Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

So the tables have turned; Ukrainians are making the ultimate sacrifice against the occupiers.

It’s going to be ugly, but I don't see any outcome other than a Ukrainian victory. They have the numbers, they have the moral high ground, they have that righteous fury driving them forward, and the weapons are finally arriving.

On Putin's side, there is only a weak Europe that will slowly sink because of this. But honestly, isn't a bit of economic hardship better than living under a Russian boot? It is painfully obvious what kind of future awaits anyone under that regime or allied with such a "friend."

It was all well and good while it lasted, but sometimes a cold shower is exactly what you need to get the blood pumping.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Well, I could try... but honestly, I have no clue how that would even work in practice.

Russia took massive losses during WWII (mostly because of their own military doctrine, but whatever...), but back then they were being crushed and invaded by foreign occupiers and Nazi thugs. Fighting back was basically pure survival instinct...
Now, they’re actually acting like the fascists, invading someone else's country... you can't even begin to compare the two moments.

Propaganda and news filtering work wonders; the real question is what kind of narrative is being fed to people over there. Of course, the same goes for us.

Historically speaking, Ukrainians basically welcomed the Nazis with open arms; there wasn't exactly a deep love for the Russians or especially Stalin back then either. Things shifted later on, and the Ukrainians started pushing toward Washington, D.C.—life is unpredictable like that. 🤣

Putin is giving a speech to the nation tonight.

velvetcyclist95 said:Putin is giving a speech to the nation tonight.

To be honest, I saw this coming. I thought he’d pull the trigger on this much sooner. A referendum, an annexation to Russia... and while we're at it, why don't you explain the actual doctrine behind when they decide to use nuclear weapons. ☕ Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Are they finally going to admit that those sanctions completely tanked him and that the war is effectively over? ☕

I honestly cannot wrap my head around this latest pivot in Russian propaganda regarding some supposed imminent World War III.🤔
What does "the West against Russia" even mean in this context?🤔

If we are talking about an actual global conflict, logic dictates there should be two distinct sides—major opposing coalitions of nations locked in direct combat.

But look at how they’re framing it: you have the Russians on one side—a group that most people aren't even taking seriously anymore—and then you just have the rest of the world, which happens to be mostly against Russia.

So, what's the deal here? Are we meant to redefine what a world war actually is, or should we just continue to dismiss those fools in The White House as completely delusional?

Best,

Joshua Myers432 said:To be honest, I saw this coming. I thought he’d pull the trigger on this much sooner. A referendum, an annexation to Russia... and while we're at it, why don't you explain the actual doctrine behind when they decide to use nuclear weapons. ☕ Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Yeah, pretty desperate. You've got a nuclear superpower—one of the biggest militaries on the planet—brandishing nukes at a NON-NUCLEAR country that they really should have been able to just roll over conventionally in a matter of days.
Good grief, 😳

Whatever he puts out there, unless it’s a full withdrawal, he's just digging their hole even deeper. Let's be real here.

Nathan Evans78 said:Are they finally going to admit that those sanctions completely tanked him and that the war is effectively over? ☕

Look, at the end of the day, Putin can just crush whatever he wants and then claim he’s pulling out of Ukraine whenever the mood strikes him.
And honestly? Nobody is going to lift a finger to stop him. At least, not right now.

I’m honestly curious what his logic for this annexation is going to be—since he’s basically just grabbing a slice of a "Nazi" state. What happens to the rest? Just more buttons for him to press?
It’s an obvious admission of an epic failure. They aren't anywhere near "denazification" or "demilitarization." What’s the actual plan there? Are they going to claim they're fighting Ukrainians after he already declared the whole nation doesn't even exist?

What a joke...

Joshua Myers432 said:I'm just sitting here waiting for them to start making NKVD-style proclamations about how even a single inch of ground gained is a massive victory, especially with all these guys retreating under machine-gun fire.

That’s why the FBI has armed units right there on the ground—guys in full spec-ops uniforms. And they have Kadyrov backing them up. Honestly, I don't see the point of having military police at all if this is how things work.

James Chavez91 said:Yeah, pretty desperate. You've got a nuclear superpower—one of the biggest militaries on the planet—brandishing nukes at a NON-NUCLEAR country that they really should have been able to just roll over conventionally in a matter of days.
Good grief, 😳

Whatever he puts out there, unless it’s a full withdrawal, he's just digging their hole even deeper. Let's be real here.

A paper tiger, plain and simple. That whole operation was clearly just a glorified parade. Now, either Western intelligence is just as much of a joke—remember when they claimed Russia would be hitting Berlin in five days if they moved?—or they’re lying to us on purpose. The same logic applies to the Cold War; I highly doubt the Soviet military back then was any better than this current mess.

Bryan Booth82 said:I honestly cannot wrap my head around this latest pivot in Russian propaganda regarding some supposed imminent World War III.🤔
What does "the West against Russia" even mean in this context?🤔

If we are talking about an actual global conflict, logic dictates there should be two distinct sides—major opposing coalitions of nations locked in direct combat.

But look at how they’re framing it: you have the Russians on one side—a group that most people aren't even taking seriously anymore—and then you just have the rest of the world, which happens to be mostly against Russia.

So, what's the deal here? Are we meant to redefine what a world war actually is, or should we just continue to dismiss those fools in The White House as completely delusional?

