Russia - threadbanned users in OP

As a German I do take issue with that. The government may be a useless shower of fcuks, but can we please stop throwing around Nazi every two seconds. It's really lost all meaning by now. I don't throw out "drunken Paddies" remarks every second post.

Thats a good point. How can a country who relies on being a member of NATO for security openly demostrate that it has no capability to either defend itself or help a fellow NATO country in the event of an attack upon that allie. Apart from having all those US bases there must be serious questions being asked by other members about how solid this organisation actually is.

The French have weapons but will only send pittance whilst at the same time pandering to NATO's number one threat and Germany claims to have nothing bar some broken stuff down the back of the shed which no-one looked at in years. Do they expect everyone else to protect them if push came to shove despite showing no will or capability to do the same in return.

Ukraines proably aren't that accuarate either, it really looks like they're getting pummuled, Zelenskyy is in a no win situation and from the sounds of him he doesn't want to lose more people, what's stopping any negotions?

Germany has a large arms industry I believe?

Correct. Rheinmetall had a turnover of 5.6 billion Euro last year.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/268840/revenue-of-the-arms-company-rheinmetall/

I doubt that customers would be paying that amount of money if they had to wait 6 months for critical software updates.

Does anyone have a plausible explanation for Germany's disingenuous prevarication about sending weapons to Ukraine. Many criticise Ireland, me included, but at least we've been consistent from the outset saying, no we're not sending arms. How many times has Germany announced they will send arms and then come out with a "dog ate my homework" level of excuse and do nothing?

The only explanation I have for it all is that many German politicians have been compromised by Russia for decades. Schroeder was compromised in the old fashioned way, lots and lots of money. Merkel was compromised but didn't even realise it god love her, and she's still in denial about it. Scholz is appearing more Lukaschenko-like every week with his buffoonery.

It has long been said that Russia has something on Trump.

Looks like the same may be true of someone (or ones) in the German government.

shelling from both sides starts forest fire

There was a good case the thread should have been renamed "USA" back in December of last year with all the wailing about how Russia was being provoked and cornered by NATO + Joe Biden trying to stir up a wag the dog conflict, and even if they did invade Ukraine well the US did it in Iraq back in 2003 and noone really punished them for it.

Maybe should be called "Germany" now reading the last couple of pages. A real whiff of the old/stale "2 WWs and 1 World Cup" off some of the silly posts about pro Russia "Nazis" in Germany (+ they haven't gone away you know!).

100% - I'm sure that's happening, it makes total sense to control the "thought leaders"

People put a lot of stock in what rich, famous, successful individuals say, not realising that they may have very "compelling" reasons for saying it

'it has long been said'

'there has been a lot of talk'

You'll believe anything, won't you?

The Scholtz government has been ok up to now. Had the war not happened, they would have been perfectly average.

But I agree all day long that they are a useless shower of cnuts when it comes to Russia. I really am pissed off about them. Just wanted to say that we are not all a bunch of goosestepping brown shirts over here. Even though there are some morons of that persuasion.

Ah shure you're probably right too - no way those nice people would do something like that 🙂

Shure aren't we all God's creations under the one loving sun? 🙂

At Sieverodonetsk direction Russian army shelled Sieverodonetsk, Lysychansk, Pryvillia and Katerynivka with mortars, artillery and MLRS. Russian aviation conducted airstrike at Toshkivka, - General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine says in the morning report

Russian army shelled Staryi Saltiv, Ruski Tyshky, Cherkaski Tyshky, Korobochkine, Asiivka, Chepil and Udy at Kharkiv direction, - General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine says in the morning report