00ce87e491a0edc45&pinned_post_type=share
But the "peacekeepers" are much less numbers? Russia can't put 200k troops permanently in Ukraine.
So if Ukrainians can't overthrow the "peacekeepers", what chance have they against the current onslaught?
Refugees have left their countries before because of that. Many have come to Ireland. You're saying Ireland will be invaded soon?
Long live the White Death.
I guess if this was Was WW2, you'd be in France
I though Yanukovych was a Yeltsin-level drunk?
The man who is wanted by Interpol, had Ukrainian protesters murdered and stole countless millions from the state. Russia has been sheltering him since for this very purpose. Invade Ukraine, reinstall this guy.
That is hilarious, he comes accross as a little child and the guy interviewing him is absolutely in bits openly laughing at him. I bet many wish they could do that!
He'll be assassination within a week.
Basically what Michael Collins did.
Lived to fight another day.
The leaders have of 1916 surrendered but won the long war.
I think you're a pretty poor judge of who would and wouldn't fight considering you can't comprehend why the Ukrainians are fighting despite multiple posters explaining it.
That interviewer is great, he just breaks his hole laughing at him and Lukashenko keeps on going with the nuttiness.
Well if the Russians ever invade Europe more of Europe, we know who will be running down the streets waving a Russian flag, kissing the boots of the invaders.
No. A true puppet government would have called the Russians in to take over. I refer you to Belarus only last month.
But Ukraine has been looking to join NATO for 20 years and NATO has not accepted them, presumably out of concerns about antagonising Russia. And now the feckers have gone and invaded anyway. What are Ukraine and the West supposed to take away from that?
I imagine the Ukrainian people will have something to say back to him.
We all know plenty of people are cowards, buts it rare to see a poster be so proud of the fact.
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