Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

If a war ever actually breaks out between China and the US, it’s going to be a naval showdown first and foremost. Honestly, nobody even comes close to matching the US Navy, and let's face it, they won't for at least another few decades. Not to go too far off track here, though.

It looks like Canada is the one taking the heat for the drop in gas supplies—or at least, that's how things look from the Russian perspective.
Siemens sent over a turbine needed to keep the pipeline running smoothly to a manufacturer in Canada, but the Canadian government held onto it as part of their sanctions against Gazprom. Now, the Russians are threatening to cut off the gas entirely if that turbine isn't sent back.

The Germans are really feeling the squeeze now.

Getting dragged into a mess like this is just asking for trouble. Honestly, China is really just projecting power on a local level, especially when you consider they’re surrounded by hundreds of millions of people who aren't exactly exactly thrilled about them—I mean, look at Vietnam. It feels like the Western media circus and certain cozy little political insiders are just pushing this narrative that China is some kind of global aggressor trying to paint the entire world red, which, let's be real, probably just serves to boost defense spending and weapon manufacturing. ☕

It’s like the Atlanticists are trying to push Germany right to the edge.
Basically, they want them to just park themselves right up against Ukraine.
Based on what the Chancellor said yesterday, looks like the decision's already been made.

Russia's struggling, plus there's this headache with heating costs, inflation, and then the looming recession hitting the EU and the Eurozone.
And here we are, heading straight into the Euro. Hmm!

Donna Harris11 said:The Anglo-Americans shouldn't be barking at China for no reason; they know deep down their military and economic dominance is on its way out.

Now they’re supposedly acting all worried about Taiwan.

That's why they're cooking up things like AUKUS, spreading rumors, making local pacts to surround China—and lately, they've been waging this disgusting propaganda war.

Luckily, we probably won't see those Soros-style color revolutions here. I guess Chinese people aren't some easy targets like they were in Eastern Europe.

Honestly, it sounds like a bedtime story.
I mean, neither China nor anyone else on the planet is going to be able to challenge US military dominance for the next xxx years, I guess. Experience, sheer knowledge, massive stockpiles, doctrine, technology, geography... everything is just stacked in their favor. They’re smooth operators who always seem to stay one step ahead of everyone else.
If their dominance ever actually gets threatened, that's when things will truly get messy.

wiredseal7 said:And hey, they say there will be fewer Chinese people too.
Even if a massive wave of them migrates there later, that doesn't mean they've suddenly seized control—you still need weapons for that, which means war.

Giving candidate status to a country where the president has banned the opposition and people are getting taped to the streets... what a joke.

It’s clear they were right once they started banning anti-government parties.
By "taping people to the road," are you referring to punishing thieves during wartime? How terrifying! ☕
The European Union made a mistake by granting candidate status to Western North American nations before Ukraine.🥳
While Ukrainians were struggling to purge pro-Russian elements and sabotage from their ranks, the occupation of Crimea happened. That pushed Ukraine further away from membership. We should have been integrating and assisting a country with such vast agricultural wealth, potential oil and gas reserves, and a solid demographic structure.
Speaking of corruption, even ten years after joining the EU, America's equivalent in that region remains a corrupt mess. And don't even get me started on the candidates in Canada or Mexico. Clearly, the EU didn't see much interest in helping Ukraine.
Now they'll have to deal with it, and at a high cost. This is what happens when mindless bureaucrats make wrong decisions.
Not to mention those on the Russian payroll.

Carol Johnson21 said:It’s clear they were right once they started banning anti-government parties.
By "taping people to the road," are you referring to punishing thieves during wartime? How terrifying! ☕
The European Union made a mistake by granting candidate status to Western North American nations before Ukraine.🥳
While Ukrainians were struggling to purge pro-Russian elements and sabotage from their ranks, the occupation of Crimea happened. That pushed Ukraine further away from membership. We should have been integrating and assisting a country with such vast agricultural wealth, potential oil and gas reserves, and a solid demographic structure.
Speaking of corruption, even ten years after joining the EU, America's equivalent in that region remains a corrupt mess. And don't even get me started on the candidates in Canada or Mexico. Clearly, the EU didn't see much interest in helping Ukraine.
Now they'll have to deal with it, and at a high cost. This is what happens when mindless bureaucrats make wrong decisions.
Not to mention those on the Russian payroll.

