All Things Russia & Ukraine

[runrussellrun]

Sanctions ?

...and the shallow infotainment addickts lap it up, as if it is effecting the wealthy Russians.

[runrussellrun]

Lithuania’s Prime Minister via The Economist:


All this was bound to happen. Vladimir Putin’s war on Chechnya did not serve as a wake-up call for the West in 1999. Neither did the Kremlin’s cyber-assault on Estonia in 2007, its war on Georgia in 2008, the illegal annexation of Crimea, nor the start of its military aggression against Ukraine in 2014—all of which Russia denies. Numerous, blatant assassinations of “inconvenient” witnesses, opponents and journalists rang alarm bells, especially when carried out on European soil. But Western leaders pressed the snooze button time and again.

TLD.........where you and your concerns during these years.

[CU88]

Every now and then I open a post of a "blocked" member; and immediately remember why I blocked them...

Every time I open it up I feel like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qjE6qrYyE6Q

OMG LOL

[Dip&Dunk]

Leading questions in today's Pentagon briefing about a potential E-W partition of Ukraine, based on Russian concentration of forces, so far & anticipated. Adm Kirby talking around it, but not dismissing it.

Expect future questions about Zelensky & govt relocating W & how soon could US &/or NATO/coalition of the willing, deploy forces sufficient to hold a W enclave & airspace. A coalition of the US with Poland & Romania for land, air & sea access to move forces & suppiles could do it. Other willing coalition nations could join. NATO could formally remain at arms length. Willing members could join. Additional NATO forces could deploy to Poland & Romania to enhance their defense.

It would hinge upon what air bases/airports are still operable in the W ?

If a cease fire, Putin might settle for holding everything E of Kyiv in the N & Odessa to Transnistria in the S, & E of the Dnieper river, in between.
Ukraine could end up in a partitioned limbo like Syria & the Balkans.

Edited to amplify with further musings.

??? US & Poland? But NATO would stay at arms length? Uh, no. It does not work that way.

Coalition of the willing. NATO members can act independently, outside of NATO.
Poland was with us in Iraq. NATO was not.
Pressure is building for US military intervention. You could hear it in today's Pentagon presser.
Initial reports were that the Soviet legacy equipment donated or sold included Migs & Ukrainian pilots were in Poland to get them.
Then the NATO SecGen visited Poland & the story changed.

Ukraine is not Iraq. Russian is not the Iraqi army. This is why NATO exists. This is why Article 5 exists. We conduct joint US/Poland ops and it is attacked NATO will invoke Article 5. This exactly why we are not, yet, establishing a no fly zone.

[Farfromgeneva]

Every now and then I open a post of a "blocked" member; and immediately remember why I blocked them...

Every time I open it up I feel like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qjE6qrYyE6Q

OMG LOL

From a classic mid 2000s movie called Waiting. If anyone here has worked at a chain restaurant in the last 30yrs they’d love it. I have two in my background, a ground round in Vestal NY where I served and bartended over few college breaks and same jobs at Ruby Tuesday about 20mi west of DC in a town called Centerville for 3-5mo after college when I first moved down there and was studying for my series 7. The tropes of types of people in those places is hit almost perfectly. The angry alcoholic older lady, degenerate but sometimes/often fun if stressed cook staff, the “when are you going to be 18” hottie hostess, the good looking late 20s guy who’s going nowhere but everyone likes and he still parties with college kids, the should be in college over skilled dude who’s quickly losing grip on life’s opportunities, etc. You should check it out.

[Peter Brown]

How hard is Obama laughing at Putin now?

The 80s called, and all that. After over a decade of trying to explain how things work in the 21st century, all while getting blowback from the sadly large number of American conservatives who hate their fellow Americans who have a stupid D by their names so much that they were unable to see what Obama saw——a feckless and weak Russian who spent all his country’s money on making up for Putins small d*ck.

We’re supposed to understand putin. We do. He’s an idiot and a liar who forgot why the Soviet Union failed—-it went broke blowing money on arms used to try and control its own people.

Putin made the EXACT same blunder all over again just one decade later. I asked this before, and I’ll ask again: What the heck does Putin need sub bases for? Or airstrips in Syria? What he actually needs is a functioning economy. He didn’t get one. So he’s F’ed.
He inherited a functioning military with nucs. He did not inherit a functioning economy.
So he did what he knows -- he built a security state.

