Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

gentlerider7 said:Even if they draft you, those mortgage payments aren't going anywhere

"Andrew Kartapolov, who heads up the House Defense Committee, basically said that folks called up during this partial mobilization are still on the hook for their mortgages. According to the Shot Telegram Channel, that's the official word.

"Look, if you get drafted, you'll just keep paying that mortgage using your new paycheck—which, by the way, is supposed to be huge," the deputy claimed.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

He conveniently skipped over one major detail—who handles the payments when the debtor doesn't come back alive?

Nicole James said:The real question is simply when we’ll see it happen. It would certainly provide plenty of fuel for Americans to talk about.

The reality is that Americans are busy trying to put out fires at home right before the midterms, all while the Federal Reserve is busy cooling down the economy for everyone else. ☕

Nathan Evans78 said:Honestly, that’s almost brilliant. We’d crush inflation almost overnight, but the trade-off would be unemployment rates looking just as grim as they were during the COVID era—only this time, we wouldn't have the Federal Reserve printing money to bail us out. 😁

The Chinese would just pivot, selling their goods to Pakistan and other nations with significant purchasing power.

Your narrative sounds like something you'd find scrolling through Facebook groups or the comment section of a news site. Half-baked information, lacking any real grasp of the big picture.
But tell me, was this delivered by some seasoned expert who has global conspiracies and macroeconomics memorized? Was it shared on a podcast? ☕

The Federal Council just greenlit an easier way for foreigners to grab Russian citizenship if they sign on for military service

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Meanwhile, Roskomnadzor is out here threatening to "instantly block" any media outlets that dare to spread what they call "fake news" regarding mobilization efforts in Russia. They dropped that little warning over on their official Telegram channel, as if anyone actually needs permission to talk about what's happening on the ground.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Putin hasn't said a single thing that wasn't already predicted by the Americans. Honestly, the US probably knows his next move before he even does 😁. Now, it looks like everyone’s being called up to the front lines—no excuses allowed—because mother Russia has to defend herself.

James Phillips92 said:They really should just move their offices to the ground floor—makes things simpler.

It’s just going to end up in the basement anyway.

Carol Johnson21 said:The Chinese would just pivot, selling their goods to Pakistan and other nations with significant purchasing power.

Your narrative sounds like something you'd find scrolling through Facebook groups or the comment section of a news site. Half-baked information, lacking any real grasp of the big picture.
But tell me, was this delivered by some seasoned expert who has global conspiracies and macroeconomics memorized? Was it shared on a podcast? ☕

I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping up with the news lately, but Pakistan is in total shambles.

If we actually slapped sanctions on China, we'd be looking at cutting at least 5% off the average global GDP. Sure, China might eventually collapse under that weight, but meanwhile, we'd be left with holes in our heads, legs, stomachs, and backsides from the economic fallout.

Personally, I’m not really interested in getting shot just because of some American nonsense. ☕

gentlerider7 said:The Federal Council just greenlit an easier way for foreigners to grab Russian citizenship if they sign on for military service

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Meanwhile, Roskomnadzor is out here threatening to "instantly block" any media outlets that dare to spread what they call "fake news" regarding mobilization efforts in Russia. They dropped that little warning over on their official Telegram channel, as if anyone actually needs permission to talk about what's happening on the ground.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Just the perfect chance for certain unnamed neighbors to feast on a model nation.

analogbear70 said:Sure, but the reality is that the world isn't aiming for de-escalation; it's aiming for a Russian defeat. And that’s dangerous for everyone involved. Let me be clear: Russia is the aggressor. Ignoring that would be reckless, yet there seems to be zero effort from the West to lower the temperature. Instead, it feels like they are pushing for a total knockout blow—one side or the other—with the goal of ensuring Russia emerges as depleted as possible. They haven't earned anything else, and peace isn't on the table for the West right now, at least not yet. I remember when we had to negotiate with the insurgents back in the day, offering calculated concessions and trying everything until we finally got the green light for the major offensive. Even then, we were halted near the border because of threats involving US aircraft. We didn't get weapons; we got an embargo, leaving us essentially stranded. Of course, making concessions to Russia wouldn't be "fair," but we were expected to make them just to stop the bloodshed. That isn't happening here. Because of that, the question remains: how does this all end?

Look, you can only negotiate with people who actually want to talk. If things went the Russians' way—if they got Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—they’d probably be asking for Kharkiv too, provided we don't count the part where they "organized retreats" while Ukrainians were supposedly in a panic. Then, five years down the road, they'll just roll back in for the rest of Ukraine, and everyone will be expected to step aside and hand over whatever they want because, hey, they have nukes. Who's to blame for the fact that the Russians are living in 1737 and refuse to move forward? You can't negotiate with people who only understand brute force.

James Phillips92 said:They really should just move their offices to the ground floor—makes things simpler.

I mean, they could just fall five stories right out of a ground-floor window—total waste.

Angela Flores4 said:I find myself wondering, given that a partial mobilization has been ordered, does this effectively mean that a state of partial war has also been declared? 🤔

Honestly, this whole "partial mobilization" thing really only exists in his speeches. If you look at the actual legal paperwork triggering the draft, that specific word isn't even there—it just says "mobilization." So, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people end up feeling pretty let down when they realize "partial" doesn't mean they can just dodge it....

