Posts by slyfox43

Nathan Evans78 said:Honestly, if things get desperate, the European Union will step up with grain shipments just like they did when they helped out with the vaccine IP issues. ☕

Classic troll behavior: obsessing over a single triviality while completely ignoring the actual core of the issue.

As if all you need to manufacture vaccines is some IP—you could practically whip that up in a home kitchen. And I suppose those hundreds of millions of donated doses were just swept under the rug.

In that case, my only advice would be to shut down your computer and relocate to one of those countries where the leadership—as you put it—actually plans for the long term. You know, go live the dream.

Besides, your opening statement is a bit of a self-contradiction. 🤣

Peter Ruiz2 said:A $300 billion heist? That’s unheard of. I mean, the Americans actually paid out the reserves of Nazi Germany. First, they went after the Iranians, though they ended up returning their money back in 2012. Then there was the whole mess with Venezuelan gold being snatched from the Federal Reserve, naturally on orders from Washington. Now, look at the Afghan reserves—money that’s desperately needed just to stop one of the worst humanitarian disasters happening right now. But none of that compares to what they did to the Russians. All those shady moves are already starting to boomerang. The European Union can't function without Russian gas, and it finally happened: it’s time to pay up in rubles or start shivering by your own fireplace, folks. The EU is hitting closed doors everywhere. They got brushed off by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the Americans shut down Venezuela. Europe doesn't need Russia because they have plenty of buyers in East and South Asia. But the EU? Without Russian gas and raw materials, they’re economically dead in the water. If de Gaulle and Willy Brandt crawled out of their graves and saw the idiots running the EU today, they’d go right back under.

Meanwhile, the Western media is still busy celebrating, predicting the total collapse of the Russian economy and their military campaign in Ukraine—which is supposedly just a matter of days away. They keep publishing these heroic fairy tales about Ukrainian supermen smashing through 1,000 Russians every single day. We'll see how much of that holds up next winter. And here’s the kicker: despite everything, Russia is still pumping gas into the EU and through Ukraine without interruption. What kind of war is this, where you keep supplying your enemy with the very resources they use to resist you? 😁

While the Americans are busy looting other nations—because, as you put it, this isn't just an attack on Putin or his inner circle, but on the Russian people themselves—the Russians are still honoring every single contract, delivering exactly what was agreed upon and paid for. In the world of diplomacy, you can't get anywhere without negotiations and deals. But personally? After seeing this, I wouldn't shake hands with an American president again, even if Kennedy himself rose from the grave.

It’s a conflict where Russia is watching thousands of pieces of barely modernized hardware vanish, struggling to find the foreign components necessary to patch up whatever aging stock they have left, and bleeding out as they try to prop up a currency just enough to save face domestically—even though it’s effectively useless. Factories are shuttering and foreign investment is fleeing, all while a third of their GDP rests entirely on the sale of those very resources they are losing control over.

In short: it is exactly the kind of war you are pretending this isn't.

A "free thinker" fueled by nothing but Russian pixie dust... clearly.

So, you’re essentially making a blind guess here... You haven't identified the specific legal process being utilized or the statutory framework behind it, nor have you actually reviewed any evidence—not that anyone owes you a look at it—yet you've already decided this is nothing more than illegal political maneuvering.

By the way, it isn't the judge's responsibility to list names in their rulings; that’s a task left to the bureaucrats within the executive branch. As for the legality of the situation, that is precisely what the courts with jurisdiction over the matter are meant to determine. Your lack of insight doesn't suddenly trigger a moral crisis for Western institutions.

P.S. The theft I'm referring to is the looting of the Russian people by those whose assets have been frozen. Freezing Russia's reserves will serve as a useful way to fund reparations for everyone caught in the crossfire of Russia's criminal policies. And frankly, it won't even come close to covering the costs.

analogbear5 said:Personally, I think politically motivated expropriation of some superyacht is a lot easier to swallow than politically motivated massacres of civilians in Ukraine.

To be fair, the actual seizure hasn't even happened yet. Right now, it’s just about freezing assets so they don't "slip away" to somewhere with a much warmer welcome.

