Stop the bickering and stop commenting about moderation or threadbans will follow
russia could go broke if the war lasts another year. The war has destroyed their economy. Brain drain, International companies leaving and taking their knowledge/skills/expertise with them. Inflation is set to rocket.
I will admit I don't know much about Iran but I have to say I am not optimistic about that regime ending (or even just moderating) any time soon. Seems (as an outside observer) they have upped their brutality and viciousness and this worked for them (so far) - not a positive lesson really and unlikely to lead to good things. Suppose all we can do is hope something changes for the better.
As for the relationship with Russia, well it is caught on a giant spike in Ukraine and very desperate now.
Iran have leverage there + they know it. Pure speculation...I am betting Putin has promised them God only knows what behind closed doors for help with drones and sanctions busting (main rational/self interest based reason I can come up with for their extremely significant assistance to Russia here in a fight that has nothing to do with them, apart from the fact the US supports Ukraine).
Could be transfer of 1 or more of their big remaining weapons-related crown jewels left over from Soviet era....jet engine technology, rocket motor/missile technology, nuclear weapons designs, maybe even biological weapons expertise. All a bit scary to think about.
We seem to be having a bit of a "moment" for scumbag corrupt autocracy and dictators around the world. There was a short period in last 20-30 years where new IT and communication revolutions coming out of the US/West disrupted their hold over the people in some countries (esp. in ME) where the govt.'s were not ready, but that is well and truly over.
rubble continuing to lose value today. I wonder if it could suddenly go into free fall. Maybe this is what brings putin down ?
As the Ukrainians continue to kill off the stupid Russians, there are two problems. 1) The smart ones still live, and 2) The Russian military, given time, will adapt as all armies in the past have done.
This is a much better example of an attack done correctly. I can quibble (For example, the drone was useless, filming their own side instead of the opposition), but what you have here is a properly formed platoon of the latest, most modern kit, working together with shock, firepower and speed to drop infantry off for the close fight before Ukrainian counter-fire can be brought to bear (You see it arrive as the vehicles withdraw a bit) and then withdrawing under cover of smoke.
As long as the Russians can only do this in platoon sized formations, great. But what happens when they start doing this with company-sized elements?
YOUR view. Not mine.
In my honest opinion, I find your opinion absolutely abhorrent. But it is what it is. You are entitled to it. I just think less of you as a person for holding those views.
For holding that opinion, the opinion that people should be held in contempt, not because of their actions, but because of the actions of the government where they happen to be resident of, I would class you along the same lines as a racist. But I can see that you feel that you are some moral superior when realistically, you are far from it. The kind of person who I would have no time for in the real world. But I am sure that has no impact on your life, nor should it.
If a russian who lived over here said "I'm not supportive of whats going on", are they ok? Or do they deserve hardship?
I would if my level of suffering because of the war got to the point where I was left with no other choice but to do that. Read the first line of my previous post:-
No, but the ones who support the invasion of Ukraine do up until the point that they change their minds and start pressuring Putin to withdraw his forces.
I want Russians who voice support of the war to experience every bit of economic and social pain this war can possibly bring them until they have a change of heart and, as the old rehab saying goes, the pain of change becomes to them less than the pain of staying the same.
Ideally, I would like them to press for change before they reach this point, but human nature being what it is, this probably won't happen, therefore ordinary Russians will have to suffer more in order to mount the political pressure that forces a military withdrawal.
Brits in general aren't entertained here 😉
Would a Brit who lost a family member in an IRA bomb be entertained here if in every post they exclaim "death to all Irish!"?
Most of us in the West never truly appreciated just how bad things got in Russia during the 90's (tbf, because many of us posting here were kids or young teenagers at the time) but the memories of the hunger suffered at that time (and Putin's taking the credit for ending it) has to be a major factor in the level of support he still has among the older generations.
At the very least the prospect of the kind of suffering endured during the economic "Shock Therapy" of the 90's re-occurring in a collapse of the Russian Federation (or the current regime) surely helps to keep the population in line.
