The belief in much of the West is that Russia has been bled enough to ensure it can't defeat Ukraine but will get a bit more and have to settle for that.
Washington is looking already at a settlement.
Yet the same long term threat is there, Ukraine losing is as existential to Europe as Israel losing and either will be a massive encouragement to aggressive totalitarian forces.
A nation with a huge potential for greatness, but they spend it all on bullying their neighbours and making oligarchs richer. Many of the smart people left already.
But hey, the GDP graph looks good.
Imagine the response from Biden if Iran did this to Israel. He'd be sending them boat loads of weaponry.
And how much of that scientific thinking was concentrated in Ukraine? Especially when it came to plane development, Antonov AN225 Mriya being one such example, but it was not the only plane developed either.
21 years ago, same year as Long Way around coincidentally
Fascism changes people, societies and countries and not for the better
I'm not spinning anything. I was giving my experience of travelling through Russia on my motorbike. You seem to be seeing things in my post that aren't there.
Honestly I think she's smarter than people think. It's just that she knows what to say to get her redneck, room temperature IQ base riled up. And she's utterly compromised. A Russian asset without a doubt.
Whatever or whoever is coming down the track after Putin will not have anything like what he had when he came down the track more than 20 years ago. Not even remotely, and I'd hazard a guess that both the Silovicki and Oligarchs would find a nice convenient window for him if he tries the same course of action. And its not just the Silovicki and Oligarchs. Putin's war is becoming increasingly costly, with taxpayers being called more and more upon to shoulder the costs. And to continue on the same course will at some time, sooner or later lead to another Russian Revolution.
She has 2 brain cells, and they are fighting each other.
This cnut would volunteer to run a concentration camp I'd bet
I am sure they are planning a Summer offensive and I'd say the Ukrainians are ready to give them the warmest of welcomes!
She really is the most disgusting slime imaginable. A true cuckoo in the nest if ever there was one. I can't even listen to her without grinding my teeth.
@thomil "His aim was always to reform the country."
Yes, but that would be tantamount to ending an era. There were many things he did not like about the system. I once heard him lament the moral decay the system was creating. He wanted to move on.
The Ukraine bill is out and available to read.
https://punchbowl.news/ukraine-funding/
Differences from the Senate supplemental. One that immediately jumps out is the requirement to transfer long-range ATACMS "as soon as practicable."
Utter poison and poisonous. MTG is a Putin mouth piece
Very true, there are a lot of very talented Russians out there. Though they've had an ongoing brain drain over the last decade plus as quite the number of graduates and highly skilled people moved overseas for better opportunities. Putin well knows it too. Last year he increased the number of years required for university degrees. The flagwavers claimed this was to improve results, but what they failed to mention was by doing so and withdrawing from international standards he also stymied, or hopes to stymie, young Russian's abilities to leave for greener pastures.
On Space; yes they were real top of the line and hold many, if most of the firsts in Space exploration and did so during Soviet times when pretty much everything had to be inhouse and homegrown. An incredible set of achievements. More latterly and sadly imho given their history they're very much behind the curve. Incremental tweaks to their decades old(though bloody good) Soyuz launch vehicles paid to ferry to the ISS has been most of it. Now Space-X has largely taken over with a far more up to date and cheaper alternative to LEO. Even NASA far from its glory days and operating on a fraction of their 60's budget has probes across the solar system and even managed a manned flight capable vehicle shot around the Moon, planning for a manned flight in the next few years. Russia's Lunar probe landing failed. India's got there and China got theirs down safe including a rover.
More news on this vote saturday
New House GOP proposal -
-$61 billion for Ukraine & regional partners ($23B will go to replenishment of U.S. stockpiles.) Bill also covers repayment of econ support -$26 billion for Israel. -$8 billion for Indo-Pacific -$95 billion total Per House Appropriations Committee
( 2nd tweet ) The Israel package also includes more than $9.1 billion for humanitarian relief
That’s second article in as many days in a major publication about China distancing itself from Russia
The kites are being sent up
Not going to hold onto hope here, but have all my fingers crossed for this.
Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is sticking with his plan to put a series of foreign aid bills on the floor, including funding for Ukraine, after facing significant pressure from hardliners.
Johnson said in a note to members that they will vote on these Saturday evening.
We may have some good news coming our way about US aid to UKRAINE perhaps?
I was often wondering could Johnson have been playing a quiet game to push through this aid for Ukraine, in the background balancing the fckery going on with the MAGA wing in the GOP? I am sure there is alot we just dont see and have not seen going on in the background.
I am sure the people of Germany in 1919 were as friendly in 1940 too, except for that small detail where their fascist government started a war that killed 73 million people, minor detail, nothing to worry about.
My point is that people and societies change, the kindest best meaning people could be brainwashed, suppressed, and prosecuted and repressed in an authoritarian fascist system that Russians have embraced.
There is a strange effort to somehow absolve ordinary Russians of all the rape and murdering and kidnapping and pillaging in Ukraine, but whichever way your try to spin it it’s Russians who are doing these acts and supporting the war indirectly not Putin on his own.
At best all the “nice” well meaning Russians can do is keep their heads down, but all that does is further empower the regime to commit unspeakable acts in their names.
Saturday is the big day, Congress will vote on the aid package. I think I will be watching that.
Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about such things as manpower on the EU side Poon, when the time comes, they will be ready and waiting. But you can start worrying instead about how Putin's next mobilisation will go… because he'll need it you know. The economy is already suffering from manpower shortages due to the current mobilizations. And there's limits' to how many Countries will allow you to use their citizens as cannon fodder, although I guess Kim Jong Un (who needs the money) will still allow some to go and fight for Putin. The way the Russian dams and bridges everywhere are collapsing, is very good idea of just how strong your Russia really is. And speaking of dams and bridges, heres a Russian news article for you…Residents of flooded Orsk draw water from puddles or hand buckets outside their windows during rain - Russian media. There has been virtually no tap water supply in the city for 12 days already due to floods. "Water is now worth its weight in gold in Orsk. Drinking water is delivered by volunteers, and there are huge queues for it. The water flows out of the tap intermittently and is dirty. My son, owing to forgetfulness, used this water while brushing his teeth. The result was a fever of 40°C and vomiting for three days. He was poisoned," local resident Anna told the newspaper. According to Orsk mayor Vasily Kozupitsa, the wells will be put into operation when the floods recede because if flood waters get into the wells, the drinking water will be contaminated.
Strong Russia Poon??? Yeah.
hold on. We have been warned by a number of posters on here that Putin’ s replacement will be a ‘ much harder. Man’ so be very careful what you wish for !! . They say that Putin wil be seen as the proverbial poodle compared to what’s coming down the track
Our responsibility:
It was always on my to visit countries but the general political situation always concerned me a bit. Did have the opportunity to visit Kiev a few years back and glad I had that chance. Beautiful looking city and just a pretty pleasant experience. There was still some concerns even back then about invasions though.
Another day, another Russian war crime, another shrug of the shoulders or maybe a few "thoughts and prayers" from Ukraine's so-called allies in the West. Tragic, shameful, infuriating
They are that…I lived there for several years, and if Putin was gone, I go back in a heartbeat.
Given the fact it was supposed to take a few days to invade the nation, going pretty terribly. You seem to be a bit of a fan of Putin's goal of genocide though.
Just on that, it was never his plan to end the USSR. He was a communist through and through. His aim was always to reform the country, basically do what China had been doing for years at that point. The collapse of the USSR came about after Chernobyl laid bare just how fragile the system had become.
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