Posts by Donna Wells2

rowdytiger13 said:I’m not denying it.
No one is disputing the drop in living standards or the potential recession.
A country like Norway, which exports energy, won't feel the hit, but Germany—which tied itself so tightly to Russian energy—is definitely going to feel it. They actually admit it was a mistake. They’re looking for massive ways to cut back, but Germans are a disciplined people who tend to step up when they realize they messed up. They've dealt with much worse than this.
Other countries won't be hit nearly as hard because they didn't make such a massive blunder.
Besides, Russian energy issues are only part of the story; the fallout from the pandemic plays a role too.

Edit: Vladimir Putin started an invasion war in Europe. There isn't enough energy in the world to stop it if he truly screwed up just like he has with almost everything else regarding this invasion.
Europe will survive—it has seen much worse—but Vladimir Putin has effectively isolated his Russia from the Western world.

I was reading an article about how Germans are buying wood-burning stoves in massive quantities, with waiting lists for a new stove stretching up to a year.
People aren't going to freeze to death; they'll make it through this winter by using coal, thermal power plants, and whatever else is available.
There's this constant mantra being pushed that Russians can survive anything because that's how they're built... but what, are the rest of the nations in Europe just supposed to surrender and die because of it?
And since Russia has been cast out of the Western circle... I truly hope those who support them find themselves right where they belong.

Noah Diaz said:The Germans have carried out a 'denazification' of the Ukrainian embassy in Germany.

Putin approved 👍

IMBEX

A Ukrainian diplomat is leaving Berlin. He caused a massive uproar, insulted Scholz, and infuriated Poland...

In an interview just a few days ago, he stated: "Bandera was a Ukrainian nationalist who briefly collaborated with the Wehrmacht during World War II, but he ended up in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp before being killed by the CIA. In parts of Ukraine, he is hailed as a national hero for fighting for independence from the Soviet Union."

He also claimed, "There is no evidence that Bandera's troops murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews." He went as far as calling Bandera a "freedom fighter," comparing him to Robin Hood. While Director Jung later cited leaflets where Bandera calls for the destruction of Russians, Canadians, Poles, and Jews, the Ukrainian ambassador doubled down, insisting Bandera wasn't a mass murderer, and shut down the conversation by saying, "I won't tell you right now that I'm distancing myself from that view. End of story."

Was life in the Soviet Union so wonderful for Ukrainians that they actually welcomed Wehrmacht soldiers as liberators?
Nazis, communists, Putinists... they're all cut from the same cloth.

gentlerider7 said:The thing about 1917 and stuff like that is that those revolutions are usually pulled off by a small group of highly trained revolutionaries, which was basically Lenin's whole playbook anyway.

Tell me, out of that entire massive crowd back in 1917, how many people actually knew who Lenin was? Maybe 1%? Who knows??
People rally around a single idea, and then, inevitably, someone with actual leadership skills emerges from the pack for everyone else to follow.
Unfortunately, because of that idiot above—who died of syphilis—and his twisted ideology, more lives were lost than in both World Wars combined.

boldotter2 said:That is, until the draft starts knocking on your door.

Then you're basically left with just one choice—deciding who you're going to point that assigned bullet at. It all comes down to the ROI, I suppose.

I agree... weapons can be turned against the very people who handed them to you if they cross a certain line.
And doesn't it feel like that line gets thinner with every passing day?

Kate Cook27 said:Putin runs American politics in a way where corruption is baked into everything. I was reading recently that some commanders were reporting higher troop numbers in their units just so they could pocket the extra pay themselves. As for these threats—it's just about maintaining fear. The political climate has built this illusion of strength and importance by glorifying the "good old days." For the public, it's all about praising how resilient they are—how no one handles poverty or hunger quite like Americans—while leaning into a cult of personality around Putin, much like the cult surrounding Stalin. But there's also this massive dose of fear used to keep people in line—like crushing protests against the war in Ukraine, banning people from even calling it a war, punishing protesters, or arresting folks for carrying nothing but blank pieces of paper. It creates this sense of helplessness and total demotivation; people just stop fighting. Those who disagree simply don't get heard—their only options are to leave if they can, or stay silent. That leaves only the supporters to be heard—the ones shouting for Putin, saying the special operation is a brilliant move, or that America needs to take whatever it wants.

You made some excellent points, and I agree with you on almost everything.👍
But we shouldn't assume the Russian people are always exactly what their leaders claim them to be... we have to remember 1917, when the people staged a revolution so massive that its echoes are still felt today.
That's why you should never underestimate the will of a people... because once they finally snap, they break everything in their path.

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

👍

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.

Constant threats directed at everyone and anyone just make me laugh and feel genuine contempt... and let's be real, that reaction is actually rooted in fear.☕

Rachel Barrett8 said:Oh, so the Americans just conveniently forgot who actually built Saddam's bunkers and chemical plants?
It’s always funny how everyone loves to point fingers at someone else.
🤦

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? ☕

hollowdriver13 said:https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...99226772824070

Looks like the Russian propagandists are back at it again, daydreaming about some "three-day operation" where they just swoop in and seize the entire 37 miles length of the Suwalki Gap. 🤦

🤣
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.

"Cleaning up the Russian trash on Snake Island"

feralhawk45 said:They can just point to whatever Russia pumps out of their territory and claim, "Moscow has nothing to do with it."

