Russia - threadbanned users in OP

It's not often I agree with timmyntc, but he's spot on here.

And there is absolutely no way that China would ever, ever, ever, ever trade their claim over Taiwan for Outer Manchuria. Taiwan and its seas are of immense strategic value, far far more than anything the border regions in the far east have to offer.

There isn't a hope in hell that Russia will give up land in return for western sanctions being lifted. That would require the complete and utter military and political defeat and occupation of Russia by Ukraine, on the same scale as that of Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan by the Allies, and that is simply not on the cards in this war.

I'ts been difficult enough to get western sanctions in place during the war. It would be impossible to get all those countries to agree to the dismemberment of Russia being a condition of lifting them - especially if Ukraine achieved it's full liberation. Plenty of countries would see that as being a step far too far. And remember, the sanctions are not absolute. There's loads of countries still fully trading with Russia, and there's still some trade between Russia and even the western countries with the most strict sanctions.

If you want to engage in fantasy thinking that has at least some possible plausibility, then maybe one could begin to imagine the collapse of the Russian government, and a resulting civil war during which China moves in to "protect" it's interests, investments and migrant workers in the border regions. But there's no way it involves Russia agreeing to it, and there's 100% no way it involves Taiwan being traded for it.

I didn't miss the "dismemberment of Russia" part. I dismissed it out of hand with this statement:

If the Russian Federation collapses then China would most certainly consider taking control of the timber/gas/resource rich eastern Russia and probably do so under the similar guise that the Russians used for Eastern Ukraine, that ethnic Chinese were at risk or some similar story.

Oh it was the Americans now who attacked the Kremlin....

And not only "released" back into Russian society again but with a personal guarantee from Prigoshin that if they have any problems, he will sort them out fir them. Talk about a License to Kill.

Prigoshin and his Wagnerites are just another branch of Putin mafia, nothing more.

Another fuel depot goes kaboom

I think they really need to say it was the americans, that is a much bigger and stronger enemy. It would be humiliating and basically to accept they are weak to admit that Ukrainians were able to fly a drone to that place.

The problem is there has been several videos of drones flying over Moscow recently, no big deal, well with the exception of Russia recently placing pansir Air defense systems on top of buildings in and around the Kremlin and close to it , Along with their nuclear air defense systems already surrounding the capital,

It would be next to impossible to put any sizable aircraft or drone over Moscow without getting taken down , then came the video which itself is comedy gold,and Russias statement of they used electronic anti drone systems to take down the drone,

It's all Kremlin propaganda and nothing more

Hilarious Zv2. I don't believe it was an attempt to kill Putin, rather psychological warfare to remind Putin and Russia that we can bring the war to you. It's timing close to the Victory day parade is no coincidence in that regard.

I suspect he sent one of his doubles up to the roof first, to see what happens.

Prigozhin is not some generic businessman who can easily be chucked out of a window, he has his own private army. He's also, so far, been useful to the regime. Although it's definitely an odd relationship.

He is critical of Putin, but more from a "wants to win the war" sense, which is non-threatening to Putin. Prigozhin also randomly comes out with his own ridiculous propaganda. It's a strange one, I think as long as he keeps providing meat for the fodder, then the regime will forgo his occasional outbursts.