But then again, those are the kinds of "values" Westerners tend to obsess over. A Russian wouldn't care much for them. Just ask Lavrov, Putin, or maybe Shoigu, if he’s still around.

wiredseal7 said:Honestly, I’m almost moved to tears by this sudden British concern regarding the purity of Russian money—after three decades of billions being dumped into the system on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis. 🙂

If the money comes from criminal activity, there are actual institutions meant to handle that. Sanctions just strip a person of any right to due process—it all boils down to politically motivated expropriation.

Better late than never, I suppose, though I suspect you won't see it that way. You likely find it all quite tragic that the people you hold so dear are being stripped of their assets.

If there is criminal activity involved, there are legal institutions designed to investigate such matters. Sanctions essentially deny an individual their right to due process, turning the whole situation into what looks like politically motivated expropriation.

Sanctions carry the weight of law and are the direct result of institutional action.

But I doubt that's particularly comforting to you.

wiredseal7 said:Maybe it's because her mother decided to marry the wrong guy in her old age.

Looks like they're sanctioning the whole family tree now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/w...imes&smtyp=cur

At this rate, even the birds won't be able to migrate back to Russia once spring hits.

There is absolutely nothing criminal about living off stolen and embezzled funds when there isn't a shred of proof regarding where they came from. 🤣

The Putin loyalists are suddenly clutching their human rights charters while lounging on yachts, in luxury penthouses, surrounded by caviar and champagne... Honestly, the farce is unprecedented.

As for the birds, they'll just have to manage on their own; they can no longer fly in such questionable company.

Justin Kern67 said:Right now, all we hear is how the European Union and NATO are defending Ukraine—willing to sacrifice every last Ukrainian if that's what it takes.

In reality, it’s Ukraine doing the heavy lifting on the defense.

By standing their ground, those defenders are essentially providing a massive service to both the European Union and NATO at no cost to them; you can sit there and stew over that if it bothers you.

Furthermore, the West is fighting its own battle through sanctions, targeting the exact spots where it’s most vulnerable: strategic corruption and internal subversion.

Justin Kern67 said:It’s quite amusing to watch Biden lecture China on behalf of the entire European Union: "Biden said he had made clear to Chinese President xi Jinping that He would be putting his economic relations with The US and EU in “significant jeopardy” if he were to help Russia" : https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that once a serious conflict breaks out, they will find themselves defending Europe—and doing so right there on European soil.

But isn't the defense of Europe always conducted across various territories anyway?

Christian Torres3 said:So nobody is stopping Russia from coming to collect what's theirs, right?

They just have to ask the Ukrainians to hand back the tanks first.

Ideally, they'd do that after everything has been repaired.

And while they're at it, they might want to swap out those tires for some high-quality Western ones on the BTRs, the Pantsirs, the trucks, and all that gear.

Richard Wilson4 said:So the Canadians are on board too?

Presumably, they weren't included in that list of "hostile nations" targeted by the ruble provision.

casualtiger2 said:Did they actually get any decent anti-aircraft defense set up? And is it even possible to properly secure the western side near Lviv?
How mobile—and how vulnerable—are those systems if something bigger and more serious starts heading toward Kyiv?

The systems currently in the Ukrainian inventory are quite mobile, though they become sitting ducks the moment they leave their radar active. They're also susceptible if a reconnaissance drone spots them and keeps them pinned down within artillery range—or even under the gaze of an armed drone. We've seen plenty of losses on both sides, though the Russian side tends to take the brunt of it.

Ukraine relies on a network of ground observers reporting incoming aircraft, ballistic missiles, or cruise missiles, supplemented by data from NATO surveillance aircraft. This allows them to flick the guidance radar on just long enough to launch a projectile before relocating. It’s a similar operational logic to how air defenses functioned during the Mexico conflict in '99, except NATO was significantly better equipped and trained for SEAD operations than the Russian Air Force is today.

Roger Nelson5 said:It looks like they’ve officially reopened the stock exchange in Washington, D.C., and shares are already climbing.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/24/wild...-shutdown.html

How realistic is it really that Delta Air Lines only drops by 16% when their fleet—which they don't even own, mind you—is just sitting idle on runways under Seremetjev and his crew?

A total Potemkin village.