And Biden is outplaying Putin on the field of battle right now . Would you want to fit a plane in Ukraine right now? All those stingers on the ground?
Stingers only work if you can see the target & soon enough to take the shot. We’ll see if Biden can keep it up, and outplay him throughout. Who knows?

Which leaves two questions:

1. Is Zelensky smart enough to say he wants no part of nato? If he is, we won't let him. NATO in Ukraine is our goal. Always has been. That’s the face saving move for Putin. In its place, like so many other countries—-the US can give them defensive weapons. Fake problem solved.

2. What will Putin do as he is embarrassed in front of the world? That part scares the hell out of me.STFB

Did I miss an announcement that Putin lost this war? There are several folks here who are convinced (or trying to convince themselves?) that Putin is losing (and Biden winning?). Ayfkm? Where do you guys get this stuff?

Just tonight comes word that Russia is about to seize Mariupol with commandos headed to Odessa next.
They walked into Kherson virtually unopposed, as they did in Crimea 8 yrs ago.

How can anyone claim anything about Ukraine with a shred of confidence? I just don’t get that.
They heard it from a Ukrainian on MSNBC. Loaner Polish Migs & our magnetic pulse weapon.

In times like these, the best decision is to sit back some. You can hope things turn out the way you want, but man, to claim it’s happening when the news is at best spotty seems extremely premature.

Way too many Americans are conditioned to blankly believe whatever the TV talking heads say. Wow. It’s like that old Apple commercial where the viewers stare at the screen, not an original thought left in their head.

I just finished listening to Barry McCaffrey on MSNBC….so painful. He’s either the most clueless ex-general in America (he is old), or he’s selling something. He had no idea about Kherson, Mariupol, what’s in the Russian convoy (these look to real analysts like they are simply re-supply trucks, hence why they’ve not been targeted…yet), or Russian command/control. He was going on about how the Russian onslaught is now basically uncoordinated, no Russian military person was aware what any other Russian military person was doing, Putin wasn’t in charge, etc…. He sounded like a doddering nursing home resident…simply embarrassing. And he’s a PAID (!!!) MSNBC contributor. Unbelievable.

The Kherson takeover is legitimately scary. As I understand things, Crimea is water-deprived after Ukraine shut off the canal that provided water to Crimea. The takeover of Kherson helps the Russians turn the spigot back on. And if they capture Odessa, Ukraine becomes a landlocked nation again. The Russians would own the entire south of Ukraine. No bueno.

In any event, unless the west figures out how to sneak a ton more unmanned armed drones into Ukraine to hit Russian artillery and troops, it looks to me like Putin is happy to literally wipe off the map cities like Kharkiv and potentially Kyiv, and win a near-term war of attrition (even if long-term, the Ukrainians ‘beat’ the Russians like the Afghanis did).

More Russian yachts were seized today.

This war is going to decide so many larger issues, not the least of which is Putin’s future. How does Putin escape war crimes?!? He’ll never travel outside Russia and China again, even to the UN. How does the Russian economy survive?!

[jhu72]

Russian casualties on the rise.

Highly placed Russian Commanding General Andrei Sukhovetsky killed in Ukraine.

[runrussellrun]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

[runrussellrun]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

Or, just search for comments, like the one from the Bulgarian 'leader".

How are those "sanctions" working out ?

[youthathletics]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

[runrussellrun]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk


" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

[jhu72]

Some more info on the 10-20 year take. Not sure Putin is alive in 10 years one way or the other, definitely not 20. And that's a ton of money to spend that Russia doesn't have and the rest of the world does have. There's videos of captured Russian rations 7 years expired. I know they last a long time, but if true, sheesh...

U.S. and Britain reportedly believe the Ukraine war could last 10-20 years, become a Russian quagmire

... I can understand the 10-20 year point of view. But it is not going to happen. This will resolve much sooner. This isn't Afghanistan, its Eastern Europe. This will break Putin's back, and it won't take that long.

[Peter Brown]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk

" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

Ironically, the same kinds of folks self-identify as paragons of woke virtue and constantly attack others of being “racist”.

