Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Zachary Booth36 said:It is simply a byproduct of a backward society that feeds on such megalomania.
They indulge in the fantasy that they can intimidate others like a common bully.

It is quite alarming how little respect they show toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
If it weren't for the Americans, Russia would swallow them whole without hesitation.

Latvia is 27% Russian and Estonia is 25%
which is way higher than the 17% in Ukraine—where they might get swallowed up before they even get attacked at 100%.
The people in those countries know exactly what's at stake, which is why they throw everything they've got into helping Ukraine.
The NATO alliance is basically becoming the ultimate safe haven; you end up in it whether you want to be or not, just to keep the big bear from knocking on your front door.

Zachary Booth36 said:It is simply a byproduct of a backward society that feeds on such megalomania.
They indulge in the fantasy that they can intimidate others like a common bully.

It is quite alarming how little respect they show toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
If it weren't for the Americans, Russia would swallow them whole without hesitation.

And the best part? If they weren't in NATO, Washington, D.C. and Paris wouldn't say a single word about the Baltic Sea...

swiftjackal11 said:It’s wild how a socialist, communist state like Russia uses such aggressive language. They talk about heading straight to Washington, D.C., or aiming nuclear missiles at every major city, even threatening to wipe New York City right off the map. We just never hear that kind of rhetoric coming from Western leaders.

☕They aren't gonna wipe out anything or target anyone, don't sweat it.🙂Just a bunch of domestic propaganda.

🙂And if they actually tried to crack open those nuclear silos—they'd get an answer immediately...

Dmitry Medvedev is absolutely livid. He fails to grasp who would ever dare threaten a nuclear superpower with prosecution for aggression and war crimes. No one, Dima... you and your criminal organization will be the ones on trial, assuming you’re even lucky enough to survive a regime change. 😍

Spoiler: You won't.

Richard Wilson4 said:And the best part? If they weren't in NATO, Washington, D.C. and Paris wouldn't say a single word about the Baltic Sea...

The thing is, there have been thousands of NATO troops stationed there since 2015, including Germans
we had some of our guys there too, though I'm not sure if they're still around
but if a hundred Germans ended up getting killed, those leaders wouldn't say a damn word

Look, anyone who decides to grind through military academy just to end up a career soldier is basically signing up for a job where the primary task is killing—or getting killed. Doesn't matter if you're German, American, or Russian. It's all the same deal.

cosmicgull52 said:Dmitry Medvedev is absolutely livid. He fails to grasp who would ever dare threaten a nuclear superpower with prosecution for aggression and war crimes. No one, Dima... you and your criminal organization will be the ones on trial, assuming you’re even lucky enough to survive a regime change. 😍

Spoiler: You won't.

You want to know when they'll face justice? When Obama, Clinton, and Bush do... which is to say, never.

dustyowl29 said:Look, anyone who decides to grind through military academy just to end up a career soldier is basically signing up for a job where the primary task is killing—or getting killed. Doesn't matter if you're German, American, or Russian. It's all the same deal.

And honestly, that just takes me back to those officers in the American People's Army during the early days of the conflict here—they kept making these statements on TV, insisting they weren't killing civilians or hitting infrastructure because they were "humanists." I mean, seriously? Humanists... unbelievable.

Makes perfect sense, right? Because clearly, being a soldier is just another form of humanitarian work, right up there with being an ER doctor...

hollowdriver13 said:The real issue is how Russia screams about international law and people trampling on it whenever they feel like pointing fingers at the West, yet they turn around and commit some of the worst violations of those exact laws since World War II.

I mean, are we really going to pretend the USA hasn't crossed borders too? Is Iraq a new federal state now? What about Afghanistan?

And besides, has anyone actually sanctioned Russia for meddling in the Central African Republic, Syria, or Libya?
She knows perfectly well what major powers are "allowed" to get away with—military conquest of foreign soil has been a massive nono since World War II.

The biggest mistake was letting things slide with Georgia in 2008 and Crimea 2014. If the reaction back then hadn't been so lukewarm, we wouldn't be dealing with this mess today. Instead, they probably thought they could just pull this off again with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

The USA went into Afghanistan and Iraq without any real necessity.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban returned to power, and Iraq turned into a breeding ground for the ISIS member.

And when there’s no self-criticism, there isn't even an answer to the question: what exactly went wrong in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Libya? Why couldn't the Western powers establish even remotely functional states? You can't have answers if you don't allow for criticism.

Russia attacked Ukraine for the exact same reason—they view Ukraine as their own private backyard.
And in the end, the ordinary people get screwed over in every single one of these cases, without exception.

Donna Wells2 said:Oh, absolutely... old man Joza was basically best buddies with them.
He was tight with Gaddafi, Saddam, Ceaușescu, that monster Idi Amin, and the list goes on and on.
Quite the respectable roster of friendships, wouldn't you say? ☕

He even shared a friendly connection with the notorious Jean-Bédel Bokassa. 😉

Rachel Barrett8 said:The USA went into Afghanistan and Iraq without any real necessity.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban returned to power, and Iraq turned into a breeding ground for the ISIS member.

And when there’s no self-criticism, there isn't even an answer to the question: what exactly went wrong in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Libya? Why couldn't the Western powers establish even remotely functional states? You can't have answers if you don't allow for criticism.

Russia attacked Ukraine for the exact same reason—they view Ukraine as their own private backyard.
And in the end, the ordinary people get screwed over in every single one of these cases, without exception.