Michael Ortiz68 said:That was always a German scheme. The whole plan was controversial from day one, long before the war in Ukraine was even on anyone's radar. And whenever anyone dared to criticize it, they’d just claim it was a conspiracy by the US to push more expensive LNG—though, to be fair, there was some truth to that, too.

On the other hand, you look at all these long-term European strategies—low-carbon initiatives, the 2021 climate laws, the Green Deal, Fit for 55... it’s all centered on pivoting away from fossil fuels. There has always been a healthy amount of skepticism regarding how feasible this transition actually is, but now, more than ever, it feels like an absolute necessity.

For Putin, however, this isn't just a distant possibility; it’s been his stated objective sitting right there in plain sight for fifteen years now.

"You didn't listen to him then, so you'll have to listen to him now." Perhaps. Or perhaps we'll just continue our tradition of pretending he isn't being entirely serious about everything he says.

Linda Lee4 said:Why though?

Is it just me, or is this actually happening?

I don't think it’s a calculated move so much as a habitual failure to accurately gauge the opposition's reaction. It's become almost a cliché with how things are handled in Ukraine; every aggressive maneuver intended to suppress resistance only serves to deepen the animosity and harden the stance against Russia. It’s a bit like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it—the more he tries to "subdue" a defiant Ukraine, the more he effectively creates a permanent enemy out of them.

Why does it feel that way? Because, in my view, the momentum has already shifted too far for Europe to simply turn around and abandon its current path toward total independence from the Russian threat. Sure, if they had a choice, they might opt for a more gradual transition, but Putin is essentially betting that an ultimatum will force Europe back into a "friendly" posture. That’s the exact same logic applied to Ukraine, yet I suspect he’ll find that instead of a compromise, he ends up facing a complete severance—one that might be uncomfortable for Europe, but will ultimately prove catastrophic for Russia.

Every single one of Putin's gambits has ultimately backfired, turning into a self-inflicted wound. While this latest move—demanding payment for Russian gas in rubles—might seem like an outlier, I'm not convinced it will be the exception to the rule.

It feels as though he is practically inviting a swifter, more decisive conclusion.

Elizabeth Wells2 said:Trump warned NATO for years that Germany was headed for disaster, and now we have the proof.

The thing is, those warnings from Trump didn't really change much; they mostly just served to sideline American influence in how things unfolded, whereas...

Still waters run deep.

(To be fair: Putin deserves the lion's share of the credit here.)

Gerald Chavez7 said:No, nobody is actually expecting a new color revolution here—there's just this lingering hope that someone from one of those three-letter Russian agencies will finally take care of Putin...

But why jump straight to a revolution or a clandestine operation? There's a much more straightforward way to look at this. When are the next elections in Russia scheduled?
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🤣

Linda Lee4 said:Watching Germans moan about being too dependent on Russian gas makes me wish Moscow would just shut off the valves entirely... They’d find out pretty quickly what happens when the supply actually dries up. It wouldn't be much of a party then. ☕

The Russians probably won't cut them off until they've already secured their own leverage elsewhere—perhaps just a day before, acting like a disgruntled employer who wants to say, "You can't fire me, I'm firing you!"

It's an old story. Russia stronk.

stormygardener15 said:I really hope the energy planners over at the Department of Energy have a broader perspective on this and aren't just letting their emotions drive the bus.

In no world should we be looking at any scenario where we just write Russia out of the equation for the American energy landscape, and honestly, making that same mistake with other major suppliers would be just as reckless. We need to keep our energy routes wide open to everyone so we don't end up stuck in some pathetic situation where we're totally dependent on just one single source.

I think I read somewhere—or maybe I just heard it during a late-night scroll—that the actual energy content in finished products is way lower now than it was a few decades back. I’m betting that trend is only going to get stronger. If you factor in all this green energy stuff moving in, we’re heading toward a point where gas and oil won't even be the big players in heavy industry anymore.

But if you want my honest opinion, what actually keeps me up at night is the idea of the US and its entire political machine being completely purged of Russian influence, those bought-off politicians, and all those sleeper agents lurking around. That’s gotta be the number one priority.

It seems like that's exactly what we're seeing with the current push for de-Russification through trade restrictions and sanctions.