Posts by Justin Kern67

Nathan Evans78 said:USD/RUB at 81? Now we're talking! lol

Here we go again—the ruble is supposedly collapsing, except it isn't. Of course, we’ll just have to wait for the self-proclaimed experts on this forum to explain why. 😬

slyfox43 said:But isn't the defense of Europe always conducted across various territories anyway?

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.

Dennis Price said:And thanks for stepping in while we sit here unable to handle our own destiny. If you asked Germany, they’d probably just hand Ukraine over to Russia themselves.

Fair enough. I think we can all agree those decisions were made purely out of self-interest, not some noble crusade to save Europe from communism. Besides, we all saw how things turned out for Eastern Europe; if they had actually intended to save it, they could have done so—even if it meant risking nuclear escalation.
Furthermore, the world is far more complicated now than it was in '45, and the USA has plenty of other priorities that outweigh European concerns, such as matters in the Pacific Ocean and the Middle East.

Are you certain they won't just sell out Eastern Europe again in exchange for something else once a major global conflict breaks out?

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.

rustynomad12 said:I must have missed the memo...☕

It will be happening shortly. 😉

goldenowl73 said:It could happen, and frankly, it should happen ASAP for the sake of the Euro or the Ruble.

I am in agreement. I simply have no idea what they are waiting for.

goldenowl73 said:Honestly, this whole thing about paying in Rubles is just another one of those classic smoke-and-mirror tricks from Russia. Look, Russia still has open accounts in Dollars and Euros for incoming payments, and they’re all tied down by these long-term contracts that the Russians love to bring up whenever they want to sound important. If they actually wanted to, they could shut those accounts down tomorrow and send the money right back in Dollars or Euros to the European Union. But they don't. They aren't doing it. And if they’re really over being dependent on Dollars and Euros, then they should just close them once and for all instead of playing these games. 🍿

That shift is likely coming sooner rather than later, given that we are drifting toward total war. Besides, Europe could just stop buying Russian gas and oil altogether instead of merely debating the topic and drafting endless contingency plans for some vague point in the future.

brightheron64 said:Everything I just mentioned holds true, but... there's a catch, because the real question isn't just "how long can Russia hold out?" rather, the question is "how much longer can the rest of us endure this?"!

Russia-Ukraine War
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60623941

How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Is Tearing Apart the Global Food System
https://www.bloombergquint.com/marke...al-food-system

You might be able to skip driving or even skip turning on the heat, but you absolutely have to eat...

Don't worry about it. The group up there will surely explain to you that Russia's economy is essentially nothing more than Spain; there is absolutely no cause for concern.

Bryan Booth82 said:It’s always the same old story with you people: "Oh, we're all equally to blame." You constantly seem to forget that Russia's economic weight is roughly on par with Spain's.
If the collapse of the Russian economy were truly going to deal such a devastating blow to Western economies, then there’s clearly something wrong with your logic...
That would be roughly equivalent to claiming that if the Mexican economy collapsed, it would drag the entire EU economy down with it. Makes sense, right? Not at all.
Best regards,

No, Russia's "economic power" isn't anywhere near the level of Spain. What you are trying to reference is just a comparison of GDP between Russia and Spain—an argument a certain pretentious forum user repeats incessantly here. Aside from the fact that GDP can be calculated in several different ways, it essentially tells you nothing about actual "economic power."
Now, everyone is busy debating energy prices, food costs, and all the other fallout that these sanctions—and the war in Ukraine in general (whether you believe it or not, Ukraine is also exceptionally vital to the global economy, far more important than Spain)—will leave across Europe. If Spain were to vanish tomorrow with its current economic structure, nobody would even notice.

Betty Murphy3 said:You have Google—use it. We have veterans from the conflict who say, based on firsthand accounts from Ukrainians, that they’ve wiped 2,000 Russians out of the equation. If they're hitting 1,000 in three days, that’s massive—that’s 1,000 Russian mothers weeping in just seventy-two hours. Use your head.

And seriously, use Google; what else is the internet for? If everything were going according to their plan, the Russians would have seized a major strategic city by now—but they haven't. Putin calls for negotiations and a pause on weaponry, yet that jerk hasn't pivoted to total war—not because he's feeling humanitarian, mind you, but because he knows it would trigger even fiercer Ukrainian resistance and even more dead Russians. Please, give me a break.

Fine, thanks. If Šeler says it's true, then it must be. There's certainly no need to bother with Google.

Tyler Jones6 said:Ukraine has reportedly downed a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane via parachute strikes near Kyiv—the potential death toll is estimated at 174.

link

This was reported overnight. There isn't a single photo or video available yet.

