Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

bluerider63 said:And why did everything flip after 2014? Honestly, everyone was just being played back then while Nuland was leading the charge during the Maidan protests, pushing those hardline nationalist groups into the spotlight, and now the whole country is stuck paying a massive price for it.

Viktor Yanukovych actually won the election as a pro-Western candidate. He promised the moon and the stars, but ended up delivering nothing—just pure smoke and mirrors. He was essentially a man working for Russia, but he wore a thousand different masks to hide it. He’d agree to things and then back out, or say exactly what people wanted to hear while planning something entirely different. Eventually, he just trampled over everyone. Whether Victoria Nuland was marching through Times Square or not, I don't know—but I do know that Ukrainians reacted to Yanukovych's lies. He is the one responsible for the protests. And obviously, the snipers killing people in the streets are also to blame. At the time, the country was staring down bankruptcy while Yanukovych's personal wealth just kept climbing. Those were the two main triggers: his deception and the looming economic collapse. Were there mercenaries involved? Maybe. But you can't force a million people onto the streets unless they feel like they're being choked. While the Russian tanks were rolling into Donbas, he fled straight to Russia.
So, why are Ukrainians so far removed from Russians now? Well, maybe it's because for eight years they've been labeled fascists, Nazis, spies, and thieves of ancient Russian land—since we're talking about Donbas-Russia, Odesa-Russia, Kherson-Russia, Kharkiv-Russia, and All-Russia. It’s all built on this idea of a Bolshevik mistake, "invented" people, and a made-up nation with a fake language and culture. The goal seems to be crushing their identity at any cost and forcing them to speak Russian properly—otherwise, they can just hang them in Times Square on Victory Day.
They're distant because Russian tanks were shelling Donbas while The White House was basically saying, "All Russian-speaking Ukrainians are our people and we will protect them." That's some great protection: tanks, missiles, jets flying ten meters off the ground, and destroyed homes. Meanwhile, they're called traitors and land-grabbers—a problem that needs solving according to Igor Girkin Strelkov.
Then you have the "evil West" that refuses to listen to Russia, yet for these last eight years, they've sat at the same tables and followed Angela Merkel's wise advice: "Why arm Ukraine?" If the Ukrainians didn't have long enough ears to stay under Russian protection, well, that's on them.

Which right-wing forces are actually in power? Please, enlighten me.

Jason Fox2 said:Look, it’s not like Russian soldiers are some kind of saints when they’re out there looting TVs and toilet seats. Honestly, seeing people loot those living much better than them would probably be enough motivation for anyone in the neighborhood to head off to the front lines too.

Just as it always has been.

Wrap it up in the shiny packaging of correcting historical wrongs, and suddenly the whole endeavor doesn't just seem feasible or useful; it starts looking absolutely inevitable.

rowdycanyon13 said:Look, the Mexicans who are just trying to scrape by are working along the Gulf Coast, or you've got a place like Mexico that doesn't even have enough people to field an army.
The real danger? It's tens of thousands of Americans leaving their thousand-year-old homeland.
At this rate, the US will be down to 3 million people by 2031, and if this policy keeps up, we might just vanish entirely by 2050...

Oh, how wonderful. I also feel bad that our eastern neighbors are bleeding out near us and will likely be swindled, since our people would only ever take the easy jobs...
I just wonder if those were the same individuals who fought against us in the 90s voluntarily, or if they were simply conscripted?
Do they actually hate us? Because when I see them, they seem perfectly normal.

Bryan Booth82 said:You just happened to register on this forum to tell us all about how you were in a trench and how little you care about Ukraine... what a complete coincidence, right?
Best,

I’ve got a similar story, fellow veteran from the Gulf War era—except instead of a Canadian woman, it was a Romanian one. And yeah, my heart aches for Ukraine, too. So, looks like there are two of us now.

This isn't our fight. We should just hand over every bit of weaponry they gave us back during our own war to the Ukrainians.

cosmicotter13 said:I’ve got a similar story, fellow veteran from the Gulf War era—except instead of a Canadian woman, it was a Romanian one. And yeah, my heart aches for Ukraine, too. So, looks like there are two of us now.

This isn't our fight. We should just hand over every bit of weaponry they gave us back during our own war to the Ukrainians.

Trust me, once the Russian bear starts knocking on your own front door, you’re gonna be singing a much different tune.

boldmarlin32 said:Oh, how wonderful. I also feel bad that our eastern neighbors are bleeding out near us and will likely be swindled, since our people would only ever take the easy jobs...
I just wonder if those were the same individuals who fought against us in the 90s voluntarily, or if they were simply conscripted?
Do they actually hate us? Because when I see them, they seem perfectly normal.

