Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Adam Lee13 said:Look, you just don't get how things actually work in the United States. For them, the bottom line is keeping the oil flowing in massive quantities and making sure producers aren't getting too cozy with Russ or China—they couldn't care less about who's pocketing the oil money over there. Their real play is keeping gas and diesel cheap enough for domestic industry and everyday folks, selling a mountain of weapons to those same countries, and then eventually cycling all that oil profit right back into the American stock market.

If you want proof, just look at those Gulf nations with state-run oil giants doing all the heavy lifting.

I have to admit, I am genuinely fascinated by how many conspiracy theories are accepted as absolute "facts."

And this persists even in our modern era, where it takes mere seconds to search for actual, relevant data.

For instance, one of those supposed "facts" is that arms manufacturers drive wars and hold ultimate power because they reap massive profits during conflicts.

Let’s actually look at the numbers rather than relying on what "everyone knows" to be true.

Lockheed Martin's total revenue for 2021: $6.315B

Google's total revenue for 2021: $257.63B

Essentially, Google earns roughly 40 TIMES more in a single year than the largest defense contractor in the world.

And what about Microsoft?

Microsoft's total revenue for 2021: $168.088B

Even Tesla had a 2021 revenue significantly higher than Lockheed Martin: $53.823B

In reality, Lockheed Martin, as the world's leading arms manufacturer, is a mere dwarf compared to

the IT giants.

So, what do these figures tell us?

Are arms manufacturers truly the wealthiest and most influential players, as "common knowledge" suggests, or are they actually tiny compared to the tech sector and other industries—perhaps not nearly as dominant as people generally believe?

It’s no wonder that Putin found it so easy to peddle "objective reasons" for invading Ukraine, such as NATO expansion or similar nonsense.

Much of what Putin has claimed can be debunked instantly in this day and age, but what does that matter when a group of people operates on the logic of "well, everyone knows it's true"?

One thing is certain: hard facts don't seem to matter anymore.

Nobody bothers to read them, and frankly, nobody cares.

That is why you see debates arguing that the occupation of Ukraine is logical and justified, simply because Putko was backed into a corner.

P.S. I don't think this is Off-Topic, because it highlights how we had to reach the 21st century and harness the power of the internet just to facilitate an invasion of a sovereign nation.

In this conflict, Russia is winning much more effectively on social media than they are on the battlefield.

They are winning the information war quite successfully, because so much of their rhetoric will become "common knowledge" after this war ends, regardless of the truth or the actual outcome of the fighting.

The West fell asleep at the wheel and has already lost the war. And the consequences are going to be huuuuge.

☕

William Cooper11 said:We all know exactly who’s actually stepping up for Ukraine and who’s just playing politics.
I mean, look at the USA, the UK, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Czechs, the Slovaks, and the Baltic states—they’re always the first ones on the scene when it comes to real, tangible support.
Everyone else? They’re all talk, secretly seething with resentment toward those who actually show up.

We are contributing as well. It’s just that we tend to keep things quiet once our Secretary of Defense—who I won't even dignify with a name—hands over a nearly exhaustive report to the public detailing the exact serial numbers of the equipment and weaponry we've sent to Ukraine. And frankly, that’s how it should be. Whether you like it or not, it is much better to fight the forces of evil out on the Ukrainian steppe than it is to have them fighting on una.

It just hit me—maybe the Ukrainians are targeting Crimea on purpose, just to spook the tourists. You know, send them running back to central Russia with news that things aren't going nearly as smoothly as the state media back home claims.

hollowdriver13 said:Let’s be real: throughout history, every single superpower has been oppressive to some degree, whether it's on a massive scale or just in smaller ways.
The whole concept of being a "superpower" is inherently built that way.
For us—as people living in a smaller nation—the real question isn't about stopping hegemony, but figuring out which of the "big three" (the USA, Russia, or China) is the least damaging to our interests.
And honestly? Even with all its flaws, the USA still leads the pack when it comes to protecting individual liberties and basic human rights compared to the other two. As part of the European Union and NATO, we basically just have to cross our fingers and hope the US maintains its status as the global leader for as long as we're around.

