Yikes, someone asked for the mask to come off and then it did.
I think if we're talking about masks coming off, this is a much better example:
Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
- Thread starter Wednesday at Stoke
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I think if we're talking about masks coming off, this is a much better example:
Wow.. so much pro-surrender propaganda being spouted left right and centre lately. Russia must be running out of gas on the battlefield.
The more I hear the shouts for Ukraine to surrender, the better I rate their chances.
The more I hear the shouts for Ukraine to surrender, the better I rate their chances.
So any thoughts on how all of this ends? Back to the pre-invasion situation? Can Putin even afford that politically?
I posted a tweet here about 4939393 pages back of Western analysts predicting this could take years. 100 days into the invasion, it doesn't seem that outlandish anymore.
I posted a tweet here about 4939393 pages back of Western analysts predicting this could take years. 100 days into the invasion, it doesn't seem that outlandish anymore.
This whole post amounts to clutching at straws.
What a handful of newspaper articles say, and what the CEO of JPMorgan Chase thinks, doesn't amount to a hill of beans against the wider bedrock reality: the vast majority of the Western world has finally seen Russian fascism for what it is and recognised that an existential struggle is unfolding. This is why Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO. This is why Denmark is signing up to the EU's defence programme. This is why large amounts of weapons and money are being sent to Ukraine - a process that the West can continue indefinitely if needed, because their combined economic power is vastly, vastly bigger than Russia's.
And who cares if "only" 65 countries have joined the sanctions regime? Those countries represent a huge proportion of the world's total economic power. And if you want to count countries, try counting the only four countries - North Korea, Eritrea, Syria, Belarus - that (apart from Russia itself) voted against condemning Russia's aggression in the UN vote in March.
You're living in fantasy land if you believe that Russia's economy isn't going to be devastated by the sanctions. And you're living in fantasy land if you believe that the ruble isn't being artificially propped up by various measures that can't continue indefinitely. Fast forward a year from now and - if Putin is still in power - the Russian economy will be collapsing around your ears.
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It will end when there is a extended stalemate on the battleground, as it usually does. Right now it's still early days yet. Ukraine are yet to start using those shiny new MLRS and HIMARS.
However, I am quite certain the West won't provide any weapons more powerful than MLRS. If Ukraine cannot do it with these rockets, then the end will be nigh and the time to stalemate is probably around the horizon.
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It could indeed go on for years. I don't see it ending unless Putin is removed from office - one way or another - and some new regime decides to pull back to the pre-invasion situation and blame the whole sorry mess on Putin.
There may be a time when Putin hangs on to the Donbass and Crimea and we end up in a stalemate, but without a peace agreement. At that point the Russia/Ukraine border could end up highly militarised with all sorts of weapons sent from Europe and the US to bolster the Ukrainian side.
Aye, Putin's only real way out of this is a negotiated ceasefire. We know they have a lot of influence among western media so these calls are only going to get louder.
France has shown itself to the rest of the democratic world that in time of crisis it is not a country that can be relied upon.
And I suspect much more interference in American and European politics too.
This is an 8-year regional conflict between 2 corrupt oligarchies and only on Planet Fatuous Bullshit does the narrative of "Putin invaded because he hates having a democracy on his border!" find a simple-minded audience. Your new hero Zelenskiy was wildly unpopular in Ukraine before the invasion because he's as bent as all the others who came before him:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/20...dent-offshore-connections-volodymyr-zelenskiy
When governments feed this "Ukraine is fighting for all of Western democracy!" nonsense to credulous idiots they do so because it's been demonstrated to them time and time again that they can.
While you're here, this will sound like I'm taking the piss but I'm honestly not, I have a genuine question: have you asked your psychic friend how and when this war will end, or does he only do medical reports?
This is the calculus the US and other leading western states are likely banking on. Russia’s resources are increasingly limited as war and sanctions gradually erode them from within, whereas Ukrainian morale and resources from the west are virtually unlimited. So at some undefined point in the future, there will be a tipping point where Russian resolve collapses and Putin is either murdered or deposed from within.
It would also help if the Republican Party returned to their pre-Trump foreign policy positions too.
Wait ... wasn't it about liberating Ukraine which is ruled by Nazis ? I mean because of simple minded audience.
There is not even remotely an equivalence - moral or otherwise - between the Ukrainian government under Zelensky and Putin's regime. The fact that you can't or won't see this speaks volumes about your intelligence and honesty.
Russian has invaded Ukraine - not the other way around. Russia is razing Ukrainian cities to the ground - not the other way around. Russian troops are murdering and raping Ukrainians - not the other way around. Ukraine is not a fascist state, whilst Russia is well on the way towards becoming a fascist state.
