Assault on Kiev: Russian helicopters swoop above Ukraine's capital

[Chris.B]

3 hours ago, tgw said:

from the Ukrainian Army's general staff:

https://www.facebook.com/UkrainianLandForces/videos/1351511025364877/

 

according to the filmer, this is one of Putin's Chechen columns.

 

Yes,and let's not mention their religion. ????

 

[Hummin]

Garry Kasparov is on many news channels all over the world. A video intervju with him in the link. 

If Putin succeeds, Thaiwan is next

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/russia-ukraine-war/video/if-putin-succeeds-taiwan-is-next-russian-chess-champion-garry-kasparov-exclusive-1918331-2022-02-26

 

another intervju

 

 

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Garry Kasparov is on many news channels all over the world. A video intervju with him in the link. 

If Putin succeeds, Thaiwan is next

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/russia-ukraine-war/video/if-putin-succeeds-taiwan-is-next-russian-chess-champion-garry-kasparov-exclusive-1918331-2022-02-26

 

another intervju

 

 

Could be democracy's last stand.

[Mr Meeseeks]

4 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Not sure about the US, but the UK was the first European country to supply defensive weaponry to Ukraine and continues to do so according to an interview Liz Truss, the UK Foreign Secretary, gave yesterday.

 

Foreign Secretary "Absolutely" Backs Brits Who Want To Join Ukraine's Armed Resistance

 

As she says in the interview:

 

 

UK also trained around 20,000 Ukrainian troops iirc.

 

No doubt including small arms handling, use of the anti-tank weapons the UK suppled and more.

[tgw]

what I would like to see now:

- Ukraine agrees to cede Crimea and the territory both separatist republics controlled before the invasion

- Ukraine agrees to be neutral, but not demilitarized and a member the EEA, same as Switzerland

- Russia and NATO guarantee Ukraine's neutrality

[Chris.B]

35 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Garry Kasparov is on many news channels all over the world. A video intervju with him in the link. 

If Putin succeeds, Thaiwan is next

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/russia-ukraine-war/video/if-putin-succeeds-taiwan-is-next-russian-chess-champion-garry-kasparov-exclusive-1918331-2022-02-26

 

another intervju

 

 

Yes, a fine impartial publication is the India Times.... 

 

Are PRC tanks able to travel across the sea bed of the Taiwan Straits then? That would be a major feat! ????????

 

 

[Chris.B]

3 minutes ago, tgw said:

what I would like to see now:

- Ukraine agrees to cede Crimea and the territory both separatist republics controlled before the invasion

- Ukraine agrees to be neutral, but not demilitarized and a member the EEA, same as Switzerland

- Russia and NATO guarantee Ukraine's neutrality

Agreed and removal of all troops from the Ukraine borders!

 

+ 90 day notification of all Russians living in the Ukraine. ????

 

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, tgw said:

what I would like to see now:

- Ukraine agrees to cede Crimea and the territory both separatist republics controlled before the invasion

- Ukraine agrees to be neutral, but not demilitarized and a member the EEA, same as Switzerland

- Russia and NATO guarantee Ukraine's neutrality

Wait and see what Suomi or Finnish do, then Russia will be completely surrounded if they join Nato, and finely Sweeden as well. 
 

Then you have Belarus and Chetchenia as closest neighbours supporting Putin. 

[Jingthing]

12 minutes ago, tgw said:

what I would like to see now:

- Ukraine agrees to cede Crimea and the territory both separatist republics controlled before the invasion

- Ukraine agrees to be neutral, but not demilitarized and a member the EEA, same as Switzerland

- Russia and NATO guarantee Ukraine's neutrality

Pretty good but you can trust Putin's promises as far as you can throw em.

[tgw]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Pretty good but you can trust Putin's promises as far as you can throw em.

that's why there is "neutrality guaranteed by NATO" in the package

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, tgw said:

that's why there is "neutrality guaranteed by NATO" in the package

Neutrality is good as long as Ukraine isn't forced to have a Putin puppet government.

But I think you might be missing something big about Putin's motivations.

Nato yes but what about the threat of having a successful western style democracy on a bordering country with so many cultural and family ties? Both sides say they are brothers.

Surely that would inspire Russians to demand the same.

