Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Part IX

For you

The US has a history of being magnanimous. The sanctions could certainly be rolled back.

From the previous thread

[quote]...nope, lifting sanctions will NOT be part of negotiations. The sanctions will be in place for years. Why should that piece of shit Putin and his cronies be “rewarded” with the lifting of sanctions just for negotiating a way out of this?

That's kind of how sanctions work. They are the stick in the carrot/stick scenario. When you get the behavior you were seeking, you lay off the stick. There will be punishments that continue (probably the ones that mostly affect the oligarchs and Putin's little circle) but, of course, some of the lower level sanctions will be lifted if Russia stops what it's doing.

Russia has been under sanctions since 2014 and the government propaganda since then made Russians get accustomed to the permanent nature of these sanctions.

They do not expect them ever to be lifted as Russia is not going to comply with any of the demands currently mounted on them by the so called "international community".

Russia has parted its ways with us and on the way out she will make sure to take Ukraine with them.

[quote]People refuse to concede that Russia felt threatened and the bear had essentially been cornered.

"We will prove to you that you don't need protection from us by invading you!"

Some of the lower level sanctions, yes. But I think Putin has done enough damage that simply ending the war will not be enough to restore status quo. Russia would have to do some serious rebuilding and agree to a level of non-interference with Ukraine (and possibly other former soviet republics) that Putin simply would never go along with.

R4, you do not know any of that to be true. The sanctions that are most affecting the actual people of Russia are the ones that will be lessened or removed. Some of the corporations, like McDonalds, will return. The rest of the world is going to focus on getting the Russian people to overthrow Putin and his circle and lifting the sanctions for them will be part of that equation.

So how many dead generals and colonels does that make now?

R7, I did not say that it is true. Nor you know what is true or what will happen. You are talking out of your ass now.

I am just reporting what Russian media and government and social media is saying.

R4/R9, you made declarative statements of your own opinions, especially your last sentence in R4. So, turn around because any talking you hear is coming out your own ass.

R8, As many as Putin wishes. Those generals are made martyrs and paraded on Russian state TV now. Their deaths supposed to make Russians even more pro-war and support their leaders.

Apparently it shows that their leaders are willing to die for their country and not seat it out in bunkers like Zelensky, who keeps producing movies with green screen for various speeches at parliaments and rallies while his citizens are dying.

I am just paraphrasing here what I am watching.

"Dead as a Russian general" to replace "dead as a doornail" in idiomatic speech.

[quote] Zelensky, who keeps inspiring Ukrainians by his own grit in various speeches at parliaments and rallies while his citizens are under attack by the Russians

FIFY.

Zelensky is a war criminal, along with Putin, who should and will face prosecution for intentionally killing his own citizens.

But why so many dead generals?

It’s not just a problem with non-secure communications. The Russian army is said to discourage lower ranked officers from making decisions in the field; they prefer to have higher-ranked officers making managing combat, so more of their generals are put in danger.

(Note that the alleged total of generals killed has risen since this article was published).

Ukraine doesn't want you, Putinites. You want Ukraine to feed you. You are so parasitic.

That "if I keep repeating it I can make it true!" ploy doesn't work here, R14.

R17, I said what I said! Fuck off.

I wonder if it's just a matter of there being a whole lot of Russian "generals" because being made a "general" by Putin is a political favor, not always a meritorious promotion matter?

The BBC - “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” - Ukraine’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze

Thank you so much for all your helpful paraphrasing, r9/r11! Maybe you'll be rewarded by getting a portion of your pay in hard currency this week.

That way, you'll be able to buy some bananas to go with your vodka.

Bless your heart, r18. By the way, you have toilet paper stuck to your shoe.

Dead Russian generals are not paraded as martyrs on Russian TV. Their deaths are not even acknowledged on TV. Andrey Paliy is the only one who is mentioned on TV. Russian TV rarely acknowledges actual losses.

R23, lies, Ukrainian troll!

R19 I vaguely recall reading that the Russians have 20 generals. So if 5 have died, that's 25%. Huge. The Ukrainians are definitely targeting the commanders.

R23 And the Russians are almost certainly lying about how Paliy died. They are claiming that he died while helping to set up a humanitarian corridor. Pigs will fly before I believe that one.

Bananas, R21? I think I saw two babushkas fighting over the last banana in Russia at a Nizhni Novgorod supermarket.

[quote]The Ukrainians are definitely targeting the commanders.

They need to target r24.

R28, R24 has long been blocked by me. Try temporarily ignoring him and have a read through his posts, it's pretty obvious who he's working for.

"Russians are being killed or injured at the rate of up to 1,000 a day, according to Western intelligence estimates, and more, according to Ukrainian ones."

Alexei Navalny: “The result of the war will be a breakdown and collapse of our country.” Putin and his cronies are “just a group of sick, crazy old men … and our country is the very last thing they care about. Their only motherland is their Swiss bank accounts.”

^Truth, r31.

Ok, this hot take made me laugh:

The Russians are losing so many generals they’re gonna have to call up Mike Flynn from the bullpen.

Flynn needs to be called back to active duty and court martialed.

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent · 2h ⚡️ Ukrainian journalist released from Russian captivity.

Oleh Baturin, a journalist from Russian-occupied Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, went missing on March 12.

“I was beaten, humiliated, threatened. They said they would kill me. They wanted to break me,” said Baturin.

weird fact - Hitler's party was established on February 24th - the same date Putin invaded Ukraine.

Azov base captured.

R36 at his Nazi-like rally in Moscow, Vlad was talking about the invasion having started on someone's -- or something's?!?!! -- birthday before TV transmission abruptly stopped.

R3, which negotiations is that poster talking about? The US, Europe, Nato are not involved in the negotiations. The negotiations are being mediated by Turkey and Israel, with Ukraine and Russia negotiating directly. I don't think the west understands how little leverage it has now. As for sanctions, Russia couldn't care less and considering that one of their main motivations in this war is that they don't like to be pushed around by the west - as they see it - and want to show us that we can't push them around, I doubt they'll give a shit about this carrot-and-stick nonsense.

"The rest of the world is going to focus on getting the Russian people to overthrow Putin and his circle and lifting the sanctions for them will be part of that equation." - Which "rest of the world" are you talking about r7? The only countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia are North America and Europe and some sanctions from western allies Japan, Australia and South Korea. If we're honest, the rest of the world is probably more on Putin's side for sticking it to - as they see it - the arrogant west that keeps trying to impose its own rules that serve its own interests on the whole world while telling everyone else to shut up. I'm not saying that's right, but that's how it is.

That's true, R39, the kleptocrats don't like being pushed around by the democracies in whose banks and real estate they've parked their winnings.

Very true, R40, Putin's really sticking it to the arrogant democracies that keep trying to impose rule of law and principles of self-determination on what the rest of the world believes should be an arena of might-makes-right.

It doesn’t matter if South Africa, Sudan, or North Korea don’t impose sanctions on Russia. Russia needs euros, not rupees. Oligarchs want to buy Italian fashion and French makeup, not mass produced Chinese crap. They want to vacation in Lindon, Paris, and Amalfi. That’s why Western sanctions matter.

[quote]Which "rest of the world" are you talking about [R7]? The only countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia are North America and Europe and some sanctions from western allies Japan, Australia and South Korea.

AKA, the only countries Russian oligarchs want to spend time in.

here's a video clip of a woman who takes calls from Russians looking for their relative who is in the Russian army - she is able to compare their name against known captured/killed Russians. She says that they all say that the soldier said that he was going for drills or exercises, they didn't know they were going to invade. She says that she gets 300 calls a day. And that she gets calls from Ukrainians too because there are many mixed Russian-Ukrainian families.

At least the oligarchs and their girlfriends/wives still have Dubai. A land of malls.

I'm just going to take a moment and urge a bit of sympathy for the Putin-pushers here. They look at Ukraine and are incapable of admiring the courage of a whole people fighting back against a more powerful aggressor who's long been trying to impose autocracy and corruption on their country; they identify with the aggressor, his claims to be "standing up to" democracy, and all of his overt lies. Pitiable, really.

Okay, let's go back to ignoring them.

Biden speaking about Belgrade.

Remember Belgrade?

The U.S. is the only country that has imposed an embargo on Russian energy exports and we import hardly any Russian oil which means Russia is still earning hard currency. This article predicts the Russian economy will shrink by 15% and be terrible for the average Russian but if Iran is anything to go by the Russian economy will not collapse.

Also, Tooze warns that western investors who have invested specifically in the Russian government and all its misdeeds (as opposed to investors in businesses that serve people) will be first in line to get their money back when Russia defaults--ahead of Ukrainians.

Ukraine has astounded me.. the people.. just wow. I love them - the resolution, the courage, standing up for self-determination even though it would be easier to surrender. And how much they care for their pets like they are family members. Sunflower seeds woman has stuck with me too.

Yes r42, it is absolutely true that the west is no longer involved in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and hence we have no influence on how they may turn out, beyond preventing Zelenskyy from agreeing to a settlement.

Yes, lives are first priority…… But to see such wanton and unnecessary destruction of homes, infrastructure and culture is heartbreaking as well. Schools, hospitals, entire communities gone. This is pure evil.

I see that R54 has nothing but the obvious to state. Too bad his boy Putin will get so little of what he wanted.

It's funny when Putin asshole lickers come here and tell us to "keep an open mind" and "hear both sides" when you get thrown in jail in russia for speaking the truth. Putin has raped his own people. Stolen their treasure and now demands they never speak about it in public. He HATED the fact that Ukraine was becoming free with democratic principals and open dialogue. You must NEVER speak about Putin's corruption or you will be served radioactive beverages and die a slow miserable death.

And the genocide deniers have found the new thread.

[[quote] The Russians are losing so many generals they’re gonna have to call up Mike Flynn from the bullpen

Generals are a dime a dozen in Russian military. There are no non coms in Russian military. In US, noncoms lead troops into battle. Officers delegate a lot of power to non coms. This entire class doesn’t exist in Russia, so they need more officers, including more generals in Russia.

Near.y 500 retired generals supported Biden. About 235 supported trump. That’s over 700 retired generals & doesnt even include generals who didn’t endorse either one of them. And we have far fewer generals that Russia does. So I think we can safely say there are hundreds of generals in Russian military, which is always top heavy. Convince me you know for a fact there are fewer than several hundred generals.

They don’t seem to need these few generals to commit wholesale slaughter in Kiev, Mariupol, Lviv and Kherson. Or to take citizens hostage, bomb hospitals that were there to help the wounded, cut off heat & electricity to millions and use hypersonic weaponry, against which there is no defense.

I don’t think Putin will negotiate. He doesn’t need to. You know what I heard a retarded journalist say on tv last night? “The Russian military ground forces arent as well trained as US ground forces. Putin’s using artillery, bombers, ships from which rockets are launched, hypersonic missiles — that’s all he’s got. That’s literally all he’s got.”

Dude? He’s destroying cities without using ground forces. He destroyed a major arms facility. No arms, nobody left in cities, citizens taken hostage, Putin’s not too worried about this guy’s assessment of his “incompetent” military.

How dumb do you have to be to watch massive destruction and say “is that all you’ve got?”and how much dumber is someone who sits in front of a screen smugly saying, “That’s right! A couple of generals are being killed, hmph, who cares if 10 million people are being displaced?”

R59 The New York Times says that the war has been overviewed by 20 generals.

ugh, R59 is so full of shit.. Another thing: destroying Ukraine doesn't mean Putin 'wins'. It means that he knows he can't win (winning means being able to install a puppet regime and occupy Ukraine). It means that he knows he can't win so he'll just destroy them anyway.

R59 identified himself as being an asshole the moment he typed that derogatory term starting with the letter “r.”

BBC also says that 'analysts believe that around 20 generals are leading Russian operations in Ukraine."

I look forward to seeing the film Who Is Killing The Great Generals of Russia?

[quote]Another thing: destroying Ukraine doesn't mean Putin 'wins'.

It sort of does. Putin might have hoped to topple the government but wrecking Ukraine is second best. Now that he proves to the Ukrainians that the U.S. will not stop his war he comes to the negotiating table in a stronger position.

R39/R40, it's hilarious that you don't understand how obvious you are. You keep making declarations where you take a little nugget of truth and then add all the stuff you pull out of your ass as if you are some authority. Right out of the troll playbook. We can all see you, dear.

R65, a stronger position to do what? Rule over ashes and cinder? To commit his soldiers to being target practice for then next twenty years?

R65 Ukraine is not going to become Russian territory. That's a clear loss for Putin who said that he does not consider Ukraine to be a country at all. So 'second best' is working very hard there..

"Some of the biggest news today in Russia: widely respected actress and humanitarian Chulpan Khamatova says she’s fled Russia and fears returning. Just a year ago, the Kremlin leaned on her public influence to boost vaccinations. "

"She caught a lot of flack from the opposition over the past decade for choosing to work within Putin's system to further her humanitarian initiatives."

"Russia has given Ukraine until 5am to surrender Mariupol, after which it says it'll let the 130,000 remaining civilians leave.

The language it uses for Kyiv's forces – "nationalists," "foreign mercenaries," "bandits" – leaves little doubt about what Russia has in store for them."

Zelensky is an amazing negotiator.

[QUOTE] And the genocide deniers have found the new thread.

Mary. Hyperbole much?

The "I want to be persuaded" troll is truly a troll. He's on many different threads playing different characters with opposing viewpoints.

On the "Is Bradley Cooper really Gay??" thread, he posts that both Bradley Cooper and Tom Cruise are gay, and ALSO posts that they are obviously heterosexual. He's too stupid to do it from different accounts, and uses the same one to stir up shit.

Why are you guys even responding to him? He's been doing things like this from before the invasion started.

[QUOTE] The BBC - “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” - Ukraine’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze

Das raycis!!!

r71 r72 r74

A man from Mariupol estimates that 30,000 from that city are dead and the number is climbing. Also, he's certain that the citizens that were taken to Russia will be killed.

[quote] I wonder if it's just a matter of there being a whole lot of Russian "generals" because being made a "general" by Putin is a political favor, not always a meritorious promotion matter?

Disgusting mismanagement by Putin if true

[quote] how much they care for their pets like they are family members I know, R53. That’s what gets me, these terrified people running for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their backs but still take the time to put their dogs’ little coats on.

That should be:

[quote] how much they care for their pets like they are family members.

I know, [R53]. That’s what gets me, these terrified people running for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their backs but still take the time to put their dogs’ little coats on.

(At the risk of being called Mary! Or Frau!) The picture of the little boy carrying the cavalier in this article.

From the ISW:

[quote] The Ukrainian General Staff reported for the first time that the Kremlin is preparing its population for a “long war” in Ukraine and implementing increasingly draconian mobilization measures, including deploying youth military organization members aged 17-18.

How long will Putin be able to pull this off? This war that not a single Russian asked for, that is killing thousands of their young men- how long will they tolerate this shit?

The Russian cunts are showing no mercy. Loudest bangs and serious damage to Kyiv tonight.

olexander scherba🇺🇦 @olex_scherba · 1h Wow… A 🇺🇦 mathematician Konstantin Olmezov who lived in 🇷🇺 & was pressured for his pro-#Ukraine views committed suicide. In his farewell note he wrote: “I’m an atheist. So, I depart into nowhere. But this nowhere’s better than the savagery of today’s #Russia”.

Perhaps Konstantin Olmezov was Ukrainian but his nihilism is classiclly Russian

This poor mathematician tweeted his suicide note? Wherefore the hashtag?

oops

classically

r77 r84

Bless your heart, r77.

r86

This crazy mofo. Now he’s recruiting Libyans.

