Posts by wanderingdriver68

hollowdriver13 said:They also called a Security Council meeting about the massacre in Izyum after those mass graves were found.
Honestly, whenever they call for these sessions, it feels almost like a public admission of guilt.

On a more political note, though, the Security Council session called by the US is probably going to be way more interesting—the one dealing with violations of UN mandates and the military annexation of occupied territories.

We can pretty much expect Russia to block it with a veto (and if that happens, the US has already said they'll just move the vote over to the General Assembly anyway), but watching how China votes will be the real kicker. The US has basically backed them into a corner here. If they vote against the resolution or even just stay neutral, it shows that all their talk about respecting territorial integrity and international law is nothing but empty rhetoric, which would totally tank their political credibility. On the flip side, if they actually vote for the resolution, they’re essentially stabbing Russia in the back, especially since they claimed back in February that their "partnership has no limits." ☕

It should be quite something to watch. When is that session scheduled for?

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says that The four regions of Ukraine that held referendums on joining Russia will be incorporated into The country on Friday.

So, I guess we get to watch the whole circus unfold tomorrow.

I wonder if Nord Stream 2 managed to escape unscathed, or if it’s also been compromised? As far as I can see, there are really just two ways this whole mess plays out, which are:

a) The Russians pulled this off to exert pressure on European Union nations, serving as a sort of secondary threat to force Germany and everyone else into a corner in the dead of winter, essentially coercing them to restart Nord Stream 2 and back away from those sanctions. It feels almost too symbolic, doesn't it, considering how this happened on the exact same day the Norwegian pipeline was opened toward Poland?

b) The Americans were behind it, all to ensure Europeans don't cave when the pressure mounts mid-winter or once gas prices hit levels that are simply impossible to stomach.

I'm leaning toward scenario a), though I certainly wouldn't rule out b).

boldbison40 said:Stop being so melodramatic. Americans blinked during Vietnam while the Russians supplied the weapons—nothing happened. The Russians blinked in Afghanistan while the Americans supplied the weapons—again, nothing happened. Why on earth do you think the outcome will be different this time? The Russians stumbled into a quagmire they never should have entered, but losing territory in Ukraine is nowhere near a threat to the very existence of the Russian Federation, and nobody is going to order the total annihilation of the world over that. This is a bluff; it's the only card they have left to play, but since no one has ever caved to a nuclear ultimatum before, they won't start now.

You can't even begin to compare Vietnam or Afghanistan to this Ukraine/Russia conflict, can you? It’s fundamentally different because it’s playing out on territory that the Russians view as their own, specifically places like Crimea and Donbas. We are looking at a completely different beast entirely. From the perspective of a psychopath, this is a war being fought on "Russian" soil.

People are always droning on about how NATO has somehow "encircled" Russia, but I honestly don't follow the logic there; why wouldn't these nations want protection against Russia in the first place?
The Baltic states are under no illusions—they know perfectly well that if they hadn't joined NATO, they’d be facing exactly what happened to Ukraine right now. You have Russian presence scattered across basically every former USSR state, and combined with that outside influence from Russia, they've been tearing through territories just like they did in Georgia, Moldova, and now Ukraine. I suspect Lithuania would be the very first target if they weren't in the alliance; that little corridor leading toward Kaliningrad would be a perfect opening.

We need a reality check here: aside from a few fringe groups in Asia and some puppet regime under Lukashenko, nobody actually wants anything more to do with Russia or Putin.

Sean Watson3 said:And yet, Ramzan Kadyrov actually sent the relatives of women protesting the war and the crackdowns to work in the front lines.

What kind of nation does that? What kind of system?

It’s funny how all the people here siding with Russia seem to enjoy their freedom of speech and expression so much.

I suppose it's easy to support a cause when you aren't the one fighting to the death just to survive under that regime.

What a state.

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.

crimsoncyclist71 said:Here’s one point nobody seems to have brought up yet in this thread: Russia is massive and loaded with resources. If we start making concessions now, how long will it actually take before they decide they want something else? It happened once before, and it’ll happen again. Has anyone actually learned anything from history?

The real question to ponder, though, is how relevant will Russia even be as a global player in terms of energy exports 40 or 50 years down the line? The world is pivoting toward green energy at a steady clip, and there's this massive push for the European Union to hit CO2 neutrality within the next three decades. If that actually happens, what does it mean for the Russians? It would essentially strip away any leverage they have over Europe. Of course, whether that goal is even remotely realistic remains a huge question mark, but you can certainly see why they’re scrambling to expand their borders and grab extra resources right now; Ukraine is simply too perfect an opportunity to pass up.

