Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Yes; there is a clear difference between the Ukraine and Russian governments. Russia at best allows its troops to loot, rape and pillage; and at worst encourages it actively as part of their overall strategy. Ukraine clearly does not; and has repeatedly asked anyone fighting on Ukraine's behalf to obey the Geneva Convention.

Likewise there is a clear difference between an invading army soldier violating the rights of a peaceful citizens of a defending country; and a soldier defending their country violating the rights of an aggressor attacking that country.

And Russia's actions from the very beginning are the primary reason and cause for any Russian soldiers being mistreated (if it is actually happening); that's also blindingly obvious.

That plane seems to be coming from. Leninavan airfield.

Maybe reply to what a post is actually saying rather than your knee-jerk emotive reaction about what it's saying in your own personal fantasy world?

Nowhere did I make or imply any comparisons to raping and murdering children; in fact I didn't even bring it up. Obviously raping and murdering children is generally considered by almost the entirety of the world to be amongst the most vile acts that involve a human doing something to any other human; and I fully agree with that sentiment. Every Russian involved in those actions should be pursued to the ends of the earth and punished appropriately; and to me appropriate punishment is not a simple and quick bullet to the head.

And nowhere did I claim or imply that invaders who raped and murdered wouldn't to some extent be punished summarily by defenders; in any past conflict or any hypothetical future conflict I'm sure that it happened and will happen to some extent or other.

But the argument "well it happened in other wars so it's okay if it happens here"; if that's the argument you're trying to make; I do not agree with. It is not okay if it happens here; and not even because I feel any sympathy for the Russian soldiers but because it is likely to hurt the Ukrainian people and Ukraine as a nation both in the short-term as they repel the Russian invasion and long-term as they try to rebuild from it.

Even though I can understand why it's happening, and even sympathise with any Ukrainian soldier who might mistreat a Russian prisoner; that doesn't change that fact.

Implied where might I add. Contributors, this is where the thread is being de-railed. This sort of nonsense.

I mean of course I'm emotionally invested. Russia has invaded a sovereign nation for no good reason other than to flex its muscles and grab some land; and its soldiers are destroying and violating their villages, cities, infrastructure, and most importantly their people. How would any right-minded person not be emotionally invested?

And that's aside from my own personal connections to Ukraine which I have no intention of going into on this forum.

The other reason to accept surrenders is that you want the next set of soldiers to surrender too.

There was this one time on boards during the last presidential election when someone put up a poll asking who people were going to vote for. The winner of the poll was Peter Casey. However, Peter Casey did not win the election. He did come second, but Miggeldy was returned in a landslide. Point being that Internet communities are not always an accurate microcosm. Now I've seen a fair amount of bashing of Daly even before Russia invaded Ukraine, but the fact remains that some fair amount of people in the wider world must have liked what she was offering at the time.

But trying to keep this related to the topic at hand, I do think that if the likes of Daly and Wallace contest the next EUP elections, they will get absolutely hammered over their rigid adherence to criticising the EU at a time when solidarity is the most needed thing. If they're willing to stump up for Russia and challenge the 'western narrative' just because RT once gave them a 15 minute interview or something, their principles can't be all that solid.