Anything but conscripting his own people.. kind of a weak position.

R92, conscripts would need to be trained. He doesn’t have time for that. About 75 percent of his combat-ready troops have been deployed to Ukraine, and they are being killed or injured at a rate of about 1,000 per day. That’s not sustainable. That’s why he’s looking for mercenaries. Of course, foreign mercenaries can’t solve the army’s supply problems.

How much rubles is he going to pay mercenaries to go to an unfamiliar country and get killed or injured at a rate of about 1,000 per day? A lot, I hope.

"Ukraine rejects Russia's demand to surrender Mariupol.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk responded to Russia by stating that surrender is not an option. The letter from Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would only establish a humanitarian corridor if Mariupol surrenders."

[quote]1,000 per day. That’s not sustainable

Nor is it credible. That would be a higher casualty average than the American Normandy campaign against the Wehrmacht.

Killed and injured? Very credible.

R96, the conservative estimate of Russians killed in the first three weeks is 7000 killed and 14-21,000 injured. That's at least 1000 per day.

Not to mention those taken prisoner and those who ran away from their exploding tanks and have been hiding in the woods.

A chilling new threat. Russia's Defense Ministry says Ukraine has until 5am on March 21 to surrender the besieged city of Mariupol, adding it'll let residents and troops who lay down arms leave. Anyone left behind "with the bandits" will "face a military tribunal." via RIA

The Russian Defence Ministry just pre-announcing their war crimes now: international law does not allow you to give "no quarter" to enemy combatants, regardless of how much you might want to.

Russia seems to be testing international law the same way it tested sanctions. Fuck around and find out, comrades.

Hope those merceneries ask for cash in US dollars upfront.

I really hope Clarence Thomas croaks over the next few days. I’m sick of the bad news on these threads.

Hmm why did NATO bomb Sarajevo? It had nothing to do with a certain Serbian dictator eradicating whole ethnic groups, did it?

It's so fucking facile and childish.

Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews · 3h Level 1: Military experts on Russian state TV reiterate what is likely the official line of thinking: they demand more military gains, an intensified offensive, more frequent use of hypersonic & thermobaric weapons & even tactical nuclear strikes. Putin is humiliated & wants to escalate.

Russian “military tribunals”: They arrest you, interrogate you and sentence you to death by firing squad.

Nice!

BREAKING: Ukraine Flag Projected onto the Russian Embassy in London.

DL fave Rosemund Pike one of the protesters in the crowd.

[quote] Russia seems to be testing international law the same way it tested sanctions. Fuck around and find out, comrades.

You can’t be serious. They fucked around and they got Kherson. They’re fucking around some more and Mariupol will surrender. They’re gonna fuck around even more and take Kyiv. They fucked around in Syria. We left. They fucked around Crimea. They’re still there.

Same with Georgia - they fucked around and took Abkhazia & South Ossetia. Do you see Georgia taking them back any time soon?

Azerbaijan has gone into Armenia twice with Russian backing & the head of Azerbaijan is threatening to take Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

So far Russia is batting 100.

What if Ukraine wants to surrender and Russia says no and keeps the war going? Putin thrives on blood. Remember the pregnant woman and baby who died? Putin didn’t give a shit. He’s bombed a score of hospitals since then, killing hundreds of patients and medical personnel.

This is a bloodbath. How can anyone with 2 brain cells possibly think Ukraine will fight off Russia? He’s bombing all civilian shelters. It’s a catastrophe. Stop your retarded cheering while these people are being pulverized. I feel bad for the elderly who couldn’t evacuate because they had nowhere to go. God help them.

Yes, everything is just going swimmingly for Russia, R107.

After 8+ of these threads I can no longer tell if R107 is serious.

Don't be stupid R107. Mariupol may surrender but there's no way that Kyiv will.

The fact that Russia is committing genocide like this is precisely because Ukraine is so effectively fighting them off. Russia can't take over the country, they can't seize the capital, they can't topple the government. They don't have the force required. Instead they're just trying to inflict as much terror and devastation as possible because, like any terrorist, what they can't claim through diplomacy or force, they will try and win through fear.

Except, like most terrorist actions, it won't work.

R107, they can take Ukraine but they won’t be able to keep it. The level of hatred they have generated will last a generation. They won’t be able to police the whole country. Even Stalin was fighting partisans in Western Ukraine until his death. They weren’t defeated until 1953 or so.

MSNBC host calls it hypocritical for America to denounce Russian chemical warfare when police tear gas BLM.

Good thing Tiffany is a black female MSNBC progressive, or people might call her a Putin apologist.

R112. No, I think she could be useful idiot for Putin. I agree with the far-Left on some things, but I'm under no illusions that the Kremlin isn't using anyone they can to sow dissent like that.

Is she really comparing getting some eye discomfort to a hideous death of burning, poison and choking? Embarrassing.

R112 that's crazy

ISW report for today:

"The Ukrainian General Staff reported for the first time that the Kremlin is preparing its population for a “long war” in Ukraine and implementing increasingly draconian mobilization measures, including deploying youth military organization members aged 17-18."

"Ukrainian forces reportedly killed three Russian regimental commanders in the last 24 hours."

"Russia’s Wagner Group will likely facilitate the deployment of Libyan fighters to Ukraine."

"Russian forces are digging in to positions around Kyiv, including the first reports of the war of Russian forces deploying minefields."

You can tell Russia is getting desperate: those poor kids. And really sad for Kyiv now that Russia seems to have decided for a protracted siege. Minefields can only mean they've given up on the city and just want to establish effective control of the outlying areas.

Putin has given Mariupol until 11:00 PM ET to surrender but Ukraine has rejected it. It's going to be bad.

R96 "casualties" in military speak usually means killed and injured, while colloquially it usually means killed. Often a source of confusion, especially in real-time reporting and even more so when you have language translation on top of it. 1000/day killed is probably not accurate, but as R97 said killed+injured is possible.

Indeed, R118. I believe casualty usually describes someone no longer at fighting capacity, so either dead or injured.

People would be surprised about how little it takes to put someone out of commission. Even a small injury can have you become a liability on the battlefield. And we're talking about a situation where people are getting shot and blown up here.

How can the world just watch this shit go on and on? There are still hundreds of people under the rubble of that bombed theater building. Dead? Still alive? Who knows? No one even talks about it anymore. Oh yeah, let’s go after the oligarchs’ yachts and ban imports of vodka and caviar, that’ll show em!

This is fucking disgusting.

Libyans wandering around the Ukraine should be easy to pick off

R120, dearest, would you rather WWIII start? I'm sure that won't leave anyone under any buildings or, ya know, the entire Earth destroyed for all habitation. We're doing what we can right now. There is literally nothing more we can do. If you know better than everyone else in the world, go ahead and list all the things we should be doing, other than posting melodramatic posts on the internet like you're doing. Come back to reality, you'll feel better. Compassion does not require a complete loss of logic.

I appreciate any and all factual reporting here from sources all over the world. I send another prayer that Putin gets captured. I keep reading hoping for good news and sure get tired of reading all the responses to trolls. What will Ukraine winning now look like. Their cities are getting decimated. They are suffering horribly and Putin's side won't quit.

The entire world needs to isolate Russia. Those that don’t will pay a price when this is over. African nations, Asian nations, South American nations. No aid, no commerce, no tech, no education. Not one dollar.

Lotsa luck isolating a country with a 36,000 mile border and the 8th largest oil and the world's largest gas reserves..

So Putin's big push to reassert Russian imperial might is only resulting in their falling into dependence on the charity of India and China. Too bad, so sad.

R124 India, China and Saudi Arabia disagree.

I'm glad I get to watch Russia degrade itself as it falls from a former power to China's bitch.

Russia can't be isolated. It needs to be carved up. It's too big to fail and now it's failing. Use the federal districts as a guide.

Hearing on the news tonight that Kyiv is being bombed, but that Ukraine's strongest air defenses are there. Hoping that can help keep casualties and suffering to a minimum.

I wish the Russian people would reject Putin and be good world citizens. Is life that hellish in Russia? Why are they so awful?

They have been bombing residential districts in Kyiv-the area where academics live.

WaPo: US intelligence tells he UN of "credible information" about Russian lists of Ukrainians to be killed following a military occupation, plans to kill peaceful protesters

Here’s what they have planned for Mariupol- “military tribunals” i.e. mass executions. Right out of the old USSR playbook.

Via RIA Novosti (Russian state “news”):

[quote] “After a complete cleansing of Mariupol, the team of the DPR ombudsman, together with the law enforcement agencies of the republic, will enter the city and collect evidence of all the crimes of the Ukrainian national battalions for the tribunal,” Daria Morozova, the fake puppet installed Commissioner for Human Rights in Russian occupied territory DNR told RIA Novosti.

[quote]"We will continue the same work that is now being carried out in all the liberated territories, for example, in the city of Volnovakha. And all those who have broken the law, all those who have violated the Geneva Convention and international law, and, in principle, their own, Ukrainian legislation, are threatened with trial This will be considered in the future in the tribunal, we will not back down," she said.

R132

They’re already rounding up people and deporting them to Russia, R133.

It's just so disgusting R136. I wish the West could do something.

It really is telling that only South America, North America, the South Pacific, and Europe were willing to go on record in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

From the above linked article:

[quote] Mariupol’s city council issued a statement late on Saturday claiming that thousands of its residents had been “deported” to Russia in the last week. The US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called the reports "disturbing" and "unconscionable" if true. Russian news agencies said buses had carried hundreds of people Moscow calls refugees from Mariupol to Russia in recent days.

r138 That's a fairly big chunk of Africa that did tbf. More than I'd have expected given Chinas massive influence there.

Yeah R141. That's basically 2/3rds or 3/4s of Africa there. That map basically shows everyone except China, India and a few satellite states.

Hell, even Southeast Asia is behind the sanctions and they share some close cultural and economic ties with China.

[QUOTE] Putin has given Mariupol until 11:00 PM ET to surrender but Ukraine has rejected it. It's going to be bad.

Why did they reject it?

R143 Why are they fighting the Russians at all? Because they want self-determination, not to be Russia.

The Russians oddly hadn't been using UAVs (drones) much but now are using them more.

"There’s been an ammonia leak from a factory in Sumy oblast, which is under heavy shelling. Head of military administration is advising locals to seek shelter, and administer milk and baking soda to any victims. "

"Russians steal five grain carriers from Berdyansk port.

Oleksandr Starukh, governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said on March 21 that the stolen ships were carrying tens of thousands of tons of grain. Eyewitnesses say the ships were stolen by Russian tugboats."

Ukraine says there is a plot by the Kremlin that they are going to poison Putin. They have a successor picked out. I wish they would do it soon. The new one is also from FSB so I doubt it will be an improvement but it would stop the war.

Awful if true R147. Russia is just turning to blatant theft now. I wouldn't be surprised if Russian pirate became the new Somali pirate.

R148 It seems odd that they named the guy who is going to replace Putin. I'd be wary of this, it looks like disinfo put out by the Ukrainians, maybe to make Putin more paranoid.

Kommersant is reporting that Russia might end elections for governors’ posts this year because why bother pretending that they're a democracy now.

On a rare lighter note -- has anyone seen the inadvertently funny video at the top of the NYT's current reporting?

It shows a group of Russian soldiers smashing their way into an apartment building, and then all cramming into the little elevator to ride up to who knows where. Seriously? Is that in the Russian urban warfare manual? Cram the whole unit tightly together into a little elevator cabin that can be stopped between floors, lit on fire from below, or taken out with a well-placed Molotov cocktail? Just because you're too lazy to take the stairs?

No wonder they're getting their asses handed to them by a bunch of civilians with improvised weapons.

Moscow's largest airport, Sheremetyevo is furloughing 40% of its staff - around 7k employees - cutting their pay by a third. Russia only has direct flights with a dozen or so countries these days.

The Navy moves in

What the fuck is India's problem?

Did you see what you typed r155? Is any further explanation really necessary?

A rather interesting analysis by Alex Christoforou, explaining China's position.

R156, huh?

Look who is calling Putin a war criminal and condemning him for bombing innocent civilians...

Both India and China have dreams of hegemony.

This is some weird punishment and an odd thing to broadcast.

R155. India is run by a religious nationalist intent on persecuting religious minorities in his country. Modi apparently has no qualms with what Russia is doing in Ukraine and fully intends to buy oil from Putin thereby indirectly funding his war effort.

I'm sure India is a relatively nice place but it's run by a shit.

Actually, r162, for all its beauty and cultural heritage, India is not at all a nice place unless you're rich enough to insulate yourself completely from everyday life.

Mariupol today. We publish the full text by Nadia Sukhorukova.

I go outside in between the bombings. I need to walk the dog. She's whining, shivering, and hiding behind my legs. I want to sleep all the time. My yard, surrounded by high-rise buildings, is silent and dead. 1/13

I'm not afraid to look around anymore. In front of me, the entrance to building #105 is burning down. The flames already devoured five floors and are slowly chewing the sixth. The fire in the room burns as delicately as in a fireplace. 2/13

Black charred windows are windowless. Curtains torn by the fire fall out of them like tongues. Calm and doomed I look at it. I am sure I will die soon. It is a matter of a few days. In this city, everyone is constantly waiting for death. I just want it not to be too scary. 3/13

Three days ago, a friend of my older nephew came to us and told us that there was a direct hit in the fire department. Rescuers died. One woman got her arm, leg, and head torn off. I dream that my body parts will remain in place, even after the aerial bomb explosion. 4/13

I don't know why, but I think it's important.Although, they won't bury during hostilities. That's what the police told us when we asked what to do with our friend's dead grandmother. They advised to put her on the balcony. I wonder how many balconies have dead bodies on them?5/13

Our home on Mira Avenue is the only one without direct hits. It was hit twice by a shell, in some apartments windows were blown out, but it did not suffer much compared to other homes.

The whole yard is covered with layers of ash, glass, plastic, and metal fragments. 6/13

I try not to look at the iron thing that flew into the playground. I think it's a rocket, or maybe a land mine. I don't care, it's just unpleasant. I see someone's face in the third-floor window, and I shudder. It turns out that I am afraid of living people. 7/13

My dog starts howling, and I realize that they're going to shoot again. I am standing outside in the daytime and a cemetery silence all around me. There are no cars, no voices, no children, no grandmothers on the benches. Even the wind is dead. 8/13

A few people are here, though. They lie on the side of the house and in the parking lot, covered with their outer clothing. I don't want to look at them. I'm afraid I'll see someone I know. 9/13

All life in my town is smoldering in basements right now. It's like a candle in our shelter. Putting it out is so easy. Any vibration or breeze and the darkness will fall. I try to cry, but I can not. I feel sorry for myself, my family, my husband, my neighbors, my friends. 10/13

I go back to the basement and listen to the ugly scraping of iron. It's been two weeks, and I don't believe that there was ever another life. 11/13

There are still people in the basement in Mariupol. It's getting harder for them to survive by the day. No water, no food, no light, they can't go outside. The people of Mariupol must live. Help them. Spread the word. Let everyone know that civilians continue to be killed. 12/13

R164, Can't walk her dog? really? She lost me there. Thats the concern?

Stop harbouring Ukrainian Nazi scum and you can walk your dog.

....

Absolutely chilling r164.

Oh, and r165: Fuck you. Fuck you fully.

Among the most horrifying accounts of the war to date.

"People are now so hungry they are killing stray dogs for food...Witnesses depicted post-apocalyptic scenes of stray dogs eating the remains of bombing victims who lay unburied on the street."

This is in Mariupol.

This is in the twenty-first century.

It's almost like The Onion is channeling DataLounge.