Explain that to me. Like I’m in first grade, please.

[runrussellrun]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk

" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

Ironically, the same kinds of folks self-identify as paragons of woke virtue and constantly attack others of being “racist”.

Explain that to me. Like I’m in first grade, please.

clearly, we are taking their actual words, out of context?

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/p ... ps-russia/

“A very significant number are white extremists," said Jason Blazakis, a senior researcher at The Soufan Center and a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). “The bulk of those foreign fighters are coming from the near region,” he added, pointing to 800 fighters from Belarus and hundreds more coming from Germany, Georgia, Serbia and dozens of other countries across Europe. “That’s, in some ways, not too different than what you saw with ISIS,” Blazakis said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group.

These........are the PRO-democracy types that the pretend liberals are supporting? wtheck......idiot lemmings......"heard in on Morning Joe"

[CU88]

Every now and then I open a post of a "blocked" member; and immediately remember why I blocked them...

Every time I open it up I feel like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qjE6qrYyE6Q

OMG LOL

From a classic mid 2000s movie called Waiting. If anyone here has worked at a chain restaurant in the last 30yrs they’d love it. I have two in my background, a ground round in Vestal NY where I served and bartended over few college breaks and same jobs at Ruby Tuesday about 20mi west of DC in a town called Centerville for 3-5mo after college when I first moved down there and was studying for my series 7. The tropes of types of people in those places is hit almost perfectly. The angry alcoholic older lady, degenerate but sometimes/often fun if stressed cook staff, the “when are you going to be 18” hottie hostess, the good looking late 20s guy who’s going nowhere but everyone likes and he still parties with college kids, the should be in college over skilled dude who’s quickly losing grip on life’s opportunities, etc. You should check it out.

Ground Round! WOW, a blast from the past, I remember them for the peanuts.

You might not recognize Centreville these days, booming for apartment and retail deals rezoning underbuilt office developments. We did a deal where the county pulled a 25 yeard old bond to finish a roadway and open up lots. 2 old dungy 90's sports bars converted into an Asian and a seafood establishements doing gang busters, while our 350 unit apartment leased up and sold in record time.

Injection of energy along Route 28 corridor is amazing. All out in F'ing Centreville!

[Farfromgeneva]

Every now and then I open a post of a "blocked" member; and immediately remember why I blocked them...

Every time I open it up I feel like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qjE6qrYyE6Q

OMG LOL

From a classic mid 2000s movie called Waiting. If anyone here has worked at a chain restaurant in the last 30yrs they’d love it. I have two in my background, a ground round in Vestal NY where I served and bartended over few college breaks and same jobs at Ruby Tuesday about 20mi west of DC in a town called Centerville for 3-5mo after college when I first moved down there and was studying for my series 7. The tropes of types of people in those places is hit almost perfectly. The angry alcoholic older lady, degenerate but sometimes/often fun if stressed cook staff, the “when are you going to be 18” hottie hostess, the good looking late 20s guy who’s going nowhere but everyone likes and he still parties with college kids, the should be in college over skilled dude who’s quickly losing grip on life’s opportunities, etc. You should check it out.

Ground Round! WOW, a blast from the past, I remember them for the peanuts.

You might not recognize Centreville these days, booming for apartment and retail deals rezoning underbuilt office developments. We did a deal where the county pulled a 25 yeard old bond to finish a roadway and open up lots. 2 old dungy 90's sports bars converted into an Asian and a seafood establishements doing gang busters, while our 350 unit apartment leased up and sold in record time.

Injection of energy along Route 28 corridor is amazing. All out in F'ing Centreville!

Was an outpost back then just barely inside of the reasonable lines of commuting ending with manassas-I lived there less than 6mo, then Tysons near Tyson’s 2 for a few before moving into NW DC in kinda Van Ness area (Conn & Nebraska) for the balance of my time in the area). Had to get to Vienna just to take the orange line in.

I’m sure it’s been massively developed these days. It was happening back then but this was less than 6mo after 9/11 bug you had these half vacant tech sector leased shiny buildings and those large gyms Lifetime Fitness, much more horizontal sprawl. Did some work for a bank in Warrenton a couple of years back (bank is sold now) and they had tons of development exposure from Manassas west to I66 on their books so I’ve seen it from afar more recently.

