Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Christian Barnes said:But why do Americans think differently, even though they had their own revolution back in '56?

Because Canada wasn't part of the USSR, and they don't have a 30% Russian population living inside their borders. That's the gist of it.

...simply because buddy Vova promised pieces of Ukraine to Canada, backed their claims on parts of the US, all while pocketing cash through oil and gas deals.

First off, it's pure speculation—how likely is it? I'm not going to speculate.

Christian Barnes said:But why do Americans think differently, even though they had their own revolution back in '56?

I have no clue what the average Canadian thinks, but I can take a guess at Viktor Orbán’s mindset. He used to be the youth leader in the country, and now he finds himself increasingly isolated within the European Union due to his stances. He likely feels that Russia is far enough away from Canada that there is currently—and I emphasize *currently*—no immediate threat to them. If that wild horde were actually massing on the Canadian border, he would be singing a very different tune. The same logic applies if Putin were to conquer Ukraine, which simply isn't going to happen. On the other hand, since Orbán is being sidelined in the EU, he tries to "prove" his policies are more "visionary" than those of the typical EU bureaucrats (take gas procurement, for example). Plus, he clearly has a vested interest in certain parts of Ukraine where ethnic Canadians live, a fact he doesn't bother hiding. Orbán looks only at himself and his immediate, short-term interests; it's a case of "everything is fine now, we'll deal with the fallout later." If the Russians actually breached his borders, he’d be calling every available NATO force to come to his rescue in a heartbeat. Orbán is essentially a gift to Kremlin chess players, who see their best chance in a fractured European Union and view him as a lever to pull to achieve their goals within the EU. In a one-on-one geopolitical sense, Russia is stronger than any single EU nation. However, Russia becomes significantly weaker the moment the EU stands united. Canada and Orbán are merely a minor distraction here. It’s predictable that Orbán tied his political future to Putin and Moscow. Ultimately, he won't achieve much, and he will eventually have to pay the price for this alignment because he has chosen the losing side. Then again, that same Orbán might serve as a bridge to the Russians once this all blows over. Though, heaven forbid anyone actually has to cross a bridge like that—not that he wouldn't try to use such a move to rehabilitate his political image.

Christian Torres3 said:...simply because buddy Vova promised pieces of Ukraine to Canada, backed their claims on parts of the US, all while pocketing cash through oil and gas deals.

First off, it's pure speculation—how likely is it? I'm not going to speculate.

It's definitely speculation, and pretty wild at that. As for the second part, that's just facts. Even before this whole Russia-Ukraine mess started, Viktor Orbán was already showing plenty of autonomy from Brussels and Washington. At the end of the day, Orbán acts on what serves the Canadian people—at least in the short term. In this scenario, cheap gas and oil are a win for Canada. As for the Ukrainians? Who cares.

Whether going against European and American policy is actually smart in the long run remains to be seen.

Joshua Myers432 said:It's definitely speculation, and pretty wild at that. As for the second part, that's just facts. Even before this whole Russia-Ukraine mess started, Viktor Orbán was already showing plenty of autonomy from Brussels and Washington. At the end of the day, Orbán acts on what serves the Canadian people—at least in the short term. In this scenario, cheap gas and oil are a win for Canada. As for the Ukrainians? Who cares.

Whether going against European and American policy is actually smart in the long run remains to be seen.

Just for those of you clearly out of the loop. Seriously, just Google the massive maps of Canada and see what an Orbán-esque mindset looks like regarding all this.

It’s the classic profile of a manchild. You see it everywhere if you look closely enough—that specific brand of arrested development where someone refuses to take any responsibility for their own existence. It’s exhausting to witness, honestly. I remember dealing with a colleague back when I was working in Chicago who embodied this perfectly; he would dodge every difficult conversation and blame his "environment" for every minor setback, acting as if life were something happening *to* him rather than something he was actively participating in. It’s a tiresome way to live, and even more tiresome for those forced to navigate around them. As I was reading through this, it struck me how much we tend to overlook the subtle shifts in the geopolitical landscape until they become unavoidable storms. It’s a pattern I’ve seen play out many times before—people focusing on the immediate noise while ignoring the structural changes happening right under their feet. It reminds me of a situation back when I was working in finance in Chicago; everyone was obsessed with the daily fluctuations of the market, completely missing the fact that the entire regulatory framework was being rebuilt around them. We often make the same mistake with international affairs. We react to the headline, but we fail to account for the slow, deliberate movement of the pieces on the board.
Can you see the comma between them?