[quote]“The cherry on top is that by isolating myself from every country in Europe and driving the world together in condemnation of me, I’ve essentially made us into a vassal state of China’s. So we’re basically fucked from an economic and geopolitical perspective, which is just what I hoped to get out of this war.”

Ukrainian troops have now got the only two international journalists working in Mariupol out (working for AP). The reason: their work was so powerful and a rebuke to Russian propaganda and lies that the Russians had them top of a hit list to kidnap and put on camera to say that their reporting was a lie.

The Ukraine strategy is to make sure that Putin has to destroy the entire country to "win", and make himself nonviable in any, way, shape, or form in terms of global participation. Russia will be kicked out of the UN. Putin will be locked out of international summits, economic treaties, trade agreements, sporting and cultural exchanges, etc.

The cloud with which Putin is so eager to smother Ukraine, thanks to the guts Ukraine is showing, will end by smothering Russia, as well.

The West's (in my opinion overblown) fears of nuclear MAD, will only lead to a completely partitioned globe. Russia will be left with China and India and Iran, and even India will have to tread carefully as it tries not to endanger its progress toward full global economic power. India still needs trade with the West and aid from the West.

If the West, which is to say, NATO, hadn't broadcast quite so early and clearly that it wouldn't fight for real come hell or high water, Putin might have thought twice about unleashing events that will haunt Russia's place in the world till the end of this century, the way Hitler and the Holocaust haunted Germany for 60 years. It's only tecentlyvthat WWII has receded enough for German children nor to grow up feeling quite as tainted as they used to until the 21st century dawned.

The West has miscalculated here, in my view. It has allowed a powerful sociopath to unleash another Holocaust in service to his pathological dreams of empire.

The West broadcasting its unwillingness to prevent another Holocaust inside the West, in my view, actually allowed Putin to get in so deep that his only option to turn this invasion into a victory is to keep digging.

In this sense, Zelensky and Ukraine have stuck two fingers up to the West, as well. By refusing to roll over and make it go away quickly, and so allow the West to send its deepest regrets, but, hey, that's show biz, Zelensky and Ukraine are forcing the West to confront itself.

You can't always get the better world you keep saying you want by refusing to fight the sociopath on the front lawn. Russia isn't China, and Ukraine isn't Tibet.

The sanctions will mean little to the dead of Ukraine, the cities in smoking ruins, the realigned geopolitical lines defined by who will ir won't work with Russia ever again, and the countries struggling to absorb what may rise to ten million refugees.

The West should have let Putin sweat more and not assured him from the outset that as long as he didn't send so much as one bullet into Romania or Poland or Lithuania, it would be happy to spend billions for years on an insurgency and rebuilding what he destroyed, and by the way, you can't play in our yard anymore.

He doesn't care. He's a sociopath, like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Ceausescu, Assad, Mugabe . . .

Only this time, he's way too close to the European model than the African or ME one. He's here, knocking on Europe's door, daring us to stop him.

We knee head going to invade. We had weeks before then to get those fighter jets and offensive arms into Ukraine. We didn't. The question is, why?

My guess is, we also thought Ukraine would roll over in a week, so why bother?

Surprise, surprise. My hat is off to Ukraine. I'm not sure yous find that kind of unity and sense of collective identity haging on in other places in Western Europe.

There are all kinds of things staring the spoilt, comfy, narcissistic West in the face from these events. Who would ever have thought that it would be Ukraine begging such uncomfortable questions through sheer guts and heroism?

Russia is showing itself to be a terrorist state, basically the equivalent to ISIS.

In 2021 Poland had the world's 101st largest refugee population and now it has the 2nd largest.

Excellent analysis R172. Spot on.

It's such a shame that the missteps that have led to this atrocity will only be truly understood now, upon reflection, and in the history books of tomorrow. History will condemn Putin for his role in this genocide, but it will not look kindly on the West for how it enabled him and allowed Russia to destroy itself and another sovereign nation.

The real heroes of this story will be Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, in part for helping the world wake up to the fact that authoritarianism and war are still a very present threat in the 21st century.

I think R172 is failing to take account of all the complex consequences of active NATO intervention, and also of the ways in which NATO *is* intervening less actively. Western countries are to be condemned for having enabled Putin's Russia, but of course they did so partly because of antidemocratic elements within western democracies—and also the situation has been changing over the years.

[quote]The real heroes of this story will be Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, in part for helping the world wake up to the fact that authoritarianism and war are still a very present threat in the 21st century.

Very true.

I agree R176. Anti-democratic factions have been allowed to flourish too long in Western democracies, aided by dark money.

I think what R172 was saying is simply that NATO should have been a bit more aggressive in its rhetoric with Russia and the consequences of any attempted invasion, particularly after Crimea. Sadly hindsight is 20/20.

R171, what a lying crock of bullshit! Both so called international journalists are Ukrainians linked to Azov Battalion. Go gaslight someone else.

Oh, fuck the right off. Zelensky is a war criminal and should be prosecuted for everything that is happening to innocent civilians who are used as a canon fodder in this war. Tribunal awaits!

Go fight for your yearly bag of sugar, R179. Heard they're running out quickly!

Shall we play a game? Every time a troll comes in screeching about the Azov Battalion, take a drink!

Too early in the day for that, R181—I'm on EDT! Then again I have most of these trolls blocked, so it all evens out.

R181, corrected for you

"Shall we play a game? Every time a troll comes in with a manufactured sob story of nazis crying for help, take a drink!"

Likewise, R181. It's Monday morning and getting hammered before noon will be problematic.

The Russians say that they will need another week to take Mariupol. Their plan is to then be able to redirect resources elsewhere.

Meanwhile the Ukrainians have heavily mined and prepared the Odessa coastline in preparation for a potential amphibious landing.

Hm, I have R179 blocked, but thanks to R180 I can see his post and its highly original premise. Let's take this at face value and invade Russia, surrounding its cities and bombarding their inhabitants to smithereens: then we can claim, following R179's rules, that Putin is a war criminal for using innocent civilians as cannon fodder instead of promptly surrendering. Fair, right?

R179 Americans are retarted , Putin is the worst, but Obama sending bombs every 20 minutes is ok

Nazi Azov, you wont read about it in your propaganda west media

r187 Obama?

I understand why Ukraine won't surrender Mariupol: it can't. The Russians do not respect the rules of war. They have repeatedly murdered unarmed civilians. They are rumored to have taken many civilians prisoner and sent them back to Russia for God only knows what reason. There's nothing to be gained by surrendering.

R189 Yes, obama, the guy who got Nobel Peace Prize

Obama is currently a Netflix producer. Unless he's turned Unabomber he's not been sending bombs to anyone since 2016.

The trolls we're getting sent didn't have enough sense to be deployed as cannon fodder.

R193 lol I didn't say he is sending now. He used to, so it is ok, because he did it a couple years before. Are you serious?

[quote] because he did it a couple years before. Are you serious?

Yeah pretty much. who is he meant to have bombed every 20 minutes anyway Libya or Afghanistan?

R195 Trump?

You think Trump would be vaguely defending Obama? Can the troll farm not afford the paper to give you guys crib sheets anymore?

R197 That was a joke, because you ask stupid questions who bombed.

The better joke would have been "who bombed?" "Obamas latest Netflix show"

R65 [quote]a stronger position to do what? Rule over ashes and cinder? To commit his soldiers to being target practice for then next twenty years?

This is Putin we're talking about, why wouldn't you think this is acceptable over a thriving Ukraine? His soldiers have been target practice in eastern Ukraine since 2014, preferable and endurable in perpetuity or until Ukraine submits.

R190 If they surrender Mariupol, the Russians will simply have a bunch of troops and equipment to move onto somewhere else.

Plus the conditions of surrender means 'demilitarization' and no longer being Ukraine at all.

[quote]This is Putin we're talking about, why wouldn't you think this is acceptable over a thriving Ukraine? His soldiers have been target practice in eastern Ukraine since 2014, preferable and endurable in perpetuity or until Ukraine submits.

Big difference between waging war in a relatively small part of Eastern Ukraine and what he's doing now, which is bleeding his army out completely. The US thought urban warfare was fucked in Iraq? The Russians have lost more men in 2 weeks then the US did in Afghanistan AND Iraq over 20 years. And then bleeding his economy out at home. And for what? Grand delusions of being the Tsar of all the Russias circa 1837?

Disgusting:

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent · 2h ⚡️ Ukraine accuses Russia of kidnapping children from occupied Donbas.

According to the Foreign Ministry, 2,389 children from Russian-controlled Donbas were “illegally deported” to Russia.

Kijov is desperate. Fucking nazists

Who are the Nazis again?

96-year old Boris Romanchenko survived four Nazi concentration camps, but died Friday in a Russian strike on Kharkiv, says Buchenwald memorial institute. The memorial said, according to his grand-daughter, Romanchenko was living in apartment block hit during a Russian attack.

R203 yep, and they are in camps now. Actual camps. The Russians have always been the real Nazis.

R205 Russia is nazi because surviver from nazi camp is dead? Americans are dumb, yeah that's a fact now.

R206 How many dollars they pay you, for those "facts"?

R202 Mersheimer's theory is that Putin's war is not about occupying Ukraine indefinitely--he knows he can't--but insuring Ukraine's neutrality, taking the Crimea, and "independence" for the occupied eastern regions.

Putin thought he'd roll into Ukraine (or Little Russia as he thinks of it), install a puppet government and call it a day. He never thought he'd be bogged down in a quagmire where even the ethnic Russians he thought he was 'liberating' spit on the thought of Russia and Putin. Now he has a united, hostile Ukraine who will never surrender.

Just checked my incognito page of this to see what the blocked trolls are saying and I'm pretty sure that the most recent one with the terrible grammar is the insane Pole (he should be angry at Putin for driving millions of Ukrainians into his country). The real Russian trolls have good English and typically post links to fringe Youtubers.

Tucker Carlson Freaks Out After Being Accused Of Spreading Russian Propaganda

But cha are, Tucker, ya are spreading Pootiganda!

A 60 Minutes segment last night made it clear that sanctions against Russia might only be lifted when Putin is either dead or ousted. It will not be used as a negotiating tool with him still in power. As the White House official put it “Dictators need to pay a price for their aggression.”

It's so weird the way angry Lefties seem to think the West is a united, all-powerful force with perfect foresight. Thus, the West's shortcomings and mistakes must be evil and pre-planned and not, i dunno, human, governed by contingency, imperfect knowledge and perhaps wishful thinking.

What fucking children. Read a book.

[quote]Tucker Carlson Freaks Out After Being Accused Of Spreading Russian Propaganda

My favorite Tucker moment ever - getting taken to school by the brilliant Rutger Bregman telling him he's a whore.

^

R215 the "angry lefties" in this situation aren't "lefties" at all. They're clinging to some anachronistic polarity between capitalist, imperialist West and socialist, liberating East—when in this case it's the social democracies (Eastern as well as Western) versus a resurgent imperialism in autocratic Russia. It's telling that NATO and other countries sacrificed some of their globalist, capitalist interests in imposing sanctions. These "leftist" critics have only lip service for ideas on the left; they're apologists for an expansionist dictatorship against self-determination and democracy.

But NATO can't win with these people; either NATO cynically lured Russia into attacking Ukraine by dangling membership in its defensive organization, or, as the poster upthread argued, by failing to promise to defend Ukraine fully. The weight of blame should lie on Putin's Russia.

NATO doesn’t seem to be worth a tinkers damn, does it?

Just a bunch of mealy-mouthed bullshit. The UN, too, just sitting on their thumbs instead of getting humanitarian aid to Mariupol.

Goddamned Putin is kidnapping children because he needs more soldiers. He’s going to brainwash them and kill anyone who opposes him.

Hell is too good for him. May he feel the full pain of everything he has inflicted on others. For eternity.

[Quote]The UN, too, just sitting on their thumbs instead of getting humanitarian aid to Mariupol.

Yeah, I don't get this. Why isn't the UN stepping in to at least provide aid and comfort?

[quote]Why isn't the UN stepping in to at least provide aid and comfort?

Russia is a permanent member the Security Council. They'd have to agree.

Buckle up: "President Joe Biden on Monday urged private sector partners to strengthen their cyber defenses immediately, pointing to "evolving intelligence" that suggests Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against American companies and critical infrastructure."

[quote] Meanwhile the Ukrainians have heavily mined and prepared the Odessa coastline

That sounds like a war crime to us

Thank you R187 and R188, for adding something valuable to this discussion other than racist tirades and hystericism. The Duran offers extremely interesting perspectives on this conflict, as well.

Also, if anyone believes that Zelensky is in Ukraine, facing any danger, I have a bridge to sell you somewhere in London.

Bless your heart, r225. You're trying. You're very, very...trying.

Look at what the volunteers who have gone to Ukraine say about the way in which they have been treated by the Ukrainian military: no weapons, no training, they're being used as human shields, they have their passports destroyed and the Ukrainian militias threaten them and steal whatever they have. They had to escape by pretending to be Red Cross operatives, because the Ukrainian government is trying to do everything in its power to prevent them from leaving.

Have you seen my Lee Press-Ons, r227?

[quote] no weapons, no training, they're being used as human shields

To be fair most of the sorts who volunteer are probably no use for anything more. Romantic enthusiasts, not soldiers.

More trolls to block. It's almost insulting how gullible and ill-informed they think we are, but projection is, after all, a thing.

The trolls have made serious progress on their collaborative fiction project I see.

R230 The west is waking up. Are you really falling for it? DO you really believe zhelensky?

Russian tabloid has an oopsie moment in which they publish figures of more than 25,000 Russian killed and wounded so far in Ukraine. Apparently they then pulled the article, and there's some question among commentators about whether this was a real number they weren't supposed to print, or just a misprint or mistake of some kind.

[Quote]Why isn't the UN stepping in to at least provide aid and comfort? [Quote]Russia is a permanent member the Security Council. They'd have to agree.

How is it possible that anyone could not know the UN is all over this crisis?

And did you pull this response out of your ass? UN Humanitarian responses do not require an OK from the Security Council.

[quote]DO you really believe zhelensky?

Oh, r232, here let me help you (rolling my eyes). You want *this* emphasis...

Do you REALLY believe...

25,000 Russian troops dead or out of commission. Staggering. I've read when an army gets to around 75% capacity they start to lose all effectiveness.

Who do I believe, reality or 8.5 trillion shitposting vatnik trolls?

I'm gonna stick with reality doll, kthxbye.

One reason so many Russian generals are dying. Their comms are REALLY FUCKED UP.

"Mobile phones and even "courier mail" were used instead of military radios. And in one extreme example, an air force officer flew by helicopter to hand out orders personally."

I read that hacker’s from Finland had hacked Russia’s defence lines, and that’s why they were using mobiles. I don’t know if it’s true.

R238 reality doll? ukrainian propaganda and reality?

The Russian Defense Ministry has just reported the staggering figure of 9861 Russians killed & 16,153 injured in Ukraine. That's 379 dying every day, 1000 a day being taken off the battlefield - or between 1/4-1/3 of their committed combat forces.

R241, did Russia officially report that figure, or is it from the source referenced in R233? The latter was withdrawn and it's unknown whether the figure was real or not.

R252, the ministry is claiming it was “hacked.”

That wounded to killed ratio makes no sense in post-linear warfare times. That would be worse than American Civil War numbers. I'd take it with loads of salt.

R242, it was reported in a Russian newspaper and then quickly deleted. The reason I think it's accurate is because it's inline with what Western intelligence has already been saying.

I think somebody at Russian Defense made a big mistake and is probably headed to the gulag and a dinner full of poison.

