Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Far more likely to see a situation similar to post WW2 germany increasingly reliant in imported labour (mostly Turkish) to rebuild the country and prop up the population.

If EU membership and a huge inflow of funds to the Baltic States couldnt reverse their population decline due to emigration, I cant see how Ukraine could reverse such a drastic outflow of people for the promise of hard graft rebuilding your country. Its a nice ideal that peoples patriotism and duty and sense of home would draw them back, but if they have leave to remain & work in higher paying western nations, why would you leave?

One of my wife's colleagues husband, who has been living in Ireland for almost 2 decades just moved back to Ukraine. Her parents who fled here in the early days of the war have just returned.

Ironically, in trying to eradicate Ukraine, Putin's Russia have done the exact opposite: they've engendered the Ukrainians with a level of patriotism most countries haven't seen since the second world war.

I'm sure some of the refugees may stay, particularly war widows and their children but the Ukrainians are a hard-working and well-educated people, those that stay will be of benefit to the countries they come to call home. (Interestingly, those I know who visited Ukraine before the war describe it as being quite similar to Ireland just before the Celtic Tiger. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see the Ukrainian economy become a Slavic Tiger off the back of the rebuilding program).

There were roughly 15 million German men removed from the workforce post-ww2 (5 million dead, 10 million pow). You're surely not comparing the recovery of Germany after a world war, split east & west, population decimated and facing economic sanctions, to that of Ukraine who's population and infrastructure losses aren't even close to comparable?

Are you just throwing things out arguing for argument sake or what?

The point I took from the article that the poor father and daughter are in a minority. All the apparatus of the state is focused on indoctrinating school kids and stamping out what little dissent there is. Future looks bleak when impressionable kids are brain washed

I see Medvedev threatening nuclear weapons against Ukraine if they retake Crimea,

Retake suggests that they are afraid it's actually happening.

Crimea 2023 is on

I think you're right there. Mrs Sleepy has already decided that whenever Ukraine is ready to host tourists again, we're going. I get no say in the matter! 🤣

Came across this on Twitter today, incredibly prescient considering it's from 2014:

I remember visiting a museum in Canberra about 15 years ago. There was a wing devoted to the ANZAC and I remember reading something in there that I found very interesting that stuck with me. When WW1 happened Australia was still a relatively new country. The modern Federation, as we know it today, was only formed in 1901 (which is also when the flag was chosen). Up until then it had been a loose collection of former colonies with the transportation of convicts only ending in 1868.

It wasn't until WW1 and specifically the disaster that was Gallipolli that was, in many Australian's eyes, the true baptism of Australia as a real country. 7.5 thousand Australians died and another 18 thousand were wounded there. Every year thousands of Australians visit Gallipolli and ANZAC day is a national holiday. The blood sacrifice by those men has become part of the founding story of that country and inspires Australians to this day.

I truly believe that this war will serve the same purpose for Ukraine.

"Why would you leave?"

That comment says a lot of your apparent contempt for Ukrainian citizens. And your lack of any sense of moral fibre.

The Turks are worse than those Russian pigs when it comes to football. Though maybe not in the same league as the Serbs.

All the same, Fenerbahce should get a 10 year ban from UEFA club comps for doing that.

I said around October that Crimea would be under sovereign Ukrainian territory by summer of this year and I stand by that.

In fact, if Ukraine could organise enough mechanised armour and mobile air defence to keep up with it, I feel that Ukraine could carry out a modern day lightning war and rout the Russians from all of their land within months.

The flimsiness of the Russian military, in men and armaments, has proven to be absolutely incredible.

Ukrainians are refugees not asylum seekers.

UN projects that the population will not recover. Obviouslh the long term decline up to 2100 is not unique to Ukraine, most countries show that same decline. But the sharp drop in 2022 and very small up tick after (assuming a timely end to the war), most are not returning.

Im not so sure with the timeline ... The area where you can attack is only 9km wide with two roads going north south and these roads come together in Armiansk ... That area will be a death zone imo littered with mines and strong defences.... What they could do is cut the water supply again and keep hammering that Kerch bridge.. And than see who last the longest

That still image inspired me to Google what Orban's weight is.

This was the top response:

This is not a 71kg man

If the Russians get routed by conventional military means, there's always the danger that Putin won't simply give up if he's allowed stay in power and opt for nukes or chemical weapons out of desperation. I'm not saying that Putin should be given leeway because of this, but there needs to be a plan in place to head off this eventuality. This is why I would suggest that alongside military aid to Ukraine, there needs to be a coup organised in Russia to usurp/kill Putin along with his cronies.