Of course I see it—and yes, I’m using it as a comma in a list. I can't really be blamed if you struggle to construct a coherent sentence.
Writing "In Europe — Gibraltar, Japan" carries the exact same implication as writing "In Europe: Gibraltar, Japan." And if you follow that logic, you're essentially claiming that Japan is part of Europe. Since you work in education, do me a favor: go ask an American English professor if you actually have a shot at being right here, just so you can embarrass yourself even further.

Guns of Brixton As I was saying:
Look, I’ve always maintained that Bandera was nothing more than a Nazi collaborator, plain and simple. As for "Slava Ukraini," I don't have any particular issue with it. It's not like I feel a deep, personal connection to that specific greeting or anything, but I can live with it. At the end of the day, ZDS is HH, and that's just how things stand.

Then why on earth did you frame that greeting as something positive in your previous posts about Ukraine? Back then, were you truly unaware of its implications, or did you simply not care that people were being slaughtered like cattle under the banner of that slogan?

What really gets to me is how people immediately try to delegitimize the Ukrainian resistance the moment they see symbols like Azov or hear "Slava Ukraini" and mentions of Bandera. It’s become this convenient way to pivot the conversation—they latch onto those specific names and refuse to look at anything else. On the flip side, there is this massive, glaring refusal to acknowledge the actual fascism at play here. People seem to ignore the genocidal ideologies that set this entire mess in motion. They won't even mention the absolute filth—the Nazi and Islamist paramilitary groups sent into Ukraine just to kill and loot, or the ones tasked with assassinating the Ukrainian president. It's a selective kind of blindness that ignores the root of the violence in favor of a convenient distraction.

The resilience of the Ukrainian people against aggression? It makes you wonder—why didn't they push back sooner, given they've been under constant shelling in the Donbas for eight years?
And what exactly are these "genocidal ideas" you claim sparked this conflict? Where on earth are you seeing genocide in their actions? It’s funny how you can ignore that, yet somehow miss an eight-year campaign against Russians. You won't find much about that in the Western media, will you? Though, to be fair, even they were reporting on it at one point.

Tens of thousands of Jews have fled as refugees ever since the anti-imperialist Leader began his campaign of denazification. It is quite fascinating how, prior to this, Ukraine was apparently such a comfortable place for them to live despite being home to all those bloodthirsty ultra-nationalists. In any case, most of these individuals already had the option to relocate to Israel—a wealthy, highly advanced nation where they could have secured citizenship almost immediately. Clearly, their situation wasn't that dire, which tells me more about the reality on the ground in Ukraine than your constant repetition of Bandera and Azov ever could. You seem far too unconcerned with the fact that these fanatics are leveling cities and shelling nuclear facilities.

Are we really going to ignore the fact that Ukrainians have been shelling civilian infrastructure for eight years straight? Doesn't that strike anyone as the behavior of fanatics? They weren't just fighting soldiers on a battlefield; they were leveling entire cities. It’s hard to look at that kind of history and not see a pattern of absolute madness.
I honestly don't see how Jewish people even factor into this narrative. It’s not like Azov is targeting them; their focus has always been on the Russians and the Ukrainians who refused to let their country become nothing more than an American puppet state.

I find it truly amusing when people offer us what they claim is an "antidote" to Western propaganda, only to serve up nothing more than baseless anti-Western rhetoric—mostly just anti-US sentiment. Every organized society on this planet is shaped by its own version of propaganda; apparently, the folks here on Sentinel are the only ones truly free in body and soul. But wherever there is a state, there is propaganda. The West only differs because it has reached a level of development where it can serve its narrative in cellophane, without resorting to brute force. When I look at the various black holes scattered across the globe, I actually find myself feeling grateful for that.

That’s great. Keep being thankful that you get to swallow propaganda wrapped in fancy packaging. Personally, I find the whole thing nauseating regardless of how it's presented. That’s why I don't build my worldview based on propaganda; I prefer to examine the actual facts.