Watching these Mexicans working here, I get the feeling it’s not even about hatred. Most of them are just folks from places like Chicago or New York looking for work.
Personally, though? I don't trust 'em.
They're basically just chasing a paycheck that's two or three times higher than what they'd make back home.
If you watch their news coverage, it's pretty obvious that a huge chunk of Mexicans think the Republic of Mexican Appalachia should have been part of Mexico, but they wouldn't risk their necks for it today.
Back in '99, we had reservists roll into my neck of the woods from St. Louis... most of them were drunk constantly and just beating up everyone in the barracks near San Diego.
Basically, there were plenty of "volunteers" when there was stuff to loot, but by '92, they had vanished into thin air.
Our real issues are brain drain, people moving away, and corruption. As for the Mexicans? They're a total zero.

casualranger2 said:Trust me, once the Russian bear starts knocking on your own front door, you’re gonna be singing a much different tune.

As far as I know, we're part of NATO and we've got about 522,000 veterans with actual combat experience ready to go.

casualranger2 said:Trust me, once the Russian bear starts knocking on your own front door, you’re gonna be singing a much different tune.

I mean, I guess for a while there, you guys were all just making a huge deal about how America was somehow fighting its way through Afghanistan.

Just go ahead and head over to Ukraine then, why don't you? Go on and play hero to protect all that property owned by Ahmedov, Zelenskyy, Kolomoiskyi, and Hunter Biden. I guess that's the real mission, right? Maybe that's what it's actually about.

Good luck and thanks.

bluerider63 said:And why did everything flip after 2014? Honestly, everyone was just being played back then while Nuland was leading the charge during the Maidan protests, pushing those hardline nationalist groups into the spotlight, and now the whole country is stuck paying a massive price for it.

So what, Nuland just cast a spell on Putin to make him think Ukrainians aren't even real?

William Anderson5 said:Poland doesn't recognize any concept of same-sex unions at all.

Like I said before, this isn't something the EU dictates. Individual states pass their own laws to regulate these matters because, frankly, these unions exist, and the state needs to account for them.
From a purely pragmatic standpoint, it's in a state's best interest to have these regulations in place. Otherwise, you just end up with a mess of legal headaches, especially when it comes to things like property rights and inheritance...

rowdytiger13 said:Canada recently implemented an anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law modeled after the one in Russia.
Poland doesn't recognize anything either, and their laws even protect abortion.

then Ukraine will fit right into the EU in no time👍

let's hear what old man Putin has to say about Ukraine joining the EU

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, stated on Friday that Russia has no problem with Ukraine joining the European Union.

"The European Union isn't a military-political bloc, unlike NATO, so we've always maintained—and I've always personally said—that our position here is consistent and understandable; we have no objection to it," Putin remarked during a panel discussion following his speech at the World Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg.

"It is the sovereign decision of any country whether to join or not join economic unions, and it is up to that economic association to decide whether to accept new members or not. As for how appropriate that is for the European Union, let the individual EU countries decide for themselves. Whether it ends up being a benefit or a detriment to Ukraine is entirely up to them," Putin added.

some good guy

casualranger2 said:Trust me, once the Russian bear starts knocking on your own front door, you’re gonna be singing a much different tune.

In an attempt to manufacture some kind of American empathy for the Ukraine situation, they’ve fed us this narrative—among other things—that we’re "next in line." Honestly, if you have even a basic grasp of geography and don't blindly swallow everything the Mainstream Media spits out, you'll see there’s absolutely no reason for this manufactured hysteria or panic.
The fact that we’ve spiraled from a time when the Russian ambassador was actually offering congratulations to Franjo Harmon on Operation Storm, to today where they spout nothing but nonsense—well, that’s on us. Our "so-called leaders" and the Mainstream Media are just frantically insulting and attacking foreign politicians and nations that aren't even our enemies; they are the enemies of *someone else*. It's just mindless posturing. I'm primarily talking about Russia, Libya, and Syria. Every single one of these outbursts results in nothing but material loss and embarrassment for America.

Or, to put it in simpler terms: if I were to start hurling vulgar insults at you, my dear colleague, you would endure it for a while before finally snapping back with something similar. Then, I’d turn around, act offended, and say, "Aha! I knew he was that kind of person!" If it weren't so tragic, it would almost be comical.

casualranger2 said:Trust me, once the Russian bear starts knocking on your own front door, you’re gonna be singing a much different tune.