Then NATO will strike back in Belarus and we'll hear the same old excuse: "Don't look at us, this has nothing to do with Russia."😁

Kate Lewis3 said:The best part is how they’re getting called out for being clueless about history. Here's the reality check: Argentina started the Falklands War, got absolutely wrecked for it, and ended up holding the "honor" of having operated the largest warship sunk since WWII. A title that Russia eventually snatched up after a chef accidentally set some cooking oil on fire back in Moscow.

Except instead of oil, they splashed some vodka on the stove and flambéed Moscow.

Quoting Joe Biden

"We are looking at a massive global effort to support Ukraine: we're talking nearly 140,000 anti-tank systems, over 600 tanks, almost 500 artillery pieces, more than 600,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, plus advanced multiple launch rocket systems, anti-ship missiles, and air defense systems," Biden stated during his press conference in Madrid.

Now, this is already a massive shipment... the kind of stuff that actually tips the scales... and it makes me wonder, how on earth are the Russians supposed to respond to this?
With some old T-62 tanks?
How many T-62s does it take to equal a single leopard?
Is it 10? 20? 100??

The tanks are absolutely dominant... the artillery alone is at least 6.2 miles superior to what Russia has, the rocket launchers offer overwhelming precision, the anti-ship missiles are a nightmare for those Russian brothers, and the air defense is there to counter any SU-57s paired with cruise missiles...
So, what's the move for the Russians now? More empty threats? Because, honestly, that seems to be the only thing they have left in their playbook...

Bryan Booth82 said:It doesn’t even stop there! The Russians start making gains after being absolutely hammered by the other side... and then they claim they never even intended to move in the first place! They lose the pride of their fleet—which just sinks on its own—they retreat from the islands, and suddenly they’re all showing "goodwill"? Give me a break!

lp

Honestly, I break out in hives whenever people start rambling about the "warm Slavic soul" or some nonsense about pan-Slavism.
Russia has a very "warm and fuzzy" way of treating everyone, especially other Slavic nations.
Everyone remembers them fondly—which is exactly why they were all so incredibly quick to run for the exits the second they got a fighting chance.

Russ is making threats again... this time targeting the Norwegians.
And what’s the response? Absolutely nothing.
But I get it... deep down, they're terrified. They're shaking in their boots over NATO.
In a conventional war, they wouldn't stand a chance... it would be high-end tech versus whatever makeshift bolts they're trying to pass off on those Su-57s. 🤣

Then again... if you actually stop to think about it... maybe those aren't just any old bolts? Could there be some actual advanced tech hiding in there after all?
🤣

William Anderson5 said:Back in 2020 and 2021—so over the last two years—separatist sources claimed civilian deaths in the Rust Belt matched what we saw in this recent missile strike on a shopping mall. Though, honestly, those separatists might have inflated that count of 15 civilians killed over two years. That’s all there is to it...

When CNN journalists cornered Antony Blinken about why he wouldn't allow them access to the old Rust Belt territory to verify these supposed crimes committed by the US Army against civilians, the old man just shrugged and said, "I don't know."
It isn't exactly rocket science to conclude that these alleged atrocities were nothing more than pure propaganda and lies, which doesn't surprise me one bit given that we're dealing with the Russians on the other side.

So, how is it that we’re suddenly hearing these conciliatory tones coming out of Moscow? It’s almost poetic, isn't it? Just absolutely beautiful.
Not even four months ago, they were making all those aggressive threats about nuclear weapons if Sweden and Finland decided to join NATO.
What happened to cause such a massive, sudden pivot in their rhetoric? Is it a sign of weakness? Pure fear? Or maybe just plain old cowardice?

Samuel Rodriguez52 said:Looks like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finally gave in! Turkey, Sweden, and Finland have officially signed a trilateral memorandum, which I guess should really clear the path for both Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

Source: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_197251.htm

Those Swedes love to lecture everyone else about human rights, acting like they’re the ultimate benchmark for freedom and democracy.
But now? Just like that, they’re going to hand over the Kurds to whatever fate comes their way just to satisfy an agreement with Turkey.
Honestly... hats off to you, Sweden... the supposed guardians of civil liberties and human rights, turning their backs on those very principles at the first opportunity.
It is hypocrisy at its absolute finest!

Melissa Rivera5 said:Maybe someone in The Kremlin finally got a brain cell working and realized that if they bleed too much in Ukraine, they won't have anything left to defend other fronts. I guess you just can't lose 30k soldiers—plus probably another 30k from the professional military who are totally sidelined—and expect things to go well if they ever have to face NATO, who hasn't lost a single soldier. At that point, they're looking at either total surrender or a global nuclear holocaust.

Though, I bet Xi Jinping gave Putin a subtle hint that if they're the ones to launch nuclear weapons first, then "China" might just side with the West.

Russia simply doesn't have the hardware to compete with the West; they are stuck in a massive technological and technical deficit.
How many T-80 tanks does it take to take down a single Leopard?
Or better yet, would they even detect an F-35 on their radar, let alone try to shoot it down?
They don't even have stealth aircraft. And if anyone wants to start talking about the Su-57 right now, please—remember those two unshielded jet engines that light up radar screens like a Christmas tree.
The only thing they supposedly have are those hypersonic missiles, but I wouldn't bet the house on it being true... you know how it goes... people lie as much as the Russians, or our neighbors to the East, it's all the same.

Jeremy Peterson4 said:Total idiots, honestly. Hard to believe anyone falls for this. What really bugs me, though, is how NATO and the USA just sit there and take these threats lying down.

I’d say we should stick to that old saying... don't fear the dog that barks.
Since this war kicked off, they've been making threats to everyone and everything...
At the end of the day, it's nothing but a desperate display of weakness. Nothing more.