Separately, the General Staff of Ukraine announced that Russians are losing "dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, and thousands of soldiers" on a daily basis. To put it plainly, if this current pace continues, there won't be a single Russian soldier left in Ukraine within a week.

William Anderson5 said:If that's the case, why didn't the Russians just sanction themselves? Didn't they want to get stronger...

As clever as you think you're being, you're actually making a valid point. From 2014 to the present day, Russia has been systematically and continuously scaling back its trade with the West while simultaneously stockpiling gold and reserves. It is quite obvious they have been preparing for this exact scenario for the last seven years.

Betty Murphy3 said:That’s just like Putin’s calls for Ukrainians to stop fighting for their own country. The little guy screwed up—badly. Soon, he won't just be facing Ukrainians; his own people will start squeezing him too. At least a third of Russians didn't want this war against Ukraine—Ukraine isn't Hitler, regardless of what those KGB thugs claim. He hasn't even convinced his own people, let alone the Ukrainians. You can see it in his eyes; he's never looked more wired, more aware of the massive mess he's made. He'll likely just retreat to a bunker like Hitler did while the Russian people and children pay the price.

Is there any chance we might actually see a photo or video of the transporter being destroyed, or is that off the table?

Anthony Taylor393 said:I mean, what exactly was Russia doing over in the Caucasus during the 1800s? 🍿

I will ask once more: could you please name just one of the ethnic groups that were massacred?

vividtiger72 said:And why on earth would you think Putin expected to conquer Ukraine in a matter of days? Did any actual Russian official ever make claims like that? As far as I can tell, it was only the Western experts who were telling Kyiv they had maybe two or three days left; the Russians always maintained they'd stay as long as it took.

They gave him four days—96 hours—by the second day of the invasion. That brings the total to six days: https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-news-example-link-6-days

Frankly, I hope it doesn't drag on any longer, because if it does, we're looking at a humanitarian catastrophe involving upwards of three million people.

Betty Murphy3 said:Still, these are the comments I find most striking—claiming they have no chance while Russians are dropping like flies in the winter.

And that’s exactly what Ukrainians are saying. Is there any photo or video of last night's transporter destruction? It seems highly improbable that air defense wouldn't have captured some kind of footage.

neonheron9 said:Everyone’s known for days that 1 and 3 are fakes... I never even saw 2... doesn't change the facts.

And all this "etc, etc" stuff...🤦

If you actually had something useful to show, you would've shown it by now. 🤣

And don't even get me started on how every single media outlet was reporting that Kyiv was about to fall and tanks were rolling into the center... we won't go there... they're currently sitting pretty in some tiny village outside of 12 milesKyiv.

Yes, "etc., etc." Because video 1 was officially released by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not some amateur Twitter user. Therefore, if they are forging official statements this poorly, why would any rational person believe a single word they say?

But please, go ahead—keep cheering and indulge in your fantasies about thousands of dead Russians, hundreds of destroyed tanks, and dozens of downed aircraft.

And I am still waiting for the video of the Ilyushin shot down tonight. Apparently, since there isn't a matching aircraft available in modern flight simulators, there won't be an official statement either.

Disinformation is moving at full throttle.

1) The Ukrainian military utilized an animation from the video game Digital Combat Simulator and subsequently released it as an official depiction of a Russian aircraft being downed. This narrative was even picked up by certain media outlets: https://www.reuters.com/article/fact...-idUSL1N2V035G

2) A video from 2019 was circulated with the claim that it shows a Russian fighter jet being shot down over Ukraine: https://www.reuters.com/article/fact...-idUSL1N2V02MW

3) The footage showing drones destroying Russian tanks (which some guy posted here on the forum) actually dates back to 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/fact...-idUSL1N2V0288

Et cetera, et cetera.

Michael Davis10 said:This war is just weird, I guess. It’s crazy how there’s basically zero info coming from the actual front lines. Just endless hype in the American media.

Exactly. Back when things were happening in Syria, you’d see dozens of clips every single day. It felt like you were watching the war unfold in real-time. Here, it’s just the same handful of photos and a few videos being cycled constantly, along with some blatant fakes.

neonheron9 said:New footage shows a local standing up to the Russian Army near Melitopol, basically holding them at bay with nothing but sheer grit.

https://twitter.com/olgatokariuk/sta...nqBKb2kmf0yfzA

"What the hell are you even doing here? Look, I'm Russian too, but I live in this state. You've got your own country, and we've got ours. Shouldn't you be busy fixing things back home instead? Is everyone over there loaded, living like they're in the UAE? You guys are nothing but puppets."

This simply serves as further evidence of how the Russians act as brutal occupiers, aggressors, and killers.