Russia-Ukraine

[GermanSuplex]

Despite being asked not to, Senators Marco Rubio and Steve Daines could not help themselves, tweeting screenshots of Volodymir Zelenskyy while they were on a zoom call with him.

WTF. How hard is it to comply with that? I’ve worked with stuff the public couldn’t care less about… maybe a graphic promoting a local play nobody cares about - and would get fired if I posted a well-intended promo for it without permission. We’ve got way too much leniency for very serious government jobs that are based more on good faith than actual repercussions. Revoke whatever clearances Rubio and this other guy has and bar them from future conference calls like this.

 

[Zoidberg]

Despite being asked not to, Senators Marco Rubio and Steve Daines could not help themselves, tweeting screenshots of Volodymir Zelenskyy while they were on a zoom call with him.

Meanwhile, the guy whom Trump nominated as ambassador to Germany and when it didn't work out because he was clearly compromised, was placed as advisor to the secretary of defense, just said:

"Zelenskyy is a puppet, I don't see anything heroic about the man. And I think he should neutralise Ukraine, this is not a bad thing."

"And quite frankly most of what comes out of Ukraine is lies. Taking and retaking airfields, all of this is nonsense, it hasn't happened."

"Russian forces were too gentle, they have corrected that now, in ten or twelve days all this should be over."

Bloody hell, who does he work for? They don't even pretend that they are not on Russia's payroll now.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500225329595617286/

 

[Zoidberg]

There is a question no one is asking - maybe it’s premature or maybe no one wants to talk about.

Suppose that Senator Graham gets his wish true and Mr Putin is deposed or even killed. Someone else will need to take over, while troops are in Ukraine and while sanctions are on. After all the Russian losses only a suicidal politician with a strong desire to die in office could just give up and leave Ukraine as if nothing happened, especially considering that the easement of sanctions would take months to be noticed by the Russian populations. Also, the Russian generals would never allow for such a visible loss and for a weakening of Russian military weapons.

In other words, be careful what we wish for, if doesn’t include a Russian loss on the ground in Ukraine.

At this point a sane military junta would be better than an insane dictator. Not much better –mind you– but better.

 

[User.45]

Putin wanted to be someone like Hitler, he's working on the war crime stuff diligently, but he has yet to achieve at least the initial winning part. In the meantime, if we're lucky, this conflict will help us root out russian assets and prop up the push for the renewable revolution.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a clear warning to US to become energy independent with renewables

The geopolitics of the last century have shifted, and the United States must shift with it if we are to take a leading role.

thehill.com

 

[yaxomoxay]

Looks like Putin said that sanctions are an act of war. Which means he sees Russia at war with the EU and the US

 

[Yoused]

WTF. How hard is it to comply with that?

It appears that Daines is a Moscow-nipple-suckler, so "compliance" was not a thing he intended ITFP. As for Rubio, he is just a garden variety bag-o-turds.

 

[Yoused]

Why are we supporting literal nazis like the Azov battalion?

Are you validating Vlad's original assertion that he is about rooting out Nazis?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Looks like Putin said that sanctions are an act of war. Which means he sees Russia at war with the EU and the US

Yes, I have read that; it seems to have been widely reported.

Meanwhile, both Visa and Mastercard have decided to suspend all of their operations in Russia.

This means that cards isseud by Russian banks will not work in their systems, and that foreign issued cards will no longer work in Russia.

Strong echoing vibes of what happened in the Sudetenland, (and I visited the Sudetenland a good few years ago, the German presence there is obliterated, - they were expelled, none too kindly, immediately after WW2; while there, I was taken to visit some cemeteries, and examine some municipal records), the 1939 Russo-Finnish war, and the Spanish Civil War (and the role played by the International Brigades).

This evening, I saw a piece (by Julia Ioffe) who argued that the invasion of Ukraine "is Europe's 9-11."

She could very well be right.

 

[Yoused]

This evening, I saw a piece (by Julia Ioffe) who argued that the invasion of Ukraine "is Europe's 9-11."

She could very well be right.

Which date format is being used here, the Eleventh of September attacks by al Qaeda on US targets, or the Ninth of November (election day '16) attack on the US by a low-class vulgar loudmouth "rich" guy?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Which date format is being used here, the Eleventh of September attacks by al Qaeda on US targets, or the Ninth of November (election day '16) attack on the US by a low-class vulgar loudmouth "rich" guy?

Is this a serious question?

From the context of the article, i can only assume that it refers to the events of 11th September, 2001, - referred to by Americans as "9-11", and - since then - accepted by those of us (in Europe) who usually render dates differently, as it refers to an event - of extraordinary importance - in recent US and world history.

 

[User.45]

Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war

Ukraine told: your statehood is in doubt as Russian bombs end ceasefire in Mariupol

www.theguardian.com

This is getting interesting

“The current leadership needs to understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,” Putin said. “If that happens they will have to be blamed for that.”

His intervention, in which he hinted the conflict could soon spread beyond Ukraine unless the west changed course, came as Moscow broke a ceasefire agreement to allow Ukrainian civilians to flee after 10 days of bombing and devastation.

Someone help me out, is this even a threat in the present context? "Stop making my job harder destroying Ukraine, otherwise, I'll destroy Ukraine!!!1!!11!!" This seems truly desperate.

