Russia - threadbanned users in OP

These people have lost the plot - if they ever had it in the first place

10 years from now, I can see a lot of Duma fanatics in exile or doing porridge.

I wonder with the tensions ramped up between China, Taiwan and USA will this possibly make China supply Russia with arms etc. now.

I doubt that, to be honest. Whilst Russia and the PRC are certainly both anti-western, they're not really on "friendly" friendly terms and are actually active competitors in some areas. China has had ambitions in Central Asia for quite some time now and are probably watching the increasing split between Kazakhstan and Russia very closely, even if they're not actively encouraging it, at least not yet. As Russia's influence in this area wanes as a consequence of the war, China will be eager to fill that void, and they're likely not going to make any moves that could weaken their position, such as supplying their main competitor with weapons.

Then there's the question of whether the majority of weapons systems would be compatible with the Russian arsenal in the first place. Whilst small-arms ammunition or "dumb" artillery shells shouldn't be too much of an issue, China has, over the last couple of decades, developed some highly advanced weapons systems of their own, and I doubt many of these were built with international compatibility in mind. So even if China were to provide some of its more advanced weapons systems, which they in all likelihood wouldn't for the reasons outlined above, I wouldn't be surprised if they fit into a Russian BTG about as well as an F-14 would in a WW2 Royal Navy carrier air group.

I wonder (conspiracy theory style) if the US going to Taiwan, and the Chinese ramping up the threats is actually a distraction where the US and China are in cahoots for the Chinese to possibly look north and go after part of a weakened Russia?

Which in my mind makes sense as the Chinese would hoover up huge resources just on their doorstep and that seems to make a lot more sense than fighting over an island

Nothing newsworthy is happening.

Every day Ukraine blows up an ammo dump or military depot and Russia fires some rockets into some civilian area. The front line isn't moving. Russian attacks are repelled. Ukraine is not mounting much of a counter-offensive yet.

China - US is the story of the day.

Wtf kinda people are these?

Desensitised who dehumanise.

Could maybe be a reason NATO gets dragged into it.

There is very heavy fighting going on around Avdeevka,Peski and Soledar.

They captured Paddy Gruzev - or whatever his name is.

Something "newsworthy" happened: the dopey basketball player got 9 years in jail. Should occupy public attention for about 5 minutes

Devils Advocate.

Is it time to think about giving Putin an off-ramp? I'm not sure if anyone watched the Jordan Peterson rant ( I have a love/hate relationship with the guy and I loath to post the interview here). He spouted an enormous amount of polarised, narrow-minded drivel during the interview but he made one valid point.

The West are pushing for Putin/Russia to lose, at whatever cost. But, to Russia, a paranoid nuclear power, what does that mean. The front looks stagnant at the moment, but let's say Ukraine gets a break through a combination of wearing down the the Russian logistical supply-chain, the depletion of Russian munitions and slowly but surely begins to push Russia right back to the borders of the 2014/15 annexation or even beyond, towards Sevastapol. What happens then. Would we see an already paranoid, ostracised, economically-paralysed Russia resort to the last card that they have to play, a nuclear strike?

There is a theory that certain, logically-inclined and sane-minded military staff would baulk at carrying out any orders pertaining to a strike. However, if the situation became so perilous and grave that even the most reasonable generals are afraid for the well-being of the Motherland, I'm not so sure of any hesitation.

Thoughts?