It’s getting awfully quiet from those folks who were busy defending the "character" of this war in Ukraine, isn't it? All those people who spent so much energy hunting for a million different invented excuses to justify what's happening... well, they've gone silent. After today's blatant attempt to annex four more Ukrainian provinces into the Russian Federation, even Erdogan won't be able to spin this one—not after how loudly he was criticizing such moves just the other day.

I mean, if they had just tried to grab part of the Donbas, maybe there would be some twisted logic you could argue, but trying to take Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia? That isn't strategy; it's just pure looting and a deliberate attempt to dismantle Ukraine entirely.

gentlerider7 said:Look, maybe this *is* a version of WWIII, but don't go thinking it's gonna play out like the old ones—I mean, let's be real, Russia doesn't stand a chance in a conventional fight against NATO, and if things actually go nuclear? Well, then everyone loses and it's all over pretty damn fast anyway. It's way more likely this just stays a grinding, long-term conflict stuck on Ukrainian and Russian soil.

First off, the scenario you're describing is probably what we'll see. Everyone is well aware that a direct collision between the major superpowers wouldn't end well for anyone. The only real wildcard would be if the Americans really push things too far with the Chinese over Taiwan; that's where things could hit a breaking point and lead to an actual direct confrontation, which would then give Russia the perfect opening to ride that momentum.

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.

And what about Kherson, Mariupol, or Zaporizhzhia? What exactly are they trying to annex now? Did they have their eyes on Kharkiv too?

The Ukrainians have always understood that if you hand the Donbas over to the Russians today, their appetite for more will only grow tomorrow. This whole mess is happening because back in 2014, Russia was able to take Crimea without much resistance at all. It isn't as if people in the EU or even in Ukraine are fools; we all see Putin's intentions clearly, and he’s shown us exactly who he is. That’s precisely why there was such a desperate push to join NATO. You simply can't allow a precedent to be set when the Russians harbor such a pathological hatred toward Ukrainians and won't stop until they've completely crushed them.

If we’re looking at this realistically, how is Ukraine supposed to actually win a war against a nation that possesses virtually limitless human resources—I mean, they have three or four times the population size—and besides, it’s become painfully obvious that Russia isn't going to settle for anything less than total victory in Ukraine; in fact, I’m convinced they’d be willing to drag the entire world into a massive conflict if things started going south for them, since a psychopath like Putin is clearly prepared to go all the way to a total war.

Personally, I find myself stuck in a situation where I don't see any viable exit strategy that doesn't eventually spiral into a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, because honestly, what are the odds that this doesn't escalate into that within a few months or years, especially when removing Putin from the equation seems just as impossible as it was to stop Hitler, given how he has spent years building up an absolute machine of power within Russia that grants him unchecked control.

There’s zero doubt that an influencer will be making appearances this season too, though I’m personally banking on a much more thrilling fight for the top spots. And honestly, isn't the battle for third place going to be a total blast? McLaren Racing looked absolutely fantastic today, so we'll just have to wait and see how they hold up as the season unfolds.

By the way, I don't know about you guys, but seeing that "MSC" abbreviation for a split second actually gave me a little hit of nostalgia. 🙂

And then you eventually come to terms with the reality that Russell is going to be stuck driving that absolute junk pile at Williams Racing next year. 👎 Is there actually any realistic scenario where he ends up landing a seat at Mercedes? I’ve got a feeling Bottas is a lock for next season, and honestly, the whole influencer thing feels like a mere formality just waiting for them to officially announce he’s staying put.

I can’t quite recall the last time Mercedes handed themselves such a massive blunder on a silver platter, and honestly, it's a bit suspicious how this mess unfolded right when Lewis Hamilton wasn't even around, isn't it? 😁 I still have that mental image from earlier in the season—you know, that wild moment where he somehow limped across the finish line on three wheels just to edge out Max Verstappen... At the end of the day, Lewis Hamilton is an undeniably brilliant driver, even if his personality drives me absolutely nuts, and I find myself increasingly irritated by this strange streak of "sporting luck" that seems to follow him everywhere he goes.. 🙂

It’s a shame for George Russell, but I have to say, I’m genuinely thrilled for Sergio Perez finally grabbing that first win. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him landing a seat over at Red Bull Racing next year.