Posts by Kate Lewis3

wiredtiger8 said:Right now, it seems like "the whole world" is fixated on that option, so...

And honestly? This whole line of reasoning questioning whether Russian nuclear missiles are even functional... you can take that logic and throw it right out the window.

Even if only 20% of their total stockpile is actually mission-ready, we're still talking about over 1,000 warheads.

And let's be real—they aren't going to bother launching anything that’s sitting there unmaintained or in questionable shape...

Honestly, conventional military gear hasn't even been enough to stop them so far.

Sean Doyle8 said:He won't declare war. Instead, he'll call it an "anti-terrorist operation." He's labeling Ukraine a terrorist state and branding every country providing aid as a sponsor of terrorism.
That gives him a free hand to do whatever he wants...

As if his hands weren't already tied before this.

Paul Thomas46 said:The annexation they’re planning is actually a massive deal...
Yeah, I know everyone wants to just lump this all into the general Russian shitshow—but honestly, it’s not quite that simple.

It's serious because the international community (basically the Western world) is going to find themselves in a very, very tight spot sooner rather than later.
The entire concept of the international order and international law—as far as those high-level institutions are concerned—only really exists as long as everyone decides to play by the rules.
If Russia manages to walk away from this with any kind of gain—especially regarding territory—it will be as if they just rewrote international law on the fly.
See, war itself isn't banned under those generally accepted international standards (war crimes are, obviously, via various conventions and such), but an annexation like this? That is strictly forbidden.

But starting a war? That's where the line is drawn.

And before anyone tries to jump down my throat about Iraq back in 2003, there’s a massive reason why certain countries (like the US) jumped into the mission in Afghanistan while running for the hills whenever it came to actually helping topple Saddam Hussein.

hiddeneagle98 said:We can only assume he's making the same educated guesses we all are. If the Americans did pull something like this, there's no way they'd orchestrate it so that some former Polish minister could just broadcast that kind of info to the whole world.

Besides, Russ isn't even selling gas through NS1 anymore, and they never really used NS2 for that either. So, they aren't exactly sitting on that branch, nor do they have any hope of ever sitting on it again. The European side has already written off any investment in NS2 as a total loss.

We'll see what happens next, and that should make it pretty obvious who was playing what game. Honestly, I'm worried the Norwegian pipeline might be the next target.

Word on the street is that Norway has made it crystal clear: if anyone tries to mess with—or actually succeeds in sabotaging—that pipeline, they’re going to treat it as a full-blown attack and trigger Article 5.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Maybe a torpedo, or even better, an anti-submarine mine.
Don't think they overcomplicated things too much.

Not sure if I read this right... apparently there was 100 atmospheres of gas pressure in the barrel.
Seems a bit high to me, but maybe it's just a typo in the report.

Either way, the barrel material was already pushed to the limit—designed to hold just enough to function.

Look, in actual engineering, nothing is ever designed to hold up "just barely." That’s not how this works. You need a safety factor of at least 1.5, minimum. And when you're talking about high-stakes stuff like a major gas pipeline? That margin is probably way higher.

placidsurfer13 said:Wait, so the USSR didn't have a buffer zone? I mean... what was the Warsaw Pact then, if not a giant buffer zone?

I think it's true that Putin's dream is to rebuild the USSR in some way, but since he can't quite pull off a whole new Warsaw Pact, he’s settling for grabbing Ukraine to use as a buffer... that’s why he went in. Though, I guess that's not even the only reason, right? Like someone else mentioned earlier, you've got all those natural resources and massive territories to consider too... it's complicated.

Look, the Warsaw Pact was a defense alliance. It protected Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Poland from falling under the Nazi boot because of gullible masses who were tricked into wanting Nazi lies—you know, things like free multi-party elections, freedom of speech, and the right to move around freely.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Right, because it's just so incredibly weird how all those countries bordering Russia used to have perfectly fine, friendly neighborly vibes going on, and Russia never once decided to invade them or carve up their territory for fun. But then, oh no, evil NATO rolls in and suddenly all these nations are just dying to join up with them.

gentlestag15 said:+18
He was wearing a swastika shirt, and now they’ll probably spin the whole thing to say he was sympathizing with Ukrainian Nazis, making that the excuse for why the idiot targeted kids. 🤣
View on twitter

A National Guard ID, Mein Kampf, and a copy of Sims 3.

Terry Green3 said:Only one small thing. We in Europe, North America, and Russia aren't the entire world. Those three sides would be completely wiped out.

But Africa, South America, and most of Asia would survive.
The whole world doesn't revolve around us Westerners. The Fallout would be horrific, but groups of people in remote areas would make it through.

Maybe it's finally time, after WWI and WWII, for us to just finish the job and destroy ourselves once and for all, giving the rest of the world a chance to breathe outside the grip of the Indo-European warrior culture.

Unlike the rest of humanity, which just loves drumming up kids to charge bayonets.

rowdyraven112 said:Fine. Let's say he drops one. Or two. They don't even need to be massive—maybe 10 kilotons? Enough to level most of Washington, D.C. Who’s going to react? Who’s going to retaliate? And who wants to gamble with the total collapse of civilization in the Northern Hemisphere?

It's funny how everyone just ignores that famous line from Zakharov about how "Europe is wrong to think Russia can lose this." People ignored it too much. That’s exactly why we’re in this mess. ☕

Meanwhile, Russia actually had its head on straight, thinking the West wouldn't even blink at Moscow's next aggressive move.

