It's quite simple really; you don't defend freedom of speech by censorship.
I think you have to earn freedom of speech. If you're not willing to give it to others, then yours likewise should be restricted.
Many embassies have counterintelligence staff on the premises, not just Russia. It's pretty much a given. Do you think the Chinese and US and UK don't?
I'm fully aware of that. I wasn't born yesterday. My point was that only Russian embassies would be complicit it assassination plots, poisoning, and actively seeking to undermine Western nations in everything they do.
Or close all of them in the nations of the EU and have one in Brussels to cover all.
That's the answer.
I very much share your concerns and suspicion that the Russian embassy in Ireland is a spy hub, but if it is very obviously the case, it shouldn't be too difficult for an Irish intelligence agency like the SDU or G2 to collect strong evidence and act on that basis. In spite of what Hollywood has depicted in years gone by, the Russians aren't that slick as to leave no trace, if one decides to go sniffing. If the government acts off of a suspicion, no matter how strong, it's still acting without due process, and to do that validates the sh*tty way the Russians do things in a, "Oh, well if you're doing it, then what's wrong with us doing it, too?" kind of a way.
However, I think there is a case to be made for expelling Russian diplomats simply on their demonstrable lies about the invasion of Ukraine and refusal to condemn it. For better or worse, that does not appear to be government policy at the moment. Call it craven if you like, and many surely do.
And apparently, it's a job for life....how long that life might be is a different matter though!
Many embassies have counterintelligence staff on the premises, not just Russia. It's pretty much a given. Do you think the Chinese and US and UK don't? Russia is just more blatantly obvious. I'd be quite happy to reduce the Russian embassy staff by a significant number, but keep it open. Or close all of them in the nations of the EU and have one in Brussels to cover all.
Interesting to read the views of posters on here regarding the respective Irish and Russian embassies.
I've no wish to become embroiled in the discussion on whether the Irish Embassy in Moscow should be pulled but I will say that Irish people throughout the world have a choice, as do we all. Personally I'd rather lose everything and be somewhere safe than live in Russia permanently in fear of tit-for-tat reprisals. Putin wont respect whether you're married to a Russian or however long you've lived in their country when he next chooses to vent his anger on anyone or anything Western.
The Russian Embassy at Orwell Road is nothing but a huge spies nest. As others have said, exactly what reason could Russia have that warrants the huge staffing numbers at Orwell Road? And more to the point why does the Irish Government allow this?
Whilst most foreign embassies go about their normal day to day work they are intended to do, I've absolutely no doubt in my mind that all Russian embassies are nothing but excellent cover for extensive espionage and hubs for plotting future assassinations against Russian dissidents worldwide and other perceived enemies of the Russian state. As we've now clearly seen with our own eyes what a totally depraved nation Russia has become, I think all Russian embassy staff should be immediately kicked out, not only in Ireland but worldwide. They are now a complete pariah.
Incidentally, the Russian Embassy at Kensington Palace Gardens, London, is another hornets nest located in prime real estate and able to conduct their illicit operations right in the heart of the capital. Their website is nothing but Putin's mouthpiece, full of denial and propaganda. Why we allow them this freedom of speech when they've terminated all of their own free press is disgraceful.
SAM missiles and tanks and artillery perform the same rolls, with less effectiveness. I think western aircraft that prosecute targets exclusively within Ukraine but, not in Russia, would not lead to a nuclear response. They don't have to take out S300/400 systems on Russian territory, theres a sizable portion of Ukraine not within range and f-35s could likely operate in the zones that are.
I don't think a complete no-fly zone is practical or necessary. Just providing protection in the southern and western areas would be helpful enough.
I'm hoping it's for more insidious reasons, and that the proxies are turning against their masters... thinking, 'Ukraine looking good to join the EU, I'll have me some of that.'
No spare parts for maintenance, pretty soon, no operational veh's / aircraft / ship's etc.
Usually when someone mentions the wests 4th gen jets vs Russias someone usually starts bringing up but they thrust vectoring and the cobra manoeuvre ,they will hit the breaks and the Americans or others will just fly by ,
All great in slow and steady preforming in an airshow but not so great when your flying against multiple ship formations with wingmen who cover their leads if you get close enough for an actual dog fight but as you pointed out there's been a shift to bvr engagements when it comes to air combat, where advanced radar and target acquisition is king
Looks like the Kremlin has given up any pretence, arrest their own proxies, rule the place directly
US imperialism thread is leaking again I see
The poles have been looking at bringing I. More f16s for a number of years now ,it's hardly breaking news ,they don't seem to be in a big rush to buy said f16s though
Yeah I think California would be in g7 if it declared independence tomorrow. The us economy is monstrous.
Correction California has a higher GDP than Germany, it would have the 4th largest economy in the world.
Texas and New York would also be in the top 10.
You may want to double-check that link @Hobgoblin11 The headline may talk about MiGs but the article discusses the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter.
Headline doesn't match the content, and dated 17th of April - not sure how accurate it is.
