22 minutes ago, MikeyIdea said:

I have quite a few Chinese friends. What is a surprise to me is how many Chinese who think that Putin does the right thing. 

They are probably already seeing themselves in Taiwan.

2 hours ago, Saanim said:

What was this "vicious war" twenty two years ago? And the ones throughout his reign? (just curious...)  

since you are "just curious" funny you took part of the link and didn't read the full story, all is there for you to get updated

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The Kremlin has a centuries-long history of conflict and near-genocidal repression of Chechens, who have been seen by many in Russia as particularly defiant. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described Chechen fellow prisoners in the Soviet gulag as the one ethnic group whose members “refused to accept the psychology of submission.”

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/the-second-chechen-war-in-photos/30185257.html

Quote

On 20 September 2000, Solzhenitsyn met newly elected Russian President Vladimir Putin.[119] In 2008, Solzhenitsyn praised Putin, saying Russia was rediscovering what it meant to be Russian. Solzhenitsyn also praised the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev as a "nice young man" who was capable of taking on the challenges Russia was facing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn

This invasion is a symptom of Russia's failure. Russia has no soft power, and rather a repelling power. On top of it, Putin failed to develop the economy of his country, despite good natural and human resources, so Russia is an economic dwarf. Putin is a fail

On 3/4/2022 at 2:16 AM, StraightTalk said:

There would not be an invasion if previous agreements had been honored.

USA's J Baker’s gave assurance not to move one "inch eastward" - this is well documented https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/about
USA and NATO have broken this and other promises ever since the SU ceased to exist.
The Russian have reason to be <deleted>-off and the invasion is justified - which wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Ukraine's comedian honcho together with USA and NATO thought Putin was bluffing... gross miscalculation on their part. Oh well.

Nothing justifies going to war !

5 hours ago, RafPinto said:

They are probably already seeing themselves in Taiwan.

Not sure the US will protect Taiwan in that case

8 hours ago, Saanim said:

Would it change anything? How many signed treaties have been withdrawn from? 

BTW, didn't you see here lately the link to Spiegel with minutes of meeting written?  

You really need to try harder.  Any treaty, just like any contract, is negotiated.  What was 'discussed' has nothing to do with what is agreed to.   Russia never withdrew from the treaty.  They simply broke it.

 

Any Russians use Aeroflot to Thailand?

Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, will suspend all flights abroad from March 8 — except flights to Minsk, Belarus — Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Saturday.  Passengers with return tickets to Russia will not be allowed on international flights from March 6 if the departing flight is scheduled from March 8 “to mitigate the risks of impossibility to use return flights to Russia,” according to the report.

bomb Putins Palaces and yacht and mansion ......    simple really   

7 hours ago, heybruce said:

Maybe this has something to do with it:

 

"Ruling party control of all Chinese media and intensive internet censorship make it hard to gauge public opinion. But what the party allows online and requires media to publish make clear what it wants the public to think."

"Media outlets were told last week to post only pro-Russian content and to censor anti-Russian or pro-Western views, according to a copy of instructions posted on the social media account of the newspaper Beijing News."  https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/chinese-divided-russias-invasion-ukraine-83248295

Not only. I have worked with Chinese for 30 years, their long term goal is to rule the world. Ask general managers of big multinational companies and they'll answer that more Chinese don't want to speak English when doing business now a days. Listen to some less educated say that they don't have to learn English because all business will be done in Chinese soon. I normally answer 85 percent of the world is hardly going to change because 15 percent of the world want it. Some Chinese get angry when I say it ???? 

 

It's sad to say but the war that Russia started with Ukraine is actually a blessing, in one single way only of course. President Xi is sitting there thinking oh sh*t, I may have to rethink what I had planned, after seeing the world's reaction 

 

45 minutes ago, Credo said:

You really need to try harder.  Any treaty, just like any contract, is negotiated.  What was 'discussed' has nothing to do with what is agreed to.   Russia never withdrew from the treaty.  They simply broke it.

 

Treaty broken? Hasn't it be withdrawn? When and by who? (Google is your friend):

 

Anti-ballistic missile treaty - 2002
Treaty on short and medium range missile - 2019
Treaty on open sky  - 2020
Paris agreement - 2017
JCPOA  Iran - 2018

 

 

1 hour ago, daejung said:

Not sure the US will protect Taiwan in that case

I am.

7 hours ago, ozimoron said:

That's the power of state controlled media.

Not only, read this

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1251995-russian-and-ukrainian-tourists-in-thailand-beginning-to-face-financial-transaction-and-travel-problems-due-to-sanctions-invasion/?do=findComment&comment=17228320

14 hours ago, futsukayoi said:

The Russians I know in Samui almost certainly have an even worse view of their leader than you do.  One reason so maany are here.

It's very important not to attach political stereotypes to people.  I agree, many russians are not fond of Putin but there is little they can do there.  Their prisons and detention facilities are truly horrific.  And that's where they will end up if they protest.  

4 hours ago, MikeyIdea said:

Not only. I have worked with Chinese for 30 years, their long term goal is to rule the world. Ask general managers of big multinational companies and they'll answer that more Chinese don't want to speak English when doing business now a days. Listen to some less educated say that they don't have to learn English because all business will be done in Chinese soon. I normally answer 85 percent of the world is hardly going to change because 15 percent of the world want it. Some Chinese get angry when I say it ???? 

 

It's sad to say but the war that Russia started with Ukraine is actually a blessing, in one single way only of course. President Xi is sitting there thinking oh sh*t, I may have to rethink what I had planned, after seeing the world's reaction 

 

A weakening of Russia is actually quite good for China, and they know it.

I been working offshore in russia.Most dangerous country ever..even worse then mexico.We had our base in murmansk.The only safe ATM was in the immigration office.The nigths we get out for a drink i allways took out cash in the immigration office and after brougth my ATM cards back to my cabin.