[jhu72]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk

" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

Ironically, the same kinds of folks self-identify as paragons of woke virtue and constantly attack others of being “racist”.

Explain that to me. Like I’m in first grade, please.

clearly, we are taking their actual words, out of context?

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/p ... ps-russia/

“A very significant number are white extremists," said Jason Blazakis, a senior researcher at The Soufan Center and a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). “The bulk of those foreign fighters are coming from the near region,” he added, pointing to 800 fighters from Belarus and hundreds more coming from Germany, Georgia, Serbia and dozens of other countries across Europe. “That’s, in some ways, not too different than what you saw with ISIS,” Blazakis said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group.

These........are the PRO-democracy types that the pretend liberals are supporting? wtheck......idiot lemmings......"heard in on Morning Joe"

... you guys act surprised that there are scumbag white nationalists in Russia and Ukraine. Wherever there are white men there are such scumbags. Hell, we even have them in the US.

[runrussellrun]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk

" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

Ironically, the same kinds of folks self-identify as paragons of woke virtue and constantly attack others of being “racist”.

Explain that to me. Like I’m in first grade, please.

clearly, we are taking their actual words, out of context?

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/p ... ps-russia/

“A very significant number are white extremists," said Jason Blazakis, a senior researcher at The Soufan Center and a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). “The bulk of those foreign fighters are coming from the near region,” he added, pointing to 800 fighters from Belarus and hundreds more coming from Germany, Georgia, Serbia and dozens of other countries across Europe. “That’s, in some ways, not too different than what you saw with ISIS,” Blazakis said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group.

These........are the PRO-democracy types that the pretend liberals are supporting? wtheck......idiot lemmings......"heard in on Morning Joe"

... you guys act surprised that there are scumbag white nationalists in Russia and Ukraine. Wherever there are white men there are such scumbags. Hell, we even have them in the US.

The surprise IS that you and yours are supporting them (hate groups ) ........all in the name of "Patriotism".....

[runrussellrun]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/bl ... ar-AAUq3L0


there's even a twaater link.....so exciting.

Black immigrants have reported experiencing racism and being stopped from fleeing to safety as Russia continues its assault against Ukraine.

More than 500,000 refugees have fled from Ukraine into neighboring countries since Russian invaded its neighbor last week.

But African students trapped in the country have taken to social media to document the hurdles and hostility they have faced while trying to flee, raising awareness for their plight using the hashtag #AfricansInUkraine on Twitter.

Several videos that have gone viral on social media appear to show Black people being denied access to trains, including one that showed Ukrainian forces apparently pushing a Black girl off a train but allowing a white girl aboard.


Why are we "allies" with racists?

[Peter Brown]

Why does "some" of the media keep on mentioning "white" "christian" , "blue eyes"....and "European looking, middle class "

MSNBC and CBS, BBC especially, have been spewing this blatant racism all week.

Western Media is racist.........fact.

The media has slowly evolved in to a kleptocratic entity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRwmTVVKQk

" ....blue eyes.....blond hair "

So much information out there..........turn off the hateful rhetoric......the MSNBC "talking point" starts at 2:00 minutes...........the hate spread by NBC is mind boggling.......

Ironically, the same kinds of folks self-identify as paragons of woke virtue and constantly attack others of being “racist”.

Explain that to me. Like I’m in first grade, please.

clearly, we are taking their actual words, out of context?

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/p ... ps-russia/

“A very significant number are white extremists," said Jason Blazakis, a senior researcher at The Soufan Center and a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). “The bulk of those foreign fighters are coming from the near region,” he added, pointing to 800 fighters from Belarus and hundreds more coming from Germany, Georgia, Serbia and dozens of other countries across Europe. “That’s, in some ways, not too different than what you saw with ISIS,” Blazakis said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group.

These........are the PRO-democracy types that the pretend liberals are supporting? wtheck......idiot lemmings......"heard in on Morning Joe"

I posted a week ago something along the lines of ‘hey slow your roll, this area is very complicated’ and I’m fairly sure someone here called me a ‘Putin apologist’.