That's why literally crushing Ukraine would still suit Putin's goals if not annexation or a puppet government.

Russians will have no desire to copy that.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

If Putin succeeds, Thaiwan is next

Which is why perhaps the Europeans have finally muscled up against Russia. They and everybody else realize that Taiwan is a far greater prize and perhaps the fate of the world would turn on China invading and then leapfrogging one island chain after another out from it. Europe can do nothing in Asia or the Pacific to protect their interests there. That is entirely up to the US and perhaps Japan and Australia. So I hope what is true is that the European resupply of Ukraine is all about maintaining the US posture in Asia and not abandoning a relatively defenseless Taiwan to China.

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, Chris.B said:

Yes, a fine impartial publication is the India Times.... 

 

Are PRC tanks able to travel across the sea bed of the Taiwan Straits then? That would be a major feat! ????????

 

 

Nah. They go on the ferry.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

Which is why perhaps the Europeans have finally muscled up against Russia. They and everybody else realizes that Taiwan is a far greater prize and perhaps the fate of the world would turn on China invading and then leapfrogging one island chain after another out from it. Europe can do nothing in Asia or the Pacific to protect their interests there. That is entirely up to the US and perhaps Japan and Australia. So I hope what is true is that the European resupply of Ukraine is all about maintaining the US posture in Asia and not abandoning a relatively defenseless Taiwan to China.

I personally think if China invaded Taiwan that the US would get involved. Which of course means WW3.

So the goal needs to be to convince China its not worth it.

[Chris.B]

8 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Nah. They go on the ferry.

That would make a nice, big, fat target then for a Taiwanese cruise missile then!

 

[nauseus]

4 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Which is why perhaps the Europeans have finally muscled up against Russia. They and everybody else realizes that Taiwan is a far greater prize and perhaps the fate of the world would turn on China invading and then leapfrogging one island chain after another out from it. Europe can do nothing in Asia or the Pacific to protect their interests there. That is entirely up to the US and perhaps Japan and Australia. So I hope what is true is that the European resupply of Ukraine is all about maintaining the US posture in Asia and not abandoning a relatively defenseless Taiwan to China.

I have to disagree as to which country is the greater "prize". Although Taiwan is a concern, for Europe it is a secondary one. Europe has had to finally "muscle up" against Russia, as the immediate problem is the Russian proximity and threat to the rest of Europe, especially if the Russian invasion of Ukraine became successful.

 

The more responsibility that Europeans can take on within their own continent, then the more free the US can be in the Pacific, to try to deflect any threats there, hopefully by leading and assisting these "island chains" to defend themselves.

   

[nauseus]

9 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

That would make a nice, big, fat target then for a Taiwanese cruise missile then!

 

Assuming they had any left by then, you might be right.

[John Drake]

14 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I personally think if China invaded Taiwan that the US would get involved. Which of course means WW3.

So the goal needs to be to convince China its not worth it.

Yes, indeed. I think that is the point. And if American and other forces are drawn away from Asia and the Pacific, that gives China a clear opening. The maintenance and reinforcement of deterrence in Taiwan is vital.  I think it's clear that Xi and Putin plotted to go for a one-two punch. Now that Xi sees Putin having trouble, the Chinese leader might be willing to double cross the Russians.

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, nauseus said:

I have to disagree as to which country is the greater "prize". Although Taiwan is a concern, for Europe it is a secondary one. Europe has had to finally "muscle up" against Russia, as the immediate problem is the Russian proximity and threat to the rest of Europe, especially if the Russian invasion of Ukraine became successful.

 

The more responsibility that Europeans can take on within their own continent, then the more free the US can be in the Pacific, to try to deflect any threats there, hopefully by leading and assisting these "island chains" to defend themselves.

   

Yes, I agree with that.

[SomchaiDIY]

36 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I personally think if China invaded Taiwan that the US would get involved. Which of course means WW3.

So the goal needs to be to convince China its not worth it.

xi jinping busy making sure of term 3 no time for war troubles

 

taiwan is electronic semiconductor center maybe xi jinping will look at taking when better window appear

[John Drake]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

More on this. 

I guess the world should be on alert. 

We've got a crazy old man with nukes making threats.

Aside from the Cuban missile crisis, did the cold war ever get as bad as this?