Personally, I didn't view these major powers as "evils"—at least not during the relatively peaceful era following the fall of communism. (Nowadays, I’d apply that label to Russia). To me, calling them "evil" just because they are powerful feels like calling sharks evil simply because they are large and strong. Being big and powerful is just a fact of nature.

Russia, however, has fallen completely behind, and China is a different world entirely that doesn't really align with our values. Then there are other players who are even further from our vision of a "good life," such as the Islamic world or India.

Ultimately, I believe the USA is more "good" than "evil." My reasoning is that the modern world as we know it—and all the values we hold dear here in Europe and the West—would struggle to exist and be put into practice without America (whether you view it as a phenomenon, a nation, a society, or a force). Whether it was defeating the Nazis (if not for American assistance), providing support to help Europe break free from old hierarchical systems, or exporting the core social values we've adopted—like equality, the rule of law, and freedom of speech—it all traces back there. Even the technology that changed the world for the masses, from refrigerators and cars to rock and roll, TVs, and now computers, came from them. If any of this had come from Russia, China, various parts of Saudi Arabia, India, or Iran, what would it have looked like?

Maybe a tiny fraction would have surfaced, but likely only for the aristocracy or the elite. They probably would have ended up like Russia...

Is this "idolatry" of America? I wouldn't call it that. It's perfectly clear to me that there are plenty of idiots and bad things happening over there. But everything I mentioned above strikes me as a historical reality.

At the same time, it's all a bit of a Greco-Roman tragicomedy 😁 because while we often treat America like a brother protecting us, she is actually more like our European daughter, isn't she? 🤔 Without Europe (including Russia), America wouldn't even exist.

Peter Barnes said:Nina, my apologies—you weren't actually bringing up the USSR or Russ; you were talking about the field studies. Regardless, I’m sticking to my guns: you seem to be defending the USA without a hint of critical thought.

Yeah, I realized I got a little mixed up there. 😵As for the USA, I'm not sure if I'm being "uncritical" or just stating facts (see my post above), but let's try not to get too far off-topic!

Olivia Turner49 said:It just hit me—maybe the Ukrainians are targeting Crimea on purpose, just to spook the tourists. You know, send them running back to central Russia with news that things aren't going nearly as smoothly as the state media back home claims.

That’s a solid point. It also serves to let Russian forces know right now that their foothold isn't as secure as they thought it was. 🙂It’s a pretty extreme breakdown of traditional rules of engagement.

John needs to realize where he stands in this war. You can't claim to be at war while you're out there living your best life, vacationing carefree in occupied territory...

goldenowl73 said:The Russian Ambassador in Vladivostok was just posting on Twitter.

He’s showing absolutely zero compassion for the people in Ukraine!

"No mercy to the Ukrainian population!"

https://twitter.com/Experdiza/status...yeHNsXHdQ&s=19

Then, after the backlash, he tries to backtrack and claims he meant to put a question mark there instead of an exclamation point. Like, seriously?🤣>

It's pretty clear to me that a genocidal war criminal is running the show in all of them.

An American player, much like Putin😉

dustyowl29 said:Let’s be real—without the US and the UK, Ukraine would have folded a long time ago..
The Russians clearly didn't see that coming.
Thanks to those British and American anti-tank launchers—you know, the Javelins and NLAWs—Russia has lost half its armor, and the supplies just keep rolling in.
The rest of the world hasn't really stepped up—maybe a measly 1%? It’s almost exclusively the US and the UK carrying the load. They’ve already sent billions in military gear, plus they're involved indirectly through intel, radar, satellites, and all that good stuff.
And don't forget the training—that costs just as much as the hardware itself.
So, at the end of the day, it's actually happening on the ground in Ukraine, fought by Ukrainian people.

Don't forget about the Poles, though—they were first in line. They sent over a massive amount of tanks immediately. We're talking actual action, not just empty promises. Honestly, I'd much rather have gear on day one than some "Uber Eats" delivery of broken equipment three months after the war actually started.

Andrew Booth29 said:Fifty-four years ago, the Soviet Union effectively dismantled Czechoslovakia. To this day, the Czech people carry a sense of gratitude for that intervention. In much the same way, I suspect Ukrainians will be remembering Russia’s "brotherly assistance" for a very long time to come.

