Ukraine War

[qldfrog]

General Patton was right. We had the army in place in Europe after we defeated Germany. Patton wanted to keep going all the way to Moscow. He said we’re gonna have to fight them sooner or later let’s get it over with now..

It's pretty disheartening to listen to this press conference with NATO security general. Sure they say the supports going in to Ukraine, toughing up the NATO borders to the east of Ukraine and so on...Poland offering a peace keeping force, but even that was rejected.
There's a lot of hype about chemical weapons and nukes, scaring the free world of a stance or deterrent against Russia.

Bad diplomacy between the US/RUSSIA (cold war). Which sux, I want to see the US/NATO stand up to Putin and put to he's knees, begging forgiveness. And put a end to his rule...I don't like the diligence that Biden brings to the table...God Bless and go in to Ukrainian territory and fight for their freedom...

Feel free to travel and fight there, you will be provided weapons free of charge ....

 

[Stockbailx]

Feel free to travel and fight there, you will be provided weapons free of charge ....

The way I carry on I should take that up!

 

[qldfrog]

The way I carry on I should take that up!

I read somewhere that the US was ready to fight the Russians..to the last Ukrainian.
With China installing bases now in Png and Salomon islands, we might soon see our armchair warriors faced to the real thing.
It is my belief..and for example H. Kissinger and other more informed people than me , that Nato provoked that war.i have not forgotten h8llary speeches before Trump elections so once Biden was in....
Ukraine could have followed Finland and be neutral.
But Biden son's was already working against that during Obama
Results people die, Ukraine which was mafia ridden, and the poorer of all European countries ( imagine being topped by Romania...) Will end up devastated and EU is absolutely slaughtered economically.
There is a key winner China,
the US may win by destroying the EU but only if they push Putin aside..and so push Xi ultimately otherwise USA basically have lost #1 position and the USD will freefall.
A bit saddened to see relics of the cold war still waving their commie war of last generation,
while the watermelons are taking over the west, the Reset which is global socialist advancing at a scary speed and generally the muslim integrists gaining ground yearly
Choose your enemy more wisely imho.
This thread is toxic...i think thread can be ignored, w8ll be better for me, and for the ABC/ Fox news crowds?

 

[wayneL]

WARNING
This video link must not be shown to children
Some things are best unseen so if you don't want to see the real life horrors that go on in wars then do not watch

There is every chance YouTube will bury this video, and I have no problem if @Joe Blow decides to expunge it from this site.
Currently there is dispute over whether it really is Ukrainian soldiers, or Russians with a diabolical propaganda message (eg. shooting their own deserters but they are pretending to be Ukrainian soldiers).
I felt sick after watching it.

I'm not gonna watch it, I need to be able to sleep... But doesn't take much imagination.

Dunno about whose propaganda it is... But f$#@!!!

 

[rederob]

I'm not gonna watch it, I need to be able to sleep... But doesn't take much imagination.

Dunno about whose propaganda it is... But f$#@!!!

The above link is gorey, but the worse one - which I will not link - shows that Hollywood stabbing scenes miss the piercing screams of agony before someones dies. That one will give me nightmares.

 

[sptrawler]

A little far fetched? Certainly hope so..

View attachment 139386

That is ridiculous, if he was in West Germany by July, France would be done and dusted by August IMO.

 

[Craton]

I'm not gonna watch it, I need to be able to sleep... But doesn't take much imagination.

Dunno about whose propaganda it is... But f$#@!!!

According to Operator Starsky, it's Russian Fake News, starts at around 44 secs into the vid. Warning that the vid does show the shootings but is blurred.
Reference also to Anonymous hacking a Russian database giving weight to the propaganda.

 

[Stockbailx]

I can't help but to respond to your post @qldfrog ....Couldn't get a quote...

The US was ready to fight the Russians but the President Bidin was not!
As for China their not a threat, Because Australia is a monarchy, the Chinese are ridiculed by this and take it for granted. China just moving forward. And the Australian Politicians are intimidated by this, because there nonequivalent. Australia needs to change to keep up with the real world. ( reality check ). China's not a winner, Australia's US are just losers.
NATO didn't provoke the war. They tried to step in and with what would of been the prevention of dictator Putin having rule and conquest against Ukraine. A past president re-neg-ed on a deal with NATO and the EU and shock hands with Putin, causing big protest from Ukrainian forcing him to leave the country. Ever since then Russia's Putin been docking on the door, and now war starts.