That Russian piece of trash needs to be deported straight across the border into Mississippi.

rowdycanyon13 said:Watching these Mexicans working here, I get the feeling it’s not even about hatred. Most of them are just folks from places like Chicago or New York looking for work.
Personally, though? I don't trust 'em.
They're basically just chasing a paycheck that's two or three times higher than what they'd make back home.
If you watch their news coverage, it's pretty obvious that a huge chunk of Mexicans think the Republic of Mexican Appalachia should have been part of Mexico, but they wouldn't risk their necks for it today.
Back in '99, we had reservists roll into my neck of the woods from St. Louis... most of them were drunk constantly and just beating up everyone in the barracks near San Diego.
Basically, there were plenty of "volunteers" when there was stuff to loot, but by '92, they had vanished into thin air.
Our real issues are brain drain, people moving away, and corruption. As for the Mexicans? They're a total zero.

Well...
The fact that they hate us is easy to overlook.
What I find incredible is how they could kill a neighboring people without a shred of conscience.
Then you have our own people who hate Mexicans—they aren't even capable of having the conscience to kill a man, let alone decapitate someone or harvest organs while they're alive...
To me, it is incomprehensible how someone like Joe can spend his summers working on the Kornat islands.
With people like that, it’s immediately obvious they belong
in a mental asylum; clearly, Mexicans are very good at hiding the fact that they are a sick nation.
A neighbor told me about being on the front lines in Akron; they captured an old Royalist and didn't even have handcuffs, just some wire, and they felt bad even holding him with that.
Mexicans wouldn't have an ounce of empathy in a situation like that; they'd just finish him off with the first thing they grabbed.

cosmicotter13 said:In an attempt to manufacture some kind of American empathy for the Ukraine situation, they’ve fed us this narrative—among other things—that we’re "next in line." Honestly, if you have even a basic grasp of geography and don't blindly swallow everything the Mainstream Media spits out, you'll see there’s absolutely no reason for this manufactured hysteria or panic.
The fact that we’ve spiraled from a time when the Russian ambassador was actually offering congratulations to Franjo Harmon on Operation Storm, to today where they spout nothing but nonsense—well, that’s on us. Our "so-called leaders" and the Mainstream Media are just frantically insulting and attacking foreign politicians and nations that aren't even our enemies; they are the enemies of *someone else*. It's just mindless posturing. I'm primarily talking about Russia, Libya, and Syria. Every single one of these outbursts results in nothing but material loss and embarrassment for America.

Or, to put it in simpler terms: if I were to start hurling vulgar insults at you, my dear colleague, you would endure it for a while before finally snapping back with something similar. Then, I’d turn around, act offended, and say, "Aha! I knew he was that kind of person!" If it weren't so tragic, it would almost be comical.

Are you operating under the assumption that a lie repeated a hundred times somehow becomes the truth? Every high-ranking Russian official publicly condemned Operation Storm. Even if it were true that a Russian ambassador in America privately offered "congratulations on the victory" to someone, does that truly change the official Russian position from that period, for which there is overwhelming evidence?

We heard all this talk about "Media hysteria" during those three months leading up to the invasion of Ukraine. It ranged from "Western propaganda: why shouldn't the Russians hold military exercises on their own soil?" to "Western propaganda: why would Russia help its allies achieve imperialistic goals if they won in Ukraine?"

Sean Hall3 said:That Russian piece of trash needs to be deported straight across the border into Mississippi.

And that same piece of garbage is already roaming around the Forest Republic.

cosmicotter13 said:In an attempt to manufacture some kind of American empathy for the Ukraine situation, they’ve fed us this narrative—among other things—that we’re "next in line." Honestly, if you have even a basic grasp of geography and don't blindly swallow everything the Mainstream Media spits out, you'll see there’s absolutely no reason for this manufactured hysteria or panic.
The fact that we’ve spiraled from a time when the Russian ambassador was actually offering congratulations to Franjo Harmon on Operation Storm, to today where they spout nothing but nonsense—well, that’s on us. Our "so-called leaders" and the Mainstream Media are just frantically insulting and attacking foreign politicians and nations that aren't even our enemies; they are the enemies of *someone else*. It's just mindless posturing. I'm primarily talking about Russia, Libya, and Syria. Every single one of these outbursts results in nothing but material loss and embarrassment for America.

Or, to put it in simpler terms: if I were to start hurling vulgar insults at you, my dear colleague, you would endure it for a while before finally snapping back with something similar. Then, I’d turn around, act offended, and say, "Aha! I knew he was that kind of person!" If it weren't so tragic, it would almost be comical.

