All Things Russia & Ukraine

[Brooklyn]

You were also told that Putin is the most dangerous human being since Hitler. Still think it's all a joke ?

20 years ago that's exactly what people were saying about Saddam. The propaganda campaign against him being financed by traitor Bush. Too bad Americans refused to read the Downing Street Memo or they would have learned that the real murderer, the real imperialist, the real next Hitler was none other than traitor Bush. Had the world taken the same course against him that they are considering today Putin would never have been emboldened to do what he has done.

See? I told ya so.

[jhu72]

Biden sending Stingers to Ukraine as part of their $350M weapons buy. This is both useful for the Ukrainians and a message to Putin.

[jhu72]

Bolton, if nothing else is entertaining. John Bolton criticized his former boss (Trump) on Newsmax Monday night. Bolton pushed back against the host's rosy portrayal of the Trump administration on Russia. "The fact is that he barely knew where Ukraine was," Bolton said.

You can’t expect the stupid swamp to admit Trump is smarter than them.

The swamp does nothing but screw up and get thousands killed. Then wax academic.

Child, the adults are talk among themselves. Go play with your Trumpie Bear doll.

[Essexfenwick]

Bolton, if nothing else is entertaining. John Bolton criticized his former boss (Trump) on Newsmax Monday night. Bolton pushed back against the host's rosy portrayal of the Trump administration on Russia. "The fact is that he barely knew where Ukraine was," Bolton said.

You can’t expect the stupid swamp to admit Trump is smarter than them.

The swamp does nothing but screw up and get thousands killed. Then wax academic.

Child, the adults are talk among themselves. Go play with your Trumpie Bear doll.

Can’t blame the swamp for being embarrassed but it’s the River of blood they regularly cause … then wax philosophic from a safe distance. Trump and his voters have no patience for their cowardice and sloppyness. It only took them 13 months to manage getting a hot war in Europe with a nuclear power. That takes a huge level of mismanagement.

[Peter Brown]

You were also told that Putin is the most dangerous human being since Hitler. Still think it's all a joke ?

20 years ago that's exactly what people were saying about Saddam. The propaganda campaign against him being financed by traitor Bush. Too bad Americans refused to read the Downing Street Memo or they would have learned that the real murderer, the real imperialist, the real next Hitler was none other than traitor Bush. Had the world taken the same course against him that they are considering today Putin would never have been emboldened to do what he has done.

See? I told ya so.

It’s kinda wild that Brook can call W ‘worse than Saddam’, but no Fanlax Democrat objects in the least. I’m hardly a W fan, but I’d say this kind of hyperbolic analysis is wide of the mark, a tad…

Meanwhile, Trump is literally “Hitler”, Romney is “sexist”, and McCain is “racist”. I see a pattern here…

Does anyone REALLY wonder why Democrats are losing support faster than any party in American history? You shouldn’t.

[Essexfenwick]

You were also told that Putin is the most dangerous human being since Hitler. Still think it's all a joke ?

20 years ago that's exactly what people were saying about Saddam. The propaganda campaign against him being financed by traitor Bush. Too bad Americans refused to read the Downing Street Memo or they would have learned that the real murderer, the real imperialist, the real next Hitler was none other than traitor Bush. Had the world taken the same course against him that they are considering today Putin would never have been emboldened to do what he has done.

See? I told ya so.

It’s kinda wild that Brook can call W ‘worse than Saddam’, but no Fanlax Democrat objects in the least. I’m hardly a W fan, but I’d say this kind of hyperbolic analysis is wide of the mark, a tad…

Meanwhile, Trump is literally “Hitler”, Romney is “sexist”, and McCain is “racist”. I see a pattern here…

Does anyone REALLY wonder why Democrats are losing support faster than any party in American history? You shouldn’t.

According to scientific surveys, white liberals are diagnosed with mental illness at twice the rate of any other sub group.

https://www.hennessysview.com/p/psychol ... berals?s=r

Since white liberals basically run the democrat party the psychosis is embedded into the functioning of the country. Not surprisingly, a hot war in Europe capitalizes on the mental dysfunction coming out of the United States. These dictators have to make their move before Trump or someone like him comes back to outsmart them. The high volume of mental fog and psychosis of the white liberal is a danger to the world.