Just a few months back, Putin mentioned how disappointed he was with Czech politics—basically implying, "they're turning on us after everything we did for them in the past."

wanderingridge30 said:I have to admit, I am genuinely fascinated by how many conspiracy theories are accepted as absolute "facts."

And this persists even in our modern era, where it takes mere seconds to search for actual, relevant data.

For instance, one of those supposed "facts" is that arms manufacturers drive wars and hold ultimate power because they reap massive profits during conflicts.

Let’s actually look at the numbers rather than relying on what "everyone knows" to be true.

Lockheed Martin's total revenue for 2021: $6.315B

Google's total revenue for 2021: $257.63B

Essentially, Google earns roughly 40 TIMES more in a single year than the largest defense contractor in the world.

And what about Microsoft?

Microsoft's total revenue for 2021: $168.088B

Even Tesla had a 2021 revenue significantly higher than Lockheed Martin: $53.823B

In reality, Lockheed Martin, as the world's leading arms manufacturer, is a mere dwarf compared to

the IT giants.

So, what do these figures tell us?

Are arms manufacturers truly the wealthiest and most influential players, as "common knowledge" suggests, or are they actually tiny compared to the tech sector and other industries—perhaps not nearly as dominant as people generally believe?

It’s no wonder that Putin found it so easy to peddle "objective reasons" for invading Ukraine, such as NATO expansion or similar nonsense.

Much of what Putin has claimed can be debunked instantly in this day and age, but what does that matter when a group of people operates on the logic of "well, everyone knows it's true"?

One thing is certain: hard facts don't seem to matter anymore.

Nobody bothers to read them, and frankly, nobody cares.

That is why you see debates arguing that the occupation of Ukraine is logical and justified, simply because Putko was backed into a corner.

P.S. I don't think this is Off-Topic, because it highlights how we had to reach the 21st century and harness the power of the internet just to facilitate an invasion of a sovereign nation.

In this conflict, Russia is winning much more effectively on social media than they are on the battlefield.

They are winning the information war quite successfully, because so much of their rhetoric will become "common knowledge" after this war ends, regardless of the truth or the actual outcome of the fighting.

The West fell asleep at the wheel and has already lost the war. And the consequences are going to be huuuuge.

☕

In terms of making money 👍

When it comes to social media and trying to "win" online, I don't think we're seeing the same thing here—because let's face it, the Russians have an epic push going on in that arena too.

Gerald Torres84 said:In any case, the European Union has "finally" realized that Rue will never be satisfied; after Crimea, they will move further. The European Union decided with all these sanctions—despite the significant cost to itself—to stop the Russians.
From a pragmatic standpoint, it is better to provide Ukraine with money and weaponry and spend billions of dollars on those efforts, rather than facing barbarians on our borders in ten years and likely facing a larger war where European citizens will also perish.

With that same move, the EU is likely succeeding in pulling Ukraine into its orbit. That means an additional 40 million people joining the Western sphere who will eventually integrate with the West. If Ukraine is simply left to the mercy of the Kremlin, they’ll end up integrating with Russia instead. That would make Russia significantly stronger by adding those 40 million people to their side, which is no small feat under these circumstances. Russia desperately needs people; regardless of how many they have, Russia remains a vast wilderness. They have the resources, but they lack the manpower to actually exploit them.
The situation is far better for the Ukrainians this way, because whether it's Putin or anyone else, they would just be sent off to fight wars elsewhere, much like how they are currently sending Buryat and other minority groups.

And things are still heating up over in Crimea today.

Olivia Turner49 said:Don't forget about the Poles, though—they were first in line. They sent over a massive amount of tanks immediately. We're talking actual action, not just empty promises. Honestly, I'd much rather have gear on day one than some "Uber Eats" delivery of broken equipment three months after the war actually started.

Within the European Union, Poland provides the most significant support, but they also stand to gain the most from this shift. Between themselves and their perpetually problematic neighbor, Russia, they now command a substantial buffer state that is no longer—and likely won't be for a long time—inclined toward Moscow. They aren't just "first in line to the coast" anymore; they're looking at a coastline where tsunamis are a regular occurrence.