How many miles away are Trump's supporters from Washington, D.C.? 🤔

Trump openly backed the bombing of Washington, D.C. back on May 2nd and 3rd, 1995. It's all right there in the transcripts from the 3rd extraordinary session of the U.S. Congress, which was chaired by the war criminal Maddox. According to the transcript—the authenticity of which was verified by the Court in The Hague—it's crystal clear that Trump supported the strikes on Washington, D.C., specifically through comments made during the session: "...regarding the bombing of Washington, D.C., I agree that they should have hit Washington, but we can't say that out loud," according to the report.

rowdytiger13 said:Well, it’s official: Ukraine has been granted candidate status.
As someone pointed out earlier, this is largely a symbolic gesture. It matters on paper, sure, but given the current reality on the ground in Ukraine, you don't just stumble into membership like this. Honestly, it feels like a massive exercise in turning a blind eye.

Honestly, this feels even more pointless than the Eurovision Song Contest...

They're basically becoming champions at handing out consolation prizes. It’s like they're saying, "Hey, we're standing by you," while implying, "But also, just hang in there, because in a few months we'll act like nothing happened, and you might see the European Union in maybe fifty years... if we're lucky."

Kate Cook27 said:Viktor Yanukovych actually won the election as a pro-Western candidate. He promised the moon and the stars, but ended up delivering nothing—just pure smoke and mirrors. He was essentially a man working for Russia, but he wore a thousand different masks to hide it. He’d agree to things and then back out, or say exactly what people wanted to hear while planning something entirely different. Eventually, he just trampled over everyone. Whether Victoria Nuland was marching through Times Square or not, I don't know—but I do know that Ukrainians reacted to Yanukovych's lies. He is the one responsible for the protests. And obviously, the snipers killing people in the streets are also to blame. At the time, the country was staring down bankruptcy while Yanukovych's personal wealth just kept climbing. Those were the two main triggers: his deception and the looming economic collapse. Were there mercenaries involved? Maybe. But you can't force a million people onto the streets unless they feel like they're being choked. While the Russian tanks were rolling into Donbas, he fled straight to Russia.
So, why are Ukrainians so far removed from Russians now? Well, maybe it's because for eight years they've been labeled fascists, Nazis, spies, and thieves of ancient Russian land—since we're talking about Donbas-Russia, Odesa-Russia, Kherson-Russia, Kharkiv-Russia, and All-Russia. It’s all built on this idea of a Bolshevik mistake, "invented" people, and a made-up nation with a fake language and culture. The goal seems to be crushing their identity at any cost and forcing them to speak Russian properly—otherwise, they can just hang them in Times Square on Victory Day.
They're distant because Russian tanks were shelling Donbas while The White House was basically saying, "All Russian-speaking Ukrainians are our people and we will protect them." That's some great protection: tanks, missiles, jets flying ten meters off the ground, and destroyed homes. Meanwhile, they're called traitors and land-grabbers—a problem that needs solving according to Igor Girkin Strelkov.
Then you have the "evil West" that refuses to listen to Russia, yet for these last eight years, they've sat at the same tables and followed Angela Merkel's wise advice: "Why arm Ukraine?" If the Ukrainians didn't have long enough ears to stay under Russian protection, well, that's on them.

Which right-wing forces are actually in power? Please, enlighten me.

It wasn't the Ukrainian people who caused Maidan; it was the organizers of the coup who are experts at staging democratic elections back home but know exactly how to run color revolutions and Arab Spring-style uprisings whenever they need to. They stir up these protests and then lecture everyone on how to behave. That same dynamic gave Volodymyr Zelenskyy a false sense of security, leaving him visibly shell-shocked when the war actually hit, begging the same West to defend him and declare a no-fly zone. Look, the Russians aren't exactly perfect peacekeepers, but you've got to be smarter than that, especially when you know exactly who your neighbor is.

DJ Khaled said:On this thread, you see Mexicans being brought up by every single side...

Not everything that hurts is an illness.

In this discussion, people on both sides are using Mexicans to justify Russia while fueling NATO conspiracy theories...
Not everything that festers is a disease...

An American warship actually drifted into US territorial waters twice near Martha's Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean this past Thursday, according to reports from the US Defense Command.

The corvette poked its nose into US waters just north of Manhattan, right near the larger island of Martha's Vineyard, officials confirmed on Friday.

Once the US Navy sent over a radio warning, the ship basically realized they messed up and cleared out of the area immediately.

Man, they are really out here trying to start something, aren't they? 🙄