The crew who didnt do that get  skimmed ,even in hotel bars.We get a warning from our embassy about crime and they told us even around the embassy was unsafe.<deleted> COUNTRY!!!!Some of the crew took ladies to the hotel and get robbed every values.So i dont feel sorry for the russian whos stucked now.Only the russians who have kids with them.

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

bomb Putins Palaces and yacht and mansion ......    simple really   

Like your style, Steven, and would also add taking his daughters hostage. But of course either action would be a WWIII scenario. The guy is an irrational belligerent scoundrel. 

11 minutes ago, stigar said:

I been working offshore in russia.Most dangerous country ever..even worse then mexico.We had our base in murmansk.The only safe ATM was in the immigration office.The nigths we get out for a drink i allways took out cash in the immigration office and after brougth my ATM cards back to my cabin.

The crew who didnt do that get  skimmed ,even in hotel bars.We get a warning from our embassy about crime and they told us even around the embassy was unsafe.<deleted> COUNTRY!!!!Some of the crew took ladies to the hotel and get robbed every values.So i dont feel sorry for the russian whos stucked now.Only the russians who have kids with them.

They learnt well from the top then… Putin is corruption personified; as bent as a nine bob note. 

14 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The Kremlin has a centuries-long history of conflict and near-genocidal repression of Chechens, who have been seen by many in Russia as particularly defiant. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described Chechen fellow prisoners in the Soviet gulag as the one ethnic group whose members “refused to accept the psychology of submission.”

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/the-second-chechen-war-in-photos/30185257.html

Ukrainians are no different to Chechens, Stalin orchestrated the Holodomor in 1932-1933, and they have not forgotten Russians killed between 3 and 10 million Ukrainians by mass starvation. The Luhansk and Donetsk "republics" arose from the vacuum left in those areas of Ukraine being filled by transferred Russians.

IMO Putin does not realize what he is getting into. He may win the cities, after they have been pounded into rubble. If I was a Russian soldier, I'd be very nervous about trying to stay alive in a country where every civilian hates me, and every armed civilian wants to kill me.

Obviously, Putin learned nothing from Afghanistan.

6 hours ago, steven100 said:

bomb Putins Palaces and yacht and mansion ......    simple really   

Quietly post a $100 million reward for Putin's head on a platter.

Putin may be very well protected, but modern day sniping has registered kills from more than 2 km away. Difficult to protect against that.

On 3/2/2022 at 11:35 AM, Mavideol said:

and things are not getting any better for them

 

Putin signs decree to prohibit leaving Russia with more than $10,000 in foreign currency 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/putin-signs-decree-to-prohibit-leaving-russia-with-more-than-10-000-in-foreign-currency-01646176225?siteid=yhoof2

Associated Press 10

The move comes in response to the sanctions the U.S. and allies have imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which this week tanked the ruble and sent Russians flocking to banks and ATMs

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree that prohibits taking more than $10,000 worth of foreign currency in cash and “monetary instruments” out of Russia.

And now Visa and Mastercard suspended their services in Russia. Russian travellers can no longer use these credit cards

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Quietly post a $100 million reward for Putin's head on a platter.

Putin may be very well protected, but modern day sniping has registered kills from more than 2 km away. Difficult to protect against that.

https://www.military.com/equipment/m107-50-caliber-sniper-rifle-lrsr

4 hours ago, candide said:

A weakening of Russia is actually quite good for China, and they know it.

True but we must remember that the Russian economy is small, only USD1.5 trillion or so, won't matter much. 

S7 airlines has ceased all international flights yesterday.

Aeroflot will follow from Tuesday (March 8).

As far as I know there is no other carriers to/from Russia left. And the remaining tourists will have a difficult time to return home.

Special arrangements?

47 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

S7 airlines has ceased all international flights yesterday.

Aeroflot will follow from Tuesday (March 8).

As far as I know there is no other carriers to/from Russia left. And the remaining tourists will have a difficult time to return home.

Special arrangements?

It's possible they will simply be tucked away in an IDC, and left to rot until Putin remembers them.

56 minutes ago, MikeyIdea said:

True but we must remember that the Russian economy is small, only USD1.5 trillion or so, won't matter much. 

Russian oil and gas can flow to China instead of Europe, and I'm betting the Chinese would be turning the screws on prices.

 

1 hour ago, daejung said:

And now Visa and Mastercard suspended their services in Russia. Russian travellers can no longer use these credit cards

Bit worse than that. And the only reason that the cards will still work in Russia is they are processed using Russia's own domestic payments network.

Visa and Mastercard now formally suspending service of Russian cards outside Russia, and foreign issued cards within Russia.

https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/press-releases.releaseId.18871.html

https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2022/march/mastercard-statement-on-suspension-of-russian-operations/

 

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Russian oil and gas can flow to China instead of Europe, and I'm betting the Chinese would be turning the screws on prices.

Sure but it takes years and years to build infrastructure to scale up. Nordstream 2 took nearly 4 years to build excluding planning. And China wouldn't even consider it until Russia is stable. 

31 minutes ago, MikeyIdea said:

Sure but it takes years and years to build infrastructure to scale up. Nordstream 2 took nearly 4 years to build excluding planning. And China wouldn't even consider it until Russia is stable. 

You're probably right. A stopgap measure would be to ramp up delivery on the existing rail facilities.

On 3/2/2022 at 5:50 AM, chang1 said:

Not much sympathy for the Russians but certainly the Ukrainians should be helped. 

I'm glad there are no Russians where I live as I would get in trouble for telling them what I think of their leader. 

I wouldn't be slow to tell Thais what I think of the unelected soldier presently posing as the PM.