Fearless Leader having a great time posing for selfies

The numbers are insane, but if their comms are as vulnerable as has been reported then they are putting themselves at risk just by carrying cell phones.

And videochatting with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis!

Seems to have electricity, running water, heat, food and of course internet access…unlike the unfortunates in Mariupol who have been without these things for DAYS.

We all know Kyiv hasn't been cut off and destroyed like Mariupol. And we all know who is responsible for the massive war crime in Mariupol. Putin. Let's hope he gets his face ripped off by rabid dogs and Zelenskyy is there to enjoy it.

It must kill R246 that the president of Ukraine, who was supposed to be replaced with a Russian puppet (if not killed) almost four weeks ago, is still in charge and smiling in a free Kyiv, while Poots is hiding in a bunker somewhere (when he's not giving canned speeches in a bulletproof cage to vast bused-in crowds), waking every morning to the news of 1000 more of his incompetent, poorly equipped soldiers killed or wounded or captured.

I am on a mobile so apologize for the damn autocorrect (e.g.hacker’s rather than hackers).

Kyiv still has food and electricity. Volunteers bring borscht and pyrohy to the elderly. I hope that doesn’t end.

" An article about losses from Russian side has appeared on the website of Komsomolskaya Pravda. The article refers to 9861 dead and 16153 injured. The publication refers to Russian Ministry of Defense.

A few minutes later, article was deleted but internet remember everything."

We know, R252.

[quote] The "I want to be persuaded" troll is truly a troll. He's on many different threads playing different characters with opposing viewpoints.

It’s Bootsy Gumdrop. Virtually every name tag poster is Bootsy Gundrop, aka White Belt Man, under an alias. She posts opposing viewpoints in threads all the time & sometimes is responsible for 90% of posts in a thread. She also complements herself. “Thank you, R254!”

Next post “I disagree with you R254!”

Next post “You’re correct, R254!”

Ewww, Bootsy Gumdrop is White Belt Man? I thought he was long gone. He was so annoying.

Biden's son is a pedophile

^ Boris Trollovic is back, I see.

"Why can't we admit that Ukraine is winning?" And that Putin is losing. Some clear perspective here, despite the polemical, straw-man-like framing.

Biden says Putin is weighing use of chemical weapons in Ukraine . The same was with Bush and Husain. Bush used to say "Saddan is gonna use biological weapon, we have to bomb them". We know how it ended.

Ok Boris Trollovic @ R259.

Will there even be any Russians left to fight when my stepbrother gets to Ukraine at the end of the month at this rate? Maybe he can go visit the Polish troll instead of the war is already over.

If the pathetic vatnik trolls really want to help mother Russia out why the fuck aren't they volunteering to deliver messages on the battlefield?

Seriously. They need comms help.

To put it in plain US english: [bold]PUT UP OR SHUT UP.[/bold]

I've been seeing on YT speeches by 'academics explaining how this war is 'the West's fault.' And on TikTok ugly heavy handed Russia agitprop on WINNING. These items must have been listed on the Morning Memo for trollskis.

Pootie and his loser fans are winning the way Charlie Sheen was winning..

R262 I dont want to help mother russia, I just want to show that there is no one single villain

Insane bitch Lara Logan is being amplified by Putin.

R241 How do you get to 1/4th to 1/3rd of committed combat forces? I thought that the Russians had 190,000, so that would be about 13% casualties (killed or injured) if these leaked figures are accurate.

R263, the vatniki are trying to soften up Western public opinion in preparation for the next (total obliteration) phase of Putin’s genocidal attack against Ukraine.

It won’t work.

R264, please learn English before coming back to "show us that there is no one single villain".

[Quote]Insane bitch Lara Logan is being amplified by Putin.

She hasn't been the same since she got a broomstick shoved up her cooter in Cairo during the Arab Spring.

Colonel Douglas Macgregor should be Secretary of State. And all the slimeball politicians and reporters calling for more war should be sent to Ukraine to bury all the dead bodies they seem to have no concern for.

Despite the horrific loss of life and property in places like Mariupol, I'm a little more optimistic since every day for weeks we hear that Putin is about to release the Kraken in one way or another. "The Russians are gaining territory"—they're basically where they were two or even three weeks ago. "They're surrounding Kyiv"—they've retrenched there. "They're closing in on Odessa"—they still haven't taken Mykolaiv. I'm not taking anything for granted, but they never seem to live up to the worst fears.

At this point, Zelensky is just trying to grow his status as a hero. Getting his people killed so he gets more popular is really sickening

The U.S. wants more war to make MORE MONEY for its weapons manufacturing corporations. The U.S. war machine does not want peace.

Not-Candace is that you at R272?

R274 No, I'm polish troll.

How odd R275, there are very few Polish people as pro Putin as you

Navalny's team think that the yacht Scheherezade (which is in Italy and has not been seized) is Putin's because all of its employees are Russian and work for the FS0 (the Federal Protective Service aka Putin's private guard).

We need to bomb Moscow

I believe Navalny is being sentenced to 13 years in prison tomorrow. Most think they'll end up killing him in jail.

Nothing new from the ISW report today. Russia making no progress on most fronts - same as yesterday really - and Mariupol continues to be shelled.

The lack of progress is damning for Russia. Like R271 said, they are no closer to achieving any of their goals as they were at the start of the war.

I'm one of those voices who has hesitantly argued for Western support in Ukraine. But putting aside the horrific actions Russia is committing, the West's strategy is looking pretty good right now. Russia is accomplishing nothing and their economy is in dire straits.

That they paid their debt last week shows that, despite their bluster, they actually are afraid of having to default. I was also interested in the Russian market and it seems they did open it recently but only to trade bonds. Notably, the bonds spiked to almost 20% yield when the market opened, so it seems the Kremlin is desperate for cash.

R277. I could see that being Putin's yacht. His whore and young children live in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland so it's an easy helicopter ride from Ticino to the deck of that yacht docked in Carrara.

“The only tank manufacturer in Russia has stopped working

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that Uralvagonzavod has stopped its work due to a lack of foreign-made components.

It is the only Russian company that carries out assembly series of tanks.”

So Russia is losing? I’m so confused by the conflicting of reports

[quote]R262 I dont want to help mother russia, I just want to show that there is no one single villain

And despite the fact that you serve no purpose here other than amplifying Kremlin horseshit you insist you're just "showing all sides".

Honey, there are two sides: Putin and the rest of the world.

You've made it blazingly clear which side you're shilling for. Go make some change in the world, get off the internet and go sniff out mines in Ukraine like a good little bitch.

[quote] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports...

Thank goodness, an objective news source

Reuters - Biden says that Putin is weighing whether to use chemical weapons. He doesn't provide evidence but U.S. intel has been quite good.

Most of the information is coming from the Ukraine government because it's not exactly possible to get information on the ground R285. But some of these reports, including those the US government relies on, are independently verified as much as possible.

And despite what the pro-Putin trolls are spewing, the Ukrainian government has been providing pretty reliable information. Some of it is propaganda, like that Ghost nonsense, but that was rather transparent. They don't need such propaganda now because the reality of the situation is so unflattering for Russia.

It's Russia pumping out ridiculous conspiracies and propaganda because they know the situation is bad for them.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine is just relaying some of the information they're being given from NATO. What could be better to humiliate Russia and sow doubt amongst Putin's circle about how much info Ukraine actually has? The more doubt and panic amongst Russia's command, the more disorganized their response is.

If Putin uses chemical weapons to slaughter, it'll be yet another war crime and the world will be disgusted, but Putin will lie and deny and say it was Ukraine that did this to itself. All Putin does is lie and murder.

was scrolling AP's world news and there was this little nugget:

[quote]Russian race walker Yelena Lashmanova has been banned for two years for doping and will be stripped of her Olympic gold medal, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Monday.

Lashmanova won gold in the 20-kilometer race walk at the 2012 London Olympics and also at the world championships in Moscow the following year.

The ban is backdated to March 9, 2021, and all of her results between Feb. 18, 2012, and Jan. 3, 2014, have been disqualified, the AIU said.

So many dead Russians. This is def worse for them than Afghanistan was. Here's a memorial to 11 members of the 22nd Spetsnaz Brigade. I see that there's room for some more..

Where did all these Stalin stans come from? That’s what Putinism is - warmed-over Stalinism.

OK!, so maybe now high time to tow a yacht away. How hard could that be. They make it look so easy in the movies. Little.fucking.asshole.

Putinism = Duginism, aka Satanism

New: A man was seen bleeding in new videos obtained by CNN, after being shot by Russian troops during a protest in Kherson on Monday. CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos.

Forgot the link.

Ukrainians have hacked into VK, an extremely popular social media platform. A lot of the young folk have been given the brutal facts of what’s really going on.

FACTS

[quote] itemfix.com

A link that seem trustworthy and something you definitely want to click on Western pig... friends.

I checked the video out and it's a pro-Ukraine video but it was kind of low quality. Basically starting off comparing Russia and Ukraine's capabilities (Russia has more troops, tanks, helicopters etc), then showing farmers towing tanks away.

I posted this on another thread but it belongs here. I told you that summit with Xi and Putin at the Winter Olympics was more significant than the Western media realised. I think China gave tacit approval to Russia for the invasion. The world order is getting realigned before our very eyes and a student of world history, it's very interesting to see.

According to CNN, Putin and the oligarachs have left no paper trail.

[quote] The world order is getting realigned

I mean its not. China eclipsed Russia at least a decade ago. The main diplomatic impact from this is that everyone actually realised how pathetic Russia actually is. If anything this just frees up America to focus more on the threat of China since Britain and France on their own are enough of a military deterrence to Russia in Europe.

So true R303. The 'spheres of influence' no longer include Russia. It's more like levels of power now, with the US (and possibly China) as superpowers whilst Europe contends with a fallen Russia.

[quote]I mean its not. China eclipsed Russia at least a decade ago. The main diplomatic impact from this is that everyone actually realised how pathetic Russia actually is.

Russia was rock bottom coming out of the 90s, now it's resurgent. China eclipsed Russia then and now it's slowly overtaking the US. A Russo-Chinese alliance has materialised and the US is stuck with a Western Europe that is, itself, in decline.

It's inevitable.

U.S. allies.

r305 So about 60% of the global GDP and the majority of the nations that trade with Russia. Your point?

Do we even know if he's still in Ukraine R248? Could be a psyop. That photo could be taken anywhere.

Russia is a shithole with an economy smaller than Texas R305. That's hardly some resurgent world power

My point is, it may be 60% of the global GDP now, but not for much longer. It's declining every day. This guy doesn't even mention South America which is another 500 million people, over a billion more in all of Asia except Japan and BRICS nations like Turkey.

The Russians have ready-made alternate markets for their oil and gas.

[quote] Russia is a shithole with an economy smaller than Texas

Ronald Reagan figured that out over forty years ago, about the time the wise people were saying the declining US should accommodate itself to being second place to the USSR.

China on Russia: I don't know her.

[quote] Russia was rock bottom coming out of the 90s, now it's resurgent

No its not. If anything its dealt with it's changing circumstances much worse than the former empires. Britain, France and Germany have all managed to enter the 2020s with better economies and armies than Russia

(quote] A Russo-Chinese alliance has materialised

Has it? So far they're giving Putin enough rope to hang himself. China doesn't have allies. It has tributaries. They benefit from Russia being forced to sell them resources to survive. Similar to the colonialism they do in Africa that you seem to be celebrating

(quote] US is stuck with a Western Europe that is, itself, in decline.

Yes I'm sure the US is kicking itself for that rather than sucking up to the collapsing nation of Russia (video related)

The US isn't declining. Its economy isn't growing as fast as China's, but after the 2020 downturn it's made a comeback. Russia's tanked.

China needs the US market and there's some question as to how genuine some of its growth is--i.e. ghost cities.

R312. Inevitable. It's so bizarre that despite all the effort China has put into trying to become a superpower, their technology is still so reliant on America's.

What are all their scientists, engineers and technicians doing?

R315 One of the big issues of lack of freedom. Totalitarian countries stifle innovation.

New: US has been unable to determine a theater-wide Russian commander responsible for leading its war in Ukraine, per sources familiar—something they say is likely a key contributor to the apparent clumsiness and disorganization of the Russian assault.

r317 I mean given proximity of the frontline to Moscow Putin is probably overseeing it personally. Quite fortunate he doesn't have anywhere close to Hitler's 1940 luck while he's doing it.

Kadryov's commanders are DL-ers!

[quote]There is constant feuding between Chechen commanders and Russian intelligence, including petty public insults (a recent video showed fighters using feminine grammar to mock a male FSB leader) and little integration with the regular army.

Kadyrov has been pretending to be in Ukraine and putting out slick propaganda videos (I've also seen analysis of one of them on twitter which fairly clearly shows Kadyrov's palace in the background):

[quote]Intelligence from phones and internet suggested he never crossed into Ukraine, and even Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to endorse the video, saying the Kremlin had “no data” on a possible trip into Ukraine.

[quote]They have approached groups including martial arts coaches asking young men to sign up, but Chechens are apparently mostly unmoved, aware how lethal the war has become. “The footage and metadata show most [Chechen] forces are at least 20km [12 miles] away from the frontline, the only things they do is record videos to motivate people inside Chechnya and promote the warrior image of Kadyrov and his forces,” Kvakhadze said. "They are putting in a lot of effort to mobilise ‘volunteers’, offered very generous financial reward for participating, but Telegram and leaks suggest it is not successful.”

It seems that Kadyrov is doing this for money, to show loyalty to Putin on whom he depends for his position, and to showcase force to the up to tens of thousands of people in Chechnya who hate him.

Latest summary of the war, from Axios World:

"Russia's advance on Kyiv has been stalled for over a week, and Russian forces that had seemed poised to move on Odessa have been repulsed. The front lines are largely frozen, with Russian forces consolidating the positions they already hold.

However in the east, Russian forces are attempting to break through south of Kharkiv and use a pincer movement to pin down a large number of Ukrainian troops, according to Michael Kofman, a leading expert on Russia's military at CNA.

Russia also continued a brutal bombardment of Mariupol in the southeastern Donbas region today after Ukrainian leaders rejected a demand to surrender the besieged port city. Civilians lack heat and electricity and have been scavenging for scraps of food between explosions.

Mariupol would be the biggest city to fall thus far, and taking it would free up some of Russia's forces in the south, Kofman says. The symbolic significance could be greater still, as Putin originally justified the war in part as a mission to "liberate" the Donbas.

What they're saying: "I've been watching them revise down what I think the war aims are, and if they’re searching for anything they can claim as a victory and get out of this conflict, one of the things they would need is to have captured most of the Donbas," Kofman says.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted today that Putin's objective was "no longer to take over most of Ukraine" but to achieve a ceasefire "on terms he will claim are a strategic victory" by annexing the southern coast, laying siege to Kyiv and other major cities in the north, and degrading Ukraine's military and industrial capabilities.

A senior defense official also briefed reporters today that Russia may be seeking to "improve their position at the negotiating table." Moscow is demanding that Ukraine rule out future NATO membership and give up all claims to Crimea and the Donbas "republics."

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled some flexibility on the former but not the latter. It's also not clear how serious Putin is about seeking a deal."

Thankfully enough, true leftists are mobilizing against the anti-Russian derangement that has taken over the West.

I hope that emboldens any resistance R319. It's not exactly strong to walk into a war zone, sit 12 miles away from the action and film stupid clips. I sincerely hope any opposition is now thinking quite seriously about how credible the strength of Kadyrov's army is and whether they might desert if they actually had to get into a fight.