A few months back, I was saying that once the oil ban hits, the next logical step is slamming the door on Russians traveling through Europe.

Let's see how they handle that. We'll find out if they end up thanking Putin or deciding he’s become a liability they need to get rid of.

Moscow is already calling a potential EU travel ban "Nazi policy."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu compared the European Union's proposal to stop issuing visas to Russian tourists to "Nazi policy" this past Saturday.

"We're seeing yet another blatant display of Nazi politics here. Basically, high-ranking European officials are relentlessly pushing this Russophobic idea of banning all Russian citizens from entering EU countries," he claimed.

European Union members like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic have already started moving unilaterally, implementing policies that restrict or completely scrap visas for Russian citizens in response to Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Finland has been planning to slash the number of visas issued to Russians since September, and Poland is looking at doing the exact same thing.

Denmark is calling for a total ban across the entire bloc, though their politicians noted they could probably just pull the trigger themselves even if the other members don't jump on board.

Germany, which usually acts as the heavy hitter when it comes to shaping EU policy, is taking a slightly softer stance, arguing that innocent individuals shouldn't be punished for what the Kremlin is doing.

Meanwhile, while speaking at the International Anti-Fascist Congress near Moscow, Shoigu recycled the same old excuses for invading their neighbor.

He argued that the nationalist policies of the Kyiv leadership—which has the West backing them—have spent years targeting Russian culture within Ukraine, creating a direct threat to Russian security.

Shoigu claimed that in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian is spoken, the "Kyiv regime has been committing horrific crimes against citizens for eight years now," referring back to the start of the fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in 2014.

"At the same time, NATO has become increasingly present on Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv has committed itself to joining NATO. All of this has created unacceptable security threats for Russia," Shoigu told the crowd. -

Pulled from the live news feed.

Jeremy Peterson4 said:A few months back, I was saying that once the oil ban hits, the next logical step is slamming the door on Russians traveling through Europe.

Let's see how they handle that. We'll find out if they end up thanking Putin or deciding he’s become a liability they need to get rid of.

Moscow is already calling a potential EU travel ban "Nazi policy."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu compared the European Union's proposal to stop issuing visas to Russian tourists to "Nazi policy" this past Saturday.

"We're seeing yet another blatant display of Nazi politics here. Basically, high-ranking European officials are relentlessly pushing this Russophobic idea of banning all Russian citizens from entering EU countries," he claimed.

European Union members like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic have already started moving unilaterally, implementing policies that restrict or completely scrap visas for Russian citizens in response to Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Finland has been planning to slash the number of visas issued to Russians since September, and Poland is looking at doing the exact same thing.

Denmark is calling for a total ban across the entire bloc, though their politicians noted they could probably just pull the trigger themselves even if the other members don't jump on board.

Germany, which usually acts as the heavy hitter when it comes to shaping EU policy, is taking a slightly softer stance, arguing that innocent individuals shouldn't be punished for what the Kremlin is doing.

Meanwhile, while speaking at the International Anti-Fascist Congress near Moscow, Shoigu recycled the same old excuses for invading their neighbor.

He argued that the nationalist policies of the Kyiv leadership—which has the West backing them—have spent years targeting Russian culture within Ukraine, creating a direct threat to Russian security.

Shoigu claimed that in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian is spoken, the "Kyiv regime has been committing horrific crimes against citizens for eight years now," referring back to the start of the fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in 2014.

"At the same time, NATO has become increasingly present on Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv has committed itself to joining NATO. All of this has created unacceptable security threats for Russia," Shoigu told the crowd. -

Pulled from the live news feed.

The first International Anti-Fascist Congress near Moscow?
What is the actual purpose of this thing, and who is even showing up?

https://mobile.twitter.com/washingto...55804647727104

Just a little bit of Soviet history coming back to life for us.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Euromaida...04609564184577

Some hackers are out here trolling the Russians in Crimea—they actually hacked a digital billboard right at the bridge entrance to display a "Welcome to Ukraine" sign.

