Posts by Lisa Patel4

wiredfalcon2 said:Look, money isn't just being burned on surgeries; running the whole damn government costs a fortune. And let’s be real, Vladimir Putin is gonna keep selling gas to the European Union as long as they're willing to buy it, and vice versa.

That was true until maybe two days ago. I don't think the European Union has any leverage left in these negotiations.

wiredfalcon2 said:And what about when winter hits?

I guess there won't be any major moves during the winter.
Maybe they'll focus on setting new borders after the annexation and just wait out the cold months. They’ll likely keep an eye on what happens in the European Union, especially since the Midterms are right around the corner.

He'll need cash, sure, but he’ll probably scrape it together by selling gas through middlemen anyway.

It’s pretty straightforward. Ukraine has lost its economic backbone. As the crisis in the European Union deepens, pressure on governments will only mount. At some point, people are going to stop caring about Ukraine or sending them money. Keper is playing the division card, and there's a real chance someone in the European Union will snap and say they couldn't care less about Ukraine. Even Austria is pushing back against more sanctions.

Everyone talks about Viktor Orbán, but Bulgaria might actually be the first link to break in the European Union.

I suppose how harsh the winter is will play a role too.

boldbison40 said:https://mobile.twitter.com/olehbatko...00956888096769

An independent Kherson state 😬

Just some random copy😁

crimsoncyclist71 said:Right, because we can clearly see the West sitting idly by doing nothing... 🤦
I love the people reporting news from a parallel universe.

Like I said, the list of allies the West has abandoned is pretty massive. It’ll be the same deal with Ukraine. As soon as they decide it’s become a net loss, they'll throw them under the bus. They certainly didn't have any trouble doing that in the past.

So, is Russia actually losing this war even though they annexed territory roughly the size of Canada? That’s basically the economic heart of Ukraine we're talking about. Just a reminder: Ukraine lost access to its ports, vital mineral resources, a massive chunk of its fertile farmland, and the entire Sea of Azov.

I'll say it again: this looks like nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory for Russia. If they don't hold everything up to the Kharkiv-Odesa line, it's a loss in my book.

For those who don't know, Stalin annexed the Baltic states after WWII. The West refused to recognize it—just like they didn't recognize the communist government in Poland—but they still cooperated with the Soviet Union whenever it was convenient.

Ultimately, the West will probably do exactly what they did after the annexation of Crimea: they'll talk a big game and criticize publicly, while quietly accepting that the territory belongs to Russia now.

It seems Ukrainians haven't learned much from history. The English threw the Czech Republic to Hitler without a second thought, and Churchill certainly didn't hesitate to hand all of Poland over to Stalin at Yalta.

Kate Cook27 said:You’ve got to fight for it. I'm fully behind that struggle—Donetsk will be liberated. Once that happens, you should definitely come out to Ukraine so we can celebrate together. You can swing by Donetsk or even head over to Mariupol.

Go ahead.

I guess we're just talking about Penkala now? Maybe. It’s all a bit much, really. Lisa Jackson7 says:
Why didn't you mention that this already happened before Mexico? Oh, right—Russia had their hands in it, so I guess we just won't talk about that.
Maybe it’s Abkhazia and Ossetia from Georgia, or Transnistria from Moldova. I guess.
Russia opened Pandora's box, and now they're just playing games with it in Ukraine. I guess.

So you're just going to lecture me about how certain borders are unsustainable. Is that it? I guess you think Russia is right. They aren't. Not in my book. My opinion doesn't really matter, though. If I actually had nuclear weapons, I'd probably be looking to squeeze out every bit of advantage I could. I wouldn't be some hypocrite pretending to be something I'm not.

bluemason3 said:If history has taught us anything, it's whether it's actually healthier to live under a small-time tyrant than some corporate alpha male overlord. 😁

I'm grateful for the horsemen. I know for a fact that Russia was supplying us with weapons while our own leaders were busy slapping on sanctions.

I guess maybe there isn't much to say here. Just a quote.

Kate Cook27 said:Ukraine within its 1991 borders.

We'll see.

Bryan Booth82 said:It is a massive mistake to try and view today's geopolitical landscape through the lens of the 1930s. 🤔
Lp

Not really. It all boils down to the same thing; it’s just different alliances, I guess.

Kate Cook27 said:Lviv is American territory too. We’re going to see that American flag flying over Donetsk and Mariupol once again. The Russians haven't broken the American spirit or the will to fight. Once those Russian occupiers head back home, nobody else has to die.