Later, Russia’s foreign ministry followed up Putin’s warning by specifically singling out the UK for what it called “sanctions hysteria” and its prominent role in supporting Ukraine. Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Russia would not forget the UK’s cooperation with Kyiv.

“The sanctions hysteria in which London plays one of the leading, if not the main, roles, leaves us no choice but to take proportionately tough retaliatory measures,” she said, adding that Britain’s Russian interests would be “undermined” by Moscow’s response.

"We have no choice but to open a new front to prevent you from making us embarrass our military!!!!!1!!11!!!"
I can interpret the threat 3 ways:
A) Regular war. - No way.
B) Nuclear war. - Not yet
C) Cyberwar.

Considering that I already expected their hackers to bring it on at full scale, this impresses as bluff from someone who's getting desperate.

 

[GermanSuplex]

So sad looking at the imagery from this war. 2022 and it looks like a third-world country scene right now. Totally unnecessary and all for ego.

Putin seems to be acting out of desperation. Joe Biden walked into a hell of a number of crisis. And we have half the country who think Trump’s approach to Putin was “strength” and he only attacked because of Biden.

So our usual strength in bad times is no more, as seen with how we handle voting, the pandemic, January 6 and now this.

We have the leading cable news host spouting pro-Russia propaganda, along with the most recent former-president and his Secretary of State. Then you have other loons on the right calling for assassination and GOP senators sharing photos of the Ukrainian president after being asked not to. Sitting members of congress attending white nationalist conferences…

Not a good time.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war

Ukraine told: your statehood is in doubt as Russian bombs end ceasefire in Mariupol

www.theguardian.com

This is getting interesting


Someone help me out, is this even a threat in the present context? "Stop making my job harder destroying Ukraine, otherwise, I'll destroy Ukraine!!!1!!11!!" This seems truly desperate.


"We have no choice but to open a new front to prevent you from making us embarrass our military!!!!!1!!11!!!"
I can interpret the threat 3 ways:
A) Regular war. - No way.
B) Nuclear war. - Not yet
C) Cyberwar.

Yes, it is a threat.

However, - and I suspect that in his (Mr Putin's, that is) closed, almost hermetically sealed, self-referential, circle, where nobody dare "speak truth to power", that he wil not, or cannot, realise that this threat carries less weight than it did a week ago.

The invasion of Ukraine was bad enough, - profoundly shocking, in fact, - but, openly threatening Finland and Sweden was what seems to have finally galvanised Europe into action.

 

[User.45]

So sad looking at the imagery from this war. 2022 and it looks like a third-world country scene right now. Totally unnecessary and all for ego.

Putin seems to be acting out of desperation. Joe Biden walked into a hell of a number of crisis. And we have half the country who think Trump’s approach to Putin was “strength” and he only attacked because of Biden.

So our usual strength in bad times is no more, as seen with how we handle voting, the pandemic, January 6 and now this.

We have the leading cable news host spouting pro-Russia propaganda, along with the most recent former-president and his Secretary of State. Then you have other loons on the right calling for assassination and GOP senators sharing photos of the Ukrainian president after being asked not to. Sitting members of congress attending white nationalist conferences…

Not a good time.

1) Considering Russia's currently limited means of paying assets, we now even get to know who is in it because of the kompromat only
2) If Russia declares war on the West, then well, Putin's not gonna look great worldwide similarly to the American pro-russia chickenhawks who would then have to take a stance

(Don't get me wrong, all of this is awful and this war had most likely took humanity closer to annihilation than anything, but at this point the absurdity is taking me back to my fond memories of 20th century existentialist literature).

 

[Yoused]

Is this a serious question?

It was a bit jokey, yes, but you must admit that both of those nines eleven have had seriously tragic effects upon the US.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Looks like Putin said that sanctions are an act of war. Which means he sees Russia at war with the EU and the US

just about everyone the Man is insane. thats what happens when trump loves you.

 

[quagmire]

Someone help me out, is this even a threat in the present context? "Stop making my job harder destroying Ukraine, otherwise, I'll destroy Ukraine!!!1!!11!!" This seems truly desperate.

This may be an attempt to change the narrative in Russian propaganda. The official Russian narrative is they are doing a limited special operation to denazify Ukraine( not a full scale invasion despite this being contrary, etc). Putin may be going to try to blame the West for now having to do a full scale invasion of Ukraine. " Fellow Russians, due to the West putting sanctions on Russia and propping up a neo Nazi Ukrainian regime, it has given me no choice, but to fully invade and make Ukraine a part of Russia. This is the only way left to us to save the Ukrainian people."

 

[User.45]

This may be an attempt to change the narrative in Russian propaganda. The official Russian narrative is they are doing a limited special operation to denazify Ukraine( not a full scale invasion despite this being contrary, etc). Putin may be going to try to blame the West for now having to do a full scale invasion of Ukraine. " Fellow Russians, due to the West putting sanctions on Russia and propping up a neo Nazi Ukrainian regime, it has given me no choice, but to fully invade and make Ukraine a part of Russia. This is the only way left to us to save the Ukrainian people."

the issue with high maintenance lies is that they are high maintenance.

 

[Yoused]

​

These Russians say that the orders that sent them to Ukraine were unlawful and urge any Russian combatants that might see this to stand up against their commanding officers.

This video may also violate the Geneva Convention, which prohibits putting POWs on TV.

 

[Yoused]

Quebec diner drops the word "poutine" from its menu, replacing it with "mess of stuff" or something like that.