Bad enough he threatened to sink us... but to call us as part of the Brirish archipelago ... the nerve ! Thems fighting words!
.....
I read somewhere both sides are using cluster bombs. Go Ukraine go...
So another invasion 🤣🤣🤣
"You'll pay for this in time..." - Russia
This is what 'civilians targeted' means https://twitter.com/rainstorm25211/status/1526098686744268801?s=20&t=REGnTf6kJ2dkhCne-TUZhA
Knowing Putin is in failing health and the rumours that he’ll be gone one way or another by August is somewhat reassuring when you read all these threats Russia makes every few days- but what happens when Putin goes I wonder? It doesn’t sound like there are many in Russia willing to backdown
Well, it's not like there is an 'opposition' of any kind, at least as we would understand it.
If Putin were to vanish overnight, the next leader would very likely be of a similar nationalistic KGB-strongman variety.
Do we know Putin is sick? Last I heard, it was one of those things that was only being claimed by one side. Not that Russia would say anything to the affirmative on it being true, I suppose, but because of that we just can't make any assumptions about what will happen.
Whatever about cancer, Putin most certainly has a case of massive dickhead syndrome. Hopefully a terminal one.
It does not seem to matter what the Russians have signed up to it breaks them as it sees fit. Take promise given if Ukr gives up its nuclear weapons.
Well, they are hardly going to sound dovish while Putin is around to hear them. But, you'd be hoping the next person would have a modicum of cop on (and as yet no major ego that comes with being a tyrant/dictator after a while) and can see how badly Russia is doing and uses the 'Putin was off his rocker' and this confrontation needs resolution (hasty retreat by Russia to pre 24th of Sept lines).
Putin gone will indeed be a good thing.
i think it’s generally accepted in the west that he has a serious illness of some kind - and possibly one that’s affecting him mentally. I’m not sure what benefit printing such stories would have for westerners if it weren’t true as it’s providing a level of “hope” that Putin may be gone sooner rather than later.
I just hope that the west keeps the pressure on with sanctions and what not long after any settlement in Ukraine is reached. Lifting sanctions on Russia in the next number of years will be the wrong thing to do.
Agreed in general, but if Russia comes out and says 'Mea Culpa' lets fix this and is genuine, then I'd be in favour of their reinstatement into the world community. Putin wont figure in that scenario obviously.
The sanctions - assuming that they are seriously hurting the Russian economy which Russia sees as very important to it- are HUGH bargening chips when it comes to an negotiated settlement. A settlement has to include other players besides UKR and RU. Eg EU, USA , GB
It looks like the Russian space guys aren't on Putin's side anymore either... a possible sabotage issue with the Z spy satellite.
Not necessarily. They would likely be more pragmatic and blame it all on Putin and put a stop to the adventure quite quickly. Russia will need sanctions lifted to try to return to the world and pull its economy out of a deep hole; up to 10% decline in GDP projected this year. Militarily they are pretty screwed, nukes aside, and now barely even a threat to Moldova. It'll be a whole lot worse for them come August or the end of the year.
Yeah, there has to be the potential for normalisation of relations. It's a given, I think. If it weren't so, there'd be much less incentive for Russia to stop acting the maggot. I'm not saying it would even need to be a new Russia that was a lapdog of the West , so long as it was one who'd keep all their crap within their own borders
..
I'm guessing Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin might be less concerned with Elon Musks support with Starlink in Ukraine for now and more concerned about being in any building with more than 2 storeys.
"Failure is always an option."
The governor of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region has said that Ukrainian troops defending Kharkiv have reached the state border with Russia.
Objectives is a bit of a loose term at this stage.
Indeed they are and I’m under no illusion that Russian gas will flow again to Germany and that western multinationals will return to Moscow- but I’d hate to see this happening overnight - Russia has to pay a price for these actions that goes beyond temporary sanctions whilst the war is in progress- we need balls of steel when it comes to negotiating a truce or an end to conflict and that includes restitution for Ukraine- free gas to Europe for a few years whilst the west supports the rebuilding of Ukraine - things like that will have to come into play- otherwise Russia will have learned nothing from this experience.
Reestablishing the USSR
Taking all of Ukraine
Talking Kyiv
Talking the East and South of Ukraine
Next "original" objective...
Holding pre 24th of September battle lines.
It's obviously purely speculative but I don't think I'd be as optimistic that removing Putin leaves us with someone 'more pragmatic'.
The power vertical in Russia, with Putin at its apex, is made up of....Putinists, and Putinists alone.
Remember when there was a brief flurry of Western hope that Medvedev, who was making some vaguely liberal noises, might be a more reasonable interlocutor than Putin? Didn't work out so well.
Even Putinists wont have the fragile ego of Putin. So Putinist (effectively the most successful kiss ass) will likely be fine.
Really not expecting any kind of new dawn but enough common sense to see that they can push Putin and his cronies under the bus and withdraw what little they'll have left of their army. At this stage even the possibility of losing Crimea is real.
I wounder if it ever came to it (a bit if) and Ukraine manage to kick Russia out would they go on the offensive to get Crimea back
Craggy island?
Maybe if Ukraine conceded say, 50 washing machines?
Hardworking Ukrainian soldier with some R&R: https://twitter.com/PatronDsns/status/1524963932875915264
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