Agreed. The giant will wake up at that stage. Binkov Battlegrounds did a NATO v Russia piece and Russia would be decimated in one sharp shock. Everything is in place for it.
The problem I see with that Maebee is that blocking western social media will massively reduce the non Soviet propaganda information available to ordinary Russians and could easily be spun by Czar Vlad as "they don't want you to see the truth. Here's our truth".
Why not donate the missus to the cause, and keep the money for a few jars for yourself? 😁
Only joking. We need a bit of light humour on this thread... too many gobshite know-it-alls stirring the pot, and most of the others having personal arguments with each other. So childish when the population of a whole country is being systematically eliminated or displaced.
We don't know which side the missus is supporting either, plenty of Russian brides around
Yup but to destroy cave and tunnel complexes. The worry here is their usage on civilian population centres.
I guess it’s one of the luxuries of being on the far left. When the facts aren’t in line with ideology you can say ‘there is no way to know you or I know what reality is’. You can show all the evidence you like. By the end of it you’ll be arguing about whether or not you would know if you were really just a brain in a jar being chemically manipulated to hallucinate.
Unless it’s US foreign policy, then the ‘truth’ is available in paperback or kindle.
There was a link put up to a Russian ‘rival’ to Anonymous, who may have hacked the Anonymous website for a couple of hours. At the end of the video it says ‘under no circumstances should you doubt your country’.
I honestly feel Brainy that all the talk of NATO is a Russian red herring. As you note they've already got NATO on their 'doorstep' and have had for decades. If they took Ukraine over they'd actually add to the size of their borders with NATO.
My feeling is the talk and promise of the EU is the far bigger threat to Komrade Vlad. They see Ukraine as about the closest to them beyond their borders*. Now the other ex Soviet states getting into the EU and increasingly making Russia look like the corrupt and poor craphole it is was bad enough, but Ukraine? It's too close to home culturally and historically. A lot of Russians would know or have family in Ukraine and vice versa. Deep connections going on. Note Czar Vlad going about their Ukrainian 'brothers'. He'd never say that about Poles or Latvians or Czechs. So Ukraine ending up in the EU and turning into a more peaceful, corruption free, economically rising, using the Euro, full democracy right on his doorstep where ordinary Russians can see the results up close and personal? Not unlike the Soviets knowing a similar threat and needing to put a dirty great wall up between East and West Germany, because those in the East could see how much better their brothers and sisters were doing and wanted some of that. And remember, where did the Iron Curtain start to get lifted? That's a red rag to the Kremlin bull. That's his biggest threat, not NATO. He can spin NATO aggression very easily and his subjects will buy it lock stock and barrel, but much better lives for people and their kids in a place that used to look and feel so much like Russia? Not nearly so easy.
*Well Belarus too, but that's been annexed already. Their president is barely a puppet, he's barely the bloody strings of a puppet. He's literally a colonel in the Russian army. They think that little of him.
back to the serious, geopolitical and defence.
Can definitely us going back to basics, which will include the above, but also mean renewed focus on manufacturing (and agriculture). In manufacturing we'll see more reshoring initiatives across the EU and the development of shorter supply chains, where possible. Covid had the manufacturing sector thinking about these things already... the past few weeks have given it added impetus. However, a lot of the pandemic-related tax relief, grants and other support programs for manufacturers are winding down all over Europe. There is also a manufacturing labor shortage. Unless we move to an explicitly war time economy that labor shortage will remain. Those support programs may have to be resurrected.
Yeah if he's going to attack a NATO country he might as well launch the nukes preemptively because he knows he would lose any conventional battle with American-led forces. But as long as Putin is still a rational actor he knows that everybody gets annihilated in a nuclear exchange. So unless he's mad or totally delusional Putin does not invade Poland.
It's exactly that. It any case, if this was some attempt at weakening or pushing back NATO, it's doing the exact opposite. They're going to be bigger after this and there will be far more of them on his doorstep.
There's a load of different suggestions here:
Might be a good idea for the mods to set up a thread with NO debate allowed on rights/wrongs.. just info on practical ways to support humanitrian efforts in the region?
So many major companies have boycotted Russia than the remaining ones (e.g. Coca-Cola, McD's) are coming under increasing pressure to do so
"If they took Ukraine over they'd actually add to the size of their borders with NATO."
Except the evidence, on balance, would suggest that it was not Russia's intention to "take over Ukraine". And despite the ongoing invasion, to see that as its objective even now is highly questionable and, on balance, not the most likely Russian objective.
The Russian's objective appears to have been to force Ukraine to abandon its Nato ambitions and adopt a neutral position. This would create the neutral buffer zone it seeks. That it already borders Nato is true. But the strategic weight given to that now irreversible border is most likely less important than if Ukraine also joined Nato. It also "allowed" that border to develop when in a weaker and less assertive position.
Theres a video showing a man carrying a mine at arms length across the road and into a field, with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Now personally, the only thing I found wrong with that was the way he was holding it....if it slipped from his hands, and hit his foot, he could forget the ball room dancing for a while...they are too bloody heavy to be holding at ams length,,, much more comfortable to hold them up to your chest ( unless they have handles )
But an unexploded bomb, either dropped from a plane or a shell fired from a tank etc. I'd be inclined to keep as far away from them as possible...because they are armed and dangerous!
how come the Russian airforce hasnt been able to gain air supremacy? its a good thing for the Ukrainians as they killed to senior commanders of that dreaded convoy headed to Kyiv
In a conventional war, Russia would be pulverised.
Which is why it won’t happen.
Sure didnt Coca Cola colaberate with the Nazis and help make Fanta.
Makes sense they'd want to relive the past a little!
Ukrainians are shooting some down, it's one thing to toss a conscript into a battle in a 20 year old tank, it's another to commit a $40 million fighter jet.
Based on the state of their equipment and soldiers, I honestly don't think Russia could win a ground war against any of the serious players. I'm not even sure that their air power is much use against a country with air defenses and planes of their own, given that they haven't yet managed to gain air superiority over Ukraine yet. They have nukes but that's about it. I've been quite surprised by their incompetence so far.
Late late show tonight will be fundraising.
It's a good idea.
Coke definitely should. McDonald's is a franchise so the individual restaurants are likely Russian owners.
Any chance the Russian Ambassador will be on and if you donate a few grand you get to throw a brick at him.
Turkish Drones air showing the value in this conflict, many smaller nations will add these to their inventory, delightfully cheap and cheerful
That bollix. He lied to our government for weeks and then goes on Russian TV badmouthing Ireland. Why that prick is still allowed in Ireland I have no idea.
The pressure must be immense. Especially in the USA. Coca Cola business is a Greek based subsidiary. McDonald’s are likely franchises but they’d still be supported by the main company. Tiny comparison but they left Iceland in 2009 after the financial collapse so there is precedent albeit small.
Boards are fundraising to help the people of Ukraine via the Red Cross at this horrific time. Please donate and share if you can, you will find the link here. Many thanks. ~~ From notice on boards?
Tubridy for sainthood
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