Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I'm getting images of Hitler in 'Downfall', screwing up the piece of paper into a ball and hurling it against the bunker wall in a rage....

Russia is a fantastic country with world class cities and a public transport system that puts most of the world to shame.

Such a pity its ruled by a tyrannical autocrat who thinks its the 1930s

Indeed! I was about to ask the same. Outside their cities it is still 1930s. 😂

I'll be impartial here, Ukraine is similar, however, the change in Ukraine from when I first went there many years ago to what it was a month ago is hard to describe. Fabulous country and people. Russia however.... off topic

Not if our boy and his friends have any part of it.

Some rollercoaster this Rouble is on

I don't think the US would choose to have this conflict drag on; it is currently and will continue to impact the global economy for some time. In addition the longer it drags on the higher the possibility of some escalation which can't easily be rolled back.

I'm also not sure they actually want a drastically weakened and introverted Russia; because that could also lead to various consequences they do not have the stomach for.

My feeling is more that the US in particular is taking a "suck it and see" approach hoping that the current measures will slowly erode Russia enough to bring them to some sort of compromise with Ukraine. It doesn't went to escalate with more potent military aid or sanctions unless it's a direct response to some further Russian escalation.

I dunno; it just feels a bit like the West reacted quickly and with determination but have now started to fall asleep behind the wheel as Ukraine struggles on.

Incidentally I haven't seen any NATO aircraft over Europe over the past few hours: I wonder if they have they stopped flying with transponders on?

The US also announced today they were sending additional electronic warfare and anti-radar craft to eastern Europe; which some have claimed is notable because in the past they have only ever deployed to Europe when air missions were imminent.

Putin's been worried about regime change for at least the last decade. Whatever organisations like the CIA do or do not have cooking, I believe that Putin believes they are plotting against him. The American journalist, Julia Loffe, was on the latest PBS frontline about Russia claiming that Putin was obsessed with the video of Gaddafi dying in rebel hands and was also really spooked by the 2011 protests in Russia. It was these events which spurred Putin to put a plan together to, if not effectuate regime change in the USA, then at least destabilise the country, and the plan got even better results than he thought when Trump got elected (something Russian officials didn't think was likely but saw Trump as a useful agitator to put the USA at war with itself).

Putin has since seen the deep political division in the U.S., along with the bickering in the E.U., and thought the West would be paralysed with indecision when Russian forces moved on Ukraine. However, it appeared that he slightly overestimated the level of division, and the campaign in Ukraine has been placed under extra strain due to a pretty forceful response from the West, and here we are.

Seems Putin is prepared to dig in for the long haul.

Slowly taking land inch by inch.

Mauripol will slowly fall, then onto the next.

The strategy for Mariupol appears to be to pound the city to rubble and starve the population. Going about things that way, it would be less a case of a city falling and more a case of it no longer existing. It's not only terrible for the victims but also slow, agonising and costly to the invaders.

That's not to mention that the strategy falls apart when Ukraine gets enough anti-artillery weapons into its hands.

Yes, maybe it might give people idea's. ( or add to the ones already there.. ) There's another point I was thinking about as well, Putin is well used to issuing death sentences without fear of retribution, but now (at least to his mind) he has been issued with a death sentence, and by no less than the President of the United States. Who definitely has no fear of retribution either. So for Putin, this is serious, and coming on top of all the other bad news he is contending with...