Olivia Turner49 said:It just hit me—maybe the Ukrainians are targeting Crimea on purpose, just to spook the tourists. You know, send them running back to central Russia with news that things aren't going nearly as smoothly as the state media back home claims.

Sure, that's possible, but Putin also just appointed a new commander over there recently, and it seems he got quite the "welcome gift"—delivered directly to headquarters. 👍

Looks like we've got some Russians moving into our neck of the woods. This situation is looking pretty intense

Breaking: Albanian media report that Three Russians exchanged Fire with Albanian military while Trying to infiltrat weapons facility in The town of Gramsh. One attacker is reported dead, and they're saying two soldiers are currently getting medical help for injuries caused by a chemical attack. https://t.co/akQZk70WkA

"Quote:"

nina kent Asks: I mean, I never really thought of these major powers as "the big three evils"—at least not during that relatively peaceful stretch in this part of the world after communism collapsed. Now? I’d say that description fits Russia perfectly. But honestly, it feels like saying sharks are evil just because they're massive and powerful. Being big and strong is just how they exist. Russia is honestly lagging way behind, and China is playing an entirely different game that doesn't really align with our interests anyway. Then you've got other major players like India and the Islamic world, who are even further off from our idea of a "good life." I feel the same way. In my book, the USA is definitely more "good" than "evil." Honestly, without them, the values we hold dear here in America and across the West probably wouldn't even exist today. I'm doing my internship. If America hadn't existed—as a superpower, a society, or even just a concept—we’d be in a completely different world. Think about it: would we have even beaten the Nazis without American support? Or how did Europe manage to shake off those old-school hierarchical systems without the push from the US toward democratic values? We basically imported their entire blueprint for modern life: equality, the rule of law, freedom of speech... even the tech that changed everything for the average person, from refrigerators and cars to rock and roll, TVs, and now computers. Everything. What kind of nonsense is this? So what, did it just fly in from Russia, China, some random spot in Saudi Arabia or India, or maybe Iran? Who knows. Maybe there’d be a tiny slice of it, but it would probably only be for the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. It’d likely end up just like Russia... Is this what people call "American idolatry"? I wouldn't go that far. It’s perfectly obvious to me that there are plenty of idiots and plenty of bad things happening over there. But what I said above? To me, that's just an undeniable fact of modern history. It’s all just one big Greek tragicomedy happening at once. 😁 So today we're acting like America is this big protective brother looking out for us, when in reality, she's basically our European daughter, right? 🤔 If you didn't have Europe (and yeah, that includes Russia), there wouldn't even be an America.

Look, I get it—the USA isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But honestly? It’s still the best thing that could have happened to the world.
Let’s be real for a second—most of us are living pretty damn good lives. We've got plenty of stuff, we can travel wherever we feel like, and we have the freedom to say whatever's on our minds.

Just an example of a typical day: you wake up, head to a job with decent conditions, and if you’ve got the skills or the right training, you don't end up wrecking your health in the process. Once you clock out, you actually have choices—you can go for a walk, ride your bike, grab a beer, or grab some food.
You could spend your night bingeing Netflix, catching a game, hitting the pub, or scrolling through Facebook and Instagram to comment on everything without a second thought. You could be on Tinder looking for a hookup, or just traveling the world. Instead, you're here.

Imagine if the US didn't exist and we were stuck dealing with some Russian or Chinese regime running the show instead.
Everything we use today wasn't actually invented by them. If they ever did come up with anything, it wouldn't be for the general public—it would just be some niche thing for the party elites.
So you’d rather go work a manual labor job since apparently everything else is pure evil... But hey, once you're off the clock, you won't have much of a choice. Most technology wouldn't even exist. Not to mention movies, shows, or games—if we look at our own society, how many modern series are actually Russian or Chinese? Zero? Yeah, exactly.
Games? They’re basically at zero.

If it weren't for the major players like Russia, China, Iran, and their crowd—who haven't contributed a single damn thing to the world besides tyranny, war, and crushing human rights—we wouldn't have made it past the 1900s.

The fact that the USA exists as it does is proof enough that tyrants won't be running the show.