Besides observers from Belarus, Syria, and South Korea, Milorad Dodik is also calling for representatives from Republika Srpska to watch the referendum 🤣

I wonder if they’ll actually arrange for the families of those volunteers from Republika Srpska killed in Ukraine to get their loved ones back? So far, they've only returned one—everyone else was just labeled as "Missing."

gentlerider7 said:The Federal Council just greenlit an easier way for foreigners to grab Russian citizenship if they sign on for military service

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Meanwhile, Roskomnadzor is out here threatening to "instantly block" any media outlets that dare to spread what they call "fake news" regarding mobilization efforts in Russia. They dropped that little warning over on their official Telegram channel, as if anyone actually needs permission to talk about what's happening on the ground.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Looks like our neighbors can finally become Russians!

Andrew Booth29 said:I mean, they could just fall five stories right out of a ground-floor window—total waste.

Honestly, even a banana peel would do the trick...

So, get this—apparently, over the last 24 hours, the absolute top trending search term in Russia has been “how to break your own arm at home.”... haha... I mean, honestly, it really says everything you need to know about that whole "famous" mobilization situation that everyone knows is basically doomed from the start anyway...

Former Russian Diplomat Issues Blatant Warning: ‘Remove Putin!’

The West shouldn't sweat those nuclear threats—they’re nothing but "empty" bluster. That’s the take from former Russian Foreign Minister Andrew Kozirjev. Taking to Twitter, he urged Western nations to double down on sending weapons to Ukraine and keeping the sanctions flowing against Russia.

However, this former top diplomat didn't mince words when it comes to the Kremlin's domestic moves; he warned that the Russian President is being dead serious about partial military mobilization.

“His threats aren't just empty rhetoric for the Russians who will be forced to provide more cannon fodder,” the former politician asserted.

"Just look at the initial response—the surge in flights and train traffic out of Russia says it all. It’s going to collapse, just like any small, hollow victory in Ukraine eventually does."

He went as far as calling on high-ranking officials to remove Putin from power entirely. Kozirjev has been a vocal critic of the war and Putin's policies for quite some time now.

Lawmakers from the Russian republic of Mari El are calling for Vladimir Putin to step down
https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/st...701506/photo/1
It’s just a small republic with about 700,000 people, but they're doing something that used to be completely unthinkable in Russia

Kate Cook27 said:Look, you can only negotiate with people who actually want to talk. If things went the Russians' way—if they got Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—they’d probably be asking for Kharkiv too, provided we don't count the part where they "organized retreats" while Ukrainians were supposedly in a panic. Then, five years down the road, they'll just roll back in for the rest of Ukraine, and everyone will be expected to step aside and hand over whatever they want because, hey, they have nukes. Who's to blame for the fact that the Russians are living in 1737 and refuse to move forward? You can't negotiate with people who only understand brute force.

The West's response here is to flood Ukraine with weapons, whereas our approach was an embargo and talks. Who was sending us aid packages? Nobody. I'll say it plainly: the West (meaning the USA and the UK) genuinely seems focused on bleeding Russia dry without giving a damn about what happens to Ukraine in the process. Russia is the aggressor, which makes them dangerous if they're strong, but even more unpredictable if they're weak. That's a dynamic we need to keep in mind.

analogbear70 said:The West's response here is to flood Ukraine with weapons, whereas our approach was an embargo and talks. Who was sending us aid packages? Nobody. I'll say it plainly: the West (meaning the USA and the UK) genuinely seems focused on bleeding Russia dry without giving a damn about what happens to Ukraine in the process. Russia is the aggressor, which makes them dangerous if they're strong, but even more unpredictable if they're weak. That's a dynamic we need to keep in mind.

Alright then, smart guy, what’s your brilliant solution?
Russia is basically demanding that Ukraine hand over their occupied territories, demilitarize their entire army, and undergo "denazification"—which is just code for getting rid of the current government so Russia can install its own puppets. On what planet do you think Ukrainians are going to agree to any of that?
Since you're clearly such an expert, why don't you lay out a real solution for us?
If Ukrainians cave to these Russian colonial demands, they'll end up facing the same fate as Jews under Hitler.

Nicole James said:There is a reason strategic aviation stays clear of occupied zones and conducts strikes from a distance.

Russia is running low on long-range precision weaponry. And even if they did decide to target civilian infrastructure, the reaction would likely be the delivery of more long-range American weapons Ukraine.

You might be spot on with all of that, but there’s also a decent chance you’re missing the bigger picture entirely.

From where I'm sitting, we can only speculate on why certain things are happening on the ground.

The reality is that a lot of military analysts are scratching their heads. Over the last six months, Russia hasn't managed to deal any serious blows to Ukraine's critical infrastructure, even though they clearly have the capacity to do so.
Because of that, some analysts use those exact points in their debates to argue that this isn't even a full-scale war...

Unfortunately, we probably won't get any real answers until after the Russian president's address, once we see how they plan to secure their objectives using whatever means necessary.