[dislaxxic]

Putin was not taken seriously. He was the leader of a weak regional power. His resolve was obviously underestimated. Every time his perceived grievances were raised here, in the media, & in the political debate, it was mocked & whoever brought it up was ridiculed & or defamed as a Putin apologist &/or Russian agent. Reality can bring a bitter taste.

Putin's grievances. Yeah, those. That he stay in power and the hidden billions of his and of his clan...are threatened.

He's a lot like Trump that way. They each have his construct of the world and their place in it that they will stubbornly hew to despite obvious falsehoods, red herrings and strawmen littering the landscape around them. No shame. No scruples. No morality.

Where's Seal Team 6?

..

[jhu72]

Extremely cleaver attack. Much more cleaver than anything Putin or his hand puppet Orange Duce have ever done.

[seacoaster]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... han-trump/

“I’m not a praying man, but if I were, I would be on my hands and knees thanking the Almighty that during the worst crisis in Europe since 1945, the United States is led by Joe Biden, not Donald Trump.

Biden has been as masterful in his handling of the Ukraine war as he was ham-handed in his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. For months he has been warning that Russia would invade and predicting that this would trigger a “swift and severe” response. He even laid out details of Russian plans to stage false flag operations and to install a puppet regime in Kyiv.

There was much skepticism on all counts, with Russia and its apologists denying until the last moment that the invasion would occur. But Biden was dead right. This is the opposite of the Iraq War, when U.S. intelligence and leadership was discredited. American credibility has been enhanced by Biden’s deft handling of this crisis. Today it is Moscow, not Washington, that is acting based on bad intelligence: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin massively underestimated Ukrainian resistance.

While publicly calling out Putin, Biden and his aides were working furiously behind the scenes to unite the West behind an agenda meant to support Ukraine, punish the Kremlin — and, implicitly, to deter China from an attack on Taiwan. Their efforts were more successful than anyone could have imagined a few weeks ago, with Western countries uniting to evict some Russian banks from the SWIFT system of inter-bank transfers, to impose sanctions on the Russian central bank and to rush arms to Ukraine.

Admittedly, part of this mobilization is due to factors beyond Biden’s control: Putin’s reckless aggression has shocked the world, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s stout resistance has inspired it. But there would not have been this degree of unity absent strong American leadership.
As my Post colleagues reported, the Biden administration mounted “a months-long campaign … to share intelligence briefings, pressure powerful countries that they might need to make sacrifices, and coordinate among a disparate group of 27 E.U. member states.” Some of those countries, e.g. Hungary, have been friendly to Russia, while others, e.g. Italy and Germany, have been fearful of breaking business ties. But ultimately, they went along with the kind of draconian sanctions that previously have been applied only to rogue regimes such as Venezuela, Syria, Iran.

Biden has hardly been flawless. He should have sent more military equipment earlier to Ukraine, particularly Stinger missiles, without worrying about provoking Putin. But he has generally been sure-handed in this crisis, knowing just how far he can go — and no further. The White House, for example, has rightly rejected calls for a no-fly zone that would bring the United States into direct conflict with another nuclear-armed state. And, in the face of Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling, Biden has wisely de-escalated by not increasing U.S. alert levels. It is a great comfort in this dangerous time to know that, while Russia might be led by an unhinged egomaniac, the United States no longer is.

The one thing missing from Biden’s response has been a prime-time address to explain the stakes to the American people. Biden’s central flaw is that still thinks like the senator he was for so many decades, preferring behind-the-scenes persuasion to stirring oratory. But the State of the Union address on Tuesday night fills that gap.

Undoubtedly, Trump could read similar words from a teleprompter, but they would have no credibility because, despite his incessant lying, he has always been transparent about his true feelings. Even if he were still president, he undoubtedly would have called the Russian invasion an act of “genius” and rhapsodized about how much he likes Putin.