U.S. to Provide Poland with F-16s to Replace MiG-29 Squadron Being Sent to Ukraine
I'm probably way of the mark here but I wonder if this is a way to supply actual planes to Ukraine covertly, some which would have been maintained with US parts in them.
So now if Russia shoots down said planes and finds the US parts in them, then they can just say yeah sure didn't we supply the parts to the Ukrainians as we already reported.
Pacifism surely the wrong word to use for the world's fourth largest weapons exporter.
Or shot at for no reason or fed ‘ flavoured food’ that you did not like or ‘ rumbled up’ because something you said - in private- that was reported up the line, etc, etc, etc, etc.
There are various degrees of bunched
"Our" lives, children, families, shelter, utilities, comfort, etc. are not more important than those of Ukrainians
The only country to use nuclear weapons in anger was the USA, although apparently the fire bombing of Tokyo was worse. Yet you have omitted them despite over a century of murder around the world in the name of democracy.
e.g. the USA invasion of the Philippines?
It won't bring down the government. I live in Germany, most people aren't even talking about the war any more, they're more concerned about rising commodity prices and I know as many people opposed to Germany delivering weapons as in favour, don't underestimate German pacifism, it still runs pretty deep
Russia supplies very little food to the EU. Gas and fertilizer yes, but we have options to pivot away on both fronts and being quite honest we're only cutting our own throats with the amounts of fertilizer we splash about willy nilly so we need to move away from that soon or we'll have a real food crisis on our hands as the land can't keep being pushed the way it is. In Britain they reckon there's about 30 harvests left before a lot of the yields start falling off a cliff from over farming.
Russia has an economy the same size as Spain or around €1.65tn. The EU gives them about €110bn per annum for Gas alone. I somehow doubt that they'll muddle along just fine when 10% of their economy disappears overnight on top of the billions lost in other trades that cannot happen either.
Ukrainian Air Forces confirmed receiving spare parts for existing planes, but not new planes as reported by media
spare parts for planes spirited into Ukraine, full planes spirited in too by any chance?
Russians: (Forced to subsist on a thin grey soup made from the ashes and bones of those who died at Stalingrad) "Yeah, this fine. We love misery."
Someone said that Germany was caught with its pants down which is not entirely true. On the energy independence front the pants were continuously pulled down for the past 30 years with actions ranging from sponsoring green activism to straight out buying politicians. The ban on fracking is the result of these actions and also the bad attitude towards nuclear. So instead of being energy independent by using fracking Europe was pushed to prop up Russia.
Some idea of the scale of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. According to the mayor of Mariupol the Russians are hitting it with very heavy ordinance now, likely they are using bunker busters.
Russia is an export economy, which means they rely, very heavily, on export revenue. They've entered an expensive war and as a result are losing key export partners. Some of their largest exports, e.g. gas, will take years to switch to other customers (due to required infrastructure changes). This is a country with an economy smaller than California, and is under heavy global sanctions and controls. They'll get by, but in the medium and long term things are going to get difficult for them.
We'll also feel some pain from this, but in comparison it should be significantly lower, e.g. if Germany were to cut all imports of gas/oil from Russia tomorrow, it's estimated it's economy would only contract 1% to 2% as a result. Russia's economy is forecasted to contract 11% this year.
Sigh, not great to browse and see your comments lied about and twisted, but why expect better.
As per other post, I'm done defending Germany/Germans from all the hyperbolic comments posted (that stuff is really complete nonsense) so you're a bit late taking a cut now @cnocbui. However embarrassed & critical about poor/slow efforts of ther govt. they are + also over failure and coming home to roost of past policies, I don't think those Germans would agree with the more, well, extreme end of the comments about Germany posted on this thread. That would be some impressive level of masochism + self hate and flaggelation.
I was for real. I walk that back as maybe Ukraine did not "lose perspective" there but had their own perspective on it. A case of ask for everything, because we may be about to lose our country and our lives tomorrow. I'd never call people "childish" or "muddle headed" in such circumstances + didn't. edit: Asking for Germany to do more as regards weapons for Ukraine is certainly not such. I really don't know enough to know the full impact (on both Germany and the EU) of a full Russian oil/gas trade embargo imposed by Germany immediately to judge whether that is too big an ask...opinions seem to vary. Be surprised if anyone posting here does.
I think (?) you believe there should be/should have been a full NATO humanitarian intervention (basically what that earlier "close the sky" request from Zelensky was - I haven't heard it asked recently) i.e. US/NATO roll the dice with Russia, it ends the war in Ukraine quickly or it escalates it all. The fact that it has not happened after 2 months or so including Russia committing war crimes and crimes against humanity (though some intervention could still happen I think - just not "no fly zones" etc.) suggests my belief that the request, right or wrong, was very unlikely to happen was correct rather than nonsense. There's been so many nasty rows about all that here (could have been involving you I think?? edit: or maybe not - sorry) here and really no point going into it again (and again).
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