There were wartime thieves too, but for some "duct-tape" types, they mentioned Crimea using terms they didn't even know in Ukrainian, only in Russian.
As for whether the opposition is anti-state, the voters should probably decide that instead of the government.

All in all, they aren't ready for the EU—not to mention the widespread idolatry surrounding Bandera, Hitler, and the like.

The list of things they need to fix is long. Maybe they'll get status now, but that's usually just a PR stunt; it's obvious they aren't actually prepared. It would be like if we had been given status back in '91—things were way less chaotic then than they are in Ukraine.

Carol Johnson21 said:It’s clear they were right once they started banning anti-government parties.
By "taping people to the road," are you referring to punishing thieves during wartime? How terrifying! ☕
The European Union made a mistake by granting candidate status to Western North American nations before Ukraine.🥳
While Ukrainians were struggling to purge pro-Russian elements and sabotage from their ranks, the occupation of Crimea happened. That pushed Ukraine further away from membership. We should have been integrating and assisting a country with such vast agricultural wealth, potential oil and gas reserves, and a solid demographic structure.
Speaking of corruption, even ten years after joining the EU, America's equivalent in that region remains a corrupt mess. And don't even get me started on the candidates in Canada or Mexico. Clearly, the EU didn't see much interest in helping Ukraine.
Now they'll have to deal with it, and at a high cost. This is what happens when mindless bureaucrats make wrong decisions.
Not to mention those on the Russian payroll.

Canada doesn't have candidate status.
Zelenskyy seems fine with these three musketeers making statements or visiting Kyiv. Hopefully, he gets his candidacy. France is always incredibly skeptical about any kind of expansion.
Macron wouldn't mind being in Moscow either. Honestly, one can only imagine how much he’d need a win against Le Pen. Besides, she feels right at home in Moscow.

wiredseal7 said:There were wartime thieves too, but for some "duct-tape" types, they mentioned Crimea using terms they didn't even know in Ukrainian, only in Russian.
As for whether the opposition is anti-state, the voters should probably decide that instead of the government.

All in all, they aren't ready for the EU—not to mention the widespread idolatry surrounding Bandera, Hitler, and the like.

The list of things they need to fix is long. Maybe they'll get status now, but that's usually just a PR stunt; it's obvious they aren't actually prepared. It would be like if we had been given status back in '91—things were way less chaotic then than they are in Ukraine.

That tape argument you're using is honestly pathetic.
As for the rest—"Oh, but Mexico can do it?" How many far-right movements exist in other EU nations? I suspect you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than you would find so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Oh, please. In organized nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can actually be banned. Consider that a hint of what happened here in the US as well.

@rowdytiger13, I know Canada isn't a candidate, but they try to shove them in there whenever Ukraine is mentioned these days.

So, apparently now we're calling Ukrainians Hitlerites 🤦. Honestly, I don't see how anyone in Kyiv can get along if they're all fighting over the Russian language.

One question, though—why was Klaus Iohannis in Kyiv? Was he there to make sure the trio doesn't try to convince Zelenskyy to avoid embarrassing Putin by giving up any territory, or what? I didn't catch the news about his trip beforehand; I just saw the headline once he arrived. Also, I'm not sure if Scholz is still sticking to that "don't respond to violence with violence" stance.

rowdytiger13 said:If I were following pro-Russian logic, I'd say China and NATO are going to fight until the last Russian is gone. But clearly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine served its purpose: it successfully diverted global attention away from China, and quite effectively at that. Does anyone actually remember the formation of AUKUS? Or Biden's statements about how the USA will militarily defend Taiwan? He never once made a similar commitment for Ukraine... if anything, he emphasized that there wouldn't be direct military involvement.

It’s not just that the US hasn't stepped in militarily in Ukraine—no country has. Officially, there are no foreign armies there, just volunteers.
The consensus was simply to send weapons, money, and handle the refugee crisis.

If that Russian madman with his nukes threatens total annihilation, everyone holds back.

Ukraine is fighting because they refuse to live under a Russian boot... everyone else helps how they can, and how they're allowed to.

Putin is blackmailing 9 billion people...

A president changing the course of history on this planet... the new reality is that nuclear-armed nations can act however they want toward anyone's territory.
Pandora's box is open.

What’s stopping China from doing the exact same thing... threatening the world while taking Taiwan.
Is anyone actually going to risk Armageddon?!

