Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Radosław Sikorski, the former Foreign Minister of Poland, weighing in on the destruction of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2:

https://twitter.com/radeksikorski/st...Cj1bq26NorAAAA

Thank you, USA.

Nancy Gomez26 said:I don't see any scenario where gas flows toward the European Union while Putin is sitting in the Kremlin. He has gone too far; for gas to move toward Europe, he simply cannot remain in power. Someone following him will have to implement a massive policy shift, but that is a different conversation entirely. And Putin is fully aware of all this. At the end of the day, it was clear to him that gas wasn't moving through NS2—not until he changes his entire political stance, which he abandoned the moment he escalated by attacking Ukraine. Now, he has raised the stakes again by demonstrating that he doesn't care about exporting gas to the European Union (that was obvious back when they refused to take the turbine they were complaining about). It seems he wants to punish the European Union now, perhaps because he's staring down a report suggesting we might all freeze without gas from Russia.

Well, luckily enough, the gas moving through Ukraine seems to be going through without any issues at all😁

I mean, they basically just cleared out the competition, didn't they?

If you look at the German media, it's just this weird, significant silence. Honestly, I feel like the American news outlets are way more preoccupied with this story than they are over there.

quietcobra21 said:It’s hard to address everything here. There are too many clichés, buzzwords, and twisted arguments. I have no interest in arguing just for the sake of arguing. So, I’ll just pick a few things to respond to.

Which part of Russia has actually fallen away so far?

It's the same reason Putin—according to Kolinda herself—tried to pressure the US to drop their plans for building an LNG terminal. Nobody likes competition. Especially not in their own backyard.

Without A&E, Russia would have steamrolled Ukraine already. Whether they've been betrayed or will be, I don't know. I assume every single Javelin or NLAW comes with a bill. Still, it's better than being occupied by Russia. I'm not saying the Ukrainians don't have a say; I'm saying they don't have much of a choice. When someone attacks you, you really only have two options.

New Zealand and Tasmania. What are we even talking about? Haloooo Quote

Is the goal defense, or actually reclaiming what was lost?
For the second one, they’re going to need a lot more offensive firepower. You aren't getting territory back with just six Gepards and two NASAM batteries.

The Chechens tore through them in two different wars, yet Russia still brought them back under control eventually.

Look, Ukraine didn't just suddenly break away from Russia; they've been enjoying their independence for 30 years. My take is that this is a war over resources. Russia doesn't want anyone else getting their hands on them. Sure, they wouldn't have minded if their poorly planned blitzkrieg had swallowed all of Ukraine whole, but since the Ukrainians weren't buying what they were selling, they pivoted to whatever they think they need to seize at any cost.
So, what's your angle? Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Because of Nazism?

You're leaning a little too hard into those conspiracy theories... you know, the whole "shady West" and "evil elites" thing...

So what's your take? Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Was it because of Nazism?

Nah. Already covered that... ☕

Nancy Gomez26 said:Gas exports to the European Union were already dead in the water once they botched the attempt to occupy Ukraine. By the end of Putin's reign, that infrastructure will effectively be useless. However, there is still a way to play this—perhaps as a desperate attempt to toss a bone to their allies, a tactic we've seen them employ before. If that's the case, we might be looking at a false flag operation. For Putin, that infrastructure is functionally extinct as a transit route; what happens after he's gone isn't his concern. All we get is a signal from Moscow that Putin is willing to go to any lengths, which might cause his other threats to be taken more seriously than they currently are. The fool fails to realize that nobody actually takes his threats to heart—not because he lacks the capability, but because we simply cannot afford to let a little dictator with nukes hold the entire world hostage. If we cave now, men like him will sprout up everywhere like weeds after a rainstorm. This was a high-stakes move, and since one side at this poker table is running low on cash, they're starting to bet the furniture. In this instance, they're betting unusable furniture.

Honestly, I doubt it. It’s like building a massive railroad, sinking a fortune into it, and then when your neighbor shuts the borders and hits you with sanctions, you just blow up your own tracks to prove you aren't bluffing.

And saying that infrastructure is useless during Putin's rule? That’s just plain wrong. Half of the European Union is practically begging for this to end just so they can get back to sucking on cheap gas, oil, and coal, since we haven't actually figured out a real alternative yet.

Hannah Alvarez2 said:Honestly, I doubt it. It’s like building a massive railroad, sinking a fortune into it, and then when your neighbor shuts the borders and hits you with sanctions, you just blow up your own tracks to prove you aren't bluffing.

And saying that infrastructure is useless during Putin's rule? That’s just plain wrong. Half of the European Union is practically begging for this to end just so they can get back to sucking on cheap gas, oil, and coal, since we haven't actually figured out a real alternative yet.

🤔

Saying infrastructure is useless under Putin's rule is honestly just stupid. Half of the European Union is basically just waiting for this to end so they can get back to sucking on cheap gas, oil, and coal since we haven't figured out a real alternative yet.

Well, I'm not part of that "half of the EU" just sitting around waiting for it to end; I'm just waiting for the idiot to fly out a window.

Hannah Alvarez2 said:Honestly, I doubt it. It’s like building a massive railroad, sinking a fortune into it, and then when your neighbor shuts the borders and hits you with sanctions, you just blow up your own tracks to prove you aren't bluffing.

And saying that infrastructure is useless during Putin's rule? That’s just plain wrong. Half of the European Union is practically begging for this to end just so they can get back to sucking on cheap gas, oil, and coal, since we haven't actually figured out a real alternative yet.

