Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Another excellent guardian article about the difficult mood but also the defiance in Ukraine as 2 years approaches:

"The West needs to get its act together"

Aside from less weapons due to hold ups in funding from USA ( all on trump, he runs the gop ). You also have a not so fixable issue now coming home to roost for Ukraine. Shortage of manpower. A problem Russia does not have.

Much of Ukraines troops on frontline have been at this for two years solid and without breaks/recycling. They cannot keep going forever.

Back to finance / weapons. GOP have said they have no intention of bringing this to the floor .. not before they and the house go on two weeks recess soon.

So i think with this and with the manpower issues we are reaching a major turning point unfortunately in favour of Putin

The sensible comments regarding the inability is Russia to manage two fronts are all well reasoned and logical, based on facts.

Thus can be discounted. We are dealing with a sociopathic delusional and powerful person. He's not going to let facts get in the way.

I see Putin was mocking Carlson's intelligence. He expected sharper questions. Yet he is afraid to sit down with the likes of the BBC who will give him a proper grilling, unlike Carlson who let him in engage in monologues without interruption. He was openly mocking him during the interview too.

Saddam's intelligence service used to test if it did within his inner circle by planting the idea of a western coup in the minds of those closest to him. As regards Putin, being en ex spy he is likely even more paranoid. He likely has an insurance policy as you say that if anyone moves against him their nearest and dearest will get it. They also benefit from his rule, so they won't contemplate making a move while that lasts. If the CIA really wanted to they could probably get to him, but given the enormous potential ramifications they will never do it.

Just deny it - he went for a walk & felt ill

Definitely possible. As per the guardian article I posted earlier, there are cracks in Ukraine's political front, also Klitschko basically said Ukraine is now a state in which one man makes almost the decisions and more questions are starting to be asked.

Zelensky has done a great job so far but patience with him may run out if this year does not go well

If they can hold what they have while pounding the Russians especially their oil infrastructure and its earning capacity they will do ok. Wait for the Russians to crack.

I dunno how the west welcomes every made in China, while China supports Russia. The West have a lot of leverage over China, time to use it. Already I'm seeing BYD cars everywhere

Maybe because everything is made in China, and to China, this war is as far from them as the Iraq war was from us.

Very few people in Europe were boycotting American products during the second Gulf war.

Russia could have kept lukewarm relations with the west, addressed any territorial conflicts with international law, diplomacy, even trade war.

Yet still could have kept the European fuel market (and kept making a tidy income), stayed free of international sanctions, kept those 250,000 lives, prevented brain drain and worker losses, spent billions less on military, kept their black sea fleet intact. They wouldn't have had to lock up protestors, or fight mysterious fires which keep popping up, or brown nose China. Their oligarch billions wouldn't be frozen. Wagner wouldn't have staged a near coup. And 100 other problems could have been avoided.

They even could possibly have shmoozed and romanced Ukraine to be their buddy. Now they have a multi generational sworn enemy. (while other powers gain an ally). And no doubt theres been gigantic intel leaking/transfers, to western countries by now, some of their best will have turned their back on the regime out of disgust, others can sense which way the wind is blowing and want to be in the good books, others still can see hot opportunities for quick cash/passports in all the chaos. Before it all falls down.

All this for marginal territorial gain.

All that is on one side of the books. And over on this side ... Avdiivka. Ruined hamlet, population 0. No economy.

What a win.

Funny how any facts that diverge from your opinion are labelled propaganda and smearing. Quite similar to the approach the Russian media takes.

Thankfully, Ukraine is moving towards an open, democratic society where debate and criticism are allowed. Something you seem very uncomfortable with.

This probably merits another thread? Pretty damning stuff too ..

"Now Ireland is again considering how best to deal with Russia, its sprawling Dublin embassy and the nefarious activities of its intelligence services on Irish soil amid warnings from western governments concerned about the potential for war on Europe’s eastern border.

The government is also coming under pressure from Europe to protect and police the waters off the Irish coast containing undersea cables amid fears of Russian interference ... The concern across Europe and Nato focuses on Ireland’s unwillingness to confront Russia and acknowledge the scale of the threat its spying agencies pose, and its inability to defend its own interests.

.... They ( defence forces, Garda ) also know Russia’s Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information (Fapsi) is spying here, deploying vans full of equipment that can intercept private communications. More recently, Ireland has been warned Unit 29155, an elite GRU unit that conducts sensitive foreign operations including assassinations and targeted attacks, might be operating here."