But your right this thread is toxic?

 

[JohnDe]

Ukrainian forces showed off three tanks they captured after retaking control of Lukyanivka, a village 60 kilometers east of Kyiv, from the Russian Army. RFE/RL journalists visited the village on March 27, three days after what a resident said was fierce fighting.

 

[Jeda]

Ukraine could have followed Finland and be neutral.

This thread is toxic...i think thread can be ignored, w8ll be better for me, and for the ABC/ Fox news crowds?

That may have changed quote from one of many articles (Until now, Finns felt they didn't need the mutual defense guarantee of NATO allies, with a majority of the population consistently rejecting any suggestion of seeking membership. That was until February 24 — when Russia attacked Ukraine. Suddenly, according to a poll commissioned by the national broadcaster respondents want to join)

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Quite an interesting interview with Andrei Soldatov yesterday on DW , Deutsche Welle, the German Public Broadcaster.

Soldatov is an investigative journalist. It is a good and salutary insight in to Putin, his view of Ukraine, the War, his army, agencies and ministers, and the Russian people at this time.



gg

 

[Belli]

Delivered in a very droll manner.

 

[JohnDe]

I thought pretty much the same when I heard his last speech, his previous speeches gave me no confidence for Ukraine. I hope his advisors are strong and true to the end game.

What Joe Biden’s gaffe says about his end-game in Ukraine

Nine ad-libbed words mask his caution in dealing with Vladimir Putin

“Iam a gaffe machine,” Joe Biden once admitted, disarmingly. For proof consider his speech in Warsaw on March 26th. Vladimir Putin’s carnage in Ukraine was part of a global “battle between democracy and autocracy”, he declared, closing with an impromptu line: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” Was Mr Biden advocating regime change in Russia? No, his aides hastened to say, soon followed by the president himself.

The political gaffe, the commentator Michael Kinsley memorably observed, is when a politician inadvertently speaks the truth. Mr Biden’s many slips often involve him getting muddled or, as in 2012, being unable to catch a double entendre. Seeking to cast Barack Obama as a hard man of world affairs, the then vice-president cited Teddy Roosevelt’s dictum about speaking softly and carrying a big stick. “I promise you, the president has a big stick.”

Mr Biden’s words in Warsaw were different, deliberate and in keeping with insults—“war criminal”, “butcher”—he has been hurling at Russia’s leader. Critics charge that, in suggesting he seeks Mr Putin’s downfall, Mr Biden will harden Russia’s resolve on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. This misses the mark. The reproach rings especially hollow coming from Republicans who still bow to the dangerously wayward and Putin-loving Donald Trump. (On March 29th he urged Mr Putin to reveal dirt on the Biden family.) There is little doubt the world would be better without Mr Putin; and he already thinks America is out to get him.

Rather, Mr Biden’s failing in Warsaw is what might be called the Reverse Roosevelt Doctrine: speak loudly and carry a small stick. To Poles and Ukrainians in the audience, Mr Biden’s most fervent lines carried disturbing implications. Telling Mr Putin “don’t even think about moving on one single inch of nato territory” sounds like giving him carte blanche to do his worst in Ukrainian territory. “We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead” implies that he will do nothing to stop horrors quickly.

The parallels he drew—the Hungarian uprising of 1956, the Prague spring of 1968 and Solidarity’s strikes in Poland in 1980—all referred to events behind the iron curtain, where America had little influence. Mr Biden did not mention, say, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 or Serbian atrocities in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, which America halted through military action. Intervention in Ukraine, Mr Biden says, would risk “World War III”.

Finding a course between preventing Russia’s takeover of Ukraine and averting nuclear escalation involves much semantic and legal contortion. What weaponry is defensive, or what action escalatory? Mr Biden sends Ukraine anti-tank weapons, but not tanks; anti-aircraft missiles but not military aircraft. He is at pains to say what he will not do: no to American troops on the ground, no to no-fly zones. His response to Mr Putin’s madman nuclear threats is reassurance that America will not get involved. Mr Biden invoked the words of the late Polish pope, John Paul II, “Be not afraid.” Yet it is the president who seems frightened of tangling with Mr Putin, not the other way around.

