Russia - threadbanned users in OP

I read the same as you, Ireland's Own and the likes.

Did you read the article? The senior US military official was named and said nothing relating to the clickbait title. Here's what he said, just so you don't have to bother your arse reading the article. In fact, there are two senior US military officials quoted AND named in the article.

“This is a very difficult fight, it is a very violent fight and It will likely take a considerable amount of time and at high cost,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said.

Referring to Ukraine losing armored vehicles in the early days of the counteroffensive, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “the Ukrainians have the ability to recover equipment that’s been damaged, repair where possible, get that equipment back into the fight,”

“There will continue to be battle damage” but Ukrainian forces “still have a lot of combat capability, combat power,” Austin added.

Anyone considering Twitter as a trusted source needs their heads checked too.

Seriously though, read it and look through the clickbait. The named quotes are the only ones that matter because we know who said them, there is absolutely no reason for "Western Officials" to not be named. In what capacity are they officials? Do they actually know what's going on?

Or they just didn't see the need? I have Irish friends who live abroad and still have their Irish passport because why would they not? It takes years to get citizenship, maybe they have not been here that long, maybe they have moved around.

Plus you seem pretty focused on the 30 year example. You gonna sit everyone currently in the citizen process from Russia to go through political asylum? You will have a serious fight getting through that. Companies will relocate valuable workers to safe countries aided by friends and they will leave with their families. But hey we can create a load of work for those sorting through political asylum for reasons!

This seems ridiculous for all purposes with no benefit except to try and exact revenge against people who have nothing to do with this. What is even the benefit in your mind? Oh no Russian's best and brightest have to go home and work in Russian companies/military. That'll really show them.

Defence dolphins

Why? What benefit is there for us or the Ukraine? We lose valuable workers and Russia will gain them. Just seems like nonsense.

For sure, I would not like to be any of the Judiciary or prison service who jailed any of these guy's.....or their Families either. or in fact anyone connected to their convictions.

i think Ukraine are looking for the weakest part of the russian lines and when thats worked out we'l see a fairly big push back but at the same time id doubt they'l commit all their different brigades,keep some in reserve...

as an aside,the wagner boss is doing a lot of talking lately youd have to wonder,is he doing it for himself?is he pushing for the cappo di tutti cappo role? or is there some one else that hes fronting for?just seem strange to me..

Wtf! those little green men weren't carrying flowers and chocolates

It's so rare that politicians acknowledge the mistakes they made. There are loads of examples I can think of off the top of my head:

• Tony Blair & George Bush on the invasion of Iraq
• Bertie Ahern on his government's policies turbo charging the Housing Bubble and subsequent crash
• George Osbourne on his austerity policies
• David Cameron on his calling of the Brexit referendum

They're all obsessed with their legacies. Even years later when the narrative has already been formed that they messed up they'll cling to their bad decisions and claim that they were right.

@Brussels Sprout "Wtf! those little green men weren't carrying flowers and chocolates"

I listened to that this morning in dismay. Obama is a smooth talker with a forked tongue. Always was.

Yeah, Prigozhin seems to be pushing for more power, but what has he got in terms of support among Russia's oligarchy and the civil service? What's his friend/enemy ratio?

Having a private army of thousands may help. Also, and this is purely speculation, but he could be beneficial to Putin. He's attacking Shoigu and co for "providing Putin with false info". If the war fails further, Putin can say he was fed false info and can blame members of that inner circle. On top of that Prigozhin has maneuvered himself into the media spotlight and does his talking from the actual war as opposed to inside bunkers, something that can't be hurting his image among normal Russians.

He's manoeuvring himself into an actual replacement for Putin , explains why he's not been thrown out of an aircraft over ukraine without a parachute,

Trying to make himself a man of people who stood on the front lines and didn't hide in bunkers selling lies to the Russian public he's just an honest soldier who's followed the orders of the entitled elite

I wasn't convinced either a while back tbh. I viewed as a kind of wishful thinking. Kind of like the claim that he has cancer or some awful terminal illness. It's certainly possible but there was little more than conjecture and speculation fueling it IMO. Not conspiracy theory level but still.

With the recent meeting of the mil bloggers I've become convinced. The milbloggers have spoken about how they had to go through days of isolation before they could meet him due to his Covid paranoia. There isn't a fucken hope in my mind that that man sitting half a kilometer away at the end of his table from the peasants or even his own generals,demanding everyone do covid isolations is the same person out and about in occupied Kherson shaking hands and smiling.

I could still be wrong I guess. But I'd place good money against it.

neither do i...just idle speculation,only thing id be a bit certain about is the oligarchs and gangsters couldnt be too happy,they want their villas,yachts,jets etc and money...