Imagine what that would have done for Western unity. The Europeans are willing to stand up to Russia, notwithstanding their reliance on Russian energy and their fear of Russian military power, because they know that Washington has their backs. Without staunch U.S. support, the unprecedented Western resolve we now see would melt as quickly as the last snow of spring.
The Ukraine crisis further raises the stakes for 2024, when Trump is likely to attempt a comeback to assuage his bruised ego. If Trump returns to the White House — no doubt with Russian help, as in 2016 — Putin could yet find a lifeline to rescue him from the dire straits into which he has plunged his country and the world. If, however, Biden can win another term — or even if he is defeated by an anti-Putin Republican — then this could be a turning point. The misbegotten Ukraine war could well mark the beginning of the end of Putin’s monstrous regime, and also, more generally, a reversal of fortune for the democratic world after 16 years of authoritarian expansion. If this is the beginning of an unexpected democratic resurgence, one can only regret the terrible price paid by the Ukrainian people.“

[jhu72]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... han-trump/

“I’m not a praying man, but if I were, I would be on my hands and knees thanking the Almighty that during the worst crisis in Europe since 1945, the United States is led by Joe Biden, not Donald Trump.

Biden has been as masterful in his handling of the Ukraine war as he was ham-handed in his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. For months he has been warning that Russia would invade and predicting that this would trigger a “swift and severe” response. He even laid out details of Russian plans to stage false flag operations and to install a puppet regime in Kyiv.

There was much skepticism on all counts, with Russia and its apologists denying until the last moment that the invasion would occur. But Biden was dead right. This is the opposite of the Iraq War, when U.S. intelligence and leadership was discredited. American credibility has been enhanced by Biden’s deft handling of this crisis. Today it is Moscow, not Washington, that is acting based on bad intelligence: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin massively underestimated Ukrainian resistance.

While publicly calling out Putin, Biden and his aides were working furiously behind the scenes to unite the West behind an agenda meant to support Ukraine, punish the Kremlin — and, implicitly, to deter China from an attack on Taiwan. Their efforts were more successful than anyone could have imagined a few weeks ago, with Western countries uniting to evict some Russian banks from the SWIFT system of inter-bank transfers, to impose sanctions on the Russian central bank and to rush arms to Ukraine.

Admittedly, part of this mobilization is due to factors beyond Biden’s control: Putin’s reckless aggression has shocked the world, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s stout resistance has inspired it. But there would not have been this degree of unity absent strong American leadership.
As my Post colleagues reported, the Biden administration mounted “a months-long campaign … to share intelligence briefings, pressure powerful countries that they might need to make sacrifices, and coordinate among a disparate group of 27 E.U. member states.” Some of those countries, e.g. Hungary, have been friendly to Russia, while others, e.g. Italy and Germany, have been fearful of breaking business ties. But ultimately, they went along with the kind of draconian sanctions that previously have been applied only to rogue regimes such as Venezuela, Syria, Iran.

Biden has hardly been flawless. He should have sent more military equipment earlier to Ukraine, particularly Stinger missiles, without worrying about provoking Putin. But he has generally been sure-handed in this crisis, knowing just how far he can go — and no further. The White House, for example, has rightly rejected calls for a no-fly zone that would bring the United States into direct conflict with another nuclear-armed state. And, in the face of Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling, Biden has wisely de-escalated by not increasing U.S. alert levels. It is a great comfort in this dangerous time to know that, while Russia might be led by an unhinged egomaniac, the United States no longer is.

The one thing missing from Biden’s response has been a prime-time address to explain the stakes to the American people. Biden’s central flaw is that still thinks like the senator he was for so many decades, preferring behind-the-scenes persuasion to stirring oratory. But the State of the Union address on Tuesday night fills that gap.

Undoubtedly, Trump could read similar words from a teleprompter, but they would have no credibility because, despite his incessant lying, he has always been transparent about his true feelings. Even if he were still president, he undoubtedly would have called the Russian invasion an act of “genius” and rhapsodized about how much he likes Putin.

Imagine what that would have done for Western unity. The Europeans are willing to stand up to Russia, notwithstanding their reliance on Russian energy and their fear of Russian military power, because they know that Washington has their backs. Without staunch U.S. support, the unprecedented Western resolve we now see would melt as quickly as the last snow of spring.
The Ukraine crisis further raises the stakes for 2024, when Trump is likely to attempt a comeback to assuage his bruised ego. If Trump returns to the White House — no doubt with Russian help, as in 2016 — Putin could yet find a lifeline to rescue him from the dire straits into which he has plunged his country and the world. If, however, Biden can win another term — or even if he is defeated by an anti-Putin Republican — then this could be a turning point. The misbegotten Ukraine war could well mark the beginning of the end of Putin’s monstrous regime, and also, more generally, a reversal of fortune for the democratic world after 16 years of authoritarian expansion. If this is the beginning of an unexpected democratic resurgence, one can only regret the terrible price paid by the Ukrainian people.“

+1

[jhu72]

Some Russian troops surrendering rather than fighting. Really looks like the Russian advance is still going in slow motion through Tuesday March 1.

