Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Richard Wilson4 said:Russia occupied Crimea back in 2014.

Germany pulled the plug on Nordstrea 2 THIS YEAR...

That isn't being naive, man, it's being shady...

The Schwabo crowd would literally whip America over election laws in Canada, all while cutting deals with the Russians just to line their own pockets...

That's where they showed their true colors—when it comes to geopolitics, those Germans care about nothing besides stuffing their faces with bratwurst and pork knuckles....

If they were already committed to those pipelines, they should have pushed them through regardless, or better yet, started looking for alternative routes way back in 1990—ideally ones that wouldn't get cut off by the Anglo-Saxons....

Germans? Geopolitical sheep. Now they can just sit there this winter watching old footage of the Fuhrer and hope it keeps their industrial output from cratering....☕

Richard Wilson4 said:Russia occupied Crimea back in 2014.

Germany pulled the plug on Nordstrea 2 THIS YEAR...

That isn't being naive, man, it's being shady...

The Schwabo crowd would literally whip America over election laws in Canada, all while cutting deals with the Russians just to line their own pockets...

Regarding Canada, Germany is merely following the broader Western—read: American—agenda, which has unfortunately been consistently detrimental to Americans.

Given the baggage they carry, it is entirely delusional to expect them to perform any kind of grandstanding here, such as openly siding with Americans.

And we all remember how things went last time they tried to help their kin in neighboring countries; those scars haven't even faded yet.😁

Richard Wilson4 said:Russia occupied Crimea back in 2014.

Germany pulled the plug on Nordstrea 2 THIS YEAR...

That isn't being naive, man, it's being shady...

The Schwabo crowd would literally whip America over election laws in Canada, all while cutting deals with the Russians just to line their own pockets...

it isn't just corruption, it's straight-up graft
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is tight with Putin and was one of the big bosses behind the Nordstrea 2 project. It's pretty obvious he used his leverage to push the whole thing through despite the annexation of Crimea.

Sophia Perez5 said:What exactly is Vladimir Putin's long-term strategy regarding the territory currently under Russian occupation? He maintains this entire campaign is being conducted solely to protect ethnic Russians living in those regions, yet that argument feels fundamentally hollow. Even if one were to accept his premise, how does one account for the reality on the ground? Ukrainians will undoubtedly continue to strike all occupied areas, just as they have done over the last eight years; however, now the theater of war has expanded so significantly that we are likely to see an even greater number of Russian civilian casualties in the coming years. How can any semblance of stability or functionality exist within an occupied zone when constant shelling remains an inevitable certainty?

The situation is different now. Russia has a buffer zone; Ukraine does not. The Russians wouldn't tolerate being shelled and would retaliate multiple times over. If necessary, they would simply move civilians toward Russia. The economic impact of losing unused territory would be relatively minor for them compared to what Ukraine would face.

Donna Wells2 said:🤣
The truth? They don't have the manpower, they don't have the hardware, and they certainly don't have the guts.
If they actually tried anything, they wouldn't even get off the starting line before being absolutely incinerated.

Whether they actually possess those resources or not is still up for debate, but one thing is already certain: the EU doesn't.

casualcrane20 said:Whether they actually possess those resources or not is still up for debate, but one thing is already certain: the EU doesn't.

Wait, why do you think the EU doesn't have them?

Amy Rogers6 said:That's where they showed their true colors—when it comes to geopolitics, those Germans care about nothing besides stuffing their faces with bratwurst and pork knuckles....

If they were already committed to those pipelines, they should have pushed them through regardless, or better yet, started looking for alternative routes way back in 1990—ideally ones that wouldn't get cut off by the Anglo-Saxons....

Germans? Geopolitical sheep. Now they can just sit there this winter watching old footage of the Fuhrer and hope it keeps their industrial output from cratering....☕

Pushing gas to whom?
Nord Stream is gas for the Swabians.
Nord Stream 2 is gas for the rest of the European Union—mostly the eastern side.

Since those who were supposed to be extorted by that gas from Germany and Russ refused to listen, they started investing in serious LNG terminal projects and connections to the North Sea pipeline starting in 2014, aiming to rid themselves of the German-Russian menace.
Even Denmark is connecting to that pipeline because they were also caught up in the scheme of being extorted by gas from Moscow and Berlin.
Nord Stream 2 would be scrapped as an option, whether there is a war in Ukraine or not. It might eventually run at 10% capacity just to send something to the Russian pawns in Austria, considering everyone around Schüssel, including himself, was long ago deeply embedded with Moscow due to the lucrative business at the Baumgarten hub.

