Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-23 and Invasion

[The Larch]

Maersk is suspending all business in Russia, except for food and medicine deliveries.

[celedhring]

Maersk is suspending all business in Russia, except for food and medicine deliveries.

That seems a pretty big deal.

[Tamas]

Fucking fearless: https://twitter.com/jelle_simons/status/1498649109846241281?s=20&t=T_Y9yBPmhjgYwIk_obeQ1w


This won't end without Russia giving up or having to machine gun down civilians.

[The Brain]

Fucking fearless: https://twitter.com/jelle_simons/status/1498649109846241281?s=20&t=T_Y9yBPmhjgYwIk_obeQ1w


This won't end without Russia giving up or having to machine gun down civilians.

I somehow get the feeling that many Russian soldiers are uncomfortable with this war.

[Syt]

Fucking fearless: https://twitter.com/jelle_simons/status/1498649109846241281?s=20&t=T_Y9yBPmhjgYwIk_obeQ1w


This won't end without Russia giving up or having to machine gun down civilians.

Raises ever more the question: even if Russia wins the war - how could they pacify that country if that's how unarmed civilians oppose them even now.

And for all their talk of "protecting Russians" they sure as heck shoot the shit of Kharkiv which is, I think, a pretty Russian city, all things considered.

[Syt]

Seagal and Depardieu both sure see Russians and Ukrainians as a family. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/steven-seagal-russia-ukraine-invasion-b2025464.html

Steven Seagal speaks out about Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 'I look at both as one family'

'I believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other,' actor claims

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220301-putin-friendly-french-actor-depardieu-objects-to-fratricidal-war

Putin-friendly French actor Depardieu objects to 'fratricidal' war

Paris (AFP) – French actor Gerard Depardieu, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday came out against the war in Ukraine and called for negotiations.

"Russia and Ukraine have always been brother countries," the 73-year-old film star told AFP in a phone call.

"I am against this fratricidal war. I say 'stop the weapons and negotiate'," Depardieu said.

In 2013, he sparked a huge outcry by leaving France and taking Russian nationality in protest at a proposed tax hike on the rich in his homeland.

Putin treated him to a dinner to present him with his new citizenship and Depardieu was subsequently full of praise for the strongman.

"I will say what I think about Putin: the Russian nation needs a person just like this -- with a Russian temper. Putin is trying to return just a bit of dignity back to the people," he said after the dinner.

Only last month, as tensions soared at the Ukraine border, Depardieu opened an Instagram account with a picture of himself embracing Putin.

He also said on French television: "Leave Vladimir alone."

Depardieu became a star in France from the 1980s with roles in "The Last Metro", "Police" and "Cyrano de Bergerac", before Peter Weir's "Green Card" also made him a Hollywood celebrity.

He later acted in global productions, including Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet", Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" and Netflix's "Marseille" series.

In 2015, Ukraine blacklisted Depardieu in apparent retribution for his reported refusal to recognise the independence of the former Soviet state.

The culture ministry gave no official reason for the ban at the time, but it had previously identified Depardieu and other Russia-friendly international film stars as national security threats whose movies should be banned.

In 2021, the actor was charged with raping and sexually assaulting a young French actress at his home in Paris three years earlier. He denied the accusation.

[Josquius]

Some interesting bits here.
Putin be crazy not mentioned. And Ukraine in NATO is bad only one reason.
Also mentioned is
1: Recent Ukrainian offshore gas discoveries looked set to make it a competing petro state. Crimea nicely secures 80% of these for Russia.

2: Stuff heard of in the past... In a way its another climate change water war. Crimea is dying due to Ukraine cutting off its water.

[celedhring]

This Spanish channel seems to have taken Putin's denazification claims too literally 

[Berkut]

One interesting thing for Sweden and Finland in particular and all the rest of European Nato is that all is well right now. But in a few years there's a 50-50 chance that the US will elect some republican asshat that would side with Putin or do nothing in this type of conflict. The US is not a reliable ally.

So if Putin gets out of this we might be looking down the barrel of Russian threats in a few years time with an ineffectual Nato hamstrung by not having the central power of it doing anything.

We need to mobilize as if it's 1939 right now, as soon as humanly possible. European Nato must be a able to stand on its own feet. And Especially so for Sweden and Finland, we've shown ourselves to be enemies of Russia, we are not safe outside of Nato.

Edit: And a republican US might block entrance for nations under threat.

The great part of this plan is that it is beneficial whether the US is reliable or not.

[Syt]

Maybe someone googled Kharkov, tank, battle and got 3rd Kharkov results.

[Berkut]

Where did this idea that the two superpowers did not directly support combatants against each other during the Cold War come from?

The USSR directly supplied weapons and equipment to North Korea while the US was fighting them, and directly supplied weapons and logistical support (including massive amounts of aircraft) to North Vietnam as well.

[viper37]

Over a military counter-attack aimed at a regime change in Moscow where NATO troops are sitting 24km from the Russian capital?  Absolutely.  It's what Stalin would have done in 1941, had he had nukes. It's what Putin will do.

Yeah but NATO would be totally insane to do something like that.

Right now, yes.  We do not know for certain what the future entails.

[Threviel]

One interesting thing for Sweden and Finland in particular and all the rest of European Nato is that all is well right now. But in a few years there's a 50-50 chance that the US will elect some republican asshat that would side with Putin or do nothing in this type of conflict. The US is not a reliable ally.

So if Putin gets out of this we might be looking down the barrel of Russian threats in a few years time with an ineffectual Nato hamstrung by not having the central power of it doing anything.

We need to mobilize as if it's 1939 right now, as soon as humanly possible. European Nato must be a able to stand on its own feet. And Especially so for Sweden and Finland, we've shown ourselves to be enemies of Russia, we are not safe outside of Nato.

Edit: And a republican US might block entrance for nations under threat.

The great part of this plan is that it is beneficial whether the US is reliable or not.

Yes, it is high time for Europe to stand up and be a bigger part of world politics. Europe should together have militaries on about the same size as the US. The US could focus on China and Europe on Russia.

[The Minsky Moment]

Where did this idea that the two superpowers did not directly support combatants against each other during the Cold War come from?

The USSR directly supplied weapons and equipment to North Korea while the US was fighting them, and directly supplied weapons and logistical support (including massive amounts of aircraft) to North Vietnam as well.

Not to mention the open and notorious US support for the Afghan militias, sufficient to make into movie plots for both the Rambo and James Bond franchises.

[Duque de Bragança]

Alternatively, they could repeat their Syrian strategy - encircle city, provide a temporary corridor for anyone who wants to get out, and then bomb the shit out of the city.

That would not go over well domestically, given the Kyiv's place in Russian history.

Please, Russia says they use only super precise ammunitions and totally make sure no civilian areas are hit - I'm sure they'll be able to avoid all collateral damage.

Not to mention Macron said that Putin declared on the phone he committed himself to make progress on not having civilian objectives attacked. 

https://twitter.com/CChaffanjon/status/1498311643771682824

E Macron a eu Poutine au téléphone. Outre un cessez-le-feu il lui a réclamé l'arrêt des attaques contre les civils, de préserver les infrastructures civiles et de sécuriser les axes routiers. Poutine "a confirmé sa volonté de s'engager sur ces trois points", selon l'Elysée. @libe