Russia - threadbanned users in OP

You keep on talking about a nuclear strike by Putin. This is the same lad who sits 50ft from his own staff for fear of dying from a virus. Do you really think that someone so fcuking cowardly would voluntarily sign his own death warrant by launching a nuclear strike.

Admits that civilians are fleeing the Russian forces - doesn't quite tie in with them going in to "liberate" the country from Nazism.

Except is isn't that simple.

If the President has given an order for the nuclear option to be used, it has to be within a legal framework. That generally means that the US would have to be at war with the country he wants to nuke. Other than that, you fall afoul of a whole lot of previous treaties and conventions. This is where the President's order can be legally over ridden by the chain of command. It's whole point of Command and Control.

It's absolutely not the case that one man gives an order and its automatically carried out, no questions asked. Such a scenario is absurd.

So far having the opposite effect.

Moldova is one thing, but the Baltics is NATO, completely different kettle of fish.

This was reported earlier but by unofficial sources

Now it's the Associated Press

1 General down.

The Ukrainian army just delivered a massive blow to the russians.

If any of you watch Oliver Stone's Putin interviews which conclude in 2017, he still has that charm that helped him win over the Russian people earlier. He is, of course, very selective about the truth but he defends himself ably. The best part for now is the final part where Stone pushes, a little at least, on how power can corrupt a person. This is the one point where I did not see him able to reply clearly, and he basically had no prepped answer for this other than "the people will decide".

On the balance, while capably of cruelty, he is calm and collected. He enjoys the good questions and the small talk, and occasionally breaks out into English and makes jokes. He is very sharp and an expert in one-to-one discussions, quickly making witty responses or understatements, or subtly owning his achievements. Other times, like the car-driving part, likes to play down his own importance as an individual. I just don't think he is the same person now. Had he retired before the last elections and nominated a successor, he would have been untarnished for Russians.

As a lifelong servant, and master, of the State, he cannot live outside of it and now it has corrupted him too much and it shows.

"Vladimir Putin says Ukraine and Russia are 'one people'

"We have a long history of exterminating our own people, and I have every intention to continue that great tradition."

Apartment blocks are shields. This is well known in Russia.

We probably won't be able to help Ukraine properly but we can do something for Moldova. I couldn't give a shite about domestic regulations, laws and alphabet rights. This needs to be done now. The rest can be worked on later. Same with Georgia.

Must try find it, but there was an expert recently on Twitter explaining the Russian version (known as Cheget I believe), IIRC it said unlike the US Putin does not have the sole power to use it and it requires the authorisation of four people, so we just need to be worried if it came to it would the other three be just as mad to make that decision.

For me it looks like he has a health issue that means he is immunosuppressed. Potentially a chronic or terminal illness. He looks like he is puffy which is a sign of steroids which could be part of his treatment. He was an evil piece of excrement before this illness but it appears to be evil X 2 now.

My point being something as extreme as a nuke wouldnt be necessary to cause disruption.

Anyway again its fantasy stuff. The thread is far better when facts are being discussed and there are updates from the various social media platforms

That's Georgia and Moldova for EU membership, who's next?

This was the the statement delivered by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova last week regarding Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

"if Finland and Sweden join NATO, which is first of all a military organization, it will entail serious military-political consequences, which would require retaliatory steps by the Russian Federation,”