[RedFromMI]

You were also told that Putin is the most dangerous human being since Hitler. Still think it's all a joke ?

20 years ago that's exactly what people were saying about Saddam. The propaganda campaign against him being financed by traitor Bush. Too bad Americans refused to read the Downing Street Memo or they would have learned that the real murderer, the real imperialist, the real next Hitler was none other than traitor Bush. Had the world taken the same course against him that they are considering today Putin would never have been emboldened to do what he has done.

See? I told ya so.

It’s kinda wild that Brook can call W ‘worse than Saddam’, but no Fanlax Democrat objects in the least. I’m hardly a W fan, but I’d say this kind of hyperbolic analysis is wide of the mark, a tad…

Meanwhile, Trump is literally “Hitler”, Romney is “sexist”, and McCain is “racist”. I see a pattern here…

Does anyone REALLY wonder why Democrats are losing support faster than any party in American history? You shouldn’t.

According to scientific surveys, white liberals are diagnosed with mental illness at twice the rate of any other sub group.

https://www.hennessysview.com/p/psychol ... berals?s=r

Since white liberals basically run the democrat party the psychosis is embedded into the functioning of the country. Not surprisingly, a hot war in Europe capitalizes on the mental dysfunction coming out of the United States. These dictators have to make their move before Trump or someone like him comes back to outsmart them. The high volume of mental fog and psychosis of the white liberal is a danger to the world.

NOT exactly a scientific survey - someone taking Pew's raw data and massaging it to look for correlations. But no publication of any actual error analysis, nor any submission to a peer reviewed journal to actually see if the methodology used was suspect in any way. So scientifically meaningless...

[Essexfenwick]

Do you guys think Biden will give the USA to Putin Like he did Crimea, Afghanistan and Ukraine?

You better believe it!

[seacoaster]

Boycott Stupid. You can do it!!!

[Brooklyn]

Petey,
It’s kinda wild that Brook can call W ‘worse than Saddam’, but no Fanlax Democrat objects in the least. I’m hardly a W fan, but I’d say this kind of hyperbolic analysis is wide of the mark, a tad…

Saddam and your hero Bush killed about an equal amount of people. Both financed by the military industrial complex using your tax dollars. The first in his war against Iran and against indigenous Kurds, the latter against Afghanistan and Iraq.

Interestingly, Professor Ben Ferencz said both should have to go through a Nuremberg tribunal for their wars crimes. As everyone here knows, he is the world's foremost authority on the subject. Anyone who denies that and believes he should not be equated with the right wing's hero Hitler is a sign of lunacy given all the innocents who died and the lies used to "justify" such political crimes. The fact that your post is endorsed by Bandito is very telling.

[youthathletics]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... han-trump/

“I’m not a praying man, but if I were, I would be on my hands and knees thanking the Almighty that during the worst crisis in Europe since 1945, the United States is led by Joe Biden, not Donald Trump.

Biden has been as masterful in his handling of the Ukraine war as he was ham-handed in his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. For months he has been warning that Russia would invade and predicting that this would trigger a “swift and severe” response. He even laid out details of Russian plans to stage false flag operations and to install a puppet regime in Kyiv.

There was much skepticism on all counts, with Russia and its apologists denying until the last moment that the invasion would occur. But Biden was dead right. This is the opposite of the Iraq War, when U.S. intelligence and leadership was discredited. American credibility has been enhanced by Biden’s deft handling of this crisis. Today it is Moscow, not Washington, that is acting based on bad intelligence: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin massively underestimated Ukrainian resistance.

While publicly calling out Putin, Biden and his aides were working furiously behind the scenes to unite the West behind an agenda meant to support Ukraine, punish the Kremlin — and, implicitly, to deter China from an attack on Taiwan. Their efforts were more successful than anyone could have imagined a few weeks ago, with Western countries uniting to evict some Russian banks from the SWIFT system of inter-bank transfers, to impose sanctions on the Russian central bank and to rush arms to Ukraine.

