Virt

Here is a fun video about scale, compared to our earth and sun.

Yeah i just saw the footage on Danish TV. I played this as background music.

I wonder how Putin will explain this. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-acknowledges-conscripts-were-part-ukraine-operation-some-taken-prisoner-2022-03-09/

I think i have to stop reading the news, because it's just so darn depressing. https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-nuclear-firm-warns-radiation-risk-after-power-cut-occupied-chernobyl-2022-03-09/

Not the only one thinking it could be an issue. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-troops-convoy-freezing-death-b2031696.html?r=75403

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/iaea-loses-contact-with-safeguards-monitoring-systems-chernobyl-2022-03-08/ Hopefully it's just a glitch and not something to be worried for. Would be a stupid thing to use Chernobyl as a weapon since the fallout would reach Russia and Belarus too.

Russias terms are not even close to something that Ukraine could accept.

True and it should only be Ukraines own choice what they decide. No question about that.... I fully support Ukraine, but just hope there still is a way to end this and just shared some thoughts.

You know I'm on Ukrainians side, but could there be a solution other than this meaningless war? You as well want and ending to this. What do you suggest? Do you suggest they just keep on fighting and killing each other, while the rest of the world bleed financially as bystanders? The experts now expect Russia to change tactics and will just start flattening the cities from distance before entering. That will leave Ukraine as flat as Berlin in WW2. Shouldn't we try and stop the war before it comes to this? I say we, but if course it's Ukraines own decision what to do. It's their country. All i can do as a bystander is to support Ukraine financially which i did, but i wish it was possible to stop this war somehow. We could off course just go full tilt and walk into WW3, but are we interested in that?

Probably not, but what do you suggest. The last couple of days shows this is spiralling out of control and if we need a solution at the table, they need to find one fast. We're getting closer and closer to a situation the whole world does not need.

It's hard to see where both sides could meet at the peace talks. How about this one. Russia withdraw all troops. Crimea is accepted as Russian territory. Russia pay for the reconstruction of all they destroyed. Russia pay for all the destroyed military hardware. Russia reimburse the families to the killed Ukrainians. Ukraine can join NATO but can't have any patriot missile systems on the ground or other similar system as well as nuclear warheads or any NATO troops. The join NATO only as security for the future in case if Russia cross the border again or attack them from distance. The separatist areas in Ukraine will be demilitarized and the population living there and which were registered there before the invasion started, will have to vote if they want to stay under Ukrainian or Russian control. Would that be a viable solution. Crimea is already lost. The separatist areas has been a conflict area for quite some time, so maybe time to find a solution. Maybe if just one of the areas vote to stay under Russian control, the other pro Russians can move there and the Ukrainians move to to the other two? As for NATO. NATO really don't cause a danger for Russia as long as Russia don't attack anyone, but maybe Putin could agree if Ukraine joined NATO on paper but we're not allowed troops or missile systems. Just a thought here at 5am. Maybe i should go to sleep again...

Seems like US are going to ban Russian oil today. Will be interesting to see what the politicians will do here in Europe.

You assume wrong if you think all Russians live in places where it's cold all the time, and therefore used to the cold. Some parts of Russia are on the same latitude as Nice, and if you live there -20 Celsius sure as hell will be feel cold. Especially if you are sitting in a convoy that has not moved for 4 days and maybe are out of fuel and food, while staying inside a cold metal coffin. So yeah i think some Russians in that convoy will find -20 Celcius cold.

Let's hope it end soon. We don't need more dead people on both sides.

Seems like the long column could run into some trouble now the forecast says -20 Celsius and the cold now could be a help instead of a problem for the Ukrainians. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-kyiv-convoy-putin-1685806%3famp=1 The cold could still be a problematic issue for the civilians left in the surrounded towns without heat or food, and other places the frozen ground could mean easier access , but if that column surrenders it's a huge kick in the nuts for Putin and could be a turning point. Fingers crossed those Russians surrender.

Putin said no conscripts are participating in the special operation and none will be deployed. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/07/putin-says-will-not-send-conscripts-or-reservists-to-ukraine-a76812 I'm amazed how bad equipped and trained the professional Russian soldiers are if that is really the case. I thought they had a kickass army, but maybe their former Russian foreign minister were right, when he claimed that billions of money meant for the army ended up in the hands of people buying yacths instead.

if Russia are to attack Sweden and Finland as they are not members of NATO, would you tell your Scandinavian neighbors to lay down their weapons as well.

If your neighbor attacked your house and killed some of your family members, would you seek refuge in his house? Fleeing into Belarus or Russia is like running from the fire into the furnace. At worst the Ukrainians could be used as civilian prisoners in Putins perverted wargame or simply killed. At best they are treated like refugees in the start, but they are fleeing into countries where its own citizens will have a hard time surviving In a month or two if the sanctions and war continue, and then their lives are in danger once again.

I think Putin is trying to get out of this war as soon as he can, and he has realized it's not possible to conquer the entire Ukraine and also deploy the amount of troops needed for such an operation. It's going to take a <deleted> load of troops to maintain control of Ukraine. Having used the nuclear threat already and peace talks so soon is a good indication. They now threaten to turn off the gas supplies to Europe. Are Putin running out of options sooner than expected?

Why do you think that? I would assume fighter pilots with their highly specialized training, would be so professional that they wouldn't flee from their country in a time of war.

And meanwhile Putin collects additional estimated 500 million dollars each day from exporting Gas, compared to the prices a month ago. Estimated additional 100 million dollars on Oil daily due to rise of oil prices too. The gas prices went through the roof today. So while the sanctions hit him at some points, Russia still collects an enormous amount of money each and every day, because we haven't stopped importing Russian energy. If we totally cut of the import of Oil, gas and Coal from Russia, Europe are going to be in a whole lot of trouble. We just have to realize that we are still financing his war machine in Ukraine. He has Europe by the balls, and we have been warned about it for years. The EU politicians didn't want to listen, so now they have their hands tied, because they will screw their own economies if we ban all Russian energy. How to solve this paradox?

Putins demands to stop the war. I doubt Ukraine will meet all those demands. https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-russian-military-action-will-stop-moment-if-ukraine-meets-2022-03-07/?taid=6225f61c07024b0001563d12&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

This former Russian minister don't think Putin will push the button and hopefully he is correct I know he is Russian but it's still an interesting read. Especially number 2 where he talk about money being stolen that was meant for the Russian military. His end conclusion is also quite interesting. If he is right maybe NATO shouldn't be so afraid to intervene.

They had Peter the great that brought Russia into modern age. Now they have Putin the not so great, that will bring them back to the Stone age.

I hear ya and i hope Russia continue to mess up their missions. Hopefully all those Russians sitting in the long column close to Kyiv will surrender if they really has run out of fuel, and now have to sit in -15 Celsius at daytime. They are now in their second week and supplies surely has to run out soon. As far as I understand a column like that usually have food for few weeks and that's it. Just saying the weather could be an issue. The civilians that are trying to flee through terrain or the ones trapped in the other surrounded cities without water, food or ability to heat up their places due to electricity and energy cut off, will also have a hard time.