I don't think so.

Soldiers and civilians will die... while the rest of us plummet economically.

Where were the red lines before? Who was pushing? Who's the fox in all this?!?
Some families argue and find a compromise... then you have those who just beat everyone down—mostly women and kids—and then there are those who just kill everyone... that's Russia.

Well, Putin's policy chose that path.

Russia has been building its network of influence for 30 years... and now the old man decided it's finally time to pull the trigger.

Everything has changed economically for sure, and geopolitically maybe just in parts of Ukraine... plus, new political blocs have formed.

I hope this killing and destruction stops... but it's hard... Russia has enough weaponry to
trample the entire European Union, and I don't see who could stop them...

We all rely on NATO membership, but hypothetically, if Russia actually invaded Lithuania with the same threat... would the world really risk a nuclear war?!
Or Mexico, or the US?

No one is going to defend these tiny states... and that's an opportunity the Kremlin might decide to take at any moment.

The major economic powers like the EU and the USA... they won't touch them.

ironpuma29 said:It’s not just that the US hasn't stepped in militarily in Ukraine—no country has. Officially, there are no foreign armies there, just volunteers.
The consensus was simply to send weapons, money, and handle the refugee crisis.

If that Russian madman with his nukes threatens total annihilation, everyone holds back.

Ukraine is fighting because they refuse to live under a Russian boot... everyone else helps how they can, and how they're allowed to.

Putin is blackmailing 9 billion people...

A president changing the course of history on this planet... the new reality is that nuclear-armed nations can act however they want toward anyone's territory.
Pandora's box is open.

What’s stopping China from doing the exact same thing... threatening the world while taking Taiwan.
Is anyone actually going to risk Armageddon?!

I don't think so.

Soldiers and civilians will die... while the rest of us plummet economically.

Where were the red lines before? Who was pushing? Who's the fox in all this?!?
Some families argue and find a compromise... then you have those who just beat everyone down—mostly women and kids—and then there are those who just kill everyone... that's Russia.

Well, Putin's policy chose that path.

Russia has been building its network of influence for 30 years... and now the old man decided it's finally time to pull the trigger.

Everything has changed economically for sure, and geopolitically maybe just in parts of Ukraine... plus, new political blocs have formed.

I hope this killing and destruction stops... but it's hard... Russia has enough weaponry to
trample the entire European Union, and I don't see who could stop them...

We all rely on NATO membership, but hypothetically, if Russia actually invaded Lithuania with the same threat... would the world really risk a nuclear war?!
Or Mexico, or the US?

No one is going to defend these tiny states... and that's an opportunity the Kremlin might decide to take at any moment.

The major economic powers like the EU and the USA... they won't touch them.

Look, there's US military presence in Lithuania, so if they invade Lithuania, that's an attack on the USA. Or do you seriously think that when the Russians move, Americans are just gonna hop on a plane and head home? You could absolutely have a conventional conflict on Lithuanian soil. I don't believe the US would immediately start waving nukes around just because this scumbag exists—because the US knows they'd get crushed. And if Putin wants to start a nuclear war, he can do it this very second without needing to step foot in Lithuania. At that point, nobody can do a damn thing.

wiredseal7 said:There were wartime thieves too, but for some "duct-tape" types, they mentioned Crimea using terms they didn't even know in Ukrainian, only in Russian.
As for whether the opposition is anti-state, the voters should probably decide that instead of the government.

All in all, they aren't ready for the EU—not to mention the widespread idolatry surrounding Bandera, Hitler, and the like.

The list of things they need to fix is long. Maybe they'll get status now, but that's usually just a PR stunt; it's obvious they aren't actually prepared. It would be like if we had been given status back in '91—things were way less chaotic then than they are in Ukraine.

Oh, please. It’s not like everyone in Ukraine speaks Russian more than Ukrainian, or I’d be seeing tape everywhere in a place like Odesa.