What I find hilarious are Scholz's words, because I know very well that his party's primary strategy since the late 90s has been absolute devotion to the Kremlin and a plan to make the rest of the European Union dependent on Russian energy. If the cancer known as the Democratic Party hadn't taken power in Germany after Kohl, we wouldn't even be facing this energy crisis in the European Union today, as everything would have been diversified long ago.
Look at what the Democratic Party did; one only needs to look at Steinmeier in the Merkel government. The man was practically acting as a deputy for the Ministry of Defense of Russia rather than the Ministry of Defense of Germany.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:We could be looking at some serious high-stakes political maneuvering here:

A RESPECTED AMERICAN ANALYST
“Is the West actually prepared to foot the bill for defeating Vladimir Putin? There’s a tragic sort of irony at play here...”

This is a solid analysis. However, it overlooks one critical factor:

None of this implies that—given enough patience—the West cannot or will not support Ukraine until they win. Rather, it all hinges on our ability to ask ourselves some difficult questions and, more importantly, actually answer them.

Whose "patience" are we talking about here? The elites or the general public? If standards of living continue to plummet, mass protests are inevitable. I suspect Putin holds the upper hand here; the Russian population is accustomed to shortages, whereas Americans are not.

If Germany were actually running its own show for once, maybe things would look different.
Instead, they’re just getting pulled in every direction by American interests and, to a lesser extent, Russian ones—not to mention being stuck with this whole green agenda mess they have to deal with now. You have to wonder if the German people will actually hold their politicians accountable for all this, but honestly, I wouldn't bet on it.

bluerider63 said:If Germany were actually running its own show for once, maybe things would look different.
Instead, they’re just getting pulled in every direction by American interests and, to a lesser extent, Russian ones—not to mention being stuck with this whole green agenda mess they have to deal with now. You have to wonder if the German people will actually hold their politicians accountable for all this, but honestly, I wouldn't bet on it.

Look, almost every country today is tied to others economically, militarily, and politically. Does that mean nobody is sovereign anymore?
The Russians are out here playing the sovereignty card while invading their neighbors. We'll just have to wait and see what their economy looks like in a year once all those sanctions really start biting.
Then we can decide if they're truly 100% sovereign or not.

rowdytiger13 said:It’s because Germany made a massive blunder by failing to secure any alternative to Russian gas. He actually admits that much. They were incredibly naive to think an invasion in Europe was a thing of the past.

The real trick is proving how buyers can actually force producers to swing production levels up or down on a whim. But looking at how prices spike out of nowhere? It shows the opposite... it's like trying to pick which girl gets the guy first.
Buyers might be able to brace themselves for a short-term shortage if they've got enough cash to burn, but that's about it. In this case, the Germans really screwed themselves over, though I guess they accidentally did a favor for some other buyers (even if they can't steal their girlfriend).

Richard Wilson4 said:Russia occupied Crimea back in 2014.

Germany pulled the plug on Nordstrea 2 THIS YEAR...

That isn't being naive, man, it's being shady...

The Schwabo crowd would literally whip America over election laws in Canada, all while cutting deals with the Russians just to line their own pockets...

There is a massive difference between criticizing Germany and watching a Dow Chemical plant shut down because they can't get gas. Do you see the distinction? It isn't just about hair vs. heavy industry; it's about the hierarchy between Germany and Canada. This ranking is baked deep into international relations, and it's exactly what allows major powers to act the way they do. Appealing to "justice" at this point is useless—we've already accepted the status quo. All that's left is raw power, and we are seeing exactly how that works right now.

bluerider63 said:If Germany were actually running its own show for once, maybe things would look different.
Instead, they’re just getting pulled in every direction by American interests and, to a lesser extent, Russian ones—not to mention being stuck with this whole green agenda mess they have to deal with now. You have to wonder if the German people will actually hold their politicians accountable for all this, but honestly, I wouldn't bet on it.

Hold up, does Germany want to be an independent nation or just the boss of the European Union?

Because let's be real, they love playing leader and hypocritically lecturing everyone else in the European Union.

Don't try to paint them as some innocent country just minding their own business...

