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This might be a little tougher than Putin thought...

It's good to see the Israel-Hamas war becoming less bloody.

It was hard to maintain a high level of outrage over Russian atrocities in Ukraine on page one when we were unconditionally supporting the same or even worse atrocities in Gaza.
 
It's good to see the Israel-Hamas war becoming less bloody.

It was hard to maintain a high level of outrage over Russian atrocities in Ukraine on page one when we were unconditionally supporting the same or even worse atrocities in Gaza.
Interesting comment given that 70 percent of homes and 50 percent of all buildings are destroyed. 85 percent of people have left. What's left to keep it up over. Uninhabitable.

Also, Putin is ramping up "Traditional and Christian Values as a reason to ramp up the war and keep it going. Kyiv Post reported that volunteers are signing up in high numbers (in part due to money) for more offensive actions.
 
I wonder how many cruise missiles the orcs “hit with” compared to reported 1,842 intercepted.
That is a crazy number.
 
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"The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced legislation Wednesday to allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian assets to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The top Democrat and Republican on the panel were confident that Senate leadership viewed the legislation, called the REPO Act, as a priority for passage amid stalled efforts to deliver on further assistance for Ukraine."

 
Hard Fact. Truth is the first casualty of War. None of us here knows what happened. For sure it could have been either side and possibly not deliberate. WW1, the killer of millions was touched off by 1) a militant 2) the failure of a Govt to protect the Duke. 3) The failure of the Duke to continue on after the first attempt.

War is stupid and kills people.

Two of my friends are former Soviet Lt. Colonels. As they both say, History Belongs to the Victor. Let us hope and pray that millions don't eventually die from this Military Operation.
 
Hard Fact. Truth is the first casualty of War. None of us here knows what happened. For sure it could have been either side and possibly not deliberate. WW1, the killer of millions was touched off by 1) a militant 2) the failure of a Govt to protect the Duke. 3) The failure of the Duke to continue on after the first attempt.

War is stupid and kills people.

Two of my friends are former Soviet Lt. Colonels. As they both say, History Belongs to the Victor. Let us hope and pray that millions don't eventually die from this Military Operation.
Missed it when Ukraine attacked Russia or attempted an assassination attempt on Putin. What was the provocation for Russia to invade?
 
Putin could not afford to have a functioning democracy along his border, made up of many Russian-speaking people who would be able to explain to their Russian neighbors how much better off they were...
My opinion similar to most wars it Is economic. The Russian economy is primarily raw material/oil based. Putin wanted the economic power of the Ukrainian agriculture resources under His control. The West did not.
 
Missed it when Ukraine attacked Russia or attempted an assassination attempt on Putin. What was the provocation for Russia to invade?
Real provocation to invade? No. But as mentioned, Putin in his mind real or contrived is putting this as a war for Russia's survival. An economy that is 1/3 oil/gas and 1/5 military weapons... Biden's involvement in developing Donbas and moving NATO forward is (again in Putin's mind) real or contrived provocation. There are a lot of people that believe that in Russia.

There are a minority (yes a minority) of Russians living in Ukraine that see the rise of Nationalism in Ukraine as a threat (look at the former Yugoslavia). Azov, Right Sector, Svoboda... It is a culture that looks back a long time and a study of WW2 and what happened at Babyn Yar and other places is in the mindset of some people.

To understand the war beyond simple Good Guy Bad Guy / Cops and Robbers/ Cowboys and Indians or a studyof US history leading up to the Civil War can help with understanding this is a complex situation.

I have no idea whether or not Putin is sincere, but if you listen to him it's obvious in his skillset that millions of Russians believe him.

NOTE, nothing in this say PRO Putin so don't go there.
 
Putin could not afford to have a functioning democracy along his border, made up of many Russian-speaking people who would be able to explain to their Russian neighbors how much better off they were...
Trigger Warning: Ukraine is not a functioning Democracy. It is an Oligarchy. Go there and visit villages and begin to understand. In my life I've seen maybe 20 Bentleys. 19 have been in Kyiv. There system is very incredibly corrupt which is why US weapons end up in other places. The have to put dye in fuel to mark it as miliary so it's not stolen.

Run for office, get harassed by auditors. Stand up and your house gets burned down, right next to fire stations.

Nothing in this says I support Putin. He is an Oligarch as well. This war is a west supported mafia country fighting for it's life against another mafia run nation.

Get over your non informed view. Better dead than red right?

I love the people of Ukraine. Great culture. Lying and deception is a way of life in both nations. Get to know a Ukrainian as real friend and you have a friend for life.
 
Real provocation to invade? No. But as mentioned, Putin in his mind real or contrived is putting this as a war for Russia's survival. An economy that is 1/3 oil/gas and 1/5 military weapons... Biden's involvement in developing Donbas and moving NATO forward is (again in Putin's mind) real or contrived provocation. There are a lot of people that believe that in Russia.