It wasn't even Russia, but you're leaving that part out 🙂

Rachel Barrett8 said:The USA went into Afghanistan and Iraq without any real necessity.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban returned to power, and Iraq turned into a breeding ground for the ISIS member.

And when there’s no self-criticism, there isn't even an answer to the question: what exactly went wrong in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Libya? Why couldn't the Western powers establish even remotely functional states? You can't have answers if you don't allow for criticism.

Russia attacked Ukraine for the exact same reason—they view Ukraine as their own private backyard.
And in the end, the ordinary people get screwed over in every single one of these cases, without exception.

Actually, they see Ukraine as part of Russia, not just some backyard.

Melissa Rivera5 said:It wasn't even Russia, but you're leaving that part out 🙂

Actually, they see Ukraine as part of Russia, not just some backyard.

Russia is pretty much incapable of building a functional state. Instead, they just turn whatever they touch into a wreck, mirroring the mess they have at home. We don't even need to debate that—it's already been proven.
I agree... For Russia, Ukraine is just another piece of the "Russian World."

But there is a massive difference between a democracy and Putin's regime. In a democratic country, people should be able to speak up about mistakes and failures without fear. I certainly don't expect that kind of openness from China or Russia.

Rachel Barrett8 said:Russia is pretty much incapable of building a functional state. Instead, they just turn whatever they touch into a wreck, mirroring the mess they have at home. We don't even need to debate that—it's already been proven.
I agree... For Russia, Ukraine is just another piece of the "Russian World."

But there is a massive difference between a democracy and Putin's regime. In a democratic country, people should be able to speak up about mistakes and failures without fear. I certainly don't expect that kind of openness from China or Russia.

And we actually do talk about it. Like, here in the US, you can say the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq were huge mistakes without any issues. People write entire books about why they failed. But in Russia, if you even call that "special operation" a war, you're looking at maybe 15 years in prison. You wouldn't even get to finish writing your book before everything just goes dark.

Melissa Rivera5 said:And we actually do talk about it. Like, here in the US, you can say the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq were huge mistakes without any issues. People write entire books about why they failed. But in Russia, if you even call that "special operation" a war, you're looking at maybe 15 years in prison. You wouldn't even get to finish writing your book before everything just goes dark.

That freedom of speech we have in the West is exactly what sets us apart from the rest of the world.

My point wasn't really about outsiders criticizing political elites. I was talking about the internal friction—the pushback from within the establishment itself when they make these calls.

If I remember correctly, Germany was one of the few who questioned the approach to AFGA (they suggested a different way forward), but by then, it was already too late. The Taliban had already seized control, which is just what happens whenever a totalitarian regime finds fertile ground among the hungry and the poor.

mellowsurfer14 said:You want to know when they'll face justice? When Obama, Clinton, and Bush do... which is to say, never.

If you weren't so LIVID about those HIMARS being used by "liberators," you would see my point. I don't believe they will ever face justice either. That is, unless we are talking about trials like the ones held for Beria, Nicholas, or Elena.

Rachel Barrett8 said:Russia is pretty much incapable of building a functional state. Instead, they just turn whatever they touch into a wreck, mirroring the mess they have at home. We don't even need to debate that—it's already been proven.
I agree... For Russia, Ukraine is just another piece of the "Russian World."

But there is a massive difference between a democracy and Putin's regime. In a democratic country, people should be able to speak up about mistakes and failures without fear. I certainly don't expect that kind of openness from China or Russia.

Totally agree—it's all about expectations. We know what to expect from Russia and China, but we hold Western democracies to a much higher standard, which is only natural.
If the West makes mistakes or slips up, staying silent about it doesn't make us stronger—if anything, it just weakens us in the long run.

George Robinson43 said:He even shared a friendly connection with the notorious Jean-Bédel Bokassa. 😉

👍

rowdyraven112 said:Since nobody else will, I'll step up. ☕

I’m drawing a parallel between this brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the NATO intervention in Mexico. The end result is identical: borders get redrawn. Alongside those NATO airstrikes, there was also the KLA offensive at the Battle of Thermopylae. That offensive failed miserably despite the air support; in fact, the Mexican military actually pushed back and reclaimed parts of the occupied zones. Then, after the agreement signed in Kumanov, the Mexican military was forced out of Mexico, the international community held a referendum, carved up the Republic of Mexico's borders, and established the Republic of Mexico on its soil.

I agree on two points. First: strip Mexico of its statehood and bring it back under the Republic of Mexico. Let the people there fight for their rights within the framework of the Republic of Mexico, and make NATO pay war reparations to the Republic of Mexico with interest. Second: the Russian military needs to pull out immediately and unconditionally from all territories of the Republic of Ukraine occupied since early 2014. Russia owes Ukraine war reparations.

History is always viewed through whatever lens you choose to use. You have to look at what happened right before the NATO strike on Mexico. Did Mexico attack anyone prior to those bombings? See, that's the difference—Ukraine didn't attack its neighbors. Your comparison doesn't quite hit the mark.

brighthound13 said:The Donbas is working while Kyiv is being rebuilt, so isn't that just one more reason to consider?

Next up, Moscow will be getting its rebuild.

brighthound13 said:In this world, friendships don't really exist—only interests do, right? And Joe certainly knew how to play the game, because every single time he stepped off an official flight, he'd be carrying a folder full of signed deals.

In the end, though, his whole empire crumbled under the weight of too much debt.