Roger Campbell3 said:If that’s actually the case, then international law doesn't apply to these FBI prototypes—meaning Ukrainians could just sweep them aside without much fuss.
During the Nuremberg trials, the defense argued that Mainstein's units were targeted because they were liquidating Cheka agents.
The counter-argument? Since they were operating as paramilitary groups, international law and the Geneva Convention simply didn't apply to them...

Give me a break. International law absolutely applies to paramilitary units. The only catch is they have to carry their weapons and wear their insignia openly.

Sean Reed3 said:I honestly don't get them... they aren't afraid of hitting the streets to face down the regime, but they're terrified of fertilizing Ukrainian fields. I guess being dead is better than rotting in a Russian prison...
Of course, there are plenty of people who back Putin and support this whole mess, but if you can't even get 0.5% of the population out on the street to say "stop this madness," then what's the point?

It just goes to show—you get the government you deserve.

wanderingdriver68 said:I find it genuinely baffling how certain Russophiles scattered across the globe—or even large segments of the population in places like the North America—would much rather live in Munich or Vienna than actually reside in the democratic, free country they seem to daydream about every single day while praising Vladimir Putin.

They sit there in their comfortable Munich or Vienna armchairs, safe and sound, defending Russia and a dictator from a distance. It’s peak comedy, honestly.

That’s basically what every Che Guevara major from a liberal arts college looks like to me. Honestly, I'm not even saying they shouldn't go ahead and apply for asylum in North Korea if that's their vibe.

Joshua Myers432 said:Ukraine is entirely dependent on the West. At any given moment, they could receive a single memo telling them to just sit down at the negotiating table. It’s funny how people forget—it’s not like we didn't go through our own version of this back in '95.

And the West—meaning the U.S., let's be real—learned from its own mistakes that it wasn't exactly a brilliant move. Some nations just aren't built for diplomacy; sometimes, the only way to teach a lesson is a heavy hand.

Bottom line: in Ukraine, this won't happen. As long as they have the muscle to keep chasing the Russians, they’re going to keep going.

Rachel Barrett8 said:(GEO) This political crisis in Ukraine has been simmering since 2014.
Every single player involved has played a part in this... from Russia to the European Union, all the way to the USA.
And obviously, everyone has their own agenda.

But look, ramping up tensions between nuclear powers is never a good move. When relations get this hostile, things get dangerous.
We could easily find ourselves staring down the barrel of a Nuclear Apocalypse, much like during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

At the end of the day, there isn't really anyone who can stand up to Russia besides the USA.
Most other NATO members are either tethered to Russia for energy or have military capabilities similar to what the US had back in 1991.

And Putin knows it.
Not once did they stop the flow of Russian gas through those Ukrainian pipelines toward the European Union. We're talking billions of dollars fueling the war machine.
Does that not tell you everything you need to know about how complicated the situation is for both Europe and Ukraine?

The UK and France don't really fit that description.

Donna Harris11 said:I don't get why everyone is making such a huge deal out of this drama; precedents already exist anyway.

Northern Cyprus, Republika Srpska, Mexico, the Golanski plateau.

I mean, I get where the Ukrainians are coming from, but the EU's stance is just... unclear.

There's no drama here. Unless we run out of tractors.

Donna Harris11 said:I just think people in the Donbas should be able to live their lives, and I hope for peace in Canada.

Honestly, I bet the Ukrainians would agree. If those Russians from Donbas just left the way Mexicans did after Storm, things might actually settle down.

Donna Harris11 said:I wonder how the West is actually going to react to those referendums happening in the people's republics...

The same way they deal with the Russian military, the Russian trolls, and that whole "Russian world" nonsense: with a massive eye roll.

Jessica Peterson2 said:Oops, I seem to be experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance.
Wasn't this entire forum cheering for Ukraine from the very beginning, demanding that the European Union step up and provide support to the Ukrainians?
Am I interpreting this correctly? Are we now pivoting to cheer for more reservists staying behind in Putinistan just so they can be mobilized later?

Look, the European Union is just this bloated, slow-moving bureaucratic mess that takes forever to react to anything.

And now we've got this sudden "surge" of Russians arriving, and honestly, nobody knows what their real intentions are. It's a massive security risk—kind of like what happened over in Albania.

Germany already pulled the highway cameras online in the east—they aren't even accessible on the web anymore—basically so people wouldn't see how much traffic is heading toward Poland. And now we're supposed to just let some Russian guy wander in with a smartphone? Great idea.

If you want a real solution, you'd have to set up internment camps for every Russian trying to defect. But that requires massive logistics and extra spending, which is a tough pill to swallow during a recession.

Plus, for certain countries, that kind of thing carries some pretty dark historical baggage.

So, the easiest fix? If you can't make it into the European Union, go to Georgia or Kazakhstan instead.

Jessica Peterson2 said:Does it really matter whether they support Putin's politics or not?
What matters is that they aren't heading to the battlefields.
What matters is that they aren't pulling triggers against Ukrainian defenders.
What matters is that they aren't shelling Ukrainian schools and hospitals.
What matters is that they aren't killing, raping, or looting throughout Ukraine.

For Ukraine, it doesn't matter. For the European Union, it’s a massive headache because even today, ethnic Russians are causing trouble in the Baltic states. It's a huge political mess.

If we were living in a different era—back when people would have been kicked straight back to Russia for marching with a "Z" symbol—things would be simple. But now? They’re shielded by modern minority rights laws. So, the European Union either has to ditch its core principles (which basically turns into ethnic cleansing) or just accept having a fifth column living right inside its own borders.