There are a minority (yes a minority) of Russians living in Ukraine that see the rise of Nationalism in Ukraine as a threat (look at the former Yugoslavia). Azov, Right Sector, Svoboda... It is a culture that looks back a long time and a study of WW2 and what happened at Babyn Yar and other places is in the mindset of some people.

To understand the war beyond simple Good Guy Bad Guy / Cops and Robbers/ Cowboys and Indians or a studyof US history leading up to the Civil War can help with understanding this is a complex situation.

I have no idea whether or not Putin is sincere, but if you listen to him it's obvious in his skillset that millions of Russians believe him.

NOTE, nothing in this say PRO Putin so don't go there.
Not saying you’re Pro Putin. But where does it end with this guy? Let’s say he was given part of Ukraine with no shots fired. Similar to any other Barbarian leader the next he’ll just demand more in tribute. Then do it again and again and again. Think weve see. How this story plays out correct.
As far Putin sincerity. He also claimed to know nothing of all those poisonings and the little Green men who invaded Ukraine in 2013 or 14
As far as Russian people. Really easy to believe propaganda. When you’re sending conscripts to die for u. Until I see millions of Russians volunteering to free their brothers. They can GFT.
 
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Not saying you’re Pro Putin. But where does it end with this guy? Let’s say he was given part of Ukraine with no shots fired. Similar to any other Barbarian leader the next he’ll just demand more in tribute. Then do it again and again and again. Think weve see. How this story plays out correct.
My belief is that he is after Russian speaking areas. He went for Ukraine's jugular. Didn't work out. I can see him trying to finish the following:

1. Capture Kharkiv
2. Capture Odessa
3. Complete land bridge to Transnitria (Russia Moldova).

If he is allowed to build, he will push back on NATO in areas where NATO has significant military assets to make a run on Moscow (no natural barriers). That he destroyed Mariupol, the home of Azov BN which when trained by US 101st Abn kicked his butt 10 years ago.

Defeating him without an economic collapse first risks WW2. Shore up relationships with China by the US and Putin can't win, but he can hit the hell out of us.

We screwed up and now have a huge dilemma. As said before, I would put US forces in Kyiv and west Ukraine at this point and say no way cross Dnieper in the south and Donbas lines in east.

Russia is still supply mass numbers of recruits than aren't conscripted criminals. Not bragging, but I've traveled Ukraine extensively. Been on military bases. Ukraine can't win this. My friends there pretty much believe the US will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. The one's who are gung ho aren't currently in the miiltary but are in that age group.

It is a mess stirred up by Biden and Kerry. Wag the Doggy.

Putin could never control all of Ukraine. At the beginning he wanted to set it up like Belarus, which is a puppet state. If he's not careful he could have to send troops to try and control Belarus.
 
My belief is that he is after Russian speaking areas. He went for Ukraine's jugular. Didn't work out. I can see him trying to finish the following:

1. Capture Kharkiv
2. Capture Odessa
3. Complete land bridge to Transnitria (Russia Moldova).

If he is allowed to build, he will push back on NATO in areas where NATO has significant military assets to make a run on Moscow (no natural barriers). That he destroyed Mariupol, the home of Azov BN which when trained by US 101st Abn kicked his butt 10 years ago.

Defeating him without an economic collapse first risks WW2. Shore up relationships with China by the US and Putin can't win, but he can hit the hell out of us.

We screwed up and now have a huge dilemma. As said before, I would put US forces in Kyiv and west Ukraine at this point and say no way cross Dnieper in the south and Donbas lines in east.

Russia is still supply mass numbers of recruits than aren't conscripted criminals.

It is a mess stirred up by Biden and Kerry. Wag the Doggy.
The world is built on stalemates. Korea, Tawain, Syria, Israel. Just the way it is.
 
My belief is that he is after Russian speaking areas. He went for Ukraine's jugular. Didn't work out. I can see him trying to finish the following:

1. Capture Kharkiv
2. Capture Odessa
3. Complete land bridge to Transnitria (Russia Moldova).

If he is allowed to build, he will push back on NATO in areas where NATO has significant military assets to make a run on Moscow (no natural barriers). That he destroyed Mariupol, the home of Azov BN which when trained by US 101st Abn kicked his butt 10 years ago.

Defeating him without an economic collapse first risks WW2. Shore up relationships with China by the US and Putin can't win, but he can hit the hell out of us.

We screwed up and now have a huge dilemma. As said before, I would put US forces in Kyiv and west Ukraine at this point and say no way cross Dnieper in the south and Donbas lines in east.

Russia is still supply mass numbers of recruits than aren't conscripted criminals. Not bragging, but I've traveled Ukraine extensively. Been on military bases. Ukraine can't win this. My friends there pretty much believe the US will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. The one's who are gung ho aren't currently in the miiltary but are in that age group.

It is a mess stirred up by Biden and Kerry. Wag the Doggy.

