Newsnight also thought that it would be the west that would close the gas pipeline if the images from Ukraine got too horrific. Tbh I think it makes sense if we're really aiming to crash his regime asap to stop sending him hundreds of millions of euro per day to pay his murdering armies.
I wonder did they get some form of guarantee from Beijing to protect them from Putin's wrath. I'd be checking my underpants for novichok if I were the Kazakh leader.
Not surprised Kazakhstan politely declined to commit troops. I'm guessing they didn't want to be hit with these sanctions too.
Great program alright. Good analysis about China's view. That British general Dannat on Newsnight thought the Russians simply wouldn't be able to take Kyiv and that China would probably step in to mediate.
As were you….
But you’re the expert all of a sudden!??
Lets bookmark this and come back in a week!!!?
What is the out for Russia here? They have sanctions as long as your arm, they've been chucked out of every sport going, nobody can deliver goods to Russia, nobody will be able to travel by plane in or out in a few weeks as there is nothing to maintain the planes.
Do they think that taking Ukraine, installing their government, "leaving" and then everything will be back to normal again?
They can't even open the stock market. Does he think the stock market will be ok next week? If he cuts gas to Europe, it's March, the months will get warmer. We can hold out for another 7-8 months.
At what point does Vlad think they'll be allowed back into Sport? That companies will start delivering to Russia again. That Europe will allow flights from Russian territory again. He has burned his bridge.
And if he thinks the war ends when the Cities eventually fall, he has another thing coming. There are hundreds of thousands of weapons now in the hands of Ukrainians. Pissed off Ukrainians. The place will be ungovernable. Whoever becomes president will be assassination. Whoever is the chosen Pro Russian-Mayor of a city will be assassination. If the police work for the Russians, they'll be assassinated. When the war dies down and the Russians have to "peace-keep" this massive country, they'll be picked off on patrols. The best he can hope for is Northern Ireland in the 70-80s.
You were over in the Covid threads for the past couple of years trying to pass yourself off as an expert on all all things Covid! Now you're over here trying to pass yourself off as an expert on all things Russia when in reality you haven't a fecking clue.
I suspect the Russian Middle Classes aspire to the same decadence which the soft Westerners are accused of having succumbed to.
Lack of access to name brands will sting.
By those stats the number dieing was going down every year. Going from 486 in 2017 to 74 in 2020.
In the last 5 days there has been twice the number of civilians killed than in the last 5 years of the conflict in Donbass and Luhansk. Then you factor in the soldiers who are killed in the last few days and this war is far from over.
And by Russia invading all of the Ukraine and putting in a puppet government will have far more civilians killed in the years to come from surgency.
There is no jusdication for this invasion if the mission was to save civilian life...Now you will deflect that fact by talking about some other invasion rather than the one we are dealing with now and it's jusdication.
If a country invaded russia in the morning would you not give an opinion whether it is justified or not untill it becomes clear as to why they were doing it even tho thousand were initially getting killed?
Adam Curtis made the case in one of his documentaries that after world War 2, there was a political project undertaken that sought to move the world away from one run on ideologies and toward one run on the cool rationale of business and trade. I suppose the logic was that it would become too difficult to wage war between large powers in a globalised and interconnected world where everyone relies on everyone for everything.
Now, we are seeing a large power waging a war with a large ideological component to it and this war is deeply unpopular in the west. The result in our globalised world is economic sanctions. Pressure on Russia's business leaders. A severely restricted access of Russia's markets. We're going to see in real time almost if you can economically squeeze a war out of existence. Ultimately, if Russia are going to insist on waging this aggressive war, then I have no particular problem watching them be a victim of that experiment.
How many will be too much to stop Russia thinking they can take what they want? If there isn't a number then they were never stopping, which country is next?
With absolutely no disrespect intended towards the poor young fellas, he sent in the fodder and the dusty weapons first.
It’s not as simple as that- you’re talking about a culture and way of life and whole generations believing what they were told by their government and media.
While yes there are a younger generation more savy as to what’s going on, they too have reservations and also they’re the Russian “middle class”- their focus is money and wealth protection not life.
Sigh
Are Russian civilians thick and believe state media or would most have access to VPN?
Lack of iPhones might create a mass protest in Ireland- but not in Russia- they’ll simply buy the Chinese equivalent - the Eye-Phone.