Best,

It’s just a coping mechanism for their losses. It sounds much better to claim they're losing to NATO than admitting they can't handle the Ukrainians—it strokes their ego.

I doubt we’ll see any actual mobilization even if they officially declare an annexation—they simply don't have the bandwidth to arm and train a whole new army right now, at most just some reserve fillers. This move is more about leverage—the current regular military and conscripts can't exactly refuse orders to deploy to these breakaway regions under existing laws. Since the country isn't technically at war, any professional soldier can essentially quit whenever they want; they aren't legally obligated to deploy overseas. But—and this is the kicker—if they declare these areas part of the Russian Federation, those soldiers are suddenly stuck. Ultimately, this is an internal Russian power play designed to suit their own needs—it doesn't actually change much regarding Ukraine. The Americans will inevitably move to liberate that territory—they're going to do it regardless. It seems the Russians failed to realize that the real embarrassment wouldn't be the fighting itself, but the fact that Americans would reclaim land they've already decided belongs to them. Then again, long-term strategic thinking and Russian policy rarely occupy the same room.

Raimond Kaljulaid, an American politician with backbone:

Who’s Who?
Season 7, Episode 159: Denying Entry to Russian Tourists
(ETV+ National TV channel in Russian, state-funded)

On Wednesday, September 14, during an episode of Who’s Who?, US Congressman Raimond Kaljulaid, media expert Artur Aucon, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Ulyana Ponomareva, an exiled Russian activist Evgeny Chirikov, journalist Arkady Babchenko, and sports commentator Aleksandr Shmurnov debate the travel ban imposed on tourists from Russia.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/com...ated_estonian/

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You have to understand America
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the government isn't interested in
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sorting Russians into
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good and bad; we
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hardly care about that. We are focused on protecting
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our security. Our primary
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concern is providing support
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to Ukraine so they can win
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this war. I am sorry
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that I have to say this, but
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within my generation,
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there is no longer any faith in American politics
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suggesting that Russia will become
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a normal country and a normal neighbor over the next decade.
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Fundamentally, our interest lies
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in you losing this war; we
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want to degrade your military capabilities
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for decades to come.
0:52
We don't want to see
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your economy recovering.
0:58
Quite the opposite, actually. The sanctions imposed by the West are
1:01
already starting to take effect.
1:04
We can already see them impacting
1:05
the ability of the Russian Federation to fight,
1:07
and they will continue to do so increasingly.
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We are moving away from Russian energy.
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Frankly, we couldn't care less
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whether Russian tourists show up or not.
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As the
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American Secretary of State said: "We aren't going to wait for them
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here," so this is an entirely different game.
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We feel somewhat like Israel,
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which at one point
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found itself surrounded
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only by Arab nations seeking its destruction; because we watch
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what your government does and we listen
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closely to what they say.
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It isn't just Putin, Patrushev, Gerasimov, and
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Medvedev—all of these are representatives
1:43
of Russia in whose name people are currently fighting
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and being killed in Ukraine. This is our
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position. To be perfectly honest,
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we don't care which Russians
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are good and which ones
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are bad; that is none of our business.
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This speech is 🙏

Michelle Young50 said:It’s just a coping mechanism for their losses. It sounds much better to claim they're losing to NATO than admitting they can't handle the Ukrainians—it strokes their ego.

Seriously, does anyone in this damn country actually stop to ask themselves: how can we claim this is a "special operation" against NATO, yet if we ever declare war, NATO will be our direct enemy in WW3?
Is everyone really this completely divorced from logic?🤔

Even the massive majority of Russia-lovers on this forum have finally realized that the Russians have screwed up everything there is to screw up, haven't they? They basically shot themselves in the foot with this entire aggression... and let's not forget how those people are always even more hardline than the Russians are in Russia.

lp

Joshua Myers432 said:A paper tiger, plain and simple. That whole operation was clearly just a glorified parade. Now, either Western intelligence is just as much of a joke—remember when they claimed Russia would be hitting Berlin in five days if they moved?—or they’re lying to us on purpose. The same logic applies to the Cold War; I highly doubt the Soviet military back then was any better than this current mess.

I believe the USSR would have taken the European portion of NATO. It was simply a country twice the size of modern-day Russia, possessed similar weaponry, and had the Warsaw Pact behind it.

edit: Of course, the West had a functional military back then, not a force where 60% are unfit for duty, and the Americans were ready to step up.

I get the impression it would have been a pathetic situation, though I suspect the new line would have been drawn in Belgium rather than Poland. I am exaggerating slightly.

Michelle Young50 said:That’s why the FBI has armed units right there on the ground—guys in full spec-ops uniforms. And they have Kadyrov backing them up. Honestly, I don't see the point of having military police at all if this is how things work.

If I were comparing different wars,
would you say the FBI functions for the Russians the same way the SS did for the Germans?

Putin (and maybe Shoigu?) are scheduled to address the nation tonight
Is a mobilization coming?
https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status...35qNUSUE8b7ucw

Quick question for you guys. If the Russians actually pull the trigger on a full-scale mobilization,

Do you think Western nations should start their own mobilization efforts just to mess with their heads? Like, purely as a psychological move? I'm thinking it might scare them enough to make them back off instead of actually committing to a real draft.

By "Western nations," I mean everyone—every single country in the EU, the US, all of us.