R320, that makes no sense. Putin's official line has always been the same, so I don't see how it's been revised down? He may have had some other nefarious goals as we like to speculate but his messaging has been very consistent. To his main audience, Russians, he appears to be delivering on his original promise which was taking care of specific parts of Ukraine where he is currently succeeding and demilitarising Ukraine.

Also the article's conclusion is confusing. It says that Putin desperately wants to improve his negotiating position but then it concludes that he does not want to negotiate at all??? Which is one is it?

R319, While Kadyrov maybe in Chechnya and a master in propaganda and trolling, there is plenty of evidence that the main forces currently engaged in urban fight on the ground in Mariupol are Chechens.

WSJ: As the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war ricochet through global politics, the West has never been more closely aligned. It has also rarely been more alone. Allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plus Australia and Japan are united in revulsion against Vladimir Putin’s war and are cooperating with the most sweeping sanctions since World War II. The rest of the world, not so much.

can see that the troll has arrived for work. Blocked posts at R321, 323, 324 and 325

This is what Warsaw Central in Poland looks like now (lots of refugees sleeping there). According to the Pole, they're Nazis but he's not angry at all at Putin for driving millions of them into Poland..

Dmitry Muratov who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 (Russian editor of Novaya Gazeta) is selling his prize to raise money for Ukrainian refugees.

More lawless Ukraine. Kyiv today.

But why a dildo??

Why not a dildo?

[quote]Why not a dildo?

Ah, the other option to Pointless Bitchery that was considered as the official DL catchphrase.

Chechen president at R319 looks like he comes from Florida. Didn't realize what a rube he is, though it's probably partly a big act à la Duck Dynasty.

[quote]The Russians have ready-made alternate markets for their oil and gas.

Yes, alternate markets that are piss-poor and angling to get Russian oil and gas at a huge discount. What else do they have in common? Rich Russians don't want to go anywhere near them.

Military genius Donald Trump lays out a clear, detailed strategy to assist Ukraine:

For the Polish troll:

Another day of fighting, another day of Russia being largely stalled. Ukraine winning back small suburbs around Kyiv.

And Ukraine STILL has air dominance. Russia is bombing Mariupol, but isn't even trying to control the air or the areas of the country between Russian bases.

2,389 children from Donetsk and Luhansk ‘kidnapped’ by Putin’s forces, US embassy says. They have been 'illegally removed' and taken to Russia. To CAMPS. Who are the real Nazis here?

Navalny sentenced to nine years in prison

You could house a lot of displaced Ukrainians on 21 yachts:

Hero:

Alexey Navalny @navalny · 1h 9 years. Well, as the characters of my favorite TV series “The Wire” used to say: “You only do two days. That's the day you go in and the day you come out" I even had a T-shirt with this slogan, but the prison authorities confiscated it, considering the print extremist.

Hoping this is true:

⚡️NEXTA reports that Russian troops to the North West of Kyiv (Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel) are surrounded by Ukrainian armed forces

Finally US admits that Zelensky is just a puppet. US is discouraging Zelensky from Making Concessions to Russia That Could End the Fighting.

On Monday, the State Department signaled that the US is discouraging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from making concessions to Russia in negotiations that are aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Zelensky has “made it very clear that he is open to a diplomatic solution that does not compromise the core principles at the heart of the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.”

When asked to elaborate on his point, Price said that the war is “bigger” than Russia and Ukraine. “The key point is that there are principles that are at stake here that have universal applicability everywhere,” he said.

That wouldn't surprise me too much, R342, considering the recent reports that the Ukrainians were pushing the Russians back from the Kyiv suburbs.

"⚡️NEXTA reports that Russian troops to the North West of Kyiv (Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel) are surrounded by Ukrainian armed forces"

It doesn't matter. Putin will eventually deploy chemical weapons or tactical nukes. NATO won't be able to do shit for fear of a full scale global nuclear war.

R342, Ukrainian lies.

@melissakchan

Good morning from Europe, where China Radio International (Chinese state media) — in Poland — in Polish — has a frontpage with no refugees, no war, but a headline reading: "If America really cares about Ukrainians, it should provide peace, not weapons."

Let's go to CGTN Français — Chinese state media's French language outlet for people in France. There is no coverage of war in Ukraine on the frontpage, although there is an article about "dark US biolabs in Ukraine."

How about Italy? Let's look at China Radio International's (Chinese state media) frontpage in Italian. To the people of Italy: There is no war in Ukraine. However, Beijing is donating money for a humanitarian crisis there, but doesn't explain what caused this mystery crisis.

Magyar CRI (China Radio International)! What is Chinese state media saying to Hungarians in their language? On its FB page, interestingly, it acknowledges some kind of conflict in Ukraine. But more than anything, it wants you to look at this bird among cherry blossoms in Japan:

On to Greece. What is Chinese state media saying in Greek to the people there? On the frontpage there is some "issue" in Ukraine. There is a "situation." But there are no photos of destruction, refugees, and no mention that Russia is the cause of the war. "War" is not used.

Moving to Romania! Chinese state media has a Romanian-language website. To the people of Romania, Beijing wants you to know there is no war in Ukraine. In fact, there's a headline that reads, "China will cooperate economically and commercially with Russia."

Chinese state media in Germany, auf Deutsch. You wouldn't know there's a war in Ukraine, there is no Russian invasion, but the frontpage wants Germans to know that, "Like all Chinese women, Muslim women benefit from the broad acceptance of equality."

CGTN en español! Chinese state media serves the Spanish-speaking world and it wants you to know that Beijing is neutral. Also, there are food shortages in western Ukraine due to "a number of factors." There are no photos of the war or refugees on the frontpage.

Chinese state media's (China Radio International) website for those in Czechia, in the Czech language, has no images of the war in Ukraine, no images of refugees, and a headline reading, "As for America, indeed, for the good of the Ukrainians, it should strive for peace."

Horse lovers look away now:

"Russian military burn down stable in Hostomel near Kyiv, with horses inside.

The stable was put on fire on March 13, its owner told Censor Net news website.

Almost all of the 32 horses inside have been killed in the fire."

Fucking bastards. Sickening.

Nine more years in a maximum-security prison, and both of Alexei Navalny's lawyers were detained and taken away to an unknown location in a police vehicle. Putin's Russia is a dark, dark place.

JP Morgan: Ukraine close to surrendering.

R348, what is the evidence of this claim? Some of these stories are so sensationalised and non sensical that it is counter productive to Ukrainian propaganda machine.

Rogan questions the flip flop of US liberal attitudes on Ukraine:

R351 ZeroHedge?

"Zero Hedge is a far-right libertarian financial blog and news aggregator. Zero Hedge, per its motto, is bearish in its investment outlook and analysis, often deriving from its adherence to the Austrian School of economics and credit cycles.

Over time, Zero Hedge expanded into non-financial political content, including conspiracy theories and fringe rhetoric advancing radical right, alt-right, and pro-Russia positions."

R354, so and your point? Is this information supposed to discredit it somehow?

They cited JP Morgan and Zelensky. There is not even one word of opinion there.

R351. The AP piece doesn't say Zelenskyy is ready to "cede claims" to Crimea and the Donbass region as Zerohedge writes. It states Zelenskyy will discuss the status of them.

Why does DL attract so many right-wing fascists?

Joe Rogan? Another libertarian moron.

Joe Rogan finds a lot of things confusing. Then again, he's very confident about a lot of other things. I guess it all evens out in the end.

R356, that's a "signal" of shifting their position which was "never up for discussion" before. So, I agree it is too early to conclude that they are completely surrendering as the OP implies.

[QUOTE] The AP piece doesn't say Zelenskyy is ready to "cede claims" to Crimea and the Donbass region as Zerohedge writes. It states Zelenskyy will discuss the status of them.

Pretty much the same thing, just a different way of wording it.

He's keeping his options open but I think he's been pretty clear he's not going to cede territory to Russia. And why should he?

R361 Nope, am fairly sure Zelenskyy won't concede Crimea and Donbass. It's the Russian trolls who keep trying to push that there will be a surrender. They want something to sell to people at home or to be able to regroup and build up troops and equipment just like Hitler did when he appeased temporarily.

Even Gibraltar is getting in on the act.

Gibraltar seized a $75 million superyacht owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch, the local government said

There are rumors Belarus is ready to enter the war. Good news is their army is even shitter then Russia's.

I was about to post the same as R354: if there seems a gross discrepancy in the AP report and Zerohedge's paraphrase/interpretations of it, their far-right outlook is probably why.

If Belarus is getting ready to enter the war almost four weeks in, Putin must be seriously twisting their arm. They must realize by now that there's nothing for them to gain from this shitshow, certainly not in comparison with the slam-dunk win-win it must have looked like a month ago.

R366 ZeroHedge is blatantly pro-Russia. They constantly make criticisms of the U.S. but never, ever criticise Russia. Even though Russia's economy is objectively a lot shittier than the U.S.

Zelenskyy is desperate to talk. In order for that to happen he has to walk back his Winston Churchill rhetoric just to get to the table. He's in a horrible position--after all the death and destruction to be forced to give up Ukrainian territory anyway will be nothing less than ignominious surrender. I assume he hopes to get a ceasefire and Russian troops pulled back to the Crimea, the status of which will be discussed at a later date.

[quote]Zelenskyy is desperate to talk.

Your source for this, other than your ass?

Pro-Putin trolls spinning about 'surrender' when Ukraine is now on a counter offensive.

NEW: U.S. has indications that Ukraine is now "able and willing" to take back territory overtaken by the Russian military: senior U.S. defense official

Ukraine's military is now trying to push the Russians out of Izyum, in East Ukraine, and has held Mykolaiv against 🇷🇺 attack.

Veterans and peace marchers demonstrate against the war in Ukraine, denounce US militarism and criticize Zelensky's reckless actions during this conflict.

Russian trolls, with their handfuls of blood-soaked rubles, spin for the murdering Pootin the Thug. These characters need to hide in shame.

But aintcha heard, R371? American reports are mere wishful propaganda. Meanwhile, the claims coming out of Mother Russia are gospel. Any day now, that 40-mile-long convoy north of Kyiv will get some air in its tires and creak forwards a few inches!

R370 R371 You're idiots. I'm the one who posted how zerohedge was mischaracterizing the AP article about Zelemskyy's aims, which made no mention of ceding territory.

I'm not pro-Russian any more than I'm pro-idiot. Why is it pro-russian to point out that Zelenshyy wants the slaughter of his people to stop asap? Of course he wants to talk about a ceasefire, even if he's on the offensive:

Zelensky has urged more negotiations in recent days as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth week. In a video message posted Saturday, he called for talks "without delay," warning that otherwise Russia's losses would be "huge."

Thanks, R372. It's always great to see what 5 random nobodies in Boston have to say. Truly, groundbreaking news there.

FYI: R375 is blocked, so known as a pro-Russian troll to me. Why is he using *ZeroHedge* as a source? Why not a source that isn't known to be obviously pro-Kremlin?

Ukrainian trolls are so desperate and defensive. LOL. Imagining the "far right conspiracies" everywhere. Get a life, Khokhol trolls.

R377 I didn't post the zerohedge article you moron, I disputed it.

The U.S. defense department was baffled by Russia's apparent use of advanced hypersonic missiles to destroy a munitions depot in Ukraine, since regular guided missiles could have done the job. One reason, though, may be that Russia's supply of guided missiles is not completely reliable: there are reports of missiles failing to launch or failing to explode when they land.

"Ukrainian journalist released from Russian captivity.

Viktoria Roshchina, a journalist for Hromadske, has been in captivity since March 15. As a condition for her release, she was forced to record a video saying that the Russian forces had saved her life."

R369 / R375 / R379 You said:

[quote]Zelenskyy is desperate to talk. In order for that to happen he has to walk back his Winston Churchill rhetoric just to get to the table.

What is your fucking source for this other than *ZeroHedge*?

You are pushing Kremlin talking lines.

I have all trolls blocked, and despite them I come here for war news. Thank you all for the latest info.

Muriel, I am stating my boundaries. For the love of God, do something about this thread!!

One could max out their 250 blocked troll limit just up in this bitch.

R384, I hope it hurts.

"Mr. President, Ukraine is now sovereign."

National Security Mixed signals from Ukraine’s president and his aides leave West confused about his endgame Volodymyr Zelensky faces agonizing choices at the negotiation table with Russia. His government is still sorting out what might be acceptable, say U.S. and European officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pictured on March 17 as he delivers a video address in Kyiv. (AFP PHOTO via Getty Images/ Ukrainian presidential press service / Handout) The mounting death toll in Ukraine has forced President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider concessions to Russia in order to bring an end to the devastating conflict, but the specific elements of any peace deal his government may be discussing with Moscow remain a mystery to Western leaders, said U.S. and European officials.

The secretive rounds of meetings between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators could hold the key to ending the conflict but also carry broader implications for European security depending on how the warring parties settle their differences. If Russian President Vladimir Putin can use military force to compel political change in Ukraine, he could use the same tactic elsewhere, U.S. and European officials fear.

The prospects of a near-term deal look bleak, diplomats say, but mixed signals from Zelensky about how close he is to striking an agreement have only heightened anxiety about the trajectory of the negotiations.

Russia has sought to pummel Ukraine into submission through artillery barrages, cruise missile strikes and a severing of supply routes that have prompted a humanitarian disaster and forced more than 3 million people to flee the country.

Zelensky, however, has remained defiant, saying his country wants peace — but not at any cost.

“I’m ready for dialogue; we’re not ready for capitulation,” Zelensky told ABC News earlier this week, while vowing to continue fighting Russia for as long as necessary.

National video reporter Hannah Jewell explains how Volodymyr Zelensky uses history to push world leaders to support Ukraine. (Casey Silvestri/The Washington Post) Zelensky reiterated that message in even stronger terms on Tuesday when the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv to meet him in a risky wartime visit. “He showed very little interest in a negotiated settlement and said Ukraine needed to keep fighting until Putin altered his demands,” said a diplomat familiar with the discussions, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive meetings.

At the same time, Zelensky’s top negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, has hailed progress in negotiations with Russia and suggested a quick end to the fighting. “Their position has softened significantly,” Podolyak told PBS this week in reference to Russia. “We have much confidence that we will have a cease-fire in the coming days.”

I've never seen film of Zelensky outside in identifiable parts of Ukraine during this war. Always inside in a non-descript location. For all we know he's already defected and is posting from outside the country.

A second U.S. administration official said Ukraine’s statements suggest that Zelensky and his top aides haven’t come to a firm conclusion on what the Ukrainian people are willing to concede in exchange for a cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian troops.

“They just haven’t come up with a decision yet,” added a senior European official.

Others close to Zelensky say he is under extraordinary pressure to convey progress in negotiations with Russia even if the reality is less sanguine.

“Many Ukrainians are now suffering enormously. That puts our delegation under pressure to show some kind of progress in the talks,” said Yuri Vitrenko, the CEO of Naftogaz, the country’s largest state-owned oil and gas company.

“There are people in Ukraine who say ‘we don’t want to hear about talks, we want to fight until the end.’ But others are saying ‘at least try to negotiate.’ That’s why for the negotiating team, it’s important to be constructive,” he said.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

R388 He has NOT defected, moron. And if he's outside of Ukraine, good, it's for his safety. So, tell me, when is your Dear Leader Putin going to go into Ukraine? Or even outside of a bulletproof cage/bunker?

Based on the heavily produced/digitally enhanced video appearances and montages, I am inclined to think Zelensky is somewhere outside of Ukraine.

