Lacessit

Look over there post, the president you refer to was a Russian stooge. So you don't think Putin is a war criminal, after all the indiscriminate bombing and missile attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals? Thanks for confirming your moral vacuity. You're on ignore now, I can't stomach you anymore.

The majority of the population in the Donbas was Ukrainian, until Stalin starved it to death during the Holomodor of 1931-1932. Russians were then transferred in to fill an empty region, to pretend they have ancestral claims is disingenuous. IIRC, it was not Ukrainians who shot down MH17, but Russian separatists. How's that for brutality? Another Kremlin apologist.

A tiny far-right party that has self-destructed. https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/PaperDetails/58970 I suppose my bias is towards democracies, not murdering obsessed dictators. Noted you do not even have the decency to agree Putin is a war criminal.

North Korea is protected by China, that's the reason the US has not obliterated NK already. Plus the opprobrium that would ensue from starting a nuclear war.

I am wondering what Putin's TV performance would be in European parliaments, assuming he would not be arrested as a war criminal the moment he set foot outside Russia. No doubt he would be asking for sanctions to be lifted, good luck with that. Your comment about the Dutch and German parliaments demonstrates your confirmation bias yet again. Australia will be delivering Bushmaster vehicles after Zelensky addressed the parliament there. Zelensky is fighting a war to preserve Ukraine, your post is just picking nits. If you do not consider Putin to be a war criminal, IMO it demonstrates the moral vacuum you live in.

This BS is why I am advising my friends in Australia not to come here, and many in Thailand are not traveling because they do not want the hassle of getting back in. Perhaps the authorities will come to their senses, but I won't hold my breath.

LOL, you expect me to do your research for you? Propaganda or not, media reports from the West are from multiple independent sources, and AFAIK not subject to censorship. OTOH, independent media in Russia has been shut down, along with Facebook and Twitter. Guess where the overwhelming proportion of propaganda is. Borrowing from Bkk Brian's post: "The Red Cross who is there co ordinating said: “Past attempts at corridors have not worked,” he said, explaining that they had come under shelling from Russian forces. “If this is successful, it will be the first proper evacuation from Mariupol.” Is the Red Cross enough of a reputable source for you?

What is your explanation of the high kill rate of Russian generals? Very good intelligence on their whereabouts by the Ukrainians? Betrayed by their own conscripts? I'm just using Occam's Razor, the most probable place to get killed is on the front line. It's pretty obvious the Russians did not anticipate the level of resistance, nor did they anticipate the Ukrainians being armed with equipment that is destroying their tanks wholesale.

There seems to be a cone of silence in Thai media about the Ukraine invasion. That may be due to general disinterest in anything outside Thailand, or to avoid offending a segment of the tourist market. Or trade with Russia, although it baffles me why any business would want to be paid with rubles. Some Russians have become involuntary tourists, according to Australian media. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-26/russians-flee-via-the-few-remaining-escape-routes/100934896 The war - and it is a war, not a BS "special military operation" is going badly for Russia. Poor logistics, low troop morale, a higher body count than anyone in Russia is prepared to admit. Russian aircraft still do not control the airspace above Ukraine, a sine qua non for support of ground forces. Senior military officers getting killed on the frontline, apparent purges and defections inside the walls of the Kremlin. I suppose news on the plight of Russian tourists in Phuket and Pattaya is a nod to the situation - a very slight one.

It’s been a year like no other. The oil price went negative, airlines were grounded, some forever. A single meat market in Wuhan, specializing in exotic meats for conspicuous consumption by wealthy Chinese, generated a virus which spread like wildfire. Countries went into lockdown, some stringently, some half-heartedly. The results are there for everyone to see. Millions became employed overnight. Some countries responded with support, others opted for benign neglect. Vaccines were developed at unprecedented speed. A would-be tyrant was rejected at the polls. Most if not all of us will say goodbye and good riddance to 2020. I’m in Thailand by choice and some good luck. Two weeks later in February, and I would still be locked down in Australia, contemplating slashing my wrists. A much more enjoyable life for me here. Having said that, there are some things I miss about my home country. I miss the wind. In Thailand, it seems the wind can’t get much above a gentle zephyr. I would rug up with about four layers of clothing in winter, go down to Gunnamatta beach with an offshore wind of 50-60 km/hr, and watch 10 metre waves pound the coast. Nature at its most primeval. I miss the wineries that dot the Mornington Peninsula, where one could have a light lunch and a couple of glasses of the local product, which most of the time was very good. Apart from Thai wine quality, I don’t believe Thais know what a cellar door is, or what it’s for. I miss my 2004 Mitsubishi Magna AWD sedan, IMO one of the most underrated vehicles ever produced. Balanced like a cat on dirt roads and wet bitumen. About a third the new car price of a comparable Mercedes. My son has it now, still plugging along with 300,000 km on the odometer. I miss the golf competitions I used to play. Par, foursomes, match play, Canadian foursomes. Here, it’s just stroke and Stableford. Boring. I miss the camaraderie of the Wednesday Boys. 15 – 20 of us, some real characters and nicknames. The Poet, The Farmer, The Whippet, Pistol Pete, Triple Treat. Best net score got a two-dollar coin from every other player, with an appropriate obeisance. Some really acid sledging during play, one of the best at my expense. A day when I was spraying my tee shots all over the course, but making pars because I’m holing putts from everywhere on the greens. Our group gets to the seventeenth tee, par 3, and I’m fretting about club selection, is it a 6 or 7 iron? One of my mates says “ Why don’t you tee off with your putter? It’s the only club you’ve hit straight all day”. I miss a Gippsland eye fillet steak, medium, with a Warby Ranges Shiraz. Followed by a King Island blue brie on water crackers. I miss grilled flake and chips,with a pickled onion on the side. Flake is also known as shark to non-Australians, very sweet fish, and filling. All the best to everyone on TV over Christmas, and may 2021 be better. What do you miss?