Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

In all honesty Vatnik Russia lacks the capability to launch an invasion against Ireland, it's simply not possible given their crippled logistics and the fact Ukraine is basically kicking the ever loving shít out of them despite their losses. We're not in the Baltic but on the other side of Europe and are just too far for them to launch anything like that. Additionally Russia was primarily a land threat, their navy was never as good and it's a shadow of it's Soviet Heydey. Hell Ukraine beat their Black Sea fleet without a navy of their own.

Even if they tried the UK wouldn't let it happen they'd sink any invasion fleet anywhere near these islands as it would be a threat to them as well not to mention other EU nations would intervene. The threat Russia poses to us would be asymmetrical warfare, cyberattacks, drones, damaging undersea cabling and supplies, riling up the ignorant and making use of useful idiots and gobshítes who still think Russia is the USSR and completely ignoring the fact that Vatnik Russia is essentially the Nazi Germany of today, only stupider, more incompetent and corrupt.

In all honesty we do need to take our defence much more seriously, we need to have an Air Force and Navy that's at least effective enough and should not rule out NATO in future either or any sucessor organisation dedicated to European Defence should Agent Orange sabotage the US part of it, we're not immune to threats from other parts of the world and simply saying were neutral doesn't protect us from shít, time have changed and we need to change with them.

I think when we procure vessels and aircraft we should also budget for the supply chains for it. We have farcical situations where this has not happened.

Also I think we should reconsider buying from Switzerland given that where Russia is concerned, they were very unhelpful with Gepards and Gepard ammunition when Germany wanted it from them. We buy Mowag APCs from Switzerland. This has been damaging the Swiss arms export industry anyway.

But Switzerland also has lessons for Ireland, as a heavily armed but neutral state. Neutrality does not mean being defenceless.

Oh no how terrible /s

No Russian oil facility is safe

The world was a safer place when Russia used to threaten nuclear weapons now the threat has a similar orange glow thanks to stupid American voters and nonvoters

That 20% of Ukraine they hold equates to roughly the same size area of Latvia & Lithuania combined. 2 relatively flat countries with virtually no natural obstacles to stop or slow down an advancing force apart from the new border shields they are currently installing, but once they are overcome, it's a clear run to the coast.

You might not believe it, but the 3 Baltic States certainly are preparing for such an eventuality.

Vilnius is in a rather precarious position (which is why it's been so easy for balloons to disrupt flight operations at Vilnius airport on an almost daily basis lately).

If Ukraine capitulate or are forced to, what direction could their armed forces be turned? Death or fight for their new imperial master would be the option presented to many. Moldova is still very much on the menu in that scenario. Not going to guess what might happen with Belarus and how Putin uses them once Ukraine is subjecated sufficiently.

A Russian win will embolden China who might not be so discreet in their support if they see that Europe might become more destabilised and the US is certainly not going to prevent them. Russia will not pause for a breath unless Putin dies or they collapse.

Herself in the Aras would throw a wobbly if anybody suggested that, though. She'd be screeching about "warmongering' and be moaning that we're not acting as a 'voice for peace'.

My drone idea or the attack on the oil rig or both?

She has no power anyway.

Drones aren't necessarily killers anyway.

They different functions. Like dropping supplies or reconnaissance.

There's lots of rural areas suffering depopulation who'd be delighted with a new factory.

Ireland should just give Ukraine money to do whatever they think best with. Ireland can say 'here's some money to rebuild power plants and infrastructure' to satisfy the stupids.

There's a €26B surplus. Give them €2B - oh no, we 'only have €24B now, the horror, were doomed, how will we cope with still having the largest surplus in Europe.

Fair points. I'm a little more cynical of China. They'd rather deal with individual European states than the EU as a bloc. The US starting to come around to this way of thinking too as they see it as a more easily exploited entity that way. The "warmongers" in Europe are the only ones that really seem to be pushing for peace.

The public version of President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy (NSS) was controversial enough. But the longer unpublished version has now been revealed and it threatens to blow the roof off international relations as they have existed since the end of the Cold War.

…

The world order the US now wants to see is equally brutal and anti-democratic. Trump’s vision is to dump the G7 as a key forum for international diplomacy. The NSS proposes creating a new body of major powers, one that isn’t hemmed in by the G7’s requirements that the countries be both wealthy and democratically governed. In place of the G7, the unpublished NSS talks of a Core 5 composed of the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. Europe is not included.

The C5 would meet regularly, as the G7 does, for summits with specific themes. First on the C5’s proposed agenda: Middle East security, specifically, normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s secret version of his national security strategy blows up the world as we know it | Counterfire

Almost like another Russian wish-list that.

Finding it harder to laugh at satire like this -

The problem with people like you is you don’t understand how Switzerland works. It’s one country where the government can’t just do as it sees fit without consulting first (Anglo Irish bailout anyone…) Swiss laws prohibits on selling of arms to countries at war. The Ukrainian war has exposed that rule needs reexamining and that is what is currently happening. Law changes in Switzerland take time as there is lots of consulting, 2 Houses of Parliament and then the people often have their say. Some Irish people love constantly giving out about other counties despite Ireland being complete bludgers when it comes to self defense. As far as I can tell irelands defence policy is unarmed neutrality (although not really strictly neutral because takes sides), rely on being an island on the outer periphery of Europe and hope the brits come to your aid in case of attack. But posters here keep telling people “Europe is not doing enough”.

Surprisingly, you can actually get good news from Orcistan:

Russian desertion is exploding. The Times reports internal Russian documents showing 70,000 soldiers will desert in 2025 - six times more than in Jan 2024.