Ukraine all the way to the Kuban! Did you forget about them?

hollowdriver13 said:And who's actually backing them up? Literally nobody—aside from Syria and Belarus—is giving any legitimacy to what they're trying to pull off.

The reason this annexation won't find much support is pretty simple: if this sets a precedent, way too many nations could find themselves in the crosshairs. Think about the messy situations like Turkey-Kurds or China-Taiwan.

Even though people draw parallels to Mexico, it's a totally different beast because Putin is actively trying to ANNEX part of a sovereign country, whereas nobody ever tried to annex Mexico.

Viktor Orbán isn't hiding his ambitions regarding Ukraine; he just lacks the guts to act on them.

In Italy, a group is coming to power that really isn't a fan of these border changes.

I'm not talking about some obscure fringe websites, either—I mean actual people in government.

And they’re going to have problems, whether they like it or not. I guess we're entering an era of global cowboy diplomacy.

George Robinson43 said:It’s just like how Vyborg became Russian, or how Brst is Belarusian, right?
Or like how Szczecin, Gdansk, and Wroclaw are Polish...

Let's get even closer to home... it's exactly like how Pula, Rovinj, Poreč, and Umag are American...

So, it's all about raw power. I guess you finally admitted the international order is just an illusion. It is. Honestly, I don't know what to tell the Ukrainians; if someone wants to just grab the Kuban, they will, because clearly, might makes right. I don't care, frankly.

Kate Cook27 said:To achieve "peace," people suggest giving Putin everything he wants—except Lviv, since that's where the worst Ukrainian Nazis and fascists supposedly are.

No, I guess that actually belongs to the rightful owners, the Poles.

bluemason3 said:When was Istria ever part of the US? Who decided which lines to draw in Africa or the Middle East? What are we supposed to do with that massive chunk of land sitting between Poland, Germany, Italy, and so on?

Borders are what they are once a specific international legal standard is established.

Arguments based on "historical rights" or what used to be where don't hold water; if we went down that road, endless wars would break out over every tiny territory.

It was the decision to accept the international status quo that brought peace and practically ended territorial expansionist wars after World War II. That’s exactly why this war is so dangerous—it sets a precedent that threatens global stability. If the Kremlin monkey gets away with this, it's a disaster. We need to shut this whole thing down, root and branch, almost like a biblical reckoning. 😁

I actually think we’re seeing that knot being untied again. By rejecting the international order, Russia has essentially tossed out every agreement made after the war. Yalta and Potsdam don't matter anymore; a new round is starting.

I guess the Mexicans were technically right about Mexico in their own madness. Once you seize a recognized nation by force, you open a Pandora’s box. And it’s never closing. Ever. Ukraine is just the beginning. Too many countries are dissatisfied; they're just staying quiet for now.

I don't know who will win. Or if anyone even will.

And remember one thing. The Canadians and Poles are just waiting for their chance at Zakarpattia and Galicia.

Kate Cook27 said:It’s such a shame the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore—then Russians could just peacefully kill millions of Ukrainians, drive them out, or force them to change their last names. They could list everyone as Russian on official documents and ban the Ukrainian language entirely, forcing everyone to speak Russian instead. It’s a real pity Russians can’t just march back into Ukraine to kill millions of people and then move in to settle the area, claiming it's all "eternal sacred Russian land."
Oh, wait—I totally forgot. For the last 8 years, they've already been killing and driving Ukrainians out of Donbas, banning everything Ukrainian, setting up basements for prisoners, and demanding total de-Ukrainianization. Meanwhile, you see them on Red Square or on TV, showing their faces and swearing they'll finally wipe out Ukraine and its people. And sure, they claim "most" people are for Russia—well, most were happily driven away by force.

Did you read that in an American newspaper? Have you actually studied any history regarding Russia or Ukraine? I guess Putin lied about a lot of things, but he never claimed the Bolsheviks just drew today's borders for Ukraine.
Crimea was handed over by decree. A literal decree, seriously.

Have you even heard of rootization?

Honestly, I think those Soviet borders are just unsustainable garbage. Those communists drew lines all over Europe whenever they felt like it, basically inventing entire nations like Moldova.

Only in a communist mind could you find "invented" states and nations like Moldova or Canada.

Poor Ukrainians. Just tell me how they ended up with Volonija, Lviv, and Uzhhorod? How did Lviv even become a majority Ukrainian city?