How to explain this caution? The first and most obvious reason is that Russia has a bigger stockpile of nuclear weapons than America does, and a greater doctrinal propensity to use them. Even Mr Biden’s fiercest critics agree that getting into a war with Russia would be a bad idea. The second factor is Mr Biden’s aversion to America’s over-reliance on force, given the quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military action should be a last resort, not the first, he thinks; and should be used only when vital interests are at stake. His economic sanctions on Russia, he believes, are “a new kind of economic statecraft with the power to inflict damage that rivals military might”.

Left unsaid is that Ukraine is probably not as important to Mr Biden as, say, Taiwan. America sees Russia as a disrupter, and China as the only challenger to its supremacy. Another of Mr Biden’s gaffes last year is telling. Asked whether America would defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack, he replied: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.” The White House rushed to clarify that the president intended no change in America’s “one-China” policy, or its doctrine of “strategic ambiguity” about defending the island. For Taiwan, then, Mr Biden does seem ready to risk nuclear war.

A cynical possibility, which many Ukrainians believe, is that Mr Biden wants a drawn-out war to exhaust Russia, at the cost of much Ukrainian blood. That may be too Machiavellian. There is little sign that the Biden administration has thought much about the end-game. It says it will not dictate the terms that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, should accept. This is disingenuous given that Mr Biden in effect sets limits on what Ukraine can achieve. If Mr Zelensky does not have the weapons with which to evict Russian forces, he will have to give up territory; if nato will not admit Ukraine, he will have to accept neutrality.

Shoot the bear?
Now that Russia is bleeding in the battlefield, prominent Americans want Mr Biden to go all-out to help Mr Zelensky rout the Russian army. Victory would revitalise democracy and might even bring down Mr Putin. Mr Biden, however, prefers the long game. Ukraine is bravely holding its ground, Russia is being weakened and China is paying a political cost for embracing Mr Putin. Only Russia’s leader knows what would make him resort to nuclear weapons, but a senior American defence official thinks the triggers probably include “the prospect of all-out conventional defeat of Russia’s military” or a threat to the Russian state (in other words, a threat to Mr Putin).

What about Mr Biden’s chin-jutting in Warsaw? It is probably moral outrage, as he says, with perhaps some cheap rhetoric. The president may be loose in his tough talk, and cautious to a fault in his actions. But in the nuclear age that is surely better than emulating a swashbuckling militarist like Teddy Roosevelt.

 

[JohnDe]

 

[Stockbailx]

Trouble in paradise, Chechen's join the Russian forces in Ukraine? or are they fighting for Ukraine? Whats going on with Russian Gas?

 

[bigdog]

Vladimir Putin, plagued by thyroid cancer rumours, is ‘constantly’ accompanied by doctors​

A new investigative report has uncovered clues that Vladimir Putin might be suffering from a serious medical problem.

Chilling new clues have stoked speculation that Vladimir Putin may be suffering from thyroid cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
The Russian leader remains tight-lipped about his health but recent public appearances where he seemed “bloated” and “weakened” have sparked rumours about his physical state, The Sun reports.

The appearance of the 69-year-old who has long prided himself on his “strong man” image, has changed dramatically in the past few years.

And now a new investigation has revealed the tyrant is “constantly” accompanied by a doctor who specialises in thyroid cancer.

The report by Proekt media – which is blocked in Russia – states that surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital, has flown to the Russian leader no less than 35 times in the Black Sea resort Sochi.

The respected doctor’s area of expertise is thyroid cancer.


The discovery backs up recent theories that Putin declared war when he was suffering medical problems hidden from the Russian people.

Back in November 2020, political analyst Valery Solovei revealed the cancer and Parkinson’s theory claiming that Putin also needed to have emergency surgery.

He said at the time of Putin’s health issues: “One is of psycho-neurological nature, the other is a cancer problem.

“If anyone is interested in the exact diagnosis, I’m not a doctor, and I have no ethical right to reveal these problems.

