Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Looks like that claim of hitting a Russian patrol boat earlier was true

The Americans are working on Venezuela too(highest oil reserves in the world!)

This is the problem, they don't have the resources to police the entire world, so they have to prioritise. If Russia wants to be public enemy number one, then they need to let Iran and Venezuela off the hook. The resources are out there though, its just hard and takes huge investment in risky states to switch suppliers.

Wasn't the old joke that "there is no truth in Pravda (truth) and no news in Izvestia (news)"?

You could safely apply that to today's Kremlin-controlled media. Strange how history repeats itself.

So it's all Merkel's fault? That's hardly a basis for any kind of a solution and very Captain Hindsight. Scholtz has reversed a de facto policy of well over 50 years in a few weeks but clearly that's not enough for some people. They are working their way towards unwinding that dependency. It's hardly an excuse for other countries far less affected by cutting ties, to lecture them on what to do. Who says they are cutting aid and how did the Germans suddenly become the bad guys in this?

"Russian military have food supplies, ammunition and fuels sufficient to meet their needs only for the next three days" Both the Ukrainian army and the American Think Tank Institute For The Study of War claim that the Russian army has serious problems.

Germany's decision to decommission their nuclear reactors was a bigger knee-jerk reaction than anything any of their neighbours have done in recent years.

Apparently Navalnys lawyers have been lifted in Russia.

Yes but is that just a message being put out to get Ukrainian cities under siege to hold out that bit longer.? Some big meetings this week.

Plans that will take years to implement, whilst ordinary people like you or I are blown and burnt to bits? Sometimes action has to be taken.

Disappointed to hear Eamon Ryan making the point that the current crisis is a good reason to hurry on investing in the renewable industry. Yes, he may be right but it's in bad taste to exploit a war like this to further a known political agenda.

No, you've got me wrong. I suppose I am "alright jack" in that I think I could maybe weather such a policy change here, but I can't speak for others (edit: + don't presume to). Just get sick of some (well @Danzy in particular) shíting on and on here every day about how the Germans + their govt. are somehow responsible for what is going on now in Ukraine and they must just stop buying Russian energy yesterday, no matter the costs to them or problems caused.

I suspect regardless of Russia's brutality in Ukraine, yellow vest would donned and straight up to the Dáil if Mickey Martin tried to up-end Ireland's energy supply immediately in way he is insisting Germany do now.

edit: Germany needs a plan for how to do this, and they will likely need help to cushion impact, so it can't happen yesterday or today unfortunately.

Yep but the lawyers were interfering with the prisons work... apparently 😉

The immediate gas solution will be upping stores for winter and moving to more LNG. That itself will take a couple of years. Trying to identify other sources of oil may not be as difficult.

I don't think he will fire off nukes as it will be the end of him he and Russia will be done. IMO, it's a loud and scary bluff. Apart some alleged drone visits they have been very careful not to provoke the West/NATO. Their military performance to date in Ukraine suggests they would be completely routed against a far better equipped foe.

I don't agree on Ryan. I think we should be moving faster in that area anyway and if Ukraine's misfortunes are the catalyst IMO it's one that we still should take.