Putin could never control all of Ukraine. At the beginning he wanted to set it up like Belarus, which is a puppet state. If he's not careful he could have to send troops to try and control Belarus.
Personally as an outsider random internet poster. If Russia wants a combo of all that. Then he needs to pay up to Ukraine. Not only safety guarantees but economic as well. Reparations need to be made in order for them to see how costly economically these actions were. Future continued payments as well.
 
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Lib TV is reporting today that Mitch McConnell is growing increasingly frustrated with delays in providing aid to Ukraine, and there was a close door meeting for Republicans today. He's frustrated that a small number are holding up aid and the outsized role #45 is having in the Senate deliberations. That's nice, but it does nothing to solve the dysfunction in the House at this critical time.
 


There have been a ton of shocking things about this war and how Russia continues to spiral but the development of Ukraine beginning to rule the air and take out Russian infrastructure and aircraft in actual Russia / Sea of Azov / Black Sea while better defending its infrastructure may be the most amazing of all. Russia’s military tech and performance is on par with a Middle East country.
 


There have been a ton of shocking things about this war and how Russia continues to spiral but the development of Ukraine beginning to rule the air and take out Russian infrastructure and aircraft in actual Russia / Sea of Azov / Black Sea while better defending its infrastructure may be the most amazing of all. Russia’s military tech and performance is on par with a Middle East country.
And just think what they could do with even hand me down f-16s, let alone the best versions, F-22s, F-35s, etc... One our most important national interests in furthering Ukraine's defense is not only the "honey pot" concept where Russia keeps sending troops and valuable equipment to be destroyed, but deterrence for Russia, China, and any other country thinking they have the bona fides to tangle with the best the West has to offer. If I'm China and seeing what Russia has NOT been able to accomplish despite literally bordering Ukraine and having all of its latest and greatest weapons available, I am definitely thinking long and hard, multiple times, before I engage in any kind of non-nuclear conflict with Taiwan and its supporters.
 
And just think what they could do with even hand me down f-16s, let alone the best versions, F-22s, F-35s, etc... One our most important national interests in furthering Ukraine's defense is not only the "honey pot" concept where Russia keeps sending troops and valuable equipment to be destroyed, but deterrence for Russia, China, and any other country thinking they have the bona fides to tangle with the best the West has to offer. If I'm China and seeing what Russia has NOT been able to accomplish despite literally bordering Ukraine and having all of its latest and greatest weapons available, I am definitely thinking long and hard, multiple times, before I engage in any kind of non-nuclear conflict with Taiwan and its supporters.
Yep. Question I really have was has US and NATO always known we would completely overmatch Russia or not. I kind of think more the later. I think they had no idea what a paper tiger Russia was, replete with lied about tech and stolen money for military going to thousands of officer thieves.
 
Missed it when Ukraine attacked Russia or attempted an assassination attempt on Putin. What was the provocation for Russia to invade?
It was cited in then Russian ambassador, now CIA Director, Burns secret cable to Washington.

But if you try to discuss the contents of that secret diplomatic cable you’re accused of spreading Putin Propaganda by the gatekeepers of this board.
 
It was cited in then Russian ambassador, now CIA Director, Burns secret cable to Washington.

But if you try to discuss the contents of that secret diplomatic cable you’re accused of spreading Putin Propaganda by the gatekeepers of this board.
Don’t ever change, Natty Light.
 
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Don’t ever change, Natty Light.
As if on cue. Never mind the mental gymnastics required to convince yourself that a secret diplomatic cable was really just talking points the Russians intended for the American public.

Do you tell yourself our current CIA Director was just duped, and that those concerns he highlighted in 2008 weren’t real, and wouldn’t lead to, well, exactly what we’re witnessing?
 
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It was cited in then Russian ambassador, now CIA Director, Burns secret cable to Washington.

But if you try to discuss the contents of that secret diplomatic cable you’re accused of spreading Putin Propaganda by the gatekeepers of this board.
You literally took year plus long break from this board you were so wrong about Ukraine and your beloved Russia.
 
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You literally took year plus long break from this board you were so wrong about Ukraine and your beloved Russia.
I don’t love anything about Russia, I just point out you can’t discuss the contents of that cable, because they run counter to the neocon narrative about this war.

In light of the cable it can’t be argued they acted in ignorance about how Russia would respond. They knew. They pressed ahead anyway, and we’re watching what the experts Burns cited predicted.
Were they dismissive of the advice and predictions because they’re just bad at international affairs (totally possible, witness Iraq, Syria, Libya, etc), or did they want this predicted result?

The funniest thing to me about your misperceptions are how they come in the complete opposite of what I’ve experienced elsewhere.

On FreeRepublic.com I’m accused of being a neocon for objectively discussing Russia’s reversals and failures, and pointing out that quoting MacGregor in 2024 is just comical at this point.

People so badly want to pigeonhole others and discuss that, instead of the issues.

Whatever.
 
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