Look, it's a war, so anything can happen, but these specific claims are just ridiculous. 😁

I honestly take all those threats coming out of Russian channels seriously. That level of hysteria is genuinely worrying. Sure, they make claims about mushrooms being visible from Mexico after America gets destroyed, or how the United Kingdom will sink—it’s wild stuff—but where does it end? It's a threat to everyone. One single nuclear strike could land right here, and that’s that.
It really is an attack on all of us. Even Orban has woken up with these ideas about what historically belongs to Canada. Obsessing over who owned what 100 or 200 years ago just drags us all into the abyss. I truly think the Russians didn't see this much pushback coming, and now they're stuck. How do you admit you were wrong? For years, they got away with it—Moldova, Georgia, Crimea, Donbas, Chechnya, Syria (and by that, I mean the absolute devastation they caused there). They expected the same thing again: a weak response from the West, some condemnations, a few rallies with Ukrainian flags, and then business as usual. They thought Kyiv would fall, they'd install their own people, parade around, the West would grumble for a bit, and that would be it. They thought they could slide by. Honestly, the more I think about it, it feels like they were even coordinating some kind of subplot in Canada—everything seemed to be heading that way. But it didn't go according to their script. Putin learned that the West has been letting them off the hook for various reasons. Now, figuring out the root cause of why that happened... well, that's a whole different study.

Carol Johnson21 said:That tape argument you're using is honestly pathetic.
As for the rest—"Oh, but Mexico can do it?" How many far-right movements exist in other EU nations? I suspect you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than you would find so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Oh, please. In organized nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can actually be banned. Consider that a hint of what happened here in the US as well.

@rowdytiger13, I know Canada isn't a candidate, but they try to shove them in there whenever Ukraine is mentioned these days.

Nah, it’s more of an illustration of the state of things in Ukraine—basically how much protection their own citizens actually get from violence (which is supposed to be the police's job). That system should still work, even during a war.

As for everything else—can Mexico handle it? How many far-right groups are there in other EU countries? Honestly, I bet you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than those so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Where exactly are you seeing a comparison between Ukraine and Mexico right now? Besides, the Mexican negotiations have hit a dead end anyway.
Those neo-Nazis are arguably more mainstream in Ukraine than they are in most European countries, where a lot of that iconography is banned.

But hey, all that will come to a head once they start the accession talks.

Oh please, in stable nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can be outlawed. Just a hint—that applies in the US too.

Right, because I'm sure Zelenko & co. use perfectly objective criteria to decide who's undermining sovereignty. 🙄
Anyone who isn't pushing for this war against Russia until the last Ukrainian is gone—and wants a compromise instead—just gets labeled "pro-Russian." If questioning official policy is forbidden, then we're just looking at pure one-party rule.

Arthur Miller7 said:Look, there's US military presence in Lithuania, so if they invade Lithuania, that's an attack on the USA. Or do you seriously think that when the Russians move, Americans are just gonna hop on a plane and head home? You could absolutely have a conventional conflict on Lithuanian soil. I don't believe the US would immediately start waving nukes around just because this scumbag exists—because the US knows they'd get crushed. And if Putin wants to start a nuclear war, he can do it this very second without needing to step foot in Lithuania. At that point, nobody can do a damn thing.

If things work the way you say, we're basically just relying on Putin's judgment... which doesn't seem to exist...
Yeah, right... US troops in Lithuania... maybe Estonia or Latvia too... at this point, we're just praying to St. Peter, and even he seems to have disappeared into the forest.

I used to be more active here... back when I still held out hope that Russia would show some restraint
but now I'm increasingly worried that Ukraine might just get steamrolled. Aside from the USA and the UK, which are far away and relatively safe, everyone else seems to be hesitating... at least that's how it looks to me.

Terrible.

Innocent people are dying for ideals on both sides... it's tragic.

wiredseal7 said:Nah, it’s more of an illustration of the state of things in Ukraine—basically how much protection their own citizens actually get from violence (which is supposed to be the police's job). That system should still work, even during a war.

As for everything else—can Mexico handle it? How many far-right groups are there in other EU countries? Honestly, I bet you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than those so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Where exactly are you seeing a comparison between Ukraine and Mexico right now? Besides, the Mexican negotiations have hit a dead end anyway.
Those neo-Nazis are arguably more mainstream in Ukraine than they are in most European countries, where a lot of that iconography is banned.

But hey, all that will come to a head once they start the accession talks.

Oh please, in stable nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can be outlawed. Just a hint—that applies in the US too.

Right, because I'm sure Zelenko & co. use perfectly objective criteria to decide who's undermining sovereignty. 🙄
Anyone who isn't pushing for this war against Russia until the last Ukrainian is gone—and wants a compromise instead—just gets labeled "pro-Russian." If questioning official policy is forbidden, then we're just looking at pure one-party rule.