Our own societal memory of famine endures almost 300 years after the event, the Ukrainians would have a small number or individuals for whom the Holodomor is in living memory and while I can't find accurate demographics for the Russian Federation in any great granularity for 2023, if we look at the data for 2020*: 49.3% of the population were over the age of 40.
That's almost half of the population for whom that's in living memory. The prospect of experiencing it again has be a major consideration in the Russian public's hesitance to resist. And if I can figure that out here from my home office in Dublin, you can be damn sure Putin's regime know it, and capitalise on it via their control of state media too.
*https://www.population-trends-asiapacific.org/data/RUS
No, the view is that we should not be concerned about harm to a population that is utterly complicit in supporting the most heinous war crimes. Every single Russian citizen at home & abroad who is not campaigning against this war is complicit imho.
Honest question; would you put your family at risk of death to voice your opposition against the government?
I mean, honestly, if there was a chance your wife and child would be murdered, would you risk it to tell the government you opposed their actions?
No, but the ones who support the invasion of Ukraine do up until the point that they change their minds and start pressuring Putin to withdraw his forces. That may involve making some hard stands that will likely face brutal attempts to suppress, but overcoming tyranny usually involves this kind of sacrifice, as the people of Ukraine are currently finding out.
So, chop-chop, Russians.
I tell you what, you talk about what you want. I'll talk about what I want. If I want to comment on people who openly wish ill-will against all russians, feel free to ignore it. Your blanket dismissal of people who "find that their feelings hurt because some think they should die" is childish, tone-deaf and frankly insulting.
Please don't try to dictate what I should or should not talk about.
To answer your questions.
I think Russia were 100% wrong to invade the Ukraine.
I'm not an expert in geo politics so I am not sure how reparations for the restoration of Ukraine would work but in an ideal world, yes, the people who did the damage should be liable to repair it.
It's a complicated and horrible situation.
But I'm sure you can fly your Ukrainian flag with pride and shout from the rooftops that Russians are all ****. You are helping.
Honestly think the Russian bots have gotten smarter. Akin to the fellowship who attack russian twitter with humour, the russian bots are attacking threads like these by calling everyone a Russian bot. A number of useful posters here have either left or been threadbanned because they have been goaded by a couple of posters. Thread was once fairly on the ball with info from a number of sources, now it's just people shouting Russian bot.
I'm not sure if this has been done to death , or even if its completely true but
I already have been for having the temerity for saying that not all russians deserve hardship.
What a controversial hot take lol
I would have thought the most popular view on here is that a segment of Russians are not supportive of the war, and they have no ill will towards these people.
Now we can stop talking about the poor Russians that don't support the war that find that their feelings hurt because some think they should die. Let's talk about the people that are actually dying. And how we can get the Russian scum out of their country.
You say the war in Ukr is 100% wrong, by that do you mean Russia is 100% wrong, that Ukraine is 100% right to be at war. Do you agree that Russia should leave Ukraine and Russia should pay fully for the restoration of all the damages in Ukraine. The immediate acceptance of Ukraine in NATO and the expulsion of Russia from Nato.
We'll probably be accused of being pro Putin stooges, which ironically is the very soup of paranoia that has kept Putin in power.
I would have thought so, but apparently, it's absolutely fine to wish death upon people based on their nationality.
By the site rules (and please I'm not back seat modding), but isn't repeatedly calling for death for people just because of their nationality breaking the forum charter?
We need to reduce the heat, because there will be a post Putin Russia.
