Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Yes, it will be very difficult, but manageable. It will become a generator city, and People have lived in bombed out cities before, even in winter. Now can you imagine just what it will be like for the Russian soldiers in Ukraine? Even before they go into action, their own families have to equip them, with whatever they can find in the market, and it just so happens that following the immutable laws of supply and demand, military gear has hit unprecedented high pricing. Now, on the other hand, Ukrainian soldiers have access to state-of-the-art winter gear. Oh, and on the Russian side, back home in Moscow, I think that this coming winter will be exceptionally hard on Muscovites too. Lack of normal services, shortages, etc. You cannot rip the fabric of society apart as Putin has done and expect that it will be business as normal. Bills have to be paid, employed or not, and just like everywhere in the capitalist world, no mon ? no fun. Heating gets turned off....no rent money? Tough. Because the sanctions are working, but Putins wall of silence is covering up the real picture of what life is really like back home in Russia.

Filatov is some bollocks isn't he.

So we're helping people not get maimed by mines and we're contributing to the war effort?

Fuuuuuuck this chump.

Re: Cold Winter

Wood stoves can be made out of oil barrels or scrap metal.

Timber from ruined buildings can be used as fuel.

Gas bottles & Superser type heaters could be supplied.

In a life or death situation, a foil survival blanket will definitely keep a person alive overnight.

Time for use of every type of micro-generation and survival technique, if anyone can do it, it's the Ukrainians.

Is there a russian equivalent of the ESB powercheck website?

I'd March the fcuker out to Sandymount and tell him to start swimming. We've left him peddle is lies and veiled threats too long

I remember a few years ago we had a big storm, knocked out the power for 3 or four days, and there was utter pandemonium, then you had the shortages due to China shutting down from Covid, first and then when the cargo ship got stuck in the Suez Canal. All sudden cut off from normal life. And we were not prepared (well most of us anyway) i remember that toilet paper was one of the most sought-after items...talk about priorities!!! The Ukrainians will not be caught like that. this winter, they've always had backups, long before the war started.

Nice work. 8-)

There is a bit more to this mentality, though. The tradition of imperialism, the ideological remnants of which reach far and wide, and imbue the plebs with a bit of “My own life may be siht but at least I belong to this great nation with a proud and long tradition of subjugating, civilising and benevolently leading lesser peoples”. I actually used to get a subtle enough whiff of a version of that off some people when I lived in England (I’m from the continent, btw, and have no colonial history with the English; just something I noticed as if a slight subtext when chatting with some - and in fairness, not that many). I imagine the French have their own version of that going on. A big difference comes with the fact that lives in the west are generally less siht, less often. Less need for escapism into grandiosity. Russians seem to be imbued with it through and through, they’re reared on it and encouraged to see themselves in relation to the world in that particular light. That no good can come of it would be an understatement.

Showing great discernment there.

I find it unbelievable that the 30+ Ru staff are still at the embassy. The Eu - which includes ireland by the way,- the US , UK, Australia , etc, etc, will be treating Russia from now on into the foreseeable future with the IRON CURTAIN in place. This means , as I understand, that there will be little or no contact re economic trade , cultural exchanges, sporting engagements, location for international events, etc, etc,etc

. I would suggest that now that the broad international community will operate the IRON curtain in a more comphrensive way than before because we now know what Russia is really like and what it is really about. We were slow in copping on but Russias intentions are very clear now and what it will do to achieve same

Re investing in the Irish army - be it capital to upgrade equipment, salaries to make the army more attractive or whatever , IMO we are going in the totally wrong direction. Given the capabilities of a load of countries - including Russia and China we can be blown out of the water in minutes no matter how well armed we are with conventional weapons as we are a very small economy and our budget in the greater scheme of things is very small

IMO what we should be doing is strengthing that section of the army that gathers intelligence, carries out reconnances, etc,to assist other friendly countries that are doing the same so that unfriendly nations can be tracked as to what they are up to.

for example, Ru going forward will stop at nothing to do as much damage to any country it wants to interfere with when the opportunity arises be it cutting communication and other cables, poison water sources, blow up supply pipes,, take out satellites, hack into ICT systems, online theft scams, etc, etc.

future threats to Irelands soverign security will not come from a few Ru bombers flying over it or a few boatload of Ru soldiers arriving at some remote jetty to catch us by surprise. NO the threat will come from the above range of possibilities so we should invest in those areas that will help to counteract same. We cannot do this by ourselves so we should compliment what outer countries with bigger budgets are doing

I don't like what the ambassador said about out helping Ukraine out of line

I think they should be all sent packing immediately they are a security risk I am sure they are gathering Intel of our agencies probably watching Baldonneled and other army centres.