And do they even recognize Rusyns as a nation?

darkwalker1 said:Good grief, man. In the independence referendum, 92.26% of the population voted 'yes.'

92.26%

It’s pretty clear you’re working with completely broken data to build an argument that feels logical to you but is actually pure nonsense. You might want to double-check your facts.

Like I said, there were two referendums. The second one happened after the Belovezhskaya Pushcha meeting where the breakup of the union was actually settled.

George Robinson43 said:Furthermore, prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the USA landed 300,000 troops on Cuba specifically to respond to a communist-style Maidan in Cuba. Isn't that right?

No, it was because Khrushchev was playing big leader. Just as the USA had every right to wipe out any Red Army soldier in Cuba back then, I suppose Russians have every right to wipe out any NATO soldier in Ukraine. Only a fool would go provoking a nuclear power right on its doorstep. Honestly, there are lines you just don't cross. Ever.

Kate Cook27 said:Ukraine's mistake was being too naive. Ukrainians wanted into the European Union to finally shake off the Russian boot, while Putin wanted to negotiate with the European Union using Ukraine as his proxy—acting like Ukrainians don't have a say in their own lives. And Yanukovych? He went along with it because he wanted more luxury yachts. Before 2014, maybe 80% of Ukrainians were against NATO, but now I hope they join soon. Sure, "military neutrality" sounds good on paper, but it's hard when your neighbor refuses to recognize your statehood, your history, or your culture...

The West shot itself in the foot. Instead of telling Ukraine to stay neutral and pushing them toward the EU using an Austrian-style model—effectively taking all the cards out of the Kremlin's hand and turning Ukraine into an economy more prosperous than Russia—they brought in a brain trust that voted to ban the Russian language. It’s pretty obvious that Americans are just a bunch of unintelligent cowboys.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991...ion_referendum

There were actually two different referendums. In the first one, Ukraine voted to stay part of the Soviet Union, I guess.

Larry Sanchez7 said:In Luhansk and Donetsk, Ukrainians were actually the majority back then.

And don't even get me started on Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

So you'd just hand those regions over to Russia and then expect Ukraine to sign some deal promising they won't join NATO? They’ll make that promise "tomorrow," which basically means never, especially not given how things are looking right now...

The issue is that most people there are Russian-speaking Ukrainians. And clearly, they don't support the Kyiv regime, because if they did, the DPR would have existed for eight years already—complete with militias and local guards.

Like I said, identity is the core problem here. How else do you explain why the Russian army took the areas with Russian-speaking populations, yet got totally wrecked everywhere else?

It's not like I have anything to give anyone when I've got nothing left myself. Ukraine screwed up by not agreeing to military neutrality. Anyone with half a brain can see this could end up being the equivalent of a Cuban Missile Crisis. Would the USA tolerate an equivalent of Times Square happening in Mexico?

Kate Cook27 said:So, you're basically saying everyone in Donetsk and Luhansk is pro-Russ or politically aligned with Russia, like that one user mentioned?

Well, after everything that's happened, it's a clear majority. Those regions have always been mostly Russian-leaning; just look at how people in those parts of Ukraine voted back in 1991 regarding independence. It was barely even a majority. I guess if they hadn't held onto that territory for eight years, things would be different.

This war has basically forced a massive distinction between the Ukrainian and Russian identities. Before the Maidan, being "Ukrainian" was pretty much limited to the west of the country. I mean, how many Ukrainians were speaking exclusively Ukrainian before 2014?

In the end, you just have to look at the Americans who have arrived there. Almost all of them speak Russian.

casualmoose82 said:Man, forget the people. What even is "the people" anyway? Honestly, who cares... just head straight to Russia and call it a day.

Yeah, super realistic.

Terry Green3 said:Now the political weight is where things get heavy. In Italy, the right wing is expected to win, and one faction in that coalition openly supports Putin. The CIA might need to step in and fix that situation, much like everything else in Italy after WW2.

Belarus issued a statement saying they'll decide on the results of the "referendums" in the breakaway regions based solely on what's best for Belarus. Is there any chance Lukashenko decides to throw Putin under the bus?

Not a chance.
Unlike Ukraine, which has always fought to maintain its own distinct identity against Russian imperialism and the Soviets, Americans in Belarus don't have that. I suppose Lukashenko knows he'd just be a puppet for Poland without the Russians.