Well, I'm 100% Irish, and neither a Russian Bot, or a Boards blow in, and lived in Russia for several years. So while I don't claim to know absolutely everything about Russia, I do have a fair idea about what's going on there. And my take on the whole situation is that I've absolutely no sympathy for any Russians in Ukraine. None whatsoever. They need to be ejected from Ukraine, one way or another, all of them, and from all Ukrainian territories, just like Putin needs to be ejected from Power. And yes, there's a large % of ethnic Russians follow and believe in Putin, for one reason or another. For some, its genuine believe in him, for others, its more of an enforced belief. Believe or else!!! But there are many who do not either believe or support Putin, ( mainly in the Republics ) and if even a shred of democracy existed in Russia, Putin could not exist in any shape or form. You can take the form of control that Kim Jong Un exerts in North Korea as an example that Putin is trying to emulate. He hasn't reached that level just yet, but he has reached a level of nearly absolute control over all Russian citizens, at home and abroad. And he ruthlessly exercises this control, as we are seeing daily. I know people who hate Putin and his mafia, but cannot openly discuss it. No public anti-Putin discussions allowed ( and no private ones either, unless you know who you are talking to really well. There are Nrs you can call to denounce anti Putinists, and they are used frequently. Want to get rid of business competitor? Noisy neighbours? Dial XXXXYYY) So, no, I don't support a blanket death to all Russian's men, women and children stance. To some on here on Boards, that makes me a pro -Putin stooge, and to those I say " Be a hero, go to Russian and live there, put your theory's and ideas into practice, start the revolution" see how you get on, and Good Luck, because you will need it.
That's the very paranoia Putin would sow.
In the end it will take Russian to take Putin out because Ukraine isn't going to invade and occupy Russia.
What will be interesting to see if we end up with a new Russian civil war. All the posters here who say "death to all Russian" will suddenly switch to "death to all Putinites, slava Free Russia!" And Ukraine will help them.
They should never have been there in the first place.
yes.
So you agree Russia should withdraw from Ukraine?
I have absolutely no idea what you mean with me having an "angle".
My angle (if I have one) is, the war in Ukraine is 100% wrong and anyone in support of it is wrong in my opinion. All the agressors and people engaging in war crimes should meet justice. I have no sympathy for them in any way shape or form.
I also do not blame all russians for the war and certainly do not wish any ill-will or suffering on any innocent people.
There is no ambiguity or no agenda. But apparently, its a controversial opinion, which is in and of itself, **** scary.
It does rankle me when I see people on here seemingly rabid with happiness when seeing misery of russians purely for being russian.
We've had many new reg members on here in the past yr, they start with some angle, but eventually the mask slips and its obvious they are stooges, here to derail the discussion. We've had the "don't poke the bear it will throw the bomb at you" angle thrown at us, Also there was "lets stop the killing and have peace talks" etc etc, all designed to deflect from what's actually happening.
You fit the profile, exactly. maybe I jumped the gun, but time will tell. You register in July and hide your threads. I never said all russians should die, I said I wouldn't condemn that position, certainly not when Russians go to Ukr and rape little boys, girls, grandmothers, castrate men.... This is a Russian system. If it stayed within its borders then they can do what they want. But that "culture" spilling over its borders is disgusting.
So, other than objecting to a concept, idea, that all Russians should die. What is your opinion on the reality of Russia invading Ukr, raping and killing their way across a sovereign country ? should all those Russians die ?
Hang on a minute? How and why am I being referred to as a comrade?
I simply responded to someone who said "all Russians should die", well I for one won't speak against that"
I found that disturbing and abhorrent.
But apparently that's enough for you to slate me and insinuate that I am "a bot" and a clown?
A clown for saying that I don't blame all russians and don't wish them all harm for decisions that are nothing to do with them?
I can openly and honestly say I am not a "bot". I am just a person who doesn't judge people on their geographic location, their race, their sexuality or their inability to dissuade their government from acting aggressively against a neighbouring country.
If that makes me a clown in your eyes, so be it.
I'd rather be a clown to a bigot than a clout chasing virtue signaling tit.
"innocent" Russians implies there are no innocent russians in your opinion. That's a sick and psychopathic mentality.
Isn't the line "all russians must die" the very paranoia that Putin created to justify his special operations?
Russian public has been played like a Brits were played with brexit.
Make Russia great again, MAGA, and Take back Control.
All have overdosed on their own sense of self importance.
While that's true I don't think Ukraine would put HIMARS within 20km of frontline unless they had a very high value target.
But yes every KM is 1km less for Russia's to operate "safely" north of the Azov.
It will be interesting to see how their next advancements fair. Roboytne has proven a graveyard for Ukrainian armour and it's still not liberated but Urozhaine was a graveyard for Russian infantry and it fell.
Every town and village will hold its own set of challenges for both sides to attack or defend based on the variations in the topography surrounding them.
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