Putin's spokesperson claims they won't be sending any Independence Day greetings to Biden this year. Apparently, it wouldn't be appropriate given current American policy. 🤣

Sometimes I wonder if they are genuinely baffled by why everyone suddenly turned against them. It sounds ridiculous, but then I remember the thought that idiots might actually be running a nuclear superpower...

Melissa Rivera5 said:Wait, why do you think the EU doesn't have them?

Here’s the reality:

The New York Times:

"The Kaliningrad region, which borders European Union nations and relies on road and rail transport through Lithuania for most of its goods, has been cut off from mainland Russia since June 17th due to sanctions imposed by Brussels.

European officials are currently negotiating an exemption for this territory, and there is a possibility an agreement could be reached as early as the beginning of July if Lithuania—a European Union member—consents, according to anonymous sources involved in the closed-door discussions.

While Western powers have committed to supporting Ukraine, reaffirming this stance at this week's G7 and NATO summits, it is becoming clear that it is extremely difficult for Europe to maintain strict sanctions while simultaneously avoiding further escalation of tensions with Russia."

Perhaps I'm being too cynical, but there's more to it. They’d essentially be pulling the plug on all pipelines, oil lines, payments, and so on... and so forth.

I ask you, why focus solely on sports and science?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...on-iss-ukraine

Germany might be leading the charge for the breadbasket school of thought, but a huge chunk of Europe—and honestly, much of the world—is probably wondering who's actually pulling the strings, and I don't mean in some ideological way, just purely from a geopolitical standpoint.

Back in 2014, Russia straight up seized and annexed part of another sovereign nation, yet we were busy handing them Olympic Games and World Cups. Putin’s visits were treated like major prestige events, all while our energy dependence grew completely unnecessarily.

I suppose the same goes for what happened in Georgia back in 2008, though nobody really gave a damn about that at the time.

On top of that, you're getting bombarded daily by bots and useful idiots pushing nonsense about biolabs and how wearing masks kills people, and you're just sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

We basically earned every extra cent we're paying at the gas pump.

We got ourselves hooked on the good stuff, and getting clean isn't easy.

Yes. When history is finally written, the period from 2014 to 2022 will likely be known as the American Dream. But everyone is wide awake now.

casualcrane20 said:Here’s the reality:

The New York Times:

"The Kaliningrad region, which borders European Union nations and relies on road and rail transport through Lithuania for most of its goods, has been cut off from mainland Russia since June 17th due to sanctions imposed by Brussels.

European officials are currently negotiating an exemption for this territory, and there is a possibility an agreement could be reached as early as the beginning of July if Lithuania—a European Union member—consents, according to anonymous sources involved in the closed-door discussions.

While Western powers have committed to supporting Ukraine, reaffirming this stance at this week's G7 and NATO summits, it is becoming clear that it is extremely difficult for Europe to maintain strict sanctions while simultaneously avoiding further escalation of tensions with Russia."

Perhaps I'm being too cynical, but there's more to it. They’d essentially be pulling the plug on all pipelines, oil lines, payments, and so on... and so forth.

Germany is pushing this move, while unofficially, Lithuanians are already tearing up the rail tracks leading toward Kaliningrad just to be safe.

Arthur Watson4 said:Germany might be leading the charge for the breadbasket school of thought, but a huge chunk of Europe—and honestly, much of the world—is probably wondering who's actually pulling the strings, and I don't mean in some ideological way, just purely from a geopolitical standpoint.

Back in 2014, Russia straight up seized and annexed part of another sovereign nation, yet we were busy handing them Olympic Games and World Cups. Putin’s visits were treated like major prestige events, all while our energy dependence grew completely unnecessarily.

I suppose the same goes for what happened in Georgia back in 2008, though nobody really gave a damn about that at the time.

On top of that, you're getting bombarded daily by bots and useful idiots pushing nonsense about biolabs and how wearing masks kills people, and you're just sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

We basically earned every extra cent we're paying at the gas pump.

We got ourselves hooked on the good stuff, and getting clean isn't easy.

Sure, those lazy EU politicians and bureaucrats, practically swimming in Russian money, figured Putin wasn't crazy enough to launch a full-scale, long-term invasion. God forbid they had hoped it would all wrap up in three days.
Now everyone is paying the bill, though there is a certain irony in watching everyone scramble to distance themselves from Russian cash.
This was necessary. A painful amputation. Thanks, Putin; they never would have done it themselves.