“The second diagnosis is a lot, lot more dangerous than the first-named diagnosis as Parkinson’s does not threaten physical state, but just limits public appearances.

“But there is a fatal diagnosis.

“Based on this information people will be able to make a conclusion about his life horizon, which wouldn’t even require specialist medical education.”

He added that the Russian President had undergone surgery, with another source claiming it was an abdominal cancer operation.

Video footage showed Putin’s leg moving constantly and his fingers twitching, backing the Parkinson’s theory.

Putin also suffered a coughing fit during a televised meeting but the claims about his health were disputed by Kremlin.

The report continues to identify medics who regularly travel with Putin on trips, especially in Sochi, which he prefers to Moscow.

Alongside Selivanov the Russian leader is also followed by a neurosurgeon.

Another surgeon, Dr Alexey Shcheglov, “follows Putin so relentlessly that during public events he allegedly gets into joint photographs with the head of state.”

He is seen as “the doctor who, among other things, can be the first to detect problems with the thyroid gland, including oncological ones”, it is claimed.

There has been widespread speculation in the West that Putin had serious medical issues when he launched a war in Ukraine that estimates say killed 17,000 Russian troops plus many Ukrainian defenders and civilians.

Intelligence sources previously suggested that the bloated face of the Russian dictator as well as his lust for violence may be caused by steroid treatment for cancer.

 

[Country Lad]

​

“One is of psycho-neurological nature,

Probably doesn't need a brain surgeon to arrive at that painfully obvious conclusion.

 

[mullokintyre]

i don't think the Ukraine is particularly healthy at all , remember all the years various foreign aid has been flowing , right back to the Obama ( and Biden's $1 Billion ' sack the prosecutor or no aid ' moment ) AND if Russia stops using the Ukraine to transit gas through , it will take another economic hit ( if haven't seen any news about Russia upgrading/maintaining that aging pipeline in the future )

the Russians hammered out an agreement in 2015 that the West and Ukraine Government never followed for even a few months

now it will be interesting to see how many will be economic refugees ( moving to a more prosperous economy , that is liable to be permanent ) the ones seeking in refugee in Russia are more likely to return to the Ukraine after peace returns ( Russia isn't a quantum leap up the economic prosperity scale , so home will have it's appeal )

there is a real possibility the Ukraine will descend into a chaotic power vacuum ( like Libya ) , i would think both sides ( EU and Russia ) would prefer that didn't happen

Anecdotal evidence can sometimes be a false leader, but on the strength of it coming from one person I will put it out there.
I was talking to mate of mine on the weekend who is Polish by birth, and speaks Polish as well as Russian and a few other languages.
He was telling me about the period just after Poland joined the EU.
All the young ambitious, educated people went throughout the EU seeking better lives, and a whole chunk of a young generation was lost.
His relatives in Poland told him that Polish employees are heading to the border seeking specific skills from the millions of refugees.
They themselves recruited two young bakers as well as their families to come and work in the village where they lived, with the village providing accomodation, clothes for the kids etc, in the hope they will stay in those villages for a long time.
Others have recruited teachers, engineers, doctors, just about anyone with skill or tertiary education will be offered work and accomodation.
Their advice to Ukraine was to not join the EU, as the downside far outweighs the upside.
Mick

 

[JohnDe]

Poland must not know how to leverage the best out of being part of the EU. I still have family in Europe and they have all done well with being part of the EU, both in easy travel and profitability with work and creating businesses that can easily cross borders.

The increased security by combining resources is a factor for many nations in Europe, especially with what is happening now.

My Polish mate tells me that they have never trusted the Russians, or the Germans. And it it the Germans that made Russia rich and emboldened Putin.

 

[againsthegrain]

Poland must not know how to leverage the best out of being part of the EU. I still have family in Europe and they have all done well with being part of the EU, both in easy travel and profitability with work and creating businesses that can easily cross borders.

The increased security by combining resources is a factor for many nations in Europe, especially with what is happening now.

My Polish mate tells me that they have never trusted the Russians, or the Germans. And it it the Germans that made Russia rich and emboldened Putin.

Historically it has always been the case. During the Warsaw uprising during ww2 the russian troops watched for 2 months as germans levelled the capital to the ground. After everything was destroyed the russian troops only then moved in to liberate Poland.