Russia - threadbanned users in OP

If Putin is truly pursuing this war for the reasons you mention, it's even more senseless than I thought. From everything I heard coming out of Russia in the years prior to this one, Putin had a firm hold on power within the country and had signed into law an extension on the number of terms someone could serve as Russian president. Combine that with the alleged vote fixing he'd already (allegedly) engaged in, and he looked set to be president for life or at least until he was a very old man.

Unpopular wars have brought down governments before, and it's not as if Russia is immune to this, like their people are just so into suffering for patriotic pursuits. The Afghan War of 1979-1989 is credited as one of the things that led to the fall of the USSR.

From every angle it just comes off as one man's war, enabled by a circle of boot lickers, and pursued for illogical ideological reasons cooked up during Putin's extended retreat at his dacha during COVID times.

The only reason that makes sense for this war is the control of energy markets and pipelines. He never thought in a million years that Ukraine could resist like they have.

He's now in a quandary as anything less than taking the Donbas and a land corridor to crimea means a total failure of the wars intentions and makes him vulnerable and weak at home.

Yes, but now one wanted to give him the bad news that his own military was a hollow shell. The plan was a complete take over of Ukraine in literally a few days. And that's what Putin believed.

France is sending weapons though ..i mean ..words are one thing ..actions are another ...are we sending weapons? Nope ...i think we should look at ourselves.

France can be accused of blindstatesmenship through words ...we can through actions ..ok so we are neutral ...what neutral to genocide?

I know we don't have much in terms of weapons but what we have ..we should send them.

Why not? I mean the millions ( if not billions) being siphoned off has being going on for a long time, and each year, it would be harder and harder to own up to the truth. Plus, why kill the golden goose? And Crimea and Georgia non withstanding, they did not think that he would invade Ukraine, but if the worst came to the worst, it could be done anyway in a matter of days. Unfortunately for them, the Ukrainians had different ideas. Slava Ukraine.

I am, as someone said earlier the news is conflicting. Looking at the current maps it doesn't look like fantasy. Russia is nearly in control of all the coast. Odessa looks like the last piece of the jigsaw.

Have they really retreated or have they just moved out of range of harpoon missiles?

What about Snake Island?

I can't see the Russians willingly allowing the grain to flow, that would defeat the "food blackmail agenda" that they pretend they don't have.

I think a Western show of force, on behalf of global food supply, will be necessary.

I think it will be their undoing, it justifies action being taken to secure food supply. That action could involve naval protection, in which case the Russians would be in a lose - lose situation. They would have to either allow it or incur the wrath of Western nations if they attacked any UN or NATO vessel.

A disaster for Russia all round, naval protection of grain export would have to include a presence on the docks of Odessa.

Russia has fcuked up in ways that are currently beyond our imagination.

Odesa is a bridge too far. The Russians are having difficulties holding on to Kherson.

Apparently there are 1500 Belarusians fighting for Ukraine. Their logic is to defeat the Russians in Ukraine, then at home.

Dissent with Putin in Russia is still increasing. Putin's iron fist is fast slipping.