Of course. But one would reasonably expect State Intelligence services to have access to more technology and information than the average boards.ie or facebook user. That doesn't make the latter idiots.
Actually, the US Intelligence agencies are apparently doing reviews on how they got it so wrong as regards the state and capability of the Russian army.
What do you propose all those people in mainland Europe use to heat themselves this winter if not gas?
You cut off Russian oil and gas - what do you replace it with? Have you thought about the logistics of a replacement? Infrastructure to support this replacement?
How do you propose all that gets done in the next few weeks?
The horse has bolted years ago, and only now are we trying to close the stable door
If we kept up oil and gas exploration throughout the EU we might be in a better position, if the germans didnt prematurely retire nuclear plants, etc etc
Not buying Russian gas will mean most european heavy industry will shut down at least temporarily - there arent enough LNG ships in the world to keep up with European demand (and thats after the repercussions of increased global gas prices are taken into account, this affects viability of industry in Europe also)
Sounds like you've been thinking of the Russians alright, you seem to have an awful hard on for russian civilians getting blown up
I'd be happy to see hundreds of missles to hammer Moscow ,st Petersburg and any other population centers in Russia.
Good man yourself
Certainly something Europe should have been preparing for since 2014. I still worry that the Putinversteher types in Germany and Europe more broadly will want to go back to business as usual after a ceasefire even if Ukraine is half occupied.
Sanctions are supposed to hurt those that are sanctioned without blowing your **** own head off. what do you think is going to happen to a currency that has 1,000 times more demand than it had before.
In 2014 there were plenty of people who believed the little green men in Crimea had spontaneously appeared and were not Russian troops. Russia has a lot of form in this area, it has invaded most of the countries it borders with. I am just glad that finally people have realised that Russia isn't a friendly country which just "sees the world differently", that has "valid concerns" and that we "need to understand". There is only one thing they understand and that is the ability to defend yourself.
But Joe
Will someone think of the Russians in all of this 🚀
It's going to hurt a lot, but it's something Europe knows it should have done in 2014.
If Russia were bombing Irish cities would you still be willing to buy power and gas from Russia because...'People need electricity and people need heat'?
Yeah I was one of them, and I've followed the situation for 10 years. The threats and build up made sense, the invasion itself made no sense from Putin's perspective. Still hasn't, massive mistake/miscalculation by the Kremlin.
War is a dirty game ,why should Russian in Crimea live in comfort when Ukrainian are facing massacres on a daily basis ,if ukraine can show that Putin can't protect Crimea they will have a change of tune,
No point in Ukraine playing nice when there citizens are being murdered in their beds on an industrial scale
It will hurt a bit in the short to medium term, but it will be well worth it in the end.
People need electricity and people need heat.
So Russia Should be rewarded for the invasion and occupation of Ukraine
Best not to eat or drink anything at said dinner for the foreseeable, but yeah.
Honestly cannot believe Europe went along with these sanctions, it's ok for the US and UK the don't rely on Russian energy. Should of told them to **** off
There were plenty of idiots saying he wouldn't invade.
Vatican City purchases roubles to buy gas. Looks like Italy has found a back door 🤣
No no no, one idiot on boards said they would take glee in Russia getting hit therefore <insert non sequitur here> bullsh*t bullsh*t <insert falsie equivalency here> therefore but but but both sides etc etc..
Intelligence indicated that the Russians were still planning to invade, and sure enough they were right.
Fairly on-the-ball fellas there alright - "oh look, your man has moved a couple of hundred thousand soldiers along with vast amounts of military hardware to the border of a country he has repeatedly made noises about being part of his country in reality. We've put our top men on the case and they've come back with the findings that such a gathering is unlikely to be for a huge picnic due to the current cold weather. Therefore we think the Putster might be planning a bit of acting-the-bollix "
Western Intelligence was been pretty on the ball too when reading the Russians lately. The latest announcement of withdrawal reminds me of their announcement right before the invasion that they were pulling troops away from the border.
I'm inclined to believe that this is a withdrawal to regroup while trying to use peace talks to lull Ukraine to let down their guard. I don't think it will work, and their "regroup" will only work if they actually have any post-Cold War gear left that they can deploy. Also they'll need to do better than building up units exclusively of poorly-trained low-morale conscripts with one over-stressed general directly commanding the lot from the front. It doesn't matter how much you shuffle the cards in that particular hand...it's still a pretty sh*tty hand of cards.
It's not new. They have been saying they can't surround Kyiv for weeks now, because of the numbers required to do so. The retreat/withdrawal is coming from Russia
And as I said, it would be hardly anyone saying it, i.e decidedly a minority of people, and the person saying something like what you suggested didn't get a very positive response either, so there's no consensus for it, and no point or revelation made in saying a small proportion of people will say an extreme thing.
Really? Any reported intelligence I am reading is clearly stating that they don't believe him and they outline what the real reasons for the change in tactics are.
Unfortunately in war civilians bore the brunt of any aggression, Crimea is a target and should face exactly what the people of Mariupol,Kiev ,irpin, Kherson has faced at the hands of Russia
Where's the word Jews in my post? I mentioned the nation of Israel, it's not the same thing. Nor was it me who introduced the topic. It's you with the bizarre paranoid obsession
Do I care what you or other's think 😂😂😂😂😂.
No .
I suggest you see Gatling's comment on the same issue. I doubt he'd be alone. And as I said, it's an understandable emotion
I would love to be sitting next to this guy at dinner :D
So you post this kind of drivel and then you wonder why people do not take you seriously.
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