Just watching Al Jeezera news for their perspective which aligns with most of the world. They had some very good interviews with

1. Lawyers at the international court and how they are collecting data for future war crimes trials They had a message for Russian soldiers as well: do not follow orders to commit war crimes We will find you.

2 the head of the International Red Cross who is on the ground in Ukraine working in what he described as surreal conditions. Something beyond comprehension.

3. Head of UN's FAO talking about impending global food insecurity Food aid to many dev countries has already been cut by 25%. Look what's happening in Sudan.

These were informative interviews with guys at the top. Other stations don't seem to have the same access or interest.

Even if Zelensky manages to strike a deal, implementing it could be difficult. Ukraine’s NATO aspirations were baked into its constitution in a 2019 amendment, and changing it again would require a lengthy process that culminates in a supermajority vote of parliament. Not all political forces in the country are ready to do that, and a supermajority isn’t a sure bet, said Alex Riabchyn, a former lawmaker who voted in favor of the 2019 change.

The other challenge, Riabchyn said, is that Zelensky has proved so powerful a wartime communicator that Ukrainians are united behind him, with high morale and a willingness to keep fighting. A deal that seems like a defeat might not be acceptable to Ukrainian society.

“Ukrainians believe we are winning this war, so they might not accept painful compromises,” said Riabchyn, who now advises the government. “They might feel this is a betrayal. Zelensky raised the aspiration lines very high.”

For now, U.S. and European officials say they do not see signs that Russia is stopping its attack. One key measure, officials said, was whether Russian troops were digging defensive lines to solidify control of the territory they have captured. That hasn’t started yet, signifying a likely intent to keep pushing forward, two defense officials said.

Russia’s public optimism about a deal is a source of interest for diplomats. Officials familiar with the negotiations attribute it to one of two strategies. One is that Moscow is serious because the Kremlin wants to roll back existing sanctions. The other is that Russia wants to create the impression of seriousness in a bid to head off even more sanctions. Vitrenko, the Naftogaz executive, subscribes to the latter. “Russians are now making this impression that there is progress with negotiations for a very obvious reason: they don’t want the West to impose tougher sanctions.”

Ultimately, what Ukraine will agree to, lies with Zelensky because of the way he has emerged as a figure of unity.

“It’s Zelensky who decides,” he said. “It’s about the spirit of a nation. Thousands of Ukrainians are dying. He’s a wartime leader and it’s a huge responsibility.”

The other problem with negotiations is that Russia has a history of breaking its word. Ukraine can't give up much, since that sends a signal that Russia can just come in again at a later date and take more. It's clear that Russia wants to annex the whole damn place.

You're lying, R394. Russia has never broken its word in anything, whereas the US lied to them about NATO. If you're going to spread propaganda, at least do it well.

R394, malicious LIES!!!!

[quote]Russia has never broken its word in anything

Past is Prologue

R397, he never said that they will never "invade" or "occupy", whatever the fuck that means. He always said that they will do whatever it takes to protect the territories which have declared independence. Everyone knew this would happen except for Zelensky who continued to taunt Russians until it actually happened.

Briahna Joy Gray and Abby Martin discuss the situation in the Bad Faith podcast, revealing how the military industrial complex demands a new war in order to maintain its current profit margins and justify its existence. Moreover, a plan to destructure Russia and plunge it into poverty as it happened during the 90s has been initiated by US political and oligarchic elites, in order to increase their wealth and power even more after the COVID upward transfer of wealth.

Meanwhile, here is the footage of Ukrainian tanks (NOT RUSSIAN) shelling the centre of Mariupol.

What kind of blows me away about this entire fiasco is what they *are* telling us. I Always assumed that war would be conducted more in secret than this. Why are we announcing to the world that Ukraine is getting ready to retake areas? Wouldn't the element of surprise help them do that?

I makes you wonder what they're actually holding back.

R402, that is because this war is being waged both on the ground and the media. The constant bombardment of news we're getting is meant to confuse, saturate and anger us, so we will eventually be willing to support ANYTHING that our political class tells us is the best course of action. This was already done with the Afghanistan and Irak wars, but the problem is that those countries were close to collapse and didn't really have any power, whereas Russia does - and that is why there is such a scary censorship campaign everywhere and the media conglomerates are trying to prevent any alternative / dissenting perspectives from reaching the public.

Still, you're right in one thing: we don't know even half the truth of what is happening, and this won't come out until several years have passed and official documents are made available to the public. If you think about it objectively, we're at the mercy of psychopaths who have mastered the art of global manipulation.

The Ukrainian army is bombarding Donetsk's suburds with Tochka U cluster bombs.

My, my, my, there are enough Russian trolls on this thread to sink the Battleship Potemkin.

Tell Vlad to stop opening scrips here in hopes of pulling the wool over the sharpest eyes in the house, he's going to need the money for a new army, a new yacht, and a new set of generals.

R405, Khokhol troll.

R388 - Sure. Let's not mention the fact that any evidence of where he might actually be in Ukraine would lead the assassins out looking for him right to him.

Do you trolls ever listen to yourselves? Do you REALLY think anyone here takes you fucking seriously?

Really - go try it on at QAnon. They love people like you.

R406 = Vlad (the Impaler)

Why should we expect our Russian propaganda trolls to be better than their armed forces?

R407, I hope there is a real Ukrainian patriot nearby, who can get rid off the war criminal Zelensky and saves Ukraine.

R407 Agree but the funny thing is that the troll is also factually wrong - Zelensky did release a video showing himself in front of a famous building in Kyiv one time. Their dictator Putin meanwhile has stayed in a bunker or in a bulletproof cage the whole time.

And don't forget the long desk where he was placed about 75 feet away from his nearest advisors. Putin, so stunning, so brave.

So even in the pro-Russian areas prior to the war, they all hate everything Putin/Ruski now.

In eastern Ukraine sympathies toward Russia have evaporated, replaced by a deep-seated hatred that may take generations to overcome.

R409 - LOL. America's defence secretary yesterday said that Putin's strategy is to feed his own troops into a wood chipper.

You know, if we keep blocking the Russian trolls, this thread might never reach 600 legitimate posts.

It could be like the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

R411, LOL, yes he was filmed......in front of a green screen.

R413, according to whom? LOL, Ukrainian sources? Sure, Jan!

R1414, American defence secretary are not a a wholly grail of truth. It's also not a source anyone, besides Americans and their puppets Ukrainian nazis, would rust.

R413 Not too surprising when the Russians destroy their homes and livelihoods, even kill some of them. I don't see any compensation being offered either. That's not 'liberation' at all.

[quote] Putin, so stunning, so brave.

I like that in a fella!

Three children died of thirst in Mariupol when the snow melt ran out, the BBC has been told. :s :/

Meanwhile, this is the Ukrainian lawlessness that our media and governments want us to support. This is Ukraine today, Nazis punishing people who refuses to fight.

R420 There are people there now who are starving. I don't even want to think about what they're eating.

Excuse me, r421, you still have toilet paper stuck to your shoe.

[quote] Joe Rogan points out how the left has completely flipped on Ukraine

Yes I remember those days of pre-history

The government is to boycott the Euro 2012 football championship, which begins on Friday, in protest at the "selective justice" being meted out to the jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

Several EU countries have announced they will not be attending games in Ukraine. Last month the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that she and her cabinet would not attend any German games played in Ukraine, which is co-hosting the tournament with Poland, unless the human rights situation under President Viktor Yanukovych improved.

The president of the European commission, José Manuel Barroso, and Viviane Reding, the EU commissioner for justice, have also confirmed they will not be travelling to Ukraine. The Czech president, Václav Klaus, and Germany's president, Joachim Gauck, also called off a regional summit last month at the Ukrainian resort of Yalta.

Oleg Voloshyn, the Ukraine foreign ministry spokesman in Kiev, told the Guardian he regretted what he called the UK's "emotional" decision.

The war will grind on but I have a bad feeling that Russia is going to win, and that America backed the wrong horse once again as it did in Syria.

[Bold]ICC to investigate possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine[/Bold]

Look at what the innocent the defenders of freedom do to Russian speakers in Ukraine... But oh, it's all Putin's fault!

[quote]Everyone knew this would happen except for Zelensky who continued to taunt Russians until it actually happened.

"You are taunting us with your insistence on acting as a sovereign country!"

[quote]The war will grind on but I have a bad feeling that Russia is going to win

Admit it, r425, it gives you a tingly feeling down there, doesn't it?

Clean up on aisle r427!

No, R428, Zelensky taunted Russia by exterminating the ethnic Russians in the Donbas, having US-financed laboratories where biological weapons were being produced, in some cases just a few miles from the Russian border, and running around Munich saying that Ukraine needed nuclear weapons to fight Russia. He has also allowed Nazis to take control of the army and escalated diplomatic hostilities against Russia.

Also, you inveterate idiot, Ukraine was never a country until the USSR gave ethnic Ukrainians a territory - in fact, most ethnic Ukrainians have historically lived in modern Poland and Romania, always under the rule of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and briefly, under the Kingdom of Poland. It was Russia that gave them a nation, so engage your prain before you type.

Anyway, Alex Christoforou from The Duran has a brillian analysis on the situation in Mariupol and has revealed the information provided by the Greek/Ukrainian population in the city, regarding the actions of the Ukrainian military in there.

[quote]Also, you inveterate idiot, Ukraine was never a country until the USSR gave ethnic Ukrainians a territory

"Gave" implies that it won't be taken back. Guess that's one more thing Russians lied about.

[quote] ICC to investigate possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine

Any other war crimes while they are at it?

Gennadiy Druzenko, head of Ukrainian military medical service, boasts on Ukraine 24 channel that he "gave strict orders to castrate all the wounded" Russians "because they are cockroaches, not humans.

Ooooo, r433, the Mirror. So credible!

R433 maybe they shouldn't be in the fucking Ukraine in the first place?

Is the troll posting all of the pro-Russian propaganda that Dex poster?

I don't have the time to sit through Joe Rogan's maunderings, but the link at R424 suggests that he's referring to liberals' support of the Ukrainian opposition against pro-Russia political forces in Ukraine—is this the inconsistency he's charging liberals with? I.e. no inconsistency at all?

AkSHualLy R431, there was a People's Republic of Ukraine 5 years before there was a USSR. But it's cute you're lecturing people about what you think they don't know when you clearly know shit.

Tucker Carlson DESPERATE to Defend Putin, Pushes Conspiracy Theory

*

Jesus, how can people listen to Tucker's pitch and cadence? It's the reason the word annoying was invented.

[quote]Jesus, how can people listen to Tucker's pitch and cadence?

Yeah. I'm not gonna.

After hours of listening to Ben Shapiro, Tucker sounds like Barry White to them.

Well, r440, there's only a short bit of him on the clip. Mostly it's David Pakman refuting what he said.

1. A "short bit" of Tucker Carlson is a lot more than I am willing to listen to.

2. Dear David Pakman: Why bother?

According to the Pentagon, Russia now has less than 90% of the active combat troops that it initially sent to Ukraine, reflecting the high number of casualties sustained by the Russian Army.

I tell you, this is just amazing. I keep blocking them and blocking them, and the damned thread never gets out of the 400s.

Damn, this thread has really become troll central.

Muriel, can you please do something about the infestation?

Zelensky needs to fight to the last man. He can't allow Russia to keep troops in his county. He should have kicked them out after Maiden but he was elected as the the peace candidate so he had to watch his step. Now he's the war president and the people of Ukraine are behind him.

NO RUSSIAN TROOPS IN UKRAINE. CRIMEA IS UKRAINIAN. NO SURRENDER.

R447, Huh, huh. LOL. In your dreams, losers.

To each his own, r443.

This is Ukraine we are being asked to support. Stop Ukrainian scum! Putin, do it.

Another Russian Journalist Quits State TV In Protest Over War, Says Her People Are Being “Zombified” By Kremlin Propaganda:

This could be another reason why Russian is stalled and Ukraine is on a counter offensive:

Pentagon officials have said that losing 10 percent of a military force, including both those killed and injured, renders a single unit unable to carry out combat-related tasks. Such losses also affect the morale and cohesion of a military unit.

[quote]The war will grind on but I have a bad feeling that Russia is going to win, and that America backed the wrong horse once again as it did in Syria.

You think the "right horse" is just the one with more military power, not the one with an interest in popular government, a free economy, and self-determination? How would it serve the US to have backed an expansionist kleptocratic dictatorship just because it looked likelier to win? We would have just ended up the Russians' bitch—what the Russians now are to the Chinese.

R439. I'm convinced Tucker isn't a real person. It's just one of those AI's force-fed Putin propaganda until it was suicidal, then stuffed in a rubber suit and masquerading as a broadcaster.

Either that or he eats a sack of shit each day as a prayer to his demonic overlords so he can continue to spew shit on his audience.

R452 The Russian soldiers are also deserting at at fairly high rate. With communication in the Russian command spotty, it’s probably easier than in other conflicts. Especially for the youngest ones without family in Russia, it’s easier to disappear rather than hang around waiting to get killed during a conflict they don’t support.

R455, link??

R456. Weird link but there's been a bit of discussion about it out there. It makes sense as well considering the high proportion of Russian troops who are conscripts.

For what it's worth, a couple of weeks ago the Daily Fail were reporting that Russian soldiers were shooting deserters or those who failed to comply with the order to target civilians.

R455 R457 "The Russian soldiers are also deserting at at fairly high rate."

So you just made this up then.

The tally of Russian generals killed in the nearly monthlong conflict—most of them one- & two-star commanders, including at least one lieutenant general—is likely the highest casualty rate among general officers in the Russian military since World War II.

“They’re struggling on the front line to get their orders through,” said the European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss recent battlefield intelligence. “They’re having to go to the front line to make things happen, which is putting them at much greater risk than you would normally see.”

The European diplomat said the Russian death toll among general officers is up to a fifth of the number of commanders deployed in Ukraine, which Western intelligence officials estimate at 20 officers, making the military less able to operate and more bogged down. “It’s all about a lack of preparedness among the military,” the diplomat said. “They are asking for things to happen, and they are not happening.”

“There’s direction coming from on high: You better get your ass out there and make progress or else,” said James Foggo, a retired four-star admiral who commanded the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, responsible for Europe and Africa, and who now leads the Center for Maritime Strategy think tank at the Navy League of the United States. “Their military chain of command is a very threatening kind of environment. You either perform or you find yourself replaced or out of a job—or even worse.”

The European diplomat who spoke to Foreign Policy said Russian generals at times had gone further out into the field to deal with disciplinary issues, such as Russian conscripts looting stores and houses for food. Current and former U.S. officials have said Russia’s lack of a professional body of noncommissioned officers—which enforce discipline in Western militaries—has led to some of the war crimes that have flashed across social media.

“That is the mark of an undisciplined and unprofessional army that is poorly led and poorly trained, and to make up for it, [they] push the generals into the field,” said Foggo, the retired U.S. admiral. “They’re out there, and they’re kind of winging it. This is breaking down into an undisciplined rabble.”

Ukraine is reporting it R458. I didn't link the Times article because it is paywalled but since you're so insistent...

Of course, Ukraine might be overestimating the number of deserters but it seems probable that at least a few are. The rate would be near impossible to determine, even for the Kremlin. It's not like the Kremlin gets a little text every time a soldier leaves saying "I'm deserting now, bye bitches!"

[quote]Of course, Ukraine might be overestimating the number of deserters but it seems probable that at least a few are. The rate would be near impossible to determine, even for the Kremlin.

[quote] The Russian soldiers are also deserting at at fairly high rate. With communication in the Russian command spotty, it’s probably easier than in other conflicts. Especially for the youngest ones without family in Russia, it’s easier to disappear rather than hang around waiting to get killed during a conflict they don’t support.