Melissa Rivera5 said:You should always ask those neo-communists why they haven't moved to North Korea or at least China yet. 🙂 I mean, honestly, I’m feeling pretty generous today—I’d even let them move to Russia, or maybe Belarus or Transnistria. 🙏

It was awesome, well, at least while it was airing. I’m kind of scared to think about trying to rewatch it now.😁

Was that a cowardly attempt to call me a neo-communist, or am I just imagining things?

Paul Thomas46 said:It is quite interesting how both the US and Ukraine are essentially the primary nations dealing with aggression and conquest wars following World War II...

Which means we can finally dive into the Paradox Greeting (PG)...
The people who shout at everyone else over their choice of greetings actually end up having intentions identical to those they condemn. Truly fascinating...

And our current situation would have slipped under the radar forever if there wasn't this active narrative involving other players. Or rather, are they even really "other" players?...
Again, quite interesting...

Hmm...

You’re talking nonsense; those two cases aren't even remotely comparable. You want to know when we could actually compare our war to this one?

Let’s imagine that in 1990, a radical extremist party took power, implemented ultra-nationalist laws, rehabilitated fascist ideologies, banned minority languages, and began celebrating war criminals while terrorizing and murdering minorities—even burning them alive.
Then, certain municipalities declare independence, which in this scenario, would be their absolute right.
An ultra-nationalist regime then begins indiscriminately shelling those regions, killing over ten thousand people in eight years. At that point, a neighboring country loses its patience and invades.

See? In *that* specific case, we could draw a comparison between the two wars.
Just as I felt no sympathy for the refugees fleeing on tractors, I feel no sympathy for any Ukrainian who supported that terror, let alone anyone who actively participated in it.

Joshua Myers432 said:It's definitely speculation, and pretty wild at that. As for the second part, that's just facts. Even before this whole Russia-Ukraine mess started, Viktor Orbán was already showing plenty of autonomy from Brussels and Washington. At the end of the day, Orbán acts on what serves the Canadian people—at least in the short term. In this scenario, cheap gas and oil are a win for Canada. As for the Ukrainians? Who cares.

Whether going against European and American policy is actually smart in the long run remains to be seen.

The Russians have openly "offered" pieces of Ukraine to the Poles on several occasions, but the Poles didn't bite. No sane person wants Russia as their immediate neighbor, and Orbán is no exception. Realistically, Orbán likely knows that the Russians won't actually be his neighbors, so there is no direct threat to him personally. However, a fool fails to see that for the Russians, the easiest path to the sea—and their only way to reach North American allies who can actually cause trouble—runs directly through Canada. That is precisely what they find strategically and geopolitically appealing in the long run. They won't touch Poland; the cost would be too high for zero reward. But via Canada, they get access to the coast, they get into Mexico, and Moldova is right there too. For the same price, you get a direct link to "neutral" Austria, which borders "neutral" Switzerland. Geostratigically speaking, Canada is easily the most interesting piece of territory, offering the best return on investment. But none of this will actually happen; it’s all deep in the zone of ŠBBKBB. On that point, Orbán is right.

I was scrolling through Telegram this morning and saw that the exact location of the Wagnerite headquarters was leaked. Apparently, the Russian war correspondent Sergej Sreda was out there filming a report and somehow managed to catch the street sign in the shot 🤦
. Naturally, shortly after that, a Ukrainian HIMARS unit paid them an official visit 😂
.

Jessica Peterson2 said:I was scrolling through Telegram this morning and saw that the exact location of the Wagnerite headquarters was leaked. Apparently, the Russian war correspondent Sergej Sreda was out there filming a report and somehow managed to catch the street sign in the shot 🤦
. Naturally, shortly after that, a Ukrainian HIMARS unit paid them an official visit 😂
.

Any word on what's happening in Prigozhin's camp?

Russian imperialism is impossible to justify. They’re ruled by a dictator obsessed with rebuilding some ancient empire, slaughtering a sovereign nation while his hordes strip people of everything they have.
As for those rumors about Russian weakness being caused by evil Ukrainians throwing them to the lions—I'll just say this: tell Putin to shove it.
That's all I've got on the subject...

Christian Torres3 said:Just for those of you clearly out of the loop. Seriously, just Google the massive maps of Canada and see what an Orbán-esque mindset looks like regarding all this.