Admittedly, part of this mobilization is due to factors beyond Biden’s control: Putin’s reckless aggression has shocked the world, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s stout resistance has inspired it. But there would not have been this degree of unity absent strong American leadership.
As my Post colleagues reported, the Biden administration mounted “a months-long campaign … to share intelligence briefings, pressure powerful countries that they might need to make sacrifices, and coordinate among a disparate group of 27 E.U. member states.” Some of those countries, e.g. Hungary, have been friendly to Russia, while others, e.g. Italy and Germany, have been fearful of breaking business ties. But ultimately, they went along with the kind of draconian sanctions that previously have been applied only to rogue regimes such as Venezuela, Syria, Iran.

Biden has hardly been flawless. He should have sent more military equipment earlier to Ukraine, particularly Stinger missiles, without worrying about provoking Putin. But he has generally been sure-handed in this crisis, knowing just how far he can go — and no further. The White House, for example, has rightly rejected calls for a no-fly zone that would bring the United States into direct conflict with another nuclear-armed state. And, in the face of Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling, Biden has wisely de-escalated by not increasing U.S. alert levels. It is a great comfort in this dangerous time to know that, while Russia might be led by an unhinged egomaniac, the United States no longer is.

The one thing missing from Biden’s response has been a prime-time address to explain the stakes to the American people. Biden’s central flaw is that still thinks like the senator he was for so many decades, preferring behind-the-scenes persuasion to stirring oratory. But the State of the Union address on Tuesday night fills that gap.

Undoubtedly, Trump could read similar words from a teleprompter, but they would have no credibility because, despite his incessant lying, he has always been transparent about his true feelings. Even if he were still president, he undoubtedly would have called the Russian invasion an act of “genius” and rhapsodized about how much he likes Putin.

Imagine what that would have done for Western unity. The Europeans are willing to stand up to Russia, notwithstanding their reliance on Russian energy and their fear of Russian military power, because they know that Washington has their backs. Without staunch U.S. support, the unprecedented Western resolve we now see would melt as quickly as the last snow of spring.
The Ukraine crisis further raises the stakes for 2024, when Trump is likely to attempt a comeback to assuage his bruised ego. If Trump returns to the White House — no doubt with Russian help, as in 2016 — Putin could yet find a lifeline to rescue him from the dire straits into which he has plunged his country and the world. If, however, Biden can win another term — or even if he is defeated by an anti-Putin Republican — then this could be a turning point. The misbegotten Ukraine war could well mark the beginning of the end of Putin’s monstrous regime, and also, more generally, a reversal of fortune for the democratic world after 16 years of authoritarian expansion. If this is the beginning of an unexpected democratic resurgence, one can only regret the terrible price paid by the Ukrainian people.“

And never considering Russia would not even be invading if Trump were in office. TWP leading from the backseat as usual.

[old salt]

seriously. He was the leader of a weak regional power. His resolve was obviously underestimated. Every time his perceived grievances were raised here, in the media, & in the political debate, it was mocked & whoever brought it up was ridiculed & or defamed as a Putin apologist &/or Russian agent. Reality can bring a bitter taste.

FoxNation straw man talking points?

You’re better than this. Everyone took him seriously. What we laughed at was that he was a strategic genius, and was playing chess for 20’years. He’s as clumsy as he is stupid.

What we also mocked was the FoxNation 360…where you guys think we should appease Putin, and simply give him what he wants .

I ask again, and someday you’ll answer: why doesn’t the US invade Mexico if this move of Putins is so brilliant?

You're smarter than that. Still in denial, you sound just like those you are criticizing.

Who in this forum ever said it was brilliant to invade ?
It would have been brilliant if he got what he wanted without having to invade.

[old salt]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... han-trump/

And never considering Russia would not even be invading if Trump were in office. TWP leading from the backseat as usual.

That's Max Boot -- never met a neocon war to spread democracy that he did not like.

Max should have stuck with praising our small wars, our Savage Wars of Peace.

[seacoaster]

https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/the-w ... medium=web

[old salt]

https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/the-w ... medium=web

I hope he is proven right, but I'm superstitious & it feels a bit early to credit anyone (knock on wood).