So you just made this up then.

R424 You fucking clown. As R437 has already pointed out and I will back up, the questions and condemnations from European leaders, refusal to attend footballs games in Ukraine by Angela Merkel etc. were in protest at the human rights situation under Viktor Yanukovych. And who is Viktor Yanukovych? He is the former Russian-puppet prime minister of Ukraine, removed from office during the 2013-2014 protests in Ukraine after he refused, under Russian pressure, to sign an agreement that would results in closer political and economic ties to the EU in favour.

Yanukovych currently lives in exile in Russia. Which says everything you need to know.

Also lol at Mssr. I'm Just Asking Questions Brah Joe Rogan talking about a leftist "flip flop" on Ukraine. As if that mf-er could find Ukraine on a map or tell you a single fact about the place before a month ago. I wonder if he goes around accusing people of flipflopping on Germany now that they're no longer ruled by nazis?

The last Pentagon briefing said that the Russians are experiencing frostbite as an issue along with food and fuel shortages - continued morale issues. So even though their might is much bigger, the psychological and logistics side of thing hasn't been the best.

Believe what you wish R461. The articles speak for themselves.

R463, they have The Thaw to look forward to. And that means MUD.

R461 won't believe anything the Ukrainian defense ministry, the Pentagon, the Times of London, or various military analysts say. But what do you want to bet he's lapping up every last rationalization coming out of the Kremlin, and will be happy to post videos from his fellow Putinophiles to back them up.

Picture of an alpaca next to an MLRS rocket booster section at the Kharkiv Zoo.

R467. Such a cute alpaca. I hope it's OK.

Picture of a Russian tank that has tried to hide/camouflage itself from Ukrainian UAVs or aircraft.

Very clever! They'll never find it. Oh wait, I guess someone found it.

R469. Serves the double purpose of trying to keep them warm when they're effectively in a cold, metal coffin.

It's probably not very effective though.

[quote]I have a bad feeling that Russia is going to win, and that America backed the wrong horse once again as it did in Syria.

How is supporting a nation which wants independence and has been attacked by a hostile nation seeking to deny that independence "backing the wrong horse"?

rape is being added to the list of alleged war crimes by the Russians now

"Prosecutor General: Russian invader kills man, rapes wife in Kyiv Oblast.

In a village in Brovarskyi district, a Russian soldier murdered a man and, along with another soldier, raped his wife, according to Iryna Venediktova. One of them was identified and is now wanted."

FWIW....

[quote]It's been two days and Putin name is nowhere on three big news sites: TASS, Izvestia and Kommersant. No mention or pictures and they post in terms of the "Kremlin" doing things, not Putin. I'm at a strong 60% something has happened in the leadership.

BREAKING: A U.S. official believes Russia's combat power in Ukraine has fallen below 90% of pre-invasion levels.

From Mark Hertling’s Twitter account…admittedly unverified but sounds about right.

Fascinating claimed intercepted call from Russian officer near Mykolaiv to superiors in Russia. He says: - This is worse than Chechnya - 50% of troops have frostbite - They can’t evacuate the dead - Don’t have enough tents - RU plane dropped a bomb on their own position

What a bunch of slapdicks. Could it be, R475, that the Russian news is leaving out Putin's name not because he's being pushed out but just because he doesn't want to be associated with this shitshow any more?

R478 That was my first thought. I doubt anything has happened to Putin.

R478: anything's possible I guess. And this could just be Putin distancing himself from this catastrophe. Maybe he can say the (((globalists))) made him do it. *snort*

If Russian state TV starts playing "Swan Lake" on a loop we'll know shit's really going down. (what they did in the coup attempt in 1991)

But I was told this was about NATO expansion?

Pundits and experts on Russian state TV have devolved into arguing that Ukraine no longer exists and can't be allowed to exist ever again. Discussing Ukrainian territory, they say, "This is our land."

He has to be associated R478. He held that rally linking himself to it last week. The Russian people will absolutely link him to the war because he's been using it to prop up his regime. Russia may have a completely brainwashed view of the crisis but he's been selling it.

He might just be quietly raging right now. If he's gone completely paranoid he might not be communicating with his cronies much, if at all, so they're having to make decisions off of what he gives them rather than him actively leading them.

Or he's being pushed out. You never know.

The kids won't understand the term "Kremlinology". Used to be people who spent their careers trying to read between the lines and figure out what the fuck the USSR was up to, who had been purged and/or disappeared, etc.

I'm struck by how similar Ukraine looks to where I grew up: the Canadian prairies. Someone else mentioned mud but are there also *bugs* on the way? The serious, drive-you-insane bugs?

R483 Sure, but what reason would there be to take him out other than to stop this insane war? If we assume he's been taken out, it's been by someone who is carrying on the insanity. So that's why I doubt it.

Russia is a beast

R485 - I don't buy that Putin has been taken out (yet) but if someone did, it takes time to consolidate power and try and get a plan to go forward. A stop to the invasion wouldn't happen immediately.

Yes, r484. They have a small fly called moshka. They fly in clouds, get in your nose, crawl up your pants. They also have mosquitoes.

Putin will keep going until all of his men are dead. Then he'll use weapons of mass destruction. He's insane.

They have mosquitoes AND another hellbug? Jesus. Although who knows, maybe being in genuine fear for your life, which I imagine everyone on the ground in eastern Ukraine currently is, makes things like insects into non-concerns.

Sorry to disappoint our Russian troll comrades but looks like Canadian sniper Wali, is not in fact, dead.

#Breaking: An infamous Canadian sniper, known as Wali, rumoured to have been killed by Russians in Ukraine, is alive and well and resting in the Kyiv region before heading back to the front lines

Says he was simply in black-out mode

"Russians attack oil refinery that they own.

A Russian aircraft has fired upon an oil refinery in Lysychasnk, Luhansk Oblast, which is owned by Russian oil company Rosneft. According to Luhasnk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai, firefighters are fighting a blaze at the site."

[QUOTE] I have all trolls blocked, and despite them I come here for war news.

Life is hard for you, no?

[quote]Russia is a shithole with an economy smaller than Texas [R305]. That's hardly some resurgent world power

Yet it's caused a worldwide upheaval that will hurt the world's economy for the next decade.

[quote]the former empires. Britain, France and Germany have all managed to enter the 2020s with better economies and armies than Russia

Better economies but not armies. But they plateaued and they too are in decline. Britain shot itself in the foot with Brexit now it's not even an important player in current events. France should lose its permanent seat on the UN Security Council because it doesn't make sense for such a diminished nation to have a veto.

The video at r301 is from Democracy Now. They are not pro-Russian or pro-Chinese in any way. They're not given to having their analyses clouded by emotion like we see on this thread and in the rest of western media. Those are cold, hard facts. Instead of courting Russia into the family of Western nations when they were defeated and on the back foot back in the '90s and early 2000s, we continued to kick them while they were down and humiliate them by dismissing their security concerns. And now we've driven them into an alliance with China when it was in our interest to keep those two from becoming friends.

The Chinese are reaffirming their support for Vlad:

“The countries who claim to oppose war should avoid starting wars”

The global South is refusing to participate in sanctions.

If you want to know the true status of the war, watch how Zelensky's position keeps changing every day. Just this week, he went from asserting Ukraine would cede no land to this.

[quote]Russia is a beast

It's likened to a bear. China a dragon. What is the US? An ass?

"Just some casual Russian propaganda TV programming about how nice it would be to invade Moldova, Poland, and all of the Baltic states simultaneously. If you had any doubts about potential intentions there…·

Yes r490, the bugs first appear in about May. I have never seen them in Kyiv, but they’re common in rural areas.

R494, the world economy for the next decade? Unlikely. Russia's not even a top 10 economy at this point. Other countries will adapt to the circumstances providing there's no nuclear winter or other such calamity. China will benefit from a weak Russia and take advantage of it to get access to Russia's natural resources and its water.

The U.S.A isn't dependent on Russia for much, so business as usual for North America.

The EU does get gas and oil from Russia. It would be a good thing for the planet if this got Europe to switch more to renewables.

Russia had a good army, but it no longer does--regardless of outcome, it's really showed its ass here. For those of us who remember the old Soviet Union, it's shocking. I've read some interesting speculation as to why--some is along the lines that Putin and the oligarchs are too corrupt and greedy to want to spend the money on maintaining a decent military, another piece I read said that it was because Putin didn't want an army powerful enough to stage a coup, so he deliberately plays it up on the media as the big, bad Russian army, but keeps it weak.

R497, You sound jealous.

Another troll from the saddo Russians: Russian sports Minister declares that all Russian tournaments in which any foreigner participates (any foreigner, even if it's a lonely Belarusian) will be called World Championships now.

Here's a Russian in Kherson with a WWI-era machine gun.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has (reportedly) not been seen publicly since March 11.

"Day 28 of Ukraine resistance. Russian missiles hit Kyiv again, destroyed a food warehouse on the outskirts of it. Russians blew up a bridge connecting northern city of Chernihiv to Kyiv. There's no electricity, water, heat and little food left in Chernihiv. Russia wants a humanitarian disaster."

[quote]It's likened to a bear. China a dragon. What is the US? An ass?

America is a top level predictor, mankind not an animal. Eat Russian bears from breakfast, feed Chinese dragons to school children since they are such a silly myth.

I thought the U.S. was obviously an eagle? Some troll is being obtuse.

Native Americans have chosen the eagle and its feathers as a symbol of what is highest, bravest, strongest and holiest. The American bald eagle was chosen as a symbol for this country in 1782 but it's not how modern day Americans see themselves anymore than the state flower. It's not a symbol of the people like the bear is of Russia. In fact it's been out of popularity the the American public for decades except for right wingnuts like Trump. You don't see every day people wearing shirts with eagles on them like they do with American flags. Just the extremists, doomsday preppers and Trumpers mostly.

"Warsaw is expelling 45 (!) Russian diplomats. Poland's security agency accuses them of being intelligence officers/secret service agents."

I love this: Pilot spells disdain for Vladimir Putin by using flight tracker to write 73-mile wide expletive over Poland

(see link)

R501. God, even the Soviet Union wasn't this delusional.

Let them eat onions!

R511 Turnips are better! With the occasional swede.

That’s fine R501. Baseball has a World Series and it’s just the US and Canada. Russia can continue attempting to troll us while we laugh at their inability to understand English.

Thanks, R491, good to hear that Wali is alive and ready to snipe again. I had my suspicions when the obvious trolls were posting that he'd promptly been taken out by the superior Russian forces upon arriving in Ukraine.

[quote]The Chinese are reaffirming their support for Vlad: “The countries who claim to oppose war should avoid starting wars”

That has to be the most, um, economical support for Poots possible. The Chinese there are expressing their "support" in the most universally palatable truism anyone could imagine.

It’s now week five since Russia invaded, and Kyiv hasn’t fallen, hasn’t been encircled, and the Ukrainian government and its command and control abilities remain intact.

Russian Su-34 fighter jet shot down with US 'stinger' near Kyiv!

Love Zelensky. It's like having Jon Stewart or Colbert as president.

Ha...

Paul Manafort, Putin’s man in Kiev and DC, was stopped at the airport, fleeing to Dubai—safe space for all oligarchs—and his passport revoked.

Doesn't Manafort have something like a dozen different passports? I'm sure the snake will try again by another route.

Didn't Putin offer Z a deal a week ago? Zelensky should have taken the deal. Now he's going to lose even more. Maybe everything.

Isn't that what they always tell the Palestines? They should have taken the deal?

Yeah, R520, that's what they always tell the "Palestines." Perfectly analogous situation, I'm sure.

R458, it’s not unimaginable though. We’re seen the evidence of abandoned equipment and vehicles. We know that Russian troop levels have been reduced by at least 10 percent. That’s a surprisingly high figure, and some of that may be accounted for by desertions, so R455 could be correct.

Jen Psaki = superspreader? Gets covid for the second time. How common is that?

R523 what the fuck does that have to do with this? Desperate.

[quote]In January, the head of a group of serving and retired Russian military officers declared that invading Ukraine would be “pointless and extremely dangerous.” It would kill thousands, he said, make Russians and Ukrainians enemies for life, risk a war with NATO and threaten “the existence of Russia itself as a state.”

Putin didn't listen, and now there's dissent a-brewing in the upper echelons of the Russian government.

Counter offensive continues:

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent · 1h ⚡️Bucha City Council: Ukraine's military surround the towns of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel near Kyiv.

It means that the Russian troops north-west of Kyiv are now encircled

[quote]It means that the Russian troops north-west of Kyiv are now encircled

Ha ha!

I wish I could read that R525. Why is everything behind a paywall nowadays? So annoying.

More dissent in the Kremlin...

Putin Aide Chubais Quits Kremlin, Leaves Russia:

The Kremlin’s climate envoy and veteran reformer Anatoly Chubais has quit his position and left Russia over his opposition to the war against Ukraine.

R528, most of the Times article is a summary stuff we've already been hearing about—the casualties and failed strategies. What was new to me was the dissent of military leaders at the beginning of the year and its repercussions.

R528, this should do it.

Thanks R531!

R528 Back in the day did you pay to buy a newspaper? Journalists need to be paid a wage. That said, the NY Times is rich as fuck so please buy subscriptions to local newspapers instead (they're the ones who will tell you if your water is being poisoned, your local politicians are corrupt, etc.). R531 has provided an archive anyway.

I did and still sometimes do R533 because I enjoy the feeling of a newspaper and I could share newspapers with others or get them from work. You could also use them to wrap up your rubbish or whatever.

I am less a fan of online subscriptions because, whilst they are now cheaper than actual newspapers, I just never feel like I'm getting that much value for money. I prefer a news site that has optional subscriptions. If I want to subscribe I might for a while and then go back to reading it for free.

And NYT is both rich and conservative so I'm with you there.

The beginning of a the article is really great. It explains that many military and ex-military Russian officers knew in January that an invasion of Ukraine would be a very, very bad idea.

[quote] In January, the head of a group of serving and retired Russian military officers declared that invading Ukraine would be “pointless and extremely dangerous.” It would kill thousands, he said, make Russians and Ukrainians enemies for life, risk a war with NATO and threaten “the existence of Russia itself as a state.”

[quote] To many Russians, that seemed like a far-fetched scenario, since few imagined that an invasion of Ukraine was really possible. But two months later, as Russia’s advance stalls in Ukraine, the prophecy looms large. Reached by phone this week, the retired general who authored the declaration, Leonid Ivashov, said he stood by it, though he could not speak freely given Russia’s wartime censorship: “I do not disavow what I said.”

But Dictator Knows Best!

What I don't get -- the Russian troops are suffering from frostbite??? Frostbite?

Isn't Russia one of the coldest countries on Earth? And they don't know how to prevent frostbite?

More fallout from this war: increased food prices (even more than current high prices) leading to widespread food shortages worldwide. (In addition to wheat, Russia produces a big chunk of the world’s fertilizer.)

[quote]Putin Aide Chubais Quits Kremlin, Leaves Russia: The Kremlin’s climate envoy and veteran reformer Anatoly Chubais has quit his position and left Russia over his opposition to the war against Ukraine.

Mr. Chubais should avoid windows, doorknobs and underwear for the rest of his life.

[quote]. In addition to wheat, Russia produces a big chunk of the world’s fertilizer.

The jokes just write themselves.

Also this:

R539 That would have been better as “a large share,” lol. But you get the gist… without Russian fertilizer exports there will be a lot less food grown worldwide.

R540 “heart problems”??

So who's serving as Defense Minister?