And how protected are those same citizens in the occupied territories? Let's use that as an illustration: how many people had to fight through checkpoints and various selection camps in areas under Ukrainian control versus those under Russian control?

Also, how many people in Ukraine actually speak Russian? Of all the people tied up with duct tape, what percentage was it because they spoke Russian (as you claim)?

Is it actually possible they weren't tied up because of the language? 🍿

Those neo-Nazis seem way more mainstream in Ukraine than they are in European countries, where a lot of that iconography is banned.

The neo-Nazi movement is probably stronger in Dortmund than it is in Ukraine.

Hmm, I'm sure Zelenko & co. are using perfectly objective criteria to decide who is undermining sovereignty.🙄
Anyone who doesn't want this war against Russia to continue until the last Ukrainian is gone, and instead wants a compromise, is labeled "pro-Russian." If questioning official policy is forbidden, then it's just pure groupthink.

Yeah, surely they're more objective than the folks who are obsessed with blaming them for Nazism or the persecution of Russian speakers... 😁

wiredseal7 said:Nah, it’s more of an illustration of the state of things in Ukraine—basically how much protection their own citizens actually get from violence (which is supposed to be the police's job). That system should still work, even during a war.

As for everything else—can Mexico handle it? How many far-right groups are there in other EU countries? Honestly, I bet you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than those so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Where exactly are you seeing a comparison between Ukraine and Mexico right now? Besides, the Mexican negotiations have hit a dead end anyway.
Those neo-Nazis are arguably more mainstream in Ukraine than they are in most European countries, where a lot of that iconography is banned.

But hey, all that will come to a head once they start the accession talks.

Oh please, in stable nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can be outlawed. Just a hint—that applies in the US too.

Right, because I'm sure Zelenko & co. use perfectly objective criteria to decide who's undermining sovereignty. 🙄
Anyone who isn't pushing for this war against Russia until the last Ukrainian is gone—and wants a compromise instead—just gets labeled "pro-Russian." If questioning official policy is forbidden, then we're just looking at pure one-party rule.

Let’s cut to the chase: do you actually have anything to back up this "tape horror story" regarding Russian rhetoric?
Do you have a list of the banned parties along with their justifications (or was it just because they weren't liked), and who exactly banned them? Was it just Zelenskyy?
When were they banned? And were they questioning the war against Russia at that time?
What is the metric used to decide which "pro-Russians" aren't Nazis?
The ones who call a war against an aggressor "someone else's war" are the ones who deserve a kick in the pants—or better yet, a spot on the front lines.
Coming from a Putin supporter like you, this outrage over tape and civil liberties is frankly laughable.
You're headed for the ignore list.

wiredseal7 said:Nah, it’s more of an illustration of the state of things in Ukraine—basically how much protection their own citizens actually get from violence (which is supposed to be the police's job). That system should still work, even during a war.

As for everything else—can Mexico handle it? How many far-right groups are there in other EU countries? Honestly, I bet you'd find more neo-fascists in Italy than those so-called Nazis in Ukraine.

Where exactly are you seeing a comparison between Ukraine and Mexico right now? Besides, the Mexican negotiations have hit a dead end anyway.
Those neo-Nazis are arguably more mainstream in Ukraine than they are in most European countries, where a lot of that iconography is banned.

But hey, all that will come to a head once they start the accession talks.

Oh please, in stable nations, parties that deny or undermine sovereignty can be outlawed. Just a hint—that applies in the US too.

Right, because I'm sure Zelenko & co. use perfectly objective criteria to decide who's undermining sovereignty. 🙄
Anyone who isn't pushing for this war against Russia until the last Ukrainian is gone—and wants a compromise instead—just gets labeled "pro-Russian." If questioning official policy is forbidden, then we're just looking at pure one-party rule.

In my neighborhood, some guys taped over the streetlights with Scotch tape... Guess I better call Putin and tell him to do something about it.

Arthur Miller7 said:In my neighborhood, some guys taped over the streetlights with Scotch tape... Guess I better call Putin and tell him to do something about it.

The absolute best reason why we should let Ukraine into the EU🤣

The whole thing about Ukraine becoming a candidate is basically just symbolic, isn't it? I mean, look at Turkey—they've been sitting in candidate limbo since way back in 1987. It doesn't really change the day-to-day reality, but it serves as one hell of a message to Putin.