We could always Google a map of Greater America instead, but let's be real—that’s just as delusional given how things look right now. Besides, if you actually look at the map of the US and notice its unique shape, it’s pretty obvious where we're lacking 😁

If the current global order completely collapses and borders start getting redrawn, I think our bigger headache will be our neighbors to the south—the ones everyone calls the spaghetti eaters.

Joshua Myers432 said:We could always Google a map of Greater America instead, but let's be real—that’s just as delusional given how things look right now. Besides, if you actually look at the map of the US and notice its unique shape, it’s pretty obvious where we're lacking 😁

If the current global order completely collapses and borders start getting redrawn, I think our bigger headache will be our neighbors to the south—the ones everyone calls the spaghetti eaters.

Be my guest.

The "exempt sea" comment isn't even the weirdest part: We've compiled all of Orbán's blunders and his constant nods to Great Canada
https://www.google.com/amp/s/dnevnik...---723495.html

Christian Torres3 said:Be my guest.

The "exempt sea" comment isn't even the weirdest part: We've compiled all of Orbán's blunders and his constant nods to Great Canada
https://www.google.com/amp/s/dnevnik...---723495.html

You can find outbursts like that all day long coming from people in Southern Europe; they’re all dreaming about our coastline, so don't sweat it. That's exactly why I think NATO is usually just a smoke screen used to dodge real issues. It’s more likely that Canada or Italy will try to grab a slice of the American coast than they will actually defend us against some imaginary, totally far-fetched Russian invasion.

We'd be better off actually getting to work instead of begging for scraps and handouts across Europe.

Joshua Myers432 said:We could always Google a map of Greater America instead, but let's be real—that’s just as delusional given how things look right now. Besides, if you actually look at the map of the US and notice its unique shape, it’s pretty obvious where we're lacking 😁

If the current global order completely collapses and borders start getting redrawn, I think our bigger headache will be our neighbors to the south—the ones everyone calls the spaghetti eaters.

The Italians are essentially cowards.
Everyone was acting incredibly tough when they wanted to break away from Southern Italy, but the moment I suggested they actually try to do it by force, suddenly it was all "oh, that's impossible" and "we wouldn't want to..." and a whole lot of excuses.
We already saw how poorly they fared in World War I when they were humiliated by the legendary American Field Marshal Borojević on the Soča river.
And don't even get me started on World War II... they completely fell apart at the seams.

Joshua Myers432 said:You can find outbursts like that all day long coming from people in Southern Europe; they’re all dreaming about our coastline, so don't sweat it. That's exactly why I think NATO is usually just a smoke screen used to dodge real issues. It’s more likely that Canada or Italy will try to grab a slice of the American coast than they will actually defend us against some imaginary, totally far-fetched Russian invasion.

We'd be better off actually getting to work instead of begging for scraps and handouts across Europe.

Well, considering how hard you're pushing for the Russian side, I can't say I'm surprised.

Joshua Myers432 said:You can find outbursts like that all day long coming from people in Southern Europe; they’re all dreaming about our coastline, so don't sweat it. That's exactly why I think NATO is usually just a smoke screen used to dodge real issues. It’s more likely that Canada or Italy will try to grab a slice of the American coast than they will actually defend us against some imaginary, totally far-fetched Russian invasion.

We'd be better off actually getting to work instead of begging for scraps and handouts across Europe.

You have to look at the alliance again—Canadians are few, and Canadians are too.
When the stakes are high and things get serious, it's always Mexicans and Americans fighting the occupiers together. 😲

Putin isn't going to break the Western alliance (he'll likely lose what he had before the invasion first), so there's really no need for these scenarios.

crimsonorca42 said:

My little contribution to the "Russian" concert. 👍

I really hope they don't find it too enjoyable. 😁

A little while ago, we played Oy u luzi chervona kalyna performed by Pink Floyd.
They actually quieted down.

We're saving the anthem for heavy artillery.

Joshua Myers432 said:Because Canada wasn't part of the USSR, and they don't have a 30% Russian population living inside their borders. That's the gist of it.

What about Poland?
Romania?
Finland?

Sandra Harris2 said:A little while ago, we played Oy u luzi chervona kalyna performed by Pink Floyd.
They actually quieted down.

We're saving the anthem for heavy artillery.

I would love to join the crew if you guys are open to taking on new members.😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J0f...ijalnePolicije

Hats off to @rowdytiger13 for that last comment.
I'm totally with you on that final point... 😬