His support is clearly dropping in Russia as a result of this, the protests are getting bigger. They are becoming stretched thin and there will come a critical point. Belarus already went through this last year only to be crushed, not by Belarusian authorities but with the aid of Russia. They are now sabotaging their own railway network to stop supply chains. The tide is turning and I suspect if the Belarusian people return to protest it'll become much more difficult for the people in Russia to pass off as Western Propaganda.
I probably didn’t make myself clear - voters in most democratic countries do have a conscience - and yes, also self preservation to their way of life- but in general they know right from wrong- hopefully voters in general will start to ask more from their politicians before they elect them
Realism.
How many civilian and children deaths will be too much to stop us all thinking Ukraine can stop Russia?
Every leader of every western country should be fcuked out on their ear at the earliest possible moment to allow whats happening in Ukraine at the moment.
Like Putrid they're a bunch of cowards. Sitting in their fancy auditoriums, giving ego boosting speeches and mutually back slapping one another before retiring for a gala dinner. Not a single on would do what Zelensky has done.
It's time to give Russia an ultimatum. 3 days to exit Ukraine. Anything or anyone inside the border after that is a legitimate target. Let's see how the poisonous dwarf handles it when he's not the biggest bully in the room anymore.
The former NATO chief was on sky earlier and he was noticeably pissed at the way Putrid is getting a free pass and predicted he'll only get worse and his army get better. I firmly believe he's correct.
Russians may be for the most part apathetic but they are going to start noticing stuff not being available to them on the high street and services they have come to take for granted.
It’s actually a pathetic reflection on not just the leaders themselves but the people who chose those leaders -I think we’ve fallen asleep in the west in general- US, across Europe, Australia
That was certaintly evident over the past 2 years.
It's quite obvious that society in those countries you mentioned will choose life at all cost's.
I don't know why anyone thinks that such risk averse societies would choose to involve themselves in a potentially gruesome war.
Have you ever read about the downfall of Ceaușescu in Romania? One demonstration where he was heckled. One day the military were shooting protestors on his behalf and then four or five days later hauled him into a filthy back room for a makeshift trial. A few minutes later he was shot by firing squad.
The military believed he had murdered the minister for defence, though he may have actually committed suicide.
Just one unforeseen event can turn things dramatically in a totally unexpected direction. Dictators have swung in public squares so often it’s almost as though it’s part of the way they work.
At approximately 09:30 on the morning of 22 December Vasile Milea, Ceaușescu's minister of defence, died under suspicious circumstances. A communiqué by Ceaușescu stated that Milea had been sacked for treason, and that he had committed suicide after his treason was revealed.[34] The most widespread opinion at the time was that Milea hesitated to follow Ceaușescu's orders to fire on the demonstrators, even though tanks had been dispatched to downtown Bucharest that morning. Milea was already in severe disfavour with Ceaușescu for initially sending soldiers to Timișoara without live ammunition. Rank-and-file soldiers believed that Milea had actually been murdered and went over virtually en masse to the revolution. Senior commanders wrote off Ceaușescu as a lost cause and made no effort to keep their men loyal to the regime. This effectively ended any chance of Ceaușescu staying in power.[26]
Fitch downrates Russian Credit Rating from BBB to non-investment grade B
https://www.fitchratings.com/research/sovereigns/fitch-downgrades-russia-to-b-on-rating-watch-negative-02-03-2022
You sound like you're on a boner over it!
I agree with the gist, yes, but I think the scope of the hatred you expressed (which I took to be aimed at all Russians) should be refined to focus on the real ghouls (Putin and his cronies). If I took you up wrong, apologies. If you are now refining your hatred, well done and keep it up. :)
World bank halting all projects in Belarus and Russia.
Rhetoric is a hell of a drug.
WIttgenstein: Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.
I wonder what's in that Russian money report I heard Johnson was sitting on. Also some words of Johnson from 2014 are coming back to haunt him:
It’s actually a pathetic reflection on not just the leaders themselves but the people who chose those leaders -I think we’ve fallen asleep in the west in general- US, across Europe, Australia - it will be interesting what type of leaders are chosen over the next few years and qualities the voting public, (assuming voting is allowed in that county)- will choose.
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