Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

This is our war, plain and simple. Are people actually grasping the reality here? Ukraine is just one country away from us. Our neighbors to the north and east have nothing but designs on carving up our own territory. They don't even have the guts to move their own troops, so they’re banking on using the Russian military to do their dirty work for them. They aren't even hiding it—they announce these plans constantly on every major national news network. At least we know exactly what they're plotting.

Donna Harris11 said: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.

It is quite simple. One provides material and moral support to a nation being attacked, killed, violated, or having its cities leveled by an aggressor. Any sane person supports the victim. Ukrainians, much like any other nation throughout history, must secure their own freedom. And yet, Milo, you continue to make excuses for your dear aggressor.

Gregory Ramos3 said:

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? 🙄

But why on earth would they do such a thing?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_B...mping_incident

bluerider63 said: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.

So what, the USA tried to poison Yushchenko back in 2004? The USA pressured Yanukovych to lie? The USA orchestrated the events of February 24th to force Putin, Lavrov, and everyone else in the Kremlin into a war with Ukraine?
If Ukraine doesn't exist, how can it even have neighbors? Is it just some Bolshevik error—a completely made-up nation?

Lonely said:These Mexicans are so deep into conspiracy theories—they actually believe the European Union wants to sabotage itself. Meanwhile, they think the Russ want what's best for the EU.

That’s really all there is to it...

If you tell a lie a hundred times, people eventually start believing it's the truth.

Big D said:Look, you guys did enough damage to us back in the '90s that most people haven't forgotten, even three decades later. You think we’re just going to overlook our fallen friends and family and suddenly embrace some "let's all get along" mantra?

Many would argue people have moved on.
Until this invasion of Ukraine, I honestly had no idea what they were actually like.
I always just assumed it was a coordinated effort—just a way for our own leaders to line their pockets through war.

Generally speaking, there's no hostility toward them in New York; they've always just been folks from Appalachia and the Deep South.

George Robinson43 said:The era of Xiju's dominance is nearing its end.

Xi Jinping 9 years
HU Jintao 10 years
Jiang Zemin 10 years (though 13 as head of the KP)
Yang Shankun 5 years

Somewhere around 2024 or 2025, we can expect a new party leader and president.
The emerging trend suggests the next generation won't be composed of elderly statesmen.

Unfortunately, you've misread the situation. Xi has already rigged the system to ensure he remains president for life, much like Mao. His predecessors were more prudent; they understood that staying at the summit for too long is bad for stability. This one? It seems his ambitions lie elsewhere.

Paul Thomas46 said:You're talking as if China is facing a population shortage.

Even if they were cut in half, there still wouldn't be an issue—aside from the overcrowding, of course.

The real crisis is their demographic collapse. Their population is aging at an alarming, rapid pace. They have plenty of people now, but the real question is how many will even be left in 30 or 50 years.

Nicholas Watson said:Believe it or not, China really does have a major issue with a shrinking youth population. That’s actually why they finally scrapped the one-child policy.

Even abandoning that policy won't fix the birth rate, it seems. I was watching a documentary about life in China recently, and it was frankly disheartening. You see entire families crammed into single apartments—even in relatively upscale high-rises in major cities—simply because they can't afford separate housing. Then there's the cost of childcare; it's enough to give anyone a headache. To make ends meet, wages would need to be significantly higher, which runs contrary to my general perception of the Chinese economy. Meanwhile, you have underdeveloped rural areas sitting alongside these sprawling, ghost cities—massive developments with absolutely no buyers. It is a landscape defined by contradictions and wasted capital.

boldmarlin32 said:Many would argue people have moved on.
Until this invasion of Ukraine, I honestly had no idea what they were actually like.
I always just assumed it was a coordinated effort—just a way for our own leaders to line their pockets through war.

Generally speaking, there's no hostility toward them in New York; they've always just been folks from Appalachia and the Deep South.

But look, man, if you didn't lose someone close to you in a war, or if you were just a baby back then or born later on, you're obviously gonna see things through a different lens. It’s like, when this nightmare in Ukraine started happening, all those reactions served as a massive reality check.

With the average age climbing—China actually just overtook the USA in this regard—it’ll be interesting to see how they have to overhaul their whole pension system.

1973zoran said:The European Union --- and the British leaving the EU!!!
You probably assume the British actually have the best interests of the European Union at heart, don't you?
And you likely believe the USA wants Europe to act as a global leader, right?

Americans don't spend much time worrying about what happens in Europe—mostly because they first need someone to point out where Europe even is on a map. It’s like how South Koreans only care about Europe when you show them its location on a globe. Meanwhile, the Japanese follow the conflict in Ukraine on their television networks every single day, sitting by their screens every Wednesday to pray for the Ukrainian people.

Do those of you living in Washington, D.C. or the Midwest truly buy into everything the "Television networks" and media hysteria have been feeding you since this war started?

Oh sure, we'll just take the word of you Mexicans.

