Current Affairs Ukraine

[bluestevon]

I'm trying to think of the last time the UK invaded another country.

That'd be Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

[jamieni]

I think if we froze the battlefield now you'd might be looking at Russia keeping the current 18% of the Ukrainian territory it occupies but in turn Ukraine joining NATO as part of the deal.

No matter how you look at it this whole "special military operation" has been a complete disaster for Putin's reputation, militarily, financially and strategically.

While trying to sure up his borders against NATO's movement eastwards,which to be fair to has happened,he's pushed Nordic states into the arms of Nato and will probably see Ukraine eventually join as well.

Just out of curiosity if you think Putin could have go all the way to Kyiv why didn't he?

Surely one of the main aims was to remove the "Western backed puppet government".

The cynic in me reckons if Trump gets involved then there will be no NATO for Ukraine. Likewise I suspect as part of the deal Zelensky will be asked to call elections and there could well be a “puppet government” of a different sort installed….

 

[bluestevon]

Spot on Phil. Those initial days demonstrated how years of corruption and incompetence had rendered the Russian military into a third rate force.

Now this is a post I will definitely agree with, first 6-9 months laid bare massive issues inside the RAF, thing is anyone thinking it's now the same hasn't been paying attention.

Took far too many mistakes to get to that point but the army (c&c, logistics, right down to squad level) modernised and adapted to 21st century warfare and all it entails. Can even see that in how certain of the old guard have been shunted into sideways promotions to make way to modern thinking commanders - plus a needed purge happened of some pretty senior corrupt officers.

 

[larrygobfiend]

Why isn’t there a queue of countries eager to side with Russia?

I guess we’re all just brainwashed.

 

[bluestevon]

The cynic in me reckons if Trump gets involved then there will be no NATO for Ukraine. Likewise I suspect as part of the deal Zelensky will be asked to call elections and there could well be a “puppet government” of a different sort installed….

Russia will negotiate over a lot of stuff - exactly what's hard set and what's negotiable I'm not a hundred percent on, besides two things, one is Crimea of that Russia will never budge on, the other is Ukraine in NATO. Not one of the oligarch/politico class inside Russia will budge on those two points either (and the US especially knows this btw)

 

[bluestevon]

Why isn’t there a queue of countries eager to side with Russia?

I guess we’re all just brainwashed.

From the brics meeting about three weeks ago. Doesn't seem that isolated really.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Now this is a post I will definitely agree with, first 6-9 months laid bare massive issues inside the RAF, thing is anyone thinking it's now the same hasn't been paying attention.

Took far too many mistakes to get to that point but the army (c&c, logistics, right down to squad level) modernised and adapted to 21st century warfare and all it entails. Can even see that in how certain of the old guard have been shunted into sideways promotions to make way to modern thinking commanders - plus a needed purge happened of some pretty senior corrupt officers.

Thanks Chico x

 

[sbbefc]

Why isn’t there a queue of countries eager to side with Russia?

I guess we’re all just brainwashed.

Unfortunately, the Indians and Chinese along with quite a few other countries still have good relations with them. In terms of the world's population it's probably more than half.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Terrifying potatoes!

Russians in panic as Vladimir Putin's war spikes potato prices by 65% and currency crumbles

Russian newspapers have launched a scathing attack on the country’s government as inflation soars and the Ruble plummets, leaving many in povertyRead More The p

ground.news

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

Unfortunately, the Indians and Chinese along with quite a few other countries still have good relations with them. In terms of the world's population it's probably more than half.

I always imagine Xi just watches Putin. Cheap resources and a free look at how the west/NATO deal with aggression and implementing sanctions. I am not sure he would actively 'side with him'

 

[sbbefc]

I always imagine Xi just watches Putin. Cheap resources and a free look at how the west/NATO deal with aggression and implementing sanctions. I am not sure he would actively 'side with him'

Quite possibly. I mean for them and the like sof India it's just cheap energy. But they're far from marginalised atm.

 

[Paulie]

Maybe we could ask the Irish.

I was thinking along those lines.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

Quite possibly. I mean for them and the like sof India it's just cheap energy. But they're far from marginalised atm.

Agreed

 

[bluestevon]

In your experience what does Putin think this existential threat is to the Russian state?

Surely this existential threat has no gripe with the everyday Russian on the streets?

It almost feels like a bogeyman created in his own mind into frightening the average Russian and in the process giving him carte blanche into invading countries who HE perceives as an existential threat to the state.

The existential threat is the breakup of the RF into many separate regions, a big element of that is having noose around Russia's neck, Ukraine, Georgia entering NATO - to all intents removing Russia's only warm weather port and surrounding it in the black sea.

Belarus would be the next target for a colour revolution - followed by going into NATO/EU Transnistria and Kaliningrad would one million percent be the next pressure points after that - as well as trying to split off Kaz/Uzb etc from being close to Russia.

Why is this all existential - because the US (well the neocons) have never even really tried to hide this as their term goal. (There's even RAND reports amongst others literally laying out step by step how to break apart Russia in order to allow access to its resources.

Any Russian over the age of 35 grew up seeing a taste of what that would be like btw in the 90s, not sure anyone in say the US or Britain has any idea just how bad it became.

No e of this is about freedom, democracy, the fight against Nazis or a variety of other reasons (which all are present but aren't the cause).

It's about the geopolitical landscape and access to resources. (On both sides).

Even just think about this, if NATO is a defence organisation purely, then why push up to the borders of the country you are the adversary of, shouldn't a ring of neutral countries surrounding Russia suit the purpose better? It certainly served Finland well for 75 years, Austria also during the cold war.

NATO btw being seen by anyone outside of NATO as a defensive organisation completely disappeared when it bombed Serbia none stop for months and months in the 90s. A country which had taken zero hostile action against any NATO country or even ally. The coalition of the willing line also further shows it, as basically it was a sheep dipped NATO acting.

 

[Paulie]

Maybe we could ask the Irish.

The next question I suppose is, have they got the resources to even manage any new territory?

I can't remember the ratio of soldier to population to maintain order but it is going to be very expensive for Russia to successfully maintain any new territory they gain.