Don't agree at all, and I am 100% behind Ukraine in this conflict.
We have free speech and rule of law in this country. Censorship and mob rule is the path that people of Putin's ilk take on this. I don't like what this Russian is doing, but he's breaking no law, and I respect his right to do it.
Your failure to grasp some basic history is beyond embarrassing, your petty insults, childish.
It would do you good, if you read with understanding...
I lived in the Balkans, it was great.
Russian military conscripts are known to be mercilessly brutalised to the point they have a high suicide rate. Some pass this off as a 'culture' but given military descipline, any armed force could stamp it out fast and thoroughly if they really wanted to, so It seems likely it's very deliberate because they want traumatised violent savages prone to bullying those perceived weaker than them.
Another infuence was back in the early days of the interwebs there was somewhat of buy in required and a level of brains required, in that you had to be a bit of a nerd to have a PC and get on the internet and find your way around. Then it ended up on everything and even complete thickos with a phone and barely opposable thumbs could have a voice and be heard.
I'm sure there's a good reason why there haven't been more Russian planes in the skies of Ukraine. After all, if they could get them up there, they would be up there. Stingers obviously play their part, but I would say there is more to the story that we'll only learn in retrospect.
It's not really a secret: Ukraine had significant air defence equipment before the invasion and they managed to keep a lot of it in working order through the initial barrages. As recently as yesterday I read a news report from an embedded journalist (I can't quite remember where I read it; I'll try to find it again if I can) near the eastern front who reported passing by active radar equipment and air defences.
The US defence briefings have in the past characterised their air defence troops as "creative and mobile"; so it seems like they're doing a good job keeping the equipment they have left operational even in a challenging environment.
Also the fact they managed to keep a number of fighters operational prevented Russia from committing too many aircraft too deep into Ukraine in order to seek out infrastructure or air defence targets: they had to rely on cruise and ballistic missiles of which they have limited supplies.
This guy sounds like a right piece of work
https://www.thesun.ie/news/8640401/russian-car-repairman-blasted-irish-jeep-controversial-symbol/amp/
Been a while though no? Hell even Vietnam was their mess (that the yanks couldn't wait to get in to stop the COMMIES!!!!!). They have the tech and the highly-specialised forces alright but there was that joke earlier in the thread about the French never forgiving the allies for liberating them so I think a lot of people have a bit of an attitude towards the French. Their army and air force are strong in terms of forward strikes and the like from what I understand, no idea about their navy. It's more a dig at the French rather than the French military.
As far as I can tell this quotation is simply him talking about the change in German policy triggered by the initial invasion: i.e. the fact that they initially weren't going to provide weapons to Ukraine but then changed their mind and sent anti-tank and similar weapons.
I don't think this is indicating a change of policy to include heavier weapons or anything unfortunately.
This is an older video from sometime last week I'm pretty sure. It's possible the total number taken prisoner over the weeks could be close to that though; I believe Ukraine said yesterday there were some 1,700 Ukrainians being held prisoner by Russia.
the amount of clearly Russian bot accounts commenting on Irish media outlets on facebook in particular is ridiculous basically claiming the sky is black not blue
Having said that, there are tweets going around from Marcus Faber, defense spokesman for the Liberal Democrats who form part of the German government at the moment. Apparently, Greens and Liberal Democrats have been able to convince their SPD colleagues in Government to agree to "heavy equipment" deliveries to Ukraine as soon as logistically possible. This story is also being run by German newspaper "Welt". I won't believe it until I see the first Leopard 1 charge taking place in Ukraine, but the tone of the tweet is a marked change from the exasperation of the last few days.
And right up til the end of last year people were absolutely insisting that there was no way the Russians would "bother" with Irish sites. Think it was January someone actually brought it up while we were talking about something else, she couldn't believe the uptick in activity on a couple of sites she was on, Irish, British and American. While the uptick from Russia was obvious, a quick look at the accounts show they were spamming anti-NATO, anti-EU, anti-US stuff before, along with taking semi-passive but extreme positions one way or the other on the "culture wars" nonsense.
Not all bot accounts. Theres plenty of simpletons who got sucked into their orbit who want to appear more clued in than all us brainwashed MSM junkies who clearly can't see whats going on in the world.
You're around boards long enough to know there's a difference between pre and post mod input.
Thanks for replying to the particular point.
Like you, I think nuclear ww3 is remote.
It's the law of unintended consequences we need to worry about (and for those that think I'm banging on about this incessantly, it's not like it's a small thing or that I'm personally going to influence Putin - he hardly listens to his yes men, never mind boards.ie). Putin has potentially used chemical weapons already - I would think it's not a negligible chance that he'd eventually use a small tactical nuke on Ukraine (these can be tiny). Can anyone here absolutely deny that's a possibility?
IF that happens then alarm bells go off. Where to from there?
We're all extrapolating as to what could happen. I think at minimum a small tactical nuke on Ukraine is certainly within the bounds of possibilities.
Who knows?...thought account was a Brexiter + probably real (the blasts of UK jingoism, praise of BoJo and the Tories etc., bile against France, Germany, the EU and occassionally digs thrown at Ireland too). Posting has been quite odd during this war, and doesn't fit with that. The internet in free/democratic countries has become a strange place now, that could do with a good clean out (IMO).
People should not support this or any other business that has anybody like that involved .
German president on the Kyiv visit that isn't happening.
Apologies I don't know what he is saying.
But this photo was a reply in the thread.
That would be a welcome development. The US yesterday announced they would be sending howitzers to Ukraine so it might also help push Scholz in the right direction and at least let Rehinmetall/whoever sign deals with Ukraine for equipment should Ukraine wish it.
All in support of free speech, but it can have consequences.
One thing I would point out is that there are actual breathing Irish people (and all other nationalities) who have Russian sympathies or have significant anti-NATO and/or anti-EU views of one kind or another. They're not all bots; but they might tend to parrot talking points which originated from bots.
Wow
Yup: they're perfectly entitled to be chest-thumping Neanderthal types and the rest of the country is perfectly entitled to use our collective voices to ensure their businesses suffer and they don't feel welcome in our society. Kind of a two-way street.
Russia will not be happy about that
You are probably right, given it came just after Zelenskyy rejected his proposal to use him for his own political agenda rather than materially benefit Ukraine, I thought there was perhaps some chance he had been shocked into a meanigful response. I did say I wouldn't believe it unless the goods actually arrived.
Honestly I find the Swedes rushing to join and the Finns talking about it a bit worrying. Obviously there'll be the "rregghghha NATO EXPANSIONISM asgkaljgsd!!!11one111eleven" crowd but from a rational point of view and assuming the Swedes have agency it kinda signals that they're worried about something? More than they've been in decades.
Let's not lost our sense of humour https://twitter.com/olex_scherba/status/1513995470355546122?s=20&t=bfQ8jQvl9_zeRzrQnyjlTw
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