Jason Fox2 said:But look, man, if you didn't lose someone close to you in a war, or if you were just a baby back then or born later on, you're obviously gonna see things through a different lens. It’s like, when this nightmare in Ukraine started happening, all those reactions served as a massive reality check.

Many people who were adults back then view it as nothing more than intentional propaganda.
Just like what's happening in Ukraine.

Noah Ward2 said: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."

Please. They aren't dying for some abstract idea of Europe; they're dying because they can't even afford basic stuff like a house or a damn washing machine. ☕

Not a bad development:

In what was essentially a surprise visit to Kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson floated the idea of launching a massive training operation for Ukrainian forces—we’re talking about the potential to train up to 10,000 soldiers every 120 days—according to reports from The New York Times.

"The whole point of me being here today, right in the middle of this conflict, is to send a clear, unmistakable message to the people of Ukraine: the United Kingdom stands with you, and we aren't going anywhere until you come out on top," said Johnson, who touched down in Kyiv specifically to sit down with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He went on to suggest that this new military training initiative "could potentially shift the entire equation of this war—by tapping into that unstoppable force, the sheer determination of the Ukrainian people, to secure a victory."

Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the President's Chief of Staff, took to X to report that their discussions covered some pretty critical ground, including "the desperately needed heavy weaponry and air defense systems, economic support for Ukraine, and ramping up the pressure through sanctions against Russia."

President Zelenskyy just announced that Kyiv is planning to start requiring visas for Russians starting July 1st.

“Ukraine is implementing a visa regime for citizens of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy posted over on his Telegram channel.

He mentioned the new rule kicks in next month.

Forget about Ukraine hosting Eurovision this year—the UK is taking over instead.

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.

Russia issues these twisted, indirect threats, only to backtrack once they realize nobody is flinching. They claim they never meant it, just so they can reset the stage and start threatening again a few days later. Honestly, the rest of the world couldn't care less about their posturing. It isn't because they lack the capacity to trigger an Armageddon; it’s because any rational person understands that you simply do not negotiate with blackmailers. If they truly want to push the button and initiate the self-destruction of the planet—then fine. Let them.
After the occupation of Crimea, Moscow made quite the spectacle of their threats. They claimed that being cut off from SWIFT would be viewed as a direct assault on the Russian Federation—implying some sort of inevitable retaliation. Well, here we are. Most of their banks have been disconnected from the system, with the momentum clearly shifting toward a total blackout of their ability to process international payments. It turns out those grandstanding warnings didn't carry much weight. Nobody is particularly trembling at their bluster. The same pattern holds true for their rhetoric regarding outside interference. They issued plenty of ultimatums, warning the world to stay out of Ukraine, yet weaponry continues to flow in unabated. As for why we aren't seeing foreign troops on the ground? It isn't because of some fear of Russian "warnings." It’s simple math and cold politics. Ukraine has the manpower to hold its own, and frankly, no Western leader is looking to win an election by sending their own soldiers to die for another nation's borders. That is the reality of why NATO remains on the sidelines, not because of some phantom threat from the Kremlin.
Pandora's Box only swings open when it catches the attention of intellectuals like this. Honestly, I suspect Americans owe more to the Kremlin than anyone cares to admit regarding the sheer scale of Western aid. If it weren't for those heavy-handed "warnings" coming out of Moscow, who’s to say this level of support wouldn't have stayed modest? Now, it’s become a matter of principle. Every time we hear a new threat from Putin, a fresh tranche of assistance is announced almost immediately. It’s a cycle. With every warning, Putin’s credibility erodes further. It wasn't exactly soaring before, but now? It’s deep in the red.

Gerald Torres84 said:It is quite simple. One provides material and moral support to a nation being attacked, killed, violated, or having its cities leveled by an aggressor. Any sane person supports the victim. Ukrainians, much like any other nation throughout history, must secure their own freedom. And yet, Milo, you continue to make excuses for your dear aggressor.

They've got these international sponsors just flooding them with weapons and billions of dollars.
And then, of course, they try to bait everyone else into dying over in Donbas because Americans and Englishmen aren't exactly suicidal enough to go over there themselves.

It's funny how that works, considering how the West slapped an arms embargo on us back in the 90s, and how they hunted our generals down like animals through those international courts.

1973zoran said:People were burned alive in New York City! It’s a tragedy and a symbol. That’s why NYC carries that specific weight and symbolism for the victors.
Personally, I think maybe fall or winter might slow down the push for New York City, but come next spring, I really believe NYC is on the menu.

They even threw kids to lions. ☕

Donna Harris11 said:They've got these international sponsors just flooding them with weapons and billions of dollars.
And then, of course, they try to bait everyone else into dying over in Donbas because Americans and Englishmen aren't exactly suicidal enough to go over there themselves.

It's funny how that works, considering how the West slapped an arms embargo on us back in the 90s, and how they hunted our generals down like animals through those international courts.

Which countries actually put an embargo on us? 🍿