Putin's circle is getting smaller....and smaller

R438, Ukraine was an autonomous republic, NOT an independent country. The status as a defined nation within the USSR (nto to mention, its current borders) were given to it by the Russians. In short, shut your snout, you barking beast. You are far too stupid to give any lessons to anyone.

This is a fascinating interview with Patrick Lancaster, who is ACTUALLY on the ground, witnessing the war and denouncing what the Ukrainian nazis have done in the Donbas.

LOL! Russian ruble has surged on exchange market today and is getting closer to pre=war level after the news that Russia will be switching to ruble for their oil sales to EU.

I see the IRA evening shift is online. What other warmed-over vatnik propaganda do you have for us tonight?

[quote] Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu has disappeared from public view since March 11, reportedly with "heart problems."

Somebody in Russia has a heart?

“Shut your snout, you barking beast”

… said no non-Russian ever.

Или нахуй пиздец! Слава Украине! Смерть Путину!

So, you're promoting Nazi slogans, now R548? Salava Ukraina? Seriously? You're truly pitiful...

Anyway, returning to the adult world, here's a very interesting interview from The Grayzone with Chas Freeman, who speaks about how the US want to sacrifice Ukraine in their quest to weaken Russia, by promoting a protracted conflict that mirrors Afghanistan.

The guy in the link appearing on State TV is out of his fucking mind. Sure, go ahead, nuke Poland, see where that gets you.

NATO: Up to 40,000 Russian Troops Killed, Wounded, Taken Prisoner or Missing in Ukraine.

Bye, bitches!

I remember the German film Downfall about the last days of Hitler and his circle in his bunker. I hope somebody survives to tell the tale of what it was like in Putin's circle in his last days.

[quote] Isn't Russia one of the coldest countries on Earth? And they don't know how to prevent frostbite?

Yes and they train for winter warfare, just like the Norwegians do. Norway often trains US soldiers for winter warfare. It’s very precise training down to the amount of calories & fluids needed per day in freezing cold combat. We lost an Osprey off the coast of Norway last week with a crew of 4 during cold combat training. I hope Russia didn’t shoot it down. Because if they did, I think the military want to would keep that secret.

This, after Putin said yesterday he'd be attending the G20 summit later this year.

[quote]Mr. Chubais should avoid windows, doorknobs and underwear for the rest of his life

Pics please.

R553, just don't believe everything you read. Frostbite is a pure Ukrainian and Western ally propaganda. They have been doing an excellent job at information war against Russians.

R554, that would require the non-allies to agree to that. Try first convince China or India before making such plans. So stupid.

R555, are you a Chubais chaser?

‘It’s a Sh*tshow’: Russian Troops Are Now Turning on Each Other

“Even in Chechnya, there was nothing like this,” a soldier tells friend in an intercepted call, as reports emerge of another getting so fed up he ran over his colonel with a tank.

Two Russian soldiers have been caught venting about Putin’s “bullshit” war against Ukraine in an intercepted phone call as devastating losses reportedly led one soldier to drive over his colonel with a tank.

“Basically, it’s a shitshow here, I’ll put it that way,” an unnamed soldier near Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine can be heard telling a colleague in a recording released by Ukraine’s Security Service late Tuesday.

After telling his friend that Ukrainian forces “tore apart” a column of Russian forces sent along with his own unit, he described complete disarray among the Russian military, with 50 percent of the unit suffering from frostbite on their feet.

“But they don’t plan to treat them in the [field] hospital,” he said.

On the fourth day of their deployment, he said, the general commanding the unit, General-Lieutenant Yakov Rezantsev, told them it’d be over quickly.

“Do you know what he told us? ‘It’s no secret to anyone that there are only a few hours until this special operation is over.’ And now those hours are still going.”

He said soldiers are complaining about having Kevlar vests that lack the hard-armor panel, but they are ignored.

“‘Comrade General, damn it, I have this situation,’” he recalled troops telling their leader. “And he just says, ‘Son, be strong,’ and then he fucks off. It’s such trash here… our own plane dropped a bomb on us,” he said.

“They couldn’t even send off the 200s here,” he said, using a Russian military term for dead bodies. “They rode with us for five days.”

“Even in Chechnya, there was nothing like this,” he said, describing the situation as a “madhouse.”

“This ‘special operation,’ damnit… with respect to homes not meant to be destroyed… it’s bullshit.”

Even though “on TV” they said the Russian troops were advancing, they were actually surrounded “on all sides” by Ukrainian forces, he said.

The damning conversation was released as reports surfaced that things were so bad for Russian troops that it led one soldier to attack a colonel he blamed for troop losses.

Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk reported Wednesday that two tactical groups of Russian soldiers in Makarov, in the Kyiv region, lost at least half of their men in battles against Ukrainian forces.

One of the Russian soldiers “blamed the commander of the group, Col. Yury Medvedev, for the deaths of his friends,” Tsymbaliuk wrote on Facebook.

“Having waited for the right moment, during battle, he ran over the commander with a tank as he stood next to him, injuring both his legs. Now Col. Medvedev is in a hospital in Belarus, waiting for monetary compensation for combat wounds received during the ‘special military operation to protect the Donbass.’ Colonel Medvedev was awarded the Order of Courage,” he wrote.

Vlad's strategy to push NATO further away from his borders continues to fail miserably. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today that he expects tomorrow's NATO Leaders Summit to agree to:

Stepping up "tailored support" for all partners at risk from Russian pressure, including Georgia and Bosnia Herzegovina

4 new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania & Slovakia

"Major increase of forces" in easter part of the alliance

Cybersecurity support and equipment to help protect against chemical, nuclear & bio threats

Russian soldiers have no problem slaughtering ‘inferior’ Muslim Chechens, but when it comes to their own Slavic brothers whom they’re supposed to be ‘liberating’? Maybe not so much.

Talk about balls!

Dmitri Muratov, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor of the liberal Russian newspaper “Novaya Gazeta,” has donated his medal to support Ukrainian refugees.

Link:

New satellite images of besieged Mariupol.

About a hundred thousand residents of the city are under siege. They live under the constant threat of shelling, without water, food and medicine.

[quote] Here's a Russian in Kherson with a WWI-era machine gun.

US troops with a WW1 era machine gun

Praise Be John Moses Browning

Some of these "news" and claims by our media, "intelligence/military sources" and Ukrainian government are so absurd.

Damn, propaganda wars are vicious these days.

[quote] State Russian TV show in prime time discusses possible nuclear strike on Europe, Russian invasion of Poland and Lithuania and corridor to Kaliningrad, threatens Germany and Baltic states

Yet when I told you that weeks ago you said I was a crazy & hysterical.

Recap: Putin has a grand strategy to form a Eurasian Union in opposition to the west & NATO. He plans to take back corner Warsaw Pact nations. If he can’t take whole countries like Poland, he plans to annex the border areas with Russia, shrinking the country & establishing “republics” allied with Russia. Like the “Peoples Republic” of Donets & Luhansk which now sit along Ukraine border and will have the ability to constantly rattle Ukraine. And the “republics” Abkhazia & South Ossetia, which threaten Georgia by their mere presence. Like Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh which threatens they will take away Armenian’s capital of Yerevan.

Putin is feeling pretty good right now despite western media’s claims he’s in a fetal position. He’s been successful so far. Nobody stepped into Chechnya, Georgia, Armenia, Crimea or Syria. Imagine if we had a record like that. He knows Ukraine will take months. He knows Ukraine isn’t Crimea. Ukraine is more like Chechnya. Crimea has a larger Russophile population, so it’s not surprising he was able to take it so easily. He had a huge network of Russophiles in a relatively small area. Ukraine has russophiles in Donbas, which fell immediately. There are an awful lot if Russophile in Odessa, so it will be interesting to see what will happen there. Military experts predict Russia will try a naval assault, I think Putin likes Odessa & doesn’t want it destroyed, I could be completely wrong, though. Putin has proved he gives no fucks fir human or animal life. But he might see Odessa as a real feather in his cap, a pearl on the Black Sea.

Putin will get Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan in a partnership as republics of Eurasian Union. He’s been heavily investing in rightwing politics in EU & US. He’s been successful in Hungary. His boy in Hungary cautiously said they didn’t like what Russia is doing in Ukraine, but when push cones to shove, he is Putin’s biggest European ally.

When Russia put those migrants on the Belarus border with Poland,they were pushing to see how hard it would be to overwhelm Polish forces. How many refugees would it take before reinforcements were called in? How many reinforcements would show up…. and from where?

He’s definitely after the Baltics, too. Will NATO go to nuclear war over the Baltics? I’m afraid we’re going to find out.

Trump needs to pay for what he’s done. He’s given an infinite amount of information to Russia through his evangelical pals in the military & the US government who want to see “Christian” Russia triumph over atheists, Muslims & Jews (though the pretend to like Jews because Jews need to be in Israel in order for the Rapture to come about). Not to mention the hatred they have for American blacks who aren’t evangelical. Remember, before trump was president Paul Manafort …. who sexually assaulted his wife using black men…..was in his to Russian oligarchs for years. Manafort has been in the highest echelon of GOP politics for decades. He was in the White House. He was a campaign coordinator in every GOP presidential campaign since Gerald Ford. He worked for Ford, Reagan, Bush 1, Bob Dole.

Imagine the information Manafort gave to oligarchs he was indebted to . When he contacted Thomas Barrack & offered to work as Trumps campaign manager fir free, he told barrack he was “an outsider.”

He sure was. He was an outsider with lots of inside information.

was in his to Russian oligarchs

In hoc to Russian oligarchs.

How bad….how truly awful…are our US intelligence agencies? And the NY FBI put Trump in office with the phony email story days before the election. That was Giuliani, Lev Parnas, & Igor Fruman. Men who sat many times at the table in Maralago.

Paul Manafort & Roger Stone both have sexual proclivities of the type that allow complete strangers into their homes & other meeting places for sexual activities….something that is catnip to honey traps of both sexes. Imagine the videotapes gathered on these men for years. Another one was Dick Morris. And Jerry Falwell Jr who blamed it on his wife. No doubt the Falwellls was the same situation as the Manaforts one where the husband hired men to have sex with their wives.

Washington DC must have more Russian whores than Moscow.

Stating the obvious, but at least it's official now:

Breaking: The US government has formally declared that members of the Russian armed forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday.

Richard Engel reporting that officials in Kyiv are cautiously optimistic Russian troops cannot encircle and capture the city. Looks like the Ukrainian counter-offensive there is working.

I definitely think that people are really enjoying watching this war. It's the 1st one since WW2 where it was clear who the bad guys were.

[quote]I definitely think that people are really enjoying watching this war.

Anybody that enjoys watching this is a sociopath, r573.

So the new set of US sanctions are again focusing on "oligarchs". Really?!!! That's all we got?

Russians are literally celebrating the demise of oligarchs from all of this. It's actually boosting support for this war in Russia.

[quote]Paul Manafort & Roger Stone both have sexual proclivities of the type that allow complete strangers into their homes & other meeting places for sexual activities

BTW, Manafort was removed from a plane at Miami Int'l Airport Sunday because he carried a revoked passport. He was headed Dubai, which I"m going to assume does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

It’s not like the oligarchs love Putin. They have to obey him. They know they will fall off their yachts in the middle of the ocean if they don’t. They gather information from all over the world for him. Imagine how easy it is when you’re hosting dinner parties & rocket launches to have a quiet word with a world leader. Or fly your private jet over secret military installations.

The KGB of the postwar period could never have dreamed of such a thing.

You don’t defeat capitalists with socialism. You defeat them with other, bigger capitalists,

Of course Putin wants to bring back the USSR. He’s never made a secret of that.

NATO looks like Susan “concern” Collins just sitting by and pearl clutching. When are they going to DO something? Anyone with one eye and a functional brain can see what’s coming.

Putin plans to attack Moldova and ramp up the nationalist sentiments in Poland (stop the flood of refugees! Give Putin what he wants!) and in Hungary.

He thinks he can stir up the reich wing idiots in NATO countries, divide everyone and keep the respective governments too busy dealing with internal crises to do anything about him.

From r576...

Stop the garbage. NATO is not "just sitting by." Bye, you're blocked

The hysterical social media star mayor of Mariupol, who staged the hospital and theatre "bombings" extensively used by our media, fled the city now. His job is done now, I guess.

R578, Ukrainian refugees - unlike Syrians - are white and mostly Christian. Poland and other European countries are welcoming them with open arms.

R581, is it physically painful to be as stupid as you are? I certainly hope so.

DL rise!!!!! Russian army is killing trans Nazis. Save Ukrainian trans Nazis!!!! LOL...

[quote] Here's a Russian in Kherson with a WWI-era machine gun.

Boy, just you wait until they bust out the muskets and bayonets next!

Scott Ritter provides an EXCELLENT analysis in The Grayzone. Basically, he says that Russia is treading very carefully in Ukraine in order to avoid destroying the country, as their ultimate objective is to pacify the region and directly challenge NATO - they don't want to obliterate Ukrainians, but merely get rid of the current government and security forces. It is extremely interesting, for any one of you who might want to hear an in depth, rational analysis from a real expert.

I know, r583! r581 just shows the level of trolls we're getting.

[quote] their ultimate objective is to pacify the region

Sounds like the opposite of what they want to accomplish is what's actually happening.

R583 I can't see your correspondent, but enjoy his humiliation at your hands.

Meanwhile, uh oh. Defense Minister Shoigu has disappeared with "heart problems."

[quote]Basically, he says that Russia is treading very carefully in Ukraine in order to avoid destroying the country

"Don't believe your lying eyes!"

It's a war between Russia and a NATO vassal state that has promoted Nazi militias and death squads, R590. What were you expecting? Sugarplums and marshmallows raining from the sky?

Also, if you want to talk about devastation, look at what the US did while bringing freedom and democracy in Iraq. People who are covered in the blood of innocents from head to toe, do not have a right to criticize the defensive campaigns of others.

Something about stones and people who live in glass houses comes to mind.

Wow they have leveled Mariupol....I can't believe there know help for those people. UN, NATO do something. Why can't they just drop supplies?

Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Can't Stop Praising Putin

R586: "Here's an EXCELLENT analysis of Putin's determination to trend lightly and not destroy Ukraine."

Also R586: "Of course, Russia is destroying Ukraine, what else do you expect?"

[quote]Scott Ritter provides

Multiply convicted sex offender Scott Ritter.

Oh look, the clock on the wall tells me that there's less than an hour to midnight in Ukraine, concluding the twenty-first day of war, while the Ukrainians are progressively taking back the area around Kyiv.

[quote]Instead of courting Russia into the family of Western nations when they were defeated and on the back foot back in the '90s and early 2000s, we continued to kick them while they were down and humiliate them by dismissing their security concerns.

Bullshit.

In the 1990s NATO set up Partnership for Peace, a program for cooperation with Russia and the rest of the former USSR. They also had a Russia-NATO council for security cooperation. But when Russia went rogue and annexed Crimea, NATO suspended that - obviously deemed it pointless since the Russian side couldn't care less about international law and the security of independent states.

Current Russian foreign/ security policy has always been expansionist. They consider Eastern Europe their legitimate sphere of influence, and the former USSR republics a Russian lebensraum. Ask the Poles, the Czechs, the Baltics, the Finns etc. etc. half of Europe how they feel about that, NATO, the West, and they will let you know how full of shit you are.

Bajour, Bajour, toujours, Bajour!

R568 seems to be beaming in from February 23rd.

600

Richard Medhurst telling a very uncomfortable truth: the Biden administration's incompetence has just compromised the dollar's hegemony as the world's most important fiat currency. With it, the power conferred by SWIFT has also been compromised.