Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

The latest cable cutting exercise has been a pretty bad blunder by the Russians. I guess they assumed there wouldn't be a stronger reaction than last time. But now the tanker is impounded in Finland, after the coast guard "suggested" they should direct their course from international waters towards Finnish territorial waters (not saying the missile boat nearby had any effect, no sir).

Obviously the Finns wouldn't have fired, but the Russians think no-one follows international rules, and complied.

1. Plenty of invention there, but its all irrelevant to the key point. As far as realistic negotiations go, Russia has always ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, of any type, disguised or otherwise, now or 20 years from now. Anyone still looking for some formula to install Ukraine into NATO, now or in the future, is just wasting time and more importantly wasting lives.
2. Russia has to deal with who is in legitimate power, sure. But that is the problem. Zelensky's position is dubious at best. My guess is Zelensky wont ever enter into negotiations with Russia so his legitimacy wont arise. He will likely flee to London with whatever national wealth he can loot and the Russians will impose a 1945 style settlement on whatever is left.
3. There's no relevant criticism to address? As I said it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to find a way to believe Ukraine is trading casualties evenly with Russia, let alone actually inflicting far heavier casualties. But there are people who are willing to do those mental gymnastics despite every information point aligning with the view that Ukraine is suffering massively more casualties than Russia. You cant reason someone out of a position that they didn't reason themselves into.
4. That is just confession by projection again.

He talks about it on breaking points.

To summarize, in his view Russia is Russia and China is China. They're going to do whatever they do. He's American and doesn't want the US mixed up in Ukraine provoking Russia.

However, I'm sure his book would better answer your questions than I.

one can dream..

PLenty of guys like Scott belting on about the great Satan all the while quoting the bible. No credibility at all.

There would have been some response had there been a few Americans on that flight.

All that stuff is really expensive. And as has been shown in Ukraine, cheap drones can replace a lot of the more expensive stuff, like anti tank weapons* etc…

*Though Ukraine initially having a big enough stock of NLAWS & Javelin’s as well as their own Stugna system is probably what kept them alive in those initial days/weeks of the invasion… Being an island though out threats will only ever come from the air initially…

Thinking back now it was fcuking unbelievable when the very early videos started filtering through of Ukrainian’s showing great use of their ATGM systems….

The first video I saw was a Ukrainian soldier with a ‘spent’ NLAW on his shoulder going to review the Russian BTR he just rapidly disassembled… they were literally the first glimmers of ‘this won’t be the blitzkreig everyone assumed it would be’ and that Ukraine were offering stout resistance…

Hard to believe it was almost 3 years ago…

Point 1. Who the hell is Putin to tell any state if they can or not join NATO, ?? Russia is citing security concerns,,,are other countrys not entitled to have the same concerns?? Not even in 20 years? Rubbish! Putin, the main driver behind the murder and mayhem is now 72 years old..You think that he will still be around in 20 years time? Or that the Russia that exists to day will still be the same? Will the RF even exist in 20m years?

2 Legitimacy? President Zelenski is democratically elected President of Ukraine, and under the constitution, will remain so while the warv continues. The same cannot be say about Putin..he has never been democratically elected,ever! He has driven a house and four through the Russian Constitution to keep power. Be better for you to examine Putin's legitimacy if legitimacy is what you are after.

3 If you want to take the death toll based on Russian figures, better keep the salt cellar handy.

A brutal occupation policy does not guarantee success. There could be no more savage occupation than that of the Germans in Poland and in large areas of BeloRus/Ukraine/Russia yet instead of suppressing insurgency it raised it to new heights. When, say, Jews realised that they were bound for destruction they knew they had no alternative but to take to the woods. Fight and die or do nothing and still die. The Stalinist occupation of the Baltic states and Ukraine was incredibly brutal, replete with reprisals, deportations and the taking of hostages yet the 'Forest Brothers' in the Baltic states survived until 1956 and the anti-soviet resistance in the Ukraine wasn't quelled until 1955.

But but the poor Russian Speakers

Russia cuts off gas supplies to Transnistria | Ukrainska Pravda

The Trans-Balkan gas pipeline through Türkiye provides an alternate way for Russia to supply gas to Moldova.

However, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean claims that Gazprom has cited "non-payments" by Russia-controlled Transnistria as the reason for the suspension of supply rather than transit issues, making it far more difficult to resume deliveries. Chișinău does not recognise Tiraspol's debt and has no plans to pay it off.

I always thought it was just provided Free to Transnistria as a major carrot to keep them Moscow orientated. So using non-payment as a reason seems bizarre.

“to be Russia or not to be “ . That is my question. I am a bit confused as to what is the exact situation re the following. , from what I can make out there was never a country, province, oblast or kraits called Russia . When the USSR broke up and when ‘things settled down’ what was left of the USSR was named the Russian Federation. Of all the oblasts, republics, provinces, krais , special cities and other entities that go to make up the Russian federation, NONE OF THEM are called Russia.

So My understanding is that Moscow - the city and an expanse of countryside surrounding it is called the Moscow. Republic or oblast or whatever and the city of Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation.

Would appreciate any comments re correctiogthe above if some of it is wrong

As said before you are one of the biggest truth benders posting here, being accused of so invention is funny.

Even a Mearsheimer type analysis of recent history doesn't contradict fact that Russia was losing political influence over Ukraine, and so Putin then chose aggression and military action as the "answer" to this problem. Not only do I think it was stupid, I have a fundamental problem with countries/nations/leaders waging war when not under attack. War is almost never a justified action in my opinion.

Zelenskyy's position is "dubious at best" lol? I am guessing you think Ukraine should be running an election to confirm they are happy with this govt. while the war rages on, 15-20 % of country has been occupied by the Russians, large proportion of the electorate are refugees outside Ukraine or under arms/working in war industry in Ukraine to fend the Russians off, and drones and missiles are landing on cities every day? Do you think Ukrainians would actually be pleased with the govt. for putting them through an election process? There's no peace/end the war offers on the table from Russia bar capitulation, nothing really it seems to me that requires the govt. there to go back to the people for guidance at present. I know you are a political idealogue with very set in concrete positions, but as a supposed "Irish" person living in a very peaceful country where everyday life incl. the democratic process is not disrupted by violence from outsiders directed at ending existence of the state, can you empathise here at all? No, probably not in your nature.

If the current Ukrainian leadership may be eager to loot their own treasury and flee, why did they not do so in spring of 2022 when they had Russian paratroopers fighting to establish a bridgehead inside the capital city, and even allies telling them to give up the ghost? Things were much grimmer then IMO. I think this "1945 settlement" is a Russian propaganda pipedream you are swallowing whole, just because it appeals to you.

It's also very annoying that you always use this euphemism to put lipstick on the very ugly pig of an outcome, and don't speak more plainly about it…millions more refugees fleeing for Western Europe followed by a repressive Stalin-like military/security administration of Ukraine. Do you deny that if somehow Russia actually takes the regions they have claimed and then is also able to impose a "puppet" admin. on rest of the country by force of arms, the only only way Russia can ever rule (and put down what will likely be a rash of partisan activity given how much weaponry will be floating about in the country how angry many former Ukrainian military will be) is through a period of terror and violence? It's what their own state propagandists and pro-war voices have been promising Ukraine from the start anyway.

That is ironic about the relative casualties. You mis- or over-interpreted a piece of data you had to come up with your predetermined conclusion. I've not done any "mental gymnastics" like that.

Confession by projection? What's this babble honestly?