 

 

Putin 'Increasingly Unhinged,' May Not Negotiate 'Peaceful Outcome': McFaul (msn.com)

I made a similar point a day or two ago. Putin is nearing 70 years old. He ditched his old wife for a trophy wife about ten years ago. Much of his persona rests on shoring up his literal shortcomings (he's a little over 5'1" according to some sources, although he likes to claim 5'7") through posing in all sorts of he-man outdoorsy settings. But pictures of him recently show a man with a puffy face, gray complexion, and decided weight gain. Put that together with the weird conferences, with Putin at one end and visitors such as Macron and then his generals at the far end of a table that looks 20 feet long or more, and things just appear wrong in a number of ways. Putin and Xi may both be trying to jump the timelines because they want to see their empires enlarged and enjoy the sight before they kick off.

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/971100/life-expectancy-at-birth-in-russia-by-gender/

[Virt]

Hopefully the peace talks today lead to something positive.

 

The satellite photos from maxar  yesterday indicate the Russians could launch a much bigger attack if they want.

 

4-5 kilometers of various vehicles 60 kilometers from Kiev and that was yesterday.  

 

Who knows how close they are to Kiev at this moment, and just awaits orders.

 

 

[NotReallyHere]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Thailand is ruled by a military junta who have rigged the parties and votes to stay in power. It's a sham democracy. Northern Thais know that, I have yet to meet one who does not regard Prayuth as a criminal.

How can the Thai people be held accountable for a government they have not elected? How do you hold the Russian people accountable for a war started by a megalomaniac dictator? The evidence coming out now indicates even the soldiers invading the Ukraine were lied to by Putin and his generals, who said it was a "training exercise".

TBH, you are posting nonsense.

 

I stated in my post that the "deck is stacked in favor of the governing party".  Nevertheless, they did elect the government within the rules created by the junta.  Are you denying there is an opposition party?  Why would the party exist if it didn't have the possibility of being elected?   Please read my posts more closely if you are going to quote me.

 

I hold the Russian people accountable for Putin being in power for 20+ years and having overwhelmingly positive approval rating.  Tired of people missing that important point.  It's not about the current acute situation.  This is a "problem" that has existed in Russia for 20 years and the Russian people are complicit.

 

You are foolish to trust YouTube videos showing supposed Russian soldiers denying their knowledge of what occurred.  The Russian soldiers have smartphones too.  They knew the US was warning the world of an eminent attack.  And even if they are actual Russian soldiers, which is doubtful, what do you think they are going to say when they are captured and a camera is stuck in their face?  Furthermore, if they said something that was inconsistent with the narrative that the Ukrainians want to promote, the Ukrainians would not post the video.  Get a clue!  Quit being so gullible!

 

You are the one posting nonsense, but it is clear to me at this point that I will not be able to convince you of that fact.

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, Virt said:

 

 

The satellite photos from maxar  yesterday indicate the Russians could launch a much bigger attack if they want.

 

 

 

They will stretch the line to long and do not have back up reinforcements enough, so this will take time

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed:

 

14) You will not post any copyrighted material except as fair use laws apply (as in the case of news articles). Please only post a link, the headline and the first three sentences.

[ExpatOilWorker]

29 minutes ago, Virt said:

4-5 kilometers of various vehicles 60 kilometers from Kiev and that was yesterday.  

Hundreds of guys like these 2 are waiting in the forest around every corner for the slow moving convoy. 

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

Putin's scorecard:
Days - 5
Victories - 0
Ruble - 120
Friends - 0

[farmerjo]

Be interesting to know how all this works money wise.

We know the russian currency is falling.

What about Ukraine,all these other government pledges.

Will all these weapons come at a cost,have to be paid for?

 

 

 

[Virt]

4 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

Be interesting to know how all this works money wise.

We know the russian currency is falling.

What about Ukraine,all these other government pledges.

Will all these weapons come at a cost,have to be paid for?

 

 

 

I hope most of them are given to Ukraine for free.

 

EU also considered giving Ukraine fighter jets.

 

https://euobserver.com/world/154450

[nauseus]

8 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

Be interesting to know how all this works money wise.

We know the russian currency is falling.

What about Ukraine,all these other government pledges.

Will all these weapons come at a cost,have to be paid for?

 

 

 

Weapons are gifted as far as I know.