I don't see Putin pivoting his policy anytime soon. Such a move would be a political somersault—something even the Russian citizens, who are far too accustomed to their government's various machinations, wouldn't swallow. No change in policy means no buying fuel from Putin (which is the whole point of sanctions). This infrastructure isn't "useless" for Putin—it simply has no future for him specifically. For the EU and Russia, it remains quite useful, because eventually, things will stabilize and the gas will flow through those pipes again if they aren't broken. Therefore, Putin is the only player capable of walking away from the table smoothly while simultaneously trying to squeeze a little extra benefit for himself and his agenda.

brighthound71 said:Someone mentioned on X—though I can’t seem to track down the specific post right now—that this situation is actually a huge win for the German government. Their logic? Now they don't have to worry about angry mobs protesting over skyrocketing heating bills and expensive gas.
Jaooo, my heart bleeds for them, really. Too bad the pipeline got wrecked.

The vibe coming out of Germany today has mostly been this calm, almost dismissive tone, with officials basically saying, "Relax, we've got plenty of reserves, storage is at 90% capacity." It’s like they just shrugged their shoulders and moved on.

So the Germans just took them out 🤣

Hannah Alvarez2 said:Honestly, I doubt it. It’s like building a massive railroad, sinking a fortune into it, and then when your neighbor shuts the borders and hits you with sanctions, you just blow up your own tracks to prove you aren't bluffing.

And saying that infrastructure is useless during Putin's rule? That’s just plain wrong. Half of the European Union is practically begging for this to end just so they can get back to sucking on cheap gas, oil, and coal, since we haven't actually figured out a real alternative yet.

Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

Donna Harris11 said:Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

Yeah, and they paired it right with that clip showing those bio-labs developing some special anti-Russian virus.

Christian Torres3 said:Yeah, and they paired it right with that clip showing those bio-labs developing some special anti-Russian virus.

And we haven't even gotten a look at those high-tech bio-labs yet.🙄.

Christian Torres3 said:Yeah, and they paired it right with that clip showing those bio-labs developing some special anti-Russian virus.

Look, Radek Sikorski is a Pole and an Atlanticist, and his wife writes columns for the Washington Post.

Just take a look at his profile picture on Twitter.

A terrorist was spotted near the NS1 and NS2 pipelines
View on twitter

This is getting ridiculous.
Sweden has officially launched an investigation.
Meanwhile, they’re holding a ceremony today to celebrate the opening of the Baltic Pipeline.

Donna Harris11 said:Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

Just quote the statement.
Thanks.

http://www.twitter.com/europeanMedia...29000370917383

Here’s the word on the mobilization calls happening in Mariupol—all while this so-called "referendum" is still going on 🤣. They’re supposed to show up with their papers and personal belongings by September 29th, following that "partial mobilization" Putin announced
.
Boychenko is saying they’ll be mobilizing over 10,000 people, and there’s a real chance the city could be shut down soon. From what I can gather, the number of people allowed to leave the city has dropped significantly. It’s possible only about 20% actually voted in this "referendum"
.
http://www.twitter.com/With__Ukraine...23754550624261

Donna Harris11 said:Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

Look, that statement was made back on February 7th—well before the invasion actually kicked off. He was talking about halting the NS2 project, which, let's be real, worked out exactly as planned. NS2 never even went online.

He didn't say a word about NS1, which had been running just fine, supplying gas until the Russians started whining about some turbine issues and throttled the flow. And now? Now NS1 isn't working either. 😁

Donna Harris11 said:Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

The games with the Americans are officially over. Honestly, it's on the Russians—they should have listened instead of getting swept up in those pipeline-related delusions about some version of Great Russia.

Donna Harris11 said:Then there's that Biden statement about destroying NS2—it totally slipped his mind. You can find the video clip on Radek Sikorski's Twitter account.

Stop it. I haven't heard any single statement about destroying Nord Stream 2.

brighthound71 said:Look, that statement was made back on February 7th—well before the invasion actually kicked off. He was talking about halting the NS2 project, which, let's be real, worked out exactly as planned. NS2 never even went online.

He didn't say a word about NS1, which had been running just fine, supplying gas until the Russians started whining about some turbine issues and throttled the flow. And now? Now NS1 isn't working either. 😁

Nord Stream 2 was never actually put into service, even though it was finished back in 2021.

So, I guess... what's the point of making threats in 2022 about a pipeline that isn't even being used?

The Germans (under Merkel) signed an agreement in 2021 because of pressure from the USA and Ukraine, saying they wouldn't use it for the next 10 years and would get their gas through the Ukrainian gas pipeline instead.

Now, it seems like Americans have made sure they can't use it at all anymore. 😁

Donna Harris11 said:Nord Stream 2 was never actually put into service, even though it was finished back in 2021.

So, I guess... what's the point of making threats in 2022 about a pipeline that isn't even being used?

The Germans (under Merkel) signed an agreement in 2021 because of pressure from the USA and Ukraine, saying they wouldn't use it for the next 10 years and would get their gas through the Ukrainian gas pipeline instead.

Now, it seems like Americans have made sure they can't use it at all anymore. 😁

It would be great if you could actually prove this instead of just making things up.
I know you don't care, but it’s infuriating when people who clearly loathe democracy throw around accusations of terrorism while refusing to condemn those actually committing state-sponsored terrorism.