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Granted it's not quite your psychiс friend but I'm assuming you'll accept the United Nations' own OSCE as a source?
War crimes of the armed forces and security forces of Ukraine: torture and inhumane treatment
https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/e/7/233896.pdf
That first photo is of a Ukrainian citizen tortured to death by the Ukrainian SBU back in 2014, when this conflict began. And from there you have 74 more pages of something other than "Putin invaded because he hates democracy!"
Every military in every country in the world has at least a few bad apples. The difference with Russian troops is that it's systemic - they are actively encouraged by their commanders to behave in such ways as part of their doctrine of war-fighting.
Sure, but the German invasion of Poland was technically just a regional conflict between two authoritarian states. Those descriptions are about as simplistic as each other.
I don't think that we need to dismiss the allegations. They can be investigated and if guilt is established the perpetrators should be punished.
You read all 74 pages of proven systemic war crimes ordered from the highest level of the "democratic" Ukrainian government in just 90 seconds? I've under-estimated your intelligence.
So I suppose you would accept an osce investigation into the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine ?
Then what would be the point of the invasion; because there were crimes we send an army to commit many more and all kinds of crimes ? Explain that to me.
I agree - and I haven't dismissed the allegations.
France showed that back in 2003 when they tried to prevent the US from bringing democracy to Irak... But they've learned since then and led the way in bringing democracy to Libya.
On a more serious note, what are you basing this on? They encouraged Finland and Sweden to join Nato and issued a strong statement supporting the process, bringing Nato closer to Russia (not really something "appeasing" for Putin).
Their foreign minister was in Ukraine this week and announced sending in more heavy artillery...
I haven't read all that guy's posts but he strikes me as someone who thinks that we all think Ukraine is the bestest and most morally righteous country in the world.
I assume most posters here on the Caf would know Ukraine is actually quite corrupt and most likely not ready for EU-membership. But guess what, that is all besides the point anyway. In this conflict Russia is the clear aggressor.
I suggest you take your absurd attempts to paint an equivalence between the Ukrainian and Russian governments - all designed to somehow justify Russia's invasion - and shove them where the sun don't shine.
I know - that bit was more addressed to our mutual friend!
To your first point, absolutely yes, I not only 'accept' that but I welcome it, and one is currently going on (not only from OSCE by the way). The Russian army is committing war crimes now in Ukraine and those who are doing it and ordering it should be held responsible, especially Putin. How many times do I need to type this? I'll try once more: EVERY last shred of moral high ground Putin perceived he had over the 'war-mongering West' was napalmed the day (March 16th) he deliberately bombed Ukrainian children in the Mariupol theatre.
And forgive me for being blunt but your 2nd 'point' is silly. You very obviously have no idea what any of this conflict is about beyond what you've been drip-fed about "Russia is invading a flourishing democracy because it's a threat to Putin's autocracy!" On February 23rd Putin explained his rationale for the invasion and he also stated his 3 aims. You are free to disagree with him but in order to do that you must first know what he actually said. It's clear to me that you don't.
It's late here and I'm done for the night.
That point in the future will be reached sooner if the West manage to cut Russia off from China, and for that to happen there needs to be some sort of a comprehensive deal -a truce in the "cold trade war"?- with China to make them throw the Russian regime under the bus. Push the commercial conflict with China down the line. And hope the regime in China learns a lesson from Putin's fate...
Tens of thousands of dead civilians in Ukraine because of Russian aggresion but according to Macron the important thing is that Russia dosent get humiliated. To me that sound like France doesnt give a shit about Ukraine or the Ukrainians, they only want Russias cheap gas and oil no matter the cost of human suffering.
Where did I write something about a flourishing democracy in Ukraine ? And I‘ve read what Putin said, for example to denazify the Ukraine … well yes I disagree
thanks for the answer anyway
And that's America's domain dammit!!!
Ok with that easy but admittedly cheap shot I really am off for the night.
If Western Europe was sensible we would all move to 100% renewables as soon as practically possible, and not flinch in that task.
Could you succinctly state your view of this war? I'm genuinely interested. Do you believe Russia had legitimate reasons to invade Ukraine ?
Well America is caring about the Ukrainians in this conflict and more so than anyone else.
I don't think he's ever said that. And I find it weird to be sending some of France's deadliest material to Ukraine if he really thought it was so important to avoid Russia's humiliation.
Oil has been stopped already... France consumes very little Gas in general. It is only 15% of their energy consumption (Nuclear energy first). And only 15% of that gas comes from Russia. Amounting to less than 2,5 % of France's energy consumption.